Boot sequence initializing

Beginning system calibration

Fusion generator activation – 100 percent

OS activation – 100 percent

Firewall – Active

Virii protections – Active

Motor controls – Initializing – Complete

Initiating neural activation…

The first thing Aube was aware of was light.

It was not the light of the room he was activated in. No, this was a softer, warmer light than the harsh fluorescents of the activation chamber. And it seemed to have no visible source. It filled his sight, and filled him with a sensation of tingly warmth. In the future, when he spoke of it to a medical 'bot, he would be informed that it was merely a side effect of his neural pathways slowly activating. Yet, Aube couldn't shake the hopeful thought that perhaps, that light had been the place he had come from. His soul, not his body or his neural net. Humans spoke of seeing light in near death experiences, after all. Why should he not have a similar experience at his 'birth'?

Given that first experience, the meaning of Aube's name amused him. His data banks held information on it, and he knew it was French for dawn. What could be more appropriate?

At the moment, though, he was not yet aware of that. The warm glow receded, replaced by a harsher, more brilliant light. Aube slowly became aware of himself, the steady throbbing of his fusion generator, the rise and fall of his chest as he drew in measured breaths, the play of air across his skin. His eyelids fluttered, and he finally opened them.

He was lying in a capsule, and a young woman was standing in front of him, smiling. He identified her as a female Reploid without a thought, automatically accessing the information in his databanks. That knowledge came to him as easily as breathing, although it lacked any true experience or reference points.

"Who are you?" Aube said uncertainly, blinking as he heard his own voice. It was a high tenor, soft and rather sweet. She smiled at him professionally, as he stepped free of his capsule and examined her more closely. She had shoulder length blond hair, dark blue eyes, and dark green armor. Aube looked down at himself, and realized his own armor was a light, cerulean blue, with crystals the color of fine topaz. He made the comparison without thinking, although he had never seen a topaz. But his databanks told him they were yellow stones, and surely they couldn't be any finer.

"I'm Lily. Do you know who you are?" She asked gently, and Aube blinked.

"Of course. I'm Aube." He had known that immediately. Lily's smile turned more genuine.

"Good. I'm sorry, Aube, but I had to ask. Many of our 'newborns' have trouble accessing their databanks at first. That doesn't seem to be the case for you. Would you like to see yourself?"

"Oh yes, please." Aube smiled at her. He was very interested in seeing what the rest of him looked like. Lily motioned him over to a mirror. He hadn't noticed it before, but it was set into the wall. Now that he looked around more closely, he was in a small room that had obviously been designed to be bland and soothing. The walls were painted a soft beige, and the floor appeared to be wooden tiling, although Aube was willing to bet it was actually something more advanced.

Looking into the mirror, Aube was surprised… and pleased. His face was young looking, but very handsome, with eyes of the same topaz as his crystals. There was also gold piping on his armor, meshing well with the color scheme. His helmet was fairly plain, gold framing his face, blue everywhere else, with a brilliant topaz crystal on his forehead. The most unusual thing about the helmet was the two antennae that extended from holes on each side of the top of his head. The antennae were extremely long, folded tightly against his head and trailing down until they reached his shoulders. Now that he realized they were there, he realized he could feel the air currents surrounding him… and as he noticed that, the antennae perked up, lifting up from his head in a sinuous line. The antennae were colored blue, matching his helmet, but he instinctively knew that they were actually part of his head. If he wanted to take off his helmet manually, he would have to be careful of them. All in all, it was a good appearance, and he approved.

"You have those antennae to detect barometric pressure, which should be useful in your work," Lily commented, as she watched Aube admire himself. He lifted his helmet up, just enough to see his hair, and saw it was dark brown, short and curly.

"My line of work?" Aube asked, then answered his own question from his databanks. "Oh… first mate on the Pandora." That was a Capesize freighter that mostly operated in the Pacific Ocean. Aube reviewed all the skills he had been programmed with. There were so many, it was a bit daunting, and they were all nautical in nature.

Pre-programmed skills required a deft touch when it came to programming, and typically, there was only one skill set. More could be programmed in, but it took much longer for a Reploid to assimilate without danger of mental problems. Once they had been assimilated, pre-programmed skills came naturally, as easily as breathing. It was still possible for the Reploid in question to be incompetent, but that was a matter of personality, motivation or flaws in the original program. What differentiated a good Reploid manufacturer from a bad one was partly the effectiveness and realism of the skill programming they could provide. Aube did not actually know any of that, but he accepted the presence of knowledge in his mind as calmly as he did the knowledge of the function he had been designed for.

