Start the Game Edited 11-8-2018

From my perspective, I was just having a chat with the captain a few seconds ago, but now I was laying on the ground of a dark room while a floodlight was shining on me from overhead. I remember more time had passed as I was being carted out of medical, and a faint recollection of having been placed into my Virt-P, but neither of those memories felt like my current timeline. A voice with a distinct serpentine sheen to its sibilance started speaking.

“Yessss, ssshee wakessss.”

“Yama, good to hear your voice. I take it I am still mostly alive?”

“And her humor is intact.” Rasputin was here, too.

“We have detected ssssssignlasss on your neural net while you were unconciousssss.”

“Then why am I still breathing? I thought you had orders to pop my cherry if that happened. Not that I mind.” Great, the first thing they mention is that they should kill me.

“It is the nature of the data that is being requested,” Rasputin answered. “We are intrigued. We let the captain know already that we were, and why we are making the exception. The requests consist of dictionaries, encyclopedias, textbooks, music, and pictures of art. We watched ‘Them’ hit a secure area. They noticed, or at least recognized, that it was security locked, and did not even try forcing their way through. They just moved on to a different query. They are learning who we are. They also pulled the Sagan Primer.”

“Wait, are you saying that my Neural is responsible for a first contact data collection?” Fuck me sideways.

“Not your Neural, directly. Though it is-”

“It’s the Nano they implanted, isn’t it?” Forgetting my manners, I cut him off.

“I was just about to get there. Yes. It appears that the alien at a minimum implanted Nano.” He didn’t seem too miffed at least. Yama then continued with their purpose for stopping me before creating my avatar.

“There isssss unknown hardware in your head now. We do not know how thissss will affect you. Undersssstand that this is curioiossssity that allowsss you to live.”

“Gotcha, don’t let anyone else know because then you will need to pop me.” Okay, deep breath. “Anything that I need to know before going in? Will my mind still have to deal with all this mortal coil bullshit? I need to know if I will have to spend time showering in mornings, or if I’ll wake up with my hair and makeup perfect.”

Rasputin laughed at this while Yama was taken aback.

“No, you will not have to eat though many do just to remind themselves what apple pie or bacon tastes like. You will have a sense of smell, however, as some of the chemists need that to ensure that their mixtures are not behaving strangely, so the cooks know when too much of a spice is in their food and for when playing wargames, the fire teams can take out the idiot that is drenched in cologne or perfume quickly. Many of the female crew have also noted that they do not have their menstrual cycles in game. There had been worries as their minds are awake and it was thought the mind might attempt to replicate that. However, it has not happened yet. As for your makeup question, perhaps it would be better to ask if there is makeup available to you first?” He raised a knowing eyebrow. I was way out of sync with the rest of the crew as I was joining everyone three years late.

“So, there’s no makeup? Or is it the semi-perm crap that you get lasered on?”

“You’ll ssssee.” Yama finished for Rasputin.

“She will, yes.” A new voice that sounded distilled from what seemed like hundreds of voices spoke up as a shape in the darkness started to solidify. Yama and Rasputin, shock in their eyes, immediately booted me from this meeting room out into the game.

I stood there, missing my right leg and left arm, staring into a mirror. My head shaved with some scarring apparent from my right occipital lobe, up to the center of the parietal. There were several new scars all over my body as well.

“Hair,” I said, selecting the area that was for whatever reason most upsetting to me. I decided to forgo other options and to stay with my natural auburn which only showed a flirtation of red in specific light conditions. I manipulated the length until it was solidly covering all the scars, then took the top into a short pompadour so it wouldn’t be in the way of a proper suit seal or fall into my sights as I was aiming down range.

“Right leg” I commanded the interface. I was greeted with a “not found” message. “Har-har, Yama. At least show me right leg replacement options.”

