It wasn't every day did one in the modern world get a letter from a princess but Merisa did indeed get one. While hypercomm, holo, text and visual realtime messages were prevalent in the Commonwealth, it still had a postal system, mainly used for shipping packages.

The letter was written in a beautiful, Teshin influenced, calligraphic version of the Laneran alphabet, which was suprisingly easy to read.

The princess' name was Eralen, she was the only child of the Teshin Delina District Governor, Rirkeran, who was one of the only governors to benefit from the future Teshin invasion, now 30 years prior.

Eralen was not a royal princess. It was a title given to her as the daughter of a high official in the semi-feudal Teshin Legacy.

It was a way of life coming apart after nearly 70 millinea. Outside influences, the arrival of Teshin long since gone and those from the bleak future in particular, were changing the Legacy to a semi-democractic system.

Merisa knew only a little about it. What she did know came from watching programs about it on ComNet.

Eralen was 28 years old, unmarried and kept in a sprawling estate on the Teshin world of Delinar. She was afraid for her life, she said in her letter, because she was going to be forced to marry or be beheaded for not obeying Delina provincial rules.

Unused to a patriarchal society, Merisa could only wonder what it was like to be treated like property with no control over life and be glad she didn't live in one.

Eralen wanted an android protector. She offered the equivalent of 88 million credits for one. With its help, she could escape Delina and seek asylum in Tiat Si, the Commonwealth's exotic, glittery city in that part of the galaxy.

Merisa did not want to expose one of her androids to that kind of danger. Eralen would not be protected unless directly threatened and in this case, that would only be when they came for her to take her to whatever contrivance they used to cut peoples' heads off.

In such a case, there would be armed conflict and a greater conflict, in which Eralen would be killed anyway and the android destroyed.

So Merisa conferred with Boid, who was loathe to send an android anywhere in Teshin space.

He said it would be better to build one of the few remaining 8800 Series Replicants, give her a Teshin personality and appearance, and sell her to Eralen. With a condition, of course. Eralen would have to rely on her to escape Delina.

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Work began immediately on No. 8859, given the Teshin name of Orisen.

Theren, despite being from Cristalia, had never seen a Teshin in real life. She had to alter the nanotech-corite skin made by Aldan Cerena long ago for 8859. He did not name 8856 through 8876, frankly never thinking that he would get that far.

She knew he never anticipated dying between 8841 and 8843. Merisa had to get holos, photo-images and even a real Teshin female for Theren to learn what she needed to make a Teshin skin.

Teshin were a tiny bit different from other humans, having subtlely larger eyes and fractionally smaller noses. They all were dark-haired except for the rare blond. They were a largely homogenous people and had the same general appearance, oddly appealing as it was.

Theren proceeded to make one patterned after a famous Teshin actress from 11,000 years ago. The detail and source images were from a rare book about theater of that time, oddly more advanced then, than it was now.

Merisa had to alter the cytec molds for Teshin muscles and change the cytec mix to an even more strong, heat-resistant and stable composite.

Boid had come to stay for a week to work on the AI. He was interviewing the Teshin female who volunteered to help them, reviewing psychology and sociology of the Teshin and creating a logic processor to match what he learned. He was extra careful to avoid what came be known as the 'Oelia Effect'.

Even Orela helped by molding and casting the bones accoring to the Teshin female skeleton replica they obtained for comparison. It was hard work but the replicant didn't mind.

The bones were a new and expensive coral/ceramic-polymer lighter than regular porcelain-polymer bones but even stronger. Heat and cut proof.

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With all of them working quickly and with a quality standard higher than any industry in the Commonwealth, it took only a week and a half to finish Orisen, who shaped up to be the most beautiful of her kin.

She was the first 8800 replicant designed solely by Merisa. She was also the first to be completed in less than a month.

Plans and processes developed for her would form the basis of Merisa and Theren's work after the 8800 Series.

Boid had to return to the university and was not there as they gathered in the main work area, where Orisen lay on a recovery table, in a beautiful dark colored Teshin vestment-like gown.

Her dark hair was neatly tied back and she looked as if she was asleep.

Merisa entered her activation code on her master key and

Orisen stirred and slowly woke up, just like a real person. It amazed the elder female, who never put such realism in an android before.

Orisen sat up and looked at them. "Hello? I am Orisen, Unit Number 8859."

Merisa smiled. "Hello, Orisen. Are you fully functional?"

Orisen looked blank for a second as she checked her own internal systems. "Yes, all is optimal."

Theren was amazed by this. It was the first time she saw her work reflect such realism. Orisen looked like any other Teshin female.

Merisa helped Orisen off the table. "You have a job and a new owner. What do you know of them?"

Orisen looked at her. "I am the guardian of Lady Eralen. My primary job is to protect her at any cost. My secondary job is to bring Lady Eralen to a safe area via Tiat Si, to the main Commonwealth. I will assist her in applyng for asylum and help her settle in a location of her choice. I am hers to command always."

Normally, Merisa did not like to make her androids so subservient to thier masters but this was a unique case. "Good. You will be traveling with a pre-arranged kit to Delinar. Please get ready as I arrange your arrival plans."

She went to her small office to call Lady Eralen

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Eralen was pretty, even on a wallscreen seen through the plastic lens of a cheap comm-phone. She huddled in an obvious bathroom, no doubt hiding this contact. "Yes, I am very grateful you have decided to help me I can send the 88 million of your credits at once."

Merisa shook her head. "No, my lady. I am charging you 23 million for materials costs, 4 million for labor costs, and 65,000 credits for ownership costs. That comes to 27,650,000 credits."

Eralen smiled. "I will pay you 28 million. I am indebted to you for your help." She used a secure dataline to deposit the equivalent of 28 million credits in the account of the Cerena Artificial Life Co.

Merisa smiled. "Thank you, my lady. I must ask you how to deliver Orisen."

Eralen nodded. "Yes, she will not be noticed. Another female friend of mine. Just drop her off in the main spaceport and have her take a private taxi to my father's estate. Are you sure she can get me out of here?" She looked worried. This could end badly if something went wrong.

Merisa hated to put this much reliance on a new replicant with no real world experience. This was unavoidable however. "If you do exactly as she says, she can. You must always stay with her until you get to the main Commonwealth and, even then, you will need her companionship always."

Eralen nodded once more. "I understand. Thank you. I must go before someone comes looking for me. Thank you, Lady Merisa."

The channel was cut. The wallscreen blanked and went dark.

Merisa shook her head in worry. She arranged for Orisen's travel to Delinar and even the taxi to the estate.

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Orisen was given a small, functional wardrobe of Teshin female clothing and a suitcase.

Merisa implanted a hypercomm booster in her left shoulder, attaching it to her internal antenna. She could call for help from far away or report in to them if asked to.

She was given enough Teshin money to buy a couple of weapons and whatever jewelry she wanted and sunglasses because to a perceptive observer, a replicant's eyes could betray thier artificiality.

With a great sense of uncertainty, she took Orisen to the spaceport hub near Sakina and put her on a flight that would stop at Delinar among other places.

Merisa told her to report in once she got to safety and that they would always be there to help her.

With a tearful good-bye, she watched Orisen go, worried more than ever. Never did she feel such an attachement to her androids before.

To Be Continued...

� Mar 1 04 Gregory Thompson 1