Chapter 2: The Real World

For hundreds of years I did not view this universe as the real one. Aside from Chel who was born in this world every other person composing me was from the "real world". Your universe is something I am intimately familiar with, and I would I hope I am, after all the humans in my universe created it. That may be hard to accept even if you could accept that I am not from your universe but nonetheless it is true. In the other world, which I will continue to refer to as the real one, this universe was a game. A highly advanced game fueled by a star but a game. As someone from the real world I believed this one to be nothing but a dream or simulation. Maybe I was even still in the game but just not aware of it. I hope this mindset can explain how I was capable of some of the cruel acts I committed.In the real world there is no such thing as tri-space and as such without access to superluminal space, convenient faster than light travel is impossible. Wormholes are still a possibility but we lack the required exotic matter and even if we had it the limitation of sending them out at sublight speeds existed. We tried generation ships. Maybe putting about at sublight speeds wouldn't be so bad. I bet most of you are laughed even now at the stupidity. As is common here the group we sent out got to the system it wanted to, colonized a rock and promptly collapsed. Maintaining a colony in space is just too hard when any supplies needed will only get there a few centuries later.Despite all that we had confirmed life on other planets existed. Our failed colony found a biosphere another world and atmosphere spectroscopy had advanced to the point where we got new positives every week. We had finally answered the age old question: Are we alone? Knowing just made it worse. We knew there was life out there but we were unable to meet it. In the real world there are just as many species if not more but each one is trapped forever in the gravity well of their stars, doomed never to encounter another.Thus when presented with a bleak and hopeless world humanity made their own. We wanted to exist in a world where we could travel and meet exotic cultures among the stars. This is that universe. This is the game called Frontier.This is where Harris Harmes enters the story. Like many in his era Harris was game content. Its a social structure that doesn't exist in this world, perhaps because the people in the real one didn't want to acknowledge it existed. At a glance the real world seemed to be a utopia where every citizen had their needs met but this was only done so as to create living game content for the rich and powerful. These players would never rule over worlds or command great fleets. As such many found other hobbies such as exploration, hacking or singing. Harris was an archivist.Living off of meat paste and corn meal Harris wasted his life before dying a pitiful death. When he next woke up he found himself sharing a body with a woman who couldn't be more different. Something caused his mind to move into the body of Chel Lokain which was drifting in the void of space. After being rescued, the woman everyone thought was dead opened her eyes. At that time, I was born.Skamandrios | January 24th 2208Stuck between two pillars the station's artificial sun reflected off of the small lake beside which two bikini clad women were lounging."Do you really plan on letting your brother be the next heir?""Mm hmm, he's smart, dedicated, driven and most importantly, not me.""I'm not saying I started dating you for your wealth and prestige but I won't deny that was a factor."The woman next to me took a long sip from her martini. She was a rising star in the Lokain group, projected to become Vice-Director of the west shipyard in under ten years. "I'm hurt Adrita," I gasped, "I genuinely thought you started dating me for my sense of humor.""The only humorous thing you've ever said is implying you're funny." She snorted. "Are you seriously going to give up all of this?" She gestured at the natural beauty around us. "I get that being ejected from an airlock is pretty traumatic but did you just decide to stop living?"I gazed around admiring the artificial ecosystem my family had set up, one of the few green places left after the exodus from Earth. Finally my eyes rested on Adrita's cleavage."Just the opposite, I finally realized how to live properly. I won't spend another minute slaving away like a poor person would. From now on I'll simply sit back and enjoy my life of luxury!"