Glowing panes of light unfolded in front of each of us, and the conference hall went dead silent. I heard someone's chair creak as they leaned back. Next to me, Kyle's mouth hung open.
Unlike the broad projections ARi had been using to address the room, these were smaller, personal, and hovering at eye level. ARi wasn't showing us another image. She was demonstrating the system itself.
[SYSTEM WINDOW:] ATTRIBUTE SYSTEM
Attribute system initializing…
- Core Attributes govern all physical, mental, and social performance.
- Secondary values and resource pools are derived automatically.
Example: Constitution and Willpower define endurance.
Endurance = Constitution + Willpower.
Health = Endurance × 5.
Stamina = Endurance × 5.
The following are measured as core attributes:
- Strength
- Constitution
- Agility
- Willpower
- Intelligence
- Perception
- Charisma
Derived values update dynamically as attributes change.
"ARi, do those attributes in that window reflect the rules and mechanics of the competition?"
"Yes, Professor. I've taken all of the rules and mechanics that were made available to me and created this interface and system to govern them for our team. However, none of these will be applied, and the system won't go into play unless they're in the cradle and have started the competition. Although I don't have access to it yet, it specifies that I'll be given access to a vast library of Earth culture to integrate into this system."
"ARi, I think I've seen this movie before. Is this the part where I get to say, 'I know Kung Fu.'"
"Not quite like that, Gavin. But yeah, pretty much. According to what I was given, I'll be able to lead each of you down a progressive skill tree. This will allow me to enhance not only your attributes but also your martial capabilities. Ultimately, though, your experiences and expertise are going to be our greatest advantage. Remember, I used the analogy of an RPG initially, but that's only part of how this competition works."
The window in front of me shifted, displaying countless branching pathways. Classes and subclasses along with skills and abilities, all with their own trees and nodes. My pulse quickened as I traced the connections with my eyes.
"Upon starting the competition on one of these worlds, we'll have to establish a territory for Earth. Once established, I'll have a limited area of influence around me. But it says that I will be able to operate anywhere within our established territory.
She paused, letting that sink in before continuing. "This territory is where all our research and the manufacturing will take place. It says that I'll have certain protections when inside our territory as well. I will be vulnerable if I leave this territory.
"So you're stuck at base camp while we're out there?" Kyle asked.
"For the most part, yes. But there's good news. We should be able to develop defensive infrastructure. The rules include a whole section about player and AI synergy, including AI-crafted bots that the system calls constructs. It appears we'll have research options for robotic tech."
I leaned forward. "So you can build robots to protect the base?"
"Or to accompany you. But that part's still unclear, though," ARi gestured, and the window disappeared. "I'll also be able to manufacture equipment and resources for the team, but all of these things will have to be researched first. This is why this could be a huge opportunity for Earth. We can claim, salvage, or develop technology in this system. Every time we reach a progression node, that technology gets sent back home."
"Why aren't we stacking our team with the maximum number of participants?" My father's voice cut through the room. "We should be sending trained soldiers in there with them."
"General, we'll have the option to add members to the roster, but we should hold off at first." ARi's projection moved to face him directly. "It comes down to math. As they gain experience the system will track it as points or ‘XP’. That XP gets split between all participants that were involved in the experience. Send eight people to accomplish a task? That experience gets divided eight ways. Possibly nine, since I don't know how I affect the equation yet. Five works out to be a good team size with the given limitations. we want them to gain as much xp as possible so that they can level up. each time they level up it's going to give them access to new training and abilities."
She gestured again, and a simple diagram appeared on the wall. Plus, we might need someone with specific skills later. If we've already filled the roster, we can't add them. It's a better strategy to hold those slots in reserve.
"ARi, will we be able to communicate with you or any of them during the competition?"
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
"Communication during the competition is strictly prohibited according to the rules, Henry. However, we'll be able to send back messages and progress reports once we reach a Progression-Node. It does state, and I'm quoting the rules, that once all of the other teams have been defeated, our team will progress to another world. During that transition, there will be an interim period when our contestants are allowed to leave the cradle for an extended time."
ARi's expression shifted, becoming more serious. "This brings me to one of the biggest reasons why this is such a big deal, General. By my calculations, we were in the System AI's interface when Gavin was in the cradle for over twenty minutes. And yet, when we left that system and Gavin came out of the cradle, only a minute or two had passed."
"ARi, do you think there's some kind of time dilation?"
“That’s a strong possibility. I’ve been crunching the numbers from when we were connected to the system, trying to isolate the exact formula for the dilation. Comparing my subjective experience to my system clock, it doesn’t look like a clean conversion professor.
At first, the dilation works in our favor. Short connections produce massive gains — minutes inside the Cradle translate to only seconds passing on Earth. But the relationship isn’t linear. The longer we remain connected, the less efficient that dilation becomes.
Past a certain threshold, it begins to invert. Extended time inside the system causes external time to accelerate instead of slow. An hour in the Cradle could translate to days back on Earth. The advantage only exists while exposure is kept short.”
My father's hands gripped the edge of the table. His knuckles turned white.
"So if they end up stuck there for years, there's a chance that I might not ever see my son again."
