Cross Roads (RoTSA)

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==Meeting Cossak==
Jonah and Cossack’s Quarter
Port Orphan Station - Periphery
17th April, 3138
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Billie Hoel directed the children on where to put Minea’s belongings.
It took a few hours to get everything squared away.
Long enough Jonah was finally able to get off duty.
He came through the hatch and saw the three children studying.
“I have come to realize this is their version of fun.” Billie Hoel offered.
“Thank you. I know Cossack and I are going to have to figure this out so we can raise Minea. I am still quite surprised she agreed to this…”
“In a way, so am I.” Billie admitted.
“Hello Minea. I am Jonah. I will be doing my best to look after you from now on.”
“You’re big…” Minea let slip.
“Yes I am. Do you know why?”
“You’re, what’re they called, an Elemental?” Minea put together.
“Aff.”
“I’ll be done with your meal shortly. Cossack will be docked by the morning.” Billie disappeared into the kitchen.
“Jeff, it has been a while.” Jonah shook the hand of the lawyer.
“Yeah. I’ve given everything the required inspections.”
“You’re staying for dinner.” Jonah insisted.
“Fair enough.” Jeff smiled.
When little girls should be sleeping
A sound woke Minea up.
Minea came out of her new room, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
She stopped and blinked as a stranger was in the main room.
“I’m guessing you’re, Cossack?” Minea said sleepily.
“I am indeed. I am sorry if I startled you. I just got in. I had hoped to make my introduction slightly less haphazardly.” Cossack smiled at the girl.
“It’s okay.” Minea yawned.
“Strange place, surrounded by strange people. So much change and confusion. I bet you barely even slept. I want you to know I will do everything I can to make you feel welcome here.”
“I didn’t really…” Minea answered.
Jeff stirred from the couch from the sudden noise and activity.
“Hey Cossack.”
“Hello Jeff. I should have expected you’d take her case. Since I seem to be waking everyone up, let me get some coffee going.”
“That would be fantastic.” Jeff said as he started straightening out his clothes and hair.
Jonah came out of the master bedroom.
“That’s what all this noise is about. You’re home, good.” Jonah grumbled.
“Coffee will be ready in a couple minutes.”
“Alice and Thadeus?” Cossack asked.
“Thadeus had to go back to his own quarters. Alice stayed to try and make Minea more comfortable, something about making it more like a sleep over.”
“She’s a sweeter girl than she lets on.” Cossack smiled.
“I’m certain you and Jeff have a lot to discuss so why don’t I take over and get breakfast going.”
“Fair point.” Cossack went out to the main room.
“Well really I just need one thing from you Cossack. I need to hear from you why? Everything else is a mere formality.” Jeff asked.
“I know my reputation, Mister Roberts. She is a child. Not someone I need to depend on when going into battle.” Cossack sat down across the table from Jeff.
“Okay, still doesn’t really answer my question and I do need an answer.”
“When Helena issued her recall and stand down orders it nearly ended my relationship with Jonah. Hell we all but broke up. Helena saw what that was doing to me. So she made it up to me and Jonah. She even managed to convince us to get back together. That’s when I understood. Everyone needs connections, even if they deny it and Minea was going to lose hers. Me and Jonah have never really talked about having kids, or even adopting before. But when I heard about Minea, I knew. I had to help her. I know we’ll never replace her parents, not truly. But we can give her another connection.”
Minea was sitting next to Jeff and looking at the floor.
“It’s a lot I know.” Cossack tried to reassure Minea.
“Now for the formalities. There is some concern with who will actually perform child care with Jonah being in charge of the Privateers and you still on active duty. But that’s nothing new for military fosters.” Jeff nodded.
“I have filed the requests to become a training ship instead of an active patrol vessel. This should minimize my deployments away from Port Orphan. Jonah is here as head of the Privateers. And we’re not foolish enough to think even with these measures we will not need assistance at times but this is common among all parents that serve.”
“Not unreasonable. I assume like many other military families and fosters you’ve got Billie Hoel as your primary choice for those times you both have your duties and cannot tend to Minea directly?”
