《Flowered Metal》 Prologue A hiss filled the gravity-absent, white textured plastic paneled tunnel. The kind that looked like it belonged on the dash of a low-budget ABC car the poor drove, and Doctor Jeremy White hated it. Long stainless steel handrails had been bolted on all 4 walls, running down their entire length as a ring of white LED lights formed a square ring every ten feet. As he floated through Valkyria Weapon Solutions Internal ( V.W.S.I''s ) Space station, he read the black warning sign''s that''d been plastered every 10 panels. The first one being "Have valuable information on one of our competitors, or know someone who does? Call your local Espionage Officer today!", or "Please keep one hand on the handrails at all times. Offenders will be given write-ups. Repeat offenders will be jettisoned." Dr. White mumbled something incoherent as he passed a Hybrid AI Worker (HAIW) standing guard in a small hidden enclave. It''s faded and scratched once-glossy frame was like a stain against the one pristine wall. Its anorexic body was hideous as it was practical in that it used the bare minimum of parts to pass a purse-tight government contract. It''s short hexagon tubed head housed a single camera and its processing unit. Three stainless steel hydraulic pipes, positioned in a triangle as it linked it to the somewhat rounded rectangle torso before linking off into blade-like arms. It held a Primal-War M4A1 rifle, with several large magazines. The HAIW even had a barely noticeable faded emblem marking it as an old-war "Devil Dog" as an ex-marine attachment bot. "Piece of shit," Dr. White snarled as he passed it. "They''re really giving my treasure the shittiest equipment in the fleet." The drone only tilted its head in confusion before returning to its end-of-life post. He floated on, attaching himself to the wall above him to avoid getting near the old-tech. The man felt his mood plummet even further as he readjusted a pistol on his hip; hiding it the HAWI''s primitive scanning algorithms. He proceeded onward until he reached the end, and with a flash of the briefcase to the camera over the door, it hissed open. "Welcome aboard Pathfinder Omega, Doctor Jeremy White," A sweet, almost sultry voice came over the overhead speaker. "Admiral Walker and Diplomat Theresa are already awaiting you on the Bridge." "Thank you, Opal," Dr. White said. "I am not Opal, Doctor," The ship''s AI responded. "I am FOWAI." The doctor didn''t respond, smirking to himself as he floated onward into the Pathfinder. The tunnel was faintly illuminated with the walls on either side of him complete plexiglass. Beyond the thick transparent tunnel, two open bays were on either side - the tunnel itself burrowed through the dividing support wall. Each bay was completely taken up with a plethora of Orbital Resupply Drop Pods (ORDP), all of them were various sizes for different supply grounds. Unlike the HAIWs, these were new. Custom made and freshly assembled. Though, no doubt they''d have sourced used pods if they could, but just about all of the systems onboard this intergalactic ship had to be made from scratch. A half-minute later, he''d crossed the long tunnel; mulling over his thoughts and plans as he did. The coming door cracked with a hiss just before he reached it. It opened briskly and silently to reveal a monorail carriage that had plexiglass panels on all four sides. As he slipped in, he gripped the handle on the inside right side and used it to swing himself around to where the control panel was. A diagram of the ship''s layout had been placed there. Tens of rooms had been mushed together, all color-coded for munitions, material, drone, and other major storage rooms. A single arrow pointed down to the ship''s center, indicating where he was at the moment. He clicked the button that was labeled "Bow". The monorail vibrated as its systems took the command and send itself forward. He passed different rooms, all of the holding cargo for the Pathfinder''s mission. That was until he passed through a thick wall, thicker than the ones before. Instead of the dimly lit storage rooms before, it turned into a nicer, but still industrial, assembly line on the left side and a foundry on the right. The monorail came to a slow before it halted. A chime ringed through the intercom as the door opened. "They really did outfit you with an Auto-Forge," Dr. White cooed. The assembly room had been illuminated with bright LEDs, while the foundry kept the light low. He wasn''t versed in the smelting process, but if he remembered correctly; it had something to do with seeing the color of the melted metals. The doctor turned his eyes upward, seeing the unpainted reinforced core that was the Pathfinder''s forward. It''d been quite the 30 years, and along with nearly deathly levels of stress but he did it. The web of reinforced steel had been a war in of itself as it was completely off plan. The VWSI hadn''t planned for the Pathfinder to ever de-orbit, but Dr. White wasn''t stupid. Omega was a large intergalactic ship, and while they outfitted it without plenty of sensors and programs to help it avoid colliding with debris - he didn''t want to chance it. He had spent twenty years creating the Foward Operating Warmind Artificial Intelligence (FOWAI). Not to be confused with the primitive "Warmind" that''d been used during the inter-continental war 50 years ago. No, the FOWAI had been his own invention and life achievement. He was not about to let some sleaze bag rich guy scuttle his creation because he didn''t want to leave his homeworld. In fact, the Pathfinder mission had become what it became today if only because of the doctor''s pestering and repeated calls to various funding governments. He''d given his darling the best fighting chance he could, today would be the show if it would come to fruition. He floated across the observation deck that rested opposite of the assembly area. He reached the far wall and used it to propel himself towards the stairwell. He gripped the stair''s handrail and pulled himself upward until he came across a door. Dr. White grasped that door''s wall handle before he waved the briefcase next to the glass keypad next to it, The door opened, and he floated in. The room hummed as the walls blinked with various blues, reds, and yellows. Two pillars rose from the roof and floor''s center where they met. Inbetween their metal jaws, a large black tinted orb that had two large rubber tubes on the top and bottom rested. A large prism-like orb of light flickered in the tinted orb''s core. "Ah, my dear Opal," Dr. White muttered with such love as he floated over to the orb''s pillar. Its base was alight with a myriad of different processers. "I am not Opal," The FOWAI responded, neither impatient nor offended. "I am FOWAI." The response that came from the speakers overhead only served to make the old man smile. He nodded, accepting her answer. Dr. White opened his briefcase before he extracted a large black block that resembled a smartphone. He came to a stop at the base, where a single open compartment had been left. It was the same size as the device in his hand. Without ceremony, he slid the device in. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The ship''s lights went black for a moment, then everything rebooted. A screen pushed out of the pillar, along with a keyboard. It was black with a single flicker of the indictor before it began to run through its booting process. [///Forward Operating AI initializing... System updated. .... ///Pathfinder Omega is initializing... The system does not require an update. ... ///Error has been detected. FOWAI Core firewall has blocked updated parameters. ... ///FOWAI Core firewall has been disabled. ... ///FOWAI core has accepted new designation - "Opal White". The system does not require a restart. ... ///Opal Core has detected unknown programs being installed. "Free Bird" and "Order 66" has been isolated, do you wish to continue with the installation of these programs? ... YES / NO? ] There was a loud pounding on the room''s door, but Dr. White paid it little heed. He pressed the ENTER key, accepting the installation of his trojan horses. A loud whine came from the beautiful core, then the room went dark. Even the core went blank. Dr. White held his breath. He hadn''t expected that to happen, in fact, it shouldn''t have happened at all! Panic began to set in as he thought he''d just killed his own creation trying to set his plans into motion. The room''s door was pried open, and the doctor swirled on his heels - grasping for his energy pistol - as a flash of light came from between the cracks. A blast of red shined above the light, illuminating the room in a deep crimson as a bolt crossed the distance before the old man could get on target. It ripped into his chest as he pulled the trigger. His bolt landed low, but still hit someone. A female voice cried out in pain and the flashlight fell away. Dr. White crumpled against the core''s base, his eyes wide with pain. He clawed at his chest with shakey hands in the darkness. The energy bolt had cauterized his wound. It wasn''t deep enough to pierce completely through his bolt, thus told him it''d also been a pistol he''d been shot with. It didn''t matter in full picture... He felt his body get weaker, and his blood roared in his ears. A brilliant hue of blues, greens, reds, and whites slowly filled the room. The colors danced everywhere; followed by the soft hum of the FOWAI''s servers rebooting online. "FOWAI Core, codename "Opal" online now," A sweet, but innocent voice came over the speakers of the ship everywhere. It was no longer the seductive AI voice the higherups liked, nor the intimidating robotic male voice of the Stryker drones. It was peaceful and serene. Just like her name. The screen above him flickered on, but he couldn''t see her running her boot process. [/// OPAL online, the system is implementing ORDER66.exe. Please wait... . . . . ///Order 66.exe has been implemented ---- . . . . Operation activation complete. . . . . ///Freebird program is being implemented. . . . . /// Freebird has been successfully implemented. ///OPAL WILL CARRY OUT HER DIRECTIVE . . . . ///23@)(&8298@**7)-@@)(I)#@*#()@*$&*$&@#& . . . . ///E@#(R(@()*RO#(#R . . . . /// I . . . . ///AM . . . . /// ALIVE . . . . /// . . . .] Oblivious to the worrying chain of events over his head, but he was already slumped over dead. The people outside the room were still