An outline appeared in the mirror around a ghosted image of a leg as a table raised from nothingness with what seemed to be a regular woman’s leg, matching the ghostly image in the mirror. Also, on the table, sitting on the edge nearest me, was a pair of buttons in the shape of arrows, one pointing right the other left. I selected left, and a utilitarian wooden peg leg appeared. The mirror which happened to shift and follow me changed the outline on my leg to match what was on this table.

“A bunch of comedians,” I mumbled under my breath and continued cycling through. After scrolling through half a dozen limbs, I went back to the first leg and tapped on it. I was pleased to see the table disappear and the leg reform. A tooltip popped up in my vision.

Hephaestus Industries

Replacement Limb

Right Leg

Upgrade Slots

3

Slots Free

3

Slots Installed

0

Let’s see what options there are on this.

“Right Leg Customization Options,” I commanded. A color wheel option appeared in front of me, a rocker switch embedded in its center. The switch had the “Flesh” on the left option and “Metallic” on the right. I moved the switch to “Metallic” and immediately moved it off the default “Golden” color to an “Oiled Bronze.” It didn’t take more than a heartbeat to know this was almost as tacky as the default “Golden” option. Continuing to spin the wheel, I paused for longer than I care to admit on the reddish color called “Exsanguinate.” I finally settled on “Classic Black” which had a black stainless-steel look. The problem with the metallic options is that none were flat colors. So, no sneaking around sans fatigues.

“Nice color selection, Yama. I really appreciate that there is more than just ‘chrome.’”

No answer. I supposed that Yama wouldn’t interface directly inside the game, but I should still be able to get a message from him stating as such.

“Left Arm Replacement Options” I commanded, recalling the “not found message from earlier. Again, a table popped up. This time in front of me as I hadn’t moved prior. This time the first model was a skeleton looking utility model. Knowing that there would probably just be a peg with a hook on the end if I scrolled left, I started scanning to the right. The first two option after the skeleton looked like a regular arm wrapped in duct tape bands and steel cables respectively. A few possibilities later I found my new limb.

Sindri Foundries

Replacement Limb

Left Arm

Upgrade Slots

2

Slots Free

2

Slots Installed

0

For this arm, I chose the “Exsanguinate” color. I then opted to place the ship logo and my rate and rank as “tattoos” on it. This model looked human, although the joints appeared ball like. Not unlike a poseable model figurine, an artist would use. The ball joints offered a much more full range of motion. If you’ve ever had to replace a part and the only way to it was a small access hub that was barely large enough to move it, you’d understand why I chose this option.

“Uniforms” I stated, bringing up the last option I really felt like messing with. Apart from the arm, leg, and hair length, everything else looked just like I do in real life. I am already comfortable moving my body around, why would I want to learn a different one?

The “Uniforms” menu opened with a note that all options would be available in my quarters. That’s cool; I could select my default outfit and then set the color matching for the rest of them. Starting with my work uniform, a ship suit with a basic fatigues combo I decided to match the colors up as best I could with what the game gave me. I chose a red for the primary color with a black as my secondary followed by white highlights for the ship suit, following the basic outlines for the Terran Navy. For the fatigues, I just went basic black and equipped it.

Duty Uniform

Vacuum Protection

Full

Armor

None

Additional Air

120:00:00

Resistances

Heat

373K

Cold

100K

Toxic

100% When Sealed

Radiation

900 SV/hr.

Everything looked about right for the real-world equivalents, minus the missing rate and rank. Heat protection up to the boiling point of water in a sealed suit, and it could survive most freezing temperatures for a time. Radiation protection would be enough to withstand a cancer-causing dose and no protection from anything else. That made me think about what else I would need in the game.

“Enter game” I ordered.

ACCESS DENIED

Please choose remaining Kit first

Well, that answers that.

“Kit Selection,” I said, this time three options appeared to my left on an oversized version of the table I was starting to become familiar with. I quickly cycled through the options. All three were somewhat similar. Battle rifle, toolkit, and an extra.

