They say that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. This is quite absurdly false. Preparations must be made, groundwork laid, supplies gathered, routes organized, and so much more before the first step can even be taken.
Ladies and gentlemen of the board, the Relentless Exploitation is the largest and most expensive self-contained space-going craft ever developed. We will be close to bankrupt with the money, the time, and the effort it will take to get it first moving.
But once we do, once she starts to move…well, the stars are ours. Ad Astra Eternum!
-Chairwoman Nina Ellory, Ad Astra Space Shipping, Passenger, Mining, Acquisitions, Exploration and Exploitation Corporation.
Alex took the opportunity to slip into his pockets as many recognizable small bits and pieces as he could. Screws and nails, little bits of metal and plastic that could be used for various random things, and a couple of rolls of the Ad Astra version of duct tape known as heavy duty sealing and adherent strips. He resolved to keep calling it duct tape.
Leaving the maintenance closet behind, Alex and Patina set out. As they walked, Patina seemed filled with a sort of enthusiastic energy that caused her to almost skip. Alex spent a few minutes looking over the map overlay he’d absolutely forgotten about despite it being in the upper right corner of his vision.
A simple line-map displayed where he was, and anywhere he’d already been. A few places were labeled, such as the transportation pod room and the maintenance closet. He found he could switch between the upper decks and the lower decks with a thought, but it was all flat and two dimensional - a 3D schematic would have been useful.
>Incoming Message: Interface upgrades are always available for purchase. You can actually spend path points on them, if you don’t mind leveling up extremely slowly. It’s not recommended right now, even if you could afford anything with your measly 10 path points. -Peri
Agreed, Alex sighed, once again reminded that Syntropy’s Interface was much like a microtransaction shop. And how do I do that, anyway?
>Incoming Message: As your designated helper, I’d suggest not bothering right now. Get some levels in you first. When you do decide to prioritize extras over progression, the mental command is “SYNTROPY SHOP”. -Peri
Karma shop, Ad Astra company shop, Syntropy shop…was the entirety of reality up for purchase in one form or another? Mentally Alex thanked his intrusive little helper and filed the shops under ‘Problems For Future Alex’. Instead he followed Patina along several corridors and through passageways and doors. It felt like a lot of walking and his legs started to ache after a while, but along the way the goblin pointed out literally dozens of unobtrusive scanners, cameras and other monitoring sensors for him to use his [Evaluate] skill on.
Alex found that he felt rather pleased that the number was going up on his personal advancement task to increase the skill, even if [Evaluate] continued to say the same thing.
>Evaluation of Monitoring Device (Camera): Broken.
>Evaluation of Monitoring Device (Movement Sensor): Broken.
>Evaluation of Monitoring Device (Arcane Detection Sensor): Broken.
>Evaluation of Monitoring Device (Camera): Broken…
“Every single one of these is broken, “ he said after a while. After the first few complete failures for his [Jury Rig] skill to even trigger Alex had contented himself with simply noting on his map - a feature he was quite happy to have - where they all were and that they were beyond his current abilities.
“Yeah, funny that.” Patina replied. “In a not really funny way at all. Notice anything else about them?”
“Most of them are physically damaged in some way.”
“Yup. Now think about who doesn’t want the Adjunct spying on or pestering them.”
“Fabian Vod?” Alex ventured. Patina nodded. “Right, you mentioned before that they were being purposefully broken. I guess the intentional destruction adds to the reasons she wants him dead.”
“I can’t imagine her not being pissed off.” Patina grinned. “You’ll find that more are broken in the lower decks than the upper, which in turn makes everyone else's job just that little bit harder. Anyway, ta-dah! Your first job assignment.” She pointed a long green finger at a half-open doorway. The sensor above it flashed and tried to open the door further but was unable to do so.
“What’s this one?” Alex asked, ready to add another label to his map.
“Lower-C-Gamma-Taupe-67, “ she answered, “The one with the dangerous room that needs to be sealed.”
Alex eyed the door suspiciously. The darkness beyond seemed more unsettling than it should have. “Do we need to actually go in?”
“I’d rather not. If the Adjunct is saying the room is dangerous, it must be pretty bad whatever it is.
“Right then. Help me push it shut?”
