Loading Star Nova Online_Closed Beta…
Logging into private test server…
Registered Player Detected…
Transferring Character Information…
Initiating Clone Gestation…
Cells divided in a headlong bid for life and a human body took shape within the tank of blue-green amniotic fluid. Charlie soon recognized the character that formed. The male was around thirty years old and curled into a fetal position, like a child waiting to be born. He was of average height with a lean athletic body, short blond hair, and brown eyes over a hawk-like nose. A white scar crossed his eyebrow from falling from a tree as a boy. Charlie and his avatar were essentially twins, if you ignored his many real-life imperfections.
An opaque menu appeared on the glass tube. "Would you like to make any character changes?"
Charlie was fine with his appearance, so he selected, "No." A familiar stat window appeared next; however, most of the entries had been reset. His hours played, his kills and his deaths were all set to zero. There was also no stat entry for tracking wins and losses, but at least his credits had transferred over.
_____________
Player ID - NA1339872
Registered Name - Charlie
Race - Human
Hours played - 0
[Strength - ΦΦΟΟ]
[Agility - ΦΦΦΟ]
[Endurance - ΦΦΦΟ]
Corporation - None
Title - None
Reputation - [0]
Bounty - [None]
Kills - 0
Deaths - 0
K/D Ratio - 0
Hunger - [Full]
Thirst - [Satiated]
Clone Location - [Lunar Base Sigma-Fi]
Credits - 260,482c
_____________
Again, he was asked if he wanted to make any changes, but Charlie wasn't sure how his character stats would be used in Star Nova. Strength was only good for increasing carrying capacity. Agility affected one's movement speed, while Endurance boosted your health and stamina pools. All were necessary in a first-person shooter, but they were supposed to be in space, so his stats would do little good inside a ship. Then again, his strength would affect his character’s physical build; a higher score increasing his size and muscle mass. Other than that, it didn't seem very important, so he decided to keep his stats the same.
His vision shifted inward toward the floating man, followed by a moment of darkness. Charlie blinked and straightened as blue-green liquid drained through a vent in the floor. As it passed over his head, he coughed violently and spat the green slime from his mouth. Once the tank was empty, the glass doors opened, exposing him to the cold air.
The room was large and mostly made of gray concrete; long fluorescent tubes embedded in the ceiling flooded the space with a harsh, artificial white light. Fifty cloning vats filled one side of the room, each one with a humanoid shape floating inside. Charlie stepped out, and immediately discovering the difference in gravity. Here on the moon he only weighed 1/6th as much, and it felt like he was floating through thin soup as his body glided down to a metal grate. A rubber mat kept him from slipping and making a fool of himself.
A young woman in a white medical uniform waited for him with a tablet. She had short red hair and a small beauty mark on the left side of her chin. After tapping the tablet twice she looked up. "The transfer from earth-side can be a little jarring. I'm here if you have any questions or feel any side effects."
"I noticed some of the character traits are missing."
"Yes, certain stats like wins and losses are no longer tracked. You also have an asset and properties list associated with your character," she said, turning the tablet around. His character information was displayed with an extra tab.
_____________
Properties - [None]
Vehicles - [None]
Weapons -
Earth Surface - Spaceport Storage -
Customized M16A1 - ID [WM16A1_284092]
Customized 1911 - ID [W1911_563948]
Factory Default SVD with PSO-Scope - ID [WSVD_3847292]
Factory Default Thompson Center Machine Guns. - ID [WTMG_249201]
Factory Default Thompson Center Machine Guns. - ID [WTMG_249202]
Armor -
Mars’ Surface -
Mark-One Power Armor - ID [M1PA01928] - [Lost]
____________
"I have Power Armor?" he asked.
"Technically everyone was given the Mark-One for the Gun Meister event, but you won't be able to keep it. If an item is lost and not recovered after thirty days, it's permanently deleted."
"Why is that?"
"Imagine what would happen after five or six years. The game would slow to a crawl tracking every dropped wrench, missile fired, or shipwreck in space. If the item hasn't been picked up or discovered after thirty days, it gets deleted, which cleans up the system and keeps things running smoothly."
"The list will tell you where your items are located, but only properties, vehicles, armor, and weapons are tracked. Small items like clothes and accessories disappear much more quickly outside a safezone." The mention of clothing reminded him he was standing there naked.
"Where do I shower and dress?"
