Nori shook her head again. “These kind of guys only look out for themselves. For Bulco, the world coming to an end was probably the best thing that ever happened to him. With no government and no police, it’s the survival of the fittest. And you just saw for yourself how strong he is. He can take whatever he wants and no one can stop him.”
Nathan turned from the doorway and confidently stepped forward into the oppressive darkness. His fingers ran along the wall and lights flickered into life all around them, lighting up the ship’s interior.
Lana’s gaped at him, her eyes wide.
They were standing inside a large, open space. The room was twelve meters wide and twenty in length, with the ceiling nearly ten meters above them.
The three exchanged dazzled looks.
“We’re inside an alien spaceship!” Lana exclaimed.
“We’re inside an alien spaceship,” Nori’s repeated with a curved smile. She stared at Nathan as if seeing him for the first time. “How did you do it?”
Nathan smiled shyly and shrugged.
“He doesn’t really know,” Lana translated. “It’s like he’s acting on instinct.”
Nori shook her head. There was something the two weren’t telling her, but there was nothing she could do about that now.
At the far side of the room was an opening from which more light shone. They crossed the room and stepped through the opening, then looked around in awe. The room they entered was trapezoid shaped and the three walls in front of them were made of giant black screens. What looked like consoles made of light were hovering in the air in front of them. A long crack ran along one of the screens, extending all the way to the floor. Exposed wires in the roof were giving off sparks, but aside from that, the ship looked to be relatively unscathed. There was no sign of life anywhere onboard. They were completely alone.
Looking around, Nori spotted two doorways on opposite sides of the entrance they had come from. “I think this is the ship’s bridge. Let’s check out the rest of it.”
“Uhm, aren’t we worried the ship’s owner might find us here?” Lana asked nervously.
Nori shrugged. “They probably didn’t survive the crash. Even if they did, that alien pirate probably made sure they wouldn’t interfere.”
They moved to the door on their right. There was a small light console hovering on the side of the open door, revealing a room with many small doors outlining the walls.
“Looks like a walk-in closet,” Nori said. Every door had a single green light on it, but when she touched it, the light turned red. “Nathan, I think this is your department.”
The young man pressed his hand against one of the doors, but this time the door failed to open.
There was another man-sized door opposite the one they used to enter, but no matter what they tried, they couldn’t pry it open.
“Seems like your special touch extends only to closing doors and turning on the lights.” Nori smiled at Nathan and winked.
The young man smiled back at her shyly.
“So now what?” Lana asked.
“Let’s go check the other side.”
They went back to the bridge and stepped through the left door, which was also opened.
“Well, this looks comfortable,” Lana said brightly.
Three rows of surprisingly ordinary-looking beds lined the sides of the long room, six in total. More closed doors lined the spaces between them.
“Where are all the space gadgets,” Nori huffed. “You’d expect a crashed alien ship to have all sorts of futuristic equipment lying around.”
“Maybe they’re just a race of really organized people?” Lana suggested brightly. “Besides, it didn’t really crash, it was more of a bumpy landing.” She pointed ahead at the far side of the room. “But this sort of looks like what you’re looking for.”
On the far side of the room was another door. It appeared to be closed, but the light above it flashed from green to red.
Nori approached and found a crushed metallic item holding the door open.
She put her fingers through the open crack and pulled. The door didn’t budge. “Give me a hand here, will you?”
Lana and Nathan approached and with their combined strength the three managed to pry the door open.
“Aaaahhh!” Lana screamed and fell back on her elbows.
The door opened to reveal an alien creature lying on the floor behind it. It was humanoid, with human proportions, but its skin was blue and the head was covered with short fleshy bristles.
“Relax, it’s dead,” Nori said and pointed at the scorched crater on the alien’s chest. “That looks similar to the wounds the alien ray gun did to the Warped. I guess they weren’t buddies after all.” She pointed at a metal-covered leg. “His boot got caught in the doorway; he probably died while trying to escape.”
Nathan pointed solemnly at the direction the alien was headed for. It looked like a room-sized circular container with a single elliptical door. A console made of light hovered in front of it. The young man moved ahead and touched the console. A chime sounded and the console flickered red.
Nathan looked uncharacteristically annoyed, but then his expression changed. He bent down and picked up a silver item from the floor.
“What do you have there?” Lana looked at the shining item curiously.
Wordlessly, Nathan put the item in her hand. It was narrow and had two extending tongs reaching together into a pointy end. A crossbar extended between the tongs.
Lana reached for the item, her fingers grabbing at the bar.
“Ah!” she cried, dropping it.
“What happened?” Nori asked sharply.
Lana gulped, “It … it grabbed me!”
Nathan bent down, picking the item again and offering it to the tall woman.
As soon as Nori’s fingers wrapped around the item’s grip, two more tongs extended from the flat side of the items, gently securing it to her arm. A message flashed across Nori’s eyes.