“With the added consideration that in this case she really is family, not just the Station Admin or a Command Variant AI able to split her attention in a great many ways and remain effective.” Cossack added.
“That is actually helpful for Minea’s case and yours. From here I’m hopeful that I just have to follow protocol.”
“Could I ‘prentice? It is what we’re ‘sposed to do in my family.” Minea squeaked.
“After we fix your eyes and we can prove we’re not putting you at unnecessary risk.” Cossack nodded. “It is part of the culture you grew up in, we cannot go against that but we do need to make it safe first.”
"Never embark with the gear broken." Minea seemed to understand, framing the situation in ways she could understand.
“I think your friends and your teachers will understand if you take the day off from school since you haven’t slept. Let’s get you breakfast then back to bed with you.” Cossack smiled.
“New bunk… Hard to get comfy…” Minea yawned.
“Time. That is all you need right now. The rest will come.” Cossack fetched the plates of food as Jonah passed them through the opening from the kitchen to her.
“ZZZZZzzzzzzz…” Minea fell asleep at the table.
“Looks like we suddenly have an extra plate. I’ll stow it for her for later.” Cossack carefully picked up the sleeping girl.
“From the stories I never would have imagined Cossack being so… caring.” Jeff marveled.
“Cossack hides much of her true self from others but for those able to pierce her walls and see what lies underneath, she is an incredible person.” Jonah handed Jeff a fork.
“Well from what I’ve seen so far this is going to be one of my easier cases. Still going to be a lot of work but not as difficult as some of the others I’ve had to manage.”
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==Intelligence Report==
Watch Report 
Star Captain Denton Cooper
18th April, 3138
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====================================================================
The sheer number of exceptional freeborn students in the Port Orphan School program remains statistically improbable for the population of Port Orphan.
Kolossus sent an Envoy with a warning about the invasive methods proposed in the prior report to get to the bottom of this mystery.
With the warning from Kolossus’ Envoy it will be more difficult to figure out the cause for this but as long as we use non-invasive means to investigate this Kolossus and the Envoy seem satisfied to let us continue investigating.
Amanda Yeh M5 7775551 and Alice Yeh M5 7775551 still remain of particular note as well.
I will continue to investigate to see if the father of these two can be determined as that could shed a great deal of light on this situation.
If someone here has obtained Iron Womb and our Eugenics capabilities and is funneling a different kind of Trueborn that does not have all the usual markers through the school system, well the possibilities of what this could mean are clearly troubling.
End report.
====================================================================
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"Iason Markowicz!...
…what the heck did you think you were doing??" not all children are well-behaved. Iason Markowicz is a ward of the State…on Cerberus.
He's not supposed to be here.
He's also not the slickest at avoiding becoming caught, when his arrival was preceded by a 'be on the lookout' notice from the Alliance Juvenile Court.
The boy ducked low, passing under the reaching arms of Port Orphan's dock security, and twelve-year-old legs pumped him at a respectable speed through the crowd of exchange workers, customers, and business people here to transit or do business.
Just a little bit embarrassing. Not truly embarrassing. Billie's thousand eyes and sensors tracked the kid, could see how he favored his left foot, he wasn't a danger to anyone yet.
stop him here, or deeper in? she mused, and decided to let Star Captain Ronaldo prove his value…or lack thereof.
Hence, she left the service lock for the elevators unlocked.
She reviewed Iason's record. Orphaned, fevers. Both parents. Petty theft, multiple runaway attempts…
She tracked his progress and relayed it to the security stations.
It would be trivial for her to end this herself but she needed to let her human crew do some of the work around here and it was an entertaining distraction from the mundanity that had befallen the port recently.
The boy made it to the common levels, near the 'park'-a hydroponics bay decorated and outfitted with minor amusements for young people or those seeking something approaching a 'natural' environment.
The Envoy was playing her fiddle this afternoon, busking…the boy almost tripped over the open violin case, stammered an apology, and…
"...recruiting office?" he asked.
"you look a little young to join the privateers kid." The Envoy said lightly.
"the story says they take anyone." he was insisting.
