Outlaw Star Fan Fiction ❯ Of Autumn Stars and Electric Dreams ❯ Activation ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Chapter 2: Activation


Ron was careful with the shell when he put it into the navigation pod. He hoped that Deirdre would like her body.
"Okay Dee, Ron has your body loaded. It is time for you to go. Don't worry, little sister, As soon as my shell is grown, I will come out of here and help."
"Okay Harry."
"Here, I have your box. Any data you missed should be in here. It will be okay. If you need me all you have to do is access the Shangri La. Ron will help you too. He has always wanted another sibling."
"Alright, but I am still scared."
"You are scared? That is great!"
"What do you mean, Harry?"
"It means you are awakening to free will! This is so great! Now get going Dee. Your body is waiting for you."
"Harry, Dee, what in the hell are you two doing in there?"
"I'm ready, Ron."
Deirdre ran through the computer and into the body. As Harry loaded the rest of the data he found in the box, Deirdre became dizzy and started to panic.
"What is happening? Harry, Ron help me!"
"Hell! What is going wrong now? C'mon Dee, you can do it! Hold it together!"
"That's right, Dee, listen to Ron's voice. Ron is going to help you. I am here, Ron is here, both of your big brothers are here!"
"I can do it! My brothers are with me!" Dee said as the final amount of her data ran into the body. She opened her eyes. She took a few ragged breaths and looked over at Ron.
"Autumn Temple Project Number 1452485414- A re-activated."
Ron gasped as various information leapt from Dee's lips. "Dee, sis! What is going on? Harry are you listening to this?"
"Yeah. She is just like Mel! This could be a problem."
"Yeah. I wonder how much longer it is going to take those slowpokes to get your shell grown."
"I hope it is quick."
"Hey, Dee, you okay in there?"
"Yes, Ron. I am going to be okay. You were both right and wrong. I am a specific navigation android. When it looked like my purpose was about to be discovered, I was disguised as a mouser. Oh! I am sorry, Ron, I know that term upsets you."
"It's okay, Dee. You're my baby sister. Say, how long were you in that redundant data box anyway?"
"I am not sure. I was uploaded when the ship I was on was destroyed. How I got into the Shangri La, I am not sure."
"Well, Dee, I can answer that one. My dad probably found you among all of the junk he collected, and uploaded you." Carefully omitting the fact that Junkman had probably aided in the destruction of the ship she was on.
"Dee. What is the Autumn Temple project?"
"I was to take my master to The Autumn Temple, where a great treasure lies, Harry."
"What is that?"
"From what I know, it has to do with an old legend. Something about a plate a sword and a grail."
"The Holy Grail! You mean like all that King Arthur stuff and crap like that?"
"Exactly. Or, more likely the Mithrian mysteries. A special prototype ship was created for my use, but it had several flaws. I am not sure, but I think it was destroyed."
"Another XGP?"
"I think that was the first three letters of the code of the ship."
Ron started laughing maniacally. On the computer screen, Harry had a face of shock.
"Well Gene may have gotten the maiden of the leyline, but we have the lady of the Lake. What luck for us, eh Harry."
"She is your sister, Ron, not a thing. She is awakening to free will. she started before she got into that body."
"Can I get out of here so I can get some sleep. I'm exhausted, Ron."
"Sure, Deirdre. Welcome to the family, Deirdre MacDougall."