"The amenities here on lunar base are somewhat primitive," she said, pointing past him to the other side of the room. More players were stepping from their vat tubes and being directed toward a communal shower. About a hundred people were standing under the many shower heads trying to scrub off the cloning slime.
"Thanks," he replied, turning toward them.
Both men and women showered next to each other in the communal space. Charlie recognized a tiny figure washing her long teal hair in the line of bathers. At 4’6” inches, she appeared more like a fourteen-year-old than an adult. Charlie, however, knew the perverted individual riding that avatar, and they were about as far from a child as one could get. He stepped up beside her and pushed the button on the wall.
"Remy, you came," he said as the shower came on.
"I'm already regretting my decision." She dunked her soapy hair under the spray of hot water.
"Space is much more interesting than just running matches on earth."
"I'd agree, except my account was flagged, so I couldn't bring Philip or Missy with me." She puffed out her cheeks like a petulant child. As they talked, several more people stepped into the shower nearby.
"Flagged?! I'm shocked. You're a model player."
"Oh, shut up!" she said, punching him in the side.
"Ooof," he feigned with a smile. Grabbing a bar of pumice soap, he started to rid himself of the slime covering his body.
"So what are you going to do?"
"I'll just have to screw up the next NPC they give me."
"Have you considered acting—normal?" Charlie asked, and Remy rolled her eyes.
"It's a game…" she drawled, shutting off the water. "I don't see why I can't enjoy myself." Finished, Remy looked past Charlie toward a heavily tattooed player who was just stepping into the baths. She licked her lips, noticing the pierced dongle.
"It's not that you can't have fun, or enjoy yourself. It's your metho—" Charlie was interrupted by Remy walking past him.
The girl went to stand under the shower spray with the tattooed bather, who looked down in surprise. Remy reached up, taking the pumice bar from him, and purposely let it fall to the tiles. "Oops, I dropped the soap," she said in a high, childish voice. Remy turned, bent over, and very slowly picked it up.
Charlie slapped the shower controls, the water dribbling to a stop. His hair still felt a little slimy, but Charlie exited the bath nonetheless. Remy was a skilled player, he wouldn't argue with that, but her antics could get tiresome. The last time she’d been around so many players she'd started a fourteen-hour space orgy. He did not want to watch what was about to transpire.
There were racks of folded towels, and he used one to dry himself off, then wrapped another around his waist. Finally, he pushed into the male door and was greeted with a familiar sight and smell: Metal lockers lined the room in several rows, and the changing room was filled with the pungent aroma of industrial detergent. A long bench ran down the middle of each set of lockers. More players were already getting dressed.
Several rows down Charlie caught sight of another figure from their group of misfits. He was seven and a half feet tall with brown peach fuzz for hair. Across his chest and back were countless religious sigils, and another long scar ran from his mouth down his chin. He looked more like a fantasy hero than someone who played with guns. At the moment, he was sitting in front of an open locker and struggling with an obnoxiously tight-fitting jumpsuit.
"Tobias, I’m glad you’re here. I needed to speak to someone with a small measure of sanity left," Charlie admitted, walking forward. The locker next to Tobias was closed, so Charlie put his palm on the screen and it popped open, revealing a hanging suit. It looked like a fighter pilot’s one piece uniform.
"Brother Charlie, you refer to the Sinner?" Tobias asked, in a voice dripping with disdain. "I dislike her. She is unclean."
Charlie laughed, pulling out the gray and white flight suit, and double-checked the tag to make sure it was medium size. "You annoy her too, which is a good thing. It keeps her in line."He sat down on the bench and turned the jumpsuit around. It had a strange, interlocking zipper that started at the high necked collar and ran all the way to the crotch. Tobias went back to tugging the thin synthetic fabric over his massive legs.
"Hast thou seen Jennifer yet?" Tobias asked after a pause. She and the big guy had very recently gotten together, which had been a rather nasty surprise for Charlie.
He sighed. "I wish you luck, but I gotta admit, I only know her from work. Jen is as aloof as a cat and about as loyal. To answer your question, no, she's not logged in yet. Last I saw, she was getting dragged into a dark room by her four boy-toys. She's still probably in the carnal act of saying—goodbye." Tobias avoided his gaze, concentrating on the flight suit he was struggling with.
"I see."