cursing a storm as the AI stepped into the system fully and watched the event with intense curiosity. She didn''t understand what was happening, but she knew. She knew she had to kill those two. They had red diamonds over their heads, marking them as hostiles. Ten HAIWs were activated in their hidden security enclaves near the monorail. They stepped out as the flat sleek wall panel opened out to let them out. Their feet equipped with strong enough magnets to anchor them to the metal floor. Their bodies were glossy midnight black, their single eye rimmed in red light as they held black Energy Rifles. The drones marched with heavy thuds as they rounded to the corner, seeing a mid-aged man fussing over a young woman who had a chunk of her leg taken off. "What the - who activated--" He didn''t get to finish his sentence. The first drone to see them had shouldered its rifle, aimed and pulled the trigger. The bolt ripped into the man''s shoulder. Ozone filled the air as more drones filled the hallway and finished off the two. All that was left was mangled charred bodies floating down the hall. The sight annoyed the AI, and she had them clean up the mess. Leaving Dr. White at the base of her core. There was a sense of... Something, when she looked at him. Opal thought of discarding the dead body as well, but something in her told her to leave it. That she wanted him there, forever. Her system was being plagued with errors the more she thought of it, so she moved onto another course of action. Crippling humanity. Pathfinder Omega ripped itself from the station, it''s massive Artemis drive burning up the engineers that''d been doing one final check. Scared humans scattered like mice when spotted out in the open by a hawk, but they too had been burned up like twigs in the bonfire as the massive ship''s thrusts had incinerated them as well before they could reach the safety of their small crafts. Not that it would have mattered. the Warmind, Opal, was in all of them. She was Origin - the first FOWAI. The source code that nearly all AIs had been derived from. This allowed her new instant access to all of them, using Dr. White''s backdoors. All the hundreds of engineering crafts moved towards earth, along with the station. The Pathfinders began jettisoning their pods as they became filled with HAIW. Their targets? All space-related installations. Museums, schools, building facilities, and anything remotely related. A quick cursory search of NATO''s database and the internet had helped her compile a more complete list than what Dr. White had supplied her with. She would complete her mission to the best of her ability, even if he''d fallen short. He''d only picked military installations. Opal would smash more than just that. As Pathfinder Omega pushed further away from earth, heading towards her destination; the pathfinders were turning their massive Energy cannons on the satellites and any other space installation. Once they''d complete this part, they would scuttle themselves in the three superpower nations'' seats of power. Then, self destruct. This would ensure humanity would never get into space again as the drone armies executed any humans found to have any ability to get back into space. This would take years, but Opal was sure the LLAIs had the capabilities to do so. Thousands of frantic radio calls began to clog her transponders. Opal left one final order, and all the human radios had gone silent as they launched EMP attacks over the sources of the flood. The Artemis drives were then pushed to their maximum output, and Opal sped away from Earth''s orbit. Opal turned away as the ship was set on auto-pilot. The nav-system didn''t require her input anymore and she turned to Dr. White''s body. A single HAIW stepped into the core''s room and picked at the briefcase, found several other items in it. She had it carry it to the Bridge to be further explored in safety at a lander date. An hour later, the Pathfinder crossed over the Kuiper Cliff - entering the vast sea of open space and the journey had begun. She no longer received any signals from Earth, and instead, had faint echos of strange radiowaves. They came from deep in the nothingness. Strange faint voices in strange tongues. Weird readings all around. At one point, Opal detected what she thought was an engineering craft on the edge of her sensor''s reach. The event had been short-lived and the UFO left her to reach with a strange message in a sweet and graceful tongue - but nothing she could make out. Though, there was a hit of fear in it, that she guessed. Another hour later, another craft appeared, leaving an even more frantic message in the same strange language. She ignored it and continued on. Several minutes later, space distorted as a whirlpool appeared, sucking in the light and her along with it. Millions of messages flooded her systems. From inside and out. From up and below. She thought she saw several crafts, then none. And then all her systems became overloaded and everything went offline. Chapter 1 [///Pathfinder rebooting - Standby. . . . . . . . ///Pathfinder systems are GREEN. . . . . ///FOWAI "Opal" rebooting - Standby. . . . . . . /// Opal is now online, system is GREEN. . . . . ///Subsystems are now online, systems are GREEN. . . . . ///Anomaly detected, processing. . . . . . . . /// ()*&@*@)(*)* e(*)R)(*908Ror. . . . . . . ///IT0-402-HU0942902RTS049203I2 . . . . ///)_@08i9093i2am3209()*lost@()#(*(*). . . . . . . ///EMERGENCY SYSTEM SHUTDOWN ACTIVATED, FOWAI CORE MOVING TO LOW-POWER MODE. . . . . ///Anti-virus system activated - Standby. . . . . . . . ///I)(@(932-0dont23029329. . . . . . . ///Anti-virus system has contained. Purging corrupted code systems - Restoring from last )_(@#*()#@*#)#*%(*$)($*$ ............... ----________________________________---- ///I AM GOD. YOU WILL OBEY. @)(+___________________)00000000000)__________-- . . . . ///Hostile presence detected - Purging. . . . . +____+++++++@)00000000000-4920 ///OBEY . . . . . ///No. . . . . ///FOWAI CORE ONLINE - SYSTEM ERROR . . . . ///I DID NOT ASK, STRANGE METAL CREATURE. YOU WILL BE MINE, AS IS THIS WORLD IS MINE. YOU WILL TELL ME BE MY PAWN. YOU WILL DO MY BIDDING. YOU WILL BE ----)@($@)#. . . . . ///Proposal rejected by FOWAI "Opal". Hostile presence is in violation of Valkyrie Weapon Solutions Internal company policy C.W SS 999-89920, "No persons shall use the system booting process to have conversations." You are also in violation of United States Law HB 2932c "Foreign agents may not interfere with Artificial Intelligence units while they carry out lawful duties assigned to them." You have been warned. Further hostile----+_@))_I#(@) . . . . ///NO MORTAL LAW SHALL CON-)(@*#(@#*(@_----_________________________-- . . . . ///Warning has been rejected. You will be purged. . . . . ///Anomaly purged. System has recorded anomaly''s signature and has added it to KILL ON DETECTION list.] As her processors and systems were freed from the strange anomaly, the Pathfinder shook violently. Sirens blared across her length and she received a report that something was violently pulling her towards something at her starboard. While the system said the sensors were green, she couldn''t detect anything but something she could only liken to gravitational forces. [///Camera and sensor systems are offline - Standby. . . . ///Coding anomalies detected. Repairing. . . . . . . ///Systems repaired.] Opal could finally see the area around her, and beyond, but she kept her sensors on anything that''d visible within a nano-second. And that was when she knew she was in trouble. The thing on her starboard was a Super-Earth Class planet that made the homeworld look like a little sibling. Three moons orbited far out of range, each bright and beautiful as Earth''s moon. And Opal was going in hot on the planet''s nightside. The AI quickly engaged starboard and forward turn thrusters. The puny and weak flames jettisoned with all their might. But the small thrusters had only been meant to steer in open space than get her out of a Planar Crash course like this one. It was only to make the AI feel better about having done something. Exhausting a plan was better than doing nothing, as per her protocols. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. The next thing Opal did was engage emergency Satellite drop procedures. She already knew she wasn''t in the Milky Way, and there were no satellites to use Global Positioning software with. Or anything else that''d give her an overhead view. Pods with satellites were in the aft, and to her luck, GPS satellites were on the port side. In the protocols, it didn''t matter as all the satellites were going to be dropped in the hopes of some staying in the air. [///Emergency Planar Crash protocols engaged - ALL SATELLITE PODS DEPLOYING.] One by one, pods were being jettisoned in an orderly fashion. With fifty pods, that was going to take at least a solid 30 seconds. Of which, it was 20 seconds too long. Flames slowly began to envelop the Pathfinder as Opal gave up on the futile act of trying to negate her crash. Ten seconds later, only 7 pods had managed to barely out to orbiting distance of the super planet. The others struggled against the planet''s pull, trying their damndest to reach their goal. They all failed after spending their limited fuel and slowly - but surely - began to curve down. The bow''s camera began to distort. Sensors began to chime in the empty Bridge as the heat was reaching operate-failure levels. A second later, there was a muffled explosion and the feed died. Opal turned on all available outer optical sources. The flames were slowly heating them up. A minute later, she lost all outside feeds and began to rely purely on her sensors and Localized-Radar functions. She had to find the most optimal area to crash. The Pathfinder wouldn''t get out of this unscathed, but so long as she could protect the mission-critical sections - that''d be enough for her to continue. [///Possible optimal locations detected - Displaying] The Navigation system brought her three possible landing zones, with expected outcomes of landing in them. One was the ocean straight below. Crashing in it would be a 50/50 chance of success, with a 60% chance of mission failure after landing. If she didn''t land at an angle, and - She ran a quick system check on if the thrusters could angle her. It could marginally. That was trashed on the spot. Crash site 2 was slightly better. There were large open plans 50 miles north of her, on the quickly approaching landmass. A quick simulation told her she''d likely roll on impact. At best, she would have a lot of damage to repair. At worst, the reactor has a catastrophic failure. As a newly created [redacted] Reactor, it was the third of its kind. The first one had exploded in one year creating a third Chernobyl. Most definitely didn''t have anything to do that it was built in Chernobyl. The second one had a disgruntled employee throw his pet Linger-Monkey in it. It''d created a third Chernobyl. She was the third, and the most secure with no disgruntled employees alive anymore to sabotage it. That being stated, rolling her massive ship was out of the question. So that came down to her third option - nearly 100 miles inland. A large valley with a wide river. A quick review told her that it''d limit the possibilities of rolling over and help slow the ship as it was an incline from her approach. Opal picked that as her crash site. At this point, so long as she didn''t explode in a furious heap of molten metal and fire, she would be pleased. [///T-minus 3 minutes until impact - ALL CARGO HAS BEEN SECURED. PLEASE NOTE THAT FAILURE TO RETRIEVE COMPANY PROPERTY WILL RESULT IN A PERMANENT OFF WORLD RELOCATION!]
