How does one reconcile a moral code when circumstances push one to only a list of bad options? Easy. Don’t have a moral code. There is no place for such naïve sentiment in business.
-Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation.
Alex didn’t know how long he sat there, hugging his knees and just not thinking. He had very quickly gone from shock to grief as the full weight of what had happened threatened to crush him. He couldn’t completely process it. Three thousand people, people he thought he was saving - all dead. And from what Patina had managed to choke out in between her own sobs he knew that they’d died horribly.
The little goblin was as crushed as Alex was, probably even more so. She just…stared at Alex for the longest time. At first Alex thought she was staring at him in horror for what he’d had a hand in doing, but the glazed over look of her eyes suggested she was seeing things that he couldn't. Perhaps she, too, was trapped in the catastrophic results of the day.
He had wept, though that had been nearly an hour gone and his eyes stung, now harsh and dry. Now there was just…the weight of it. It was too much. It was all too much. Alex hadn’t even begun to focus further inward, where something deep inside him ached. It wasn’t even really a physical feeling that he could name anyway. And besides, after what he’d done, he likely deserved any pain that was sent his way.
At some point Patina had left. After her period of zoning out she’d tried to talk to Alex, even putting a heavy hand on his shoulder but he could hardly bear to look the little goblin in the eyes. He’d let her down and, more than that, he’d been rewarded for having a hand in killing half of the carriage’s population. How could he look at her when it had been her so adamant about saving everyone in the first place?
Only peripherally was Alex aware that someone was moving around the edges of the new woodland area. He didn’t care who it was. It could even be Vod, ready to stab Alex in the back and get rid of him despite their deal. Deal. Hah. Like I could have made a difference there either. I’m not strong enough. Not smart enough. I’m useless.
The realization Alex came to was that he wasn’t supposed to be here. This wasn’t his world or life. Events were weird, strange, exciting, and sometimes even slightly dangerous - fun, for the most part, though sometimes that was after they were over and he could look back on them more fondly. But events weren’t ever deadly, and their aftereffects always made sure things were returned to a relative state of normality for all of the people that had been pulled into them along with him.
Even the wolf in the bathroom had been returned to the zoo with no lasting effects of its Carolina Reaper sauced wings once it had stuck its face in a bucket of milk.
Alex’s thoughts were interrupted by a furry foot nudging his side. He looked up to see Step, and though he wasn’t sure if he could read a mousekin’s expressions well yet she didn’t look angry or upset. Just…flat.
“Okay, sir. Time’s up.”
“Time?” Alex’s brow furrowed.
“Your initial shock period.” Step stood with her hands on her hips looking down at Alex, who responded with as much intelligence as he could muster right now.
“...what?”
“You’ve gone through a terrible shock, oh no, life is awful, “ Step said, gesturing expansively, though her tone was still missing much in the way of emotional weight. “But it’s time to get off the floor and start doing things, sir.”
“...what?”
‘’What?’” Step mocked, “I said get up, sir. While you’re wasting your hours wallowing there’s a literal fuckton of work that needs to be taken care of.”
“I…I can’t.” Alex stammered, feeling his heartbeat begin to speed up. “I can’t fix anything. I killed…Step, I killed all those people.”
The mousekin looked Alex over again, this time with a measure of pity. She sighed. “Are you a dungeon, sir?”
“What? No?”
“Are you a magical tree that nobody knew existed before today?”
“No, “ Alex frowned, “And I see where you’re going with this, but-”
“Butts are for shitting, and for bringing attention to how cute a tail is.” Step interrupted, “You feel bad? Guilty? Fine. You can do those things while you’re working.”
“No, I can’t, “ Alex argued weakly, “I’ll only fuck it up. Just…leave me alone.”
The mousekin let out a squeaky little growl and lunged forward before Alex could respond. He felt a sharp pain on his ear as Step bit down firmly and pushed the [Mender]s head to the floor. Alex let out a shout and tried to pull back, clutching at his ear.
“Jesus fuck, Step! What the hell?!”
Step blinked, apparently surprised by her own actions, and scampered backward quickly. “Sorry, sir.” The mousekin looked contrite, feeling the need to explain her actions, “When a mousekin child is being particularly stupid, an older sibling usually reins them in with, uh, yeah, you don’t have the ears for it…”
Alex took his hand from his ear and examined it for blood. There was none, but he was scowling now and to Step that was a good thing. Alex was present.
