《Command Line: Failure》 1: Login Issues "Diving again?¡± He looked up. It was one of those rare quiet moments on the production floor, when shifts for Archeonae Online''s support teams switched over. ¡°Hey Cass. Yeah, gotta do another walkabout in-game.¡± The harsh glare from the monitors make him look much older than his twenty-six years. That, and a distinct lack of sleep. He brushed a lock of hair aside as he went over his in-game equipment one more time. Sure, he could rummage through it once he hit the game-world, but doing it here saved a bit of time - and let him focus on the inevitable flood of private messages from players once they realized he was logged on. ¡°Temps are escalating a couple of reports along the Arruz Delta section - looks like the Madmen and the Solar Knights are having another free-for-all again.¡± ¡°Ugh, guild fights.¡± She frowned and leaned over his console. ¡°That''s the second time this month. Didn''t they have that arbitrated already?¡± The scent of strawberries and watermelons wafted into his nose. Figures, he thought. Probably had a date with Johnson over at at CustRep after work. ¡°Tried.¡± It was an understatement, with both guild leaders reportedly in a fistfight the last time they met each other in the flesh. Now they just flamed each other in the forums, although there were rumors of the Madmen firing off a DDOS attack at key Knight members the other day. ¡°Unfortunately, no one wants to get involved. Alec in Community Management,¡± he looked up at her with a wry grin, ¡°thinks he has to call them in for a little pep talk.¡± She chuckled and stood. ¡°Good luck with that. Pulling in the heavy arms on your Titanframe huh?¡± Grinning, she ran her finger over the console''s screens. ¡°Microfusion chain cannons, plasma hammerfists, grav-wave pulse shields ... looks like you''re planning to start the next big war. Hope you got the signoffs on that, Mr. Senior Operations Lead.¡± ¡°Heh, you''d be surprised what a bottle of whiskey at a party can do.¡± He smiled briefly at the memory, and the subsequent ''allowances'' he had managed to squirrel away as a result. ¡°Heck, it would be,¡± his voice dropping in pitch to make a poor imitation of their CEO, ¡°a gosh darn shame if we can''t entertain the huddled masses with the power of vir-tu-al technology, by golly! So let''s give them paying VR varmints a good ol'' time, booyah!¡± They laughed at that for a good bit before managing to recover. ¡°Oh, man.¡± Cass shook her head and looked at him. ¡°Don''t quit your day job, dear leader. And don''t get caught by HR with that speech - they''d sue for copyright infringement.¡± She checked her appearance one more time, then turned. ¡°Well, got to go. Johnson''s promised me a night of mind-blowing...¡± He held his hands up in mock surrender. ¡°Spare me, Cass. Just have fun, and remember that we''re running the second pre-tournament leg tomorrow at 8 AM sharp. So no hard liquor, eh?¡± ¡°Ugh, you are such a party pooper.¡± She turned and winked, knowing that her curvy backside and waist-length red hair left very little to the imagination. ¡°Later, great old one.¡± He watched her leave before doing one more long stretch. Never hurt to get limber before a dive, after all. ¡°Equipment''s solid, power''s stable...¡± Fingers danced as he finished on the preparations and settled on a spawn point some distance from the site he''d have to investigate. He''d probably have to cloak coming in, do a low buzz, maybe fire off some rounds and ''accidentally'' hit some poor schmucks on the way in. Served them right for fighting in a high-risk PvP area, and it would probably grab their attention right off the bat. ¡°Alright, Browning, I''m set here. Warm it up, please.¡± A voice replied in a deep basso tone. ¡°All systems are green, Game Master Charon.¡± Some people wondered why he programmed his companion oversight AI with a tone that sounded like the depths of the earth itself, but he found it useful in keeping people on their toes. ¡°You are cleared for login.¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. One of these days, he mused, they''d probably have the AI companions address their partners by their real names. Till then, they''d continue to call them by their in-game tags. He didn''t mind, personally - it reminded people of the border between work and personal lives. He laid himself into the game pod and waited for it to fill with oxy-fluid before starting the login sequence. The cool sensation of metal touching his nape indicated that the neural connection was established, and all it would take was his verbal command. ¡°Alright, Browning. Take me in and commence dive.