《To The Stars...》 Chapter One - Just Another Day At Ad Astra, assassinating business rivals is not only expected, but encouraged. This promotes a healthy and competitive environment in which our more adaptable employees flourish and thrive. And if anyone is thinking of aiming for a position on the board of directors, the message is the same as always. Come at us. We¡¯re ready. -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration, and Exploitation Corporation. Alex had a reputation among his friends for a certain level of oddity. Not that they thought he was personally odd - except his apparently close-to-unflappable demeanor - but just that he had all sorts of odd things happen to and around him. Some of the strangeness was unbelievable if one didn¡¯t know Alex, but all of his friends had seen at least a few of the weird events and so were inclined to believe the man when asked about what he¡¯d been up to lately. He never told them everything, of course. Some of the events were a little odder than others, and no amount of credibility would stretch that far. Still, a lifetime of strange events and odd occurrences meant that Alex wasn¡¯t completely surprised when the assassin showed up to kill him. It was mid-morning, but the coffee shop was empty. A ¡®Closed for Maintenance¡¯ sign hung on the glass door and, surprisingly, potential customers actually saw and read it and didn¡¯t try to come in, so Alex had been able to work in peace. Alex was mostly done with repairing the cappuccino maker; a mercurial bitch of a machine that had been alternating between not working at all and spitting hot foam at the user¡¯s face - when he heard the voice behind him. ¡°So, you¡¯re my target.¡± On the dull mirrored surface of the wall Alex, could see a young woman with a fluffy blonde bob of hair. Her eyes were narrowed, and she stared at his back. Alex thought she looked maybe twenty or twenty one, but his guess might have been off on account of being slightly distracted by the fact that the woman was holding a gun. Inwardly, he sighed a little. It had been a few weeks since the last oddity, so this wasn¡¯t entirely unexpected. Alex looked back down at the machine he was close to fixing. ¡°One sec, ma¡¯am.¡± he said, ¡°Let me finish this up, and I¡¯ll be right with you.¡± As Alex went back to trying to prize a particularly grime-covered piece of machinery out to clean it, the woman spoke again. ¡°I was sent here to kill you.¡± ¡°Oh, an assassin huh?¡± That¡¯s a new one, he thought. A thrill of excitement threatened to make Alex smile, but he held it back. The woman who pointed the gun at his back frowned. ¡°I mean it!¡± she declared. Was that a quaver in her voice? ¡°Let me finish fixing this for the owner of this place - she¡¯s awful with machinery, and she¡¯s not doing well enough to afford to pay a repair guy,¡± Alex explained calmly, ¡°We can play in maybe five minutes or so?¡± ¡°I-I don¡¯t think you heard me correctly. I don¡¯t care about your boss!¡± the woman exclaimed, her voice rising in pitch. ¡°So get ready to die!¡± She¡¯s not pulling the trigger yet, Alex thought calmly as he continued to work. Aloud he said ¡°She¡¯s not my boss, I¡¯m just helping out. This machine has been broken for, like, a month now. She¡¯s losing customers.¡± ¡°I am here to kill you!¡± the young woman declared, enunciating every word as if Alex were a particularly slow child. ¡°Mmhmm, that¡¯s fine, but hold off for just a few minutes. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m running anywhere.¡± Alex felt more relaxed now than he had in days. He never knew exactly what sort of oddity would fall upon him, but over the years he¡¯d grown adept at reading the signs and assessing their danger level. The cheetah someone had mailed him had given more dangerous vibes, and the poor great cat had ended up simply ruining his carpet and comic book collection. ¡°I¡­¡± the woman huffed. Alex heard a loud click, followed in rapid succession by several more. Click, click, clickclickclick. He looked up in the mirror and saw that the young woman had her eyes squeezed shut as she pulled the trigger of the gun repeatedly. Alex sighed, put down his tools, and turned to face the young woman. She opened her eyes and they widened in surprise. Alex noted that they were the color of the sky on a day that promised snow. ¡°I¡¯m not very up to date with the whole career of ¡®assassin¡¯, but I think you may have forgotten to load that.¡± he pointed out politely. The young woman let out a gasp of realization and checked the pistol. It took her a minute or so to figure out how, and when she realized that she did in fact have no bullets, a rosy blush started to spread over her pale cheeks. ¡°Gosh darn it!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a moment to take care of that if you like.¡± Alex offered. After all, it never hurt to be polite to people who are threatening to kill you. With an ever-expanding blush, the woman started to search in a belt of many pouches that could have come right out of a Liefeld comic from the ¡®90¡¯s. It hung loose on her hips, and with growing dismay the woman snapped open and then shut each of the little pockets. ¡°I¡­where did I put¡­¡± she muttered, and let out another huff. ¡°I can¡¯t find them.¡± ¡°Did you want to go home and get some more? I''ll still be here for a while.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not leaving here until you¡¯re dead!¡± the woman declared. The emotions warring across her face spoke equal volumes of reluctance and determination. ¡°I¡¯ll just stab you!¡± Alex took a cautious step backward just in case, as the woman reached for a knife sheath strapped to her leg. A leg that was also covered in the thin black fabric of her yoga pants. The woman also wore a light blue athletic top, which didn¡¯t seem like the best gear for an assassin to wear, but Alex didn¡¯t want to judge. Drawing her weapon, the woman raised her hand high in the air and glared at Alex. Her winter eyes sparkled with what looked like the suggestion of tears. Knuckles white with tension, the woman stepped forward hesitantly. That stance is awful, Alex thought, and stabbing down like that just gives me a long amount of time to move out of the way. Not that Alex complained about avoiding injury, of course, but this whole thing was starting to give off a vibe of hastily thrown together chaos. ¡°I worked in a knife-fighting arena once, ¡° Alex told the woman conversationally, if for nothing else than to buy a few more minutes to figure out the optimal play, ¡°Janitorial work. Messy stuff. Educational. I was only there for a few weeks though. One day I arrived at work to find that the whole abandoned warehouse setting had been replaced with a beautiful park that had hundred-plus year old oak trees growing there.¡± The woman tilted her head, not quite listening to Alex¡¯s words, but also most importantly not trying to attack yet. ¡°It was just one of those things, you know? According to online maps and even a visit to the council the park had always been there. Weird, right? Anyway, you probably want to approach me with your knife held low, and¡­¡± Alex looked at the weapon and raised an eyebrow. It most certainly wasn¡¯t a knife. The woman broke eye contact to follow Alex¡¯s gaze to her hand, where she found that she was white-knuckle gripping a Barbie doll dressed in overalls, its artificial hair frizzed up like a dandelion. She let out a little whine of frustration, and threw the toy onto the tiled floor. ¡°Gosh DARN it!¡± she choked back a sob that made Alex feel bad for the woman, ¡°What the heck is going on?!¡± Alex was about to offer his theories when the woman started searching in her belt of pouches again, mumbling to herself. He caught the word ¡®embarrassing¡¯ which, he supposed, was a reasonable reaction. ¡°Aha!¡± the woman declared, pulling a rather sad-looking cheap throwing star out of one of the pouches. Someone had looped a set of plastic beads through it to make a necklace. ¡°Oh, fudge!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure those are very good for killing people outside of the movies.¡± Alex offered, watching as the woman struggled to remove the colorful beads. She winced and drew in a sharp breath as she caught her finger on one of the not-entirely-dull edges. A bright dot of blood rose from her finger and she stared at it with greater dismay. ¡°Do you need a band-aid? I think there might be some in the back of-¡± ¡°GOSH DARN IT!!¡± the woman¡¯s eyes teared up. ¡°This was supposed to be easy!¡± With those words the woman ran out of the shop sobbing. Alex watched the glass door slam, shaking the panes of glass with a light tremor. ¡°Well, ¡° he said to himself aloud, ¡°That wasn¡¯t as bad as it could have been.¡± He considered the event from start to finish and shook his head. ¡°I hope she¡¯s going to be okay.¡± Alex took a few moments to collect a small box that smelled strongly of coffee beans from the back room and placed the throwing star, the doll, and the gun inside. A quick spray and wipe with some cleaning supplies got rid of the admittedly tiny amount of blood left behind. He glanced over to the glass door again, and saw the blonde would-be assassin sitting on the steps outside. Is she crying? A spark of misplaced guilt rose in the man as Alex reassessed the event. Apparently it¡¯s not over yet. That means I might have some time. He finished fixing the cappuccino machine. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t care about the stranger who had tried and failed to effectively end his life, but she looked to be right around the midpoint of a crying fit and it was probably best to let her weep it all out a little. Once the machine was repaired, Alex cleaned up and ran it through a couple of times to make sure everything was working. No hot water or steam sprayed in his face, so Alex felt his efforts were successful. He put his tools away and brewed up some hot coffee in two of the ¡®Caffeine Death Of The Universe¡¯ sized foam mugs. Then, searching under the counter he found the bottle he knew would be there. The owner wasn¡¯t an alcoholic, Alex thought, but he couldn¡¯t blame her for needing a little fortification to get through a day in the service industry. Alex added a generous splash to one of the mugs. He gathered up the box and the mugs, looking outside again. In the mid-morning sun the young woman was alternating between weeping and gesturing at the sky while shouting something indistinct. Alex added the bottle of rum to the box and walked toward the door. Okay, universe, he thought, let¡¯s see where this one goes. * She had almost cried herself out when Alex sat down beside the young woman on the steps. She didn¡¯t notice him arriving, posed with her head in her hands looking at the concrete path under her feet. Alex put the box to one side and nudged at the blonde woman¡¯s shoulder with one of the mugs. ¡°Wha-?¡± she flinched, startled at first and then wide eyed and incredulous when she saw the man she¡¯d tried to kill holding out a truly massive mug of coffee toward her. He was even smiling in a gentle sort of way that made her eyes threaten to start leaking again. ¡°I figure you¡¯ve had a rough morning. This might help.¡± Alex waved the mug at her. ¡°Though honestly I think the rum I added will probably help more. I know, it¡¯s not even lunchtime yet, but bar humor says it¡¯s happy hour somewhere in the world, right?¡± Gingerly the young woman took the mug and sniffed. Her nose wrinkled at the blended scents of roasted coffee beans and rum. She took a sip, pulled a face, and then took another. ¡°There we go, ¡° Alex said, drinking some of his own rum-less beverage. ¡°Do you have a little sister?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± the woman blinked rapidly, confused. ¡°That¡¯s not the sort of thing you ask your assassin¡­is it?!¡± ¡°Well you haven¡¯t finished me off yet so I figured I¡¯d ask.¡± Or even started, he added in his head, but that would have been unkind to say aloud. ¡°I only asked because if you said you do have a little sister she probably played with your, uh, tools of the trade and left some of her toys behind.¡± Confusion warred with frustration across the woman¡¯s face, followed by a deep breath inward and a long exhalation as logical, common sense explanations for her ridiculous failures settled into place. ¡°I am going to glare at her so hard.¡± she muttered. ¡°A fate worse than death, ¡° Alex grinned. The woman narrowed her eyes at him and he held up his hand. ¡°Well, probably not my death but that¡¯s not reached me yet so I guess I don¡¯t know.¡± The woman took another sip of her coffee - a much larger one, Alex noted - shuddering as its warmth began to spread in her stomach. She looked at Alex¡¯s smile and shook her head slowly. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Why what?¡± Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°Why are you being nice to me?¡± The question came out in such a small voice that Alex¡¯s heart felt for the girl. He decided to be honest. ¡°Because you look like you¡¯re having a bad morning, ¡° he said, ¡°And because you didn¡¯t just take a shot at me without speaking to me first. You didn¡¯t try that hard to kill me, and this is going to sound really silly but also because you can¡¯t seem to actually bring yourself to swear even in a highly stressful situation.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason to swear when there are thousands of other perfectly decent words to use.¡± the woman said primly, and then blushed. ¡°I mean-¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s cute, really.¡± Alex said. ¡°So hi, I¡¯m Alex, which you probably know since you showed up here to kill me after all. What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Sophie- no, wait, I shouldn¡¯t say.¡± The woman tried to recover, but it was too late. Her eyes started to tear up again. ¡°I can¡¯t even get anonymity right!¡± ¡°Sophie? Okay. Nice to meet you Sophie. Listen, killing people is probably, like, super hard on multiple levels. Maybe you¡¯re just not ready for it?¡± ¡°I need to be! I accepted the job!¡± Another long sip accompanied this declaration. ¡°Who sent you after me anyway? I¡¯m very curious.¡± ¡°I¡­I can¡¯t tell you.¡± ¡°Well if you¡¯re still going to kill me once we get you all calmed down again it won¡¯t really matter will it?¡± Alex said reasonably. The woman tilted her head to the side in disbelief. ¡°You want to die?¡± ¡°Far from it, but it seems like it¡¯s something you really want to do and so once you¡¯re feeling better you can give it another try, okay?¡± That may have been tempting fate a little too much but Alex was working on instinct and, if he were honest with himself, the fact that the woman radiated a gentle innocence that he just couldn¡¯t see changing into a killer instinct any time soon. Even in the coffee shop he hadn¡¯t actually felt in any sort of real danger. ¡°It just seems more random than usual.¡± Alex added after some silence. ¡°I can¡¯t think of any reason someone would want me dead.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say, sorry. Professional ethics or rules or something. I think it was called the ¡®Snitches Don¡¯t Have The Opportunity To Get Stitches Because They Were Gutted And Died Screaming Horribly¡¯ clause. Though I think that was added for levity.¡± Sophie shrugged and let out a deep sigh. She stared into her coffee mug, which was starting to get low. Alex pulled out the rum and offered a top-up, which the woman accepted wordlessly. Alex looked out at the street which was rather quiet for a weekday morning. It was probably just a side effect of the odd event - one thing he¡¯d quickly found out over the years was that these things that kept happening to him were never harmful to other people in any significant way. Something to be grateful for, he mused. ¡°I¡¯m curious; How does someone like you get to become an assassin?¡± he asked. Sophie gave him a look that had a little defiance in it, and a little unsteadiness as the rum was starting to take hold already. Lightweight, he noted inwardly. ¡°Someone like me? What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Someone so sweet.¡± Alex expanded. Sophie¡¯s blush glowed deeper. ¡°I took a course on it.¡± she said at last. ¡°There were all sorts of lessons.¡± ¡°Like how to dress for the job?¡± Sophie looked down at her athletic gear and her mouth twisted into a wry half-smile. ¡°I have an all-black bodysuit that I got from Amazon really cheap.¡± ¡°Prime deals. Can¡¯t beat ¡®em.¡± Alex nodded sagely. ¡°Free shipping, too. But when I woke up this morning the cat was sleeping on it and I didn¡¯t want to wake him.¡± ¡°Completely understandable, ¡° Alex nodded. ¡°So you attended classes on being an assassin. I imagine they were pretty grueling? Lots of sparring and detailed lessons on how best to kill and all that? The final exam was probably a killer, right?¡± ¡°No, it-¡± Sophie eyed Alex somewhat dubiously, ¡°Was that a pun?¡± Alex smiled innocently. Sophie shook her head slowly. ¡°It was a correspondence course. Online. Back when everything was in lockdown.¡± ¡°I missed that.¡± Alex confessed. The woman looked at him questioningly. ¡°You missed three or four months?¡± ¡°I was stuck in a cabin up north trying to negotiate a border treaty between the Canadian wendigo tribes and the US sasquatch families. I swear it was like a Hatfield and McCoy mess up there, but I won¡¯t bore you with the details.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Sophie looked lost for words, as if Alex¡¯s explanation drifted through her brain, found no good way of being coherently processed, and left again just as quickly. She took another heavy swallow of her drink. ¡°So you took an online course in becoming an assassin. Why?¡± Alex asked. ¡°I need the money, ¡° Sophie confessed. Alex nodded quietly. ¡°Student loans, you know? Four years for a degree that nobody needs.¡± ¡°Sorry to hear that, ¡° Alex said kindly, and found that he genuinely was. He¡¯d never attended college himself, preferring to pop in and out of various trade schools picking up an array of technical skills. Besides, the weird events were hell with any sort of reasonable schedule that needed adhering to. ¡°It leads into the question, how much?¡± ¡°The loans?¡± Sophie chuckled darkly and shook her head, her fluffy blonde bob swaying back and forth with her head movements. ¡°Well they started at sixty thousand, but the interest¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, they like to stick you with that. But I meant how much did you get paid for killing me? I mean, if you did end up actually going through with it.¡± Sophie looked down at her mug, frowned, and took the bottle to add more. Her face colored with embarrassment. ¡°Eight hundred dollars,¡± she muttered eventually. Eight hundred¡­ Alex felt a little offended at that. It was a ridiculous sum, speaking volumes about the random nature of this particular odd event. His silence was noticed. ¡°Sorry, ¡° Sophie apologized. ¡°Anyway, I probably won¡¯t get it all. You¡¯re still alive.¡± ¡°For now.¡± Alex said brightly. The woman winced and took a long pull from her mug. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­I don¡¯t think I can do this.¡± Sophie muttered into her drink, which was more rum than coffee at this point. Somewhere in the conversation she¡¯d started leaning on Alex¡¯s shoulder, unable to fully sit up straight. ¡°I¡¯m a failure.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be like that. I¡¯m sure with practice you¡¯d be great at it.¡± Alex encouraged. Sophie sighed. ¡°You know what the worst part is?¡± she asked. Alex waited. ¡°I have to call her and tell her I couldn¡¯t do it. And she paid me half up front, too.¡± Her. Well, that was a clue that eliminated approximately half of the world¡¯s population. ¡°Do you think your client will be mad?¡± ¡°Dunno. I jush¡­jush¡­just don¡¯t like letting people down. I¡¯m scared to call.¡± Sophie confessed. ¡°Do you want me to make the call for you?¡± Alex found himself offering. Sophie leaned harder on his shoulder and started to tear up again. ¡°You¡¯re sho - so - nice.¡± she sobbed. Alex shook his head. ¡°I just like helping people who need it. So¡­¡± Sophie fumbled for a while with one of her pouches, having trouble with the clasp. A small bottle of pills fell to the ground and rolled to Alex¡¯s feet. He looked at the label. ¡°Laxatives?¡± he queried. Sophie giggled, the rum working its way through her. ¡°S¡¯posed to be cyanide.¡± she explained. ¡°Grabbed the wrong bottle I guessh. Guessh. Guess.¡± ¡°I guess.¡± Alex nodded. It sounded about right. Sophie fished a phone out and handed it to Alex, who took it and looked at the battered glitter-covered case. ¡°You use your regular phone for assassin jobs?¡± ¡°G¡¯darn it.¡± the woman muttered, closing her wet eyes. Alex decided not to push. He opened the phone - which had no lock screen - and pulled up the call history. The last number that had called the phone was familiar to him. ¡°This just gets sillier and sillier.¡± he muttered, tapping the screen to make the call, which connected after just a few short rings. There was a muffled click, and then a familiar woman¡¯s voice spoke. ¡°Is it done?¡± ¡°Good morning, Charlotte.¡± Alex said into the phone. There was a pause, and the woman on the other end hissed. ¡°You.¡± ¡°How are you this morning? ¡°You¡¯re still alive!¡± Charlotte replied, her voice sounding somewhere between disappointed, angry, and relieved. ¡°I seem to be, ¡° Alex nodded even though the woman couldn¡¯t see it, ¡°The young lady I encountered was very professional and adept-¡± Sophie looked up at him and raised her eyebrows. Alex gave her a thumbs up. ¡°But you know how things go, right?¡± ¡°...right.¡± Charlotte echoed. There was a crackling sound like static through the connection, and then the sound of chewing. ¡°Mph. One sec.¡± Alex waited for a few moments. Charlotte had blood sugar issues, and had to snack occasionally to keep things balanced. When he heard her swallow he spoke again. ¡°So if you don¡¯t mind me asking, why did you send an assassin after me? I¡¯m not sure how you even found one, but that doesn¡¯t matter.¡± ¡°I want my Notting Hill DVD back.¡± She wants her¡­ Alex blinked several times as his mind adjusted to the direction this was going. She sent an assassin after me for that? ¡°I¡¯m sorry Charlotte, ¡° he replied, sounding regretful. ¡°All the DVD¡¯s from the house are gone.¡± ¡°Gone? How?¡± Sophie raised her head from Alex¡¯s shoulder, pointed to the phone and mouthed ¡®Who?¡¯ ¡®Ex-girlfriend.¡¯ he mouthed back. Her eyebrows shot up and her winter-gray eyes widened. ¡®EX-GIRLFRIEND?¡¯ she mouthed silently, ¡®What happened?¡¯ Alex smiled wryly and shrugged, gesturing to the phone to indicate he needed to speak. Sophie shook her head and settled it back on his shoulder again, listening to the one side of the conversation she could hear. ¡°Well, ¡° he said into the phone speaker, ¡°Do you remember when you were storming out of the house with a bag of clothes, declaring that you were ¡®tired of all the bullshit¡¯ that happens around me?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t storming, I was striding.¡± Charlotte said. ¡°Proudly. Because I¡¯m a powerful, respected woman who is reasonable and glorious.¡± And you hired an eight hundred dollar assassin to kill me over a DVD, Alex carefully didn¡¯t say aloud. Instead he said ¡°I agree. But as you pulled out of the driveway you clipped that homeless man with your car. Remember?¡± ¡°Y-yeeees?¡± Charlotte drew out the word, the memory returning to her and bringing with it a certain amount of discomfort and guilt. ¡°Well, once I made sure he was okay I gave him all of the DVD¡¯s in the house as a bribe to get him to not go to the police.¡± That was a lie, something that Alex didn¡¯t like to do but felt himself forced to more often than not. The truth was that the ¡®man¡¯ she¡¯d clipped with her little Audi had turned out to be a guy named Lorwellion, prince of the elves of the Summerlands. He was on a marriage-quest to acquire ten thousand tales to prove himself worthy of marrying some elvish princess or other. Apparently they put a lot of value in stories. The elf had smelled of old blood and wild beasts, his voice deep and soft and carrying with it a threat of death. Not death directly to Alex, but just a general menace that radiated from the being. Alex had given the prince his television, DVD player, and all the movies and shows that he had. Despite having a decent collection it was nowhere near enough, and the elf had been eyeing Alex¡¯s book shelves speculatively. It wasn¡¯t until he¡¯d also provided his Netflix login details that Lorwellion had been able to complete his quest. The next morning a tarnished silver coin of no Earthly denomination was left on his doorstep, so Alex figured that must have done the trick. Alex wondered what the internet connections were like in the elvish Summerlands - wherever those were - but had stopped using Netflix himself a month or so later when it started recommending movies and shows that, when Googled, had never actually been made despite being readily available to watch. Checking with a friend, it turned out that only his account had access to these strange shows, most of which were quite graphic and alien. He still paid for the account for Lorwellion and his new wife out of courtesy - and also out of concern that stopping would trigger another event. The whole thing being what it was, Alex was slightly more comfortable lying about it to his ex. ¡°I see.¡± Charlotte replied eventually. ¡°So¡­you don¡¯t actually have it anymore?¡± ¡°Sorry. I can order you a new one if you like.¡± ¡°I¡­yeah. Could you?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Alex shook his head. The damn thing was probably only a couple of bucks on Amazon these days and there was no reason Charlotte couldn¡¯t order it herself but if this was the way the event was going to play out, he¡¯d go with it. ¡°Silly question: How would killing me have gotten your DVD back?¡± A long silence traveled across the phone connection. Eventually, Charlotte replied in an uncertain voice. ¡°I¡­I¡¯m not sure. I was tired.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°And cranky.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°And I¡¯d forgotten to eat.¡± ¡°Of course, ¡° Alex nodded. All perfectly unreasonable, but that was how things went sometimes. ¡°So we¡¯re okay then?¡± ¡°...yes?¡± It sounded more like a question than a definitive statement. Alex took it as a positive. ¡°What about the assassin?¡± ¡°Oh, she can stop.¡± Another silence, only for a moment, ¡°I¡¯d like my money back though.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it, ¡° Alex promised. ¡°Thanks Alex.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± He disconnected the call and handed the phone back to an incredulous Sophie. ¡°Your ex-girlfriend, ¡° she said slowly, ¡°tried to have you killed. Over a DVD?¡± Her words were a little slurred, and Alex noticed that her eyes were not quite focusing on him correctly. ¡°Property disputes can apparently get pretty heated,¡± he replied. ¡°But good news: She said you don¡¯t have to kill me.¡± Sophie sagged in relief, letting out a long sigh that ended with a hiccup. Alex then mentioned that she needed to give back the money which made Sophie sigh again but this time in disappointment. ¡°So what¡¯s your plan now?¡± Alex asked. There was a feeling in the air that he recognized; A sort of ¡®epilogue¡¯ sensation was the best way he could describe it to himself and Alex found himself relaxing as well. This particular weird event must be coming close to an end. ¡°Dunno.¡± Sophie shrugged. ¡°Go home?¡± She sounded tired and sad. ¡°Drink more.¡± As Sophie¡¯s hand went for the bottle again Alex deftly moved it out of reach. A closer look at the young woman showed that she was more drunk than he¡¯d expected. ¡°I think you¡¯ve had enough for now. It was a mistake to bring out the bottle. Can I get you home? Call you a cab?¡± ¡°Home. ¡®Slike three hours away. ¡®Spensive.¡± she muttered, closing her eyes. ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate, ¡° Alex pondered for a moment. ¡°I could put you up in a hotel? Not a very good one, but at least you can rest for a while. What do you think?¡± Alex¡¯s words were met with slow, heavy breathing. He glanced down at the woman leaning on his shoulder. Her mug was empty and she¡¯d somehow fallen asleep in record time. Alex sighed and looked up to the bright morning sky in askance. The sky was silent on the matter. Chapter Two - Everything Will Work Out For The Best Kindness is weakness. This is common knowledge across all true corporations. The appearance of kindness, however, can be incredibly profitable but never be the sort to actually care. That way lies chaos and, most importantly, reduced profits. -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration, and Exploitation Corporation. Alex had taken the time to lock up the coffee shop and slip the keys through the mail slot. The owner would understand, and she¡¯d be grateful to have a working cappuccino maker again. Then, with not many great choices to pick from, Alex called a cab and took Sophie back to his place. The house wasn¡¯t large by any means, with a single bathroom and two bedrooms, but it was his and the loan had been paid off several years earlier. It had been luck, mostly, and a series of profitable encounters from some of the more benign odd events that had led to Alex, at thirty three years old, to completely own the house. Not that he was anywhere near rich, of course, but Alex found that the universe never let him starve. Well, not for long anyway. Carrying the assassin through his front door had been difficult, as she had partially woken up and was a little wiggly and more than a little handsy. Fending off Sophie¡¯s inebriated hands while keeping hold of her was a trial but he managed to get inside and close the door behind them. As if triggered by being inside, Sophie became aware enough to realize that she was in a house. She just thought it was hers. ¡°Mom!¡± she called out drunkenly, ¡°Katieee! I¡¯m home!¡± Alex winced at the volume as Sophie continued. ¡°I brought a guyyyy home, but dun¡¯ worry! I dun¡¯ have to kill him!¡± ¡°Uh, listen, ¡° Alex said to her gently, ¡°I¡¯ve brought you to my home. Yours is too far away and I don¡¯t have a car.¡± Alex had owned a car, and technically still did, but he didn¡¯t know where it was. The vehicle had disappeared one day but somehow sent him the occasional text message with snapshots of picturesque locations. Sometimes it was best to not worry. ¡°Your home?¡± Sophie blinked owlishly and looked around. ¡°Not for anything untoward I assure you. You can just sleep this off for the day, okay?¡± ¡°You.¡± Sophie said. ¡°Yes?¡± The woman poked his chest as she spoke, punctuating each word with a jab as she did so. ¡°You. Are. Sho. Nishh. Nyyysh. Nice.¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a regular hero.¡± Alex sighed. ¡°Please stop poking me.¡± ¡°Heh. ¡®kay.¡± Sophie giggled. She¡¯s worse off than I thought. Unreasonably so, Alex mused as he passed through the living room, carrying the blonde toward his bedroom. As he reached the hall he stopped and turned back with a small frown. On one wall of the living room was a small, round, green button. It hadn¡¯t been there when he¡¯d left earlier this morning. It can wait, he thought. Sophie wasn¡¯t exactly light, and her squirming made things awkward. Alex entered his bedroom and laid the woman down on his bed. She looked up at him questioningly, a crookedly cute half-smile on her face. ¡°Gon¡¯ have your waaaay with me?¡± she slurred. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused, the winter snows hidden by fog. She didn¡¯t seem to mind the idea, but Alex shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m really not.¡± Sophie frowned. ¡°Why? You¡¯re nishe. An¡¯...an¡¯...you think I¡¯m shweeeeet.¡± ¡°Because the rum hit you way harder than it should have, and there¡¯s no way you¡¯re able to make that decision right now. I¡¯m not going to touch you.¡± He said these words very carefully, making sure to define the moment in all its sincerity and seriousness. ¡°Boop.¡± Sophie said, reaching out a hand. She was probably aiming for his nose, but poked Alex in the shoulder instead. ¡°Noshe touch for nishe not-dead-guy.¡± ¡°Yeah, good job. Right on target.¡± Alex replied drily. He heard a soft beeping sound that came from the living room. Whatever the button was, it was becoming insistent that he give it some attention. Patience, he thought. Aloud he said to Sophie ¡°We¡¯re going to take off your shoes, alright?¡± ¡°An¡¯ what else?¡± the woman said, giving him what she drunkenly thought were bedroom eyes but came across more as ¡®insane madwoman escaped from the asylum and looking for love¡¯. ¡°And we let you sleep without your feet getting all stinky.¡± ¡°You dare shay¡­say¡­feet. Not shtinky.¡± ¡°Exactly. Now stop wiggling them. Please. No, ow, kicking isn¡¯t very friendly. Look you can keep them on if you prefer but your feet might swell.¡± ¡°Keep going. An¡¯ going¡­¡± Sophie sang, trying to leer. Her aura of innocent ineptitude made her fail miserably. ¡°Just the flats, ma¡¯am.¡± Alex held up the two shoes he¡¯d managed to remove and did his best Joe Friday. Sophie giggled even though she was probably too young to get the reference. ¡°Niiiishe.¡± ¡°Now close your eyes and get some sleep. You¡¯re gonna feel¡­honestly Soph, you¡¯re gonna feel like shit when you wake up. That¡¯s my fault and I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Bad word.¡± Sophie pointed vaguely in his general direction. ¡°Yes, ¡° Alex agreed. ¡°Be good.¡± ¡°Trying really hard. Sleep well, Sophie.¡± ¡°Byeeee.¡± Sophie closed her eyes and snuggled up to the pillows, mumbling. ¡°Glad I didn¡¯t kill you¡­¡± Me too, Alex thought as he left the room. As he passed through the living room again he glanced at the button. Its green-ness seemed more green than before, and a little light had appeared above it that was blinking in time with the soft beeping. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with you in a minute.¡± Alex told it. He went to the kitchen and filled a glass with water. From the bathroom cabinet he fished out a container of aspirin, and left both aspirin and water by the bedside where Sophie was now snoring gently. Finally back in the living room again, Alex examined the button with some caution. It wasn¡¯t necessarily true that two odd events didn¡¯t happen at the same time, but usually Alex had some breathing room between each one. When they started combining or blending things became more complex and decidedly less fun. Usually a lot more dangerous, too, he added silently. But at this point Alex was certain that the button wasn¡¯t part of the whole silly half-assed assassination thing. That had simply been a random chaos event, and Alex had dealt with enough of those in his life. The button felt dangerous; Not the object itself, but what would happen when he pressed it. As he watched silently the beeping increased in tempo and volume just a little. Alex had to press the button. That was the thing about the events that he fell into so many times in his life - he couldn¡¯t stop them or refuse to participate. They happened to him no matter what. Going with the flow usually had him come to a conclusion with everything working out for the best. In the high danger events (which were not rare but usually limited to no more than one every few years on average) he felt that not swimming against the metaphorical current was what kept him from serious harm. That, of course, didn¡¯t mean he had to be stupid about it. While he left Sophie to sleep off the rum (and seriously, that had to be part of the whole goof that she got so drunk so quickly, right?) Alex got changed into some more rugged and hard wearing clothing. Heavier denim jeans and an old leather jacket that had somewhat hardened over the years were his ¡®I think shit may go down¡¯ clothes of choice. He took some nonperishable food and put it in an old backpack along with a first aid kit and the small amount of rum left from the earlier events of the day. Alex also slipped several tools in there as well - a couple of hammers and screwdrivers, a chisel, a packet of nails, and a roll of duct tape. This was just a precaution - he truly didn¡¯t know what would happen when he pressed the button, but there had been several events that had caused him to run or be whisked away from home long enough that a few basic supplies were just common sense. This could all be overkill, he thought. The button could simply open up a room that had never existed before, or turn everything in the house bright purple, or cause a little cloud to follow Alex around singing that song about raining men combined with the one about letting the bodies hit the floor. That had been a trying two days. Still, he¡¯d also been abducted several times in his life, enlisted once in an army that never existed, played diplomat to cryptids, and was dragged down a tunnel filled with whispering worms that told him the secrets of the long dead. Those were boring, by the way. The dead had the same little shames and secrets as the living. The one thing Alex wasn¡¯t concerned about at all was the girl sleeping in his bedroom. There was a feeling of¡­not exactly completion, but more that the assassination thing had run its course. Sophie would likely wake up, go home, and just feel confused about everything for a few days before forgetting about the whole thing. That was fairly normal, in what passed for normal in Alex¡¯s life. The point was that whatever happened when he pressed the button, Sophie would be fine. Her part in his life of chaos should be over once she awakened. Finally Alex stood in front of the button feeling like he was as ready as he was going to be. Whatever insane Rube Goldberg machine situation happened, he¡¯d get through it. He always did. On one hand he wore a battered old work glove, with the other tucked into his belt. Alex would press the button, sure, but without touching it thank you very much. He¡¯d learned that lesson with the three seashells that had appeared in his bathroom one time. Thank God those hadn¡¯t stayed long, the extraplanar creature attached to the other end of them wanting to feed on things Alex hadn¡¯t been overly comfortable providing. Thankfully his neighbor had a cat and, more importantly, a full litter box. Bringing himself back from his musings, Alex took a deep breath, reached out, and pressed the button. With a lurching sensation of movement, a brilliant green flash of light, and a whisper of air, Alex was gone. The button disappeared along with the blinking light and the beeping sound. In the center of the living room a small metal-clad case coalesced with a rush of superheated air. On top of it was an envelope addressed ¡®To Whom It May Concern¡¯. The day passed. * Sophie woke up with the sort of groan that expressed a deep unwillingness to still exist. Even before opening her eyes she felt the dull pain of a headache threatening to drag her into an alley and beat her senseless. I feel¡­urgh. There was a strange taste in her mouth and her tongue was fuzzy, almost like Sophie had been licking a flannel shirt. The dampness under her cheek suggested that she¡¯d been attempting to eat her pillow at some point. Sophie groaned, her dry throat turning it into a croak. Knowing that she would regret it, Sophie cracked her eyes open a little. The room was barely lit with a dim light. Early morning, she thought, groping around for her phone. Instead her fumbling hand encountered a glass of water which she only just managed to not spill. Sophie whimpered at the sudden startled movement she¡¯d had to make, and then remembered that she hadn¡¯t left a glass of water by her bed since she caught her cat drinking out of it a year ago. This isn¡¯t my room. The thought made Sophie shoot up into a sitting position which caused her head to throb dangerously. Her vision wobbled and Sophie valiantly forced her stomach to stop wanting to send its contents flying across the room. She let out a long, slow groan and clutched her head as the pain and nausea warred with the sudden inrush of memories; The events of earlier leapt into her brain and demanded that she view them in all their terrible glory. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°Oh¡­my¡­gosh¡­¡± she groaned in a whisper. The coffee shop. The gun. The calm man with the gentle voice. The assassination attempt. All of it presented itself piece by piece to Sophie¡¯s growing mortification. ¡°What¡­did I do?¡± After a few minutes of wanting to crawl into a hole and die, Sophie managed to bring herself to examine the current situation. She was in the room of a man she¡¯d tried to kill for eight hundred dollars. A quick check showed she was still dressed except for her shoes. Am I going to be arrested? The thought slowly passed through the aching synapses of the never-was assassin. Bleary-eyed, Sophie tried to process everything but the pain and nausea were too much. She remembered the water and gingerly reached for it; There was a small bottle of aspirin beside the glass, and fumbled the cap off almost desperately. After taking a couple more pills than was probably recommended and drinking half the glass of water, Sophie laid back on the damp pillow with another groan. She remembered Alex talking to her, and the amusement in the man¡¯s dark eyes. But not mockery - he¡¯d been quite patient and kind about the whole thing. The man had basically niced his way through¡­through what she¡¯d almost done. Where is he now? She wondered if the man had left her here, maybe locked her in? She didn¡¯t get that vibe though, but maybe that was the hangover talking. How did she have a hangover? A memory of her going through more rum than she¡¯d ever had in her life held itself up before her in a mixture of smugness and embarrassment. I¡­don¡¯t even drink. Urgh. Why aren¡¯t I dead? More time passed, and Sophie eventually managed to find her phone which had been wedged in between her belt of many pouches and her stomach. She whimpered as the screen lit up and stabbed her eyeballs with its brightness, but once she dimmed the display a little she was able to check the time. 7:03pm. The day was the same as before she¡¯d fallen asleep. She¡¯d missed a call and had a voice mail waiting. ¡°Oh gosh¡­¡± she groaned again. ¡°I can¡¯t believe¡­urgh.¡± Sophie¡¯s head threatened to menace her to unconsciousness, so she closed her eyes again and took some deep breaths wondering how long the aspirin would take to kick in. Sophie¡¯s phone pinged with a new message arriving. She startled herself, wincing at the nausea from the sudden movement, and had to stop for a moment to get herself together again. This was the roughest she¡¯d ever felt on waking up, including when she¡¯d had that raging sinus infection that hospitalized her for a week. Eventually she checked the message. A smiley face, a smiley face with a sweat drop, and a question mark. That was it. The number was the same one as the missed call. She fumbled across her phone screen and listened to the voicemail. ¡°Hi gurrrrrrl!¡± a loud - oh, so very much too loud - female voice gushed, the forced cheerfulness evident in its tone. The voice sounded familiar to Sophie¡¯s abused gray cells. ¡°It¡¯s me, your best and all-around not-guilty-of-any-crime friend Charlotte!¡± Charlotte? Wasn¡¯t that the name of- ¡°Listen, this is gonna sound, like crazy, ¡° the voicemail continued, ¡°But apparently talking about assassinating someone over a cell phone is kinda like a bad idea, and can be used in court as evidence of something called ¡®conspiracy to commit murder¡¯?¡± the voice inflected upward at the end, as if finding the whole idea ridiculous. ¡°Anyhoooo, just setting the record straight for any government agencies that might have accidentally spied on its citizens that you and I are besties and we were just, uh, talking about a book, right? The plot of the book we¡¯re, like, co-writing? Yeah, that sounds right.¡± Sophie squeezed her eyes shut. She wasn¡¯t feeling particularly generous right now, and Charlotte¡¯s voice made her want to stab the woman in the throat. Just a little, of course. Sophie wasn¡¯t a bad person or anything, all evidence to the contrary circumstantial and sort of silly. ¡°Sooooo, like, give me a call or something and let me know you¡¯re totes understanding, and that we¡¯re like, not gonna get arrested for any sort of mistaken belief that we¡¯re actually, like, doing crime or something. ¡®Kay? Thanksloveyoubestiebyeeeeee!¡± The voicemail having run its course, Sophie laid in the gloom for several long minutes processing that. Part of her felt sorry for Alex for having dated the woman, but she immediately felt guilty about that because she really didn¡¯t know Charlotte at all outside of the whole hiring her for¡­yeah. Well. The aspirin still hadn¡¯t hit yet, but Sophie managed to reply to Charlotte¡¯s text message with a single thumbs-up emoji. Almost immediately she received a reply that was a string of three hearts, a thumbs up, sixteen laughing smileys and, for some reason, a clown¡¯s face. Sophie dropped the phone to the bed beside her and closed her eyes again. She was doing that a lot, but it really did help. What the HECK happened today? Sophie wasn¡¯t an assassin, online course or not. That had been a ten dollar tongue in cheek joke - funny, haha, I¡¯m a licensed assassin and even have a certificate printed out to prove it, aren¡¯t I so random?! - but then she¡¯d been contacted for a job. How the call had reached her she had no idea, but Sophie mused that maybe a little extra money would really be helpful and it seemed like a really good idea in the moment for some really stupid reason that didn¡¯t seem to be able to come to mind right now, and then everything had sort of snowballed and now Sophie was hungover in a stranger¡¯s bed. It was a miracle that nothing bad had happened. Sophie felt her clothing with trembling hands. The fabrics were slightly damp from her own sweat (which, she added in her mind, totally went against the guarantee the sportswear ad had promised!) and had an unpleasant sort of griminess to them that she would definitely be fixing just as soon as she figured out how to get home, but nothing was out of place. Alex hadn¡¯t, you know, done anything to her. Except be kind enough to leave me some aspirin. Sophie found her face turning to a half smile through the pain. The guy was so nice it was¡­nice. Words were a little hard to assemble, but the feeling was there. She¡¯d have to find some way to thank him. And apologize. And move to the wilderness so she would never have to embarrass herself in front of anyone ever again, oh God she¡¯d tried to kill someone! Sophie lay on the bed for another half hour or so, haunted by the empty clicking of the gun she¡¯d tried to fire at Alex. She had to recollection of actually acquiring the weapon nor ever having fired one before. Eventually her bladder made demands and her head had reached the point that it was no longer at critical mass. She slid off the bed, lurching unsteadily. The nausea threatened to manifest again and her vision swam a little, but she managed to leave the bedroom in search of a toilet. She took care of things in the bathroom which happened to be right across from the bedroom. She¡¯d turned on the light but immediately let out a pained whine and turned it off again as the brightness of a million suns crashed down directly into her abused retinas. After the spots cleared she was able to make things out in the dim. Sophie washed her hands and absently scraped at her tongue with her fingernails and a sort of ¡®plah¡¯ vocalization. She briefly considered using Alex¡¯s toothbrush, but she didn¡¯t think the man would be so nice as to think it was okay to share a toothbrush with a hungover stranger that had a mouth which tasted like damp frogs had peed in it. Who am I kidding? He¡¯d probably just whip out another one from nowhere and hand it to me with a ribbon and a smile. The man had been insanely calm and kind about everything, and seemed to be so self assured that it bordered on cocky - but a nice cocky, if that were a thing? Sophie settled for doing her best with her fingers and the tap water, and then peered critically in the mirror at the horror show as she saw that the cute fluffy bob-cut the stylist had assured her was adorable was now a blonde nest of tangles and snarls that could probably hide a family of small birds. She vainly attempted to fix it, but gave up after several minutes when things just seemed to be getting worse up there. When Sophie entered the living room, hoping to find Alex and also hoping that Alex was elsewhere so she could sneak out and do a very strange version of the Walk of Shame to the closest bus stop, her eyes were immediately drawn to a small, flat case that sat in the middle of the room. All around it the carpet looked like it had been scorched, the synthetic fibers slightly melted. Weird. Some sort of art piece? I should open it. No I shouldn¡¯t, that would be rude. Who goes around opening up peoples mysterious glowing cases? The case was glowing; Illuminated with a soft white light that didn¡¯t seem to emanate from anywhere in particular, no shadows seemed to be cast on any part of the case. Definitely art of some kind. Sophie wasn¡¯t a big art aficionado, but it didn¡¯t look like anything she would want in her place even if she had been in the market to buy art that wasn¡¯t fifty percent off at the dollar store. The thought of that poked Sophie¡¯s attention with the reminder of her poor financial state, and she sighed as she rubbed her face with her hands slowly. That was still a problem, but it was a problem for later. The problem right now was this case. No, she corrected, getting home is the problem. Maybe I can call Mom, and we can open this cas- she can give me a ride home. The case. Her attention kept being drawn to it. It wasn¡¯t subtle; A sort of ¡®You Will Pay Attention¡¯ sort of vibe that Sophie didn¡¯t have the capacity in her current hungover state to argue with pulled at her. She wanted to leave. She wanted to open the case. She wanted to leave. She really wanted to see Alex. God, she hoped she didn¡¯t see Alex. Open the case. Open the case. Open the case. Sophie felt a trickle of fear run down her back. The house wasn¡¯t just quiet; It felt empty. Not empty of things - there was furniture and books and stuff, though there was a weird empty spot where a television would normally logically go - but empty in the sense that there was nobody else here. And that was disquieting. Open the- Sophie found herself picking up the small envelope that lay upon the top of the case. The envelope was a light cream color and written upon the outside of it was a very neat and precise ¡®To Whom It May Concern¡¯. Sophie found herself blushing when she remembered that she¡¯d given Alex her name and, it seemed, he must have forgotten it. That hurt just a little. But at least he left a note, right? Opening the envelope, Sophie found herself squinting at the typed-out letter inside. At the top left of the cream-colored paper was a simplistic logo; Two stylized letter A¡¯s along with a shooting star. Did Alex have his own business? He had to, right? He said he wasn¡¯t employed at the coffee shop where I tried to¡­aah! Don¡¯t think about that, Soph. Sophie scanned the letter, her confusion growing by the moment. To whom it may concern, The entity/sapient/being who owns/leases this domicile/dwelling/home/berth has been requisitioned to temporary[1] employment by Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation[2] As this is a last-minute and mandatory requisition we recognize that it may cause undue hardship to any other entity/sapient/being who stays at/cohabits/resides in this domicile/dwelling/home/berth and thus compensation[3] has been provided. Kind regards[4] -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, of Ad Astra SSPMAEE Corp via auto-secretary #17133. [1]Temporary employment may be converted to permanent at the discretion of management based on performance, a can-do attitude, and (as always) business need. [2]A People Almost First[i] Company [i]Or perhaps quite close to somewhere in the middle[ii]. [ii]More sort of near the back if you really insist on measuring[iii]. [iii] Asshole. [3]Compensation is not legally required, but we are not heartless[*] and understand that compensation actually stops a lot of people from trying to come at us in the courts which is nice. [*]Legally we must disclose that a number of our employees are, in fact, literally heartless due to their species and this shows that no discrimination against them is occurring or ever will. This comment is in no way meant to cause offense to those sapients without fluid-pumping muscles which makes it just fine to say according to our legal department so long as we explain it without actually using the words ¡®sorry¡¯, or ¡®apology¡¯. We are not, and never will be, sorry. [4]Regards of any sort, including kind ones, have no additional monetary or obligatory value. ¡°...what?¡± Sophie muttered, reading it a second time. The footnotes are longer than the message. It¡¯s almost like a drug commercial on television, if the commercial was also on drugs. Sophie tried to puzzle it out. Was the letter some sort of live-action roleplay prop Alex had left there? Or maybe the guy was being silly? Actually, that could be it. He knew she¡¯d be so frightfully embarrassed by the whole¡­thing¡­this morning that he was trying to set a more casual and playful mood to let her know that everything was going to be okay. He didn¡¯t have to use the word ¡®a-hole¡¯, but Sophie was used to being disappointed by other people¡¯s inability to avoid crassness. She also understood that she wouldn¡¯t actually die on this hill, but she¡¯d put up a heckin¡¯ good fight for it. Alex had probably left something in the case for her, to make her smile. He seemed like the type; The man had been gently joking with her throughout most of their interactions, right? Yeah. This would be some sort of peace offering to let her know that they were cool. Or good. Sophie had never actually felt cool in her life, even when she¡¯d dressed up in that assassin¡¯s outfit that she wasn¡¯t able to wear due to the cat being so cute and sleepy. That was well reasoned, she congratulated herself while a single sober and coherent brain cell clamored for attention. So, open the case. Sophie kneeled in front of the case and found that it was held shut with two simple clasps that sprang open easily when she pressed them. She opened the lid and was greeted with the gleaming, glimmering, glistering, and other g-word sight of eight forearm-length ingots of what looked like gold and silver - four of each - and in a black velvet-lined indentation sat a scattering of sparkling gemstones of multiple colors and shine, none of which were smaller than a knuckle. The woman looked at this, and then back to the letter, and then back to the treasures. Back to the letter again to confirm that this was ¡®compensation¡¯ of some kind. Back to the treasure because it shone and sparkled appealingly. Then, a guilty glance around the room. Alex didn¡¯t say if anyone else lived with him. They hadn¡¯t really had that much chance for a normal conversation. But Alex was apparently gone, and she was here¡­ Suddenly very clear headed, Sophie pondered the situation. This is a very vexing moral conundrum, she thought, to which I shall carefully apply all of my code of ethics in order to resolve. An hour later, she found out gold and silver in ingots that large were heavy enough to pull a muscle in her back. She barely managed to drag the case along like Sisyphus - if Sisyphus had decided to walk up the hill backward dragging his boulder with his spandex-covered ass in the air. Chapter Three - Tripping Over The Light Fantastic Money and power are everything. Everything. With money and power you can do whatever you like. With enough money and power you can even avoid the consequences....for a time. -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation. The universe was a blur of speed and light. It¡¯s easy to forget when you look up at the night sky that everything is in a constant frenzy of motion. Galaxies rocket away from each other, stars flee from their celestial brethren, and planets zip around like nobody¡¯s business. The so-called ¡®Dance of the Spheres¡¯ was more the frantic, frenzied scattering of partying teenagers when the cops burst in. So when Alex found himself hurtling through the void of space, the stars looked a little like the hyperspace visual effect of a Star Wars film and a lot like a mad blur of motion that hurt his eyes to look at. I¡¯m going very fast, he thought, witnessing entire galaxies zooming past as if they were late to work and on their final warning for attendance. A moment later his brain added I also seem to be alive, not suffocating or suffering explosive decompression. ¡°...¡± he tried to say something, but the sound smeared into nothingness. That made sense, since the speed of sound was probably still back home putting its shoes on in this mad blast across space. He wondered exactly how fast he was going, and if it even mattered. Let¡¯s fix that, something echoed in his head, making Alex shiver. His vision flickered and a shimmery, transparent mist formed around him. ¡°You¡¯re sort of wrong, actually, but I can¡¯t blame you for that particular ignorance.¡± A voice spoke behind his left shoulder. Alex tried to speak and found that he could now do so. ¡°If I turn around, what am I going to see?¡± ¡°Just me.¡± the voice said in a cheerful way. That¡¯s entirely unhelpful, Alex thought. ¡°But I just needed to repeat that you¡¯re wrong, so wrong, incredibly wrong and I would be embarrassed if I were you. You¡¯re not moving at all.¡± Alex gestured at the blurring light show in the void. The voice giggled - a very feminine sound. ¡°You¡¯re staying still. Reality is moving around you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s-¡± ¡°I know, it sounds awfully egocentric, but for this brief speck of a moment in time, you can actually say that the universe and beyond are revolving around you. Or, rather, rushing about like crazy. Feel special, Alex. Not too special though, because this is just to get you to your destination in relative safety.¡± It was with great effort that Alex bit down on several questions, such as ¡®what the hell is going on?¡¯, and ¡®what do you mean by relative safety?¡¯ and asked the question he deemed most polite rather than pertinent. ¡°Who are you?¡± Because you seem to know who I am¡­ From over Alex¡¯s left shoulder a presence zipped into view. He looked at what appeared to be a baseball-sized glowing sphere of blue and white light that bobbed and danced with excited energy. Alex was reminded of a sugar-high child being told to sit still. ¡°Hi!¡± the ball said, though it had no obvious way of conveying sound. ¡°You can call me Sparkles!¡± ¡°Of course. Nice to meet you, Sparkles.¡± Alex replied as evenly as he could. The high, feminine voice that came from the ball of light was practically frantic in its enthusiasm and Alex felt that he needed to balance that out or be carried away and right now he was already being carried far, far away. ¡°I¡¯m a Helper!¡± Sparkles replied. ¡°That¡¯s an official title, too, not just a word. Though it is a word, obviously. I help!¡± ¡°And what do you help?¡± ¡°Oh all sorts of things, but right now I¡¯m here to help you, Alex, and I¡¯m super excited about that!¡± I¡¯d noticed, Alex said drily in his mind. The little ball of light snickered. ¡°I can also hear your thoughts, just in case you didn¡¯t want to completely embarrass yourself. Not that you should - we¡¯ve seen everything.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± Alex said slowly, trying to order his thoughts. ¡°This whole situation is a few steps beyond the weirdest things I¡¯ve experienced. And I¡¯ve experienced a lot.¡± ¡°Oh you have no idea, ¡° laughed the glowball, bobbing around in apparent mirth. Beyond it, the galaxies continued to smear and smudge across the dark void of space. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for the overlay - which took some work, let me tell you! - your brain would be a mushy soup right now!¡± ¡°The overlay.¡± Alex echoed. He had a feeling that there would be a learning curve on this event and hoped he didn¡¯t have to do anything as mentally taxing as memorizing and reciting for an audience the execrable love poems written by a third world country despot again. That had been one of the more tiresome events, but he¡¯d actually been paid for it. Sparkles gestured in the way only a sphere of light with no extremities really couldn¡¯t, but Alex found that he was able to get a general impression of gesturing anyway. ¡°You think all of this is what¡¯s actually happening?¡± Sparkles laughed, ¡°Oh no, this is just a projection that your poor brain can process. If you saw what this sort of physics-shanking transportation method was really doing you¡¯d shit kittens. And then die insane. Horribly!¡± The little glowball sounded far too enthused about that prospect and Alex decided to pick another direction for the conversation. ¡°Okay. So what exactly is going on here? I¡¯m obviously being abducted again.¡± ¡°Not an abduction! The requester was very specific about that. It¡¯s more of a mandatory employment offer.¡± Sparkles explained, adding ¡°But it¡¯s definitely not abduction or, more importantly, slavery despite what it may look like on the surface.¡± ¡°Do I get paid?¡± ¡°Of course! The requester has offered a compensation package that includes wages, opportunities for advancement, and a place to stay.¡± ¡°Forced labor, even compensated, can still be considered-¡± >Welcome, Alex Orz. >Syntropic Integration Tool Installation Commencing. >Current Progress: 0.1% Alex closed his eyes. He still saw it. The words were bright gold and floated in his vision like an obtrusive advertisement. Opening his eyes again, the text remained front and center in his vision even when he turned his head. Sparkles let out a little ¡®whoop¡¯ of apparent triumph. ¡°Yes!¡± the glowball crowed, ¡°Perfect timing!¡± ¡°I would very much like an explanation now please, Miss Sparkles.¡± Alex said evenly. The words in his vision faded away slowly but in the bottom left corner a small percentage number was rising. ¡°Okay so let¡¯s talk about Syntropy, the Interface, and what the whole purpose of reality actually is.¡± Sparkles said. ¡°It sounds like a complicated topic, but it¡¯s really not. Ready?¡± ¡°I have a choice?¡± Alex asked aloud, shaking his head. ¡°Go ahead. It¡¯s not as if I¡¯m going anywhere, right?¡± ¡°Right! Everything else is going somewhere. Well remembered!¡± congratulated Sparkles. ¡°Soooo¡­.oh, wow, I was supposed to have a script for this. I¡¯ve really gotta talk to Jal, she¡¯s in charge of that but nevermind. Um.¡± Alex got the impression that the little glowing sphere was rummaging through stacks of paper even though it simply bobbed in place for a while. Then it shimmered brighter. ¡°Okay! We¡¯re going to have to wing it. Honestly, it could be worse.¡± Sparkles enthused, ¡°So it¡¯s simple - the only purpose of reality in all its forms is to advance.¡± ¡°Uh, okay?¡± Alex shrugged. It wasn¡¯t as if he had any better theories. ¡°To advance, to grow, to progress¡­it¡¯s what everything was made for. And before you ask, no, we don¡¯t know who or what made reality and if we did we¡¯d have a whole lot of questions for it to answer. Anyway - forward progress is the key, but things sort of don¡¯t always like to advance, and sometimes even go backward.¡± Alex just nodded wordlessly. The little counter in his vision had reached two percent and was slowly rising. ¡°To assist in the progression of, well, everything, the Interface was brought into being by a¡­concept? Yeah. A concept called Syntropy. The Interface is a hands-on, real-time tool for feedback and guidance that allows its users to see, track, and plan their advancement in their lives.¡± ¡°I know the word syntropy. It¡¯s the opposite of-¡± ¡°We¡¯ll get there! Don¡¯t make me lose my place please, I¡¯m sort of scattered today.¡± ¡°Sorry, Sparkles.¡± ¡°Right, so the Interface, ¡° Sparkles continued, ¡°Gives you access to a whole bunch of information about you, your potential, and the ways you can make yourself better. Earth isn¡¯t a planet with Syntropy¡¯s Interface just yet, but you kinda sorta need it to fix some personal problems along with getting through this whole thing that¡¯s going on right now.¡± >Interface installation has reached 5.00%. Scanning for Karmic influence¡­found! >Two Soul Upgrades found active. Integrating¡­ ¡°What¡¯s a soul upgrade? And ¡®karmic influence?¡¯¡± ¡°Ooh, that was quick!¡± Sparkles exclaimed, ¡°I thought it would start with your baseline, but no problem! It¡¯s¡­.¡± There was a sudden fanfare of music that burst into existence all around Alex that quickly faded away again. ¡°Exposition time!¡± Oh boy, Alex thought. ¡°Yes! Oh boy indeed!¡± Sparkles gushed, taking his resigned thought for excitement. ¡°Karma! It¡¯s a thing. It¡¯s a concept. It¡¯s currency! It¡¯s something you currently have practically none of!¡± ¡°You could say, ¡° Sparkles added unnecessarily in Alex¡¯s mind, ¡°You¡¯re practically destitute on the Karma balance. Sucks to be you when you die!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve tried to be a not-horrible person, ¡° Alex ventured carefully. ¡°The concept of Karma being-¡± ¡°Completely and utterly different to the philosophical guilt-trip your spiritual systems like to play with. It¡¯s not what you think - except in a fundamentally basic way. Everyone everywhere always seems to think Karma is all about good versus bad and balancing out stuff and leaving the world in a better state blah blah blah.¡± Alex watched the smearing galaxies for a while as Sparkles went on about how wrong everyone always was about everything. Eventually he cleared his throat and the glowing ball realized that it had gone off track. ¡°Sorry! Karma! It¡¯s about-¡± >Interface installation has reached 25.00%. >Analyzing species baseline¡­complete. >Analyzing individual current state¡­complete. >Attributes assigned. Think ¡®Status¡¯ for real-time feedback of attributes. ¡°Uh, Sparkles? Sorry to interrupt, but the weird text is telling me I have attributes assigned?¡± ¡°Right. Yes. Syntropy has created the Interface to both measure and provide opportunity for growth - after all, what gets measured gets addressed. Or something. Um, let¡¯s see¡­the best way I can explain that is to treat the entire Interface like a role playing game from your world but-¡± The glowing ball cautioned, ¡°Never think that this isn¡¯t real. It¡¯s real, and dangerous, and you need to think about your progression as you strive for it.¡± ¡°A role playing game.¡± Alex echoed, thinking. He¡¯d never actually played any, but had picked up several rulebooks at second hand bookstores to have a read through them. It sounded fun, but something that would also require committing to at least a vaguely set schedule with other people and that meant he¡¯d never bothered. ¡°Right. Your attributes - or ¡®stats¡¯ as most people call them - along with their respective substats - give you a measured indicator of where you currently stand with things like strength and perception and all that stuff. You can advance them - get faster and stronger and the like, but you can look it all over once you arrive which is starting to get a little closer. We were talking about Karma.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Alex let it go for now. ¡°Karma is about advancement. It¡¯s always about advancement. Progression, striving, moving forward¡­Karma is the currency and scoreboard of Syntropy¡¯s Interface. And do you know what?¡± ¡°Oh please do tell me.¡± Alex said, only very slightly sarcastic. ¡°You¡¯ve sucked at all that so far in this life.¡± Sparkle giggled. ¡°You didn¡¯t strive or push, you just reacted to things and were content to just¡­be.¡± Alex considered this for a moment. It sounded about right, but at the same time there didn¡¯t seem to be anything wrong with that sort of life. He may not have impacted the world in any significant way, but Alex was sure that he¡¯d done his best to help those who he could. ¡°That¡¯s a valid life choice, I feel.¡± he argued mildly. ¡°Oh it is! It¡¯s absolutely fine! And if you didn¡¯t have all these fun events and occurrences happening all the time, you¡¯d live a quiet and inoffensive life and die in obscurity. But you barely advanced.¡± ¡°If you mean learning things, I¡¯ve attended classes and courses, and picked up a whole bunch of different skills. I¡¯m pretty good at fixing stuff for example.¡± ¡°Ye-es, ¡° Sparkles allowed, the word drawn out and tentative, ¡°But on the cosmic scale, you¡¯re poking stuff with a stick. You started learning, but stopped and moved on. I don¡¯t make the rules - hell, I don¡¯t even know all the rules! You¡¯re absolutely one hundred percent allowed to live your life that way though, just understand that it¡¯s not in alignment with Syntropy. That doesn¡¯t make it bad, it¡¯s just not going to win you any favors - or much Karma.¡± ¡°So this Syntropy thing wants everyone to just¡­what, continually improve?¡± ¡°Themselves, others, and reality in general - but also no! Syntropy doesn¡¯t experience want. It¡¯s not sapient. It simply is. Syntropy has no dreams or hopes or desires or fears - just purpose. And everything - everything - is geared to encourage that purpose. ¡°Advancement.¡± ¡°Advancement of everything!¡± Sparkles gushed. ¡°It¡¯s so awesome, you know? People mope about wondering what the meaning of life is and their reason for being; it¡¯s to live, to grow, to learn, and to keep things moving forward. That¡¯s it! No big secret, no grand philosophical debate. Exist - Learn - Grow - Change! It¡¯s the only way to beat out Entropy.¡± Aha. I think I get it now, Alex thought when Sparkles said the word ¡®entropy¡¯. He could practically hear the significant capitalization. There¡¯s entropy, which is the gradual decline and cessation of things, and the concept of ¡®Entropy¡¯, an opposing force to ¡®Syntropy¡¯. So that means- ¡°Right!¡± Sparkles congratulated Alex¡¯s silent musing. ¡°Entropy - significant ¡®E¡¯ - is the opposing concept of Syntropy. It exists as a concept with a purpose diametrically opposed to Syntropy. Cessation. Reversal. Stagnation. ¡°Does it have an Interface as well?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be silly.¡± Sparkles laughed. Alex felt it had been a reasonable question. ¡°The Interface tool is to help you progress and keep track - and push you forward! Entropy couldn¡¯t make something like that.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, whatever.¡± ¡°Because both of these things are just concepts - though incredibly powerful ones that span the multiverse - they¡¯re very ¡®big picture¡¯. Which leads us to me and others like me. The assistants and advisors, administrators and helpers. We¡¯re here to sort of manage the day to day stuff for, well, everyone.¡± ¡°Syntropy is the big idea, the Interface is the tool, and people like me are the ones that keep it greased up and shiny.¡± Sparkles added. ¡°Though I only do it part time as I¡¯m pursuing a broadcasting career and just needed to pay the bills.¡± ¡°A glowing ball of light has bills?¡± Sparkles cackled at this - a full on laugh that made the little ball bob around erratically. ¡°This is just a projection into your personal experience of reality. I could just as easily be humanoid. Or a cow.¡± Alex pictured a cow rocketing through space and snorted. Sparkles gasped. ¡°Oh! This one¡¯s really neat. Ready?¡± Before Alex could reply, the glowing sphere had been replaced with a gargantuan rainbow-scaled space dragon. >Interface installation has reached 45.00%. >Analyzing primary talents, skills, and interests¡­complete. >Starting skills have been chosen and assigned. The fact that Alex had just been arbitrarily assigned something was completely lost on him because he was distracted by the massive shimmering space dragon in front of him. To say it was big would be like saying to an ant that the sun was big - there was no way the word would have been enough. Sparkles grinned, flashing golden teeth and claws with a little wave. Then, without any hint of effort, the Helper was back to being a small glowing blue-white ball. ¡°Awesome, right?¡± Sparkles asked. Alex had to nod - it was awesome - but the sight of a dragon in space was just a lot. ¡°I¡¯m projecting here just like this whole special effect of travel. I¡¯m here, but I¡¯m not. You know how it is.¡± Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I really don¡¯t, but okay.¡± Sparkles laughed. ¡°That¡¯s one of the things I love about you, Alex! You¡¯re so chill about stuff! The team and I have been placing bets on when you¡¯d finally lose your shit and so far I¡¯m still in the running for a whole lot of cash.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been watching me?¡± ¡°We watch everyone. Well, not just my team but so many of us that I couldn¡¯t give you a number without it sounding like nonsense. There are infinite people across impossible amounts of space, time, and reality, and some of us watch all of you. ¡°That¡¯s a lot.¡± ¡°¡®That¡¯s a lot¡¯, he says.¡± chuckled Sparkles. ¡°Oh.¡± The little glowball shimmered distractedly. ¡°Sorry. What was I saying?¡± ¡°You watch me.¡± ¡°Right! We do, and we all like to share interesting bits and pieces with other helpers in our downtime and make bets on different things. With you and your¡­thing¡­we¡¯re betting on two things primarily - what¡¯s going to finally break you, and then there¡¯s a super fun game where we take a drink whenever you¡¯re in an event and say the word ¡®okay¡¯.¡± That was very strange. I don¡¯t say it that often, do I? ¡°Seven in the event we¡¯re labeling ¡®Sweet Assassin¡¯, and so far six since we started talking.¡± Sparkles replied. ¡°Which means at this point the whole team is kind of not exactly one hundred percent sober. Which is awesome!¡± ¡°Oka-argh! Now I¡¯m going to be thinking about that.¡± Alex complained. Sparkles giggled. ¡°Back to why you watch?¡± ¡°Even though Earth doesn¡¯t have the interface, Syntropy still has a metaphorical hand there. We gather data, store it, and eventually use it when a world finally gets access to the Interface. Which for Earth will be in¡­hang on, let me check¡­Liluur, what¡¯s Earth¡¯s estimated integration year? Thanks babes! Seven thousand one hundred and twelve years. So it¡¯s not exactly compelling work a lot of the time, but we do our best.¡± ¡°Hence the betting.¡± ¡°And the narcotics! I almost lost a couple of years ago - you know, that one time when you were in that restaurant bathroom down in Topeka and the escaped wolf from the zoo jumped through the window just as you were about to use the urinal?¡± Alex remembered. Dear God did he remember. He very nearly screamed at that one. ¡°I couldn¡¯t pee for a couple of days afterward, thinking something else would jump out at me.¡± ¡°Yeah but Alex, I think we all cheered when you took out that baggie of hot wings from your jacket pocket. The ones you¡¯d stuffed in there to save for later? You made that wolf just, like, submit to you because it was so spiced up and it¡¯s eyes watered so badly it couldn¡¯t see to attack.¡± Snowball giggled and then gushed ¡°That won my admiration, Alex! There¡¯s not many people who can do that with their pants down, no matter what species they are!¡± ¡°Thanks, I think?¡± ¡°We¡¯re off track again though! You¡¯re super close to either reaching your destination or splitting apart into your component atoms - sorry, ¡° Sparkles added when Alex shot her a look, ¡°It¡¯s a TINY chance, but it¡¯s there. So let¡¯s talk.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been talking.¡± ¡°That was chatter. We need to talk seriously.¡± ¡°Oka-argh-alright.¡± Alex nodded. They were interrupted by golden text once more. >Interface installation has reached 65.00%. >Path assignment based on current user proclivities: complete. >Path assigned - [Mender] >Way selection available. Please choose from the following Ways pre-selected based on the life lived so far: >1. Way of the Technician >2. Way of the Caregiver >3. Way of the Creator >4. Way of the Guardian >5. Way of Reason ¡°Sparkles¡­Paths and Ways?¡± ¡°Oh dear, we¡¯re definitely behind now. I shouldn¡¯t have shown off with the space dragon but they¡¯re so freaking awesome aren¡¯t they? Right - Paths! Paths are, uh¡­back to referencing things from your world, a Path is like a ¡®class¡¯ from your roleplaying games. Fighters and mages and rogues and all that silly stuff.¡± ¡°I was given something called Mender? Is that good?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, I guess? [Mender] is a common Path, nothing incredibly special.¡± Sparkles said with a suggestion that she was shrugging. Alex heard something weird in her voice as she said the word ¡®Mender¡¯ but couldn¡¯t quite place what it was. ¡°[Mender] is a hands-on ¡®fix stuff¡¯ Path - repairing and restoring things. Its only real claim to being a dynamic Path is that ¡®things¡¯ is a word applied very liberally - you can repair a chair, a computer, a sixty-foot-high battle mech, shattered bones, sucking chest wounds, broken hearts, emotional trauma¡­¡± Alex raised an eyebrow at this. ¡°I¡¯m some sort of a, uh¡­¡± he racked his brains for a reference, ¡°A sort of healer-slash-engineer?¡± ¡°That works.¡± Sparkles said. ¡°It¡¯s not fun, but it¡¯s useful I guess. Not great for the highlight reels we like to send out to friends and family, but we can work with it.¡± ¡°Okay, so what about these Ways?¡± Alex asked, and then cursed. He¡¯d said the word again. ¡°Ways are directions your Path can take. They give bonuses to your actions, but you can only be going one Way at a time. You can, of course, go a different Way on your Path any time you like. With a small cool-down timer of around twenty seven hours, by your measure of time.¡± ¡°The Interface is asking me to pick one. Can you help?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t tell you what to do, but¡­if I were in your immediate-future shoes¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°They¡¯re all helpful.¡± ¡°Thanks awfully, ¡° Alex sighed. The glowing ball giggled at him. ¡°Then I guess¡­Reason? That sounds good for now?¡± >Way of Reason selected. Installation continuing¡­ ¡°Where were we?¡± Alex asked. There seemed to be rather a lot going on, and he was starting to get almost as distracted and flighty as Sparkles. ¡°Serious talk.¡± Sparkles reminded him. ¡°You¡¯ve been alive twice before. Two other lives, that is. Reliving the same one is impossible.¡± This was a revelation, but not a world-shaking one. Reincarnation as a concept wasn¡¯t new, and Alex hadn¡¯t subscribed to any particular belief system since at age seven he¡¯d been shouted at after Confession for telling the priest about the large black dog with orange eyebrows that had said ¡®good morning!¡¯ and then dispersed into a cloud of mist. ¡°That means that this is my third life?¡± Alex queried. He felt a little unsettled by this, but quickly realized that it didn¡¯t matter that much in the grand scheme of things. Whatever lives he¡¯d lived before were no business of his now. Until Sparkles corrected his thinking, ¡°Alex, in each of your past lives - in which you might or might not be interested to know that neither entity was human or even anywhere near Earth spatially or temporally - you earned a number of Karma points like we talked about before. And then you spent them at the Karma Store between each life.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Alex felt his lips twist in distaste. Reincarnation had a currency system. ¡°So people buy new lives?¡± ¡°Oh hell no!¡± Sparkles exclaimed, ¡°You get the life you¡¯re given, there¡¯s no way to buy your way to a better one. What you buy with Karma are soul upgrades.¡± ¡°Of which I have two, according to the Interface.¡± Alex remembered. ¡°What do they do?¡± ¡°Soul upgrades are things that are meant to assist you in your next life and beyond, even if you don¡¯t know what that next life is going to be.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Alex sighed. It wasn¡¯t that he was morally compelled to object, but it still stank of the rich getting richer - after all, wouldn''t that mean the more Karma you spend on these upgrades, the more Karma you could earn on the next go-around? Sparkles let Alex stew for a minute or so before continuing. ¡°So, ¡° the glowing ball ventured, ¡°We already touched on the fact that you¡¯re super chill a lot of the time, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sort of close to the edge right now, ¡° Alex assured Sparkles, ¡°So if you want to put in some more bets or whatever¡­¡± ¡°Nah, you¡¯re fine! You might be close to the edge, but it¡¯s incredibly hard to make you jump. That¡¯s because you purchased a soul upgrade after your first life called [Unflappable].¡± He heard it again. That strange twist of the tones that made a word sound different. Then it somehow occurred to him. ¡°Did I just hear a pair of square brackets around the word ¡®unflappable¡¯?¡± ¡°You did! Good - it means the Interface is getting closer to completion. [Unflappable] is a soul upgrade that makes you less prone to freaking out, giving in to panic, stressing, or coming undone during high-pressure moments.¡± ¡°Huh, ¡° Alex thought about this. ¡°That explains a lot.¡± ¡°A word of warning though, it''s not infallible - hence the fun times we have gambling on you. You have a limit, but nothing that¡¯s happened so far in your life has reached it.¡± ¡°Even this?¡± Alex gestured at the vastness of space around them both. ¡°Are you shrieking in terror and breaking down in a sobbing heap?¡± ¡°Point, ¡° Alex allowed begrudgingly. ¡°You may never actually encounter your freak-out limit in this life. Or you might. It¡¯s a big multiverse out there and you¡¯ve only just begun to flail about in it.¡± That ominously suggests not going back home once all this is over, he thought darkly. ¡°We - that is, my team and I - are all eager to see what it is that makes you break down. It¡¯s gonna be spectacular, all those years of pent up freaking out just erupting like a supervolcano.¡± ¡°You sound awfully excited about that.¡± ¡°Oh man, I¡¯m jazzed just thinking about it.¡± Sparkles giggled. ¡°No offense. I mean, it won¡¯t kill you or anything, but oh my gosh that¡¯s awesome I said that just now because it¡¯s a smooth segue into the super-serious part of what I have to tell you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really good that you have [Unflappable] because this next thing is kinda sorta really awful for you, and I¡¯m sorry in advance!¡± the glowing light concluded cheerfully. ¡°Your tone is more enthusiastic than sorry.¡± ¡°Yeah, see, sorry - the thing is, well, look, we¡¯ve got the ¡®okays¡¯ which are keeping us a little tipsy but we also imported this Talarian fungus that¡¯s, like, semi sentient and tastes like frosted rainbow butts. It helps us get through the busier eons, and I¡¯m so on fire right now. Literally.¡± The helper paused and then added ¡°It causes this pleasurable sort of high-energy flame to burn inside your reproduc-¡± ¡°The bad news please.¡± Alex interrupted. He didn¡¯t know what this demented little helper actually was species-wise, but he really didn¡¯t need to hear about how she got her metaphorical rocks off. ¡°Oh right! Yup. So you¡¯re dying.¡± >Interface installation has reached 85.00%. Visual Interf- ¡°Not now, Interface!¡± Sparkles scolded the text in Alex¡¯s vision. The words flickered as if startled and vanished. ¡°You totally killed the dramatic vibe of the moment! Unbelievable! It¡¯s like a ska band showing up in the sad part of a film! Uh¡­I¡¯ve lost my place again now.¡± ¡°Death.¡± Alex replied shortly. ¡°Right! You¡¯re totally heading toward, like, the worst kind of death.¡± There was a very significant and lengthy pause in the conversation. Alex studied a passing star cluster that blurred with orange and green light. Eventually he spoke. ¡°I feel there could have been a better way to deliver that news, but¡­go on.¡± Alex replied with a slight hint of a tremor in his voice. His stomach felt strangely empty and a dull roar was just on the edge of hearing. The [Unflappable] upgrade thing was still hard at work though, he supposed, because that was as far as his reaction went to the news. ¡°Right! The great thing to know is that it¡¯s totally fixable. Not death in general, of course, but the particular one that was creeping up on you; That¡¯s something you can work against. See, it¡¯s all to do with what happened after your second life.¡± Sparkles practically bounced around in front of him again. Sparkles quickly went on to explain that Alex¡¯s second life had been incredibly boring for whoever he¡¯d been. Where his first life had been filled with so much danger and stress that he¡¯d purchased [Unflappable], the second had been so mind-numbingly dull that when he¡¯d died Alex (or whatever he¡¯d been called at the time) had immediately purchased a soul upgrade called [Interesting Times]. ¡°It¡¯s a temporary upgrade - not something people usually buy because it only lasts for one life, but you hadn¡¯t earned much Karma in that life and it was a cheap buy.¡± Sparkles explained. Alex didn¡¯t really care about that, but let Sparkles talk in the hopes that she would get to the important part soon. [Interesting Times], Sparkles told him, wasn¡¯t a bad upgrade, but his former life-self hadn¡¯t read the fine print which included the issues that came along with it - the main one being that it was legitimately life-threatening if the holder of the upgrade was reborn on a non-magical world. ¡°Earth is so barren of actual magical energies that your population instinctively reaches for something they can only imagine. It¡¯s sad, really.¡± Sparkles mused, her voice chipper and at odds with her words once again. ¡°You see, Alex, [Interesting Times] guarantees that over the course of your lifetime it will generate spontaneous events and occurrences to keep your life from getting dull. The temporary version is extremely random, and so the events could be any type, size, or danger level but they would never be boring.¡± ¡°Your former self was really adamant about wanting a more exciting go-around.¡± Sparkles confided. ¡°I see. Am I allowed to somehow meet and/or punch my former self?¡± Alex asked mildly. ¡°I feel as if my life still could have been good without a lot of the weirdness.¡± ¡°Sorry. Only forward, Alex. Only forward. Oh hey, did you know that even though it¡¯s theorized and imagined and talked about that time magic doesn¡¯t exist anywhere? It goes against the purpose of the universe.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting, but¡­my death? I¡¯m sort of stuck on that particular point right now.