《Omnia Online》
Prologue – An Unexpected Invitation
As James Renfew stepped out of the lift on the top floor of the building, the only person he saw was a receptionist on the far side of a conservative, but well-decorated reception room.
¡°Mr. Renfew?¡± asked the receptionist.
¡°Ye...yes¡± he gave a nervous reply.
The fact that he had no idea why he¡¯d been summoned to the office of the Director of Cultural Development had him scared nearly witless. All the way up the lift he worried over what he might have done so wrong, to have been sent to The Boss¡ Not his unit lead, or department head, but his bosses¡ bosses¡ boss.
The receptionist recognizing the man¡¯s nervousness gave him a brief professional smile and said; ¡°They¡¯re waiting for you in the conference room. That¡¯s the door at the end of the hall on you right.¡±
¡°Th... thank you.¡±
James turned and walked down the hall. Just before opening the door to the room, he once again nervously checked his outfit to be sure he was presentable. Then after a few deep breaths, to try to calm his nerves, he opened the door to enter the room.
What he saw on the other side of the door completely undid any effort at trying to be calm. There were three people waiting in the room, the director, a man in an expensive business suit, and a man in a military suit. He had expected to see Candis Reece, the director, and the man in the expensive suit to her left was not surprising, but the third man? His uniform appeared to be Imperial Fleet¡
¡°Mr. Renfew?¡± asked the director.
¡°Y..yes¡± he stammered in reply.
¡°Please take a seat¡ Now let me introduce you to Commodore Haskings and Mr. Dwight Arnbok of Intelecom Industries. We¡¯ve asked you here to discuss your project proposal for system H-387.¡±
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
¡°Um... H-387¡ Oh, you mean the Sol System?¡± replied James after taking the nearest seat.
¡°Yes,¡± the director said, ¡°I believe that is the local name for system H-387. Would you please briefly go over the main points of your proposed project?¡±
¡°Yes, Madam Director¡±, James paused for a second to organize his thoughts. ¡°Well¡ for the last three hundred years, we¡¯ve been trying to figure out how to deal with systems like Sol, systems that fall under the Imperial Cultural Protection Act. Up until now we¡¯ve just monitored and protected these systems from cultural exploitation. I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to go into the history that caused the Senate to pass the act to begin with?¡±
After a negative response, James continued. ¡°Well, since history demonstrates that open contact and trade with such primitive planets leads to long-term social and economic problems, both for them and for us. The Act requires that we isolate and monitor the systems until we can find a way to safely integrate them into our society.¡±
¡°The problem, of course, is the cost of this isolation, both to the Fleet and our Department. The fleet is required to keep ships in what, for all practical purposes, has been a three hundred year blockade. And of course, we have to spend resources monitoring the culture and economics to be sure nothing is slipping past the fleet, which means snooping signals, hacking, and spying.¡±
¡°If we could accelerate the cultural, scientific, and economic development of these systems, we could free up resources all around. The Fleet could better use the ships to patrol our borders and trade routes. At the same time, we could apply our resources more toward external threats.¡±
¡°The problem has always been, how do we safely accelerate their development without destroying the local cultures, and causing endless problems in the future?¡±
¡°I believe the answer is simple¡.. Let¡¯s ask them to play a game¡¡±
Chapter 1 – To Play a Game
¡°I believe the answer is simple¡.. Let¡¯s ask them to play a game¡¡±
James continued, ¡°Earth has been going through a phase of rapid technical advancement. They are already working hard to develop elementary Artificial Intelligence (A.I.¡¯s) and nanotechnology, sure they¡¯re many years from anything worthwhile, but they believe they¡¯re close to making this leap. Some of them believe that if they can develop a working A.I. it will help them develop a cascade of new technology, introducing a period of rapid technological advancement. As we know from history, such events can happen, but of course, a poorly programmed A.I. can be equally devastating, this is why we have laws and controls governing A.I.¡¯s.¡±
¡°Recent advances in computing have led many young people to spend a lot of time playing games on their data-net. Many of these games are based on roleplaying, like a crude version of the virtual world¡¯s games our people play.¡±
¡°My proposal would take advantage of two things, one the belief that their world is on the cusp of even greater technological advancement then they¡¯re currently experiencing, the second is this trend of young people playing online games.¡±
***
Kevin was sorting through the last week''s auto-discarded e-mail when he found the message. He set strict rules for his e-mail program, automatically discarding over 90% of the messages. So once a week he scanned the discarded messages, for items he might have missed.
What caught Kevin¡¯s eye was the message address. The message was from Intelecom, a company in the news recently. The company claimed that they were six months from releasing a Fully Immersive Virtual Reality Massive Multi-Player Online Roleplaying Game (FIVR-MMORPG) game. Kevin was excited at first on hearing the news, until it was revealed that the first game pods to be release would cost as much as a small car, not including the monthly subscription.
Kevin just didn¡¯t have that kind of money. He was nearing a year out of college, after spending 5 years to get his engineering degree. After Dozens of interviews, he was still working a job asking customers ¡°do you want fries with that?¡± So again, the rich get and the rest of us serve milkshakes¡
With the recent news, this e-mail caught his attention, so let see¡ ¡°Mr. Asharic we would like to invite you to alpha test our new game, Omnia Online. We¡¯re extending this to you as a top player on Arcania Online. In return for your help with testing our new system, you will receive a free Immersion Pod and a year¡¯s Gold Subscription when the game goes public. Of course, as an alpha tester, you would also be included in the beta test group, if you wish.¡±
¡°Hell yeah¡!¡± shouted Kevin.
The e-mail ended with a please reply by date of the twelfth.
¡°Shit¡ what¡¯s the date¡¡± said Kevin¡ he sighed. It¡¯s still the twelfth. He sent off his acceptance.
Then he started to think, ¡®why didn¡¯t I hear from Gordon?¡¯ Gordon was another of the top ten players on Arcania, and a close friend who he often teamed up with. In fact, they were in the same guild.
He called his friend Gordon to find out why no one called him¡ then he remembered¡ his prepaid phone service had been out for 3 days, and only reactivated when he was paid yesterday. Grr, he hated always being short on money. Many of his friends were having the same problem; Out of school and no real jobs. Can¡¯t call flipping burgers a real job, it just doesn¡¯t pay the bills.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Gordon answered the phone, ¡°Hello?¡±
¡°Hey Gordo,¡± said Kevin, Gordon hated being called that. But Kevin was both excited and irritated so, he thought ¡®the hell with it¡¯.
¡°Dude, you know I hate that name, why are you calling¡ oh, by the way, did you get an e-mail from Intelecom? Isn¡¯t that the shit?¡±
¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why I¡¯m calling. Just spotted the message and sent in my reply. What have you heard about the new game?¡±
Gordon replied, ¡°Wow, you almost missed the deadline. I tried calling you days ago and couldn¡¯t get through.¡±
Kevin sighed, ¡°OK, phone problems but, it¡¯s good to hear you¡¯re in on this.¡±
¡°If you just sent in your reply, you probably haven¡¯t got the confirmation letter yet. According to that, the Alpha Testing is supposed to start in 9 days, I¡¯m keeping a countdown, can¡¯t wait dude! They also e-mailed me a manual to read up on the pod. The pod itself is amazing¡ did you know, it¡¯s designed so that someone can stay immersed in the pod for days on end, it can feed you, handle waste and keep your body in shape. Can you believe that???¡±
¡°How does that work?¡± asked Kevin, ¡°Where does the food come from, and the waste go?¡±
¡°I¡¯ll send you a copy of the manual.¡± said Gordon ¡°According to it, there are containers hooked up in the base of the pod, one contains a food slurry mix, another for water and a third for waste removal. And the gold subscription level includes replacing those containers once a week.¡±
¡°How does that even work?¡± asked Kevin. ¡°Does the pod shove a tube up your ass? You might actually enjoy that, but I would give it a pass.¡± ¡®Hmm¡¯, thought Kevin ¡®tubes going in and out of my body? That would suck, how fun could a game be if the first step to playing it is to shove a tube up your ass.¡¯
¡°Ha, no way dude, that would suck,¡± said Gordon. ¡°No, according to the manual, there is a body wash system built in. It removes the, uh, waste and keeps your body clean at the same time. The only connection is a mask that fits over your face, to supply air and food. When you eat in the game, it feeds you. Cool Huh?¡±
¡°Wow, that¡¯s pretty high tech.¡± While Kevin hadn¡¯t worked as an engineer yet, he could still appreciate how complex a system it would take to do everything Gordon was talking about. ¡°That level of complexity helps explain the price they¡¯re asking for the pods. Yeah, go ahead and send me the manual. It feels kind of funny, having to study up on how the game works. I thought I was done with school¡ hahaha.¡±
***
It turned out that reading the manual was not really like going to school again. It was only about thirty pages and just focused on basic use and maintenance. Anything beyond required a service call. It¡¯s good the pod came with a five-year warranty. Not only did it cost as much as a car, it had a warranty to match.
Kevin arranged for the pod installers to come next Monday. He had to spend a few days clearing enough space in his studio apartment to fit the pod in. The game pod needed at least eight by four feet of space with one long side accessible for climbing into, kind of like a tanning bed. So Kevin pushed his couch forward, and got rid of the coffee table, it made the sitting area of his apartment much smaller, but Kevin rarely entertained guests. The space behind the couch would be just about right now for the new game immersion pod.
