《Piscium [Hard Sci-Fi Asian Cyberpunk Novella]》


 Prelude & Chapter 1: Qi Meifen

    Prelude


    The five thousand colonists stood assembled on the concrete of the spaceport landing area, defying the stiff breeze that preceded the still distant desert storm. Elisa adjusted the air filter of her helmet to keep out the fine dust, and advanced onto the platform of the terminal. Beside her, three Compliance enforcers overlooked the assembled mass below. Two stood unmoving, nearly three times her size in towering combat suits. The third contrasted starkly, a slender, unarmed figure of roughly human proportions.


    Elisa wondered whether the enforcers in combat gear actually had a biological being controlling them, then assumed this was not the case. Early this morning, she had awoken to a high-priority message from the Compliance Requisitions Division, that had demanded the immediate production of two enforcers at her fabricator. The third had appeared not long thereafter at the transference station.


    The two combat suits, dead as they were the moment they had emerged from the assembler, had snapped to life in an instant. The transference network supplied them with a soul and raw energy in quantities that put the total energy allowance of her whole colony to shame. She could produce all the combat suits she wanted, but with the Empire keeping a tight lid on the energy supply, they would be of no use.


    Despite claiming only a barebones cloned body, Elisa made no mistake about the third enforcer. These were amongst the most powerful and feared entities in the universe. Even a Provider would obey their demands. Compliance could instruct a Feudatory like her to bring them the rope they needed to hang them, and anything short of unquestioning obedience was unthinkable.


    There was nothing an enforcer couldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t do in its efforts to uphold the Policies. Mitigating circumstances did not apply, for the Policies were characterized by their simplicity. One had to share their data at regular intervals.


    The reason for a Compliance visit eluded Elisa, however. As Feudatory responsible for upholding the Empire¡¯s Policies in the colony, Elisa knew everyone was up to date with the Data Sharing stipulations. Illegal use of energy was unlikely. The only one in a position to do so would be Max, and his loyalty to the Empire was beyond contestation. She went over the remaining policies, a violation in each of them more unlikely than the last.


    She spotted Max amongst the ranks of those assembled below, as he could never help but stand out. To the obvious irritation of those around him, Max had prostrated himself on the ground. Elisa made eye contact with Ervin Sekhon, the psychologist that had become Max¡¯s closest friend, and she saw him shrug. Elisa sighed. While expecting nothing short of total compliance, Compliance was not known to care one bit for overt displays of abasement.


    The small enforcer took a step forward and indicated it wanted to speak. Elisa had not introduced it, but then again it required no introduction. She quickly gestured to it to go ahead.


    ¡°Six individuals from this colony have been involved in an incident on 96 G. Piscium f3, concerning the illegal usage of energy,¡± the enforcer announced. As always, Compliance would skip pleasantries and get to the point immediately. A holo appeared midair. Elisa assumed one of the suited enforcers was projecting it, as it wasn¡¯t coming from any of the systems in the base.


    The display shocked everyone and showcased a burning, ravaged cityscape. The scene was nothing short of apocalyptic, with several square kilometers of the city ripped apart, and the desiccated husks of skyscrapers visible in the surroundings. Although not much of an issue in current times, the number of casualties would be in the tens of millions. Elisa was sure the Service Department of Flow would be able to have all of them issued with replacement bodies and up again by tomorrow.


    She silently checked the transference logs through her aura link and found the six colonists that had gone on leave.


    ¡°All six are detained pending our investigation. In addition, as a security precaution, I will conduct an immediate audit of every subject on this world. No one is to leave our sight until the audit is concluded. We apologize for the inconvenience this causes you,¡± the enforcer said before turning away, while one of the armored ones stepped forward.


    Elisa swallowed. No one was eager to have enforcers skim through the contents of their mind, but refusing them would surmount to treason.


    ¡°Of course,¡± she said in a resigned manner. ¡°We have nothing to hide.¡±


    ¡°Naturally,¡± the enforcer answered without a trace of emotion. ¡°I take it that you will be first?¡±


    ---


    Chapter I - Qi Meifen


    To answer your questions, you are currently indisposed and held in detention. On behalf of Compliance, I apologize for any inconvenience caused.


    I was wondering about that, yes. I can''t see or feel anything. How is it that I know you are here?


    Measures are taken to guarantee your stability and comfort.


    I see. Thank you¡­ I guess?


    Let us proceed. You stand accused of being an accessory to Second Policy violation, illicit use of energy, which has led to a noteworthy incident at your last location, resulting in 3.4 million disposals and significant material losses.


    I am sorry to hear that. I assume the Empire is more than capable of having these 3.4 million people reinstated?


    Of course. However, this fact does not mitigate the seriousness of your violation. I must inform you that as part of the process, Compliance has performed a full audit of your data.


    Meaning you''ve already scraped through all the information in my brain. Great. Why are we having this talk if you already know everything? You already know I am guilty. If I am condemned, then why are we even talking?


    This process is solely for your benefit.


    Wouldn''t it be more efficient to just do whatever it is you have to do instead of wasting all this time on me?


    This process will take well under a second of real time.


    Great, thanks for telling me I have under a second to live.


    Please state your name so we may proceed.


    I am Qi Meifen¡­ Nice to meet you. Do you have a name?


    Compliance does not name its enforcers.


    I will just call you ¡®enforcer'' then?


    If you wish. Now, to begin the process, I would ask you to please recount the events leading up to the commencement of your leave on 96 G. Piscium f3.


    Well, hmm. Commander Woodward informed all of us that we could take leave. One night at the pub I got together with a group of fellow colonists to discuss our options.


    Please list these other colonists, for completeness'' sake.


    My close friend Sigrid Ronningen, Yao Guowei the head of security, Qian Shirong, Valeriya Marakova and Casimir Stephanov.


    What was discussed at the pub?


    The consensus was that we wanted to transfer to a human world. Since we already knew that Earth is currently not very accommodating to colonists and no one had any reasons to go there, we started looking at the available alternatives. Some of us wanted to go to Proxima, but Sigrid and Casimir suggested that we should have a look at the reviews first. While interesting, Proxima did not stand out as a tourist destination, while Piscium and 82 G. Eridani d did. Both required some leverage to get transferred to, we found out, which made them all the more interesting. We found a sponsor for Piscium first, and that settled the matter.


    Could you describe this process for sponsorship?


    Piscium was historically under control by a faction called the Shincho, we found. Most of us knew these, as they were already around in our time as one of the two independent economic entities in Sol, specializing in cybersecurity. They ceded from the UEC shortly after the Centaurans did, and made illicit use of artificial intelligence to settle various worlds. All of them have long operated on a social credit scheme. This had traditionally served to keep outsiders out, and local law had rendered it impossible to transfer there without making a deal with a sponsor to obtain the basic cred needed for transference. Not long after we cast our interest into the infosphere, a memo flashed on our aura. A certain 5*EZdoR Angelus reached out with a deal. Hmm, since our communication does not seem to be conducted vocally, I will tell you the name is pronounced as Five Star Isodor, in case you wondered. We certainly did the first time we read the memo.


    What were the specifics of this deal?


    We were to accompany him and agree to be recorded, and he wanted Valeriya to participate in at least one combot arena fight on his behalf. We quickly found he was a topscale celebrity there. One with lots of cred to spare. The amount he would give us was beyond belief, and would instantly put us in the upper-midscale of the world. We¡¯d receive a quarter upfront, no strings attached, the rest was kept in escrow. It was an offer that was hard to refuse. We had already decided we wanted to see a combot fight, and Valeriya found it exciting to participate. So, we cast our agreement within the hour and waited two days for Flow to produce our skins. We were offered all kinds of mods but thought nothing of it. Then we transferred to the station at Hamatani-Si, the capital city of the Lagoon Province.


    Could you recount the events following your transference for me?


    The first thing I noticed is how magnificent the selection of wearables was. Since we had to look presentable for our host, I selected a fine dress with a peacock motif and went wild with the automakeup. We met up in a lobby to have a drink together before entering the arrivals hall. Most of us marveled at the process, and our new skins as well. For some, this was the first time they had transferred. Then we made our way to the arrivals hall. 5*EZdoR was waiting for us there, along with his entourage.


    How would you describe them?


    It became obvious to me what the five star part of his name stood for, as 5*EZdoR had five nons - disposable companions. Later I would find out that five is a large amount, as two is the norm for citizens on Piscium. 5*EZdoR himself was an imposing, inhuman figure that stood nearly three meters tall, with a pale chalk-like face. He had dark lamellar clothing and white biolume symbols grafted into him. Two enormous feathered wings protruded from his back. His face was angular and well-defined, his eyes narrow slits bearing black-in-black eyes. He had leaf-like silver strands instead of hair, and his ears stood on the top of his head, like a cat.


    His nons had similarly impressive skins. Gaia was the most normal of the lot, best described as a tall, well endowed golden-haired angel. Melody was frail, her hair giving her the appearance of wearing a dark helmet. In addition to her raven wings, she had a dark, fox-like tail. Blancandrin was the only non with a male skin. Silver-haired like his master, he had some scant pieces of golden armor, golden sandals, and a minimal silk loincloth as his only wearables. Draki-3 was more of a demon than an angel. She had pointed fangs, exposed bones in her wings, and biolume green eyes. Despite her appearance, the last one, Rapture, was far more demonic and unsettling than Draki-3. Her skin was that of a petite child. Rather than innocence, her features always stood malicious.


    All of them bore the suffix Angeli, I suppose to signify 5*EZdoR Angelus was their owner... liegeman, as they are called on Piscium. And, lest I forget, all of them carried ornate swords and daggers.


    What was the reception like?


    I was overwhelmed when we entered the arrivals hall, and I am well acclimatized to hablife. A cacophony of sounds washed over us, both from 5*EZdoR fanfare and the other citizens in the arrivals hall. Camdrones flashed and whirred, while his obsequious nons fanned around us and ushered us forwards. I realized quickly that 5*EZdoR was not addressing us with his ceaseless jabber, instead, he was casting to what he called his ¡®sats'', his viewers. The nons posed with us, but 5*EZdoR just spun around and ambled off, his voice not ceasing for one instant. We were led to a large, poorly parked lux aero and our group began boarding. I saw red-clad localsec, caring not for the parking violation, but rather keeping frenzied sats at a respectable distance. Blancandrin pulled me aside, offering me a ride on his custom golden two-seater, which I refused.


    I see. Where did they convey you?


    To the Hamatani Licensed District, where our sponsor held several establishments. We enjoyed more sparkling drinks and marveled at the sky through the transparent top of the aero - the local sun had set and overhead, above us, we could see half of Piscium f1 through the latticed dome they had constructed over their city, a necessity that preserves the temperature that far out in the system. Below, the shimmering waters of the lagoon brimmed with the lights of the topscaler yachts, contrasting sharply with the neon glare of the city that rose from the shorelines. The locale had a denser concentration of ads and holos than a corp-run hab back in my days. Our aero committed another parking violation as it descended in a central plaza, but 5*EZdoR seemed to either not care or own the place. Wait, are you going to do anything with the violations I report?


    Compliance only processes subjects for Policy violations and holds no mandate to resolve violations of local law. Please continue.


    Okay. We took a walk around the city, which was extremely lively and entertaining. The buildings stood tall and imposing, but the ground levels were bursting with people, and on most facades, spectacular holo anims played. The people were dressed in overly extravagant clothing and everyone looked very happy, if not intoxicated. Our host moved ahead in almost theatrical fashion, whirling as Draki-3 and Melody cleared a path in front of us. We were led into a fine diner situated at one of the top floors of a crystal building, called ''The Spire''. While none of us were hungry, we sampled the dishes nonetheless.


    Throughout dinner, 5*EZdoR sat on a special low stool and had a small platform placed on top of the table to eat from, to account for his enormous size. He was mostly occupied by blathering to his sats and chumming with the owner of the establishment, a wide, bald man introduced to us as ser Xal Aret, whose interest in us was shallow and did not appear to extend beyond fishing for compliments and maneuvering us into saying favorable things about him, the food, or the ambiance of the establishment. We could only place his behavior into context much later. In doing so we, as loaded individuals without affiliation, would increase his social credit and the standing of his establishment. You must understand that in the topscales of Shincho society, what people think and say of you translates directly to wealth, power and most importantly we''d soon find out, the things one could get away with.


    I moved outside onto the balcony to get some air, and Casimir joined me there. The place was chilly and had a clear glass floor so we looked down at the lights of the city below us for what must have been a quarter of an hour while talking about general things until the last of the food arrived and we had to go back inside. As we slowly made our way back to the table, I observed the other diners, realizing that the behavior pattern of 5*EZdoR was by no means unique. The tables I could observe typically held four or five people, of which one was the dominant individual, extravagantly dressed. In contrast, the others displayed clear and excessive fawning behavior. I understood that each group consisted of just one single liegeman and the others were all nons.


    Trouble began after we finished dessert, which consisted of a small fragrant golden cake covered in a topping of tiny pearls that tasted sweet and fruity. 5*EZdoR signaled for Sigrid to come over, which we first assumed was for some kind of toast. Later I realized that this was either something his sats were clamoring for him to do or something someone influential was sponsoring him for.


    What happened next?


    5*EZdoR asked Sigrid to dance for him, on the table. I looked at Yao Guowei and wondered whether we should speak up, but she had already begun, the giant 5*EZdoR wrapping his arms around her and lifting her onto the table with ease. But not before he kissed her.


    He kissed her?


    He kissed her on the mouth. By the looks of it, he wanted to try for more than that, but Sigrid pulled away. I was too shocked and kind of didn''t want to be impolite, so I decided to stay and watch as events unfolded. It turned out to be a big mistake. Diners turned their heads as Sigrid danced, irritated by the breach of decorum, as the place was far too upscale for this. Angry glances were directed at Xal Aret, whose head turned red. He seemed unwilling to interfere and attempted to play it down, assuring his clientele that it wouldn''t last long. As Sigrid danced and camdrones zoomed, 5*EZdoR shouted loudly but incomprehensibly. The patience of the diners ran out, and in my aura I could see that some started to downrep Sigrid in the infosphere. One ser that my aura ID''d as Eoh Shi-Won went as far as taking his grievance in the real. He took a piece of seafood from his platter and flung it towards our table, where it hit Sigrid in the leg. His nons applauded, as did some of the other guests.


    5*EZdoR responded instantly, rattling the table with the flat of his hand, then making a gesture across his throat to make Sigrid stop. He theatrically flicked the shrimp off the table while his nons gathered up around him, their faces carrying exaggerated expressions of indignation. "Ohhhh, ya bigot monsturr," I remember him squealing at ser Eoh with this over-exaggerated high pitched voice of his. And: "Ya pompous prick ar'' just hatin'' her cuz she''s a new-blood off-worlder, nay?". He continued ranting, professing how ser Eoh was intolerant of Sigrid because of who she was, what she looked like, how ser Eoh was disrespectful of those beneath his scale, this or that. Within moments, sats weighed in on the drama and began uprepping Sigrid and downrepping ser Eoh, who turned pale and fell back in his seat in confusion as his social credit crashed downscale.


    Going by your account, I cannot help but observe that ser 5*EZdoR set up the provocation, victimized ser Sigrid Ronningen, and then capitalized on the outcome.


    That is correct. I saw it inflate exponentially on the infosphere; the more the situation escalated, the more sats followed 5*EZdoR and the more jumped on the bandwagon to downrep ser Eoh, ser Aret, or any of the diners that they could ID, while 5*EZdoR and Sigrid reaped uprep.


    Surely a situation like that cannot continue to escalate forever, as the population is limited.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    The population is indeed limited. But, the more people have a vested interest in the situation, the more they will defend their position.


    For example, say that I had a large amount of social credit on one side of the issue. If you were to attack me for my position, my friends and allies would come to my defense, and together they would have large amounts of social credit as well. Similarly, if any of them would be attacked, I will not hesitate to lend my rep to defend their position. Over time, it will become a de-facto social contract to defend each other, unconditionally, irrespective of whether your side was right, or deliberately instigated the issue in the first place.


    Your social commentary is noted. Could you please continue to describe the events of that day? How did the situation resolve?


    None of the diners had anything close to the satcount of 5*EZdoR, thus they were forced to submit to avert ruination. Victorious, 5*EZdoR and Blancandrin jumped on the table, kicking and stomping at the dishes and dancing frantically while the drones emitted some kind of fog, holos, and loud, vile music. Sigrid made herself scarce, not wanting to be involved any further. Abruptly, 5*EZdoR cut the music just as suddenly as it had begun, saying he had an important announcement to make. He shouted to the diners that they could leave if they didn''t want to hear it, but no one moved, hoping for a chance to repair themselves. His remaining nons theatrically gathered round, posing as if listening with the utmost attention. 5*EZdoR then proclaimed a new age had begun, and the old regime was dead. He said he was now our ruler, and all present should rejoice.


    The loud, screeching music resumed, as did 5*EZdoR and Blancandrin''s dancing. His nons urged the diners out of their seats, lined them up around the table, and made them bow to pay homage. Ser Eoh was grabbed roughly and thrown on his knees at one side of the table, but 5*EZdoR ignored him. Draki-3 thoroughly destroyed any semblance of his self-esteem as she lashed his buttocks with her tentacle-like arm and forced him to crawl under the table on his hands and knees. The sats seemed to have a good chuckle at the display, as they refunded him and others a good part of their lost rep. With little left to do in this locale, 5*EZdoR whirled his way to the exit. We were not far behind, as we didn''t want to be anywhere near the outraged diners with him gone.


    Where did he go next?


    Just a few floors down, into a club. Once again he paid us little heed, as he dashed behind the bar and began to make himself a drink. No one seemed to dare to stop him, least of all the disposable staff. Blancandrin invited me for a dance, which I did, as the music was quite catchy. 5*EZdoR sleezed over the bar, mingling with some of the other guests while shooing others away, pouring more drinks.


    We tried to regain our bearings after the events that had just happened. Sigrid pinged a memo to our group, raising the question of whether we should stay with 5*EZdoR or call it off. Casimir made the good point that even though we had been paid part of the social credit in advance, 5*EZdoR¡¯s sats would hammer it into oblivion if we opposed him, just like they had done in the restaurant mere moments ago. Before we could come to a conclusion, 5*EZdoR made ready to leave, leading us out into the streets below with much fanfare.


    As we went along, some people noticed 5*EZdoR, possibly aware of what had just occurred at the Spire. He waved to them all, posing for camdrones and generally enjoying the attention. We followed him closely, as we didn''t want to risk losing him in the crowd, but also took our time to take in our surroundings. We were in one of the major streets of the Licensed District, and the establishments located here were quite upscale, although most of them were not nearly as civilized as the Spire had once been. We saw casinos, clubs, pleasure houses, and other types of entertainment that were difficult for us to understand. The clientele out on the streets was also quite diverse and interesting.