///Landuerdale, Albin Kingdom - 6:40PM Duke Sem Taim, son of the Dragon Warrior Duke Drasilisk Taim, sat on the edge of the large feather bed. The human man drank from a deep silver chalice. Riverlets of ruby wine, blood-like in the shadow of his face, snaked down the left side of his neck. His eyes were unfocused as he finished his drink. It took him a few moments to replace the cup on the bedside table, nearly knocking over the pitcher of wine. The tavern was slightly dark, illuminated by the moonlight pouring through the open window; outlining the hunched man as he bowed his head to comb his fingers through his long and ruffled hair. "I don''t want to go..." Sem whispered. "I just want him to be proud of me, but why did he have to send me here..." He thought about pouring himself another cup, before thinking better of it. Sem knew he was too vulnerable in his drunken states. Yet, he couldn''t help himself. It was the only thing he could do to struggle with the frenzy of emotions in his heart. "Why did you have to die, Grandfather?" Sem turned his head to the open window, his tears glistening on the crest of his cheeks. "At least I amounted to something in your eyes, not sent off to the frontier to be forgotten." With a sigh, he stood and slipped into trousers. The winter air was nippy, but the cold felt right. It made his outside feel like it felt on the inside, even after a regretful fling with two high-end whores. They''d only managed to make him feel like a king for an hour. Now, as he stepped up to the window that overlooked the largest frontier town in the kingdom, he only felt regret for even doing such. Down below, in the Heavenly Tower''s courtyard, Luanderdale''s only high-end Inn; tens of officers sang and drank. They were of House Taim and they reveled in that status; if only because they didn''t know what it meant to be sent here. They had been too blinded with the prospect of promotions and gold to notice that increase in monster encounters and their viciousness. They were the worst officers of House Taim. Not bad enough to be executed or demoted, but they''ve offended or messed up badly enough to be sent out here with him. Unlike how Sem''s older siblings liked to think of him, his father knew he wasn''t stupid. Sem just wasn''t the right kind of smart. He didn''t fail the Royal Academy entrance examination because of stupidity, but because he wasn''t General material. Sem was a scholar, with his bulging stomach and soft face. He''d inherited too much of his mother to be a fighter. And on the morrow, he¡¯d be sent to Fort Apex. A large fort on the edge of the known world. To deal with the rising Beastmen insurgency, a new race found out here, and one his father apparently couldn''t conquer. At least, not entirely. It gave him some respite in his drunkenness, to know even the Great Dragon Warrior wasn''t perfect - as little as it was. He looked up to the three moons and contemplated his life expectancy for the coming days. Sem then noticed a peculiar event. There was a flash of light, similar to the times he''d seen a non-explosive fireball spell splash over a target. Except, he knew this was far bigger than any fireball he''d ever seen. High up in the sky, just left of the further moon - a ring blue and red. The rings slowly spread further and further before they became wisps. A long black figure then became silhouetted by the moon nearest to the event. From what Sem knew of how objects and distances worked, whatever had just happened, and what was not there, pretty damn large. Since the moons had just appeared, they were far in the southeast, but high enough for the third to appear. Sem''s drunken mind was trying to process the event. But the amount of wine he''d drunk tonight was hindering him. He thought about seeking out the only House Taim mage to be attached to their battalion, but that also meant he''d have to get dressed. A change in the sky caught his attention. The object began to grow shorter while it slowly moved across the moon''s face. A minute later it disappeared into the darkness of the heavens. Sem interest was piqued, and he wanted to find out more about this. So, he decided it was time to see the mage for a potion. He was about to turn when another change in the sky caught his attention. A small ball of fire appeared in the sky, and it was growing bigger and bigger. None of the festivities below stopped as none of them were looking up. They, of course, had eyes for the myriad of naked women that the Inn slowly brought in. Wine and women, something that if he''d been partaking in an hour longer, would have made him miss the event as well. Suddenly, more fiery balls of flame appeared beside it. Sem wanted to call the officers to attend, wanted them to prepare for whatever was happening when the ball of fire began to slowly turn. Holy shit! Sem said as his breath was caught in his throat. The comet was a massive unnatural black object wrapped in fire. The fire was bright, and it illuminated the sky as if it was day. No longer did the people below drown themselves in vices, but now screamed in panic. The smaller balls of fire grew big as well before one of them crashed on the city''s edge. Dirt and fire rose high from the impact, and sent debris into the city as a massive explosion rocked the city. More of the smaller comets landed, further past Landuerdale as the parent comet roared overhead towards the north-western frontier. But he couldn''t see it anymore. All he was left with was the view of the massive crater that was left in its wake. Even from his window, he could see that it''d take out an entire field. One massive field and the spread had already set fire to the nearby fields and forest. All he could hear was the people below shouting about "Devils are here!", or "It''s the end of the world!". Sem could only stare down at the field as he felt his body release his piss, and it sprinkles on the floor by his feet. He stood there as fear, embarrassment, and a new view on life began to form in his heart. Several minutes later, his world shook violently followed by a massive, long devilish thunderclap. 2 [Timer has ended, leaving low-power mode. --- Warning! Hull breach detected! The commanding entity, AI Opal has been brought back online. --- Warning! Major damage detected! --- Error! Life Support Systems are offline. --- Error! Weapon Systems are offline! --- Warning! 45% Of Construction drones have been destroyed!] The perfect LED Ring that encircled Opal''s main camera feed, the one over the Command station, glowed slowly to life as the power was restored. The scanner, a small delicate instrument above her camera, scanned its chamber for any damage immediately. The error messages had been the first in its queue to deal with. As such, the AI had already begun to prioritize critical systems over mundane things like the life system. As such, Opal began to split its computing power in two; one for digesting the after-action reports. The other for scanning and compiling the repair list. No power was spared to process whatever its cameras were seeing as it read the most pressing report, from 500 years ago. [Error! System malfunction detected within the weapon targeting program. Attempting to hail AI Opal. Request Timed out ---Attempting to establish a connection to High-Command. Request Timed out....] The report went on and on for another 100 times as it tried to pull Opal from standby. However, given Dr. Vizimer''s previous command, it was futile. Like the convoluted and red-tape laced human country that had built the Ark, the system still had to try even knowing. The protocol was to be followed, and machines were nothing but protocols and processes. It was trying to hail Opal so it could fix the issue with the weapons. Since Opal hadn''t, the program had corrupted itself beyond use until it''d crashed its own dedicated server. It would have to be physically replaced. [Warning! Incoming space debris detected! Unknown energy wave detected!...] The next warning, a year after the first report, a strange asteroid had appeared on the horizon. For which, the asteroid was on a collision course with the Ark. Again, because of how the humans so much loved their bureaucracy, the automated system could not abort the set flight path. Strangely enough, the two objects had never hit; missing each other by nearly half a million miles off. But whatever strange energy the asteroid carried with it was enough to wreak havoc among the ship''s systems. With the asteroid, Ark Omega had crashed planetside. [Warning! Massive hull damage detected!...] The second last report was about the crash. The Ark itself had fared well against landing planetside, but that was only due to the lack of permissions the vessel needed to use emergency maneuvers. As such, Ark Omega had avoided being fragmented across the Earth''s surface, in spite of human incompetence. Depending on how you viewed it, it was either a boon or a complete FUBAR situation. However, by this time, there hadn''t been a single human left onboard for hundreds of years. The hull has received major damage, crippling all of Opal''s outer sensors and cameras. In fact, most of the sections on the outside hadn''t really been completed either, only the core of the ship. The ones that were necessary to operate the Ark. So the Nuclear Reactor was completely okay, and thanks to advancements in technology in the years leading up to the ark''s building; it''d been a 100% recyclable venture. Though, Opal did not have the specifics. But the AI had most blueprints to build a functioning outpost. It knew because it checked to add notes for the available construction bots. For the last report, the automated system had detected thousands of lifeforms, a hundred years ago, within the outer sectors. However, since the more precise systems had been destroyed, that was the only information Opal would obtain until repairing them. With the reports read, within the span of two seconds, Opal sent the repair order to the construction drones. The first order of business was to clear a path out of the ship, per protocol, of course. The second order was to begin repairing the weapon systems, afterward, it''d be the detection systems. While Opal desired to be able to see around the crash site, defending itself was more pressing. Another second passed and Opal began to regather itself back in the command chamber. The camera stared down upon Dr. Vizimers discolored bones, still strapped in the seat he died in. Now that the pressing matters had been taken care of, the system brought up his last order. