“Price per yotto-byte downloaded is 100 credits. Per yotto-byte uploaded, 200 credits.”
“Paying all downloads and uploads post factum. Opening access to my account.”
“Access and credit solvency confirmed. Do you need anything else, Researcher ship?”
“No, thanks, Control 3-5-7-8. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye.”
“Hey, you,” I called my companion once the connection was interrupted. “Stop wasting my money! I’ve only made some today and spent none on my own needs.”
Don’t worry, Viktor. I’ll be able to refund you the money the next time we connect to the web. The virus packets have to work with even intervals over time to create what will look as our vector trajectory.
“Is that all? We won’t even dock at their base? I’m dying to see the aliens with my own eyes,” I begged, overwhelmed by raging curiosity. I could become the first human to see them!
I advise that we wait. Only then can I guarantee that we have passed all of the security checks.
“What a pity.” I was severely disappointed by having to turn back when an alien world was so close at hand.
And don’t forget that we have to come back in time. The way back will take just as much as the way to here. We must be back before the teleport is repaired and your ship returned to the shuttle.
“Damn! I totally forgot. Well, let’s go back then. We need to come up with a way to travel through space without relying on Warg teleports. I hate these time limits.”
I have some ides. But your safety is my top priority.
Yielding to Researcher’s demands, I agreed to fly back. Soon, my cockpit was completely dark again. With nothing to do, I decided to take a nap.
***
Viktor! Wake up, Viktor. We’re here.
The voice in my head was so loud that it woke me up immediately. I opened my eyes and blinked; my eyelashes were all sticky. I couldn’t rub my eyes while in the spacesuit.
Looking around sleepily, I saw that my ship was inside the same rectangular teleport I had entered the mission through. All I had to do now was press Exit.
In a moment, I was back at my De Luxe. Taking two steps, I collapsed onto the bed. “Enough for today.” Spending almost 24 hours in the game tuckered me out. I needed some rest in real life, if one could call it so. The events in both worlds were now so tightly intertwined that I found it difficult to tell apart the periods when my mind was in the bio-robot body from those when it was not.
Falling out of my game capsule, I collapsed onto another bed and resumed my interrupted sleep.
***
The sound of the doorbell dragged me out of oblivion. I regretted setting a popular tune a long time ago. “Who’s there? Why’s the doorbell not turned off?” I sleepily asked Home.
“It’s Mariya, Viktor. I told her that you’re at home, sleeping. She won’t leave until you open.”
I groaned. “What does she need?”
After a pause, the AI replied: “She says that she has come to collect her remaining things. She’s moving into a new apartment soon so she can’t come at any other time.”
“Open the door then.” I reluctantly went to meet her in the hall. I had a reason to cancel her access rights; I didn’t want her surprising me anymore.
Yawning and scratching my belly, I dragged my bare feet to the front door. To my big surprise, I did not see Masha but Stepan, the Drones’ captain and number one.
“Hi, Viktor.” He looked somewhat embarrassed.
“Hi. What are you doing here?”
“He’s with me. He’s helping me carry stuff,” a familiar voice came from behind his broad back. “Like hell you would help the poor girl that you’ve thrown out of your house.”
“It was not like that,” I said, addressing him rather than her, but Stepan just shrugged, standing at the threshold while Masha collected her things. I didn’t touch any of them since she had left. An awkward silence fell, interrupted only by the sounds of Masha packing in her room.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly, glancing at the door of her bedroom. “You know I wanted to be with her back then, before you two even moved in together. I couldn’t refuse her when she came to see me.”
“So, are you two a couple now?” I took this news rather calmly although my heart was pounding.
“Since two days ago.” He lifted his hands to emphasize that it didn’t happen immediately after we had broke up.
“Take the stuff and get out of here. Both of you.” Frowning, I leaned against the door post, wasting no more words. Stepan said nothing either. Silently, we waited for Masha to finish packing and appear in the doorway with a big suitcase. Her new boyfriend rushed to her aid at once and was rewarded by a demonstrative kiss and the familiar, tender voice she had only used with me before.
Calmly, I saw them off. It got under my skin at the very last moment it got under my skin and I tried to slam the door shut, but the built-in doorstops reduced the momentum. The last thing I saw, before the door closed smoothly at the end of its abrupt move and the lock clicked, was Masha’s triumphant smile.
***
“Yes, dear audience, an unforgettable show awaits us soon! Today, the Galaxy creators have announced an unprecedented event. The best Galaxy players will meet guest stars from other popular games in a battle for 1vs1, 3vs3 and 5vs5 champion titles in a full-scale game tournament! We already know that the reigning world champions in CS: GO v6, the UFO team, will take part in the ground clash, and fighting in the pilot battles will be three A-division teams from space games. Starry Sky will be represented by Drones, our Russian team, EGE by the NERV team, and China’s most popular game by Forever Young. You may not have heard of this team before, but all of them are really top-skill players who had become Asia’s absolute champions last week.
