I would have thought brilliant white light would be the first thing I see after I die. You know like in all the movies, and TV shows but no it’s black as the void. I stare out into the darkness; motes of light slowly creep into my vision. At first tiny little pin pricks then they come rapidly rushing in. Kind of like when ships go into warp, except instead of passing behind me I am enveloped by them like being in a field of stars.
Looking around more I begin to see details small bodies orbiting the points of light. Am I seeing the galaxy, or the universe whatever it is, its breath taking. A cold rush of reality floods into my mind. Like all of creation is looking down onto me and judging my worth. Great I am dead.
That little creepy man killed me instead of loading me into the VR game like he was supposed to.
“You are not dead Alex.” A whimsical voice full of cheer and light speaks out from everywhere.
“I am Sol, the heart and soul of this world. Welcome to Divided Stars!”
I look around startled but am unable to locate anything that could be talking.
“Where are you?” I ask I would like to say I was nervous but something about this voice made me feel at ease. Like everything would be okay as long as it was with me.
“I am everywhere, but if it helps, I can manifest a form for you.”
“Yes, please uh Sol.”
One of the points of light comes rushing up to me, expanding in size. A shape begins to emerge as it grows, that of a beautiful woman. Her entire body is that of a glowing orange star. She has hair that appears like a nimbus of stars floating down her back. Her eyes brilliant beacons of hope and joy, she smiles, warmth and acceptance flood down into my bones. She reaches out with her hand booping me on the nose.
“Welcome Alex, let’s begin your journey into your new Universe.”
An image of me in a skintight black suit pops up next to her, no not an image a full living breathing body exactly like the one I used to have. Me or am I me? Am I the consciousness and that’s my body or what? Games are confusing best not focus on it too much I guess.
“First choice of many Alex, you must choose your race. This will determine many things so choose wisely.
“What are my choices? And what kind of “things” does this determine?”
She motions next to my body and the stars floating by the body, my body? Coalesce into words.
Species: Human
Description: The most common and abundant species in the universe, while they do not excel in any one area they are also not restricted or penalized in any particular area.
Base Stats: HP: 100 AP: 100 Speed: 5 mph Run: x 3 G Tolerance: 5
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 10
Constitution: 10
Wisdom: 10
Intelligence: 10
Charisma: 10
Species Traits:
* Adaptive Learning: Humans can learn any skill or ability providing
the skill or ability is not Species/class restricted.
* Skills: Humans gain skill points at a rate of 5 points per level
* Attributes: Humans gain +2 points every even level, Ex. Level 2, 4, 6, etc.
* Senses: Humans have no advanced vision types or senses.
I read over the description and the very not helpful bit of information displayed. I have no bases for judging the displayed information. But at a glance seems exceptionally underwhelming. I need more information to make a choice, however the thought of spending the rest of my days as an alien did not sound too appealing either.
“Sol, what other species are there to choose from? It would be nice to be able to compare them to something else.”
“Of course, Alex, the other playable species are Oarcla, Livien, Totoran, Kalian and Steelan. What would you like to see next?”
Only one of these sounds remotely familiar and that’s Oarcla it kind of sounds like Orc. While I definitely do not want to be a big ugly green brute it should provide a big swing in species traits, or I hope so.
“Please show me what an Oarcla is.” I say.
“With pleasure.” She waves her hand over the body, or my body I don’t know. As her hand passes over the features change. The body becomes a slight green/grey color and muscles bulge from under the skin. Large tusks protrude out from the mouth, the eyes turn a fierce red and it grows a full foot or so in height, it now towers over me.
“This is you as an Oarcla.”
Species: Oarcla
Description: A decent population of Oarcla are scattered across the stars. They are aggressive intimidating species that thrive on violence and bloodshed. They are incredibly strong and resilient but not very intelligent. They are generally a green or grey color.
