Inflexible (fiction)

Devil's Triangle Region (in green)

Makandal's picture of Retila

Inflexible by Stranger (2014, 2020)

Note that the descriptions of suns and planets match those in the Strangers World suite of OXPs.

Chapter 1

The first sector of the Galaxy, the southeast quadrant. Community-colonized systems form a vast two-horned appendix in this region, far from the transgalactic highway linking the Old Worlds with the Pulsar Worlds. None of the three dozen systems in this galactic nook and cranny are to be found in the tourist guides "Famous Planets" or "One Hundred Wonders of the Galaxy That Must Be Seen". But you have almost certainly heard something about this corner of the Universe. The region owes its grim reputation to the Devil's Triangle, a group of three anarchist systems at the heart of the Appendix.

A group of ships lay adrift in the dim light of the almost unheated sun. Here, far beyond the outer limit of the habitable zone, the scanty remnant of heat of the central star would barely be enough to maintain a cold, rarefied atmosphere in an ice-free state, practically unsuitable for breathing. However, the only inhabited planet of the system, much closer to the sun, could hardly be called a hospitable world. A ball the color of a burnt brick, without a single mirror of an open reservoir. Only dull patches of greenery at the bottom of deep depressions, which were once seas, said that in the relatively recent geological past that the planet had known better times.

Retila was unlucky with its central luminary. A white star of spectral class F8V entered a period of instability and from time to time burst into violent bursts of solar activity. The colonists waited out such periods of a solar storm in shelters buried in the ground. However, even during periods of decline in solar activity, the planet's climate was too hot for walking and working in the open air. Not a very attractive world for tourism. And completely unsuitable for agriculture.

The main wealth of Retila was powerful deposits of polymetallic ores. Initially, miners worked in the mines on a rotational basis, but over time, permanent settlements arose on the planet around the city-forming enterprises - metallurgical and machine-building plants. However, it never came to the establishment of a strong central authority: just before the war with the Thargoids, a particularly powerful solar flare burned the electronic circuits of the beacons and the system was left to fend for itself. Against the backdrop of post-war chaos, mines, shipyards and factories migrated into the hands of crime bosses, and economic competition turned into open war without rules. The ninth-level industrial system, which once attracted talented engineers and ambitious managers, now appears in the register of the Commonwealth as anarchy.

Ships lying adrift far from the trade routes could hardly be mistaken for a merchant convoy, even by an inexperienced observer. Yes, a Python, accompanied by an escort of fighters, is a familiar picture in our turbulent times - but what would an ordinary huckster be doing in this wilderness? It is rare for a desperate merchant to dare to visit the anarchist system in search of a risky profit, and if he does stick his head into this death-trap, he will fly full steam ahead to the GalCop station, without turning from his path and not stopping anywhere en route.

An observer with minimal combat experience would have noticed that the composition of the group was unusually heterogeneous for a typical escort, but well balanced for predatory raids on trade routes. (Tight-fisted merchants usually prefer to hire the same type of inexpensive ships such as the Cobra Mark I or Sidewinder - such a group has enough firepower to drive away a lone pirate, and holds the formation well.) A strong and powerfully armed Python in the group was perfect for storing looted goods. It was covered by two high-speed Asps, a Cobra Rapier with a scoop for collecting trophies and a light Sidewinder. This last ship could, if necessary, act alone, sniffing out prey and directing the flock to the victim. Taking into account the above circumstances, an external observer would consider it a good idea to bypass the company at a good distance, if possible without attracting attention, and go on about his business. Or decide to attack the group at his own risk.

The pilot of the single Cobra Mark III, was in no hurry to choose either one or the other. Dropping the thrust of the engines to zero, he carefully examined the group, remaining outside the range of their scanners. Then he looked around his stern and side quadrants. And only after that he moved the joystick handle away from him. The Cobra purred predatorily and moved forwards.

Old space tramps are incorrigible romantics at heart. Pragmatic to the point of cynicism in business, whatever its kind, they put the fervour of fantasy into the names of their ships - pretentious, proud, and even just plain sentimental. Or sonorous, like the names of port taverns on ancient Earth. This Python was called "Breakfast in the Ruins". A name, which as a name says absolutely nothing about the occupation of its crew. The "gentlemen" on the bridge of the ship wore the usual gray-blue non-marking overalls, such as are worn by traders throughout the galaxy. Not, Giles Forbid!, a bandana and a holster with automatic pistols - what are we, children, right? Not all members of the Python's team were immaculately shaven, but everyone was sober – work is work. Only the contents of the ship's hold were not quite ordinary for a law-abiding merchant, and in truth, the Python's skipper was nervous. Six light-years to the east was the base of the Oresle Navy Command fleet, and in recent times the fleet has often raided neighboring systems. At one time, the fleet was created to repel the onslaught of the Thargoids, and GalCop's police force ensured the safety of trade routes and hunted smugglers. The old rules of the game are changing - the fleet is no longer so scrupulous in observing the principle of separation of areas of competence between thargoids and pirates. It would be better to deal with insects.

