#aib sci fi au

[airi-of-hearts]

✨🪐💫 A Field of Stars ✨🪐💫

A story set in a galaxy far, far away…well, many of them. Written for the aib server prompt: Sci-Fi AU

The view from her penthouse in Imperial City was breathtaking. Airi had lived there for a few years and she was still overwhelmed by the vastness of it. Coruscant, the Jewel of the Core Worlds; trillions of citizens, human and alien alike. The city-planet had become the hub of galactic culture, education, finance, fine arts, politics and technology.

But Airi hadn’t moved there to flaunt wealth or mingle with high society, her reason was more pragmatic: Coruscant was home to the Senate Building, if she took her Diplomat career seriously, this is where she had to be. She wouldn’t be heard anywhere else.

So far, it hasn’t been exactly easy to earn her spot. Well-established–and frankly, old–Senators are always ready to tell her she’s too young, too inexperienced, her ideas too harsh, too radical, too alienating.

Kovacs had warned her this would happen. Takeshi Kovacs, a former Protectorate Envoy turned bounty hunter, the man she once believed would be the love of her life. Even then, he had been just another man telling her what she couldn’t do.

Well, fuck him. Fuck them all.

Airi paced from the living space to her bedroom and back again, reciting her next speech under her breath. She would speak at the Senate the next day and there was no room for error.

She raised her voice when he reached her main idea. ‘Just because the elites have made Neon City into their playground where anything goes, that doesn’t mean illegal activities should be tolerated. Crimes related to the drug known as Aurora don’t affect these rich tourists as much as they affect the lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable sections of the population, and this has to stop.’ She would have to modulate her voice some more, she was almost yelling by the end of it.

People–other diplomats, even Senators–usually asked her why she cared that much about a random city many galaxies away. Well, she would tell them, for one thing she was not going to stand for injustice anywhere. And for another, that was her hometown.

The pleasure city of Neon was a tourist trap that catered to the extravagant tastes of those who could afford all that the city had to offer. And for the locals? Not a lot of options outside fishing for Chasmbass, the source for the hallucinogenic drug Aurora.

Airi might still live there, working for Xenofresh Fisheries if she was lucky, if it hadn’t been for her parents. Her mother wanted her to have a real education, so she’d sent Airi off-world under the care of the Protectorate to study.

It wasn’t as if her life in Neon was too bad, Airi’s father worked for a ship manufacturing company and slowly but steadily managed to rise through their ranks. Meanwhile, as a young girl, Airi spent her days roaming the mean streets of Neon, befriending (or bothering) the hardworking denizens at Ikuchi market, mapping the Ebbside, even venturing into the Underbelly on occasion… and picking up useful skills on the way; she still had a knack for picking locks and hacking into terminals.

A soft beep made her turn around, bringing her back from her memories.

BB-8, the astromech droid that had adopted her (Airi was convinced of this, she hadn’t chosen the little round droid, he had chosen her), had stopped rolling around after her when he realized the pacing would take hours, but he still seemed to be complaining.

‘I know, I know. I won’t be too harsh tomorrow. Well, I will try,’ Airi said, patting the robot.

She hoped she could keep her promise. Her outspokenness had attracted attention from the moment she started speaking up. It earned her many supporters, but many enemies as well. Important ones, the kind who could hire someone to kill her, they had already tried. Why? Well, rich people don’t like it when their source of income is threatened. But as Airi saw it, getting that reaction meant she was going the right way.

Besides, the United Colonies backed her up. They had even sent some of their best Vanguard members to protect her. Which reminded her…

‘Cheer up, BB. We’ll go on a little adventure soon enough.’

After the Senate session, Airi would travel to Neon. She knew some Senators would demand tangible proof of the illegal activities that Airi was denouncing, they wouldn’t ask her to go to Neon City outright but they would heavily imply it, so she had beaten them to the punch, by making travel arrangements. They surely hoped she would suffer some terrible accident over there, but Airi had already contacted the UC.

‘You will meet a member of the Vanguard there,’ the UC contact told her. They hadn’t said who it was. She hoped it was Andrómeda.

Incoming message, the androgynous voice of her penthouse’s AI announced. Airi let the first few words play over the speakers before deleting it. An invitation to a fancy dinner. A date.

She had much to do and… Who had time for love anyway?

[j-ofspades]

💫🌟🌌 A Field of Stars 💫🌟🌌

Written for the aib server prompt: Sci-Fi AU

The dark helmet had felt like his very own prison at first. Restricting, suffocating, severing him from the rest of the universe. Now? The helmet was as much a part of himself as his own face.

Even if he wasn’t constantly on the run, it was probably for the best if he concealed his identity. As a Ronin, a mercenary, Vessel’s activities weren’t precisely legal.

