Connections: An OASIS Story

by umikazesora99

In 2044 the world is an ugly place with the only escape being a VR world, the OASIS. But how did it become this way? What events lead to the sudden shift in the social and geological landscape of the world? One 46 year old man, Tom Torres, a teacher in the OASIS simply wants to feel young again. But what happens when real life and a crazy Easter Egg hunt ask for more of him?

4. Chapter 4

Connections - Ch 4

Now before you start asking, I originally wanted to be on the USS Donald Trump. But usually officers are assigned by the Flagship committee and aren't exactly interchangeable, unless there's two ships that wish to trade officers due to insubordination, lack of experienced officers, etc. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Barack Obama. I have nothing for him either. He was just the President during my teenage years. The reason I wanted to be on the Trump is because of a bit of catharsis. Plus 'Make OASIS Great Again' is a rally cry I can get behind better than 'Hope'.

As for why the ship named after a US President, well, there's a story to that. You know how I ended up working for the military on a version of the OASIS to train their troops? Well, this was the result. The military has had a history of working with game companies to make recruitment games, or what I call 'Interactive propaganda'. You know, games about World War 2, Vietnam, The Middle East Wars, romanticized versions of the Second Korean War, and any potential war that might come in the near future, specifically against China, Russia, or a fictional terrorist group. And the first one hundred to complete special Easter Eggs along with completing all the challenges offered get their very own star carrier. They're kinda like the aircraft carriers in the real world, except they float through space rather than in the water. Instead of having its fleet resting on top, the main deck is right in the middle just resting at the bottom of the hull.

As for the naming conventions of the ships, it's completely up to the player that earns it. They usually try to encourage either using the names of Presidents (see the USS Kennedy, USS Ford, USS Reagan) or the more conventional names like the Saratoga, the Lexington or the Yorktown. Of course, with other ships like the Starship Enterprise, it's pretty obvious there's going to be overlapping. So the military doesn't mind if someone decides to rechristen a ship. You get names like the USS Skywalker, USS Miyagi, USS Lightman, USS Eckert, pretty much the last names of 80s movies protagonists. There's also more creative names like the USS Centurion, USS Victory and the USS Defender. Currently there are 56 active US Navy star carriers, twelve of which are under Resistance Force command.

When you earn a star carrier, you can also make changes to the carrier. In terms of aesthetics, color patterns, size and layout of quarters, and the exterior hull of the ship. Security is completely up to the player and AI behavior for the crew can vary from duty-bound or occasionally slacking off.

One thing that is unique to these star carriers is what we call the Intelligent Deck Operations Leads (ID-OLs for short). These things were in charge of the ship while the player was off being a Captain Kirk. When I was in the development of these star carriers for OASIS use, one of my co-workers, Lt Harry Davidson, had a thing with military moe-anthro. If you have no idea what it is, it's basically the concept of blending military with anime High School Fleet, Kantai Collection, Strike Witches, Girls Frontline, Girls Und Panzer, you get the picture. It was a huge thing when I was growing up. Anyways, we struck a conversation about how it would be applied in the recruitment games. We thought about having our ID-OLs as an alternative to just having a creepy HAL 9000-esque supercomputer. At first it was just an idea we had circulating around, but eventually it got around our office and even reached our supervisors. The guy had us meet with him about the idea, and turned out he actually liked the idea. He even liked how the girl we designed for the USS Kennedy, the ship he served on, looked a lot like his youngest daughter. I know it seems creepier than HAL 9000 but hey it worked for the Japanese.

So we ended up ripping off Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio and gave every ship an ID-OL. We went into full research for them too. Edna of the Enterprise constantly referenced Star Trek and claimed to be a superior ship, Yami of the Yorktown always dressed like George Washington on the Fourth of July, and Cathy of the Kitty Hawk always wanted a pet cat. And anytime the Admiral decides to rechristen the ship, the ID-OL will ask about the inspiration to her new namesake. The AI will then do research to emulate the themes related to the namesake. And the results? Lisa of the USS Skywalker is obsessed with Lightsabers and Star Wars, with R2 Units and porgs running around the ship. Danielle of the USS Miyagi wears a karate gi or a kimono depending on the occasion and is either waxing the vehicles while reciting mantras or offering to spar with someone and give a few pointers. Maddie of the USS Lightman is crazy for arcade games and litters cabinets everywhere, refuses to carry nuclear weapons on board and offers to play a nice game of chess once in a while. And Judy of the USS Eckert is constantly paranoid about her ship being attacked, carries a Kalashnikov on her back and claims the Russians can still invade the US.

When it comes to Presidents however, they become a bit bland. I based the ID-OLs off either their spouses, their daughters, or just recreate a female version of themselves. Teddy of the USS Roosevelt carried a stuffed bear with her while wearing a Scout uniform and glasses. We're talking post-segregation when the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts finally converged. They say that killed the Scout Organizations by 2025, but we all know it was the OASIS that ended the Scouts. Drew of the USS Eisenhower will pay a ton of attention to the traffic within a light-year of the carrier. Jackie of the USS Kennedy looks a lot like the First Lady in her teenage years and is gonna make a few innuendos. And Donna of the USS Trump is a red-hatted blonde that loves gold-plated everything and will come off as narcissistic, bullheaded, and will say she's really lucky during victories. And for our own Mitchie of the USS Obama, she's pretty much job-heavy, more leaning towards diplomacy and formalities, and always on the lookout for more recruits. So why does she act cold and antagonistic to me? Well you put the pieces together Sherlock... I'm a jackass.