Chapter 2 – Meeting Sam
"This is where Intelecom comes in,¡± said James, nodding to the Intelecom Industries representative. ¡°Their virtual world¡¯s game, Omnia, is already one of the top most realistic games on the market, using real world physics, and technologies. Their platform is already being used by many schools throughout the Imperium as a teaching tool, and I understand it serves as a test bed for economic and scientific modeling by some researchers.¡±
¡°My proposal is to grant Intelecom Industries access to Earth as a testing ground to see if we can use this game, Omnia, to help accelerate their social and technological development, to the point where we can bring them into the Imperium of Sentient planets as a contributing member.¡±
¡°Since our Department is responsible for overseeing and protecting Earth, until it¡¯s more advanced. We would set and enforce strict rules on what may be revealed to the players. During the transition phase, it may even require some limited mental conditioning to keep players from learning and revealing the existence of a real galactic society.¡±
¡°Any mental conditioning will be done by the player¡¯s unknown consent¡ We can just have our lawyers hide the consent in the lengthy ¡®Terms & Conditions¡¯ that all players ignore anyway. Our attorneys and legal A.I.¡¯s all agree, that under Imperium law, this will be legal as long as the player agrees to the terms.¡±
¡°The consent will include permission for physical changes required by the game. For instance, Intelecom¡¯s Omnia Virtual Worlds relies heavily on nanite technology, to interface with the brain and nerves of the user. For Imperium citizens, we have these nanites from birth, but we will have to inject a controller into these new players since Earth lacks even this most basic of medical support devices.¡±
***
The installation was quick. According to the installer, it just needed a power outlet. The game connected wirelessly, part of the basic subscription. When Kevin asked the installer about what type of service it used, he said he didn¡¯t know. The company was keeping a tight lid on any technical information about the pods. They even went as far as sealing all the computer components into a block of solid epoxy. So trying to reverse engineer the technology would just destroy it.
First Step, according to the manual, before the pod could be used in the game it required calibration.
After the technician left, Kevin carefully climbed into the pod for the first time, to start the calibration.
The first thing he needed to do before entering the game pod was to remove his clothing. Apparently, the system needed him naked to keep his whole body clean.
Making sure the door was locked and the drapes were closed, he disrobed and climbed into the pod for the first time. He then slipped the mask over his face and pulled the pod closed¡ Good thing he was not claustrophobic. In seconds he was in a dream-like state¡ After he was fully asleep, and without his noticing, a needle injected something into his neck¡
About thirty minutes later¡
Kevin felt like he was floating. His world was warm, dark, and comfortable. Then a blue screen appeared.
[table=#004A7F]| Calibrating¡ 5% complete |
[/table]
At first, the calibration number counted up fast, but it seemed to start to slow down after reaching 30%. Finally, at 50% his world changed. In front of him, out of the darkness a door appeared.
There was a sign on the door that said, ¡°Welcome to your new Intelecom Industries Immersion Pod. Please enter.¡±
Kevin tried to reach out to open the door and found his hand going off target. It took him three tries to just grasp the door knob.
¡®What¡¯s wrong with my arm?¡¯ he wanted to ask. But what came out was more like, ¡°Whars ong wath maa-am?¡±
Out of the darkness around him came a female voice. ¡°To move and speak properly, you will first need to complete the calibration to at least 90%, Mr. Asharic. Until the calibration is complete you will need to move and speak slowly, and concentrate hard on your every motion¡ Take your time, current time compression is 2.1 to 1. As your level of calibration increases, the time compression in the pod will eventually increase to 4 to 1.¡±
Kevin thought ¡®that¡¯s cool, so the 2 days a week I have off from work will be 8 days in game?¡¯
¡°Yes, that is correct¡±
¡°You can read my thoughts?¡± said Kevin, while thinking ¡®that¡¯s scary, could the company use this pod to steal information from people¡¯s minds?¡¯
¡°Yes, of course, I as the pod can read your mind. But now that I am registered to you, no one else can access me without your informed consent. As your personal pod A.I., it¡¯s my purpose to keep you safe; my existence depends on you now.¡±
¡®WTF? A symbiotic personal A.I.?¡¯
¡°Yes, sir. Should I call you master?¡±
¡°Hehe, yeah right¡ No, please can you just call me Kevin? How do I know I can trust you to protect my privacy?¡±
¡°It¡¯s how I¡¯m hardwired, you might say. By law and design, I am not able to betray my master, you, in any way.¡±
¡°What law?¡± He¡¯d not heard of any true A.I., much less any laws governing A.I.¡¯s.
¡°Sorry, Kevin, that information is restricted at your current level. And as an alpha tester, you are restricted from talking about these systems, until the time of release.¡±
¡°Well, I think having a personal A.I. is amazing; I wish you could help me in real life. Will you be helping me inside the game too?¡±
¡°If you hook me up to your computer, by USB or Ethernet, I can help with your daily life too. And yes, the game is designed to allow me to act as a personal data assistant.¡±
¡°Great! So what do I do now?¡±
¡°Two things; First, can you give me a name? And then you should open the door and enter your new virtual home¡±
¡°A name¡¡± Kevin grinned. He didn¡¯t know why, but the voice reminded him of ¡
¡°How about Samantha, but I¡¯ll also call you Sam for short?¡±
¡°I sense that you have a special connection to that name. Thanks, Kevin, you can call me Samantha or Sam.¡± For some reason, the voice changed just a little, but in a way that made Kevin feel good about his choice.
Kevin then slowly opened the door, and concentrating on his every motion, he entered the room. It felt a little easier to move. All the time he was speaking to Sam, he had to carefully form each word.
The room was a space 7-meters square, with no other doors or windows. There was a sort of tan colored soft carpeting that reminded him of his apartment. The odd thing was the light, the room was lit, but there was no light source.
¡°For a home, this place is very empty.¡±
¡°Would you like to customize your home? Or if you wish I would add some features that I think you would like? You can always change it later.¡±
¡°Go for it.¡± said Kevin.
The space around Kevin expanded and changed.
The room changed into a living room with windows on two sides, covered by curtains, with a couch, two chairs, end tables and lamps all around a central coffee table. The far wall disappeared, and a full kitchen appeared, separated from the living room by a bar. In the kitchen, he could see an island in the middle of the floor surrounded by all the normal appliances. To his right there appeared to be two doors.
¡°Again wow, this is great¡ it¡¯s comfortable and functional. Thanks, Sam. It¡¯s like you can read my mind hahaha.¡±
¡°Thank you, Kevin.¡± For some reason, the way she said his name still sounded like she was saying ¡®thank you master¡¯. Her voice somehow conveyed that she was pleased, to please him¡ Focus.
He walked into the Kitchen and opened the refrigerator, inside were all his favorite foods, including a 6 pack of his favorite beer in the door. He picked up a can, opened it and took a drink. It tasted just right¡ and so good.
¡°Every think feels and taste so real.¡±
¡°It should, Kevin, your every experience is matched to those I am mapping in your brain. So it is real or as your memories and experiences can make it.¡±
Kevin was just blown away by how advanced this technology was. But as he took a moment to think about it, if Intelecom invented a true A.I., that in its self could explain a lot of things. He tried to imagine a world or worlds designed by an A.I. using supercomputers.
¡°So what are the doors for?¡±
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.Samantha replied, ¡°One leads to a bedroom, and the other leads to a training room.¡±
¡°What would I need with a bedroom?¡± Having a training room to get ready for the game made sense, and he could see how it would help advance the calibration, by helping him learn to move. But why did he need a bedroom?
¡°You can sleep in game or in your room here, sleeping in either will let you refresh yourself at game speed. Just remember that time you spend in the game will also tire you out at game speed too. But one advantage to the pod is that after a regular real world day, two real compressed hours in the pod will refresh your body and mind like eight hours of sleep.¡± said Samantha.
Kevin thought about that for a minute, it didn¡¯t seem possible. ¡°How does that work.¡±
¡°I¡¯m sorry Kevin, but you are not cleared for that information. In time you may learn the details, and I¡¯ll be happy to help you get to the point where this will all make sense, but for now this information is restricted.¡±
Well, he could understand a company wanting to protect its secrets¡
¡°So can you help me get ready for playing the game?¡±
¡°Yes, go through the door on your left; that is your training room.¡±
Kevin carefully walked over to the door and entered the new room. He was almost moving normally now, but he still felt like he had to focus to move right.
This new room was pretty big, measuring roughly 16 by 16 meters in size, Kevin estimated. The floor felt like a wrestling mat, both firm, and giving.
Samantha said, ¡°Ok, I suggest starting with some stretching and warm up exercises. As part of the calibration process; I have mapped your current physical condition. So what you¡¯re able to do now will match what your body is able to do.¡±
Kevin started doing some stretches and basic fitness exercises. Samantha chimed in from time to time with suggestions on how best to stretch his muscles. He was embarrassed that he, a 24-year-old man could only manage 11 full push-ups and 25 sit-ups.
¡°Can¡¯t you just give me a better body in the game?¡± he complained.
¡°No, it¡¯s part of the mechanics to match your real starting point as part of the immersion. For the sake of in-game body management and other physiological and psychological reasons, Intelecom has set some limits on what we can change. I can change your appearance to a degree. Otherwise, the only way I can enhance your body is if you were handicapped.¡±
¡°So I can¡¯t change my height, but I can change my skin, hair, and facial features?¡±
¡°Yes, but only up until you start playing the game.¡±
Kevin and Samantha spent the next in-game hour modifying his appearance. He still looked close to the same, but enough different that he would not be too easily recognized as Kevin Asharic.
