Samantha had him take breaks when he couldn’t focus, and before bed time she covered mindful meditation as well as the concept of grounding.
The whole lesson on meditation seemed easy enough, it was just a matter of learning new ways to relax the body and mind, but Kevin would practice since it was supposed to lead to better awareness and psionic sensing.
Before going to bed, he soaked in the large jacuzzi bath tub with Samantha, who showed him how much she appreciated being more appreciated. While he discovered that practicing mindfulness at certain stimulating moments could enhance the experience. It’s just a matter of being in the moment.
***
The next morning came, and Kevin remembered that he promised to send some money to Gordon.
He ate breakfast, remembering to give Samantha a hug. Then he did some morning exercises and running.
With these morning duties complete he logged into the game to find a way to make a transfer to Gordon.
“Samantha, before I enter Omnia online, what are my stats like with the genetic therapy?”
Samantha brought up a blue screen for Kevin to examine:
Name: Horatio Drake
Race: Human
Hit Points: 150
Combat Level: 1.3
Strength: 1.3 (max 3.5)
Charisma: 1.9 (max 3.5)
Agility: 1.2 (max 3.6)
Intelligence: 1.7 (max 3.7)
Dexterity: 1.1 (max 3.5)
Wisdom: 1.0 (max 3.5)
Constitution: 1.5 (max 3.5)
Memory: 2.1 (max 3.7)
Maximum values are based on personal genetics.
“Hmm, looks like the extra 500 credits were worth the cost. So I’ll start building up my stats faster as I train now?” asked Kevin.
“Yes, much faster, you could almost not train now and have your stats increase, as your body seeks a new balancing point.”
“Well, let’s get that money sent to Gordon.”
Chapter 12 – The Gun Bazaar
Drake woke up in his small room.
Samantha immediately said, “You have three messages.”
“What, is Gordon spamming me about the money?”
“There are no messages from your friend Qixalot Moonkin (aka Gordon). There is one from an inspector Greigral, one from an unknown source and one from someone named Agapetux.”
“Ok, let’s start with the inspector.”
“Inspector Greigral would like to set up a meeting to discuss some unresolved problems with your recent brush with pirates.”
“Hmm, I’m not too eager to deal with the police after three days in jail.”
“You weren’t in there for those three days.” said Samantha.
“That’s not the point, in character I want to avoid him for a bit. Next…”
“The unknown sender must be the pirates. It says they want the datacube. That it belongs to them and if you turn it over they will forget about the misunderstanding in the forest. The message included the name of a lawyer, who will await the cube.”
“Hmm, I could turn it over, and then the Pirates wouldn’t have a reason to come after me. I bet I could squeeze some credits out of this too. It still bothers me to hand over something that might get innocent people hurt, though.” Said Drake.
“Let’s wait on that one. The last message?” asked Drake.
“Agapetux is part of a group called Aggressive Solutions; he writes that he knows that you have something a group of pirates want. He says they his group is interested in the bounties on the Pirates, and he would like to make a deal with you. He wants to set up a time for a meeting too.”
“Hmm, everyone is interested in the cube, but I bet only the pirates actually know what’s on it.”
“The other two groups are out for the pirates,” said Drake. “The full bounties on the first two Pirates were 13000. I have the feeling that the rest of that group would be worth a lot more.”
“I’ll set up an appointment with this Agapetux after I run a few errands.” said Drake.
“Next step Samantha, how do I transfer some credits to Qixalot?” asked Drake.
“This might be a good time to set up a bank account. And Since your wanting to transfer money to another planet, you should consider a bank that has branches throughout the Imperium,” said Samantha.
Drake was going to ask her why that type of bank and what the differences were for a second, but decided that he didn’t need to know all about how banks ran throughout the Imperium, at least not at the moment.
Instead, he asked; “Why do I need an account at a bank if you are able to keep them safe?”
“The credits I carry for you are tied to this bracer. If you died or it was stolen, you would lose those credits. A bank like Maedoc’s First Interplanetary Bank, one of the top ten in the Imperium, carries insurance to protect depositors.” said Samantha.
“I used Maedoc’s as the example because my research shows that they have branches on both this planet and the one Qixalot is on. They even have a small service desk on the bottom floor of this building.”
“Good, thanks for looking into this for me Sam, this will save us a lot of time.” Said Drake.
Drake found the Service desk for Maedoc’s and found the process for setting up an account to be simple. As for the transfer of funds, Drake asked to have 250 credits sent to Qixalot, in the care of the bank. Qixalot would have to go to a Maedoc’s in the town on Gepinapaxia, to pick up the credits.
After the transfer and transfer handling fee, Drake was down to 543 credits. He was going to have to start thinking about a way to bring in some money.
“Sam, I seem to be running through credits like crazy. Could you start looking for a job for me? I don’t know how long these credits will last.”
“Ok, Drake, I’ll keep an eye on the public data-nets for something that would be good for you, but the credits you have now would keep a normal family going for two months. You should also consider that your attorney might have more credits for you if your claim against Fyffes Shipping proves out.” Samantha reminded Drake.
