Universe Online - Enter the Game: Complete Edition

by Ryan 'Viken' Henning

  Then the fight scene breaks out. Like how those Martial Artists do it. Warring over the last bit of food in the bowl. Spoons come out as swords, and in the low gravity the food gets tossed around in the air without making much of a mess. It’s a hard fight, with several of us, including Celes cussing up a storm.

  I lose, of course; but we all get a good laugh.

  Once everything is cleared away and the dishes are put into the wash, we all sit down for a briefing. I don't even bother to clear my throat and instead get right to business.

  “Thank you guys. Now, space is really tight up here at the moment. Archon Station has no power, no life support. No gravity. You all will have to learn how to work with that. I tend to 'bounce' around and stay in contact with the floor or one of the walls as much as possible.”

  My words bring nods all around. They've lived their entire lives on a low-gravity world, zero-g is an entirely different ballgame.

  “Our first stop once we reach the station is my hold, so we can unload the tug. I have two bots that can help with that while you get used to moving. But we have to be really quick. The suits weren't built to handle the solar radiation, and we'll be sitting out in space since there isn't an access point into the hold except for a hole too small for the Tug.

  “Andrix was nice enough to send us tools for cutting and welding, along with other things, so fixing that hole is going to be a high priority. Once the unloading is done we’re going to retrieve the other Tug. It’s in pieces though, so we'll either have to store what we can or rebuild part of it there before moving it, probably with this ship.”

  They're starting to look thoughtful, but I'm not done yet.

  “If we cannot get it fully functional at the start, I'm not too worried. It has full facilities like this one, exactly the same layout. We can use it to cook and as a bunking area in rotation, but I'm hoping we can get it up and running. Having a second ship will be a major asset once we get to the next part of the plan.”

  This time I give them a wide grin, and they instantly look as if they're about to swallow bad news.

  “That's right, ladies and gents. Working shifts in the asteroid field. Mainly ice and anything and everything else we can pull out of those rocks. That means learning how to do the job. And how to pilot the Tugs. I have a copy of the manual, so you guys will need to read it and memorize it. Learn enough to pilot, and when we find more tugs you get to pilot them with crews of your own.”

  Those last words bring a grin to their faces. Everyone likes the idea of being their own boss, after all. And there is always the chance that we might actually find some real mining ships. The tugs can do the job, but they're multi-purpose machines. Real mining vessels are specialized for the work.

  One of the women though raises her hand as if she were a schoolgirl.

  “Ah, what about the capsule?” Yep, that's a good question. I nod my head to her.

  “It’s in functioning order, currently running solely off battery power. It doesn't have an airlock though, only a hatch. So everyone who'll be staying there will have to keep their suits on and MAKE SURE that everyone does before exiting or entering. It'll blow all the atmosphere out into space should you open the hatch with it still pumped up.

  “We'll probably only use it during the sleeping cycle and nothing more. If we can find a way to build onto it or add an airlock, that'll change; but for now that's all it'll be. It’s also the recharge point for the bots I mentioned, and has my own cobbled-together computer which I have running as inventory management. The original computer was basically trashed during the crash, so I had to rebuild it.”

  Yep, more details. Things are starting to get hectic. But I move over and connect my suit to one of the monitors hanging on the wall. From there, I access the nifty feature I gained from the Truth Hunter title.

  Database Plus.

  You remember that data-storage inventory I mentioned before? The one that allows me to pull up any information I've gathered in electronic form?

  Well, this is an extension of that. With a bunch of nifty gadgets tossed in. One of which acts like a built-in PDA or tablet.

  I pull it up and have it project from the 3D monitor for all of us to see. It’s a rough timetable I worked on before we left Drune. All that's on it is breaks for meals and eight hours for sleep. And with the suit-compatible rations up on the station, there's only one full meal per person per day.

  The rest just has to be eaten on the go like I do.

  “This is it, guys. The station isn't the sort of place where you can sit around for 45 minutes between working shifts. It’s like living out in the wilderness. If you relax or drop the ball, it'll bite you in the as*. And because it’s only the nine of us, we all have to work as much as possible. And I'll warn you now. I may end up disappearing every now and again. During those times, Celes is in charge and will keep you on task. Got it?”

  They knew the drill, or had been told beforehand that things will be a lot different. Putting enough effort into it now will make sure they stay alive, and help the rest of their people on the Drune at the same time. No one even speaks out against what is basically going to be a 24/7 job.

  “Final thing. I don't know the range of our comm units while in the station. I haven’t had anyone to test it out with. So that means that any time you're outside of the primary hold, you're to be with a buddy. No ifs, ands, or 'I'm going to whack off somewhere' in private. If you get stuck or trapped somewhere, or something happens, and no one else is around, we may not be able to find you. So take a buddy. No excuses. That also means periodic check-ins and letting at least someone else know where you're going or what you're doing.