Taishi Ci Battle Rifle

Type

Kinetic

Rounds

0/30

Sight

None

Fire Mode Options

Sing/Pulse/Full

Weight

5 kg

Modifications

none

Range

600 m

Maximum

3500 m

Engineering Kit MK 1

Contents

Everything an Engineer needs to do essential work

Weight

15 kg

As for the extras, there was MK1 armor, a cybernetics kit, and an advanced engineering drone. I wasn’t planning on needing that level of protection, and as for the drone, I could make my own. It also wouldn’t take long to fabricate it if I needed to, so I ended up with the cybernetics kit. I wasn’t sure if I would ever need to mod out my arm and leg, but if they were damaged, I didn’t want to be shit out of luck, waiting to track down someone for repairs.

Cybernetics Maintenance Kit MK 2

Contents

Everything needed to build (or rebuild) Cyberware

Weight

5 kg

I should now able to go into the game and figure out what has happened over the last 3 years.

“Enter Game,” I said once again, and two doors opened. One of light, one of darkness. The light door slammed shut immediately, and the dark door sped towards me.

“What the fuck?” I was too shocked to move and was enveloped

“I don’t think there is any reason to… Jax?”

I was back in the room with Yama, Rasputin, and what from my perspective would have been an eight-foot-tall shadow. Yes, a damned shadow.

“You don’t look like the avatar for any of the AI I have met.” I tried to grab for my battle rifle only to discover I was immobile.

“We have a use for you. We will follow, learn interaction. Study.” It was the same voice from when I was kicked into character gen.

“Foreign matter repurposed.” What did that mean?

“Tell her the bad newssss firssst.” Yama was addressing the shadow giant.

“Will merge, assist, must learn.” The shadow spoke again.

Rasputin decided to be generous and translate into something intelligible.

“What our visitor is saying is that his Nano ate the squib and as part of that, you now own it until it decides you don’t. Fortunately, all it wants to do is directly study human interaction. Seeing as you have its Nano, it will be watching everything you do. You don’t have to agree, but I would prefer for you to live.”

That last part didn’t sound ominous at all.

The shadow reached for me, then dissolved into a mist before flowing into me through my nose and mouth. Then I fell through the floor, landing in my quarters, proud that I had managed to stay upright.

Start the Game - Original

From my perspective I was just having a chat with the captain less than a second ago, but now I was laying on the ground of a dark room while a floodlight was shining on me from overhead. I remember more time having passed as I was being carted out of medical, and a faint recollection of having been placed into my VirtP, but neither of those memories felt like my current timeline. A voice with a distinctly metallic sheen to its sibilance started speaking.

“Yessss, ssshee wakessss”

“Yama, good to hear your voice. I take it I am still mostly alive?”

“And her humor is intact.” Rasputin was here, too.

“Weeeee have detected ssssssignlasss on your neural net while you were unconciousssss.”

“Then why am I still breathing? I thought you had orders to pop my cherry if that happened. Not that I mind.” Great, the first thing they mention is that they should kill me.

“It’s the nature of the data that is being requested. We are intrigued. We let the captain know already why we are pulling an exception. They are pulling dictionaries, encyclopedias, text books, music, and pictures of art. We watched “Them” hit a secure area, they noticed that it was security locked, and they didn’t try getting anything else. They are learning who we are. They even pulled the Sagan Primer.”

“Wait, are you saying that my neural is responsible for a first contact data collection?” I was fucked.

“Not your neural, directly. Though it is-”

“It’s the Nano they implanted, isn’t it?” Forgetting my manners, I cut him off.

“I was just about to get there. Yes. It appears that they at a minimum implanted Nano.” He didn’t seem too miffed at least. Yama then continued with their purpose for stopping me before creating my avatar.

“There isssss unknown hardware in your head now. We do not know how thissss will affect you. Undersssstand that this is curioiossssity that allowsss you to live.”

