SL Huang - Up and Coming - Stories by the 2016 Campbell-Eligible Authors

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Be advised: A guide is en route to escort you to initial processing at your local judicial facility. In thirty seconds, this jumper vehicle’s door will lock for temporary holding. Initiating countdown until—

End navigational program.

(Motion detected within booth. Barter program activated. Self-diagnostics complete. Greeting sequence initialized.)

Good morning, anonymous citizen. At PawnSafe, we promise an entirely secure transaction without the need for identifying informat—

Skip.

Select the type of transaction you would like to perform with PawnSafe.

Personal item liquidation.

Please place an eligible item on the scale analyzer. Be advised: Items larger than the scale analyzer should be negotiated at the PawnSafe main building on—

Item detected. Metal jewelry. Item type: Analog watch. Scanning metal composition and functionality. Functionality acceptable. Chemical composition: Au, 85%. Other elements detected: Ag, and an alloy of Cu and Zn. Remaining elements negligible. Market value based on composition: 800 credits.

Price dispute.

New price dispute entered. Enter a reason for market-value dispute.

Antique Waltham pocket watch from the late—

Keyword detected: Antique. Please wait. Attempting isotope-decay dating. Analysis successful. New market-value price: 3100 credits.

Price dispute.

New price dispute entered. Command error: Only one price dispute allowed per item. This market-value offer will be retracted in thirty seconds and this item will no longer be eligible for trade. Initiating countdown.

Accept offer.

Offer accepted. 3100 credits in payment queue. Please place a new item on the scale analyzer or initiate payment procedure.

New item detected on scale. Personal comm unit. Initial market-value estimation: 400 credits. Scanning functionality. Functionality excellent. Secure encryption capabilities detected. New market-value estimation: 900 credits.

Accept offer.

Offer accepted. Please place a new item on the scale analyzer or initiate payment procedure.

Initiate payment.

Insert anonymous payment unit or enter account information. Be advised: Using personal account information will expose this transaction to public records.

Anonymous payment unit detected. 4000 credits issued. Unit ejected. Warning: Keep hands off scale analyzer as items are lowered into processing unit.

Be advised: Personal information detected on sold comm unit. Would you like to scrub this information?

Yes.

Initiating information scrub. Accessing information for diagnostic scan.

Warning: A warrant has been issued for the owner of this comm unit on charges of: Grand credit fraud, escaping jumper vehicle temporary holding, and missing a judicial processing appointment. Owner status: Probationary citizen. Central Judicial has offered a reward for information leading to the successful arrest and custody of—

End transaction.

(Passenger detected. Transportation program activated. Self-diagnostics complete. Greeting sequence initialized.)

Good morning, Citizen—Command error: Personal comm unit not detected. This transportation vehicle will be unable to provide personalized—

Skip.

Please provide proof of payment and enter destination.

Anonymous payment unit detected. Be advised: Central Judicial periodically reviews anonymous transportation transactions to ensure that no violations are—

Skip. Destination: The Cess.

Destination information received. Warning: This section of Colony 13 is considered uninhabitable and populated by known criminals of Central Jud—

Skip.

Route initialized. Transaction price: 300 credits. Accept?

Yes.

Time until destination: 45 minutes.

(Passenger detected. Transportation program activated. Self-diagnostics complete. Greeting sequence initialized.)

Good evening, Citizen—Command error. Personal comm unit not detected. This transportation vehicle will be unable to provide personalized greetings and route information.

Warning: Recent anonymous transaction detected in vicinity of the Cess ungovernable zone. Be advised: Transactions performed in this area are considered illegal and subject to—

(Program mod initialized. Self-diagnostic complete. Vehicle subroutine tapped. Passenger transportation program halted.)

Nightshade Command Program initiation successful. Warning: The Nightshade Command Program utilizes modified Logistics, Inc., military defense technology. Unauthorized use may result in judiciary action. Acknowledge.

Proceed.

Commandeer jumper vehicle?

Yes.

Public jumper vehicle manifest accessed. Maintenance code override generated. Locating nearest municipal jumper maintenance facility. Found. Falsifying coordinates to mirror maintenance facility.

Initiate new command.

Locate Citizen 68516.

Beginning trace. Anonymous access restriction encountered. Applying random citizen identification. Success. Resuming trace on Citizen 68516.

Matching citizen found on passenger manifest for Intercolony Transport Ship FSS Heimdal. Ship destination: Colony 36. Estimated arrival: May 30, 2136.

Look up route fare to Colony 36.

Searching fare for transport from Colony 13 to Colony 36. One route matching request. Fare: 17500 credits.

Initiate new command.

Look up Citizen 79867.

Record found. Citizen 79867. Probationary citizen. Former employee of Logistics, Inc. Security clearance access: Revoked. Active warrant in effect on charges of: Grand credit fraud, escaping jumper vehicle temporary holding, and missing a judicial processing appointment. Reward offered by Central Judicial for information leading to the successful arrest and custody of Citizen 79867. End record.

Look up reward on Citizen 79867.

An active reward for information leading to the successful arrest and custody of Citizen 79867 is offered, for exactly: 20000 credits. To report information, please call Central Judicial Dispatch and specify Case #79867A.

Initiate new command.

Return home.

Command error: Anonymous use of the Nightshade Command Program prohibits storage of personalized route information. Specify address.

Residential City Tower 16C, Unit 416.

Transport initiated. Estimated time until arrival: 40 minutes.

Destination reached. Initiate new command.

Contact Central Judicial Dispatch regarding Case #79867A.

Command error: Judicial message system requires verifiable citizen identification. Seek valid identification?

Yes.

**Scanning Colony 13 citizen records. Compatible citizen found. Assuming identification of Citizen 83404. Initiating contact with Central Judicial Dispatch.

Report sighting of Citizen 79867 at Residential City Tower 16C, Unit 416.

Message sent. Communication ended. Initiate new command.

Record delayed command sequence.

Delayed command sequence initiated. Please relay commands.

(Residential program activated. Self-diagnostics complete. Evening sequence initialized.)

Welcome home, Citizen 79867. The time is now—

Safety warning: Due to failed payment to GraviWorks Utility Company, the localized gravitational field in this unit has been deactivated. Local microgravity is currently 0.630 m/s 2. Please keep limbs tucked in to avoid injury from untethered furniture. Human and Health Services recommends anchoring all possible household hazards in case of utility outages or—