Universe Online - Enter the Game: Complete Edition (19 page)

I cannot help but grumble a bit at the slow speed. I'm definitely ready for more human interaction. Or at least something to do, or watch, or read. Something constructive, instead of staring out of the monitors into empty space.

Well, a nap qualifies, I guess.

-|- -|- -|-

I wake up an hour out from orbit, and yawn as I stretch out in the suit. After blinking a few times and checking up on the system readouts on the console in front of me, I roll my shoulders and disengage the autopilot, taking it in on manual this time.

I need to learn how to do this stuff myself, now that I've wasted time in dream-land. Thankfully there wasn't any dreams. Even I know of the rumors of players having dark, foreboding dreams while sleeping in-game; foretelling disasters and tough fights or other things. Most of them are never good.

Still, even with manual control it's still a really smooth experience, and I do all the adjustments easily as the tug slides into orbit around the planet just a short time later. I have to slow my velocity and change the angle of approach a few times, but that's all part of the fun. Once I'm stable though, I turn back on the radio.

“Site Prime, Allec Rex. I'm in orbit now. Please transmit landing coordinates and any weather reports you have for my entry.”

The reply was almost instant. They must have been waiting for me, even though I'm actually a little while early from the 15 hours they had estimated.

”Allec, we're transmitting the information now. We don't have much on the weather though. There actually isn't a whole lot of weather left. The atmosphere is so thin that even high-speed winds feel more like a breeze down here. I have the crews out opening the airlock for you now.”

“Roger that, Site Prime. I'm on my way.”

It was easy and straightforward and the destination icon comes up almost instantly on my monitors. I plot the course and take her down.

The atmosphere really is thin, though. Like, even less than Mars thin. It’s only because of the continual outgassing from where the crust was cracked all the way to the planet's mantle that there is any atmosphere at all, if I had to take a guess.

Most of it is carbon dioxide and a few other gases.

But what really gets me is the radiation readings as I make my way downward to the surface.

Some of them are so hot that their temperatures are still thousands of degrees. Hot enough to turn my ship into slag if I try to approach them. Just what sort of weapons caused this sort of damage?! Even nukes aren't able to do that over a time period of five hundred years!

I steer my ship away from all of those spots I come across while slowly heading toward site Prime. Along the way the ship is constantly scanning the surface and updating all the information.

The planet really is trashed. There's almost no way that it could become habitable again for the next several thousand years, if it is possible at all. Screw terraforming. Everyone needs to get the hell out.

Drune should be renamed Hell. It’s an apt description.

The surface is broken and ridged or smashed flat with craters hundreds or thousands of feet in radius. Lava flows from the mantle are obvious, as well. The seas are dead, and even my deepest scans don't show a speck of life at all, although there may still be some in the deeper areas.

I'm amazed the planet doesn't glow green from all the radiation.

I finally reach where I'm going, and find that the place is buried in the base of a mountain range. It takes me a moment to pinpoint the location with my eyes though, cause the ground is so broken and crumbled that it’s difficult to make out fine details from the height I'm hovering at.

But it's there, a large open airlock going into the mountainside. I pilot my tug in, taking care to not crash.

Inside, I have to stop as the large airlock cycles. Then the inner hatch opens and I drive into the docking bay, which is almost as large as the bay I had found the Tugs in. I set down within the area marked out in flashing red and green lights, and after making sure it's all good, I shut off the engines.

I'm finally on, or rather in a planet.

I've made Planetfall.

It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

At least until I look at the monitors and get another shock. The bay is a mess. The metal walls and the floor have large patches of rust, and in some spots there aren't any plates at all, revealing slightly steaming rock beneath the structure.

There are crates and bits and pieces of machinery spread out all over the place. The results of cannibalism in order to repair more critical systems, no doubt. Even the heavy loading cranes that once ran along the ceiling have been torn apart and left as rusting carcasses, a sure sign of desperation.

I also notice a large group of a hundred or so people standing around or staring toward my ship. Most of them are wide-eyed and slack-jawed; but others have the hard bitten look of desperate men and women.

