《Deleted》 New Mission I¡¯d been sat with my arm in a sling ¡°Ready to get out of here?¡± Tyto asked. His question brought me around from watching Denn. ¡°Yes,¡± I said. He indicated the med bay door and I followed him out into the hallway and then up to the bridge. I hadn¡¯t been with him that long ago, but it seemed there were some major changes. This freighter was amazing. Huge. ¡°Care to take the helm?¡± I looked towards it, and my screens came up. I¡¯d never expected to see as much as I did now¡­ but this was much more than before, and I loved it. Gain a few levels and the whole world opens up some more, huh? Hiroto said. This is pretty neat, huh? Name - Artemis Cargo Freighter - Model 71719 - Repurposed Troop Transport Manufactured by - Arndale Corp Crew Min/Max = 7/142 - Troop Carry - Max 1000 Ship Cost = New 1,328,179 - Reclaimed - 172,288,121 Ship Quality - High Hull - Medium Armour - Reinforced at several exposed areas. Bulkheads Reinforced Duel Hardened Cargo Unit. Specialised Mech Dock x 6 Fighter bay with dock x 17 medium Engines Class Seven Hyperdrive Solar Sails with x6 Battery storage under the belly of the Freighter. 2 Batteries in-operable Manoeuvring Jets for tight docking. Extra Battery Storage for longer Space Missions. Weapons ¨C ALL inoperable X4 - Missile Tubes - Seventeen in stock - Cost x 1000 Gold X 2 - High Velocity - Rail Guns x 2 - 1000 packs in stock - Cost x 399 Silver per pack of 1000 rounds X 2 - Light Laser Beams - High Cost to ship Battery Packs, currently unavailable Computers Navigational Computer - Level 17 Predictive Trajectory - Level 21 Auto Pilot - Upgrade Available Sensors Deep Scanner Array - Level 10 Defence Tracking - Upgrade Available Surveyor - Upgrade Available Communications Weapons Jam - Upgrade Available Interspecies Communicators - Not Available Uses Arndales Relay Network - Level 17 Uses Kiain Relay Network - Level 5 The freighter was a nice model. Three main levels, the lower section split into the docking bay and training units, main hanger, for the mechs and fighters, and the med bay. The middle section of the freighter was for training, hydroponics, and eating. It made the most sense. The upper deck was the bridge, offices and crew quarters. It could clearly house a lot more than the few of us. I glanced to the Main Hanger Bay, where I knew our Fighter was sat. Its stats popped up. FIGHTER Model X2717 Quality - Medium Engines - Duel Engine - Level 10This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Computer - Auto Targeting - Level 8 Space Jammer - Level 9 Comms - Uses Arndales Relay Network - Level 11 Uses Kiain Relay Network - Level 9 Weapons X1 Rail Guns X2 Heavy Lasers ¡°You think you can take the helm?¡± I glanced at him and grinned, ¡°Really?¡± ¡°You feeling well enough?¡± I looked to my inner stats, my health and my main stats were low. I was still pretty out of it. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can,¡± I said looking at the chair. Tyto pointed at it. ¡°No, sit. I have a few things I can do before we tackle the take off.¡± I moved to sit down and found I more than plonked into place, suddenly feeling much weaker than I had thought. Tyto moved to kneel before me, and reached into nothing pulled out a vial handing it to me. ¡°You¡¯ll feel better with more of these inside you.¡± I looked at the vial and identified it. Core Nites x 102,023 ¡°They¡¯re clean?¡± ¡°Yes, they¡¯re clean, programmed for nothing but healing, or maintenance.¡± I took it from him feeling the weight, there was next to nothing in it. A tiny drop of liquid to house them, they didn¡¯t need much after all. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Just answer me this one question,¡± he held my gaze with his. ¡°Who is Hiroto?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure I should answer. But something pulled me towards this one man more than others. Maybe it was the thought he¡¯d come back for me¡­ I shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can.¡± ¡°Why, he¡¯s the one who got me out here to you, but you¡¯re not with him? So who is he, where is he?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m ready to admit certain things¡­ just because.¡± ¡°I want you to know that you can, you¡¯ve not been 100% truthful with anyone since you arrived.¡± ¡°You know I arrived though rather than actually moving over here?¡± He pushed up and sat in the second mate¡¯s chair. ¡°Yes, I checked back over the pod you came in. That vat wasn¡¯t active.¡± I nodded. ¡°No it wasn¡¯t, it was empty, not working.¡± ¡°So how did you end up in it, and here?¡± ¡°There was a person inside it, someone who was hiding. How the transfer happened I¡¯m still not sure. But it did.