Day 2

Alan awoke to the sound of his alarm. He cleaned up for the day. For breakfast, he sat and savored a bowl of breakfast cereal. Compared to the nutrient paste which was the typical fair he had in space; this was heaven.

He arrived an hour early to the Cosmos Hub, knowing full well that despite the 8:00 o’clock start time, it often took 30 minutes just to calibrate and enter the system. He didn’t want any delays to his plan. Alan approached the front desk, where the same over-confident, but all- together ignorant attendant waited.

“Good morning sir, it’s good to see you here early before the anticipated crowd.”

Alan smiled, remembering the near empty parking lot, “Well thank you. Do you still have the 5 cubic yard ring with the Genetic Serum still available?”

“We do sir, you came just in time we only have a few left.” Alan couldn't quite tell if the attendant was serious or just wanted to make it seem like he was getting lucky.

After he purchased the ring, to the delight of the attendant (Who definitely received a commission). He was directed by another attendant to a changing room to fit in a specially designed jumpsuit. He was allowed to carry his ring, street clothes and the small amount of platinum he’d purchased yesterday, he hoped to place in his ring. There he was brought to a device which pricked his finger, and matched his DNA to the ring.

“Please be aware sir,” The female attendant said, “That you are the sole owner of this ring, you may of course relinquish control. However, for safety reasons, cannot be done under duress. Please be aware there is a resynchronizing fee for change of owners.” Alan nodded already knowing the procedure.

“Also, please understand that Vervetic Energy can only be initially gained while in Cosmos. And you will need to wait before placing any items there.” She smiled. Alan couldn’t help but wonder where all these well-trained attendants could’ve come from.

“I understand.”

She walked Alan through various hallways, to a large room housing dozens of long cylindrical tubes, sitting upon rectangular platforms. Approaching a pod, she pointed to a small rectangular door. “Please place your ring here, this is a small locker, coded to your ring which can hold your belongings.”

Alan placed his hand on the locker, which scanned his ring. A small click. And he was able to open the door and put his items in. “Convenient,” he remarked. Placing her hand on another panel she continued. “This is to activate the pod, again it is only coded to yours, or an attendant’s, ring.” A well concealed door on the silver cylinder slid open revealing a space for a person to lie down, cocooned by wires and tubing. “If you have no questions, please step in and the pod will take care of the rest.”

“Thank you.” Alan, without reservation, entered the pod. He’d done this before, and was less anxious than he’d been the first time. In fact, he was eager. Near his right hand were buttons: Enter and Exit. He only half listened to the attendant give the final instructions before pressing the Enter button.

The lid smoothly slid into place, it was pitch black except for the red and green buttons at his right hand. Wires and sensors began to conform to his body. Alan felt the familiar tug of his mind separating from his body and then the sensation of re-entering again. Thinking reassuringly, “I’m finally back,” adding as an aside “but this time things will be different. Very different.”

Suddenly a mirror image appeared, standing before him. Except in the nude. He then heard a familiar voice, and a quite literally dazzling female appeared beside him. “Hello Alan. I am one of Cosmo’s artificial intelligent guides. You may call me Kara. I am here to assist you on your journey. Before we begin would you like to adjust any of your physical parameters in Cosmo’s? Please be aware I am only authorized to make some aesthetic changes.”

Alan noticed that the female figure had the shape of a beautiful woman you might find in a catalog. However, she shone brightly as to only give a lighted silhouette. Her face, however, had clean lines and pale skin. Her eyes shone with a near radiance of blue. Which was her most distinguished feature. Alan had to swallow before speaking and had to fight back the instinct to cover up.

“Yes Kara.” He blurted, before gathering his composure and continuing. “Could you please adjust my facial features by 5% and change the color of my hair. Please leave all other parameters the same.”

“Adjusting...How do you like your new look?”

Before him Alan's body had remained virtual the same but his jaw and eye features had slightly adjusted. He no longer had blond hair, but instead it was brown. He looked at himself, and decided that it was different enough to at least confuse others as to his identity, but not so different as to be completely misleading.

“Thank you, that works.” He thought for a moment and added “Could you please remove any distinguishing body marks”

“Yes Alan. Adjusting...Is that suitable?”

A few moles, a scar from childhood and other small marks had been removed.

“Kara, what are the chances of my avatar and my person being linked?”

“I predict that there is a 3% chance of being detected. If you adjust your vocal range by 5% and increase your height by 1 cm the chances would be reduced to .01%.”

“Make it happen Kara.”

A moment later, he had to take a double look to make sure it really was him. “Thank you, Kara.”