    Could you give an example?


    Well, curiously, as we made our way through, we passed this large building with a round entrance portal of dark stone. Orange light emanated from within. There was no signage, so I used my aura to ID it. The place was called "The Dragonfly Lounge" and it specialized in recreational brainscans. As I curiously peered inside, a Flow commissioner came stumbling out, two well-dressed disposable staff in ornate robes bowing and waving goodbye. The commissioner was dressed in the ordinary grey-yellow livery, closed faceplate, all that, looking very out of place. Is that even allowed, messing with people''s brains like that?


    For obvious reasons, such entertainment is strictly monitored and requires the operator to hold a license.


    Yeah, I guess. Anyway, this reminds me. It wasn''t the only time we encountered Flow. Out and about on the streets, we came across this van moving slowly through the crowd. Around it were four Flow contractors. Suddenly, one of the contractors pointed at this intoxicated person laying on the side of the street. Two of them approached the person and told him to move. The drunkard mumbled profanity at them, while the contractors stood there. After a few seconds, one contractor took a baton from his belt and disposed the hapless fellow, just like that. A small crane loaded the skin in the top of the van, and they moved on. People gave them wide berth but otherwise ignored them. I saw them dispose two more, further down the road.


    Did the sight trouble you?


    No, not particularly. I mean, I''ve seen people die before. But just casually doing it on the streets and having the skin dangle upside down like that? That''s just...cold. What did shock me was the fact that it were disposables disposing citizens... I never really thought...


    Disposables merely operate within the boundaries of the instructions they are given.


    We were just about to be treated to an example where that leads to...


    Please describe this... example.


    The street widened, and we found ourselves in another plaza. On one side, there was this large building, with holos displaying the words "CAT''S PAW RYOKAN" in pink characters. Emerging through the noren, a group of six people in traditional dress approached ours, three males and three females. They looked more baseline human than 5*EZdoR''s group, but all were good-looking. Their hair was done up in an elaborate, traditional style and the nons had painted faces, like a troupe of performers. All of them were armed, one of them even carrying a polearm. Their liegeman, named ser Sato, approached 5*EZdoR and offered him a small but formal bow, which was returned with a mere nod. I could not overhear the first part of the exchange, but I saw that 5*EZdoR rapidly became more and more agitated and finally started throwing profanity. Ser Sato took insult, and with a firm tone, he challenged 5*EZdoR to a duel of honor.


    With glee, 5*EZdoR shoved Melody forward, while Sato signaled one of his own, an extravagantly dressed man wearing a kimono robe, hakama, and an ornate sleeveless haori with a black and white zig-zag pattern. His face was painted blue, white, and black and he carried a tachi - a long curved sword - and a tanto dagger in his obi. 5*EZdoR''s nons were more extravagant and gave a whirling performance to announce Melody, who brandished her two short swords. Suddenly and without warning, she leapt forward. People dispersed and formed a more or less neat circle around the two combatants.


    Sato''s non barely had time to draw his weapon before Melody was onto him. As he raised his blade to block the strike leveled at his throat, Melody dashed past and slashed him across his upper arm. I saw she had hit him good, as silver blood dripped onto the ground. Some onlookers boo-ed at Melody''s dishonorable move, but 5*EZdoR merely pouted and brushed the critique away with a nonchalant gesture. The fight was brutal. The next time the two met, it was apparent that Sato''s non had studied Melody as much as she had studied him, for he waited until she committed to a strike before moving in and cutting her swiftly across the ribs with the tip of his blade. Then he sidestepped with unnatural swiftness, which avoided Melody''s shorter weapons altogether. A follow-up strike caught Melody in one of her wings, which snapped and sent feathers flying.


    Melody reeled back, and he took the opportunity to press forward. He slashed at her face, using his weapon''s reach to his advantage, cutting a deep gash in her cheek. Then, as she attempted to close in, he kicked her feet away from under her and brought his tachi down towards her unprotected neck. Melody rolled with the blade, and it only cut a deep groove in her collarbone. She brought her foot up, kicking hard into his groin, and he tumbled back. Melody had managed to lock his blade between one of her own and her shoulder and latched onto him. She gored him with her free blade, landing three quick stabs into his abdomen, as both went to the ground.


    The sword was too long to pull back, so Sato''s non had no other option than to let go, and attempt to draw his tanto. Melody was quicker, and drove her left blade deep into his right shoulder, pinning him to the ground and paralyzing his arm. He did manage to knock the second sword out of Melody''s hand with his other arm as she brought it down to stab him in the face, but he gained nothing, as Melody sat firmly on top of him and used her hands to choke him and smash his head into the pavement repeatedly. He struggled desperately, and it took several long minutes for his strength to leave him. The blade was still lodged in Melody''s shoulder as she brought her face up to his and forced her tongue down his throat as he died.


    How did you feel, seeing this?


    Well, I think they deliberately use the silver blood for disposables to reduce human response when we see them injured, but I still felt sick and uneasy at the display. Unfortunately, it didn''t end there...


    Please continue, what happened after the duel?


    Melody Angeli pulled the tachi blade out of her shoulder and stood over the body of her dead opponent. For a moment I saw pride in her eyes, as she was showered in uprep from all the sats that had watched the spectacle. Few had expected her to emerge the victor after the initial exchange of blows. Ser Sato bowed stoically and turned away in disgrace while a yellow-faced non collected the weapons, leaving without saying another word. Melody began displaying triumphant dance moves.


    The many stains of silver blood turned white on the plaza¡¯s flagstones, while 5*EZdoR¡¯s eyes quietly ran over Melody¡¯s injuries, no doubt weighing them against her past contributions and future worth.


    How did that calculation pan out?


    Not good. With a determined, swift stride 5*EZdoR paced over to stand next to Melody, ¡°Tell me, ma non,¡± he began in a soft, honey voice that abruptly turned into a hoarse shout. ¡°Why ma sats think ya takin¡¯ the piss offem?¡± He struck her across her bloodstained face, and Melody cried out in surprise and panic, landing hard on the ground amidst a shower of dark feathers that had come loose from her broken wing.


    5*EZdoR ranted and diminished her while Blancandrin recovered Melody''s lost shortsword from the street, twirling it around in his sizable hands. 5*EZdoR had now cast his wings wide and stood over the sobbing, prostrating Melody as a vengeful angel. Draki-3, Gaia, and the little Rapture dashed around him, mimicking and amplifying his movements, their faces alternating between exaggerated expressions of stern condemnation, gleeful excitement, and teasing naughtiness. Little Rapture snatched Melody¡¯s remaining sword and made off with it, giggling.


    Melody gathered her strength and raised herself, but did not make eye contact. ¡°My liegeman, I cannot bear to have caused thee such indignation,¡± her voice pleaded. ¡°Please, I beg of thee, dispose me and let my blood wash away thy anger.¡±


    She pressed her head to the ground once more, but in a whirl, 5*EZdoR rushed behind her and planted a foot on her back. His nons joined in and began kicking her. None held back, while Melody cried and wept and the camdrones whirred around, circling like sharks drawn to a feast.


    How did your fellow colonists respond to this?


    We briefly discussed amongst ourselves, as no one was liking what 5*EZdoR was doing. Sigrid didn¡¯t want to await the conclusion and stepped forward to intervene. Blancandrin stopped her, swinging his arm wide, the shortsword held extended. He said: ¡°No one is to interfere between a liegeman and their nons, not even a Provider. It is the law.¡±


    We recognized that we had no means to stop 5*EZdoR. The disposables had no rights, and the liegemen were well within theirs if they wanted to cut their nons to pieces for causing the slightest displeasure. Or for no reason at all. Naturally, this troubled us a lot. We had come to this world to have some fun, but weren¡¯t aware that this was going to come at the expense of someone else, disposable or otherwise.


    I assume ser 5*EZdoR disposed Melody?


    Yes, but not then and there. He grabbed her by the broken wing and yanked. We cringed to our stomach as we heard the bone splinter and were too stunned to look away. It remained put. 5*EZdoR scowled and brought his knee and weight to bear, then tore it clean amidst a shriek of Melody and spray of white and silver blood. He then gestured to Blancandrin for the sword. Blancandrin wiped it clean first using his loincloth. As we already suspected, he was wearing nothing underneath except for some golden hmm... ornaments. When he ceremoniously handed it to 5*EZdoR, the latter began to hack away at the remaining wing, while shouting things like ¡°Ya don''t deserve these, ya bitch-non!¡±.


    With Blancandrin away and 5*EZdoR preoccupied in the background, our discussion resumed, more openly critical this time.


    Was everyone in your group opposing ser 5*EZdoR?


    Yes and no. While none of us appreciated being dragged into this, Yao Guowei and Qian Shirong argued that since everything was within the boundaries of the law, we should not interfere, especially not on a world where we were new and unfamiliar. We could address 5*EZdoR later, in private, and ask him politely to stop upsetting us, argued Shirong. Guowei made the point that we were in effect ambassadors of our colony. If we caused an incident here, it might reflect badly on everyone and sour relations between our worlds.


    Sigrid, Casimir, and I were of the opposite disposition and argued to leave immediately, no matter the consequences. A world where such barbaric hedonism was legal, no, facilitated, should not be a friend of ours. Valeriya was undecided.


    I see. How did it resolve?


    An opportunity presented itself not soon after, but I¡¯ll get to that in a moment. We saw 5*EZdoR had put the sword in his sash and pulled Melody up by her hair. He then reached over her shoulders and ripped the scant clothing from her chest. He corded the jewel-clad silk around her neck and began to strangle her from behind. To our surprise, Melody suddenly began fighting back desperately, although her claw-like fingernails found no purchase on 5*EZdoR vise-like grip. ¡°Whada matter? Expect¡¯d to die by the blade?¡± he scorned. The nons began a mocking display of them choking each other and adopting wild facial expressions, to the delight of the onlookers and the sats.


    Soon, Melody had worn herself out and soiled herself. 5*EZdoR let go abruptly and kicked her back to the ground. She twisted and spasmed, barely managing to rip the tangled rag from her neck. Coughing and crying, 5*EZdoR afforded her a brief, pitiless flick of his hand, and the others rushed in and began kicking her bruised and bloodied form again.


    ¡°Better. Now lezze wat should be done with ya,¡± he said calmly, after which he abruptly burst into another frantic tirade to call upon his sats, while the molestation at his feet continued. He looked absent, probably going over his sat comments, calculating how to best leverage the situation to his advantage.


    An attractive offer must have manifested itself in a private memo. He waved his fingers, and the kicking ceased.


    Someone had offered social credit for Melody¡¯s fate?


    Yes, that¡¯s precisely what happened¡­ With sudden fanfare noise emerging from the drones, 5*EZdoR sprang up and performed a pirouette. ¡°Deimos-251 has patroned ya, aaaaand, for tonight, Blancandrin here is gonna offer ya sats somethin¡¯ spec¡¯l,¡± he exclaimed in his characteristic explosive, high pitched voice.


    The nons made puzzled faces, as if wondering what the special surprise that 5*EZdoR and Deimos-251 had concocted would be. Melody had composed herself a little and was back on her knees. She just numbly repeated ¡°I thank thee for thy patronage, Deimos-251,¡± over and over.


    5*EZdoR just spun around some more, the camdrones on his heels. ¡°Deimos-251 is patroning yer trip tooooo Plouton! Unbeliiiiievable!¡±, he shouted. I looked up what this Plouton might be, and it turned out to be some upscale live-action snuff club that just bought themselves a stage performance. He continued. ¡°Blancandrin¡¯s gonna hit ya for all he got. Aaaand then, ya¡¯ll get your sword back. Which you will sit on.¡± That¡¯s what he said. Blancandrin then dragged Melody off by her hair, the camdrones trailing behind. 5*EZdoR encouraged his sats to switch to the newly created channel to watch the show he and Deimos-251 had arranged, and it seemed that to his confusion, nearly all of them did.


    Which gave you your opportunity?


    I motioned to my fellow colonists to move towards an alley that led away from the plaza, and Sigrid joined immediately. As Valeriya started to follow, Guowei tried to stop us. ¡°You can¡¯t just leave, you agreed to fight for him,¡± he said to her. Casimir and Shirong looked undecided. Sigrid gave them both a stern glance, and Shirong joined us. Our window of opportunity closed fast, so we made a run for it, leaving Guowei, Casimir, and Valeriya behind. The last I saw was Guowei looking on in frustration. On 96 G. Piscium, he had no official privileges, as he would have had as the colony¡¯s security officer.


    As we reached the alley, we looked behind us, and saw we weren¡¯t followed, not immediately at least. We ran for a few streets, then paused, looking at each other and trying to decide what to do, and where to go.


    I messaged Valeriya, and she said that 5*EZdoR had noticed our absence. He had thrown a few curses and had dispatched Rapture to ¡°go get them¡±, but otherwise didn¡¯t seem to care. He was probably raking in hard that evening. 5*EZdoR was leading the others to their hotel, but he had canceled our reservations, and even if he hadn¡¯t, we kind of didn¡¯t want to be anywhere near him. Our rep wasn¡¯t being hit that hard, the attention of his sats being elsewhere.


    Where did you go afterward?


    We tried to get out of the Licenced District, but it was huge, and we were on foot. After a few blocks, we spotted a quiet convenience store named Bunny Corner. We all agreed this looked like a safe place where we wouldn¡¯t attract unwanted attention, and entered. Three contracted staff with characteristic bunny ears bowed enthusiastically and then proceeded to stalk us, recommending every product we laid our eyes on and asking all kinds of personal questions.


    I tried to buy a drink, but when I tried to tell the clerk that I wanted to make the purchase, she began giving me more bottles. I objected, saying that I didn¡¯t want to buy more than one. She smiled and simply said ¡°Free!¡±. We didn¡¯t understand. Shirong took a chocolate bar and tried to buy it, and the same thing happened, he ended up with what must be half the carton of bars pressed into his hands. ¡°Free, free,¡± the staff cheered, happy to see us consuming their stuff.


    Why did this surprise you?


    Well... I wondered why anyone would operate a store if everything is free. We surmised that this was a social credit printing business, the shop owner or the staff somehow getting uprep for every second we spent there, while it cost us nothing. We found a little area with some tables in the back and had our drinks there. I argued that if the food and drink were free, at least we should have no issue surviving the duration of our holiday.


    Let me inform you that your mindset is irregular on this issue. You would be hard-pressed to find any Provider-run world that would let a citizen starve.


    Well, we¡¯ve hardly been living under the Provider Empire for long. Everything is still new and, well, different.


    Do you have to pay for food at your colony then?


    No, but we are expected to work for that¡­


    The Empire expects its citizens to be compliant and its Providers to provide. Back on point, what else happened in the convenience store?


    We began discussing our next steps, such as finding a place to sleep and all that. The staff overheard us, saying we could sleep with them in the store. More out of curiosity and amusement than interest, we asked how that would work. The staff opened the door to the storage room, and two of them accompanied us inside.


    Besides the usual shelves of products and cleaning equipment, the room had low tables and recuperation pods for the disposables, one of them currently occupied by a fourth staff member. We were welcome to sleep here with them, they said. Sigrid thanked them and politely declined as we prepared to leave. Then I noticed the storeroom was not really laid out very efficiently for storing stuff nor for recuperating disposables. Rather, it appeared like a set, and it began to dawn on me what it was for. Suddenly, one of the disposables launched herself at Shirong, pushed him behind a shelf, and began to vigorously kiss him. Shirong was too surprised to react.


    Sigrid grabbed the disposable by the collar and tried to pull her off the lad, exclaiming ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing,¡± but it was to no avail. ¡°Thank you for visiting Bunny Corner!¡± she simply said, as she touched Shirong indecently and started to undo her top. The second one eyed me seductively and asked me salacious questions about my preferences, and whether I wanted to do eeehh... things with the sleeping one.


    Hmm, tell me, do you find any of what I¡¯m telling you funny or interesting?


    We¡¯d be poorly equipped for the job if that were the case.


    So sad.


    So how did your group disentangle itself from the situation?


    What? So you can make fun at the job?


    There is nothing we can¡¯t do in the pursuit of upholding the Policies.


    Well¡­


    Your answer?


    Hold on a moment. What if I just sit here and don¡¯t give an answer? I could just drag this out forever if I¡­


    Your answer, please.


    when suddenly the door was kicked open and we saw Rapture standing there. ¡°You have been naughty!¡±, the evil brat hissed, a wide grin growing on her little face. ¡°Ya, so has your boss, now sod off,¡± I recall Sigrid answering. Rapture wasn¡¯t dissuaded in the least. ¡°No no no no no, you gonna come home to daddy!¡± she wailed, flicking out a knife. We didn¡¯t know how to respond, and I found myself wondering whether that mongrel was even allowed to harm us or this was an idle threat.


    Then Shirong came up with a smart idea: He called out to the disposable staff that they¡¯d all get uprep if they¡¯d take care of the problem. He didn¡¯t have to repeat himself, as the two contractors in the storeroom flung themselves at the interloper. Unfortunately, Rapture was a very able fighter, and the contracted staff were not. We weighed in and started grabbing things off the shelves and throwing them at her, but she dodged or knocked them aside easily.


    Rapture drew a second knife and casually eviscerated the first disposable and cut a major artery in the leg of the other. The third ran in and joined the fight, but Rapture took her in the throat with a thrown knife, leaped up, and kicked her in the face. The ensuing fight was grim, as the disposables proved persistent and didn¡¯t relent, trying to latch on to Rapture and bite and scratch her, while Rapture stabbed them repeatedly in the face and throat until they finally died amidst a growing pool of silver blood.


    Rapture¡¯s grin was now ear to ear. ¡°Naughty, naughty, naughty,¡± she kept teasing. Then she froze and collapsed. Behind her, a green and yellow-painted face was caught in an expression of anger as he twisted his spear and then pulled it from the back of Rapture¡¯s head. He bowed and apologized profusely for the intrusion and poor introduction. I bowed back and thanked him for his help, but he said it was nothing. He introduced himself as Tsutomu and asked us politely to come with him to Ser Sato. We discussed briefly and agreed. Thus we left the convenience store, but not before uprepping the place and members of staff.

 Chapter II - Casimir Stephanov

    Where did you go after sers Sigrid, Meifen and Shirong had left you in the square with ser 5*EZdoR?


    We went to hotel Paladai. It¡¯s some upscale place in one of the main streets of the Licensed District. They themed it after a tropical island of sorts. At the entrance, there is this enormous domed lobby, where they have recreated a beach and water with colored fishes and so on. We had to cross this bridge decorated with flowers. On the other end there were disposables waiting for us with refreshments. They were wearing these huge decorated wigs and earrings, and nothing else besides a loincloth with the Paladai logo.


