"Since we spent a little longer than intended at the Museum, how about we head to the hotel that is hosting the tournament after lunch and get you both checked in? You don't have to do it until tomorrow morning, but I'm sure you'll want to relax as much as possible with twelve very intensive hours of gaming ahead of you tomorrow and a sweet prize on the line.
You won't regret winning, the resort for the winners is even more luxurious than the Comor Royal resort on Comor Station. They have anything and everything you might need or want since they're situated between both the ocean and the mountains with a huge network of trails to reach the resort's private amenities." Uncle Lu explained, calling for the driver to come to pick them up.
He had a restaurant in mind, and it wasn't just for Max. The menu at their destination also contained a collection of nutrition concentrates suitable for Cyborgs so that even Nico could gain something useful from the meal to go with the flavors.
Lu was also a fan of Cyborg nutrition supplements. Not because he was converted, but because the high levels of easily processed nutrients allowed him to live on caffeine and cigarettes for days at a time while he was immersed in his work, without suffering nutritional side effects. He had repeatedly suggested various supplements to the Kepler Fleet as an addition to the standard Pilot rations, allowing the Pilots to function for longer periods of time with the same storage space allotment of meals, but the Fleet was concerned about long-term side effects and kept turning him down.
The restaurant didn't look like anything fancy from the outside, but it was a favorite with the researchers from the Mecha laboratories for their weekly dinner meetings. The Greeter of course recognized Uncle Lu as the Director and a regular customer, bringing the group immediately to a booth in the back corner where they could discuss whatever they wished without disturbing the other guests.
Though they were quite nerdy, the scientists were quite vocal and not at all shy about their favorite topics, so the restaurant had long since gotten used to their lively conversations.
"Will the rest of the department be joining you today, or is this a personal meeting?" The hostess asked as they chose their seats.
"Purely for the pleasure of your menu today. I'll start with the usual, then bring the daily special, plus another bottle and the Cyborg nutrition sampler tray." Uncle Lu informed her, not waiting for the server to come from behind the bar.
"Yes, of course." She nodded, noticing that Nico wasn't entirely organic.
That was one of their house specialties though, making the inorganic visitors feel welcomed here on Cygnus. Everything on the planet relied on tourism at this point, so anything that they could do to improve the planet's reputation, and that of their own business was a win for them. The alliance with Kepler gave them a huge influx of new visitors that didn't have any preconceived notions about the planet, and their reviews would shape the first impressions of hundreds of billions more.
The server came out a few seconds later with two bottles of some sort of local wine, as well as a tray of small sealed bottles, each with a picture of a fruit or food item on them.
"These are a house-developed nutrition shot for our biomechanical guests. As you can see they are in a variety of flavors and are rated as the highest quality nutritional supplements by the Kepler Central Government." The server told them proudly, then went back to check on her other guests.
The food came out only a few minutes later, and the three of them spent nearly two hours chatting about local video games. Nico and Max were fishing for hints, while Uncle Lu was happy just to get to talk about his hobby of game development. Not even all the Mecha designers were gamers.
"Next up is to check into the tournament venue. The competitors will be in the onsite hotel, to prevent the chance of outside interference from delaying them, and to ensure that no blackmail is being applied. It's not as luxurious as some, but it's right in the arena venue where you all will be competing." Uncle Lu explained.
There was a guarded room by the lobby of the hotel clearly marked as the check-in spot for competitors, so both Max and Nico said their goodbyes to Uncle Lu and made an arrangement to see him again the day after the tournament. Win or lose, the old man had a lot of things he still wanted to show them both about the planet.
He also wanted them to see his work, but that would have to wait until they were off duty. He hadn't gotten official confirmation of his duty transfer request yet, but he had faith that the Central Command would come through for him, given their recent breakthroughs.
"First up, Keres Max. Gamer Tag of "SlumDogRaider". Height, 185cm, Weight, 120kg. Body Fat index, 4 percent. Impressive, even for a Pilot. Now, we just need to have our attendant check your system bonuses so that the Audience can see the difference if any that they make in tomorrow's competition." The inspector announced.
Max was a bit uncomfortable with random strangers seeing his bonuses, but surely they wouldn't show too much to the public. That would cause the Army to force them to shut down before the game even started.
"You look concerned. All that the audience will get to see is the total points bonus. The rest of the data has been requested by the Kepler Army itself for its own internal analysis. Every competitor today, except two locals, has an active system at B Rank or higher, though you two are the only ones that volunteered for service." The way the inspector described it made Max laugh. Volunteered isn't quite the way he would describe the recruitment process on Kepler Terminus or most of the worlds in the Kepler Empire.
Keres Max
[Compatibility Determined] Rank A
[Primary Attribute] STR 2.5x modifier
[Secondary Bonuses] DEX 2x, SPD 2x
[STR] 3+120%
[DEX] 3+70%
[SPD] 3+70%
[Innate Talent] Mind Reading
[Additional Function Unit Optimization]
[Additional Function Multi Point Targeting]
[Additional Function Split Fire]
[Additional Function Perception 1]
"That's Um, well, I don't know what to say. What sort of evolution did you go through that increased all your base stats by a point? I've heard of powerful Alpha Ranked Pilots before, but that is insane." The administrator that had the talent for reading others' System Status gasped when he read Max's data.
"That my friend is a military secret. But I can tell you that it does come in exceptionally useful in everyday life." Max informed him, working hard to keep a straight face. He couldn't very well tell them that he had somehow forgotten the entire event now, could he? He woke up and was at two points, but after the next day's training when he checked again they were all at three.
Max knew for certain that something had happened while he and Nico had been on the Kepler 142 Space Station, but he had no idea what it was.
"Next up is the Lady Tarith Nico, Gamer Tag "Blood Goddess". Height 150cm, weight 180kg. No, that can't be right. Oh, sorry miss, it didn't say on the sheet that you had undergone such extensive augmentation. Now, let's see what the system has to say."
Tarith Nico
[Compatibility Determined] Rank A
[Primary Attribute] No Longer Valid. Status Growth Reliant on Functions
[Secondary Attribute] Increased Growth Rate
[STR] 3+88%
[DEX] 2+46%
[SPD]2+90%
[Innate Talent] Technology Manipulation
[Additional Function Rapid Repair]
[Additional Function Mecha Modification 5]
[Additional Function Drone Controller 1]
"That's an incredible stat line, considering your conversion. State of the art technology for sure. My condolences on your loss though, it has to be hard knowing that you won't be able to increase your stats anymore." The administrator told her, real sympathy in his voice.
"I still have some hope. My [Mecha Modificaion] Function is capable of modifying my body now, so it gives me little bonuses whenever it gets the chance." Nico shrugged, having already accepted her fate.
"Mecha Modification level 5. Isn't that the Maximum rank that you can achieve for a progressive skill? I've never seen anyone with a Function level above 3." The inspector pointed out.
"I'm not sure if it's the Maximum, but it's pretty quick now, at least when I have the materials to work on my own body." Nico agreed.