¡± ¡°You were transferred into a live denti?¡± He cringed. Xirob shuddered on the inside. No matter what you think, Kyle. I am glad you came to Tolsa. ¡°Yes, the denti I am inside is alive.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that was possible¡­¡± he shook his head. ¡°Is he.. Still¡­¡± ¡°Yes, his name is Xirob, and he¡¯s very much alive, for now. Because you know if I respawn now, I¡¯ll lose him for good.¡± ¡°Fuck, was that the time I killed you after we killed that M-Wolf Alpha?¡± I looked away from his piercing gaze, seeing the nanites inside me working hard now to program the others and get them set to work. ¡°Yeah,¡± I admitted, ¡°That was the time you killed me. I guess I should be grateful for it.¡± He laughed. ¡°Never heard anyone say that before.¡± There was a slight ping in my ear. CORE NITES - UPGRADED HEALING INITIATED I actually started to feel a lot better. Like things were finally moving in the right direction and looking to the screen before me I smiled. ¡°Ready to leave then?¡± ¡°Yes, I am,¡± I then noticed that the screen I was looking at, wasn¡¯t actually a viewing window. ¡°Solid plate hull?¡± ¡°Correct, there¡¯s no window. Cameras on the outside allow us to see what we¡¯re looking for, most of the time there¡¯s really nothing to see, just more darkness.¡± I wanted to see it all though. ¡°Where we going?¡± I asked. ¡°Well, I was heading to a port near the planet Roastol for a new crew when I got the call to come rescue your ass. Now, I¡¯m not so sure.¡± ¡°You fly this on your own?¡± I looked around shocked. ¡°It¡¯s huge?¡± ¡°That¡¯s complicated, but yes. Seems the system already had a crew in mind for me.¡± He grinned. ¡°It may take a while for them to come around.¡± But no sooner had I commented did I hear the door open behind us. I turned to see Jai, Rei and Naylar step inside. Jai looked to me sat in the main chair, the bridge had enough for us all to sit on, but there were specialist stations, ones I had no real training for. I moved to stand and Jai stood centre of the bridge and as he looked around I could almost see his mind working. Then without another moment he spoke clearly. ¡°Tyto, take second in command. Rei, Hydroponics. Kyle, Tactical. Naylar,¡± he paused, ¡°Medical and Fighter Pilot. Denn can take Engineering when she wakes.¡± I watched as the others moved to their stations, a little shocked that he¡¯d actually put Tyto as his second in command. But, giving it was his ship and he knew it well maybe it was the right decision. I wasn¡¯t sure which seat I was supposed to take¡­ there were still two left. Jai saw me hesitate and pointed me over to the one on the right and almost directly below Rei. ¡°Thanks,¡± I said and moved to sit. ¡°Take a look around your systems, get to know them. We¡¯ll have two watches for now. I¡¯ll take the first with Kyle. Then Tyto and Rei. Naylar can slot in the middle for both shifts till Denn is back up then we¡¯ll switch to 3.¡± The others just nodded, and while they stayed on the ship for a while, it was nice for me to just turn my attention to what was before me. Tactical split into three sections, Freighter, Fighter, and Mech Command. Each of those then had sub sets. This was a lot to take in, but wow. It made me excited. My adrenalin pumped through me and I just wanted to sit and absorb it all. I had expected lots of different things from studying the basic manuals of space back on Tolsa. This seemed much more complicated. I opened up the Freighter and glanced through its subs, Air, Hydroponics, Waste, Structure, Weapons. The more I read, the more I would start to understand, I hoped. The Air systems and the science behind them seemed simple enough. There were several scrubbers throughout the ship, which needed constant monitoring. That meant that we really needed a team twice as big as this was to fully operate her properly. I glanced to Tyto as he left the deck with Naylar and Rei. He¡¯d taken a hell of a chance bringing this out here on his own. It would have only taken one tiny thing to go wrong and his life would have perished. That¡¯s when I saw something else. Nanite Engineers x 140,291,922 Wow, that number is phenomenal. Hiroto said. Xe, what are they like. Programmable? I would need access to their main commands and database. Came her reply. I think I can do that. Maybe if you just send in some of yours rather than going in yourself this time¡­ Scared I¡¯m not coming back¡­ Why thank you. Xirob snorted. Man, you thought you had problems with just the two of us in here, you do realise she¡¯s developing quite the personality. I had noticed. Is that possible? Hiroto? We¡¯d always thought that sentient AI were going to be a possibility at some point. