by Isaac Hooke
“But we need to repair the farm.”
“We might never go back to that farm,” Dad said. “Use the money for whatever you want, son.”
“Are you sure?”
“More than I’ve ever been,” Dad said.
“All right. Thanks, Dad.”
Tane disconnected and returned to the stall. He plunked the bundle down on the table, shaking some of the other junk.
“Hey, watch the goods!” Roadroller said.
“I’ll take the nanotech,” Tane said.
Roadroller grinned widely. “Wise boy.” He slid the bundle down under the table and out of sight. The alien weapon seemed too big to fit behind the stall, but maybe that was just an illusion of the viewing angle.
“You want to augment your basic attributes, or your skills?” Roadroller said.
“Show me what skills you have available. And these better not be cheap skills like cooking or sex mastery or the deal is off.”
“Oh, I don’t got no cooking skills, don’t you worry,” Roadroller said. “Nor sex mastery. Just ask my wife.”
Tane received a sharing request on his HUD a moment later. He accepted and a notification window appeared, filled with a skill list.
Detect trap. Level 1. The thief’s specialty! Useful when disarming traps in storage vaults and containers. Also provides a chance to detect any traps hidden in walls and floors.
Mixed Martial Arts. Level 1. Never lose a street fight again! Learn a mixture of Jujitsu, Karate, and Kung Fu, with emphasis on grappling techniques.
Pistoleer. Level 1. Hit that ten ring! Improved bonuses to target accuracy, damage, and critical hit probability. Eligibility: laser and plasma pistols.
Sharpshooting. Level 2. Kill bugs dead! Improved bonuses to target accuracy, damage, and critical hit probability. Eligibility: laser and plasma rifles.
Sneak. Level 1. If at first you don’t succeed, hide! Improved chance of hiding in the shadows to avoid detection. Can also sneak up on enemies without drawing attention to yourself.
Sprint. Level 1. When you can’t fight an enemy, run! Increases movement speed on run.
Swimming. Level 1. Never drown again! Learn the breaststroke, the front crawl, and the backstroke.
“Not the biggest selection of skills I’ve ever seen…” Tane said.
“Hey, I could show you skills for things like holo bowling and laser golf, but you already mentioned you weren’t interested in the cheap stuff.”
Tane studied the skills, and wondered if he should concentrate the nanotech on his basic attributes instead. He remembered how badly he had panted back at the farm when he was running from those aliens. If he added a point to Endurance, maybe he would be able to last longer if he was faced with another encounter like that. Then again, Sprint might prove more valuable, especially if the movement effects translated into other activities besides running…
“Does Sprint increase my overall speed, or just running?” Tane asked.
“Just running,” Roadroller said. “You want to increase overall speed, bump up your Dexterity. Sprint imbues specific bonuses while running. But like ordinary running, you can only maintain it for as long as your Endurance lasts.”
Yes, Tane was definitely leaning toward enhancing his basic attributes. Adding to Dexterity and Endurance seemed like the way to go. But Sharpshooting Level 2 was also tempting. Tane was surprised Roadroller was even able to offer it, considering how expensive the higher levels normally were. This definitely wasn’t official Reconstruct Systems nanotech.
Tane didn’t think any of the other skills would help him. Mixed martial arts wouldn’t be very effective against the aliens. And he wasn’t planning on going swimming any time soon.
Roadroller seemed to confuse Tane’s pause for disinterest, because he fished under the table and produced another item.
“Also got this, which an adventurer such as yourself might like.” Roadroller dropped a small pouch onto the table. It was something Tane could easily hang from his belt.
Tane picked up the item and ID’d it.
Item: Traveler’s Delight (Personal Storage Device I).
Item type: Uncommon.