"That's not exactly true. You're too young." The Envoy said, and caught him by the arm. "Billie Hoel!! We need to have a chat!!" The Envoy sing-songed loudly enough to be heard throughout the chamber.
“I suppose we do. My office?” Billie answered over the loud speaker.
The boy tried to pull free, only to find his captor's grip unbreakable. 
“Settle down, I don’t want to hurt you but we got some serious business to discuss after the scene you just caused. Come on.” The Envoy tried to sooth the boy.
In the end, she had to 'frog march' him in a joint-lock the whole way up three decks inward to the admin level.
"Sit… Billie, can we get this kid something to drink and eat? He's undernourished."
“Already being worked on. Well Iason you want to join the Privateers eh? It is hard work and not the safest profession around, especially now that the HPGs are down. Then there’s the matter of your age and record.”
<Billie, do you have this kid's charge sheet?> Perfidy asked over shortwave.
<Sending it over.> Billie replies
"Interesting." The Envoy commented. "Twelve years old, grand theft auto, which is remarkable given how thorough security measures on staff vehicles are, shoplifting? Some breaking and entering…no parental waivers and the court probably won't sign one after he pulled that runner from the Cerberus Sibko."
“So what are we to do with you, huh Iason? Why should I not send you back to Cerberus?”
"What's the fine for breaking quarantine entry?" The Envoy asked.
“More than a child could possibly afford.”
"I'll pay his entry fee, and airtax." The Envoy stated, "Iason, I'm buying you sanctuary here, I expect a return."
"Don't I get a say??" the boy finally blurted.
"Sure, we have a prisoner berth on the next transport back to the Incorporated regions, and there's a pay-warrant on you that I'm sure the Station could use…Envoy, what are you thinking?"
"I need an aide for my diplomatic role, and an assistant…and interns are hard to come by, of course, he'll need to get supplemental schooling."
“He’ll also need fostering according to protocols. Are you sure you want to do that? Since he has not yet answered my question?”
"I want to be somebody." the boy sulked. "I saw the special on the Privateer campaigns and it looked better than…"
"Better than being poor." The Envoy filled in, "I'm offering you a job, the Admin is offering you a ride back to Juvie Jail. Choose."
“What kind of choice is that? Of course I’d rather have the job!”
"That, is an informed choice, congratulations, you're finally showing marks of adulthood." The Envoy told him, "Making informed choices is central to being a rational being, and central to being and remaining free. Your pay will include a stipend and your duties will include both official functions on my behalf, and continuing education efforts to improve your usefulness-which will give you MORE information to make MORE decisions."
“And with that I am satisfied that you have met the legal conditions necessary for me to agree to you having provisional sanctuary. Stay out of legal trouble, do well in class, and ultimately above all else, Welcome to Port Orphan.” Billie Hoel smiled.
<Are you sure you want to do this?>
<I remember being Amanda and having big dreams.> Perfidy responded. <I never had the stones to try running away, but I thought about it a lot before I was taken. Maybe it works out, maybe it doesn't.>
<At the very least we have to try. But if this proves too much or you change your mind later… Well there could be issues then.>
"First steps, Iason, are to get you fed, clothed and a proper bed." The Envoy told him, "Billie, do you mind if we can arrange it in Dependents Quarters, section nineteen? I understand that Phoenix and Saya have a kid his age, it will be better if he has peers nearby on the off-hours."
“Agreed.” she answered
"Good. I'll have him register with the post School, with aptitude testing."
"Not using the Snow Raven battery?"
"Oh, I'm sure those are adequate…for someone who doesn't work for me. I'll give you his scores so we can set his proper grade level-most twelve year old boys aren't slick or resourceful enough to manage a four month trip without getting caught."
Morning session, Port Orphan School 'gifted' class…
The new boy wore a red jacket and black pants over a white shirt, and he wasn't like the other kids in the advanced classes.
Minea noticed him first, and pointed him out to Alice.
"He's dressed like The Envoy."
“So he is. Unusual. But she does seem to have a fondness for children. So perhaps she made another fan?” Alice said flatly.
"Introduce yourself." Mister Cooper ordered.
