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I WOKE UP around midday, which was not too surprising. Anya and I had “tested lipstick” until sunrise, only sometimes taking short breaks from our amorous delights to dance in the nude, horse around throwing pillows at one another and get up to other tomfoolery. I surprised myself. Maybe it was just too long since I’d been with a girl, or maybe Gnat’s Constitution had grown enough in the game to have an effect in the real world, but I was simply tireless on that wonderful night. And Anya was a passionate, capable and insatiable lover, so we both had “met our match” as they say. Locked in the most ancient form of one-on-one combat, neither of us was willing to surrender. Only when the day lighting turned did we remember we would have to stop and use the bed and pillows to sleep.
Anya was sleeping sweetly on my bed, and I didn’t wake her up. After taking a shower and quickly snarfing down some leftovers from yesterday’s feast, I hurried to leave. By my estimations, the religious ceremony on Medu-Ro IV should have been over already. So, now was the right time to enter the game, meet the Pride of the Bushy Shadow, and come to an agreement on the price of the precious metal and other conditions of our important deal. I was not particularly worried about the negotiations, because the casino owner told me he had his own captain as backup. So, if the Pride of the Bushy Shadow offered less than stellar terms, there was always another option.
At the exit from the secure building, I was joined by an escort provided by faction leadership, and two soldiers supplied by Gerd Tamara. I had no objections, of course, because the Dark Faction bounty was still in place, and the danger was very real. At any rate, I was not planning to hang around in the real world. I wanted to go straight to my virt pod and immediately load up the game, but there were people waiting for me outside.
A strong young boy in an athletic suit stood up when I approached. He was freckled, and his hair was so bright red it looked unnatural. What was more, it was apparently real. I stopped the bodyguards with a gesture, who were trying to chase the stranger off, then allowed him to come closer.
“Greetings, Gerd Gnat!” said the man, extending a strong calloused hand. “I am Eduard Boyko, I’m sure leadership told you about me.”
Eduard Boyko? Didn’t ring a bell... No, I was definitely hearing this name for the first time, and I honestly admitted that.
“Strange. I am usually held up alongside Dmitry Zheltov as an example of someone who chose the wrong class. I am our faction’s Space Commando!”
Everything became clear at once. I even whistled in surprise. Just look what poor Eduard got himself into! Yes, I had heard about this useless faction member from Tyulenev, although the former head of staffing hadn’t told me his name. Boyko took in my astonishment and gave a tortured chuckle:
“I can see you’re also struck. Yes, my game class is Space Commando! And our faction doesn’t have a single starship, landing module, or landing system of any kind. And we don’t have any power armor or other crap like that, either...”
“Sure we have power armor!” I objected, referring to Gerd Tamara’s suit.
“Yes, our whole faction has one suit of power armor, and it belongs to Gerd Tamara. But she’s leader of the Second Legion, a legend and savior, so she has earned it. But no one is going to buy another gizmo like that, it’s unimaginably expensive! I cannot use any other types of armor though and, beyond that, without a powered exoskeleton, I cannot wield a heavy weapon... So overall, that leaves me with no armor and no weapon. Now, instead of a combat character, I’m just a grunt. I pick up building debris, clean out irrigation ditches and watch the fields for pests.”
“Hrm, that’s a shame. And what other class did the game offer you, if it’s not a secret?” I asked, just curious. He waved his hand fatedly:
“Sure, I’ve got nothing to hide... I could have been a Machine Gunner, which would have been great for the faction. I was such a dumbass. I just grabbed for the cool name and picked Space Commando! I’ve been in the game for six months already. I was actually one of the first people under the Dome. My number is just eighty-four. As a matter of fact, Gerd Tarasov and I entered together. But look where he is now — a real star, a record-setter! But in my six months, I’ve only managed to crawl along to level thirty-three. That’s also a record of sorts, but not the good kind...”
It was all a very sad story, but I didn’t understand what it had to do with me. Eduard, pumping his impressive biceps, which were visible through the track suit, answered that question with extreme honesty:
“Well, who else can I turn to if not the player who managed to crawl out of shit just as deep and make it big? I admit, I used to laugh at you. I remember thinking, that’s a good one, now we’ve got a Prospector, too! With no scanner or class junk, he can be my partner clearing muck from the canals. But then I looked again, and Gnat had gotten off that path! After that, you pulled Dmitry Zheltov out of the same hole, and he became another man overnight. Now he’s proud, self-confident and even getting interviewed. I gave it some serious thought and figured I’d ask if you can get me power armor and weapons, so I could finally do my job as a player. If you can, you’ll never find yourself a more loyal companion! To hell with the faction and all the leadership, I’d follow you to the ends of the Universe!”
With that, Eduard thought he’d said his fill and gave me a shoulder slap goodbye with his heavy hand. That made my legs slightly buckle, and my bodyguards sharply straightened up. But the muscular man just didn’t know his own strength and had no bad intentions.
