Mx hub, p.14
MX Hub, page 14
“I’ll be right there the whole time. Just won’t be able to talk,” Selda grumbled. “Can’t wait for the implant.”
Zander had to admit he’d enjoy it when he got it, too.
Chapter Seventeen
Zander felt fine when he left Lavella’s— between the food, and Selda doing the little she could for his body, he felt mostly stable. The breakfast had been nearly perfect, tasting exactly like steak and eggs, but Zander had pointedly not asked about how it’d been made. The juice had been a touch more sour than orange juice, but Selda assured him it would help his body with making more blood, so he’d downed a couple of glasses.
Lavella watched him with a smile on her lips. She’d kept the staff away from them the entire time, but she hadn’t kept her hands to herself. While she didn’t do anything improper, she was touching him near constantly.
When it was time to go, she summoned her sled for him, giving him a chaste kiss before seeing him off. The moment he turned for the door, she headed the other way with firm steps— she had things to deal with for the day. Important business had to be set into motion, both for her and her predator.
The Fire Giant butler gave Zander a quizzical look as he let him out of the home. Zander just grinned, stretching his neck so the two healing punctures were clearly visible as if he didn’t know he was doing it. The butler relaxed upon seeing the marks.
Getting into the sled, Zander sat down. “Skyreach Hotel,” he advised it.
“Understood, sir. Would you care for the scenic route or the fastest route?” the sled asked mechanically.
“Never did see that garden,” Zander murmured. “Selda, can you patch a course?”
“A-firm, and done,” Selda chuckled.
“Now, my dear Maker,” Zander murmured as the sled started to rise, “why didn’t you tell me just how serious being predator and prey was for her?”
“I kind of did. I told you what to do to make sure you were the predator,” Selda said.
“But you didn’t say how much it would affect her.”
“I didn’t know that it would impact her quite that much,” Selda said slowly. “Out of everything that happened, I think it was you making her take from you that sealed things.”
Zander was silent for a moment before he nodded. “She might’ve made a play for being predator again if I hadn’t, but showing her that I would care for her… and then the quote.”
“Exactly. Lavella won’t break herself for you, but she’ll do more than she would, otherwise. Is that so bad?”
“No, but I’m concerned. Sage and Lavella…? What if this keeps happening?”
“You being exactly what they need?” Selda asked. “You’ll end up with a… dramatic pause… harem.”
Laughing, Zander looked out over the Hub. “Did you just say ‘dramatic pause’ to double down on the sarcasm?”
“Yep.”
“We talked about us having a small contingent of highly affectionate staff in the past, but level with me here and now: what is this?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve been working on trying to place the differences between you and this universe’s Humans. Until we get data from Terra and how the Humans there are, we’re missing a lot of things to extrapolate from. I can tell you that I, as your new AI, had no control over what multiverse we went to.”
“That broken ship did it,” Zander exhaled. “We need to keep an eye on this. I’m going to take days away from Lavella just to see if she calms down.”
“I understand, but we have contracts in place. She’ll be meeting us over at Maverick in a little bit.”
“Yeah, and this idea will be fun. It’ll also show us how quickly the rank and file of pilots can adapt. How come they’ve never evolved past stop and shoot?”
“I’m not sure they’ll adapt fast enough to stop you. The answer to the question is simple: they revere the Antecedents. They do exactly as the training programs taught them. Those who might’ve done other than that either didn’t live long or they’ve been keeping it to themselves.”
“We’ll be kicking that nest.”
“Yes, and some of the pushback might be because you aren’t respecting the Antecedents’ teachings.”
“I was right. It’s a cult,” Zander muttered. “Not just about the spork, either.”
~*~*~
Zander was leaving the Skyreach Hotel when someone called out to him. Looking back, he saw Crish heading his way. “Crish?”
“Is everything okay?” Crish asked, their face marred by a frown.
“Yeah. I’m about to head over to Maverick for a demonstration. After that, I need to go back to Dreams for Blurb to do a surgery.”
“Surgery?”
“Subdermal comms array,” Zander said.
“But those cost—”
“I got an advance on what I’ll be making off the ships,” Zander explained. “This will help me and Selda, so we got Veldiami to approve it.”
“Oh… I see.” Crish looked away from Zander. “I tried to stop by to speak with you last night.”
“Oh, yeah? I wasn’t here, which you obviously figured out.”
“When you didn’t answer, it was obvious.”
“Do you want to go see someone be shocked over the simulation training?” Zander asked.
“Huh?”
“Hmm… Hang on. Selda, see if the others want to go, please?”
