Change (The Stork Tower Book 3)

by Tony Corden

  “What type of pirates?”

  “Travellers mainly, on land you’d call them PKers. They are part of a feeder clan. They learn to sail, fight and kill. When they reach Level 150, they move into the main clan which has a fleet travelling between Vatan and Tanamore, one of the Eastern continents.”

  “What are the clan names?”

  “The feeder clan is called Y’Noson which means Clan of the Night. They are recruited to clan Y’Haul, the Clan of the Sun.”

  “How many ships do they have?”

  “I’ve heard they have two or three here and others scattered about.”

  They talked a little longer and then Leah went to her berth and spent a few hours making potions and salves. She had taken the dragon egg out but put it back in her bag before logging out for the night.

  After a big, late, supper, she spent nine hours in Cosmos Online, finishing her pilot training as well as practising with the mechanised armour. Having finished her training, she needed to talk with Thad and the others about the next step. She also wondered how John might be added to the mix.

  Diary - 3 December 2073

  It’s one thing to know what’s wrong but another thing to do something about it. I explained to the psychiatrist what was going on and I agreed with Gèng, but the reality is I’m not sure if I can do it. How do you put mind over matter? I decided to control my fear but the reality is I might not. I’ve always thought negatively about fat people who couldn’t eat less or about kids who struggled to sit still, or people who can’t control their tongues or their anger. I’ve always been in control but now I’m not. Am I less because I can’t? Am I less because I need the help of Gèng and a psychiatrist? I don’t think so. Most of the people I mocked haven’t had the blessings I have, their lives have been hard, their families broken, alcohol, drugs, abuse, violence, no encouragement, and the list goes on. Getting help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s only the sign that you want to take back your life. I’m beginning to realise that everyone has a history. Is this true of Meredith?

  I’ve always thought that people should just move on but what if you can’t? How can I get over the pain? I still feel it. How do people get over war, or torture or loss? How do you get over rape or abuse? Surely the changes in your thinking and actions are always going to be present! Every time I feel pain this will come to mind. What I need to do is to create some new pathways, some new memories, something different to conjure up when I feel pain. But what? What can take the place of the overwhelming fear? Yet at the moment the only other memory is the look of contempt, or was it pity, that I saw on Farron’s face. His face made me feel less than him, that his success made him better than my failure made me. My first reaction is to succeed to prove I’m as good or better. The more I think about it though, the truth is, neither my success nor my failure will prove I’m a better person. If they don’t prove I’m better then surely they also don’t prove I’m worse.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  December 4, 2073

  On entering the Tower, Gèng said, “Eli, Elsa and Matt are free later today if you want to catch up. They said they will be available at either seven this morning, or four this afternoon, both Brisbane time. Do you have a preference?”

  “Not really, arrange it for seven if possible. I’ll have completed another day in Dunyanin and will have had breakfast. Also, I need to see John before he goes into the city.”

  “I ordered the medication Dr Roberts prescribed and it should arrive today. I mentioned it to John, and he said they will bring it to the room when it arrives.”

  Leah had several hours before she was going back to Dunyanin and she spent the time studying her various courses as well as talking with Gèng about possible approaches to help people develop their Nascent AIs. She purchased a mid-range Pod for John and arranged for it to be delivered then headed back into Dunyanin.

  Rana wasn’t in the room, so Leah headed to the deck. When she got there, she saw Rana leaning against the railing. LJ was talking with the sea-elf Derya, and both were looking at the ocean behind them through a telescope. As Leah approached LJ said, “We’ve picked up a tail, and I imagine there is another ahead of us somewhere. The one from behind is catching up and may overtake us early afternoon. I suspect we’ll see the second ship sometime around lunchtime. I’ve not much chance of outrunning them.”

  “So, four hours to prepare. How many fighters on board?”

  “All the sailors can fight, but Derya and I have the highest levels, and we’re the only two capable of holding our own in a straight fight. Each of the pirates will probably have fifteen or more clan members looking to level up. Each of their vessels will also have between twenty and thirty oarsmen. They don’t usually fight, but when ordered to they fight mindlessly until they are either killed or they overcome their enemies; they’re all players, mighty strong and specifically built rowers, they are mainly barbarians.”

  Leah could do nothing on deck so returned to her berth to spend several hours increasing her potion making skills. As she worked, she pondered the captain’s words and considered possible responses to save the ship. Suddenly she stopped and replayed the captain’s words. She sat, almost frozen for several minutes before sub-vocalising to Gèng, “Gèng, can you get in touch with Akia and check if they think there are others still enslaved by the Kodomans.”

  Almost immediately Gèng responded, “She says that the assumption is that the Kodomans alone continue to control upwards of forty-thousand individuals across Australia and even more in other countries. If this is a part of a larger conspiracy, and they think it is, then other people may control even larger numbers. So far they have little success in finding legal means to check if people are participating in games willingly or not. The number forty-thousand is an estimate based on the four million in Australia who have not availed themselves of the latest security updates. Akia requests more information regarding your question.”

