Path crossroad reached. Choose one:
Pilot: heightened control over flying vessels
Maverick: improve control of land vehicles and small weapons
She frowned as she considered her options. Maverick appealed to her sense of self-preservation and the desire to better protect herself and her friends, but Pilot would grant her better control over Unity. She considered the possibilities and sighed as she came to a conclusion. As a Navigator, her combat prowess would be lacking compared to those who had a purely combat Path. Her role was to pilot the ship. She was the only person capable of doing that. Since the Calamity had struck, she was more focused on survival and immediate needs, but their current situation forced her to consider her future. And from that perspective, Pilot was the obvious choice. She made her selection.
Attribute points to Assign: 2
She smiled bitterly as she thought how Bulco would get two points for a single level up. Even compared to the two ex-students, she was at a disadvantage. The Tec extracted from the excavator had raised her to level five, but the other two were already well on their way toward level six. Still, she had no regrets. For better or for worse, her actions led her all this way, and she was not the type of person to second-guess herself every step of the way.
She considered her attributes. Agility and Control were both the primary attributes for a Navigator and both had four points. Awareness and Intelligence were her secondary, each set at two. Nori pondered the issue for a moment and put the extra points in Intelligence. It never hurt to be smarter, and it would be handy in case she’d want to use an advanced implant like Lana’s.
Nori, Human, level 5 (16 Tec)
Path: Navigator→Pilot(score 12)
Attributes:
● Strength 2
● Agility 4 Ⓟ
● Intelligence 4 Ⓢ
● Control 4 Ⓟ
● Awareness 2 Ⓢ
● Appeal 2
Conditions:
● Level Suppression -2
She nodded to herself in satisfaction and went to bed.
***
Bulco frowned deeply as he viewed his options.
Level 5 reached
Path crossroad reached. Choose one:
Augineer: specialize in personal augmentation technologies
AstroTec: better control and data feedback when working on spacecrafts
The system didn’t make it easy for him. He could envision himself as an Augineer, building more powerful fighting tools like his Puncher, coating himself with a devastating array of personal and integrated weapons.
Like that hero in those movies that had all sort of iron tools … what was his name? Metalman? Nah, that’s stupid.
He shook his head and focused on the other option. AstroTec. He was part of a crew now and that was the best option for him to help the team.
Attribute points to Assign: 2
He was sorely tempted to increase his strength again. With two more points, he could maintain his Multipurpose Augmentation Tool, even without Nori’s exoskeleton, but he thought he could do better than that. Ten points were already too much to invest in a secondary attribute. His Path’s main attributes were Intelligence and control. Shrugging, he divided the points, putting one in each. He grinned at the sudden rush of clarity that came over him and checked his Status.
Bulco, Human, level 5 (18 Tec)
Path: Engineer→AstroTec (score 13)
Attributes:
● Strength 10 Ⓢ
● Agility 2
● Intelligence 3 Ⓟ
● Control 3 Ⓟ
● Awareness 2 Ⓢ
● Appeal 2
Conditions:
● Attribute Boost: +1/level
Finished with his task, he looked up. The thin partitions around Nori were up. Nathan remained in place, frowning.
“G’night, kid,” Bulco said. He didn’t bother raising his own partitions and simply threw himself on the empty bed, leaving the young man sitting alone in the flying spaceship.
***
Nathan felt his headache worsen as he studied his new options. This time, the pain wasn’t as bad as the first time he’d leveled, but it wasn’t much better, either. His heart thumped loudly in his ears, and he felt beads of sweat forming as soon as he accessed his Status screen. The Tec was calling for him again, demanding his attention.
Level 5 reached
Path crossroad reached. Choose one:
Bonded: form a personal bond with one technological item
Wild: exponentially increases control’s range and strength
The young man was stuck. Thankfully, each choice sounded like he’d be the one in control, not the Tec, but he had no idea what to choose.
On the surface, the Wild option sounded better. Up until now, he was only able to interact with the ship’s system when he was inside it. Even when he tried to connect with the excavator, he was only able to do it from a dangerously close distance. Having extra range and better control would be a big help. On the other hand, other than these two occasions, he didn’t encounter many opportunities to utilize his Path powers.
Bonded sounded interesting, but he had no idea what it actually meant. Did it mean an actual, physical bonding, where he’d become part machine? Or did it just mean he’d be able to control one target over any distance? He thought the second option was more probable, assuming it counterbalanced the Wild option.
Nathan sighed and wiped his sweaty forehead. He could feel the Tec agitating inside his body, demanding he satisfied their purpose with a choice. Refusing to act rashly, he closed his eyes and reached deep into himself.
A rapid series of pictures flashed through his mind. He saw himself standing in the middle of an army of abstract machines, controlling them, guiding them to do his bidding. A ruler and conqueror, who none could stand against.
The images shifted. Nathan’s jaw slackened at what the other option showed him. He nodded to himself and made his selection.