    We each had to pick one of them to be our non, so I took Number 4. She was the hottest-looking one. Cute face, nice small but firm ass, and some cool body ink with a blue eagle painted across her bare chest. Guowei appeared to be ashamed, hehe. He didn¡¯t know where to look and he just picked the first one. Valeriya took Number 7, some athlete-looking guy with a well-oiled body.


    Suddenly, Five Star began shouting, something about Rapture being disposed. He was over it quickly, and yelled something about how he¡¯d fuck all the remaining disposables before the night was over, so he had the left over nine disposables following him.


    We went to see our rooms, which were big and fancy. Then we gathered up in Guowei¡¯s room to discuss. We received a message that Five Star was heading out again to go to Plouton and he asked whether we wanted to see that.


    Valeriya asked Number 7 if she had any idea what to expect there, and the girl turned on the room¡¯s holo and displayed one of Plouton¡¯s public channels that had some dinner show with this big stage where there were some disposables suspended on meathooks. Some things that looked like grinning demons fucked and butchered them. You should have seen Guowei¡¯s face, hehe, when he called it to be turned off.


    I guess I don¡¯t have to tell you that we replied to Five Star that none of us were interested in going. ¡°Shame,¡± he answered. In an uncharacteristic moment of helpfulness, he recommended we go out and do something fun during the night, and he¡¯d come to pick us up in the afternoon the next day. Then he signed off.


    Did you go out?


    Well, right after dealing with Five Star, all three of us wanted to go out. We were on vacation, so of course we were going to make the best of our time off.


    So, we discussed our options, and Guowei was a bit uncomfortable with all the overt sex and nudity stuff going on. So first we went to hang out at the poolside bar in the hotel. Still had some sexy dancers doing their thing so Guowei just couldn¡¯t avoid it altogether, hehe. We saw a few dozen of the other guests in that space, and it turned out they were far less hmm... conservative than we were.


    In what way?


    You want specifics? Well, for instance, there was a small pavilion where we could see six people that looked like half girl half fish having a party involving lots of alcohol and them having one of their hotel-nons lie naked on a table. He was buried under a load of seafood, and they were eating from that stuff. Later that night, one drunk lad accidentally drowned his non in one of the pools because he was sitting on her. A member of staff came over¡­ I mean a real person, at least I think it was¡­ well she wore clothes at least¡­ anyway, he got a new one in minutes.


    We were not doing any of such things that night, we were just drinking fancy drinks and I had number 4 massage my shoulders and stuff.


    When we had enough of the place, we moved out, back into the streets of the Licenced District. We found that the hotel disposables would accompany us and were not limited to serving us the hotel, didn¡¯t expect that. I thought it was advertising, but Valeriya complained that they¡¯d also be watching us all the time and would probably tell Five Star where we were going, if he didn¡¯t have other ways of knowing already.


    We wanted to contact the others, but they were gone from the infosphere. Guowei was worried something had happened to them, but there wasn¡¯t much we could do. Besides, what could happen? Even if someone had disposed them, they¡¯d be fine.


    Hey, doesn¡¯t that make your job super boring? Now that people can¡¯t die and everyone is safe and stuff?


    You hold misconceptions regarding the Compliance¡¯s role in the Empire.


    Want to tell?


    Please continue your recount of the events of that evening.


    Well, I got into this argument with Guowei. You know, it must have been frustrating for him, now that half of our people had just run off and that he couldn¡¯t control the situation with Five Star, or something. Or he was upset over the things he found on Piscium. Anyway, he seemed to have a problem with my attitude. I said I just wanted to have some harmless fun and that we were on vacation, and he was being overprotective and all that.


    Then out of nowhere he began making these accusations about how I didn¡¯t care about our regulations and our code of conduct and all that. I hadn¡¯t even done anything at that time. So, I answered that there were no such regulations in effect here, that we were on Piscium, not on our base. What was he even going to do if I broke any regulations? I jokingly said I was off to fuck my disposable whore. What was he gonna do about it, throw me in the brig when we got back home? He didn¡¯t seem to have an answer, and instead turned around and walked away, clearly being mad.


    Valeriya briefly went after him, but it was to no avail. Guowei was heading back to his room for the night, but Valeriya wanted to go outside, just like me.


    Where did you go?


    We took to the streets. First, we had some more drinks at an upscale but uneventful place not far from the hotel. The four of us settled into a booth with this blue velvet seating. Valeriya asked me what I thought of this place, and I told her it was nothing special. She said she liked the decorations, they were so pretty.


    We saw two women there dancing, dressed in flashy outfits that ensured we noticed them. One of them was wearing some kind of transparent dress that covered just her ass and crotch, and one of the other ones had a glowing skirt covering her legs and was wearing a glowing wig that shone in this waterfall of rainbow colors. Her top was open up to her shoulders.


    We ordered some drinks through our aura, and another hottie on rollerblades delivered it soon after.


    Did you discuss anything of note?


    Yeah. I asked Valeriya about her plans for the future. But her answers were non-committal. I think she said stuff about wanting to explore more worlds first, see more of the Empire and its many cultures. She asked me if I had any long-term plans. I answered that I was more concerned with the short-term plans. I was thinking very hard about whether or not I even wanted to go back to the colony at this point.


    She looked shocked, as if the thought of leaving had not occurred to her before, although I think she was just pretending. I mean, that thought must have been in the back of anyone¡¯s mind and it might have been the underlying reason why Guowei was growing more and more upset.


    Why would we go back to the colony and work our ass off for Elisa, when we could live here, or on any other world? I said Elisa was a fool to make us work. She could just get an army of disposables to get the job done in half the time. Or less, you know, if they are anything like Max. What was the point of us working? What was the point of anything? Why not enjoy the good things that have befallen us?


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Do you still feel that way?


    Well¡­ You know¡­ I¡¯ve been trained as a scientist. Inorganic chemistry. And now all my training is useless and obsolete. The Empire is a few hundred million years ahead of me scientifically and you have beings that are a few hundred million times smarter than me. What am I going to do? Spend a million years in school so I know how to manufacture some iridomite?


    Even Max is way better than me in everything. A while ago, I watched him work with doctor Otto in the lab. Totally concentrated. And he moves like¡­ you know, hmmm¡­ Well, I can¡¯t do it. No hands, haha. Can you see what I am trying to do?


    I understand.


    He is like a robot, super quick, precise, and efficient. When he was loading the sampler machine, he just stacked up all the sample dishes and dropped them into their slots like they were playing chips, it was insane. How am I going to compete with that? I am obsolete and unemployable, man.


    Elisa is just pretending nothing has changed and wants to keep everything going like it used to be in our time, just with the corp shackles off. I often feel like she¡¯s treating us like we are some dumb idiots. I don¡¯t appreciate that. I just don¡¯t¡­


    Everyone with a pair of eyes can see where this is going...


    Where is that?


    People are not going to stay in the colony to be Elisa¡¯s pets. Why would we? We¡¯re first-gen colonists. Most of us are bottomscalers with no family. We were hoovered up by the Company and tucked into the Dolya because we had no choice.


    And now? Now the Empire gives us a choice, the first time we had one in our miserable lives, whether we want to work on our shitty barren planet or live the high life none of us could ever dream of in a place like Piscium. I know what I will choose. I¡¯m not gonna enjoy myself if I do pointless work. I am no Max, dammit.


    Did you say this to ser Marakova?


    Not in so many words. Didn¡¯t want to ruin the evening with this kind of talk. I was just happy to be able to be with her.


    Be with her?


    Yes. Without people like Guowei sticking their nose into everything. Still though, she did keep her distance from me. It frustrated me. She had always been closer with her female friends than with me, or any man.


    I see. What happened afterward?


    Hehe. After that, it was about two hours later, when I was standing with my little disposable at a nightclub. It had this dance floor in a small underground area underneath. The walls were all glass, and they were filling it with smoke and lights so that it looked as though it was underwater. There were plenty of people there doing slow and fast dances; guys and girls and everything in between. It was hard to tell who was what because of the colored lights and everything else on, and we were already well on the way to getting wasted.


    The music was really slow and low... good for a moment of calm before going back out to party hard... and I had Number 4 dancing and having fun. We danced for three songs straight, including some pretty naughty things involving Number 4 going on. I figured we could do stuff that would get us thrown out at any well, normal place. I guess I made sure Valeriya had a good time, now that the booze had taken care of her usual reservedness. We ordered some ice teas to freshen up, and I headed down to the toilets to take care of business.


    After that, I guess I was looking for some relief. That night, all I wanted was just to relax, just be lazy, be free. There was nothing bad that could happen, I remember myself thinking. This whole thing was still just a joke and I felt I should be laughing at myself.


    We got out and wandered a little. The main street had come alive, and everything was packed. We tried to get into a few places that looked like fun, but they were full and without Five Star around, we found ourselves unable to jump the queue at the truly topscale places like that.


    Where did you end up, eventually?


    We both noticed the crowds in the streets got a bit rowdy, and neither of us wanted to be stuck in this push and pull for much longer. We got through some hub-tower and took the elevator up, as there was supposed to be a sky lounge up there, and we kind of enjoyed the view we had in the Spire.


    When we got out, we ended up in this narrow corridor where a neatly groomed goon greeted us politely, but quickly asked us whether we were on the guestlist or not. He wore a formal black durumagi, but as he moved his arms I noticed the firmness of it and figured it was concealing body armor. A short baton at his hip made me convinced that he was more than just a receptionist and not one to be messed with.


    We answered a negative and the man seemed to look us over for a while, then looked away. I thought he was asking permission from his boss or something, until a memo from Five Star popped up, just saying ¡°Fixed it for ya!¡±.


    The man gave us a friendly smile and a curt bow and invited us inside. The interior was dark and stylish, there was blacklight and stuff, and there were these low round booths surrounded by beaded curtains and lots of these decorative glowing vats with bubbling, foaming liquid inside.


    We were approached by another well-dressed man. He introduced himself as Tae-Hyun and was supposed to be our watcher or whatever. He escorted us to an unoccupied booth and handed us a physical menu cart. Unfortunately, it was in one of these non-standard scripts that was all over this world, and I couldn¡¯t read vermicelli...


    You could have used your aura to translate it for you.


    Yeah, well I¡¯m not good with all that fancy new stuff in my brain, sorry. Maybe I was still too drunk. I don¡¯t know, hehe. We did have some cool aura-stuff later, I¡¯ll get to that, I swear...


    Anyway, I just handed the menu-thing to Number 4 and told her to fetch something nice for us. Nons are there to assist us, after all. So she returned to us with a tray of goodies and...


    Wait, is any of this illegal?


    Not at all. Was it the first time you indulged in substances like these?


    Well, it used to be illegal as fuck under Company regulations to use any kind of drugs. And if it was done while in space, you¡¯d get executed for it, no exceptions. So no one dared to try it. Not sure what Elisa¡¯s stance on it is nowadays. She took alcohol off the blacklist and let us have the pub, at least...


    Please continue.


    So hmm, we tried some of these drop things first, and I had Number 4 administer them. Well, I was knocked out for the next fifteen minutes. I felt light-headed and happy and everything was great and funny¡­ I was having these bursts of laughter all the time too, I remember. As everything was making even less sense than it did before.


    When we got to the second round of stuff, Valeriya realized that there were two of these sealed packs with turtles on ¡®em. It said Pashi-doll on them but we took them for some kind of drug dispensers. We both opened one of the packs and some toy turtles came rolling out. I got a bright teal one with these colored balls, and Valeriya got a purple one with flames and stuff. We asked the nons what these were, and they told us to get the Pashi-doll community thingie installed, there was a code for that on the bag.


    So I tried, and those dolls came to life. Well, it was entirely virtual, but it looked cool. Mine danced on the table and spun on its back, while Valeriya¡¯s could shoot some small fireworks. We could give ¡®em instructions by thought, and there was this game that made them fight and track stats and stuff.


    We took the next round of drugs while we had fun slapping each other¡¯s turtles around. Valeriya¡¯s was stronger, at least in straight-up combat against my particular turtle, but mine could do this spinning thing and charge across the table and knock Valeriya¡¯s off it. When I timed it right, I could still win some games.


    However, a few more shots down the road there was little control we had left and both of us were just laughing at the turtles crawling around and falling over, probably a pretty accurate reflection of the state we were in ourselves.


    Anyway, I remember that at some point I started having this idea that I was in danger or that we were too late and I had to somehow get to the hotel, right away, or something terrible would happen. I don¡¯t know why exactly.


    I tried to get up, but Number 4 pulled me down. Our watcher came over and said something, and Number 4 got one of the syringes off the tray and tried to inject me with it. It was probably some antidote or other kind of stimulant to get me to my senses, but I suddenly felt scared and thought she wanted to hurt me.


    The watcher said I should stay down and they¡¯d help me right away, but when he came closer, I leaped up with a sudden burst of strength. Number 4 dropped the syringe and clung to my arm, and I think Number 7 grabbed my leg. I stood still for a moment and the watcher was probably thinking the situation was under control. But when he bent down to pick up the syringe, I kicked Number 7 in the face and made a run for it...


    You ran off while under influence?


    I wasn¡¯t exactly very sensible at the time, hehe. I really believed I urgently needed to get back to the hotel. I hit Number 4 and she tumbled away, then pushed past another one of the watchers. I didn¡¯t take into account the doorman though. He tackled me, right as I thought I had gotten out.


    ¡°I am sorry ser, but I cannot allow you to disturb the peace,¡± was the last thing I heard before he pressed a cold metal object to the back of my head and treated me to a free trip to limbo.

 Chapter III - Sigrid Ronningen

    Where did you meet ser Sato?


    Through ad-lit streets we followed Sato¡¯s non, a slick black aero waiting to receive us at the edge of a park. The gait of Tsutomu was one that filled me with amusement, his movements theatrical, surveying the surroundings as if the clouds contained preying raptors that would descend on the unwary. He then disassembled the shaft of his spear and we boarded at once, the lights receding behind us as we crossed over the dark still waters of the lagoon once more, towards the far end of the dome.


    Within the hills of the peninsula of the Bay District Ser Sato''s residence was situated, ya, a spacious villa of traditional architecture amidst meticulously scaped gardens and ponds and bridges, oh the water features were a thing of beauty, streams of water caressing ornaments of stone.


    There, a tall, slender woman dressed in a black-and-white kimono and a maroon obi bowed deep and greeted us, her eyes shining with eagerness to receive. Her face was painted a deep yellow and black, but even that failed to veil her charming face. "Welcome to the Sato residence, sers," she spoke, introducing herself as Yuriko and asking if we were well. We bowed in acknowledgment, and inside Yuriko escorted us then.


    Something odd became apparent to us then and there. Our auras lost connection to the infosphere, and from then on, we found ourselves unable to communicate with one another. Asked why, Yuriko answered that ser Sato placed great value on his privacy.


    There I was, marveling at the vastness of its halls, oh beautiful as they were, with wide, open spaces and the overall impeccable design of structures, ya I dare say there was perfect harmony between the unsoiled modern materials and ancient, traditional minimalistic style and subtle decorative patterns alike. In the main hall, in front of the staircase, there was a lavishly decorated set of powered body armor on display, and admire it we all did, albeit briefly in passing.


    Into a side wing we were led, and there we saw two more of ser Sato¡¯s nons stand at attention at a sliding door. The door slid open, and we removed our shoes, lest we drag any dirt inside and smudge what was spotless and clean. Inside, ser Sato awaited in a tea room, seated cross-legged on a cushion, his robes perfectly arranged and his pose upright and stern. He bowed and apologized for not introducing himself properly when we had met earlier that night, oh, and apologize once more he did for disturbing us with the duel. We politely said it was nothing, for what else could we say? We bowed deeply as well, and ser Sato spoke that we were most kind, and then he invited us to sit with him, there on the cushioned floor.


    What did you discuss?


    Oh, first we drank tea, fragrant yet bitter, ya a good taste of things yet to come. Of course, the necessary courtesies were exchanged, but while proper and civil, we found ser Sato was also a man that wished to get to the point, and so when he found an opening, he asked me what I thought of the world, from what I had seen. Not denying my thoughts, I answered directly and honestly, so I spoke that I felt in great opposition to the abject mistreatment of the disposables, and the open hedonism on display likewise.


    He nodded slowly, as if in concurrence to something best left unspoken, but then he shifted and spoke in no uncertain terms his thoughts on the current state of Piscium, and, mostly its populace. To him, what a shameful disgrace it was. He asked us then what we knew of the Shincho people. We were not naive, ya, as convinced we were that ser Sato had looked us up, and found that we had been cast out of the last seventy-thousand years of history.


    We spoke to him that the Shincho were but a small yet advanced faction in our time, specializing in information security and software development, and due to the circumstances that prevailed in that age, under constant scrutiny. For suspected of developing unrestrained artificial general intelligence they were, in fierce defiance of the long-standing universal ban that had been enacted against such technology. We had not been surprised that the historical record of this world now freely and openly admitted that they indeed used such technology to settle this world.


    Then ser Sato laughed in the face of that which we had spoken, and he added that in days bygone, every insidious corp that held influence of a significant degree had defied the prohibition in full. For thousands of years, the ban that we knew had been merely in place to effectuate a hard limit on the capabilities of those that sought to compete, thus unable to equal the ones that held power the newcomers would forever be. The ban on genetics and cybernetics had sought to accomplish likewise.


    The Shincho had not had their wings clipped with these bans, nay, they had sought a way to overcome that which had held them down, gaining influence and awaiting the opportunity to break the rules one at a time, for how else to oppose an oppressor that chose not to play by the rules that they forced others to obey? Nay, ser Sato explained, the Shincho only achieved independence precisely because they did not play by the rules. They had managed to blackmail a great number of Great Family topscalers, and then when confronted, no topscale corp cared to hold them by the rules any longer. Space colonization, ser Sato spoke, would never have been possible without the advanced artificial intelligence the Shincho developed and sold, so in part, they were to praise for humanity reaching the stars at all.


    Concurring we did, at least in part, for was it not that we thanked our own lives to the cunning of our shipboard AI? Had that been a dumb box, alike the machines the prohibition allowed, dead we would be, the Dolya our tomb.


    Inquiries into ser Sato¡¯s background we attempted to make, for him being a hacker of legend we suspected he was, but all that was returned was an intense stare, while the subject in question sipped his tea with the slow and precise movements we had come to know. ¡°We could discuss this later,¡± was all that he spoke, and I knew this was alike a polite way of declining to answer, ya his privacy he valued, at least until trust had been earned.


    Ser Sato lamented then over the slow decline of his people, once intellectual, proud, and full of dignity, through cunning and aptitude their independence had been won, one step at a time. First amassing the wealth to construct their own orbiting habitat, and then leave Sol behind altogether, a plan that bloomed to fruition over centuries, millennia even. But once they had ventured beyond the reach of forces that would threaten and oppose them, their once-disciplined minds had given way to stagnation, and the pursuit of pleasure as well.


