by Marcus Sloss
“Astrid you need to figure out what animals are for sale on Lunish that we can legally transplant and grow on a human world. Look into stuff of that nature, where human labor is cheaper and it is an export Onatics will want to buy. Worst case scenario you find nothing but you get to learn more about an alien species than any other human.
“Starla, this ship was designed for lancers. Go room by room, and figure out what is missing and make a list. Sheets, extra spacesuits, regular clothes, gym towels, and whatever you can think of. I am going to study everything I can about this upcoming match. I will be in the auditorium room if you need me. Before you both take off. Go with Mila to the navigation room and sync your outdated smartchips with Griffin. It will help immensely and open data restricted to humans. It won’t include everything we want but it is a lot. Make sure you do it again when you get in your clones later so you can access even more features and knowledge.”
“Are we allowed to know how you are suddenly the richest man alive? I am fine with your tasks but I don’t want to be spending mob money or involved in some pyramid scheme thing.” Astrid said concerned and rightly so. It was suspect where it came from.
A huff escaped Mila. I watched her struggle with how to proceed. My role was to stay mute and let her decide what was said.
“I made some mistakes in my life. Varnn getting killed by a stage three species was my fault… Partially my fault anyway. I wasn’t the one who brutalized his own tooth into his brain. It was decided I was to die, but by the grace of the maker, Emperor ChiKhi watched Mack’s fight. He then listened to his recording with my grandfather. My life was gifted to Mack for a thousand years in the form of a servant contract. The contract transferred all my wealth to my new master. I happened to place all my money on Mack winning, which while the initial number was low the odds on Mack winning were slim. My winnings were massive and it ballooned to the amount he showed you. There is zero dispute on that money. It is his by right of the Onatics, and I would laugh if anyone challenged one of the mightiest if not mightiest empires of the universe.” Mila said. She went from sadness to pride while she talked.
I got up from my chair and kissed Starla. She held it until the moment I felt like it might transition into more. I went to kiss Astrid on the cheek when she planted her soft lips to mine. As we parted she whispered a thank you.
“Mack, both of their hormones are so strong for you right now. I envy their youthful lust.” Mila linked.
“Will they be able to talk like this?” I asked as I left the room and headed to the auditorium. I got lost and had to pull up the blue arrows.
“In the next clones yes. It comes standard in all cloned bodies, they merely need to leave their original with your inferior built in smartchips. Do not be surprised if they become hesitant to shift. Most beings fear the initial transfer. It is after all a leap of faith you are not going to die.”
“Alright, hit me with some information on this battle royale.”
CHAPTER 11
I decided to watch a previous match before digging into the rules and then contestants. I encountered some difficulty turning the speaking room into my private theater. With Mila’s guidance I got it done. I was still learning how to navigate this complex information display in my cornea. That nagging guilt for always asking Mila how to fix things was getting to me. I would have to find the time to become self sufficient.
The screen roared to life as capsules raced to the ground. I saw a sleek black cylindrical shape dart off course to attempt to ram another opponent. He smashed into a tree resulting in a splattered mess after missing his target. Okay, that told me there was control on where you could land. Thank the creator because this event only had a few islands. I watched as the five hundred contestants scattered into random locations, most choosing to plunge into the watery depths.
I paused the screen and pulled up the data on the arena. Well, that was different, they had made a tiny planet. It was not even the size of a small city. The surface area was limited but adequate. I wondered if you would notice the curve of the surface being this small. Alien technology continued to impress me. This was a marvel of engineering, a feat I struggled to comprehend. Until now I thought creating your own planet would be improbable if not impossible. The surface area was overwhelmingly water which was something that did not favor me. I could swim, I loved zero-g, but water was not the same. I resumed the video.
A champion with blue scaly skin, flippers for arms that narrowed into webbed hands, and a mermaid tail rocketed away from his scuttled container. I gulped in fear, this creature was a master inside water. It indiscriminately started killing with a short metal spear. A lazy curious fish… dead. A majestic turtle creature with three heads… fought back but dead. Everything he killed added points in a tally in the corner of the screen. I watched as it sensed the water and shot into a dive. It dug out a creature from the sand. His opponent was a fierce worm. I think it was bigger than he expected. They battled and when the worm snatched an arm the combat shifted. The fight was over when the fish humanoid fought defensively. The worm was too big and his hold too strong. It crept its razor sharp teeth up the arm, past the head, and then swallowed the tail. Okay, that was a pretty epic way to die. I was certain it was a horrid experience for him but by the verse that was fun to watch. Funny thing is I would have bet on the champion, not the worm.
I paused the screen and looked up the rules for the points. The first thing that stuck out was contestants killing each other was not some mega reward. That worm was worth more than another fishy dude. Huh, would make the event less about only killing each other and more about both. Interaction with the environment as much as other participants. There was a long list of over three thousand creature names and points rewards. It had a multiplier, weight x creature x lethality rating = reward. I could handle that. A two kilo bird with poison claws should be more than a thousand kilo mindless cow.
