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THE FIRST THING I did after leaving the Free Captain was ask Ayni and the bartender, who was up collecting our empty glasses, where the nearest green zone was. I was pointed to the casino’s VIP box, which was now empty. As far as I understood, it was surrounded by forcefields on all sides, and had a luxurious interior, comfy furniture and its own secure communication terminal for private negotiations, during which anyone could exit to the real world to consult with colleagues or superiors. Exactly what I needed!
For twenty crypto, I was allowed to use the VIP box and immediately left the game. I dismissed the suggestion to familiarize myself with my statistics, hurriedly climbed out of the virt pod and, running down the corn cob, raced to headquarters. I was looking for Ivan Lozovsky, but the diplomat was in the game, so I was received by faction leader Radugin himself.
When I appeared, the slumping, tired and severely sleep-deprived Dome commander looked like a bespectacled scientist running up against a dissertation deadline. He folded up some topographic maps on his desk, and I chuckled. This was clearly Antipov’s doing. Leadership didn’t used to hide their maps or plans from visitors. In my momentary peek, I made out the six-sided nodes of our faction and those of our neighbors, many colored lines for defensive structures and circles radiating from points the Yellow Mountains. I suspected that, before I arrived, the faction leader was thinking over the optimal placement of artillery batteries, so our long-distance cannons could cover every part of the front during the quickly approaching Dark Faction invasion.
But I was not much interested in military secrets or where our artillery would go. I had come with a different goal. I needed to know exactly where we’d meet the space merchants, so I could give the captain landing coordinates, and also tell the faction approximately when to expect our guests. But the main thing was that I needed to know what the faction wanted me to buy on the space station, where prices for any goods were many times lower than the Geckho space port.
And although the question of where the merchants should land was already settled, there was a clear disconnect with the purchase list. My eyes climbed into my forehead in surprise when I heard the faction leader say that this issue had not yet been considered in detail, only discussed in general terms. Things like, “it would be nice to buy all this stuff in space for cheaper.” Beyond that, with unhidden horror I discovered that the faction didn’t yet have enough platinum, because they thought it would be a long time before the space merchants came if they ever did.
“Come on, are you all a bunch of morons?!” Yes, I let my emotions get the better of me and started screaming. “The platinum buyer is coming tomorrow. It was a huge effort to convince him to fly to our podunk planet on the edge of the known universe, and now the goods I was hawking aren’t even here! None of the great spacefaring races will ever want to do business with us again!”
“Calm down, Kirill. The platinum will be there, I promise! But as for the list, we need to first hold a meeting with the leaders of the main laboratories, both legions and the rest of our military divisions to figure out what they need.”
“That’s all well and good,” I interrupted Radugin’s empty and untimely demagoguery, “but I need to place orders right now, because I need everything delivered and loaded onto the starship. Can you even imagine how insanely hard it was to get an advance on the three million crystals to buy weapons and vehicles? I was only given permission to bring one and a half tons of baggage! So, I can only buy things we really need, and I need to know what they are right away!”
I didn’t draw his attention to the fact that my negotiations with the Free Captain had never touched on an advance, and that I was going to pay with my own money, then compensate myself later. I was afraid that, if I told him I had more than a million crystals, he simply wouldn’t believe me.
Radugin asked for a minute and made a quick phone call. As far as I understood, it was to the leader of the First Legion. After that, the Dome leader told me their conclusions:
“Buy guns, laser weapons, firearms, or whatever long-distance weaponry. Get ones for Automatic Weapons from level one hundred and up, Machineguns from seventy-five and Sniper from sixty. Buy as much as you can. That is our greatest need. Many of our veterans have long outgrown their weapons in level and skill, so we have a desperate need for quality arms. We need a large number, along with ammunition for whatever you buy. Beyond that, we need something that can short out electronics. EMP grenades, EMP mines, whatever radiation emitters they have. The mission is to stop Dark Faction shock antigravs like the flying Sio-Mi-Dori, as well as heavy armored monsters on the ground like the Sio-Ku-Tati, which we only know about from recon. Just buy a ton and a half of that, if possible. If there is any room or money left over, buy the rest at your own discretion!”
