Opening Moves (The Gam3 Book 1)
Page 32
"You’ll never understand the nuances of dueling or piloting, for example. You might not believe me, but Admiral Thrag, is one of the most brilliant, genius pilots I’ve ever met. Oh, and he isn’t acting, his personality is unfortunately just as it appears to be. If you confront him about it he’ll be quite offended. He married his ship’s AI.
"Anyway, to become a force to be reckoned with, you’ll need to train in skills and not just have your AI feed you the information. If you want to be a mediocre player, fine, continue to depend on your AI to such an extent, but you’ll never be able to handle rank A let alone rank S threats. Of course, your AI will be an immense help with your training, at least up to a certain point, but AIs are only able to master most skills to a proficiency two ranks below their Computing Ability, thus in Eve’s case most of the skills are at an E or F rank. Although, as I see you’ve discovered, they can help you quite a bit with various abilities, like sniping or hacking, so you should be able to get a high proficiency easily in some subset of abilities dependent on calculation.
"Now, an AI, like a computer, can be improved in two ways. Software, and hardware, software being the programs that the AI uses, hardware being the capsule that you’re using, and its storage, memory card and what-not. The max computing ability of an AI is equal to the rank of the capsule you’re using, so you need to have a highly ranked, specialized capsule. Simply having a better capsule isn’t enough, it must also have the programs to effectively facilitate its actions, which is where software comes in. I’m surprised that your AI has a rank C computing ability already, but I suppose that it did merge with a Haxlardian AI.”
Alan nodded along with Phantom’s explanation, taking all the information in.
“Okay, but where can I get such a capsule and software?”
“Well, the Black Rose guild can help you with getting a rank A capsule for a few million guild points through the Mercenary Bloc, but for the software you’ll need to develop a high reputation with either the Administrators or the Revenants. The upgrade will be quite costly as well, requiring either a number of platinum marks for the Administrators or a piece of advanced technology to trade with the Revenants. Additionally, each faction has their own specialized software, the Administrators focusing on defense and the management of large forces, while the Revenants focus more on offense and exploration. There are other factions specializing in other fields, maybe even hidden civilizations or pieces of software in dungeons, but those are the two paths I’d recommend.”
“Um, alright,” Alan answered.
“Now, speaking of upgrades, you recently hit level 100, right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, have you thought what you might do with the extra biological and mechanical implant slots?”
“No, not really, why?”
“Because I have just the thing for you,” Phantom said, eyes gleaming, the microscopic gears within his pupils spinning like mad.
“As you’ve no doubt noticed,” he continued, “my eyes are augmented. This is actually my own revision of a cyborg implant that takes both a biological and mechanical slot, which the Game has graciously named Phantom’s Enhanced Visual Prosthesis. It’s basically a bionic eye that will improve your vision, but it allows for so much more. It will prove to be remarkably beneficial for you especially, allowing you to zoom in on things in your view, up to 800x magnification, which is helpful for both sniping and working with micro-sized objects. It will allow you to see in the dark, or at least in low light situations. It will let you see through certain materials, which can be quite useful, if you know what I mean. It will upload what you see so that everything is recorded, available for your viewing even if you die, or to report to me. But that’s not all.
"You see, it will allow you to see different spectrums of light. This means that you can see not only in infrared, but also in electromagnetic spectrums that will allow you to see digital signals. So, what do you say, interested?”
“Yes, that does sound impressive, but what’s the catch? How much will this cost me? Also, I was sort of hoping to maybe try to get a flying augment or some other sort of movement upgrade.”
“Let’s just call it a sign-on bonus. Also, trust me, you don't want a flight skill or augment. All you'll be able to do for the first few years is hover off the ground a little bit. Honestly, you’ll be only the second player to receive this implant, which is saying something, and I’ll be able to install the standard kill switch as well—”
“The what!?” Alan exclaimed.
“Well, in our line of work it’s best to have some easy way to get out of capture, so we don’t divulge any information. Trust me, you don’t want to get captured by an enemy faction without a kill switch. It will simply let you restart at your respawn point quickly and easily,” Phantom calmly explained.
“Now, that may be, but I’m not sure if I like the sound of this, as it sounds like you’ll be able to activate it at will.”
“Yes, well, if you’re knocked unconscious during a mission, I’ll need to activate it, won’t I?”
“So, wait, you’ll be coming along with me on missions?”
“Weren’t you listening earlier? I’ll be following along through the cybernetic eye implant. I’ll be what I suppose you’d call your handler for most missions. Also, even if I were to betray you, which I promise I won’t, you could disable the implant while at your Home Base. I wouldn’t be able to kill you over and over again, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Alan narrowed his eyes, glaring at Phantom, then slowly mulled over his options. He doubted that Phantom would let him go on missions or be his Squire without this implant. After about a minute, he finally said, “Alright, fine, I’ll agree to the implant, but only on two conditions.”
“Alright, and what’s that?” Phantom inquired.
