by Dawn Chapman
SHUTTLE OPERATOR
EMERGENCY ENGINEERING IN SPACE
“Good choices, sir,” The stall holder said before pointing at the price.
Shit, Hiroto said. That will take all your funds, Kyle. We won’t get your sword repaired if you buy both.
That sucked. I put one down and just paid for the first, not really answering what Dylan had asked of me, either. He saw nothing of value, which meant to me he had less skill in identifying loot than me. I wasn’t worried. I moved to walk away, slotting the book away somewhere safe so I could look at it later.
I didn’t need to; Hiroto had it open in seconds and started to talk about space travel, ships, engineering out here. Engines.
SKILL ACQUIRED – SHUTTLE OPERATOR TO RANK 5
SO YOU KNOW YOUR WAY AROUND A SPACESHIP! DON’T GET LOST!
My mind fuzzed over. The new information rushing through me.
Shush, I said to the guys. I need to concentrate on what’s around me.
Xirob laughed, and the two of them started their own conversation in the back of my mind.
“You think there’s no way home, don’t you?” Dylan asked.
I tried not to show any emotion there, but he turned away. “You don’t need to lie to me. I’ve heard all the comedowns from the older people here. There’s no way home. I want to believe there is. I don’t want to let go.”
It was clear with seeing his respawn count now, one, that he had more of his memories than the other 99%. That he was staying out of trouble and saving to keep them longer. It had worked in his favour—he was a decent enough level, had funds for whatever he wanted. He was smarter than people thought.
“I believe there is. But it’s not going to be an easy path. You’ll see me move on from here for that path.”
“I want to help, if I can,” he said.
I could see the emotion in his face. The sheer thought of being left behind frightened him.
“The best thing you can do is keep me company till I need to go. Then you have to let me. I can’t do this worrying about everyone I meet, but I will need allies. You understand that, right?”
“It’d suck to see you move on so quick,” he said holding out his hand.
I took it, and we shook. “I’ll make sure you’re the first person I contact when I need help. Okay?”
He smiled. “You better. I’m gonna be part of the most badass crew here.”
I laughed at that. “Yeah.”
That’s when I saw the shapely figure of Saskia sauntering up ahead of us. She slowed down as if to look at a few of the stalls, almost until we caught up to her. She turned to look over her shoulder at me, and her eyes flashed. “Nice to see you, boys. Would you come with me?”
Dylan looked at me, and I let out a shaky breath. I had no idea what this meant, but with a nod in her direction, we followed. I had to play the player.
DECEPTION – RANK 6 ACHIEVED!
WITH SHADE BRAIN, YOU’RE ALREADY WELL ON YOUR WAY TO BEING A MASTERMIND. BUT YOU’RE STILL STARTING AT THE BOTTOM. DON’T LET HER SEE YOUR REAL INTENTIONS!
Anything seems off, let me know, I said to both my inner voices. Saskia moved off towards a nice-looking outside place to eat. The Burger Joint. I could smell it from here, and the queue inside was huge. The tables were all full, but two occupants moved out of her way when she pointed at them. A few moments later, a couple of the other Jackals joined us. I didn’t know either of them. But when Saskia moved to sit between them, she introduced them as “Arch and Slate.”
Saskia waved at them.
They’d been the legs of the mech previously. I noted the large muscles in both their necks and arms.
“Hi,” I said.
“Good to meet you,” Arch said, holding out a hand.
I shook it and then did the same with Slate. Damn, these guys had seriously strong grips. I had some catching up to do.
Saskia smiled and waved the waitress over to order us all burgers.
The smell, I admit, was intoxicating. I hoped they really were as close to burgers as they could be.
“I’ve done my time, kid. Mostly hard labour, kills. I’ve all the gear I want, the life I want. I train a few hot-headed special kids as much as I can, then they move on. That was the life I had. Now you got Tyto all worked up about other things. He believes you’ll be the one to get us out of here. Off planet.”
I understood. I could just tell off her body language. “And you don’t?”
“I know I will be seeing a lot of you. I have no doubts on it. Just do me one thing. If you think at all, at any time, that you can’t do it, don’t break his heart. If you do, I’ll come kill you myself as many times as I have to.”
I cocked my head at her, wondering what the warning was for.
She leaned in. “I have many other jobs you can do. It might seem like the only option you have in your arsenal is to work for Tyto, but it’s not. You have a lot to offer other people. They’ll come looking for you. But don’t do it. Don’t let him down.”
That much was already obvious, but how did she know if I was planning anything? Tyto had said she’d seen something. What had she seen?
“I won’t.”
“Here.” She reached into a pocket. “This is about the only other valuable chip I have. It will replace some of what I already know you’ve lost, but it’s also got my tag. If you need something and I can help, I will. This isn’t cheating. So don’t worry.”
Saskia looked to Dylan and slid something over for him. “You’ve got the right build, but not quite the stamina. You’ll need to pack on before the first two trials. That is classed as cheating. Don’t get caught!”
Pack on?
I took the chip, reached behind my ear, and slotted it in. The ping to my inventory was loud, and I saw the items place.
The gold…the gems. Fuck. I was loaded.