- "Your man is late for the rendezvous", the skipper said dryly, turning to the young man, who with a bored look had settled down in the free seat of the right-hand pilot. The young man was not a member of the team and, in principle, did not have the right to be on the bridge. And in general, this whip-most of all looked like a traveling salesman, concerned about selling housewives another model of a shitty food-blender with radically improved intelligence. Blender with intelligence, fuck. But the skipper of the "Breakfast in the Ruins" had lived long enough to develop a sense of danger. And something in the expression of the young man's blue eyes said that it was better not to harp on about bridge-rights. The skipper did not like the neighborhood of the fleet base and did not like his fellow traveler. And it's hard to say what worried him more.

- "This is not a cruise liner, skipper". The young man remarked condescendingly. "We are not talking about force majeure, at any time. An uncertain component of the business, don't you know it. Ten minutes - and anything above this comes with an increase in margin of ten percent, as we agreed".

The skipper took a deep breath. Exhaled. "Fifteen percent".

- "It seemed to me that we had agreed on everything in advance. Isn't that right? Of course, if in the future, you will find that the conditions did not suit you - well, it is your right".

- "Okay. But believe me, I know what I'm saying. It's not safe. Devilishly dangerous. Thirty minutes is exactly how long it will take GalCop's Vipers to get here. Consider the time for transshipment of goods. I wait twenty minutes. More than that, I can't, understand?

The young man shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

The skipper grimaced painfully, feeling the usual spasm in his stomach. "It's time to finish this job".

- "Contact at eight o'clock" - the navigator reported. - "Single ship, Yellow status. Approaching at a speed of two hundred and seventy".

– "Target data?" The skipper demanded.

- "Cobra Mark Three, intruder. It is registered under the name 'Atropos'".

- "That's him". The bored expression left the young man's face. "He was only a couple of minutes late. We have a lot of time left".

The skipper didn't think so. He was not going to stay in these parts for a second beyond what was necessary. "At my command - inch forwards and dump the cargo overboard".

– "The cargo is ready for unloading", the engineer confirmed.

On a Python, there can be no shift watches with such a small crew - and there can be no rigidly defined "ship's roles" as is customary in the navy. Everyone has to do what they do best. On this voyage they had set out with an incomplete roster and the skipper had to recall his old skills as a pilot and navigator in order to give the guys a break before hitting the dangerous sections of the route - at the end of unloading. - "Set the generators on 'maximum'. Move, guys!"

The Cobra Mark III slowly approached the group of ships and spat out a small tetrahedral container. Especially valuable cargo is usually transported in such sealed safes - jewelry, valuable documents and purified drugs. The Cobra pilot showed little interest in the contents of the container. After getting rid of his load, he took his place in the wake of Python. The pair of asps did not let him out of the sights. The Cobra pilot had every reason to believe that their guns were disarmed, and did not make sudden movements.

The Cobra Rapier moved forwards and picked up the load.

The Python slowly inched forwards. A line of cylindrical containers fell out of its belly like eggs from a spawning fish.

The pilot of the Cobra Mark III, smoothly made a small turn and shot towards the nearest container, scooping it. His automatic cargo handling system transferred the captured container from the magnetic trap to the hold, scanned its contents and placed it in the desired cell. It took five minutes to collect the cargo. After completing the gathering, the Cobra pilot opened the screen with the cargo manifest.

Humanoid slaves, twenty tons.

- "The goods are fine, guys", confirmed the pilot of the Cobra. "We are counting. Happily."

It seems incredible that the shameful practice of the ancient slave trade could be revived among the stars. And it is even more incredible that this curse was inflicted on the body of the Galactic Commonwealth, a voluntary association of worlds created for mutual assistance. Inherently, space is appallingly inhumane. Not hostile to life, not at all. Just indifferent to it. The universe, by and large, does not care about our poetic longings and ambitions. We ourselves determine what is good and what is evil.

And where does one draw the line beyond which rationality turns into promiscuity? The galactic commonwealth is not at all a friendly team of like-minded people, but a motley team, united somewhat by a common mercantile interest, somewhat by fear of a common enemy, somewhat skillfully woven by a network of political intrigues, somewhat by a finely tuned mechanism of checks and balances.

