Opening Moves (The Gam3 Book 1) (22 page)

Alan had a feeling the Chief Administrator was messing with him now. Alan decided to exit the game, see if there was much of a change in real life. His parents were probably worried about him, although it seemed odd to think of his parents now. Of reality. There were also questions he wanted to ask Icewolf about.

So
Alan proceeded to capsule room, returned Home, and logged out.

The Game is lost.

-Unknown

“Yes, I know. I love you too, bye,” Alan said exasperatedly, ending the video conference with his parents. He’d contacted them right after he’d gotten out of the Game. The log out had not been immediate, the process taking around two and a half hours before Alan emerged back into the real world. Alan didn't remember any of it. As he answered his parents’ questions, or at least the ones he was allowed to answer, he’d checked his email. He had one from Icewolf to contact him once he finished the Tutorial, but other than that nothing important.

Despite the Chief Administrator’s warning, everything seemed… ordinary. Alan had emerged feeling slightly stronger, maybe healthier, but that was it. No Eve in his head. If anything, the main disorienting feature was the lack of his enhancements. His thoughts felt sluggish, his memory foggy, his body frail. Reality somehow felt a bit less real, as if everything was slightly out of focus.

Feeling a bit hungry, Alan looked about the room. Two of the capsules were currently in use: Kitana’s and the one next to hers. Icewolf's and the last capsule were empty. Alan wondered whose it was. He assumed one of them was Kitana's mentor, whom he still hadn't met. The kitchen appeared to be fully stocked, but since Alan hadn’t ever bothered to learn to cook, he decided to go downstairs to the company kitchen which had a hired chef. Despite the fact that this was the room where he had stayed in for the past few weeks, only a week real time, it still felt foreign. The rich decor, the paintings and the penthouse view made Alan feel a bit uncomfortable.

Alan checked the sign in the elevator; the kitchen was on the fifteenth floor. Swiping his ID card he’d gotten from Omnitech, he proceeded downstairs. The kitchen was a fairly simple place, with a granite counter-top and a wooden dining table that could seat 12 people. A few people were there, eating at the table, wearing the standard light grey Omnitech jumpsuits. One person was standing behind the counter, a young man in a white chef’s coat. Alan assumed they were the chef. He asked for a burger with fries. The chef muttered something about everyone never asking him to make actual food.

Alan pulled out his phone, looking to see if any major news had happened while he was gone. Apparently a lot had, with Russia, China and a number of non-NATO countries withdrawing from the United World Government over a dispute about where the tax money going, with a claim that an emphasis was being put on western projects. Of course, as all violence took place in-game, this seemed like a peaceful transition to the public, but the in-game ramifications could be startling. Rumors were now circulating that these countries had started funding the Legion of Man, and were preparing to set up their own force in-game to take back the Control Points in their homeland.

Alan wondered about the foolishness of mankind. In about another year and a half aliens could potentially start a war and try to take over Earth, and here people were wasting tons of resources fighting each other. Well, unfortunately he couldn’t do too much about it now. He’d try to keep better track of how things evolved on the news though.

He texted Icewolf that he was back in the realm of the living.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder. Alan turned to look around, and saw a non-descript man in an Omnitech jumpsuit.

“Are you Adampwnage?”

“Uh, yes, that’s my username.”

“I have a message from the Legion of Man. Just letting you know, I’m a messenger, and bear you no ill will.” The man looked about nervously. Alan gestured for him to continue.

“Their message is as follows: Stop messing with Earth politics. Or else.”

“Or else? Or else what?”

The man shrugged. “I don’t know, that was it. I should get back to the Game.”

He turned around and left.

Feeling rather unsettled, Alan finished his meal, then went back up to the penthouse. How had the Legion of Man tracked him down in real life? And how did they tie him to any of his actions? What did they actually know? The Enforcers made sure no actual violence happened in the real world… right?

He stepped out of the elevator, and found Icewolf waiting for him, sitting behind a wooden desk in a corner of the room. Alan couldn't remember if it had been there before.

"Hello Alan, it seems you've had quite the eventful Tutorial. You definitely took my words to heart. I doubt any other player has acted as brazenly as you."

Alan took a seat opposite Icewolf, trying to recall his advice. Treat the Game like a game, or something like that.

"So," Icewolf said, drawing out the syllable, "what are your next plans?"

"Well, it was recommended that I join this Black Rose guild, so I thought I'd check them out," Alan said.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Icewolf asked.

"What?" Alan paused. "Oh, you mean the debt I owe you? I've been making tons of money, I should be able to pay you back in a matter of months."

"No, that wasn't the plan," Icewolf said, slowly shutting his eyes, gripping the edge of the wooden desk. Alan shifted his seat backwards. "You were to take the Grasshopper to Mars, and then complete a few tasks for me there."

