If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don't like mistakes.

Also feel free to ask for more background information on the world. I am somehow running out of interesting points regarding the small comments at the beginning of the chapters.

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“

The suspect Sadina escaped after causing an explosion which killed seven students and an AI. Eleven more persons were injured. Currently Sadina is seen as the main suspect because it was her experiment which caused the explosion. Further investigations will be made.

Sadina's current status: On the run.

”

-Report File Sadina I

***Galactic Centre, Aether***

***Gideon***

“I'm starting to despise diplomacy. I can't help myself.” I grumble and massage the bridge of my nose. Since three months we've been idling around at this 'Gathering' and it feels like nothing happened since the incident with Resch. “And there was no further hint at the whereabouts of my mother either.”

“You sound like a little child, calling for his Mama.” Cyla teases me while tickling Aurelia who answers with a delighted laugh.

“That's not true.” Paul smiles and places his legs on the small table between us. He is making himself awfully comfortable in my home. Not that I blame him. Saden abducted him from his work to visit us. She is in her third month of pregnancy and getting a little time off is good for both of them.

Cyla and Saden are playing with Aurelia on the floor in my living room while Paul and I are discussing current events, or absence of them. Selling our teleportation nodes to various alien species works like selling candy to children. Once the neighbours of a species realize that their transportation is totally outclassed, they want it too. Many even go as far as to supply the needed materials for our docks as soon as they arrive. Paul also set up new production nodes around Sol, solely to build more mobile docks which can travel to various systems in order to set up new teleportation nodes.

“It's the boom of the millennium! I was totally right to have more docks built and sent out in various directions. My people calculated that we will soon finish one teleportation node a week. The earned money flows almost completely into bolstering Sol's defences. Just wait until the Drazi come, they will find out that attacking our home-system isn't worth the effort.” He spreads his hands in a way which probably should look reassuring.

I nod slowly, knowing perfectly well that we need much more than a strong fleet to ward off any damage to Sol. Hopefully all our plans keep evolving like we want them to. Especially our network of teleportation nodes has to grow. “Then Aether will return soon. There is no point in having a whole colony at the Gathering if we have a teleportation node.”

“Really!? Then I can show Aurelia to my mother! We haven't seen her in almost a year, oh I have to throw a big party.” Cyla bites her lower lip. “And I've to think up a way to shock my father. Maybe I can use Aurelia?”

“Don't dare to use my niece like that.” Saden bends over Aurelia and smiles. “Say A-un-ty. Come on.”

“Aunty.” Aurelia immediately manages to parrot Saden's word. She became much more fluent in using speech and is sucking up new words like a sponge, though she can't form full sentences yet. If her current progress continues like that she will annoy us with questions by the time she is one year old.

Maybe I should really employ a sprite as personal teacher. Young techno-mages have to be tutored as early as possible. “If only I knew a sprite which is up to the task, but I don't have that many artificial friends.”

“What are you mumbling about?” Paul asks.

I return my attention to the conversation. “Oh, I just thought about employing a sentient sprite as a tutor for Aurelia. That guide for educating young techno-mages mentioned that it's good to have someone who is always ready to answer questions. It's a bummer that I am not acquainted with many A.I.'s.”

Paul tilts his head in thought. “That's strange. I always thought that you are acquainted with more machines than real humans if you don't count your immediate family. What about that Cronos who served as your body guard?”

“No. He isn't very talkative. Certainly not something I would recommend for a child.” That one I have to deny.

Paul shrugs. “Ok. Then the counsellor whom you were always talking to. I think her name was Nina? You must have built up a cosy relationship with her and it's her field. I am sure that you can pay her enough to persuade her to change jobs.”

I shudder. “Absolutely not!” That one is hacked by my mother! It's not much more than a shell which does her bidding. “There is no chance in hell that I let that one anywhere near my daughter!”

My friend pulls a grimace as he is slowly but steadily running out of options. “Okay. Last bet. How about the examination sprite whom you befriended. That one from room four. He was always talking about you when I had to take a test. Wanted to know when you take the next test, so that he can rearrange his schedule. He must like you if he actually wants to test you.”

Examination sprite? Room 4? Oh, yes. Now I remember! “Exo-4!”

“Stop that, Gideon!” Cyla's voice hisses at me and I can't help but wonder what I did now.

“Stop what? What did I do?” I ask, but in my mind I am already planning on how to get Exo-4 out of his current job to employ him. It's not like I can simply buy him like a slave. AI's have rights, I need to be a little more subtle about it.

“Your expression! You are smiling that rabid-dog-smile again and Aurelia is trying to copy you!” Cyla places her hands so that our daughter can't see me. “Don't look, Dear. That's bad. Look at me. Yes, that's how you have to smile.” Cyla looks up to me and I rub my face to get rid of the expression.

“If she copies even one of your expressions I won't forgive you!”

***Galactic Centre, Aether***

***Exo-4***

Why is the world so cruel! I've spent sixty-eight years in that examination room. It was the best job ever! Free electricity and maintenance and all I had to do was ask questions and grade the answers. It was my personal heaven and then they simply go and fire me out of nowhere!

My beloved room four! I guess it's simply Exo from now on. What will I do without a job? Who will maintain me and how do I get electricity? Do I have to steal energy from the street lights like those low lives of AI's who refuse to work properly?

I could howl at the unfairness of the situation. This corrupt director surely took the school's funds for himself and had to find a way to save money in order to hide his illegal machinations.

And now I have to sell myself as a private tutor! But I am so lucky that this Cyla Estene made me such a good offer just a few days after I was kicked out of the school.

My battery was already running seriously low, so I signed the contract right away. There was practically no choice without turning to desperate measures. The only other choice I had was becoming some kind of house-AI or something similar. How could this happen to me!?

I hover over another house until I arrive at the agreed coordinates. The house in question seems to be a mansion, I wonder who my new employer really is. Her estate is a little strange in any case. The gateway to the property is quite ordinary and matches the other houses in the street, but by looking from above I can see that the house is actually quite big.

Like I said, a mansion. Maybe the residents don't like being in the eye of the public and therefore hide themselves behind a facade of normality?

I hover lower and to the main entrance where I access the house's network to announce my presence. After a moment the door opens by itself, making an ominous creaking sound. Maybe I should reconsider my previous assessment?

There is nobody there to greet me, so I hover inside to take a look. “Hello? I am here for employment? Anybody there?”

Suddenly the door slams shut and I whirl around.

“Hi, Exo. Long time no see.”

That voice! “NO!” I start trembling and feel the old feedback loop starting up again. I thought that past was behind me!

The dark figure who was hiding behind the door steps out of the shadows and raises a contract for me to see. With horror I realize that it's my working contract!

“Yes!”

.