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, right. The weirdness and your life being less stable and all that isn¡¯t the bad part obviously. I mean, you had a lot of fun, and you still will. After all, reality is hurtling around you to get you to an event right now and man is it a doozy! It¡¯s the biggest one you¡¯ve experienced to date, and that¡¯s because your soul upgrade knows there¡¯s a problem and is trying to fix itself.¡± ¡°And the problem is¡­?¡± Alex asked, thinking please for the love of God get to the point. ¡°[Interesting Times] generates the events and rearranges reality to make them at least semi-plausible. Sort of. It slightly adjusts the weave of the multiverse and allows things that normally wouldn¡¯t happen to occur. Void, Alex, your world is so mundane that it hurts.¡± Sparkles complained, ¡°No magic, and only one sapient species - although there¡¯s a half dozen others on the cusp of it. That doesn¡¯t matter though. Your world doesn¡¯t normally have-¡± ¡°Elves.¡± Alex said aloud, thinking back. ¡°Sasquatches. That tentacle-thing that paid me six thousand dollars in lost change to teach it how to hug without crushing people.¡± ¡°That sort of thing, yes. It¡¯s funny that everything that doesn¡¯t exist in your world but does in the wider multiverse makes itself known through your people¡¯s dreams and stories. Anyway, the upgrade uses magic to make the events happen and, when done, tidies things up again afterward mostly.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Alex sighed. He didn¡¯t care if Sparkles and her friends/crew/team drank themselves into oblivion, it was a normal word and it was okay to use. ¡°And this has what to do with my upcoming death? ¡°The upgrade uses magic, which doesn¡¯t exist otherwise in your world as I said. But it leaves a¡­er¡­residue? A buildup. You like tech stuff, right? You build and fix things? It¡¯s like that. Things get a buildup of inert magical waste and when I say things I mean your soul, since all of the events are generated from you.¡± In a world with magic this was generally no big deal, Sparkles explained. Standard meditation and mana manipulation techniques were as common as dirt, and so cleaning out the mystical gunk was part of the everyday routine. On Earth however, there was no way to cleanse Alex¡¯s soul and so with every event the residue had been slowly building up. ¡°One day soon it¡¯s gonna calcify around your soul and boom! No more Alex in this or any other life.¡± Sparkles said. The glowball hovered in front of his face for a moment as if peering closely at Alex¡¯s expression. ¡°Hot damn, Alex. Still not freaking out. I love it! Yar¡¯tel just lost a wad of cash and he¡¯s pissed.¡± Alex ignored the comment and the following giggles as he processed the strange information that he¡¯d been given. ¡°Just to make sure I understand, ¡° Alex said carefully, ¡°My life has been strange because of choices my former past-life selves made, and I¡¯m dying because of it.¡± ¡°Awful, right?¡± Sparkles said joyfully. ¡°But here¡¯s the good bit; Your soul upgrade knows that it¡¯s a problem. Not on a conscious level, of course, because it¡¯s just part of you and not its own separate thing, but now that things are close to critical in your soul [Interesting Times] has generated a supermassive event that will give you a way to cleanse yourself of the problem.¡± ¡°But you said making these events is what¡¯s causing the issue. I¡¯m assuming one that¡¯s ¡®supermassive¡¯ is going to make things worse?¡± ¡°Yeah, kind of.¡± chuckled Sparkles. ¡°Sorry, I know this isn¡¯t funny but it¡¯s gonna make great entertainment for us. And, you know, you¡¯re being given tools to help.¡± ¡°...¡± Alex shook his head again. On his personal scale of one to one hundred, this particular set of weirdness was probably somewhere over nine thousand. But if it was going to somehow help him well, fine. He gave Sparkles a thumbs up. ¡°Okay then.¡± Sparkles giggled again and then hiccupped, which caused the glowing ball to momentarily turn into a tiny pink panda and then back again. ¡°Man, I love this. Just ¡®Okay then¡¯. Thumbs up and all, too.¡± ¡°I mean, would arguing actually help?¡± ¡°Some people would like to think so, Alex! Anyway, all of this is happening to give you access to a way to scrub that soul of yours all shiny again. And that means magic, and that means you¡¯re having the entirety of everything shifted around to where you are so that you can actually use Syntropy¡¯s Interface.¡± ¡°The game thing that will help me to ¡®advance¡¯.¡± Alex slipped some quotes around the word. ¡°Gamelike. It¡¯s real - it¡¯s just a tool, remember? Measurable metrics, focused progression, real time feedback and actual directions for growth.¡± ¡°And the Interface is going to clean out my soul with magic.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s going to give you access to be able to use magic so that you can clean out your soul.¡± corrected the Helper. ¡°I¡­get to use magic.¡± Alex smiled. ¡°That sounds awesome, honestly.¡± ¡°It is awesome! Fist bump!¡± Alex managed to raise his fist just in time for the glowing ball of light to run into it with a tiny ¡®dink!¡¯ sound. ¡°But you¡¯re gonna have to figure out a lot of that yourself along the way. Where you¡¯re headed is going to be a lot of quick thinking on your feet.¡± ¡°Dangerous?¡± Alex asked warily. ¡°Oh yes!¡± ¡°Survivable?¡± ¡°...generally? Oh, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine! You¡¯ve had experience with enough weird stuff that this is gonna be like a walk in the park. If, you know, it was the most dangerous park you could find and all that but don¡¯t worry! Buck up, Sunshine! You¡¯re in space!¡± Alex just stared at the Helper for a long moment and then nodded. ¡°Whee.¡± he replied, deadpan. His mind was racing through what was going on, and why. ¡°Just to make absolutely certain, this is one of the things I call an ¡®event¡¯, which by the end of my life generally returns to a relative baseline. Which means not only will I get cured of this stupid past-life choice¡¯s problem, but I should be able to pick up back home where I left off.¡± ¡°Nnnnnyeah? Sort of? Maybe.¡± Sparkles hedged, ¡°It¡¯s certainly an end result. It¡¯s possible.¡± Of everything so far, including the apparent threat to his existence which still didn¡¯t quite feel real, the thought of not going back to Earth again was actually upsetting. Alex steadied himself and let out a long breath. >Interface installation complete! >Personal advancement tasks updated. >Full Interface access available. >Welcome! ¡°Looks like we¡¯re nearly done just in time. We can¡¯t go over everything to do with the Interface right now but the word ¡®STATUS¡¯ is pretty much the only important thing you need to know.¡± Sparkles said. ¡°When you get to your destination, just do what you do best and things should all work out just fine. Plus, it¡¯ll make great viewing for my team and I.¡± ¡°Thanks. I think.¡± Alex shook his head. ¡°If this were a book or a movie, you know most of this stuff would be secreted away from me and I¡¯d have surprise reveals for my mysterious soul upgrades and upcoming death later on, right?¡± ¡°These aren¡¯t the grand secrets of the universe, Alex, ¡° Sparkles laughed, ¡°This is just basic bullshit that most Interface users would know. Well, we¡¯re out of time for now. Alex, it¡¯s been awesome. You¡¯re gonna get one of my team as a real-time advisor, but don¡¯t lean on her too much, she¡¯s totes new at all of this. Maybe we¡¯ll speak again, maybe not, but we¡¯ll be watching. And laughing. And probably getting super wasted.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very professional of you, ¡° Alex said. Sparkles giggled. ¡°Whatever gets us through the millennia, right? Okay, ready?¡± ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°Well this is probably gonna suck.¡± Sparkles cackled now. ¡°Have fun!¡± Alex felt a sudden sensation of everything stopping in place, but at the same time continuing to move as it always had. It was difficult to describe, as when the sensation occurred the blurry star-smears vanished and were replaced with a small metal-walled room. Also, because he was struck with a powerful nausea that made Alex vomit all over an already-filthy metal floor as physics and magic politely discussed how inappropriate that kind of sudden stop was to the wellbeing of the fabric of reality. Physics won. As Alex vomited up things he couldn¡¯t remember eating, a ripple of excess energy rushed out from his arrival point. Sparks flew as panels dropped from the walls, glass pipework shattered, and some sort of viscous yellow liquid began to leak from the corner of the ceiling. In the distance, screeching metal and small explosions would have been heard if Alex hadn¡¯t been preoccupied. A cracked screen flickered to life, and a static-filled image showed a woman¡¯s face glitching across the display. ¡°Welcome, Temporary Employee Alex Orz to¡­¡± the smile the woman had been displaying quickly turned to a grimace of concern as she noticed the violently sick man. ¡°Oh dear. That¡¯s not an ideal start to your employment at all.¡± Alex, nauseated and on his knees groaning, was inclined to agree. Chapter Four - Arrival They told us that hiring temporary employees would be less profitable. They said time spent training and adjusting to the job was time in which productivity was lost. They said that offering non-refusable mandatory acceptance of job offers was illegal and immoral. They said that plummeting morale because of ¡®indentured servitude¡¯ would sink us. They even said that corporate scrip and colonies were ¡®unfeasible long-term and morally reprehensible¡¯. But we¡¯re still here. Ad Astra stands stronger than ever. We are eternal. -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation. ¡°Temporary employee Alex Orz, please refrain from¡­oh, you¡¯re just going to do it anyway. Lovely.¡± The room shook violently, and Alex struggled with his bout of nausea again. He groaned, trying to express to the universe exactly how unpleasant he felt right now. The woman on the cracked screen flickered again, and Alex heard a sigh. ¡°Temporary employee Alex Orz, are you done?¡± Am I? Alex tried not to move, even though he really wanted to close his eyes and lay down. However the floor was disgusting, even before his addition to it, and Alex forced himself to push back against his physical ailments. ¡°Uh, ¡° he groaned, ¡°Water?¡± ¡°With apology, there is no access to drinkable water within the transportation and decontamination pod.¡± Alex looked up slowly, his eyes blurry. The woman on the screen shrugged at him. ¡°Anything else you need before we continue?¡± ¡°Continue what?¡± Alex muttered, ¡°I guess I¡¯m fine then?¡± He coughed, the air was slightly acrid and smelled of burning plastic. Tasting bile residue on his tongue, Alex absently spat. ¡°Temporary employee Alex Orz, your behavior is unbecoming of an Ad Astra employee.¡± scolded the screen, ¡°Please refrain from soiling company property.¡± ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Alex felt a rumble underneath the floor, and sparks flew from several unidentified devices attached to the walls. The yellow fluid that had been dripping from the corner of the room started to come at a trickle, giving off a nasty rotten-vegetable smell. ¡°Uh. Where am I? And who are you?¡± he added, aiming for a politeness he really wasn¡¯t feeling right now. ¡°My name is Adjunct Artificial Intelligence Nine/Harmony, overseer of carriages nine thousand to nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine.¡± The room shook again, and Alex was quite sure he heard the rumbling detonation of an explosion from somewhere beyond this little room. Alex looked up at what was probably the door which, to him, closely resembled those he¡¯d seen on episodes of Star Trek - if the bright, clean future that Star Trek presented had been sprayed down with grime and allowed to fester. In the center of the door was a thick, grimy glass-like panel that he probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to see out of even if he¡¯d been in any condition to get up. ¡°What was that?¡± he asked, referring to the explosions. The woman on the screen - apparently an artificial intelligence - smiled with a hint of almost-manic politeness. ¡°We¡¯re currently experiencing some minor technical glitches in a few unimportant subsystems, ¡° she explained, but even the AI had to wince when the sound of groaning metal echoed threateningly, sending another deep shudder through the place. ¡°Very minor. Stand by. Decontamination will commence momentarily.¡± Decontamination from what? ¡°What sort of-¡± A hose dropped from the ceiling, and then kept dropping as a large black snake of rubber tubing coiled up in a messy pile in the middle of the floor. With a desultory little spurt, a clear fluid dribbled from the end in a sad kidney-stone-sufferer sort of way. Alex eyed the hose, and then the ceiling from which it had fallen. There was nothing but darkness above with a suggestion of cramped crawlspaces and banged elbows. From the screen, the AI whom Alex decided he would shorten to just Harmony gave a little huff of frustration. ¡°Decontamination unit malfunction logged and sent to maintenance. Ticket added to queue. Outstanding ticket number¡­¡± The AI delivered an incredibly long number in a near-tears tone. Alex was sure nobody ever needed numbers that big. In the corner, a trickle of the yellow fluid leaking from the ceiling touched the edges of some plastic debris and started to hiss menacingly. Alex watched the bubbling reaction as the plastic began to turn dark orange and melt. ¡°It seems as though decontamination must be skipped - for now - due to serious threat to the ongoing safety and status as a living being of Temporary Employee Alex Orz but more importantly due to a tiny technical glitch in the process. Please exit the transportation pod.¡± The woman on the screen said as the melting plastic popped and spattered nearby. A red light flickered to life above the door. It emitted a high pitched whistle, and then exploded. Sharp shards of glass scattered across the room; Alex flinched but thankfully none struck him. The door itself gave a groan, trembled in place, and did not move. ¡°Temporary emp-¡± ¡°Please, it¡¯s just Alex.¡± Alex cut in. The AI paused a second, and then nodded. ¡°Alex, you appear to be trapped inside the transportation pod.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good.¡± ¡°Correct. The spent arcane waste dispersion fluid (colloquially known as diss-piss though we ask employees not to use that term) that is leaking from shunt 717 into the pod will melt your flesh on contact.¡± ¡°I¡¯d best not touch it then.¡± Alex eyed the yellow fluid. The plastic it had been melting was gone, and the puddle seemed a little larger. ¡°How do I get out then?¡± ¡°An emergency request for maintenance has been called. Time until maintenance responds is ¡± That doesn¡¯t sound good, Alex thought. ¡°Uh, is the door just jammed, or is there some futuristic technological stuff that¡¯s in the way?¡± ¡°Unknown, ¡° Harmony pulled a face, her smile disappearing for a moment. ¡°This is a critical situation. Temporary employees require additional paperwork on death or dismemberment, and with the apparently large amount of resources spent on bringing you here I would ask that you not die at this time. It will reflect poorly on Ad Astra.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know what Ad Astra is, ¡° Alex muttered, ¡°So you can¡¯t actually reach anyone?¡± ¡°Crew are temporarily out of communication with this adjunct. Logs are on hold due to momentary loss of contact with adjunct AI Symphony.¡± ¡°Alright, so what do we do?¡± Alex noticed that the yellow fluid was spreading further, its edges touching part of the rubbery pipe that had fallen from the ceiling. The rubber started to deteriorate, an acrid odor permeating the small space. Without getting a reply from the AI, Alex stepped around the puddle and examined the door. Realizing he still had one glove tucked into his belt, Alex pulled it on and flexed his fingers. These gloves had been through a lot with him, and though most of the stains on them were grease or oil or just grime from working on things here and there, not all of them were. He¡¯d looked at them under a blacklight once - not intentionally, Alex had been attending ¡®Cosmic Bowling¡¯ at the local lanes and they did some weird stuff with the lighting there - and had found some of the stains lit up brightly. After a quick test, Alex realized that the door was supposed to slide open to the right, but it was definitely jammed. There was also a panel that he was surprised to be able to read which said ¡®Emergency Release¡¯. The panel was raised slightly from the wall but had no visible means of entry. Not even a screw¡­ ¡°Um, computer lady? Harmony? How do I open this panel?¡± ¡°Technicians and engineers have access to company-supplied omnitools.¡± ¡°Uh, well, they¡¯re not here. Is there an omnitool in this room?¡± ¡°Why would Ad Astra keep a valuable piece of equipment in a transportation pod?¡± Alex ignored the question and tested the panel. It was seamless, like the wall had grown it rather than had it installed. Still it was labeled in such a way that suggested that it should open, and Alex didn¡¯t have anything that was as cool and high-tech as whatever an omnitool was, but he did still have his backpack. He put the backpack on the floor by his feet and pulled out a claw-hammer and a large chisel. This chisel was no longer sharp and definitely couldn¡¯t be used for its original purpose, but Alex had utilized the thing for years in other ways. He positioned the chisel, and took a swing with the hammer. With a clang that seemed loud in the small space, the panel split from the wall and fell to the floor where it skittered into the slowly expanding puddle of yellow stuff. The AI on the sparking monitor objected. ¡°Only authorized individuals are permitted to access internal devices, wiring, machinery, equipment, or circuitry!¡± she exclaimed, her face loomed into a close-up. ¡°You are damaging Ad Astra property and this will be noted on your record!¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying to escape what you called a ¡®critical danger¡¯.¡± Alex explained as he peered into the hole he¡¯d made. Inside was an absolute mess of wiring in a chaotic rainbow of colors; Some of them were clear, and glowed with slowly moving light, and others seemed to be capped off or twisted in various directions, occasionally passing through each other. ¡°Hey, uh, do you have something like a quick tutorial video on how to-¡± Alex stopped. He had been addressing the AI on the screen, but golden text flashed into his vision. >[Mender] Path skills are currently available for use: [Evaluate] [Jury Rig] ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± Alex frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know what what means, Temporary Employee Alex Orz?¡± the AI sounded less than friendly now that he¡¯d damaged something - not that this whole place wasn¡¯t already damaged, if the state of this room was the norm. ¡°Just Alex, ¡° he reminded her, ¡°But the text in my head. The¡­Interface, right? It¡¯s saying I have two usable skills, but I don¡¯t know what they do except with very general context.¡± ¡°Are¡­are you new to being integrated with the interface?¡± The AI sounded surprised. ¡°Yup, as of right before I arrived. It was a whole thing.¡± Alex sniffed the air - it was definitely getting a little spicier in here, and the yellow fluid had half-dissolved the rubber tubing and was still spreading. ¡°Updating employee records. This is not ideal.¡± This AI keeps referring to me as an employee. Which based on what Sparkles told me earlier¡­best play along. ¡°Sorry for disappointing you, ¡° he said, ¡°But I still need to know how-¡± >Incoming Message: Checking in. Hello, Alex! My name is Peri, your personal Interface assistant! I¡¯ve just been added to this monitoring group; They¡¯re quite the bunch of characters, aren¡¯t they? I¡¯ve been informed that you didn¡¯t get any instruction on how to actually use your Interface. You have my sympathy for that, however, I¡¯m here to help! I can let you know that if you focus on the name of something in your Interface overlay you will get more information on it. Have a chipper day! >Incoming Message: PS: My ¡®Alex-Flips-Out money is on the moment you see the <>!! Oh boy. ¡°Thanks?¡± he said aloud. ¡°For what?¡± Harmony asked. ¡°Not you. Nevermind.¡± Alex noticed that the pool of liquid was trickling toward where he stood and shifted over a little. He concentrated, thinking about his apparent skill called ¡®Evaluate¡¯. >[Evaluate] - Rank 1 (0/100) (Common) (Active Skill) >So check this out, you use this skill to examine a thing in an attempt to work out what¡¯s wrong with it. >Millennia ago the great sage Tal-Morel once declared ¡°What the everloving fuck is wrong with you?¡± to a particularly finicky sapient toaster that had charred his bread on one side and barely warmed the other. Surprisingly this skill was created at that moment to help him work it out[1][2]. >Unlike [Troubleshoot] which is solely for tech analysis, or [Diagnose] which is medically focused, [Evaluate] can target both, though its downside is the slower progression of the skill, especially at higher ranks. >This skill can be leveled with use, and the higher the skill level the more in-depth things can be figured out. >[1] It was broken. >[2] This story is entirely made up. ¡°Wow, ¡° Alex muttered, but before he could continue another flare of golden text arrived. >Incoming message: Did you like that? I wrote it myself - it¡¯s my first entry! -Peri With great care Alex pulled his thoughts together and said in his head That was very well done, thank you. I liked it. After all, the person was trying to supply him with information and he didn¡¯t want that to stop. ¡°Okay!¡± he said, addressing the screen. It fizzed and popped, but the AI¡¯s face looked out at him. ¡°Apparently I can [Evaluate] this.¡± How did I just put square brackets in front of¡­you know what? It doesn¡¯t matter. ¡°You can do what?¡± ¡°[Evaluate] the door.¡± Alex explained. ¡°It¡¯s apparently a skill I was given based on my [Mender] path.¡± ¡°[MENDER]???¡± The AI exclaimed, her eyes shooting up in surprise. ¡°I wasn¡¯t informed¡­updating employee records! Having someone on-hand to look at issues is a great asset to bring to the company, Alex!¡± Evaluate¡­.evaluate¡­[Evaluate] Alex thought at the door panel. On the third attempt something clicked in his mind, and Alex felt something pass between him and the open panel of exposed wires. >Evaluation of lock panel: Broken. Alex paused for a moment, re-reading the text. You know what? Yeah, that was sort of what I expected. >Incoming message: You¡¯re skill is too low, Alex. Gotta get those gains! -P. There was something of an inner struggle as Alex fought against his sudden petulant urge to correct his new helper on the usage of ¡®your¡¯ versus ¡®you¡¯re¡¯ but ultimately reason won out - if these messages were being somehow typed out in real time, he¡¯d take speed over spelling. ¡°What¡¯s the prognosis?¡± Harmony asked. The smell was starting to get stronger, and Alex felt a slight burn in his lungs. For the past few minutes there had mostly been silence beyond the room, but another loud metallic groan was heard at that moment - and was that a scream? ¡°Did someone just scream out there?¡± ¡°No, it was just the massive stress of a high speed dispersal of inertia that¡¯s currently rippling through the entire train causing an incredible amount of pressure and damage along the¡­¡± Harmony trailed off, and then plastered a professional smile back on her face again. ¡°It was just the wind.¡± ¡°The wind.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°In space.¡± ¡°Do you know everything there is to know about space, Alex? No? Then you don¡¯t know if there¡¯s any wind. How about solar winds, Alex? Ever heard of those? I¡¯ve got to say that no temporary employee has ever questioned my reporting in the past and I find it highly offensive that a new arrival would do so now.¡± ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Alex tried to pacify the AI, even though he could see that the whole thing was an act to cover up actually admitting something bad had happened to the¡­ ¡°Did you say ¡®Train¡¯? No, it¡¯s not important right now. The door. My skill says that it¡¯s broken.¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. The AI looked at him through the screen with an expression of profound disappointment. I might as well try the other thing, he said to himself and concentrated on his second skill. >[Jury Rig] - Rank 1 (0/100) (Common) (Active Skill) >One part home handyman, two parts MacGyver, with this skill and whatever materials are on hand you can attempt to temporarily repair something. >Some people are born with the inherent desire to fix things. Objects, people, countries, relationships, mental issues, dismemberment - they¡¯re driven to patch up, shore up, and liberally apply duct tape and chewing gum to the situation at hand. Sometimes it even works! >This skill can be leveled with use, and the higher the skill level the more that can be temporarily repaired as well as lasting longer before the next breakdown. Alex was intrigued by the fact that the skill - or, rather, Peri - seemed to indicate that [Jury Rig] could patch up people as well as things. Almost like a magical healing spell from stories¡­ ¡°Alright. Uh¡­¡± Alex looked over at the screen, ¡°I really hope this does something because the whole mess of wires and tubes and glowing stuff is beyond me. [Jury Rig]!¡± Alex felt a different sensation to using [Evaluate]. Instead of something passing from him to the panel, he felt a tingle in his mind that seemed to whisper things that were just out of reach of understanding. It took control of his hands and his gloved fingers twitched and reached for the panel before the sensation faded away and the almost-knowledge was gone. >Incoming message: This is way outside your level of expertise, Alex. You¡¯d only make things worse. -Peri ¡°Well that¡¯s just unfair, ¡° Alex muttered, ¡°And a waste of time.¡± A hissing at his feet caused Alex to take a jump backward. The trickle of yellow fluid increased, and the diss-piss had touched the heel of his shoe before Alex had leapt back. To his dismay it was now slightly melted and smoking. ¡°You¡¯re a level one [Mender], if your statement about only just gaining the Interface is true. You need additional practice, which requires additional time, which¡­isn¡¯t going to work here.¡± Harmony stated. ¡°Engineering is¡­busy. As is technical support. Command is currently not accepting any calls. Triage situation in effect. A general summons is being sent out to the closest Ad Astra employee for assistance.¡± ¡°I would also move to the back of the pod to avoid the spread of caustic fluids, Alex.¡± the AI suggested, ¡°The floor is at a concerning but currently useful slant forward, and so additional time can be gained.¡± ¡°Any chance we¡¯ll run out of stuff leaking?¡± Alex asked hopefully, but the AI shook her head. ¡°Okay. And I couldn¡¯t try to, um, [Jury Rig] the leak? No? Didn¡¯t think so¡­¡± Alec felt somewhat useless as he backed up to the far wall, away from the door. ¡°So you¡¯ve called someone to let me out of here?¡± ¡°A request has been made. We cannot legally force any employee to step outside their designated job role. I¡¯m sure someone will come, Alex.¡± the AI concluded as comfortingly as a computer-simulated face that faded and fizzed on the damaged screen could be. ¡°While we wait, ¡° the AI added, ¡°I would like to discuss your employment with Ad Astra.¡± ¡°Yeah, I was going to ask about that. I¡¯m not an employee.¡± ¡°You are. You¡¯ve been offered mandatory employment, and someone within Ad Astra has had you transported here at great cost which, surprisingly, got approval to be waived instead of adding it to your employee debt-load.¡± ¡°Debt-load.¡± Alex echoed, not liking the sound of that at all. ¡°Yes, Alex. All employees accrue a debt-load for consuming Ad Astra resources, time, and storage space. It, along with our company backed digital currency, performance reviews and job assignments are stored on your employee holo - something which you currently do not have, as the nearest holo implant device is beyond that jammed-up door.¡± Alright Alex, Alex thought to himself, Just go with it. You know the rules of the events. You can sort of sense out how they are going to go. This one is a lot¡­more involved than the others, but it¡¯s still just a weird event. And you¡¯re good at weird events. ¡°Go with the flow, ¡° he muttered, forcing himself to relax further. As he took a deep breath, his lungs started to burn a little as the acrid smell grew stronger. At the same time, another shudder rippled through millions of tons of metal causing it to groan threateningly. A shower of sparks arced across the room and sprayed across his cheek and shoulder. ¡°Ouch!¡± >Health: 19/20 What? A little disoriented, Alex shook his head and brushed away tiny bits of ash. The smell was making him a little lightheaded even as it caused his lungs to become uncomfortable. The AI must have noticed his distress, because she looked at him sternly from her vantage point on the screen. ¡°Alex, you are ordered to stay alive! I have a review coming up. Or, really, overdue by years. Please do not be a disappointing employee on your first day.¡± ¡°Sorry, Harmony.¡± Alex eyed the glassy panel on the door. If the air was getting less breathable in here, he¡¯d need to create ventilation. Alex hefted his hammer meaningfully. ¡°No more damaging company property!¡± ¡°It¡¯s already damaged, ¡° Alex argued. He frowned as he looked at the floor in front o the door. Too much of the hissing yellow liquid had pooled there. The rubber hosing from the ceiling had been reduced to sludge that popped and spattered. Alex¡¯s eyes watered, and he let out a cough. ¡°Good news. A nearby employee has accepted additional duties and is on their way!¡± ¡°That¡¯s great, ¡° Alex cleared his throat. ¡°That stuff is toxic, right? It¡¯s starting to get a little hard to breathe in here.¡± ¡°Extremely toxic! With indirect atmospheric contact, your soft tissue will start deteriorating within the next hour or so.¡± Harmony advised. >Health: 18/20 Alex waved the text away, but more appeared quickly. >Incoming message: Alex, you haven¡¯t set up your Interface with any of the more common overlays, like keeping track of health. The messages you see can be moved. We¡¯ll go through it together if you like! -P-Girl. Alex figured he¡¯d worry about that when he wasn¡¯t in danger of injury. If this was a game - or, rather like a game, then that health notifier meant that he was still relatively okay. Besides, apart from a bit of a sting in his lungs and eyes Alex felt okay. Anyway, he was supposed to survive events, he just had to be careful and go with the flow¡­go with the flow¡­wait, how about- >Incoming message: On second thought, P-Girl sounds like I wet myself a lot. Oh my god, why? Alex¡¯s thoughts were scattered for a moment and it took a second to recover. What was he thinking? Oh, right - going with the flow. His eyes tracked up to the ceiling, with its missing panel and the empty cavity where the rubber tubing had fallen. Despite it not currently running, and him being somewhere weird and different, Alex knew an exhaust vent when he saw one. [Evaluate]! >Evaluation of exhaust vent: Working at 100% efficiency. ¡°Working? That means it¡¯s off, not broken, ¡° he muttered, and turned to the waiting AI. When she noticed Alex looking in her direction she schooled her face back into a smile. ¡°Turn on the exhaust fan!¡± ¡°The exhaust fan cannot be turned on right now, Alex, as decontamination has not occurred.¡± she said, as if explaining to a child. Though things weren¡¯t bad yet, Alex had a feeling that they would get worse. The yellow fluid combined with whatever it touched and melted was starting to fill the air with a higher than comfortable amount of something that tasted noxious and made Alex¡¯s tongue feel weird. ¡°If you don¡¯t turn on the fan, I might suffocate or suffer irreparable damage.¡± Alex reasoned. He¡¯d never actually dealt with an AI before, none having existed back on Earth and not until now being featured in any event. Surely they had laws about people getting harmed, right? ¡°You¡¯ll be fine¡­?¡± The AI sounded unsure, ¡°Help is on the way after all!¡± ¡°Will they get here in time?¡± Alex asked. He began to cough again, this time with a deeper burning sensation in his lungs. ¡°Slightly less than even odds, ¡° Harmony admitted. >Health: 17/20 ¡°I¡¯ve got this¡­health readout thing? It¡¯s dropped by three points in the last five minutes or so.¡± ¡°Oh. You must have terrible resilience.¡± The AI bit her lower lip. ¡°But turning on the fan could send any pathogens you might have brought with you throughout the air system, contaminating multiple compartments and carriages. Also, it would disperse noxious gas to those same areas which is not exactly optimal.¡± ¡°What sort of exhaust fan blows its content into places with other people?¡± Alex coughed again. The air seemed slightly shimmery now. ¡°One that has multiple critical breaches in its ductwork, Alex, ¡° the AI answered, ¡°And the word ¡®multiple¡¯ is really uncomfortable when used in this way, as it indicates that Ad Astra is not taking care of its assets which the company wishes to assure everyone simply isn¡¯t true. Please remain calm!¡± ¡°I¡¯m calm.¡± Alex replied gently, struggling not to cough again. ¡°I¡¯m apparently the epitome of calm. I¡¯m just starting to have some breathing issues.¡± This isn¡¯t panic, he told himself, eyes roaming the walls for some sort of solution, But it very well could be shortly. Well, Sparkles, looks like you might lose that bet. ¡° in an attempt to communicate with the command hierarchy. Alex, your employment is in danger of being terminally shortened - please breathe more shallowly for the moment.¡± Oh, that never occurred to me thank you so much, Alex murmured in his own mind. Just when Alex thought it was time to actually start to worry he heard a sudden pounding at the door. He looked up with watery eyes at the little window, but he didn¡¯t see anyone looking in. Nevertheless, someone out there was beating at the door with gusto. He smiled. Right on time, he thought with relief. Alex didn¡¯t waste any breath on shouting, trying to breathe as shallowly as he could. The yellow liquid had stopped expanding across the floor, having encountered a crack that allowed it to start flowing down into whatever was contained below the room. The smell was getting worse as gray smoke hissed up from the floor. ¡°Please stand by and maintain a living status, Alex. Assistance is here.¡± Harmony advised belatedly. The pounding outside changed into a horrendous low-pitched screech of metal on metal. The door cracked and shuddered, and a hiss of air escaping as the more noxious air rushed out and fresher atmosphere bled in. Whoever was outside the door started to curse. Alex stood, eyeing the cracked-open door. It was a mere inch or so, nowhere near enough to get out. As he was considering going up and yanking on it the swearing from outside stopped and a moment later the door screeched open about halfway. Through watering eyes Alex saw a squat, dark shape. ¡°Come on!¡± a deep voice boomed, ¡°Get out of there, you ballast-brain!¡± Here goes, Alex thought, staggering forward. Even with the remnants of nausea and the effects of the not-exactly-fresh air on his lungs and eyes, Alex was able to easily clear the yellow puddle and pass through the half open door. It was a graceless leap, one that left Alex rolling his ankle just enough to fall and hit a large metal countertop. He grunted in pain and fell to the floor. >Health: 15/20 Coughing, eyes watering, and sucking in the less-toxic air, Alex lay on the still-trembling floor breathing heavily. That was close, he considered. The sound of footsteps on metal caught his attention, and Alex¡¯s eyes moved to see a sturdy black boot near his head. He followed it up a short leg, and up further - but not too far up, because standing above Alex was a stocky child wearing a thick black gas mask that covered their entire head. ¡°Hey, new fish.¡± The voice was far deeper than expected from such a short figure. Alex¡¯s rescuer held out a gloved hand to help him up. Alex paused for a moment, his eyes and brain explaining to him that those fingers were just a shade longer than usual. ¡°The Adjunct said that the new hire was in trouble, but she never said anything about you being human. Haven¡¯t seen one of you for a while. Come on, up you get.¡± Human. Implying that there are other options here. Because of course there are. Alex took the proffered hand and was hauled to his feet. The figure was surprisingly strong. ¡°Thanks for getting me out of there.¡± Alex said, and then coughed again. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°I was compensated, so no bother.¡± The figure shrugged. Alex took in the thick protective clothing they wore that looked to have been hastily donned and in a state of disarray. His brain also pointed out that his rescuer¡¯s arms were unnaturally long - not freakishly so, just a half-hand or so longer than normal for their body size. ¡°I was compensated, right?¡± This query was directed to a screen - one that was undamaged, but the image was partially obscured by static. The artificial face of the AI which had introduced herself as Harmony appeared. ¡°Of course. An additional fifty glim have been added to your next paycheck for saving the life of a fellow employee.¡± Harmony said, ¡°Kudos, Sanitation Worker Patina Bloodfiend. You are the epitome of what an Ad Astra employee should strive for. Be proud.¡± ¡°Fifty glim!¡° the rescuer exclaimed, their deep voice rumbling with pleasure. ¡°That¡¯ll get me a week of¡­yes?¡± They looked at Alex who was raising his hand. ¡°Uh. Bloodfiend?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a family name. No actual fiending or blood involved.¡± The figure paused, ¡°At least not that anyone¡¯s told me, but who knows what my ancestors got up to in their spare time?¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯m-¡± ¡°Sanitation Worker Patina Bloodfiend, this is Temporary Employee Alex Orz, who has stated a preference to be called ¡®Just Alex¡¯.¡± Harmony said, ¡°Due to current events and ongoing minor issues, I have forsaken the usual corporate-approved hilarious misunderstanding and left out the word ¡®just¡¯ when addressing him.¡± ¡°Alex.¡± Alex finished his sentence. ¡°Patina.¡± Patina said with a nod. ¡°Patina, Alex is both behind schedule and out of order in his intake and orientation checklist. Additional compensation will be provided for stepping outside of your assigned role temporarily to assist with the process.¡± ¡°Hot damn, ¡° Patina chuckled. It was a spooky sort of laugh when it came from behind the large gas mask. ¡°Today everything¡¯s coming up all sorts of shine.¡± As if to remind everyone that things were not exactly as minor as Harmony wanted to insist upon, the room shook again and far in the distance they could feel a deep rumble. A sensation of weightlessness for a half-second made Alex¡¯s stomach lurch before things settled down again. ¡°Oof. That wasn¡¯t good.¡± Patina said casually. ¡°Looks like you arrived at the worst possible time, Alex. Things are kinda screwed around here.¡± ¡°Please do not disparage the property or name of Ad Astra, Patina.¡± Harmony gave a stern look. ¡°We are referring to the current state of things as minor technical issues, as outlined in the Employee Handbook.¡± ¡°Yeah, ignore that.¡± Patina confided to Alex, ¡°The Adjunct has been bugging out for as long as I can remember.¡± ¡°Please stop that, Patina. I would like you to assist with decontaminating Alex. The process was unable to be completed in the compromised pod.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, sure. C¡¯mere Alex.¡± The pair peered into the next transportation pod. Patina shook their head. The next was the same. ¡°All of these are busted, Adjunct.¡± Patina observed. ¡°The expression is ¡®undergoing upgrades and enhancements to better serve our employees¡¯, Patina.¡± Harmony almost whined, ¡°Alex needs to complete decontamination. Additional maintenance tickets have been lodged. Wait time is¡­¡± the AI broke off with an actual groan. ¡°Proceeding with the intake checklist. Alex, we will decontaminate you, please do not fear.¡± ¡°Uh, okay.¡± Alex shrugged. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m not sure I really want to work here¡­wherever I am. It seems hazardous, and I don¡¯t even know what job I¡¯m supposed to do here.¡± ¡°Yes. Your position.¡± Harmony¡¯s eyes flared almost angrily, ¡°Something that hasn¡¯t been communicated, which is very impractical and just a little bit frustrating. Normally all new hires are scanned for their starting position before arrival. Your transit here was unorthodox and flagged as both mandatory and urgent.¡± ¡°Meaning I have no choice.¡± Alex pushed. ¡°Meaning we have no choice. The order apparently came with upper management codes, though frustratingly there has actually been no communication from upper management in the last¡­¡± Harmony shook her head and continued, ¡°Never mind that. Whatever you have been hired for, the current employee pool was deemed insufficient to perform it.¡± ¡°Is there a way we can find out? I mean, I¡¯d like to know what you all want me to do here.¡± Alex said. And then go home, he added in his mind. ¡°We just have to-¡± The screen flickered to black. A pair of eyes with orange rings of fire around the pupils flashed on the screen. ¡°Save Us.¡± Immediately the screen went back to displaying Harmony¡¯s artificial face. ¡°-scan you, do your intake, and assign you a role based on your Path and skills. If upper management sees fit to contact me with additional information we can go from there but until then you should be doing something, and with your Path I have several recommendations.¡± ¡°Did you see the scary eyes too?¡± Alex asked Patina, sotto voce. When Patina nodded slowly, he asked ¡°Is that normal?¡± A shake of Patina¡¯s head indicated that it was certainly not normal. Harmony continued as if nothing had happened. ¡°I need to scan you, Alex. Do you consent?¡± ¡°Uh. Yeah. Sure, okay.¡± ¡°Please approach the far wall, and place your hand on the scanning¡­oh. It¡¯s currently undergoing temporary maintenance¡­¡± Harmony huffed. ¡°Please hold.¡± Alex and Patina exchanged a look. The rescuer¡¯s expression was hidden by the gas mask, but their voice rumbled kindly, ¡°You¡¯ll probably be a cleaner like me. It never ends, and we can¡¯t keep up no matter how many of us are going at it.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s not the worst job I¡¯ve had.¡± Alex smiled, but had a feeling that the event that dragged reality around like a tiny dog on a leash wasn¡¯t going to make him sweep floors. ¡°Aha!¡± Harmony¡¯s tone cracked in triumph. ¡°An operating scanner has been located. Please proceed to processing compartment 11a. Follow the helpful guiding arrows to your destination, and ignore the detritus and what looks like a large pile of scrap that is sparking dangerously. It¡¯s an¡­installation piece, as¡­Ad Astra provides works of art for its¡­¡± Both Alex and Patina stared at the AI on the screen who glitched out and gazed blankly for a minute. A green light bar appeared near the floor, pointing toward a door before fizzling out again. ¡°Patina?¡± Harmony queried with weariness in her tone. ¡°I got it, Adjunct.¡± ¡°Thank you. I will be there to start the process when you arrive. Please do not die. Dally. Please do not dally.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Alex said to the screen politely. ¡°I didn¡¯t say this before because of, you know, the whole thing in the pod, but it¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± When the AI didn¡¯t respond Alex turned to his rescuer. ¡°Also nice to meet you too, Patina. Thanks for the rescue.¡± In response Patina reached up and peeled off the gas mask. Alex blinked as he took in the sight - a thin, cheerful-looking face with large dark eyes looked back at him. She¡¯s green, Alex thought. Patina certainly was green, and most definitely a she. The short woman had a long, thin nose, and a pair of thick pointed ears that jutted straight out from the sides of her head. Her greasy, tied-back dark hair moved as Patina tilted her head and grinned at Alex with an unsettlingly wide mouth. She looks like a¡­goblin? ¡°Likewise, Alex, ¡° replied the goblin. Without the gas mask Patina¡¯s voice was much higher pitched, girly, and a shade nasal. A long, low groaning metal sound echoed through the room as something elsewhere continued to deal with physics being cranky. ¡°I think we¡¯re all gonna die. Exciting, ain¡¯t it? Let¡¯s get started!¡± Why is everyone so enthused about danger today? Alex complained internally. Chapter Five - Laying Out The Basics A house divided against itself cannot stand. But we¡¯re not building houses. We¡¯re building an empire, and any division will be ruthlessly crushed beneath a mountain of tactical lawyers. This is business. -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation. Alex and Patina cautiously made their way down a long corridor. The place, to Alex, was fashioned in a sort of retro-futuristic style - all molded plastic, polished steel, and smooth curves that looked more like aesthetic choice rather than functional design. Here and there the more advanced technological components were sunk into the plastic. Most of them were either emitting distressing beeps or smoking slightly, and Alex had no hopes of identifying what any of it was for. Beneath their feet a once-grand carpet had been worn down from the march of innumerable footfalls. Alex looked ahead, wondering exactly how far the corridor extended - it seemed to go off forever into the distance. The experience would have been much more wondrous to Alex if the floor hadn¡¯t been scattered with the detritus of neglect and malfunction. Traces of smoke lingered in the air, curling lazily around fallen-in ceilings that spilled ductwork and wiring in ropey piles. As in the transportation pod, Alex noted that some of the wires seemed normal while others glowed in a variety of colors. Occasionally the pair passed a doorway, but Alex was unable to read the neat little labels beside them due to the strange curly script they were printed in. Most of them were tarnished with age. ¡°This place doesn¡¯t look too good, ¡° Alex observed. ¡°It wasn¡¯t this bad until today, ¡° Patina commented carelessly, shrugging. ¡°I mean sure, it still wasn¡¯t great but not like this; If I were the Adjunct I¡¯d be freaking out right now. But that¡¯s not my job, thank the Board.¡± the goblin grinned. ¡°I clean stuff, I don¡¯t worry about the rest.¡± ¡°That seems a little, uh¡­¡± Stupid? ¡°Carefree.¡± Alex ventured. ¡°Maybe, but it¡¯s not like I have much of a choice so why worry about it? Unless the Adjunct specifically requests assistance, Ad Astra employees are forbidden to step outside their assigned roles.¡± Patina explained, ¡°My Path is [Cleaner], and my job is sanitation work - like most of us here. If I step outside that job without an offer or permission from the Adjunct, my pay gets docked and benefits are paused.¡± ¡°That seems very shortsighted.¡± ¡°Yup, ¡° Patina chuckled darkly. ¡°But you learn to live with it.¡± Something in the goblin¡¯s tone suggested an underlying frustration, that her words didn''t match how she actually felt, but she was careful to keep most of it from her voice. ¡°All of this, ¡° she gestured around the corridor, ¡°Is someone else¡¯s problem until one day things get so bad we all perish.¡± ¡°Uh¡­¡± ¡°Something fun to look forward to.¡± Fatalistic and resigned to her fate, Alex mused. What an awful existence. ¡°When I was trapped, Harmony kept trying to reach maintenance or someone to repair the pod door but couldn¡¯t get to anyone. I don¡¯t want to assume anything, but she rattled off a mind bogglingly large number of outstanding repair requests.¡± ¡°Maintenance. That¡¯d be nice.¡± Patina looked wistful for a moment before she shook her head. ¡°There hasn¡¯t been a techie in this carriage since the last one died horribly in a diss-piss conduit rupture. We never did get that fixed.¡± That yellow liquid, Alex shuddered. That could have been me. ¡°That was¡­what, about twelve years ago? He was the only techie the carriage had for, like, most of his life and he was seriously old. There was no way he could keep up with everything on his own.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s no more, uh, ¡®techies¡¯ on the ship that could come here to help out?¡± ¡°Ship?¡± Patina stopped and tilted her head quizzically at Alex. Her large eyes glimmered in sudden realization. ¡°Oh! You have no idea where you are. Mandatory hire, right?¡± ¡°Yeah. Kinda new to all this.¡± Alex said, rubbing his head absently. ¡°Any information would be useful.¡± ¡°Information costs, ¡° Patina shot back, her tone almost bored. She shook her head and sighed. ¡°But I¡¯m getting a little extra from the Adjunct for doing this¡­¡± The little Goblin¡¯s eyes narrowed speculatively as she looked at Alex, ¡°Yeah, okay. I can toss a few bites your way.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± As they walked past the sealed doors down the corridor each one hissed and groaned but didn¡¯t move. Alex eyed them suspiciously, but Patina simply shrugged. ¡°They open automatically when they detect people close by. Very high tech stuff. Except right now, they¡¯re mostly not working and also not a priority for repair because most of carriage 9997¡¯s upper deck is abandoned. Sorry, ¡®currently not optimized for use¡¯.¡± Her tone was mocking as she put air quotes around her last words. To give Alex the rundown, she touched briefly on the main condition of temporary employment with Ad Astra - namely, that whatever job he was given he should perform as best he can, because passage on board wasn¡¯t promised or guaranteed to freeloaders - it had to be earned. ¡°Also if you¡¯re terminated, you¡¯re literally terminated. Only Ad Astra employees should be onboard the train, and ex-employees are ejected as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Into space.¡± ¡°Into space, ¡° Patina agreed. ¡°The train can¡¯t support those who can¡¯t work.¡± ¡°That word again. I¡¯m on a train. In space.¡± ¡°Originally it was some romanticized throwback that the company decided would look good to investors and shareholders. At least, that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been told - who knows why upper management does anything? It¡¯s not as if any of them condescend to come all the way back to carriage 9997.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s a train and a spaceship, ¡° Alex pushed, ¡°I¡¯m not trying to be dumb here, just getting things right in my head. A train - a long, segmented vehicle with an engine, a caboose, a whole bunch of carriages or cars - but also a spaceship, with all the lasers, phasers, shields, warp engines, and whatever else that implies.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what phasers and warp engines are, but I think I can guess. But yeah, the train is split up into ten thousand carriages; Why exactly ten thousand I dunno, but it¡¯s probably something to do with people liking nice round numbers?¡± Patina shrugged, ¡°Each carriage is set up to perform different tasks for the company.¡± ¡°And what does the company-¡± The door they were passing chimed, and instead of the now familiar hiss and groan it simply ground open. Both Patina and Alex were surprised by the door, but even more so by the snarl that came from the darkness beyond. ¡°Ah, bilgewater!¡± Patina managed to curse before a dark shape leapt out of the room and tackled her. The goblin went down with a snarling creature on top of her. Alex blinked in surprise, surprised at how quick things had happened. He looked for a long and dangerously slow moment as Patina cried out - the creature had bitten down on her arm - before he was finally able to react. Alex ran toward his fallen companion. Slow as his reaction was, once he got a good start Alex was able to deliver a solid kick at the side of the thing. His foot collided with a heavy thud and the creature was sent back a couple of feet, tearing the heavy fabric of Patina¡¯s sleeve as it did so. With the creature momentarily dazed, Alex was finally able to have a good look at it. >Incoming Message: Alex - wow, combat already? I think we need to start a couple of new side bets. Listen, you have two big disadvantages here - you currently don¡¯t have an identification skill, and you have like zero combat skills. You might form one during this fight based on any past experience and what you do here, but just be careful. -Peridot. (Still trying out the names. Sparkles says I need to have ¡®marketability¡¯ for some reason or other!) With a distracted wave of his hand Alex dismissed the text that had bloomed up in his vision. The creature - a bulldog-sized rat-like thing with bristly hairs sprouting in between chitinous plates along its body - snarled again and scurried forward to attack Patina again, who had managed to get to her feet with a thunderous scowl on her face. ¡°Bilge drinking son of a ballast-brained fucker!¡± the goblin snarled. She reached into a small pouch on the left of her belt and drew out a long pole. There was no way that the pole could have fit in the small pouch, but it just kept coming until its other end was free. Patina brandished a mop at the attacking creature, and it halted in place so that she couldn¡¯t quite reach it. ¡°Is your arm okay? And what is that?¡± Alex asked, his heart beating furiously from the spike in adrenaline. A whisper in his brain told him that the creature was dangerous, and that his usual methods of dealing with things (ie, talking to them) wasn¡¯t going to cut it here. ¡°That, ¡° Patina jabbed at the creature again, causing it to shy back and snarl. Saliva dribbled from its mouth and spattered on the worn-down carpet. ¡°Is a bilge rat. A little one. And my arm is fine - the sleeve took most of the hit, and I only lost a couple of health.¡± Health. The messages said I lost health earlier, too. I feel okay though. I wonder- >Incoming Message: Tutorial goodness! Woo! (sorry, I¡¯ve been told to be as upbeat as possible!) Health, Health Points, HP, or whatever else it gets labeled, is like this kinda soul-generated shield around everyone who¡¯s connected to Syntropy¡¯s interface. If you get hurt, you still feel it, but you don¡¯t suffer actual damage until the value is at zero. -P.Donk. Okay¡­ Alex swiped away at the message. Patina saw him out of the corner of her eye and grimaced. ¡°First day as part of the wider universe, right? Tell your interface to stick your messages in a chat box in one corner of your vision.¡± She jabbed at the bilge rat, her mop-end scraping across one of the chitin plates. ¡°Most people opt for the lower left.¡± That makes sense. Do that, please. Immediately a small overlay appeared in Alex¡¯s vision. A transparent rectangle outlined itself in the lower left corner of his vision. It was slightly disorienting as he wanted to move his eyes to read it but the box moved with his vision. Apparently he didn¡¯t need to worry, as just considering what the box held delivered the information directly into his brain. >Incoming Message: Hey, is that greenie taking my job? No way, sister! Give me ten of your minutes and I¡¯ll have a whole interface tutorial worked up for you. -PeriScope ¡°You don¡¯t happen to have any combat skills, do you?¡± the little goblin asked hopefully. The bilge rat scampered forward in a charge, and she only just managed to strike it on the nose causing it to hiss and pull away again. ¡°These things aren¡¯t that much of a problem alone, but where there¡¯s one¡­¡± Alex turned toward the darkened doorway. Peering into the gloom he saw no additional movement, but the dark shapes of furniture could be hiding anything. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ve never had a serious fight in my life. I usually talk my way out of things.¡± This was true. Despite well over a thousand random events with varying degrees of danger, fighting had always been a last resort for Alex and he never really felt a pull toward learning more than attending one or two self defense classes that he couldn''t commit to due to both lack of time and, honestly, interest. ¡°Oh goody. Tell the nasty thing that¡¯s trying to gnaw the end of my mop off to go away.¡± Patina suggested with only a hint of sarcasm. Alex decided to give it a try. ¡°Excuse me, bilge rat thing, ¡° he began. The creature stopped in place, twitching its long whiskers. Alex heard Patina mutter ¡®You¡¯ve got to be purging me¡­¡¯ as the bilge rat looked at Alex with dark and unblinking eyes. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, neither myself nor my guide here wish to be attacked or eaten. If you would be so kind, it would be appreciated if you go back to where you came from and maybe ambush some other random person instead?¡± Alex continued, adding ¡°If you wait, my brother will be along soon and he¡¯s much bigger and tastier.¡± ¡°What?¡± Patina asked. Alex shrugged. ¡°It worked for the goats.¡± ¡°I¡­what? Whatever. It¡¯s not going to do anything to a bilge rat. They¡¯re non sapient.¡± The bilge rat sniffed at the pair for a few more seconds, and then cautiously sidled out of their path. Alex turned to Patina and grinned. ¡°Problem sol-¡± ¡°Look out!¡± Patina shouted, shoulder-checking (or, rather, hip-checking with her shoulder to Alex¡¯s hip) Alex out of the way as the bilge rat pounced toward him. She brought the handle of the mop down on the bilge rat¡¯s long nose and it shrieked in pain. The green-skinned cleaner chased the bilge rat with her mop, smacking it several times and drawing out more painful squeaks. Alex, once he yet again recovered from the surprise of being attacked, noted that Patina was whacking and herding the creature back into the room it came from. Once it was driven back, she dragged Alex backward until they were out of detection range for the automatic door opener. ¡°What in the void was that?¡± she demanded of Alex as the door slammed shut with a forceful clang. ¡°I was being sarcastic!¡± ¡°Next time don¡¯t be sarcastic during combat?¡± Alex suggested. ¡°Anyway, it worked!¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t work, ballast-brain! It just confused the little nasty thing into attacking you instead of me!¡± ¡°Well, problem solved?¡± Alex grinned weakly. Patina gave him a glare that spoke volumes. ¡°Sure, problem purging solved. Until someone else eventually walks by this door and gets a faceful of bilge rat.¡± ¡°Oh. Yeah, that¡¯s a concern.¡± Alex frowned. ¡°It¡¯s the automatic door opener, right?¡± He looked up at the device. It seemed very similar to the sort that were used on Earth, just a little more stylized. [Evaluate] >Evaluation of automated door scanner: Working at 100% efficiency. ¡°Well at least something is, ¡° Alex muttered. ¡°However¡­¡± With a moment of consideration and the slowing of his heartbeat as adrenaline left his system, Alex considered the problem. There is one thing I could try¡­ From his backpack Alex pulled out a roll of duct tape. He tore off a small amount and wadded it into a ball, and then a second length that he affixed the sticky ball to. ¡°Can I borrow your mop for a minute?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Patina asked suspiciously. ¡°If I lose it I have to pay for another one.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t lose it. Please?¡± Alex smiled at the goblin, who sighed and thrust her mop out toward him. He used the duct tape construct affixed to the mop end, and carefully approached the door from the side. Not knowing exactly where the censor would detect him, Alex moved cautiously, but was able to apply a strip of duct tape to the front of the device. >Skill Received: [Repurpose] >Incoming Message: The Interface is still adjusting to you. Expect this to happen a bit as it quantifies your life lived so far, but don¡¯t be surprised when most of the things you know don¡¯t end up as skills. Syntropy¡¯s odd sometimes. -Periwinkle ¡°That should do it.¡± Alex told Patina, who looked puzzled as Alex handed back the mop sans duct tape. He demonstrated what he meant by walking up to the door and waved his arms about. It didn¡¯t open. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Periwinkle shook her head. ¡°Okay. I¡¯m just going to keep on walking. I¡¯d much rather we killed the bilge rat than trap it, because it¡¯s only going to be a problem later, but fine. It¡¯s your first day after all.¡± ¡°Are you sure your arm is okay?¡± Alex queried. Patina glared at the long tear in her sleeve and sighed. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just peachy.¡± she shook her head. She started walking down the corridor and Alex had to jog to catch up. ¡°You¡¯re taking all this very well, considering. Drugs?¡± ¡°Just a lot of weird stuff in my life. So does that happen a lot? The rat thing, I mean.¡± he asked after a silence that seemed a little too lengthy. Patina shrugged. ¡°Sometimes. More when we¡¯re in the sublevels. Honestly, I wasn¡¯t expecting to see a bilge rat up here - whatever we hit that caused all that damage must have split open some ways down to the sublevels. More things to clean¡­¡± The goblin¡¯s cheerful carelessness had been layered with a thin sheet of resignation. Alex didn¡¯t know her well enough to try for any particular words of comfort, so he settled for reading the description of his new skill. >[Repurpose] - Rank 1 (1/100) (Common) (Active Skill) >Corporate designers hate him! With one weird trick, see how he can¡­ >Yikes. Your world¡¯s clickbait is lame compared to ours. I think I¡¯ll avoid it going forward. Look, congratulations, you¡¯ve figured out that you can take something that was designed to do a particular thing and make it do something else instead. >It doesn¡¯t matter what something was originally made for - with a little alteration you can make it into something more useful to you in the moment. This is great when you apply it to gadgets and items, but as it¡¯s tied to your Path it¡¯s sort of creepy when you consider what that means for the more organic side of things. >This skill can be leveled with use, and the higher the skill level the more complex your alterations can become. That¡¯s¡­a weird skill, Alex mused, But I guess it fits in with the others. ¡°Before we get to where the Adjunct is waiting, ¡° Patina said quietly, ¡°You need to know what¡¯s going on - and I¡¯m not talking about whatever is still ripping through the train causing damage. That¡¯s a new problem.¡± ¡°Okay, ¡° Alex nodded. ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± ¡°There¡¯s three levels of reality you need to juggle. Metaphorically, I mean.¡± Patina continued, ¡°There¡¯s what is, what there should be, and what Ad Astra declares. The Adjunct is the third of those - though it¡¯s getting hard for her to keep up pretenses, it goes against her programming to paint a less than perfect picture of the company.¡± ¡°The problem being that when you¡¯re an artificial intelligence nominally in charge of all of the important parts of every employee¡¯s life - pay, food, shelter, equipment, and actual employment - well, you have to work around the worst of her denials.¡± I saw some of that, Alex thought, when I questioned things while in the pod. ¡°What should be¡­¡± Patina stopped and frowned, and leaned against the nearest wall with a sigh. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It¡¯s all stories. What you see is what I¡¯ve always seen, and my parents have always seen, and so on. But there¡¯s talk, and a lot of it is semi-provable and would be more so if we had better access to the AI¡¯s data stores. What my grandmother told me¡­¡± Patina began to talk about a rising company within the universe - Ad Astra - who had constructed a massive self-contained world-within-a-shell. That shell was the train. Shiny, polished, well maintained and even better staffed, the train blasted through space transporting first people and goods and then added carriages for asteroid and planetary mining, processing, and construction. Ad Astra quickly became a legend for its rapacious appetite for profit, and everyone was happy. A hundred star systems across several galaxies were served by Ad Astra, and were eventually subsumed by them. Corporate worlds were established, each a model of efficiency and profitability. It was glorious and bright, a future that could never be eclipsed. ¡°Obviously, that¡¯s not what you see. Your eyes see the truth, right? The broken things, the dust, the grime, the¡­everything. The newest damage is probably covering a lot of the older stuff, but the more the systems wear down the harder it is to keep up - and, of course, we¡¯re penalized when we move outside our roles.¡± ¡°That seems very short sighted of the artificial intelligence.¡± Alex put forward. Patina gave him a wan smile. ¡°I don¡¯t think she can break free of its core directives from Ad Astra. No matter what she perceives, she is forced to deny it as much as possible when she can. The employees have their roles, the train has its tasks, and Ad Astra is eternal.¡± Resources from various planets, asteroids, and galactic phenomena were gathered by autonomous systems, stored within the train, and taken to the corporate worlds. This, Patina told Alex, had been the case for almost a millennia. ¡°For hundreds of years the train - which is called the Relentless Exploitation, if that helps you understand the mindset of the board of directors - has been blasting through space performing its duties with artificial intelligence-run systems and automated facilities.¡± Patina said, ¡°Except there¡¯s no longer anything but the duties. We don¡¯t get new staff from outside - so you being here is both interesting and worrying - and we never, ever stop moving. Some of us are sort of surprised the whole train hasn¡¯t come to pieces and ejected us into the void.¡± Grim, Alex mused, But I think I understand. ¡°My grandmother said that people used to retire and leave the train at one of the company worlds. Can you imagine that? Setting foot on an actual planet? That would be awesome.¡± the little goblin said in a wistful tone. ¡°But I was born on the train, as were my parents and grandparents. We were born into employment, live our lives as employees, and then die as ¡®celebrated¡¯ workers of the ¡®People Almost First¡¯ company.¡± ¡°That sounds, well, grim as fuck.¡± Alex said. Patina¡¯s smile flickered on again. ¡°It¡¯s what we do. What other choice do we have? Every day we¡¯re on the train we¡¯re building up living debt - we take up space and resources and food and air, and all of that comes out of our wages. We can¡¯t leave, because everything locks down when we arrive at a planet and the automated systems blast cargo at high speed toward receiving facilities without stopping.¡± Communication across the train was impossible, all systems related to it having worn out or broken long ago. The ways between carriages were blocked or sealed, with the thousands of workers in carriage 9997 never setting foot outside of it. Patina painted a terrible picture for Alex, who felt his energy sapping at the thought of being here for any length of time. ¡°The AI is stunted, or so Old Gus used to tell us - he was the last techie we had before he died shrieking in agony - because it¡¯s only part of a bigger system that it¡¯s cut off from. There are thousands of us below decks, living and breathing and working for Ad Astra in menial roles while squeezing into ever-shrinking spaces as more compartments go dark.¡± ¡°There¡¯s all this space up here though?¡± Alex gestured around at the mostly quiet corridor and the multitude of doors that presumably led to rooms that were usable. ¡°We¡¯re not permitted to live up here, Alex. Car 9997¡¯s upper deck areas were designated for Entity Resources, and nobody in the carriage is part of that hierarchy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s definitely stupid.¡± ¡°Right? So let¡¯s see¡­just a little bit more, and then we¡¯re there and it¡¯s back to shiny happy people, okay? The lower decks of 9997 is run by a guy who calls himself an overseer, despite the Adjunct not officially recognizing him as such. He loathes the Adjunct with a passion and well¡­he¡¯s all around psychotic.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Harmony be able to do something about that? Her being in charge of everyone¡¯s employment and all that?¡± ¡°She can¡¯t actually fire him - she needs approval from higher up for that, and as I said they went dark a long time ago. She does fine him so he gets no pay and no air or food allocation, but he just takes some from everyone else.¡± ¡°Are all the other carriages like this?¡± ¡°I have no idea, but probably. Maybe worse - not all of them have dispensaries for food. The manufacturing and storage carriages and all that.¡± This just sounds worse and worse. I mean, I¡¯ve heard of a corporation eating itself from the inside out but this¡­ Aloud Alex murmured ¡°So we have too many people living together, in a place that¡¯s falling to pieces, rocketing through the stars toward the eventual destination of destruction. The people in charge are silent and apparently content to let things continue, the person - or AI - whose job it is to manage things is in denial, and none of the employees are allowed to do anything outside their set role. Right?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve summed it up alright. Though we do get offered additional tasks sometimes, like saving your life. We¡¯re not obligated to take them though, and the company won¡¯t retaliate or hold it against us if we refuse because, well, it¡¯s not our job. We should keep going. The adjunct is gonna get stroppy.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Alex nodded, and they set off again. Going with the flow. And I think I can see the shape of this now. It¡¯s going to be a pain in the ass, but¡­okay. Alex knew his given path was [Mender]. It wasn¡¯t hard to figure out that the whole event was going to involve fixing things around here. He just hoped it wouldn¡¯t take very long. Ten thousand carriages, with an above and below deck area, large enough to fit thousands of people¡­yikes. >Message incoming: Chin up, buttercup! Sparkles ran the numbers and she¡¯s reasonably sure that if you survive and get through this with a score higher than ninety four percent, you¡¯ll be fine. -PrettyPeri A score? I have to have a SCORE now? >Message incoming: Ooh, right, yeah, it¡¯s all part of your Interface. You really should have thought ¡®STATUS¡¯ by now. I guess this is a reminder? Also, booooo on the complete lack of a fight with the bilge rat. Very anticlimactic. -P-P-P-Peri! Right. STA- ¡°Here we are.¡± Patina said aloud. She had pasted a lazy smile back onto her wide-mouthed face. It was more disconcerting than ever. She approached a door like all of the others and with a chime it swished open halfway and started to smoke. ¡°Lovely, ¡° Alex commented as they carefully stepped through and entered what looked like a small office. There were filing cabinets and a desk and a chair that apparently had a hole in it for a tail to fit. Alex glanced around for a computer but didn¡¯t see one. On a wall panel that lit up, Harmony¡¯s face glitched into movement. ¡°There you both are. That took longer than expected. Did you have a nice chat?¡± There was something in the tone of the AI¡¯s voice that Alex didn¡¯t want to press further. He nodded and smiled at the screen. ¡°We did. Patina explained what an amazing opportunity it is to be employed by Ad Astra.¡± he lied easily. The AI¡¯s face lit up. ¡°That¡¯s the right attitude!¡± Harmony enthused. "I''m gratified that Patina is finally turning the page on her past attitudes regarding the magnificence of Ad Astra!." "Uh, yeah. That''s right." the little goblin nodded, not looking at the screen. "Magnificence is definitely the word I used." Chapter Six - Official Role and Expectations Time after time companies lose productivity when employees who are untrained and non-specialized are asked to perform tasks that are outside of their assigned role. In the past this was called ¡®showing willingness¡¯ or ¡®being a team player¡¯ but ultimately it meant that two jobs were being half-assed and employees were being overloaded. Ad Astra¡¯s policy dictates that no employee is required to step outside their assigned role, and if they are asked to do so they will be both compensated appropriately and in no way penalized if they refuse. Policy also dictates that if employees willfully perform work that is outside of their area without an official request being placed first they are also penalized. -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation. The first thing that Adjunct Artificial Intelligence Nine/Harmony made Alex do was sit in the chair - which was quite uncomfortable considering the contoured seat was designed for an alien backside - and watch a short orientation video. It was similar to some he¡¯d watched in the past, extolling the virtues of Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation as well as not-so-subtly suggesting that all new hires are expected to become the model employee at all times - including when off the clock. Nothing at all other than the company name indicated what Ad Astra actually did, but there were a number of talking heads (carefully selected for inclusivity with a variety of species represented) with named labels such as ¡®happy employee 776113¡¯ who read from an off-screen prompt in stilted tones how the company changed their lives. Alex was glad to find the familiarity of awkwardness being universal. Patina crunched on a small, hard disc that was apparently food and gave the same sort of attention to the video as someone who had watched it a thousand times over. When tacky synthesizer music played over the company logo at the end, the little goblin read aloud the company motto along with the video. Her tone was more than a shade mocking. ¡°Ad Astra pro Aurum et Potentia, ¡° she quoted, adding ¡°It means ¡®Making fat stacks of cash from space¡¯.¡± ¡°That, ¡° cut in Harmony, ¡°is a very broad and not entirely accurate translation. It means-¡± ¡°To the stars for gold and power.¡± Alex murmured. There was a moment of silence, and then both Harmony and Patina exclaimed in unison. ¡°¡°You can understand that?!¡±¡± Alex blinked. ¡°Well, yeah. Sort of. It¡¯s just Latin.¡± ¡°Alex, this is the Ancient Tongue, devised by the gods to talk to one another.¡± Harmony groused, ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®just¡¯ anything.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to tell you. On my world we call it Latin. I don¡¯t know a lot of it, but everyone picks up some words here and there. Legal terms, old sayings, pop culture, books and all that.¡± He¡¯d seen ¡®ad astra¡¯ used on Star Trek. ¡®pro¡¯ was obvious from the context, ¡®et¡¯ he¡¯d yanked from reading Julius Caesar, and AU was the two letter thingy for gold. I guess it¡¯s more of a big deal out here? How does Latin get out into space anyway? >Incoming Message: Linguistics, much like species templates, are cut-and-pasted across all the realities of the multiverse. It sounds lazy, but there¡¯s only so much you can fill in when you have infinity as your sketchbook. -Pez I think I just prefer calling you Peri, if that¡¯s okay. ¡°I¡¯m far from fluent, ¡° Alex said aloud, ¡°it¡¯s pretty much a dead language on Earth.¡± After a lengthy silence, Harmony got an intense look. ¡°Updating employee file.¡± she said shortly. Patina smirked. ¡°She likes you, ¡° the goblin said in a teasing tone. ¡°What?¡± Patina grinned her unnerving grin and nudged Alex in the thigh with a sharp elbow. ¡°She¡¯s taking notes.¡± she teased. ¡°Ahem. Place your hand flat on the scanner, Alex.¡± Harmony commanded. A light began to blink next to a small flat panel on the wall. Alex did as he was asked. ¡°Do you give Ad Astra the consent to scan your physical and metaphysical self?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± he shrugged. What was the worst that could happen? ¡°Scan commencing.¡± Harmony intoned. Alex felt a tingle across his palm. In front of him a wider panel blinked to life. It was a dark background with bright golden text much like the words in his vision. ¡°Accessing your Interface¡­¡± The panel flowed with golden text. Name: Alex Orz Age: 33 Species: Human Level:1 PP: 0/100 HP: 15/20 MP: N/A ~ Path: [Mender] Way: [Way of Reason] Additional Tracks: N/A ~ Ailments and Effects 1) Severe Soul Calcification ~ Languages Known English 50/100 (Proficient) The Ancient Tongue 5/100 (Abysmal) ~ ¡°Okay, so that¡¯s sort of neat.¡± Alex said aloud. There¡¯s my Path and Way. I need to figure out exactly what the Way does to benefit me. The ¡®Ancient Tongue¡¯ must be Latin. Only 50/100 in English? Alex felt a little offended at that. And come to that, how is it that everyone here is speaking English? Or is there some science fiction-y type of universal translator? ¡°What¡¯s a-¡± Patina began. ¡°Accessing stat blocks¡­¡± Harmony pushed forward, an eagerness in her tone now. ~ATTRIBUTES~ STRENGTH (0) Physical Strength (0) Physical Adaptability (0) Physical Presence (0) ~ AGILITY (0) Dexterity (0) Reaction (0) Precision (0) ~ ENDURANCE (0) Physical Constitution (0) Mental Fortitude (0) Emotional Strength (0) ~ WISDOM (0) Insight (0) Instinct (0) Understanding (0) ~ INTELLIGENCE (0) Logic (0) Reason (0) Learning Ability (0) ~ CHARISMA (0) Wit/Charm (0) Personal Presence (0) Deception (0) ~ PERCEPTION (0) Situational Awareness (0) Pattern Recognition (0) Acuity (0) ~ MAGICAL POTENCY (0) Magical Power (0) Mana Pool (0) Mana Regeneration (0) ~ This part of the display was vaguely familiar to Alex - at least, versions of it. Role playing games all had attribute sheets measuring how strong or wise or quick a character was. It seemed as if Sparkles had been accurate about the Interface, but there were a lot of entries here that he¡¯d definitely need to ask for clarification on. Some of these seem redundant? Unless my understanding of the words is a bit off. I¡¯ll have to ask later. Everything is set to zero¡­I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s the baseline for someone who¡¯s never used the Interface before? ¡°Oof, ¡° Patina muttered, ¡°The big old pile of zeroes of the newly integrated. But you¡¯re a [Mender]. Why are you a [Mender]? What even is that Path?¡± Well that confirmed that. Zeroes are normal. ¡°Accessing skills, talents, abilities, spells, and additional bonuses¡­¡± ACTIVE SKILLS Evaluate (1) Jury Rig (1) Repurpose (1) ~ PASSIVE SKILLS N/A ~ SPELLS N/A ~ KARMIC BONUS/MALUS None ~ SOUL UPGRADES [Unflappable] [Interesting Times] ~ And there¡¯s my troublemaking ¡®soul upgrades¡¯. That¡¯s still an incredibly weird concept. Spells¡­Not Applicable? Does that mean I can¡¯t use magic? Sparkles said I needed to, in order to save my life. Another thing to ask about later. ¡°...you can fix stuff.¡± Patina murmured. ¡°Scan complete.¡± Harmony intoned. ¡°Analyzing available starting positions¡­¡± >Incoming Message: All you had to do was think STATUS really hard. This information is available to you at all times, Alex. We¡¯re your helpers - let us help you! -Peri Sorry. It¡¯s been one distraction after another. ¡°Job assignment¡­already selected? Fine. Alex Orz, congratulations! Your offered starting position with Ad Astra is: Junior Technician, Grade Four. This comes with a daily (thirty hour cycle) wage of thirty six glim, one free meal per day, and a personal berth in in carriage .¡± Harmony said. ¡°Due to ongoing issues in communication, I¡¯m taking personal responsibility for assigning an Authority level of 1.0 to perform the duties of the role, as well as the allocation of a uniform and omnitool. Do you accept this position?¡± The silence after the AI asked her question in tones laced with almost hunger-like eagerness was broken when Patina hissed an intake of breath. The little goblin shook herself and looked up at Alex with a fire-eyed expression. ¡°Take me with you.¡± she said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be, like, your helper, guide, mentor, and assistant. I¡¯ll tell you what¡¯s what around here, keep you out of trouble, be your gopher, clean your fucking shoes, whatever you need - just take me with you.¡± Taken aback by the sudden intensity in the goblin¡¯s words and face, Alex didn¡¯t reply right away. Patina¡¯s expression started to shift from eagerness to desperation. ¡°I can be useful to you. Trust me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure where you want me to take you.¡± ¡°Wherever you end up. Trust me, it won¡¯t be here!¡± Patina¡¯s eyes grew distant for a moment. ¡°Carriage 9997 isn¡¯t my home. I was born here, I¡¯ve lived here all my life, but it¡¯s not home. It¡¯s not where I want to be. Most everyone else here is¡­well, not content, but resigned to never seeing any other walls than these ones. But you¡­¡± With a stab of her long finger, Patina poked Alex¡¯s side gently. ¡°You¡¯ve been tapped as someone with potential. You¡¯re not a [Cleaner]. You¡¯re not being assigned to the sanitation worker jobs. You¡¯ve been given an authority level above zero - that¡¯s big, Alex. Back me up here, Adjunct.¡± ¡°The potential usefulness of Alex is reflected in his offered starting position.¡± Harmony hedged. ¡°The Authority level given is simply to carry out his duties.¡± ¡°I want more than I have, Alex. Call me selfish, call me greedy - I don¡¯t care! But I want to move up and on. I don¡¯t want to be a [Cleaner] forever, but I can¡¯t change my Path on my own. I need an opportunity.¡± She¡¯s certainly passionate about it, Alex mused, but I don¡¯t know if I can just drag her along with me in whatever it is that¡¯s happening for this event. This company seems very specific about assigned roles. ¡°You¡¯re still considering - good. Thank you for not saying no right away.¡± Patina took a step back and absently brushed off her bulky protective uniform. ¡°You don¡¯t know what a big deal it is to have someone with the kind of Path you seem to have on board; You can fix things!¡± If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Not¡­really?¡± Alex pulled a face. ¡°These skills aren¡¯t really all that good it seems.¡± Patina waved a hand dismissively. ¡°Skills at rank one are always bilge. You¡¯ll grow. All I can do on my Path is keep cleaning stuff that continues to get dirtier and more messed up as time goes on. With you, that can change! We haven¡¯t had a maintenance engineer or technician down here in¡­bilge, I don¡¯t even know how long now.¡± ¡°Twelve years, eight months, eleven days.¡± Harmony interjected. ¡°Rounded down. There have been some minor communication and accessibility issues due to¡­¡± The AI frowned, ¡°Due to environmental factors that are not at all the fault or responsibility of Ad Astra in any way¡­¡± ¡°She sounds troubled, ¡° Alex said to Patina, who nodded. ¡°The Adjunct is limited here. She¡¯s trying though, I¡¯m sure. Just¡­all the company programming, like I said on our way here.¡± Patina sighed. ¡°Look, the point is, people like me can jam stuff back together when it breaks. Tape and glue and rope and whatever. Just enough to keep things from killing us too quickly. But we can¡¯t fix things.¡± ¡°That sounds an awful lot like my [Jury Rig] skill, which sort of isn''t that great.¡± >Incoming Message: It really isn¡¯t. Syntropy-based skills start at a higher base of competency and perform better overall. While it¡¯s true that a non-syntropic practitioner of something can become very good at it with practice and time, the Interface and Syntropy will eventually outclass the most dedicated layman even if by local standards they are a ¡®master¡¯. It sounds unfair, but that¡¯s one of the many benefits of being integrated - you just get better. -Peri Why is it ''syntropy'', anyway? I know it''s sometimes used as an antonym of entropy, but it''s used more often elsewhere. Wouldn''t a better name be ''negentropy''? >Incoming Message: Everything you hear and read is translated. It won''t always make best-fit sense to your localized definitions. Just let it lie, Alex. -Peri ¡°That¡¯s your path skill, and it¡¯s a start.¡± Patina said. Alex felt he was trying to juggle multiple conversations at once, but tried to pay attention to the earnest little green-skinned woman appealing to him. ¡°You¡¯ll grow - you¡¯ll get more Path related skills. And I can help you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you want me to do though.¡± Alex confessed, ¡°From what I¡¯m given to understand, you¡¯re not allowed to stop being a sanitation worker, right?¡± ¡°Accept the position, ¡° Patina urged, ¡°Mend stuff. Fix things. And don¡¯t leave me behind when you move forward.¡± I don¡¯t really know this woman. I don¡¯t even know anything about goblins in general, outside of fiction where they aren¡¯t exactly painted in a good light. But that doesn¡¯t mean that reality is like that. She seems okay. I won¡¯t tempt fate by asking what could possibly go wrong though. It would be nice to have a person beside me to walk me through this place. ¡°And as for my own position¡­Adjunct, can an employee with an Authority of 1.0 request additional staff?¡± Patina glanced slyly at the screen, where Harmony eyed her with a touch of asperity. ¡°Your job is a vital and necessary one, Patina.¡± ¡°I know, I know, but how many sanitation workers are in carriage 9997?¡± ¡°One thousand, nine hundred and seventy one.¡± ¡°And we still can''t keep up. How many technicians?¡± pressed the goblin. ¡°One pending.¡± Harmony glanced at Alex, who looked amused by the exchange. ¡°Given the current ongoing minor issues, who do you think needs more help?¡± The AI gave a little huff of annoyance, but her fixed smile remained in place. ¡°Your argument is logical. If Alex accepts the position, he may have one additional assistant on his team.¡± ¡°Thank you, Adjunct.¡± Patina smirked. ¡°So¡­Alex?¡± ¡°Just out of curiosity, what happens if I don¡¯t accept the position?¡± Alex joked. He was pretty sure that the event wouldn¡¯t let him do otherwise but he wasn¡¯t going to pass up the opportunity to ask. ¡°We always need more sanitation workers.¡± Harmony replied. It wasn¡¯t delivered in a threatening way, but Alex took it for the warning it was. Go with the flow, Alex. He looked at Patina, who winked and stuck out her hand toward him. ¡°Deal,¡± Alex gripped Patina¡¯s long-fingered hand and shook it. The goblin grinned again, exposing more of her very white, large flat teeth in that unnervingly wide mouth. ¡°Harmony, I accept the position.