Alan asked for directions from a Valkyrie to Callisto’s private box. He was grateful to be off the main floor. He had to remind himself that he was 30, not the easily distracted 18-year-old he'd once been. Then again, maybe he was both. I guess it just played in his favor, playing the rich idiot this time around.
Approaching his destination, he checked on his tablet for the Silent Auction. The Commercial Nano Material Manipulator had risen to 8000, but the bids had largely dropped off. While bidding for many of the other items rose quickly. His other bid was still the same. If only they knew.
Moving down the velvet-carpeted corridor, he made his way to the door to the private box. He entered the code that Callisto’s corp had provided and let himself in. The room was furnished with mahogany wood molding and soft, earthy carpets. A vast glass window dominated the far wall. Leather chairs were positioned to overlook the Auction down below. The only other person in the room heard Alan’s entrance and stood. He was a portly, clean-shaven gentleman with thin grey hair wearing a grey pinstripe suit that tried but failed to hide the weight behind it. “Hello Alan, Bryan Jakes,” he held out his large hand and smiled charmingly.
Alan reached out his hand, and it was vigorously shaken in return. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Oh, the pleasure is all mine. Please have a seat.” He pointed to an empty chair. When Alan sat down, a servant silently entered carrying a heaping plate of hors d'oeuvres. Alan took only a few shrimp, while Mr. Jakes, on the other hand, proceeded to select a small mountain of seafood, meats, and cheeses for himself.
“I’m testing to see how much I can eat in this virtual world without gaining weight. I’ve got it on good authority that you can eat as much as you want here and not gain a pound!” Mr Jakes playfully patted his belly and laughed heartily. Alan smiled along with his jovial host. It was clear to Alan that the man wasn't as tough or gruff as he'd been on the phone.
“So you must tell me what you think of the Auction so far? It’s pretty great—especially that spaceship. I know I’d like to get my hands on it if everything they say it can do is real. I’ve always dreamt of going to space; as a boy, I always wanted to be an astronaut. Walk on the moon, look down on the Earth, experience the effects of being weightless.” He winked at Alan. “It’s why I decided to join Callisto Corp. and try out Cosmos. What about you, Alan? How did you get involved in all of this?”
Alan shared a little of his story of how he’d been interested in the game out of high school and thought it was a great opportunity. He decidedly kept much of his background hidden for now, alluding to a mysterious source of wealth.
They chatted for some time before the silent Auction came to an end. As expected, he’d been the winning bidder for both bids. He smiled internally after securing the Commercial Nano Material Manipulator and the Land Claim Permit. Mr. Jakes, who was also checking his data, brightened.
“I hope you had as much success as me. ” He grinned broadly.
It was announced that a brief recess would be before the public Auction began. The Large hall below was slowly being converted to a grand display to set up seating for the Auction. As Alan looked down at the dispersing crowd, he saw Carmen and his bodyguards leaving the floor. His eyes still roving, he couldn’t help but catch himself trying to catch a glimpse of the woman in the emerald green gown.
“Alan, if it’s alright with you, why don’t we get started with the negotiations since everyone is here.”
Alan started, his attention having been focused on the crowd. Turning around, he was doubly surprised to find two women beside Mr. Jakes.
“Alan, I believe you’ve already met my assistant Angelica, whom you’ve spoken to previously.” Angelica wore a plain black cocktail dress and had mousy brown hair. “The other is Ms. Cordata. A valuable member of Callisto Corp.”
“Mr. Jakes, I’ve already had the opportunity to meet your guest earlier this evening.” She reached out, the long emerald sleeve of her dress clinging slightly to her forearm. The warm scent of jasmine filled the air.
“It’s wonderful to be able to see you again.” Alan was, to his relief, able to keep his mind clear.
“Wonderful; I’m glad we could all get acquainted." Bryan said, "Let’s all have a seat, then we can begin our discussion before the auction starts.”
“Alan, I’ll get right to the point that the Callisto Corporation is ready to purchase your entire stock of vervetic energy for private sale. We’d also like to see about purchasing it along with energy storage capacity.”
Alan pretended to think about the matter seriously before speaking. “Mr. Jakes, thank you for inviting me here tonight. It’s become clearer today that my little stock of VE has become pretty valuable overnight. It shouldn't come as a surprise to you that nearly everything in Cosmos; the rings, ships, weapons, it all depends on VE energy.”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Just this evening, another party, a man named Carmen, approached me earlier, making other grand offers.” He paused to let the point sink in. His mention of Carmen caused Cordata and Jakes to look at each other nervously. “It seems we’re going to have a scarcity of VE, at least in the short run.” Alan waited for their response. Surprisingly, it was Ms. Cordata who spoke up first.
