Aces High (Reality Benders Book #6) LitRPG Series

by Michael Atamanov

  Chapter Eleven. Insurgents and Plans

  THE CONVERSATION wrapped up and I again found myself standing in the middle of the huge oval shaped Pyramid Contact Hall. The Engineer ran up alarmed and I confirmed that this time the call worked flawlessly, meanwhile forewarning the Miyelonian that we would soon be communicating with the real world.

  “I’ll get it all up and running, Captain Gnat!” Orun Va-Mart assured me, clearly inspired after successfully completing my last assignment.

  I then headed back to the frigate — the general’s tale of the expanding antimage rebellion needed consideration and consultation with Princess Minn-O La-Fin. Unfortunately, the shuttle was not on the station — it was being used by Eduard Boyko, who was back on the starship after finishing his shift in the laboratory. In theory, I could have summoned the Space Commando mentally and asked him to send the aircraft, but I decided to try something else — the laboratory was no more than a hundred feet from the starship and I could overcome that distance by pulling my body along with Telekinesis!

  Unfortunately, it didn’t work despite my best efforts. The artificial gravitation was already set to earth level and pulling toward the laboratory, so I didn’t have enough momentum to get off the surface. But no matter! I commanded the Small Relict Guard Drone to fly over and it ferried me to the starship so I got there regardless, levelling a few skills in the process:

  Machine Control skill increased to level one hundred eleven!

  Telekinesis skill increased to level ten!

  I found Eduard Boyko in the common room, for some reason sitting on a little sofa and embracing the scantily clad Dryad Nefertiti. Based on the way the redheaded hulk shuddered when I came in, his interaction with the NPC wife of another man was looking promising, and their captain had come at a very bad time for the necking couple. I wanted to say something to the Space Commando but... I considered it and decided not to. Actually, I had received several reports about Nefertiti fraternizing with all the men on the starship. Imran had particularly complained because the Dryad was nearly stalking him. She’d picked out the muscular Dagestani as above all others, standing watch in the corridors and constantly making him blush with her provocative behavior and revealing clothing (or rather lack thereof). Monogamy did not come naturally to Dryad-kind, so what I saw in the common room just explained why the NPC Dryad had not disappeared from the frigate after the death of her husband — her in-game connection to Kisly was not quite as strong as he might have liked.

  I found Princess Minn-O in my captain’s berth. My wayedda was sitting in an armchair in front of a mirror wearing the traditional robes of a magess of the La-Fin ruling dynasty and styling her beautiful silvery hair into some elaborate and complicated do. She was aided in this difficult endeavor by the diminutive San-Sano. When I came in, the Engineer’s assistant grew embarrassed and started getting ready to leave, but I stopped her. It would be a great help to have the perspective of a commoner from the magocratic world, even more so a native of a different directory.

  I told them what I’d just heard from General Ui-Taka. The number of rebels was growing every day at a simply exponential rate. The once local conflict centered around the arrested girl paladin from a different world had outgrown itself and was now a raging fire lapping at the whole planet and threatening to immerse the magocratic world in full-blown chaos. Acts of disobedience and attacks on mages had already been reported in twenty-six of the thirty-two directories. Several cities of the magocratic world had gone so far as to declare themselves fully liberated from “mage tyranny,” all while the raging mobs brutally slaughtered all individuals with magical abilities, their relatives, acquaintances, sympathizers and those who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. In response the mage rulers had launched nuclear rocket strikes, wiping such disobedient cities from the face of the planet. And that had already happened over a dozen times.

  “Our First Directory has had but one such incident,” my wife assured me, batting her lashes innocently. “The small town of Il-Fes-Kho rose up and the out-of-control mob was executing mages and their families on the central square, a total of sixty-seven people. And for that, the town of three hundred thousand was obliterated two days ago as an example. And the rebels learned their lesson. No further massacres have occurred.”

