A quest generated for John as he released Will’s hand.

Quest Acquired! Becoming an Outlaw II: Will has asked you to help him burglarize his family manor. In order to be successful, a series of skills must be learned. Prerequisite Skills: Lockhacking, Sneak, and Disable.

John frowned in thought and Will picked up on the expression.

“Hey, what’s up? You’re not thinking of backing out are you?”

John quickly eased his concerns. “No, it’s not that. Collective sent me a quest prompt and in order to do this quest successfully, its saying that I need to know Lockhacking, Sneak, and Disable. Sneak sounds pretty straightforward but what the hell is Lockhacking and Disable?”

Will look relieved. “Here take a seat and I’ll explain it to you. This is an Outlaw bar and so this might be one of the safest places to talk about these subjects. After that, I’ll take you to my place. I have a few local training sims that will help you pick up those skills. While, you’re learning those. I’ll plan our approach on the house.”

John took a seat in the booth across from Will and Will lowered his voice despite his assertions that the topic was safe.

“So... Lockhacking first. Well, back in the day Lockhacking was known as Lockpicking. It’s essentially the same principle today as it was back then but technology has advanced quite a ways since then. In the past, all oyu had to do was find some specialty picks and manipulate mechanical tumblers to open a lock. So long as you had the dexterity and intelligence, you could throw open a lock no problem. These days, locks rely on biometrics and sensors. Essentially, locks try to verify who you are before they allow you access. The most expensive ones have their own link to the Collective and are able to use Collective’s own sensors to verify identities but those are extremely expensive. The run of the mill locks have their own passive sensors and they can increase in complexity from there.”

John had never had a lock on his door because he had nothing that was worth stealing. For him, these were whole new concepts. Will’s explanation only gave him more questions.

“So how does someone fool these sensors into thinking they’re someone they’re not?”

Will visibly brightened. “That’s exactly the question! Maybe you’re not just a worthless Nameless. So the hacking portion right? You do that using magic. What do you think magic is?”

John looked at him blankly. He had never had to use magic, never seen it performed, and generally considered it something made up by the elite in order to maintain their competitive edge.

Will didn’t let John’s ignorance deter him. “Magic is Psionics. Psionics is the manipulation of energy through willpower. We call the potential energy within yourself mana. As your mana pool increases, the potential for you to manipulate energy increases as well. For instance, you’ve heard of Psions throwing around fireballs or striking their enemies with lightning right?”

John shrugged. “Yeah, I’ve heard about it. I just assumed that they used some sort of technology or weapon like every other class.”

Will smiled. “Yeah. It is technology. Technology advanced enough becomes synonymous with magic. The lightning that created fire on a dried plain probably seemed like magic to our cave-dwelling ancestors. It’s much the same with psionics. Every avatar is flushed with small robotic creatures called nanites. These tiny robots are the underpinnings of Collective itself and the primary reason we can even expand in the universe. It allows Collective to make upgrades to your avatar if you meet the prerequisites, grant your ability to respawn, and a host of other functions that might as well be magic. In a Nameless like you, they’re inactive unless you demonstrate to Collective that you deserve their activation. Essentially, you’re proving to humanity that you’re going to use this technology to support our dominion over the galaxy. If you’re merely going to become a waste of valuable oxygen, then collective has no reason to activate them for you. You understand?”

“No, not really. I get what you’re saying as far as the nanites are concerned. But how does having robots in my body translate into throwing fireballs around and confusing locks into thinking I’m someone else.”

“Well, that’s where skills come in. Skills tell the nanites what to do. It’s a set of instructions that achieve an outcome as decided by the skill. Want to trick a lock into thinking you’re someone else? Use a skill to convert mana into a persona that will trick the sensors. The more complicated the lock? The more mana spent to fool it. As you level up your abilities and the skill itself, your control over the skill, and by extension the nanites, will become more refined and it will be more effective while taking less mana to execute. Obviously your stats are just as important. There is no single stat that guarantees survivability. This is real life and everything works together to keep you alive. That make sense?”

“Sure…’ John said slowly. “What about Sneak and Disable?”

“Right…” Will drawled before placing his hands behind his head and leaning back. “So Sneak works similarly to Lockhacking. Instead of fooling a door’s sensor, you’re fooling Collective’s”

John blinked. “Uh, what?” he said stupidly.

Will dropped his arms from behind his head and shrugged. “You have a HUD right?”

“Yeah, so?”

“So…” Will continued. “Everything you see is fed to you by Collective. Your eyes are merely a means to access information and Collective is able to look through you and provide you with information necessary to survive.”

John’s mind tripped over that thought. “So are you saying that what I’m seeing might not be real? That it’s all information fed to me by Collective?”

Will grinned. "Hell kid, maybe I’m just a charming simulation, and you’re still lying in your bed?”

Horror dawned upon John and it was obvious on his face as Will laughed out loud.