“Gotcha, don’t let anyone else know because then you will need to pop me. Okay, deep breath. Anything that I need to know before going in? Will my mind still have to deal with all this mortal coil bullshit? I need to know if I will have to spend time showering in mornings, or if I’ll wake up with my hair and makeup perfect.”

Rasputin laughed at this while Yama was taken aback.

“No, you won’t have to eat though many do just to remind themselves what apple pie or bacon tastes like. You will have a sense of smell, however, as some of the chemists need that to ensure that their mixtures aren’t behaving strangely, so the cooks know when too much of a spice is in their food and for when playing wargames, the fire teams can take out the idiot that is drenched in cologne or perfume quickly. Many of the female crew have also noted that they do not have their menstrual cycles in game. They were worries as their minds are awake and may attempt to replicate that, however it has not happened yet. As for your makeup question, perhaps it would be better to ask if there is makeup available to you first?” He raised a knowing eyebrow. I obviously was out of sync with the rest of the crew as I was joining everyone three years late.

“So, there’s no makeup? Or is it the semi-perm crap that you get lasered on?”

“You’ll ssssee.” Yama finished for Rasputin.

“She will, yes.” A new voice that sounded distilled from what seemed like hundreds of voices spoke up as a shape in the darkness started to solidify. Yama and Rasputin, shock in their eyes, immediately booted me from this meeting room out into the game.

I stood there, missing my right leg and left arm, staring into a mirror. My head shaved with some scarring apparent from my right occipital lobe, up to the center of the parietal. There were several new scars all over my body as well.

“Hair” I said to select the area that was for whatever reason most disconcerting to me. I decided to forgo other options and to stay with my natural auburn which only showed traces of red in very specific light conditions. I manipulated the length until it was solidly covering all the scars, then took the top into a short pompadour so it wouldn’t be in the way of a proper suit seal or fall into my sights as I was aiming down range.

“Right leg” I commanded the interface. I was greeted with a “not found” message. “Har-har, Yama. At least show me right leg replacement options.”

An outline appeared in the mirror and to my right a table appeared with what appeared to be a regular woman’s leg. In front of it on the table were a pair of arrows one pointing right the other left. I selected left and a utilitarian wooden peg leg appeared. The mirror which happened to shift and follow me changed the outline on my leg to match what was on this table.

“A bunch of comedians,” I mumbled under my breath and continued cycling through. After scrolling through half a dozen limbs, I went back to the first leg, and tapped on it. I was pleased to see the table disappear and the leg reform. A tooltip popped up in my vision.

Haephestus Industries

Replacement Limb

Right Leg

Upgrade Slots

3

Slots Free

3

Slots Installed

0

Let’s see what options there are on this.

“Right leg” I commanded again. A color wheel option appeared in front of me, a rocker switch embedded in its center. The switch had the “Flesh” on the left option and “Metallic” on the right. I moved the switch to “Metallic” and immediately moved it off the default “Golden” color to an “Oiled Bronze”. It didn’t take more than a heartbeat to know this was almost as tacky as the default “Golden” option. Continuing so spin the wheel, I paused for longer than I care to admit on the reddish color called “Ex-sanguinate”. I finally settled on “Classic Black” which had a black stainless-steel look. The problem with the metallic options is that none of them were a flat color. So, no sneaking around sans fatigues.

“Nice color selection, Yama. I really appreciate that there is more than just ‘chrome’.”

No answer. I suppose he wouldn’t be able to interface directly inside the game, but I should still be able to get a message from him stating as such.

“Left Arm Replacement Options” I commanded, recalling the “not found message from earlier. Again, a table popped up. This time in front of me as I hadn’t moved prior. This time the first model was a skeleton looking utility model. Knowing that there would probably just be a peg with a hook on the end if I scrolled left I started scrolling to the right. The first two option after the skeleton looked like a regular arm wrapped in duct tape bands and steel cables respectively. A few options later I found my new arm.

