by Michael Ryan
“Three thousand–”
“I got it,” Dale interrupted.
“At least your humant-avatar is just you, or at least a close approximation. Supposedly you can’t gender switch in this form. I don’t know for sure, but don’t trust anything,” Smith said.
“I hope that’s true. That woman…”
“Amy?”
“Yeah. She’s cute.”
“Be careful. The Sidheagin are similar to the Naphil. I guess those races are attracted to you; you’ve got Redding and this Amy chick chasing you. Lucky guy.”
“Or unlucky,” Dale said, sighing with frustration.
“Yes,” Smith agreed. “Or very unlucky.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
I prefer the term NCP, Non Corporeal Player.
~ First Sergeant Kuzmin
The intergalactic-class MTTS Jabez, a massive troop transport ship, was housed in a highly classified, extra-super-top-secret EUDA Joint Forces Air Force base somewhere in the middle of Ohio.
Only a handful of people on the planet knew of its existence or what it was capable of doing.
Dale had never seen such a large craft in his entire life. It seemed twice as big as an aircraft carrier from the now-defunct United States Navy.
Dale stood in line with the rest of his company, each waiting their turn to enter the ship.
Captain Redding and the other officers stood at the head of the line. They talked in whispers.
Dale waited with the Third Platoon. Brinkmann was their platoon leader; Dyfrig, the platoon sergeant.
“I could eat an entire pizza,” Tom said.
“I’m sure you could eat an entire Hawaiian style,” Galina said. “But wouldn’t that be cannibalism?”
“You two need to just have sex and get it over with,” Rikuto, a Japanese soldier who was usually quiet, said.
Sanjay looked at Tom and then Galina. “Damn,” he said.
“You wish you had his balls,” Tom said. “But you don’t, so shut up.”
“Awww,” Kim said. She winked at Dale, then turned to Tom. “Sanjay’s a nice guy. Don’t be so hard on him.”
“Da,” he said.
“So he can be taught,” Galina said in surprise.
“Aren’t we one big happy family?” Smith said.
“Indeed,” Amy agreed. She was usually pretty quiet herself, but the long line had made everyone irritable.
“What’s your name?” a young woman named Emi asked a small shy Chinese woman who hadn’t said a word.
“Yingtai Tong,” she answered.
“I’m Emi.”
“I’m hungry,” Tom said, “maybe–”
“Feast time!” Captain Redding announced. She spread a table from her own supply and invited everyone. When Dale reached to pull the thigh off a roasted pheasant, her hand brushed against his. She lingered, and he looked at her. She winked, and he blushed.
After the feast, everyone was given a potion to ward off motion sickness at launch. When Dale drank, he felt a sharp pain in his arm. He yelped.
Once aboard, each soldier had a private pod, which contained a secure container for personal items, a Bed of Deep Sleep, and an interface that allowed connection into the ship intranet while in flight, as well as the internet while docked on Earth.
Dale checked his personal email. He wrote a short letter to his parents, letting them know he was doing okay and that he’d be off-world for an unknown amount of time. “Don’t worry, Mom,” he said out loud while he typed the words.
He typed I love you, mouthing the words silently.
Then he accessed the intranet and saw that he already had dozens of messages.
Welcome to the MTTS Jabez intranet.
Please fill in the following form and provide a retinal scan.
Note: For initial log-in, you must supply a blood sample.
Attention: All professional avatars, mounts, and pets are strictly forbidden on all decks except Alpha & Charlie decks.
Dale: Ërin, can you auto-fill this information?
Ërin: Yes, except you must present your eye for scanning.
Dale: Okay. What can you access while on board?
Ërin: Only the same information that’s available to you.
A message popped up.
Attention: Your log-in was successful.
You have 37 new messages.
Dale selected his inbox and saw that he had dozens of announcements, updates, and a couple of personal emails.
Subject: Hi
To: Brown, Dale
From: Cassandraler, Nancy
Hello Dale,
I’m new to your company, and I wanted to say hello. I’m in the Charlie Company, under Captain Aquino, who kind of scares me. How’s Captain Redding?
Well, I’d like to hang out if you’re down.
Dale deleted the message without responding. He hated cold emails from people trying to hook up. He wondered who she was, and then thought maybe she might end up being some hot chick, so he took the email out of the trash, but didn’t respond.
He saw an email from Smith, so he opened that next.
Subject: Can you believe this ship?
Dude, this place is freaking crazy. They’re showing a Star Wars marathon in the Foxtrot Alpha Center, deck seven. It’s an open mic theater. Let’s grab a pizza and make fun of Chewbacca.
Dale responded.
Subject: RE: Can you believe this ship?
C U at Flight Deck Pizza at 20:00.
Dale looked over the rest of the emails and opened the most important-looking one that explained the nature of their trip. The ship was scheduled to move away from Earth and after two and a half days, complete an ISRA, which stood for interdimensional space relocation action.
Dale tried to understand the science behind this faster-than-light transportation, but it was far too confusing and involved screens filled with math. He accepted that it worked and they’d not end up stuck in suspended animation for a million years, reliving Star Wars movie marathons and pizza infinitely. There was another email that explained that the ship’s clock would remain on Ohio’s Central Time, which he found strange, and that it would take a week to enter Almaach’s orbit.
