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WHAT A CATASTROPHE! There was just no other way to call it. Shortly afterward, the faction started reviewing every detail in the Dome administration building in the real world. Seeing the unique gravity of the events, the investigation was entrusted not to players, but the project curators or, to be more accurate, investigators they brought in. I saw a group of people with military bearing led into the headquarters by the “fed” Aleksandr Antipov, who was treating the new arrivals with obvious deference. All three faction leaders were forced to attend, as well as the leaders of both legions and everyone who knew anything about the deal with the merchants before it happened.
The building was surrounded by men with automatics, shooing the curious Dome residents. What happened behind those closed doors I could only guess because... I was not allowed in! Yes, believe it or not, it was true! I figured I counted as a person who knew in advance but, when I tried to get into the building, Antipov stopped me on the stoop. He told me that, together with the outside investigators, he had closely studied all security footage from the last few days. From those recordings it was concluded that, right after Radugin told me the coordinates to land the starship, I went straight to my virt pod and into the game, which I did not exit until after I landed. The only person I had talked with on the way was Svetlana from the First Legion, who was on a run. A recording of that conversation had been made, as far as I knew, by one of my bodyguards and the fed already had it. I hadn’t disclosed any secret information, so there was no way I could have been the source of the leak. So, the investigators had already crossed me off the list of suspects, and the deputy director advised me to get some rest after my two days of uninterrupted gaming.
And that is exactly what I did. I was totally burned out, and not even so much physically as mentally. I really was falling off my feet. I can barely remember walking to my room or getting undressed and falling into bed, because I was fully on autopilot.
I felt like I’d just fallen asleep when someone came to bother me. With a groan of dismay, I peeked open one eye to see the foolhardy suicidal who dared disturb my sleep. As it turned out, it was Anya. Oh yeah, she did promise to come visit me. Well, that was a different matter. Wake me up any time for that! I immediately lit up and extended my hands, preparing to embrace Anya and pull her to bed, but she wriggled away and took a step back:
“Not now, Kirill, I’m on business! I was sent to wake you up and say that Geckho Diplomat Kosta Dykhsh is asking for you. They wanted me to tell you he is angry and wants to see you as soon as possible. From what I gathered, the Geckho Diplomat had never acted like this before, so Ivan Lozovsky is alarmed and wants you in the game at our central base. He said he would go with you to Kosta Dykhsh’s hut and provide support.”
Crap, the last thing I needed was to piss off our suzerains... The last shreds of sleep instantly flew out of my head and I sat up. The lighting in the Dome was still in night mode. The clock was showing just past four. As it turned out, I’d managed to sleep seven hours, which was not bad. While I got dressed and put myself in order, Anya gave me a brief recap of recent events.
According to her, a group of heavy-handed outside investigators had arrived yesterday. They then interrogated a bunch of people: the director and deputies, the leaders of both legions, all the recon guys who scoped out the stony plateau, everyone who made deals with the Centaurs, anyone who came to meet the starship, the heads of our three laboratories, and the players who stored and transported the platinum. Also, Antipov quickly regained spirit and was not ashamed to curse, shouting that far too many people knew about this operation, which he thought should have been top secret.
Yes, Antipov had been struck from the suspects list as well. First, he didn’t have all the information about the deal, neither the meeting place, nor the time. Second, he didn’t even have a character in the game, so he could not make direct contact with the Dark Faction. The theory that he was revealing secret information through a middleman was also quickly refuted. Antipov had prepared well for the meeting and asked the non-player guards now keeping watch over the Dome to give him a copy of every video and audio recording he was part of for the last 72 hours. After that, he convincingly proved that he hadn’t discussed this matter with anyone.
However, even without Antipov, there were plenty of suspects. Thankfully, most suspects had only partial information. That was the only thing we’d done right and even then, it wasn’t much. Some knew the place but didn’t know why the faction leadership was looking for a starship landing platform. Some knew we could suddenly order rare goods from space and that a merchant starship would be arriving, but they didn’t know where or when. Some knew that platinum was being brought into the game and stockpiled but didn’t know why. Those who truly knew everything could be counted on one hand: the level-86 Administrator, Faction Leader Leng Radugin, the level-83 Diplomat Ivan Lozovsky, the Leader of the First Legion level-92 Sniper Gerd Tarasov, his deputy and trusted aid level-80 Scout Shoot_to_Kill, and my level-58 Prospector, who looked quite meek compared with these high-level bruisers. But Gnat was already proven innocent, so the remaining four were now the main suspects.
Nearer to nightfall, a lie detector was brought in. Some specialists had to come set it up, too. One of them was carrying a case of hypodermic needles and injection ampules. Faction leader Radugin was called into the office first and twenty minutes later carried out by the arms. The tired and stress-addled man was no spring chicken. As could have been expected, he had a heart attack.
“It was gruesome!” Anya admitted, having seen this all firsthand. “Our director looked ten years older. He was convulsing, clutching his chest and muttering the same thing over and over again, barely intelligibly: “Checkmate... The Dark Faction has us in checkmate... maybe not in three days but still... they have us in checkmate.’”