"I'm Iason Markowicz, and I'm an…" the boy looked at a note in his hand, "uh.."
"Iason is here on an exchange student status from the entity Kolossus." Mister Cooper clarified, "We expect him to be civil."
"Thank you sir."
"Find a seat."
A quick glance saw an empty seat next to Alice.
Iason scurried to the seat and sat down.
“So this is an advanced class?” Iason asked.
“Yes. Mister Cooper teaches primarily Social Studies and the Humanities. He is also a Snow Raven Watch plant.” Alice answered quietly.
Iason looked scared. "I'm…not that smart!" he breathed. "There's gotta be a mistake…"
“If Miss Bryant let you in this class you did well on whatever test you took.” Alice reasoned.
Minea reached across, and patted the new boy's shoulder, "WE can help you get through it. Alice is brilliant."
“Really?” Iason asked hesitantly.
“She made Miss Brubaker have a nervous breakdown once by working out an entire jump calculation by hand. I’m Thadeus. Welcome to the smart kid club.”
"Is there anything you're actually good at?" 
Iason flexed his fingers, "I can do some magic-well, not 'magic', but card tricks and stuff. I learned it-...somewhere else."
“It’s okay if you don’t want to share. It is your first day after all. Pretty overwhelming one too I bet. Who’s your Foster?”
"The Envoy. She's hired me to work for her, bed and board and schooling, and some jobs, she ain't told me what they are yet."
“Won’t be anything too far out there between child labor laws and the Envoy has a soft spot for children so you’ll be fine.” Alice offered.
“Don’t mind Alice. She’s just different. You’ll get used to her. And that’s Minea next to her.” Thadeus introduced the rest of the group.
“You’re sure Alice isn’t a robot? She talks a lot like a robot.” Iason noted.
“We’re sure. If the Envoy doesn’t have something for you to do you should join us for our after school study group.” Minea offered.
“Show us what you got Iason. Let’s see your sleight of hand.” Thadeus prompted.
Iason grabbed an eraser and started passing it between his fingers, eventually making it seem to vanish into his hand as he stretched his hand out.
“It’s in his other hand. He did a french drop while our attention was supposed to be elsewhere.” Alice commented.
“Spoil sport. Still it was skillfully done Iason.” Thadeus nodded.
Iason shrugged, giving up the eraser with his left hand, while reaching out and slipping an Escudo coin from Alice's ear. "It's…I'm still learning." 
“Heh. And that’s without preparation. Imagine how much better it would be if you were prepared!” Minea smiled.
"Or if I was any good at it. Before my dad died, he could…" Iason stopped, "nevermind."
“Sorry… But if you want Alice has an in with someone who knows card handling like an ace. Could probably arrange lessons.” Thadeus offered.
"Maybe…we can trade, I can do some other stuff, but we're indoors." Iason said uneasily, "they don't like fire in space stations."
"Fire?"
"Yeah. the carnival's big draw when..before, fire eating, flame tricks, some sword swallowing and knife work." Iason confided, "I was learning but then…"
“All the more reason you should keep up with it, it’ll be a reminder of the happier times with your parents if you frame it that way.” Alice added.
"It's kept me from getting beat up before." he agreed.
“Fortunately Miss Bryant is pretty on top of bullying here at the school these days. Doesn’t mean it won’t ever happen but it is pretty rare now.” Thadeus nodded.
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After Class
Perfidy looked at the small group of children as they walked up to her.
“Envoy, we wish to invite Iason to our study group.” Alice said.
“How about a compromise. A small tour of the station since he’s new, I feed you and I supervise your study group afterwards.” Perfidy smiled.
“Acceptable.” Alice nodded.
“First thing you need to know about this station is the tourist spots are, well I won’t say they’re the worst place to get something to eat but if you want real food that doesn’t taste like cardboard follow the locals. Come on I’ll take you all to my favorite.” Perfidy stowed her violin then led the way.
“You seem rather certain no one will steal your violin, it doesn’t seem very secure.” Iason stated.
“Only a truly desperate idiot would even try, which brings us to your second lesson. You’ve met Billie Hoel. She sees everything here on the station.” Perfidy answered.
