The station hall was large and was filled with an assemblage of people walking in and standing together in groups. On a platform looking down at them, a man of average height much like him wearing specs and weighting for all to settle just ahead of him, and to the right, a seeker stood in lightweight Centaurian Amour, his skin glistening with a heavier metal tinge that a majority of seekers gathering in a corner. Guessing from only that Travone knew he had to at least be above thirty-five per cent integration level with a Gamma ranking next to him, a large pot belly man with massive arms covered with a metallic sheen that was unmistakably similar to the seeker from where Travone stood.
Hey, keep walking, Kayden said, we'll be late.
Moving through the crowd, all everyone was talking about was the explosion that had just happened.
Did you hear it was cultists?I wasn't there, don't care. A seeker said, waving a hand to forestall the conversation.Does anyone know why they even decided to attack at this time? A female seeker asked. I think it's because they heard Rowan Kelly is back on Earth. Thought he had a home on Mars. It's not my problem if you want to start something. I am going off the planet in a few hours. A, she's right. Besides, the UNE has Palani Saunders. Even with his black weapon class, You think he's strong enough to take one Rowan, with a shield class he got from Pierre Louse.
No, I don't think so, but the Europeans will surely send Alexandra Friedeberg, and the African Union will send Wian Djal Vermaak.
Shots, well, I don't wanna be here when founders Fight.
Hearing the seekers talking, there was little Travone could do but hope that his mother would survive for more than two months or four before he started planning to return.
Stepping forward in Centuarian amour and getting the attention of the crowd by tapping the microphone with his finger, the leader of the expedition started. Seeing that you are all here, I will be bland. After the attack today, the station port will be closed temporarily for investigation. Those of you who have any worries or are no longer sure of the trip, I recommend you stay behind and gather yourselves because this is just a minor occurrence compared to what happens on the dungeon planet. he said, turning his gaze towards the miners and archaeologists. Those who are willing to come with me, even after what you have seen here, will depart in four hours.
The big man standing next to him in a UNE mining gold and blue uniform stepped up. Miners head to the registration office. Those who want to stay behind can do so, and those who are coming have one hour to get themselves sorted.
How many do you think left to stay behind? Travone asked, taking a step forward.
Don't know. They are fools giving up their only chance to make something of themselves mocked.
Well, you can't blem them, can you?
Next, the woman seated behind the booth counter that was too small for some her size called,
Despite what everyone told themselves, the miners were those desperate enough to leave Earth in order to get the slim chance of coming across an Astravore gem while the Archeloegiste took their time learning about the aliens and their lost civilisation they were genuinely aiming to get a lucky break and discover a new technology they can sell to the Founders or the UNE for a large sum of credits so that would have them not lifting a finger to work in their lives again.
Next, Travone stepped up and handed over his personal card, the woman asked, watching from behind the reinforced ceramic glass as Travone reached for his wallet and placed his ID card on his side of the counter. She slid it towards her side. Place your eye on the iris scanner for verification, she said and swapped the card.
He did so
Travone Lee African American, five feet nine inches, brown eyes, seventeen status None
Move on through transport leaves in three hours, she grumbled, her voice coming heavy.______
From the Journal of UNE Commander Ichioka Renzo, Rank Delta, the year 2219: President Cook keeps sending more and more seekers and fewer enforces to the Athens Station; already, I have had to set up different rules for the seekers, I have had to set up a neutral zone, and my Wardens and Captains keep reporting the death of miners and archaeologist, and those landing on the dead planet keep smuggling Power Gems back to Earth. The founders and their guilds are testing the regulations and have set up their own camps. With every day that passes, mass fights and duels break out, and I have had to sit down with the guild and section off areas on the dead planet for them to Seek out gems, metals, and knowledge. I have also allowed them to set up an arena so that they can get their frustrations out and minimise the damage on the space station platform. I have also requested engineers to the site to do all the maintenance and expand the platform with housing and bridge conduits to the asteroid belts. I only hope these actions bring about a level of stability.
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The Athens station was a vertical city with a base foundation to match; it was filled with people from all over the world, and waiting in acclimatisation to become used to space and gravity was one of many things holding his curiosity back. Standing at the window, his eyes were one of many peering up at the structure of the Athens station; his eyes followed the transport ship to the station, which let a group of seekers out.
is that 'Chain Blade' Landon Mercer
Hey, guys over here, look. It's Chain Blade Landon Mercer. Do you think he's gonna be in the arena this week?
I hope so.
From the corner of his eye, Travone watched as one of the Younger seekers, not that much older than him, approached the back of star-struck miners filling the view of the windows.
Excuse me, can you step away from the window? You guys have been looking out there since we got here.
No, find another window, the big, burly man replied, waving his hand without turning back. Perhaps his attitude would have been different had he known that seeker was asking politely, but at last, that chance would not come.