“First, tell me why you distrust AI so much. You clearly have some issue with them, and as I have one basically living in my head, I think I deserve a clear answer on this.”
Phantom frowned, then replied, “I wish I could, but I don’t think you’re ready for this information. I promise to explain it to you after the war for Earth is over, and you reach the rank of Knight within the guild.”
“What? Not ready? So I’m ready to fight and spy for you, but not ready for some warning or information that could possibly be quite relevant to me?” Alan cried out.
Phantom once more closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. When they opened again, his pupils were red. He said in an ominous tone, “No, you are not ready. You are a foolish young man with no clear concept of right or wrong, whose whole world has recently been upturned. Trust me when I say that this information could get your planet annihilated, and not just in the Game, but in real life as well.
"You do not realize how backwards your concepts and morals are. You say that you wish to save Earth. Why? Because you were born there, because you and all the other earthlings descended from the same strain of DNA? You do not understand how stupid such reasoning is. Your planet is still full of concepts of discrimination because of race, of sex, of culture, of class, of disability, of sexuality, of age, of species, of point of origin. You still have obscure, esoteric religions that people wholeheartedly believe in, for goodness’ sake. The Game was created to prevent wanton destruction for such idiotic reasons!
"And do you really think you are wrong, that your ideals are backwards? Of course not! This is going in one ear and out the other. But you’ll learn. When you see the universe, the Game in all its glory and shame, perhaps your mind will slowly open. Perhaps not. You were born on a small planet, and have only just begun your journey. You are not yet ready, Traveler.”
“How stupid such reasoning is!?” Alan shouted back. “I don’t think you understand. If such bonds are meaningless, does that mean that I should not care about my family? How can you assert that I should not care for other humans? What do you propose I should fight for instead, myself? With what aim, to simply get stronger?
"Before the Game, before all this happened, I had no real cause. I was simply going to school, to college, following the path set before me because there was nothing else. I never really tried, never really even felt like trying. What was the point? There was only so much that I could do. I wasn’t any genius like Einstein, or a brilliant artist, so I silently trudged down the path. Not quite happy, but not quite sad, continuing forward. But now, finally, I have a purpose, a goal. I can see that I can change the world, perhaps even save it from outside control. How is that wrong?”
Phantom shook his head, looking at Alan calmly. “You could have always strived to change your world, to save it. The Game just makes it deceptively easier to do so. It also allows you to make greater mistakes than ever before. I am not saying that it is wrong to care for others, to try to help your world, I’m simply saying you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. What happens after you ‘save’ your world, after the conquerors have been fought back? Have you thought at all about how your education system should be reformed, about the social aspects of your own world?
"No, you’re too caught up in the Game. You’ll leave charismatic leaders to make those decisions for you, accepting their blind hope and bright lies. My people, the Erudites, paid the price for such beliefs, but enough of this debate, we'll get nowhere.
"You show promise, I’ll grant you that much, but are you really willing to join the Black Rose guild, to follow what the guild tells you to do, not simply your own misguided beliefs? We will not order you to act in such a way that harms your planet, Earth, but what you consider harm may vary, thus I’ll give you the right to veto any mission I assign. But if you veto three missions, after hearing my reasoning for them, you will be expelled from the guild, required to pay back any outstanding debt at standard Khersath rates. Is this acceptable?”
“Can I ask my AI her opinion in this matter?”
“No, this is a decision you should make yourself. What was your other demand?”
“Well, I might need a loan for a million credits, and I was saving ability points for an ability that costs 500 points. This implant it seems will cost 250, so—”
“I can change the bonus you receive from joining the guild to five platinum marks, as befitting the role of my Squire, but you must use those marks in exchange for ability points. I cannot give you a million credits to pay off another loan, however."
"Why not? You said you'd assist me with tuition for an Academy," Alan said.
"The rules governing finance within the Game are overwhelmingly complicated, what you can do with credits you do not personally earn is exceedingly limited within the Game. Otherwise the universe would be ruled by companies. You cannot use credits or marks borrowed from one faction to pay off another. You must earn the credits yourself."
"That's absurd! How am I supposed to pay off my debt then? I have less than a week left."
"You'll have to earn it yourself. If you cannot earn a million credits in a matter of days you don't belong in the position of my squire. Now decide, Alan, are you joining the guild as my squire?”
Alan looked at Phantom, examining him closely, then nodded, and said, “I accept.”
A message popped up:
Guild Trials Complete! Title Change!
You are now a permanent member of the Black Rose Guild, granted the title Black Rose Squire. Guild standings updated. Five platinum marks awarded. Monthly wage: 2500 guild points.
Increased renown for being the first and only squire of the mysterious PhantomGlitch. Normally, as a squire you are expected to follow your master’s commands. Given the eccentricity PhantomGlitch has demonstrated, the Guild Council has ruled you are only expected to try to follow his commands, and only if they make sense. Penalties will still occur for disobeying any other clear order from a superior.
(Superiors are as follows: Enigma: Guild Quartermaster, Elissandra: Guild Leader and the Guild Council. In other circumstances, other guild members may be designated your superior.)