“Alan, it’s clear that you understand how scarce vervetic energy will be very soon. But perhaps you might not understand the impact of what a shortage like that would mean. Right now, I believe the human race is on the cusp of something wonderful, and Cosmos is the key! Unlike those skeptics who’ve never been here or off-world, I believe all the technology is real; it’s why Callisto Corporation has invested so heavily into the program.” Alan nodded along, understanding perfectly well what was to come. “What you might not understand, however, is that without more energy, we will be stuck in our development. Nearly every advancement developed around and powered by this power unique to Cosmos.” She finished passionately.
“With this energy,” Mr. Jakes continued more pragmatically, “We believe we are going to provide the best opportunities for mankind.”
“What does Callisto Corporation plan on doing with this energy? Specifically?” Alan eyed them both as they each looked nervously. “Why shouldn’t I invest it with Carmen or other industries?”
Ms. Cordata finally spoke up. “Alan, our number one priority for Callisto Corp will be space travel. Space travel will give our business and the human race the ultimate leg up in Cosmos. However, humans are desperately far behind in this area. Many technologies need to be learned, integrated, and tested so we can grasp the ultimate advantage. Ships. And we can’t do it without energy.”
Alan reflected on her statement. It certainly was partially true. Trade, resource gathering, and even military prowess depended on the ability to travel in space. It was clear to him that they were far-sighted in their thinking.
“So why not wait till the embargo is over, or just focus on the ships already in Cosmos?” Alan interjected.
“We don’t believe the embargo will last forever." Ms. Cordad added ominously, "However, it is risky to depend on the supply and supposed generosity of other alien nations.”
Mr. Jakes spoke up quietly. “Besides, we’ve discovered that Cosmos only provides the most basic of technological advancements in this area.” He gestured to the ship at the center of the floor below. “The technology incorporated into that ship alone vastly surpasses any designs and technology we’ve gained from the system. But even then, it will only demonstrate how it works with VE energy, the energy we hope you can provide."
Glancing between the two of them, Alan was convinced by their sincerity. “I’m willing to sell you 1300 VEU and several energy storage devices.” His offer seemed to encourage both of them.
“Wonderful!” Mr. Jakes continued, “To show our sincerity at the offer, we are willing to provide $300,000 in total for the supply.”
Alan had to stop himself from drooling. To his ears, their offer was sincere. They offered nearly four times the price for the VE energy before the embargo. Alan was unlikely to see prices like that for a few more weeks if he sold it on the private market. “I accept your offer.” Though the wealth he’d just gained had been outstanding. It was apparent that he’d need nearly $700,000 more to purchase the pods for his family and substantially more for future projects.
As they concluded shaking hands, the lights dimmed in the auditorium. Instead of a vast area filled with items to auction, the floor was now filled with rows of chairs filled with eager bidders. A round dais rose in front of the starship, where an auctioneer took his place. The crowd grew energetic as the main event was about to begin. In the private box, Ms. Cordata seemed to grow somber and focused as the first item went up for bid. Jakes removed his tablet, pulling up a screen with the item's information. Conveniently, it offered the holder to make a bid, thus allowing those in the box seats to do so privately.
When the bidding commenced, the room buzzed with excitement. Items of all varieties appeared: tools, cosmetics, alien curiosities, weapons, genetic mutations, and rare knowledge packs were made available. The bidding, however, came to a fever pitch when the Xanza Scout ship was finally presented.
“We shall begin the bidding at 50,000 credits.” The auctioneer began.
Soon, bids, mainly from the floor, began to go forward.
“100,000”
“200,000”
…
“1,000,000”
The bids kept being raised till most of those on the audience floor soon faded to silence as they realized their dreams of flying through space in the Xanza ship were like trying to capture a star.
Alan noted that at this point, the wealth of those in the private booth far exceeded that of the moderately wealthy player.
“2 million”
“3 million ”
“5 million ”
Alan noticed Mr. Jakes' finger flick across the screen. “6 million”
Both he and Ms. Cordata eagerly cast their eyes on the flying ship. However, another bid came in at “6.5 million.” Undaunted, Jakes touched his screen again. “7 million.” There was a pause this time, and he and Ms. Cordata smiled nervously at each other. Until the auctioneer announced “8 million.” Without hesitation, their Jakes raised it again to 9 million and then again to 10 Million soon after.
The audience was breathless, not so much at the amounts being spent but at the absurdity of how they’d collected so many credits. Cosmos had only been open a week, and unless you had vast quantities of bullion on hand or had an army of players earning credits for you, collecting 10 million credits seemed absurd at this point in the game. It was worth nearly $50 million in cash. A small amount if you consider the cost of the most advanced jet fighters on Earth. But it was rather absurd when you have the looming belief that this is a ‘game.’
Mr. Jakes was sweating bullets at this time. His hand, poised over the button, was balled up next to his leg. Ms. Cordata seemed to be holding her breath, her hands clasped, white knuckles showing. Both seemed to put their combined will into winning the bid, having put their very best offer down.
“10.5 million,” The auctioneer announced.