Author’s Note:

The office of Brigadier General George Stratton, The Game Clandestine Facility, ??????, Earth

Perspective – General Stratton

“…and so after the rocket booster exploded I tried to get up, but I was hurt too much. When I passed out, I woke up back here. I guess I must have died,” Bradley concluded, finishing his experience with the Tutorial.

‘I’m surprised that their group even made it to the second round at all,’ the General reflected. ‘From what the soldiers have been telling me, even getting passed the first ‘wave’ is considered an achievement. Still, there are a few things about this story that does not add up. It doesn’t help that we have no footage or reliable eye-witness testimony to collaborate what they are saying. Still, these Tutorials are our best look at the aliens’ capabilities.’

“That’s a helluva lot to take in, and you back this up Major?” the older, grizzled man asked, sitting back in his leather chair.

General George Stratton sat behind a well-worn oak desk with a laptop, phone, lamp and several reports scattered across it. Behind him, a tall set of bookcases were filled largely with binders, reference books and technical manuals of all types. On his left a window peered out to the military base beyond where a few soldiers were playing a game of basketball in the yard. To his left a few photos were hung. In front of him, his subordinate in charge of the civilian members of the ‘Project’ Major Alyssa Jackson stood at attention. Next to her stood a plain-clothed civilian named Bradley Cooper; a Computer Engineer that had done nothing of concern for the U.S. Government.

Until now.

“The other eyewitnesses confirm the statement and I do not believe they all conspired to lie General Stratton, sir,” Major Jackson responded quickly. “Their backgrounds are clean; regular civilians, randomly selected. They would have to all be either master con-men or ex-military to put up such a thorough charade that the CIA on base couldn’t pick up on it.”

The General sighed, leaning on the desk and steepling his fingers. “And son, you’re sure it was a GAU-8 30mm Gatling Cannon that you used against the alien? Not a GAU-2 or a GAU-17? I can understand if you are uncertain.”

Bradley stood up straight and nodded his head. The civilians looked as if he wanted to salute the man despite having never spent a day in the services in his life. The General had that effect on people.

“Yes, uh, sir,” Bradley replied, gulping nervously. “It was a GAU-8. It fired for about two minutes before it melted.”

“I believe you boy, no reason to get all stiff with me, I get enough of that from the men,” he waved off, giving a small smile to try and ease the tension. He turned to the Major. “Still, not many non-military types would know a GAU-8’s barrels don’t actually destroy themselves with continuous use. Even pilots of the A-10 aircraft only use the thing for seconds at a time and believe the myth. They just were never designed with that in mind as it is horrendously expensive to fire for long lengths of time, but that’s all. That doesn’t change the common misconception. Any comment Major?”

“We have confirmed that the time the Game ‘copied’ the Earth occurred on December 21st, 2012,” the Major replied, taking out a clipboard and reading from a report. “With that in mind, Administrative reports at the real Camp Blanding confirm they stored an A-10 Thunderbolt II at the airfield as a part of a joint Air-Force/National Guard exercise and that the weapon had been removed for cleaning to take place at 0900 hours that day. If that cleaning had not happened yet, the barrels might feasibly malfunction from continuous use.”

“And the Solid Rocket Booster?” the General added.

“It was on-site during that time as well,” the Major confirmed. “The Camp was and is used to store Aerospace equipment.”

The General nodded his head in contemplation and turned his head briefly towards a picture hanging to the wall on his left: an Abrams Main Battle Tank in mid-fire in the desert, dust billowing around it. “Thank you Mr. Cooper, you can wait outside now… Oh, and congratulations on your performance out there,” the General added.

“Uh, right,” Bradley replied nervously, “I’ll just go back to my room now?” The Major nodded and he left the General’s office, closing the door behind him.

“That right there is why I’m forced to believe all of this, no matter how nonsensical it sounds,” the General groaned. “He would have to have known the contents of the classified inventory log for a particular day we never told anyone about to make up that story.” He sighed.

“I keep getting reports,” the General continued, “of soldiers entering this ‘Game’ that have been stationed for much of their life in Germany or Japan giving me the locations of number of Missiles in mainland Nuclear installations or the exact layout of clandestine military facilities that they should have no possible way of knowing about. Just from telling them to go to the marked location on a map beforehand. If all that is true, why would I not also believe the Aliens have shields that can deflect thousands of shells that I’ve personally seen turn a modern tank into Swiss-cheese?”

“Sir, what are we to do about it, going forward?” the Major asked, picking up another report and rifling through the pages. “Right now, every person we send into the Game goes through a meat-grinder just to participate. With this group alone I already have one of the candidates, Patricia Davis, calling it quits after an alien threatened to enslave her and, I quote, ‘use her as he pleased’.” She scowled at that and put the clipboard back down. “If it wasn’t for Bradley’s success in defeating the Pirate Captain and relieving the alien of its ‘possessions’, they would still be enslaved even now. We would have to keep their entire group under observation rather than just one.

