By David C. Daoust
The Planet, Delphine.
The highest structure built throughout the surrounding base-city of the domes, was known as the ‘Central Cathedral’. It represented the Arks ‘house’. The Arkroy were all welcome to visit. To view past records and histories, with the Ark’s themselves there to explain what they were looking at; to help fill in the gaps. Mostly, it was intended for a bit more ‘prestigious research’, though more often than not, people would simply ask the ancient AI’s advice. It was perpetually crowded.
Hamlin walked calmly through the ever crowded lower tiers of the Central Cathedral. His hands were clasped before him as he brushed passed the seemingly endless line of people, all wishing to make requests of the supercomputer known as Otis. Many of the people standing in line, Aspirant and Arkroy alike, grumbled in Hamlin’s wake as he refused to play along.
It was not until he came within range of the guard’s booth, that anyone tried to impede him though. Hamlin simply ignored them as they began to shout for him to halt.The first guard approached, Hamlin did not so much as glance in his direction, never even unclasping his hands, he simply side stepped the man. His body twisted away from the man’s reaching hands. Made the man stumble a bit, looking foolish for a moment, but other than that, no harm done. An Aspirant was much more nimble than a human, and Hamlin was especially aware of his own agility.
Apparently the guards hollering for him to halt, hit some sort of an alarm; more guards appeared on the lower tiers. Many looked questioningly at each other, unsure what the problem was. Hamlin did not appear to be a real threat. Once the first guard redoubled his attempts to stop him though, the other guards caught on as to why they’d been called from their posts elsewhere. The group of guards bunched up at the entryway, to block off the area, which all the other people were waiting so patiently to enter.
Hamlin once again side stepped the first guard, crossed through the line, and calmly put one foot on the rail that protected those on the tier from the seemingly endless abyss that stretched beneath them. The cathedral was vast. Not only did it stretch into an arching dome of a ceiling, but the same structure was mirrored below. Like a giant hollow egg, in which tier after tier of platforms, jutted into its vast openness. He calmly walked across the rail, stepping over the sluggish human’s reaching hands, at one point, with a sudden jarring skip- he flipped further out of reach as the guards got trapped behind the heavy crowds that bunched up thanks to his antics. All still with his hands clasped calmly before him- as nonthreatening as he could be- less they draw their weaponry and start taking shots at him.
This lower tier was for the low-born Arkroy Nobles, and for the Aspirants that did not belong to a major house, while the Higher tiers were reserved for the Higher-born. Only the very highest of Royals, received an implant, though even they, would have to access the Cathedral to initiate a conversation with an AI, post Ark Age. As an Aspirant of the fallen house of Zhou, Hamlin no longer fell under any of these categories. So, even if he tried to play along, he would not gain the access he sought.
The rail was coming to an end, and the bunched up group of guards at the entryway, were looking rather smug about him having to face them. The entryway itself was a series of booths made, not only for them to sit at, though also with an excessive amount of detectors and gates. All for the visiting nobles to pass through, before they were allowed within range of the AI’s proper.
Rather than stepping down from the rail, to face the smug guards, Hamlin suddenly leapt to the very top of the array of booths and detecting devices. Calmly walked across, and then dropped back down behind the group of guards. All of whom were suddenly stuck behind ‘malfunctioning’ gates.
Hamlin sped up a bit as he widened the gap between them, finally unclasped his hands, he pulled his cloak around him in a flourish as he glanced back at the befuddled guards. Hamlin turned back just as he reached the very end of the tier, a small round platform appeared from below, without breaking his stride, he stepped onto it. The disk whisked him away before the guards managed to make it past their own guard booth.
The malfunctioning booth was a good sign, though the hovering disk that whisked him away- was a clear invite from Otis himself. Which also told Hamlin he’d be safe from further impediments, at least until he conferred with Otis.
Hamlin passed several other such disks, with other people seeking advice from the Great Arks, of course they’d all been granted admittance the right way. Hamlin was rushed to the very top of the great ceilinged Cathedral, as far from any prying eyes or ears as would allow. The disk slowly ebbed to a stop, and the slid up into an alcove for complete privacy.
“Thank you for your assistance.” Hamlin thanked as the walls around him suddenly flickered with light, effectively ‘coming to life’; He knew Otis could now hear him.
“Hamlin.” Otis greeted in his warm male tone of voice, “I am proud of you.”
“Thank you.” Hamlin answered evenly, hands once again clasped before him. It was actually a common greeting from Ark to Aspirant, and had nothing to do with his previous actions of reaching him.
“You are always welcome to speak with me, the Tiers are more a filtering mechanism,” Otis explained readily, then asked: “What may I help you with?”