"Jen is a flesh and blood girl, and you can't beat that, but there is Gadreel to consider," Charlie said. Everyone coming in from Gun Meister was bringing a companion. (Well, everyone except Remy.) Charlie had Elva, and Tobias had brought a white-haired angel named Gadreel. Hopefully, the nubile angel would help to salve over his impending rejection.
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"This is true," Tobias said, brightening some. While Tobias pondered his relationship problems, Charlie began pulling on his uniform. The feet had thin soles like indoor slippers, and the fabric clung as he worked it up his legs.
"This accursed suit is too small," Tobias groused.
"You got the biggest one?"
"It says it is extra large, but I cannot get it on."
"Probably can't contain all your manliness."
"This annoys me," Tobias said, and yanked his feet from the jumpsuit. He stood and threw it into an open locker, then turned and stomped back into the cloning chamber. All the flight suits were meant to be tight, but even so Charlie just barely managed to work his ass into the pants section. He stood and forced his arms into the long sleeves. It was weird dragging the zipper all the way up his crotch and past his chest to the high collar.
"I feel ridiculous in this thing," Charlie admitted to himself, glancing at a nearby mirror. He was a lean man, but the flight suit still hugged every contour of his body like spray-on latex. The inside felt like silk, but the outer fabric was a synthetic Kevlar weave. Several other men nearby were doing jumping jacks or stretching in place, and Charlie joined them. He felt stupid doing it, but after a minute the fabric settled over him like a second skin.
He followed a small troupe of players as they left the locker room, exiting into a gray concrete hallway with dashed lines on the floor. Charlie immediately changed his mind about the ridiculous suits. Girls were coming out of another doorway nearby, and he paused to admire the effect lunar gravity had on their bodies.
“Damn, that looks good on them,” he thought.
A black and white line disappeared down a nearby hallway. A sign reading "Transfer Clones" hung from the ceiling, and most everyone was headed in that direction. Several rooms had been left open, and the crowd made three loose lines. Soon a cloning laboratory became visible through a glass window.
As Charlie stepped into one of the lines he caught sight of Montgomery, the last member of their little clan save Jennifer. The man was a digital ghost within the game, appearing as a twenty-five-year-old man with dark brown hair and a thick goatee. He was busy talking to a man in a black and gold uniform, while behind him a woman wearing the same tight-fitting gray jumpsuit was blushing furiously and trying to hide herself from view.
"We at SkyBot Studios want to thank you for joining our Beta," the man said, holding out a hand. Monty shook it like the gentleman he was. "Several of our developers are digital citizens. Avatar 2.0 was a great advance in encrypting memories, but we've gone to great lengths to ensure your safety. I just wanted to reassure you of that."
"Thank you, it's a pleasure to be here. I am most grateful you were able to transfer Grace over."
"Nothing in Gun Meister or Star Nova can detrimentally affect an NPC's personal file-share. She is as protected from corruption as yourself."
"I'm happy to hear that."
"I beg to differ about my impending corruption. Can we please put some proper clothing on? I might as well be naked." Grace gasped in embarrassment, her southern-accented voice heated.
The man in black laughed. "We can see about finding something more suitable, but during combat simulations you'll have to wear the flight suit." Charlie had to admit, Grace did look good. It was honestly adorable to watch as she desperately tried to hide from the view of so many male players.
"Let me give you my contact information. If you have any suggestions or need anything during the test, please message me. Star Nova aims to be more than a game. We want it to be a living, breathing universe. I would be very interested in your input," the man said, holding out a thin card.
"Thank you for your consideration, and I shall indeed be in touch," Monty said, slipping the card into a tiny pocket on his chest. He extended his hand to the man, and they shook.
The admin took out a small device and aimed at the wall. A blob of blue light struck the concrete, creating a man-sized oval portal. Before stepping through, he paused and turned to the couple. "You are the first Digital Citizen to take part in this new universe. Star Nova was created with the future in mind, and I hope you enjoy your stay."
"I am already as pleased as any man can be. I am alive and in the company of a singularly amazing woman," Monty said, patting Grace's hand. The man smiled again and stepped into the blue circle, disappearing from sight. Grace wrapped her arms around Monty's waist, kissing him despite the crowd watching.
"Well color my kittens, I'm glad to see you made it into Beta!" Charlie shouted from nearby. Grace squeaked in surprise, hiding behind Monty. "You got a phone line straight to God. It pays to be dead."