Vessel.

That name had come to him like an unwanted gift, the night he had escaped. He’d snuck into a merchant ship, a spatial stowaway; there, crouched behind crates stamped “BESSEL”, the word got ingrained in his head so much that when he arrived at a customs outpost he muttered it as his name. The officer wrote “Vessel”, so Vessel he became.

It was very late when he arrived. Home. The only place he would ever call so. Neon.

‘Where it all began,’ Vessel muttered to himself. 

Years ago, he’d been a Neon Street Rat through and through. Born in the Underbelly, he couldn’t even say he resented his luck back then. It was a simple life but he was happy to have his family and that was that. He started working for Xenofresh Corporation when he was still a teenager, Vessel and his father hoped they could work hard enough, save enough, to give Vessel’s younger sister a better life. 

If he sometimes wandered all the way to Bayu Plaza to pickpocket unsuspecting tourists, well, they were to blame. Partially. ‘Fools and their credits are easily parted,’ his father often said, and Vessel had to agree. Not long after, his skills also included lock-picking. But even then, he made a point never to take from anyone in need, no, just from those people who treated his city as a dumpster where everything went.

And then one day someone noticed him, his potential, as they put it, and they offered Vessel a job. If he’d known what that meant, he wouldn’t have accepted.

The Crimson Fleet.

They’d introduced themselves as “independent merchants”, “adventurers with special interests”. Pirates, they were pirates. And Vessel had been fool enough to join blindly, not knowing that death would be the only way out.

The first few years went by, and while Vessel didn’t actively participate in the capture of ships, he did take part in the looting, telling himself that this was just a “redistribution of wealth”, hell, he was starting to sound like them.

Still, little by little the implications of his choice of life started bothering him and, although he wasn’t opposed to violence at first, he found himself very much opposed as the violence of the attacks escalated, especially when it was directed toward simple merchants or explorer ships. But he did nothing. He could do nothing.

Fifteen years later, he found a chance to leave.

Neon wasn’t a safe place for Vessel to be, no planet, no system was. He could run, but he couldn’t hide. The Crimson Fleet didn’t take desertion lightly, Vessel’s former captain put a price on his head when he noticed Vessel had left. If that wasn’t enough, his former association with pirates meant he was also wanted by the UC and probably every other faction.

That was why he needed to keep moving, going from one planet to the next, all over the Settled Systems. He could never stay still for too long or someone would catch him. Running and his helmet were the only two constants in his life.

But he couldn’t help it, he had to return to Neon every few months, for the same reason he had left in the first place: his family. Vessel still sent them credits whenever he could, in intricate ways that could never be traced back to him. Being a mercenary meant he didn’t exactly have a stable income, but he got by alright.

Vessel walked unhurriedly under the neon lights, letting people jostle him to and fro. He wouldn’t visit his childhood home, the home where his parents still lived. He wouldn’t bring danger to their door. Instead, he made his way to the Astral Lounge. The bartender there was his “friend”, which meant he told Vessel about the city, about his family for a fee. That was how Vessel had learned that his sister was apparently dating the club’s dancer. Vessel hoped to see her–without letting her see him–before he left. He had a job to do somewhere else.

As a blade-for-hire, Vessel preferred jobs for people who truly needed help. But he wouldn’t turn down a well-paid job when the opportunity arose.

Redemption? No, Vessel didn’t believe such a thing could be achieved, it felt out of reach. He didn’t want to be considered a hero. All he wanted was to help others, to take care of his family even if it has to be from afar. If those that wanted him dead caught up with him, all he hoped was that he would be able to take more than a few of them with him. Other than that, what more could he ask for?

[somatheking]

Seven Nights At Soma's

In which in a sci-fi AU, you're the new communications officer at the Beach, one of Hatter's luxury space cruises. As part of your training, every day you receive tapes from an old employee explaining the ins and outs of the ship. However, it's not long until things start to sound... off.

Disclaimer: I mention several canon AiB characters in this, but rest assured that they aren't based on anyone's portrayal of them, only on my own interpretation.

Day 1: Slate 1 - 15/09/2023

Good morning! Or good evening, or good night. I’m not sure when you’re hearing this tape but I hope you decided to listen to it first thing after you woke up, mainly because it’s gonna help you get through the day. 

First off, let me give you the obligatory greeting (I’m reading this from a card I’ve got right here, so don’t mind me if I sound too weird): 

Welcome to the Beach! Combining classic elegance and cutting-edge innovation, our space cruises offer the latest in comfort, gastronomy, innovation, entertainment and onboard experience. Our new and improved spaceships are also pushing the boundaries of sustainable tourism, by employing robotic assistants as personnel so as to focus on environmental well-being and minimising waste… 

Sorry, sorry, I had to cut that short because I’m starting to laugh. Assistants, more like ASS-istants, am I right? Haha, yeah, it’s a funny word.