Selda used the datapad’s speakers to reply instead of the earpiece he was wearing, “A-firm. Might take a minute.”
“Fine. Let’s take a seat, Crish.”
The two of them moved over to one of the sitting areas to wait. Crish looked around, then asked, “What were you doing last night?”
“Having a nice evening with Lavella,” Zander said. “We’ve come to an arrangement for a few things. I’ll explain once we know if the others are coming.”
“Okay…” Crish said, but fidgeted. “You stayed with her last night?”
Zander gave Crish a long look. “Jealous?” He asked the question without heat.
Crish’s blue skin turned purple, and their shoulders slumped. “I’m trying not to be.”
“Honestly, Crish, yes. Lavella and I spent the night together. If I hadn’t been with her, I would’ve been with Sage. If I was really lucky, it would’ve been with Sage and Ping.”
Crish jerked, then looked back at Zander. “But… they’re all so different.”
“They’re all beautiful,” Zander said with a bit of an edge to his tone.
“Wait… no. I didn’t mean it that way. I mean that they have no common ground. They’re all disparate from each other. Not that…” Crish trailed off again.
“Sorry,” Zander said, clapping a hand on Crish’s shoulder. “They are different from each other, but variety should be the spice of life. And if I’m really lucky, I’ll add another couple of singular women into that number for at least one night, if not longer.”
“You’re going to be like Sage, then? Open to others?”
“For the right others, yes. There’s no need for jealousy. I’ll continue to be your friend, no matter what you choose or don’t choose. I got some information on your race since being on the Hub. That choice isn’t a light matter, is it?”
“No. It defines us. It molds and shapes us to be the best we can be for our chosen. Before, we’re merely… a shell of who we’ll be. Like the caterpillar before the butterfly.”
Zander was sure that Selda had made that simile work in translation. “There’s nothing wrong with being a caterpillar, either, is there?”
“Some,” Crish whispered. “Those of my kind that never choose are seen as weak, stupid, foolish. The problem is that choosing means we basically bind ourselves to our chosen. We become perfect for them, so if they die or leave us… we tend not to last long after that.”
“What happens if your chosen changes? Like if they stop liking what they used to?”
“We can’t adapt for them again. We are what we are when the moment of choice happens.”
“A very big step, then,” Zander said gently. “Please, take a long time before you pull that trigger, Crish, especially if you’re thinking of me. I’m not someone you should choose. I’ve been honest with you, so you have no misconceptions about what I’ll be like in the future. I am a little curious, though… how do you know what to become?”
“When we choose, our mind syncs with the chosen. We see into their psyche, and ours changes to match what they hold as ideal to them.”
“Huh. Does the chosen know of it ahead of time?”
“Yes!” Crish said, a little affronted. “To not tell them would be… wrong.”
“Sorry; just making sure. If you just want to spend time together and have fun, there’s no reason for jealousy, okay? We can be friends for years. This way, you can always choose someone better later.”
Crish looked up at Zander, then snorted. “You do know that for most races, being a pilot is a death sentence, right?”
“Because of the danger of the job,” Zander nodded.
“We all serve decades to hundreds of years, depending on race,” Crish said. “There have been very few pilots who made it through their service. Most of them were shorter-lived races who only had to give a few decades of service.”
“I see.”
“Finding any happiness for a pilot is something that’s grabbed and held onto normally.”
“It’s your choice, obviously,” Zander said. He looked up to see the other pilots heading their way. “Take your time, though, because I have a lot on my plate right now.”
Crish looked in the same direction as Zander and stood up. “I will, but Zander… right now…? You make me happy.”
Zander didn’t reply to Crish as the trio closed on them. “Okay, so there’s some information to cover about a deal I just made with Lavella. Right now is the first step: letting her pilots run the new simulation training I had made. When she sees the pilots’ reaction, we’ll be off to the real fun. Who wants to see the best mecha made on the hub?”
“I would love to,” Kayo smiled.
“If they have a juggernaut, I would like to see one with my own eyes,” Rasisar said.
“I’m interested,” Arlizarista said. “Are you going to tell us the whole deal?”
“On the way there. Let’s grab a sled.”
As they headed for the door, Kayo moved up to walk beside Zander. “You weren’t in your room last night. Did you have fun?”
Zander stretched his neck so she could see the marks. “It was different.”
Kayo’s lips pursed. “You became prey?”
“Want to spork around and find out?” Zander smirked as he opened the door.
“Hmm… maybe later,” Kayo laughed as she went past him, her tails grazing him on her way out.