Anyways, if I keep going on I might as well look up Davidson to explain it more in detail.

So I had my clothes changed from my teacher's uniform into something more akin to a cyberpunk soldier. Military jump boots, bloused pants, quadanium steel chest armor, ARC goggles and tac gloves. Hanging on my back was the Jaguar Paw and slung to the side was a Thompson submachine gun. It wasn't the best in the game, if anything it's about mid-tier. But it does the job well. Plus, I get to say I carry around a typewriter. A Chicago Typewriter of course.

Once I was in the Bridge, I got in contact with Mitchie again, who had finished orienting Bicktor to the beginner's quarters. Pretty much a place where we have a couple of practice games for our new recruits. A firing range, vehicle sims, a few puzzles, the good stuff. I knew for a fact Sam would be there too, playing as ReBelle. She practiced using a Model 1866 with a modified scope, kinda like the one Doc Brown used in the third Back To the Future film. All steampunk-looking with a telescopic sight.

"So Mitchie, how much until H-Hour?"

"Don't know, can't say. You should know by now."

"Yeah but I just need to know how close we are."

"Check the clock."

There was one on the top of the entry to the Bridge. We were one half hour away from H-Hour so at least we had time for the last minute debriefing.

The Bridge was full of NPC officers working on desks facing outwards looking into space. Looking over them was the Admiral, Elm. Says he got the name from some crappy fantasy novel from the 2020s. Castle on the Horizon or something. The guy was an insomniac that moved to Europe. Which part? Can't say. The guy's a vagabond that goes between hostels and changes location frequently. Sometimes he's in Rome, sometimes in Marseilles, or Luxembourg or Barcelona. Even been to Moscow.

He along with other Admirals from different fleets were on holographic screens being projected from the floor. And despite being late, he gave me a warm welcome. "This right here is MajThompson. He's the one in charge of the assault on the Sixer Fleet."

"A-Actually I'm L-" Before I had a chance to correct him, Mitchie had socked me in the gut. Hurt like hell but I sucked it up.

"Anyways Thompson, if you can explain…"

"Yessir." I had a PowerPoint presentation ready for the day. They were crude models of the Sixer Fleet and the Obama's complementary fleet, but it would work for display. "As you may have heard, some of our friends from the USS Perseverance we're taken by IOI a few days ago. Currently, as far as we know, they're being taken to an IOI Center in Columbus to settle their 'debts'. However, this is a purposeful action. Since IOI can't identify them, they won't be able to find the saboteurs."

A hologram of the star the Sixers used then showed up. "As you know, the Sixers use a Klein Effect Shield much like our own. However, if that is lowered for a second, then we can deliver a payload into their inner powerplant. This will disable their ship and allow us to board. Once inside, our crew will deliver one of these."

I showed them a digital flashdrive. "This is what we call a rubber ducky in the hacking community. The minute it jacks into any computer it'll perform whatever task we want. In this case, deliver us everything the IOI knows about it's Oology Division. Passwords, logins, schedules, locations in the OASIS, current objectives, artifacts collected, even the brand of underwear Sorrento uses and what color. All that's left, is to strike hard, and fast. Once the Obama's fighters hit, the other carriers should follow."

Some of the Admirals were just sitting there twiddling their thumbs as I showed them a projectile hitting the side of the IOI carrier. It wasn't like I was suggesting anything new, other than the fact that the Perseverance guys were planning on being captured. Even the Admiral of the ship was questioning my sanity. "Are you saying you communicated with my men, without consulting me about using them in a suicide mission?"

"It's not a suicide mission if they know what they're doing. Besides, they're at the most minimum in terms of debt and we can pay the IOI off for their release."

"Yes but I don't see how such an endeavor is worth the risk. Are you sure this plan will work?"

"MajThompson has completed far more dangerous missions before. If he says it'll work, we can't do much to dissuade him." Elm half said it in confidence and shame, like he was admitting to having three inches.

"Very well. We know our timestamps. Let us finish our preparations. Godspeed gentlemen."

"Godspeed" The ID-OLs of the other ships spoke in unison as the transmission cut.

"Sir, we've detected a Sixer Fleet within our AO." One of the NPCs spoke up.

"On screen." We then say our targets of the day. The ships were hulking and massive, almost about the size of a whole town. It looked like it was capable of squashing all of Manhattan in one landing. "It seems to be cruising. It might not even be able to make a jump to lightspeed. Mitchie, get the starfighters in their launch tubes."

"Yessir."

"Thompson, excuse the informality but due to recent events, you're promoted to the rank of Major. I hope this won't cause an inconvenience."

"Not by much, sir. I'm honored."

"Good to hear. Now get moving."

I ran back into the main deck with all the NPC Skittles moving here and there to get the starfighters in their launch tubes. They're basically electromagnetic platforms that send the starfighter down the side of the ship through a tube, basically turning you into the bullet of a gun. Anyways, I took the central one in an assigned row of five. Waiting was my Athena, an Me 262 Swallow, a J7W Shinden, a MiG-21 Fishbed, and a Gloster Meteor. A lot of our starfighters were modified with hyperdrives and ion engines. This was because we started out by scraping up whatever junk we could find in the OASIS. Sometimes we were lucky and would find a completed one. But instead, we resorted to using uglies most of the time.

