The three rebels took Logan through the dusty forest, Pat and Jones talking quietly together while Meghan stayed behind keeping an eye out for any threats. They had all pulled rifles similar to the one Logan looted from the militiaman from their inventories, just in case a devourer decided that they looked tasty.

Logan had asked about the devourers, and why they were the only creatures he had seen the entire time he was here. Meghan explained that the game lore they had found explained that the devourers used to be a problem across the galaxy, eating entire planets before flying into space to find something new to destroy. One of the alien species was able to destroy almost all of them, while finding a way to contain the rest. They weren’t sure what that meant exactly, but the aliens supposedly died out shortly after their campaign against the devourers.

It was interesting to Logan, but he didn’t feel like it was too important compared to his current problems. He’d look into the lore when he was more established, but it seemed like he would have to help take down the Free States before he could even think about enjoying his early game.

The group marched for miles, the sun starting to descend in the sky. The whispers in front were the only sound other than the whine when the wind picked up. Logan was starting to get tired of the walk, hoping that they would get to where they were going soon. It was only a few more minutes before the group stopped in a small clearing, a large boulder sitting on the tree line.

“We’re here, so make sure to keep your hands away from your weapons, okay?” Meghan said, walking up to stand next to Logan. She made a few hand gestures that told him that she was accessing a menu for something before speaking again. “Deadwood Post, this is Scout Team Four, escorting potential recruit. Ready to come home when clear.” A few moments went by before the three rebels nodded their heads together and they walked closer to the boulder.

The entire boulder lifted off of the ground, a hydraulic hiss seeming louder in the silent forest. The platform underneath it was rather large, but it only had three people standing on it, weapons ready for action. When the platform stopped, the new people stepped off and gestured for Logan’s group to board the lift. His companions immediately walked over and waited for him to join them.

Logan made sure to keep his hands clear of any of his weapons, wary of the new guns pointing at him. He stood between the rebels that brought him here, while the guards took positions on the lift surrounding the four of his group. One of the guards poked at the air and the lift started to slowly descend back into the ground, the hydraulics hissing the entire time. It only took a minute or so before the lift stopped, and Logan got a good look at the concrete room it lead into.

A large rectangle about ten meters by twenty meters, it had four doors on each of the long walls with a single door on the other short side, the lift being in the middle of the short side he was standing in. Cargo crates were stacked near the lift, but there weren’t many of them compared to the amount of space that was set aside for them. The middle portion of the room had a small kitchen and few tables and chairs, looking like a small cafeteria and rest area. That was further reinforced by half a dozen people sitting down and chatting, drinking and eating.

The furthest portion of the main room was split between an armory where weapons were stored and made, and a communications hub that had a display showing the region and troop movements. Logan wasn’t a soldier, so he was just assuming they knew what they were doing, and it all looked very impressive. The guards motioned for him to move to the other end of the room with them, and Meghan followed, while Pat and Jones broke away at the kitchen area to sit down and relax.

Logan’s presence got a few curious looks, but nobody said anything to him. The two people in the armory area made sure to look tough by picking up some heavier looking guns. The three communications people spoke in hushed tones as he walked past them, making sure he couldn’t hear what they were saying. Two of the guards took positions on either side of the single door on the short wall, while the third opened the door and walked in.

Meghan walked in first and motioned for him to follow. The room looked nicer than the main room, a thick red rug covered the floor, a large desk in the middle of the room. There were two comfortable looking chairs facing a high-back plush chair which sat behind the desk. A small radio sat on the corner of the desk, playing music softly.

Dominating the high-back chair was a large man that was dressed in what Logan would call a western costume, looking like a cowboy from the old movies that his grandpa used to watch. Salt and pepper hair sat in an unruly mess atop his head, and a layer of stubble across his jaw. Skin that was tanned and looked weathered held a grave expression, like nothing could go well enough to make him happy again.

Meghan stood near the chair on the left, but didn’t sit. She took off her helmet, revealing shoulder length auburn hair. “Mason, this is Logan. The chatter we’ve picked up from the militia about Jackson’s squad losing someone is about him. He seems to be pretty new, so if we take him in I can use him in my squad.” She spoke quickly, as if she was trying to get this meeting over as soon as she could.

