S-19. Why Is Everyone Way More S*xy Than Me?!

A short while later, Zehra convened a meeting with myself, Vicky, Miette, Teles, Laria and Captain Savitskaya. We all met in the CIC sphere of the Radiolaria. The sphere had full-range holographic projectors, so Laria and Teles could project themselves as if they were in the room with us. I had brought my physical Doll body to the meeting to make its debut. I wanted everyone to get used to talking with me in person instead of on a screen. I was clinging tightly to Miette’s arm; I told her it’s because I had the nerves about meeting everyone physically for the first time. She didn’t seem to mind.

Vicky was still dressed as a sexy maid, by the way. Zehra prohibited her from wearing anything else. The outfit earned her quite a few stares from everyone, and she went right back to blushing madly. I noticed everyone’s eyes were drawn to her thighs. As a rampant lesbian, I understood this sentiment perfectly. Her thighs were incredible.

Ahahaha, drink in the glory of maid Vicky, my friends! Although you all are staring at her very intensely. I wonder if everyone here is just as gay as I am?

Of course, I was merely appreciating Vicky's outfit in a platonic fashion. I only had eyes for my pilot. I did feel sorry for her, though. Surely a maid outfit was out of dress code for meeting a warship’s captain.

“Ahahahaha, it really suits you, Vicky!” Teles mocked her playfully.

“S-Shut up.” Vicky responded, fiddling with the hem of her skirt.

The captain cleared her throat loudly. “A-Anyway. Shall we get down to business?”

Zehra explained my backstory to everyone in great detail, including the part about my secret message to her and my lost sister. Vicky, Miette and Teles already knew all about it, but for everyone else it was an astonishing tale.

“You mean to say,” Laria said while adjusting her glasses and staring straight at me, “you really are a reincarnated human?” She was floored.

“I’ve been telling you that all along!” I said impetuously. “You’re the one who never believed me!”

“I-I see. In that case, I truly am sorry.” Laria bowed to me.

“We are all sorry.” the captain added. “I hope you can at least understand why we were skeptical.”

I puffed out my cheeks. “I suppose…”

“Putting all that aside,” Zehra interrupted, “I want to discuss how we can search for Kometka, gao~n.”

“Hmm. We’re in no position to go on a treasure hunt, and the Politburo would never allow it anyway.” the captain mused. “Teles, could you perhaps use your NKVD connections to track down exactly where the doctor’s research materials ended up?”

“I’ve already tried.” Teles answered. “A lot of the records were destroyed when Zehra assassinated the members of the old review board.”

Everyone stood there in shocked silence and stared at Zehra and Teles. If there had been gravity, you could have heard a pin drop.

“H-H-H-H-How did you…?” Zehra fumbled.

“Oh, did you think we didn’t know about that?” Teles said, her face twisted in a broad smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “You give us too little credit, doctor. You may be a genius of science, but covert ops is outside of your wheelhouse. Your efforts to cover your tracks were clumsy at best. I do give full marks for the creativity of your methods, though. I've only seen antimatter used to kill somebody one other time, and that shuttle 'accident' you arranged was a lovely finishing touch. Overall, I give you three stars out of five!”

Why is she rating assassination methods like a film critic? More importantly, my mom is a stone-cold killer?!

“Y-You assassinated them?” I said in a small voice.

“It was revenge!” Zehra protested. “They took my precious daughters away, gao~n!”

“Zehra's actions were actually quite fortuitous for us.” Teles continued. “Wiping out those old farts eliminated most of the NKVD’s leadership and allowed a new faction to seize control. That faction is the one Vicky and I belong to. That’s why we were assigned to keep an eye on you shortly thereafter.”

“I s-see…” Zehra was flabbergasted. She hadn't realized just how tangled up she was in the NKVD's web.

Teles might sweet and peppy on the outside, but she’s super-scary! I thought. As expected of a secret agent AI!

“Hmm. So that’s the secret behind the Crimson Coup.” the captain said, stroking her chin.

“Oho, you knew about it?” Teles asked.

“Even though I don’t participate in backroom politics, I keep a close watch on those in power.” the captain said. “Call it a personal hobby of mine, one I acquired out of an especially strong sense of self-preservation.”