The event was allowed for five days but to this date had never lasted over four. Every few hours ships would drop additional mean, scary, and hungry creatures. With the limited surface space, it would lead to unbridled anarchy. I was wishing I had infinite time to watch the show, it was really well done. This was how the lancers made so much money from other species. Betting on contests like these. The numbers did not lie. They were masters at gambling. I guess Mila was born without the gift, or had it and ignored it in a call for attention.
Fish guy finished mid-tier in the standings. I filtered my criteria and found a competitor who lasted the longest. This creature bore a kindred to a minotaur, only small and thin. I watched as he held the same small pike in his hand and secured his surroundings. He did nothing for a while, I could tell it was a male because he was naked and you could… You get the picture. I grew bored instantly. I fast forwarded until he finally moved. A nasty sea snake had been placed not too far. He bolted inland and dug a small tunnel. I watch his points climb ever so slowly. By early morning of day three, he passed the score of the merman fishy guy. That was nuts, the amount of time you earned by killing dumb creature was far more valuable than starving and become dehydrated while you hid in a hole. I disliked this cowardly cowish man and cheered when he died. A mole burrowed under him and dropped him into a tunnel. Stunned by the fall he was leaped upon and tore apart in a gory death. I even watch the mole eat him for a minute. I grinned in satisfaction at his demise and decided I had seen enough.
I sought out Mila and blue arrows guided me to her. She was in her room and I knocked.
“Come in,”
“I have a few questions,” I said as I entered. She was at the wooden table seated in one of the Emperor’s chairs. I ran a hand over the intricate table when I realized it had a thin digital cover. I paused to study the details. There were countless depicted battles of lancers vs enemies. I became lost in their study when Mila hissed to get my attention. “Why are the battles not simulated, would save a ton of money?”
“There is a recurring theme in all these economic
lessons Mack. Cheaper, easier, and more automated does not equate to a better result in the long term. They were in ancient times. It was considered barbaric to experience a real death and to let real creatures die. The problem was as time progress two major issues occurred. Simulations became stale, even with randomized algorithms they were still generated. Not actual reactions. Patterns could be detected. There were only so many options for a fish facing a hunter from below to logically react and the gamblers would seize on these. So would the contestants. At some point in our history, long after cloning was available to any species who were ready for it, things changed. A trial period was allowed to run its course with live combatants.
“Imagine watching simulated ZBall that you love so much and then getting to see the real thing. It went over better than expected. That was the next major issue. Simulated environments did not stimulate an economy in any way shape or form. They were cheap to run and could be endlessly hosted resulting in oversaturation. Having real combatants required planning and careful consideration by contestants. Many species loathe death even when they know they will come back. Back on topic. Simulations do not generate as much income and lose value with their cheap overproduction. The Luna government is a prime example of this.
“They are paying contestants to enter the arena. That is not unheard of, because there is a fine balance that needs to be maintained. The contestants are meant to die. It is exceedingly rare to survive. If you pull up statistics it is probably one in a hundred thousand that make it to the end. The goal is not to be the last creature on top of the hill surviving. It is to earn the most points in the allotted time before you die. This is important for a few reasons. Let me finish the economy on Lunish though first. Lunish will have to shuttle creatures for the show. That means pilots, creature handlers, housing for both animals and pilots. You add in food for both. Well, I hope you are starting to grasp the massive difference in physical interactions. All this takes time, effort, and money. It costs so much in funding to do it right that half hearted productions quickly shut down from lack of revenue and high expenditures. The luni are smart, they know commerce, not so much battle. So this is a way for them to keep their economy from complete stagnation. After all, it is the primary reason I choose this place, regardless of the excellent fish.”
Mila exited her seat and poured herself a teal drink. I joined her at the minibar and had my hand slapped by a paw when I grabbed a bottle.
“No silly human. That will kill you. We should have stocked up on Earth, but I am sure Starla will assemble an appropriate list. I will message her to make a list of goods for the next human planet we stop at.”
I received a yellowish liquid that had pulp in it. “It tastes like a pineapple and mango drink. It is delicious. If this is inexpensive I would like more of this.” I said as I savored the flavor.
“Now let us move on, and discuss why contestants enter. Before, when it was a simulation, the entries were limitless. Beings paid to enter the coveted events for name recognition. For the standard simulation event, entry was free. Contestants earned a payout that was tiered based on a fraction of the revenue. When the competitions were altered to real life, things understandably shifted. It was expensive to compete, and even though a simulated death was near identical to a real death it was frightening. The dynamic of who entered became very different. Which leads to why bother to participate… Where is your incentive? If the real version was a bigger burden for competitors what was the carrot that lured them in. For large events like the one tonight there are a few perks.
“The main incentive here is they are including a clone free of charge to all contestants. For larger species, this is especially a perk because bodies cost more. So you go in with little downside financial risk. When it is set this way your potential earnings are drastically reduced. They may offer a sign on bonus like the hundred thousand you got. Speaking of which that is confidential. They offer different amounts to different people. You being a new species to the event and your recent hype from your fight with my brother netted you the top end more than likely. They were very excited to get you to enter and I am sure you will be featured in viewing as well as gambling ads.