There are worlds in the Commonwealth, the main wealth of which is the human resource. Oh, not in the sense of the immeasurable value of every human person that the democracies tirelessly preach. In these impoverished worlds, a single human life is worth almost nothing. Minerals must be mined, agricultural products must be grown, and rogues breed themselves. And they breed in abundance. There are worlds in which workers are in demand, not brains. The work of a miner in an asteroid mine does not require more sophisticated instincts than the labor of a worker in a termite mound, and the value of a single life is negligible. One working individual can always be replaced with exactly the same working individual as it wears out or dies - there would be a source of uninterrupted replenishment.

And there are other markets where cheap healthy human material is required - uncomplaining farm laborers and docile girlfriends for colonists in outlying worlds, cannon fodder for endless clan-wars in unstable systems, workers in the underground sex industry on galactic highways, donors of organs and biomaterial for the gerontocracy in well-to-do systems. Where there is demand, where there is supply, there will be a mechanism.

In truth, the skipper of "Breakfast in the Ruins" was not a complete scoundrel. People of his ilk do not like to be called pirates. They prefer to call themselves free traders. For the most part, this is the case, although on occasion this brotherhood does not disdain smuggling, or sometimes even something worse. But judge for yourself: is it possible in our times to live within the framework of what these bureaucrats from GalCop call the legal path? A step to the left, a step to the right - and you quickly realize how densely mined this path is. Becoming an outcast overnight, a target of legal bounty-hunting, is easy. A month ago, the skipper saw with his own eyes what happened to the huckster, who, by mistake, slammed a charge from his pulse fart into the station. Ten seconds later, the poor fellow was closely involved with three GalCop Vipers, and half a minute later his account in the GalCop database was sent to the archives with a laconic note "The ship is destroyed."

Yes, the skipper was well aware of what kind of goods were in the cryocontainers, but he preferred not to ask unnecessary questions. After all, it's just once... this year... and it was a crime to miss such an opportunity. They had said: "Old Man, it's up to you to take twenty tons of canned food on board and deliver them wherever you are told. What else you fill the hold with on the way is not our concern. And, mind you, we will not demand a penny from your profits, and as for the roof, do not load - everything will be the way. (Not too sure what is meant here!) Indeed, the flight to the Appendix turned out to be profitable, and the impressive escort had not been worth the money. But in truth, there was something about these short-haired guys that made one's blood run cold in one's veins. And when the escort picked up the young man and whizzed off, the skipper was relieved. The return trip was not short, but he thought with the selection of a relatively safe route, it should promise a good profit.

And the first step on the long road home was taken. After leaving the inhospitable Retila, "Breakfast in the Ruins" surfaced in the agrarian corporate Ququor. The system was famous for its original "Abouou" liqueur - it would sell well in the next port, industrial Raleen. The oppressive forebodings were dispelled, the heartburn finally let go, and life started to seem not such a bad thing. Especially if there were such cute trinkets in it as a snifter of brandy (quite a bit, two fingers worth, to 'relieve stress') and a fragrant cigar.

- "What was the name of the ship that picked up the order?" The skipper asked, puffing on his cigar. "It's a wonderful name, but I can't remember it".

- "Atropos" - replied the navigator. "We must pay tribute to this bastard - you can't deny that he has taste".

The navigator was the only one of the crew who had been honoured at one time to receive something similar to an education. Atropos was the oldest of the three classical Furies, she who cuts the thread of a man's life with scissors. Perhaps one of the poor fellows, whose path was crossed by this black ship, managed to appreciate the sinister humor in the end. The navigator would not find the situation so amusing if he knew that the thread of his own life had already been measured and the scissors had been brought in.

A couple of Fer-de-Lances emerged from the darkness and opened fire while on the move. The beams of military lasers struck the Python's protective field and pierced it. The lamps pouring cozy dim light from the ceiling and walls of the wardroom went out. Immediately, the dim scarlet light of combat mode came on. The bar counter was plunged into twilight. However, there was still no time and no one to slowly contemplate the lovingly selected collection of alcohol: the wardroom was empty. The skipper, following the navigator, ran to the mouth of the transition well and, with the usual push, sent his body flying towards the bridge. There was the turmoil of battle. - "Everyone to the rescue, this is a civilian ship! We are attacked by pirates!" The pilot shouted over an open connection.

"The captain is on the bridge!" the navigator proclaimed. He was heard, but no one responded - now everyone had worries more important than subordination. The skipper took his seat. A quick glance at the scanner screen was enough for him to grasp the picture. And he didn't like the picture. After firing at the "Breakfast in the Ruins" on the aisle, a pair of aggressors dispersed with scissors. Now they were deployed for a second attack.

The skipper took the chewed, extinct cigar out of his mouth. - "Report on the status of the systems".

- "We've lost the fuel injectors" - said the engineer.

