Chapter 3

Free Room and A New Toy

After staring at the stars passing by so fast it started to make me sick, Astra walked in and sat down in the Copilot seat. I glanced over at her. “You ok, Astra?” I noticed she’d given up the blanket, but still held onto the one-armed teddy bear.

“Yes, and I wanted to say thank you. I’m sorry I did not speak to you earlier. I was still in shock. I thought I had lost my dad.”

“It’s ok. I understand. I’m just glad I was there and was able to make a difference.”

“Say Dexter, what’s it like when you go to your other world or life? Not sure how to word it.”

The kid was curious. I probably wouldn’t tell her that she lives in a game world.

“It’s a bit hard to explain. Logging out is definitely a strange feeling, going from one body to the next. This world is way cooler, all the tech, spaceships, other planets. It’s amazing. My world is one planet. Sure, there are more planets out there but no spaceships. One plus though is the spiders are a lot smaller, you can smash them with your boot.” she smiled at the last part.

“From the way you speak seems like you prefer this world.” She was right I hadn’t really thought about it but yes, I mean in this world I was somebody and I had a ship now. I mean I was just a regular guy, nothing special about me.

“Yes, I believe I do. Say Astra, do you want to learn how to fly the ship?”

She got super excited; eyes wide and sat up straighter in her seat.

“You don’t think Slate will mind, do you?”

She thought about that for a moment and shrugged her tiny shoulders.

“Well ok, then let’s do this.” Livy and I spent the next hour showing her how it was done but since we were in a hyperjump I couldn’t actually let her try it out, but I felt she could do it if need be.

“Coming out of hyperspace in 3…2...1” The view outside the cockpit was amazing as always. But the tan colored planet before us was, well it looked like it was a big planet of sand.

Slate stood just behind me looking over my shoulder. “Well, there it is,” I said.

“Desicronn. The planet is mostly sand and run by corporate miscreants. ” Slate responded.

“Let me see if I can get us a landing pad close to where we need to go Star Hummer to Ouverton tower, requesting an approach vector and landing coordinates.”

“Negative Star Hummer. You’re going to have to wait a bit. We’ve got a large transport on a crash course that we are dealing with.” Well, that didn’t sound good.

Slate glanced at me. Clearly somewhat concerned.

“Livy, do you have the transport on sensors?”

“I do. It appears to be heading for Ouverton at a high rate of speed. A quick scan shows that there are at least fifty people on board. However, I do not detect any living beings in the cockpit.”

“Star Hummer to Ouverton Tower.

“Tower here, go head Star Hummer.”

“Is the ship in question being dealt with? I could lend a hand if needed.”

“Tower here, if you want to shoot it down before it gets in cannon range be my guest.”

WHAT! They wanted me to shoot down a ship that had at least fifty people on it?! I began accelerating towards the transport ship. It was about to break atmosphere.

“Tower here, after you shoot it down you can land…”

I cut him off. “Tower, there are at least fifty people on board. I’m going to board her and land the thing.”

“Tower, if that transport ship gets within range, we will shoot it down.”

I closed contact with Tower. “Livy, how long do you think I have?”

“Three minutes.”

“Astra, take the helm. Get me close. When I jump, Livy will tell you to break off and keep a distance.”

Astra did not hesitate. She jumped into the pilot’s chair, ready for action. Her Dad’s eyes just about bugged out of their sockets. I looked at him reassuringly.

“She’s got this.” I could tell she was a bit nervous, but she was one hundred percent focused on the task. The AI wasn’t bad at piloting, but this required a more ‘human’ touch and Slate, while a good engineer, was no pilot and didn’t know anything about ship’s controls.

Running to the cargo hold, I grabbed some goggles off a rack and my cheap blaster. “Livy, open the cargo bay door.”

I had to give it to the girl, she had me close enough I could’ve almost walked onto the top of transport ship. Now that I thought about it, she acted like she did not know a thing but everything I told her she seemed to pick up fast. It was something I would have to ask her later. I jumped about five feet from the ramp to the Transport ship. I did a roll then got my balance.