“Every contestant has a biography page. Every time an ad is not blocked and selected you earn a dusting of income. Stupid translator, small amount, it is not worth focusing on but good to know it is there. This page also has a donation link, it is there for watchers to tip the contestants. It gives you the incentive to compete again if you rank poorly.
“The organizers, in this case, the luni, are taking the majority cut of profits. Ninety percent of all revenue, which is steep. Others often choose a tier, ninety percent up to x amount. Then fifty percent after. This allows the host to generate enough revenue and provide supple excess to competitors. Since this particular one has upfront clone covered I would have expected an eighty percent but this will work. Now if you finish first you earn a larger portion of the pool than the last person. It is all graphed and on clear display in your contract.”
The contract was pinged my way. I reviewed it briefly. “Do the best I can, and the more points I get the more revenue I receive. Can I see my profile page?”
“Before you get upset, know I did not generate these stats. There is a council of Onatics I had to hire to produce these ratings. They are officially sanctioned and approved by the gambling committees. Got it, not me. You get angry at… the shadowy Onatics that you will never find. Do not bother trying, they anger many contestants with their ratings and remain secretive on purpose.”
A new display hit my screen. There I was naked… of course. These were the stats I saw.
Species – HumanContestant – Mack Raul
Class – Tool wielderClass – Tool wielder
Intelligence – 3Intelligence – 2
Strength – 3 Strength – 4
Dexterity – 2Dexterity – 4
Stamina – 5Stamina – 6
Lethality – 3 Lethality – 4
I could live with this, I knew I was young and lacked experience along with pertinent knowledge. That gave me a lower score. I stomached the insult with grace and did not complain. I had to wonder about the tool wielder though.
“Define the class please.”
“The lancer is defined as a predator. Which we are. In ancient times we dominated our planet and became civilized through our natural skills as a hunter species. You could not achieve that, humans are reliant on tools to excel. When I want to laugh I read of how some wild animal kills a human researcher who gets too close. Hilarious.
“There are a few other categories I will hastily cover. Diplomatic class, for example, the luni managed to get their natural predators to stop eating them by providing offerings. There is the psychic class, they generally have their own competitions and are not allowed to disrupt a quality match by making opponents go crazy. There is also a luck class, were some disaster or intervention allowed the species to ascend. I might have missed a few obscure ones but those are the most relevant.”
“Well humans are tool reliant so I get it when you explain it like that. I am going to do a light jog to get myself mentally ready for tonight.” I said as I exited the room.
I checked the countdown timer on our journey. A half hour until we arrived at Lunish and four hours until I checked in for the royale. Perfect amount for a nice light exercise.
CHAPTER 12
We were delayed getting planetside. This was not Earth where we could barge our way into the atmosphere. A detailed scan was thoroughly done during a customs inspection. There was a long line in anticipation of tonight’s competition. I found out they only held four in a given human year so it was a big ordeal here.
The waiting went by fast as we talked about shopping. Well, I mostly listened and the three girls talked. It was cute watching Astrid and Starla so focused on Mila explaining how things worked. I knew they were giddy for the experience and that our first stop was to make the girls partly immortal.
&
nbsp; The shuttle was forced to land at a parking structure where we hired a luni to valet us to the cloning facility. The pilot held a slight difference in features and coloration than the competitor I watched earlier. I felt my speciest rise when I concluded they all looked the same and differentiation would be tough. The female luni was extremely polite and insightful. She went over many details of locations and culture that we soaked up as we traveled. When we arrived I asked if tipping was customary and found out it was optional. I gave a small tip that bought an open mouth of tiny serrated teeth that I concluded was a smile gesture. Her eyes were what convinced me she was being thankful because those teeth, while small, were scary.
A scanner confirmed who we were at the door and a luni that looked like the others greeted us. We followed the luni into a back room where I was promptly placed in a chair. A dome covered my head and a metallic bar swirled inside it. I decided to rest and close my eyes while it did its thing.
I was poked awake by Astrid and wiped a trail of drool off my face. She took my spot and I found out I was sleeping for an hour. Well, shit, I had wanted to go shopping with the girls, it would have to wait until tomorrow for me at least.
“They printed two clones while you submitted a backup mindmeld here. One for the event and one for backup on Griffin. I hired a shuttle to take you back to the Griffin. The ship will give you blue arrows on where to go, and when you get access to the clone room step into a pod. It will triple check to ensure you want to move to this body down here. Do so, and I will see you here in an hour or so. We can discuss some strategy while we wait for Starla to finish.” Mila said.
Starla gave my cheek a kiss as we parted and I found an atmospheric shuttle waiting for me outside the facility.
As we left the ground it was different than anytime I had done it before. It was as if there was a magnetic push that jolted us into the air. The acceleration was quicker than anything I had experienced. I felt my vision fading and my bones wanted to fall out of my body as the inertia tore at me. We had to be doing excessive g’s with minimum dampeners. I fought the immense pressure but my vision blackened and I passed out.