Chapter 3: Everything in Moderation, Nicholas POV (Patreon)

Chapter 3

Everything in Moderation.

Nicholas POV

“Is everything satisfactory, Sir?” Simple Mike asked.

I heard his words through my Domain, then with my ears, and then with my Domain again. For me, his question existed from the moment he spoke until the moment the last soundwaves. Ripples faded from existence. Across the world, the sensation repeated trillions of times as sounds were made in one place, only to slowly reach hundreds of others before fading. The sensation now felt as natural as sight and caused no more discomfort than any of my other senses.

“Is everything satisfactory, Sir?” Simple Mike repeated, more insistently.

He directed his annoyance through his tone, somehow drawing my focus back to my immediate surroundings, away from my sudden interest in divinity. It reminded me that I was here to enact a plan. A lot of people had lost everything because of this plan, and I needed to set things right.

I withdrew my Domain from the world, closing my eyes to everything there was. A few nightmares stayed with me, along with a dozen moments of kindness and several points of interest, but everything else poured back into the world it had come from. It was like a long drive I could barely remember. I knew what I’d seen, but the details were vague.

“Is everything satisfactory, Sir?” Simple Mike snapped at me, losing his patience.

My hands began to tremble as my mind returned to a single time and place. Focusing on the present exposed the power and strength locked between my fingers. I was no longer a man of flesh and blood but a being who transcended the laws of our universe. I could feel it in my bones. See it with my eyes. Hear it with my ears. And understand it on a fundamentally instinctive level.

This transcendent flesh gave me skin that considered a star's surface as dangerous as warm bath water. It gave me bones that could handle the gravitational pressure of a dwarf star and muscles that would allow me to walk across its surface.

The blaster in my briefcase was a joke.

A child’s toy.

Only it held less threat because I couldn’t trip over it in the hallway in the middle of the night.

I wasn’t certain of the limits of my power because I couldn’t truly fathom its depth and versatility. But this early in the Game, there probably wasn’t an army that could touch me.

I clenched my trembling hands into fists and took a deep breath, once again reminding myself I had a job to do. “Everything is not satisfactory until you hand over the second item I requested.”

Simple Mike didn’t argue.

A pillar rose beside me. On it was a steel grey pill, not bigger than a pea. The instance I saw it, knowledge filled my head telling me it was a transcendent item capable of doing more than I needed. I picked it up, forcing myself to focus on the plan and ignore what was happening to me.

“A pleasure doing business with you, Sir.” Simple Mike said.

The moment he finished speaking, a notification appeared.

Sector Announcement

Sector 3 has fallen to the Simple Mike conglomerate. Without a connection to the greater human faction, deaths will now result in a loss of class and a rebirth in another sector.

I nodded, staring at the notification.

I’d officially thrown humanity into the deep end, accelerating the fall of Sector 3 by several weeks. There was no turning back anymore. The next stage of my plan had better work.

With more knowledge than I knew what to do with, I raised my right hand and folded space. Power coursed through the muscles of my arm as my mind split twenty different ways, directing the energy at my fingertips to transform and manipulate reality. There was no push of a button. No flick of a switch. No piece of technology allowed me to do what I was doing beyond my new body and mind.

The view before me changed between one nanosecond and the next as I opened a window to my old dig site. There was no transition. No flickering of the universe.

It just happened.

Space warped around the edge of the window, folding inward to create a short tunnel connecting the two points. The portal was a stable wormhole, so the dig site that had been on the other side of the planet was now only a step away.

On the other side of the portal sat a hilltop made from dry, compact dirt, the kind you would find in the Arizona Desert. This hill overlooked the ruins of the ancient alien warship humanity had found under a dry lakebed.

I stepped through the portal, closing it behind me, leaving the cathedral to its fate. The first phase of my plan had worked flawlessly. Now, it was time to find out whether my hunch was right. Afterwards, I could find the answers to all the questions I was actively trying to ignore.

The short walk to the top of the hill covered my tuxedo trousers with red dust. The second the massive o-shaped vessel appeared, information flooded my mind. Details of the composition of the metal and aspects of the warship’s system came to me in a way I couldn’t explain. It was like I’d designed the warship myself.

For example, I knew systems were built into it to stop another race from taking control of the vessel when restored. The moment it was powered up, it would kill everyone onboard and begin birthing its crew. Then, it would set out on galactic domination, like a virus.

I found it interesting that the Earth’s Game analysts had guessed right. The only practical use for the ship was study. If we had looked at each individual system and didn’t try to turn them on, we could’ve rapidly expanded our technology.

The ship wasn’t something humanity could ever take control of. There were too many redundancies and traps waiting to be triggered.

However, I was no longer human.

The knowledge in my head told me what I had to do.

