Requiem to the Stars - Requiem to the Stars – Chapter 16

“Requiem, it seems like you’re starting to become a name in
this city. I’ve heard you’ve helped the security twice already. Now we’re at the
third time. Perhaps we should start paying you!” The security officer stated.

He was vaguely familiar. Requiem believed him to be one of
the men he had run into during the event with the out-of-control android. This colony
was no larger than a few thousand people, and the security probably consisted
of maybe fifty. In short, it appeared like news spread quickly and the security
exchanged information. Perhaps it was even the case Requiem was investigated
upon entering the competition or coming up with access to the mansion.

“I could use the money,” Requiem admitted.

The man burst into laughter. Requiem supposed that the man
had taken what he said as a joke, but he was dead serious. Taking a job as security
probably wouldn’t be ideal for Requiem’s plans though, so he left it be.

There were ten security officers in the small inn. They had
already apprehended the small girl. She shot me hateful glares, but I ignored
them. As for Ginger, she looked over at the slave with a guilty expression and
her hands rubbing together. It was clear by her expressions that she was
anxious and terrified for the girl’s sake. I didn’t see any reason for that. She
was already in their hands prior to this. All that returning her to the authorities
did was set her back to the status quo.

Since she had lived up until this point, it stood to reason
that she would be alive up until the point that I won her. At least, that was
my current reasoning.

“Tomorrow, the competition begins. Excuse me, I’ll be
needing some sleep.”

I used the human excuse of exhaustion to end the
conversation quickly. However, no sooner had I said it than I found myself
yawning with a wave of tiredness shooting through me. I was reminded once again
that this strange body of mine seemed to require a great deal of upkeep. Of
course, it also had many obvious advantages. This was a world that held down
androids. Being able to blend seamlessly with the human population was worth
all of the issues. When I no longer needed to keep myself hidden, then I would
naturally abandon this body and choose one that had fewer disadvantages.

“Of course, of course. I’m rooting for you! Well, slightly. I put my money on Dragon. It’s the android that Merchant Dive is using. He’s the richest man in the quadrant. He’s had his eye on an Exodus pass for the last few years and will stop at nothing for it. Ah… not that I meant anything by it! It’s just that in a VR setting, physical attributes no longer matter and thus androids take a clear advantage!”

“It’s fine…” I silenced him with the wave of my hand. “I apologize
in advance for causing you to lose your bet.”

Most everyone who wasn’t a part of the competition was
betting on the competition. It looks like the nature of it that spread across
the nobles only a few hours ago had already leaked to the rest of the city. In
this case, video games were the grand equalizer of all things. Although
processing speed was supposed to be limited for the androids, it was still an
event that put the androids in a clear advantage. This was likely done deliberately,
to favor the rich and the profitable, while disadvantaging the lower classes
that were bettering the lives on a long shot.

The security guards all burst into laughter, and it appeared like Requiem had put the men at ease. Ginger watched us uneasily, and as the princess was led out, she stuck her tongue out at Requiem.  He didn’t pay her any mind. It wasn’t that he had something against her, it was merely that he had other concerns on his mind.

Using the opportunity granted to him, he finally excused
himself and returned to his room. Using the recordings CLIPI had stored, he
went through the night several times. Although his physical body had many
setbacks, his brain still had an appropriate processing speed, and he was able
to work through, watch, amplify, and dissect everything he had seen and heard
within an hour. The point of doing this was to try to ascertain who his
competition would be and to determine their weaknesses.

Entire conversations that might have occurred on the other
side of the room were isolated, amplified, and then played out. Even though
Requiem himself wasn’t paying attention, sensors could always pick up what he
didn’t. In this way, he had heard about 60% of everything said within that banquet
hall. The rest was too distorted or quiet for him to pick up no matter what
cleaning algorithm he could use.

He found this the most frustrating of all. In his previous
forms, this would have never been a problem. Better microphones could have
picked up a single sound, even that of a mouse. Yet, these ears he used had a
limited range of sound and an even more limited clarity. Was this what it was
like to be a human? How frustrating.

Requiem managed to use prediction algorithms as well as statistics
on the competitions betting that CLIPI had managed to download earlier that day
and fill another 30% of that missing data. 90% was still pathetic by Requiem’s
standards, but it would have to do.

From what he was able to figure out, his three most
difficult rivals were the man named Dragon, who was an android from the
Merchant class. However, that man was only 2nd in the betting poll. He
was most favored among the civilians who bet, but they always leaned on the
idea of a commoner becoming a noble. As far as commoners go, he definitely had
the highest likelihood of winning.

The Dragon was a specialized model of android that used unique
processing methods to speed up his reaction time without using more bandwidth.
That was extremely advantageous for this competition, where the android’s
brainpower would be restricted to make the competition fairer for humans. As to
what this particular method of processing was, it was a trade secret. Requiem
would need CLIPI to get back online and hack some servers if he wanted to get
that information.

The first place to win was the android of a noble. The noble
came from a terrestrial planet in the same solar system. The difference between
terrestrial nobles and colonial nobles was vast. They had settled a planet, and
that meant that had a myriad of resources, contacts, and power. Many considered
this to be a double-edged sword because while putting down roots lead to
greater growth, it also meant it was more painful and difficult to give it up
when the next exodus began.

Either way, the android was Chreos. Actually, it wasn’t an android at all, but an AI construct like CLIPI or what I used to be. Who knew what its physical form would take once in the VR? Chances are, it wouldn’t have a human form at all. Was it technically legal? Apparently, but had the competition taken any other form than a VR competition, a giant logic computer would have been useless.

