Nori bent behind her and gently put two fingers to his neck. “He’s alive,” she said in relief. “He’s just unconscious.”
“Well then, move over, girls,” Bulco said, hovering over them. “I’ll take care of him. Let’s spare the poor kid the awkwardness of waking up to the sight of you two staring at his naked ass.”
“I wasn’t even looking,” Lana protested, though she turned her head, blushing slightly as the large Engineer bent and easily picked up her friend.
“I’ll find something to put on him,” he said. “Brought a bunch of spare clothes with me. I might have to hold it around him with a rope or something, though.”
The two women stood up.
“We’ve nearly arrived,” Nori said. “I’ll go prepare to dock at the station.” She started reaching for the pilot seat when the main monitor flickered again and new lines of text appeared on it.
Unity, Evolving ship
Class: Mining-Freighter
Bonded Level: 5
Upgrades available:
● Defense
● Mobility
● Mining
● Structure
“What is this?” Lana frowned. “It almost looks like … like ...”
“Like our status screens,” Nori finished.
The two women looked at each other.
“Did Nathan just …”
“Turn Unity into a ship that can level up?”
“It can’t be, can it?”
“What else can it be?”
“But it makes no sense. How can a ship level up?”
Nori reached for her light console and punched some keys. “I can’t interact with this screen. All the other navigational interfaces still work, though.”
Lana raised her arms, forming a chair around her, and poured over her own console. “I can’t either. I just get the same readings I normally do.”
The two women stared at the viewscreen for a while longer with their brows creased.
“Maybe this guy can help you girls out,” the Engineer’s deep voice came behind them. “After the long nap he took, he should be up for a little work.”
They turned to see Bulco helping Nathan who was walking unsteadily, onto the bridge.
“Nathan,” Lana exclaimed and ran to wrap the young man in a tight embrace.
Bulco chuckled. “Careful there, girl, he’s still a little shaky.”
“Nathan.” Nori approached the young man and, to his surprise, hugged him as well. “I’m glad you’re alright.”
“You are, aren’t you?” Lana asked nervously. “Alright, I mean.”
Nathan smiled faintly at her and nodded, his eyes sparkling.
Lana gaped at him. “You did what?”
He stepped unevenly into the bridge and held up his hands. The ship obeyed and the floor shifted, growing and wrapping his lower body completely. A half-helmet closed around his head with an opaque visor covering his eyes.
“What did he say?” Nori asked.
“That he’s one with the ship,” Lana said in wonder. “I think that’s why the ship is listed as level five. They are connected.”
The three stood around the Technomancer’s chair, staring at him in awe.
***
Nathan felt his fears melting away as he floated serenely, one with Unity.
His senses expanded, and he could feel every part of the ship, pulsing as if it was an extension of his body. He could feel her purpose. A simple freighter that had awakened as something … more. There was still something there, deeper still, that was beyond his sight. He sensed that he could reach it if he really wanted to, but that meant going deeper, allowing the Tec to have an even greater hold on him. He could not risk that.
Instead, he pulled back his thoughts. He had yet to view the changes he’d undergone, and his memory of the last day was hazy.
Status, he thought.
Nathan, Human-scion, level 5 (20 Tec)
Path: Technomancer→Bonded (score 19)
Attributes:
● Strength 1 Ⓢ
● Agility 2 Ⓟ
● Intelligence 5 Ⓟ
● Control 5 Ⓟ
● Awareness 4 Ⓟ
● Appeal 2 Ⓢ
Conditions:
● Tec Infusion Boost +5%
● Score boost +10%
● Bond
The data he saw was about what he expected. He had invested the attribute points from the recent level into Control, one of his four primary attributes, along with Agility, Intelligence, and Awareness. He furrowed his brow as he saw the new ‘Bond’ condition. There were no extra details, but as he pondered over it, a new message flashed across his view:
Bond: Forms short-range mental connection with a bonded subject (distance determined by level). +20% to Path powers inside of range, -20% outside.
That’s not too bad. He smiled to himself. The exact distance per level wasn’t specific, but he felt certain that he could leave Unity docked at Alzigo’s station and still maintain contact with her from every part of it. He heard a knock on his pod and willed the visor to become transparent. Nori, Lana, and Bulco stared down at him.
“So ... “Lana said hesitantly. “Are you sure you’re alright, Nathan?”
He nodded, smiling reassuringly at her.
“Can you tell us what’s happening to the ship?”
He thought about it for a moment, then gave her an apologetic look.
“I see. Do you at least know why Unity changed her shape?”
He could sense the change had to do something with the excavator that the ship absorbed into herself. He felt there was more to it than just a simple physical alteration, but the exact details were hidden from him, submerged deep within the connection he dare not form.
He shrugged again.
“What about this?” Nori said, pointing at the main viewscreen that was still displaying the ship’s status. “Can you tell us about the upgrades part?”
Yes. That he could do.
A small mental nudge was all it took. The upgrade section unlocked for all, then expanded.