As it turned out, the squadron I was heading, Maverick Squadron, was composed of players I was able to trust the most. Usually I'd end up stuck with greenhorns but I guess because this was a decisive battle, they don't want to send noobs out. Anyways, we have Ms Hawthorne as Honeydew (Mav 2). I know, she can be a bit clingy, but at least she's good with German jet fighters. Plus she's good in terms of magic-based combat. Saved my ass more than once when she's not oggling over it. And there's OwOza (pronounced Oh-woah-zah, Mav 3), who's basically Fujiwara in a cyberpunk ronin outfit. The guy's as useful as a Swiss Army knife in a gunfight, in that he can improvise pretty well even if the opposition has every weapon available and he just has his fists and wits. He insisted on flying the Shinden since it's a Japanese prototype and it's the one he's most familiar with. Then there's Sayf (Mav 4), some Arabic chick from God knows where. She says she's somewhere in the US, maybe Philly. But I wouldn't be surprised if she popped up in the Rojavan Union or Saudi Arabia or something. How do I know she's Arabic? She wears a hijab in game and has an accent. Plain and simple. But does it really matter? I mean, the unwritten rule of the OASIS is to not talk about politics or religion unless you're in a church communal or debate forum. All that matters is how useful your avatar is in any given game. And in this case, praise Allah for she's a good Meteor pilot. And finally, San (Mav 5). He was a bit of a noob to the OASIS. As far as I could tell, he barely learned enough English to stop using a Rosetta Stone. Which is always a welcomed thing. I mean, I could understand him sometimes but my Korean wasn't that fresh. And it's only fitting that he uses the Fishbed in this battle, given that half his country was once using Russian fighter jets.

Right before takeoff, just as I was strapping in, an NPC Obama crew member passed me my helmet, a human illusion with some words of encouragement. "Good hunting Major. I got money saying you'll get about two dozen Sixers."

"Thanks. Listen can you do a favor?" I handed him a note. "Give it to Vejovis five minutes after deployment. And you know that MXY-7 I brought in?"

"Yeah, boss?"

"Get that thing loaded into Tube D8 ASAP."

"Roger that."

The NPC left as the tube doors closed, putting Athena into an air pressured chamber. With the buzzers announcing the deployment, I was shot out of the launch tube with the rest of Maverick Squadron. Other squadrons followed suit as Iceman, McCloud, Rosco, Richtofen and Yeager. You know, naming our units after famous pilots from real life and fiction, interchanging names to confuse the Sixer Fleet in every encounter so they wouldn't be able to identify our aces via radio interceptions.

"Alright guys. You know your routes. Keep the chatter to a minimum until we reach the Sixers. Stay sharp and good luck…"

"Roger."

Navigating through the asteroid field was soupy as hell with the rocks changing course from time to time. Fortunately, this was technically Resistance Territory. If you looked at a map of the whole OASIS, which was a cube divided into 27 sectors like a Rubik's cube, we controlled a good chunk of the core sector along with other parts scattered around. This was so that we could jump between sectors without having to use much fuel or time. Plus, we've been studying the movements of the asteroids in the Makrim Ring. It seems like they move at random, but if you look at them for awhile from a distance, you'll notice a few small patterns. Things like asteroids smashing into each other the exact same way, some parallel in trajectory and others just loosely bouncing off each other. It seems chaotic but there is an order to things.

In just a few minutes, silence was broken.

"This is McCloud Leader. We got a Sixer drone down. They're getting close."

"Noted. Converging on your position. We're getting close to them."

Before long, the Core Sixer Fleet was within view. Corvettes, Freighters, Destroyers, Magic-based Assault Ships, and the flagship of their flotilla, the IOI Acquisitor. From what I heard, it operated similarly to other naval ships in the OASIS. However the design was more nuanced with the runway between two bodies, like a catamaran. It tempted pilots to strafe her deck with cannons on top being the harbingers of their demise. And rather than remaining as conservative as possible, the Acquisitor was a behemoth making us feel like mosquitoes pecking at a beached whale. It didn't take long for the other ships to notice and send their starfighters.

"McCloud Squadron, checking in."

"Yeager Squadron, checking in."

"Iceman, checking in."

"Rosco Squadron, checking in."

"Richtofen, checking in."

"Maverick, checking in. All squadrons, engage fighters. Maverick, attack the Acquisitor and her deck."

"Roger."

The starfighters split up as the IOI began sending its own. However, rather than using the F-35s that were known for, they ended up using a different fighter. As San and Sayf attacked the turrets, the others went in low to strafe the fighters. Although the Klein Effect shields were active, they weakened slightly as one fighter erupted. Only a certain number of shots, within an instant, would oversaturate the shield before even a tile left an invulnerability. If not, then it would recover and remain impregnable. As the IOI fighters deployed, the design was soon noticeable. They were made with a rolling cockpit design, in that the main body would turn while the cockpit would remain level to a certain axis. In this case, their field of view would remain constant with that of the Acquisitor's bridge. This way, their pilots could avoid any disorientation and more accurately communicate. It looked like they breeded an X-29 and a Dornier Do335.

"What the hell are those?!"

"They must be the new fighters. Looks like they're trying them out for the first time. Keep your shields up and get them busy."

"What?!"

"Just buy some time!"

"What about the boarding pla-"

"Forget the plan for a sec. Just hit as many fighters as you can."

"A-Alright!"

"Mav Leader to OBM, sending coordinates of the IOI Acquisitor."