It took almost twenty sweaty minutes of forcefully pushing the two halves of the door to close at the center, and that was after they both embarrassingly realized that the door sensor was trying to open the door at the same time because, well, they were in front of it.
“Do you feel stupid?” Alex asked with bemused exasperation when they were done, “Because I feel stupid.”
Patina didn’t reply, and just sat against the wall looking at their handiwork. Once Alex covered the sensor and they had closed the door, the man had used his [Jury Rig] skill on it. Surprisingly all he’d needed was a small hand-sized scrap of metal, and two screws to hold it in place where the two sides of the door joined in the middle. Something about the skill must have helped because Alex was able to use a regular screwdriver rather than some sort of power tool.
Or this futuristic space metal is softer than steel, he thought. Ultimately it didn’t matter. The job was done, and Alex took a sharpie to write ‘DO NOT ENTER’ on the door. Patina rose from the floor and took the sharpie, snorted at the strangeness of it, and wrote the same thing in Ad Astran.
>Ad Astra Task: Seal Room
>With a deft hand and a steady eye, the [Mender] can perform great feats of repair. You merely stopped a door from being able to open. The task is done but you know [Jury Rig] is temporary, right? Still, you completed the task. 1 Duty Credit awarded.
“That’s that.” Alex smiled.
Patina nodded. “On to the next one?”
“Sure.” Alex let the goblin lead the way. The journey wasn’t as long as the first one, and Alex was able to add another six miscellaneous security devices to his tally, and his [Evaluate] skill. Surprisingly, one of them he was able to repair with his [Jury Rig] skill, as it hadn’t been completely broken, requiring only some re-wiring with tape, and a new set of screws to hold it in place. A little red light came on, and Alex waved at it. The light blinked in response.
“It looks so simple, “ Patina grumbled, “But that’s skills for you.”
“I mean, I do a lot of fixing bits and pieces back home. That’s gotta help, right?”
>Incoming message: Skills = Let’s Do This! Knowledge = Oh That’s How We Do This! Combo = Good! -P.
You okay there, Peri? That message sounded abrupt. Alex received no reply.
“I think that-” Patina began, but drew up short as they rounded a corner and encountered two looming figures. She let out a curse. “Ah, bilge.”
“Hoy there, little snotskin.” one of the figures greeted Patina, a cold smile delivered with thin lips giving Alex a good idea of the type of person he was about to speak to.
Alex stopped just behind Patina and looked over the new arrivals. Each of them had been aiming for a casual lean against the wall and had delivered that in spades. Alex frowned.
The first figure - the one who’d spoken - was tall and razor thin, with milk-pale skin and large dark eyes. His hair was held back in a clasp, and the figure wore a bulky hodge-podge of hardened armor-like clothing.
“Heard you’ve been busy, snotskin.” the other figure rumbled. Just as tall as the first figure, but with an overabundance of muscle instead of the too-thin look of the first. His hair was cut brutally short, and one eye was completely white.
“Busy.” echoed the thin one.
“Surprisingly avoiding actual work though.” said the muscled one.
“Avoiding, yeah.” The first figure agreed with the second. Alex could see Patina’s whole body tense up and she’d closed her gloved hands into fists. Alex was about to speak, but he was interrupted by his interface.
>Event #1284 started. Concurrent Events: 2.
Oh boy. Here we go.
“Avoiding work doesn't make the boss man happy, does it Jaek?” The larger figure asked of his companion. Alex did note that there was a long blade at the man’s hip.
They use SWORDS on a space train?
“Not happy at all, Helwud.” Jaek said, shaking his head slowly. It was at that point that Alex’s brain pointed out the one thing he’d missed this far - both of these men had long and pointed ears. They looked a lot like-
“Elves!” Alex exclaimed aloud. “Sorry, that was rude of me. Hi! I’m Alex. You’re the first elves I’ve met.” He extended a hand past Patina’s shoulder, which was ignored as the two elves gave him a long and expressionless look. As if her surprise was broken by Alex’s intervention, Patina snarled angrily at the pair.
“The fucking Bruise brothers. What are you two doing out of your hole?”
“We’re on a mission from Vod.” Helwud explained. He paused significantly after this statement.
“A delivery mission.” Jaek clarified after the silence went too long.
“Well, deliver whatever it is your boss gave you and go away.” Patina spat.
