Chương 7: First Class

"Hello?" Bates stood at the capsule's hatch, half-inside, examining the dimly lit space. He didn't seem to notice Felix against the back wall, instead choosing to focus on the panels covered in switches and protruding circular circuit breaker caps.

"This thing sure looks old." He raised an eyebrow, finally directing his attention to Felix.

"And you were just floating around in it?" Felix looked up from Ana's photo in his lap. His eyes were still red and his body ached with a raw pain that wasn't merely physical. He'd stared at the photo for what had to be hours, comparing every line of her face to every brushstroke of his damaged memory. He couldn't remember the when or what of the occasion it was taken, but he knew the memory was nearby, waiting for rediscovery.

While he sat with the photo and the shards of remembrance, he made an oath to his daughter, far away and lost in a universe he wasn't sure he could find. Felix Conway would find a way home. His eyes focused on Bates.

"You coming in or just going to stand around out there?" The headache that had been present ever since he'd first woke in the capsule had finally abated and the green aura highlighting the cargo technician had dimmed to a tolerable, almost barely noticeable level. The rest of the crew had also faded, taking a backseat in his awareness but no longer demanding his attention. Bates looked him over, shrugged, and then threw one leg, then the other over the hatch and slid inside.

Felix gestured toward the borrowed pair of footwear he'd left nearby.

"Take your shoes off.""'Cause it's a museum piece?" Bates asked as he unlaced his boots.

"No, because it's my home." The man grunted and slipped off the boots, then gingerly picked his way through the capsule to lean on the back of the command chair. It creaked on its rails as his weight settled against it.

"Well, it sure looks like you stole it from a museum. They've got something like this in New Honshu." He pointed to the picture, still resting in Felix's lap.

"Who's the woman? Girlfriend? Wife?" Felix clenched his jaw, then shook his head a moment.

"Daughter."

"Ah." Silence stretched out in the capsule, Felix sitting and Bates leaning, biting his lip and glancing between Felix and the hatch.

"She married?" Felix shook his head again.

"I don't know. I can't remember that. Only teaching her to fly." He pushed against the memory again, coming up against the mental wall he'd discovered since he'd retired to the capsule after the meeting. It didn't hurt to probe anymore, but whatever this System had done to lock him out of his own life seemed impenetrable. He followed the flying trail again: Ana had soloed at sixteen, gotten her license at seventeen, then…

the wall blocked him from anything else, except for a rapidly becoming familiar deep sense of longing and loss. He sighed, then finally looked up at Bates.

"Where's Earth? You mentioned New Honshu, we're headed to somewhere called York and both of those are named for places on Earth. What about going there?" Bates broke into a chuckle which swiftly developed into a full-throated laugh. It took a moment, but when he realized Felix wasn't laughing with him, he quieted and relaxed.

"You really have no idea, do you?" Felix just stared and crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall, waiting.

"I take back what I said about you being with the pirates. Everyone knows it was lost a thousand years ago."

"A thousand years ago." Felix blinked. That would explain the Magpie as well as those pirate fighters.

"Give or take a bit." He chuckled again.

"Go to Earth…." They sat again in silence for a couple more minutes before Felix cleared his throat.

"Did you come find me out of friendliness, or was there something you wanted?" The other man rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, someone had to check on you. I drew the short straw." He glanced off into blank space for moment, then back to Felix.

"Also we're going to be at the gate soon and we need you to fly."

"I see." He gave the picture another long look, then tucked it back into the bag and stood, carrying it with him.

"Then I should probably crawl out of my hole and do my job, shouldn't I." Bates shrugged again.

"Just tellin' you what's happening." Felix looked around the pod for a moment, let out a sigh and then grabbed the meal bag as well. He did make a promise, after all.

"Let's go," he said, waving toward the open hatch. The cargo technician was first out of the hatch, taking the bags from Felix as he followed. Felix couldn't help but blink in the brighter light of the bay as his eyes adjusted—someone had fixed the overhead lighting. The deck had also been cleared, and the loose pile of scrap was corralled back into the corner, an additional net stretching across the top. It was a lot of work for the time he'd been sequestered back in the capsule.

"Got a lot of work done in here, I see."

"Yup. The ca—Heigel always wanted the place cleaned up fast as possible, said a tidy ship was a good ship." Nodding, Felix entered the spinal hallway, stopping briefly in the crew mess to drop the meal bag from the capsule. He paused at the coffee— No, I will not call it paste! — machine. The mug he'd been using was returned to the rack beside the machine, cleaned and looking as if it had never left. He almost reached out for it, but hesitated. Something still felt wrong with taking it.

Bates saw the movement and stepped by Felix, pulling the mug out of the rack and sliding it under the machine's dispenser. It began to purr, with only a little bit of extra hissing. Within moments it was filled with black liquid, and Bates thrust it into his hands.