The members of guest teams will take part not only in team rounds but in the individual ones as well. Just imagine the scale! The world has never seen a contest like this! This news has excited everyone who’s interested in professional gaming! According to Galaxy developers, they’re going to invest a whopping hundred million dollars into the tournament, so the prize fund will surely be great! Qualification rounds start in just a week and everyone will be able to try test luck and probably challenge their idols!”
The anchor continued talking, while I disbelievingly stared at the video wall. The news that was currently being aired on all channels was really stunning. Hosting an international game tournament was common, but no one had expected that the Galaxy would invite guest stars from so many other games and pay them well enough for them to fit the tournament into their, already tight, schedules.
A transition from one game to another only sounds simple but it is by no means easy for people that are used to playing one game, and who know every single pixel of it, to show similarly good results in another game. Sure they’ll still have their skills, but even the differences between games of the same type are substantial. It’s not just about interface or maps, but about the very way in which the player interacts with the game world.
The very fact that they had negotiated the top teams’ participation in the event spoke of large investments. Only three days had passed since I learned about Masha’s new boyfriend. She and Stepan will definitely be there with “Drones”.
Galaxy publishers had no idea that they had given me a gift that was beyond my wildest dreams. I wasn’t going to miss this chance. Everything was coming together for me: my grudge against the team that had dropped me right before the world tournament, and the break-up with Masha and her demonstrative dating Stepan. Now I can settle everything at once. Ain’t this a great Christmas present?
The tournament was to be held in three weeks, on Christmas Eve. The publishers promised that any damaged or destroyed machines would be restored at the company’s expense and that there was no need for players to worry about their ships or tanks.
“Great news.” I rubbed my hands, going over my options. Sure, I wanted to
win the one-to-one championship, but more than that I wanted to assemble my own team and kick all Drone asses at once.
But how am I to assemble a team? Maybe I should gather people that I’ve been on missions before. Someone who won’t start a fight and will listen to orders. I can only pick four...
Feeling overwhelmed, I decided to enter the game and listen to what was going on in the voice chat. It will probably be full of discussions...
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Chapter 36
Everything turned out much worse than I had expected.
Registration for qualifying rounds had already been opened in the game. Real estate owners could register remotely, but everyone else had to wait in enormous queues to obtain a number.
The selection process did have to begin immediately so that tens of millions players could get through qualifying rounds and so that a dozen of best teams could enter the actual contest within two months. Because of that, the Central District square was crammed with people once again. You couldn’t register in the Free Zone, which drove the players back to the once deserted city area, creating a great commotion.
Entering my apartment, I once again felt glad that I had decided to buy it on the very first day. The tournament ad immediately appeared on my tablet, inviting me to register. Submitting my application, I received a four-digit number and a notice that I was to enter my first battle on the day after tomorrow; a special folder would appear in the mission selection menu containing a link to the task, which I had to open at the appointed time. If I don’t appear, my rival automatically becomes the winner. Sounds pretty clear.
Having sorted that out, I returned to the mission list. The very first one, highlighted in gold, immediately caught my eye.
Where today? I asked my companion who had been choosing missions for the past three days. After each mission, we would fly to a planet or a space station where he could drop the virus packets. We left more and more of those false traces. According to Researcher, we were just a few missions short of me and my planet being absolutely safe and 100% protected against possible observation.
Take the first one. It’s next to the Dagobar system, which is a large, branched space hub. Perfect for our purpose.
“But it’s level six! Are you sure? That’s the first one on the list.”
I noticed the new mission level and color the moment I took the tablet, but I still left the choice to Researcher as Earth’s safety remained my utmost concern. I was glad that his choice was the same as mine. I would rather use this chance to test a new game feature.
Mission level: 6
Mission name: Dagobar System Station Capture
Duration: 16h
Mission reward: 400,000 credits
Extra mission reward: +100 reputation points
First attempt bonus: none
Superiority bonus: x50
Fine for failing the mission: none
Fine for leaving the mission: none
Load the mission?
Yes/No
“Wow! Look—no fine for failing!” I instantly noticed.
I think I know why, Researcher answered.
“Will you let me know as well?”
Yes. Yesterday, when we were at the Ness planet, their trade network had a passing mention of a large and urgent order placed by the Ness-Zol clan. I paid no notice at first. But now I see why they were hiring.
“Out with it! I’m dying to hear.” I was annoyed that I had to force the information out of him.
There was mention that they needed protection from other mercenaries in the Dagobar system, though without specifying if re the mercenaries were of the Warg clan.
“Are you saying that we’ll be confronting other mercenaries on this mission? But whom did we fight before?” I asked, recalling all of my past missions.
Mostly locals, those who did not have enough money to hire mercenaries. But Dagobar is special. As I’ve told you before, that’s a large hub with thousands of transportation routes passing through it. They won’t let you have it easy. That’s apparent. They’ve even hired the Ness-Zol.
“Who’s that?”