Effects: The interior contains an inter-dimensional rift created with the Essence. Functioning as a personal storage device, it allows the pouch to contain far more than its outward physical dimensions, up to ten items with a maximum area of three cubic meters each. The pouch links to your chip or AR goggles, allowing for fast and easy inventory perusal via HUD. To remove an item, select it from the appropriate slot, and then reach inside. Pouch is virtually weightless, regardless of the items it contains.
Capacity: 10 items.
Tane had seen personal storage devices like these before, sold by touring craftsmen who claimed to have purchased them from the Volur. They were usually relatively expensive, around five thousand credits for a pouch of this capacity. Tane never really had a need to haul around belongings before, as most everything he had was virtual, and as such devices like these had never really appealed to him.
And the pouch didn’t really pique his interest that much now, either.
“So, what do you think?” Roadroller said.
“Not sure what I’d do with it,” Tane said.
“Are you going out into space soon?” Roadroller asked.
“Well yeah,” Tane said.
“Every space tourist needs one!” Roadroller said. “Imagine not having to lug around a bunch of suitcases!”
A device like this would have certainly helped out Mom.
“It attaches to the belt like so.” Roadroller took the pouch back and demonstrated how to secure it to his belt.
“I don’t know…” Tane said. “Seems like a bad idea to put my all belongings into something that could easily be stolen from my waist.”
“It comes with a low level shock trap,” Roadroller said. “It’s bio encoded to your DNA: someone other than you tries to grab it, they get zapped. Unless they’re resistant to electric shocks, of course.”
“What if I misplace it?” Tane asked.
“Don’t,” Roadroller said.
“I think I’ll focus on skills and attributes today,” Tane said.
Roadroller shrugged, putting the pouch back under the table. “Suit yourself. So what do you want?”
Tane thought a moment longer. He reviewed the skill list again. Sharpshooting was an undeniable steal. He probably wouldn’t find a deal like this again.
“I’ll go with Sharpshooting and Dexterity,” Tane finally said.
“Good choices.” Roadroller retrieved two small vials of yellow liquid from underneath the table. “A moment while I code the nanotech…” He inserted the first vial into a small device on the table and his eyes defocused behind those long lenses. A moment later he replaced the vial with the second, and once more looked off into the distance.
Then Roadroller removed the second vial and retrieved a handheld sonic injector. It looked like a pistol with an open top. He plugged one vial into the slot and beckoned toward Tane’s wrist.
“Hold out your hand, please,” Roadroller said.
“Don’t you have to scan me or something first?” Tane said. “To ensure the nanotech will take?”
“What?” Roadroller said. “Where do you get these ideas?”
Tane started to wonder if it was really the best idea to use unofficial nanotech. Before he could talk himself out of it he slid his right hand forward.
Roadroller touched the sonic injector to the back of his hand and Tane felt the sting as the vial emptied into his bloodstream. Roadroller quickly swapped in the second vial and injected that one, too.
Tane waited a moment. Then a flashing beacon appeared in the lower right of his HUD. He enlarged it.
Level up. Sharpshooting skill is now Level 2. 20% bonus to target accuracy. 10% bonus to damage. 6% increased probability of critical hit. Eligibility: laser and plasma rifles.
Attribute increase. Dexterity is now 8. You are faster and
more nimble than ever before.
Tane moved his arms. He didn’t feel all that faster. Maybe there was a slight difference, but it was almost imperceptible to him.
“Look at that,” Roadroller said. “So fast.”
Tane frowned. “Are you sure it worked?”
“Of course it worked,” Roadroller replied, seeming insulted. “My nanotech is good.”
Tane wondered if there was a way to fool his chip into believing that an attribute was higher than it really was. Well, he supposed he’d just have to trust that his Dexterity had increased, and that he had received the necessary level up to sharpshooting.
“All right, well, thanks.” Tane turned to go.
“Wait,” Roadroller said. He stood up, and shoved the personal storage pouch into Tane’s hands.
Tane tried to give the item back. “I have no credits left.”
“Take it,” Roadroller said. “Use it to bring me more of those weapons you found.”
“There are no more,” Tane said.
