Universe Online - Enter the Game: Complete Edition (14 page)

So I also gained 5 Attribute (Stat) points, too.  I pull up my Status Screen to take a look.

Heh.  I've only just reached what in most games would be level 2, but levels aren't progressively tracked in Universe Online.  Because there's such a high range of freedom with how character builds work for players and NPC's, there's no point in adding an arbitrary number that others could make snap decisions with.  From my point of view, the only reason why there is even a real leveling system is to reward the stat points, which allow growth for even the craziest or stupid of players.

The game basically forces you to deal with the reality where having the know-how and ability to do things is more important than grinding for levels.

I'm actually quite happy with it, aren't you?  Haha.

There is an auto-assist system as well, but I don't use it at all.  I'd rather do everything with my own power and body instead.  I get better gains from doing so, as well.

Finally now that my Stamina and Psi are filled, I stand up and turn back to the terminal and start going through everything.

Most of it is inane information I don't need at the moment, but the Mining Log and a local space chart definitely catches my attention.  I quickly download them both, and grin from ear-to-ear when they pop up in my HUD.  The rest seems to be all work-related or information about the Tug itself.

First up, the Mining Log.  It includes information on the a+steroid field I'd spotted earlier while outside.  Coordinates to prime locations and estimated amounts of resources there.  Iron, Carbon, all sorts of metals and goodies.  And ice.  Water ice.  Yes!

The second is the space chart.  And for a moment I don't really recognize what I'm seeing.

“WHAT THE FREAK!!!”

Oh my god, I end up on the floor.  Or rather, I bounce back in zero-g and hit the far bulkhead.  Which wasn't far, so I didn't really hurt myself.

But the map is still staring me in the face.  Especially the name of the nearest planet.

Drune.

I'm in my race's home system.  On the far end of the Milky Way Galaxy.  Nearly on the opposite end of the galaxy from the Sol system and Old Earth, which was one of the possible starting locations for the players.

But there's also another name that catches my attention.  It’s marked abandoned, but the name is still there.

Drex Conclave.

Simply seeing the name makes me shudder all over again.

It’s on the far edge of the solar system, on what seems to be some sort of planetoid beyond the furthest full planet from the sun.  Almost in the damned Oort Cloud.

A shiver runs down my spine.  A bad premonition.

*DING*

Damnit.  Fucking damnit.  I curse as I read the new window that popped up, only to flick it away in annoyance.  The Drex are bad enough as pirates and raiders and killers, but to have a home base for them located so near, even an abandoned one, gives me the creeps.

It takes me several minutes to calm down after I turn off the map, concentrating on what's in front of me again.  I still have work to do even if I simply want to survive, much less solve a galactic-class mystery.

“Okay...  First, power.”

I speak out loud to myself again, and pick myself up and look around before going to the cockpit console.  I activate it, and take the time to look over the controls before I find what I'm looking for . The refueling controls.  I press the button that opens the hatch on the exterior of the Tug, and I hear a soft clang as it snaps open outside.  With actual air in the Tug, I can actually hear the sound.  It’s a reassuring thing.

The silence of empty space can be even worse than the darkness.

I quickly climb down and then out of the Tug through the airlock, and go around to the other partially dismantled Tug.  Pulling out a coil of wiring from my inventory, I hook it up to the export socket on this one and then plug the other end into the import socket on the second, watching as my HUD updates with the power draw.

I'm emptying the batteries in order to not have to use up my fuel, which is more precious than gold right now.  Both Tugs have already been claimed by me as well, so there isn't a big issue in doing so.

It takes a while though.  50% battery charge is simply a huge amount of power to transfer over a small cable line.  Thankfully it’s smart enough not to overload.  That would have been bad.

Finally done, I disconnect the wiring and store it back in my inventory before closing the small refueling hatch of the Tug and then climbing back inside.  This time, I go through the full startup sequence while sitting at the console in the cockpit.

