Senjen did not have time to stop and think. His last remaining ally, even after having been shot up from the start and damaged near to the point of destruction, had managed a surprising last stand, but he still doubted it would last long. It had bought time and kept him from being outflanked, but he needed to capitalize on that immediately. If he played this too patient, they would just use their numbers against him.

It was not a second after the grenade detonated that Senjen ran up next to the wall towards the doorway. The enemy team leader had used the grenade as cover to push up, but evidently it had not expected Senjen’s aggression. They met, a bit to Senjen’s surprise, right on the other side of the doorway. Even more of a surprise to him was how natural his reaction ended up being. His training had his body moving almost without thought. The moment the robot started raising its rifle, Senjen used his shoulder and left arm to push the weapon back up against its chest while driving his claws into its shoulder joint and slamming it back up against the wall behind it.

Senjen heard a metal footstep behind him and ducked his head as a shot from a sidearm flew high over him. The other robot was back in the fight. Meanwhile, the blue team’s leader headbutted him and pushed him back, then started to slash at him in retaliation. However, as deadly accurate as it had been at range, these robots did not quite seem programmed for hand-to-hand combat. It did not know how to make full use of its body as Senjen did, and did not react in time when he whipped his tail around the robot’s wrist to hold back its arm, then jammed his claws down through the gap in the plating at the neck joint. Being a Utaysi model, he knew just where to find some important parts.

Though it did had not closed the gap in time to save its team leader, the last robot had rushed in much closer in those few moments. Senjen had only an instant to react, and even all his practice has not made him that fast. He turned to face it, but could not block the incoming swipe. His shields had been stressed considerably by the grenade and the claws went straight through, but he was able to at least angle his body so they just scraped across his armored chestplate. Senjen’s reprisal was immediate. He jabbed his claws into the neck of the robot so he could control its head and hold it still, then pressed the barrel of his own rifle against its head and pulled the trigger.

The simulation arrested Senjen’s movement quickly, and a bit jarringly. It had declared his victory.

---

Jess was not particularly impressed with Symphony’s rather “corporate” answer, but she did not let on to that for the moment, instead just humming and giving a nod. She had a feeling that what Symphony wanted and what Light wanted were two very different things.

“Gel-rooms...you’re going to have to remind me what those are again. Is that somewhere I could go, or is drowning going to be something of an issue here?” Jess asked.

“Well done! I am impressed.” The Utaysi congratulated Senjen as he exited the simulation.

“Most people do not win on their first try; one versus two as well. Bravo!”

“Good job Senny, you were formidable in there.” Ruk toasted him with a few glass of champagne.

A servile droid appeared with a tiny olive tree sapling in a terracotta pot on their silver tray. The Utaysi staff member carefully took hold of it and presented it to Senjen.

“A token of Myrmidon’s appreciation - you have earned it. How did it feel, controlling one of our base models? You made good use of your custom loadout.”

---

“It's a room made of gel.” Light said simply.

“You’ll be perfectly safe in there. Safer, even, than out here.” Symphony chuckled musically.

“Please, show us the way!” Light concluded with vigour. He placed his drained glass on a passing tray, grabbed a manipular full of vol-au-vents and meandered through the crowd after the salesperson.

Even though he never really left his own body, Senjen still took a moment to collect himself after returning to conscious control over it. After having control over a brand new, top-of-the-line Myrmidon model, he felt like he was becoming immediately aware of the extra resistance his worn joints were putting up just to move. “Well I...guess I just have more experience taking advantage of this sort of body than the AI programs.”

Senjen seemed eager to talk to Ruk about the fight. He mimed the motion of toasting with her, his gaze fixated forward, and his tail moved excitedly. “I felt fast, sharp, even with the delay. I really need to show you Pertiktin’s studio sometime. He’s a great teacher, and he really emphasizes how to keep yourself safe.”

There was not time to talk for long before Senjen found himself being handed a potted plant. He looked shocked, for a moment. It was a gift that seemed random, but weirdly relevant to him in particular, and he briefly did not know what to think about it. “Oh, um, thank you.” He took it from the droid. “The frame was tough. Durable. I do like that about it. I do think protection is the priority if you’re in danger. Like I said, I’m not ready to buy anything today, but...I’ll keep it in mind.”

---

Jess was hesitant to follow, and only grew more reluctant the farther she went. Yet, she did not stop, and she kept all of her grumbling internal. She only ceased for a moment when they came right up to the edge of the gel room. ”Seriously...” She said under her breath. ”End up getting soaked...why do I do these things...could just walk away...”

Nevertheless, with a long sigh, Jess stepped forward and took the plunge.

The Utaysi inclined their head graciously and spread their hands modestly at Senjen’s claim. “It would certainly appear that way.”

“You were great, really!” Ruk said. “I think I’ll pass on the martial arts class though; I like to think my disarming personality is enough to keep me out of trouble.” Her bill clattered together, producing staccato raps.

