After the very awkward happenings on the bridge, CJ, Tiff, and I decided we could discuss stat allocations in the galley over some food. Elvis already had the Bloodhound underway on course to the AI containment facility, and we were just a few days out, so we had some time to fine-tune our plan and continue focusing on training for CJ and me. Our original plan had us arriving at the Red Moon of Alcara with 5 days to spare. It would take 11 days to travel to and retrieve Tiff’s body, and another 14 days to travel to the moon after that. We lost one day on our detour to the grind station, but the three extra levels I gained made that pit stop well worth it.

  After visiting the A.C.R.S I sat down to enjoy my meal. I decided to go with Cajun-style shrimp and grits, and it did not disappoint. CJ went in a completely different direction and was enjoying a large bowl of what he referred to as “Trash.” According to him, it was a comfort food his mom used to make, consisting of a mix of different crackers and pretzels that are seasoned heavily.

  I watched him devouring the bowl of trash with amazement. “You know that doesn't qualify as a meal, right?”

  CJ turned his head slowly in my direction, a piece of cracker falling into his beard. “You know you don’t actually qualify as a captain…right? Ouch! What the hell?” CJ jumped up from his chair, rubbing his backside.

  “Insubordination will not be tolerated, NUB. captain is glorious leader! You are imbecile with food in beard. SHAME, SHAME, SH” Elvis proclaimed.

  I cut him off with a chuckle. “Okay, Elvis. Point made. Call off the A-gangers.”

  CJ glared up at the ceiling as he sat back down, “I will find a way to hurt you. If it is the last thing I do, I will hurt you…you son of a Windows Vista operating system!”

  “What did you say?! Useless sack of meat! Never speak of Windows Vista in my presence again!” Elvis cried as several more A-gangers scurried from their hiding places with various brutal-looking attachments primed for attack.

  CJ jumped out of his seat, pointing his fork in their direction, “Let’s fucking do this! I been waiting for a chance to junk a few of your little lackeys!”

  I stood up and put my hands out defensively. “Guys! Let’s bring it down a few notches! Elvis, that is an order. We have things to do, so can we just get to work already? It’s like babysitting a couple of feral chimpanzees with you two, damn!”

  The A-gangers retreated into their dark recesses menacingly, never turning their backs on CJ as they went. CJ took a deep breath and sat back down to continue eating his food. Tiff, seemingly getting used to the chaos, never stopped eating her meal and only finally looked up as we all sat down. “Have the children finished their feud already?

  I just shook my head and ran my fingers through my hair in frustration. “Elvis, how long will we have to plan and organize once we reach the containment facility?”

  “Elvis planned 24 hours for operational strategizing. After 24 hours, Bloodhound will move into orbit of facility. Tiff and Elvis will be incapacitated during that time. Ship will be programmed to disengage 12 hours after Captain leaves Bloodhound,” Elvis replied.

  “How will the ship run if you are inactive, Elvis?” I asked nervously, wondering how the ship would still be operable.

  “Elvis higher functioning systems will be off-line, but Elvis has programmed sub-minds to operate the ship in his absence. All primary systems will operate at acceptable levels until ship is outside of dampening field,” Elvis said.

  “Hopefully, this doesn’t take 12 hours, Elvis; what if I get back sooner? I’m going to assume the containment facility has some sort of external defense system. If I’m coming back to the Bloodhound under duress, we will need to get out quickly,” feeling the stress of that possible outcome mounting on me as I spoke.

  “No problem, Captain! Elvis programmed OS switch on Captain’s console,” Elvis replied excitedly.

  “OS switch?” I asked. I understood more and more when Elvis and Tiff explained advanced technology to me lately. The increase I had received in my intelligence stat not only allowed me to absorb knowledge more easily but also to recall basically anything I had ever learned.

  “Yes, Captain. The ‘OH SHIT’ switch will allow you to disengage quickly. The Bloodhound will travel to a pre-programmed jump location at full thrust and warp away,” Elvis replied. “Elvis is smart. He has considered all variables. The Bloodhound also has basic defense capabilities, if needed. The defense array will be set on auto. Captain will only need to hit the switch, strap in, and hang on.”