Lights come on, and I have to blink my eyes as it dazzles me a bit.  I've become too used to the darkness and the dim emergency light of the capsule.  It’s painful, but I wait it out.  From there, I turn on the gravity generators to 30%, just like in the capsule to keep power consumption down.  Then I turn on the atmosphere processors and environmental controls.  I'm going to make this darn thing livable!

That all done, I sigh in relief and sit there, strapped into the chair.  I take the time to read the information that scrolls by on the monitors in front of me.  Air pressure is good, but the oxygen level isn't enough to breath yet.  The heat has come on, and I can already start feeling the difference.  Power usage is set to battery only.

It’s a fairly big draw, but at more than 50% full, there is days worth of power stored up.

Now then...  How do I pilot this thing?

That's the big question that comes to mind.  I try to find a manual or booklet or something with instructions.  I refuse to go into this blind.  I'm not crazy enough to jump right into a try without learning the proper way first.

I find two guides saved in the main computer, which I can access from the console here.

Basic Guide to Mining Tugs, and Space Survival Guide 4
th
Edition.

Oooh.  I pull them up and start reading while the Tug warms up and the toxic air gets replaced with a breathable oxygen mixture.

Okay, so the Guide has basic information and instructions, but it isn't very long or in-depth.  Just a primer.  The Space Survival Guide is better though.  It includes a bunch of stuff, and is too long to sit here reading at the moment.  I go ahead and download both of them to my suit to read and re-read later.

Reading material is always nice to have when by yourself in SPACE~

But I think I have the gist of what I should do here.  I don't have any Aptitudes or Aspects related to this though, so things may be a bit tricky for a bit.

First, the thruster engines.  They're basically really big ion drives.  Instead of using gas or fuel directly, they use electricity to create pressurized ion streams that pushes the ship.  I activate them following the steps outlined in the guide, and a loud hum starts up.

The icons flash green.  Good to go.

Next, plot out a directional course.  Mainly used for beginners, according to the guide.  Which I definitely qualify as.  It basically just overlays a transparent set of lines on the big monitor in front of me.  So I can keep up with where I'm going, apparently.  In this case, 'out'.  Out of the bay and into open space.

Finally, the control sticks.  One controls the forward and backward motion of the thrusters.  The other controls the spin and yaw.  Using them in tandem allows a full 360 degrees of movement.  There's also the auto-pilot, but I want to do this manually.

Need to do it manually.  Screw the fast way.  I need piloting skills out here.  I'm hundreds or even thousands of miles away from anything out here.  I need to learn how to do this myself.

I tilt the thruster control stick forward while pulling back just slightly on the other stick.  This lifts the Tug from its resting place on the flooring and increases the thruster output in a forward motion.  It doesn't take much before I'm flying.

Hahahaha!

Not very fast though.  Only a foot or two a second.  Which is more than enough for now.  At least I'm not crashing into anything.  The controls are smooth though, and there's only a slight increase in vibration and hum from the engines.

I pull back slightly on the stick and my speed decreases while I maintain a hovering distance of about a foot off the floor.  The system accurately interprets what I'm trying to do and cancels out the forward momentum once the relative position has come to a rest.

Nice.

I don't have to spin around and shoot my engines in order to slow down like the space shuttle does.  Hehe.

Now, forward again.  This time without stopping.

“Out into the big empty we go...”

Yep, I've definitely started to form the habit of monologuing.  It’s a sad day.  The heavens are crying.

Wait, I'm already in the heavens, and I'm crying.  Damnit.

But I make it out through the open airlock and into space without hitting anything.  I keep going for a distance, then slow down and turn around to get my first far-view of the station.

Again, I feel small.  Even in the Tug, I'm utterly dwarfed by the space station.  I can see more of the station from this distance, but it’s too far away for the mapping ability of my suit to scan it.

But I do finally see what I missed last time.  A name.

The Archon.

Archon Space Station.

Heh.  At least now I know the name of my home.  The Ruler, huh?  Sounds nice.  Powerful.  But then I see another name written on the metal hull of the control tower.

Trident.

Wait, two stations?  That doesn't make sense.  I stare at it blankly, trying to figure out what it means.