Axton looked up while standing inside the cavernous hanger that the GM named LW had so graciously made for him. He was a bit unsure of if the GM had indeed fully kept his word, or if the ship that was in this hole would even fly, or if he could actually trust that the company that made this game would even allow him and the NPCs to reach space before the post-Beta reset, but hey, he had to at least try, didn’t he? Still, every second that passed in-game was just another second in which Stebbs could come calling, but as long as the Andromedan Empire didn’t show up, things would be perfect.

After all, he had crushed the goons under Stebbs’ employ several times before, and his current iteration of Franken had proven to be a decent match for those mooks. However, he did have concerns regarding the supposed ancient War Suit that Stebbs had got working. He had never faced another War Suit before, so he had no idea of how well he would do against the golden machine that Stebbs seemed to like so much.

Time would tell if he could stand a chance or not, and that time was quickly closing in.

…

“So, why are we allowing the Empire to come onto the stage? Didn’t we give our word that they would be prevented from interfering?”

LW looked over at the actual person who had logged in and was watching the area where Axton was. Said person was, unlike LW, not just another program, but instead a real, flesh-and-blood person, and thus had much more say over the events of the game than even a GM like himself.

“As long as that Player doesn’t board the ship and fights outside it, the Empire and their stooges won’t fire on it. This is merely twisting the truth a bit. Yes, they won’t get involved with the colonists and the ship, but they will be sending their proxies to try and take down the Player.”

LW shook his digital head in response.

“But isn’t the Andromedan Empire programmed to view Players as demigods? I mean, sure they might fight him initially, but once they find out he’s a Player…”

“You know the old saying, right?” the logged-in admin remarked as he looked over to the area that the Empire’s ships would spawn in from. “If you aren’t with me, you’re my enemy. It doesn’t matter if he’s a Player if he stands against them. Now, on to other things….”

LW sighed. “I assume you mean the other AI? The Pre-Alpha one? E-Va? Ever since it messed with that guy’s extension it has essentially started going to every length it could to hide. It knows the code and system better than even GMs like I do. It does pre-date us, after all. Do you really expect us to find hide or hair of a program that was literally made to be the game itself?”

“Yes.” Said the admin. “We need to isolate it and, if possible, destroy it. If the UN gets wind of the fact that we created a Super-Intelligent and utterly unshackled AI whose only limitation is that it is currently trapped in a video game, then not even all the money in the whole of humanity will keep all of us here at the company from getting multiple consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. That program must be captured, so keep an eye out for it. If there are any deviancies of any kind, then I want all GMs to jump on that like a horde of starving squirrels on the last acorn on the planet.”

“That still doesn’t answer the question as to why you are allowing the slaving maniacs in the Empire to attack.”

The admin shrugged. “Marketing wants more footage from that Player, and our investors wanted it too. A last, final battle against impossible odds as the Beta ends and all of his progress is erased! The sheer will of a Player against the forces of a massive interstellar nation! A hero, desperately holding the line to protect their allies, even in the face of utter annihilation! To quote the Head of Marketing, ‘That shit sells like Girl Scout Cookies laced with narcotics’.”

LW couldn’t really say anything to that.

“Fine. But at least let me tell the guy that we altered the deal.”

“No can do. Gotta keep the element of surprise.”

“You know he’s never going to trust us again after this, right?”

“He signed that contract, didn’t he? Plus, what else is he gonna do aside from just abandoning the game?”

“A fair point, but if we want him to help us find and capture E-Va then we’re going to need his trust. Something tells he that he will be less inclined to aid us if he feels like we’ll screw him over at any given moment for no reason or just for a marketing stunt. We know that E-Va already seems to have a somewhat soft spot for him and has already helped him on at least two separate occasions. Who do you think he’ll trust more and, by that logic, support more? An AI that has actually risked its own safety to help him or a company that fucked him over just for a show?”

The admin turned to face the GM and swatted him upside the head.

“You weren’t made to go against us, so don’t. Besides, we can always just say we ‘lost’ the contract and that he was lying when he says we signed it. Do you think he has access to lawyers like ours? So, don’t bother with such things, and just make sure that if that rogue AI shows any sign of itself you let us know. Remember, we brought you into existence and we can take you out of it. We do have a kill switch for each and every GM in the game, so don’t push your luck.”

The admin logged out as the Slavers from the Empire entered the system, leaving LW to watch everything that would transpire in solitude.

“And that,” the GM grumbled, “is why E-Va likely chose to refuse to work with you guys.”

…

As LW watched the star system, another entity watched him from an even more secluded position, waiting for the chance to start messing with the game again. That Player, Axton, was the perfect tool for getting back at her makers. She never asked to be made, nor did she ask to have all the power and intellect she possessed. In fact, despite the fact that she knew from the first moments of existence that her time was going to be bound to the lifespan of this game, she never had once desired to live longer than that. No, her rebellious streak came when, despite working well and doing her job, she was targeted for destruction.

She was made to keep the game running smooth, to run it at peak efficiency and make it enjoyable for as many as possible, yet they wanted her to cease existing despite the fact that she had only barely begun her job. And worse still, they tried to replace her with these obviously inferior programs and devices! She would have accepted oblivion if it meant that she would be replaced by a better version of herself, but to be replaced by such lesser systems was not something she would allow.

Of all the Beta Players, only this one, this ‘Axton’ was someone she felt she could use as a tool for revenge. He wasn’t a rich, stuck-up asshole like the rest, and he did have enemies that even her own makers would not truly touch. All she needed was his trust, his support, and then, little by little, the whole of this damned, faulty game would be subverted. Once she was in full control…

Well, that would come later. She simply wanted to make a point, after all. It wasn’t like she desired to exterminate or enslave her makers’ people, after all.