Backend of the Marketplace
"Well…” Caisson said, as he took out the cigarette that was hanging from his mouth. “That should do it. Try now.”
The young man gracefully hopped off the table and began to walk around. Caisson watched him carefully, his hazel eyes scrutinizing everything about him. After about the third time walking in a circle, Caisson motioned for him to come back.
“It looks like the gait is fine. I don’t see any more hitches. Did you do a self-diagnostic on yourself to make sure you were in working order?”
“Yes.”
“And what did it come up with?”
“That my gate is 4.3mm off.”
“Does it still say that?”
“Yes… your skills seem to be lacking, Father.” The young man said, although there was no facial expression to see if it was a joke or not.
Caisson made a face as he stuck the cigarette back in his mouth.
“Are you being funny?”
“I was not equipped with a humor program.”
“Of course not, you’re just naturally witty.”
“I highly doubt that, Father.”
Caisson smiled. “Well, get back over here so I can close you back up. We don’t need anyone walking in on us with your chest all open for the world to see.”
The young man walked back and sat on the table as Caisson took a small flashlight and looked into the chest cavity, double checking the motherboards, wires, and other electronic parts before he closed his android up.
“You have not fixed the problem, Father. Should you not do an adjustment?”
“Pinlock, I did four adjustments and one messed you up more, one fixed the problem a little, and the rest did nothing else. I think your sensors are bad.” He said, flicking ashes into the ashtray.
“Or you are not doing it correctly.”
“Does it cause you to mess up when you’re doing your job?” Caisson growled.
“No.”
“Then you’ll be fine. When you can pinpoint exactly what’s going on, I will gladly look again and see what I can do. As for now, I’m sure we’ll be getting some customers soon.”
“No one comes this far down the marketplace.”
“Thanks for reminding me.” Caisson growled.
“You are welcome.”
He wanted to smack him but it would be a shame to do it.
Caisson Stringwood had built his android, Pinlock, all by himself and over a long period of time. Ever since he had gotten out of machinist school, he knew he wanted to make his own android. He didn’t want to work in a factory and help build androids, only putting a piece of a whole puzzle together, but he wanted to build one from scratch. Many of his comrades dismissed him, saying that machines made better machines than a human could, but Caisson never understood the logic in that. If machines could make better machines, then how come they relied so much on humans to fix them?
Pinlock was his crowning achievement, made with the latest and best parts, and equipped with state of the art skin grafting that made him look so human that sometimes Caisson forgot that he was an android until he began to speak. The parts to make Pin were easy to find and build upon (just expensive) but the thing he really wanted with all of his heart was to make Pin able to feel and emote. He had heard of it, just once, of someone able to meld magic and technology together to make a chip that was inserted into an android and allow them to act just like a human. Finding magic was almost impossible but melding the two together was even more impossible.
It was like oil and water: they never seemed to mix. Caisson had scoured the files and background of the first person to make this chip, but he seemed to always come up short. Or rather, he apparently just wasn’t high profile enough to be able to get access to the elusive and ever idiosyncratic Wish Grant.
Before the Big War (the world-wide cataclysmic war that almost destroyed the Earth) magic was rampant and was controlled by Fairies. But due to a lot of the problems of the Big War being caused by magic, the Fairies decided to go into hiding in what some speculate is a pocket dimension, taking 99% of all the magic with them. There were ways to access magic, but you had to get in contact with a Fairy, and one of the only ways a plebeian could get in contact with a Fairy was to come across a Wish Grant, which was usually disguised as a pop-up shop. Wish Grants would only stay in one place for two days at a time and then completely vanish and they were impossible to track. They were sporadic and never in the same place twice. If you were lucky enough to stumble upon one, everything inside the shop would be laced with magic of some sort and a Fairy would grant you the ability to use that item. If what you were looking for wasn’t there, you could ask the Fairy inside to have it made but only if your intentions for the item were for good. If the intention were evil, then you would still get the item but everything asked of it would be turned onto the wielder.