“Now now, snotskin. Best you calm down before we have to pacify you.” Jaek smiled that cold smile again.
“Poor thing, “ Helwud rumbled, “And it’s so hard to leave lasting injuries on a goblin, too.” The elf reached for Patina’s sleeve, but she yanked it away and stepped back almost knocking Alex down in the process.
“So, uh, I’m the new Junior Technician here.” Alex tried to steer the conversation his way, “Grade four apparently. I’m a [Mender] if that means much? How are you today?”
“Technician, he says.” Helwud said to his brother. The other elf’s eyes glinted dangerously.
“Grade four.” Jaek said solemnly. “Junior. As useful as a fart in a spacesuit.”
“Level one.” Helwud added, suggesting that he knew more about Alex than he should. Maybe it was one of those [Identify] skills or whatever. [Inspect]? Something like that. He fired off his [Evaluate] at the pair of elves, and was surprised by the messages he received in return.
>Evaluation of Jaek Bruise: Broken.
>Evaluation of Helwud Bruise: Broken.
That’s interesting.
“No attributes yet either, Helwud.” Jaek observed.
“Breakable.” Helwud agreed.
Alex found that instead of frightened he felt delighted. These guys were talking like they were in a bad theater troupe, acting like Thug One and Thug Two in a play.
“That’s me, “ he said in a friendly tone, allowing his hand to drop as nobody had taken up the offer to shake it. “And you two are…?”
Say [Thug] or [Heavy] or something please.
“Helwud here is an artist, “ Jaek gestured to his brother with a flourish. “His canvas is the body. He does lovely work in contusions.”
“An’ Jaek here’s a phlebotomist.” Helwud grinned, “On account of how efficient he is at taking blood out of people.”
Alex was about to ask if the two had rehearsed those lines when Patina spoke up again.
“A [Bruiser], “ she said pointing to Helwud first, and then at Jaek “And a [Rogue]. Because the path [Motherfucker] doesn’t apparently exist.”
“Name calling makes us sad, little snotskin.” Jaek sighed, completely ignoring his own words.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
“Sad enough to maybe perhaps accidentally lunge forward and break that big green nose of yours.” Helwud added.
“But we’re not here for that. We don’t like violence.” lied Jaek.
“Necessary burdens, ” Helwud let out a dramatic sigh, “We’re here because the boss wants to talk to you. Both of you.”
Patina started to reach for her pouch, but Alex smiled and put a hand on the goblin’s shoulder. “We’d be happy to come. He’s the overseer, right?”
“Alex-” Patina began, only to be cut off by the brothers.
“This one is smart, Jaek.”
“So smart he could cut himself, Helwud.”
“Or you could do it for him, “ Helwud suggested, “To be helpful.” The elf actually sniggered. Alex wanted to laugh at the awfulness of it. He’d seen lines better delivered at high school performances.
Alex closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and smiled. This is fine. This is an Event. Sure, it’s an Event within another Event, but that won’t change how it works. Just go with the flow.
“Please escort us to your boss, if you would be so kind.” Alex requested when he opened his eyes again. Patina looked about to protest, but Alex simply shook his head and gestured for the goblin to calm down. She scowled, shrugged, and rolled her eyes in acquiescence.
“Smart guy, “ Jaek observed as he looked at Alex with a killer’s eye. “It goes without saying that if you try anything-”
“Anything at all, “ Helwud added.
“There might be a tragic accident.”
“Tragic, “ Hulwud agreed. “And deadly.”
Alex had to force himself not to applaud the pair. He was quite sure now that they had practiced their little back and forth act. With a smile he nodded. “Please, lead on.”
*
During the escorted walk Alex let several things fall outside his attention; Patina, muttering and glaring at the Bruise brothers was easily ignorable - no matter how upset she seemed, the goblin seemed to recognize that if it came down to an actual fight she would end up on the losing end. Alex was able to tune out her muttered cursing.
Similarly, the Bruise brothers kept up what they probably thought was a witty back and forth. They never actually addressed Alex or Patina again, but it was quite obvious who the show was for. Vague threats, little anecdotes about past ‘accidents’ and the like were easily ignored.
Alex’s map slowly filled itself in as he was escorted through the lower decks. Most of it was unlabeled due to not asking for various signage and labels to be translated for him, but gradually a portion of carriage 9997 was taking shape in Alex’s interface. It was huge.