  I couldn’t believe my ears! In my country, the army had destroyed a whole city, residents and all. Meanwhile, the La-Fin dynasty ruler considered three hundred thousand of her own citizens being murdered in cold blood to be utterly insignificant. She hadn’t even thought to tell me about it! I was very strongly displeased by that state of affairs. I furrowed my brows in dismay and ordered in a strict voice that any future punitive measures were to be carried out only with my explicit agreement. I even tried to communicate that mentally to make it stick in the Princess’s mind like a dogma, but... unexpectedly encountered strong mental resistance from my wayedda and backed off. As not to reveal my surprise about Minn-O’s impenetrable mental defenses, I turned my attention to San-Sano and asked her to tell me about the prevailing moods among the common people.

  “The citizenry of the First Directory is devotedly loyal to you, Coruler Gnat La-Fin. And they pray for the rebellion to be put down expeditiously,” the young girl shot out without so much as blinking an eye.

  “Come now, San-Sano. Drop the act. You are a poor liar!” I dismissed her utterly crude fib. “Know that it would be no challenge for me to extract whatever information I like from your head. But I do not want to get you in trouble with your acquaintances if their behavior is contrary to the law or might require the immediate intervention of authorities. And so, I ask you to tell me what you have seen and felt. No need to name names.”

  San-Sano looked at me miserably, sighed and suddenly admitted:

  “Okay, Coruler Gnat La-Fin. Members of the terrorist organization Emancipation from Mage Tyranny have in fact contacted me to suggest I murder you and your wife...”

  Gerd Minn-O La-Fin abruptly moved away from the girl who was combing her hair, even leaving a lock of silvery hair in the comb. A laser pistol instantly materialized in the Princess’s hands. But I stopped my wayedda with a gesture because I could sense San-Sano was speaking sincerely and there was no immediate threat.

  “They came into my home at night. I didn’t see any faces and could not identify anyone. But somehow, they knew I worked closely with the rulers of the First Directory and was in close contact with them. They thought we were connected outside the game as well, in the real world. I was told to plant explosives outside the Princess’s virt pod and tell them where Coruler Gnat enters the game. But I refused. First of all, I do not share their views. Second, I simply do not know what the criminals who broke into my home were hoping to accomplish. They spent some time trying to scare me, broke my nose...” she lowered her head and softened her voice to a whisper, “forced themselves on me and left. And the next morning I moved to a new apartment in a different district.”

  San-Sano fell silent, processing the tough memories, then breathed a heavy sigh and continued:

  “As for the question my Coruler asked about my acquaintances’ moods, I won’t lie. They vary. Most are apolitical and not planning to take part in any riots. Some are loyalists, who support the authorities. But around ten percent are prepared to take up arms to ‘earn their freedom from mage tyranny.’“

  Psionic skill increased to level one hundred seventeen!

  After San-Sano finished, she fell silent, awaiting the reactions of the two mage rulers with clear trepidation. Her statement, after all, verged on sedition. And I took my time with the answer. I told her I wouldn’t go digging around in her thoughts. But her thoughts turned out to contain critically important information for me and my family, so I studied them in the most attentive fashion, gleaning everything San-Sano knew about the tragic incident. I saw the masked faces of three people, heard their voices and tried to make sure the rapist scumbags would stick in my memory. Then I studied San-Sano�
�s thoughts. And she was scared to death though she was trying to stay positive. There could be no doubts. San-Sano was speaking the truth.

  “I suggest moving from the Fifth to the First Directory where I can provide you with personal security,” I promised the talented Engineer. “Then the rebels and the mage rulers of the La-Shin dynasty can no longer exert pressure over you. I’ll also arrange a virt pod in a secure location. I know the real-exit-point change procedure and can help. Okay, San-Sano. You’re free to go! Let me speak with my wife alone.”

  With clear relief, she exhaled and scurried out of the captain’s berth into the hallway nimble as a mouse. I had already locked the door and continued telling Minn-O what I found out from General Ui-Taka. In particular, the experienced Strategist had drawn my attention to the fact the rebels were shifting tactics. Tamara’s fanatics had previously been using partisan methods, attacking in small groups and vanishing when law enforcement showed up, only rarely gathering in large numbers. But all that started changing in the last few days. The rebels now felt strong and more courageous. In several directories there had been direct armed confrontations between large groups of rebels and military forces. And the professional troops had not emerged victorious anywhere near every time. Quite often the soldiers had actually refused to take up arms, and whole squadrons had defected to the rebel side.

