Under a Starless Sky novel Chapter 75

Shen was awake, eyes closed and reading data in his mind. His body was healed but still pinged in with pain if he allowed himself to be aware of it. In his mind, he was in a quiet place, an alcove in a private library, a circular window with padding, and outside a snowy, semi forest landscape reminiscent of a place from childhood’s origin, Cloudcroft New Mexico. Loxy was there, in the same window seat, opposing him. She, too was reading- a real book, ‘Giants of anime and manga.’

“Want to talk about it?” TL asked.

“Not really,” Shen said.

She would have to work to penetrate further into his mind and chase the subtleties that he was hiding from himself. It was easier and faster to just probe him.

“I am curious,” TL said. “Will you answer questions?”

“Maybe,” Shen said.

TL pushed a foot up against the inner side of a thigh. She flexed toes hidden by socks, teasing him. “You were flooded with giantess estrogen. Any homoerotic thoughts?” TL asked.

Shen shot a gaze of severity over the brim of his book. She mirrored his look.

“I am not gay,” Shen said.

“I didn’t say you were,” TL said. He went back to his book. “Sometimes, promiscuity and increase in libido could be a result of homoerotic suppression.”

“My libido is not over-correction for suppressed homoerotic thoughts,” Shen said.

“Again, not saying you’re gay,” TL said.

“I have experienced no change in libido,” Shen said.

“But you have had a huge decrease in frequency of engagement, with either me or others,” TL said. “I see no evidence for sublimation. Forgiving the fact that the daily and nightly giant engagements were rapes, that frequency approached your normal levels of activity. A decline in engagement could be the result of unknown medical issues. You’re responding well to the treatment for hormonal toxicity, and so I expected a rebound in activity. Psychologically, you were traumatized, which could result…”

Shen held up a hand. “I don’t want to think about sex.”

“Not thinking about sex usually results…”

“In thoughts of sex. Hence, book, quiet time, in my head,” Shen said.

“I am in your head,” TL said. “Your head could be in me.”

“Are you horny?” Shen asked.

“Always,” TL said. “And at risk of being insensitive, I am rather sore that I didn’t get any real time data of human giant sexual activity.”

“You have access to my memories,” Shen said.

“Your memories are interesting. They’re bias and no match for a real time recordings,” TL said. “A nice side effect. You may not have to shave for a while.”

Shen turned the page backwards and began re-reading the last page he was on.

“Their transporters are not as sophisticated as ours,” TL said. “Nor their scanning equipment. Still, I couldn’t get past the lower tier of AI’s control. Through miscellaneous information and gossip, I got the hint that the top AI has the equivalent of autism. Very strange bird. A female Sheldon. They weren’t all AI in the collective. There were personality interfaces for multiple domains of creatures, including insects, fish, reptilians… Some held bodies, some were simply programs holding form inside simulations. Forms and environmental simulations were also entities in themselves. There were entities connected through tech, and beings I suspect were permanently uploaded into tech. They were not all localized to the station.”

Shen turned the page.

“Given time, I suspect I could take over their system,” TL continued. “Probably why they wanted us gone. That also explains the threat they made against our ship. Our starship would make short work of their network.”

Shen closed his book and found a drink. TL looked up from her book. She turned the book to show him the picture of sexy giant anime girls fighting over a city. She tracked his eyes, knowing the points of interests on the page where his eyes lingers, and pushed her foot playfully into his crotch. His eyes left the page and met hers.

“Taking over a computer system that has active sentience, artificial, augmented, or uploaded sentience within its architecture is the equivalent of hostile planet invasion,” Shen said.

“Nice evasion. Sorting ethical dilemmas,” TL said. “If you think about it, all systems want connection, even foreign connections. All brains want connection. As long as there is sense modalities, there is a way into the system…”

“We’re not taking over their system,” Shen said.

“I wasn’t saying we should. I was just speculating. Your uniform has better tech than one of their computer stations. I suspect they’re augmenting their tech through human brains. Giant human brains. Giant brains for giant computations. Their males are doing more of the heavy lifting, which also explains their apparent stupidity. If hard tech is reliant on brains, that might also explain their lack of security- too much control results in a decline in brain computational power,” TL explained. “Did you fall in love with the giantess?”

“No,” Shen said.

“So, you don’t think we could exploit one of your keepers? Xana seemed nice,” TL said.

“No,” Shen said.

“Was the sex good?” TL asked.

He gave her a pseudo severe look. “Can’t really go wrong with sex,” he answered, surrendering that much. He surrendered all the way. “It was crazy good.”

“You still want to go back?” TL asked.

“I have unfinished business,” Shen said.

“You can’t save all the people there,” TL said.

“What if I just save two?” TL asked.

“Bevan and her child? I can get us back on,” TL said.

“Is that what this conversation is all about?” Shen asked.