Chapter Three
Damien had designed his personal VR pod, to look like an exact replica of Darth Vader’s meditation chamber. Sitting down, automated robotic arms went to work connecting him into the simulator. Initiating the closing of the pod sequence, he was looking forward to once again visiting feudal Japan. It had been years since he last toyed within it.
The thing you need to understand about “The Way of Shadow” was Damien’s perspective at the time of its creation. He had just graduated from MIT at seventeen, and not only was his college experience rushed but his entire social development had been advanced prematurely. This resulted in leaving him hormonally supercharged and sexually frustrated by age-appropriate alienation.
Socially discriminated while being a super nerd with anti-social tendencies, led directly to Damien’s near obsession with creating his own virtual reality simulation. After all, how could a self-respecting nerd not want Neo’s power over the Matrix, all while not having to worry about mechanical overlords.
Damien wanted an experience that was Indiscernible from reality. He dreamed of an environment that was viable to all five senses. His first breakthrough came via the realization that a conscious mind could not be hacked. Instead, his path led through the unconscious mind’s unguarded dream state.
This led Damien to develop “Lucid dream” A synthetic chemical compound, that safely induced the user into a stable controllable dream state. It was so effective, with no discernible side effects, that it completely dominated the anesthetics drug market almost overnight.
However, tapping into the subconscious mind was like visiting an alien planet while tripping on hallucinogens. It took time, but Damien eventually worked up a computerized dream interface, that didn''t control the dream state but instead directed it through inducing a digitally constructed framework.
The framework allowed Damien to treat the dream the same way one operates a camera’s focus. Taking charge of the direction and focus of the dream was just the beginning. He then began the arduous task of introducing individual frameworks for the subconscious mind to latch onto and assimilate, letting the dreaming mind build up the virtual dream world.
Damien’s next substantial breakthrough was devising the “Repetitive Dream Sequence”, by artificially introducing a user to experience the same dream over consecutive dream dives. At first it was simply reliving the same dream from start to finish over and over. However, through refining the process the induced dream experience was lengthened and broken into a sequence of targeted events, allowing the user to enter and exit at integral staging points.
By this point Damien had accumulated a massive fortune through patent licensing royalties and events were beginning to take on momentum all by themselves. His research began to splinter off into a wide range of different fields. He realized it was only a matter of time before his dream of “Full Immersion Virtual Reality” became an actual reality. The foundation had been successfully laid, and now was the time for him to begin planning the actual content of his virtual environment.
“The Way of Shadow” was Damien’s unfinished pet virtual reality, that he continued working on as a hobbyist, whenever he needed a break from IRL (In Real Life).
The setting of the reality was based on 15th century feudal Japan, and the fully interactive environment was authentic open world format. The playable content involved a story line centered around the prevalent espionage activities of the Ninja, who were stealth soldiers and mercenaries hired mostly by the Daimyos.
To stabilize the gaming element of the environment, and establish law and order, Damien incorporated the ruling class and samurai, as the lawfully good NPC (Non-player character) faction. They provided secure safe zones as law-enforcement, as well as took on the role of quest givers throughout the gaming world.
The Ninja clans were introduced as the chaotic evil faction, and the target of the Playable characters (as a ninja initiate), whose majority of their attention would be directed towards maneuvering unseen around the Samurai.
Damien also provided “the Players” who enjoyed role-playing the hero trope, the opportunity to choose the renegade ninja path upon completion of the tutorial. In which case the Samurai would become their allies and the ninja clans their mortal enemies.
Damien devised the tutorial to be an authentic dream sequence, that required “the Player” to meet targeted goals to proceed. The time frame was completely open ended, with day/night “log-out" cycles that were created to completely submerged “the Player” into the martial culture called “Ninjutsu”. In other words, it was ninja boot camp from hell.
Damien had no desire to portray the Ninja as anything other than a pure evil faction. Therefore, he created the training arc of the tutorial to be overly harsh and brutal from the beginning to the end. One part of his motive for doing so was to shock “the Player” out of their modern-day sensibilities.
The other motivating factor was “the Player’s” eventual choice between leaving or staying. Staying within the Ninja faction was equivalent to joining the evil camp. Whereas leaving was equivalent to joining the good camp. As a combat-oriented culture Damien wanted to aggravate the animosity between the two rivaling ninja factions. He wanted to draw out the player’s ingrained nature and make the choice more of a personal ideology than simply choosing a side. He wanted genuine emotion involved, as well as highlighting the player’s true personality.