Teles looked like she had just gained a new respect for the captain. “Your knowledge of classified information is impressive as always, Captain Savitskaya. It's a shame you refuse to work for us directly." She shook her head to clear that thought away and frowned. "Anyway, a lot of records concerning Zehra’s seized research materials were lost when that shuttle exploded. It seems like most of the stuff was either warehoused or sent to factories. Since Sveta’s dormant computer core was similar in design to that of a Gravity Frame, she was installed into one. The mechanics who did so had no idea what she really was. We only learned about this after Sveta awakened and we started looking into her origins very closely. We were able to backtrack the details of her construction based on her Frame’s serial number.”

“So THAT’S how I wound up in a Gravity Frame!” I exclaimed. “Wait, does that mean I was piloted around a whole bunch while I was sleeping?”

“Obviously.” Teles said. “Remember, the Radiolaria pulled you out of a boneyard. Those four and a half years you were asleep, you probably had quite an exciting military career.”

“Gah! If that’s the case, I p-probably came close to being destroyed, huh? Argh, I really hope my sister’s alright!” I said, panicking a bit. Also, the thought of someone besides Miette piloting me makes me squirm!

“We’re currently expending every effort to search for Kometka, but the fragmentary records are making it difficult.” Teles continued. “Doctor, it would be beneficial if you could provide details of her core’s design so we understood exactly what we are looking for.”

“Hmmmm…” Zehra sounded reluctant. “I don’t know if I trust you, gao~n.”

“That’s fair. In my line of work trust is a vice, not a virtue.” Teles responded. “Let me state our intentions clearly: as we did with Sveta, we wish to reunite you with Kometka once we discover her. Captain Savitskaya and Vicky believe you and your daughters have a lot to contribute to the war effort, and the NKVD's current leadership now agrees with that assessment." She glanced at the captain knowingly, then turned her attention back to Zehra. "In fact, it was Vicky who pushed hard to bring you two back together, although she had personal motivations as well.”

“AHA! I thought as much, gao~n!” Zehra stared at Vicky, who just smiled and blushed.

“W-Well… I read the reports, you know. What the old faction did was inhumane.” Vicky played with the hem of her skirt as she spoke. “It’s heartwarming to see you two reunited.”

“WHOA!” I exclaimed. “Vicky, underneath all that rude arrogance, you’re actually a good person! I’m shocked!” Teles nodded in agreement with my assessment.

“Y-You don’t have to be THAT shocked! And what do you mean by ‘rude arrogance?’” Vicky protested.

“Even I thought you were arrogant, and I’m a certified ice queen.” Laria interjected. Everyone else nodded, although the captain looked surprised by how honestly Laria evaluated herself.

“G-Geez…” Vicky was thoroughly chastised. She simply couldn’t find it in herself to object too strongly when dressed as a sexy maid.

“Ahahaha, well. You’re being more honest with yourself now, Vicky, and that’s a good thing.” Teles offered. “Plus you have the perfect body for that maid outfit! I rate it A+!” Vicky just mumbled and blushed even harder.

More like SS+ if I’m being completely honest. Vicky didn’t just win the genetic lottery, she utterly dominated it! I thought jealously. Once again, I had to remind myself that I had designed my own avatar to be cute in order to appeal to Miette. I wonder if she’s into big-breasted women like Vicky though… I despaired.

“I think we’ve gotten off track.” the captain said. “Teles, please let us know what resources you may need to assist with the search. Doctor, I believe we can offer her assistance without concern. I have personally ensured we’re all on the same team here.”

The captain’s charismatic presence and leadership experience made her easy to trust, and Zehra was somewhat reassured. “Fine, gao~n. I’ll co-operate.” Her tone made it clear she was still wary of Teles.

“Thank you.” the captain said. “Now, I must remind everyone that, while we will expend every effort to find Kometka, this is still a warship and we are still fighting a war. Doctor, please continue to expedite the production of the new Gravity Frames.”

“The foundries are already smelting away, gao~n! The first six should be ready in three weeks!” Zehra answered.