“Thanks, Sam. For now, I want to stop by the attorneys, pick up the carbine and take the weapons and armor to someone who can check them out. Maybe I can get this armor patched up too.”
***
While picking up his carbine, Drake asked the attorney’s assistant where he could find a dealer in arms that could check and service his equipment. He was directed to Balsdif’s Open Arms and Armor, which he was told was south and west of the Freelancers and Hunters Guild Hall. Drake wondered what the Guild Hall was… the assistant made it sound like a landmark so he would check that out after the store.
Balsdif’s Open Arms and Armor was like a mini-mall of small shops all under one roof. There were shops the sold various grades of arms, and others that sold different types and brands of armor, some shops displayed armored vehicles and holographic pictures of tanks. One shop seemed to focus on what almost looked like holographic images of jet fighters.
Drake stopped and looked at some full suits of armor that the sales agent called mechanized-armor. While they were impressive, they had prices starting out at 3000 credits and up, the most expensive suits were only displayed as holo’s and could only be bought by special order, or from one of their larger stores. Apparently, this was a small arm’s mall compared to what could be found on some planets.
Drake asked the sales person it the armor would stop blaster fire, and the agent assured him that even the cheapest mechanized-armor would require a crew served weapon or anti-armor missile to take it out. On further inquiry, Drake discovered that an anti-armor missile was a smaller version of the anti-tank missile. He also discovered that there were anti-armor tubes that could be attached to some types of rifles like a grenade launcher. Then the sales agent gave him a card for a store one floor up that sold a variety of man-portable weapons.
Drake was feeling overwhelmed by all the gear. When he asked the agent why there were so many arms dealer
s on a planet of only two million people. He said that as a frontier world on the edge of known space, this planet was becoming a trading post for people who lived further out.
Drake finally found a repair, maintenance, and upgrades shop, named Cairbre’s Weapons and Armor Smithers on the second floor, of the mini-mall.
Drake approached the only man he could see manning the counter. To Drake, he looked like an abnormally tall Dwarf, and he suspected him to be a Half-Dwarf.
Drake said, “Hello, I was hoping to get someone to check out these weapons.” Drake placed both his pistol and carbine on the counter.
“And do you handle armor repair?” Drake continued, lifting up a corner of the vest he was wearing to indicate what he was talking about.
“Yes, yes… it’s what we do here, but I need to tell you right now that we’re running behind today. A couple of my employees just up and decided to become game hunters or something.” grumbled the man, shaking his head. “Can’t imagine what they were thinking, going off like that, and leaving me shorthanded, it’s going to hurt their trust rating.”
Drake thought that this might be his chance to kill two birds. He needed a job, and he could learn now to take care of his own weapons better.
“My name is Drake, Horatio Drake; I’m new to this world and could use a job.”
The man peered at him as if trying to figure if he was a puzzle piece that would fit a particularly difficult puzzle.
“Hmm…” the short man seemed to grumble as much as speak his words. “My name is Cairbre, and I own this shop. What skills do you have, can you even strip apart a gun?”
“Let’s see,” said Drake. He picked up his gun, keeping the gun facing down. He then checked that the safety was on, then ejected the power cell, then proceeded to strip the gun, and laid the parts out on the table. He was glad that this is something he trained in recently.
Then Drake said, “I’m an engineering student so I might not know all the skills you need here, but I will be motivated and quick to pick things up.”
“Well,” grumbled Cairbre, and frowned “I would like to hire some real gunsmiths, but out here on a frontier world you have to learn to make do. Tell you what, come back early tomorrow morning. We open at 9 am, so be here by no later than 7 am so I have the time to show you a few things.”
Drake reassembled his heavy blaster. Reassembling a weapon took more time. Then put it back in the holster on his belt and re-slung his carbine over his shoulder.
“Sounds good, I can’t wait a few hours for my guns today. So I’ll see you tomorrow at 7 am. By the way, what skills does a gunsmith need anyway?”
Cairbre, now Drake suspected was a gunsmith as well as the owner of the shop made a few gestures, and a holo-display appeared over the counter next to Drake.
“Look it up yourself.” He grumbled. “Right now I’m busy.” And then he left through the back door of the shop. As the door opened, Drake could hear what sounded like machinery running, which disappeared as the door closed.
On the display Drake could see a list of skills:
Chemistry –
Electronics –
Explosives (Chemistry sub-skill) –
Gunsmith –
Mechanic –
Machinist –
Optics –
Drake read off the list and asked Samantha to download the skill books for him.
Just after leaving the store he realized that he may have made a mistake. He had planned on giving a two-week notice at his real life job. But now he had committed himself to being in two places at the same time.
It was still before noon, he hoped he had enough time to read the five skill books on his new list since he already read the novice electronics book.
He took a cab back to the hostel and logged out of Omnia.
***
It was still an hour till noon when Kevin left the Omnia game room.