We abandoned the plan to attack the carrier and hunted down the IOI starfighters. We were pretty much outnumbered 1:14. But we knew how to exploit the psychology of the Sixers. From what I heard from leaks and espionage missions (in-game, IRL or other players) the Sixers are worse than Stormtroopers. It may seem misleading since they're all Level 99. But that's only so for A) intimidation tactics, and B) so they can use any and all pieces of equipment they come across. However, that means that some of the Sixers are either veterans, or total novices that haven't had a day since recruitment day. Communication is spotty within their ranks, some of the noobs are unfamiliar with the gear, and the veteran players are beginning to be frustrated by their lifestyle. So if they think they can shoot an enemy fighter, they'll go for it, even if it is a trap.

I remember at one point after Halliday announced his Easter Egg Hunt, CNN tried to get an exclusive inside look into IOI's Oology Division. A campus tour with a view of what looked like a place dedicated to gamers. Food, boarding and a gateway out of poverty. It seems like heaven, but remember, that's how most guys are suckered into the Army. The only difference is that the Army makes it feel like you're doing something for everyone in the world and gives you a way out. IOI on the other hand, forget it. They might as well tattoo and IOI logo with your six-digit code because you sold your soul to the devil. No scratch that, the devil is at least willing to trade back. IOI is much worse. Your life is regimented to where your only identity is the six-digit code. You get up, grind, lunch, grind more, study, sleep, repeat. And in five years, it went from being a bragging point that you're part of the team that'll win, to the proof of your miserable existence and reduction of your humanity.

The Anti-Sixer Resistance Force (A6RF, the Resistance, the Force) is different. We're technically a Merchant Navy with an Army, and we're connected to the FOG (Federation of OASIS Guilds). We use the same tactics as the Sixers in terms of collective intelligence, holdings of important shipping lanes, and focus on ranking. However it's our approach that differs. We acknowledge that not everyone will be able to fight in every battle available. And given the way the game plays, not everyone wants to. But you didn't need to fight alongside us to help. Just small stuff like buying cryptoproperties or watching what we put on YouTube or Twitch was enough. We had sponsorships, accounts, donations and word of mouth to keep us afloat. But it was enough. We had a functional Merchant Navy and Vanguard covering important locations ready to counter IOI, some saved up credits at our disposal thanks to steady income, and the support of other players, some of whom are willing to drop helpful hints, tips and tricks. And since we have players from almost every corner of the world, that means we have players ready at every hour. Perhaps we're not at the highest level, a majority of our players are in the 40s levels. But we make up for it in strategy, spirit and support from the people of the OASIS.

"Attention all fighters. IGBMs locked on the Acquisitor and surrounding strategic targets. Danger close."

It wasn't long until Mitchie's warning rang true and rockets blew up just onto the Acquisitor's deck. Once the radioactive clouds dispersed, the carrier showed light damage to its shields. The way Klein effect shielding works is a little too complex for my personal understanding but it's basically a force mirror. If you've ever seen a Klein bottle, it's pretty much a tube where the bottom is also the opening. The idea is that you go in a Klein bottle and come out, but mirrored. And you wouldn't even noticed it. So imagine firing a bullet into that shield. Instead of piercing through the shield or bouncing off, it takes in any kinetic energy and mirrors it back. Thus, it falls down almost harmlessly. And if it had serial numbers, they would be printed backwards. There are exceptions however, since radiation goes through without much problem. Also, a Klein effect shield needs a lot of energy. Something like a General Dynamics Generation Four Fusion reactor in a star carrier will make a Klein effect shield highly resistant to most attacks. A shield on a starfighter however won't be as resistant and will probably take about two solid hits before crashing.

"Major, how much longer until phase 2?"

"Not too long. Why? You getting tired Honey?"

"Aww, you're worrying about me!"

"I worry about everyone. Don't feel special. OwO, still alive buddy?"

"Barely! I've lost my shield!"

"Sayf! San!"

"We're doing okay but I don't know if we can last!"

"Jesus Christ! Alright, regroup on me!"

I headed into the asteroid field with the rest of the squadron on my tail. More IGBMs inbounded for affect but failed to break down the shielding on the Acquisitor. Whatever powerplant the IOI was using is probably a prototype for a new class of nuclear reactor in real life.

Eventually Elm reached me in the comm. "Thompson, care to explain why you sent a drone fighter into the battlespace without telling me?"

And out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the tribute for our victory. The MXY-7 cruised silently with little detection.

"You'll see soon Admiral. Everyone, regroup on my position. We'll go for another run."

They went into position just following behind. One of the starfighters, a modified F-86 Sabre began flaring up with a huge fire in its engine. "McCloud 4, you're flaring up a bit. Retreat back to the OBM."

"Negative, Major! I can still keep going!"

"That's an order pilot!"

"I can still fight!"

The chatter was picked up by one of the enemy fighters as a squadron charged into us from behind.

"Evasive maneuvers! Cloud 4! Eject!"

McCloud 4 managed to jet out of the Sabre just as it blew up. His body smacked into a nearby asteroid, disintegrating into a flurry of pixels.

"Well, there goes DanE."

"Shit. Kid was barely level 30."

The Sixer fighters almost crashed into other asteroids when the MXY found its way and formed up with the rest of us. Up close, the rest of the squadrons began noticing the markings. The Rubik's cubes arranged and deformed into a cherry blossom, the different middlefingers and Anti-Sixer logos placed on it, and the phrase "It's not like we hate you or anything…"

OwO caught on to the plan. "You know my people would find that offensive, right?"

