The Icarus rocked again as another boom shook the entire ship. Byron almost fell out of his chair as the sirens went off again, and red lights started showing up on all the screens.
Scarlett tapped switches to bring up a new image on the main screen. It showed a Necralia fighter spinning in space. "We've got one right on our tail! Evasive maneuvers!"
Byron felt the drag as the ship began to spin and the stars twisted around the windows. The fighter stayed with them. "Can I get rear guns?"
She pointed at one of his screens. It had a button for "Forward" and "Rear." He flipped it to "Rear" and pulled the trigger. Spears of red light flashed across space, but the Necralia fighter twisted out of range and fired back.
Byron felt the shudder of the impacts, and one of the consoles popped with sparks. "Status report?"
Scarlett shook her head. "Shields are down. One shot got through, hit the main deflector dish."
He leaned back in his chair with a deep sigh. "Great. Doesn't sound like we're gonna win this one. Can I respawn?"
"Uh, Byron, once again, you should have read the fucking manual. There's no respawn. You get one life. You die, that's it."
"So I'll get out of the game?" He let go of the joystick. "Maybe I'll try to get killed then. Venus Online is cool, but I don't think this is what I thought it would be."
She winced at him. "Uh, I wouldn't do that if I were you. It's one of those 'die in the game, die in real life' kinda deals."
He stared at her. "And you chose to tell me that in the middle of a battle?"
She jabbed a finger at him. "Hey, you're the one who jacked into the game without even a fucking quick start guide. Again, I thought you knew that already."
Byron pressed his hands over his face, feeling sweat gliding under his palms. "Okay, okay. We have to win this."
He held the joystick again and tapped the button to turn on forward guns again. His eyes scanned the battlefield, reminding himself he was in a game, not a real spaceship. All combat sims had rules that could be exploited as well as strategies that applied to battle, and he just needed to see what they were.
His weapons couldn't destroy the fighters directly. However, what if he could make them destroy each other?
He watched the fighters closely. It didn't take long to notice that two of them moved in a familiar serpentine pattern or a straight line, depending on whether it was pursuing the freighter or the Icarus or just going in for an attack. The third one moved in a less predictable way, but still in a pattern he could recognize.
He also started to figure out the console. A wireframe of the Icarus showed glowing lines that faded from green to yellow to red. That was obviously shields. As he watched the impacts from the weapons of the enemy fighters, he saw the shields dropped faster with weapons from one specific fighter.
He pointed at one large red dot on the heads-up display. "That ship. It's labeled a Death Wing MK-3. All the others are MK-1. Does that mean it's more powerful?"
Scarlett nodded. "Yup. It's probably Sergeant Forsh's ass."
"Head for that one. Keep us in a spiral to avoid the others, but I want to be focused on that one. We're taking it out first."
"You got it, Captain." Scarlett's hands became a blur as she keyed in commands.
The Icarus swung around, pressing Byron against his chair until it headed for the MK-3 Death Wing. Byron aimed the guns and fired a hail at the oncoming fighter. The fighter's heath bar dropped but only by a quarter of its length, even as numbers floated off to show the damage. Not nearly enough damage. At this rate, it would take hours to finish it off, even if every shot connected.
The communications screen lit up again with Forsh's angry glare. "You dare to target a Death Wing commander? You will roast in the fires of Haela for--"
He vanished as Scarlett pushed a button.
"Yada, yada, yada," the robot sneered. "I blocked him, we get the gist of it."
Byron continued to fire as the Icarus drew up close. The fighter tried to spin around, but the Icarus stayed on his tail. Byron held off firing while biting his lower lip until he saw the fighters in the right position. He fired a missile.
The missile flashed out, whipping past the enemy fighter, which veered to one side to avoid them. As it changed course, it swung into the path of another enemy fighter. The two slammed into each other. The MK-1 enemy fighter health bar dropped to zero and exploded. The MK-3's health bar dropped to only a quarter of its length.
+200 XP
XP 800/1000
+100 CREDITS
As the MK-3 struggled to get under control, its flight path weaved less quickly, and the reticle glowed red with a lock. Byron unleashed four of his remaining missiles, forming a column of flame at the fighter reeling before him.
The MK-3 fighter exploded in a fireball that faded quickly in space.
+200 XP
XP 1000/1000
100 CREDITS
OBJECTIVE COMPLETE
LEVEL UP!
YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 3. NEW STAT POINTS AVAILABLE.
Scarlett jumped out of her chair. "You did it! Holy shit! You took out a MK-3 fighter!"
Byron collapsed in his chair, breathing heavily. His whole body trembled from the rush of adrenaline and fear from the battle. It felt way different than playing one of his space combat simulations.
Scarlett dropped back into her chair and looked up at the main screen. "We're getting a hail from the freighter."
He held up a shaky finger. "Go ahead."
The feline woman appeared again, her eyes wide and gleaming. "A thousand blessings upon you and your house, handsome stranger. We're opening the hangar bay. Please come aboard so we may thank you properly."
