After the US takeover of the world, the small island country of New Zealand was nonplussed and eventually kept their neutral stance. With the Global Federation being such a large organization, the necessity of leading bodies for different regions of the world was apparent, allowing larger nations to remain the same, whilst smaller nations like New Zealand were combined. All the politics aside, the island nation - now known as the State of Isles (or Kiwi State locally) - went through rapid changes as peace washed over the world.

As world problems were being slowly being corrected by scientists, SOI became a cultural and environmental paradise. A lot of cultures were freely expressing themselves, while the environment was a clear contrast to the urban jungles of concrete and metal. Greenery interspersed between aesthetically pleasing buildings without taking away the feel of nature. That is what Kiwi State prides itself on. And for the generations that grew up with all the benefits of technology, gaming and eSports took off. While the gamers may not be professionals and experts, mostly filled with casual players, there is no denying their unity and solidity when acting together. While others would fight amongst themselves due to the interactions of their countries before the Global Federation, Kiwi State could still show a surprising - for other states - sportsmanship and competitiveness at the same time.

Which brings us to the current times, with the announcement of “Amongst The Stars (ATS)” by Snow Storm Entertainment (SSE). States such as Kiwi State, Korea State, Japan State, and other famous player-nations had companies laying claim to game cabins, finding the price negligible in comparison to the profit if they make it a first place prize in a competition. In addition, some companies got a sponsorship if lucky with SSE, giving a percentage of the profits in return for receiving the game cabin, game suits, and game helmets to be used as prizes. One such company in Kiwi State followed this trend. Within the 24 hour limit of application for this limited time, one-off competition, they had already made a huge profit, even after taking into account the cut for SSE.

Having applied for the competition, a particular no-name casual player won the first prize. It was something that could happen to anyone, but he got lucky enough to win the draw. And what was his reaction to winning? A shrug of the shoulders, before continuing to eat his cheese on barbecue fried noodles. After finishing up the legalities with a stoic appearance, he refused any offers for appearing in the media, remaining anonymous - at least for a day or two until the internet hunted him down - and carrying on with his normal life. His emotions betrayed no excitement or disappointed. Did this mean he wasn’t happy or surprised at this? That is not true. It is simply that his emotions rarely display themselves. And this wasn’t uncommon, either. In fact, except for two or three, the 20 winners (1 game cabin, 4 game suits, 15 game helmets) had a casual expression and light smiles, as if sitting down for a cup of coffee after lunch.

As for some background information of our little man. Kauri Johns, age 24. Has lived in a small, quiet and peaceful town, surrounded by greenery but mostly stays in his own world playing games, taking things at his own pace. Main income is a government benefit, and is too lazy to find a job, making believable lies using half-hearted effort to complete tasks so that he can remain on the dole. He earns money on the side by using his self-learned programming skills to take on small jobs online. While not common, he is still average overall when it comes to the fact that he has browsed around both the deep web and the dark web a little. His favorite food is chicken and chips from a local bakery, and prefers a large and filling meal rather than a small and delicious one, giving credence to his chubby appearance. Being lazy, he has a short beard and shoulder length hair tied in a ponytail. Perhaps due to his bloodline, he has curly dark brown hair that appears unmanageable, green eyes, and lightly tanned skin.

While maybe stressed too much, it should still be noted that he is an example of your average person that you would pass by on the street and not even remember in the least. And yet he has won such a large prize which came included with a years worth of IV solution. With his family all living out of state and only paying enough for the family houses’ expenses, it was more than enough for him to live in the game. Since he would be supported by the game cabin, it didn’t matter if his benefit was cut; he would be living on an IV. He would miss the food though.

The day the game cabin arrived, Kauri was in the middle of playing a 4X space strategy game.He played a variety of genres, but tends to lean towards sci fi, space, strategy, rpg, and tactical sorts of games. After a short explanation later, he showed the movers out before looking at his reformed AI robot helper. Nodding to himself, he asked it some simple questions to understand it a bit more. Strength, dexterity, intelligence, durability. He checked these four things first by doing different tasks.

