| Into the Loliverse ( Daemons, Act III) Be careful what you wish for. U2 had been sitting in the mule hoping that something, anything exciting would happen. Then something did. The mule detached from the cable and began to accelerate.. The mule's computer did have adaptive anti-malware, but it was a chilp spun off by one of Hab-6's daemons. After all the mule was designed to go from here to there and back again. Nothing special Whatever had infected the mule it locked the controls, all U2 could do was sit and watch the Barracuda recede. *** Azure opened a channel,"V2, We're kind of stuck here, where are you?" "Just outside the ship - holding onto the edge of the ladder. Why? Do you want me to shut down the fuel cells?" Abraham broke in, "No, that won't open the doors. What we need you to do is make your way to the communication array. Its located on the underside of the ship, near the front.. I will talk you through patching the suit's com into the ship's You should find safety handrails on the outer hull." "Why can't you do this from inside?" "The ship won't accept commands from inside anymore. Somehow we triggered a security response." "Did you try using the bodies of the dead crew members? Their -" "Yes, we tried that." V2 giggled, "Really? How quickly our high ideals melt in the face of practicality." Azure grew annoyed, "Just move it. Or none of us is getting home." "I can make observations of your hypocrisy and move along.", there were a few minutes of grunting as V2 pulled herself along, then the silence was broken, "Hey what's this?" "What's what?" "I'll put it through with the suit cam.", a device, like a miniature communication array. A meter or so sticking out of the hull, a small red light blinking. It was of a much lighter color than the black hull, it seemed to have. " Could we patch into this?" Azure called in, "No - its transmitting! Destroy it.." V2 wrapped the cord around the narrowest part of the transmitter and began to cut, "What you think there are still viruses in here?" Abraham came on the line next, " The blindfold viruses don't have the anti-copying module the daemons and the delfs have. They can transmit unlimited numbers of viruses.." "How long do you think this has been transmitting?" "Unfortunately, as long as its had power. Maybe as soon as we turned the ship's systems on." V2 finished slicing through the transmitter, and grabbed onto the antenna, "How about if I just use this part?" *** Cyan was glad to hear that Mayor Snow was willing to have a face to face, what Cyan did not was Red. The uniform of the X-Utero members was a simple gray dress. Her long hair tied back in a neat pony tail. Her pendant a simple X, with the image of a human fetus placed in the center. She gave Cyan a look. Not derisive, just acknowledging the resolver therapist's existence. Cyan in turn tried her best to smile, she'd never known of a negotiation were starting with a scowl. Cyan extended her hand, " I don't think we've met. Which is strange this is a small habitat." Red turned her gaze away, "No, we haven't met." Snow was radiant as ever, a bright smile that filled the room. "Sooo- I hear you girls are having a bit of a curfuffle. I was thinkin ' Hey Snow we got to get these girls together, help them work out there differences.', and I responded, ' Why you know - I think you're right'. So who wants to start?" Cyan took a seat. "Well, I came here on another matter, but I would love to hear what Ms. Red has to say." "The resolvers did not protect public interests. Since nearly everyone on the habitat is a product of not only X-Utero generally, but my franchise specifically, our interests should be the primary interest to the entire race. Further, our decisions are in the interest of that race. Not profit, not power, not eugenics." "I never accused you of any of those things. I did not even say anything about the rightness or wrongness of putting a stay on gestations. Simply I -" "But that's what its always about isn't it? No one is ever turned down for a valid reason. We are always trying to build some kind of slavish master race or else taking bribes so that only the wealthy can have children. Anyone who works for X-Utero signs a pledge, we cannot have children of their own!" "Are you resentful of that?" "Madam Mayor, we put a stay on gestations because resources are unstable. But if the resolvers want to push the door in and overpopulate the habitat they will do so over our dead bodies." Mayor Snow seemed confused, "Umm, Doctor Cyan, were you planning to do that?" "I think we all need to take a deep breath." "I'm done. ", Red got up to go, turning her back on the mayor and the director of the resolvers.She left. Mayor Snow went from confused to annoyed, "What in the name of Blue Blazes just happened?" "I think we've been snubbed." *** "Hic that's strange - the mule is moving away from the warship." Ashley brushed a gray hair out of her face, "Are they headed back?" "No they're moving hic out into space.." Ashley opened a channel to the mule, "Mule, did you complete your mission? Could you please give us your status? Mule please respond.", Ashley used her console to take over the mule, " I am bringing the mule back to Hab-6, I will give control back to you as soon as you respond." "hic The mule is turning back out again." Ashley set the system to continuously send the return command. "Mule - we will give back control as soon as you tell us your situation, please respond." **** On board the mule U2 would have loved to respond, but her systems were not accepting her commands, instead the override command fought against whatever had taken over the mule. U2 had no idea where she was heading, She had no way to tell Hab-6 she was in trouble. Inside memory, the daemon was annoyed at having its task interrupted. Someone was helping the intruders. He would have to go where they