Singularity

by Drew Cordell

  Nick stood up, officially involved before it could get out of hand. “Okay, that’s enough, folks. I’m shutting this rodeo down. One more jab from your table, Chad, and you’ll all be doing dishes after dinner so we can give the cook bots a break. Same goes for you, Brandon. Finish your breakfast and load up. This ends now, don’t you dare take it to work today.”

  Brandon and I had discussed our situation in depth throughout the workday on Tiyvan IV and had settled on trying to secure mercenary work from NPCs on Vrenn, the medium-sized neutral station we had respawned in. It was located in the dead zone between Dalthaxian-aligned space and the Virodeshian Conglomerate, and so far had given us most of the small jobs we’d taken. The problem was that we’d have to figure out our transportation situation before we could do most of the well-paying jobs listed on the station’s network. I was unhappy to see my insurance company still hadn’t sent payment for my claim on Exowurm.

  The first thing we needed to do was take inventory of everything we had. I pulled up my inventory, trying to see exactly what I had left while Brandon did the same.

  Kyle Gennan’s Inventory

  - Maximum Inventory Capacity: 0.85 M3

  - Maximum Quick Inventory Capacity 0.125 M3

  - Maximum Inventory Weight Limit (factoring equipped gear): 22/85 sKg

  - Current gravitational mass modifier: 1.02x

  Inventory (non-equipped items only)

  Currency

  - 6,458 eCr

  Armor

  Weapons

  - Holdout Blaster (Uncommon)

  - Station Shiv (Junk)

  - Standard Blaster Pistol Charge Pack (Common) x55

  Modifications

  Consumables

  - Injectable Stimpack I – Resource (Uncommon) x1

  - Injectable Stimpack I – Health (Uncommon) x4

  Crafting components

  Misc

  - Mysterious Tooth-Shaped Soap Resin (Junk)

  Brandon, despite having a ton of junk he’d need to break down into crafting components or sell, had roughly 5,500 credits as well. To put things into perspective, five eCr in Eternity Online was going for one standard credit on Dalthaxia and Salgon in the real world, but that exchange rate fluctuated on a daily basis. When I was living on Salgon with Stacy working at my factory job, I was making just over 400 standard credits every month. Converting that to Eternity Online would have net me 2,000 eCr per month.

  Exowurm had cost almost 120k eCr in Eternity Online, nearly two years’ worth of my near-constant 1,200 credits a month real-world salary with Rollings Mining after variable expenses. The insurance money would cover roughly 80% of the purchase price of the fitted Exowurm, but the rest would come out of my pocket. With only 12-13k eCr between the two of us in liquid assets, we wouldn’t be going anywhere until the insurance money came through and we could buy a new ship, even if it was a temporary measure so we could save up for something better with a comprehensive insurance policy.

  Better understanding our financial situation, we walked down the main corridor of one of the residential quarters in Vrenn, weaving through the stream of foot traffic toward a sprawling cluster of shops. There were a lot of different races of characters here, but there were very few other players—most of whom were neutrally aligned. A few other players were with Dalthaxia and had stumbled out this far on their own, but we had yet to see anyone playing under the Salgon flag in this region of the galaxy.

  Most players we encountered didn’t seem to want to talk to us, and we didn’t want to talk to them. We just exchanged silent acknowledgments as though we were members of the same secret club, perplexing the lifelike NPCs who observed the brief, slightly tense exchanges.

  In a station like this, most people didn’t even give us a second glance, even though Brandon’s character was 2.4 meters tall and had a gun most people would have a hard time holding up strapped to the back of his EVA suit. Normally, we’d change out of our suits to blend in better before venturing out on a station, but it wasn’t an option now that we’d lost almost everything.

  We reached the main shopping center, pushing open the door with the small bell on top and stepping into Mac’s Armory, the establishment where I’d purchased the blaster I was still using.

