Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System

Max looked at Nico’s still much too energetic body as they left the gym and decided that they should go somewhere else for the day. Physical exercise didn’t make her tired, and Max suspected that it was beginning to wear on her mentally, a phenomenon that was common with Cyborgs.

Their body forgot what it was like to feel tired, so they mostly stopped sleeping, but their brain still needed some sleep, or they couldn’t function properly. So, he would take her out for something exciting, and maybe that would be enough to wear her out for the day and give her something to talk to the other researchers about tomorrow.

“How about we go see some of the sights? I know where a few new shops have set up just the sort of eclectic fashion that any Reaver would love to shop at. The styles aren’t in the Replicator system, so they are an Absolution exclusive, sewn right here on the ship.” Max suggested.

Nico always had the best fashion ideas, and she still usually set out his clothes for special occasions, so this should be right up her alley.

“Oh, this should be fun. You know, things have really been going right for me since I left the army. Mother never let me have dolls. She said that they were unproductive toys. The army gave us all uniforms, but once we left, I got my very own Max to dress up.” She chuckled.

“So, I’m the substitute for the dolls that you never got to play with as a child? That doesn’t sound very promising, but somehow you still managed to develop a pretty decent fashion sense.” Max retorted.

“Don’t underestimate me. I would have dressed up my younger siblings if Mother had let me, but she had already laid claim to them by the time I was big enough to dress them. She really doesn’t like to share, as you might have noticed.” 𝘦𝘯𝑜𝘷𝘦𝑙．𝑜𝑟𝘨

Mary Tarith loved to share, just not the handful of things that she deemed important to her, like the chance to dress her younger kids and her cookbook.

Nico went on and on about the cake, and it was good, but there was a whole Tarith Family Cookbook that he had seen in a few other Family members’ thoughts. She was the inheritor, so she was the only one that had a copy, and it could only be shared with her cook, so the Family dishes would be the same through the generations and for every family gathering.

Max supposed that it was an old money sort of thing. If his family had a secret cookbook, it likely resembled a delivery app than an actual book.

That was it. That was the thing that they could do for the day. They could visit with the Tarith Family. By Kepler’s reckoning, it was the break day and the first of the month, so Mary Tarith should be serving the family lunch in about four hours. He just had to keep Nico occupied until then, and they could go for lunch on Rae 5, followed by the light show here aboard Absolution.

It would be an excellent day off plan, and it didn’t involve anything except organizing the light show for the people of Absolution.

“How about we get a complimentary set of outfits to wear this afternoon?” I have come up with a plan, and I think that you will like it. Make them classy but comfortable enough to wear to a semi-casual function.” Max suggested.

The transit pod dropped them, and a few others off at the burgeoning new upscale shopping district, where a surprising number of people recognized them well enough to give them startled looks when they saw them in the street.

“We really do need to get out more. People are shocked to see us, but we live here too.” Nico chuckled.

“Technically, we don’t live in the city, but I get your point. We need to socialize more, and not just with the officials that everyone sends to us. Now, where do we start? Do we start with shoes and match an outfit to them, or do we start with a coat?” Max laughed.

“I say we start with underwear. Work our way from the inside out, and then I can have the satisfaction of finishing with a fully dressed Max.”

They turned to head for a specific store that Nico had in mind, and Max spared a wave for a few of the people in the crowd. There was a younger couple leaving the shop as they were about to enter, but they both stopped in shock to see Max and Nico in the same place they were.

“Sanitation manager Juan. It’s a pleasure to see you again. How have you gotten settled in?” Max asked the man, whose thoughts said that he had met Max when his ship came in during the second planetary pickup that Absolution made for their first batch of the essential crew.

“Commander, Subcommander. It’s an honour to see you again. I didn’t expect you to remember my name.” The young man, with the customary light blonde and tanned complexion of the Cygnus Empire, greeted him.

“It hasn’t been that long yet. But my memory isn’t always the factor.” Max told him with a wink.

“I should have known. I’m not even sure I told you my name the first time, so you must have cheated to get it this time.”

Max nodded. “It’s the best way to seem personable and like I actually remember everyone’s names.”

“I’ve got it easy. I have three managers named Carlos under me, so I only have to remember one other name.” Juan laughed.

“And who might this lovely lady be?” Max asked politely, though he had already learned that it was his new girlfriend he met two weeks ago.

“My name is Emmaline. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Commander Keres. I work in the maintenance bot repair department.” She explained and reached out to give Max a handshake.

Max took her hand gently, mindful that her body was much more delicate than his or Nico’s, and she gave him a firm shake. Only her mind showed her confusion at the particularly stiff feeling of Max’s hand, but she wrote that off as a peculiarity of Kepler people. They had Systems, and Max was known to be particularly strong, so she had decided that the sturdy feeling of his hand was a side effect of that, not from a change in the actual makeup of his skin.