Disruptor, Rank: F5 (Prerequisite: level 5)
“It's a weapon,” Nori examined it closer. The grip was a bit large for her hand, but it was nearly weightless, so she had no problem wielding it with one hand. Nori tested its balance, aiming the pointed end over the walls then frowned. “There’s no trigger.”
Nathan made a gripping motion and Lana nodded. “You probably have to be level five to use it.”
“Just my luck,” Nori muttered and tucked the Disruptor into her belt. Then she bent down next to the corpse and studied it carefully.
“What are you doing?” Lana's voice rose by an octave when she saw the taller woman reaching toward the body.
“Looking for something we can use. Some sort of alien tech or maybe even this thing’s car keys.
Her fingers lightly brushed against the corpse. A stream of light flowed from the body and into her arms.
Nori gasped and snapped her arm back, breaking the flow of light.
“What happened?” Lana asked with a touch of panic. “What was that light?”
Nori took in a steadying breath. “I’m not sure. I received several text messages when I touched it. It caught me off guard.” She closed her eyes and concentrated and the messages flashed again in front of her eyes.
Inthidlon, Level 6, Dead
Tec extraction commencing
Divide to party members?
“Well?” Lana said.
“It looks like ...” Nori furrowed her brow. “The dead alien was level 6, and I’m being offered the Tec he contained.”
“Err … Isn’t it like stealing from the dead?” Lana asked.
“I wasn’t asked for my opinion, it just started on its own. Might as well go along and see what happens.” Nori directed her thoughts at the last message. Yes.
The stream of light started again. It poured out of the alien body, through Nori’s, and reached out to Lana and Nathan, disappearing into them.
Nori's eyes became distant as she read the next lines.
&
nbsp; Extracted 5 Tec (First-time bonus: 50% success rate)
+3 Levels
Congratulations on reaching your first level!
As this is the first time your Tec has reached critical mass, you are required to go through the initialization process
Racial Trait--
“Err, are you guys seeing this as well?” Lana asked haltingly. “I just got a bunch of weird messages. Apparently, I’ve reached Tec critical mass or something …”
“I’m seeing the same thing,” Nori said. “I think it’s important. It might hold some answers to what we’re going through. We’re safe for now, so let's take the time to go through everything carefully.” The tall woman turned her attention back to the hovering lines of text.
Racial Traits (Human, 8% Relict compatibility). Select One:
Attribute Boost: +1 point per level
Level Suppression: -2 level prerequisites
Tec Infusion Boost: +5% Tec infusion (base: 10%)
“It says I have an eight percent Relict compatibility, whatever that is, and it’s asking me to select a racial trait,” Lana said nervously. “What should I do?”
“Same here,” Nori said. “The attribute boost is tempting. I’m pretty strong and my Strength attribute is only two. If we get a free point every time we level up it could make us incredibly powerful. I’m betting Bulco put everything he had into strength. That would explain how he was able to send that giant Warped flying with only his fist.”
Nathan shook his head firmly.
Nori frowned, “You disagree?”
The young man nodded.
“I think I know what he means,” Lana said. “The extra point sounds good at first, but it could have a diminishing return. It really depends on how many levels you can get. Even the alien was only level six, so it probably means gaining higher levels is very difficult. For all we know, there might be a maximum level cap or maybe points lose their value after a certain threshold.”
Nathan patted Lana’s shoulder in approval.
“I guess it’s possible,” Nori said. “And regarding the Level Suppression trait, I think I’ve got a pretty good idea what that means, the Disruptor for example.”
Lana nodded. “That makes sense. What do you think plus five percent Tec infusion means?”
Nori considered the question. “I think that Tec is the alien version of Experience Points in computer games. Once you have enough XP, you level up. So with a five percent increase …”
“You would level up faster,” Lana followed through.
“That’s what I’m thinking.”
“I think I’ll go with that. Sounds like faster leveling will partially include the benefit of the other two traits.”
“That’s probably a smart decision,” Nori agreed. She made her own selection and read the next message that appeared.
Path Selection:
Based on an analysis of your genome and disposition you may choose one of the following Paths.
Note: Once selected, a Path cannot be changed. All future crossroads will derive from your Path.
Option one: Navigator
Operate all types of vehicles and ships, and their related subsystems
Primary: Agility, Control
Secondary: Intelligence, Awareness
Option Two: Hunter
Operate long-ranged weapons, traps, and surveillance systems
Primary: Agility
Secondary: Awareness, Strength
Option Three: Miner
Operate mining and surveying equipment
Primary: Control
Secondary: Intelligence, Awareness
Nori didn’t give a second thought to the Miner path—it wasn’t for her. Hunter drew her in, but Navigator offered possibilities she couldn’t ignore. Tightening her jaw, she selected Navigator.
Attribute points to Assign: 3
Pursing her lips, Nori put two points into control and one into agility.
