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Sutopia

Ch 29, SEnvy: Space Envy

Logan learned very early on in his life that he was the kind of guy who had trouble saying 'no' to almost everyone and the more overbearing and insistent they were the more trouble it was. Harper, as it turned out, was one of those people with whom 'no' really wasn't an option, and Logan hated that. The young man spent the next twenty minutes wondering what he got himself into by picking up the message-- even if he didn't respond Harper would still not the message was received and then were would that leave Logan?

He spent the time pacing, worrying, and analyzing everything. Harper Knight was one of the biggest celebrity influences on Logan's life growing up, and the vid star was actively seeking him out to spend time together... so why was Logan so resistant? He should have been overjoyed! Yet, as he continued to consider what was going on, the young man only got more and more worried because... well... because it was HARPER KNIGHT!

Harper had heard about his Sim Vid, so what did that mean? Was the star going to get on his case about such a 'rookie move'? Back in the 22nd century something like that getting out could ruin a career... or at least vastly change the trajectory. Logan wasn't a vid star though, so why would he need some mentoring on that regard? Maybe Harper just wanted to be there for him in his time of need? That was a possibility, and probably a best-case scenario. That thought made Logan pause. "No..." he told himself, "a 'best case scenario' would be not having to deal with this in the first place!"

Grabbing his light weight windbreaker, Logan headed for his front door. He berated himself as he put it on, realizing that the temperature in the Lunar Spire didn't require he wear anything, and the general lack of wind made the windbreaker a silly prospect, but he decided to keep it on; if nothing it served as something akin to a comfort blanket. Even if Harper was on his side, Logan couldn't help but feel that he needed SOMETHING.

The halls, thankfully, were practically empty. The young man made sure to stick to the less common areas for travel, avoiding the main hallways and, on the rare occasion someone saw him, he made sure to put on the glazed-eye, distant-gaze expression of someone caught up in a feed-based discussion via implant communication. He didn't have a lot of experience faking an implant-call, but, thankfully, the few people he saw didn't seem to question him on it and were courteous enough to not interrupt him. He DID see recognition on a few occasions and he had to fight to keep the blush off his face. Logan added that on as one more reason why leaving his residence was a bad idea.

Knowing that the lift system would basically make him a captive audience for anyone with whom he was sharing the ride, Logan made up his mind to take the stairs-- his implant 'helpfully' chimed in, letting him know that he had twenty two floors to climb. When he politely asked it to 'shut the fuck up' it simply confirmed neutrally, acknowledging that it would initiate an increase of glutamine into his system to accommodate his upcoming physical exertion.

The assistance turned out to be of incredible help or, perhaps, the young man reminded himself, it could also have had something to do with the moon's gravity being less than Earth-- Logan was not overtly athletic, but he managed to clear the stairs with surprising ease, though his implant did indicate that he would be sore in the morning-- a reasonable exchange in his mind for not having to deal with people staring at him on the lift.

He headed down the hallway toward the food service parlor, the one that Harper had taken a liking to since their first meeting there. With each step his mind began to forecast the numerous topics Harper might bring up-- it always came back to the Sim Vid of course, but he knew there could be more to it than that. In the end, he forced himself to admit that Harper lived his life on a much higher level than Logan himself and there was no way he could figure out for sure just what the star would want to talk about it and, with that thought in mind, he stepped into the well-appointed cafeteria, glancing around. Logan didn't have to look very hard.

"Hey! Logan! Over here, my guy!"

Harper stood up to greet him, arm raised high, fingers spread, waving back and forth and putting his whole body into it. The star had a huge smile on his face, eyes bring and eager and, Logan noticed, Harper had changed his hair color... and length. While Harper's hair had originally been spiky and of medium length, dark with frosted tips, it was suddenly cut short, dyed brown and had red highlights. Harper also looked tanner. As the young man approached the star he had to ask. "What made you change the hair?"

The star grinned, taking a seat as he ran a hand through it. "Oh? You like the new style, eh? I figured it was time for a change... you know... keep it new. I figured that I'd had my hair that way for long enough and I needed to do some reinventing-- make it fresh and all... stay on top of it... that's the way to keep engagement from fans."

Logan nodded hesitantly, making a mental note of the things Harper was doing so that he could do the opposite-- if the star was a master class in how to get noticed, perhaps the young man could use that knowledge to evade further time in the spotlight. Letting out a calming breath, Logan was able to smile a little more genuinely as he came to realize that the meeting with Harper might actually turn to be helpful. "Hey, Harper... I'm... glad you wanted to hang out today."

