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Ch 5, Sorientation: Space Orientation

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Logan remembered that 'Harper Knight' wasn't the man's real name but, for the life of him, he couldn't remember what it truly was. Aside from it being a piece of relatively useless trivia he couldn't recall, the young man was left wondering if he was the only person who knew it. Then again, he reasoned, he'd been told that 'Star' wasn't his niece's real name, so did the people of the 28th century even care? He didn't really have an answer for that.

Once Harper was situated next to Logan, Pete didn't go straight back into training everyone about their implant. Rather than get straight into the education, Pete instead elected to have everyone introduce themselves. Considering everyone seemed to know Harper Knight, he reasoned it only fair that everyone go through inputting pertinent data into everyone else's contact list-- especially since the class would be working as everyone else's support structures for the weeks following class.

As the only 'famous' person, Harper graciously offered to be first, and he did so with all of the humility and grace as could be summoned by a Hollywood action hero-- that is: not much. "So... normally I'd say that you would only NOT know who I was if you were living under a rock for the last few years but... well... I think all of us where 'on ice'..."

He waited almost theatrically for the laughs from the audience which, like clockwork, came on queue; that included Logan, though he hated himself for it. He reminded himself that nobody present was 'on ice', and, frankly, outside the room, probably NOBODY outside historians in the 28th century knew a thing about him. Regardless, Harper continued, even going so far as to wink as he finished his introduction. "Harper Knight. Actor... and now time traveler. Nice to be learning with you all."

Sitting next to Harper or, more specifically, having Harper sit next to him meant that Logan was volunteered (or, as his dad liked to say, 'Volen-told') to be next. He kept his introduction simple. "Logan Bradshaw. NOT a Hollywood action star."

Although it was a flippant, snide attempt at humor which was not worthy of a laugh, Harper didn't seem to agree. With a hearty guffaw, the actor slapped him on the back after he sat down, motioning to him as he addressed the audience. "Hey! This guy, am I right? Let's hear it for Logan!"

Logan was forced to suffer through a polite round of applause before Pete got things back on track. The ten remaining members of the orientation class were 'nobody of significance' based on their introductions-- just like Logan. He remembered Lillian because she'd already introduced herself, but everyone else's names would have gone in one ear and out the other if not for the implant's HUD revealing everyone's first name every time he glanced their way. It was evident that the other attendees were also starting to notice the same effect.

Pete used that as a jumping off point. "As you all become more and more familiar with your implants you will be able to customize what information shows up with regard to those around you. Data such as celebratory dates, likes and dislikes, club memberships, or even information about historical records... why don't each of you try that now. All you have to do is--"

He got right down to business instructing the class on how to adjust the information visible on the HUD. Lillian and some other lady off to Logan's right were talking to one another about recording birth dates, or asking after food allergies, at which point Pete interjected. "You can customize your HUD to your liking, but I do want to point out, Ms. Marshall, that most people in the 28th century do not celebrate birth dates-- for a number of reasons, really... and food allergies are a thing of the past; genetic modification has done away with health concerns related to such matters."

Lillian's face reddened slightly; she said a few quiet words to her table-mate and went right back to staring forward, obviously accessing internal menus. Logan wondered for a moment if he looked so vacant when he was doing the same thing. His self-reflection came to an end when he got a light elbow from Harper. "Hey... Logan... is your bio right? You lived at home with your folks?"

Wincing inwardly, the young man realized he hadn't bothered checking his own personal data. With little more than a thought, he called it up and immediately had to stifle a groan; the information in his biography was as embarrassing as he thought it would be-- it included his failure in college (along with his lackluster grades), his (sparse) work history and the fact that he lived at home with his parents up until his death. Under achievements it acknowledged that he placed 'honorable mention' in a VAN gaming tournament about three months after he'd been scanned into the system. Gritting his teeth, Logan felt no reason to lie-- not like he'd be able to get away with it. "Yeah."

Harper was all smiles, leaning closer as he whispered. "Hey... if it's any consolation, I lived at home til I was in my mid 20s too... and I never won a game tournament."

It was a strange, almost humanizing statement coming from the Hollywood star; was Harper Knight REALLY trying to make him feel better? Logan was almost going to object, pointing out that HE hadn't WON anything-- and, technically, he also hadn't been runner up since that was the him that lived AFTER he'd been scanned, but he really didn't have it in him to correct the actor. Instead, he busied himself scanning the room with his eyes, hoping to find someone who was more 'his level'. He failed.