Defense
Basic plating (level 1): Balatium, 18 Ton
Medium plating (level 5): Lasteel, 6 Ton
Mobility
Basic Thrusters (level 1): Available
Null Tunnel Drive (level 5): Available, damaged
Mining
Alter Mode: --in progress--
Grapplers (level 1): Trinium, 1500Kg
Asteroid Cannon (level 5): Trinium 200Kg, Mithril 80Kg
Configuration
Restructuring (level 1): Trinium, --based on size--
Integral Storage Capacitors (level 5): Trinium, 8 Ton
Bulco gave off a low whistle. “Man, that shit is something else. Am I getting this right? As long as we have the required resource we can upgrade the ship?”
“Nathan,” Nori said slowly, not taking her eyes off the screen. “That Asteroid Cannon thing ... I’m not sure what it is, but if it can shoot off asteroids, I bet it can do some real damage to the Warped. Can we build it? We have all the required resources onboard.”
Nathan nodded and closed his eyes.
A message appeared on the screen.
Existing upgrade in progress: Alter Mode
Cannot start a new upgrade: Asteroid Cannon
“Damn,” the tall Navigator muttered. “That thing could have been a game changer. Can you cancel the current upgrade?”
Bulco frowned. “Why did you start this upgrade in the first place? These kinds of decisions should be made by everyone; we don’t have an unlimited supply of resources after all. What does it even do?”
Nathan looked at Lana helplessly.
“He doesn’t know,” she said. “It just started on its own immediately after his synthesis process had completed. And as far as he can tell, it took no resources to run.”
Nori frowned. “Any idea when it will be completed then?”
Nathan nodded.
Alter
Mode upgrade: 9%
Nori looked at the display and shook her head. “We’re not even a tenth of the way there.”
“What I don’t get,” Bulco said, “is that we have a defense category. Why not an offense one?”
Nathan pondered the question. Weapons were a tool meant for sowing death and destruction. Unity wasn’t like that … She was gentler, she had a different purpose.
“Unity wasn’t meant for battle,” Lana translated. “Did I get that right, Nathan?”
The young man nodded.
“I guess I can salvage an anti-aircraft cannon from one of our military bases, mount it on the hull, and load it with Warped Buster rounds,” the large man said.
Nori shook her head. “And how would you control it from inside the ship? Besides, it would take too long to set up, and we still haven't completed our mission. We got the resources we need, now let's make some ammo out of it.”
She got into her chair and gently guided the ship to the docking bay. Unity’s new configuration required her to adjust her previously calculated vector, but the ship responded easily to her commands, and in no time at all, a low shudder ran through the hull.
“We’re docked,” she said.
Their chairs folded back into the floor, and Nathan’s pod peeled off him, leaving the man standing on his feet.
They had a newly formed ship and a cargo hold full of valuable resources.
Lana turned and smiled at her friends. “Let’s go do some business.”
17 - Second Contact
The beefy Engineer had to squeeze through the narrow gap between the Hummer and the containers as they walked toward the cargo hold’s exit.
The large door lowered, revealing the corridor behind it. As usual, the station’s tall owner was already waiting for them.
“Greetings, valued customers,” he said.
“Hey, Al.” Lana smiled at him.
He crooked his neck and did a masterful job of pouting with two sets of jaws. “My name is Alzigo, Miss, not Al.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, I meant no offense. We humans often tend to shorten our friends’ names.”
His expression eased. “I understand. Local customs often vary from species to species, however, for mine, it is considered an affront to distort one’s name.”
“Alzigo.” Nori came to her friend’s rescue. “We did it. We got the resources we need.”
“So there was Trinium down there?”
“Oh, yeah,” Lana said, happy at a change of subject. “We got tons of the stuff, Balatium too, even some Mithril.”
“Mithril?” Alzigo’s multiple jaws dropped. “It is rare and quite expensive.”
“We figured as much,” the woman nodded. “We don’t have much of it though.”
“I understand. Well, you’ll need the Trinium for your ammunition but if you’d like, I’m willing to accept the other resources as payments to cover your loan.”
“How much will you give us for it?” Bulco asked bluntly.
The merchant looked at him. “The standard price for a ton of Trinium is six-hundred piTec, Balatium goes for eight-hundred per ton, and Mithril for five-hundred.”
“Five hundred?” Bulco crossed his arms. “I thought you said that stuff’s expensive.”
“It is. It’s five hundred per one kilogram.”
The Engineer gave a low whistle. “That means our Mithril alone is worth a hundred grand.”
Alzigo nodded. “You may cover the loan right now if you wish.”
“We don’t,” Nori said. She looked at Bulco. “You saw the upgrade options. We need the Mithril for the cannon and the other materials are important too. Besides, once we take out the Broodmother, we should have enough piTec to pay for everything.”
“Upgrade options?” The alien looked at her. “What do you mean? Does it have something to do with the ship’s new configuration?”
“Oh, yeah,” Lana said. “Apparently, Nathan’s Path turned it into an evolving ship, so it’s upgradeable now. I guess it’s pretty common, right?”