"Look, I can still help you with whatever you want, just on Khersath," Alan said. "I don't understand what the big deal is."

"The big deal is that I expected you to help me on Mars, not Khersath!" Icewolf shouted. "It's like I handed you an airplane ticket to LA, dropped you off at the airport, and then you ended up on the moon. There are tasks I need done on Mars, by someone I trust. I have people in Khersath."

"Do you have people in the Black Rose guild?" Alan asked.

"No."

"So let me try to join them."

"No, as soon as you reach Khersath you need to take the first ship back to Sol," Icewolf said.

Alan stared at Icewolf for a second, then said, "I'm sorry but I don't think I can do that. Unless you can tell me what's so important on Mars, I have it on good authority that I will become much stronger as a player if I join a well respected guild."

"Good authority?"

"A Chief Administrator."

Icewolf paused.

"And they told you to join this guild?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry," Icewolf said, rubbing a hand over his face, "but I need your help on Mars. I'm calling in my debt."

"And why should I listen to you?" Alan said.

"Because the contract says you should."

Alan glanced at Icewolf. "Um, what contract?"

"The debtor’s contract, the one where you agreed to pay me back for the capsule."

"I don't remember signing anything," Alan said.

"You don't need to sign anything under galactic law, there just needs to be tangible evidence of agreement."

"Like in the Game," Alan said.

"Yes, like agreements in the Game," Icewolf said. "You need to pay more attention to the world around you; the rules have changed. You agreed verbally, and that would be enough for the Enforcers. I am demanding you pay me back right now, and if you can't come up with the sum you will end up my indentured servant. Then, I will order you to come to Mars."

"But you said the capsule is worth more than a million credits. I could just sell it," Alan said.

"Sure, but you'd have to find a buyer within twelve hours. Capsules aren't really liquid assets, they're tailored to the individual."

"I could sell my AI."

"Yes, you could," Icewolf said, "though I doubt you would. I can see it in your eyes, you're hooked on the Game and won't ever stop playing. Look Alan, I'm not trying to make you take such drastic action. We were guildmates, but this is something much bigger than that. You have a week to find the money and a connection to the Black Rose guild. Otherwise, you come back to Mars, okay?"

Alan thought it over, looking up the laws on the Internet. It seemed like Icewolf really did have him under contract, and he could end up a virtual slave to him if he didn't pay him back. He stared at Icewolf. "Fine."

Icewolf nodded. "Good, but this changes plans I have. Message me in-game when you get the chance." He stood up, walked over to his capsule, and entered.

Alan took a deep breath, looking up at the ceiling. A week to get a million credits, ten million dollars. It should be doable, and in the worst case he'd just end up taking a flight back to Mars. Still, he would need to try to come up with the money, fast; he didn't want to be beholden to Icewolf forever.

He quickly changed clothes even though they seemed to be perfectly clean. He’d still been in them for a little less than a week in real life time. Then, he climbed back into his capsule, and closed his eyes.

Opening his eyes, Alan found himself back in his Home. The change was astounding: his thoughts became more coherent, faster; the comfortable sense of Eve’s background calculations settled in his head. Alan could now tell that she was constantly scanning for signs of danger, potential harm or potential gain, calculating risks and rewards associated with particular actions, examining every minute detail of the world around them. It was astounding, really. Yet, at the same time, it became increasingly clear she was a lot less… human. All of her choices, her actions, were a series of probabilistic calculations, nested loops within nested loops going so deep it was impossible for Alan to follow. Alan looked up at the Administrator in his Home. Her tag read “Senior Executive B31400AD32.”

Alan briefly considered spending his 500 ability points he got from the Tutorial, but then decided against it. He should find out more first, figure out what he was going to do before he began improving his character. In most MMOs (massively multiplayer online games) each class’s talent tree was carefully examined, optimal builds found after hours of testing. Alan was sure in-game guides were as abundant and varied, as the amount of customization capable within the Game was staggering, eclipsing any other game he had ever played.

Alan quickly checked out how much it would cost to teleport within the Game, and his jaw dropped at the prices. Teleportation to the nearest major city, which was now Khersath, would cost over a million credits. Other cities were shown as options as well, but it would cost tens or hundreds of millions to teleport to them. You’d have to either be really rich or need to get somewhere in a real hurry to use this teleport system.

Shaking his head, Alan had the Game send him back to his respawn and logout point, the capsule room on board the Titan. He quickly made it back to his room and began to gather information on the globalnet, searching for ways to make money, helping Eve to make her own searches into class abilities, damage, and item choices while he tried to plan out what he’d do next. AIs weren't allowed to directly interface with the globalnet. Instead, Alan had to scroll through screens and click on things for her. He was able to set up a few macros fairly quickly, automatic processes that trawled through the entirety of websites.