  “We have to have each others backs, or we won't survive. Got it?”

  I seemed to have scared them, but the only ones who get it without going pale are Celes and the guard/soldier. Military institutions have made that point throughout history anyway, so it’s a second-nature thing. Celes has probably had quite a bit experience of shit going wrong while crustal mining.

  I do smile though and slap the nearest guy on the shoulder.

  “Other than that, it'll be easy. The zero-g is funky, but it’s a fun experience. Gotta make a sport out of it, ya know? Just do your best and we'll all get through this.”

  That brings wry grins back, and I nod my head, pleased. These people are sharp as tacks and as tough as nails. I doubt there will be any serious issues with them.

  *DING*

  You have succeeded in giving an inspiring speech. Those who have heard your words will remember them and take them to heart, providing motivation and security for their peace of mind as they follow your orders.

  Only a leader of men can be both strict and caring without appearing to be bossy. Earning trust and obedience of others is a hard road to travel, but a leader always strives to do so; otherwise they are not a leader at all.

  You have gained:

  5 Charisma Stat

  5 Command Stat

  Speaking Aspect

  Speech Aspect

  Inspiration Aspect

  Motivation Aspect

  Argument Aspect

  Command Aspect

  Order Aspect

  Control Aspect

  Speech Aptitude (Pers)

  Command Aptitude (Pers)

  Speech Aptitude (Pers)

  How well you give speeches or converse with others.

  Speaking actions +3%

  Aptitude Size

  1

  Command Aptitude (Pers)

  How well you give orders or commands.

  Speaking actions +4%

  Aptitude Size

  2

  Wow. I really hadn't meant to do that. I just wanted to make sure that everyone remains safe and knew what they were getting themselves into. Not only did I get a whole bunch of Aspects and a 1st and 2nd tier Aptitude, I also received two special stats at the same time!

  Charisma is generally self explanatory, but Command is a much sought after stat that
depicts the ability to control groups of people. Generally in military or political situations. Some want it for being a merchant when dealing with large groups.

  I just got both, and for a moment my jaw drops. Damn.

  -|- -|- -|-

  Twelve hours in a cramped space is a long, very long time. Even for the people chosen in my crew, it's almost unbearable. So I decided to do something after about four hours.

  I move up to the cockpit and sit in the seat in front of the mining control console and call everyone up one at a time. Piloting lessons. I'd let everyone read the Mining Tug manual down below, and one by one I call them up to the cockpit and have them strap in and take manual control.

  Lets just say that it was an... unique experience. They didn't pick it up nearly as fast as I did, even with step-by-step instructions. This sort of tech was just far beyond them. While they all knew the mechanical or technical aspects of the tug, the lack of the physical technology down on the planet meant that none of them had ever had any hands-on-experience with it.

  To state it simply, it’s going to take a bit of work.

  Celes herself was by far the worst driver. She just couldn't seem to get the hang of how things moved in space. The directions up, down, and side to side don't mean anything here. Ah, I probably should explain that.

  Ever since the dawn of spaceflight for us humans, we've had a hard time dealing with the now possible sphere of movement and lack of controlt.

  You can literally do twists and other weird things while still traveling in a more-or-less straight line in space. It’s like flying a jet in the air on the planet, except with any sort of boundaries. If you put too much power into going in one direction, you'll find yourself totally off your planned trajectory.

  Celes ended up like that. Thankfully I always keep them going in the same direction, so we only ended going 'up' and to the 'right'.

  Or up from the flat plane Ecliptic and anti-starward. Up and away from the star. Okay, if I had to try to explain it in layman's terms, space is VERY vast. And very empty. And directions require some sort of reference. Out in deep space, outside of a solar system, you're basically screwed. There's no way to get a reference.

  Within a solar system though, things are a bit easier. Every star has an Ecliptic, or a flat plane in which almost everybody in the solar system orbits. So you can go below or above it. Some solar systems are weirder, but the vast majority follow this rule.

  Now, there is no 'left' or 'right' in space. It’s all relative. Instead, the most commonly used reference is going 'coreward', or toward the central star (or the midpoint between orbiting stars, for solar systems with more than one) or 'anti-starward', which means to go away from the center point. Think of it like how ships have starboard and whatnot, and you get the idea.

  The direction you are facing in space depicts which way you're going. It’s complicated, but it’s the most commonly used human convention. There are other ways of seeing it, involving angles and sector references and all sorts of math; but I'm not going to bother with that. Just being able to figure out where I am and where I'm going is enough for me.

