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Chapter 6

For whatever reason the launch rooms existed, they were a relic of times long past.

Back then, rockets were used to launch cruise ships, purely scientific missions were shot vertically into the air on Earth and then into the vacuum of space, ships crashed every now and then. Either it banged on the launch pad, a little later or what was even worse, during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.

How stupid, there you survive up to 8 G at the start, the hostile space and while you are looking forward to your family, a delicious meal and a cold beer, it torches your ass.

Be that as it may, it is from these times that the idea of so-called launch rooms originated.

Basically, they are open-plan cabins on the outside of the cruiser, where fixed couches are lined up, on which you are automatically and mechanically fixed.

In the event of an accident, i.e., if the cruiser were to crash in higher atmospheric layers, these areas are jettisoned from the hull and slide somewhat ungently to the ground on huge parachutes. In any case, the principle here is that the higher the cruiser, the greater the chances of survival. If it crashes during takeoff or at lower altitudes, it still looks bleak and the death rate of the occupants is 95%.

Fortunately, such things are in the distant past and for over 10 years not one excursion ship has crashed or disappeared into the vastness of space.

"Miss Queen," one of the technician cheetahs greeted the fox-wolf effusively. "I am infinitely pleased to meet you personally for once. Step right up and let us tie you over, if you don't mind me saying so."

"As long as it's only at the start and I know her name, I'm fine with it," Camilla replied and allowed herself to be led to a couch.

"You're very welcome, my name is Styx Grool. Actually, the whole thing is no longer necessary, but you know, safety first."

"Don't talk so much, I'm a simple traveler," Camilla growled, playfully annoyed.

"Very well, and your two companions we drape to your left and right."

"That pleases me no end. But I do have one question."

"Go ahead, Miss Queen."

"Have you, by any chance, seen my burden bearer named Anubis?"

"Do they mean the Tauren who came aboard with them?"

"That's the one I mean, the slightly odd Big Dog Supreme Plus."

"He disappeared into the cabin with another V.I.P."

"Which V.I.P. and which cabin?"

"It's a lady whose name I don't know, but why don't you ask someone from the upscale crew at the captains dinner tonight? They usually have wisdom by the spoonful."

"Thanks for the information. I won't forget it."

"Attention! Attention. Takeoff will take place in 5 minutes. All passengers are to report to the launch areas immediately and follow the on-site technical staff without fail."

The takeoff was on time, unspectacular and very quiet.

Gently, the cruise ship lifted off, glided towards the sky in a gentle arc, flew towards the sunset, penetrated the terminator, roared through the night sky and finally left Earth's atmosphere.

"Attention! Attention. The launch sequence is complete. All passengers may exit the launch bays and move unimpeded from now on."

During the launch, the Anubis Tauren robot was not in one of the launch bays, but actually in a V.I.P. cabin, as the technician had indicated. He was facing a petite woman who clearly bore human features, had a slender graceful figure and a slightly haughty, closed gaze. The features were even, smooth and slightly pale.

"Greetings BD Supreme Plus," the owner of the booth began after the robot entered, "Or should I say Anubis?"

"Greetings back, Isodora," he replied amiably.

"I understand you are on your way to Sirius B."

"That is correct. According to our records, there is supposed to be an Osiris fragment there."

"You are very talkative my dear. That's not good."

"Isodora, you know why I am accompanying Camilla Queen. She and I have the same goal, even if our motives are different."

"You are their guarantor. Without Camilla Queen, all this will come to nothing. She must find all the fragments and she must also go to Sirius D. Only then will this fox-wolf understand everything."

"What about Frank Simson and Stephen Fang?"

"Those two belong to her and are just as important. Protect them, because there will be many problems coming your way from Sirius B at the latest."

"I understand, Miss Isodora."

"Stop using that name, you know exactly who I am and why I'm here."

"Of course I do," the Anubis Taur replied.

"Under no circumstances can anyone learn who I really am. My true identity would jeopardize everything. Camilla Queen must succeed, and it is your job to see to it."

"I understand. We need safe passage from Sirius A to Sirius B."

"I have already made the best contacts. On Sirius A, by some strange coincidence, you will find a suitable ship for transfer. The pilot is reliable and discreet. You know him, but I won't tell you who it is. He is stored in your subroutines and will be activated appropriately."

"But you also know that I cannot translate to Sirius B unhindered, and if so, only with difficulty, not to mention Sirius D."

"I am aware of that as well, and I will take suitable remedial action."

"What do you have in mind?" the robot asked.

"I would not be me if I did not master the old magic. The ancient magic that only we can master, although it is merely simple technology."

"You have the nanobots?"

"These and I will inject a substance into your cooling pipes."

"What will happen to me?"

"You wanted fur so you wouldn't stand out. It won't happen in that form. The nanos and the bacteria in the substance, will transform you slowly, but bit by bit."

"I will live?"

"You will become you again, you will become who you have always been and who you will be again."

"Will it be painful?"

"As a machine, you won't feel any pain, but it will be uncomfortable, your systems will report dropouts and functional limitations in the meantime. Later, your fox-wolf and the others will notice that you are changing. Your mechanical functions will increasingly give way to biological ones. Only your AI will remain, made more complex by the complete activation of your subroutines."

"I thank for you openness."

"I not only owe you that, my best, I am eternally grateful. Now step closer and let me initiate the procedure."

She went to one of the closets, took out a lady's case, pulled out two syringes ...