“Come on, sir. You’ve got a list of things to do longer than a tally of your regrets, I can promise you that. We’re all neck deep in the bilges and it’s filling fast.”
With another shake of his head, Alex exhaled heavily. “I’m not supposed to be here, Step. I can’t-”
“I don’t care for supposed-to’s, sir. You are here, and for whatever reason you’re actually able to make fixes that stick to this place while everyone else fucks about and fails. I’m not a great motivator, sir, but I hope that sinks in. We literally can’t do this without you.”
“That’s so stupid, “ Alex groaned, his face in his hands. “There’s no logical reason for that. Step, you don’t need me. I failed to fix things. All those…those people…”
“All of those people were already dead, sir.” Step said firmly. “The adjunct had given them up for dead, as had Overseer Vod. Me, too, “ she confessed, “as I ran away. Those people were dead before we entered the cargo bay. If we hadn’t come in here, all of them would still have died - the fact that some managed to walk away is a bonus.”
That way of thinking was difficult for Alex to comprehend. “What, like some sort of bullshit twisted up Schrodinger’s cat thing? They were all alive until I…”
“You’re overwhelmed, “ Step sighed, “I get it. We all are. Things are shit, sir, but they’re getting worse and you need to help.”
“How?” Alex demanded as he pulled himself to his feet, “How can I possibly help?”
I can’t do this. I can’t do this. I can’t do this. The words rolled around in his mind, suffusing Alex’s heart with hopelessness. Though he now stood, his shoulders slumped in defeat. The mousekin poked him with one furry digit.
“I’ve spent the last few hours scouting beyond the cargo bay, and I’ve also been in contact with Overseer Vod. Things are bad, sir, extremely bad. You need to talk to the adjunct, and to Vod as well.” she saw that Alex scowled at that suggestion, “Sir, if you don’t get it together everyone else is going to die as well.”
“Oh, sure.” Alex muttered. “Lay that at my feet as well.”
“Damn it, sir, the carriage is going to be disconnected from the train in somewhere between two to three weeks, depending on when we return to realspace.”
It wasn’t [Unflappable] that kept Alex on his feet this time. There was something wrong there, he could feel it, but on the list of things Alex wanted to think about mystical soul bullshit was toward the bottom. No, what kept Alex from being too shocked to process this nugget of data regarding yet another way that he was likely to die was that he was already so overburdened that this settled on top like a rancid cherry on top of a shit sundae.
The future is filled with death.
“How and why?” he asked quietly.
“Too much damage, I think.” Step shrugged, “Overseer Vod has some ideas, and the adjunct likely has a better understanding of things, but she’s gone strange.”
“Like she wasn’t already?”
“That’s the spirit, sir.” Step offered the laziest salute Alex had ever seen, and he’d watched a fair number of military-based movies. “Other things on your itinerary include collecting loot, being thanked by six very appreciative and still living people, and if you’re able to get yourself together enough you can probably find a way to magically pull a win out of your ass.”
“...collect loot?” Alex frowned. “What do you mean?”
‘You don’t know…right, why would you know?” Step shook her head quickly, “Have you checked your interface messages, or were you too busy feeling sorry for yourself? No, don’t say anything - I don’t care. Listen, when you beat a dungeon you get a reward at the end generated by the dungeon core. According to my interface messages you, myself, and your pet goblin technically beat the dungeon by fixing it - please revisit my earlier comment about ass-pulling wins - and so therefore loot.”
Alex felt the weight of things settling on him again. He opened his mouth to refuse, to tell the mousekin that she could have whatever it was that was being awarded to him for his actions but Step had already anticipated this.
“Ow! Step!” Alex cried out as the mousekin seized him by the ear and started pulling in the direction of the dungeon entrance. With his two choices being to follow or lose his ear Alex chose the former. “Damnit, can you stop that? Ow!”
Step only released Alex’s ear once they reached the red-glowing crack in reality. The mousekin ordered Alex to stick his hand inside it, something that he definitely felt was a bad idea but Step gave him such a fierce look that with a sigh Alex had thrust his hand in just to get it over and done with.
A fuzzy, cool sensation surrounded Alex’s hand as it disappeared into the dungeon entrance. Apart from that, there was no particular fanfare that his Interface lit up with golden text.
>Dungeon Reward - One Loot Box containing: One Path-customized item
>Claim Loot Box?