¡± The world turned black. --- One of the hassles in administering to online virtual MMOs was the first five minutes after login. Savvy players could check their messages and see that a game master had logged in. System notifications could pile up, especially with noisy players engaged in a word war over server-wide chat. But arguably the worst issue that he hoped to never encounter was a blinding headache as soon as the virtual world asserted itself. That meant trouble. It could be a thousand things, from minor server lag to poorly timed spawn events - or even major bugs caused by poorly anticipated code. There was no solution for it other than letting it pass and hoping that it would go over quickly. In the meantime, you had to grin and bear with it. They even had a term for it, ¡°login aches¡±. It sounded like a joke, up till the mandatory health check that manglement insisted people have lest someone have a brain hemorrhage on duty. Those were never fun. This time, though, his worst fears came true. He woke in a world of intense pain. It was everywhere - his whole body was on fire, albeit momentarily. As soon as it faded, his thoughts quickly triggered subroutine checks to assess the damage. What the hell was that? Browning should have alerted me to any issues. Looking around, he realized that he was nowhere near the spawn point he had set, nor was the forested, hilly landscape found anywhere near the sandy Arruz Delta. What was going on? ¡°Browning? Talk to me.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± He turned to his left and saw his AI''s in-game avatar - a glossy, black diamond - floating as if there was nothing wrong happening. ¡°You''re finally awake, Game Master Charon. Welcome back.¡± ¡°Awake?¡± What the hell? He tried to open up chatrooms to the support team. Someone should be onl- CONNECTION FAILED. Fuck. He tried Cassandra and Brian next. Surely one of the- CONNECTION FAILED. CONNECTION FAILED. CONNECTION FAILED. No. No way this is happening. Okay, man, breathe deep. Fuck! Okay, how about the in-game too- CONNECTION FAILED. NO LOGIN DETECTED. TOOLS ARE UNAVAILABLE. WOULD YOU LIKE TO SUBMIT A BUG REPORT? Fuck. Fuck! He looked up at the stormy sky. Rain was already starting to fall, cold and uncaring. What the hell- ¡°As I was saying, sir. Welcome back.¡± He swiveled towards his AI and took a deep breath. ¡°Browning. How long have I been out?¡± If there was a prize for expressing sorrow with only one''s voice, the diminutive avatar would have won it. ¡°I''m afraid, Game Master, that you have been away ... for a very long time.¡± Well. Shit. 2: Poor Copies Welcome to Archeonae Online, the only choice for your near-future sci-fantasy VRMMO needs! Become a cybercrusader for the Silrissian Empire, or a daring psy-soldier for the Antiqua Revolution! Or perhaps being a sneaky Travassian space privateer is more to your liking? Pick from over fifty distinct races, each with their own skills and abilities, and wander anywhere you want in a world with over half a billion galaxies! No levels, no grinding - only the bliss of the new, exciting frontier that awaits you! So download the app now on your Simsense? Pod for your FREE thirty day trial, and carve out your legend today! maynotbeavailableinallcountriescheckwithyourlocalproviderforavailabilitySimsense?reservesallrightsandmakesnoguaranteesforyourhealthandsafetywhileonthesystemthankyoufo- --- "You never did ask why I joined the Ops team." They were in one of the bars near the office post-shift - dark enough to obscure identities, and cheap enough that one could get drunk on a miser''s budget. There were a few people tonight, scattered here and there between the tables. The un-cybered bartender polished another glass with practiced ease before setting it aside. Cassandra leaned back against the white sofa, her hands nursing an empty bottle while her blue eyes watched him with a guileless smile. He took another sip of beer and shrugged. "Never crossed my mind." She grinned and drew her hair back. "Really now? Come on, I pegged you to be better than that." She crossed her arms, giving him a view most men (and some women) would commit unspeakable acts for, but he just rolled his eyes. "Look, Cass. If an intelligent girl as ridiculously attractive as you-" That earned him a smile. "Why, thank you. Go on..." He held his hands up while explaining. "-decides to join a bunch of desk jockeys, that''s your thing. I personally don''t care about how attractive or unattractive my team is - as long as you people work together and get the job done." She laughed, the sound echoing across the bar. "Oh