  The armory was a small cubic room next to some less lethal shops, close to 10 meters across each dimension, packed with an impossible number of guns, modifications, ammo, and armor in the small space, creating an almost overwhelming visual experience. Fortunately, Mac was ready to assist any customer, offering information, answering questions with ease, and helping them find the best equipment possible for their budget. So far, he hadn’t steered us wrong—our weapons had demolished most enemies we’d encountered.

  Mac, the NPC proprietor of the small leased shopping space was of the Usara race, the big lizard-like alien race known for trade, crafting, and their natural agility and regeneration abilities. “Welcome back, I always appreciate repeat businessssss,” Mac said, his long lizard tongue lingering on the ‘S’ sound. He was tall and slender with a long, green-scaled head, and bulky muscle coiled around his limbs that protruded from his ‘The Great Vrenn Chili Cookoff of 3,141’ shirt and synthetic cargo shorts that made him look like he was some sort of short-order cook rather than a lethal arms dealer.

  “Hey, Mac,” I responded. “We’re down on our luck, just lost Exowurm. Our gear is pretty beat up from the explosion. Think you could repair it?”

  Repairs done through crafting stations or by artisans was far cheaper than using consumable repair items in the field, but it wasn’t an instant process. Mac could probably repair everything: both of our EVA suits, my light blaster pistol, and Brandon’s shotgun and unused sidearm in fifteen minutes or less, plenty of time to let us window shop and look for some potential gear upgrades we would want in the future, even if we couldn’t afford them now and weren’t in a position to lean heavily on a credit line.

  Mac’s crystalline green eyes glimmered under the harsh white light of his shop. He leaned closer to us, resting his scaly arms on the transparent composite paneling of a weapon display case and grinning at us. “I can do these repairs no problem, and I tell you what. Help me out with a little errand, and they’re on the house in addition to the pay for the job I have for you. Only catch is that you need to leave right now and I’m going to need to lend you some rental gear to get this done. What do you ssssay?”

  13

  “I think it sounds pretty good, Mac. What’s the job?” I inquired, meeting the lizard’s sharp, calculating eyes. From the encounters we’d had with him, Mac seemed reasonable and friendly, although sometimes too excited to sell us ridiculous guns we didn’t meet the stat requirements to use proficiently yet. The repairs we needed, especially with the damage to our EVA suits, would probably set us back at least 1,000 eCr, so I was interested in hearing his offer.

  “Has to be something local unless you have transportation arrangements,” Brandon added.

  Mac nodded, “Uhhuh, it’s local. I need you to make a delivery, I’ll give you the map coordinates. You’re going to Gilson’s Bar on the fifth level of the station, residential block six, and meeting a woman named Gwen Delarine. She has pink hair. I can offer you five pointssssssss on the invoice if you make this delivery.”

  It piqued my interest. If it was a more expensive order, it would make it worth our time, even though we were probably a little overqualified to run simple courier missions. “And the repairs are still on the house?”

  “Of coursssssse,” Mac answered.

  “I don’t understand why we need rental gear for a couple simple deliveries. Are we dealing with contraband? Five points plus repairs is a lot to pay for standard delivery—especially since I’m sure there are much cheaper couriers working Vrenn.” Something was off, and I wasn’t exactly eager to get in trouble with the law, even if that was a loose concept on a place like Vrenn. The Vrenn station police force and militia more or less had the power to do whatever they deemed neces
sary to keep the peace.

  Mac shrugged. “Come now, it’s nothing illegal. I run a clean businesssss. The rental gear for you is to make sure I don’t get ripped off. The client is a high-profile buyer who appreciates anonymity and discretion of delivery—she bought top-of-the-line equipment remotely, and I want to ensure delivery of her investment. Take a look at the invoicccccce.” The Usara man waved his hand through the air, pulling data from his store’s AI node and sending it to our UIs to examine.

  Customer Invoice #4570 – Mac’s Armory

  Buyer: / / /

  Date: April 1st, 3146.