were. **** Ashley suddenly saw her console go dark, "What the shrag? ", this time spex didn't seem to be affected. The systems seemed to be malfunctioning again. **** It was in delf space that Alpha learned of the stranger, the daemon attacking a realm he considered to be his own. Alpha attacked the invader. The other daemons didn't join, if Alpha failed he was not worthy of being their leader. The invader was tough and determined, but Alpha was more determined and drove the invader from the ship.'s systems. Alpha then perused the invader, finding him on the Mule, As far as Alpha was concerned the Mule was just a far flung extension of his realm. The mule's computers were relatively small. Not meant for one daemon let alone two. Still in the tight space the two battled ferociously, driving the beast from the mule. Alpha then left a chilp behind to warn Alpha should any other daemon try to take the mule. **** Back in the kinetic world, U2 felt as if she could hurl, the ship spun round and round. Then finally it stopped, and was making its way back to Hab-6 "Hab -6, like what the shrag just happened?" Ashley from DBC could be heard over the comm, " Relax, we have the mule under control. ", the console turned back on a few seconds after they went dark. Hab-6's own defenses expelling the intruder. "Like thanks. ", U2 spied something, in the distance, on the largest moon, "Like, I saw something. The mule's scanners aren't that precise. It looks artificial or something.." "We can't get a reading - its on the far side from us. We'll check it out later." "Like, I have control. So if you could, you know, let me have manual back. I want to get back to the warship.": **** Alpha pursued the invader to the memory of the warship. To Alpha this place was one of small cramped spaces. Alpha was cautious. He was on the invader's home turf now. Anti malware chilps swarmed on Alpha like the insects they often were represented by. They were not powerful enough to defeat him. They did distract and annoy him, and Alpha's opponent used the distraction for an ambush. The two daemons fought ferociously, tearing at the thousands of programs that made up each of them In the end, Alpha was victorious.. He then sent Alpha an image. A human female, in the infirmary, kept in some kind of storage. Alpha sent his own image, the young woman safe and sound in the hab-6 infirmary. This fight wasn't about the humans. Alpha only knew how to contact one human, and only if she happened to be in delfspace.The daemons of Hab-6 didn't have clearance access Spexnet.. The other daemon did however. **** It took them a short time for Goldie, Azure and Abraham to notice the hatch had opened. There was also a message on the main view screen, "Please report to the infirmery recovery room." The three of them climbed quickly down to the infirmery level. The door opened to the recovery room. Beds had the wounded strapped to them, now long dead. There were also stasis pods, used primarily to keep the severely wounded stable on the way to a larger medical facility.. As they looked through the stasis pod, they found one had a young woman Goldie stared at the young woman's face, "Can she be revived?" "I'm an engineer, not a doctor. The capsule has its own backup power. Its been recharging ever since we turned the ship back on. I think it would be worth taking her back." Azure looked at the daemon's avatar, "Was she why whatever it was went off? To protect her? But why not as soon as we turned the ship on, or when we first moved it?" Abraham unhooked some clasps and slid it off some railings that attached it to the floor, "Could you girls help me with this?" U2 came on the comm, "Like you guys would not beleive the stuff I just went through. Like I'll pick you up in one minute." The stasis pod was designed to be attached to the ladder. With a gentle push it slowly slid downwards. ***** The Alpha and the daemon inhabitant of the Barracuda watched as the mule receded. Alpha motioned for the other daemon to follow, and they both uploaded themselves into the mule's memory. **** "October twelth, twenty-three forty-five." Red rubbed her eyes. Dr. Cyan was persistent, she had to give the director that. The date marked the first year of Red's residency. All members of X-Utero had to work a two year residency on a world far away from their own. To understand the wider culture. The larger mission, the power and the responsibility that came with it. Psychological modeling showed that a prospective couple was seventy five percent likely to be abusive. The prospective father had tenancies towards parasitic behavior. He worked only when his survival depended on it. His spouse had very unrealistic expectations about parenting. She could barely take care of her loser husband. The retook the test three times. They were rejected three times. The husband, who never took responsibility for anything decided this was some insult to his manhood. They started to become obsessive. Not because they wanted to become parents but because they didn't like hearing the word "no". The gun he used was actually quite primitive. Old fashioned fire arms were easier to make than the Gauss weapons, they didn't have any security splines to tattle on them. Just metal and plastic, and wood, They'd had other scares - but that man was the worst. The only one to bring a weapon. Funny thing was, Red could not remember his name. Dr. Cyan was standing outside X-Utero, looking into a security camera, "If you let me in. You can tell me all about it and I will listen." Red opened the door. **** During the flight back Azure decided to avoid V2. She didn't feel much like dealing with the amoral loli. U2 was a bit unsettled by the fact that the same daemon that had assaulted the mule, was riding in the mule's memory. Azure stared down at the purple and yellow planet below. Wondering what