First was asking the robots weight limit, how much it could carry, followed by demonstrating with lifting objects in the house. Next was dexterity, done by having the AI follow simple tasks starting with simple, before moving on to complex things, ranging from opening a door, picking up a shirt off the floor, folding said shirt, to even doing the dishes. Intelligence was testing how advanced the AI was. This was mostly about confirming its capabilities similar to a computer and programs. CPU speed, core count, RAM size, memory size, and so on. Lastly was durability. He needed to know if it would be damaged carrying out miscellaneous tasks, how often it would need to be tuned and repaired if at all, if such tasks can be done by itself, and other such things.

Once it became night time, and everything for the game cabin and AI prepped, Kauri went to sleep. When morning arrived, he finished having the AI robot learn and confirm its tasks for while he was in the game cabin. Periodically cleaning the house, making sure power wasn’t being wasted, checking on the tank water for this rural residence of his, and operating the generator should the power be cut for whatever reason, usually a stupid driver hitting a power pole. By this time, he had finally come up with a name for this helper of his. Camellia. While the AI robot wasn’t defined as either gender, and had an androgynous voice, Kauri figured that, similar to ships, using a female pronoun wouldn’t be out of place.

Following this, Camellia explained how one could join the game straight away, in return for not being allowed to leave for a certain amount of time. Pondering it for a while, Kauri said he would do it after breakfast. Where did he get it from? Of course, it was the bakery. For his favorite chicken and chips. After the quick drive there and back, and savoring what could be his last meal in a long time mentally, he finally went into his game cabin. He found it intriguing how the game pod was using Total Liquid Ventilation (TLV), shortly before his consciousness vanished.

Opening his eyes to a white abyss with only a floor to stand on, Kauri saw this and just sat on the ground with nothing to do except wait for what he would expect to be an AI. He reads a lot of fiction, and while some are unique and interesting, there are a lot that have points that coincide. VR games, AI introduction, befriending said AI, or maybe the AI was one of the prevailing Gods of the game universe.

“Hello future Star Traveler! Welcome to Amongst The Stars!” (AI)

When a distorted figure appeared in front of him, Kauri stood up and gave a light bow with his head, before peering into the dark void that served as eyes for the distorted static figure in front of him.

“Hm hm, you’re a polite one. And not much of a reaction from you. Quite the stoic person for one so young.” (AI)

“Hello, one who I assume is the AI in charge of character creation. And possibly more, I take it?” (Kauri)

“That’s right! I’m the AI in charge of everything, and I’ll help you get started so you can join the game.” (AI)

“Thank you. So, how do we start?” (Kauri)

Following this short conversation, the AI explained the AI thumb ring and robot skeleton before handing the ring to Kauri, and then moving on to the topic of Psionics, Cybernetics, and Normals. Next was an explanation of the 4 primary starting species for the destination galaxy. Al’muthar. Grandor. Averie. Human. Without even waiting for the example appearances to appear, Kauri had decided.

“Grandor.” (Kauri)

“That was a quick decision. Are you sure about that?” (AI)

“I want to be a ship.” (Kauri)

“...” (AI)

“I want to be---” (Kauri)

“I heard you. Well, good luck with that.” (AI)

The moment Kauri heard of the Grandor species and their body, he straight away came up with the idea of working towards making his body not human but a ship. To grow as much as he can and become a starship, as if an organic ship rather than one made of metal. Of course, he would most likely be metallic in nature if he managed to eat enough ores and minerals. Conductive metals could be refined in the body as circuitry instead of things like blood vessels. Ideas spun around and around in his head on how to try and do this, even though he didn’t know whether or not it would be possible in the first place.

With a flash of light, Kauri became a mass of flowing mud. Due to the difference in appearance and biology, he had to spend some time adjusting and learning to his new body, particularly in holding the shape of a normal human without constantly shifting. The moment he finished adjusting, the AI continued.

