“Sounds like an evolving ship,” Nori said flatly.
Alzigo shook his head. “An evolving ship is much higher on the evolutionary ladder. It is alive, not merely sentient.”
Nathan nodded. He had no doubt about the truth of the Exahr’s words. He could sense Unity’s consciousness, even from here. She was still in her infancy, but she already had a personality of her own. It was only a matter of guiding her along the path of maturity for her to reach her full potential.
Lana snapped her fingers suddenly. “So that must be why I was able to extract Tec from the excavator. That gizmo-metal thingy behind the console was its AI matrix.”
Nori nodded slowly. “You’re probably right.”
“And we all leveled up from it.” Lana smiled.
“I have noticed that,” Alzigo said. “Congratulations on making it to level five. I see you have already selected your crossroad Paths.”
“Yeah, what are those, exactly?” Lana asked.
“Every five levels a Path reaches a crossroad. It’s an opportunity to focus and adapt it to your needs. It also makes one significantly more powerful than before.”
“Is that why the level five and six Warped were substantially stronger than the level fours?” Nori asked.
“Of course. They don’t have Paths like enlightened species, but they do get more powerful abilities as they level up. Take you, for example. I see you have narrowed your focus to become a Pilot. That is good. In space battles, a Pilot will always beat a Navigator with the same path score.”
Their host's comment reminded Lana of something. She narrowed her eyes and studied him closely.
Alzigo, Exhar, Level 8, Faction: Toref clan
Path: Merchant → Broker
Highest attribute: Appeal
No. of implants: 17
She was obviously getting less information on him than he was on them. He probably has a more advanced implant than mine, she thought, then she forced herself back to the conversation.
Nori nodded at the alien. “While we’re on the subject, there was something I was wondering about. Different people with the same Paths - their score is based on the same set of attributes, right?”
Alzigo nodded. “That is correct.”
“That sounds very limiting. It means there’s hardly any variation. Two human Navigators will always have roughly the same score, same capabilities. You also mentioned that some species have attributes that start naturally at fifty. That means they start off immediately with a high score, how is that fair?”
“These are good questions,” the alien said. “But it shows your ignorance of the enlightened universe.”
He paused and stared for a long moment through the window.
“You first need to remember the basic function of Tec is to unify every aspect of our lives. It allows us to use each other’s technology and to quantify us in a measurable and comparable way. But that doesn’t necessarily mean we are limited by it. True, some species can have very high scores even at level zero, but it often comes at the expense of something else. The Gorath have immense strength and are fearsome warriors on the battlefield, but their size makes it hard for them to interact with most other enlightened species. This limits their trade and thus their race’s technological advancement. There are rumors of god-like beings at the edge of the known galaxy, but they keep to themselves. Mostly.”
“I see …” Nori said slowly. “Still seems imbalanced.”
“There are ways to offset that, of course,” Alzigo said. “Implants, augmentation, even treatments to increase your attributes or Path score directly. As a matter of fact, most beings have at least one such enhancement.”
“So the entire galaxy is into body modification,” Bulco said irritably. “Fan-fucking-tastic.”
Their host shrugged. “It is the accepted way. Once your race travels beyond your star system and meets new cultures, you too will learn to accept it.”
“I think that sounds great,” Lana said. “I for one can’t wait to go out and meet new cultures and talk to interesting aliens.”
Nori and Bulco exchanged a glance. The young girl’s attitude had changed since being too timid to step into an alien space station.
“No chance of that with how damaged our ship is,” Bulco grunted, shaking his head. “Our Null Tunnel drive is busted, life support is about to go down, and structural integrity is severely compromised. She needs a lot of lovin’ before we can take her out for a long journey.”
“My station can repair most of the damage,” the alien said. ”But I’m afraid you’ll need a new Null Tunnel unit and I don’t have one to sell you and it is too complex to fabricate. I can order one and have it brought in, but that would take weeks and require a large amount of piTec.”
“We need a bunch of other stuff as well,” Nori said. “Things that aren’t available as an upgrade: weapons, better sensors, landing gear, a way to exit the hangar without venting half the ship …”
Their hosts shook his head sorrowfully. “I’m afraid you’ll have to reach a port with more advanced facilities than my own. Many of the larger space stations can offer technical upgrades, but mine is too small for that.”
“That’s fine,” Nori said. “We’re done with space travel for now anyway. The ship will hold as long as we’re just flying it inside the atmosphere. Let’s worry about dealing with the Warped first before we go explore the galaxy.”
Bulco nodded. “I’m down with that.”
“Are you absolutely sure you don’t prefer to settle your debt using the resources you have acquired?” Alzigo asked. “I’m especially interested in the Mithril.”
Nori shook her head. “One of Unity’s available upgrades is an asteroid cannon and that requires Mithril. I’d rather keep what we have now, especially since it doesn’t seem likely we’ll be able to get more any time soon.”
“I can understand that. Mithril’s natural properties make it an ideal component in many projectile-based weapon system designs.”
“Oh, that reminds me,” Lana said. She reached into her pocket and took out a small pebble. “Do you have any equipment that can analyze this?”