It's a bad thing, the skipper thought grimly. Without fuel injectors, "Breakfast in Ruins" turned into a lame duck. - "Jump status?".

— "Negative" - the navigator responded. "There is not enough fuel."

Generators in the bowels of the engine room whined, pumping energy into depleted shields. A Fer-de-Lance synchronously completed its turn and went on the attack. The skipper looked for the ashtray. Then he remembered that he himself had forbidden smoking on the bridge. And in disgust he threw the remains of the cigar on the deck.

- "Aim the missile at target number one".

- "Target number one is locked" - the pilot reported.

- "At my command: a rocket for the first target, fire the cannon at the second. Fire!"

The missile escaped from its pylon. A tongue of blue flame rushing towards its goal - and then disintegrated in sight with colourful but harmless fireworks. The high pitched shriek of the ECM pulse died away. The first Fer-de-Lance did not even dodge - the beam of its laser mercilessly stung the Python. The pilot caught the other Fer-de-Lance in his sights and pulled the trigger. That was the only thing he could do. The shot was accurate. Running into oncoming fire, the second Fer-de-Lance interrupted its attack with a sharp break in its trajectory and ignited its afterburners.

- "Missile launch! A second one has now fired!" - the engineer reported. "I engaged our ECM: we're running out of energy, but their blue flags on the scanner are still there.

- "Two hardheads in flight" the engineer announced grimly. "Impact in ten seconds".

Amongst civilians who have survived attacks by ECM Hardened Missiles, there is a definite opinion that it is useless to use electronic counter-measures against such a missile. This is not entirely true. Such a rocket can be defeated by a series of ECM pulses at a minimal distance. The technique is risky and quickly empties the energy banks without guaranteeing the result, so one shouldn't rely too much on it. The pilot took evasive action. "Breakfast in the Ruins" went into a defensive turn, placing the missiles astern. The slow-moving Python had no chance to get away from the missiles, but fleeing the rockets at full speed would reduce the damage when hitting the stern.

A pair of red flags on the scanner were gaining ground to launch a new attack, a pair of blue ones were rapidly approaching. Now the priority threat was the missiles. The engineer waited, keeping his finger on the ECM key. He let the missiles almost touch. The ECM emitter sent a stream of pulses. The front rocket exploded astern. The shock wave shook the "Breakfast in the Ruins". The second missile survived. The pilot pushed the throttle over to full speed. He tried to dodge the missile to evade the homing. An almost hopeless manoeuver on a clumsy Python. The rocket turned towards its target. Its proximity sensor reacted to the closeness of the Python's mass and activated at the defined distance. The explosion occurred at the level of the engine room. A concentrated burst of energy crushed the stern shielding and slammed down on the bare hull of the ship. The control panels lit up with a scattering of scarlet emergency lights.

- "Aft shield generators - failure. ECM is down. Hyperdrive is down." the engineer hurriedly listed.

The skipper, yet again in this short skirmish, looked at the scanner, hoping to see on it the purple flags of GalCop patrol ships. The miracle did not happen. The second Fer-de-Lance, damaged by cannon fire, was withdrawing from the fray. His chum went on the attack again.

The pilot turned the crippled "Breakfast in the Ruins" towards the enemy. The second Fer-de-Lance did not engage in a risky cannon duel. He fired two missiles from a distance, from a safe distance. And then he fell away.

Well, that's it. The skipper thought wearily.

He had never harbored illusions about reaching extreme old age. People of his occupation rarely live to see it. And they never wonder haphazardly when and how it will end. Another day lived, another flight survived - and then...

A blue spark flared. The rocket twisted along a helical line. The pilot opened fire in a desperate attempt to shoot down the missile. The tongue of blue flame slipped out of the crosshairs, traced around the sky and then struck the bow shields. A blinding flash. The islands of lights on the control panel faded, the shriek of the generator was cut off. The bridge was plunged into darkness. The second rocket rapidly covered the last kilometers. The blue glow of her exhaust striking their numbed faces.

The navigator was the first to come to his senses. He grabbed the handle between his legs and jerked it towards him. The straps pulled his body to the chair. An electromagnetic catapult pushed the chair into the open hatch of the escape pod. The steel diaphragm of the hatch closed, plasma knives cut off the connections between the capsule and the ship. The auxiliary engine puffed, leading the escape pod away from the doomed ship. "Breakfast in the Ruins" was dead, but the missile continued to hold the target. She missed the escape pod and hit the ship, turning it into a shaggy fire bush. No one except the navigator managed to leave the ship. But that didn't save him. A hail of red-hot debris fell on the hull of the escape pod. The tiny craft tumbled helplessly, spewing a misty jet of air from its torn side.