    No better example than the social credit system itself, ser Sato then scolded, a system initially developed by the Shincho hacker community, intended to reward those that made outstanding contributions and worked towards long-term goals that would benefit the greater whole. Oh, but once extended to that greater whole, the masses had it subverted, and corrupted to the core it had become, ya, reduced to little more than a popularity contest it had, and as such, it rewarded those that preyed on the masses and exploited parasocial relationships the most, like insidious, fangy vipers devouring the unwary young.


    I spoke that I had noticed the disposable companions that every real person here had, then and there he confirmed my suspicions were confirmed at last. Ya, since the Providers had shared their technology with the Shincho, the rot that had festered below ground had spread, for no longer there was any need for normal interaction between ordinary people on this world, nay, with the exception of conflict, jealousy, and envy. The nons a replacement for companionship, friends and spouses were now obsolete, for nons did not carry all of the downsides of having to deal with someone whose thoughts were free like a bird.


    Did this revelation bother you?


    Bother me, you ask? Of course such would bother me, seeing fundamental human behavior corrupted like that! No, not very healthy and sustainable this society seems, at least not to me.


    96 G. Piscium f1¡¯s society has been stable for thousands of years and shows no sign of instability. Contrary to what you claim, the world generally has good reviews. How do you account for this discrepancy?


    Tell me then, how can having a planet full of lascivious narcissists be a good thing?


    It fulfills the needs of the citizenry and produces vast quantities of data.


    So, now you dare speak, the Empire prides itself on being a bulk-manufacturer of depraved smut and¡­


    Please continue your recounting of the events at ser Sato¡¯s residence.


    ¡­we politely thanked ser Sato for his earlier help. Shirong commented on the armored suit we had seen at the entrance, and ya, he then asked whether ser Sato was an arena fighter of sorts. Ser Sato apologized for making us listen to his earlier complaints with regards to his people, and spoke we must be tired after our ordeal. We understood what he meant. The conversation had concluded, and so we bowed politely and withdrew.


    Yuriko led us away to a garden terrace pleasantly arranged, asking us whether we would care for some light entertainment. We accepted, and so Yuriko clapped. Three of ser Sato¡¯s nons entered the garden, and treated us to a small variety show, with song, dance, and music that rang pleasantly in the auspicious night.


    I asked Mei what she thought of ser Sato and the place we were at, and she spoke that she was glad that we had encountered some civilization, after all we had seen. I did concur and spoke that there was more to a world than just one district and one person, ya, entertaining ser EZdoR¡¯s offer might have been a costly mistake indeed. Shirong concurred and spoke of the stark contrast between Ser Sato¡¯s peaceful residence and the chaos of the Licensed District.


    Oh, I looked up, at the fine lattice dome, its edge not that far away from the residence, the majestic light of the now wholly visible Piscium f1 shining through it, alike an orb of precious opal it was. I pointed at it and spoke that in the time that we knew, most people would see only one sky in their lifetimes, and few would see two, but I was truly blessed already had the pleasure of seeing three distinct skies. Ya, Centauri, Messier 39, and now Piscium, and it left me wondering out loud: how many more would we see? Mei spoke that all of this was just the beginning, and I felt it was truth. There was a vast Empire out there for us to explore, and our time had become boundless, much like the stars themselves.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    Shirong then spoke the cold and unbidden remark that the Empire was growing and obtaining new worlds at a pace that exceeded the rate that we could ever hope to visit them, thus we should remain ever mindful of how we would spend our time and energy.


    We saw ser Sato leave his tea room and traverse the garden to an open room on the other side. It was like a library of sorts, with racks of scrolls stacked up high. Ser Sato took some scrolls, lit a candle at a low table and began writing, in the traditional way, ya, brush pen and ink we saw him use, like a scholar of old.


    We asked Yuriko what way was appropriate in order to repay ser Sato for his efforts and hospitality, but a smile she gave and she spoke that there had been no effort and there was no need to repay. We would be most welcome to stay at the residence for the duration of our visit, and enquired whether we would be interested in a boat trip and diving tour in the lagoon at some point in the next few days, and we all nodded and agreed.


    The performance was at an end, and to our room we were led, which we reached by means of a small staircase in a side building of the garden. A washroom on the ground level it had, and sleeping quarters above. It had one wide open space above, but it was partitioned with paper screens, and also a tastefully arranged seating and dressing area on one side. Yuriko unpacked our futons, and she began to make our beds.


    I wanted to help, but her smile stood uneasy, like she wished I would stop. ¡°Don¡¯t, you¡¯re distressing her,¡± Shirong spoke, and I moved away to not bother her further. Then the male non with a laughing black face came up, delivering our sleeping robes. He asked of us whether we would like a hot bath in the morning, and I spoke we looked forward to it.


    Once the nons had departed, I looked out the small windows, and there I saw ser Sato in the lamplight, still writing his scrolls. Then I went to sit with Mei and Shirong for a while longer.


    ¡°What do we think of him? Of ser Sato, I mean?¡±, I spoke. Mei shrugged and spoke that it was too early to tell, but there was obvious contrast with ser EZdoR. I spoke that while he may have the trappings of civilness around, disposable slaves he still owned, so truly was he better than everyone else? He had sent one of his own to fight to the death against one of ser EZdoR¡¯s nons, thus beneath the veil of culture, how different was he really, deep down?


    I cannot help but notice that the matter of the disposables is an ongoing concern of yours. Why is that?


    Why? What a question that you ask of me. There is the Empire, creating enslaved sentient beings that are exploited for another¡¯s pleasure. Tortured and abused they are, the scale of their suffering too vast for me to comprehend...


    It appears you hold misconceptions with regards to the nature of the disposables.


    Oh really, is that so? Then tell me all about it, if you would be so kind, because this supposed nature, that is one I fail to understand completely!


    Later.


    I would like to know!


    Please continue your recounting.


    Shirong was overly philosophical; I saw him worried about the things we had seen earlier that day, and he must have thought of what it would mean for the future of our colony.


    The first one to bring up the obvious question that was surely on everyone¡¯s mind that night was Mei: How to stop our colony from degrading and becoming another den of depravity alike 96 Piscium. After all, our problem is compounded by the fact that our colonists barely shared any culture or history. Shirong spoke that ser Sato was in fact civilized because he adopted the culture and norms of a pre-existing ancient Earth culture that had grown and matured over centuries.


    Nay, we had no such thing, no shared background or creed. Our Company, long gone. And our harsh society we had all grown up in, as well as our families, likewise. Adrift we were, looking for meaning in a universe where one could no longer hold power, no longer have a family, no longer work a meaningful job, no longer grow old and die. Was there nothing left to strive for? Nothing worth fighting over? No greater ideal worth sacrificing our lives for, oh if even we could? Shirong spoke that we could still strive to improve ourselves as a person, and our community as a whole likewise, and I found myself concurring.


    We washed ourselves, and to sleep we went. It was very quiet throughout the night, all that we heard was the distant sound of running water from one of the water features outside. It was calming, that sound, and deep thoughts it called forth, and my thoughts still chased in my mind when sleep found me at last.


    The morning followed and we enjoyed the hot bath that we had been promised before when suddenly I heard a gong ring. Wondering about its significance, we looked outside, but to see anything from across the garden, we could not. Out of the tub I went, and I put on one of the robes that had been left for us. I slid open the screen on the side of the bathhouse, and peered out.


    There, I could see the nons mustering at the entrance, and I felt worried, as ser EZdoR might have followed us here like a dog sniffing prey, now coming to claim us and haul us back to his den. The gate was opened, and to my relief, a blue-faced man stepped inside. I realized that what I saw was an exact replica of the non that was previously slain, alike two drops of water, down to the clothes and the paint on his face.


    The other nons bowed to him then, and he was led into the main hall, out of sight. I was not able to temper my curiosity, so I left the bathhouse and followed quietly, up the stairs. I walked along a small corridor and saw them sitting in a small reception room. Incense burned and ser Sato sat on a raised dais, his eyes closed. There were electronics on the ground, and they had attached some wires to the non¡¯s head.


    Nay, I couldn¡¯t make out what they were doing, but after a few minutes had passed, they disconnected the non and Tsutomu picked up the weapons that were on a stand at the side and passed them to ser Sato, who stood up and moved to the edge of the dais. The blue non moved over and knelt in front of him, while ser Sato performed some brief ritual, after which he handed the weapons to the non.


    Then I realized their ritual might be over soon, thus I slipped away quietly. Back to the bath I went, to speak to the others what had been seen. We were still speculating, when two of the nons approached us from the garden and the side wall suddenly slid open, revealing ser Sato and the others, hands on the hilts of their swords.


    No emotion they displayed, nay not even a frown. ¡°So sorry to bother you,¡± Yuriko spoke with a bow, and she stepped inside. ¡°Ser Sato would like to ask you to please step out of the water.¡± Naturally, we hesitated, for we were naked like a newborn, but Yuriko gave us no other option. ¡°Please,¡± she repeated. Firm her voice was.


    She handed us some towels to cover ourselves as we slowly complied. Tsutomo entered the room as well, spotting the robe I had used, which no longer laid neatly folded. Ya, he brusquely grabbed it and held it up, his angry face mask now beaming genuinely for once. Ser Sato approached us with agonizing slowness and looked at each of our feet in turn. Caught I was, that I knew, for a damp footprint they must have spotted on the stairs or floor.


    Nay, no doubt that I had been found out remained, thus I knelt on the floor and bowed deeply, and I admitted it was me. Ser Sato turned his back on us, and I could almost hear his knuckles tighten on his sword. He concentrated, and his stance shifted ever so slightly, readying himself for a killing strike. I sat there frozen alike the stone ornaments in his garden, not knowing how to react.


    ¡°Stop!¡±, Shirong shouted as he lunged forward. He too froze in terror as ser Sato spun around at his sudden move, his sword already drawn, and stopping only a hair¡¯s breadth from Shirong¡¯s neck. Shirong made a placating gesture, then sank to his knees. Mei did likewise.


    ¡°You were snooping around my house, violating the trust I put onto you. That is bad manners. Very bad,¡± ser Sato hissed at me, as he pulled back his sword and began pacing in front of us.


    ¡°It is indeed,¡± I answered, begging for forgiveness and pressing my head to the floor like I had seen others do.


    ¡°I took you from the reach of ser 5*EZdoR. Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps it would have been better had you remained in his company. His impulses suit you well at this moment,¡± ser Sato spoke, his voice changing into an almost friendly tone, veiling the insult.


    ¡°Is there anything we can offer to make this right to you?¡±, Shirong spoke.


    Ser Sato laughed, and then his expression turned dead serious, his ashen face still paler than it was, all while moving closer, until he stood next to Shirong to speak in his face. ¡°I don¡¯t want the credit of dishonorable dogs,¡± his voice booming like thunder.


    Shirong desperately tried to correct himself. ¡°No, no, not credit. Perhaps a service instead?¡±


    Ser Sato continued pacing for a while, while we waited in silence. Then he asked Shirong whether he was offering to provide this supposed service to account for my transgression. Shirong answered affirmatively. ¡°Good,¡± ser Sato said. ¡°Training begins in one hour.¡±


    No more words he spoke then, nay, he sheathed his sword and marched out, and his nons likewise. We were left dumbfounded. Mei touched my shoulder and asked if I was alright, and I nodded. We dressed ourselves, and Yuriko returned not long after to collect us for breakfast. We quietly ate a light meal that consisted of some clam soup, grilled fish, pickles, and eggs, until a gong rang once and Tsutomu announced it was time for Shirong to begin the training.


    We were marched into the dojo. Ser Sato at one end, his nons opposite. We bowed as we entered, and we tried to keep up our good manners. Ser Sato instructed us to sit with the nons, and we noticed he was wearing a headset. He rose slowly and removed a similar piece from a wooden box beside him, lined with precious silk. He gestured for Shirong to move out of line and put the thing on his head. Then, he retreated backward, until he reached the far end of the dojo, where he knelt and straightened his immaculate black and white robes.


    The room dimmed, holographic projectors fired up, and two large glowing figures appeared in the center of the room, at least three meters tall. They were arena combots, I knew. Ser Sato bowed, and the figure matched its movements. ¡°Now, guard yourself,¡± he said, as his figure drew a curved blade. Shirong¡¯s combot did likewise, but before he could react, ser Sato¡¯s holo had sprinted forward and closed the distance fast.


    Shirong¡¯s scream rang as ser Sato kicked his combot and slashed his sword across his chest. A follow-up strike took him in the shoulder, disarming him, and then a third one took off the combots head. I see Shirong experiencing great discomfort, as he panted and reached for his head.


    ¡°Again,¡± ser Sato spoke loudly, and the combots returned to their starting position then. Both bowed and this time, Shirong clumsily pulled back, managing to avoid the first kick, but he was helpless as ser Sato slashed him across the wrist and then stabbed him cleanly through the chest with a powerful two-handed thrust he executed with trivial ease.


    For a few bouts it repeated, until clear it became that Shirong could not continue anymore. ¡°It hurts,¡± he wailed.


    ¡°Shameful display!¡±, ser Sato scowled. ¡°Finish the class!¡±


    Shirong bowed in shame and tried again. He and ser Sato continued to spar for the rest of the hour. Ser Sato appeared to go easy and held back this time, often just throwing Shirong to the floor. Shirong was learning fast, his movements improving at every turn, whether by practice or technological means I could not know. ¡°Good,¡± Sato said, and the combots disappeared, the training session over for now. ¡°We will resume in three hours,¡± he concluded.


    The light returned, and we began to leave. In the hallway, I saw that Shirong was addressing ser Sato. ¡°Master,¡± he spoke. ¡°Do you have a combot?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± ser Sato answered, his voice candid. ¡°But we are going to get ourselves one.¡±


    ¡°And you expect me to fight?¡±


    Ser Sato answered affirmatively. Shirong spoke that even if ser Sato were to train him, he would never perform as well as a professional player.


    ¡°You are not going to fight a professional player,¡± Sato answered.


    ¡°Then who, master?¡±, Shirong asked.


    ¡°Ser Valeriya Marakova,¡± ser Sato spoke. And then turned around and headed down the stairs.

 Chapter IV - Valeriya Marakova

    How did you respond to ser Stephanov being disposed?


    Not very much. I didn¡¯t really notice what was going on at first, I felt too tired and too wasted to move, the drugs making my legs tingly. The twinkling curtains parted and Number Four and Seven sat down beside me. They prodded me and reported the fact, and then they too forgot promptly and pretended nothing happened.


    I figured nothing was to be done for the dead, the Providers would take care of it, like they would take care of everything, and I sunk back into my drug-induced stupor until I felt the prick of a syringe and the nons told me it was high time to return to the hotel and get some rest.


    What happened the next day?


    Around midday, I woke better than I had in a long time. My non lay beside me, the bed a mess. I took a quick moment in the sanitizer, while my non readied my clothes. After dressing, he did my hair and makeup, and I was good as new. Nothing to see of the events of the night past, no.


    Isodor was waiting for us down at the beach-lobby, accompanied now by two new nons to replace the ones he had lost. Guowei was there, and I saw he had found a shirt for his non to wear.


    Casimir was absent, and yet, Isodor was leaving already. ¡°Oh we all anxious for da big boy, well he waitin¡¯ for us with a s¡¯prise!¡±, he shouted toward his camdrones. Must be meaning we will meet him there, I thought.


    Guowei asked how my night had been, his uneventful. I said he missed out, and there was lots of fun to be had out there. He looked at the ground, his mood bad. Not good for a place like Piscium. He said that the others had checked in and reported they were safe, but that they could not reveal where they were, suspecting Isodor having surveillance on the infosphere. That was a relief at least, I was glad they were OK.


    We were off, Isodor¡¯s aero racing out of the dome, going too fast. We went to the combot arena, to spectate on a fight. My match was in two days. I felt excited; this was the reason I wanted to go to Piscium.


    The complex was quite far from the dome, but it had a podrail system so the lower scale people from the surrounding cities could get there quickly. We were more upscale than that. I asked why it was in the middle of nowhere, but Isodor gave me this look of why are you so stupid.


    I repeated the question to my non, as they tend to know all kinds of things. Number seven explained it was just for safety reasons. These things require quite a bit of energy, so they are powered by nuclear fuel cells. Since they get smashed up a lot, contamination happens. Guess they don¡¯t want the water of their lagoon to go all glowy. Shame, might have been nice.


    Was Casimir waiting for you at the arena?


    Yes, but we met with the Paladai lady first, as she was my sponsor. Lady Seo Hye-Jin, but everyone called her Lady Paladai. She had seven nons with her, all with glowing biolumes, so I figured she must be someone very upscale and important.


    She and Isodor had a bit of a ruff together. I didn¡¯t spot it at first, but then I noticed she called Isodor ¡®Kwang-Hoon¡¯. I think they must have some history together, from before... Before the Providers took their world and nons became a thing, I mean.


    Then she looked at me. ¡°So you are going to fight for us, my dear?¡±, she asked. She either had a pretty bad upscale Shincho accent, or she was just acting. I smiled, nodded, and bowed politely and she was like ¡°Oh, you are not the talkative kind.¡± I wondered if that was merely a statement or she just wanted me to keep shut.


    She turned to Isodor and asked if I had made much progress with my training. Isodor pretended not to hear at first, and then acted all surprised. ¡°My oppa, didn¡¯t ya say you were gonna train her?¡±


    Lady Paladai scoffed, about that not being the agreement. She had already arranged the combot, and Isodor had apparently agreed to arrange the training. Isodor pretended to know nothing.


    Then he turned to his sats, with a ¡°Hey ya sats know some good trainer? Would look bad if poor Valeriya¡¯s all KO in one punch, eh? I mean just look at her, gorgeous!¡±. He and his nons surrounded me and posed with me. I went along and tried to smile and put up a bit of a seductive pleading face, which pleased Isodor.


    It worked, and within moments Isodor had found someone to sponsor my training. ¡°Haaaaalicon, the amaaaazing one!¡±, he cheered. Then he began yelling a bunch of stupid reasons why Halicon was supposed to be amazing.


    Lady Paladai snorted at the scene. She was probably upset that Isodor just got a random trainer for free without putting in any effort. Or maybe she wasn¡¯t convinced that this Halicon guy was any good.


    Were you?


    No, not really.


    It was an attention-seeking amateur. But I will tell you about him and my training later, alright?


    Yes, of course.


    Lady Paladai wanted to go to the private suite she had here, but Casimir showed up. He had number Four with him... Her... She had this new female skin.


    After his disposal, he had switched to a different skin type?


