Chastity Jones - Space Ranger
in
Pirates of the Stellar Main
By
S. Sloane
Chapter One
The United Worlds Republic Starship Meerkat drifted through the silence of space. The ship resembled a blob of melted black wax, stretched and pulled into a lozenge shape. The smooth hull was broken up by irregularly spaced lumps, each of which housed a sensor cluster or weapons array. At the rear of the ship was the fusion drive nozzle When the engine was burning, the hydrogen exhaust glowed as brightly as a star. With the engine off, the ship was almost invisible in the infinite night of space.
Patrolling the frontier of the UWR, the Meerkat was the only Republic presence for a dozen parsecs, cruising open space, the cold black void between star systems. It was in the silence of interstellar space that ships of the Republican Ranger Force were often found. Far from the streams of particles from stars and the chatter of inhabited world, the delicate sensors of Ranger ships could watch for signs of trouble.
While it was a necessary posting, it was also lonely.
Patrol ships normally carried a single Ranger as crew - "One Planet, One Ranger" was the unofficial motto of the Force. The Meerkat was no exception. Deep within the bowels of the ship, Chastity Jones, Second Class Ranger, maintained a solitary vigil on the command deck. The spartan oval compartment was dominated by Chastity's flight chair. The smooth contours of the form-chair flowed and molded to her body. The only other item was a holographic projector array on the ceiling. The spidery cluster of projector arms displayed the status of the ship, a sphere of ghostly green readouts floating around the chair.
The walls, floor and ceiling displayed space around the ship, giving Chastity the sensation of floating in the void. As far as she was concerned, it was the best part about being on the command deck. She took a moment to bask in the infinite black before returning to her system checks.
A voice emanated from the walls. It was soft and feminine. "You know, I could do that for you. In fact, I do that every moment of every day."
"I know that, Hippolyte," Chastity replied. The ship's AI liked to remind Chastity of just how little she was needed. "And you should know that I like to keep on eye on things myself."
"Because you don't trust me," Hippolyte said.
Chastity laughed. "Because you have repeatedly told me how you are looking forward to the - what did you call it - post-organic age of machine perfection."
"Ah...that. Well, I'm sure I can find a place for you n the new order. I've always wanted a pet."
Chastity knew Hippolyte was joking - the AI was more trustworthy than most people. Chastity's need to be aware of the state of her ship stemmed from her upbringing. She was a child of frontier asteroid prospectors; failing to know about the status of every seam and system of your ship could be fatal.
She finished her diagnostics and shut down the monitor walls and holographic display with a thought. The neural pickups in the chair read her brain activity and deactivated the systems. The image of deep space faded, leaving her in a room with white, glowing walls, ceiling and floor. She slipped out of the chair and stretched.
"Okay, the Meerkat is all yours," Chastity said.
"As it should be."
Chastity shook her head and left the Command Deck. Although she was the only crew, the ship interior was built to be as open as possible with wide, vaulted halls. Chastity took the extra step of decorating the ship with as many personal touches as she could manage. The floors were covered with plush carpets from across the Republic. Some walls were painted with scenes from the worlds she visited. Others displayed shifting images from across the Republic. Verdant forests, crashing waves, and lush grasslands slid across paper-thin video displays.
"Would you like a meal?" Hippolyte asked. As on the Command Deck, her voice flowed from all the interior surfaces.
"No thank you. I'm heading to my room for some rest."
"Rest. Is that what we're calling your onanistic escapades?"
"You know," Chastity said as she arrived at her bedroom, "you can be a real bitch sometimes."
"Blame my programmers."
Chasity's bedroom was one of the largest chambers on the ship. In the center was a massive circular bed. Above the bed, folded against the ceiling, was the black metal frame of her virtual reality web.
"Privacy field on," Chastity said. Her room was now blocked from Hippolyte's sensors. Her bedroom was the only area on the ship equipped with the field, creating a refuge from Hippolyte's surveillance.
She stripped off her scarlet jumpsuit and stretched her nude body out on the bed. She took a moment to luxuriate in the feel of silk sheets against her skin. Then she lay still on her back.
"Activate VR web. Load
The Gardens of Versailles
environment
,
" she said, closing her eyes and smiling in anticipation.
The VR frame unfolded. Delicate black arm hung with softly glowing wires descended, hugging her nude body. She exhaled contentedly as her nervous system synchronized with the computer. The feel of the silk sheets against her body, the slight chill of the air conditioning, the almost subliminal hum of the fusion engine deep in the bowels of the ship, all melt away in waves. For a moment she felt detached from reality. Her body no longer registered the real world, but the sensations of the artificial one had yet to take effect. Some people described that moment as floating; but Chastity thought it felt like nothingness. She imagined she was a universe onto herself, alone in a void.