"It's been over a century. We're over Pearl Harbor, you guys should be over World War 2. Just move on already."

"No I mean the phrase. It's suppose to be 'It's not like i like you or anything.'"

"Is it? Whatever. Everyone, follow my lead."

I dove down and aligned my attack to a nearby freighter. I had the onboard computer target the nose of the ship.

"All fighters on that freighter. I want its shields down."

"Roger."

"Ryokai."

"Targeting."

"Locked on, Major."

"This shot has to be focused...ready…" There was a slight moment of hesitation as I caught notice of the MXY charging it's hyperdrive. It was almost time, and it knew it. "Fox 1 Fire!"

A flurry of missiles, energy bolts and magic pulses flew towards the freighter. Slowly but surely, the shielding began to crack, showing signs of saturation and finally, snapping. The freighter was now highly vulnerable to any and all offensives. And once the alarm on my watch rang out, I knew we were right on schedule with the other boys.

The MXY-7's engines roared up and in one bright flash, sped into the freighter in a brilliant flash, rivaling that of the system's star. When the flash stopped, the freighter had disappeared, instead now a field of debris. The chunks flew into the rest of the fleet, either disabling or destroying vessels. As for the Acquisitor, large chunks crossed through the body and one of it's main reactors was inoperable.

"Major, was that?..."

"A relativistic kinetic kill vehicle. Or RKKV. It's a weapon that uses kinetic energy to destroy other ships. First used in Philip K Dick's The Variable Man."

"You mean the Blade Runner author?"

"And the author of Man in the High Castle."

"That explains why you chose an Ohka Bomb."

"The US Navy use to call them Baka Bombs."

"Oh, so it's a Tsun Bomb? That's so cute!"

"Ha ha...very funny there Honey. Let's see what'll happen when he starts making fun of your culture." OwOza can get pretty defensive sometimes.

"Well if you find a sombrero and some tequila you can do it all you want. Phase two begins now."

The other squadrons flew close by either making a mess of nearby ships or shooting down enemy fighters. And just as we began our assault, packs of transports began emerging from the 'top' and 'bottom' of the battlespace (there isn't really a compass to follow in space, so we just designate the compass by the relative position of the nearest planet or star). They were ships from the Miyagi, the Starship Enterprise, the Akagi and the Infinity, with enough troops to hijack the whole fleet. But knowing IOI, they probably have some type of failsafe to make sure we don't gain control. But that's where the hackers come in.

I got the Athena to fly close by the Acquisitor and hide near an asteroid after a sequence. As I flew by, I opened the hatch and floated towards a busted opening. Unlike real space, it isn't a complete vacuum and actually allows you to 'breathe'. Since there's magic in this world and transgalactic trains with space access, then the guys at GGS decided to just make everything breathable. There are toxic planets though.

Shimmying through a crack, I placed on a pair of Augmented Reality Combat field goggles. These were actually a rejected idea by GGS. They tried to branch out into other places, but because people were so fixated on VR that it was hard for them to do anything that wasn't OASIS-related. So the idea was scrapped. Eventually some jackass intern took the idea with him to the Army and refined it for combat. Eventually the patent was passed over to Oakley who then mass produced them for all branches. Wanna know what makes them so special? They could identify targets effectively. It's able to detect armed and unarmed people. And wouldn't you know, Apple, Windows, Google and every other IT company wanted their mitts on the patent. Smartglasses would've been the next big thing if more people bothered to buy them. Here in the OASIS, I managed to get a similar model to the Army's ARC goggles. So once I got in the same room of the nearest Sixer, I was told of their position, their weapon and where they were aiming, as well as where I was aiming. Yes, this is how they worked in real life. It's part of the reason the US started winning most of the wars.

So once inside, I pretty much slaughtered every single Sixer in sight. I didn't even have to use the Thompson that much, since I was PKing with the Jaguar Paw. Just hold it out at an angle while hiding behind cover, wait for them to need to reload and just whack them good in the neck. It even showed their heads rolling off for a second before disintegrating.

"Major, we're boarding the Acquisitor. Where are you right now?"

"I'm at the crew quarters, the deck is about half a klick from my position."

"Roger, we're at the engine room. We powered down the engines so if they want to scuttle the ship they have to do it the old-fashioned way."

"Good. Try to find a USB port. Maybe we can get in through there."

"On it."

The barracks were taken care of with a well placed plasma grenade. I had a whole bunch with me that could corrode through the blast doors like a habanero chicken wing through a melty popsicle. Eventually I did have to use the Thompson. Simply put, I had little time to deal with the grunts IOI was sending and had to get to the Bridge pronto.

And you know what makes it extremely difficult? Talking with your dad on the phone. Luckily OASIS gear has connectivity with most devices so if someone tries to call me from a cell phone, I get notified at the corner of my POV. Once I noticed my dad was calling, I made the voice command to answer.

"Hey Pap, what's going on?"

"Hey. Uh, know uh the lady at the bottom of the stack that invites us for dinner sometimes?"

"Mrs Gilmore?"

"Yeah, she sent me dinner to work so I just thought you should know."

"Oh. Great...SON OF A BITCH!"

"Are you still on that apparato?"

"Uh...I lost track?"

"Did you even get dinner ready?"

"No, but you usually come home later in the night. I still have like two hours."

