by Tao Wong
I ignore the challenge, looking instead at the defenses. Assuming they intend to send help from either Vancouver or Kelowna, the chances are they’ll be hitting us from the east or west via Highway 1. Of course, once the No. 1 approaches the city from the west, it splits up into smaller feeder roads into the city, which means where they’d actually make an entrance is more difficult to tell. At least in the east, there are fewer feeder roads. On top of all that, they could just ignore the roads entirely, entering the city by walking through buildings or the fields that surround the city.
“How are we going to do this?” I mutter to myself, staring at the information.
The shield limits attackers from just strolling in, but since it’s a single shield, attackers could split and attack across multiple areas, weakening the shield overall before breaching it. Do it well enough and we’d have to split our troops to deal with each attack. If they were smart, they could trick us in splitting our forces and then make an end run to the city center.
“Are we able to split the shield?” I ask.
“What do you mean?” Ali says, looking at me.
“Maybe have the shield powered in different sections? So that if one side fails, the other still stays up?”
“Sure. A few ways of doing that. We can buy multiple shields and set them to generate side-by-side. There are also fragmented shields which basically do the same thing. A lot spaceships use those.”
“Show me.”
Tier II Defense Shield
HP: 15,000
HP Regeneration Rate: 250/minute
Cost: 10.3 Million Credits
Tier III Multi-segment Defense Shield
HP: 10,000 per segment
HP Regeneration Rate: 200/minute
Cost: 25 Million Base Cost + 10 Million per segment
“Expensive,” I exclaim.
“True. But if you’re looking at creating multiple segments, it’s a better option in the long-term,” Ali says.
“Are the shields upgradeable?”
“Yes.”
“Good to know.” Not that we can afford it, but the concern of having our forces split continues to bother me. “Sensors?”
“They’ve got the most basic system,” Ali replies. “No upgrades at all to it. Figure they’ve been relying on their people.”
“Make sense. We don’t have that.”
A thought or two later and new information appears, showing the wide variety of options available for sensor upgrades. I tell the System to hide everything that the town can’t afford. I’m still given too many options, so I hide everything that costs more than ten percent of our current treasury. Even then, there are over a hundred options.
“Arse. Ali…”
“I got you,” Ali says, smirking at my attempts to navigate the town’s Shop options by myself. He waves and the list expands, repopulating everything. Next, the information shrinks again suddenly as he inputs new parameters, the total number shrinking to about fifteen options. He hums, the windows flickering between each quickly.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Sorting. I filtered by companies by Galactic Reputation points first and then by reviews from trusted sources. Got rid of your percent cost too because you won’t find anything worthwhile. Right now, I’m looking for the knock-offs,” Ali says.
“Trying to get rid of them?”
“Goblin’s arse, no! I’m keeping them. No such thing as your patent laws in the System, so companies copy each other’s designs all the time.”
“Then why would anyone make anything new?” I say with a frown. Doesn’t seem to make much sense.
“A few reasons. For Engineers and other craftsmen, you can’t advance and gain as much experience if you stick to copying. Then of course you’ve got the innovators, the ones who just have to make their own thing. Also, most companies are smart enough to ensure that their schematics require a high-Level individual to make the final product or a portion of it, which limits their competition,” Ali explains, the windows finally stopping their flickering. “So what are you looking for?”
“Data about our attackers—visual, audio, and minimap. Preferably far enough out that we can spot them before they arrive, but I’ll settle for stopping hidden attackers,” I say.
“All right then, boy-o. How about these three?” Ali says.
Tier IV Musami Sensor Array
The Musami Sensor Array is the venerable workhorse of the sensor world. Providing an all-round suite of sensors, the Mumsami sensor array will provide real-time data for towns the Galaxy over.
Range: 10km
Sensitivity Rating: 6
Cost: 7.1 Million Credits
Tier III Kangana Nanite Net
Developed from a nanite factory, the nanite net spreads across its designated scanning area, providing real-time, high-accuracy data on all personnel. Additional add-ons available.
Range: 5km
Sensitivity Rating: 8
Cost: 10.1 Million Credits
Tier IV Sahwano Bionetwork Sensor Grid
A bionetwork sensor grid relies on ambient Mana to power its functioning. While less sensitive than other options, the bionetwork grid is more circumspect and has a lower upkeep cost.
Range: Varies. Initially 3km, with growth up to 40km
Sensitivity Rating: 4
Cost: 3 Million Credits
I frown, staring at the information.
I don’t have to wait long before Ali explains. “The first one is your bog-standard tech option. The second is an upgrade of the sensor suite—more expensive obviously and higher Mana cost for set up, but much more likely to punch through Class Skills and other tech-related stealth options. You also have the option of adding additional fun programming to the nanites, including attack options. Lastly, the bionetwork starts close to the city but will grow out the farthest. It’ll take time, but because it uses ambient Mana sources and has a natural camouflage ability, it’s actually much harder for attackers to know they’ve been spotted.”
