It is impossible to overstate the inconvenience and massive trauma I have suffered today. I've lost another fucking sock. That's not it of course, the one below, that's its twin. If you see it anywhere notify me immediately. That's going to put my sock rotation schedule out of synch for a start. I'll have to exclude my now lonely sock from its allotted slot or risk differences in color due to washing. That sock went from my bedroom floor to the washing machine. That's about ten feet. Where the fuck has it disappeared to? I am now seriously considering lojacking all my socks. That way I can trace their movements more accurately. Buying them each a smartphone will be too expensive so I'll have them chipped I expect. The trouble is I'm worried where they might turn up after absconding. It could be any trouble spot on the globe. They link my socks to the next atrocity and that links me. Perhaps I'm best off not knowing where my socks have gone? They may have been radicalized or groomed into some nefarious activity. They could have been sex trafficked. If they have I don't know if I want them back. All of this will have to be carefully considered before I do anything.
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As their conversation continued, Jake could see Ugo becoming more and more twitchy. Not nervous or scared. Purely being more careful. Well over an hour had passed, his personal guards would be becoming nervous. Before too long they'd be nervous enough to come see if he was okay. Jake could confirm this. They were already talking about whether or not they should bother the Patriarch. Most of the talking, up to this point, had been done by Ugo. He'd shaded in some of their history, which Ugo thought was pathetic. Believing that since they'd settled in Fafindi his countrymen had achieved very little of note. A result of that easy life they all lived. Never having to struggle and always being taken care of.
The complicated political situation had always been like this. Over a hundred clans with shifting alliances and different aims. Their technology didn't help here either. Theirs was a democracy. At clan level, at local level, at regional level and at national level. Everyone could vote on anything that had an impact on them. They could do it over breakfast, on the way to the store or before they went to bed. Some of the hot button issues had near 100% of the populace voting. Others had a few percent. Ugo wasn't happy with that either. Although the people were informed on every issue, as long as they read about it, they rarely had the bigger picture. He, being the ruler of the nation had the biggest picture of all and knew it gave him advantages. The people weren't stupid. They were unsuspicious, as the old guy put it. They had no experience of danger or awareness of the possibility they could be maneuvered and exploited. This had always been the case, now due to their ultra safe existence it had become forgotten. Nothing bad happened, therefore nothing bad could happen.
Jake couldn't help equating himself with being the bad that could happen. It appeared to be his purpose in this scenario. Which was frequently the case with The Wanderer. His purpose seemed to be to cause a civil war. He brought this up with Ugo. Civil wars were the worst. All of the casualties and mayhem among brothers and sisters. All of the loses among families. Ugo assured him this would not be the case. There was evidence of some arming themselves. Within Fafindi only the various militia's border patrol and other security forces could be armed. Civilians were forbidden from carrying weapons, they had no need of them in their society. Some of the clans were increasing the size of their militia's, "military" exercises had become more frequent. Playing at war, as Ugo called it.
He would definitely be coming to meet the Matriarch. Hoping to use her to strengthen his own position. The danger being that there could be those who would use her presence for their purposes. It was a paradox where, as the figurehead, she had little power, but as a symbol and influence her power was unlimited. Someone might try to apprehend her. A slim possibility, but with the right narrative it could be defined as protective custody. Besides Ugo knew Daisy would have little interest in Fafindi's internal politics. Would always remain above such things. While she could empower him, if others knew they could use her presence to undermine him. Why would she have turned up now if it wasn't some momentous change? Ugo was old and seen as part of that old world view. The Matriarch's arrival would suggest it was time for change. Someone could use her to their advantage.
The guards were headed up the hill towards Ugo. Instead of saying that though, Jake decided to conceal what he could observe. Instead he warned Ugo to check. Knowing he'd spot the three women heading up that path. They had a couple of minutes before the officers arrived. Ugo very quickly brought his exposition to a close.
"I will definitely be happy to meet with the Matriarch at your location, whatever that is. The time table will be a problem because of the need for secrecy. I'll need to let you know at very short notice. Probably shortly before I arrive. We'll also need to talk again about how we're going to handle this. Now I have your details I will contact you. Firstly to plan our moves and then to let you know when I'll be there. I'll need at least two days my end. Don't expect me to contact you before then. I might though."
Jake was about to confirm this when Ugo began to dismantle his communication device. Unaware it only cut him off from the Wanderer. Jake could still observe everything. With the guards that went down to the individual cells and biochemistry. With Ugo it was limited to his outward appearance. It might be worth asking why that was. Especially considering he could see Daisy in microscopic detail. Their meeting was over. Jake decided to check on Pip before going over what he'd been told. He had to look at the ship display to do that. The blinking light that represented her had moved.