All around Logan were people of seemingly great importance. Among the eleven other attendees there was Harper Knight (of course), two scientists, two politicians, three business tycoons, the heiress to a multinational corporation, and the wife of an astronaut. Lillian was seated next to the wife and, as Logan checked her history, he was even more astounded: she was actually one of the creators of the technology that was used in the scanning study in which he'd taken part! He felt immediately worse.

The self consciousness grew as the morning progressed. All around him were signs that he was far out of his league. The people present asked intelligent questions; they had amazing insight into concepts Logan had trouble grasping and seemed to follow along with Pete's instruction without issue. Granted, the young man felt lucky that Pete was such an amazing teacher since even HE was able to keep up with the class, but, he pointed out to himself, he'd had Pete's private tuitilage the prior night. Logan was confident that the rest of the class had likely closed the gap before lunch time.

Day one of class consisted almost entirely of a discussion on the uplink. Pete covered its usage and how to use a variety of different commands. He had a lecture on the metanet, and explained a little about its history and how it came to be, but mostly how to use it to greatest effect. There were a few self-study projects he had everyone undertake, distributing them digitally so everyone could pull them up using their uplinks. Logan, thankfully, had no trouble doing those and, in fact, was one of the first of the students to complete is, giving him a small glimmer of optimism that he wasn't hopeless.

From there, Pete discussed how the class could find him or, for that matter, anyone else located in the hab. Thanks to the metanet, anyone connected at a singular location (such as the Moonspire, their current location), could be easily found using what he referred to as the "Locate" command, which, as Logan watched, appeared on his HUD, written as 'loc@'. He made sure everyone was able to get it to open.

Pete then explained. "The loc@ command, known both as 'locat' and 'locate'-- both are correct-- allows a user to see their surrounding. I know several of you have already found a mapping program, but loc@ is much more interactive and informative. Not only will it show you your surroundings, but it will provide you up-to-date information on transportation options, help provide directions to a target location, along with an estimated time of arrival, and can also, as I said, be used to tell you where someone is in relation to you. Why don't you all go ahead and try using a loc@ command to find me?"

Logan had no trouble whatsoever activating the command and pulling up the ID search, finding Pete in a matter of seconds. Glancing around the room, he saw a number of class staring forward with vacant expressions; a few of them had looks of extreme concentration, and one of the guys in the front row, a politician of some small country Logan had never learned about (and was probably no longer in existence) had all the signs of someone who was thoroughly frustrated. Harper also seemed similarly perplexed, eventually just saying aloud "You're right there, Pete. Isn't that what our implant thingie is going to say anyway?"

Pete was the picture of infinite patience as he nodded. "Once you pull it up on your HUD you'll see me outlined with an indicator from your uplink acknowledging that I've been found. Not so useful when we're in the same room, no, Mr Knight, but it's always helpful to start small. We'll give everyone another minute or two-- for those of you who don't have it yet and are still having trouble with the HaZ interface, try manually pulling up your command console, sort by alphabet, and go to the 'l's and select loc@... there's nothing wrong with taking the long way to accessing what you need-- you'll get it eventually."

One by one the members of class that seemed to be having the most difficulty eventually relaxed, sitting back in their seats as a sure sign that they'd completed the lesson; even Harper ultimately seemed to be successful. He handled it well despite the initial outburst, even leaning over to give Logan a gentle pat on the shoulder. "You all good, my man? I can help you out if you're having trouble."

Logan shook his head. "Got it, thanks."

Harper gave him a confident wink. "You sure do. Real quick on the uptake. Looks like I chose the right study partner." He followed up his statement with a laugh, and another pat on the young man's shoulder.

Pete continued the lesson a moment later. "Very good everyone. Now that we have everyone at the same step, I'd like you to exit out of the search function and then widen your scan. Loc@ can provide you a full layout of the tower. Do that now, please."

Logan was able to do so immediately, finding the search program to be incredibly user friendly. Everyone else in the class likewise appeared to be faster on the uptake, even Harper, who offered up a friendly, good-natured "Ha! Well look at that. This guy's a good teacher, eh, folks? Looks like we'll all be graduating in no time at this rate. What's next, Pete? When do we get to learn how to pilot a space ship?"