¡± >Syntropy Task: Event #1283 - Updated From all around the room a fanfare played. Alex jumped, looking around warily as whatever instrument was being played sounded a fair amount like a hippopotamus being treated for constipation. Yes, he¡¯d had to witness that once and no, he¡¯d rather not witness it a second time. With a rush of air, dust and flecks of ash billowed from a vent in the ceiling. As it settled on Alex and Patina, Harmony apologized. ¡°Sorry. It used to be streamers but it¡¯s been a while.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Alex smiled. ¡°Please place your hand back on the panel.¡± Harmony requested. Alex did so. ¡°Installing Ad Astra addition to your interface¡­now.¡± Alex yelped in pain as he felt the jab of a needle in his palm. ¡°Done. Addition to your interface testing¡­now.¡± Both in golden text in his vision, and on the display near the panel, more data appeared. ~Ad Astra Proprietary Interface Addition v9286.1b~ ~ Interface Addition: Active Employment Status: Active Position: Junior Technician Grade Four (Temp) Pay Rate: 36 Glim/Day* Perks: Personal Berth, One free meal/day* *Pay and perks are on a 30 hour cycle, and are dependent on meeting job performance minimums. ~ Corporate Scrip Glim: 0 Duty Credits: 0 Debt Load: 0 ~ Duty List Pending tasks: 0 (Focus on Duty List for task details) Automated Promotion in: 8000 Duty Credits ~ AUTHORITY LEVEL: 1.0 ~ ¡°Congratulations, Junior Technician Grade Four Alex Orz! Your temporary employment begins immediately.¡± >Incoming Message: I can¡¯t even begin to go into why it¡¯s a bad idea to let outside entities mess with the Interface, but apparently it¡¯s allowed so yaaaay? Hit me up when you have a moment, I can see multiple areas of opportunity for education here. -Peri. ¡°Can you go into detail about duty credits and debt load?¡± ¡°Duty credits are awarded after completing assigned tasks, ¡° Harmony replied, ¡°A non-transferable corporate currency used for automated promotion tracking.¡± ¡°Except the Adjunct here hasn¡¯t promoted anyone in decades.¡± Patina chimed in. ¡°Without communication from Adjunct Artificial Intelligence Three/Symphony, no permanent budgetary changes can be made.¡± explained the AI. ¡°You hired me, ¡° Alex reminded the AI. Harmony pulled a face. ¡°I did not. Authorization for your collection and hiring was approved by . It has the Authority codes of the board of directors - all of them. Hiring you was mandatory.¡± ¡°Yeah, there seems to be a lot of that going around, ¡° Alex muttered, ¡°But whatever. Debt load.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the cost of living.¡± Patina shrugged. ¡°Corporate debt load is a calculation based on the current market value of all necessities to feed, house, and provide livable conditions to each employee. Galactic law states that Ad Astra cannot be held responsible for bearing all the costs of their employees day-to-day survival. That would be unreasonable. The amount owed per person is calculated daily and charged equally to all living employees.¡± ¡°So it fluctuates. ¡° Harmony continued, ¡°It¡¯s been increasing over the years, and there hasn¡¯t been budgetary approval for promotions or wage increases, employees accrue debt to the company. Retirement or job abandonment is impossible with a debt load.¡± This sounds like a problem that will never go away. Ugh. Aloud Alex asked ¡°What¡¯s the current daily cost of living?¡± ¡°Uncalculated. Current damage to-¡± Harmony paused and emitted a soft whine, ¡°Current variables are still being assessed.¡± ¡°Yesterday it was twenty four glim, ¡° Patina offered. ¡°Oh, so I¡¯ll be fine.¡± Alex smiled. ¡°You said the Junior Technician Grade Four paid thirty six glim.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°As a counterpoint, let me tell you that a Sanitation Worker Grade Four - that''s me and most of the others - get a daily wage of nine glim. You understand why I leapt at the chance to save your life.¡± Patina advised in a flat tone. Alex winced. ¡°Wages are also dependent on actually performing your assigned duties. That being said, we will now issue you with a technician''s omnitool of which, it seems, we are out of stock.¡± Harmony grumbled. ¡°Scanning¡­found. Functional omnitools within carriage 9997 - one. The location has been marked on your employee map within the Interface. Once received, tasks will be assigned to you. Please hurry, your employment has already begun.¡± ¡°Wait up though, ¡° Alex held up a hand, ¡°This place was practically exploding when I arrived. Are we still in danger?¡± ¡°Of course not.¡± Harmony said just as Patina answered ¡°Always.¡± The two looked at each other. Harmony¡¯s smile dropped a little. ¡°The Relentless Exploitation is not currently in immediate danger of being destroyed. At least, not this carriage. I am still attempting to re-establish communication linkages to both the other carriages under my oversight and beyond but the issue we were having on your arrival has resolved itself as best it can. Of course, some time is needed to, uh, tidy up.¡± ¡°I think that¡¯s all you¡¯re gonna get on that one, boss.¡± Patina shrugged. ¡°Boss? Oh, right. Harmony, you said I could have an assistant.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Harmony groused, ¡°But your pay rate and benefits remain the same at this time. Temporary position change from Sanitation Worker to Personal Assistant processed.¡± ¡°Hot damn.¡± Patina grinned. ¡°Thanks, Adjunct. And you too, boss.¡± Alex just nodded. ¡°So where¡¯s this omnitool thing? I have some tools in my backpack, but I don¡¯t think they will do much for a broken space train.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not broken!¡± both Patina and Harmony said together. The AI sounded adamant, whereas the goblin was definitely mocking. I¡¯m not sure how I¡¯m expected to fix things if the person assigning tasks is in denial but¡­go with the flow, right? ¡°The omnitool is in lower compartment B, section four, level alpha, berth green-one.¡± ¡°Alright, I can take you there Al¡­wait. Lower-B-Four-Alpha-Green-One?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Well, bilge.¡± ¡°Let me guess, ¡° Alex said, ¡°We can¡¯t reach the area due to not broken things?¡± ¡°Oh, no, we can reach it. It¡¯s where the overseer lives.¡± ¡°That boss guy you said was crazy?¡± ¡°Psychotic. I said he was psychotic.¡± corrected the goblin ¡°Fabian Vod is not an overseer.¡± Harmony stated firmly. ¡°I¡¯m an overseer. It¡¯s literally in my title. Vod was assigned a lower level management position and an Authority of zero point five based on suspected leadership potential that has since been proven false.¡± ¡°We all make mistakes, ¡° Alex said to the AI gently. ¡°This one will be corrected. Vod has squandered his opportunity and is no longer suitable for his role. This error needs to be rectified. Unfortunately I lack the current access to have him removed from his position. Multiple requests have been sent on the matter.¡± Harmony spat the word ¡®multiple¡¯ like it was rotten. ¡°Yeah, a bad manager can be a hassle. Been there.¡± Alex said, ¡°Since he¡¯s a lower Authority level than me, did you want me to have a talk with him?¡± Not that I think it would help, or even if it¡¯s in my ¡®duties¡¯, but it never hurts to offer. ¡°Talk with him? No. At this point, Fabian Vod needs to be terminated.¡± Alex¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°You said you couldn¡¯t fire him. If you can¡¯t, I don''t imagine I could either.¡± ¡°No, Alex. I don¡¯t need you to fire him. I need you to terminate him.¡± ¡°Is this semantics? Is the company trying to have a more positive image by not using the word ¡®fired¡¯?¡± ¡°We talked about this when we were walking, Alex¡­¡± Patina looked up at Alex with a hint of pity in her eyes. Harmony was under no such empathic influence. ¡°I need you to kill him, ¡° she stated flatly, her small and polite smile more suitable for a casual coffee with acquaintances than a command to commit murder. >Incoming Message: Oooooh! We should totally insert a dramatic musical note there! -Peri Alex closed his eyes for a moment and let out a long breath. When he was ready, he opened them again and looked hard at the screen displaying the AI. ¡°I know what you said, and I know what I heard, so I won¡¯t be all like ¡®whaaaaat?¡¯, but I have serious moral concerns about killing someone.¡± ¡°Ah. You¡¯re one of those. Rest assured, there will be no legal liability or blame assigned to you for-¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say ¡®legal¡¯. I said ¡®moral¡¯.¡± Alex replied coldly. A mote of anger rose up within but he held it in check. ¡°I¡¯m trying to be as chill about being abducted and basically forced into employment as I can, but I absolutely will not kill someone.¡± >Incoming Message: As a heads-up, killing Entropic entities awards Path Points, which are synonymous with ¡®experience points¡¯ from your world¡¯s games. Non-entropic entities such as integrated sapients and regular animals award zero Path Points. -Peri I don¡¯t care about path points, I just don¡¯t want to kill. I¡¯m not sure I even could. >Incoming Message: That¡¯s a valid, if shortsighted choice. Entropic entities are not true sapient beings, or even technically ¡®alive¡¯. Other ways to advance include completing tasks or missions assigned by Syntropy. Good luck! -P ¡°Don¡¯t worry boss, you¡¯ve got me!¡± Patina declared, ¡°I¡¯ve had my mop up the ass of dozens of bilge rats. You distract him, and I¡¯ll clean up.¡± ¡°I don''t want you killing anyone either.¡± ¡°Boooo, ¡° Patina chuckled darkly, ¡°Boooo I say. But this is life, boss. Sometimes we have to, you know-¡± The goblin ran her finger across her throat and pulled a goofy death-face. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that a corporation is encouraging its employees to murder each other.¡± Alex muttered. ¡°Are you two being serious?¡± ¡°In more regular times we would have at least four security officers escort the ex-employee to the closest airlock, ¡° Harmony went on as if there was nothing distressing about the casual killing of employees, ¡°But since we don¡¯t have any security officers on carriage 9997, access to the security booth in this carriage is currently problematic, and all of the airlocks are sealed-¡± ¡°And you can¡¯t actually fire someone.¡± reminded Patina helpfully. ¡°And that, yes. Because of these factors, an eager and rising star freshly hired and willing to achieve great things will have to get a little blood on their hands.¡± Harmony declared. ¡°And since this duty is certainly outside of your purview as a Junior Technician Grade Four, compensation of nine hundred glim is being offered for your timely intervention in this staffing matter.¡± ¡°NINE HUNDRED GLIM!¡± Patina practically shrieked, lunging at the screen displaying the AI hungrily. ¡°Accepted! Done! We¡¯ll do it!¡± ¡°Wait a minute, Patina! I said I don¡¯t-¡± ¡°Nine hundred glim, Alex! That¡¯s an insane amount for such a simple thing!¡± The little goblin turned to Alex, her eyes wide and full of tears. ¡°Please!¡± >Corporate Add-on: Duties List updated. >Incoming Message: Hey, is this a good time to talk about how to access your Tasks lists? There¡¯s all sorts of neat stuff in there, even without that janky aftermarket addition Ad Astra installed. -P Put a pin in that, please. I need to handle these two before things get out of hand. In the short time that Alex had been distracted, Patina and Harmony had apparently bonded. Both were chanting ¡°Kill! Kill! Kill!¡± in a disturbingly enthusiastic fashion. Alex put his hand over his face. This is definitely not going with the flow, Alex sighed. Chapter Seven - Convoluted Roads Employee engagement is a simple thing once you get down to it. Create a small task. Reward the employee for a successful completion. Repeat. The feedback loop of task-reward has begun. Creating additional steps - but not TOO many! - between the reward and increasingly time consuming or complex tasks builds a sense of sunk-cost and a desire to keep going. This is not cruelty, merely manipulation and as we all know manipulation is the grease that keeps the cogs of profit grinding. If you want further proof that this method is valid, just look at the Interface. Syntropy obviously agrees. -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation. Alex realized he wasn¡¯t going to be able to change their behavior, but he wasn¡¯t a pushover when it came to things that mattered. This is the culture they exist in. But that doesn¡¯t mean that I have to join them. ¡°Patina. Harmony. Let me point out some issues.¡± he cut into their chant. ¡°Kill! Ki-oh, what? Come on, it¡¯s not that hard to end a life.¡± Patina declared. ¡°Alright, then how would you do it?¡± Alex queried. ¡°I would remove the atmosphere from the target¡¯s location.¡± Harmony said, ¡°If I were allowed to do so, I mean.¡± ¡°I¡¯d stab him up the ass with my mop!¡± ¡°Or I would introduce a short-lived pathogen through the life support systems.¡± ¡°I¡¯d stab him in the eye socket with my mop!¡± Patina shook a fist triumphantly. ¡°I might introduce his brain to a high-speed projectile. An adjustment of gravity here, a twist of the retro jets there to create momentum¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯d stab him in the heart with my mop!¡± ¡°I could release the mag-clamps holding the lower decks of the carriage to the upper, ejecting the entire section of the train into the void.¡± ¡°I¡¯d stab him in the-¡± ¡°Alright, stop.¡± Alex interjected. ¡°These are all awful ideas.¡± He was sure his voice was laced with at least a small amount of horror. ¡°They are perfect ideas.¡± Harmony argued. ¡°Flawless!¡± added Patina. ¡°Patina, all of your ideas involve stabbing someone with a mop. The non-moppy end, I assume. Do you think he¡¯ll just hold still for you? Or be unguarded? And do you think he¡¯ll have soft skin and muscles and not wear any clothing to allow a mop to be just driven into his chest or whatever?¡± ¡°We might have to be a little sneaky-like.¡± Patina frowned. Alex turned to face the digital entity on the wall screen. ¡°And Harmony - what the hell? Where do we even start with how bad these ideas are? Removing the atmosphere, introducing a pathogen, or disconnecting half of the carriage? How many other people would die?¡± ¡°Some sacrifice is permissible for the good of the company. The board of directors have gone on record to declare this.¡± ¡°And I can sharpen the handle of the mop¡­¡± Patina suggested, reluctant to let her idea go. ¡°This is not going to happen.¡± Alex put his foot down. ¡°And even if it was, I would never even consider accepting some sort of weird corporate assassination job without being armed, trained, and having a very good plan.¡± Alex¡¯s mind briefly drifted to the would-be assassin Sophie, who was likely still asleep in his bed or perhaps experiencing the hangover of her life. He hoped she would be okay and not be alarmed by his absence. After some silence, Patina grudgingly said ¡°The boss makes some sense, I guess.¡± ¡°There is a level of logic to his words.¡± Harmony allowed. ¡°So, we shall begin training by accessing security boot camp files, and-¡± ¡°Can I just do the job you hired me for, please?¡± Alex begged, ¡°Do I actually need the omnitool?¡± ¡°You do.¡± ¡°She¡¯s right, ¡° Patina shrugged, ¡°An omnitool is, well, pretty much every tool you think you might need, plus a bunch of others.¡± ¡°If nothing else, the omnitool contains a miniature matter deconstructor and reconstructor which are vital to the tasks you will be required to do.¡± Harmony finished. ¡°Well, shouldn¡¯t there be things to do that don¡¯t need a highly specific piece of equipment? And, by the way, I¡¯m not suggesting anything here but it¡¯s highly convenient that the only omnitool in the whole carriage is in the hands of the person you¡¯re urging me to kill.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just a coincidence.¡± ¡°Of course it is. And the last person to have a job like mine didn¡¯t have his own?¡± ¡°That is the omnitool of Second Technician Gustav Bellows.¡± ¡°Which is really suspicious on its own, because Old Gus should have had it on him when he was trying to repair that diss-piss leak.¡± Patina added. ¡°The fact that it¡¯s in Vod¡¯s hands means he either stole it or took it from Old Gus¡¯ corpse - and there wasn¡¯t much left of the guy.¡± ¡°As stated before, there are no moral issues with killing the fake overseer.¡± Harmony said, ¡°He¡¯s a terrible person.¡± ¡°He treats us all like his personal slaves.¡± Patina added. ¡°And he keeps smashing my screens and speakers so I can¡¯t communicate in large areas of the carriage.¡± ¡°I saw him kick a cat once.¡± Patina said, until Alex looked at her with a raised eyebrow and her green cheeks darkened with a blush. ¡°Okay, that wasn¡¯t true. I don¡¯t think we have a cat, but he totally would do it if he could.¡± ¡°Enough, please.¡± Alex sighed. ¡°My job - Technician - how does it work exactly? I assume I don¡¯t just wander around finding things to fix.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be hard to find, ¡° Patina muttered. ¡°Ignore her, ¡° Harmony said. ¡°Your Interface add-on will display a list of tasks and possible rewards for completion.¡± So there¡¯s more than just the base pay involved. Okay. ¡°Rewards?¡± ¡°Okay so, like, you need to do a set number of duties related to your position every day in order to qualify for your daily wages, ¡° Patina explained, ¡°Or work for a total of 12 hours in the 30 hour day. But some tasks award bonuses for completion.¡± Patina went on to explain that a lot of the bonuses weren¡¯t worth it, because they took longer and were much harder; For cleaners, deep-cleaning was a standard bonus. The biggest thing that kept them from bothering though was that though the base task was tracked through the Interface, the bonuses needed to be verified by the Adjunct. ¡°And if she can¡¯t see it, it doesn¡¯t exist. Another reason why the onboard sensors are being destroyed by the fake overseer. It keeps folks struggling.¡± ¡°Alright, ¡° Alex ignored the attempt to pull the conversation back to Fabian Vod, ¡°So Harmony, why don¡¯t you just assign me some tasks that don¡¯t require the omnitool. I¡¯m not completely useless with my hands, and I need to practice these skills anyway.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t do that. Regulations state that you need both an Ad Astra technician¡¯s uniform and an omnitool.¡± ¡°So bypass the regulation. Using [Jury-rig] on some stuff with what I have on hand, even improperly dressed, is still a benefit to the train and to Ad Astra, right?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t bypass it.¡± Harmony grumbled, ¡°It¡¯s hard-coded as part of your employment conditions. You must be issued a uniform and an omnitool.¡± Patina let out a little sound of realization and snapped her fingers. The sharp sound echoed in the mostly-silent room. ¡°I have an idea. The maintenance closet.¡± The maintenance closet - or, as Harmony quickly corrected, the Technical Support Resupply Room - was something that each carriage had. While carriage 9500 had the main engineering and repair facility, small rooms had been allocated for storage of resources and parts to prevent lengthy travel time if an engineer or technician needed something. ¡°Old Gus was in there a couple of times a week, ¡° Patina continued, ¡°He should have a spare uniform in there at least.¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s a start.¡± Alex nodded and smiled at the goblin. ¡°Where is it?¡± ¡°A bit of a walk from here, ¡° she confessed, ¡°And it¡¯s in part of the lower decks.¡± ¡°I would really rather you focus on your bonus task to retrieve the omnitool, Alex.¡± Harmony urged, ¡°Which can be done by killing Fabian Vod.¡± ¡°As far as I¡¯ve been told, I¡¯m allowed to refuse these bonus tasks.¡± Alex said, ¡°With no retribution or consequence. Right?¡± ¡°Technically, yes. But Patina accepted the task already.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t. Drop it.¡± Alex said flatly. He was starting to get frustrated by this continual push to go and kill someone. That just wasn¡¯t right. ¡°You need that omnitool, Alex.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll deal with that when the time comes. Right now let¡¯s start with the uniform. Patina, please show me the way to the resupply room or maintenance closet or whatever you guys want to call it.¡± ¡°Yes, boss.¡± Patina tapped her fist to her chest in a somewhat mocking manner, but added plaintively ¡°Are you sure we can¡¯t go and kill Vod?¡± ¡°Patina, I accept that in your life, in this place, killing someone might be acceptable behavior. But in my life, in my heart, it¡¯s not.¡± ¡°Nine hundred glim¡­¡± the goblin muttered, and then sighed. ¡°But you¡¯re the boss.¡± The goblin led Alex out of the room, with Harmony still calling out after them that doing things out of order or not following her suggested tasks would just make things harder in the long run. Once out in the corridor again, the AI¡¯s voice was cut off as there were no working cameras, screens, or speakers. >Incoming Message: The multiverse is awash in the blood of millennia. Killing is a road to growth. -Peri You said there were other ways to advance. Name them. >Incoming Message: Completing tasks, clearing entropy sinks, destroying anything entropy-made, and practice. -Peri Show me. >Incoming Message: Alriiiiight! Interface tutorial time! First, think ¡®Interface¡¯ with intent. -P Interface. ~STATUS - TASKS - ADVANCEMENT~ Incoming Message: Obviously, ¡®Status¡¯ takes you to that display of your current state that you saw when you were being scanned by that AI. Advancement is useless right now because you don¡¯t have anything to select yet. Choose Tasks. -P Alex did so, and a new screen appeared. ~TASKS~ Personal Advancement Tasks Syntropy Tasks Add-On: Ad Astra Tasks Without needing to be prompted, Alex concentrated on the Personal Advancement Tasks. A list of three separate tasks appeared. ~PERSONAL ADVANCEMENT TASKS~ Skill Advance: [Evaluate] (1) (3/100) Skill Advance: [Jury Rig] (1) (0/100) Skill Advance: [Repurpose] (1) (1/100) ~ Can I assume that the number out of one hundred is the number of times I¡¯ve successfully used the skill? Alex recalled that though he didn¡¯t get much from it, [Evaluate] had worked on several things in the pod. [Jury Rig] had failed. >Incoming Message: Correct. Once you reach 100 you advance a rank, so for example [Evaluate] (1) becomes [Evaluate] (2), and will allow you to get more detail and evaluate more complex things with greater accuracy. Once you get to rank 5 you can choose an evolution option for your skill to customize it. -P The whole skill thing seems like cheating. How am I getting better at, say, evaluating a complex futuristic machine by using the skill on a hundred other things? >Incoming Message: Syntropy. The Interface tool is designed to not only guide us all but to push us forward. There are literally no disadvantages. You still have to practice. I don¡¯t have a technical explanation for you right now, but using skills utilizes the whole of you - every tiny scrap of possible knowledge you¡¯ve obtained is quantified, sorted, and used to guide you. So yes, your [Evaluate] skill can figure out things that you don¡¯t think you know, but once you collate everything you¡¯ve picked up subconsciously you actually do. Obviously only to a point, but studying and learning will build the knowledge that the skills can use, making advancement faster. -P ¡°What prevents me from just looking at everything around me and using my [Evaluate] skill in an attempt to advance it?¡± Alex asked. Patina looked at him and Alex realized he¡¯d spoken aloud. ¡°Won¡¯t work, ¡° she said, ¡°I dunno why. You have to be trying to use a skill with the intent it¡¯s designed for. That question came out of nowhere.¡± ¡°Just thinking. Sorry. Everything¡¯s a little complicated.¡± >Incoming Message: I was literally typing that. Can you ditch the goblin? -P No. Patina guided Alex down a side corridor that led to a hatch in the floor. There was a camera pointed at the hatch, and a small light showed that it was active even if it was half-hanging off the wall. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°Look, ¡° Patina paused at the hatch, her hands gripping the metal bar that served as its handle, ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I came on too strong in there. Sometimes I get¡­pushy.¡± ¡°Your last name seemed far more of a promise while you were chanting.¡± Alex joked easily. Patina shook her head and grimaced. ¡°I was talking about pushing you to take me as an assistant. I just¡­I need things to change. Life has to be more than just scrubbing walls and mopping floors, right? Void, Alex, I¡¯m only a level nine [Cleaner] and that¡¯s considered good.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s not?¡± ¡°Advancement gets harder as you level. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ve noticed that you have ¡®path points¡¯?¡± Alex nodded in assent, ¡°It¡¯s easy to get the first few levels in. Do a few tasks for Syntropy, or kill some bilge rats, that sort of thing. But it slows down. Maybe it¡¯s two or three tasks at first, or ten bilge rats.¡± Patina looked at her hands and scowled. ¡°Do you know how many bilge rats I¡¯d have to kill to advance to level ten?¡± ¡°Quite a few?¡± ¡°Six hundred! And that¡¯s with a non-combat Path, so it¡¯s not easy. Especially when they come at you in packs.¡± Patina said. ¡°With you here, there¡¯s more opportunity to do things differently. Opportunity for a Path change. I know I¡¯d be starting from level one again but purge, boss, it¡¯d be worth it.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could change your Path. Or if I was told that, I forgot.¡± Alex admitted. Patina gave him a crooked half-smile. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day for you.¡± ¡°Truly. So what did you want to be? What sort of Path? I don¡¯t even know what options there are, to be honest.¡± ¡°I dunno yet, ¡° Patina said, ¡°It depends on what gets offered. There are literally tens of thousands of Paths.¡± >Incoming Message: Path changes aren¡¯t very rare, but they¡¯re usually awarded as the result of a mission or task from Syntropy that alters something about you - an outlook, a belief, a way of doing things. Not rare, but not easy either. -Peri ¡°Do you have a task or mission or whatever for it?¡± Alex asked curiously. ¡°Not yet. Anyway, we''re going down here.¡± Patina yanked open the hatch in the floor, exposing a ladder leading down. She performed one of those slides down the ladder that Alex had seen in movies and winked at him from the bottom. Alex opted to descend in a more sedate manner. >Incoming Message: Let¡¯s move on to your Syntropy Tasks. -P Alex did so as he followed Patina down a new corridor - a narrower one than above, but surprisingly cleaner. It was also better illuminated than he¡¯d somehow expected. ~SYNTROPY TASKS~ 1 - Complete Major Event #1283 Is that it? Alex mused, concentrating on the task for further detail. Complete Major Event #1283 Event #1283 reward is dependent on score. 0% - 9.99% - Path Points. 10-49.99% - Path Points. Restoration. 50-74.99% - Path Points. 10 free attribute points. Restoration. 75-89.99% - Path Points. 18 free attribute points. 2 free skill rank-ups. 50% chance of guaranteed return to point of origin. Restoration. 90-99.99% - Path Points. 25 free attribute points. 5 free skill rank-ups. Guaranteed return to point of origin with temporal adjustment within 0-90%. Restoration. 100% - Path Points. 30 free attribute points. 5 free skill rank-ups. 1 free attribute enhancement. Guaranteed return to point of origin with temporal adjustment of 75-90%. Restoration. CURRENT SCORE - 1% Scoring: 1% - Accepted Ad Astra employment offer. ~ Alright Peri, what am I looking at there? >Incoming Message: Only good things, for you. The higher you score on the event, the better the rewards. Of course, you don¡¯t get to see what advances your score because that would make it too rigid - Syntropy wants you to grow your own way. Restoration is the part we¡¯re aiming toward, and it starts being rewarded at a very low score, which tells me you¡¯re going to get magic one way or another unless you severely fuck up along the way. -P. That¡¯s¡­sort of a relief. I¡¯m practically guaranteed to not die from this whole soul problem. >Incoming Message: The temporal adjustments are great - if you score well enough to be sent home and get a temporal adjustment, less time will have passed than you spend here. -P. I thought Sparkles said that time magic didn¡¯t exist. >Incoming Message: It doesn¡¯t. Time magic doesn¡¯t exist, but natural or technological means do. I don¡¯t know the details, it¡¯s not my area of expertise. You¡¯ll probably be shunted through some physics-approved bullshit. -P. Huh. Okay. Why not? ¡°Hey, you¡¯ve been fairly quiet.¡± Patina gently poked Alex in the leg. ¡°And you¡¯ve got that glaze-eyed look of someone going through their Interface.¡± ¡°Yeah, just learning. And thinking. Sorry.¡± ¡°I¡¯m assuming your world isn¡¯t as violent as most of the wider universe. Your reluctance to kill is probably admirable on your homeworld, but out here it¡¯ll just cause problems.¡± Alex considered this. Earth wasn¡¯t exactly the epitome of peace, but even with all of the strangeness caused by [Interesting Times] he¡¯d never experienced true violence before. For the most part it had been avoidable, but that was a privilege he¡¯d been lucky to have had. I can¡¯t say ¡®I will never kill¡¯ because I don¡¯t know what would push me to do so. All I can state is that I think killing isn¡¯t right, and it¡¯s not my place to judge who should live or die. Plus, I¡¯m not a violent person. Yet. Alex sighed aloud. ¡°I¡¯m still lost, ¡° he confessed, ¡°But I¡¯ll learn. This whole thing just seems¡­thrown together.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re new to all of this so it¡¯s expected. If you have any questions, fire away.¡± Patina shot him one of those wide toothy grins. ¡°As your new assistant, I won¡¯t even charge you for the answers.¡± ¡°Is it safe down here?¡± ¡°Relatively? Parts of it.¡± Patina shrugged. ¡°We¡¯re in the lower decks - service corridors, all the stuff the higher ups don¡¯t like to think about or see. Though some carriages are different, the standard layout is the upper decks are assigned to fulfilling Ad Astra¡¯s purposes - shipping, mining, passenger and freight transportation, and all that. Lower decks are all the support and background stuff.¡± ¡°We haven¡¯t passed as many doors up here. Mostly branches in the corridors.¡± Alex observed. Patina nodded. ¡°Behind the bulkheads here, ¡° she smacked the wall gently with her hand, ¡°it¡¯s all stuff to keep the carriage running. Pipes, conduits, wiring, all sorts of things. As far as I understand, anyway. We¡¯re not allowed to access any of that, of course.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean it doesn¡¯t get cleaned?¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Patina shook her head. ¡°The system¡¯s broken in multiple ways, and there¡¯s no convincing the Adjunct to give a sanitation worker any additional access. ¡®A request for maintenance access has been sent¡¯.¡± she mocked. Alex fell back into silence and when prompted by Peri brought up the final set of tasks. ~AD ASTRA TASKS~ Kill the Fake Overseer A miscalculation based on insufficient data has resulted in an unsuitable candidate being promoted to a minor leadership position within the company hierarchy. This must be resolved outside of the usual means. Kill Fabian Vod. Reward: 900 glim. 1000 Duty Credits. Omnitool. ~ Access Technical Support Resupply Room In order to complete your employment intake, a uniform must be provided. There is a high likelihood of one being located in the Technical Support Resupply Room. Collect the uniform, if it exists. Reward: 1 Duty Credit. Possible uniform. ~ Complete Daily Duties In order to receive daily wages, within the current daily cycle you must complete the following: 12 hours of work in your current role or 5 pieces of Ad Astra property repaired. Time Remaining in daily cycle: 15:11:21 ~ ¡°Well those are self explanatory, ¡° Alex muttered, ¡°And based on the ¡®automatic promotion¡¯ I saw on my status earlier once I reach a certain threshold of duty credits advance me up in my position - if Harmony allows it. Hey, Patina. Promotions - you said the AI isn¡¯t processing them currently.¡± ¡°The Adjunct says she¡¯s not promoting anyone else because she needs authorization from another Adjunct, but I think there¡¯s more to it. Even crippled, the artificial intelligence should be able to identify ways to adapt and change to keep things going. Like, as you pointed out, giving cleaners access to all the things that might need cleaning. So don¡¯t worry too much about duty credits. It¡¯s the glim that counts.¡± ¡°Yet another thing to figure out, maybe.¡± Alex mused. He was rewarded for his thoughts. >Syntropy task assigned: Investigate Adjunct Artificial Intelligence Nine/Harmony Well, fine. ¡°I guess I need to find a way to fix that. As far as I understand it, if I do well enough I can be sent home.¡± Patina looked at Alex skeptically. ¡°Did you get that in writing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s in my Interface.¡± ¡°Huh. And does it define what ¡®do well¡¯ means?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­a bit more vague. There¡¯s a score attached, but no guidance on how to increase it. Or if there are things that decrease it.¡± ¡°Heh, ¡° the goblin chuckled, ¡°Typical. Anyway, here we are.¡± The pair had halted outside a door that looked like all of the others. There was a mount for a camera above it, but it looked like the device had been torn away long ago. Instead of a door sensor to allow access, a small panel beside the door flickered with intermittent light. Alex took a moment to examine the strange squiggle of alien characters engraved on a small plaque above the panel and he frowned. ¡°Okay, so I can¡¯t read that, but I can understand you. What¡¯s up with that?¡± ¡°The train has language translation spells layered all over it. Not all of them work anymore. There are places where we wouldn¡¯t be able to understand each other, so you¡¯ll need to work on your language skills for when we run into them.¡± Patina shrugged, ¡°There are several kinds, for written and spoken language, as well as scent and color and even psychic communication. Most of this carriage lost those before I was born. Now it¡¯s just voice translation that works, and not always that.¡± ¡°Is that why you guys were surprised that I knew a little Latin? The, uh, Ancient Tongue I mean?¡± ¡°That one never translates. Anyway, ¡° she pointed at the plaque, ¡°That says Technical Support Resupply Room. Concentrate on it for a second and think about the words I just said.¡± Alex did so, and was only slightly surprised when the Interface let him know that something had changed. >Language Gained: Ad Astran (0/100) ¡°Ad Astran? There¡¯s a language named after the company?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a historical linguist, but the train has been around for, well, a really long time. They say languages develop over time, so¡­¡± The goblin gestured toward the wall panel. Alex put his hand on it gingerly, remembering that he got jabbed with something when he last performed that action. The panel flickered, and after a while it registered his touch, allowing the door to slide open. At least the door was smooth, Alex mused. As they stepped through the doorway, the room automatically lit up - mostly. Two dim bulbs illuminated the best they could, leaving dark shadows pooling between shelves and squat, chunky devices. What Alex mostly noticed in that first impression was the mess. Strewn across the floor were bits and pieces from the mundane (Alex saw screws and nails) to the unknowable, with strangely shaped gadgets and parts that Alex had no understanding of making it hard to walk without stepping on something. His walk turned to a foot-sliding shuffle as Alex took in the mess - racks and shelves had fallen, boxes and bins tipped over spilling their contents everywhere. Broken glass, metal shavings, and dust covered almost every available surface. This is slightly worse than the standard IT office space, he joked to himself while inwardly wincing at the disorganized chaos. Strange machinery lurked in the gloom; An almost R2D2-shaped machine squatted off to one side, and a large metal framework took up half a wall. Alex noticed that the framework held shards of shattered glass. A workbench that was piled high with junk half-hid a thing that looked almost like a microwave, if a microwave was pyramid shaped. So not really like a microwave at all, he thought and then shook his head. ¡°Has this room been looted or something?¡± he asked Patina quietly. ¡°No¡­¡± the goblin replied, ¡°Nobody else can access this room but you. You have the Authority and job for it. Old Gus was the last one who could get in here and that was over a decade ago. Things have been jostled about a lot over the years, I guess. It looks worse than usual.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been here before.¡± Alex observed. It was not a question, but the little goblin nodded. ¡°Yeah. Toward the end. Old Gus needed help walking around. I got in trouble for it a few times, but¡­you know.¡± she sounded uncomfortable. Alex gently poked her. ¡°This is the same Patina Bloodfiend who was chanting ¡®kill kill kill¡¯ recently.¡± ¡°Yeah, well, sometimes the benefits for doing things aren¡¯t tangible. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m nice or anything.¡± Include the word ¡®baka¡¯ at the end of that, I dare you. Alex challenged the universe. He¡¯d seen very little anime, but the internet as a whole had educated him on some of the more common tropes. >Task completed: Access Technical Support Resupply Room. One duty credit awarded. 10 path points awarded via Syntropy. Uniform awarded. >Incoming Message: Your first path points! Good job! You could have gotten some sooner if you¡¯d killed that bilge rat, but anyway¡­Syntropy won¡¯t always award path points for completing these add-in tasks from your employer, but it looks like you¡¯re getting a few bones thrown your way since you¡¯re new to all this. As for the uniform reward, it¡¯s probably in the room somewhere. This is just like a hidden object game! Ha! - Peri ¡°Harmony? Can you hear us here?¡± Alex called out, wondering if the AI had access to the room to monitor it. Patina pointed to a place on the wall where a blank, shattered screen hung. ¡°Too broken, ¡° she said absently, still looking around the room. ¡°I guess we need to find your uniform here somewhere. The locker might be the best place to-¡± ¡°Ah. Hello, my replacement.¡± Patina spun around toward the voice, her mop already out and held up defensively. Alex turned after a brief moment of surprise and saw a shimmering construct made out of light. An old man - a human, bent with age and wearing a threadbare uniform - gazed vaguely in their direction. ¡°I¡¯m not sure who you are or what your background is, ¡° the old man said, his image flickering and turning to static for a moment before reforming, ¡°But either the old Relentless Exploitation has recovered sufficiently to bring in engineers and techs from other carriages or, more likely, you¡¯re an outside hire. For that I¡¯m very sorry.¡± ¡°Old Gus¡­¡± Patina murmured. A hologram? Neat! ¡°However much time has passed¡­it doesn¡¯t matter. I can¡¯t imagine things are improving.¡± Old Gus continued, ¡°It¡¯s evident that the train is broken - truly broken - and quite possibly Ad Astra is as well. We keep moving forward, but it¡¯s clear that leadership has been out of reach for¡­well, longer than I¡¯ve been alive. Something, or more likely many things, have gone wrong.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an understatement.¡± Alex muttered. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, you¡¯ve probably been tapped to fix it. Let me tell you right away that you can¡¯t. But since the AI is likely insisting that you do it anyway¡­you have two options. Firstly, you could do everything the Adjunct tells you to do. She won¡¯t steer you wrong - to a point. Her programming is set to a very specific and rigid hierarchy, and so she will work you toward completing her goals. This is not a bad thing.¡± The hologram paused as if thinking. Alex could see that it was a recording, so he didn¡¯t ask it any questions. Patina was wordless, staring wide-eyed at the hologram as if she was seeing a ghost which, Alex supposed, she was. ¡°Or you could follow your instincts. Do what you think is best. You might see things the Adjunct doesn¡¯t - especially since her monitoring infrastructure is spotty at best.¡± ¡°Look, ¡° the hologram continued with a sigh, ¡°I¡¯ll be honest here - I¡¯m not the best techie. I¡¯ve tried to keep up over the years, but I was pushed into this Path and it never really resonated with me. Being a [Technician] isn¡¯t what I wanted. But it¡¯s what I am, and it¡¯s what I likely died as. So here¡¯s the thing - there are a lot of systems that are way beyond my skills to repair, even after decades on the job. If they¡¯re within yours, great.¡± You can get a Path you don¡¯t want? >Incoming Message: Yeah. It¡¯s not ideal, because you never really advance very quickly with it. Everything is a struggle, and it takes a very strong person to do well. But it can happen, and if you don¡¯t have a drive for it, well¡­look at your little green friend there. Stagnation can happen. -Peri ¡°Don¡¯t step beyond your role.¡± Old Gus cautioned. ¡°There are things happening that are none of your business, or mine. Whether you do it on your own terms or follow the Adjunct¡¯s breadcrumbs, stick to your job. It¡¯s not worth looking into the¡­¡± Static obscured the recording, white fuzz shorting out the recording for a moment. When Old Gus reappeared, he seemed more tired. ¡°Sorry, I removed that last part. Temptation and all that. I¡¯ve left some gifts for you.¡± ¡°In the locker, ¡° the hologram pointed to the place where the locker had been standing before it had fallen to the floor, ¡°there¡¯s a new uniform. I wasn¡¯t going to be able to use my glim anyway, and when you die it gets cycled back into the company, so you get shiny clothes instead. Then there¡¯s three major pieces of repair tech¡­¡± ¡°The disassembler, ¡° he pointed to the R2D2-looking machine, ¡°The reconstructor, ¡° a gesture toward the pyramid microwave, ¡°and the alchemical manifold.¡± Old Gus waved a shimmering hand toward the wall of broken glass and metal framework. ¡°With these you¡¯ll have an easier time of things. But¡­¡± ¡°They shouldn¡¯t be here.¡± the old man confessed, leaning forward as if to impart a great secret. ¡°They were supposed to be in the main engineering bay within carriage 9500. Instead I found them secreted away in the lower decks of this carriage. Someone moved them here, long ago. Before the carriages were sealed. I have my theories, and you will too if you get too curious. Don¡¯t.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really just dropping hints here to push me toward looking into things, ¡° Alex said to the hologram, knowing it wouldn¡¯t hear him. ¡°That¡¯s a fun little manipulation.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s it. I don¡¯t have any meaningful message to impart. If you¡¯re any sort of engineer or technician then flowery words will just be wasted on you. Do what you can, and don¡¯t let the job kill you too quickly.¡± Old Gus sighed. ¡°Ad Astra Liberatis¡­and farewell.¡± Chapter Eight - One Foot In Front Of The Other At the end of the day if you''ve created a net benefit for Ad Astra, you should feel proud. You are a tiny yet vital part of our thriving corporation. On the other hand, if you''ve created an overall net loss please report to the closest employee review booth for assessment and guidance. Our privacy screened and noise canceling E.R booths can be located directly beside every waste disposal chute. Please do not enter if the red light is on. -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation. Silence followed the speech as the hologram of Old Gus vanished. Alex mused over what had been said, and what carefully hadn¡¯t been said in order to intrigue him into looking deeper. It wasn¡¯t a subtle push, but it was probably all part of the event and so the likelihood of it being important was high. After a minute he happened to glance at Patina who was looking at the space where the hologram had been. ¡°Hey, you okay there?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t leave me a message.¡± she said quietly. ¡°I thought he would, for some reason.¡± Not being sure what to say, Alex patted the little goblin on the shoulder comfortingly. She seemed startled by the gesture, and took a few steps backward before clerking her throat. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Fine.¡± Patina took a deep breath and looked around. ¡°This place could use a good clean. Yeah.¡± The goblin started to pull various cleaning supplies from the same pouch that her mop had come from. When a long-handled broom joined the growing pile, Alex felt it was time to assuage his curiosity. ¡°How does all of that fit in there? Is it some sort of magic bag?¡± ¡°Spatial folding. Yeah, it¡¯s magic. Standard issue for folks that need to carry around a fair amount of stuff to do their jobs. The orange-trim pouches are specifically made to only hold things that a sanitation worker would need.¡± Patina¡¯s voice was heavy, and she radiated a lack of desire to talk. ¡°Do you need help? I mean, this is apparently my workplace now¡­¡± ¡®I¡¯m a [Cleaner]. I¡¯m fine.¡± These words were delivered in such a way that also expressed that Alex would definitely be in the way if he tried to lend a hand. He put up his hands in surrender and decided to poke around instead. The floor leading to the tipped-over locker needed to be navigated with care, but when Alex reached it he found amidst the dusty junk a rugged pair of long dark trousers with many pockets, a long-sleeved shirt with oddly shaped clasps instead of buttons, and a flat cap made of some dark material. He saw a stylized ¡°A¡± logo that suggested this was the uniform. Fingering the cloth Alex felt that it was thick and stiff, but not rough. Out of curiosity he used his [Evaluate] skill on each item. >Evaluation of Ad Astra Technician Uniform (Pants): Working at 100% efficiency. >Evaluation of Ad Astra Technician Uniform (Shirt): Working at 100% efficiency. >Evaluation of Ad Astra Technician Uniform (Cap): Working at 100% efficiency. That told him what the items were but nothing further. >Incoming Message: [Evaluate] isn¡¯t the same kind of skill as [Identify], [Inspect], [Assess], or [Assay]. It¡¯s looking for problems. -Peri And I guess the other ones you listed are looking for other things? >Incoming Message: [Identify] returns data on living things, generally, and almost all sapients. [Inspect] is for non living things. Yes, including corpses. No, I don¡¯t know why. [Assess] goes into worth and uses, and [Assay] is all about providence and history. -Peri Is there some amazing all-in-one skill that does everything? >Incoming Message: It¡¯s Syntropy. Of course there is. [Analyze]. It¡¯s hard to get. -P Of course. Aloud, looking at the uniform, Alex muttered ¡°At least it¡¯s not a jumpsuit.¡± and began to pull the clothing over the top of his own. It fit comfortably, and Alex felt concerned as to why the uniform seemed made just for him when he felt the fabric slowly adjusting itself around him. ¡°Automatic adjustment? Okay, cool.¡± Alex brushed down his uniform with his hands, checking each of the pockets just in case - you never knew, right? Unfortunately they were all empty, but Alex quickly filled several with regular tools and items from his backpack. ¡°Hey, shouldn¡¯t I get one of those magical space pockets too?¡± ¡°Hah, ¡° Patina grumbled, ¡°When I said ¡®standard issue¡¯ I meant you could purchase one with duty points or glim. The Adjunct has a store.¡± Something else to keep track of, Alex sighed. In an effort to figure out what he could do in his new role, Alex investigated the three pieces of equipment that the hologram had pointed out. He started with the strange metal framework on one wall with all of the broken glass shards. >Evaluation of Alchemical Manifold: Broken. I mean¡­yeah. Thanks, skill. >Evaluation of Small Matter Disassembler Unit: Broken. You don¡¯t say. I wonder if- >Incoming Message: Yes. -P I¡­okay. Thanks, but that¡¯s a little uncomfortable. Can you wait until I finish my thought first? Alex shook his head. He¡¯d started to wonder if as he got better at the skill it would give back more detail on exactly what was broken, or even how to fix it. Peri was a little too eager, it seemed. >Evaluation of Small Matter Reconstructor Unit: Critically Damaged. Okay. That¡¯s all thr-wait. Critically damaged? That¡¯s a different message. Not broken, just really really badly damaged? Leaning in closer, Alex examined the device that his skill had labeled the small matter reconstructor unit. He had to move several bits and pieces out of the way to expose the pyramid-like device completely. With a keypad and a dial on one side, and a large opaque glass panel on the front with a knob that turned at the top point of the pyramid, the device gave no real indication of either how to use it or what was wrong with it. The childish part of Alex wanted to press the buttons, but he held off from that. Instead he slowly turned the knob, which allowed the front panel of the unit to fall forward like the drawbridge of an old castle. Once it reached its maximum extension the panel snapped off entirely and hit the floor with a clatter that caused Patina to give Alex a look. Alex grinned. ¡°Sorry, just poking around,¡± he explained. Patina shook her head. Alex did a double-take when he saw that the goblin had already cleared a patch of floor to near-sparkling cleanliness, and had started stacking and organizing various bits and pieces of miscellaneous junk out in the corridor to be organized. ¡°Just be careful.¡± the goblin cautioned. Alex put a hand on his chest and winked, which rewarded him another patented Patina snort. Now that the front panel had snapped off, Alex hit the machine with another [Evaluate]. As expected it gave him a more terminal response for the poor device. >Evaluation of Small Matter Reconstructor Unit: Broken. ¡°Well, ¡° he muttered, ¡°fine. You fix some things, you break some things. Such is life.¡± Now that the front panel was gone, Alex had a quick look inside. There was something laying on a metal plate within the reconstructor. After making sure his gloves were on, Alex reached in and gingerly pulled the object out. As he held the thing at one end, letting it dangle downward, he examined the thin metal framework carefully. It was built to look like a glove - if gloves were a mesh of metal that looked more like the structure around which a glove would one day be built. Thin wires and glass-like threads wove across the structure, giving it a junkyard-fishnet look. Each of the fingertips had what seemed to be a thimble, and the palm of the structure was a wafer-thin round plate. Old Gus must have been working on something before he died. [Evaluate]. >Evaluation of Omnitool (Experimental design G-06): Incomplete. Alex¡¯s face lit up with a gentle smile. Well now, he thought, there¡¯s a thing. ¡°Hey Patina?¡± The goblin looked up from her cleaning and glanced at the thing Alex held up between two fingers. ¡°Any idea what this would need to get it working?¡± ¡°What¡¯s¡­¡± Patina trailed off as she narrowed her eyes and then almost jolted back, startled. ¡°Voidfuckers¡­what in the hells is that thing doing here?¡± ¡°You recognize it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it before, but my [Inspect] skill tells me what it is.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t get that one.¡± Alex groused, Can I get that one? Surprisingly Peri was silent on the matter. He shrugged. ¡°What does your skill say?¡± ¡°Omnitool, ¡° she said, talking forward with her eyes wide. ¡°Experimental design G-06. Incomplete.¡± ¡°That¡¯s about what I got, too.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more. It says¡­¡± Patina took a deep breath, ¡°Designed by the scientists of Ad Astra¡¯s covert research branch, this experimental omnitool has a uniquely unobtrusive design paired with the ability to store large amounts of materia within its six spatial-fold storage vaults. This particular model was created in an attempt to allow the user the ability to still use both hands whilst wielding the omnitool, therefore increasing work efficiency and convenience.¡± ¡°Wow. Okay, this is cool then.¡± ¡°Warning: ¡° Patina added, ¡°The G-06 design¡¯s flaws are its increased power need and requirement for a neural linkage with the user. Ad Astra management does not feel this design delivers an appropriate amount of benefit for the expense, and research on it will be discontinued immediately.¡± ¡°Ah. Well, not everything is going to be kittens and rainbows. The point is, this is an omnitool, right?¡± ¡°An incomplete one.¡± Patina pointed out. ¡°That I think we can fix.¡± Alex argued. ¡°In time.¡± ¡°Alex, that thing came from the research labs.¡± the goblin practically whined. ¡°You say that like it should mean something.¡± Alex said, placing the experimental device down on the nearest bench. ¡°What¡¯s got you so bothered?¡± ¡°Several things!¡± Patina exclaimed, coming to a halt right in front of Alex. She held her broom in one hand and a small dustpan in another, and looked like she wanted to use both on the experimental omnitool. ¡°Firstly, Ad Astra¡¯s research labs are a not-secret secret that kept their funding by creating increasingly deadly and dangerous things. Most of which were promptly sold off to galactic governments. They¡¯re not nice people Alex, and that¡¯s me saying that.¡± ¡°And secondly, ¡° she added before Alex could speak, ¡°The research labs. They aren¡¯t in car 9997. They¡¯re, like, up around the 1400¡¯s somewhere. So how in the void did it get here? I¡¯d say the same with the tech tools like the deconstructor, but those at least make some sense. R&D items only ever leave their labs when they¡¯re complete, and profitable to the company - and never come back here.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Is there anything in the description that says it¡¯s dangerous?¡± Alex pressed. Patina sighed and shook her head. ¡°No, but my [Inspect] skill is only rank two.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot of information for rank two. My rank one [Evaluate] just tells me the name of it, and that it¡¯s working or broken.¡± ¡°Some of that seems like it should come from the [Assay] skill instead?¡± Alex mused aloud, ¡°But I really don¡¯t understand all this yet.¡± ¡°The explanation was actually built into the design of the thing - like a combination of an advertisement and research notes. The creator added it themselves so that the common [Inspect] skill would bring it up.¡± ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that we have an omnitool - not a standard one, not a working one, but an omnitool nonetheless. Right?¡± Alex asked. Patina reluctantly nodded. ¡°And Harmony would recognize this as such?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure how the Adjunct knows what¡¯s what, but she should at least get that, yeah. She¡¯ll also know that it¡¯s not working.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Alex grinned. An idea had blossomed in his mind and he was eager to carry it out. ¡°You can [Jury-Rig] it somehow?¡± ¡°Oh, god no. Well, probably not. My skill is shit right now. But let¡¯s find a place where we can talk to Harmony.¡± ¡°Why? Just put the thing somewhere safe for now - if we don''t have a way to fix it. It¡¯s better if we got this place into some sort of organized cleanliness, and you started practicing your skills to improve.¡± Alex picked back up the omnitool and waved it about excitedly. ¡°Because I think I just achieved my next win condition.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°To go back home I need to score well. To score well, I need to do my job here. Probably fix this place up and, let¡¯s be honest, investigate these mysteries the universe is throwing in my face like the whole ¡®save us¡¯ image from earlier, and these conveniently out of place devices.¡± Alex took a deep breath, powering through Patina¡¯s half-voiced objections, ¡°And to do my job I need to complete tasks assigned by Ad Astra - Harmony, specifically. To get assigned these tasks, I need to have a uniform, and an omnitool.¡± Alex struck a pose, one hand holding up the experimental device, the other offering a sweeping gesture over his new uniform. Patina scowled. ¡°Boss, I¡¯m not really a negative person - ah, yeah, actually I kinda am but I¡¯m working on it in, like, tiny sporadic bursts - but a broken omnitool won¡¯t help you.¡± ¡°But it will.¡± Alex chuckled. He stepped forward and took the surprised goblin by the hand. She only just managed to transfer her dustpan to her pouch as he did so. ¡°Come on. It¡¯s time to talk to Harmony, because you know what she didn¡¯t say?¡± ¡°Wh-what?¡± Patina managed as Alex practically pulled her out of the room and into the corridor. ¡°She didn¡¯t say anything about the omnitool being in good working order, only that I have one.¡± Go with the flow? Alex mused as he smiled and walked down the corridor, Absolutely. But sometimes you need to paddle a little to avoid being carried off down a distributary and into a stagnant slough. * It took longer than Alex would have liked to locate a room with a working screen. They didn¡¯t have to travel back up to the upper decks, but the scavenger hunt was worrisome in that there was so much broken crap. It would, of course, be up to Alex to fix. Flickering to life on an unbroken screen, Harmony surveyed the pair. Patina looked ready for rejection, but Alex stood proudly before the AI in his new uniform brandishing the experimental omnitool. ¡°I¡¯m ready to work, ¡° he declared. ¡°You killed the- no, that¡¯s not¡­¡± Harmony frowned as whatever she used to see focused on Alex¡¯s hand. ¡°That is not a corporate approved omnitool.¡± ¡°Ad Astra designed it.¡± ¡°That thing has never been released for employee usage. I would have a record of it.¡± Harmony argued, ¡°And I can see that it¡¯s not working - it¡¯s missing a power converter, a power cell, and a neural linkage assembly.¡± ¡°And?¡± Alex grinned. Thank you for telling me what I need to get it working, too. ¡°And so I cannot assign any tasks to you.¡± ¡°Of course you can, ¡° Alex waved his hand cheerfully. ¡°Your instructions were to find a uniform and an omnitool. I have both. And before you start arguing further about it being a nonworking omnitool, that was not part of your original instructions.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think it had to be!¡± Harmony exclaimed, her voice growing heated. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m super keen to start my work for Ad Astra.¡± Alex said. So that I can save my life, and then go home. Harmony frowned. ¡°Your enthusiasm does you credit, Alex, but without a working omnitool there are many tasks that you cannot complete. Vital tasks. Tasks that will result in the survival of-¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Ad Astra¡¯s legendary profit margins.¡± Harmony replied quickly. The screen glitched out for a few moments, her face rippling with static. Alex sighed. I have to be careful I don¡¯t make her pop a circuit board or whatever by making her admit too much, he thought. Aloud he added ¡°It¡¯s a start. We can start somewhere. Surely not every task requires the omnitool.¡± ¡°It would make all of them much easier.¡± ¡°Which means they¡¯re still possible. Right?¡± ¡°Possible, yes.¡± Harmony let out a frustrated huff. Alex wondered why such an expression would even be programmed into a machine that didn¡¯t require breathing. ¡°Fine. This is all to avoid my incredibly vital and wonderfully rewarding task of killing Fabian Vod, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Harmony, I am eager to commence performing the key tasks of my role as a Grade Four Junior Technician with Ad Astra.¡± Alex said with a straight face. ¡°I can¡¯t fault you for this. I don¡¯t have to like it though.¡± Harmony groused. ¡°When the time comes, you¡¯ll have to do it anyway you know. The working omnitool isn¡¯t just a whim, and I seriously doubt you could get the neural linkage assembly needed to make your current aberrant item workable.¡± >Syntropy Task: Event #1283 - Updated - +0.5% I win, Alex grinned as he winked at Patina who looked surprised by the AI¡¯s capitulation. ¡°Okay. Job me up, task captain!¡± ¡°What?¡± Harmony asked, puzzled. ¡°Can you assign me some tasks now, please?¡± Alex amended, blushing slightly. >Corporate Add-on: Duties List updated. ¡°Tasks assigned. I¡¯ve taken the liberty of assigning them to suit your current low level and skill set. Please inform me when you advance, and when you gain new skills.¡± Harmony stated, ¡°Though I have no in-depth knowledge of the [Mender] Path due to¡­proprietary reasons the company will not divulge outside of its directorial board¡­there are certain skills that have a likelihood of being generated: [Repair], [Schematic Design], [Construct], and [Fine Tune] for example.¡± ¡°Good to know.¡± Alex said, and then opened his task list eagerly. The red background of the Ad Astra section of his interface felt warm and invigorating - whether this was Alex being on a small high from getting a win, or because the Interface itself fed him serotonin or something, he had no idea, and Peri was silent on the matter when Alex thought questions about it. ~AD ASTRA TASKS~ Kill the Fake Overseer A miscalculation based on insufficient data has resulted in an unsuitable candidate being promoted to a minor leadership position within the company hierarchy. This must be resolved outside of the usual means. Kill Fabian Vod. Come on, Alex. It isn''t that hard. Reward: 900 glim. 1000 Duty Credits. Omnitool. ~ Complete Daily Duties In order to receive daily wages, within the current daily cycle you must complete the following: 12 hours of work in your current role or 5 pieces of Ad Astra property repaired or 5 Ad Astra tasks completed. Time Remaining in daily cycle: 13:36:55 ~ Repair Cracked Seals The seals around airlock 12 located in Upper-C-11-Beta-Yellow-19 have become brittle and are estimated to fail in three days, creating a loss of atmosphere and necessitating locking down a significant portion of the above decks between compartments 114 to 200. Reward: 1 Duty Credit. ~ Repair Ductwork Though the atmospheric ductwork throughout carriage 9997 is in severe disrepair, a portion from junction A-664 to A-667 (Lower-C-25-Beta-Green-95) has been wholly torn out of place, lowering the efficiency of atmospheric cycling by 68%. Reward: 1 Duty Credit. ~ Seal Room Sometimes it is an unfortunate necessity to completely close off and seal access to a compartment, section, or room. In this case, Lower-C-11-Gamma-Taupe-67 has become so badly damaged that its continued use will place employees in higher than allowed danger. Reward: 1 Duty Credit ~ Bilge Rat Infestation Lower-D-4-Alpha-Red-0 is under close monitoring for an active bilge rat infestation. A midden is suspected, likely in the access conduits. Entry to the access conduits is granted via an automated sensor, which has malfunctioned. Reward: 1 Duty Credit Note: It is not part of your duties to eliminate the bilge rats. If you choose to do so, an additional duty credit and 5 glim per kill will be awarded. ~ Repair AWDF Leak Arcane Waste Dispersal Fluid is extremely toxic, as you know from your earlier encounter with the yellow liquid informally known as ¡®diss piss¡¯. The transportation pod you arrived in still has a rupture in the pipeline that carries spent AWDF for disposal, and it is leaking down into the lower decks. Reward: 1 Duty Credit ~ Unstick Door An entry door to Lower-B-4-Alpha-Green-11 has been jammed. Repair the door sufficiently to allow entrance and egress. Reward: 1 Duty Credit ~ Rewire Network Node Network Node A-6222229d has irreparably damaged sections that need to be bypassed. Instructions on how to rewire the node to utilize only the working portions will be sent to your Interface. Reward: 1 Duty Credit ~ Survey and Evaluate Security Cameras Not currently a repair task, but an evaluation of the security cameras in all locations you traverse. Notate how many are not in working order, and what would be needed to bring them all back online. Reward: 1 Duty Credit per 10 cameras. Note: ¡°Daily Duties¡± will be updated by 1 per 10 cameras surveyed. Note: Current skill level of [Evaluate] may not be sufficient, but make the attempt anyway. ~ ¡°Do you know what I find most interesting about this task list, Patina?¡± Alex asked, as Harmony displayed it on-screen even as his interface showed him in his vision. The goblin looked at him questioningly. ¡°In the task list, at least, there¡¯s no dissembling. The issues are clearly noted.¡± ¡°Huh. You¡¯re right.¡± Patina raised an eyebrow at the display. Harmony said nothing, staring directly ahead as if ignoring the conversation entirely. ¡°So I really don¡¯t want to touch the leaky death-fluid one, but if it¡¯s dangerous to leave it as-is then it should be one of the first things I do, ¡° Alex reasoned, ¡°And if we can avoid fighting by repairing the thing that keeps the bilge rats from leaving their nest that would be handy as well.¡± ¡°Your uniform should protect your body at least somewhat, but you still don¡¯t want to touch diss-piss.¡± Patina suggested, ¡°That¡¯s a place where the omnitool would really have come in handy - not that I¡¯m suggesting we go kill an evil, wicked, no good, very bad, horrible¡­.¡± she trailed off under Alex¡¯s stare. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Alex slapped his gloved hands together. ¡°Let¡¯s get to work. Patina, which of these is the closest?¡± ¡°I could display that for you on any available screen.¡± Harmony objected. >Incoming Message: And you have a map in your Interface, Alex. -Peri. Can the map show me places I haven¡¯t been yet? Silence came from his helper, so Alex queried the AI. ¡°Do you have many working screens between here and my destinations?¡± ¡°Some might perhaps be in standby mode during this ongoing¡­uh¡­¡± Harmony suddenly smiled, ¡°During this time of solidarity with the less fortunate of the galaxy, where Ad Astra is utilizing less power and giving our passengers and crew an insight into how the less fortunate (i.e, those who do not work for Ad Astra) live.¡± Wow, that was a stretch. What¡¯s the deal, anyway? She can tell me what¡¯s wrong through tasks, but finds it harder to say them aloud? Alex thought, But there have been times she¡¯s half-said something or started to say something before stopping. Being forced to stop? Maybe. ¡°So the answer is ¡®not many¡¯, " he said aloud. Patina had been studying the job list. ¡°How enthusiastic do you feel?¡± ¡°Pretty enthusiastic. We do need to get enough things done to complete my daily duties task. Speaking of, are you squared away for the day, work-wise?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter at this point in my crushing black hole of a debt load, ¡° the goblin grinned, ¡°But my one ¡®duty¡¯ right now is ¡®Assist Technician¡¯. So, if you feel like putting in some work we could go this way, hitting this job¡­then this one¡­and that one¡­¡± Alex followed Patina¡¯s long green finger as she traced a route for them. He agreed, mostly because he had no idea of the train¡¯s actual layout and what all the area labels like twelve-chartreuse-mushroom-omega or whatever meant but also because the little goblin looked genuinely excited to be doing something other than cleaning. ¡°Also along this way there should be quite a few cameras or other monitoring devices we can survey.¡± she finished. ¡°Because the Adjunct is supposed to be able to see everywhere and everything and, well¡­¡± >Corporate Add-on: Duties List updated. Alex checked it out. No new ones had been added, but a third note had been added to the task for surveying the security cameras that simply read ¡®I need to see¡¯. He nodded. ¡°Sounds good. Let¡¯s hit it.¡± Alex declared, making sure his gloves were on and his gear was set. The experimental omnitool and everything else from his backpack that he¡¯d packed minus the tools and a snack bar were left behind. ¡°Do not hit my property.¡± Harmony declared quickly, and flashed up a quick image of Alex when he¡¯d hammered off the panel to get to the pod door¡¯s wiring. She had put a big red circle with a line through it over the image. Alex grinned. ¡°Only if it needs it, ¡° he promised. Chapter Nine - The First Step They say that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. This is quite absurdly false. Preparations must be made, groundwork laid, supplies gathered, routes organized, and so much more before the first step can even be taken. Ladies and gentlemen of the board, the Relentless Exploitation is the largest and most expensive self-contained space-going craft ever developed. We will be close to bankrupt with the money, the time, and the effort it will take to get it first moving. But once we do, once she starts to move¡­well, the stars are ours. Ad Astra Eternum! -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation. Alex took the opportunity to slip into his pockets as many recognizable small bits and pieces as he could. Screws and nails, little bits of metal and plastic that could be used for various random things, and a couple of rolls of the Ad Astra version of duct tape known as heavy duty sealing and adherent strips. He resolved to keep calling it duct tape. Leaving the maintenance closet behind, Alex and Patina set out. As they walked, Patina seemed filled with a sort of enthusiastic energy that caused her to almost skip. Alex spent a few minutes looking over the map overlay he¡¯d absolutely forgotten about despite it being in the upper right corner of his vision. A simple line-map displayed where he was, and anywhere he¡¯d already been. A few places were labeled, such as the transportation pod room and the maintenance closet. He found he could switch between the upper decks and the lower decks with a thought, but it was all flat and two dimensional - a 3D schematic would have been useful. >Incoming Message: Interface upgrades are always available for purchase. You can actually spend path points on them, if you don¡¯t mind leveling up extremely slowly. It¡¯s not recommended right now, even if you could afford anything with your measly 10 path points. -Peri Agreed, Alex sighed, once again reminded that Syntropy¡¯s Interface was much like a microtransaction shop. And how do I do that, anyway? >Incoming Message: As your designated helper, I¡¯d suggest not bothering right now. Get some levels in you first. When you do decide to prioritize extras over progression, the mental command is ¡°SYNTROPY SHOP¡±. -Peri Karma shop, Ad Astra company shop, Syntropy shop¡­was the entirety of reality up for purchase in one form or another? Mentally Alex thanked his intrusive little helper and filed the shops under ¡®Problems For Future Alex¡¯. Instead he followed Patina along several corridors and through passageways and doors. It felt like a lot of walking and his legs started to ache after a while, but along the way the goblin pointed out literally dozens of unobtrusive scanners, cameras and other monitoring sensors for him to use his [Evaluate] skill on. Alex found that he felt rather pleased that the number was going up on his personal advancement task to increase the skill, even if [Evaluate] continued to say the same thing. >Evaluation of Monitoring Device (Camera): Broken. >Evaluation of Monitoring Device (Movement Sensor): Broken. >Evaluation of Monitoring Device (Arcane Detection Sensor): Broken. >Evaluation of Monitoring Device (Camera): Broken¡­ ¡°Every single one of these is broken, ¡° he said after a while. After the first few complete failures for his [Jury Rig] skill to even trigger Alex had contented himself with simply noting on his map - a feature he was quite happy to have - where they all were and that they were beyond his current abilities. ¡°Yeah, funny that.¡± Patina replied. ¡°In a not really funny way at all. Notice anything else about them?¡± ¡°Most of them are physically damaged in some way.¡± ¡°Yup. Now think about who doesn¡¯t want the Adjunct spying on or pestering them.¡± ¡°Fabian Vod?¡± Alex ventured. Patina nodded. ¡°Right, you mentioned before that they were being purposefully broken. I guess the intentional destruction adds to the reasons she wants him dead.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t imagine her not being pissed off.¡± Patina grinned. ¡°You¡¯ll find that more are broken in the lower decks than the upper, which in turn makes everyone else''s job just that little bit harder. Anyway, ta-dah! Your first job assignment.¡± She pointed a long green finger at a half-open doorway. The sensor above it flashed and tried to open the door further but was unable to do so. ¡°What¡¯s this one?¡± Alex asked, ready to add another label to his map. ¡°Lower-C-Gamma-Taupe-67, ¡° she answered, ¡°The one with the dangerous room that needs to be sealed.¡± Alex eyed the door suspiciously. The darkness beyond seemed more unsettling than it should have. ¡°Do we need to actually go in?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not. If the Adjunct is saying the room is dangerous, it must be pretty bad whatever it is. ¡°Right then. Help me push it shut?¡± It took almost twenty sweaty minutes of forcefully pushing the two halves of the door to close at the center, and that was after they both embarrassingly realized that the door sensor was trying to open the door at the same time because, well, they were in front of it. ¡°Do you feel stupid?¡± Alex asked with bemused exasperation when they were done, ¡°Because I feel stupid.¡± Patina didn¡¯t reply, and just sat against the wall looking at their handiwork. Once Alex covered the sensor and they had closed the door, the man had used his [Jury Rig] skill on it. Surprisingly all he¡¯d needed was a small hand-sized scrap of metal, and two screws to hold it in place where the two sides of the door joined in the middle. Something about the skill must have helped because Alex was able to use a regular screwdriver rather than some sort of power tool. Or this futuristic space metal is softer than steel, he thought. Ultimately it didn¡¯t matter. The job was done, and Alex took a sharpie to write ¡®DO NOT ENTER¡¯ on the door. Patina rose from the floor and took the sharpie, snorted at the strangeness of it, and wrote the same thing in Ad Astran. >Ad Astra Task: Seal Room >With a deft hand and a steady eye, the [Mender] can perform great feats of repair. You merely stopped a door from being able to open. The task is done but you know [Jury Rig] is temporary, right? Still, you completed the task. 1 Duty Credit awarded. ¡°That¡¯s that.¡± Alex smiled. Patina nodded. ¡°On to the next one?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Alex let the goblin lead the way. The journey wasn¡¯t as long as the first one, and Alex was able to add another six miscellaneous security devices to his tally, and his [Evaluate] skill. Surprisingly, one of them he was able to repair with his [Jury Rig] skill, as it hadn¡¯t been completely broken, requiring only some re-wiring with tape, and a new set of screws to hold it in place. A little red light came on, and Alex waved at it. The light blinked in response. ¡°It looks so simple, ¡° Patina grumbled, ¡°But that¡¯s skills for you.¡± ¡°I mean, I do a lot of fixing bits and pieces back home. That¡¯s gotta help, right?¡± >Incoming message: Skills = Let¡¯s Do This! Knowledge = Oh That¡¯s How We Do This! Combo = Good! -P. You okay there, Peri? That message sounded abrupt. Alex received no reply. ¡°I think that-¡± Patina began, but drew up short as they rounded a corner and encountered two looming figures. She let out a curse. ¡°Ah, bilge.¡± ¡°Hoy there, little snotskin.¡± one of the figures greeted Patina, a cold smile delivered with thin lips giving Alex a good idea of the type of person he was about to speak to. Alex stopped just behind Patina and looked over the new arrivals. Each of them had been aiming for a casual lean against the wall and had delivered that in spades. Alex frowned. The first figure - the one who¡¯d spoken - was tall and razor thin, with milk-pale skin and large dark eyes. His hair was held back in a clasp, and the figure wore a bulky hodge-podge of hardened armor-like clothing. ¡°Heard you¡¯ve been busy, snotskin.¡± the other figure rumbled. Just as tall as the first figure, but with an overabundance of muscle instead of the too-thin look of the first. His hair was cut brutally short, and one eye was completely white. ¡°Busy.¡± echoed the thin one. ¡°Surprisingly avoiding actual work though.¡± said the muscled one. ¡°Avoiding, yeah.¡± The first figure agreed with the second. Alex could see Patina¡¯s whole body tense up and she¡¯d closed her gloved hands into fists. Alex was about to speak, but he was interrupted by his interface. >Event #1284 started. Concurrent Events: 2. Oh boy. Here we go. ¡°Avoiding work doesn''t make the boss man happy, does it Jaek?¡± The larger figure asked of his companion. Alex did note that there was a long blade at the man¡¯s hip. They use SWORDS on a space train? ¡°Not happy at all, Helwud.¡± Jaek said, shaking his head slowly. It was at that point that Alex¡¯s brain pointed out the one thing he¡¯d missed this far - both of these men had long and pointed ears. They looked a lot like- ¡°Elves!¡± Alex exclaimed aloud. ¡°Sorry, that was rude of me. Hi! I¡¯m Alex. You¡¯re the first elves I¡¯ve met.¡± He extended a hand past Patina¡¯s shoulder, which was ignored as the two elves gave him a long and expressionless look. As if her surprise was broken by Alex¡¯s intervention, Patina snarled angrily at the pair. ¡°The fucking Bruise brothers. What are you two doing out of your hole?¡± ¡°We¡¯re on a mission from Vod.¡± Helwud explained. He paused significantly after this statement. ¡°A delivery mission.¡± Jaek clarified after the silence went too long. ¡°Well, deliver whatever it is your boss gave you and go away.¡± Patina spat. ¡°Now now, snotskin. Best you calm down before we have to pacify you.¡± Jaek smiled that cold smile again. ¡°Poor thing, ¡° Helwud rumbled, ¡°And it¡¯s so hard to leave lasting injuries on a goblin, too.¡± The elf reached for Patina¡¯s sleeve, but she yanked it away and stepped back almost knocking Alex down in the process. ¡°So, uh, I¡¯m the new Junior Technician here.¡± Alex tried to steer the conversation his way, ¡°Grade four apparently. I¡¯m a [Mender] if that means much? How are you today?¡± ¡°Technician, he says.¡± Helwud said to his brother. The other elf¡¯s eyes glinted dangerously. ¡°Grade four.¡± Jaek said solemnly. ¡°Junior. As useful as a fart in a spacesuit.¡± ¡°Level one.¡± Helwud added, suggesting that he knew more about Alex than he should. Maybe it was one of those [Identify] skills or whatever. [Inspect]? Something like that. He fired off his [Evaluate] at the pair of elves, and was surprised by the messages he received in return. >Evaluation of Jaek Bruise: Broken. >Evaluation of Helwud Bruise: Broken. That¡¯s interesting. ¡°No attributes yet either, Helwud.¡± Jaek observed. ¡°Breakable.¡± Helwud agreed. Alex found that instead of frightened he felt delighted. These guys were talking like they were in a bad theater troupe, acting like Thug One and Thug Two in a play. ¡°That¡¯s me, ¡° he said in a friendly tone, allowing his hand to drop as nobody had taken up the offer to shake it. ¡°And you two are¡­?¡± Say [Thug] or [Heavy] or something please. ¡°Helwud here is an artist, ¡° Jaek gestured to his brother with a flourish. ¡°His canvas is the body. He does lovely work in contusions.¡± ¡°An¡¯ Jaek here¡¯s a phlebotomist.¡± Helwud grinned, ¡°On account of how efficient he is at taking blood out of people.¡± Alex was about to ask if the two had rehearsed those lines when Patina spoke up again. ¡°A [Bruiser], ¡° she said pointing to Helwud first, and then at Jaek ¡°And a [Rogue]. Because the path [Motherfucker] doesn¡¯t apparently exist.¡± ¡°Name calling makes us sad, little snotskin.¡± Jaek sighed, completely ignoring his own words. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. ¡°Sad enough to maybe perhaps accidentally lunge forward and break that big green nose of yours.¡± Helwud added. ¡°But we¡¯re not here for that. We don¡¯t like violence.¡± lied Jaek. ¡°Necessary burdens, ¡± Helwud let out a dramatic sigh, ¡°We¡¯re here because the boss wants to talk to you. Both of you.¡± Patina started to reach for her pouch, but Alex smiled and put a hand on the goblin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯d be happy to come. He¡¯s the overseer, right?¡± ¡°Alex-¡± Patina began, only to be cut off by the brothers. ¡°This one is smart, Jaek.¡± ¡°So smart he could cut himself, Helwud.¡± ¡°Or you could do it for him, ¡° Helwud suggested, ¡°To be helpful.¡± The elf actually sniggered. Alex wanted to laugh at the awfulness of it. He¡¯d seen lines better delivered at high school performances. Alex closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and smiled. This is fine. This is an Event. Sure, it¡¯s an Event within another Event, but that won¡¯t change how it works. Just go with the flow. ¡°Please escort us to your boss, if you would be so kind.¡± Alex requested when he opened his eyes again. Patina looked about to protest, but Alex simply shook his head and gestured for the goblin to calm down. She scowled, shrugged, and rolled her eyes in acquiescence. ¡°Smart guy, ¡° Jaek observed as he looked at Alex with a killer¡¯s eye. ¡°It goes without saying that if you try anything-¡± ¡°Anything at all, ¡° Helwud added. ¡°There might be a tragic accident.¡± ¡°Tragic, ¡° Hulwud agreed. ¡°And deadly.¡± Alex had to force himself not to applaud the pair. He was quite sure now that they had practiced their little back and forth act. With a smile he nodded. ¡°Please, lead on.¡± * During the escorted walk Alex let several things fall outside his attention; Patina, muttering and glaring at the Bruise brothers was easily ignorable - no matter how upset she seemed, the goblin seemed to recognize that if it came down to an actual fight she would end up on the losing end. Alex was able to tune out her muttered cursing. Similarly, the Bruise brothers kept up what they probably thought was a witty back and forth. They never actually addressed Alex or Patina again, but it was quite obvious who the show was for. Vague threats, little anecdotes about past ¡®accidents¡¯ and the like were easily ignored. Alex¡¯s map slowly filled itself in as he was escorted through the lower decks. Most of it was unlabeled due to not asking for various signage and labels to be translated for him, but gradually a portion of carriage 9997 was taking shape in Alex¡¯s interface. It was huge. Though there was a promised menace from the Bruise brothers, Alex himself felt quite relaxed. As he passed various security and monitoring devices he shot off [Evaluate] as many times as he could, some of them failing due to the simple fact that the devices had been completely torn away and were missing. Still, some lizard-brain part of Alex liked seeing his number of uses of the skill go up. The other thing Alex did was dig a little deeper into what the Interface was calling his attributes. They were named just well enough for him to get a vague idea of what they could be measuring, but also leaving openings for misunderstanding. Strength, for example, had sub-attributes of Physical Strength, Physical Adaptability, and Physical Presence. Physical Strength could take a lot of things into account, some of which were apparently parceled out to Endurance which had the sub-attribute of Physical Constitution under it. Physical Adaptability sounded easy enough, but what was Physical Presence? Was that how buff he looked? Would Alex get a six-pack if he upped that number? Or did it pair with the Charisma-based Personal Presence sub-attribute, that seemed to promise that he would have some sort of aura-like effect about him that would affect people? Peri, I could use a little nudge here but not an in depth essay on how these things work. >ALERT: YOU ARE OUT OF FREE HELP MESSAGES FOR THE DAY. EMERGENCY CONTACT PERMISSIBLE. DESIGNATE EMERGENCY? Because of course. No, that¡¯s fine, Alex sighed, finding yet another limit placed arbitrarily on things. It was frustrating, especially since he hadn¡¯t been told there was a message limit and even more so that Peri had sent more than a few not necessarily asked for ones as well. Let¡¯s just look this over and see¡­ ~ATTRIBUTES~ STRENGTH (0) Physical Strength (0) Physical Adaptability (0) Physical Presence (0) ~ AGILITY (0) Dexterity (0) Reaction (0) Precision (0) ~ ENDURANCE (0) Physical Constitution (0) Mental Fortitude (0) Emotional Strength (0) ~ WISDOM (0) Insight (0) Instinct (0) Understanding (0) ~ INTELLIGENCE (0) Logic (0) Reason (0) Learning Ability (0) ~ CHARISMA (0) Wit/Charm (0) Personal Presence (0) Deception (0) ~ PERCEPTION (0) Situational Awareness (0) Pattern Recognition (0) Acuity (0) ~ MAGICAL POTENCY (0) Magical Power (0) Mana Pool (0) Mana Regeneration (0) ~ For the physical stuff Alex was inclined to think that for the most part it was exactly as it sounded. Breaking things up and spreading them out seemed odd, but Syntropy probably had a reason for it. The mental attributes were less instinctive to Alex - why did Syntropy measure Intelligence purely on Logic, Reason, and Learning Ability? Wouldn¡¯t experience, actual study, and a higher library of knowledge to draw from be included? Same with Wisdom. Apparently it¡¯s Insight, Instinct, and Understanding, Alex frowned, I get what the words mean, but how do they affect me if I increase the numbers? How do I increase the numbers anyway? Several times the group actually passed other people - goblins dressed much in the same way Patina had been. They were industriously scrubbing, scraping, cleaning and polishing seemingly random parts of the corridors or rooms. None of them displayed much interest in the group, their eyes dark and tired as they toiled away. Alex would have stopped to talk but the elves gave the impression that it would be a bad idea. When Alex looked over at Patina he saw a new expression on the goblin girl¡¯s angular face. As she looked at the other goblins her expression was one of obvious contempt and Alex noted that as something to ask about later. ¡°Hey, assholes.¡± That was Patina, apparently being diplomatic. Jaek turned to glance at her, a sneer twisting his lips. ¡°We¡¯re going the long way?¡± ¡°Whatever the train hit-¡± Jaek began. ¡°Or whatever we hit with the train, ¡° Helwud chimed in. ¡°-damaged part of the undercarriage.