by Isaac Hooke
“Of course,” Jack said. “Though obviously I only get a small percentage of the profits. Most of the money goes to the official makers of nanotech in the Outrim, Reconstruct Systems.”
“What’s the half-life on the nanotech currently in my body?” Tane asked.
“Only minutes,” Jack said. “Once they’ve completed their task, the microscopic robots are designed to shut down. The harsh environment inside you isn’t conducive to keeping them alive: bodily juices are inherently corrosive, and phagocytes begin to swallow the nanotech as soon as it shows up in your body. As you go to the bathroom over the next few hours, you’ll piss them out.”
“Maybe I should bring a bottle with me to the toilet to catch them,” Tane said. “It’ll be the most expensive piss I’ve ever had, after all.”
“Maybe you should,” Jack said. “Though they’re useless once deactivated.”
Tane examined his arms and legs. He didn’t seem stronger. Didn’t feel faster in any way, or smarter. “I guess I was hoping for a base level of enhancement.”
“I only promised to chip you,” Jack said. “I never said you would be faster, stronger, or smarter. At least, not yet.”
“No, of course not,” Tane said. “That only happens when I continue to purchase nanotech packs. That’s why the initial purchase cost is essentially subsidized by Reconstruct Systems. They give us the control chips for free, but they charge us for the actual nanotech.”
“Now you’re starting to catch on,” Jack said. “You can use credits to purchase fresh nanotech packs at any time. With an injection of such a pack, you can enhance your Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, anything. Permanently.”
“Dick size?” Tane asked.
“Of course,” the synthetic answered. “Though it’s not listed as an official ability. You can also replace it with a vagina if you prefer.”
“Think I’ll pass,” Tane said.
“I wasn’t offering, merely issuing a statement of fact,” Jack said. “In any case, you can examine your current statistics at any time by pulling up your status screen.”
Tane found the aforementioned screen.
Name: Tane Ganeth
Race: Human
Level: 2
Class: Hydroponics Farmer
Strength: 9
Intelligence: 9
Dexterity: 7
Endurance: 11
Charisma: 7
“So these stats, they’re based on what?” Tane asked. “It says my Strength is 9, for example.”
“These represent your starting, unaugmented attributes. What nature gave you, as it were. The assigned number is meant to give you an idea of how you compare to the rest of the human population. Average, galaxy-wide, for each attribute is 10.”
“Great,” Tane said. “Apparently I’m under average in everything except Endurance. And ugly as hell, if my Charisma is anything to go by.”
“Hey, that’s the great thing about being chipped,” Jack said. “At least you know your weaknesses, and what you need to improve. With the necessary nanotech packs, you can literally become a better man. The man you were meant to be.”
“But only if I pay for it,” Tane said.
The synthetic grinned widely and spread its arms. “Nothing worth having in this galaxy is free.”
“So I took a look at the pricing before I came, it costs about ten thousand credits per point?” Tane asked.
“When starting out, yes,” Jack replied. “Until each of your attributes reaches ten, anyway. Over that, the cost to update an attribute is based on the current value times one thousand. So let’s say your Dexterity is fifteen, and you wanted to add a point, the cost is fifteen thousand.”
“Why?” Tane said. “Other than the obvious money grab...”
“Each injection of micro machines builds upon the last, and requires successively more micro machines with each attribute point, and thus the cost is commensurately more. And yes, Reconstruct Systems and their retailers are greedy. But don’t worry, all of these attributes can still be improved naturally, of course. Though it takes time.”
“Yeah, how?”
“The usual ways,” Jack said. “Hit the gym for Strength. Play tennis for Dexterity. Take up jogging for Endurance. Read books and play memory games for Intelligence.”
“And what about Charisma?” Tane asked. “Plastic surgery is all nanotech…”
The synthetic shrugged. “Learn social skills. I should mention, because you’re chipped, your attributes will increase faster than they would if you were unchipped. It has to do with the modifications to your neural pathways, which sends and receives feedback to and from your body all the faster.”
“I heard about that, yeah,” Tane said. “What’s this ‘level’ attribute stand for, by the way? Says I’m level two.”
“It’s essentially the combined total of all your skill and attribute levels, and is meant to give you an idea of how you would compare to someone else of your class.”
“You mean how well I’d do in a fight with them?” Tane asked.
“As I told you, it depends on your class,” Jack said. “A level 2 hydroponics farmer is likely little match for a level 2 Marine in hand-to-hand combat, taking into account the usual difference in skills. You’d want to compare yourself to other hydroponics farmers. A level 10 would out-farm you any day, for example.”
“But what if I had hand-to-hand combat skills?” Tane said. “And I was a level 3 farmer. Could I beat a level 2 Marine in a fight?”
“Again, depends on what other skills and attributes the Marine had,” Jack said. “Though your chances would definitely be better.”
“How is class chosen?” Tane said. If he could get a high hand-to-hand combat skill level, and still keep his class, anyone who picked a fight with him would be in for a surprise.
“It’s based on your skills,” Jack said. “The higher levels are weighed more than the lower levels.”
