“What’s next?” Alan asked eagerly. He’d checked the time and realized Cosmos would be allowing people in a few minutes. Though there was no penalty for a delay. He hoped to be one of the first to enter.

Kara smiled “Not many are so eager to move forward as quickly as you. But there is only one final selection. Cosmos is the Gateway to the Galaxy, and within it are thousands upon thousands of planets. Though most are not available. As humans are just starting, there is a select variety of planets for you to select.” Dozens upon dozens of planets appeared around him. Each the size of his hand with a name appearing above it. Suddenly three of the planets moved forward to appear right before him growing to the size of a basketball. Not only their names, but with brief description.

“Here is a list of recommended planets you may select from”

These Alan remembered were 3 ‘ideal’ type planets. Somewhat safe planets generated by the game. Not always the same three, but he did recognize them all the same.

Name: Thrag

Condition: Near Virgin World

Climate: Tundra

Teach Level: None

Territory: Gallagos Empire

Description. Perfect for the world adventurer. There is plenty of claimable land, new species to discover, and resources to be had. It is far from most Galactic civilized worlds which will make it more difficult to advance. There are significant challenges related to cold temperature and isolation.

Name: Juellett

Condition: Pleasure Planet

Climate: Temperate

Teach Level: Interstellar

Territory: Neutral Territory

Description. An independent planet located near the crossroads of 7 different civilizations. A friendly place for relaxation, entertainment, gamblings. Living expenses are expensive and finding housing may be difficult. However it provides a plethora of new experiences for pleasure seekers.

Name: Brachnia

Condition: Industrial Hub

Climate: Arid

Teach Level: Interstellar

Territory: Stardust Consortium

Description. A highly industrialized world, focused on manufacturing and business. Various businesses operate in the boundaries of the planet. It is easy to find work and to learn new skills. However, it is difficulty to start a new business venture, and some of the businesses are xenophobic. Be cautious.

As Alan looked through the selections Kara spoke up, “These are not your only options. However, I wanted to provide you with 3 good choices.”

Alan remembered most players were presented with similar choices. It was estimated that at one point 50% of first selections were a Pleasure Planet. This was typically a huge error. It was like being forced to live in Vegas. It might be fun for a little while, but you’d soon run out of money and only leave with debt. This just added to the debt problems which would later be a plague for humanity. It was generally accepted that you were better off avoiding pleasure planets at the start. In fact, Thrag and Braachnia were pretty decent considering they wouldn’t persecute new races, and allowed a little bit of self-development. However, both were difficult for humanity as a whole to thrive. They were either too competitive or not developed enough for a new race to make much headway.

“I think I’d like to look for another planet instead.” Alan provided a few parameters and made a show of looking at different worlds until he found the world he was looking for appeared.

Name: Kragga

Condition: Ruin

Climate: Temperate

Teach Level: Varied

Territory: Fallen World, Unclaimed.

Description. A world which had been owned by various galactic civilizations. It has shifted from a core world, tourist spot, trade hub and finally a wasteland, for the last 1000 years it has primarily been a dumping ground of other planets. Currently unclaimed, but lies in the various proving grounds of pirates, smugglers and other nomadic space travelers.

“Kara, I believe I would like to select this world if possible.” Alan confidently selected.

“All right Alan, though I have to warn you this would not be considered a prudent decision due to the risks involved.”

“It’s all right. I think I’ll like the adventure there.” Alan smiled. “Thanks for everything Kara, I hope to speak to you again soon.”

A moment the planet he had selected grew while the others faded. He soon found himself floating in a vast dark space, below him was a planet. It held less water than earth, but was covered in a variety of forests, and grasslands. Standing out from greenery, mountains and other formations was a black scar. It stretched for miles and miles, the remnants of a once proud city. It looked to be the size of Australia.

Alan had heard of this planet in the first year of his play in his previous life. A few random adventuring types had selected and found that even though it was in pirate territory, it was mostly isolated. In fact it had been a boon of lost tech, refined metals, and primitive trade. Better yet, it was outside the grasp of major civilizations.

As he stood there, he could read a fuchsia timer, suspended in the void above him. It read 7:59.25. He was as ready as he could be. Everything else was up to him. He hoped he could pull it off. He’d hope to fight for earth, discourage their enemies, help fend off the debtors and live peacefully with friends and family.

The clock slowly ticked forward until it ready 8:00.00

A message appeared: Would you like to Enter Cosmos: Gateway to the Galaxy?

Without any hesitation, and with full confidence he spoke, “Yes.” Silently he cheered ‘for the future.’

Another A.I. Appeared in front of him and spoke: “You are part of the first 1000 Humans to enter Cosmos, You have earned 1000 Credits and 100 Renown and the title “Planetary Trailblazer” Please Select your landing destination.

He’d come early for this very reason. The 1000 Credits would be good for sure. You started with nothing typically. The title and renown would be valuable later.

He selected his location, which immediately proceeded to a sense of falling. He seemed to jet toward the planet. Moving forward passing over a vast desert, then thick forests, and finally an inland sea. Growing closer, he flew over the great black patch, it’s color coming from grasses and shrubs, dark black. A side effect of where they grew from what he remembered. At times he would pass by the occasional skeletal hulls of huge capital ships and rusted out buildings.

