by Cosimo Yap
He began the call to Icewolf, who answered almost immediately. A screen appeared before Alan, displaying Icewolf, as lean as ever. With large bags under his eyes, Icewolf appeared more stressed than Alan had ever seen before. He wore a battered dark suit of light power armor that looked almost identical to the basic Scout Power Armor Alan first received. Behind him there was a dimly lit metal space, like a solitary confinement cell. Alan noted that the communication protocols Eve had set up simply showed Alan with a completely black background.
“Adampwnage! Or, I guess Alan now. Great to see you in the Game. Congratulations on joining the Black Rose guild! You and Kitana are only like the thousandth or so human to join a major faction,” Icewolf said to Alan, smiling widely.
“Um, thanks, it’s good to see you too," Alan said. "It really wasn’t much, Eve did a lot of the work.”
“Nonsense! Modesty doesn’t fit one of Earth’s brightest prospects. Trust me when I say I expect you’re going to make waves. I hear you’re going to the Academy and everything! Well, anyways, I guess I’ll cut straight to the chase, I’m sure you’re wondering what your class quest will be,” Icewolf said.
“Class quest? Oh, right, you’re my rogue mentor. So you get to choose my class quest or whatever? Maybe something easy?” Alan said.
“Ha! You wish. Unfortunately it seems almost all the quests I can offer you are difficult, but with great risks come great rewards, right?”—Icewolf scrolled down, looking at a screen before him—“I decided on a specific task a while ago, one which I hope you’ll be up to. I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but things on Earth are not as stable as they appear. Have you been following the local news lately, Alan?” Icewolf asked, looking up from the screen.
“Um, not quite…” Alan said sheepishly. He silently requested that Eve send him the most recent headlines on Earth. A number of articles appeared before him. Alan read them quickly, mouth agape. Each listed a series of escalating terrorist attacks and bombings around the world, all perpetrated by the Legion of Man. Within the Game, of course.
“Wow, these Legion of Man are causing serious destruction,” Alan said, looking up to see Icewolf staring at him intently.
“Yes they are,” Icewolf said slowly. “However, their attacks may be warranted.”
“What?” Alan said.
“Look, remain calm, what I’m about to tell you is something the United World Government is trying to keep under wraps as best they can. They can try to spin it any way want, but it's clear. They’ve fucked up,” Icewolf said with dead certainty, his eyes locked onto Alan’s. A weighty gravitas filled his words.
“When the Haxlards first came to Earth, with the Enforcers and Administrators, they offered what seemed to be lucrative deals, access to technology, infrastructure, and weapons that would take us years to create. So, of course, the United World Government readily signed contracts, under the assumption that the services and technology they bought could be paid for with resources found on Earth and within the solar system. What they have been trying to hide is that they do not have the full authority to the resources they thought they had. It gets a bit complicated, so please ask me if anything doesn’t make sense.
“Due to the nature of the Game, and the fact that a faction in control of a certain sector of space may not have that sector’s best interests at heart, any faction is limited in the amount of real world resources they are allowed to mine, a yearly quota that is strictly monitored by the Enforcer fleet. Of course, the Administrators wouldn’t allow a completely one-sided contract to be signed, but as a neutral party they couldn’t point out the United World Government’s flawed assumptions. For they are unable to use Earth’s resources to the degree they wish to, and have made a number of other flawed judgments.
“A large part of any faction's income is taxes, and they hoped to tax all of humanity as more people joined the Game. What they failed to take into account is the fact that they are only able to tax those who join the United World Government within the Game. For instance, just because you and I technically live on Earth, in San Francisco, does not mean that we are required to pay the United World Government anything. They have tried to draft laws that circumvent this in the real world, but every time they have been struck down by the Administrators. People are individual entities within the Game with their own rights, their real life situation does not matter.
“Another large issue is that the cream of the crop, the elite of the elite, are all joining other factions. Like you, for instance! Any reasonably intelligent person can clearly see the advantages to joining a well established faction like the Black Rose guild as opposed to a weak, unstable government still in its infancy. The politicians are still living in the past, and have yet to adopt new ways of thinking. They have allied themselves with the Haxlards, without realizing that as soon as they are unable to pay off the interest on the loans and debts, a bankruptcy will be declared, and as the debt holders, the Haxlards will be able to slowly buy up Earth!”
“Wait, you mean in a couple of years if we can’t pay off this debt Earth will be no longer in our hands? How much money are we talking here?” Alan asked, thinking about the priceless artifacts he had recently acquired.
“It’s on the scale of tens of trillions of credits. Trust me when I say there is little you, as an individual, can do. Sure, some galactic bank or even your guild could probably bail them out, but rules governing paying back debts in the Game, as you are likely aware of, can be quite complicated. While factions, governments and guilds, can do it, while individuals cannot, I doubt anyone would see it as a worthwhile investment, and there are simply too many hoops to jump through!