Base Stats: HP: 150 AP: 50 Speed: 5 mph Run: x 3 G Tolerance: 6
Strength: 12
Dexterity: 10
Constitution: 12
Wisdom: 8
Intelligence: 8
Charisma: 8
Species Traits:
* Warrior Species: Oarcla can learn any skill or ability that is involved with combat unless it is species or class restricted, without penalty. Skills or abilities not directly related to combat require twice as many points to learn or upgrade, and non-combat abilities cost twice as much to activate. Skills and abilities combat related only cost 50%.
* Skills: Oarcla gain skill points at a rate of 3 points per level
* Attributes: Oarcla get 2 point that must be spent in Strength or Constitution and 1 free point to spend in anything else. They gain these on every even level Ex. 2, 4, 6 etc.
* Senses: Oarcla can see in low light environments up to 300 feet.
Oh, my no, being stuck into a primarily combat role with high penalties for everything else is a hard pass. I can see twelve-year-old brats going this way running around getting into fights and screaming about my mother.
“Sol, could you explain the attributes for me please, or do you have a drop down to explain them better?”
Her smile never leaves her face as her harmonic voice answers.
“Of course, Alex. Strength is the ability for your body to apply physical force into the universe. Dexterity is your overall speed and reaction times. Constitution is your body’s ability to take damage or resist detrimental physical punishment. Wisdom is your mental resiliency and mental agility. Intelligence is your ability to use technology and total Action Points or AP and its rate of regeneration. Charisma is your ability to force your presence of will out into the universe. Do you have any more questions related to the attributes?”
“I guess that covers it, I’m sure I will get a chance to experience them more once I’m in the game proper. Can you just give me a brief overview of the other species instead of the whole-body change thing?”
“Nothing would bring me more joy. Livien are majestic creatures that pride themselves in the finer aspects of life. They are very intelligent but do not like conflict and avoid it when possible. They are physically weak and prefer to fight from a distance if they have too. Totoran are a wolf like people who are very loyal and curious of the universe. They are explorers and scientists that dabble in things often better left alone. Steelan are master craftsmen focusing on industry and marketing. However, they are very tough and will charge into battle and slug it out with the best of them. Finally, the Kalian a species of lizard people that are master huntsmen. They prefer ambushes and trickery to outright combat, most of their time is spent honing their skills.”
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Sol turns back to the image of me. “What species do you choose?”
“Can I have a minuet to think about it please?” I ask.
“Take your time, the Universe is not going anywhere.”
These are some interesting choices, the Totoran sound like something I would be interested in. Exploring the Universe is very appealing, I can’t even imagine the wonders that lay out there for me to find. Human sounds pretty nice too, being able to do, learn, or be anything I want without restriction is appealing too. The other species sound like they are stuck to specific roles, I’m sure they have some variety but at what cost?
What long term mental effects would I go through if I was to be a non-human for the rest of my life? Would my thinking change, would I even consider myself human at that point? I’m a human brain hooked to a VR network but without a real body would I become whatever species I picked?
“Sol, I think the best choice for me is Human, I think versatility and the ability to choose my path without restriction is the most like me. So yes, Human please!”
She waves her hand over my body, and it converts back to the human form.
“Please select the gender you would like to be.”
My avatar morphed between Male and Female in a cycle. Showing me what I would look like if I was Female. I was impressed with myself, apparently, I would make a decent looking girl. But I could not see myself not being me. I’m sure many people would jump at the opportunity but it’s not for me.
“Male please Sol, nothing against women but I like being myself.”
“Of course, Alex, now if you would like to tweak any physical things about yourself you may. Like your eyes, or hair, height, weight, or anything else. There are limits to what you can change due to being human but for the most part you can choose anything.”
I actually liked the way I looked, being it was me and all. But I figured I may as well get rid of a few things that have always bothered me.
“How do I make the changes?” I ask Sol.
“Simply think about them and you will see things change on your avatar.”
