In search of the uldans, p.30
In Search of the Uldans, page 30
part #2 of Galactogon Series
Of course, I was bluffing. I’d trade Tryd for the crystal in a second, but I was sick of the Precians’ attitude too. Found themselves an errand boy!
“Then you shall become an outcast not only in the Precian Empire, but throughout the entire Alliance!” came the next logical threat.
“There’s nothing to talk about. You’re not getting Tryd or the crystal. All the best!”
I pulled a blaster out of my inventory, and pointed it at my head, preparing for suicide. The manipulator holding me could not control my hand. In order to snatch the blaster from it, they would have to get another manipulator which would take a few extra seconds. If I wanted to respawn, I would get my wish.
“Wait!” cried the adviser, evidently believing I was serious. The warriors arrived and took the blaster aside, allowing them to make a demonstrative shot at the furniture. Purely to be a jerk. I was disarmed and my hands were tied behind my back. So began the second round of negotiations.
“Don’t worry. I have more blasters. You can’t restrain me forever.”
“Tryd’s freedom in exchange for the crystal!” the adviser reluctantly agreed. “Will that suit you? I don’t imagine Hilvar will be pleased with the person who cost him his best pirate.”
“This is not enough. If Tryd were as dangerous as you suggest, your spies would have gotten him a long time ago. Everyone knew where he was. The pirate never hid himself and yet no one touched him. That means that you never needed him—that you don’t need him at all. But now you want to exchange the Lara for him? The hell do I need an old fox for instead? So this deal will not work, adviser. Tell me first what you need this crystal for. What is the Vengeance? Some new source of energy?”
“Leave us, viceroy,” the adviser vacillated, deciding whether or not to answer. He even consulted his emperor, so serious was the matter. The Precian viceroy cast me a displeased look, but did not dare to oppose the will of the adviser. I was left alone in the viceroy’s office—even the guards had to leave the room. My eye couldn’t help pausing on the tablet the viceroy had left on the table. If I had my armor suit, I would definitely try to hack it right now.
“Two hundred years ago, the Confederation stumbled upon the ruins of an unknown civilization. Excavations and research led to astounding discoveries. The ruins were more than eighty thousand years old. It would seem that nothing should have survived the elements—the dust, the water, the oxygen and myriad organisms. But, in spite of everything, the ruins remained. Three items were found in perfect condition. A crystal, a pedestal and a coupler unit. Part of the archeologists instantly died from direct contact with the crystal. It turned out to be a highly concentrated source of energy. How the ancients managed to create it is still not clear. But the fact remains. You have seen it for yourself. Scientists have suggested that all three items are somehow interconnected, and decided to put them together. That day the Confederation lost a planet. It evaporated—completely and entirely. We believe its matter turned to energy and was absorbed into the crystal. What happened during the merger, we can only guess. Search parties that arrived at the place where the planet disappeared, found only three floating objects. They were named the Vengeance and it was decided never to combine them again. In the following years, the Confederation continued to study the deadly artifact, but to no avail. Then, fifty years ago, the Corsican stole all three items from the Confederation. Twenty years later the Lara appeared in the possession of the Red Rose boss on Daphark, while the pedestal turned up in the palace of the Delvian Emperor. The location of the coupler unit is still unknown. Perhaps the Corsican has it. The war with the Zatrathi has brought a myriad misfortunes to Galactogon. If we could find the Vengeance, the balance would tilt in our favor.”
“You want to send a kamikaze to the Zatrathi?” I guessed.
“That is correct. One small ship will be able to break through the defenses and get to the hull of the flying fortress and the orbital station and the planet. Having created the Vengeance, it is possible in one action to destroy the superior force of the enemy, without incurring irreparable losses. We are ready to bestow upon our chosen warrior binding and constant rebirth. It is impossible to destroy the items themselves. At least all the researchers working on them were unable to do so. We believe that this will bring us victory. We will let you and Tryd go in exchange for the crystal, but the emperor wishes to entrust you with a quest. Help Galactogon in the struggle against our common enemy.”
New mission available: Seeking Vengeance. Description: Find the components of the Vengeance: The Lara Crystal, the Lira Pediment and the Lora Coupler Unit. The crystal is in possession of the player Surgeon, the pedestal is located in the main hall of the Delvian Palace, the location of the coupler unit is unknown.
“The Delvians won’t let me enter their empire,” I said thoughtfully, reading the system notification. Another pretentious speech which made me grind my teeth turned into an impossible quest.
“We can take care of that issue. You can leave today as a member of a diplomatic mission. How you come by the pedestal once we’re there will be your concern.”
“Let’s discuss the details,” I was in no hurry to accept the mission and feigned disinterest. “What’ll I get if I complete it?”
“You will help Galactogon fend off the greatest threat the galaxy has seen!” the adviser grew all dramatic and lofty again. I needed to him to calm down.