I didn’t have time for the end of the story because Anya and I had already reached the foot of corncob fifteen, and I had to go up to my virt pod. Anya refused to go up with me, so I said goodbye and scrambled up.
* * *
ALRIGHT, LOADING... As usual, before playing, I took a peek at my information:
Gerd Gnat. Human. H3 Faction. | |
Level-58 Prospector | |
Statistics: | |
Strength |
13 |
Agility |
17 |
Intelligence |
23 |
Perception |
26 |
Constitution |
15 |
Luck modifier |
+3 |
Parameters: | |
Hitpoints |
1632 of 1632 |
Endurance points |
918 of 918 |
Magic points |
226 of 226 |
Carrying capacity |
58 lbs. |
Fame |
47 |
Skills: | |
Electronics |
41 |
Scanning |
46 |
Cartography |
48 |
Astrolinguistics |
66 |
Break-in |
23 |
Rifles |
45 |
Mineralogy |
26 |
Medium Armor |
44 |
Eagle Eye |
54 |
Sharpshooter |
28 |
Targeting |
16 |
Danger Sense |
28 |
Psionic |
23 |
Mental Fortitude |
20 |
Machine Control |
10 |
Attention!!! You have ten unused skill points | |
Yes, I needed to find something to do with those skill points right away. It had already been more than twenty-four hours since I got the first of them, and that meant I would lose them if I died. After a moment of consideration, I placed seven into Psionic, which I thought was a handy and promising skill, raising it to thirty. Reading thoughts and controlling creatures was my unique ability. Also, no one was expecting a Prospector to have psionic abilities, so they wouldn’t take precautions. I needed to take advantage of that and improve the skill.
I placed the remaining two into Targeting. All my combat experience showed that, at medium and especially long distances, Gnat was weak all alone, practically worthless. Yes, he could shoot the Pulse rifle and even sometimes hit, but any Gunner, Machine-Gunner or Sniper would be able to do so far more effectively than my Prospector. But I had very high Perception and, with my present skills, I could detect and mark enemies from very far away, which was a much greater help.
Well, time to enter the game. I appeared just were I exited — a square in my central base, a mere three steps from Vasiliadi’s warehouses. Yesterday, I wanted to get some more grenades, and ask for another battery for my Pulse rifle, but he wasn’t there. But now, despite the late hour, the stock keeper was in the game and noticed me right away:
“Ah Gnat old boy! I haven’t seen you in a dog’s age! What’s it been, five days... or has it been six?”
“It’s been eight days, eight. But I’m happy to see you, too!”
The giant stock keeper embraced me warmly and, without the slightest hesitation, gave me everything I asked for. He even rustled up a battery for the Dark Faction rifle, which he had squirreled away somewhere even though, as far as I knew, we had a serious deficit of ammunition for captured weaponry. I then, in my turn, parted with the Laser Pistol and the two Dark Faction chameleon cloaks. Then, after some thought, I returned my kevlar jacket and the rest of the standard uniform, putting on my Listener Suit.
The fact that I had the ancient Relict armor was already known both to my allies and the Dark Faction, so hiding it would be foolish. What was more, the standard medium armor took up lots of space in my inventory and was also pretty heavy, seriously limiting my ability to carry other items. In the end, I needed to move on and part with it. But I did unclip the three trophy tails from the helmet first, putting them in my inventory so I could put them on my black Relict helmet when I had the chance.
“Look at you! That’s what I’m talking about!” Vasiliadi admired, seeing the energy armor for the first time. “I heard you got some weird cool armor, but this...”
Authority increased to 16!
Our conversation was interrupted by the loud arrival of a high-speed two-person buggy, which was being piloted by Lozovsky himself. Seeing my armor, the Diplomat just clicked his tongue, but didn’t say anything out loud, instead suggesting we go see Kosta Dykhsh as quickly as possible. Keeping him waiting would only make him madder.
* * *
WE WERE NOT ABLE to talk on the way. The Diplomat was tired and annoyed and driving over the rough terrain at night required extreme concentration. The only question he answered was about the bottles I heard clinking around in the back.
“Yes, it is vodka. It’s a gift. Geckho love it, so it might come in handy to placate Kosta.”
Despite the early hour, Dykhsh was already awake and, on hearing the buggy approach, came out of his semicircular metal dwelling. He gave me a dry greeting, just raising a hand, but even embraced Ivan Lozovsky in a sign of deep friendship.
“What happened with Radugin yesterday? Why the fall in status?” the huge furry Geckho asked first. And I glanced in surprise at our Diplomat because this was all news to me.
That topic, based on the grimace of dismay that ran over the deputy’s face, was not too fun for him, but Ivan Lozovsky was open nevertheless:
“Radugin had a break-down... He couldn’t deal with all the stress and burned out psychologically. Instead of preparing for the Dark Faction attack, he gave up and raised his hands without a fight. And that was in public, with one hundred and fifty allied players watching, which of course seriously damaged him in the eyes of his subordinates. That made his Authority fall hard. At the same time, his rank switched from Leng back to Gerd. I’m afraid that when the rest of the faction finds out in the morning, it may go beyond that that, and Radugin may fall back to a regular player...”
