Hey, Aspen. It's been... far too long. How have you been?
I don't want to be a stranger, least of all, to you. I don't know how you managed to pull that off and talk some sense into the guy, but-- I thank you. Nnrgh, man, he's totally gonna verbally destroy me if he ever sees me again.
But besides that, sure, absolutely. I'd welcome the opportunity to hear you out, and be brought up to speed on what I left out from that whole debacle with you-know-who. I'm feeling kind of stupid for not talking about it sooner, and for vanishing off of existence for months, and for leaving my PDA in the washing machine (again). Heck, at this point, I reckon you might just toss an entire coffee cup on my face and leave. You're allowed to do it, so long as its an iced coffee, I don't really want second degree burns.
Uhm, say. Where do you live these days? I can bring Amsel wherever you are with me, she'd love to meet you. I talked plenty about you to her. I also kind of need her to keep me awake on behalf of my... erm, fainting tendencies. I'm not exactly in the best bodily shape, thanks to me being in my situation.
Curses. The consequences of mine own actions!
Playback terminated.
Running end-stream paragraphs.
Running burner paragraphs.
ERROR: exception at 0x00007f found
ERROR: exception at 0x000001 ♐︎□︎◆︎■︎♎︎
☜︎☼︎☼︎⚐︎☼︎?︎ ⧫︎♒︎♓︎⬧︎ ♋︎♍︎⧫︎♓︎□︎■︎
♍︎♋︎■︎■︎□︎⧫︎ ♌︎♏︎ ◆︎■︎♎︎□︎■︎♏︎
Z-NET ACCESS 4.0 | S E C U R E | BETHLEHEM version 0548.81915211L Copyright Alex Maccabelli, 832 A.S., Confederacy of Freeports - You are using FREE edition.
User ID:__Aspen Harlow
Target ID:__Lazurith
Subject:__Sir, You Are Being Hunted (by Me)
So dramatic, bud!
You know I wouldn't want to hurt you. More importantly, that'd be a witless waste of coffee.
Pfff... !
Well, there's simply no way you forgot where I live, since you were there. But I'm out on the Dandelion, taking care of a few things important to me. I'll be near to Vespucci and Pennsylvania for a while, in fact. Do come this way sometime, I'll be thrilled to meet your friend.
Z-NET ACCESS 4.0 | S E C U R E | AUDE version 0543.273719A. Copyright Alex Maccabelli, 832 A.S., Confederacy of Freeports - You are using FREE edition.
User ID:__Aspen Harlow
Target ID:__Lazurith
Subject:__Business
Rendering transcript...
Howdy.
Check your account for receipt of your cut. Just wired it your way. Thanks again for the cover.
If you happened to log any of the wrecks or jump holes yourself, consider submitting your own captures. Sounds like whoever the client is, they'd pay you a bonus for your data as well. Must be an inquisitive bunch. Here's the job posting, if the mood strikes you.
I'll keep my ear open for you about this acquaintance of yours.
Hey, thanks a lot. Check this out: I finally got my stupid comm rig to work as intended! Now I can beam out all kinds of communiques to whoever the hell I want.
Speaking of which, our potential friend is next on the list. So hang on tight, I'll get you in touch with her, and you can talk to her to your heart's content.
Bowman's gotten in contact with me too, recently. I'll delegate that to Amsel, she's really eager to get back to work.
END 05F68000... OK // BYTES TRANSFERRED = 11676665 (B22BF9 HEX) // UPLOAD STATUS... COMPLETED // SHUTDOWN
I've sent Amsel to collect 250 cigar crates instead of the FIVE required ones that Bowman asked for. I was too worried about the individual pricing of each crate, I thought Pinnacle needed two hundred and fifty. And, you know, with all the stuff I'm doing over here, it didn't OCCUR to me to stop for a minute before sending her to Baden-Baden to finalize the purchase.
And on top of that, instead of typing "Prometheum" on the shopping list, I fat-fingered something and it came out as "Promethane".