Humanoid lizards. In bio-robot bodies just like yours. That allows them to replace fallen soldiers right away—and eliminates fear for life as none of them dies for real.
“Are you saying that we’ll confront the creatures as fearless as ourselves?”
Yes. And better supplied and trained than you. For you, the Wargs have created a system where everyone learns and develops on their own by taking missions and gaining experience. The Ness-Zol use a different approach. They set the skills of their disposable bodies to maximum right away.
“So we’ll be fighting better version of ourselves?” My willingness to take that mission was at zero. From what Researcher said, we stood no chance against them.
True. Your only hope is that the Dagobar lacked the money to hire a full Ness-Zol squad. Otherwise, you’ll be crushed.
“Maybe we shouldn’t go there? I’d rather keep my ship.”
We need this hub. Don’t worry about your ship. I’ll do everything that I can to make sure that it remains intact. I guarantee that you’ll suffer no damage, or just minor wounds. Don’t forget: you and your planet are still in danger. Some of my virus packets have been intercepted and didn’t work quite as intended. We need to disseminate at least a hundred thousand more to ensure your absolute safety.
These words, and the slip of the tongue that I had spotted, provided little comfort. But I didn’t really have much choice when it came to Earth’s safety.
***
“Oh wow! Is that really L0St?”
“Hey, man!”
By now familiar players started greeting me once my nickname, adorned with a golden crown on top of the fighter icon, appeared in the chat.
“Hey! Why the fuck is my crown gone?” a new voice overpowered the chorus of greetings.
“Maybe because L0St’s ship is better than yours?” a pilot whom I knew poked fun at him.
“We’re a group of thirty fighters,” the displeased man pressed on. “If you don’t give me back the leader’s role, we’ll stick together and take no risks.”
I heard the same thing on virtually every mission. Every time I had to convince them that I deserved the crown and that it was automatically assigned to me. Before I appeared on a mission, the crown would belong to the person that had a better ship than everyone else. They, of course, weren’t happy that the leadership would get transferred to me.
“Hey, Jose. Don’t be stupid. With L0St as the leader, I’ve never lost a mission. I actually lost two with you!” an American pilot I knew tried to interfere.
“You don’t need to stand up for me, Roberto.” The pilot’s nickname was P39, but I addressed him by his real name. “If our southern friends want to show off, let them do it. They are in the majority now, after all.”
Among over a sixty fighters on this mission, Jose’s group was the largest. If not for my recent talk with Researcher, I would probably have tried to persuade them to follow me. But now, it was my chance to step aside without getting unwanted attention.
Passing the leader’s crown to Jose, I no longer had the leader menu, and had become a part of the group that Jose assigned me to. Still furious, he didn’t even make me the group’s leader, and gave this position to his friend instead. I was the last one on the list.
Pilots who had been on several missions with me protested, but were soon silenced by the upcoming military task. The mission started, leaving no more time for arguing.
Military task: provide air cover to troop carriers. You will get a bonus for each destroyed enemy ship or space/air defense tower.
Being the last in the line felt weird, but it gave me an opportunity to scan my surroundings and make a tactical map without much hurry. As part of a large attacking fleet, we were in a system where the only thing of value was the giant space station close to the star and powered by it. This station was almost the size of a planet. It w
as no wonder that such a great number of mercenaries had been hired to capture and defend it.
Traffic had been stopped, probably because they were now at war. Apart from the hundreds of ships next to the station, which were apparently guarding it, I could not see a single ship leaving or getting into the station.
“Group six. Off to battle,” the leader bellowed and, despite our protests, led us forth.
I stayed where I was. My ship was useless in close combat; I’d just be getting in everyone’s way, without contributing to the battle.
“L0St? Do you need a special invitation?” the group leader, nicknamed Stiletto, asked in a displeased voice.
“I’m not flying with you,” I calmly replied. “My ship, if you haven’t yet noticed, is made for ranged attacks.”
“Stop arguing, Stiletto,” Jose was quick to react. “Just exclude him from the group. Let him fly alone.” His voice was gleeful.
A moment later, I was alone; banned from the group and squadron chats and with access only to the all-pilot one. Anyone could use it, but no important info was ever shared there.
Viktor. I think it’s best for us not to join this battle, Researcher suddenly said. I’ve scanned the enemy destroyers and frigates. None of them is below third generation; some are fourth and fifth.
“Do you think that we’ll be destroyed?”
There’s a seventy percent probability that you lose.
“Move the ship then. Activate the camouflage system,” I agreed.
Moving aside and flying higher than the rest of the fleet, I became an observer.
The attacking fleet started shelling the station, which fired back, damaging several ships. Judging from the screams that could be heard from the ground troop chat, some of them were sent to respawn much faster than expected.
The large ships hovering above the station moved ahead. Our fighters rushed to intercept them, but the enemy fighters flew out of the hangars to meet ours and engage them in combat. The entire spectacle was confusing and chaotic. The fading green and red spots on the tactical map made me realize that we were the ones who were losing more ships.
Lost in Space Page 23