Scarlett leaned against the console in front of her while raising her chrome eyebrows. "To the victor goes the spoils, baby. Let's see what was worth killing for, shall we?"
Chapter 7
AS BYRON stood in the Icarus' airlock, he prepared himself to board the freighter. Part of him felt good about saving the Xuar, but he couldn't be too careful. Scarlett reminded him that the flag of the freighter had been forged which meant it could be a trap. That's why they decided to prepare for an attack on the ship.
As he lifted a heavy silver rifle, he grunted from effort. Scarlett helped him gear up for the boarding party, and that mainly involved putting on armor and weapons. The Icarus didn't have much in the way of weapons and armor, though Scarlett assured him they would get more later on.
He put on a bulletproof vest, pants lined with armor plating, and a helmet. As he put on each piece, messages would pop up:
KESTREL ASSAULT RIFLE
LEVEL REQUIRED: 2
DAMAGE: 5
ACCURACY: LOW
AMMO: 30
+1 STRENGTH
TITANIUM VEST
LEVEL REQUIRED: 2
+2 ARMOR
TITANIUM LEG ARMOR
LEVEL REQUIRED: 2
+2 ARMOR
TITANIUM HELMET
LEVEL REQUIRED: 2
+2 ARMOR
As for weapons, he jammed a mass driver pistol into a holster on his hip.
HAWK MASS DRIVER PISTOL
LEVEL REQUIRED: 2
DAMAGE: 10
ACCURACY: HIGH
AMMO: 10
+1 STRENGTH
COST: 500
PURCHASE Y/N
When he finished, he pulled up his stats.
MARINE - LEVEL 3
STR: 12 (+2)
DEX: 7
NRG: 1
ARMOR: 4 (+6)
HP: 100/100
CREDITS: 5000
Byron grunted. "Not much of an improvement, but it's better than nothing. Gotta say, I'm surprised I'm leveling up so quickly."
The robot dusted off her hands. "Yeah, don't get used to it. You know how it is. The first few levels have low XP requirements, just so you'll get into the game. The later levels require more points."
She glanced around as if looking for someone who might be l
istening and stepped closer while lowering her voice. "Which brings me to something we need to talk about. Like I said, something weird is going on. That Necralia squadron? The way you managed to beat them at level three? I've never seen that happen before."
The hair on the back of Byron's neck prickled as he asked, "How many guys have you been with before?"
She smirked and ran her hand down his cheek. "Hey, tiger, don't get all possessive on me. I'm an assistant program. Everyone gets a version of me when they join Venus Online, but I'm unique to you. I can access the memories and experiences of the other bots, but I personally have never been with any other player."
She turned around and patted one of her round butt cheeks which jiggled and clanked from the impact. "You got yourself a virgin, baby."
Byron nodded, flushed and feeling a little silly. Of course, she was just a program in the game, but he was surprised how close he had gotten to her. He really was buying into her as a real woman, and he had started to think of them as being true lovers.
He looked her in the eyes, seeing how the blue light glowed back at him. "Hey, I need to know something. Are you just programmed to be attracted to me or are you really attracted to me?"
Scarlett winced. "Hey, let's not get into all that philosophical Ex Machina bullshit, okay? For what it's worth, I think you're really sweet and really cute and gorgeous. But let's face it, it's a game. I'm made for you, and you're perfect for me. How about we leave it at that?"
"Fine, okay. But what's it mean what you said about me beating them at level three?"
She sighed. "Well, it means you're not like other players I - I mean, we've seen in here. We'll see what happens, I guess."
"Okay, I need to get some more answers pretty soon. Like how did I get the Venus Online equipment so quickly? I ordered it online, and the guys showed up to deliver it in hours."
The robot shrugged. "Sorry, lover. I wish I could answer that, but I can't. I only have limited knowledge of what goes on outside the game and some of the things I do know, I'm not allowed to share."
She reached out to tug his bulletproof vest into place around his shoulders. "Now, come on, let's stop dicking around and get in there. That cat-looking lady was a Nikora, one of the five races of aliens in Venus Online. Wait'll you see the rest of her. Nikora are very submissive but can be really ferocious fighters when they want to be. They're also really horny, so you have a good shot at her."
He stared at her. "Wait, are you-I mean, you're trying to set me up with her? Aren't you jealous?"
She leaned a hand on his shoulder, and wiggled her metal eyebrows up and down. "Byron, I don't get jealous. In case you haven't figured it out, I'm your helper in here which means whatever you want, I want. And I'm guessing you want a lot of hot chicks to fuck, which means that's what I want for you. I'm also a horny little bitch, so if she hooks up with you, I'm hoping to get a shot at her, too. You should also know that you can form a party with other NPCs and players in the game, and they can all be female, if you'd like. Yeah, that's usually called a harem. Lucky you."
She clapped her hand on his shoulder. "Okay, enough talk. Let's go."
