First Line of Defence: Chapter 14 (Patreon)

Chapter 14

The 15th Cycle.

Taking apart the wrecked corvettes to reach the functional technology within was a slow and heavy process. I only had until the end of the Cycle to finish the job. After that, everything got sent to the reprocessing facility, so I spent every waking hour pulling out as much technology as possible.

There weren’t just shield emitters. There were power regulators, heat sinks, and about a thousand other pieces of technology. Each one added a new blueprint option that I could purchase. I wasn’t going to use most of them, but Tee said you never knew when something might be important. You might need the technology of a dozen different species to put together a weapon that none of them could create individually. It was worth gathering as much technology as I could.

So, the rest of the Cycle was devoted to me working with my hands. It was surprisingly therapeutic. It made me feel like I’d accomplished something.

I spent my few days off on Earth looking for a new apartment and trying to help The Librarian develop a proper defence plan. The apartment search was a dead end. The moment anyone found out it was me, things got complicated. Life was getting incredibly problematic. The only thing that wasn’t was the Game. Everything made sense there.

So, I was happy to return to the Game and my command chair. And I was delighted that clearing the station of rats helped me level again.

Congratulations, you have reached level 39

You have 58 Path Points to spend.

You have 635 Class Points to spend.

I dismissed the notification as I walked into the dojo, beside Diego. The tatami mats and rice paper walls made you feel like you were somewhere preindustrial and floating paper lanterns gave a hint of mysticism. A small shrine sat against the far wall, ready to serve as a leader board.

I wanted this challenge to be ready for the Kilocksin when they arrived. I was willing to bet good money that it would be sometime today. The Cycle had just begun, and I was almost entirely certain they were coming. They liked to move quickly when they were sizing up their opponents.

I stopped in the middle of the last room, looking back through the open sliding doors to the first of the six challenge rooms. Each room was identical, but there was a real sense of progress with all the doors open like this. It sent the right impression, that getting to this point was an accomplishment.

“Tee, I can enter this unarmed combat challenge, but if I do, I can’t enter the dungeon if they get past me, right.”

“Yeah, why?” His voice came from one of the bamboo and paper walls to right.

“I want to fight their Warlords if they come. I’m thinking of making it so this room can include Tumpa and me. That way, I can talk to them before they enter the dungeon.”

“You’ll be weakening your dungeon.”

My station leveled every time I went up ten levels, so it was now level 4. My dungeon mob limit increased by one every time this happened, so it could currently hold twenty-four dungeon mobs. I could invest class points to increase the limit, but I didn’t want or need to. My immortal soldiers were extremely powerful thanks to all my D2s, so throwing more into the dungeon wouldn’t help.

“Do you honestly think I’ll make a difference?”

“Do you?”

“No.”

“Good, you’re not delusional. Why do you want to talk to them?”

“This is going to be my only chance to make a good impression. If I can make that good impression, they might be willing to work with us in the future. These people have the influence necessary to make sure that happens.”

“You don’t know if they’ll come, yet?”

“I know. But if they do, I need to be here.”

“True. It might be worth weakening your dungeon for that. You’ll have to give a bigger reward for killing you, though. It would be kind of insulting if they only got a shield bracer and laser spear.

“I’ll give them 100,000 Tokens. A life for a life.”

Tee whistled. “That’s a reward.”

“I want to make a good impression.”

I turned to Diego.

A few weeks ago, I’d explained why I was building the dungeon challenge. He’d been talking with Tumpa ever since trying to decide if my plan had merit. I couldn’t force him to upgrade the immortal soldiers the way I wanted. He had to decide for himself.

Diego folded his arms. “You’re sure they’ll arrive this Cycle?”

“Yes.”

He scowled. “I’m still not certain this is the right way to go.”

I could see the upgrade options for the immortal soldiers and there was one that could help me convince him. “You need more information to make an informed decision right, but you lack the time to gather the knowledge. I suggest you select the Kilocksin cultural package upgrade. It’s cheap.”

Diego looked around the dojo for a second. The tatami mats, bamboo, and rice paper walls were so different to the station that they unsettled him. This wasn’t the environment he was built for. It messed with his instincts.

