David pushed himself up from the highly polished floor. His head was throbbing but he soon forgot about the pain when his eyes focused and he took in his surroundings. He looked closely at what seemed to be a high tech control room; just like he saw in one of the expansion modules for Space Lords of Strata. He turned and looked behind him, stumbled backward, and almost fainted. There was a huge window and the curve of a planet beyond. He appeared to be in outer space. He picked at his clothing and realized he was wearing the high tech brown flight jacket, brown trousers and cream-colored, projectile proof shirt of his character, Damien Storm. He had a mark V blaster pistol strapped to his side. Panic set in and he feel his chest heave with the shortness of breath common with severe anxiety. He was unsure whether he was dreaming, hallucinating, or experiencing reality. He leaned up against the console and it began beeping and a panel lit up.

WARNING: Biometrics indicate rejection of new programing. Countermeasures deployed,

David watched in horror as a floating robot reminiscent of Vincent or Bob from the Black Hole movie came out of a panel in the wall. On the arm of the loading robot there was a needle or a sensor of some kind. David turned to run and took a step toward that end when he felt something hit him from behind.

“Stun activated. Please try to remain calm. You are experiencing elevated heart rate, perfuse sweating, elevated levels of adrenaline, and severe anxiety. Let us help you.”

“No thanks!” David said. He tried to move but something held him in place. He watched as the robot attached the cable from its arm to his fingers. He tried to recoil but his fingers would not answer his command. He felt a tingling sensation.

“Uploading.” The robot said.

“What? What the hell does uploading mean?”

“Are you submitting a query?”

“Yes, yes!”

“Accepted, I am attempting to upload an update to your new programming. You are not of a sufficient time period to understand your current surroundings. Once completed you will understand how to navigate the simulation.”

“Simulation?”

“Query accepted. This is the loading station. Beyond is the first playable area, the first planet also known as Planet Alpha. It is necessary for you to understand current jargon and vernacular. ”

“Where are the others?”

“Any playable characters are also loading. Now loading jargon” David began to understand words he had never heard before like upload, download, and blog. “Uploading pilot class module.” David began to see controls in his mind’s eye and how to use them. “Uploading statistics and anti rejection software. Upload complete.” The robot disengaged and returned to its place in the wall and the panel door closed. David stood there thinking about his new knowledge and how conveniently it was just given to him.

“You will now only be referred to as Damien Storm.” The robot said.

The side door made a swish sound as it opened and admitted a man wearing what Damien recognized as a black and white engineering jacket with pockets and places for delicate instruments. The man had salt and pepper hair and a goatee. “Who the hell are you?” The man asked when he laid eyes on Damien.

“I’m David.” Was all Damien could think to say. “I mean Damien, I guess.” He was still in shock and a bit disoriented.

The man smiled and went to him, circling around and occasionally picking at Damien’s flight suit, “Cool! You’re dressed like your pilot.” He put his hands on his chest, “It’s me, Alden! You know Dean Reyes.”

“Alden? You don’t look like yourself at all.”

“I know, and neither do you. You look like your Strata character. This must be some kind of dream or mass hallucination.”

“This is impossible is what it is. How did we get here and why are we here? Hey, this is what Dean Reyes looks like? I pictured you a little different. Where are the others?”

“I have no idea. You’re the only one I have run into so far,” Reyes said. He looked around the console and pressed a few buttons. A feminine voice began to speak.

Tutorial mode engaged, G*I*C*G expansion The Space Masters loaded…

Welcome Space Masters Damien Storm, Ris Harne, Cornelius Jorell, Mic De’gene, Dean Reyes, Dr. Amelia Mann, and Dr. Thomas Bright. This tutorial will explain how to advance.

“Good job, Reyes.” Damien walked toward the screen, “Computer, where are we?”

You are aboard the space station known as Satellite 2, Orbiting the planet Wolf 359-3. Also known as the first planet or Planet Alpha.

“Why, how did we get here?” Reyes asked.

Satellite 2 is the beginning spawn point and entry point for enhanced humans known as alternative humans.

“You had better give us the full tutorial,” Damien said. “How do you know our characters?”

Damien Storm… Voice Verified….The Space Masters is a new expansion with 10 new levels, a new playable race, and the seven original members of The Space Masters from 1986. You are designated as level 1. To complete the simulation, you will need to reach at least level 50, 60 is preferable, and defeat the final boss before the system will return you home. As you advance in skill, personality, and abilities, you will increase in equipment and power…

“Wait?” Damien stopped the computer playback. “How do you know us?”

Query accepted. David Thomas, author of over one hundred Space Masters science fiction novels, provided the source material for this simulation.