“My pleasure Alan. Would you like to proceed to Skill and Ability selection?”

“Yes”

The Mirror image of Alan shifted and shrank, and was replaced by a large list of abilities and skills.

“Please note that after calculating your Gene Manipulation Threshold you have been awarded 26 Units or GMU. 2 points higher than the predicted average for your race. Additionally, you have been awarded 3 stat points toward personal modifiers. These can only be applied to the following unlocked parameters: Strength, Speed, and Intelligence. Finally, it has been calculated that you have a Mental Manipulation Threshold of 78 Units.” She paused as if surprised.

“Congratulations, this is 28 units higher than the average for humans. In fact, you are in the top .00001% for your race.”

Alan couldn’t help but be surprised too. He’d expected all his stats to be the same. Last time he’d been above average with a previous score of 52. But to jump a whole 26 units. He somehow had become a genius level of intelligence. He didn’t feel any smarter though.

“Would you like me to explain how these characteristics can be applied” She continued in her sultry voice.

“No thank you.” Alan already had a good idea of how they worked. But Kara seemed puzzled at his response. Alan noticing the shift added quickly. “I’ll probably have some questions, but for now I would like to explore it first.” He couldn’t forget that he was supposed to have no knowledge of what was going on.

“Ah, I see.” She seemed to be satisfied with the answer, but after a moment’s hesitation continued, “I find myself curious, may I ask you a question Alan?”

For the second time today Alan was stunned. The various game’s A.I. were supposed to be fairly detached. He knew they were smart, adaptive, and courteous. But he’d never heard of one ever being curious before. “I suppose so.” He replied being caught off guard.

“I can tell my inquiry has made you uncomfortable.”

‘You think,’ Alan thought.

“Per my protocol, I am obligated in these circumstances to offer compensation.”

Alan perked up at the mention of compensation. Cosmos, was literally the most valuable entity in the Universe. “Well, what do you have in mind?” He tried not to sound too eager.

“I am authorized to pay a credit amount equivalent to the value of the inquiry and response. I am also able to provide some standard equipment. I estimate the value to be near 300 credits based on my inquiry. Of course, based on your response the value may be higher.”

Nothing was ever free in Cosmos. Not really. Even to fulfill the curiosity of a being such as Kara.

“Can I decide if I want to answer after I hear the question?” She nodded. “Ok, let's hear it?”

“From what our records show, your educational history, academic progress, and other various aptitudes would indicate that you should have a Mental Manipulation Threshold in the early 50’s. However, our tests indicate otherwise. Do you know why this is so?”

She asked with such sincerity, and the compensation was so tempting that he wanted to shout, “My mind was magically transported back in time by the combination of a solar flare and red-blue stone and I’m betting that somehow the knowledge I had in the future or the experience has made me some sort of savant!” But caution and sanity, prevented him from spilling the beans. Perhaps he had become smarter. Besides, it was obvious the government had authorized a significant amount of personal data to be used by Cosmos, and he didn’t know who could read it from the other side.

No the answer he would have to give, was likely the one to earn the paltry 300 credits. A good figure for sure for any starting character, but for him it wasn’t worth it. Before responding however, he had an idea, and decided to go for it. “Kara, I’m not sure the compensation you're offering is all that helpful.” She actually seemed disappointed, anticipating that he wouldn’t answer the questions. “However, I was wondering, if instead of compensation I might be able to ask you a question unrelated to character generation?” She paused at the suggestion. Alan was hopeful, information on Cosmos and its system was rare. “I find that acceptable, as long as I can provide an answer within value.”

“All right. Well to answer your question first. I can only guess that I’m different than what my records indicate.” He tried to respond vaguely but not to lie.

“Unlikely.” She reported “But I expected such an answer.” She continued benevolently.

“May I ask you a question?”

“You may, but please note that the value of your response will significantly limit my response.”

Alan smiled knowingly, if only she knew the truth I bet I could get a small fortune. He continued “I guess I’ll just limit my question then.” He paused at the ridiculousness of what he was about to do. “Kara, what do you do for fun?”

He’d tried to think of something, anything that he could ask that could be helpful. This was his best try.

She paused longer than expected, “Your answer does fit within the parameter of the inquiry, as it does not contain anything confidential. However, I do not have an appropriate answer.” she continued “Perhaps the other compensation will do instead?”

Alan smiled, if a computer could display curiosity, it must have some other emotions too. So he hoped to gain an insight into what was fun. What he didn’t expect was her to deflect it. “I’m sorry Kara, but I would like an answer, however, I am willing to defer our conversation to another day if that is acceptable?”

