“‘On the authority of this council, and in the interest of the well-being of society, it is hereby ordered that Commander Moran will develop and oversee Operation Killswitch, which can be enacted to subdue Nova Online should the threat grow out of hand. Given the large revenue streams generated by the game, this will be an option of last resort. However, should the game or any of its players serve as a clear and immediate threat to the interests of this Party, military force is authorized to whatever extent is deemed necessary for the total and complete subjugation of NextGen and their creation Nova Online. Or, in the case that this is not possible, the termination of the game.’” Kaiden paused to catch his breath, then looked up from the document he’d been reading and out to the shadowy members of The Syndicate gathered around him.
Silence dominated the room.
I have their attention now.
“We know the Party doesn’t like the freedom we enjoy in Nova. We’ve also known there isn’t much they can do about it. There’s the Warden Corps, sure, but they can only do so much. And thanks to NextGen, Nova has remained a safe space. Largely free from Party influence. Largely free from the mess they’ve made of the real world. But Operation Killswitch stands to change all of that.”
Kaiden flipped through several documents again, focusing on them so the projection above would show them to the room.
“I will make these documents available to all of you. You are welcome to go through them for yourself, but let me summarize them for you.
“Operation Killswitch consists of three parts. Part one, the Party takes the internet offline for a few days. An unfortunate grid failure, they’ll bill it as. Part two, military forces will storm NextGen HQ and forcibly take control of Nova Online. With the internet down, word might not get out for some time. Or maybe it will, but it won’t matter, because by the time it does, the Party will control NextGen’s servers. They’ll turn them off, or maybe even destroy them. They’ll rip the heart out of Nova, and in an instant, all data, all backups – everything – will be gone. We’ll lose all of this.” He spread his arms out to encompass the room. But not just the room, he hoped they realized. So much more. Every planet. Every player. All of Nova. “The international fallout will be massive, but the Party is desperate.”
Kaiden took a deep breath.
“The last time I was here, I appealed to your sense of humanity. To your concern for the goings on of the world beyond Nova. But you weren’t interested in that. You thought you were safe in here, in Nova. And you were right. Until now. These documents on Killswitch aren’t new. The Party’s been developing this plan for months now, which means if everything isn’t already in place, it soon will be. The only reason they haven’t initiated Killswitch yet is because they’ve been seeking a quieter solution. Taking Nova offline would represent a major financial loss to the Party, as they wouldn’t be able to tax the in-game economy as they’ve done for so long. But when we make a move on Warden HQ, we’ll be forcing the Party’s hand. They’ll begin Killswitch in response, and at that point, there’ll be no turning back. We’ll have eighty minutes before they can take the internet offline. And if they do that, it’s all over. Nova as we know it will be dead.”
Kaiden gestured to the projection above him, to the details of Killswitch laid out bare for all to see.
“I’ve vetted all of this information with Thorne, a former captain of the Warden Corps. Everything outlined in Killswitch is actionable.”
Kaiden took a step forward and made a point of looking around the room, taking his time and letting his eyes slide from one booth to the next.
“The Party already controls everything else. Nova is our last escape. Our last gasp at a life not monitored and controlled by oligarchs. And now, even that is on the brink of destruction.” Kaiden focused his thoughts and steadied his voice. “The plan I proposed last time is still in effect and our attack is set to begin. We are not yet ready – my friends and I aren’t even max level – but we cannot wait. If we do it may be too late. We’re taking a stand to stop the Party. To save Nova. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.”
Kaiden spread his arms out to the entire room and gave the next words everything he had.
“We’re now fighting for the very life of Nova Online. Will you help us?”
Silence. And more silence. Silence for so long Kaiden began to feel ridiculous. And to realize that he’d failed. He’d given it his all and he’d come up short.
And then, a noise.
A light hiss and the opaque glass front of the nearest booth retracted. Odditor stepped out and walked across the floor to join Kaiden. In the middle of the vast room he looked small, but his stride was confident and his back was straight. He gave several booths hard stares as he approached. The shadowy figures in them seemed to shift in their seats.
“Nova is my home. My livelihood. It’s where… where I keep my pets. I’m with you.” Odditor came to a stop beside Kaiden.
The booths Odditor had eyed hissed open and several figures Kaiden didn’t recognize stepped cautiously out.
Another hiss and another booth opened. PlayaSlaya emerged and joined them in the center of the room.
“You know I’m in,” he said and cracked his knuckles. “No way Maximus is missing out on the fight of a lifetime. Let’s kick some Party