On the way to the corncob, I was thinking over his offer. As a recently-anointed Gerd, I now needed likeminded companions. It certainly couldn’t hurt to have such a powerful warrior as Space Commando Eduard on the newly forming Team Gnat. But I had no idea how to fulfill his request. I wasn’t likely to find an exoskeleton power-armor suit for a human on the Medu-Ro IV station. Maybe I could get a Geckho armor suit redone for him? Hard to say. I would need to consult with some experienced mechanics. Also, it was impossible to say how much the raw material would cost. Ugh, I should have asked Gerd Tamara. Most likely, her suit was a “retrofitted” Geckho armor suit, but I couldn’t be sure. It would be nice to make sure that was even possible before wasting a ton of my personal savings, though.
* * *
SO, THE FOURTEENTH FLOOR of corncob fifteen, my virt pod, loading up the game. My detailed statistics came up:
Gerd Gnat. Human. H3 Faction. | |
Level-51 Prospector | |
Statistics: | |
Strength |
13 |
Agility |
16 |
Intelligence |
23 |
Perception |
26 |
Constitution |
15 |
Luck modifier |
+3 |
Parameters: | |
Hitpoints |
1464 of 1464 |
Endurance points |
811 of 811 |
Magic points |
175 of 175 |
Carrying capacity |
58 lbs. |
Fame |
42 |
Skills: | |
Electronics |
36 |
Scanning |
44 |
Cartography |
47 |
Astrolinguistics |
60 |
Break-in |
21 |
Rifles |
42 |
Mineralogy |
26 |
Medium Armor |
43 |
Eagle Eye |
51 |
Sharpshooter |
27 |
Targeting |
11 |
Danger Sense |
23 |
Psionic. |
13 |
Attention! No skill chosen |
- |
Attention! No skill chosen |
- |
YES, I NEEDED TO FIGURE out what to do with the two unoccupied slots as soon as possible. As for one of them, I was almost sure. Either Mental Fortitude or Mysticism, because my recently manifested psionic abilities needed to some augmenting, no question. Both options had their advantages and flaws, and I couldn’t allow myself both, because it would be wasteful. After all, there were a ton of other useful skills. For example, I was still considering Trade, because knowing prices could be very beneficial.
So, loading up... Why so dark?
Fame increased to 43.
Fame increased to 44.
Fame increased to 45.
Authority increased to 9.
A whole bedsheet of messages ran before my eyes. Plus three Fame?! I simply couldn’t believe my eyes. Had all this growth come from the Journalist publishing the story of Gnat’s adventures? I wasn’t convinced. There was probably some other reason...
Danger Sense skill increased to level twenty-four!
I didn’t even have time to feel afraid, much less get my bearings or take any measures before I received a hard blow to the side of my legs and collapsed to the floor. At that, an unknown being next to me thrashed my back with something hard, then grabbed my fallen body by the hair and shoved my face into the floor. My health bar fell by a third, and a new portion of system messages ran by before my eyes:
Failed Agility check!
Failed Constitution check!
Disoriented! Duration: 25 seconds.
Stunned! Duration: 2 minutes 18 seconds.
Paralysis! Duration: 11 seconds.
Bleeding! You will lose 4 health every 3 seconds for 52 seconds.
What an entrance... I still hadn’t seen anything, but it seemed there were several attackers. I mean, it couldn’t have been just one. Even the fastest enemy wouldn’t be able to do all that! And although I had enough Hitpoints not to worry about dying from blood loss, I was dumbfounded and writhing on the floor in vain attempts to move or stand. As if in mockery, at that very tense moment, the game offered me some new abilities:
Would you like to take the skill Dodge?
Would you like to take the skill Hand-to-Hand Combat?
Would you like to take the skill Survival?
Such bad timing! I still couldn’t understand what was happening, and these pop-ups were breaking my concentration! Meanwhile, my hands were pulled behind my back, and something like a bag of thick crinkling foil was lowered over my head. Whoever this was, they didn’t want to kill me, just take me alive. But what for?
Just then, I realized this might all be to steal my money. I did in fact, have a huge amount of it, almost sixty thousand crypto. And many of the cutthroats that called this station home would have committed just about any crime to get it. But now, immobilized, nothing was stopping the attackers from cleaning out my inventory. I nearly howled in impotence...
I was reminded that the casino owner had promised to protect me so long as I remained on the Medu-Ro IV station. That meant I could go to her and demand she punish these attackers. But before that, I needed to see who they were!
I still couldn’t move my arms or legs, but I could activate Scanning, and the thick bag on my head was no impediment. On the mini-map around me, I saw not just one or two red markers as I assumed, but a grand total of eight! And they all had very similar, and equally astonishing descriptions:
Rani Ust-Amiru. Miyelonian. First Pride. Level-201 Assassin.