The globalnet turned out to be a rather interesting place, as your in-game account was tied to your online account. Thus, if you wanted to post or view anything online it could be tied back to you. Tied to your account was a rating, using the standard in-game rating system, which would rise or fall depending on your actions online. Alan’s current globalnet-rating was D, as knowing a Chief Administrator was apparently a big plus.

With a quick search Alan found out what a Chief Administrator actually was. With only 200 of them at any given time, they were essentially the highest echelon of the Administrators, voting for major choices such as revising in-game rules. The degree to which they could actually change things was actually limited though. People had likened them to the US Supreme Court, interpreting the laws but not changing them. Alan had to forcibly stop himself from reading more, since while Administrator politics were no doubt interesting, he didn’t have the time. There was just so much free information open to him, back story that he could explore.

As he delved deeper into the globalnet pay walls began to appear. The main site used for information was called the Hub. You could either pay credits to access more than the basic information or sell information for additional access, credits, or rating points. Various portions of the Hub were only accessible if you met various requirements, like a minimum globalnet-rating, a credit amount, or some other condition. Alan quickly found the human-only section, and found the top beginner’s guide. It was a free guide written and updated by the United World Government. For good measure, he read the overall top beginner’s guide on the entire site as well, which wasn't limited to a specific race. (The latter cost 100 credits to access.)

The majority of the information turned out to be things Alan already knew, like advising players to get the Gifted and Talented abilities if they didn’t begin with them, and an intro about the major factions. Interestingly, it was noted that a sizable number of players, maybe around 30%, actually developed non-combative roles, such as engineers, scientists, merchants or even laborers. Both guides advised that newer players join a guild or faction, with the United World Government stressing that people should join their faction, but Alan refrained from doing so.

Still, the benefits groups provided in-game were astounding. They often had special items, travelling arrangements, skills and training grounds. In addition, most major quests and events could only be attempted with a large group. It was also highly suggested that new players save up and take out a loan or find a sponsor, usually a guild or government, to attend an academy or institute. Like the Chief Administrator had told Alan, these places were basically boot camps that increased players’ capabilities a great deal, streamlining the early leveling process and teaching people how to fight in-game. For someone like Alan who had no previous combat experience, this could be quite helpful, though Alan now had Eve to help him. They could also, once he was accepted, provide a loan, solving his debt issues. He'd ensure there were standard monthly payments this time.

Alan began looking into the guild the Chief Administrator recommended, the Black Rose guild. It was a member of the Mercenary Bloc, a coalition of mercenary guilds that agreed to not take out contracts that opposed each other. When incensed, the Mercenary Bloc could field a force capable of rivaling any major faction’s. That had only happened a few times in history when… Right, Alan shouldn’t get sidetracked.

The guild was relatively small, with only a few thousand members, but what they lacked in numbers, they made up with talent. The Black Rose guild was apparently for elite, specialized players, a guild easily in the top 100 of the Game. It was a special forces guild that concentrated less on fighting all out wars and more on discrete operations like capturing specific targets or fighting in places where ability mattered more than numbers. That sounded pretty cool to Alan.

He quickly searched for the contact the Chief Administrator had given him, a player called PhantomGlitch who went by Phantom. Alan didn’t expect anything to turn up, but to his surprise he got an immediate result. Phantom was apparently an Erudian inventor, who worked as an engineer/tech specialist for the Black Rose guild. A picture of him accepting an award was shown. He looked to be a human in his early 30s, with brown hair and a handsome face.

According to the Hub page, Phantom held a few fairly major patents, mostly having to do with improved weapon scopes. There was additional information listed on the public page about him, but it said you needed to be female to view it. Alan proceeded to message him, with the intentions of trying to join the Black Rose guild. The guides said guild testing and trials could be as arduous as the Tutorial. The Black Rose apparently had as low as a 1% acceptance rate even though they accepted applications from only the best. Alan prepared to send a message to Phantom.

Don't mention the debt,
Eve sent.

Why not?
Alan asked.

Basic negotiation tactics. If they know you're over a barrel they'll squeeze you for all you got.

Uh, okay
. Alan sent a reworded message and quickly received a reply.

Alan: Hello Phantom, I wish to try out for the Black Rose guild. I am a highly skilled human player capable of learning new things quickly. Chief Administrator 170 recommended I join your guild.

PhantomGlitch: Hello. So you’re the player that the old Chief recommended? Alright, I’ll give you a simple task I want you to complete. If you complete the task I’ll interview you to see if you can be my squire. How soon do you think you can make it to Khersath? I can arrange to get you transport or get you teleported somewhere closer if you’re really far away.