wow, the professional answer! Afraid the HR ghoulies are going to overhear and file a sexual harassment report?" He felt a very warm foot that was undoubtedly hers press against his leg under the table. "Come on. I won''t tell." "Cass, we''re professionals. Cut it out." He managed to keep a poker face somehow. Maybe the gods were rolling the dice on his luck tonight. "And you''re tipsy already." "Fine, fine, mister no-fun-allowed." He slowly exhaled in relief as her foot retreated. Did she notice? Gods, he hoped she wouldn''t notice. "And to answer the question you claim you haven''t thought about...well." She suddenly had a faraway look in her eyes as she sipped her beer. "Sometimes a girl just doesn''t want to be known as a pair of boobs. We''ve got brains too, in case people haven''t noticed." He nodded and smiled. That logic, he could get behind. "Fair enough. Waiter." The robot at the end of the bar swiveled its head and fixed its camera on his hand. "Dos cervesa, por favor." "Ooh, Spanish." She reached for her purse and winked. "Guess you''re paying tonight, great leader." He smiled back. "With pleasure, senora." A pause. "Because you''re paying for the team next week." In retrospect, it was a good thing that the bottles crumbled on impact with hard surfaces. Cass''s aim with thrown objects seemed to improve while under the influence, and he would rather not risk coming to work with a concussion. --- Fact: I am by myself in a fucking alien world. Well, not so alien. But still. Fact: I am somehow in this strange fucking world inside my Silrissian combat cyborg chassis. Thank the gods for small blessings. Fact: Browning is somehow here with me. He looked at his AI companion. At the moment, it was just hovering off to the side by itself, eeriely quiet. A glance upward told him that the stormy skies wouldn''t be breaking into sunlight any time soon. Fact: I cannot communicate with any members of the Ops team, or the in-game CustCare representatives. I also have no tool access. Corollary Fact: I therefore cannot add new items to my account - inventory? I cannot spawn monsters. I will need to use Browning''s interface to try game master functions. Cumbersome, but better than nothing. Fact: I think I''ve seen an Japanese animation about this. Must research on this later. The land around him was a mix of forests and open plains, dotted here and there by small mounds of dirt that barely qualified as hills. He could see a fair distance from the hill that he was standing on, and spotted a dirt road a little way off to the horizon. Roads mean civilization of some kind, although he had serious doubts that it could support the cybermount that he kept by default. Perhaps a hoverbike? Did he update the hoverbike''s paint scheme already? Man, he had put that off for so long.. Focus! Right, back to the facts. Fact: This entire world seems to function along Archeonae''s basic game mechanics. I can still access the usual functions. And I can swear normally, which means that my core identity as a person has come reasonably intact, right? Must check on class and world skills. No point in standing in the rain like a dumbass, though. "Inventory..." he mentally pored over his items. It was proving to be a bizarre experience, thinking of what you wanted from your stores and then pulling it into existence with your mind. "Ah, here we go. Phase Camouflage Cloak, equip." New numbers and words quickly swam across his vision in bright green symbols. PHASE CAMOUFLAGE CLOAK EQUIPPED. That was good. VISUAL STEALTH: 100%. He looked down and watched his legs and feet vanish, as if they were never there to begin with. AUDITORY STEALTH: 100%. PSY-STEALTH: 100%. That last one brought a chuckle. As if he''d run into a Antiquan Sentinel any time soon - and even if he did, they''d need to match his equipment and skill sets. Good luck on that. He could walk the world several times over and no one would notice a thing. EVASION: 100% (PERFECT). He dismissed that one with a thought. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Well, it''s now or never. He began to walk to the road, the rain having slowed down to a drizzle. Browning serenely floated behind him, water beading down its black sides. He took a look back. While the cloak ensured perfect stealth, the footprints he left were another thing entirely. I weigh what ... 375 pounds? 