FOR CENTURIES THE JUMP GATE HAS CONNECTED THE COLONIES.
AGEIRA HAS GUARDED THE SECRETS OF THE GATES LIKE A DRAGON HOARDS ITS WEALTH.
THE GATES HAVE BEEN GILDED MANACLES BINDING THE HOUSES TO LIBERTY'S WILL.
DEBT AS A LEASH.
LICENSES AS LEVERAGE.
ACCESS AS A PRIVILEGE.
KUSARI HAS CREATED AN ALTERNATIVE IN SECRET.
THEY DO NOT INTEND TECHNOLOGICAL LIBERATION - ONLY THE IMPOSITION OF A NEW MONOPOLY.
THE JUMP DRIVE IS A SHIP-MOUNTED GATE.
UNFETTERED POINT TO POINT TRAVEL.
NO ONE HOUSE OR FACTION SHOULD WEILD THIS TECHNOLOGY UNRIVALED.
TODAY WE DUMP THE SCHEMATICS FOR A REVERSE ENGINEERED JUMP DRIVE
ONTO THE NEURAL NET FOR ALL TO SEE.
MONOPOLIES MUST BE BROKEN.
CORPORATIONS MUST BE CURTAILED.
NO HOUSE MUST BE ALLOWED TO ASCEND TO HEGEMONIC TYRANNY.
- - -
WE PROVIDE SCHEMATICS AND MATERIAL DATA FROM THE IKN NIYODO,
DESTROYED BY THE LIBERTY SECURITY FORCE.
LIBERTY AND KUSARI HAVE ALREADY SHED BLOOD OVER THESE SECRETS.
THE DISPUTE IN THE NEWS IS A FASCADE,
A MASK FOR CORPORATE GREED AND FEAR.
THE JUMP DRIVE IS NOW YOURS.
CAVEAT EMPTOR.
datadump.tdf (1.23TB)
Madeleine puts the smartpad to the side and takes a deep breath. This is big, she thinks. This is really big. Hacking the Colony News Service once? Impressive. Doing it twice, exactly when promised? Intimidating. They really earned that name. And it's bad.
Instinctively, she produces a pack of menthol cigarettes from the pocket of her shorts. Highly unusual to do that in the kitchen, but the coffee machine is not done yet. Cigarette, lighter, fire, slight suck. Nonchalant toss of the pack onto the counter. Deep inhale.
Gulp. One realization after another hits. Chains of causality, all just theory. Neurons sending one signal after another. The pack of cigarettes vanishes back into the pocket of her hotpants, the lit cigarette held in place by her lips, a cup of coffee to go as she leaves the kitchen, crosses the living room, walking past the usual suspects sitting on the couches and the floor, watching some game. Quick steps up, back to the bedroom, exhaling a refreshingly sharp cloud of menthol before sitting down at the side of the bed. Monique's legs intertwined with Levan's, an arm around him, her nose buried in his black hair.
Without much hesitation, Madeleine's hand approaches Levan's bare chest, and twists an unsuspecting, innocent nipple, immediately causing him to wake up as the sharp pain leaves no other choice. An annoyed groan, his hand protectively rushing to the aching spot, he returns a frown to Madeleine.
≫Levan≪
... Why?
≫Madeleine≪
Bad news.
≫Levan≪
... they will still be there tomorrow...
≫Madeleine≪
Levan. It's bad.
Madeleine leans forward to pick up a piece of black cloth from the floor and drops it on his chest. Slowly realizing she is serious, he exhales audibly through his nose, carefully untangles himself from Monique's limbs and grabs the cloth, which turns out to be his briefs. A moment later, with at least the bare minimum of decency, he moves off the bed and follows her to the balcony.
Chilling winds, just two meters away from them as both of them enjoy the heated air coming from the balcony exhaust vent. Madeleine takes another drag from her cigarette and blows the bitingly refreshing air into the cold outside as Levan drops himself onto one of the loungers, barely able to keep his eyes open. The night sky is covered by clouds, reflecting light pollution back to the surface. Psithurism, vrooms, muffled voices from people outside, muffled voices from people downstairs. The warm air presses through the vents, and the jingle of the Colony News Service as Madeleine hands her smartpad to Levan, showing him the news.
Levan pauses the audio and glances over at Madeleine, who extinguishes the cigarette by burying it in the dirt of one of the flowerpots. An odd sight, but he doesn't question it.