“Each one of these people—people that should be protected against these sorts of threats—are now being kept under watch 24/7 for something that they had no opportunity to prepare themselves for. Thankfully most of them have taken bribes to stay on-base but this can’t go on forever. Either we pull back, increase the budget exponentially, or get the public in the know.”

“Well one thing’s for sure, there is no ‘pulling back’, not with the stakes this high,” the General responded, stabbing a finger at his desk for emphasis. “They already destroyed a U.S. Military installation from orbit for Christ’s sake. We’re keeping a lid on it, but it’s really only a matter of time before the whole thing goes public. But despite all that, we have the advantage.”

“Sir?” the Major asked, genuinely curious. For all she knew about the General, he never was one for theatrics.

“We are being underestimated. They’re sitting pretty and letting us do what we want because they believe we stand no chance either way. Still, humans have been through this before… although we were never on the receiving side.”

The Major did not interrupt, so he continued.

“Back in 1854, a US Navy Commodore by the name of Matthew Perry took a fleet of the best American steamships and parked outside a Japanese city to give the Japanese an ultimatum: open trade with America or they would obliterate their cities from the sea.

“At the time they were a Feudal society lead by a Warlord whose isolationist policies forbade trade not only with the West, but everyone. Their best weapons for their armed forces at the time were flintlock rifles they copied from the Dutch 200 years before that. We’re talking about a country that—in the mid-19th century—still considered it sensible to fight a siege with swords and arrows.

“That all changed after Perry. They could’ve just ignored the ‘upstart American Imperialist’ and kept their pride by keeping to themselves, but they didn’t. It was a wakeup call. In the next decades they began training under Western military instructors, wearing Western clothes, learning Western medicine and creating Western infrastructure. They were so successful that in WWI they destroyed the German Imperial Navy in the Pacific. In sixty years they went from swords and samurai to destroyers and machineguns. Less than 30 years after that, they bombed us at Pearl Harbor.”

“You’re saying rather than hold back, we should embrace them with open arms?” the Major questioned, concerned.

“Yes, with open arms and a dagger behind our back,” the General agreed. “It’s basic military strategy to ‘know thy enemy’. In fact, we need to even outpace thet level of social and technological innovation the Japanese underwent; we do not have 90 years. We must learn from this ‘Game’. We go to their schools; we pay for Instructors to train us; we beg, barter, and steal every shred of technology we can. We shore up our defenses and prove to them that an attack on us would not be worth the resources and we must do it all in five years. We get that far and we survive, thrive even.”

“Aren’t you worried about losing ourselves in the process; our identity?” Major Jackson pointed out. “Almost every President recently has been elected for preserving the America Way with only small concessions. I doubt the people will want what the sacrifices you're asking for.”

“There won’t be an American Way to preserve if this keeps up,” the General sighed, sitting back in his chair and massaging his temples with one hand. “A single soldier—a pirate no less—cannot be stopped by any conventional weapon put against him. We have a spaceship in orbit that can likely shrug off a nuclear attack as a minor inconvenience. Everything that has kept us safe has been cast aside like trash.

“Just like the Japanese we have our very own Commodore Perry sitting his ship on our shores and giving us an ultimatum: change or die. I feel at this point, if I knew painting myself blue and wearing those stupid skin-tight uniforms the Haxlard wear would get an extra concession of military technology, damn it I’d do it. I’m not so arrogant as to put my pride or heritage before the protection of freedom and this country. That’s my damn job.”

The Major’s expression turned dark, “The public isn’t going to like this and so the politicians won’t either. We aren’t a dictatorship; change doesn’t happen that fast in a democracy.”

“I know… but it has to.”

Boardroom D, The Game Clandestine Facility, ??????, Earth

The following morning

Perspective – Bradley Cooper

“I’m sorry to leave you like this right after all that we’ve been through together… but I can’t go on like that… not for any amount of money,” Patricia summarized, tears welling in her eyes.

“It’s not your fault Patricia, if anybody’s at fault, it’s me,” Bradley replied solemnly. “It was my plan and you didn’t need to-ouch!”

Before he could finish, Farida elbowed him hard in the side. Like most of them, Bradley still felt faint pains where his injuries had been and so the hit hurt far more than it should. It did not double him over, but certainly caused him to stop talking.

“Enough of the self-pity already,” Farida stated. “It’s thanks to you and your plan that we even got out of that at all. That disgusting thing apparently enslaved us all. The Haxlard Ambassador confirmed it: with you finishing him off, all his possessions were removed. We would not be able to play the Game again if it weren’t for you and I might never have gotten the chance at revenge against that creep someday.”

“Yeah, it’d be a right shame if my sorry butt were the only one ta make it past the Tutorial of all things,” Garry teased with a subtle grin. “We’ve all had our little pity-party—I know I sure have—but let’s focus on what we can do goin’ forward. Nobody blames anybody for nothin’.”