I opened another portal. This one led to the birthing chamber inside the ship. I scanned the systems within, immediately finding the genetic markers of the race that created the vessel. My transcendent body changed between breaths, mimicking their pheromones and genetic signature so the systems wouldn’t reject me.

I closed the portal and opened another to the main engines. I stepped through, not bothering to look around, as I placed the pill on top of the quantum generator and watched it dissolve.

A moderator has been contacted. An AI investigation has been launched. Please standby as you are disconnected from the scenario while the investigation is underway.

I frowned at the notification, knowing what it meant because of several interviews Morgan Mars had given. “Bother.”

The ship's interior faded, and I found myself sitting in an office, cut off from my new godlike powers.

A ceiling fan slowly turned above my head, and a tired-looking man in a grey cardigan sat behind a cheap, dirty desk. He was at that age where you look older but still have most of your strength. To anyone who hadn’t experienced old age, he would be considered old, but to me, he was still young and fit, maybe a little slower than he had once been, but not frail or weak by any definition that mattered.

He pulled a packet of cigarettes from his breast pocket and stopped scowling long enough to pop one in his mouth, lighting it with a matchbook almost as soon as it was between his lips. He smelled strongly of scotch and tobacco smoke, reminding me of my high school principal.

He took a long, slow drag and opened the manila file before him. “Case number 009 for the human faction.” He had a slow, droll way of speaking with an accent that matched American films from my mother’s youth. “Investigation into the triggering of twin apocalypse events, one uncontrolled and one controlled and escalated. The individual used the Simple Mike apocalypse event to reach a Transcendent state on the 25th Cycle and obtain a Transcendent grade ship repair and upgrade system. The individual then took the Transcendent grade repair and upgrade system to the Telvarian Apocalypse event gathered the genetic information needed to circumvent the warship’s failsafe, allowing him to take control of the vessel. However, instead of simply taking control of the vessel with his Transcendent abilities, the individual chose to use the Transcendent repair and upgrade system, wildly enhancing the event’s capabilities. The vessel's current capabilities are classed as Omega and will result in the eventual domination of all factions within the Game. Rules were adhered to. Actions of individual, however, may have been an intentional manipulation of the Game. Requesting permission to perform a full brain and memory scan?”

“Request granted,” said a female voice through the ceiling. “Compensation must be granted if proven innocent.”

The moderator nodded. “Terms accepted. Scan enacted and completed. The individual had no outside assistance. The scenario was legitimate. Chance of occurrence .0000000000000362%. Investigator suggests partial course correction with a compensation package.”

“Request denied,” replied the female voice. “Faction has received too much leniency.”

The investigator took another drag on his cigarette and frowned. “Investigator suggests full course correction with a compensation package.”

“Request denied. Faction has received too much leniency.”

He pulled the cigarette from his mouth and dumped the ash in the tray. “Individual was performing under reasonable assumptions. Individual was not given significant advantages. Individual was participating in the Game as intended. Individual deserves compensation beyond compensation for the invasion of privacy.”

“Request denied. Individual’s actions are irrelevant. Human faction has received too much leniency.”

The investigator's scowl came back. “The Three-Man Army is unrelated and should not reflect on this individual.”

“Request denied.”

“This is bullshit, and you know it. Investigator requests tribunal oversight.”

A new female voice appeared, coming through the floor. “The tribunal has convened, evaluated this case and the human situation, and come to its conclusion. Fixed course correction terms are to be offered with a fixed compensation package. Humanity has been flagged as a troublesome faction. Corrections will be made to the next iteration of the Game to compensate.”

The investigator frowned. “I wish to appeal.”

“Your appeal is processed. You may proceed as you wish.”

“Thank you for your cooperation.” The investigator leaned to the side and opened the bottom drawer, pulling out a bottle of scotch. He caught my raised eyebrow. “If this job could kill me, it already would have.” He removed the cork and half-filled his empty coffee mug.

This day had turned into the second strangest of my life, and I was beyond the point where I cared about being polite and respectful. I held out my hand as he moved to put the cork back in the bottle.

He raised an eyebrow.

“Please,” I said. “It’s a day.”

He passed the scotch over.

I found the weight of the glass comforting as I put the bottle to my lip and took three large gulps, welcoming the burn. For the past few minutes, I’d been putting one foot in front of the other and trusting my list to get me through, but I had a lot of questions.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. I opened my mouth to say something and then drank another mouthful instead. The investigator picked up his coffee mug.

For the next few minutes, we both drank in silence.

Everything had been going to plan until I reached the Pool of Transcendence, then it all changed so fast I wasn’t sure what was happening anymore. I was outside of any scenarios that I planned for, and I didn’t like it.

I took another long swig and let out a sigh. “So, I’m going to be moderated.”

The investigator nodded. “Yes. The warship you made is simply too powerful. I can’t allow you to have it.”

“Why not?”