The next email he opened was from engineering.
Subject: Space Elevator
To: Brown, Dale, Distribution Ship Wide
From: Engineering Department
All personnel:
The initial drop team expects a 12- to 24-hour turnaround time before the space elevator is fully operational.
Please be on deck tango 30 minutes before your assigned drop time.
Command & Control Unit has the final say on all drop priorities. You must wait your turn. Please do not ask to jump the line.
His next email was from Amy.
Subject: Drinks
Hi Dale,
I hope you’ve been settled in happily and are ready for battle. I was thinking you might like to hang out? We could try the Korean barbecue. I’m missing home a little bit. I’m sorry if you thought I was mean to your lizard friend. It’s like my people to fear and mistrust other races.
Can I buy you dinner to make up for my rudeness?
Sincerely,
Amy
Dale responded.
To: Lyang, Amy
From: Brown, Dale
Okay, that would be nice. When were you thinking?
There were a few minor patch notifications in his email folder, but nothing else of importance. After a couple of minutes, he received an email back from Amy with the name of the restaurant and a suggested time the next day. He replied and confirmed.
He had a date.
The Third Platoon had a meeting scheduled the next morning at oh eight hundred, so now there was nothing left on his schedule except meeting Smith for dinner and Star Wars movies. He decided to spend a little more time studying, so he opened up the Nagant Wars Guide.
He would be expected to have his shit in order by tomorrow’s meeting, and there was a lot he hadn’t e
ven read about yet.
After watching Star Wars movies with Smith, during which they got into several arguments about episode twenty-seven and whether or not a robotic hand would improve one’s sex life, he fell onto his Bed of Deep Sleep at three a.m. and was unconscious in moments.
He dreamt.
“Dale?”
“Hello?”
“Dale, it’s Tina, your nurse.”
“Hello? Am I in a hospital again?”
“No, Dale, you’re in a new facility.”
“Where?”
“Deep in a protected underground military base. Don’t worry, you’re in good hands.”
“Why am I here?”
“Your new guild, Dale. The military. The war. You’ve received upgraded equipment.”
“Why do I need a nurse?”
“Because this VR technology is the most advanced we’ve ever used. It requires supervision; the doctor will be in shortly.”
IV lines penetrated into his forearms, and his body was connected to a hydraulic exoskeleton structure.
He faded out of consciousness again.
In the dream’s dream, he woke.
A doctor calibrated dials.
“I’m still dreaming?” he asked.
“Yes, Dale. Well, kind of. Just relax. Your vitals are all excellent.”
“Where am I?”
“It’s top secret, Dale,” the doctor answered. “But don’t worry, you’re in good hands.”
“I feel funny,” he said.
“It’s only the nanotech blood enhancements. Don’t worry so much, Dale. Really, you’re in excellent health. Could you do me a favor and start a slow jog?”
Dale moved his feet, and sure enough, he didn’t change position in relation to the doctor, but he was jogging. He swung his arms and picked up the pace.
“Not too fast yet. You’re doing great.” The doctor continued to interact with a screen interface that was attached to the front of Dale’s equipment.
“Could you jump for me?” the doctor asked.
Dale jumped.
“Excellent. You can relax.”
Dale stopped and faded into unconsciousness.
The alarm woke him up at oh five hundred.
He requested a coffee, and a robot server delivered it five minutes later. When he finished the cup, he decided what race he’d play.
Zuharah.
He’d always wanted to be a wizard, especially after reading twenty-seven Harry Dresden novels he’d found on his dad’s e-reader when he was ten.
For his class, Dale chose Edificios. They were the builders, and he felt joining them would help him be more well-rounded.
Dale showed up early to the company meeting. He sat next to Dyfrig and Smith. “I had some weird dreams,” he said.
“The werewolf chick?” Private Smith slapped him on the shoulder. “Nice going.”
“Hey!” Dale gave his friend a stare. “She could walk in any second.”
“I’m already here, fools,” she said. Dale turned beet red. “And I have wolf hearing, suckers.” She got up and moved next to him.
He looked her over again. She was fine.
There was no doubt about it.
His face flushed again when he realized she was watching him check her out. He looked away.
“Where are you from?” Smith asked. “I mean, back in the real world.”
“San Francisco. I’ve been going to school there, but I’m originally from Seoul,” she answered. “I’m one hundred percent pure Asian-gamer-nerd chick.”
She smiled, and Dale couldn’t help but smile back.
“Company attention!” a soldier yelled.
Captain Redding entered the room, and everyone stood. “At ease, soldiers. Take your seats. We have a shitload to go over.”
Dale became nervous; it was as if the war had begun at that moment.
“Troops, we have another day before we ISRA the fuck out of our solar system. We’ll be in orbit around Almaach in about a week. Our assignment will be in a territory under the control of King Talargo. He’s an ally, and his people have contributed their fair share of soldiers to this war. Treat the noncombatants with respect and dignity.”
She paced the front of the room.
Dale thought she looked intimidating in her military uniform, unlike when she wore miniskirts and low-cut tops. Her ability to change so drastically frightened him a little.