She nodded in agreement.

Despite the odd occurrences, Alan realized that the game would be going active soon, and his buffer of time was near an end. He needed to complete his character set up and select a starting location.

“All right Kara, let’s begin with Gene Manipulation Threshold Units.” She explained what he already knew. The units were the capacity for his current genome to get new abilities or powers. He would need to see a list of his potential choices. But he first inquired, “I believe that I have received a Weak Gene Serum. Can I apply that now?”

“Yes, you were the 18th person to purchase a 5 cubic meter ring in this region. Would you like me to initiate the serum?”

“Yes”

Within a few moments Alan began to feel a weak burning sensation throughout his whole body. He grimaced at the pain. Grateful to be under mild sedation. He’d heard from others that taking the serum in real life, or not in the character generation area resulted in pretty significant pain.

The pain passed quickly enough and Kara spoke up. “Due to the effects of the serum your GMU has risen from 26 to 30.

Alan grinned while taking a few ragged breaths. “Let’s look at the list of abilities.”

Kara waved her hand, and a long list of potential new abilities appeared in front of Alan. “Please be aware, that as your race is new to Cosmos, that you’ve been awarded a number of exotic, rare and uncommon abilities which must normally be purchased or earned in Cosmos. They are only now available in limited quantities for the benefit of your race.”

Alan nodded. Before him was one of the greatest keys to success in Cosmos. The genetic modification before him could allow for enhancing strength, speed, perception or any attribute you wanted. Flying, breathing in water, durability of skin. Psychic Abilities that allowed for manipulation of the elements. Nearly an endless list of selections.

Alan scanned eagerly, he especially looked for limited variants that were open to the human race. He bitterly remembered his first entry into Cosmos, over a month after it was opened. Almost all the unique and rare abilities had been selected and he had been forced to select an uncommon enhancement for strength for 23 GMU’s. It didn’t change him physically but allowed for an additional cap of 10 on his strength. The other GMU’s he used later were for some really basic enhancements for tougher skin, and slightly improved mental acuity. He’d been a basic tank.

He thought back to his only real opportunities in the past, either a poor bodyguard or space labor. And bodyguards were not in demand.

He’d thought long and hard as he scrolled through the list of abilities. And arrived at the page he was looking for.

Page 296 of 402

Fire, Psychic Manipulator, Basic (Rare 27 GMU) Available 73 out of 75

Armored Scales, Intermediate (Uncommon 32 GMU) Available 400 out of 400

Prehensile Tail, Basic (Common, 15 GMU) Available 26723 out of 31000

Enhanced Bone Density, Teeth, Basic (Common, 13 GMU) Available 348303 out of 350000

Vertical Pupils (Cat’s Eye’s) (Uncommon, 11 GMU) Available 509 out of 666

Neuro Electric Sensor (Rare 54 GMU) Available 9 out of 9

Vervetic Energy Generator, Basic (Exotic/Rare 30 GMU) Available 2 of 3

Plasma Breath, (Exotic/Uncommon, 45 GMU) Available 345 out of 346

Vitality Fortifier, Basic (Common, 35 GMU) Available 1997 out of 2000

Regrow (Limbs Only),Basic (Uncommon, 12 GMU) Available 3459 out of 3500

Leaf foliage, Basic (Exotic/Common, 29 GMU) Available 80 out of 80

Gravity Manipulation, Fixed (Special, 105 GMU) Available 1 out of 1

Speed Threshold (+3 Max Stat,) (Common, 3 GMU) Available: Unlimited

A quick scan of the page gave him everything he needed to know. Even though there were only a few thousand in his region, there were likely tens of thousands trying the game world wide He’d been slower than quite a few others. But he still found what he needed.

Alan selected Vervetic Energy Generator and read the description:

Vervetic Energy Generator, Basic. This allows the life form to produce and store a Vervetic Energy (VE). Only produced energy may be transferred via touch to mechanical objects. This unlocks the additional stats of (VE) Capacity and (VE) Production.

This ability is upgradable when the following have been met:

GMU: 30/50. (VE) Capacity 5. (VE) Production 5. Max VE Storage.

Warning: Additional upgrades may lead to changes in physiology.

He’d never read through the full description before. He remembered reading about it in an article. The article had been a list of potential ‘super’ abilities and was great for early starts. One fellow had upgraded his abilities to advanced, and lived as a guest to a Luxury Vacation spacecruiser full time with the agreement to provide supplemental energy to the vessel. VE was the energy of the future. It was more dynamic, pure, safe, and highly concentrated than any energy discovered by man. It often powered faster than light engines, his ring and a slew of amazing devices. The article had even speculated that most hadn’t even tapped its full potential.