The staff member listened keenly to Senjen’s feedback, nodding.

“Yes, our frames are the most robust money can buy. There is a lot more we can add to your package in future if you want to ‘tank up’ even more.” They steepled their hands in a supplication stance when Senjen repeated that he wasn’t ready to buy today.

“I admire and respect your discipline. Will you allow me to merely share with you some incentives and programs that may help with your purchase?”

Senjen agreed, so they led both of them to a comfortable seating area suitable for all species and handed them each a holo pad.

“Ok. First things first - it is obvious you have a flair for combat. We think the people deserve to see more of that. So my supervisor has authorised me to invite you to our content creator program. If you agree to film a series of videos demonstrating and promoting Myrmidon gear to our Utaysi audience, we can offer you a 25% discount on all private security lines. What do you think?”

---

The gel rooms lined the back wall. They stretched from floor to ceiling and glowed a healthy, inviting azure. The ‘walls’ rippled but did not betray the contents of each room, which only served to increase Light’s excitement.

“Myrmidon has greatly expanded its QV-specific ranges over the last two decades.” Symphony began as they approached.

“At first it was limited to tools, medical equipment and mining rigs, that sort of thing. But now I’m very happy to say…” She disappeared into the gel. Light waited for Jess to venture inside first, then emerged last.

They were in a roughly rectangular room decorated with underwater flora. There was an opening to more rooms on the right and another on the left. Symphony had shed her suit and swum free. Light kept hold of his suit, self-conscious of his atrophied body and misshapen tentacle.

In the middle of the room was a sleek teardrop of silver gel, threaded with veins of gold.

“We’ve created a gelsuit with Myrmidon durability and tech built in.” She said, drifting close to it before looking back at them. Light couldn’t help but gasp at its beauty.

“Wow. Its…like nothing I’ve ever seen before.” He swam closer, examining it from all angles.

“You can try it on, if you like.” Symphony teased.

Senjen shrugged, giving a quick glance towards Ruk. “I suppose. I guess I just think a lot about keeping my friends safe, especially if I can’t always be there.”

In general, Senjen did care more about defense than offense. It did not terribly matter how much firepower he had if someone could end him before he even knew he was in a fight. Not to mention, his whole job was protecting others. If he was not the one standing strong, then a situation could turn sour very quickly. He had to admit, it was exciting to feel as strong as he had. Even just moving around felt so fluid, especially in a body as capable as that one. Not only was it better armored, it was faster and stronger. Partially because it was simply new and had not experienced the wear and tear of his current frame, but even if his body was factory new, it still would not compare. He had to keep reminding himself of what the had told himself going in. He was not buying today, just gathering information.

Jess’ warnings had been plenty for Senjen to expect a sales pitch, but what he received was more than he imagined. Upselling with discounted bundles, maybe, or mildly favorable interest rates on financing, but this was a discount on the base model. And a significant one, at that. All he had to do was make a few videos promoting a frame he already knew he liked? It seemed like a steal, but he did not know too much about contracts with big corporations. Could there be a trick here? What would they even do? He would feel less nervous if he was sure he understand the contract. Maybe he could let Jess look over it?

“I...okay, that’s really not a bad offer. Do you mind if I take a copy of the contract home? Read it over?” Senjen asked.

---

It felt tempting for Jess to want to take a deep breath first, but she was reminded that it was really best to breathe out before heading inside. A breathable liquid was...bizarre, more psychologically than physically. In truth, Jess did not know all too much about it. She vaguely remembered Ruknar talking about it at one point, and she knew there were some chemicals of some sort that inhibited the natural drowning response in all known intelligent species. It worked for some animals too, apparently, but was more hit-or-miss.

Jess move forward awkwardly, uncertain if it was better to try and walk or swim. It was not cold, at least, so she did not get too much of a full body shock, but she was still already wanting it to be over quickly. The saleswoman had a suit to show, of course. Why else would she be talking with them? Though, she admittedly had some curiosity here. Gel suits were a recent addition to Myrmidon’s repertoire, all things considered, and they were very different from the company’s usual product lines. As advanced as they were, she had to imagine it was one area where the QV were still ahead, but would it be apparent just from first impressions? How would it compare? She wanted to make sure Light did not do anything irresponsible, but...there were some things she wanted to know too.

“No, of course not!” The Utaysi gestured and a 60 page contract relating just to the content creator program appeared on both their holo pads for download.

“As this is a very competitive program, I’m afraid our offer can only stand for one Korit day. But by all means, take some time to read through and consider it.” They tapped their claws against the side of the pad, looking at them both for a second, before continuing.
“Ok, next up, I’m pleased to say you have qualified to join our Myrmidon Assist program if you so choose.” Another brochure opened on both their holo pads.