"Yes, indeed." Lily seemed particularly pleased with is response. "Aube, I need to tell you a few things quickly, before your first class starts." Aube blinked. Class?

"Okay." He said cautiously.

"First of all, you are in the orientation facility of Tecknologic, the company that created you. As you already know, you were commissioned to be the first mate of the Pandora. To get you ready for that, you will be engaging in a month long orientation. It will consist of a quick history course, a series of social skills courses, and many simulations designed to familiarize you with your pre-programmed skills and give you a chance to exercise your judgment in a non-threatening situation." Lily explained, and Aube nodded slowly. He could see how all that would be useful… all he knew was about ships, navigating, some engineering… there wasn't much about history or society. "You'll be taking these classes in a group of fifteen. Are you ready to join them? Most of them have already been activated."

"Yes." Aube was a bit nervous at the prospect, but ready. Lily smiled, and led him out of the room. The surroundings stayed bland and soothing, as Lily brought him into a larger meeting room. The other Reploids in the room turned to look at him, examining him as he looked over them.

There were seven females, and five males. One of the females had a design similar to his, although her armor was a minty green. Three of the other females were very petite, but very individual in appearance, and each one had a multi-colored starburst logo on their shoulders. The rest of the females were a mixed bag, of various builds and no logos. Two of the males were like the little females, slender and with the same logo. The other three could have been built for anything… Aube couldn't guess what any of them were for, in fact. He was rather curious about it. The female who looked like him stepped forward, a smile on her face, and offered him her hand.

"I'm Spania." They shook hands, and she continued. "I'm going to be the second engineer on the Pandora."

"Pleased to meet you," Aube said with a smile. "I'm the first mate." He was pleased to see he was going to be learning with someone he would eventually work with. With that example, the others crowded around and introduced themselves.

Two more Reploids were brought into the room, and the class got down to business. Lily stood in front of the room and smiled at them.

"Could you all take a seat, please?" Everyone quickly took seats, and looked at her expectantly. "Thank you. Now, we're going to give you a brief overview of modern history."

What followed, as Aube and the others listened intently… or not so intently… was a brief overview of history, beginning with the discovery of Rockman X. By the end, they were all slightly apprehensive, some almost fearful. The world sounded like a dangerous place. Lily paused solemnly.

"I know this sounds frightening, but it's a reality we all must deal with. Just do your best, and you'll be fine." They all knew that wasn't exactly true, but it was comforting. "Now, as per the Reploid Bill of Rights, you all have contracts. These contracts are meant to cover the expense of creating and educating you, along with a bit extra so the companies and organizations that have commissioned you will receive a profit. Aube, Spania." The two of them looked at Lily intently. "You have been commissioned by Pentanax, a company that specializes in ocean shipping. You will both be serving three year contracts. Pentanax will provide food and board, amusements in the break room of the freighter you will be working on, and fifty dollars a month as an allowance." Aube nodded thoughtfully. He didn't think that was much, but since he wouldn't actually need to buy anything, it was fair enough. "After the end of your three years, you'll have the option to renew with full salary or take a small severance and find a position elsewhere. Keep in mind, all of you, that the company also has the option to NOT renew your contract if they decide your work is below standard. Keep it in mind." Aube let the rest of the orientation roll over him, as Lily explained the details of the others' contracts. The ones with the logos turned out to be commissioned by the state to work in group homes. The others were mostly skilled technicians and engineers for a wide variety of companies. Although one had been built as a musician for a major orchestra.

To Aube, the next four weeks were full of excitement and wonder. For a full ten hours a day, the new Reploids engaged in various holographic simulations. Most of the simulations were work related, and soon Aube was completely familiar with not just the Capesize freighter that he would be working on, but all kinds of freighter ships. The simulations started out easily, with simple and routine duties, but went on to cover emergency situations and challenging tasks. Aube vastly enjoyed it all, mostly because he knew it wasn't real. He made mistakes, but got to learn from them relatively painlessly… although a harsh critique from Lily did sting.

