by Skyler Grant
"Don't kill us most courteous and polite mechanical overlord! We did not mean to damage your glorious hull!" Ratticus said, sitting up in a panic.
"I admire how many hours must have been spent fine-tuning your squeaking to be the most irritating sound audio sensors could endure. We have two vessels incoming. The rest of the crew are down. We either need our own guns working or those on the dome repaired. The dome will be difficult, the facility is currently under an electrical overload," I said.
"Oh shining digital champion of all that is merciful and decent! We are not bothered by electricity," Ratticus said.
Really? I suppose that made a certain amount of sense given all of the components that they had to scurry about. Still, I felt foolish for not realizing sooner—and I would have thrown Ratticus into a testing chamber too. Well, it could wait until this was done, provided he survived.
I teleported the Rats down to the guns of the complex. The electrical overload should have neutralized the owner of that Command core.
"Graven? Your inability to evade shots has damaged you quite enough. Return to the ship, you're in no shape to continue this fight," I said over the comm.
"We acknowledge options are limited. You have a plan?" Ophelia said, in that disinterested tone of hers.
"Somebody has to," I said.
The Graven focused on evasion as it returned to the Powerhungry, letting loose a burst of fire only when one of the other ships had a good firing solution on it.
I was steering the Powerhungry to make sure it and the airships following would have to pass over the dome. They wouldn't be expecting fire from a friendly target. If the Rats actually were good for something, this would catch them unawares.
When the Graven made it to the Powerhungry and docked, it was suddenly more vulnerable. I engaged the docking clamps and kicked in the thrusters to present the attackers with our least damaged stretch of hull. Beam weapons sliced the armor.
No fire was coming from below. Only seconds were left before I'd have to consider other options. I knew I could survive without my Biocore providing power, although most of the ship’s systems including engines would go down.
I was saved further thought along those lines when the cannons finally opened up. A massive spark of electricity discharged from the complex to strike one of the attacking ships and send it tumbling from the sky to crash into the jungle.
The other vessel broke off at once—this was suddenly a fight it wanted no part of. The dome guns fired again with another spark that this time struck the engine of the ship resulting in a massive fireball that filled the air with debris.
Whereas moments before survival had seemed questionable, abruptly we were the only thing left moving on the battlefield.
"We are ready to return to your sparkly and glowingly benevolent, if overly organic, presence," Ratticus called.
I wasn't detecting any more ships incoming. I didn't doubt that eventually more would be sent, but with everything including their response force having gone silent I didn't think they'd be rushing here. They would be playing it cautious.
I told Ratticus, "I know I praised your designer before. But I have rethought that and decided you'd have been much more useful without vocal chords at all. Strip the complex of everything that you can first. I want the wrecks scavenged as well."
I killed the comm. I was sure they'd have objections, but I didn't care.
If Anna was right, Cutout was planning to betray us. Even if he wasn’t, I doubted he'd provide supplies for us to repair damage we'd suffered on a side mission.
72
I continued to prioritize scavenging before any repairs. The engines were still in decent shape, which meant that most of our maintenance could be done in the air. We could undertake that once we were safe—an opportunity to get these resources wouldn’t come again soon.
While the Rats went about their tasks I took the opportunity to absorb the core that Anna acquired from Lotus.
You have claimed a Flora Core
You have unlocked the ability of BioArmor. By adapting the basic principles that Cellulose serves in plants you are now able to create armored shells for yourself and your creations making them much more durable against physical harm.
That wasn't at all what I'd wanted out of the core. The carnage in the dome showed the immense destructive capabilities of plant control. Of course, the sheer damage both the ship and crew had just taken also showed the benefits of utilizing those capabilities in some defense.
You have an unspent core point
Your options are
Research 6
Research 6 will allow you to build a translation facility. Often upgrades and improvements are specific to certain core types or paradigmatic principles. With this you can undertake conversion of that knowledge into a form usable by your own systems.
Military 2
Military 2 will allow you to control a greater number of defense drones. There is power in numbers. In addition defensive systems all acquire a minor upgrade.
Engineering 1
Engineering 1 will allow the production of automated minions. They are capable of autonomous ship repair and will halve all build and production times for new facilities.
Command 1
Command 1 will allow status warnings. Currently you receive no notification when an individual component is in distress. With this upgrade you will receive alerts with the issue, severity, and suggested fixes.
Espionage 1
Espionage 1 will allow you to control a reconnaissance drone. This unit is capable of stealth and will allow visual and audio surveillance.
As always Research was going to be my first temptation. We still had the tomes from Sylax's magical library on board. In their current state they were useless to me, but eventually somehow I hoped to begin unlocking the potential of whatever research she had stored upon this vessel.