“This is a club of competent Myrmidon product users who come to each other's assistance when required. Say you’re…I don’t know…under attack and need reinforcements. Simply activate your Assist beacon, your suit will outline the job requirements and within minutes relevant Myrmidon customers will come to help you out! Even better, completing jobs will actually contribute to money off your preferential-rate Myrmidon Bank loan! How does that sound for you? Would you like me to add that to the quote I'm building for you?”

---

Light hesitated when Symphony offered him a ‘test drive’. His mind immediately recalled the last time he changed suits, in that little shop two years ago on his first job with Senjen. He shuddered as his body remembered being crushed and starved of oxygen by that deadly black droid.

“Who. Do. You. Work. For? their voice was still clear in his head after all this time. The dead tone, devoid of any empathy.

“Are you alright?” Symphony asked, floating a little closer with concern etched on her hide.

“Y-yes, sorry. Why do you not wear this suit yourself, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Good question. I am actually being fitted with mine in a few days; I can’t use this one as then we wouldn’t have a display model. That gives you a clue as to how new this product is! If you are unsure, we can leave the demonstration for now and-”

“No, no. I’m alright - let's do it.” Unwilling to let this female see him as feeble and afraid, Light slipped out of his suit and swam slowly towards the suit. It reflected his face back at him, totally reflective while no one was operating it.

“It's open, just make yourself at home.” Symphony urged.

The suit was warm to the touch, sucking Light into its inviting cocoon. The gel became transparent, though the gold highlights remained. A faint whirring sounded and then the suit came free of its dock, bumping off the floor.

“It won’t mind-meld with you, for security reasons. But all the physical capabilities are active.” Symphony swam up close to Light to check everything was in order. Light was staring in wonderment around him. “Everything is so clear! I feel like I can sense all the way out the front door!”

“Thats because you can.” She giggled.

Light tried to swim to the left and instantly shot through the double doors, moving at triple the speed of normal. He screamed, narrowly avoiding a floating rack of sonic weapons before bouncing off the gel wall in the next room.

“I’m OK! This thing is kinda fast.” He called. Symphony just laughed, before motioning politely for Jess to lead her through to join him.

Senjen was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed by the offers coming his way, and ironically, that may have been helpful for him to avoid signing up for more than he bargained for. He was worried about the time limit on the discount offer, and a sixty page contract was already more than enough to deal with without having to start thinking about signing up for other programs. It made him stop thinking about other additions and just focus on getting started with reading it. This assistance program might have been tempting on its face, especially if it could get help to keep his friends safe, but the thought of being called upon himself at a moment’s notice caused him to spiral with thoughts that proved to be just too much to deal with in the moment.

“Oh, no I...think I have enough reading to do as it is. Just, um, I just want to focus on this frame, and maybe the content creator program. I will read over the contract this evening, and come back tomorrow with my answer.” Senjen answered.

---

Overall, Jess had only some knowledge of Quelun-Vosh gel suits. In a way, they could still be considered a form of robotics, but it was “soft” robotics, and the technology involved was quite different to what she worked with day-to-day. She could see what was going on, and she could see that Symphony was certainly trying to make a sale that Light definitely could not afford. Jess would probably have to stop him from making a mistake...eventually. However, she was also curious to hear his perspective on what he was experiencing with this suit.

Light’s first comment was on the suit’s senses, and Jess supposed that should not have been too much of a surprise. The tech behind most of the sensors that Myrmidon used in robots and other devices would not require too much adjust to use in a gel suit. The QV’s sonar was unique compared to other intelligent species, but it was not like the idea of sonar or echolocation was anything new or revolutionary to Humans. Other Earth animals had it, and Humans had studied and used it long before they even encountered the QV. Still, she did notice how it seemed to be able to connect with QV physiology pretty readily, even without the “mind-meld” Symphony mentioned.

Symphony snapped Jess out of her thoughts and she, once again, tried an awkward mix of swimming and walking along the floor into the adjacent room. She was at least acclimated to the liquid breathing at this point, but she was like a toddler compared to them when it came to mobility. Honestly, given how fast Light had managed to accidentally shoot himself into the other room, she became mildly worried for her own safety. She certainly would not be dodging out of his way if need be, so she seemed to be keeping her distance a bit. “How does it compare to your suit? I mean, it’s coming from a Human company. Does anything feel weird about it?”

“Oh…” The Utaysi opposite him looked crestfallen, upset even.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to put pressure on you. It's mostly boilerplate stuff in the contract really. If you bought the loadout from the simulation for example, you’d have to film a certain amount of content every month of the year to qualify for that discount. You’d be able to submit film and audio to us without direction but we have the right to refuse it, or you can be accompanied by a Myrmidon film drone. Uhh, what else…” They flicked through the legalese. “You wouldn’t own any rights to the content in perpetuity, which is pretty standard these days.”

He looked back up from the pad at Senjen, then caught the ball of his fist in the other hands. “Damn, I didn’t even get to the work placements or the advertising opportunities. Ok, let me generate your quote now…”

There was a few second delay, in which Ruk sent a message privately to Senjen.

