Sliding Reality: Chapter 6 Part 1 of 5 (Patreon)

Chapter 6:

05/04/2242

Luke found his father sitting on the bridge.

“Hey dad, you know where Mom is?”

“She’s out getting supplies and seeing if there is any last minute cargo.”

“Ah okay, we’re still set to head out tomorrow?”

“Yup, the engineers did a smashing job, reactor is purring along nicely.”

“Its weird, I thought that the news that Sphere World is real, that there is actual proof of aliens would change things.”

Stephen turned his chair. “People adapt, we can’t control the fact that there is a massiv factory connected to the net, or the fact that aliens have been confirmed. People need to go to work to earn credits to buy food. Change doesn’t usually come quickly unless its forced. After the talks things might change.” Stephen laughed. “Panicking sounds like altogether too much work.”

Luke gave him a flat smile.

“I saw that Sphere World platinum prices are high.” Stephen said lightly.

“Yeah, the clan is losing people every minute it seems. Our finances are coming apart at the seams.” Luke dropped down into the sensors seat.

“Captured a node right out from under a guild with less than ten people. Built up a mining planetoid, one of the biggest known in the system. Defended it against a fleet twice the size of your own. Captured a base right out from under a crafter guild.”

“How did you?”

“I might not be all that big of a gamer these years, but I found the videos that you and Jynx did, looked up what the Legion was doing. I'll say, that Foster guy is one hardass, but he seems like the good sort, Ichika," Stephen rolled his eyes. "Reminds me of some of the pilots I knew back in the day. Need a certain kind of cool-headed crazy. Though I see what you were talking about with The Iron Admiral. I went through some of her old videos. Right now she doesn't have much of a fleet. Never liked those showy generals and Admirals. Make it look like they are the only ones doing the work. She just does the job, all of them do. Kind of makes me jealous, I wish I had such people when I was in the military."

Luke felt warmth spread through his stomach and body. “Thanks dad.”

“Its what parents do, so now, what are you thinking?”

“Well, so we don’t want to leave the game, we’ve invested a lot, but with so many people leaving they’re taking their credits with them so we’re running out of liquidity. We don’t want to sell weapons to others because that’s sure to have someone pissed off at us. So Fin came up with the idea of turning over our shipyards to build freighters.”

“Freighters?” Stephen’s eyebrow quirked.

Luke leaned forward. “We can build three kinds, small medium large. Small can hole eighty thousand containers, medium six hundred and forty thousand, the large six million.”

Stephen’s other eyebrow had raised to meet the first.

“Okay, yeah those could be interesting. How long to make, acceleration profile?”

“They are capable of up to thirty gravities of acceleration, we can outfit them with shuttles to move gear. It would take a day for the small freighters, two for the medium and three for the large freighters.”

Stephen’s face paled, rubbing his stubble.

“Damn.” He stood up. “Okay, yeah that’s some serious production speed.”

“We’re thinking that we can sell them. I was thinking to ask Mom if she knew some people that would be interested.”

Stephen chuckled. “I can think of a few. Most people run older freighters like Dahlia here because freight numbers always go up and the yards can’t keep up with the demand. Easier to keep an old freighter in service than build a new one, most have pretty standard parts too. How much are you selling them for?”

Luke pulled out his screen. “We haven’t really looked at the price, but with the platinum and exchange with credits right now.” Luke drew out the word, checking his math. “It would be about seven hundred credits? For a small freighter.”

Stephen locked him down with his eyes. “A full freighter, reactors, wormhole projectors, engines, sensors, cargo lock down points, deflector and eight thousand capacity?”

“Yeah.”

Stephen swore under his breath. “First never tell anyone that it is worth seven hundred credits. Most freighters that size go for around one to two million credits. Your medium freighter would be worth around five to ten million credits and a large would be worth around fifty million.”

“Oh.”

“Right.”

Dahlia was a medium class freighter. No wonder mom and dad have been paying it off for years.

“So do you think we could sell them.”

“If you can build them and deliver them, yeah you can sell them.”

“I guess that would sort out our credit issue.”

“I would say. Your mother knows a few families that are looking to help out their kids getting their own freighters, or looking to split off their coop. They won’t be able to buy them outright, but if you can set up a repayment program, then you’ve got them. They can spread the word. Watch out for dealing with a large corporation, they’ll look to bleed you dry.”

“Thanks dad, I had no idea.”

“Might be an idea to talk to your brother, he wants to work in the yards.”

“Would you be okay with that, I know there’s a lot of stuff going on around with Sphere World.”

“It is his decision to make.”

Luke chewed the inside of his cheek, unable to meet his dad’s eyes. Stephen waited as he pulled his words together. “What do you think I should do?”

Stephen let out a sigh. “It doesn’t matter what I think you should do. You showed me and your mother that you have your own path to follow. I’ve seen how much you like that game, and how well you play it.”

“With it being real that changes everything. No wonder its not like any other game I’ve played. I don’t want to stop.” Luke looked up. “But how can I keep playing, if its real?”

“There’s nothing saying you have to stop is there?”

“Well the factions.”

“The only group that we are connected to is the trade union and they don’t care. I’m not going to ban you from it. You’re an adult and,” Stephen smiled. “Its your life to lead.”

“The factions are in talks, there’s no saying that they won’t just take what we’ve built.”

“No there isn’t it’s a risk, and you need to be comfortable with that if you want to continue.”

“What if I needed to join the military to play?" Luke asked.

Stephen frowned, caught off guard, Luke pressed on.

"The factions are going to take this over, if its real that means that there is going to be a military of some kind running it all right?"

Stephen grimaced. "We’ll have to wait and see what happens.”

Luke hadn't been expecting that. "I thought you were going to be angry with me for bringing up the idea, or that you would be angry with me for playing the game."

" You were playing a game, hell you were doing your job and you did it well. Sure you smashed up some bots, but there weren't any rules saying you shouldn't or couldn't how were you to know? If I was like those jackasses that are saying people who broke other bots should be crimes or that taking another node is a criminal offense," Stephen shook his head. "They're full of shit, that was a part of how things worked. Hell I think that they're just jealous that a bunch of gamers not only took over Sphere World first, but they did so well."

Luke ran his thumb against the dented side of the station. "Thanks dad."

Stephen's clasped his shoulder.

Luke looked up into his smile.

"I remember when you were small enough to fit in my hand." Stephen lifted his other hand, looking back and squeezing his shoulder. "Your an adult now, and we have our disagreements, its hard for me to realize that you're an adult now and well you've proven it again and again. Whatever decision you make I'll back you."

Luke didn't know what to say when he was pulled into a hug.

He wrapped his arms around his dad, letting out a deep breath as the tension he hadn't realized he was holding in his shoulders released.

“Thanks dad.”

“Love you kiddo.”

They separated, Luke’s screen buzzing.

[Sanctorium under attack]

“Umm I gotta go,” Luke’s feet carried him to the rear of the bridge.

“Alright, Good luck.”

“Thanks dad.”

Luke’s walk turned into a jog, pulling off his coveralls for the net sleeve underneath, he floated out of his bots and into his net suit, sealing around him as he booted up Sphere World.

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