“I’m just messing with your head, kid. Collective isn’t allowed to hijack your consciousness without your permission. That function has been hardcoded into Collective since the beginning. However, Collective does provide you with a constant stream of information and if you have the Sneak skill you can convince Collective’s sensors that you’re something other than you are. At the lowest level you’ll have to use stealth skills in conjunction with sneak because you won’t be able to convince Collective that you’re merely a potted plant, even if you have the same intelligence stats. The best you can hope for is that Sneak makes you just a little bit less noticeable. Hopefully enough that you can do whatever nefarious business you need to do without getting caught.”

John pondered that for a second.

“Why would Collective allow people to fool its own sensors? That seems counterproductive.”

Will stared at John so intently that John was afraid he said something wrong.

“The Collective, more than anything understands that war requires sacrifice. There has to be a corps of people who are willing to get themselves dirty for the survival of humanity. That shit in space kid?” Will paused to point in the air before continuing. “Those species don’t give a shit about humanity. If we want to survive as a species then we have to continually bring the fight to them or we. Will. Be. Wiped. Out.” Will hissed the last part to John.

John felt cold at the intensity in Will’s eyes. Seeing that John understood, Will continued on like before.

“That’s why Outlaws exist. We’re not as numerous or as powerful in a straight up fight as the other classes, but we’re a force multiplier and we do the shady shit so that the more prestigious families can take all the glory and Contribution Points. The only thing that makes it easier to swallow is that we get payed significantly more for our work. We get paid much more than someone of an equivalent level in a different class because while no one wants to be an outlaw, they provide a vital service and Collective understands that. Sound good for someone Nameless like you?”

John started to feel like he was in a little over his head. He cursed inwardly at his previous naiveté.

“Yeah…Will…that sounds real good. I’m tired of being at the bottom. I’ve got the chance to level and I’m going to take it.”

Will held his gaze for a moment and the nodded. John took this as his cue to keep going.

“So, what about the final technique Disable?”

Will looked around before responding slowly.

“That’s a skill we shouldn’t talk about here. Disable is something of a family skill. It’s the reason my family earned their name in the first place. I’m surprised that Collective even brought it up to you. It must have analyzed your chances of success and found that if you didn’t know Disable then we probably wouldn’t make it.”

Will seemed to be talking to himself more than John. “It makes sense I suppose. All the guards will know how to use the skill and you should be aware of how to defend yourself from it. I’m not technically a part of the family anymore and so I don’t have to be worried about the prohibition of teaching others...” Will trailed off before looking back at John.

“That settles it, I’ll teach it to you but I can’t do it here.” Will stood suddenly and John followed him awkwardly.

John followed Will as Will smoothly navigated his way through the semi-crowded bar. The door slid open automatically for Will and John quickened his fact to keep up with him. Will didn’t give John the chance to catch up as he wolfishly made his way down the sidewalk. John had never seen anyone move the way that Will was so effortlessly. John wondered to himself about the man’s agility and dexterity scores. He looked like a predator on the hunt and he was merely walking. Passerby didn’t hesitate to get out of his way and John followed dutifully in the wake that Will created.

They quickly made their way from the center of the city and into a neighborhood that was even grungier by comparison. Not once did Will slow down and soon John had to step it up into a half trot in order to stay with him. It got to the point where John stamina began to decline. Eventually, they made it to a unknown alleyway in an even more unknown neighborhood. John tried to query Collective on his location and all he got back was static. He was confused because that had never happened to him before.

Immersed in thought, John almost crashed into the back of Will. Will had abruptly stopped moving without John noticing. A narrow miss had John stumbling away from Will and crashing into a couple of nearby trash bins. The racket reverberated into the dreary afternoon. Will hissed in annoyance at John casual display of ineptitude.

“What kind of Outlaw are you expecting to become?”

John remained quiet, assuming correctly that this was a rhetorical question. Will quickly looked to the mouth of the alleyway before stooping to clear away some of the debris on the ground. Underneath some discarded plastic and fast food containers was a symbol on the ground. From John’s position above Will’s crouched form, it looked to be the silhouette of a crow in flight. John watched Will place his palm on the symbol and a subtle grating sound began to be heard. Next to the symbol, a previously hidden doorway retracted into the rest of the building. Satisfied, Will stood and made his way into the entrance. John made his way after him with not a small measure of awe. Secret skills and shadowy lairs were hitting all of the buttons in John’s imagination. He was not disappointed at the interior.

The interior of the domicile looked opulent. The floor plan was open with the living area, dining room, kitchen, and bedroom all conjoined. The separates between the rooms looked natural and free-flowing. There was a small door in the back of the room that John surmised must be some sort of bathroom. Expensive fabrics draped artfully from old-fashioned rafters and all of the furniture looked plush and comfortable. The rugs were thick and contrasted nicely with the warm lighting in the room. It looked exactly like what John imagined form a secret den. John stood awkwardly in the entryway as the door slid close behind him with a barely audible hermetic hiss. He had never seen anything like this before. His own room couldn’t even be considered in the same league as this.

While he was staring, Will made his way to the kitchen area, opened the fridge, and pulled a bottle of some unknown liquid out of it. Looking over at John, he misinterpreted his expression.

