Space slave

I come to my senses as my body finishes cutting through the sky and crashes into the cold water, plunging deep into the dark abyss. My thoughts are jumbled, and the fear of death pushes everything out of my head, including my memories.WARNING! Critical damage to the nervous system detected! Locating exact damage site, please wait...In the darkness of the icy waters, a light blue notification from my neurointerface appears before my eyes, informing me that I've sustained some injuries. But how? What went wrong? I can't remember...Brain scan complete. Cause and location of damage identified. Location: entire brain and part of the spinal cord Nature of damage: irreversible fusion of neurointerface and nerve cells Cause: influence of anomalous force during wormhole transitThe entire brain? Wormhole transit? There's no time to think about this, I need to get out of the water if I want to live.WARNING! Spacesuit condition scan complete. Damage level: 89% Jet pack: out of order Oxygen supply system: out of order It is recommended to leave the spacesuit and swim out of the water on your own. Your oxygen level: 75/100%, and it's actively decreasing.God, if I don't shed this spacesuit, it'll become my prison, posthumously at that! It's already acting as ballast!I signal the neurointerface to remove the spacesuit, and though with a delay, it slides off my body. The heavy white suit designed for exploring the cosmos sinks deeper and deeper into the water right beneath me. An ironic burial place for a space suit - the sea floor.I tense every muscle in my body and begin to surface, swimming with all my might.Your stamina is rapidly declining. 70%, 68%, 65%.I know without you that I have almost no strength left! Come on, Sasha, swim, swim, you don't want to die here, right? No way in hell!Stamina: 30% Oxygen: 20%I surface and take a deep breath, feeling like a newborn inhaling the air of a new, cruel world for the first time. Come to think of it, I have more in common with an infant than it might seem: I've emerged from the waters, taken my first breath, I'm in a lot of pain, and most importantly - I have no idea where I've ended up."Interface, khe-khe, time! What time is it?" I ask in a voice hoarse from exhaustion.Scanning... ... ... Answer is difficult. The sun above us is not our Sun, and we are not on Earth."God... What do you mean, not on Earth?" I force out, trying to look around. "Then where am I?"Around me is only the endless expanse of a dark sea. Somewhere in the distance, an irregularity on the horizon is visible. What is it? A shore or a huge wave approaching me? It's impossible to make out from here...If we convert the local time to an Earth equivalent, it's now 18:13"Then why the hell is it so dark?" I curse. "Did I end up in a storm?"The user is advised to veer slightly to the right, then swim straight - all the way to the shore."So it's khe-khe, so it is a shore?" I ask my neurointerface.Neurointerface control can now be done without voice commands. Try sending a mental signal. Waiting...Mental signal? Since when did this interface become so talkative? You're blocking my entire field of vision with your text, couldn't you please close for a while?! Otherwise, I'll definitely drown...Understood, entering sleep mode until your arrival on dry land.Damn convenient and friendly, and why, I wonder, didn't this thing work so well when I was there - in space...Remembering space, I begin to realize that the memories I lost about ten minutes ago are starting to come back to me. I gather my strength and begin to slowly swim towards the shore, trying to conserve energy. During this time, in my exhausted brain, images from the very recent past begin to flicker...A few hours earlier."Alexander, all equipment and systems are ready to begin the operation. Confirm your readiness," says the voice in my earpiece.I look at my reflection in the glass of the not-yet-donned spacesuit and notice that my face, which always appealed to girls, has been marred by bags under my eyes and unevenly grown pale stubble. Blonds definitely don't suit beards, in my opinion. I run my hand through my short light hair and gaze into the reflection of my blue eyes, trying to find the courage that will help me survive what I'm about to face in literally an hour.Well, a week spent on a lunar station would spoil anyone's appearance."Alexander, do you copy? This is base, do you copy? Confirm your readiness," my boss's voice repeats. "Alexander Voidovsky, confirm your readiness, is everything alright there?""Yes, everything's fine," I say, gathering my strength. "Putting on the spacesuit, takeoff in ten minutes.""Excellent, how's the neurointerface? Have you gotten used to it?""A week is hardly enough to get used to constantly popping up notifications about every change in my body," I say, putting on the spacesuit. "Sometimes I feel like this thing can read my thoughts.""Of course it can, that's what it was developed for. Trust me, Sasha, the neurointerface is used in a wide range of professions to simplify multi-task missions. An astronaut, especially one like you, can't do without it.""Okay, okay, I get it," I reluctantly agree. "Let's say I'm used to it. It's not for nothing that I've been languishing on the lunar station in complete solitude for seven whole days, training to use this thing.""Don't grumble, you understand yourself - the situation is serious. This anomaly... When our instruments detected its existence