400? Got to keep that in mind. If AI could shrug... He continued walking. Browning swung out of the way of a branch before returning to its position. Did he break through that? He glanced around him. Apparently he did. Damn. He stopped. Hm, another mystery. He stopped and turned to Browning, his heads-up display suddenly gaining lines of luminiscent green text. SIGNIFICANT STRESS LEVELS DETECTED. RESOLVE? (Y/N) RESOLVE? (Y/N) After a few moments, the text slowly faded away. To its credit, Browning simply floated there until he regained his balance, then replied. He waved his hands before realizing that the cloak rendered it invisible anyway. It took several moments before he realized that they had reached the muddy road. Browning floated before him, thin threads of light emerging from one side to form a holographic map of the nearby area. It even had locations of interest marked with small, color-coded triangles. <...is about half an hour away on foot. I''ve already mapped a usable route and updated your HUD, sir.> With a heavy sigh, he began to walk to the indicated point, his footprints marking deeply into the mud. Get there first, panic all you want after. Right. It''s going to be a long day. Fact: I have no idea about this planet''s day/night cycle. Or weather conditions. Have Browning recor- --- Greetings, player! Select your race in Archeonae Online! You have selected the Silrissian Empire, home of the courageous humanoid cyborgs from Earth''s long-lost colony in the Tarussian sector! Might and science have combined in the Empire to form the foundation of their prodigious military strength, and their marvels of techonolgy are a joy to behold! Capable of superhuman feats of power, they serve as the pioneers of the unexplored frontier! One Silrissian cyber-commando is more than a match for an entire star-army, and they happily work within the United Coalition of Races at the forefront against the evils of the cannibalistic Dendraz and their muderous sycophants! Their humble sacrifi- TO: Janine S. (Dev Coordination) FROM: Adrian D. (Marketing/PR) RE: Racial Template Copy - Silrissian Can we tone the copy down a bit? There are just too many exclamation points in the last set of edits! And please rework the pitch - we sound like we ripped off generic Korean MMO #214534. Come on, guys. TO: Adrian D. (Marketing/PR) FROM: Janine S. (Dev Coordination) RE: Racial Template Copy - Silrissian Nope, no can do. HQ has already signed off on this version - unless you want to explain to Tanagawa-san why we had to postpone the game launch while we run the gauntlet of getting the copy approved by committee again. Relax - worst case scenario, we''ll just have it patched over on launch week. No problem. Nobody will notice. 3: Invalid Character Name There was so much blood. How did it come to this? We were prepared... Tua was splayed against the wall, his eyes empty of life while his broken limbs hung at odd angles. He was the first to charge into the fray, to her regret. Derros''s charred legs fell over - his upper body was already consumed by the yawning gout of flame earlier from the demon''s weapon. He barely had time to scream. Vez was still staring at the bloodied remnants of her twin, mangled flesh sticking out of the wall as if it had grown there all along. The stink of blood, burnt meat and fear filled the air. Matriarch Cerrs had it worst, though. Despite her sorcerously rejuvenated body and the battle potions that she had consumed, her attempts at striking the night-black demon came to naught. She was trying to hit its metal-like body with her severed arm, but it looked like a child flailing against a wall. How... It took Liare most of her remaining strength to wrap her fingers around the slender cylinder near her wrist. Her mind had simply blanked out the pain - there was just too much to even think about it. Something moved just beyond her vision. Was it help? Had Hein come with rein-no, it was just Matriarch Cerrs, her body sent flying with a dismissive backhand. There was an all-too-familiar crunch of bone hitting stone - and losing badly. Squeeze the button! Her mind screamed at her rapidly weakening fingers. Squeeze it! Blessed Yrna, give me strength! Help me! Something was walking to her, but all her attention was on the cylinder. Someone was screaming. Was it her? Was it Hein? A man''s voice spoke from the cylinder. "Chronal reset, activating in 3...2...1..." The world faded, as if she was being pulled back from far, far away. She awoke. Cold sweat drenched her slim, aged body. It took several moments for her to realize where she was. A dream - no, not a dream. A future. She was in her quarters, a room filled with aromatic woods of various kinds, meant to blend and soothe those within no matter how agitated they could be. Outside, Yrna and Yrne shone in their fullness from the skies, as a cool, crisp breeze gently blew in. But she