  Payment (paid in full): 4,385 eCr

  - Merchandise: 3780 eCr

  Treshian Breach Carbine

  Military Blaster Carbine Charge Pack x10

  - 5.017% Station Tax: 195.42 eCr

  - Anonymous Delivery: 300 eCr

  - Mac’s Armory Gold-Tier Warranty (1-year): 109.58 eCr

  I expanded the stats of the blaster contained in the protective matte case Mac had pulled from beneath the counter, admiring the expensive weapon. This Gwen Delarine wasn’t messing around.

  Treshian Breach Carbine (Pristine) - Mythic

  Blaster Carbine. Military-issue.

  - Requirements: Level 3, Tech 1.

  - Overall Durability: 125/125

  - Weight: 2.8 Standard Kg.

  - Range: Mid-range.

  - Damage: 15-19 plasma damage (+10% weapon damage, accuracy, and optimal range while pristine.)

  Mods

  - Compact Barrel: +25% accuracy in CQB-close range.

  - Compound Trigger: -10% maximum fire rate. +15% accuracy and cooling power.

  - Military Blaster Carbine Charge Cell: 100% charge remaining. Plasma Damage.

  - Digital Targeting Sight: +10% accuracy.

  Attributes

  Durable

  - This weapon has +25 maximum durability points.

  I closed the item stats. It was impressive, but neither Brandon or I would be interested in using the weapon type with our current play styles.

  Carbines could keep up with blaster rifles in most combat situations, and they were only around 65% of the size and mass, making them more suitable for close-quarters combat, and most operations that required characters to haul a lot of equipment and make every kilogram of their weight capacity count. Carbines were two-handed weapons based on their size, and I still planned on using my Strexian magic with my off hand. Brandon was content with obliterating his enemies with his 20-kilogram monster of a shotgun.

  “That’s a serious weapon, Mac. You’re not worried about us running into any trouble with this buyer?” Brandon asked.

  “Not from her. But I’m arming you just in case you run into trouble on your route or the delivery venue, even if that isn’t likely. I’m hiring you two because I’ve got some custom work for good clients due today and need to make sure I meet my commitmentsssssss.”

  I shrugged, issuing a mental command to my AIVO to calculate our delivery fee based on five percent of the total invoice price. I was happy with the result. “Fine by us. So, we’re looking at 219.25 credits and repairs on our guns and EVA suits while we’re out on the job?” I confirmed.

  “Yes, ssssssir,” Mac said, pulling two composite armored vests from one of the walls in his shop. Next, he grabbed two tactical belts, taking a moment to find one that would actually fit Brandon, then proceeded to look for suitable weapons while we removed our EVA suits and damaged weapons, placing them on another counter for Mac to repair.

  A new quest notification flashed in my UI, I briefly pulled up the information for the job, knowing all too well that expected difficulty of a quest could mean very little if things went sideways.

  New Quest: Ordinance Delivery

  Expected Difficulty: Easy

  Known Rewards: XP, reputation, weapon and armor repair services, and 219.25 eCr.

  Mac wants you to deliver a weapon case to Gwen Delarine in Gilson’s Bar on the fifth level of Vrenn. Mac says that Gwen Delarine is human and has pink hair. Complete the delivery, get her digital signature, then report back to Mac for your rewards.

  Brandon was given another shotgun, much smaller than his normal one, but large and powerful nonetheless. It was a blocky pump-action weapon that fired solid slugs and had a laser pointer mounted to the side. A low-profile red dot sight was anchored just to the left of the stock iron sights of the weapon, allowing for a marginal magnification boost if the user held the gun to a slight angle. Brandon attached a sling on the shotgun’s twin-point clasps, loaded up the ammo tube with shotgun shells, and lined as many extra rounds as he could on his belt.