right behind the Moon - the entire scientific world jumped to its feet. Now it's very important to study it before the Americans. Can you imagine what will happen when you - Alexander Voidovsky - scan this anomaly and return? You'll become the second Gagarin!""Ha!" I chuckle. "I hope you're not mistaken, and the game is really worth the candles. I'm ready. Entering the shuttle."I climb into the spacecraft, which will literally send me into the unknown in five minutes, and I tense up, both from excitement and from the lack of space inside the shuttle. Lucky that I'm of average height, otherwise I'd be bending over in three folds here. Although, if I were taller - no one would have taken me on this mission.The shuttle starts and at enormous speed rushes into the dark emptiness of space. The neurointerface begins to bother me with messages that my well-being has changed.Your heart rate: 145 beats per minute. User is recommended to breathe deeply and try to reduce stress levels.Reduce stress levels? Very funny, neurointerface, very funny.I stretch my neck, feeling the annoying metal film covering my nape and continuing down to the thoracic spine. Oh, this neurointerface, it takes up so little space, but causes so much discomfort!Although, I won't lie, this thing can be useful. If you figure out how it works, you can scan your body and get detailed statistics about your capabilities, but either I don't have access to this function, or it's still not perfected. In any case, there's no point in discussing the pros and cons of the neurointerface now, because something deserving more attention looms before my eyes.At first, the shuttle's sensors detect it, then my eye begins to notice changes in the cosmic void. The light of the stars is distorted, passing through an invisible something, and takes on different hues. I look through the anomaly and notice that the space in it seems to be distorted and smoothly flows from side to side, similar to sea waves. Around the paradoxical zone, a small halo is visible, emitting bluish radiation, resembling something like a neon sign."How fascinating and frightening at the same time..." I involuntarily utter. "Base, I see it.""Excellent, Sasha, stop the shuttle," the "base" commands. "Take the equipment, secure the cable, and go out.""Understood," I say, sighing heavily."Sasha," I hear my name again."Yes?""Don't be afraid, the neurointerface will help you if something goes wrong. It will perform all the necessary calculations. But first and foremost, rely on yourself. Be careful out there.""Okay. Thanks, Dad. Over and out, I'm going out," I reply to the base and get up from the seat.The cable securing me to the shuttle is firmly fixed at the doors leading to open space. A small sensor with which I'm supposed to scan the anomaly is fixed on my right shoulder. All that remains is to muster the courage and press the airlock opening button.Well, God help me, if he exists.I hit the button and leave the cozy metal walls of the shuttle. This is far from my first spacewalk. At twenty-four, I've managed to gain considerable experience in this matter. Another exit into open space doesn't scare me by the fact that I'm stepping into an impenetrable void. I'm scared by the unknown lurking in this anomaly.The subsequent events unfold so rapidly that I don't even have time to realize what's happening to me. At first, I slowly float around the anomaly, recording data, but after about ten minutes, my consciousness becomes hazy and I start hearing a voice. Someone's call. It speaks my name and invitingly asks me to enter... Enter? But where?When I start asking these questions, the neurointerface is already in full swing trying to pull me and my spacesuit out of the anomalous zone, engaging autopilot.God, what just happened to me?I look around, breathing heavily, and realize that the bluish halo surrounding the anomaly now surrounds me along with it. In hysteria, I grab the cable, intending to pull myself out of this trap, but the titanium cord breaks right at the point of contact with the halo. Everything around begins to spin, the neurointerface issues hundreds of messages, but can't change anything. I'm being pulled somewhere inside this mysterious cosmic formation. My heart beats once and I lose consciousness. No... I just temporarily cease to feel my existence... being somewhere between two distant points in space.I don't remember how I swam ashore. Perhaps the waves carried me out, saving me from their evil older sister - the sea abyss. I decide to fall asleep, burying my face in the cold wet sand, but the neurointerface wakes me up.Alertness level has dropped to 15%, but the user is strongly advised not to sleep. Surrounding conditions are too unsafe. I suggest building a fire and a small shelter to warm up and rest."Since when... did you become so smart?" I force out, spitting out the salty water that got into my mouth.To create a fire, find: 7 leaves and 2 sticks. To create a simple shelter, find: 25 leaves and 15 sticks. Scanning the area... ... ... Area scanned, providing approximate location of items.I struggle to get up and survey the long shore stretching far beyond the horizon. The rain has already stopped - and this is the first good news after realizing that at least I didn't drown in the raging sea. I notice something glittering under my feet. What's this?..Looking closer, I realize that my neurointerface is focusing my vision on sticks, leaves, and other elements