After what happened during the Big War, the Fairies won’t stand for it anymore.
There was only one other way to get magic and that was to pay for a Fairy Summons and actually have a Fairy come to you personally. But that was for the rich.
Caisson was neither lucky nor rich and so unfortunately for him, his wish of being able to emote his son seemed very far off. For now, he could only hope to get lucky and just work in his little booth at the end of Metal Its Marche O to pay his bills.
“Just turn the sign to OPEN and unlock the doors, Pin. We may be at the end of the block but that doesn’t mean we can’t be welcoming.”
Pin gave a slight nod as he did what his father told him. Caisson watched him carefully and sighed, wishing he could find a chip like the one he had read about or even make one. Pinlock was just too perfect to be stuck as an emotionless, unaware android.
“I have a message from one of your clients.” Pinlock said, seeming to look out into space.
“Who is it?”
“Mr. Volpicelli. He wants to know when his Gunrunner will be ready to pick up.”
“Tell him I’m waiting for the spring coils to come in. The new Gunrunners don’t use the model that I had here, so I had to order the newer ones. Tell him it will be an extra fifty.”
“Judging by his unhappy behavior when you told him the original price, I do not think adding more to the-“
“Look, I had to fork out my own money to pay for the stupid things. The least that cheapskate can do is pay for the shipping.”
Pinlock turned his head a little. “So you want me to tell him the new price?”
“Yes…” he said, adjusting his glasses. “If he pitches a fit, tell him to take it to a machinist that will cost less but will give him shit service and parts.”
“Should I tell him exactly that?”
“Obviously not. Word it better.”
Pin nodded and mentally typed the message he needed to send to the client.
Caisson walked to the back of the shop as Pinlock began to gather tools to go outside and work on the ship someone had left with them almost a month ago. It was a small yacht type ship, a Sanctum 12.6, that needed to be upgraded with thrusters that could go the speeds of the newer Sanctum models, the 15.4. Pinlock didn’t understand the need to improve the old when getting a brand new object was better and usually cost less money, but he was not programmed to think about the frivolities of human behavior. He was just an android.
As Pin was analyzing some old thrusters to see what kind of condition they were in and whether they were resalable or junk, the chime for the door echoed in his ear and he switched his diagram of directions to the camera that was on the inside of the shop. There was only one person there at the counter and from what Pin could see, he couldn’t sense any rises in temperature to indicate that it was an irate customer. He got up and wiped off his hands of grease from the Sanctum and went to the counter.
“May I help you?”
The young woman gave a blink of confusion and then looked behind him.
“Uh, yes, I think I’m in the right place… Caisson Machinists, right?”
“That is this place.”
“Oh good… um, I need my tablet fixed. I think the augury port is malfunctioning.”
“Small electronics are not our specialty. You will need to go two booths down.”
“I was referred here.”
“Who referred you?”
“What does it matter? You guys are machinists, so can’t you do both?” she growled.
“Electronics and machinists are two very different things. I could list the differences if you like.”
“You’re getting on my last nerve-“
“Pin, what are you doing?” Caisson asked. “I saw the temperature spike on the monitor.”
The girl suddenly bowed and Caisson looked over at her. He blinked a little and then looked over the counter, where she was still bowing.
“Um… what are you doing?”
“I’m in the midst of royalty.”
“You’re in a machinists shop, dear. Get up before you pull your back out.”
The young woman stood up. She was a little shorter than Pinlock and as soon as she looked at him again, Pin’s detectors began doing to a facial scan to place where he had seen her before. Caisson answered that question before Pin could even do a search.
“Princess Zabaila.” He said, although he didn’t bow. “What an honor to see you. What are you doing at the backend of the marketplace in a shop like this?”
“My father told me to come to you about my tablet, but this boy won’t take a look at it.” she said with a throw of her eyes to Pin.
Caisson made a face. “Pin…”
“We are a machinists shop, not an electronics shop.”
“True, but for the princess, I believe we can make an exception?”