He sighed, as his gaze went unfocused, and then suddenly frowned. “The cultural package unlocked other more specific information packages but didn’t provide the necessary knowledge for me to agree with your plan. However, the information provided will make my men more effective against the Kilocksin. I’m comfortable purchasing other information packages.”

Tee wasn’t exaggerating when he said immortal soldiers were the most versatile dungeon mob he’d ever seen. Everything in my station master knowledge package told me he was right. My station was only level 4, so the full upgrade path for them hadn’t appeared yet, but the list was already twice the size of what most had access to, and that didn’t include upgrades that turning an immortal soldier into a dungeon masters had given them.

Diego had already purchased an upgrade that made it so the more immortal soldiers there were in the dungeon, the stronger they got. If I had six, then the sixth one would be a sergeant who was tougher.

There was a lot of talk earthside around soldiers. Humanity seemed to have two strengths. One was our ability to build quickly. The other seemed to be extremely strong and versatile infantry. Out of all sapient species, humans seemed to be in the top .1% for reaction times, reflexes, and physical endurance.

Station masters weren’t the only classes that had received AIs as traits and the military AIs all agreed that we were capable of fielding an extremely exceptional ground force. But in order to use that infantry, we had to get them planet side. No one was sure how to do that yet. None of our technology allowed us to get that close.

It was one of the many things we were dealing with.

Unlike living people, Diego didn’t need a lot of time to gain the new information. In only a few minutes, he was done.

He grinned. It was a predatory grin. “I’ve purchased every information package on their faction, and I believe your assessment is correct. I’ve purchased the necessary unarmed combat upgrades to make this challenge into something that will entice their youth.”

I returned his grin. “This should be fun.”

***

The Kilocksin hadn’t sent their Warlords. But they did send almost a hundred waves of warriors to challenge the dungeon. I sat in the dojo chatting with another group of Kilocksin warriors while Tumpa proceeded to beat each of them to a into a bloody pulp. Some of the warriors were respectful but standoffish. Others, like these ones, were regular chatterboxes. They were happy to sit and talk with a human Ma’Lock. They’d heard about me through Rass and were honoured to challenge my liaison for the right to fight me.

Finally, their leader broached the subject that all the talkative ones always got to. “Ma’Lock Morgan, why have you built such a strange dungeon challenge? You show respect every step of the way. But the challenges, until now, have not been insurmountable. Only three challenger teams have failed to reach the final room.”

He didn’t mention that none had gotten past Tumpa.

“The challenge is not for your warriors. It’s for your children.”

Their leader paused. “If you build your dungeon for our children, you will lose your station to our warriors.”

I smiled. “The dungeon and this challenge are two entirely different difficulties. None of your challenger teams have lasted more than a few seconds in the dungeon or killed a single dungeon mob. This won’t change, so I had to create this challenge to encourage your people to visit. One day, I hope to expand this challenge with another room to interest warriors like yourselves. But for now, all I can offer is a challenge for your children.”

“What will be beyond this room?”

“Group combat,” I said.

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“I plan to have ten entrances, with ten challenges like the one you came through. They will connect after this final room, to a room where there are sixty of my warriors for your sixty of yours to fight.”

The reptilian soldier grinned, showing serrated teeth. “That sounds like clan games.”

“Yes, my clan against yours.”

“It sounds fun, but you will not last long enough for me to see it.”

Tumpa finished off the Kilocksin he was fighting and immediately challenged the next member of their group.

I smiled. “Unless your Warlords come to challenge my dungeon, you have little chance of taking it.”

“It is not us you should fear since our Warlords are not going to challenge you. Alliances are being formed against your faction all over this branch of the galaxy. Taking your station only to then lose it to another in a few Cycles would be fruitless.”

That was considered tactical information. Kilocksin didn’t just give that away, not unless they intended to do it. The fact that this one had meant something important. He was also wearing a heavy shield bracer. “What do you leaders wish to share with me?”