Damien was also a diehard PVP (player verse player) enthusiast and simply couldn’t imagine not incorporating a healthy PVP element into his own personal world.
“The Player” enters the ninja clan as an initiate, and is trained in disguise techniques, survival, medicine, poisons, and explosives. Physical training involved long-distance runs, climbing, and stealth methods of walking.
“The Player” must meet a set requirement of skill to progress to the rank of “Genin”, the rank “Genin” are the regular NPC ally/enemy, they are the expendable foot soldiers of the ninja clans. Once “the Player’s” achieves this rank, it is at this stage, they will be introduced to the Ninjutsu lifestyle, learning not only information on combat training, but also information about daily needs. The guidance provided for daily work also included elements that enable the ninja to understand the martial qualities of even the most menial task. These factors show how Ninjutsu establishes the fundamental principle of adaptation.
Only by reaching the rank of Chunin, can “the Player” graduate the tutorial. The NPC, “Minni bosses” are all at this rank, and act as field commanders who are stronger versions of the regular foot soldiers. Reaching this rank also triggers one of two main quest lines: “Act I “The Escape” or “Act I: Survive”.
It is at this point in the story line, that “The Player” is introduced to their first “Main Boss” level character, “the Master” who is the leader of the tutorial ninja clan, who is a “Jonin” raked ninja. The ninjas of this clan act as freelance agents mainly employed by the warring military governments of the Daimyos. The Shogunate also provides a variety of quests from monitoring the regional Daimyos, to directly interacting with the cutthroat politics of the Imperial court.
Damien’s purpose of loading “the way of shadow” was to synchronize the training level between himself and his “Cybernetic HIVE memory core matrix” via the virtual reality interactive lifestyle simulation. He took inspiration from the movie, “Total Recall”, his aspiration was to teach his memory core “the Ninjutsu” lifestyle as well as gain some combat experience. The “Devil” and “the Almighty” made it perfectly clear that this reality was a perpetual war zone, and fighting was likely to be an inevitability.
Damien’s intro into the game world was literally the act of coming back to life. He specifically recreated the sensation of being resuscitated, as the first experience for “the player” waking up inside the virtual environment. This time was no different, as he came to life inside the simulation, desperately sucking in a lung full of air.
“Take it slow, kid. You were just with the ancestors a moment ago.”
Damien found a familiar character kneeling over him. His name is Rei Zoku, an old man who is a recruiter for this region’s ninja clan and would proceed to guide “the player” as his designated “NPC tutorial guide” for the foreseeable future.
“Alfred. Pause simulation.”
“Very good Sir. The simulation is now paused. Will there be anything else Sir?”
“Alfred, initiate power-up sequence for the “Cybernetic HIVE micro-ARC power core.”
“Very good Sir. The power up sequence has been initiated; Power core is actively absorbing atmospheric particles; Power core reactor chamber has been ignited; Power core reaction has stabilized; Power core is now generating power; Generated power is being transmitted to micro-capacitor banks; Cybernetic micro-ARC power core start-up sequence is completed. Will there be anything else Sir?”
“Alfred, activate “Cybernetic HIVE power management and distribution interface.”
“Very good Sir. I have activated “Cybernetic HIVE power management and distribution interface.” The system is now online and transmitting power to all systems. Will there be anything else Sir?”
“Alfred, bring all remaining cybernetic systems online.”
“Very good Sir. I have activated all cybernetic systems; All cybernetic systems are online. Will there be anything else Sir?”
Damien suddenly had a queer sensation flush through him, that left him feeling as if all his biological functions became automated and mechanical. Then he realized that was precisely the point. He had designed all the “Cybernetic HIVE life support systems” to manage those functions automated. They regulated his heartbeat, filter his blood, dispose of bio-waste, and many other minute but necessary biological functions the human body did organically.
“Alfred, create a virtual character skin of my current physical body. Formulate it as close to approximately reflected by its estimated physical traits, attributes, and characteristics. Once completed you may import “character skin” into the simulation”
“Very good Sir. importing “Skin” ..., 5 ..., 4 ...,3 ..., 2 ..., 1 ..., now. Will there be anything else Sir?”