“Whatever it is, don’t accept their first offer. Heck, don’t accept any offer you don’t feel comfortable with.”

“Alright! Before discounts and incentives your order comes to 4,166,666,667 Galactic Credits. If you join the content creator program and fulfill your contract, this comes down to 3,125,002,500. Now of course one of our mantras here at Myrmidon is that anyone can purchase from us, so we have a wide range of financial products available if you’re unable to pay the full amount up front. Mortgages between three and thirty years are popular; if you’re able to confirm the deposit you can put down and your monthly earnings I can provide you with a monthly cost?”

---

Once Jess approached the opening she’d see Light spinning around and moving laterally around the room at a gentle pace. The walls and a centre island were stacked with equipment suited to QV customers. Power tools, weapons, medical equipment, the list was endless. Light reached out manipulars to pick things up then discard them again. QV quite liked ‘investigating’ chaotic piles of things in shops - it mimicked their natural reef foraging behaviour, so Myrmidon had simulated that masterfully here.

“On a purely functional level, it seems better in every respect.” Light’s simulated voice had started to develop a slightly tipsy element.

“It just doesn’t feel very…homely right now. My old suit fits me like a glove and knows what I'm thinking. Despite the heater, this one feels quite harsh.”

“The mind-meld would fix that. At the moment it is configured so any species could pilot it.” Symphony explained, before turning to Jess.

“Would you like to have a try?"

Ruknar’s reminder was helpful, if nothing else to keep Senjen from rushing into any decisions. This purchase was something for which he had been planning and saving for over two years now. He had been patient for all that time; he could stand to be patient for one more day. This was a commitment that could eat up quite a few years for him, so it was worth it to get the best deal he could.

“Let’s see, and that’s after the discount…” Senjen muttered . “Okay, I can afford that deposit, and...this is my monthly income.” He had made over 1.7 billion GC during the last two years at FGC. Of course he had some expenses, but he had been able to save a significant percentage of it. This was something he could manage, he knew it, but he had to stay calm and keep in mind the advice of his friends. He looked up more directly at the Utaysi. “I just need to take this home, like I said. All the terms and conditions are here in this contract, right? Are there any other documents I need, or are we done for now? If you want to add on the work placement or advertising options you mentioned, I can look at those too.”

---

In the time it took for Jess to saunter her way through the gel into the other room, it seemed Light had managed to overcome the initial awkwardness at the new suit. He wasn’t crashing into the walls, at least. She supposed it was probably safe enough to start swimming her way over closer to him with just a small degree of caution.

Jess glanced over her shoulder at Symphony. “I’m just curious, is all. Buying a gel suit definitely ain’t in the cards for me today.”

Jess’ gaze settled onto the more fine details of the suit, at least as far as she was able to discern. The physical mechanics of a gel suit were still quite alien to her, but it still was mechanics. Still physics. It still needed to send and receive signals, still have something to do the job of muscles. Surely the fact that it was transparent would make it all that much easier to see its inner workings? Ruknar had mentioned how it was literally easier to perform surgery on a QV due to their transparency, so it could be the same here.

“Have you ever given a test drive of a top-of-the-line QV-made suit, Light? How does it compare to one of them?” Jess asked.

“Thank you.” The Utaysi keyed in the data Senjen provided.

“Yes, I’ll include all the details you need in a customised pack right away. Just hold on a moment…” He was working faster now, cognizant that Senjen was getting restless.

“Alrighty. Assuming you put a 20% deposit of just over 833m GC down on the base price, I can give you a 5% interest rate over three years, 4% over five years or 3% over ten years. The total monthly repayments on those are 99.9m, 61.3m and 32.1m respectively. Join the content creator program in the next day and I can freeze the interest rates, meaning the monthly repayments drop to 73.8, 44.9m and 23m. Does that sound manageable for you?” He looked up at Senjen to gauge his reaction.

“Please, take some time to ponder it. And as a gesture of goodwill, here are four free tickets to a little mixer Myrmidon is throwing at the Cerberus club tonight. Maybe see you there?” Senjen received a pack totalling just under 250 pages containing his quote and all the terms and conditions.

There was a section about work placements as promised. This was essentially a job board that Senjen would have access to as a Myrmidon private security frame owner. All of them were sponsored by Myrmidon or close partners, and involved a variety of projects that required a fixed term abroad. There was a bit of everything, from guarding high value individuals to controlling unruly workforces and supporting scientists studying dangerous diseases.

There was also a section about on-frame advertising. A newer, optional feature, this allowed frame owners to get money off their loan by renting their body space out for brand sponsorships. The software could also pitch adverts for the user to drop into conversation that were relevant to whatever was being talked about.

---

Symphony gave Jess a gracious bow.
“Uhhh, no. I don’t think I have. It's a bit of a…tricky situation about that.” Light tried to explain. “I’m not the right sort of caste to just be able to access top-end QV suits. They keep them very exclusive.”

