Universe Online - Enter the Game: Complete Edition

by Ryan 'Viken' Henning

  Simply seeing the name makes me shudder all over again.

  It’s on the far edge of the solar system, on what seems to be some sort of planetoid beyond the furthest full planet from the sun. Almost in the damned Oort Cloud.

  A shiver runs down my spine. A bad premonition.

  *DING*

  You have found an old space chart which clearly indicates your starting location and the surrounding star systems.

  You are in a great battle station orbiting close to the planet Drune, the ancestral home of your species. That is good news, as their closeness can bring you information that you lack, as well as access to things you are currently lacking.

  But the Drex Conclave stands like a massive mountain in the background. Long abandoned, you do not know what secrets it holds, or what the Drex used it for in times long past.

  You have gained:

  2 Clues (Active Quest)

  Damnit. Fucking damnit. I curse as I read the new window that popped up, only to flick it away in annoyance. The Drex are bad enough as pirates and raiders and killers, but to have a home base for them located so near, even an abandoned one, gives me the creeps.

  It takes me several minutes to calm down after I turn off the map, concentrating on what's in front of me again. I still have work to do even if I simply want to survive, much less solve a galactic-class mystery.

  “Okay... First, power.”

  I speak out loud to myself again, and pick myself up and look around before going to the cockpit console. I activate it, and take the time to look over the controls before I find what I'm looking for . The refueling controls. I press the button that opens the hatch on the exterior of the Tug, and I hear a soft clang as it snaps open outside. With actual air in the Tug, I can actually hear the sound. It’s a reassuring thing.

  The silence of empty space can be even worse than the darkness.

  I quickly climb down and then out of the Tug through the airlock, and go around to the other partially dismantled Tug. Pulling out a coil of wiring from my inventory, I hook it up to the export socket on this one and then plug the other end into the import socket on the second, watching as my HUD updates with the power draw.

  I'm emptying the batteries in order to not have to use up my fuel, which is more precious than gold right now. Both Tugs have already been claimed by me as well, so there isn't a big issue in doing so.

  It takes a while though. 50% battery charge is simply a huge amount of power to transfer over a small cable line. Thankfully it’s smart enough not to overload. That would have been bad.

  Finally done, I disconnect the wiring and store it back in my inventory before closing the small refueling hatch of the Tug and then climbing back inside. This time, I go through the full startup sequence while sitting at the console in the cockpit.

  Lights come on, and I have to blink my eyes as it dazzles me a bit. I've become too used to the darkness and the dim emergency light of the capsule. It’s painful, but I wait it out. From there, I turn on the gravity generators to 30%, just like in the capsule to keep power consumption down. Then I turn on the atmosphere processors and environmental controls. I'm going to make this darn thing livable!

  That all done, I sigh in relief and sit there, strapped into the chair. I take the time to read the information that scrolls by on the monitors in front of me. Air pressure is good, but the oxygen level isn't enough to breath yet. The heat has come on, and I can already start feeling the difference. Power usage is set to battery only.

  It’s a fairly big draw, but at more than 50% full, there is days worth of power stored up.

  Now then... How do I pilot this thing?

  That's the big question that comes to mind. I try to find a manual or booklet or something with instructions. I refuse to go into this blind. I'm not crazy enough to jump right into a try without learning the proper way first.

  I find two guides saved in the main computer, which I can access from the console here.

  Basic Guide to Mining Tugs, and Space Survival Guide 4th Edition.

  Oooh. I pull them up and start reading while the Tug warms up and the toxic air gets replaced with a breathable oxygen mixture.

  Okay, so the Guide has basic information and instructions, but it isn't very long or in-depth. Just a primer. The Space Survival Guide is better though. It includes a bunch of stuff, and is too long to sit here reading at the moment. I go ahead and download both of them to my suit to read and re-read later.

  Reading material is always nice to have when by yourself in SPACE~

  But I think I have the gist of what I should do here. I don't have any Aptitudes or Aspects related to this though, so things may be a bit tricky for a bit.

  First, the thruster engines. They're basically really big ion drives. Instead of using gas or fuel directly, they use electricity to create pressurized ion streams that pushes the ship. I activate them following the steps outlined in the guide, and a loud hum starts up.

  The icons flash green. Good to go.

  Next, plot out a directional course. Mainly used for beginners, according to the guide. Which I definitely qualify as. It basically just overlays a transparent set of lines on the big monitor in front of me. So I can keep up with where I'm going, apparently. In this case, 'out'. Out of the bay and into open space.

  Finally, the control sticks. One controls the forward and backward motion of the thrusters. The other controls the spin and yaw. Using them in tandem allows a full 360 degrees of movement. There's also the auto-pilot, but I want to do this manually.