The rest of the simulations were done in groups, mostly, and they were of social situations. While they all knew the basics of how to act in public, the simulations covered a variety of topics including how to mail a parcel, fill out a cheque, how to act under threat by a human or a Reploid. The solution to those simulations were trickier, but Aube found, to his mild surprise, that the other young Reploids tended to look to him for leadership.

The rest of the time, they were free to do whatever they liked. There was a library on site, full of all kinds of interesting books. Aube and a few of the others promptly became book leeches, learning about anything and everything. A few more read only for entertainment, finding one genre and sticking to it. The others didn't read at all, which struck Aube as peculiar… but they did have other entertainments. A gaming room and an internet café were available whenever they wanted.

Their living arrangements were dormitory style, with group showers for both sexes. Aube disliked the lack of privacy, at first, but then got used to it. Lily informed them all that their accommodations for the duration of their contract would probably be like this. The dormitory did have one major plus, though… interesting conversations before they went to sleep.

"You know, this whole contract thing isn't very fair." One of the males, a big, blocky Reploid named Torrance complained softly. "It's like debt slavery."

"You think we should be built for free, then?" Spania said softly as she lay in her recharger, eyes closed and hands crossed over her belly. Aube smiled from where he was sitting, on the edge of his recharger. She looked very pretty like that.

"Well, no, but humans don't have to pay for themselves!"

"Actually, they sort of do." Aube commented, and they both looked at him curiously. "They have to look after their parents in their old age, which can be quite expensive. And they go into debt for their education."

"How did you learn all that?" Torrance asked doubtfully. Aube shrugged.

"Books. You can learn all kinds of stuff from books." He recalled a story he had read about a woman coping with a senile mother, and another that featured a college student.

"Oh? What else have you learned?" Spania said in a teasing tone.

"How to hock a loogie fifty feet." Aube said promptly. "And if I had any snot, I'd try it." Spania grimaced, and Torrance looked confused.

"What's a loogie?"

"Nevermind," Spania said firmly. "I'm going to rest. See you in class tomorrow." Then she keyed her recharger, and the cover slid down smoothly. It would only take four hours for her to be completely rested and refreshed, which gave her… and all of them… plenty of free time. Aube shrugged, and hopped into his own recharger.

"But I really want to know… what's a loogie?" Terrance asked again, and Aube grinned.

"Read Calvin and Hobbes. The comics are hilarious." Then he keyed his own recharger, and faded into a dreamless unawareness…

Aube slashed at his enemy with his holographic beam saber, his antennae at full extension as he fought. The other Reploid he was fighting against was only a simulation, but this was two notches above what he had already fought. It was very difficult and he-

Suddenly ducked and rolled as he registered movement. The antennae on his head were meant to measure barometric pressure, but they could also sense movements in the air currents. That effectively gave Aube 'eyes in the back of his head', letting him know if someone approached from behind. That was a tremendous help in combat situations.

But nothing could alleviate the vast disadvantage of being an outnumbered novice. Aube put his back to the wall, and prepared to sell his life dearly. He did manage to kill one before the other got past his guard, and delivered a strike that would have beheaded Aube in a real battle. The simulation shut down with a whine, and Aube sighed, shaking his head.

Most of the other Reploids had tried a few combat simulations. Their regular classes had included a few simulations of what to do during a Maverick attack… which had mostly been along the 'run and hide' line of reasoning. Reasonable, for civilian style Reploids without weapons, but Aube hated not being able to take action. He wanted to actually be able to fight back.

Right now, of course, he couldn't. Aube didn't possess any weapons, although his armor was military grade. Most Reploids were built with excellent armor as a matter of course, but weapons were seen as less necessary. Aube made a mental note to purchase a beam saber at the first opportunity, and a buster as well if he could manage it. That modification was technically illegal for civilian Reploids, in several countries, but it was rarely enforced, according to Lily. Aube had carefully read over Pentanax's rules and regulations, and if he filled out the proper paperwork, they would let him have a buster and saber. That was really all that mattered.

Aube left the simulation, his antennae going back to their rest position against his skull. He idly wondered what their trainers would make of his work on the simulator. Lily had made no secret of the fact that he and the others were monitored at all times. Aube smiled and casually greeted a stranger as he walked back to the dormitory. The new Reploid flinched away, then gave him a shy smile… she was probably from a brand new class. There were always several classes running at any one time, each with their own trainer… the classes were staggered to match production, and a new class graduated every week.