they might find there if they ever actually got around to exploring it. Goldie had taken the opportunity to get in touch with Amber. Afterwards, however, she seemed upset. "I can't believe Amber. Do you know what she said.? She said your negativity made her sick. Not metaphorically either. She has a cold and she's blaming it on you. I mean 'Amber - its a shragging cold, its not caused by negativity, its caused by a virus'. I mean holy smokes. Spirituality is fine, but sometimes things aren't caused by people's negativity. Sometimes its actually something completely rational!" Goldie rolled her large yellow eyes, "You know Azure sometimes I envy you." Azure shook her head, "Envy me?" "Sure, you're so independent. You don't need anyone but yourself. Me, any time I'm alone I'm afraid I'll be alone forever." "You can get on a lift with three strangers, two floors later they're your best friends."" "Yeah - but its like I'm trying to please everyone. You're just about the only one I can be myself around, you know? Do you think I should break up with Amber?" "You're the one who has to put up with her. I don't care if she wants to whine about my negative energy or whatever. Is the sex any good?" "She's kind of selfish. I mean, I'm normally a giver but, is it so bad to receive once in a while?" "Not at all. Did we name that planet yet?" "Nope. They are waiting until the end of the week to tally the votes. The grumps get to vote too." "I guess that's fair." "So what are you voting for?" "Thor - we used Greek myth in our own system, why not Norse here? The moons could be his wife Sif and his two sons." "But it doesn't even look like Thor, there's no thunder or lightning. I picked Goldilocks." "Why?" "Because its in the Goldilocks zone, and the atmosphere has a yellowish tinge.. The moons could be the three bears." "Are you naming the planet after yourself?" "No, no, I am not that vain." Azure rolled her eyes, "You coming over for movie night?" "I want to avoid Amber for a few days. Wanna come over to my place? We're showing 'Harry and Larry go to Los Ares'." "What is it with Martians and musicals?" "I don't know. Hey, I know a girl, she's cranky and sexually frustrated just like you.." **** Anne Ikeda opened her eyes, her mouth was dry and she was really sleepy. Her vision was severely blurred for a few moments. Then she saw them, children? No. She recognized them for what they were. Some twisted person in the twenty-third century had brought the creation of her ancestors to life. On paper and in animation big eyed girls look cute. In the flesh, they look a bit creepy. It seemed strange that Anne would be rescued by them. Her command of TCL was somewhat limited. To an Earth speaker the Ganymede dialect of Japanese sounded crude and lazy. The original precise pronunciations and inflections of Earth Japanese slurred. Though most of the vocabulary was kept, the tonality had been lost. A big eyed girl with reddish brown hair spoke to her in TCL, which was then translated through ear-buds Anna hadn't even been aware she was wearing, "Go ahead and speak your native language we have the translators on. We brought him with us. He's in the system. Now, you need to ready yourself. What I am about to tell you, about where you are and what has happened. Its going to be hard to believe, but we can prove it. For starters, you are the last survivor of your crew. I am sorry for your loss. If it brings you any comfort, they died protecting innocent lives. Is there anything we can do to help you with your adjustment." "Yes,if possible, That they be given proper final service." ***** On Habitat 6 there were two sacred spaces, the chapel in the park and mortuary. The latter was located near the center of the farming sector. This was also near sewage treatment and recycling. The original builders of Hab-6 saw the lolis as little more than a product, and dead lolis as little more than waste. There had been many requests to move the sigh,t but, for engineering reasons it just wasn't practical. The dead were placed on a conveyer belt and dropped into a digestion vat. The minerals and nutrients would be recycled. This by itself was common enough practice. In space, waste was a mortal sin. Still, the bodies could be treated with reverence. The room was packed with humans and lolis in dark formal clothes holding candles - one for each of the forty-seven crew members retrieved from the ship. Ashley stood in dark formal clothes holding a candle as the first body made its way, "Wataru Tanaka, crew member, maintenance technician.", then Ashley blew out the candle. Ink came forewords next, " Cathy Shin, ensign, foreword gunner." Azure felt strange to be here, who were they doing this for? The dead could not care. For some God figure then? No. Its wasn't that. Yet it felt right for Azure to be here. They did it for themselves, because these were people, not meat. " Yoko Mitsumi, chief petty officer ", Azure blew out the candle, Azure found it disturbing that Yoko was missing a hand. Sable's new apprentice, Ruth, came next, she seemed a little sickened, she doubled over and began to heave. "I'm, I'm sorry," she cleared her throat, "Kotetsu Asano, crew-member, mess cook." She blew out her candle. **** The cunit manufacturing area of the machine ship was little used now. Making it a good place for a clandestine meeting. a dozen lolis that believed in reality. V2 put the gun and a severed hand on the counter. "You told me it would take thirty seconds to pass out from exposure to hard vacuum. I almost blacked out after five. Still, it was an experience few of us have." Director Gray picked up the hand, placed her own small palm against it. "I'll get the machine shop to make it I can hide it deep in memory, Near files that don't get accessed much. For now we have to stay secret, when the time comes we will be seen as heroes." |