“Yeah, I know it’s not much. I wanted something small because I only plan on operating out of here for a short amount of time before we get off planet. I don’t have another bed, so do you mind crashing on the couch until we get out of here?”

Tears involuntarily flooded John’s eyes.

“You mean, I can stay here?”

Will looked at John with confusion. “Yeah, kid…what’s the problem? You want a drink?”

“No, it’s just… I’ve never seen a place like this. It’s amazing and the fact that you’re letting me stay is unbelievable.”

Will looked around the apartment as if looking for whatever was causing John to think that way about the small bolt hole. Then he looked at John to see if perhaps the kid was playing a prank on him. With more than a little discomfort he said.

“I’m not sure what you’re upset about kid. I know you're Nameless, but surely your folks had a place about this size where you could experience some of the same amenities. This isn’t exactly high fashion for the inner worlds. Maybe in the outer territories some of this stuff would be hard to come by.”

John lowered his head and collected himself.

“Yeah…about that. I never had any parents. I’ve been living off of the government for as long as I can remember. I barely make enough Points to cover what I owe the Collective for basic subsistence. That’s why I want to be an Outlaw. It’s the only way I’ll be able to escape this rock.”

Will studied John carefully. He didn’t seem to be lying and that would mean that the kid had been living in the poorest conditions the Collective had to offer. Yeah, he could survive. But most kids his age either turned to drugs or to crime to make ends meet. Somehow this kid had avoided both those ends. Still, his austere childhood may be a blessing when he finally became an Outlaw. They weren’t known for living the easy life.

Will took his time replying. He didn’t want to give the kid the impression that he pitied him. He didn’t. It’s a hard life for everyone. The Collective doesn’t breed cowards, fools, or weaklings. It tends to kill them off and John had yet to prove himself otherwise. However, Will considered that his help wouldn’t go amiss with this kid and maybe he could help keep him alive. For a fee, of course. Decision made, he decided to assure John.

“Well kid, then this heist is your chance to make something of yourself. Maybe not a name, I doubt Collective will reward you with a name. But at the very least, a portal off this rock to somewhere you could make a name for yourself. Take a seat on the couch, I’ve got to grab the training simulation so that you can pick up some skills before we head out.

Relieved, John quietly did as he was told. He didn’t want to make more of a nuisance of himself to his somewhat mysterious benefactor. Soon enough Will returned from rummaging in a drawer in the kitchen. He came back with two small triangular prisms. The looked like small pyramids. One glowed a faint green, and the other a dark purple. Gesturing to them, Will addressed John on the couch.

“So these are simulation crystals or sims for short. Collective can upload your consciousness into a simulation when you buy from it. Those simulations can’t teach you anything because Collective doesn’t count it as a novel experience. These things however, count as novel experiences to Collective and these kinds of crystals are the way that families pass down certain techniques and skills. These two are for Lockhacking and Sneak. They were created by Outlaws in order to train lowbies. They only provide the level one skills.”

John looked at the sims dubiously. He had a few questions but he still didn’t want to look like an idiot and so he kept quiet and merely nodded. Will didn’t miss the gesture and decided not to call John on it. The kid was trying to act determined. Instead he went on.

“Before we do that however, we need to talk about Disable.” He waited for John’s nod of assent before continuing. “Disable is a skill that has been passed down through my family and it is the reason we earned our name in the first place. The origins are lost to time. Intentionally, I imagine to keep other families form discovering the secret but you need to understand the skill because it is likely the guards of my families’ estate will be using the skill and you need to know how to defend. Now, do you know any Unarmed Combat?”

John nodded. “Good, let’s get this stuff cleared out of the way. John and Will started clearing the furniture in order to create a blank space within the center of the apartment. Once that was done, John and Will took combat stances opposite of each other.

“Alright, kid. Throw a punch at me.”

John nervously looked at Will from between his fists and tried to hit him with a weak right jab. Will just casually blocked it and scowled.

“Come on kid, you can do much better than that. If you can’t, then I’ll go find some other desperate lowbie from Collective to train. I’m passing on priceless knowledge to you and your acting like some sort of yellow-bellied child. With this attitude you’re not even worth becoming an Outlaw, much less a mentee of mine.”

Incensed, John threw a hard left cross at Will. He blocked it just as effortlessly.

“There. Much better. Keep hitting like that.”

After a few more unsuccessful hits, Will reacted violently to John’s next punch. Ducking under John’s left hook, he grabbed Johns wrist with one hand and slapped John’s shoulder with a flash of blue. The light didn’t hurt John but it surprised him. Will let go of the arm and moved back into a defensive stance. John created some distance and went to bring his arm back up into a striking position. His arm didn’t move. It didn’t even respond. From the shoulder down, his arm just hung limply. Fear burst out of him and before he could do so much as speak, Will advanced with murder in his eyes. A quick jab to Johns other shoulder came at lightning speed followed by two kicks to both of his thighs. John crashed the ground helpless and cracked his head on the ground. The last thing he saw was Will’s savage grin before he blacked out.