They are also wearing what is basically rags. Or ripped jackets or other such garments. It’s a sad fact to see. They look like beggars. Only the good-looking mechanical suits they are wearing seem to be in any decent state of repair. But it's not surprising. Simply moving around requires the assistance of those.

They could probably be more important than food down here.

Some of them are even wearing full mechanical suits that have the look of marine power armor. Possibly guards or security. They're most of the ones that have come up to my ship, encircling it. No apparent weapons though. But then I really cannot tell, either.

I power down the ship and unbuckle myself from the seat, leaving my helmet where it is for the time being beside the console. These people aren't wearing them, so I doubt I need to either.

I climb down, and step into the airlock after checking on my inventory and things.

The airlock cycles through, and the outer hatch opens after a moment and I step out.

And come face-to-face with the first member of my starting race.

The man is tall and thin. Lanky. And gaunt, either from lack of food or worry. He has light blond hair that hangs down to his shoulders and a full beard. And piercing gray eyes. He's dressed like most of the others, but has a large patch over his heart. A commander's badge or the like, perhaps?

Around me, several of the people gasp as they take in my looks and features. Several of them exclaim, obviously surprised to see another Drune Rex like the rest of them. The guards simply remain still and silent in their suits though.

“Ah. Hello. I'm Allec Rex.” I say, trying to break the ice. The atmosphere is heavy and the people really don't know how to take all of this.

But almost as soon as the words leave my mouth, I find myself face-to-face with the barrel of a small laser pistol. Pointed right at my head by the man in front of me.

“Sorry, Allec, but we have to be sure.” The man says, and I instantly recognize his voice from the radio.

I stiffen, but let out a breath after a moment.

“Be sure of what, if I may ask?”

The man stares at me for a long moment before answering.

“That you aren't Drex.”

-|- -|- -|-

Fun Fact #7: Getting things into space is fairly easy; making sure they survive the return to earth is far, far harder.

I stare at the man who's pointing a very real, very scary looking laser pistol at my head. At short range, it looks like the barrel of a freakin' rifle. Yeah, you could say that I'm more scared of that small piece of high-tech equipment (actually a rather basic pistol) than I am of any swords, warhammers, or magic I've come across in the other games.

But at the same time, that analytical part in the back of my mind is telling me that there isn't any reason to worry. They wouldn't resort to such drastic measures without reason. And I cannot even bring myself to blame them. But there is a single problem with that.

“Do I look like some armored space monster with tentacles?”

Yep, I cannot help but blurt out my thought, and it actually brings a wry smile to the guy. One that is still determined, though.

“It seems you really don't know. How did you end up on Archon Station without knowing? Are there others?”

He asks his own questions but hasn't answered mine, damnit. I hate that sort of shit. But I don't blow my top and simply shake my head.

“In all honesty, I don't know. I woke up in an escape capsule that had crashed through the stations hull along the outer ring. No one else. Not even anyone in the cockpit. I've been surviving on my own for several days now. I'd only just found this Mining Tug while searching for water when I received your message for help.”

I say, motioning with my chin to the tug behind me. No one has bothered to approach it, so it doesn't seem like they intend to loot my ass right this moment. Too bad that the gun doesn't move an inch, and I stand there, unarmed.

“Huh. Probably from one of the Voyager ships then. The old ones put the crew and colonists into cryo-sleep during the voyage, and the downside is the memory loss that comes with that tech. Anyway, you don't have to be so stiff. This is just a safety precaution. All we need is a blood sample from you.”

Okay, so that makes a bit more sense. In most games, players are considered 'outsiders' or 'travelers' or the like, beings from other worlds who are capable of things that most NPC's aren't.

In Universe Online, it’s set up so that even the players are perceived to be normal, with various circumstances that introduce them to the game. For me, it's apparently a colonist or the like who lost his memory. Works for me.

It’s simple enough to remember, as well.

“Ah, fair enough.” I say while relaxing, before asking the next important question.