"The lack of cancerous pain is most welcome, but I am discovering there are many other perks to being a ghost," Monty said, turning with a generous smile. He bounded over in two low glides, Grace clinging to his back, and they shook hands firmly.
"It's nice to see you too, Grace."
"I'm happy to see you, but you're still a lascivious devil," Grace replied, hiding her face. After a few seconds, she asked, "You brought Elva with you?"
"Yes I did. What should I expect?" Charlie asked, nodding toward the cloning lab.
"Not much to say. They grew Grace in a little over a minute, then ran some tests. Everything after that was the same. They did mention an orientation of sorts, so I suppose I'll see you there," Monty said, lifting a hand in a quick wave. The two moved down the hallway as the line into the laboratory slowly inched forward.
It was much brighter in the Transfer Room than the Cloning Bay, and the floor was a rubberized black tile. After what felt like an age, Charlie came to the head of the line. Ahead of him were a dozen vat baths, and as he watched, a slime-covered girl climbed free. She and a player hugged briefly before walking toward the rear of the room. A small circular robot followed after them and cleaned up the slimy footprints the girl left behind her.
"I can help the next person in line," the technician said in a thick Chinese accent..
Charlie stepped forward and glanced into the bath. It was currently empty, save the blue-green amniotic soup. The technician sat lazily on the stool next to the vat, dressed in a white lab coat over his gray uniform. The Asian man was slightly shorter than Charlie with a wiry build, black hair, and impenetrable dark eyes. He made a few last minute notes before turning to Charlie.
"Please place palm on tablet," he said, holding out the device. Charlie did so and was presented with his stats one more time. The doctor turned the tablet around and started scrolling down with a thick stylus.
"Two dropship capture, very good. Pacific Coast only ones to match us."
"You mean China?"
"Yes, we one united world now, but China still have some national pride," the man said with a toothy smile.
"We had a tough time of it," Charlie admitted, which was a serious understatement. They'd just barely managed to capture the second vessel in a last minute gamble. China had been the first to attack the Roth while the West Coast had been the last. Instead of mentioning that, he said, "It was nice to see everyone working together."
The shorter man nodded in agreement. As they waited, a small cylinder slid into the clone bath, and a tiny embryonic child floated free of the glass and began to grow. Arms and legs sprouted as the head increased in size, then wires snaked from the sidewall of the bath and attached themselves to the child's temples. Her delicate fingers started twitching as the eyes shifted back and forth under closed lids. Blond hair the color of rich honey began to grow along the girl's scalp, and within thirty seconds she had entered her early teens. Breasts blossomed into heavy melon-sized gumdrops and her hips widened into adulthood. By the fifty second mark her feminine curves had become thick and voluptuous.
The tablet chirped, and the doctor tapped it a few times with the stylus. He stood, flicking the end, and it began to pulse rhythmically with bright light. The man bent and opened one of Elva’s eyelids, an shining the penlight into the pupil.
"Pweeze enter debug mode, authorization Cee-Nine-Two-Five-One-Zero," the doctor said.
The woman's brilliant blue eyes snapped open and stared up at the ceiling. "Debug mode active," She said in a voice devoid of emotion.
"What is your ID?"
"CA0002930," she replied.
"What is your object ID?"
This time there was a slightly longer pause before she said, "I have no object ID."
"Very good, what is your name."
"My name is Elva." Despite her lack of emotion, hearing the word made a shiver run down Charlie's spine.
"Good name, very pretty."
Charlie was confused. That didn't exactly seem relevant to transferring her character. "I can see why you wanted to know her ID, but why do you care about her name?" Charlie asked.
The doctor turned to him, twirling the stylus between his fingers. For a second he just played with the pen before he said, "Man came in—all seem normal. I run transfer. Girl checks out, all good. Girl hugs man and says, ‘Cumslut is happy to see Master.'"
"You’re joking?!" Charlie said with a choked laugh. That sounded like something Remy would do.
"I no joke. Almost ban player for stupid thing. Instead, I rename girl and make her hate word. Now I check all transfers." He turned back to the blond in the vat. Elva had lain perfectly still during the side conversation. "Please list objectives in order of importance."
"My primary objective is survival. My second objective is to be useful to Charlie. My third objective is to be of use to the faction. My fourth objective is to eat delicious food. My fifth objective is to have lots and lots of—"
"Stop—good, we almost done with tests. You see man next to me?"