Regardless of how Alex felt, he knew that Step was going to pester him if he walked away from being rewarded for his questionable actions. As such, he acquiesced to the prompt. A moment later as he felt something small being pressed into his hand from beyond the dungeon entrance, Alex recoiled. When he removed his hand from the rift he found himself holding a small slate-gray box in a white-knuckled grasp.
Beneath his fingertips the box felt cool and smooth, a polished stone-like quality that held no decoration or hint of what was contained within. Alex looked at it with his skill.
>Evaluation of Entropy Sink Reward Container “Loot Box”: Temporal stasis deteriorating. Box and contents will be destroyed in 15 hours 11 minutes. Suggested repair: None.
“What’s with the fifteen hour timer?”
Step shrugged. “All dungeon loot boxes seem to vanish after eighteen hours. No idea why. You’ve been moping for a while.”
“With good reason, “ Alex argued. Step shrugged again and said nothing else. Alex did not want to open the box. It felt like an acknowledgement that the deaths he’d been partially responsible for were encouraged by Syntropy in some way. Despite the sunken feeling in his stomach, Alex popped the lid open.
Inside the loot box was another box the size and shape of that which one would pick up at a jeweler. Its outer covering was a soft, black velvet. Under Step’s watchful eyes Alex opened the second box, expecting to see a ring or possibly a set of earrings. Instead, on a soft velvet lining, lay a computer chip the size of his pinkie nail. Alex tilted his head to the side with curiosity, and evaluated it.
>Evaluation of Neural Linkage Assembly: In 100% working order. Pristine condition - no issues detected. Customized for [Mender] Alex Orz.
“That’s a weird reward, “ Step stuck her nose in close to the box and sniffed. “I didn’t know your path needed computer parts - except as something to repair.”
“I mean, as far as I know I’m just supposed to be able to mend things. I don’t know what…oh!” Alex’s memory poked at him. He may not know how the device worked or exactly what it did, but he knew he needed one.
Pushing away the fog of guilt and pain, Alex thought fast. He was speaking to someone who amounted to a spy for Overseer Vod, a man who wanted to eventually kill Alex. Vod was operating under the impression that Alex’s cooperation hinged upon getting the omnitool that was in the orc’s possession.
However, the experimental omnitool Alex had hidden away was missing three pieces, confirmed by Harmony - and this dungeon reward was one of them which was suspiciously handy. If Alex could get that device working then Vod’s omnitool would be of no value to him and Vod would see he had no true leverage over the [Mender]. Concealing what this computer chip was for would make Step suspicious, but-
No, Alex. Think. Vod has already overheard the conversations you’ve had with Harmony. He doesn’t know that I know, but it’s useless to conceal the chip’s purpose from Vod. In this particular case, honesty would be perfectly fine.
“When I was forcefully offered my position here, I had to have a uniform and an omnitool before the AI could generate me a job list. I found a non-working omnitool and used it to convince Harmony to let me get started. This is one of several parts I need to make that omnitool work.” Alex forced himself to say these words in a casual, careless sort of way rather than that he was revealing a powerful secret.
That’s right. I’m clueless and naïve and giving away valuable information in the spirit of cooperation…
“I see, “ Step replied after a moment. She held up her wrist, showing Alex a dark gray leather bracer that had been tooled with designs of twisting vines. “I got this.”
>Evaluation of Envenomed Bracer: In 100% working order. Pristine condition - no issues detected. Customized for [Rogue] Step.
“Envenomed Bracer?” Alex asked.
“I can pump a little mana into it, and then whatever blade I hold in that hand gets a paralyzing poison applied to it.”
“Interestingly dangerous.” Alex murmured. “What about Patina?”
“I don’t know, “ Step shook her head. “She didn’t say much - stuck her hand in, got her box, and left.”
“Just left? Where did she go?”
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
“Out is all I could tell you. I’ve been taking care of other things while you were bathing in self-recrimination.” Step’s tone was absolutely judgmental, but more for Alex’s guilt than his actions. “Ayway, that’s the loot done. Congratulations on completing your first dungeon without even setting foot in it. You’re a lucky man, sir.”
“Oh yeah, lucky. That’s what I am.”
“You’re still alive, “ Step slapped Alex’s shoulder, “Now let’s keep going. I meant what I said earlier.”
“About butts being for shitting?”
“And showing off a cute tail, but no. We need to get you to the Overseer so he can fill you in on what he knows.”