  But anyone with any sort of skill in space can simply pull up a system map and use it to set a course. By this point, it’s just all technical jargon.

  That can be fun too, though, so I'm really not that depressed about it.

  Of the crew, only two are able to fly with any apparent skill. One of them is the guard. His name is... Well, its complicated. I simply call him Luke. When I asked if I could, he laughed.

  “My parents had a real bad naming sense. My name means 'Little Man', but everyone calls me Lu or Luke, so that's fine.”

  Damn. There's nothing 'little' that I can find about the guy. He has a tall runners physique, and according to him he can move about 75% of normal without his mechanical suit at a full 1G. That's quite an achievement.

  At low gravity, he can move full speed without the suit. That's awesome. I'll definitely have to ask him for some physical training later. The downside though is that he's broken more bones than any other person I've ever met. Even daredevils like Evel Knievel pale in comparison. Ouch.

  The other good pilot is one of the women, Gloria. She's one of the electronic techs that volunteered for the chance to get off the planet. Short, blond, with a nice slim figure and curves in all the right places. Her hair is long and braided down her back in a loose ponytail almost to her hips. Very nice.

  She also has a penchant for being a bit chatty, but I don't mind. She has a high, crystal-bell clear voice which is rather soothing. Perhaps too much so. While it isn't in the same manner, she can put people to sleep like those dusty old college professors.

  Gotta be careful about that. She takes offense to dozing when she's talking. Found that out the hard way with a smack to the back of my head.

  Yes, Madame Professor!

  Still, getting all of them cycled through the controls takes a good chunk of time, which thankfully passes quickly with people engaged in actually doing something. For those waiting, I have them read both the Mining Tug manual and the Space Survival Guide.

  We also have another meal before we arrive.

  -|- -|- -|-

  “Ladies and gents, welcome to Archon Station. Thank you for flying with Rex Space Flights, serving all of your space-faring needs since... three days ago?”

  I speak over the comms, having retaken the pilot seat about thirty minutes out from the station. Everyone is glued to the monitors, where I'd put up the station as we close in on it. They're all dead silent, watching with rapt attention.

  A couple seem to be close to crying again, but instead, my words cause a laugh that breaks up the tension, and they start talking and exclaiming amongst themselves.

  It isn't all that surprising. Archon Station is huge. Even in its damaged state, it is by far the biggest man-made construct I've ever seen; much less these people, who've been living underground for a very long time.

  “Hah! You should copyright that, Allec. No doubt you could make a killing off of the franchise.” Celes even teases me about it. She's sitting up in the cockpit with me, once more at the mining controls. I'd let her experiment with them earlier, and she's quite adept at them.

  That's good, cause I'm totally green on them, myself. Haven't even tried yet. Flying is too valuable right now; and so far we haven't had any reason to use them.

  “I may just do that, Celes. But I'm already going to own a space station. Where will I get the time to run a multi-star travel company as well?”

  I'm actually quite serious, but it still makes the woman grin.

  The crew remains glued to the projections while I pilot the ship around the outer ring, heading toward my home-sweet-home. It’s easily enough to spot, with the mast and circular solar collection array. Several of the engineers start talking about it, how it was both ingenious and bare-boned.

  “Hey now, don't go trash talking my work. That single solar cell is working at 180% capacity due to that array.”

  My words buzz over their comms, and for a moment they look at each other before starting hitting me with questions. I end up explaining to them how I built it and what I did to get it working so efficiently. To say that they are amazed would be an understatement.

  “We are actually going to do the exact same thing with the full-sized solar panels we got. That'll keep us in power and independent for quite a while, so you'll all get the chance to build it.”

  That makes them happy, and I chuckle as I check the ship's systems before approaching. I slow down, and use the console to control the arms of the tug to grab hold of the metal strut, bringing us back into position as close to the hole as possible.

  “There. This is as close to docking as we're going to get. First though, we are going to need some light. So I'm going to go in first and set that up. The rest of you will remain here.”

  I really don't want these guys to go through the same experience I did when I first stepped out into the hold. Pitch blackne
ss is not the best condition to be doing work in.

  The others look at me like I'm crazy for a moment, so I grin and touch my temple.

  “I gained Dark Vision from living there. When I first woke up... It was like an abyss. A dark, endless void. So you can imagine what I went through.”

  They all 'Aaah' and nod. That sort of thing wasn't very common, but forced adaptation was a trait that humanity gained when it first went out into space. It explains all the nifty abilities that players and NPC's gain without messing up the view of the Universe. A great rationality.

  I grab my helmet and seal it on then make my way to the airlock. A leader has to lead by example, right? I don't mind it one bit. It’s simply nice to have company! And they get to watch what I do on the monitors I'd set up to show the outside of the ship and the hole in the station's hull.