“Exactly,” Alex added, “if anything, we should all be seeing therapists for what happened. That’s not the sort of thing anybody should have to go through, yet we did. It might be a little conceited of me, but I’m pretty proud I could do all that. I honestly never thought I had it in me.”

They all smiled a little at that.

“Thanks you guys,” Patricia eventually got out. “It’s just… I’m no soldier; I don’t want to fight for a living. I already have a happy normal home-life to go back to and I never realized how much I would miss my family. It’s only now that I realize how messed up my priorities had been.”

“You don’t need to feel bad Patricia,” Farida retorted. “We’ll all miss you… but we understand. If we’re all completely honest, it might not be long before all of us want to leave too. I just got off a call from my husband and I want to see him so bad…”

The conversation went on like that for a while longer, each of them confessing the little things they regret about joining the Game. Alex unable to continue his psychology research, Garry who would miss the birth of his niece in the next week, Maria losing her position at the hospital she worked and reminded of the lives she would not be able to save because of it.

All of them except Bradley. His regret he kept to himself because of the regret entailed. He never told anyone about the third wave, the Revenant or the cube.

‘In hindsight, the whole thing is pure selfishness,’ he thought, clenching his fist. ‘I want to tell them but something the Revenant but honestly I just want to forget about it. I got captured, traded the sword for a useless cube and was killed. I short, I screwed up. Considering everything else that happened, it isn’t even worth mentioning… It’s something I’ll handle myself.’

They all said their final goodbyes to Patricia and as she left an awkward silence fell over the room.

As if sensing this, the Haxlard Ambassador entered the room with Major Jackson to make the situation worse.

“While this one finds refusing participation in the Game surprising, the action is understandable with the odd circumstances surrounding the Tutorial. Should Candidate Patricia wish to rejoin, the Tutorial will need to be performed again,” Ambassador Bright Star informed.

“Oh, and what odd circumstances would that be?” Farida spat with no lack of venom. “We were not told anything about the Tutorial, so we wouldn’t know.” With that last statement, she glared briefly at the Major.

“We did not realize the full extent of the risk we were putting you though, and on behalf of the U.S. Military, I apologize,” the Major replied. Unlike her usual stoic manner, the words were spoken with an uncharacteristically sad edge to them.

“The Earth Coalition does not take sole blame in these events. The Haxlard knew of this possible outcome from its previous ventures, but chose not to inform. The Tutorial this one undertook and the one you took are not the same and so this one apologizes as well for not having proper foresight,” Bright Star continued, ignorant of the animosity present.

“The Haxlard participate in a different Tutorial; one which is set up by the Administrators rather than directly by the System. It abides by a different set of rules. It forbids the selection of Players as enemies in the Waves. All opponents are simulated beings of the System to prevent others from learning Haxlard techniques and secrets. In addition, a Haxlardian Tutorial participant who defeats an opponent gains experience and rewards immediately. Levels and Attributes are likewise immediately available. This is so that the Haxlard’s trained civilians can become more rapidly accustomed to their abilities and enter the relevant field of expertise with greater efficiency. This comes at the expense of decreased accuracy in initial placement by the System.

“The juxtaposition of the Tutorials then is self-evident. A Non-Player would not enslave like the Pirate Captain had done. The System Tutorial in which the civilians here participated in is also far more difficult than the Haxlardian Tutorial: the Abilities and Attributes of those participating remain dormant until the System determines one’s level. This one is both shocked and proud. Shocked that the System would allow a slaver to assault a group of uninitiated even knowing that the group is ignorant of the risk, but proud that Earth Humans of level 4 could defeat Va’lakeesh, a level 500 Swordsman and an enemy of the Haxlard.”

“Level 500?” Bradley asked. “The Tutorial said that the pirates were level 65!”

“Any Tutorial Wave consists of ‘soldiers’ and ‘commanders’. The Game Window describes the ‘soldiers’ of any particular wave so as to hide the skill and number of ‘commanders’.”

“So just another thing we should have known before we started,” Farida added, again glaring at the Major for a moment.

“This concern which Candidate Farida brings to this conversation concerns the Haxlard as well. This issue is founded on the Human Lieutenant Winslow’s decision not to inform the Candidates here about the Tutorial. The Human Lieutenant assumed correctly that this improves a Participant’s results. The System accommodates ignorance in ways which often skew results to the Participant’s favor. This did not account for Tutorial dangers. The Haxlard have long determined that doing so is not worth the risk. The Haxlard existed within the false assumption that such 'insights' would be brought to the Haxlard before being used. Corrections must be made.

“While this is not the first world the Haxlard have brought into the Game, the Earth is also not the first the Haxlard has made accommodations for when developments occur. An understanding has been struck; and understanding which will improve cooperation between our Factions and remove the possiblity of these events from happening in the future.”

“I never heard anything about us making a deal with the Haxlard,” the Major commented.

