Another chapter! Once again thanks to Cant_Catch_rabbit for the beta-reading!


"We need anything we can get our hands on. All the data," Luka said, pacing through her ship. It had taken them two rotations to locate and land on the nearest relay, and that was two rotations too many. "Shady people. Really rich people. Sketchy, influential people. Any of these who haven't been seen or heard of for the past cycle and a half."

"Noted. All human?"

"We'll start there, yes," Luka said. "Get me pictures of the names you find. I'll be able to disqualify a few. Maybe."

"If you can confirm the presence of some individuals, I could extrapolate and guess other names."

"Great. Don't filter out too much: I don't care if they have connections to the Shion family or not. I care about people with too much money to spend, too much free time to travel, or too much power for anyone's good."

"Are there any filtering criteria I can use at all?" Ruko asked.

"Filtering anything might be too much."

The AI hummed. Not a hum like Miku did, to indicate that she was listening, to give a reply in emotion instead of words. No, the AI was literally humming from the sheer power they were putting into filtering all the data that streamed through.

"Perhaps I could filter out the infirm."

"No. The old and sick could have attended."

"Are we looking for an individual presenting as a man or as a woman?"

"No filters like that. I didn't see their face. I—" she paused. "But Donar did! And Donar said 'he'!"

"Looking for male-presenting individuals then."

"If you can get any leads on any of the human ships you did see and make a cross-reference, that would also be great."

"I saw many ships, of which nineteen were clearly human by design, and five which are likely."

Twenty-four ships for between twenty and forty humans. Luka sighed. "God... How are we ever going to find her?"

"The nearest settlement is a cycle away from the Shion estate. We can wait here and filter for a few rotations; after then, I may find more news about Miku herself. She could be resold or otherwise advertised or presented by her buyer."

Luka nodded. "Do that."

"Staying here for so long may be risky."

The woman glared out of the windshield. This tower was more brightly lit than most others; even the smallest and most careless military ship would spot her in a heartbeat.

"We're staying."

"Understood."

"Be ready to leave at any moment's notice, though," she warned. "Our first priority is to stay alive. We can worry about everything else later."

"Very well."

"Can you suggest anything for me to do to help?"

"Sadly, no. I can recommend sleep, self-care, and nutrition, but otherwise there is little you can do, aside from waiting."

"...Then so be it."


They stayed for a full two rotations, suffering through the tower's frequent changes in direction, the constant spinning, and the deluge of incoming data.

Ruko had pulled millions of names. Luka couldn't recognize a single photo. Cross-referencing with the ships seen took ages because it meant waiting for the relevant data to stream by.

Before they could make much progress, Ruko detected a military ship approaching, so they unlatched from the tower and fled into the abyss.

A terrifying thing, but the AI was sure that they had escaped unseen.

"Without the tower, I can now only do cross-referencing based on logic and deduction, no facts," Ruko informed her as they careened through the void. "Certain ships are popular in some settlements."

Luka nodded, her eyes barely able to make out the fine print of the never ending list displayed on the screen. "Right. But all the ships you saw leave at the same time as us, they're the only people we know for sure didn't buy her."

"That is true."

"So... Yeah. We'll see what that means."

"I will process the data. I can recommend turning on the police scanner, however I doubt it would reveal much."

"We'll need cash to live anyway, so I might as well get some casual listening in," she muttered, letting the chatter invade her skull via the implant. "You focus entirely on the buyer. I'll do the scavenging."

"Understood."

Briefly, Luka entertained the idea of counterfeiting something expensive, but she had been out of the loop for so long that she didn't know the latest designs or trends. Making fake IDs was also a waste of time now that she had Iroha to hide behind, at least for the moment. Unable to keep her hands busy, she instead laid down on her bed, buckled in, half-listening to the uninteresting communications. She knew more or less where she was, and all the locations they listed—always one of the first bits of information they communicated—were all so far away. There was always a crash, a disappearance, heist, kidnapping or mugging going on in space.

None of these helped her make money, though. While she still had a bit of cash on hand, it would run out soon enough. She would need to refuel; the Shion estate was so far from everything. If the search went on for too long, she'd have to get more supplies eventually. If it went on for even longer, she'd have to invest in the usual ship maintenance and repairs. Minor damage had a way of accumulating simply because of the daily grind.

She sighed. How long could she justify continuing the search? Months? Years? Years of endless pursuit, her planet waiting for her, waiting for the settlement, her paradise, while she chased down an android she had known for a handful of cycles?

The bitter sadness made her honest; she probably would. She would keep running after Miku, following each and every trail until she had undeniable evidence there was nothing left of her to be found.

Luka wondered what that evidence might look like. Her android body repurposed to be a dumb waiter in a restaurant. Or no, it would be split apart, spread out. Some androids would be using her arms, others a foot or a hand. A security drone would be equipped with her gun. Maybe some pieces of her might even be recycled into implants. Maybe one day, Luka would cross paths with someone wearing her eyes.

She shivered at the thought. To think of Miku butchered, torn asunder, recycled like aluminum made her sick to her core. She wanted to believe in a future that found the android famous and loved, her song spreading across the galaxy, but she had been bought by some random faceless entity. Purchased and taken away by stars-knew-who.

