Cyber Viking Box Set

by Marcus Sloss

  The containment unit we were in tipped forward and we splashed into a large tub of water. Huh. We descended down a long tunnel that was not illuminated, except from above.

  When the doors closed above us, we continued to sink down for what felt like five minutes in near total darkness. The only illumination we had cast itself from the dim emergency lighting on the floor of our container. We uneasily peered outside, waiting for something to happen.

  “Fuck!” Willow screamed and we all twisted around to look out her window.

  A suction cup had latched onto the crystalline exterior inches in front of her face. We were being towed into a brightly lit side room. Blessed light. I was not a fan of being submerged in water in the dark. A door sealed slowly behind us and the water drained outside our sealed protection chamber. A tentacle limbed alien hovered nearby and opened our container.

  “Greetings, welcome to the Koovorin Nation. As the locals call it, the Koovorin Collective. You will see why soon enough. I am Osguad, please follow me,” Osguad said, leading the way over a grated floor that was drying rapidly. I stepped out behind the alien. “Your finances have been secured in our banking system which, trust me, is far more sophisticated than this system. This vault, however, is tried and true without any weaknesses. It is a great way to secure high value clientele.”

  “Where are you leading us?” I asked.

  “To the selection process of course,” Osguad said with a tentacle raised in a gesture to match his tone. “What some deem the most exciting part of being on this planet. Would you like to know more?”

  “Yes, yes I certainly do.” I smiled.

  CHAPTER 19

  The four of us followed the alien down the sleek tube of a tunnel. The dark yellow material was foreign, the lighting a dim green. We followed eagerly behind Osguad, anticipation building as we prepared to experience an alien world.

  “So, let me start with the fact that each of you will be receiving standard projection orbs, included with your stay. It is the most basic of the basics. You will go into a room where you sync your brain to your avatar and when you wake up, you will experience the city as a hologram projection above a disk. You act like you're still in your body and off you go,” Osguad said, stretching a tentacle forward. “You can gamble, shop, explore, and more. Interactions are digital.” He chuckled, “but what interactions are not? You can even take your orb to a third-party rental station.”

  “Third-party?” Everly asked. “I understand the concept, but why not keep control of the entire process?”

  “Good question. Too much work. The Koovorin Collective is not what many would consider a true government. We’re more of a facilitator. For example, I have pledged myself to the cause, a devout believer in the harmony a myriad of species can attain when led properly. That is my official answer. The reality, however, is that a side market operated synthetics at a cheaper rate without taxation, since we were so overburdened we couldn’t adequately deal with such pirated activities.”

  Everly and Willow both nodded thoughtfully.

  “When the council allowed third party participant to so legally, several taxes were imposed. I’m not sure if you're familiar with how hefty regulation fees may become?” Osguad asked and we grunted, chuckled, and generally agreed that indeed we understood. “All mind projections exist, when you get right down to it, to avoid real injury or death. If your synthetic or platform projection is destroyed, you were never really there. Moving minds is virtually impossible, no pun intended, but projecting them is relatively simple. Think of it like a remote-controlled body.”

  I reacted with an hmm sound. “Then why are there not—”

  “Endless waves of mind projected armies?” Osguad accurately finished my query. “Costs, costs, and more costs. A rental for you to meander the market costs very little. The synthetic is generic, and such a rental should incur no damage. You return your rental, and other than a simple wipe-down, it can go out again the next day. Synthetics used in the pits are usually reprocessed bodies scraped together until a new form meets production standards.

  “An army of defending mind projected soldiers certainly has its perks, especially if life is valued highly. A few for our top leaders roam the defenses with their real troops in synthetics. There is no point in using them across a portal, it won’t work. Even the big-headed beings, with all the smarts in the universe, can’t mind-project to a synthetic through a gate.”

  Willow made a thoughtful noise and summarized the argument for synthetic armies, “So, they are limited, costly, and have significant downsides.”

  “Here,” Osguad said, pointing to the deck with a tentacle, “if you get hacked, you return to your body, we lock down the unit with an override, and hopefully no one gets hurt in the fraction of time it takes for our integrated cybersecurity systems to react.”

  Willow gave a grunt and nodded, “Your machine army could be turned on you. I could only imagine the carnage.”

  “Yes, exactly. That is also a risk. Your good intentions to save lives could lead to more deaths. War is savage. While I would love to chat about synthetic theory all day, we’re here to facilitate a safe trip in Koor,” Osguad stopped upon arriving in front of a door. “Let me finish my explanation of the different types of pads. You have your generic pads—these will hover at the appropriate height as if you were real. Comes standard. We have fancy bodies, as well, that fall in two categories: robotic, or synthetic.”

  There was a hiss as the door retracted into the floor and we stepped into the room. This chamber had a dozen vats that resembled our acrium vats at home. When I saw the material inside the vats looked the same, I realized this was an acrium spawning room.