He was eager to get started learning the new skill books, but Samantha insisted he begin by doing stretches, exercising and running. Knowing Samantha, she had a reason for her plan, so he asked her to explain it.
“You still need to build up your body, but by starting with exercise, you will get your heart beating faster and increase blood flow to your brain. This will enable your brain to function better and make better overall use of your time. So the plan is after you run, you will work on chemistry. Then you will take a break for lunch, get a little more of a workout then back to reading. By working in cycles we can keep your brain working at near peak levels, and you will get some physical training in too.” said Samantha.
Kevin went with Samantha’s plan. As long as he got through with the reading, he would be satisfied. And he knew that one of the benefits of having a personal A.I. was figuring stuff like this out for him.
It took about two hours of reading to get through the chemistry skill book. Kevin took chemistry in high school and again at a higher level in college. But he came away from his two hours of reading, with a much better understanding of the states of matter, and how energy and pressure affected the equilibrium of all the molecules and atoms in the world around him. He thought this through a bit while getting some more exercise before hitting the explosives book.
He did have trouble understanding a couple things the chemistry skill book covered, and he expected he would have to go through some math skill books because the way a couple equations were laid out didn’t make sense.
The explosives skill book was shorter, more direct, and more focused. After only thirty minutes Kevin felt he had a good grasp on explosive reactions, primers, and switches used in working with explosives. Of course, everything he was learning was only really enough to know the basic concepts, with directions on how to handle explosives safely. Still, he felt he now had a much better grasp on how to blow shit up, and hopefully not be part of the mix. Grenades still scared him, but he could see how some explosives could be used more safely than a grenade.
This was the pattern for the rest of the night, read, exercise then repeat. The only exception was another short break for a quick dinner.
He had to go to bed a little early so he could be at this new job by 7 am. So, he had to settle for a shower and go right to bed. Maybe tomorrow he could play with Samantha, but he was too exhausted and out of time. The last thought just before he fell to sleep, was of how his priorities had changed with a constant supply of female attention.
Chapter 13 – Starting at the Bottom
Samantha woke Kevin up early enough for him to eat a breakfast and get his morning exercise and run in. This was becoming a habit for him.
Samantha gave him some news while he was eating.
She said, “Kevin, I have some good news, I’m pregnant…”
“…”
“…”
“Sorry, just kidding, Master your Arcania Account was bought out for 5000 dollars, early Sunday night while you were sleeping. I have already handled the transaction and the money transfer to your bank. After the auction fees and transfer through PayPal, you received $4450.” It’s funny how she always says master when she knows she’s put her foot in the horse dung.
Kevin was wondering if he was going to have to reprogram Samantha sense of humor. He was sure he turned green or some color there for a second. “Samantha, your humor needs some work. Right now I’m not sure if I want to strangle you, hug you, or fuck you. If I had the time, I might do all three.”
Kevin hurried to finish his breakfast and gave Samantha a hug.
“Thanks for helping me Samantha.” Said Kevin and then kissed her on the forehead. “Sorry, but you know I don’t have time, I need to get in the mornings training and then into Omnia.”
Samantha hugged him tightly back for a second, “I know Kevin, let’s get going.”
Kevin wondered for a second if that joke was an attempt to delay him and keep him from logging into the game but soon dismissed the thought. He had no pattern of behavior to base such thoughts on… yet.
&n
bsp; ***
It was an early morning for Drake, he had about an hour to get to work, but he wasn’t sure where to meet Cairbre. Is there a special Employees entrance? Did the Mall it’s self-open before 9 am? All he could do is show up and look around. So he took a cab to Balsdif’s Open Arms and Armor.
One thing Drake hadn’t noticed much before; the parking lots in this city were small. With almost all cars being self-driving, did they just drop people off and then go find a place to park, or maybe return home? Of course, there were a lot of cabs too. Those cabs so far cost him anywhere from 2 to 5 credits a trip, so some people might just not have a car?
Drake was carrying all of his weapons to work. He figured that if he had the chance he might be able to check their condition out himself since he would have access to all the equipment.
The quiet of the morning and the empty parking lot scared him a little. He knew he was being paranoid, but there really were people out to get him, or at least something he had. As he approached the front entrance, he heard a noise off to the right side of the building and around the corner. Drake pulled his pistol and flattened himself into the slightly recessed entrance. With his back against the entrance, he pointed his weapon to his left.
When Cairbre, came around the corner and said, “Hey boy, are you…”.
Drake let out the breath he had not known he was holding and pointed his pistol toward the ground, put the safety on and put it back in his holster.
Cairbre gave Drake a serious look and in a grumble asked, “Boy, why are you going around pointing weapons at people?”
“Sorry, sir,” said Drake, “do you remember the freighter crash just a few days ago? I was on the ship and had a bit of a scrap with them pirates. I almost didn’t make it out alive, and now I’m a bit jumpy.”
Omnia Online (Omnia Online Series Book 1) Page 9