“Radugin was never a fighter by nature. I’ve told you that before, Ivan. But he can’t become a mere normal player. The game algorithms won’t allow it. Fame cannot fall which means that, even if his Authority is deep in the negative, Radugin will always be a Gerd,” Kosta Dykhsh said pensively. Then he asked what would happen to the former leader now, and who would take his place.
“Radugin is in the game as we speak. He’s relaxing and recovering after he just about died of a heart attack. He’s a talented economic manager, and he knows all our supply chains like the back of his hand. I personally can’t make heads or tails of them. I think our new leader will stick him in charge of production or procurement. But as for who the new leader will be... I have a promising option in mind, but it’s too early to say out loud. We need to first talk carefully with all our high-profile players, so we don’t step on any toes.”
Kosta Dykhsh and Ivan Lozovsky spent a bit of time in thoughtful silence, then the furball turned to me:
“Last night, the diplomatic channels were abuzz with alarming news about the start of a war between the Union of Miyelonian Prides and the Meleyephatian Horde. Meanwhile, I got a very unexpected request from Kung Waid Shishish: ‘Find out when the Human Gerd Gnat returns to our space and immediately interrogate him to find out why he started a war between two great spacefaring races. Report your results immediately.’”
Authority increased to 17!
Ivan Lozovsky gave a whistle of surprise and immediately asked what I’d stepped in this time. Before answering, I turned my attention on a different matter:
“So, the political and military protector of humanity Waid Shishish has become a Kung?”
“Yes, he was promoted just the day before last,” the Geckho Diplomat confirmed and, after lowering his voice, added: “The Geckho have no doubt that Waid Shishish, famed for his warlike nature and bloodthirstiness, will want to take part in this conflict. Especially now that he’s a Kung, which means ‘leader of many divisions,’ in the ancient protolanguage. He will want to use it to cement his new status. But I cannot figure out whose side the Geckho will join. Or why Kung Waid Shishish is so certain the Human Gnat could tell him what started this war.”
Well, I did know. Both the official story and the version the Morphian told me. But I could not tell the Morphian’s tale, where the Meleyephatians themselves had been set up by some unknown client. That would mean mentioning Gnat’s deep conversations with Fox, which would cause many uncomfortable questions. Also, the Geckho might perceive my Miyelonian companions negatively in that case, which could bring a different kind of problem.
So, trying to avoid the sharp edges in the story of Gnat’s adventure on Medu-Ro IV, I told the story as I heard it from the great Priestess Amiru.
Yes, I knew where my conversation with the Geckho Diplomat would lead. Right after hearing all this, Kung Waid Shishish, not known for his long temper, would accuse the Meleyephatians of attempting to turn the Geckho and Miyelonians against one another. After that, the Geckho would band together with the Union of Miyelonian Prides and go to war. Did I feel any pangs of conscience over that? Well, why now? The war was inevitable, and my answers would only change whose side we fought for.
When I brought up Leng Amiru U-Mayaoo, I was interrupted for the first time:
“So you spoke personally with the incarnation of the Great Female?!” It was funny to compare expressions of astonishment on the faces of different races, and I had a hard time holding back a smile.
Authority increased to 18!
I confirmed my encounter with the great Priestess and carried on. In the end, I finished with Gnat being released along with my Miyelonian friends under guard of the First Pride. Both Diplomats remained jumpy for some time, vying with each other to clarify various details. I was worried about the Geckho diplomat’s possible reaction to the two Miyelonians now on Earth, but the furball took this news with utter calm and even ambivalence, just asking their levels and classes. Finally, Kosta Dykhsh thought he’d heard enough and sharply changed topic.
Screwing his furry face up into a frightening expression, he took a red crystal the size of a pinky finger from a large pouch on his belt:
“Yesterday evening, Geckho vassals from what you call the Dark Faction placed a huge order for equipment and materials at our space port. They tried to pay for the goods with counterfeit crystals. Of course, they have been severely punished for the fraud. But that led to questions. They fingered you two as the source of the false currency. And ugh, I should of course interrogate you both and really work you over, so you won’t do it again but, as far as I can see, your faction has already been punished for the attempted trade with a dishonest merchant...”
Ivan Lozovsky and I nodded in syncopation, lowering our heads and doing everything we could to demonstrate repentance and humility.
“How much platinum did you sell for all those crystals?” Kosta Dykhsh asked, and Ivan Lozovsky, interrupting me, said we sold six hundred seventy-five pounds and for that the smugglers gave us two million crystals.
“Well, well...” the Geckho shook his head in reproach. “A whole six hundred seventy-five pounds! If you were selling it at my rate, Ivan, you’d have gotten an honest one hundred fifty thousand crystals. And that would be real, unlike what you got stuck with. Maybe, for such a large shipment, my friends would have given you one hundred fifty-five thousand, if the quality was excellent. So take this as a lesson for the future and don’t get into any more sticky business with illegal smugglers. That is all, you are both free to go! But before you leave, take that box off your vehicle and bring it over...”