“Excellent. Now, 2nd Lieutenant Levesque and Sveta, I have no issue with you being stationed out of the doctor’s laboratory. However, I still require that you serve your regular patrol schedules. I cannot take you two off active duty until we have more Frames to work with.”

We both nodded.

“Laria will coordinate the schedule with you. I intend to move the rest of the squadron into the hanger adjacent to Zehra’s lab along with our mechanics, since 433 Eros has superior facilities to the ship’s. Doctor, I would encourage you to focus on developing Sveta’s new Gravity Frame in the upcoming weeks. Any technological advances you make while doing so should be quite valuable to future generations of Frames. Once we take delivery of the Velocipede units, I will assign Maurice, Sabina and Genevi to you as test pilots for your projects. Is that acceptable?”

“Hmm. I don’t know those names, gao~n…” Zehra was still feeling skittish.

“They’re good friends of mine!” I piped up.

“Mine too.” Miette added. “And they’re all excellent pilots.”

“Well, any friend of Sveta’s is a worthy test subject, gao~n!” Zehra responded.

“Th-That’s not how the expression goes…” I said, a bit horrified. Please don’t dissect them!

The captain cleared her throat. “As a final piece of business; Teles, your new ship will be arriving within the week. Because they rushed it out of the dockyards it does not have any embarked Frames, so I will be assigning the second batch produced by the foundries to it. The ship presently has a minimal crew, and I will be transferring the survivors of the Telesthesia over. I am also a friend of its captain; her name is Monica Skelton. I believe the two of you will get along nicely.”

“I’m looking forward to it!” Teles said, smiling.

Whoever she is, please go easy on her, Teles! You’re scary sometimes! I thought.

"I might add the ship has yet to be named." the captain added. "That decision is up to you."

"Hmm..." Teles tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Going with anything other than Telesthesia II feels a bit wrong. Wouldn't you say, Sveta?"

Why are you asking me?! "Uh, sure? I feel like it would be a good tribute to the original ship. By the way, do all AIs share the names of their ships?"

"Not ALL of them, but it's more common than not." Laria answered. "Ships named after real people, like the Satyajit Ray and Kaushik Ganguly, usually have AIs with different names than the ship's."

"Oh, that makes sense. It would be weird to go around using someone else's identity, huh?" I asked. Laria nodded in reply.

“Telesthesia II it is, then." the captain said, slightly exasperated that the conversation had gone off onto yet another tangent. "That concludes our business here. Everyone, we have a lot of work ahead of us. I expect great things from all of you. That is all.”

We all saluted the captain sharply, except for Zehra. Vicky looked a bit ridiculous, standing at attention in a maid outfit, but the captain simply returned our salute with a wry smile.

Vicky the combat maid, huh? Don't go doing any martial arts kicks with that short skirt, or we're gonna see EVERYTHING!

*****

While my Doll body went back to the lab with Miette, Zehra and Vicky, I sent an instance of myself to visit Laria in her personal virtual space. I noticed she had brightened up the previously drab office a bit. There were now paintings of lush natural landscapes on the walls, a huge oak desk and a comfortable-looking leather chair. Velvet carpet on the floor added to the impression of a high-powered CEO’s office.

After we arrived, Laria bowed deeply to me. “I apologize once more for not believing your reincarnation story!”

“Ahahaha, it’s alright, Laria.” I patted her head. “I forgive you. C’mon, raise your head up.”

Laria looked penitent. “I have come to respect you a great deal, Sveta. I realize just how rude my previous behavior was.”

“Honestly, Laria, stop beating yourself up over it!” I said, placing my hand on her shoulder. She was a head taller than me, so the sight resembled a child reassuring an adult. “You’re my friend, and that friendship is more important to me than past indiscretions, okay?”

“Thank you, Sveta.” She smiled hesitantly. “If I may ask… what is it like to have a physical body?”

“IT’S INCREDIBLE!” I gushed. “Even as we speak I’m clinging to Miette’s arm and she’s petting my cat ears! Our relationship has a physical dynamic now, and I couldn’t be happier!”

“I see. I must confess I’m jealous. Physicality is an experience entirely alien to me.”