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s against anything we¡¯ve imagined either. Oh, I am no figment of anyone¡¯s imagination. I knew that, I just wasn¡¯t sure I could cope with all those voices I mean I¡¯d literally thousands of them inside me working. If they were all sentient. Don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re not. In fact, she said. I do not know that I am. I am a result of my programming, and that¡¯s even down to the sarcastic nature of my personality. However, I value that you think of me like that, and it will just make me work harder. Thank you Xe. Now if you would send in some of your best, let¡¯s see what this freighter is really made of. I want it fully mapped from top to bottom. Yes, sir. I placed my arm to the panel and waited while the nites left my system and I was reduced from the number I had by around ten thousand. Why send out so many? I want to make sure that every part of the system is maintained, if that means I have to do that with ten thousand less, it will be okay, Tyto gave us quite the boost with new numbers, I think I can afford them even with re training and programming those that are left. MISSION FOR NITES - LOG AND CONTROL THE SHIPS AIR SCRUBBERS I agreed with them leaving and waited till I got the all clear before returning my arm to rest on my knee. When I looked up, Jai was watching me intently. ¡°Something wrong?¡± I asked. New Decisions ¡°You did that without even blinking,¡± he glanced to my arm. ¡°Do you know how many people can actually single out and order nanites like that?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Can¡¯t everyone?¡± He laughed, and brought up on the big screen a whole 3D image of the vessel we were now in. This was a good shot, but now invading the ship were my ten thousand tiny little red dots¡­ ¡°They¡¯re invaders?¡± I asked standing to watch them. ¡°Yes, to the ships system at the moment they¡¯re hostile, but wait¡­¡± I sucked in a breath and did just that, I waited. Ten the first few red dots started to turn green. It was then like a wave as the rest followed. X2717 Freighter AI system is now at my command. Xe spoke clearly to me. That was fast! They¡¯re pros. She laughed at me. Certainly seemed that way¡­ Then something changed¡­ The green dots turned red again, then started to blink out. Jai stood. ¡°Fuck¡­¡± ¡°Hold on, I¡¯m not done for yet.¡± I sat back down at the station and started to work. I wasn¡¯t sure of everything I was doing, re-routing them to other sections of the ship. But they needed time that was all. I had to get them that at least. I couldn¡¯t read the code, it was too hard. I input commands after command¡­ The screen flashed before me. Kyle, they¡¯re dying? Xe said. I don¡¯t understand? The commands weren¡¯t working. ACCESS DENIED. Loser! A voice said. You¡¯re not the correct level! I had no idea who this was, or where it came from. That¡­ Xe said. Is the freighters AI. And the Nites died in droves. Shit! I didn¡¯t have much of a chance if I got this wrong now¡­ But when I tried again, nothing. The next wave of Nites died off. I was down to 8,262. Xirob, anything you can offer me? Maybe now¡¯s time to use some of your quick points? We need the ship, Hiroto said. I looked to my character sheet, not really having the time to do this, like right now. But I quickly selected what I needed to see. Name ¨C Kyle Ranz ¨C Age 18 Level = 25 TRAINEE Respawns = 2 Memories = 96% Internal AI chip = X Class Nanites x 281,229 Body Type = Model 7812 A Class Structural Integrity = Camite Silver Integration Skin Strength = 49 Blood capacity = 48 Healing Speed = 52 TRAINEE HEALER Health = 79% Mana = 140 Strength = 72 Dexterity = 29 Intelligence = 79 Wisdom = 35 Charisma = 20 Luck = 94 If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Stat Points = 5 Quick Points = 3 Chosen Specialties Battle Mage = Rank 56 Nanite Engineer = Rank 52 Kenosi = Rank 0 - Sparked Skills = I looked to the list and thought about how unorganised it actually was. CAD Tech = ?? Foot Soldier = Rank 45 Merc Sniper = Rank 50 Mech Pilot = Rank 40 Negotiator = Rank 10 Shuttle Basics = Rank 3 Animal Handler = Rank 4 Deception = Rank 1 SPACE SICKNESS ¨C YES YOU ARE STILL SICK. XE ¨C LEAD NITE NANITE ARMY NUMBERS = 2421 STRENGTH = 8 CORE ENERGY = LEVEL 78% SKILLS = RECONSTRUCTION EXPERTISE = RANK 4 MUSCLE HEALING = RANK 7 VIRAL FIGHTING ¨C RANK 3 POISON RESISTANCE ¨C RANK 5 I had been awarded 3 quick points, and some skill points from levelling. In the time, I¡¯d been here so far I¡¯d not really paid that much attention to what the system had thrown at me. Saving what I could till and assigning them in blocks. Now, I knew I needed to be smarter. I could assign the quick points if I