“Once was enough.” Iason slightly shuddered.
“She’s actually incredibly nice once you get to know her. She just acts a bit grumpy when she has to act as Station Admin. She probably never would have actually thrown you on a prison barge.” Perfidy admitted.
“Still, that was kind of scary.” Iason shook his head.
“She’s not the scariest AI. I’d say that goes to Haida. She kind of scares me.” Minea said.
“Not Cossack? I mean I know you’ve been living with her for a while now but really?” Thadeus scoffed.
“Complete teddy bear to me. It’s weird I hear all these stories but when I tell people that sounds nothing like my foster mom… Well they just look at me funny.”
“I didn’t realize… I mean I heard the stories and figured I’d meet them through joining the Privateers. But wow, that was the Billie Hoel I met wasn’t it?” Iason suddenly realized.
“Yeah. Hang with us long enough and you’ll meet Phoenix too. She’s Alice’s mom.” Thadeus nodded.
“So who’s yours?” Iason asked Thadeus.
“Oh both my parents are flesh and blood. Both also happen to be Trueborn Aerospace phenotypes. Like a lot of Trueborns that went to the Privateers they were a bit on the fringes of Snow Raven Warrior culture. So when they fell in love and had me after the war no one was really surprised.” Thadeus answered.
“Good. That’d be way too much if you had an AI parent too.” Iason gathered himself.
“Here we are. Five of the usuals Fred.”
“Right up Peri. Fruit juice for the kids?” A man at a small food kiosk answered.
“If you have it.” Perfidy smiled.
“Of course I do.”
The man handed out small bulbs filled with liquid then started cooking something on his grill.
“It smells good…” Iason said.
“Fred does good work with what comes out of the station hydroponics bays.” Perfidy agreed.
After a few minutes the man began scooping stuff into small bowls.
Iason nodded as he studied the bowl in front of him.
Rice, edamame, what looked to be fried tofu, and some sort of sauce greeted him.
He carefully scooped up a bunch and took a small bite. The mix of garlic, saltyness, and sweetness of the dish assaulted his senses.
“This is good…” He marveled.
“Told you.” Perfidy smiled as she started eating as well.
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==Fate worse than Slavery==
Somewhere in the deep black
Rimward and Spinward of Port Orphan
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Elka was smiling. It was her first job with her ma.
They’d just boosted a whole lot of money from the sector bank on Fallry and because she helped she got a share.
She looked at the stack of germanium adorned gold coins and bars. She could buy lots of things with this.
Her first when they got to their new home would be a new dress.
The rest she’d find some place to hide away for later.
She gathered up her coins and bars, hiding them as best she could in her cabin.
Ma’s cabin was across the way and she was in it with the navigator, Mister Walters.
He was a creep. He kept trying to catch her going to and from the showers. But Ma said they needed him and that she needed to be nice to him.
Despite how rowdy the rest of the crew were in their own celebrations Elka could hear what Ma and Mister Walters were getting up to.
As Mister Walters came out of her Ma’s cabin he had a smile on his face.
Disgusted Elka reached for the door to close it but suddenly the ship shook.
“Elka, stay in your cabin.”
“Yes, ma.” Elka closed her door.
Something was clearly wrong, but she didn’t know what and she wanted to help but she also dare disobey Ma.
Then she heard the gunfire and screams. Somebody was boarding the ship.
Elka dropped away from the viewport in her cabin door. She could hear the thud of something heavy making its way toward her cabin.
So she hid as best she could curling up into a ball in the microgravity.
The door came open.
Elka was sure she had locked it.
“You’re just a child.” A female voice said.
Elka looked up.
She expected some hulking brute of a person from the thudding she had heard but it was a young blonde woman in a buttoned up dark brown leather coat, white frilled shirt, red tie, and a tricorn hat.
“I’m old enough to know how this works. You gonna keep me for yourself or you gonna sell me?” Elka managed.
“Worse I’m afraid. I have to place you under arrest.” The woman shook her head.