Packing on means you’re buying skills. Play to win. Do that and they catch you, you’re dead, dead. They take it seriously.
They’ll stop your respawn?
They’d make sure everyone saw they stopped it. You’d be an example of what not to do.
I put the money away. There was no way I was packing. I was no cheat. The system worked, and it worked well. I’d play their game. I would win right.
“Any idea what kind of stance you’re going to take?” Saskia asked. “What’s your specialty?”
She was fishing in the wrong places, and I wasn’t going to let her know what I was trying to do or how I was going to build up my stats.
I remembered everything we’d watched the last few days, and I answered softly. “I don’t have a clue. Mostly we’re just gonna do our best.”
One of the guys reached forwards.
“You want to watch this guy.” He tapped the board on a name. “Chris Tanner.”
Chris Tanner had taken the top spot on the board. I presumed he was going to be the hardest to fight against.
I read through what he showed me quickly. His usual mech build was there. That I found interesting. Totally different model, and its stats were very strong. Head to head, I wasn’t sure I’d stand a chance at all. Had I really just gotten Xirob killed?
MECH MODEL – GENI 101
Pilot = Chris Tanner – Mech Command
Class – Striker
OPERATIONAL Level required = 60
Overall Personal Level required = 130
Internal AI Chip = NONE
Nanites x 482,819
Structural Integrity = SILVER, TUNGSTEN, IRON
Hull Strength = 221
Mana Core = 97%
Strength = 214
Speed = 281
Weight = 70 Tonnes
Cockpit Strength = 220
Heat Capacity = 700
Heat Sinks on board - 10
“Doesn’t seem much of a threat.” He was only level twenty. Heck, he was only just a few levels higher than I was now.
“He’s not showing everything he has,” Saskia said. “He’s hidden
some of his base levels. Much like you do with your Shade Brain.” She tapped the screen again, and the guy’s levels doubled. “He has something else that helps him, something he found. A gem that’s set into his mech. So once he’s inside, he’s those levels you see now.”
Name- Chris Tanner
Species - Human/Denti
Class - Fighter
Age = 22 + 9
Main Level = 20 Basic /40
Respawns = 18
Mech Warrior
Memories = 82% 0 Sold
Health = 98%
Mana = 91
Nanites x 1,218,811
Body Type = Model 411A
Structural Integrity = Tungsten, Gold
Internal AI Chip = F Class
Skin Strength = 30
Blood Capacity = 64
Healing Speed = 76
Strength = 59
Dexterity = 68
Constitution = 49
Intelligence = 18
Wisdom = 10
Charisma = 8
Luck = 6
Skills -
Foot Soldier - Rank 22
Battle Mage - Rank 18
Merc - Rank 18
Sniper - Rank 31
Gun Smith - Rank 22
Nanite Engineer - Rank 24
Mech pilot = Rank 18
Human/Machine Interface = Rank 22
Shadow Awareness = Rank 7
Negotiator = Rank 10
Shuttle Operator = Rank 0
Deception - Rank 48
I read over it and almost fell out of my chair. “Shit! How the hell am I going to beat that?”
“Think smart. You already are a head above him there.”
Saskia tapped the side of my head, and I tried to push his level and skills to one side to grin at her even if it was fake. “How do you know that?”
Her eyes flashed golden sparks. Psionic? That was interesting. I really wanted to play with magic if there was such a thing on this side of the world.
There is, Xirob said. Keedo introduced you to some. You can develop it if you want to.
I do! I replied to him. You must tell me more.
I felt a hand reach for my thigh under the table and flinched as she stroked upwards. Don’t panic, I already see many things for you in your future here, Kyle.
Saskia was touching me, and in my head. Fuck!
But, she said, you have to get to the top first, then maybe someone in the next stage of your journey will be able to nurture what’s there for you.
You?
Yes, don’t give up.
Saskia tapped the side of her head. “You’re already much smarter than most I feel it. You’ll be fine out there.”
“Thank you.” She was playing me, though. She was.
She chuckled then, and I laughed with her, but for some reason this time I didn’t feel worried by her. I kept my eyes locked with hers, wouldn’t look away.
“Don’t thank me yet. You may have to face those boys out there, and they’re not going to go easy on you either.” Saskia indicated left to right.
The two boys just grinned at me. I swallowed, trying not to feel intimidated by them either.
Our burgers arrived just as they were about to leave. The mech guys grabbed theirs in a napkin and left, munching and talking about the arena and their thoughts on who might actually win. They were betting against Dylan and me. Ugh.
I dug in with complete gusto. After eating the dweller and some of the base’s main foods for a few weeks, this was heaven. The taste… everything I remembered about real beef. I. Had. No. Words.
Saskia grinned at me. “Good. Yes. You might have to buy another one before you return to the base, no?”
I nodded, licking my lips, and looked pleadingly at Dylan, who ordered another for us, all because I had a mouthful of burger. I grinned, pouring sauce all over this one, and I just carried on eating while Saskia turned and walked away.
The sway of her ass held us both captive. “Damn. I could watch her walk away all day long,” Dylan said.