  After putting on my armored vest over my light jacket, I secured a hip holster with the blaster pistol Mac gave me, attaching some extra charge packs from my inventory to the quick-access slots on my belt. The blaster wasn’t as good as mine but was still classified as a light blaster pistol, so I’d still get the proficiency bonuses I’d gained from grinding the weapon class.

  If Mac wanted to arm us for the job, that was fine by me. I had no intention of dying again so soon after our first deaths in Eternity Online. This way, we’d be able to put up a good fight if something went wrong in what felt like a rather standard delivery quest.

  Mac gave Brandon the backpack loaded with the carbine we were supposed to deliver, then sent us the coordinates of the buyer’s location. “The buyer’sssssss name is Gwen Delarine. I’m hoping she’ll be hard to miss once you’re in Gilson’s Bar since she has pink hair and all,” Mac informed us. He went about pulling his repair tools out and moved our gear from the display counter to his work station, effortlessly hauling it all in one armful.

  I nodded to the usara. “Thanks, Mac. We’ll be right back.”

  “Yeah, thanks. Take care of her, huh?” Brandon said, pointing to his shotgun.

  “She’ll be in top condition in no time, you can count on that,” Mac assured as we walked out of his store.

  “I feel a lot better with the shotgun, even if this stuff doesn’t match the stats of our gear,” Brandon said as we started the journey to the elevator pods that would take us to the fifth level of the station without much hassle.

  “Yeah, same here. It’s nice of Mac to do these repairs for us, and we can use all the credits we can get right now.” I was annoyed that the insurance money for Exowurm hadn’t come in yet, but the contract I signed on my policy when I forked over the hefty premium for the first three months of coverage came with the stipulation that the insurer would complete a full investigation taking up to seven business days. Insurance didn’t move any faster in Eternity Online than it did in the real world.

  We wove through foot traffic, following the navigational directions superimposed on our AIVOs which we’d updated with the quest from Mac. The system was passively scanning characters as we walked, but so far, all of them were NPCs and there wasn’t a player in sight. Brandon and I had speculated on the quest, but neither one of us knew what to think of Gwen Delarine. She could be a player or NPC, and with the discretion she’d paid a hefty premium for, we were in the dark.

  We passed shop fronts, street performers of varying talent, and fast-talking cooks selling greasy noodles from battered hand-pushed carts. Ground cars and cyclists crawled along the congested road to our left, approaching the heart of Vrenn. Everything in Eternity Online was extremely life-like, and each component of the game was a small piece of a sprawling, infinitely intricate narrative created by the most powerful combined AI forces in the galaxy. It was a second universe—and for most people, a chance to secure a future life in our system.

  After a few minutes of walking, we reached the elevators, and I didn’t flag any NPCs in my vision that appeared suspicious. For now, everything seemed to be going smoothly. The elevator pods moving between the massive five-story levels were free to use on the station, and each one of the civilian-focused pods could hold nearly twenty people with light cargo. Brandon and I stepped inside one of the egg-shaped pods as it ar
rived. It would stop at all of the different levels of the station along the way to the fifth level, and our journey would take roughly five minutes to reach our level.

  Brandon was the tallest one in our elevator consisting of several humans, a couple bots, a Virodeshian, and a Thex. Vents from the top of the pod’s ceiling did their best to pump cold air into the enclosed space, hissing as the exterior mechanical systems kicked to life and hauled the elevator pod along the vertical track.

  The view of the interior station was incredible as our pod climbed to a greater height. It was similar to some of the massive stations in real life, rotating to generate the necessary gravitational forces for close to one standard G instead of pumping aGrav through the whole thing. It was cheaper to spin, so most large space stations did—even in Eternity Online.

  As the elevator climbed, the view expanded, showing sprawling apartment buildings anchored right into the metallic walls of the station. Colorful tarps and tapestries hung from balconies. Clotheslines on roofs were full of drying clothes. Cars and pedestrians on the streets shrunk in our vision.