DEV CENTER BANQUET

Jessalyn Hesh smiled at the man she was interviewing. Jessalyn was perfectly made up. Her clothes, hair, makeup, everything was deliberately chosen and applied. She was beautiful, but hard. People told her that she could break rocks with that beautiful, hard, face. She chose to take it as a compliment. It wasn’t meant that way.

“The Space Opera VR Systems Challenge is as simple as it is impossible- build the perfect immersive VR system.” Sam Kline was in his 20s. He was wearing jeans, a t-shirt and a sports coat. Programmer chic. Sam was the lead developer for Space Opera, LLC. Now he was the target of this attractive college journalist. “Then the VR systems gets a real time full fire testing as we dump a 4 person level 1 fire team into a STAR MARINES scenario.”

“Space Opera universe is huge, there are a million different ways to play, an amazing number of classes, many different races, there are soooo many possible choices.” Jessalyn’s beautiful face smiled a beautiful smile at him. “What made you choose a military scenario for the Space Opera VR Challenge?” Kline was nodding as she asked the question. It was right out of the marketing materials.

“Well, Jessalyn, you’re right. Space Opera is the biggest online multiplayer SciFi game in the universe,” he smiled. “And our VR integration and immersion is the best in the entire gaming multiverse. So we need to challenge potential developers and engineers. This year we chose Star Marines scenario because combat stresses the system.”

Across the room Kline’s boss, Henry Andle, was dipping his shrimp into cocktail sauce before sucking them down.

“You know,” an elegant older lady said to him, “many alumni prefer to just give money.”

Andle smiled and leaned in close to the older lady. “It’s cheaper for me to do this. And I get innovation and fresh ideas from the kids. My manufacturing partners get ideas and proven talent they can hire. And you name a building after me and Kline.”

The older woman, the college president kept the smile on her face. “But money…” Being chancellor of the university was much closer to being a prostitute than she cared to admit.

“Cut the fake smile, Dorothy,” Andle continued. “You have student journalists and IT networking students and all sorts of people all practicing their crafts. Even if your football coach was caught in bed with a live boy or a dead hooker you couldn’t get this much exposure.”

Dorothy didn’t change her expression. “You could still donate some actual cash.”

“I did. So did Sam. When we were students here. They called it tuition.”

“Just remember that I didn’t expel you and Sam after you hacked into the grade server.”

“IF I recall,” he said flatly, “you did punish me.”

“Keep misbehaving and I’ll punish you again.” She smiled again. This smile was a different, more genuine and much more feral smile.

Angie looked around the room again. She had just come in and quickly found a spot to the side. She knew that she was lucky. Three years ago, at the start of her graduate studies, she had joined Team Bloop. In fact she had gone to grad school just to be in this competition. Her parents wanted her to join the workforce after her first degree. Her parents warned her not to not rack up more college debt. The friends who graduated university with her had gone to work, none of them had gone to graduate school. Her best friend back then was making more than 6-figures at a start up. Angie was here.

When Angie joined Team Bloop, she was the newbie. Angie was their mascot, their padawan. For two years, including summers, they poured knowledge into her head.

Now the others had graduated, and Angie was the team president. She was the last of the “old crew” in engineering and design, the people that mattered. Her medical and nutrition support team had a couple of carry overs from back then, but Meds and Nuts weren’t the main event.

The heart of the team was engineering and development. New people had joined over the past three years. Smart and steadfast, Janet, Bill and Billy Long Hair were her team leaders. Still, it was Angie’s heart and soul that drove the team.

“Hi Angie!” She didn’t need to turn around to know who that high pitched and thoroughly annoying voice belonged to.

“Brian Hoff.” She slowly turned around. “I didn’t think you’d have the guts to come see me.”

“Are you still upset about Rogue 6?” His voice was annoying. His blue and white plaid shirt was annoying. His existence was annoying.

“You stole my grunt squad two hours before the competition begins.”

“I had to. My squad, my old squad, was stuck in Singapore. Some typhoon or something was delaying their flight.” He smiled. “Sorry.” He wasn’t sorry.

“Hard core, man, hard core!” Joey Reeves clapped Hoff on the back. “Stealing her players. That is hard core nasty shit.”

Hoff flinched away from Joey. “Ow.”

And he’ s a wimp too? I hate Hoff. I hate him sooooo much. “Hi Joey,” Angie greeted him with a smile.

Joey was squeezing Hoff’s shoulder in a slightly friendly gesture. “Sarah told me what you did Hoffy.”

Hoff suddenly looked alarmed. “Who knows about this?”

“Everybody knows what a dick move you made, Hoffy.” Joey shook Hoff slightly as he spoke.

Hoff looked stricken, like he had just realized other implications of what he did. He spoke to himself as much as to them. “You know in business there are no rules. They might respect ruthlessness.”

Angie shook her head. “they might have a moral compass too.”

“And there is no way in the universe that morality is on your side,” Joey chimed in.

“I didn’t think...”

Joey ignored him. “What are you going to do Angie?”

“I’m scrambling to get a team together. Can I have Sarah?”

“I love you Angie, but no.” He smiled.

“Didn’t think so.” Her smile was forced.

Hoff spoke up. “As the head of a team, if you actually play in the game, you get bonuses.”

Is Hoff trying to be helpful or just be an insensitive jerk?

Hoff kept speaking “Like Javi last year. Didn’t he get all sots of level ups and cool gear just for being team president?”

He’s being a jerk, Angie concluded. “Not helpful Hoff.” The last thing she wanted to think about was last year and the mess Javi made when he played.

“You look foxy.”

Angie and Joey just stared at Hoff. What the hell? Angie thought. Just when I thought this couldn’t get any weirder. Angie and Joey didn’t say a word. It got uncomfortable until Hoff muttered something like goodbye and walked away.

“So what are you going to do?” Joey asked.

“I don’t know. I really don’t.”