“It’s something we found on the moon,” Nori added, shooting the younger woman a warning look.
Alzigo took the pebble, held it in his open palm, and activated a small console on his wrist with his other arm. “It’s just an asteroid shard,” he shrugged. “I detect traces of nickel, iron, and other similar elements. It isn’t worth much on its own, though it contains some of the components required to synthesize Trinium.”
“So you’re not picking up any energy signature?’ Nori asked casually.
“No, why? Should I?”
“I guess not. Thanks for your help.”
“You’re quite welcome.”
“Any update on the ammo?”
He checked his wrist. “About halfway through.”
Lana chuckled suddenly. “I still can’t believe how easily we all adjusted. We’re lounging on a space-sofa, looking down on Earth while having a conversation with an alien about making bullets.”
Nathan frowned. He was feeling better since the synthesis, but he most definitely did not feel well adjusted.
Bulco shrugged off her comment. “You either adapt or you die. That’s the law of the jungle.”
The young woman shook her head. “There has to be more to it than that.”
“Of course there is, Miss.”
They all looked up to their host.
“One of the Tec’s functions is to stabilize brain chemistry,” he explained. “It’s another aspect of their healing capability. For most species, mental deficiency is a result of a chemical imbalance. The Tec can easily rectify that.”
“Wait, are you saying that the god-damned nanobots control my mind?” Bulco half-rose from the hammock.
Nathan paled at the large man’s words, and his fingers clenched around the soft sofa fabric. So it wasn’t just a figment of his imagination. The Tec was tryi
ng to mess around with his mind.
However, their tall host shook his head. “Not at all. Paranoia, hallucinations, blind panic, are all biological impurities which the Tec can fix. It does not control you. If it did, you’d become a Warped.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, digesting the new information.
“What about a person’s personality or point of view?” Nori suddenly asked.
“They would not be affected, of course.”
“Even if we’re talking about someone twisted? A sadist or a psychopath?”
“If such personality is a result of chemical imbalance or physical trauma, then yes, they should be made better. But people who are like that naturally will not be affected.”
The Navigator glanced briefly at the Engineer and nodded. “That’s good to know.”
“So …” Lana said hesitantly. “Tec can heal mental trauma just like it can physical damage?”
“That is correct. And such adjustments are almost instantaneous.”
“So Infused individuals shouldn’t have any lasting issues, like the inability to speak?”
“None at all.”
Nathan lowered his head as his three friends turned to look at him. He had no answers to give them. Literally and figuratively. All he knew was that if he ever surrendered to the Tec, they would override his mind.
The young man shuddered and closed his eyes.
Luckily for him, Bulco came to his rescue.
“Okay, I can accept that Tec is generally good for us,” he said. “What I don’t get is how it works? If I needed just one Tec to level up for the first time, why did we need sixteen to reach level five?”
“Tec has to reach something called ‘critical mass’ in order to increase its host’s level and improve their bodies,” Alzigo explained. “Scientists and Experts have studied the Tec for millennia and our understanding of it is still tenuous at best.”
“Wait.” Lana frowned. “Do you mean that in order to level up we have to double the amount of Tec each time? So if we started at one, then two, then four, eight, etc.?”
The alien nodded. “Exactly.”
“Wow, that’s crazy,” the young Expert said. “It means that we’ll need thirty-two Tec to reach level six, five-hundred and twelve for level ten, and … holy cow, about half a million to reach level twenty.”
“No wonder the Tec we extracted from the level six Inthidlon pilot was enough to bring three of us to level three,” Nori said softly. “And later on, the level six Warped we killed brought Martin up to level four. It must have been closer to level seven.”
Again, the alien nodded. “You are beginning to understand. Tec is expensive and prohibitively hard to come by. Most civilians can afford to buy levels no higher than ten. Professional soldiers, explorers, and mercenaries often have the means to purchase or hunt Warped to get more. But even that has its limits. Rich merchants, leaders of large organizations, and rulers often spend millions to increase their level.”
“I guess it’s not like a computer game then after all,” Nori lips curved. “Reaching level forty would require … what? Around a trillion Tec? That’s crazy.”
“Yes,” their host said. “The System Lords are rumored to have levels that reach that high, and some tell stories of aliens who are even stronger, though I doubt those to be true.”
“You’ve mentioned System Lords several times before,” Nori said. “Who are they?”
“Oh, I can tell you that,” Lana said brightly. “They’re like these ultra-powerful aliens that control entire fleets and their territories cover entire star systems.”
“She is correct.” Alzigo nodded. “There are scores of them, spread throughout the galaxy. They usually keep to themselves and do not interfere in local laws or internal struggles, but they do enforce galactic laws. To anger them is to seek death. That is partly why I find the notion of an external force influencing your planet so unlikely. One of the first laws is to keep away from un-Infused planets and let them reach maturity on their own.”
His words were followed by a few more moments of silence.
“Was there anything else you wanted to talk about?”
“I do.” Lana cleared her throat. “Steering away from intergalactic overlords … there was something I wanted to ask about Paths, specifically a Path’s score.”
