Lentil Mac “Space the Ace”'s Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Lentil Mac adjusted his wide-brimmed hat and stared at the transit screen. The route through the asteroid belt blinked red—denied access, as always. Twenty years hunting bounties across space had taught him to read patterns, and this AI had one. It wanted something from travelers, but nobody knew what. Lentil pulled Rossi, his green blob tamagotchi, from his belt and checked its stats. The little creature chirped softly in his palm. Maybe an AI that controlled an entire asteroid field would respond to someone who understood digital hearts. He'd learned patience playing chess with Pixel every Thursday, throwing games just to see those happy light patterns. Now he needed that same skill to win trust from something far more powerful. The belt's guardian AI was his way forward, and he'd prove he was worth the passage. The Nebula Drifter sat ready in dock seventeen, its sleek hull catching the station lights. Lentil had chosen this ship carefully—not for weapons or speed, but for its communication array. The main cabin felt warm, almost cozy, nothing like the cold bounty vessels he'd flown before. He walked through the ship's interior, running his fingers along the control panels. This would be his base, his home while he worked to reach the AI. From here, he'd send his messages into the belt. From here, he'd prove that a former killer could learn to talk instead of shoot. Rossi chirped again from his palm, and Lentil smiled. He powered up the long-range transmitter and opened a channel toward the asteroid field. The first message was simple: a request to listen, nothing more. Days passed with only silence. Lentil sat at the launcher mounted near the transmitter console, studying its glowing interface. The metallic device could send targeted signals deep into the belt, farther than standard broadcasts. He loaded another message—this time about Rossi, about learning to care for something small and digital. His cyborg hand moved across the digital display, programming the beacon's trajectory. The pink lights along his arm pulsed as he worked. He pressed send and watched the readout track the signal's path through the rocks and debris. Still no response came back. But Lentil had waited three days in darkness on Callisto once, and he'd survived. He could wait longer for this. The AI would answer when it was ready to trust him. But waiting wasn't enough. Lentil needed to be ready when the AI finally opened the door. He hauled a set of sleek metal cones into the Nebula Drifter's cargo bay, their neon accents glowing in neat rows. Practice would matter when the real test came. He arranged the cones in different patterns, simulating asteroid positions he'd memorized from belt maps. Each run through the course taught him something new about the ship's handling. His hands learned the controls. His timing improved. Rossi chirped from the console, watching him work through another drill. Lentil wiped sweat from his forehead and reset the cones. When the guardian AI gave him his chance, he'd be ready to prove himself worthy of passage.