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(If there’s a * it means there’s more explanation about this at the end of the article.
Fast Track pt. 3
Bursting from pain, they set out, hobbling their way through sand and stone. They passed a small copse of withering Pasam trees. Fallen branches snapped under foot, and a soft healing breeze brushed them gently. Encouraged, they picked up speed, taking turns bearing the burden of Pho. Although moaning from time to time, she didn’t complain much, but they allowed themselves, and her, a short break to rest once in a while. It was important that they should look fresh and chipper to the staff of FAST, or so they were told. FAST does not want parasites; be ready to investigate, explore, and work hard or you will be off the track, fast.
It was three hours later, when they spotted the “Zollast”, from the biggest ships ever built. The Zollast had the Capacity of Eighteen Thousand Travelers. FAST owned Twelve Ships of various sizes. The biggest one was the “Rasahill” that was built three years earlier. These ships were built with technology only FAST had. As with most things concerning FAST, information was little to non-existent.
Towering above the seas and dwarfing any ship that came near, the Zollast was from the largest cruise ships in the world, and how it functioned was a secret not many knew.
The ship was three hundred and sixty four (364) feet wide, wider than Quailtone Park.
Its length was two thousand and seventy nine (2,079) feet from bow to stern. That's more than twice the length of the Istome Bridge – one thousand and twenty (1020) ft. At four hundred and twenty (420) ft., the ship was taller than the Kolati Buildings in Jebotin.
“Security is crazy”, said Pho, “just look at the entrances***. You won’t be able to get me on”.
Brick looked at the entranceways, he saw the Guards checking each and every boarder. The cargo was all examined, piece by piece. The only exceptions were the wooden crates that were boarded by crew members of the Zollast. Each member would carry on boxes and containers, all marked with a red ‘Z’. Once every few minutes, a random crew member was stopped and the contents of the box that he was hauling were methodically sifted through.
“I have an idea, but it has its risks”, said Ponov.
Sneaking unseen behind an assortment of crates, Ponov and Brick lifted the cover of crate #173829. Inside there were stacks of carved wood panels, their use unknown. Brick took out two thirds of the contents and stuffed two blankets for padding. They inserted some food, some drink and Pho. After they put her in, they placed straw**** to cover till the top.
“Who knows how long she’ll be stuck in there”, Brick said, “for all we know this will be put onboard last”.
“We’ll just have to wait and see”, Ponov replied, “in the meantime, let’s get on board”.
They climbed back up the rocks they previously had descended, when sneaking to the crates. Their baggage was pretty light, and it took ten (10) minutes to reach near the Passenger entrance.
The place was crammed. Hundreds of students were waiting to get on. Each one looked weirder than the ones next to them. There was a bearded Dwarf chatting with a tall Elf boy with spiked ears. A horned green Goblin was moving around irritably, while a Leprechaun was shouting at him.
There were many creatures from all parts of the eSim, and they came in many sizes. FAST was known for accepting students from all species and races.
It took about an hour until they finally made it to the guardhouse. The guardhouse was the small room every student went through upon entering the ship. In the room were several uniformed officials, each one assigned to a different task.
The first one took Brick’s baggage and opened it. After a thorough search it was passed to another who shook it, smelled it, and handed it back to Brick. The next one did a full body search; no area was safe from this. It was very uncomfortable but the official did the job fast. A third looked at his invitation.
After that, a guard stepped into the room. He was a troll, about the height of Brick. He was a dark brown colored rock; he was also wider than Brick.
“My name’s Bone and you are to come with me”, he said.
Brick followed Bone into the ship, fascinated by the things he saw. There was a wide fountain, right in front of them. On the sides there were trees and plants of all different colors. Chairs and tables were placed under waterproof canopies and some students and crew members were sitting on them. There was a walkway around the ship. A bar was open, packed with students drinking all sorts of drinks. A buffet was set up and any student could take as much food as he wanted.
When they walked into the hall, it was breathtaking. It was huge. The ceiling was at least Sixty (60) feet tall (above Eighteen meters) with massive chandeliers gracing the shiny ceiling, carved from elegant Jophel wood. The images displayed objects and scenes that Brick had never encountered before. He craned his neck trying to figure out what the mysterious figures represented but he was hurried along by Bone’s hasty strides. What appeared to be a staircase that moved and was swallowed up by the floor, astounded Brick, but that phenomenon did not seem to be on their current route. Some kind of vehicle was being driven without animals to move it. The sights amazed Brick, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
Bone took him to a room that was on the right side; the door rolled open by itself.