“I have written one hundred novels? When?”

Query accepted. David Thomas wrote the Space Masters science fiction novels from April, 2003 to May of 2037 on the standard Earth calendar. He modeled the adventures from role playing campaigns beginning in the summer of 1985 through the summer of 1989 standard Earth calendar. We have taken the universe he created and made this simulation. This is a training simulation for future missions to save the Jaddus Collective.

“What is this place? I mean how are we here?” Damien Asked.

Query accepted. You were brought here by— query halted at source. Manual override engaged. Please step into the waiting area and wait for the rest of your party.

“What the heck just happened?” Alden asked.

“Looks like there is someone behind the scenes controlling all this. I guess they do not want us asking too many questions.”

“Hey your watch is blinking.” Reyes noticed.

Damien held up his right arm and sure enough, there was a calculator watch sized interface device around his wrist blinking wildly. “It says uploading character personality traits.”

“Weird.”

“I think we are supposed to figure out the rest as we go. Kind of like a GM would give you the basics and you explore the rest and find your way.”

Correct Damien Storm, the rest of your party approaches… default protocol…tutorial terminated at the source.

“Wait! Can we access you at any time or? Damien let his words trail off, “I guess not.”

The door slid open and the other four role-players stepped in led by a man in grey robes with short cropped blond hair with a sword hilt strapped to his side. He was followed by a beautiful brunette woman wearing a skimpy blue and white mini-skirt and carrying a med kit, a tall man with brown hair wearing a tan Kevlar jacket and black pants with a red stripe down the center of the leg, and a half-man sized alien with brownish skin wearing some kind of dull colored armored suit and carrying a huge, strange-shaped blaster rifle.

They all suddenly turned giddy and began to circle each other chattering about how cool each of them looked. Damien explained what the computer tutorial had told them.

“I don’t like it!” Cornelius said. “As we level up and gain skill we lose more and more of ourselves? Do we really want to become our characters with all the faults and drawbacks we added to them! That’s not good.”

“It might be fun!” Amelia said. “The game had us make up backgrounds, drawbacks, and faults to make the characters interesting. Real life is boring.”

“Your character is a hypochondriac and a borderline drug addict!” Cornelius pointed out, “Do you want to live that?”

Amelia shrugged, “Sure, why not?”

“Are you crazy?’ Cornelius said. “You want to get squeamish around blood and start self-medicating.”

“Yeah, I can’t wait.”

“Look, our characters are just extensions of ourselves. We won’t be losing anything. We will just become fantasy versions of ourselves.” Ris pointed out.

Cornelius addressed Damien, and you will be our pilot? Our drunken pilot!”

“I think we will have more of our free will than you think. I don’t have to drink and fly if I don’t want to. I’m sure I can decide what I want to bring to the game.”

“I hope you’re right,” Cornelius said.

Simulation begins in 5…4…3…2…1…begin!

“I guess we started,” Damien said. “What the hell is that above your heads?”

A hologram appeared above each of their heads with their name and level.

Ris began to press buttons on his wrist interface, “I don’t like it. There has to be a way to hide it.” He pressed a few more buttons and it disappeared from above his head.

“It’s gone,” Damien said.

“Here let me show you what I did.” He showed the others and they got rid of the hologram. Ris moved toward the door and it opened automatically as he got close to it, “Where is Gary?”

Failure! There is no character present with that designation, The computer sounded off.

“You mean Dr. Bright,” Damien said. “Remember, we have to stay in character.”

Cornelius took his blaster in hand, “We will look for him.”

“Wait, Damien said, “Computer, locate Dr. Thomas Bright.”

Dr. Thomas Bright is not aboard Satellite 2.

“Computer, can you locate Dr. Thomas Bright outside of Satellite 2?” Ris asked.

Negative, long range scanners do not detect Dr. Thomas Bright.

“Is Dr. Thomas Bright in game?” Cornelius asked.

Dr. Thomas Bright is in game at his designated beginning spawn area.

“Ah, he just started somewhere different. We will probably meet up with him later, then. Come on, let’s explore the station.” Ris said.

Assessing…Character Guide…Alter egos established:

David Thomas plays the game as Damien Storm

Rick Thomas plays the game as Mic De’Gene

Gemma Rollins plays the game as Dr. Amelia Mann

Wes Matthews plays the game as Prince Ris Harne of the house Harne

Alden Ray Plays the game as Dean Reyes

Monty Parish plays the game as Cornelius Jorell

Gary Olsen Plays the game as Dr. Thomas Bright

There Jaddus Collective wishes you good luck!