“What do you know? The whole decoupling thing sounds serious.”
“Apparently once the carriage takes a certain amount of damage - and the insane growth spurt of a magical tree did vast levels of damage - an emergency protocol none of us even knew existed switched on. Once we return to realspace the carriage will be decoupled from the train and dumped into the void.”
“And Vod knows what to do about that?”
“No, Overseer Vod has no idea what to do to prevent that from happening. He wants to talk with you about some sort of plan for survival.” Step paused, and shook her head. “Look, he’s pissed right now. There’s no way this can be kept quiet - every single working display and screen in the carriage is declaring the decoupling, which is causing panic in the remaining people in the other cargo bay. There are dead or dying plant bits clogging up the corridors, which is making it harder to get around and properly assess if there’s anything we can actually do.”
“I don’t know what I can do either, “ Alex shook his head. Step hooked a thumb over at the softly glowing tree. When Alex looked at it, in the center of a small clearing, he felt a sense of tentative satisfaction coming from the tree.
“Well, we still have power, “ Step said, “Thanks to you. Can you imagine if life support had just stopped?”
“Can I not?” Alex sighed. Step actually laughed.
“Come on, “ she took his hand and tugged Alex gently forward, “Talk to Vod first, obviously, and then grill that fucking computer. She’s refusing to respond to anyone else right now. Find out what we need to do - and by we, I’m pretty sure I mean you, [Mender].”
Once more the feeling of being overwhelmed rose up in Alex’s chest. He felt his breath catch, and he quickly shook his head.
“I can’t. I caused this problem, Step, by failing. I failed and people died and fucking Syntropy REWARDED ME FOR IT!” Alex’s voice rose, his frustrations and fears finally welled up enough to be let out. “I mean, seriously? I’m getting GIFTS FOR KILLING PEOPLE, AND-”
The crack of Step’s open palm striking Alex’s cheek resounded through the softly glowing woods. Alex staggered back, shock written all over his face as he cupped his cheek with one hand. Whatever he’d been feeling died away quickly at the shock of the strike.
“Better, sir?” Step asked politely.
“OWWW!” Alex exclaimed belatedly, and then scowled as he realized that the sharp slap and the accompanying pain had forcefully pulled him down from the edge of near hysteria. “Fuck!”
Step waited impatiently with a raised eyebrow until Alex refocused on her and let out a sigh. The human scowled. “Fine. Well, I man, I’m not fine. But I’m here. Shit.” Alex felt his jaw, moving it back and forth. “You don’t hold back on the slap, do you?”
The mousekin’s answer to that was a smirk which suggested that she’d gone light on him. Alex groaned, and then blinked rapidly as a random thought occurred in this moment of slap-caused clarity.
I’m here. Huh. The man realized that he was here. A strange little wooded area magically created from the deaths of thousands, on board a decaying space train and tasked with fixing things. He’d made a terrible job of it so far, but he was here and…
This is real.
This thought wrapped around Alex’s heart like a constricting blanket - both heavy and, strangely, comforting. This was real. He wasn’t going to be able to laissez-faire his way through this. There was no going with the flow. Alex was dying, and even that death-of-his-soul was overshadowed by so many other little deaths that he could face. Getting access to magic, whatever that involved, was just one of a thousand crushingly overwhelming things that he was going to be dealing with in not only this carriage but the other nine thousand plus as well.
Alex had to be able to do this, because it was the only way to save his own life. He had to be responsible because whatever had yanked him across the universe needed him to be. And Alex would do what he could because, well, nobody else was going to in this fucking clown-driven circus of bullshit.
He took a breath and held it, closing his eyes. The air smelled of rotting mulch mixed with sweeter pine, laced with an undercurrent of burning plastic. Alex felt it again, that not right feeling inside. He looked inward, focusing on his Interface until he found it listed under his Soul Upgrades.
~
Soul Upgrades
[Interesting Times]
[Unflappable] - Broken
~
>Evaluation of Soul Upgrade [Unflappable] - Damaged. Working at 16.11% efficiency. Self-repairing. Recommended actions: Read a book. Listen to music. Binge some shows. View Art. Dance. Sing. Create. Take a walk. Meditate. Therapy?
The suggested actions were all, in a way, wellness-related. Alex’s [Unflappable] still existed, but he felt so raw and unshielded and real because it wasn’t working properly. It would take time to repair itself, but it was repairing itself, which meant that in time Alex would be himself again.