  “Give her permission to review my discussion with the captain concerning the pirates and let her know I think each pirate ship has a possible thirty slaves who are used as oarsmen. I suggest she is careful when discussing things with Dunyanin as the Kodomans may have more spies in the company.”

  “She wants to know what you intend doing.”

  “I plan on capturing two pirate ships and allowing her access to the images of those I think are slaves. Can she find probable cause to get warrants to check and then release them if they have been enslaved?”

  “How long does she have?”

  “Let me go on deck and check with the captain.”

  Leah climbed the ladder to the poop deck and said, “So Captain LJ, how soon till we are in range?”

  “I think you mean until they are in range? Well, we now have three ships approaching, and all are carrying the pirate flag of Y’Noson. They’ll be hemming us in, in less than an hour.”

  Leah said to Gèng, “About forty minutes virtual time and then I’ll be ready to try and take over a ship.”

  “Akia said she will be ready in thirty minutes virtual time. She’ll wait until the last minute to contact Dunyanin, but the judge is already processing the warrants.”

  Leah went to talk with Rana and said, “Each of the ships has up to twenty fighters. Supposedly each is less than Level 150. Do you think you could mist aboard and kill all the sailors? Below deck will be thirty others, they are mainly human barbarians and are being kept in slavery. I would prefer they aren't killed.”

  “If they are Level 150 and less then yes I can kill twenty without pause.”

  Leah returned to the Captain and said, “Captain LJ, Rana and I are going to attack the pirates before they get close. We want to get all three ships. If I claim them, do you have enough sailors to get all four to Ticareti? If so, how much will you charge me to borrow those sailors until we arrive in port?”

  “And how do you intend to attack before they get close? Each will have a few mages, and they will not let you get close.”

  “Leav
e that to us. Do you have the sailors?”

  “In a pinch, maybe I could do it. If you can stop those ships then I won’t charge you a copper. If you can’t do it, I’ll probably lose my ship anyway.”

  “Next, which ship is the easiest for you to evade?”

  “The farthest one coming up on the port side.”

  “Ok, we’ll deal with the other two first, and then that one.”

  Leah equipped her armour and thought through the various possible scenarios. As the time approached the thirty-minute mark, she and Rana had each chosen a ship and were ready to go. Gèng said, “The warrants are in place, and the Dunyanin Administration is on board. Akia has a trace on their communications to see if any warning is given.”

  Leah nodded at Rana and said, “Let’s go!”

  Rana disappeared, and Leah focused on the bow of her chosen ship and teleported. As she landed she cast Ki Lightning, she equipped Guzeltuya’s Bow and began shooting anyone still moving. She walked toward the stern and continued to cut down any sailors still alive. When the deck was cleared, she moved below decks and mopped up. Finally she entered the lowest level and saw thirty barbarians, both men and women, facing her with an overseer standing behind them. He yelled, “Kill her!”

  The barbarians charged. Leah was caught off guard and was pushed back by the front two barbarians who began to punch her then tried to grab her and drag her towards them. She cast Circle of Sloth and then kept moving, always moving to the edge of the attacking horde and never letting herself get surrounded. She was losing Health fast but kept moving. Finally she saw an opening and teleported behind the overseer and with a single knife thrust, killed him. She yelled “Stop!” But the slaves kept attacking. She cast Circle of Sloth again and then Misted through the roof and onto the deck.

  Gèng said, “Akia was able to get clear views on only eight of the Barbarians. She suggested you leave the rest.”

  “That isn’t going to happen. I can hear them searching the ship. I’ll hunt them one by one.”

  It took Leah ten minutes but she finally tracked down the remaining barbarian slaves and in the one-on-one battles she was able to give Akia enough of a view to identify each one. She was exhausted and low on health. She had been unable to bring herself to do more than block their attacks and she had been hit, bit, kicked and pummelled numerous times. When the last one was released she took a deep breath and teleported to Rana’s ship. Everyone on the deck was dead, and when she went below, she found Rana staring at the thirty barbarian slaves, all who were sitting and staring at her. Leah went to each and gave Akia a good look at them. She harvested the dead and then headed to the deck, Rana in tow. The last ship had begun to turn away, but it was still close enough. She nodded at Rana and teleported across. By the time Rana materialised those on deck were dead. Leah said to Rana, “You mist down and get the Overseer who’s controlling the slaves and I’ll clear below decks.”

  By the time she arrived on the lowest deck, Rana had taken care of the overseer. Leah looked at each face; soon she and Rana were again on an empty ship. They went topside and Leah teleported back to the Lucky Star. As she arrived, she said, “Captain LJ, the three ships are all clear of sailors. I claim them and would appreciate it if your men would help get them to the Port of Ticareti.”

  It took almost two hours for the sailors to get the ships under control and lined up in convoy. When it was done Leah said, “Gèng, any news from Akia about the slaves?”

  “Yes, ninety rescued and all of them were definitely under compulsion. Clan Y’Noson has been disbanded and its officers are under investigation. All assets except the three ships you captured are being investigated, and it is likely that at least another 300 people will be rescued from evidence seized under the warrant. Akia said not to expect a gift from Dunyanin as they are trying to minimise any possible exposure to litigation. She said the Kodomans have again escaped prosecution as the Y’Noson clan officially has no direct ties to them.”

