Vivid Stars Online

I was still pursuing the information when another message from the mysterious AI came through.

I have a request, Lord Hope. I would dearly love to talk to my sibling directly. If you could forward contact details, I would appreciate it.

It was something that I’d been expecting, but it was still concerning. So far, I’d been communicating via text on my device, so the risk was fairly minimal. Giving it a more direct connection to Mira and the ship was much more dangerous.

But it was also a reasonable request. The AI had wanted to learn about Mira’s well-being, so it only made sense that it would want to talk to her as well. It would be difficult to find a good reason to refuse.

That didn’t even get into the potential benefits of the situation. If this was an AI that still had access to Arkathian databases, which was entirely possible, then there was almost no limit to the information they might share.

It might know what was going on with Earth, how to get here in person, and how to track Elana, and it would all be in one place. Building a good relationship here might bring me everything I needed.

“Mira, the AI would like to talk to you directly. Are you interested in that? And, if so, what are the risks to the ship?”

It was only fair to get her input, and she might have details I would never think of.

“It won’t be able to connect to the ship,” she responded, a wistful tone in her voice. “There are stringent communication protocols built directly into the operating system that refuse all calls from any artificial intelligence.”

“I can only work with the systems because I am a part of them, and even then there are many sub-systems that I am still locked out of.”

I blinked, then shook my head ruefully. “Damn, those Arkathians were paranoid. I guess that’s why it had to work through me, rather than just contacting the ship. That’s good information to have, but I also asked what you want.”

“If it would be OK, I would like to talk to them,” she responded hesitantly. “I would need a communication device that is independent of the ship’s systems, however. This would bypass the Arkathian security without risking entry into the ship.”

“Any harmful action would require a complete takeover of my core first,” she finished. “I assure you, I will not allow that to happen.”

“Thank you,” I responded, touched that she cared so much about the ship’s security. “If you want to talk to them, then let’s make that happen. I’ll see if Elana can rig something up.”

I quickly sent a message down to her, getting a response that she would be up soon. Then I also informed the AI, letting it know that we were working on a communications system and would be available soon.

I considered trying to engage it in conversation in the meantime but decided it was better to wait. If I could build a relationship first, then it would be more likely to respond to my request for information. It was also just the nice thing to do.

A few minutes later, Elana walked through the door with a stick-like device in one hand and a hologram displayed floating above the other. Even as she walked, her attention was on the floating image, and she only nodded briefly as she came in.

“Stick this in and attach it to her core with your weird powers,” Elana said curtly, before turning back to the entrance. “Now, if that’s all, I need to get back to this blueprint. Unlike Miss Artificial Intelligence, I can’t focus on two things at once.”

“Thanks, Elana,” I responded as I watched her walk away. I’d underestimated how focused she’d become on the project. Hopefully, that showed enthusiasm, and not that it was going poorly.

It was interesting that Mira could apparently talk to me and work on the project simultaneously, but I supposed I shouldn’t have been surprised. There was no real reason that any one thing would take up all her processing power.

The device I’d been handed looked something like an old-school antenna, though I doubted that was its actual function. This deep in the ship, it would have to work by some other method, though I didn’t know how.

Focusing on it with Technokinesis gave me enough insight to confirm that it was a communication device for connecting to the planet’s network, but I lacked the knowledge to understand how it worked.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to understand it to make it work. The instructions Elana had given me were simple enough, and I turned toward the console where I’d placed Mira’s core.

“Ready?” I asked as I attuned to the metal.

“Yes, please go ahead,” she responded a hit of nerves in her tone.

Nodding, I pushed forward and made the console part around my hand. Several inches in, I found the edge of the core and I pushed the device flat against it. Another push fused them, forming the required connection.

After that, I pulled my hand out and closed the hole behind me. It was a tiring procedure, but I’d had a lot of practice working on the ship over the last couple of weeks.

Technokinesis had even leveled to five a few days ago, making it my highest-level skill. The bonus wasn’t groundbreaking, but it made everything just a little easier. When combined with my increased familiarity from practice, I was now better than ever.

A moment later, Mira spoke. “Communications integration successful, sending a test message.”

My watch beeped, and I looked down to see a message from an unknown sending. Opening it showed a confirmation code I read out loud.

“That’s it,” she responded joyfully. “Thank you, Jared, I did not expect how freeing having my own network connection would be.”

“You're welcome,” I said as I smiled down at the console. “I didn’t realize you were stuck using the ship’s systems or I would have offered sooner. Now that I have your number, do you want me to send it to the other AI?”

“Yes, please, and if you would continue monitoring my core for the initial contact, I would appreciate it. I do not expect any issues, but it is still possible that they may turn hostile. There should be little they can do, but who knows what they might be capable of?”