"Yeah but don't you usually take a break or something? Clean up the place or do the laundry?"

"It was already done yesterday. Plus this guy is paying me for backup on a PvP match. He's a good friend-"

"How much is he paying?"

"About 500,000 credits."

"Really...well then, just work with your friend then. Maybe he can get you more money."

"Oh come on Pap. You know it's more than just that. Besides, it's pretty much a one-time thing anyways."

"Right, right."

"Listen, I gotta go Pap. If I die now, everything, and i mean everything I've ever earned will be lost and- HEY! CAN'T A GUY TALK WITH HIS OLD MAN FOR ONE MOMENT! JESUS CHRIST! JUST CUT THE FIRE FOR A MOMENT! I'LL DEAL WITH YOU GUYS IN A SEC! Anyways, thanks for telling me, I'll see you when I do. Bye!"

It gets annoying, I know. But hey, you'll miss having an old man talking into your ear when he's gone.

Once I got to the Bridge, opening it with a kicker charge, every single Sixer in the bridge fired on me. I wasn't one to use spray and pray tactics, but it wasn't like I have a choice. Fortunately they were taken care of cleanly. Leaving just me and the Acquisitor's ID-OL. Which now that I think about it, what was IOI thinking? The whole reason they were put there are so a player can leave the ship unattended to rank up more. But these guys are ranked to the highest possible degree. And with so many troops IOI has at their disposal, you'd think they wouldn't need something so trivial. And yet, there's one just sitting there, wearing a black dress, bobcut and looking off to the destroyed fleet.

I got close to one of the consoles and found a USB port. Once in however, the ID-OL spoke.

"It's a little rude to just put something in someone's computer without asking."

"Uh...sorry?"

"Don't move. The Admiral will arrive shortly." And in one fell swoop, a squad of Sixers rappled from hidden tiles in the roof of the Bridge, guns pointed and aiming square at my head.

"Shit…"

"Admiral onboard." The Sixer troopers then stood at attention as a large, metallic avatar walked in. The number wasn't that visible, but I knew what the code was. IOI-655321, also known as the head of IOI's Oology Division.

"Nolan Sorrento... guess I should consider myself honored to be captured by you...although, I was hoping you'd have a better looking avatar."

"And I suppose yours is any better?"

"What's wrong with it?"

"Look at you. Rattail, tribal-tattooed arm, light armor, baggy pants. You look like a generic anime character from the 2010s."

"You know, maybe this look was pretty common because chicks actually like it."

"What?"

"Either that or it was the easiest for women to draw in the shounen style that didn't have lanky limbs. I dunno, girls just like it."

"You... You're delusional."

"Eh…the teapot calling the kettle black." The troopers grabbed my arms and had me on my knees, cuffing me. "So uh, are we gonna discuss the conditions of surrender, or are you just gonna kill me like an animal?"

"Well, your head would look good on my wall."

"No I mean, am I gonna be killed by the animal that you are…"

That got him pissed enough to kick me in the face, or maybe he was planning that all the time. I don't know. I mean, my avatar would just lose health while I wouldn't feel a thing. I heard that since the OASIS does have a Boxing simulator, that the actually have full face masks that can simulate punches. But let's face it. Unless you do underground fight club bouts or go to promotions in Vegas you don't want to be that emersed. Getting punched (or kicked) in the face is the last thing I want.

Second to last thing I want is to be trapped in my suit. Fortunately I had a safety handsign programed that would let me get out of my position. My avatar's face would still make expressions, but my hands and the rest of my body would be free, even to unhook from the omni-positioning seat. I could just pop a can of soda and just kick back while he monologues. Of course, Sorrento caught on when I was puckering my lips sipping through a straw.

"Are you even listening?"

"Yeah yeah, our efforts are futile. We're not the bad guys, you are. Yappa Yappa Yappa. Just tell me if I'm gonna die or not."

I noticed the Acquisitor's ID-OL had removed the USB and handed it to Sorrento. He of course, smashed it against the ground and stepped on it until it it was just depixelating junk. "I'll give you two options. You can either surrender your entire fleet, including your carrier, and we won't kill you. We might even offer you a position in our-"

"Okay big guy, I gotta stop you right there. One, I'm a Major, meaning I only control a task force of starfighters. I can only surrender you the pilots under my command. As for the Obama, she's under the Admiral's command."

"So tell your Admiral!"

"Two...well, I don't think I have to tell you my position about all of this." I looked up at the ceiling, neck exposed and eyes shut, ready for whatever might happen. "Go ahead. Execute me you coward...you'll only be killing an avatar…"

I guess he was pretty much confused. Guess he wanted me to beg or negotiate for my liberation. But no. Instead he got a boy ready to accept his fate. No qualms, no grudges, believing he'll reincarnate. Which he will...eventually.

"What...what is that. Is that suppose to be a reference to a movie? Or a game?"

"No, it's Che Guevara's last words you uncultured pig!"

"What?" And another painless kick to the face. At this point he had me by the collar of my armor and pulled out a lightsaber. Making someone lose patience was my specialty. "Why you little-"

"Is your brain running on fumes old man?...It's gotta be. You started lumping every single gunter in the OASIS as someone smarter than you. As someone who knows some secret you don't. I bet if I start playing a Russian folk song you'll take it as some clue to the Egg."

"What are you talking about…"

I whistled the song Korobeiniki to humor him. You know, the song used as the theme to Tetris, as in the greatest thing to come from the USSR since the Kalashnikov. "You see? I could just be whistling that because of Tetris, or because I'm a Neo-Communist sympathizer...pick your poison, comrade!"