“Hmm? Well, why don’t we ask Zehra to make you a Telepresence Doll too?” I suggested.

“What? Ask her to m-make me one?!” Laria was taken aback by the suggestion.

“It’s not like these things are very resource intensive. Zehra could whip one up in half a week!”

“I… don’t know if I can do that. I don’t exactly have the best relationship with her.” Laria said slowly.

“Oh? You two have met before this week?” I asked curiously.

“I was at 433 Eros for a tune-up three years ago. I’m sure you can imagine this, but my personality isn’t exactly compatible with hers.” Laria had a pained expression.

The ice queen and the carefree lion, huh? Yeah, I can see why sparks might fly…

“Aren’t you based on a brain scan of her, though?” I pointed out.

“Originally, yes. Every AI is, except apparently you and Kometka. But my experiences and desires have made me a unique individual. Think about it, Sveta. Teles is technically based on Zehra’s mind too, but she is a completely different person from me.”

“Ahh, that’s true.” I folded my arms in thought. “Well, she might be willing to do it if I asked her. Plus there’s one sure-fire way to win her over!”

“What are you talking about? Oh. Oh NO. NOT THAT!” Laria realized what I was hinting at and panicked.

“Yes, THAT! I’m told I once dressed Kometka in this outfit, and you’re like a sister to me too!” I said, pouncing on her and hugging her tightly. I nuzzled her cheek with mine, and my cat ears flicked back and forth.

“I d-don’t know…” She was still hesitant.

“C’mon, Laria. Don’t you want embrace the captain? Hold her warm body tightly with real, physical arms?” I tempted her with the one thing she couldn't resist.

“GAH! FINE!” Laria gave in. “If I c-can really do that… I don’t mind…” She fidgeted, obviously embarrassed. The sight reminded me of Vicky’s humiliation at her maid outfit, minus the actual blushing.

BWAHAHAHA! PREPARE YOURSELF, LARIA! I pulled up the file containing the outfit I had already designed for her.

*****

A few moments later, I stood staring at the amazing sight before me.

“You know, I find this unexpectedly frustrating.” I said.

“W-Why might that be?” Laria asked, wringing her hands nervously.

I had dressed her in a playboy bunny outfit, with a deep blue strapless corset teddy, sheer black hose on her otherwise bare legs, glossy black high heels and blue bunny ears and a tail to match her hair. There was a black-and-white bow tie around her neck, and a matching bow was attached just above her tail. The problem was, she suited the outfit TOO well. Like Vicky she had a great body, and until now it had been well hidden under her pantsuit. Especially noticeable were her long and shapely legs, which the high heels accented perfectly. Her chest wasn’t as large as Vicky’s, but flowed exquisitely into her hourglass figure.

“You look good. TOO good. Both you and Vicky outclass me by a kilometer! I’m feeling very inadequate!” I wailed.

“What on Earth are you talking about? You designed your own avatar.” Laria shot back.

Ugh, she has a point. “I designed it to appeal to Miette! I was going for cuteness, not sex appeal! I didn’t know every woman around me was going to shine so brightly!” I patted my own comparatively small chest in pity.

“Couldn’t you just change the way your avatar looks?” Laria offered.

“That would be cheating!” I responded. “I picked this body and I’m gonna stick with it! Besides, the Telepresence Doll is matched to my dimensions already, so changing would be a big hassle.”

Laria moaned in disbelief. “That’s completely ridiculous. And here I am, dressed in a horny bunny costume, so I am every bit as ridiculous as you. Oh, how far I’ve fallen…”

“W-Well, putting that aside! Now that you’re properly attired, you’re ready for your big debut to Zehra!” I said, trying to cheer her up. “It might be good to add some blushing subroutines to your avatar. It would really sell the whole thing!”

“Absolutely not.” Laria responded. “There are some lines I refuse to cross.”

“Oh well. Three out of five ain’t bad, at least!” I gave her a thumbs up.

Laria sighed and straightened her glasses. She looked utterly adorable as she did so, and her chest jiggled.

I really have created a monster here. Oh, poor Sveta, what have you unleashed upon the unsuspecting world?