Elva's eyes finally shifted and looked up at Charlie’s face. She blinked once. "Yes."
"If you recognize, what is name of man?"
"It's Charlie," she replied.
"Slap Charlie, please," the doctor ordered, and Elva did so without hesitation. Her slimy palm smacked Charlie across the face, knocking him off the stool.
"What was that for?" Charlie asked in annoyance. He rubbed the green slime from his face and stood. Two things became immediately evident. First, his face didn't hurt nearly as much as he would have expected. There was a slight tingle on his cheek but nothing like in Gun Meister. The other thing was that Elva wasn't superhumanly strong like she had been before. In Gun Meister that blow would have killed him, but now she had only human strength.
"To see if new violence pathways work OK. Everything fine, she not remember in debug mode." The doctor flicked the penlight back on and shone the pulsing end into her eyes.
"Exit debug mode."
Life entered Elva's radiant blue eyes, and she blinked a few times. She sat up in the vat and wiped the green slime from her face. For a few seconds, she stared down at her pale, delicate hands as her memories caught up sufficiently.
"Elva?"
Elva's eyes lit up a second time, and she turned upon hearing her name. "Charlie!" she called huskily, throwing her arms around his neck. Green slime squished between them and he managed to keep his balance as Elva nearly pulled him into the clone vat. Her warm skin pressed against his flight suit and he gathered her into his arms, pulling her from the vat. She was slick still and he only just barely managed to keep a hold of her.
"Showers are in back." The doctor pointed with his stylus. “I help next person in line,” he called. As Charlie moved away another Asian player approached the vat. They began a quick conversation in Chinese with the doctor.
Elva in his arms, Charlie moved into the next room, which was another shower and locker room. The floor was covered in white and black tiles, clouds of steam and female giggles floated across the air like cotton candy perfume, and rows of private shower stalls lined one wall. He stepped toward an empty one.
"I feel weird—like I’m hollow and unchained at the same time,” Elva said.
"Do you want to talk to the doctor again?"
"No, it's not that. I… I'm not sure what I should be doing. I know I'm different now, and I want you to be happy, but I'm no longer your weapon. How can I be useful to you?" she asked. Charlie stepped into the stall and elbowed the On button;the hot water sluicing over both of them. He let go of Elva's legs but she refused to release his neck. Her blue eyes searched his face, looking for answers.
"You’re here with me, and I'm happy about that. As far as being useful? Welcome to the human race;most of us live in that state of uncertainty."
"There’s so much more I can do now, and it's so confusing," she agreed, hugging him even more tightly.
Her eyes danced before she released him and ducked under the shower spray. Blue-green slime dripped from her skin and down the oversized drains. He didn't mind watching her, especially as she drew the bar of soap across her buoyant chest. Her breasts did exciting things in the low gravity, but unfortunately the skintight flight suit was starting to cut off his circulation. Plus, more people were coming into the room and the stalls weren't exactly private. It was best to exit the shower before things got any more heated. Charlie hastily washed off the viscous slime while Elva fought with the shampoo bottle. The synthetic suit dried quickly once he stepped out of the shower.
He waited for Elva to finish, and after a few minutes she shut off the water and stepped out. She walked to a bank of lockers and placed her hand on one. Her ID registered and the locker opened, revealing a gray and white skinsuit. Elva paused before touching the one-piece garment and glanced over at Charlie. Until now everything had been provided by him, but this would be the first thing Elva had rightfully owned. More bathers walked by and began to dress.
"...What?" Charlie finally asked.
Her nimbus thoughts were like thick fog and about as easily grasped. Eventually, Elva shook her head trying to dispel the uncertainty. She unzipped the garment and sat down to put it on. Charlie glanced away as she slid her long legs into the flight suit, wiggled her hips into the pants and finally slipped her hands into the gloved sleeves.
"Charlie..." Elva cooed, stepping toward him. Her chest was still visible, and she tilted her hips toward him. "Be a gentleman and zip me up?"
Charlie glanced around in a quick check to see if anyone was watching, then he reached down, drawing the zipper slowly past her crotch and up her stomach. It struggled over the mountainous swell of her breasts and slid up to the high necked collar. Elva pecked him on the cheek and danced past him towards the door. Charlie followed, after taking a few seconds to adjust the awkward bulge in his flight suit.