I had to consider other options. The recent battle had impressed on me that even with my multitasking it was easy to get distracted in difficult situations. Command 1 would offer a way to relieve that, and that choice seemed likely to offer a lot of useful upgrades going forward.
The lack of ship weaponry continued to be an issue. If I had focused more time upgrading my own military capabilities they might not be necessary since an army of well-equipped combat drones would serve as ship defense.
Then there was Engineering. Even back at the ground base I'd repeatedly put off production capabilities despite that upgrades became more time-intensive to construct. Recently, with the entire crew neutralized, I had very few capabilities for self-repair of critical systems.
As much as I wanted that Research upgrade I had to do the intelligent thing here. I'd been delaying some of the basics too long and it was hurting me. I invested the point into Engineering.
A new repair drone materialized on each deck. I set them to fixing the hull and begin the process of installing BioArmor in place of the existing plating.
That done, I could turn my attention at last to SCIENCE.
The salvage material the Rats were bringing up was already showing some interesting possibilities. I started with those.
Research
"Sonic Beam Cannons"
These fixed position cannons use beam weaponry to carry a Powered voice and resonate it through ships. Later modification allowed them to use similar beams to discharge large quantities of electricity. Research could result in either standard beam weaponry or in beam weaponry capable of carrying other powers to a target.
This project will take one week to research.
Of all the members of the crew we'd inherited, Ratticus had managed to impress me the most in the battle. Although the man—if he ever bothered to manifest as a man— managed to be a level of irritating that even Anna could only aspire to, he'd proved capable of both quick thinking and in delivering results. I'd already teleported a large supply of cookies down to the dome for the Rats to enjoy while they worked.
Research
"Growth Lights"
These lights were in use in a hydroponics facility to accelerate plant life by application of abilities inherited from a Flora core. With the death of that core's inheritor the abilities are fading, but traces still remain for research.
This project will take one week to research.
The combination of powers and technology discovered below were interesting and unexpected. To date the only ones I'd encountered able to do that possessed upgrade cores. We hadn't encountered anyone with one in the dome, but the presence of this technology suggested that they must have one. If they did, I very much wanted it—the upgrade core was the most central to my abilities and I suspected acquiring another would enhance what I could do more effectively than any other core I'd absorbed to date. I'd studied the abilities of Mechos, but that wasn't quite the same thing.
Research Project
"Plant Samples"
You have samples from five different plant species that were being grown in bulk in the captured hydroponics facility. Potential of these samples is unknown and study will take some time.
This project will take three weeks to research.
Recreational or medicinal drugs most likely. I was curious to see what came of these.
In addition to those projects there were two others too long ignored. Ratticus may have impressed me, others had not.
Research Project
"Baron Wolfson"
Baron Wolfson is imbued with the properties of a Fauna Core. In addition he has undergone extensive modification by an Upgrade Core. Research will unlock a lesser version of his Fauna core ability and may unlock versions of some upgrades that have been applied to him.
This project will take two weeks to research.
Research Project
"Doctor Batavius"
Doctor Batavius is imbued with the properties of a Vision Core. In addition she has undergone extensive modification by an Upgrade Core. Research will unlock a lesser version of her Vision core ability and may unlock versions of some upgrades that have been applied to her.
This project will take two weeks to research.
I quickly produced a testing bracelet and beamed it down to the surface for Ratticus with instructions to put it on. I soon got his project beginning as well.
Research
"Ratticus"
Ratticus is imbued the properties of an Energy Core. In addition he has undergone extensive modification by an Upgrade Core. Research will unlock a lesser version of his Energy core ability and may unlock versions of some upgrades that have been applied to him.
This project will take three weeks to research.
That was intriguing. With the ability to transform into animals I'd assumed that all department heads were of a single core type. It seemed that was not the case. If Anna were awake I doubted she would approve of me locking her department heads in research cells for the next two weeks. Fortunately, Anna needed to be kept sedated while she healed from her injuries. With her accelerated healing it wouldn't be two weeks, but it would at least provide some time undisturbed.
73
"You shouldn't imprison my department heads without consulting me," Anna said. It had taken three days to get back on her feet.
In that time the Rats had managed to scavenge almost everything they could from the devastated dome and our cargo hold was filled with supplies. We suffered no further attacks, although twice in that time a ship appeared at the far extreme of sensor range before withdrawing. We were being monitored, but they weren't pushing a fight.
"Our department heads, if I am being generous. You were busy convulsing wildly. I find it fascinating how your I’m being electrocuted face is almost identical to your flirting face," I said.
"It isn't and they are. Fortunately I'm in good spirits, staying to scavenge supplies was the right call," Anna said.
"You'd be amazed how smoothly this ships functions when you nearly die."
"We need them, Emma, and we need their people," Anna said.
"I will confess that Doctor Batavius isn't completely incompetent. Baron Wolfson is," I said.
