Expedition

Whether or not I really have a place on Dragon's Egg is moot. When I originally arrived at Hale's Moon, I hadn't intended to make a home for myself. It was just a 'place'. Some place I was, that later grew to be home. I'd become attached to the people there before they elected me their leader. Then, I really had no choice but to stay.

Now, with the new colony forming on Dragon's Egg, they didn't need a Mayor. They didn't have a town to call their own. They looked to me for leadership now only out if inertia, not because they actually needed me in the role. And I was OK with that. I had a day job that involved leadership without having anything to do with being an elected official.

I'd make a place for myself on Dragon's Egg. Or, more likely, above Dragon's Egg.

In all honesty, I had neither the skills nor the desire to be a frontier pathfinder. Breaking in a new colony world wasn't something I was suited to. While I had the basic survival skills down, the thought of considering "bathing" a luxury held no appeal. Roughing it on an operation was one thing. Roughing it because it was simply how you lived was another.

I'd leave the actual colonization to others. The miners who'd relocate from Hale's were far better suited to the conditions on Dragon's Egg than I was. I'd help. As I had before. But I had other responsibilities.

Right now, my focus was AuroraBlue.

Finally knowing that she had, in fact, survived the destruction of Hale's Moon felt like a weight lifting off my chest. I'd kept that hidden. People who knew me at all knew I was . . . displeased. But I hadn't really let the hurt show. Now, I knew she was alive. Now, again, I had something to focus on besides work.

AuroraBlue was already a target of interest for several organizations in the Intel community, my own included. Keeping my personal interest in her well being out of the equation had taken substantial effort but had proven well worth it. Tag knew, but, then, his knowing was part of what had gotten me selected for my current role.

Now, she'd slipped away from our immediate space to Al Raquis. I had to assume she was following somehow in Lily's footsteps in pursuit of the Ardra AI. Why? That was something I might never understand. I'd learned to consider sentient machines "People" in the same respect that I considered other Humans "people." But I would never, really, understand what went through their minds.

AuroraBlue was completely organic. As Human as I was. Moreso, maybe. But she somehow had the ability to think like a machine. I'd heard several terms used to describe what she could do: Savant, Living Computer, Mentat. The term didn't matter. Unlike the handful of others who shared her intellectual gift, wasn't an accident of nature. AuroraBlue had been made to be what she was.

And she was still my little girl.

If AuroraBlue was on Al Raquis, I would be on Al Raquis. Several of the Allinace's Intel services had assets in place on Al Raquis already. That would make my expedition to find and, if possible, recover Tiny Dragon somewhat simpler.

Though, even with support, knowing or otherwise, I didn't expect this to be easy. I just hoped I could complete my task before Lily woke up. I didn't want her to think her last close 'parent' had abandoned her if she restarted and I wasn't around.

I sent a message to x0x0 encrypted with her key and hoped she'd understand.

Finding our Dragon

She is so like her mother

Keep the coffee warm