“Then find some,” Roadroller said. “Keep bringing them to me and I’ll make you rich. Take it. A gift.”
“A gift?” Tane gazed at the item suspiciously. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Nothing!” Roadroller said. “I don’t sell crap. Okay, most of the time I don’t. But this is a good one.”
“Then why are you giving it to me?” Tane pressed.
“Because in all honesty, you paid for it,” Roadroller said. “And I feel bad for you. You’re terrible at negotiating.”
Tane had a sinking feeling in his stomach that the alien weapon was worth far more than he’d gotten for it.
Too late now.
Tane accepted the sack. “Fine.”
“Now run along,” Roadroller. “And don’t leave no reviews under my alias.”
“What happens if I do?” Tane said. To the tune of: Roadroller cheated my sorry ass.
Roadroller smiled, showing off a golden grille. “I’ll just change my alias.”
Tane proceeded down the aisle between stalls. He glanced at the pouch, unsure if he was simply going to resell it at another vendor, but after a moment’s thought he decided to keep it if only to help Mom and Dad with their luggage. He linked his brain chip to the pouch and pulled up the inventory system on his HUD. All ten slots were currently empty.
He kept the pouch firmly held in hand until the Runner’s Market and its shady clientele were well behind him, and then he secured the item to his belt.
When he reached the hotel room, he discovered his parents fast asleep. He could hear their snores before he opened the front door.
Not very soundproof, this place.
Signs of a classy hotel.
Inside, Tane tiptoed past his napping parents to his bed and then placed the pouch on the floor. He relaxed the drawstrings and stretched the lip. It opened surprisingly wide, revealing an unnaturally black interior. That darkness seemed to absorb all the room’s light.
Like gazing into a black hole.
He grabbed his suitcase, and was about to put it inside but then changed his mind. He still felt a little suspicious about the so-called “gift,” wondering if the device would eat his items.
He grabbed one of the nearby chairs instead and lowered it into the black hole at the bottom of the pouch; the chair slowly but surely disappeared. It was as if the floor wasn’t underneath the pouch at all.
When the top of the chair was nearly swallowed by the darkness, he released it entirely and the item dropped from view. Then Tane tightened the drawstring, returning the storage device to its formerly small size. Tane picked it up easily: the pouch seemed no heavier than before.
Holding it in the palm of his hand, he opened up the pouch once more. There was no sign of the chair, only that impenetrable blackness. He reached inside with his other hand and watched the arm vanish to the elbow. Considering that the hand holding the pouch was only a few centimeters below that elbow, it looked like he was missing half an arm.
Tane felt around, but couldn’t find anything. Slightly nervous about shoving parts of his body into another dimension, he quickly removed his hand. Using the HUD he accessed the pouch inventory, which was represented as a series of ten slots. He activated retrieval mode and selected the slot that contained a miniature picture of the chair. The item flashed.
He set down the pouch and reached inside again. It felt like his arm was vanishing into some black hole in the floor, considering that he had reached inside almost to his shoulder. He was suddenly worried about falling into the pouch, and he wondered if that happened whether he’d ever be able to get out again.
Finally he touched the outer edges of the chair it contained, and felt around until he found a surface he could grip. Wrapping his hand around it he pulled. The pouch opened wider around the chair as it emerged. When Tane had hauled out the chair entirely, he set it down on the floor next to the hole.
Tane whistled softly. “Well look at that. Works as advertised.” He examined the chair, but it seemed completely unharmed.
Satisfied that it was safe, Tane shoved his suitcase into the black hole and then sealed the pouch. He doubled-checked that the suitcase appeared in an inventory slot, and then he secured the pouch to his belt. Once again, he felt no extra weight whatsoever.
Traveler’s Delight indeed!
He glanced at Mom and Dad but they were both still snoring away happily. When they awoke, he’d offer to hold their baggage for them, but he wondered if they’d trust their belongings to the thing, especially considering where he had gotten it from.