The statement got what looked like a good-humored, genuine smile from the star. "Really? Well the feeling's mutual, bud. Not every day -I- get to be a little star struck and, if I'm being honest, that Sim Vid you released was..." He brought his fingers to his mouth and made a smacking sound. ".. chef's kiss, man."

The positivity drained from Logan when his mistake was brought up. Going silent, the young man looked down at the table, gaze slowly sliding across it to where he saw Harper's fingers tapping idly on the surface-- they looked thin. Continuing their movement, his eyes took in more and more of his companion, noticing that Harper looked a little more gaunt than the last time they'd met; his eyes were a little withdrawn and dark. Blinking, Logan wondered if he himself looked quite as haunted. "You... you okay, Harper?"

The star waved away Logan's concerns. "Nah... it's nothing. You know how it is with artists like me-- inspiration strikes and we end up in a manic rush to realize our dreams. I've been going hard for the past three days... gotta get everything put together for my HUGE comeback... this whole new Transhumanity crowd is gonna SHIT 'emselves when I'm back on top."

Logan tried to offer a supportive smile, not quite understanding the mindset, but not wanting to come off as rude. "That's... that's really cool, Harper. You're gonna do great."

Harper slammed his palm boisterously onto the table with a 'ha!', and grinned. "Damn right, Logan. I already have the gears turning and the plan in motion, but I wanted to spend a little time with you before I get super busy. I know how big a fan you are and I've always appreciated my fans-- I don't want you to feel like you're being ignored... y'know?"

The acknowledgement gave Logan a burst of warmth; he'd never had a chance to meet Harper Knight in public back in the 22nd century, but, being acknowledged in any era was an honor... and the fact that Harper took time just for him was... amazing. "Wow. I don't know what to say, Harper. I'm... honored. Thanks."

Nodding, Harper held his hand up, snapping twice to get the attention of the green haired woman wearing the uniform of a serving staff member. She came over and before he could ask any questions the star put in his order or, rather, THEIR order. "Two orders of Chicken Makhani with garlic naan-- use the recipe from Svarg in Beverly Hills from back in the 22nd... extra char on the chicken pieces. Make mine extra spicy. Logan, you like spice right?" He didn't wait for an answer. "Make his spicy, but not quite AS spicy... he's a bit more vanilla, am I right, my guy?"

Logan weathered the laughter and the good natured elbowing, offering a smile to the server. "Regular spice will be fine, thanks."

Harper laughed louder. "Oh right! You're from the Midwest... you guys don't do much spicy stuff, do ya?"

The young man was far happier discussing food preferences than the sim vid, so he stuck with that topic. "Well... a lot of the mid-western cuisine descended from northern and eastern Europe, which means spice really doesn't--"

The star spoke over him. "Nah... I get it... don't worry about it. You're getting Indian tonight so it's not a big deal." Harper leaned forward, planting his elbows on the table as he rested his chin on the backs of his interlaced fingers. "Tell me more about the whole thing. You were doin' some sort of Renaissance festival role play kinda thing or something? Sounds pretty hot... I can see why folks like it."

Logan really didn't want to talk about his Sim Vid. "It was an accident, actually... and it was from my trip to Ozar's Realm. Didn't you see it? I documented the whole trip."

Harper waved away the question dismissively. "Dude... I watched it for the content everyone was talking about, not the scene-setting, character arc, or the resolution... I mean, get me to the 'climax'... know what I'm sayin?"

The young man chuckled uncomfortably as the movie start threw a few friendly jabs across the table at him. "Well... the place is called Ozar's Realm... It's a Recreation Habit. I started recording memories because I wanted to make a record of my first Iactis, and the recording just kept..." the young man paused in his storytelling; he could tell that Harper was looking up something on the metanet. "Iactis?"

Harper's eyes flicked back to him. "Oh-- yeah. I know what that is. I mean... just looked it up... heh. Pretty crazy experience?" Logan almost had the hope that he'd be able to realign the topic of discussion, but the star just pushed forward. "But probably not as crazy as getting it on with that piece of Bri, eh?"

Sighing, Logan tried to avoid specifics. "Listen, Harper... that was an accident. I hadn't meant to post the whole thing, and DEFINITELY not that part with Bri--"

His companion smirked. "Sure. That's a tried-and-true media answer--- I know all about it. The 'sex tape' just HAPPENS to get out there, but it's fucking GREAT for getting headlines."

The young man didn't bother smiling at that point. "No.. It really WAS an accident, Harper. I don't want to be a celebrity and, even if I DID, I wouldn't want it to be for something like that... okay?"

