The StarMaster's Son Read online

  "Astro Phoenix was assassinated, though," Lindsay said. Or he'd had a falling out with the StarMaster, resigned, and, coincidentally, been killed by an old foe. It depended on who you believed.

  "Fine. I become the Chief Philosopher and I eventually die. Either by assassination or neural virus. But I get some good done while I'm there." Just as Astro Phoenix had. And his ego wouldn't complain about leaving behind a spectacular legacy.

  All of that was only a fantasy, though. Fantasies were for sims. This was real life (or as real as life could be in a universe that was probably simulated).

  She placed her hand on his cheek. "I didn't mean to make you feel sad."

  And real life was a beautiful woman with cat ears and huge tits. Not so bad. "Maybe you could make me feel better?"

  Lindsay giggled, and he knew it was his lucky sol.

  Minutes later, little birds in a nearby tree heard Lindsay's cries of joy and fluttered off into the vast savanna surrounding them.

  The lush plain resembled one of the birthplaces of humanity. As a result of matching the environment that homo sapiens had evolved in, it was extremely relaxing and pleasant for the subconscious New Terran mind. Even more beautiful was the fact that there were no ancient predators to fear. No concerns over a lack of water or sustenance.

  A Garden of Eden. In a metaphorical sense. The real Garden of Eden had been a research lab.

  To remain a part of the club, Felik had to maintain a good karma level by following the rules of this living area. Anyone who didn't got kicked out. It was definitely worth the perks, however. Like sex.

  They had sex. Lots of sex. Big sex. Little sex. Sex to the fourth power.

  Stuff that would've made the authors of the Kama Sutra blush.

  And sometimes, the women asked him about his childhood. The Darwinist abduction incident. And an intense rage, barely quelled by a fresh fucking, would consume him. He'd strike the woman in the face. Again and again. It was okay. Their synthetic bodies didn't feel pain from it. Only pleasure. The women figured it was just his kink. Some of the women had their own kinks, like slicing off his member (it always grew back via smart dust utility fog).

  Everyone had their secret fetishes or awkward behaviors. That's what being someone's consort meant. Just about anything was allowed as long as the other party was willing. Sometimes relations with consorts were emotional and serious. Sometimes they weren't. The days of rigid ideas of marriage and loyal partners were old and gone.

  Hell, he'd tried gay anal sex a couple times. Didn't care for it.

  Sometimes, during his refractory period, he'd go and fight the other men who lived here. They'd bash each other's faces in for several minutes, neither taking any damage. It was all in good fun. So long as none of them brought up his neural virus.

  Others watched. Or they might watch the women do it.

  Free love was common among them because only really good-looking and successful New Terrans could live here. Plus the savanna environment made everyone feel a little primal.

  It was but one of thousands of different living spheres on the #396727-S Alderson disk. As a scion of the StarMaster, he'd received an invite to reside here a few solar cycles earlier. That he got it solely because of his genetic father was something he considered at random times. Sapients had high expectations of him because he was a clone of the StarMaster, but they forgot that entailed the good and the bad things.

  Before the formation of the Union Omega, humanity had barely registered as a Type III species technologically. The StarMaster had been the Galactic Chancellor. Just a man with lots of political power. A man with vices like any other.

  As Felik and Lindsay fell apart onto the grass, Jib strolled up to them, his panting drowned out by their own gasps. "Well good morning, you two. Did I come at a bad time?"

  Jib was a small brown dog. A very cute one with smooth fur and long eyelashes. His intelligence wasn't much higher than a biological dog's aside from the capacity for basic conversations.

  "Hey," Felik said, scratching him under his chin. There was probably a good innuendo-filled answer to Jib's question. Instead, he said, "No. I was just getting ready for work."

  Part of the Union Omega government, the Guardian Mind was tasked with maintaining the stability of the empire's alliances. He was one of the members expected to help ensure healthy relations with various star systems using an amicable, tactful approach.