wanted to, but I really wanted to level some more before I did that. Doubling my ranks now would be great, but if they were higher first that would have been much better. I put my stat points into Intelligence making it = 84 then I added 1 quick point to it, doubling that to 168. Since mana didn¡¯t do anything I added 1 point to Dexterity which at least meant I wouldn¡¯t get as tired, and left me more in line with the others at 58. I wish there was some way to steady myself against the rush. But that kind of increase filled my head with stars. I fought hard to keep tight hold of my vision, but it started to fail me, the stars growing much like an optical migraine would. I¡¯d had a few in my time staring at too many computer screens. ¡°What did you do?¡± Jai asked. I couldn¡¯t answer him however. Instead I focussed on the screen and watched as the language of the ship started to make some sense. Some, mind you. There was a lot I still couldn¡¯t work out. I needed more Intelligence to go with the knowledge, and my last point went to double Intelligence again = 336 RANK INCREASE - SHUTTLE BASICS - RANK 51 My mind flooded with information. Fuck! Hiroto said. This is amazing. Kyle give me control, I got this. I didn¡¯t think I could do anything else but hand over the reins of my whole body, my brain swam in fuzzy lights. There were sounds going off at me from all over the ship. Even if I could see much clearer. I couldn¡¯t do anything else. Finally I managed to answer Jai. ¡°I did the one thing I could.¡± I stammered out. ¡°Quick Points. I¡¯d been saving them.¡± ¡°That Shade of yours is pretty neat, no one usually keeps hold of them for more than a few weeks at most, let alone any kind of length of time. Lucky us.¡± I nodded, and watched as this time when I started to input the commands, the nites weren¡¯t blinking out. ¡°You¡¯ve got it,¡± Jai said. I didn¡¯t have the time to worry. It seemed my vision just focussed on things, my fingers typing and moving as fast as I possibly could. The ships nites and systems were trying their best to counter me, much like a really good opponent in a game of chess. But that wasn¡¯t stopping me. I looked a little further and noted that the ships nites had a ranking for intelligence and overall stats, that really helped me, I now knew that I outranked them and they would in the end just give up. But the fight was tough. I had sustained losses, and any mistake was obvious. The main AI system¡¯s sarcastic nature didn¡¯t let up. Loser. Loser! it taunted I wondered if it was the ship actually trying to agro me? But that thought soon went when I started to key in commands that were accepted. What I thought was a few moments later and my nites were all steadily green, and all the systems on the ship followed suit. Jai patted me on the shoulder, ¡°Nice job.¡± My eyes refocussed on the bridge and the large display before me. I realised then I was actually shaking. ¡°You need this,¡± Naylar said, holding out a drink for me. ¡°What, where did you come from?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been in there for more than your shift, Kyle. I was assigned to monitor you, and at least pass some healing on when I could.¡± I swallowed some of the fluid realising how thirsty I was, my health had fallen pretty low, but with the liquid going in was helping with recovery already. ¡°The ship¡¯s fully under our control,¡± I said, looking up at Jai. ¡°But there¡¯s a few issues I already noted, especially in Hydroponics.¡± ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve a lot of things to fix and work through. Now we have a good crew, I think it¡¯s possible, but we need to head to another planet to try and get some more parts, we need to get out of this area.¡± ¡°I agree with that. Can we get a list going of all the things we need?¡± Naylar smiled at me. ¡°Drink, you need it. We¡¯re working on lists for all systems. This Freighter¡¯s good, Tyto did well to upgrade and get this. But it¡¯s probably in a worse state than his other ship was.¡± ¡°Really, even after all our team work?¡± I looked to Jai, but he just shrugged. ¡°Prices are different, he sold yours for a bigger ship so that he could have a fighter, and room for a mech team.¡± ¡°How long was I gone for?¡± I asked, something wasn¡¯t adding up at all. Jai looked away. ¡°You need to ask Tyto that. He¡¯s asked us not to talk about it, I respect that decision.