“Well, Tessa, this played out differently than I expected. Thoughts?”
Many would have tried to leverage their rights as Primus. Otherwise, you have some spell forms, or tech and friends that could easily get you out of here.
But what does that solve Tessa? I feel like it might be time to use my token.
I will remind you that this exchange cannot intentionally “screw you over” and as such, it has the potential to grow in power as you do.
I get it Tessa, but if my status has been updated since the question mark parade, then I might be well enough informed, hey Tessa? She boots the stat sheet at me.
Name: Penelope Arcadia Mercer Race: Human (Primus) Andromeda Code: T-S Class: None Track: Artificing (lvl. 2) Imbalance: S + 2 Mind [Intelligence: A, Clever: A, Awareness: B]> Social [Beauty: C, Charm: D, Presence: B] Physical [Strength: E, Agility: C, Fitness: E]> Aether [Capacity: D, Refinement: B, Power: S]> Skills [Aether engraving: Novice, step 5; Aether insight: Novice, step 9; Knowledge absorption, Intermediate, step 5 (tech assist); Pain Suppression, Novice, step 5]
Tessa, how is my Aether symbiote averaged if I’m the only human?
You are being averaged with the last million symbiote accessions. I . . . oh Andromeda. Penny, your power is, Supernal amongst the last thousand accessions.
I mean, I take it “S” is higher than “A” but I don’t understand why that matters. I am in fucking prison, I have pretty solid magic stats, but I really don’t know much. I feel like I should cash in my token and I feel as though I need advice!!
Primus tokens are so rare, that estimates critically fail. My best advice is as such: Materiel can be bought, found or made given enough time. Knowledge can be found, given enough time, with few exceptions. Lastly, a token can only supply Material, knowledge, or power that a Primus does not already have, and your Aether power is rare across the Andromeda Supercluster. You have engaged the exchange Matrix, Chose wisely.
Fuck shit, cock, Universe, sheet stains!! That seemed like advice forced into a coded message. Trinkets are for suckers. Copy. Knowledge is always useful and they can’t give me what I already know. But in a universe of super advanced beings, my Human knowledge of “A” doesn’t mean shit. Ipso facto, Magic. Tessa even said my power is, Supernal? If they can’t give me a translative level of power, otherwise that would be knowledge right? They would have to clue me into a power that approaches eternal? Fuck. I can rationalize all I want, but the only choice really is power. With my gifts, everything else just takes time.
I redeem my Primus Token for Power.
/ANDROMEDA MATRIX ENGAGED. PROCESSING./
What did I just do?
You basically told GOD to look at you and consider our existence. Wait until the program finishes to be flippant, please.
Tessa asked nicely. OH, we are at risk of being smited. Shit balls.
/YOU HAVE BEEN PROCESSED AND IDETIFIED.POWER HIGHER THAN TYPICAL GIFT.
ORIGIN UNIQUE. PROCESSING/
Don’t speak, don’t even breathe if you can help it. The supercluster itself is judging you.
/MYTHIC TALENT CONFERRED: AETHER WALKER. INNATE POWER CONFERRED: WILL CONSIDERED FOR ALL AETHER MANIPULATION.
ASSIMILATED BODY INSUFFICIENT. MATERIAL AND KNOWLEDGE CONVEANCE FOR PRIMUS TOKEN CONSUMED.
ANDROMEDA MATRIX MISSION CONCLUDED./
The visual cortex flash almost consumes me when the tech buffers save my brain. Why am I burning Tessa. WHY AM I ON FIRE TESSA?!?!? She doesn’t respond. To hell with that. Tooltips as Tessa suggested.
Aether Walker: your will is sufficient to transverse the ether.
I’ve learned enough from Tessa that the more ambiguous the tip, the more leeway can be used to take advantage of the device/spell/form. Second seems a boost to all Aether based on my will. I didn’t see that on my stat sheet, maybe it’s a hidden stat like luck? Sounds solid. NEXT. Then I realized that a supercluster intelligence told me I FAILED but then adjusted to fulfill my token’s worth.
Tessa, there is absolutely no data to speculate what the third boon comprises. I have a ton of failures and reclamations on file, but the MATRIX only said that my material and knowledge boons were burned to accommodate. Which leads me to belief that minor mind and body boons were incoming. Tessa, what the hell!?
YOU’RE NOT DEAD YOU THANKLESS NARCISIST
A portion of my insides revolts at the conflict and puts all protests in small pool of sparkly vomit on the floor. Oh that’s nice. Must be more body changes. Those really seem to pack a punch lately, though I have had more recently than I probably should have.
I apologize, but the matrix itself modified the typical bargain so that you would survive the boon it gave you. While the Matrix focuses on you, it is capable of literally anything. I understand and was scared for the three of us, and I apologize.
Tessa seems afraid and that’s terrifying all on its own. We’ve only been together a little while, but her concern is starting to affect her personality in weird ways. My reckless mindset isn’t prepared to consider what it might actually mean. But I thank her for her concern while thinking about my options.