His question garnered quite a few chuckles from the class but Pete did not. Logan hadn't known the man for very long, but Pete was an open book, and he saw a glint of humor in the man's eye that hinted a joke coming up. "We are covering that tomorrow, Mr Knight."

Harper punched his hand into the air. "Kick ass!"

A smile spread across Pete's face. "I'm joking. There really isn't a need to learn how to pilot; almost all space lanes are handled by AI pilots, but, I suppose if that's a skill you wanted to pick up there are a few instructors-- that, however, is outside the scope of this class."

The actor took the news well. "Ah well... guess I'm no worse off than in Hollywood. I can probably fake it off camera as well as on."

Logan knew exactly what Harper was talking about. "Lunar Photon?"

His table-mate shot him one of his patented award winning smiles. "I thought you had the good sense to be a fan of my work. Hell yes, Logan. THAT'S what I'm talking about!"

Harper held out a fist to Logan who, in full compliance, bumped it with his own. Pete continued the class unabated. "I would like each of you to do a search for someone in Moonspire who isn't in this room. Presumably you have all met the sponsor that qualified you for your Corpus Verto-- if you don't know anyone else, you may search for them."

One table away, Lillian raised her hand. "Mr. Noah, I--"

Peter was on the spot. "Oh, Lillian... of course. Why don't you go ahead and do a search for TIBOR. You remember TIBOR, right?"

Glancing across the way to the talkative woman he'd only just met that morning, Logan was caught up in the curiosity wondering what that was about, and yet, despite that taking up his attention, the young man had already pulled up Star's location (she was four floors up from him and three doors away from the 0 degree elevator. In that moment he realized what Pete had said the previous night about being able to multitask; was he finally 'getting it'? He felt a strong spike of pride. He didn't have a long time to consider it since Pete continued the lesson once all of the students had been successful.

"Alright, class. Now that you all have some experience with the loc@ command, let's spend a little time going over general metanet usage and searching."

Already familiar with the metanet, Logan blew through that lesson and spent more time waiting for his classmates than actually doing anything. There were a few useful pointers for him to pick up but he already felt much more competent with regard to utilizing it for information and obtaining knowledge. He was even self-assured enough to feel as though he'd graduated from using the 'metanet zombie gaze', confident that he was able to find what he needed without staring blankly. Only as he began looking around did he learn something new on top of the lesson Pete was teaching: he could access everyone's feed and actively SEE what they were searching if he focused!

At first, Logan felt a little dirty about it, but that self-reproach quickly passed whn he noticed that a LOT of the class were mostly doing random, train-of-consciousness searches, but Harper Knight appeared in a LOT of them. He would have rolled his eyes if not for the fact that he'd done his own search on his table-mate the moment he recognized him. The young man didn't have much time to dwell on it as Pete moved the lesson along further. "I would like everyone to conclude their search by looking up information about one thing you've experienced that you've noticed is greatly different now than in your birth century."

Until that moment, Logan didn't realize exactly how skilled he'd become with his uplink when he simultaneously began a search for 'woman having sex with dog in public' and cancelled the search at the same time; others could see what he was searching! Quickly backpedaling, the young man instead thought about the strange tendency he'd noticed when it came to people choosing a Corpus dramatically different than what he would consider traditionally human-- Star, his niece, for example.

He did a search on THAT, and went down quite the rabbit hole of information, including different procedures, different Corpus Artists, and even an entire habitat out in space that specialized in Corpus Verto to transfer guests into 'loaner' bodies to have fantasy adventures as fanciful races out of pulp fantasy novels. The entire concept seemed almost insane or, rather, it would have, if not for the fact that Logan had been face-to-face with his niece, an anthropomorphic fox, who also solicited him for sex. Sighing, he realized for the dozenth time that 'the future' was a very different place.

Once the rest of the class caught up to him to Pete's liking, the instructor called an end to the orientation. "Thanks for attending everyone... that concludes our class for the day. We'll all meet back here again tomorrow for another session-- two of five."

One of the men at the front of the class spoke up. "So... we're not breaking for lunch? We're done until tomorrow?"

Pete nodded. "Correct, Mr. Nakamura. One additional difference, you'll learn about the 28th century is that work days are 4 hours long."