    Yes! She was in this Afro-Asian skin. It had slender, very long legs. Hair raised up high. Bad make-up. And wearing a short skirt, stockings and a corset!


    How do you react?


    At that time? I didn¡¯t know what to say. I mean, yes, I know we can pick all kinds of skins. But¡­ I don¡¯t know.


    It was only through my aura that I could identify her as Casimir. Isodor was lyrical about it though, whirling around her. Casimir performed a ground dance in which she showed off her brand new butt. And touched herself. And... hmm... moved some clothes around. Much to Isodor¡¯s delight. ¡°That¡¯s my girl,¡± he shouted. He was clapping and his nons cheering, and finally got into a dance with her. The camdrones belched colored smoke and strobe light.


    Isodor pulled her close and kissed her deeply. He also rubbed himself all over her.


    Maybe she just did this for attention. She got plenty and enjoyed it. I just don¡¯t know... I don¡¯t know what was really going on in her head. It got worse...


    In what way?


    Hmm, I don¡¯t know how to say it. It is kind of private¡­


    Please tell me.


    Uhmm. Well. I admit, immediately after the performance was finally over, she came close to me.


    Casimir started talking. It was like she was trying to apologize for something. "It was all for you, Valeriya," she said. "All that stuff with Isodor is because I want you to be happy."


    How did you respond?


    I didn¡¯t know what to say. She confused me. So I said nothing. Isodor and Lady Paladai began heading to our suite. The nons urged us to follow. A camdrone closed in, and we both gave it our best smile.


    We took a large elevator up along the exterior of the building, giving us a relatively good view over the desolate landscape of Piscium f3. It was rocky and cold, but there wasn¡¯t any snow. Not much water in the atmosphere, I guess. Subtle aurorae were going on that I had not seen while inside the dome. Must have something to do with Piscium f1¡¯s magnetic field.


    We were welcomed into a VIP lounge by a large group of service disposables bowing to us. They offered us drinks and flocked all over us, but Isodor and Lady Paladai brushed them aside. Only Guowei bowed back and he even talked with some of them, until Draki-3 pulled him away and made him come sit with us.


    We took seats in a round couch area. Isodor was conducting an interview with Lady Paladai about the upcoming combot fight, analyzing each of the contestants and speculating on the outcome. They involved Casimir too. He¡¯d give this outrageous commentary full of innuendo, which Isodor appreciated.


    Once the interview was over, we went to our private suite in a skybox that looked down into the arena. It was large. It felt strange and I counted. We were only five real people, but there were about forty disposables in there with us too: the nons and all those disposable servers that belonged to whatever organization that operated the arena, nearly ten to one.


    Do you find the disposables unsettling?


    No¡­ Well¡­ Maybe.


    I mean, they are like real people. But then they are not. I don¡¯t really know what to think of them. The ones that look creepy are unsettling I guess. The ones like Draki-3, Rapture and the ones from Plouton. We had also seen some on the streets that looked like lizards or dragons and monsters of all kinds. Or maybe those were actual aliens. How would I know¡­


    It is all so confusing now. Casimir had changed to a completely different skin. What if everyone in the colony would start doing that? And not just change appearance or gender, but fly around in a dragon skin. Or take a three-headed alien¡­


    Or what if she makes herself look like Rapture, and she does grown-up things? Do nons like Rapture even do grown-up things with their liegemen? It¡¯s all so perverse!


    I have barely had time to consider anything like this. And the more I think about it, the more unsettling it becomes. All things we thought were normal... Gone!


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    The Providers just give us disposables to take care of our needs. Are there no limits at all?


    There are some constraints.


    Like what?


    It mostly has to do with energy expenditures and the expected return in the form of data.


    Very pragmatic. And where does morality come in?


    There are the Policies. Any other moral concerns are highly subjective, and thus best handled in local laws.


    You mean that the Empire doesn¡¯t ban anything outright, but leaves it up to the planetary rulers? People like Elisa must create laws that result in a society that people like me prefer to live in? And in case I don¡¯t like the local laws because they are too loose or too strict, I should move?


    Precisely.


    Hmm. I will need to think about this. Let me continue the recounting.


    Very good.


    The arena was huge. I think it was at least half a kilometer across, with seats for millions of spectators. Large vidscreens displayed ads and commentary from celebrities. Both Lady Paladai and Isodor were addressing their sats through most of the event, as there wasn¡¯t a single announcer conducting it.


    The vid-screens all glowed bright gold with the name of this tenday¡¯s challenger: Khatakiel. Seems Isodor wasn¡¯t the only one with an angel skin: Khatakiel was carried into the command deck by his four nons in a golden litter that might just make a Provider jealous. All of them had gold and silver robes and shiny wings. They brought drones with sparkling golden pyros and put up quite a show.


    Then the arena turned green as the vid-screens announced the reigning champion, IV-MEDUSAERON. Only a green female non appeared through the curtains at first. She put down a rolled up green carpet and kicked it until it was unfurled. Then more nons appeared with large silver vases on their shoulders, and they poured green emeralds from it until the deck was sparkling with them.


    Finally, Medusaeron emerged from the curtains. It was a heavily augmented lady... at least her emerald-covered cyborg skin looked feminine. She wore a silver crown and had a lot of articulated cables dangling from her head. Must be the medusa reference. I immediately liked her.


    Two combots entered from opposite ends of the arena, and after a brief bow from the contestants, the fight began without further introduction.


    Finally, some action!


    This is what we had come here to see. Shame the others were not here, but I was sure they were watching this from someplace. I was impressed by the size of these machines. But also by their speed. They moved way too fast and nimbly for something that big.


    Both combots were ornate. Medusaeron¡¯s combot was green and she had a lance and vicious claws on the forearms. Khatakiel¡¯s looked a lot like the operator: Gold and silver and vanes on the back. He had a flail like a giant wrecking ball, and a large shield, too.


    Medusaeron charged forward at full speed, but upon impact, the lance slid off the shield rather than penetrating it as Medusaeron had probably hoped. She ducked just in time to avoid being smacked in the face by a backward overhead swing from Khatakiel.


    Then she leaped up, spun around and with a large swipe from the lance, she managed to hit Khatakiel in the back of the leg. It didn¡¯t seem to do much damage, but the crowd cheered anyway.


    Medusaeron attacked again, and again she tried to impale her opponent. But he simply swatted the lance away. After three strikes, she finally hit him in the arm. This didn''t seem to hurt, either. In fact, his golden armor seemed unaffected.


    I couldn''t tell if the crowd liked Medusaeron''s strategy or hated it. As long as she kept attacking Khatakiel all was good, I suppose. But still, she hadn''t been able to do anything against his defenses.


    Now, Khatakiel tried to disarm Medusaeron by grabbing the lance with the chain of his flail, or smashing it towards the ground with his shield. He couldn''t seem to pull off either tactic, however. Medusaeron eventually took one of her hands off the lance and clawed at the top of the shield, sending it pounding into the ground. With a single overarm thrust, she hit Khatakiel in the neck.


    She had to pull back as he swung wildly at her, skimming her in the side with his flail but scoring little damage. Khatakiel was damaged pretty badly, but he wasn''t done for yet. The other hand came up from behind the shield, grabbing the lance near the tip.


    He pulled himself up and thrashed at Medusaeron''s side again. She had to choose between letting go of her weapon or taking a direct hit, and chose the former. But rather than pulling away to avoid the hit, she lunged forward.


    The chain hit her in the side, and the head of the flail looped around and caught her in the back, but she kept moving. She hit Khatakiel in the lower body with a knee and then thrust him below the armpit with one of her wrist blades. A second attack slammed the combot in the face.


    Khatakiel caught fire and Medusaeron backed away. Khatakiel flailed his last, but Medusaeron cut the chain, and the ball flew off in an arc and crashed through the double security fencing, where it splattered some people in the lower spectator area.


    I know it''s bad, but I couldn''t help but laugh.


    Khatakiel yielded at this point, trying to save what was left of the combot. Medusaeron accepted and the lights turned green. The crowd was screaming. Even Guowei was excited.


    We lingered in the skybox for a while longer, consuming some drinks and snacks while Lady Paladai and Isodor wrapped it up with their sats.


    Then I noticed Casimir had gradually snuggled up to me; she suddenly had her arm around me. ¡°Did you like the fight?¡±, she asked.


    I smiled and nodded, but I just couldn¡¯t get used to the voice. Couldn¡¯t get used to her being like that.


    ¡°Every day could be as good as these last two days we had together,¡± she whispered. ¡°Stay with me.¡±


    Guowei saw it, and his eyes went furious again.


    Then Isodor¡¯s large form loomed over us from behind. ¡°Ey, my little princess! Ya ready to be a fighta? We gonna see Halicon now!¡±


    I immediately pulled away from Casimir. I¡¯d rather be lobotomized by a trainer than sit there and have her smooch all over me any longer.


    We said our goodbyes to Lady Paladai and the arena staff. One hour later, we were back in Hamatani-Si, the Park Hills District this time. I didn¡¯t see any park where we went. Just highrises everywhere.


    Isodor¡¯s aero parked in the middle of the street as there was no other place to set down between those buildings. He told Blancandrin and Draki-3 to stay behind and watch it. So I assume the area was a bit dodgy.


    Halicon¡¯s place was in one of the alleys. He had three nons waiting for us. They looked a bit like cats, with cat ears and tails and making creepy meow-meow noises and they were dressed in scant skirts and stockings.


    We were led inside. Isodor met with Halicon and did his usual sponsorship talk. Halicon was this geeky fellow, dressed in a flamboyant overcoat but otherwise not having the best appearance. His brown hair was a bit greasy and his pale skin oily.


    He reacted to me awkwardly, as if not expecting a woman or something, but his cat-nons pushed me inside into this room with a chair and all kinds of electrical equipment. It wasn¡¯t very clean, and the air was thick with some stale smell. I think Halicon or one of his customers might have been smoking something there.


    I hesitated when the nons tried to strap me into the chair. Isodor was trying to give me these assurances that Halicon was good at the job, that he had a license, that he had trained some previous finalists. But I didn¡¯t care, I just didn¡¯t want to be restrained like that!


    Halicon himself kept out of it and let Isodor and the nons handle it. Guowei asked if I wanted to leave, but Isodor interrupted him and said that it was part of the deal that I was going to fight in the arena. And for that, I had to be trained.


    Then Casimir called out that if I didn¡¯t want to do it, she¡¯d fight instead.


    I don¡¯t know why, but that kind of motivated me to go through with it. I just couldn¡¯t live with it if I was going to chicken out and have that annoying Casimir get all the fun and glory.


    Halicon put some mindprobes to my head, similar to the ones used by Elicitation, you know. Those things. Then he sat down behind one of his computers and got to work.


    It wasn¡¯t very fun. I felt he was just infodumping a lot of stuff into my brain. There was barely any interaction. It all went very fast and I couldn¡¯t understand what was going on.


    I just noticed Isodor leaving and taking Casimir and the nons with him. Guowei stayed behind to watch me, as did our two nons. I am so grateful that he did. I wouldn¡¯t know what had happened otherwise. The rest just left me there with this Halicon creep...


    It was late in the evening when he was done. I felt dizzy, like I had the night before when I had been on drugs, and Guowei and Number 7 supported me. I had difficulty walking on my own.


    Guowei arranged an aero to pick us up in a nearby plaza and fly us back to the hotel. I was lucky and didn¡¯t have to walk the last bit, as Number 7 had made the hotel dispatch a litter to collect me from the drop-off point.


    They brought me to my room and I rested a bit. The night was not yet over though.


    I suspect ser Stephanov was complicit?


    Indeed. Half an hour later, I heard banging on the door. Number 7 opened, and Casimir stormed inside, accompanied by Number 4.


    ¡°Ha, you¡¯re back!¡± she shouted. I think she was under influence. ¡°We should totally have some fun together!¡±


    She dove beside me onto the bed and undid her bra. ¡°Come, come,¡± she beckoned to Number 4. The non crept beside her and kissed her passionately.


    She fondled her own breast. She said, ¡°Pretty neat, huh?¡±, but then she probably saw the disgust in my eyes. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± she shouted. ¡°We¡¯re all ladies amongst each other now, right?¡±


    Then she crept closer, leered into my eyes, and smiled.


    ¡°I got to tell you something,¡± she mumbled. I totally expected that she would divulge some unasked-for information about her sex life or fetishes, but to my surprise, it was about something else entirely. ¡°Isodor is gonna give me the cred that the others voided and then some, after all of this is over!¡±


    ¡°You know what that means? I¡¯m gonna be a topscaler here! You should totally stay here, with me!¡±


    What did you think of that proposition?


    I was really not in the mood to make such a radical decision right there. And there was still the matter that she creeped me out. But she was very pushy. She probably saw I was vulnerable, and was exploiting the situation.


    ¡°We can have anything we want. Just you and me.¡±


    She touched my shoulder, then my back, and then ran her hand down to my butt.


    I considered telling Number 7 to kick them out, but I was scared.


    Scared that I might miss some opportunity.


    Opportunity?


    She was going to be a topscaler. It probably has something to do with the environment I came from, but back in my days, you did not turn a topscaler down. Especially not one that was showing any affection.


    Turning them down would get you hurt. And staying on their good side came with countless benefits. Getting the attention of a topscaler was often the only chance that bottomscalers like me had to make anything of their lives.


    In the eyes of the Empire, you¡¯re both equal, as citizens.


    I know, but I couldn¡¯t think straight and I felt scared. This was thousands of years of evolution doing its thing, keep that in mind. If you¡¯re at the bottom of the heap, you fuck your way up if you have to. I was vulnerable, and I felt as if I was at the bottom of the heap like I had been for most of my life.


    I didn¡¯t object as she started pulling at my clothes.


    Number 7 saw something was wrong. That Casimir didn¡¯t have my best interests in mind.


    Did he take action?


    Not directly. Instead, he informed Guowei. Soon, another series of loud banging could be heard at the door. I heard Guowei calling.


    ¡°Fuck him, don¡¯t open it,¡± Casimir groaned. Number 7 ignored Casimir and opened it anyway.


    Guowei stormed in and understood immediately what was going on. He pulled the half-naked Casimir off the bed. ¡°Out! Back to your room!¡±, he shouted. Casimir shrieked and struggled like the bitch she was.


    ¡°Tell him you want me,¡± Casimir wailed at me.


    Guowei became furious and struck her across the face. Number 4 had to pull him off her. Number 7 shoved Casimir outside, who found that her new female body was no match for the muscular non¡¯s raw strength. Guowei followed, as did Number 4.


    Number 7 shut the door and I could finally rest. The noise outside continued for quite some time.

 Chapter V - Qian Shirong

    The Ishari¡¯s Premises was an imposing building with an intricate facade of glazed brickwork. Ten guards stood at attention, giants taller than even ser 5*EZdorR. Their appearance was strong and fast, and they were sleekly armored and dressed in long dark blue robes. Each rested one hand one a single curved sword at their hip, and in the other held a long, many-bladed poleaxe.


    We ascended the carpeted stairs that led to the entrance, but the guards moved to intercept ser Sato and crossed their weapons, making it abundantly clear that he was not welcome at this place. Ser Sato snapped his fingers and Yuriko came forward, presenting the contents of the box she carried.


    ¡°I bring a gift to her Illustriousness,¡± ser Sato said matter-of-factly.


    The guards said nothing initially, but it was obvious they were reporting to their superiors. After a few seconds, they pulled back their polearms and bowed in unison, then moved out of the way to admit us. Ser Sato returned the bow and made his way through, with the two of us quietly following in a disciplined, orderly manner.


    A small, masked man in a bright blue tunic approached us from the other end of a grandiose deep green hallway. Mirrors and candelabra lined the walls, casting the place in a surreal, otherworldly light.


    ¡°Ser Garat, for the Ishari¡¯s Premises,¡± he introduced himself with a bow. ¡°If you would follow me, please, your honor.¡±


    I remember it immediately struck me as odd that he introduced himself with ser, yet also used for, which typically indicates disposable status, and memo''d Yuriko to explain. She replied and clarified that Ishari considered the use of disposables beneath them. Instead, they have a highly stratified society, in which an individual¡¯s status is measured by the number of people they hold in bound service. Every member of staff seen in this establishment is a real person, she assured.


    Naturally, this gave rise to many more questions, but the most pertinent, how exactly the Ishari would coerce people to be bound into servitude, was answered the moment we set foot inside the establishment and a cacophony of noise assaulted our senses. From the top of an open staircase, we overlooked a cavernous hall containing gambling devices of all kinds. The hall was traversed by a raised walkway, lined on either side by pits that specialized in certain card games, dice games or more machinated means of gambling. Massive pillars of wrought metal supported the vaulted ceiling that displayed blue stars at least thirty meters above our heads.


    ¡°This way please, your honor,¡± ser Garat said, as he led us across the walkway to the other side of the gambling floor. Another ensemble of armed, blue-robed guards stood watch over the entrance to two spiral staircases that descended into the depths below. A slow trickle of overdressed patrons and their nons made their way through. We were admitted and descended one level. The stairs went on and on, until we found ourselves in another hall, similar in size to the first, but more upscale. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling and the pillars were gold and silver. Here, most of the tables were staffed, and the walls had a balustrade running all the way around the hall, leading away to further hallways. I presumed the establishment also contained a hotel, or facilitated other forms of entertainment than mere gambling.


    We descended another flight of spiral stairs. The patrons on the next level appeared to be even more upscale. I saw several that were accompanied by seven nons, and above. Some were not human. I could not help myself stare at them, and wondered if these were actual non-humans, or merely humans in a non-human body. However, they were not the only thing that drew my attention. The hall was smaller than the one above, but the walls and pillars... they were lined with chained humans, dozens of living human bodies that twisted, screamed, and moaned.


    Upon seeing this, I fired my questions at Yuriko. Initially, I did not believe it to be a real scene, but Yuriko assured me it was. These tormented people were merely paying back their debt, at a greatly accelerated rate. I asked how it could be that this was not regarded as abuse of power, a Policy violation. I learned that since only a specific Ishari, non-energy currency was involved and the affected people could self-terminate and leave at any time, Compliance does not regard it as a Policy violation. Is that true?


    Indeed. We do not interfere when one inflicts suffering on a consenting person and this person has the means to end such suffering at any time.


    I surmised as much, and asked Yuriko why these people did not simply walk away and go to another casino instead. After all, how would the Ishari enforce that its meaningless token currency gets repaid? Yuriko answered that all Ishari form a syndicate, which is very ingrained and influential in the Empire.