I look at some of my blemishes and will them away. Instantly they clear from my face and are replaced with smooth skin. Nice! I look over the rest of me making small adjustments, a few inches taller, a bit more muscle tone, I leave my eyes and hair the same.
“I think I’m done; I will go with this.”
As soon as I finish speaking, I feel a yanking sensation pull me towards the body. Right as I would have collided with it my perspective changes. I can feel again! Looking down I see hands, feet, body!
I jump up and down, flail my limbs about in abandon. “Yes! I can move again!”
I run in a small circle pumping my arms into the air.
I hear the tinkling of bells, from behind me the sound of Sol giggling.
“It fills me with joy seeing you happy with your choice. However, we are not done, you have more choices to make still Alex.” She says in a motherly tone.
She reaches out holding me still. Her eyes burn like the sun she is aptly named after. “Yes, now you must choose your starting class. This too will determine many things of your future but unlike your species it will change and adapt as you progress. Think of it more like a road or a path, and along its journey are other paths and roads for you to walk down. Each one different and possibly even unique to you.”
More choices, I thought playing games was supposed to be easy, jump in shoot things or stab them you know? “Okay, what are these classes? And before I get a wall of star text or a speech is there a way to highlight classes that focus on I dunno, flight or exploration maybe?”
Sol releases me and does a spin. Her hair and dress floating around her in a halo of light and sparkles, laughing the whole time.
“I know just the one for you Alex. You would best be suited for the Starship Pilot class. They focus on the skills and abilities that revolve around the safe operation of starships of all classes and sizes. But do not think that is all that you can be. Remember your class is only the starting point it will evolve with you.”
The stars arrange themselves in front of me again with the description of the Starship Pilot.
Class: Starship Pilot
Description: For those who wish to journey between the stars, for greatness or villainy. This class focuses on skills and abilities that increase the capability of the player to pilot a variety of ships. They have basic combat skills for survival but little else.
Class Traits:
Attributes: Pilots gain +1 Wisdom and Dexterity at first level and at every multiple of five. They also gain +1 Intelligence per level but only when determining their ability to use technology involved with spaceships.
HP Boost: +5 per level
AP Boost: +10 per level
G Tolerance: +1 per 5 levels
Skills: Pilots gain an addition +2 skill points per level that can only be spent on skills related to spaceships and their operation. They also gain the following skills.
Pilot Starship Basic 5: Skill level in operating ships. Higher skill allows the pilot to fly bigger and more complex ships.
Ship Maneuvers Basic 5: Skill level used to enhance the various maneuvers that are needed to fly the ships with any degree of skill.
Astro-Navigation Basic 5: Skill level in the ability to navigate the stars in macro and micro scale. Higher skill levels increase ability to navigate understand the order of the cosmos.
FTL Jump Basic 5: Skill level in the ability to calculate distance for jumping. Higher skill level increase accuracy in jumping farther in distance and closer to celestial objects.
Computer Systems Basic 5: Skill level governing interaction with computer systems. With sufficient skill allows you to hack into tougher computer systems.
Starship Weapon Systems Basic 5: Skill level in the ability to use the various weapon systems in starships. Higher skill increases your ability to use more advance and complex systems with greater accuracy.
Starship Defense Systems Basic 5: Skill level in the ability to use starship defense systems to protect your ship. Higher Skill levels allow the use of more advance and complex defense systems to greater effect.
G Tolerance Basic 5: Skill level in your ability to resist additional G forces associated with flying. Higher skills increase your ability to sustain increased G forces.
Small Arms Basic 3: Skill level in using small arms weapons for personal defense. Higher skill allows the use of more advanced and complex weapons.
Light Body Armor Basic 3: Skill level in using light body armor for personal body protection. Higher skill allows use of more advanced and complex armors.
Survival Basic 3: Skill level in surviving harsh environments. High levels enable greater survivability in harsher environments.
Abilities: At level one the Starship Pilot is granted the following abilities.