“This understanding is to provide an education at an Entry-Level Academy to a select few individuals on the Haxlard world of Iras. As the Candidates in this room are those who would have benefitted the most from this education, this one has made arrangements that the five here are to be among the first to participate. With the common Game Elements understood, a book or manual can be created by the Humans of Earth which others of your species can comprehend without any unintended translation errors. This offer is usually granted a year into the Game’s introduction after the details are made public, but the Human General Stratton agreed to do so within the next few months after several concessions from the Haxlard were made.”

The Major’s eyes went wide but she bit back a response with a sudden cough. The act startled and confused those in the room as they had never seen anything from the military woman except slight variations of calm stoicism. They did not notice the grinding of her teeth or her clenched fists and so when her eyes narrowed again and she stood up straight, they assumed she just needed to suddenly cough.

“Wow, the Game is being made public already… or at least in a few months?” Alex asked rhetorically. “That’s good for Patricia then; I was worried she would be forced not to talk about it for years.”

“Wait, so you’re saying we’ll be visiting another world?” Maria clarified, her eyes widening and a small, creepy grin forming on her face.

“Will it be in the real world, or within the Game?” Bradley asked.

“Through the Game. There is no reason to spend great lengths of time to travel to Iras that Real World travel entails. This one says this from experience. The only concern would be communication delay, but the System is efficient enough that such things would not be noticed by organic beings.”

“So the Game then,” Bradley summarized and sighed. “I thought I just got out of school for good… now I’m going to be going right back into it.”

“What did we do ta earn this?” Garry questioned. “Sure the Tutorial sucked, but we ain't the first ta think so.”

“All those who enter the Game and aid the Haxlard will be given such opportunities and defeating the members of the Petulant Sons Pirates is such a service,” the Ambassador replied. “Va’lakeesh alone causes much trouble for the Haxlardian outer planets. The levels and equipment they lost as consequence of their failure will slow their destruction of trade within this one’s Empire. It is not significant, but the act brings the Candidates in this room to be the Earth Humans most favored in the eyes of the Haxlardian Empire.”

They seemed surprised by the Ambassador’s admission. That either meant the pirates they defeated really were a major thorn in their side… or that they did not look very favorably on Humanity in general.

‘I guess it doesn't matter what the reason is, we're going to be travelling to an alien wordl!’ Bradley thought. ‘I can't wait!’

The office of Brigadier General George Stratton, The Game Clandestine Facility, ??????, Earth

Perspective – Major Alyssa Jackson

“What the hell did you do!” the Major yelled, barging into her superior’s office and slamming the door behind her. She made sure that no one could hear the sudden outburst except for the General beforehand, however. She did not yell at her superiors often, but when she did, she made sure it occurred in secret.

“I’m afraid you will have to be more specific, Major Alyssa T. Jackson,” the General responded, glaring at the Major with his hands steepled before him on his desk.

“General Stratton, sir,” the Major reluctantly saluted. “You know damn well what I mean. You just promised Ambassador Bright Star to bring this whole project public. I know you do not have the power to do that and I definitely know Congress did not approve of such a thing.”

The General closed his eyes, taking a moment to think about his response. “No they did not.”

“You will be lucky if all you do is lose your job, and for what?” the Major demanded. “This won't change anything.”

“Why don’t I tell you the whole story and we can continue from there…” Stratton began.

The Office of Brigadier General George Stratton, Game Clandestine Facility, ??????, Earth

Perspective – General Stratton

“This one is surprised by your sudden arrangement of this meeting,” Ambassador Bright Star observed. “The Earth Governments have always put themselves outside of Haxlard influence. Such worries are understandable to the Haxlard, so this one questions as to why such motives have changed.”

“There is no need to worry,” General Stratton waved off the concern and smiled. “The Earth has always considered the Haxlard to be a valuable potential ally. We just needed time to sort out the political ramifications you bring.”

As he said those words, nervousness set in his stomach. ‘Exactly how much do they know and how much can I get away with?’ he thought. ‘I may have said big words to the Major, but is there really no risk I am unwilling to take to ensure Earth’s—and by extension America’s—freedom?’

The General’s plan could cost him his life… even if he succeeded.

“As the Haxlard are fully aware, I have been given full control of the ‘Game’ project here on Earth,” the General started off truthfully. “The American military presence within the Game is here under my direct orders.”

“This one finds the words of the General within expectations,” the Ambassador replied with a nod.

“We—as a species—have spent a lot of time studying you. We had wanted to wait and see for ourselves the truth of what you said on that first day you spoke with us. Not simply as a matter of trust, but to confirm for ourselves if the Universe is really as you see it. The recent Tutorials have put many things into perspective.”

“The Earth is not the first planet the Haxlard has brought into the Game. Slow development is expected. A species does not change its culture and technology without either political upheaval or political patience. Both take time.”

‘Right… and where are those species you brought into the Game now? I have my doubts they are in any way independent,’ General Stratton thought grimly.

“That is what I have come here to talk to you today,” the General replied. “I have been talking with the politicians and have convinced them of your intentions. I have told them that you are eager for us to participate within the Game and they have decided that if the reward is good enough… an agreement can be made to the effect of a full public reveal.”