“Okay, so why the check to see if I'm a Drex? I thought it was a totally different species. I even found dead Drex bodies on the station. So dried out that even the armor crumbled into dust with a touch.”

I basically ask the same question again, and this time one of the man's brows raises over his right eye. He obviously hadn't known that there had been boarders in whatever disaster had happened that left the station abandoned.

“Just wait a minute. Hey! Where's Silene!? Tell her to get her ass over here, we're wasting time!”

He suddenly yells, and the people around us, including the guards shift a bit. No one answers, though. Whoever this Silene person is, there seems to be some drama there.

“Why the hell are you yelling for me, Andrix! You know I'm trying to save our asses, right?!”

The woman that suddenly appeared out of one of the conjoining hallways is a short, petite thing wearing a real, honest to god white lab coat over her clothing and underneath her mechanical suit. A suit so modified with added gizmos that it’s hard to tell its original structure.

Dark hair, bordering on black, and blue eyes. She's cute, but only stands to about my waist. And even thinner than I am. It doesn't stop her from sporting a rack that'd make most professional Madame's jealous, though. And that bounce! Shit, I'm tempted to shield my eyes.

Even in lower gravity, it’s still impressive, to say the least. Or maybe the lower gravity is the reason why it’s capable of doing the slow-vertical motion you'd find in old TV shows. Yeah, it’s just like that.

“Ugh. Shut up and get over here with the testing kit, already. I'm getting tired of standing here with this freaking pistol. This is the new guy from Archon Station, Allec Rex. I just want to get this done and over with.” Andrix's voice shows more than a little fatigue and impatience, and it’s easy to understand why.

Only a week to live, with no hope for salvation in sight. Except for me.

“We don't need some unknown John who's claiming our ancestors achievements as his own, Andrix. He obviously cannot be Drex, he isn't even.... Oh. I guess I'm wrong on that. He is Rexian.”

The woman was putting on a tirade, until she finally looked at me and her jaw dropped. Andrix on the other hand actually raises his free hand to his face, as if to say 'What-can-I-say?'. Obviously a derp moment. I could actually laugh, if the gun wasn't still leveled at me.

“Just get it done already, I don't care if Allec here claims the entire solar system, so long as we get what we need to survive. He even has space to take some people up to the Archon, you know. Or rather, you would know if you bothered to check your comms message queue.”

Andrix's words snap the scientist out of her silence and her face lights up like a 100 watt light-bulb. Ah, cute. I don't say it though. I'm not sure I want to be involved with someone who doesn't even check their messages.

“Fine, fine. Allec, right? Just hold out your arm. Aah, that's a nice space suit you got there. It even has access patches for medical treatment! Nice. Here, don't be a wuss.” The woman talks and I hold out my arm, which she promptly snatches. She's more interested in my space suit, but she does pull out a small machine that has a needle on it.

With a fluid motion, she pushes it into one of the soft membrane patches just below my elbow. I barely feel a prick, and the machine lights up. After a moment she pulls it out and checks the readout.

“Well, I'll be damned. He's Drune Rex alright. The finest specimen I've ever seen, to boot. Whoa! Genetic purity is over 100%! Impossible! Hey, hey! What the hell is going on!”

She starts to yell and looks between me and Andrix, who's recovering from his own shock. Genetic purity? What the hell? I look between them and raise my own eyebrow.

Finally Andrix lowers the laser pistol, stashing it back in the holster on his waist before letting out a long breath. It seems I'm safe, but there are definitely more questions than answers.

“Okay, so can someone tell me why I was just tested for being a Drex, and why the hell my genetic makeup has anything to do with it? A blood pathogen, I can understand. A space virus, cool but creepy, sure. But my DNA? Really?”

Yep, I go off now that I'm no longer pinned in place with a weapon in my face. Ah, sweet release. I can never get used to high-tension situations. Comes from a lack of personal reference in real life, I imagine.

“Very well, I'll explain. But can we get to work in the meantime? You said you brought materials for us.” Andrix's words seem to relax everyone, and even the guards shift from their formal, stiffen readiness; some even start chatting amongst themselves behind me.