“Livy, I need a way in quick.” Navigator light showed up in the goggles. Huh? I thought they were just for protection. I followed the nav lights to a small maintenance hatch not too far from the front of the ship. A countdown timer displayed in my goggles; one minute thirty seconds. Time to book it. I popped the hatch and slid down the ladder. Good thing I had gloves on. Popping open the second hatch to the interior of the ship, I looked around carefully just in case there was anyone or something ready to attack. The hallway was larger but well lit. Nothing.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“Livy how do I get to the cockpit?” The nav light showed up on my goggles again. The timer was now sixty seconds. No time to be careful. I sprinted toward where the nav light was pointing. Thirty seconds later and I was standing at the cockpit door. I saw nothing on my way there; no guards, no signs of a fire fight, nothing where the two hundred people that Livy mentioned. I opened the door and seen to dad bodies on the floor, both of them holding a blaster, they shot each other why though I may never know.

Twenty seconds displayed in my googles setting down in the pilot’s seat grabbed the controls and begone to pull the thing up the massive transport was not a sports car it was more like driving a simi it begone to slow but I doubted it would stop before I got in firing range 5 seconds Transport to tower hold fire I repeat hold fire I’m Caption Montag of the Star Hummer I am on board the transport and I have control of the ship I repeat hold fire.

The timer began to flash red indicating the timer ran out, but nothing happened.

‘Affirmative Caption Montag can’t believe you pulled that off please bring the transport to these coordinates’.

A minute ago, the guy was doubting me and threating to blow me up now I was a hero after I saved their transport ship.

The Landing pad was very large plenty of room for the transport ship and my ship to land I could also make out white and orange company name Bluetronics Corp in large print on the landing pad also There was the symbol of a conveyor belt with three boxes on several cargo containers what was their name again something trade federation that’s it Space trade federation they must do business all over the galaxy.

After I finally landed the transport ship, it wasn’t gracefully at all kind of landed the thing without lowering the landing gear my bad.

I made my way outside as my ship landed right next to the transport gracefully, I might add. How old was Astra again unless Livy was helping that had to be it but could the ship Ai fly the ship I wondered I would have to look into that.

A group of soldiers and researchers came out to meet us most of them walked past me and into the transport 2 men stopped a few feet from us the taler guy was skinny short brown hair and glasses the shorter man was heavy set with a beard they were both wearing white lab coats with the company name on just about the breast pocket something about them just rubbed me wrong.

They introduced them self’s as Doctor Jeff …… and Bryon …… before they could say any more the soldiers came out of the transport with severely humans in chains behind them than it hit me this was a transport ship full of slaves that they were willing to shoot down what was wrong with these people. Jeff finished his spill about the company, but I had missed the whole thing the last thing he said was reward uhh what kind of reward are we talking about I asked the Doctors.

“We well umm”.

“How about a new weapon I could use something bigger than this blaster just the other day these giant spider things were coming at me, and this blaster did not even phase them”.

“Spiders you say and where was this”.

Bryon butted in “what did it looked like”.

I could tell that piqued their interest “oh man they were like 8ft tall had sharp umm legs arms appendages very deadly don’t recommend getting close to them”. “So ya I could use something big”.

Bryon looked like he was about to say something when Jeff spoke up, “I know just the thing”.

I was lead to a nearby building where the soldiers stayed by the looks of it. The label above the door read experimental weapons testing facility. Jeff got more excited the closer we got. “AH ha here it is the B24 spindle gawk” it looked like a gatling gun to me.

“Nice so it’s a gatling gun that shoots lasers, right”?

“Gatling gun huh much better name but yes it shoots lasers although this one is modified here try it aim down range and fire”.

I picked the massive thing up with one hand realizing that I would need two hands to hold it properly.

I pointed down range and pulled the trigger then it did nothing.