  “No gift, and almost negligible EP from the pirates, I’m glad we have the ships. What are they worth?”

  “In Ticareti, they may be worth just over one Diamond each. I have just received a message from Merideath.”

  “Does she do more than threaten to kill, maim, and destroy?”

  “No! She makes reference to Clan Y’Haul closing in and then says she will also destroy your family if you don’t return her property.”

  “Ignore it then. I’ll have to warn John and maybe get an extra guard for everyone when they leave the property. I’ll head back to the tower after talking with Rana and LJ.”

  Leah spoke to LJ, “So Captain, with the four ships under control, how long before you’ll make Ticareti?”

  “With this tailwind, I expect sometime the day after tomorrow.”

  Leah talked with them both about her options and then explained she was heading in and would be back the morning they expected to arrive in Ticareti. She logged out and headed home for breakfast.

  Over breakfast, Leah explained that she’d helped some more people escape from virtual slavery and that threats had been made against the family. Leah emphasised that she believed the threats were real and she was going to request an extra bodyguard for each family member. While they all grumbled about it, they understood her feelings. She talked with John about her security concerns and arranged for the extra guards before John headed into Brisbane to get a Nascent PAI. Leah told him she’d ordered a Pod for him, and that it would be installed that afternoon. After a brief discussion, they decided the new Pod would be set up in the second Pod building.

  After seeing John off, Leah headed for the Tower to meet with Eli, Elsa and Matt. She met them in the small apartment, and after the greetings, she said, “I’ve talked with the others, and they are hesitant for you to join without me making certain of your loyalties. While I’m comfortable already, I see their point. In particular, they’re worried that you might unintentionally be a threat to the clan and to me. For you to understand this, I need to give you the history of my conflict with Meredith Kodoman.”

  She then proceeded to explain the code and the ability of those who had access to the code to compel behaviour. She explained that she wanted them to agree to have their v-world checked for the malicious software.

  When she'd finished speaking, Eli said, “Are you serious? No! This is bullshit! It’s not possible. I don’t believe you. I know Meredith is a bitch, but slavery, that’s not possible. I’m leaving, and I take back wanting to be in the clan. Come on Elsa.”

  Elsa, however, just sat there. She looked at Leah, and a tear ran down her face. Finally, she looked at Eli and said, “I believe her Eli, I don’t know why I do, but I do. All she’s asking us to do is have a security check. If she’s right, then we do want to be in her clan because we’ll need all the help we can get. Please trust me, even if you don’t trust her.”

  Eli stared at Elsa in shock and then said, “I’m leaving, you do what you want.” And he disappeared.

  Leah looked at Matt who said, “Sorry Atherleah, he’s family. Bye!”

  Finally, Elsa said, “That isn’t like him, I don’t know what got into him. I will test my space, and then I'll talk him into it. Please don’t hate him.”

  “I don’t, Elsa, but to be honest, I’m now convinced that he has been influenced by Meredith. I’ll leave it to you, but please understand I will not have you in the clan unless I can verify you are not being influenced by her.”

  After Elsa left, Leah sat in silence for a while and then went to her garden and meditated until she was calm. Finally, she decided on a visit to Lady Flèche before doing the second last MIT test which was to test her in the biological sciences. After lunch, she took the medicine prescribed by Doctor Roberts and had two hours deep-sleep.

  Leah had some time before John was due back and none of the bosses had finalised their choices for people to use the Pods, so she decided to have a full day in Cosmos Online just doing the small everyday quests. Leah logged
in, and after finalising her certification as a pilot and the mechanised armour, she headed for the main concourse where she replenished her gadgets. She asked Gèng, “Can you check what Wisp is doing? If she's free, we can do this together."

  "She’s still working on her skills so she won't be free today."

  "So what do the forums suggest are usual beginner quests?”

  “If you go clockwise you’ll come to the station employment office. In there is a display board which gives options for hour-long and day-long quests. For a one gold fee, you can take any of the available jobs, all of which give greater returns than one gold. They usually have a mixture of everything; rat hunting, painting the outside of the station, laying pipes, exploring tunnels.”

  “What do you mean exploring tunnels?”

  “Well, apparently, as history records it, this space station was found ‘as is’ when the humans first colonised the solar system. They cleared the top few decks and began using it while continuing to explore the rest. So far over twenty levels have been cleared and there are at least that many left to explore. Besides the opportunity to clear the space of rodents and other pests there is always the possibility of finding some alien artefact. Most starting stations and planets have such quests.”

  “Well … let’s go exploring.”

  Leah continued around to the employment office and found the display board just as Gèng had described it. There was a request for someone to clear a large warehouse area of rodents. The pay was one gold for every ten rodent tails recovered, and if the warehouse were completely cleared of rodents, the station would permit the person to enter and explore whatever tunnels they found exiting the room. Leah read the fine print and the permit to explore expired as soon as the player died or exited Cosmos Online for any reason.