Okay, Alex exhaled. He opened his eyes and looked at Step. “Let’s go.”
Alex wasn’t okay. Which was, essentially, okay, because nobody in this situation should be.
*
None of the buildings existed anymore; Everything had been converted or broken down, and unless one looked up beyond the tree branches to see the metal bulkheads above it was hard to tell that this wasn’t a natural space at all. Alex took it all in, along with the rather telling shaped mounds of leafy greenery from which larger plants and trees had grown. The bodies of the fallen. He needed to get out of here.
Leaving the little woodland was easy enough. It didn’t extend beyond the confines of the cargo bay - which was large enough, but relatively easy to traverse. Step guided him forward to where a small group of people were hacking away at thick, dark vines that had been encrusted in black fluid which had hardened.
“Sir, “ A very large minotaur woman straightened as she saw Alex approach. She towered above the man by several feet, but radiated a serenity that gently brushed away any intimidation or fear. The bovine features were soft and feminine, but her eyes were two pale green orbs that looked like someone had taken to them with a tattoo needle.
It’s leaves and branches, Alex realized. As the rest of the group broke off from their work and approached with gentle smiles and those same eyes Alex realized that each of these six people were profoundly changed by their experience. Those eyeball-tattoos were repeated on their temples, down their necks and across their arms as well.
“Anything beyond the grove will be purged, sir.” the minotaur explained, gesturing to the vines that partially blocked the smashed-out doorway. “The initial growth was tainted with too much entropy, before the Purifier was working correctly. It will take time and work, but we are no strangers to hard work. Thank you for saving our lives.”
“Um.” Alex wasn’t sure what to say. The body count he took upon himself meant that he couldn’t interact normally with these six survivors, even though he saw gratitude in their eyes. “I’m sorry about…everything.”
“We are alive, and we have purpose, “ the minotaur smiled. Her teeth were wide and flat. “We, all of us, have been marked by the grove. As have you, tree-friend.”
“What?” Alex flinched, startled. “Step, are my eyes-”
“You’re fine.” Step replied. One of the others slowly moved forward, and extended a hand to Alex. He automatically took it and when he did Alex felt something peaceful settle on him. A hint of safety and calm that he hadn’t felt since coming back from his time in the mindscape.
“Cazpar Welt, “ the short figure said by way of introduction. It was a goblin, stockier than Patina, and with longer ears. “Thank you, tree-friend. Let us reassure you that this place will stay as it is now. It shall encroach no further upon the carriage.”
“That’s…good.” Alex managed.
“You can’t see paths can you, [Mender]?” asked the minotaur woman. When he looked at her again he got the impression of being shaded under a broad-limbed tree. Alex shook his head, and the minotaur nodded. “Then you don’t truly know what you’ve helped accomplish here. My name is Verita Meskol, and until just a few hours ago I was a [Laborer].”
Verita, in a voice too soft and gentle to be coming from a being of her size, explained that each of them had been stripped of their old paths, somehow being remade into new ones. Or rather, Alex realized with surprise, repurposed. The minotaur woman’s path was now listed as [Arborist] as was one of the goblins in the group. Two other goblins had been given [Botanist] as their path, and the other two - a strange bipedal lizard-creature and a waif-thin almost-human girl with pale hair whose species was given to Alex as sanguinar - had been put on the [Mycologist] path.
“All of us are level one, of course, but we now have an opportunity we never had before. We can use this place, this grove, to become more than what we were.” Verita said. “For our lives, and for our new paths, we are grateful.”
The others murmured their soft-spoken gratitude as well, and after a few more uncomfortable moments Step had extricated Alex from the group and led him out of what was now being called the Grove.
“That’s going to cause issues, isn’t it?” Alex asked in a low voice. His eyes had to adjust once the pair reached the corridor outside the grove. The light out here was a dim, sullen red. Step nodded.
“Oh yes. With both the Overseer and with Ad Astra. But that’s not our problem. We have six people who are very keen to get to work, and they’ve already promised to start clearing out all this mess.”
Step gestured to the detritus of dead or dying vines and assorted plants that spread throughout the corridors. Alex was able to see well enough in the gloom to know that even if every bit of vegetation were removed there would still be a hell of a lot of damage.