¡± Now I was worried. I¡¯d been gone for much, much longer than a few months. How? Why? What the hell had happened to me? I hadn¡¯t seen that, but with the flick of a button Jai brought up the hanger bay where the fighter was now sat. I could see it. Two fully functional but basic Mech lock ins. The other 4 bays were, well, in need of a lot of repairs. I grinned. We could still fix all of this with time, and funds. It was thrilling. ¡°This means we can¡­¡± I paused. I couldn¡¯t tell them anything else¡­ could I? Jai cocked his head at me, raising an eyebrow. ¡°I think it¡¯s time you turned off that Shade brain of yours and let the people who are around you know what¡¯s going on for real.¡± I looked around the bridge, they were all there, Tyto and Rei sitting in their respectful chairs, while they typed in and checked through what I¡¯d just accomplished no doubts. I brought up my character sheet and looked through, to disable my Shade Brain. SHADE BRAIN + 100 MAX LEVEL REACHED NO TRACKER, NO SEER¡ªNO ONE CAN FOLLOW YOU EVER. Be aware, this will be your downfall in high company (Master and above). SWITCH OFF ¨C Y/N YOU CONTROL WHO SEES WHAT. IF YOU REALLY WANT THEIR FRIENDSHIP YOU MAY MAKE THAT DECISION FOR YOUR PROSPECTIVE TEAM. My thoughts hovered over the decision for a few moments. You¡¯re really going to let them know¡­ everything? Hiroto said. ¡°I will turn it off and I¡¯ll tell you everything. Under one condition.¡± I said clearly holding Jai¡¯s gaze. ¡°Oh, what¡¯s that then?¡± ¡°When the time is right, no matter the levels between us, you let me take command.¡± I saw Jai visibly swallow, and Tyto¡¯s eyes went wide. ¡°I can¡¯t do that, kid.¡± I placed a hand on the console and stood up. ¡°General,¡± I said my voice steady even though I was as nervous as all hell. ¡°I respect your experience, you¡¯re a born leader. But you need to know that if I choose to show you who I am. I¡¯m putting every single life in this system at risk. I need something that will give me the security to do my job and not jeopardise everything.¡± Jai glanced to Tyto. ¡°Would you have any objections?¡± Tyto looked to me, I knew I already had a hold on him, but he just smiled back. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be here now if it wasn¡¯t for Kyle. He¡¯s got my full respect and my loyalty.¡± Tactical Lead Chapter Jai¡¯s words were terse, but I knew he meant it when he said it. ¡°You will have my full support when the time is right. I won¡¯t argue or hold you back.¡± I held out my hand and we shook. CONTRACT EXCHANGED COMMAND WILL BE RELINQUISHED AT THE RIGHT TIME. BIT VAGUE, KYLE. LET¡¯S HOPE IT DOESN¡¯T BITE YOU IN THE ASS, RIGHT? I turned to my console, and placing my hand to it with just one thought I opened up my interface and turned Shade Brain off. I heard Naylar gasp then, and I looked to her. ¡°Kyle?¡± I pulled it up onto the main screen for them to see in all its glory. Everything I was. Name ¨C Kyle Ranz ¨C Human Age ?? = Level = 25 TRAINEE Name - Hiroto Toshiaki - Human Age 27= Equ Level = 35 TRAINEE Name ¨C Xirob Veti ¨C Denti Age 44 = Equ- Level = 111 MASTER Respawns = 2 Memories = 96% Internal AI chip = X Class Nanites x 271,229 Body Type = Model 7812 A Class Structural Integrity = Camite Silver Integration Skin Strength = 49 Blood capacity = 48 Healing Speed = 52 TRAINEE HEALER Health = 79% Mana = 140 Strength = 72 Dexterity = 58 Intelligence = 336 Wisdom = 35 Charisma = 20 Luck = 94 Stat Points - 0 Quick Points - 0 Chosen Specialty Battle Mage = Rank 56 Nanite Engineer = Rank 52 Kenosi = Rank 0 Sparked Skills = CAD Tech = ?? Foot Soldier = Rank 45 Merc Sniper = Rank 50 Mech Pilot = Rank 40 Negotiator = Rank 10 Shuttle Basics = Rank 3 Animal Handler = Rank 4 Deception = Rank 2 Special Traits Awarded - Healer - Internal AI chip X Class ¨C Crystalline and Silver metal chip, with integrated healer nanites led by Xe Aria. + 10 to ALL STATS Intelligence - Internal AI chip + 100 to Stat. Shade Brain ¨C Bonus level attained ¨C no one but a controller can see your true nature. Spells ¨C Minor Healing - Requires BATTLE MAGE RANK of 12 and x 1 Mana per second Medium healing -Requires BATTLE MAGE RANK of 27 and x 10 Mana per second Intensive Healing - Requires BATTLE MAGE RANK of 44 and x 100 Mana per second Lightning Fury ¨C Cost 10 mana per second ¨C Damage increased by 30% Jai was the one who spoke again after they¡¯d all been silent for a while. ¡°So, the three names?¡± ¡°Tyto knows some of this.¡± I looked to him and he nodded. ¡°I spawned on Tolsa with Hiroto inside my mind already, then I died at the hands of a prospective team member, and then once again by Tyto¡¯s hands himself. It was that time it was into a live denti hiding in a vat that wasn¡¯t hooked up.¡± ¡°Holy crap, a live one?¡± Rei said. ¡°How¡¯s that possible and look at Xirob¡¯s overall level! Shit, Jai!