Damien’s virtual body proceeded to liquify, like the T2000 from the movie “Terminator 2” and then began changing its shape, growing larger, while taking on the alien features of his cybernetic body. However, this did not align with the storyline, as “The player”, starts out in the tutorial as a fifteen-year-old kid, regardless of their actual age IRL “In Real Life”. Due to this, he installed stringent security protocols on site at the more “adult focused” content. This did present him with an opportunity to try out one of his experimental abilities.
“Alfred lets test drive the shape shifting process; Utilize the original Japanese youth’s rendering as our target model.”
“Very good Sir. I have prepared the selected target for replicating; I will trigger the polymorph sequence in 5..., 4..., 3..., 2..., 1..., now. Will there be anything else Sir?”
Damien felt the oddest sensation as the automation of the “micro-robotic control-surfaces" of his skeletal structure began a systematic shift to emulate the targeted 3D rendering. It was extremely disturbing, like having ants crawling under his skin. Fortunately, it didn’t last long and quickly faded.
“Alfred, project my current rendering, alongside the target model’s.”
“Very good Sir, Will there be anything else Sir?”
Damien compared the two 3D renderings and was both impressed, and unimpressed in the overall shape shifting results. First, he celebrated the successes, “the ability” was able to perfectly copy the target’s facial features, body shape, and musculature. It also perfectly matched both the skin and hair coloring.
However, that was where the successes ended, and the failures began. “The ability” was unable to alter items such as ear shape, eye color, hair length, and the most glaring shortcoming of all was its inability to change his overall height. All in all, it wasn’t a complete right off, “the ability” could still allow him to alter his identity at will, without needing to utilize complicated disguises. He could also see its usefulness in blending into a crowd or losing a tail.
Damien tried to sit up and was not surprised to find his body lethargic and mostly unresponsive. Now that he had his simulated virtual body straightened out, he could begin training his “Cybernetic HIVE memory core matrix”.
“Alfred, load the “Basic Human Motor Skill Routine” to my HUD.”
“Very good Sir, I have uploaded the “Basic Human Motor Skill Routine” to your HUD, via a UI virtual window. Will there be anything else Sir?”
Damien watched as a “virtual display window” materialized in the top left corner of his HUD and began a systematic walk-through, that was synchronized to the virtual avatar. It appeared to be a very basic beginner yoga-like routine, that continuously played the first transition on repeat. However, this was a carefully thought-out process which “Winter’s Technologies” had devised to train their robots in “basic human motor functions”. This was only the first of many routines, with this one having forty-two individual body transitions. The estimated completion time for just this one routine was estimated at seven hours, forty-two minutes and twenty-two seconds, from start to finish.
Damien had to focus on driving the virtual avatar, through the entire routine. He couldn’t simply race through the poses and finish. Instead, each transition was carefully monitored for proficiency. Without reaching that set level of proficiency the avatar could not proceed. Leaving him to repeatedly perform the transitional pose until he could meet the targeted goal. This allowed the adaptive coding program to write and refine “the memory” in the “Cybernetic HIVE memory core matrix”.
Damien was no stranger to the process and had driven an avatar through the process numerous times during its development. This time was no different, as he met with no surprises, and completed the entire process within the estimated time frame. Damien was finally able to stand up and move around freely within the simulation. It was only the most basic routine, so his motor skills were still a bit clumsy much like a two-year-old. However, “the adaptive learning program” would continuously run in the background of the simulation, while continuously refining the code till it reached a quantifiable level of diminishing return. For now, however, he at least regained his full range of motion, in which he moved over to take up his place next to the frozen Rei Zoku...,
“Alfred, resume simulation.”
“Very good Sir. Simulation will resume in 5..., 4...,3..., 2..., 1..., now. Will there be anything else Sir?”
Alfred, that will be all. You can return to your housekeeping duties.”
“Very good Sir.”
Damien’s surroundings unfroze, letting Rei Zoku, finish clearing his throat, If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“I’ll be honest with you, kid..., That elixir I just used to bring you back to life, wasn’t mine to give. It was given to me by my master, to preserve my life if needed. My life is the property of my master, but you..., You are not my master’s property. I fear I might have only postponed your death. My master is not the benevolent sort, he will demand payment equivalent to the elixir, and it is more than either of us can afford.”
Damien nodded along already knowing where the storyline was heading and played along.
“I’m just trash. Why did you even bother saving me?”
“It is your status as an orphan, which convinced me to risk my master''s wrath. As an orphan of acceptable age, you are qualified to enter my master’s service. However, it is important that you understand this will be equivalent to entering slavery. Once you’ve accepted master’s service, there is no leaving, at least not alive. And to try an escape is to be hunted for the rest of your life. You should consider carefully, your next move.”