"Misty cleaned it up for you. Figured you'd want a cup when you came out." Felix turned the cup, examining the lettering again. CAPTAIN.

"How much of a problem is this going to be?"

"It's only going to be one if you make it one, now." Bates' voice held no threat or malice, as far as Felix could tell the statement was just an admission of fact.

"Seemed like a bit of an issue for Kyra," Felix said as he poured in some powdered creamer.

"Well, she's not a big fan of change anyway." Felix took a sip. The sour-sweet tang was starting to grow on him. He thought briefly about making a batch of his coffee as a peace offering for her, but the way Bates kept looking toward the corridor suggested he should get to the command deck sooner, rather than later. In fact, Bates almost appeared relieved when he walked out, turning toward the front of the ship.

Since the Magpie wasn't a large vessel, it only took a moment to be at the deck hatch, where Bates stopped.

"This is as far as I go. I never like coming up there anyway, at least unless I have to. Looking out into too much space." He shivered. Felix raised an eyebrow.

"But you don't mind the cargo bay being open?" Bates gave what Felix was beginning to realize was one of his signature shrugs.

"I'm looking down, instead of ahead." He turned back down the hall, hurrying toward his bay and leaving Felix alone at the hatch. His crew sense told him both the Taggarts were at their stations inside. He took a deep breath, then waved his hand across the panel to open the door. The command deck greeted him in a gentle blue-white glow rather than the brighter off-white of the rest of the ship. The regular overhead lighting had been turned down, allowing the compartment to be solely lit by the effect from outside.

The light flickered every few moments as the ship traveled through a ring, the objects flashing by the exterior window almost as fast as Felix could perceive them. He stood in the hatch for a good minute, just watching the rhythmic flash. The ship had to be moving impossibly fast, thanks to these rings. It reminded him of something, but again his memory, and the System, proved to be reluctant to give up the secret. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Comforting, isn't it?" Misty asked from the jump seat attached to Gavin's console.

"We've always enjoyed the light from the cruise lanes."

"Bates said you were going to need me?" Gavin nodded.

"Yes, we'll be leaving the cruise lane in about ten minutes and queuing up for the gate to York." He looked toward the captain's chair. It now sat empty, the previous occupant and his demise just a memory, though Felix could swear there was a stain on the seat cover. Instead of taking the chair, he stepped around it, careful not to even brush against the console and slid into the pilot's seat. The cupholder accepted his mug, closing a cover over the mouth when he released the handle. It really was a clever design.

The Taggarts looked at one another, meanwhile, and then Misty cleared her throat.

"You can take the Chair… sir." Felix just shook his head, then leaned back and watched the cruise lane rings flash by. After a minute of staring off he finally allowed himself to look again at the notification icon burning in the corner of his vision. [CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE FOUR ABILITY POINTS AVAILABLE.] Ability points? Like in a game?

He focused on the message and another menu popped up, [AVAILABLE CHOICES: COMBAT PILOT] [COST 3 - HIGH PERFORMANCE (ACTIVE): PILOT MAY DEMAND MORE OF THEIR SHIP THAN IT IS NORMALLY CAPABLE AT AN INCREASED MAINTENANCE COST FOR DURATION OF USE. EACH ADDITIONAL LEVEL PROVIDES GREATER PERFORMANCE WHILE REDUCING NEGATIVE MAINTENANCE EFFECTS.] [COST 3 - OVERWHELMING FIREPOWER (ACTIVE): SHIELD AND ENGINE POWER REROUTES TO WEAPONS, INCREASING DAMAGE OUTPUT WHILE REDUCING INCOMING DAMAGE ABSORPTION AND SPEED FOR DURATION OF USE.] [COST 3 – JUGGERNAUT (ACTIVE): WEAPONS AND ENGINE POWER REROUTES TO SHIELDS, ALLOWING THE SHIP TO SHRUG OFF ADDITIONAL DAMAGE FOR DURATION OF USE.] [COST 4 – PREDATOR (PASSIVE): HOSTILES SUFFER REDUCTIONS TO THEIR ACCURACY, SPEED AND MANEUVERABILITY WHILE ENGAGED WITH OR ENGAGED BY PILOT] [AVAILABLE CHOICES: CAPTAIN, CIVILIAN] [COST 1 - SHIP CLASS SPECIALIZATION (SKILL): LIGHT CARGO. GRANTS INCREASE IN SHIP PERFORMANCE AND EXPENDABLE ITEM, CARGO CAPACITY PER LEVEL.] [COST 1 - SHIP CLASS SPECIALIZATION (SKILL): MULTI-ROLE CARGO. GRANTS INCREASE IN SHIP PERFORMANCE AND EXPENDABLE ITEM, CARGO CAPACITY PER LEVEL.] [COST 1 - UNDER COMMAND (PASSIVE): CREW ABILITY EFFECTS ENHANCED WHEN WITHIN 100 METERS OF CAPTAIN. PERCENTAGE INCREASE PER LEVEL.] [COST 1 - HOLDING OUT (PASSIVE): INCREASE CONTRACT PAY. PERCENTAGE INCREASE PER LEVEL.] Felix leaned forward, dropping his face into his hands and rubbed his eyes, dismissing the screen.