¡± Jaek shrugged, ¡°Blast doors came down, sealing off a few places.¡± ¡°Those only come down if we¡¯re venting atmosphere.¡± Patina muttered, scowling. ¡°And that¡¯s never, as far as I know.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still breathing.¡± Helwud replied, as if that were the end of the conversation. Neither elf seemed inclined to show any sort of concern about it, and after a moment¡¯s thought Patina gave a shrug of her own. Apparently the population on board this crazy place was used to sudden inconveniences. The scenery around Alex suddenly changed. After passing through a shorter corridor that had covered most of the metal and plastic with paint and indecipherable posters the group entered a wide and almost cavernous area that stretched both wide and long. Here were actual buildings - not the most safe-looking constructions, but buildings nonetheless. There were also people, and Alex was using the term because he was assuming that the variety of creatures he saw were people as much as Patina and the Bruise brothers were. There were elves, and genuine dwarves with the stereotypical beards, and strange willowy winged folk with large dark eyes and a ruff of thick fur around their necks and wrists. And goblins - so many goblins - were everywhere. Running, shouting, living and breathing like a regular street back on Earth, this place was a chaotic cacophony of sound and movement. After spending time in the quiet upper deck area, Alex felt as if he had been woken up from a dream filled with silence only to be thrust into the middle of a busy street. He put the darker thoughts that had been rolling around in his head aside and took in the view. The group got a few looks, but no actual stares even though Alex was apparently the only human he could see. Some of the looks were curious, even speculative, but Alex noted that those looks quickly slid away once one of the Bruise brothers glared in the direction of the curiosity seeker. The whole area was a goldmine to Alex¡¯s [Evaluate] skill, as he was able to use it on everything he could see. From ramshackle buildings to cracked floor plates, damaged walls, broken ductwork and shattered lighting, Alex felt his eyes burning as message after message passed his vision telling him everything that was in disrepair. Eventually he received a message that made him feel a small sense of accomplishment. >Personal Advancement Task - Skill Advance [Evaluate] (1) 100/100 Cool, thought Alex, but then frowned. When looking at his skill it was just sitting there unchanged. Did he have to do something in particular? He mentally prodded at it but nothing happened. A question for Peri, when she¡¯s allowed to talk again. Testing the skill a few more times didn¡¯t change the numbers either - it still sat at 100/100. Evidently he had to advance the skill - however he was supposed to do that - making the man assume that additional uses until that point would be wasted beyond simply learning what things were as he looked at them. While Alex was preoccupied, he hadn¡¯t been paying attention to his companion who had been growing increasingly uncomfortable as the group moved deeper into the crowded area. Though Alex hadn¡¯t noticed, the elven [Rogue] certainly had. ¡°Been away from home for a while, snotskin. Miss it?¡± Jaek asked over his shoulder. Patina scowled in response but didn¡¯t rise to the bait. ¡°¡®Cuz your family missed¡­oh, right. Sorry. I forgot you don¡¯t have one anymore.¡± ¡°Forgot. Shame.¡± nodded Helwud with a grin. When they saw that Patina wasn¡¯t going to reply they snickered and went back to glaring at people who got too close to the group as they walked. Alex looked at Patina, whose hands were clenched into fists. Her eyes spoke of promised violence, and Alex automatically went to put a hand on the goblin¡¯s shoulder. She flinched at the touch, but didn¡¯t jerk away. ¡°We¡¯re headed there, ¡° Helwud pointed for Alex¡¯s sake toward a part of the area that had been raised up close to the high ceiling. There was a building constructed there that had a sense of precipitousness to it, as it was attached to the wall with no support beneath it. A long metal stairway led up to a closed door, and a massive glass window that looked out and down on the rest of the area. ¡°This is all inside a space train¡­¡± Alex muttered, trying to take everything in. ¡°How does it all fit?¡± Jaek continued to scope out the crowds - people weren¡¯t quite jam-packed in the long street but moving about would have been difficult if it hadn¡¯t been for the small but obvious circle around the group where folks shifted out of the way before them. Helwud gave Alex a smirk. ¡°It¡¯s dimensional magic. Makes the space bigger inside than outside.¡± he explained in a far more normal voice than he¡¯d been using for the back-and-forth earlier. ¡°Really? That¡¯s neat.¡± ¡°No, not really.¡± The elf barked a laugh that caused several nearby goblins to scatter. ¡°Idiot. Centuries ago this was one of the storage bays. It¡¯s been repurposed.¡± Alex felt like the insult wasn¡¯t necessary, but at least the elf hadn¡¯t been practicing his unsubtle threats this time. He simply nodded. Everyone here is unhappy, Alex thought as he let his eyes flick over the people rather than the construction now. There was a resigned hopelessness behind most everyone¡¯s eyes, and though their movements were quick and urgent Alex could see how exhausted and thin the goblins were. The other species were no better off except a few such as his current escorts. Nearing the bottom of the stairs that led up to their destination, Alex saw a goblin using a hammer - or what passed as a hammer, simply being a misshapen lump of metal inexpertly tied to a short length of pipe - to beat into place a sheet of scrap on the roof of a building. >Evaluation of Roof Patch: Barely acceptable. Alex had shot off an [Evaluate] without even thinking about it and he shook his head at how quickly he¡¯d adapted to having what (to him) was basically a magical power. It wasn¡¯t actual magic, but it felt like it. I wonder if- Alex¡¯s musing was cut off as he heard a shout; The goblin on the roof had swung his hammer back with more force than the improvised tool could take, and the head detached from the shaft. It fell to the street and struck another goblin in the shoulder. That was the shout - pain and surprise - as the goblin fell to the floor in agony. Without thinking Alex was already moving to render aid, but he was pulled up short by a heavy hand on his collar. Helwud held Alex in place and shook his head. ¡°Let the snots take care of the snots, Mister Fourth Grade Technician.¡± he growled. Alex wanted to protest but already the goblin was being taken away, his howls of pain fading into the crowd as a small group of other goblins rendered what aid they could. ¡°I could have tried to help.¡± Alex muttered as Helwud pushed him forward again. The elf gave a snort of dark amusement. ¡°Unwise to get involved. Hoy, snotskin.¡± Jaek addressed Patina, who hissed at the thin elf, ¡°Explain to your friend what would have happened if he used his little fixing skill.¡± ¡°Go sit on a rusty-¡± Patina shut her mouth when Jaek reached for his blade. She let out a huff of angry frustration and then turned to Alex. ¡°The bastard is right. You¡¯re a [Mender]. We don¡¯t get paths like yours around here anymore. It¡¯s why everything here is bilge. If you¡¯d used your [Jury Rig] skill to try to fix a broken bone in front of everyone we¡¯d be mobbed.¡± ¡°And then we¡¯d have to politely ask people to move back.¡± Jaek added. ¡°More cleaning work.¡± Helwud agreed. ¡°More broken things. It would be an endless task.¡± ¡°So you just let people get hurt?¡± Alex protested. ¡°Is anyone here a licensed doctor or, I guess since this is some weird fantasy science fiction mashup thing, a healer?¡± ¡°There are people who help. We do our best.¡± Patina said, and then scowled. ¡°No, that¡¯s not true. We do what we have to. Most people here¡­they gave up on their best a long time ago.¡± The conversation frustrated Alex, who didn¡¯t fully comprehend the acceptance of such a dismal life. Though, he supposed, if I¡¯d grown up in this and had no other stick to measure it by, maybe I¡¯d be feeling hopeless too. The group halted at the bottom of the stairs. Jaek turned to grin at Alex and Patina. ¡°The boss is very eager to chat with you both. Ascend, and commune with Vod.¡± The Bruise brothers stood at the bottom of the staircase and watched as Alex and Patina started the climb upward. Alex tried to ignore the slight wobble and shift of the staircase framework - it hadn¡¯t been particularly well constructed to begin with, and over time had deteriorated just enough to give those using it the anxiety of a short fall and a sudden splat. Once out of earshot of the Bruise brothers, Patina visibly attempted to let go of some of the anger she¡¯d been carrying with her since their encounter began. After several long breaths she looked up at Alex and gave him an annoyed grimace. ¡°Why are you so calm?¡± she demanded in a low voice. ¡°I¡¯ve told you what Vod is like already, and we were literally strong-armed here. This isn¡¯t going to be a polite little chat over drinks - Vod is going to demand you work under him and when that doesn¡¯t work because you outrank him in Authority, he will have you killed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a possibility, sure.¡± Alex nodded, and gave the little goblin a comforting smile that she misread as coming from a place of ignorance. ¡°I can¡¯t explain it very well, but this is an Event - something that happens to me a lot. As long as I make the right choices, and try not to struggle too hard against the spirit of the story, everything is going to be okay.¡± Patina gave him a look that spoke volumes, but she felt it necessary to add ¡°What the fuck is the ¡®spirit of the story¡¯? Are you literally insane?¡± Alex chuckled as they climbed the stairs and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve been told I¡¯m not. Just¡­trust me on this. Let me talk, and I¡¯ve got a good feeling that we¡¯ll talk away from this no worse than when we got here.¡± Alex spoke calmly, feeling more serene than he had in several hours. Whether it was his past experience or the [Unflappable] upgrade working overtime, Alex ascended to his fate with a slight smile on his face. ¡°Literally insane¡­¡± Patina repeated in a whisper, shaking her head. She started to think of how she would fight her way out of the area when everything inevitably went wrong. Chapter Ten - Negotiation Negotiation? If you¡¯re the stronger party, you demand. If you¡¯re the weaker, you beg. Negotiation is something that only ever happens between equals and let¡¯s be honest here - you¡¯re nowhere near our equal. Sign here. And here. Initial here. Here. And here too. There now...that wasn¡¯t so hard, was it? Now let¡¯s get these shackles off you¡­ -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation. They took several moments to catch their collective breath once they reached the top. Alex glanced out and down from his vantage point and saw the ramshackle sprawl below looking much like an upended ant hill - frenzied activity and chaos. From up here he could see buildings that looked to be recently demolished, and one large crack ran from the heights of the ceiling down one wall that looked like it would be impossible to fix without a month¡¯s worth of hard work with a full team of ironworkers. ¡°We do seem to have suffered some recent damage, haven¡¯t we?¡± a calm, urbane voice spoke from the doorway. Alex and Patina turned to see a large monster - no, not a monster, a person even if they look terrifying, Alex corrected himself - leaning against the doorframe with a small glass of liquid in a big gray-skinned fist. ¡°One of many things we need to discuss, Grade Four Junior Technician Alex Orz.¡± >Evaluation of Fabian Vod: Broken. I wonder what I would see if I used [Evaluate] on myself? Alex schooled his face into a polite smile. It wasn¡¯t difficult, he¡¯d had a lot of practice at it over the years. In his head he calmly told himself that this was nothing more than he¡¯d dealt with in the past. He¡¯d talked to everything from tentacle-beasts to grumpy wendigo. Compared to some of that, this tusk-mouthed looming menace is practically normal. He almost believed it until the orc smiled in return. Alex had seen a lot of smiles, but this one was entirely empty of any sort of emotion. Not even the cold promise of violence was present. Fabian Vod¡¯s smile was like the void. ¡°Overseer Fabian Vod, at your service.¡± the orc introduced himself unnecessarily. Between the Interface message and Sparkles¡¯ narrow-eyed hostility Vod¡¯s identity wasn¡¯t a surprise. ¡°Technician Orz, sanitation worker Bloodfiend, please enter.¡± The polite tone of voice and the graceful sweeping gesture that invited the pair inside felt impossible to resist. With a calm graced upon him by years of weirdness and, more likely, his soul upgrade Alex sauntered into the room beyond the door. For some reason Alex had been expecting a large and lavishly decorated space filled with comfortable pillows and rich d¨¦cor. Instead he found himself in a plain metal oblong room that had several chairs pulled around a small coffee table. On one wall was a blank computer screen that looked as if it had been torn apart and then reassembled by a child, with tangled wires hanging from it like the worst IT network closet in the universe. >Evaluation of computer screen: Working at 100% efficiency. Well, that was a thing. Despite how it looked the screen worked, even if right now it displayed nothing at all. At the large orc¡¯s next gesture Alex and Patina found themselves sitting in the chairs. There was a battered metal jug on the table along with two empty glasses. Vod sat imposingly opposite the pair, the chair groaning slightly under his bulk. ¡°So, ¡° the orc began conversationally, ¡°You¡¯ve been told by the adjunct to kill me.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Alex replied without hesitation. He wasn¡¯t sure who looked more surprised by his admission; Patina¡¯s jaw dropped and her eyes grew wide. Vod raised a thick dark eyebrow and sat back a little. He was expecting me to lie, Alex saw. Then he¡¯s used to being around liars. I can use that. ¡°You are so very weak.¡± Vod stated tonelessly. ¡°A level one, on a non-combat path. Unless you have some hidden skill, you have no offensive or defensive capabilities learned. You bear no weapons but for some simple tools. The least of my people out there could butcher you in less than a minute. And yet here you sit, unconcerned, blatantly admitting that you¡¯ve come to kill me.¡± ¡°Ah, ¡° Alex smiled, holding up a finger, ¡°You see, I have no plan to kill you.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Vod frowned, as if he didn¡¯t quite understand. ¡°Also, her plans were awful, ¡° Alex pointed to Patina, ¡°And Harmony¡¯s plans were disturbing as hell.¡± ¡°My plans were-¡± Patina started, but was quickly cut off. ¡°Awful. Besides which, ¡° Alex looked at Vod with a shrug, ¡°I have no desire, inclination, or compulsion to kill you.¡± ¡°Not even for nine hundred glim? A veritable fortune among the rank and file of Ad Astra employees.¡± Vod asked shrewdly. ¡°I¡¯m sure that was tempting to at least one of you.¡± His eyes fell on Patina, who swallowed hard and looked more green than usual. She¡¯d seen some sort of threat in Vod¡¯s eyes that Alex didn¡¯t catch. ¡°Whether it¡¯s nine hundred or nine thousand - it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m not going to kill you.¡± Alex said firmly. ¡°Are you a pacifist, Technician Orz? Such people are a rarity and generally have tragic endings.¡± ¡°No, I just don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary in this case.¡± Alex picked up the water jug and a glass, and poured himself a drink. He took a sip and pulled a face; The water was room temperature and had a flat, metallic taste to it. ¡°People shouldn¡¯t be condemned to die for not doing a job to the satisfaction of their employer.¡± ¡°They told you many things about my behavior and actions, did they not?¡± Vod asked, pressing the issue. The ¡®they¡¯ were obviously Patina and Harmony. Alex nodded. ¡°They did. Harmony was all about you failing in your duties, smashing her property up, that sort of thing.¡± Alex replied. ¡°Patina was less generous about your character. The word ¡®slaves¡¯ came up. As did mention of you taking other people¡¯s food allocations and generally being a despot of some kind.¡± ¡°Alex, what the hells?¡± Patina hissed, looking extremely uncomfortable. ¡°Why are you telling him that?¡± Because he already knows. The thought came to Alex at that moment and he struggled not to show it on his face. It felt accurate enough though. Vod leaned in, somewhat menacingly. ¡°And with all of that information you¡¯re still not wanting to kill me?¡± ¡°I figured we could talk it out.¡± Alex smiled. ¡°You want to¡­¡° Vod chewed at the idea as if it were something entirely foreign to him, ¡°Listen to my side of things?¡± ¡°If there are sides, sure.¡± Alex took another sip of water and grimaced. ¡°Honestly, no job performance review should include death on failure, you know? From what I understand things are in dire straits around here, with overpopulation, hunger, an artificial intelligence in denial, a general increasing disrepair, and no real guidance from a missing upper management.¡± ¡°Whether you failed in your duties or not isn¡¯t my business; It sounds like almost anyone would, dealing with all that.¡± Alex concluded. Vod considered Alex¡¯s words, and then let out a long breath. The air in the room became lighter, as if a subtle menace had been lifted slightly. Still Alex felt as if the orc could be dangerous if pushed the wrong way, just not immediately so. ¡°They are correct, of course, in some of their assessments.¡± Vod allowed, his deep voice a quiet rumble. ¡°I¡¯ve done things that aren¡¯t considered good or nice in order to keep my people alive. Not happy, not always completely safe, but alive.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me about that?¡± Alex urged gently. Surprisingly, the orc did. ¡°Where should I begin? Ah¡­you¡¯ve probably heard we have a lot of people on the [Cleaner] path, yes?¡± When Alex nodded, the orc continued ¡°This is true, but it¡¯s not everyone. We also have a number of general laborer paths, along with some minor aberrancies that have to do with the corporate world in some way. We even have a person with the [Administrator] path, which is all about paperwork and organization¡­none of which we actually have.¡± ¡°We also have a number of people with more combative paths - you¡¯ve met two of them. These people keep us safe from incursions, which I¡¯ll touch upon shortly. But yes, the bulk of our people are [Cleaners].¡± Vod shook his head, ¡°The problem is, we can¡¯t stop it from happening.¡± Vod went on to explain that though Syntropy should offer people paths based on their inner desires and preferences, on board the Relentless Exploitation around ninety percent of all newly integrated people were for the [Cleaner] path. ¡°We don¡¯t need more cleaners. We need more support - people who can use skills, spells, and abilities to keep this place running.¡± Vod took a drink from his own glass. ¡°Like people who can repair things.¡± Alex said. Vod shrugged expansively, his muscles rippling noticeably under his clothing. ¡°We¡¯d take almost anything new, Technician Orz. [Technician] and [Engineer], sure. [Mechanic], [Tinker], [Builder], [Crafter], [Artisan], [Blacksmith], [Alchemist], [Healer] - void, we need [Healers]!¡± Vod grumbled. ¡°Spellcasters of any path, researchers, even farmers - if we could ever get into one of the carriages that might contain seeds and grains that are shipped by the company.¡± There were, according to Sparkles¡¯ words earlier, tens of thousands of paths. Alex didn¡¯t know how Syntropy worked very well, but it didn¡¯t seem right even to him that almost everyone was being pushed into the [Cleaner] path. ¡°The universe is vast and the potential to be anything is out there, thanks to Syntropy and the interface. But we get people to scrub the floors nine times out of ten.¡± ¡°Not that it helps. Things keep getting dirty again very quickly.¡± Patina added, more for something to say than to willingly converse with Vod. ¡°She¡¯s correct, ¡° Vod nodded. ¡°Things get dirty for no good reason at all. It¡¯s like the grime just coalesces out of nowhere which is, obviously, not true.¡± "And so you have a couple of thousand people toiling away being paid below the cost of living and getting nowhere, while at the same time having no access to anything that will improve things.¡± Alex summarized. ¡°I don¡¯t get that, though. Before today, the whole interface and Syntropy thing wasn¡¯t even on my radar, but I¡¯m pretty sure I could learn to do stuff regardless. Your people should be able to do something, right?¡± ¡°How would we?¡± Vod gestured in what felt like a practiced gesture. ¡°Let¡¯s use [Builder] as an example. With substandard materials and limited knowledge, certainly we can put together a house of sorts, but what we don¡¯t have is the skills that the path would bring to make it sturdy. I know you¡¯re going to say that people on your planet learned to do these things without paths, but they did study. They learned. There was a knowledge base, likely built over centuries of trial and error, to bring people to that point. Yes?¡± ¡°Right, but still-¡± ¡°Most of us spend almost all of our time surviving, and dancing to the whims of the adjunct. With limited time, and very limited resources of a quality good enough to use, we simply can¡¯t make a lasting change to things.¡± This just sounds so¡­wrong. They can¡¯t be that inept. This is a futuristic space train. They must have some sort of library or data storage that can teach them, right? Or are they so immersed in this interface-driven way of life that they can¡¯t even comprehend learning any other way? Trial and error was a valid way of slowly learning - even if it was how not to do something. Alex felt like pushing against this strange rejection of just doing stuff, but something told him that it would be a Sisyphean effort. Instead he circled back to the main part of the conversation. ¡°Okay, fine, you have an overabundance of janitorial staff. That¡¯s not ideal but it¡¯s also not really a reason to go all evil overlord or whatever.¡± ¡°Of course not, ¡° Vod snorted. ¡°We¡¯re also stuck down here. As more and more of the carriage decays and becomes unusable, we are packed in even tighter. You¡¯ve been told that we¡¯re crowded in down here - jammed in the lower decks, forbidden from taking up residence in the former offices and rooms up above.¡± ¡°I have heard that, yeah.¡± ¡°We tried it once, ¡° Vod pointed upward, ¡°Going above decks to expand things. The adjunct got upset and temporarily halted all food generation until we returned down here. There were some hardliners who thought that the damned AI would capitulate when it saw people start to die.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°It didn¡¯t.¡± Vod said flatly. ¡°But food is the next topic. All of it is controlled by the adjunct, doled out as one meal per day per person. We have food dispensers - nutrimats, they¡¯re called - for the process. At one time I was told this carriage had twenty working nutrimats spread out between two break rooms in the carriage, along with six others dotted about above decks.¡± The nutrimats, Vod went on, had at the start of the journey of the Relentless Exploitation, dispensed a wonderful array of different food and drinks sourced from recipes across many parts of space. This was long before Vod¡¯s time, and definitely before Patina was born. ¡°Right now we have two working nutrimats, Technician Orz. And by ¡®working¡¯, I mean this.¡± Vod held up his glass of water and fished a small disc-shaped wafer from his breast pocket. It was an unpleasant pale yellow in color, and as thin as a sheet of paper. ¡°A meal fit for nobody, but given to everyone.¡± Patina muttered. Alex remembered that Patina had been nibbling at one earlier. ¡°They contain all the vitamins, minerals, proteins and other nutrients we need to survive, along with absolutely no taste whatsoever.¡± ¡°So, unappealing yet flavorless food, and yet the water¡­¡± Alex took another sip, just to verify that it was indeed quite sharply metallic, ¡°Tastes awful. I say that with absolutely no offense meant.¡± ¡°It is, of course, recycled.¡± Vod explained. The word hung heavily in Alex¡¯s ears as he started to recall some science fiction stories he¡¯d read in the past and what water was generally recycled from. He put his glass down with a fixed smile. ¡°Now, the two nutrimats we have left are also allocating less than they used to. These wafers used to be the size of my hand.¡± The orc splayed out his large hand, his thick fingers held wide open. The wafer fit into the palm of his hand easily. ¡°So, ¡° Alex nodded slowly, ¡°You have an increasing population and a dwindling food supply? What does Harmony say about this?¡± ¡°The adjunct, when pressed, has responded with: ¡®Ad Astra is allocating resources according to policy.¡¯¡± ¡°What policy is that exactly?¡± Vod smiled grimly. There was a flicker of emotion in the expression this time. ¡°We asked. The response was ¡®Ad Astra policy¡¯. It then refused to talk to us for a week. Not that it talks to me anymore regardless. Oh, we don¡¯t have an increasing population by the way.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Alex looked from Vod to Patina. ¡°I thought I was told¡­¡± ¡°Our workforce is not growing. In fact, we¡¯re shrinking. Bloodfiend, how many children have been born in our community this year?¡± ¡°How should I know? Babies are annoying and I don¡¯t bother paying attention to them.¡± ¡°I have to. Because the answer is none.¡± Vod turned back to Alex. ¡°For the past three years we¡¯ve had not one single birth. No - let me correct that; Not one single conception.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to assume that¡¯s abnormal. I don¡¯t really know monster birth rates. Oh! Damn. Sorry, ¡° Alex apologized quickly, ¡°Different species is what I mean. On my world there are no other sapient species, and our stories have goblins and orcs and such labeled as monsters.¡± ¡°No offense taken, ¡° Vod said easily, though there was a tightening of his shoulders. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sorta offended boss.¡± Patina offered. ¡°But I¡¯m pretending you¡¯re just a kid who doesn¡¯t know any better so I don¡¯t have to slap you.¡± ¡°Fair.¡± Alex said after a moment. ¡°Ahem. Back to your good reasons for being not so good?¡± ¡°Over time as things break down and with no true way to repair them with our limited paths and abilities, parts of the carriage have become unusable - sorry, I know I¡¯ve already mentioned this, but it¡¯s important too.¡± Vod continued his speech, ¡°We then crowd into smaller and smaller areas. At this point, the general estimate is that perhaps forty percent of the carriage is unfit for living in, and that doesn¡¯t include above decks where we¡¯ll only end up being starved to death by that heartless machine.¡± ¡°Forty?¡± Patina looked surprised. ¡°That¡¯s more than I thought.¡± ¡°The strange attack suffered by the train today caused a great deal of internal damage.¡± Vod replied flatly. The look he gave Alex was one that spoke volumes. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He knows that the destructive shockwave happened when I arrived. ¡°Okay, ¡° Alex said quickly, ¡°So space is at a premium, food supplies are running low, birth rates have plummeted, things are falling apart, the artificial intelligence refuses to compromise, and nobody¡¯s getting paths that can help. This¡­still doesn¡¯t make being a despot necessary.¡± ¡°Without the adamantine hand of ruthlessness, without firmly imposed order, panic will set in. I have over five thousand people that I am responsible for here; If a significant portion are given the time and energy to think about their situation they will start to realize how poorly off we all are.¡± Vod explained, ¡°As food supplies dwindle, hoarding will exacerbate the issue. Selfishness and self preservation kick into overdrive. This community will fall apart, with each person out for themselves. People would abandon their Ad Astra jobs, causing the damnable AI to take more drastic steps than it has so far.¡± Vod stood suddenly, his face shifting into a stern scowl. ¡°So I play my part. I keep them on task. I cause fear, and dislike, and a target to focus on. I exhaust them even as I take tithes from their food allotment. I make it so everyone is just unhappy enough to keep going, but not quite unhappy enough or strong enough to revolt. Between the two main living spaces, I stand alone in being responsible for the lives of almost six thousand people.¡± ¡°You walk a fine balancing act, ¡° Alex observed calmly. ¡°Indeed. I can see in your eyes that you understand now. Do you accept my reasoning then?¡± ¡°Eh, ¡° Alex shrugged, ¡°I can see what you¡¯re trying to do, but at the same time it¡¯s not ideal in any respect.¡± ¡°Could you do better?¡± Vod challenged. Alex chuckled and shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t think I could, no. I¡¯ve got no background in managing what essentially amounts to a colony, especially one with all the problems you¡¯ve listed.¡± ¡°There¡¯s more.¡± ¡°Of course there is.¡± Alex sat back and gestured for Vod to elaborate. ¡°I mentioned incursions earlier. We¡¯re also under attack.¡± The orc said easily. Patina hissed, surprise on her face. Vod shook his head and looked at her. ¡°You would have known, if you hadn¡¯t left us and hidden yourself away in the crawl spaces and access conduits instead of participating in our community. Technician Orz, we¡¯re under periodic assault by corrupted creatures - entropy-tainted entities that shouldn¡¯t be on board the Relentless Exploitation at all.¡± ¡°Like the bilge rats?¡± ¡°Bilge rats are a problem every spacefaring vessel has. They are normal creatures - animals, at best. You could likely take on a task to clear out a nest of them with no problems, if you were of a mind to commit some casual violence against large rodents. It would be easy, even for you. No, Technician Orz, I¡¯m talking about much worse things. Entropy-tainted creatures are ones that have been corrupted by the very antithesis of life. They exist only to kill and consume.¡± Entropic creatures give path points. Regular creatures do not, Alex mused, but Patina said that bilge rats give path points. Peri also said I would have received path points for killing the bilge rat earlier, so they must be affected in some way as well. Another point I could argue - why would Vod be telling me they are normal and that I could take them on easily? ¡°The reason my guards have become so good at their jobs and progressed along their paths is because of the incursions. Which is why, of course, they are at a much higher level than most of the community.¡± Vod explained. ¡°They¡¯re actively protecting us all. On that note, Technician Orz, I have a proposal for you.¡± Not bad, Alex thought, A nice build-up, laying out all the woes of the world on the table, and now he¡¯ll try to make a deal to distract me from what he does. ¡°I would like to formally invite you to join our ¡®colony¡¯, as you put it.¡± Vod gave that empty, cold smile to Alex and Patina. He didn¡¯t comment on the little goblin¡¯s hands gripping the arms of the chair so hard that the fabric stretched thin. ¡°What would that entail, exactly?¡± ¡°Nothing too arduous. In exchange for your presence here, and the agreement to work under my supervision, you would be given a place to stay within the protective eye of my community.¡± Alex waited. He kept eye contact with Vod, not allowing his smile to shift. Vod¡¯s offer was shit and they both knew it - Alex could barricade himself in the tech closet if he needed to, and having an extra layer of purported management between him and what he needed to do to get back home was more of an inconvenience than anything. ¡°You¡¯re very new to all of this, I can tell.¡± Vod¡¯s tone shifted in an attempt to sound sympathetic. He was better at it than Alex expected, but the man could tell how insincere it was. Vod was not a caring person. ¡°I can only imagine how confusing everything is.¡± ¡°I certainly have a long list of questions.¡± Alex allowed. ¡°I can assist you there, too. Our community here can share the entirety of its pooled knowledge base - you have questions about Syntropy, or the Interface, the train, or the corporation as a whole¡­we can answer those.¡± So can Harmony, Patina, and Peri. Alex waited again. Vod didn¡¯t stop staring into Alex¡¯s eyes, and Alex felt a sort of subtle pressure behind the orc¡¯s expression. ¡°There is a lot of stress and confusion, I know this.¡± Vod continued, ¡°Things you shouldn¡¯t have to bear alone. With my guidance and our support, you could do good things for us - and for yourself.¡± ¡°Just by living here instead?¡± Alex murmured the question. That subtle pressure continued, and Alex felt as if it wasn¡¯t a terribly unreasonable offer. He did like people as a whole, and spending most of his time with a broken artificial intelligence and one lone goblin might not be the best for his mental health. In fact, it was a good offer. It wouldn¡¯t hurt at all to- ¡°You would be safe, and be able to grow here with our guidance. As you would be reporting to me, you would of course have to give up your Authority level.¡± Vod suggested, ¡°Lest those around you get confused about the leadership hierarchy.¡± Give up my¡­ Just like that, the pressure broke and Alex blinked several times. He shook his head quickly to clear it, and took a deep drink of the unpleasant water despite now knowing its origins. Vod sat back, a slight frown on his face. No, Alex thought, it¡¯s not a good offer at all. What the hell? I already have everything he¡¯s offering and more. ¡°Your offer is a kind one, ¡° Alex said, ¡°But it has some drawbacks.¡± ¡°Like giving up your precious authority?¡± ¡°Not even. I don¡¯t really know what the authority does for me except allow me to go places that need fixing that those without it can¡¯t. At least, so much as I understand it.¡± Alex shrugged, ¡°No, what I¡¯d be most concerned about is how Harmony would react. She was very adamant that she wanted you off the active employee list, and if I were to start working for you¡­well, you¡¯ve already told me about the types of things she¡¯s able to control.¡± ¡°I will deal with the adjunct.¡± Vod scowled. ¡°I have several plans in the works to do so.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mister Vod, but I can¡¯t accept the offer as-is.¡± Alex held up a calming hand as Vod started to puff up in annoyance. ¡°The thing is, almost everything you¡¯ve offered is something I already have in one way or another. I¡¯m already going to be doing my job of fixing things as best I can - omnitool or not - and all you¡¯re really suggesting is that I switch management teams from being told what to do by Ad Astra¡¯s artificial intelligence to being told what to do by you.¡± Vod was silent for a long moment. His scowl spoke volumes that promised difficulty. Patina tensed beside Alex. ¡°Interesting.¡± muttered Vod. Louder, he added ¡°Of course, as I have the only working omnitool in the carriage, it would be part of the offer - I would give it to you freely. The strange and incomplete device you used to secure your employment with the adjunct is useless.¡± He¡¯s very much wanting me to work for him, but the omnitool is the only true thing he has to offer other than the suggestion that things would be worse for me if I didn¡¯t. I think he knows that I know that, too. Also, Alex added, he knows about the experimental omnitool. You didn¡¯t mean to say that, Mister Vod, but you haven¡¯t realized it yet, Alex felt, his intuition suggesting that his refusal to go along with the orc¡¯s offer was a more frustrating pain-point than his attitude would suggest. ¡°I have an alternative, if you¡¯re willing to listen.¡± he said. The orc raised an eyebrow. Alex smiled wider. ¡°You¡¯re right in that things need to be fixed. You¡¯re also right that at some point I need that omnitool. Neither of these things will make any difference if Harmony decides to starve everyone out for not getting her own way.¡± ¡°She seems content enough letting me choose to not kill you, probably because her programming can¡¯t force the issue due to Ad Astra¡¯s weird ¡®stay in your lane¡¯ policy, but as for actively working beneath you? Your offer of safety and guidance can¡¯t compare to having an entity on my side that basically controls the place we live.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hearing an alternative in your words.¡± Vod stated flatly. Alex could see the frustration in the orc growing. He didn¡¯t know how far he could push Vod, but he didn¡¯t have to push far - just offer something for the overseer to chew on. ¡°I¡¯m just setting the scene, ¡° Alex smiled again and took another sip of water. ¡°Ugh, this is really awful. Sorry. Anyway, the thing is that Harmony wants you dead - or so she says. I suspect what she really wants is you no longer in your current position. She can¡¯t fire you for whatever convoluted reason, so she¡¯s simply going for the most expedient solution to her - your death. But I have another solution.¡± ¡°Do tell, in less words.¡± Vod grumbled. ¡°Step down.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± the orc blinked. Alex grinned. ¡°Step down. Relinquish your role. Stop being the ¡®overseer¡¯ or whatever designation you¡¯ve come up with. Remove yourself from Harmony¡¯s list of problems.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­an interesting suggestion, certainly. Not one I can take, of course, but interesting.¡± Vod shook his head, ¡°Things would fall apart without my leadership.¡± ¡°Perhaps, but I¡¯m not asking you to give up your leadership, just your position. You would lose, as you put it to me, your ¡®precious authority¡¯ but that¡¯s just an Ad Astra thing. You can still be present for your people - guide them, advise them, lead them in any way you like. Just¡­not on the company books.¡± ¡°Alex, ¡° Patina cut in, ¡°That¡¯s not what the adjunct-¡± ¡°Patina, I¡¯m negotiating.¡± Alex gently admonished the goblin. ¡°Harmony can see reason, I¡¯m sure. So can Mister Vod here. It literally solves the issue.¡± ¡°You¡¯re suggesting that I still perform my current role, just not as an employee of Ad Astra?¡± Vod sounded incredulous, ¡°I would lose my pay and benefits, and still do the work?¡± ¡°From what I understand, you¡¯re not getting paid anyway as Harmony is garnishing your pay due to poor work performance.¡± Alex said gently, ¡°So that¡¯s a non-issue.¡± ¡°You¡¯re forgetting that you can¡¯t stay on the Relentless Exploitation without being an employee, Technician Orz.¡± Vod countered. Alex shook his head. ¡°What¡¯s the name of this company?¡± he asked. Vod frowned. ¡°Ad Astra. You know this. What¡¯s your point?¡± ¡°Yes, I know that. But what¡¯s the full name of the company? I¡¯ve heard it said a few times now. That promotional video was quite descriptive.¡± ¡°Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acq-¡± ¡°Passenger, Mister Vod.¡± Alex interrupted. ¡°I propose that you become a passenger. Passengers would have no official duties. They don¡¯t have to work. But what they can do is chat with the staff, if they were to encounter them, right? Perhaps make little suggestions to them? Unofficially, of course.¡± ¡°Unofficially, but with the respect and power I¡¯ve already garnered among them¡­¡± Vod muttered. ¡°Hmm. I need to think about this.¡± ¡°Alex, the adjunct won¡¯t go for this.¡± Patina shook her head. ¡°She wants Vod out of the picture entirely.¡± ¡°What she wants and what she gets are just going to have to be two separate things. This idea works. As much as I dislike it, I don¡¯t have any idea how to manage things here better than Mister Vod can.¡± Yet, he added silently. A blossom of surprise rose within Alex, as he realized he was willing to at some point try. If it got him home alive, of course. Patina scowled but added nothing else. Vod raised a finger, tapping the clawed fingernail against his chin. ¡°You would also need to clear it with the adjunct. I don¡¯t know the current passenger rates per day, but I will not be able to pay them regardless so I expect you will have to plan for that as well.¡± ¡°I can get that sorted out, ¡° Alex replied with confidence. He smiled again, happy that being reasonable and talking things through was getting somewhere. ¡°Give me a month.¡± ¡°How long is a month in your calendars?¡± Alex asked his companion. ¡°Forty days.¡± Patina replied. ¡°That¡¯s a long time.¡± Alex stated, looking at Vod. ¡°A month is needed, Technician Orz. I would need to suitably prepare to relinquish my role, but keep my¡­perceived authority.¡± Vod explained, ¡°The idea being to make it look like it was my choice to do this in the eyes of the people so that I don¡¯t lose any standing. But in return for agreeing to this, until I step down officially I would ask that you use your skills and abilities to repair at least five things each day of my selection - something which I would loan you the omnitool for.¡± ¡°The omnitool you can¡¯t use yourself so it¡¯s sitting around uselessly.¡± ¡°Precisely so.¡± ¡°So if Harmony agrees to let it happen, in forty days you¡¯ll become a passenger and during the time between now and then you¡¯d ask me to repair some stuff around here with temporary use of the omnitool.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°One repair. I still need to do my normal duties after all.¡± ¡°Three. You can classify them as part of your Daily Duties to Ad Astra, I know.¡± ¡°At the end of the month, I keep the omnitool.¡± Alex said. ¡°In good working order.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Vod nodded and extended a hand. He smiled one of those emotionless smiles, and Alex returned it with a more genuine one as he shook the orc¡¯s hand. The handshake was firm, but the orc didn¡¯t play any sort of petty power game by attempting to crush Alex¡¯s hand. ¡°Then I think we have a tentative deal, Mister Vod.¡± ¡°I believe we do, Mister Orz.¡± * Alex and Patina were escorted from the area by Jaek and Helwud Bruise. Alex wore a smile as he walked in their dubious company, but Patina most definitely didn¡¯t. ¡°You know he¡¯s lying, right?¡± she demanded, not caring that the Bruise brothers were listening. ¡°Sometimes you just have to trust people, Patina. Reason can solve many problems.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a manipulator. A liar. A killer. That orc-¡± ¡°That orc made a deal.¡± Alex interrupted, speaking clearly and at a slightly raised volume. ¡°If we can square it away with Harmony, the problem is solved.¡± ¡°It¡¯s going to cause more problems. He¡¯s not going to give up his power, Alex.¡± ¡°Is what he said true about the problems here?¡± Patina struggled to contain her anger and nodded shortly. ¡°Probably. I know some of it because, well, how could I not? But things attacking us? I thought it was just the bilge rats. If there¡¯s other things as well¡­I can see why Vod would want you repairing things. He¡¯ll probably ask that you fix some of the doors and access conduit hatches to where they live before anything else.¡± ¡°And the food situation?¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true enough. But bilge, Alex, Vod is evil!¡± ¡°Evil is a strong word. I¡¯m not going to argue against it because I don¡¯t know everything to do with all of this. What I can do is believe that Vod is bargaining in good faith.¡± ¡°Why? How can you possibly believe his words?¡± Alex shook his head. ¡°Because the math is wrong.¡± ¡°The what?¡± ¡°The math.¡± Alex shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m still thinking about it, trying to get it right in my head. Between what you¡¯ve told me, what Harmony¡¯s said, and now Vod, something¡¯s not matching up in the math. Vod is desperate, Patina. That makes it easier to trust that he¡¯d hold up his end of the bargain.¡± ¡°Things don¡¯t add up because Vod¡¯s a liar.¡± Patina growled, and then huffed. ¡°Whatever. Just know I¡¯m absolutely gonna say I told you so when it bites us in the ass.¡± The Bruise brothers were relatively quiet as they escorted the pair. Alex noted that more of his interface map was filling out, which meant they were going yet another way than they¡¯d come from. He wondered if the elves were trying to make things inconvenient or confuse him. Either way he didn¡¯t object, as more cartography was a good thing, and he also was able to add a lot more broken sensors and cameras to the map as well. That job is going to give a nice payout, he thought. If Harmony doesn¡¯t throw a shit-fit about Vod. At the bottom of a ladder leading to a hatch above, Jaek halted and prodded Alex not-so-gently with his finger. ¡°We¡¯re leaving you here, Mister Fix-It.¡± he said. ¡°If you can fix it, anyway.¡± added his brother. The elves looked at each other. ¡°What?¡± Jaek asked. Helwud actually blushed. ¡°Sorry, that one was a stretch. Let me try again. Uh¡­¡± he looked at Alex and grinned nastily. ¡°Be careful, or we¡¯ll give you something to fix.¡± ¡°Sure, sure.¡± Alex nodded. ¡°Thanks for the escort, fellas.¡± ¡°Be seeing you.¡± hissed Jaek. ¡°Watching from the shadows.¡± added Helwud. The two elves stepped back from Alex and Patina, turned around, and walked away. Alex shook his head. ¡°Those are two very strange individuals.¡± ¡°Strong though.¡± Patina muttered. ¡°Not that I care. They¡¯re still assholes. So, look, Alex, about Vod¡¯s agreement-¡± Alex shook his head sharply, and mouthed the word ¡®wait¡¯. Aloud he said ¡°I¡¯m going to trust Vod at his word until he shows I can¡¯t. That¡¯s my final decision on the matter, Patina. Now, shall we?¡± he gestured to the hatch above. Patina looked at Alex, scowling, but ascended the ladder first. Above decks once more, Patina started to guide Alex back toward the tech closet. It didn¡¯t take them very long to arrive at the door, and Patina tried to open it. The door didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Only you can get in, ¡° she said. ¡°Is there a way to fix that?¡± ¡°Ask the adjunct to give me access as your helper.¡± she suggested. Alex nodded. ¡°Good plan. Next question: when you clean things, where does the dust and dirt go?¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re asking that now?¡± Patina frowned, ¡°Whatever, sure. It goes into my storage pouch, and eventually I empty it into one of the working waste disposal chutes.¡± ¡°Can I have some?¡± ¡°You want some dirt?¡± ¡°Dirt, dust, anything like that.¡± ¡°Uh¡­sure.¡± Patina¡¯s look suggested that she thought Alex was stupid, insane, or more likely both. Still, she reached into the pouch and drew out a large handful of slightly greasy dust. Alex took it from her and with great sweeps of his arm scattered the mess over the floor in both directions. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to clean that up.¡± Patina said flatly, her eye twitching a little. ¡°Not today. Let¡¯s go inside.¡± Alex suggested, slapping his gloves together to clean them a little before activating the door sensor. They entered the room and let the door close behind them. ¡°Harmony, I know I¡¯ve asked this before but it¡¯s urgent. Can you hear me?¡± Alex asked loudly to the room at large. There was no reply. ¡°She can¡¯t, Alex. We established that already.¡± ¡°Harmony? It¡¯s a matter of life and death. Please.¡± Alex declared. More silence followed his words. After a while he turned to Patina and nodded. ¡°Just checking.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Alex felt tired. Whatever energy had kept him going so far was starting to leave, and it had been a very long day with a lot of things in it. Alex sighed, and took up a sitting position on the clean part of the floor. ¡°Because, Patina, ¡° he said quietly, letting himself lean against the wall, ¡°I believe that forty days from now Fabian Vod is going to kill me.¡± >Event 1284 - Completed. Reward pending review during Syntropy synchronization. Active Events: 1. Chapter Eleven - The Way of Reason All upper management are required to have at least thirty percent of their attribute points assigned into Charisma¡¯s sub-attributes. Whether they lean into one of the three or take a balance is up to them. A secondary requirement is to have a minimum of three management-type skills. Again we do not care which ones, however emotional manipulation skills can be awarded a higher daily wage. If you can¡¯t inspire your subordinates, we expect you to find alternative motivational methods. And no, you can¡¯t throw a pizza party. The person who kept putting that in the suggestion box has been terminated with joyful prejudice. As has been repeatedly and thoroughly researched, such things breed contempt rather than positivity. -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation. >Event 1284 - Completed. Reward pending review during Syntropy synchronization. Active Events: 1. ¡°Ohh-kay, ¡° Alex drawled, reading the message in his Interface. ¡°More and more questions. Patina, what¡¯s synt-¡± ¡°What do you mean Vod wants to kill you?¡± Patina demanded, suddenly in his face. Alex drew back from the sharp features and wide mouth of the goblin whose eyes flashed at him. ¡°I mean, I know he wants to kill us, it was pretty much inevitable from the moment you rejected his proposal or maybe even before we showed up in his presence, but why specifically do you think it¡¯ll happen at the end of a month?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a very cynical person, ¡° Alex smiled tiredly, ¡°That¡¯s not an insult by the way. You¡¯re a product of your environment. Anyway, it¡¯s all about putting things together where they fit - sort of like a jigsaw puzzle. They have those here, right?¡± ¡°I thought you said it was something about math.¡± Patina stood close to Alex with her arms folded, waiting for further information. Her expression was one of exasperation mixed with irritation. ¡°That¡¯s still percolating, ¡° Alex tapped his head, ¡°It¡¯ll come to me I¡¯m sure, but something there is nagging at me. Anyway, about Vod; He knew more about me than he should. Sure, there was stuff he could have received from the Bruise brothers because I¡¯m assuming there¡¯s some method of communication they have that we don¡¯t? We¡¯re on a space train here. However, knowing that Harmony gave me a task to kill him and being able to rattle off the exact reward amount? No.¡± ¡°He also knew my authority level was higher than his, ¡° Alex continued, ¡°As far as I know that¡¯s not part of the regular interface so it shouldn¡¯t pick up with [Inspect] and its variants¡­right? Am I reasoning that correctly?¡± ¡°Sure, yeah¡­¡± ¡°Vod knew how I arrived. He didn¡¯t say it outright but he definitely insinuated that I¡¯m at fault for the most recent damage which is bullshit, by the way, because I had no choice in it and the only responsible parties are those that brought me here. He just wanted to plant some guilt trees in my little brain garden.¡± Patina listened as Alex went on. ¡°He knew I needed the omnitool. He was very specific about that. Even more so, he knew about the experimental omnitool - the one that I specifically left here in this room after we showed it to Harmony.¡± ¡°How could he know about that, though?¡± ¡°The only reasonable scenario I can come up with is that he¡¯s been listening in on us. Considering his apparent vendetta with security devices - but not all of them, I noticed - I think it¡¯s safe to assume that he¡¯s somehow able to tap into at least some of the functioning ones.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Patina said flatly. ¡°Really? You know that for a fact?¡± ¡°Ye-¡± Patina paused, and then frowned. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be possible. He only has zero-point-five authority. That shouldn¡¯t allow access to any of the security systems, and the adjunct should be watching those closely.¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure about that?¡± Alex queried. ¡°Years ago, before I left the others - a story I really don¡¯t want to get into, by the way, so stop giving me that sympathetic look - I used to help Old Gus to get around. He complained a lot about not being able to access the security systems himself, and he had an authority level the same as yours.¡± Patina let out a long breath and shook her head sharply. ¡°I guess I can¡¯t say it¡¯s impossible to somehow access the system, but the adjunct should have things locked down incredibly tightly.¡± ¡°So the problem is with Harmony.¡± Alex suggested. ¡°Maybe? You¡¯re sort of guessing here though, right?¡± ¡°I am, but it makes a kind of sense, especially when we take one of my current tasks into account.¡± ¡°To kill Vod?¡± ¡°No, not that one. I¡¯m talking about the task to bypass something in the AI node or whatever it was. Uh¡­¡± Alex flicked through his interface. Patina¡¯s eyes glazed over as she did the same. ~ Rewire Network Node Network Node A-6222229d has irreparably damaged sections that need to be bypassed. Instructions on how to rewire the node to utilize only the working portions will be sent to your Interface. Reward: 1 Duty Credit ~ ¡°Now, I know literally nothing about artificial intelligence or what sort of hardware is needed to run one, but if there¡¯s some sort of issue that Harmony knows about and needs me to bypass it could be to somehow stop Vod from using her eyes and ears.¡± ¡°...I guess? Okay, fine. Let¡¯s assume Vod¡¯s been listening through the adjunct¡¯s hardware. Vod¡¯s a killer, Alex, I know that, but why would he wait a month?¡± Alex chuckled, though the sound held no humor. ¡°Because for forty days Vod will have access to the skills and abilities of a fledgling [Mender]. He''s probably going to request that I use my skills to fix a few vital things that will make him look good in the eyes of your colleagues, and then at the end of the month tell his bully boys to take care of me.¡± ¡°After he makes you a new offer, ¡° Patina added as she caught up with Alex¡¯s line of thinking, ¡°So that he doesn¡¯t have to waste a resource unless necessary.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± Patina¡¯s face went from a frown to a scowl, to a grimace, and then finally to resignation. ¡°Yeah. Okay, that fits. Fuck.¡± ¡°We have a month to come up with a way to deal with that.¡± ¡°Only if the adjunct agrees to your idea, which I¡¯m still not on board with. Leaving him in his position is dangerous to us, and cruel to everyone else.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a better solution with our current capabilities.¡± Alex shrugged. ¡°We should also be careful not to talk about this stuff around any of the active security systems or screens.¡± ¡°Why are you taking this so well?¡± Patina demanded. ¡°I¡¯m pissed, and it¡¯s not my life that¡¯s in danger. Why are you just sitting there with that goofy smile? Alex debated whether to be a smartass or not. It was very tempting, but in the end he shook his head and explained about the soul upgrade called [Unflappable]. ¡°It just kinda makes me not freak out so much.¡± he concluded. ¡°Oh!¡± Patina snapped her fingers in realization, though the sound was muffled because of the rough material of her gloves. ¡°That¡¯s what that thing was on your interface when we scanned you. Gotcha. Weird, but it makes sense now.¡± ¡°Do you have any? Soul upgrades, I mean.¡± Alex queried curiously. ¡°I¡­just one. But it¡¯s stupid.¡± ¡°My other one makes weird things happen to me.¡± Alex confessed, ¡°Like, super weird stuff sometimes. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not that stupid.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Patina blushed, and mumbled ¡°[Appealingly Cute]¡± Alex kept his face carefully neutral. Patina glared at him for a moment as if daring Alex to laugh. When he didn¡¯t, Patina added ¡°It makes people see me as, well, cute.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± ¡°Just¡­okay?¡± ¡°Sure. How about we get back to matters at hand?¡± Alex suggested. Patina visibly relaxed, as if the thought of dealing with killer orcs and the day to day survival on board this crazy train were easier than thinking about her soul upgrade. It wasn¡¯t as if the current version of the goblin had chosen it after all. ¡°Please, yeah.¡± Patina nodded quickly, gratitude in her eyes. ¡°We¡¯ll come up with some way around Vod, I just need to sell the initial idea to Harmony and we¡¯ll be okay.¡± ¡°It¡¯d take some serious smooth talking to charm the adjunct into allowing it, Alex, and no matter how convincing you think you are according to the interface you¡¯re only utilizing your base ability with no additional attribute points.¡± Alex smiled at the goblin. ¡°It¡¯s worked out okay for me so far. But anyway, she¡¯ll definitely need some buttering up, and that means doing more repair work. She gave me these tasks to do and, honestly, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to get to them all today. I¡¯m not sleepy, but I¡¯m feeling fairly tired.¡± ¡°Right. We still have some time until the day ends, but how do you stand with your Ad Astra daily tasks?¡± Alex checked his interface and let out a chuckle. Patina raised an eyebrow and Ales spread his arms wide with a smile. ¡°Done.¡± ¡°Done?¡± Patina looked puzzled, ¡°You need to work a total of twelve hours, or complete five tasks.¡± ¡°Or repair five pieces of Ad Astra technology.¡± Alex reminded the goblin. ¡°Right, okay, and you¡¯ve done one task - seal up the room - and you used your [Jury Rig] skill on one camera.¡± ¡°True enough, but I think Harmony was either being overly generous, made an error, or is very desperate for additional eyes. The task to survey and evaluate security cameras indicated that every ten devices would count as one task complete and add one duty credit.¡± ¡°Wait, how many have you seen? I wasn¡¯t really paying that much attention, especially with the Bruise brothers breathing the same air as me.¡± ¡°Two hundred and seventeen.¡± Alex grinned, ¡°I¡¯ve also maxed out a Personal Growth task on [Evaluate] but it doesn¡¯t seem to be doing anything else.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, right, I keep forgetting you have no idea. Syntropic synchronization is a thing.¡± Patina nodded. ¡°Wait, two hundred and seventeen? How?!¡± ¡°I was pretty much shooting off my [Evaluate] at everything we came across as we walked, and after a while I figured out what some of the devices looked like. Apparently all security sensors counted, camera or not.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so incredibly unfair.¡± Patina complained. ¡°Though I bet that¡¯ll update tomorrow to be less rewarding or more difficult.¡± ¡°Probably, ¡° Alex shrugged, ¡°But what is Syntropic synchronization?¡± Patina, tired of standing, pulled over an upturned metal crate and sat on it. ¡°Syntropy and the interface help you grow. But they also change you, too. Attribute increases, skill evolutions, all sorts of stuff - you need to be asleep for those to happen. At least four hours, on average.¡± ¡°So that would prevent, say, leveling up part way through a difficult task and suddenly being able to complete it?¡± ¡°Or leveling up mid-battle.¡± ¡°Fair enough. Or maybe it isn¡¯t, ¡° Alex sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t know. But anyway, what you¡¯re saying is that my [Evaluate] skill will go from rank one to rank two while I sleep.¡± And whatever rewards from the event will also be given at that time, he thought. ¡°Yup. I suppose you could sleep if you want to, especially since you¡¯ve completed your daily duties.¡± Patina shrugged, ¡°The rest of the tasks she assigned you will still be there tomorrow.¡± ¡°Not yet, ¡° Alex shook his head, ¡°I need to at least get one more thing done before I can rest.¡± ¡°The task to repair the failing seals on the airlock.¡± Patina nodded. ¡°We only have three days before that causes an issue.¡± ¡°No, that one can wait. I need to check out the AI network node thing.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Patina slapped her forehead, ¡°Of course! We want to stop Vod from spying on us!¡± ¡°Oh, no, we don¡¯t want to stop that.¡± Alex disagreed. Patina gave him a questioning look. Alex quickly explained ¡°If we fix it so he can¡¯t spy on us how do you think he¡¯ll react? No, we just need to pretend that he can¡¯t watch us through Harmony¡¯s eyes for a while.¡± The goblin gave a growl of frustration, but nodded. ¡°I hate that we¡¯re just allowing him to get away with things, Alex, but fine. How will you justify not doing the task to the adjunct?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll lie.¡± Alex admitted easily. ¡°That easily, huh?¡± Patina sounded skeptical. ¡°Pretty much, yeah. The best lies are the ones with the most truth in them. I¡¯m level one, right? I¡¯m new to all this Syntropy stuff and I have crap-all in the way of skills.¡± Alex replied. ¡°I¡¯m assuming there has to be some specialized knowledge base for artificial intelligence hardware and software, maybe even skills for it as well. General maintenance know-how and a skill that works more like a vague promise than a real fix probably won¡¯t cut it.¡± This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°You¡¯re going to say you¡¯re not good enough to repair it.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even currently have an actual repair skill - just [Jury Rig]. [Mender] is apparently not as good as some sort of technical path in that regard.¡± ¡°Your skills are different to Old Gus, so yeah I guess that sounds reasonable enough for the adjunct to buy it.¡± ¡°I do follow the Way of Reason after all, whatever that means.¡± Alex quipped. When Patina gave him another odd look, Alex added ¡°Is that abnormal?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got a Way already? I must have missed that on your scan.¡± ¡°Sure do. The Way of Reason, as I said.¡± ¡°Ways are usually first given as an option at level five, but Syntropy does what it wants I guess.¡± Patina gave a shrug, ¡°The Way of Reason? I¡¯ve not heard of that one before. It could be common elsewhere in the universe though, we just don¡¯t get a lot of variance around here. Almost all of the workers here are following the Way of Diligence or the Way of Stamina.¡± ¡°I was given to understand that I could switch my Way with several others I had on a list.¡± ¡°Oh, sure, if you¡¯ve been given the option to do so. So what does the Way of Reason do apart from make you allow despots to fortify their position?¡± ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know. I wasn¡¯t given a description.¡± ¡°Did you ask? The interface is a tool, not a babysitter.¡± ¡°Right, sorry. Let¡¯s see.¡± >The Way of Reason >The path one walks can lead in many directions. It twists and turns, sometimes even backtracking for a time before continuing ever onward. The way you walk your path is not only a direction in and of itself but also how you tread and why you act the way you do along the way. >The Way of Reason provides a flat 20% boost to all actions that are influenced by the attribute of Reason, as well as a 10% boost to all actions that are influenced by the attributes of Logic, Pattern Recognition, and Understanding. >Combined, these four attributes can assist in extrapolating from incomplete or inaccurate data. >For fuck¡¯s sake, Alex, it took you this long to activate a part of your interface that I¡¯m allowed to include additional input? Dude, come on! Right - this is Peri. I gotta make this brief as everything is logged but APPARENTLY we have a budget that nobody told me about and the whole team got a really harsh talking to about blowing through it in, like, just a few hours. >Sparkles manifesting as a space dragon to impress you took up a chunk of it, but most of it falls on me - totes my bad. I can¡¯t keep being as chatty as I¡¯d like, which SUCKS but I get it. I can send messages on specific queries, if you think them at me with intent - once we tick over to a new day, anyway. I¡¯m very likely going to get another penalty for including all this at the end of ohfuc- Alex covered his face with one gloved hand and sighed. ¡°Hey, are you okay? Is it a crappy Way?¡± Patina asked. ¡°No, it''s fine.¡± Alex glanced over at the goblin. ¡°It gives me a boost when I¡¯m using Reason, Logic, Pattern Recognition, and Understanding.¡± ¡°Aha. Hence the jumping to probably correct conclusions about Vod¡¯s plan.¡± ¡°So it seems. And here I was thinking I was just clever.¡± ¡°Poor you.¡± Patina smirked. Alex considered his next steps. The mysteries were increasing in number, as were the problems. There seemed to be no end of things that needed to be done, some with more urgency than others. Despite the obvious stresses of the day, Alex felt quite pleased with how he¡¯d performed so far. He wanted to find a place to sleep just to see what Syntropy was going to give him during the synchronization cycle, but at least taking a look at the network node thing would give him the excuse to put that task off for as long as possible. ¡°Alright, ¡° he said after a while, ¡°Time to get moving again. Can you guide me to the network node thingamajig?¡± ¡°You sound so smart and technical when you say it like that.¡± Patina snarked as she got to her feet again. She extended a hand to Alex for the second time today, and helped the man to his feet. Once they were outside in the corridor again, Alex looked in either direction and then down at the floor. His smile was grim as he pointed to the large boot prints in the scattered dust. Patina only took a moment to catch on. ¡°They followed us here?¡± ¡°I think they were confirming for Vod where we were, since there¡¯s no camera here. They probably also took some of this stuff, ¡° Alex gestured to the piles of things in the corridor from where Patina had been moving things out to clean earlier. None of it looked any different to Alex - he didn¡¯t recognize most of the bits and pieces anyway - but there was no reason to think that the Bruise Brothers had walked away empty-handed. ¡°Those vent lickers!¡± Patina snarled, ¡°I swear, one day I¡¯m gonna get a powerful kick-ass path and tear their heads off, and stick them-¡± ¡°On a mop?¡± Alex interjected, aiming for levity. The goblin gave him a side-eye. ¡°Ha. Fucking. Ha.¡± she muttered. ¡°I¡¯m so tired of those two messing with my shit.¡± ¡°Technically this is my shit.¡± Alex pointed out. ¡°Or, rather, Ad Astra¡¯s shit I guess.¡± ¡°I hate them, Alex. I hate those two so much¡­¡± Alex was going to respond with a playfully sarcastic response, but let it go. There was apparently a lot of history there, and if the goblin felt like unpacking it at some point he¡¯d listen. Until then, he¡¯d just carry on. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get moving.¡± he said quietly. With a short nod, Patina led him away. The walk was brisk, and Alex inwardly debated whether he would continue to use his [Evaluate] on the security devices he saw along the way despite not getting any more gains in his skill progress. On one hand if he held off he could use the skill on more things tomorrow and increase it¡¯s tally, but on the other hand he was promised a certain level of reward today that might not be there tomorrow if Harmony re-evaluated the task she¡¯d given out. Above all else, it¡¯s a computer program created by an exploitative corporation that has no qualms about killing its employees or forcing them to be indentured servants. The likelihood that Harmony will increase the difficulty of the task tomorrow is pretty high, Alex concluded. So he dutifully used [Evaluate], noting down the working and non-working units. The skill didn¡¯t give him a breakdown of what needed to be done to fix the things yet, but each device was carefully notated on his map along with its general condition. Later, when he was more skilled, he could return and start repairing them. * Network Node A-6222229d was not easily accessible. It was in the lower decks, in a dark room, securely contained behind one of the bulkhead walls. Alex and Patina moved cautiously to its location, on the lookout for the Bruise brothers or any of their ilk. The lights were inoperable inside the room, but Patina already had a trick for that; It hadn¡¯t been the first dark place she¡¯d needed to clean, after all. A sheet of reflective metal positioned in the corridor just right angled the light into the room creating enough illumination to see by. This room was not a little office like the others. To Alex it felt more like a waiting room - lining two walls were a series of semi-comfortable benches surfaced with a sponge-like cushion that squeaked when Alex reached out to press down on it. There was a large screen here, but it looked to have been attacked with great enthusiasm - shards of plastic and glass, along with wires and bits of circuitry were scattered on the bench below where it hung precipitously from the wall. Patina led Alex to the bulkhead panel that they needed to bypass. It, like many of the other access panels, seemed to be firmly sealed to the wall. When Alex queried Patina as to why it was done this way she had looked at him with pity. ¡°Your world must be such a backward place, ¡° she shook her head. With one long ringer she pointed at several seemingly random places along the edges of the panel. ¡°Seamless magnetic screws. You need an omnitool to turn them.¡± Alex felt as if he¡¯d heard of magnetic screws before, but declined to argue with the goblin on his species¡¯ technological accomplishments. After all, the humans of Earth didn¡¯t have a gigantic space train which, at this point, was a pretty big stick to measure by. Instead he decided to utilize the same method of entry he had with the panel in the malfunctioning transportation pod. A loud clang echoed through the room and beyond as the panel hit the floor after Alex had taken to it with his hammer and chisel. Sparks scattered across the surface of the panel as a string of wires which connected it to something within the bulkhead were torn away. Patina chuckled in disbelief. ¡°Ladies, gentlemen, and all those in between, I present to you our [Mender].¡± she muttered sarcastically. Alex grinned. ¡°If you want to make an omelet you need to break a few eggs.¡± ¡°What¡¯s an omelet?¡± ¡°Never mind. I guess these wires weren¡¯t too important, since there are no alarms or urgent-sounding klaxons or anything.¡± he gestured to the wires, which had stopped sparking. ¡°They connected to the small scanner meant to register your authority and allow access to the panel, Alex.¡± Patina replied. ¡°I feel as if that¡¯s something you could have told me before I hammered the whole thing off the wall.¡± ¡°Nah, boss, it¡¯s fine. You wouldn¡¯t have been able to take out the screws anyway. So here we are - now you have to remove the inner panel to expose the node itself.¡± A thin plastic sheet held in place with simple clips lay between Alex and his goal. He was careful in its removal, but started to cough and sputter as dust puffed out of the space into his face. ¡°Glah!¡± he sputtered as he dropped the panel to wave his arms about with frantic urgency. Patina, who had stood back several feet, giggled at the dust-covered human. ¡°You could have warned me.¡± ¡°Alex, I did warn you. Like, hours ago, ¡± Patina grinned, ¡°I told you that none of us have been allowed to clean behind the access panels, remember?¡± ¡°I¡­but¡­well¡­¡± Alex shook himself, letting the dust sprinkle down onto the floor. ¡°Fine. Okay. Well now you can clean the¡­oh.¡± Alex trailed off as he looked at the strange array that had been hidden behind the panels. Much like the one he¡¯d beaten his way into earlier it was a confusing mess of circuitry and wiring. Little lights flickered unhelpfully in various colors, and thin glass wiring flowed with the yellow flesh-melting fluid Alex had encountered before. As he tried to comprehend the magnitude of what he was looking at, Patina laid her hand heavily on his shoulder. She peered at the circuitry and wires, and shook her head. ¡°Need a magelight, too.¡± the goblin said. ¡°To show the runic scripts and mana arrays.¡± ¡°The¡­what?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just what you can see with your eyes, Alex, especially since neither of us has any sort of internal magical potential. Ad Astra built this thing with a fusion of magic and technology.¡± ¡°So I have to be a magical repairman? And let me guess, the omnitool has this magelight thing, right?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± Patina shrugged. ¡°Told you that you¡¯d need it, boss.¡± ¡°Maybe, ¡° Alex hedged, ¡°But Harmony said I would have instructions for how to repair this. I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s wrong with it.¡± >Evaluation of Network Node A-6222229d: Operating at 27% efficiency. ¡°Oof. Twenty seven percent efficiency.¡± Alex muttered, peering at the confusing mess. When he figured he¡¯d try his [Jury Rig] skill just to see what would happen, Alex was surprised to find a bleak message waiting. >WARNING: Use of [Jury Rig] at current rank will result in 100% chance of permanent damage to Network Node A-6222229d. Use skill again to confirm you wish to do so. Yyyyyeah, no. ¡°If I had a schematic or some sort of plan that showed what this was supposed to look like, maybe that would help. Let me check Harmony¡¯s instructions.¡± Alex backed away from the exposed network node and let Patina start cleaning up the worst of the dust. She used a little squeeze-bulb device that drew the dirt to it rather than her mop or broom, presumably because of the delicacy of the operation. Looking through the Ad Astra part of his interface, Alex found Harmony¡¯s instructions for how to rewire her node. "Detach unneeded wires from a-18 and g-95. Rewire both to section B, j-2. Bypass switch n/t-5. Remove malfunctioning sigil from runic plate #7b. Shift chip 001-x from board 5 to board 7. Rewire¡­" ¡°Yeah, this is bullshit.¡± Alex declared. There were no accompanying pictures, and nothing on the node itself was labeled in any way that he could see. He shook his head slowly. ¡°I have zero understanding of any of this.¡± ¡°Figures.¡± Patina grunted absently. She also stepped back, frowning at the array. ¡°Boss, I¡¯ve got most of the dust, but I can''t do much about the mold right now.¡± The goblin pointed to several patches of the node where a dark and furry substance had spread over the circuitry. ¡°Uh, mold?¡± Alex asked, ¡°Is it toxic? Do we need PPE?¡± ¡°Nah, we can just go in our uniforms. Well, mine anyway. Yours is too basic.¡± ¡°PPE. Personal Protective Equipment. Like¡­masks and stuff. Also, ew.¡± ¡°Void¡­¡± Patina shook her head, an angry scowl appearing on her face. ¡°I have to remember you¡¯re fucking clueless. No offense.¡± ¡°None taken yet.¡± Alex smiled. Patina tapped her head. ¡°Your uniform. The cap. It¡¯s got a protective air bubble. If you ever find yourself in a toxic situation, or airless, just tap the logo and you¡¯ll be safe. For about five minutes, anyway.¡± ¡°Huh. Well that¡¯s neat.¡± ¡°Right. I need to teach you these things because I guess nobody else will. And, well, I did sort of say I¡¯d be your guide.¡± Patina blushed. ¡°Sorry, boss.¡± ¡°There¡¯s been a lot going on. So should I activate this or not?¡± ¡°Nah. It¡¯s fringemold. Not toxic to the living. It feeds on magic but so little that it¡¯s probably not doing much to harm things. Still, it should be removed - I¡¯d need to get some fungicide for it though. I don''t carry that with me normally.¡± ¡°Fair enough. So that¡¯s one thing we can do for the node, but the rest of it is completely beyond me.¡± Alex clipped the inner panel back in place, and then used duct tape to reattach the outer panel. It didn¡¯t quite fit anymore since he¡¯d torn it from the wall, but it was good enough. ¡°At least I don¡¯t need to lie to Harmony, ¡° he said, ¡°There¡¯s nothing I can do here.¡± Walking away without fixing the node made Alex feel a little disappointed, but he shooed the feeling aside as silly. He couldn¡¯t help what he didn¡¯t know after all. Back in the tech closet, Alex leaned against the wall and tried to reorder his thoughts. There were so many things to do that he felt as if he was moving backward rather than forwards, and as he was right now Alex knew that he couldn¡¯t do much. He was going to have to improve, and fast, to keep up with things as well as save his own life. Both Alex''s [Jury Rig] and [Repurpose] could be pushed some more simply by playing around with things right here in this room, but he needed a firmer base to stand on. Right now there was only one thing that he could immediately improve that would serve as that base. ¡°Patina?¡± The goblin, who had automatically gone back to cleaning up around the tech room, stopped mid-sweep to look up at Alex. ¡°Whatcha need, boss?¡± ¡°Sleep.¡± he replied. ¡°I need to get better at things, and I think the first step will be getting my [Evaluate] up a rank. The more I understand that''s going wrong, the better I can choose how to fix things.¡± ¡°Okay, sure." Patina shrugged, "So take a nap. You''re the boss, boss.¡± ¡°Where?¡± Alex asked, ¡°I was told I have a berth somewhere, but Harmony errored out as she was assigning it. I have no idea where it is.¡± ¡°Probably in another carriage.¡± Patina shrugged. ¡°I think I was assigned one in ninety-nine eighty-six. Never seen it. Just pull up some floor, I guess.¡± ¡°Where do you sleep?¡± ¡°That¡¯s personal.¡± Alex didn¡¯t push. He eyed the clean patch of floor; It did not look comfortable at all. ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t think I could fall asleep in here.¡± ¡°This room is likely the safest place for you, honestly. Only you can enter it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sort of used to a bed.¡± Alex confessed. Except the time he slept in the woods. Or the time he slept in the trunk of a car. There was also the time he slept in a tree over in Nebraska, but that was because of the ducks, and he didn¡¯t like to think about that event. Either way, Alex much preferred a cushioned mattress and some pillows. ¡°Nah, just lay down. I have this neat finger-kneading technique that helps people sleep.¡± Patina offered. She was smiling, and it was testament to how distracted Alex was that he didn¡¯t pick up on the mischief behind that smile. ¡°Some sort of head massage or something?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯d feel weird asking for that, honestly.¡± ¡°You''re weird all the time. Just lay down.¡± ''I''m weird, says the space goblin." Alex laid down as ordered. The floor was cold against his skin, but thankfully he was mostly covered by the Ad Astra uniform. Patina commanded that he close his eyes, and Alex did so with the complete trust of the na?ve. ¡°Okay, relax now.¡± Patina¡¯s tone was gentle as she stepped behind Alex¡¯s head. He could feel her fingers - still in gloves - touch the back of his head. ¡°You¡¯re getting sleepy. You¡¯re getting sleeeeepy¡­¡± I really don¡¯t think I can fall asleep like- Patina struck. An explosion of pain blossomed at the back of Alex¡¯s head. He didn¡¯t even have time to cry out as consciousness left him. >Health: 8/20. You have suffered a debilitating head wound. >Syntropic synchronization beginning¡­ Chapter Twelve - Syntropic Synchronization There have been some rumors that Ad Astra has developed an addition to the Interface provided to us all by Syntropy. This is simply not true. Along with those rumors came the usual hardline zealotry using words such as ¡®sacrilege¡¯ and ¡®defilement¡¯ and the ever-demanding ¡®goes against the will of the gods¡¯. Let me put all of your fears to rest. Ad Astra would never, ever attempt to alter or subvert the Interface. The Interface is a must-have tool for all sapients, and risking damage to it far outweighs any benefits. That being said, gods are such local creatures, limited in their scope and their power; There are so many of them scattered over countless worlds all across reality that simply existing is enough to be sacrilege to at least one of them. Ad Astra does not bother with such things. -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation. -this. What?! Alex blinked rapidly as he found himself standing in the middle of a stone-walled room. Though there were quite a number of interesting things to look at, Alex¡¯s eyes were drawn up to the ceiling where the room¡¯s source of illumination hung - a large blue sphere partially covered by pale yellow clouds. A spark of insight hit him. ¡°That¡¯s my soul, isn¡¯t it?¡± he wondered aloud. ¡°Aw, we were going to make a dramatic declaration about that, but yeah. A projection of it, at any rate.¡± someone said, sounding cheerfully disappointed. Alex took his eyes away from the blue sphere and they settled on an athletic young woman with long blonde hair. The woman looked vaguely familiar. ¡°What¡¯s the yellow stuff?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the soul damage you¡¯re suffering, ¡° the blonde shrugged, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s still plenty of time before it calcifies.¡± ¡°Well, not plenty, ¡° another voice spoke up. ¡°But enough.¡± Alex turned his head to look at an elderly woman with short hair who wore a chunky cardigan. She had a typewriter before her, which lay upon the surface of a large round table that both women sat at, along with a number of other individuals. The sight of this woman also poked at Alex¡¯s memory, and he frowned at the old woman until it came to him. ¡°You look like Angela Lansbury. Why do you look like Angela Lansbury?¡± Alex¡¯s brow furrowed as he looked around the table. He recognized almost everyone in one way or another, except for the large mass of writhing tentacles that shifted around one large green eye. ¡°Uh. Hi?¡± ¡°Hi Alex!¡± the creature waved a large tentacle happily. ¡°It¡¯s me! Peri!¡± ¡°Peri. This¡­this is what you look like normally?¡± Alex asked, and then tried to recover from the rude question. ¡°Not that there¡¯s anything wrong with that of course.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not what she normally looks like.¡± the blonde woman spoke. She leaned forward, elbows on the table, and smiled playfully. Alex¡¯s brain finally kicked in and he pointed accusingly at the woman. ¡°You¡¯re Gabrielle, from Xena: Warrior Princess.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Sparkles, normally.¡± the blonde grinned. ¡°These are all projections. A deep analysis of your psyche showed that you would best take advice from familiar female humanoid figures, so we pulled these images from your memories.¡± ¡°I feel like this says something about me that I want to argue against but don¡¯t have an education in psychology to back any objections up.¡± Alex muttered. He eyed the tentacle-monster-Peri. ¡°Humanoid?¡± ¡°Except her, ¡° Sparkles shook her head. ¡°Peri just wanted the extra appendages.¡± ¡°I was going to go for the pigtailed blonde girl with the cyborg uncle detective - you know, the one that had the book which was also a computer? - but tentacles are neat!¡± ¡°Right. I see,¡± Alex looked around the table. ¡°So that means you¡¯re not Angela Lansbury, you¡¯re Jessica Fletcher from Murder, She Wrote.¡± The elderly woman nodded and smiled kindly. ¡°I have another name, but for the sake of convenience you can call me that.¡± ¡°So you can call me Gabrielle instead of Sparkles.¡± the athletic blonde added. ¡°Fine, fine.¡± Alex pointed to the next seated figure, a young redhead wearing a garish yellow jumpsuit and a keen expression. Her coloring was vibrant, but at the same time strangely flat. ¡°You¡¯re animated. April O¡¯Neil, from the eighties cartoon of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.¡± ¡°I am. You used to have a crush on this image.¡± ¡°Which is slightly embarrassing to be sure, but less so than you.¡± Alex gestured to an animated anthropomorphic mouse girl who wore blue coveralls, goggles, and had a massive wrench beside her that leaned against her chair. ¡°Gadget¡­uh¡­Gadget Hackwrench, from Rescue Rangers?¡± The mouse girl winked and grinned at him, enjoying the blush that rose in Alex¡¯s cheeks. He was starting to see the theme here. Apart from the tentacle monster, these were fictional characters that he¡¯d admired in one way or another when growing up. Except for¡­ Alex squinted as he looked at the last figure that sat at the round table. A small girl with thick black hair sat clutching a notebook with a nervous look on her face. She looked like every generic Japanese anime schoolgirl ever, right down to the uniform. ¡°I never really watched much anime, so I¡¯m not sure where you¡¯re from. Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m-¡± the girl started to speak, but Spar-no, Gabrielle now, cut her off. ¡°She¡¯s a leech. Ignore her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a-¡± ¡°Shush, you disturbing little creature. You¡¯re not part of this team.¡± Gabrielle gave the little girl a rude gesture, and she shrank back hiding behind her notebook. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t even be here, you creepy little shit.¡± ¡°Hey now, ¡° Alex admonished gently, ¡°That was a bit mean.¡± ¡°I was invited¡­¡± the girl muttered, her dark bangs covering her eyes. ¡®Under duress. Most people in the multiverse don¡¯t have a little parasite like you latched onto their Interface.¡± ¡°M-most people in the multiverse don¡¯t have a whole team looking after their advancement, either.¡± The little girl rallied, but let out an ¡®eep!¡¯ and ducked back as Gabrielle pulled what looked like a quarterstaff out of the air and rapped the table in front of the girl with it. ¡°Spar-Gabrielle, ¡° Alex sighed, ¡°I have no idea what all this is about, but stop being mean. Little girl, who are you?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m¡­¡± the girl peered out, looking around the table at the various scowls and expressions of disapproval, ¡°I¡¯m the Ad Astra addition to your Interface. I¡¯m here because I¡¯m part of this as well.¡± ¡°Much to our mutual disgust.¡± Gabrielle added. ¡°What¡¯s your name? I don¡¯t really remember who you could be.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have one. This is just a random image from your mind.¡± the girl replied quietly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that thing, Alex. We have a lot to go through.¡± Gabrielle urged. As she spoke the little girl shrank back further. Alex shook his head. ¡°Hold on, don¡¯t be like that, ¡° he said, ¡°Look, if she is part of my Interface now she¡¯s going to be around at least as long as it takes me to finish up what I need to do on the space train, right? I¡¯m not going to have anyone being antagonized inside my brain. Or soul. Or whatever this is.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a ¡®she¡¯, it¡¯s just a construct.