“All areas on this planet are open world, except certain quests, which you will have to enter at your own discretion. Everyone will be on a leave rotation schedule. You’ll each be granted lots of personal time. HQ understands that war sucks and being away from home might be a hardship. For some of you, however, this will be the best time of your lives.”
She stopped and scanned the room. Dale felt a flash of heat when her gaze fell on him.
Someone raised a hand.
“Hold your questions for a moment,” Redding commanded. “Our bases will be well defended. However, like any war, don’t trust anyone. ‘Loose lips sink ships’ is an old war saying, but no less true today. Keep your shit together. Follow orders. Work on your specialties, complete side quests when you can, and don’t screw over members of your platoon.”
Redding scanned the room and smiled.
“The planet Almaach is a magic-heavy world,” she continued. “Get acquainted with spells and potions. I’m trying to get us some charlie deck simulation time so we can work on team-building in our avatars. This is a military operation, folks, so snafu applies. I realize a lot of you have only just picked your race in the last few days. Or in Corporal Brown’s case…”
Dale turned red again.
The captain sat down.
Sergeant Kuzmin stood.
“Soldiers, I’m First Sergeant Kuzmin. Noncoms may call me Top, enlisted should stick to First Sergeant. My assistant is Corporal Cassandraler. If you have any questions, problems, or requests, please route them through her. This morning I’m going to discuss the basic layout of your interface. The final design’s been released, and we can discuss the primary functions that you’ll be using while in your professional avatars.”
He turned on a projection display that lit up the front wall.
“Most of these will be useful in your personal avatars as well,” he said. He used a laser pointer to indicate each item as he discussed it.
A simple four-pointed cross symbol was displayed. The word Inventory sat at the north point. At the south end, Map. The west was Magic, and the east, Tech.
“This is the starting interface,” Kuzmin said. “The meanings are self-evident. Point, think, or nod, and select. For example, let’s say we pick Map.”
The screen changed, and a sample map showed up. An icon showed an avatar’s location in the world.
“Most items are customizable in settings. For instance, you can create a personal icon. You can track yourself and others, which is especially important if you’re entering unknown mines or dungeons. You’ll also have the opportunity to upload maps and images to Central Command to help your brothers and sisters in the Klaharn.”
He looked over the group. “Don’t be greedy, soldiers. This is going to be a long war. What goes around comes around. Next is Magic.”
The screen changed.
“See how selecting Magic brings up a split screen? On the left are spells. Spell casting is always for damage. DPS users will be on this screen and can obtain different spells as they level up. The right side covers enchantments: healing, support, and potion making.”
He turned off the display. “This is going to take you a long time to learn, but don’t get discouraged, soldiers. The Declan faction is getting the same information at the same time as you.”
“Top, excuse me,” Dyfrig said. “Can you explain the Declan?”
The first sergeant scratched his head. “Some of this is classified,” he said. “What I can tell you is that the Declan faction is made up of regular people and NPCs. Remember, you’re probably fa
cing a sentient being when you fight a soldier in the field. Only a few of us leaders are NPCs. The future of war is being shaped by virtual reality.”
He paced and looked worried. “When countries go to war, there ends up being a lot of wasted resources. Things like pipelines, train tracks, airports, and buildings get destroyed. Factories, farms, fields…and, of course, civilians are killed.”
Kuzmin stopped pacing. “One of the ideas driving the Nagant War concept is to take wars into virtual space. It’s brilliant, really, and this current war is a testing ground.”
“You’re saying we’re lab rats?” Tom asked.
“I wouldn’t say–”
“It sounds–”
“At ease!” Kuzmin shouted. “Remember your place, Private Kapralov, or I’ll demonstrate what old-school wall-to-wall counseling was all about.”
“Da, First Sergeant!” Tom snapped.
“The Declan faction is operating with the same specs we have,” Kuzmin continued. “The same magic, the same tech, the same races, guilds, and classes for avatars. Everything is exactly equal; it’s a chess game, soldiers. White and black.”
“So we’re pawns,” Dale whispered as quietly as he could.
That night, Dale met Amy at the Korean barbecue restaurant.
“Wow, this looks great,” he said.
“One of my favorites,” Amy said, “after pizza.”
“I had pizza with Smith last night.”
“He’s your best friend?”
“Yeah, he kind of saved my life. Or, I mean, he saved me from a lot of pain. He’s a good friend, and I trust him.”
“That’s cool.”
“Yeah. I’m friends with Sergeant Dyfrig, too. I hope you don’t think…”
“No. I’m…look, the thing is…never mind. I’m sorry if I seemed like a bitch. I’m sure he’s a good person, too. Oh, hey, our table is ready.”
They followed the hostess and sat across from each other.
Presumably there were hacks and cheats, but Dale assumed she was indeed a cute Korean and that her avatar wasn’t a trick. She had straight, black, shoulder-length hair that framed her face.
Big brown eyes.
Light clear skin.
And a pleasant voice that made him feel relaxed.
Maybe getting attracted to a woman was a bad idea right before a war started, he thought. But he didn’t care. It was time to get over the past.