  Need to do it manually. Screw the fast way. I need piloting skills out here. I'm hundreds or even thousands of miles away from anything out here. I need to learn how to do this myself.

  I tilt the thruster control stick forward while pulling back just slightly on the other stick. This lifts the Tug from its resting place on the flooring and increases the thruster output in a forward motion. It doesn't take much before I'm flying.

  Hahahaha!

  Not very fast though. Only a foot or two a second. Which is more than enough for now. At least I'm not crashing into anything. The controls are smooth though, and there's only a slight increase in vibration and hum from the engines.

  I pull back slightly on the stick and my speed decreases while I maintain a hovering distance of about a foot off the floor. The system accurately interprets what I'm trying to do and cancels out the forward momentum once the relative position has come to a rest.

  Nice.

  I don't have to spin around and shoot my engines in order to slow down like the space shuttle does. Hehe.

  Now, forward again. This time without stopping.

  “Out into the big empty we go...”

  Yep, I've definitely started to form the habit of monologuing. It’s a sad day. The heavens are crying.

  Wait, I'm already in the heavens, and I'm crying. Damnit.

  But I make it out through the open airlock and into space without hitting anything. I keep going for a distance, then slow down and turn around to get my first far-view of the station.

  Again, I feel small. Even in the Tug, I'm utterly dwarfed by the space station. I can see more of the station from this distance, but it’s too far away for the mapping ability of my suit to scan it.

  But I do finally see what I missed last time. A name.

  The Archon.

  Archon Space Station.

  Heh. At least now I know the name of my home. The Ruler, huh? Sounds nice. Powerful. But then I see another name written on the metal hull of the control tower.

  Trident.

  Wait, two stations? That doesn't make sense. I stare at it blankly, trying to figure out what it means.

  *Crackle, crackle, static*

  The radio in the console buzzes to life, and I nearly jump again. Thankfully the gravity and being buckled into my seat keeps me from doing so.

  Instead, I react quickly and start boosting the receiver strength and have the computer zero in on the signal.

  *s
tatic* “... anyone can hear me, please respond! This is Site Prime on Drune, requesting assistance! If anyone can hear me, please respond! This message will repeat!”

  A guy's voice comes over the radio, and I'm startled a bit, to say the least. Site Prime? Drune? Okay, that has my attention.

  I check the computer's results on the signal, and boost the broadcast antenna before letting out a breath and responding through my suit.

  “This is Allec... Rex from Archon Station to Site Prime, please respond.”

  I never did choose a last name during character creation, but it was the first thing that popped into my mind.

  I repeat the broadcast twice before I receive a reply on the same signal frequency.

  ”Archon Station? What? How?... No matter. Please, we need assistance. Help. Any help you can offer. The life support in Site Prime is failing. We will be out of breathable air in a week.”

  Damn. They're in just as bad a shape as I am.

  “Site Prime, can you explain? Drune is a lush planet. Why are you relying on a life support system?”

  I cannot help but ask the most obvious question. This was getting a bit too much for me to swallow without more information. I'm not sure if it’s a trap or what.

  ”Eeeh... Archon Station... You don't know? Wait. It doesn't matter. It's no secret anyway. It was the Drex. They bombed the planet 500 years ago after we were forced to abandon Archon Station. Only those of us who made it into the shelter Sites survived. Drune is a barren radioactive wasteland. All the other Sites have gone silent by now. Site Beta died out more than thirty years ago.”

  “Only we remain. A mere two thousand Drune Rex.”

  “Please, I beg you. Please help us.”

  Now it makes much more sense. The Drex bombed an entire world into slag. An entire lush planet was basically made uninhabitable. And after 500 years there are still survivors. My chosen races people.

  “Site Prime, I'll try to help as much as I am able. I only have access to a Mining Tug, so evacuating your people in time is impossible. But I do have access to parts and some equipment that can be used in repair work. Send me your coordinates and see if you can find someplace for me to set down and I'll do everything I can.”

  There are no other options. If I don't help them, who will?

  I long ago got over seeing NPC's as mere AI's or artificial beings. They live their entire lives within this universe. They are as real as any player is. And it smells like a quest!

  ”Ah! Thank you, Archon... No, it’s Allec Rex, right? Thank you. I'll transmit the data on this frequency. As well as a list of parts we need to make a full repair. Anything less and we can keep the life support working longer, but it'll only buy us time.”

  “We'll prepare the landing bay, and we have a stockpile of fuel and other goods we'll prepare for the travel. Thank you again.”

  I could hear the sudden hope in the man's voice, and for a moment it chokes me up.

  “Site Prime, confirmed. I'll grab what I can and let you know my ETA when I reach Drune orbit. Allec, out.”

  *DING*

  You have accepted a Quest!