“You need to turn the safety off first” Jeff said “also it has 3 firing modes 1 is standard spin up and fire continuously two is a charge shot that one packs a punch and third is supposed to be a mini rocket launcher, but explosive ordnance is well not allowed on most worlds only the URSC have them”.

I nodded, turned the safety off and flipped the switch to two the weapon hummed for few seconds then a light came on along with a ding sound letting me know it was ready to fire. I pulled the trigger and a large beam of light shot out of the end flying fast down range impacting the target and vaporizing it. Flipping it to one continuous fire mode I lit up the targets with a barrage of orange laser fire’ the range was full of lights as the gatling did its thing. I put the safety back on and smiled at the researchers.

“I take it” slipping the thing over my shoulder with the strap.

“Excellent we will also provide a place for you and your companions while you are visiting”.

“That’s very kind of you, thank you”.

They guided me out of the firing range and took me to a more residential part of the complex not far from the landing pad. I had to stop and look around I honestly was on an adrenaline rush early I wasn’t paying much attention to my surroundings’ The white and orange bordered complex was raised several feet above the ground, so the sand was around but mostly from what blew in from a storm unlike what was below the raised platform sand was everywhere as fare as the eye could see.

Off from the complex there was what I guess they would call a town thus building where more of a dark gray colored a type of metal something to withstand the elements.

And there was Slate and Astra coming my way. “That’s some fine Flying Kid you did great” I winked at her she smiled from ear to ear. Her dad was just shaking his head Jeff and Byron both had the mouth on the floor in complete shook that this little girl was flaying the ship Jeff pulled himself back together

“Great Job little miss your dad must be proud to have such a talented daughter”.

“I Most certainly am said Slate he sounded almost offended”.

I decided to change the subject as it did not seem that Slate was all to happy about her flying and Astra kept giving me nervous glances. “Doctor, you mentioned a room I need to get cleaned up”.

“Yes of course right this way”. No lie, the place looked just like a motel room 2 king beds and a sofa a small table in the corner and a bathroom near the front door.

I sat my massive gun over by the sofa. Slate eyeballed my large gun then crashed on the bed closet to the door.

Astra was meekly sitting on the sofa “Hey Astra”.

“Yes Captain” she looked at me those big blue eyes I bet she could get away with anything with those eyes.

“You can Just call me Dexter or Montag.

“Mm ok Mr. Montag.

I chuckled, “you can have the bed I will need to log out and take care of some things back in uh the other world and if I come back and yall are asleep I will take the sofa”. Astra jumped up and was flying towards the bed in a heartbeat.

Slate set up “you’re not helping Dexter she’s already spoiled “I just shrugged and smiled.

Slate got up from the bed and stretched a bit “well it’s still mid-day I’m going to check in with my contacts and see about paying off this debit Astra stay here and rest please do not leave this room I won’t be gone long Dexter you said you will be umm how did you say it logging out how long will you be gone”

“Several Hours” I was about to say to get some real sleep but that would only confuse them more got a few things to get done before coming back.

“That should work I l get things lined out for getting this debit paid and with any luck we can leave sometime tomorrow if you are ready to go”. He said that last part with a bit of hesitation I think he was afraid I would leave them or go back on my deal I needed to take care of that right away.

“Hey I’m here to help you guys I don’t go back on my word if I say I’m going to do something I’m going to do everything I can get it done so I’m good to go once your debit is taken care of”.

Slate Nodded “Thank you”.

I waved then hit the Log out the look on his face when I logged out was that of utter shock, I briefly wondered how it looked from their point of view.

Logging out into my mancave err basement I glance the time on the monitors five am yup a quick bathroom break than I’m going to bed after going to the bathroom I made my way upstairs the main floor has a simple floor plan living room just off the kitchen that’s where the stairs come up from.

The living room than two bedrooms on one side of the house with hallway between them and bathroom in the middle I quickly move to my bedroom the bedroom on the back side of the house nothing fancy a king size bed in the middle of the room with a bedside table on the left side of the bed with a black and red comforter that Kira bought me I jumped into the comfy bed clothes and all and promptly passed out.