“Thank you Bone”, said a small lady sitting in a blue leather armchair. Her hair was red, it was long and released into a double knotted tail. She was wearing a copper-colored suit. Her legs were crossed, and with her hands she motioned for him to take a seat.
“Welcome to FAST, Brick. As you may have noticed, things here aren’t exactly like the places you come from. If you have any questions, about anything, I’m the one you come to. Each student is assigned a counselor, somebody who takes care of them and if needed, decides to get rid of them. There are several counselors on board; each one of us takes care of about five hundred students. There are many basic rules here at FAST, with the number one rule being secrecy. Once you boarded this ship, you have sworn to uphold any secrets FAST may have. We in return will help you advance. At FAST we teach many different subjects, some you get to choose from, and some you don’t. Life is unfair and we believe in that too. In a few days you will be going on a quest, together with up to twelve other students. This quest will be personally suited for you and your companions. I can’t tell you what challenges you will face, but we believe in you”.
“Do you have any questions”? she concluded.
“Do we start school on the cruise or only after we reach FAST”?
“You have already reached FAST, Brick, although no studies will be taught on the ship. Like I said before, you’ll be sent on a quest, the quest can be considered as a school activity”.
“Ok”, said Brick, starting to feel more than a little queasy.
“You can go to the front desk to get your room information and such. Getting drunk is not allowed”.
“What if someone drinks too much?”, Brick asked.
“They usually get thrown overboard, or locked up for a day. The one who does such a thing usually never tries again, even in cases that he can”.
Brick stood up, she started reading some book that was near her on a short desk.
As soon as Brick left the room, he felt a gush of air enter his lungs. I’m never talking to that lady again, he decided.
*** When the Zollast was in port, passengers and crew could only enter through one or two controlled access points, where ship's security personnel check IDs, manifests and such. Because access to the terminals and docking areas is limited as well, it would be relatively tough to get onboard if you didn’t belong there.
****The straw they found in a bundle nearby, which they untied and scattered around. Making it appear as if its bundle had ripped
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About the game:
USA as a world power? In E-Sim it is possible!
In E-Sim we have a huge, living world, which is a mirror copy of the Earth. Well, maybe not completely mirrored, because the balance of power in this virtual world looks a bit different than in real life. In E-Sim, USA does not have to be a world superpower, It can be efficiently managed as a much smaller country that has entrepreneurial citizens that support it's foundation. Everything depends on the players themselves and how they decide to shape the political map of the game.
Work for the good of your country and see it rise to an empire.
Activities in this game are divided into several modules. First is the economy as a citizen in a country of your choice you must work to earn money, which you will get to spend for example, on food or purchase of weapons which are critical for your progress as a fighter. You will work in either private companies which are owned by players or government companies which are owned by the state. After progressing in the game you will finally get the opportunity to set up your own business and hire other players. If it prospers, we can even change it into a joint-stock company and enter the stock market and get even more money in this way.
In E-Sim, international wars are nothing out of the ordinary.
Become an influential politician.
The second module is a politics. Just like in real life politics in E-Sim are an extremely powerful tool that can be used for your own purposes. From time to time there are elections in the game in which you will not only vote, but also have the ability to run for the head of the party you're in. You can also apply for congress, where once elected you will be given the right to vote on laws proposed by your fellow congress members or your president and propose laws yourself. Voting on laws is important for your country as it can shape the lives of those around you. You can also try to become the head of a given party, and even take part in presidential elections and decide on the shape of the foreign policy of a given state (for example, who to declare war on). Career in politics is obviously not easy and in order to succeed in it, you have to have a good plan and compete for the votes of voters.
You can go bankrupt or become a rich man while playing the stock market.
The international war.
The last and probably the most important module is military. In E-Sim, countries are constantly fighting each other for control over territories which in return grant them access to more valuable raw materials. For this purpose, they form alliances, they fight international wars, but they also have to deal with, for example, uprisings in conquered countries or civil wars, which may explode on their territory. You can also take part in these clashes, although you are also given the opportunity to lead a life as a pacifist who focuses on other activities in the game (for example, running a successful newspaper or selling products).
At the auction you can sell or buy your dream inventory.
E-Sim is a unique browser game. It's creators ensured realistic representation of the mechanisms present in the real world and gave all power to the players who shape the image of the virtual Earth according to their own. So come and join them and help your country achieve its full potential.
Invest, produce and sell - be an entrepreneur in E-Sim.
Take part in numerous events for the E-Sim community.
