Ruby Abram's Story

Molecay was a funny place. All around the glimmering might of the Aschen rose as high as the eye could see. Fancy skyscrapers, flying cars, soldiers. It was the future wrapped up with a pretty bow, but if you knew where to look, it had another side. A hidden side

An underside.

Ruby knew it well, and made her way through the sparkling city with ease. Deep back in a corner of Molecay sat The Confessor's Inn. It was a jarring little building, nestled in between massive, shiny buildings sat its shabby wooden frame. The neon light didn't even work anymore.

It looked like it should be condemed, but the once famous singer pushed past the swinging wood doors. There was no ambiance, and barely any clintel, but the bartender nodded when he saw her, pulling out a glass.

---

Ruby Abram sat at the bar, unmoving. She'd been waiting for two hours, and she was not pleased. Or overly sober. She glanced around the bar, smirking. She was so out of place here. The partiality shaved head helped, but the silk black, and orange lab jacket stood out. It always did.

Nobody cared here though.

She ordered another drink, starting to get pissy as she checked her wrist-mounted holo-screen. Twenty more minutes, and she' d bail.

"Where the hell is this 'streamer'..?"

When Cathenna was what one would call a hick. Her story was one of an Aschen redneck who had big city dreams but lived in well...hickville. Of course, when she was old enough, she went to pursue her dreams and went to Molecay to do just that, only to be surprised. Such places like Molecay seemed so grand from afar but the inner working of the city was nothing like what the stories she heard about them were like. The people were villainous in comparison to the kindness of the people back home and everyone was so distant from one another. Still, she couldn't let her parents tell her "I told you so." So she endured. She did whatever work she could get to save up and she had to learn a few things of her own, like how technology worked. Over the 4 years she had been on Molecay, she learned a lot and accomplished a lot but she was still so far from her dream...still a step closer was still better than nothing right?

Despite the time she had spent here, Cathenna still didn't know her way around every single street. Especially the underside of the cityscape... However this kind of thing she had to master and fast if she as going to be a big time streamer...getting lost and arriving late to the event she wanted to stream could easily ruin her. Fortunately, her getting lost live on stream and her charismatic charm, actually kept the viewers entertained in a comedic way... Most of them were laughing at her and she kept that going. Views were views.
She arrived a little late...very late actually but she hoped that this "Ruby" was still there. The live chat projected in front of her right eye however was very doubtful.

"Hey you guys can't be so negative.", Cathenna said aloud, the microphones catching her voice and the ambience of her surroundings perfectly. To be honest, she wasn't as confident as she looked about being in this bar. She stood out like a sore thumb and fortunately...so did Ruby. The chat saw her before Cathenna did.

"Good eye chat, guess yall_ I mean you guys saved me. Thanks a ton!".

Ruby had been expecting a reporter, so when Cathenna walked in she almost overlooked the woman. Almost. She stuck out even more than Ruby did, and the holo-screen up told her she was a streamer. A goddamn streamer. Some no life net nerd looking in the wrong place for a big break. Her annoyance shot up, her agent said "reporter", not a nobody. But then again, she was sort of a nobody now.

But she was so damn out of place, it had to be the right lady. Besides, she was kinda cute. Wouldn't hurt to be nice for a second or two.

"Ehyou!" She called, watching the list streamer. "Over here."

"Ehyou!" She called, watching the list streamer. "Over here."

Wow so that's Ruby?
Dude what the fuck is she wearing?
Dirt-eater garb.
^Fuck the guy above me, asshole.
Yeah Ruby is still cool, I don't care what anyone says.
It doesn't matter what you say, her sales say she sucks.
She'll pick back up!
Omg my little sister loves Ruby, I should link her this stream.
Wow your gonna get to drink with my dream girl...S
Jealous
I actually liked her last song
You were the only one
Why are you guys all here to see this dirt eating plebian
Why the fuck are you here being such an ass if you don't want to see Taurons? Plenty of other streams guy.
Yea, ya cuck!

