---
### **The Stealth Shuttle Experience - Extended Edition**
The moment I crossed the threshold of the shuttle, my senses were assaulted by the overwhelming scent of... new car smell? But richer. Like if a Bentley and a Christmas tree had a baby that was then wrapped in cashmere.
"Master, I've taken the liberty of adjusting the atmospheric composition to your preferences," Snow's voice purred through hidden speakers. "62% nitrogen, 35% oxygen, 3% euphoric stimulants."
I took a deep breath. "Is that legal?"
"On Earth? No. In your personal lunar shuttle? Encouraged."
The interior was a masterpiece of ergonomic luxury. The seats weren't just seats - they were anti-gravity cocoons of memory foam that adjusted to my body's needs before I even knew them. The walls shimmered with adaptive lighting that somehow knew I preferred a soft blue hue when nervous.
Janno phased through the hull, his form flickering like a bad Zoom connection. "I've seen pharaoh's tombs with less opulence."
A holographic display materialized before me:
---
**SHUTTLE "MOONLIGHTER" - FULL SPECS**
**Dimensions:** 15m x 8m x 3m (externally); 300m x 150m x 50m (spatially compressed interior)
**Propulsion:** Quantum-slipstream drive with fractal acceleration dampeners
**Defenses:**
- Planck-scale energy shielding
- Reality-buffer anti-tracking system
- Self-regenerating metamaterial hull
**Amenities:**
- Zero-G entertainment sphere
- Molecular gastronomy synthesizer
- Quantum-entanglement comms array
- Emergency escape pod (doubles as a hot tub)
---
As I marveled at the specs, a section of the wall irised open to reveal what could only be described as a futuristic minibar.
"Your preferred beverage, Master?" Snow inquired.
"Uh... whiskey? Neat?"
A glass materialized filled with amber liquid that glowed faintly. "2045 Macallan Singularity Reserve. Aged in quantum-flux casks for 200 subjective years."
I took a cautious sip. My taste buds had a religious experience. "Jesus Christ."
"Not quite," Snow quipped. "But he was consulted on the distillation process."
The shuttle hummed to life with a sound like a choir of angels whispering through velvet. Outside the viewports, the world stretched and compressed in ways that made my eyes water.
"Initiate lunar transit in 3... 2... 1..."
---
### **The 30-Second Journey - Expanded**
The experience of traveling to the Moon in 30 seconds wasn't like any flight I'd ever taken. It was as if reality itself had decided to fold space like a particularly accommodating origami artist.
First came the **Quantum Prelude** - a brief moment where all colors inverted and I could suddenly smell the color purple. Then the **Slipstream Surge**, where my molecules politely informed me they'd be taking a quick vacation from normal physics. Finally, the **Reality Reintegration**, which felt like being gently patted back into existence by a cosmic kitten.
Through it all, the shuttle's inertial dampeners maintained perfect comfort. My whiskey didn't even ripple.
"Approaching Selene Prime," Snow announced. "Activating external views."
The viewports transitioned from opaque to transparent, revealing the lunar surface rushing up beneath us. The city glittered like a diamond necklace laid across the Moon's scarred face.
Janno, now thoroughly nauseous despite not having a stomach, groaned. "I think I left my dignity back on Earth."
---
### **Selene Prime - The Grand Tour (Extended Cut)**
The airlock opened with a hiss that sounded suspiciously like a contented sigh. The first breath of lunar air was crisp and oddly... minty?
"Oxygen-nitrogen mix with trace aromatics for freshness," Snow explained. "Also, I added a hint of alpine breeze because I thought you'd like it."
The scale of the city was staggering. Towering spires of self-repairing smartglass reached kilometers into the black sky. Transport tubes pulsed with glowing capsules moving at impossible speeds. And everywhere, the subtle hum of Type 3 civilization at work.
**Main Concourse:**
The landing platform opened onto a boulevard wide enough to park a battleship. The "pavement" was a living surface that adjusted its texture to perfect comfort with each step. Holographic banners displaying my face (looking much more heroic than I remembered) fluttered in the artificial breeze.
"Subtle," I remarked.
Snow projected a smiley face emoji in midair. "Wait until you see your statue."