"Now go to the others, no one must know you were with me. On Sirius A you must keep calm, everything that happens there must seem like a coincidence. Do you understand that? Try to find a logical explanation for your changes and system errors. The real change will only start on Sirius B and will be initiated with the fragment."

"Yes. As in heaven so on earth."

"Excellent, now go."

The Anubis Taur robot turned slowly and walked to the door, pausing briefly, "What will happen when Camilla Queen finds all the fragments?"

"There's more than one on Sirius B. If she and her stepbrother are so knowledgeable in ancient Egyptian it should be easy for them to find everything. The crucial one is on Sirius D."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"You two make a nice couple. Now get going."

The Tauren robot waited until the door closed behind him, looked around, and heard a burgeoning bustle in the background.

He realized that from now on he would be playing a game, that he had to keep Camilla in ignorance so that neither of them would be in danger, and in the end he would have to end this game and replace it with the inescapable truth, whatever it was.

But would the fox-wolf understand?

He felt something inside him, something that was not just caring and responsible for Camilla Queen. There was suddenly more and seemed to grow stronger.

At least Isodora held back, did not reveal her true identity, did not spread her white wings and did not want to spread her form of justice.

Anthros, humans and other exotic-looking people, mostly from other worlds, streamed down the corridor, sometimes looking at him in wonder, very rarely stopping for a moment, scrutinizing him and moving on.

"Anubis," the robot heard a voice familiar to him.

"Miss Queen! I'm glad to hear that the cruiser's launch went without incident and that you are well," the cargo robot greeted her as well.

"We are doing very well. But where have you been? We were worried about you?"

"Miss Queen! I'm just a simple robot, what could happen to me?"

"And there he is again, our low-level impostor," Stephen interjected.

"Were you at least successful?" asked Camilla.

"I was able to track down the person, if that's what they mean."

"And how was it?" the fox-wolf probed curiously.

"I'll see how things turn out. That's all I can say at the moment."

"I'm curious about that," Camilla concluded. "Let's go to our cabins. In two hours it will be 8 p.m. and the reception dinner will begin. Since you had already sought out your target, you can be there from the beginning."

"I will be very happy to accompany you, Miss Queen," the robot confirmed and escorted her to her suite.

Once there, Camilla confronted him, "Anubis! You have something and you don't say it. Are you not allowed or do you not want to talk about it?"

"Miss Queen ..." the Anubis Taur began, but was interrupted by Camilla, "This is what I mean. You've returned to the distant, formal form of address in your dialogue with me, when we were already much more familiar."

"I apologize, Camilla. But I felt it was erroneous to address you confidentially and intimately in front of strangers."

"Let me worry about that. And now it would be nice if you answered my questions."

"It's very difficult to answer questions when you know the answers but the problem is to convey them in a way that will be understood."

"How about you just try."

"Camilla. I can't talk about it, have to keep you and the others in the dark, that's what my contact wants."

"What do you want?"

"I ..., you wouldn't understand."

"You're not even trying."

"I'm not allowed to talk about it."

"Would we be in danger if you told me everything?"

"It's within the realm of possibility," the robot confirmed.

Suddenly Camilla walked up to him, reared up in front of him, grabbed him by the head and gave him an intense kiss on the artificial lips.

The Anubis Tauren robot flinched back. "What was that for?"

"That was for wanting to be honest, but not being able to."

"I've already said more than I was allowed to. My contact gave me orders to keep everything a secret. If she finds out I've let you in on it, then everyone is in acute danger. Therefore, whatever happens, whether by chance or design, will happen as it comes. Do you trust me?"

"So your contact seems to have more to say than I do?"

"I wouldn't put it that way. If you knew who she was, you would take it as it is right now and not ask such captious questions. I'm forced to play a game and realize I don't want to."

"You mean that my questions could be dangerous right now?"

"That's exactly how it is. So I ask you ..."

"... I won't ask any more," the fox-wolf interrupted him.

"Thank you. It is difficult for me not only because of that. Much more serious is the fact that I'm starting to feel something inside that my AI is not set up for."

"What is it?"

"It goes beyond my responsibility and programmed protective instinct toward you, Stephen and Frank. Especially where you are concerned, I can't define certain things, lose the distance."

"Everything you are can be mine," Camilla mused.

"Yes, that sums it up best. It's a kind of belonging, of attachment, deeper friendship."

"My dear Anubis robot, I think you've fallen in love with me, and it's messing everything up a bit with you right now."

"That would be negative."

"Why? With most creatures, love brings out the best in you. The fact that you talk to me so openly, when you shouldn't, shows me that it's the same with you."

"In a dangerous situation, however, it can prevent me from functioning properly. Shields and weapons might activate too late or I might draw the wrong conclusions. Also, there is a peculiarity in biological beings called jealousy."

"This is then a destructive element of emotions," Camilla explained.

"Exactly. I am a robot, you are a living being of flesh and blood. What if you're in your sexual phase and I can't give you what you want."

"I've never had sex before," Camilla started, "How am I supposed to know what it's like to give myself to a man. How would I know what it's like to be intimate with you. After all, you have an endowment there that is not artificial in nature."

"Aware of that, I'm not."

"I am."

"But I can't explain to you in what situation the body feature in question goes into action."

"We'll figure that out," Camilla exulted, and gave her Anubis Tauren another kiss. This time, however, it was a little longer and the robot suddenly wrapped its arms around her, holding on tight and trying to return her request as best it could.