"I wonder what you're up to?" He asked himself.
According to the readout Pip was now in their room. On the bed it seemed. She couldn't be tired. He should check. Or should he? This could be nothing. She might even be having some personal time doing what women did. Walking in on that would be embarrassing. Only for him he expected. Given their twisted attitudes towards sex here, self pleasuring was probably a spectator sport with professional leagues. Damn. He spent the next few minutes trying to work out what he should do, while condemning himself for even thinking she might be masturbating. His brain had gone straight there. Due to all that was going on outside no doubt. It was no excuse. He was scum. The wrong person to be caring for Pip. She was in a vulnerable place right now. Leaving her would be wrong also. In all probability she'd downloaded some files and was now going over them. Teenage girls did that. Or he'd just made that up. He'd be very careful. making noise wouldn't warn her of his approach. The rooms were sound proof once those silent sliding doors closed. If he saw anything he shouldn't, he'd avert his gaze. Then pretend nothing had happened as hard as he could.
She'd been down in that control room for a couple of hours at most. In their room for the last twenty minutes or so. As far as he knew she couldn't have seen anything that upsetting. Unless the sight of Pengelly, Daisy, Scarlet and Taini sitting outside in the nude affected her. Nothing that had gone on inside the house would be known to her. Scarlet had only been outside while Ydrie did some art stuff. Cleaning brushes and whatever those other tools he used were. Then he too had joined them until they all went their separate ways later. Ydrie already had another admirer. Hermes had what might be considered a man crush on the guy. Not purely based on that single remarkable physical attribute the man made intelligence coveted. Hermes thought he would like to be an artist like him. He would paint Morag he said. When Jake questioned this he was advised Hermes had watched the artist at work. Taken in every technique used. As a machine intelligence he would be able to transfer those skills to a body.
He was being over cautious. Hopefully. His pace slowed as he neared that doorway. Jake nervously wiped his hands on his pants. No point delaying further. Delay he did though. Opening lines were examined then discarded. Eventually he couldn't think of anything else to prevent his entrance. She'd sealed the door? He could be wrong there. The doors to personal quarters might be different to the other common areas where they opened automatically. He wished he could remember that, instead of all the other things. Jake palmed the touch pad outline. It flashed as the door opened. Revealing Pip lying on their bunk. It was the visual that hit him first. With her back to him it looked as if she was sobbing. The audio then collided with his consciousness. That was Scarlet's voice. A recording, but he'd heard those exact words, only earlier today, while speaking with Ugo. What the hell?
"Um.." He should have thought up a decent opening line. Pip jumped. Turned off her firewave. Rubbed at her eyes and shifted toward him. Not fully. Hiding the fact she'd been crying. "How did you get access to those audio files? I told Chiro not to allow it."
"That's easy. I didn't. This ship scans and records everything in the visual spectrum, as well as the infra red and ultraviolet. I mean everything down to the tiniest detail. Right down to a single wavelength of light. I used a technique I've used before. Windows are the best but other solid surfaces can be used. Sound makes them vibrate. That vibration affects the light reflected off and passing through the glass. All I had to do was write an algorithm to decipher those vibrations into audio. I know strictly speaking I cheated, but you never said I couldn't do that. You're angry with me aren't you?"
"No. I'm impressed. That's genius. Do you do any other tricks I should be aware of for future reference. You know considering I didn't tell you not to do what you did because, I never knew you could do it."
Her face moved to point to the wall.
"I've started hacking into their internet. You didn't say I wasn't allowed to do that either." She sniffed.
"I'm really going to have to up my game with you aren't I. Look I'm fine with you using your talents to listen in. The hacking though, that has to stop. Chiro has avoided accessing anything like that. It thinks it would lead to detection. besides it said the encryption would be very hard to crack."
Pip snorted. Swiveling her head in his direction.
"Dream on. Their fire walls and internet security are a joke. A child could hack into it undetected. They've got no one they need to keep out. The crime rate is zero here. I'm from a place where crime is rife. Where they have to protect all their data from sophisticated miscreants up to no good. Another few minutes and I'd have been in. The only complication was a couple of other actors siphoning information using reactive technology."
Was he taking care of her or was she taking care of him? The ingenuity alone was awesome. He couldn't be angry with her. Strictly speaking she'd kept within the boundaries he'd set. Using smarts to get round them. Finding that always present loophole. It was Pip anyway. Being angry with her wasn't in his genes. Her talents needed exploring. They could come in handy. Knowing what he did from Ugo they'd be invaluable if he allowed her free rein.
"So. What stopped you getting in then?"
"This."