The large man, Mason, looked from Meghan to Logan. His eyes traveled up and down, appraising him. He leaned forward and steepled his fingers in front of his chin. Piercing blue eyes made Logan uncomfortable in the silence that followed, but he didn’t want to be rude, so he made sure to wait until Mason decided to speak.

“Logan. Tell me if you would, are you willing to do anything you could to make things better for everyone?” Mason’s deep voice carried with it a drawl, helping to complete the cowboy image. “I have an idea, but it would require someone to do something a little… some might call brave, others might call stupid.” Meghan looked shocked when she turned to Logan. She must not have expected that to be the first thing he said.

“Mason! We can’t send a new player into a devourer den over and over again!”

“Sure we can. I make the rules at this headquarters, and nobody else is willing to do this.” He looked from Meghan to Logan again. “What class are you Logan? It’ll help to build a better team to send you with, since you’ll be on your own otherwise.”

Logan took a peek at his character sheet, making sure he was remembering correctly what he saw last time he looked at it.

Name: Logan

Level: 4

Class: None

Subclass: None

Species: Human

Strength: 10 Health: 230/230 Health Regen: 1 /sec

Vitality: 10 Armor: 0

Dexterity: 13 Stamina: 290/290 Stamina Regen: 1.6 /sec

Agility: 16 Endurance: 1

Intellect: 10 Psi Focus: 200/200 Psi Focus Regen: 1 /sec

Willpower: 10 Shield: 0

Skills:

Tinkerer - Level MAX

Allows the user to access alternate functions for items and abilities.

Astro Pilot - Level 1

Increases speed and maneuverability of star ships by 1%.

Pistoleer - Level 1

Increases damage by 2%.

Forced March - Level 1

Stamina drain reduced by 1% during long treks on foot.

He was surprised that he missed a new skill gain, but was happy that the long walk at least had some kind of purpose. His stamina was high, so he wasn’t so sure there would be a problem in the long run, but he’d have to test that later.

“I don’t have a class. I just started yesterday in real time and I haven’t had a great start to things, so I’m not sure how to get one.” Logan said, getting a little upset at the way that his sci-fi adventure was derailed immediately.

Meghan and Mason shared a look, with Mason looking angrier than he seemed when they first arrived. The guard next to the door chuckled under his breath, which was only barely audible over the soft music from the radio. Meghan looked back to Logan, a bit of worry showing on her face.

“Logan, you get your first class when you reach level five. You’re on Dust Hive without even being level five yet?” She seemed concerned and maybe a little upset at the predicament they were in.

“I just got to level four by killing that militiaman at the outpost. The guys who harassed me when I started in space told me they’d keep killing me if I didn’t join them, so I hit the emergency warp button and it brought me here. My ship is broken, which I told you, and I’d love to get off of this planet so I can get stronger, but I don’t have the resources to leave.” Logan unloaded a bit, frustrated that he was having to deal with this due to the militia ruining the system here.

Mason didn’t look angry anymore. He looked hungry. Logan’s low level could be useful, they could have him build a character that would be designed to fight a guerilla war, eventually making it possible to take down the outposts before moving inward to the main bases. Most players that got to Dust Hive already had a build started, many going for direct damage or reducing damage that they took.

Meghan for example, focused on stealth and exploration, which made her a very effective Scout class. Her friend Pat was also a Scout, but that was because the stealth bonuses allowed her to cause chaos without getting caught. That was useful for the rebels, as they could send her to bomb outposts and supply lines. Jones was an Engineer, which was useful for harassing enemies by summoning turrets and drones to attack them while the Scouts moved around them to flank.

Mason himself was a Gunner, which was an advanced version of the Soldier class. He was all about high damage output, which was nice in a direct fight, but this hidden warfare wasn’t suited to him, which is why he was organizing the fighting instead of participating. Mason wanted to see where this new information would lead the fight.

“Help me with my idea, Logan, and I’ll personally ensure that your ship is repaired and stocked with whatever you need to keep enjoying the game. You don’t have to help with the war, just my new idea. I want to show the others that it’s a viable way to get strong enough to destroy the Free States, and if you’re willing to help, then we’ll take care of you.” Mason was very invested in this idea, which is why he was upset when the other leaders denied his request.

Logan didn’t like the idea of being forced to work on something dangerous, but it was better than being forced into the militia or continuing to scour the wastes for resources that seemed rare. He stepped forward and offered his hand to shake.