Duamii Lei-Amiru. Miyelonian Female. First Pride. Level-211 Warrior.
...
[Information hidden]
Dinaya Stork-Amiru. Miyelonian Female. First Pride. Level-255 Bodyguard.
First Pride??? The white-armored elite guard the orange Translator told me about with gasps of admiration? But this was the cream of the crop on this station! They protected the four incarnations of the Great First Female. Also, based on their names, these eight were part of Priestess Leng Amiru U-Mayaoo’s guard team.
I found myself in complete incomprehension. Most likely, the First Pride was not interested in my valuables. I checked and yes, my inventory was still intact, even though there was nothing stopping them from taking everything. Bound by the hands and feet, I was lifted up roughly and dragged off. I quickly lost track of where I was. The bag was obstructing my vision. My mini-map wasn’t updating, and my Eagle Eye and Cartography skills weren’t growing. All I could do was try and listen to my escorts as they exchanged occasional clipped phrases. I just barely knew Miyelonian, but still I managed to make out the words “main suspect.” Also, they were overflowing with rage and itching to tear me to shreds right then and there. Apparently, this was worse than I thought.
Astrolinguistics skill increased to level sixty-one!
Well, that’s positive at least... Meanwhile, based on the sounds and sensations, our group seemed to be entering an elevator, which quickly shot off upward. Up??? Strange. The space port zone and docked ships were below the residential floor. But above... What was even up there? Well, perhaps the main station, but you couldn’t take an elevator there. You had to walk down many long halls and pass careful checks. Although I was reminded of something Ayni said: for the great Priestess Leng Amiru U-Mayaoo, they had opened a direct elevator to the station. But was my modest Prospector really worthy of the honor of a mode of transportation inaugurated specifically for the incarnation of the Miyelonians’ Great First Female?
More corridors followed, then another elevator, and the opaque bag was finally pulled off my face. A bright light slammed into my eyes and, while I was getting used to it, my handcuffs were removed, and the guards walked away. I blinked and managed to look around.
I found myself on a tiny round platform just two steps in diameter surrounded by a cylindrical forcefield humming and flickering with electricity. What was this? A cage? A prison cell? I raised my head and, at the level of a raised hand, discovered a video camera. I was being observed, which was not too surprising after the strange arrest.
The forcefield was flickering brightly in different colored bursts, preventing me from seeing anything beyond it. But I still tried to look through. I spent a minute just staring in different directions until my eyes hurt. No. I was forced to admit that, even with my high Perception, I couldn’t see anything. I could only tell that it was a fairly large room, because I couldn’t see any walls. Also, it looked like my cage was not the only one. I could kind of make out another few flickering columns nearby.
What to do? Just keep standing stupidly, playing a caged zoo animal? Exit the game? I saw that this was a red zone and decided against it. My character wouldn’t disappear and would only be rendered helpless. So, what to do?
My Scanning ability reloaded, and I immediately used it. My guesses about the size of the room and number of cages were immediately confirmed. Now this was interesting. I managed to read the names of the arrestees in the neighboring cells. I knew them all!!! The bushy-tailed Translator Ayni Uri-Miayuu, the Trillian merchant Gerd Ussh Veesh, that strange girl Valeri-Urla, and her bully companion Denni Marko. What was more, Valeri’s cage also contained a large animal, which I saw as:
Little Sister. Shadow Panther (creature). Pet of Valeri-Urla. Level 79.
Clearly, the prisoner selection was not random. If Fox and Tini were here, we’d have everyone my character had interacted with on the pirate station. Seemingly, the Miyelonians had quickly found Gnat’s social circle and rounded them all up. But why?
I tried to speak with Ayni and figure out what was going on. But the orange Translator’s reaction was very unexpected:
“Gnat?! How dare you talk to me after what you did?! Because I helped you, I am cursed with eternal shame and have been kicked out of my pride!”
“Are you delirious, Ayni? How could I have even done anything? I haven’t been in the game for two ummi! And before that, we were together the whole time I walked through the station, talked with the locals and gambled in the casino. But none of those things can be called illegal, no matter how you slice it!”
“And you have the nerve to try and lie your way out of it?! Your pet killed the Priestess Leng Amiru U-Mayaoo right in the middle of her speech before hundreds of thousands of pilgrims here on the station and billions of viewers throughout the galaxy!”
What?! My heart seized in fear. So, the shit had well and truly hit the fan... My arrest no longer looked like a dumb coincidence and now smelled of the most serious troubles not only for me personally, but humanity as a whole. Those of my world, the Dark Faction, the Gilvar Syndicate, Tailax, it wouldn’t matter... Fox had just spit right in the face of billions of Miyelonian religious fanatics, and they would not care about the subtle difference between human factions. They would want revenge on all members of my race, even though an assassination in the game only threatened their holy Priestess with a fifteen-minute break.
