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B2 - Chapter 1 – Gearing up and getting to Earth
🕑 Added 2024-11-05 14:53:16 +0000 UTCThe replica of the Starlit Sea that was Jace’s bedroom was a welcome sight to wake up to. The deep, black space with sparkling glimmers of prismatic light, interrupted only by slowly streaking comets was the most awe-inspiring sight he could hope to see.
The deep inhale of Shhiv-zal, his girlfriend – a shark-person species called the Churkun from the world called Churkun Delta – signaled to him that she was just rousing awake as well. As she opened her eyes and the black slits focused on Jace, she smiled softly. “Morning.”
Jace leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, “Morning.” He got out of bed and sighed as he stretched. “Today’s the day.”
“Yeah…” Shhiv sounded supremely disappointed. “You’ll be gone for a while, right?”
Jace nodded as he finished stretching, his prosthetic arms and legs not really needing the motion – but it was something he was used to practicing upon waking. “Yeah. Up to a month.”
She scooted to the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around his chest, resting her face on his abdomen. “Five more minutes of cuddling.”
Jace grinned and nodded, “Sure. Anything for you.”
>>>---<<<
Jace was walking along the street a few hours later. Khrox, The Eternal City, was a gorgeous spectacle to behold. Buildings of all types and varieties from countless worlds that were now a part of The Cosmic System. The skies above were a shifting variety of hues; blues, purples, greens, reds – even colors that Jace would have not been able to comprehend along the spectrum normally. Thanks to his magic prosthetic eyes though, he could see colors he had never dreamed of.
Priam, the Pulsar Priest – an Oslia from the world Fernaid, cleared his throat. “Supplies and then we’re off to Mexico City?” the rabbit-man asked, his large-brimmed hat snug and moving slightly of its own accord.
“Not quite,” Quinn replied. The human Star Broker was tapping her wrist-panel and information scrolled across a floating screen in front of her. “I need to start off in Sydney, first. My safehouse has gear, creds, weapons – we should pop over there first.”
Greg, also a human, frowned, “That lawless wasteland? Not even the corporations set up over there. It’s going to be a mess to navigate.” The Planet Protector frowned, “I think we should go right to Mexico City.”
Quinn turned to him and snapped in a harsh tone, “I told you what we’re doing! I pay your goddamn salary so-” she stopped and took a deep breath. “No. Sorry. I need to swap out my Cybermind Mk. 4. It’s fucking me up.”
Looks like it, Jace thought. “Come on. We need to stock up before we get going. You both don’t have any adventuring gear from the readout I looked at.” Jace scratched the head of his Wayfinder, Ollie, his AI in spectral form that Jace could interact with thanks to his Cosmic Infusion (Rank 10) [Innervating] Skill.
Ollie nodded and pulled up the screen in everyone’s vision. “Let’s get shopping!”
>>>---<<<
The shopping went quickly. Jace restocked on his survival meals, since there was not a guarantee that they would be able to use creds to buy food back on Earth without risking being tracked. He insisted on the same for every single one of his allies, as well as (Heavy) or (Light) Venture Packs and the enhanced canteens.
Plus, optimized medical kits. All in all, Jace ended up footing the bill and spending about 500 Stardust – the universal currency of The Cosmic System – and outfitted his companions.
“Hey, thanks, man,” Greg said as he put a hand on Jace’s shoulder. “You didn’t have to do that. We would’ve been fine, I’m sure.”
Jace frowned and shook his head, “No. You don’t know what Earth is like now. I don’t. The Nebula Alliance has been there for a good chunk of time, pushing tech advancement for the megacorps. We need to be prepared for a hostile environment.”
Just like Vyrknadine Prime, Jace thought as he recalled the fight to survive during his Aspirant Trial where he did not have supplies and had to scavenge. That was just over a month ago, and it was a painful experience. Worth the pain, though, as he had earned a ton of Boons and Stardust that made him quite the potent force.
The Nebula Alliance was a large factor at play in their upcoming endeavors. Xera – the hidden faction leader of the Dark Between Stars; Jace and Priam’s faction – had locked down the portal from The Cosmic Corridor to the different Earth-side portals. Only Jace’s group and Star Council members could enter and leave. But she had only locked down the portals for a month.