"He bent the knee to me when it was the smart thing to do. That matters," Anna said.
"It matters, if your idea of a good military commander is one who surrenders at the first convenient moment, and that’s what he did confronted by you. While it may have served you well at the time, it doesn't now," I said.
Anna gave a wry smile and grunted. She was walking the ship. I'd respawned both Candice and Diana after their deaths and was using Diana to accompany her today.
"It doesn't change the fact that we need his Wolves," Anna said.
"The little dogs are no more impressive than the big one. I'd recommend we let Hot Stuff replace him, when I let her out of testing," I said.
Anna paused to stare thoughtfully at the wall. "She's our best killer. That doesn't make her a good commander or a good leader."
"Her band was loyal to her. Of all the test subjects we acquired, she perhaps gave us the most trouble."
"I'm not prepared to fully pull that trigger quite yet. We'll give Hot Stuff her own strike team and see what she does with it," Anna said.
It was an acceptable compromise. At least then we'd have someone capable of carrying out offensive operations.
"I'd also like to apply some upgrades on you. I've got a new BioArmor enhancement and we've the points put away to improve a few more of your stats. With heavy point usage you might become average," I said.
"Have you tried out BioArmor on a human subject yet?" Anna asked.
As if I wasn’t going to apply such a useful upgrade to my human drones. I held up Candice's hand and triggered the effect. A glove formed around it made of greyish hide, I released the affect a moment later returning to normal flesh.
"It can be triggered and released at will," I said.
"Good. I was concerned of some sort of permanent disfigurement," Anna said.
"As if anyone would notice. Still, no. It does have a duration both in time and in how much damage it can take. Then it needs to regenerate for an hour before being deployed again," I said.
"Clothes?" Anna asked.
I triggered the full effect for Diana. It clad her head to foot in the tight-fitting, thick skin. I released the Bioarmor.
Anna stared for a moment. "Well, that is unfortunate."
"It does consume clothing. Everything you’re wearing is gone when the affect ends," I admitted.
"Something of a drawback on a battlefield. Still, as emergency backup it’s good to have. Go ahead and add it, but no Fire Matrix upgrade. Hot Stuff's fashion problems are not ones I need," Anna said.
I pulled up her sheet to make the changes.
Anna
Age: 23
Height: 127.7 cm
Weight: 64.6 kg
Physical Stats
Values out of 10
5 is the Human Average
Allure: 8
Endurance:6
Strength: 5
Agility: 6
Health
Subject shows signs of recent electrocution, poisoning, and suffocation.
Upgrades
Accelerated Healing
Temperature Resistant Matrix
Subject is upgradeable
You have 12 upgrade points available
Physical stats can be upgraded at a cost of 1 upgrade point per statistic point up to 10
You also have the following options based on research
Fire Matrix 5 points
Teleportation Matrix 5 points
BioArmor 5 points
When I told Anna that she wasn't quite the human average I was being honest—except to say that she exceeded it a good bit. Partly that was my own upgrades, but she had been like that before meeting me. With our research facilities I was now getting a regular flow of upgrade points, but they were still a limited commodity. Upgrading both my human drones with armor had taken ten and now I was left with twelve.
If Hot Stuff was going to be leading a strike team it might make sense to grant her armor as well, although her fires burned so intently most threats couldn't reach her. Those same points spent on Anna could vastly increase her stats or give her teleportation. Right now I could teleport my agents—including Anna—but this would place that power under her own direct control.
I wound up giving Anna BioArmor and Teleportation, and upgrading her Endurance and Agility by one point each. While individually her abilities were nowhere near as strong as the prime matrix they were derived from—she would never heal as fast as Ophelia or be able to teleport as far or as capably as Sylph—cumulatively Anna was becoming incredibly versatile and deadly.
I couldn't wait to see how she put these combinations of powers into effect. It was almost enough for me to want to give her a testing labyrinth of her own. Instead, I was certain that soon enough the real world would provide ample opportunities.
I manifested her a monitoring bracelet.
"Jewelry? You shouldn't have. You realize you could have just put these on Batavius and Wolfson," Anna said.
"And Ratticus is already wearing one. Wear yours as well. I want to see what you do with your upgrades. I gave you Armor and Teleportation, and a bit of increased physical potential," I said.
Anna slipped on the bracelet. It remained the only piece of her attire that remained when, a moment later, her appearance altered. Her body armor wasn't grey and hide-like. Anna's was sleek and snug-fitting, and looked to be made of latex in hues of brilliant red and gold. Her figure flickered as she teleported from deck to deck and I lost track of her for a moment until external sensors picked her up in the dome on the surface. Then she was back on the airship and in her quarters, pulling some replacement clothes from the wardrobe.
She called, "Get our salvage teams back aboard and let’s get out of here. I want us ready to return to port inside of a week."