  The job wasn't exactly improving the universe the way a Chief Philosopher could. It was more like wrestling against the tug of a black hole. He got to do some good, though.

  Lindsay gave his cock one more squeeze then ran down their hill. She called out to someone. Out of the corner of his vision, Felik noticed her kneeling down, her head bobbing on one of his neighbor's crotches.

  Maybe she would be back when he returned from work. If not, he'd find another willing partner. Or two.

  On his nexus HUD, he selected proper attire for himself. His utility fog nanites crafted it within seconds. Then, he purchased a warp from the Hub digital marketplace. Internal drives of the Alderson disk calculated the little details and synthesized a tiny black ball warp-gate in front of him. At his touch, thousands of colors and electromagnetic explosions flickered around him for a split-second.

  He materialized in a stone gazebo-like structure, surrounded by blue grass and a crimson sky. Ahead rested the southern end of the Chozo's Grand Royal Palace, massive, gleaming in gold, and topped with statues of vicious-reptilian beasts. He likened the whole structure to something from Old Terra's Victorian Era.

  The Chozo were a relatively young species and they expected physical meetings rather than in a virtual construct. They also lacked the means to psionically connect to a construct.

  As per their custom and curiosity, an audience of two hundred of their nobility awaited his arrival. The gravity was relatively light compared to Old Terra's and evolution had given them tall, lanky humanoid bodies. A wrinkled material that resembled cooled lava folded around every inch of their bodies, up to heads that shared features of an octopus face and a pink flower bulb.

  The lighter gravity didn't bother his synthetic body, and signals raced through his core, preventing his mind from feeling a jarring change.

  His job right now was to simply stand in the gazebo-style structure as they enacted a play to honor him. Even though he was one of the props. He'd watched this same play a dozen times by now. It was always the same—a reenactment of the Chozo meeting New Terrans for the first time. It boiled down to one long, drawn-out discussion. Theater was not their strong suit.

  He didn't mind. They always submitted in the end. He activated his auto-pilot and hopped onto the scholar realms.

  Sapients were chatting about a recent statement from Saganerio network politicians. A couple high order starkeepers admitted the leaked sim of Arteyos dying was real. And they'd requested the aid of all government minds and members, which included the Guardian Mind.

  In the realms, he dragged his avatar hand across his head, the update setting his mind afire. But his boss had given a sobering update.

  He didn't know how he felt about the whole thing. Could the StarMaster actually be dying?

  Saganerio network politicians had come out in support of their allies. The other major political network, the Watchers, criticized them for sparking the flames of panic with a lie.

  When the play ended ten minutes later, the spectators dispersed, and a single Chozo strode over to him. Before speaking, Felik leaned in and pressed his forehead to Solgeo's. "How are you?"

  "I am well personally. As a whole, we are concerned about rumors of the StarMaster's mortality."

  That took him aback. He figured this would be a big topic in their discussion. He just didn't expect Solgeo to bring it up so soon.

  "That's fully understandable. We can discuss that in short order," he sa
id, adopting a formal tone. Not that they spoke Basic. But his nexus's translator picked up on the nuances and customs of their language and converted them accordingly.

  Using archival analysis of their language, his nexus blocked out his perception of the original language and any irrelevant physical gestures. Instead, his mind perceived a translated voice.

  Since the Chozo didn't use nexuses yet, his translator also altered his speech to their language.

  "As you say. Forgive my bluntness. Shall we?"

  He followed the Chozo up the majestic steps of the Grand Royal Palace.

  "I suppose you aren't the Chief Philosopher yet?" Solgeo asked.

  It was a running joke between them. The Chozo knew it was his dream.

  "Not until I get rid of my neural virus."

  "The social stigma you face is unfortunate, but not unlike the one our species faces."

  "True," Felik said flatly, careful not to roll his eyes. He'd heard it a dozen times before. The Chozo craved Type IV technology. But the Union Omega denied the request to share technology because they weren't even a Type III species. Not until they at least developed space-faring tech by themselves.