It is catastrophically strange that I was spitting up Aether. Like some of that spit should have been vomit, maybe some of it blood, but none of it should have been sparkly. If my body needed that many modifications to support the Aether power that I have, I should either be dead, or more mutations should have been apparent.
Looking at my stat sheet, I realize I now have a symbiote imbalance?! When the hell did that happen?!
The symbiote finished processing your “wild magic” last night. You seemed busy. You now have 3 levels of Aether advancement waiting for the associated tech levels. Mutations, however, do not care about timing. If we hadn’t spent the tech imbalance before, you would have leveled more, but that is the cost of using imbalance the way we did. It’s a moot point however. The Matrix changed some things.
I pay attention to my HUD and see waiting system messages.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
So that’s a lot. Two levels and an imbalance toward magic? That’s a big change. Now I’m seeing what Tessa meant when she said the Matrix wouldn’t intentionally screw me over. If I’m reading this right . . . you know, maybe I should read more instead of speculating. Tessa has been getting on my case for being lazy in that regard. I can practically hear my AI smile.
Body of Power: Your body has been Aether changed. Your tissues are suffused with the potency of your Aether, and can be used to store overflow Aether.
Aether Dependence: your body consumes Aether in order to function.
Caloric Conversion: you have developed an organ that converts calories and minerals into Aether.
Inefficient Digestion: your digestive system is attempting to provide biologic energy and Aetheric energy and does each worse than it originally provided biologic energy.
Mind Over Matter: your will is more effective at shaping Aether.
Multitasking: your swarm has constructed several parallel structures to allow you to process disparate data simultaneously.
After reading the tooltips, I understand the last two system notices and start chugging the rest of my horchata, even though this doesn’t feel like winning, and smashing my hidden snack packs in my face. Hungry goes away, but my Aether Starved status effect remains. Conversion takes time apparently.
Body of Power explains why my fluids were magical, and my magical potency is . . . high, which would be why the two abusive goons got sick so quickly. The other mutations are somewhat inline with my preferred list, and all things considered, the consequences could be a lot worse. Like Tessa keeps saying, at least I’m not dead. I am really tired now though.
***
A sailor comes down every six hours to hook a small pack of food to the cell bars. It’s bread and water rations, and it’s nowhere near enough calories to sustain my Inefficient Digestion. That honestly sounds like a shit way to die.
My comms are being blocked, so there’s not much I can do besides bother Mel, practice spell runes, and scrounge up the nerve to try Aether Walker.
You should try it sooner rather than later. Your body will run out of spare calories on this diet and you will barely break even on Aether generation to keep yourself alive.
I’m worried about that too, Tessa, but the tooltip doesn’t say much about how it works. Which makes me nervous, and I hate not knowing parameters to things. Does it keep me from acting? No, of course not, but it irritates me immensely. So lets talk about what we know. Significant annihilation energy is enough to cause a warp event. Not helpful right now. Tessa was surprised that we were able to warp without Aether. Meaning, Aether is commonly a cause for warping. Okay, makes sense as to why Tessa wants me to try it now while I have some Aether regeneration. But the tooltip for Aether Walker doesn’t say anything about using Aether to do it.
My will is the only part of the tooltip as a source of power. Well, shit, take me to the chiefs’ mess for food please. I feel a little tug on my middle, but it could also have been my symbiote shifting.
Hmm. Am I simply not pushing hard enough? I think about how righteous I felt when talking to the CO while trying to save Petra and use that sense of duty and rightness to convey my intent. My form fades for a moment, but solidifies before anything more can happen.
Okay, on the right track. Can I use Aether to force the issue? Nope, just makes me sick. So it really is just about will. Not just how strong my will is, but perhaps strength of purpose? Conviction? Huh. I spend the next 12 hours meditating on what my strongest moments of will entailed and nothing felt quite right.
>M] How’s jail you filthy criminal? [<
>P] Lame. I’m hungry all the time and I miss my movie-watching buddy. [<
>M] Aww, miss you too. Penny. I thought the rest of Engineering would be putting up more of a stink about this though. [<
>P] Eh, they don’t know the whole issue, and they have a construction plan for the next year, so I’m not that surprised. I was just another supervisor for the last couple of months after all. [<
>M] Any idea what they plan on doing with you? [<
>P] Not a word. But once they need my unique intelligence to solve a problem, I’ll be out of here in no time. [<
>M] Your arrogance really is astonishing. [<
Hah, true, seven years ago Penny would have been surprised to be arrested in the first place, as though I could do no wrong that my brilliance couldn’t mitigate.
Wait.
Loading, please wait.
HOLY SHIT!! That could be it!