“Myrmidon have taken top-end tech from the ancient houses of Vosh and made it accessible to anyone. Isn’t that wonderful?” Symphony added.

“Quite! Alas, I don’t need this newfangled technology. My job requires my mind to be sharp, not my body.” Light sounded quite melancholy all of a sudden.

“Well, why don’t you keep it for a day to properly get to grips with it, and tell me that again in the morning? You’d be the talk of the town at a little party we’re throwing at the Cerberus club tonight. Will you both come?”

Light perked right up, looking side on at Jess.

For a moment, Senjen almost felt overwhelmed again thinking about the options, the numbers being given, and the programs on offer. On the surface, the work placements did not seem to be too bad of an option. He was a bit wary about working directly for a massive corporation like Myrmidon, but if they were odd jobs he could choose to take whenever he had time, it could be fine. For the moment, though, he stopped worrying about it. His friends could help him figure this out.

Senjen took the tickets with some hesitation. “Ah, well, if I only have a day to read through and figure all this out, I probably don’t have time to go to a club. Still, I will be back tomorrow, at least.”

---

For Jess, the mention of the castes had her looking annoyed for a moment, but in a place like this, she was holding her tongue. As she nodded long, listening to the explanation, she messaged Light privately. ”Exciting as it might be, I don’t think you want to be getting attached to this thing right now. You don’t have the savings right now, and there’s no way you get even a halfway decent rate without a deposit. Just...be patient. The offer I have might help you out.”

Meanwhile, hearing Symphony’s offer, Jess gave a non-committal shrug. “Maybe. We’ll have to see what our friends are wanting to do. Speaking of, we should probably get back to them.”

It did not take long for both groups to find each other, though both Senjen and Jess had reason to leave quickly. The idea of going to the club was up in the air, but no matter what they chose, they also had reason to stop back by the ship first. Fortunately for Jess, the gel from the room mostly stuck to itself rather than her clothing, so she mostly just had to deal with being slightly moist and mildly uncomfortable during the taxi ride back.

---

“You’re wanting me to read how much?” Jess snapped at Senjen as they climbed out of their automated taxi, outside of Light’s landing pad.

Senjen held up his hands. “I know, I know, but you’re good at this sort of thing. Best out of any of us, for sure. This thing could follow me around for a decade, and you know...you could really do a lot to help me. And with a frame like that, maybe I could help you too? Or at least I could pay you, or maybe…”

Jess sighed, interrupting him. “Just…” She began, holding up one hand and looking away from him. “Fine, I can help. Just give me a few minutes. Light, could you come here a minute? I need to check something with your astronav system real quick.”

Senjen tilted his head, surprised for a few reasons. He had expected to have to persuade her more to actually convince her to donate that much of her time and effort, and on top of that, he was not sure what she wanted with the ship. “Is there something wrong with the ship?”

“No, or at least you better not have broken anything since last time. My usual courier’s been dragging their feet on something, so I might have a courier job or two soon, if they don’t get their asses in gear. Just need to make sure the ship is set to navigate to that sector. We’ll just be a few minutes.” Jess answered.

Jess seemed a bit insistent that Light join her, and once they headed up through the ship, out of sight of the others, she spoke up in a casual voice. "Could you change into your old suit real quick? It could take some advanced flying, and I need to check some things in the suit you're actually going to be using."

Light was willing to comply, so after taking a few moments to change, the pair headed up towards the cockpit. Once they got out of potential earshot of the Myrmidon suit, though, Jess got to her real business. “Not completely sure how Ruk would feel about this one. I’ll make it quick. I’ve spent the last few years trying to make inroads with a certain organization that shall remain nameless for now, and I think I finally have something. I won’t sugarcoat it; I’m looking to get into the trade of black market goods. Tech, specifically. Nothing dangerous, just the kinds of things that corporations would rather keep in-house than to sell on the open market. I’ve tracked down a lead on a particular piece of gear, and if I can recover it, then that’s my in. There are risks, and it could be dangerous, but there’s a lot of money in this trade. Could be a lot for you too, if you work for me.”

“Super! I will see you here tomorrow if I don’t see you tonight.” The Utaysi clapped his hands together in a curiously Human gesture.

---

I’m not going to buy it! But what harm is a little test drive? He shot a mischievous look at Jess before patting her face again. Symphony looked between them as they silently communicated. Eventually light spun to face her.

“I won’t say no to taking good care of this suit for a little while. And this party sounds like fun-” He whirled round when Jess suggested they may not go, upset. It was his special day, after all.

Wanting to get his own back, Light refused to ditch the suit. After their group had met back up and turned to leave, he quickly stopped to sign an agreement to borrow the suit for free, with Myrmidon retaining full tracking and override controls. He also agreed to pay for any loss or damages.

“I’ll talk to my friends; I’m sure we can make it to this thing tonight.” He said sheepishly to Symphony as she filed the agreement.

“I’d like that.” She reached out with one manipular to brush the front of his suit.