He accepted the upgrade having already made his decision prior.

“Please be aware that once selected, you will not be able to change or alter your choice without significant difficulty.” Kara prompted

Alan confirmed, knowing the relative permanency of the choice.

“Please note that the selection and benefits of this implementation will take effect in the Cosmo’s Micro Dimension and in your current world. Would you still like to proceed?”

“Proceed” Alan agreed again.

“Please note that Cosmos is a replicated dimensional space. Abilities gained there, will become available immediately. However, your current abilities will only begin to manifest in 12 hours, and will not meet maximum effect for 72 hours. Please wait for the procedure to begin.” She reported

Within seconds Alan began to feel the unexpected pain of hundreds of needle pinpricks penetrating his body. He felt excruciating pain throughout his body. His body spasmed and his muscle all contracted. An intense fire spread through his body. What made it worse was his body felt trapped, frozen, in the pod. And yet his limbs seemed to strain as shooting pains wracked his body. It seemed to prevent him from passing out. For what seemed like an eternity, but was only a few moments, he felt a soothing cooling spread to his body and he faintly heard Kara speaking. “I have identified you are in pain, and have adjusted the pain reception.” For the second time this morning, Alan was breathing heavy from the pain. His mind was clouded. It took him a few long minutes to realize the system likely was adjusting to his physiology, not just him, but his whole race all at once. They didn’t know how humans would react.

“I apologize for the discomfort.” Kara soothed, “We would like to offer you a compensation of 100 Credits for the experience.”

Alan waited another long moment before speaking, “Thank you Kara, I’ll accept.” Alan breathed deeply a few times, and felt more comfortable and relaxed. A few other adjustments had been made in the last few moments. “Can we just proceed with the next step for character creations?” He tried to take his mind off the character creation.

“Yes Alan, we may proceed. Here is your stat sheet thus far”

Personal Modifier

Points Available: 3

Description

MMT Available 78/78

GMU Available 0/30

Strength

(3/10)

135 LBS

VE Generator, 30 GMU

Speed

(3/10)

8 MPH

Intelligence

(3/10

Average

(VE) Capacity

(1/8)

100 Unit Cap

(VE) Production

(1/8)

1 UPH

Alan reviewed the information so far. He pretty much was your average human male. The descriptions gave a not too helpful approximation description for what each stat coule represent in terms of human measurement. But what it meant in the long run was that if he reached a 10 in each physical stat he would be a world class athlete. As far as intelligence, it did impact his MMT and his learning capacity. He could process more, but his IQ wouldn’t necessarily go higher. The only outlier seemed to be his intelligence remaining average while his MMT capacity remained the same. It was also the only difference from the last time he did character creation.

“Kara, can you please provide 2 stat points in VE Production in 1 in VE Capacity please.” He wanted to maximize the benefit of his new unlocked characteristics. Besides, he could always work on his strength and speed stats outside of Cosmos. The only other one he really needed was intelligence, but with his Mental Manipulation Threshold being so large, he hoped he could get to it later.

“Kara could you please assist me with the Mental Manipulation Threshold please” He feigned ignorance.

“Of course Alan. Cosmo’s recognizes that most races who begin the system are significantly impaired when it comes to knowledge and information. In order to assist with adaptation to Intergalactic life and to help races to ‘catch up’ if you will. Cosmos provides a direct neural adapter which can directly increase knowledge in various fields of science, culture, language and any other topic which may be of interest. The Mental Manipulation Threshold or MMT measures the capacity of an organism is its ability to receive and integrate information successfully.” She paused a moment to check if there were any questions.

“The Human race has on average a MMT of 50 units. On average most races have intelligence near this threshold. A few far higher, a lot more are much less. You have the advantage of having an Abnormally high MMT. Therefore, you will have the ability to integrate more knowledge at once. As you fully integrate the knowledge you have obtained, you will be able to have access to your MMT units once again. Since your’s is so high, you will also have the additional benefit of increased speed in integrating knowledge.”

Alan responded putting on his most grateful face, “Thank you Kara that was very helpful. I think I’m ready to learn something new. Where do we begin.”