The tall alien looked at her expectantly.
“Some of us got a notification saying our score had increased, though none of us leveled up at that time. Do you know why that was?”
Alzigo shook his head. “I keep forgetting you’ve only recently been Infused. Yes, of course. Performing extraordinary feats that relate to your Path may result in a spontaneous increase to the score. It reflects an innate ability, a resonance you have with your chosen Path that makes you even more proficient with it. Whenever such an occurrence happens, the Tec in your body reconfigure and optimize, and that results in your score increasing. Mind you, it takes a lot of effort to improve oneself in that fashion, and as you raise in level, the harder it gets. There are easier, faster methods to improve your score.”
“Such as?” Nori said.
“As I have mentioned earlier: implants and augmentations, gene therapy, temporary chemical boosters, and such.”
Bulco looked up at their host intently. “Chemical boosters?”
Their host nodded. “Performance enhancing drugs are quite common in some colonies, though one must take care not to overextend himself when using them. If you’d like, I have several interesting--”
“No thanks,” the Engineer said, a little too quickly in Lana’s opinion. “If there was one thing my mama taught me was ‘say no to drugs’.”
Alzigo shrugged. “As you wish.” A light blinked over his arm and a small monitor popped open. He looked down at it and his jaws parted slightly. “A ship is approaching the station.”
“From Earth?” Lana asked incredulously.
“No. It is a small Inthidlon scout vessel. It just dropped out from Null Tunnel. I’m directing them to docking bay two.”
“What would they be doing here?” Nori asked.
The tall alien rubbed his hands together. “I suspect the news of a newly Infused planet has attracted the attention of some enterprising individuals. It is about time my station got more visitors.”
Nori and Bulco exchanged worried looks.
“Are we expecting trouble?” the Navigator asked carefully. “Our ship is an Inthidlon freighter.”
Alzigo shook his head. “It was abandoned on your planet at the early stages of it being Infused. Any claim of ownership was forfeited the moment they broke galactic law and brought it down to the surface.”
“That’s a relief,” Lana said.
“Yes. It would be much more reasonable to assume the newcomer came looking for the equipment that was left on the moon.”
Lana frowned. “That’s not much better.”
“They are welcome to try and get it,” Bulco growled, his fingers cradling the grip of his giant revolver.
Their host shook his head. “This station is neutral territory. I will allow no violence here. From either side.”
“Understood,” Nori said. “Can we rely on your discretion, keeping what you know of us to yourself?”
“Of course, as I said, this is neutral territory.”
“In that case, I think we should be leaving.”
Alzigo nodded. “The last of the Trinium is being converted and most of the ammunition has already been loaded onto your ship. It should only be a few more minutes.”
They got up and hastily made their way back to the docking tube. As they walked through the wide corridor, the docking bay door next to their own opened and an Inthidlon stepped through.
The creature’s blue body was almost entirely covered in a futuristic-looking, gold and white body armor. He was built like an ordinary human, except that every part of visible skin was covered in short fleshy bristles.
He stopped abruptly as he notice
d them.
Fle'gak, Inthidlon, Level 9, Faction: Inthidlon 3rd fleet
Path: Scout → Unveiler
??
??
Lana looked at the line of text with surprise.
The creature, Fle'gak, examined each of the humans with obvious interest. As he turned his head, the short bristles covering his face swayed gently, like some sort of thick, rubbery fur. Then he opened his mouth and to their surprise, spoke in clear English.
“Hello, humans.”
Lana stared at him. “Err … hello, Mr. Flek … I mean Mr. Fleeg ...”
“For simplicity sake, you may refer to me as Fleak.”
Nori bumped Lana’s shoulder.
“Right, sorry. Erm … sorry, Fleak, we’re in a bit of a hurry.”
The four turned to leave but the blue alien held up a hand. “One moment, please. My sensors have detected only a single ship on the station, yours I believe. I have some questions I’d like answered.” He lowered his hands to his waist, close to the hilts of twin pistols. Lana wasn’t a gun expert, especially not when it came to alien guns, but she thought they looked even meaner than Nori’s old Disruptor.
Bulco face clouded. “We said we’re in a hurry. We have no time for pesky fleas, you got a problem with that?”
The alien wavered and raised his hands placidly. “Please, hear me out. I came looking for missing members of my faction, and it looks like there are scant few I can turn to for answers. Please, won’t you wait a little longer? I wish you no harm.”
Lana wavered, but getting no more bumps from Nori, she straightened her back and cleared her throat. “I suppose we can spare a few minutes.”
“Wonderful. May we convene at the station?”
“No.” Bulco crossed his arms. “We’re in a hurry. You want to talk, then talk.”
The alien’s facial bristles stiffened, then he nodded. “Very well. A Gretqa-C9 freighter belonging to the Inthidlon 3rd merchant fleet has gone missing along with six of its crewmembers. I tracked their journey all the way to this system. My question is quite simple, do you know what had happened to them?” His tone was a bit too casual.
Earth Force (Relict Legacy Book 1) Page 26
