Sliding Reality: Chapter 7 Part 1 of 4 (Patreon)

Chapter 7:

06/04/2242

Brad rubbed his face, pinching his fingers over his eyes and holding the bridge of his nose, trying to milk some water into his dried-out eyes.

He took in a breath, stretching as he looked at his screen. Pages of information on Sphere World. Everything he’d been able to gather.

His eyes slid to the main readouts on the bridge, linked to Sphere World’s systems.

“War.” Brad shook his head. A shadow war between factions and corporations was underway throughout Sphere World. And I can’t do a thing about it.

Automated shuttles flew from the stations to Valhalla and across Orion system, claiming the gear that players had sold off, dumping their accounts.

“Sally, how are our savings looking?”

“Sphere World credit accounts are down sixty percent and continuing to drop.”

“Buying up everything we’re hemorrhaging funds.” Brad looped his thumbs into his harness, pushing him back against his chair.

1.6 Command post

2.7 Sphere World Combat Capabilities

3.4 Passing on Administrator role

3.5 Tier One

Brad selected the sections, his finger hovering above the keyboard. He hit the delete with a grimace.

“Ten minutes till your meeting.” Sally said.

“You know you don’t have to do that.” Brad said.

“What?”

“Take over for the ship system.”

“Well I could stop if you want.” Sally sounded hurt.

“Do you want to take over for it?”

“Maybe,” Sally’s voice grew quieter.

“Why?”

The silence stretched, as Brad was about to change the subject.

“I was built to work with others. Its part of my programming. I could only interact with people through the tutorial and so few actually went through it.” Brad’s mind conjured her holographic avatar huffing. “Stuart is scared of me and you’re the only one I can talk to. I listen and watch over the people connected to me.”

“Can you talk to others?”

“Yes! If you give me permission?”

Letting Sally talk to others. Was that the smart thing to do?

“Give people the option to talk to you or not if they would like. Don’t go annoying them and you’re not allowed to tell anyone about the sections I deleted from my report, or anything related to them.”

“I can do that.”

“You won’t let anything slip?”

“When I’m talking to others my programming will cut off that information so I won’t even know I know it.”

“Is that disturbing?”

“No, its just the way I’m made.”

Is that’s what’s happening with the tier one Information?

Brad clicked his tongue saving the document on his screen and released his harness.

“Well time to go and face the factions.” Brad floated out of his chair and stomped out of the bridge, using his momentum.

“Where is Stuart?” Brad asked.

“He is in the net room.”

Brad nodded, gritting his teeth, his stomach roiling anxiety and guilt.

***

“Brad,” Stuart greeted him as he entered the net room, looking over from the twin net suits, open and ready to receive, the others were locked up tight in standby mode. “Suits are ready to go.”

He’d cleaned up, but there was a hollowness in his eyes, of a man that was out of his depth.

“Stuart, I,” Brad sighed. “Stuart I love you like a brother and while I hate your impulses. I think that this was the right call.” He raised his hand as Stuart made to talk. “I don’t like how you did it. You went behind my back. We didn’t know what we’re dealing with, hell we still don’t. You are my closest friend, I am sorry for yelling and getting angry. I really hope that we can get the factions to work together.”

Stuart scratched the back of his head. “Look I should’ve talked to you about it, I knew that you would say no, and I knew that this would force your hand. We’ve all seen it where people out of their depth have taken on something and they’ve made a mess of it. I wanted to make sure we weren’t those people. I’ve been getting the reports on what’s happening in the system, everyone trying to carve out a place. What’s happening back in the factions, they’re stealing people’s accounts dammit. Their hard earned platinum and credits! Hell they’re forcing gamers to fight for them, its worse than the gold miner corporations.” Stuart looked at Brad. “I didn’t think that they’d go that far.”

“I didn’t either,” Brad took in a breath. “It is also why I’m just going to give them most of the information.”

Stuart raised an eyebrow.

“I’m not going to share with them any information about Tier one and how to get there.”

Stuart chewed his lip. “Whoever controls the system controls Sphere World. We only just said that the game was real and they’re already fighting one another over the richest resource nodes, factories and shipyards. We’re sitting on pandora’s box.”

