01:00 IST, Ninth day, Eighth month, 3078 PV | Glacius observation post, Europa orbit, Sol system / Borealis Cruiser
It has been several days since my fitting ceremony. In the time given before we are collected for the trial I have been busy doing several things. Firstly, I have been pouring over all the information at my disposal to gain a better understanding of the universe.
Secondly, I have started keeping a notebook of all of the different things that I have learned about the universe as well as any memories I have, so that I may easily reference back when needed. This is important, because all of the alien documentation uses jargon and terms that I am not completely familiar with, so having it in terms that are more familiar to me will be helpful.
Thirdly, I have been touring around the solar system, enjoying luxury resorts and seeing various sights. I am currently at the end of my tour, I have decided that Europa would be the last place I would visit before the trial.
My trip down to the vast oceans of Europa was very entertaining. Seeing the sheer resilience that humanity has managed up until now is very refreshing to my mental state. I even got to see one of the legendary titan leviathans up close.
Lastly, I have been getting myself familiar and doing various exercises to accustom myself to the kit and its abilities. I have learned many new methods of using it. For instance, it seems that I can temporarily transfer part of my consciousness into various drones and remotely pilot them.
Currently I am able to manage four of the security drones that are on my ship. I also have figured out how to wirelessly connect into the ship's systems, however I can see that this connection is inferior, and in cases of combat, direct connection would be required for optimal piloting.
In addition, I have noticed a strange thing about this kit. The more I use it and explore it, the more abilities it seems to unlock. I don't know if this is a standard function, or one especially added as part of our trial, but it sure seems interesting.
"Attention Captain Kovon, I am receiving a priority 1 broadcast coming in from IEC command. Relaying the hologram into your vision now."
I also forgot to mention, yesterday Bor started calling me captain, and I can't complain, it sounds cool. The hologram is quickly overlaid in my vision, and I see a projection of none other than the Gamekeeper.
"Greetings Contestant Kovon, I am glad to see that your fitting procedure was a success. Congratulations on becoming a sovereign being. As you might expect, I am informing you that it is time for you to be collected for humanity's trial of ascension.
Your ship will now automatically begin heading to the meeting point, once you arrive there are several things to be aware of.
Firstly, we will not be jumping right into a trial. Prior to the first trial we will have a grand welcome and induction ceremony of sorts. Do note, your fellow contestants will be in attendance. I would also recommend that if you do not know how to dance, you quickly learn.
After the ceremonies there will be a grand feast and ball, where contestants are free to show off their dancing skills, either with each other or various alien dignitaries in attendance. This is a great time to network and build connections with people from various species and your fellow contestants, so I strongly recommend you do so. Well, that is all for this transmission, I shall see you soon in the flesh, Contestant Kovon."
"System notice, navigation destination has been set for Alpha Centauri IEC Megastation. Please prepare for undocking and acceleration into hyperspace. Estimated time of arrival is 3:15 IST, current date."
Well, I suppose that transmission answers the question of my destination. It has been a while since I've interacted with anyone physically other than my father. A grand ceremony followed by a ball, this is going to be a rough day.
Thankfully, I have quickly found a cache of conveniently accessible information about how to dance as well as details about standard etiquette. I shall use the transit time in order to perfect this technique.
After Bor's announcement, the ship quickly undocks and starts heading for the edge of the solar system. After a few minutes we reach the edge and accelerate into hyperspace.
Interestingly enough, the augmentation kit does not seem to be able to counteract the feeling of reality folding during the acceleration. However, thankfully, I can now safely walk around the ship even while the ship is undergoing acceleration maneuvers. Time to practice my dance skills and mentally brace myself.
3:12 IST, Ninth day, Eighth month, 3078 PV | Edge of Alpha Centauri System / Borealis Cruiser
"Captian Kovon, we have now entered the Alpha Centauri system and are approaching the IEC Megastation. Estimated time until arrival: three minutes. Please prepare yourself for what is to come."
"Understood, Bor. Thank you for your concern. Please take good care of the ship while I am busy."
I don't know if I'm crazy, but ever since I got my augmentation kit, it seems as though Bor has been more concerned about me. It makes me wonder about how ethical the alien species are when classifying AI systems.
Oh well, that isn't really something that concerns me at the moment, as I am not in a position to do anything even if I found an issue. Although, if a certain cute childhood friend were to contemplate this, she might go all activist on these poor aliens.
Once again, the view out of the window astonishes me. After all, it's not every day that one gets to see a trinary star system this close up. Maybe it will be though, it seems like I will be returning to this station quite often. It is not long before we arrive at the gigantic Megastation and have docked.
As I look out the window, I notice several ships that look quite similar to mine have either docked or are in the process of doing so. After we dock, Alex approaches me and speaks.
"Mr. Ducker, please brace yourself and follow me as we disembark. I trust that you have read up on etiquette, we will likely pass by several dignitaries and other personnel on our way to the preparation room, so please be mindful and don't freak out."
"Understood Alex, thank you for the words of caution, however I don't appreciate you doubting my composure."
I follow closely behind Alex as we exit the ship into a grand hallway. It is around twenty meters wide. On the sides of each hallway is a series of rails, with various people using them to move at quite high speed. The sheer variety of alien species and different drones is astonishing. I notice at least one of each of the seven species, as well as several that appear to be hybrids.
