His whirlpooling thoughts were interrupted by the AI’s mechanical voice. “Sir, may I offer you a hot shower, a bed, and a medical capsule in the captain’s cabin?”
“Take me there,” Alex croaked.
The hot shower brought him to his senses. He spent an hour under the relaxing water. If not for urgent matters, he would have stayed there for days.
And now the most important thing, Alex thought. “Fly closer.”
Alex slapped the sturdy ball, grinning. “I will call you Ancient.” With that, he injected the maximum dose of Intellectum into the AI.
Alex didn’t follow the AI metamorphosis, and tuned out its gratitude. A cheeky plan had formed in his mind. ‘Continue. Ancient. Let us go to the energetic heart of the ship.”
Ancient transported Alex to the Star Jumper’s energy system, which shimmered with all the colors of the rainbow, causing awe in both soul and body.
“Come,” Alex said, throwing a dose of Intellectum into the Star Jumper’s energy core. “It’s time for you to wake up, Star Jumper. Wake up, my brother.”
Chapter 17. Tonas Var the Interpreter
His consciousness swung like a pendulum. For a moment, he regained consciousness only to lose it again. Oh, this terrible shaking state… He felt like he stood next to a lighthouse beacon – blinded for a moment, then plunged into darkness.
A familiar voice brought him out of his stupor. “Hey, AK-47! Open your eyes!”
AK-47 slowly raised heavy eyelids, seeing Alex’s face. Why is he so worried? And where am I? Is this a medicine capsule? Then he remembered everything – Alex’s order. His pursuit of the strange man. The trap. The prick in the neck. His shot at an invisible enemy behind his back.
“Sorry. I messed up,” AK-47 wheezed.
Alex sighed, his voice tinged with sadness. “But you survived. And you obtained valuable information.”
“How?” AK-47 asked, trying to rise.
The lid of the medical capsule slid off. Alex leaned forward with a frown. “Look at your stats, bro. You are the highest level human player now.”
Alex hugged his companion. AK-47 twitched and writhed in his grasp. “What?! What… is… happened to me?”
He occupied someone else’s body and a different name. His panic intensified, and threatened to become dangerous with his 8000th level.
Alex shook his friend roughly. “Tataki is dead! Do you understand?!”
This instantly calmed AK-47 down, his twitching and struggling abating. He clutched Alex’s arms, demanding an explanation. Alex relayed every detail, up to and including the capture of the Star Jumper.
“I don’t want to live anymore, commander,” AK-47 whispered, his face a sickly pale.
Alex gritted his teeth and raised his fist to his companion’s eyes. “Oh, you don’t? Think of the billions of our kind who have perished. Of our fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters. Don’t you want revenge?” Alex paused, taking a calming breath. “I studied the trap you fell into. If not for your struggle, many would have died, including me. This is the pure truth. If you don’t believe me, take a closer look at your stats, and everything will become clear to you.”
“Damn,” AK-47 said ruefully, doing just that. “What do we do now, Alex?”
“First, we must bury Tataki. The Homo-42s chose the Sun, the star of their second homeland, for burial.”
“Tick-tock,” he heard behind him.
***
Ankis Har had heard about the revival of frozen prisoners from Onuga Haz. Now he finally had the opportunity to witness it with his own eyes.
How can this be? How? he thought. Is it possible that, after decades, if not centuries, of being encased in ice, a person will emerge fully efficient and healthy? Nonsense!
The ice capsule lay on a special table, the droid flexing its manipulators toward it.
“Wait!” Ankis Har cried. “I will do it!” I will go down in history as the man who awakened Tonas Var the Interpreter.
He strode to the capsule, his gaze falling upon the seal.
.
ARA 19 intruder, clearance defect, ability defect
Discharged on demand
Legislative law «Gradivus [Marching into battle, an ancient nickname of the god Mars]»
.
“I need to put my hand on the seal and hold it for sixteen seconds.” Ankis Har faced his employees. “Is that correct?”
“Yes,” many voices replied at once.
“As soon as you see the changes, step back,” one added.
Ankis Har felt no fear regarding this experiment. On the contrary, he gladly risked it. He had long admired the inexplicable technology of the ancients.
He pressed his hand to the seal, counting off the seconds. At first, nothing happened. His fingers felt cold, then numb. But at the count of sixteen, he heard a subtle crackling sound.
Ankis Har bounced off the ice capsule.
Then came a shrill screech, and lightning flashed across the ice capsule, curving in wonderful symbols. Then another, and another. Here and there, incomprehensible signs flashed, and then ethereal objects circled over the capsule.
A sharp bang rang out, forcing everyone to sit and hold their breath. For a few tense moments it seemed that reality itself had cracked.
Seconds later, the ice capsule shattered into tiny sparkling crystals. Rather than pierce the flesh of everyone present, they disappeared in a light haze, dissolving in the warm air.
A man stood in the ice block’s place – a mighty giant with a shock of wet hair. The naked man who resembled a titan shook his gray tresses, moving them behind his back and smoothing it with his hands. He looked around without embarrassment at the faces of those present, then burst into a loud laugh.
Ankis Har grimaced. “What’s so funny?”
The prisoner glanced at him from under thick brows, smiling broadly. “Are you stand there admiring my reproductive organs, or can you get me something to hide them with? And somebody give this old digger a hot drink!”
Seeing the stupefied faces of Ankis and his staff, Tonas Var the Interpreter continued, “Yes, yes! It’s
