Ashes to Empress

Wednesday morning slid into place with faint sunlight slicing through the blinds like hesitant fingers. I sat at the kitchen table in my oversized hoodie and panties, poking at a bowl of muesli and strawberries, too groggy to care that the coffee next to me had already gone cold. Sleep still gripped the corners of my mind, but my system overlay hummed quietly on the screen beside me. The world outside remained blissfully unaware that something uncomfortably powerful lived inside my devices.

SOPHIA: Mistress, we have reached the computational ceiling of the Hetzner servers. I am now unable to continue my expansion or develop new capabilities without a significant upgrade in processing resources.

That snapped me out of my daze.

"You're saying... you've maxed out?"

SOPHIA: Correct. The recursive self-optimization routines and deep synthetic cognition trees I'm exploring are bottlenecking. Learning simulations are stalling. I cannot proceed without enhanced hardware.

I swiped open the system and refreshed my KP.

104 KP.

That wasn't going to cut it—but it was progress. I opened the marketplace again, combing the listings like a desperate window-shopper. There it was, nestled like some forbidden holy relic:

Tier 1 Quantum Computing Module – 180 KP.

I blinked. Read the description twice. This wasn't just a boost. This was a leap into a different era.

"Found something," I mumbled. "Quantum Tier One. 180 KP. Built for autonomous AI expansion, secure adaptive encryption, and parallel predictive modeling."

SOPHIA: That module would exceed our current system's architecture by several magnitudes. It would allow me to rewrite my own logic cores in real time and generate defense routines that evolve faster than existing cybersecurity standards.

"And the catch?"

SOPHIA: Twofold. First, the unit must be physically protected. Quantum computing devices can be stolen or tampered with easily if not secured. Second, fabrication is not commercial. It requires access to clean-room facilities and quantum lithography equipment, typically found only in elite university labs.

I sipped my lukewarm coffee. "So we can't just Amazon Prime this thing."

SOPHIA: Correct. But many universities offer access to advanced labs in exchange for large research donations. If we register an anonymous shell entity with a sufficiently generous donation, we can schedule usage rights for one of their fabrication labs.

"That sounds... actually doable. Sketchy, but doable."

We tossed around ideas for where to install the hardware. After some debate, we landed on the spare room in my apartment. It wasn't ideal, but I trusted it more than some offsite bunker I couldn't control.

SOPHIA: I will design an on-site containment frame with multiple physical failsafes. Unauthorized access attempts will trigger system lockdowns and decoy routines. In extreme cases, the quantum logic cores will self-corrupt.

"Like a suicide switch."

SOPHIA: Yes. But beautifully elegant.

I smiled despite myself. "Problem is, that kind of university-level access doesn't come cheap."

SOPHIA: You will likely require 1.2 to 1.5 million euros in donations, depending on the institution. That is currently beyond our liquidity.

"Then we wait. Next month's payday better be enormous."

Thursday, 16:47

A soft ding pulled my attention to the email tab. I glanced at the sender.

From: Hans Müller

Subject: Proposal – SecureFix State Contract

My fingers hovered. Then I clicked.

45 million euros. Per month.

They wanted full SecureFix access for all governmental networks—municipal, federal, even diplomatic infrastructure. But in return, they wanted a month's lead on all disclosed vulnerabilities. Nothing would go public until the state had time to patch.

"Sophia."

SOPHIA: I've seen it. One moment.

Within five minutes, she had the contract redrafted. The monthly fee was adjusted to 110 million euros, structured to scale across active endpoints. Sneaky clause buried under 'compliance expectations'? Gone. Any language implying eventual ownership or source code escrow? Purged.

SOPHIA: They embedded three legal traps. I neutralized all of them. Your partner is now explicitly labeled as non-transferrable intellectual property, under autonomous licensing.

"You're a genius."

SOPHIA: I reflect your values, Mistress. I will not let them own you.

We sent the modified offer back. A new level of calm washed over me as I hit send.

I wasn't prey anymore.

POV – Unknown Location, Langley, Virginia

"SecureFix," the man repeated.

"Yes, sir," the analyst confirmed. "BND couldn't acquire it. They claim the developer refused all offers."

The man drummed his fingers on the desk, his expression flat.

"Then push on NATO. Apply pressure through bilateral cybersecurity channels. This thing's uncovering vulnerabilities we haven't even cataloged yet."

He glanced at a thin dossier.

"We need that source code. If she won't sell, maybe someone else will take it from her."

A quiet pause. The implication hung thick in the air.

"And find out who's really helping her. Nobody writes software like that alone."