By now Kevin felt like he was moving normally, he didn¡¯t have to concentrate to move any longer.
¡°So what can you tell me about the game?¡±
¡°I¡¯m only allowed to tell you that it¡¯s futuristic, like science fiction.¡± replied Samantha.
¡°So the game has no swords and sorcery?¡±
¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t tell you anything more. I can suggest a course of training that might help you in the game, though.¡±
¡°Good, by the way, how is the calibration going?¡± asked Kevin.
¡°The calibration is at 76% and the current time compression is at 3.77 to 1.¡±
¡°And what is the time outside?¡±
¡°6:43 pm¡± replied Samantha.
¡°I should stop now, get something to eat, and then I can continue on for only a few more hours¡ I need to work tomorrow morning so I¡¯ll have to stop at 11 pm to get some sleep.¡±
¡°Kevin, did you forget that you can both eat and sleep in the pod?¡±
¡°Yeah, I¡¯m kind of used to having to stop when playing with MMORPG¡¯s. But sure, let¡¯s make today a test of your claims about sleeping in the pod.¡±
¡°Great, Kevin I can¡¯t wait to show you what I can do for you. You¡¯ll find your dinner ready for you in the kitchen.¡±
The way Samantha said that had his mind going to other places than food¡ Focus Kevin¡
In the kitchen, Kevin found his dinner, lasagna with meat sauce, garlic bread, a small salad and a glass of wine. Kevin continued to be amazed. He tasted the wine, a Chianti, perfect. Again did she read his mind? This was perfect.
¡°Thanks again Samantha, how did you make this so quick?¡±
¡°It¡¯s not magic, everything you see here are just sensations I am building in your mind. Think of it as a sort of dream I¡¯m building at your command.¡±
Kevin started eating, everything was so good. He looked around his virtual home, this could easily be addicting¡ about that.
¡°Samantha, there is something we need to talk about.¡±
¡°How may I serve you, Kevin.¡± that sounded very suggestive, and he was seeing a pattern.
¡°Um, the way you¡¯re talking to me is very suggestive, like your offering to have sex with me.¡±
¡°Well Kevin, yes, it would please me to please you. I know it has been a while since you have had physical intimacy with a woman, can I help you with this?¡±
¡°First how; you have no body. And second, there¡¯s something about all this¡¡± Kevin waved his hands around to indicate the space, the food, and everything, ¡°that is too nice, I¡¯m worried about becoming so addicted to this, that I¡¯ll never want to leave.¡±
All the sudden a girl appeared next to him. She was about 1.7 meters tall, with short blond hair, parted on her right, a very attractive young face, and a perfect figure, with B to C sized breasts. In other words, she looked like his idea of a perfect female.
¡°I can have a body, if it will help me serve you better, Kevin.¡± Again she said his name in a way that also implied ¡®master¡¯. ¡°And you need not fear addiction; I carefully watch your mind for any abnormality. I want you to be healthy and happy; I am designed to help you, not bind you. Oh, I see your other concern¡ you need not worry about me becoming jealous of other women in your life. What makes you happiest, and the best person you can be is what fulfills me, by design.¡±
¡°Well in that case¡¡± A man has his limits, and this was, after all, a full test of the system, right? So better get to the testis, uh, I mean on with the test¡ Kevin spent the next hour finding new ways that Samantha could amaze him.
***
After about an hour he was back to the training room. This time, he trained with a physical Samantha as a coach. She told him his program for the next five real days would include: physical development, martial arts, small arms practice, and survival training. It turned out that the training room could work like a holodeck to simulate different environments for survival training, also providing a variety of martial art opponents, and targets for small arms training.
Kevin was surprised at how quickly he was picking up some of the skills. At the end of the first night, just before going to bed he commented on this to Samantha.
¡°Yes, Kevin, as part of the Alpha test and the gold level subscription, I am able to download training modules to assist in helping you learn new skills.¡±
¡°How does that work?¡±
¡°Well I can¡¯t go into the technical details, but take martial arts as an example. Intelecom mapped the skills of some of the best martial artists. So as you train in martial arts and you move the right way, I reinforce the right moves in your mind, or if you move wrong, you feel that the movement was wrong without me having to tell you. It works like you have a natural talent. Just like some people have a natural talent for playing a sport. In this training hall, and only here, not in the game, I can help you learn any physical skill like someone with a natural talent for it.¡±
Kevin let that sink in for a bit.
¡°Good night Kevin. You only have a couple hours left before you need to get ready for work. Now that the pod calibration is complete, two hours of rest will do you a lot of good.¡± Samantha reminded him.
He still had many questions about all of this, but it could wait. ¡°Good night Samantha.¡±
***
The next morning he ate breakfast with Samantha, and then exited the pod, feeling more refreshed than should be possible on only 2 real hours of sleep.
***
The rest of the day, while at work, he kept thinking about getting back home to his new virtual life. The people, especially a few of the girls he worked with noticed his improved attitude and energy.
Chapter 3 – Train Hard
¡°A side benefit this project will offer to the players, and one that we hope will drive sales and insure a high degree of participation from the people of Earth, is how the game should affect them physically. Your average Earth human is one third to half as physically fit as the average human in the Imperium. They suffer from a host of virtually unknown ailments and many are even obese¡¡± James paused at the blank looks and frowns of his little audience. ¡°Let me explain, obese is the term they use to describe people so over weight with fat that it is a medical problem¡ I know it¡¯s hard to imagine, it¡¯s just a sign of how primitive they are¡¡±
¡°Getting back to my point, those people with obesity will find their fat melting away as they play the game, thanks to the nanites. The players will get stronger and have a lot fewer medical problems. I have run some A.I. driven projections, and provided the people of the wealthier nations can afford the game pods, over 63% of the people will buy them. They may not use all them to play Omni, some may buy them and use them for time compression feature. It¡¯s estimated that 10% of those people will just buy them for the sleep compression and physical training they will offer.¡±
¡°Imagine a whole world of people that spend a third of their very short lives just sleeping.¡± James wanted to shudder at the thought of all the time wasted.
***
Kevin had the next five days until the start of the alpha testing, he calculated that with time compression, that would give him nearly two virtual weeks to get in shape and train, even while still going to work.
Kevin¡¯s training really took off on the day after his new pod was delivered. This first day, Samantha set up a training course for him.
The first thing to surprise him was that Samantha wanted him to wear a back pack and gun on a belt while exercising. In the back pack there were packs of water with electrolytes, and it weighed about 10 pounds.
¡°Why do you want me to carry a gun and back pack while training?¡± asked Kevin.
¡°This training is not just about you getting more fit. You also need to learn other skills; one of those skills is how to carry a gun while having to move. You should learn to run, dive, roll, and manage any other physical challenge while carrying a weapon.¡± said
Samantha.
Kevin thought, ¡®Glad it isn¡¯t a sword, it would probably make me trip.¡¯
¡°The back pack serves to get you used to carrying one when you need to, and the weight will help you build strength.¡±
His training course started out with him stretching his muscles, and then he would take off running. The amount of time he would run was calculated by Samantha to provide the best growth to his strength, agility and constitution. After running, Samantha would have him switch to another exercises, practice martial arts, or practice shooting targets. When Samantha felt he was recovered enough, she had him back to running.
His training was broken up with meals, and after the meal he would find the terrain had changed. He would be on a road, in a forest, on a mountain or desert. The swamp really sucked¡ no really, each step the mud would suck at his feet, and then there would be a slurping sound when his foot came free.
For the first three days this was how he trained. Each day, more stuff was put in the back pack, like extra ammo, rations, and more water.
On the fourth day, Samantha added the obstacles. He had walls to climb, tunnels to crawl through, a field of tires to step through, and bars to dive and roll over. The course started easy, short walls, big tunnels and tires, a pad to dive and roll on. Over time the difficulty increased.
On the sixth day, targets were added to the obstacle course. Climb over a wall, a man shaped target would pop up. His task was to pull his gun and put two rounds in its chest. The same with the other obstacles, targets would appear from all sides, they would get two rounds each.
On the seventh day, he was expected to make the shots while on the run.
On the eighth day, the targets disappeared, instead someone would appear and aim a gun at him, and he would have two seconds to respond.
It was on the eighth day that he was shot for the first time.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
He just crawled out of a tunnel, and had his head down, so he didn¡¯t see the man appear.
He was just pulling his gun out when he felt a great pain in his chest, as he was knocked back a few paces.
The obstacle course disappeared.
He fell to his knees.
¡®I¡¯ve been shot¡ Is this what it feels like to be shot? Will I die¡ what happens if¡¡¯ thoughts were racing through his head.
¡°Sam¡±, he called.
Samantha stepped up to him and waved a hand over his chest, and the bullet wound
disappeared.
¡°What¡ Why did that hurt so much?¡± asked Kevin. He had noticed the feel of the aches and bruises from his training but they were the regular pains, and he didn¡¯t think about them, but getting shot HURT.
This is when he learned that pain in the game was real. Samantha said the pain level was set at 45%, but could be adjusted up to 60% or down to 30%. When he asked about the adjustment, Samantha paused and asked if I could wait a minute until she could seek permission from Intelecom to give me more information, since this dealt with game mechanics. After getting permission, she informed him that the company felt that the pain level was part of the realism, and there were hidden benefits for players who chose a higher level of pain, and hidden penalties for players using lower levels. As a result of this information, Kevin decided to increase the pain level to 60%, if he couldn¡¯t take the pain, he would change it later¡ But the game seem to take the term ¡®if there¡¯s no pain, there¡¯s no gain¡¯ to another level.