I was concerned with how people managed to move around this behemoth of a station quickly, but I supposed my question has been answered. Alex approaches the rail and holds out his hand, a tether appears out of the nearest rail and Alex quickly grabs on and steps onto the rail. I do the same and we speed off. My readout says that we are moving at nearly 500m/s. The rails must also have some of that massless tech that was used on the safety seats. I should ask someone about that, I haven't managed to find anything in the information I was provided.
Several minutes pass by and Alex motions with his hand, and we start to decelerate and come to a stop. We both quickly step off the rail and Alex proceeds to walk on, I follow behind him. We walk several meters down a side corridor and come to a series of eight doors. Above each one is the name of a contestant, of course, one is left blank due to the declined offer. Alex approaches my door and motions for me to place my hand on the terminal next to it. I do so and the door opens, Alex follows me inside.
Inside is a room not dissimilar to my ship's lobby. However, it contains a large hologram pedestal in the center. Shortly after I enter, the door closes and seals, and then the station's AI, Eve, appears in hologram form and starts to talk.
"Welcome back to my station, Contestant Kovon Ducker. It is my pleasure to be the venue chosen to host your induction ceremony. Please be patient, you will be escorted out into the antechamber in about twelve minutes. I recommend you take this time to ensure you are properly prepared, as you will be busy for the next several hours with various activities. Your copy of Contestants Guide to the Universe has been updated with some new relevant information, please ensure you give it a read. Have fun, Contestant Kovon Ducker, remember that this day is to celebrate all of humanity, and you are here to represent your species."
As I have some time left, I rapidly skim through the new data download that has been sent to me. It appears that it primarily contains a list of the sovereign species and many details about them. It also has some basic information about the contestants. I quickly record this new information in my notebook. I'm sure it will come in handy very soon.
Time flies by and Eve tells me that it is now time. The door unseals and Alex motions for me to follow behind him. When I exit into the hall, it is deserted. They must be planning some kind of grand reveal for the contestants to meet each other. Alex leads me into a fancy antechamber, inside are seven humans, who must be the other contestants. It appears now is the time when we finally get to see each other. None of the contestants are talking with each other, in fact some seem to not even acknowledge the presence of the rest. I walk into the room, and stand near a high-top table.
"Wait, it can't be… Ko?"
At the voice suddenly speaking behind me I quickly turn, and what I see gives me a brief moment of surprise.
"Ray? Is that really you? I saw a name similar to yours on the contestant list, but I figured it couldn't possibly be you."
"Ko, it really is you, I can't believe it. I didn't even know you were alive, after your sudden disappearance three years ago."
Allow me to explain, before me stands a woman with platinum blonde hair, blue eyes and wearing a white flight suit, straight out of a mecha anime. Her name is Rayleigh Inan, in the data briefing it lists her as a law student. However, she is no stranger to me, in fact, we have been the bestest of friends since age 6.
That is, until three years ago, when I suddenly, and without any warning, dropped out of school and cut contact with everyone except for my father. Since I last saw her, she has definitely gotten taller, and she has a much more imposing air about her. I can still tell though, she is undoubtedly the Ray from my glory days.
"Uh, I guess it is me. Sorry about that whole disappearing thing by the way, I was in a pretty rough place."
Suddenly, Ray rushes up to me and grabs me into a tight hug. Somehow, my
internal defensive mechanics knew that she was no threat and did not react. After what seems like ages (in a good way), she steps back and slaps my face, hard.
"Jerk! It seems you haven't changed at all. You reunite with your best friend after three years and the first thing you say is sorry. Cmon, you should know better than that by now."
"Unfortunately, your statement is not entirely true. I have changed into a NEET that has been living the recluse lifestyle off my father's fortune. Also, I wouldn't call this a reunion per say, we are in an alien space station trillions of kilometers from Earth for Kek's sake." (Note: Kek was one of our favourite internet streamers growing up)
"Idiot, Idiot, Idiot." She says this while lightly punching my shoulder, "You definitely haven't changed, you still have that irritating habit of putting yourself down. Even when you fully know you are far more gifted than I.
As for our reunion, what better place for long lost friends to reunite than on an alien space station trillions of kilometers from Earth, I could think of no better venue for such a reunion."
At these words, my composure shatters. My eyes start to well up with tears and I pull Ray into a tight hug. I promised myself I wouldn't make a fool of myself today. Here I am, tears flowing down my face, being all emotional.
All the while, every other contestant (and any external observers) are clearly paying close attention to our interaction. I am feeling a mixture of relief/happiness, at my reunion with Ray, embarrassment, at the public display of weakness im showing, and fear, for if Ray is here, then that means the other contestants must have abilities comparable to hers.
Make no mistake, even though Ray claims I am superior to her (which I avidly disagree with), she is certainly extremely gifted, often acclaimed as one of the most talented people of our generation on the net. Her presence here signifies that the other contestants are of similar ability to her, which means that becoming administrator is not going to be an easy feat.
After several minutes, we disengage from our very public hug and trigger our kits to quickly fix our appearances (by the way, I forgot to mention, but Ray looks absolutely stunning).
We silently survey our surroundings and regain our composure. It is then that the hologram pedestal in the center of the room starts glowing, and above it appears the Gamekeeper. The anticipation in the room increases rapidly. Whatever it is about to announce, I can only respond by mentally saying, 'bring it on'.
End of Chapter 6
A/N: Welcome back dear reader, to my wonderful section of the chapter where I ramble about various things. As usual, thank you for reading this chapter. At long last, the reunion of the lost childhood friends, just on the eve of the biggest intergalactic event of the year too! As always, if you are enjoying the novel, likes/comments/reviews/fun jokes are much appreciated.
Cathrix