28 days remained. Jace knew that the Nebula Alliance had agents on Earth. Aspirants and Ascendants. Very little information was able to be gathered, even with Xera’s behind-the-scenes Admin/Tech Support access. Quinn couldn’t dig up information, either, with her unique Broker Skills. They were going in blind.
And Jace was filled with trepidation. As the world warped around them – for in Khrox, walking one minute in any direction with a destination in mind would transport the individual there – they arrived in The Cosmic Corridor in front of the portal to Earth. Phantasmal, flaming chains covered the aperture.
Quinn walked over to one of the Ascendants – those who achieved level 25 in a Class and Advanced Class before taking the Ascension Trial and becoming effectively immortal entities – and began speaking to him. “Mizarion! How are you? It’s been a while.”
The Tier 5 Ascendant and one of the founding members of the Star Council – Quinn’s faction – smiled with a broad grin. “Oh, it has been a while.” His white hair was long and bunched up in a top knot; the green eyes juxtaposed against his pale, white skin. Jace did not know anything about his species. Mizarion continued, “How’s my little Star Broker?” he asked as he took a bite out of a pineapple – husk and all. Jace and Greg both winced slightly at seeing that. That’s not how you eat them. I’ve never had one and even I know that much.
“We’re heading to Earth,” Quinn stated with a sense of resolve filling her voice. “We need to go in.”
“Ah, well, you and your companions can just walk on in. It’s a single portal here, but 50 different ones on Earth. So, after you pass through this one, you’ll be in a…an interim space. When you’re in there, just press the button for which city you want to go to.” He looked over the rest of the group, and Jace felt the man’s eyes settle on him. “You must be our friend from the Dark Between Stars.”
Jace curtly nodded, “Name’s Flicker,” he replied using his code name. “Ready Quinn?”
Quinn nodded and led the way into the portal.
“Oh, before you go too far!” Mizarion reached into his jacket and pulled out a series of devices that Jace was familiar with. “Sliverscreens. Just like our cosmopanels, but…well, Earth-only.” He chuckled and took another bite of the pineapple. “Mmm! I love the crunchy outside.”
Jace took the sliverscreen and tapped it to activate. Ollie reached down from his collar and tapped it as well – and the screen lit up with the Dark Matter Cosmic Power symbol. “Now you power it; including interfacing with this Webnet without a network provider. You are welcome.”
Jace scratched Ollie’s head and looked up at Mizarion, who looked at him questioningly. “How can you touch a Wayfinder?”
“Trade secret,” Jace replied. He held up the sliverscreen, “These can’t be tracked? Jailbroken?”
“Yup! Quinn told us what you needed. They were a pain to get, but we got them. And the ever-mysterious X fixed them up.” He pointed to the portal, “There is a console in there as well; you can convert Stardust to those creds that Earth uses as universal currency. Or, vice-versa.”
“Thanks,” Priam said as he held the device and flipped it over in his paws. “How do I use it?”
Greg chuckled and began explaining to the shorter rabbit-man. Quinn shook her head and pocketed the sliverscreen. “Thanks, Mizarion. We’re off.” She began into the portal.
“28 days!” Mizarion shouted after her as she vanished. He looked at Jace, then Greg, then Priam. “Keep our Star Broker alive, eh? We need her.”
“We’ll try,” Jace said as he followed along with Priam and Greg. The pastel-blue color gave way to a black space with a single, floating, silvery panel. Buttons were on the panel with different city names, and Quinn immediately tapped the one for Sydney, Australia. There was also a weird machine with a slot for a sliverscreen, and a place to put a hand or other appendage.
Another blue portal opened in front of her, and she started to walk forward; but Jace grabbed her shoulder. “Not yet. First, Skills.” He shut his eyes. Dark Matter Blade (Rank 5) [Rending], Dark Matter Shield (Rank 3). The hilt of his weapon on his hip ignited with blazing purple and crimson nebula clouds that dripped down. He was also coated in a light, purple film. And all of it was invisible to his allies.