The navigator screamed in piercing pain. He screamed until he choked on blood. Fingers convulsively scratched the top of the chair, trying to feel for the mask of the remLock, but the brain had already died. The fog thinned out, covering the motionless figure with crystals of frost.

Chapter 2

The Atropos pierced the hyperspace on the short legs of the Devil's Triangle and emerged in the Riraes system, at a distance of almost three light years from the Retila region.

Residents of the Riraes system were more lucky with their world than their neighbours on Retila. The Sun of the spectral class G0.5V gave just the right measure of heat to support the hydrosphere of the planet in a liquid state and not turn the land into a lifeless desert. And most importantly, the flow of ultraviolet solar radiation was too high for the prosperity of the agrarian economy, but relatively stable, without catastrophic storm flashes. Oceans covered most of the planets, the water in which, due to the abundant propagation of the plankton, cast a lilac tint. Almost all free land was occupied by cliffs of bizarre outlines. Stone pillars and arches were composed of monstrously solid rocks, and the local bulldozers were famous throughout the entire Commonwealth for their indestructible strength. There was a joke that these bulldozers were tanks repainted in civilian livery. Actually, this is how it had happened: having taken power to their hands, the local arms barons quickly established the export of weapons under the guise of construction equipment. The Cobra pilot was not up to the contemplation of purple oceans and jagged ridges. His gaze did not linger on the disk of the planet, but habitually moved between the surrounding space and the scanner.

A lone ship appeared on the right screen. The Cobra pilot caught it in the crosshairs of his sight and pressed the IRR ID toggle on his console. The transponder of the ship responded. It was a Renegade Viper. The Cobra pilot called out. The ships got closer.

- "Everything is fine?" - asked the Viper pilot. - "Yes" - the Cobra pilot answered concisely.

The Viper pilot had been a cop once upon a time. Like many of his colleagues in this Giles-forsaken hole, he was not too scrupulous and did not disdain to replenish his personal pension fund through private donations - of course, purely voluntary - in exchange for a none-too pedantic execution of the letter of the law. Oh no, the cops themselves did not violate the law - they simply did not show excessive curiosity in suspicious goods and suspicious companies. Further more, having stepped on this path, it was difficult to resist taking a step beyond the line between non-interference and complicity. Access to the criminal database was guarded by anymore (Not too sure what is meant here!), as well as bypassing the defense, it was not difficult. When a suitable case turned up, the cop investigated it rather out of curiosity, but it was foolish to abandon new opportunities. The former cop had led a double game for quite some time, passing confidential information to his clientele, but his luck finally ended. A client, for whom he helped make certificates of a competitor, turned out to be a talkative boob, and some past divisions were more pulled more than just to dismiss with shame (Not too sure what is meant here!). Without waiting for his inevitable exposure, the cop had preferred to desert with his service Viper.

The former cop was required by the fair arts of intrigue to gain the trust of a new boss, but the result was worth it. However, now the renegade was nervous. The base of the naval fleet in the neighboring system was the usual risk factor, but this representative of the customer, whom he now met for the second time, was putting a strain on him. The renegade had traced this secretive bastard through his old channels - with zero results. Nothing but an impressive combat rating and a highly unconvincing story about the illegal import of cat skins into an Erbiti inhabited by Felinoids. People of such a class do not make such careless mistakes - or they do them intentionally. Well, he had to be patient. Someday he would be substituted. And then it would be possible to go to the customer directly.

The slaves in the hold of the cobra were not ordinary cheap cattle for working in the mines. A premium product, and since the customer went to pay for the costs of such a sophisticated logistics chain - this person has in abundance. Someone from important cones to Esgerean, for sure (Not too sure what is meant here!). A wealthy dictatorship of the tenth technological level, a powerful system. According to rumors, among the aristocracy there, there is a strong demand for educated servants.

In the cargo manifesto of cobra, the goods were already listed as the liquor Abouou from the Ququor. The acquisition, transportation and sale of alcohol in most systems does not require special permission, and thermostatic containers for its transportation are difficult to distinguish from cryocontiners for live goods during superficial inspections. A thorough inspection with the scanning of the cargo, of course, would reveal its true nature, but in the local lands, even at the main station, customs rarely bother to do their proper job on their own initiative - and the more dedicated ones learned about planned events and did not consider it shameful to use their knowledge to gain a share of the corresponding "interest".

Randev did not last long (Not too sure what is meant here!). Having approached the cobra and equalizing his speed, the Renegade Viper picked up a small container and dumped to the side (Not too sure what is meant here!). There was a microchip with a new encryption key in the container. These guys treated the protection of information much more professionally than his former colleagues did.

