Falling from above at insane speed, an oddly shaped spaceship was approaching the port almost like a meteor. Only in the final part of such a suicidal maneuver, did it suddenly halt its movement when the large flames emerged from beneath. Sending a few additional bursts to stabilize its position, the spaceship started to decrease the intensity of its main engines. Trembling from the confrontation of two opposite forces, it slowly began to lower its altitude. A few dozen seconds later the supports touched the surface, declaring the victory of gravity. That led to a grandeur reaction in the form of a wide yawn from the nearest technician, who was observing the landing from a small booth.
Taking out the tablet, the man began his lazy walk towards the ship, while checking something on the screen. Dressed in an orange spacesuit with a completely transparent helmet that opened a view not only at his face but also at a bald spot on the top of his head, the technician didn’t show any emotions to the landing, clearly indicating that it was a normal thing here. As if confirming it, another spaceship took off, quickly heading into a pitch-black sky with hundreds of stars and a huge ring encircling the planet.
Both space-traveling vessels had the appearance of multiple parts combined without a single thought about how it would look. There was no symmetry, no defined simplistic form, and no smoothness as if the air resistance was never considered during their creation. And the more Robert watched the spaceships through the observation window in the dock, the more he noticed how non-standard they were. Even the number of different hulls was quite outstanding, not speaking that even the same ones were turned into something entirely dissimilar by their owners. All of them were basically custom-made, resulting in an obvious conclusion – the spacecraft here were like cars. Heavily armored and armed cars.
Obviously, Robert couldn’t be sure, but long barrels and potential shooting ports were too eye-catching for him to miss. The spaceships were not fully covered with them, having one or two main calibers on average and several closed ports for possible additional weaponry. Another and simultaneously the last distinguishing feature, which most of the vessels had, was a huge painting that covered their bodies. Mainly done in a one or combination of two colors, it showed a primitive, yet contrasting image of a symbol.
It does look like a logo of a company. Or a crew… And I can bet I saw asmiling skull.
Looking past the docking spots towards the empty surface of the brown planet, Robert tried to see if there was any local life, but it seemed there was none. Not having a proper atmosphere and being exposed to space radiation, the place had a small chance of forming any. However, with Rob’s experience with different worlds, he couldn’t be sure. Not that it mattered as the need for the spacesuit for the technician immediately cut off any ideas to fulfill his curiosity. Especially, when the real life was right behind his back. The life that he asked for while forming a request to Aether.
What was it? High technological place, where I can relax and have fun? So, let’s check it then.
From the few minutes he had spent here, Robert managed to understand that this was an enormous city, hidden underground with only part of it exposed to the light of the local star. And even that part was fortified from any possible threat, be it a random meteor or a direct shot from the orbit. At least such information he got from the nearest terminal that had a “Info Guide” written on it with a map showcasing by default. Another noticeable thing about the place was a constant flow of people in different outfits, who were either wandering around barely hiding their anticipation, or those that already knew what they were doing here. Literally everything cried about tons of tourists. The map confirmed it. And not only it.
Well, I think it’s like a bigger and more illegal variant of Vegas… or what it was before the aliens knocked at our doors. I wonder how the war is going. I hope humanity still fights… Yep, not that it’s my problem now. So, okay, what else do you have here?
The place with a quite telling name “Fantasy City” had a lot. And by “a lot” Robert indeed meant it. The circular form of the highest level provided access to the place from all sides, using all available space for this purpose. The outer layer, where Robert currently was, had nothing, except an enormous empty space to fit the crowd. To get into the inner part you had to get through the short check-up and registration before proceeding to the lifts, which would bring a visitor to the real city.
Surprisingly, the spaceships were not allowed to stay in their spots after landing, having a big fine as a punishment for violation. Of course, the map showed a “VIP” place that didn’t need to follow such strict rules. And from the short reading, the same went with anything if you had enough money. Especially if you willed to spend it. Casino with all possible games, delicious cuisine from every corner of the galaxy, brothel without any restrictions, an unthinkable number of natural or artificial drugs, clinics that could not only change the appearance of a customer but replace most of their organs. The list went on, being long enough just from the amount of provided services to take several minutes of reading.