“Or a ticking bomb. Either way we have to make sure that nothing goes wrong.”

"Why would they listen to us?" Stuart snorted.

"We control Sphere World, all of it. The Station has more firepower than most fleets and much more armor. It can produce anything we want and it has wormhole projectors.”

“It can move between systems?”

“Its original engines are too small to do more than maneuver, but if we were to upgrade them, then we could. Though it also means that we could open a wormhole and pump missiles through. I removed anything about the combat capabilities of Sphere World, information on the command post, and how Sphere World picks out administrators.”

“How does it pick out new administrators.” Stuart asked.

Brad reached out to his open net suit. “We can pass on the role to others as I did with you, if we’re killed then the leader of whatever force is aboard Sphere World will be selected. Sphere World can also be captured, just like any other planet under its control, one just has to control enough areas, or destroy the command post.”

Stuart’s face paled.

“Yeah, don’t volunteer anything, if anything think of this as an interview, us interviewing them to see who or what will take over operating Sphere World. We have one shot, we need to pick out the best solution for humanity.”

“No pressure.” Stuart said.

“None at all.” Brad grinned at him.

“One minute till your meeting fellas.” Sally said.

“Well lets go meet with the leaders of humanity.”

“Probably just their aides, or ambassadors.” Brad said.

“My way sounds better though.”

Brad grumbled, hiding his smile.

“Sally could you not message us while we’re in the meeting?”

“I’ll make sure to not disturb you.”

“Thank you,” Brad stepped into his net suit, it wrapped around him, locking into place.

He rose up on an elevator into a waiting room of plush deep green carpets and aged wooden accents. Stuart rose on his own elevator at his side wearing a full suit with a tie.

Brad pulled up his cosmetics library, his collar tightening with a tie. He adjusted it and pulled his suit jacket forward, checking himself in the cosmetics mirror. At least there’s no lint in the net. Perfect suit each time. He dismissed the cosmetics library. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

They stepped forward, the twin carved wood doors pulled away into recesses, revealing a lobby with grand ornate doors open wide and a table with placards beyond.

[Recording devices turned off in this lobby]

[Information shared within this lobby is placed under CONFIDENTIAL legal link ]

Brad waved the information away as another door to a login room opened.

Councillor Li Wei walked out with her entourage floating behind her, her eyes captured Brad, her smile holding him in place.

“Mister Lee,” She smiled, shaking his hand, firm and brusque. “And Mister Martin.” She repeated the handshake.

“It is good to see you both this auspicious day.”

Brad took in her measure, she radiated charisma and competence. As if the universe’s issues were simply trivial.

“I believe you’ve met Miss Mao and Mister Cerenza,” She indicated to the duo among her ten person entourage, Joe shot them a smile and Olivia bowed her head in greeting.

Brad returned the head bow and shook his head at Joe’s smile, a grin spreading on his face.

“I will leave you in their capable hands. I hope we can talk later.” She flashed them a smile that was warm and calming as she stepped away, all of it over in a rush.

“Lucy, it is so good to see a familiar face,” She let out a light laugh, walking over to another lady. Her eyes flickering over Li Wei’s shoulder to Brad and Stuart.

“That is Lucy Hahn, the Coalition’s Foreign relations minister.” Olivia Mao said beside Brad.

“I thought she looked familiar,” Brad drawled. “I’ve seen her on TV a few times.”

“I feel that we’re a little low on the entourage department,” Stuart muttered.

Lucy Hahn had at least five people with her, assessing the group with Li Wei, Brad noticed that both groups darted looks over to his smaller group.

The two ladies led their groups to the open doors where a man greeted them, chatting with them before indicating their seats.

Brad turned to Olivia and Joe.

“I created an information packet on Sphere World to get everyone on the same page.” Brad pulled up his file folder, grabbing the document it turned into a thin book and gave it to Olivia.

It turned into a file folder in her hands as she opened it, scanning through the contents.

“This will go well with getting goodwill from the other parties. There shouldn’t be much you need to do in this meeting. Afterwards we will discuss your goals privately.”

“Basically let us do the talking and we’ll figure out everything in a meeting after this one.” Joe chipped in.