The alarms just started wailing all of the sudden, and the screens were popping the Scoreboard for Halliday's Easter Egg hunt. And right on top, was the name of the first player to get his hands on the Copper Key. The first kid to figure out the clue left behind by Anorak.

HIGH SCORES:

Parzival 10000

JDH 0000000

JDH 0000000

JDH 0000000

JDH 0000000

JDH 0000000

JDH 0000000

JDH 0000000

JDH 0000000

JDH 0000000

"No fucking way... Son of a bitch did it!"

"Who! Who did it!" Sorrento shook my avatar for answers until a ghost grabbed his shoulder.

"Sir, we need to get you out of the building" His mouth spoke someone else's voice and he was forced to log out. The other Sixers had logged out too, letting me go to the ID-OL. I looted what I could from Sorrento and the other Sixers before turning to her. "So what are you doing to do?"

"Await my Admiral's return. I'll make sure the ship remains until he comes back."

"Good girl…"

It wasn't long until a familiar voice came along. "Hey Major, where the hell are you?"

"I'm at the Bridge. Sorrento and his spooks are out. What about you-"

Another player popped the glass off one of the windows of the Bridge. And hovering outside was a blonde girl in a red croptop jacket with a star on the back and boosters tied to her waist. In her left hand, an oversized energy cannon was held. "Come on!"

I took her hand and dragged me through the space outside as other starfighters kept on flying through.

"This is Mav Leader! Objective is complete! Mission accomplished!"

"Roger!"

I told the player to take me to a nearby asteroid. From what I could tell, it was some kid by the name PR1CE. I'd known her for a while now. She's pretty reckless at times, thinking more on her feet than on reasonable logic. It wouldn't surprise me if this was her third life or something.

Once we reached Athena, she attached herself behind the cockpit with a magnetic cable. "Hey PR1CE, aren't you gonna climb inside?"

"I'll watch your back, just get us out of here!"

"Okay but the shield won't keep you protected if you get shot."

"Yeah yeah…"

I got Athena in motion with the rest of the squadrons heading back to the Obama. I took up the rear with PR1CE, who started firing her cannon at pursuing starfighters. It wasn't that necessary except for her to gain some XP.

"These things are crazy to shoot."

"I know right? If this is what the IOI can send out, I say we got a better shot at the Egg."

It wasn't long until the Obama was back in view, this time in a different position to avoid a potential counterattack from the Sixers' back up. The starfighters climbed up landing on the deck of the ship. Other ships were about to blow up and the NPC crew rushed to put out the flames. Getting off, PR1CE and I headed to the briefing room. There the other starfighter pilots were chatting it up like they came back from just another sidequest in the OASIS. DanE, the pilot that 'died' earlier, was now DanEE, a Level 2 avatar. We all have backup accounts. Thing is, it's hard to level up one character, let alone two. So usually having your best avatar die means you have to start from the beginning again.

Eventually Elm and Mitchie walked in ready to tell us everything about the battle we just fought. No more secret plots, no more lies.

"Alright, listen up. We have two things to cover. One, did we succeed in our objective. MajThompson, if you could please come up to the front."

"Oooooooh! Someone's in trouble!"

"Shut up PR1CE…" I got up and walked over to the front as the screen started showing shots of the Battle of the Makrim Belt, as it is now being called. Fighters blowing up other fighters, Sixers getting turned into minced meat, your typical glory shots for compilations.

"Alright guys. Pipe down. I know, these aren't your best shots but at least you get to say you kicked Sixer ass. But first, let's give a round of applause to Vejovis for piloting the MXY-RKKV. Great job there buddy."

Everyone clapped for the kid, with ReBelle giving him a friendly punch in the shoulder. Putting away the images, I then switched to my POV recording, right after Sorrento pulled out the USB.

"As I told the Admiral, those were rubber duckies. If connected to the ports of a ship, any ship, it would hack into the system of the IOI. Once jacked in, the programming would instruct it to send us all the intel circulating between officers...however, those would just be unimportant snippets. You know, how OwOza has a bit of a thing for...adult animation, winky wink?"

"What?!" And right on cue he gets up. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh relax. I just made a mental note of the images you had, looked them up online and saved them on the USBs."

"What images?!"

"The ones on tumblr."

"What?!" Yup, he was pissed.

"Anyways. You guys were just distracting Sorrento from the real hackers. The USS Perseverance crew members... while we were attacking the Sixers, they got some duckies into the IOI intranet to get whatever juicy Intel we can get. Our battle, was just a distraction. And the results…"

I opened up a file that showed most of the cameras inside the real-life IOI campus. The conference rooms, the Sixer floor, a couple of hallways, even the Acquisitor's cameras. There were also fabled training manuals with lingo and protocol, specs for the weapons the IOI were given, even a few accounts and passwords. "Jackpot, bitch!"

The whole room erupted in a cheer, glad to see the fruits of their success from this three-dimensional chess game.

"And what do we have here…" I found a file for a pitch meeting to be used earlier down the week. Probably something the guys at IOI have made. "Oh God no…" I played the clip showing what they were planning. It was the POV of a typical player in a PvP zone. The only difference is it was fully plastered with ad space. It would practically obscure a player's vision to the point of unusability.