The man sitting beside Mr. Nakamura seemed taken aback. "Well, damn-- that was flawless Japanese if I'm not mistaken. Just how many languages do you speak, Pete?"

Logan realized right away what had happened; he'd heard both Mr. Nakamura and Pete speak in English, but apparently he'd had a language filter on. Rather than correct the confused classmate, the young man chose instead to slip out before anyone engaged him in conversation. As he made his way surreptitiously to the door he saw that many of his fellow orientation attendees were gathering up, presumably with the intention of getting together after class; not one to enjoy social gatherings, Logan was all the more intent on getting away while he had the chance. He was mostly successful... mostly.

Harper slipped out the door behind him. "I had a feeling you were smart the moment I saw ya... others might be fooled by you, but I can tell you know what's what. Knowing when to make an exit is just another skill you obviously have. I'm impressed."

Not exactly used to receiving praise, let alone getting it from a Hollywood idol like Harper Knight, Logan wasn't really sure how best to respond. Figuring he was best evading the matter entirely, the young man shrugged. "I just wanted to get some quiet time in. Things here seem like they move a mile a minute."

Harper showed off his (literally) award winning smile and the moment Logan started walking the actor fell in line, matching his pace. "Hey-- I spent enough time in 'the business' to be used to 'a mile a minute', but yeah... this brings it to a whole new level. I get that you're looking to get away from everyone and everything but lemme be real with ya, Logan: out of everyone in that room it feels like you're the only one from my time that has even the slightest idea about what's going on. When I was new in Hollywood one of my agents told me something that stuck with me ever since: 'It is not WHAT you know; it is WHO you know', and it pays to know the guy who realizes what's going on."

Logan couldn't help but laugh at that. "Me? Oh, hell no... I'm still trying to figure out what's going on."

The star rested an arm around the young man's neck, draping it across his shoulders. "Listen... you're not that great with people; I get it. All cards on the table: I am WAY outta my league here when it comes to what's going on."

Logan hated and loved Harper for that honesty; the jealousy was real in that the movie star could be so openly vulnerable and still seem like the guy in charge. The young man tried to mimic it, even if it was just superficially. "Join the club."

It didn't land, but Harper didn't seem dissuaded in the least. "Hardly. I've learned how to figure out more about people than they know themselves and Logan: out of everyone in that room, YOU are the guy who is gonna get it right... and, again, full honesty: I need your help. We can help each other."

Still suffering from being a stranger in a strange land, Logan found himself less affected by being star struck than he might have otherwise, but there was still enough of a fanboy in him to realize what was being offered. "Help each other? How?"

Harper was all smiles, giving him a half-hug as if they were old drinking buddies. "You're picking up this whole brave-new-world thing faster than any of us, and I have an affinity for people. You help me get up-to-date with all this 28th century stuff so I can get back on-brand and pick up where I left off, and I'll help you work on your people skills. You'll be able to get people to love you if you want or, more likely, learn the best way to get them to leave you alone."

Logan had to admit: Harper apparently WAS good at reading people. "I mean... I suppose we could discuss it, at least."

It wasn't until Logan had led Harper to the same lounge where Pete had taken him the prior night that he realized just how closely the movie star was paying attention. It was, in fact, Harper who brought it to his notice. "Damn... you really DO know your way around here already-- or is it the uplink thing? Either way, it's impressive!"

Fighting not to blush at being so emphatically complimented by a movie star, Logan offered a timid "Thanks... let's go over here-- I like the view at 15 degrees."

Although Harper followed him, the actor had a question. "Fifteen degrees? What's that mean exactly?"

Having had the directions explained to him previously by Pete, Logan was happy to explain what he'd learned. "Since North isn't really used much on the Moon, they use a 360 degree scale. 0 is North, 90 is West, and so on." He gestured as he began walking to the seat he'd had the prior night. "Fifteen degrees is over here."

His companion was all smiles. "Dang, Logan... you really DO have a head for this kinda stuff. I don't plan on being a dead weight in this partnership, so at least let me sweeten the deal by covering lunch."

At first Logan thought Harper was kidding; when it quickly became evident that he wasn't, the young man attempted to correct him delicately. "Oh... uh... there isn't any need to pay. All the meals here fall inside our allotment."

Harper raised an eyebrow incredulously. "Allotment?"

Logan nodded. "Yeah... everyone here has a resource allotment that we get. Meals here just come out of that."