“What will your name be?” (AI)

“Dran.” (Kauri/Dran)

“Confirmed. Have fun!” (AI)

And with that, the world went black.

When he next opened his eyes, Dran was met with the sight of stacks of cargo containers in a large room, with dim blue illuminating lights around the walls, floor and ceiling. Looking behind him, he saw a container which had fallen off the shelf, and both himself and a silver skeleton - Camellia’s robot body - having rolled out of it. Quickly running through scenarios in his head, he thought of what could be happening as well as what may happen in the next while, so that he could decide on how to act.

“Camellia, begin self-diagnostic. Are you fully functioning?” (Dran)

“Affirmative, Master. Beginning self-diagnostic… Complete. All systems functional.” (Camellia)

“Good. Let’s start searching the room, see if we can find out any---” (Dran)

“Enemy contact! Set up blockade here! We can’t let them reach the bridge!” (???)

“Kill the bastards! Take control of the ship!” (???)

In the distance, possibly beyond a connecting door, the muffled voices of people could be heard rushing, alongside the sounds of both energy and ballistic weapons being used. Hearing this, Dran began to panic. Just because he was a gamer, even if only casual, didn’t mean he was used to sudden tense situations. With his mind racing, he thought over and over about what he should do, trying to come up with something, but his mind kept going blank. As his body starting to lose human shape in his confusion, Camellia spoke up.

“Master. What are your orders?” (Camellia)

Hearing that, Dran immediately cooled his head. He’s seen a lot of dark things before so he should be used to panic. Especially with horror games. He needed to take a step back. Taking a metaphorical deep breath, he looked at things objectively, as if looking at a computer screen showing a paused game. For several seconds, he organized his thoughts, and started issuing instructions.

“Camellia. Begin searching the containers for anything of use. Order of priority from highest: Weapon. Equipment. Armor. Refined Metals and minerals. Raw metals and minerals. Miscellaneous. Time limit: Until the sounds of combat stop. At that time, if you have a weapon, shoot anyone who enters the room while taking cover behind these cargo containers. If without a weapon, remain hidden.” (Dran)

“Orders received, Master. Executing.” (Camellia)

While Camellia began opening containers and scanning through them, Dran instead moved towards the doors and found a control panel next to it. Pressing the lock button, he confirmed it was tightly closed before running towards containers to start looking through them, his feet making wet plops with every step. He really wanted to eat something solid and become less… muddy. Even a copper or bronze would be nice about now, though he didn’t know how much it would take to completely improve himself.

Multitasking while searching, he finally did something he should have done when he first regained awareness. Status.

Name: Dran

Race: Grandor

Age: 24

Class: None

Health: 100/100

Psi: N/A

Str: 4

Con: 10

Agi: 3

Dex: 3

Int: 5

Racial: [Basic Ore Consumption] 0/100

- Malleable Body

Name: Camellia

Race: AI

Age: N/A

Class: N/A

Health: 60/60

Psi: N/A

Str: 5

Con: 6

Agi: 3

Dex: 7

Int: 8

Skills:

[Basic Computing] 0/100

[Basic Ore Assimilation] - Innate racial ability of Grandor. First stage. Allows one to eat ore and minerals to improve oneself. This can also include processed and refined materials

[Malleable Body] - Allows a Grandor to reshape their body within their mass limit.

Dran now had a decision to make that could greatly affect his future actions. From the short exchange he heard, he was currently on a ship, presumably accidentally picked up and stored in the cargo bay. If this was a small ship, there was the chance that all contents were mixed together, but if it happens to be a large ship, then it may be categorized, reducing the chances of getting something good and useful. Then there was the problem of who the ship belonged to, and who was invading it. Though it seems it wouldn’t be hard to figure out the former, as he found out by investigating the cargo containers.

In a sealed container with what looked like air filtration holes on it, he came across something he didn’t expect. Children. About a dozen in one container, and with a quick glance around, he could see about 10 of these containers. Looking at their state, they were cowering in the fetal position with wrists and ankles tied up, and mouths gagged with a cloth. The fear in their eyes as they looked at him made him feel stifled.

