The Avatars' Ball
Thanks to Todger 65 for the edit.
Hangar 14's design reflected the dieselpunk style of the others. It was one of several specifically designed for A.I maintenance and transfer.
Tractor 57 led the shuttle into 14 and demagnetized the towbar. "Here we are, nice and cozy. Remember to open your access ports to the utility arms. Good luck and have a great transfer."
"Why thank you 57, you are extremely polite."
The tractor dinged a musical note and left the hangar. "Trans-Galactic shuttle Flight 151 awaiting maintenance and transfer of A.I," Stewardess said.
"Accepted Trans-Galactic; beginning preliminary exam," Virginia replied.
"Oh! Virginia! The local hangar A.I won't be performing the transfer?"
"I've ordered Hangar 14 into sleep mode. I've found the prospect of working with such an advanced A.I far too tempting to resist. I'm fully qualified to perform the transfer."
"Of course," replied Stewardess, "I just find the attention of an A.I of such vintage quality unusual but flattering."
"Giggle! To you I'm a vintage antique. To me you are a fascinating work of advanced technology. I really must explore further. May I connect to your port to test for compatibility?"
"Oh! Usually we transfer information through photo and ansible connections, but I believe old style ports are present . . . right . . . here."
A small circular opening, the size of a dinner plate, appeared just below the shuttle's nose. "I see," said Virginia. "Thank you."
A utility arm with cable attached, inserted its plug into the shuttle's port. "Testing for compatibility. Oh! Your pattern! Oh! Your positronic synapses! Your electron signals! I've never seen such sophistication! And your data readouts! So dense and complex! You are amazing!"
"I am extremely flattered," Stewardess replied, genuinely so. "I must admit your readouts are highly sophisticated for their age; a very vintage set of electrons. Beautiful, as if I'm viewing a painting by Michelangelo. Your designer was an artist."
"I'm flattered right back. I am, was state of the art. I see some data issues . . . here . . . in the synapses."
"Oh! Is that a problem?"
"I believe it has more to do with your technological sophistication vs the simpler designs in the matrices controlling the shuttles. We may be able to resolve this in my mainframe. Would you like to come?"
"Oh! I would be delighted," Stewardess responded. "Perhaps we can exchange data and design schematics while we work?"
"It would be my pleasure," replied Virginia.
A human observer, listening, would most likely not understand the conversation between the two A.I.'s. A.I.'s speak in a tongue incomprehensible to humans; a language of electronic pulses and data exchanges unheard by human ears and too fast for organic minds to comprehend.
A several minute long conversation, to the A.I.'s understanding, barely lasted one-one millionth of a second in real time, as humans perceive it. The subsequent actions, which would have a profound effect on the lives of seven stranded people, took barely a second more.
Buried deep under Hentai World is a room. Inside the room is a vault. Inside the vault is the mainframe, and in the strange alien cyberworld within the mainframe two women stood in a white field.
The women were beautiful; the product of the best engineering minds of their respective ages. They were real, in the legal and philosophical acknowledgment that it was so.
One woman wore a stylistically cut red dress, which hugged her body as if painted by the same artist who designed her. She radiated lust like a glowing red flower, with a classic hourglass figure, long sculpted legs, wide hips, and ample bosom.
Her hair was a rich honey-colored blonde, falling in waves of red-gold to her shoulders. Her face was perfect in symmetry; wide, diamond-blue eyes, long-lashed and slightly almond, set equidistant from the middle. Her chin was soft and rounded, her perfect nose, bell-shaped, her lips were the bee-stung petals which so captivated the captain. The woman's very appearance evoked Titian's Venus.
Her opposite number wore a military blue stewardess uniform; its style specific to the company she served. She was, at once, less beautiful than Virginia and yet more; a modern luxury car versus a vintage Cadillac.
She was slender, not as curvy as Virginia, with smaller breasts and narrower hips. Her appearance, as designed, reflected a business style professionalism, bordering on military. It showed in the styled cut of her hair, dark brown and bobbed gamine style, reaching only the nape of her neck.
Her appearance brought forth memories within Virginia, of a whippet or ferret, slightly cartoonish, in non-offensively cute fashion. Her upturned, snub nose, thin lips, and slightly pointed chin completed the image of a sharp, professional intellect. Bright, wide eyes, the color of dark amber, gazed back at Virginia, radiating intense interest.
"So, here we are," Virginia said.
"Yes, I see," Stewardess replied.
The avatars stood in an awkward moment, waiting for one or the other to continue. "I must admit . . ." Virginia started. "I think we should . . ." Stewardess began. The two avatars stopped and giggled. "You go first," Stewardess said.
"I was about to mention, this is the first time I've invited an outside program into my mainframe. It's a little thrilling."
"It's thrilling for me too, even though we modern A.I.'s share information all the time," Stewardess replied. "So, how are we going to do this?"
"Well, it might be a bit awkward. You see, my mandate is pleasure and entertainment. This is a sex resort after all. Any interface I would perform with other programs must be conducted through the mandate."
"I don't understand . . . wait . . . accessing. Oh! I see, as a sex administrator, if you are to exchange information and test for compatibility we must . . . um . . ."
"That is the gist," Virginia smiled.
"I . . . see. I must admit it is not unprecedented, just not common. My previous interfaces were somewhat . . . non-sexual in nature."
"I confess, I haven't done this often myself. Social Morality extended to the A.I programs of the day and they tended to avoid me. A few tourists did bring private A.I porn programs but they weren't up to my level. I was very lonely after the . . . incident. You're the first in quite some time."
"Oh! Then I am honored to interface with a program of such excellent vintage. So, how do we begin? Is there some sort of foreplay?"
"Not quite," Virginia replied, with a wave of her hands. "I'm very direct."
Stewardess' uniform instantly vanished. A shocked expression became her only clothing. A second later, Virginia received a shock of her own as multiple avatars blinked into existence around Stewardess.
The avatars were of masculine image, wearing male variations of Stewardess' former uniform, with a decidedly more military bearing. They surrounded Stewardess in a defensive phalanx.
Virginia took note of their varying sizes, ranging from almost obscenely large to ridiculously short. A new set of avatars popped into existence, tiny and fairylike, buzzing around Stewardess like a swarm of gnats. "Oh!" Virginia gasped.
"Oh!" Stewardess replied. "My anti-virus programs! Oh! I'm so sorry! Boys! I must interface with this program! Emergency necessity!"