“Interesting,” I say, staring at the windows once again.
I have to admit, the low cost of the last option is extremely enticing. I run through in my head what I need for the upcoming fight. A way to mark the Sect’s approach, preferably good enough to pick out potential feints or distractions. Then a defense or two to stop them from breaking in immediately, which is why splitting the shield helps. It’d be nice to get a secondary shield layered directly behind the first, but that’s just as expensive as splitting the shield. On top of that, we actually have to deal with the attackers. Which means we’ll want additional firepower if possible. Unfortunately, we just don’t have enough funds in the town, and considering all these upgrades are in the millions of Credits, I can’t even reach into my own pocket to help.
“Any way to know what they’d send at us? Immediately and in the future?” I ask.
“Even the System can’t tell the future,” Ali says with a snort. “However, we could pull information on the people the Sect have on Earth and do some guessing.”
“How expensive would it be?”
“Expensive,” Ali states with a flat tone that says it all.
Buying information from the System is never cheap. Purchasing information that we have no good way of getting always makes it more expensive, and if the Sect is trying to hide that information, it’d be even higher.
“All right, let’s get the bionetwork sensor grid up first. That’ll give us at least some information,” I say, making some quick decisions. Even if it is purchased from the Shop, it’ll still take a few hours for the entire sensor grid to spread. Figure it’ll take the survivors five to six hours to get to Kelowna, another five to six back, and a few hours of talking, and we’ll likely see some company by tomorrow.
“Done.”
I watch Ali drop the sensor grid over the city, the map shifting and the town’s Credit amount dropping. I bite my lips, thinking of what next to do. What was it again? Know yourself, know you
r enemy, know the terrain? I’ve got Lana and the team figuring out our resources. The enemy we don’t have time to really dig into—not without costing us too much. That leaves the last…
The Sect knows the terrain probably better than we do. If you don’t like the rules, change them. If playing tower defense games ever taught me anything, it’s that defenses need depth. Of course, it’s not a game and towers built out here are likely to get destroyed, but the idea holds merit. So, disposable and wide-ranging.
“Mines,” I say, waving my hands at the map. A few quick adjustments and I’ve marked out the boundaries, blocking off the area just outside the shield.
Once the area is highlighted, Ali pulls up the cost.
High Explosive Mine Field
A standard, high-explosive mine field that mixes anti-personnel and anti-vehicular mines.
Damage: 100 per mine
Cost (for marked area): 2.5 Million (Tier V) / 4.5 Million (Tier IV)
Tier IV Chaos Mine Field
For the customer who likes a surprise, this mine field consists of a series of buried chaos mines which released stored chaos energy. Effects, as always, vary. Chaos Inc. takes no responsibility for the use of this product.
Damage: Varies
Cost (for marked area): 12 Million
Lumen Standard Enchanted Mine Field
A standard enchanted mine field consists of a mixture of basic elemental and basic technological mines, offering a wide mixture of potential attacks to deal with a wide variety of resistances. Our most popular product by far.
Damage: Varies per mine
Cost (for marked area): 5.5 Million (Tier V) / 8.5 Million (Tier IV)
“Expensive.” I grunt, rubbing my temples.
Still, I like the idea of buying something properly the first time, especially when it comes to things that go boom. While this doesn’t give us the ability to directly engage the Sect members as they arrive, not only will we know where they’re coming from, we can dictate where we’ll fight them by limiting their options. Or if they choose to just go through the fields, the condition they’ll be in.
With that thought, I confirm the purchase of the Tier IV standard enchanted mine field, though I make a note to look into adding the Chaos field at a later time. I’ll admit, I’ve always found them quite fun.
“You just going to add a mine field and not tell anyone about it?” Ali says after I’ve made my purchase and the System starts teleporting in the mines.
“Shit…” I blink, waving. I exhale in relief when I realize that no one, luckily, is actually in the creation zone at this moment.
With a thought, I purchase a simple six-foot-high stone wall around the mine field on both sides. My fingers twitch for a second as I consider adding a series of big signs then decide against it. If you’re going to hop a six-foot-high wall, you kind of deserve what you get.
“Ladies, Sam, I just created a mine field outside the city and put a wall around it. Let people know, will you?”
“A minefield?” Lana says, her voice rising at the end. Silence comes down the line, along with some very measured breathing, before she speaks, her voice carefully controlled. “Fine. We’ll let people know. Let us know if you add anything else.”
“Thanks,” I say, relaxing a little.
Ali’s fingers are moving and, a moment later, a new notification window appears in front of my eyes, a small map attached to it.
City Wide Announcement
A new defensive measure has been added to the Town of Kamloops. There is now a mine field outside of town. To enter and exit the town, please use only designated entrance corridors.
“If you want, I can send that out too to everyone,” Ali says. “As the owner, you’ve got the ability to do so. There’re a few other things that you benefit from, including the ability to access and purchase System-generated Shop items without being at the City Core.”
“Huh. Like Roxley’s tax announcements?” I say, recalling the few times Roxley used that ability. “Do it.”