Luka shook her head, tried to listen to the police comm traffic. But with every incident, she imagined Miku there instead, used as a crash test dummy, gutted, abandoned and floating around in space.

That would be the worst. If Miku were stuck in the vacuum of space, nothing could save her. Sure, she could survive in space, but she would drift endlessly, her odds of being found close to zero, nothing stopping her from crashing into a planet in the distant future, or a sun...

Luka shook her head again. She needed to stay positive, hopeful. She needed to believe in a day that would find them reunited. She had to keep her chin up and keep trying.

No matter how long it would take.


"Ok, what have we narrowed it down to?"

They had made it to Skanthia, a relatively two-faced planet that was scorching hot on one side and freezing on the other. This was due to the fact that it was tidally locked with the sun it orbited, which also meant that there was a permanent vertical, pole-to-pole belt of land around the planet that sustained life, if tenuously so. The planet had been barren when found, but the insectoid aliens had taken a liking to the habitable ring of never-ending morning and had populated this sparse terrain happily, constructing a massive, planet-scale greenhouse where day and night met. The wildlife was nearly nonexistent, but plenty of imported plants flourished there, making it a garden planet of sorts, mostly touristic and for trade. It was a popular stop, somewhat out of the way but quite unique. Many families were there to admire the unmoving sun, look at all the plants that hailed from afar, and just enjoy themselves in the balmy morning.

Luka sat on a terrace, her Sapphire Shore tablet in her lap, sipping a cold drink. They had needed to stop to refuel. And she'd needed to feel solid ground under her feet. A change of scenery. The constant buzz of tourists around her also changed things up a bit. It broke the never-ending police chatter, the hum of Ruko's AI brain, the repeating exercises, and the crushing silence.

It had been two cycles since the Shion auction. They had listened and analyzed and cross referenced, but the only thing they were sure of was who exactly had attended but hadn't won. It was more than painful; it was downright discouraging. There was no telling who hadn't attended to begin with. Being able to cross out only five names or so wasn't a comfort at all. Yet Luka couldn't stop trying. She would pause to breathe, but she would never stop.

Ruko said into her implant, "The list currently has five hundred thousand names."

Luka scoffed, ignoring the surprised glances from the people around her. At least in this part of the galaxy, people weren't all that accustomed to implant technology, so the fact that she was talking to herself made her seem a bit strange. One family group in particular, helmed by a wire-thin woman with crazy hair, kept sending angry glares her way, as if Luka were single-handedly ruining her vacation.

Luka had bigger fish to fry.

"That's so many."

"A single identifier could reduce the list drastically. Unfortunately, all of these men have sizable wealth, most have a reputation of sorts, others have influence, and none could be accounted for during the auction."

"But there weren't five hundred thousand people there."

"There are always places to be," Ruko said gently.

Luka hummed, sipped on her drink. It was caffeinated and cool, perfect for the balmy greenhouse atmosphere. That gesture, too, seemed to personally insult mama matron.

"Which ones wouldn't give a fuck about androids or AI?"

As expected, her language garnered another sizzling glare. She pretended not to care, but smiled to herself.

"It is hard to tell," her ship admitted. "Even those who have no professional relevance to technology could still have it as a private hobby. Plus, the data I could keep on each name is limited."

"Guess we need to go to another relay."

"Buying more storage space would help as well."

Luka frowned at this; she was exhausting all their resources on the search. Ruko could not even update their internet copy, which made the local authorities mad. Plus, flying every which way for days on end, trying to find things to sell, trying to sell those things for money, that all cost fuel, which cost money. All this to sustain a constant hunt for information they couldn't even store.

"We can't afford that," she admitted. This confession made mama matron happy, and Luka was two breaths away from throwing her drink into the woman's face. But she didn't really have the energy to sustain real anger, so she let it go with a tired sigh.

It was crazy how poorly she had slept on this hunt. She had never been so perpetually exhausted before, not since she had left Meiko's home and initially gained her independance. She didn't even have that many nightmares to blame. Always trying to find the next haul was one thing, but the non-stop worrying, fretting, wondering, it kept her up at night.

She just wanted Miku to be okay. She needed nothing more.

"Unfortunately not," Ruko said. "However, I can make my best attempts to speculate with the information I have. Would you like me to narrow the list to the most likely candidates?"

"Go ahead. Hell, be strict; they bought her even though she was presenting herself as being really dangerous."

"Are you sure?"

Luka nodded. "I guess the longer our list of people we're sure don't have her, the shorter the list of people who could..."

"A little over three hundred individuals are the most likely to have a strong inclination to purchase her despite the risk."

Luka paused. "That's a lot better. Who would have the manpower or means to keep her despite how dangerous she is?"

"A little under three hundred. All are wealthy, but only a dozen have left behind a life of riches and indulgence."

She grumbled.

"How far are they all from the Shion estate?"

"All would be home by now."

"Then we need to get to another relay."

"Understood. I have finished refueling, and you still have enough food to sustain travel to a relay and back. Nothing else keeps us."

"Great."