“Do you really believe that one captain will be able to defeat an entire armada? I’ve seen firsthand a Zatrathi flying fortress fight twelve A-class cruisers to a stalemate—and this was as the Qualians were repairing it. What will you do if there’s more than one? This Vengeance weapon is good for a onetime shot at one planet. After that, you have to collect its three parts, put them together, pass them to the next kamikaze…It’s too complicated and improbable. I’ve seen what the Zatrathi are capable of. They won’t step on the same rake twice. So spare me the tales about how you’re going to use the Vengeance against the enemy fleet. It’d be put to better use against the Qualians. Isn’t that right, adviser?”
“Our tactics, like our politics are none of your business!” the adviser cut me off. “We are prepared to compensate you with two free Hansa upgrades and an additional five percent discount on your subsequent business with them—if you successfully complete this mission. That should be enough, considering that you have already received the second list. Do you accept the emperor’s mission?”
“Sure. I will get you those items,” I grinned, accepting the assignment.
“The viceroy will brief you. You will set out for the Delvian homeworld immediately!”
My rapport with the adviser fell by three points—I guess he really disliked my guess about the true purpose of the Vengeance. Then again, destroying the homeplanet of an enemy’s ally isn’t that bad of a move.
The screen with the adviser went out and my hands reached for the desk of their own volition. The viceroy’s tablet lay there as lonely as before, begging me to do something about it. I grabbed the device and pushed the wake button—and encountered a password dialog. Behind me, I heard a door opening. The viceroy was on his way back—and the manipulator beam yanked me into the air. Having no other alternative, I quickly tossed the tablet into my inventory. Let them try and shake it out of me.
“We have received new instructions regarding you and your accomplice,” the viceroy said disdainfully, sitting down at the table. “In an hour we go to the Delvians. I was advised to include you in my team, and I am partial to heeding this advice.”
“I only travel on my ship,” I was surprised by the viceroy’s wording.
“Impossible! The instructions clearly state that you are to participate. You will be included in our embassy to the Delvians as a member of the engineering staff. There is no other way for you to enter the Voldan Alliance!”
“Is that what the adviser told you?”
“No! That is what I’m telling you!” The Precian slammed his desk so hard with his fist that several papers tumbled to the floor. “You will do as I tell you! Speak when permitted! Do not even dare to breathe without my permission! I will not allow this embassy to fail! I was ordered to take the pirate aboard and deliver him to the Delvians and this is what I will do, even if I have to chain him to my ship! Take Surgeon to my ship. Put him in the holding cell. We depart immediately!”
Somehow ‘advice’ had become ‘orders,’ but I didn’t bother drawing the viceroy’s attention to this inconsistency. Especially once I saw that he was now diligently looking for his tablet, turning over the papers on the desk. I wonder if he has surveillance cameras in his office?
The viceroy’s problems evaporated as soon as the door descended between us. No one’s a thief until they’re caught. I was more worried about the current mission: Going to the Delvians without an armor suit and a ship was a bad idea, yet I had no options. I couldn’t reach Brainiac on my PDA and I had no other way of contacting my ship. After a lengthy trip I found myself in the holding cell of the viceroy’s cruiser—the only VIP in the place. One of the marines tossed me a Precian maintenance suit and ordered me to put it on. The ceremonial garb I had been wearing under my armor since my audience with the Precian emperor was not befitting of an engineer envoy.
“Familiarize yourself with these.” The head of the maintenance service approached the cell and handed me some schematics. “This is our engine. You should carefully study its operation for your cover story. The Delvians will not be happy to see a human among the diplomatic mission. They might start interviewing you to see whether you really are who you say you are. You need to prepare. Look at the design features of our engine: Instead of the normal two modulation units, ours uses three. This allows it to…”
I can’t say I enjoyed the training much. The engineer used lots of technical terms and the gist eluded me, despite his efforts. Modulations, singularities, triangulations, and other ‘ulations’ were Greek to me as far as I was concerned. I placed all my hope of passing the check on my game logs and Stan’s assistance. If anyone can help me pass the test, it’d be him. After making sure that I was alone, I pulled out my PDA.
“Talk but do it fast!” Kiddo’s greeted me.
“What happened to the information about forthcoming attack on the Delvians?”
“Not much good news there, I’m afraid. I got in touch with Ash, the head of Vanguard. They’re the top guild in Galactogon. It turned out that over the past week they’ve captured about forty ships with the same information. The developers announced a galactic event—inviting players to participate. As Ash said, he’s accepted the challenge and is organizing his forces. As far as I know, so far 130 guilds have confirmed their participation. He’s coordinating them himself. So I couldn’t sell your tip, sorry. It just wasn’t worth anything.”