‘All lies,’ General Stratton thought gravely. ‘It’s a gambit, but it all comes down to what the Haxlard, the System and its Enforcers believe. So far, I’ve been their only method of contact outside those initial introductions. Any negotiations have been done through me and any signings have been under my supervision. Once we learned that the Enforcers had the power to destroy us, we’ve been careful to avoid informing them of the locations and identities of our Leadership. If it has helped keep them in the dark like we expect… I could use that.’

The Haxlard’s expression could not be read underneath his mask, but from the subtle body language the General picked up, the Ambassador appeared surprised at the news.

“A development of this magnitude cannot be understated. The Haxlard are eager to see such a proposal through,” Ambassador Bright Star replied. Despite the emotion-laden words, the translation device let none of it seep into the voice emitted.

“That will depend on the concessions made, of course,” General Stratton added gravely. “The kind of political and social upheaval you just talked about will not be cheap. If you want this, you will need to give us something in return.”

“Name your terms,” the Ambassador replied without hesitation. “This one has a direct line of communication with the Haxlardian Empire’s Foreign Affairs Department. As this one and the General converse, a meeting of the Consuls has been convened. This one can give the General an instantaneous answer to any terms the General provides.”

“I can do the same,” the General bullshitted. “Because of the sensitive nature of the Game, any decisions regarding it are under Martial Authority. It is within my power to accept reasonable proposals without consulting my Government so long as I deem it beneficial to the outcome of Humanity as a whole.”

‘That is at least partially true,’ the General argued internally. ‘Should the Haxlard make a demand of ‘a tour of the White House or we will annihilate the Earth’ and I was given little time to decide, it would be well within my mandate to take Executive action and follow through right away. The whole reason for separating our leadership from me was because I could make those kinds of split-second decisions. A politician could instead consider their career or popular backlash and make a bad choice. That being said, making such proposals myself without consulting anyone first is definitely outside that mandate.’

“Is the General not the military leader of only one of the Earth Coalition’s nations?” the Ambassador asked. “The Haxlard expected that any decision would be done with the presence of other militaries and their nations.”

“The United States of America is the Earth’s dominant military power,” General Stratton defended, “if necessary it would not need to answer to anyone. Even so, any concessions and rewards from this agreement would be split evenly across member nations proportional to their support of the Earth Coalition. These kinds of concessions were the core reason why we did not come forward with this kind of proposal until now.”

The Ambassador stared into space for a moment. After a subtle nod, he continued saying, “The Haxlardian Foreign Affairs Department wants to confirm that you are a sole authority on this agreement. Are there no other parties needed to sign this agreement?”

“Yes,” the General replied, a nervous tinge in his voice which went unnoticed. ‘This is the key point. Who can they go to confirm it? They cannot request any of the political envoys except through me; and if I say they are busy, what can they do? If I’m right, their answer will be…’

“While the Haxlardian Consuls believe your statement, there is no one that can be consulted to confirm what the General says. The Haxlard’s lack of understanding of Earth politics is regrettable. The Consuls therefore request the System and its Enforcers to hold both parties accountable for the Agreement.”

‘Just as planned,’ the General grinned at the thought.

“I understand and we agree. We want to make sure you uphold your end of the bargain as well. The Earth does not plan to go back on any such agreement,” he replied with as much self-control as he could muster. “Will the System agree, though?” he asked. ‘If the System requires some form of proof, this plan could fail,’ he thought belatedly.

“The System has already validated the General’s status,” the Ambassador confirmed. “As the General has stated, the System was informed by representatives of the Earth Coalition that any decisions about the Game within the purview of the General’s position can be made by the General. The United States of America appears purposefully vague on the exact responsibilities of a Brigadier General which is understandable considering the largely militant responses the Haxlard have observed. The System agrees that this understanding between our Factions is something you are qualified to handle.”

‘Wait, the System is basing my actual responsibilities on my legal responsibilities?!’ General Stratton thought, dumbfounded. ‘Maybe the System doesn't know humanity as well as we thought. It doesn't know that those responsibilities are vague because worrying about every little legal would cripple the chain of command in a wartime scenario. Our enemies could exploit that to destroy us. It is a necessity that is heavily scrutinized. Still, if I did something so obviously wrong like right now, ‘just doing my job’ would not stand against a Court Martial… but the System is no Martial Court. It does not have the intimate cultural, societal and political understanding necessary to interpret the legality of my actions and see what my true responsibilities are.’

“Then we are agreed on my qualifications then?” General Stratton summarized hopefully.

“The Haxlardian Foreign Affairs Consuls and this one are in agreement,” Bright Star nodded.

“Then to clarify, what would you want from us?” the General began, letting out a breath he did not know he held.

“Ideally the Haxlard would want the reveal of the Game to your public within the next year or sooner.”