On the walk over, she gave herself an little pep talk as she closed in and sat down with Ruby. The chat started to pick up but fortunately, a friend had helped her install some software to counteract not being able to keep up with the chat's pace. "Hi, I'm Cathenna, I'm the News Streamer your agent set up an interview with. Sorry for being late, I've never really been on this side of ton. Oh we're live right now with 20,000 other viewers right here on Molecay. Anything you would like to say to them before we begin?". Cathenna's tone was unexpectedly professional and there was no hint of an accent despite her upbringing. It was something she had worked on because it brought unwanted discrimination and attention.

Cathenna? Isn't that a Tauron name?
Cool! We need more Tauron streamers! DOMINATE THE NET!
Guys Cathenna is Tauron but she is one of those hicks...didn't you catch the accent earlier?
Now way!

The lass had guts, Ruby have her that. Her hazey gray eyes looked the streamer up, and down. She didn't look like she lived in a basement, but you never knew these days. Hell, she wished she could afford a basement.

"Twenty thousand, eh?" She lifted her beer mug. "You must be digging deep for a story, haven't you heard?" She locked eyes with the streamer. "I'm all washed up."


Pained Screaming* NOOOOOOO!
Say it aint so Ruby, say it aint so.
Trash recognizes it's dead.
So am I the only one who saw Ruby eye up our Cathy?
Wait what?
Dude rewind the stream!

 At this point Cathenna was more focused on the conversation than the chat, if she had seen that comment she would have turned red from ear to ear. "Well considering the population jumped 5,000 when I walked in, it seems like your fans are in my streaming audience. Some of them even liked your last song. I understand that you have gone in a new direction with your recent songs, their not like your usual stuff why is that?".
 
 Yeah Ruby, why you stop making good music?
 Dude are you a fan or not?
 Yea, fans in the chat or gtfo!
 I really don't get why people don't like the new sound, pretty lit imo
 fuck your imo.
 ^random aggression?
 Seriously though. i love the new sound.
 ^Terran Spotted, call the Marines!

An eyebrow raised. Five thousand? She used to draw fifty without effort. As professional as this woman wanted to be, it didn't seem like she knew her interview-y too well. The once popular rapper sat back, sipping at her beer with her eyes narrowed at Cathenna.

If someone paid attention, they just might notice the glances Ruby stole of her neckline.

"New direction? That's new, my manager keeps referring to it as suicide," She took a swig. "When he's nice." Still, she considered the question for a second, fighting back her buzz. "I don't know. I took a trip to Terra a few years ago, you know?"

Omg...
Those filthy Terrans fucked up our Ruby
No wonder her music died...

 Cathenna's eye caught the comments. Anything Terran related was extremely unpopular anywhere, unless it was anti Terran. The long and violent relationship that the Aschen Empire had with the Terrans was mostly to blame but it wasn't as if the Aschen's weren't doing a twice a day carpet bomb schedule on their main cities still to this day...
 
  "Are you saying that your last song was inspired by what you saw on Terra? "
   The bartender asked if Cathenna would like a drink, the bar logo on his shirt coming perfectly into view in the stream's cam.
   "No thank you.".
   
   "What in particular were you trying to express? I know Terra is pretty...troubled at the moment. What inspired you while you were there?"
   
   Inspired? More like took your talent.
   NOO you got to Cathenna
   Yea you hit your 20 k milestone!
   Yeah, Drunk stream!
   Chant it guys!
   If you wanna see a Drunk Hick just go to their province, they litter the streets like rats
   they don't have streets, idiot.
   ^Why are there so many racists on tonight?
   No...they really don't have streets.
   Someone get the bar name! If go maybe we can meet Ruby!
   1 step ahead, Omw right now
   Dude you can't stalk our Ruby
   Not here for her
   Cathenna was already Drunk on stream, accidentally but still. She has to do something else.
  
The "artist" was a bit taken aback. Usually interviews were just bullshit attempts to find out who she was banging, but this streamer was trying. Hard. It was almost cute.

Or maybe she was a little drunk, speaking of. "Helic, two sunrises." She mused about her chances of getting Cathenna to drink the other. Why not try, right? Of course, she'd have to play nice first.