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==Ancestral Victims==
Port Orphan Juvenile Detention Chambers
Port Orphan System, Outworlds Wastes
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Elka was sitting next to an adult she didn’t know and the woman who brought her here was sitting across a table from them.
“How you doing Jeff?” The woman said.
“Not bad. You, Stacey?”
“As can be expected with everything that is going on.” The woman answered.
“Shall we get started then? Elka, I am Jeff Roberts and I will be your advocate.”
“Is Ma okay?” Elka asked.
“Your mother only suffered minor injuries in the boarding action but she’s in a lot of trouble, but so are you.” Stacey answered.
“I know what we did at the bank was wrong, but we needed the money to find a new home. At least that’s what Ma said.”
“Why would you need a new home?” Stacey asked.
“Ma said it had something to do with family history and if people ever found out we’d be killed for it.” Elka answered.
“What family history could you have that could endanger you like that?” Stacey asked.
“Don’t know. Ma never explained.”
“Jeff, I think we need to talk to her mother.” Stacey admitted.
“Agreed.”
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Another interview/detention room not far away
“Your daughter says the reason you hit the bank on Fallry was to gain enough money to get to a new home. Something about family history.” Stacey probed.
“No sense hiding it now. I only learned myself about our glorious ancestry because I needed a blood transfusion when I was not much older than Elka. So my mother told me. Many generations ago our ancestor and Amos Forlough had an affair. She got pregnant and hid it as best she could while disappearing into the Outworlds Alliance, unable to bear the shame of what she did with such an evil man. Don’t know her real name as she kept that to herself according to family history but she did tell the tale of who’s baby she had. You know how reviled his name is to this day. So every generation or so the family would move. The family always lived on the fringes of the law because of that and without a better option we hooked up with a crew with a JumpShip and hit the bank at Fallry.” The woman admitted.
“There’s no way you can send her to juvie if this is accurate and gets out.” Jeff looked at Stacey.
“I know but we’ll have to verify it to get the extenuating circumstance. I’ll setup the sealed genetic screening. You with us on this one, Billie?” Stacey asked.
“Yes. Prepping the lab now. Anita Rostov, do you consent to a genetic screening to verify your story?”
“Yes.”, Anita answered
“Then as the Station Administrator and a duly appointed magistrate pending verification of your family history I am willing to agree to an unusual extreme circumstance dismissal of the charges since no one was injured or killed in your bank heist. You and your daughter will get to live here on Port Orphan as refugees. No one besides your Doctor, me, Stacey, and Jeff here will know your true family heritage.”
“Thank you. You have no idea what it is like to live with such a dark secret hanging over your head.”
“Keep in mind this is all provisional based on the results of your genetic screening. If what you told us turns out to be false… Well you will be joining your companions in prison. Also if you decide to break the laws of Port Orphan, you will not have that excuse to fall back on because you will have nothing to fear from your family history here.”
“You’ll see it is.” Anita smiled. “A second chance. We have a second chance. What about Gregori Walters? He was just the Jumpship navigator and had no part in the heist.”
“He like much of the crew knowingly aided and abetted in the transport of wanted fugitives. Plus during the search of the ship we uncovered some rather unsavory things in his personal effects and on his computer.” Stacey indicated a monitor.
An image of Elka came on screen.
“He is a predator.”
Anita began crying.
----
==New Student==
Mister Cooper’s classroom
Port Orphan System, Outworlds Wastes
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“I’m Elka Rostov. Me and my mom just moved to the station. I look forward to getting to know you.” Elka tried to put on a brave face.
“To your desk.” Mister Cooper said plainly.
Elka found one. She was clearly a bit older than the group of teenagers she sat next to.
“Welcome to Port Orphan. I’m Thadeus, that’s Minea, that’s Iason, and that’s Alice. As you can probably guess we’re the overachievers.”
“Just how many grades have you all skipped?” Elka compared them to the rest of the class.
“Me and Alice are three ahead of where we should be, Iason and Minea two.” Thadeus answered.
“Well as Ma is fond of saying, always do your best to make friends with the smart kids, they’re the ones that will actually go places.”
“So what puts you with us overachievers?” Minea asked.