---

The docking yard was busy at this time, with lots of comings and goings. Red dust swirled bits of dead vegetation and rubbish across the ground; some of it collected around the ramshackle array of furniture which Light and Senjen had rescued from being thrown away and placed out front.

After such a busy day and with the prospect of a busy night, Light was looking forward to relaxing in his room for a little while. Even if just to collect his thoughts. But it seemed Jess needed him for something, so he reluctantly headed to his cabin to stow the new Myrmidon suit away. By comparison, his old red suit felt tired and sluggish. Light then went with Jess to a dark and quiet corner of the ship.

When it became clear it was some sort of secret he was being made party to, Light leaned in closer with every sentence. By the time Jess finished speaking, his ‘forehead’ was practically planted on hers and his watery eyes stared directly into hers. He nodded softly, actively listening.

“Interesting.” He said finally.

“So what is it? Where is it? How much are we talking? Why can’t Ruk know?”

Jess resisted the urge to step back as Light approached. She knew his tendencies well, so she was at least not surprised with how close he came. Still, QV could really make one feel claustrophobic, and she did her best to keep eye contact without it feeling weird. “You and Senjen know Ruk better than I do. I don’t...completely know how she would feel about this kind of work. If you think she would want to be involved, then feel free, but this is the sort of thing that you keep only to those who need to know. We’re going to be smuggling something, but instead of benefiting the hospital, it’s going to be for the benefit of our bank accounts. Which, frankly, is a perfectly good cause in my book.”

There was just a moment’s pause from Jess, as if she was listening for footsteps, only continuing when she heard none. “Okay, first things first, the what and the where. The ‘what’ is something you might be familiar with. I’m sure you might have had cause to use devices that can mask or spoof the identity of certain types of cargo on scans. Not a revolutionary thing for a smuggler, but the ones we are looking for are some of the best. They’re an ‘in-house’ product of the Centauri corporation. Their mining division has a presence out in the edges of settled space, but besides minerals, they’re also collecting some more restricted, or just overtaxed, substances and selling them in non-Human markets. Now the ‘where’ is in a, hopefully, unoccupied system around a pulsar. See, the company recently lost a freighter that was heading out to one of their frontier outposts, with a good number of these devices on-board. Now, the company thinks it was pirates, and they’re moving to search places where they might have been intercepted. However, I have some information suggesting it might have actually been an accident. The freighter’s route comes close to a pulsar, and being that these megacorps are always trying to squeeze out every bit of ‘efficiency’, they don’t like diverting to safer detours if it adds another day of fuel costs to the journey. Officially, their pilots have to keep a minimum safe distance so nothing bad happens, but they also ‘officially’ put harsher and harsher quotas on their underpaid employees so they have to cut corners off the books just to keep up. I have it on good authority that this one might have drifted too close to the star on their route and got their ship fried by the radiation. The cargo would have been shielded, though, which means it could still be up for grabs.”

“I won’t deny that there’s risk.” Jess added. “In a perfect world, we get in there, find it quickly, scavenge the wreck, and get out before anyone knows what happened. Big payday for just a little work. Places like that, though, are common haunts of pirates, and scavengers especially. We have to get in on this quick before someone else finds it, and we might have to protect our claim.”

“Hmmm. Well I suppose I have got more flexibility now my treatment has finished.” Light mused. While working with the For Good Cause Foundation came with great benefits like healthcare, they didn’t pay well. Making some proper money would let him make some much-needed upgrades. This job did sound potentially risky, though they were no strangers to that in their line of work.

“We could set off tomorrow, but I’ll need to talk to Senjen about this, unless you already have? How much of a payday are we talking about?”

“It’s no small payday.” Jess answered. “It depends on how many units there are, and if all of them are undamaged, but if the shipment is average and intact, then your cut will probably be somewhere around eight hundred thirty million, give or take a bit. Each. It might not buy that fancy suit in there on its own, but it’s a decent chunk out of it. The bigger point, though, is that this proves our worth to my contacts. Building that connection gets us access to goods you ain’t going to find on the open market, and more jobs. This is a bigger score than most would probably be, but still, it’s regular access to better paying work.”

Jess rubbed the back of her neck. “Tomorrow can work, but I’ve got some prep work to do on my end. We’ll probably leave late. Sen is going to need to go deal with Myrmidon anyway. Now, I have to spend the next few hours reading a stupid contract. We might still have time for that club, depending on how hard it is to get through. Wish he could just read his own contract, but...to be honest, I wouldn’t mind having him with an upgraded body for this job. My ass is going to be on the line too, so a better bodyguard is worth some reading.”

Light jerked away from Jess when she mentioned how much they might get paid.

“Really? That's wonderful! I’m sure we can make it work.” He slapped Jess gently on the shoulder. He was filled with a burst of optimism about this potential business arrangement; having Jess taking charge of all that meant he could focus on more of what he was good at. His hide took on ripples of thoughtful purple.