"It was supposed to be about a lot of things," Ruby sighed in earnest. "But fuck, even I didn't like it. It was one big disaster. Kinda matched Terra, really." About then Helic pushed the shots towards her.

"You're in stream, right?" Her eyes glinted with mischief. "New rule. You want an answer, you drink." She pushed the other shot over.

OH SHIT!
Dude, for every shot she drinks, someone buy Ruby's shit song...help her for helping us
No way this little thing will do it.
Guy you ever try out drinking a country redneck? Those guys will out drink you in your sleep
Yeah, you'll drink alcohol, their drinking diesel
who the fuck uses diesel anymore?
Hicks...

Cathenna rolled her eyes at the chat. "Hey chat...keep it half tame please? It's not like I can't see you."

With that the chat suddenly died and erupted yet again, Cathenna giggling at the comments as someone actually made her laugh.

"Oh sorry...That still doesn't really answer my question though does it? What motivated you while you were there?".

 Wow, Cathena isn't even phased.
 She's not gonna drink thats why.
 DO IT, DO IT, DO IT!
 I'll buy you breakfest if you drink with Ruby.
 
  Another eye roll and Cathenna hand went for the glass. She didn't even know what was in it but she went to drink it...as if it were water. Cathenna only sipped the drink.
  
  Boo! Technicality!
  Yeah that's prett bull Cathy
  She drank it tho,
  Like a bi_*This user has been banned for excessive swearing*
  Damn...the ban bots are actually working?

 With a sigh, she chugged the rest of the drink. Unphased by it, despite the disgusting taste, she looked Ruby in the eyes and smiled. "So...A deal's a deal right!".
 
 Aaaayyy!
 See? Didn't even tear up and she chugged it.
 ^Your impressed because your a caprican. You guys can't hold your drinks let alone your balls.

Ruby was impressed, and her smug grin showed it. This might be easier than she thought, so she reached over and grabbed her Sunrise, a sixty percent grain drink mixed with Tal'ador Red, a particularly nasty mix designed for maximum drunkness.

She ripped her chair back, holding Cathenna's gaze as she slammed the shot. "Fair is fair.." She paused for a moment, chewing her lower lip. "Well, if I had to pick, like, one thing..' She seemed reluctant, but not unwilling.

"I was staying in Wing City, yeah?" As she spoke she seemed to gain a little energy, slowly growing animated. "And there's this place there, yeah? It's just known as The Abandoned Slums.." She took a swig of her beer, staring into it.

"It's part of this massive market, but no one uses it, except the homeless. It's kind of like..A survivor's camp, for every war they've had..." Ruby clammed up a little. "I got to walk through this part, these ruins.."

Slowly she lifted her head to meet the streamer's eyes, a sort of hollowed glaze coating her own.

"Well this part was from when The Aschen had "liberated" Terra.." She returned her eyes to her drink. "It was..Rough.." As if by reflex she turned to Helic and ordered two more.

"Next question?"

Guys I think Ruby is a lightweight
She was probably drinking since before Cathy got there
Yea Cathy did get lost...sooo
Plus she is dead, only thing for musicians to do when they are at the bottom is to drink or die.

 What Ruby said about Wing City really tickled Cathena's fancy. Not that she liked the idea of a war torn city but those were the kind of places that she wanted to go to and stream from, maybe even talk to the locals if they would let her. Ruby didn't know it but she had made Cathenna jealous. She sort of was hoping that Ruby would stop drinking so much...or that she wouldn't keep making her drink. Least not while on the stream.
 
 "So you were trying to express what you saw there... the broken spirit of Terra and the toll the war had taken on them."
 
  Terrans never had spirit.
  Actually wing city was beautiful at one point.
  Yea look up pictures of what it looked like before the invasion.
  I was kinda hoping after the fighting I could take my fiance there for the wedding ceremony, the gardens are...were...to die for.
  Yall are all sympathizers.
  Or maybe we just can admire beauty when we see it. Just cause Wing city was nice, doesn't mean we were wrong for invading.
You know this kinda makes me like Ruby's song more
Yea it's maybe not her best work (its the worse really) but when you add that context...it makes sense.
Sense doesn't pay bills guys.