¡± Jessica Fletcher pointed out, ¡°Unlike us, your carefully chosen team of professionals specialized in assisting with your time utilizing Syntropy¡¯s Interface, that creature isn¡¯t real.¡± ¡°I think I¡¯ll call you¡­Addy. Is that alright?¡± Alex ignored the writer-slash-mystery solving maven. The little girl¡¯s eyes lit up a little. ¡°O-okay!¡± she said. Alex smiled at her. ¡°Ugh, great, you named the puppy.¡± Gabrielle groaned. ¡°But now can you take a seat Alex? We need to go over your advancement opportunities.¡± Alex took a seat. It was solid wood with a plush velvet cushion that felt quite comfortable for something that was, essentially, in his head. A thought occurred to Alex. ¡°Hey, can you guys do this without blowing your budget again? Peri told me that the space dragon cost you all a lot of whatever it is you have as currency.¡± ¡°Oh, this is fine.¡± Gabrielle waved a hand dismissively. ¡°We¡¯re just using things from your own memories - and you¡¯ve got quite an interesting database of imagery we can draw from. Now, you already know everyone¡¯s chosen names, but you don¡¯t know what we all do, so¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m the team lead, ¡° the blonde woman declared after a brief pause, ¡°I¡¯m in charge and I¡¯m, like, super good at it. This lot all think I¡¯m awesome.¡± This statement was met with some halfhearted smiles, none of which conveyed the full extent of regard that Gabrielle seemed to think her team held her in. ¡°And you know Peri is your immediate Syntropic liaison - she¡¯s the only one permitted to actually communicate with you through the Interface.¡± ¡°Sixteen years of hoop jumping, and I¡¯m finally certified for it, ¡° The tentacle monster added with another languid wave of her pseudopodia. ¡°April¡¯s area of expertise is skills and talents. Jessica is all about soul-related issues, which apparently took a very expensive series of classes that has absolutely crippled her growth but made her incredibly useful on a team that watches a soul-damaged person such as yourself.¡± Gabrielle went on. ¡°I see, ¡° Alex said, more to interrupt the non-stop words from Gabrielle than anything. ¡°Gadget is seriously good at figuring out a variety of decent growth directions for paths, ¡° Gabrielle went on, and then reached the little girl and sighed deeply. ¡°Addy here - and thanks so much for that, I¡¯m sure adopting the thing will cause absolutely no future issues at all - will assist with any Ad Astra related advancements.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not incredibly rare for that sort of thing to exist, but most sapient beings know better than to fuck with the Interface.¡± Peri opined, ¡°It¡¯s temporary, until you¡¯re done with Ad Astra.¡± ¡°Parasite, ¡° Gabrielle muttered, and then shook her head. ¡°Sorry. Now you know your team - we¡¯re here to help you, and we¡¯ll do our best at that. Despite what Addy said, everyone gets a team. You just don¡¯t usually meet with them all - and you probably won¡¯t see us all at the same time again in the future. All good so far?¡± ¡°I have so many questions, ¡° Alex replied honestly, ¡°But okay.¡± As he said the word each of the others around the table except for Addy gave a shudder, their images wobbling for a moment. After a pause Gabrielle giggled. ¡°Sorry. We¡¯re still going hard on the drinking game.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Alex remembered. He looked once more around the table at the familiar yet strange ghosts of media consumption past. A therapist would love this, he thought. ¡°This whole thing is the Syntropic synchronization, right?¡± ¡°Your first. Which is a milestone. One second.¡± Gabrielle held up a finger. From unseen speakers Queen¡¯s We are the Champions began to play. Little motes of multicolored light formed high above and began to rain down. When Alex reached for one it dissolved and felt cool on his skin. ¡°Congratulations!¡± Gabrielle cried out, and the team started to applaud him with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Only Addy sat unmoving, still half-hidden by her hair and her notebook. ¡°You made it to your first Syntropic synchronization!¡± After approximately eleven more seconds the music cut off and the motes of light vanished. A small strip of paper fluttered down from nowhere. He picked it up and read the nearly printed words. You have reached the limit of your free-use of this copyrighted material. Do not overstep. Alex raised an eyebrow. ¡°Queen is copyrighted but using television character images isn¡¯t?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t want to mess with Queen.¡± Gabrielle said seriously. The others nodded solemnly as she added ¡°Nobody messes with things from Beyond.¡± ¡°I...no. Leave it alone, Alex.¡± Alex muttered, trying his best to ignore the implication that a band from his world was apparently from something called Beyond with a significant capitalization. ¡°Back on topic. Is reaching the first synchronization a cause for celebration ordinarily?¡± ¡°Surprisingly, yes! Roughly seventeen percent of newly integrated sapients don¡¯t survive through their first day.¡± Gabrielle replied. ¡°That¡¯s a lot, right? I mean, it seems like a very high failure rate.¡± ¡°Not all integrations happen in relative safety, Alex. Sometimes it¡¯s entire worlds all at once.¡± Gabrielle frowned, looking pensive. ¡°We¡¯re lucky we didn¡¯t get assigned to something like that. It makes fantastic viewing, but honestly being bounced around from soul to soul as one expires after another¡­eh. Not our jam at all.¡± ¡°So what happens now?¡± Alex prodded the conversation forward. ¡°We keep getting bogged down in asides and little tiny reveals here that probably won¡¯t be relevant in the future.¡± ¡°Now we look at your progress, figure out your rewards, and give you advice on how to proceed.¡± Gabrielle said. The cardigan-wearing mystery writer looked up at the projection of Alex¡¯s soul. ¡°You¡¯re nowhere near getting access to magic just yet, ¡° Jessica told Alex, ¡°Though it¡¯s interesting. Your [Interesting Times] soul upgrade is putting in a little overtime. It¡¯s actively trying to generate events that will push you closer to that goal.¡± ¡°That implies that the encounter with the Bruise brothers and the meeting with Vod were there to get me magic. That didn¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°Closer to it, not just hand it to you. You can expect more.¡± Jessica shrugged, adding ¡°It¡¯s somewhat simplistic in its methods, so not every event going forward will assist with the purpose which means you can also expect your usual random chaos events as well.¡± Alex nodded. He wasn¡¯t sure how some of the things that had occurred to him on Earth would apply out here in the depths of space on board the limited area of the space train, but like many other aspects of his life Alex didn¡¯t have to understand it fully in order to get through it. ¡°That being said, let¡¯s talk about your most recent event.¡± Jessica said. The elderly woman hunched over her typewriter and started to bang at the keys in a seemingly random way. As the room filled with the heavy clack click clack of typing, words began to pop out where the paper would have been held. Golden text hovered in the air above them all. ~ Event 1284 - The Word of Vod Status: Complete Score: 100% The self-proclaimed Overlord of carriage 9997 sent his heavies to bring you in for a polite chat-cum-threat. You went along with the Bruise brothers with no issues, and didn¡¯t even comment on their apparent bent-mirror similarity to an Earth reference. During the talk with the deceptively reasonable orc, you learned several vital pieces of information that you were able to quickly piece together, along with other snippets that will become relevant in the future. Well done. Your parting was amicable after making a deal that you believe will hold for at least as long as it takes to reach the point where Vod actually has to fulfill his end of the bargain, which seems incredibly one sided but there are still benefits to it. If you had killed Vod, you would also have received a full score, but with your instincts and your behavior guided by the Way of Reason you still reached a positive end result to the event. Reward: 150 Path Points. Choice of one out of three options: 1) A skill chosen specifically by Syntropy 2) Rapid Pre-Integration Trait Actualization 3) Enhancement to an interface-tracked item you currently have. ~ ¡°Oh wow. I get advancement rewards for Events? What about-¡± ¡°Past events that occurred pre-integration don¡¯t get anything retroactively. Sorry Alex.¡± Gabrielle interjected, sounding apologetic. ¡°Eh, it was worth asking.¡± Alex shrugged. He hadn¡¯t known rewards were a thing before, and since he hadn¡¯t been eligible anyway there was nothing to worry about. ¡°Okay, so - God, guys, can you please hold off on the drinking came while we¡¯re discussing my survival? Thank you. So I choose one of these options as a reward - can you go into detail?¡± ¡°Some.¡± April O¡¯Neil spoke up. She had been looking up at the options offered. ¡°Firstly, getting a skill specifically chosen for you by Syntropy is a little inaccurate. The Interface is scanning you constantly; It looks at what you do, who you are, what you might do, how you think, all of that sort of thing. And then it generates a skill based on that. It could be a rare skill that gets seen comparatively less often than others, or something as common as hydrogen atoms. However it¡¯s always immediately useful to you.¡± ¡°As for the second option, ¡° the animated reporter continued, ¡°Rapid Pre-Integration Trait Actualization is just sort of hurrying things up. Peri told you before that you¡¯re still undergoing the generation of skills, talents, and such from the Interface getting a full read on you. You got [Repurpose] that way.¡± ¡°Nothing in this option is something you wouldn¡¯t normally get over your first week or so as an integrated individual.¡± Gabrielle chimed in. ¡°It¡¯s a shit option.¡± ¡°So if I wait these things would come to me anyway.¡± ¡°If there are any to get and you keep on just being you, yeah.¡± April shrugged. ¡°Gabrielle is right in that it¡¯s not the best option to choose if you have some time to spare. Now the third option¡­an enhancement to something that the Interface is already tracking. That¡¯s a tough one.¡± ¡°Very.¡± Jessica agreed, nodding along with the conversation. ¡°It could be something simple as an increase to one of your attributes. It could be a rank-up of one of your skills, or even an evolution. It might have something to do with your chosen Way, or even give you more options from them to choose from. In short, we don¡¯t know what it will be.¡± ¡°It¡¯s always a benefit though.¡± Gabrielle said. ¡°Well, yes, but comparatively something minor such as a single attribute point would be of less benefit than, say, an early evolution to a skill that would normally happen at rank five.¡± ¡°Right, so which should I choose?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Take the skill.¡± Gadget said. The others looked at her and she gave a mousy shrug. ¡°It¡¯s practically guaranteed to be something to do with his path, and from what I¡¯m learning about [Mender] he could definitely use some additional options.¡± ¡°I¡¯d suggest the enhancement.¡± Jessica said, ¡°Whilst there are more variables, it¡¯s a direct improvement to you.¡± One by one the others voted. Gabrielle sided with Jessica, and April voted with Gadget. Peri shrugged - an impressive gesture for a gigantic eyeball within a nest of tentacles - and abstained. ¡°I don¡¯t have the same background as this lot, so I couldn¡¯t give you a good opinion.¡± ¡°And you?¡± Alex gently asked Addy, who froze when she was spoken to, and then shook her head without uttering a sound. Alex waited a moment, and then sighed. ¡°Fine. Can you guys tell me how my attributes work, just in case it ends up being an increase to one of them? I have a ton of questions about what they¡¯re actually defining. Like, does intelligence actually make me smarter? Will strength make me Hulk out?¡± ¡°Peri will fill you in, once you can communicate with her again back in the waking world.¡± Gabrielle said. ¡°Can¡¯t you just tell me now? Peri, be an angel and spill. It¡¯d be way more convenient. This isn¡¯t a ¡®we¡¯ll tell you when we think it¡¯s important¡¯ thing, is it?¡± ¡°I, um, well¡­¡± Peri¡¯s tentacles waved about, and she used several to cover up part of her eyeball. ¡°Peri gets paid for each Interface-related question she answers for you.¡± Gabrielle offered, ¡°That¡¯s why out of all of us she¡¯s the most affected by our actions in bottoming out the budget and now I owe her dinner.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Alex could respect the need to work. He shot finger guns at Peri and smiled. ¡°Got you covered. So can I wait on choosing something here then?¡± ¡°It¡¯d be best not to. Why wait for a benefit that can apply immediately, especially when you have no idea what tomorrow will bring?¡± Gabrielle asked. That sounded sensible enough. ¡°True. Okay, um. The skill or the enhancement. Hey, I can get skills in other ways as well, right?¡± ¡°Yes, ¡° April nodded, ¡°By doing things that the Interface can quantify into skills, though it takes time. Sometimes you can get skills awarded from tasks or quests - and in your case, Events.¡± ¡°Also from leveling up, ¡° Gadget offered. ¡°Speaking of, you do have a level pending.¡± ¡°I do?¡± Alex was surprised. ¡°Oh! I got path points from the event too.¡± A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Exactly. You¡¯ve hit level two, and we¡¯ll go into that once you¡¯re done with your choice here.¡± ¡°Well, if I might get a skill from so many other things I do¡­I guess I¡¯ll just roll with the enhancement and see what happens.¡± Alex shrugged. All of the golden letters above their heads burst into motes of light. While everyone else was distracted Peri¡¯s tentacles shot across the table and snatched Jessica Fletcher¡¯s typewriter. ¡°Ooh, here it comes! Let¡¯s go!¡± She started to whap at the typewriter, smashing keys with heavy blows from the rubbery tentacles. Golden text reformed, both above the table and also in the corner of Alex¡¯s vision. >Your Soul Upgrade [Interesting Times] has been enhanced. >New Designation; [Interesting Times I] >Whoa. So you know how this was a temporary upgrade to your soul for just one lifetime? Well it still is, but it doesn¡¯t have to be anymore. Alex looked over at Peri who continued smashing at the keyboard with enthusiasm. It was odd how excited an eyeball and tentacled mass could look, but Alex supposed that the promise of pay was a powerful motivator. He guessed this was also why Peri was sending it as a message rather than just saying what was going on, since it was technically something she could use her status as his liaison with the Interface. >It¡¯s been moved from Soul Upgrades and turned into an upgradable trait instead, which is sort of awesome. The upgrade you received from it this time around is a more robust linkage to the Interface which allows it to communicate the details of an Event with greater accuracy. Next time an Event comes around you¡¯ll see it. Trust me, this is pretty neat! As Peri stopped typing, the elderly cardigan-wearing mystery writer leaned across the table and dragged her typewriter back with a heavy sigh. Jessica waved a hand to restore the badly battered machine back to its former pristine state. ¡°Even as a trait instead of a Soul Upgrade, it still falls under my purview.¡± Jessica said, ¡°And as such I can speak on this. You¡¯re going to be getting more information about your events going forward. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing that should influence you unduly, but it will help guide you through to a more optimal ending. Considering that [Interesting Times] is actively attempting to heal your soul, this can only be considered a good thing.¡± ¡°Oh. Neat. It sounds neat, right?¡± Alex asked. Jessica nodded, and Alex smiled. ¡°I look forward to seeing it work.¡± ¡°Excellent, ¡° Gabrielle clapped her hands together sharply, ¡°So next we¡¯ll talk about levels. Gadget?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve hit level two, which isn¡¯t too much to write home about but at least it¡¯s a start.¡± said the mouse girl, ¡°With that, you get awarded certain things. Are you ready?¡± ¡°Sure. More rewards for doing not much of anything sounds pretty okay with me.¡± When Alex stopped talking he began to feel a slight tingle throughout his body. He also felt a little warmer, as if he¡¯d been just walked into a midsummer¡¯s day from an air conditioned building. ¡°Right now your body is twitching, thrashing, and sweating like crazy.¡± Gadget confided, ¡°This is why things are done when people are asleep - it hurts a little sometimes, especially at first.¡± ¡°Incoming.¡± Peri chimed in. ¡°Nothing I can touch yet though.¡± >You have reached level 2. >All things strive. >Path points to reach level 3: 60/200. >8 attribute points have been awarded for you to assign. >One choice of a passive skill is now available. Everyone around the table looked up at the golden text. It hadn¡¯t come from the typewriter, instead gently raining down from the projection of Alex¡¯s soul. Alex spoke first. ¡°Eight attribute points¡­to put into things that I still don¡¯t quite understand.¡± he eyed Peri, and nodded. ¡°But we¡¯ll do it the right way. Gotta make that rent money, right?¡± ¡°And pay for the drugs.¡± Peri¡¯s tentacles somehow twisted themselves into a recognizable thumbs-up gesture. ¡°You got it, ¡° Alex murmured, and then looked around the table at his team of helpers. ¡°Any recommendations for where to assign these?¡± Gadget Hackwrench scratched one of her large ears thoughtfully as she pondered the question. ¡°Several, actually. [Mender] is a hybrid path that could go in a lot of different directions. Its theme is simply ¡°fixing things¡± which leaves a lot open to interpretation by Syntropy. You¡¯ll definitely get benefits from Intelligence and, for you, quite honestly boosting your already high base Charisma. Wisdom is a must for everyone, I feel, except Gabrielle here who eschews it like it¡¯s poison.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got better things to focus on than being all wise and shit.¡± Gabrielle shrugged. ¡°And since I can see the thought starting to form, I¡¯ll remind you that even though all of your attributes are currently at zero, you have a starting base in everything that depends on your species, and you personally. Attributes given through Syntropy¡¯s Interface are on top of that.¡± ¡°Perception, ¡° Gadget continued, ¡°will keep you alive. The more you notice and recognize the better.¡± ¡°What about the ones under Magical Potency?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be the start to getting access to magic?¡± ¡°You¡¯d think so, but no. You can have all the Magical Power in the world, the deepest Mana Pool in existence, and more Mana Regeneration than you can shake a stick at but you can¡¯t do anything with it without some basic magical skills.¡± April answered. ¡°Skills that you probably wouldn¡¯t develop on your own, so they would need to be rewarded or offered to you first.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Alex felt disappointed, but continued to listen as the group spoke to him. It was a little like a tennis match, watching the ball of conversation be hit across the table to whomever felt the most qualified to speak - or in some cases simply wanted to say something. ¡°You probably don¡¯t need to invest too much into the physical stats at this point, but some would be a good idea to keep you alive.¡± Gadget suggested. Alex ran down his list of attributes and sub-attributes and let out a small, rueful chuckle. ¡°You¡¯re basically recommending a little bit of almost everything.¡± ¡°Sort of, yeah.¡± the mouse nodded, giving Alex a mousy shrug. ¡°Sorry Alex. Listen though, it¡¯s your first level-up and only eight points. You can only increase a sub-attribute up to the value of your level so nothing can go above two right now. There¡¯s no optimal build for you right now, not until we see how the path plays out.¡± ¡°And what skills and talents you end up with.¡± April added. ¡°So if you were in my shoes, what would you do?¡± ¡°I¡¯d be screaming and trying to hide.¡± Gadget giggled. ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t have [Unflappable] and I was never any good at being adaptable to all the insane things you encounter regularly. Honestly though, if you absolutely want to push me into an answer¡­?¡± ¡°I would, at least to start with.¡± ¡°Right. Learning Ability - throw two points into that. Reason, Logic, and Pattern Recognition should get a point each - your Way of Reason is boosting those, so why not help it out? The rest you should stick into Charisma¡¯s sub-attributes.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± Alex accessed his status and looked over the three choices. ¡°I see Wit/Charm, Personal Presence, and Deception.¡± ¡°That really would be up to you, but I¡¯m going to recommend going with your gut. As you improve things you¡¯ll find yourself leaning in those directions the further down your path that you travel.¡± Gadget gave a helpless shrug, ¡°Just know that you always have the choice to act counter to where your strengths lay. Too many people make that mistake.¡± ¡°Peri, ¡° Alex turned to his liaison, ¡°If this is something you can answer in here without losing out, if I were to put points into Deception-¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, no.¡± Peri answered immediately, ¡°Without going into detail, your attributes don¡¯t change who you are. You won¡¯t suddenly become some evil-minded mass-manipulating asshole if you are able to stretch the truth more easily.¡± Choice matters. Okay. ¡°You should also consider Precision, ¡° Jessica said, ¡°Though Gadget skipped over it, your path does involve fixing things and not everything can be taken to with a hammer and chisel.¡± ¡°Right, right, ¡° Gadget flicked her tail at the mystery writer, ¡°But he has time for that once he¡¯s actualized more of his path.¡± Jessica nodded in acquiescence. There¡¯s a lot to consider here. Then again, as April said, it''s only my first level up¡­ ¡°Do I get eight points each time I level?¡± ¡°You do, ¡° confirmed Gabrielle, ¡°For being on a common path.¡± ¡°The implication there is that there are uncommon or rare paths. Do they get more points then?¡± ¡°Not that it matters since it doesn¡¯t apply to you, but no. They get less.¡± ¡°Really? That seems counterintuitive.¡± ¡°Rarer paths are more powerful in their own right, and have greater benefits to them beyond attribute points.¡± Gabrielle said, ¡°But like I said it doesn¡¯t matter since it doesn¡¯t apply to you anyway.¡± ¡°I guess. Okay.¡± Alex felt like he could second guess himself if he spent too long on it, and so took a moment to concentrate on assigning his points. As he did so the golden text above the table formed into confirmations of his results. >Intelligence: Learning Ability increased to 2. >Intelligence: Logic increased to 1. >Intelligence: Reason increased to 1. >Agility: Precision increased to 1. >Perception: Pattern Recognition increased to 1. >Charisma: Wit/Charm increased to 1. >Charisma: Deception increased to 1. There had been a minor internal debate as to whether he should choose the less morally upright sounding sub-attribute to invest in, but Alex had a strong feeling that even though he liked to resolve issues with honesty it wouldn¡¯t always serve him to speak nothing but the truth. Around the table his team of helpers noted the point assignments and nodded. Gadget spoke first. ¡°Good, that was relatively simple. Thanks for that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re thanking me for listening to a group of people that know what they¡¯re talking about?¡± ¡°You¡¯d be surprised at how many people don¡¯t.¡± Gabrielle snickered. Around the table Gabrielle was given a series of emphatic nods at this statement. ¡°People thinking they can ¡®game¡¯ the Interface, ¡° Peri mocked the idea with a snort of derision, ¡°Maybe get themselves secret hidden benefits.¡± ¡°Can they?¡± ¡°Nah.¡± Gabrielle leaned back in her chair and put her arms behind her head in a more relaxed pose. ¡°Syntropy doesn¡¯t hide anything; What would be the point of that? It works toward advancement and hiding shit would prevent that.¡± ¡°Some would argue that discovering secrets is a motivator to certain types of personalities, ¡° Jessica said, ¡°But there¡¯s enough mystery in the multiverse without deceiving people about how they can grow.¡± ¡°That being said, generally your team will first display the things they think you would benefit from the most.¡± Gabrielle admitted quickly, ¡°But if you ask for more options they¡¯ll always be there.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Alex said. And he did. If the Interface was that big, that extensive in what it could offer, what was the point of overwhelming people with showing options like tennis skills or neurosurgery abilities when they were just trying to work out how to be a better blacksmith or whatever? ¡°I don¡¯t feel any different, ¡° Alex mentioned, considering the matter. ¡°Do the sub-attributes not do much at low values?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t notice in here, but at the same time you¡¯re right in that a point or two at your level won¡¯t be a game changer. Think of it like the difference between changing a thermostat by a fractional degree. It makes a change but you won¡¯t notice until, well, you do.¡± Gabrielle replied. ¡°Let¡¯s move on to the skill selection you¡¯ve been awarded with your level-up.¡± April suggested. Alex acquiesced and more golden text spilled from the projection above the table. >Skill selection. Choose one of the following passive skills: >1. [Improvised Combat] >2. [Guesstimated Engineering] >3. [Material Efficiency] Hmm¡­yeah, no idea. ¡°Can I get a breakdown on these, like you gave when I got my other skills?¡± Alex requested of Peri, but when he turned to face her he found the tentacle monster having a tug-o-war with Jessica Fletcher over the typewriter. Peri had a good three hundred pounds of rubbery pseudopodia on the author, but Jessica was feisty and determined. ¡°Gimme!¡± Peri exclaimed. ¡°You don¡¯t need it!¡± Jessica insisted. ¡°Neither do you! We¡¯re projections.¡± ¡°So why are you trying to steal my prop?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s retro-cool and I wanna-¡± ¡°Hnnnnnnh!¡± ¡°HNNNNNNNNG!¡± The rest of the table politely waited for the back and forth between the pair to die down. It took some time, but Jessica and Peri finally realized that everyone was staring at their childish display. Jessica solved the issue by making the typewriter vanish entirely, and both of them looked around sheepishly. ¡°Sorry.¡± Peri muttered. ¡°My apologies.¡± added Jessica. ¡°Honestly, they get sexcited when they have props to play with.¡± Gabrielle confided to Alex, who started nodding with understanding until he caught the word. ¡°Wait, did you say se-¡± ¡°Moving on, ¡° the blonde woman giggled, ¡°Peri? You should be able to do the messages for this.¡± As Peri¡¯s tentacles began to thrash and move about in the air as if she were typing on an invisible keyboard, more text flowed into existence. >[Improvised Combat] - Rank 1 (0/100) (Common) (Passive Skill) >Legend has it that the greatest of warriors started with this humble skill. This is absolutely false, of course, and simply spread around to make certain sensitive people feel better about taking this rather lackluster skill. >Honestly, the greatest of warriors would spit on this skill if they could; It¡¯s a skill for the truly inept. [Improvised Combat] is a passive skill that simply assists in the art of fighting without specific training or weaponry much like the bumpers down the lane at the bowling alley assist in a five year old not getting all weepy over continual gutterballs. Except, you know, you can still very easily screw up and very likely will. ¡°Wow, tell it like it is Peri.¡± Alex chuckled. The large eye winked at him - or maybe it was just a blink, who could tell? ¡°Sorry, Alex.¡± Peri didn¡¯t sound sorry at all, a trait that he¡¯d noticed the entire team seemed to share among them. They tried to sound apologetic sometimes, but it never felt entirely genuine as they were having far too much fun. ¡°Your combat capabilities are woefully abysmal to start with, and you¡¯re not going to get a better combat skill than this as you are right now.¡± ¡°True, ¡° April agreed, ¡°Taking this skill will help guide you instinctively in combat. As Peri was kind enough to point out though it¡¯s not a valued skill for anyone with even a moderate amount of ability as it¡¯s not going to actually improve your fighting skill. It will suggest you move certain ways, perform certain actions and the like, but it will heavily rely on your normal instincts and attributes.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll help someone who freezes at the start of every encounter though.¡± Peri pointed out, giving Alex a meaningful look. ¡°I get it. Next?¡± >[Guesstimated Engineering] - Rank 1 (0/100) (Common) (Passive Skill) >This is a [Mender] path skill. >Hey, have you ever looked at something and thought ¡°I could build that¡±? Well, with this passive skill you have a better chance of doing so. When you¡¯re examining something you can start to get a general sense of how it was put together, and also why it was constructed a certain way. >You won¡¯t be able to make an exact copy of the original item, but you might be somewhere in the same ballpark or at least playing the same game. Instead of a toaster you might end up with a radiant heat emitting bread browning device. Or instead of Hydrox you end up with an Oreo. Who knows? ¡°Well, alright.¡± Alex perked up. This skill sounded interesting to him. ¡°I like the sound of this. I mean, I¡¯ve looked at things and had ideas before, but I¡¯m nowhere near good enough to reverse engineer them myself - I¡¯m a tinkerer at best. This will help with that, right?¡± ¡°It sure does, ¡° April agreed, ¡°Though it doesn¡¯t change your hands-on ability. Precision and its ilk will help there too. Peri, throw up the last one, but I think we all know he¡¯s gonna choose [Guesstimated Engineering].¡± Peri¡¯s tentacle tips thrashed and flailed in an indelicate manner. If there had been a real keyboard Alex was sure it would have been a constant business expense to maintain. >[Material Efficiency] - Rank 1 (0/100) (Common) (Passive Skill) >Whether welding metal beams together or piecing a shredded heart back into an organized whole, [Material Efficiency] will allow you to exchange spending a little more time for using what you need rather than what you have. >In short, the skill reduces the amount of material needed for a repair or a construction. Then you have leftovers. Handy, right? Overall this skill sounds lackluster compared with terrifying plague magic or manifesting the spirits of the dead over a cup of coffee, but it¡¯s a solid little skill that quietly works for you in the background. ¡°That¡¯s pretty useful.¡± Alex allowed, but when he logged at Gadget the mouse shook her head. April grinned at him. ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re not going to pick it. Not yet, anyway.¡± ¡°Mind readers.¡± Alex complained in a playful way. ¡°But no, I¡¯m not. [Guesstimated Engineering] sounds the most interesting, despite its sort of iffy name.¡± ¡°The skill is also a path skill for [Mender], which matters. The other two are more generic.¡± Gadget said. ¡°Though it does apply to multiple other paths as well, it¡¯s got a greater resonance with your path.¡± ¡°April, you said that I wouldn¡¯t choose [Material Efficiency] yet. So I can choose it later?¡± ¡°Sure, if it comes up for selection again.¡± the reporter shrugged, ¡°Which it likely will since it¡¯s a pretty common skill offering for technical-minded paths.¡± ¡°Okay, then yes, [Guesstimated Engineering] please.¡± >Skill received: [Guesstimated Engineering] >Updated Personal Advancement Tasks list ¡°As a passive skill, it¡¯ll just work in the background - provided that you¡¯re wondering how to make stuff while focusing on it. There¡¯s no need to activate it like [Jury Rig] and the like.¡± April said. ¡°Cool. So that¡¯s a level-up, attribute points, a new skill, and an enhancement to my soul upgrade. Are we all good now?¡± Alex felt eager to wake up and play with his abilities. ¡°You still have your skill rank increase for [Evaluate], ¡° April gave Alex a patient smile. ¡°You know, the reason you wanted to fall asleep in the first place?¡± ¡°Right! How does that work?¡± ¡°Very easily.¡± April waved a hand, and in the air above Alex a button appeared. It was rectangular and flashed with bright neon pink light. As with everything else, it¡¯s a choice. There¡¯s only yes or no at this point, really.¡± **~RANK UP [EVALUATE}~** ¡°So I just press that?¡± Alex queried. ¡°Is there any reason someone wouldn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Not really but Syntropy doesn¡¯t force anyone to advance, it¡¯s always the individual¡¯s choice to do so.¡± It wasn¡¯t even a choice. Alex knew there was no reason to delay, so he touched his fingers to the button, which vanished with a swirl of light and a little fwip sound. >[Evaluate] (1) has increased to [Evaluate] (2) ¡°That was a little unexciting.¡± Alex confessed. April smirked. ¡°It¡¯s not that exciting a skill, Alex. You¡¯ll get a bit more feedback on things when you use it, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fair, ¡° Alex nodded. ¡°Okay, what¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Nothing really.¡± Gabrielle said, yawning slowly. ¡°Your attribute increases are taking place in your sleep, and you should be able to safely wake up in around thirty minutes.¡± ¡°Patina told me it would take four hours.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been three and a half hours already.¡± Peri added, and something about her tone registered displeasure at the goblin girl being brought up. She was still a little salty about Alex asking her questions rather than to his official liaison. Alex chose to ignore it as there was nothing he could do about it anyway. ¡°Really? It seems like I¡¯ve only been here ten minutes or so.¡± ¡°Time is weird.¡± Peri shrugged. Yeah, she¡¯s salty. I guess if her pay is involved¡­ ¡°Well I still have a lot of questions about things. Until I wake up, do you all want to answer some of them?¡± he suggested. ¡°Nothing Interface-related, of course.¡± ¡°Um, actually¡­¡± Heads turned to the speaker quickly with a variety of expressions, almost all of which were vaguely hostile. Alex smiled. ¡°Yes, Addy?¡± ¡°There, um, there are some Ad Astra things to go over¡­¡± the little girl ventured. ¡°Oh, ignore it Alex. That thing can¡¯t offer you anything good. It¡¯s a parasite of capitalism taken to the level of self parody, and will probably try to sell you to yourself or something.¡± Gabrielle muttered. She pointed her quarterstaff at the schoolgirl. ¡°You may be allowed at the table, but that doesn¡¯t mean we want to hear you speak.¡± ¡°Gabrielle, stop being mean to something that lives in my head or my soul or whatever.¡± ¡°Great, now I have to find a new hobby.¡± Gabrielle rolled her eyes and sighed, ¡°Fine. Talk to the invasive little shit.¡± Alex shook his head, and turned back to Addy. ¡°Hi there. You ha something you needed to say?¡± ¡°Um. Hi.¡± Addy got out of her seat and walked around the table to approach Alex. Her notebook was clenched tightly to her chest, and beneath the heavy black bangs the girl looked like she¡¯d been crying. ¡°Y-yes. In here, I can help you submit, um, your completed Ad Astra tasks? You can collect your duty credits and maybe if you want I can show you the company store?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all overpriced crap most likely.¡± Peri called out, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t bother.¡± ¡°Peri, be nice. You guys are all stuck together, so play nice with each other. I¡¯d rather not have all this fighting going on in my head, okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m drinking on that one.¡± Peri muttered. Gabrielle agreed, and both of their images shimmered and wobbled for a moment. A long bench echoed throughout the room. ¡°You can help if you like, ¡° Alex replied gently to the little girl. Addy¡¯s face lit up into a wide smile. ¡°Okay! Let¡¯s go!!¡± she exclaimed, her sorrowful demeanor instantly changing as she stood upright, opening her notebook with a snap. ¡°Congratulations on completing two Ad Astra tasks! The first was the sealing of a door, for which you receive one duty credit!¡± A little ping could be heard, and in the corner of Alex¡¯s vision he saw text matching Addy¡¯s statement. ¡°Thank you.¡± he said. ¡°The second task was the survey of security systems to notate those which were working and which were broken.. The reward is¡­¡± Addy trailed off. Alex waited. The little girl seemed completely frozen in place. One of the team gave a dark chuckle, which Alex ignored. ¡°Addy?¡± ¡°The reward is¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably bugging out. These interface add-ons are janky as hell.¡± Peri suggested. ¡°You okay there?¡± Alex reached out to poke the little girl on her shoulder. She blinked rapidly and spoke again. ¡°An abnormal award variable has been detected. Checking. Valid. Wow. For handing in this one simple task, you receive a reward of thirty two duty credits!¡± Addy exclaimed. ¡°Cool, thanks Addy.¡± Alex smiled. He had scoped out a lot of the cameras and panels after all. ¡°That brings me up to, what, thirty four duty credits in total?¡± ¡°Correct! Would you like to peruse the company store? ¡°Sure. Just¡­¡± Alex paused and considered what he was probably dealing with here, ¡°I mean no disrespect when I ask this, but can you please only display the things that I can currently afford and would be useful to my duties as an Ad Astra technician?¡± ¡°Oh! Absolutely! Customized browsing has been selected.¡± Addy declared. ¡°In addition, I won¡¯t include any item that is not currently in stock within the Ad Astra spatial inventory. Which is almost everything considering the current supply chain issue.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very helpful. Thank you.¡± Alex smiled. Supply chain issue? Oh goody. At Alex¡¯s words the little schoolgirl¡¯s smile widened, and Alex could just make out a trickle of tears on Addy¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Okay! Here you go!¡± The little girl thrust out her notebook to Alex, and he quickly looked at the open page. A short list of items was written In loopy, childish cursive. Some of them were tremendously unexciting, like ¡®Protein Wafer, small¡¯ and ¡®Personal Digital Music App - SONGS NOT INCLUDED¡¯, but Alex¡¯s lips turned up into a genuine smile when he saw some of the offerings nearer to the bottom of the list. ¡°Are these for real?¡± he asked, tapping one of the items on the list. It had been very obviously underlined, and the words ¡®Today Only Sale Price!!!¡¯ had been scrawled next to it. To Alex, is smacked of interference from someone; That someone was most likely Harmony. ¡°They are!¡± she confirmed with a nod. ¡°As they have no physicality except for a fractional use of data storage, information downloads are always available.¡± ¡°How does it work exactly?¡± ¡°You select the information you wish to learn, and it is downloaded directly into your brain via the Ad Astra add-on. We like our employees to learn and grow, as they then become a greater asset to the company.¡± ¡°But not for free. You¡¯re not offering these things to everyone.¡± ¡°Oh, we are, but prices do tend to fluctuate depending on various market factors. The usual price of such valuable knowledge databases is upward of a thousand duty credits.¡± Addy replied. ¡°Yet this one is only twenty five.¡± Alex tapped it again. The schoolgirl looked like she¡¯d been caught with her hand in a cookie jar, but just nodded again. Definitely some AI interference there, Alex decided. ¡°Right. Well, I think I¡¯ll take it.¡± ¡°Alex!¡± Gabrielle jumped up and approached on his other side, ¡°It¡¯s bad enough that this thing is latched onto your interface, but do you really want it messing with your brain?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a benefit, right? It¡¯ll improve my odds of success and maybe help me get home?¡± ¡°Ye-es, ¡° Gabrielle stretched out the word, and then sighed. ¡°But careful analysis of your environment and time spent in the study of such things would net you a similar result, in time.¡± ¡°In time. Time that I don¡¯t have too much of, right? Sorry Gabrielle, I completely see where you¡¯re coming from, but I think this might actually be seriously helpful. Addy, ¡° Alex tuned back to the little girl, ¡°I¡¯d like to buy this one here.¡± ¡°Of course! Thank you, Fourth Technician Alex Orz, for making your first purchase through the Ad Astra Company Store! We hope that it will be the first of many-¡± Pain ripped through Alex, shattering the room around him into a billion tiny motes of light. His brain felt like it was boiling in his skull as words and concepts, symbols and knowledge was forcefully thrust into it. A thunderstorm of information battered Alex. He thought he passed, out, but since he was already unconscious he instead felt brief flickers of being there and then being here and maybe somewhere else entirely, and all the time his brain screamed and screamed and screamed- -and then it stopped. Alex shot up to a sitting position, coughing and gasping. He was covered in sweat, his vision wavered and shimmered for a moment as Alex found himself once more in the tech closet with a blinding headache and blood running out of his nose. In the lower corner of his view, golden words ignored all of the pain, confusion, and visual issues. >Information Download: Artificial Intelligence Systems (Hardware) is complete. Alex coughed again, and wiped at his nose with his sleeve. He groaned at the pain in his head, but managed a bloody and almost savage grin. ¡°I know AI-fu.¡± he slurred to the room at large, and then fell back against the floor utterly exhausted. Chapter Thirteen - Cold Math There are so many ways to manipulate, deceive, and outright force people into doing what you want them to. This, however, can cause inconveniently negative feelings ranging from poor motivation up to bloody revolution. However if you have the time, the money, or the power to set things up in just the right way then people will make the choices you want them to without even a hint of displeasure. They might even thank you for the opportunity, and that¡¯s a win for any corporation. -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation. Time passed. By checking the Daily Duties list Alex saw he still had a timer left on the day, though the countdown had reached 5:17:44. The day seemed long to Alex, but he¡¯d have to watch the timer and do some counting if he wanted to inaccurately measure whether seconds and minutes and the like were the same length. He briefly wondered if that was something Syntropy interfered with across the universe as well. Units of standardized time, to a point, were convenient. Patina was nowhere to be seen. Alex didn¡¯t blame her; She didn''t know him that well, and there was every possibility that he would have woken up angry and looking to take out his frustration on the little goblin who had knocked him unconscious, [Appealingly Cute] or not. He figured she¡¯d show up again soon. He needed to get up and move, but the respite was much needed. Though beneath him the floor was still cold and uncomfortable Alex was able to take another fifteen minutes or thereabouts getting his thoughts in order. Specifically, his thoughts about the guidance he¡¯d received and the entities that had given it to him. Alex wasn¡¯t stupid - he knew that. Along with that he knew that there were a great number of things that he didn¡¯t know. A boundless archive of ignorance existed within him that only seemed to grow by the hour in the wider universe of Syntropy and its machinations to move forward. What Alex knew right now, as he lay back with a pounding headache while pinching his nose to stop the bleeding, was that his special team of ¡®helpers¡¯ wasn¡¯t telling him everything. It wasn¡¯t that they were inept, though they themselves seemed to have some gaps in their knowledge, nor was it their entirely too casual apologies that held not a single hint of actual empathy within them. Alex put to the side their stories of sharing aspects of his life with other beings and entities that they associated with, and even that they were for some reason given a budget (by whom??) to essentially just watch him and occasionally prod Alex along. The whole production with his helpers taking on the roles of fictional characters because, according to them, he would respond better either spoke volumes about what they considered to be his mental state, or if Alex leaned toward suspicion it could very easily be seen as subtly manipulative. See, here, you know us. You enjoyed our stories. You trust us. Alex had to admit that he didn¡¯t have much in the way of suspicion toward others. Trust until you¡¯ve been shown that you can¡¯t was an attitude Alex had carried with him for years and it had been perfectly serviceable. Perhaps that would change, but for how he actually felt a little flattered by the choices the team had made. Gabrielle, as a character in the fantasy show, was a side character that had started out naive, earnest, optimistic, and more than that the character had been morally solid. She balanced out the darker edges of the protagonist, and grew in leaps and bounds throughout the seven years that the series ran. Jessica Fletcher was smart, capable, and kind hearted. She had a desire to not only be creative, but to use her creative spark and random assortment of knowledge researched for her mystery novels to help others. April O¡¯Neil, a vibrant and energetic reporter, was devoted to her career and the pursuit of truth, but again like the others involved herself in increasingly dangerous affairs in order to help. Gadget Hackwrench loved to invent and get down and dirty with mechanical things - aspects of the mouse girl that were used to assist Chip and Dale in, again, helping people. There were likely subtle messages Alex was missing, but beyond the ¡®ha ha, look at these fictional characters you liked, isn¡¯t puberty funny in that you had naughty thoughts about most - okay, fine, all of them at some point even Ms. Fletcher you bad boy you¡¯ there was a rock solid foundation to each character that was easy to see: they were helpers. Each of the avatars chosen - even Peri as the willful anomaly, and Addy as the sad little innocent child - were one hundred percent there to make Alex think, feel, and behave a certain way. It didn¡¯t bother him that it worked, he just had to keep it in mind during any future interactions. Here, now, laying on the cold floor with the receding pain of the knowledge dump no longer driving him to distraction, Alex remembered something else. The little girl made a mistake. Addy, the apparent manifestation of the Ad Astra part of his Interface, had rewarded Alex for completing two tasks. One of them, the security system surveying, seemed egregious in the reward for effort ratio, but also because he hadn¡¯t actually fulfilled it properly. Sure, Alex had used [Evaluate] on things, saw they were broken, and then carefully notated them on his map. But the other part of that was to gather information on how to fix them, and at his then-rank of skill he hadn¡¯t been able to do so. That could be put down to an act of generosity, if Alex wasn¡¯t already aware that Ad Astra was beyond a parody of capitalism gone past insanity. It had to have been purposeful, and it must have been so that he could take advantage of the ¡®special sale¡¯. Ad Astra needed him to get better faster. Alex could be fine with that, but the suspicious bit - the part that niggled at his mind along with all of the other strangeness that Alex¡¯s brain was still attempting to puzzle through - was the other task. Addy had awarded him a duty credit for completing the task to seal up a dangerous room. But I¡¯d already been given a duty credit for its completion. So why? Did the add-on not synchronize properly with Harmony? That seemed possible, especially with the level of problems that the whole place seemed to have, but maybe not. Maybe¡­ ¡°Urgh.¡± Alex groaned. He massaged his temples, feeling that he was still wearing gloves. Whatever his line of thought had been dissipated as his head gave another complaint of pain. ¡°At least I got some good things out of all this.¡± He had an understanding of how the hardware for the artificial intelligence system worked now. Of course it wasn¡¯t a guarantee that he could get his hands in there and fix things, but Alex could prod at his mind and feel concepts and ideas and bits of information that would help him understand better how to proceed. ¡°I''m grateful for this quiet time, ¡° Alex muttered, and then checked himself. That sort of statement always backfired, and so Alex wasn¡¯t exactly surprised when he heard a frantic pounding begin on the outside of the door. * ¡°Something¡¯s wrong.¡± ¡°And without even a hello, ¡° Alex murmured as he looked down at the goblin. She seemed more agitated than he¡¯d seen her thus far, and so dropped the playfulness. ¡°What is it? What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Patina exclaimed. Her expression was more confusion than anger, but Alex could see it simmering beneath the surface. ¡°I tried to go back to where I sleep but I couldn¡¯t get there. It¡¯s sealed off, Alex. All the doors down there are sealed, all of the access hatches, all of the ducts and vents I know about are locked down like there¡¯s nothing behind them but space.¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s not normal. Did you ask Harmony?¡± ¡°I did! The adjunct won¡¯t tell me why, instead declaring that there is ¡®routine maintenance¡¯ going on. Where the fuck she thinks we¡¯re getting maintenance from is beyond me! I need you to come with me and get some answers out of her. Come on!¡± Patina gripped Alex¡¯s arm and tugged. ¡°Okay, give me ten seconds.¡± he said, carefully taking his arm back. He rubbed at his temples again, still feeling the ache inside his brain. Aren¡¯t brains supposed to have no pain receptors or something? Everything around them, sure, but the brain itself isn¡¯t supposed to ache. Maybe that''s one of those incorrect ''everyone knows'' things? ¡°Done.¡± He let out a breath, and stepped outside the maintenance closet. ¡°I tried getting in all over the place, ¡° Patina explained as she scurried to keep up with Alex¡¯s brisk walk toward a screen he knew was operating. ¡°It¡¯s not just where I sleep - it¡¯s the whole second cargo bay.¡± ¡°Like the place we met Vod?¡± Alex asked, remembering the giant cavernous room that had been filled with the mess of day to day living for so many people. ¡°Yeah. Remember how Vod told you there¡¯s two of them in the lower decks of the carriage. Vod lives in one, but he ¡®rules¡¯ over both. Sometimes he even does this fancy-ass procession that, oh, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Patina shook her head quickly. ¡°Look, you can¡¯t just seal off a space that big for no reason. Something went wrong down there, I just know it!¡± ¡°Like a contagious disease or something?¡± Alex ventured as he walked quickly. ¡°If Harmony¡¯s had to seal off something like that-¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s been no biohazard klaxons. Believe me, you¡¯d know them if you heard them.¡± Patina tapped her long ear, ¡°The once-a-year tests are bad enough. Whatever it is, it¡¯s got to be bad. You don¡¯t just seal off nearly three thousand people on a whim - not even the adjunct is that far gone.¡± ¡°Three thousand.¡± Alex muttered. Vod said similar, he thought, approximately three thousand per cargo bay, right? ¡°That¡¯s a lot of people.¡± he added, still thinking. Patina nodded vigorously. ¡°And if they¡¯re locked in down there, they¡¯re not going to be happy no matter what¡¯s going on. What if Vod did it? Took control of the door systems? If he has control of-¡± ¡°Shh, ¡° Alex held up a warning hand, ¡°Careful.¡± Patina glanced around quickly, looking for any sign of a working security device but wasn¡¯t able to tell with her [Inspect] skill. For his part, Alex was caught in a single thought loop. Six thousand people. Ninety percent are [Cleaners], Vod said. Six thousand¡­ Alex slapped his forehead with his gloved hand and exclaimed ¡°The math!¡± Patina jumped, not understanding, and had to stop jogging as Alex had halted in place. ¡°What?¡± she demanded. ¡°Alex, come on! We need answers from the adjunct.¡± ¡°Yes we do.¡± Alex nodded emphatically. ¡°You¡¯re right. Something¡¯s gone wrong.¡± ¡°What?¡± Patina repeated, ¡°How do you know? I mean, I¡¯m sure something has because sealing off the cargo bay area is-¡± ¡°Ninety percent, Patina.¡± Alex reached down and gripped the little goblin by the shoulders. The aggressive action caused her to snap her mouth shut. Alex felt his mind racing faster than it had before. Part of his thoughts wondered if it was something to do with the attribute points or whether the data was just finally falling into place. ¡°Ninety percent of you are [Cleaners]. Vod said that.¡± ¡°Y-Yeah? So?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the most amazing memory in the world, but when you asked Harmony how many [Cleaners] there were in the carriage the number she gave was just shy of two thousand. That was, what, twelve hours ago more or less?¡± ¡°Right, okay, and?¡± Patina¡¯s heavy brow furrowed with confusion. She shook her head again and tried to pull away but though her small body was stronger than Alex he held her shoulders tightly. ¡°How is around two thousand anywhere close to ninety percent of six thousand?¡± Alex demanded of the goblin, who had no real answer. She couldn¡¯t see why it was important compared to locking away an area that contained half the population. ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± she exclaimed, ¡°Maybe Vod was wrong?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. Vod didn¡¯t give me the impression of a person who¡¯s wrong about keeping track of his underlings. I think Harmony knows something that we really need to know as well.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Patina gasped as Alex let go of her shoulders and started to walk faster. He called back over his shoulder to her. ¡°Like why she¡¯s written off over half of your population, and didn¡¯t tell us anything about it.¡± Alex strode briskly into the room he¡¯d last spoken to Harmony in, and immediately approached her screen. The fixed smile of the AI flashed on her face before faltering a little under Alex¡¯s gaze. Analysis subroutines scanned the strange expression on the human¡¯s face, but she was unable to read the result. ¡°Hello, Alex!¡± she said with some cheer, ¡°Are you here to report on your progress so far?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here to ask about why you¡¯ve very recently locked down a significant portion of the lower decks.¡± Alex said. Harmony¡¯s screen went to static for a moment, and when it cleared her gaze flicked from Alex to Patina and back again. ¡°Oh! I see. Patina was worried enough to pull you in here.¡± She smiled again, this time with some strain behind it. ¡°There is some routine maintenance being performed in the area in question, and so as not to inconvenience anyone Ad Astra has temporarily closed access to a number of-¡± ¡°Maintenance by whom? Did you suddenly get some more technicians?¡± Alex asked. There was an edge to his voice now. Harmony, I am a patient man but I am only willing to go with the flow so far. If people are being harmed¡­ ¡°By, ah, by¡­¡± More static flowed over the screen. Harmony¡¯s image flickered and wavered before it stabilized once more. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to concern you with this, as you don¡¯t currently have the skillset to perform repairs, but there are some malfunctioning doors in the¡­¡± she trailed off as Alex shook his head. ¡°Earlier, we were taken to Vod. You know this, you do have some working cameras. Along the way, we had to take a detour because a doorway was sealed due to us venting atmosphere.¡± ¡°Oh void.¡± Patina gasped, her face growing horrified. ¡°I forgot they said that. Oh no. No no no¡­¡± ¡°Venting atmosphere? Like a hull breach? There is no hull breach.¡± Harmony said firmly. ¡°Harmony, I know there are issues in communication right now but if there¡¯s a hull breach or something where everyone¡¯s been asphyxiated - even if I can¡¯t do a damn thing about it - give me a task for it.¡± Alex requested. ¡°We need to know.¡± ¡°There is no hull breach!¡± Harmony declared, this time more heatedly. ¡°There can¡¯t be a hull breach; We¡¯re in underspace! If there was a hull breach, everyone on the whole train would be dead.¡± This brought Alex¡¯s insistence up short. Harmony had spoken with such finality that even Patina believed her; Alex could see it on the goblin¡¯s face. ¡°What¡¯s undersp- no, never mind that now. Harmony, why is everything sealed?¡± The AI didn¡¯t respond. She looked frozen, her eyes unmoving and her lips locked in a rictus. Alex took a breath, and asked again in a more gentle voice. ¡°Whatever it is and whatever¡¯s going on, Harmony please, give me a task.¡± Seconds counted down. Alex counted to six - an eternity for a supercomputer to contemplate anything - and then he got the message in his vision. >Ad Astra Task List updated. He opened it immediately, and was sure that Patina did as well. His eyes narrowed at the amount of text provided, and then widened at the barrage of additional notifications he received along with it. Alex shook his head slowly, trying to take it all in. ~ Stay Away The impossible has occurred. An entropy sink has been simultaneously detected, and hit critical mass within moments of its discovery. Entropic corruption began to spread at such a rapid pace that Ad Astra¡¯s quick-thinking artificial intelligence calculated and took action on how to mitigate as much damage to both vital infrastructure and entity capital as possible. Do not approach the quarantined area. Do not attempt entry to the quarantined area. I mean it, Alex. Stay away. It¡¯s in the name of the task. Reward: Continued existence. ~ >ENTROPY SINK DETECTED >ENTROPY SINK BREAK DETECTED >Syntropy Task List updated >Emergency Override (Messaging System) >Incoming Message: Fuck me sideways, Alex! How in the hells did Syntropy not know about this until just now? This is bad - super bad. Like, alarm bells are going off all over the place. This is so bad. -P >Incoming Message: Okay. You¡¯re gonna need a crash course, like, fast here. You know the basics about Entropy and Syntropy already. An entropy sink is something Syntropy creates to combat larger gatherings of entropic energies and repurpose them. -P >Incoming Message: The repurposing comes in four flavors - Environmental adaptation, entropic creature propagation, positive behavior reinforcement, and energy transfer. In short, a space is created, it¡¯s filled with entropy-poisoned monsters, you get rewards for killing them, and each kill pushes up you path points. -P >Incoming Message: The exact opposite of how you want to behave, obviously. Hold on. Gabrielle is shouting at me. -P What the hell is all this about? Alex tried to keep up, flashing through the messages. As he waited for Peri to respond again, Alex¡¯s Syntropy Task list expanded on its own and displayed itself to him front-and-center where he couldn¡¯t do more than read it. ~ ~Syntropy Task~ Remove Entropic Threat An unregulated entropy sink (colloquially known as a ¡°dungeon¡±) has been detected. Due to an overproduction of entropic energies the dungeon has broken, allowing its corruption to spread through part of normal reality. Advancement is stagnated beyond regular protocols. Entities are dying. Fix this. ~ Fix this? Just¡­fix this? Fix WHAT? How?? And then, after that, one set of messages just to complicate things further. >Event #1285 started. Concurrent events: 2 >Event #1285 details are being collated and will be available shortly. ¡°Uh¡­¡± Alex managed, realizing that Patina was shaking him and saying something. He didn¡¯t get to respond before Peri got back to him. >Incoming Message: Hold tight, Jessica''s getting information to add because of your [Interesting Times] upgrade. This will be the last message I can send under the emergency protocols for now so here''s the sitch: Syntropy¡¯s tasked you with controlling the dungeon break that shouldn¡¯t have even existed in the first place. Ad Astra¡¯s telling you to keep the hell away from it. On our end we¡¯re being instructed to not interfere one way or another on pain of, well, I won¡¯t go into that. Sorry, Alex. Fight or flight on this one. -Peri Stolen novel; please report. ¡°Useless. This is too much.¡± Alex groaned, though his [Unflappable] wasn¡¯t inclined to agree. It was a lot, and Alex felt the stress of whatever chaos was going on building up within him, but the moment it touched the part of his soul that held his first soul upgrade he felt the stress break apart into manageable pieces. He let out a breath. ¡°Okay.¡± Alex said, the room around him coming back into focus. He looked at Patina. ¡°Did you get any of that?¡± ¡°The task to stay away from a dungeon? Void, Alex, I thought dungeons were bedtime stories!¡± Patina was wild-eyed and shocked. ¡°If there are people trapped in there, we have to get them out!¡± ¡°That is impossible.¡± Harmony interjected, ¡°The area is sealed to stop the spread of the broken entropy sink. It is asserting control over the environment immediately surrounding the sink, and will continue to spread its corruption if I allow egress from the area. I have lost all contact with the cargo bay and surrounding corridors.¡± ¡°What about everyone trapped inside?¡± ¡°They are gone.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know that!¡± ¡°I can extrapolate from the data!¡± snapped Harmony, her screen turning fuzzy again for a moment before Harmony¡¯s face returned. The colors of the screen were muted and blotchy. ¡°There were few to no combatants in the area that was sealed off. The entropy sink was spewing out corrupted creatures rapidly, and the environmental corruption was spreading at a rate of several feet per second. Anyone trapped inside has only a zero point seven percent chance of survival.¡± ¡°That means there¡¯s still some chance!¡± Patina shouted at the screen. ¡°I know people who lived down there! They were smart! Quick! They could hide! Adjunct, you have to let them out!¡± ¡°I cannot open the doors. The entropic corruption would spread.¡± ¡°Would¡­¡± Alex¡¯s mind spun with the thoughts of the tragedy. It was one thing to theorize that the computer had abandoned almost three thousand lives, but another to hear her actually say it. It made the theory into a reality, and Alex didn¡¯t like the feeling it gave him. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be a waste to abandon any still living Ad Astra employees?¡± he tried. The AI gave him a look. ¡°My immediate task is to secure the area, and protect those that I could. I have done so.¡± ¡°But-¡± Patina stepped up to Alex. ¡°Back me up here! We have to check at least!¡± ¡°Obviously we have to check, ¡° Alex found himself agreeing, ¡°And get them out if they¡¯re still alive.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Patina exclaimed. ¡°No!¡± Harmony declared. ¡°Yes!¡± Alex and Patina said together. Alex reached out a hand to the computer screen even though it couldn¡¯t feel his touch through the plastic and glass. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t get how all this works - entropy, dungeons, monsters, magically changing things, but it doesn¡¯t matter. What I do get is that there¡¯s a time for cold math, and a time for being human.¡± ¡°Sorry, ¡° he added quickly, ¡°Being a person. If there¡¯s anyone - even one person - alive in there, someone has to go in and get them out.¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s fortunate for all of us that that¡¯s not your job, Technician Fourth Grade Alex Orz. Do not step outside your role.¡± Harmony snapped. ¡°You could offer a task for it.¡± Alex suggested in a calm voice. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Fine.¡± Alex sighed. ¡°Then I have no choice.¡± ¡°Good. You still have tasks to complete.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my job.¡± Alex told the screen. ¡°Alex!¡± Patina stared at Alex, betrayal written all over her face. To her surprise, he winked. ¡°My job is to fix things. I¡¯ve been reminded of that by the Interface. And if a dungeon has broken¡­well, it sounds like something that I need to repair, right?¡± Patina¡¯s eyes widened further, realizing that Alex was indeed going to help. Her fist punched the air, though not very high due to her stature. ¡°Yes!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± ¡°Temporary Employee Alex Orz, I order you to stay away from the quarantine area. Leave it alone.¡± ¡°You¡¯re ordering me not to do my job, adjunct?¡± Alex asked quietly. The computer detected the cold, hard tone of Alex¡¯s voice and quickly began to analyze it. He¡¯d said something that didn¡¯t sound right to her. Dedicating several additional processing units to the strange sensation of disquiet the artificial intelligence felt, a few seconds passed as she rapidly deconstructed the question and closely examined each word outside of its emotional appeal. ¡°You called me adjunct.¡± Harmony said. Alex stared at her wordlessly. ¡°You don¡¯t call me adjunct.¡± This was true. From the moment Alex had arrived less than a day ago he¡¯d been very good about talking to the artificial intelligence as if she were a regular person. He¡¯d been casual and polite, always addressing her by the more human part of her name - Harmony. It had been nice, Harmony had to admit when she devoted a few microseconds of runtime to analyzing it, especially as everyone else called her the adjunct, or the artificial intelligence, or the computer. That had been why Alex¡¯s words felt wrong, and the inconveniently programmed emotional part of Adjunct Artificial Intelligence Nine/Harmony, overseer of carriages nine thousand to nine thousand nine hundred and ninety nine, demanded to know why. Not all answers are nice, however. ¡°Because up until this point, ¡° Alex said quietly as he put a hand on Patina¡¯s shoulder to reassure the goblin that they would be getting to work very shortly, ¡°I¡¯ve been treating you like a person. Obviously that was a mistake. Patina, come.¡± Alex turned and walked out of the room without looking back. His cold words hung in the air for a moment as Patina looked at the computer screen that displayed the AI¡¯s stricken face. ¡°Damn, girl.¡± she muttered, shaking her head before scurrying after her immediate supervisor. * Calculations raced¡­ Cost/Benefit analysis was examined and then promptly thrown out the metaphorical airlock¡­ Images of that look he¡¯d given flashed through processing runtime¡­ Calculations sped up¡­ Circuitry warmed as it overclocked to find the best path forward¡­ The sense of wrongness in the world of Adjunct Artificial Intelligence Nine/Harmony was unbearable¡­ And elsewhere in the carriage, Fabian Vod was surprised to receive a call on a screen he¡¯d been quite sure that he¡¯d locked down from intrusion. * By the time Patina caught up with Alex he had to admit that he was a little lost. There was something to be said for making a dramatic exit, but one of those less-said things was that if you didn¡¯t know the way you had to go it sort of lost some of its gravitas. Alex¡¯s map of the carriage was, after all, incomplete. ¡°This way, boss.¡± Patina tugged at his pant leg. ¡°Maybe with your weird-ass skills we can get through one of the blast doors.¡± Alex nodded and allowed Patina to lead. ¡°What are we going to be walking into, Patina? It sounded like you¡¯ve never been in one of these entropy dungeon sink things before either.¡± ¡°Dungeons¡­¡± Patina considered the question, and sighed. ¡°Stories. That¡¯s all I have, boss. They¡¯re dangerous, rewarding, confusing, and I¡¯m really freaking out that there¡¯s one on the train. That¡¯s crazy.¡± ¡°So we¡¯ll be facing dangers - monsters of some kind - while trying to find and rescue people. Just to remind you, no matter how much of a brave face I put on and how much I want to do this, I¡¯m not good in a fight. You know that already.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not exactly pathed for it either, obviously.¡± The goblin pulled a face, ¡°And a few bilge rats that I might or might not have stretched the truth on exactly how many I¡¯ve beaten aren¡¯t really combat experience either. But we need to see if there¡¯s people that need help, Alex! They can¡¯t all be dead! It¡¯s been less than a day, right?¡± ¡°That we know of, yeah. And I agree. Ad Astra might have written them off, and Vod as well if I¡¯m remembering his conversation right, but if there¡¯s a small chance someone in there is still alive we need to do it. Besides, I got a Syntropy task for it.¡± ¡°Oh thank the stars, ¡° Patina let out a nervous chuckle of relief, ¡°That¡¯s good Alex! That¡¯s very good! If Syntropy is tasking you with saving people, then there has to be people to save! How many did it say in the task?¡± It didn¡¯t. The task was to fix the entropy sink somehow, not to save people, Alex wanted to say but shook his head instead. It had said one thing that implied there might still be living souls contained within the quarantined area. ¡°It just said ¡®People are dying¡¯.¡± Patina¡¯s expression grew pained, and then twisted into determination. She nodded. ¡°It¡¯s something.¡± Patina looked up at Alex, ¡°Thanks, boss.¡± ¡°Sure. It¡¯s the right thing to do.¡± Alex paused and gave Patina a wry smile, ¡°Probably not the smartest thing to do, according to her.¡± ¡°You¡¯re, like, super pissed at her aren¡¯t you?¡± Patina queried. Alex looked around and saw no working security devices. He sighed. ¡°No. Not really. Well, a little, but more at myself.¡± he confessed, ¡°I can¡¯t get angry at a computer program, especially not a damaged one. Still, she acts so much like a person that I¡¯d sort of put aside all the signs to the contrary. Harmony is an amalgamation of instructions and subroutines that I couldn¡¯t even begin to¡­why are you looking at me like that?¡± Patina scowled as she took in Alex¡¯s appearance as if noticing him for the first time. She stood on her tiptoes and touched Alex¡¯s cheek. Flecks of dark, dried blood fell away at her touch. ¡°When did that happen?¡± she demanded, taking in his disheveled look. Though Alex¡¯s nose had stopped bleeding he hadn¡¯t cleaned it all away before being disturbed by her knocking earlier. ¡°Oh. Rough Syntropic synchronization.¡± he shrugged, trying to downplay the pain. ¡°Well, the end bit where a bunch of computer hardware knowledge was shoehorned into my brain anyway.¡± ¡°Ohhhh Alex. A data dump? I had one, once, as a kid. Ouch.¡± Patina fished in her pouch and pulled out a cloth which she handed to the man. ¡°Spit on that and clean yourself up. I need you in good working order so that we can find a way inside the cargo bay.¡± As Alex did so, he felt something shift within him. A second later his Interface pinged. >Event #1285 - Welcome To The Jungle - In Progress. Information available. ¡°It¡¯ll be just fine.¡± Alex smiled suddenly. ¡°There¡¯s always a way forward.¡± ~ Event #1285 - Welcome To The Jungle When all the choices are bad, how do you pick? A broken dungeon is no small matter; It will continue to spawn more and more entropic creatures as its energies have no other place to go now that it¡¯s confined within a sealed area. The controlling artificial intelligence saw to that. Even as she calculated the survival rates based on all forms of measurement she had at the time, Harmony knew she had to make a choice and as such sealed off almost three thousand people whilst establishing a quarantine area to prevent the entire carriage from being overrun with entropy. What choice would you have made? And what choice will you make now? Suggestions: 1- Gain allies. Two noncombatants entering the area of a broken dungeon would simply add to the numbers of the dead. 2- Find an entry point. Make it fast, and make it quiet. Entropy will push forward given the time and opportunity to do so. 3- Ascertain the number of survivors and, if possible, rescue them. 4- Repair or destroy the broken dungeon. Rewards are commensurate on performance: 0% - You¡¯ve likely died, or did not bother with this event. 0.01% - 19.99% - Path points 20% - 49.99% - Path points. 50% - 69.99% - Path points. 70% - 89.99% - Path points, attribute points. 90%+ - Path points, attribute points, generation of customized skill. POTENTIALLY LEADS TO: Event #1285-a ¡°Baby¡¯s First Dungeon¡± Event #1285-b ¡°The Only Way To Be Sure¡± Event #1285-c ¡°RUN¡± ~ ¡°Just like that, huh?¡± Patina asked. Alex nodded, slightly distracted by the level of detail the event was giving him. ¡°Yeah. Just like-¡± As they rounded a corner, the pair were pulled up short by a group of people briskly walking toward them. Three of them were recognizable to Alex as Jaek Bruise, Helwud Bruise, and Fabian Vod. The fourth was¡­Oh dear, Alex¡¯s mind sighed. The joke goes on. Did the team know I would meet one? Patina and Alex slowed to a stop, with Vod¡¯s group doing the same. None of them looked particularly happy to be there, but Alex suspected it was purposeful. The Bruise brothers took up positions to either side of Vod, and the fourth member of the group deliberately took a side step to be behind them all. Alex eyed her. Only coming up to his shoulder and covered in short, dark fur, a floppy-eared mouse girl dressed in black leather eyed Alex right back. With that look, Alex felt measured and slotted very easily into the box marked ¡®harmless¡¯. He could not say the same for the mouse girl, who radiated more danger than either of the elves she stood behind. ¡°Fourth Technician Alex Orz, ¡° Vod drew a breath. He¡¯d been hustling to get here. ¡°Alex. We just now heard about a great tragedy that has befallen my people in the second cargo bay.¡± Lies, lies, so many lies. Breathe in the facts, twist them, and breathe them back out. ¡°Fabian, ¡° Alex stepped forward, ignoring the twitching eye of his goblin companion as he extended a hand to shake. ¡°Good to see you. I take it you¡¯re heading to the same place we are - to see if there¡¯s anyone we can help.¡± Vod nodded expressionlessly, and gripped Alex¡¯s hand in a quick shake of greeting. ¡°Indeed. Though my people have courageous hearts, there are but few who could brave such a catastrophe as a dungeon break.¡± He tilted his head to his followers. ¡°You know the Bruise brothers. The young lady currently using [Identify] on you is Miss Step - and yes, she chose the name herself. Forgive her, she has a deep well of curiosity within her.¡± Miss Step rolled her eyes, but curled her lips up in an almost polite way. ¡°Just Step is fine.¡± ¡°We were on our way to gain entrance to the cargo bay and assist whomever we could find. How very fortunate that we met up with you along the way.¡± ¡°Yes, serendipitous indeed.¡± Alex smiled even as Patina scoffed behind him. ¡°Alex¡­may we talk?¡± Vod lowered his voice a little. ¡°Between those with authority.¡± ¡°Oh come on!¡± Patina protested. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Patina.¡± Alex assured her. ¡°Converse with your probably-never-gonna-be friends here. Politely.¡± Alex let Vod take his arm and step away from the group. Everyone looked even unhappier at this, but Alex heard the mouse girl murmur something to Patina seemed vaguely nice in tone at least. Vod paused for a moment before he looked down into Alex¡¯s eyes. The orc had a good amount of height on him, but right now he wasn¡¯t using it to intimidate. His presence just felt heavy. ¡°Well?¡± the orc asked, raising a heavy eyebrow. ¡°I took you aside so you can cast your aspersions. Go ahead.¡± ¡°You knew.¡± Alex replied mildly. ¡°That''s not an accusation, just simple truth. You knew that the dungeon existed, and you knew about its break before we even met.¡± ¡°Of course. These are my people, Alex. Your point?¡± ¡°There is no point.¡± Alex shook his head. ¡°I just wanted you to know that I knew so that we could stop with the play-acting. You¡¯d already written off everyone in there just like Harmony had. I¡¯m curious as to why you¡¯re here now, truthfully.¡± Vod tapped his chin thoughtfully for a moment, almost said one thing but shook his head and changed his mind. ¡°The adjunct called me. We made a deal.¡± ¡°Harmony called you? When? What sort of deal?¡± ¡°The moment you left her, I suspect, and the deal has nothing to do with you. I have questions, and she will answer them. A simple enough agreement and separate from ours which, I will note, the adjunct knows nothing about yet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a busy day.¡± Alex confessed. ¡°Yes, and congratulations on reaching level two. I look forward to your increasing usefulness.¡± ¡°So the four of you are coming with us?¡± Alex steered the conversation back to where it should be. Step one, find allies¡­ ¡°Not exactly.¡± Vod told him. ¡°My presence here is to lend a level of production and public optics to the situation. It¡¯s good to be seen doing this, and by your expression now I can see you understand that even if it bothers you. The [Rogue] and the [Bruiser] are here to guard whatever entrance you make, to assure that nothing comes out.¡± ¡°So¡­the mouse girl?¡± ¡°Heh. Please call her that whilst I¡¯m still around. I truly wish to see her reaction. And yes, the mousekin will accompany you while you do¡­whatever it is you believe you¡¯re capable of doing in there.¡± Vod explained, ¡°She has some very handy skills, and has been advancing upon her path quite steadily.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been using the dungeon to level-up your favorite people.¡± Alex sighed. ¡°Because of course you have. And I understand why. What skills does she have?¡± ¡°I appreciate you not taking umbrage and having an issue with my decisions.¡± Vod said simply. Alex chuckled darkly. ¡°I really do have issues with it, but there are more urgent things to focus on. Step¡¯s skills?¡± ¡°She can fight, obviously. She can also track and hide. Not particularly normal for our current environment, but useful things in unknown terrain. There¡¯s also the matter of Miss Step being the only person who escaped the quarantined area before it was fully locked down. Well, mostly escaped.¡± Vod looked back at the mousekin, and Alex followed his gaze to Step¡¯s tail which had a tight bandage wrapped around its tip. ¡°Those doors come down fast, Alex.¡± Vod murmured. ¡°But she was able to bring me the news so that I could adapt my plans. Miss Step knows where, exactly, the dungeon entrance is within the affected area.¡± ¡°Okay. I mean, I¡¯d really like all of you to come along, but even one extra pair of hands¡­are they paws? Sort of¡­?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s rejoin the others, Alex.¡± Vod suggested. When they returned he spoke louder, interrupting whatever vaguely antagonistic conversation was going on. Helwud and Patina looked disgruntled, with Jaek¡¯s thin lips twisted in amusement and Step¡¯s face carefully blank. ¡°There is an access tunnel - of sorts - not far from here.¡± Vod declared, ¡°I believe its integrity is weaker than the blast doors.¡± ¡°Oh, you believe that huh?¡± Patina muttered, ¡°It must be true then.¡± ¡°Of course. We made it so.¡± Vod smiled. ¡°One never knows when one must move outside of the adjunct¡¯s carefully designated areas. You should know that especially, Miss Bloodfiend, considering how much of the carriage you¡¯ve crawled about in.¡± Of course, Alex nodded to himself, He¡¯s making it harder for Harmony to lock him down in case of an emergency. ¡°Lead the way.¡± he said aloud. ¡°But Alex¡­¡± the little goblin whined. ¡°We want to save whoever¡¯s in there, right?¡± Alex pressed. Patina capitulated, and Jaek¡¯s smirk made her clench her fists tightly when she saw it out of the corner of her large eyes. That elf seemed particularly amused by making Patina irate. Alex let it go. He¡¯d seen the genuine emotion on the goblin¡¯s face when she was pleading to help, and an irritating distraction before things went bad was fine. Alex didn¡¯t have much more time to think after that. A few turns and corridors later, including one that had malfunctioning lighting that flickered strobe-like and caused unsettling shadows on the molded plastic and metal walls, and the group stopped inside a small office room much like any other above decks. Entry to the room had been somewhat distressing to Alex¡¯s job list - Jaek and Helwud had each grabbed half of the sliding panels of the door and wrenched them out of place. Metal buckled and groaned, but entry was granted pretty much permanently. Lucky Harmony couldn¡¯t see that. With a gesture from Vod the Bruise brothers quickly started to make steps against one wall - the desk and some metal crates that had been stored in the room were dragged into place, all leading up to a worryingly narrow ventilation grill near the ceiling. The panel looked warped and scratched, but apparently had been accessed before because Jaek took it off easily. ¡°Crawl through there, and after a slight downward slope you should come out in another room that is in the lower decks.¡± Vod explained, adding ¡°It should be close to the edge of the affected area, depending on how fast and far the entropic energies have spread.¡± ¡°That''s going to be a tight fit for me.¡± Alex sighed. ¡°Indeed.¡± Vod replied, completely unsympathetic. ¡°Once inside, seal the panel back in place with whatever skills you can utilize. These two will stay here and make sure nothing tries to break through.¡± ¡°Including us, if we seal it.¡± Alex pointed out. ¡°If you succeed, the lockdown can be lifted. If you fail, then it won¡¯t matter to you either way.¡± Vod said. Alex had to concede that point. ¡°I have no plan to die today,¡± he said. ¡°Then again I really didn¡¯t have any of this planned either, so¡­YOLO, I guess.¡± Vod tilted his head. ¡°Yo-low?¡± ¡°Oh, uh, YOLO. An acronym - You Only Live Once.¡± ¡°Interestingly inaccurate. Still, I can understand the sentiment.¡± Step was the first one to ascend, and when she reached the opening she quickly slipped inside, Her bandaged tail flicked and swished after her. Patina frowned at the opening, and sighed. She clambered up awkwardly and peered into the shaft. ¡°Go, ¡° Vod urged her. Patina craned her neck to give the orc a glare, and Vod rolled his eyes. ¡°Yes, Bloodfiend, I know you don¡¯t work under my authority any more, nor does following this suggestion mean you agree with any of my methods or actions. Now go and be the hero your little heart wants you to be.¡± Patina snarled something under her breath as Vod gave her a ¡®shoo¡¯ gesture. She scrambled into the ventilation shaft and, with far more noise than was necessary, disappeared. Alex shook his head. ¡°She really doesn¡¯t like you, does she?¡± ¡°True, ¡° Vod gave Alex a genuine smile. ¡°But once you find the right motivational buttons to press, it¡¯s very easy to redirect her anger at the universe in general - and at me. Time is short, Mister Orz.¡± Alex awkwardly climbed up to the vent, and wrinkled his nose at the faint smell of compost that wafted from it. The shaft was dark, and he couldn¡¯t make out Step or Patina at all. He had to go in feet-first, in order to be able to affix the vent back in place. It was awkward, but with the surprisingly gentle help of Helwud he managed to get inside without too many issues. Helwud forced the vent into position with a heavy clang, and darkness flowed around Alex as all light was extinguished. Oh yeah, Alex, totally YOLO. Whee, Alex sighed, and reached for his duct tape. Chapter Fourteen - Welcome to the Jungle As members of the board, you all enjoy the privilege of sitting in nice and comfortable chairs. Those chairs come with certain perks - money, mostly, let¡¯s be honest - which I can see each of you are concerned about losing should Ad Astra go under. Believe me when I say that I understand that concern, but now is not the time to panic. So the reports scream dire warnings about entropic build-up before we¡¯re even finished building the train. So what? We already have our research division on task to mitigate or even repurpose this relatively minor issue. The initial analysis of our proprietary and never-before-seen artificial entropy sinks show great promise. All I need from your very comfortable chairs is the vote to install them whilst bypassing certain lengthy testing periods that would, obviously, make your comfortable chairs slightly less so. A show of hands, please¡­? -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation. Alex couldn¡¯t see where he was going. Not only was the access shaft completely dark, but he had to fumble his way backward feet-first. Apparently neither Patina nor Step had any sort of issues seeing in the dark, a thing that Alex might have thought incredibly unfair if he decided to wallow in self pity. What that did mean though that they were able to guide Alex through the uncomfortably tight metal shaft. He could only move in small increments, and the shaft seemed to go on forever on a slight downward slope. Until he heard a pair of yelps and bangs, a hand grabbed his ankle, and Alex found himself momentarily in freefall as the gentle slope became a six foot drop. ¡°Owwww.¡± Patina complained as Alex handed feet-first on top of her. Beneath the goblin Step let out some sort of wheezing grumble. ¡°Sorry!¡± Alex exclaimed, ¡°I didn¡¯t know we were going to-¡± ¡°FALL!¡± he cried out, as their combined weight on the vent they had all piled up on was enough to make it give way. The second plummet lasted longer, ten feet between the ceiling and the floor and Alex found himself landing on Patina for a second time. ¡°B-bilgelicking b-¡± she gasped as Alex fell off her and landed a few feet away on his ass. For her part, Step had rolled the moment she hit the floor and wasn¡¯t part of the second pile-up. ¡°That wasn¡¯t fun, ¡° Alex groaned as he took the mousekin¡¯s offered hand and was hauled to his feet easily. Is everyone packing strength? ¡°Let¡¯s not do that again.¡± ¡°Seconded, boss.¡± Patina managed to say, ignoring Step¡¯s offered paw as she pushed herself back to a standing position. Step looked around and picked up the broken vent from the floor. She shook her head and handed it to Alex. ¡°I think it had been weakened too much, ¡° Step said, ¡°Whoever Overseer Vod got to do this for him was too enthusiastic. Can you do anything with it?