‘The Government was planning on doing that anyway I imagine,’ he thought. ‘No matter what conspiracy theorists think, there has never been a government conspiracy that has held for more than a year; especially one of this magnitude. Sure, it is possible to keep a small coverup going for decades, but already close to a thousand people are in the Game as we speak. 'Keeping quiet' without horrendous violations of constitutional rights would be impossible.’

“Since you are so flexible on that, why don’t I make our demands first…” the General began.

Two hours later

Reading from the sheet in front of him, the Ambassador continued, “…this one concludes, then, that in exchange for the public reveal of the Game, the Haxlard will provide ten-thousand tons of: Gold, Platinum, Rhodium, Indium, Palladium, Tellurium, Iridium, Silver, Osmium and Rhenium; the ten most desirable non-radioactive elemental metals. In addition, one Anti-Matter Reactor, one Graviton Generator, and one High-Energy-Field Manipulator will be provided for research and development purposes. The Haxlard will send twenty teachers of Science, Mathematics, Military Tactics, Technology, Galactic Politics and Galactic Culture to teach Players on Earth within the Game. Likewise, twenty employees of the Earth Coalition will travel to the Haxlardian planet of Iras as part of a Cultural Exchange. Finally, all information in the GlobalNet and HaxNet—the inter-galactic networks accessed by the Universe and Haxlardian Empire respectively—that are in the public domain will be granted to the Earth Governments in an easily-accessible format.”

There were several topics that the General faced stiff opposition to including military technologies such as weapon schematics or spaceship designs, but regardless of the things he could not get from this arrangement, he felt proud of what he did manage to get. He had been glad he paid attention to the Ambassador’s lecture on the ship he arrived in or the General would have never considered that the aliens might provide the pieces that made up a spaceship even if the ship as a whole was classified.

He had done his homework and ensured that any supply of goods or services could only be used to benefit society without upsetting the Balance of Power or the Global Economy. A few mines would likely go out-of-business from the massive drop in metal prices as supply sored, and the various advanced alien technology could fuel a military and technological arms race in the next twenty-or-so years between superpowers, but the negative effects would only be felt should Humanity survive after their ‘immunity period’ and so the General readily agreed to the terms.

‘With this, the Earth should have everything it needs to make a place for itself,’ the General thought to himself. ‘Information, materials, tools, training, and ties to a Galactic Power. If the Earth plays its cards right, we could make it out of this mess without the threat of invasion at all. With the sheer tons of materials, would the politicians even mind that I did this or… no, what am I saying? This is going to fuel a political shitstorm that will probably destroy this fragile ‘Earth Coalition’ completely. No matter what happens now, I’ll be the villain… but that’s okay. I just need to remember how much progress will be made now. The world has no choice but to face this threat head on.’ He shook his head. ‘I said it to the Major: the stakes are too high. If Humanity is to survive, it must be decisive!’

“I—and by extension the Earth Coalition—agrees to this proposal,” he replied, finalizing the deal. “The details will be handled in the coming days.” He did not add that it would be unlikely those details would not be handled by him.

“If this one could make a suggestion?” Ambassador Bright Star asked. “This one would like to personally choose five of the candidates to make the journey to Iras. In doing so, this one stakes this one’s Ambassadorship that this deal will proceed as promised. This one will oversee those chosen by the Haxlard are done with Humanity’s interest in mind.”

‘Five out of twenty?’ he thought. ‘Even counting the other countries, I think we can afford that to give the Ambassador that. If it means that he owes me a favor, then all the more reason to do it. This plan is shaky enough as it is.’

“Alright, that sounds acceptable,” he agreed. “Why five in particular? What reason do you have?”

“This one feels accountable for the recent Tutorial Candidates. This one believes that they will not be compensated for the trouble this one has put them through by not preparing Humanity properly. This one wishes to amend that.”

The General shrugged; he did not feel that the ‘cultural exchange’ really mattered beyond verifying that the Haxlard were as powerful as they said they were… and to give conclusive evidence that the planets they controlled were in fact former independent nations like themselves. A few less ‘agents’ were no cause for concern for those plans.

“Then I guess we should tell those five the good news,” the General replied, indicating the door to the Ambassador.

Present Time

Perspective – Major Alyssa Jackson

“It was what you said earlier that made me realize my duty,” the General concluded. “You said, ‘In a democracy, change is slow’, and that reminded me of how slow the politicians were being in dealing with the alien threat. The problem is that there is always a reason why democracy is slow. Maybe it is because every side has an opinion and it takes time to determine which opinion the public believes. Maybe you need to convince the minority to believe what the majority does and you get decades of backlash because of it. However, that can’t be what’s happening now. After all, the public doesn’t even know what’s going on. So why are the politicians so slow?”

“But what about the National Security concerns?” the Major claimed. “What you’ve done will start a panic!”

“What concerns, what panic?!” Stratton demanded rhetorically. “Are there secret agents we need to protect or secret documents to cover up? Revealing the existence of the aliens and the Game does not mean giving civilians free access to the Game. If anything, more publicity will mean more public funding needed to ensure that any American secrets within the Game are protected.”