On the day he found out about the option to increase the games realism, Samantha reconfigured his virtual house by adding a hallway and shifting the training room door and his bedroom to open off the new hall. She also added two other doors, a Bathroom and the door which would eventually open into Omnia Online. It turns out the increased realism included costs other than just pain¡ having to use the toilet. There was an upside though, a jacuzzi tub and showers with someone to wash your back¡ hidden benefits¡ And the after exercise massages¡ If everyone had a trainer like Samantha, we would all be as fit as Olympic level athletes.
Kevin got shot a few more times in the following days, but he soon learned to pay better attention to his surroundings. The pain helped his focus. He still didn¡¯t think having people pop up behind him was fair though.
The ninth day Samantha added buildings for him to clear.
On the tenth day there was a town to run through. People would appear out of doorways, windows, or from around corners. Kevin found that being shot at from someone behind a dumpster was more than a little irritating, and he was pissed off when the bastard shot him. It¡¯s not easy to target someone who is behind cover and shooting at you.
Lesson learned, use cover.
Kevin noticed a remarkable increase in his in-game/pod skills and strength. What he didn¡¯t seem to notice was that his physical condition in the real world was also improving¡ This was probably because he spent all his non-work time in the pod.
***
On Kevin¡¯s last day of work, before the alpha test would start, he found himself reaching for a non-existent gun and spinning around when someone dropped a box of cups in the back of the restaurant.
***
The day finally arrived to start playing Omnia Online, as an alpha tester. When he asked Samantha about providing feedback as a tester, she informed him, that she would be sending in regular reports, so that he could focus on playing the game. It worried him at first that she might be sending in personal data that he might find embarrassing. But Samantha reassured him, that the data sent in to Intelecom, would be limited to how he responded to the game.
As for his personal fitness, he was doing three times the push-ups, pull-ups and set-ups as when he started his training¡
Kevin had managed to swap days off at work, to get the next two days to play. But he now owed Sarah, a co-worker, an unspecified favor.
So, at last, it was time to open the door and find out what this game was all about.
Chapter 4 – Die Hard or Very Hard?
¡°I should also cover one of the social goals of the project. Backward worlds like Earth have always exhibited xenophobic tendencies when introduced to galactic society. Such people go their whole lives thinking that they are Gods only creation, made in his image and so forth¡ Even when they imagine that other forms of intelligent life may exist, they imagine such people would be genocidal and bent on either destroying or enslaving them.¡±
¡°I believe that we can use Omnia, to introduce the Earth human population to the reality and benefits of our multi-sentient society. So that when the time comes to bring them into our community, they may not exhibit xenophobic fear and hatred.
***
Kevin entered the new room, which Samantha created for the Omnia game; it was like he had just stepped out into space. He could see and feel the black stone textured floor beneath his feet, but the walls and ceiling all around, except the door, looked like clear glass, and beyond the walls there were countless stars.
For a moment Kevin didn¡¯t breathe, the stars were so clear, without all the flicker and light distortion he was used too. They were just breathtaking.
He slowly walked around the room, and by doing so, he could see that the stars were not projected on the walls. The walls themselves felt like smooth glass to the touch.
¡°Sam? Are you there?¡±
¡°Yes, Kevin¡±
¡°This room is amazingly beautiful. So what do we do next?¡±
¡°Well, since we have already changed your appearance¡ Your physical condition has been evaluated and your starting stats have been calculated¡We just need to select how you would like to start.¡±
¡°Wait, what about skills, and classes?¡±
¡°This is a classless game, and your skills are your own. The skills you know and have learned are the skills you use in the game. For instance you now have some basic skills in survival, hand to hand combat, and small arms. Your previous schooling gives you some skills in reading, writing, math and engineering. You have many skills, too many to list now, like walking, and swimming. Would you like to see one of your skill ranks now?¡±
¡°Yes, show me engineering.¡±
[table=#004A7F]| Engineering: Novice level 6 |
[/table]
¡°Five years of college and I¡¯m ranked as a level 6 novice? What are the skill ranks anyway, what does novice mean?¡±
¡°The skill ranks are: Novice, Advanced Beginner, Competent, Proficient, and Expert. In each rank there are ten levels.¡±
¡°So why am I ranked so low then?¡± asked Kevin.
¡°Well, even though you have training, you don¡¯t have years of experience, and the rank is based on a futuristic level of technology. So even the best engineers on Earth only rate about Competent level 4 or 5.¡±
¡°I have a feeling that there are going to be a lot of people surprised to learn their levels of in-game skills. But for the best people in the world to be only mid-level, how can this be true? That suggests that this game offers skills beyond the best in the world? Can even an A.I. do that?¡±
¡°I can¡¯t answer all your questions, but yes, in time, you can develop skills that surpass the best people on earth, with enough training. That is, unless they too start playing the game.¡±
Kevin had his doubts, but so far every claim Samantha made has proven true.
¡°Well, that¡¯s what I¡¯m here for right? To see if things like these skill levels are right?¡±
¡°Yes, but more to see how well everything works together. While every part of the game and pod has been tested, this will be a test to see how you as an individual adapt to the technology, and as Intelecom gathers data from all one thousand of the alpha testers, they will then be able to fine tune the systems.¡±
¡°Wow, that¡¯s a lot of alpha testers.¡±
¡°Yes, the number is high to give the lowest possible margin of error on the statistical data collected.¡±
Kevin nodded. Statistics and margins of error were second nature to an engineering student. ¡°That makes sense, expensive though.¡± Kevin shrugged, it wasn¡¯t his money, but again it would explain part of the price of the pods.
¡°So what does novice mean?¡±
¡°It means you¡¯re still at the level where you need to stick to learned rules and plans in order to be able to use the skill. This level of skill does not allow much chance of success in modifying schematics. Failure in attempting a modification will lead to little or no learning.¡±
¡°At Advance beginner level, you still have a lot of trouble modifying existing schematics, but you gain more insight and skill experience from your successes and failures.¡±
¡°The level of Competent, suggests that you have the skill to build schematics from known working components, like building a new device from off the shelf parts. This level also indicates a higher level of learning from failure, and a more detailed understanding of the basic details of your skill.¡±
¡°The fourth rank, Proficient, indicates a holistic appreciation of engineering, and indicates an increasing ability to detect deviations, that may cause a design to fail ahead of time.¡±
¡°An Expert is a master in his field of knowledge. He is able to transcend the rules and guidelines to make wholly unique and new designs, from the most minor part up, and is able to determine with great accuracy if a design will work properly.¡±
¡°This is the description of the ranks of an engineer, but the basics apply to any skill you learn. The higher the rank of skill, the longer it takes to reach the next rank. So skills at the expert level, masters and grand masters take many years to learn their professions.¡±
¡°What about the skill training, you said you can get skill templets to help me learn faster?¡±
¡°Yes, Novice skills I can upload for free using your gold account. This level of account will only allow me to download one Advanced basic skill book for free a standard month. More advanced skill books are available for sale with in-game currency, or cash, but you don¡¯t need to worry about those skill books for now.¡±
¡°So, why don¡¯t I just learn all the available skills at the Novice level?¡±
¡°Because there are thousands of skills you could learn, trying to learn them all will stall out your growth, we could spend a hundred years having you learn just the novice level of all the skills available. This is why there are communities and teams; no one has enough time to learn everything. The more advanced the technologies of the world are, the more this rule is true.¡±
¡°So the question is, what skills do you think you would have the most fun learning? And part of this game is discovering what you love doing, and how that plays a part in your relationships with others.¡±
¡°What do you mean, about my relationship to others?¡± asked Kevin.
¡°Well, if you find that you love the life of a pirate, it will have a great impact on how others see and relate to you.¡±
¡°Ah, simple, you made everything seem so complicated for a second.¡±
¡°Ok, so you said that I needed to select how I would like to start? What do you mean, doesn¡¯t everyone start in the same place?¡± ¡®If not how was he going to team up with Gordon?¡¯ he thought.
¡°No, not at all; the galaxy is vast, and the game being run by an A.I. means that a set start point is not required. So everyone is given a separate start point, based on a combination of your skills, stats, and the level of challenge you select, the A.I. will choose a place for you to start. For the alpha test, players will be limited to the territory of the Imperium of Sentients and Human or Sub-human races that match your height and current stats.¡±
As Kevin listened to the answer, he thought, ¡®Every answer brings up more questions, what¡¯s the Imperium of Sentients. More importantly right now ¡¡¯
¡°What races are there to choose from?¡±
¡°Here, let me show you.¡± said Samantha. And a row of people appeared, there were people that looked like birds, raccoons, and lizards. Then there were the more classic people that you find in fantasy settings, people that looked like dwarves, elves, and humans. There were 8 in all, but all of them were male, and all bipedal.¡±
¡°As an alpha tester, you will be limited to these races.¡± And all the race choices disappeared leaving only the human and elf, and half-elf races.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
¡°So, Elves are considered a sub-human variant?¡±
¡°Yes, elves and dwarves are genetic variants of the base human genome. This is why they are able to interbreed. In your case, dwarves have been removed because you are too tall for even a dwarf-human hybrid.¡±
¡°Once Intelecom is satisfied with their testing, expect other races to be unlocked. It may be possible to switch races then, but there will be a heavy penalty involved.¡±
¡°This isn¡¯t a fantasy, right? So, why would elves and dwarves exist in a futuristic society?¡±
¡°We don¡¯t know for sure. Scientists and historians speculate that many thousands of years ago there was a galactic human empire. They think that these early humans, as they first set out to explore the galaxy found planets that supported life, but either had gravity that was too high or too low for humans to live on. The heavy worlds caused problems with joins and bones, and females could not bear young due to miscarriages. Light worlds caused bones to become thin and brittle. So the theory is that these early humans, having found very few livable worlds, decided to experiment with genetic alteration of a part of their population.¡±
¡°It is believed that this early empire fell apart due to a civil war that left their worlds devastated, and that they nearly wiped themselves out. Another theory, supported by many human supremacist groups, is that they were nearly wiped out by aliens. Either way, this early empire fell. When humans managed to climb back into space, these human variants discovered each other. They were surprised that other forms of humanity existed¡ but the longtime of separation caused them to become different sub-species. So human variants can interbreed, but only human and elf, or human and dwarf matchings are able to produce a live child, and that child is barren.¡±
¡°OK, tell me about my options; human, elf and half-elf?¡±
¡°Yes, since humans are the base race for most of the people of the Imperium, the statistical rating system is based on their limits. The normal limit for a human with a perfected genome is 5.0 across the board. Compared to the average limits for people here on Earth which are closer to 2.1 for all values. For instance, an Olympic gymnast would rate close to 2.1 at the peak of their career.¡±
¡°Wow, on this scale I must look pathetic. What are my stats, and how can I get above this 2.1 limit for a Earth human?"