The movie star paused a moment, rubbing his chin. "Oh... sounds a little like how some folks back home lived off of their oil funds... but this sounds a little more.. significant."

Putting his metanet skills to use for real for the first time, Logan quickly did a cross reference and it took him no time at all to realize that Harper was talking about the state funds that residents from Alaska got from oil production-- although it had stopped back when Logan was barely 10, he remembered hearing something about it. "A little like that, I guess... I'm still not completely familiar with it myself, but we'll probably go over it in orientation this week."

Harper made no attempt to hide his admiration. "Hey-- you know a lot more than I do already. I bet you'll be taking the class over from Pete in no time."

Logan offered a weak chuckle in response. They two placed their orders and spent the next several minutes in idle chit chat. It was an odd experience for which Logan had no frame of reference; he was hanging out socially with someone, and that someone happened to be a Hollywood star! It was surreal, and only got more so when, at the end of their meals, Harper sat backin his chair and spoke candidly. "Listen, Logan-- I don't know about you but, cards on the table, I'm really freaking out over the 28th century."

Out of everyone in class, Harper seemed to have it all together; Logan was honestly surprised at the admission. "Really? You seem pretty chill about all of it."

His lunch companion laughed, leaning a little closer as he spoke in a stage whisper. "Well... I AM an actor, you know."

Logan found himself laughing despite the low-key humor of the statement. "It IS pretty weird, yeah."

Harper rested a hand on the young man' shoulder. "Here's what I know: first, I have a name that folks in our class recognize. I got woke up and I have a brand that obviously needs to be revived. I KNOW media. I KNOW reputation. I KNOW what people want. What I DON'T know is this new world, and how everything works... but I have a good feeling about you, kid."

Logan inwardly winced at Harper's use of 'kid', but worked not to let it show. "Okay...?"

Giving his shoulder a squeeze, the actor let go of it and stood up. "Listen, Logan-- I gotta get going... my sponsor sent me a metanet message, but, from what I figure, you and me; we're good for each other. Let's stick close. You can help me with the 28th century stuff and I'll take you along for the ride as I ascend back to stardom. Win-win, right?"

Harper offered a wink and a wave and, with nothing more than a "See you tomorrow.", the actor was gone, leaving Logan sitting at the table alone, a whirlwind going through his mind. He hung out for another handful of minutes before getting up and heading back to the residential hall. He found himself walking into his quarters which, as per how he left them, resembled his parents' house. His thoughts were a tumult of chaos in his brain and whenever that used to happen he had one cure: gaming visor.

He hung out in the 'basement', using the system that Star had obtained; despite everyone's' constant complaints back in the 22nd century about how quickly the gaming visors broke down, Logan was astounded and pleasantly surprised to find that his was in perfect repair. He played through a few games casually before he did a deep dive into the system and felt a shiver of discomfort and disconnect creep up his spine as he realized that there were save games and saved files that he (the OTHER he) had made. After that, gaming didn't seem quite so good a way to distract himself.

He sat in silence for several long minutes as his mind began to wander again and, ultimately, he found Star's contact information coming up on his uplink; half-consciously he'd considered reaching out to the only family he had left-- such as it was. Before he could second-guess himself, Logan confirmed the call and sent the request to be connected. Star picked up immediately. "Hi, Logan. How was your first day of orientation?"

Sitting back down in the recliner, the young man let out a long breath. "Good... I think? I... was hoping you might have a few minutes to talk."

Her voice was all smiles. "I wouldn't have picked up if I didn't. Tell me-- are you in a better head-space today?"

"I... might be? I mean... I think so. Maybe. But I think that's really why I wanted to talk to you."

Her response was surprisingly empathic. "Would you rather talk in person? I can meet you somewhere if you like."

He fidgeted at the suggestion. "I... no-- I don't think so. Not yet. I mean... it's still kinda awkward enough as it is."

Star's laugh was effortless and genial. "It's alright, Logan. I get it. Tell you what-- how about we split the difference and we can meet in VR?"

Realizing that VR in the 28th century was probably a far cry from what he knew it to be in the 22nd century, Logan wasn't entirely sure that learning a whole new 'world' would help his outlook in that moment but, at the same time, he knew that he would never get anywhere if he didn't do SOMETHING. Swallowing the hesitation building within him, he committed. "Alright... tell me how to connect."