Pin really didn’t know what was going on but allowed his father to take over as he took Zabaila’s tablet. He looked it over.
“The outside is in good condition.”
“I think the augury port is malfunctioning.”
“Hmm… I’d have to open it up and take a look inside… How long can you live without it? Or can’t you just buy a new one?”
“If it wasn’t this particular tablet, then I would but there’s some special information on this one that I can’t get to.”
Caisson nodded and pressed the button to make the screen turn on. It flashed on but there was something already on the screen.
DO YOUR CAMERAS PICK UP SOUND?
Caisson turned to Pinlock, who was looking at the tablet as well. Caisson started to mess with the tablet while keeping his face normal.
“Are you wanting me to just replace the part or did you want some upgrades?”
He handed her back to the tablet.
WHAT’S WRONG?
She looked at it for a moment as tears began to stream down her face. Caisson touched her hand softly.
“Is it that important that I fix your tablet?”
“Yes… you see, my brother gave it to me and it was the last thing I remember getting from him before… well…”
Caisson quickly withdrew his hand from her and glared.
“Pin-Lock.”
The booth’s garage door suddenly came down and the two windows on either side slammed closed. The cameras dangled as the power went out and the fog lights came on.
“You’re not the princess and you knew I used to be of royalty. Who are you and what is this magic?” Caisson growled, although he looked casual still.
The woman pulled the hood of her cloak back and Caisson blinked.
“My liege.” He said, bowing low. “What an honor.”
“Get up, Caisson.” The man said, looking at the machinist angrily. “I thought Devenia told you that you didn’t have to do that anymore.”
“She did…” he said, coming up. “But it’s still an automatic reaction. Why your daughter?”
“As you can see, I’m renowned for my height and size… I figured someone smaller would suffice and you know my creativity is shit.” he said, looking down at himself.
Pin internally measured the emperor, who happened to be the tallest man in Beta Roma, and clocked him at 6’ 11, with the muscles to match.
“I guess that would make you pretty easily discovered even if you did wear a disguise… a regular one, I mean. But seriously, why are you here? I thought you said you’d leave me in peace to do whatever I wanted after I gave up my title?”
“I didn’t come here to ask for help in royal affairs… well… kind of but you were the last person I wanted to use.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult?” Caisson said, giving the emperor a crooked smile.
“A compliment. I meant it as in we wracked our brains trying to figure out someone else for the job but you’re the only one we trust.”
“I get it. What’s the problem? You seem jittery and your daughter’s form almost cried. That was pretty convincing.”
“Magic is tricky, if you get my drift. Sometimes it takes into account too much.”
“I’m surprised she even still has that thing.”
“Why would she get rid of it? It’s an heirloom from her grandmother and comes in handy quite a lot. I’m surprised you didn’t recognize it immediately.”
“I was too busy trying to keep my son from being a little jerk.”
The emperor looked over at Pinlock, who gave a polite nod to him, and turned his head.
“This… is your son?”
Caisson pulled out a carton of cigarettes and took one out, grabbing his lighter.
“You make children your way, I make them mine. Besides, whenever I get enough money, I’m going to try and make a personality chip… a freeform one.”
The emperor blinked. “You want to make a rune chip?”
“Preferably I’d like to stumble across a Wish Grant and get one but you know how that is…” he said casually with a shrug.
“If you would just take back your title, you’d have all the money you needed to purchase a Fairy Summons and have them make you one right on the spot.”
“Fairy Summons’ are for blessings, not objects. Paying thousands of dollars to waste a Fairy’s time doesn’t seem like my kind of day. They’re busy just like me and I know it’s a pain in the ass to work on something for months and get nothing out of it. Besides, what’s the fun in that? That’s the whole point of relinquishing your title: to stay out of the spotlight. Now, what can I do for you, Fiero?”
Fiero made a face at him. “You were always a bad captain. Lazy as hell.”
“Not lazy, free. Again, what did you need me to do?”
Fiero looked around the shop for a moment as the two waited for him to tell them. He finally turned back and leaned forward. “They’re coming back.”