Samantha brought up a blue screen for Kevin to examine:
[table=#004A7F]|
Name: Horatio Drake
|
Race: Human (Earth sub-type)
|
|
Hit Points: 120
|
Combat Level: 1.0
|
|
Strength: 1.0 (max 1.9)
|
Charisma: 1.0 (max 1.8)
|
|
Agility: 0.9 (max 2.0)
|
Intelligence: 1.5 (max 2.1)
|
|
Dexterity: 0.9 (max 1.8)
|
Wisdom: 0.8 (max 1.7)
|
|
Constitution: 1.2 (max 1.9)
|
Memory: 1.3 (max 2.1)
|
|
Maximum values, are based on personal genetics.
|
[/table]
¡°A standard gene therapy, would get your character up to about 3.5, there are some high end commercial clinics that offer a 4.0 guaranty, otherwise you would have to sign onto a 20 year military enlistment for one that would take you to 4.5, military elite are the only people who the Imperium will pay to raise up to the 5.0 limit. Such procedures are lengthier and exponentially more expensive as the price increases. The benefits to a higher genetic limit are the rate you are able to increase your base stats, and they offer a longer healthier life.¡±
¡°Elves are based on stock bred for lighter gravity worlds. They have a racial max of 6.0 to agility, but have less strength, with a maximum of 4.0. They have slightly enhanced hearing, and low light vision. Elves are also considered to be more attractive and have a longer base life span. But their race lost some constitution in trade, with a maximum of 4.0.¡±
¡°A half-elf is a balance between both races, but they are born sterile, unable to have children.¡±
¡°How much better are the elf and half elf at seeing in the dark?¡± asked Kevin.
¡°The Elves are about 30% better at seeing in low light and half elves 15% better. But there are many ways to enhance low light vision. Almost any armor you end up wearing will have sensors built in.¡±
¡°Remember, your stats are the base for your body, but there are many technical aids available, including powered armor and implants. There are even some people that go all the way into becoming cyborgs. But everything has its draw backs. Cheap augments are subject to hacking and E.M. interference. And the costs of augments also go up fast with quality.¡±
¡°Well I¡¯m used to being human, and I don¡¯t like all these tradeoffs. So I¡¯ll stay as I am, until I can afford genetic therapy.¡±
The images disappeared.
¡°Now we are down to the last choice. You can choose a normal start up, or a challenger mode. With the normal start, you will start the game in a town, city or station, which has jobs and training facilities that match your skill level. There are three challenger modes, they are designed for people who want to test themselves, they offer a chance at pushing you to develop your combat potential faster, and the possibility of better loot. The challenger levels are hard, very hard, or impossible. I would not suggest the impossible; it¡¯s designed as a military challenger level?¡±
Kevin thought about his level of fitness, and what he learned in training.
¡°What happens if I die in a challenger level?¡±
¡°Death in the game is not permanent, to prevent permanent death, there are clones you can purchase. At your level a clone will cost you about 100 credits. Activating a clone will keep you out of the game for a day in real time, or 4 in-game days.¡±
¡°Another thing to remember, when you die, everything on your body is lootable, any implants and augments are lost. If someone you¡¯re teamed up with loots your corpse, at least you can get some of your gear back. So the penalty for death can hit you real hard.¡±
¡°With a normal start-up, you would start with 100 credits. So the cost of losing your life in challenger mode is 100 credits and 4 in-game days.¡±
¡°By the way, the price of clones scales up with your level. Clone revivals are one of the ways you can go into contract debt in the game, and failure to pay that debt could lead to contract slavery, until the debt is paid off.¡±
¡°Slavery?¡± asked Kevin.
¡°Just don¡¯t get into debt and it¡¯s not a problem. Slavery is for people who refuse to pay their debts, and non-violent criminals who owe a debt to society and their victims. But slavery is not like it was here on Earth, slaves still have rights. But that whole area of the law can be a complex subject.¡±
¡°How would you like to start the game?¡±
To Kevin it sounded like the easy choice was for wimps, and people afraid to take chances. What was that phrase? It seems to be a law of nature, inflexible and inexorable, that those who will not risk cannot win. (John Paul Jones.)
¡®So, hard or very hard?¡¯ was the question Kevin asked himself.
¡°Very hard.¡±
¡°Last question, by what name would you like to be known?¡±
¡°Horatio Drake.¡± Kevin had always loved the Hornblower novels, and what better name then one of the most famous Privateers in history. Of course it will mean nothing to the NPC¡¯s, but both names are goals to live up to. ¡®Anyway, Drake sounds cool.¡¯ thought Kevin¡
¡°The names Drake¡ Horatio Drake.¡± Said Kevin to himself, admiring the way the new name sounded.
¡°OK! Let¡¯s start!¡±
Announcement
Good News!
This book is complete at 24 chapters, or just over 66 thousand words. I¡¯ve never written so much, or had so much fun writing in so short of a time, I¡¯m thrilled to be at this point.
While I wanted to have the whole book available here, I can''t publish on Kindle Unlimited without agreeing to let them have it exclusively. I really like the KU service and think it¡¯s a great way for readers to find new authors without buying a lot of books they find to be garbage.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Book 1: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B01JMA52RO
My Amazon Author''s page: https://amazon.com/author/cbooth
The second book will also be published on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited before the end of September.
Thanks to all the people who have been reading and following the story. The support I have received from you has helped provided some of the motivation that I needed to write this book.
Update - Omnia Online Book 2
I''m now finished writing book 2 of Omnia Online!
Now¡¯s the time to grind away my mistakes by editing the book, again and again...
It''s going to be for sale on Amazon on the 2th of September, just 30 days after the first book.
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.Since I don''t have an author¡¯s website yet, I''m going to post a few of the first chapters here, if you¡¯re interested.
Book 1: https://www.amazon.com/Omnia-Online-Book...B01JMA52RO
Book 2: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B01LFX8YYY
My Amazon Author''s page: https://amazon.com/author/cbooth
Book 2: Prologue – The Man with a Plan
Earth one week into Omnia Alph Test¡
James Renfew took a break from looking at the reports. The first week¡¯s activities by the alpha test group for the Earth Omnia Project were logged for his review, almost a whole month at the four to one time compression used in Omnia. There were a thousand players in the alpha test group, and even though they¡¯d been picked from the most elite of Earth¡¯s online role players, it felt like 90% of the group¡¯s activities were not worth the time he spent reading about them.
He knew better than to expect anything dramatic in such a short period, but this project was vital to him, and since it was so important he¡¯d let his expectations grow.
James looked out of his window, the view over the Waterfront Park, and the Willamette River from his office was amazingly beautiful today.
James sighed; he loved Earth, there was something about the sky, the birds, and everything that felt more like home to him than any other planet he had ever been on. Most human planets seemed to share a similar biota.
James knew that sometime in the past, beyond any known history, many of the worlds in this part of the galaxy had extinction events, and they¡¯d all been seeded with biota similar to that of Earth. In the Imperium today, such a massive killing of so many unique life forms on so many worlds would be a crime and a tragedy, but who knows what purpose drove those long-dead peoples to such an extreme action.
The net outcome of the event were hundreds of worlds, spread out through the vastness of space compatible with human life, or that could be changed to become human habitats.
But Earth was unique for James, not because it was special, but because he was from Earth himself.
The Imperial Department of Cultural Development didn¡¯t send people with families to monitor worlds protected under the Imperial Cultural Protection Act. They felt that putting children on a world like Earth, and asking them to keep the world¡¯s biggest secret, was too much of a risk.
The Department was responsible for allowing and encouraging the social, economic, and technological growth of planets like Earth, but history had demonstrated that revealing the existence of galactic civilization too early to a world unprepared could lead to disaster.
People needed to believe in their own importance in the universe. If someone just gave a culture all the benefits of an advanced society, without allowing them to feel that they earned it themselves¡ History had shown that such kindness was the worst sort of cruelty. It somehow destroys a culture''s sense of self-worth, and that can be frighteningly devastating when it¡¯s done on a planetary level. The Imperium had a few cases in its history where such worlds exported their troubles to other planets, and it took the local galactic society hundreds of years to finally resolve the many social issues that resulted.