“So if I keep my farming skills high, but also have a lot of lower level fighting skills, I’ll still be classified as a farmer?”
“Most likely,” Jack said.
“Nice. All right, so I’ve seen my attributes, but where are these skills you mentioned? No wait, never mind.” Tane found his skill screen.
Animal Husbandry. Level 2.
Crop Husbandry. Level 2.
Cycling. Level 2.
Endurance Running. Level 1.
Learning. Level 1.
Mechanics. Level 1.
Mountain Climbing. Level 1.
Piano. Level 2.
Sharpshooting. Level 0.
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Pilot (Small Craft). Level 1.
He couldn’t shake the sudden disappointment he felt. “Is this everything?”
“It lists the proficiency in all the skills you currently possess, yes,” Jack replied.
“Would it show if I had the ability to touch the Essence?” Tane asked. The Essence was the life-giving energy that flowed through the universe. It had been given many names throughout the ages. Chi. Aether. Flow. Humanity tapped into the Essence to power interstellar travel. And interstellar war.
“Your skill screen would show Siphoning as level zero if you had the ability, yes,” Jack said.
“I don’t see it,” Tane said.
“As I said, you don’t have the ability,” Jack told him.
“The one skill that can never be purchased,” Tane said. The only ability I ever dreamed about. And I don’t have it.
“That is correct,” Jack replied. “Either you’re born with it or you’re not. Try not to be too disheartened. I’ve had many come to me over the years for brain scans, hoping to discover the ability to Siphon. I’ve never found anyone who had it.”
Of course there would be many hopefuls. Having the ability to Siphon was one way off this backwater world. If you had the ability, during the scan a notification would automatically be sent to the Thorran Star Navy, or TSN, and a few days later a ship would arrive to pick you up
, bringing you to your wonderful new life among the stars. If you were exceptionally powerful in the Essence, the TSN would ship you off for training with the Volur, and when you graduated, there was a chance you’d be assigned to a starship in the capacity of Adviser and Essence Master. The position was second only to captain in terms of power and respect.
Tane had avoided getting a scan done all these years, mostly to fend off the disappointment. But since a scan was required to get chipped, there was no escaping it.
“Oh well,” Tane said. “Back to farming, I guess. By the way, what are these level values based on?”
“The chip determines your experience from a baseline. Level one means very basic skills, just enough to get by. The proficiencies increase with each level thereafter.”
“I jog and cycle every day,” Tane said. “So why is my cycling higher than my endurance running?”
“It requires more mechanical efficiency to operate a cycle than it does to run.”
“I see,” Tane said. Though he didn’t, really. “And why is my sharpshooting skill so low? Level zero? I practice at least once a week, and use the rifle to scare away Kayote scavengers from the farm a couple of times a year. I’ve been doing it for at least five years now. I should be level four.”
“Your proficiency level is accurate,” Jack said. “Practicing once a week for five years is certainly not enough to attain level four. If you only use it to scare away Kayote scavengers, then you’re definitely level zero. In these practice sessions of yours, how often do you hit the ten ring of the bull’s eye at fifty yards?”
“Uh, once in a while,” Tane said. Probably never.
“Once in a while.” Jack smiled sadly. “Let me give you an idea of what it would take to reach level four naturally. If you practiced shooting eight hours a day every day for the past ten years, and could hit the center ring eight times out of ten, you would be level four. Though now that you’re chipped, you could reach that level of proficiency in half the time, if you put your mind to it.”
“Oh.” Tane said. “Fine. But why bother, when we can buy the muscle memory we need? If I recall, it doesn’t cost too much to purchase new skills?”
“Depends on the skill,” Jack said. “And the level of proficiency desired. A brain dump for a level one in Jujitsu obviously costs less than a brain dump for a level four. But don’t be so quick to dismiss learning skills on your own. Remember how I told you your attributes would increase faster thanks to the new neural pathways opened up? The same applies to skills. You’ll notice you have a Learning ability...”
“I see it,” Tane said.
“That comes free with your chip,” Jack said. “And is a representation of how well you are able to learn and acquire new skills on your own.”
“All right,” Tane said. “How much for beginner Jujitsu, level one?”
“Do you have ten thousand credits available?” Jack asked.
“What? Oh, guess I wasn’t expecting it to be that much.”
“I told you, it depends on the skill you want to learn,” Jack said. “Might I interest you in Cooking instead? I can give you level one for a mere two thousand credits.”
“Think I’ll pass,” Tane said. “Considering I just paid the same amount for the chip.” Spending nearly all my savings in the process.
“And a good investment it was,” Jack said. “I’ll see you in a few months time, when you return to buy your next batch of skills.”
“We’ll see,” Tane said. “Maybe I’ll find another vendor.”
“I do offer a three percent discount to repeat customers,” Jack said.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Tane said, making his way for the door.
Greg and Jenna stood when he returned to the reception area.
“Geez,” Greg said, staring at his head. “I thought the procedure was supposed to be non-invasive. You weren’t kidding when you told the synthetic he’d be cutting open your brain, were you?”