Selda spoke over his earpiece, “Zee, the act of brushing someone with their tail is a Kitsune flirt. It’s a serious flirt, as it leaves a trace of their scent behind. She’s, in effect, marking you as a potential for her, warning off others of her kind in doing so.”
Thought it might be something like that, Zander thought back at Selda.
Arlizarista gave him a raised eyebrow as she went past.
“How’s the music been?” Zander asked.
She stepped out, then to the side, staying near the door. “I’ve appreciated a lot of it. I do thank your AI for sending it to me.”
“Have you tried singing any of it?”
Rasisar went past Zander, his face neutral, but clearly interested in the exchange.
“No. Why?”
“I’d like to hear it if you do,” Zander shrugged.
Crish’s lips were pursed as they went past the pair talking through the open door.
“I’d want to practice first.”
“Take your time. We’re likely to be on the Hub for a bit,” Zander said as he stepped out. “I thought you had a great voice; I’m hoping to hear more from you.”
Arlizarista glanced at him, her brow contracting slightly. “I can’t tell when you’re being serious.”
Kayo had flagged down a sled for them, so Zander gave the Elf his full attention. “Arlizarista, I am serious.” Zander did his best to make sure his tone conveyed that. “Your voice is divine, and I want to hear you sing more if you feel comfortable doing so. Others on the ship might want to hear more, too. Crish expressed disappointment that you’d never asked them before.”
Arlizarista blinked, then looked at Crish. “Really?”
“It’s true. I didn’t want to press you, though,” Crish said. “You were always very withdrawn.”
“If it’s not sad, I’d be willing to hear more,” Rasisar said. “Happy would be best. We need more joy in our lives as pilots.”
“If it was happy, I’d like to hear it, too,” Kayo said. “I’ve only heard you sing laments.”
“Oh…” Arlizarista was clearly uncertain. “I’ll work on one.”
“Great,” Zander grinned. “I can send you a few songs from different genres, too, if you want.”
“Different genres? Of music?”
Zander chuckled. “Selda, start easy with her, but give her a few samples, please.”
“I can only send her songs you knew, but I will,” Selda said from the datapad.
They were quiet as they got onto the sled Kayo had hailed for them. Each thought about how effortlessly Zander seemed to get them to change and take chances on being friends with each other.
Chapter Eighteen
The guards in front of Maverick were on alert, but when Zander checked in, they relaxed some. They were quick to get the others with him inside, as well. The same receptionist was there to greet them with a bright smile.
“Mr. Greaves, a pleasure. If you’ll just wait a moment, someone will be with you shortly,” the receptionist said.
“Thank you. I never did catch your name.”
“I’m Mirzalum, sir.”
“Is Ms. Hemoesta in?”
“She is seeing to a few matters, but said that she would meet you for the test.” She looked past him to the others. “Can I get you anything?”
The others declined the offer, except Rasisar, “Are there any substitutes on hand for someone of Vampire origin?”
“Let me check.”
“Thank you,” Rasisar said. “If not, then nothing.”
“Have a seat,” Zander said. “I’m sure someone will be here quickly.”
Everyone sat in the same general area. Kayo looked impressed as she took in the décor; Arlizarista kept glancing at the Elven receptionist; Crish was looking at their datapad, clearly engrossed in it; and Rasisar just sat, closing his eyes as he waited.
A minute later, the doors that Zander had been through before opened, making him grin when he saw who it was. He stood up, prompting the others to do the same. The group eyed the Dwarf with curiosity.
“Vakdreak. Didn’t expect you to be the one to grab me,” Zander grinned.
“She was very clear that we are to treat you as our best client. Who are they?”
“My squad,” Zander said, then did a round of introductions.
“Diverse set,” Vakdreak grunted. “Heard about this training program and your squad’s run of the hardest simulation. Curious how you managed that, and all while down a mecha, to boot.”
“I doubt we’ll show you today, but it’ll be common knowledge in the not-too-distant future.”
“Yes. She told me about the prizes you two cooked up. Damned foolish, if you ask me. Your blood must be the best thing she’s ever tasted to do that.”
Zander laughed. “Do you mind if we take a detour to see the juggernauts, first? They’ve been interested.”
“Of course they are,” Vakdreak snorted. “It’s not on the way, but we’ll take a circuitous route for you. Do not touch anything,” he added, staring at the other four. “One single finger will have you tossed out so fast, your AI will still be processing what happened.”
The group agreed, eager to see the largest mecha available in person.
Vakdreak wasn’t unpleasant, but he was brusque when answering questions. He paused for a few minutes at the juggernauts, happy to explain the armament to them. Seeing the awe on the faces of the pilots seemed to put Vakdreak in a better mood.