Lastly, Dark Matter Cloak (Rank 3) [Group]. A darker purple film covered all of them – rendering them undetectable, untrackable, and invisible. But Jace felt the light tug of tiredness on him. Every Skill cost Energy, and his Blade and Shield Skills had that offset by (Equipment) that he had on his person – the sword and a bracer, respectively.
Priam walked up and nodded, “Yeah, we should have Skills active. Pulsar Ward (Rank 20) [Multi-Target], Pulsar Physic (Rank 6) [Contingent].” There was a sheen of gold that came from the small, metal cylinder in his hand. Jace nodded with satisfaction as the golden honeycomb structure latticed around them – and saw the faint, glowing symbol of the healing Skill that would go off upon detecting significant harm.
Greg stepped in front of Quinn. “Make sure you always stay behind me,” he muttered. “I can’t use my big defensive Skill because it’s obvious as hell. But I can use Protector’s Vow (Rank 3).” A shimmering, brown barrier appeared for a moment around Quinn before fading. “Since you’re the weakest of us,” he said with a backward glance and a mischievous grin.
“You’re wearing full plate,” Priam commented. “You’re going to stand out already.”
“Fair point. Planetary Defenses (Rank 3), Planetary Retribution (Rank 3).” Greg’s form was crusted with a deep, brown rock structure, and Jace could swear he saw little ripples of deep, green energy coursing off of the man.
Quinn sighed, “Done?”
“No buff Skills?” Priam asked inquisitively.
“No. I’m hyper specialized on finding information or valuable items, making contracts that can’t be violated, and getting more Stardust from transactions.”
“We should each swap out some Stardust for creds,” Jace stated as he walked over to the machine. Slipping his sliverscreen into the slot, he saw a simple interface he tapped through. 1 Stardust is 100 creds? He chuckled with delight. I could be rich.
The most I ever made on the riskiest courier job was…300 creds? Let’s start with 1,000 Stardust. He tapped the numbers in and put his palm with the Cosmic Power symbol on the hand-panel. The screen confirmed the transaction, and he pulled the sliverscreen out.
“Priam, Greg, Quinn – hold yours out.” The trio did so, and Jace transferred 20,000 creds to each of them. Leaves me with 40,000 creds, he thought. An insane amount that he’d never seen before. Priam thanked him with a slightly confused look, but Greg and Quinn had looks of shock on their faces.
“Man…this is way too much,” Greg said.
Quinn nodded in agreement, “Thank you,” she softly replied.
Jace nodded, “Lead the way, Greg.” He glanced down at Ollie, who was curled around his neck. His fluffy, adorable companion who had kept him company through thick and thin.
No one can see Ollie if I close up my hood. Jace pulled the hood up, as well as the mask. Ollie wriggled around the inside of the hood until his head was resting on Jace’s. A set of liquid-blue starlight-filled eyes looking out from above. To an observer, it might be some type of new clothing with a fancy display. Jace felt the fuzzy feeling around his head fade, and knew that Ollie had also taken on his silvery outline form; making him even harder to see.
Everyone else’s Wayfinders are hidden, Jace thought as he knew that Priam’s Wayfinder, Bloopa, was under his hat. Greg’s Wayfinder, Darrin, was secreted somewhere inside his armored carapace. And Quinn’s Wayfinder, Valerie, was not present at all. Due to Quinn’s unique Class, she did not need a Wayfinder to interface with The Cosmic System, and kept Valerie dismissed to the Starlit Sea to increase her access speed for information.
Greg took a deep breath and pushed through the portal. The rest of the group followed.
[28 Days remain until the Earth portal lock ends.]
The System message appeared in the sparkling, blue starlight that Jace was so familiar with now. It vanished, and he had to squint at the hazy, bright sunlight of an Australian summer in a world wrecked by climate change.
The portal exit was in the middle of an enormous building with a shattered roof. There were hundreds if not thousands of people in a tent city erected around the entrance. “This used to be the opera house,” Quinn said as they moved amongst the tents and unwashed masses. “It is also the largest encampment of street folk in the world.”
