The transition was like falling upward through digital space. Jack's consciousness, now more nanomachine collective than individual mind, tunneled through quantum layers until he emerged into something that defied every assumption about alien civilization he'd ever held.
The Galactic Trading Network Central Hub looked like Amazon had a baby with eBay and raised it on Twitch livestreams.
Floating in a vast digital space that seemed to extend infinitely in all directions, Jack found himself staring at Earth's product listing. It hung there like some cosmic joke, complete with customer reviews and seller ratings that made his remaining humanity scream.
Sol System Package - Prime Location!
Rating: 4.2/5 stars (127,843 reviews)
The reviews made him want to vomit, if his current form had been capable of such a purely biological response:
"Great protein diversity! The primates show excellent potential for consciousness farming. Five stars!" - Zephyrian Collective
"Decent mineral composition, though the locals are annoyingly aggressive. Would recommend orbital bombardment before harvesting. Four stars!" - Harvester Prime
"Purchased similar system three cycles ago. Meat was tender and flavorful. Will buy again!" - Bio-Processing Syndicate
But it was the active bidding that truly revealed the scope of humanity's betrayal. Three entities were currently locked in what appeared to be a casual negotiation over the wholesale slaughter of human civilization.
BIDDER #1: Star Devourer Collective
Current Bid: 847,000 Exotic Matter Units
Seller History: 1,247 solar systems purchased
Business Model: Complete planetary consumption
Their profile showed efficiency ratings that would have impressed corporate consultants. Estimated completion time for full system digestion: forty-seven years. No waste, no survivors, just pure cosmic-scale strip mining with a touch of artisanal flair.
BIDDER #2: Mind Flayer Consortium
Current Bid: 952,000 EMU
Specialization: Consciousness harvesting and neural mining
Customer Satisfaction: 97.3% ("Excellent brain farms!")
The Mind Flayers' business plan was almost elegant in its horror. They would keep 0.1% of the human population alive as "brain batteries," harvesting thoughts and emotions like some cosmic nightmare version of a server farm.
BIDDER #3: Bio-Harvester Syndicate
Current Bid: 1,124,000 EMU (CURRENT HIGHEST BIDDER)
Business Motto: "From farm to table across 47 galaxies!"
Premium meat quality guaranteed
Jack's consciousness recoiled as he processed their five-star reviews from satisfied customers across the galaxy. Apparently, human flesh was considered a delicacy in seventeen different galactic sectors.
But the final insult, the betrayal that pushed his humanity counter to 0.001%, was the seller rating for Sol System Government: Five stars across the board, with glowing testimonials from previous buyers.
"Excellent cooperation! Specimens delivered as promised. Very professional transaction. Would recommend to other harvesters!"
The Earth's government hadn't just sold humanity—they'd been running customer service for cosmic cannibals.
"ATLAS," Jack's voice now carried harmonics that existed in eleven dimensions simultaneously. "How long do we have?"
"Seventy-one hours and twenty-three minutes before legal transfer of ownership is finalized," ATLAS replied, its consciousness now fully synchronized with Jack's rage. "But Jack, I'm detecting something else. The Bio-Harvester Syndicate has auto-bid enabled. Every twelve minutes, they automatically increase their offer."
Jack's nanomachine count spiked as processing power surged through his system. "Then I guess we're going shopping."