They walked carefully, but with Step’s eyes looking out for any vestigial animation in the masses of vegetation that crowded the corridors. Alex tried his best to keep up with [Evaluating] everything as they went, attempting to consciously combine its usage with the passive part of [Holistic Rebuild] , but only once did he make Step long enough for him to carefully duct tape a thick wire which hung from the ceiling, sparking from a split where a serrated vine had cut partially through.
“That’ll help?” Step asked, both curious and incredulous that this was the one thing Alex was willing to do. He struggled to explain what he was feeling, that there was a greater connection to that particular wire which needed stabilizing. It wasn’t as if Alex was one hundred percent sure of himself, but with his skills it had practically screamed at him for attention.
“I think so.” he shrugged. Step didn’t question further.
The closer they got to the still-operating cargo bay, the less rotting vegetation and damage was evident. There were still some, punched up through the floor or spilling down from vents or hatches, but more and more Alex encountered people.
They were hollow eyed, practically exhausted and grim-faced folks of many species, though predominantly goblin. All of them had signs of recent injury, with strips of cloth tied in various places on their limbs, and none of the people acknowledged their presence as they scrubbed, swept, and polished whatever they could. Working for their daily wage, no matter what. Step would not let Alex stop to interact with them.
As they entered the cargo bay, the hive of activity from earlier still existed though now it had a desperate undercurrent to it. People were…packing? Where are they going to go? Alex shook his head, not understanding as people threw their possessions into boxes, crates and makeshift bags. Step guided Alex through, weaving dexterously past people who were sad, or scared, or angry.
Nobody stopped them until the pair reached the bottom of the stairs leading to Vod’s place. There, the Bruise brothers were waiting. Neither looked to be in particularly good shape, covered with ugly wounds bandaged unprofessionally. Helwud was breathing heavily, pain evident on his face while Jaek leaned slightly to the left as if trying to find a comfortable position to stand.
“Hey, what happ-”
“Upstairs. Now.” Jaek muttered. Alex saw the cold fury in the elf’s face and wisely chose not to argue. He took several steps up before he noticed Step wasn’t following. Alex looked at her questioningly.
“Just you, sir.” the mousekin replied. “I’ll be waiting down here.”
Alex ascended alone. The stairs were just as precarious as they had been the first time, but were more well repaired than other parts of the carriage so Alex supposed he shouldn’t complain. When he reached the top, the door to Vod’s place was open like a grim invitation.
Inside, the room was mostly dark. What little light illuminated the room was from a single red disc on one wall. Alex had trouble making things out clearly, but a large shape slumped in a chair.
“Um…Mister Vod?” Alex called. The shape stirred.
“Ah. The hero returns victorious.” Vod’s voice was weak, his words a struggle to pass from his lips. The orc chuckled, and then coughed. Alex was by his side in a moment.
“What happened?” Alex asked, throwing out an [Evaluate] at the orc.
>Evaluation of Fabian Vod: Broken. Triage as follows: Puncture wound, left side. Puncture wound, left shoulder. Deep gash, left arm. Multiple bruises and lesions. Warning: Syntropy-related progression at 1.8% of normal.
That answer only confused Alex more, but he busied himself in peeling off the massive orc’s top layers of bloody clothing. To his surprise, Vod not only allowed him to do so but even helped as he shifted painfully in the chair.
Alex had no sanitizer, no disinfectant, nothing to control germs or infection. All he had were his handyman’s tools and a few skills, but he got to work with his ever-useful duct tape. As he applied the tape, Alex used his [Jury Rig] skill, hoping that it would do something to better mend the wounds underneath.
Once he was done, Vod silently gestured for Alex to sit.
“What happened, you ask.” Vod said, his voice low and quiet. “What happened was that many, many errors have occurred to bring us to this point. Whatever you did down there, and I will get a full explanation, now has us all to the brink of destruction. But you are not the only one at fault.”
“Mister Vod, the people in the other cargo bay-”
“I know. And that, I don’t hold against you.” Vod sighed. “We have survivors. This is good. For how long those survivors will last, I don’t know. Tell me what you make of this, Technician Orz.”
Vod gestured toward the blank screen on one wall. As he did so it lit up, a bright red splash of background, with blocky white lettering declaring to all who saw it that they were all well and truly fucked.
WARNING
Carriage 9997 viability has been reduced to unsustainable levels.
Security Protocol X-7 in effect.