The young man frowned and placed a heavy hand on the miner; hey, you two, get out of my way. You're blocking my view.
What he looked at the young man, I have a right to stand here, and the UNE...
Guys, look at this fool. The United Nations of Earth. Don't make the rules here, he said mockingly as his friends and fellow seekers laughed. In case you forgot, we are not on Earth, the young man said, a sadistic smile playing on his lips.
Travone looked around and saw that the miners who had been standing next to the two had given them a wide birth, perhaps not wanting to be apart, and for the few veteran seekers in the room, they simply ignored the situation altogether.
Of course, this had to happen. it's the rich pricks who always have a problem, and no one is going to do anything. Are they just going to ignore what is happening?
So what if we are not on Earth...
Suddenly and faster than Travone believed was possible, the young threw his head into the miner's nose, sending him to the ground and immediately before anything else could transpire, A woman wearing the gold and blue of the UNE was there twisting the seeker's arm and sending him to the ground in an arm lock
This may not be Earth, but we have rules. You are under arrest for Unsanctioned harm to a civilian, the woman said.
what? You can't arrest me. Do you know who my father is, Minister...
before he could finish speaking, the UNE guard reached for her belt and gagged him, opened the door and pushed him out.
Is there anybody else trying to cause trouble? She asked, and to the shock of Tarvone, the miners and archaeologists, the three companies the seeker had come with, shook their heads and the veteran seekers who had also watched the altercation simply nodded.
if you wondering why the seekers did nothing to her, it's because she is a high gamma, probably in her high fifties, and the strongest of them; Kayden nodded at the seekers is, at least, low gamma, high forties in percentage.
how do you know? How you can tell? he peered closer at the woman, and I see no difference.
Her skin, the metallic sheen, is more visible than the two gammas over there.My advice. Learn how to tell them apart; otherwise, you may offend an alpha rank.
Miners gather around. The Foreman called out. Now that you're here, my name is Abraham Williamson. I am a foreman in charge of transportation and getting you lot settled in today. I will be showing you around the Athens platform; I will show you where to eat and where you will sleep; the rest is up to you; you can join the guilds or work with the UNE. It's up to you. Follow me, he said, and without another word, he turned and started walking. The crowd of miners followed him in mass.
They walked past open squares, motels, shops selling scrap iron with alien designs, a few stores with men and women in suites looking and taking notes for their bosses on what to buy, clothing shops and even metalworking shops with Centuarian chest plates and amour put out to entice seekers passing by the street. The entire procession, however, came to a stop when a seeker in torn rags, laughing and crying, jumped off a building and attacked his fellow seekers. the seeker in rags reached his hand out, and a spear of alien design formed as he thrust forward. As soon as the weapon came into being, an alarm went off, and the man the spear was heading towards quickly turned a shield barrier surrounding him, causing the astra spear to bounce off.
Hurry up, I think he has overdone it; he is having mental fragmentation, the woman who had been standing next to the man moved faster than the eye could follow and plunged her daggers into the man's legs, narrowly missing a sharp spear to her throat for her troubles before disappearing once more as the rugged seeker turned to face the woman with the dagger class a shield slammed into him from behind. Turning his spear and moving his body in efficient superhuman dynamism as he thrust it towards the shield user, his spear meeting the energy barrier again. That brief destruction bought the woman enough time to plunge her daggers into the man's shoulders, rendering both his legs and arms useless. By the time a Warden of the UNE got there, the man had been reduced to crying, laughing motionless as he tried and failed to lift his arms.
What happened to that dude back.
nothing happened to him. He did that to himself, Keyden said. When seekers reach their limit, they can choose to stop and go back to Earth, or they can end up like what happened back there.
How can that happen? I thought the Astravores made their bodies perfect.
You can't expect everyone to be the same, Kayden said grimly, remembering a similar incident. Even as Travone noticed, he gave him time to collect himself. Astravore Overload Syndrome.
What.
That's what it's called. Astravore Overload Syndrome or AOS. It causes memory loss, hallucinations and even seizures.
Why would anyone do that? It seems too risky.
maybe, but on the bright side, the founders have lived for over two hundred years. Living that long, I would take that risk.
So, as long you don't go over your limit, it's safe.
Yeah, now you're starting to get it, Kayden said.
the next stop was the final stop. It was a warehouse, for the lack of a better term. The large room was filled with banked beds and lockers. The bathrooms were located in the back of the building, and in the next building over was a communal food quarter; the two structures looked like temporary housing for the newcomers on the platform.
This is only temporary housing. If you have not found work in two weeks' time, you will be shipped back to Earth, and your return will be suspended for two years. Williamson stated.
Two years, what a joke. I can't make it any longer than that because people are always dying in the ruins of the dead planet.
Tomorrow, the foremen will come to pick the best of you. For your sake, I hope none of you are left in two weeks, Williamson said. And with that, my work here is done.