    The Ishari, she informed us, are a Progenitor race, one that predates the three hundred million years of known history, when the Empire as we know it was established on the remains of the unknown that had come before. Consequently, any individual Ishari is exceptionally ancient, and typically, exceptionally powerful. Under the laws of the Ishari Syndicate, individuals that fail to fulfill their obligations to any one Ishari will soon find themselves a pariah to all Ishari, including their Providers. Since the Ishari are prolific, this is an unenviable position to be in. And thus, people rather end up in chains on the walls of one of their establishments, untold suffering visited upon them by an array of neurotorture probes embedded in their skin.


    I asked why anyone would go to a casino that might torture them the moment they went bust, and Yuriko said that to many, the Ishari currency is the only one that held true value besides energy. The Shincho credit, or any other local currency was meaningless in the grand scheme of things.


    To the Providers, power is energy. But here, I learned that the Ishari have a saying that holds that power is the degree one is able to make someone else do something that they don¡¯t want to do. I must say that this definition seems more fitting for currency as we humans have known it for thousands of years, and it holds up surprisingly well in the Empire. Even though we citizens may not handle energy and are thus barred from wielding the commonly accepted definition of power, currency derived from actions people do not wish to perform and experiences people do not wish to experience is something that can still be traded and from which status, and in effect, social power, can be derived. Even when decoupled from energy. The Ishari really thought this through, and it is curious that their principle is accepted across species. The Ishari back their currency upon the fact that someone had to suffer something unpleasant to earn it.


    Your commentary on the Ishari is interesting but ultimately irrelevant to your audit. Could you continue recounting the events?


    Ah, yes, yes, of course. The Ishari¡¯s Premises extended even deeper underground. I estimate we ultimately reached a depth of at least one hundred meters below the surface, which would still be within the normal extent of the substructure of cities of this size. These bottom levels had walls covered in so many large gems that it might turn a Provider envious. They were also fortified, with thick armored doors sliding open and closed in silence to admit us.


    While seemingly deserted save for the guards, there was something about the atmosphere and exiguous lighting that made me feel tense and on edge. We were led through a maze of hallways and smaller lobbies until we finally arrived in a series of antechambers and were told to prepare ourselves for the upcoming audience.


    We were given neatly folded robes and found we had to change our clothes to reflect our status within Ishari society. In my case, this was nothing, so I received a plain grey-blue robe. Ser Sato, being recognized as a Mediator, received a much more elaborate gown of deep blue and golden ornaments. Yuriko helped him get dressed, the multi-layered robes being difficult to put on by oneself. She would have to remain here, as disposables were not welcome. To my surprise, ser Sato was allowed to keep his weapons, and he tucked his two swords into the sash of his new attire.


    At this point, I noticed that ser Sato was not wearing a dogtag, the device that continuously backs up one''s memories. I found it an odd thing to do, especially in this place. If he was to be disposed and the body was not recoverable, he¡¯d potentially lose some days of his life. However, I considered it not the right place and time to ask questions about this detail.


    We were brought refreshments while we waited, which we consumed readily, as the long walk to this place had left us tired and thirsty. Yuriko reminded me that the Ishari demanded utmost respect and deference, and I would best conduct myself as if it were a Provider while in its presence. I had many questions, which Yuriko tried to answer.


    She confirmed that the Ishari was indeed hundreds of millions of years old and that it was the only one of its kind on this world, the terms of their syndicate only allowing one Ishari establishment per non-Ishari world. This particular one had been built and expanded over the past four thousand years, with many rare and exotic materials used in its construction being shipped in by Mover. It also doubled as an embassy for the Ishari Syndicate.


    I attempted to glean ser Sato¡¯s opinion on the Ishari, but his answers were non-committal. I speculated that he held the Ishari in disdain, but of course, he would never reveal his personal opinion, since we were here to attempt to broker a deal with them.


    After waiting for nearly an hour, ser Garat came to collect the two of us and took possession of the box. We silently made our way through more corridors until we came to the heaviest pair of fortified doors yet. A strange wailing noise swept towards us as the doors to the Ishari¡¯s inner sanctum parted. We were led into an octagonal foyer, its walls, columns, and domed ceiling covered with grotesque carved stone imagery depicting all manners of torture and mutilation of mostly human figures.


    The source of the wailing was anything but, however. Set in the far end of the wall was an alien creature at least five meters tall. It was bound in spiked chains and enshrined behind a thick transparent panel, kept alive and in a state of constant torment by cybernetic devices that covered most of its body. The creature thrashed and cried desperately, its harrowing noises filling the room.


    This was the Howler, ser Garat announced, the Ishari¡¯s most prized possession. We were to pay our respects here and wait for the Ishari to summon us, while the Howler entertained us. We knelt quietly on the cold stone to the side of the room, bowed in respect, and waited. The ghastly sounds of the tortured creature reverberated around us. I could not help my curiosity and asked ser Garat politely how the Ishari could come into the ¡®possession¡¯ of an exquisite specimen such as this.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Ser Garat smiled at my insincere flattery and explained that the Howler is a deprecated being, someone not covered by the protection of the Empire¡¯s Policies. The Ishari value possession of such creatures beyond all else, as they could do anything they wanted with them, for as long as they pleased. Tell me if you will, is this true?


    It is rare but possible for beings incompatible with the Empire to be deprecated, either after an extremely serious Policy violation or as a measure for dealing with problematic individuals that refuse subjugation. We allow the Ishari and other beings of similar psychological dispositions to have their way with the deprecated, as this costs the Empire nothing, whilst it is moderately effective as a deterrent.


    Is this what awaits me, once the audit is completed?


    No. Please continue.


    A gong rang, and the floor below the Howler moved, sinking down in segments and revealing a staircase leading to a small door. At a gesture of ser Garat, we rose and followed him down the stairs, crossing another hallway and finally arriving at the top of yet more stairs that overlooked a vast throne room, larger than any of the casino¡¯s floors. We bowed to the ensemble of figures in the distance, while Ser Garat announced us. With a gesture, he urged us onward, while he left the throne room through one of the side entrances.


    It took us several minutes to cross the room and approach the dais. Again, the pillars here held writhing bodies, but these produced no sound. Their faces were mutilated and stripped of flesh, their eyes removed and their mouths sewn shut. Except for their flayed skulls, their bodies were covered by shrouds laden with priceless gemstones.


    As we approached the dais, we noticed the central place of honor was suspiciously empty. Beside it, however, the Ishari¡¯s privileged chosen of every size and stature casually observed us from their seats, surrounded by trays of food and drinks. Here, 96 G. Piscium¡¯s depravity had come to a new low, when I saw one lady dressed in gold stroke her face with a bloodied hand and then proceed to gnaw on it. Then she turned, and I realized she was in fact holding a severed human hand.


    A large hunched-over humanoid figure with an enormous grey wolf head growled and bared its dagger-like fangs as we drew closer, pacing restlessly back and forth on the dais, its unblinking eyes not losing us for a single moment. Two spots on the floor lit up and indicated where we were supposed to kneel. We did so quietly, and a gong sounded. We bowed neatly to the ground and waited.


    As the gong rang again and we raised our heads, we noticed a throne of pristine iridomite had appeared from the ground, supported on the backs of a dozen chained and tormented unfortunates. The creature that sat upon it was veiled and revealed little, but we could see she had four blue-skinned arms which were in constant motion, playing with various regalia. Five more wolf guards surrounded her. We waited patiently for her to speak. She said nothing, but we felt she was observing us.


    After about half a minute, she made a curt gesture with one hand. A man that had been eating and sipping from a water pipe rose from his low bench and licked the detritus of foodstuff from his hands. He was bald, somewhat corpulent, and had a small beard. He wore robes with characteristic broad shoulders made of thick fabric. Around his neck hung a multitude of long gold necklaces and most of his fat fingers likewise bore golden rings and gemstones. The man took his time to wash his hands in a basin, dried them with a towel, and leisurely stepped forward, his hands now neatly tucked together in his wide sleeves.


    ¡°The notable ser Dupleix,¡± a herald announced at last. I understood this meant he was at least a mediate squire, possibly a full Mediator, formally vassalized under the Ishari.


    Ser Dupleix said nothing, but moved to the edge of the dais and simply stood there, sucking on his lips as he observed. We could see his hands fiddling in his sleeves. After a few long moments, he withdrew one hand and signaled to us to come closer.


    We bowed and moved one step up onto a section raised slightly above the rest of the floor. This area held low tables of sorts. We knelt in front of these and bowed again. Ser Sato seemed to know what this was for, and placed his hand on it, shoving his index finger into a hole. It was a finger lock of some kind, and it was clear he was unable to withdraw it. I glanced at ser Dupleix whether I should do the same, but he quickly shook his head.


    Ser Garat re-entered through a side door, carrying the box and placing it in front of the Ishari.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Ser Dupleix said. ¡°You present a gift to her Illustriousness. But, how can one give something that already belongs to the person one is giving it to?¡± Ser Dupleix pouted his lips in disapproval. ¡°You have merely come to return that which you stole from us. Either you have come to your senses, or more likely, you want something from her Illustriousness, is it not? Tssk tssk,¡± he did, making filthy smacking noises with his lips.


    I saw from the corner of my eye that Ser Sato had begun sweating, and the muscles under his eyes were twitching. I realized that the Ishari device that held his hand was tormenting him, most likely through these disgusting neurotorture probes that the Ishari seems to favor.


    ¡°I beg forgiveness for my earlier transgression,¡± ser Sato said, as he bowed deeply.


    ¡°Yes, yes, of course you do,¡± ser Dupleix answered with a smirk as he moved down from the dais, stood over ser Sato, then began pacing around him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell us why you have really come here? What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I seek to purchase a combot from her Illustriousness,¡± he answered candidly. His voice was unlike him, unsteady and trembling, as if speaking coherently required significant effort. ¡°I can pay double the value,¡± he added quickly.


    ¡°I am sure you do,¡± ser Dupleix said with agonizing slowness, checking ser Sato¡¯s Ishari token count, while the latter¡¯s face turned into a coiled grimace as he struggled under the pain. ¡°But why would we soil our fine reputation, dealing with a thief?¡±


    I remember that I began to worry they would just dispose ser Sato, and I imagined their laughing faces as I would flee the place in shame as fast as my legs could carry me. Later, I would come to wish that they had.


    You see, ser Dupleix had been looking up just how exactly ser Sato had amassed such a small fortune in Ishari tokens.


    ¡°Over thirty unsouled disposals?¡±, he whistled, but his tone that held a glint of admiration quickly changed into one of contempt. ¡°Now that would explain your irrational behavior, daring to show your face in this establishment. Tssk, your sanity must be close to falling apart by now.¡±


    Ser Sato groaned in response, unable to maintain his stoic composure. Ser Dupleix glanced back at the Ishari, undoubtedly receiving silent instructions. Once he was finished, he slowly sat down on the edge of the dais, fidgeting with his rings and chuckling at ser Sato¡¯s humiliating unseemliness.


    ¡°Her Illustriousness presents you with the following generous offer. One combot of your choice for its regular value in tokens. For the offense you caused earlier, we will take three hours of your time followed by one more unsouled disposal. Your companion will agree to witness the event as our esteemed guest.¡±


    Ser Sato groaned once more, then composed himself almost instantly as he was released from the fingerlock and the table displayed the specifications of three combots the Ishari was considering to sell.


    ¡°If it pleases her Illustriousness, I wish to purchase this one,¡± he said after a few moments. ¡°I agree to your additional conditions.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± ser Dupleix said, as he looked my way. I could see his intense dark blue eyes prick at me. ¡°Do you?¡±I simply nodded, fully expecting to have to witness some kind of horrible torture, but at that point naively underestimating the full scope of what the Ishari had available.


    The gong rang and we both bowed our heads to the ground as the Ishari withdrew, its throne sinking back down into the floor from which it had come. Once the gong rang again and we rose we found sers Dupleix and Garat were lording ominously over us. ¡°Tssk tssk,¡± ser Dupleix clicked. ¡°You have one hour to prepare yourself.¡±


    ¡°This way, please,¡± ser Garat added, as he led us out through a side door, down more stairs and into yet another antechamber. We were brought trays with all sorts of drinks and delicacies, but ser Sato did not consume any. He requested a white robe and writing material, and spent most of the hour in silence, penning down poetry on a roll of white sheet material they had brought him.


    ¡°Are you not concerned?¡± I asked him at some point.


    ¡°Life is just an illusion,¡± he answered absently, not looking up from his writing.


    I decided to not bother him further during the limited time he had left. Ser Garat came to collect us, and we were led into a round, domed room with a single skylight. The center of the room contained a shallow milky white pool, perhaps two meters across. On the far end of the room, the Ishari sat on a raised platform and her entourage sat on cushioned seats all the way around. We knelt and bowed once more, then waited.


    ¡°Tssk tssk,¡± ser Dupleix said, as he gestured for me to take one of the empty seats near the edge of the pool, next to a loaded side table. I began to get up, but ser Sato motioned me to stop. He removed his swords from his obi, and handed them to me one by one. Then he took the roll and unfurled part of it. ¡°If it pleases her Illustriousness, I would like to recite my death poem,¡± he said.


    Ser Dupleix nodded, and ser Sato began reciting the words he had penned down. To me, the poem was long and incoherent, and I cannot remember much of it. When he was finished, he handed the roll to me and instructed me to bring it back to his residence, along with the swords. I confirmed, and quietly went to my seat, placing the swords beside me on the table, as I had nowhere else to put them.


    ¡°Honorable ser Sato,¡± ser Dupleix announced with a sudden booming voice. ¡°For the transgression of theft of her Illustriousness¡¯ property, you will compensate us with three hours of your time and your unsouled disposal. Self-disposal or the use of any means to mitigate your agony will invalidate the agreement. As does any attempt to drown yourself in the pool,¡± he added, which resulted in laughs in some parts of the audience. ¡°Do you agree, or would you rather back out now,¡± he said, smirking.


    ¡°I agree,¡± ser Sato answered proudly.


    ¡°Then get your thieving ass in there,¡± ser Dupleix said mockingly, pointing to the pool with his thumb.


    Ser Sato got up and slowly descended the steps that led into the murky water, which barely reached halfway up to his knees. He knelt in the center and waited.


    Ser Dupleix retrieved an intricately decorated vial from a small side table and held it up for all to see. It contained some dull grey-blue liquid. He explained that the Ishari, being a Progenitor species, inherited a vast quantity of interesting bioweapons from the great unknown, and this was one of them. Normally, it would be quite capable of consuming a planet¡¯s biosphere, but this vial, he assured the audience, contained a neutered version. One that required a very specific amino acid to function, so it would not spread out of control and consume all of this world.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I have to tell the audience where this key chemical may be found,¡± he said, as he opened the vial and tossed it nonchalantly into the water. The gong rang, indicating the time had begun.


    Nothing visible happened at first, but after a few minutes, I saw patches of grey begin to form in the water, as if some kind of weed or algae was growing rapidly. Silvery strands crept up from the water, onto ser Sato, slowly beginning to entangle him.


    Ser Sato shook uncontrollably as the tendrils crawled over him like strangling vines, burrowing through his clothes and into his flesh. Just fifteen minutes in, he already was a screaming mess. I don¡¯t know how I endured the remainder of the three hours. The sight was sickening, and the horrifying screams only stopped after two hours, when his larynx must have given out. I never thought anyone could scream like that. It wasn¡¯t sounding anything like a human being, towards the end... The involuntary jerking and spasms didn¡¯t stop though, until the gong finally rang. One of the wolf guards took a javelin and threw it, impaling what was left of ser Sato through the chest. His twitching finally ceased as the slimy tangle that now filled the pool turned red.


    Ser Garat led me back to the waiting Yuriko. She understood what had happened, seeing me carry the swords. We completed the long trek up the stairs in silence, and returned to the estate.

 Chapter VI - Sigrid Ronningen

    What happened after you returned to the estate once ser Qian had recalled you?


    Shirong visage saw traumatized, his pupils wide like he had gazed unto the face of the devil, ya it wasn¡¯t far from the truth, I would later learn. Nay, for the moment he merely spoke of successfully acquiring the combot, yet it had come at the cost of ser Sato disposed. We pressed for details then, but he remained stone-faced, the details were vexing is all that he spoke. We heard that the Licenced District is mad and depraved, in excess of the conceptualizations we had formed on first passing there. He was contenting himself that we hadn¡¯t come along, for he assured us it would have resulted in a scene.


    I see. When did ser Sato return?


    Oh, undeterred by the masses of wallowing gits being lax with our skins, Flow is quite good at doing its thing, and so, as daylight receded his nons would collect him from some cold facility or another; to the estate where he belonged he was conducted promptly. He chose not to speak with us that time, rather engaging himself with his calligraphy for reasons not understood. Yuriko spoke in private about what happened, and then to us likewise, so we knew four days of his life went lost to the wind. He cloistered himself into his calligraphy room much like a monk and many hours passed, us not wanting to exasperate him nay, for surely he needed care and recovery, and in fact, we were cognizant of how to his mind, trifling strangers the guests in his house foreshortened had become.


    What did you do in the meantime?


    We spoke, and indulged in tea and walking, the bay district a beautiful site sinful to be left untapped. About the casual things at the base we spoke, and about this world, about the Empire, and we searched for the deeper meaning of all we had witnessed for humanity as a whole. Gradually, like the lotus flowers we found in the ponds, Shirong opened what he had sequestered inside, and began to speak about the events befallen. We shared in disgust when the Ishari was revealed to us, and Mei and I began to speculate to the degree that this entity was behind all that transpired in the Licensed District. Oh, the possibility of humanity and its culture subverted as part of this creature¡¯s plot, fueled its own twisted delectations and devious contrivances like a spider that ensnared its prey in its web?


    And then there was the matter that ser Sato was branded a thief, one with a small fortune in Ishari tokens amassed through means dubious to us, ya very confused all of this left us. Before such conversation could be concluded, ser Sato suddenly emerged from his study. He did approach us, and bowing deeply and apologize he did, professing how ashamed he was of having upset his guests like he had. Us, aware of the place and polite as befitting of a guest to such a formal and well-mannered man, naturally replied that it was nothing, ya we were most grateful, for his earlier rescue and his continued hospitality both.


    Then and there I descried the degree to which he had been restored to his regular self, how well he appeared to act the part in spite of his four days lost. I wondered whether he managed so well for the sake of politeness, or the conciseness of his non¡¯s briefings, or whether it was his prior experience with memory loss post unsouled disposal.


    You mentioned you noticed this behavior was unusual, but did not follow up on it?


    To me, it was clear ser Sato valued propriety and was less than revealing about his own personal matters, so none of us were eager to probe him directly with such questions. We were his guests, and a guest should not visit displeasure upon their host.


    I see. From your perspective, ser Sato just picked matters up again as if nothing had transpired?


    Ya. Before long, he had a training session with Shirong. Subsequently, we had dinner, all kinds of small dishes of seafood, meat, and vegetables that filled the table. We had Yuriko play music, and good traditional songs she sang to us. Such was the sweet way in which she conveyed her voice, I felt a great sense of admiration for her, ya, even when knowing full well her talents were preternatural imprints, and yet I could not help but fall for the spell.