The ships parted outside the range of the scanner. The renegade opened the local map, chose the destination system and activated his Hyperdrive. He did not see where the cobra went. And if he had found out, perhaps he would have been pretty surprised. But in the end, everyone in this world does their own business to the best of their capability, no?

Zadies - from Stranger's Famous Planets Overhaul (FPO)

Chapter 3

Grace Wilson did not think about such terrible things as piracy and the slave trade. It’s not that she was impenetrably stupid or that she was soulless - just that these things lay far distant from her life experience. Zadies, where Grace was born and had lived thirty years of her conscious life, carries the boastful title of being the center of the first sector - in this system lies the headquarters of the galactic community, GalCop. Zadies cannot be counted amongst the flagship systems of technological progress, but this rich industrial system of the ninth level is located on the transgalactic highway, connecting the Old Worlds in the southwest of the first sector with the Pulsar Worlds in the northeast. Almost all major transport companies and travel agencies have their representative offices on Zadies. Business activity on the planet is concentrated within the huge, but quite tolerable gigalropolis, which covers the inner sea - the pool of the ancient shock crater. Outside of this randomly built-up anthill, picturesque pastoral landscapes stretch outwards, over which the friendly stars beckoning one to come and visit shine down at night.

Grace was not a convinced homebody, but her travel experience was limited to tourist trips to the neighboring systems of Anarlaqu and [[Sector1/Esusti|Esusti], and those during a period of romantic relations with a former suitor. Grace had seen a live ocean with xeno-coral in Anarlaqu, but had had a chance to see the most famous forests of hundred-meter cacti of Esusti only from the air-conditioned saloon of a tourist flitter. The climate on Esusti was sultry and her boyfriend, like most tourists, preferred to spend time in cool bars - and not on open-air exhausting walks. Since then, Grace was accustomed not to demand too much from life and sincerely rejoice with every little thing. One of these trifles occupied a place of honour in her kitchen. The latest generation food-blender - with artificial intelligence. This snow-white handsome equipment had come to her as a prize for winning a quiz. And not in any quiz for fans of a series. Grace was an educated girl and sometimes spent evenings reading historical literature. So the question had been, 'what was the ship of generations called which had delivered the first colonists to the Lave', and it did not take her by surprise. But a blender was nothing in comparison with what had happened this morning. Grace again - once again - mentally recalled those moments. The girl's heart sank sweetly.

- “Grace Wilson, right?” - called out the young man. - "Surely." - "Do not worry, I ask only five minutes of your attention. And I'm sure you will not regret it."

Grace had no habit of making acquaintance with young people on the street, but the hall of the travel agency, where Grace looked to wander through the virtual realities of other worlds - was a safe place. And besides, the young blue-eyed man had a glorious friendly smile.

- “You have managed to intrigue me.” - Grace smiled favorably. “But still let's skip the introductions and get right down to business. So, where does this come from? I am surely not so popular that strangers recognize me on the street?” - “I will not test your patience, Grace. I represent the L'Ooreal Corporation. You know the name?”

The question was rhetorical. Can it be possible to find in the entire Galaxy a female creature with no knowledge about L'Ooreal - the empire of beauty? No, this is unthinkable. But what did they need from her? Really ...

- "Oh no, not network marketing" - answered the young man. “You are much more valuable, Grace. We invite you to visit the festival. Just say 'yes' - and a ticket for Xexedi will be in your hands.”

Grace shook her head in confusion.

Xexedi. Famous throughout the eight sectors, a futuristic city-world, covering the entire planet. The world where representatives of all the reasonable races of the Commonwealth are visiting and working. The world where the future is born.

But this is impossible. No. It is insanely expensive.

- "The journey will not cost a credit to you" - the young man persuaded softly. - "The company takes on all the expenses. You are fabulously lucky, Grace. You will never have a second such chance."

The folder with booklets was in her hands.

- "I’ll tell you a secret: we had to resort to the ballot to choose the only person to receive the main prize" - the young man confidentially said. - "And now I see, the choice could not be better. By the way, my name is Emil. I will wait for your call, Grace."

The vacation barely began, the troubles of the household could wait. Grace did not have close girlfriends, with whom it was possible to make a miserable about the emerging happiness. It was possible to hit the road even now.

It turned out almost that way.

Emil kept his word - the company took over not only the expenses, but also the troubles. It is incomprehensible how they managed to organize everything in part of a day. In the evening, Emil met her in the space-port.

“You have a light hand, Grace.” - said Emil. - "I have completed my business here and will provide company for you. I will not hide the truth: I am happy about this. I hope you do not mind."

Grace was not opposed. Why not pass the time on the road for a conversation?