“No!” The alien took a step back and hastily looked to his side as if expecting to find a hidden spy. “Evolving ships are extremely rare, even beyond the means of large organizations. They are highly valued as their growth potential is virtually limitless. As far as I know, only system lords or higher beings are powerful enough to acquire one.”
Nori felt a pit open in her stomach at his words. She wished Lana wasn’t so quick to talk, but she knew the young Expert had no idea she was revealing information that should be kept a secret. Everything about the new universe that opened up for them was still a mystery. She looked up, meeting the alien’s eyes. “I trust we can rely on your discretion?”
He lifted one arm. “Of course. You are my valued customers, and I would not betray your confidence. Besides, I do not wish to draw the notice of forces whose attention is better turned elsewhere.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Nori said. “Now, why is it considered so rare? Nathan’s Path transformed the ship to its current form in just a few hours.”
Alzigo shook his head. “I have told you before that you humans are a strange species. I’ve never heard of a Path granting an evolving ship. The piTec cost required of awakening a ship is astronomical. It is the equivalent of giving life, true life, to a machine. You should be careful. Your ship is now easily worth ten times this entire station, and as I said before, you do not want to draw too much attention to it.”
Nori frowned. “Wait, did you just claim Unity is alive?”
“I have so many questions,” Lana confessed.
“To save time, I suggest we first deliver the Trinium to the fabricator,” Alzigo said. “After that, I’ll be happy to answer more of your questions.”
“Good idea.” Nori nodded.
“How much would you like to use? I remind you that one ton can be converted into a hundred thousand of the ones you call twenty-twos—or twenty-five thousand Warped Buster rounds.”
Nori looked at the large Engineer. “Bulco?”
He stroked his chin. “A thousand rounds per person should be enough for a month of defense or one assault on a Warped fort. Half that for the Warped Busters.”
“So a ton of Trinium would arm a hundred men?” Nori's eyes lost her focus. “There are several thousand survivors in the shelters, and I guess that at least a quarter of them can handle a weapon … I think ten tons will be enough for now.”
“Eight, actually,” Alzigo spoke up. “After my twenty percent commission.”
Lana winced. “Yeah, I might have forgotten to mention that earlier. We can either pay a flat rate for using the fabricator or let Alzigo keep some of the alloy as payment instead.”
“I daresay you can afford it, now,” the alien said. “According to your ship’s cargo manifest, you have over eighty tons of Trinium aboard.”
Nori grumbled and looked at Bulco. “So twelve ton?”
He pondered the question for a moment then nodded. “And make a quarter of that into Warped busters.”
“Wonderful,” the merchant said. “I will transfer the orders to the autoloaders. Your ammunition shipment will be ready within an hour. In the meantime, may I extend my hospitality? I have prepared a lounge area for you while you wait.”
Several robotic arms extended from the station’s hull toward Unity. A bright force bubble erupted around the ship, then its upper hull opened up.
“Huh,” Bulco said. “I didn’t know she could do that.”
The arms effortlessly passed through the shield and dipped into the ship’s cargo hold. A moment later they retracted, carrying one of the containers.
“This way, please,” Alzigo motioned them to follow.
They walked to the main deck, passing through the vast open space toward one of the faraway walls. An entire section of the wall had transformed into a huge window and Earth was clearly visible through it. A variety of benches, chairs, and even hammocks in all shapes and sizes were spread in front of the windo
w.
The alien motioned toward them. “I’ve researched your species’ favorite relaxation habits. I found many confusing and sometimes conflicting examples, so I took the liberty of creating several options. Please, sit.”
Lana and Nathan grinned at each other and sat down on a large and comfortable three-person sofa. Nori took a dining chair and Bulco threw his heavy bulk into one of the hammocks, letting out a satisfied sigh. “Oh, yeah, that’s the stuff.”
“So you had a question for me?”
Nori sat straighter in her chair. “We do. We found an excavator on the moon. A big machine with some sort of energy weapon it used for mining. There was no one around to operate it and it attacked us when we approached.”
Alzigo frowned. “Self-sufficient excavators are expensive. They can be dropped on spots with high-mineral concentration and left alone to work. The owner only has to make the trip to pick up the mined resources and perform maintenance.”
“We found log entries that suggested the same, but they didn't explain why someone would go to the trouble of starting a mining operation on the moon.”
“I suspect the ships that Infused your planet could have been carrying mining equipment. They likely deployed it when they realized your moon contains valuable minerals. Now that I think about it, it does sound like an excellent opportunity. This star system is seldom visited, and human technology apparently isn’t advanced enough to easily reach the moon. It’s a very lucrative opportunity for an enterprising miner. The risk of losing their equipment would be small.”
“Well, it’s ours now,” Bulco said defiantly. “It’s our moon, our resources they were mining there. Finders Keepers. That’s the galactic law, right?”
The alien nodded. “Indeed. However autonomous excavators are expensive, as their AI matrix requires a lot of Tec to create.”
“AI Matrix?” Lana asked.
“The more Tec is Infused into an AI Matrix, the smarter and more self-sufficient it is,” the alien explained. “Fully aware AIs are rare—as their cost is prohibitively high.”
Earth Force (Relict Legacy Book 1) Page 25