He perked back up at the mention of the Cerberus club. “Why not let a program summarise it for you? Nobody has time to read all those…words.” He shivered at the thought of all those scratchy Human symbols. QV writing was relief-based, making reading more like exploring a vast network of tiny valleys with sonar. Other systems were very tedious indeed by comparison.

“If we are going on a great adventure into the unknown, I would at least like to enjoy one night of being cancer free and alive.”

“Of course. How do you think I get through any contracts at work? Still, even with that help, it takes hours to do your proper due diligence. Especially with big corporations like Myrmidon. There’s literal millennia of experience in industry for contract writing. Come on, may as well get started. Oh, and that suit in there could be recording what we say, so keep quiet on this while we’re around it. I’ll fill Senjen in on this whenever you’re out of earshot with it.” Jess explained.

---

When Jess and Light rejoined the others, most of what they would notice would be how Jess seemed to be dreading what she had agreed to for Senjen. That much was completely genuine, but for what she had in mind, she was willing to go through with it. After a quick glance through it with the AI tools, she was reasonably confident to tell the others that she would be able to get through it in enough time that they could still make it to the club Light wanted to go to. Though, given that it was still going to be a few hours worth of rather dull work before then, she suggested that Light and Ruknar do something else to occupy the time, like going out for something to eat or otherwise relaxing. They could all meet back together when it was time to go out again.

While they were away, it gave Jess the chance to fill Senjen in on the job, which provided an entirely new context in which he would be making this purchase. One single job, and he could make potentially about twenty percent of the total cost of this frame. One job that would open up the opportunity for even more well-paying jobs down the road. If this body made him capable enough to complete them, it could end up more than paying for itself.

---

“Okay, so...these videos aren’t anything I would have much control over, then.” Senjen was sat beside Jess, reading over her shoulder as she looked to be juggling five different windows on two different screens.

“You might have some influence over exactly what you give them, but yes, essentially. They will dictate what they want from you, and you will have to give it every month, or else suddenly find yourself responsible for quite a bit more of a debt.”

“And how do I know what they’ll find acceptable?”

Jess flicked over the screen’s focus to a different window. “It says they’ll give you a brief. It would probably be worth asking for some examples before you agree to anything.”

“You see any downsides to trying it?”

“You mean aside from putting out content with your name on it, that you have no control over, promoting a soulless mega-corporation? No, none at all. Aside from maybe the fact that there are no strong definitions of what limits they have on what they could ask you to provide. If it were me, I would want some assurances they aren’t going to ask for anything unreasonable.”

Senjen made a point of rolling his eyes where she could see. “Yeah, I get it. What about the next things?”

“Well, this whole assist program I suppose could help keep you alive in theory, as long as you’re in a settled system. But, it would be expensive to use, and if you’re doing something less than legal, you probably don’t want to be calling in Myrmidon-branded help. You could make some money doing it for others, but the nature of the thing means you’re pretty much guaranteed to be going into danger, and you won’t know how much of it. I don’t know that I would use it in your shoes, but I don’t see any actual problems in the contract. Maybe just that Myrmidon takes a fee for using it, but that’s it.”

As Senjen was not terribly interested in the assist program, he just moved on from there. “What about privacy? I don’t really want Myrmidon spying on me.”

Jess laughed. “Yeah, tell me about it. I scanned it pretty thoroughly for that. The point of concern I found for them potentially collecting audio, visual, or location information is in ‘diagnostics’ data that gets sent to the company, as well as with the add-on services.”

“Is there any way to get out of that?”

“If you opt-out, it voids the warranty.”

“What does that get me, even? Can I still get my body repaired myself?”

“That also voids the warranty.”

Senjen crossed his arms. “Maybe I don’t need the warranty.”

“Maybe you don’t.” Jess said, looking over at him. “Since you’re not interested in advertising, the last thing is just the work placements. Basically a job board for limited, fixed-term roles. It’s work. Pay is average, nothing special. I guess you have the option, if you need it. Just make sure that if you accept one, you’re ready to commit and see it through. Don’t want to be penalized for failing your obligations.”

Senjen nodded and, after a few, long moments of silent thought, stood up to his feet. “Okay, alright, I think I’ll be ready. I’ve got notes, I’ve got a plan, just need to...wait until tomorrow. And try not to think about it too much tonight.”

“Yeah, well, at least my job is done.” Jess answered. With something of a relieved sigh, she put away all of the documentation and sent a message to Light and Ruknar both letting them know they were done with all of the contract business.

“Ok…..It's safely stowed away in my cabin!” Light protested, following her back to the others.

When Jess and Senjen settled down to review his new contract, Light looked immediately to Ruk who was sitting placidly on the floor.

“Foods?”

“Yeah.”

Light wiggled back into his new suit and shot out of his ship’s cargo bay doors with the Tekeri in tow.

“Thanks for being here with me today.” Light said.