“Word has reached me of a loss to my family: ‘Honey Zhou’,” Hamlin informed. “I wish to know more…”
“She is under Noreen’s domain.” Otis informed, as expected by Hamlin. Delphine fell under Otis’s domain, so he tended to run the Cathedral.
“I wish to speak with her.” Hamlin requested.
“As you wish.”
“Hamlin,” Noreen’s female voice suddenly replaced the other, “I am proud of you.”
“Thank you.” Hamlin answered the greeting again.
“What do you seek?” Noreen asked.
“A family member has died.” Hamlin then reiterated, “I wish to know more.”
“Honey?” Noreen answered with a bit of mirth in her voice, the surrounding walls suddenly flickered and a hologram surrounded them, “That one has not died.”
The image around him was that of the insides of a Lawbringer class gunship. The corridors stretched from end to end with only a series of terminals and closed doorways breaking up the long hallway. A woman with a wide transparent gas mask over her face suddenly stepped from the closest door; a woman Hamlin almost mistook for Beverly Zhou. The pain in his chest that appeared in that half second of thinking he was looking at his long lost Beverly, was not quite enough to spoil the relief of finding Honey alive and breathing- though it was certainly a painful half-second.
Of course, when the girl suddenly turned in their direction, raised her twin guns and fired a series shots, seemingly directly at him, Hamlin’s relief changed to a bit of surprise- and caused Noreen to suddenly correct herself, “That one has not died– yet.”
Hamlin spun around to find a small group of Royal Alliance Constables, each armed with much heavier fire power… Honey was outgunned; her shots were more about buying her time to find an escape than putting anyone down. Hamlin witnessed her slip though another corridor as the Constables took cover.
“I was told her ship ‘the Black Bruise’ was gunned down.” Hamlin stated.
“Indeed it was gunned down,” Noreen answered, “It has crashed into a nearby moon. Honey, though, had managed to invade the attacking ship before that. She, and a small group of her men, are currently in the middle of a gambit, to take the Lawbringer itself.”
The image stayed with Honey as she moved through the next corridors. From room to room, many of the occupants, at least those without a helmet on, were lying passed out on the floor; a recurring image throughout the ship. Sealing the door behind her, she sought her next escape.
“This is the same Lawbringer that gunned down the Black Bruise?” Hamlin Asked.
“Indeed,” Noreen confirmed.
“Then Alfred… He is here too?” Hamlin posed, though the image suddenly flickered and changed before he even finished the question. The image switched to what Hamlin could only describe as the ships armory. Several men, all with helmets on, were collecting rifles from the gun rack on the wall.
“The big one” Noreen said, and Hamlin’s gaze stopped at the over fit, over muscled, Alfred Zhou, or ‘Joe Axel’ as he was now calling himself. Hamlin knew Alfred took refuge on Titanholm, so was not surprised to find him much more bulky than before. Alfred was the one pulling the rifles off the wall, handing them down the line. He was bellowing out orders; where each group should head, ordered them to keep their helmets on- ‘The pirates had gassed the entire ship’ he said.
“The rest of these Constables are from New Donaghy,” Noreen explained away the differences in the Constable’s physique.
There were two City-stations in Iopa’s vast system: Titanholm, with its increased gravity from residing within the atmosphere itself, placed there to allow the mining of rare unique gases, mostly coolants. And New Donaghy, which was a fairly standard City-station on the systems farthest edge.
“I believe it was Alfred’s commanding officer that put him on this intersecting path with his sister, though to what end…?” Noreen said. “I have no idea.”
Hamlin absorbed the excess information, curiously, as he watched the men move out. Because Alfred was the one handing out rifles, he was also the last one to file out the door. Or rather, the last one to try and file out the door. As he approached, gun in hand, the door suddenly clamped shut. The man was surprised, in fact, Hamlin was surprised as well. Joe pounded on the door, and yelled to be let out.
“I can hold him,” Noreen said simply, “If you wish.”
Hamlin’s head tilted as he considered. It was an extremely out-of-character offer for any AI, especially post Ark Age. Way back when, it might have been common for the AI’s to interfere, to delay until people calmed down, or the Constables could arrive to arrest, or otherwise halt, bad behavior… Nowadays the Arks were all about freewill; letting people live with their own choices, ‘letting the chips fall where they may’, sort of speak.
“It will, at the very least, give Honey the chance to seal her fate, without interference from her brother…” Noreen continued her offer.
Hamlin understood that this would either delay the conflict between the two siblings, if Honey should take the ship, or possibly remove the blood from Alfred’s hands, should she fall.
“The Zhou family had served me well,” Noreen explained. “I have no wish to see them end in such a manner- at their own hands.”
Still, Hamlin skeptically considered.
“Even so,” Noreen suddenly tacked on, “I’m afraid I’ll need a favor in return.”
Everything suddenly made a bit more sense, and the prospect of an even trade sparked Hamlin’s interest.
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