<That you’re a woman of action.>
<Sort of, yeah. But I’ve spent way more time idle, flying between systems.>
<I guess because you were always training? Maybe you should join in with your Marauders in combat sims.>
A sigh slipped past Rika’s lips as she turned into the lower kitchen. <I wish. Just too many meetings.>
<You’re an L2, now. You could multitask. Or I could monitor the meetings while you get in the sim.>
<That feels disrespectful.>
<It probably is. Does that make it wrong?>
<Yes, I suspect it does.>
Rika pulled her thoughts back to the world around her and surveyed the kitchen. There was an executive lounge three levels above, but that was where the nuevo-elite of the Genevian System were congregating, talking politics and policy. Rika was full up on that, and just wanted a peaceful meal.
“So you just gonna stand there like a Niet staring down a K1R, or you gonna have some food?”
Rika turned toward the familiar voice and shook her head, smiling at the sight of Kelly and Silva sitting at a small table at the edge of the kitchen.
“Why am I not surprised to find you two down here?” she asked.
“Beats me,” Silva replied before picking up a piece of chicken and taking a bite. “We’re sure as hell not going to be in the hoity-toity lounge up top.”
“Plus, I’m the head of the Queen’s Guard,” Kelly added. “So I have to be where you are.”
Rika eyed the SMI’s bone-covered plate. “So were you checking it out in advance of my arrival?”
“Exactly,” Kelly replied. “I had to make sure the food is safe, too.”
“And?”
Silva snorted. “Safe, yes. Abundant? That’s another question.”
Rika sat in a chair next to the other two mechs, turning it so her back was to the wall. The moment she got settled, a cook appeared, a look of concern on his face.
“Your Majesty, is there something the matter with the lounge?”
“No,” Rika shook her head. “Not with the lounge or the food it serves, just need a break from the company.”
“Of course,” the cook ducked his head. “I’m honored to have you in my kitchen. How may I serve you?”
“Stars, man,” Rika shook her head. “For starters, you can treat me like you would these two. I came down here to get away from all the bowing and scraping.”
“Careful,” Kelly warned. “He almost kicked us out.”
Rika glanced at the cook, and he gave her a crooked smile. “I might have threatened it.”
“So has this been your job for some time?” she asked him.
“Oh no, my…I’m sorry, what title should I use?”
She reached out and gently patted his arm. “To you, I’m Rika. I didn’t get your name.”
“Rika.” He said it slowly as though he were trying it out for the first time. “I’m Faze. Head chef in the palace.”
“Did you work here before the war ended?” Rika asked.
“No, I was living in Gerra back then. The Niets relocated my entire station’s population to Belgium here after the war, and I’ve been working my way up ever since. I have a restaurant in Jague, but when the Nietzschean emperor came, I was brought here to run the kitchens.”
“Shit.” Rika shook her head. “I hope you know you’re not required to stay now if you don’t want to.”
“Rika!” Kelly hissed. “Don’t do anything hasty till you try his wings. The rub he uses is worth killing for.”
Faze held up his hands and shook his head. “Oh, no, I’ve been hired on properly now. Chancellor Tremon himself extended the invitation.”
“He must have tried the chicken, too,” Kelly said as she reached out and grabbed a piece off Silva’s plate.
“That’s good,” Rika said. “I guess I’d be silly not to give your wings a shot.”
“I’ll send over a platter,” Froz said. “Hopefully I can impress you with something a bit more complex later.”
“I look forward to it,” Rika replied. “Oh, and a beer…whatever you think will go well, but nothing too hoppy.”
“Yes, Your—Rika.”
The cook blushed and rushed off, while Kelly chuckled softly.
“ ‘Your Rika’. That should totally be your title.”
“Careful.” She fixed Kelly with a baleful glare. “As your queen, I can levy some pretty harsh punishments.”
“Oh? Like what?”
“Make you be queen.”
