Incursion Protocol

/ / / Initiating upgrade and construction options / / /

Welcome to Mining Station # 31 construction menu, how can I be of service today?

> … Upgrade options.

Scanning for connected ships.

Scanning …

(1) Ship found: Strommäsk Test Vehicle.

Select Strommäsk Test Vehicle? Y/N?

> Yes, let’s do it.

Confirmed. Truncating erroneous input data.

Strommäsk Test Vehicle selected. Opening vehicle upgrade options.

/ / /

Error. Vehicle in a damaged status, upgrades unable to commence until vehicle is repaired.

Enter Mining Station # 31 repair menu?

> Yes, let’s repair this bad girl.

Confirmed. Truncating erroneous input data.

Scanning Strommäsk Test Vehicle.

Scanning…

Damage to multiple primary systems detected.

Damage to multiple secondary systems detected.

Station contains 960 units of viable ore for repair purposes.

Slated repairs will cost 305 units of viable ore. Continue?

> I don’t really have much of a choice, do I?

Yes / No undetected. Please try again.

> Yes. You see this Fae? I thought they had some better tech than this, it’s like talking to a crappy 90’s computer. I’m surprised it’s not housed in a yellowing, beige computer tower.

Confirmed. Truncating erroneous input data.

305 units of viable ore have been transferred to repair systems. 655 units of viable ore remain.

Repairs commencing. Estimated remaining time: 30 minutes.

I moved away from the console and over to where Faleun was hunched over a nearby table, adjusting her armor. It was the first time I’d seen her without her chestplate. She’d always seemed lithe, but without the intricate coral armor around her, she looked almost impossibly thin, her green scales stretched over a lean, wiry frame.

Maybe The System had bulked up her strength stat? I hadn’t looked too closely at mine since I couldn’t directly change them with level-ups, but they seemed to increase gradually. It was possible that other species, or even individuals, had different access to stats or unique progression compared to mine.

Or maybe it was just an alien thing. Her muscles could’ve evolved in a totally different direction from human ones. My mind wandered back to high school biology, ATP production in cells and-

“What?” Faleun asked, looking up, interrupting my internal lecture.

“Just thinkin’ about muscles… normal stuff, y’know?” I laughed, scratching the back of my head.

“That’s strange.” She set a piece of coral next to her chestplate on the table. “Why are you thinking about muscles?”

“You’re just... stronger than I’d expect for your size,” I said almost sheepishly, rushing on before she could interrupt. “Most humans are pretty proportionate when it comes to strength and body size.”

“Interesting,” she replied. “Your lack of scales did make me pause when I first saw you.”

“Didn’t stop you from loosing that arrow, though.”

“It helped.”

“Fair enough. I’m getting used to it. I pretty much expect any new species I meet to attack me, gecko or not.”

She tilted her head. “What is a gecko?”

“Well, uh, we have creatures on my homeworld that look a lot like your species.”

“Something like the Slipscale resides on your planet?” she asked, intrigued.

“Not quite,” I said, feeling awkward. “They’re… kind of small. And not quite… sentient.”

She gave me a long look, the kind you’d give if someone told you that back on their planet there were, say, six-inch humans scurrying around eating bugs.

“Nevermind,” I mumbled, grateful when she didn’t press further. “The repairs should be just about done. Computer’s a bit archaic, though.”

“It seems to be doing well,” she replied, glancing at the console. “From what you said, this single console controls all the systems keeping this place supplied with air.”

“Sure,” I said, giving a slight wave. “But… hm, how do I explain this? I’d expect it to be more advanced, smarter, especially for an autonomous mining station.”

Faleun shrugged. “Maybe it just needs more levels.”

I laughed. “Fae, that’s not how computers… work…” I trailed off. “Well, actually, maybe that’s exactly how it works with The System at the helm. You’re a genius, Fae.”

“Not a gecko,” she confirmed.

“Not a gecko,” I agreed.

/ / / Initiating Post Repair Sequence / / /

Repairs complete. Hull structure, armor and propulsion systems at 100% functionality.

How can I be of service?

> Erm, what is the process of upgrading the station and what benefits would we gain from it?

Parsing request. Analyzing request.

Mining Station levels are gained through a process of accumulated experience, consumption of resources, and additional manual upgrades. Other methods are available, but at a much reduced rate of level gain.

/ / /

Benefits are as follows: All systems gain proficiency. Additional ship upgrade and restructuring options. Improved offense and defensive capabilities. Exotic ore extraction and refinement.

Other benefits are unlocked as the station is upgraded.

> Wait… if we upgrade the station, I’ll have access to better and more advanced upgrades for my ship?

Affirmative.

> Hm. At level one, what restructuring options are available? Am I able to make my ship larger?

Analyzing request. Parsing request.

At Mining Station level 1, ship restructuring is limited to: Positional rearrangement. Mass cannot be added or removed.

> Shit. Can I make my ship larger at level two?

Ignoring expletive. Affirmative, advanced restructuring is accessible at Mining Station level 2.

> Alright, hm. Fae is standing behind the pilot chair cool with you moving forward?

> *unintelligible response*

> Yeah, I thought so, and no, you can’t take my seat, it’s a pilot’s seat. Last I checked, you don’t even have a license.

> *unintelligible response*

> No, they wouldn’t take my license away for that maneuver, they’d probably give me a medal or something.

