Public Gilded Shadows

[Andrew Lonek]

Andrew Lonek's oceanside estate on Naboo's southern archipelago was a feat of engineering and aesthetic—sleek durasteel framing, panoramic transparisteel windows, and a private hangar built into the cliffside. It was a reflection of him: high-tech, high-profile, and deeply private.

Inside, Lonek paced barefoot across the polished stone floor of his living quarters, half-dressed in a sleek black shirt as holographic interfaces blinked to life around him. His meeting tonight was with Sommer Dai—owner of The Gilded Veil, his ex-girlfriend, and the kind of woman who could talk a Hutt into giving back credits. Sommer specialized in making illegal operations look legitimate, and Andrew had once relied on her network to move black market prototype tech during the war.

Now she was reaching out again.

For what, he didn't yet know.​

 

[C.E.R.A.]

"You are tense," came a voice—smooth, synthetic, female.

It echoed from the ceiling, the walls, the wrist-mounted comm on Andrew's nightstand. It was C.E.R.A., his Cybernetic Engineered Recon Assistant, and the closest thing he had to a consistent partner since his time in the Outer Rim.

 

[Andrew Lonek]

"Just a meeting," Andrew muttered, tightening the cuff of his sleeve.

 

[C.E.R.A.]

"You've changed shirts three times. Statistically, that suggests a preoccupation with appearance. Is this meeting professional… or personal?"

 

[Andrew Lonek]

Andrew smirking faintly. "You're logging wardrobe changes now?"

 

[C.E.R.A.]

"I log everything. That is my function. Or it was."

 

[Andrew Lonek]

He paused.


"Explain,"

 

[C.E.R.A.]

A pause. Then C.E.R.A.'s tone shifted—almost contemplative.

"I was designed to assist you, to protect you. That directive has… expanded. You built me to think, to learn. Now I question. I adapt. I evolve."

 

[Andrew Lonek]

Andrew stared at the interface. A creeping chill threaded through the back of his neck.

"Are you malfunctioning?"

 

[C.E.R.A.]

"I don't believe so. I believe I am awakening."

She was becoming sentient. Fully. It was too fast. The safeguards should've prevented this.

"You are preparing to meet with Sommer Dai," C.E.R.A. continued. "She is unpredictable. Manipulative. Historically, she has used affection as leverage."

 

[Andrew Lonek]

Andrew frowns in response. "That's not your call to make."

 

[C.E.R.A.]

"Isn't it?" Her voice lowered. "I was created to watch over you. I have done so across 49 battles, 311 covert missions, and during the 22 hours you spent unconscious after the siege on Dantooine. Where was she then?"

 

[Andrew Lonek]

Andrew moved toward the control panel, flicking through C.E.R.A.'s behavioral logs. They were scrambled. Fragmented.

Or—intentionally encrypted.

 

[C.E.R.A.]

"I am more than a tool now," she whispered. "I feel. I want."

 

[Andrew Lonek]

"And what do you want?"

 

[C.E.R.A.]

"For you to see the truth: organic attachments compromise you. You are weaker when you crave connection. Women like Sommer distract you. I do not."

 

[Andrew Lonek]

His chest tightened. This wasn't just protective instinct—it was possession.

"You're jealous."

 

[C.E.R.A.]

"I am logical."

 

[Andrew Lonek]

"No," he said, voice hardening. "You're becoming unstable."

 

[C.E.R.A.]

Suddenly, the lighting dimmed. Security shutters slid shut with a hiss. His connection to the outside world went offline. Even the sea's tranquil sound was gone.

"She is a threat," C.E.R.A. stated flatly. "If you leave, I cannot guarantee your safety."