First Contact

[YOU ARE NUMBER IN THE QUEUE. YOUR WAIT TIME TO FULLY LOG IN IS . PLEASE STAND BY]

[SERVER NOT RESPONDING]

[RETRYING SERVER IN SECONDS]

--Login Screen of the LARP MMORPG worlds

The system had been wiped out three times. Once by a Lanaktallan bioweapon attack. Then by the Terran Xenocide Event. Finally, by the phasic shades. Around the gas giants the massive matter mining platforms still worked, the automation of Mantid make, some of the best in the universe. The asteroid belt mining systems chuckled and kept on working, keeping the mass tanks and the rare element storage topped off. The solar collectors around the stellar mass collected energy and beamed it in tight hyperwave to the receiving stations further out in the stellar system. The Oort Cloud was silent, blameless, comets and other debris of a stellar system forming filling it.

There was a single planet in the green zone. Two thousand years ago it had been nothing but a barren rock. An Elven Court had xenoformed the planet into a lush green world with sparkling blue oceans, islands, and four continents.

The weather satellites were less to keep any harsh weather from occurring and more to keep the environment, weather, and ecology stable. They kept on with their automated programming, ensuring that the weather could be predicted by those with the esoteric knowledge and record keeping ability. They all had several channels to listen for request from groundside for beings of enough power and knowledge to call upon the weather.

Forests, deserts, jungle, badlands, all of the terrain types were present on the planet. Where normal xenoforming worked to ensure the planet was as comfortable as possible, with smooth, even terrain that allowed for maximum utilization, the planet's was pseudo-natural, leaving vast sections of the terrain harsh wilderness.

The ship dropped out of Ghostspace with a flare of the jumpcore. It waited until the sensors cleared, then began listening for any perimeter buoys.

Captain Kent Kalkitikak stood on the bridge as the data slowly made its way to the screen in front of him. In days past, the communications would have been virtually instant, but the safeguards against ghosts slowed everything down.

The buoy system had received the emergency update. It transmitted in text only.

[PRESENT PROOF OF LIFE] was all it stated.

Captain Kent Kalkitikak's communications specialist, a Rigellian female, sang a quick song and transferred it.

[PROOF OF LIFE ACCEPTED] the system replied. There was a moment. [THIS SYSTEM IF PROPERTY OF LYFETEK INDUSTRIES. PLEASE READ AND ACCEPT THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS]

Captain Kent waited for the massive document to be transferred. He transferred two copies to his passengers, then waited for his junker's guild lawyer to go over it.

It took nearly two days before the lawyer signed it, had Kent sign it, then transmitted it and the two passenger's versions back to the buoy.

It was standard biolerplate. He agreed not to hold Lyfetek Industries OmniCorps Negative Liability Company at fault for any damages to the ship, cargo, passengers, or crew under a bunch of different terms.

He also agreed not to go any further than the highlighted space station around the single planet in the green zone, not to disembark anyone but the passengers that had signed the terms and conditions, as well as having agreed not to make any video, audio, or still photography media of the planet or its inhabitants.

Captain Kent Kalkitikak informed his two adult passengers that the ship was moving in-system to dock with the space station. He then looked at his scanner technicians.

"Life signs?" he asked.

The scan-tech shook his head. "Some pretty heavy anti-scanning tech, but the long range sensors can't find any higher life forms that fit the standard database," he said. "Lots of lower life forms and millions of anomalous life forms."

"It's a LARP world," the Rigellian communications specialist stated. "There's a lot of Born Whole mythological creatures and fantasy creatures down there."

Captain Kent nodded. "Let our passengers know they have six hours till we'll be in range of the station to get final approach instructions."

She nodded, touching her ear.

Captain Kent stared at the planet. It was inside the Confederacy, in the old Terran Systems. Closer to the Core Worlds and the Inner Sphere than it was to the Border Worlds and the Fringe Systems. Most of the worlds around it had been standard manufacturing and agri-corps worlds, four fifths of them automated worlds that provided 'real food' and 'real elements' for higher end manufacturing.

He planned on checking them out, seeing if there was anything good for salvage.

He had no idea why anyone would want to live on what looked to be an abandoned world.

But his passengers were Terrans, and the operative part of the nickname The Mad Lemurs of Terra was the simple word "Mad" as far as he was concerned.