"One of the main reasons that the Haxlards are investing so much into Earth infrastructure is they aim to take over said infrastructure. They will claim it through economic warfare though, something that the early Earth government had little to no experience with, especially within the galactic economy and rule set.
“To answer your other question about a timeline, the most optimistic models actually anticipate that the United World Government can last 50 years or so before declaring bankruptcy, given its capital, but even then the model displays that a default is inevitable. Others say they may run out of money as soon as five years from now! I’ll send you the data, which I’ve prepared to convince you. I’m sure your AI will come to the same conclusions.”
Icewolf tapped a few buttons in front of him, and a stream of data began to flow to Alan. He sent it to Eve to analyze.
“Wait," Alan said. "If what you’re saying is true, why isn’t this a bigger deal? Surely if this information was broadcast widely people would realize something would need to be done, right?”
“Well , there’s a number of reasons. There have been attempts to spread this information on the internet, and elsewhere, but remember that information about the Game is severely censored by the Administrators! Over 95% of humanity is still unaware of the Game’s true importance! The vast majority of players who are in-game work for major corporations or the United World Government as indebted laborers, thus the information they receive is even more heavily censored, and they have a vested interest in keeping the United World Government alive as long as possible.
"New technology makes it easier for big brother type of control too. The few that are told in-person generally have one of two reactions: they are either disbelieving or simply accept it as government working as usual! After all, many of our governments have operated on extreme budget deficits for years. They do not realize that this deficit is tied to contracts made through the Administrators. Contracts that are severely enforced in the Game. Thus far, the Haxlards have been relatively lenient, but there is overwhelming evidence they are simply biding their time.
“And, that brings us to why I contacted you, why I wanted you on Mars. I am an operative of the Legion of Man and wanted to recruit you. I was the one who arranged for the death threat to be sent to you, but only to have you stay in place. Rest assured that
no such action will ever be taken, even if you decide to side with the United World Government. The message simply killed a few birds with one stone, if you will, as it cemented in people’s minds that you are in fact an enemy of the Legion of Man. At the same time it placated those within the Legion that wanted to take actual action against you, as, to be honest, you did severely damage some fairly important operations. Now—”
“Wait, so that was you in-game in San Francisco?” Alan asked. Despite the alarming revelation, Alan remained rather calm. The fact that the death threat wasn’t real relieved him.
“Yes that was me, and your escapade actually motivated me to get a set of the armor you were wearing. It works quite nicely, though I see yours has… a number of improvements.” Alan detected a hint of jealousy in Icewolf’s tone.
“Anyways, moving on to the whole Legion of Man, our goals, why I joined and why you should join as well. The plan is quite simple, really. It’s to overthrow the United World Government and cement ourselves in power before the immunity period is up, developing allies and not deceptive enemies. It’s quite beautiful, you see, as Haxlards will not be able to directly aid the United World Government as long as the immunity period lasts, and if we successfully overthrow the government without causing too much damage, we will be able to take over all the defenses the Haxlards paid for, debt free! A faction victorious in war does not inherit the conquered faction’s debts, just its territory. So, you see, this is the one true path to freedom!” Icewolf gestured about wildly, punctuating each remark, animatedly showing that he believed this was the correct path.
“Uh, okay,” Alain said slowly, unsure of how to react to such unbridled enthusiasm. He thought that Icewolf was oversimplifying things. “Have you perhaps considered this is what the Haxlards want? After all, war is expensive, and it is undoubtedly wearing down the United World Government’s resources even faster.”
Icewolf shrugged. “A risk we have to take. It does not matter, for if we fail, then the Haxlards will simply take over Earth, sooner rather than later. Don’t you see? This is the only path, the only true way for freedom, for an Earth under human control.”
Alan began a response, then closed his mouth, as Eve was communicating with him. “Wait, let me think this through for a second, and discuss it with my AI,” he said.
“Of course, take as long as you need, this is heavy stuff,” Icewolf responded, bringing up a few screens to work on.
What do you think, Eve? Alan asked.
Based upon the data received and extrapolated from information available on the globalnet, I agree with Icewolf’s conclusion. In the long term, the United World Government is destined to fail, with about 99% certainty. Even before this new information I estimated there was a 80%+ chance for it to fall in the next few years. Yet, I am cautious to join or aid this faction, this Legion of Man. Our interactions with them have been rather hostile. They seem prone to violence, and we are still unaware of their power structure, or how they plan on governing Earth. For all we know they are run by a despot.
Yeah, I agree. Except I’m not so sure Icewolf will give me more information about the Legion if I’m hesitant to join… let me talk to him some more.
Alan looked up at Icewolf, “Okay, my AI came to the same conclusion, that the United World Government is pretty much doomed. Something she should have told me beforehand, but, anyway, I still don’t really know anything about this Legion of Man, its leaders, or anything at all other than it has a base on Mars. From what I see, all the Legion has done is caused wanton destruction, which frankly doesn’t seem very helpful.”