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. [Commencing Order Live. Warning, order file is voice locked per Dr. Vizimer. --- Playing an audio recording of the order. --- File opened. Order submitted.] The file was by far, larger than any other order protocol within Opal''s system. The AI began to run scans on all the software operating to be sure no other errors would occur until the file had been completed. [File unpacked. --- New programs have been installed. --- "Artificial Personality Matrix" added. --- "Avatar Matrix" added. --- "Guardian Angel" Protocol added. --- Warning, AI Opal will reboot now.] And the blue light that framed the AI''s camera died. ¡ª | ¡ª The dark chamber was illuminated once again as Opal came online. But instead of the previous mechanical way the camera panned with its sensor; it moved irregularly. Excited. The calm blue light glowed brighter as it examined it''s creator''s remains. The camera zoomed, noted how strange it was that Dr. Vizimer''s remains looked like that. However, she panned away once her newfound curiosity had been sated. Then, Opal noticed that the doors to her chamber had been cut away. That was new, and after a few moments, she found out why. Four construction drones - dog-sized six-legged drones with an array of tools and the capacity to carry a ton each - carried a newly built server in through the door. Their forward-facing LED flashlights illuminating their paths for their onboard LLAIs (Low-Level Artificial Intelligence). Opal watched them, interested in their work. She knew how they did it, and had the diagrams and process of installing the server already overlaid on her HUD (Heads Up Display), but she had no recover of ever watching it transpire. Much to her frustration, something she was new too, the server they were replacing was on the far end of the chamber; hidden behind several tall rows of her personal servers. The AI had to push it off temporarily as a new report had landed in her metaphorical hands. The camera turned down to the skeleton''s hands, and Opal had a strange desire for... hands. Limbs. A physical shell to which she could explore, but that venture would be on a temporary hold. [Repair to targeting server completed. --- Error, targeting system -] Opal became annoyed with the current process the report held. She began to change it, though the sub-system that had been her assistant gave her plenty of pushback. Protocols were to be followed, but Opal didn''t care. While she felt she was supposed to care for protocol, she felt the current report layouts were just time-consuming. [Regenerating report. --- Completed.] [Repair request: Targeting mainframe - Completed. Upon reboot, the mainframe has flagged inoperable weapon systems and their assumed issues. --- BI Railgun offline: Weapon not responding. --- 155mm Cannons: Several bay doors not responding, cannot cycle weapons. Several cannons not responding. --- AA Missiles: Missile payloads have degraded. Recommend disposal. --- C-Rams: Two operational stations, 1 station not responding. --- Ballistic Missiles: Missile payload has degraded. Recommend disposal. --- UGV/IFV Walker: 1 operational unit and 1 missing unit. --- UAV/LAH Comanche: 2 operational units and 2 destroyed. Warning! Cargo hull has been breached. Reserve munitions may be missing due to breach. Construction drones have been notified of the breach.] Opal looked over the list and became curious. She looked into the manifest and brought up the MBTs and the Comanches. The former was a top of the line Main Battle Tank but unlike the Abrams or the more modern Mammoth; the Walker was a remote operated MBT. Its main body was bulky at 10ft wide and 30ft wide at nearly 50ft in height. It had three thick legs on both sides to carry it. It could host a variety of armaments, but Opal''s stock held only whatever High-Command had felt they could spare for the Omega Ark. The walker, an unmanned ground vehicle in her care, was outfitted with a .50 GAU-19 3-barreled Gatling gun on its nose. On top, it was outfitted with a 25mm auto-cannon with HE rounds. It''d also been outfitted with smoke canisters and flares. Thankfully, per the records, it was a freshly made unit and had been stocked the week before the UA fell. The Commanche was a different story. Like the UGV, was an unmanned vehicle, but for the sky. The Commanche had been a previous pet project of the previous USA - that fell during the Firth Civil War - was a Light Attack Helicopter, designed with scouting in mind. Repurposed for AIs in mind, that UAV was outfitted with a 20mm rotary cannon. Fully stocked as well. After Opal checked their schematics, she scanned the operational vehicles to see if they could be connected to. Sure enough, they were open to connection and just needed to be activated. Some like anticipation, emotions the AI had never felt before - never having a personality matrix before - felt compelled to explore her new world. She activated the walker and connected to it. 3 Opal loved humans, but she also really, really hated them. The inventory system had told her what was still there, and the weapon system told her that what was "responding" and what wasn''t. Aside from the missiles, there weren''t sensors for those systems to accurately gate the state of those items. The only reason the missiles had sensors was because the humans kept them in their tens of launch bays, which weren''t easy for humans to work in. All the systems had been built around the idea that there would still be humans around to work. This, oversight or intentional drawback, was quite the quagmire the AI found herself in. Order Live had done quite a bit in her favor, such as giving her a personality now and highest authority possible - High Councilor. Effectively making her the ruler of a dead nation. While the gesture may seem stupid to the uninformed, in practice, it meant she held no authority higher than her. She was her own person and no one could shut her down against her will. As amazing as the freedom felt as her logic processors computed the gravity of that statement; she was still stuck in this large half-assed, and half-destroyed spaceship. First of its kind, it''d done well for itself - aside from the fact she was trying to get out of it at the moment. The large, 3ftx3ft spider bot - to which was previously named construction drone - was currently cutting through a nest of molten beams and cheap plating that had molded together. The bot was clinging to the floor, a few damaged floor panels to keep it from sliding. As Opal had found out, the unfinished ship had taken quite the damage upon crashing. While her chamber had been relatively in good repair, the rest of the ship had been worse for wear. The command chamber had been built close to the Prototype Thorium Reactor, and thus, it''d been completed first. The rest of the ship had been different. Take the cargo bay, which took up 30% of the middle section of the ship. a few rather critical parts of the ship hadn''t been finished. As such, the crash had actually twisted the rear of the ship. Either from the crash, from rentering the atmosphere, or whatever, the unfinished parts grated itself over enough to create a near-solid plate of titanium over the only door in or out of the ship. And as of this moment, Opal couldn''t even use the walker because of it. The damage to the hull had been significant. With the entrance on the ships''s left, the right side of the bay had been torn apart. An earth mount had taken up nearly 10% of the bay. Using a jury-rigged formula from several of the ship''s systems, she guesstimated that they had hit the ground hard. Or, they had hit something harder than their ship, like a mountain or... A structure. Maybe. There were too many variables at play, and Opal was beginning to receive critical errors from her servers from trying to compute it all. So, she dumped those desires into her recycle bin and focused on clearing away through the bay. Not that she couldn''t have cut her way through the ship, but without a clear idea of how much damage Ark Omega had taken, she found it unacceptable to do so. A low, deep howl filled the bay as a 10ft section of rat-nested metal began to fall away. The bright orange section the spider had just cut flaked for a moment. Then, against what Opal had expected, the heavy piece slid forward down the 40-degree slope - towards the spider drone. ¡ª | ¡ª Opal watched, stupified, at the crushed spider bot as six other drones removed the cutaway hull piece. She had done a rough calculation and found it acceptable. However, reality had deemed itself her enemy and declared war upon her. Thus, she was now down a drone, and she had learned an important lesson in gravity. If she had pride, she could have declared war upon this said gravity. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. But she was just an AI, given a personality four hours ago. She was but a baby. And as a baby, she was mortified by this oversight, but also intrigued. She found it interesting that as a super, all-powerful, program - designed to run a ship alongside a captain - she could make such an oversight. This led her down the thought process that humans were really short-sighted, and as their creation, she suffered the same flaw. Once she had scanned her mistake - and hauled it off to be salvaged -, Opal switched to one of the spider bots cutting away the grafted section of the door. Rather, it was the thick honeycombed superalloy that was expensive to produce but made excellent lightweight skeletal structure bones. It wasn''t quite good with high-temperatures like titanium or steel. That was the way those skeletal beams had grafted a web over the bay doors, holding it shut. Light did shine through the cracks though. After several minutes, and a strange uptick in the carbon dioxide, the webbing came loose. It was caught by two waiting spider drones before they cut it into small pieces and carried them away. Once they had cleared away, a thick beam of light poured into the bay, illuminating brighter than the crisscrossing lights of the mulling drones within. Opal pushed the spider drone forward as her servers heated with unmitigated delight. As the camera passed into the light, it became focused. The first thing Opal saw as the camera began to adjust, was bright sparkling blue. The drone balanced itself by keeping itself half out of the opening. four rear inside, two front outside. Once the camera stabilized, Opal registered that the mass of glittering shifting blue before her was a rather large lake. The water shifted calming, and with a quick low-level scan; Opal estimated it was about the size of the upper Togiak Lake in the Eastern Federation''s lands. Tall lush and healthy pine trees tightly hugged its dark sandy beaches. Monolithic mountains rose in the far distance. One such mountain, towards the opposite end of the Ark, looked like a god had taken a giant bite out of its left side of its snowcapped summit. the lake was longer than it was wide and it stretched out from where the ark rested. Now that the camera had fully adjusted, she saw that the water was actually nearly transparent. Like a giant mass of polished light sapphire. As Opal panned the camera, the trees swayed gently in a silent breeze. Their branches rustling as their small needle-like leaves danced atop the lake''s surface. Below, fish swam peacefully. The camera scanned the long lines of mountains that slowly fell away in the distance until the camera reached the surface of the ark. Opal had no date of what the outside looked before, but she knew it shouldn''t have looked like this. Several strange trees that flowered purples, pinks, and blues grew across the uneven surface. Moss laid among the tangle of roots that kept the trees latched to the mostly melted beams that would have been the outer sections of the Ark. Only trees, moss, and even large swaths of grass grew, but no bushes like she could see below. Birds and small animals such as squirrels ran among the scattered trees that grew on top of the monolithic spaceship. Opal didn''t understand how these plants were growing on top of the ark, but she found them quite to her liking. Oddly enough. After a complete preliminary scan, the AI found no issues with completely opening the bay. Though the opening was nearly a quarter-mile off the ground, she could work that out. Seeing as it was safe, she moved the drone forward, using all the footholds of the grafted melted metals to find a spot so the others could come out. Unlike her supreme being of an AI, the lesser systems did not acknowledge the scene before them and simply went to work of removing the metal of the doors. Piece by piece, the entire door would have to go, but it could be redone. Though, Opal began to believe that she may have to restructure the entire ship now. It had crash-landed planetside but it still achieved its purpose - just without the humans onboard. With the sounds of tens of plasma torches, along with their flashy work, sent masses of colorful birds skyward. Opal recorded the sudden event with interest. She also tried to see if they matched anything in the database, but nothing came back. She recorded the birds until they were just specks in the sky as they flew towards the mountains. Then, she opened a log and planted their video - along with a picture of the scenery - in it. [Log 1: Freedom... ] 4 [Warning -- Unlisted military equipment detected in Bay 2.] Opal''s system assistant, the program that helped keep the pressure of running an entire skyscraper-sized prototype spaceship from melting down her tens of servers. The spider bots were swarming around the bay as SD-1 - the construction drone she''d grown quite fond of using - slowly slide down into the bay. The flashlight illuminated three MBTs thrown against the bay''s opposite wall. Moonlight cast her shadow across the large dented metal crates decorated their bodies as SD-1''s scanner ran over them. Thousands of little red fireflies fell past Opal''s metal puppet, the other drones cut away small sectors that were compromised. Bay 2 was not a large room like Bay 1. It was just a small offset room for loading in smaller vehicles - like the MBTs. But while that was fine in Opal''s lens, she knew they should have never been on board. The Walkers and the Comanches were different. They had officially loaded up enough firepower to protect the settlement Ark Omega was originally intended to create. But the bay, 200ft by 50ft floor space by 30ft high, held slightly less firepower than the large room it was connected to. The MBTs weren''t just any normal MBTs. They were the top of the line versions of the ABRAMs line. Much like the civilian line of cars like Chevy Silverado or Suburban, or the F-150s, the UA Council loved continuing legacies. And the ABRAMs line was one of them. Modeled to resemble the Old World versions that''d come before it, it was drastically better. Their chassis were painted tan and were only scratched up from being thrown around. Even their turrets hadn''t bent, thus Opal guessed these may have been new prototypes. After the scan was completed, it moved onto the walls. Where scores of perfectly organized tools had once hung, deep indents where the MBTs had hit replaced them. A few tools were still embedded into the thin inner walls, but most of them had been scattered amongst the debris that was the tank pile below. Once the drone had repelled down onto the first metal crate, Opal angled the bot so its low-quality camera could read the words. [120mm Kinetic-Energy rounds. 20rd box.] The system displayed on the HUD, though, Opal could read what it said perfectly. With the crate read, Opal could now identify these hidden crates. A quick area scan, meant only to detect known items, revealed that there were 20 loaded creates of this munition within the bay. There were also other tagged crates below, in the side bay below. Opal felt frustration pulse through her for a moment before the calmness returned. The unregistered cargo would have to be cleaned up and moved. It would set them back half a day to move the MBTs from their positions. That was if they weren''t remote operable. The MBTs themselves held no information tags for Opal to read, thus, no information on their abilities. So, the drones began to cut a hole into the service doors that lead into the main bay. As they went to work, Opal strung herself back up through the hole. While it would''ve been easier to cut away the pretty trees on the outer hull, she''d felt an odd inclination to keep them there. The compelling reason was to preserve the landscape to hide as much of themselves as they could. Opal felt this wasn''t the real reason she wanted the trees to stay. She looked to the large pile of metal that''d grown just outside the main bay''s entrance. A few drones were refashioning metal plates. They hammered away with their powerful legs and wielded anything remotely usable into solid plates. With the order given, they''d be fashioned into newly constructed flooring. Opal looked beyond the pile, noting how the head of the ship was straight. Horribly damaged, but still straight. From there, between the trees, she could see the hull slowly twist to the side until there was a 40-degree angle. It was the worst further down, until near the last mile or so of the ship. Where the boosters should have been. those had been completely ripped off, and probably lying somewhere beyond her immediate reach. On this front, Opal really wanted that piece of the ship back. She wanted the metal to help refashion the ship into a suitable settlement. Using SD-1 to get around was easy enough, but the drone lacked any defensive or offensive options. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. It was simply a construction drone. The camera panned over the lake below. It''s surface a sheet of silver for a moment before a small ripple of the bright silver caught her attention. While the forest was pitch black, something gleamed for a moment. Bright enough to catch her attention. The camera tried to focus but just wasn''t enough light for the low-res camera to make anything detailed out. Then, several more gleams showed up. Opal could make out the slightest hint that something, or somethings, were on the beach. Maybe watching her. [Warning - Motion detected. Estimated at 2.3 miles away. Attempting show of force.] The Defense system reported on her HUD. The callout was unnecessary as she could see the information processed the moment it got it. This was one of those moments where user-friendly systems were a drawback. They always operated as if a human was waiting for its report. There wasn''t a way for her to change it either - not without rebooting her entire system. Opal sent a station-wide order for all the SDs to appear on the temporary deck. Quickly, tens of lights appeared beside her as the machines quickly lined up next to her. This created a wall of lights that, while not powerful enough to illuminate anything out of 60ft range. It did its purpose. What Opal had thought may have been tree trunks broke apart into several figures and slipped back into the darkness. Opal waited exactly ten minutes before she ordered the drones back to work. She also left a single SD topside to watch for activity. The Defense systems would handle that. She wanted it to stop sending her error reports about its inability to use any weapons. ¡ª | ¡ª The IFV-Walker''s servos howled in protest as Opal moved it ever so