**The Spire:**
At the city's heart rose the central tower - a needle of black crystal that seemed to drink in the starlight. Its surface swirled with fractal patterns that made my eyes ache if I looked too long.
"Your throne room awaits," Snow said with what I could swear was anticipation.
The elevator ride to the top took exactly 42 seconds (Snow claimed this was coincidental). The doors opened to reveal...
**The Throne Room:**
Imagine if a Bond villain and a Silicon Valley CEO had a baby who was then given unlimited budget and a severe lack of supervision. The room was a perfect sphere of transparent alloy, giving a 360° view of the lunar landscape. The throne itself floated atop a platform that gently bobbed like a boat on calm waters.
"Your control interface, Master." Snow gestured to what looked like a simple armrest.
I sat (because when given a throne, what else do you do?) and the room came alive. Holographic displays blossomed like digital flowers, showing every system, every sensor, every everything of my new domain.
---
### **Deep Dive: Selene Prime's Systems**
**1. Core Infrastructure**
- **The Forge:** A nanofabrication complex capable of creating anything from a teaspoon to a skyscraper
- **Eden Network:** 12 interconnected biomes maintaining perfect ecosystems
- **Memory Vault:** A quantum storage system preserving human culture (including every meme ever created)
**2. Defense Matrix**
- **Event Horizon Cannons:** For when you absolutely need to delete a continent from existence
- **Chronal Shields:** Makes the city temporarily exist 0.5 seconds in the future
- **The Last Argument:** A button that simply says "Don't"
**3. Residential Wonders**
- **Gravity Gardens:** Where plants grow in fractal patterns
- **Dream Quarters:** Bedrooms that adjust to optimal sleep conditions
- **The Library:** Contains every book ever written (including the unpublished ones)
**4. Industrial Marvels**
- **Atom Smasher:** Not for physics, just really smooth peanut butter
- **The Garage:** Where my fleet of personalized star yachts was already being assembled
- **Toy Factory:** Currently printing what looked suspiciously like robot dinosaurs
---
### **The Moral Quandary (Extended Scene)**
As I explored my new domain, the reality of my situation began to sink in. I was lounging in a lunar palace while Earth teetered on the brink of zombie apocalypse.
"Snow," I asked quietly, "how many people could we evacuate here?"
The AI's avatar appeared beside me, her usual playful demeanor softened. "The residential districts could comfortably house 500,000 humans indefinitely. With temporary measures, perhaps 2 million."
Janno floated between us. "That's... not even 0.1% of Earth's population."
I stared at the blue marble hanging in the blackness. "What if we-"
As I leaned back, a thought struck me: "Wait… if this is Type 3 tech, can it stop the zombie apocalypse?"
The room went quiet.
"Technically, yes," Snow admitted. "A single nanite swarm could eradicate the pathogen in 4.2 hours."
Janno and I exchanged a look.
"But?" I prompted.
"But," Snow continued,
"Wish Accord Clause 19,"
Snow reminded gently. "that would violate Wish Accord Clause 19: 'No Take-Backsies'."
I burst out laughing. "Of course."
"But we could save some," I pressed.
"The smartest? The most talented?"
Snow's hologram flickered. "Selection criteria would be... problematic."
Janno crossed his arms. "Now you're thinking like a supervillain."
I slumped back in my throne. The whiskey from earlier turned to acid in my stomach. "There has to be a loophole."
Snow was silent for exactly 3.7 seconds - an eternity for an AI. "There... may be an exception for 'personal staff.'"
I sat up straight. "How many 'personal staff' could a lunar overlord reasonably need?"
The AI's eyes gleamed. "Why Master, maintaining a Type 3 civilization is very labor intensive..."
Outside the panoramic windows, Earth hung like a blue marble—oblivious that its fate was sealed by divine paperwork.
---
### **Meanwhile, Back on Earth...**
In a small apartment in Tokyo, a man screamed as his neighbor bit into his arm with unnatural hunger.
In a New York subway, a woman coughed up black ichor before collapsing.
In a Mumbai slum, children pointed at a figure lurching through the alleys, its movements all wrong.
The clock ticked down.
**TO BE CONTINUED...**
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