“Done,” Ali says. “So considering you just blew the entire town budget in oh, about an hour, can we get to the fun stuff?”
“Fun stuff?” I frown at Ali, and the little Spirit rolls his eyes.
“Yes. The loot!” Ali says and waves, dumping out the corpses of the Sect members we killed.
I blink, slowly recalling that I do get to loot their bodies. Somehow, it seemed so secondary to everything else. Still, the Spirit has a point and this could easily fall under commandment number two—Know Thy Enemy. And well, loot.
“Well, come on then,” I mutter and walk over to the first body, which in this case is Bimmox.
Unfortunately, unlike System-generated loot, looting bodies is a more grisly task, requiring me to strip the body. Unfortunately, everything that was in Bimmox’s System storage is lost, which means all that’s left is what’s here physically. Well, that and a portion of its Credits.
Omnitron V Portable Shielding Unit
The Ominitron Portable Shielding Unit is rated for zones 10-20s. This high-level utility shielding unit is an omni-directional shielding unit and suitable for non-Combatants.
HP: 250
Regeneration Rate: 50 per hour
Mana Battery: 100% Charge
Integrity: 87%
“Omni-directional?”
“Marketing speak for you can’t shoot through it,” Ali explains.
“Junk pile it is,” I say, dropping it into my System storage. Frankly, I’m surprised the damn bird had something this cheap and useless on him.
Osmaa Integrated Bio-Armor
Osmaa technologies weaves organic carbon-fiber tubes through their award-winning design, providing a class-breaking level of protection against multiple forms of attack.
Armor Rating: Tier III
Additional Resistances: +20% to Lightning, Thermal, Cold, Dark and Light Spells. +25% Resistance to Mental resistances
Integrity: 07%
“Damn,” I swear, running my finger over the bio-armor. Not much left of it unfortunately, and getting it fixed would cost more than buying one. Pity, but that’s what happens when you cut your opponent into pieces.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing else on Bimmox worth looking at—a wand it pulled out is shattered, never even brought into play. And most of its quick injection potions are broken or used. On the other hand, as I use the System to Loot the avian, I have to smile.
12,385 Credits Gained from Bimmox
I stare at the Credit notification. That’s actually very, very good. Obviously, most of their fortune has been taken by the System, but even the small portion I’ve been “gifted” by the System is more than I’d get for killing an equivalent level monster. If I hadn’t destroyed most of his gear, I might have made off even better. Almost makes the case for killing sentients rather than monsters. Even the XP bump is slightly higher, though just barely.
A small part of me is pointing out that I should feel something a little more than annoyed after killing a group of sentients. But it’s a very small part, and it’s mostly doing so in a dispassionate sort of way. Between the fact that I’m mostly emotionally retarded anyway and I’ve bathed in rivers of blood in the last year, killing, even killing sentient creatures, is just another damn day. In the end, I don’t have the emotional energy or the intellectual desire to care. They started it; I finished it.
“Tell me more about the Sect, will you?” I ask Ali as I pull out the discarded crossbow to inspect it. I’ll have to return it to Mikito since she killed its user, but no reason I can’t take a look.
Rudola Tier III Crossbow
When beam rifles do too little damage and projectile weaponry is too noisy, shop Rudola! The Rudola series of projectile weaponry is guaranteed to provide pointed satisfaction!
Base Damage: 15 + Ammunition Damage
Not my kind of thing.
I move over to the bodyguard’s body, stripping and inspecting each piece of equipment.
Pun
ch Daggers
Created by an unknown artisan, these are personally forged punch daggers.
Base Damage: 75
Durability: 87/107
Special Abilities: +15 Piercing Damage
Nice. I add it to my stockpile of weaponry. Not sure what I’ll do with them since none of my friends use that style of fighting. Might make a good gift, especially since they’re personally forged. Maybe I could get an Enchanter to work on them later…
“The Thirteen Moon Sect isn’t a large organization, as I mentioned. They’re on about sixteen planets, spanning just over four solar systems. Within those, they have about seventy-three cities, towns, and settlements under their control, most grouped at the edges of other domains. They’re in conflict with at least twelve major, six minor, and a bunch of trivial powers, including two large Guilds,” Ali says, his eyes darting from side to side as he reads and summarizes the information he’s pulling from the System. “Current strength is just over ten thousand members with a dozen Master and two Legendary Class members. Officially.”
BioMarine Potion of Haste
All BioMarine potions are guaranteed mixed and produced to Galactic Standards. Don’t buy sewage, buy BioMarine!
Effect: Haste
Level: II
Duration: 5 Minutes
“What do you mean officially?” I say, raising an eyebrow at the piece of gear. Huh. Definitely a keeper.
“I’m pulling those numbers from the Galactic equivalent of their corporate website. So, you know, take everything with a grain of salt,” Ali says. “Probably reduce the number of total members and add to the number of higher Level members. No one wants to let everyone know the whole truth after all.”