Though there was a promised menace from the Bruise brothers, Alex himself felt quite relaxed. As he passed various security and monitoring devices he shot off [Evaluate] as many times as he could, some of them failing due to the simple fact that the devices had been completely torn away and were missing. Still, some lizard-brain part of Alex liked seeing his number of uses of the skill go up.
The other thing Alex did was dig a little deeper into what the Interface was calling his attributes. They were named just well enough for him to get a vague idea of what they could be measuring, but also leaving openings for misunderstanding.
Strength, for example, had sub-attributes of Physical Strength, Physical Adaptability, and Physical Presence. Physical Strength could take a lot of things into account, some of which were apparently parceled out to Endurance which had the sub-attribute of Physical Constitution under it.
Physical Adaptability sounded easy enough, but what was Physical Presence? Was that how buff he looked? Would Alex get a six-pack if he upped that number? Or did it pair with the Charisma-based Personal Presence sub-attribute, that seemed to promise that he would have some sort of aura-like effect about him that would affect people?
Peri, I could use a little nudge here but not an in depth essay on how these things work.
>ALERT: YOU ARE OUT OF FREE HELP MESSAGES FOR THE DAY. EMERGENCY CONTACT PERMISSIBLE. DESIGNATE EMERGENCY?
Because of course. No, that’s fine, Alex sighed, finding yet another limit placed arbitrarily on things. It was frustrating, especially since he hadn’t been told there was a message limit and even more so that Peri had sent more than a few not necessarily asked for ones as well.
Let’s just look this over and see…
~ATTRIBUTES~
STRENGTH (0)
Physical Strength (0)
Physical Adaptability (0)
Physical Presence (0)
~
AGILITY (0)
Dexterity (0)
Reaction (0)
Precision (0)
~
ENDURANCE (0)
Physical Constitution (0)
Mental Fortitude (0)
Emotional Strength (0)
~
WISDOM (0)
Insight (0)
Instinct (0)
Understanding (0)
~
INTELLIGENCE (0)
Logic (0)
Reason (0)
Learning Ability (0)
~
CHARISMA (0)
Wit/Charm (0)
Personal Presence (0)
Deception (0)
~
PERCEPTION (0)
Situational Awareness (0)
Pattern Recognition (0)
Acuity (0)
~
MAGICAL POTENCY (0)
Magical Power (0)
Mana Pool (0)
Mana Regeneration (0)
~
For the physical stuff Alex was inclined to think that for the most part it was exactly as it sounded. Breaking things up and spreading them out seemed odd, but Syntropy probably had a reason for it. The mental attributes were less instinctive to Alex - why did Syntropy measure Intelligence purely on Logic, Reason, and Learning Ability? Wouldn’t experience, actual study, and a higher library of knowledge to draw from be included?
Same with Wisdom. Apparently it’s Insight, Instinct, and Understanding, Alex frowned, I get what the words mean, but how do they affect me if I increase the numbers? How do I increase the numbers anyway?
Several times the group actually passed other people - goblins dressed much in the same way Patina had been. They were industriously scrubbing, scraping, cleaning and polishing seemingly random parts of the corridors or rooms. None of them displayed much interest in the group, their eyes dark and tired as they toiled away. Alex would have stopped to talk but the elves gave the impression that it would be a bad idea.
When Alex looked over at Patina he saw a new expression on the goblin girl’s angular face. As she looked at the other goblins her expression was one of obvious contempt and Alex noted that as something to ask about later.
“Hey, assholes.” That was Patina, apparently being diplomatic. Jaek turned to glance at her, a sneer twisting his lips. “We’re going the long way?”
“Whatever the train hit-” Jaek began.
“Or whatever we hit with the train, “ Helwud chimed in.
“-damaged part of the undercarriage.” Jaek shrugged, “Blast doors came down, sealing off a few places.”
“Those only come down if we’re venting atmosphere.” Patina muttered, scowling. “And that’s never, as far as I know.”
“You’re still breathing.” Helwud replied, as if that were the end of the conversation.
Neither elf seemed inclined to show any sort of concern about it, and after a moment’s thought Patina gave a shrug of her own. Apparently the population on board this crazy place was used to sudden inconveniences.