  Given that, the ruler of the Second Directory General Ui-Taka, who was engaged in a grueling war against the five most powerful neighboring states, had decided to seize the convenient opportunity and seek the support of Tamara the girl paladin’s fanatic mobs. The highly experienced Strategist and favorite of the rank and file thought it was stupid and even dangerous to attempt to hold back the wave of popular anger, which was sweeping away everything in its path. He instead thought it wiser to go with the wave, and if possible even ride it. And for that very reason, the ruler of the Second Directory offered asylum and protection to Tamara the insurgent leader.

  However, as Leng Ui-Taka admitted in conversation with me, he had made a serious miscalculation. The armed fanatics he saw as new reserves for his army to help tame his hostile neighbors were far from burning with desire to stand on the front lines and defend the state which had given asylum to their leader. The rebels preferred to pillage and maraud, frequently targeting people who had nothing to do with the mage rulers and were merely law-abiding citizens of the Second Directory. The ruler had also failed to secure a personal meeting with Tamara — the wanted girl had started to act paranoid and cautious, concealing her location, refusing all personal meetings and contact. Tamara didn’t even speak in front of large groups in person anymore, instead having trusted technicians project a hologram of her, though it was quite realistic. And that very circumstance explained the several failed assassination attempts — it was impossible to kill a hologram, which was not in fact flesh and blood.

  In our conversation, the Strategist had even put forward a cautious guess that Tamara might no longer be alive. The leaders of the uprising only needed the girl paladin from another world as a symbol, the banner of their revolution. Tamara was perfectly suited to that role whether broadcasting live, previously recorded or computer animated. So, there was absolutely no reason to actually keep her alive. In fact it would actually be dangerous to allow that because power over the world that emerges after a revolution is a very particular trophy. And it is very hard to share.

  My talk with the general gave me very serious pause. Seemingly, my plan to draft half of the army of fifty thousand from the factions of the magocratic world could end up a complete fiasco. Given the expanding uprising, the mage rulers of the thirty-two directories would not want and in fact could not afford to share their most capable and loyal troops for a far-off space war — those rulers would need their armies to maintain their grip on power through the bloody turmoil.

  “Don’t you think we might need loyal troops ourselves?” Minn-O La-Fin reacted anxiously to the news that the Relict Faction would be providing up to eight thousand players for the army of the Geckho Third Strike Fleet.

  “Us?” I chuckled and tenderly adjusted a stray lock of her silvery hair. “We are in a somewhat different, more advantageous position than the rulers of the other directories. What was it General Ui-Taka said? It’s stupid to stand in the way of a wave that’s sweeping away everything in its path. Best to go with it or even ride it? Most residents of the magically imbued world firmly associate Tamara the Paladin with the ruler of the First Directory — as my comrade in arms from our former faction, as my agent in the magocratic world, a close friend and even lover.”

  The last word made the Princess cringe in dismay, but regardless she kept silent. I then continued laying out my idea:

  “Here it is also very handy that my frigate is called Tamara the Paladin, which provides further confirmation for the idea that Coruler Gnat La-Fin supports the actions of his supposed agent. And for that very reason, while negotiating with Leng Tarasov, I asked him to temporarily transfer the entire Second Legion under my command.”

  Minn-O La-Fin, who had started lifting a glass of water off the table, even choked and coughed with worry — that move came as a complete surprise to her. I then smiled:

  “Human-3 Faction leader Tarasov was also freaked out by that request, to put it lightly. Especially given I did not conceal my plans and honestly told him I was planning to redeploy all three hundred legionaries to the alternate magocratic world. It’s just that the Second Legion is so firmly associated with its former leader that Tamara’s troops coming under my command was the logical next step after bringing Tamara herself into the magocratic world.”

  “And what did Tarasov say in the end? did he agree?” the Princess inquired.