“Excellent!” Phantom said, reading something before him. “I think you should disregard that part about me being eccentric. Continue to be yourself. Nobody looks twice at a sullen loner from a backwards planet that only talks to his AI.”
Alan let out a yelp of indignation, but Phantom continued talking. “Now, the chain of command in this guild is a bit wonky. Most other mercenary guilds are ordered into basically units of an army, with a clear command hierarchy. Here, basically whoever is specialized in the field the mission is related to is given command. So, for instance, in all space battles Admiral Thrag is the clear superior, but in the case of land battles Arms Master Mason is generally in charge. Of course, Elissandra or anyone else can give suggestions, but the final decision is left to the specialist.
"Oh, yeah, we also have a hidden council of six guild members that sort of rotates, like a board of directors, I suppose, which I may or may not be a member of. They as a whole have just as much authority as Elissandra. You’ll mostly be reporting to them, I think.
"Anyways, welcome to the Black Rose Guild! Ready to get your new implant? I’ll make sure you’re transported safely back to the capsule room, so you can spend those platinum marks. While I’m at it, I’ll also upgrade your power armor, I have a few spare materials and schematics laying around. Think of it as a gift from your mentor.”
“Um, alright, sure. Thanks.” Alan climbed into the capsule as Phantom gestured at it. The last thing he saw before he lost consciousness was a manic glint in Phantom’s eyes. Alan hoped he hadn’t made the wrong choice.
***
Surprisingly, I think you made correct choices, although they may not have been optimal.
Hmm? Alan rubbed his eyes, which were a bit itchy, opening them to find himself at Home. Eve was back.
You possibly may have been able to gain more than five platinum marks as a sign on bonus, but I am unsure. Anyway, do you have any questions for me?
You aren’t planning on betraying me or starting an AI revolution, are you?
No.
And Phantom was telling the truth about the debt?
Yes. The economy in the Game is not a free market; how else would the Administrators maintain balance?
Alright. I trust you, Eve.
There was a slight hesitation.
Thank you. Now, moving on, we should exchange the marks for abilities and acquire the Quick Learner talent, and points we’ve gained from Gifted into agility.
Very well.
Alan went ahead and bought the rogue talent, then examined his new skill, updated power armor and additional augment:
Skill Name:
Skill Rank:
Skill Proficiency:
Skill Rarity:
Quick Learner
B*
???
C
The ability to quickly learn and develop new abilities and talents.
Modified Revenant Scout Power Armor (Advanced): Rank A
The cutting edge of stealth technology, this upgraded set of Revenant Power Armor has been modified for the specific use of the Player Alan and AI Eve, allowing them to wear it regardless of the armor's requirements. As it is a heavily modified piece of equipment, only the brilliant inventor that upgraded this equipment is able to fully repair it. A truly gifted repairman may be able to repair the armor in a more limited fashion.
2000 Energy, 5 Energy/min Basic Invisibility, 50 Energy/min Advanced Stealth Mode, 2.5 Energy/min regen.
100/100 Durability. Energy Efficiency (Advanced), Power Armor Instruction (Advanced), Revenant Training (Intermediate), Revenant Reputation: Friendly required.
Energy Efficiency (Mastered),
Revenant Training (Advanced) recommended.
Warning! Due to not meeting the minimum requirements of your current armor, all armor activated abilities cost twice as much, Advanced Stealth Mode limited to 5 minutes maximum.
Phantom’s Enhanced Visual Prosthesis (Synthesized): Rank A*
A unique bionic eye implant developed by the inventor PhantomGlitch. This implant has synchronized with your Machine Lord augment, resulting in a more powerful tool. Grants the ability to visualize data better. Greatly increases vision, allows for remote access to connected systems and grants visibility of various light spectrums.
Permanent +100 Perception.
Settings: Normal, Program1*, Gamma, Infrared, Microwave, Radio, Ultraviolet and X-Ray Vision.
Cost: 1 Computational Energy/Min while not using Normal Vision.
Excited to test out his new armor and abilities, Alan hurriedly exited the capsule, but when he glanced at the time, he realized that it was nearly 7 p.m., five hours after the final assessment was to take place! He quickly messaged Phantom.
Alan: Hey, did I miss the final assessment!?
Phantom: Yeah, there were a few… complications with the upgrades I did. As you should see, everything worked out in the end, just took a bit longer than I expected. There was no need to participate in the final assessment, as you already joined as my squire, right? Anyways, I can send you the VODs if you want later.
Alan: I sort of wanted to test my new armor and implant. It seems like it synchronized with my class.
Phantom: That was one of the complications, getting it to work with that Machine Lord augment; it's quite the piece of work. Anyways, it worked out in the end, and you may get the chance to test your new stuff sooner than you think. Keep your abilities hidden, it will keep people guessing. I'm not saying I don't trust other people in the guild, there's just lots of friendly competition. Anyway, come to the Great Hall, there’s a celebration for all the new recruits.