>P] MEL! You brilliant sass-pants! [<
>M] I mean, yes, but why this time? [<
I chuckle at that. >P] I have a crazy idea. Can you scrounge up some extra food and water during next mealtime and take it to a place you know you’ll be alone? [<
>M] Pen pen, I’m all in for going on a date, but the extra food only works if it’s not a virtual date. [<
>P] ‘C’mon Melissa! [<
>M] I’ll be cross with you if this gets me into trouble. [<
>P] You’ve already disobeyed a direct order, what’s a little sneaking around? [<
>M] And here I thought you’d be a good influence on me. Shows what I know. I’ll let you know when I get to the propulsion console after dinner. Should be empty. [<
>P] EEE! Thank you! [<
She laughs in my mind and I want to snuggle that feeling.
She wants to meet over the gravity plates? Hmm, can I just finger paint my engraving fluid and make effective rune shapes?
Yes, but the fluid is delicate and flakes up within a day or two when not applied via the engraving process.
Oh! Hi Tessa. That’s good intel for situations when I don’t have my tools. Like now. I start drawing the fluid out while I paint the runeshapes for gravity in the rack and the waste transfer system. Both of those time periods are going to look odd on the cameras.
Lunch was bread and water with no additional information on what they plan to do to me. Dinner comes and goes the same way, until Melissa tells me she’s on her way to propulsion. Okay, go time. I hide myself in the waste transfer bay and concentrate.
I think about the state of mind I was in when I first proved the Annihilation Propulsor worked. That the world would forgive any wrong and my callous attitude toward my fame-stealing compatriots.
The CO should kneel before my brilliance, I deserve rewards and medals for saving the lives of everyone on this ship. I deserve the rewards that the Matrix has given me, and made the only sensible choice in choosing me as Primus. I expect the Universe to transport me, because the only sensible action is to bend to my will, NOW!
I watch my arms fade and then my senses are cut for a split second while my mind tries to preserve itself, and then I appear next to my seat as the Propulsion Chief. The experience was so short and unremarkable, that I start touching everything to test if it’s real.
Is that a part of the skill? Or is that a side effect of the mindset I was in. I expected the Universe to serve me, so why should it be more remarkable than walking through a door?
Universe, I’m so sorry. Penny from 7 years ago was fucking TOXIC. So is the Primus mindset, and combined, the universe even bowed. Uh, I feel sick.
Uh, ‘kay? Tessa, did I accumulate a lot of wild magic?
Barely any. That must be why you learned it as a spell. It’s standard fare for teleportation spells.
I know I’m Human and super ignorant and all that, but is there a reason you don’t tell me these things in advance?
Yes. First, one of our directives is to not progress technology or skills artificially. Second, in order to take those decisions out of an AI’s hands, the majority of the knowledge we gain about paths and skills, etc. is transferred after a skill is gained or a benchmark is crossed.
Okay. That’s a bit of a pain, but it makes sense as to why you didn’t tell me about Aether Shielding until I needed it slash could do something about it.
>M] Oh my god, you’re here! [< She sets her sack down in the gravity area and crushes me into a hug. >] How did you get out? [<
>P] Heh, magic of course. [<
>M] Why did I pick a place with no air? I could be kissing you right now! [<
>P] I wondered that too, but thanks for bringing me food? [<
>M] Thank Ivanka. I wouldn’t have been able to smuggle more than a snack out of crew’s mess. [<
>P] That must mean that Petra is doing better. [<
>M] She is! The swarm isn’t working quickly, but she can wiggle her toes again! I talked to her about our tech tracks and I think she’s trying to focus on healing? It’s not more the personal healing mods for now, and duh, why wouldn’t she want to get better, but do you think she could help heal others faster? [<
I chuckle at her enthusiasm for the Matrix. >P] I am not the right person to ask about the tech tree, Meli. I’m on a non-standard magic track. Results may vary [< Tessa snorts at yet another of my crude distillations.
>P] Any word about what might happen to me? [<
>M] Ivanka asked the COB that same question, and he said that the CO and XO disagree on how your situation should be handled. [<
>P] Bleh, this sucks. Glad Petra is feeling better, bleh because the CO is being petty. [<
>M] Yes, and I’m sure that you couldn’t have handled the situation any other way. [<
She pinches my side and I squirm and frown at her. Mostly frowny because she’s calling me out on a crappy mindset and she’s right. I plop my head on her shoulder and hug her tight with a sneaky butt grab. I can feel her chest vibrate with laughter as she swats my arm.
>P] I should go before they come looking for me [<
Melissa hands over the pack of supplies and gives me a quick hug. She stands back and studies me, waiting for the magic show.
Alright Gieves, I’m ready to go back to my cell now. Make it snappy. I snap twice and then I’m flung into the back of my cell and fall haphazardly on top of my bed. I feel a mental construct wrapped around my body shatter as a pointy part of the bed pokes me in the back.
Guess the Universe doesn’t like me being flippant when I bend its rules. Good to know. Also good to know that the Aether Shield absorbs some physical damage too. I’m learning so much today!!