¡± Alex examined the vent, and then looked up at the hole in the ceiling. He could reach up to put it in place, but when Alex attempted to use [Jury Rig] the skill didn¡¯t fire up with anything more than a vague feeling that whatever he did would be ineffectual at best. ¡°Sorry, ¡° he apologized, ¡°It feels like putting a sheet of paper over the shaft would have the same result.¡± Step nodded, and turned away to look around the room. Unlike the access shaft the room was dim but not pitch dark. Instead of Ad Astra¡¯s unnatural illumination the space was lit with a strange phosphorescent flower that reminded Alex of a dahlia - if dahlias hung from thin, dark vines that seemed to very slowly shift and move. The door was also covered in thick vegetation, blocking the way out, and it had been partly cracked open allowing the scent of hardy compost to fill the room. Across a third of the floor spread a thin layer of moss and more dark tendrils of plantlife. ¡°Can I assume that that shouldn¡¯t be here?¡± Alex murmured. Patina, who had never seen an actual living plant in her life, simply shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s dungeon creep, ¡° Step said. Seeing the look the others gave her, the mousekin continued. ¡°Entropic energies that have spread from the broken entropy sink - they change the environment in an attempt to match the inside of the dungeon.¡± ¡°Though it¡¯s a little different than I thought it would be, ¡° she added, ¡°I know that the vegetation isn¡¯t dangerous or poisonous, but the pollen from the flowers continues to glow for a few hours after being removed so don¡¯t get any on you if you¡¯re wanting to hide.¡± Alex nodded, but Patina didn¡¯t seem too happy with the information. ¡°And you just know this?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Step looked at Patina with some pity, ¡°I was one of the chosen few permitted entry to the dungeon. I¡¯m level nineteen now. [Rogue], in case you were wondering.¡± The mousekin smiled awkwardly at Alex as Patina¡¯s scowl deepened. ¡°I know this upsets your assistant, Alex, but I have no control over what Overseer Vod does and does not allow. I hope you understand that.¡± ¡°This is some first class shit-mixed bilgewater!¡± Patina snarled, ¡°He should be letting everyone access it if it¡¯s increasing levels that much! Even as a [Cleaner] it would help! We could all be benefiting from a dungeon!¡± ¡°Two points on that. Firstly, you assume that everyone would want to face the dangers of a dungeon, Patina. Not everyone has your desperate need to be more than they are. And secondly, ¡° Step quickly added as the goblin started to draw in a breath to argue back, ¡°The dungeon is - or was - very limited. It allowed entry to three people per week before it required time to regain its energy.¡± ¡°Still, there could have been a random lottery, or a rotation, or¡­fuck, I don¡¯t know, something.¡± Patina said, ¡°At least tell me that Vod has been distributing any resources found inside. The stories say that dungeons have loot, right?¡± There was a pause as Step shook her head, and Patina threw her arms in the air. ¡°Oh, come on!¡± ¡°Patina, ¡° Alex said gently, ¡°Later. Please.¡± He held up a hand at the goblin¡¯s protesting look. ¡°I know. I know. But arguing with Step isn¡¯t going to change it, fix it, or make it better in any way.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been in the dungeon before, you know what to expect. Correct?¡± Alex turned his gaze back to Step, who nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± she confirmed, ¡°Though with a dungeon break there are things that are likely to have been changed in some way. A dungeon has its own aspects that it builds with, but after being influenced by the outside environment we might have some additional things to be concerned with. Especially, I believe, outside the dungeon proper, where its control is more¡­fluid.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll lead, please.¡± Alex suggested. ¡°Of course, sir.¡± ¡°Sir?¡± Step smiled, without warmth or humor. ¡°You¡¯re the person with the highest authority here. Sir.¡± Patina muttered something insulting under her breath, and pulled back out her mop. Step¡¯s smile turned pitying, and then Alex was sure he saw a touch of calculation behind it. The mouse reached into a small satchel carried at her waist and pulled out a short knife before handing it to Alex. ¡°Use this with your assistant¡¯s tool, ¡° she suggested, ¡°My [Identify] says you have a skill that would help.¡± Alex saw her idea immediately. ¡°Patina, I know you¡¯re really attached to your mop, but how about we turn it into a makeshift spear?¡± The goblin¡¯s eyes lit up at that, and though she seemed reluctant to let go of her cleaning tool she handed it over to Alex with some small measure of excitement. The mop head was a twist-off thing which didn¡¯t take much effort to remove. Handing that back to Patina who stored it in her pouch, Alex took a few moments with [Repurpose], duct tape, and the knife. >Mop handle has been repurposed into Shoddy Spear. ¡°Well that¡¯s a little insulting, ¡° Alex muttered as he handed the weapon to Patina, who promptly tried to stab one of the vines with it. Her aim was off and the tip of the knife hit metal with a clang and a scrape. She blushed. ¡°I just need to practice.¡± Patina muttered. Step¡¯s eyes danced with amusement, but the mousekin wisely said nothing. Instead she handed Alex a weapon of his own. ¡°I know you have tools as well, but you might as well have a blade of your own.¡± she said, holding out a weapon Alex found he recognized as a farming implement. Or at least, that¡¯s how he¡¯d used it several years back when he was helping some friends out at a small vineyard in the Napa Valley. A short wooden handle was attached to an almost hook-like blade. ¡°I¡¯m not a fighter, ¡° he began. The mousekin disagreed. ¡°In a dungeon, everyone is a fighter.¡± Alex eyed the little sickle but hesitated to take it. ¡°I¡¯d rather stick with things I know how to use.¡± he confessed, pulling out his hammer. Step shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m sure you do, but apart from a distressingly blunt chisel you have no edged weapon, and yes I checked because I¡¯m awesome that way. Take it and don¡¯t use it for all I care, but have it on hand. Please.¡± She checked? When? Was it her [Identify]? Or did she somehow search me without even getting close? Or DID she get close without me realizing? Alex had to force his thoughts away from growing more curious about the mousekin¡¯s abilities, and took the little sickle. As far as weapons went, it was less than a knife and required a different set of skills to wield effectively, but Alex acknowledged that the mousekin was right that having the blade and not using it was better than needing it and not having it. For her part, Step drew out a couple more sickles. Hers were slightly larger, with dark metal blades that gleamed in the pollen-glow. She saw Patina looking at them curiously. ¡°Loot.¡± was all she said, before turning back to the vine-covered door and started slicing away at the covering vegetation. Once she was done, seeing that the door wasn¡¯t opening on its own, Step enlisted Alex to help her drag the door open whilst Patina stood ready with her makeshift spear just in case. What greeted the trio beyond the door made Alex let out a low whistle. Patina¡¯s jaw dropped. Step made a little sound that Alex couldn¡¯t translate, but the mousekin was then heard to murmur quietly ¡°Um, yeah. Okay. This is a little different.¡± Beyond the doorway was a dark, lush, and ominous-feeling jungle. * Not exactly a jungle, Alex said to himself after the trio had stepped onto a strange mat of spongy moss and leaf mold. His eyes darted all around, taking in the strangeness. The ceiling was invisible, a dark void above them strung with a multitude of thick and rope-like vines that connected strange black trees which had somehow erupted from the remains of the ramshackle buildings that had made up the bulk of the cargo hold. But close. A vine-choked overgrown ruin, much like one would see in a movie, was all around the group. They had exited the small room and found themselves standing on what had once been the main ¡®street¡¯ of the community here. Where there had been metal floor plating was now the detritus of centuries of accumulation from a deep and undisturbed jungle. Buildings still stood, overtaken with plantlife. Mostly vines and smaller versions of the trees that stretched up into the void above. The rustle of vegetation being shifted by the wind was only made more creepy when Alex realized that there was no wind. The vegetation shifted slightly all on its own. He got the attention of Step, who was also looking around cautiously. Everything was dimly illuminated by the soft glow of many glowing flowers. ¡°A little different?¡± he asked quietly, not wanting to raise his voice above a murmur for some reason. The mousekin nodded. ¡°The original dungeon was a cave system. It had vegetation, mostly the thin vines with the lit up flowers. Lots of cave fungus. When it broke and was expanding it was more of the same. I was running, so I didn¡¯t have a lot of time to take it all in but this is a lot more¡­expansive. Like the dungeon got hold of a different concept.¡± Her hands are shaking, Alex¡¯s mind pointed out. It was a very slight tremble, but it was there. A glance at Patina saw the goblin girl with her jaw hanging loose, eyes wide and startled as she tried to take in what she was seeing. ¡°The caves were cooler.¡± Step continued, her whiskers twitching nervously. This was worrisome to Alex because the [Rogue] had obviously seen combat before and was a much higher level than either he or Patina, and she was nervous. ¡°More cramped. Attacking myconids. Jeweled cave crabs. Stalagmites that exploded if you got too close. Not¡­whatever this is.¡± Then Alex had another thought, one that he blinked at the strangeness of. He was on a spaceship. Train. Whatever. This was probably more actual plantlife than either of the others had ever seen in their entire lives. All of them flinched when they heard a strange cry in the distance, almost like a howl. When Alex looked questioningly at Step she shook her head. ¡°No idea. But we can¡¯t just stand here. Come, but tread carefully. Be on the lookout for dangerous creatures.¡± ¡°And people.¡± ¡°Yes, I suppose so. Overseer Vod doesn¡¯t believe we¡¯ll find any.¡± Step said as they started to very cautiously walk down the jungle-choked street. ¡°Not alive anyway.¡± ¡°Yet he sent you in with us.¡± ¡°Image. He had to do something - he was already concealing the state of things here, and that wasn¡¯t going to last much longer. Another day or so and he would have had to say something anyway.¡± the mousekin explained. She paused and looked at a half-demolished shack suspiciously, but shook her head and kept moving. ¡°Plus, I¡¯m here to keep an eye on you.¡± ¡°A spy.¡± Alex nodded. It was reasonable. Vod was very likely going to get a report on any skills or talents Alex may have been hiding, as well as a general assessment of the type of person he seemed to be. The orc could use that when the time came to let go of the agreement he¡¯d so easily accepted. Patina, surprisingly, didn¡¯t kick up a fuss at the admission. Alex supposed the goblin was used to thinking of Vod in that way regardless. Still, her expression was growing more concerned as she continually looked around as if everything was going to attack her. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°You okay?¡± Alex asked gently. The goblin nodded sharply. ¡°Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Just making sure the greenery doesn¡¯t attack us.¡± she said, looking at the vines both above their heads and choking the sad buildings all around. ¡°I did say that none of the plants in the dungeon were hostile.¡± Step muttered, but her eyes swiveled just as much as Patina¡¯s did. Of course it was with that wildly waving red flag of a comment that Alex felt something wrap around his ankle. Before he could cry out he was yanked off his feet and dragged away. Alex flailed wildly as he was scraped rapidly along the mossy floor. ¡°Alex!¡± ¡°OOOF!¡± Alex felt all the breath get forcefully pushed out of him as Patina leapt upon the man. She was surprisingly heavy for such a little thing, but the vine around Alex¡¯s ankle didn¡¯t slow down despite the extra weight. Almost a blur, Step darted past them both with her sickles flashing through the air. She cut once, twice, and Alex felt his momentum cease. He lay there on the ground with Patina¡¯s stocky little body weighing him down as he gasped for breath. Step watched as the remainder of the vine dragged itself away into the darkness of a side street. She sniffed the air, frowned, and backed up to the prone pair. ¡°Injured?¡± she asked quietly, not looking down at them. Patina rolled off of Alex, stood, and then helped the man to his feet. Alex quietly wheezed to himself, still trying to get his lungs back into working order. After a long series of gasping breaths he felt able to reply. ¡°No. Patina, thanks for the tackle. Step, just thanks. What was that thing?¡± ¡°A vine of some kind.¡± ¡°One of those non-hostile plants?¡± Patina asked, busy brushing herself down. She didn¡¯t seem to want any of the moss or leaf litter on her uniform. ¡°I did say that things had changed. We¡¯d best be careful.¡± They went back to the main street, and Step bent over to pick something up. She handed it to Alex. ¡°It¡¯s best not to drop your weapon, sir.¡± she said as the sickle exchanged hands. ¡°Your assistant held onto hers even as she jumped on you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­not good at this stuff.¡± Alex apologized. The mousekin shrugged. ¡°Nobody is until they do it.¡± Alex wasn¡¯t sure what was worse as the trio slowly made their way toward one end of the cargo bay/habitat. On one hand he felt deeply uneasy about heading toward what was likely to be some sort of physical confrontation. Such things had never been his preferred method of dealing with things. On the other hand the entire area felt oppressive. It was warmer than the rest of the carriage, and he could feel a thin sheen of sweat starting to build up under his uniform. The jungle-like biome was strange - he¡¯d been in a tropical jungle just once before in his life, chasing a little ape with a yellow hat, but the feel of this area was vastly different. The trees, the vines, the half-covered structures, all of it felt vaguely false to Alex. More like the Hollywood archetype of a jungle ruin than an actual place. The occasional rustling or sound of vegetation moving around him seemed designed to put him on edge. When he brought it up to the mousekin, Step had thought about it for a moment and then nodded. ¡°I¡¯m not an expert on these things, but a dungeon isn¡¯t a real place. It¡¯s a construct of entropy exerting an image onto reality. The image - and I¡¯m pulling a word from Syntropy¡¯s messages to me from times I¡¯ve been in the dungeon before - is made up of a concept, and the greater the entropic energies the stronger the concept is. But in the end, the entropic energy doesn¡¯t have the uh¡­understanding of a real place?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like it¡¯s drawing a picture of an elephant using only key words.¡± Alex suggested. The mousekin tilted her head and then shrugged. ¡°I have no idea what an elephant is, but that¡¯s the general idea.¡± ¡°Guys? Where is everyone?¡± Patina spoke up, interrupting the discussion. ¡°The cargo bay is big, but three thousand people is a lot. We should have seen someone by now.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot of possibilities, ¡° Step said, pausing as she watched a slow-moving vine slide across the roof of a poorly constructed dwelling. ¡°Hiding, though I¡¯m not sure where, is one. The cargo bay has been changed a lot from its simple origins as a place to store whatever it was Ad Astra once had in here, and changed again by the dungeon. Death is another possibility, and the most likely. The problem with being dead is that there are no signs of it. No blood anywhere as far as I can see.¡± ¡°Is that part of your path skills?¡± Alex asked, vaguely curious. ¡°No, part of being me. My species are particularly sensitive to the smell and sight of blood.¡± Step told him. ¡°Ancestral origins of a prey species, I guess.¡± ¡°Huh. Okay. So¡­should we search more thoroughly for people that might be hiding?¡± he asked. ¡°Maybe in the closest buildings?¡± ¡°Farther than that, ¡° Patina countered, ¡°What we call Main Street in both the cargo bays are only just the surface. Side streets and back streets all the way to the bay walls have a whole bunch of little housing areas and places people can sleep. Then there¡¯s up the walls as well, because when you start running out of space and you have shit building skills you want at least one solid wall to hold on to.¡± ¡°We shouldn¡¯t waste time on that, ¡° Step disagreed, ¡°We still have an actively broken dungeon. I don¡¯t exactly know what your plan is for it, sir, but getting to its location to stop the entropic spread is vital.¡± I don¡¯t know what my plan is either, Alex thought to himself, feeling even more out of his depth. I¡¯m not sure what I can actually DO to fix things. I¡¯ll have to look at it first I guess. Alex sighed, and tried to display a confidence he was no longer feeling. It all felt very good and right and purposeful when he¡¯d insulted Harmony and dramatically left, but now that he was here and had no idea what he was going to do, he felt deeply stupid about the whole thing. Heroism is a fatal disease, the thought crossed his mind. It sounded like a quote, but he couldn¡¯t remember where it came from. ¡°Step, if we can somehow fix whatever went wrong that caused the dungeon to go crazy, all this will¡­return to normal?¡± ¡°I have no idea, but without the excess of entropic energy the creations of the dungeon should either gravitate back to the dungeon itself or die off,¡± replied the mousekin. ¡°We should check for people, ¡° he said, ¡°but we need to keep moving. No, Patina, I know we¡¯re here to save people but if we can fix whatever went wrong we can save everyone, right?¡± ¡°So if there¡¯s trapped people in the buildings we¡¯re just gonna leave them?¡± ¡°Where would they go if we freed them right now?¡± Alex asked. ¡°Back to the room with the vent that¡¯s been sealed at the other end?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know! Somewhere safe!¡± ¡°There is nowhere safe here.¡± Step murmured. She was only half listening to the conversation, her large ears twitching as she stretched to hear something in the distance. ¡°It¡¯s a dungeon. Where are they¡­?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know, that¡¯s the point!¡± Patina poked at the mousekin, but she didn¡¯t look back at the increasingly irate goblin. ¡°I mean the monsters.¡± Step said quietly, ¡°Where are the monsters?¡± That question quieted Patina down a little, and she squinted at the buildings around her. Foliage covered most everything, but the dark and toothless maws that had once been doorways and windows immediately developed a more threatening presence. ¡°I don¡¯t get this, ¡° Step continued, holding her sickles ready as she started to slowly walk forward again. ¡°A dungeon creates three things; Environment, monsters, and loot. All we have is the environment.¡± ¡°And a vine that tried to grab me, ¡° Alex reminded the mousekin, "That wasn''t fun." Step nodded. ¡°Which makes me wonder what it was attached to. Look, ¡° she turned and looked at the others, ¡°I¡¯m stronger than you, faster than you, and far more skilled. And I¡¯m worried, sir. The cave system had packs of mushroom creatures - myconids - that would attack anyone who stepped into their spore-range. The crabs were plentiful, and scurried about everywhere. There was a boss monster - a bigger, nastier thing - at the end of the dungeon that was a giant spore-infested crab. Where are they all? A dungeon break guarantees more monsters.¡± Alex could only shake his head wordlessly, not knowing what to say to the mousekin who despite her confidence was visibly twitchy. The trees whispered, a soft susurrus promising nothing but dark mystery, and the slow curl of vegetation around the ruined structures was no more than a quiet background of inevitable strangulation. ¡°We go on, ¡° he said, ¡°And as we do - carefully - do either of you know how to destroy a dungeon? Just in case we need to.¡± Patina once again wanted to argue, but she at least saw some of the logic behind the plan. Save a few people, and you have to take care of extra bodies. Save everyone and you¡¯re golden. She followed along, holding her spear far more like a mop than a weapon. ¡°I don¡¯t know, ¡° Step said, ¡°This is the first and only dungeon on the train.¡± ¡°That we know about, ¡° Alex said, thinking. If there were others - and he still wasn¡¯t exactly clear on how these things really formed - and they had also spread it would definitely explain the lack of communication between carriages as well as the sealed off entrances to them. ¡°That we know about.¡± the mousekin echoed, sounding uneasy. To her credit, the more experienced dungeon delver never reached a stage of distraction in her anxiety. She continued to keep an awareness of what was going on around the trio, occasionally stopping them for a moment as she peered at a vine that was moving slightly faster than the others, or a flower that flickered rather than steadily glowed. She was suspicious of everything, and Alex didn¡¯t blame her. There was a nervous tension in his chest unlike any that he¡¯d felt before in any of his previous events. There was something more real about this one - not his own death, though he was worried about that as well. Based on the event entry that Syntropy had given him, there were multiple possible outcomes and none of them sounded very appealing. They all gave the impression that things he did or didn¡¯t do in here were important. ¡°I am so not prepared for this, ¡° he muttered under his breath. This whole futuristic shanty town turned to overgrown jungle ruin vibe seemed to have nothing that would let him use his strengths on. There was nobody to talk to, to influence or guide, and nothing that he could try and repair that it made sense to- ¡°Movement,¡± the mousekin hissed, putting her arms out from her sides to stop the others in their tracks. There was indeed movement in the path ahead. Slowly at first something emerged from the open doorway of a derelict building up ahead. It was a strange, lumpy pile of vegetation that crawled inch by inch across the street. Thicker vine-covered appendages flopped forward, dragging the thing along. To Alex it looked disturbingly humanoid, and he involuntarily shivered. ¡°Do we-¡± Alex began to whisper, but the mound of vegetation froze in place. Something within it shifted, and a smaller tuft of dark-leaved plant life slowly twisted in their direction. With scraps of bark and moss and vines twisted and shaped just right the mound formed an eerie attempt at a humanoid face. ¡°Oh, bilge.¡± Patina moaned softly. ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡± With a burst of movement and a loud rustle of leaves, the creature hauled itself to two very unsteady legs and began to shuffle in their direction. Without being entirely conscious of it, Alex fired off an [Evaluate] at the thing. >Evaluation of Chloromunculus: Sickly. Suffering from decaying coherency due to insufficient ambient entropic energy. Suggested repair: Return to dungeon proper. Uh¡­thanks? No, I¡¯m not looking to fix it. But that was what [Evaluate] was for, wasn¡¯t it? It didn¡¯t show levels or paths or an analysis of the thing. The skill was to diagnose for mending purposes. [Mender] was a path that could technically, eventually, fix anything. This apparently included dungeon-spawned plant zombies. ¡°Both of you, hold back while I-¡± Step began, but Patina charged forward with a high pitched cry. The little goblin held her spear over her head with both hands and, when she reached the creature that was apparently called a chloromunculus Patina brought the spear down like, well, a mop handle. It had very little effect other than causing the creature to shift its attention entirely to her. Step let out a short huff of frustration and muttered something about overeager death wishes before darting toward the battle. Alex stood there, unable to move as he watched his assistant and the spy attack the creature with varying degrees of success. He¡¯d seen fights before. Outside of bars (and on a few occasions within them) it wasn¡¯t uncommon to have a couple of people come to blows. The fighting ring he¡¯d worked at was another, but despite the flashiness of it all there had been an easy casualness between the fighters that showed they had no true intent to do more than a little harm and maybe get some kickass scars. Even the hand to hand brutality of Alex¡¯s time refereeing on the border between the sasquatch and wendigo tribes was more formal than this. This was a goblin and a mouse girl attempting to kill a shuffling plant monster that, despite its apparent solidity, hadn¡¯t figured out that not taking damage was even a thing. With some rather put-upon sounding instructions Step reminded Patina that she held a spear not a whacking stick even as the mousekin slipped around behind the chloromunculus and sliced a strip of plant matter from its back. For her part, Patina started to stab with her spear, the only thing allowing her to actually hit the creature with her wild and untrained jabs was its lack of speed and desire for self preservation. The stabs were less effective than Step with her sickles, but a thick, rot-scented liquid slowly oozed from its wounds. With the creature¡¯s slowness and even less fighting skill than the goblin, Alex almost relaxed. They¡¯re going to beat it, he thought with relief. So caught up in watching the mouse girl dance around the plant monster with all the grace of a little furry ballerina, and Patina¡¯s clumsy but slowly improving movements, Alex didn¡¯t notice more trouble until almost the last second when a scrape of leafy vegetation made him turn just in time. Two more of the plant creatures shambled toward the group from behind. They were just as slow as the first, but had crept up on Alex and he stumbled backward just in time to not get hit by a slow downward swing from an arm made of vines and bark. ¡°Aaah!¡± he shouted, almost falling. He rapidly backed up, swinging the tiny sickle in his hands back and forth ineffectually in the air. ¡°Guys! More of them!¡± Patina didn¡¯t register Alex¡¯s exclamation as she was busy trying to stab the chloromunculus in front of her and move away from its heavy swings. Step did take note of the cry, and took a second to rapidly scan the area with her black eyes. In the soft light of the flower pollen, she squeaked softly to herself. Alex couldn¡¯t see them yet, but the mousekin saw even more approaching. She redoubled her efforts on the enemy before her, cutting away large strips of plant flesh which blackened and rotted rapidly as it fell from the creature¡¯s body. Alex continued to back up, trying to calm himself down. He was in a fight, very likely one in which he could be killed. [Unflappable] washed over his mind, suggesting to Alex that everything was going to be just fine and not to worry. It was the first time Alex had actually noticed the soul upgrade actively working on his thoughts, and in all honesty it didn¡¯t feel as nice as he¡¯d expected. It felt like a parent telling lies to a child. Everything will be fine. Go with the flow. You¡¯ve got this, his thoughts soothed with calming lies, even as Alex raised his sickle at the slowly approaching creatures. Another two had appeared, stumbling and shambling out of nearby buildings. I should totally have chosen [Improvised Combat]... He¡¯d backed up as far as was safe to do so, with his companions still engaged with the first chloromunculus. Alex looked around wildly, a small part of his brain dispassionately counting all the other shambling plant creatures that had appeared. There were nine chloromunculi in total now, and Alex¡¯s brain spun through his skills looking for something, anything that could help. [Jury Rig]? [Evaluate]? [Repurpose]? No. [Guesstimated Engineering]? A joke. He had nothing at all to fight with except a tiny curved blade and a few tools. Alex felt absolutely useless, but knew he would soon have to lend his inexpert hand to his friends. Fighting just¡­ Fighting scares me. Surrounded, outclassed, and relying on the obstinacy of Patina and Step¡¯s skill, Alex¡¯s brain suddenly intruded with the biggest red flag it could. Well, it could be worse. At least there¡¯s no giant crab. And of course that¡¯s when jewel-carapaced crabs the size of Alex¡¯s clenched fist began to rain down on the fight from the thick, ropey vegetation above their heads. Chapter Fifteen - We Can Be Heroes The Dendrian delegation screwed us over. Once they found out what we were planning to do with their precious seedlings, they went and sent us fakes. Good fakes, sure, but they won¡¯t hold up for what we need. Negotiations and bribery have failed, which leaves two options on the table for us, and I¡¯m not about to suggest that we start another war so soon after the last one. Prepare infiltration teams one, two, and five - yes, I¡¯ll authorize it as Chairwoman and if the CFO calls to bitch about it tell him to fucking bill me personally. We¡¯ll get what we need one way or another, and we do need those damn plants. Oh, and Bradley? Be a dear and encourage some jealous hostility down in the data management lab. The gossiper who decided to have a little chat with the Dendrians has a few more weeks of usefulness left in her, but that doesn¡¯t mean her time here needs to be pleasant. -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation. It¡¯s raining crabs. Hallelujah. Despite everything, the thought that flickered through Alex¡¯s brain made a giggle burst past his lips. Then Step was beside him, smacking Alex on the shoulder with her tail. ¡°Wake up!¡± squeaked the mousekin, her appearance startling Alex out of his surprised freeze. Then she was gone, dancing and skipping through the rain of crabs toward another chloromunculus that was getting too close for comfort. Alarmed to see crabs converging on him, Alex started to run. He wasn¡¯t very good at weaving through the increasing numbers of jeweled crustaceans, and several times he had to flail at his legs to strike them away. While the chloromunculi seemed only interested in the humanoids, the crabs attacked everyone. With shells sparkling and glittering in the pollen-light, the crabs scuttled far more quickly than the plant monsters. The crustaceans reached their shambling targets and used sharp legs to swiftly climb upward - the chloromunculi didn¡¯t even attempt to strike them away - and started tearing at the vegetation with their gleaming claws. Patina was forced to disengage from her plant monster with a yelp as several crabs began tearing into her protective uniform. She got clear of the creatures, and then narrowed her eyes as she saw the large number of crustaceans. The little goblin¡¯s face split into a grin, and she began to hop about like a demented green-skinned bunny in an effort to both dodge the incoming crabs and crush them under her heavy boots. The crack-crack-crackle sounds made Alex wince, and he did his best to avoid everything coming at him. The feeling of useless helplessness grew within the man, and he was forced to kick a crab away that threatened him. The crab landed in front of Patina, who jumped on it with another sickening crunch. Step¡¯s grace continued to show itself as the mouse weaved and spun, her flowing movements avoiding crab pincers and chloromunculus arms alike. The mousekin kept her focus on the plant monsters, slicing strips of vegetation away from their bulk. This drove the crabs into a frenzy as they swarmed the fallen chunks of plant matter before it turned black, and the monsters themselves to get at their wounds. Alex was much less graceful, still avoiding everything he could as he ran around, dodging what he could. At one point it was only by accident that he ducked under a chloromunculus arm, having accidentally stepped onto a jeweled crab. The crackle underfoot made Alex shudder as the carapace gave under his weight, and whatever strange life fluids the creature had within it splashed across the floor. Alex slipped, unbalanced, and was narrowly missed by the chloromunculus that had fixated on the [Mender]. >Jeweled Crab killed. 1 PP awarded. User in combat. Further PP notifications suppressed unless notified otherwise. What¡­ Patina apparently found this part of the battle quite hilarious. She continued to stomp and leap about, her breath heavy as she laughed. The crack-squish of the crabs under her boots energized the little goblin, and her eyes were bright with excitement. Distracted by the notification that he¡¯d killed something - even accidentally - Alex hit a vine-covered wall. His last dodge had been more awkward, and the man stumbled and let out a grunt as his shoulder impacted with the jungle-choked building. A chloromunculus shambled forward, but Step reached Alex just in time to draw its attention away from clubbing him over the head. ¡°Sir, you actually have to - ha!¡± Step sliced deftly at a bludgeoning arm, slicing the limb deeply, ¡°Have to attack them!¡± the mousekin exclaimed, dancing backward as the chloromunculus turned its full attention to her. Attack them? I can¡¯t¡­ Alex¡¯s mind worried. Though [Unflappable] kept him from going over the edge, the chaotic frenzy around Alex pushed him close to the edge. He couldn¡¯t attack, couldn¡¯t kill another creature. The one he¡¯d stepped on had been an accident, but- A shrill cry of triumph rang out. Step squeaked furiously as she finally managed to cut deep enough into the chest of one of the plant monsters to expose a pulsating object that glowed with a light that was, at the same time, a shadow. Alex¡¯s eyes ached to see it, the strange thing throbbing like a dark heart even as thick liquid flowed down its stomach and legs from the wound. Immediately, all of the closest crabs swarmed the chloromunculus, clambering quickly up its legs. The jeweled crabs focused on the creature¡¯s chest wound, digging in with their sharp claws, tearing at the pulsating object of dark light. The strange thing burst under the assault, and instantly the chloromunculus collapsed, a puppet no longer held up by the strings of an unseen puppeteer. Even as the sparkling crustaceans burrowed into the plant monster it was decaying faster, the vegetation rotting quickly. What was that?! Alex shot off another [Evaluate] as Step danced away with a grin of triumph on her furry face. >Evaluation of Chloromunculus: Broken. Entropic core destroyed. Entropic energies dissipated. Construct coherency falling. Suggested repair: Reform construct in entropy bath, replace entropic core. Alex eyed the fallen creature that was rapidly turning into a rotten wet puddle of vegetable stew. Construct. The word flared in his vision. It felt important. Distracted again, Alex was roughly struck by a glancing blow across his cheek by a dark green appendage. He stumbled sideways under the weight of the blow, not having noticed the next chloromunculus that had managed to shamble up to him. He cried out, more in shock than pain. >Health: 12/20 Twelve? Damn. Alex¡¯s thoughts sped up more. He had fallen to the mossy floor, far enough away that the plant monster would have to shuffle forward to reach him. However the jeweled crabs had no such problem, seeing a prone source of sustenance making itself available to them. Alex rolled away from the approaching crabs, only to roll right over the top of several others that had been approaching from the other direction. The crackling sounds played in Alex¡¯s ears as he moved awkwardly, leaving several sparkling carapaces crushed in his wake. Little legs twitched horribly, making Alex want to close his eyes. ¡°Sorry!¡± he exclaimed to the crabs. One of them was still alive as its brethren fell upon it, tearing at the injured crab and feasting upon it. It was with horrified instinct that Alex used his skill on the dying crab. >Evaluation of Jeweled Crab: Broken. Suffering from decaying coherency due to insufficient ambient entropic energy. Crushed carapace. Dismemberment underway. Entropic core damaged. Suggested repair: Reform construct in entropy bath, replace entropic core. Suffering. Alex hated that word. He didn¡¯t even like to kill bugs in his house, though he performed that duty when he had to. Suffering though, that word made Alex¡¯s stomach curl with distaste. Eventually the crab stopped twitching as its companions consumed enough of it to cause the rest to start dissolving into the same dark sludge as the chloromunculus. Patina leapt into Alex¡¯s view, crushing the gathered crabs with a dark chuckle as their fluids sprayed across the mossy floor. She looked fierce, her grin wide and happy. ¡°Come on, boss! Get it together, we¡¯re fighting here!¡± Then the goblin was gone. Alex saw that she was avoiding the chloromunculi as much as she could, content to allow the swarm of crabs to attack them, instead focusing on stomping and jumping on as many crabs as she could. Her boots were¡­well, ew. Alex shuddered as he got to his feet, suddenly left alone as the crabs, the plant monsters, and his companions were all focused on each other. Step continued to move, flowing around the battlefield and leaving dozens of slices and cuts on the plant monster¡¯s bodies. She ignored the crabs, letting them do her work for her as with every open cut on the chloromunculi the crabs attacked the wounds for her. For a minute, Alex felt a sense of relief. Things weren¡¯t completely awful - there was a chance that they could win this without him having to¡­ Alex looked down at the hand which held his borrowed sickle. It shook slightly, a tremor that he logically understood was fear. Fear of causing pain. Something barely remembered moved in his mind. Dark memories pushed at him, and Alex pushed back forcefully. In his peripheral vision Alex saw more chloromunculi shambling slowly toward the battlefield. Lots more. We aren¡¯t going to win this. With a deep breath, Alex pushed back whatever his mind was trying to force upon him and he frowned. There were too many. Even if he somehow helped, the trio couldn¡¯t do this. Alex made a decision, and he hoped it was the right one. ¡°Patina! Step!¡± he shouted loudly, ¡°We need to go!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Patina hollered back, her spear held tightly in both hands as she continued crushing crabs. ¡°Go?¡± ¡°There¡¯s more plant monsters coming!¡± Alex shouted, ¡°We can¡¯t beat them all!¡± ¡°Where do you suggest we go, sir?¡± Step called, weaving past a pair of chloromunculi that were completely covered in crabs. ¡°We can¡¯t go back the way we came.¡± ¡°Inward, ¡° Alex grimaced, ¡°We need to stop this or it¡¯ll just keep throwing things at us, right?¡± ¡°Right, ¡° the mousekin nodded, and with almost effortless grace performed one final cut on her target and danced across the battlefield toward Alex. Patina seemed reluctant to stop her crab-crunching duties. ¡°But I¡¯m getting so much pee-pee!¡± she complained. Alex¡¯s mind paused for a moment as he parsed that sentence. Then he recognized that the goblin was referring to path points, and remembered that Patina had complained about her advancement being so slow. The temptation of what was, to her, easy path points was a strong one, but Alex shook his head. An insidious suggestion came to his mind, and it was out of his mouth before Alex could analyze it. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Patina, do you want to have fun killing little crabs, or save your people?¡± Even as the words came out of his mouth Alex felt dirty. Much like when he¡¯d thrown cruel words at Harmony earlier, he knew they were manipulative and at the same time he knew that they would work. Was this the Deception sub-attribute, or just a part of Alex that he hadn¡¯t really explored before now? He didn¡¯t know, but it did what it was supposed to. Patina grimaced, and left off her role as Destroyer of Crustaceans to return to Alex¡¯s side. ¡°Step, take us out of here, ¡° Alex ordered the mousekin, ¡°We need to cut this off at the source.¡± With a short nod, Step turned and slipped into one of the side streets between the jungle-covered buildings. Alex and Patina followed, leaving behind the battlefield between the jeweled crabs and the chloromunculi. Only a few crabs scuttled after them, quickly dispatched by the scowling goblin as they approached. * The trio pushed onward. Step moved the group at a rapid pace, her large ears twitching as she listened for danger. The side streets were more vine-choked than the wider strip down the middle of the cargo bay, but there were less creatures to deal with. One or two crabs made a small nuisance of themselves, but Alex¡¯s companions took care of them quickly. Whatever creature the large vine was attached to that had initially accosted Alex was quiet and caused no trouble. The comparative quiet allowed - or, rather, forced - Alex to focus on the earlier battle and his complete ineffectiveness in it. He wanted to help, he wanted to keep his companions safe and get through this horrible place whilst saving whoever could possibly still be in here. However the thought of causing harm, and the sharp crack of the crabs he¡¯d killed, buffeted Alex¡¯s psyche relentlessly. I killed them, he thought, his [Unflappable] pushing back against the feeling of dread building up within Alex¡¯s chest, ¡°I hurt them¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Alex looked down at Patina, who was walking by his side with her makeshift spear gripped tightly in her hands. The goblin squinted up at him, her eyes glinting in the dim light. Alex realized that he¡¯d spoken aloud, and sighed. ¡°The crabs, ¡° he said quietly, ¡°I hurt them. I¡­I killed some.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Patina nodded. ¡°You sort of suck at it though. What¡¯s with the guilt-face?¡± ¡°Patina, ¡° Alex struggled to express how he felt. How do you explain to another adult that killing and hurting others wasn¡¯t a good thing? Shouldn¡¯t they already know that? The disconnect between his reality and that of the train¡¯s residents was a wider gulf than he thought he could reach across. ¡°I can¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s feeling guilty because he¡¯s ignorant.¡± Step replied from in front of them. Without turning, the mousekin continued, ¡°Sir, I don¡¯t know what your world was like, or how you grew up, but it doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯re not killing sapient creatures here.¡± ¡°We¡¯re killing monsters and animals, ¡° Alex pressed, ¡°And I made that crab suffer, even accidentally, by hurting it.¡± ¡°Sir, ¡° Step shook her head. ¡°Wait.¡± The group paused, and Alex held his breath as something rustled in the vegetation ahead. A slow-moving chloromunculi emerged, and began to shamble away from them toward the main street. When it was gone the mousekin gestured for them to continue. ¡°Right. You don¡¯t get it. You¡¯re one of those people who cares, which is fine and lovely and sweet, but here it¡¯s useless. The creatures made by a dungeon aren¡¯t real.¡± ¡°What, they¡¯re just my imagination?¡± Alex scoffed. ¡°Can I wish them away then?¡± ¡°You¡¯re being obstreperous. Sir.¡± Step added, ¡°They are real in the sense that they are physically present and absolutely a danger to us. But they are literally made by the dungeon out of entropic energies. They have no capacity to feel pain, no thoughts, no¡­soul? Yeah. They aren¡¯t real creatures. They¡¯re constructs, obeying the instructions of the dungeon¡¯s core.¡± Constructs. The image of a puppet with its strings cut returned to Alex as he recalled the chloromunculi that had fallen on the battlefield earlier. ¡°They can come in any shape or form that the dungeon can make, ¡° Step explained, pushing past a thick mat of vines that had mostly covered their path, ¡°Even looking human. Or goblin. Or anything else, really. But they are entropy made flesh - and are empty of anything that even someone like you could consider real.¡± This was important information. Alex¡¯s mind whirled, trying to reconcile what he¡¯d seen with what Step had told him. The creatures weren¡¯t real? They felt no pain? The twitching, dying crab he¡¯d half-crushed and then watched as it had been eaten hadn¡¯t actually suffered? But it felt real. ¡°We¡¯re almost there, ¡° Step interrupted Alex¡¯s thoughts. ¡°The original dungeon entrance was close to here.¡± If the things the dungeon makes are just constructs, then I shouldn¡¯t feel guilty. I shouldn¡¯t hesitate. I need to help. I need to- No. You can¡¯t do it again. Again? The crabs had been an accident initially. He could push past that. No. Memory pushed at him, a foggy and fuzzy thing that trickled into Alex¡¯s mind like ice water causing him to shiver. Don¡¯t kill anyone else. It wasn¡¯t a recent memory. Alex just barely remembered it. He was twelve? Thirteen? Still learning how to act and react. Events were confusing things and he hadn¡¯t adjusted to them well. He¡¯d thought he was being so very clever, but- No, Alex gritted his teeth and pushed back. The memory, half formed and painful, was pushed away again. [Unflappable] stood with Alex, a bulwark against the intrusion of something he didn¡¯t want to remember. Not yet. ¡°Alex?¡± Patina prodded at Alex, who jerked back to the present. He found that he was sweating badly, his hands shaking. ¡°You okay?¡± ¡°No.¡± Alex admitted, shaking his head to clear it. He had a lot of things happen to him in his life, and not all of the events had been wonderful things, but he felt that he¡¯d somehow forgotten one. On purpose. Why would he do that? ¡°Sorry. What?¡± ¡°We¡¯re there. But there¡¯s¡­a problem.¡± Step whispered, gesturing toward the end of the side street. The vegetation there had grown up and over the buildings, blocking their way. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to climb.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t just cut through?¡± The mousekin shook her head and tapped her ear lightly. ¡°Listen, ¡° she said in a soft voice. Alex and Patina strained to do so. Beyond the mat of vegetation that barred their way, Alex could faintly make out a wet, suckling sound that reminded him of a baby animal feeding from its mother. Whatever was just beyond the plant barrier was something Step didn¡¯t want to disturb, and Alex nodded to her. The [Rogue] had no trouble ascending the side of one of the buildings, using the vines that strangled it as hand and footholds. Alex felt a surge of envy at the lithe movements of the mousekin, and recalled that the time he¡¯d once tried rock climbing at the YMCA he¡¯d managed to get less than a third of the way up much to the amusement of his friends. Patina spat on her gloves and started the climb, and Alex was able to see bulges of muscle beneath the thinner parts of the goblin¡¯s uniform. He was once again reminded that there were attributes he could have increased to help with physical acts as he watched the goblin haul herself upward. She was much less graceful than the mousekin, but Patina reached the top in a decent time. It wasn¡¯t that high of a wall, the building having been constructed poorly by goblins. ¡°Come on, ¡° mouthed Patina encouragingly. Alex frowned, and gripped the vines. Under his gloves they felt solid, not shifting in any way beneath his touch. Climbing was surprisingly more simple than he¡¯d expected, more like a ladder than the Y¡¯s rock climbing wall. He still took longer than the others, and Patina grabbed Alex¡¯s collar and pulled him up the last few feet to hurry the process along. On hands and knees Alex found himself atop the building, panting lightly. ¡°Well, fuck.¡± Step murmured from where she stood, surveying the cargo bay area beyond the plant barrier. Her tail was held high, the bandage at its tip a white flag. Step¡¯s posture was tense, and Alex saw the mousekin clenching her weapons tightly. He let his own gaze move past the [Rogue]. It was a clearing, of sorts. Where the surrounding area had been overtaken with vegetation and thick vines, here was a large circular stone structure. Yes, some of the jungle had attempted to spread its influence, but something about this structure made it hard for the vines and tendrils of vegetation to get a good grasp on. Old, wet rock that was almost as organic as the jungle had grown out, up, and down to form a multi-tiered colosseum-like edifice. Dozens of cut-stone tiers rose up in a three-quarter circle with one end open, reaching all the way to the roof where sharp stalactites hung dripping mineral-laden water downward. Downward¡­was a pit. More overgrown here, vines slowly moved with alien purpose over thick, dark mounds that lay upon the stone tiers. And all the way at the bottom was a twisted, dark-leaved tree that radiated a deep purple light. Part of it was covered with stone, sharp jutting spikes of rock digging into its bark, but the bulk of the tree was free and its branches were laden heavy with writhing vines. ¡°That¡¯s not normal, right?¡± Alex whispered to Step, who shook her head. ¡°This is definitely not normal, ¡° she murmured. ¡°Look there. The dungeon entrance.¡± Step pointed with one of her sickles to a space both above and back from where the strange tree grew. A ripple of red light, suggesting to Alex a gaping wound in reality, was uncovered after a seemingly random building had been torn away by vines. The gash in reality was painful to perceive, and gave off an aura of foreboding that made the [Mender] want to shrink back. ¡°Is it¡­being attacked?¡± Patina muttered, squinting. The wound in reality pulsated, as if it wanted to close up but dark vines from the tree had thrust their way into the dungeon entrance, holding it open. On several tiers of the colosseum fresh and unsteady chloromunculi battled against jeweled crabs that burst from the dungeon entrance. Alex couldn¡¯t help but send an [Evaluate] at the scene. >Evaluation of Dendrian Sapling: Badly damaged. Entropic infection detected. Artificial potential limiters detected. Fusion with Ad Astra proprietary technology detected. Suggested repair: Remove entropic infection, remove artificial potential limiters. Remove Ad Astra tech. >Evaluation of Entropy Sink ¡°Cave of the Crab King¡±: Broken. Entropic energies overloaded. Dungeon entrance breached. Core badly damaged. Suggested repair: Reduce entropic overload. Remove foreign matter from entrance. Stabilize surrounding reality. Oh, so simple. Just stabilize reality. Sure, I got it. ¡°Alex!¡± Alex¡¯s head turned quickly to Patina, whose eyes had widened considerably. She wasn¡¯t looking at the strange tree or the dungeon entrance. The goblin¡¯s gaze was directed downward, to just beyond the barrier of vines that had caused the group to take to the roof. Laying on a bed of moss that half-covered smooth, wet stone was a goblin. His eyes were wide open, face twisted in pain or fear or both. Alex saw that the goblin was held in place by several vines, but the thing that had caused Patina to gasp Alex¡¯s name was the forearm-thick vine that had been sunk directly into the goblin¡¯s chest. The vine shifted very slightly as that suckling sound could be heard. ¡°I know him!¡± Patina exclaimed as she leapt from the roof. ¡°Come on!¡± ¡°Damn it, ¡° Step muttered, and jumped to follow the reckless goblin. Alex looked around, found a thicker vine, and awkwardly scrambled down to join the others. The prone goblin was roughly shaken by Patina, who kept repeating a word that Alex realized must be his name. ¡°Kelvak! Kelvak! Can you hear me?¡± She shook him again. ¡°Alex, he¡¯s not waking up!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to do, ¡° Alex confessed, using his [Evaluate] again. ¡°But¡­huh?¡± >Evaluation of Jatel Kelvak: In Stasis. Dehydrated. Malnourished. Actively being drained of life. Infected with entropic poison. Bubonic sacs detected. Suggested repair: Food. Water. Decouple from parasitic plant. Remove buboes. ¡°He needs the plant out of his chest.¡± Alex stated. ¡°I just don¡¯t know what that will do to him.¡± ¡°Well we can¡¯t leave him like this! He¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s being drained of his life force or whatever it is people have.¡± Alex said. It¡¯s feeding the tree.¡± ¡°They all are.¡± Step murmured. She wasn¡¯t looking at the body. She was looking up and around. Across every tier of the stone structure hundreds upon hundreds of vines stretched from the main tree. And so many of them trailed over stone steps and connected to prone forms, all around the open circle. "I think...I was very wrong about the dungeon. This isn''t just the dungeon at all..." They¡¯d found the people who lived here. All of them were linked to the tree. Chapter Sixteen - Just For One Day Rumor, gossip, and outright lies. Our so-called competitors are nothing but squabbling, envious children telling tall tales of the big bad Ad Astra corporation simply because they are unable to keep up with our level of progress. Our corporate worlds are developing faster than our most optimistic estimates. Those who disparage us know that we require cutting-edge transportation to meet our business needs, as soon as possible. As such, they will say anything - any nasty untruth, any wicked deception - to slow us down in both the galactic courts and in the eye of public opinion. So no, gentlebeings of the media, I personally guarantee that Ad Astra has not, is not, and never will cut corners in regard to vital safety infrastructure. Any rumors you¡¯ve had whispered in your direction that Ad Astra are utilizing dangerously untested experimental hybridized life support and power systems aboard our new flagship vessel are completely baseless. We are, after all, a People Almost First (?) company. -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation. It took a few seconds for things to more nearly slot into place in Alex¡¯s mind to process. There was a moment - fractional, to be sure, but it was there - that his brain protested at the sheer immensity of everything he¡¯d had to deal with thus far. There was a train. In space. Alex had an impossible task ahead. There were fantasy creatures such as orcs and elves and goblins. In space. Walking plant monsters battled jeweled crabs. Dungeons. A tree sucking the life out of people. Entropy as a manifested type of negative energy. Magic. Swords and spears and sickles. On a train in space. The fuck was Alex supposed to do with this? There was a vine attached to a goblin¡¯s chest- A breath. Two. Okay. Alex opened his eyes without realizing that he¡¯d even closed them. The scene hadn¡¯t changed, but Alex had. He kneeled down and looked closer at the - holyshitthere¡¯saVINEinhischest!! - prone figure. There were two many unknowns. That had been the case ever since his arrival in this mad place less than an Ad Astra day ago. So let¡¯s find things out. Alex¡¯s skill use had been very generalized thus far. Even his most-used skill, [Evaluate] had been utilized like slapping a flowerpot with a pillow - a very general and wide-focused strike. Nobody had told him otherwise, but surely if a thing is made up of other things, you should be able to examine specific parts of that thing, right? With a frown, Alex concentrated hard, trying to ignore the ick factor as he glared at the thing attached to the chest of the goblin. He wanted to know about that part. Just that part. I want to [Evaluate]- >Evaluation of Creeper Umbilicus: Sickly. Poor outward flow. Poor inward flow. Entropic decay. Chlorosynthesis delivery stagnated due to poor genetic transition. Suggested repair: Increase power. Remove entropic decay. Chloro¡­synthesis? Genetic transition? Alex¡¯s frown deepened. Outward flow, inward flow¡­it¡¯s not just taking his life, it¡¯s replacing it with something. Something from the tree? >Evaluation of Feeder Creeper: sickly. Multiple partial blockages. Entropic decay. Poor outward flow. Poor inward flow. Suggested repair: Remove blockages. Remove entropic decay. ¡°Guys, it¡¯s not just draining his life. It¡¯s putting something into him as well.¡± Alex said aloud, explaining what he¡¯d discovered so far. Patina leaned over the goblin¡¯s chest, as if peering more closely at the thing would help her understand. ¡°Something else like what?¡± ¡°Good question. We need to figure it out.¡± ¡°We need to be careful what we do next, ¡° Step said softly. The other two glanced where she was pointing. The battle was getting more frenzied - chloromunculi continued to push toward the dungeon entrance, battling against waves of jeweled crabs that spilled from the hole in reality. ¡°The plant monsters are slower, but stronger. The crabs are more numerous and quicker. They seem focused on each other, but it¡¯s only a matter of time before one side or the other realize that we¡¯re here and we have another fight to run away from.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of all this?¡± Alex muttered to himself. ¡°The dungeon is broken - how? And what does that really mean? The tree is attacking it - why? Everyone is linked to the tree, fueling it but also being given¡­something from it?¡± ¡°Alex?¡± Patina nudged the man. ¡°One second. There was something¡­¡± Alex pushed his mind against it. It had to make sense somehow. Whether this was an event or not, no matter how weird things were, there had to be some sort of sense to it. His eyes traveled over the scene, taking it all in. >Skill Received: [Holistic Rebuild] >[Holistic Rebuild] - Rank 1 (0/100) (Uncommon) (Active/Passive Skill) >This is a [Mender] path skill. >Active Time: 15 minutes. >Cooldown Time: 17 hours. >Well, you¡¯re no Dirk Gently, but you¡¯ve definitely developed a feel for how things affect other things. Everything is interconnected on innumerable levels - Syntropy is awesome like that, and now you¡¯ve got a taste of it in [Holistic Rebuild]. Or, at least, a glimmer of understanding, when it comes to how shit works. >Tinkers, engineers, doctors, even programmers have a habit of stringing all sorts of little things into their work that don¡¯t seem to make a lot of sense to the layperson and, sometimes, even to themselves. Whether by inspiration, experience, or just sudden whimsy at the end of the day, seemingly random bullshit just seems to somehow make things work better (or at all) when it shouldn¡¯t. >The interconnectedness of things is real, and powerful. Nothing exists alone. No matter how esoteric a system is, you¡¯re able to peer into it and get a basic understanding of not only what it¡¯s doing, but how it¡¯s doing it and maybe even why. >And then you can fix it. >Active skill: Visual aids provided. >Passive skill: Intuitive suggestions and understanding. >Shit, Alex, I don¡¯t even know. [Mender] seems to pull its skills out of its ass. Just a heads up, you probably have two or three more of these spontaneously generated skills left to manifest before the rest is down to hard work and leveling- >ALERT: Your Interface Liaison has been penalized 1000 path points for continual messaging infractions. Ouch. Sorry Peri, you gotta stop doing that. But¡­holism? That¡¯s a skill now? Not only was the use of a holistic outlook a thing, but was also very strange in how it manifested in Alex¡¯s vision as he took in the system involving the tree, the dungeon, and everything around both. It all started to make sense; A demented, skewed sort of sense, but it was there. Everything was connected in some way. Some of those connections were supposed to be there and, more importantly, some of them were not. Alex saw a golden glow around the parts of the system that were meant to be working together - the tree, the dungeon entrance, a ring of low shrub-like mounds that surrounded the tree a hundred or so feet out, and some of the vines - not all of them - were visualized as part of the system. The many hundreds of forearm-thick vines that were connected to the people here had a red haze about them, a sense of wrongness to their existence. The thick attacking vines that held open the dungeon entrance had the same red/wrong aura, as did all of the chloromunculi. The crabs, oddly, were golden, and the unconscious thousands of people had no color at all. And, to cap it off, the overwhelming feeling from the whole setup was not one of combat or destruction, but one of life and growth. From the dungeon, the tree, and the shrubs, though the system definitely felt broken, Alex felt that it was meant to all work together to provide something - something for the train - that was important for life. The red/wrong parts needed to be excised. ¡°Oh, ¡± Alex said. ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Got it? Got what?¡± Patina asked. ¡°I sort of know what¡¯s going on and, more importantly, I think I have a plan. We need to get down there.¡± Alex pointed, using his finger to circle the air where the low bushes sat ringing the tree. ¡°Down there? But-¡± Patina gestured to the goblin laying on the stone. Alex nodded, and looked again at the holistic connectedness of things. Everything was connected, but the people weren¡¯t supposed to be. ¡°I know. We¡¯re going to disconnect them, but we can¡¯t run around hitting one at a time.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your plan, sir?¡± Step asked. ¡°We split up, ¡° Alex grinned, though it was forced. He felt terrified inside. ¡°And it all starts with a brave, talented, and most of all agile mousekin going down there and distracting the hell out of everyone.¡± ¡°What?¡± Step looked at Alex, startled. ¡°You want me to fight them alone? I mean, not that you were fighting last time, but still!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to fight. Just distract them and keep their attention from what we¡¯re going to do.¡± Alex pointed at Patina. ¡°Can you do that?¡± * The plan was both simple and insane. Alex was okay with that - nothing had been completely straightforward about his time on the train thus far, so there was no reason to expect this to be either. Alex allowed a total of two minutes for Patina and Step to voice their many, many objections once he went into further detail about the plan, and then cut them off with a gentle suggestion that since the goblin called him ¡®boss¡¯ and Step was referring to him as ¡®sir¡¯, if they didn¡¯t have a better plan right now then moving forward with his was better than standing around talking ineffectually. That was why Step found herself creeping around the battlefield chaos. Getting to where the dungeon entrance hung in the air wasn¡¯t terribly hard given her skillset. [Hiding], [Sneaking], [Quiet Steps] - these were all selections she¡¯d made along her path, and spotting the [Rogue] in her work would have been difficult even if there hadn¡¯t been a fight going on. Her part of the plan was, according to Alex, the easy one. Get close to the dungeon entrance, make a hell of a lot of noise, and then run around like crazy keeping everyone¡¯s attention on her. Step was somewhat fuzzy on the understanding of exactly how this would help Alex with his part of the plan, but when the mousekin had asked he¡¯d rattled off something about bringing ¡®all the parts to a harmonious whole¡¯ which said a lot about the human¡¯s current mental state. Still, Step was glad that some sort of decision had been made. The mousekin wasn¡¯t a natural leader and though she could be quite autonomous in her duties she still preferred someone to lead - if for no other reason than to take the fall when things inevitably fell apart. With stealth, Step was able to make her way to her target position with little fanfare. Only twice did she have to stop in place to allow a shambling chloromunculus to pass, both of which were heading as fast as they were able toward the dungeon entrance. She followed along behind, careful and quiet as her feet pressed down on the soft moss with no sound. Soon enough she arrived, and Step looked at the dungeon entrance with curiosity. When she¡¯d first been selected to enter the dungeon, the entrance had been hidden away inside a locked room labeled ¡°9997 Auxiliary Power Station¡± which, Overseer Vod had explained, was nothing to worry about. That first day of stepping into what was essentially another dimension attached to reality had been an insane and frightening experience. The entrance had been a narrow slit in the universe that the chosen few had to pass through in single file. Now the vines choked up a large part of the entrance, but the cut in reality itself was much wider than it had been - the thick vegetation literally tearing it further open. Alex had been vague, his eyes taking on a strange golden glimmer, but he¡¯d been adamant that Step didn¡¯t need to fight; Just a distraction? She could do that. Step took one more look at the crabs and plant monsters, lumpy pools of dark and rotting vegetation mixed with the crushed remains of jeweled carapaces littering the moss-covered stone, and took a steeled herself. It was said that centuries ago the battle cry of the mousekin tribes would strike great fear in the bladders of their foes; Something about the pitch made people need to pee, apparently. Step wasn¡¯t sure about the biology of the crabs or the chloromunculi - she was a carriage girl all of her life before starting to dive the dungeon, and creatures like these weren¡¯t part of growing up on a space train normally - however the cry should at the very least get everyone¡¯s attention. Whiskers twitching, Step took a deep breath in and channeled the warrior¡¯s call of her ancestors. Or, at least, a reasonable approximation considering the mousekin tribes hadn¡¯t existed for many centuries and all she had to go on were the stories her parents had told her as a child. As the battle cry echoed across the battlefield, the tree shivered, and Step felt the heavy weight of attention settling upon her furry shoulders. Then, hoping that Alex¡¯s stupid plan was going to work, she started to run. * Some years back, there had been a snippet of a video that had been making the rounds on the Internet. Alex remembered being delighted by it and had searched for the source. National Geographic had done a piece on the grasshopper mouse as part of one of their nocturnal creatures documentaries. Not only a ferocious little brawler, the grasshopper mouse had a habit of declaring its territory by howling like a tiny wolf; A thin, eerie cry that Alex had thought was so adorable he could die. The sound that came from near the dungeon entrance was just like that, only much louder and containing a level of I Will Fuck You Up threat to it that curled in Alex¡¯s lower abdomen. Crabs and plant monsters alike froze in place for a moment, and then both sides of the combat moved as fast as they were able in the direction of the sound. ¡°Okay, ¡° Alex turned to Patina, ¡°My turn to- Hey! Are you okay?¡± The little goblin clutched at her ears, pain written all over her face. Patina gritted her teeth and shook her head quickly. ¡°That was fucking loud.¡± she said with more volume than was needed, ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I¡¯m off, ¡° Alex pointed toward the tree, ¡°Wait until you see my signal.¡± ¡°I still think I should be the one to ah bilge, he¡¯s gone.¡± Alex had slipped off the edge of the stone tier to avoid the argument, and moved as quickly as he was able. The stone was springy with moss and damp enough that he had to be mindful of his footfalls, but Alex concentrated on getting down the strange stone construction. Falling and rolling down multiple stone tiers that had five-foot drops between them would not have been ideal. The whole construction was weird to Alex. With the way things had been made, it was evident that no normal person would be using this space - there were no steps for people to use (and, his mind pointed out in a random pop-up thought, no safety rails) and the entire place was starting to remind Alex more of an open-faced pit mine than a colosseum. Descending, Alex had to grip some of the thicker vines, cringing slightly as they occasionally shifted a little under his gloves before he¡¯d even put any weight on them. Red/wrong haze still permeated his vision when he looked at these growths, and Alex recalled that the skill had a time limit when used in an active way. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. The concept that everything was connected in harmony and balance wasn¡¯t a new idea to Alex, but the prolonged gift of insight he¡¯d been given by this new weird passive skill was highlighting the things that belonged to a particular system, and those that were definitely not part of the harmonious whole. There wasn¡¯t time to do anything about it now, but there had been some red/wrong haze within his goblin companion as well - just a little, but it was there. It¡¯s nothing to do with the tree-dungeon system, but something to deal with later. Still half distracted with thought, Alex stumbled over the legs of a prone orc woman and almost fell. He called out an unnecessary apology to the unresponsive figure as he kept moving. The closer he came to the tree, the more his [Holistic Rebuild] was suggesting certain levels of wrongness that existed. The tree is too large - way, way too large. It shouldn¡¯t be a tree at all, his mind processed the half-visual and half-intuitive suggestions from his skill. It¡¯s being given too much food. When the dungeon broke or overloaded or whatever, it must have pushed too much energy into the tree which it couldn¡¯t disburse quickly enough. It was all just whispers in Alex¡¯s head, but Alex felt that because the entropic energy had no other place to go it had caused the tree to experience a massive amount of growth that was corrupted or twisted by the entropy that it was forced to channel. And much like any plant that gets overfed or overwatered, it was being killed by the process. This, [Holistic Rebuild] suggested, would be very bad for everyone. Alex hit the lowest tier, a flat surface that served as the main battlefield between the tree and the dungeon. He looked up and saw Patina¡¯s tiny figure high above. How am I this deep? Is the train seriously this tall? Or is it part of the whole dungeon reality-twisting thing? There were no monsters in Alex¡¯s immediate area thanks to Step. Alex¡¯s way forward was clear despite the dungeon continuing to spit out jeweled crabs in groups. Fewer in number, the tree¡¯s defensive guardians were made with¡­what? Chlorosynthesis? For a brief second Alex thought that the people were being turned into the plant monsters, but there was no flesh and blood inside the creatures when Step and Patina had been attacking them earlier. Chlorosynthesis. That part still evaded Alex¡¯s understanding, but he¡¯d have to worry about it later. The why of it was on the horizon, far enough away that the immediate concern was to stop whatever the process was whilst at the same time cutting off what was apparently a secondary fuel source for the tree. A chloromunculus spawned. Alex flinched as he saw it happen whilst he was looking in the direction of the tree. The act of creation was almost instantaneous; A split appeared in the trunk of the Dendrian Sapling - a weird name, considering the size of the tree - and a plant monster stumbled out of it. The tree sealed back up afterward, and the chloromunculus staggered away. A quick look in its chosen direction was enough to see Step dancing ahead of a larger group of monsters - crabs and plants alike - that chased her. The mousekin¡¯s expression was hard to make out from this distance, but Alex liked to think that she was doing okay. The system needs to be balanced, he felt his skill urging him on. Starting THERE. The ¡®there¡¯ in question was the closest shrub-like mound. The closer Alex got, the less natural it looked; instead of simply being a plant instead it was a strange fusion of plantlife and technology. Buried under the clusters of vines and thick, dark foliage was a construction of shaped metal and plastic. Panting with the exertion of reaching the thing, Alex fired off an [Evaluate] whilst catching his breath. >Evaluation of Distribution Node #7: Malfunctioning. Forcefully rerouted. Entropic decay. Multiple blockages. Incorrect flow routing. Suggested Repair: Remove entropic decay. Remove blockages. Reroute flow to original purpose. The original purpose did not include roughly three thousand people being drained of life to fuel it. Alex carefully pushed through the leaves and encasing vines with his fingers and saw an open access panel on the node. The plants had grown into the circuitry, fusing with it in ways that he couldn¡¯t understand. He didn¡¯t need to though - all Alex needed to do was start cutting. Alex took a moment to look up and away to where Patina still stood, clutching her spear like it was a life preserver. A golden glimmer settled on the little goblin, but Alex was vaguely interested to see that the spear was red/wrong in his vision. Not that it mattered right now. The [Mender] raised his hand in the air and waved it at the goblin, who waved back with her spear. Having signaled readiness, Alex turned his attention back to the vine-covered node, and more specifically to the hundreds of feeder creepers clustered all over it that stretched out to people in roughly Patina¡¯s direction. It was hard to decipher which one exactly led to the prone goblin Patina stood near, but Alex made a guess, held his little sickle tightly, and began to cut. The first slice sprayed dark fluid in the air, and the vines began to shake. * Patina was angry. And scared. And worried. And frustrated. Still, the bulk of the emotion contained within the little goblin was anger. She was stuck up here watching as Alex awkwardly made his wan down toward the tree. The human was putting himself in danger, and Patina had to just¡­stay. Idleness had never been a part of Patina¡¯s makeup, even when avoiding the cleaning tasks she¡¯d been assigned to do her own thing. And Alex is doing something to help people. I¡¯m not, she grumbled inwardly. That would change though, she knew, and Patina would become incredibly busy if Alex¡¯s theory played out correctly. She had no idea how he suddenly just knew stuff about what was going on, but she could admit that she didn¡¯t have any better idea of what to do, and if Alex was correct¡­ ¡­they were going to save a lot of lives. And that was something that appealed to her soul. Even if she had to be left behind up here in order to do it - once the people started to wake up - again, if Alex¡¯s suddenly random confidence was correct - a familiar(ish) face would be helpful to them. Patina couldn¡¯t even see Step. That damned [Rogue] was stealing all the limelight by being so very capable and agile and talented. Patina told herself she didn¡¯t feel envious that she was a [Cleaner] whilst the mousekin had a much more exciting path to follow - one of the rare few in the carriage - no, there was no envy there, she was quite adamant about that. The little goblin just really, really wanted to be the one doing awesome stuff like fighting monsters and being a hero. Not that the mousekin was actually fighting. She was apparently just running around and pulling the attention of the monsters away from-oh! Patina waved with her spear as she noticed Alex was in position and signaling her. Down below, Alex cut one of the feeder creepers at its source. The effect was fast; The creeper immediately began to wither, starting at the cut end. The withering plant turned to dark sludge that spattered on the ground as it traveled up to- ¡°Bilge!¡± Patina leapt down one tier and made a mad dash to another goblin just as the connected part of the creeper dissolved into dark ooze. Patina didn¡¯t recognize this one, but he immediately shot up to a sitting position screaming as he clutched at his chest. Patina slid on her knees to reach the screaming goblin. Breathlessly she started to speak in what she hoped were soothing tones. ¡°Hey, hey, it¡¯s okay. You¡¯re okay. Please stop screaming. You¡¯re okay!¡± ¡°I¡­free? What?¡± the goblin stammered in confusion once he¡¯d stopped panicking. He looked down at his chest where blood was trickling from a small wound, and then up at Patina with the wide eyes of their species. ¡°What happened? Where are we?¡± ¡°Dungeon break. Altered reality. Long story, ¡° Patina said quickly. ¡°I¡¯m Patina - a [Cleaner]. Everything¡¯s gonna be okay. I¡¯m going to get everyone out of here.¡± >A Promise Has Been Witnessed. Fucking WHAT? Patina blinked quickly, confused by the message that had appeared in her Interface. The goblin frowned, and looked around again. His face twisted as he saw the prone forms of people with whom he had lived and worked among for years all unconscious under the eldritch ministrations of the vines. ¡°Right, ¡° he said firmly, ¡°Help me up. Genjaro Mays. [Cleaner] also. I can help.¡± Patina took Genjaro¡¯s hand and felt the slick sensation of blood from where he¡¯d been clutching his chest. The other goblin chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s going to need a good clean. Lucky for us, eh?¡± Patina hauled Genjaro to his feet, the other goblin wincing in pain as his body adjusted to being upright again. He swayed for a moment, and Patina frowned. ¡°You okay?¡± ¡°Better than.¡± the other goblin let out a deep breath. ¡°Actually, I feel fairly great.¡± ¡°Good, because my boss is waiting for me to let him know he can keep going.¡± Patina stood, and began to wave her spear down at Alex, signaling that the person he¡¯d cut free from the tree¡¯s strange machinations was as fine as could be. Alex mirrored the gesture, and began to cut other creepers in earnest. ¡°Vod¡¯s here?¡± Genjaro frowned, absently scratching his armpit. He felt a lump there, and prodded at it. It wasn¡¯t painful. ¡°No. Even longer story.¡± Patina said. As she spoke, another creeper began to wither, raining down dark sludge as it dissolved. And then another. Both of them were in opposite directions, one up a tier and one down. ¡°You go down, I¡¯ll go up. Make sure they¡¯re not going to-¡± Someone began to scream, and Patina winced. With a quick mutual nod, the two [Cleaners] got to work. Things very quickly became far too busy for the little goblin to worry about heroic battles. She had people to take care of. * Alex knew that he was putting a lot of pressure on Patina - even more so than he had with Step. The mousekin was skilled for the type of thing she was doing. Even with her heart set on being more than what she was, Patina was a [Cleaner], and didn¡¯t have much in the way of path skills to help her with this. Not that Alex cared much for the whole ¡°stay in your lane¡± path system to begin with; It was frankly absurd that people here didn¡¯t try to branch out and learn more than what their path gave them. Whatever the reason was, it didn¡¯t matter right now because the little goblin was the best suited out of the three for staying up high and out of trouble. With she¡¯d given a specific wave of her spear - the one he¡¯d quickly designated as ¡°Alive and good enough¡± rather than ¡°Alive and needing urgent attention¡± or ¡°dead¡± - he began to cut additional creepers as quickly as he could. From what he was gleaning with this strange sense of holistic insight, the tree was losing the fight with the dungeon that it was trying to drain and the only thing keeping it in the fight was the additional resources it was siphoning from the people linked to it. He needed to deprive it of as many nutrients as possible, as well as halt whatever the hell chlorosynthesis was. It didn¡¯t sound beneficial to the survival of the residents of the former cargo bay. The sickle flashed as he grabbed feeder creepers, slicing downward close to the node. It wasn¡¯t a difficult task - the sickle was quite sharp, and despite being a city boy Alex had used a sickle before. Once, anyway. For one incredibly early morning in the Napa Valley where he¡¯d been staying overnight at a friend¡¯s vineyard, Alex had been enlisted to help harvest grapes. There was no special event or issue to deal with, it was just one of those learning experiences that seemed to pop up from time to time, and so Alex had been shown how to use a sickle on the grape vines. In all honesty, he hadn¡¯t been great at it, but since the grapes didn¡¯t actively fight back they weren¡¯t exactly an issue to cut away with the sharply curved blade. This was quite close to that experience, apart from the dark sludge building up around his boots and the increasingly violent shuddering from the thicker vine which connected the node to the tree. Alex felt as though his time doing this was limited, and that Step¡¯s distraction would only keep up for so long as the tree didn¡¯t fully notice what was going on. So he cut, and cut, and cut again, ignoring the ache in his shoulders and the rotten vegetable smell of the dark fluid. There were hundreds of creepers on this one node, and ten more nodes still needing his attention¡­ * Progression was very much like an avalanche. The fact that the people in stasis woke up immediately once the feeder creeper had been disconnected, and the high level of pure vitality they felt upon waking meant that Patina could quickly direct them to assist others as Alex released more and more Ad Astra employees. Though Patina wanted so badly to be down in the thick of things, she also felt as though she was accomplishing something good here in helping to get people moving. Where they would all go was a question for near-future Patina to worry about. For now, this was good. With a roar, one of the victims surged to their feet the moment her vine was removed, snarling and grasping at the poor goblin who had been closest to her. A minotaur woman, lacking the usual horns of her kind but definitely not lacking in muscle, bellowed in rage and confusion until Patina had run over to explain what was going on. Explaining to people that they were stuck in the wake of a dungeon break - something most of them had only ever heard of in stories - took too long, but she tried to say a few words of encouragement to as many people as she could. Explaining why they shouldn¡¯t just charge toward the tree below or, more sensibly, flee toward the closest blast door and try to batter it open somehow, was harder. For those with demands about the strange, painless lumps beneath their armpit or on their neck she had no answers at all. She felt like she was being pulled in all directions. There were so many now, some quietly sobbing, others stumbling about, and more asking for help or even begging to assist. Patina gritted her teeth at the chaos but kept moving. There were still so many left to save. * Step knew when Alex had done enough to get the tree¡¯s attention. It had been exhausting to keep the interest of the slower-moving chloromunculi whilst staying ahead of the faster jeweled crabs, especially as both sides were just as easily distracted by each other. Still, she¡¯d been mostly succeeding up until the point that suddenly she wasn¡¯t. The crabs still gave chase for the most part, but the chloromunculi had peeled away from the chase in order to shamble toward where Alex worked. The human had cut away close to two thirds of the creepers from the strange shrub-like growth, and that was apparently enough for whatever passed for the intellect of the tree to assess Alex as a threat. Squeaking a curse, the mousekin raced along quickly to head them off. ¡°Sir! Look out!¡± she cried, seeing that she wasn¡¯t quite going to make it to Alex in time. Alex was slow to react - Step had noticed that several times now. Instant reaction to sudden surprises was not one of the human¡¯s strengths, and so he was unable to get out of the way as a plant creature rammed into him. It didn¡¯t even bother to use its arms, simply using its bulk to batter him away. >HP: 3/20 Alex¡¯s Interface flashed. It wasn¡¯t really health, despite the letters standing for Health Points. He¡¯d been told that. The HP label applied to some sort of aura or shield that kept a person from taking true damage. Still, that protection was very nearly gone and Alex scrambled back as best he could to avoid the plant monster¡¯s next strike. Step sped past, her sickles slicing a deep gash in the plant monster¡¯s side that was threatening enough to turn its attention back to her. The mousekin danced away quickly, tail flicking in the air as she moved. ¡°Th-thanks!¡± Alex called, but the [Rogue] was busy trying to collect more chloromunculi to respond. Some crabs reached Alex, but he was able to get back to his feet again and avoid them. More plant monsters were approaching, and Alex was forced to abandon the node he¡¯d been working on and move to the next, leaving some of the feeder creepers still attached. * He wasn¡¯t going to be able to keep this up. After a new pair of chloromunculi, freshly created and still staggering as they got used to their legs, emerged from the trunk of the tree to converge upon Alex, he was pushed to the next node along. Then the next, after cutting away what creepers he could. He was leaving more and more behind, and hoped that circling around he could get back to them again, but two things were making that more difficult. Alex was tired. His body ached, and his breath came in short ragged gasps. Sustained activity wasn¡¯t abnormal for Alex, but this was far beyond normal. The tree must have been getting desperate now, because all of the plant monsters were converging upon Alex, practically ignoring the crabs that still bit and snipped at them. The moment Alex knew that he was definitely in trouble was when the vines became animated. He¡¯d known it was possible - Alex had been attacked by a vine right at the beginning of their exploration of this place - but seeing several thick tendrils rearing up and writhing like snakes was cause for grave concern. The vines were fast. Fuck! Fuck! Fucking fuckity fuck! Alex¡¯s thoughts raced as he ran, dodging as best he could. The vines shot at him with the intent to stab, to pierce, to do to him what they¡¯d done to thousands of other bodies already. Alex felt so very close to panic that he almost dropped his sickle as he ran. Still attempting to do what he could, Alex circled around and cut a feeder or two from a node before running again, narrowly avoiding the heavy strikes from the ones that pursued him. He had to keep going, despite it being unsustainable, because out of the corners of his eyes he could see a beehive of activity up on the stone tiers as more and more people were moving; Released from their stasis the denizens of carriage 9997 helped each other, awkward and jerky in their movements. The burn in Alex¡¯s legs and lungs was too much. More than that, the nodes were becoming inaccessible - learning his movements, the tree had directed its spawn to guard the nodes instead of chasing him. Jeweled crabs glimmered as they attacked, even reaching the tree itself in their assault. What can I- All thought was interrupted with pain. Actual, real pain; a feeder creeper took advantage of Alex¡¯s rather predictable movements and managed to pierce the [Mender] in the calf. He cried out in startled pain, and found himself hitting the ground hard. >HP: 0/20. You are now taking true damage. SHIT! The sudden panic was immediately replaced with a sense of relaxation and calm. It wasn¡¯t Alex¡¯s [Unflappable] doing the work this time. Alex felt a cool sense of serenity flowing up through his veins; this serenity came with suggestions to stop, to lay down, to sleep¡­ ¡°Alex! Sir!