Logically, the rest of the pilots were becoming restless and booed off the idea, popping middle fingers and throwing imaginary tomatoes. "Alright alright. Chill…you know that that you're feeling right now? That's why we exist. That is why we went through with this operation. Ur raison 'detre is to make sure this stays a gag in a YouTube Let's Play. And we might be closer now than ever... The second thing I need to bring up is this." I showed them my shot of the screens in the Acquisitor's Bridge. The Scoreboard was clear as day flashing Parzival's spot as number one. "Looks like someone finally found the first key in a toilet somewhere. Remember this name. P-A-R-Z-I-V-A-L. Parzival, it looks like an alteration of the name Percival, the one who found the Holy Grail in Arthurian Legend. As far as I know, there isn't anyone above Level 30 that has that name in the OASIS. Odds are it's some lucky ass kid. So we need to find this kid and figure out a way to get him on our side."

"Or her."

"Or her, right."

"We know what name to look for. It's best to split up and locate this player avatar to avatar and make a formal invitation. I'll deliver this information to the other ships and stations. Get some rest for now. Dismissed."

Elm watched as the pilots left out of the room. I walked out too with OwOza and Honeydew in tow. She of course took the opportunity, treating me like another horny kid she can poke fun of. "So, guess this means we get to have a little bit of fun?"

"Honeydew, I doubt we can. With the first key found, it might mean we'll be in the hunt for the key as well."

"wOza's right. We can't slack off. If some kid found it easily, then there's no telling if the IOI can find it."

She was grabbing on to my cheeks knowing very well that I wasn't gonna budge on my position. "Aww, come on sweetie! We can go to a casino, or go to one of the original Daytona Beach races, or you know, go by my place and...just relax."

"Listen Honey, you know I just see you as a coworker, right? Let's just keep it that way. Besides, I've had it before and frankly, I'm beyond that." I pulled away and walked towards Athena. "Besides, I need to get going. I still have to get dinner ready."

"Ohhkay…"

"Oyasumi."

"Oyasumi my friend…"

I got up on Athena and got ready to take off. I didn't even wait to be set for a launch tube. Instead I just hovered over the rest of the vehicles and exited through the VTOL and rotorcraft doors. Within an hour and a half, I was back at the OPS, parking Athena, and heading to the teachers lounge. I sat up in the chair and opened up an online window to check the scoreboard. Parzival went up another couple thousand points and a gate icon appeared at the side.

Once out of OASIS, I started to take off the haptic suit and back into more comfortable clothes. I put on an old T-shirt with the GGS logo on it. It was a souvenir from my time in the company. I walked out climbing down the stacks with the motorskate on my back. I started it up once I got to ground level and sped out of the area. I stopped by Wade's hideout wondering what he was doing. He was probably running around trying to crack the Egg before anyone else gets the chance to do so. I know I'd do the same.

I got out of the stacks, knowing it was probably a risky idea since it meant IOI could be tailing me. But I knew what I was doing. I stopped by an old diner that was still operating. Usually a lot of them have been closed down but this one managed to survive through drone deliveries. I was one of its few returning customers though. Another guy came in and talked to the waitress, handing her a note and some cash. She took it, and just like he came, he left.

If this is starting to sound kinda sketchy, it's because it is. When I say the word 'War' to someone, the first thing that comes to mind is people dying in battlefields, guns, fighter jets, tanks, world leaders drunk on power and insurgencies and stuff. That's not how it works anymore. With the OASIS in place on every corner of the world, it's been the sight of all sorts of wars. Sure, the Middle East and Africa are full of traditional wars. But most wars are taking place in the internet. The most notorious terror groups nowadays aren't secret armies training in the desert or deep woods. They're known for shutting down power grids, hacking and stealing from bank accounts en masse, commandeering drones mid flight and just making a mess using technology. In fact, most politicians in Congress and the White house try to avoid using the OASIS unless it's in State of the Union speeches or special announcements. They're regularly targeted and run the risk of a political scandal. That's the reason having friends in the OASIS is a rarity. You either know them from real life and know you can destroy their life if they reveal some messed up shit about you, or you keep important stuff a secret and only reveal trivial factoids about you. And yeah, I'm kind of involved.

The waitress then came with a cup of black coffee. "Some guy paid it for you."

"Thanks…"

I then pulled out my cell phone to check the news footage. Plastered on the front cover was Parzival's article. It questions whether or not another player, Art3mis, is working along with him. Probably not since he's pretty much a loner kid, even in the OASIS. Scrolling down more, I noticed another article, this one on an attack on the IOI's campus in Columbus, Ohio. It noted that a bomb went off in their Oology department, supposedly perpetrated by a group that calls themselves Blackout. They were self proclaimed 'Freedom Fighters' that the FBI classified as a terrorist group. However, they at least try to minimize the damages unlike most anarchist groups. I managed to catch wind of the attack on the IOI campus. I made a promise to not report to the authorities under two conditions. 1) they insure the protection of certain insurgents from the Perseverance, and 2) give me the heads-up on when it will take place. So, if the attack was effective, than a whole bunch of indentured workers, along with the Perseverance crew, snuck out after putting in a rubber ducky in the main computer to take in all the valuable intel. And it gave a neat little advantage in the Battle of the Makrim Field.

We were in a war, not just for control of the future of the OASIS, but for the world. Perhaps just as equally important as World War 2. And now, Parzival, a kid from Oklahoma, was tossed into the middle of it. I still don't know if Halliday blessed the kid or cursed him.