“Your actions with our fleet have impressed our clan. We do not speak for our faction, only for ourselves. If you wish for us to take your offer to become mercenaries seriously, then we offer you this test. On the 20th Cycle, a conglomerate of factions will attack every station your faction has and then set out to conquer your sectors. Should your sector survive this incursion Ma’Lock Morgan, my clan will consider your request.”

“I’ll need more than your word to take to my faction.”

“I have a data chip on my person. Defeat me in combat and it is yours.”

“Who are you to deliver such a message?”

“Just the son of a bored Warlord and Rass’s older brother, Tulk.”

“Beat my liaison, and you will have the honour of fighting me, Tulk. I won’t change the rules.”

Tulk hiss chuckled. “I wouldn’t respect you if you did.”

***

My viewscreen showed almost a thousand faces. Presidents, prime ministers, military heads, and members of parliaments and congresses were all present. There should have been more, but not everyone had access to interstellar communication yet and Tee had only managed to hack through so many sectors. This was everyone I could connect to. I’d sent out the call and they’d all answered.

Tee finished giving his briefing on what the data package Tulk had given us held. We didn’t have the technology to make this conversation private. And I didn’t want to do this on Earth. They needed to see what we’d been given, not just take our word on it. And our opponents weren’t doing this in secret. This was public knowledge. We just hadn’t known where to look for it.

“Currently, this information is unconfirmed,” I said when Tee finished. “What I can confirm is that the Octorin and Clack who border my station are part of this conspiracy, and the scans Tee has stolen from their sectors show that they’re building up for a major attack on the supplied date. I need all station masters and those with access to the mercenary guild system to make all efforts to confirm whether or not this information is true and then leaders to provide what support they can. Thank you for your time. If you have any further questions, please direct them to Tee.”

I pressed a button on the arm of my chair, disconnecting me from the conversation, leaving someone else to sort out the chaos.

“Alex is hailing you,” Tee said a moment later.

“Put her on the viewscreen.”

Alex appeared. Her hair looked amazing in-game. And she was hotter than usual. It might’ve had something to do with her being angry. “What was that? You can’t just drop a bomb like that and walk out.”

“Sure, I can. I just did.”

“People need direction. They’re all yelling at each other right now.”

“I’m not the person to give it to them. I’m not a politician, general, or admiral. I’m a station master. I’ve helped where I can, now I need to make sure that The Crucible is ready to deal with the attack.”

Alex scowled. “You’re the only one who’s on speaking terms with aliens. You need to ask them for help.”

“I’m not going to do that. This is a test. We need to prove ourselves. You’ve got three factions on your border that will be part of this attack. I’m going to ask the fleets in the system near my station to move to the system bordering yours. I’m also going to ask them to sell the resources they were going to send me through your station.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“Yes, you do. You’re the only one dealing with three factions. The Librarian and Daniel only have one faction that is part of this. You’re going to get rolled without help. These aliens have already divided up our territory, so only one of the factions will fully commit. The others are going to try to soften you up. You need fleet support to stop them from crippling you before the real enemy arrives.”

Alex stared at me dumbfounded.

I decided I liked it when she was stumped.

“Have you been sitting on this information for days?”

“No, only an hour. If it makes you feel better, I have nineteen path points in my genetic advancement path. I’m basically functioning at my peak every second of the day.”

“An hour.”

“Yeah, like I told you all, it’s definitely worth investing eight path points in the genetic advancement path.”

“We didn’t all receive ninety free path points,” Alex said.

I smiled because I knew it would annoy her. “I earned those by being the perfect troll. You’re just envious.”

“Of course, I’m envious. You own Mars!”

This was another reason why I didn’t like Alex. She wasn’t happy for my success. She’d hated every time I’d beaten her at a tournament whereas I’d been impressed whenever she beat me even when I didn’t like her.

“That old thing.”

“You are so annoying. I’ll talk to you once I’ve had a chance to look through the data package.”

“You might have to schedule that for when we’re earthside. I’m about to head back to the dungeon. I’ve still got Kilocksin trying to raid it. The opportunity to talk to them and make a good impression is not something I want to lose.”