Cathena's chat started picking up pace again and the stream counter started rising. Part of her cursed at that and the other half was happy. More views, more pay...but that meant she had to keep drinking too...she was already in a part of town she was unfamiliar with...unarmed. Things could go bad...but she needed this.

 "Wow that really got the chat talking. Lets keep exploring that. So were certain lyrics in your song directly referencing what you saw? Maybe even some conversations you had with the natives?".
 
  Cathena's hand was already grasping the drink, waiting to see if Ruby would answer before she would raise it and drink. Upon seeing the hesitation Cathena kinda frowned...more like pouted and down the drink. 
"I really shouldn't be drinking on stream, ya kno." Her accent slipped."...Yeah know?" She tried to cover for herself horribly..

YOU FUCKED UP!
Hick alert!
Lol that was kinda cute, kinda awkward.
I'll subscribe to this stream if Cathy can make Ruby fall over.
Yea, drink her into the dirt! 
No way, Ruby's been drinking since the dawn of time.
Yeah especially when she was big and she could afford to buy drinks...
Wait who the hell is paying for those drinks?

This was coming dangerously close to fun, she thought while slamming down her second shot. This girl had the markings of a real trip to her. Or the booze was starting to kick in.

Ruby's occasional lecherous glances might've been an indication.

She didn't really want to explain her trip, but she noticed that it caught Cathenna's attention. Why not? She picked her beer mug back up, sloshing it around. "Well.."

The memories flooded back, she could even small the rubble.

Ruby's eyes glazed a little as she spoke. "I found this like.. I don't know, apartment," she took a tiny sip. "I dunno, it was small, smashed up, but like..The door, yeah? Was still on its hinges." She paused, opting for a gulp.

"Just this giant wooden splinter across the doorway. Crooked as fuck, but like.." She glanced at Cathenna, and might've snuk a peek at her legs. "But it was still a fucking door. You could see, you know? What it looked like, that someone lived there.."

She trailed off for a moment, her voice withering to a whisper. As if by telepathy Helic walked up, grabbed the mug right out of Ruby's hands, and refilled it. She didn't seem to notice.

With a sigh she ran her long fingers through her fauxhawk. "So you know, being a dumbass, I want in."

Helic quite literally placed the mug back in her hand, getting a grunted "Thanks." In response. Ruby quickly took a swig. "Not it was all busted up, and rotten, but.." She kind of awkwardly drew the layout in the air. "Books on the coffee table, T.V smashed on the floor. Everything was preserved.."

This time she drained half her mug. Helic chuckled a little, "That's your sixth, Rubes." She ignored him.

"I explored it. Found the back bedroom.." Her shoulders slumped. "There was uh.." She just gazed into her beer. "Skeleton on the floor. It was a woman, all jacked up, and broken.."

Ruby finished off her drink, and ordered two more shots. 

"Disruptor hole in her skull."

Holy fucking shit guys...I think Ruby is a terran sympathizer.
^Fuck you.
Fanboy
Idk how i feel about that. Killing a woman in her own home.
NO way man that's some Terran propaganda. No way she was just some woman

 While a small debate and flame war started in the chat, Cathena followed her every word. Ruby was suddenly becoming cooler and cooler in her mind, living out her dream.

"That's pretty...Grim. I could definately see why you'd want to put that into a song and express those emotions and that environment, it just seems like it would be impactful."

 Cathena took a look at her cup and drank up. Like nothing, it went down the hatch. "Why do you think that, having all this good inspiration, your song wasn't as impactful as what you saw?"
 
  Why is cathy streaming? She could be sitting down reading me the morning weather tomorrow.
  You watch the waether news fam? 
  Yes. I'm that old fashioned. Besides the news people are pretty damn good looking
  Who is going to hire her, she probably came straight from the province and they don't have news stations at the province. 
  Yeah they live off the land over there. If your not filthy rich or in a major city, bye bye electricity.