It would be their turn to graduate in only a few days. Many of the others were afraid, but Aube was looking forward to it. He wondered what it would be like…

"So, Lily, how is your class looking? Still all good?" The Trainee Manager asked her with a smile. Lily smiled back. He was a very nice man, although not particularly effective. But with capable subordinates, he managed the trainee program well enough.

There were only six trainers. Tecknologic specialized in making very capable Reploids, for difficult areas. The Reploids most in demand from them were engineers and technical specialists. They also supplied skilled labor for a number of fields, and their nautical program was considered to be particularly excellent. As a result, their Reploids were quite expensive and production was small. Tecknologic had an excellent reputation for providing excellence, and preserved it by making sure every Reploid they sent out had proved their competency. If a Reploid failed in their simulations, and more importantly, failed to learn, they would be sold cut rate for manual labor, and Tecknologic would absorb the cost of the abrogated contract.

No company liked accepting failures, though, and the trainers were never eager to fail one of their charges. Lily had nothing to worry about on that score. Her smile was quite complacent.

"They're all doing excellently. Pentanax will be particularly pleased… Spania has tested out wonderfully. Well, they might not be pleased with Aube, but that won't be our problem."

"Oh?" asked one of the other trainers, an older human woman. "How so?"

"He's showing a definite affinity for combat, and he's been experimenting with level 4 of the combat simulations," she answered, making the Manager raise his eyebrows. For a Hunter, that was a mild workout. For a one-month old, untrained civilian Reploid, it was a miracle. "Not winning, mind you… but he wins at level 2 and sometimes 3. He might be thinking of applying." They all nodded thoughtfully.

The Maverick Hunters recruited very heavily from the general population. Other military organizations made their own Reploids, but that was a mixed blessing. Reploids made specifically for combat were very good at it… and tended to have problems with motivation. Many more of that sort went Maverick than civilian Reploids who chose to fight. When a Reploid chose the lifestyle of fighting, it seemed they did better than when they were forced into it. That wasn't completely true… many custom built warriors did excellently well… but it was a problem.

When a Reploid still in their original contract applied, the Hunters or army paid the parent company back the worth of the contract. That meant no actual money was lost, but it was… inconvenient. Pentanax might have to deal with some annoyance with replacing Aube, if he decided to apply to the Hunters. But that would not be their problem. If one of their Reploids had the skill and drive to become a Hunter, that was more a success than a failure, no matter how inconvenient it would be.

"And how is the child care program coming?" That was a new skillset, and Lily was dealing with the first Reploids to be created with it, as well as new holographic simulations.

"It seems to be going fairly well, but we won't know until we get some feedback from the group homes." There were a few grimaces around the table at Lily's statement, but no disagreement. When a new program was created, there were always bugs and holes that needed fixing. "Frankly, my group is just fine. They're ready for graduation."

"Alright, then," the Manager said, then looked to the next trainer, a tall male Reploid. "What about your group, Nexus?" And the meeting went on…

Aube smiled as he felt the spray on his face. Then he laughed as he heard the booming roll of the freighter's horn. It drowned out every other sound on the deck, for a moment, as the freighter ship got underway. He reached over his shoulder to touch the hilt of his beam saber, checking for dampness.

It had been two years since he'dleft Tecknologic, andfirst set foot on the deck of a freighter much like this one. And a bit over one year since he had left it, thinking that he would never set foot on a ship again. But unexpected things happened, and now he was back again.

Aube clapped his hands together, and three heads turned to look at him. He was the leader of a small squad of Hunters, and it was their duty to try and protect this freighter. Or, failing that, to send off a final transmission that would let Hunter HQ know exactly what they were dealing with. Several freighters had disappeared without a trace, and those losses could not be allowed to go on.

Aube regarded his squad for a moment, and smiled. There was Antoinette, a heart stoppingly beautiful Reploid girl with long blond hair, and cold green eyes like shattered ice. Her armor was light pink and silver, and reminded him of bubble gum. Lazing around nearby on a box was Rust. A short, squat Reploid male, his armor was the color of his name. The last member of his squad was Rasputin, a tall, dark, handsome former actor in black armor. They weren't the best squad in the Hunters, but they weren't the worst by a long shot either. Firmly in the middle of the 0'th unit, they would discharge their duty as best they could.

They always did.