April 5th, 2338
"Privacy is a luxury," Richard mused, glancing towards Leda, his young haloed companion, as she approached down the purposefully elongated corridor. His gaze fell on the Halo, which was the technological bridge between his mind and the malleable matter that was the building block of everything. Craterists may have shunned the invasive influence of Janice, but that didn't mean they were eager to live like primitives. The Halo was non-invasive - a tool and nothing more. However, Richard wore it as infrequently as possible. Yet, out here on the edges of the belt, most people wore them all the time. But Richard predated all of this. He was Earthborn.
He picked up the faintly glowing, yellow, circular tube and placed it onto his head, hearing the initialization beep echo in his mind. With a thought, he extended the table to encompass his working materials, a silent coup against prying eyes.
Brisleda entered, her gaze sweeping the room. She was marvelously beautiful but born in the colony, and Janice had altered her genes for many things including cosmetic assets. While Janice designed many exotic-looking colonists with needs tailored to their expected future tasks, she also created an abundance of classically alluring creations. The eventual result, and a perfect example of the kind of thinking that Janice was not capable of, was that perfection became boring. But out here on the Edges, that was less true. 300 years ago, her looks would have driven Richard mad with desire, now it was more the mind that mattered. She was young, barely 70. That all of his tales were news to her was charming early on, but her lack of understanding of the events wore on him over time.
Her green eyes lingered momentarily on the concealed table, an unasked question hanging in the air. Richard chose to ignore it, his attention still dwelling on the previously occupied work station, its secrets now locked away from the unsuspecting universe.
Privy to Richard's thoughts, Leda hesitated, "Why do you always shield your work?"
He shot her a placid smile, "Some things, Leda, would be dangerous for you to know. Best you not be curious." He had explained this to her many times, but the idea was too alien to stick.
She simply nodded, not understanding yet not wishing to probe. She was born into the transparent society under Janice, where secrets were a rarity, and privacy was near non-existent. In contrast, Richard was an enigma. His unending quest for keeping secrets hearkened back to a time when things were less comfortable, less predictable, but more adventurous.
A need for children drove her out of the UIC. She'd had 3 children, all grown enough to make lives of their own. But Richard, an immortal, had incompatible tech and could not embrace Janice into the makeup of his very being even if he had wanted to. And as they became more quiet, then silent and their perceptions became incompatible to him, he left for the edges. He 'talked' to Skodj every ten years or so.
Richard missed that chaos—the unpredictability of existence, the unexplored corners of the solar system. He remembered Brenda, who had been an instrumental part of developing BioNano and Janice 1.0. She was the perfect balance of enchanting beauty and relentless intellect, who had once shared his bed and his dreams of a humanity unshackled. She had saved his life, and in doing so, she too became immortal at 338 years old, the oldest man alive by a few years as far as he knew. He'd seen too much. It was all "been there, done that" now.
Richard felt his resolve harden. He needed to find Brenda, in a way far away from Janice’s omnipresence. A new adventure beckoned him, and he yearned to answer that call. The time had come, however, to bid Leda goodbye, although he knew it wouldn't be easy.
Taking a deep breath, he turned to Leda, gently touching her arm. "Leda," he began, his thought barely more than a whisper, "I have to go. The stars are calling.”
Leda looked, her eyes reflecting a mix of surprise and confusion. The concept of goodbyes was unnervingly alien to her. In the craters, couples were together until death usually. But they weren't coupled, and Richard was a different breed anyway. She was speechless for a moment before finally managing a strained smile, “Safe travels, Richard. But could you give me a month? I'd like a child by you.”
"You know the rumors aren't true. It won't be immortal."
"I know; I knew some of your progeny. I just want a child from you," she strokes his cheek.
"Be aware that while you're raising it, I most likely won't even be in the asteroids. Odds are I'll never even meet the child."
Leda thought that was an odd statement given their lifespan. Did Richard expect that he might likely die in a secret mission? The thought made her sad, but she kept it from her eyes.
"An immortal's child will raise my desirability for landing a true mate. Not that I need it." her thought in his head carried some bite on the word 'true.'
"Stay out of this room and let me work and I'll make love to you every night for a month. The rest is up to the universe's whims."
"Will you sleep in my arms afterward?"
"I'd enjoy that as always. Though I can't promise I'll be there when you wake up . Lots of work to do," he tried to sound transactional but he was choking up a bit. He forced such emotions from his head - the human race must come first.
Leda wiped a tear, kissed him on the forehead and walked gracefully down the corridor. "See you at 10. Leave your halo on to remind you."
Richard had already been reaching to remove it, stopped himself and mentally set an alarm. Then thought to uncover the work table. Visible was a layout for Janice 1.0, when she existed in reality and sightings of Brenda Myers - turned into a timeline. All in paper and pen. Nothing on anything electric.
He felt cold and his throat felt dry. With the thought a mug of hot cocoa grew from the tabletop.
He'd give Skodj one more call before he left. It would be a few years early but he would be gone when the usual time came around. Let Janice make what it would of that discrepancy.