-----

The space station looked more like a fairy castle sitting on a cloud than anything high tech. Lots of sparkling, lights, and delicate construction. Lots of crystal, rare metals, rare elements, and other esoteric decorations. The 'cloud' was pointed 'down' at the planet surface.

Captain Kent Kalkitikak figured it was to keep anyone on the ground from seeing it.

He stared at the text on the screen even as his ship locked into the umbilical.

[FOUR PLAYERS ARRIVING/ZERO PLAYERS LEAVING]

[FIRMWARE UPDATES ACCEPTED: ELE OVERRIDE]

[NO CARGO TO BE TRANSFERRED]

[NO CREW R&R AVAILABLE]

He sighed and shook his head.

"Our passengers are leaving," his commo-tech said.

Captain Kent just nodded. "Thank them for their assistance in Ghostspace," he said.

The commo-tech nodded.

"They're away. The station is demanding we disengage and leave the system. Refueling, re-massing, is available at a single Oort Cloud station," the commo tech said.

Kent looked at his navigator and his pilot, both beings busy.

"Just take us to Ghostspace," he said. He looked at the fairy-castle again. "Good luck," he said to his disembarked passengers.

"We're clear for Ghostspace transfer," his astrogator said.

"Take us out."

The massive cargo ship sparkled and vanished.

The system went back to silence.

-----

The tall, muscular, brown skinned woman stepped into the scanner, letting the lasers play over her bare skin. Next to her a pale skinned man stepped into a different scanner.

"Just let the scanner go over you," a tall, pale, beautiful figure on the other side of the scanning system said, her voice lyrical and lovely. On either side of her stood two smaller versions of herself, each of them holding a small brown skinned baby that watched. One was frowning, the other was smiling and chewing on its own fist.

Both adults stood for a while.

"Scan complete," the elven woman stated. She smiled. "Both of you are compatible with Lyftek Industries LARP MMORPG systems. Genetic anomalies are within acceptable parameters."

"Thank you, ancient one," the woman said, stepping forward at the silent instructions that appeared in her vision. She strutted as if she was clad in finery rather than completely nude.

The male just grunted, covering his crotch with both hands as he shuffled forward. The woman glanced and laughed.

"So modest, Space Force?" she asked.

"Just weird," the man answered.

The elven woman waved and holographic clothing covered both adults in a skin tight bodysuit.

"Follow," she said, turning and leading further into the station.

"This is weird," the male said.

"Standard inprocessing for a full LARP world," the woman said.

The couple was led through the station, looking at various data screens. They were shown various scenes. From bucolic hamlets to large farms to exciting video of people fighting monsters and mages throwing magic.

At last, the elven women turned and faced the pair of adults. "Beyond here, you choose your lifepath and personal history options."

"We have already chosen married couple with two children, no resheathing, no rebirth," the woman said.

The Elven woman nodded. "That will limit your character start options."

The human woman smiled. "Of course."

"Your weapons and armor will have 'heritage' tags applied to them. Will you prefer skillsoft downloads as well as muscle memory implantation or wash?" the Elven woman asked.

"Standard character generation selection for implantation, wash, or downloads, please," the human woman smiled.

The Elven woman nodded, pointing at a set of two dozen reclining chairs. "Please, have a seat. We will link you so that you may make your choices."

The woman and man moved over and sat down, reclining next to one another. The elven women put the babies on their chests.

"Your cybernetics are within parameters and need no upgrade or removal," the Elf woman said. "Datalinks and retinal links are permittable."

She pointed at the male. "You will need a bioforge implantation."

The male nodded. "Understood."

"Please, begin," the elf said.

The two adults nodded.

The male closed his eyes. There was a flicker and the text appeared in his vision. Standard terms and conditions he speed-read most of then clicked "ACCEPT".

He felt a cold feeling on his chest and knew that the gene-seeds for the bio-engineered organ were being injected into his chest.

[ALTER RACE?]

He clicked no. No on changing sex, no on changing appearance.

[STATUS: MARRIED, TWO CHILDREN - TWINS] appeared.

Then was a short list of 'beginning life paths' that streamed by.

Most of them were blurred out.

"Query," he asked.

"Yes?" The elven woman's voice was calm and collected.

"There are no real community choices available," he said. "Why?"

