imprisonment comical.
“Only because you’ve been repeating
yourself about it for the past half-hour, in which time we might have started
our second match if you’d focused.”
Mick rubbed the bruise on his head where
Sera had struck him. He wondered if he had enough strength to take her head
on—if she really was a cellbot . He hadn’t tested her on her threat yet,
but the thought hadn’t left his head since she’d told him he couldn’t go home.
She can’t tell me what I can’t do, that
I can’t go home, see the loves of my life, prevent my sole purpose of
existence. Logic
replied to him: She wouldn’t make that bluff—she can ruin your chances.
She’s the one who told you T-jumping existed in the first place. XJ had no
idea. Without her, you’d be drifting, dead by now.
“So what’s she keeping me around for?”
“You’ll have to ask her yourself,” XJ
replied. “Now would you please move, Mick? Otherwise I’m going to have to rouse
GR to take over.”
Sera poked her head into the room,
“You’re smarter than that. Why do I need you around?”
“Because I’m a man—you need my scent
aboard the ship.”
His reply gave her pause; she smiled,
her eyes sparkling.
“Be smarter than that.”
“No more killing—I told you I’m done
with that.”
“You don’t have a plant, there’s
nothing to worry about. If we’re going to triple our fund, we’re going to have
to sell high end hardware. There’s no other option. I can’t make it in a month
without you.”
“More expancapacitor droids?” Mick
replied.
“You’ll be killing them for us.”
More nameless lives, strangers
artificially stored in a file format. More Emily Hussons. The layer of robot
makes it less personal, easier to get the job done, less likely to haunt. The
fastest way to make the money, the fastest way to get home. Conscience
interrupted: You know better now Mick—a .HUM is a person’s soul. You’re
committing murder if you go through with this. You can’t hope to start a new
life at the expense of the lives of others. Selfishness replied: And
what other choice do I have? Fight her? Kill her in her sleep and try to
navigate back to Melbot’s station? Forget it. I’ve tasted her power. She’s not
human.
“Are you human?” Mick asked her.
“Of course. But if you think that’s all
I am —if you’re getting ideas of taking control again—then you really don’t
stand a chance of seeing your family again.”
Mick bit his lip and rocked back in his
chair, his hand brushing his pawns, knocking them into XJ’s pieces.
“Mick! That’s no good. Good thing I
saved our game,” XJ said. He suddenly twirled his head and flashed, as if
restarting his brain, then began to reassemble the pieces in their proper
positions.
“Okay.”
“Okay what?” Sera replied.
“I’ll do it. I’ll kill them. Just fly me
there, and let’s get this over with.”
“I knew you were a good soldier,” she
smiled.
“And what about her?”
“I’m dumping her at our next stop. She
might be worth something.”
“Dumping?”
“Good night Mick.”
Sera left them alone with the chess
board.
Does she plan to sell her? Is Utopia the
closest thing to morality here? A mindless immersion, a void, the only path to
ethics being a total absence of the need for them?
“Mick, it’s still your move,” XJ
prodded.
“XJ, what’s the newest model cellbot
sell for?”
“A non-expancapacitor model cellbot—geez,
I don’t know Mick—maybe twenty thousand UCD?”
She is. My irrational act of pity is her
windfall. And mine.
“Mick?”
“Sorry XJ. I’m done for the night.”
“You’re not going to—”
“Try to kill your daughter?
“Only because you’ve been repeating
yourself about it for the past half-hour, in which time we might have started
our second match if you’d focused.”
Mick rubbed the bruise on his head where
Sera had struck him. He wondered if he had enough strength to take her head
on—if she really was a cellbot . He hadn’t tested her on her threat yet,
but the thought hadn’t left his head since she’d told him he couldn’t go home.
She can’t tell me what I can’t do, that
I can’t go home, see the loves of my life, prevent my sole purpose of
existence. Logic
replied to him: She wouldn’t make that bluff—she can ruin your chances.
She’s the one who told you T-jumping existed in the first place. XJ had no
idea. Without her, you’d be drifting, dead by now.
“So what’s she keeping me around for?”
“You’ll have to ask her yourself,” XJ
replied. “Now would you please move, Mick? Otherwise I’m going to have to rouse
GR to take over.”
Sera poked her head into the room,
“You’re smarter than that. Why do I need you around?”
“Because I’m a man—you need my scent
aboard the ship.”
His reply gave her pause; she smiled,
her eyes sparkling.
“Be smarter than that.”
“No more killing—I told you I’m done
with that.”
“You don’t have a plant, there’s
nothing to worry about. If we’re going to triple our fund, we’re going to have
to sell high end hardware. There’s no other option. I can’t make it in a month
without you.”
“More expancapacitor droids?” Mick
replied.
“You’ll be killing them for us.”
More nameless lives, strangers
artificially stored in a file format. More Emily Hussons. The layer of robot
makes it less personal, easier to get the job done, less likely to haunt. The
fastest way to make the money, the fastest way to get home. Conscience
interrupted: You know better now Mick—a .HUM is a person’s soul. You’re
committing murder if you go through with this. You can’t hope to start a new
life at the expense of the lives of others. Selfishness replied: And
what other choice do I have? Fight her? Kill her in her sleep and try to
navigate back to Melbot’s station? Forget it. I’ve tasted her power. She’s not
human.
“Are you human?” Mick asked her.
“Of course. But if you think that’s all
I am —if you’re getting ideas of taking control again—then you really don’t
stand a chance of seeing your family again.”
Mick bit his lip and rocked back in his
chair, his hand brushing his pawns, knocking them into XJ’s pieces.
“Mick! That’s no good. Good thing I
saved our game,” XJ said. He suddenly twirled his head and flashed, as if
restarting his brain, then began to reassemble the pieces in their proper
positions.
“Okay.”
“Okay what?” Sera replied.
“I’ll do it. I’ll kill them. Just fly me
there, and let’s get this over with.”
“I knew you were a good soldier,” she
smiled.
“And what about her?”
“I’m dumping her at our next stop. She
might be worth something.”
“Dumping?”
“Good night Mick.”
Sera left them alone with the chess
board.
Does she plan to sell her? Is Utopia the
closest thing to morality here? A mindless immersion, a void, the only path to
ethics being a total absence of the need for them?
“Mick, it’s still your move,” XJ
prodded.
“XJ, what’s the newest model cellbot
sell for?”
“A non-expancapacitor model cellbot—geez,
I don’t know Mick—maybe twenty thousand UCD?”
She is. My irrational act of pity is her
windfall. And mine.
“Mick?”
“Sorry XJ. I’m done for the night.”
“You’re not going to—”
“Try to kill your daughter?
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