“If you’re talking about the hungry beast I fed in the cafe, it wasn’t my pet!” I said, trying to justify myself. “Ayni, you must remember when you issued me a pass. I was all alone then. The animal joined up with me here on the station and walked with me for some time, pestering me for more food. But then it ran away, and I have no idea where it went!”
“I don’t believe a single word! It was definitely your pet. You even insisted that you could call it back at any moment! I was there. Your pet constantly protected you and even killed an Assassin from the Pride of the Heavenly Warrior! So, you won’t worm your way out of this by trying to lie and deny knowing your own pet! And before that, you lied to me when getting the pass! Captain Gerd Setis-Vir said that you were never part of his crew! All you do is lie!!!”
Yikes, it had all come together so badly... Very badly... For now, I hadn’t lost hope that I could prove my innocence, but how? Above all, I should probably claim that Fox was just a stupid stray animal, who followed me for a short time, and nothing remained to connect us. It was definitely not a good idea to mention that Fox and I had spoken. Otherwise, I was afraid it would be practically impossible to convince my Miyelonian captors that I was not conspiring with the Morphian.
I gathered my thoughts and tried to speak calmly.
“Ayni, I have never lied to you. Sure, I neglected to point out your error when you were filling in my ship info for the pass. Yes, my ship actually was the Shiamiru. But first of all, I noticed the error too late, and second, I didn’t think it was a big enough deal to mess with the whole bureaucratic machine. As for when I called it my pet... think back to when that happened. Three pissed off members of the Pride of the Heavenly Warrior had just tracked me down with the worst of intentions, and the only thing stopping them was a dangerous animal they thought belonged to me. Naturally, I tried my best to support their confusion. And... by the way, I can prove that the animal that killed your Priestess was not my pet!”
The proof that came to mind was as simple as it was irrefutable. I was surprised it hadn’t come to me earlier. After all, one of the four incarnations of the Great First Female, worshipped by billions of subjects and having achieved the respectable rank of Leng, simply physically could not be low-level. Then, while technically my pet, the creature had killed the level-76 Assassin Ayuk Ukh Miiyauu, whose luxuriant tail now decorated my helmet. That had given me a level up. So, how many levels would I theoretically if my pet had killed the great Priestess? But I was still the same level as when I exited, fifty-one!
Just for curiosity’s sake, I asked Ayni what level Amiru U-Mayaoo was. The Translator refused to answer. The Trillian Merchant was more talkative, though. Gerd Ussh Veesh said that Leng Amiru U-Mayaoo had recently reached level two-hundred sixty, a fact he learned from the news.
Mother of my wife! Level two hundred sixty!!! I was afraid to even imagine how long one would need to play to reach such unimaginable heights. I tried to distract myself from these intrusive thoughts and turned toward Beast Master Valeri-Urla.
“Valeri, I need your advice as an expert in animal control...”
But Denni shot out angrily that she did not wish to speak with a primitive outworlder, and especially a bloodthirsty murderer. But then, a soft pleasant female voice sounded out, speaking Geckho with a very clean accent:
“Wait, Denni! I think I know what Gnat wants. Also, I cannot sense evil in him. So, let him speak!”
“Thank you, Valeri!” I said, heartened. Then I continued. “Let’s say purely theoretically that your Shadow Panther Little Sister managed to maul a level two-hundred sixty enemy. I understand that would be impossible, but still. How many levels would you gain as the owner of that pet?”
There was no answer to my question for a very long time, and I figured Valeri-Urla was simply refusing to reply. But as it turned out, she just needed time to make an accurate calculation. A minute and a half later, the girl gave a detailed conclusion:
“If using only one pet with my current statistics, I would gain forty-four levels. If you had one pet do it and, if I remember correctly from the casino, you were level fifty or fifty-one, you would be around one hundred right now if you really were guilty.”
“One hundred and two by my calculations,” the Trillian merchant piped up.
A long silence fell, then Ayni timidly asked what level my character was now. I answered honestly that I was just fifty-one, just like when I said goodbye to her and exited the game. I didn’t manage to even finish the sentence before the forcefield around my cell turned off along with all the others. From somewhere in the floor, an emotionless mechanical voice prattled out in Geckho:
“Ambiguous situation. A serious error may have been made. Given the gravity of the crime, we must convene the collegium of Truth Seekers. The status of the human Gerd Gnat has been reclassified from ‘main suspect,’ to ‘key witness.’ The status of Ayni Uri-Miayuu has been reclassified from ‘coconspirator’ to ‘key witness.’ Gerd Gnat and Ayni Uri-Miayuu, please come to the neighboring room to speak with the Truth Seekers. Everyone else is free to go.”