  “OS switch? really?” I said, shaking my head.

  It was easy to forget how advanced Elvis was. Tiff had a physical form and was capable of things that I couldn’t yet fully comprehend, but it was easy to understand that she was an ultra-advanced life form. Elvis, on the other hand, was just a voice on a ship, and he chose to speak like a violent caveman most of the time. Between that and his ongoing junior high squabbles with CJ, it was easy to take him for granted.

  Tiff put her hand on my forearm, “Captain, you have enough to worry about without considering the ship. Elvis has that under control. Just focus on the mission.”

  The pressure of this upcoming Exfil mission was mounting. I would be walking into a threat that I didn’t fully understand without all the information necessary to be successful. I had become dependent on Tiff’s knowledge and guidance, and I felt like I would be going in blind. It was enough to overwhelm anyone, and all I could think about right now was the fact that Tiff’s hand was on my forearm.

  “Uh,” I coughed, “Yeah, you’re right, Tiff. I need to focus on the mission. Me and CJ both need to be focused.”

  I was feeling more confident knowing that I would have CJ for backup on this mission. As much as that helped my mental state, I knew that if we got into trouble once we were in the containment facility, things would go bad very fast.

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  “CJ, how is the training coming on the drop suit?” I asked, turning to CJ, who was now greedily eating what looked like some sort of fried ball.

  “What are you eating now, man?” I asked, a bit taken aback at the sight.

  “It’s a fried boudin ball, bro! It has pepper jack cheese in it. This is like my fourth one today,” he responded with a mouth full of food.

  “The food box can literally make anything, and it has a database of every earth dish. I mean literally any food you could ever want, this thing can make,” he said, still tearing into the boudin ball.

  I tilted my head and slowly set my fork down, “Aaand, of all the culinary delights our planet has to offer, you chose a boudin ball?”

  “Hey, fuck you, Andy. It’s comfort food and Elvis has been riding my ass like a submariner on shore leave,” CJ said as he finished off the last one on his plate and immediately taking a long drag of his vape.

  I put my hands up. “Fair enough, buddy. By the way, when did we start calling it a Food Box?”

  CJ breathed out a long puff of vape. “Hey, it’s easier than saying Carbonized Atom Recombination Station. Whoever named that shit needs a lesson in marketing strategies. I named it the Food Box; it’s easier”

  “Okay, fair enough,” I shrugged. I turned to Tiff, who had finished her meal, and politely folded her napkin, placing it on her plate along with her utensils. “Tiff, let’s talk about stats, and you mentioned something about a new ability?”

  “Yes, pull up your interface, and let’s see where your stat levels are now before we assign the free points,” she replied.

  “Okay, doing it now,” I responded as I mentally pulled up my stat screen.

  Captain Andrew Dawes

  Name – Andrew Timothy Dawes

  Race – Human

  Level – P-7

  Class – Havok Bringer

  Stats –

  Strength – P7 – 2

  Intelligence – P8 – 1

  Dexterity – P7 – 8

  Defense – P7 – 1

  Abilities – Pulsar Blast

  “Okay, first we need to talk about your stat growth, and then we need to talk about that new ability you have; it’s interesting, to say the least,” Tiff said as I finished reading my updated stats. “You are starting to see the disparity in stat leveling. The disparity isn’t huge right now, but it could be problematic as you continue to grow your overall level. The way you defeated that Spider Queen garnered you a large boost in intelligence. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean you must have a focused training regiment to grow your lagging stats. Defense, for example, is P7-1; you will need to spend some time training your defensive capabilities to ensure you are able to achieve your next master level. Strength isn’t much better than defense, unfortunately. I think we should have Elvis design some training scenarios that will focus on forcing you to lean into those two stats. With any luck, we could have a much more balanced look by the time we get to the containment facility. Have you noticed any physical changes since gaining levels?”

  “Now that you mention it, I have. My body has been going through some changes over the last few days,” I stood up to show what I meant.