    A part of me thought, ¡®This will be a night of woe, if only for the three of us,¡¯ for while ser Sato was a civil man, the events of the day past still laid fresh on our minds, ya there was much left unknown, his character full of uncertainties and potential peril. The knowledge that ser Sato had resumed Shirongs training and was dead set on pursuing the confrontation with Valeriya afforded little relief. I was afraid, that ominous night, and so we sat, while she played the biwa, us consuming the morsels on offer alike swines for the slaughter.


    Yet ser Sato spoke kindly, more open to questions he was, and more freely we spoke, likewise.


    That Shirong¡¯s fight would be conducted against one of our own troubled me, ya it did, yet with a stern voice reminded we were that Shirong was merely carrying out the errant agreed. Now a matter of honor it was, a slight we had dealt to be stuck off against if only we could deal a blow that had fouled the man¡¯s honor in days long gone. Ya, that much we had learned, sers Sato and EZdoR having a long and troubled history.


    What have you discovered with regards to their history?


    Oh, fundamentally, their quarrel was an ideological one. From ser Sato¡¯s words I thought him to be the kind that wished to take the people of this world forward, advance in matters spiritual as well as mental. Indeed, the Provider technology afforded humanity with many opportunities, and yet, in the view of ser Sato, and likewise my own, many inhabitants of 96 Piscium chose to squander it, living their lives only for the short term gratification, using intelligent Provider creatures for the most banal kinds of entertainment.


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    Sers Sato and EZdoR had clashed more than once about the matter, but over time, ser EZdoR had risen to become a figure of prominence with a large following that controlled vast swathes of the Licensed District, all the while ser Sato had faded to become the man he was, a disgraced shadow that lingered in obscurity alike a mouse in its burrow, nay the situation as it was, he would not suffer the embarrassment of interacting with his sats at length.


    I questioned him then and there, why was it then that nons he likewise used? He did not answer directly, nay, instead he drew our attention to Yuriko with a swift, theatrical motion of his arm. Was it not that his nons enjoyed respect, practiced arts, and were well-versed in culture, indeed, being a part of a house and a family, he asked.


    We questioned this, for we had not forgotten that what had happened mere days ago, where he had sent one of his own to perish futilely in an attempt to uphold the vestiges of vainglorious honor?


    Ser Sato stared at us intently then, and he shouted ¡°Kihei¡±, which was the name of the blue-faced non. Forward Kihei came, and on the ground, he began to disassemble his tachi. Inside the hilt, a device was revealed. A dogtag it was.


    I realized the significance. The non had never perished in the fight. ¡°You gave your nons a soul¡±, I spoke, and Ser Sato nodded quietly, as the non put his weapon back together and returned to his place.


    Our meal was finished in silence, some nons clearing the table while Yuriko and ser Sato conveyed us to a side wing in the estate, the size of which continues to leave an impression on the mind, especially as we walked into a dark hall. It was then that it dawned on me that this place was unlike the other buildings.


    Tell me what you observed.


    The exterior of the building, the roof of the hall, the bronze-plated front doors, all these things seemed to exist in harmony with the remainder of buildings on ser Sato¡¯s premises, yet the internal space was contrasting entirely. The minimalist and spacious furnishings abandoned here, this space carried an array of industrial equipment, ya, he had an entire manufacturing setup concealed within one of his outbuildings, alike a nest hidden inside a tree, the sprawl of pipes and machinery we saw.


    Ser Sato displayed a holo then, and we gathered around, learning of the combot he had procured for Shirong to do battle with. Oh, what a magnificent machine it was, we all agreed, but to ser Sato it was something that was still much to be improved. Ya indeed, the combot he now possessed carried constituents now old, or so he would have us believe. Nay, better, more advanced components he would now manufacture and build, so that ser EZdoR¡¯s champion would be defeated for sure.


    Much alike our fabricator in the colony, his setup was. Busy on a job in progress, the machines whirred diligently in rhythmic motions in their efforts to produce the components ser Sato sought. Then we saw the small shipping containers that stood ready aside, some loaded already and others empty still, and when I walked over I noticed there were not combot components inside. Nay, there was stage material, and drums sized larger than a man.


    I questioned ser Sato, and ain¡¯t I the prying one, he spoke, and then he divulged that modifying a combot this late before the fight was something no longer allowed, nay, all modifications had to be evaluated and the time allowed for that had long passed, it had. But he knew a way ya, after all, he was like a thief in the night, he would sneak the parts in, but play our part, ya, that we had.


    He outlined his plan then and there, brought up a map of the place on the holo, ya by aero we would ship in the drums and the material for on stage, but on the way there, a cargo elevator there was, and we would stop it at the floor below ground level and then sneak onto it the crate with the parts. Easily spotted would be that our crates were in number reduced, so from the bowels of the arena below, a similar crate would be readied and moved up to replace the one that we lost. Ya, the elevator I would control and the nons would take care of the rest.


    I spoke ain¡¯t this a crime, and assure me he did that of consequence it was not, these acts being a regular thing on this world and when caught punishments mild, they tended to be. The Empire won¡¯t care, nay, that¡¯s what was spoken, now I¡¯m uncertain, tell me was it wrong what I did?


    If all you did was partake in the smuggling of some combot components when prohibited under the arena regulations, you would not be here.


    Ya, but then and there I failed to see where things would lead...


    Ignorance is no excuse.


    Ya, and in ignorance we agreed to abet in the plot, for invested in the outcome we were¡­ No longer a matter of two contestants it was, nay like in the wars of nations of old, then and there we believed that a force of civilization and dignity ser Sato represented, pitted against the barbarism and inhumanity of ser EZdoR and his ilk.


    Ha, reflecting on it now makes it all the more inane, as if a mere combot fight would alter the fate of the planet. We were held captive on top of our moral high ground, firm in believing our cause was a just one, and what of breaking a small inconsequential rule in the process, oh small rules made by mere mortals, so far beneath us those rules then would seem, for righteous and just, that¡¯s what we wanted to be¡­


    Valeriya, Guowei, and Casimir, their choices were made when they had stayed in that square, betraying the values we had come to hold dear, and now on our shoulders we carried the heavy burden of needing to correct that mistake, proving that justice was something that would prevail in the end, ya, that was what we had come to believe.


    And so, the next morning we boarded the transporter, the containers already onboard, and out of the dome, to the arena we went. Besides Yuriko, his nons, nowhere to be seen, nay, already ahead they had gone in the night.


    After arriving, I was led by Yuriko to the elevator I was to command, ser Sato and the others clumsily unloading the crates, stalling for time. When all was ready, down below the combot pits I first went, and ya, indeed, I heard the decoy container being loaded on top. Then up I went, to the floor below where the others were waiting, and again the doors above were pried open, and the switch happened quickly and cleanly. But rather than back down to the pits to deliver my charge, the elevator indicated it would first go up to answer a call.


    Up it went, and in came a shirtless man with a skin of a young adolescent boy, and three female nons also, shirtless likewise, and clad in long black stockings and longer coats of white fur. There I was, and unsurprisingly they began to behave indecently, all the while staring at me, like what is a non-less one like me to do?


    At ground level they left, and I looked out and saw ser Sato had already gone on, not waiting for me to return. So I went down to deliver my charge, and afterward, I returned to the transport and waited for events to unfold...

 Chapter VII - Yao Guowei

    On the morning of the contest, at hour four local time, I went to see ser Angelus in his suite at Hotel Paladai. When I entered, he was being tended to by his nons, who were tidying all the feathers of his wings, painting his leaf-like hair, as well as giving him a pedicure. He appeared very large, his wings spread out the way that they were.


    What was your purpose for this visit?


    I sought to ensure no further harm would come to my fellow colonists. I sat down on a sofa opposite ser Angelus and briefly outlined my position, asking him to stop sowing discord between our people, cease the encouragement of ser Stephanov¡¯s disruptive behavior, and begin treating ser Marakova with more respect.


    Did you expect a positive outcome?


    Yes, officer. At the time, I had assessed that ser Angelus was performing an act, and he would be more open to reason if spoken to in private, at hours he was not casting to his sats.


    Your assessment was proven wrong?


    Indeed, officer. Based on the answers ser Angelus gave me as well as the manner of his speech, I came to understand that his behavior was not merely an act, but was innate and ingrained in his character. He scoffed me, downplayed my arguments, and ridiculed them.


    He argued that the colony was a relic of old times, one where individual freedom was suppressed, where everyone was a soulless automaton generating profits for the corps that owned us. He asked what side I wanted to be on, on the side of the winners or remain a loser, as he put it. He said Providers endorsed and supported everything that humanity had built and done at 96 G. Piscium, and showed how much meat, again his words, passed through his establishments in the Licensed district every day.


    I did not agree with him on a personal level. However, I felt it was hard to ignore that he had made one good point: Everything was apparently in accordance with the law.


    How did that make you feel?


    Uneasy. It is my duty to uphold the law in my colony, and I subscribe to the values that that law entails because I believe it ensures harmony, order, and good quality of life for all. I believe it is morally wrong to exploit and harass people. Yet ser Angelus merely shrugged and laughed at my concerns.


    How did you react?


    At first, I tried to make rational counterpoints, but I realized quickly that I was getting nowhere. I bade my leave and resolved to protect the other colonists the best I could. We had under two days remaining on this world. But as I turned to leave, he suddenly revealed that ser Marakova would be fighting ser Qian later that afternoon. This shocked me, and I asked him why he hadn¡¯t told us sooner, but his answers were evasive. There was nothing more to be gained from the conversation, and I departed.


    What did you do next?


    I wanted to tell ser Marakova immediately, but she registered as still asleep. Ser Stephanov was not, however, and I had to see her and discuss the matters that had occurred the previous day. About a quarter of an hour later, I arrived at her room.


    I was relieved to find her sober that morning. She had a bit of a guilty expression on her face, and I partially expected her to apologize for harassing ser Marakova. I proceeded carefully, talking about casual things first. She said she enjoyed it on 96 G. Piscium so far, but she also understood that it was not a place for people like me. And then she said the words I had feared to hear. She felt the same way about our colony, that it was not a good place for people like her.


    Regardless of what happened the night before, you wanted ser Stephanov to remain in the colony?


    She was still one of us. I asked ser Stephanov to reconsider, at least discuss the matter with commander Woodward first, or see ser Sekhon before making any hasty decisions. She said she had already decided, and that she did not share my view that we were the same group of people. She said that for her, there was nothing of the camaraderie I spoke of.


    I wondered if being rejected by ser Marakova had any role in this, and she said it had. She told me about being rejected by ser Luo a few decacycles earlier, and how she believed she was shunned by the available women in the colony. She told me she felt dejected about how the women were more close to each other than with her. Only then it dawned to me that her new appearance somewhat resembled ser Luo. I asked her about it, and she grinned, so I took that as affirmation.


    She said she wanted to be close to someone, have someone to talk to, share intimacy with. She said how lonely she felt at our colony, even when surrounded by other people. She listed reasons such as not being taken seriously at her work and how she felt ser Max had been getting all the attention, while the other people at the lab ignored her.


    I inquired about her plans for the future, and she said she¡¯d briefly return to the colony to organize her belongings, and then she planned to transfer out. She reminded me of all the credit she¡¯d get soon, and how much better life would be here, or at any other world. And how she was going to explore all the possibilities of Provider technology. She said she was fascinated by how ser Marakova had received combot training in just a few short hours, and also the preloaded skills that ser Max possesses. She expressed a desire to enhance her own abilities by artificial means and told me how frustrated she was by her inadequacies, both mental and physical.


    I felt there was little I could do. I left and immediately sent a message home to notify the commander of the situation. Perhaps there was something she could still do about it.


    How did you spend the remainder of the morning?


    I had close to two hours remaining until our departure to the arena, so I went outside, with only my non accompanying me. I walked the streets, observing the diversity of people, contemplating all the things that had happened... and all the things that were said.


    What conclusion did you reach?


    I did not arrive at any conclusion. The thoughts were still milling in my head, when I heard the distant noise of a disturbance, which was about a kilometer north of Hotel Paladai, around the onset of hour six. I pushed my way through the dense crowd of people to see if I could be of any assistance and saw that there were two groups having a stand-off at an establishment.


    Please describe the two groups.


    One group was masked and dressed up in orange and black and some wearing plush hats with tentacles on them, others actually having skins with tentacles on them. The other group was more thuggish and disorganized. They just looked like random angry citizens, brandishing weapons.


    Did you participate in the event?


    Event? I failed to understand what was going on. Shortly after I arrived, a large holo appeared, and a countdown began. The plushies were dancing and cheering, chanting ¡®Megalith, Megalith!¡¯. When the countdown reached zero, the lights in the orange establishment behind them came on, and a catchy song started playing. The holos exploded into a million burgers and other fast food products, and a friendly female face announced ¡®Welcome to Megalith!¡¯, and then some slogans, which I have forgotten. An army of drones came flying out of the windows above and began to drop boxes with burgers into the street below. I got one too, a drone tried to drop one on top of me, and so did the non.


    Was it good?


    Not bad, not great. Bottomscale synthetic ingredients, but the vegetable sauce on these things made it taste good. Pretty similar to habfood. But some random people downrepped me when they saw me eating.


    Then the doors swung open and the support group rushed in, drones belching colored smoke, confetti, and strobe light. I could see the inside of the establishment now. People wildly scrambled over tables and pushed each other aside, trying to get to the main counter and put in their order. Several celebrities were present, reporting on the event. It was madness.


    I managed to get close to one of the reporting people and listened in on what she had to say. From what I could gather, there was a controversial Shincho infosphere community that had managed to obtain planning permission for a Megalith fast food restaurant to be operated from within the licensed district. For reasons I could not entirely understand, Megalith is infamous and loathed by the vast majority of people. People were quite literally up in arms about it, demanding its removal.


    What happened next?


    The situation escalated. One prominent man in the opposing group made a statement, saying that Megalith was an affront to their culture and way of life and had no place on this world. Roughly ten minutes after the establishment had opened, the group attacked. I sent a memo to localsec, but they simply replied that they were already monitoring the situation. I could make out that they were not planning to become involved.


    The people inside fought back, placing some people with polearms at the entrance, but eventually, the assailants broke through. Tables were flipped and the fighting continued inside. I could see one of the staff girls inside, standing on the counter, cheering and throwing food at the attackers.


    Within minutes it was over. The attackers had disposed all of the defenders and taken the unarmed staff captive. They dragged them outside, strung them up by their feet, and then cut their throats one by one. The victims were cheerful throughout. I presume they must have been contractors. People were waving their bloodied weapons and posing over disposed skins, some even taking trophies. Only when they tried to set what was left of the place on fire did localsec step in and order people to leave. Flow was not far behind for the cleanup.


    How did you feel, witnessing this?


    I truly couldn¡¯t believe it. We were in the middle of the licensed district, surrounded by the worst possible filth, and of all things, people were celebrating the vandalization of a fast-food restaurant¡­


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    I presume you returned to the hotel afterward?


    That is correct, officer. I was back half an hour before our scheduled departure to the arena, so my non and I went to have breakfast together, as the burger had started my appetite but failed to satiate me. Then we gathered up in the lobby. On the way to the aero I briefly spoke with ser Marakova. She thanked me for helping her out the night before. I informed her that she was up against ser Qian. She replied that she already knew, and it didn¡¯t bother her, as it was all in good fun.


    I remember I felt useless. Everyone just appeared to be going their own way and there was little holding us together.


    We departed for the arena. On the way there, I noticed how the other members of our group had resurfaced on the infosphere again, so I pinged ser Qi a memo asking to meet up before the match started. She acknowledged a few minutes later. We arrived at our scheduled time and I excused myself towards ser Angelus. It appeared he did not care, as I was no attraction for his sats, and he waved me away.


    I went down to the combot maintenance pits, where ser Qi was waiting for me to let me through the checkpoint. Ser Sato was there, along with his nons. Their combot was already gone, being prepared for insertion into the arena. I bowed politely, and they bowed back but said nothing.


    The other two colonists were there too, sers Ronningen and Qian. They gave me a harsh look. It felt as if they regarded me as their enemy. Ser Ronningen asked accusingly whether I had liked it with ser Angelus and said she was curious to know how many nons he had mutilated and disposed so far.


    I ignored the stab and asked ser Qian whether he was aware that he was up against ser Marakova. He answered that he was not fighting ser Marakova, he was fighting sers Angelus and Paladai, and everything they stood for. Ser Sato nodded approvingly in the background. I instantly took a dislike to the fellow.


    You disliked ser Sato? Did you have any reason in particular, or was it just a feeling?


    It was mostly intuition, officer. Perhaps you know this feeling, when you see a person and you immediately know something is wrong, that something about them makes them draw attention and arouses your suspicion. When you know they are guilty of something, and they are doing their best to hide it. They try too hard or get nervous. They stand out.


    I had that feeling with ser Sato. I knew something was very wrong, but I couldn¡¯t put my finger on it. And I had no authority to inspect him.


    Did you report him?


    No, officer. There was too little to go by.


    A nearly unforgivable lapse.


    Yes, officer.


    Please describe the events that followed.


    The game was about the start and ser Sato, his nons and ser Qian went to the stage. I went with sers Ronningen and Qi and took the elevator to a private spectator booth. Ser Ronningen taunted me and asked if I was ready to see my team get stomped into the ground, and I replied that I wasn¡¯t on ser Angelus¡¯ team. She looked skeptical at me.


    I used my aura to keep a watch on the others through ser Angelus¡¯ cast. As always, he was putting up a show and both ser Stephanov and ser Marakova appeared happy to participate. Ser Sato was casting also. He attracted respectable numbers of sats, but he remained humble and asked the sats not to expect too much. His crew of nons put up a great entry show. Ser Sato himself played a lute, his nons played large drums and one of the females was blowing a horn. It was very powerful and spectacular, much more impressive than what ser Angelus¡¯ nons had done.


    After a quarter of an hour had passed, the combots finally emerged: Oni-ni-kanabo in red for ser Qian and Brumir, an axe-wielding combot with plain steel colors for ser Marakova. From within our booth, we could get a direct feed from ser Qian. We wished him luck, and the fight began. Both combots moved slowly because their operators were inexperienced, or so it seemed.


    But both were feigning their incompetence. Suddenly, Brumir unexpectedly rushed forward, performing a spinning jump with the two axes the combot was equipped with. Oni-ni-kanabo sprang out of the way and performed an impressive backflip and quickly lashed his long mace around, managing to hit the metal combot in the knee.