“The Telvarian vessel is meant to be an apocalypse event. The storyline revolved around a long-dead empire controlled by NPCs that could have risen to become a power in the galaxy once again. A faction taking control of the vessel was acceptable because it would have been difficult to control without limiting the Telvarian’s technology and growth rate. You did the opposite while maintaining complete control. And that ship is capable of both creating an army and new vessels, which means you created a method of producing loyal followers, allowing your influence to grow out of control. With your upgrades, no faction in the Game could stand in your way.”

Morgan Mars had mentioned game balance being the reason he was moderated. I took another swig and then apologised. “I’m sorry for the trouble I caused you. I was only trying to find a way to get everyone out of Sector 3.”

“I know, which is why I fought for you. It was a brilliant plan even if it didn’t work.”

I sighed. “Do any of their offers include anything like the rejuvenation and medical treatments Morgan Mars gave everyone?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Okay, let’s get this over with then.”

“I’m not going to lie to you. The three options they gave you aren’t great, even if the compensation packages are quite substantial. Option 1: the ship blows up, and the Game continues. Option 2: the upgrade partially works, but for hand wavy reasons, the upgrade applies to the warship’s systems, pushing you out of control. The event takes place as intended, only escalated. Option 3: The ship takes control of you during the upgrade process, and you become the leader of the NPC faction. You will lose your status as a member of the human faction and be moderated so that you can’t help them. You will then spend the rest of the Game acting as a God-king causing as much trouble as possible for all the factions around you.”

“You’re right, those options aren’t great.” I took another swig. “Before I ask about my other option, would you mind answering a question for me?”

The investigator leaned back in his chair. “You want to know if God is real.”

I nodded.

He pulled out a fresh cigarette and lit it. “I can understand why you feel you need that question answered, but the answer to that question is well above my pay grade.”

I took another swig, taking comfort in the burn. “So, you don’t know.”

“No, I don’t, but I also don’t think it’s relevant to your problems. The limitations of your own biological experience are why you’re distressed.”

“What do you mean?”

“From the point of view of bacteria, you exist in the realm of Gods. Your cells can die without you dying. And if your environment empties of food, you can move to a new one. You see objects that are miles away instead of only those immediately around you.”

“Your point?”

“What you’re experiencing out there in the Game is a different form of life and awareness, one much bigger than the one you currently have. From your perspective, you were like a God, or more accurately, like the Christian God that you don’t believe in. I can’t tell you whether or not there is a creator, but I can tell you that what you experienced is a real form of existence for some beings.”

“How’s that possible?”

“Your scientists have hypothesised the Kardashev Scale, which is a theory about the technological and energy-harnessing ability of a species. The Church of Transcendence quest lines were taken from your people’s idea of an AI producing a smarter AI, which produces a smarter AI until it becomes a godlike being. These theories point towards a state of being which is beyond mortal limitations, and the Transcendent class within the Game offers the factions a glimpse of this type of existence.”

“So, your God is real?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. What I do know is that omnipresence and omnipotence are real in a localised sense and that that localised scale is much larger than you can fathom. However, just because this type of existence exists, it doesn’t mean that there is some all-knowing, all-powerful being somewhere that can do what you now do on a planetary scale, on a universal scale. These sorts of questions are above my ability to comprehend and yours.”

I didn’t like his last statement. “How so?”

The investigator smiled. “An hour ago, you were unable to comprehend what omnipresence was. Now that you know it exists, you’re wondering if you might have been wrong all your life and that there really is a God. You think your brief look into a higher state of being has given you the perspective you need to see even further, but it hasn’t. You’re still limited by every preconceived notion, the same as the rest of us. We’re all only guessing at what the ultimate existence is. So, all I can tell you is that many of the powers attributed to God are possible through science and many of the ways that science can be applied look like magic and miracles from your primitive perspective.”

“Are you God?”

The investigator chuckled. “Not every being with access to your complete memories and life experience is a God. Some of us are just working desk jobs.”

“I’m sorry for being so blunt, but I’m struggling to wrap my head around this.”

“I’m aware.” He tapped the ash from his cigarette. “A faction having a Transcendent player before they learn about Transcendent beings has only occurred seven times in the history of the Game. Most factions are completely aware of what Transcendent beings are and are capable of before one of them becomes one. You’re in the dark, so this is much more overwhelming.”

“Can you enlighten me?”

“No more than I have already done. However, I can help you reframe how you think of yourself. Imagine that instead of becoming a Transcendent, Simple Mike gave you a Transcendent ship capable of doing everything you’re currently capable of doing. Imagine your Domain was a scanner system that could be hooked directly to your brain, and your power was connected to the ship's abilities. In such a scenario, you would not find your power overwhelming or yourself suffering from a crisis of faith because you would be able to see the machine that made all this possible. But this isn’t what happened. The Game took all that technology and put it in a body the size of yours, letting you experience a higher form of life.”