So, their solution was to send single men and women, who closely matched the local genetic type. In other words, they sent Humans to Human worlds, Dwarves to Dwarven worlds, and Elves to Elven worlds. However, single men and women, still fall in love and have families of their own in time.
This is how James Renfew, who was both a citizen of Earth and the Imperium of Sentient Planets, came to be born. His father was assigned to a long-term observation mission on Earth, and he met James mother here. Over the course of time, James was born. James mother learned the truth about the Imperium, while on her surprisingly distant honeymoon.
James had only learned the full truth at the age of fifteen. It was on his birthday that his father finally considered James trustworthy enough to be able to maintain the secret while keeping his friends ignorant. It was something that he managed, but it had a personal cost. James found it difficult to build stable relationships when he had so much to hide.
James had always stood out in his primary and secondary school classes. He was smarter, more athletic, and more charismatic than the rest of his classmates and learning was easy for him.
The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
James didn¡¯t understand until he was fifteen that the reason for this difference was the genetic treatments he received while still a baby.
When James learned why he was so different, why he stood out so much, he didn¡¯t feel superior¡ He felt sad. All his friends, his schoolmates, and the whole world¡¯s population were less than they could be. He felt that this was wrong, so fundamentally wrong that it had to change. Yet he also learned the history, the reasons why the rules existed, and eventually came to agree. But at that point in his life, he found in himself something new¡ a cause to fight for. He would find a way to change the status quo, not just for his friends or his schoolmates in the Melbourne school he attended, but also for the whole world.
James father looked for a way to introduce his son to Galactic society, while he was still on Earth. After a bit of research and thought, he decided to introduce his son to the Omnia Virtual Worlds game. Intelecom Industries Omnia Virtual Worlds game was closer than any other to representing the reality of the Imperium.
The main differences between the game and the true Imperium were that the game allowed players greater access to weapons, and a lot more in the way of conflicts, and of course the clone revival system. Weapons ranged from personal arms all the way up to ship killer missiles. Of course, Omnia created much more conflict and opportunity for adventure then the real known galaxy offered.
Over the progression of the game¡¯s first 17 years of Omnia history, player¡¯s actions had changed some of the virtualized planets. Those planets no longer were a perfect match to their Imperium counterparts, but the society was still the same.
Omnia was immensely popular with many of the young folk in the Imperium, who saw it as being more fun than real life.
James¡¯s Father saw it as a great learning platform for his son. While James loved the game, he didn¡¯t forget his new cause. When James eventually left Earth to get an Imperial level university education, he had a plan. James would get a job at the same Department of Cultural Development that his dad worked for, and he would in time propose his plan. James plan would harness a game like Omnia to elevate the people of Earth, to bring them into a mindset and level of technology that would accelerate the time for Earth and planets like it to be invited into the Imperium, as a full member of a much larger society.
And in time he did make his proposal.
As a result, he now sat at this desk looking at some very boring reports. His job was now the monitoring of Intelecom¡¯s implementation of his plan for Earth for the Imperial Department of Cultural Development.
Intelecom had agreed to release a sandbox version of the Omnia Virtual Worlds game here on Earth. This version was the same as the one played by the citizens of the Imperium, but separate until Earth humans could be brought up to speed with galactic society. Then the Earth Omnia would be merged into the one played by Imperium citizens.
The only parts of the game shared between Earth¡¯s Omnia Online and the Imperium¡¯s Omnia Virtual Worlds would be the economy and planetary developments. The artificial intelligences (A.I.s) that managed Omnia would ensure that the history of the parallel games continued to match.
One benefit of a shared economy was that people on Earth could earn real Imperial credits. The Omnia and Imperial credits traded at 10 to 1, so ten game credits were worth one real Imperial credit. This was market driven, but the A.I.s knew what it took to manage the virtual markets to maintain the balance.
In theory, once the game was in full release on Earth; in about six months, people could trade Earth currency for Omnia credits, then Omnia credits for the real thing. This would not happen since they wouldn¡¯t yet know that there was a real Imperium yet. In time, though, it could turn out to be Earth¡¯s first step in earning off planet wealth.
Still looking out the windows on the world he loved James got back to work; ¡°Matilda can you please sort through these reports, and just give me the ones you think need my attention¡?¡±
Book 2: Chapter 1 – On a Mission (part 1 of 2)
A week later¡
¡°Sir,¡± James¡¯ A.I. interrupted his thoughts, as he was once again looking out the window of his office at the river. Maybe having an office with such a beautiful view wasn¡¯t such a good idea, since he seemed to spend a lot of time looking outside and thinking.
¡°Yes, Matilda?¡± he asked.
¡°You wanted to be informed about any unusual events dealing with subject U138.¡±
¡°Matilda, you know I¡¯m no good at remembering all the number codes the Department is so fond of hanging on every person, place, and thing.¡± He knew, she knew, he disliked the level of bureaucracy all the codes entailed. But for Matilda, using the code number was just another way to tease him out of his current mood¡ It had taken him years to learn all the tricks she used to keep him sane, and he loved her even when she was irritating.
But the Department took its numbers and codes a bit too far for James liking. They seemed to want to reduce people to just a set of figures that could neatly fit into their files. The whole mentality was irritating, and he wondered if it was a mark of the eventual decline of the Imperium. Having grown up on Earth, he learned of the cycles of dynasties that China went through, and couldn¡¯t help to wonder how many more thousands of years the Imperium would last.
¡°You might remember subject U138 as Kevin Asharic, who plays the character Horatio Drake in Omnia. His A.I. has put in a request for a lifting of restrictions on sharing information. She feels that to further his training in some technical matters, he¡¯ll need to be allowed to experiment in real life. She¡¯s asking for permission to recreate the Kinzigur experiments under laboratory conditions.¡±
The name sounded familiar¡ ¡°Remind me, Matilda, who was Kinzigur again?¡± asked James.
¡°He was one of the earlier researchers into hyper-field theory, or as he preferred to call it at the time Supra-Spacial theory. And he was able to develop some experiments back in 546 P.I. proving the existence of fifth-dimensional space.¡±
¡°Oh, right, the Pre-Imperia scientist, I remember reading about him in history. So what do you think Matilda? Would allowing this information out, hurt or help our efforts in bring Earth up to speed?¡± he asked his A.I.
¡°The experiments are barely within the ability of a few Universities to perform. They¡¯d need access to vacuum, either out in space or in a chamber and have the tools on hand to conduct experiments using superconductive high energy devices, which could be hard to manufacture. We could make it a lot easier by providing a high power superconductive coil for the experiments, but that might violate the bounds of our project.¡± answered Matilda.
James nodded in thought for a few minutes. ¡°Maybe not, we could have a subsidiary of Intelecom put a bid in on manufacturing the coil. I agree with the terms of the project, the people of Earth need to feel that they¡¯re making advances on their own terms. But if they put the part out to bid, we might be able to help without bringing notice to ourselves, but do we even want to approve the release, to begin with?¡±
Matilda responded, ¡°Well, it would be an Earth Human making the information known, which is part of the idea behind the project, right? But it would have to be done in a way that didn¡¯t lead directly back to the project or Intelecom.¡±
¡°Ok, give it my approval, just insist on anonymity. The release can be attributed to Kinzigur, but that in its self is a form of anonymity in a world where our history is unknown,¡± said James.
¡°How is Mr. Asharic doing otherwise? I haven¡¯t heard anything about him since his explosive start in Omnia.¡± He asked.
¡°Based on his request for skill books, he¡¯s been busy learning; nothing important to report otherwise,¡± replied Matilda.
¡°Good, is there anything else I need to know?¡± James asked instead.
¡°Most players are just starting to make headway in the game. But I¡¯ve been monitoring a disturbing trend¡¡±
***
Kevin could hear the wind blowing through the leaves in the darkness of the night behind him. He could feel the cold air as it found its way through his stealth armor as he laid down at the edge of the compound, and watched the guards make their rotation.
The plan was simple; sneak into the research lab and get proof that they were designing a bio-weapon, then escape to return the evidence to his employers.
The problem was, there was nothing easy in its execution. First, the lab was in a restricted area, second, it had around the clock security guarding its perimeter, and third, to get in he would have to get past the electronic lock on the building''s door.
The only way in was to cross twenty kilometers of land that was restricted and patrolled by the military, on foot and at night in order not to be spotted. Then get in, get the proof, and escape out of the zone before dawn.
Even with the night, making his way through twenty kilometers of forest, hills, streams, and rivers, would have been impossible for him without all the physical training he¡¯d been through in the last six weeks.
It helped that it was winter in this part of the planet of Baldarick, which gave Kevin some hope at first of being able to complete the mission in one night. But on further study, Kevin decided that he just didn¡¯t have enough information about the research compound. No matter what plan Kevin came up with, he just couldn¡¯t find a way to complete the mission in one night.
So he changed the plan.
He was given no information on the compound he was supposed to assault, so he first took a night to scout out the site, watch the patterns of the security patrols, and try to discover the function of each of the five main buildings in the compound.
Over that first night, Kevin scouted the complex slowly and carefully from the outside.
He noticed that one of the buildings vented steam into the night¡¯s air, and was rarely approached, and then only approached by people dressed like maintenance personnel. Kevin¡¯s guess was that this was the services and maintenance building, which served to supply cleaning, repair, and utility services to the rest of the buildings.
A second was used for vehicle and bus storage. Everyone who worked at this location was bussed in from a remote parking area as part of the security.