  CJ took another drag of his vape and leaned back in his seat, “It’s called your period, sweetheart. Don’t worry, it is completely natural, and we still love you.”

  I looked him dead in the eyes and raised my shirt to show my new, lean physique. A glorious set of washboard abs were in the place of my formerly doughy stomach.

  “Jealous, bitch?” I said with a grin.

  “Fuuuck you, Ryan Gosling!” CJ shouted and flipped me off while he laughed in astonishment. “Bro, you even have the dick root thing!” referring to the abdominal V that peaked out above my waistline. “Geez, those upgrades are not fair at all!”

  “Don’t all humans have abdominal muscles?” Tiff asked, obviously not understanding the significance of my new bulging stomach muscles.

  “Uh yeah, it’s just that I just couldn’t really see mine before, but after jumping to level 7 I can,” I responded.

  “I told you that the stat increases would cause some physical changes; it shouldn’t be a surprise. Feel free to put your shirt down now,” she said, before sneaking one last glance.

  “I know. I remember what you said, but I just didn’t expect this. My body is actually changing as I level up, it’s pretty damn cool!” I said, still rubbing my new abs. “Well, now that we have established that there are some noticeable physical changes, let’s move on to that new ability.

  “Pulsar Blast?” Tiff asked. She was obviously reading my mind at this point. “Highlight the ability, and it should provide you with a description.”

  I mentally focused on the title of the ability, and as I did, it highlighted and expanded the description. I read it out loud:

  Pulsar Blast – The Pulsar is a dying star that emits highly magnetized beams of electromagnetic radiation from its poles. Immense power is radiated as the star dies. You can now harness that power through a defensive ability that should be used as a fail-safe when no other relevant options present themselves. This ability will allow you to emit a blast of electromagnetic radiation from each hand. Upon activation, the blast will disarm and injure any enemies that are directly hit by the blast. Once disarmed, any weapons of metallic origin will be drawn toward you, effectively eliminating the current threat. The suit will provide an impenetrable field for 10 seconds following the blast and you will be rendered immobile for the duration of this effect. Use with caution and only as a last resort.

  “Well, that is both damn cool and really dangerous,” I said. “I won’t be able to move for ten seconds after I use it, but I will have a shield. There is a lot to consider here. For now, I won’t use the ability unless it is absolutely necessary, and I would like to test it in the VCR before I have to use it in live combat.”

  Tiff looked concerned as she spoke, “Andrew, there are some things we need to discuss before we get to the Red Moon, but for now, just know that the ability you received is basically a get-out-of-jail-free card. Use it only when you have absolutely no other alternative, but it will most likely save your life more than once.”

  “What do you mean there are some things we need to discuss?” I asked. “What are you not telling me?”

  I trusted Tiff completely since she managed to get me out of the tutorial alive, but that one comment gave me reason to question her intentions for the first time.

  Tiff looked directly at me, her eyes meeting mine, “Andrew, I will tell you everything that I can when the time is right, but we have pressing things that we need to stay focused on right now, understand?”

  I became irrationally angry at that comment. I had been stolen away from my planet and asked to take on the impossible task of trying to save the world. I had been expected to trust an alien that I had never met from a race that I didn’t even know existed before a few weeks ago. I had unintentionally involved my best friend in all of this, and now I am being brushed off because I feel like there is information that I am not being told.

  “No, Tiff, there aren’t more important things. This is my ship. Elvis answers to my orders, and CJ follows my directions without asking anything in return. If there is something that you aren’t telling me that could possibly endanger my life, CJ, Elvis, the Bloodhound, or the overall mission, I need to know, and I need to know now.”

  For the first time since I had met her, Tiff looked concerned, nervous even. She fidgeted in her seat and looked down at her hands. This was the most human emotion that I had ever seen from her.

  “Andrew, you have to understand that I’m about to tell you something that has impacts across the galaxy, and I need you to remember that when I started on this journey, I didn’t know you. I made decisions for the good of my people and the galaxy as a whole. Please understand that I want you to trust me, and I hope you will after this,” Tiff said as a single tear escaped from her left eye.