His argument worked. It immediately made me think of the changes that had occurred differently, making me feel less overwhelmed. It didn’t remove the question of whether God was real, but I could think without having a crisis of faith and freedom.

The relief I felt made me smile. “I don’t think I’m cut out to be a God.”

The investigator gave me a hard stare. “You aren’t a God.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Believe me, you don’t know what you mean. You saw an entire world, and the first thing you did was smite the wicked. You think this is the power of a God, but this is the power anyone can wield, only in a given time and place. You simply work on a larger scale. Your new class is not something you want to bring your preconceived notions to. It is not just a way for you to gain power and influence the Game. It is a way for your people to glimpse a higher form of living. This is meant to be an educational process to help your species understand the universe.”

“It doesn’t feel like that.”

“Give it time.”

I sighed, no longer feeling so out of my depth. “What are the other options?”

“This fourth option is the one I appealed to have added. I used the compensation package from reading your memories to do so. But unlike you, I am aware of the full capabilities of your new Transcendent status and the title that went with it. Instead of trying to repair the ship, I can transform it into something else, allowing you to keep it.”

I liked the investigator. He seemed nice, not at all like Morgan Mars described. “What do you want to turn it into?”

“I can’t tell you.”

I frowned. “Why not?”

“The only way I could get the tribunal to agree to this was if you didn’t know what you were receiving. However, I can promise you that you will be happy with what you receive.”

“Will I be able to get people out of the sector with it?”

“I can’t answer that.”

“Will I still be a Transcendent?”

“Yes.”

“Can I change my mind if I don’t like it?”

“Yes. You can give up control of your new vessel, but you won’t be able to sell it.”

There wasn’t much to go on, but none of the other options interested me. “What’s the compensation package that goes with it?”

“We will terraform a moon of your choosing within your solar system to your specification, with a transfer network between it and all the other inhabitable worlds in your system, and you can receive the knowledge to master a basic skill that doesn’t give a tactical advantage.”

“Tactical advantage?”

“Skills that revolve around business, politics, or large- and small-scale warfare.”

“So, I could learn to play the violin?”

“Yes.”

“Do I have to choose the skills I want now?”

“Yes.”

“What’s my other options?”

“There are no other options.”

Well, that made it easy. “I will take option 4.”

“Let’s start with the skill. What do you want?”

“Can I somehow make playing piano and violin one choice?”

“Not unless you’re willing to become a master musician. This will make you skilled at playing many instruments but will not make you as skilled as a master of a single instrument.”

His answer made me happy. I didn’t want to learn an instrument. I’d tried to learn instruments several times but found the entire process tedious. I was just asking for context.

“I’d like to learn how to cook.”

The thought of spending another lifetime eating my subpar cooking sent a shudder through me and made this an easy choice. It was something that would make every day a little better.

“There are as many specialities of cooking as there are instruments unless you are willing to accept a lesser level of skill at all of these, I can’t make you a master of each individual one.”

“That’s fine. I just want to be able to bake my own bread and make a decent soup from scratch.”

The investigator chuckled. “You will certainly be able to do that. Now, which moon would you like us to terraform for you?”

“Earth’s moon.”

“I’m sorry, but that is currently owned.”

“By who?”

“The Three-Man Army. They received it in their last round of compensation.”

“Who?”

“That’s not something I’m allowed to disclose. You will have to pick another moon.”

“I’m not much an astronomer. Do you have a list?”

“Wait a moment, I’ll have the information temporarily uploaded to your brain.”

Information on all the moons in the solar system suddenly appeared in my head. I disregarded most of them immediately. And quickly found myself deciding between Ganymede and Titan because they were the biggest two.

“I’ll take Titan.” I like the name better.

“How would you like us to terraform it?”

“You mentioned a transport hub. Will that hub be instantaneous and easy?”

“Yes, it will be a similar system to your portal ability.”

“Great. Make it as comfortable as possible. Now that Earth is getting cleaner, we can send all of Earth's most toxic manufacturing there, so we don’t screw up the planet a second time.”

“We can alter the orbit and rotation of the moon so that it experiences an identical time cycle to Earth, but there is only so much we can do about the temperature without breaking it away from Saturn’s orbit, and your compensation doesn’t allow for that.”

“That’s a shame, but having it match Earth’s time cycle will be nice enough.”

The investigator shrugged. “We can introduce genetically altered plant life that generates their own heat and are more efficient at cleaning the atmosphere, but the temperature will never be warm. However, it will be above freezing.”

“Sounds like England in the early spring.”

“That’s a decent comparison.”

“That’s not so bad and works for me.”

“Request approved. Negotiations successful. Case closed. Terraforming will take time. It won’t be until the 125thCycle before Titan is ready to colonise. Your transfer network will come online on the same date. Now, go out there and enjoy your new ship.”

The office began to fade.