She picked up a laser pistol and they turned around to face the circular gray metal airlock attached to the freighter. Scarlett tapped keys on the control board that caused locks to disengage around the door with a series of clanking sounds. A warning red light flashed as the airlock spun around and swung open. Air hissed from somewhere in the ship.
OBJECTIVE: BOARD FREIGHTER
As it opened, Byron brought his pistol up to aim into the dim light on the other side. The freighter's airlock had a single bulb glowing on the ceiling that flickered on and off. Otherwise, it seemed empty.
He looked down at Scarlett who shrugged.
He took a step out of the airlock and towards the freighter. The air flowing in from the other side smelled woodsy like cedar, but was breathable. Beyond where he could see, a corridor curved to the left, out of sight.
"Hello?" he called out. "Anyone there?"
A distant rumble like an engine kicking on started.
He walked into the freighter, glancing over the plain gray walls with warning labels over them telling him to watch his step for dangerous chemicals. He moved further to turn down the corridor.
"Scarlett," he whispered. "You picking up anything?"
She shook her head. "My scanners are limited until you upgrade them. Right now, I can scan your dick better than what's ten feet in front of us. But for what it's worth, I'm not detecting any lifesigns in that ten feet."
He narrowed his eyes and eased his way down the corridor, following the line of sight along his pistol's barrel.
At the end of the corridor, all lights had been extinguished, leaving it in darkness. He felt around on his vest until he reached the flashlight Scarlett had shown him. He snapped it on.
The beam of light pierced the shadows, falling onto what looked at first like more shadows. After a moment, his eyes adjusted to the fact that it wasn't a shadow. Something tall and black stood in the light's path.
Before he could even get a sense of what he looked at, red light flashed out of the darkness. Byron dove to one side as the laser fire slammed into the wall where he had been standing.
Three health bars popped up over the heads of three soldiers, all wearing black armor and a variation of the helmets that Forsh had been wearing. Soldiers from the Necralia Empire, he guessed. Their black rifles fired a volley at Byron and several hit his arms and chest. It felt like fists punching into his body, throwing him against the wall.
-25 HP
HP: 75/100
Well, he told himself, I knew pleasure works in here. Now I know pain works, too.
He also knew he'd been right to bring weapons. It had been an ambush, after all. He felt a surge of anger at the Nikora who led him into the trap. He had tried to save her, and she stabbed him in the back.
He forced himself to stay focused. He had grown up playing first person shooter games for hours, and gotten pretty good at them, too. His mother had spent almost as much time telling him to stop wasting his time on video games and go outside to play real sports. Byron hadn't listened, and at that moment he was glad. He could finally put his skills to use.
As smoke from his charred armor singed his eyes and nose, he fought through the pain to look down at his flashlight. It had been shattered. He fired back into the dark. One of his shots hit a trooper who fell back, but the trooper's health bar only dropped by a fourth.
Scarlett screamed in a battle cry behind him as she fired rounds from her pistol. The bolts crackled around the enemy soldiers who took very little damage but scattered, moving to hide behind crates nearby.
First person shooters were Byron's other passion, and he put his skills to the test. He couldn't see the room so he relied on what he knew. There were at least three enemy soldiers, maybe more hiding in the shadows. By the flash of the enemy guns, he could see crates scattered around the room. Of course. It wouldn't be a first person shooter without crates. The soldiers had the advantage because they had cover to hide behind while Byron and Scarlett were in the open in the corridor. Cover was the first objective.
He dashed forward in a serpentine motion out of the corridor and into the other room. He made his way to the nearest crate, weaving but keeping his rifle fire concentrated on the soldier hiding behind it. The soldier fired back, but the enemy health bar dropped quickly until the soldier flew back, blood spurting from charred wounds.
+75 XP
100 CREDITS
75/10000
As Byron hunched down behind the crate, he broke into a smile. He had moved with lightning speed, even wearing armor and carrying weapons. The strength stat really paid off.
With a crate to hide behind, Byron had a better chance of survival. He glanced down at the screen on his rifle. It showed he had only four more shots, but he had an ammo clip on his belt. He fired his rifle at the other crates, not just to hit them but to let him
see better from the muzzle flash. It lit up the room which turned out to be only slightly bigger than he could see from the corridor. The other two soldiers leaned out from behind crates and fired back, hitting Byron's cover instead.
The screen on Byron's rifle blinked red. Empty.
He took several quick deep breaths as his fingers hit the rifle's latch like Scarlett had taught him. The ammo clip popped out to clatter onto the floor. He yanked the spare clip off his belt and slammed it home.
The screen showed he only had ten more shots for the rifle. He couldn't wait to upgrade so he could get more weapons and carry more ammo.
He leaned up and fired more rounds. The two soldiers reeled from the impact of his weapons, but their health bars only dropped by a third. They fired more before ducking down to wait him out.
Venus Online (Volume 1): LitRPG Sci-Fi Harem Page 5