took no notice of these things, her golden eyes focused only on the gold-and-silver cylinder that hung from a chain around her wrist. "You have -beep- two rewind charges remaining. The Solar Knights appreciates your business! For the best deals, check us out at -beep- link not found. Retry?" It was lying in a cave when she had first found it, next to a long-dessicated corpse - of what species, she had no idea. An oddity from the ancient past, it took a while before her best sages determined what it was for, and how safe it was to use. They called it a time-warper, allowing her to rewind time whenever she pressed its button on one end and expended one of its precious charges. She would remember bits and pieces of the future, but where in time it would let her wake was a wild gamble. Sometimes, the gap took days - sometimes, months. Still, it was a precious resource that she safeguarded with her life. With it, she had avoided three assassination attempts already - and in these tumultous times, she needed every edge she could get. "Your majesty..." How long had they been standing at the door? "Enter." At a thought, the dimmed lights in her room slowly began to brighten. Vez and Vea knelt by the doorway, their rich, purple cloaks pooling at their feet. She quickly slid out of the bed and into a shimmering green dress that hung next to her bedside, her hands slowly tying up her silver hair into buns with the ease of practice. Despite her age, she refused to let anyone help her with these things. She was just stubborn that way. "What news?" "Your majesty, Matriarch Cerrs has arrived and asks for an audience on a most urgent matter." She finished tying the back of her dress up and turned to them as they continued to speak. "She has come armed, but alone, and has sworn the oath of peace." "I shall see her in my my solar chambers. Wake my blade-bearers - I wish for them to join us." She ignored Vea''s stifled gasp as she turned towards them. Despite Vea''s gaffe, they both drew themselves up to let their Queen pass, their heads bowed. "Which ones, your majesty?" "All of them." --- He turned around slowly, his eyes scanning the empty road. He had been walking for the better part of an hour now - contrary to Browning''s initial assessment, the way to the spawn point was slow going. The forest around him had an eerie silence to it, an unsettling fact to add to the slowly dying natural light. He doubted he''d reach the point before nightfall, and he''d have to make camp soon. Fortunately, he spotted a small overhang nearby - a nook formed by some overgrown roots. With a happy sigh, he sat down onto the muddy ground and watched the day turn into night. There was that, he supposed. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Browning floated before him. Somehow, his voice seemed to gain a somewhat inquisitive tone. He chuckled at the idea. Name. Pain. Hurt. Stabbing. Name. What. Hurts. Needles. Laughter. "Hey boss, we''re taking our lunch break!" Cass. August. Mexican food. What was his name? "Look, we need to talk about Brian." Keith. His boss. Incident report. Brian, poor forum interaction with paying player. What was his name?! "Merry Christmas, everybody!" Annual company party. Christmas. Too many beers. Laughter. Gossip. What was his name?! WHAT PAIN IS HURTS MY CANNOT NAME REMEMBER Darkness. ---- There was so much blood. So much blood. How did it come to this? We were prepared...I was prepared! This shouldn''t be happening! Liare tried to gather her strength, but her body refused to cooperate. She was badly hurt - it hurt to breathe, to think, to do anything. Tua was splayed against the wall, his eyes empty of life while his limbs bled at his feet, severed from his body with brute force. He was the first to charge into the fray, to her regret. Derros''s screams would stay with her forever, his entire body consumed by the hell-flame from the demon''s weapons. Vea was still staring at the bloodied remnants of her twin, mangled flesh sticking out of the wall as if it had grown there all along. The stink of blood, burnt meat and fear filled the air. Matriarch Cerrs had it worst, though. Despite her sorcerously rejuvenated body and the battle potions that she had consumed, her attempts at striking the night-black demon came to naught. She was trying to hit its metal-like body with her severed arm, but it looked like a child flailing against a wall. How... It took most of her remaining strength to wrap her fingers around the slender cylinder near her wrist. Her mind had simply blanked out the pain. She squeezed the button. "Warning: Chronal interdiction field