Marina hung up, leaving me to my disappointment. I had imagined that this was my chance to save an entire game empire and become like the Delvian messiah or something—and now it turned out that the whole thing was a marketing stunt. I wasn’t about to get involved in the upcoming battle of the titans. If the players wanted to rumble with the Zatrathi, that would be the place for them. As a pirate, I was much more comfortable away from places of galactic conflict. The hull shuddered, indicating that we had emerged from hyperspace.
“Attention! Man all stations!” announced the cruiser’s intercom. “We have entered the Larsi system. Prepare for inspection.”
The Precian rolled up his schematics and dashed off. He was replaced by two guards. I was escorted to a hangar filled with various equipment and parts that were now vaguely familiar to me from my recent crash course on starship engineering—the parts represented a disassembled cruiser engine. A hive of engineering personnel were already busy around it, pretending to be doing repair work. Though to be accurate, they were all just turning the same nuts and welding the same parts over and over again. The spectacle in which I was to play the leading role had begun. I was led up to the engine and handed a diagnostic unit. My guide hooked it up, pushed some buttons and began explaining to me what I had to do. The graphs and tooltips on the equipment screen fascinated me so much that I lost track of time. I came to my senses only when I heard an indignant cry:
“A human?! We were not warned that there would be a human on board!”
“Certain aspects of the engine’s upgrade necessitate round the clock monitoring of certain changes,” the viceroy began to explain as verbosely as possible. “Engineer Surgeon is one of the few people with the requisite skills and qualifications to work on Hansa equipment and technologies.”
“An ordinary human has reached certification level 2 with Hansa?” A pretty fox appeared from behind the back of the main customs officer. A segmented, metal tail, a monocle that detected hidden properties, a cybernetic left leg—her appearance suggested a passion for technology and a troubled past. This Delvian had suffered some kind of accident.
“We would not deal with any other human,” the viceroy said a bit defensively. He seemed proud to have such a capable human among his engineers.
“Sounds like utter tosh,” drawled the Delvian expert, causing the customs officer to turn around.
“You have reservations about this Lumara?”
“Humans aren’t to be trusted,” the fox grimaced. “They are frequently not who they say they are. I would like to test his qualifications.”
“You may ask him whatever you like,” said the viceroy, but Lumara frowned.
“I intend to, don’t worry—but not here. If this Surgeon is as good as you say, he will be happy to answer my questions in a jammer field. If he answers correctly, we will clear him from any suspicion and I will issue my formal apologies to your embassy. If he does not answer—you can expect consequences for trying to plant a spy among us. In that case, I will insist on your expulsion from the empire.”
“As you wish,” the chief customs officer nodded in agreement and turned to us: “Did you hear? The ship’s examination has been suspended. Until Surgeon has been examined, I ask everyone to remain in their places. The human comes with us.”
Now I found myself guarded by the Delvians.
“Lumara is the youngest daughter of the Delvian Emperor,” Stan explained after some digging around the forums. “Before her older sister’s abduction, she did not take an active part in politics and was not popular among her subjects. Everything changed when her sister disappeared. She is interested in all known advanced technologies. There is no further information.”
Alarm bells were going off in my head—this new character could upset all my plans. I felt naked and defenseless without my armor suit, so I did not even consider resisting. I was escorted to the Delvian ship and placed in a room full of all kinds of equipment. A pair of handcuffs fettered me securely a metal chair, and a forcefield flickered to life around me, cutting me off from the outside world. My PDA continued to function but only for calling other players: The jammer cut off my contact with Stan. I would have to pass the exam on my own without any cheat sheets or outside help.
“I’ll take it from here,” Lumara sent the guards out. Sitting down behind a touch panel, the fox activated some device and an unpleasant hum filled my ears. The guards retired. Either they did not dare object to the princess or they would rather be away her experiments. The fox approached the jammer field that surrounded me.
“You say that you were on Raydon and saw my sister. I am listening.”
“She is holding strong, even though it’s not easy for her,” I replied carefully. It was unclear to me what the younger princess was interested in. My qualifications as an engineer turned out to be irrelevant.
“One more answer like that and I will send you and the Precians flying out of here,” growled Lumara. “How is my sister?”
“Her bond with the planetary spirit has been ruptured. There is an explosive device around her neck. Her movement around the Zatrathi ship is limited,” I related the well-known information. I am sure that the Precians already had shared this information and I was simply being checked right now. I still held onto the most valuable bit.
“How does the collar function?”
“It is unclear. I had never encountered Zatrathi technology before and my time on their orbital station didn’t allow me to study this issue further.”
“Why are you here?” Lumara changed the topic abruptly.
“I have come as a member of the Precian embassy,” the cover story flowed easily from my tongue. “I work on their engines, since they themselves…”
“Each empire has its own Hansa equivalent,” the princess cut me off. “Specialists from different empires constantly exchange information and data about the newest developments, including other capable engineers. As the chairman of the Delvian industrial corporation, I know that 32 humans have received level 2 certification from the Hansa Corp. There is no one named Surgeon among them. I will ask you again: Why are you here?”