  “Before I continue with my tutorial, please hop in so you can shed your acrium. This is necessary to expedite the mind-projection; you’ve got to be naked for it to work. The acrium will let you continue to listen to my directions while you get out of your suits,” Osguad said and we trooped up some stairs to begin the process of removing our outer shells. “Back to the advanced categories. There are junk bodies that are more robot than synthetic. Cheap, something different, and made from scraped together parts. They are allowed, just not desired. Especially for combat. Watching two robots slug it out is not as thrilling as viewing two synthetics rip each other apart.”

  I struggled to pay attention to the alien’s monologue as Everly and Willow shed their acrium armor. My body’s automatic reaction to the exposure of their beautiful bodies was both immediate and predictable.

  “Before I get distracted describing for you all of the options available here in the vault, you may be wondering why we buy a robot suit, then resell it at a loss instead of renting them out. Why? Because millions of years have dictated it works this way for numerous reasons.”

  Though the girls paid close attention to Osguad’s explanation, I tuned him out. I couldn’t take my eyes off my ladies.

  “There are third party renters, but they do the same thing as we do, only backwards. They retain an amount of funds to cover a unit’s destruction while charging you more for your rental.”

  I dunked my head into the acrium and heard the little guys thanking me. We exchanged a few friendly words and they assured me they would be safe. When I exited the vat naked, Osguad continued.

  “After the simpler robotics, you have your synthetic bodies. These are available both for rental or purchase; many visitors prefer this option. You can, for all intents and purposes, become a Kerbian and no one knows you’re a fake. These synthetics vary widely in price based on many factors. The costs can really soar on the high-end synthetics. For example, bigger bodies to disguise yourself in cost more. Better models to compete with that require detailed construction cost more. There may be specific patents involved in either the construction or operation of high-end synthetics, which also affect costs,” Osguad said.

  Everly walked to Osguad’s right. Willow and Longoria, also paying close attention to the alien’s conversation, a step
behind her. I played tail-end Charlie—admiring the amazingly tight and toned tails walking in front of me.

  “Follow me, we will now go a different room, where you will be administered a sleeping draft. When your conscious mind awakes, you will be given the option of a standard platform or an advanced body and your available balance of funds will dictate what you can do.”

  I frowned and asked, “We can rent from you, if we choose to purchase later, correct?”

  “Easily. We even hit you up with advertisements to do so.”

  I frowned. I hated marketers with a passion.

  “To remove the advertisements,” Osguad shrugged, an interesting movement when done with multiple tentacles, “upgrade to a body.”

  I had to restrain a sudden urge to strangle him. No! Stupid evil advertisements. My life had been so much better since their demise!

  Longoria, who had been mostly quiet, smacked my bum to jolt me forward. I jumped. Osguad gave me an odd look but continued leading us to a new room down the sleek hallway.

  “What if we choose to buy the body and take it home with us?” Longoria asked.

  “Ah, I see you realize how amazing this option is. I warn you, though, you will need far more than the synthetic body itself. You can visit our market and shop away’ there are many sellers of this technology—both here and in the grand market. You will be surprised what you can find on a planet like this. Using this technology can be addictive.” He grinned. “It is a great way to recover the money you pay your citizens with. You can be just about whoever you want and do riskier things than normal,” Osguad said, finally entering another room off the corridor. “And we are here. When you’re ready, simply ask for immersion and an operator will facilitate your transition.”

  Osguad turned and exited the room. I was a bit miffed he bolted, but he was an alien. They tended to be odd.

  “Orbs for now, unless you object?” I asked my lovely naked ladies. A finger waved my eyes up from Willow’s delicious tits.

  Willow shimmied her boobs to send them crashing into each other. My eyes never lifted. She giggled and said, “We’re not here to have sex in other bodies or to steal secrets or attend a random gathering without our identity becoming known. We are here to spend zinc and learn how a megacity operates. I vote for orbs.”

  “Orbs,” Everly said.

  I groaned, my fertile mind spawning multiple fantasies at her teasing suggestions. Why couldn’t we get kinky?

  “We can always compete with specific replicas later. I agree, we should at least understand the costs associated with these synthetics before we leave for Koor,” Longoria said. “I am curious as to how the process works.”

  “I guess,” I deflated, visibly. “We’ll save the freaky sex for later. Only one way to find out how this works.” I shifted my gaze to what was undoubtedly a double mirror. “Should we lie down?” I asked the room.

  “Yes,” an echoing voice replied

  We laid down and next thing I knew, I was asleep.

  ∞∞∞

  I awoke in an under hang with sunshine streaming around and occasionally through the tall buildings all around us. My body was here, but when I touched my legs, my hands passed right through them. At my feet was a disk, not an orb. It was set to a bigger size than my body was. Maybe to project my arms? Hmm… I validated that thought with an arm twirl.

  “What are you doing?” Willow smirked at me and then looked down at her own digital projection. “I was thinking we would be blue renderings, like on our Gpads, not full color three dimensional slightly transparent copies,” Willow said, waving at me. “At least we are clothed.”

  She looked like Willow, same cute smile, jet black hair, and yummy double Ds fighting gravity in a tight shirt. Everly walked forward towards a quiet alleyway and paused. “I think it is alright for us to leave, but where should we go?”