Carriage 9997 will be decoupled from the Relentless Exploitation upon return to realspace.
“You know, in all of the things that Ad Astra could do to its employees, I never actually considered they would program in a protocol that would remove a carriage from the train entirely.” Vod said to Alex, “Though it doesn’t surprise me that it exists.”
“I’m sorry, “ Alex apologized, the burden of guilt growing within him. “I didn’t know this would happen.”
“You are at fault, this is for certain.” Vod agreed, words which punched Alex in the metaphorical gut. His next words were a surprise however. “As is Ad Astra. As is the damnable adjunct. And as am I.”
“When I was running - hah, yes, I ran in fear, Technician Orz! - from the overgrowth, I realized the shortsightedness of my little…monitoring project. To control what was seen, and by whom, well it’s a useful tool of power.” Vod coughed again, and scowled. “The adjunct could not see or hear. It couldn’t close doors or otherwise stop the plants, because it could not detect them. Because of me.”
Alex remained silent. The orc was right, and it seemed that his brush with death was at least a small lesson he’d learned - at least for now. Alex didn’t believe the Overseer would remain contrite forever.
“But blame does nothing but slow us. Guilt binds us. Hopelessness weighs us down and crushes us under its heel.” Vod continued, “All we can do is move forward.”
“This…viability thing. With the decoupling, “ Alex asked, “What do we do?”
“You will talk to the adjunct. I have a feeling that you can do so without injury.” Vod smiled at this, a dark and grim twist to his mouth. “When I sent someone to try, the adjunct closed the door on their leg. The bone is broken, of course.”
“Okay, I can do that, I just hope she hasn’t gone all Hal 9000 on us. But what about fixing everything? Or at least something? I know it seems hopeless, but there has to be something we can do.”
“Yes. As I said, we move forward. You, with the adjunct. See what is required. See what can be done. And if that turns out to be nothing, then I gather my people and we move forward.” The orc stressed the words, sighing at Alex’s confusion. “The way between carriages is sealed, Technician Orz. But I guarantee I can find another way to the next carriage, though it may kill even more of us along the way. That’s my task.”
“Another way? A dangerous one?”
“Talk to the adjunct, Technician Orz. Two plans are better than one. That’s all I’ll say on the matter. You may go now.”
“But-”
“Boy, if you think these injuries I’ve suffered would prevent me from breaking every bone in your body you’re quite badly mistaken. You will now leave.”
Alex had no idea how he found himself standing outside the door, blinking in confusion. Vod had been talking, and then had asked him to leave and…he had. The interaction seemed muddled in his mind, but Alex shrugged. He had to talk to the adjunct. To Harmony.
The [Mender] made it three steps down before the door opened behind him. Vod coughed, and when Alex looked the orc was leaning against the door frame.
“Catch, “ Vod said simply, and underarm tossed Alex a small object. Alex seized the thing out of the air and looked at it - a small cylindrical device covered in small switches and buttons, all tarnished metal and unlit LEDs. One end was blackened and charred, as if slightly melted. Alex was reminded of the Sonic Screwdriver from the BBC’s Doctor Who show that he’d caught a few episodes of over the years.
>Evaluation of Mark 3 Standard Omnitool: In 26% working order. Melted emitter. Cracked keris crystal. Storage leak reduced raw material capacity to 2.6%. Chance of explosion per continuous minute of use: 17%. Recommended repair: Replace emitter. Replace keris crystal. Mend spatial magic runeworks.
Alex looked up at Vod in askance, and the orc’s expression was impassive.
“I know my failings, Technician Orz. I am the ruler of a tiny kingdom that has been reduced by half in a single day, and is rapidly falling to pieces. Clinging to what I have is only going to make things fall apart at a greater pace. It seems…stupid, to hold this back from you now, if you could use it to help us all.”
“It’s…not in good shape, Mister Vod.” Alex suggested carefully.
“It was honestly like that when I acquired it.” he said. “Sometimes an accident truly is just an accident, no matter what certain little goblins might think.”
Alex glanced back down at the device that was so close to broken he wasn’t certain he would be able to even use it. This was the thing Vod was holding over Alex’s head? A barely working device that could explode on him at any time? When Alex opened his mouth to reply, the door was closed and Vod was gone.
Fuck me, Alex thought as he trudged back down the stairway. The omnitool went into his pocket along with his dungeon reward. Maybe he would be able to do something with it, but did he even have the time to try?