Over G Immunity Minor: When activated this ability allows the pilot to ignore the effects of overstressing their body with G forces for 3 seconds. Cost to activate is 10 AP, 30 second cool down.
Ship Repair Minor: This ability is used to repair the ship, but only when the ship is shut down. This ability repairs only minor damage to plating and non-powered systems. It takes 10 minutes to complete once activated, costs 50 AP and has a cool down of 1 hour.
Shield Overcharge Minor: This skill boosts the ships shields effectiveness by 1 tier for 5 seconds. This skill costs 20 AP to activate and has a cool down of 5 minutes.
Weapon Overcharge Minor: This skill boosts the ships weapon systems effectiveness by 1 tier for 5 seconds. This skill costs 20 AP to activate and has a cool down of 5 minutes.
Identify Minor: This is a standard skill for all classes. This ability allows the player to identify any object, NPC, or player within 100ft. Accuracy depends on the user’s level compared to the object, NPC, or other player’s level. Has no activation cost or cool down. Can be toggled on/off or activated at will.
Wow that is a lot to take in, but it does sound like a perfect fit for me. I just hope I don’t get stuck doing something that I end up hating. I know I love aviation but that might not equate into space travel. Nowhere in that class did it mention anything about atmospheric ships or planes or whatever. Also, would picking this make me a walking wimp? Sounds like any sort of combat other than in a ship will not go well for me. So, I guess don’t crash or fight anyone on the ground. I can see myself now sitting in my very own battleship or cruiser zooming star to star exploring all the planets of the universe. Seeing things no one else has and finding hidden treasure. Not sure really what to expect but if nothing else it should be fun to find out.
“Sol, could you list maybe a few other classes just so I can get an idea of what else I may run into?”
“The most commonly selected classes in the Universe are, Soldier, Scoundrel, Crafter, Merchant, and Mercenary. Starship Pilot is not a common class selected but there are plenty of them out there. It is a class that takes some dedication and training to learn but has high rewards. So do not be discouraged when you begin your journey.”
I am no stranger to studying, being a pilot in the real world took a lot of study and practice. I feel like I would have been good at it...had I had the chance, stupid bird.
“Sol, I will take your recommendation, I think. I really don’t know what I’m getting into but that’s part of the excitement, I think. Worst case I can adapt and try other things, right?”
She smiles at me again, not that she ever really stopped. “Of course, you can Alex, this is only a start on the big scale of your journey this will be only a tiny fragment of your path.”
While she’s talking, she envelopes me in her golden radiance, after it fades, I now have a grey light weight flight suit over the skintight black suit. I also have equipped a leg holster with some sort of handgun in it. In my left hand appears a matching helmet with a transparent faceplate.
It looks like this is my starter gear for being a pilot. I will have to inspect it more when I get the time.
“Now your last choice, where would you like to begin your journey? There is a tutorial for you class but after you will spawn in at the selected location.”
Ooh wow this class has its own tutorial that’s wild, wonder how many other classes need that?
“Your starting location will determine your starting faction. Each faction believes and operates in different ways so choose wisely. Your options are The Core Empire, The Federation of Planets, The Conglomerate of Corporations, or you can be a Privateer.”
“Are there any bonus stats or anything from joining one faction or another?” I ponder aloud.
“Not really, but each does have its own way of thinking and doing business.”
I’m really not interested in politics or big business running or I don’t know, making some random rich guy mad. “What is Privateer?” It sounds most like what I would want anyway as long as it’s not like pirates or something.
“Privateer is a free citizen not aligned with any faction, they can come and go as they please, but some doors will be closed to you because the other factions may not trust you.”
That does indeed sound like what I want, beholden to none but myself!
“Sol, I think I will go with Privateer then please.”
She reaches out her arms to my face, leans in and gently kisses my forehead.
“Then you are ready Alex Bartholomew! Go make your mark on the Universe and remember to make your own path.”