Slave Traders. While they may not be limited to this, they were certainly involved in it. The crew of the ship were likely outlaws, pirates, or worse, working for a powerful underground company. If his luck was bad, there was also the chance that they were part of a galactic empire who enslaved others. On the flip side, maybe the soldiers didn’t know about the kidnapped children, but this could be quickly ruled out by the report of Camellia, saying she had found a lot of substances which should be classified as illegal.

The children in front of him were varied in age, appearing as young as 9 and as old at 16. Their species were mixed, but primarily human with some al’muthar and averie here and there. Visible bruising and dried cuts could be seen on them, and several of the older looking girls among them had glazed eyes, as if having given up. With their disheveled appearance, it didn’t take much to figure out why.

The sight of them made Dran’s mind go white. The realization of how real this universe was, the dark nature of things that is happening, as well as some flashbacks to what he had seen on the dark web. With his imagination and creativity, it wasn’t hard to think of even worse things that may have or would have happened.

With most of his time being used up looking through the enslaved children in a daze, Dran finally got back to searching, albeit with a more grim expression on his muddy head. The sounds outside looked like they were dying down, too. While others may believe that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Dran knew better than to blindly believe this. He had read enough fictional stories and played enough strategy games to know otherwise.

A key thing he could figure out, was that both sides were enemies, due to the fact that the invaders had prioritized gaining control of the ship, not securing the children. This could mean they were a rival group, or just work in a similar illegal business and are taking out a competitor. Though they were more likely to be space pirates rather than smugglers, a conjecture made based on their brash actions and words.

When the fighting stopped, Camellia and Dran came together with whatever they found to be useful in the immediate situation. The result was… surprising. And not to mention, all of them were stolen goods.

W&P Standard Ballistic Rifle x10

Durability: 30/30

Damage: 10-30

Ammo: 90/5 (rounds/magazines)

W&P Standard Plasma Pistol x15

Durability: 30/30

Damage: 15

Ammo: 10/8 (charges/power cells)

W&P Standard Laser Rifle x5

Durability: 30/30

Damage: 60

Charge Time: 5s

W&P Standard Molecular Dagger x20

Durability: 30/30

Damage: 25

Standard Personal Computer (Hacking)

Durability: 30/30

Skills: [Standard Computing] [Standard Communications] [Standard Hacking] [Standard Cyber-Security]

Standard Personal Computer (Medicine x2

Durability: 30/30

Skills: [Standard Computing] [Standard Communications] [Standard Medical Knowledge]

[Standard Personal Computer (Engineering) x8

Durability: 30/30

Skills: [Standard Computing] [Standard Communications] [Standard Engineering Knowledge]

[Steel Bar] x200

Mass: 1kg

[Iron Bar] x100

Mass: 1kg

[Tungsten Bar] x50

Mass: 1kg

[Copper Bar] x250

Mass: 1kg

[Gold Bar] x25

Mass: 1kg

[Platinum Bar] x25

Mass: 1kg

[Iridium Bar] x10

Mass: 1kg

At first, Dran was quite happy with the found items, until he started to think more. He didn’t know what counted as good or bad. On top of that, if these were goods being smuggled and used for trades, then what were those fighting outside using? What level of combat expertise did they have? There were too many things he didn’t know. But he knew one thing for sure. One shot from any of those weapons, and he was likely to die without a chance. The same to Camellia’s silver skeletal frame.

There were even a lot of metal bars he could absorb. But it seemed too good to be true. He just started the game, and has already received a boon like this? Maybe the dangers from here on out would be lethal at every step. Illegal substances, kidnapped children, stolen equipment, large amounts of metal. These smugglers must be high priority targets for any raiders, which also means a lot of escorts on both sides. And he had to wonder; if he hadn’t been a Grandor, what were the chances of any of this being immediately useful? Others would have to try steal it and then sell it to make cash.

Needless to say, the next course of action was decided.