Harper's smirk suggested he didn't believe Logan. "Sure... whatever you say, Logan...." Sitting back in his chair, the star eyed the young man. "So how'd it happen?"

Although the topic still wasn't ideal, at least Harper was asking about his mistake. "Well... it was the first Sim Vid I'd ever uploaded, and I hadn't realized that I'd left it recording after arriving at Ozar's Realm, so when I had my--"

The star interrupted him. "Naw, man... I don't mean the upload thing... I mean how'd you get with a hottie like Bri? From what I've heard she's pretty particular who she gives it up for... you got a LOT of love on social media for getting her on her back."

Logan had never been good at standing up for himself or insisting on a course of action when met with conflict but, in that moment what he REALLY needed was for Harper to stop asking about Bri. "Harper... I don't really want to talk about that. Can we... maybe talk about something else please?"

The young man got a moment's reprieve as the server came back with their meals and, in that time, Harper had apparently come to understand his position. Once the server left, the star picked up a fork. "Not one to kiss and tell... I can respect that, Logan. Sure... no more questions about Bri."

The two each took a forkful of their respective meals and, after Logan finished chewing and swallowed he nodded. "Thanks."

They had blessed silence for another minute or two until Harper asked his next question. "Can I ask you something technical?"

There were a number of ways Logan could have taken that inquiry but, steeling himself for disappointment, he chose to accept the most gracious of the options. "Sure, Harper... what do you wanna know?"

Harper set down his fork, looking across the table to him. "That Tier 5 recording... I don't think I've got it to work right yet I think."

Pleased that it WAS a true technical question, Logan finally relaxed, finally able to focus on something a little less personal. "Oh... what about? There's a settings option that lets you choose what senses you want included and whether you want to allow emotions and inner monologue-- those are Tiers 4 and 5."

Harper waved away the explanation. "Sure... I know all THAT. What I mean, man, is how you get your recording to pick up the thoughts and emotions and stuff you want it to? You know... and not all the other stuff going on in your head?"

Logan set down his fork, not quite sure what Harper meant. "I... don't follow. What do you mean? Like... specific thoughts?"

The star nodded, pick up a piece of Naan and dabbing at some of the sauce in his plate. "Right... like, actors... you know. We're good at being whatever we need to be on the outside for a role, but, dude, whatever you did with your implant really SOLD the idea that you were like.. totally OBSESSED with her... like a puppy dog following its mama round. The Transhumans folks... they ate it the fuck up."

Lucky that the implant kept the indignant blush off of his face, Logan cleared his throat, reaching for his water to take a sip as he figured out how he wanted to respond. "Well, uh, Harper... those... were my... um... real thoughts."

Harper dropped his piece of Naan bread. "You're kidding... right? How can someone older than, life, fifteen have a 'school boy crush' during sex? The only 'crush' going on should be you crushing a clam, my guy. Please tell me you're kidding!"

Logan really didn't have a response for his companion and, instead, took another sip of water. When Harper's attention didn't falter, Logan simply shrugged. "Tier 5 records what you're thinking and feeling, Harper... I... don't really know what to tell you."

Harper's easy-going, friendly expression darkened noticeably and he leaned forward, his voice changing as much as his demeanor. "Cut the shit, Logan... what-- are you wanting me to beg or something?"

The young man sat up, drawing back in his chair at the sudden shift in the conversation. "Sorry... what?"

The star's palms struck the table. "You're just fucking with me... is that it? I thought we were friends, and you're grabbing me by the god damn balls and yanking me around all over the place."

Logan was dumbstruck at the sudden shift. "Harper, I--"

Harper practically roared the words as he jumped up. "JUST TELL ME HOW YOU FUCKING DO IT, YOU ELITIST PRICK!"

The exclamation was enough to not only get the attention of most of the diners, but their scowls as well. Without Logan needing to say a word, several of the other Transhumans eating at the cafeteria that afternoon came over to talk to Harper, their calm voices combining in their firm denouncement of his attitude. The star was kept doubly-busy trying to explain himself and offer a precursory explanation at the same time. Logan was fairly sure that Harper would probably try to blame the outburst on him but, fortunately, the young man used the distraction to slip away from his dining partner.

Double-timing it down the hall, Logan berated himself for not listening to that little voice in his head telling him it was a bad idea. When his implant piped up indicating it was only doing its job he deactivated the interface-- not THAT little voice. Letting out a sigh, the young man made his way back toward his residential block; he wasn't looking forward to any significant time on the lift, but didn't feel like tackling the stairs again, super-human mode or not. That's when he heard the 'ping'.