¡± Xirob, you never said¡­. You never asked. Besides what would it have accomplished telling you my level? That was true, nothing really, we couldn¡¯t use it. At least it didn¡¯t seem like we could. But then again, I thought back to the times he¡¯d actually had control of parts of me. We were using your expertise on a lot of things though. I just didn¡¯t realise it. ¡°So, you have three people in your head?¡± ¡°Technically four, with the Lead Nite, Xe. But yes, I have two very prominent voices in my head. It¡¯s annoying as fuck, but I got used to them,¡± I added, ¡°mostly.¡± To the guys chuckles. ¡°This is¡­¡± Jai sat in the Captain¡¯s chair. ¡°This is huge¡­ I¡¯ve only met one master in my time here so far.¡± Do you want to tell them anything, Xirob? I asked him.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Would you let me take vocals? His concern for that one act was very noticeable as I felt him tremble. Of course, please do. If you have something to tell them. It was strange when he started to speak then. I actually didn¡¯t feel anything different. His voice sounded strange in my ears, it clearly wasn¡¯t me. It wasn¡¯t in English, but the translation coming through to me so I could understand what he said was fascinating. I stood straight under Xirob¡¯s control and looked to each of the team on the bridge as he spoke. ¡°My name is Xirob Veti, I am in command of the denti rebellion.¡± His words hit home. I mean I had my suspicions, but this was confirming it all. I felt him squirm a little at my thoughts. But he held their attention and mine with his next words also. ¡°Yes, I am level one hundred and eleven and I master in four specialties, Mech Warrior, Ship Command, Kenosi, and Nanite Engineer. I was upset that being discovered on Tolsa could have led to my death with repercussions for many more generations for my kind. But it was instead a blessing, to meet Kyle and Hiroto. I do not think my journey would have led me to do any of these things we have accomplished.¡± Jai moved to stand before me, he placed his palms together and bowed to Xirob. ¡°It is an honour to meet you master Xirob.¡± ¡°Thank you. It is my honour to meet all of you.¡± ¡°Do you still have access to your Character Sheet?¡± Naylar asked. He felt my head shake, ¡°No, I do not. But I have levelled once while Kyle has been in control.¡± ¡°That¡¯s really interesting.¡± Naylar walked around me. ¡°You¡¯re in control of the body, right now?¡± Xirob nodded. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°Can Hiroto take over too?¡± Jai asked. ¡°Each mind can, and we can split control.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing,¡± Naylar said, ¡°almost like a mech merge. This would drive Denn crazy knowing all this.¡± ¡°Put Kyle back,¡± Jai said. Thanks, Xirob, I know that was actually really difficult for you. I knew it because I felt it, it was awkward being back in full control and knowing it had to end. ¡°Let¡¯s get this ship into real space.¡± Jai said to me. ¡°I think we should head towards a friendly but open location.¡± I turned to the controls, ¡°Yes, General.¡± ¡°Captain is fine, in fact all of you get used to it, ranking slips will get us blasted out of any friendly encounters.¡± A resounding, ¡°Yes, Captain.¡± Echoed over the bridge. Jai moved to swipe my character sheet from the viewer. He hesitated, stared at it a moment, longer. ¡°That¡¯s some miracle, never in my life¡­¡± Bringing up a map of the area we were in, and where he¡¯d wanted us to head. ¡°Travel in space isn¡¯t quick, especially in a ship like this. We¡¯re going to have a lot of time to get to know each other, get used to the way she works think on the upgrades we want, what we need, what we can aspire to.¡± He then looked to me. ¡°You need to learn from Xirob. That¡¯s your task for the next few weeks. I am taking a leap here, but have patience and let him teach you, you should be able to level up from him.¡± I didn¡¯t need to understand how, but I knew I already had been over the last few months there was no way a 0 level in anything could get to become a Trainee. With everything Xirob had been doing for me, I¡¯d been learning and so had Hiroto they¡¯d both been teaching me via example. Things I just seemed to know how to do now were essentially because of them. My rankings were so much higher, so much stronger because of them and that made me proud I had them with me. I looked to my console, saw the complicated side to it and then watched as it moved and morphed into something which was semi coherent. I have a lot to learn Xirob. I spoke to him. Hiroto, you can help as well, right? Yes, we¡¯re both going to help. I noticed two feet appear at the side of my console and looked up into Rei¡¯s eyes. ¡°Will you ask Xirob if he¡¯ll help me with my Kenosi?¡± I repeated Xirob¡¯s, ¡°I¡¯d be honoured.