The miracles of the day were endless. Grace turned to join a long queue for the passenger's registration consoles. And then to wait for the announcement of the start of boarding for the orbital shuttle, which would deliver them to the liner - it would probably be a Yellow Arrow. The usual terminal bustle is exciting, but tiring. However, Emil confidently went to the VIP passenger zone.

The formalities took away the minimum of time. The employee behind the counter was too well-trained to show even a hint of interest or surprise - nothing but polite attention.

Grace stepped over the threshold of the terminal - and almost gasped. On the field stood a silver ship with a hospitably lowered lift. The girl furtively glanced at her fellow traveler. Young, perfectly built, charming - why not a hereditary prince, a future owner of the corporation?

What a delightful dream, and how detailed!

Hey, Grace said to herself, believe me - this is not a dream! Don't you deserve a little fairy tale?

- "Will we fly directly there? Not on the 'Yellow Line'?" - “You guessed, Grace.” - Emil gallantly supported her arm on the ladder. - "We are heading along the shortest and safest path. I hope you are not disappointed?"

The Trident Executive Shuttle soared into the night sky. A scattering of the lights of the gigalropolis on the view screen was replaced by the inky darkness of the sea. The girl’s heart was beating anxiously.

No. This was unrealistic.

Grace felt like a little frightened girl, not ready for change. She wanted to return home, to the usual loneliness.

The scoreboard (Not too sure what is meant here!) in the cabin went out - the Trident was entering into orbit. Emil went to the bar’s rack and took out a bottle of champagne. Then he was next to Grace. - "It’s scary to leave the house, I know. But believe me, Grace - only by looking from the angle where you can fully evaluate what you possessed." Their glasses touched with a ringing sound. The wine washed away the alarm, but fatigue came in its place. Grace tried to carry on a carefree conversation, but she was could not do so for a long time.

- “Excuse me, Emil.” So much all at once for this day. "I'm just curling up with exhaustion." - "Oh, of course. Let me take you to the cabin" - Her companion responded cordially. From the threshold, Grace noted modesty, with surprise. Not that cheap, not at all, but somehow ... Bezliko. (Not too sure what is meant here!) As a hotel room where the servant carefully selects all sorts of traces of the stay of the former guests. (Not too sure what is meant here!) Or how... “I suppose Grace, you are unlikely to forget this day.” - Emil remarked behind her. “This is the end of your former life.” The world outside of Zadies is not quite the same as you supposed from the holostim programmes of GNN. Welcome to reality. Cold metal touched her neck.

Chapter 4

A shameful narcotic Morok. (Not too sure what is meant here!) And the smouldering feeling that emptiness, complete oblivion would not be worse that the new reality.

She was not allowed to appreciate this new reality. And they did not allow her to slip into the final nothingness. Not at all out of pity. Pity, mercy, compassion - whatever one calls it, but these concepts are applicable to the living being. And Grace was now a product. Valuable goods, to be carefully delivered to the customer in good condition.

A long haul. Very long. And most of this path Grace spent in the twilight zone between unconsciousness and half -reaches.

In anarchist Erbiti, inhabited by felinoids, Grace was moved from the glamorous trident to a humdrum python, hastily equipped for transporting humanoid lifestyles. The most dangerous section of the route for the slave trader was the narrow neck connecting the appendix with the rest of Sector One. The trading routes in this section are pulled out into two nodal points - two systems closely located at a distance of 0.8 of a light year: democratic Teesdi inhabited by humanoid colonists, and the confederation of Zainlabi, inhabited by warlike yellow insects. Grace was relatively lucky - the ship's medic was conscientious about his duties and carefully monitored the condition of the living goods. She was absolutely unlucky - a customs official on board the GalCop station in the orbit of Zainlabi, a representative of the local life, did not show curiosity as to the load of the ship. Not that the native was a xenophobe - the psychological outlook of the local culture simply blanked out any interest. At Zainlabi, torn by endless clan clashes, which GalCop officials correctly designated as an unpredictable civil war (simply put: there would be a total massacre, utter genocide of the surviving larvae from a crushed hostile anthill - the legitimate handiwork of the winner), why should a member of a warm-blooded species be treated otherwise?. The life of an individual is nothing outside society, no? Communist Tiraor, inhabited by blue fat insects, was also alien to treasuring the unique value of a personality: communism is an ideal ideology for social insects. Then there was Edzaon - a feudal system inhabited by yellow, bony lobsters. Omara is a kind of insects of the underwater world (Not too sure what is meant here!). Having won the evolutionary battle with the cephalopods and established themselves with the status of the "crown of creation", the Edzaons lobsters rally around the strong royal power, their society cemented by a caste pyramid. In finding out about the fate of Grace, an influential Edzaons, a claw of claw, would not even twitch in defense of a rootless warm-blooded stranger. Well, then...