He finally landed on the outskirts of the great black waste, in a town of oddly built structures, a menagerie of rusted metals, plastics, and broken ships organized into settlement. Beyond it, lay a vast gray black waste dominated the horizon. Alan readjusted his bearings and made his way toward the town. “There should be someone there to outfit me.” Alan spoke quietly to himself.

Approaching the town, a town being a generous description, he noted most buildings were a patchwork of different materials and colors. His approach received a few glances from some squat, bulbous looking alien’s with pinkish skin. He passed by another taller, reptilian looking fellow, with a head like a blunt faced lizard and green skin.

Distracted by the menagerie of species he only just noticed the whirring engine of a hovering car as it came screeching down the main drag. He just managed to jump to the side, rolling through the dirt narrowly avoiding the vehicle. Laughter came from behind him as the bunch of the squat aliens jeered. Alan stood, and dusted himself off. He rolled his eyes, and walked away trying not to let the howls of laughter irritate him.

Moving quickly, he spotted what looked like a general goods store. Stepping through the rusted archway of the single-story building, he found himself in a dimly lit room, hot and humid. A warm musk permeated the air. Immediately he felt his skin begin to perspire.

“Thrassk gidiek,” came a raspy high-toned voice from somewhere in the back.

“Dorgrat ne’ad” Alan replied. He moved toward the back of the store toward the voice. He passed shelves of tools, armors and weapons. The voice had been speaking Galactic Common.

“What can I help you find?” Came the mystery voice again, Alan automatically translated the language.

It took Alan a moment longer to see the lithe female figure behind the counter. He assumed it was a she from the curves of her figure and high-pitched voice. She had white milky eyes, long skeletal hands and antennae folded neatly behind her head. Her flesh was black, and gleamed in the dim light.

Alan swallowed, entranced by her raw femininity. He must have taken too long to respond when the female behind the counter egged him on. “You’ve never seen a Croatht before?”

Alan smiled weakly and replied “Sorry, yes... well no, not really. Sorry to stare.”

“It’s all right. Stare a long as you want. But you better buy something if you do.” She gave him a devouring look. “My name is Blatta.”

Alan was caught off guard. He’d met lots of species in his years, this one seemed to throw him off when he met new ones. There were thousands of species in Cosmos, one more shouldn’t have thrown him off so much.

Recovering himself he started, “Thank you, the name’s Alan.” He purposefully took his eye’s of Blatta. “I won’t be staying long. I’m just looking to outfit myself to go scrapping.”

“How many credits do you have to spend?” She hissed pleasantly.

“I’ve…” catching himself before answering, he responded more cautiously. “Not much, just arrived on the planet, looking for adventure.” He wanted to avoid letting her know he was a new race and the exact amount of money. It was a surprise that he had almost answered her questions directly. If he’d been honest, she’d likely take him for all he was worth.”

“Well, I’ve got the best gear in the area, and we’re far from the core planets, so you’ll need to pay a premium” She began sweetly.

Alan felt an urge from her words as he scanned the items around him. It felt so warm in the room. “I imagine you don’t get too many scrappers here; it seems like it might be hard to move your inventory. I might be able to help you get a few items off your shelves taking space.”

“Oh, each item is like a precious child of mine” She literally sprung over the counter, to a tool Alan had been eyeing, swiftly picked it up and brushed off the dust. “It always burdens me to let one go.” Negotiations were in full swing.

“I understand, perhaps that is why so many of them seem to have not moved.” He paused for emphasis. “I think I saw another trader down the road, perhaps it would be less painful for you if I went there.” He hoped she took the bait.

She hesitated, “Ah I see, well, I would hate for you to purchase something inferior from another buyer. Why don’t I show you a list of my goods and prices.” She reluctantly gave up the facade of exclusivity.

At those words she grimaced. He’d hit the sweet spot. Alan had intentionally selected this trader from the few on the street. He noticed people going in and out of the others but not here. If he considered the state of the store, dim lighting and humid temperature and Blatta’s unique species. He concluded Blatta was not all too popular, and people would prefer to spend their credits somewhere else. But he couldn’t afford to pay a few extra credits due to xenophobia.

“Let's get to it.”

Alan spent 30 minutes haggling with Blatta for the goods he needed, who he now reasoned also had a reputation for being stubborn and stingy. He purchased a basic survival set for a tent, food, water, and medical supplies. He also purchased a set of basic tools for drilling and ripping things apart. This surprisingly only took about a quarter of his funds. He got them all below the current local value. But they were still somewhat expensive considering galactic markets. There were 2 items which took the most value. The first was a set of electronic tools for doing basic repair and building for fine electronics. He also purchased a refining system to separate, and melt precious metals. They cost 800 Credits, leaving him 50 credits left over.

Before he left, he asked Blatta to hold onto his goods for a few hours. He checked his VE capacity, and it was read 9/200 VE Units. His ring could hold 5 Cubic Yards of material. The goods he purchased took nearly 4.5 Cubic Yards. The refining machine took 3 Cubic yards alone.

For him to move 1 Cubic Yard from his ring, he needed 1 VE Unit of energy. It was pretty inexpensive, at least for him. He could store his things later, but first had some other things to take care of.