 
Ruby blinked. "Well, you just go straight asking a gal for her soul, don't you?" She giggled a little, a surprisingly girlish sound, the alcohol kicking in. "What next, my measurements?"

Helic snorted.

Still, not one to back away from her own challenge, Ruby slammed her shot. If anyone bothered to look I a sunrise, realize it was about eighty-five percent alcoholic, and call an ambulance.

And maybe a liver donar.

This one hit home, and Ruby slumped back a bit, trying to hold her seat.

Helic snorted again.

"Well.." Ruby had to speak slowly to be coherent. "Like..As an artist, a singer, a painter. It's like, you're job to share your pain." She wobbled a bit, but scooped up her beer anyway, sipping. She was in this to win.

"Cause like..Everybody has pain. Errybody. And we all think it's like..Special, unique, nobody understands.." She was starting to get a little loud, a flicker of old passion stirring. "And that's true! But everyone's pain kinda.."

She threw her head back, draining her mug, and nearly falling back. Helic caught her.

"And as an artist, wait..Wait. yeah. That pain kinda...overlaps. For everybody. Aschen, Terran.." She hunched over the bar. "And as artists it's out job..Shit though it be, to show that."

Her head hit the bar, but she didn't give up.

"But sometimes..We don't have the tools, the words to do a thing justice. How many Aschen women..Died..Like in wars.."

Ruby moaned. "Fuck, i thought I was get you reaallyy drunk, and take you home.."

Helic shook his head, wiping the bar around her. "Mhmn," he grunted. "You know, when you do that, you're supposed to sneak water." He picked her head up, wiping the rest of the bar. "Not drink like a fish."

He set her head back down just as she was with a nod.

 Cathena thought that she had gotten a peak into the woman before her. A window into the mind of an artist. The chat had actually increased another 8 k people and was slowly climbing. Even her software was having problems keeping the chat smooth enough for her to gauge at with her naked eye. A stupid smile made it's way up her face, the kind she wouldn't make unless...Her cheeks were starting to turn red. The drinks were catching up with her. It seemed like that was her flaw, she could drink in rapid succession easily but once her body started to process it... It was a slow descent into hell...least for her anyway.
 
  The drinks either made her bold or maybe that was just that...the alcohol talking. No doubt what fans were in the stream were going to be mad that it was Cathy who was the target of their idol when they had been fantasizing about it from the start. 
  
  Cathena laughed. She wasn't sure why but she did. There was a different feel to her now, the front of a professional news lady that she was putting up was gone. "I think that's really cool, Ruby. Your here doing what I want to do in a different way...the whole express'n and showing everyone the real world, the things they wouldn't normally see...not the getting me drunk to get in my pants thing..."
  
   Cathenna sighed and finished her drink. "I never even listened to any of your songs, you were right when you said I was desperate for something...I asked...begged your agent for this... but it doesn't change. Everyone on this planet is trying to fuck me." Her accent was coming out with every word and when she played this back to herself later, surely she'd slam her head into her desk in embarassment.
   
   Still the chat counter kept going up. Seems like Aschens like lesbomancy. With a sigh she tapped on the side of her projector, ending the stream. "Need help getting home, featherweight?".

There was no response. After about three awkward minutes of Ruby not even seeking to breath, Helic nudged her. A drunken hand shot up to swat somewhat near him. With a sigh he turned to Cathenna.

"She would be most delighted."

"Right."

 Spacing out for a moment, Cathenna got up and grabbed Ruby, helping her stand up. She slung her shoulder around her neck and continue on to ask the bartender. "An clue where
 this one here lives? I'm kinda not familiar with these part of the city...not trying to get lost or worse...".

Helic just shrugged, picking up their glasses. "Should be a room key in her pocket, as usual. Girl's smart enough to write the address on 'em.." The gruff older man stomped over to his register, and punched it.

Surprisingly the drawer opened, and he pulled out some bills.

"Here," he grunted a little sourly. "For the cab. Believe me, she'll owe me." He stopped to think for a second, then chuckled. "Good luck."