Obviously, the local enterprises aimed for all types of wealth, managing to find how to suck dry not only the richest people but even the “ordinary” onlookers. Everything was meant for engagement. To search the weak spot of a visitor before hooking them until they would crack under the desire for pleasure, be it something forbidden or not. The latter was no less important it seemed from the map. Amusement parks, cinemas, sports areas with competition to watch or to participate yourself, and many more, like theaters, shopping centers, greenhouses, nightclubs, etc.
I think this place is indeed a paradise for vacation as you can find literally everything here…
However, Robert soon understood that it was only a half of the city that was meant for tourists. The other part’s purpose was a business. Precisely speaking, a huge market of mercenaries with everything they needed to do their job, no matter what the task was. There was a central agency to control their operations, but from the brief explanation it seemed apart from registration, fees, and help with a search of potential employees and new mercs, it did nothing. Most of the groups had their own headquarters here, training and getting ready for the missions during the wait for a potential hiring. Not stopping at this, the special separate docks and even landing bays were available for them.
I bet the piracy here might not be that unbelievable. It depends on the way of the traveling in space. Warps? Alien accelerators? Wormholes in space fabric? So many possibilities… Okay, so what do I want to do?
Despite the simplicity of the question, Robert couldn’t answer it at once. The wish of easy power already resulted in a not-so-pleasant stay in the Tower. He indeed became much stronger than before, but the mental tiredness from constant fighting for his life was slowly taking its toll. So, the rest was needed. On the other hand, he had a tiny problem with that – money. Or the complete absence of them. The System was kind enough to provide him with a pair of black leather boots, brown pants, and a dark green t-shirt, but that was it. Rob had no identification documents, no cash, nothing. Most of the random hobos on Earth had more belongings than him. At least he could win the competition with them in terms of appearance, being cleaned by a magic power of the System after shaving his beard.
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So, I need an easy way to get some currency… Yeah, the robbery in the place, where half of the city is taken for the needs of mercenaries is a plain stupid idea. Hm, I can’t try to sell my organs – with my regeneration it’s not hard to restore them in no time… Nope, too risky. Don’t want to be turned into a full-time human donor with no options to refuse. Plus, not even sure that my organs would fit anyone – I am clearly not a human anymore. Okay, let’s go through the list again. No dishwashing either.
However, before he managed to proceed, Rob was interrupted by an indignant voice. Turning around his head, Robert had to lower his sight to catch a view of the small man in an odd purple attire with multiple chaotically placed pockets who was speaking to him. A woman, possibly a wife, was already holding the man’s hand in a futile attempt to pull him away, while their teenage daughter was watching the scene with a smirk as if she was the real culprit of the ordeal.
Glancing around and not noticing any disturbance in the crowd around, Rob once again noted how huge he actually was in comparison to others. Not only his limbs were thick, but whole his body was massive. There was limited definition in his well-developed muscles, while the abs were barely visible on his fat-covered belly. Still, that gave him an appearance of the strong and dangerous brute that only intensified with his non-friendly face and bald head. Adding the fact that he was clearly taller than before – it was really strange to see how the middle-aged man with graying hair decided to demand anything from Robert, whose figure was towering above the crowd.
Maybe not strange but plain stupid… Okay, what does he want again?
Focusing on the coming words, he glanced at the teenager, making her shiver from fear, before returning his gaze to the man.
“… You don’t own the terminal! You can’t just use it as you want for so long, while others have to wait. My daughter wants…”
“Fuck off,” Rob simply answered, returning his attention to the display and ignoring the angry man.
“How dare you! Do you know who you are speaking to?”
“Wynston, please, calm down. He is terranoid… he is dangerous...,” Rob’s ear caught the whisper of the woman, halting the movement of his finger. Turning his head for a moment, he spoke.
“I from Earth. And I am indeed dangerous… for anyone who is bothering me with moronic demands. So, I will repeat one last time – fuck off!”
Surprisingly, the message finally reached the destination in the form of a man’s mind, stopping the torrent of words that mixed the careful insults together with non-specific threats. However, from the reaction of the couple, Robert figured out that it wasn’t the last part, which made them back off. On the contrary, it was his mentioning of the Earth. At least the following exchange between the man and his wife made sense in this case.