So... now, uh, I guess Pinnacle now has about one thousand and two hundred fifty units of highly flammable gas from Gallia that's also totally incompatible with Sirian technology. And a lot of cigars. I don't think there's enough chainsmokers in all of Sirius who could go through all that many cigars.
I really should've paid more attention. I haven't been back at this in a good long minute. I really hope this isn't gonna be a problem for you or anyone on Pinnacle. Sorry.
Should I talk to Bowman about this?
END 05F68000... OK // BYTES TRANSFERRED = 11676665 (B22BF9 HEX) // UPLOAD STATUS... COMPLETED // SHUTDOWN
Z-NET ACCESS 4.0 | S E C U R E | AUDE version 0543.273719A. Copyright Alex Maccabelli, 832 A.S., Confederacy of Freeports - You are using FREE edition.
User ID:__Aspen Harlow
Target ID:__Kristoff
Subject:__RE: Help
Rendering transcript...
Yeeeeup, so. I got chewed out myself over this a few hours ago. That was fun. Thanks for that little gift. Lovely way to start the day.
So, you wanna know what I think? NO, don't "talk to Bowman about this". There's nothing you're going to just say to turn around his mood. Best to let that run its course, I believe. After all, the man has every right to his anger, doesn't he? We're only trusting you with a piece of our revolution. I think he can expect you to use spellcheck.
Look, don't take it personally. I got my reprimand in person, so I read a decent impression off of him. He's mad, yes, but it's really not about you. He already started with low expectations of freelancers, but Bowman has a strategist's perspective. He's a planner. Ex-Bret government maybe, but I'm unsure. Being led into allowing an inefficiency to creep in is what really got under his skin. By, um, trusting me. Yep...
I mean to say that if you were to suddenly come through, I doubt he'd hold a grudge. His temper could've been a lot worse. Let him blow off some steam, this error isn't the end of the world. But, it'd be fair if you tried a little harder to not embarrass me for passing you work, don't you think? Remember you've got some other requests I'm still waiting on that are rather pressing.
Think you can finish things out okay? You know... stick the landing?
Z-NET ACCESS 4.0 | S E C U R E | AUDE version 0543.273719A. Copyright Alex Maccabelli, 832 A.S., Confederacy of Freeports - You are using FREE edition.
User ID:__Aspen Harlow
Target ID:__Kristoff
Subject:__Check-in
Rendering transcript...
Hey, Laz.
Tell me. How's it coming on the scrambler devices?More or less explosive, since your last iteration? Our old friend Montes nearly bankrupted me, but I can still pay you handily.
Also, what do you think about Sabah? Not everyone here has a generous appraisal of Crayter, but as I reckon, their behaving contrary to Liberty's line is good news for the rest of us.
[07.02.2026 21:12:16] =CR=ISE-Pleiades: What do zoners want with me?
[07.02.2026 21:12:20] Blackguard: Woah.
[07.02.2026 21:12:30] Blackguard: Relax, man. It's just a Zoner.
[07.02.2026 21:12:30] Red.Dandelion: Just... surprised at seeing an Order battleship, that's all.
[07.02.2026 21:12:34] =CR=ISE-Pleiades: I'm justa supply ship.
[07.02.2026 21:12:48] Red.Dandelion: No word at all about why that's sitting there?
[07.02.2026 21:12:55] Red.Dandelion: It's hard to miss.
[07.02.2026 21:13:05] Red.Dandelion: Does Liberty get upset with you about it?
[07.02.2026 21:13:18] =CR=ISE-Pleiades: Liberty can suck it up.
Z-NET ACCESS 4.0 | S E C U R E | AUDE version 0543.273719A. Copyright Alex Maccabelli, 832 A.S., Confederacy of Freeports - You are using FREE edition.
User ID:__Aspen Harlow
Target ID:__Kristoff
Subject:__Re: Check-in
Rendering transcript...
Hello~? Are you finished working yet?