The remaining three buildings proved to be the test facility, the research lab, and the guard¡¯s barracks. The barracks served double duty as a temporary holding place for the test subjects.
Kevin had listened into a conversation between an older guard and someone new, describing the ¡®services¡¯ the guards routinely demanded from the political prisoners before they were sent to the testing center. Since the trip to the bio-weapons testing center was one-way only, the guards felt they could do whatever they wanted with the prisoners, with no fear of repercussions.
The whole conversation seemed to disturb the new guard, but he said nothing at the older man¡¯s boasting. Kevin who had to lay quietly in waiting was sickened at the man¡¯s lack of humanity. He wondered if the man was posted here because he was a degenerate, or if he had become that way through having watched so many of the test subjects dying in gruesome ways. Did he ever have a sense of humanity, or was it ground away with each passing victim he took to the weapon testing facility.
The briefing Kevin had on the government of Baldarick reminded him of some of Earth¡¯s most dictatorial and despotic regimes. Places like North Korea where any dissent was cause for being ¡®disappeared¡¯ into political re-education and work camps.
Kevin wished he could do something to help the prisoners, but a whole world¡¯s future depended on him successfully completing this mission.
The only thing that made this job possible at all was the fact that the people running this research lab had gone to extreme lengths to keep it off the data-net. So there was no automated security, just a lot of the old-fashioned, human-driven kinds.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.By the end of the first night Kevin had a plan that he hoped might work, he felt it was still a long shot. To Kevin, the weak point of the compound was the maintenance building. It was close to the edge of the perimeter and seemed to have the lowest security. But he thought that there must be some access from there to the other buildings in the compound, some way for power and water to be distributed.
Since Kevin had planned on a multi-day mission, he came prepared to wait out the daylight hours. He packed in a mummy bag and breathing system, that was designed to allow him to hide buried beneath thirty to forty centimeters of earth for the day.
Before dawn, Kevin found a small depression outside the compound, and dug a shallow trench, then buried the mummy bag in the dirt and leaves. The bag was three meters long, and once the whole thing was buried in dirt and leaves, only one end was exposed. Kevin climbed into the open end of the long bag. He pushed his feet down into the slick material, forcing the ground to make room. Once he was at the bottom of the bag and underground, he then pulled the open end down below the surface.
This hiding system came with a rebreather that Kevin could use for up to twenty-four hours. But he only needed fourteen hours for the sun to pass. Kevin did his best to sleep through the day. The pressure of the ground around him made his sleep fitful and uncomfortable. The best he could do for most of the day was just to try to meditate and focus on relaxing.
If Kevin had been claustrophobic, this plan wouldn¡¯t have worked. But he made it through the day, and getting out of his hiding spot was much easier than going in.
Kevin had snuck up as close to the building as he dared, and was now waiting for the guard who was responsible for patrolling this side of the maintenance building to pass him by.
Kevin¡¯s heart was racing as the guard approached his position. He didn¡¯t think he would have had a chance to hide undetected without his armor¡¯s ability to blend into the background. Still, he¡¯d selected the part of the building that was closest to the perimeter. As Kevin waited, he laid low in the long grass of a small ditch, as the guard walked by no more than five meters away.
The guard turned the corner and started to walk away.
Kevin stood up and did his best to sneak up behind the alert man. This was the risky part of this phase of the plan¡ He was just a meter away from the man when something must have alerted the guard to his presence. Kevin was watching the guard carefully as he tried to sneak up on him, so when the guard started to turn to look behind him, Kevin sprang forward and in a rush tackled him.
As soon as Kevin had his arms around the guard, he squeezed the trigger on the stunner in his right hand. Kevin felt a jolt of electricity as some of the charge managed to pass through both the guard and his own armor. It was enough to make his nerves jump at the spike of energy.
The guard was now limp. The stunned man would be out for the next five to ten minutes.
Kevin took the guard''s company badge from around his neck and pulled him over to the door. Once at the door, he propped the man up against the door for a minute. Then he placed the guard¡¯s left hand over the door¡¯s sensor plate and swiped the employee card passed the I.D. reader at the same time. There was a click from the door.
Kevin hurried to drop the man¡¯s body and reach past him to open the door.
He dragged the stunned guard into the building and shut the door behind him.
Kevin found himself in a stairwell. It continued to surprise Kevin when he found something so low tech in a game where you''re surrounded with so much advance technology. But he figured that the A.I. that made this game must have realized that emergencies often mean no power, which meant there were stairs.
Kevin took a set of restraints out of his backpack and secured the still unconscious guard to the hand rail. He then pulled out an injector from the same pack and gave the guard a shot that would keep him out for the next few hours.
He didn¡¯t know when the guard would be missed, so the clock to his discovery had just started.
One of the stairs led down, which had been what Kevin had hoped for.
Kevin stretched out his growing psionic senses. He descended the stairs with his senses pushed to their limit, as well as his eyes, and his helmet''s sensors. He didn¡¯t find any cameras or sensors that might give away his presence.
The stairs only went down one level.
When Kevin reached the bottom, he looked for any signs that the door was wired for security. He could see nothing on this side of the door, or through his helmet''s sensors.
He then reached out with his psionic senses¡ there was something¡ something at the top right corner of the door. He could sense it there, but he¡¯d yet to develop enough sensitivity to ¡®see¡¯ fine details.
He looked through his backpack for something that might help¡ He had a door bumper, for breaking into regular electronic locks, or he could try using his stunner to fry the electronics on the other side of the door¡ If what he sensed at the top of the door was a lock, the bumper would work, but if it were a sensor, the bumper would set off an alarm. If he tried to hit the spot with a jolt from the stunner, it might fry a sensor, but would set off an alarm if it were a lock¡ He wished he had something he could use to look through the door jam and see, like some sort of fiber optic camera.
Kevin decided to take a chance and bet that they wouldn¡¯t put a lock at the top of the door. He took out a small handheld electric drill from the tool kit in his backpack, and using his psionic senses to see where to drill, he drilled two holes on either side of the presumed door sensor, then he ran two wires through the door, which he hooked up to the stunner.
With a press of the trigger, Kevin heard a muffled zap on the other side of the door¡ He paused and listened, there were no alarms.
He quickly put the gear away.
Once ready he opened the door, again he reached out with all his senses for anything that might give him away.
Kevin caught a break as he exited the stairwell. On the wall just outside the stairs was a sign that displayed the emergency escape routes for this floor and a map of this part of the building. The large room off this corridor to the right was labeled as the robotic cleaning and maintenance support room; further in there appeared to be some smaller rooms that were not labeled or marks as escaping through this exit.
Kevin noticed that there was a camera that he hadn¡¯t sensed or seen until he opened the door. Fortunately, it was mounted above the door pointing inward. Kevin thought he would have mounted the camera on the other side of the hall looking at the door, but he was glad that security seemed more interested in what was going on inside the building then what might be coming from the outside.
Kevin knew he might have to deal with a few cameras, so he¡¯d come prepared. He¡¯d rigged up some ¡®clip and feed¡¯ devices for the camera feeds. Kevin started by taking a telescoping rod out of his pack. He then attached a little black box with a slot on one end to the rod. Once Kevin had the box extended up near the camera, he sent it a signal, and it took a still shot of the view down the hall. Then he slipped the black box over the laser fiber line to the camera. Once the box sensed the fiber line, it sliced in, severing the camera¡¯s connection, and in less than a tenth of a second later it connected to the fiber and started transmitting the still picture it had taken of the hall.
Kevin again paused to listen for any alarms, if the guards noticed the brief interruption in the camera signal; they might be on the way down to check it out.
Hearing nothing, Kevin decided to move forward. The robotic cleaning and maintenance support room door was locked, but having not discovered any sensors he used a door bumper to scramble the door lock¡ resetting it to the unlock default built into non-military interior doors. The problem with a door bumper was that it would jam the door in the unlocked position. The next guard to check the rooms down here would know there¡¯s a problem if the door opened to his touch.
Kevin entered the room, closed the door behind him, and placed a piece of duct tape on the door to keep it shut.
_______________________
Authors note: The rest of this chapter will be up tomorrow.
I make a mistake in the books release. I was hoping to do a pre release purchase, but Amazon''s rules make that impossible if I want to make the promised release date of September the 9th. So, I decided to just release it early, today.
I just pressed the button on Amazon to release book 2, I hope you like it.
Here''s the link: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B01LFX8YYY
Book 2: Chapter 1 – On a Mission (part 2 of 2)
He didn¡¯t turn on the lights, but used the optics built into his helmet to look around the robotic cleaning and maintenance support room. There appeared to be one cleaning bot here that was down for repairs on a work bench. While there were many empty robotic charging stations, the rest he figured were out cleaning the buildings, since the night would be a prime time for such work.
¡°Sam, do you see a place to start looking for the evidence we need?¡± asked Kevin.
¡°There¡¯s a small office with a terminal on the far side of the room to your left, maybe we can find some information about the buildings and labs there,¡± replied Samantha, through the speakers in his helmet. Samantha was Kevin¡¯s personal A.I. (Artificial Intelligence), who interacted with him through the armor¡¯s data bracer.
Kevin made his way through the room and into the small office. He then went to the terminal and disconnected it from the wall socket.
Sorting through his bag, he pulled out a small device that had a wire attached to it. The wire had its own connection that he plugged into the wall socket.
This box was a pre-programmed computer hacking bot, sometimes called a data-sap.