detected. Reset, failed." No! No! It couldn''t be happening! "Warning: Chronal interdiction field detected. Reset, failed." Something moved just beyond her vision. Was it help? Had Hein come with rein-no, it was just Matriarch Cerrs, her body ripped in half as if she was a joint of roast meat. There was an all-too-familiar crunch of bone hitting stone - and losing badly. Squeeze the button! Her mind screamed at her rapidly weakening fingers. "Warning: Chronal interdict - Warning: Chronal in - Warning: Chronal interdiction field detected." Something was walking to her, but all her attention was on the cylinder. Someone was screaming. The demon loomed into her vision, its fingers scooping up the cylinder with infinite care. "Ah, a chronal resetter. It resets your HP and Endurance back to a saved point in time." The demon had a male voice, one that was ... distressingly average. "And crafted by the Solar Knights, I see. They always did quality work. But, if you have the right countermeasures..." Blessed Yrna, give me strength! Help me! It chuckled - a dry, horrifying sound, like a human who found killing his pets humorous. "Ah, well. It seems to work well enough for you, and to be honest, this wasn''t as fun as I expected it to be." He put it back in her hands and gently wrapped her fingers around it. "Browning, deactivate the interdiction field." Was he smiling? "Well then, off you go." A man''s voice spoke from the cylinder. "Chronal reset, activating in 3...2...1..." The world faded away, as if she was being pulled back from far, far away... She awoke. Cold sweat drenched her slim, aged body. It took several moments for her to realize where she was. A dream - no, not a dream. A future. Then she heard the cylinder speak. "You have -beep- one rewind charge remaining. Reload today at 10% off! For the best deals, check us out at -beep- link not found. Retry?" --- Author''s note: Thank you for reading so far! I''m not completely satisfied with how this chapter turned out, and may touch it up in a future installment. That said, what do you think? 4: Fallacious Memories I remember this. It was SimSense''s annual Christmas party at their corporate headquarters, and festivities were in full swing in their office''s main hall. White-jacketed waiters mingled with the crowd while they served wine, beers and appetizers - for those who wanted a stronger kick, the open bar (and its four ruthless efficient robot bartenders) had several open seats. Drones flew around dispensing party favors, their rotors softly humming in their wake. Sober-kaf pills were passed around like candies, while several condom dispensers could be seen discreetly parked at the side entrances. The sound of the season''s carols in various languages could be heard in the air, the songs adding to the melange of languages spoken on the floor. Cass and Brian were busy entertaining Johnson and his friends from CustCare, although she shot him a knowing wink a few minutes ago before picking up her beers. Don''t fraternize with your subordinates, no matter how hot they look. Damn it, Cass. Thankfully, he spotted his boss slowly making his way through the crowd, trailed by a Russian-looking guy who seemed somewhat bewildered by events around him. "''Sup boss K?" "Hey, ******." The scene froze in his mind. My name. He said my name. Why can''t I remember it?! The memory resumed. His hand was shaken - K''s grip was firm and warm, almost fatherly. "Listen, it''s Kolya''s first time here." He turned and nodded to the Russian with a small smile. "Show him around, eh? Have to talk with Tanagawa-san and the others in a bit." K shrugged. "The usual stuff." "Got it boss." He smiled and shook Kolya''s hand. It seemed so small, compared to K''s. "Hey, I''m ******, Senior Ops Lead for Game Support. Welcome to our humble HQ in Neosca - first time, I take it?" Kolya turned to him, and he was suddenly reminded of a startled bird that he had seen in his youth. "Da, da. Ah. I am Kolya Kuznetsov." Make that a startled bird with glasses that looked lost in a crowd. Tall, gangly, with the fashion sense of someone who vastly preferred to avoid formal events of any kind. To his credit, one could only see the Marky Mouse cartoon character peeking from his tie if they looked really closely. "Product Development Lead." Grinning, he gently led them to a small space near the bar, away from all the people. "Ah, so you''re the guy who works on Omnium''s modules! Great stuff, that. Bartender." A snap of his fingers, and the nearby bot turned its camera towards them. "Vodka for me and my friend. Yes?" Kolya practically nodded in relief. "Da, vodka." He seated himself on