“Gahhhh.” Kelly slapped a hand over her heart and threw her head back. “You’ve found my weakness. Responsibility.”
Silva snorted. “We’ve known that for years.”
Rika nodded vigorously, and a pout formed on Kelly’s lips.
“You two are always ganging up on me.”
Another chef set a platter of wings lined with dipping sauces in the center of the table, and then another placed a plate and a glass of beer before Rika.
“Thank you,” she said before smirking at Kelly. “What can I say, you’re an easy target.”
“Just for that, I’m taking the best sauce.” The corporal reached out and grabbed one of the cups, setting it on her plate and hunching over it protectively. “Just try me.”
“OK, OK,” Rika held up her hands, sharing a smile with Silva. “I’ll be nice. I don’t want to upset my guard.”
<Which you really need to formalize,> Niki added.
“What? Are you saying that Kelly, Keli, and Shoshin need to sleep sometimes?”
“It’s overrated,” Kelly said around a mouthful of chicken. “Of course, Jenisa should be in the guard.”
“I’d hate to break up her fireteam,” Rika said. “But I also know she’d kick my ass if I didn’t induct her.”
“Induct?” Silva laughed. “All your fancy meetings are really starting to do a number on you.”
“Stars,” Rika muttered. “What’s happened to me? I need to fucking get real. Fuckity shit damn fuck poop.”
“Poop?” Kelly snorted. “Yup. You’re doomed.”
“I recommend against that,” Silva added.
“Being doomed?” Rika asked.
“No, fucking poop.”
Rika groaned. “What would I do without you two?”
“Easy,” Kelly said, grabbing a handful of chicken. “You’d be dead.”
“You’re such a peach.”
* * * * *
The three women sat together long into the night, eating and laughing and drinking. Eventually, Chef Froz insisted on them eating a real meal and prepared a four-course affair that had them stuffed to the chin by the time they were done.
The hour was ticking over into the next day when Rika finally rose from her chair and bid the other two goodnight.
“You sure?” Kelly asked. “There’s another platter of wings coming.”
“Stars, woman.” Rika shook her head. “If I never see another wing again, I’ll be a happy mech.”
“Liar,” Silva winked. “Get your beauty rest. Tomorrow’s the last day before you get coronated.”
Rika cocked an eyebrow. “Is that the right word? Shouldn’t it be crowned?”
“The crowning is the event where you actually get the crown placed on your head. The coronation is the whole ceremony. Hence, when it is done, you’re coronated.”
Rika was tired and a bit past buzzed, so she decided not to argue with Silva.
<There’s actually some debate about that word. It’s pretty ancient though, you can just claim that someone once used it that way, and we’ll be good.>
<I wasn’t really going to stress about it one way or another,> Rika replied as she took a deep breath and walked out of the kitchen.
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Kelly called after her, and Rika waved a hand at the mech before turning down the hall.
<I suppose I should try to sober up before turning in.>
Niki sighed. <You have ISF nanotech. You can sober up in an
instant.>
<Yeah, but where’s the fun in that? Besides, it’s almost impossible to get a good buzz on, I’m going to enjoy it while it’s here.>
The AI made a sound that Rika took to be acquiescence as she wandered to a lift, which she rode up to the upper levels. Few people were around, and while most were polite and deferential, none engaged her in conversation, which was fine by Rika.
She reached a balcony that faced east and stared off into the deep, starry night, watching the light of starship engines and stations as they moved across the sky. In the distance lay the stars of the Praesepe Cluster, further away than she’d ever seen them before.
“I wonder if they’re still building that ring around Pyra,” she whispered into the night, then remembered that the light she was seeing was hundreds of years old.
<I imagine they are,> Niki replied. <From what I’ve seen, the ISF tends to finish what it starts.>
“I’ve noticed that, too. We’re too far away to make out Albany, aren’t we?”