A faint glow emanated from her body, flowing over her and settling on her legs, arms, and stomach. Her eyes opened wide as information flooded her mind, nearly overwhelming her senses while her muscles tensed and shifted beneath her skin. The flow ended almost as soon as it started, leaving her feeling woozy, yet somehow energized. She opened and closed her fists and a sense of power washed over her.
Grinning to herself, she accessed her Status.
Nori, Human, level 3 (5 Tec)
Path: Navigator (score 10)
Attributes:
● Strength 2
● Agility 4 Ⓟ
● Intelligence 2 Ⓢ
● Control 4 Ⓟ
● Awareness 2 Ⓢ
● Appeal 2
Conditions:
● Level Suppression -2
“I’m done!” she declared and turned to look at her companions. Both were standing with their eyes closed, deep in concentration.
***
Hmmm, what should I choose, Lana thought, re-reading the messages.
Path Selection:
Based on an analysis of your genome and disposition you may choose one of the following Paths.
Note: Once selected, a Path cannot be changed. All future crossroads will derive from your Path.
Option one: Watcher
Operate surveillance and communication systems
Primary: Awareness
Secondary: Intelligence
Option Two: Berserker
Melee fighter that revels in the blood of its victims
Primary: Strength
Secondary: Agility
Option Three: Expert
Operate communication and analytical systems, including science subsystems
Primary: Intelligence, Awareness
Secondary: Control, Appeal
Lana stifled a nervous laugh as she read through the Berserker description. A fleeting image, of her, standing in the middle of a blood-soaked battlefield flashed through her mind. She shuddered, then took a closer look at the other two options. Watcher sounded boring and having to rely on only two attributes looked suspicious. Expert, on the other hand, sounded right up her alley.
Lana made her selection and a new message appeared.
Attribute points to Assign: 3
That was easy. As her new Path’s primary attributes were Intelligence and Awareness, she increased both to four.
Lana, Human, level 3 (5 Tec)
Path: Expert (score 10)
Attributes:
● Strength 1
● Agility 1
● Intelligence 4 Ⓟ
● Control 2 Ⓢ
● Awareness 4 Ⓟ
● Appeal 2 Ⓢ
Conditions:
● Tec Infusion Boost +5%
“All done,” she said. She looked up smiling, but her face fell as she saw Nori. The other woman was staring at Nathan, concern written all over her face.
***
Nathan found it hard to breathe and beads of sweat covered his forehead.
Whatever the Tec Infusion did to him, it was profound. He could feel every fiber of his being affected. Rewritten. He gritted his teeth and turned his attention back to the hovering messages. The best thing he could do was to finish the process as quickly as possible, then, maybe he could breathe again.
Racial Traits (Human-Scion, 16% Relict compatibility)
Existing Trait Found: Universal Potential.
Grants +5% Tec Infusion, +10% to total score.
Path Selection:
Unlocking restricted Paths.
Note: Once selected, a Path cannot be changed. All future crossroads will derive from your Path.
Option one: Overlord
Command lesser beings and bend them to your will
Primary: Control, Intelligence, Awareness, Appeal
Secondary: Agility, Strength
Option two: Technomancer
Interact and control all types of technological systems
Primary: Control, Intelligence, Awareness, Agility
Secondary: Strength, Appeal
There was no doubt in his mind what to pick. Even before the Calamity, Nathan was never really comfortable with other people. He could never envision himself leading or commanding others. Clenching his teeth and feeling like he was about to be pulled apart, he made his selection.
Light shone out of his body, streaming toward his temples and forearms.
Nathan sighed in relief as the pressure inside of him eased.
Attribute points to Assign: 3
He quickly redistributed the points he was given, then checked his Status.
Nathan, Human-scion, level 3 (5 Tec)
Path: Technomancer (score 17)
Attributes:
● Strength 1 Ⓢ
● Agility 2 Ⓟ
● Intelligence 4 Ⓟ
● Control 4 Ⓟ
● Awareness 4 Ⓟ
● Appeal 2 Ⓢ
Conditions:
● Tec Infusion Boost +5%
● Score boost +10%
“Nathan, are you alright?”
The young man looked up in surprise to see Lana’s concerned face mere centimeters from his own.
He took an involuntary step backward and nodded.
Lana looked unconvinced but let the matter drop. She turned to the other woman. So what Path did you choose?”
“I had a tough choice between a Hunter, which specialized in long-range weapons, and a Navigator. I went with the Navigator.”
Lana looked at her as if unbelieving what she heard, then she bit her lower lip. “I know I don’t know you very well, but Hunter sounds more like your thing.”
Nori’s face hardened. “I’d go with that, except I don’t see any alien long-ranged weapons lying around, do you? Besides, we have something better than weapons.” She tapped on the wall appreciatively. “It might be a long shot, but I was hoping choosing Navigator will let me operate this baby. If we have an alien spaceship at our disposal, surviving this new Earth is going to be a lot easier.”
Earth Force (Relict Legacy Book 1) Page 3