She nodded. “Do what you need to do to make sure we win.”

I shook my head. “This isn’t about winning. This is about survival.”

***

For 8 minutes and 11 seconds, Earth stopped. Every country’s leader broke the news at the same time. Humanity was going to war. And this was war. We were fighting for a chance to eliminate poverty, disease, and even death. We had a chance to turn Earth into Eden and kept it that way. But to do that, we needed to stay in the game. And to stay in the Game, we needed to unite. We needed to mobilize. And most importantly, we needed to go to war.

In five Cycles, we would face a threat to the beautiful future we’d been offered. And we would beat it. That was what our leaders said. It wasn’t true. We weren’t going to win. But we might survive.

For that reason, I was throwing around my influence. I was making a request that I usually wouldn’t have made, but it was something that I felt needed to be done.

I was sitting in my hotel room when a familiar face appeared on the screen of my phone. I’d only met him once, three months ago, when I was offered the station master class, but he was the person I needed to talk to.

“General Prime, I know your time is precious, so I will make this brief. You and I both know our leaders plan to try to hold every sector is going to fail. We only need one station to fall to lose a sector. I know you can’t work against them. But in your opinion, how many sectors can we keep?”

General Prime sighed, looking exhausted and depressed. “Your separation of warriors and scholars will be your undoing. I’m happy to finally be talking with someone who understands your faction’s delicate position. By my estimates, humanity could keep eleven sectors if you pooled your resources and were willing to sacrifice the other sectors. But with the current plan of action, you will likely only keep five. The leaders I’ve spoken with haven’t accepted my guidance. They’re actively ignoring it. I haven’t been able to participate except in the initial class selection process. I only need one leader to work with me and I believe I can improve humanities chances.” General Prime looked at me pointedly. “But to have such a leader, at this point, would require them to have their own country and planet and declare national and planetary independence. Otherwise, I would be forbidden from dealing with them in the way I should. If humanity had two worlds, with two governments, my time would be divided evenly between them, and I would be able to work against those holding humanity back.”

I took a slow breath to calm myself. It didn’t work. This was bad. Really bad. “They’re refusing to work with you, as in completely refusing?” I couldn’t hide my disbelief.

General Prime was our greatest asset. My station master knowledge told me that his time was the most precious in human history, which was why I had hesitated to contact him. His time was literally the most valuable asset on Earth. To misuse it was a waste. To not use it was insane.

“The majority of those best suited to holding leadership positions on Earth were culled. Those that survived are mostly minor officials who have never had this sort of responsibility. They see me as a threat, something to be distrusted. They fear I will try to take power. I don’t just need a leader to rally humanity. I need someone who is willing to work with me.”

I knew the legal process for what he was asking. The knowledge had been uploaded to my brain after receiving my own planet and country, and General Prime counted as a Collective official. The fact that they had side lined him was the only reason I didn’t hesitate to do what he asked. That wasn’t a mistake. It was a disaster.

So, while wearing no pants and lying on a couch in a hotel penthouse suite, I changed humanity's entire governmental structure within the Collective.

“I declare myself the independent sovereign of an unnamed nation, on the planet Earth, renouncing my citizenship to the United States. I declare myself the independent sovereign of Mars, renouncing my family name and take the last name Mars in accordance with Collective law. I claim dual planetary citizenship under this unnamed nation and Mars and approve this under my own authority.

General Prime smiled. “Morgan Mars, first of his line, thank you for your help. But you could have kept your family name.”

That was laughable. “I’m not going to rename Mars to keep my last name. You have no idea how pissed off people were when they said Pluto was no longer a planet. I’m not going to step into that wasp nest by renaming Mars. Now, what did you need me to renounce my citizenship for?”

“Your military’s oaths do not extend to the game. Nothing is stopping you from independently contacting the station masters and fleet admirals of the eleven sectors to try to get them to work with us. To be clear, I am not offering for you lead these forces. You don’t have the skill. I would be using you as a figurehead to form under and lead humanities forces as I should have from the beginning.”

“How do you want me to do that?”

“I will walk you through the process-”