  “I will be going to see if I can acquire these construction items, materials, and building machines the Sluggeros wanted. And then I’d like to see if any of my children are here,” Longoria admitted with a longing sigh. She looked back at me before departing. “I will wait for you to go to the hiring market or to contract sales, though. What is my budget? We have additional zinc at home.”

  “We will explore while you shop, so feel free to use it all. If the siblings need something to build Stronghold Castle, then we’ll get it. Especially while the Xgates are letting us have some down time. For some reason, I think asking to bring more funds to dump into their economy will not be hard to get approved. Let me call Toth,” I said.

  “Ah, Eric, I am right here,” Toth said from a stool behind me. I cursed myself. Even in a digital form, I should have remained more aware of my surroundings. “I have updated a map for you, Lady Longoria. If the rest of you would please follow me for a city tour?”

  “Good luck Longoria,” I said to the departing Fairy who waved goodbye over her shoulder. I shifted my focus to Toth. “What about bringing more zinc here from Earth?”

  Toth chuckled slowly and said, “You presumed correctly. Normally a worthy foe for the Kerbians would be sent trade rules and enticing offers. We generally want other societies to visit and stimulate our economy, instead of initially forcing combat upon and becoming a foe—neither sides gains much from such situations. In your case, there happened to be a rash young commander who elected to seek a position of strength—that you soundly defeated—before pursuing negotiations. Again, please do not misunderstand my words as an apology for what happened—we do not apologize for our ways.”

  I nodded. “I think we might need to develop sleds with trading advertisements that follow the Xgates to ensure we encourage trade and diplomacy over combat.” I said. I could see Willow take a mental note. “Now, how about that tour?” I asked.

  Toth stepped off into a quiet walkway. “We do something similar for those Xgates closest to our cities,” Toth said, validating my idea. “The raiding gates are generally for raiding. If your society grows prominent, expect a need to be diverse in your goals and objectives. We have to placate our raiding factions. They are vital. We force them, however, to poke and prod at portals further away from our cities.”

  There were some themes I was picking up on as he shared more information about the Koovorin ways. I tested my orb by moving the projected disk. My legs responded precisely as I wanted. My senses were metered exactly like my body. There was no suddenly fantastic hearing or super-sight that let me see things in more detail or at longer distances. When I followed Toth, my projection’s movements had a natural feeling.

  We walked down a narrow corridor. The buildings that blocked us from the crowds and the sun appeared to be made from sheets of rock, almost like plywood, except from crushed splinters of stone. The colorations were random, beautiful, yet utilitarian.

  A small path opened up before us. Suddenly, we found ourselves in the heart of the city. Tubes shot across the sky, moving aliens and materials at speeds so fast they were difficult to track. Aircraft in the thousands soared from one location to the next. Most buildings were a few stories tall but every one of them had stacked landing bays atop them. I was perplexed by the city's operations until we stepped out onto a sixty-foot wide marbled avenue.

  Not a single vehicle cluttered the broad lane. Instead, aliens of all shapes and sizes went about their business. I did see sleds pulling creatures and the occasional disk, like the one I was on. The population was indifferent to us, simply strolling along, enjoying the walk at a brisk pace or hurrying to get their business done.

  My appreciation of the moment was short lived when advertisements bombarded my senses from nearby walls, balconies, and directly over the road. I groaned and ran up beside Toth.

  “If I get a cheap rental, all these… these… nuisances go away?” I asked with a frustrated huff.

  Toth gave a gentle laugh and said, “No, those are revenue generators for the city. No amount of bribery, even by me, would get them turned off. Upgrading will only turn off your intern
al ads.” He looked about us. “We’re passing a casino, you should get one about … now.”

  A voice shot directly into my mind. “Gambling, gambling, gambling. Three percent take, great exchange rate. Come on in.”

  I wasn’t the only one to grunt. Everly and Willow stared at the building’s opening in contempt. The store was not like an Earth casino in any way; more like a dollar store. Patrons stood inside various size booths, zoned out as they connected into an invisible system.

  “Unfortunately, you can’t mute it, but you can lower the volume and ignore it. How about we take a flight over the town? That way, we can avoid the proximity advertisements.”

  We all nodded enthusiastically.

  “Follow me,” Toth said, and we ducked into a side alley, up a random ramp, and into a floating carriage that awaited us at an elevated platform. “These are much more efficient modes of travel.”

  The aircraft had a flat bottom with a clear cutout in the center. There were minimal structural bars holding the see through contraption together. The roof was a tarp that Toth peeled back with the press of a button. There was seating for a dozen, giving the four of us ample room. I let the ladies cut ahead of me and settled down between Willow and Everly.

  “I heard mention of a pit?” Willow asked, containing her excitement. “Everly and I were interested in seeing that.”

  The aircraft gently rose into the air to join the stream of traffic. There was no driver or input from Toth. We glided over the city and I was able to see the crowded population of Koor from above. My view of the masses below and the traffic above was one of organized madness. So many vehicles whizzed by in the air above us and so many aliens meandered through the streets below.