The scenery around Alex suddenly changed. After passing through a shorter corridor that had covered most of the metal and plastic with paint and indecipherable posters the group entered a wide and almost cavernous area that stretched both wide and long. Here were actual buildings - not the most safe-looking constructions, but buildings nonetheless.
There were also people, and Alex was using the term because he was assuming that the variety of creatures he saw were people as much as Patina and the Bruise brothers were. There were elves, and genuine dwarves with the stereotypical beards, and strange willowy winged folk with large dark eyes and a ruff of thick fur around their necks and wrists.
And goblins - so many goblins - were everywhere. Running, shouting, living and breathing like a regular street back on Earth, this place was a chaotic cacophony of sound and movement. After spending time in the quiet upper deck area, Alex felt as if he had been woken up from a dream filled with silence only to be thrust into the middle of a busy street.
He put the darker thoughts that had been rolling around in his head aside and took in the view. The group got a few looks, but no actual stares even though Alex was apparently the only human he could see. Some of the looks were curious, even speculative, but Alex noted that those looks quickly slid away once one of the Bruise brothers glared in the direction of the curiosity seeker.
The whole area was a goldmine to Alex’s [Evaluate] skill, as he was able to use it on everything he could see. From ramshackle buildings to cracked floor plates, damaged walls, broken ductwork and shattered lighting, Alex felt his eyes burning as message after message passed his vision telling him everything that was in disrepair. Eventually he received a message that made him feel a small sense of accomplishment.
>Personal Advancement Task - Skill Advance [Evaluate] (1) 100/100
Cool, thought Alex, but then frowned. When looking at his skill it was just sitting there unchanged. Did he have to do something in particular? He mentally prodded at it but nothing happened. A question for Peri, when she’s allowed to talk again.
Testing the skill a few more times didn’t change the numbers either - it still sat at 100/100. Evidently he had to advance the skill - however he was supposed to do that - making the man assume that additional uses until that point would be wasted beyond simply learning what things were as he looked at them.
While Alex was preoccupied, he hadn’t been paying attention to his companion who had been growing increasingly uncomfortable as the group moved deeper into the crowded area. Though Alex hadn’t noticed, the elven [Rogue] certainly had.
“Been away from home for a while, snotskin. Miss it?” Jaek asked over his shoulder. Patina scowled in response but didn’t rise to the bait. “‘Cuz your family missed…oh, right. Sorry. I forgot you don’t have one anymore.”
“Forgot. Shame.” nodded Helwud with a grin. When they saw that Patina wasn’t going to reply they snickered and went back to glaring at people who got too close to the group as they walked. Alex looked at Patina, whose hands were clenched into fists. Her eyes spoke of promised violence, and Alex automatically went to put a hand on the goblin’s shoulder. She flinched at the touch, but didn’t jerk away.
“We’re headed there, “ Helwud pointed for Alex’s sake toward a part of the area that had been raised up close to the high ceiling. There was a building constructed there that had a sense of precipitousness to it, as it was attached to the wall with no support beneath it. A long metal stairway led up to a closed door, and a massive glass window that looked out and down on the rest of the area.
“This is all inside a space train…” Alex muttered, trying to take everything in. “How does it all fit?”
Jaek continued to scope out the crowds - people weren’t quite jam-packed in the long street but moving about would have been difficult if it hadn’t been for the small but obvious circle around the group where folks shifted out of the way before them. Helwud gave Alex a smirk.
“It’s dimensional magic. Makes the space bigger inside than outside.” he explained in a far more normal voice than he’d been using for the back-and-forth earlier.
“Really? That’s neat.”
“No, not really.” The elf barked a laugh that caused several nearby goblins to scatter. “Idiot. Centuries ago this was one of the storage bays. It’s been repurposed.”
Alex felt like the insult wasn’t necessary, but at least the elf hadn’t been practicing his unsubtle threats this time. He simply nodded.
Everyone here is unhappy, Alex thought as he let his eyes flick over the people rather than the construction now. There was a resigned hopelessness behind most everyone’s eyes, and though their movements were quick and urgent Alex could see how exhausted and thin the goblins were. The other species were no better off except a few such as his current escorts.