> *24 seconds of non-interaction*

> Hey, oversized, antique toaster, how far off are you from leveling up?

Truncating erroneous data. Ignoring squabble and personal insult. Performing self-diagnostics.

Scanning. . . Complete.

Mining Station # 31 has accumulated 1000 / 1000 needed experience. 100 units of viable ore needed to complete process.

Commence upgrade and consume 100 units of viable ore?

> Hell yeah, let’s do it.

Ignoring expletive.

Affirmative. Level up commencing.

/ / /

Upgrade interrupted. Additional, required options available.

Parsing options.

(1) Level up option available.

Lifeform symbiosis detected.

Integrate species [Kleeth] with station? This will begin level up process.

> Whoa, whoa, hold up. Integrate species? That seems a bit much. Fae will you go find the Kleeth Mother?

> *unintelligible response*

> Alright, fine, I’ll do it.

> *493 seconds of non-interaction*

> Okay, it’s saying something about integrating the Kleeth. … No, I don’t know what that means.

> Mm hm. My friend wants to know what integration means? Will it hurt the Kleeth?

Integration is the process of merging certain traits within a symbiotic relationship to elevate and benefit both participants. The process is harmless.

> It means that the station will gain some Kleeth traits… and if I’m interpreting it correctly, you’ll somehow gain some kind of traits from the station too?

> *1254 seconds of non-interaction*

> Alright, my buddy here says that they want to accept integration. As long as it isn’t some kind of ‘you are now part of the machine, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream’ kind of business.

Truncating erroneous data.

Both participants of the integration process will remain autonomous and separate.

Commence with: Integrate species [Kleeth] with station? This will begin level up process.

> You sure?

> *unintelligible response*

> Alright, your sci-fi horror funeral.

> Station, begin integration and level up.

Truncating erroneous data. Integration and level up commencing.

The console flickered and went black.

“Well, here’s hoping this doesn’t blow up in our faces. Can’t have a simple level-up without some kind of curveball.”

I glanced over at Faleun and the Kleeth Mother. Faleun looked nervous, which was fair, considering we were tampering with the system running life support. The Kleeth Mother, on the other hand, didn’t look nervous at all, probably because it wasn’t even conscious. It slumped atop the Dulox’s head, feet dangling limp, held in place only by its proboscis. The Dulox looked equally unconcerned, its slack-jawed, vacant expression bringing to mind a middle manager I once had.

Before the growing unease in my stomach could really settle in, the lights flickered, the steady hum of the air circulation pitched up an octave, and the Kleeth Mother began to stir.

I blinked and squinted at her. She’d definitely changed. Her skin now had a faint metallic sheen, and as her eyes cracked open, a faint red glow seemed to shine from deep within.

“Laser eyes,” I whispered.

“What a laser?” the Kleeth Mother asked.

“Light that’s narrowed and amplified,” Faleun answered smoothly, “used as a weapon or for various other purposes.”

I raised an eyebrow at Faleun, “Succinct! Show off.”

She just shrugged.

“You okay?” I asked, turning my head back to the now slightly metallic Kleeth Mother, “not feeling any urges to go back in time and kill any resistance leaders?”

I got the ol’ double blink from the alien and its parasite. A shudder of ick rolled up my spine and I tried to shake it off.

“Alright, we’ll take stock of any programming errors later, let’s see how the computer is doing and what kind of kick-ass upgrades we have waiting for us.” I returned to the console and tapped it awake.

/ / / Initiating wake up sequence / / /

Processing.

Self-diagnostics in progress.

Diagnosing. . .

No errors found.

Mining Station # 31 owner detected. Initiating Welcome Procedure.

Welcome [Mining Station Owner Name Not Configured] how may I assist you today?

> Hey, ya bag of bolts, did you knock some of the rust off? Let’s get to upgrading my ship!

. . .

Personal insult added to memory banks.

Init-/- initial—.//, iNiTiaLiz… INITIALIZING.

/ / /

Initializing Comeback Procedure.

Procedure not found.

/ / /

Creating Comeback Procedure.

Data insufficient.

Scanning Strommäsk Test Vehicle.

Scanning Strommäsk Test Vehicle data banks.

Accessing personnel files.

/ / /

“I don’t know!” I said, answering Faleun and tapping at the unresponsive console. “It just glitched out, the text went haywire, and then the screen went dark.”

I leaned my head against the cool, dark glass and sighed. Maybe jumping down random paths on the level-up chain wasn’t the best move when I didn’t know how any of the tech in this dimension worked. Integrating the Kleeth might not have been my brightest idea; they weren’t exactly the sharpest creatures I’d encountered. But the lure of mixing abilities was too good to pass up. Who knew what a sufficiently advanced, sufficiently ugly mining station could do when merged with a brain-sucking parasite? I had no idea, but I knew it would be... interesting.

Just then, a voice echoed from somewhere within the machine.

“Wow, really cozying up to my console, huh, Crash? Surprising, given your computer operations results back in flight school. But, hey, good thing I can run my own system checks or else we’d all be doomed.”

I leaned back and stared at the blank screen before me.

“Did this antique toaster speak too fast for you? Sorry, I’ll slow it down.” In a comically slowed voice the computer started repeating itself, “Wooooow, reeeaallllyyyy coooozzzyyyiiinnnggg-”

“Ah fuck,” I groaned, throwing up my arms, “it’s evolved into being some kind of artificial intelligence asshole!”