Jace nodded as he recognized the various hand symbols and gestures that people made. He whispered so that only Ollie could hear – and Priam, with his advanced hearing and senses. “Ollie, could Xera open this portal for a short duration? Let all these people out?”
“Nope. The lock is on The Cosmic Corridor side of things. If she let it off, then every portal would be active again.”
Jace nodded and felt his heart sink a little bit. These people were his folk. Sure, a different part of the world – but the underclass of the street folk branched across the whole world. Rarely, they would be able to scrimp and save up enough creds to get on one of the old cargo ships that still carried people to different continents.
It was his dream to save up enough to get an apartment – but his backup plan was to move here, to Australia, with his sister Chroma. But Chroma died on the streets of New Jersey; killed by a hit and run. The same incident that cost Jace his legs, before the whole advent of the Cosmogenic Merging.
I’ll get you back, he thought. Tier 10. Then resurrecting you. That was the goal. The whole point of Jace’s decision to become an Aspirant. Get to a level of achievement never before seen in The Cosmic System so that he could bring her back.
As they walked, Greg meandered off course slightly to what looked like a community garden built inside planter boxes made of hollowed out car chassis. He held his hand up over the failing crops, “Planetary Growth,” he muttered – so quietly that Jace barely picked it up. His hand glowed a vibrant green, and the plants grew healthier in that single planter box. He walked back to the group.
“What was that?” Quinn asked.
“Me doing a little bit to make their lives easier,” Greg replied. Jace could barely make out the bead of sweat that trickled down his face under the helmet he wore.
Quinn just huffed and kept leading the way. Jace could feel the constant drain on his energy from the Dark Matter Cloak, and had the group divert to an alleyway once they hit the city proper as the lethargy began to hit him.
Sydney, Australia – once one of the most beautiful cities in the world for culture and sophistication; when the megacorps began taking over and ousting governments, the socialites that lived here moved to their orbital station abodes above the planet. After that, only their underclass – servants, butlers, gig workers, and the like were left behind. They formed the core of what now was referred to as the street folk.
After recovering a bit and feeling his energy fill up, Jace nodded and reactivated the Cloak Skill as they kept moving. Quinn led them towards the docks – which thankfully were not too far away. Leading them into a boathouse that looked abandoned and reeked to the point that Jace had to pinch his nose, they walked down a set of stairs before entering a tunnel that doubled back into the ground under the city. He deactivated the Dark Matter Cloak once more, since there was no one to hide from.
The corridor was damp, and mold grew on the walls. Quinn was heedless of it and kept walking down the dark passage. Jace’s sight shifted to the purple hue that enabled dark vision – an innate feature that every Aspirant had access to, although the coloration was determined by their Cosmic Power. Priam’s eyes glowed a bright yellow-gold, Greg’s were a deep brown, and he couldn’t see Quinn’s.
The corridor split off into three different directions, and Quinn led them along the right-most. After twenty minutes they arrived at an enormous, steel door with dozens of keypads. “This is it,” Quinn stated as she began tapping buttons.
Greg leaned against the wall and looked back down the tunnel. “Huh. Look at that. We were followed.”
Jace looked back and saw the vague outline of humanoid figures in the distance of the tunnel. He zoomed in thanks to his All-Seeing Dragon’s Eyes, and saw that they were just street folk holding various metal bits and pieces as makeshift weaponry. “Ollie, how do I activate the Augmentation on my eyes?”
“Just will it to happen. Some augmentations need to be activated; some are always on.”
Okay. (Terrifying) augmentation. Do your thing. He saw a pulse of white-red energy that surged out and almost formed cones coming from his eyes that he could barely see the edges of if he focused. The (Terrifying) augmentation would prevent anyone of a lower Tier from harming him – and he figured based on the name, it would scare them off.
It did so, as the group of figures turned tail and ran, screaming about ‘monsters’ in the tunnels. Jace chuckled and let the augmentation dissipate. Handy.
Greg looked at him with awe, “How’d you do that?”
Jace tapped his temple, “The eyes are scary,” he replied with a grin.
“Got it!” Quinn said with excitement as the door began to open.
