They left the busy entertainment plaza that was located inside the central district and headed towards the librarian’s location.  On the way, Kai thoughts revolved around the abundant social media streams they had observed.

This is awesome.  I want my own stream too!

“Yuni.  How can I become a streamer and appear on those panels?”

“You can not.  According to the rules your lifeform classification needs to be either a Species or a Race to stream content.  Additionally, to appear on the city's public panels you will need at least a million subscribers.”

One million subs.

Kai frowned.  It was a number he hated, since he had never achieved it before.  Sure, he was happy to be alive, but he wanted to live his life his way.  And that life included streaming.  So he had to do something about his classification and decided to ask the librarian about it.

As they weaved their way through the herd, they finally arrived at a black cylindrical tower in the middle of another plaza.  He inspected the surroundings and saw a water fountain in the distance, it was filled with little creatures that played in it.  It reminded Kai of the little kids back home so he assumed that the little creatures were the children of the city’s citizens.   There were no streaming panels located at this plaza, but there were plenty of shops nearby.

When he looked back at the building he noticed that several people were interacting with the outer walls of the cylindrical building, they touched and talked to it.  The building itself was a giant interactive kiosk.  However, when they got close to the wall, a doorway suddenly appeared and Yuni went inside.  Kai followed.

“Do we need to go inside?” asked Kai.

“According to the tourist pamphlet Yuni downloaded, the outerwall is meant to answer questions directly related to the city, such as locations within the city and general information.  Queries that inquire about information that covers non-generalizable city data can be done inside.”

Once inside he was in wonder, the room felt surreal.  He had entered the world of Tron.  The black floor was covered in a matrix of lights and the walls were filled with different shades of blue that flashed symbols, white lines and polygons every now and then.  Every source of light glowed with a strange hue.  He also noticed a lack of any pictographic displays, no monitors or panels displaying an image could be found.  At the center of the room floated a three foot wide black sphere with similar markings as the walls.  It hovered in the air blanketed by a pyramid of light.  A few light guides on the floor led the way.

Yuni walked up to the sphere and turned towards Kai.

“Kai, this is the librarian for this area.”

Then she turned to speak to it.

“Hi.  My name is Yuni.  My friend Kai has a few questions for you, so I hope you can help us.”

“I am Librarian 3282 and I am here to assist you.  Pleasantries are unneeded as I am just performing my function.  Please state your question concisely as it will help me process your request. ” replied Librarian 3282.

There was no inflection in the librarian’s monotonic voice, it provided a clear and concise response.

Kai laughed a bit.  It reminded him of the old Yuni.  When she gave him a puzzled look, he just hid the smile and decided to question the librarian.

“I would like to know how I can get recognized as a Species.”

“You are already a Race, you are a valerite.  You can not be a Species.”

“Actually, I’m a valerite derivative.  A specimen created in a mad scientist’s lab that somehow survived the experimentation process and manifested consciousness.”

“Acknowledged.  Can I access your passport?  I need to verify your data.”

“Go for it...  I mean, sure you can access my passport.”

The librarian began to review the data in Kai’s passport and confirmed that his was indeed a valerite-derivative.  He was also listed as Quant’s pet, her specimen and named QS1.  The piconite mesh identified as Yuni was also tasked as the pet’s walker and the data collector which monitored the pet’s behavior.  The interaction between the piconite mesh and the pet seemed slightly odd, but when looked upon as a case of in the field behavioral research data collection it could be overlooked.  So the slight oddity was only noted.

Librarian 3282 began to process the request and searched her archives for similar cases recorded throughout the history of the Modus.  It came to one conclusion, reclassification was possible.   However, using the standard channels and administrative processes would not work.  There was only one option for the pet.

“There have been cases where newly discovered intelligent lifeforms and evolved pets have achieved Species status.  However in all of those cases there was a plurality of lifeforms involved.  You are a singular existence.  Regardless, they achieved Species status by winning or performing extremely well in The Game.  Several specimens have tried as well, but none have survived and achieved Species status.  Those specimens were of the combat type and The Game was used to validate their designs.  Performing extremely well in The Game can be considered indicative for an intelligent lifeform that at a minimum qualifies as a Species.  Section 202.13a in the rulebook covers this aspect.”

The Game was law.  The Council that ruled the Modus had used it to filter out Species and promote Races.  It realized the hard truth about Natural Selection and performed it in a civilized way.  That is, one could gamble on it.  The Game provided a legal means to eliminate the unwanted. The Modus was large and contained over a hundred thousand different types of intelligent lifeforms, many which claimed to be capable of being a Species, let alone a Race.  The bureaucratic red tape would be extremely long if one used a transparent, fair and harmless evaluation process.  Therefore The Game was used to efficiently shorten the process.  It provided transparency and created a fair evaluation platform for prospective lifeforms.  It was a simple yet effective way to select the best candidates to join and advance in the Modus. 