“Okay, over here.” I say, leading them to the tug and using the access panel on the side of the ship to open the cargo hold. Inside are nearly three dozen crates and metal panels and struts that didn’t fit into crates. Thousands of E-Creds worth of stuff.

“This was all I could bring at the moment. I currently have a couple of worker bots up on the station taking inventory and gathering more.” I say, waving to what's in there. Most of it is basic stuff, but I can see the gleam in every eye that sees it. All of it is new and in good condition.

Andrix snaps out of it quickly and waves over to the group who'd stayed behind. “Get the lifters over here, now! I want these supplies sorted and inventoried, now! Tell the techs to get out their tools, there's work to do!”

Wow, he really sounds like he's in command, and only then does he turn back to me with a sheepish look on his face.

“Sorry about all of that, Allec. I'm Andrix, and I'm the nominated commander for Shelter Site Prime. Thank you for being patient with us. This is Silene, our leading biologist, geneticist, and all around rabble-rouser.”

“Hey, that last part wasn't needed, Andrix!”

He chuckles and holds out his hand, and I shake it with a slight smile.

“It’s alright. I'm Allec. I'm happy to help, and get help in the process.” I say, although I look at Silene who's pouting behind Andrix's back.

“A biologist, huh? Could you identify these, or know someone down here who can?” I say after releasing Andrix's hand, pulling out the large packet of seeds from my inventory.

“Seeds, huh? I'm not a botanist, but I'll give it a shot.” She says nonchalantly, but still takes the packet with a gleam in her eyes.

She opens it up and promptly dumps it into another boxy device she pulled out of somewhere, which lights up and starts beeping and chirping.

“Boss! Some of these are too heavy for the lifters! We gotta bring out the grav-bots!”

A man yells, and Andrix gives a quick response. It seems nothing is going to be spared for those resources. Several dozen people are going through them already, as well, some holding scanners or other devices while others are doing eye-spot inspections on the goods. Many of them are cheering and calling out their finds. Something so simple seems to have brought life back to these people.

“Ah! This is... Awesome! Look! This one is the seed to a Gatula tree! And this one is for the Tribus root! Aaah! Seaweed too! There's so many!” Silene starts going off too, spouting names that I try to remember as she identifies the seeds.

Even Andrix's attention is drawn to her outburst, and he starts grinning.

“As I said before, we lost almost every native species on the planet during the bombardment. Our ancestors didn't have time to do anything but get to the shelters and what was already stocked in them. Emergency supplies and the like. No one thought that we'd be unable to resettle the surface though. It was a great loss.”

With that explanation I nod my head. I'd seen first-hand the destruction on the surface. What it was like five hundred years ago... I cannot imagine. Nor do I wish to.

“This is Druxian Corn and Primla Silk plant! Oh my! The botanists and farmers are going to have a field day! If we can cultivate these...! And there's still so many more! Flowers, real honest to god flowers! Over twenty species of trees! Fruits and tubers and more!”

It seems there was more variety in the packet than I had thought. Good thing I had brought 'em down here instead of trying to plant them myself up on the station. I never would have figured out which was which.

Silene's yelling has caught the attention of others, as well, and they join in with making a fuss. Apparently not only are their diets restricted in the shelter, they have no form of relaxation or other plant life at all. That's a sad thing. Even in space, humans cannot live without such things. A natural environment is ideal to unwind.

“Well, I'm glad they'll come in handy. They need to be sorted and we gotta figure out which to use as quickly as possible. I plan to help you guys set up a hydroponics facility.”

I speak with a smile, and Silene looks up at me with a grin on her cute face.

“We thought of doing that centuries ago, but we didn't have any starting plants we could use. I'm sick and tired of eating beans. I'll take this to the botanists right away.” It seems that when something has caught her attention, she chases after it without looking backwards.

Well, whatever. It fits her personality anyway.

Andrix simply waves her off.

“Oi! We got rations here, Boss! Four crates of a thousand each!” Another man calls out before I could talk to Andrix, and he turns and looks at me.

I grin back and explain.