“Computers. Turns out I’m good with them and can get into and out of tight spaces. Double jointed they call it.” Elka bent her arms in seemingly unnatural ways.
“Cool.” Thadeus said.
Minea punched him in the shoulder.
“What was that for?”
“Alice’s supposed to be your girlfriend, not the new girl.” Minea answered.
Alice actually blushed with Thadeus.
“See Iason, definitely not a robot.” Minea giggled.
“Well, Elka, it is nice to meet you.” Iason added.
“Yeah, stick with us and we’ll make sure you get through this school alright.” Thadeus smiled.
“You’re doing it again!” Minea laughed as she punched Thadeus in the shoulder again.
“Ow. That one actually hurt! I’m just trying to be nice to the new kid!”
“Is there a problem?” Mister Cooper announced.
“No, Mister Cooper.” The group said in unison.
“Good, now if we can get on with our lesson…”
----
==Admittence of Guilt==
Detention Area 7A, Port Orphan…
The outer door opened, and then the lock extended ten centimeters and locked against the inner door.
"Gregori Walters, Age thirty eight, Navigation certification through Galax Flight Academy, Federated Suns, wanted for questioning in eleven systems for minor graft and smuggling crimes." her voice was , and she stepped into his cell. "That's the public writeup, anyway. What I found more interesting, was what you kept in a data-stak in your quarters."
“That was an illegal search! There was no probable cause for searching my personal property like that!” Gregori protested.
"It's a good thing I'm not with the Authorities then, isn't it?" she smiled. "After all, if I were with the authorities, then I'd have to be under the Snow Raven Watch, and they don't have to abide anybody's civil rights."
“So what do you want then?”
The inner door closed, and he caught a glimpse of the outer door, also closing. "A bit of privacy. Ten centimeters of fresh vacuum should keep you from being heard. It's not that you were perving on a little girl-desires aren't the same as actions…it's Jennifer Sousa, native of Fallry, and the trophy you kept."
“That wasn’t on any data stak… How could you know?”
"No, it was in your quarters. You shouldn't try to hide things from a shipyard like that, now the Magistrate would ADORE convicting you, 'State justice' and public vengeance and all, but see, I'm not with them. I'm so much worse. You made a choice, that choice denied someone else the option of saying 'no', someone who didn't have the strength or position to refuse." finger-sized, roach-like machines flowed out of her coat. "There's a price for that, and so, you will pay."
“Please… It was supposed to be harmless… I never meant for it to happen that way…”
"The means we use, decide the outcomes we must endure." she said, "Don't worry, the camera's not watching. We are completely confidential here I won't tell them a SINGLE thing..."
The screams dulled by the barrier of space were a useless protest for the next several hours.
-----
Interview area
“I need to confess my sins, they are too much for me to bear anymore. I… I like little girls. It started harmless enough, just admiring them from afar, then I started taking pictures. From there my hungers grew. It even got to the point I was dating Anita Rostov for access to her daughter Elka. Please. I need help.” Gregori was shaking.
“You’re admitting to a pretty serious crime.” Lara Malin, the current prosecutor assigned to Port Orphan said.
“Not just one. Six. I’m guilty of six. Poor sweet Jennifer on Sevon was the most recent… What I did to her was the most wrong.” Gregori admitted.
"You understand that the crimes you are admitting to, are a death penalty offense?" she asked.
"Yes, but I also know-there are worse things out there, than dying." his eyes were fevered in fear.
“So be it. Let the record show that you have freely confessed to six counts of statutory rape, seven counts of possession of underage pornography, and accomplice to Federal Bank Robery of the Fallry Sector Bank and that you have also freely waived your right to an attorney. I hope hell has a place reserved for you.” Lara shook her head in disgust. “Because you confessed freely, the normal punishment of death by spacing will be knocked down to euthanasia by lethal injection, you'll just go to sleep, and not wake up."
“I deserve so much worse, I’m a wicked man. Thank you, Magistrate!!"
----
==Magic Act==
Strong…
…a warrior should be strong. Michael held perfectly still as the blows rained down. A warrior should be strong, but he must be Just, and the group of his fellow students were not Elementals.