 A simple. "Mhmm." Was all she said at being told she kept her key and adress on her. This sorta thing must have happened a lot. It kinda surprised her that she was getting money from the register and not puttinng money in it. Just who was this bartender to her anyway?
 
 "Thanks." She told him as she grabbed the money and started going for the exit.

"I liked sitting better." Mumbled Ruby as she was dragged about, far to out of it to be of use.

It took some time but Cathenna was able to drag Ruby somewhere that a cab could get to. The wait was relatively short, the craft relying on software and sophisticated reliable sensors to navigate with customer comfort and satisfaction in mind.  However given that one of the customers could scarcely stand...that wasn't the Taxi Drone's fault was it?

 The door opened automatically and Cathenna took her sweet time getting Ruby inside before letting herself in, otherwise she could have dropped her or have her hit herself on the door as they went in. Not doing manual farm labor for a few years really took it out of her, physically but this much she could do.
 
  Reaching into her pocket, Cathenna pulled out an electronic pad with Ruby's address inside in a notepad like app. "Seriously, no password?" Was all she could say to which the Drone replied. 
  
   "I'm sorry. We cannot find this location via global positioning satellites...Please try again or state a different location in our city wide registry."
   
    Sometimes even sophisticated inventions to make life easier for the Aschen citzen..were simply not. Relaying the address to the Taxi Drone's computer, their night together seemed to be coming to a close soon enough.

As the connection was made, and the handshakes authenticated across the vast subspace network the Aschen called the 'Datalink' the blue, feminine visage of the AI hologram EVE flickered into view. Along with her face, a three-dimensional holographic projection of the Molecay system flickered into view across a large round table that was situated in the center of the Indefatigable's CIC.

"Ad Victoriam, Commander Ruben, and welcome back." EVE reported, her soft voice resonating through the speakers integrated into the console.

"Receiving new orders!" The AI Added. "Your ship has been assigned to Classis II, Molecay Fleet, under the command of Admiral Clegg, Flagship designation: Imperious Class Command Carrier, Keeper of Abassid. Location: Epsilon Eridani, Provincia Yellowstone."

Pausing a moment, the three-dimensional holographic projection zoomed out, panning to a view of the galaxy, Aschen space highlighted in green, and the region of Aschen space they were to report, highlighted in blue, with FTL Coordinates displayed.

"Commander, During your shore leave, several key systems have been refitted, and upgraded, as well as a new version of the Command Interface, would you like to test the calibrations prior to departure?" The AI added.

"Test the calibrations EVE." Marcus replied.

The AI Nodded in affirmation, and the field began to light up with both green icons, yellow icons, and red icons in the three-dimensional battlespace.

"Friendly vessels are highlighted in green, unidentified vessels are highlighted in yellow, confirmed enemy vessels are highlighted in red." The AI explained. "You can maneuver this ship, and give directions to allied commanders through the interface by double tapping the respective icons, you can also issue attack commands by tapping allied icons, and dragging them to the enemy warships, move commands can also be issued in this manner."

The center icon expanded, and represented a full three-dimensional view of the Indefatigable, along with shield strength, operational weapons turrets, and relative deck integrity. All highlighted in various shades of green, or blue.

"When all ships are linked through this interface, commands can be issued in a streamlined fashion from the command ships. All systems have been calibrated, Spin-sync drivers report green, coordinates have been computed, locked in, and the FTL is spooling now." The AI reported.

"Status reports arriving. Reactors, online. Sensors, Online. Shields, online. Weapons, online. All systems report nominal."

EVE offered a soft smile.

"We may depart on your command, and remember, you may trust me implicitly. Always."

Something about the way EVE always said she could be trusted implicitly had always rubbed Marcus the wrong way. Nevertheless she was a major asset to the Aschen Imperial Navy and Marcus planned to make use of the streamlined interface when the time came for split second decisions. However, now was not one of those times.

"Engage the FTL, Captain. Take us to Epsilon Eridani, Yellowstone. Manually."

"Aye, Commander." Captain Amorra replied. "Proceeding to Yellowstone."

The navigation officer worked their console with a few short strokes and then the Indefatigable lurched to life and was gone.