"You've got to be kidding me." His head was starting to hurt again, though this time it wasn't so much caused by the undesired nanobots squatting in his brain as it was the options delivered in the hovering blue text. It seemed ludicrous to be staring at ability and skill selection as if life had become some sort of game, but here he was, staring off into space looking at a menu of just that.

"Something wrong?" Misty had left the jump seat and taken a step nearer. Felix glanced up at her.

"How do you make these choices?"

"Choices?" He nodded and explained the ability selection menu he'd been presented. Both Gavin and Misty's eyebrows shot up when he mentioned having four points to spend and then shared a worried look as he listed off the four offered combat pilot abilities. Gavin shook his head.

"I've never heard of abilities costing four points before, much less something that just seems to hurt someone else's performance rather than enhancing the person themselves. That's…"

"Overpowered," Misty finished, suppressing a shiver.

"If we were in the business of fighting, you'd be a terror." The couple shared a look, then Misty spoke again.

"Did the System give you any Captain options?"

"A few, though I'm not sure how useful they'd be." Felix realized he could share the menu directly with them and pushed it across the network bridge. Their eyes lit up.

"Those are pretty potent for a level one captain," Gavin said.

"And you can pick four." He sounded surprised.

"Since you'll be in our line of work, you might want to consider the two passives. Since upgrade cost is equal to purchase, it may even be worth putting an extra point into Holding Out to help with cash flow…" He paused for a moment." Magpie is a multirole transport, so that might be helpful too. It's always a good idea to carry a bit extra."

"I don't know," Misty said.

"Under Command is a solid buff for all of us, that might be worth an extra point." Felix sat back, crossing his arms as he thought. He felt an itch for the Predator ability, but the echoes of his officer hindbrain warned him he might want to explore the more synergistic options, first. It would make sense to pick those up if he expected to work as a captain, and they might serve him well trying to find a way home. At least, better than any more combat pilot skills might.

"Well, when we get to York, you can make the decision if you want me to stick around," Felix finally said.

"I'm sure there are better qualified people you'd want." Both Taggarts gave one another a look again, then Misty shook her head.

"No, that won't be necessary…at least, we don't think we'll find better." They both seemed uncomfortable at the idea of looking for a more acclimated captain, which Felix found odd. Perhaps it was the combat pilot stats they felt were the deciding factor. He did, after all, bail them out of an ugly situation. Felix stared at the menu, then sighed.

"If I select something, how do I get more of these points?"

"Usually from gaining a level or sometimes through a System milestone, though we never know what those will be," Misty said."

"Alright… well, I'm trusting you guys here." [ABILITY SELECTED: UNDER COMMAND!] [ABILITY SELECTED: HOLDING OUT!] He thought about allocating that suggested extra point but set the idea aside. Perhaps later it would be clear which of either ability would be more useful. [SHIP CLASS SPECIALIZATION: MULTIROLE CARGO SELECTED!] [SHIP CLASS TREE OPTIONS AVAILABLE!] [COST 1 - SPEAK SOFTLY: CAPTAIN MAY EQUIP SHIP WITH ONE ADDITIONAL WEAPON OR DEFENSIVE HARDPOINT PER LEVEL.] [COST 1 – BIG STICK: CAPTAIN MAY EQUIP SHIP WITH WEAPONS OR DEFENSES ONE TIER HIGHER THAN CAPTAIN LEVEL] Felix groaned as the new abilities populated the menu and explained them to the Taggarts, both of whom winced.

"Apologies, Captain," Gavin said.

"We should have thought of that right away. Sometimes specializations give options immediately, sometimes it takes a class level."

"Is the System always this obtuse?" Felix grumbled. [NO, THE SYSTEM PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES. CHOICES ARE UP TO THE USER.] He blinked at the red notification.

"Did either of you see that?" They shook their heads.

"See what?" Misty asked.

"I don't think the System appreciates being called obtuse," Felix said. Both seemed confused at the idea, so he shrugged and dismissed the message, then examined the extra options again. Multirole seemed to lead toward a middle ground, closer to a properly armed and defended merchantman ship, something he'd already seen well demonstrated by the attack earlier.

"I think we could all appreciate an extra hardpoint." On his console a light began to blink, signaling the ship was approaching the end of the cruise lane. He'd need to be ready to fly in a moment. [SPECIALIZATION ABILITY SELECTED: SPEAK SOFTLY!] Perhaps he would stick with the Magpie, and the ship's crew would help him start looking for a way home.