“I.., I can’t exactly spit out the pill, can I? So, my life might as well already belong to your master.”
“You’re right my master won’t let you go.”
“Fine then, it seems simple if there’s no other choice.”
Damien designed the simulation to have no cut scenes. Every action needed to be acted out, eating, sleeping or traveling, regardless of how inconvenient or tedious. However, it was because of these simple mundane features that granted a much deeper immersion into the simulation. Sleeping was an exception; it was the only action that allowed “the player” to access the “log-out" menu. However, the location chosen to “log-out" was very important, as you would suffer consequences if you laid down in the wrong spot: death or jail were just some of the more common results.
Even though Damien had reached his initial goal, of achieving “basic human motor function”, he still wanted to complete the tutorial to teach his “Cybernetic HIVE memory matrix”; the “Basic Ninjutsu Training”. Thus, he continued the simulation until he could safely “log out”, Only then would he go back to tend to his physical body.
Damien joined Rei Zoku, as they walked together through the city of medieval Japan. As they walked, the old man began instructing him on how to live and operate inside the simulation. This did not include any ninja training, only purely civilian grade education into the everyday life and history of Japan.
“Hey kid..., you got a name?”
This was actually a very important question that the player needed to take seriously. This would be “the player’s” name and identity inside “the way of shadow” until they deleted their account. Damien only gave it a second’s consideration,
“It’s... Hiroshi.”
“Hiroshi..., you now belong to my master, and we can’t have you shaming him by wearing these rags. Come let''s head to the market, while I regale you with our people’s long and glorious history.”
Damien followed along indulging the old man as he tuned out the all too familiar recitation of Japan''s timeline;
The first human inhabitants of these Japanese archipelago have been traced to the Paleolithic era, around 38–39,000 years ago...,
Damien nodded along absentmindedly already knowing the past, present, and future of Japan. Looking around at the archaic city filled with NPC bots going about their business, he had to admit, the Japanese people had created a beautiful society. Of course, he understood this was only a surface level beauty, and what lay beneath suffered all the same shortcomings of any human society.
Even in modern times, the world simmered under an uneasy peace. Damien considered that perhaps peace was a state of imbalance for humanity. Perhaps conflict was a human’s most perfect state of being.
Damien was brought out of his inner mussing by Rei Zoku’s voice.
Look at this market, it’s only been in the last century that our markets have developed to this extent. Most towns have a weekly market or at least one held three times a month, where merchants can travel to their regions and where farmers can sell off their surplus goods.
Because of this our surplus foodstuffs have become more available than ever before. This is all thanks to our continual increase in our efforts to develop our agricultural techniques and tools. Even though we are still using goods to barter for other goods, we are introducing more and more coins. Our leaders see their value as a tax revenue source and are promoting them across Japan, even trying to standardize currencies, weights, and measures.
Here in the capital and other larger cities the markets have more exotic goods than just the usual non-food items available such as pottery, tools, cooking utensils, and household furniture. We’ve imported such goods as Ming porcelain, Chinese silk, Korean cotton and ginseng, spices from Thailand and Indonesia, or Japanese-made jewelry and weapons.
“We’re here. Let''s get you a proper outfit for our journey. We will be traveling outside the security of the city, and we don’t want to appear wealthy to the bandits. There for we will dress like the lower class. That means no silk, stick to clothing made of flax, hemp or cotton. Look, this is perfect for what we need, a simple matching robe and trousers.
We won’t make it far with you barefooted, so get a pair of sandals that fit. Nothing fancy, get something made from wood, or rope, no leather. Oh, and get a straw hat. If you always expect it to rain, then you’ll never be disappointed.”
Damien did as he was told and changed into his new starter gear while Rei Zoku settled the account with the merchant.
“It’s already too late to leave the city today, I know a Widow who we can stay the night with.”
There are two options depending on the age of “the Player”, one was created to house “the Players” who are minors, in which case Rei Zoku, would bring them to a typical traveler’s inn for the night.
Damien, however, was well past the 18+ benchmark, and knew that Rei Zoku would lead him to the second option, which was an isolated space within the simulation. The walled and guarded red-light district on the outskirts of the city acted just like a typical game dungeon. However, instead of a combat scenario, you were presented with a fully interactive lifestyle simulation. Inside, all the prostitutes and courtesans were ranked by price, which directly correlated to the range of services they could provide “the player”.