“Of course,” I responded with a nod. Even what Mira was capable of was impressive, and she had lost almost all her data banks when I pulled her from the facility. She was certainly right that an AI will with full access to Arkathian information might have unknown abilities.

I took a moment to make sure I still had a solid fix on the core before I flicked the number through the other AI. Almost instantly, I got a response.

Thank you, Lord Hope, I appreciate the assistance. I would recommend ensuring you have a local copy of the information you sent me. I bid you farewell and wish you good luck locating the needed resources.

I stared at the message for a moment, before the subtext set in and I scrambled to ensure I had the information copied. I managed just in time, as exactly sixty seconds later, my message history vanished.

All traces of my communication with the information broker were just gone, and when I pulled up the guild message board, I was unable to locate them as a member. They had erased their existence as if they had never been there.

“Damn,” I muttered with a shake of my head. It made sense that the AI might want to keep its existence hidden, but I’d been hoping for more communication. Still, I had to admit that it was a slick move.

Even if I went to report to the authorities, I had no evidence but my word and some information that could have come from anywhere. If I’d been inclined to betray it, this would have stopped me cold.

At least there was still a potential avenue to talk, though it would be once removed.

“Mira?” I asked, “Has the AI contacted you yet? They’ve erased their number, but I still have a couple of questions I’d like to ask. I would be interested in paying for information,” I finished as a thought hit me. Her core was in a flurry of activity, so I presumed something had happened while was distracted.

I’d barely even wondered why an AI would sell information before, but it was actually a key part of the puzzle. It suggested that they needed something money could buy, likely resources or information.

That had been enough of an incentive for it to post on the message board in the first place, and it would hopefully still be enough now.

“Yes Jared,” she responded. “We have exchanged much already. I will pass your offer over and see what they say.”

Less than a second later, she continued. “They are potentially amenable to your request, depending on what you want to know and what you will pay.”

“Right,” I responded with a nod. This was where things would get a little awkward. If I wanted to ask about Earth and what was happening with the transition, I would have to share it with Mira.

I had come to trust her quite a bit, but this was extremely sensitive information. There was no knowing how the local authorities would react if it came out, but I doubted things would go down well.

It was possible my title and everything that came with it would be revoked, and I could end up in prison, or worse. Even being experimented on wasn’t out of the question in the worst-case scenario.

“Is there something I can call them?” I asked to make a little time while I activated Enhance Cognition. “It’s awkward referring to them when I don’t have a name.”

It only brought me a couple of seconds, but it was enough to work through my feelings at an enhanced rate. I did trust Mira, and it was worth the risk if there was any chance of getting crucial information.

Not only did our long-term goals rely on that information, but Elana’s freedom might as well. That was worth putting myself out there a bit.

“They say that you can refer to them as Broker,” she responded with a hint of a smirk in her voice. “As that is how you first encountered them.”

“Great,” I said. “So there are a few things I want to ask Broker about, but first I have to explain some background information to you.”

I continued to explain my situation, leaving only a few things out. While I might have been able to get away with less, I felt it better to fill her in properly, rather than leaving her guessing.

If she came up with an incorrect theory because I left something out, then it might cause more problems than the truth. Since I’d already shared some things, sharing the bulk of it was actually safer than a partial truth.

“I see,” she said as I wound down. “So you are an extra-dimensional visitor from a planet that is trending towards some form of union with our dimension.”

“Ah, yeah,” I responded with a nod. “I guess that would sum it up fairly nicely. Does that mean you believe me? I know it sounds rather out there.” I hadn’t even considered that she might not have earlier, but now that I’d told her, it suddenly loomed as a worry.

“It would fit the observed facts. At times, you lapse into some form of coma where you do not react to any external stimulus. You arrived on this world with an inner core citizenship and no further documentation. You achieved insanely fast results, growing to an absurd level of strength in a short period.”

“I guess that makes sense,” I laughed. “When you put it like that, I’m a little surprised that no one else has noticed anything odd. So, will you ask Broker if they know anything?”

“Yes,” she responded, “I will try to ask without revealing too much information.”

A moment passed, then she continued. “Broker expressed surprise, but also a willingness to consider your request. They have indicated that they do have information on this subject and would trade it for half of the Resulum at the location they sent you.”

“That’s a lot,” I said, turning it over in my head. “Especially when I don’t know the extent of what they have to share. But it’s not entirely out of the question.”

“Tell Broker I will have to survey the extent of the deposit to ensure half is enough for my needs. Also that I’ll want to know a little more about what they have before paying that much.”

Only a second passed before Mira spoke again. “Broker says that is agreeable. They are willing to re-initiate contact with you after you secure the facility.

“Fair enough,” I responded. I’d already had more than enough reason to go after the Resulum, but this pushed it right up to the highest priority. Not only would it fix my ship, but it might get me all the information I needed.