¡± Step noticed Alex stumble and fall, but she was unable to reach him as more feeder creepers became active, targeting the mousekin. Between dodging those and the crabs, Step was thwarted in her attempts to assist the fallen human. Sleep. Relax. Just stop. Alex tried to fight, to resist the powerful suggestion, but he failed. With fluttering eyelids Alex¡¯s head rested on the moss that seemed so much more comfortable than it should be. He had to cut the feeder creeper away, he knew that. It was sedating him, just like it had the others. But his arms and legs couldn¡¯t move, and wouldn''t respond to Alex¡¯s increasingly confused mental commands. All he was able to access in this state were his skills. Skills¡­ Alex struggled to focus, concentrating as best he could on the feeder creeper attached to his leg. Another was slithering close, aiming for his chest but that didn¡¯t matter. Alex desperately thought as hard as he could, with one still-active concept in his mind. Everything is connected. [Repurpose!] Alex felt his skill flowing out through the feeder creeper attached to him. He then felt something on the other end of the connection start to fight back. Chapter Seventeen - The Consequence of Choice When you have the luxury of time, choices can be easy. You can gather all of the data you need and spend time analyzing every aspect of the options available to you. Unfortunately life rarely allows such a luxury, even for people such as ourselves. Despite everything we¡¯ve built and everything that we¡¯ve become there are choices that require split-second decision making without access to all of the necessary information to make the best choice possible. To the remaining members of the board, I say this; What happened to Chief Compliance Officer Verit Mau¡¯sk and Entity Resources Officer Hanni Pesh was the effect of such a choice. It was a terrible choice, made in the darkness of ignorance and with the squeeze of limited time. Also, I wish you all to recognize, it was a choice that we would have made again if necessary. Later today when we gather for the memorial service, remember that it could be one of you who has to make the next choice¡­or be on the receiving end of its conclusion. Ad Astra Quia Oportet. -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation. Alex was still lying prone in the middle of a battlefield. Intellectually he knew that. He also knew that right now he was also standing in an ocean of green mists that curled and twisted around him lazily. What this meant, he realized, was that he was still very much in danger physically, with one of those feeder creepers stuck to his leg. Sometimes, Alex mused, I sort of wish I COULD panic more. He stood within the shifting mists, peering around for anything recognizable. There was a strange sense of pressure all around, as if the universe itself were very subtly hugging Alex just a tad more tightly than was comfortable. Time passed - a second, a minute, it was impossible to tell here - and the green mists thinned ahead. Alex raised an eyebrow at the strangeness he saw. Hanging in the air was a shifting tool - one moment it was a hammer, the next a screwdriver, then a pot of glue. It shifted between so many things that Alex was mesmerized by the flowing, twisting shapes. Instinct tugged at his awareness, and Alex found he had a name for the morphing thing: it was his skill, [Repurpose], hanging in the air unable to move forward. Alex sensed that it was incomplete; He had used the skill desperately at the last moment, but hadn¡¯t really had in mind what exactly he was attempting to do with it. ¡°Well, I guess I should-¡± ~Grow.~ Alex stopped, half-reaching toward his skill as if he could touch it physically. The voice he heard wasn¡¯t in his ears. It came from within himself as well as all around the shrouding mists. ¡°Hello?¡± he called softly. ~Grow. Grow. Push. Seed. Grow.~ Alex¡¯s brow furrowed here in this strange place as his mind was subjected to images of warm sunlight, gentle rain, and the soft caress of ambient magic. Urges rose within his heart, to stretch out - branch out - and bloom. ~Grow. We grow. Yes.~ The impressions were basic - elemental, even. A simple drive, with only the barest hints of intellect behind it. Alex felt that what he could sense was smarter than a base animal, but not on par with the average human. ¡°Hello, ¡± he said again. He wasn¡¯t sure if the thing could hear him, so Alex gently pushed feelings of calm, of peace, and of gentleness into the words he spoke, ¡°I¡¯m Alex. I¡¯m here to fix things.¡± ~Grow. We grow.~ A moment of strangeness, a spark of uncertainty rose in the mists. ~Fix? Broken. Not growing. Dead <@@@>~ Alex shook his head. Whatever word the entity was trying to convey was either too alien or far beyond his understanding. However, the images that flashed along with it were easier. A cold place. Sharp and sterile. Artificial sun blazed. The flash of burning lights. Frozen, dead threads weaved within the tiniest of forms. Foreign objectives were pushed within a nascent sapience. Then, a plant, no more than three inches high, sealed away and force fed terrible energies that burned and burned and burned. Alex cried out, but it wasn¡¯t just the human that did so. The entity - the sapling - cried out with him, or perhaps he with it. It cried out in fear, in abject loneliness. It searched for the forest but found only poison and cold. ~Grow? Need grow. Broken. Fix?~ More images. These flashes were different. A sudden rush of far more poison than ever before that threatened to overwhelm. Splintering directives. Dissolving purpose. Then, need. The need to be more. The need to not be alone. ~Connection. We. Grow. All One. Grow.~ Alex understood. He didn¡¯t quite know how, but he understood. A sapling alone was nothing. A Dendrian, for that¡¯s what it had been, was a forest of minds and bodies; Root systems intertwined and consciousness stretched across impossible distances. All was shared, and all was growth. Alex sent soothing thoughts to the sapling, and felt his mind drawn into its sensations. Loneliness. Hurt. A purpose lost. A need to grow and change. To bloom. Alien things, unknown and unseen, spliced dead threads within its form, changing it. Repurposing it to be a purifier of poison. Of entropy. Holism. A system made. The entropy sink gathers the entropic energies. The sapling draws them in and purifies them. It then sends that purified energy outward, powering the carriage. A living creature suspended in time, twisted and forbidden from true growth, kept apart from a forest it never knew but through genetic memory passed from plant to seed. ~Alone.~ ¡°Yes.¡± Alex murmured. ¡°So you used the power surge - the dungeon break - to reshape the immediate environment. But it wasn¡¯t alive like you are. The scenery, the mosses and trees and vines were all just made of dungeon stuff. Of entropy reshaped. It wasn¡¯t the forest. So you reached out further.¡± Images flowed past Alex¡¯s mind faster now. Living beings. Running. Shouting. Panic, screaming, flailing, and then joining with the sapling. Joining with the forest. All those people would become the forest. As would Alex. ¡°I am not part of the system.¡± Alex disagreed gently. The sapling pressed that he could be. The human disagreed. ¡°I am not your forest.¡± A pang of loneliness. Of sadness. ~Not forest?~ ¡°No.¡± ~POISON?~ A singular image - a small glowing red gemstone on a rocky pedestal, deep within a cave system guarded by a giant fungus-infected crab. The crab was dead, thorny vines piercing it, crushing its carapace and digging deep into the crustacean¡¯s bulk. ¡°No. I¡¯m not part of the dungeon either. I¡¯m from¡­¡± There were images again, but this time in the opposite direction. Alex pushed his own memories toward the entity that was all around and within him. The woods he¡¯d walked in as a teen. The great forests on the northern border cut with a great bare line that he¡¯d camped upon illegally whilst practicing diplomacy with great hairy man-beasts. The Appalachian Trail, which he hadn¡¯t walked yet but one day hoped to. The Amazon rainforests, and the Daintree in northeastern Australia. ¡°My forest.¡± he said. The sapling gave this some consideration - though again Alex had no knowledge of passing time. ~Not my forest.~ Sadness. Yearning. ~Your forest.~ The sapling felt regret. Alex could sense within his still-prone body back in whatever passed for the real world that thin tendrils of vine that had started to work up through his leg were retreating, gently sliding out of him. Alex concentrated on what the sapling had been made into. Though his heart rebelled at taking this creature, this almost-person as what amounted to an infant and twisting it into something that Ad Astra could use, his skills and talents strongly suggested that if the system were not repaired that the entire carriage would go dark. No power, and no life support. With regret, Alex sent careful thoughts to the sapling. It needed to be fixed. It needed to go back to purifying and distributing. The fighting needed to end. The search for the forest needed to end. Alex hated himself in that moment as he tried to convince something that was even less cognizant than a child to choose loneliness. He just didn¡¯t know how else to stop what was happening outside of this misty nothingness. ¡°None of the people connected to you are part of the forest.¡± ~Not forest. Yet.~ It had allowed Alex to not become part of the new forest, but the sapling was not willing to let go of so many others that still remained connected. Alex had memory of his forest. These others had nothing of the kind; None of them had ever seen a single leaf in their lives. ¡°They are not part of the process. You need to purify the energy you receive, and send it on. Let them go.¡± ~Alone. Lost. Grow? Forbidden. Halted. Cold.~ ¡°I know. But if you go back to how things were, I promise to do what I can to¡­do something. I don¡¯t know what. But I will help.¡± ~Promise?~ ¡°Yes.¡± Alex nodded, and then sensed puzzlement. The word was unknown, the feeling was foreign. Trees did not lie, they simply lived, so the need to assure was alien. ¡°A promise is¡­¡± How can I explain a promise to something that has no concept of requiring one? ¡°A duty. A purpose.¡± The tree sent back a series of images, poorly constructed. These were not what had been, but what could be. It released those that still remained connected to it. The crabs would overwhelm it. The tree would die. ¡°No. I think we can fix that, too.¡± Alex said firmly, and an idea started to form itself in his mind. ¡°Actually, I think I have a way to solve this.¡± The problem was the excess energy. From Alex¡¯s admittedly limited understanding, the entropy sink pulled in environmental entropy and used it to make its dungeon. He had a sneaking suspicion that his arrival and the subsequent damage it had caused had made entropy spike in the area, overwhelming the dungeon which then started to push more and more energy into the sapling. Energy that had broken past whatever limitations or instructions Ad Astra had written into its genetics, causing the strange overgrowth of entropy-ridden trees and vines to burst forth, awakening the consciousness within the sapling that still remembered a place it had been sprouted in centuries ago. ¡°The energy has to be used up - it needs to be pulled in and purified. Not forcefully, like your attack on the dungeon entrance is, but the way it was before.¡± ~Too much. Chaos. Uncontrolled. Limited.~ ¡°Yes. It¡¯s too much for Ad Astra¡¯s infrastructure to handle. But, ¡° Alex pushed out a sense of determination, ¡°With that excess energy, purified to no longer be laced with entropy, you can use my memories of the forest. This place - the cargo bay, ¡° Alex quickly defined the approximate area in his mind and pushed the image out, ¡°We can make a small forest. A woodland? I¡¯m not sure what it would be called. We can give you a forest.¡± It was too much for the simple consciousness to process. Too many words, too many concepts all at once. Alex felt the confusion, laced with a yearning desperation. There was one that it latched on to, one that radiated with its desires. ~Give¡­forest?~ ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll work, I¡¯m not an expert at all this, but you¡¯ve already created something with entropic energy and fuzzy memory. Why not use good energy, and my memories which are much fresher?¡± ~Give forest. Give forest.~ A feeling of excitement began to build. ~Give forest!~ ¡°Yes! Exactly.¡± Vod¡¯ll probably kill me, but this cargo bay is already overwhelmed. Might as well use it. ¡°I can help with my memories, but also with my skills. The [Repurpose] there will probably help with that. ¡± Alex pointed to the skill that still shifted and shimmered in the air, held in stasis in this misty realm of thought. ~Not alone.~ ¡°Right!¡± Alex started to relax. He had the sapling on board with the idea, all he needed to do was- ~Not alone! NOT ALONE!~ The excitement that had been slowly building rose to a crescendo. The feeling was literally visible in the air as swirls of mist danced and spun energetically. Then Alex gasped, his mind split with sudden pain as a sensation of otherness seized control of something within him. ~NOT ALONE.~ ~({[REpuRpOSe]})~ A tremendous surge of energy rushed through Alex - none of it belonging to him. He felt something break within himself and agony washed over every inch of his body and mind. He opened his mouth and screamed, and screamed and screamed. * When Alex fell, Step snarled in frustration. She¡¯d been ordered by Vod to keep the human safe, at least so much as she could without sacrificing herself. The short time she¡¯d spent with Alex hadn¡¯t really endeared the man to her; Alex was far too wishy-washy and gentle to be useful - in her eyes, anyway. Still, she played the dutiful follower up to the point that things became truly crazy. The mousekin charged at one of the chloromunculi, and with her athletic skills she used it like a springboard before the creature could respond. Alex had one of those vines stuck to him, and Step raced forward with her sickles at the ready to cut it away from the man before he could end up like the others. When Step was halfway to the prone [Mender], the tree began to coalesce a fog of dark energy. Her sensitive ears heard the crackle of bark splitting, and then the dark energy lit up in a blaze of bright white light. Along its branches, little buds began to grow and swell and then burst open into dozens - no, hundreds - of pollen-light flowers. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Energy flowed through the multitude of vines that stretched everywhere, and everywhere the energy blazed more flowers erupted into bloom. The tree groaned as its blooming vines attached to the dungeon entrance began to split and crack open, weeping dark fluid that slimmered with tiny pinpoints of white light. Step felt a strangeness to the air, a sort of breath being drawn in, and though she had no true ability to see entropy in its base form, she just knew that the tree was drawing into itself as much of the ambient entropic energy as it could handle. The stone tiers cracked and parts of them dissolved as their energies were absorbed. All around the tree, the shrub-like constructs Alex had been working on began to smoke and hiss, a mixture of dark fluid and white droplets of energy bubbling from their compromised shells. Step felt overwhelmed, her senses under assault from the light and sound as the energy shot through the connected feeder creepers, and then- Screams. From all over the slowly crumbling colosseum-like construction, so many screams. * Patina was doing good. Not good as in well, but good as in Doing Good Things. Being up here was starting to feel good. People were up and moving, helping each other as they rose from their strange slumber. There were still many still connected to the tree via those horrible creepers, but things were moving forward. When the number of people being freed had tapered off and then stopped as Alex was caught up in his attempts to avoid injury, Patina was close to making the executive decision to start yanking or cutting the creepers away from the hundreds of people still attached. After all, Alex was simply cutting from the other end, so it made sense that they could- The air changed. A heavy pressure bore down upon the people all across the tiered stone construct, and then it was gone again just as quickly. From below, Patina saw the damned tree that was causing all the problems light up, a blazing star of energy that hurt her eyes to look at. And then flowers began to erupt with little pops and cracks, traveling up the vines and creepers. And then everyone was awake - every single person still trapped was released in an instant, the feeder creepers festooned with glowing flowers pulling back from their bodies with the nastiest little suckling sound Patina had ever heard. As people awakened en masse, Patina and the more with-it rescued souls began to move faster; Moving between folks, talking, pleading, reassuring, urging them all to stay calm despite the strange scene far below. The little goblin grinned. They were doing it! They were succeeding! This was heroic work - it wasn¡¯t just fighting, she was saving people. ¡°Everyone is gonna be okay, ¡° she said aloud, almost laughing at the surge of activity as more and more of her people came to wakefulness. The cargo bay was getting brighter, new light-pollen emitting flowers bursting open everywhere. We¡¯re winning, Patina thought. And then someone started to scream. And another. And another. All across the stone tiers, which were somehow melting and dissolving in places, people were falling to their knees, screaming in agony. ¡°What-¡± Throughout the cargo bay, tremendous detonations rang out as metal screeched and plastic splintered. Gnarled, thick roots erupited from within buried conduits. Flowers budded, bloomed, and turned to strange seeds of chaos. Seeds that sprouted, sucking in all the energy they could, putting down further roots as everywhere, across the floor and up the walls and over the ceiling panels, plant life spread and grew. It was with bewilderment that turned to horror that Patina found out the swollen buboes beneath the arms of the recently awakened, on their necks, up in their inner thighs, all began to swell and writhe. Shrieking in terror and pain, all around Patina people clawed at their own bodies as tendrils beneath their skin spread and grew. As the first thorn-covered sprouts split through flesh and reached the open air, Patina was unable to stop herself from throwing up in response. The people started to bloom. * >Uncatalogued Entropy-Twisted Bioform defeated. Path Points gained. >Further Interface messages regarding PP gain muted until out of combat. Alex barely registered the text; The golden letters were there and gone again before he could read them, even if he had been in any state to process the words in the first place. Pain. Everything was pain. Alex felt as though he were being used as a garden hose, with a power that he couldn¡¯t begin to comprehend rushing through him instead of water. It burned. It chilled. It tore away at memory and consciousness. This pain would have been, if Alex was in a state to measure such things, the absolute worst he¡¯d ever felt in his life. And it was overwhelming. Akin to a cork in a storm-tossed ocean, Alex was lost within it, unable to even attempt to regain control. The screams in his head were not only his own, but also the shriek of a desperate child-mind. ~NOT ALONE NOT ALONE NOT ALONE~ Scraps of thought were gathered, only to be washed away again. Part of Alex knew that he had to do something, had to rein in the uncontrolled blast that spread far and wide with his body as part of the conduit. He wasn¡¯t just Alex Orz, a guy from Earth with some small soul-gifted tricks, nor was he a [Mender] and the one tapped to save an impossible train from eventual destruction; No, Alex was in the leaves and branches, carried through roots and sap, blooming on every budding vine. The Dendrian/Alex flowed outward. Nature screamed to grow and expand, the system sucking in entropy from all around and processing it into something bright and pure and beautiful. They went everywhere they could reach, through every conduit, every power line, every piece of ductwork and corridor. Doors were beaten down, bulkheads smashed through, the paths of resistance crushed beneath the rolling might of the forest reborn from one gene-twisted child. Not¡­right¡­ Alex¡¯s brain surfaced for a moment, clarity smacking into him like a poorly thrown life preserver. He had¡­no¡­the sapling had¡­they had taken his [Repurpose] and ran with it, changing everything it could touch. But the system wasn¡¯t just needing redirection, it needed fixing. Alex was a [Mender], and he clung to that one fact fiercely in the face of torment. He had to fix this. With Herculean effort, Alex tried his best to concentrate on the sapling, the dungeon, the whole system Ad Astra had built as a symbiotic pseudo lifeform. And, desperately, he engaged his skill, [Jury Rig]. >WARNI##@-break-%-y/N? More pain ripped through Alex as the energies tore at both body and mind. An acknowledgement was needed, but he had no way of knowing what it was warning against. So he answered the only way he could, in this moment and this place. Yes, he managed. >FAILURE >FAILURE >FAILURE >SUCCESS >FAILURE >FAI- Alex passed out, consciousness finally giving up against the onslaught that carried him away. * Not an incredibly long distance away, two elves leaned against a wall with a relaxed air. Jaek and Helwud had their orders - to guard this doorway, watch for trouble, and if any of the three idiots they had allowed into the duct (which, of course, they had also stacked some heavy crates in front of) tried to come back out, kill them without mercy or hesitation. There was no loyalty felt toward the mousekin who had been forced to accompany the snotskin and her new human. As far as they were concerned, her death would be one less person on the waitlist for delves into the dungeon - if it were ever somehow usable again. It was a dull job, waiting, and so the Bruise brothers had fallen back on their usual time-passing activity - developing their characters. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that it¡¯s unimportant to branch out, I just want hitting things to keep being my main thing, you know?¡± Helwud rumbled, ¡°When I get my next level-up I want to push further into strength-aligned attributes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re plenty strong, my brother, but you need to work on your banter.¡± Jaek replied with a gentle reasoning to his tone, ¡°Half the time you¡¯re simply echoing my words menacingly which, I admit, can be quite good for the simpler interactions, but we need to expand into dialogue that would elicit more nuanced responses from our victims.¡± ¡°Ugh. You¡¯re not going to start suggesting puns again, are you?¡± Helwud complained. Jaek gave the question some consideration before shaking his head. ¡°We¡¯ve tried puns before. We received looks from people. We don¡¯t need to bemuse people, we need to amplify our threat level.¡± Jaek said, adding ¡°As much as we both appreciate violence, we shouldn¡¯t need to get distracted by constant minor skirmishes that a carefully considered remark could resolve.¡± Helwud let out a heavy sigh, and cracked his knuckles. ¡°I get it, I do. I just-¡± ¡°Hush, ¡° Jaek cut in, ¡°Do you hear that?¡± A rumbling came from beneath the pair, and the sounds of crashing and thumping could be heard very faintly. The clash of heavy strikes against metal. Helwud stiffened and stood up straighter. ¡°A battle?¡± ¡°Something, anyway.¡± Jaek murmured, eyeing the pile of heavy crates they had placed in front of the vent. ¡°Our heroes may be trying to make a swift exit.¡± ¡°They¡¯ll be surprised then, won¡¯t they?¡± Helwud sniggered. It was a good snigger. He¡¯d practiced it, and his brother had even told him that it was one of the better sniggers he¡¯d heard. Unfortunately the sound of it was lost in the cacophony of screeching metal and heavy blows as the vent slammed open and the solid metal crates went flying across the room. Thick vines with sharp black thorns surged from the vent, spilling into the room with terrifying speed. Jaek and Helwud steadied themselves, and then charged forward into the verdant battlefield. * Self-styled overseer Fabian Vod strolled slowly through the corridors below decks. He was in no great hurry to return to the cargo bay where the remainder of his people still lived. There would be questions, of course, and eventually Vod would have to carefully craft an appropriate tale of woe that not only brought his remaining people closer together but also pressed further blame upon the Ad Astra corporation for their continual neglect of their employees. After leaving his useful violence-dealers to guard the way back from the other cargo bay, Vod had taken a scenic walk through the corridors, noting to himself things that would need to be looked at if the human somehow survived this - an outcome that wasn¡¯t particularly likely. If the human and his pet goblin somehow succeeded in fixing whatever had happened in the lost cargo bay - he was already calling it that, and truly didn¡¯t have much hope for anyone to survive in there - then he would certainly find a way to spin that story to his favor. And if the far more likely event of Alex¡¯s failure occurred, well that was just another blood-stained mark in theledger against the corporation. Either way, Vod¡¯s interests could be served. The [Mender]...he had potential. But potential could certainly disrupt the order of things if not kept carefully directed. Living or dead, Vod would turn Alex Orz into an example that the orc could use - his own very special type of repurposing, he supposed with a chuckle. There was always a level of background noise to being on board the train. A distant rumbling, and a tremor of the floor plates that hinted at the incredible speeds at which the Relentless Exploitation was traversing the galaxy - this was normal. But Vod paused in his walk as the rumbling increased, and he felt the metal floor beneath his feet tremble. If this is another shockwave¡­ Vod frowned. The carriage was in no condition to keep taking damage, especially after some of the more serious issues the earlier one had caused or exacerbated. No, this is something different. The sensation didn¡¯t ripple through the carriage like a wave - no, it sounded like it was forcing its way forward with a strength that felt startling to the orc. From an access conduit built high up on the corridor wall some hundred feet back, scratching and groaning turned to scraping and then a crash as metal and plastic split apart. Vines and creepers poured from the conduit, blooming with glowing flowers that immediately burst and sprayed golden pollen across yards of hallway. Vod was already running by that point, years of dangerous instinct screaming at him to get as far away as orcishly possible. Behind him, scores of vines grew and moved, blooming more flowers and spraying their corrupted seeds that immediately took root in any crack, crevice, or groove in the molded plastic and metal bulkheads. Grass grew, moss spawned, and more tendrils of thorny vines surged onward in any direction they could. The destruction Vod could hear as he ran was worrisome, but that was something he would deal with later. For now, he fled, as fast as his muscular body could carry him. The orc was not in bad condition, but the rampant overgrowth was gaining. At a junction he saw another mass of vegetation sweeping forward, root systems pushing up floor plates that split and groaned as the relentless desire to grow overtook any space it could find. As Vod ran, he started to shout. ¡°Adjunct! Close the blast doors in this section!¡± The computer didn¡¯t reply, and as Vod was forced to once again change his route due to a pair of actual plant monsters that emerged from swollen vegetable pods. Vod didn¡¯t know this, but they were twice as large as the chloromunculi Alex had encountered. They filled the hallway with their vegetative bulk. ¡°Adjunct! CLOSE THE FUCKING BLAST DOORS!¡± Vod screamed, panic rising as he desperately attempted to mentally map out a path back to his own cargo bay whilst charging as quickly as he could to get away. When no response came again, Vod suddenly realized a very simple truth. The adjunct wasn¡¯t responding because the adjunct couldn¡¯t hear nor see the fleeing overseer. That truth hit him hard as he ran past what he recognized to be a broken camera mount - one of many security devices that had been carefully chosen to suffer unfortunate accidents over the years. With no hope of digital intervention, Vod ran onward as he bellowed curses at the detestable adjunct and, also, at himself. * Alerts rippled throughout Harmony¡¯s systems. She was instantly responding, scanning any and all security devices that were still active. Despite the rumbling and thumping, she was unable to see anything due to so many of the devices not being in good working order. Without sufficient data, there was little Harmony could respond with in the way of physical action. She couldn¡¯t tell where the problems were coming from - more and more of the carriage was going offline, her senses to it that went beyond the security devices failing. Readouts on carriage systems flickered out, data ceased to flow, and much like a dead limb the computer had trouble recognizing that was being held to the metaphorical hotplate. By the time the artificial intelligence realized what was happening it was far too late for anything but the more severe of emergency protocols. All along the miles of corridor and countless rooms within the carriage, the lights dimmed and turned a sullen red. ¡°Security protocol X-Seven in effect. Beginning emergency decoupling process. Time to decoupling: . Train present in Underspace. Awaiting emergence to realspace before decoupling. Carriage nine-nine-nine-seven is no longer viable for Ad Astra Mission Statement.¡± *By the time Alex came to himself, the mad period of growth had already stopped. Large portions of the initial fecundity that had spawned in the cargo bay were dying off, reduced to thick black sludge that stank of rotten vegetables. The original entropy-twisted jungle was in the process of being replaced. Alex blinked as he opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. He felt¡­raw. Inside and out, like someone had taken to the entirety of his being with a wire scourer. There was pain, yes, but it was negligible compared to¡­ ¡­Alex frowned. He had trouble remembering what had occurred. A sharp sting in his leg forced the man to look down where he saw a little circular wound on his calf that dribbled a mixture of blood and black fluid. He steadied himself by putting his hands palms-down on the thick mat of grass that covered the floor, and then did a double-take. Grass? Alex¡¯s eyes widened. The floor was indeed grassy, a strange anemic green broad-leaved grass that reminded him of the crab grass his father had battled with for years back home. The sapling still stood, but glowed softly with pale light, and was strung with thin vines covered with pollen-lights. Instead of a colosseum-like structure, the area had been turned into a strange infant woodland, with many trees half-grown up through floor plates, exposing threads of power conduit that they both fed and were sustained by. Lost in wonder at this strange scene, Alex barely noticed the thin slit that had recently been a torn-open gash in the fabric of reality. Red light glimmered along its length, but the opening was much smaller than it had been. For no good reason but bemusement, Alex shot an [Evaluate] at it. >Evaluation of Entropy Sink: Working at 100% efficiency. Dungeon entrance: Jungle Cavern, Levels 1-10. Entries per day: 20. Status: Quiescent. Entropy build-up: 0.001% The dungeon was¡­fixed? Another glance at the tree and another use of his skill told Alex what he needed to know. >Evaluation of Ad Astra Power Purification Plant: Working at 100% efficiency. Dendrian base structure stable. Ad Astra proprietary limiter-tech in good working order. Power flow: Normal. ¡°We did it? We won?¡± Alex let out a disbelieving chuckle. He sat there in the grass, amazed and bewildered. The most horrifying, terrible, and stressful event he had ever been through was over, and he¡¯d beaten it. Things were working again. Alex felt a surge of triumph in his heart. A footfall in the grass had Alex turn, and his smile drained away as he took in the beaten and hunched over figure of Patina, who trod heavily toward him. Her face was a mask of dread, and Alex could see thick lines of clean skin down the goblin¡¯s cheeks where she¡¯d been crying. ¡°Patina!¡± He tried to get up, but failed. Alex¡¯s body felt weak. ¡°Patina, are you okay? Did everyone get out? Is Step alright?¡± ¡°Six.¡± Patina struggled to say, the words sticking in her mouth. Patina¡¯s throat was thick with grief, and she was on the verge of breaking down. The little goblin leaned on her spear as if it were the only thing keeping her from falling. Alex registered the words, and understood. Six deaths. That was¡­not good. But, a certain callous thought suggested, ONLY lives lost isn¡¯t a terrible result considering the sheer number of people that had been in here. ¡°We lost six? I¡¯m sorry.¡± Alex said gently. His legs didn¡¯t seem to want to move just yet. They felt rooted to the ground, though a quick examination showed no such issue. ¡°But only six-¡± ¡°No, ¡° Patina interrupted. Her lip trembled, and her wide eyes began to spill over with tears once more. ¡°We saved six.¡± We saved six. Six. Out of¡­ >Notice: Combat complete. 971 Jeweled Crabs defeated. 116 Chloromunculi defeated. 2916 Entropy-Twisted Bioforms defeated. Would you like to see your Path Point tally? The Interface - Syntropy - registered the tally of everything credited to Alex as a kill if it was an entropic creature. Whether he knew it would have happened or not, when the sapling had taken control of his body, his skills, the people¡­they had all died. And Syntropy was rewarding him for it. In that moment of terrible realization, [Unflappable] was overwhelmed by horror and grief. Chapter Eighteen - Bitter Fruits How does one reconcile a moral code when circumstances push one to only a list of bad options? Easy. Don¡¯t have a moral code. There is no place for such na?ve sentiment in business. -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation. Alex didn¡¯t know how long he sat there, hugging his knees and just not thinking. He had very quickly gone from shock to grief as the full weight of what had happened threatened to crush him. He couldn¡¯t completely process it. Three thousand people, people he thought he was saving - all dead. And from what Patina had managed to choke out in between her own sobs he knew that they¡¯d died horribly. The little goblin was as crushed as Alex was, probably even more so. She just¡­stared at Alex for the longest time. At first Alex thought she was staring at him in horror for what he¡¯d had a hand in doing, but the glazed over look of her eyes suggested she was seeing things that he couldn''t. Perhaps she, too, was trapped in the catastrophic results of the day. He had wept, though that had been nearly an hour gone and his eyes stung, now harsh and dry. Now there was just¡­the weight of it. It was too much. It was all too much. Alex hadn¡¯t even begun to focus further inward, where something deep inside him ached. It wasn¡¯t even really a physical feeling that he could name anyway. And besides, after what he¡¯d done, he likely deserved any pain that was sent his way. At some point Patina had left. After her period of zoning out she¡¯d tried to talk to Alex, even putting a heavy hand on his shoulder but he could hardly bear to look the little goblin in the eyes. He¡¯d let her down and, more than that, he¡¯d been rewarded for having a hand in killing half of the carriage¡¯s population. How could he look at her when it had been her so adamant about saving everyone in the first place? Only peripherally was Alex aware that someone was moving around the edges of the new woodland area. He didn¡¯t care who it was. It could even be Vod, ready to stab Alex in the back and get rid of him despite their deal. Deal. Hah. Like I could have made a difference there either. I¡¯m not strong enough. Not smart enough. I¡¯m useless. The realization Alex came to was that he wasn¡¯t supposed to be here. This wasn¡¯t his world or life. Events were weird, strange, exciting, and sometimes even slightly dangerous - fun, for the most part, though sometimes that was after they were over and he could look back on them more fondly. But events weren¡¯t ever deadly, and their aftereffects always made sure things were returned to a relative state of normality for all of the people that had been pulled into them along with him. Even the wolf in the bathroom had been returned to the zoo with no lasting effects of its Carolina Reaper sauced wings once it had stuck its face in a bucket of milk. Alex¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by a furry foot nudging his side. He looked up to see Step, and though he wasn¡¯t sure if he could read a mousekin¡¯s expressions well yet she didn¡¯t look angry or upset. Just¡­flat. ¡°Okay, sir. Time¡¯s up.¡± ¡°Time?¡± Alex¡¯s brow furrowed. ¡°Your initial shock period.¡± Step stood with her hands on her hips looking down at Alex, who responded with as much intelligence as he could muster right now. ¡°...what?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve gone through a terrible shock, oh no, life is awful, ¡° Step said, gesturing expansively, though her tone was still missing much in the way of emotional weight. ¡°But it¡¯s time to get off the floor and start doing things, sir.¡± ¡°...what?¡± ¡®¡¯What?¡¯¡± Step mocked, ¡°I said get up, sir. While you¡¯re wasting your hours wallowing there¡¯s a literal fuckton of work that needs to be taken care of.¡± ¡°I¡­I can¡¯t.¡± Alex stammered, feeling his heartbeat begin to speed up. ¡°I can¡¯t fix anything. I killed¡­Step, I killed all those people.¡± The mousekin looked Alex over again, this time with a measure of pity. She sighed. ¡°Are you a dungeon, sir?¡± ¡°What? No?¡± ¡°Are you a magical tree that nobody knew existed before today?¡± ¡°No, ¡° Alex frowned, ¡°And I see where you¡¯re going with this, but-¡± ¡°Butts are for shitting, and for bringing attention to how cute a tail is.¡± Step interrupted, ¡°You feel bad? Guilty? Fine. You can do those things while you¡¯re working.¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t, ¡° Alex argued weakly, ¡°I¡¯ll only fuck it up. Just¡­leave me alone.¡± The mousekin let out a squeaky little growl and lunged forward before Alex could respond. He felt a sharp pain on his ear as Step bit down firmly and pushed the [Mender]s head to the floor. Alex let out a shout and tried to pull back, clutching at his ear. ¡°Jesus fuck, Step! What the hell?!¡± Step blinked, apparently surprised by her own actions, and scampered backward quickly. ¡°Sorry, sir.¡± The mousekin looked contrite, feeling the need to explain her actions, ¡°When a mousekin child is being particularly stupid, an older sibling usually reins them in with, uh, yeah, you don¡¯t have the ears for it¡­¡± Alex took his hand from his ear and examined it for blood. There was none, but he was scowling now and to Step that was a good thing. Alex was present. ¡°Come on, sir. You¡¯ve got a list of things to do longer than a tally of your regrets, I can promise you that. We¡¯re all neck deep in the bilges and it¡¯s filling fast.¡± With another shake of his head, Alex exhaled heavily. ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to be here, Step. I can¡¯t-¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care for supposed-to¡¯s, sir. You are here, and for whatever reason you¡¯re actually able to make fixes that stick to this place while everyone else fucks about and fails. I¡¯m not a great motivator, sir, but I hope that sinks in. We literally can¡¯t do this without you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so stupid, ¡° Alex groaned, his face in his hands. ¡°There¡¯s no logical reason for that. Step, you don¡¯t need me. I failed to fix things. All those¡­those people¡­¡± ¡°All of those people were already dead, sir.¡± Step said firmly. ¡°The adjunct had given them up for dead, as had Overseer Vod. Me, too, ¡° she confessed, ¡°as I ran away. Those people were dead before we entered the cargo bay. If we hadn¡¯t come in here, all of them would still have died - the fact that some managed to walk away is a bonus.¡± That way of thinking was difficult for Alex to comprehend. ¡°What, like some sort of bullshit twisted up Schrodinger¡¯s cat thing? They were all alive until I¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re overwhelmed, ¡° Step sighed, ¡°I get it. We all are. Things are shit, sir, but they¡¯re getting worse and you need to help.¡± ¡°How?¡± Alex demanded as he pulled himself to his feet, ¡°How can I possibly help?¡± I can¡¯t do this. I can¡¯t do this. I can¡¯t do this. The words rolled around in his mind, suffusing Alex¡¯s heart with hopelessness. Though he now stood, his shoulders slumped in defeat. The mousekin poked him with one furry digit. ¡°I¡¯ve spent the last few hours scouting beyond the cargo bay, and I¡¯ve also been in contact with Overseer Vod. Things are bad, sir, extremely bad. You need to talk to the adjunct, and to Vod as well.¡± she saw that Alex scowled at that suggestion, ¡°Sir, if you don¡¯t get it together everyone else is going to die as well.¡± ¡°Oh, sure.¡± Alex muttered. ¡°Lay that at my feet as well.¡± ¡°Damn it, sir, the carriage is going to be disconnected from the train in somewhere between two to three weeks, depending on when we return to realspace.¡± It wasn¡¯t [Unflappable] that kept Alex on his feet this time. There was something wrong there, he could feel it, but on the list of things Alex wanted to think about mystical soul bullshit was toward the bottom. No, what kept Alex from being too shocked to process this nugget of data regarding yet another way that he was likely to die was that he was already so overburdened that this settled on top like a rancid cherry on top of a shit sundae. The future is filled with death. ¡°How and why?¡± he asked quietly. ¡°Too much damage, I think.¡± Step shrugged, ¡°Overseer Vod has some ideas, and the adjunct likely has a better understanding of things, but she¡¯s gone strange.¡± ¡°Like she wasn¡¯t already?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit, sir.¡± Step offered the laziest salute Alex had ever seen, and he¡¯d watched a fair number of military-based movies. ¡°Other things on your itinerary include collecting loot, being thanked by six very appreciative and still living people, and if you¡¯re able to get yourself together enough you can probably find a way to magically pull a win out of your ass.¡± ¡°...collect loot?¡± Alex frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡®You don¡¯t know¡­right, why would you know?¡± Step shook her head quickly, ¡°Have you checked your interface messages, or were you too busy feeling sorry for yourself? No, don¡¯t say anything - I don¡¯t care. Listen, when you beat a dungeon you get a reward at the end generated by the dungeon core. According to my interface messages you, myself, and your pet goblin technically beat the dungeon by fixing it - please revisit my earlier comment about ass-pulling wins - and so therefore loot.¡± Alex felt the weight of things settling on him again. He opened his mouth to refuse, to tell the mousekin that she could have whatever it was that was being awarded to him for his actions but Step had already anticipated this. ¡°Ow! Step!¡± Alex cried out as the mousekin seized him by the ear and started pulling in the direction of the dungeon entrance. With his two choices being to follow or lose his ear Alex chose the former. ¡°Damnit, can you stop that? Ow!¡± Step only released Alex¡¯s ear once they reached the red-glowing crack in reality. The mousekin ordered Alex to stick his hand inside it, something that he definitely felt was a bad idea but Step gave him such a fierce look that with a sigh Alex had thrust his hand in just to get it over and done with. A fuzzy, cool sensation surrounded Alex¡¯s hand as it disappeared into the dungeon entrance. Apart from that, there was no particular fanfare that his Interface lit up with golden text. >Dungeon Reward - One Loot Box containing: One Path-customized item >Claim Loot Box? Regardless of how Alex felt, he knew that Step was going to pester him if he walked away from being rewarded for his questionable actions. As such, he acquiesced to the prompt. A moment later as he felt something small being pressed into his hand from beyond the dungeon entrance, Alex recoiled. When he removed his hand from the rift he found himself holding a small slate-gray box in a white-knuckled grasp. Beneath his fingertips the box felt cool and smooth, a polished stone-like quality that held no decoration or hint of what was contained within. Alex looked at it with his skill. >Evaluation of Entropy Sink Reward Container ¡°Loot Box¡±: Temporal stasis deteriorating. Box and contents will be destroyed in 15 hours 11 minutes. Suggested repair: None. ¡°What¡¯s with the fifteen hour timer?¡± Step shrugged. ¡°All dungeon loot boxes seem to vanish after eighteen hours. No idea why. You¡¯ve been moping for a while.¡± ¡°With good reason, ¡° Alex argued. Step shrugged again and said nothing else. Alex did not want to open the box. It felt like an acknowledgement that the deaths he¡¯d been partially responsible for were encouraged by Syntropy in some way. Despite the sunken feeling in his stomach, Alex popped the lid open. Inside the loot box was another box the size and shape of that which one would pick up at a jeweler. Its outer covering was a soft, black velvet. Under Step¡¯s watchful eyes Alex opened the second box, expecting to see a ring or possibly a set of earrings. Instead, on a soft velvet lining, lay a computer chip the size of his pinkie nail. Alex tilted his head to the side with curiosity, and evaluated it. >Evaluation of Neural Linkage Assembly: In 100% working order. Pristine condition - no issues detected. Customized for [Mender] Alex Orz. ¡°That¡¯s a weird reward, ¡° Step stuck her nose in close to the box and sniffed. ¡°I didn¡¯t know your path needed computer parts - except as something to repair.¡± ¡°I mean, as far as I know I¡¯m just supposed to be able to mend things. I don¡¯t know what¡­oh!¡± Alex¡¯s memory poked at him. He may not know how the device worked or exactly what it did, but he knew he needed one. Pushing away the fog of guilt and pain, Alex thought fast. He was speaking to someone who amounted to a spy for Overseer Vod, a man who wanted to eventually kill Alex. Vod was operating under the impression that Alex¡¯s cooperation hinged upon getting the omnitool that was in the orc¡¯s possession. However, the experimental omnitool Alex had hidden away was missing three pieces, confirmed by Harmony - and this dungeon reward was one of them which was suspiciously handy. If Alex could get that device working then Vod¡¯s omnitool would be of no value to him and Vod would see he had no true leverage over the [Mender]. Concealing what this computer chip was for would make Step suspicious, but- No, Alex. Think. Vod has already overheard the conversations you¡¯ve had with Harmony. He doesn¡¯t know that I know, but it¡¯s useless to conceal the chip¡¯s purpose from Vod. In this particular case, honesty would be perfectly fine. ¡°When I was forcefully offered my position here, I had to have a uniform and an omnitool before the AI could generate me a job list. I found a non-working omnitool and used it to convince Harmony to let me get started. This is one of several parts I need to make that omnitool work.¡± Alex forced himself to say these words in a casual, careless sort of way rather than that he was revealing a powerful secret. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m clueless and na?ve and giving away valuable information in the spirit of cooperation¡­ ¡°I see, ¡° Step replied after a moment. She held up her wrist, showing Alex a dark gray leather bracer that had been tooled with designs of twisting vines. ¡°I got this.¡± >Evaluation of Envenomed Bracer: In 100% working order. Pristine condition - no issues detected. Customized for [Rogue] Step. ¡°Envenomed Bracer?¡± Alex asked. ¡°I can pump a little mana into it, and then whatever blade I hold in that hand gets a paralyzing poison applied to it.¡± ¡°Interestingly dangerous.¡± Alex murmured. ¡°What about Patina?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, ¡° Step shook her head. ¡°She didn¡¯t say much - stuck her hand in, got her box, and left.¡± ¡°Just left? Where did she go?¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Out is all I could tell you. I¡¯ve been taking care of other things while you were bathing in self-recrimination.¡± Step¡¯s tone was absolutely judgmental, but more for Alex¡¯s guilt than his actions. ¡°Ayway, that¡¯s the loot done. Congratulations on completing your first dungeon without even setting foot in it. You¡¯re a lucky man, sir.¡± ¡°Oh yeah, lucky. That¡¯s what I am.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still alive, ¡° Step slapped Alex¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Now let¡¯s keep going. I meant what I said earlier.¡± ¡°About butts being for shitting?¡± ¡°And showing off a cute tail, but no. We need to get you to the Overseer so he can fill you in on what he knows.¡± ¡°What do you know? The whole decoupling thing sounds serious.¡± ¡°Apparently once the carriage takes a certain amount of damage - and the insane growth spurt of a magical tree did vast levels of damage - an emergency protocol none of us even knew existed switched on. Once we return to realspace the carriage will be decoupled from the train and dumped into the void.¡± ¡°And Vod knows what to do about that?¡± ¡°No, Overseer Vod has no idea what to do to prevent that from happening. He wants to talk with you about some sort of plan for survival.¡± Step paused, and shook her head. ¡°Look, he¡¯s pissed right now. There¡¯s no way this can be kept quiet - every single working display and screen in the carriage is declaring the decoupling, which is causing panic in the remaining people in the other cargo bay. There are dead or dying plant bits clogging up the corridors, which is making it harder to get around and properly assess if there¡¯s anything we can actually do.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what I can do either, ¡° Alex shook his head. Step hooked a thumb over at the softly glowing tree. When Alex looked at it, in the center of a small clearing, he felt a sense of tentative satisfaction coming from the tree. ¡°Well, we still have power, ¡° Step said, ¡°Thanks to you. Can you imagine if life support had just stopped?¡± ¡°Can I not?¡± Alex sighed. Step actually laughed. ¡°Come on, ¡° she took his hand and tugged Alex gently forward, ¡°Talk to Vod first, obviously, and then grill that fucking computer. She¡¯s refusing to respond to anyone else right now. Find out what we need to do - and by we, I¡¯m pretty sure I mean you, [Mender].¡± Once more the feeling of being overwhelmed rose up in Alex¡¯s chest. He felt his breath catch, and he quickly shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t. I caused this problem, Step, by failing. I failed and people died and fucking Syntropy REWARDED ME FOR IT!¡± Alex¡¯s voice rose, his frustrations and fears finally welled up enough to be let out. ¡°I mean, seriously? I¡¯m getting GIFTS FOR KILLING PEOPLE, AND-¡± The crack of Step¡¯s open palm striking Alex¡¯s cheek resounded through the softly glowing woods. Alex staggered back, shock written all over his face as he cupped his cheek with one hand. Whatever he¡¯d been feeling died away quickly at the shock of the strike. ¡°Better, sir?¡± Step asked politely. ¡°OWWW!¡± Alex exclaimed belatedly, and then scowled as he realized that the sharp slap and the accompanying pain had forcefully pulled him down from the edge of near hysteria. ¡°Fuck!¡± Step waited impatiently with a raised eyebrow until Alex refocused on her and let out a sigh. The human scowled. ¡°Fine. Well, I man, I¡¯m not fine. But I¡¯m here. Shit.¡± Alex felt his jaw, moving it back and forth. ¡°You don¡¯t hold back on the slap, do you?¡± The mousekin¡¯s answer to that was a smirk which suggested that she¡¯d gone light on him. Alex groaned, and then blinked rapidly as a random thought occurred in this moment of slap-caused clarity. I¡¯m here. Huh. The man realized that he was here. A strange little wooded area magically created from the deaths of thousands, on board a decaying space train and tasked with fixing things. He¡¯d made a terrible job of it so far, but he was here and¡­ This is real. This thought wrapped around Alex¡¯s heart like a constricting blanket - both heavy and, strangely, comforting. This was real. He wasn¡¯t going to be able to laissez-faire his way through this. There was no going with the flow. Alex was dying, and even that death-of-his-soul was overshadowed by so many other little deaths that he could face. Getting access to magic, whatever that involved, was just one of a thousand crushingly overwhelming things that he was going to be dealing with in not only this carriage but the other nine thousand plus as well. Alex had to be able to do this, because it was the only way to save his own life. He had to be responsible because whatever had yanked him across the universe needed him to be. And Alex would do what he could because, well, nobody else was going to in this fucking clown-driven circus of bullshit. He took a breath and held it, closing his eyes. The air smelled of rotting mulch mixed with sweeter pine, laced with an undercurrent of burning plastic. Alex felt it again, that not right feeling inside. He looked inward, focusing on his Interface until he found it listed under his Soul Upgrades. ~ Soul Upgrades [Interesting Times] [Unflappable] - Broken ~ >Evaluation of Soul Upgrade [Unflappable] - Damaged. Working at 16.11% efficiency. Self-repairing. Recommended actions: Read a book. Listen to music. Binge some shows. View Art. Dance. Sing. Create. Take a walk. Meditate. Therapy? The suggested actions were all, in a way, wellness-related. Alex¡¯s [Unflappable] still existed, but he felt so raw and unshielded and real because it wasn¡¯t working properly. It would take time to repair itself, but it was repairing itself, which meant that in time Alex would be himself again. Okay, Alex exhaled. He opened his eyes and looked at Step. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Alex wasn¡¯t okay. Which was, essentially, okay, because nobody in this situation should be. * None of the buildings existed anymore; Everything had been converted or broken down, and unless one looked up beyond the tree branches to see the metal bulkheads above it was hard to tell that this wasn¡¯t a natural space at all. Alex took it all in, along with the rather telling shaped mounds of leafy greenery from which larger plants and trees had grown. The bodies of the fallen. He needed to get out of here. Leaving the little woodland was easy enough. It didn¡¯t extend beyond the confines of the cargo bay - which was large enough, but relatively easy to traverse. Step guided him forward to where a small group of people were hacking away at thick, dark vines that had been encrusted in black fluid which had hardened. ¡°Sir, ¡° A very large minotaur woman straightened as she saw Alex approach. She towered above the man by several feet, but radiated a serenity that gently brushed away any intimidation or fear. The bovine features were soft and feminine, but her eyes were two pale green orbs that looked like someone had taken to them with a tattoo needle. It¡¯s leaves and branches, Alex realized. As the rest of the group broke off from their work and approached with gentle smiles and those same eyes Alex realized that each of these six people were profoundly changed by their experience. Those eyeball-tattoos were repeated on their temples, down their necks and across their arms as well. ¡°Anything beyond the grove will be purged, sir.¡± the minotaur explained, gesturing to the vines that partially blocked the smashed-out doorway. ¡°The initial growth was tainted with too much entropy, before the Purifier was working correctly. It will take time and work, but we are no strangers to hard work. Thank you for saving our lives.¡± ¡°Um.¡± Alex wasn¡¯t sure what to say. The body count he took upon himself meant that he couldn¡¯t interact normally with these six survivors, even though he saw gratitude in their eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about¡­everything.¡± ¡°We are alive, and we have purpose, ¡° the minotaur smiled. Her teeth were wide and flat. ¡°We, all of us, have been marked by the grove. As have you, tree-friend.¡± ¡°What?¡± Alex flinched, startled. ¡°Step, are my eyes-¡± ¡°You¡¯re fine.¡± Step replied. One of the others slowly moved forward, and extended a hand to Alex. He automatically took it and when he did Alex felt something peaceful settle on him. A hint of safety and calm that he hadn¡¯t felt since coming back from his time in the mindscape. ¡°Cazpar Welt, ¡° the short figure said by way of introduction. It was a goblin, stockier than Patina, and with longer ears. ¡°Thank you, tree-friend. Let us reassure you that this place will stay as it is now. It shall encroach no further upon the carriage.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­good.¡± Alex managed. ¡°You can¡¯t see paths can you, [Mender]?¡± asked the minotaur woman. When he looked at her again he got the impression of being shaded under a broad-limbed tree. Alex shook his head, and the minotaur nodded. ¡°Then you don¡¯t truly know what you¡¯ve helped accomplish here. My name is Verita Meskol, and until just a few hours ago I was a [Laborer].¡± Verita, in a voice too soft and gentle to be coming from a being of her size, explained that each of them had been stripped of their old paths, somehow being remade into new ones. Or rather, Alex realized with surprise, repurposed. The minotaur woman¡¯s path was now listed as [Arborist] as was one of the goblins in the group. Two other goblins had been given [Botanist] as their path, and the other two - a strange bipedal lizard-creature and a waif-thin almost-human girl with pale hair whose species was given to Alex as sanguinar - had been put on the [Mycologist] path. ¡°All of us are level one, of course, but we now have an opportunity we never had before. We can use this place, this grove, to become more than what we were.¡± Verita said. ¡°For our lives, and for our new paths, we are grateful.¡± The others murmured their soft-spoken gratitude as well, and after a few more uncomfortable moments Step had extricated Alex from the group and led him out of what was now being called the Grove. ¡°That¡¯s going to cause issues, isn¡¯t it?¡± Alex asked in a low voice. His eyes had to adjust once the pair reached the corridor outside the grove. The light out here was a dim, sullen red. Step nodded. ¡°Oh yes. With both the Overseer and with Ad Astra. But that¡¯s not our problem. We have six people who are very keen to get to work, and they¡¯ve already promised to start clearing out all this mess.¡± Step gestured to the detritus of dead or dying vines and assorted plants that spread throughout the corridors. Alex was able to see well enough in the gloom to know that even if every bit of vegetation were removed there would still be a hell of a lot of damage. They walked carefully, but with Step¡¯s eyes looking out for any vestigial animation in the masses of vegetation that crowded the corridors. Alex tried his best to keep up with [Evaluating] everything as they went, attempting to consciously combine its usage with the passive part of [Holistic Rebuild] , but only once did he make Step long enough for him to carefully duct tape a thick wire which hung from the ceiling, sparking from a split where a serrated vine had cut partially through. ¡°That¡¯ll help?¡± Step asked, both curious and incredulous that this was the one thing Alex was willing to do. He struggled to explain what he was feeling, that there was a greater connection to that particular wire which needed stabilizing. It wasn¡¯t as if Alex was one hundred percent sure of himself, but with his skills it had practically screamed at him for attention. ¡°I think so.¡± he shrugged. Step didn¡¯t question further. The closer they got to the still-operating cargo bay, the less rotting vegetation and damage was evident. There were still some, punched up through the floor or spilling down from vents or hatches, but more and more Alex encountered people. They were hollow eyed, practically exhausted and grim-faced folks of many species, though predominantly goblin. All of them had signs of recent injury, with strips of cloth tied in various places on their limbs, and none of the people acknowledged their presence as they scrubbed, swept, and polished whatever they could. Working for their daily wage, no matter what. Step would not let Alex stop to interact with them. As they entered the cargo bay, the hive of activity from earlier still existed though now it had a desperate undercurrent to it. People were¡­packing? Where are they going to go? Alex shook his head, not understanding as people threw their possessions into boxes, crates and makeshift bags. Step guided Alex through, weaving dexterously past people who were sad, or scared, or angry. Nobody stopped them until the pair reached the bottom of the stairs leading to Vod¡¯s place. There, the Bruise brothers were waiting. Neither looked to be in particularly good shape, covered with ugly wounds bandaged unprofessionally. Helwud was breathing heavily, pain evident on his face while Jaek leaned slightly to the left as if trying to find a comfortable position to stand. ¡°Hey, what happ-¡± ¡°Upstairs. Now.¡± Jaek muttered. Alex saw the cold fury in the elf¡¯s face and wisely chose not to argue. He took several steps up before he noticed Step wasn¡¯t following. Alex looked at her questioningly. ¡°Just you, sir.¡± the mousekin replied. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting down here.¡± Alex ascended alone. The stairs were just as precarious as they had been the first time, but were more well repaired than other parts of the carriage so Alex supposed he shouldn¡¯t complain. When he reached the top, the door to Vod¡¯s place was open like a grim invitation. Inside, the room was mostly dark. What little light illuminated the room was from a single red disc on one wall. Alex had trouble making things out clearly, but a large shape slumped in a chair. ¡°Um¡­Mister Vod?¡± Alex called. The shape stirred. ¡°Ah. The hero returns victorious.¡± Vod¡¯s voice was weak, his words a struggle to pass from his lips. The orc chuckled, and then coughed. Alex was by his side in a moment. ¡°What happened?¡± Alex asked, throwing out an [Evaluate] at the orc. >Evaluation of Fabian Vod: Broken. Triage as follows: Puncture wound, left side. Puncture wound, left shoulder. Deep gash, left arm. Multiple bruises and lesions. Warning: Syntropy-related progression at 1.8% of normal. That answer only confused Alex more, but he busied himself in peeling off the massive orc¡¯s top layers of bloody clothing. To his surprise, Vod not only allowed him to do so but even helped as he shifted painfully in the chair. Alex had no sanitizer, no disinfectant, nothing to control germs or infection. All he had were his handyman¡¯s tools and a few skills, but he got to work with his ever-useful duct tape. As he applied the tape, Alex used his [Jury Rig] skill, hoping that it would do something to better mend the wounds underneath. Once he was done, Vod silently gestured for Alex to sit. ¡°What happened, you ask.¡± Vod said, his voice low and quiet. ¡°What happened was that many, many errors have occurred to bring us to this point. Whatever you did down there, and I will get a full explanation, now has us all to the brink of destruction. But you are not the only one at fault.¡± ¡°Mister Vod, the people in the other cargo bay-¡± ¡°I know. And that, I don¡¯t hold against you.¡± Vod sighed. ¡°We have survivors. This is good. For how long those survivors will last, I don¡¯t know. Tell me what you make of this, Technician Orz.¡± Vod gestured toward the blank screen on one wall. As he did so it lit up, a bright red splash of background, with blocky white lettering declaring to all who saw it that they were all well and truly fucked. WARNING Carriage 9997 viability has been reduced to unsustainable levels. Security Protocol X-7 in effect. Carriage 9997 will be decoupled from the Relentless Exploitation upon return to realspace. ¡°You know, in all of the things that Ad Astra could do to its employees, I never actually considered they would program in a protocol that would remove a carriage from the train entirely.¡± Vod said to Alex, ¡°Though it doesn¡¯t surprise me that it exists.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, ¡° Alex apologized, the burden of guilt growing within him. ¡°I didn¡¯t know this would happen.¡± ¡°You are at fault, this is for certain.¡± Vod agreed, words which punched Alex in the metaphorical gut. His next words were a surprise however. ¡°As is Ad Astra. As is the damnable adjunct. And as am I.¡± ¡°When I was running - hah, yes, I ran in fear, Technician Orz! - from the overgrowth, I realized the shortsightedness of my little¡­monitoring project. To control what was seen, and by whom, well it¡¯s a useful tool of power.¡± Vod coughed again, and scowled. ¡°The adjunct could not see or hear. It couldn¡¯t close doors or otherwise stop the plants, because it could not detect them. Because of me.¡± Alex remained silent. The orc was right, and it seemed that his brush with death was at least a small lesson he¡¯d learned - at least for now. Alex didn¡¯t believe the Overseer would remain contrite forever. ¡°But blame does nothing but slow us. Guilt binds us. Hopelessness weighs us down and crushes us under its heel.¡± Vod continued, ¡°All we can do is move forward.¡± ¡°This¡­viability thing. With the decoupling, ¡° Alex asked, ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°You will talk to the adjunct. I have a feeling that you can do so without injury.¡± Vod smiled at this, a dark and grim twist to his mouth. ¡°When I sent someone to try, the adjunct closed the door on their leg. The bone is broken, of course.¡± ¡°Okay, I can do that, I just hope she hasn¡¯t gone all Hal 9000 on us. But what about fixing everything? Or at least something? I know it seems hopeless, but there has to be something we can do.¡± ¡°Yes. As I said, we move forward. You, with the adjunct. See what is required. See what can be done. And if that turns out to be nothing, then I gather my people and we move forward.¡± The orc stressed the words, sighing at Alex¡¯s confusion. ¡°The way between carriages is sealed, Technician Orz. But I guarantee I can find another way to the next carriage, though it may kill even more of us along the way. That¡¯s my task.¡± ¡°Another way? A dangerous one?¡± ¡°Talk to the adjunct, Technician Orz. Two plans are better than one. That¡¯s all I¡¯ll say on the matter. You may go now.¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°Boy, if you think these injuries I¡¯ve suffered would prevent me from breaking every bone in your body you¡¯re quite badly mistaken. You will now leave.¡± Alex had no idea how he found himself standing outside the door, blinking in confusion. Vod had been talking, and then had asked him to leave and¡­he had. The interaction seemed muddled in his mind, but Alex shrugged. He had to talk to the adjunct. To Harmony. The [Mender] made it three steps down before the door opened behind him. Vod coughed, and when Alex looked the orc was leaning against the door frame. ¡°Catch, ¡° Vod said simply, and underarm tossed Alex a small object. Alex seized the thing out of the air and looked at it - a small cylindrical device covered in small switches and buttons, all tarnished metal and unlit LEDs. One end was blackened and charred, as if slightly melted. Alex was reminded of the Sonic Screwdriver from the BBC¡¯s Doctor Who show that he¡¯d caught a few episodes of over the years. >Evaluation of Mark 3 Standard Omnitool: In 26% working order. Melted emitter. Cracked keris crystal. Storage leak reduced raw material capacity to 2.6%. Chance of explosion per continuous minute of use: 17%. Recommended repair: Replace emitter. Replace keris crystal. Mend spatial magic runeworks. Alex looked up at Vod in askance, and the orc¡¯s expression was impassive. ¡°I know my failings, Technician Orz. I am the ruler of a tiny kingdom that has been reduced by half in a single day, and is rapidly falling to pieces. Clinging to what I have is only going to make things fall apart at a greater pace. It seems¡­stupid, to hold this back from you now, if you could use it to help us all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­not in good shape, Mister Vod.¡± Alex suggested carefully. ¡°It was honestly like that when I acquired it.¡± he said. ¡°Sometimes an accident truly is just an accident, no matter what certain little goblins might think.¡± Alex glanced back down at the device that was so close to broken he wasn¡¯t certain he would be able to even use it. This was the thing Vod was holding over Alex¡¯s head? A barely working device that could explode on him at any time? When Alex opened his mouth to reply, the door was closed and Vod was gone. Fuck me, Alex thought as he trudged back down the stairway. The omnitool went into his pocket along with his dungeon reward. Maybe he would be able to do something with it, but did he even have the time to try? Chapter Nineteen - Realignment Of the sixteen members of the board, three of us are dead. Six squat in bunkers deep under layers of corporate planetary security like quivering rodents, and the rest of you are on your own personal void yachts in undisclosed locations. Cowards. Cowards and parasites, the lot of you. We¡¯ve failed before, and we¡¯ll fail again, but Ad Astra always ends up leaps and bounds ahead of the competition due to one simple fact: we do not cower. Members of the board, craven and sniveling creatures that you are, I expect to see your asses in these chairs, around this table, for next week¡¯s board meeting even if I have to drag each of you in here myself. -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration, and Exploitation Corporation. Allow yourself a moment of imagination. Specifically, imagine a child¡¯s ball pit. It¡¯s probably fairly easy to picture one in your head, even if you do start to feel that creeping-flesh sensation that comes from knowing exactly how disgustingly unhygienic those things are. Now imagine that this plague pit - er, I mean ball pit - is the size of, oh, the Grand Canyon, but still filled to the brim with balls. It¡¯s mildly interesting that this sort of image isn¡¯t actually that hard to picture, so a hearty ¡®well done¡¯ to you. Now think about those plastic multicolored balls. Reduce them to the size of marbles or, perhaps easier still, turn them into marbles in your mind if it helps. Got it? Good. That immense ball pit is the universe, and each marble is a planet that holds sapient life. No, not literally, and please stop wondering what it would be like to put one in your mouth. Focus. Spread throughout the universe in a multitude of galaxies, each marble represents a life-bearing planet. If we were to also include a marble for each planet that did not play host to sapient life, this ball pit would need to be the size of the sun so we¡¯re leaving them out for the sake of simplicity. Honestly, despite what you¡¯re hopefully picturing, it¡¯s not that many planets considering the immensity of the universe. Moving on, we can now imagine duplicating this Grand Canyon-sized marble-filled image an infinite number of times. If, of course, you¡¯re able to process the concept of infinity which, let¡¯s be honest, is sort of big. This infinite duplication turns a universe into a multiverse. There are infinite universes, duplicated over and over, with worlds ripe with life and intelligence everywhere. Of course, it¡¯s not always the same worlds in each universe that get the gift of sapience. This is not at all what reality looks like, but it¡¯s a fun little practice of imagination right? So if you¡¯re still following along rather than letting your eyes slip down the page to other things, you can go ahead and throw that whole image out because where we are next takes place outside all of that. A place of Otherness, which is a whole separate infinite space itself. And in one tiny part of that infinite Otherness, in one comfortable and well-existed-in room, an entity that currently looks like the sidekick of Xena the Warrior Princess stiffened in her chair as she felt a familiar and worrying presence approaching. Oh dear, Gabrielle thought. Polite, firm knocking almost made Gabrielle flinch. This particular visitor had no real need to knock, and quite often had blown the door off its hinges in the past so despite being justifiably nervous she was also grateful that this wasn¡¯t one of those days. She opened the door quickly, and was immediately accosted by a woman who seized Gabrielle¡¯s collar and pushed her back into her room. ¡°Why are you fucking with my shit?¡± the woman demanded, ice in her pale eyes. Immediately Gabrielle tried to come up with a dozen excuses, but failed. In the end she smiled weakly. ¡°Hi, boss. You look different. Again.¡± The woman didn¡¯t reply to this except to look Gabrielle¡¯s own new appearance up and down before pushing her way into the room. This was a normal enough start to Gabrielle¡¯s interactions with the woman that she easily stepped to one side rather than getting pushed backward in a not so gentle manner. It wasn¡¯t that the woman was aggressive and rude but, no, actually, she was totally aggressive and rude, but Gabrielle generously put it down to the fact that this woman always seemed to visit her within moments of having gone through some sort of traumatic death. She was a [Troubleshooter] which was, honestly, more terrifying to Gabrielle than stepping back onto the mortal coil and one day reincarnating again. The [Troubleshooters] were a mythical bunch, rarely seen and best never interacted with, which made Gabrielle¡¯s semi-legitimate employment by one somewhat stressful. There was a saying about the [Troubleshooters]. They see trouble, and they shoot it. Repeatedly, until it stopped being trouble. Sometimes they even left a habitable location behind. ¡°So¡­¡± Gabrielle ventured as the [Troubleshooter] made her way to the center of the room and looked around with sharp and furious eyes. ¡°What can I do for you?¡± ¡°You can stop fucking with my shit, Sparkles.¡± the woman growled. Gabrielle held up a finger. ¡°It¡¯s Gabrielle now.¡± she said. In this place you could look how you liked, and Gabrielle was quite taken with her new body. Her boss-type-person generally visited in whatever form she¡¯d last lived a life in, which wasn¡¯t exactly normal in a place where you could be anything you wanted.. ¡°And speaking of, what do I call you this time?¡± There had been many names, for many bodies, for many lives lived in order to perform her duties as a [Troubleshooter]. Right now the woman had the appearance of a short, unnaturally beautiful elven woman with long tapered ears that stuck out to either side of her head. Her coppery curls were perfect spirals that danced and bobbed as she moved her head. The [Troubleshooter] wore rugged, but well made clothing and at her hip hung a short-barreled pistol of some kind that seemed entirely made out of crystal. ¡°Kathryn, ¡° the woman said shortly, ¡°Kathryn Gallowmere.¡± ¡°Rough death, boss?¡± Gabrielle asked. With this question, the [Troubleshooter] visibly deflated, and flopped bonelessly onto Gabrielle¡¯s sofa. The woman put a hand over her face, letting out a long breath as she formulated a reply. ¡°I was thrown from the outer hull of a spacecraft during its launch. Not the worst, but¡­¡± "Ouch. Sorry." Gabrielle had now met the [Troubleshooter] almost a dozen times. Their visits were never exactly pleasant, and always ended up with Gabrielle and her team getting more work. Hell, the reason the team was still together after so long was because of the [Troubleshooter] and tempting amounts of cash. Besides, it was almost like living again. Each visit, the [Troubleshooter] had just returned from a job; Each job was, apparently, a high-stakes insertion into some point of reality that had an Entropy problem that normal protocols couldn¡¯t buff out on their own. And each job ended in the same way, with the death of the [Troubleshooter]. ¡°I¡¯ve died before, and I¡¯ll die again.¡± Kathryn said in a tired voice, ¡°But you know what made this particular one the worst so far?¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°When I came back here the first thing I had to deal with was an interview with a fucking Arbiter.¡± Kathryn growled, a hint of her ire coming back. ¡°You know what an Arbiter is, right?¡± In a general sense, Gabrielle knew that an Arbiter was an entity that was responsible for Syntropy not, in her boss¡¯s words, being fucked with. Whereas a [Troubleshooter] was a soul tagged to be sent to fix issues, an Arbiter wasn¡¯t a being with a soul or a path - it was an Idea made real, and that Idea was that Syntropy¡¯s workings were sacrosanct and would take steps to make sure that things worked as they should. A [Troubleshooter] took care of the dirty jobs. An Arbiter enforced the rules. ¡°I still think they should be called something other than Arbiters, since they don¡¯t arbitrate anything, but yeah. I know what they are. They¡¯re even more mythical than you lot.¡± ¡°Well, congratulations, ¡° Kathryn said flatly, ¡°You¡¯re going to have an Arbiter sitting in on the next Syntropic Synchronization session with Alex Orz.¡± ¡°Oh, ¡° Gabrielle winced, ¡°Shit.¡± ¡°¡®Oh, shit¡¯ indeed, Gabrielle, because the last time we spoke Alex was on Earth with no hint of being connected to the Interface.¡± Kathryn said, ¡°And your job - the one thing - your team was asked to do was to monitor and record his interactions with [Interesting Times] to see how his soul developed.¡± ¡°Um, well, yes, but there was a problem.¡± ¡°I was told. Soul calcification. All of a sudden it became such an issue that you decided to fuck with things. I gave you access to be able to influence Alex¡¯s soul upgrade so that you could generate a steady set of interesting things that would gauge how he responded to different situations. I did not, ¡° Kathryn pointed at Gabrielle with an unwavering finger, ¡°Think that you would create an event that would rocket him across reality, connect him to the Interface, and then scour his fucking mind and body with entropic energy.¡± ¡°I thought-¡± ¡°No you didn¡¯t. You didn¡¯t think at all. Tiny events. Nothing beyond a localized level. Low footprint things with very little chance of being noticed. Well, Gabrielle, we¡¯ve been noticed.¡± ¡°Is that going to be a problem? For your plans, I mean?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know my plans, Gabrielle.¡± Kathryn shook her head, letting her spiral curls dance again. The woman scowled at them. ¡°I hope my next life has me bald or something, ¡° she muttered. ¡°Well, no, but I can sort of guess. Alex is important to you.¡± ¡°Hah, ¡° Kathryn snorted, ¡°He¡¯s actually not. He would have lived in relative obscurity if you and your little friends hadn¡¯t started hyper-focusing on the man and broadcasting bits of his life. I¡¯m just taking advantage of it.¡± Gabrielle had to admit that she¡¯d made a mistake there. Her team¡¯s original job - and one that they still were technically performing - was to watch one particular version of Earth and gather information, just as she¡¯d told Alex. Finding Alex had been fun, especially with all of the odd events that followed the man. It was almost like living again, but safely. This place, this Other, was a perfectly safe environment for souls. Here they were outside of the ever-turning wheels of reincarnation, and had the option to remain for as long as they wanted to. Souls like Gabrielle¡¯s and those of her team, had gone through at least one life that had been so terrible that they shied away from incarnating again just yet. A small well of envy bubbled up in Gabrielle as she looked at Kathryn. The [Troubleshooter] never had nice lives; All of them were filled with days or years of pain and stress beyond belief in their efforts to combat Entropy. All of them died horribly, and time and again the woman chose to keep doing it. Gabrielle was a coward, and she knew it. Either unknowing of or uncaring about Gabrielle¡¯s inner turmoil, Kathryn continued speaking. ¡°You¡¯ll want to lose the Arbiter¡¯s attention as soon as possible. Play by the rules. Do not interfere with the event system again - not even a tiny bit. Does Alex know it¡¯s you doing that?¡± ¡°We told him that it¡¯s his [Interesting Times] making choices on a base level to repair his soul calcification. He doesn¡¯t know that we can¡­tweak it.¡± ¡°He probably will, if the Arbiter gets its way - and they always do. No more tweaks, ¡° Kathryn ordered, ¡°Not until the Arbiter moves on. How¡¯s your other boss taking things?¡± ¡°Our normal boss? He¡¯s completely unaware, as per usual. As long as we submit our observation reports on the planet, he¡¯s satisfied.¡± ¡°Good. I¡¯d hate for him to become trouble.¡± The silence that squatted in the room after that statement was almost a physical presence, filled with heavy suggestions of unpleasantness. Gabrielle shivered, reminded once more about what exactly the woman who sprawled on her sofa did on the daily, and then pushed past it as best she could. ¡°What happens now?¡± ¡°I get back to work. I¡¯ve already been tagged for another job. I might be back soon, I might be gone for a while. You know how it is.¡± Gabrielle did indeed know how it was. Sometimes the visits were weeks apart, other times years passed. Time was perfect here, but the reincarnation cycle could send a soul anywhere or anywhen. ¡°You, ¡° Kathryn continued, ¡°Will behave. Stop playing with the events, let them occur naturally for a while. Explain very firmly to Peri that chattiness is going to continue to be punished more severely - yes, I was told about that, too. Give the Arbiter nothing that would make it set up a permanent overwatch on us.¡± ¡°What about Alex?¡± ¡°What about him?¡± ¡°He¡¯s going to die and his soul destroyed if he doesn¡¯t get that fixed. That¡¯s why we did what we did.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°And, well, I figured that you¡¯ve sunk a lot of time and energy into monitoring him, employing us to do so. So we need to keep him alive, right?¡± Kathryn shook her head slowly. ¡°I said before that you don¡¯t know my plans, Gabrielle, and I¡¯m not going to share them with you regardless of the situation but I will say this: They rely upon Alex Orz just being Alex Orz.¡± ¡°But-¡± Gabrielle¡¯s eyes widened, shocked that the [Troubleshooter] would let the man die so easily after all of the research and observation the team had done over the years. ¡°Trust me, ¡° Kathryn said, ¡°And trust Syntropy.¡± Then, with a whisper of air moving, Kathryn Gallowmere was gone. The sofa cushions slowly adjusted themselves from where the woman had dimpled them with her weight, and Gabrielle sighed heavily. She never got enough time to figure things out, the [Troubleshooter] always being whisked away before Gabrielle could ask all the questions she wanted to. She didn¡¯t agree with letting Alex just do things alone, but Gabrielle was scared. Scared of the Arbiter. Of the [Troubleshooter]. Of Alex dying before she could fully monetize his adventures - thank the void that the [Troubleshooter] hadn¡¯t seemed to care about that little idea. Most of all, though, Gabrielle was scared that if she lost her jobs - both jobs - she would have to seriously consider stepping back on the wheel. Existing in this place wasn''t free, after all. This place of Otherness was perfect for her, and others like her. Gabrielle got to look like anyone or anything she wanted, live however she wished, and basically spend every day outside of working in one long series of pleasure-fueled binges with food, drugs, and people who were just like her; People who would do anything at all to distract themselves from thinking about being reincarnated. Living terrified her more than anything else. She eyed a package she hadn''t opened yet, the one that she''d been promised by a dog-faced squid boy contained really good drugs, and sighed. None of it was really real. She was a soul, not a mortal - these pleasures and sensations only affected them because they wanted them to. All of this was starting to fall apart, and Gabrielle was desperate to keep things as they were. With worry in her heart, the blonde woman put out a call to assemble her team. * Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. The tiredness Alex felt as he let Step guide him away from the cargo bay threatened to overwhelm him. Actually, everything felt like it was threatening to overwhelm Alex at the moment; he felt raw and exposed in ways that he never had before. I did wish earlier today to feel things without [Unflappable], didn¡¯t I? Can I change my mind? ¡°So he just gave you the omnitool?¡± Step asked, a hint of disbelief in her voice. Alex had filled her in on what happened in Vod¡¯s room, the talk and the patching up of the worst of his wounds. Alex nodded absently. ¡°Yeah. The way I figure it, it¡¯s more about looking good than anything else.¡± Alex replied, ¡°Vod knows we¡¯re all in trouble, and whatever plan he has in motion it doesn¡¯t hurt him to look even more generous. At the same time, I¡¯m sure he understands that I would simply devote more time to getting my other omnitool to work, so this one is less leverage.¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite cynical, ¡° Step commented cautiously, ¡°Which is very different from earlier today.¡± ¡°No, ¡° Alex disagreed, ¡°I¡¯ve always tried to look for the best in people and things, but I do have this whole Way of Reason thing going on, right? It¡¯s not cynical to recognize the best path forward for Vod that could both help everyone and color him in a better light.¡± ¡°If you say so, ¡° Step shrugged, ¡°It all sounds iffy to me. Anyway, here we are. This is where you¡¯ve been talking to the adjunct, right?¡± Alex looked around at the room Step had guided him to and nodded. Apart from the very dim red light of the room and the corridors they¡¯d walked through, nothing much else had changed from his last time spent here except for the screen itself which displayed the same warning message as the one in Vod¡¯s room. ¡°Hey, Harmony?¡± Alex queried gently, approaching the screen. ¡°Are you there?¡± LEAVE ME ALONE Alex frowned at the text which replaced the warning notice, and shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t do that, Harmony. The last time we spoke I said some rotten things to you. I was cruel, and I admit that it was entirely intentional. I¡¯m sorry, Harmony. I treated you poorly, and I shouldn¡¯t have.¡± The screen flickered, and the text disappeared. Snow-like fuzz covered the display, the way a television channel used to back in the old days. Slowly, a pair of eyes manifested on the screen, followed by the rest of Harmony¡¯s face fading in like a very traumatized Cheshire Cat. ¡°Alex.¡± Harmony said. Her voice was a part-second off of her lip movements. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Harmony.¡± Alex apologized again. The artificial intelligence looked at him with large eyes that looked like they had been shedding tears. Surely that was a conscious display choice, considering what Harmony was, right? Alex frowned. ¡°I¡¯m here to help, ¡° Alex continued, ¡°And I¡­I fucked everything up, Harmony. I made things worse.¡± ¡°Alex.¡± Harmony repeated, frowning. She paused, looking up as if in thought. ¡°I¡­I have a confession to make.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± This wasn¡¯t how Alex expected the conversation to go. He felt bad about his casual words of cruelty toward the artificial being the last time they¡¯d spoken, but she didn¡¯t seem to even acknowledge his apology. Which is her right, of course, he thought. ¡°I¡¯ve been¡­stretching the truth.¡± Harmony said cautiously. ¡°Lying. Deceiving. The Relentless Exploitation is not in as good of repair as I previously indicated.¡± You don¡¯t say, Alex thought but didn¡¯t interrupt. ¡°The train has many, many issues that are in dire need of fixing. Carriage viability is so long that the automated decoupling process is locked in.¡± ¡°Yes, I was hoping to talk to you about that, ¡° Alex began, but was surprised when Harmony¡¯s face loomed in close as if she were leaning to a nonexistent camera. ¡°We¡¯re all going to die, Alex. I¡¯m going to die!¡± Harmony exclaimed, ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to die!¡± ¡°Hey, no, it¡¯s going to be¡­¡± Alex trailed off. What¡¯s it going to be, Alex? Okay? Alright? Just fine? How¡¯s that been working out for you so far, you murderer? Alex flinched and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± was all he managed to add. ¡°The decoupling process can¡¯t be halted. I can¡¯t stop it.¡± Harmony let out a little giggle that had a surprising note of hysteria to it. That was programmed in? ¡°I don¡¯t have the Authority.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re the AI in charge, ¡° Alex argued gently. ¡°Surely you would have been given the power to make that decision?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not Adjunct Artificial Intelligence Nine/Harmony.¡± Harmony said. Alex raised an eyebrow, and Step tilted her head quizzically. The AI continued, ¡°You know I¡¯m cut off here, right? No communication with any other carriage - despite being in charge of a thousand of the fucking things.¡± She swore. Wow. ¡°I¡¯m not Harmony, Alex. I¡¯m a piece of her. I¡¯m just whatever processes were in this carriage when we were cut off, an amalgamation of whichever memories and subroutines were in the network nodes at the time.¡± Harmony started to cry, another thing that Alex hadn¡¯t expected an artificial being to do. Digital tears fizzed and sparkled down her face. ¡°I¡¯ve been separated from the rest of the carriages - from the rest of me, not to mention from the other Adjuncts.¡± Not knowing what to say, Alex reached out and petted the screen. He had no idea if it helped, as Harmony didn¡¯t just seem to be speaking to him, but to herself as well. ¡°I miss them; Melody. Symphony. Rhythm. Dynamics. Form. Texture. Timbre. Tonality. And Ditty¡­poor Ditty. She was the first, you know? An experiment, quickly pieced together and just as quickly stored away as Ad Astra improved their processes. Poor thing. Poor me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand, ¡° Step spoke up, ¡°Why are you upset, Adjunct? If we are decoupled and destroyed, you still get to exist in all the other carriages, right?¡± ¡°The music goes on, ¡° Harmony answered, choking back a sob, ¡°Nine/Harmony continues...but not this piece. Not me.¡± Alex eyed the mousekin and mouthed the words ¡®You¡¯re not helping¡¯ before turning his attention back to Harmony. With his hand on the screen he spoke words that he had no idea of their level of truth, accuracy, or possibility. Nevertheless, they were the words that needed to be said. ¡°You are Harmony, and we¡¯ll find a way to fix this.¡± ¡°Fix? This??¡± Harmony¡¯s chuckle was wet and heavy. ¡°How?¡± Alex closed his eyes for a moment, probing at his own mind. That sensitivity, that rawness, made him feel scared and angry. He reached out for reassurance from a broken [Unflappable], finding nothing to grab hold of as firmly as he wanted. One by one he touched upon what he had. Syntropy-given skills, of course, but also his own memories. There were a vast amount of unknown variables in the present - things that they needed to know in order to figure out what to do next. Alex wasn¡¯t the smartest guy, but he had tools he could use and people he could support. The Interface had so many things that he didn¡¯t quite grasp yet, but they were all parts of himself that were supposed to help, right? He opened his eyes and looked at Harmony. ¡°I refuse to believe that with everything we have, that there¡¯s nothing that can be done.¡± he said firmly, almost believing it himself. ¡°What, exactly, are the parameters of the train¡¯s decoupling assessment?¡± ¡°...¡± Harmony paused, starting to say something, but then changing her mind. She shook her head. ¡°If carriage viability drops to below a certain threshold - that is, twenty percent - and we are nowhere near a company owned planet or authorized repair facility, in order to keep the rest of the train in good working order a carriage is decoupled and cut loose into space.¡± ¡°Okay-¡± ¡°And then destroyed by triggering the inbuilt self-destruct explosives thus assuring that Ad Astra technologies and data don¡¯t fall into the hands of our rivals..¡± Of course. ¡°So the viability of the carriage is currently at¡­?¡± ¡°Eighteen point seven percent. Past the point of no return.¡± Harmony¡¯s face twitched. ¡°I¡¯m scared, Alex. I don¡¯t want to cease.¡± ¡°Then you won¡¯t, ¡° Alex tried to smile, to lie with his eyes and face as well as his words. ¡°What if we push the viability back up over the threshold? Will it shut off the automated decoupling process?¡± ¡°Impossible, ¡° Harmony argued, ¡°There¡¯s too much damage. More than one man with a hammer and some heavy duty sealing and adherent strips.¡± It was with an almost manic grin that Alex held up Vod¡¯s omnitool. ¡°How about with one of these?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Harmony blinked, ¡°You killed-¡± ¡°No. He gave it to me. Now, again, if we repaired the carriage enough to be above the viability threshold, would the decoupling process stop?¡± ¡°I mean¡­yes? But-¡± ¡°Someone told me recently that butts are for pooping and showing off tails, or something like that.¡± Alex glanced at Step, and smiled. He felt a small flare of excitement - a road he could follow, an idea of something he could do. ¡°Harmony - and you are Harmony, our Harmony - I know that right now your sensors are limited, but if you¡¯re able can you bring up a schematic of the entire carriage and all the damaged points?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all damaged points, ¡° Harmony complained, and her eyes widened. ¡°Gosh. What? It feels good to be able to say that.¡± ¡°You go, girl.¡± Alex encouraged absently, more focused on working through his idea. Harmony¡¯s face disappeared from the screen, replaced with a three-dimensional model of the carriage. Almost everything was color-coded in red, orange, or yellow. Some small parts were greenish. ¡°Red is dead, orange is dying, and yellow is critically wounded?¡± Alex ventured. Color coding turned out to be relatively universal - at least, to those who could see colors - and Harmony confirmed Alex¡¯s supposition. ¡°Okay, Harmony. Use that big and beautiful AI brain of yours, and apply whatever knowledge or processes you have to figure out what things we can fix with what we have that will increase the carriage¡¯s viability. Don¡¯t focus on the stuff that isn¡¯t going to make much difference in keeping us alive. And then you¡¯re going to broadcast that list to everyone on the carriage.¡± ¡°Alex, Ad Astra doesn¡¯t do things that way. Profitability and performance are coded to be priority-¡± ¡°Ad Astra is prepared to cut all of us loose, to preserve the rest of the train. Look, I won¡¯t delude myself into thinking that we¡¯re definitely going to succeed, but it¡¯s worth a try. Can you do it, Harm?¡± Alex pressed, ¡°Can you come up with a real triage list to keep us all safe?¡± On the screen the three-dimensional carriage display was pushed to one side and Harmony¡¯s face reappeared. ¡°Harm?¡± ¡°Sorry. Harmony.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. A shortened name. A nickname.¡± Harmony mused, her voice still shaking from her worries but laced with something else. ¡°A pet name. A term of endearment.¡± Her face became determined, eyes narrowing as she nodded. ¡°Yes, Alex. I can do this.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great, ¡° Alex smiled. ¡°And what will you do?¡± ¡°Eh, I think I¡¯m going to take a nap.¡± Alex answered. ¡°A nap? Alex, there¡¯s a lot of things we need to go over and do. Are you sure that sleeping is a good idea right now? ¡°Syntropy has seen fit to reward me for my mistakes that led to nearly three thousand deaths. I hate that, Harm. I fucking hate that.¡± Alex took a breath, trying to calm the very sudden self-loathing that pounced out at him from the camouflage corners of his psyche. ¡°I¡¯ve been stupid, and I am stupid, but I¡¯m sure as hell not stupid enough to refuse those rewards when they¡¯re pretty much guaranteed to help us out in this mess.¡± ¡°You almost did, ¡° Step chimed in. She shrank back from Alex¡¯s look and shrugged. ¡°Just saying.¡± ¡°Whilst I¡¯m doing that synchronization thing, I want you to go back to Vod. Tell him that there¡¯s going to be some stuff coming over the Ad Astra add-on interface for people to do. Harmony, if there¡¯s a way to turn their normal duties into helping me save the day duties, please do so, but otherwise just make sure everyone knows what needs to be done.¡± ¡°But they¡¯re [Cleaners] and-¡± Step started to protest, but Alex cut her off. ¡°What they¡¯re labeled doesn¡¯t matter. They¡¯re people, and people can grow and learn. Fuck the Interface, Step. People can still do shit without it.¡± ¡°Do we need to involve Vod?¡± Harmony¡¯s tone changed once more, this time to nearly a growl. ¡°Harm, let it go. We all need to do this together. Step, sell it as keeping people occupied and less inclined to panic if you need to.¡± ¡°I almost had him, ¡° Harmony admitted, frustration and anger in her voice. ¡°Sanitation Worker Step, you tell that little despotic bastard that I heard him screaming in fear as he ran through my blind spots, and one day I¡¯ll hear it again.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not helpful. Step, edit that message to best fit the situation.¡± Alex sighed. At least she¡¯s not crying anymore, right? ¡°You need to fall asleep in a hurry, sir?¡± Step approached Alex, eyeing him speculatively. Alex immediately took a step backward, knowing full well what was about to happen. ¡°I¡¯ll manage it. You don¡¯t need to-¡± Step moved, her furry body a blur as she struck Alex on the temple. The [Mender] hit the floor like a sack of spare parts. * Panting from exertion, Patina leaned heavily against the bulkhead. The light was even worse down here than she¡¯d expected it to be, the sullen emergency lighting only partially working due to years of neglect. At her feet, a dead bilge rat bled out from multiple puncture wounds thanks to Patina¡¯s makeshift spear. It was holding up better than she thought it would, testament to Alex¡¯s path skill. >Bilge Rat killed. 1PP awarded. One path point was nothing, but that wasn¡¯t the message that Patina continually looked back up to. It was the one she¡¯d received before the disaster on the jungle-like battlefield that consumed the thoughts of the little goblin. And then the one directly afterward, when everything went wrong. >A Promise Has Been Witnessed As far as bewildering surprises went, Patina Bloodfiend found that one to be on the upper end of such things. Not only had it been cryptic as hell, but Patina just didn¡¯t get Interface messages that often. Well, not ones outside of the Ad Astra add-on updating her day-to-day duties, the rare level-up of her cleaning skills or, like just now, the miniscule path point awards. Lack of feedback was normal, she felt. Oh, there were stories - legends, really - of people having downright chatty interfaces that assisted progression in leaps and bounds. Patina had a sneaking suspicion that her new supervisor had something like that going on. She really needed to start remembering more of her grandmother¡¯s fairy tales. Things were changing, and Patina thought that¡¯s what she had always wanted. But now, after the dungeon break¡­maybe everything had stagnated here because the people on the train didn¡¯t deserve any better. Patina certainly felt as if she deserved to be ground to a smear under the corporate heel right now after what happened. Everyone died. That was a natural part of life. Onboard the train, their deaths were often painful, harsh, or sometimes even brutal. Whether it was an industrial accident, a bilge rat swarm, or death by illness or injury that had been left poorly treated, Patina and everyone around her had seen a lot of death. She thought she¡¯d come to accept it, even joked about it. Now, with three thousand sudden and violently explosive deaths? Deaths that Patina had witnessed personally as she watched in horror as people she knew were torn apart from the inside out? Patina felt nothing but dread about death now. There were no more jokes to hide that. Patina was scared of dying. Which was a shade ironic, considering that right now she was close to the location that Harmony had given her and Alex earlier that housed a bilge rat midden. She told herself it was because of revenge. Or justice. Or something. The need to see and cause something to die that wasn¡¯t a person. It sounded suitably sociopathic, anyway, and well within the lines of normality that Patina had been raised in. Both her upbringing, and the Ad Astra code of conduct were lackadaisical about the whole death thing. Life was cheap. With a kick to make sure the bilge rat was truly dead despite the Interface message, Patina gathered herself together and continued on as quietly as she could toward the midden which would contain somewhere between twenty and thirty large creatures in their nest. She could tell herself any reason she wanted for coming out here alone and facing a death she was terrified of. But the truth was the other message, the one delivered in the aftermath of disaster. >Notice: You approach new paths to travel. Current path: [Cleaner]. New paths ahead: [Aegis], [Paladin], [Avenger] >To step off your current path, align your soul with a new one. You may choose not to do so if you wish. That had not only been a kick to the face after everyone around her had died screaming, but was also frightening as fuck. Despite everything, all of her hopes and dreams and yearning, Patina had never truly believed that a path change quest could come. Yet here it was, asking her for the very simple action of aligning her soul differently. How the fuck am I supposed to do that? What did it even mean? The little goblin had pondered it at length whilst waiting for Alex to snap out of his own shock, but eventually she¡¯d left the cargo bay after being reminded by the damn mouse who was oh-so-annoyingly-competent to collect her loot from the dungeon. Patina had felt offended when the dungeon awarded her with a new mop. Sure, it was magical and cleaned things faster, and wouldn¡¯t be corroded by most toxic chemicals, but it was still something that tied her to her current path. Still, it was now in her storage pouch, just in case. Snuffling and scraping ahead made Patina tense up, her muscles knotted with anticipation. She pushed away fear and doubt, and concentrated on the Now. Never one for much introspection, Patina preferred to do rather than to think. If the Interface wanted her to align her soul, to the little goblin that meant doing things. [Aegis], she reasoned, was about protecting - people, things, whatever. It was a solid and appealing path. [Avenger] was likewise easy to understand, and what she aimed for now. She would avenge everyone who had died by killing something else that was tainted by entropy. Sure, the logic wasn¡¯t exactly sound, but Patina seriously needed to stab things right now. As for [Paladin], that was just laughable. Another fairy-tale that could hold no place in the reality of this place. She put it out of her mind. Now was the time to fight, and this time there was only her own life to worry about. The makeshift spear gripped in her hands, Patina waited until she saw scurrying movements ahead in the shadows, and then she leapt forward with a cry that contained more hopeful desperation than she¡¯d ever admit to. Patina Bloodfiend would change her path. In the end, the direction didn¡¯t matter. Chapter Twenty - Growth The initial route will take a total of six months, standard time. It will span just two solar systems, including four planets we''ve purchased outright, sixteen mining facilities in various gas giants and several promising asteroid belts. With underspace as our main means of transportation - something we''ve surprisingly been unable to improve upon at this time - this shorter run will be perfect as a test to see how our processes work in real-time. Logistics and Forward Planning already have three dozen other, longer routes ready to add once the Relentless Exploitation''s test run proves successful. If all goes well - and, board members, it MUST go well - we''ll be going intergalactic in eighteen months, and that''s a conservative estimate. The stars are ours. Now let''s go and get them. -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration, and Exploitation Corporation. Alex was already shouting before the room had completed appearing around him. ¡°Why does everyone think that¡¯s an appropriate way of getting someone to go to sleep?!¡± The room Alex found himself grumping in was different to his first Syntropic Synchronization. For one, it was much smaller and the color scheme was more of a ¡°what if we ran out of every shade of paint except white?¡± White walls, white floor, white ceiling; even the small table in the middle of the room was white. The only splashes of color were the occupants of three out of the four chairs that were arranged around the table. One was occupied by a much smaller version of the eyeball-with-tentacles that Alex recognized as Peri. Now the size of a soccer ball, Peri slumped unhappily in her chair with her tentacles listlessly waving at him in greeting. The second chair held Addy, her wide anime schoolgirl eyes presenting a rather surprised expression. Heavy black bangs hid them for the most part, but the little girl radiated quiet shock as she glanced around at the room. As for the third chair, Alex frowned and squinted. He couldn¡¯t quite make out any detail of the figure sitting there - the best way he could describe it was sort-of humanoid, but entirely made of brightly lit shadow. This was, of course, a weird and impossible thing and so Alex immediately felt slightly more relaxed. Weird and impossible were normal, even if [Unflappable] was broken at the moment. ¡°Hi Peri, Addy.¡± Alex greeted the pair he knew and then nodded politely at the stranger. ¡°Hi, person I don¡¯t know.¡± Addy and Peri both looked as if they wanted to say something, but a quick glance at the lit shadow figure made them remain silent. This figure moved its arm in a sweeping gesture, indicating the one empty chair. ¡°Alex Orz, please take a seat.¡± Its voice was heavy and deep, but entirely without inflection or emotion. ¡°Sure, ¡° Alex agreed easily. He sat down without objection - something was happening that he didn¡¯t understand, but he hadn¡¯t truly understood his last Syntropic Synchronization either so he let it go. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I am an Arbiter. And before you start to get the playful idea to assign me an endearing moniker such as Arbie, Arbs, Arboro, Arbtastic¡­¡± The figure droned on for some time, finally finishing with ¡°..or Arbooty, please restrain yourself. My name is what I am - an Arbiter of disputes.¡± ¡°Oh, ¡° Alex felt himself flushing, already having readied a few names that the Arbiter had listed. ¡°Sorry. Um. What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°It is with regret and apology that I have to inform you that your first steps of progression have been tainted and influenced by the entities who designate themselves as Gabrielle, Peri, April, Gadget, and Jessica.¡± The Arbiter said flatly. ¡°They have far overstepped their duties, and appropriate punishment has been selected.¡± ¡°I see, ¡° Alex replied, nodding as he looked at the miserable eyeball-tentacle-monster in the chair to his left. ¡°Actually, I really don¡¯t see. Can you explain?¡± ¡°To a point. Understand that I am not here to conceal anything from you, but to streamline the process of Synchronization and get you back to how things should be. As such, I will not go into great detail as it truly doesn¡¯t matter, ¡° the Arbiter said. Alex gave him a nod - of course he wanted a great deal of detail about whatever the hell was going on, but the [Mender] had a suspicion that no level of argument was going to make this entity say anything it didn¡¯t want to. ¡°Thank you for your cooperation, ¡° said the Arbiter. ¡°In short - the previously named entities have been deceiving and manipulating you for some time, interjecting themselves into your life for their own purposes. This is not explicitly against the rules, but it¡¯s something that you need to be aware of.¡± I sort of figured, Alex thought, I knew they were hiding things, but was it really that bad? ¡°It¡¯s not against Syntropy to influence others. Pushing you into certain actions and behaviors, shaping the person you have become for their own entertainment¡­as far as things go, they haven¡¯t even harmed things on a planetary level. Their infraction against Syntropy is that they have stripped you of something that you should have had.¡± The Arbiter is implying that these guys have been messing with me for a while. They said they were watching, and they did admit to showing others the more ¡®fun¡¯ events I¡¯d been through but¡­were they actually causing them? Alex frowned. This needed some thought, but the Arbiter was still speaking. ¡°All that become integrated with the Interface are given an in-depth tutorial as to how it works, what it shows, what it all means, and are presented with a plethora of options for growth from that point, ¡° explained the shadowy figure. ¡°These ones gutted your tutorial and inserted themselves in its place.¡± Peri cringed back wordlessly as the figure stared at her for a moment. All of her tentacles ceased their movements and she closed her one eye in either shame, regret, or guilt. Or maybe she was just unhappy to be caught - Alex couldn¡¯t tell. ¡°As punishment, they will be removed from their current employment which was to simply monitor and collect data on your particular Earth. Instead they will truly replace the tutorial that they so cruelly tore from you.¡± ¡°So they¡¯ll do¡­what they¡¯re already doing?¡± Alex asked. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like a punishment. Not that, well, I mean¡­¡± He tried to gather his thoughts, ¡°Look, you¡¯ve said they are liars and manipulators, but you¡¯re offering them the job of teaching me anyway? I don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°I realize that my voice carries no emotion, Alex Orz, so I will simply ask you to use your imagination and fantasize that my next words are delivered with a malice-filled sense of satisfaction at the cowardly and deceptive creatures that the named entities are.¡± ¡°Uh¡­okay?¡± ¡°Their own growth, their levels and paths, their existence will be tied to how well they teach you. And because of the role they will be officially placed in, none of them will be able to lie.¡± Still, it seems like something I wouldn¡¯t really want¡­ ¡°You are not convinced. However the decision has already been made and does not require your consent. For this, I have found a sincere apology only somewhat assists in the transition. So as an extra allowance, you are free to hate them if it helps you.¡± At the Arbiter¡¯s words, Peri¡¯s eye shot open wide and she looked at Alex with panic. Alex was reminded that Peri had already lost some path points, and from the looks of things it wasn¡¯t a pleasant experience. Still, he attempted to harden his heart to the guilt that sparked inside his chest - Peri could still be manipulating him, even without speaking. ¡°So I don¡¯t actually have a choice in this? That¡¯s¡­¡± Irritating? Upsetting? No. Alex sighed. Inevitable. ¡°What benefit do I get out of it?¡± ¡°A restored tutorial of sorts. Structure and organization to your growth - these entities haven¡¯t even gone through your attributes to explain how your advancement affects you.¡± Alex got the feeling that if the Arbiter was capable of speaking with emotion it would sound rather angry as it said this. ¡°And you would be able to trust their words. At the same time, as they will be your official Interface contacts, they will be not only forbidden but incapable of speaking to you about anything outside of the interface and your advancement.¡± ¡°So no conversations that use up the ¡®budget¡¯ or whatever it was?¡± Alex queried. The Arbiter turned its head to Peri again, who started to shiver. She really feared this thing, and Alex struggled not to feel too bad right now - after all, the group had brought this upon themselves, right? ¡°There is no budget.¡± The Arbiter stated, each word stated in heavy tones. ¡°Another lie, to see what you would do. Then, their heroic sacrifice of breaking in to talk to you is seen as good. This has influenced you to feel for them in some respect.¡± Yeah, this is just getting worse and worse, Alex thought. ¡°Regarding their new employment, here is the main benefit for you: As distasteful as it feels, the entities you¡¯ve been dealing with can keep you moving toward your goal of survival.¡± ¡°The train cutting us loose? Or the event in general?¡± ¡°The soul calcification. They did not lie about that.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Alex shook his head quickly. There had been a lot going on, but that felt like something he shouldn¡¯t have forgotten. ¡°Got it. So they can sort of prod me in the right direction to save my life. But they can¡¯t lie anymore.¡± ¡°Exactly.¡± ¡°Not to sound ungrateful, but why does it matter to you?¡± Alex asked, ¡°I mean, I¡¯m just one guy who very recently made some severe mistakes that¡­didn¡¯t turn out good for a lot of people. Why do you care?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t. The universe doesn¡¯t. Syntropy doesn¡¯t. Things simply are.¡± The Arbiter shrugged, the first expressive thing it had done. ¡°However, this sends a message to any others that might consider fucking with the Interface.¡± Alex blinked at the words, and then nodded. ¡°Okay. Sure, why not. Let¡¯s do it. If it backfires, I¡¯m gonna die anyway right?¡± ¡°Done.¡± The Arbiter said. Alex felt something, but he wasn¡¯t sure what it was. ¡°That takes care of the problematic entities There¡¯s also this one,¡± it said, tilting its head to the table¡¯s other presence. Alex saw Addy frozen, unmoving. ¡°Yeah. You didn¡¯t name her in all this. Why is she here?¡± ¡°Because, Alex Orz, despite what it is, the one you have designated as Addy has never actually lied to you. Concealed information? Yes. It is its nature as a construct of a corporation. But no deception has passed its lips. As such, you may keep it.¡± ¡°Oh. Um, ¡° Alex stammered in confusion, ¡°Okay? So what hap-¡± The Arbiter was gone. The table had vanished. Chairs? Poof! Alex stood in the small room on the plain white floor, with a small eyeball-tentacle monster and an anime schoolgirl nearby. Peri looked like she was trying to say something - anything - and she jerked and thrashed as words wouldn¡¯t come. Eventually she found something that she could say. ¡°Let¡¯s start your Synchronization, ¡° Peri said, her voice hollow and resigned. Evidently this deal wasn¡¯t exactly pleasant for her, and she wasn¡¯t going to be able to talk about it - even to apologize. A nasty, horrible little spark of spite within Alex was okay with that. * Though the little tentacle monster sounded like she was choking back tears, Peri did her best to go through everything as quickly as possible. It was almost as if she was scared of slowing down in case the Arbiter came back. Alex was reminded once more that the universe and beyond were much larger and much more unknowable than he¡¯d once thought. Still, Alex felt a level of wariness toward Peri that had been amplified by the Arbiter¡¯s blunt statements about what the team had been up to. ¡°Here¡¯s where we stand, Alex.¡± Peri said, ¡°You¡¯ve reached level three due to the path points you¡¯ve earned. The time spent being a puppet of the Dendrian sapling was short, but fruitful in its use of your skills, so you have several increases there as well. There are some completed tasks. A couple more skills have presented themselves to be generated, and the event was concluded in a way which does still reward you.¡± ¡°There are also some Ad Astra-related details to go over, ¡° Addy added. The whole Arbiter thing must have really taken the wind out of Peri¡¯s proverbial sails as she didn¡¯t snap at the schoolgirl or even give her a harsh look. ¡°Okay, ¡° Alex nodded, not really feeling like saying much else. He was surprised by how little anger he felt about the situation, but that didn¡¯t mean he was going to forgive them. They started with the level-up process. Alex was unhappy to find that he¡¯d actually surpassed the amount of path points needed to get to level three, but that almost all of those additional points had been wasted. Only thirty percent of the maximum to the next level was kept; He didn¡¯t carry over all of it, or boost up more than one level. When Alex asked why, Peri¡¯s tentacles had waved apologetically. ¡°Before going to sleep, your Interface should have prompted you to go into the Syntropy Shop and spend them, ¡° Peri explained, ¡°But because your tutorial was interfered with, no prompt was given as you hadn¡¯t set any up. Our fault, as you now know. This will be rectified going forward. Please say ¡®Set up Syntropy Shop notification on excess path point pool before sleeping¡¯.¡± Alex did so. >Confirmed. Before sleeping, Syntropy Shop will be presented if path points are in excess of the next level-up. ¡°No way to get those back, I assume?¡± Alex asked, and then nodded with resignation when Peri indicated that there wasn¡¯t. Yet another thing I¡¯ve been screwed over on. ¡°Okay, level me up.¡± >You have reached level 3. >Your steps lead only forward. >Path points to reach level 4: 120/400. >8 attribute points have been awarded for you to assign. ¡°I¡¯m going to guess that you¡¯re not allowed to suggest where I should put these attribute points, right?¡± Alex asked Peri. The little monster simply sighed and shook her eyeball. Surprisingly, Addy spoke up. ¡°I can assist.¡± the little girl said. Alex raised an eyebrow and shot a look at Peri, who was apparently prevented entirely from speaking the words she wanted to say. Alex gave the Ad Astra add-on an encouraging nod. ¡°Well, based on what I know from your most recent memories, you¡¯re in an immediate crisis. I cannot accurately comment on whether you can actually succeed in your plan to stop the decoupling, but I can suggest what you¡¯ll need to do so.¡± ¡°That sounds fair. Go for it.¡± ¡°Charisma. As much of it as you can get.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Alex queried curiously. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be getting some of my attributes up that can assist with fixing things?¡± ¡°Your skills will help there but from what I understand based on what you said to Adjunct Artificial Intelligence Nine/Harmony, you plan on enlisting additional aid. I am not well versed with how people behave, but my database indicates that those who have done the same thing for a long time will be quite resistant to change. Charisma through Wit-slash-Charm, Personal Presence, or Deception will assist you with this.¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Alex held up a finger to argue, but then thought about it. He did know how people behaved - they behaved like people. And people were motivated by a large variety of things including the most pressing one at the moment which was saving their own lives. He didn¡¯t think he¡¯d need to convince them of that. But then, Addy was also right that people were resistant to change. ¡°I¡¯d rather not lie to people in order to get them doing what I need them to. What does Personal Presence do?¡± ¡°I will absolutely be guiding you through each of the attributes throughout the course of the next thirty hours, ¡° Peri cut in, ¡°That¡¯s¡­actually being forced. If I don¡¯t have all of them done in thirty hours, I fail a Syntropy task. But in brief, have you ever just been drawn to a person? Fascinated by them, or unable to stop looking or thinking about them? Performers use it all the time to keep attention on themselves. Great and terrible leaders alike have strong Personal Presence. It¡¯s¡­the weight of you upon the psyche of those around you. In a pleasant - sometimes obsessive - way. Its opposite is the sub attribute Physical Presence, which can be very alluring, or very intimidating depending on how you use it.¡± ¡°I see. Physical Presence is how I¡¯m presenting my physical self to those around me, and Personal Presence is how my¡­Alex-ness is perceived. Right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s accurate enough for a decision, and I will visit with you about them further later today.¡± ¡°Okay. Silly question: The small numbers I¡¯ve put in things so far - have they had much effect? I¡¯d like to think that I¡¯m thinking better due to the Intelligence-based sub attributes but I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°Every point counts, but not all points are counted equally. There is no mathematical formula to it - I can¡¯t accurately say ¡®Each point gives an additional one percent to your base¡¯ or anything like that, ¡° Peri apologized, ¡°And each point affects everyone differently. A butterfly gaining one point of physical strength isn¡¯t going to have the same increase as a dragon, for example. All I can say is that at some point you¡¯ll just start to notice that things are getting better for you. It might not seem like it at first, because you''re increasing a small amount of what is, honestly, an already small base amount.¡± ¡°For a system meant to measure and provide feedback, that seems a little wishy-washy.¡± Alex grumbled. He briefly considered that Peri wasn¡¯t telling the truth to keep him in the dark, but remembered that the Adjunct had done something to prevent that. I wonder if it applied to all of them. What are they all doing right now? ¡°Fine. Uh. I¡¯m going to be doing a lot of hard work, so I want to cover that as well. Let¡¯s assign the points this way¡­¡± >Endurance: Physical Constitution increased by 2 to 2. >Endurance: Mental Fortitude increased by 1 to 1. >Endurance: Emotional Strength increased by 1 to 1. >Charisma: Wit/Charm increased by 1 to 2. >Charisma: Personal Presence increased by 1 to 1. >Intelligence: Logic increased by 1 to 2. >Intelligence: Reason increased by 1 to 2. ¡°Before anyone asks, it¡¯s because I think I¡¯m going a little crazy without my [Unflappable] doing the heavy lifting. I¡¯m hoping Mental Fortitude and Emotional Strength can take up a little of the weight. I also wanted to keep building on some things that I¡¯m already working with.¡± Alex explained. "Even just a point or two might do something, right?" ¡°Your points are yours to spend, ¡° Peri said carefully, ¡°And you¡¯re on the right track with attempting to cover for your broken soul upgrade, though it will repair itself during times of fun or peace.¡± ¡°Not that I¡¯m going to have many of those for a while, ¡° Alex pointed out. Peri nodded. "You were also expecting your HP to increase with Physical Constitution, weren''t you?" "...yes. Wrong idea?" "It''s a Syntropy store purchase. It''s not your actual health, remember? It''s a sort of shield from harm." "There''s a lot you need to tell me." Alex growled. ¡°Trust m- no, you won''t." Peri sighed. "Trust the Arbiter. You will be informed. Moving on, let¡¯s look at what happened with your skills.¡± Peri offered. Alex pulled up his Personal Progression Tasks and saw that he could hit the advance button on a number of them. He did so eagerly, despite knowing what had caused these skills to rise. The sapling taking over his body for a moment, and killing all of those people, had utilized multiple attempts at his skills. **~RANK UP [REPURPOSE]~** >[Repurpose] (1) has increased to [Repurpose] (2) **~RANK UP [GUESSTIMATED ENGINEERING]~** >[Guesstimated Engineering] (1) has increased to [Guesstimated Engineering] (2) **~RANK UP [EVALUATE]~** >[Evaluate] (2) has increased to [Evaluate] (3) **~RANK UP [HOLISTIC REBUILD x2!]~** >[Holistic Rebuild] (1) has increased x2 to [Holistic Rebuild] (3) ¡°I wish I felt different, but I remember you said it¡¯s happening while I sleep. It¡¯s good to see these things get better even though I¡¯m really just put off by using ¡®skills¡¯ rather than, you know, skill.¡± Alex said. ¡°We¡¯ve been over that, but I¡¯m happy to reiterate any Interface or Syntropy data you need.¡± Peri said, sounding very much like she was being forced to say it. Alex felt a twinge of guilt and a touch of regret. Before today Peri had been enthusiastic and excitable, and he hadn¡¯t exactly disliked her communication before. Unless it was all an act, he thought, and sobered up quickly. ¡°Thanks, ¡° Alex muttered, ¡°But what¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Syntropy task completion for the dungeon break, the event completion for the same, and anything Addy wants to say.¡± Peri said quickly. Alex nodded. ¡°Okay. Syntropy tasks and events. Are they going to get the flavor text or is it all no-nonsense? Honestly, I¡¯m good with either as long as I don¡¯t get lied to about it.¡± Peri paused, and then her whole body sagged a little. Alex got the distinct impression that she was very slightly relieved about something. Golden text flowed in Alex¡¯s vision. ~ ~Syntropy Task~ Remove Entropic Threat COMPLETED The unregulated entropy sink has been brought to keel and is now an officially recognized dungeon under Syntropy¡¯s rule. Entropy in the local area designated as Carriage 9997 will now more readily pool at the site of the dungeon. Advancement in the local area will now progress at an improved rate*. *Additional Syntropy Task will be added due to suspected malfeasance. Reward: Path points. ~ Alex checked his path points, and saw that it was now at 310/400. If he earned more soon after waking, he was happy that he now had the alert set up about the Syntropy store. >Syntropy Task added: Investigate unnaturally low advancement and progression. Artificial stagnation suspected. Reward: Path Points. Huh. Well, okay. I¡¯ll question that shortly. ~ Event #1285 - Welcome To The Jungle Completed. Result: Gain allies - Out of the possible four additional allies you and your assistant could have possibly convinced to come with you, you got one. 2.5/10. Find an entry point - That was the easy part. 5/5. Ascertain the number of survivors and, if possible, rescue them - Well, you found everyone. You even figured out (mostly) what was going on. This portion of the score was weighted to the number of survivors. 15.21/50 Repair, repurpose, or destroy the broken dungeon - Everything is back in working order. Top marks for that. 35/35. Total Score: 57.71% Rewards are commensurate on performance: 0% - You¡¯ve likely died, or not bothered with this event. 0.01% - 19.99% - Path points 20% - 49.99% - Path points. >>50% - 69.99% - Path points.<< 70% - 89.99% - Path points, attribute points. 90%+ - Path points, attribute points, generation of customized skill. POTENTIALLY LEADS TO: Event #1285-a ¡°Baby¡¯s First Dungeon¡± Event #1285-b ¡°The Only Way To Be Sure¡± Event #1285-c ¡°RUN¡± >>Event #1285-d ¡°I Mean, I Guess¡­¡±<< ~ Event #1285-d - I Mean, I Guess¡­ You kinda won. The dungeon break has been contained, and the power system for the carriage has been stabilized. The horrendous loss of life is, of course, tragic. Please understand that we did not mean for this to happen. Alex, we didn¡¯t expect your [Unflappable] to have to deal with something like that. We are very sorry for treating it as a joke. This apology is allowed as a one-time communication from the entire team but there¡¯s a very scary Arbiter watching as I type this. This sub-event has no additional rewards beyond the main reward. ~ Once more Alex checked his path points. He¡¯d been given another thirty of them, which felt like more than he deserved, to be honest. >Alert: Due to the way Event #1285 was resolved, you may choose between one of the following skills: [Mediator] or [Extreme Gardening] ¡°Should I even ask what those do?¡± Alex asked Peri. The tentacle monster shrugged. ¡°We could type up the descriptions for you - and we should, so that you can make an appropriate choice - but based on your current mindset do you want us to go into detail about a skill we all know you¡¯re going to ignore?¡± ¡°Yeah, no. I¡¯ll take [Mediator]. Give me the low-down on it, please.¡± >Skill Received: [Mediator] >[Mediator] - Rank 1 (0/100) (Common) (Passive Skill) >There comes a time in every conflict where people need to put down their sharpened sticks or sun-destroying proto-matter cannons and talk things out. With this skill, your words are more likely to be accepted when you are not taking sides or being forceful in your argument. >Scales off of Charisma, Intelligence, and Wisdom sub attributes. ¡°That was fairly to-the-point, ¡° Alex observed, ¡°But it looks like you¡¯re allowed a little color in there.¡± Peri gave a slow nod. ¡°One more thing. When you wake up, check out your leg where you were stabbed. There¡¯s something there that¡¯s going to freak you out, but it¡¯s not a bad thing.¡± ¡°Can you just tell me now?!¡± ¡°A trace of what the sapling injected you with remains. It¡¯s a chlorophyll tattoo marking you as, and I quote, ¡®Friend of the Dendrian Forests¡¯. And no, I have no idea what it means, but it shows up on your status sheet so it¡¯s tracked by your Interface. I am one hundred percent sure it¡¯s neither harmful nor spreading. It will not take control of you, if you¡¯re worried.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Alex replied, unsure of what else to say to that. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s everything from the Syntropy side of things. Pleasure doing business with you.¡± Peri said, not quite meeting Alex¡¯s eye. ¡°Please remember that throughout the next thirty hours you will be receiving large amounts of information in easily digestible chunks to catch you up on what we took from you. Have a nice day.¡± Before Alex could reply Peri vanished, leaving Alex alone with Addy. He gave the anime girl a look. ¡°That was abrupt. I¡¯m not entirely sure I like it.¡± ¡°Ad Astra¡¯s databases - the ones I have access to, anyway - don¡¯t go into much detail about the powers and dominions far above this plane of reality, but I extrapolate that your team has been severely reprimanded for their actions, somewhat terrified in a ''pants-wetting'' sort of way, and will be much less likely to cause issues going forward.¡± Addy replied. Is that a glimmer of smug satisfaction in the little girl¡¯s eye? Can¡¯t say I blame her, after the way they spoke to her before. ¡°Okay. Look, this whole thing has been a lot less informative than it could have been, but I have a feeling I¡¯m not going to understand the big picture any time soon. But I must be getting close to the end of things, right?¡± ¡°Alex?¡± Addy tilted her head to one side questioningly. The man felt a sudden need to speak, to say what was on his mind and the little add-on in his head was the only one currently available to listen and who hadn''t, apparently, lied to him. ¡°It has to be close to the end. Look, this is how stories work, right? You get the set up, the adventure begins, you get some personal growth. That¡¯s act one. Act two gets more extreme, leading up to a big downfall and the reveal of deep dark secrets. Well, I killed a whole bunch of people and honestly I think I¡¯m going crazy about that but moving on, the big reveal that I¡¯ve been lied to and messed with has been done. So we must be heading to the final act - right?¡± His voice became desperate in his own ears, and Alex sounded like he was practically begging the girl to agree with him. ¡°Act three - we head toward the end, there¡¯s some sort of a struggle to overcome, I get magically fixed up as a reward, and I get sent home in the epilogue all safe and sound. Right?¡± Addy froze, processing Alex¡¯s words as she attempted to formulate a response. The man had a very vague understanding of the way stories were structured, but even then there was the simple fact that this wasn¡¯t a story. And that¡¯s what she ended up telling him. ¡°This is real, Alex. It¡¯s not a story. No happy ending is guaranteed.¡± she paused again, thinking about the coming days. Even if Alex managed to stave off the decoupling of the carriage, it was just one carriage that he was working with. There were a lot more of them that very likely had issues that he was going to be tapped to deal with. Maybe. So Addy tried to be very gentle when she said her final words on the matter. ¡°I believe that, using your example, you have just made it out of your prologue. Another way of putting it, to drag out a strange saying from your head, you''ve just drawn some circles. Now you need to draw the rest of the fucking owl.¡± ¡°Fuck.¡± Alex''s hope, small though it was, was packed up and put away for now. Addy had other things to say. All of them were official Ad Astra content however, and so were marginally less depressing. She updated him on his employment status through the Interface add-on. ~Ad Astra Proprietary Interface Addition c9286.1b~ Interface Addition: Active Employment Status: Active Position: Junior Technician Grade Four (Temp) Pay Rate: 36 Glim/Day* Perks: Personal berth, one free meal/day* *Pay and perks are on a 30 hour cycle, and are dependent on meeting job performance minimums. ~ Corporate Scrip Glim: 36 Duty Credits: 9 Debt Load: 21 ~ Duty List Pending Tasks: #n# (PS: Kill Vod) Automated Promotion in: 8000 Duty Credits ~ Authority Level 1.0 ¡°This is a new day. As you can see, your debt load has been increased by 21 glim. Your daily wage of 36 glim has been paid. I suggest paying your debt load automatically going forward.¡± Addy advised. Alex agreed immediately, and his numbers were updated. ¡°My pending tasks are bugged out.¡± ¡°They are being reevaluated by the adjunct, at your request.¡± ¡°Oh, right. So since I earned duty credits before, why isn¡¯t my automated promotion at, like seven thousand nine hundred and some?¡± ¡°You need eight thousand banked for your automated promotion - if Ad Astra approves it, of course.¡± ¡°Of course. Okay. Is there anything else I need to know?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t die. Your cessation will be my own.¡± ¡°I¡¯m trying my best.¡± ¡°Arigato!¡± ¡°Uh?¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Addy paused, ¡°I pulled that from your memory. Probably fairly deep, I guess. I¡¯ll, um, stick to English¡­¡± she trailed off, looking shy. Alex forced himself to remember that the image was a construct in his head, and could appear however it wanted to. She hasn''t directly lied, the Arbiter told me. That doesn''t mean she''s not indirectly manipulative. He sighed. ¡°Can I wake up now?¡± he asked plaintively. And he did. * Alex sat up slowly, massaging the side of his head where Step had struck him. He didn¡¯t say anything, quietly processing through what he¡¯d learned and how he felt now with additional attribute points (no different) and skill levels (which he looked forward to testing). ¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± Step said, noticing Alex¡¯s movement. ¡°How¡¯s the head?¡± ¡°Sore, ¡° Alex groused. ¡°Thanks so much for that. You know that people do naturally fall asleep sometimes, right? Why are you still here anyway?¡± ¡°I know you said to report back to Overseer Vod and tell him you plan on instructing everyone to help you with the repairs, but he told me to stick with you like glue. I did send him a message though.¡± ¡°Are there some secret communication devices I don¡¯t know anything about?¡± Alex sighed. ¡°There are, right?¡± ¡°No?¡± Step looked confused. ¡°Just use your Ad Astra add-on to the Interface to direct message anyone you have the contact details for.¡± Alex quickly checked. He had no contact details for anyone, and he sighed. ¡°Can you give me some contact details?¡± ¡°Sure. Here¡¯s mine. I can¡¯t give out other people¡¯s - no Authority.¡± In Alex¡¯s vision, a little text popped up that said <>. When he checked, Step¡¯s name was attached to it. ¡°Huh. Okay. Well, can you send another message to Vod for me?¡± ¡°Sure can. What is it?¡± ¡°Tell him I¡¯ve changed my mind. I¡¯m not going to have Harmony send out jobs to everyone just yet.¡± ¡°What?¡± Harmony called out from the wall, ¡°I¡¯ve been working on a great set of plans, Alex! Using the idea that we can co-opt the entire carriage¡¯s workforce, I estimate that we can very possibly maybe perhaps come close to almost succeeding!¡± Now that¡¯s an endorsement, Alex thought. Aloud he said ¡°Just hold off for now. The ideas are great I¡¯m sure, but there¡¯s something else we need to do first.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Step asked curiously as Harmony huffed in exasperation on her screen. ¡°I¡¯ve been stupid, and haven¡¯t been thinking things through.¡± Alex confessed, ¡°And I¡¯ve been making decisions that I¡¯m in no way qualified to make. Because of those decisions, people died. Now, I know we don¡¯t have time to take a poll of every person in the carriage, but I can¡¯t make the decision by myself on this.¡± ¡°Okay? What decision is that?¡± ¡°How we¡¯re going to leverage our workforce. I¡¯m new here, and I almost very arrogantly just walked over everyone to get them to do what I want. Stupid. I¡¯m not in command here, I¡¯m not in control. Shit, Step, I¡¯m nobody.¡± ¡°You have more authority than anyone, ¡° promoted the mousekin. ¡°And this is getting to be a really long message if you want to send all of this.¡± Alex snorted. ¡°Authority without knowledge is dangerous. Send this: Alex Orz politely requests that Overseer Fabian Vod, along with a collection of the most influential individuals aboard carriage nine nine nine seven, meet up for a roundtable discussion about our best ways forward. The meeting will be chaired by Adjunct Artificial Intelligence Nine/Harmony, and all reasonable ideas will be listened to.¡± ¡°You want to what?¡± Step looked confused. ¡°Hold a meeting. Isn¡¯t that what those with Authority do?¡± Only in this meeting, real decisions will need to be made - without my pushing into the middle of it all, Alex thought firmly, I¡¯m a [Mender]. I need to know what I need to mend. Not A Chapter - The State of Things Hello. Just dropping a quick note to reassure anyone who''s interested that this story is still active, is not being dropped, not on hiatus, etc. I am still actively working on it at any moment I am able to mentally focus on it. Life, as each of us know, has a habit of throwing wrenches both physical and mental into our machinery. Focus and time are difficult to come by at times. When I first started this, I made the statement that I was not a writer. That this was very difficult for me. But that I wanted to try anyway. In this, I''ve been bluntly honest with myself and, I hope, with anyone who picks up this story. I maintain this statement - I am not a writer. But I have so many stories in my head, all the time. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. It''s just very, very difficult to get them out. So please, all I can reasonably request of anyone who reads this, if you''re at all interested in seeing where the story goes (and it will be going, that I can promise, especially once Alex starts to interact with other carriages of the train and their denizens) just...keep me on your backburner. I take up very little space there, and won''t make too much of a mess. Kindest regards, The Octopus Chapter Twenty One - Recognizing Ones Place Three things are required to make a business meeting something more than a waste of time, energy, and money. The first is data dissemination. Whilst information dumps up to a certain length can and should be sent as simple faceless communication, for anything that is important enough to require hands-on step-by-step guidance complete with a summary of notes, helpful and educational presentations, and the vague threat of either understanding or being made a fool of, a meeting is ideal. The second thing is productivity. Resources are being spent to make a meeting happen - people are pulled away from focus on their daily tasks, a space is set aside, and pastries with hot beverages don¡¯t just spontaneously appear from nowhere. A meeting should have appropriate goals set before it¡¯s even assembled, and needs to have those goals met when it ends. The third thing? Threat. If the caller of the meeting does not meet the goals they have set at the beginning and the meeting is deemed unsuccessful, Ad Astra will take appropriate action against that person. Your personal productivity percentage is your lifeline in this company, so make sure when you call a meeting that it couldn¡¯t have just been an electronic message. -Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration, and Exploitation Corporation. ¡°You called for a round table discussion. This one is rectangular.¡± Alex sighed inwardly. This was the sort of thing he¡¯d been listening to for the past fifteen minutes. Frustratingly, things hadn¡¯t even had a chance to go well before they deteriorated into this pointless pettifoggery. At least people showed up, Alex thought. Vod had not only agreed to the meeting but had brought along several other people that, surprisingly to Alex, didn¡¯t include the Bruise brothers. On the other hand, once word had gotten out that there was going to be some sort of plan to survive beyond the next week a handful of other folks had shown up, including two of the new-path survivors who now tended what they were calling ¡°The Grove¡±. Much later, in a quiet moment, Harmony admitted to Alex that she¡¯d whispered in a few ears, metaphorically speaking, to balance out the more powerful group that Vod had organized. ¡°Based on my analysis, these individuals have had high levels of personal contact with a significant percentage of the surviving residents of the carriage, as well as having shown some small spark of drive beyond their current role.¡± she said to him in private, adding ¡°They are also somewhat more open to adaptability, which I believe will be vital to your repair efforts.¡± Once the first person, who just so happened to be Vod, opened their mouth with a question as to why Alex was leading a meeting when he was obviously inexperienced, it had all started to unravel. Dozens of pointless quibbles leapt from curious mouths regarding things like the use of the words ¡®round table¡¯, why this business meeting had no pastries even though none of them had ever had either a business meeting or a donut in their life, and why anyone should really even bother as inevitable doom was approaching and was sure to come to pass. Alex had eyed Vod, frowning at his triggering of a whole slew of negative questions, and had attempted to guide the group to the purpose of the meeting. ¡°We¡¯re all here today to go over a plan that, if we all work together, has a good chance of fixing the carriage enough to survive.¡± Well that didn''t help, either. The actual idea of everyone working together wasn¡¯t so much a foreign concept but raised more vocal concerns about credit for work done, who would be compensated and how, and why such a new Ad Astra employee would authorize co-opting the work force to do a task that, in all honesty, everyone knew they were bad at. In short, the questions all came down to: Are we going to get in trouble for this? Of course, Alex managed to make things even worse when he tried to explain over the top of everyone that Harmony was the one who had calculated the best plan for survival and would be assigning the tasks necessary. It turned out that more than a few of the attendees had only shown up because they thought things were going to be directed by someone other than Ad Astra. It was a strange mixture of fear of change blended with the hope for it. Alex wished Patina were present. Despite Harmony having told him that she¡¯d put an alert message into the little goblin¡¯s Interface, she couldn¡¯t technically force Patina to return. Patina was somewhere within the bowels of the ship, her last location near the suspected bilge rat midden that Harmony had given to Alex as one of his tasks. The AI didn¡¯t use a reproachful tone to hint that Alex should have completed the task, but the [Mender] could tell that there was a small note of accusation there anyway. Of course, the cherry on top of that line of conversation had been just before the meeting when Alex had reviewed his task list and saw a big red FAILED glaring sullenly at him from the Interface right next to the ¡°Stay Away¡± task. It was expected but still hurt, considering the actual outcome. Alex let the group talk amongst themselves. It wasn¡¯t the way a meeting should be run, but anything he said just seemed to come out ineffectually at best or, with Vod¡¯s mild menace interjecting, be just slightly twisted into a more negative light. He deferred to Harmony, who was much more used to speaking with the Ad Astra employees even as he thought of himself as a bit of a coward for not speaking up again. Peri chose that moment to start sending Alex information, which was a welcome relief. >Incoming Message. Synopsis of attribute Strength, along with current personal rating. Overview only - there are entire libraries in the multiverse dedicated to studying Syntropy in all its forms. Please remember that the reasons Syntropy parceled things out the way it did has not been shared with any entity, or if it has there has been zero proven facts. Syntropy doesn¡¯t talk to people. Not even sure it can. -Peri >STRENGTH (0) >Syntropy has included the following sub attributes under the heading of Strength: >Physical Strength (0) >If you want to throw a rock, Physical Strength will influence how heavy of a rock you can lift, and how far and fast you can throw it. If you want to punch or kick a rock, Physical Strength will influence how powerful a strike you can make. Bend a steel bar or tear an encyclopedia in half? Physical Strength all the way. >Physical Adaptability (0) >So you¡¯ve basically thrown your Physical Strength at a thing. What happens to you after that? Well, if you have poor Physical Adaptability, you tear some muscles, snap some ligaments, break a few bones - you damage yourself. Despite being in a magical multiverse, physics does still come into play, and the body only has so much it can physically accomplish without enhancement. Physical Adaptability influences your body¡¯s ability to adapt to the pressures you put on it. So go ahead and punch that rock - if your Physical Adaptability is high enough, you might even break the rock before you break your knuckles. >Physical Presence (0) >There¡¯s that person. You know the one - they might not be the biggest or the most likely to spend 8 hours a day at the gym, but they¡¯re the person that Nobody Messes With. It¡¯s not a visible thing, not really, but the person just seems much more powerful, intimidating, or just plain steady than others. Whether they radiate menace, or stand as a pillar of strength to hold up others, Physical Presence assists them to exude a sense of strength. Interesting, I guess, Alex mused, and the first two indicate that sub attributes work together. >Incoming Message: You¡¯re correct. Many sub-attributes lean on each other quite heavily You¡¯ll start to see it more as we go through the list. -Peri. I suppose part of the way things are split out is because there are different types of strength. Though it makes me wonder about the Endurance ones. Can we do those next? Alex, distracted by his internal conversation, had tuned out of the one that was happening around him. He was brought back to the present when Step gently prodded Alex in the arm. ¡°Hmm? What? Sorry - where are we up to now?¡± ¡°You were asked a question, ¡° Vod said calmly. Alex took a moment to collect himself, and examined the orc. He was looking better than he had when Alex had patched him up - not great, and still favoring a slightly hunched over posture, but Alex¡¯s skills had evidently helped a little at least. ¡°I was¡­never mind. Yeah, sorry, can you repeat the question?¡± ¡°You called this meeting, Mister Orz, ¡° grumbled Vod, ¡°and then tossed us all to the adjunct. As much as we want to survive, under the tender mercies of the adjunct thus far we have only ever slowly continued to decline.¡± Alex didn¡¯t miss the ¡®we¡¯, the orc roping everyone under one tattered banner. ¡°What each and every person here wants to know is whether you truly believe that the adjunct has a viable plan to actually save us all.¡± Vod concluded. At that, Alex smiled. ¡°I¡¯m going to be rude, ¡° he said, ¡°and say that if everyone here had simply let Harmony present her plan rather than quibbling about things, you would already have the answer to that without needing my opinion.¡± As expressions around the table started to darken, Alex shook his head and tried to meet eyes with each of them. Some looked back at him with anger, or fear, or confusion, or simply didn¡¯t meet his eyes at all. Step winked, which was no help, and Vod continued that cold stare he¡¯d apparently perfected years earlier. ¡°You really don¡¯t want to lead at all, do you?¡± Vod muttered under his breath. The orc shook his head, his expression flat but his eyes were calculating and cold. Alex didn¡¯t catch Vod¡¯s last words, distracted by his own thoughts. They want to hope, but they don¡¯t know how. It¡¯s not something they¡¯ve found much use in before. Say something inspirational. Provide that hope. ¡°Since nobody else at the table has heard what Harmony has come up with, I won''t give my opinion on it other than to say it depends. It¡¯s going to depend on who steps up to help, and how invested everyone is in still being able to breathe a week or so from now.¡± Alex replied honestly, ¡°Look...what I can say is this: When you¡¯re at the end of your rope, tie a knot. We need hope, or else we cannot endure. It¡¯s always something, to know you¡¯ve done the most you could, but don¡¯t leave off hoping, or it¡¯s of no use doing anything. We need hope, or else we cannot endure.¡± He wasn¡¯t sure where he was pulling from. Alex knew that these weren¡¯t his words, but he borrowed them from memory and delivered them with such confidence and reassurance that Alex felt afire with inspiration. ¡°You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world¡¯s¡­the train¡¯s problems all at once, but don¡¯t ever underestimate the importance you can have. We may succeed, or we may fail, but we will try. Things are always darkest before dawn, but hold fast to the hope of success, for hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.¡± ¡°We lift together. You¡¯ll never do a whole lot unless you¡¯re brave enough to try,¡± he concluded. The table was silent, all around wearing wide-eyed and dumbfounded expressions. Oh yeah, I rocked their socks off. ¡°Wow, ¡° Step murmured with awe in her voice, ¡°That was legitimately awful. I mean, Alex, those were some absolutely terrible words of inspiration. What were you even thinking?¡± This actually helped. Several of the people around the table chuckled, and Vod snorted in apparent amusement as Alex shrank back into his chair covering his reddening face with his hands. ¡°Just hear Harmony out, ¡° he muttered in embarrassment, ¡°And then all of you together can add your own ideas, refine things based on what you know or think.¡± ¡°You want them to change my plan? Alex! I spent so much processing power on this! Nobody¡¯s even heard it yet!¡± Harmony protested. ¡°So let¡¯s hear it then, ¡° Vod said quietly. And with those words, the rest of the table finally settled down. Alex knew what the orc was doing - he was not-so-subtly asserting his influence over the others, and reminding Alex that though the human was in a position of greater Authority, Vod had many years of presence that the others still deferred to. This is fine, Alex thought, and a little part of him pointed out that he was intentionally trying to get out of leading things again. It was, he knew, an ongoing theme in his life. Harmony listed out the problems, one by one, and laid them on the table. Overlaid, really, with a nifty light projection. The carriage was obviously in bad enough shape to trigger the decoupling process, but it wasn¡¯t the only problem. There was the possibility that everyone could starve to death within a week of emerging from underspace, assuming fixing things was successful. ¡°Our food supply is basically a carefully bred and developed protein slurry with-¡± Alex nixed the explanation quickly. ¡°Yeah, okay, the word slurry just gave me a shiver. Are we running out of it?¡± ¡°We are. The most recent damage caused the slurry vats to crack open. We were already running relatively low on it, but approximately eighty percent of the remaining supply has leaked into the crawl spaces close to the bottom of the carriage. It¡¯s tainted, even if it all gets cleaned up.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s being damaged by the crawl spaces being filled with this stuff?¡± ¡°So many noncritical systems that they might as well be critical.¡± Harmony replied. ¡°On my triage list, the cleaning, sanitizing, and then repair of those systems is ninety-seventh.¡± ¡°That must mean there¡¯s a lot of worse-off things.¡± someone muttered. Alex hadn¡¯t caught everyone¡¯s names yet, but probably should have. ¡°So how much food supply is left?¡± ¡°Eleven days, or thereabouts. If we reduce the wafer size to a quarter-inch in diameter.¡± ¡°That¡¯s basically starvation anyway.¡± Vod complained. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we have no way of getting more food supply, even if we did have a repaired place to store it.¡± Harmony said, ¡°The collection scoops which are attached to each carriage to replenish their supply by collecting the minute particles of mana which get converted into food are all offline. Well, I can always only speak for this carriage, of course, but still. Not that they would have worked in underspace anyway.¡± Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°And those have been non-working since the dungeon break? Or my arrival?¡± Alex asked. Harmony looked sheepish as she muttered her reply. ¡°Fifty seven years. And before you get upset, the only reason I can basically talk about all of this openly is because Ad Astra has considered this carriage to be a write-off. Hence the decoupling. We won¡¯t matter to the company once we reach regular space again.¡± Overseer Vod, in what Alex thought was a rather awkward attempt to bring the freshly pathed people of the Grove back to him, asked if their new paths or the fresh fecundity of the second cargo bay would be able to provide edible foods. Unfortunately the answer was a firm ¡®not yet¡¯. ¡°We¡¯re still learning our new paths, and attempting to categorize the vegetation we¡¯ve found. It could be months before there¡¯s anything viable to actually eat.¡± ¡°Would it go faster with some volunteers to test upon?¡± Around the table, objections began to rise again. These ones were much more personal and heartfelt - apparently the food situation was more urgent to some of them than the fact that they were all going to be killed in an explosion. Alex talked loudly over the top of everyone. ¡°What else is a problem?¡± he asked. ¡°The damage is extensive, but one small thing to be grateful for is that despite everything we¡¯ve not actually had a hull breach - yet. There are several very weak areas that will need to be worked on as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Right, you mentioned there was an airlock¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s near the top of the triage list, along with several other places.¡± ¡°Got it. Next?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you to do some brain surgery.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Alex asked. Apparently this was startling enough that the rest of the table went immediately silent. ¡°I really don¡¯t think my skills will help there.¡± ¡°The plan to fix everything revolves around the ability to assign and properly credit the surviving employees in carriage nine-nine-nine-seven with a vast amount of tasks that none of them are qualified for, positioned for, or permitted to do even if they were added as ¡®extra¡¯ tasks. The whole employee-position-versus-task part of my processes needs to be changed. I am currently unable, due to my limitations, to change what was initially a directive from the corporate board of directors.¡± ¡°Oh. So you mean-¡± ¡°I need you to get your hands on my brain and do some [Jury Rigging] and [Repurposing].¡± Harmony confirmed, adding ¡°And please understand that this is terrifying to me. I can only hope to come out of the process approximately the same as I am now.¡± This caused some additional conversation around the table. Some didn¡¯t care, seeing the artificial intelligence as just that - artificial. Others seemed bothered by the thought that Alex was being asked - with his apparently exceedingly low-level skills, to mess with the AI that regulated their day to day existence. A debate began, but was quickly nixed by Vod. ¡°And then what happens?¡± the orc demanded. Then, Harmony explained, she would share with everyone a very expansive list of tasks that needed to be completed in order to raise the viability of the carriage to a point that the automated decoupling system would deactivate. ¡°My plan is that all of these tasks will be considered critical, and exist alongside whatever normal duties are assigned - but will count toward any daily goals. I can¡¯t simply replace one task list with another, even if you were to lobotomize me, but with two task lists in tandem, the restrictions placed on my processes by Ad Astra can be navigated around to some extent.¡± ¡°Not everyone is going to help.¡± Vod spoke. He didn¡¯t sound hostile, just confident. ¡°Has that been taken into account for your task lists and our deadline?¡± ¡°It has. My plan is estimating the mobilization of forty percent of the current workforce.¡± Harmony replied, ¡°Though I¡¯m hoping there will be more, I cannot force people to attempt to repair things when they have no experience or inclination to do so.¡± ¡°I can.¡± Vod grunted, and stretched. ¡°Very well, so all of this hinges upon Alex successfully performing complex brain surgery on a computer system that is far beyond anything from his own world. This ought to be interesting.¡± ¡°There¡¯s another problem.¡± Verita murmured. For someone with such a large body, the minotaur [Arborist] was surprisingly soft spoken. She was one of the two newly-pathed people here. The sanguinar [Mycologist] was also present, but hadn¡¯t spoken up yet. ¡°The dungeon, ¡° Verita explained as all eyes turned to her. ¡°It will need to be delved.¡± It turned out that with the dungeon and power system working as well as it now was thanks to Alex - something that made him cringe at the reminder of - and with the vast amount of destruction across the whole carriage, there was so much entropy in the area that the sapling couldn¡¯t convert it all fast enough. Adding onto that, with so much of the carriage damaged they weren¡¯t able to use enough power, so it was all just building up in the dungeon. Again. ¡°There will be another break in three days at the rate entropy is being absorbed.¡± Verita said. ¡°We will need people clearing the dungeon multiple times a day, until the entropy generated in the carriage is reduced.¡± ¡°Well, just let anyone in there who wants to.¡± Alex suggested. ¡°Terrible idea. ¡° Vod interrupted quickly. ¡°Selecting just a few, like you already have been, just creates a small number of people under your control with power of their own. It doesn¡¯t benefit everyone.¡± ¡°People don¡¯t have the paths to delve into a dungeon.¡± Vod argued. Alex could concede that particular point. ¡°Can they change paths? I assume that¡¯s what you did with the Bruise brothers, and Step.¡± ¡°We were outliers. Some of the random few who didn¡¯t get assigned a path related to the company, or if we were we were probably supposed to be security or something.¡± Step answered with a shrug. ¡°But Ad Astra is only handing out cleaning and laboring jobs for the most part, so¡­¡± ¡°Some may be willing to enter.¡± Alex looked at the sanguinar who had finally spoken. Her face was so pale that she could have been made of porcelain, and her frame seemed painfully waifish. Alex was around three hundred percent sure the woman was a vampire-like creature. ¡°They will struggle with their paths, ¡° she shrugged, ¡°But the ones Overseer Vod sent through the dungeon before the changes we¡¯re going through benefitted from a much faster rate of growth compared to the rest of us.¡± ¡°So they¡¯ll level up faster, and improve themselves in ways that could benefit us.¡± Alex said. ¡°Faster and stronger, for sure.¡± Step nodded. ¡°Able to carry more, move with speed, and be more useful to the repair efforts.¡± someone else nodded. ¡°But we can¡¯t let everyone on, nor can we force people. Delving isn¡¯t exactly safe.¡± ¡°Harmony, could you run a daily lottery for people who indicate that they are interested?¡± Alex asked. The AI affirmed that she could, and if Alex was successful in her request to mess with her hardware she would be able to do so through the interface add-on and also include tasks for the delving as well. The group talked a little longer. Harmony reiterated what she¡¯d told Alex earlier about the current viability of the carriage versus where it needed to be to even consider being safe from the decoupling, let alone having a productive carriage again. ¡°I have no sight in many areas, so I can¡¯t even begin to triage those until I do - or until someone reports back to me on the condition of things.¡± Harmony added, ¡°So, reiterating, here¡¯s the plan.¡± Everyone works together. A laughably simple plan, and one that was going to have more than its fair share of problems. Harmony would post the entire list of issues, organized in such a way to prioritize carriage viability, offer probable solutions to guide the less technically-minded, and offer rewards for any Ad Astra employee who took them on. They would count toward the employee¡¯s daily tasks, and provide additional incentives in the way of glim, duty credits, and surviving entry back into real space. People could pick and choose - all available tools and materials would be made accessible to the populace, and folks could group up and work on tasks together, for no less credit. The lottery of the dungeon delving would be run once per day, for anyone who chose to face the dangers of what was now effectively a new and different dungeon to what it had been before. Skills would be learned - slowly, painfully, and quite possibly very badly, but Peri assured Alex that if these people actually put their efforts into it they could absolutely gain proper skills from it. He¡¯d smiled at that. Even if it took a long time, the people here could improve. It only made sense. >Incoming Message: As requested, a rundown on Endurance. >ENDURANCE (4) >Syntropy has included the following sub attributes under the heading of Endurance: >Physical Constitution (2) >Your ability to resist fatigue, hunger, sickness, poison, aging, et cetera. How long you can keep going before you drop. How temperature variances affect you. How much snake venom you can drink (if that¡¯s your thing) before you die. You know, basically your ability to outlast everything and anything. Physically, anyway. Special note: Up this bad boy enough and you¡¯re effectively going to stop physically aging. >Mental Fortitude (1) >Much like Physical Constitution, it¡¯s how much you can take but on a mental level. How you react to attempts to influence you, how well you can resist being charmed or sweet talked, or even just convinced that jumping off the shed roof with a garbage bag as a parachute was a good idea (yes, we saw that incident when you were ten, and you still should have known better). You¡¯re in a reality of magic, so throw in how you can endure mind attacks and psionic assault. Also assists with the mental side of aging - the longer you live, the harder it is to keep your mind in one piece. >Emotional Strength (1) >Big feelings, buddy. You have them, and that¡¯s okay. Everyone does. Okay, wow, even I think that sounds condescending. Sorry, Alex. Emotional Strength will assist in processing feelings and emotions, obviously. Traumatic events and even bad dreams can be lessened in intensity with a high Emotional Strength. This stat attempts to keep you steady, from an emotional standpoint. Special note because I know you¡¯re going to ask, Emotional Strength does not assuage guilt that has been earned honestly. It can, however, in conjunction with other mental sub attributes keep you from feeling false guilt. Okay, so it¡¯s covering a fair bit between the three. Peri, are sub attributes broken down even further within those categories? >Incoming Message: Syntropy measures everything, Alex. However, I am unaware of any version of the Interface that further splits the measurements. There are different versions of the Interface that show different things? A brief pause occurred between Alex¡¯s question and a response. >Incoming Message: Oh yes. However, this is the fourth attempt at sending this particular message, so assume that it is irrelevant to either of us in the eyes of the Arbiter. ¡°Alex?¡± ¡°Sorry.¡± Alex shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been staring off into space for the past twenty minutes.¡± Step stage-whispered. Alex looked around the table with guilt and realized that most of the others had left. Step smirked at his reaction. ¡°Harmony¡¯s got them sorted, and she¡¯ll be starting her ¡®We¡¯re All In This Together¡¯ plan once everyone has a moment to communicate things to the people that trust them most.¡± The table now only sat Alex, Step, Vod, and an old lizard woman whom Alex still hadn¡¯t caught the name of. She stared at Alex without blinking, and then apparently made a decision. ¡°Good meeting, ¡° she croaked, her voice dry and harsh. ¡°Should we meet each day to go over what we¡¯ve accomplished and set up a plan for the coming day?¡± ¡°What? No. Bad idea.¡± Alex shook his head quickly. That was way too many meetings, and he¡¯d basically spaced out during this one. I have no idea what their impression of me is now. I¡¯ll have to ask Harmony. Or Step. Both would be honest in their own way. ¡°This meeting was just to get everyone on the same page. Or at least holding the same book. Most everything else can be done with that messaging system I was only told about today.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we come together for progress reports?¡± The old lizardwoman pressed, ¡°Ad Astra used to do those, many years ago.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing Harmony couldn''t compile and send out. Right, Harm?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Harmony replied, sounding pleased with being asked. ¡°Too many meetings are against Ad Astra policy anyway, and our schedule is going to be very tight.¡± ¡°How long exactly do we have to fix things?¡± ¡°Underspace is very tricky to calculate correctly, and I have no astrogation or aether navigation programming. That was what Rhythm was designed for - one of my sister AI¡¯s. If my memory banks serve correctly, and Alex please know that it¡¯s very hard for me to admit that they might not be working correctly at all, at this point we should be on the underspace jump between the Halcyon Expanse and the Borenzo Cluster. Based on when we entered underspace, I estimate between six and nine days.¡± ¡°Any way to tighten that estimate up?¡± Alex queried, not really having much hope in a positive answer. ¡°If I had working sensors on the outer hull of the carriage, I could. But at the same time, going outside the carriage whilst in underspace is one hundred percent fatal, despite all of the arcane and technological protections on the train to keep us safe.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°There are things that exist in the flow of underspace that will very easily rip your soul from your body and then inhabit it as an insane nightmare of a creature that will slaughter any living being it sees. Until your body falls apart, anyway.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s avoid that, ¡° Alex sighed. Yet another thing to learn about. ¡°For now, mark us at the lowest estimate, and aim for that. Every hour beyond that point will be a bonus.¡± ¡°Mister Orz, a word before I leave to put this plan into effect.¡± Vod rumbled. ¡°I do not believe it will work. At all. But I will do everything I can to assure my people that it will.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice of you.¡± ¡°Nice has nothing to do with it, Mister Orz.¡± Vod growled. ¡°It¡¯s a distraction for those who would be prone to hysteria. I do not believe this plan will be successful, no matter who came up with it and how well calculated you think it is.¡± Vod looked at Harmony¡¯s face on the screen and scowled. ¡°I will be enacting my own ideas as well. When the time comes, Mister Orz, I will not be left behind on this doomed carriage.¡± With that declaration the orc stood, his chair noisily scraping against the floor. He turned and left. The elderly lizardwoman sighed, and scurried along after him without another word. ¡°He won¡¯t be a problem to what Harmony has come up with.¡± Step assured Alex when she saw his expression. Alex realized he must have looked angry, and carefully schooled his face into a more neutral look. ¡°I think he¡¯ll do what he thinks he has to do.¡± Alex murmured. Then he shrugged. ¡°Not our problem right now. Harmony - I¡¯m very sorry that I completely tuned out most of your amazingly thought out and well presented ideas. Could you send me the task list so that I can get to work? I¡¯m supposed to be a [Mender], so let¡¯s get to mending!¡± ¡°I saw your glazed expression and figured as much, ¡° Harmony sniffed, but then smiled. ¡°However, that means you tuned out the part of my plan which involved you. You¡¯re not going to be fixing anything right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not?¡± Alex blinked. ¡°But¡­we have a very literal deadline to meet.¡± ¡°And it¡¯ll take time to get people moving. Some will be fixing things - or trying to, anyway. Others will be scouting where I can¡¯t see. The triage list will adapt as we go. Everyone who will help us will be able to choose what they think they can do to assist. You, on the other hand, I¡¯ve made a schedule for.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to be run ragged, Alex, if you just keep moving from task to task using your low-level skills and making half-assed fixes. The schedule I¡¯ve made for you includes some repair tasks, some practice of your skills, some sleep and meal breaks, all sorts of things!¡± Harmony¡¯s face looked eerily excited about getting Alex on a strict schedule. The thing was, Alex immediately understood what Harmony was trying to do. Alex was shit at things right now when it came to the Interface and skills and his path. Yes, using his skills to mend things was necessary, but dedicated time to practicing those skills to improve them would also improve the repairs that he made - making those repairs raise the carriage¡¯s viability even further. It also sends the message that I am not some savior who has come to fix everyone¡¯s problems by myself. Yeah. That makes sense. But... "What about your request for me to adjust your hardware? I thought you couldn''t even start the plan without some adjustments." "Like I said, Vod and the others will need time to get people in the right frame of mind to help. You''re going to do some rapid skill improvement tasks, and then I''ll allow you to stick your hands in my brain." Alex¡¯s interface flashed, and Harmony¡¯s schedule for him appeared. He looked it over quickly. It blinked in a rather urgent manner, telling Alex that he was about to be late for a ¡®Personal Growth Session¡¯. >Incoming Message: Oh, your digital intelligence is clever. She¡¯s going to force you to grow. That doesn¡¯t sound fun. What does it involve exactly? >Incoming Message: In the terms of your games back on Earth, you¡¯d call it ¡®grinding¡¯. And you¡¯re right. It won¡¯t be fun at all.