Still walking, Logan checked his system records. With his implant in low-interruption mode it didn't indicate to him proactively that he'd been pinged by his friend, Harper Knight. There was only one possible verbal response for that announcement; increasing his walking speed, the young man freely utilized it "Fuck."

Harper's tracking continued and Logan reluctantly turned on his implant helper program, quickly demanding to know about the social media settings and how to deactivate it. His 'helpful' implant noted that he could always decrease it to its lowest settings and it would be happy to do so. He gave it permission, at which point he breathed a sigh of relief when it acknowledged that his media footprint was set to 'mild'. Unlike the filtering he'd used before, he would be able to enjoy a degree of anonymity and separation from the social network until he was ready to reengage... or so he thought. His succor lasted all but a half of a minute when the system acknowledged he had been pinged again.

At that point he was jogging down the hall, deciding to take a farther away lift in case it took awhile to arrive. When Logan inquired how Harper could still track him, it noted that all Transhumans in the Lunar Spire were connected to the media system for security, social, logistical, and civil purposes; when he asked how he could avoid being tracked it only stated that an administrator of A3 or higher clearance was required. It was apparently a big enough deal that he received a prerecorded message. Fortunately it was only audio.

"Hello Class One Corups Verto initiate, and welcome to the modern era. You have requested to disconnect from the Lunar Spire Social Media system and enter Incognito Mode. Due to being a signatory of the International Nanophage and Biophage Prevention and Safety Treaty, all polities on the surface and close orbit of Luna are formally Post-Privacy Civilizations. While this may differ drastically from what you are used to, this an important component to continued survival and the health of Transhumanity in Earth Orbit. If there is an urgent need to change your settings to Incognito, please contact an Administrator for approval."

The recording ended there. Cursing again, Logan dialed up Star. She answered almost immediately. "Logan... are you feeling any better? What happened after y--"

He wasted no time. "Can you get the system authorization to put me in--" he was thankful that his implant was able to pull up the term for him, "--incognito mode on the social media network?"

She sounded confused, but not particularly immune to being convinced. "Why would you do that? I know you're wanting privacy, but if you're in incognito mode the entire station's functionality is limited."

Logan didn't have the time for a lengthy conversation. "Harper's lost his mind and he's making things... uncomfortable."

He could tell that she was multitasking and, once he heard an under-the-breath curse, he presumed she must have been checking the feed on his cafeteria freak-out. "Alright... I'll provide authorization... here's the process."

After she provide directions he disconnected and immediately followed them; with the implant being intuitive and user-friendly it was surprisingly easy. Although he didn't feel any different he was, after another thirty seconds, glad to realize that he hadn't received any notifications that a ping was provided. Pausing in his flight, the young man chose to head down an adjoining hallway; if Harper was trying to anticipate where he was going then changing up the direction of travel would help Logan lose pursuit.

It took him over an hour to get back to his room, sticking to side corridors and lacking access to the lift (Star wasn't kidding about incognito mode). Unable to access his hab, Logan was forced to turn access mode back to 'mild', at which point his implant let him know he missed 42 messages and he had been pinged 133 times. Even in the split second it took for him to be informed, another ping sounded. Throwing his hands up in frustration, Logan stepped inside his res hab and locked the door, turning off notifications in the event that anyone attempted to gain access. He also set his social media to send all messages, calls, and correspondence immediately into archive status.

He stomped into his residence, heading straight for his basement bedroom. Back in the 22nd century when he was just a normal Human, Logan always managed to calm down and find his center by getting lost in his visor games. Collapsing into his chair, the young man plugged in and tuned out. Unfortunately, almost two hours later, he still had Harper on his mind.

He laughed at his own predicament, at least thankful that he'd stopped focusing on the Sim Vid and Bri... at which point that faux paw replaced Harper as his top concern. His implant identified that Logan should consider visiting a psychological evaluation kiosk to be tested for masochism tendencies. Like his social media, the implant's helper function was likewise quickly deactivated again and Logan screamed into a pillow.

Letting out a long sigh, the young man half considered ending the Forwarding function on his messages and try reaching out to Star but her realized that it would have just opened the opportunity for Harper to gain access to him again. Resolving NOT to do that, he next considered if he would be best served unfriending the rather volatile star-- although the idea had merit, he couldn't help but consider about how much more unhinged that'd make Harper and he thought better of it. In the end, Logan grumbled, turning his implant assistant back on, asking it without really being able to emote what he wanted.