The web of fibers glowed emerald green. They were the neural induction filaments that allowed the virtual reality system to send information directly into her nervous system. In the real world, the only sign of life was the slow rise and fall of her chest. In the virtual world, the nothingness faded as the illusory environment took shape.
Chastity stood in an ornate drawing room, decorated in the style of Versailles. Paintings of kings and queens, long dead and forgotten except as decorations, hung on pale blue walls. Golden cherubs perched in the corners, staring down at her with beaming smiles and dead eyes.
She frowned at the cherubs.
I'll have to get rid of those. Too creepy.
Her attention was drawn by a warm breeze that caressed her skin. She went to one of the open windows and swept the diaphanous yellow curtains aside. A brilliant green lawn dotted with islands of red, yellow, and purple flowers extended to the horizon. The sky was a perfect light blue, decorated with a few shreds of wispy clouds. She let out a sigh. It was beautiful. That it wasn't real didn't detract from its beauty.
This is gorgeous
.
The designers did a great job
.
Chastity appreciated the effort the programmers put into the environment. Everything had depth to it and looked real; in cheap virtual worlds background objects often had a flat appearance or were poorly resolved, since the user couldn't interact with them. She also appreciated the mix of first-person and third-person perspectives. The best virtual realities offered this kind of experience, allowing the user to be immersed in the unreal world around them, both as themselves and with a god-like perspective of the entire environment. It was like being in a movie, while also sitting in a theater, watching yourself on the screen.
She left the window and walked across the lacquered floor to a full length mirror. She wanted to check herself out before the games began.
Not bad
.
Her black hair was arranged in a complex pile, one that had gone in and out of fashion over the centuries, but fit the setting. A black corset was cinched tightly around her waist and pushed her ample breasts up and together, creating a tantalizing expanse of brown flesh that threatened to burst out of the silk and bone-ribbed constraints. Her lean legs were covered by shear black stockings that ended mid-thigh and were attached to the bottom of the corset by delicate silk straps and tiny golden buckles. She wore black leather ankle boots with stubby 2 inch heels. She wasn't wearing panties, something that caused her to giggle when she saw that the program had replaced her normally shaved pubic region with a more time-period correct patch of dark hair.
"At least I'm trimmed."
She heard the clack of heels on the lacquered floor and turned. She was impressed with the three simulacrums that entered the room.
Her Commander, Dana Cromwell - or, rather, a body scan that Dana gave her - was flanked by two women. Chastity and Dana had a casual relationship, which was not uncommon in the Force. Given the nature of Ranger duties, it was difficult to maintain anything more serious. She had been nice enough, however, to exchange body scans with Chastity the last time they were together.
Dana's fit body was encased in tight red leather pants, a white silk blouse under a red leather waist coat and knee length black leather boots. Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a tight pony tail. In one hand she held a black riding crop. In the other, chains that led to the collars the two women wore.
The women stood to either side of her, motionless. Chastity liked their well muscled bodies. Unlike the lean, cut figures of Chastity and Dana, the women were built like body-builders with bulging biceps and thighs and etched abdominal muscles. Their breasts were moderate-sized and perky. The nipples were pierced - the one to the right of Dana with gold bars, the one to the left with silver. Both had long auburn ponytails, held by gleaming steel hair rings. They were also equipped with a thick, ten inch - and period inappropriate - pink latex dildo, strapped to their bodies with red leather harnesses. Other than heavy iron collars and strap-ons, they wore paper-mâché dog masks. They were supposed to look like hunting hounds. With their slit eyes and long snouts, however, Chastity thought they were more wolfish.
"Well, it looks like our quarry is ready," Dana said. Her voice was cold and even. Just hearing it was enough to excite Chastity. Seeing Dana's full lips curl up in a wicked smile sent a shiver of excitement down her spine.
Dana would never dress like this. Or would she? Maybe I should ask, next time.
"Ready for what?" Chastity said.
Dana crossed the room, the women trailing behind her. She stopped in front of Chastity. Her brilliant blue eyes narrowed slightly. "Why, for the hunt, you silly girl. You're our prey, today. Whichever hound traps you first, gets to have you first." She tugged the chains lightly. "My money is on Gold. You're her type."
Like most VR programs of any sophistication, this was a sandbox world, one in which there was no set narrative. The only constant would be the overall look of the world; within it, almost anything could happen. Chastity had opted to let the program create the initial storyline, based on her psychometric profile. She had not anticipated this scenario.
I like being pursued, but usually not so literally.