Anyways, yeah, I’m supposed to give you a rundown on your new job, although it isn’t precisely new, is it? Hatter told me he was thinking of filling the vacancy with someone who already worked here, but since I’m the vacancy, I’m not sure whether he ended up doing that or he simply hired someone new. Still, I figured you’d need some help, so I made you these tapes. Seven, one per day, which would cover the amount of time we need to get out of the Milky Way and into another galaxy, and after that you’ll literally be on your own. Well, I’ve only just recorded the one, so maybe I’m here saying it’s gonna be seven but it ends up being three, I don’t know. I guess we’ll see! Man, I’m more excited about this than you probably are, haha. 

As I told you before, I’m the guy you’re replacing. I was actually the ship doctor, but the previous communications officer left, so I had to replace him. Doing both jobs and only getting paid for one, which is pretty rough, but hey, we gotta do what we gotta do. You know how in the Barbie movie, Ken’s job was ‘beach’? Well, mine is doctor and comms officer, haha. I was actually friends with the guy that left, and I imagine I must’ve spent so much time hanging out with him that Hatter thought some knowledge passed on to me. I have to say, this ship mostly runs itself, so I didn’t have much trouble. And you won’t either!

Anyways, yeah, let’s talk about the elephant in the room and get it over with. You’re on a cruise where the vast majority of personnel are robots. It’s more efficient that way; as I said in the presentation, ‘environmental well-being and minimising waste’. There’s so many I’m not even sure I know all their names, but to be honest, they’re not gonna bother you much. So, how about instead we run over some of the people you’ll be working with?

First off, since you’re a comms officer, you’ll sadly have to keep in touch with Chishiya, who’s in charge of logistics. He’s, excuse my French, a huge ass bitch. Yeah, that’ll make more sense when you meet him, but mark my words, you’re gonna hate the guy. I did, so it makes sense that you will too. I don’t wanna keep talking about him, so let’s move on.

Oh, these aren't employees but I figure you could say hello to them since they're pretty nice. Arisu and Usagi are this couple who've been together for what seems like forever and they're so cute. You can feel the love radiating from them, it's like they were made for each other. They are so, so sweet; talking to them always brightened up my day. Sometimes I got claustrophobic here, and when that happened I usually went to them to cheer up. They… I don't know, this might sound stupid, but they reminded me that there's more things to life other than a job. 

You also have Kuina, who is an absolute sweetheart. She’s head of security, but she’s always super willing to help out if you need anything and she isn’t busy. Fortunately for her, this is a pretty tranquil ship; problems rarely arise here, at least the violent types. There hasn’t been any fights breaking out in… months? Probably even longer, yeah. Between you and me, I think the passengers are scared of doing something illegal in the presence of robots. They think they’re gonna bug out or something and accidentally kill them. Boy, Five Nights At Freddy’s really did a number on you all, huh? But yeah, Kuina. She trains once every three days, which means you'll get to see her. I recommend you go talk to her, but be careful not to bother her while she's training! Talking to her impacted me a lot, made me consider a lot of things about my life, plus, she’s very welcoming and one of the best people here. A literal ray of sunshine. 

Oh, God, it sounds like I have a crush, doesn’t it? Haha, no, no, it’s not like that. Well… no, not really. Now you’ve got me flustered, though. I guess I’m ending the tape here, then. I’ll see you tomorrow!

[mingtinys]

under the red sun ( let's hold hands 'til the sun falls down ) masterlist

" somebody take me home , i don't wanna be alone anymore , every night — getting out of the grey city following the light . to that place in our memory .

pairing : jeong yunho x gn!reader

alice in borderland ! au , strangers to lovers , enemies to lovers , sci-fi , angst , fluff , life and death , series , not complete

synopsis : if there's anything you've learned since being thrown into the borderlands and forced to play games to live , it's that you can't trust anyone . all though , these card based games have a funny way of forcing you to rely on a complete stranger , jeong yunho , for survival . he's athletic , cunning , and quick on his feet ; yet his drive for winning makes him as untrustworthy as he is competitive . in the end , he'll either be your only solice in this dark place , or your one-way ticket to the afterlife .

warnings : aib spoilers , depictions of violence , character death , injuries , murder , language , manipulation , thoughts of suicide , similar themes to the actual show

a / n : i'm gonna try to stick to the main storyline and not fuck up canon too much but this story will likely not be 100% accurate to the show . regardless , i think i'm really gonna enjoy writing this , so i hope you all enjoy reading it as well !

chapters:

prologue

three of hearts — " blind side "