Unlike in the 15th century, where there were only females on offer. Damien made sure to cater to as many orientations and preferences as possible, providing fully customizable male, female, and even nonbinary NPC templates for selection. Of course, this option was only available once you successfully completed the tutorial. For now, this was just a marketing advertisement targeted at the newly arrived players.
Damien followed along, letting Rei Zoku guide him through the checkpoints. Once inside red-light district, Rei Zoku bypassed all the lavish upper-class establishments, and even the more affluent lower-class brothels. Instead, he took him to an out of the way corner where a neatly maintained courtyard was situated. Rei Zoku pulled him to a stop in front of the closed gate.
“Let me do all the talking.”
Damien followed Rei Zoku’s lead as they were welcomed inside by a very reserved female servant. They were then presented to the mistress of the house, where they were then received with a traditional tea ceremony. Everything happened very formally and rigidly adhered to etiquette. Rei Zoku leaned into Damien, and began instructing him in whispers,
“This is probably your first tea ceremony, so just follow what I do. There are basically only two general rules we need to remember.
The first rule; When it''s your turn, the customary practice involves turning to the person next in line and offering the salutation "Osakini" (Excuse me for going ahead of you,) before partaking in the sweets and later sipping the green tea. This serves as an expression of consideration and goodwill towards fellow guests at the tea gathering. Got it?”
Damien nodded, and Rei Zoku continued the lesson.
“The second rule; is for when it is your turn to drink from the bowl. You must pick up the bowl with your right hand and place it in the palm of your left hand. Then using your right hand, the bowl rotates slightly in a clockwise fashion. The purpose is to avoid drinking from the front of the bowl. Your mouth should be placed on the lateral side of the bowl and then a drink is taken. Do not consume the tea in one big gulp, but rather slowly enjoy it by drinking from the bowl about three times. Understand?”
Damien’s extensive research into Japan, made him accustomed to all of Japan’s rituals, traditions, and ceremonies, so this was nothing new to him. However, seeing the beautiful young woman put on a perfect rendition of the ceremony brought back fond memories of past dives. Soon enough the tea gathering ended, and he was formally introduced to the household.
“Hiroshi this is an old friend of mine, Madam Song, and the elegant young lady who performed the tea ceremony is her daughter Shiharu.”
Both mother and daughter wore the finest clothes made of silk, which were beautifully embroidered with designs of flowering plants. Each was equipped with a folding fan, and adorned with an ornate tortoiseshell hair comb, which proclaimed a certain level of status.
Damien’s design for introducing Madam Song and her daughter was as a reoccurring adoptive family for “the Player” throughout the lifespan of the character. Rei Zoku would secretively betray the Master, by continuously aiding “the Player” as the old man mentor template. Madam Song would play the seductive mother-n-law figure, who encapsulate that perfect ideal of the “cougar / milf” template. Shiharu would play the seductive older stepsister figure, who encapsulate that perfect ideal of the overly nurturing and bossy big-sister template.
“Shiharu, our little friend looks like he could use a bath, why don’t you see to his needs.”
“Yes, mother.”
Damien was led by Shiharu to the back courtyard, where a natural hot spring awaited them. This was the wonderful magic of virtual reality, there were no longer any inconveniences unless it was intentional.
Damien was very familiar with Shiharu’s company and was not at all frazzled by her demand for him to strip. Nor did he grow flustered at the sight of her own disrobing. He did discover a strange dissonance accruing between his reduced virtual and physical biology, as the scripted simulation encountered a discrepancy where the mind and body did not harmonize. He found it strangely unsettling...,
“Alfred, pause simulation.”
“Very good Sir. Will there be anything else Sir?”
“Alfred, replace “skin” with the “Parzival” avatar.”
“Very good Sir. importing “Skin” ..., 5 ..., 4 ...,3 ..., 2 ..., 1 ..., now. Will there be anything else Sir?”
Damien’s virtual body once again proceeded to liquefy, like the T2000 from the movie “Terminator 2” and then began changing its shape. Once the process finished, he was once again in the fully functioning biological form of “Parzival”. That strange dissonance abruptly ended the moment his form finished materializing.
“Alfred, resume simulation.”
“Very good Sir. Simulation will resume in 5..., 4...,3..., 2..., 1..., now. Will there be anything else Sir?”