“But people will panic. There is an alien spacecraft that can destroy us just sitting there in orbit.”

“Maybe, but what are we doing about it? Do you think we will find a solution before the public finds out? If not, then they will panic anyway. It might as well happen on our own terms.”

“But none of this will even matter anyway! When Bright Star asks for our end of the bargain, Congress will deny having ever made the deal. All that will happen is you losing your job and Humanity losing face.”

“Not if the Enforcers co-signed the deal,” the General replied gravely, “we turn back on our deal; the Enforcers take over the planet.”

The Major took a second to process that, her mouth hung open and her eyes grew wide. “This- this is a betrayal of the very ideals the American Military stands for! We are supposed to be beholden to the people! That means to stay true to our mandate and abide by the decisions of the Congress no matter what our personal beliefs may be! What you are doing is bullying the people to act against their will!”

“I said it before, and I’ll say it again, my job is first and foremost the protection of freedom! My personal comfort or mandate or anything else comes second to that. Moving the timetable of Congress’ decision is no betrayal of the people. No, keeping it a secret is the true betrayal! The change that is required for Humanity to retain its sense of identity is one each individual has to make and they deserve the time to make it. I am giving the nation the decision to choose its own destiny before it is too late. I have risked my life for less in Desert Storm; I can risk my job for this now.”

“Sir, you know I’ll have to tell Lieutenant General Connors about this,” Major Jackson said, her face darkening as she threatened going above him to his boss. “They will figure out whatever loophole you used and make sure you or anyone else will never have the chance to use it again.”

“I know. I only hope whoever replaces me will take this job as seriously as I have.”

Game Capsule D-1410092184, The Game Clandestine Facility, ??????, Earth

The following day

Perspective – Bradley Cooper

“Well it appears you are all set for another foray into the Game, Mr. Cooper,” Dr. Fitzgerald concluded, turning off the light he had shined into the Engineer’s eyes.

They had performed all manner of tests to collaborate with the data they took of him before going into the pod in the first place. CAT/PET/MRI/CT scans, bloodwork, various DNA swabs, small grafts and samples of various tissues, the works. It had taken all of the previous day and even a little of that morning, and Bradley considered himself the lucky one. The others with more invasive implants had more difficulty coping with the sudden change reality brought than he had.

“Speaking of which,” Bradley added, “I met another Dr. Fitzgerald in the Game. Could she-”

“She’s my daughter yes,” the Doctor sighed, “although I don’t get why so many people believe I’m sick enough to have a wife more than 20 years my junior.” Seeing the confusion on Bradley’s face he quickly amended that saying, “Anyway, she’s the reason I’m here. She’s always been on the bleeding edge of the medical field and got herself caught up in this after another project she worked on studying the effects of Virtual Reality and perception. When she volunteered to be one of the first humans into the Game, she was allowed to pick which doctor she wanted as her personal physician. She of course didn’t pick me… but I wormed my way into the position anyway.” He said that last sentence with a sly grin.

“And the other effects?” Bradley asked, pointing to his body. He felt very different after coming out of the Game for the first time.

“I told you before, the Game makes several improvements,” the Doctor replied. “Improved muscle mass, reduced excess fat, better regulation of hormonal and nutrient content in the body such as moderated glucose levels, and all minor abnormalities right down to benign cists in the body are removed. The Ambassador tells us that the System takes any and all measures to ensure its Participants live as long as possible and he’s not wrong. When you entered, I estimated your life expectancy at a little over 65-”

“What?!” Bradley exclaimed, “But that-”

“However now,” the Doctor continued, undaunted by the outburst, “I expect you to live well past the age of 100, and that’s if you quit right now and go back to the unhealthy lifestyle of constantly sitting at a computer you came here from. If you keep playing the Game, I have no idea how long you could live. With the technology I’ve seen, it is possible you may live indefinitely.”

“That-”

“Pretty nice perk, right?” the Doctor said with a soft smile. “What, you didn’t think I would let my daughter participate in this for anything less, did you? Once this goes public, I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends the entire field of medicine. A few hours in a pod and you can consider every illness known to man eradicated. It even cured the cancer we found in Lieutenant Winslow. Honestly, I’ve been demanding for over a month to make the whole thing public. Thankfully, it sounds like the administration is finally hearing what I’ve been saying.”

“So what about the weird pains I’ve been having on my side?” Bradley asked, consciously rubbing the left side of his stomach.

“Well not everything is sunshine and rainbows,” the Doctor confessed. “They’re what we’ve tentatively been calling reverse-phantom pains. The name will likely change when the project goes public and we can report our findings to the Journal of Medicine, but essentially any damage that occurs within the Game is still remembered by the brain even when you leave. Just like how someone who loses a limb in real life sometimes feels like the limb is still there as a painful sensation, it is also apparently true that if the limb is suddenly returned, the patient sometimes feels it’s gone, causing a similar sensation. This isn’t supposed to happen, from what the Haxlard Ambassador has told us, and they appear to be working to resolve the situation… I guess it just goes to show that the aliens might be advanced, but they aren’t perfect.”