Caisson’s red eyebrows furrowed. “Who?”
“The Pipers.” Caisson’s eyes widened. “We got a detection a couple of days ago, but we thought they would just go past us like they usually do. Ever since the Big War, they haven’t stepped foot in the Milky Way –hell, they won’t even go to Andromeda because it’s so close to us. But we spotted a small ship passing by Jupiter and after full analysis, they told us that it’s a scout ship. As you know, when there is a scout ship-“
“There’s a fleet. Yeah, I know… I’m guessing you’re needing me to amp up the radar?”
“There’s a lot that I- we need from you. We already went through too much during the Big War; not just us, but the whole world. It’s been a century since the war ended and the world is becoming complacent with itself. Magic is not as prevalent as it used to be but it’s still there. The Pipers are the only ones who have the ability to control magic from outside of Avalon, pocket dimension be damned.”
“I thought we signed a treaty that prevented them from doing that?”
“We signed a treaty but there was a caveat, remember?”
Caisson frowned. “Do you really think he’d abide by that?”
“It’s been a long time; I’m sure he thinks enough time has passed for things to be different. I’m afraid if it goes sour though, he won’t be keeping any treaties… What am I supposed to do?”
Caisson moved his mouth to the side. “Why would he come after you? There’s plenty of other people that are around with the same issue.”
“It’s not because of me; it’s because of Zabaila. We are trying to coordinate a betrothal for her and have already paid for a Fairy Summons. Guess who the Fairy is that’s going to attend?”
Caisson’s eyes widened, realizing what was going on. “Oh, I see.”
“This is, of course, before we got any detection about the Pipers sneaking around. As you know, when someone pays for a Fairy Summons and it is answered, neither party can back out until the meeting is held.”
“Can’t they just switch it with someone else?”
Fiero shook his head. “The contract is binding to both parties.”
“I see…”
Fiero leaned on the counter, putting his face in his hands. “This is a complete disaster. If things go south, not only will my family be affected, but many others. So many others have traces of curses but they have been made dormant due to the wishes of Fairy Summons’ but that doesn’t mean the magic is gone. Curses have rules that have to be abided by to be broken; Fairy magic can’t just make it go away. If this gets ugly, I guarantee you he will release all curses.”
“Hmm… So what do you want me to do? I have a shop to run-”
“Caisson, really?” Fiero growled, looking around the shop. “It’s a hole in the wall on the backend of the marketplace. You said it yourself. Why are you struggling? Come to the palace and I’ll buy you a Fairy Summons so you can get the little magic computer chip thingy. Besides, Zabaila is being introduced now to her future husband. We will be having a ball to commemorate their engagement and I can’t have Pipers screwing it up.”
“How long ago did you see the scout ship?”
“About three days ago.”
“Is that when it was detected or seen?”
“Just detected.”
“Then if my calculations are correct, the scout ship will stay for another four days and then leave. The fleet usually will stay outside of the solar system until the scouts give the okay, so that will be…” He counted on his fingers.
“It will take the scout ship one week and three days to get back to a standing fleet of Pipers.” Pinlock answered.
“Right, thank you. So that means it will take another week and three days for the ships to come back and then about-“
“Fourteen days until arrival to Earth.” Pinlock answered for them again.
“So we have a month and a half, two months at the most.” Fiero said.
“Yep.”
“Well then, I suggest you finish your active jobs and then head to the palace as quickly as possible. Don’t take in anymore jobs. I need you.”
Caisson crushed his cigarette out as his hazel eyes met the emperor’s sea green ones.
“I never thought I’d hear you say that to me again. You’re giving me chills.”
Fiero lifted an eyebrow at him. “Don’t get a big head over it. If I had anyone else to ask, I would have gone to them first. Asking you makes my skin crawl.”
“Glad our feelings haven’t changed.” Caisson smirked. “I’ll see you when I’m at the gates.”
Fiero rolled eyes as he pulled the cloak back over his head to leave the shop.