Chapter 5

“Just amazing carelessness.” - a typical gray-haired man shook his head reproachfully. “How so, my dear? Throw everything up and escape from the house with the first tempting bait that you saw? You are really no longer sixteen?”

From the sidelines it might seem that the saddled dad was reporting a bouncing daughter. The typical man was dressed in a discreet, but a very expensive three-piece suit and in any decent company could easily be a member of the board of a successful corporation. He did not at all resemble the leader of a criminal syndicate, whose tentacles stretched out beyond the borders of the appendix into the civilized worlds.

Grace vaguely perceived the world. The narcotic fog was dispelled, but she was still stunned and suppressed. The curtains in her brain still restrained the pressure of an unbearable new reality. Itching skin, as if covered with dried disgusting mucus. She wanted to wash herself and fall into a saving dream. And wake up with a sigh of relief in a bright new world.

But this is not a dream.

The man was patient and condescending. His leisurely, carefully measured words seeped through her protective barrier.

- “And you didn’t even bother to look at your ticket, right? You had no idea where you were actually flying to? Xexeti, Darling. Xexeti.” the man repeated clearly.

- Have you ever heard of such a place? Not at all surprised. Not the best place to leave, believe me. In truth, Xexeti is another hole. A poor anarchist system. Red frogs live there. They are trying to grow something, but the climate there is unhealthy. This is because of the volcanoes. Acid rains burn everything. Slaves in the fields do not live for a long time, especially visitors. You would not like it there. After all, a city's young lady is not accustomed to heavy work. So I have other considerations for your employment."

Grace held her breath. As if she was afraid of a careless exhalation blowing out the sacred light of hope. This is madness, but suddenly ... - "I will not hide it, I became acquainted with the recommendations of your previous employer. Not quite an above-board procedure, but it doesn’t matter. And it seems you are lucky. Your professional skills are very much in demand. You can’t imagine, Grace, how hard it is to run a business without an intelligent secretary. And in these parts to meet an educated person is such a rarity. I need an intelligent secretary. And loyal. I hope I put it clearly enough.

He came close. Strong fingers grabbed Grace's chin. She saw the man's eyes. The light of hope died. “There is no casual stroll to come here, dear. It was a one-way trip. You are now dead for that world. No-one there will ever look for you. And the sooner you understand this, the better.”

The man removed his hand. - "So be an obedient girl, agreed?" Grace nodded dutifully.

Chapter 6

It had been a long time ago. Almost six months ago. Yes, almost six months. But what's the difference? Time did not matter here. It was still nowhere to put him. (Not too sure what is meant here!)

She diligently performed her duties. Diligently conducted business correspondence with the clientele. Creatively worked on the image of the company. She inseparably accompanied the boss on business trips and patiently pleased him in moments of leisure. Fortunately, the ruler of the slave trade empire was not endowed with rich sexual fantasies. Perhaps in his best years her master and lord had compared a lack of imagination with healthy animal energy, but those best times were clearly far behind. Grace's former friend from that life had experience of intimate relations with an important person from the board of a large corporation. And perhaps in other circumstances it would have been amusing to confidentially exchange details, in no case intended for the ears of men. Especially men who ... well, of course.

Well, Grace honestly tried to convince herself that everything could turn out to be much worse. And at times she almost succeeded. She reconciled herself to her lot, just as she had reconciled with loneliness before.

She did not have a rich father who could raise a ransom for her, and then pay for an assassin who could pick off a slave-trader anywhere, in any smelly hole of all the eight sectors. She did not have a man who would dare hunt after her in these murderous lands. There had never been. And I would have been - I would never let go alone on this crazy journey. She had been a nameless cog in her corporation, and she has long been annoying to the costs of unscheduled circumstances, but without much damage was replaced by another cog. And they closed the matter. (Not too sure what is meant here!)

It was madness to dream of fleeing this dark world.

So it was better to think about more realistic matters.

Emil.

This whip-hand was afraid to paw the property of his boss. But did not miss the chance for a heart to heart conversation.

“Are you offended, Grace?” - he once said, it seemed as if by accident. “Well, think for yourself, have you been truly free in your own world? Have you ever heard of how a woman has to make her career?" He paused, meaningfully.

“He is a great man, Grace. One of those elect few who really rule the world. Being next to him is a great honor. And a great responsibility. He is extremely important. He only allows a few close to himself. And those who did not justify his trust - well, you know, I do not envy them.

Bastard.

Translator's note

Based on Stranger's pdf of Непреклонная - the above is down to the break at the top third of p.13. Translated using Google Translate and then edited to make more sense (I hope!). See Language for links to the Russian download.