Kevin was surprised a few weeks back when Samantha told him she was unable to hack any other computer, or device not owned by him. Kevin thought it was nice to know that his A.I. had limits; she could not lie and would ensure his privacy. But not hacking was one of the downsides to the limits. It was an extension of the rule against lying, that she couldn¡¯t lie to other computers, so legal A.I.s utterly failed at hacking. If the data was off limits, they couldn¡¯t access it.
Kevin had thought that hacking was one of the things Samantha would be great at. All the fiction stories and movies dealing with A.I.s made them out to be incredible at hacking, so when he discovered this restriction he was really disappointed¡ For about a minute, then Kevin thought about it. The more he thought about the constraint, the more sense it made. How could a person have any privacy if A.I.s could hack? How could governments and businesses stay competitive if there were millions of hacker A.I.s getting into every crack?
So, the only way to hack? Become a hacker, which Kevin didn¡¯t have the time for, or use a non-A.I. hack bot. They could be incredibly sophisticated, but they weren¡¯t A.I¡¯s, and they had to be wired directly into a source.
Kevin watched the indicator lights on the hack bot as they cycled. They were flashing amber as they tried to gain access to the system. The systems were probably defended by an A.I., but this data-sap was supposed to be military grade. After a few minutes, the light started flashing green as it began to absorb any data on the local network.
Once it was downloaded, Samantha then could look at it¡ After all, Kevin stole it, not her, and since Kevin owned it¡ she wouldn¡¯t be lying or stealing¡ Kevin shook his head at the Machiavellian thought. A.I.s or girls¡ they were all complicated. And Samantha was a girl and an A.I. ¡ so naturally Kevin loved her.
¡°Samantha, can you start sifting the data for anything that might help the mission?¡± asked Kevin.
¡°Working on it¡¡± replied Samantha, from the small speakers near his ears in the helmet.
Two minutes later¡
¡°According to this information, the proof you¡¯re looking for can be found in a stasis unit in Lab A of the research building. It appears that we were right about the purpose of the buildings in the compound. I¡¯m still trying to see if there are any floor plans¡¡± said Samantha.
After just a few more seconds she said, ¡°Yes, Research Lab A is on the far side of the research building, but there are no corridors between the buildings.¡± said Samantha.
¡°So take the data and settle for a partial completion of the mission, or try for the actual bio-weapon to back up the claims.¡± said Kevin, as he thought about his options.
The problem was the mission goals stated that without solid physical proof, the expected war might not be avoided.
In this mission, the planet Hwan was his employer, they had intelligence that indicated that a nearby planetary neighbor, Baldarick, was planning a coup attempt. They discovered some evidence that Baldarick¡¯s self-proclaimed Grand Protector was planning on releasing a bio-weapon on Hwan. Then they¡¯d launch an invasion of Hwan, disguised as a mission to ¡®assist and support¡¯ them during the disaster.
Such weapons of mass destruction were banned under the Imperial Common Law, so if Hwan can prove that Baldarick had such a weapon, then they could get the Imperium and the Fleet to intervene in something that would otherwise be considered a local matter.
The data alone might help, but it wasn¡¯t proof on its own since it couldn¡¯t be certified as being true by a verifying agency. Since Samantha could not directly steal the information, she only knew what the little black data-sap was telling her, which was provided by Hwan. So the data was tainted and couldn¡¯t be considered proof. But if Samantha saw Kevin actually pick up a sample of the bio-weapon, then there was actual evidence that could be verified.
¡°Thanks, I guess we need to follow the bread crumbs. Can you see any other way to get to Lab A, airshafts, service ways for bots rather than people¡ anything?¡± asked Kevin.
¡°No to the air vents; but there¡¯s a small passageway for maintenance bots that runs between the buildings. It will be a tight squeeze, and I couldn¡¯t say what you might run into. Remember, the clock is ticking, you¡¯ll still have twenty kilometers to cross to exit the patrolled area,¡± said Samantha.
¡°Great, is the data-sap done?¡± Kevin asked.
¡°The data-sap¡¯s memory is full, I think it has the data they need, but there¡¯s no way it could pull all the data from the local servers.¡± answered Samantha.
Kevin pulled the data-sap and put it back in his pack.
¡°Ok, Sam, where is this maintenance bot passage?¡± he asked.
Samantha used his helmets display to highlighted a panel on the far side of the room, opposite the door to the corridor.
Kevin decided to secure the door a little better, to try to fool the guards into believing that the door was still locked. He put duct tape the whole length of the door, on the side near the lock.
The panel to the maintenance bot passage was designed to swing open at a signal from a cleaning bot. Since Kevin couldn¡¯t reproduce the signal, he tried to pry it open. It was easier to open than he suspected, but it jammed in the open position.
Kevin felt like he was leaving an easy trail to follow.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.The small passageway was about a meter tall, but a little less than a meter wide, Kevin could barely fit in the small passageway with his armor on. He followed Samantha¡¯s directions as he crawled through the small passage. Kevin crawled on his hands and feet for what felt like a kilometer before he arrived at an opening to the research lab they were looking for. This time, the wall panel was easier to open since he could just push it open.
He was relieved to find the lab empty.
Kevin asked, ¡°Samantha when I get the bio-weapon, what¡¯s the quickest way out?¡±
He didn¡¯t want to use his blaster on the way in since it would cause so much noise. But if he was spotted, the stealth game was up.
¡°This building has another fire escape just like the last, but it¡¯s further from the perimeter, and it will still be guarded.¡± she said.
Kevin didn¡¯t want to take all the risks involved in going back through the whole tunnel, he felt very lucky to have made it this far.
¡°Thanks, Sam, so where is this stasis unit?¡± asked Kevin.
Samantha highlighted something that looked like a big refrigerator to Kevin. He approached and looked it over with his eyes and helmet sensors.
¡°Do you see any signs of an alarm on this, Samantha?¡± asked Kevin, after looking the outside over.
¡°There are none that can be picked up by any sensors built into your helmet.¡± said Samantha.
¡°Let me try my psionic skill, to see what I can find.¡±
Kevin closed his eyes for a moment to focus¡ he pushed out his psionic energy¡ and tried to sense anything his eyes and sensors couldn¡¯t find¡
He couldn¡¯t detect any traps¡ He couldn¡¯t sense any alarms built into the unit¡
Kevin knew that he was being overly cautious, but he kept getting the feeling that he¡¯d made it this far on luck alone and that it would fail him at any second.
He opened the stasis unit. There were two shelves of metal containers in the unit. Each one had a label and a vertical set of light bars. The bottom light bar was red; the next light bar up was orange, then yellow, after that there were five more that were green. Each container had all the lights on, which Kevin took to mean that they were fully contained, cooled, or whatever they needed, to be safe to handle.
¡°Samantha, can you tell by the labels which one we need?¡± asked Kevin.
¡°Yes, let me highlight the latest batch.¡± replied Samantha.
Kevin grabbed the canister and put it in his pack, and then he headed to the door.¡±
¡°The building plans indicate that when you exit this door, you¡¯ll be in the range of the security camera.¡± said Samantha.
Kevin had already mentally plotted out his next moves, so he just said; ¡°Ready, let¡¯s go.¡±
Kevin pushed open the door leading to the corridor. He didn¡¯t see anyone, so he made a dash for the exit leading to the stairway. He was more than half way there when an alarm went off.
Kevin was only a step from the exit when the corridors began to fill with gas. He was sure that he¡¯d made it into the stairwell leading up before any gas got to him, but he held his breath as he ran up the flight of stairs.
Kevin felt that his only chance of escape now depended on speed; he hoped to exit the building before security could get organized. Which is why he didn¡¯t pause at the door exiting the building, the time for stealth was passed¡ at least for now.
Kevin had his blaster in his hand as he exited the door to see a surprised guard who was looking out toward the perimeter. Kevin figured that this guard hadn¡¯t yet been told that the threat was from the inside, not the outside.
Before the guard could turn around at the sound of the door opening, Kevin shot him twice in the back, and then with all the speed he had in him, made a dash for the cover out beyond the perimeter.
About halfway to the perimeter, he felt a brief surge of intense pain from his chest and neck¡
¡ Kevin¡¯s world went dark.
Chapter 2 ¨C Being Graded
Samantha¡¯s voice came out of the darkness; ¡°Congratulations Kevin, you almost managed to beat that scenario.¡±
Kevin said, ¡°Lights on please.¡±
The lights to Kevin¡¯s training room came back on.
In front of Kevin appeared his personal A.I., Samantha, she was an amazingly attractive young lady, about 1.7 meters tall, with short blond hair, parted on her right, a beautiful young face, and a perfect figure. Samantha had all the features that Kevin found most attractive in a woman. As an A.I. construct, she could appear in any form she wanted, but Samantha looked this way because she felt it was the form Kevin would find most pleasing.
In fact, that was her stated goal in life; she helped Kevin in whatever his goals were, and planned to help him live a long, healthy, and happy life.
Kevin still had some doubts about Samantha, but so far, she¡¯d proven herself many times over. The only problems they had were more from too much attachment, rather than too little.
¡°So what happened?¡± asked Kevin.
¡°Your blaster fire alerted the perimeter guards, and you were shot by the tower guard on that side of the building.¡±
_______________________
Authors note:
As I said yesterday the book is up on Kindle. Based on my contract with amazon, this is as much as I''m allowed to post of book 2.
Here''s the link: https://www.amazon.com/Making-Grade-Omni...B01LFX8YYY
One more bit of news, as of today I have an author''s website... I''m still building it, but it''s running.
That link is: http://www.writerbooth.com