“I’m willing to take a chance, but I want to make sure that you know that I’ll leave once I get the chance. I want to enjoy space, not some dirt planet where there’s nothing but assholes and deadly bugs.” That made Mason laugh. He stood and took Logan’s hand, shaking it firmly once.

—

After working out all of the details, Meghan showed Logan around the bunker. He already saw the cargo storage, mess hall, armory, and logistics hub, so it was mostly the doors along the side walls that he needed to be introduced to. The four doors nearest the cargo area lead to tunnels that opened to spots far away from the bunker itself, so they didn’t always have to come back to the boulder to enter and exit every time.

One of the doors off of the mess hall had a crude red plus sign painted on it, and it was shortly confirmed that this was the infirmary. Thankfully, being a virtual reality video game, this wasn’t strictly necessary, but the facilities lead to a bonus when creating healing items, or so the field medic explained, excited that someone was willing to listen to him. Meghan pulled Logan away before he could be drawn in to a long winded recruitment attempt, as the number of players who chose to be a healer in the sci-fi world wasn’t terribly high.

The door next to the infirmary housed a cramped room, the same dimensions the other room, but packed with scrap metal and electronics. Four people worked in the mess at different work spaces, welders, grinders, and solder guns creating a cacophony of sound. Half-completed drones, turrets, and vehicles took up what little room there may have been between the piles of material. During the brief foray through the room Meghan wasn’t able to talk to him, since the work was almost deafening, but she explained afterward that it was the engineering bay. People could take materials and create new versions of their summons, or upgrade their weapons and armor past what the armorers were capable of.

Logan thought about his Tinkerer skill, and how he might be more useful in the engineering bay rather than in some hole in the ground, but he made a deal and he needed to stick to it if he wanted off of this dusty rock. He wanted to take some time before he left to work on what little gear he had, of course, and maybe have the armorers make him something new so he’d be in a better position overall to survive what Mason wanted to put him through. He would have to wait until after the tour, though.

Across the room, the next door lead into a room that had a row of desks, behind which sat a row of identical robots. Meghan told him that this was the market, where the Merchant class was able to buy and sell things for better prices than the others, so they put together a room where they could get the materials and equipment they needed so they didn’t have to set up a supply line between here and the main HQ. Anyone could use the marketplace, which was basically just a universal auction house, to get anything they wanted or needed. Each desk had the same functions, but only one player could use them at a time, so they installed a few of them to ensure that people should always have access. Logan thought this was a wonderful set up, and he wanted to take a look at that when he had some things to sell later.

The last room had six bunk beds, where players could rest and relax. He was told that if a player logged off while resting in a comfortable and safe place, they would get a small bonus to their experience earned for a short time. While he didn’t plan to log off too often, that was good information to have. Meghan sat down heavily on one of the beds, resting her head in her hands. A deep sigh later, she looked up at Logan.

“So, that’s the bunker for you. I still can’t believe that Mason wants to send you on his crazy mission.” She shook her head. “We should log out, it’s getting pretty late. Jones already sent me a message saying that he and Pat have logged out and headed to bed. We’ll be back online tomorrow afternoon when we’re done with class, though.”

“Class? You’re a student?” Logan thought about it a moment, but it made sense. He didn’t want to tell her that he wouldn’t be leaving, so ‘tomorrow’ was about five days from now for him. “What are you studying, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Oh, nothing too interesting. I’m studying design, which is all about pretty things and style, which I know isn’t too fun to talk about without being able to show it.” She looked embarrassed, but he thought it sounded fun. Definitely not for him, but he knew that being passionate about things was great, even if he wasn’t. “What are you outside of here?”

He had to think about his answer, because he didn’t want people to know he was currently in a multi-year long nap. He thought about making a vegetable joke, but figured it might be insensitive. He decided to be honest, but not too specific. “I’m currently unemployed, but I have a contract in the works for a special project that I can’t talk about.”

Meghan nodded, stretched, and yawned. “Alright, I’m off. I’ll see you tomorrow around four PM. We have early classes, Jones and I, so we like to play late together when we have the chance. No exams yet, thankfully.” She waved goodbye, then opened her menu and pressed a button, her avatar breaking up into digital noise before disappearing.

Logan walked to the armory, ready to get some new gear.