“Apparently he ran into a few unforeseen problems,” Tane said.
“I’m never getting chipped,” Jenna said.
2
Tane and his friends made their way out into the main concourse of the retail center and boarded a tram, which took the grav tubes over the metropolis. The interlocking steel and glass buildings sprawled to either horizon, the dull tips filling the skyline. Between the grav tubes, shiny flyers darted to and fro amid the designated sky lanes.
“So what’s different?” Greg said. “Can you Siphon?”
“No,” Tane said.
“Too bad.” Jenna sounded distracted. She was leaning back, her arms folded behind her head. Behind the translucent lenses of her AR goggles, her eyes were defocused, telling him she was probably checking messages on her social profile.
“Everything is mostly the same as with ARs,” Tane said. “Except I can control my autonomous nervous system. And see how my attributes and skills compare to the rest of society.”
“I’m guessing you didn’t buy any new skills?” Jenna asked.
“No,” Tane said. “Too expensive.”
“I could’ve told you that,” Greg said.
“I didn’t go into this expecting to get anything more than chipped,” Tane said.
“So you say,” Greg told him. “Though we all know you were hoping you’d find out you could Siphon. Everyone does.”
“Yeah, well, it doesn’t matter,” Tane said. “I’m happy.” Am I? “Eventually I’ll buy some other skills. Or maybe I’ll just learn them on my own. I can learn faster now, you know. So it was worth it just for that.”
“True,” Greg said. “I’m looking forward to laying eyes upon you in a year. You should see what Jeffry looks like.”
Jeffry was another farmer they knew. Lived with a more affluent family. He’d spent a ton on augmentation in the past year.
“I’ve seen his pics,” Tane commented.
“So have I,” Jenna said. “He’s gross. No one should have muscles that big. His biceps are the size of a normal person’s thighs. I hope you don’t ever do that, Tane.”
“I have no intention to,” Tane said. “Not that I could ever afford it.”
“You know, I still don’t truly trust that crap,” Greg said.
“You and I both.” Jenna removed her goggles and rubbed her eyes.
“What do you mean?” Tane asked them.
“What do you think?” Jenna said. “Didn’t you see what I just did? Took off my ARs. You can never do that. You’re chipped. Permanently.”
“I can turn off the HUD and disconnect from the Galnet whenever I want,” Tane said.
“Yeah but, it’s still in your head,” Jenna insisted.
“That’s right,” Greg said. “What if someone uses your chip to control you?”
“Impossible,” Tane said. “The chips have no connection to the neural processes involved with decisions, or motor control, so no one could ever force me to do something I didn’t want to.”
“Sure, you might not have those connections now,” Greg said. “But who’s to say that won’t change? Maybe the next time you purchase an upgrade, some of the nanotech will secretly connect the chip to your decision making center.”
“Reconstruct Systems has got a rigorous quality control process,” Tane said, spouting a memory the chip gave him. “Something like that would never slip in.”
“Well maybe they’re spying on you, then,” Greg said. “Transmitting everything you see and hear out onto the Galnet.”
“The same could be said about the ARs the two of you wear,” Tane told them. “People are always running packet traces on chips and ARs, making sure the devices don’t transmit any personal information, or that Reconstruct Systems doesn’t issue any nefarious commands. If they did either, there would be an uproar, and people would leave Reconstruct for the competitors. It’s just not good business to spy on your users.”
“So okay, they don’t have access to your decision centers or motor control,” Greg said. “
But they do have access to muscle memory, and engrammic memory in general. One of these days, when you take a nanotech dose for a skill upgrade, they’re going to leave you with a stealth memory.”
“Stealth memory?”
“Yeah, you can put suggestions into memories, you know,” Greg said. “Trick someone into believing something happened that never did.”
“Each nanotech pack comes with a quality assurance block chain,” Tane said. “Which shows you all the people who installed the pack before you. A quick glance at the chain, and you can see at a glance whether anyone ever had issues with the pack. It’s like galaxy-wide, crowdsourced quality assurance.”
“And you know that because your chip is telling you that, right?” Jenna asked.
“Right,” Tane replied.
Jenna rolled her eyes.
“If you were so concerned about me getting chipped, why didn’t you voice your concerns earlier?” Tane said.
“Oh we did,” Jenna said. “But you ignored us. Too busy reading aloud Galnet pages extolling the virtues of chipping. And to be honest, I didn’t try too hard to dissuade you: I personally thought you weren’t really going to go through with it.”
“Guess I proved you wrong.” Though in truth, Tane hadn’t been sure he would go through with it, either. “You’re both going to get chipped someday anyway, no matter your misgivings. I know you will.”
“Not me,” Jenna said.
“Greg?” Tane pressed.
“Oh I’m sure I will, when I can afford it,” Greg said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to trust the chips any more than I trust these things.” He tapped his AR glasses. “At least when I sneak a girl into the house, I know I can take the glasses off for some privacy. Once I’m chipped, Reconstruct Systems and who knows who else will watch me dip my wick every step of the way.”