Chapter Two:

Beta Quadrant, Sector 187, Pyillos, Pyillos III, Unknown Location.

April 1, 7215

Brandon’s screen showed the machine stop in front of an empty tube. It reached back picked up his container and then without ceremony dumped its contents into the larger container. Brandon swore he felt a lurch as he witnessed his brain fall and then splash into the now rapidly filling larger tube.

“well the drugs must be working really well. I just watched my brain be tossed around like some unwanted jello mold and had no real reaction. For that matter I am fully accepting this god awful situation at face value.” Brandon mused in a low whisper.

The screen in front of him shifted to show a bored looking young woman. Her dark skin and black curls looked dull and lifeless. “Well that is good.” The new figure said in a flat tone. “It is always painful for new candidates to be shown candid images from the simulation of their lives. Memories of dead loved ones, moments kept private from the world and such.”

Brandon’s mind flashed a few such memories through his mind and was rather glad he would not have to share his most private moments with this poor excuse of a bureaucrat. The woman directly behind Brandon began to scream, “No more… No more… I believe you. Oh for god’s sake please just let me die. I can’t live knowing everything I knew was a lie.”

Brandon turned to look at the balling woman as she stood still screaming in hysterics. She took two steps before she collapsed to the ground and a couple seconds later vanished.

The bored advisor’s eyes moved from watching over Brandon’s shoulder back to him as he turned back around. “Well there are always a few of those too.” More crying could be heard in the room now. Oddly enough though it seemed that for the most part their conversations were being muted. The blue haired man was talking animatedly but Brandon couldn’t hear a noise from him.

“Noticed did you? We block all sounds to protect your privacy. Others cannot see what is on your screen nor hear what is said while talking to your advisor.”

“Unless you want us all to hear it.” Brandon said, thinking of the lady behind him and the other noises around him.

“Yes, of course.” The woman’s voice never shifted, changed or showed even the slightest bit of inflection. “Well we should get started. I go on break in 15 minutes, and I’m sure you do not want me to just randomly assign your aspects. So let’s get started. I am Personal Advisor Nub23FA12564. I will be your House Nubran assigned personal advisor. Finally my name is Jandice. I will be leading you through the assignment of your Verric Nanites, as well as placement into your new position in our great House Nubran. First let me start with a small data download to your cerebral cortex.”

Before Brandon could fully process the woman’s statement her hand had moved and lance of pain shot through Brandon’s head as news articles, data files, videos, and a jumble of other information sped through Brandon’s mind. In 30 seconds he learned a lifetime of common knowledge of the modern universe.

He spent another few minutes processing the information download. As the pain faded he considered his new knowledge. Apparently, the year was 7215. Humanity had spread to the stars millennia ago and now had colonized the entire Milky Way.

Countless non-human species had been encountered in Humanities spread. In most cases war broke out and often ended in the utter extinction of the alien species. In the year 3226 Humanity had encountered an artificial life form calling themselves the Verric. The tiny machines called nanites could configure themselves to any larger construction on a whim. They had one purpose to bring order to the galaxy. Naturally Humanity had objected to any authority other than its own.

The ensuing war was the closest Humanity ever came to losing a war; other than with itself. The Governments that survived the brutal wars that had made Earth uninhabitable, fell one after another to the Verric.

The power vacuum left a system of aristocratic rule to govern the shattered Human civilization. originally the system was based on individual achievements, but later it became conferred by heredity. Large Noble families and super companies became the rulers of human occupied space.

The Verric upon shattering the human resistance vanished. Many believed they left to another galaxy to spread their influence.

Regardless, they never completely left. Every human, non-human and animal in every system now contained Verric nanites in their bodies. These nanites seemed to live in a dormant symbiotic state. The nanites drew nutrients and material to reproduce from their hosts. Humans gained numerous other benefits.

The two with the most impact are a census system that tracks a person’s data. Physical Attributes, Skills, property, and even social organization. The second alteration is an improvement system akin to leveling in a role playing game. Although the methods to gain experience is numerous, once a new advancement is gain the nanites will allow the host to select improvements to their attributes, skills, and abilities. Often these changes can take a host far outside what is normally possible by biology alone.

The screen in front of Brandon shifts again, splitting apart into right and left views. On the Left the image of his melancholy advisor sits. On the right returns to the image of a brain floating in a larger glass-like tube. Now though there are what appears to be tendrils dangling from the brain. A thick one comes from the bottom back of the brain and hundreds if not thousands of smaller ones, some as fine as a hair stretch from it. The Human Nervous system is on full display for Brandon. A jolt of concern pushes through the calm inducing drugs when he realizes this is HIS nervous system. As he watches white patches begin to appear on the top of the brain and along the length of his spinal cord.

The advisor draws his attention back to her with a slight cough. “So now we will begin the process of developing your body. As you know, there are 8 characteristics or Statistics the Verric use to determine a person’s abilities. Strength, Dexterity, Agility, Vitality, Perception, Intelligence, Resolve, and Charisma. The biological Human maximum is rated as a 1.”