the white leather seats, sighing at the luxurious comfort as the noise from the crowd faded away. "Ah, sound cancellers?" "Yup - you know the management types, only the best. Here''s to Christmas!" They toasted with a clink of glasses, the vodka burning smoothly down their throats. "So, how are you finding the main office?" "Ah, well, it is big." A platter of appetizers was laid before them, and they paused to grab a few bites. "Mmm, smoked salmon! Ah, was lucky this year - I was free, wife didn''t complain ... plus the free ticket and hotel, didn''t hurt." They laughed at that as the bot refilled their drinks. "Yeah, ain''t that the truth! When the brass feel generous..." He let a conspiratorial smile cross his face. "So, Kolya, tell me about Omnium. I mean..." he gestured expansively. "I know it''s looking over our shoulders all the time, but that''s about it." "Ah, my pride and joy ... next to my wife and daughter! But, yes, it is work of art. For me." Kolya looked around before moving closer to explain. "So, Omnium is arbirator, yes? Over three submodules: Panopticon, Grimm, and Ketch. Panopticon is observer and analyst, Ketch is security and defense, Grimm is storyteller. Keep things interesting, da? Now, Panopticon, it gathers everything. Crowds, logins, chat ... everything. If there is hacker attempt, modify files from sim pod, hands info to Ketch. Ketch kicks them. Adapts." His beaming grin spoke volumes. "Then sends evidence to legal, for lawsuit, cease-and-desist. If things are boring, hands it to Grimm. Grimm changes things, makes it fun for players - maybe, suddenly auction house is empty, people little richer, raise prices on some things, put bounties on players. Encourage temporary PvP. Maybe suddenly, one boss is two boss. Or boss suddenly flies, breathes fire." "And it''s always learning?" Kolya nodded and sipped his drink. "So, why have us? I mean, if they''re there..." "Well, Omnium is computer. Computer, only as smart as ... ones and zeros, da?" He heard his name and turned towards the stage in the center of the hall. In the distance, K was leading the way for Tanagawa and his translator as they made their way across the floor. "And humans, more than ones and zeros." --- Why can''t I remember? --- He remembered space - how it was a cold, harsh mistress. How it was unforgiving. How it was final. I don''t remember this. He remembered how to fight in zero-grav. Tuck in the knees, trigger the micro-booster, push off against hard surfaces. Watch your movement. Check your angles. It was easy to make a mistake, to slip away into the cold black. I don''t remember this. He remembered how it felt to gently, carefully land on the side of the heavy cruiser. To lock his feet on its solid walls, knowing that only a few inches of high-strength endurasteel kept a thousand souls alive just below him. In theory. That those souls, if they were present, would die in the next five hours. In fact. What is this? Xaranae''s white-yellow star hung in the distance, barely an inch in diameter from where he stood. The ship below him was supposed to be wreckage, a derelict super-freighter meant to haul tons of cargo along space. Supposed, because someone had transmitted a highly complex burst of information from these coordinates - a transmission that contained Imperial fleet movements and access codes. Which made a lot of people quite nervous. And so while Medusa and Achilles were busy finding out who leaked the information, he had his hands full investigating the currently silent source of the transmission. He lay a hand against the hull and let the sensors on his fingers pick up any data from within. His fingers turned to claws, the microplasma cutters contained within bursting to life with hair-thin threads. Soon, he had a hole open. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. The ever-helpful CompAI followed him into the gap, docking onto his back as they landed in the middle of a darkened, seemingly abandoned corridor. --- I don''t remember that. But I remember that. It can''t be true. I was a Game Master! Not some cyborg killer in deep space! But it was. Strangely, oddly, it was. --- No. The ship was not as full of organic life-forms as they had originally thought - what Charon had found was far, far worse. The Dendraz had stashed the ship full of their victims and maddened creations, turning it into an abbatoir that was part sensor station, part meat larder. There was no rhyme nor reason to their rearrangement of the ship''s corridors, with body parts of several species stashed here and there within claw-reach. It was a sight that would have made mortal men retch