  Quest Rank

  A+

  Time is running out for the last shelter on Drune! With a failing life support system and little more than 2000 survivors, they have a week of breathable atmosphere remaining before they all die.

  Help them in any manner you can and rescue them from their fate.

  Time Limit: 7 Days.

  Drune Rex Surviving: 2015.

  Rewards

  Unknown

  Unknown

  Unknown

  Drune Rex becomes a starting race.

  Whoah. It is an A+ ranked quest! That scares me a bit, but there's no helping it. I take another breath and nod to myself, checking to see if the computer has received the information yet.

  It seems I'm to save an entire race of people. I have work to do.

  -|- -|- -|-

  “This is Cristy Anthems at Universe Now, your leading source of up-to-date information on Universe Online! Sorry to interrupt our usual programming, but we've just received breaking news! Every player in Universe Online just received a notification that a player has accepted a Rank A+ Quest!”

  “The game was only launched less than three days ago, but has proved to be wildly popular. Millions of people have jumped ship, and its popularity is soaring into orbit without an end in sight! But in that short amount of time, how could a player have come across an Rank A+ Quest?! We don't know, but we're going to find out!”

  “Details are scarce, as the notification only said the quest rank and some other information. It involves a race called the Drune Rex, but nothing else is known. If anyone has any more information, please feel free to let us know!”

  “Once again, this is Cristy Anthems at Universe Now, your leading source of information about Universe Online!”

  The TV switches back to its regular programming on Universe Now, the only dedicated TV channel that deals with Universe Online at the moment.

  “Hehehe. Allec is having so much fun in that game of his. Even I'm tempted to join in, now that I've gotten to see what all the fuss is about.”

  Karren was watching the news about the game while keeping up with Allec's daily needs. With him logged into the game, there's no way for her to speak with him, and she's feeling more than a little left out and lonely.

  The idea of jumping into the game with Allec was appealing. Definitely appealing. Seeing him active and mobile was a thrill she cherished. But she knew that she wouldn't be able to get to him starting out. Not yet, anyway. Unlike others, she was able to see the live stream from Allec's Dive Pod, and thus was able to read about the quest.

  A naughty smile crosses her lips as she pulls out her cell phone, an ultra-modern sleek thing. She makes a good wage working in the hospital and for Allec especially.

  “Yes. I have information about the Rank A+ Quest that was just reported. Yes... I cannot reveal much, but here's a few juicy tidbits for you...”

  -|- -|- -|-

  Description of Archon Station

  Archon Station

  The structure of Archon Station is fairly simple, in regard to most. It has an outer ring that's ten levels from top to bottom. It’s the primary housing and ship docking terminal, with both external docking assemblies and internal hangar bays. It’s shaped roughly like a torus, a donut. Except for the inner side, which is flat.

  The outer ring is also heavily armed, armored and shielded. Like a perimeter defense network. Laser turrets on top and bottom, evenly spaced along its entire length. Quick-launch bays for fighter craft and missile launchers built into the internal structure.

  The second ring is both larger and broader. It’s fifty levels (floors) from top to bottom. It’s connected to the outer ring via eight multi-level corridors, spread out like spokes in a wheel. The second ring houses the primary storage facilities, workshops, manufacturing compartments, engineering and barracks. Training facilities are also located there. It’s also home to the station’s distributed power core system. It’s shaped like a classical round station, except its angles are gently curved around its middle length before becoming sharper toward the inner top and bottom.

  Like the first ring, the second is flat on its inner side. Armored and armed as well, except with heavier, more power-intensive weaponry and shielding systems. If the outer ring was a fence with a security gate, the inner ring would be the steel wall that'd require a whole battering ram to get through.

  The third part of the station is the Control Tower. It’s a long cylinder that extends both above and below the surrounding station rings. Its 'top' end is pointed, like the tip of a spear, while its bottom end appears flat, except with more circular girth than the rest of the tower. Like the weighted end of a quarterstaff. There's also a larger cylinder around its middle, where it’s connected to the rest of the station. Its surface is oddly smooth and flat when compared to the rest of the stations structure.


  Any more information would be spoiling it though. Haha.

  The station is made up of metal, light colored sheets of high-strength steel and other elements. Its armor tends to be heavier, thicker, and darker in color; covering the vast majority of the station like scale mail.

  -|- -|- -|-

  Fun Fact #6: The user's willpower, or mental fortitude, does have a very real consequence in Universe Online. The desire to do things can bring forth the desired outcome… For a price.

  Chapter 6 – Planetfall

  I quickly check the details of the quest, and purse my lips a bit. The Quest Rank scares me. It’s a common thing in all sorts of role-playing games, and not just VR's. Usually starting with Rank F for the most common and easily achieved, each progressively higher rank is harder, tougher.