<It’s there, next to that blue giant,> Niki highlighted the star. <You can just barely see it.>
“And to think, all this started there when Leslie pulled me out of that pod.”
Another star was highlighted on Rika’s vision. <Caulter. Technically, everything started there—at least for Rika the mech.>
“Why not go all the way back to Earth?”
<For what?>
“For where it all started.”
Niki sent a soft laugh into Rika’s mind. <That’s where it did for me, you know. Well, not Earth, but Sol. Not a lot of us survived those early days, though.>
“I can’t imagine what that must feel like,” Rika said. “To know that you’ve outlived…well, everyone.”
<Hey! Be nice. Besides, there are humans older than me in the Transcend. Finaeus, for example.>
“Sure, keep using him as your out. Still…I’m sorry.”
<Sorry for what? I’ve had a great life, and now you and I are looking at something even more amazing.>
“And terrifying,” Rika added.
<Yeah, that too.>
“Really?” she straightened and cocked her head. “You’re terrified, too?”
Niki snorted. <Imagine you were around for pretty much forever, but your fate is to merge your mind with a child’s.>
“First off…hey. And second off…no, just hey!”
<Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Trust me, I love the fact that you’re young and vibrant. It’s given me a new lease on life. I was…getting really bored. Not only did encountering you connect me to Bob and Tangel, I got a sense that there really is a purpose for all this.>
“Really?” Rika asked as she gazed up at the stars. “I wonder about that sometimes. What are we all here for? Humans and AIs are spreading across the stars, but for what reason?”
<Probably none,> Niki replied, her tone turning fatalistic despite her prior statement. <I’ve never seen one, at least, and as you like to remind me, I’ve been around a bit.>
“So if there’s no purpose, what is the point?”
<What’s gotten you all fatalistic all of a sudden?> the AI asked, sounding concerned.
“I’m just looking at everything laid out before me and wondering if it’s going to be worth the struggle.” Rika pursed her lips and turned, leaning back against the railing. “Seriously, though, you must have some sort of idea what our reason for being is.”
<What is the purpose of an ant?> Niki asked.
“I don’t know.” Rika shrugged, wondering about how ants saw the world. “To keep the colony running, I suppose.”
<But is that their deep, meaningful role in the universe?>
“Maybe they don’t have one?” Rika asked.
<They support the whole. Both the whole colony and the whole of life in the galaxy.>
“And what about us? We’re at the top of the pyramid, are we just supporting the whole?”
<Maybe our purpose is to spread ants across the galaxy. Or worms. If you think about what humans are doing, you’re really just earthworm-spreading machines.>
Rika considered the AI’s words and shook her head, laughing softly. “That’s a crazy thought. All our wars and struggles just to spread worms.”
<Worms outmass all other life combined in the entire galaxy. Think about it. In a billion years, just about everything humanity has made will be gone—except there will still be planets everywhere with worms living in them.>
An image of a massive ball of worms drifting through space came to Rika, and she closed her eyes, an amused smile on her lips as she shook her head. “That’s…huh…that’s actually rather probable, isn’t it?”
<That’s why I said it.>
“But seriously, what about an afterlife? Gods and heavens and all that? A lot of people believe in that stuff, you know.”
<I know. And they could be right. Stars, with what we’ve seen of ascended beings, a lot of ‘gods’ need to up their game to compete. But here’s an interesting thought. Even if there is an afterlife, what is it granting you? Eternity? Eternity of what? Hopefully it has some sort of goal, because having a goal and a sense of purpose is what keeps us going—both humans and AIs. It’s what we’re wired for.>
Rika snorted. “So what you’re saying is that we could all die and go to heaven and still find ourselves asking, ‘what’s the point’?”
<That’s one possibility. I guess what I’m saying is that, unless you have some deity come along and tell you exactly what to do, you’re going to have to find your own way. Find your own reason for being here. Even if it’s just to spread worms.>
“Stars, I’m sure glad I had this chat with you. The wisdom of ages is to spread worms.”