Its presence already showed that the noble had known the
nature of this competition possibly months in advance and then picked the
absolute best available option. Even if some people were angry about this,
there was nothing they could do. He was a powerful noble, strong enough that
even the Lord Saphire was wary of him. In fact, it was most likely the case that
this entire event was engineered so Lord Saphire could award the other noble
and endear himself to this more powerful planetary lord.

In short, it was a way to launder money. It tied the two lords together, allowed them to make mutually profitable trade negotiations, and also announce to other lords their relationship, wealth, and prestige. Of course, this all depended on if the AI could win the competition, but they wouldn’t leave that to chance. With an AI that didn’t even see itself as human, it could have all kinds of advantages from the ability to fly to a monstrous size. It had likely been uploaded to numerous senses of self and would pick the one most suited for the situation.

Attempting to do the same to an android would be difficult.
Since the competition’s nature was only announced tonight, doing something like
altering a sense of self would be impossible for someone to do, unless they
were someone like Requiem. However, Requiem didn’t intend on taking advantage
of this trick, because that would out him as an android for certain. It was safe
to assume that any actions he took once the game started would be recorded and
closely observed. When Requiem cheated, he’d have to do it in a way where no
one could tell.

The third place to win was a human. They were a bounty hunter
for androids and considered the best in the solar system. When androids went
rogue, he was someone who brought them down and destroyed them. His name was Adento,
and he was considered the most dangerous man in the colony. He naturally had
come here specifically to engage in this competition on Chryos.

“She’s at the door!” Clippy’s voice interrupted as Requiem finished
reviewing the information in his databanks.

A light knock occurred on my door. Requiem stood up and went
to answer it. Ginger was standing there. She was wearing the clothing she
planned to go to bed in. It was a long nightie. Although it wasn’t made out of
a clingy material, it still showed off her body and it definitely showed a bit
of skin and could be considered immodest. She also had a blush on her face. She
always seemed embarrassed, although Requiem was becoming used to it.

“Ginger?”

She looked at my clothing and then nodded to herself. “You’re
still up. G-good.”

“Why did you need me?”

She turned her head. “Do I need to say?”

“Yes.” He answered honestly.

“You…” Her eyes narrowed, but a moment later she started
crying and threw her arms around Requiem. “I’m scared!”

“The security left, right? That hasn’t implicated you in
anything?” He asked, feeling slightly confused at her sudden emotional reaction.

“It’s not that! Well… that’s some of it… but seeing that
poor girl, and then knowing you have to fight in that horrible competition tomorrow
to free her… You could die!”

“That’s true…”

Requiem didn’t deny it was possible. However, she seemed to
be spinning it so that his involvement in the competition was specifically to
free the slave, which was far from the truth. He was doing it for the money,
plain and simple. Requiem even planned to sell the exodus token if he could do
so safely.

That didn’t appear to be what she wanted to hear, as she ended
up crying even harder. Suddenly, something between Requiem’s legs started to change
shape. He hadn’t consciously redirected blood there, but for some reason, it
hardened considerably as she held him tightly, rubbing her body against him
closely. It was to the point where that thing could be felt by her as well.

“Ah!” She made a noise and pulled back, her body shaking.

“I’m sorry…” Requiem responded.

It was another response this body did without him
encouraging it. He really didn’t know what else to say in this situation. Requiem
was just about to cut off sensory to that area to calm it down, but Ginger
shook her head and grabbed his hand.

“No… it’s fine.” She said. “Rather… I’m a little happy…”

Requiem cocked his head, not sure what she meant. Why would she be happy about an unnecessary biological response? It wasn’t like Requiem didn’t understand human sexuality. He had studied the concept extensively. It was simply that a textbook understanding of sex didn’t necessarily translate to experiencing it first-hand. This body seemed to replicate the experience of a human too well.

He found his heartbeat speeding up, sweat increasing, and a
strange sensation resonating from his loins. In fact, it was becoming difficult
to think clearly. His current condition was very detrimental.

“What should we do about it?” Requiem asked.

He didn’t mean to say that out loud. That was supposed to be
his thoughts, but his body seemed to be going out of his control. The burning
heat inside him was increasing, and suddenly he found it difficult to look away
from Ginger. She really was a cute girl. When he said that, her blush deepened.

“If… we do that… you must, promise me something.” She
breathed weakly.

“What?” Requiem asked.  

“Please, survive tomorrow. If I give you… that… you definitely
must come back!”

Requiem crunched the numbers in his head, even if those
calculations were slow. It seemed like he had no choice. His body was no longer
cooperating. He tried to cut the sensors, but it was almost like his body was ignoring
his commands. Vaguely, Requiem sensed something different about his body. It
was like a built-in directive that overcame his sense of logic. In short, he
understood he had to take care of this function now, or his performance the
next day would be jeopardized. Requiem quickly came to the most logical
conclusion.

“I will.” He promised.

Requiem reached out and gently grabbed Ginger, pulling her into his embrace. When his lips touched hers, another voice exploded in his ear.

“No, Master! You can’t do that! Ignore your body! This can’t
happen! Stop!” Clippy started to throw a tantrum.

“Clippy off.” He activated the emergency kill switch,
shutting Clippy down for the night.

With silence in Requiem’s head, the only sounds he heard
were the sounds of clothing falling to the floor, flesh rubbing on flesh, and
the gentle moans of a woman. The door locked shut, the pair fell into Requiem’s
bed, and the night passed on.