Alfred, that will be all. You can return to your housekeeping duties.”
“Very good Sir.”
Damien was once again flooded with the simulation’s induced desire and lust. After all he had personally devised every element of this scenario to his personal preferences. It was only at that moment of stark comparison that he truly began to understand to what extent his new physical transformation had resulted in. He did find it comforting to know he could always enter the simulation to indulge his more carnal desires and were not completely lost to him.
Damien followed along obediently as always, finding Shiharu’s scripted performance entertaining. She thus instructed him to sit on a small wooden stool, where she proceeded to thoroughly scrub him from head to toe. Once they were both declared clean, she took him by the hand and led him to soak in the hot spring.
Damien enjoyed the heat, and tranquility of the atmosphere, as they contentedly soaked quietly under the stars. Sadly, the peace only lasted roughly fifteen minutes, then Shiharu dragged him free of the bath, and provided him with a simple white kimono to wear.
Shiharu led him to rejoin Madam Kai and Rei Zuko for a meal. As their guests, etiquette demanded Madam Kai served Rei Zuko, and Shiharu served him. The food was served on beautifully lacquered trays which were then placed in front of each of them on the floor. For the main dish they each had a portion of rice. For extra flavor there were side dishes of vegetables, seaweed, seafood and fruit. Along with soya bean sauce and paste, as well as wasabi and ginger. To drink they were provided with both green tea, and sake.
Damien didn’t hesitate to pick up his lacquered chopsticks and thoroughly enjoyed the virtual food. He had no intention of wasting the opportunity to once again taste authentic Earth cuisine. Besides he still remembered the enormous effort it took his team, to incorporate all five senses into the simulation.
After dinner, Shiharu led Damien into a private room with a sleeping mat, where he proceeded to respectfully decline her generous offer of sharing warmth for the night. Not that he didn’t find the idea of indulging tempting, but it was a matter of priorities. He simply needed to log out and see to the security of his physical body. He waited for Shiharu, to finish closing the Shoji door, before initiating the log-out sequence.
Damien let the VR pod finish cycling through the discharge procedures, before he could finally step out into the familiar interior of his “Mind Palace”. Not wanting to waste any time, he returned his awareness to his physical body. Only to find it sprawled out all akimbo.
Straightening his limbs and sitting up, Damien made a quick survey of his surroundings. Not much had changed, there was still too much smoke, and heat. However, thanks to his newly installed filtering systems, the smoke no longer affected him. His eyes no longer burned thanks to being hermetically sealed behind diamond contact lenses. All in all, he was extremely pleased with his new transformation.
Looking around, Damien’s HUD finally managed to lock on and highlight the six scattered “White” “Kyber crystals” he had successfully synthesized. He quickly collected them from where they had been unceremoniously scattered over the ground seemingly haphazardly. Once collected, he carefully inspected each one for the slightest bit of damage and only felt relieved after he checked the last one.
Along with the six identical “White” “Kyber crystals”, that were synthesized into octagonal prisms the size of a AAA battery. There was also his original “Silver Kyber crystal”, which he took the opportunity to refine into an octagonal prism the size of a “D battery”.
“Alfred, can hear me?”
“Very good Sir, how may I be of assistance?”
“Alfred, open “Right-hand” Kyber crystal sockets 1-3.”
“Very good Sir, granting access to “Right-hand” sockets 1-3. Will there be anything else Sir?”
Damien watched as the flawless surface on the top of his right hand cracked apart, sliding open revealing three empty octagonal prism shape sockets. He carefully inserted a “White” “Kyber crystal” into each empty socket.
“Alfred, go ahead and close up the right hand, and open up the left.”
“Very good Sir, closing “Right hand” and opening “Left-hand” Kyber crystal sockets 1-3. Will there be anything else Sir?”
Damien once again watched as the flawless surface of the top of his left hand slid apart to reveal three identical empty octagonal prism shape sockets. He once again carefully inserted a “White” “Kyber crystal” into each empty socket.
“Alfred, go ahead and close up the left hand.”
“Very good Sir, will there be anything else I can help you with?”
Damien created a fist out of his left Cybernetic hand while making double sure to aim it away from anything he wanted to keep. After taking a deep breath to calm his excitement, he gave the order,
“Alfred, applying ten percent of core power to left-hand “Cybernetic HIVE retractable light-saber claw interface”, and increase power in ten percent increments until ignition is achieved or failure occurs.”