The room went completely still. Someone's pen stopped clicking. The hum of the ventilation system seemed louder in the silence. I looked at my father and saw something in his face I had never seen before. Fear. Real fear.
I wanted to say something, but my throat was tight.
ARi broke the silence, her voice softer than I'd ever heard it. "General Daniels, I think this comes down to perspective. Your son now has the chance not only to fight for his world, but to fight for his family. For you, his mother, and everyone he loves. All of them will. The path we first envisioned could've meant these young people losing their bodies entirely, their lives reduced to data. And even if they were able to see their families on occasion, from their perspective, hundreds of years would pass between those visits. What felt like days or weeks to you would've been lifetimes to them."
I stood up. My chair scraped against the floor, loud in the quiet room.
"Dad." I looked right at him. "The rest of us, the ones who already volunteered, we've had this conversation. We know what we signed up for. So if we look fired up about this so-called competition, it's not because we've lost our minds."
My father opened his mouth, but I kept going.
"It's because this gives us a shot to do what we were already willing to die for, only now we get to do it in a way that actually matters. Not for some distant future, but real help for real people right now." I took a breath. "And yeah, it's dangerous. But so was the alternative. At least this way, I can come home."
My father stared at me for a long moment. He nodded once. Something passed between us that didn't need words.
ARi cleared her throat, and another window snapped open in front of our faces.
[SYSTEM WINDOW] VICTORY AND REWARDS:
Permanent Gains: All technology, schematics, and knowledge unlocked during the competition are secured. Survivors retain all abilities, knowledge, and adaptations acquired.
Victory Benefits: Winning elevates Tier 3 civilizations to Tier 2 and a recognized status within the galactic order. Recognition grants political legitimacy. Protection under intergalactic law, immunity from conquest and exploitation. It grants access to treaties and alliances, and eligibility for higher-tier resources and aid.
Failure Consequences: Tier 3 civilizations remain unrecognized. They remain vulnerable to conquest, enslavement, or culling without legal protection. Tier 2 civilizations risk demotion to Tier 3 status, losing all protections and becoming contested assets.
"So this competition is about political legitimacy? Establishing dominance or influence among these alien civilizations?" General Daniels asked.
ARi's projection flickered. "It's more than that, General. From what I'm piecing together, and it's still vague, there seem to be three distinct tiers of civilization. The highest tier forces these competitions on the second-tier civilizations. There's supposed to be a way to resolve territorial disputes and resource conflicts. Instead of allowing direct military conflict over contested worlds, they force them to compete for it. The stakes are real. Actual planets, resources, strategic positions. And for third-tier civilizations like ours, winning is how we can potentially ascend into the second tier. At least, that's my interpretation based on what I've been able to translate so far."
My father placed his hands on the table and looked up. "All right. If we're sending these kids into danger to represent our world, we're going to give them as much support as this entire planet can offer. I'll have every expert on these games and the theory of how they work in this facility in forty-eight hours. I want every expert, every tech, every person devoted to making sure Gavin and his team have everything they need going into this and throughout."
He paused, his expression hardening with resolve. "But let me be clear. Earth cannot put all its eggs in one basket. Plan A continues. The manufacturing facilities, the lunar colonies, the Ark ships, all of it moves forward as our primary survival strategy. There's no guarantee this competition will end the way we need it to, and we can't afford to bet everything on it. Every piece of technology this team brings back gets integrated into our evacuation efforts. If they win, we've bought ourselves time and protection. If they don't..." He left the rest unsaid, but everyone in the room understood. "We keep building. We keep preparing, and we save as many lives as possible either way."
The tension in the room shifted. I felt my shoulders drop. Around us, people were nodding and leaning forward in their seats.
"It sounds like once they reach certain goals, we might have the opportunity to not only see what they're sending back to us, but interact with them directly. This means that these periods of time can't be wasted. ARi, if you're going to be in this competition with the team, we need to figure out how you can have a presence here on Earth while you're gone."
"I'm one step ahead of you, General," ARi said. "Right now I have a team working on my core so I can mirror my presence. The version I leave behind won't be quite as advanced as I am now, but will still have access to the light projection technology and the ability to interface with the manufacturing facilities and infrastructure. If we're successful and are able to return, I'll be able to re-sync at that time."
"That's good. That's real good." The General nodded. "Because I'm telling you right now, I plan on bringing world leaders into this facility, including our president. We're going to need your help selling them on this. We're going to do this, but it'll be a hell of a lot easier with international support."
The hall erupted into motion. People stood, gathered in small groups, as ARi started calling out names and assigning tasks.
Yumi leaned over and whispered in my ear, purposely loud enough for the team to hear. "Gavin, did you read that last prompt? When I come out of that cradle I'm gonna be a freakin' space ninja."
The realization hit me. If I made it through this, I wouldn't be the same person sitting here today.
Kyle broke my train of thought. "Gavin, did your dad refer to us as kids? He knows I'm twenty-eight years old, right?"
"Welcome to my world, man," I muttered.
The First Cradle. I've got other stories posted that you might enjoy as well. Feel free to check out my profile!