On the way back to my virt pod, I was in a very pensive mood and was even somewhat despondent. My talk with the faction leader left an unpleasant impression. I naively thought my leaders had their shit together a bit more. “Buy whatever you think we’ll need.” “Yeah, we didn’t think you’d find a buyer for the platinum, so we didn’t actually get any.” “Just look. Whatever they’ve got, buy that.” Kindergarten, Velcro shoes, not some serious organization! But even that wasn’t the biggest nagging issue. It seemed that my Leng was not just tired and sleep-deprived, but emotionally drained and, seemingly, no longer especially believed we could defeat the Dark Faction. There seemed to be a lack of interest, and some kind of gloom, absent-mindedness and strange ambivalence. First, they say they’ll get the platinum and bring it into the game as quickly as possible, but then they say they considered the project unfeasible and low-priority...
On my way to the corncob, I was surprised to meet gazes with a jogging Svetlana. She had the hood of her track suit down and didn’t notice me right away, but then sharply changed direction and ran up to me, taking out her headphones as she went. I reassured the bodyguards, who were preparing to stop the First Legion Assassin. Svetlana, as I immediately noticed, was running with weight. There were weights on her wrists and ankles, and I could see a broad belt with sheets of lead under her unbuttoned shirt.
“Heya, Gnat. You just get up?” I couldn’t tell if the reddened lady was making a quip or really thought I had actually just emerged after last night’s raucous merrymaking.
“I wish... Since last night, I’ve been in Miyelonian prison, gone to court and even met a space pirate in a space casino.”
Svetlana whistled in surprise and looked at me with clear respect and even admiration. I then asked why she was exercising under the Dome and not in the game. After all, by running like this in the game that bends reality, she would not only level her stats and skills, she would also improve her body in the real world.
“Yes, I know, Kirill. But you can’t only take care of your body in the game. After all, every minute there is regimented. You’re always going somewhere, crawling through swamps in camouflage or lying motionless for hours under the burning sun as you watch an enemy post through binoculars. But now I’m totally...” Svetlana looked at the bodyguards accompanying me in hesitation, but still continued. “You talk with faction leadership often enough. Have you heard of Project Exodus?”
I shrugged my shoulders indefinitely. I hadn’t heard of it, but I didn’t want to reveal my ignorance.
“Well, our guys keep saying the Dark Faction will attack in five days. I’ll be honest, not many of our soldiers believe we’ll be able to hold out. Last time, after all, we just got lucky and your raid helped get rid of enemy forces. They won’t make the same blunders again. Also, their next attack will be fiercer than the last. Our leadership also understands that perfectly so, one after the other, they’re sending recon groups to the opposite shore of the bay, past the Geckho space port. And they all have the same mission: find a place for us to build a base there for the so-called Operation Exodus. No one is saying it out loud, of course, but they all understand this is being done in case our capital node falls in the next few days.”
I really didn’t like hearing about the defeatist attitude held by our soldiers, including the First Legion. I did not know if it was just Dark Faction propaganda, or skillfully conveyed disinformation, but it was damaging not only the morale of the H3 players. Another negative consequence was that our leadership was getting distracted and wasting valuable resources, reserves and people on cockamamie schemes totally unrelated to reinforcing our defenses.
“That’s all crap, we’ll hold out!” I assured her, to which Svetlana gave a predatory chuckle:
“Sure, no one is planning to throw their hands up and surrender. We’ll fight not for our lives, but to the death, and the enemy will have to pay dearly for every inch of our territory. But will we have the strength? Gnat, I’ve seen thousands and thousands of Dark Faction soldiers training at the firing ranges with my own eyes. I saw their new high-speed flying antigravs and heavy armored vehicles. They’re like our Peresvets but four times bigger, real terrestrial cruisers! There are rumors that our experts concluded we cannot destroy them with our current technology!”
“I wonder how they managed to figure that out, if they haven’t seen any in real life, and cannot study real specimens,” I quipped.
Svetlana wanted to answer but stumbled and looked at me, smiling in embarrassment. In the meandering stream of her thoughts, primarily revolving around the topic of weight issues and a new diet recommended by a friend, I managed to fish out the name of the person who told her those pernicious rumors. No, it was not Svetlana’s panicky fiancée as I assumed, but someone named Gleb Vorshinsky, an Engineer from the Prometheus. I didn’t know him, but I still made a note to check if he was working for the Dark Faction.
I mean, this could easily have been just everyday human stupidity, or the Engineer wanting to look better informed than he really was for a pretty girl. But it also could have been intentional disinformation made to spread chaos and uncertainty in the H3 faction. The whole warped picture of the situation on the front was made up of such small depressing details, and that is what had the soldiers so down, and leadership screwing up.