several times over. The plaintive screams of those unfortunate enough to still be alive as he passed them by would stay with his dreams for years to come. At last, however, he had managed to clear his way to the bridge, his star-pistol''s barrel red-hot from having belched superheated flame against his enemies. He turned to the blood-splattered console and yanked the half-metal pilot off it. It was still gnawing on a space-frozen human leg when he started blasting his way in. Nodding to himself, he pulled a crusher charge from his backpack and opened its primary panel. He finished keying in the charge''s instructions and prepared to activate the timer. Browning projected an image on the wall, and Charon had to suppress his shock at the familiar face. It makes no sense! Kresk is staunchly anti-Dendraz ... he even rehabilitated his own son after he lost his limbs in a Dendraz raid! Why?! He pressed the trigger and watched as the crusher''s display marked its countdown. Their forms briefly shimmered before vanishing into nothingness. Had there been any witnesses, they would have seen the crusher charge pop open, its pinprick black hole quickly swallowing the ship - and everything left in it - into a momentary void. --- The mood inside the sitting room was somber as Queen Liare sipped tea with Matriarch Cerr. It was easy to mistake them as twins - with their slender, ageless bodies and silver hair, telling them apart would be quite the challenge. Fortunately for those up to the task, Cerr had eschewed finery, preferring a ghost-white riding dress in her haste to reach the citadel, while Liare had conceded to the necessity of elaborate garment and jewelry. Outside, warriors sworn to Liare''s crown awaited her command - with a single gesture, they could ravage the countryside and bathe it in blood without hesitation. But unbeknownst to them, their quarry was made of nightmarish stuff that their swords could not cut. "So. Your device has foretold you of a disaster." Cerr carefully laid her wooden cup onto the table, her voice softened by her advanced years. Time had taken its toll on her mastery of the spoken word - once an orator whose words swayed both kingdoms and villains alike, Cerr was now relegated to the role of diplomat and shadowy advisor to those that they still counted as friends. Liare nodded. Most of the evening had been spent confirming her nightmares with her oneiromancers - for all their attempts to twist the strands of fate into a more agreeable stance, the omens had one reply: disaster. "A direct approach seems to be very unwise." Silence reigned, crushing the very air that they breathed with each moment that ticked away. Cerr gazed at the sheathed blade on her lap, and Liare could only speculate at what her thoughts were. The Matriarch was the sole surviving heroine from the Twelve Za''ra, warriors who had searched the land for the long-forgotten weapons of mass destruction left behind by their Silirissian masters. It took many generations - and more deaths than she cared to count - before the Za''ra had finally crushed the last half-metal monstrosity they had found. While their crusade had made the world safer for the orruz and the other races who inhabited the known world, it had also taken its toll on them. Perhaps, she mused, an unorthodox approach is required. "All our fate-threads showed disaster should we meet this new threat with a bared blade - this, we know. Perhaps a different path, then, is necessary." Cerr looked up at her, gray-flecked eyes hard as nails. "And what do you suggest?" She took a breath to steady herself. Was I planning this, or has fate forced my hand? "I shall rekindle my life-flame and bind this creature''s heart. The Silrissian warriors are - were - mortal constructs, after all. Surely they had mortal desires as well." "You are dicing on an unwalked road." Cerr''s eyes turned distant, and she turned to gaze once again on the sword. "Yet, I fear that you are right. Perhaps we must turn to Yrne instead and beseech that She smile upon our bones." A cold wind suddenly blew in from the open windows, and for a moment the chill seemed to cut into their very bones despite the magics that kept it warm no matter what season it was. As the servants scurried to close the windows, Liare turned to meet Cerr''s eyes - the heavens, it seemed, had sent them their sign. --- Author''s note: this chapter, and all subsequent chapters - will be a bit slower in arriving due to real-life schedules. Nevertheless, I hope that you enjoy the work and spread the word! Your support is always appreciated! Let me know what you think of the story thus far!