¡± ¡°For now, though, Kyle you need rest. Go with Naylar to the mess deck, eat, refuel and then sleep. I¡¯ll put your duties on hold till your health is at full strength.¡± I nodded and stood. ¡°Thanks, Captain.¡± I followed Naylar then off the bridge, listening to the whistles from Tyto and Rei behind me. ¡°They¡¯re not going to forget this very quickly are they?¡± I asked her. She beamed at me, ¡°Kyle I¡¯ve never met a master, so for us to be in the presence of one as high up as Xirob, this is something really big for us, even if he¡¯s not human.¡± It didn¡¯t take us long to get down a level to the Mess. It was a large room with galley and tables. Easily capable of serving a hundred men and women. ¡°We¡¯re vastly under manned,¡± I stated taking in the small bots as they were also scooting around cleaning. ¡°I know, but I¡¯m not sure we have enough friends to join us.¡± I nodded, I didn¡¯t know a lot of people. Only those I met with Rytin and at HopeCity. I know some who would have loved to join this expedition, but bringing them out while the ship was nowhere near ready to hold them would have been disastrous. To take it to Tolsa as it was, would mean we¡¯d be easy targets for them to blast us out of their airspace, despite Jai¡¯s reputation. Naylar moved to the galley and pulled out a few things, before popping them into what looked like an oven. ¡°It¡¯s pretty basic food groups. But we¡¯ve enough in here for the six of us for quite a while.¡± The oven pinged less than a few seconds later and she pulled out the trays and carried them over to a table. I sat down and she moved to a fountain where she then got two cups and filled them with liquid out of a dispenser there. When she set them down I realised it was coffee, and I mean real smelling coffee. I picked up the mug and took in the aroma, it was deep roasted and smoky. I raised it to my mouth and sipped. It was heaven. ¡°This¡­ is what I missed. This is amazing.¡± I picked up a fork and she grinned tapping the side of the table. ¡°Cargo is really easy to watch over, but I have to be wary of what space we have, what resources, and what we physically need. The Nites can of course do stock control but my first job is serious physical check over. The ship itself was a drifter so the resources need a date check too.¡± Xirob spoke in my ear, it means her crew perished, she was adrift. Not quite junk but for some it had bad karma. ¡°Any ideas what happened to the crew?¡± I asked, wondering if I needed the truth. ¡°The logs say they ran into engine trouble over in the Messina Sector, there was no one around. Once their engines stopped producing power, hydroponics started to fail. Something else was going on before then. Seems the crew were getting sick, doc logged everything too. But the crew started to forget basic things, and it just exasperated things so they perished.¡± ¡°Ouch,¡± I dug into my food feeling a little on the sick side. ¡°So, what are we going to do to stop that kind of engine and energy failure?¡± Naylar patted my hand, ¡°That dear, Kyle will be our first major task. At present this ship¡¯s not running at full capacity at all. This gives us a lot of leeway in what we do, how she functions. But to get her up to speed, will take some thought, and a lot of mis-matched hopping from project to project. Everything¡¯s a priority and it could be one minute and then not the next.¡± Yeah, there wasn¡¯t any real amount of us to complete a ton of upgrades, this was going to take time. I nodded, and bit into the meat on my plate. The rich flavour exploded on my tongue and I think I actually grunted. ¡°That good?¡± she asked. ¡°Yeah, feel like I haven¡¯t had real food for a long time, I am grateful for you feeding me don¡¯t get me wrong but it wasn¡¯t the same as Tolsa¡¯s canteens.¡± She laughed. ¡°No, it¡¯s not, but at least it made you appreciate some of the finer things. Not everything will go to plan, as we well know.¡± ¡°Yeah, I still have no idea how I actually ended up on your planet¡¯s surface.¡± ¡°We have a couple of theories,¡± Naylar said. ¡°But let me tell you what happened from my perspective first before we tackle those.¡± ¡°Oh, sure, share away, I¡¯m all ears.¡± ¡°The day we found you we¡¯d been tracking for most of the morning. The shuttle had dropped us off and the best way in was on foot. As you know the weather was evil and most of the morning had been a fog of cold mist where we could barely see in front of us and then acid rains that lasted for a few hours, doing damage constantly. I¡¯d been arguing with Rei about hitting the main pass later that night, I wanted us to rest up and recoup for the following day.