It had an answer with supreme ease: keep friends forwarded but allow family messaging. It followed up by providing him directions on how to do just that. Once again, the steps were easy to follow and, before long, Logan was able to get messages from Star. There was a single one waiting: "When you're ready to talk, you know where I am."

Logan did indeed and, letting out a deep breath, he sat back in his chair, setting his visor aside, and accessing virtual reality. It was barely a second before he found himself back on board the cruise ship where his niece seemed to spend a lot of her thinking time. Glancing around, he saw that he'd appeared on the same spot as the last time he'd visited, but Star was not there. He strolled casually, heading counter clockwise around the ship until he saw her standing at the bow, gazing out over the ocean.

He went to join her, calling out as he drew close. "Star... This whole thing-- it's just... crazy."

She nodded thoughtfully, eyes facing the night sky's horizon. "Yeah... after you reached out I did a system check to figure out what was going on. That kind of thing isn't really looked favorably upon. I'll make some administrators check in with Harper Knight so he'll know that behavior like that isn't allowed.

Despite how much Logan wanted to NOT have something like that happen again, he also didn't like the idea of getting 'police' involved. "I... I don't want him to in trouble or anything... maybe... just have him stop bugging me about the sim vid?"

Star turned her head to look at him, dainty, pointed muzzle falling open as her eyes flashed with surprise and incredulity. "THAT is what all this is about? Oh, for fuck's sake... he's already been such a handful, and it's only getting worse!"

Something about her statement caught his attention. "Huh? Harper? Being a handful? For... people other than me?"

The Vixen sighed. "Yes, Logan. There are certain expectations when it comes to Class 1s after they undergo their first Corpus Verto... there's an integration period where problems arise... it's to be expected, in fact."

The young man shrugged. "Well... sure. EVERYTHING's changed. I'd imagine it's the kind of thing someone who fought in the revolutionary war would have experienced if we'd pulled em forward into the 22nd century. It hasn't been easy."

She rolled her eyes. "Well there IS that... obviously... but some cross sections of the population tend to fare better than others. I'm..." her expression softened significantly. "I'm actually VERY proud of you, Logan. I know you're dealing with a lot, but you're also getting used to life among Transhumanity a lot faster than the algorithm and analytics tables suggested you would.... and, yes: that's a good thing."

Try as he might, Logan couldn't keep from smiling, even going so far as to throw in one of his largest aggravations in his retort. "Even including the whole Sim Vid thing?"

She giggled softly, elbowing him as she responded. "It REALLY isn't as bad as you think it is, you know."

Logan shrugged, deciding in the moment he would rather deal with the more pressing of his issues rather than fight about how bit a deal it was to HIM. "So.. guys like Harper? What's the deal? He's being a handful you said?"

Star nodded direly. "Most Vid stars and other celebrities from the 22nd have egos... which isn't bad-- plenty of Transhumans do it too. The problem is that they feel that they're entitled to everyone's love and adoration. More than one of them has self destructed chasing the fame that they think they're due."

The young man chewed on his lower lip. "Well... yeah... that DOES kinda sound like Harper, alright."

His niece nodded, looking back out to the sea. She flicked an ear. "And that's that's just NOT the case is in this day-and-age. Anyone who wants to can be a celebrity, but they have to work for it-- it's not handed to them... there aren't any formal institutions or established systems of profit that artificially prop up some idol or charismatic narcissist anymore. The fact that the Class 1s awakening and expecting they'll just step back into social consciousness can cause problems... and THAT is why Class 1 Vid stars collectively get such a bad name for themselves! These days celebrities are real and genuine... like..." she smirked softly, "Like that Sim Vid you posted with Bri."

Logan let out a long breath, gazing out to the sea beside her. "Don't remind me... one problem at a time, please." They ended up standing like that for some time until the young man spoke again. "So... presuming HE keeps causing problems, what's gonna happen with Harper then?"

Star shook her head. "Don't worry... everyone comes around... some just need more time than others." She glances his way and gives him a kiss on the cheek. "Speaking of 'needing more time', and, aside from Harper, how're you doing?"

He shrugged, honestly not having a good answer. "I'm... not sure."

She flicks an ear. "I know you only got back from Ozar's Realm... but... about what Pete was discussing before... about a 'less social' hab? I mean... every hab solves problems differently... it'd be a new experience, and perhaps the drawbacks at one of those places won't hit you as hard as the perceived ones here."

Logan glanced her way. "You're wondering if I want to try one out?"

His niece offered a reassuring smile. "The idea did cross my mind... at least until things calm down, I mean."

Considering everything that'd happened with Logan, the decision wasn't hard to make. "Yes please."