Luka stretched, finished her drink, and set the cup down with a long exhale. Nearby, the family rushed towards the concession stand, leaving the husband behind with his camera and—

She froze. Even if she had been out of the loop ever since the freighter of spice, she knew that the handbag mama matron had left behind was designer. The brand, hand-stamped into the leather, was famous galaxy-wide. She didn't recognize it, though; either it was new, or a limited edition...

If she could figure out how to make cheap doubles of that, she could get a little stream of money in for a while. That was all without considering what the bag contained; money, some technology, maybe even an ID...

She gulped.

"Ruko?"

"Yes?"

"How fast can you be ready to leave in a hurry?"

"I will be ready to depart when you arrive."

"What if I came running full speed ahead?" she asked, voice hushed, as her eyes darted from the owner of the bag to the unattended bag in question.

"I estimate it might be a five minute run. I will be ready by then."

"Good. Prepare everything post-haste."

"Understood. May I ask why? Must I make other preparations?"

"Evasive maneuvers, eventually," she whispered, standing and stretching for a second time.

Her heart was pounding in her chest as she eyed the bag. She could make a small detour to the trash can, casually throw away her cup, saunter over to the table as if she had to go that way, then quickly double back, bag in hand...

She started her plan, going to the trash can, throwing away her cup.

"Are you planning something?" Ruko asked, and Luka could almost hear how their protection protocols had kicked in. They could tell she was about to do something risky.

"Petty theft," she muttered under her breath, disguising it in a yawn as she looked around, pretending to figure out her next direction. In the same movement, she checked that the owner was still distracted, the hubby otherwise busy with his camera.

"Petty theft? From a person?" Ruko asked.

Luka didn't answer, approaching the table.

She had taken things time and time again. She had stolen from corpses; what did they care. She stole from shipments; huge intergalactic companies had other concerns. She had even rifled off the pockets of the passed out, the unconscious, the wounded; they couldn't stop her.

A healthy, able, present and aware person could fight back.

And that was always scary. Terrifying.

She swore she tasted her heart as she approached her target. One more step, just one more.

Her rational mind told her she would chicken out. She would walk on by, then loop around and slink off to Ruko with her legs shaking from the adrenaline. She would end up disappointed in spite of it all.

Yet even a few cents could go far in space. Another liter of fuel. Another exabyte of storage. If the bag was really expensive, it could help even more. Having a real ID to pawn? That was gold in the right hands. It had been gold for her. But for a moment, she was sure she didn't have the nerve do it.

She was running out of time, though. Miku could be anywhere. She probably needed Luka.

With that single thought burning through her system, her hand reached out like a striking snake, grabbing the bag, pulling it to her torso, before she broke out into a sprint and ran the other way.

Only then did she think that maybe, if she had been casual enough, nobody would have noticed if she hadn't started running. But then she heard the yells and protests behind her, and it was too late.

"Open the door Ruko, I'm coming in hot!"

She shouldered past confused tourists and jumped over short hedges that decorated the long greenhouse. People watched her run, probably understood what was happening when they made out the yelling that followed close behind, but it only took a minute for her pursuer to give up.

Luka didn't stop running though.

"I am ready to depart the moment you enter," Ruko announced. "You are approaching fast."

"You bet!" she panted, slowing to a jog; the less attention she attracted, the better. There were a few announcements over the speakers, but she couldn't listen. It was too much.

She clutched the bag like a lifeline. Her eyes darted to and fro, trying and failing to find the local law enforcement. She flinched at times, believing that her victim might be catching up, but the coast looked relatively clear.

She was shaking with nerves when she sprinted the last stretch. When the door closed behind her, the ship gaining altitude, she was panting, exhausted.

"Stars..."

"That bag is not yours," Ruko commented.

"Does it have tracking technology?"

After a brief silence, the ship replied, "Yes. Remove the battery from the communications unit within, however, and that will stop."

Trembling, she upended the bag onto her workbench. She sifted through the tissues, gum, contact booklet, and found a small handheld phone. A relic.

"You have never committed petty theft like this before," Ruko commented.

"I know."

"Why now?"

Luka shrugged, peeled off the back of the phone to find the battery. "We're a bit desperate for money right now."

"We are." After Luka used a screwdriver to pop out the battery, Ruko added, "Neutralized. Are you ready for interstellar travel?"

She nodded. "What's the nearest black market?"

"Kitanai," the ship replied, getting a wince in response. "Is that our new destination?"

"I need to get rid of this shit fast," Luka admitted, getting ready to make a scan of the bag and write down all the information she needed to replicate it. "With some luck, I'll get enough money to get you more storage; we'll visit the information relay afterwards."

"That is a good plan."

"I'm ready to go when you are."

"Please brace yourself."

Luka did, letting the sudden vibration surge through her. With some luck, she could get enough storage for it to make a difference. At that point though, she was sure that anything could make a difference in finding Miku.

It was strange, to not only feel, but know that apparently, she was ready to do absolutely anything. The cream-colored bag sitting on her workbench was shining proof of it, and she couldn't tell whether she loathed the sight or not.

Part of her liked the power that coursed through her. With Miku in her heart, she could move mountains.

The other part swore it would get her killed.