that would be useful for creating a small camp. Dad was right, this thing won't let me die... At least not at first.So be it, I'll do as the interface wants. After walking back and forth along the shore, I collect 32 leaves and 17 sticks."Perfect, exactly as many as needed. So, what now?" I talk either to myself or to the wonder-interface.Confirm creation of fire and shelter. I will give your body the commands necessary for crafting the object."Commands? Ha! As if I don't know how to make a fire myself..." I chuckle. "Well, I confirm!"Unexpectedly, my hands quite quickly and skillfully begin to construct a fire and a small leaf canopy from the available materials, which is supposed to serve as a decent shelter from the wind."How is this possible?..." I whisper, looking at my hands. "These weren't my movements, I would have done everything somewhat differently... But not so perfectly."I reach behind my neck to touch the neurointerface and touch my skin.Gone. The metal film with nano-innards is no longer there. Could it have been damaged during the fall?The neurointerface has left its physical shell and become part of your nervous system.Part of my nervous system? Damn it! And is this... is this dangerous?Safer than without me. Would you like to familiarize yourself with the basic functions of the neurointerface?"No, thanks, damn it, I spent a whole week at the space station doing just that."You did not study the basic functions of the neurointerface to which you did not have access."Wow... And now I have access?" I ask with genuine interest.Alexander Voidovsky - access to basic neurointerface capabilities granted. The following sections are available to you:STATUSCHARACTERISTICSSKILLSPERKSCRAFT What are you interested in?"Neurointerface..."You can just call me NI."Heh, okay. NI, open my status menu."STATUS MENU: Health: 78%; Stamina: 45% Alertness: 11% Hunger: 56% Thirst: 49%I study my condition and marvel. How did I get off with such light injuries after passing through a wormhole?..Wait... Wormhole? How do I even know it was a wormhole?Your sensor finished studying the anomaly at the last moment and sent you part of the obtained data. I concluded that you ended up in a wormhole.Yes... It turns out I'm now God knows where... Perhaps, there's still a chance that I'm on Earth, just in some very remote point from civilization.Would you like to explore other menus?"A bit later, NI. Right now my skull isn't working at all... What I can't understand is - how did you make me build a shelter and make a fire so easily? I even lit the fire on the first try, and I've only managed to do that with sticks a couple of times!"This is possible thanks to your "Survival" skill and the crafting menu capability. Your Survival level: 20 out of 100. Also, for successful crafting, you received a total of 20 experience points (XP). I can use these points to endow your body with new capabilities."Well, this is complete nonsense. Sounds like a game. Casuistry!" I mock the artificial intelligence talking to me.When your brain, your nervous system, your body gains this or that life experience, I transform it into something called experience points. My main task is to increase your capabilities using these very points in the way you want."Sounds interesting, but..." I say, lying down under the green canopy next to the fire, "...but my alertness scale is flashing, unambiguously hinting that I need to rest a little."My eyes close by themselves. I don't even have time to think about further plans, about my survival, the darkness of sleep envelops me like the emptiness of space, in which I'm so used to feeling at home.The deep sleep is suddenly interrupted by a strong and rough kick of someone's foot to my ribs."Another escapee! How do they do it, bozoprats!"Before I can wake up and figure out who's hitting me and what "bozoprats" are, I'm already being put on my feet and dragged somewhere."We need to strengthen the guard even more, I'm tired of catching these slaves every day!" a man in leather armor with patches resembling some military designations seems very indignant.Wait, stop... I finally wake up, remember yesterday's adventures: the flight, the encounter with the anomaly, falling into the water, the malfunctioning interface. Interesting, when did I manage to become a slave?"Listen, this is some kind of mistake, I'm not a slave, I need help, I survived a terrible..." I don't have time to finish, one of the guards hits me hard with some kind of club."9% HP Health: 91%""Shut up, you unfinished insect!" the soldier exclaims."We've caught so many slaves, we hear the phrase 'this is some kind of mistake' every time. You could come up with something new," the mustached man bursts into violent, disgusting laughter, thoroughly enjoying his superiority over me."But I'm telling the truth! Where are you dragging me?" is all I manage to say before I get another hit."16% HP Health: 85%"It comes out much stronger than the previous one, taking away all my desire to continue attempts to establish contact with these people. I decide to walk silently and sort things out on the spot with someone from these soldiers' superiors.We have to walk for quite a long time. I decide to visually study the surrounding area. Since I'm on another planet, the environment should be different here. However, around me is ordinary nature, the trees differ somewhat in their sizes, but nothing radically new is discovered. From the conversations of the guards