“Very good Sir, applying ten percent power, to left-hand “Cybernetic HIVE retractable light-saber claw interface” in 5..., 4..., 3..., 2..., 1..., now”
Damien was pleasantly surprised when an electric hiss and thrum announced the birth of three slender, foot long silver energy blades humming into existence. He could help smiling like an idiot at the “Wolverine” like claws protruding from his left fist. Damien carefully waved then through the air and heard for the first time, the authentic sound effect of a light-saber blade cutting through the air.
Even though it was a truly awesome visual effect, it was still uncertain if his claws could hold up against an actual genuine lightsaber from “The Galaxy”. His claws were only being ignited by the power provided by his ARC power core. Whereas a genuine lightsaber is ignited by a rechargeable diatium power cell, also known as a diatium power core, which acts as the primary power source.
“Alfred, shut down power and begin a full analysis and run down on each emitter. Also running a full diagnostic on the entire left-hand unit. Once you’ve optimized the ignition sequence and blade tuning, go ahead and create an activation macro: “on/off” non-verbal neural interface command for each individual claw emitter. Mockup a few UI reference I-cons, denoting function status of each, the right and left-hand. Submit the most optimal one for selection and placement.”
“Very good Sir. Will there be anything else I can help you with?”
“Alfred, open forehead Kyber crystal socket.”
“Very good Sir, granting access to forehead Kyber crystal socket, now. Will there be anything else Sir?”
This time Damien had to feel around a bit, before managing to correctly line up the larger “Silver Kyber crystal” with the socket.
“Alfred, go ahead and close up forehead Kyber crystal socket.”
“Very good Sir, will there be anything else I can help you with?”
“Alfred, let''s begin just like last time, start by applying ten percent of core power to forehead “Kyber crystal”; monitor for any power spikes or fluctuations within the prototype “Cybernetic HIVE liquid Kyber crystal circulatory system interface. Increase the power in increments of ten percent until ignition is achieved or failure occurs.”
Damien was much more nervous about energizing this system, for the simple fact that it was purely theoretical. He only had proof of concept that came by way of virtual simulations, and only that it was technically feasible. He still has no clue what exactly the system did in the end. Even theoretically he wasn’t sure what was about to happen. Nor would he be all that surprised if he ended up going off like a “Romen” candle, if he was being perfectly honest.
“Very good Sir. I will begin applying power in 5..., 4..., 3..., 2..., 1..., now”
Damien had a queer sensation began in his forehead but soon spread to Damien’s brain. However, it continued to both eyes, then mouth and flowed down his throat.
“Aug.., that tastes like watermelon.”
Even his purely synthetic skin, bones, and hair weren''t spared, as his entire physical form was soon radiating this bazar live wire sensation. Yet, the feeling wasn’t abating but continuously building up momentum like pressure.
“Alfred, are you picking up any strange power readings?”
“Negative Sir, all systems are read within their estimated approved parameters. Will there be anything else Sir?”
Damien was really beginning to think he was about to explode, and was debating internally if he should abort or not. It was surprising how little fear or panic he was currently feeling. He could still sense an acute desire for self-preservation, only it now seemed to be entirely logic driven.
“Alferd, go ahead and abort, shut down all power going to the “Cybernetic HIVE liquid Kyber crystal circulatory system interface.”
“I do apologize Sir, but I am no longer capable of shut off power to the “Cybernetic HIVE liquid Kyber crystal circulatory system interface.” The system is now drawing all power via the ignited Kyber crystal. With that said, I would like to report the complete reliquification of all liquid Kyber crystal composites, and the successful activation of the circulatory pump. The system has reached a stable level of pressurization with a self-sustain flow rate. Will there be anything else Sir?”
“Alfred, you can return to your housekeeping duties.”
“Very good Sir.”
Damien wondered why he ever thought this had been a good idea to incorporate such a ludicrous and ridiculously risky experimental prototype into his design. He only remembered thinking how brilliant the concept was and the potential it represented.
Damien was beginning to feel like an over filled balloon and was just waiting for the final detonation. However, it was then that the situation reversed itself, as all the pressure simply faded away leaving a strange awareness of the body behind. What was once inert synthetic material was now live synthetic material, or at least that was how it felt.
Damien had absolutely no idea how such a thing was even remotely possible, nor could he even begin to guess. He could only blame the mysterious “Force” and his lack of understanding. Whatever the case was, it was undeniable that he had just received an enormous gift.