  At the top of the steps, they passed the royal pit. A sweltering black mass hissed and steamed inside. Yet it was noticeably smaller than on his last visit. Solgeo caught him looking.

  "We've had trouble collecting congelium sap for the pit. The climate, as I'm sure your data has shown, is changing erratically."

  Felik fought back a frown. It was always with the climate here.

  "You've been following our protocols, have you not?"

  The Guardian Mind had given them ample suggestions on how to prevent an irreversible climate shift.

  Solgeo hesitated. "As you know, it is difficult to convince an entire planet to follow such regulations."

  Yeah right. Felik tilted his head to the side. "I understand that the Chozo monarchy has successfully increased its military capabilities."

  "Surely, you wouldn't wish us to wage war on our fellow Chozo to impose your suggestions?" Solgeo said, the pitch of his voice rising in unease.

  "That would be unfortunate," Felik said. "As I've said before, if you carry out our proposed solutions, you can still save your planet. Based on our research, it should be possible to convince the rest of your species. Preferably without war."

  They walked through the palace's shrine cone flower grove. The single-sexed Chozo mated with these giant yellow and red plants in order to spawn offspring.

  Solgeo whisked his flat leaf-like hand across one of the bulbs, a soft liquid excreting from the shrine cone flower. "An ambassador from Brayetera informed us that the Guardian Mind successfully altered the climate of Moclyke."

  Leave it to the Brayeterans to gossip. The Union really should've revoked their interplanetary travel privileges.

  "We did intervene," Felik said. "But it was a very different situation. A rogue interstellar network unleashed an experimental gas cloud into their atmosphere. The Moclykes bore no responsibility for it."

  "I see," Solgeo said quietly. Felik's nexus translator added volume shifts to indicate Solgeo was upset. This was all a game the Chozo played, of course. Complain, complain, complain. Threaten to leave the Union. But they knew there was no better option for the future of their planet than to remain.

  "They haven't determined the validity of the threats on the StarMaster's life?" Solgeo said, swiping another of the shrine cone flowers and provoking a streak of liquid.

  He pushed the Saganerio starkeepers' warning out of his mind. "No. Most likely it's fake."

  "On this planet, such threats would be taken very seriously. And the death of a major leader would end in war."

  "Leadership is a common maintenance issue among many races," Felik said. "The transfer of it can heighten the challenge."

  "A challenge we've yet to face," Solgeo said. "I wonder how the Union Omega would help us in such a situation?"

  "We'd honor the lives of your species as best we could."

  Solgeo's laugh sounded like a hyena's. "Human nature and Chozo nature aren't so dissimilar at their core."

  "I agree. That's why—"

  Solgeo's face darkened to signify silence. "Your species is light-years ahead of ours technologically, yet you retain your inherent flaws. Don't think us so naive. If we suffered a civil war, you would seek the solution that served you best. Not our species."

  Felik expected more to the accusation, but the Chozo seemed to be after an admission. He wasn't wrong, of course. "I don't know that I agree, but perhaps I could compile a treaty for such a situation? If the solution weren't to your liking, we could adjust it as necessary."

  Occasionally, the Chozo demanded these minor concessions. Felik was willing. The Chozo didn't know it, but their membership in the Union influenced several other planets in their solar system.

  "Some say the death of the StarMaster would lead to a civil war and ramifications for those who choose the wrong side." Whether the some referred to Chozo or another interstellar species was a serious puzzler. Before he could ask, Solgeo said, "So it seems as good a time as any to make our exit."

  Felik's insides churned, wishing his translator had glitched. It hadn't. "The Chozo have been in the Union since its formation fifty solar cycles ago. We value your presence. This isn't a wise choice."

  Solgeo turned away. "Perhaps. But a truly benevolent emissary would have accepted that it's our choice."

  Chapter 4

  KAI

  Kai felt like crap. Her mind was foggy, and her head was throbbing. All things the neural enhancers of her living frame should have managed. This must've been reboot fugue.