“Svetlana, that information is out of date,” I said, trying to make a confident face with a mysterious smile. “I was just talking to Radugin about that issue, and I’ll be bringing weapons from space that can destroy any Dark Faction vehicle, including their Sio-Ku-Tati tanks. By the way... Svetlana, you probably know better than our leaders: what do our recon groups need the most?! Weapons, observation equipment, maybe other gear...? Do you know? That’s what I thought! Then you have exactly five minutes. I promise that whatever you ask for will be at our base in a day and a half!”
* * *
WHEN I CAME BACK into the game, there was a surprise waiting. The merchant Gerd Ussh Veesh was trying to enter my VIP box. The Trillian was up on his hind legs, scraping his claws on the forcefield, causing bright sparks of electricity and clearly trying to get my attention. I quickly put the barrier down and started clearing the room, but it turned out my “crocodile” friend wanted to meet with me. Ussh Veesh spoke passable Geckho, so he asked to leave both of our subordinates outside and talk one on one. As soon as the defensive and sound-proof field had divided us from the outside world, the Trillian hissed:
“I heard you’ll be leaving Medu-Ro IV soon and are planning to buy supplies.”
I couldn’t hide my astonishment. How did he know that?! Anyway... I hadn’t exactly made a secret of the fact that I was looking for a starship. Also, I told my assistants and the pirate captains that I would be bringing cargo. Meanwhile, the merchant continued:
“In your place, I would have given the Pride of the Bushy Shadow a wide berth. They are not reliable partners. Also, they’re greedy and crafty. But it is your choice, and I won’t meddle in your affairs. I came here to make an offer. I want to give you a discount on my wares as a good friend. It’s an excellent product, desired by absolutely everyone in the galaxy! And it is of particular interest to races new to the game that bends reality!”
“And what do you trade in, Ussh Veesh?” I had to admit, the merchant had captivated my interest. Even with my vibrant imagination, I couldn’t think up anything wanted by everyone, especially new races.
With clear pride, the space crocodile set out a whole range of small decorative items, then waited for my reaction. I glanced over his assortment without particular interest: gold rings with glimmering gemstones, earrings, necklaces, ornate bracelets... So, my friend Ussh Veesh was a jewelry merchant. But what need did I or my faction have for that? I strained to hold back a sigh of disappointment, and... it was good that I did. Just then, I noticed the items had special properties:
Agility +1... Strength +1... Hand-to-Hand combat skill +3... Radiation defense +15%... Bladed weapon damage +6%... Endurance Points +4%...
So all these items were... magic?! Seemingly, I accidentally asked that aloud, because the merchant answered:
“Some call it ‘magic,’ but we Trillians prefer ‘revealing the material essence.’ Every player has known a time when they needed just a bit more skill or one more stat point to use a fine little item or weapon. Well, with these, you don’t have to say ‘no’ to nice things or put them off for later. You can have what you want right away. It’s especially important for new players because every improved weaponry or armor gives a significant boost to combat abilities, allowing them to catch up to their allies.”
“Alright, you have my attention. And how many magic items can a person wear at once?” An image instantly crystalized in my mind of a near demigod with twenty rings on their fingers and toes, bracelets going from wrists to shoulders, and perhaps a couple earrings, necklaces, or body piercings.
“A Human? I have no idea. Trillians and Miyelonians are limited to four, but only two per skill or stat. The Meleyephatians can wear eight. The Geckho just two. But humans... how about you try? I’m interested myself.”
Experimentation quickly showed that a person could wear one ring on each hand, two bracelets and an amulet around the neck. I suspected that characters with pierced ears could also wear magic earrings (I had one in my inventory), giving a total maximum of seven jewelry slots. But only two of them could have objects that improved stats, with another two for skills or resists. Overall that gave four pieces of “magical” jewelry. And that was good news, but still Humans were nowhere near the eight-legged Meleyephatians.
A fancy-looking ring jumped out at me, made of fine layers of very skillfully interwoven gold and ruthenium, with a huge dark-purple faceted gem inset. I could not identify it, even though I had a pretty solid understanding of Mineralogy and precious stones. I was drawn by the gem itself sure, but even more by the ring’s property:
Intelligence +3
I put the ring on my finger, admiring it and at the same time watching how drastically my Magic Points shot up. Very pretty! Also, useful. I started looking over the treasure on the table in search of another ring like it, but all the others gave a mere +1 to their stat.
“You have great taste, Gerd Gnat! That is the star of my collection. I won that ring from someone who trades in artifacts of the Precursor race. It could be yours for some sixty thousand crypto!”