“Well, I guess I should get going then,” Bradley replied with a hint of enthusiasm, “the Ambassador is apparently sending a spaceship to Earth to send me to another planet!”

“That’s right!” the Doctor replied, eyes widening at the reminder. “Be sure to take detailed notes of their culture, technology, and the physiological differences between members of their species! The Ambassador has been very forthright with us studying him… to certain extents, but there is only so much one can learn from a single specimen!”

“Right… I’ll get right on that,” Bradley replied hesitantly. ‘That seems more like Alex and Maria’s areas of expertise… although I’ll be sure to study their technology. To think, they apparently have true Artificial Intelligence! The progress that could be made in our own Neural Networks and Non-Deterministic Heuristics and Statistical Computation could really move our society forward!’

Bradley practically jumped into the Game pod. “Alright, I’m all set. Plug me in!”

----Status Window----

Spoiler :

Status WindowName:Bradley CooperSpecies:Human (Earth)Level:4Experience:0/1000Class:UndeterminedAlignment:Friendly (+2) / Order (+1)[/tr]Age:26Gender:MaleRenown:0Notoriety:0----Regenerative Attributes----Health:95/95Health Regen:21.55/hrPsionic Energy:1/1Psionic Regen:0.82/hrShield Energy:N/AShield Regen:N/AStamina:85/85Stamina Regen:812.09/hr----Attributes----Strength:??+20Agility:??+20Intelligence:??+20Willpower:??+20Charisma:??+20Perception:??+20Endurance:??+20Luck:??+20----Resistances----Physical:??Mental:??Psionic:??----Career----Titles:NoneOccupation:Earth Coalition – Civilian Employee – RecruitCurrent Quest:N/A----Currency----Currently Held:0 CreditsCurrently Owed:0 CreditsMarks:0P, 0D, 0GAbility Points:0----Faction Standings----Earth Coalition:EmployeeHaxlards:Neutral*Administrators:Privileged*Pirates:Vilified*Revenant:Known*

----General Ability Window----

Spoiler :

General Ability WindowAbility Name:Ability Rank:Ability Proficiency:Ability Rarity:Connect (Basic)GG-928,437,115DAllows communication of single integer numbers, characters and regulatory tags to devices. Does so using the Cybernetic Interface Chip’s Regulatory Identification and Human-Computer Interface’s Wireless Perception abilities.Ability Name:Ability Rank:Ability Proficiency:Ability Rarity:Intrinsic Evaluation (Basic)GE-2,000,184,772DThe ability to intrinsically know the value of an object. Whether an object will work correctly, for how long, and how much it is worth.Ability Name:Ability Rank:Ability Proficiency:Ability Rarity:Machine Language ComprehensionGG-1,942,684,975DThe ability to communicate with sapient machines.Languages Known:Revenant StandardAbility Name:Ability Rank:Ability Proficiency:Ability Rarity:Mind SurvivalGE-1,846,294,110GThe ability of the mind to persist through overwhelming mental trauma. Provides resistance against abilities which damage the mind.Ability Name:Ability Rank:Ability Proficiency:Ability Rarity:Pistol ShootingGG-1,844,516,229GThis ability maps the progress of firing a pistol. A higher rank indicates a greater lethality.Ability Name:Ability Rank:Ability Proficiency:Ability Rarity:Regulatory IdentificationGG-214,735,418EThe Cybernetic Interface Chip’s ability to identify the regulatory standards, encoding, decoding and commands used by a device to communicate.Ability Name:Ability Rank:Ability Proficiency:Ability Rarity:Rifle ShootingGG-2,000,860,238GThis ability maps the progress of firing a rifle. A higher rank indicates a greater lethality.Ability Name:Ability Rank:Ability Proficiency:Ability Rarity:Wireless Perception (Basic)GG-1,642,194,713DThe ability to perceive wireless communications actively searching for connection. To avoid oversaturation, the Human-Computer Interface does not transmit secure communication or ordinary electromagnetic waves to the Cybernetic Interface Chip.

----Implant List Window----

Spoiler :

Implant List----Biological Implants----Implant Name:Implant Rank:Implant Proficiency:General Status EnhancerDN/AProvides a boost of 20 points to all attributes.----Mechanical Implants----Implant Name:Implant Rank:Implant Proficiency:Cybernetic Interface ChipDG-220,861,958Connected directly to the brain, when interfaced directly with a computer, implant, or memory module, this chip converts thought into the intended electromagnetic input expected by the device. Higher ranks improve the data rate, allowable frequency range, and provide higher levels of security. A Revenant Firmware Upgrade allows it to parse Sapient Machine Language.Implant Name:Implant Rank:Implant Proficiency:Human-Computer InterfaceDG-1,594,288,749Allows direct cognitive access to a computer system via wireless communication, allowing the brain to issue commands directly to the device. Can only guarantee a proper interface with devices of equal or lower rank.