I could do nothing but nod my head in agreement. There was no way I was standing any time soon. The more women I saw around here, the more I thought I’d never get laid, and that was even with Tyto telling me I’d have to fuck Saskia. Most of the women here seemed like they’d sooner crush me than fuck me, and fucking was Saskia’s way of crushing me.
Dylan and I watched the world go on about its business around us. The burgers sat in my stomach, and I felt satisfied and ready to find the right person to fix my sword.
“There’s someone I think can fix your sword before we go look at the other vendors. I think he can help you with a few other issues too,” Dylan said as he opened the door to a shop a while later with some kind of key card. “You won’t get in without it, and he doesn’t hand them out very often anymore.”
That was good to know. I mean, at least we got in now, right? I stepped through into the building with Dylan behind me. As we moved further in, the darkness surrounded me, the outer door shutting behind him with a thump.
It wasn’t a shop I had been expecting. “What is this place?”
“Dylan, so good to see you!”
The voice that came through now was much older. Like old man old.
I noticed someone moving up ahead. Dylan made his way through the tight corridor towards the voice and the lights that shone through from there. I blinked as we entered a room that was set out just like any kind of engineer’s workshop.
There were equipment and bits everywhere.
My eyes roamed everywhere again. “What is this place?”
“I’m Bo Harriks. Who is this?” the man asked, now curious and unsure of himself and of Dylan.
I smiled.
“Kyle,” I said, holding out my hand.
He didn’t take it but pulled out a chair. “Sit for me.”
I looked to Dylan, who nodded. “You’re here for one reason. If you want out of newbie city, there are a few modifications you need that I doubt you’ll be able to get anywhere else.”
I thought for a moment about Alek, but I took a seat in front of him, noting his features. He was older in body than most here. At least he looked like it. Like a genuine geriatric. Most of the ones I’d seen around here were in their twenties or thirties. He was easily older than that.
Dylan moved about the room and stated, “Got some new gear. Looks good in here, Bo.”
“Taken a while, but, yes,” Bo replied.
Dylan pulled up a chair, sitting beside us. “I like to see what he does. Helps me learn too.”
“Lay your hand out flat, and I’ll get to work.” Placing my hand out flat, I felt the desk beneath me.
Bo pulled a set of tools over, picked one up, and moved it over my arm. My skin parted, and I was about to move it away, shocked.
Dylan said, “Don’t or you could set the trackers off. I mean, they know you’re in the city, but they won’t have tracked you in here.”
“I have good blockers at the door,” Bo said.
“I don’t have any trackers left,” I grinned at them both.
I struggled with seeing the inside of my body still, but I was also fascinated at the same time. The internal veins and systems weren’t quite like a living vein system would be for the human body, but there was something that was feeding the actual blood side of me. Then as he looked closer, it started to make more sense, and I grinned. The symbiosis that we had as denti was needed. It is, isn’t it? We do better together, as a matched pair. You also know that, so you’re not telling me the truth here either.
No, I’m sorry, Kyle. We do need you, and we need these bodies too. As a species, we’re dying. So this fight for us is to take back what we built.
You created the denti, these bodies?
Yes, all of it. Then you found them, what we were doing with them. And in good ole fashioned human style, we stole them.
The denti breeding pods and facilities buried in Gridon are under your control. Under a huge
amount of fire power.
I looked at the top of Bo’s head as he worked, thankful that I was also off Alek’s grid. No one could track me now.
Is there really a war going on out there? Who is the enemy?
There are many enemies, Kyle, and they’re among you just as much as they are out there.
I knew he was telling the truth.
That meant that I could do what I needed. I could find out what and who to trust on my own. At present, there were far too many stories. Too many people in my head. I wanted peace, and I needed more than what they were giving me. But it was hard. My main goal was going to have to be getting to Gridon’s system and seeing things for myself. I would have to trust my own gut and follow the quests I wanted. To help those who needed it when they needed it.
I turned back to Dylan, who watched as the chip, and my internal system started to purge.
Hiroto? I panicked.
Don’t worry. Both Xirob and I are safe. We’re not anywhere near where he’s purging.
I breathed out, thankful.
Dylan smiled, and I waited while Bo then moved to fix up my sword. He took us to another room where there was a forge burning away. The heat inside here wasn’t what I expected. It seemed cooler. Strange.
The statistics of the sword flashed up as Bo stared at it.
TITAN’S LIGHTNING SWORD
QUALITY = GOOD = IN NEED OF SOME REPAIR. SKILLED BLACKSMITH NEEDED.
WEIGHT = 2.2LBS SLOT = ANY HAND
GEM SLOTS = 2 = EMPTY
“Do you have any gems to put inside it?” Bo asked me.
I nodded. Saskia had given me a lot of things, and despite not wanting to cheat, I could use those. It only enhanced something they already knew I had.
Pulling the gems out of my inventory, I handed them to him.
SANDSTONE GEM + 2 TO MANA PERMANENT BONUS.
LIGHTNING ENHANCER + 2 TO ALL STATS.
PERMANENT BONUS.
SPELL = Lightning Fury – Cost: 10 mana per second – Damage increased by 30%