  “Leng Igor Tarasov replied that he would consult with the curators and get back to me with the cost of such an unexpected service. I think we will reach an agreement, given the Human-3 Faction will need a large amount of space currency to meet the Geckho’s demands, as well as weaponry and equipment — and that is exactly what we can offer in exchange for the loan of the Second Legion. And having Second Legion soldiers on my side could have very serious consequences. I know Tamara’s character very well. She may indeed be a fanatic, and doesn’t always think straight, but Tamara would never go to war against her own comrades in arms NO MATTER WHAT.”

  My wife considered it, then cautiously noted:

  “That may be so, my husband. Perhaps the Second Legion is our best defense. But what if General Ui-Taka is right and Tamara is long dead? What if your friend is nothing but a hologram, and the uprising is being orchestrated by completely different leaders to whom the words ‘Second Legion’ are little more than an empty sound?”

  “That somewhat contradicts what you said about Emancipation from Mage Tyranny appearing in the game as a faction — the only person who could form such a group would be Leng Tamara. But if Tamara was in fact murdered,” here I bared my teeth predatorily, “that would be a huge mistake on the part of the leaders of the uprising, because I could also deploy a virtual Tamara in the game! In that case, we could have our virtual girl paladin appearing on the news to say whatever we like, directing the fury of the masses wherever it pleases us. Furthermore, unlike the leaders of the uprising, we could prove that our Tamara is no hologram but made of flesh and blood. I know at least two entities in the game that bends reality who could easily substitute for Tamara without anyone noticing...”

  I was about to tell the Princess about Morphians and my plans to convince Fox or Vaa to play the role of Tamara the Paladin, but I was too late. A siren roared suddenly through the starship. Combat alert!!! And almost right away, violating my instruction to maintain radio silence, an agonized cry rang out in my headphones from Space Commando Eduard Boyko:

  “Enemies on ship!!!”

  Chapter Twelve. A Hatchet in Space Battle

  I SHOT LIKE a bullet into the corridor with my Annihilator at the ready, my helmet already donned, and my Listener suit’s energ
y shield activated. Not even a step behind me, Gerd Minn-O also rushed out with a laser pistol in her hands. Enemies? Where? I activated the Scanning icon and took a closer look at the mini-map.

  Scanning skill increased to level Seventy!

  Uhh... I only detected one enemy, and they were trapped in the corridor next to the destroyed cargo hold and engaged in a firefight with San-Sano and Eduard Boyko, who were taking cover. Furthermore, the enemy was labeled “Vahe-Gukko Composite. Level-134 Sentry-Parasite.” What a familiar name... It was the pilot of the small Dero interceptor we captured! Had the player set their respawn point on their own combat starship?! Taking that kind of risk was sheer madness! What if I had simply blasted the captured interceptor to smithereens instead of disassembling it and taking it onto my frigate? Then the pilot would be dead for good.

  With such thoughts in my head, I got close to the fighting, noting in passing the corpse of the NPC Dryad Nefertiti lying in the corridor, her head shot through. I also saw the white Kirsan fleeing up the vertical wall into a ventilation slit with a smoking hole in one of the metal centipede’s middle segments.

  “Captain, be careful! Don’t go around the corner! That thing has a forcefield and laser cannons mounted on its shell!” Eduard warned me while he changed the clip of the high-speed cannon attached to the right arm of his exoskeleton armor. As far as I could tell, he was changing from armor-piercing to electromagnetic rounds, which were more effective against robots and forcefields.

  I also saw that there were at least two laser marks on the Space Commando’s armor. The burned through melted holes on his shoulder armor looked very much like they came from heavy laser cannons. Seemingly, the forcefield of the Space Commando’s exoskeleton armor was already cracked, given the shot made contact with his armor. And Eduard had an amazing exoskeleton suit, one of the most expensive, advanced and sturdy, it even had a high-capacity energy barrier. The idea of simply leaving cover and taking fire while shooting the dangerous enemy from my Annihilator immediately seemed not so bright. And given my low accuracy with the gun, it was nowhere near guaranteed that the interceptor pilot would die first.