Nearing the bottom of the stairs that led up to their destination, Alex saw a goblin using a hammer - or what passed as a hammer, simply being a misshapen lump of metal inexpertly tied to a short length of pipe - to beat into place a sheet of scrap on the roof of a building.
>Evaluation of Roof Patch: Barely acceptable.
Alex had shot off an [Evaluate] without even thinking about it and he shook his head at how quickly he’d adapted to having what (to him) was basically a magical power. It wasn’t actual magic, but it felt like it. I wonder if-
Alex’s musing was cut off as he heard a shout; The goblin on the roof had swung his hammer back with more force than the improvised tool could take, and the head detached from the shaft. It fell to the street and struck another goblin in the shoulder. That was the shout - pain and surprise - as the goblin fell to the floor in agony.
Without thinking Alex was already moving to render aid, but he was pulled up short by a heavy hand on his collar. Helwud held Alex in place and shook his head.
“Let the snots take care of the snots, Mister Fourth Grade Technician.” he growled. Alex wanted to protest but already the goblin was being taken away, his howls of pain fading into the crowd as a small group of other goblins rendered what aid they could.
“I could have tried to help.” Alex muttered as Helwud pushed him forward again. The elf gave a snort of dark amusement.
“Unwise to get involved. Hoy, snotskin.” Jaek addressed Patina, who hissed at the thin elf, “Explain to your friend what would have happened if he used his little fixing skill.”
“Go sit on a rusty-” Patina shut her mouth when Jaek reached for his blade. She let out a huff of angry frustration and then turned to Alex. “The bastard is right. You’re a [Mender]. We don’t get paths like yours around here anymore. It’s why everything here is bilge. If you’d used your [Jury Rig] skill to try to fix a broken bone in front of everyone we’d be mobbed.”
“And then we’d have to politely ask people to move back.” Jaek added.
“More cleaning work.” Helwud agreed. “More broken things. It would be an endless task.”
“So you just let people get hurt?” Alex protested. “Is anyone here a licensed doctor or, I guess since this is some weird fantasy science fiction mashup thing, a healer?”
“There are people who help. We do our best.” Patina said, and then scowled. “No, that’s not true. We do what we have to. Most people here…they gave up on their best a long time ago.”
The conversation frustrated Alex, who didn’t fully comprehend the acceptance of such a dismal life. Though, he supposed, if I’d grown up in this and had no other stick to measure it by, maybe I’d be feeling hopeless too.
The group halted at the bottom of the stairs. Jaek turned to grin at Alex and Patina. “The boss is very eager to chat with you both. Ascend, and commune with Vod.”
The Bruise brothers stood at the bottom of the staircase and watched as Alex and Patina started the climb upward. Alex tried to ignore the slight wobble and shift of the staircase framework - it hadn’t been particularly well constructed to begin with, and over time had deteriorated just enough to give those using it the anxiety of a short fall and a sudden splat.
Once out of earshot of the Bruise brothers, Patina visibly attempted to let go of some of the anger she’d been carrying with her since their encounter began. After several long breaths she looked up at Alex and gave him an annoyed grimace.
“Why are you so calm?” she demanded in a low voice. “I’ve told you what Vod is like already, and we were literally strong-armed here. This isn’t going to be a polite little chat over drinks - Vod is going to demand you work under him and when that doesn’t work because you outrank him in Authority, he will have you killed.”
“That’s a possibility, sure.” Alex nodded, and gave the little goblin a comforting smile that she misread as coming from a place of ignorance. “I can’t explain it very well, but this is an Event - something that happens to me a lot. As long as I make the right choices, and try not to struggle too hard against the spirit of the story, everything is going to be okay.”
Patina gave him a look that spoke volumes, but she felt it necessary to add “What the fuck is the ‘spirit of the story’? Are you literally insane?” Alex chuckled as they climbed the stairs and shook his head.
“I’ve been told I’m not. Just…trust me on this. Let me talk, and I’ve got a good feeling that we’ll talk away from this no worse than when we got here.” Alex spoke calmly, feeling more serene than he had in several hours. Whether it was his past experience or the [Unflappable] upgrade working overtime, Alex ascended to his fate with a slight smile on his face.
“Literally insane…” Patina repeated in a whisper, shaking her head. She started to think of how she would fight her way out of the area when everything inevitably went wrong.