Episode 70 - If
19 Jun 2024Xochitl Khae
If
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Zaria leaned back in her seat with her legs crossed, studying the hologram hovering above the conference table. The conference room on Tzafrir's carrier was dimly lit, the only sources of light being the hologram and the soft glow from the control panels lining the walls.
“He beaches and sells off Scyles to a pirate group, then he makes Aby walk the orbital plank, and now the incident with Jabir. I think your pirate may be getting ready to bolt,” Zaria said, her voice tinged with concern.
The corner of Tzafrir’s mouth lifted into a half-smile as he leaned forward, adjusting the hologram to show different angles of the events they were discussing. “I see it as culling the herd. I’m surprised it took him this long.”
Zaria sighed, her eyes scanning the detailed holographic images. “Out of all the billions of pirates, raiders, drifters, privateers, bandits, and everything in between, why this particular character?”
Tzafrir sat back, steepling his fingers thoughtfully. “All those years ago, when I trained you to become a hunter, what is the one thing that I told you?”
“Out of thousands that I can’t remember a quarter of?” Zaria responded with a slight chuckle.
“Fair enough,” Tzafrir said, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “But didn’t I say at one point not to force a situation, that the law of averages would either show you what you need or give you a sign that you shouldn’t be there? When I heard his backstory, it was exactly that. Here was one more like those who initially reclaimed the outer Pegasi after the war, than the trash that ended up infesting it later.”
Zaria looked thoughtful, her fingers drumming lightly on the table. “So, you cart him across the galaxy, then, after a time of acclimating, building a small list of associates, friends, and enemies. Then you give him a few trainees, all in the name of teaching them to be what he is, so they can protect your future interests. Then, on a whim, you cart him back, while having me show him how to explore in the process, to make far larger profits than what he could doing what he is doing now, then deposit him to do what he did before?”
“If you want a reaction, you have to mix things together,” Tzafrir replied, his eyes never leaving the hologram.
“There are cheaper and easier ways of doing a chemistry experiment,” Zaria noted, her gaze shifting to the hologram's shifting images of Ryuko's actions.
“Yes, but an AI sentient Xihe biomorphical human female? The statistical probabilities of that happening, anywhere in this galaxy, are far beyond what the law of averages can deal with. That she is evolving past mimicry, and the two have actual feelings and devotion to one another… riddle me that!” Tzafrir's voice was a mix of curiosity and admiration.
Zaria leaned forward, elbows on the table. “She is not the first of her kind, but if her creation were to get out to those in the bubble, the three major powers would do everything to erase her and the one that created her.”
Tzafrir nodded, adjusting the hologram to show a close-up of Tara and Ryuko. “Yes, but now she is protected, and who is to know besides us? As far as any of them are concerned, she has been re-created, also by us, into something other than what she is.”
“Fair enough, but that puts us firmly in their sights as well. Why risk exposing all of this by having Aby subvert the ship’s human doctor?” Zaria questioned, her eyes narrowing slightly.
“To move an object by its own will, you have to create a set of realities, either fact or fiction, that incline them into taking a set of selected options. His were limited by the fact of her existence and our noses firmly in their business. Their growing emotional attachment forced him into responding, in choosing to distance himself, and her, from us. Our efforts, by providing the courts with his satisfactory completion on our and their agreement, freeing him from his debt, along with having her re-classed, provided them with the freedom he needed to evolve into his new role,” Tzafrir explained, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table.
“But how did you know this would be the course he would take?” Zaria asked, tilting her head in curiosity.
“Simple statistical deduction. He could stay small and mobile, but as a young survivor of the Pegasi wars, and later a pirate of a class we have already discussed, he would be thinking of the worst-case scenario. His best option, though not what he aspired to, was to make for them a base where she would be protected, and that could offer them a way to escape,” Tzafrir replied with a shrug.
“That would make sense if they stayed there, but they are away from it more than at it,” Zaria pointed out, leaning back again.
“Yes, but never more than a few jumps away, and his carrier can move to him if he becomes trapped in a system. It fulfills both of their desires and works out well for us. Not only does this allow for a full spectrum training for our volunteers who remain with him, but it has placed him in a unique position to start something far larger than himself,” Tzafrir said, a hint of excitement in his voice.
“I see the potential for him starting an operation similar to your own,” Zaria mused, her eyes distant as she considered the possibilities.
“Yes, if he takes it, and there is that word again, if,” Tzafrir agreed, his smile widening.
***
Beau McDonald, owner, bartender, and fence, was never one to let potential profit walk away without first examining it. Upon hearing that I had gotten myself hurt during a settlement raid and couldn’t make it out to see him, Beau decided to take a day and fly out for a visit instead.
Beau sat on the couch in the front room of Tara's and my quarters, a playful smile on his face as he studied me with a touch of humor in his eyes.
“Word was you got yourself bounced around inside a settlement’s power center while another party raided the facility, but the stories did not do it justice. Look at you, all suited up as your bones mend. They really worked you over,” Beau said, his voice carrying a mix of concern and amusement.
Annoyed with the medical healing suit I was wearing, I held up my arms in a show, with a smirk on my face as Tara, in her usual position, leaned with her back against the wall, studying us both with a smile of her own. “He has a day or two more in the suit before all of his micro-fractures are healed, but the soreness will take a little longer,” Tara added.
“Heard they mined bombed the place? Was that for real?” Beau asked, leaning forward slightly.
“Not just any mines but engineered mines. Reverberation cascade and ion disruption mines. Nasty,” I confirmed, with Beau’s expression turning serious for a moment.
“Sure, the settlement's security was none too thrilled about it, but I doubt any had a chance to complain. Just look at you. You were inside the strongest building at the facility, and they worked you over,” Beau said, shaking his head.
“Barely made it out of there in one piece. Surprised my Scarab was in one piece. Had to drive it more than five kilometers away before Tara could pick me up,” I recounted, with a hint of relief.
“Likely the building shielded it from the blasts, and its suspension allowed it to ride through the shock waves, unlike you in your suit,” Beau observed, his tone thoughtful.
I chuckled at that, though it made me grimace from the pain. “Don’t think the designers of any of the suits ever thought about adding seismic dampeners to them.”
Beau laughed, the sound filling the room. “Well, there’s an idea for you. Might want to patent that one. So, what’s the real reason you had me fly out here? Can’t imagine you just wanted to share war stories and sip on some of my finest.”
A smirk appeared on my face in return. “Figured you’d appreciate hearing the tale firsthand, but yeah, there’s more. Got wind that the same group that hit the settlement might be doing business in the next system over. Thought you might have some insight on that and if there’s a deal to be made.”
Beau’s eyes twinkled with interest. “Ah, now we’re getting to the heart of it. You thinking of making a little profit from this encounter?”
I leaned forward as much as my sore body allowed. “Profit and maybe a bit more. If they’re using engineered mines and running coordinated attacks like that, there might be more that could be useful to both of us. Say a little bump in everyone’s profit margins?”
Beau nodded slowly, his mind already working through the possibilities. “Alright, I’ll see what I can find out. Might be able to arrange a meeting. But you, my friend, better stay in that suit and let those bones heal. Don’t need you falling apart before we even get started.”
“Here’s to staying in one piece and making a profit,” I said, raising my arm slowly in a mock toast.
Tara chuckled softly, watching us. “And maybe next time, let’s avoid the engineered mines.”