“In a trueborn genetics and training determine a person’s exact value. For you vatborn we choose your genes and design your body like if you had been a professional athlete, world class intellectual, and cult leader all rolled into one.”

“your sire has blessed you as such. The vat born of House Nubran do not have the average .5 stat the most of humanity endures. Instead you get a resounding .7 in them all. Praise be to Baronet Reginald Nubran!”

Brandon’s eyebrows twitched as he considered this notion. “I’m sure the nobles and wealthy alter their children’s genes to increase their abilities too. This sounds like medicine wrapped up to look like candy.”

As the advisor prattled on about the glory of House Nubran Brandon Considered what he knew from the download about each stat.

Strength was the primary physical score. It showed a person’s muscles ability to lift, pull, squeeze, and hit.

Dexterity was a person’s score representing hand and eye coordination , aim, instinctual spacial awareness and fine motor skills.

Agility is a person’s reactions, balance, and flexibility. If dexterity pertains to the conscious portion of a human’s movement agility is the unconscious side.

Vitality measures endurance, immune system strength, recovery rates, and one’s general ability to abuse one’s body.

Perception is a person’s situational awareness, It also shows how acute the 7senses are.

“wait what? Seven senses? I thought there was only 5?” As Brandon thought that, the answer came to him. Two additional senses were positively confirmed in the twenty-second century. Empathy is a person’s sense of another lifeforms emotional, mental and spiritual state. All humans have a level of it that they use to communicate on a subconscious level. Psionic is a sense that humanity has fantasized about for ages, but when Humanity came across an alien species that could truly use it to a measurable level it became a reality. The average human Psionic sense is so low that most people’s sensitivity never even registers on the new acuity scale created to measure it. A few though have markedly stronger gifts with this sense.

With a slight shake of his head to clear the distracting side thoughts Brandon continued. “Strength, Dexterity, Agility, Vitality, and Perception… next would be…”

Intelligence gauges a person’s mental faculties. Their logical reasoning, deduction, memory, and speed of thoughts are all measured by it.

Resolve is a person’s willpower. Someone with low resolve may have an addictive personality, or could be easily pressured into things by others. High Resolve can keep someone from sub coming to Psionic or Empathic attacks. Or even go as far as to keep someone alive when their body is at the point of shut down by determination alone.

Charisma denotes a person’s physical beauty and pheromones, thus how attractive they are to others. This also measures how likeable someone’s personality is, or their inborn ability to have others follow them.

Brandon’s thoughts concluded and he focused back on the advisor whom had grown quiet as if expecting some kind of response. “umm… I’m sorry could you repeat that?” Brandon Hedged.

With the first emotional response Brandon had seen the Advisor sighed in frustration. “I was saying your performance in the Earth Simulation marks you in the highest 99% of candidates. An the top 10% of new recruits. Based off our skills I suggest you join the House Nubran Military. Perhaps even as a Titan Jock .”

“A what?”

The image of his nervous system and forming skeleton disappeared replaced by a scene of battle. Soldiers ran through a field shooting over their shoulders at something off screen. A large tank rolled into view as it ran over a couple of the fleeing soldiers. It’s large turret barrel also facing behind it. Then a beam of energy shot on screen spearing through the previously impressive tank. The blue white blast cut through the thick armor like it was butter. The ammunition inside the doomed vehicle must of ignited because in a magnificent explosion the entire turret housing flew 10 meters into the air. A secondary explosion blasted the massive hunk of metal a half meter off the ground. Before the turret had landed a large metal foot came into view, followed by a 8 meter tall mechanical god of war.

Brandon gasped, “A mech”

“we call them Titans. They are the core of the modern military.”

“And I can drive one?” He was special forces through and through and right here and now Brandon couldn’t think of anything more ‘special’ than driving a freaking mech!

“Well, your score is high enough that with the right allotment of points you could qualify to be a Titan Jock.”

“A what to do whom now?” Brandon’s mind was racing but something about the way she worded the statement put him on edge.

With a flicker of a frown the advisor reached to the side of her off screen. Suddenly a rush of calm and acceptance rushed over Brandon. The issue with her words, heck even the fact his old life wasn’t real did not matter. He knew this advisor would do him right. “Well if you think it is best.”

“I do. So here is a standard House Nubran military contract.”

A screen full of words flashed up. Brandon’s eyes narrowed and he began to scroll down the massive document. Even in his doped up state he still caught a few points.

First, the ‘Vatborn’ had to be given legal rights by Verric standard law. But, they were born to a life of indentured servitude. Each one was being charged for the Earth simulation, costs of growing them and system upkeep. Brandon couldn’t focus on an exact amount. Regardless, he got the feeling that the low pay rates they would receive would make it where they would die still owing the house something called Intergalactic Monetary Credits ‘IMC’ which was used as currency in the whole galaxy.

Reaching the bottom of the contract he pressed his thumb on the screen. Somehow it was solid for the instant it took for his biometrics to register and accept it as a signature.