I want to come pick them up, if your schedule permits. There's simply no way you're this allergic to being paid.
Tell me you didn't get roped into anything untoward again? By now, I'm morbidly curious.
░ ::>
▒ ::>
░ ::>sndr_ID_location: OMEGA-3
░ ::>sndr_ID: Kristoff
▓ ::>rcpnt_name: Control Group Member #1
▒ ::>
▒ ::>file name: Re: Check-In
░ ::>decrypted file data loss: 0.13 MiB/s
▒ ::>
░ ::> commencing playback:
Hey again.
Guess what. I've just wrapping up the finishing touches on all of the twenty - that's right, ALL OF THE TWENTY S-Keys. Twenty individual little demon cartridges that can get you one, or more free passes through any door of your choosing. It took me a LOT of time to retrofit these warehouse multitool gizmos, and honestly, it's the re-packaging part back into the remote that took most of the effort. Just for context, the first model I created didn't look too good - it was essentially a silicon board from one of my hydroponic drones strapped to a keypad, a bunch of wire clusters and a LOT of masking tape and duct tape and many of my hopes and dreams. It was uuu-gleeeyy, but more importantly, also a fire hazard. Deathly dangerous.
I had many, many setbacks. This was one of them. The next attempt went a little better, as I started the entire project from scratch, refitting some CL-3 master remotes into the current finished project. If you wanna know more, please read the booklet I'm about to append... right here.
Let me know when you're ready for the drop-off. If these things turn out to be as effective as they have been, I'm about to make a fortune over here.
////// THIS LITTLE GIZMO CONTAINS A CLOSED SOURCE CODE. DO NOT CONTACT ME VIA THE NET TO ASK ME TO DECRYPT THE SEVERAL .CDXLL ARCHIVES FOR YOU, DO IT YOURSELF (IF YOU CAN). DO NOT ASK ME HOW THEY WORK BECAUSE I HAVE NO IDEA EITHER. COPYRIGHTED ON 02/02/836 BY LAZURITH. DO NOT REDISTRIBUTE THE SOFTWARE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION OR I WILL FIND YOU AND EAT YOUR FACE. THE SOFTWARE HEREIN IS ENTIRELY LEGAL FOR REDISTRIBUTION (AS LONG AS I ALLOW IT) AS PER THE FREE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 762. HAVE FUN. //////
The S-Key, formerly known as The Cracking Opener, OpenSesame, Thing That Doth Open The Doors, Skeleton Key and Totally Legal Little Beep Beep Boop Thing That Does Cool Things is a highly modified CL-3 industrial Cerestech Automated Cleaner remote, included in all the many packaging instances of the aforementioned CL-3 units. As such, it has been sold in large quantities on the civilian Bretonian market, notably after the battle for New London, during the timespan in which an almost interminable swath of debris and rubble dominated the war-torn streets. It is worth noting that as time went on, these units became obsolete, as the streets had nary a pebble left to clean in the major living centers, as regular civilian garbage disposal was not part of their programming.
CL-3 units possess a short-range transmitter to connect with the master remote, which allow them to systematically acquire said debris via the remote controls. It is worth noting that the units are capable of automatically discerning the chaotic and irregular debris size and shape and weight, and depending on the input by the user, the machine is entirely capable of collecting all manner of rubble via their powerful servos and gyroscopic joints. The remotes containing these control modules which permit the machines to "queue up" these requests are highly versatile, and can allow for the control of up to 5 CL-3 units simultaneously, provided they are all within range. As such, this remote contains just enough hardware capabilities and the correct output peripheral slots to allow it to handle the following tasks via its many features:
- Hydraulic door access and control.
- Data storage for electronic lock code decryption software algorithms, up to 24 digits.
- Additional data storage modules for biometric encryption bypassing features.
- A layer of thermite.