“Correction.  He is not alone, we were born together and we are friends.” interjected Yuni.

Upon hearing Yuni’s response, blinking lights suddenly inundated the sphere surface.  The noted oddity was reevaluated and a computed response followed.

“You are a piconite mesh.  You can not be considered a lifeform or a Species.”

The sphere seemed slightly annoyed as many more blinking lights on its surface were revealed.  But before Yuni could respond, Kai did.

“OK. OK.  I got it.  This is the type of answer I like.  I just have to earn my freedom.  Game on!”

Though Kai responded with energy, he was very anxious inside.  He did not do too well in The Game before and died like a noob.  However, this time he felt more prepared and at least he knew more about this world.  But he still felt that his small body might need a few buffs, stronger muscles, improved agility and weapons in order to do well.  So he started to plan a path for success.  Then he remembered he had another question.

“I want to know about a player in the game.  He was known as player #1237 and died during an assault on a nest of some bug-like creatures.  Unfortunately I don’t recall their name.”

“Searching… Do you have any more specific information that I can use to filter the data stream?  Generic player names like 1237 are commonly found in the vast number of matches for The Game that are continuously held.  Please provide more specific details.”

Kai let out a sigh.  He would never live it down.  He tried his best to forget about that humiliating experience, but it was burned into his memories.

“The player was a bi-ped with two arms and looked similar to Yuni here.  But with black hair instead and wearing clothes that covered its legs and a shirt with Snoopy...I mean an animal character on it.  The player was also the first to die.  Lastly, several players around him yelled Ara’teri before he died.”

After the librarian received Kai’s specifications, it immediately responded.

“I have found the player you seek.  Please watch the display to confirm.”

Kai arched his left eye when he heard those words and then begrudgingly looked at the display.  He saw the final moments of his past life.  Player #1237 was crushed and kicked by the behemoth behind it in the opening moments.  The player was left to die at the base of a bloody wall, before being cleaned off by a janitorial service robot.  After reviewing the players actions from a third person perspective, he felt sorry for it.  It was him and he felt humiliated.  He really had died a noobs death.

Ara’teri !

But since he decided to move on beyond that incident, he did not dwell on it.  He just laughed at himself.  He knew a life filled with regret was wasteful, so instead he reflected on it positively.  He would learn from the failure and grow.  Additionally, this encounter had left him with a new opportunity in life and a chance at redemption.  Plus this time he was joined by a good friend.  Considering all that he had been through, his second life had turned out much better than he would have ever hoped to expect.

“Yes that is the player.  Can you tell me any information about him?  Like, where is he from?”

“The player in question was submitted by Zeeber Eyeree Gamers’ Guild #1192 as the first entrant from S3 in quadrant Gx87-A525.  That quadrant that is managed by the guild.”

“Where is S3?”

“Unknown.  Those records are kept in the guilds data system and access to it is not public.  Please seek the guild for more information.  Keep in mind that most guild data in regards to The Game are usually kept as a trade secret.  Unless you are able to join the guild, it may be impossible to find the information you seek.”

Well some good news and some bad news.  Maybe if I do well in The Game the guild will allow me to join them.  Then I can go home.

Kai brewed on the latest information and started to form a strategy as to how he would move forward from here.  He then noticed that Librarian 3282 and Yuni were having a discussion of some sort, but since he was too lost in his own thoughts, he quickly forgot about their interaction.

When he finally settled on a path, he decided to ask one more question before he left.

“Where can I find equipment for The Game?  I am compatible with band 2 and band 3 equipment.”

Librarian 3282 answered his questions and told him to go to an area of the city that specialized in all matter of merchandise for The Game.  He thanked the librarian and left the facility with Yuni.  Kai left in a good mood, the librarian had been surprisingly helpful and Yuni made a friend.  His thoughts were focused on The Game and his survival.  He was not sure how well he would do the next time, but he concluded that it was pointless to dwell on it.  He just needed to be prepared and perform as best as he could when the time came.  It was a familiar sensibility for a gamer.  And he had his reasons to believe in himself.

Three factors usually weighed heavily on the outcome of any game: preparation, opportunity and luck.  And when it came to luck and opportunity, Kai did better than most.

Since they still had plenty of time to explore the city before they had to leave for their next destination, they decided to go shopping for the much needed equipment.  Kai had to improve his chances of doing well, if he wanted to survive the next time he played The Game.