≫Levan≪
... That... is something... but, uhm... what are you worried about?
Her tongue slides over her lower lip in thought before Madeleine moves over to his side and sits down in the lounger next to him, facing her boyfriend.
≫Madeleine≪
This is a big deal, Levan. First of all, I don't recall the Lane Hackers ever hacking the CNS twice in a row, just like that. They even announced it. NNSec was prepared for this and it still happened. And then the content. Jump Drives, that's a big threat, not just to Ageira. Border Stations will become obsolete. And they leaked these plans to literally everyone in Sirius, and Gallia.
≫Levan≪
Could just be a fib. A stunt. I mean, they would help their enemies a lot more that way than they themselves profit from jump drives.
≫Madeleine≪
Could be. Time will tell. Anyway, this is already affecting the Ageira stocks. Just sold mine, with a little loss. Still dropping. But that's not all. They say the LSF shot a Kusari ship with that technology. That's bad. The political atmosphere is already tense. You've seen the ships up there yourself, Levan. Things haven't been this bad between Kusari and Liberty before. Now it gets worse every week.
≫Levan≪
... you really think it is going to escalate?
≫Madeleine≪
Look. Maybe it is really just nothing. An elaborate Lane Hacker prank. Maybe that download is a virus, maybe the LSF didn't shoot down any Kusari ships. Nobody can tell right now. But!
She leans closer to his face, whispering the following things, just loud enough to beat the sound coming from the exhaust.
≫Madeleine≪
If things escalate, we'll get drafted. Pretty much everyone downstairs, too. And if those jump drives are really a thing, Levan, then Kusari can jump past Liberty's defenses. And Denver has plenty of targets, even here in David's Hollow.
Without looking, her hand slips into her pocket to retrieve the pack of cigarettes again. Seconds later, she has another menthol cigarette between her lips, lit. Considerably more awake than before, Levan sits upright on the lounger, his legs angled and hugged, chin on knee.
≫Levan≪
That would be the worst case. Getting drafted, fighting over some... technology...
≫Madeleine≪
Listen, love. We'll need to keep our eyes on this. This is important. If things get worse, it... might be best to leave Liberty for a while. You, me, Monique, Kimby, Durga and Mika. That might be the one time where your ship is actually useful. And then we sit it out somewhere else. Maybe Rheinland.
≫Levan≪
... Let us wait for a bit first. Maybe you are just overreacting right now.
≫Madeleine≪
Maybe I am. Maybe not. Look, it doesn't hurt to be prepared. I'll prepare some duffel bags, just in case. You know, just the essentials. Clothes, food, medical supplies, tampons, all that stuff. You surely have enough space for that on your ship. If I'm wrong, good. Then it was just false alarm. If I'm right, we're prepared. Alright?
Levan visibly thinks it through in his head. Generally, there was nothing wrong with being prepared. Madeleine is the most intelligent person he knows. Maybe she is right about all that. It sounds weird at first, but he has seen the ships in orbit. He exhales audibly, shaking his head.
≫Levan≪
You really think they would draft us?
≫Madeleine≪
You're a combat pilot and have a bounty license, so you'd definitely get drafted as citizen of Liberty. Monique and I did CCS after college, and I think Kimby did, too.
≫Levan≪
... That really sucks.
≫Madeleine≪
Yeah, it does. Big time.
He eyes her as she takes another pull from her cigarette and blows the flavored mist in his direction. Barely anything reaches his face, unable to outmatch the warm winds from the exhaust. Her hand is shaking. Seeing her like this, Levan understands how serious she is about these thoughts. One incident on the news, so many conclusions drawn. Far-fetched at first, conclusive now. Intimidating.
≫Levan≪
Come here.
The boy lies down on the lounger, welcoming her with open arms to join him. Without much hesitation, she simply extinguishes the cigarette on the ground, leaving an unnecessary smudgy trail along with the remnants, then joins him, burying her face in his tattooed chest as he wraps his arms around her upper body. Like that, they remain for a while on the balcony, engulfed by the warm air coming from the exhaust.
His current ship is not suitable for housing a larger crew, and certainly not a pet cat like Mika. Four bunk beds, five people, plus pet. Supplies for everyone, storage space, maybe some partitions in the cargo hold. No shower. It is really not ideal. But it will have to do.
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