“Don’t mention it. I’m just glad you’re OK.”

Light ululated in agreement. “If you don’t want to come to this thing later, that’d be fine.”

“Oh no. I’m invested now, may as well see it through. Have you been to this place before?”

“Me?” Light laughed. “Do I look like the club type? No, they’re too extravagant, but it sounds like there may be free stuff there.”

“Are you sure that’s the reason you’re going?” Ruk asked, studying him.

“Yeah! Well maybe to show off my new suit.” His hide said otherwise.

“Its not yours, remember.”

“Alright, don’t keep reminding me.”

They reached the bank of vending machines equidistant to their oblong neighbourhood of landing pads. Nearby a large Tindrel slept on a filthy trash pile. Light bought a set of large fish morsels wrapped in rice and seaweed, Ruk bought a mixed bag of nuts, fruits, seeds and sweets.

“Senjen and I may be on a job for a while after this.” Light said conversationally.

“Is that the new quarantine zone the Foundation is talking about?”

“No, uhh, something a bit different this time.”

“Ahh. I keep forgetting. Your allegiance to Good Causes is over.”

“No! I still want to work with them, I just have the freedom now to uhh…explore other options.”

“Got it.”

They headed back to the ship, going out of their way to avoid a particularly rowdy party out the front of another lot. Once back inside they collapsed on the floor and ate in silence. Then Light curled up asleep and Ruk quietly read.

---

Jess’ message woke Light up. He checked the time - the advertised start of this Myrmidon mixer had already been and gone. “We’re late!” He wailed.

“Relax. People never appear right on time for these things. Besides, doesn’t it go on all night?” Ruk said quietly from beside him, eyes not deviating from her holo pad.

Regardless, Light shot through the tunnels of his ship to Senjen and Jess.

“How did it go? Are you ready to head back out?”

Jess and Senjen were both up and getting ready when the others rejoined them. Senjen was perhaps not as openly excitable as he might have usually been, but that was only because he was still letting his worries about the next day occupy his mind. Even with this new job right around the corner, he was still going to be making a major commitment.

Senjen nodded to the others. “Oh, yeah. Jess already called us a taxi. It should be here soon.”

---

It was getting close to dark as the group’s autonomous taxi took them through the skylanes towards their destination, though that hardly mattered in Setia. If anything, the vibrancy of the city was even more readily on display at night. For Tekeri with a more natural circadian rhythm, this was about when they were waking up to go to work, and it definitely showed in the traffic. It would probably take them a few more minutes than planned to get where they were going.

Regardless, Senjen had managed to put aside his anxiety about the next day by instead focusing on what excited him, of which there was plenty. This was something that had been in the back of his mind since long before he had met any of his friends here, and it was so tantalizingly close. He could not help but to want to talk about it.

Senjen was sat beside Ruk, and certainly did not seem to be concerned by any delays. He was perfectly happy in speaking with her. “You know, I’ve been thinking on if there is anything comparable to getting a new body for organics, but...I’m not sure if there is. Especially with a brand new body, it’s like everything becomes brighter. Sharper. You become so much more aware of all the little things you had been ignoring about yourself. Resistance in the joints, sluggish muscle fibers, it all just goes away. And this one...I am going to own alien technology that would never be sold back on Orostro. I wish I could let you experience it somehow. Is there anything that can do something even a little like that for organics?”

“Organics can replace pretty much any body part with a synthetic improvement. It's the full personality transfer operations from organic-to-synth that usually fail.” Ruk countered.

“Apparently the Vermilion Consortium’s Quadrumvir device could be used to improve the success rate, but centuries of horror stories seem to have put most people off the idea of a machine brain.”

The taxi turned into a wide boulevard lined with trees before pulling up outside an imposing building modelled on the Parthenon from ancient Earth. Moving and colour changing spotlights traced the exquisite architectural replica from the ground.

A thin stream of people of all species were filtering up the marble steps to the giant double doors. The dull thud of music came from inside.

“Wowwww.” Light gushed; his vision was becoming sharper by the minute as darkness fell.

“This place looks fancy.”

He disembarked with the others and headed for the entrance. Security was tight at the door, but they flashed their tickets and the greeter waved them through, offering yet another glass of champagne. Light gratefully accepted and rushed inside, eyes wide.

The music was loud and infectious, thumping into his suit from all angles. An intoxicating cocktail of pheromones filled the air. The interior was not what he was expecting at all, with enough moving parts to warrant a moment to stop and evaluate.

Instead of replicating the interior of the Parthenon, his suit explained it was modelled after the fictitious Underworld from Greek mythology. Dark except for jagged blades of light streaking the floor and ceiling, the large rectangular front room had a staircase on either side and a dancefloor in the middle that was dotted with mature Asphodels. All manner of creature surged through the area, with many heading upstairs to a mezzanine with three large openings to other rooms. At the back of the room was a long bar, lit up and decorated with an exquisite frieze of winged chariots.