“Well, of course the media you see portrays it that way," Icewolf quickly rebutted, "it is all firmly controlled by the United World Government. Anyways, the Legion of Man plans to be, like the United World Government, a democracy. But only those within the faction and in the Game are allowed to vote in its elections. Although, the military is for the most part merit based. The current commander-in-chief was voted in, with a bi-monthly term. I can’t give you names as long as you aren’t in the faction.” Icewolf seemed disappointed that Alan wasn’t jumping out of his seat, ready to enlist.
Alan quickly mulled over his thoughts, then replied, “Hmm, alright, that seems reasonable. Honestly, I’m not sure if I even can join the Legion of Man, given my situation in my guild.”
You can, governments are a separate entity than guilds, although governments have guilds and vice versa, Eve let him know. Alan continued, ignoring her.
“My superior has expressed interest in ensuring the earth is neutral or allied to the Mercenary Bloc in any future conflicts that should arise. It probably won’t be if it’s under Haxlard control. Thus, I can probably easily arrange for you to have a meeting with him. Additionally, I promise to try to search for a solution which will benefit humanity as a whole, and ensure that Earth does not fall under Haxlard control. Oh, and, um speaking of my debts, I can pay you back now.”
Icewolf looked at Alan, surprised, then nodded tiredly. “Oh, alright, send the credits to me and I’ll cancel out your debt. I guess your answer is about as good as I’ll get. Well then, that almost makes me feel bad for giving you this quest… though I suppose it’s too late to change it now. We can work out the meeting details with your superior at a later time. The Mercenary Bloc seems like a promising lead I don’t think we’ve followed through with yet. I’m not really qualified to establish any sort of deal with anyone, though. Anyway, the quest. Well, you’re now aware of this all so… here you go. Good luck.” Icewolf ended the call as messages sprang up before Alan.
The War for Earth Discovered!
You have discovered the ongoing secret war for Earth, and have chosen to side with the allies of Earth, those who wish to see humanity remain in control of their home planet, not under the control of the Haxlards or any other alien force. As the war is currently a secret war within humanity special rules apply:
1000 War Contribution Points are required to recruit any other human* into the war.
*Only humans from Earth may join the war, i.e. homo sapiens born on the planet Earth.
Should you kill any agent that you are aware of being part of the opposing side in the war for Earth they will be unable to further engage in war-related activities and all their war-related quests will fail. Similarly, should you fall to an enemy agent you will be effectively “dead” in the war and will be unable to continue war-related activities.
Winners of the war will be rewarded based upon contribution determined through War Contribution Points. War Contribution Points are awarded based upon favorable actions, such as killing enemy combatants, conquering enemy control points and completing war-related tasks.
Current Win Condition: Conquer 80% of Earth control points, including the main Earth Control Point and every regional control point, e.g. North America Control Point, East Asia Control Point and South Africa Control Point
Current Loss Condition: Elimination of all allied forces.
Current allies: Approx. 100,000
Current enemies: ???
A new war screen was generated by Eve, which like his status or guild window, displayed various information about the war. Alan would need to get Eve to explain what a war within the Game entailed, though it seemed straightforward thus far. Find and eliminate the enemy before they find you, search and destroy. He continued reading the other quests he received.
Gather Allies (War for Earth Quest):
Gather allies to help defend Earth from outside control!
Option: Discover and recruit new allies at the Academy. Beware enemy operatives.
Option: Try to set up and perhaps facilitate a meeting between the Legion of Man and the Mercenary Bloc.
Reward: Increased military and economic might for the allies of Earth
Failure: Decreased military and economic might for the allies of Earth
Possible Impact Level: Gamma
A Free Earth (Class Quest):
Do your best to ensure that Ea
rth remains free from alien control.
Current War Contribution Points: 0
Unique reward and failure: Variable based upon how the War for Earth progresses. Completion when Earth is fully established under stable human control or upon death in the War for Earth event.
Possible Impact Level: Gamma
Alan sat back, attempting to process all the new data before him. One thing was sure: things had become much more complicated. Alan had accomplished his initial goal of paying off his debts, and now had a new tangible goal of helping this war effort. Yet, Alan felt more lost than ever. This seemed like too much. He had been a simple college student less than a year ago, with simple goals and simple dreams. Now, he had somehow ended up in the center of a galactic conflict over the future of his home planet, inside a virtual reality that governed actual reality. There were too many options, too many things he should do and consider and learn and explore and try and—
Stop. Concentrate. Complete tasks one at a time. Send the million credits to Icewolf. Afterward, establish contact with Phantom to discuss a possible liaison between the Mercenary Bloc and Legion of Man. Then, I will teach you more about war within the Game, so you may more fully prepare yourself and evaluate possibilities. After that, we attempt to recruit Kitana as soon as we gain the points from the first task. We have her help you improve your blade work, and undergo further training with Phantom. We go to the Academy, and study, and train, and study and train some more. Then, when we are ready, we act. Perhaps fighting, perhaps spying, perhaps both, but we wait and develop more information first. Does this make sense to you, Alan?