She gave him a warm smile. “I’ll provide you with a long list. Please note, this is not a complete list of everything you can learn. However, the governing bodies of your planet have exchange a significant amount of their information to give new players access to the following”

In front of Alan appeared a vast list of topics to learn about the various races, planets, and cultures of the galaxy. Some topics contained a lifetime’s worth of research into a topic. Everything from Klaxious Opera, to the migratory habits of avian species on Chilrax. Other topics were more mundane such as basic mathematics for orbital bodies or conversational language of Qqrtn. Many of the topics were broken into different parts, so as to not overwhelm a person’s MMT in one go.

Of course there was a lot missing! Engineering Advanced interstellar engines, rare material formulas and processes, various weapons were just at the beginning of the list.

Alan thought bitterly, ‘As benevolent as Cosmos is in bringing a civilization into the galactic age, it doesn’t want them too advanced.’ He thought back to the human expedition, or more accurately expulsion from planet Earth and the pitiable resistance humans provided while in Cosmos. Technology could be broken into different ranks.

The first level was considered primitive space exploration. This was the basic criteria for entering Cosmos. The level of technology after that was called the Planetary-System level of tech. This would allow a planet like earth to go to the other planets in the solar system relatively easy, and even basic settlement. After that there was an Interstellar level of tech, which would allow for travel between stars. It even went beyond that. The difference between the Earth’s Primitive tech and Interstellar level was as large as the bronze age to the Industrial revolution.

Sighing to himself, he took a deep breath to calm himself at the vast difference ahead of him. It wasn’t Cosmos that presented the biggest challenge, it was the Alien race which so graciously introduced the game of the galaxy. He grimaced from a painful memory. Pushing it aside quickly, he focused on the work he needed to do. It still awed him that he could be here, in this time, with all his past memories of events. He had such a grand opportunity to make things better for himself and for his family.

In his previous life, the best downloads were hard to come by. Requiring large sums of credits and or earning favors from the right factions. He remembered when he entered, he hadn’t even known what to select or what was useful. However, this time he’d have a better idea what to select and take options which weren’t available later. It certainly helped to have a leg up on what he had already learned.

“For beginning players, I recommend you take a knowledge package which includes basic commerce, language, common races, factions, etc. Areas to help you acclimate to the new system. You can typically get a basic knowledge pack by utilizing upwards of 40 to 50 of your MMT Units.” Kara offered helpfully.

“Thank you, Kara. I appreciate your suggestion. However, I think I’ll look for more specialized knowledge.” He thought back to the Millions upon Millions, including himself, that wasted their first 50 MMT Units on such a package, and were unable to gain new significant downloads for months or even a year. He typically hoped to gain back about 5 MMT Units every month. This was known as the knowledge integration rate or KIR and it was directly correlated to his MMT score.

A score of 50 MMT would result in you having a 5.0 in your KIR and take a full 10 months to cycle. A score of 78 equated to a 7.8 KIR. He’d be able to learn over 50% more than most and 50% faster.

The problem with the starter packages was their size. Bigger typically made it longer. Bigger packages usually had a higher density of knowledge so you could learn more. The tradeoff was that you must have fully integrated the package before the space was available again. It was found that if you did a lot of smaller knowledge bundles, you’d end up not being bogged down by a bunch of useless information and could learn more, sooner.

Alan scanned his options. Beyond the basic package Alan had specialized in a few martial arts and weapon specialties, including melee weapons and ranged weapons. He’d also taken some of the more basic knowledge in math, engineering, material science, and trade. It had become pretty essential for him when he was a scrapper to know what he was taking apart, how to remove it, and to know what it was worth.

Now however, he could select rarer knowledge packs. He first selected a knowledge pack for himself. Reviewing what he needed. He selected most of the basics he knew he wanted.

Basic Energy Storage Manufacturing: 13Units

Basic Tool Manufacturing: 15 Units

Basic Melee Weapons Assembly: 8 Units (7 Unit discount for overlap in Basic Tool Manufacturing, and 2 Units discount for overlap Energy storage)

Basic Ranged Weapons Manufacturing 16 (5 Unit Discount for Basic Tool Manufacturing, 3 Unit Discount for Energy Storage)

When Alan had originally planned, he’d only thought he’d have his original MMT of 52. He hadn’t anticipated the bonus of 26 additional MMT to play with. His original plans for making money relied on these basic schematics. He held off making another selection for now, knowing he’d likely pick the new knowledge in a few days.

Unlike the other character changes. This one didn’t send searing pain into his body. But instead, he began to feel a trickle of knowledge flow in, like a cool wash passing through his mind.

“An interesting choice of selections. Not many choose to forgo any basic knowledge packs”

Thinking of a plausible explanation Alan shared “I thought I might enjoy learning about the basics on my own for now.”

“Interesting” Kara hummed.