Chapter 38: Sector Politics
Back in Genesis Outpost #7, the CommNet, which had been a relatively cozy, private chatroom, suddenly felt like it had been thrown into a stadium.
The announcement of the "Sector CommNet" had everyone buzzing with a mix of excitement and nervousness.
"Whoa, did you guys see that? We’re connected to nine other Outposts!"
"Sector Gamma? That sounds so official. Do we get uniforms?"
"I can’t believe Scarlett hit Level 5 too! That’s awesome! Our Outpost has two high-level players!"
"Yeah, but Ryan is almost Level 7! Did you see his progress bar after he took down those time-dog-things? He’s a monster!"
"Does this mean we can trade with other Outposts? I wonder if they have better stuff than we do."
"Or bigger monsters..." someone added nervously.
The Outpost members, who called themselves the "Blue Falcons" (a name chosen in a very chaotic vote during their first week), felt a surge of pride.
They had Ryan Stone, the Outpost Pioneer and number one player, and Scarlett Viper, a skilled and respected Level 5. They felt like they could hold their own.
Then, the new Sector Gamma CommNet channel crackled to life. New names and profile pictures began to flood the chat, each tagged with their Outpost number and faction name. It was like the first day of school in a very large, very dangerous cafeteria.