Free The Outlaw (Phantom Server: Book #2) by Andrei Livadny

translate, something that can be described as ‘Genesis’. It's basically what the raid went to get.”
    “Can you expand on this, maybe? What would exobiologists want with a technological artifact? That's not what they specialize in, is it?”
    “There, take a look,” he changed the picture on the screen. “It might help you understand. This is how this station used to look millennia ago.”
    I was looking at a chiseled spatial structure permeated with light and made up of a multitude of transparent domes. The glow of force fields, the intertwined support beams, the fragile petals of shield-protected external platforms that recreated landscapes of yet undiscovered planets — all this was humbling.
    So the way the station looked today was only a miserable shadow of its past glory — only what was left of its sturdy technogenic frame?
    “Genesis stores all the databases and DNA samples designated for cloning,” the hybrid's voice interrupted my thoughts. “From what I know, it can turn dust into fertile soil within days. It's not science fiction, Zander. There are certain types of bacteria capable of feeding on metal, ore, toxic and nuclear waste,” he pointed at the terraces still enveloped in dust. “I'll use the artifact to recreate the station. I'll call it Oasis and will invite everyone who wants to come and settle here. It's a good project, trust me.”
    “But how did the artifact end up on Darg?”
    “I don't know for sure. The past events are not clear. The Exobiologists clan deciphered a few of the Founders' log entries that said that after an accident at the station, its AI had rescued Genesis' core unit by sending it to the nearest planet. The coordinates point at these ruins in the forest,” he gestured at the map. “The Dargians don't seem to know anything about it, otherwise they'd have already dug the whole place up.”
    No player would ever miss a chance like this. This yet unassigned quest was in fact a whole scenario with a multitude of unique plot lines.
    If I refused it, I'd be forever kicking myself. But this Ingmud wasn't that simple. He'd forgotten to tell me about the artifact, yeah right.
    “I still don't get it,” I keep pushing the envelope. “Are you worried about your daughter or are you trying to lay your mitts on the artifact?”
    “The two aren't exactly incompatible, are they?”
    “Do you ask everyone who happens past to go to Darg? How many people have already gone missing there?”
    His face darkened. “My men tried to do it. They couldn't.”
    “Why?”
    “They don't have pilot's skills. Most of the Oasis settlers are either Mechanics or Vendors. Darg's orbit is patrolled by the slavers' ships. It's not easy to slip past them unnoticed. But unlike all the others, you'll have help.”
    “What kind of help?”
    “I'll tell you all the details later,” his tone switched to businesslike suspiciously quickly. “We'll make a contract,” now he was speaking like a gamer. “I offer you one neuronet upgrade of your choice. In return for this, you stop asking questions. When you come back from Darg, I'll teach you lots of things I've already learned. That'll raise your Mnemotechnics and Alien Technologies at least twenty levels.”
    I tensed up. If after all this I don't receive a new quest, all my speculations about corporation-made AIs would prove pure fiction.
     
    Quest alert! New quest available: Restoration of the Oasis.
    Quest class: Script (within the alternative plot line).
    Step 1. Ingmud seeks your help to bring his daughter from Darg back to him. You can accept his proposal.
    Immediate Reward: you will receive a unique neuronet upgrade of your choice.
    Future reward: The hybrid will teach you for free until you reach level 20 in both Mnemotechnics and Alien Technologies. Your relationship with Oasis settlers will improve considerably.
    Step 2. Find Kathryn.
    Reward: Unknown, varies.
    For your information: if you choose to complete the quest chain within a