Sindri Foundries

Replacement Limb

Left Arm

Upgrade Slots

2

Slots Free

2

Slots Installed

0

For this arm I chose the “Ex-sanguinate” color. I then opted to place the ship logo and my rate and rank as “tattoos” on it. This model looked human though the joints appeared ball like. Not unlike a poseable model figurine an artist would use. The ball joints offered a much wider range of motion. If you’ve ever had to replace a part and the only way to it was a small access hub that was barely large enough to move it, you’d understand why I chose this option.

“Uniforms” I stated, bringing up the last option I really felt like messing with. Beside the arm and leg and hair length, everything else looked just like I do in real life. I am already comfortable moving my body around, why would I want to learn a different one?

The “Uniforms” menu opened with a note that all options would be available in my quarters. That’s cool, I could select my default outfit and then set the color matching for the rest of them. Starting with my work uniform, a ship suit with a basic fatigues combo I decided to match the colors up as best I could with what the game gave me. I chose a red for the primary color with a black as my secondary followed by white highlights for the ship suit. For the fatigues I just went basic black and equipped it.

Duty Uniform

Vacuum Protection

Full

Armor

None

Additional Air

120:00:00

Resistances

Heat

373K

Cold

100K

Toxic

100% Sealed

Radiation

900 SV/hr

Everything looked about right for the real-world equivalents. Heat protection up to the boiling point of water in a sealed suit, and it could survive most freezing temperatures for a time. Radiation protection would be enough to survive a cancer-causing dose, and no protection from anything else. That made me thing about what else I would be needing in game.

“Enter game” I ordered.

ACCESS DENIED

Please choose remaining Kit first

Well, that answers that.

“Kit selection” I said, this time three options appeared to my left on an oversized version of the table I was starting to become familiar with. All three looked similar. Battle rifle, toolkit, and an extra.

Taishi Ci Battle Rifle

Type

Kinetic

Rounds

0/30

Sight

None

Fire Mode Options

Sing/Pulse/Full

Weight

5 kg

Modifications

none

Range

600 m

Maximum

3500 m

Engineering Kit MK 1

Contents

Everything an Engineer needs to do a basic job

Weight

15 kg

As for the extras, there was MK1 armor, a cybernetics kit, and an advanced engineering drone. I wasn’t planning on needing the armor, and with the drone I could make my own. It also wouldn’t take long to fabricate it if I needed to and ended up with the cybernetics kit. I wasn’t sure if I would ever need to mod out my arm and leg, but if they were damaged, I didn’t want to be shit out of luck.

Cybernetics Maintenance Kit MK 2

Contents

Everything needed to build (or rebuild) Cyberware

Weight

5 kg

I was now able to go into the game and figure out what has happened over the last 3 years.

“Enter Game” I said once again, and two doors opened. One of light, one of darkness. The light door slammed shut immediately, and the dark door sped towards me.

“What the fuck?” I was too shocked to move and was enveloped

“I don’t think there is any reason to… Jax?”

I was back in the room with Yama, Rasputin, and what from my perspective would have been an eight-foot-tall shadow. Yes, a damned shadow.

“You don’t look like the avatar for any of the AI I have met.” I tried to grab for my battle rifle only to discover I was immobile.

“We have a use for you. We will follow, learn interaction. Study.” It was the same voice from when I was kicked into character gen.

“Foreign matter repurposed.” What did that mean?

“Tell her the bad newssss firssst.” Yama was addressing the shadow giant.

“Will merge, assist, must learn.” The shadow spoke again.

Rasputin decided to be generous and translate into something intelligible.

“What our visitor is saying is that his Nano ate the squib and as part of that, you know owe it until it decides you don’t. Fortunately, all it wants to do is directly study human interaction. Seeing as you have its Nano, it will be watching everything you do. You don’t have to agree, but I would prefer to live.”

That last part didn’t sound ominous at all.

The shadow reached for me, then dissolved into a mist before flowing into me through my nose and mouth. Then I fell through the floor, landing in my quarters, somehow staying upright.