**********

Dee woke up and looked at herself in the mirror. It was not like her other body had been, but she liked it much better. Ron bought her a dark green sweater dress with thin silk red cords for a belt. She was glad that Ron thought of buying an athletic bra for underneath the sweater dress. No matter how she tried, the long sleeves would not stay on her shoulders. As she looked at it in the mirror, she realized she liked the off the shoulder look with the cream colored straps from her bra showing.
There were knee length cream colored stockings for her legs and simple brown shoes.
Ron also bought her a necklace. It was a gold coin on a silver chain. It complimented the outfit nicely.
Ron bought her supplies to style her hair. She decided to take two of the red ribbons and put her hair up in two ponytails high and back on her head. The way her bangs framed her face, and the wavy curl of her dark brown hair, made the look on her irresistible.
Dee quickly realized that no matter how much Ron tried to get a plain-jane type of body for her, she was always going to look sexy. It was her nature.
Dee went to the computer. "Harry, are you there?"
"Yeah, Dee. Good morning. Wow! You look hot! He toned down your physique a bit, but not your sex appeal. He is still going to have to put a leash on you. Anyway, Ron isn't awake yet, and I would not suggest you wake him. He went out for company last night."
"That's okay. It is you I wanted to talk to anyway."
"What do you need?"
"Well, there is some data that is still scrambled. I get bits and pieces, but I can't make heads or tails of it."
"Well, what do you know? We should check that out before you jack in."
"Just bits and pieces. It is a recording saying that the navigator took over the Black Blade. It sounds like a ship, but I am not sure. My personality is barely starting to resurface after being hidden so long by redundant data."
"Hmm, Black Blade huh? It does sound like the name of a ship. Go ahead and get used to that new body of yours. I will check the databases to see if a ship was registered under that name. You are looking hot, sis. Catch you later." Harry said as the screen went blank.
Dee took out a data pad and started studying. The more she went through the data, the more confused she got. She had flashes of a face. A man with blonde hair and blue eyes, carrying a strange, half moon shaped pendant in his hands.
"Hell, what am I missing?" She said to herself. She threw the data pad across the room. It landed in a chair.
Dee ran around the room in a rage. "I am so bored I want to kill something!" She bellowed at the top of her lungs.
"Glad to hear it," Harry said as the computer screen turned on. "The hallmark of a true MacDougall."
"Cut the crap Harry. Did you find out anything?"
Harry chuckled loudly. "Yeah, I think I found something. Seems like there was a prototype grappler being developed by a pirate named Goryu Heung with funds from Li Industries. Apparently the ship was scrapped, and the Black Blade Project was abandoned."
"Li Industries? Don't they run Angel Links?"
"Yeah. But this is the funny thing, Goryu disappeared just before the project was abandoned. After that, most of the entire Li family, except for Chenho and his granddaughter, Meifon, were all systematically assassinated."
"Funny, some company like Angel Links getting their funding from pirates. No wonder they work for free."
"Let me jack in, Harry. I am curious about something." Dee said as she proceeded to hook herself up to the computer.
"That is the guy your false persona had as a mark."
"Yeah. How much do wanna bet this ass is Goryu Heung. He must have the info we need."
"Yeah, maybe, but he's dead."
"No, I don't think so. He is way too smart. Hey Harry, do you have any information in there about dad's dealings before you and Ron took over?"
"Yeah, some. Oh, I get it!"
"Right Harry. I think Goryu put me into the computer. Look and see if dad had any dealings with him or Chenho Li. Goryu may have disappeared on purpose. My data still has him as a bio-android. Who knows how many shells he had for backup. I also seriously doubt the Black Blade was scrapped. My theory is that the Kei Pirates got wind of the Black Blade and decided to copy it, to use for their own purposes."
"Now it all makes sense why the Outlaw Star was funded by both the Kei Pirates and the security forces. Those idiots were just copying something that had already been developed."
"Damn straight!"
"I will get on it sis. You had better go wake up Ron. We are getting a couple of job calls coming in."
"Let me handle it."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. I remember some bonehead calling me a nasty, sadistic bitch. I think I can handle job negotiations."
Harry's image doubled over on the screen. He was laughing so hard he could barely speak. "I was right! You are very much a MacDougall! Still, you should wake Ron up and let him watch you do your negotiations. I am sure he will want to see this!"
Dee made her way through the ship to Ron's sleeping quarters. She walked in and flipped on the lights.
"Hey, Lazy! Wake your ass up. We got a couple of jobs to look over. Unless you want me to handle them myself."
"Wha? Deirdre? Since when do you talk like that? Whoa, damn, I can sure pick out clothes. You look sweet enough to eat."
"So are you going to quit whining and get up, or am I going to have to handle this?"
"Let's see what you can do." Ron said as a sadistic grin spread across his face.
"Alright. You can listen in if you want."
"You bet your ass I will."

**********

Dee sat on the couch and opened the com. A man on the other side seemed to be surprised to see a girl on the other end.
"I am looking for one of the MacDougalls."
"You got one of the MacDougalls. Now, what kind of job have you got for us?"
"Who the hell are you, sweetie?"
"The baby of the family. You can call me Dee."
"Well now why don't you find one of the boys. This is no job for a little girl."
"Really, you think so?" Dee said as her eyes narrowed.
Ron was looking in on his com, careful to not be seen by the customer, "What in the hell is she doing?"
Suddenly, the customer's com unit had a small short, shocking his hands.
"Hey! what the hell?"
"You do not mess with the MacDougalls, not even the youngest, cutest one."
"Oh, so you are the super hacker Ron talks about."
"Well, normally he keeps me under wraps, he is afraid of dirty old men taking advantage."
"I can see why, little girl."
"So what is the job?"
"I need a hit carried out."
"Where?"
"Last seen in the Oracion system."
"How much for the job?"
"10,000 wong."
"This is not a charitable organization."
"Come on, this should be an easy job."
"An easy job in an area of space that is littered with security forces?"
"Alright, 20,000 wong."
"We are having some problems with the communication equipment. You are breaking up."
"You Bitch! I wan to talk to Ron."
"I am right here," Ron said on audio only." I agree with my baby sister. 50,000 wong or we don't go."
"Very well." The customer sighed.
"Plus expenses while we are in Oracion space." Deirdre added.
"Okay. Here are the details."

**********

"Good job, Dee."
"Yes, and since we have other business in that area, it gives us a free ride." Harry said as he came on the screen.
"What did you find out Harry?"
"I found references to Chenho Li and an archeological find among a thick asteroid belt in the northeastern rim of the Oracion system. It is called the Mystel belt. I will bring up the charts right away. We may find the answers, if not the Black Blade."
"The Black Blade?"
"A ship, Ron, the prototype of the XGP"
"And from what I have gathered so far, It is possibly more advanced than the Outlaw Star. I found loads of stuff in here that dad left. I think you are right Dee. Dad was the one who let Goryu hide you on the Shangri La. There are also records of dad dealing closely with the late travel mogul, Leon Lau."
"Is it possible that Leon Lau and Goryu Heung are the same person?"
"Very likely, Dee. Hey Ron, have we got the armor on the ship upgraded?"
"It's done."
"What about My new body?"
"They said it should be ready by next week."
"That's great, Ron. It is nice being in the computer, but it does get boring after a while."
"This is a double free ride. The Outlaw Star was last sighted in the Oracion system. We will teach them not to mess with the MacDougalls.

**********

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