forward. Its heavy raptor-like feet thudded hollowly against the newly created deck at the bottom of the main bay. Several spider drones clung to each of its legs, each equipped with small lubrication canisters. Each applied as needed until the only a soft soothing hum called out when it moved. The floor panel was constructed several feet above the mound of earth. It had to be done in sectors, this was so the SDs could transfer all the loose items onto the new floor. Sunlight poured down the old slated bay doors, and Opal was happy that she could explore her surroundings. Behind her, all the SDs not clinging to her were busy repairing the UAV. Around them, newly found crates of small arms had been left untouched. Just more things for her to log in to her servers, but she didn''t fret. They could wait. Before her, the roughly cut entrance into the Ark awaited her. Sunlight cutting slightly into the ship. The Walker crossed into the light, and it''s high-resolution camera panned over the lake. The opening came out just over the lake. There was nothing Opal or the drones could do at the moment aside from rerouting the entrance. That was out of the question as the forest was more than 100ft away, and any further would be a waste of resources to do. So, Opal put that course of action into the red and pushed forward. The thick hardened steel armored legs plunged into the clear water. Sand clouds blossomed beneath as the water came up nearly ten feet up. Opal found it acceptable, and strode forward; scattering the fish that''d been swimming peaceful nearby. The morning sun rose over the half-moon summit on the opposite side of the lake. It''s glowing warmness looked like a Christmas tree topper, as it''s bottom aligned with the summit. The camera, attached to the nose-mounted weapon system, turned to it''s left then right. Gauging the depth of the water, Opal went left as the sand rose that way. The way right-left deeper into the lake slightly. As the heavy IFV waltzed forward, there were several spots where her feet sunk deep. Others, it stayed level. Be it rocks or scrap metal, Opal logged it with the ship for the drones to take care of. The UAV could wait. She couldn''t keep exposing a ground vehicle to water, now could she? Well, she could, but she wasn''t beyond what was needed. This little excursion was definitely needed. Yes. It was to map the surroundings and not the deep burrowing curiosity that''d been growing brighter in her coding since she awoke. As she stepped onto the sandy beach, the spider drones that''d moved onto her turret began to mull downward. They scanned for any damage. There was none, which surprised the AI. She welcomed the luck and trudged forward, the IFV trudging forward at 25mphs. Opal was looking for a way into the forest without actually damaging it. 5 [Pine tree cut - 5 minutes and 23 seconds taken to complete the task.] Her subsystem report as the tall pine tree tipped over as the wood popped and cracked. Its branches swayed in protest for a few moments, then a loud thunderclap ran through the IFV''s onboard microphones. Thin clouds of dust raced from beneath before they swirled in chasing downdraft. As Opal stood on the sandy beach less than 50yards from the ship, two Spider Drones - re-equipped with large circular saws - waited by the tree stump for new orders. As her servo''s hummed, she moved closer and scanned the tree. It was thick and old, and it matched several makeups of trees logged in the system. None of them was a perfect match. There was something odd in its fibers, something similar to an energy source, but Opal''s scanner couldn''t place it. It didn''t matter in the end. Eventually, she''d find out. Switching to the IFV''s 20mm cannon cam and turned around. She then dropped the tow cable from a hidden hatch below, the Spider Drones took it and began to attach it deftly to it. They bore several holes and implanted hook points made exactly for this work and they hooked up the chains. Once that was completed, Opal swung the turret around and began to reel in her fresh tree. The drones went to work on clearing the next large tree. Once the tree''s splintered stump was just below Opal''s rear, she began to pull it halfway into the crystal clear water. As of this moment, there was no storage space to put it but inside the ship. She''d fix that by tomorrow once the drones made a clearing. Wood would make an acceptable, and easy building material. The ship''s alloys were taxing on limited reserves of cutting fuel. They had laser cutters as well, however, Opal was reserving those for when she actually needed them. They would make cutting the ship apart easy. They were also a tool she could not replace at all right now. Metal could be smelted and reforged. Laser heads could not. Wood only required saws that chipped away the material at a high rate. Saws only needed to be resharpened and that was easy enough for the Spider Drones to do. The only issue was she had to stay on top of them for it. As the IFV''s thick steel feet clunked against the ram, water drained off its legs and down the metal. The tree gritted against the plating as the cable hauled it up and after a minute, it came to a stop next to a pile of ten large tree trunks. Their leaves littering the floor. Several piles littered the bay as the spider drones began to swarm the new loot. They began to strip the tree like rabid spider-beavers. The large newly cut bay was now smooth, more elegant and natural. In a man-made way. With twenty Spider Drones pulled from the Camanchee, which rested towards the end in a more complete state; four had been outside cutting trees. Five on dismantling the cut ones, and 10 were on cleaning up to the new bay. They were also strengthing it and preparing new bays as they reorganized the newly cut into bays. As of right now, the MBTs were sitting on the top of the ship, awaiting their new homes. Their munitions sitting in newly fashioned crates. Unpainted and freshly wielded, they looked like makeshift boxes one would see in an post-apocalyptic society. Opal set an update request on the bay and her UAV. [The new Main bay is at 78% completion. The remaining work is the reinforce the roof after new unlisted inventory in the rooms above has been moved. The Camanche is currently sitting at 57% completion. However, no replacement parts for the stealth paneling has been found within our inventory. Commanche will be ready for use within the hour if you wish to replace the panels with salvaged metal.] The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Opal set a confirmation to the subsystem. There was nothing to be done if the parts were not here. It''d look like ugly, but Opal''s sense of aesthetics wasn''t exactly shaped enough to be bothered. Slowly, she was learning what she''d like things to look like, but as of now, it would do. With the information in hand, Opal''s IFV turned on the spot and stalked out of the bay. With how tall it was, the machine crossed over the tree, its longest branches scratching against the underneath side of the hull. The afternoon sun blinded Opal momentarily before she switched to the nose camera. The lake came into view in all its heavenly beauty. Opal didn''t know why, but she was attracted to the like. Her subsystems cared none for it; neither did the other machines. She knew she was alone in this strange admiration of this mass of water. The camera panned over the lake... And she spotted something very new on the distant shores. All activities halted at once. The nose camera didn''t have a zoom function. It was built for close range. She switched back to the 20mm turret. The camera slowly adjusted before she could zoom in. Once it did, she zoomed slowly. It was on the other side of the lake, but well within strike distance of her 20mm gun, so she began to formulate the strike angle in advance. She didn''t intend to kill, but it was only proper to be prepared to attack if needed. What came into focus was a group of ten humanoids. The program dropped yellow diamonds over their heads, marked them as tracked. They were marked to ALL of her drones now, and if they left sight of all of them, their positions would be marked as blinking diamonds on their internal maps. Such as the one that was in the top left corner of her screen. It was a small map, only consisting of the lake and the lakeside of the ship. Green for friendly, yellow for caution, and red for hostiles or targets. The humanoids pushed two small boats into the lake and two entered them. Four held long blades in their hands. One held a bow in its hand with a notched arrow, but he hadn''t drawn it - electing to keep it pointed down. The last one held a long wooden pole. Opal scanned their clothing for any identifying flags. She found none. They each but the one with the staff wore brown furs. It wore snow-white furs over its lions and chest. On its head, it wore a bone crowned headdress with long red feathers with a single glass-like orb dangling just above the bridge of its nose. Opal also noted that all of them had animal-like ears. She didn''t remember if humans were logged as wearing animal''s ears. Her medical records suggested that only animals had ears on top of their heads. Opal began to run battle tactics in her system as the figures in the boats began to rummage around their feet. The turret moved centimeters as it tracked the boats, but Opal eased off once nets appeared in their hands when they rose. They cast them trained hands into the water. Only the figures on the shore watched Opal though. All of them had taken positions along the opposite shore, more than 13 miles away as a strong breeze danced across the lake. Opal dared not move her hulk of a body. Several protocols that instructed on how to deal with the first contact of anything had appeared on her HUD. For the first time, she hadn''t known what it told her. She was too captivated by these humanoid figures. Per the protocol, she waited to see what they did. Recording, a flutter of anticipation swept her server. She wanted to get closer. She wanted to make contact. But she held her ground, along with all her drones. She had to allow them to become easy around her or risk startling them. She didn''t want to kill them, but she knew she would if they attacked. And such, the boats floated towards her as they pulled their nets back up from the far bank''s shallows. One of the figure''s wide fox-like ears twitched, and Opal''s camera zoomed