Alan: Um, I’m just nine hours away, aboard a ship named the Titan. Also, this is the first time I’m doing something like this, anything I should prepare? What position is a squire? Can you tell me more about the guild/what would be required of me?

PhantomGlitch: Oh cool, you should make it in time then for the next noob launch. It should be an interesting time… Following the Chief’s advice has never failed me so far, so no need to prepare anything special. If you have his class you should be able to assist me with my research quite easily. Don’t worry, I won’t give anything away to anyone else. I’ll tell them you’re a promising recruit, and as the Chief Administrator told me you managed to survive all three rounds of the Survival Test, you are.

Now, a bit about the guild, I suppose. The “rigid” hierarchy is as follows: Elissandra (the Guild Leader), Generals, Knight-Commanders, Knights, Lieutenants and then everyone below that you can generally ignore or order about. That’s what I do. I’m a Knight of the guild, and the third highest ranked science officer.

Oh right, I’ll send you an example contract, it has the details of working for the guild. A squire is an apprentice basically. Being my squire shouldn’t be a difficult task. In fact, it will allow you to do your own thing, mostly testing experimental equipment, so you’ll get shiny new items not on the market if you get the position! The starting pay will be about 10,000 credits a month, plus whatever bonuses you get from missions or quests you finish, minus guild taxes, demerits and whatever other debt you have.

If it doesn’t seem like you’ll be a good fit as my squire, then we’ll figure out if you fit somewhere else in the guild. But, like I said, the Chief has never been wrong as long as I’ve known him. The initial contract binds you to the guild for five years. If you want to quit, you’ll be able to, but it’ll cost you around a million credits. No one’s quit in the first five years for as long as I can remember though. Sure, a few deaths, betrayals, and spies, but no one quit. Anyways, I got to go, but I look forward to meeting with you. Complete my task and get to the Black Rose Docking Bay on Khersath by 1100 tomorrow morning. If you know anyone else that might be a good fit for the guild, invite them too.

Alan: Sure. Thanks a lot for this opportunity!

Alan ended the conversation, and was notified he received a new message containing the Black Rose contract. A quest window popped up:

Alan began searching for information about the Undercity, and in the process learned quite a bit about Khersath. Unfortunately, the globalnet didn’t contain any pictures. No free ones, at least. Khersath was apparently an ecumenopolis, a city that made up the entire planet; the planet had roughly twice the radius of Earth. It was home for hundreds of billions of players, trillions of robots or other beings, and consisted of over 100 levels, each level around 5-stories tall. Every level was built on top of another, and the ground was rarely if ever seen by Khersath’s inhabitants. The most prominent and prestigious buildings were all on the top floor, where there was actual sunlight. The city-planet was divided into quadrants and each of those quadrants were further divided by levels in terms of class, species and other factors. There was a military quadrant, a merchant quadrant, a living quadrant and a private quadrant. At the center was the main plaza area. A player could easily spend their entire life in the Game simply playing on and in Khersath. While the majority of the planet was a safe-zone, there were multiple combat and hostile zones as well.

According to the Hub, the Undercity was the lowest portion of Khersath, and as the name suggested was home to the more dangerous and seedy elements of the city-planet. It was one of the few inhabited combat-zones, where combat between players was allowed. Hostile-zones were, like they sounded, zones generally uninhabited by players, but full of enemies to battle and potential items. There was little free information about the Undercity on the globalnet, not even any indication of how to enter it. Luckily, the quest provided Alan with a few supposed entrance locations, but as his map of the planet was mostly blank, the only location that was useful was one near the center of Khersath where the four quadrants met, by the main plaza. The main Administrative Center was in the main plaza as well, which was a place he wanted to visit. He’d have to figure out how he’d get there though…

Well, there were other things for Alan to do. He quickly sent a message to Icewolf after Eve reminded him, then, after a bit of consideration, sent another message to Kitana, Ace and Daisy informing them of the Black Rose guild tryouts. He and Eve then looked over the sample contract. Unlike beforehand where he would need to trust that Eve knew what was best, he was now able to get a sense of her reasoning, which was interesting. Eve had a clear way of weighing disadvantages and advantages, examining likely chances of worst or best case scenarios, a never ending dividing future that continued to propagate until
—

Alan froze, his head suddenly starting to hurt. Whatever the case was, Eve was much less human than he had thought. She was definitely a machine. An intelligent machine, but one that only valued what Alan told it to value. At least, that was the impression Alan got. For all he knew Eve 2.0 might be hiding things, plotting behind his back…. but thinking that way would lead to madness. He would trust Eve, and hopefully she’d continue to act in a way that benefited them.