Snippet #2779850

River grunted as she sat up from her bed. Her penthouse on the Jarrako Station was lavish but simple. Filled with comfortable furniture, exotic paintings, and tributes from those living on the station for letting them do as they please. The rule hadn't changed - there was still only the one: Don't fuck with River.

And she was River.

She lived like a queen, minding her own business, getting rich off her cut of every profit that happened on the Stationed. Her swarm of nanobots and cameras allowed her to monitor the station without issue, and every now and again the swarm grew in numbers. River got new tattoos, upgrades to her cybernetic enhancements.

She looked to the person who lay next to her in her bed. Another one night fling. Great. Sighing, she showered, tidied up, and dressed herself in a modest robe. The man in her bed awoke some time later, gathered his things, and did his walk of shame home without a word.

River was bored.

It was great being Queen of the station, no doubt about it. No one messed with her, but then, nothing really surprised her anymore. Mass shooting in the industrial sector? Big whoop. Plague in the slums? Send a containment crew and find a cure. Rampant crime? Who cared so long as she profited. The Jarrako Downs was neutral, pledging loyalty only to River, and no one else. It was a haven for criminals and thugs and countless other migrants of every sort of background imaginable.

But River didn't care anymore. It wasnt fun anymore. She walked to her office and brought up the holonet around her. Her eyes gazed at the news reports, cargo manifests, profits for that week, and everything else going on with the station. Everything was normal.

Maybe it was time for River to take a temporary leave of absense and do some exploring.