¡± I listened while Naylar ate and talked, and I managed one plate full and then went back for another. She smiled as I sat down two more full mugs. ¡°Jai was adamant we were pushing on, but then Rei saw a drop flag, and then a ship in the skies. The fog was clouding most of what we could see, but we did hear it coming in. Having requested another tech head we expected something so this was good. It meant for us someone was paying attention, to our mission.¡± I didn¡¯t know how I¡¯d gotten there, but this was interesting. If they dropped me, that was some scary shit, so glad I wasn¡¯t awake for that. ¡°But I wasn¡¯t what you expected¡­¡± I sighed. ¡°Sorry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault.¡± ¡°I still feel bad.¡± I sipped more of my drink and then sat back while she carried on. I was full now and my health was nearly full. ¡°But yes, when we reached where the target flag had said we¡¯d find our mark there was a naked denti.¡± ¡°It must have been odd,¡± I put the mug down once again empty. I daren¡¯t have another though in case it really was coffee my body would need sleep soon, and I felt it creeping up on me. ¡°Yes, it was, I don¡¯t think we¡¯d expected it, and that first night we got you to sleep using the main sleep setting was a whir for us, we talked a lot about the consequences of having you with us on the mission. The thought we could lose¡­ everything.¡± ¡°How did you think the mission went in the end? They must have watched it, right?¡± ¡°I think they will have, yes, they knew you didn¡¯t do exactly what they said that¡¯s for sure, that information you got out with¡­ you decode it yet?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Maybe Denn can help at some point, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°We need the information, it could be vital, they were willing for us to live or die trying. We were giving them everything.¡± I reached for her hand, and she let me hold it. Her skin soft, her eyes teary. ¡°I understand your consequences now, I¡¯m sorry I put you in the position of mission failure to that degree.¡± ¡°Thanks. It means a lot. We did have some hard decisions to make that night. But, Denn was adamant you were something else. I am glad we listened to her. She was right you are definitely more than you first appeared.¡± I let out a yawn. ¡°So I don¡¯t need to set the sleep setting then to actually sleep?¡± She shook her head, her hair bouncing around her shoulders. I noted her beauty there then, ¡°No, sorry, that was the best way for us to get some serious privacy.¡± She pushed upwards and stretched out. I couldn¡¯t help but watch her, she was stunning. Her strong physique here in better and clean clothes stood out. Inside though I mentally shook my head. She was not only with one of the most amazing women I¡¯d met here, I respected her too much. ¡°Not the most comfortable place to chat for so long.¡± She checked the time, then motioned for us to leave. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to your quarters, then head to the cargo bay, it will take me some time to do this.¡± ¡°Need a hand?¡± ¡°No, you need your rest. It will be good for me to do this, keep me occupied.¡± We left the mess and she took me up another section. ¡°How is Denn? Will it be much longer before she¡¯s up?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so, she should be awake now¡­¡± her voice trailed off and then I heard her sob. Oh crap. I had no idea what to do with a girl that started to cry. This totally freaked me out. When she stopped walking, and put a hand on the wall, I knew I did need to do something though. Carefully I wrapped my arm around her and tugged her into an embrace. She was solid muscle under her uniform and when she turned into me I just hoped she didn¡¯t squeeze. She didn¡¯t cry for long, but she held onto me for a while buried into my neck. This felt so different than what I had experienced with Saskia, it wasn¡¯t sexual at all and surprisingly I liked it. I found I¡¯d really needed it myself. Just the contact from someone who had been through some of the shit you had. When she moved away, her eyes met mine. ¡°Thank you, Kyle.¡± ¡°For what?¡± I asked like the dope I was. ¡°For doing as much as you did for her, for us. You may not have the levels we do, or the time here, but you¡¯re already a valued member of Trix.¡± She leaned in and kissed the side of my face. Then she waved to a door just beyond where we were. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of rooms, but we¡¯ve got the forward section, meant for officers. The main bunks are fit for crew and maybe we¡¯ll fill them one day. Good sleep to you, you deserve it.¡± I watched as she walked away from me, her hand trailing along the wall as she did so. I looked to the door, it flagged up - TACTICAL LEAD and I grinned. I loved that title.