Sixty thousand crypto?! But that was four hundred twenty thousand Geckho crystals! Pretty steep for just one ring, no matter how ancient... With immense pity, I removed the ring from my finger and returned it to the table. The trader then took the ring in his clawed fingers and started looking through the stone at the light with clear satisfaction:
“What a beaut’! The secret of how to craft items with plus three or more has not survived to the modern era. These days, we mostly make plus-ones. Only the very best master jewelers can make plus-twos, but even then it’s rare. By the way, I have a new plus-two Intelligence ring. Want it?”
“You bet I do!” I nearly shouted, because a plan instantly formed in my head.
That old bronze bracelet had been collecting dust in my inventory ever since the Relict base. The item was interesting just for its age of course but, in order to reveal its properties, I needed Intelligence of at least twenty-eight. With the +2 Intelligence ring on my left hand, I asked the Trillian for the ancient ring back and pretended I was comparing them. In fact, though, I hurriedly opened my inventory and looked at the bracelet:
Small Control Bracelet (Listener armor suit accessory)
+15% armor suit forcefield capacity.
+1 controllable drone.
Statistic requirements: Intelligence 26, Perception 26.
Skill requirements: Electronics 40, Machine Control 11.
Attention! Your character’s Electronics skill is too low to wear this item.
Attention! Your character lacks the Machine Control skill, which is required to use this object.
Attention! This object is for the Relict race and cannot be used by Humans.
There were lots of reasons why not, but none of them were insurmountable. I could get past the racial limitation with an experienced Mechanic, and I could easily take the Machine Control skill, then quickly level it to eleven. By the way, what did that skill do?
Obligingly, the information popped right up:
Machine Control. This skill confers the ability to control nearby computerized mechanical devices whether mentally, vocally, gesturally or via remote control. It also allows a character to attempt to hijack machines controlled by others. Leveling this skill allows a player to control more advanced machinery and more devices at once. Minimum statistics: Intelligence 22, Perception 22.
It seemed very useful, especially in combination with the ancient artifact. I immediately decided I was going to level up to this bracelet. Increasing the forcefield capacity alone was worth it, which was to say nothing of the extra drone. I could not tell what exact kinds of drone I could have from the description, but I was reminded of the deadly Relict guard drone that took down the Shiamiru crew. Most likely, the Small Control Bracelet was used to pilot things like that robot sentry. The idea of owning one of those deadly Relict drones was very tempting, so I made up my mind:
You have taken the skill Machine Control level 1!
Was I taking a risk? Without a doubt. But even if there were no more bases of the ancient Relict race in the galaxy, and all their fearsome guards had gone the way of the dodo, the skill description gave me reason to believe I could control other drones and robots, which was also very, very tempting.
Something else threw me though. The ancient bracelet required at least twenty-six Intelligence, which I only had with the outrageously expensive ancient ring, or if I filled two slots with objects that improved that statistic. I really did not want to waste a slot if I didn’t have to.
Although, with time, I was hoping to raise my Intelligence by one point the “natural” way. Also, I could save up the money for the +3 Precursor ring or even become a Leng and earn more stat points that way, so the “wasted” slot would free up sooner or later. Overall, there were many ways to skin this cat, so I just needed to be patient. I carefully asked the Trillian merchant how much the new +2 Intelligence ring would cost.
“Three and a half thousand crypto, and only for you as a friend. But I sell the one-point stat rings or bracelets for basically nothing, just eighty-six crypto. Well, except the +1 Constitution ones. They’re in the greatest demand so they go for one hundred fifty. And for rings that improve skills, damage or resists, I’d need to have a look. They all have different prices.”
In the end, I got two Intelligence rings for three thousand five hundred eighty crypto. My Intelligence instantly went up to twenty-six, while my Magic Points jumped from 186 to 210. Not bad, not bad at all. I also took a silver chain that gave a useful +3% crit chance and a bracelet conferring +6 Mineralogy. All that, as well as a pair of +1 Agility rings for each of my Miyelonian companions, I considered separate from the faction’s expenses.
And so, my personal purchases over, the time had come to tend to faction acquisitions:
“Gerd Ussh Veesh, my friend, I’m gonna need you to dig deep for this one. I want around fifty plus-one stat rings. Can you make that happen?”
The merchant responded with utter calm, activated a device strapped to his front left arm, then confirmed that he could do that, and even provide delivery right to my ship.
“Now that’s great!” I pressed the screen of my wallet to transfer him twenty-four thousand crypto, which was the total with discounting and wholesale prices. “And hold onto that plus-three-Intelligence Precursor ring for me. I’ll buy it as soon as I have the money.”