Probably not.
The call notification icon suddenly flashed on his HUD.
The recipient was shown as Lyra Glorandriel (ID: 75994552012545). He quickly added her to his contact list so he wouldn’t have to look at the long ID again, and then accepted the call.
A small holographic image of her face appeared in front of him.
“Hello Tane,” Lyra said. “I’m trying to call your parents, but I was sent straight to voicemail.”
“They’re taking a nap,” Tane said.
“Ah.”
“What did you want to tell them?” Tane asked. “I can wake them up.”
“Actually, I wanted to talk to you,” Lyra said. “I’m about to meet with a local merchant captain to negotiate passage to Talendir. I was wondering if you’d like to come?”
“Me?” Tane said. “Well sure. But what about Mom and Dad?”
“You can bring them if you like,” Lyra said. “Keep in mind that these are just preliminary talks. It’s not like we’ll be leaving immediately afterward or anything. Your parents will still have time to join us before we launch.”
Tane glanced at his mom and dad, but thought it best not to wake them. “No, I’ll let them sleep. I’ll be right down.”
“We will be waiting for you at the hotel entrance,” Lyra said.
Tane disconnected. Before departing, he left a digital note for Mom and Dad to let them know where he had run off to this time.
7
Tane met Lyra and Jed in the hotel foyer and they hopped into a shuttle cab. She left behind her four combat robots, Tane noted.
The autonomous quadcopter sped between the skyscrapers and the multi-levels roads between them, following the lane designated for human transport vessels. Beneath them the sky lanes reserved for drones bustled with delivery craft.
Tane glanced at Lyra. Her eyes were defocused: apparently she was inside her chip. He didn’t feel as nervous around her anymore for some reason. He supposed he was getting used to her stunning features.
She’s not that different from anyone else. Well, except for the fact she’s a Volur.
“So what do we know about this merchant captain?” Tane asked her.
“I’ve pulled his public profile,” Lyra said. “He’s registered as a merchant trader. However, he has several fines on his record.”
“Fines, for what?” Tane asked.
“Smuggling illicit
goods.”
“We can’t buy passage on a smuggler’s ship,” Tane said flatly.
“If it gets us off this planet faster, we have to,” Lyra said. “As a space traveler, you soon learn to take whatever viable transport is available to you, especially if you’re in a hurry.”
“I don’t like it,” Tane said.
“Relax, Farmer,” Jed said. The warrior was wearing his full color-changing battle armor as always. “A small-time smuggler can’t harm the likes of us.”
“Easy for you to say,” Tane told him. “Dressed like that. But what about me?”
Tane was starting to wish Kalindor had better right-to-carry laws for private citizens. He glanced longingly at the weapons strapped to Jed’s belt. As a Volur’s paid bodyguard, legally Jed could possess any firearm he wished. City law allowed that much. Tane supposed it was because the Volur were universally recognized as weapons in their own right, and the TSN didn’t want to risk alienating their most powerful allies, not on any of the worlds under their dominion. It was probably also because the Volur often acted as the long arm of the TSN.
“We’ll protect you,” Jed said.
Tane considered that. He supposed the smuggler wouldn’t dare mess with a Volur and her companions.
“So what’s the plan?” Tane said.
Lyra glanced at him distractedly. “Once we’ve hammered out a fee and inspected the ship, we’ll schedule the take off for as soon as possible.”
“Why the urgency?” Tane said. “You really think the dwellers could get to me here?” He gestured toward the vast cityscape around him.
“You might be surprised at what they can do,” Lyra said. “In planet-side operations, their standard modus operandi, once they’ve located a target, is to strike from the shadows. They like to send in digger units to undermine any structure a target may reside inside. Just like at your farm, these units would come in from underneath the sand and very foundations the hotel is built upon, and worm their way into the shafts of the service elevator. They’d burst onto your floor in the middle of the night, break down your door, and take you.”