“I told you he doesn’t look like just a random big guy… Moreover, they use term Earth instead of Terra. And only soldiers from there had survived, while most of them went insane after so many genetic modifications…”
“I am not scared! I beg he tries anything stupid like laying even a figure onto me… It won’t take long before he will plead a mercy!”
Demonstratively clenching his fists, the man in a purple suit almost got lost in his thoughts, silently muttering different curses or imagining the perfect phrases that he could throw into Rob’s face. All that, while slowly drifting away from the terminal. That only led to a mocking grin from his own daughter, which was completely missed by the man, but not Robert. The latter only sighed at it, shooting another glance at the teenager only to get a middle-finger gesture. At least it was how his inbuilt translator explained the three curled fingers aimed at his face.
Kids…
Turning around, Rob still heard the last words from the wife, who tried to calm down her husband while saving the face of a brave “alpha-warrior”.
“It’s not a fear, it’s prudence. I bet not only you are cleverer than him, but you managed to achieve much more. All he has is muscles, while everything else is your win. You are a senior manager in a big company with a loving family, an apartment in the top-level sector, and with real potential to raise much higher. And this… humanoid thing… is null. Zero with no future. Moreover, believe me, everyone would have such a body after so many operations. The beauty is in naturalness…”
Oh, fuck you both… So, how can I earn some cash?
Going through the list of the facilities, Robert tried to imagine working there. Unfortunately, not having any skills apart from fighting, it was hard to find anything that could fit him. That left him with two obvious options that were right on the surface. The very same options that would come to mind for anyone who would get into the world of space traveling and would have to start from scratch.
Space pirate aka merc or gladiator aka fighter in the arena? Hm… There is some kind of open tournament to start in a few days. Damn, it even sounds like a bad plotline in the book, but why not? If it can give me money, let’s try it.
Remembering all the details of the upcoming event, Robert finally finished with the terminal. Pausing for a moment to take a glance around, he quickly followed the crowd that was slowly but surely drifting to the receptions with armed guards in full combat armor. The latter wore a resemblance to the battle equipment that Rob was accustomed to. Massive plates of steel, an inbuilt exoskeleton to support an enormous weight, and lots of additional systems inside.
However, even from the glance of non-specialists, it was obvious that the armor was built for different uses. While being smaller, it had no connection to the weapon in comparison to the Earth marine’s version, which carried the ammunition. On the other hand, it clearly had more autonomous options with the possibility of being used outside of the protected area of the space city. That wasn’t needed on Earth as the only threat from the surroundings was the aggressive aliens.
I wonder if there is more difference inside… From the first look, nothing looks too futuristic.
This observation could be extended to most of the things before Rob’s eyes. No matter how he looked around, everything was quite ordinary. Obviously, it had more advanced technology than his own real, but nothing that wasn’t already pictured in multiple movies or books, keeping his reaction on the level of an average tourist that came into a foreign country. No carts with anti-gravity, no floating holograms mid-air, no multiple humanoid species with additional horns, spiky hair, or tails. Just basic humans in various outfits ranged from something akin to culturally old-fashioned clothes to highly advanced tight space suits. Quite a few barely wore anything, showcasing their nude body with clear pride, despite the fact of having at least triple weight from the norm. And it wasn’t muscles.
The sole exception was a metallic prosthesis that was vastly used by many. And from the looks, none of them were the result of injury. Nope, seeing how some clothes were deliberately exposing metallic surfaces, while the latter had the same color as shoes or women’s bags, it was clear that it was partly a fashion. Quite weird fashion in Rob’s opinion, not that he had any say in this realm.
The queue was moving relatively fast, giving him enough time to prepare himself, while observing all surroundings, but not to the point getting bored to death with a wait. Given his tall frame and the empty area around him that others tried to keep, he had plenty of opportunities to see how the interview was going. Therefore, when Robert stood in front of the smiling woman with bright green hair and metallic pointy ears, he knew how to start. Not even blinking under the gaze of three guards who approached the reception from behind, readying bulky rifles in case of any emergency, Rob spoke.
“Greetings! Robert Flop, earthling, a former soldier. Here in search of a job with a wish to prolong the stay as much as it is possible to personally test what Fantasy City can boast with. No baggage.”