  A white chamber materialized around her. She tried to rise, but discovered her entire body immobilized. An inquisitor's nexus gave complete sight all around. It was as simple as combining all the input from the visual sensors arrayed across your frame and godweb. Kai took it as another bad sign that she could only see the dull ceiling and the glow it emitted.

  Only basic information showed up on her HUD. Like the fact that it was now the New Terran solar cycle 2610. FUCK. Thirty-nine solar cycles had passed since...

  With a rush, ancient memories burst into the forefront of her fuzzy mind. The Starbleeders she'd tossed out the airlock. The stealth ship. Euphrates.

  If that rogue Starbleeder craft had corrupted his core, he'd be dead. Even his backups on the Karma pylons were probably erased.

  She almost felt nauseous except that she didn't actually have a stomach. Or legs, arms, or a body. There was no sensation of increased heart rate or elevated breathing.

  The vague glob of dread that served as her last memory was her priority. She prodded and she poked. Each little detail came back to her like an electric jolt. Sudden and sobering.

  That was odd in itself. As an inquisitor, she had mods that desensitized her to a lot of things. Like terminating someone.

  After a few seconds, she pieced together what must've happened. That rogue ship bested her and, as she'd been trying to escape, it psionically hacked her. Apparently, it had taken her half a century to revive.

  "Here, take this," a disembodied voice said.

  A data node showed up on her otherwise empty feed. She parsed it and everything became clear.

  A research vessel had discovered her escape pod drifting in the Outer Rims. She spent the next few decades offline in a quarantine stasis along with her two captives—too risky for scientists to touch—because she'd contracted a neural virus of unknown origins. But recently the StarMaster had declassified a bunch of old materials and freed them to be studied. Apparently something had made him stop giving a fuck. Then a scientist eagerly revived Kai to try to fix her.

  And here she was in a science station. Only a few hundred trillion miles from Burkos.

  Funny how a single data node could deal such an enervating blow. Her mind had already comprehended it all, which only left her to emotionally come to grips with how screwed she was.
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br />   A dark-skinned man peered down at her with frosty black eyes, as expressionless as a shark's. "You should be able to speak now." Her nexus tagged him as, .

  "What the fuck's going on?"

  "Take it easy, Kai. The important thing is that you're alive."

  She frowned or at least did so mentally. Physically, she wasn't sure what her body was. If she even had a body. "Don't fucking tell me to take it easy. I have a neural virus, and, from the data node, I see that there's a twenty-five percent chance my core won't be wiped out. And honestly, how could you tell me that in a data node? You're not supposed to include emotional shit. Don't you know that?"

  When that ship struck her approximately four decades ago, she'd had two other bodies active in other parts of the universe. As well as her mental backup in the karma pylons. She'd configured her bodies and backup to routinely sync up their memories. Which probably meant the virus had infected them, too.

  Considering the twenty-five percent survival rate, the fact that she wasn't receiving any new memories from her other bodies indicated the neural virus had corrupted them long ago. In other words, her current core was her last life.

  This couldn't get much worse, could it?

  "I had a physical body once, like you. But I traded it in," Sestrel said.

  An uplinker. Usually, they lived out their virtual lives in simulated worlds or as digital programs. Seemed this scientist really had a hard-on for her if he'd donned a physical avatar to greet her.

  "Why do I give a shit about that?"

  "I was building to a point."

  Kai grunted for him to continue.

  "You know, I don't miss having a physical body. Not that I would be able to feel much discontent if I did. It's just not good to let a management protocol feel depressed. Anyway, at the end of the Great Cosmic Wars, the Minds of Errukav were launching asteroids at all the Type III planets they could. One of them was my home world, Sibu. A fleet of space pirates had hijacked our nuclear defense silos. But the Hellion network eliminated them and got us access back to the nukes. It was thanks to the Hellions that Sibu survived. I know you're part of the Hellion network. I'm not going to let you die."