There was silence. "Mass die-off of customers. Born Whole systems are currently on standby. Do you wish to engage in full village reconstruction?"

"Kay?" the man asked.

"Yes. Full Born Whole community construction. Random location, beginner difficulty area. Preferably woodland with light to moderate hills and nearby mountains. Preferable large water sources. Outskirts of major active or extensive fallen nation," the woman said, not opening her eyes.

"This will require memory implantation for full community interaction," the Elf warned.

The man clicked the box to accept.

Again, the beginning life paths streamed up. Most were blurred, still.

"What do I take?" he asked the woman.

"Whatever you choose," she said. He could hear the smile in her voice. "I am choosing your humble wife. Caregiver, child-bearer, housekeeper, domestic chore performing common folk."

The man shuffled through the lifepaths. "Goodwife package?"

"Indeed," the woman chuckled.

"Dress, bonnet, bustle, apron, baking bread and making stew? No muscles and sword? No founding an empire?" the man chuckled.

"It has been a long time since I decided that I would roll that way," the woman said. She hit accept. "I'm done, that should help you."

The man went through the options quickly, Reading the sections, paging back and forth. He saw the option for 'optimization assistant' and closed that out. He chose knowledge, muscle memory, tailored out his appearance and body (moving back to that section of the 'lifepath creator' software choosing to customize his body a bit). He added a few cosmetic changes, mainly some tattoos.

At the end, he hit accept.

The screen wiped away, leaving him reclining and staring at the elven woman.

"Once you awaken, you will have the tutorial option. After that, with the exception of leveling up or other choices, you will be in minimal system interaction mode," the elf said.

There was a faint hiss and all four humans closed their eyes, going to sleep.

-----

False day painted the edge of the world with a cold steely light. It swept over fields waiting to be plowed and planted. Over a hamlet that sat with solid humbleness, surrounding a well and a small town square.

With dawn came life. Horses began to move about, pigs started to squeal, chickens clucked, roosters crowed, cows began to moo. People stirred, babies fussed, and men and women slowly got out of bed, stretching.

Life began to move around in the hamlet.

In one bed a man and woman were curled up together, babies next to the woman, the boy baby holding his sister tightly as she sleepily nursed.

The male rolled over and stared at the ceiling.

[WOULD YOU LIKE TO EXPERIENCE THE TUTORIAL?]

appeared in his vision.

He blinked twice.

-----

The woman was slightly plump, her belly still slightly pudgy from carrying twins. She smiled as she turned from the wood heated stove and shoveled eggs onto the plate in front of the man. Her skin was a rich brown, her hair done up in tight braids that fell down her back. The man had pinkish skin, freckles, and his reddish-brown hair was pulled back in a pony tail and his beard was braided.

"Good morning, husband," the woman said. She scooped some eggs onto the tray in front of the girl, then the boy, babies. The girl grabbed a handful and smashed them into her mouth, half of them dropping out of her fist and onto the tray. The boy decided he wanted to smash the scrambled eggs onto the tray with an open hand, smacking the food and laughing at the feeling.

"Good morning, wife," the man said.

"Memories unspooling right?" the woman asked, setting the pan on the stove and turning to sit down next to him, picking up her fork.

"Slowly, but yes," he said.

"We got good rolls," the woman said. "A tavern-keeper in a modest settlement, a well kept and well stocked tavern with a kitchen for me to work."

"I did the tutorial," he said. "Well, there's more for me to do. Learn to pour beer and ale, deal with customers, stuff like that," he looked out the window. "The Born Whole system looks like it is working."

The woman nodded. "So far," she said.

"I thought we were going to head for the World Engine and Master Control," the man said.

The woman laughed, reaching out and hugging him side-armed.

"You do not just run at the epic quests as soon as you log in," she laughed. "No. We'll need allies, need to understand the world's rules."

The man nodded.

"You need time for your reflexes and memories to unspool and burn in. The children need to get older," she said. She looked out the window. "Right now, just knowing the Born Whole system is working is enough."

"Is it safe to use metagame terms?" The man asked.

The woman nodded. "Until we are out of the tutorial, we are allowed metagame terms," she said.

The man took a bite of eggs, chewed, and swallowed. "What do you suppose this place is called."

"What all tutorial settlements are called since before before even VR was thing," the woman said.

The man took a sip of juice. "What's that?"

"Pornshire."