walking ahead (and I dubbed them guards because I have no idea who these bastards really are), I find out that they took me for an escaped slave. Just what I needed, is a slave-owning system flourishing here?..My hands are tied behind my back, there's no possibility to make any attempt to confront my captors. I don't even remember when exactly I was tied up, probably while I was sleeping. The interface doesn't offer any escape options. It seems that right now I really have no other choice but to accept and wait for my fate.Thoughts are jumping, I can't focus on anything. Too many events, and not even a day has passed! I try to come up with some plan, or at least make sense of what's happening - but in vain. All I can do now is obediently move behind these veritable torturers. Damn them, sons of bitches!"Open the gate, we've brought another fugitive!" the loud voice of the mustached man pulls me out of my thoughts. Right in front of me opens a view of a huge stone wall, stretching in both directions from the wide gate to which I'm being dragged. Next to the gate is a small guardhouse, reminding me of customs on Earth."How do they keep escaping from you, I'd like to know?" the customs officer grins crookedly, opening the gate.We enter. Behind the gate is a small square surrounded by various buildings. On the right is a long, scary barn, without windows and in places without a roof. Near it walk several men and women in huge collars and gray torn robes. Everyone's eyes are downcast, no conversations or even whispers are heard. Everyone looks very emaciated, some seriously ill. Shivers run down my spine. Shit, I don't want to go here! I don't want to stay here!After the square, we find ourselves at a neat two-story house. Looks like some kind of administrative building. This is where the managers sit... This is my chance to explain the situation!I'm shoved inside, and I fall to my knees before an incredibly fat man in a neat suit made of expensive black fabric. On his wide greasy nose sit large glasses."Finally, now I'll explain that this is a mistake, they'll let me go, I'll go home!" a naive thought flashes through my mind."Twenty lashes with a whip if you don't say how you managed to escape and remove the protective collar. If you do say - you'll get off with ten," the fat man says in a creaky voice."Wait, wait, listen, this is all some kind of mistake, I'm not a slave, I'm not even from here!" The man doesn't try to interrupt me, he seems to be listening attentively. Finally, I can explain myself, now he'll understand everything! "I'm an astronaut, I was performing another mission, fell into a wormhole, ended up here! I don't even know where 'here' is territorially, I fell into the sea, barely swam to the shore, in the morning some guards woke me up, dragged me here, but I didn't escape from here! I didn't even know that slavery still exists somewhere. I know nothing about this place!""Hey, Markut!" after listening to me attentively, the fat man shouts.From the corner of the room appears a man in black clothes, with long hair tied in a ponytail. How strange, I didn't even notice him when I came in here."This one has greatly entertained me with his story, I suppose fifteen lashes will be enough for him. And find a more reliable collar! Assign him to land cultivation for now, look how healthy he is! Maybe someone will buy him later.""Wait, you didn't understand me, I'm not a slave!" I shout, but the man with the ponytail, called Markut, suddenly grabs me and pulls me outside.Enough, that's it! I won't tolerate this anymore!I quickly trip him while simultaneously headbutting him in the neck area.+1 to "Unarmed Combat" skill - the interface reports.Markut clearly didn't foresee this, and so he crashed to the floor, dipping his long hair right into the dirt. This is my chance! I rush towards the exit, but two more guards, appearing out of nowhere, block my path. How many of them are there?!"Interface, how high is my Unarmed Combat level?" I mentally ask.Unarmed Combat: 16 out of 100Not much, but maybe there's still a chance!Due to tied hands, there's a penalty to the skill "-10". Total: 6To hell with it, I'll manage without upper limbs. I decide to do something like a slide, running up and jumping right under my opponents' feet. I actually manage to hit one scoundrel in the knee, but the second immediately presses me to the ground and nips my escape attempt in the bud."7% HP Health: 78%"They immobilize me effortlessly, lift me up and lead me to the square. How don't they understand that I shouldn't be here... God, what have I gotten myself into?..In the square, a huge muscular bald man, all covered in some scars and burns, is already waiting for me. In his hands - a whip! Oh, no-no-no!I fully realize the hopelessness of my situation, I become truly scared! I ended up here by accident, I have to get out, I need to go home, and no one here even wants to listen to me, they're literally going to make me a slave, damn it!I can't break free, three men are holding me tightly while this huge brute slowly and with some perverted pleasure raises the whip. From the first strike, the skin bursts like a balloon, thick blood begins to flow down my back, and I nearly lose consciousness from the pain. My screams can probably be heard all over the world, but everyone doesn't care about them. The second strike cuts the flesh almost to the bone, and I, probably to my luck, lose consciousness."26% HP Health: 52%"