Select an item to bond with
Once again, he closed his eyes and extended his senses. He knew that if he wanted to, he could bond with any technological item on board: the anti-grav lift, Bulco’s exoskeleton, or even his Puncher. But he skipped all those options and thought bigger. An image of the excavator flashed in his mind and he sensed that if he wanted to, he could turn it into an extension of his body. But again, he extended his senses. Further than the excavator. Bigger.
The ship.
Unity.
Unknowingly, his friends had selected the perfect name for her, perfect for what he was about to do.
Bonding.
Unity.
It was so fitting; there was no question in his mind. The Tec still called for him, but he was confident he could resist their lure.
He made his selection.
The floor shifting under him was the last conscious thought that ran through his mind before he drifted into oblivion.
16 - Synthesis
“What the hell is going on?” Bulco shouted, jumping to his feet.
The thin partitions around the other two beds lowered to the floor, revealing Lana and Nori. They were both wide awake and alert.
Unity shuddered again and everyone wobbled to their feet, then their eyes found Nathan’s unconscious body.
“Nathan!” Lana shouted.
The floor under the young man shifted. Tiles of thin metal plates spread over his body, covering him in a cocoon of metal.
“Nathan, no!” Lana reached him just as the last plate was starting to cover his face. She grabbed it, trying to pry it open but the insistent metal nearly cut off her fingers.
“Move, girl!” Bulco pushed her aside, his MAT augmentation tool was already deployed. Two plier-like appendages extended from his shoulders and grabbed a plate. The Engineer pulled, his exoskeleton humming loudly as it tried to lend it enough strength to rip apart the unyielding metal.
“It’s not working!” Lana shrieked. “The ship is e
ating him.”
True enough, despite Bulco’s best effort to slow it down, the Nathan-shaped bulge was slowly sinking. The ship shuddered again, Nori cursed, Lana screamed, and Nathan disappeared, leaving behind a perfectly smooth looking floor.
“Nathan!” Lana shrieked.
“What the hell’s going on?” Bulco panted from the effort.
Nori straightened up. “To the bridge, quickly. Lana, run a sensor sweep, I’ll check the ship’s status. Hurry.”
They ran to the bridge. Lana threw herself onto the chair before it even finished fully forming and started to madly tap on her light console.
“What the hell?”
“What the crap?”
The two women said in unison. Bulco frowned as he instantly spotted the subject of their bewilderment.
It was on every monitor in the ship. They were all showing the same message.
Synthesis progression 1%
“What does it mean?” Lana asked, her face pale.
Nori narrowed her eyes, deep in thought.
“Why would the ship swallow him like that?” the Expert demanded.
Nori shook her head. “It’s his path.”
Bulco nodded slowly. “It’s gotta be.”
Lana stared at them.
“Nathan has a natural affinity with machines,” Nori said. “You saw how he connected to the ship using those transparent fibers. We all just hit level five. I assume, that like me, you were given a choice to upgrade your path?”
“That’s right,” Bulco said. “I upgraded into an AstroTec. It should help me take better care of Unity.”
“And I became an Admin,” Lana said slowly. “It improves my ability to interact with … software, I guess.”
Nori nodded. “And I upgraded into a Pilot. We all evolved, turned into something new. I’m betting that’s what happened to Nathan.”
“But why would the ship swallow him up like that?” Lana objected. “Nothing that drastic happened to us.”
Bulco shook his head. “That kid is strange. He doesn’t tick like the rest of us. Remember how he fixed the thruster controls? Or opened doors without a console? I think Nori’s right. Whatever’s happening to him is happening at a deeper level than us. We’ll just have to wait until he finishes whatever he’s doing.”
“How long will that take?” Lana's voice rose by an octave.
Nori glanced at the holo-monitors. “It’s still on one percent, so I say we have at least several more hours to go. We’re still five hours away from the space station, the best thing we can do right now is to go back to sleep, we have to--What the hell?”
The sound of screeching metal filled the bridge. Nori's eyes widened as she noticed part of the floor extending as if it was gum being stretched by a giant. Lana tapped on her console and her pale face turned even whiter.
“What? What do you know?” Nori pressed.
Instead of answering, the young Expert projected the feed from her monitor to the main viewscreen. The image on the front display changed from showing the stars to Unity’s outer hull. The mounted excavator was visible. Or more precisely, what was left of it.
The machine was being torn apart. Its legs were severed, and, along with the ring-like body, were in the process of being slowly swallowed, sinking into the hull. The machine’s head was being pulled toward the front of the ship by an unknown force. More screeching noise and rumbling followed.
Lana swallowed hard. “Yeah, I’m not going to be able to sleep much.”
The two giant screens on either side of the main one flashed and the text they displayed changed slightly.
Synthesis progression 2%
Nori leaned over her console. “I don’t detect any hull breaches, thank god. Whatever’s happening to the ship doesn’t seem to be a threat.”