<Glad I can help. Oh, and try to be nice to people around you. That makes worm-spreading easier.>
<You know, that’s the best part of being an AI. I don’t have to worry about what will eventually eat me.>
Rika groaned and pushed herself off the railing. “This conversation has really not yielded the results I was hoping for.”
<That’s usually a sign that it’s time for bed.>
“Yeah,” she found herself stifling a yawn. “Chase is probably waiting impatiently for me.”
<He’s working on the décor in the ballroom.>
“Dear stars…what is going on with my life? I need to kill some Niets, and soon!”
<Don’t worry, they’re still in good supply.>
A NEW CHARIOT
STELLAR DATE: 06.08.8950 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Hanging Gardens Station, Babylon
REGION: Genevia System, New Genevian Alliance
“So,” Kora leant her elbows on the galley table and folded her hands under her chin. “You’re telling me that this Rachella from the PLI on Chad essentially blackmailed you, making you fly here to warn us about the attack there?”
The man gave a laugh that was half nervous, half rueful self-reflection. “When you put it that way, it seems a bit suspicious…and maybe it is. At first, I thought she was aboard just to make sure we’d come here and sound the alarm, but then she wanted to come all the way into Hanging Garden just to refuel. Now that she’s gone…I dunno. Definitely something else at play.”
<He’s being really accommodating for someone smuggling people into the system,> Gary commented.
<Well, he had her on vid when he sounded the alarm to help Chad. Not really ‘smuggling’.>
<Or maybe it’s the best form of smuggling. Right out in the open.>
Kora glanced at the ship’s first mate, a hard-looking woman named Avi. “What do you think of Rachella?”
“Didn’t like her,” Avi shrugged. “Wasn’t too keen on her goons, either, but in the end, we got off Chad and out of Burroughs without too many scratches.”
“I don’t know if I’d go that far,” Rajiz groused. “We still had to repair the engine while in the dark layer. Not my favorite pa
stime.”
“Says the one who didn’t have to go out into the dark,” Avi replied.
“I would have,” Rajiz shot back. “You and Gero are just better at that than Betty and I.”
“OK,” Kora held up her hands. “Seriously, you two, can we focus?”
“Well, what else do you want to know?” Rajiz asked. “We delivered the message, the Marauders—presumably—saved the day, and our spy lady slunk off somewhere. Isn’t that what they do?”
Gary laughed. “Yeah, in my experience, they do.”
“What about Belfas and the Jay Rig?” Kora asked.
“The whosawhat?” Rajiz glanced at Avi, who shrugged. “We have no idea who that is.”
Kora watched him intently as she responded. “It’s a resistance ship and its captain. They were going to go to Burroughs, but instead, they came here. Docked right around the same time as you.”
“It’s a busy station,” the captain of the ViperTalon shrugged.
“I think three other ships were docking at the same time as us.”
The detective pursed her lips and nodded. “OK, yeah, you’re probably right about that. Still, more coincidence than I can ignore. I’m going to need you to stay put until we sort this out.”
“Seriously?” Rajiz asked. “How long is that going to take?”
“A long as it has to.” Kora glanced at Gary. “The lieutenant is going to stay aboard just in case you think of anything else.”
<I have a few friends here I can get to help out,> Gary said.
<No one that might report you to the PLI, right?>
<They’re family, don’t worry.>
“Great, sure, why not,” Rajiz shrugged. “The ViperTalon is really just a hotel in disguise.”
“More like a hostel,” Avi muttered. “A free one, full of vagabonds.”
“It won’t take long—I hope,” Kora said. “I just need to pay a visit to another ship first, and then we’ll see if we need to talk to you further. With any luck, this’ll turn out to be nothing, and you can be on your way.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard that before,” Rajiz interlaced his fingers and stretched his arms out, cracking his digits’ joints. “Well? What are you waiting for? Go on, do your investigating so we can get out of here.”