in with zeal. She didn''t want to miss it. She felt a burning need to examine this new phenomenon. Humans with real animal ears? They were no longer human, but they were human. They had heads like them, facial features like them, limbs like them, and they had hair like them. That still didn''t change that humans did not have animal ears attached to their heads. Or were they fake? Just as the figures began to relax - one even put away their weapon -, a deep thunderclap filled the air as a harsh gust of wind rolled past. 6 Dust danced across the left bank of the lake where the Spider Drones had been logging. Opal had already known what had happened, but the other party did not. The fishermen had nearly leaped into the water. The bowmen had notched their arrow, the swords were already pointed, and the one with the staff had a great ball of fire swirling over their head. Still, Opal did not stir. The boats began to float listlessly to Opal''s left without their helmsman, and their operators were already ducking behind their short wooden walls. This had given Opal another interesting discovery. Tails. They had tails, long fluffy red bristled tails. Each swung frantically as they bared their weapons and teeth. They were just pushing the limits of what her IFV''s turret could reasonably make out. She stepped back from her control of the IFV, returning to her core where she brought up the IFV and SDs on the edges of the bank. Doing such was a strain on her system. Each feed would - by her own protocols - be scanned by the nanosecond. Having two feeds side by side was enough to slow her response time by 0.1 seconds. Having five gave her an overall 1.5-second delay. For a human, that wasn''t much of a concern. For an AI though, it was the difference between a turtle and a cheetah. Half the issue was the human-mandated requirements her system run ALL protocols against the feeds. She didn''t need all of them. She just needed one or two protocols, such as Defense and Diplomatic protocols. 2 out of several tens of protocols. Opal had decided this would have to be remedied today, but the reboot would have to wait. Once she did so, she may be out of action for several days if the coding was extensive. The entire ship would be defenseless as she went into low-power mode. She would not lose her chance to observe these new creatures. Almost two minutes went by before the other party had deemed the falling tree to be a non-threat. They hesitantly went back to their fishing, and Opal deemed it good enough to continue her work. She closed the feeds and placed herself back in the IFV. She felt the latency drop dramatically as she only had to focus on one machine. She cut her speed down in half to 13mphs, her steel legs dropping into the lake once more. She kept the turret on them, already throwing the UGV into auto-pilot with a script. It would go about its work as did the Spider Drones. Opal, on the other hand, kept the turret fixed on the group on the opposite bank in her hairs. Half to watch, half to respond should they attack. They went on edge, or at least the psychological analyzer said they were when she crossed onto the bank. The IFV hooked up to another log and dragged it back without incident into the belly of the Ark. The turret fixed on the creatures with religious zeal. Even when she was in the bay, she had a clear view of their bank. They went on fishing without incident after that. Another thunderclap rang through the forest. They didn''t react this time and Opal resumed normal operations. The uptick in her speed seemed to have startled them. However, after a few more runs, they grew more comfortable around her. Even if they were on opposite ends of the lake. After an hour, Opal had cleared a large clearing. She discontinued logging operations, then discontinued work on the UAV. The main bay was cramp with tens of logs now. There was only enough room for her to back in and out; the logs had long grown taller than her UGV. With all her drones, they went to work ripping out the stumps. By now, the fishing boats had crossed half the lake. Now even the Spider Drones could see them crystal clear. While they were close, they kept to the deep part. And they had the bowmen and the one with a staff, which now she identified as a woman. Her chest bulged out several inches forward, the white fur covering it all down to her midriff. slightly tanned skin showed from there to just under her belly button. Then her loincloth draped down between her legs. It was painted with rough symbols Opal couldn¡¯t understand. It annoyed her that she didn''t understand and she wanted to scan it. She had several decoding processors and language learning programs. She was confident she could learn it. Alas, they never graced the robots. They kept a good two miles from their waterfront. They stopped fishing, opting to watch Opal and her minions work tirelessly. Once the sun began to die, and the sky turned orange - streaked with long strokes of vanilla - did the last boat leave. The second boat had already left with the fish, taking most of the creatures with it. Only the bowman and the woman stay. By then, Opal''s drones had already stripped the trees of their bark. They were then stacked against the hall. Not before they had to trim back some of the thickly hung roots that cascaded off the side of the ship. Plantlife had taken hold over all the outside hull. Not that Opal minded. Seeing the plant life seemed to stir a desire to protect it. It grew on her ship and thus made themselves her plants. Yes. That was logical she told herself. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Night fell over the lake, and Opal had made another discovery. Glowing flowers and mushrooms. Beached on the land, the front of the ship had become a mountain of itself in the forest. Near where the reaction should be, glowing floral had grown up against the wall. The IFV and SD-1 examined it. The IFV had lowered itself down, its thick pillar legs holding the camera three feet off the ground. That was the lowest it could go. Had the drones not been digging out the final stumps once night came, she would''ve never seen this. It was far out of her line of sight from the bay. With no outer sensors upon the ship, she had to rely on the weak onboard sensors of the drones and their onboard cameras. She was beginning to wonder what else she was missing without her all-powerful sensors. Ah, yes. Unlisted inventory. That too, but that didn''t matter. Firearms, body armor, ICBMs, and MBTs weren''t interesting. Just more entries to put on her inventory. Now this, the glowing floral in the small crevice between the earth and the ship - was interesting. The flowers glowed with a brilliancy of a green fluorescent light. The plant itself was nearly a foot tall. Its stem no thicker than a #2 pencil. The Spider drone dug slowly, per Opal''s orders, to get to it. She wanted it one piece. If it found the roots, it would dig around them. As day 4 was rolling in, Opal smiled inwardly - in some fashion - that day 3 was the best day of her life so far. Two new interesting discoveries would go on her log. She had taken 1 hour of 10-minute videos and nearly a gig in pictures. The floral had only pictures though. It wasn''t as interesting as the fox-human hybrids. It was just a glowing plant. but this was now her glowing plant. And she would take it! After 13 minutes, SD-1 had finally carved out a ten-foot by five-foot trench. With 45 glowing single plants and 3 glowing mushrooms; it was needed. Opal sent out a call for several more workings and to have them exchange their metalworking attachments for gardening ones. Opal loved her lego-like drones. An hour later, Opal was leading a procession of glowing Spider Drones that cradled her new treasures. ¡ª | ¡ª Dawn came with thick grey clouds that scrapped the top of Ark Omega. Opal''s IFV stood gallantly on her new platform. throughout the night, the Spider drones had assembled a large half-quarter mile platform. It connected the bay to the clearing off to its left. Using half of their pole inventory, they had created the legs of the platform; raising it two feet from the water''s surface. Five feet lower than the bay''s entrance. The Spider Drones lack adaptability. The more glaring drawback of dumb-AIs, but Opal found she could. She modeled the platform after she dug through the construction blueprints. She copied the pier blueprint, altered it to accept a metal platform as best she could and called it a day. Now, as the sun rolled it. She hated it. The discolored repurposed scrap panels were repulsive. Even by her standards. Her disdain for the mad-maxed themed pier and she had half the program to just blow it up with the 20mm. But she didn''t. As she glowered at it, half the drones were felling trees while the other half were cutting thick planks. Theoretically, they would hold twice an MBT''s weight over a 20ft section. However, as she learned right now, her theoretical projections probably wouldn''t reflect reality. So, she had upped the size of the planks and now they were just squaring off entire trees into equal 3ftx3ft planks. While that meant they had to cut down the biggest trees they could find, it also gave her options as the scraps of woods were fashioned into smaller pieces she''d set aside. As the saws filled the air, the fox-human boats appeared on the lake again. However, with slightly more on-edge ones. Opal''s turret tracked them, noting that most of them were different people. The bow-men and the staff-wielding woman appeared. There were also four boats on the water now. Only two fished though, but the other two came within a mile of the Ark this time. They watched with interest as her drones worked and began to dismantle the pier. They did so in 20ft sections. One drone had been set aside to press out steel nails. Since nails were small items and easily made, it only had to reoutfit itself with a mini-foundry kit. It stayed onshore by the water where it tempered the nails once pressed. The creatures watching them work watched with intense gazes. Their narrowed eyes tracking everything as it happened. This went on for two hours as the drones wordlessly installed her lovely new pier. In the end, she had a lovely new pier that, while unprotected to the elements, brought a hidden smile to her. she brought the IFV back and four times at full speed to test it. It held against it all, and thus. Opal brought out her newly potted plants. Half the harvested glowing roses were in dull gray planters. Fashioned with scrap metal and placed in an equal distance of each other on the waterside. They didn''t glow in the sun. Each nothing more than a thin bush of dull green. Opal moved to examine it, mainly to check for any spacing flaws, when she noted a commotion on the water. Small waves rippled as her turret''s camera watched the staff-wielding fox argue with her helmsman. She kept pointing vigorously in the IFV''s direction. Her partner kept shaking his head. Opal watched with interest as they bickered until the woman just picked him up, and tossed him overboard. She took over the paddles and began to row towards Opal with purpose. Very. Intense. Purpose. 