“Of course not,” Bulco grumbled. “It’s perfectly normal for a spaceship to eat people and giant robots. Nothing to write home about, folks. Just to be on the safe side, I’m going to put on my spacesuit, and I suggest you girls do the same.”
Nori continued working her console. “It’s been about five minutes since that message first showed up, at this rate, it looks like it’ll reach a hundred percent roughly around the time we make it to the station. Lucky for us, the thrusters don’t seem to be affected by what’s happening.” She stood up, letting the chair unfold back into the floor. “Lana, Bulco’s right. Let’s all put on our spacesuits and just wait it out.”
The Expert’s eyes still showed concern. “What about Nathan?”
The large man shook his head. “There’s nothing we can do for him now, girl. We’ll just have to wait and hope he pulls through.”
“I guess you’re right,” Lana sighed, expelling her anxiety. “I’m going to go through the ship’s systems to try and make sure. He’s going to get an earful for the scare he gave me once he gets out. And as you like to say: "I promise you that.”
***
Nathan was alone in the darkness.
He felt the insistent pull of the Tec, trying to force him to accept their rule, but he resisted.
Slowly, the Tec succumbed to his will. They began working together, building, making connections where none existed before.
Gradually, the young man became aware of something in the darkness beyond his own body. Something else was there with him, slowly enveloping him in a warm embrace.
Unity.
But the connection was still incomplete, flawed. The Tec screamed at him again to let go, wanting to complete their task, to override the master. But he stubbornly resisted.
Slowly their pull lessened and the connection to Unity, though tangible, solidified.
They were one.
***
None of them got any sleep.
They spent the hours in flight, anxiously watching Unity’s changes. After an hour, the excavator was fully absorbed by the ship, with no trace of it left. The ship’s bridge continued to extend, and by the end of the third hour, it was five meters longer than it used to be. Then the walls at the area that separated it from the rest of the ship started closing in, narrowing the passage.
After the fourth hour, the bridge’s entrance had transformed into a single, short hallway. Whereas before the supply room, quarters, and the cargo bay all opened directly to it, now they all opened into a short corridor that funneled into the bridge. The ship had gained a ‘neck’, connecting the bridge with the rest of it.
When the fifth hour drew in, a dot appeared on the ship’s sensors.
“I’m picking up the space station,” Lana called loudly. “We’ll be there in thirty minutes.” She glanced at the viewscreen side monitor.
Synthesis progression 98%
Come on, Nathan, she thought anxiously. You better come out of there when this is done.
“Just in time,” Nori said, coming in from the quarters. They had long forgone wearing the space suits after the first nerve-wracking hour when they realized the ship was not going to fall apart.
The Navigator took her chair and started operating the controls. “Everything looks normal. Aside from the structural changes to the ship, I don’t think there’s anything else different with her. Twenty minutes to the station.”
The counter on the screens ticked up.
Synthesis progression 99%
Lana got up. “I’m going to wait for him in the quarters.”
Bulco nodded. “I’ll join you.”
They walked back, standing and staring silently at the spot the young man had disappeared into. The minutes ticked by, then another deep shudder ran through the ship.
Synthesis completed
The quarters’ floor remained unchanged.
“Nathan?” Lana’s voice quivered. “You can come out now.” She glanced at a monitor mounted on the wall, hoping for more information, but after a few seconds, the message disappeared, replaced with generic status information.
“Nathan!” she cried urgently.
Bulco put his large hand on her sh
oulder. “I’m sorry, kiddo.” His voice was surprisingly tender. “I liked that kid too.”
“No.” Lana shook her head, moving away from his hand. “He’s not gone; he’ll be back. You’ll see.”
“I’m not trying to--”
“No!” she almost screamed. “Nathan will come back.”
“Guys,” Nori's voice carried over from the bridge. “You should come over here. Now.”
They exchanged looks, and Lana hurried out of the room, nearly bumping into the newly formed corridor wall that wasn’t there a few hours ago.
“Nathan?” she asked breathlessly.
Nori simply pointed at the corner.
The floor was shifting.
The plated unfolded and built upward, slowly forming into a tall tube roughly one meter in diameter.
Lana clutched her chest and watched with bated breath at the shifting metal.
The tube continued to grow, reaching nearly two meters before it stopped. Instead of being smooth, the metal plates were stacked on top of one another, conveying the feel of an organic form.
“Holy hell,” Bulco’s voice came softly behind her. “This thing almost looks like a chrysalis.”
A stripe appeared on the front of the tube, spanning all the way from top to bottom.
“I think that’s exactly what it is,” Nori said softly, watching as the line grew wider, forming into a long slit.
Grayish fluids started pouring out of it.
Then the front snapped open.
A torrent of liquid burst out of the container, spilling over the bridge’s floor and revealing Nathan’s limp body.
He was naked, and his eyes were closed. Without the liquid holding him in place, the young man’s body lurched forward, slowly falling outward.
“Nathan!” Lana ran and grabbed his head before it hit the floor. “I got you.”
Earth Force (Relict Legacy Book 1) Page 24