    The charade over, both combots started circling each other cautiously and then another exchange of blows happened. Though it was close, I felt ser Qian was the better fighter. He dodged better and his strikes were more precise, so after a few rounds of blows his combot had only suffered a few scratches, while Brumir had taken a few solid hits to the limbs. Ser Qian was playing it slowly, trying to disable his opponent rather than risking everything on a single strike.


    Did you enjoy watching the fight?


    I don¡¯t think I did, officer. I just wanted it to be over and the colonists to be safe back home, and I was keeping attention in case anything went wrong. Sers Qi and Ronningen were far more engaged, cheering on every time ser Qian landed a blow and wincing every time he took one.


    Did something go wrong?


    Yes, officer, but nothing I could do anything about. In the middle of a jumping lunge, ser Qian appeared to lose control, and the combot fell flat on its face, without being hit by Brumir. ¡®Undervolt on the main gridline,¡¯ I heard ser Qian exclaim. We could see him struggle frantically to get his combot in working order, and we could see him trying to restart the systems and reroute power.


    While he did manage to get Oni-ni-kanabo to roll out of the way of Brumir¡¯s strike, it was too late. The moment he tried to get back up to his knees, Brumir was onto him, striking him in the neck and then kicking him in the head. The combot tumbled back down to the ground and Brumir kicked it a few times more. It was clear that the fight was over, and ser Qian yielded shortly afterward.


    What was the reaction of your fellow colonists?


    Ser Ronningen couldn¡¯t believe it and was very frustrated. Ser Qi was over it faster, and consoled her.


    Ser Sato had already packed the drums and appeared to be in a hurry to leave, while ser Angelus was performing a victory tirade with sers Marakova and Stephanov.


    Ser Qi asked whether I wanted to come with them, and I accepted, as I thought I would better keep an eye on them and on ser Sato. I was planning to convince them to leave and go to a public hotel for our last night. We climbed into their small aero. I saw ser Qian, he looked exhausted, and ser Qi, being a doctor, tried to look after him.


    But to our surprise, ser Sato¡¯s aeros flew to the licensed district. We saw he had plastered a big announcement on the infosphere, stating that the combot battle was meaningless, and the real battle was going to occur that night.


    The location was on a rooftop of one of the buildings ser Angelus controlled. As soon as we were dropped off, his nons jumped out and assailed the staff, slaying everyone on our floor by surprise.


    Ser Sato was attacking the Licensed District? What did you think of that?


    I immediately reported it, of course, but I got a reply that there had been a formal challenge, there had been sufficient registered supporters, and everything was in accordance with local law. Localsec advised us to evacuate.


    Sato¡¯s nons unloaded the cargo crates onto the roof and unpacked their drums. Then ser Sato emerged in a powered suit of armor. More aeros appeared and began dropping people onto the rooftop. These were the kind of people with the masks and tentacle hats that I had seen earlier, at the Megalith restaurant. I asked who they were and what was going on, and found out that this was an infosphere community that ser Sato was an honored member of.


    I learned that they were in conflict with a lot of the current generation of topscalers, the influential celebrities in particular, over the fact that they believed that unlike the real Shincho, these celebrities did not contribute anything of value to society, but were predatory and keeping people intellectually repressed with their bottomscale entertainment.


    I asked what the deal was with the Megalith restaurant. They answered that Megalith is not a restaurant, it is a self-replicating meme of sorts that maximizes the consumption of their burgers at the expense of all else. Left unchecked, it would have taken over the whole district, much like a virus. Their group had helped it acquire planning permission for one venue. They just did it for fun and to make the topscalers that owned the licensed district panic.


    Did you participate in the conflict?


    No, officer. I searched for a way to escape the rooftop, but ser Qian looked like he was in a bad state and the building was in lockdown, so all the elevators had stopped. With ser Qian the way he was, we could not take the stairs. The only way off was to commandeer one of the aeros, which had begun ferrying more masked people and weaponry onto the roof. I did not get the opportunity, as eventually the aeros disappeared and stayed gone.


    The drums rang and one group went off to clear out the upper floors of the building. Ser Sato asked ser Ronningen if she wanted to fight alongside him when the time came. I was glad she declined.


    Half of an hour after we had landed, I saw a large number of aeros coming in at a terrace on the lower levels. It was unmistakably ser Angelus and his crew, as I recognized their aeros, especially Blancandrin¡¯s golden one. Initially, nothing happened, and ser Sato¡¯s group was unopposed when slaying whomever they could find. They took captives, which were brought to the rooftop and then pushed over the edge by the cheering mob.


    An hour later, I overheard them saying that there was fighting on the levels below. Ser Angelus¡¯ forces were coming up, and the final battle would begin shortly. Not long after that, the doors to the roof terrace were smashed open. To my surprise, two figures in a powersuit stormed through. It was Blancandrin and someone that ID¡¯ed as ser Stephanov on my aura.


    Ser Stephanov was able to use a powersuit?


    It would seem he had transferred to yet another skin, officer. And somehow got himself trained. The two of them easily cut down a few dozen of Sato¡¯s people that were standing close to the door. Behind them, horrifying figures followed. Large monsters, half man, half wolf, one covered in bloodied hides that looked like they had been flayed off living people only recently, the others carrying scalps and other trophies. More fighters began to emerge, and it was clear that ser Sato was both outnumbered and outclassed.


    There was a standoff, until finally, ser Angelus appeared. He shouted: ¡°Hello, my old friend, I have brought someone that wants to see you die again!¡±


    With that, a large litter was carried onto the rooftop, and on it, a dreadful creature. Four arms stood out, but it had a horrifying face that was the thing of nightmares: menacing eyes, rows of sharp teeth and a long, forked tongue. The Ishari, it IDed as.


    ¡°Begin!¡± it hissed. A split second later, the pack of wolf monsters had speared some unlucky fellows with some kind of barbed darts with chains on them, and pulled them away from us and into their group. Their victims screamed as the wolves carved the flesh off their bodies with lightning speed. Most of them didn¡¯t scream for long. I figured that more than a few of them used their termination implant, but others were overcome with shock.


    Ser Qi said that it might be necessary to self-dispose too, in case the belligerents would not see us as neutral non-participants. The wolves pounced into the mob, followed by Blancandrin and ser Stephanov. It wasn¡¯t much of a fight, it was a massacre. After about a third of his followers were slain, Ser Sato leapt into the midst of battle, cutting down one of the wolves and injuring another, but he was soon surrounded.


    I heard ser Stephanov shout: ¡°Stop, he¡¯s mine.¡± His voice amplified so all could hear. ¡°I challenge him!¡±


    The combatants on both sides parted and stopped fighting, making way and forming a circle around sers Sato and Stephanov.


    They clashed, and four swords rang. It was an impressive sight, both moving faster than I could see, slashing and kicking and lunging and parrying. The fight resolved very quickly, under ten seconds. To my surprise, ser Stephanov stood victorious over a disabled ser Sato, who had both of his arms severed and a large gash visible across his torso.


    ¡°People like you are just perpetual losers,¡± ser Stephanov taunted him, raising one of his swords for the killing blow.


    ¡°Victory or defeat are without consequence,¡± ser Sato answered. Behind him, one of the crates popped open. Everyone looked at it in hushed silence. Even ser Angelus was quiet, for once.


    ¡°A combot fuel cell!¡±, I heard ser Qi exclaim, and it dawned on me. ¡°He stole one of Shirong¡¯s fuel cells and weaponized it!¡±


    An instant later, everything turned white.

 Chapter VIII - Sato & Epilogue

    You stand accused of First and Second Policy violation. Are you aware of the severity of your crime?


    Respected enforcer, I admit my guilt and will accept whatever punishment you deem necessary.


    For how long have you been plotting your actions? We have found traces of a secondary metapersonality hidden amongst your training data.


    I will tell you everything. Please, allow me to start from the beginning.


    Very well.


    I began my planning forty years ago. Contrary to what you believe, I did not store my plans by technological means. I tried that initially, with concealed dogtags, but that would have been too risky. You would likely have spotted such a thing long ago, if I was using my training mindprobes to swap out personalities in secret. Such things always leave traces, traces I am sure Elicitation is on the lookout for.


    You are correct. We have failed to detect any significant abnormalities, nor did we have any indication that you were planning a serious Policy violation. We are very interested in the method that you used to evade our detection.


    Of course. I was using a very primitive method to develop my plot.


    What was it?


    Paper, respected enforcer. I encrypted instructions for myself amongst my scrolls of poetry, kept in my library.


    But the moment you would read those instructions, they were known to you, and Elicitation would reveal them.


    Indeed, respected enforcer. So once read, I had a few days to act on them and advance the next stage of the plan. I had a system, which ensured that there were long intervals between the times I would read the scrolls that contained my plans. And when I did, I arranged for an unsouled disposal, so the data would be lost. Thus, it would not appear in Elicitation.


    Ingenious. And since you arranged witnesses during your unsouled disposal, and you were witnessed by your nons at all times, we regarded most of your data recoverable, not suspecting you of any First Policy violation.


    Indeed. This is the reason why I arranged for my nons to have a soul. So they would go through Elicitation normally. You thought you knew everything about me, even if I suffered unsouled disposal.


    Most would have thought that you did that because you cared about your nons.


    The Empire¡¯s disposables are merely a well-crafted illusion. They ultimately exist to serve their master, and I did not fool myself into thinking that master was me. I see the irony of turning the Empire¡¯s tools against itself.


    How did you obtain the knowledge to weaponize a combot fuel cell? This was not part of any of your data, insofar we found.


    I extracted this knowledge from ser Qian Shirong, while he was training in my dojo. You should add the Third Policy violation to the list of transgressions and revoke my license, respected enforcer.


    I will. Now that we established how you carried out your scheme, we are left with the reason why. What was your motivation?


    Respected Enforcer, I am ashamed to say my views on certain matters run contrary to those that currently control much of our world and populace. But I understand full well that my views are of no consequence. Now all that is left for me is to submit to my due punishment.


    Epilogue


    Ervin Sekhon drummed his hand on the smooth white surface of his desk, as he checked the time. It was unlike Sigrid to be late for an appointment. The day before, the remaining three colonists that had still been detained by Compliance had appeared at the base, much to everyone¡¯s relief. It didn¡¯t take long after arrival before all of them had scheduled an appointment with him, the colony¡¯s psychologist. Sigrid was the first.


    He looked around his small office, a repurposed small shelter with three comfortable seats, a desk, and a large barrel he had cut in two and repurposed as plant pots. The little cacti they contained and a transparent pot of dark yellow liquid were on his desk were the only element of color in an otherwise sterile room. Most of the colonists had left their shelters and received larger accommodations by now, and it wouldn¡¯t be long before his office was going to be moved to the village that was being built into the northern cliff face of the crater that housed the rapidly growing colony.


    A rattle sounded on the door. Ervin sprang up and opened it, welcoming Sigrid inside and inviting her to sit. He poured her a cup of tea before sitting down himself. Looking over at Sigrid, he tried to assess her mood, but she revealed little.


    ¡°We¡¯re glad to have you back,¡± he spoke softly, then went silent, worried that he might ask the wrong question. While he was mightily curious to find out what Compliance had done to her during the week she had been absent, he was mindful of his duty to put the interests of his patients first.


    Sigrid remained silent and looked around uncomfortably, seemingly ashamed. She bit her lip, and Ervin leaned forward. ¡°Sigrid,¡± he began. ¡°It¡¯s okay. You¡¯re back now. I already discussed this with Elisa and Otto, and we will make sure no one is going to judge you for being arrested.¡±


    Sigrid looked down. ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± she said.


    ¡°Tell me what is bothering you so much,¡± Ervin asked.


    ¡°Oh, everything I thought was right was wrong.¡±


    ¡°Could you give me a specific example?¡±


    ¡°About the Empire. About the disposables. Well...¡±


    Ervin waited, giving Sigrid the opportunity to elaborate.


    ¡°You know how I felt about them? Max, and the disposables that work in the cloning facility and transference station. Ya, the brainwashed re-assembled parts of us, fabricated to toil on the Empire¡¯s many worlds? Oh, woe what we saw on 96 G. Piscium, so iniquitous it was! For sexual exploitation they are kept, and slain brutally for entertainment likewise!¡±


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    ¡°I see¡­ You are distressed by what you saw there?¡±


    ¡°I was¡­ but now I am not. I was wrong¡­¡±


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡±, Ervin asked, raising his eyebrows as he rolled his thumb through his beard.


    ¡°Compliance¡­ They had me conditioned, ya, and reduced to a disposable I was.¡±


    Ervin¡¯s face expressed shock, knowing full well from Elisa how total conditioning is, and all the issues it can cause.


    ¡°Do you¡­¡±, Ervin began, thinking about how to phrase the question. ¡°Do you now have multiple personalities under your metapersonality?¡± He knew what had happened to Elisa, her time on Maxproxemix leaving her with a second personality that was too divergent to be reintegrated fully with her original personality.


    ¡°Nay,¡± Sigrid answered. ¡°It has been fully reversed since. But all experiences, they were integrated, as part of the edification process.¡±


    Ervin felt worried. Edification, he had learned, was a feared word associated with Compliance, which had total power when it came to enforcing the Policies, including the ability to alter the minds of offenders.


    ¡°You were a brainwashed disposable during the week you were absent?¡±


    ¡°Ya,¡± Sigrid nodded. ¡°On 96 G. Piscium¡­ Things you wouldn¡¯t believe were done...¡±


    ¡°You were abused? Disposed?¡±


    ¡°Things you wouldn¡¯t believe,¡± Sigrid repeated.


    Ervin was silent, not wanting to think of the things Sigrid could have gone through.


    ¡°I was happy¡­¡±, Sigrid said, much to Ervin¡¯s surprise. ¡°Oh, no matter what people did to me, or what I had to do, I was content¡­ Even at times when my body suffered, my mind was calm. Focused. Pain meant nothing, nay, for it did not truly register. All I wanted was to serve the best I could. Every day when I knelt to praise the Providers, it felt alike their light shining upon me. No greater joy there was.¡±


    Sigrid lowered her eyes and stared at the table. ¡°I felt grateful for having the opportunity to serve and was single-minded in my duty. I was disposed several times too, and yet it did not bother me, because I knew of the glory it brought to the Providers.¡±


    Ervin thought about his previous therapy sessions with Max, and how he had said similar things. Initially, he had dismissed the statements as conditioned responses, or because Max simply didn¡¯t know any better, having never experienced a normal life.


    ¡°Throughout this all, were you aware of your normal personality, or that you were undergoing edification?¡±, he asked.


    ¡°Nay, I was just a disposable, like any other. And in appearance, likewise. Nay, I could not remember anything, not even the day that had passed before. I was reconditioned during the daily recuperation or after reinstatement. Relevant information pertaining to people that were important to our duties was instreamed only when needed, never even a part of any of my personal memories. They could have kept me as a disposable indefinitely, and I would be none the wiser or have reason to object.¡±


    ¡°And now that you are back, how do you feel about the things that happened?¡±


    ¡°In all honesty, I don¡¯t know what to think. The things I experienced¡­ More time is needed to give it a place. I feel my worldview has been shaken, broken even ya¡­ The disposables, the things I thought about the Empire. All very different, it turned out to be.¡±


    Sigrid paused and took the time to sip her tea, reflecting on her experiences and thinking about what to say. ¡°What if they actually have better lives than us?¡±


    ¡°You mean the disposables?¡±, Ervin asked.


    ¡°When I was one, I felt appreciated. Everything made sense. There was my duty, and a clear place for me. I felt confident and equipped to handle all the situations I encountered, no feeling of inadequacy I experienced. There was the conviction, nay, the certainty that everything resolved just the way it was meant to be. I was a part of a greater whole, part of a vast system I can barely comprehend now. No short of perfection, that was how it felt.¡±


    ¡°What if it was just your conditioning that made you believe that?¡±, Ervin asked. ¡°Disposables often just perform mundane tasks.¡±


    ¡°True it is¡­¡±, Sigrid said. ¡°It must be, for the Empire to operate the way it does, likewise for the Providers to govern the way they do. I understand so much more now, although it is difficult to express in words. Some things remain incomprehensible until one has truly served the Empire.¡±


    Ervin glanced at Sigrid¡¯s eyes. They stood sincere, fanatical even, and Ervin saw she believed every word she said. He thought, adjusted his glasses, and leaned back. ¡°How do you think this knowledge will affect you personally, going forward?¡±, he asked.


    ¡°The most profound insight I gained was how one''s own perspective makes all the difference,¡± Sigrid said. ¡°No matter how terrible the things I endured, it never affected me on a personal level. The outside world would not touch my inside world. There was simple peace and happiness.¡±


    ¡°And you feel you are not traumatized by these terrible experiences? Not even now that your conditioning is gone?¡±


    ¡°Ya, that is correct. I know it would sound strange that I am not traumatized, nay not at all. I can think back on it all and smile and remember the pleasant calm of my inner world, and still feel proud of the service I performed for the Empire.¡±


    ¡°If that is the case,¡± Ervin asked while Sigrid drank some more of her tea, ¡°then what can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am not sure. I felt there was a need to talk to someone in confidence. I don¡¯t think it is a good idea to say these things publicly, nay, knowing how others still feel about being well¡­ subjugated by the Empire and being forced to comply with the Data Sharing Policy, which we know is what is generating disposables...¡± She shifted back and forth uneasily in her chair, her face frowning in frustration as she thought. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I feel lost. My old worldview is gone, and my simple, happy conditioned life likewise, gone as well. I must find a way to deal with this...¡±


    "I see," Ervin said. "Well, I can certainly understand your feelings on the matter. It is a lot to take in, and it is not easy to deal with. I have been doing my best to help the people of the colony cope with this new reality. Even after what Max did, I''m not sure if I fully understand it myself. But we are all learning, and I will do my best to help you."


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Sigrid said with a smile. ¡°Just two ordinary humans trying to find happiness in a universe controlled by vastly more powerful forces, ya. And all that is holding us back is well, us being silly.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one way of looking at things,¡± Ervin answered. ¡°You think you can get it back? I mean, the peaceful state of mind you described earlier? The one not affected by the events of the outside world?¡±


    ¡°I do not know,¡± Sigrid sighed. ¡°I need time. To find a new purpose and develop new views.¡±


    ¡°There are many human worlds out there that we haven¡¯t seen yet,¡± Ervin ventured. ¡°Most are well-adapted to the Empire. We¡¯ve been in the Empire for less than a year. You should try a few other worlds, see what they are like and how they cope with life under the Empire. 36 Ophiuchi is doing well, although it probably is not well-suited for you. I am going to Proxima in a few weeks. It is supposed to be the best human world, in many categories.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you are?¡± Sigrid asked. ¡°I thought you were unfond of the memories you had of that place.¡±


    ¡°True. But I don¡¯t want to be held back by being silly,¡± Ervin said, smiling.