So he let their pathetic blows hammer on his skin, and ignored it. It would be easy to make them stop, make them feel pain.
But a True Warrior doesn't take the easy path. Not even when he's half-caste freebirth whose existence was a mistake.
“What do we do? We’re clever, not fighters.” Minea was distressed at the sight before her.
Iason squared his shoulders, "Do you want to do something?" he asked.
“But what? I mean he’s obviously being bullied but is he really in need of our help and even if he is how can we help?” Minea frowned.
Iason met Alice's eyes, then Thadeus, and Elka. "Okay." he reached into his pocket, and drew out a deck of cards, "Let's do this."
Elka nodded and pulled out her portable computer and started looking through her collection of audio files for appropriate music.
Minea nodded and ran off to get a folding table. It did not take her long to find one and bring it back.
“Gentlemen. If we could have your attention.” Alice said forcefully but flatly.
The bullies stopped wailing on Michael one by one and turned to the small group.
“What do you want?”
“Just a few moments of your time.” Iason flashed his best smile. “Would you like to see some magic?”
“I’m not sure what you’re trying to pull. Maybe we should teach you to keep out of our business.”
The group of bullies seemed focused on Alice and her friends now.
“Guys I don’t think our plan is working…” Minea observed.
“Sure it is.” The leader marched his cohorts up to the folding table.
Elka triggered something truly ear piercingly loud, Iason tipped the table back toward himself and ducked behind it as a stink bomb sprayed the bullies and a growing cloud of smoke allowed everyone to get away while the bullies were coughing and choking.
“You managed to catch on quickly to our plan. What’s your name?”
“Michael.” The new arrival answered simply.
“Well, Michael, that was some serious restraint you managed there.”
“You are not worried about retribution for what you did?” Michael looked over the motley group.
“They might, but not for a while. They’ll need to get over the embarrassment of being out played by a bunch of ‘nerds’.” Thadeus answered.
“Then for your assistance in allowing the situation to be resolved in an unorthodox but honorable manner I owe you. If they should seek vengeance for what you did I will come to your aid.”
“Thanks Michael. So what classes do you have here at school?” Iason asked.
“Beyond the basics and the obvious I have Mister Montgomery’s Metal Shop class. I am told it is an excellent class for people of my aptitudes.”
“Wow. Engineering prospect eh? That’s what that class is really for. Sorry if I sound a little surprised, I’m more in awe really. I did not do so great in that class.” Thadeus nodded.
“Come on, we’ll be late for class if we don’t get going.” Elka prodded.
“Find us after school, we’ll show you around. We meet up at the mural.” Minea waved.
----
After class
Michael went to the mural as he was instructed.
He was admiring the scene. It was quite an odd assortment of characters.
Almost all women, one a teenage looking girl, perhaps even younger.
“We thought you might like that being new here. The Station Admin commissioned it some time ago. She’s that one there. That’s her adopted daughter there. That’s Minea’s Foster mother. There’s Alice’s mother.” Minea pointed at figures on the mural.
“The others?”
“Sisters, cousins. Except for those two. Those two are Luther Bedwyr and Mina Siegel. This is a mural of all the AIs that have come through Port Orphan.” Perfidy walked up to the group.
“Hello, Envoy.” Alice greeted her.
“Well quite the group you seem to have gathered around yourself, Alice. You’re really starting to grow up, you know.” Perfidy smiled.
“I am told it is unavoidable at my age.” Alice said.
“A joke! A real joke from Alice. Wow.” Thadeus laughed.
“Well this is actually helpful. If you kids don’t mind I do need a favor.”
“You know I’m in.” Iason said.
“Yeah. Me too.” Minea giggled.
“I know you well enough you do not propose anything illegal or dangerous. So I will assist as well.” Alice added.
“Yeah. Come on, Michael, this will be way better than a tour.” Thadeus smiled.
“I have little else to do.” Michael answered.
“Great. Let’s talk someplace less public. What I need may not be illegal or dangerous to you, but it is still something I’d rather not discuss in public.”
----
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