SAFETY WARNINGS:
- Do NOT leave the device charging for longer than 3 hours at a time (It will disconnect automatically after a period of 180 minutes and enter a 20 minute cooldown stage before re-activating the electron influx, but this process could be bypassed by unplugging and plugging the device again during this overheating period). This could overheat the battery and activate a heat-based chain reaction inside the thermite layer and cause the entire device to be lost, and potentially, causing the battery to detonate as well.
- Do NOT leave the device near objects surpassing the 100 degrees Celsius mark. If you're anywhere near an object of this warmth, you're probably already on fire anyway.
- Do NOT drop the device or handle it carelessly. While the inside of the S-Key is padded to ameliorate kinetic impacts with the ground to prevent the thermite from going off, it's worth noting that in the event of a particularly strong impact, there is nothing that can't prevent the thermite layer from detonating at that point, which will result in the total loss of the device's functionality. I'm not responsible for your carelessness.
- Do NOT drown the device in water.
- Do NOT leave the device inside the pants of your washing machine while you're drunk and starved for food and highly distracted by Plasmaball live streams while your roommate is yelling at you at 4 in the morning.
- Do NOT expose the device to live flames.
- In the event of your device not responding to your controls, please use the ON/OFF functionality.
- In the event of your device malfunctioning and it being broken beyond repair, discard it. Please remain compliant to local environmental recycling laws.
- Do NOT ingest the thermite layer.
METHOD OF USE:
The modified CL-3 control remote is endowed with a custom OS invented by yours truly. As such, all of its original functions have been either modified or entirely removed, as you will certainly not need to interact with CL-3 units. The retractable antenna on the back is therefore entirely obsolete, you may even turn it into a Keychain if you'd like. But the device is pretty hefty, resulting in a weight of roughly 4.3 kilograms, so I don't particularly recommend it.
When approaching a door with a BATA or KTR Universal slot, use the included peripheral cable to initiate the connection with the door interface. A prompt will appear on the screen after the device will load the KeyMold software, and the user will acquire a readout on the device about the resulting amount of possible combinations in the door's electronic lock system, as well as a confirmation about whether to continue the process. Use the navigation keys on the device to press the "YES" option. The device will then calculate the optimal algorithm for the door's correct combination after a single incorrect attempt. The door will then be unlocked. Unplug the device, and presto: you're done.
In the event of an additional biometric lock requiring retinal or otherwise handprint-based terminal, select the "NO" option. The device will load a master template biometric coded sample stored in the databanks and will attempt to interface with the door lock. This process could take up to twenty seconds. The device will then provide the terminal the required information, before forcing a disconnect via the aforementioned thermite layer which will proceed to instantly detonate the device's main electronic board. This process is safe, provided you're not standing on water. The door will be opened, and in some rare cases, the terminal might flag any nearby maintenance operators about a certain 0x0000CBFF terminal error I am as of yet unable to fix. Take the right precautionary measures and act accordingly.
Have fun.
END 05F68000... OK // BYTES TRANSFERRED = 11676665 (B22BF9 HEX) // UPLOAD STATUS... COMPLETED // SHUTDOWN
Z-NET ACCESS 4.0 | S E C U R E | AUDE version 0543.273719A. Copyright Alex Maccabelli, 832 A.S., Confederacy of Freeports - You are using FREE edition.
User ID:__Aspen Harlow
Target ID:__Kristoff
Subject:__Re: Check-in
Rendering transcript...
Wow. This is thorough work on your part.
Being reusable outside of blowing out biometric or retinal scan reqs - something I considered a long shot anyway - definitely helps with how I'm expecting to use these. LPI security typically isn't so rigorous, but now I need not fear if it suddenly turns out to be.
That'll really help cover my blind spots. You know, the only locks I've ever flipped myself were these analog, old-fashioned tumbler locks. That click is supremely satisfying. But to the surprise of nobody, people opt into something more secure than that beyond the outback.
I'm free right now, so I will come your way. Freeport 1, yes? I'll be there tomorrow if so, bearing gifts and due payment.
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