“You know, there should be a competition to see who had to go through the worst experience before initializing. I’d probably win it because it was so bad for us that I was made. Long days make people who just want a nap.”
Geryon-Delta, 2054
You need a few things fast and I need you to be very decisive. In order to get what you will need to start the process of repairing your internals, you will need Class I Medical Utilities which costs 50 points, and a Class I Nano-Regenerative Suite which will cost 15 points. When you buy the Suite with your points, it will be teleported straight to your location in a container that will fit the item.
Kyos was…very straightforward and informative. Probably good for the situation. She seemed…motherly in a way that my own couldn’t really match. Couldn’t put my finger on what it was.
“D-do I have those points?…,” I sputtered weakly. Yup, definitely a ruptured lung. Ow.
You do. Every Vanguard starts with a 100 point bonus, and you also killed a Model Three. So…you’re at 110 points.
Ten points. That was…disappointing. That plant sharkhound nearly ripped me in half and that was ten points. Shouldn’t be surprised. It’s just my luck today apparently, I thought to myself.
“Get both please…”
Understood.
Class I Medical Utilities unlocked!
Points reduced to…60
New Purchase: Class I Nano-Regenerative Suite
Points reduced to…45
A box dropped next to me, and opened up on its own, revealing in my peripheral vision a rebreather looking device that looked like something you’d see for the process of anesthetizing people.
I have notified the person close to you that you require their assistance. I need you to pull up the rebreather on your diving mask so that they can place the Nano-Regenerative Suite over your mouth.
Easy enough. I shakily brought an arm up to my face and pulled the rebreather up. I heard shaky, scared breathing and movement to my side. I couldn’t move my neck without pain, so I couldn’t see if that was a good sign or if the sorry S.O.B. decided to up and run. Wouldn’t be the first time a corpo had fucked me over. Already had enough of that growing up with the bullshit I had to go through.
Huh. Getting introspective about Mom and Dad. Things really are bad.
A moment of clattering movement later, and a hand reached up to my mouth and placed the mask of the rebreather over it. I relaxed slightly and began to breathe in. And then: fire. Turns out, attempting to speedily repair cracked ribs and punctured organs hurts. A lot.
A scream burst from somewhere else on the deck, and then the clambering away of the person who had helped me. Right. Still on the chaos yacht.
Fucking hell...
While you are letting yourself heal, it’s probably a good time to start looking into weapons. Considering the current situation, and the necessity to possibly travel back through water, I have just the idea for you if you are willing to hear me out.
“And that would be,” I asked, with a little more clarity than before. Those little shits work fast. Still feel like a pack of fire ants is doing the tango on my ribcage but we’re working through it. It’ll be fiiiiiine.
You may need to try and kill some more Antithesis before anything in specific, but would you be more partial to melee or ranged weaponry?
That got me thinking. For like a second.
“Melee. It’s what saved me now, it’s what will save me later,” I nodded, rolling my shoulders a little, before finding a bit of strength to push the Model Three’s body off my own.
Understood. I will start compiling relevant catalogs now.
“Nice…that should give me ti-”
Done.
“...The fuck, Kyos.”
It took longer for you to speak than it did for me to compile all relevant and nearly available catalogues.
“Oh, Nate’s gonna like you,” I chuckled, with a mildly pained twinge as I began to get myself to my feet. “Well, I'm gonna need points. Mind giving me some tips and tricks to handle the Antithesis on this boat with just my dinky knife?”
I will be glad to assist.
My legs shook a little under me as I began to get my bearings on the ship finally. I leaned against the wall as I walked towards where I heard the scream from.
“Kyos…what’s the chances that that screaming person is still alive?”
Low, but not completely nil.
“Well, time to see if we can’t save a person and kill an alien in one fell swoop.”
A few more steps, and I at least made the attempt to stand straight as I looked out across the deck that was more visible now that I wasn’t along the side of the ship. Shiiiit. That’s a lot of dead people. Deeeefinitely gonna have to invest in therapy at some point.
You couldn’t have done anything, not at your current state.
“I know that, but damn if it doesn’t feel like shit to see people dying like this.”
Well, all the more reason to kill Antithesis and get stronger.
“Damn skippy,” I nodded grimly, and then focused a little closer as I spotted a small speck of movement from behind a raised platform on the deck.
I believe that is a regular Model Three currently trying to get in through a window hatch.
“You know, for an alien race that has already caused our planet so much trouble, they really are idiots.”
Not all of them, but the single digit Models are very much a low intelligence bunch. The fact that a non-mutated Model is on the ship is something that concerns me.
That left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth, before I washed it out with the want for points.
“Well, more for me then,” I said, walking over somewhat quietly towards the rooting xeno, a feat made a little more difficult due to my diving flippers still being on. It’s like trying to be stealthy in clown shoes; it’s just not gonna happen most of the time. Of course, I had little desire to bend down to grab anything at the moment due to my ribs feeling like someone playing them like a xylophone whenever I tried to coax them into any kind of effort. So…I just had to deal.
By dealing, I mean alerting the dog-like creature very quickly and causing it to change course. However, its creepy, multi-jaw snout was stuck in the window for a moment. A moment that I capitalized on by rushing behind its struggling form and stabbing it repeatedly with my knife between its scaly plates. After about, approximately, twelve stabs, the alien’s body went limp, leaving me panting heavily.
Target Eliminated!
Model Three x 1
Reward…10 points
Points increased to…55.
“Ok, that’s ten. How much do I need to get something more useful than just this knife?”
You are currently at 55 points. The Class I Basic Melee Weaponry is 50 points. The next closest option would be the Class I Stalhas Technologies catalog, which would be to the tune of 120 points, though that would encompass a broader scale of utilities than just melee weaponry.
I pondered that for a moment.
“But with the first catalog buy, I’d be buying the catalog and not the actual weaponry…right?”
Yes, that would be the case. However, the price on basic weaponry within that category is much lower than the catalog itself, and depending on your budgeted plans, could end up being a relatively cheap purchase for a significant payoff. Actually, while I was speaking about that I forgot to mention that you also gained one point from saving a person that was past that window. So, you are currently at 56 points.
Oh. Neat.
“Wait, saving a person is only one point?” I asked, mildly incredulous.
Considering you will be saving many people over your illustrious career, quantity over quality is the name of the game.
“That’s fair, I guess. Saving people and killing aliens is the job, after all. Just thought there’d be more points in saving other people. Oh well. C’est la vie.” I nodded. “Let’s get that Basic Weapons catalog and see what we can’t find anything around here to make it so I can actually get something useful.” I grinned, finally feeling like I was getting somewhere.
Understood. You are perhaps one of the only Vanguards who are fine being at a low point total. Not that I mind, part of the job description. There’s more Antithesis than you’ll ever know what to do with so I’m sure you’ll get those points back in a jiffy.
Class I Basic Melee Weapons Unlocked!
Points reduced to…6
“Am I really that frugal compared to others?”
Most Vanguards have a conniption if their point totals drop below even a hundred. You are certainly a special one.
“Well, people have said money burns a hole in my pocket,” I muttered.
I walked towards the doors deeper into the ship, but was interrupted by my augs pinging me again.
“Unauthorized passenger detected. Pay for entry or be escorted out by security.”
“Lovely…hey Kyos?”
I think I understand what you might want. There are many bank accounts here.
Wait what.