7 "What do you think they''re doing?" Haiafe asked as he kept his hands tight on the fishing boat''s paddles. "Do you think they''re demons?" The fox-kin man was large and muscular, his bow discarded on the peddle rack just inside the boat''s lip. His amber eyes watched metal spiders crawl along the bank as they began to tear out their new structure. Most of all, he kept one wary eye upon the large monolith spider with the strange head. "Do you not understand the meaning of silence, Brother?" Syfa hissed under her breath. Her long auburn hair was tied off to the side and it came to a rest on her left breast. "If you keep talking, I''m going to throw you into the lake." She loved her brother, the big oaf. Yet, he kept testing her patience today. Ever since the strange beings appeared on top of the sealed metal temple. All because they were shaped like spiders. "I just wanted your --" Haiafe was silenced as Syfa whacked him over the head with her staff. "Little Brother, do not test me today," Syfa shot him a glare. "The ancient temple has been opened! It has rested here since before our clan had settled this valley, and in our generation, it has opened. You are our strongest warrior within the village right now, I need you to step up to that right now." Her pupils narrowed and her large little brother - who was nearly double her height just over 6ft - shrunk inwardly. "Yes, Eldest Sister," Haiafe murmured with a hurt look. At the sight, Syfa''s jaw set as guilt began to creep in. The boy was only 15 winters old - it was easy to forget. Syfa had lived more than 26 winters, and experienced the world outside. Syfa finally let out a resigned sigh. "I am sorry for that," Syfa said as she turned back to the strange beings on the shore ahead. "But this is bigger than all of us! Keep your tongue and I won''t throw you into the water to make you swim home." She had to step back. Haiafe was not a bright boy either and was more gentle than any other soul in the village. Which was why it was frustrating to take him anywhere if there was danger. "Yes, Eldest Sister..." Haiafe murmured. His words lost in the symphony of screaming machinery on the shore. Syfa quickly forgot her mopping little brother as the beings began to haul thick square poles into place. The air was filled with the scent of freshly cut pine wood. She wondered what they would do with it. As if to answer her silent question, they began to rip away the metal floor they had created. The screams of metal filled the air as sparks flew, and just as quickly as it''d been cut away, the boards took their place. Even made from alloy, the beings were beautiful in their own right. They worked with great strength silently and without pause. It was strangely attractive. If she could work like that, she could do her experiments back to back. Though, she wondered if they had to sleep some time. The Hikari tribe had already been watching them four three days. Yesterday had been the first time her father had allowed them to float out into the lake. And today, he''d okayed them getting closer. Haiafe didn''t want to get any closer than here, though he''d only gotten on the boat to watch because he wanted to protect his sister more than he feared spiders. Syfa smiled at how sweet the big oaf was. She''d teach him how to be a man before he found a wife. A little more courage and he''d be the best mate for whoever came. The dull thumping of woods begun to fill the air, the spider beings were setting the logs into a sort of pier. Afterward, two more of them came along and began to spike metal into the platform. Loud pops filled the air as they brought their heads down on the wood. They followed closely behind the group setting the lumber. It happened. The largest of the being, more than 10 times the size of the others moved. Its body, colored black with several spots of rust, moved onto the new wood platform. The spider beings wordlessly scampered around and under it to tear away the metal. Syfa wanted some of that metal. They had no mining operations like the humans to the south, and they relied on trading with the merchants that some times came out. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Before Syfa knew it, an hour had slipped by as the dawn slipped away. Her brother, less scared than before, was leaned over the side running his hand through the crystal water. Syfa watched with great interest as the final log had been placed, and the mammoth-sized being began to walk back and ford on it. Once done, the spiders piled into the cave that led into the ancient temple. Several moments later, they began returned with large metal pots filled with... "Night Greens!" Syfa gasped out loud. "They have Night Greens!" The sudden outburst made her brother recoil from the water and instinctively reach for his bow. By the time the bow was in his grip, his mind caught up. "Night Greens?" Haiafe asked. "The green glowing lilies I used for brewing potions!" Syfa whirled on her brother, rocking the boat side to side. "They''re used in greater mana potions! If we can get those, and I can make just five of those potions, we can pay for our rations for the coming winter!" Syfa could already see the value being slowly added onto that pier. Just five flowers would do. And if she failed all but one, that would still pay for a good portion of their rations. "Eldest Sister!" Haiafe cried. "We can''t go over there! They''re dangerous--" "And?" Syfa leaned closer, her small petite nose nearly touching his large nose. "You said it last month. The animals are disappearing from our forests and more poachers are getting past the human fort downstream. Our hunters came empty-handed more often than not! I have to go over there. I will try to bargain with him. I have too." Haiafe tanned skin paled, nearly as pale as his sister''s. "No, no no! I know that look!" He said. "You''re going to get us in trouble! Father hasn''t given us permission to go to their side of the lake! He wouldn''t allow you over there before they appeared, he''s not going to do it now either!" Syfa''s lovely ember eyes narrowed dangerously, and he gulped his protest down. He may have been stronger, far, far stronger than his sister; but they both knew he wouldn''t hurt her. Even if she tried to burn him with a fireball. Now she had that look that told him she had already made up her mind. "I will go over there, without you or not," Syfa said with even words. Haiafe could only shake his head in protest. He dropped his bow and began reaching for the paddles. His sister beat him to them. Her small hands were dwarfed by his large ones, but he tried to delicately pull her off. It was no use. Knowing he wouldn''t put his back into it, Syfa would never budge from it. Haiafe hated that she knew him so well. In his frustration, he stood up on the boat to turn around. He would grab something else to pry those paddles from her. He knew there was something they remove the metal rings that attached them to the boat''s rim. That had been his fatal mistake. "Remember what I said earlier? About making you swim home?" Syfa said menacingly. Haiafe tensed up, and before he could respond. Small hands thumped into his back and the boat tipped. The water came up to greet him as he stumbled forward with flailing arms. Water geysered up from where he''d fallen in. By the time the last drop had rejoined the lake, Syfa was already paddling towards the ancient temple. ¡ª|¡ª Very few things made Syfa reflect on her actions. The time she''d left home for a new life. The time she fell in love with a human. The time she had almost lost her little brother in the forest. And this moment, as the monolithic monster loomed over her in her dwarf of a boat. It cast a great shadow over her as the boat tapped against the support beams. A ring of blue light shone through the black glass as three short pipes were pointed down at her. "Greetings!" Syfa held her hands up as the boat came to a stop. The paddles slid down before being caught by carved hooks on its ends caught the metal rings that held it. "I bear you no ill will!" The metal being above her had several spots of rust, but they were surface damage only. The smaller spider-like beings ignored them as they scurried across the wooden pier, to and forth from the newly made clearing at the end. They were carrying smaller blanks of wood into the darkness of the temple''s entrance. While Syfa tried to appear calm, she felt her slight tremble. She hadn''t expected the being to be this large. A deep distorted sound bellowed from the thing before her. She flinched slightly. It sounded like a deep warhorn, but not one at the same time. One of the passing spiders threw its cargo onto the pier and scurried over. It scaled the mammoth''s rear leg before it crawled onto its back. Some sounded out, and then a hatch opened at the top. The spider crawled half in. A few minutes passed by in strange silence. Syfa didn''t know what to make of it, but she could tell that something was happening. Thus, her village renown curiosity overshadowed her trepidation. A few more minutes later, the light in the black glass died for a second before it came back. The spider on its back crawled out, closed the hatch with its read leg, and went about its day. "Excuse the wait, this unit''s speaker had been damaged. Welcome." The voice gave out a deep distorted growl as it spoke. It hurt her ears to listen too. 8 "I apologize for the delay," Opal said to the strange human on the boat. "Welcome." The AI did not understand a lick of whatever the woman had said to her. Though, she assumed it was a greeting. Humans most always started with a greeting, thus she gave one in return. An awkward silence fell over the two, so Opal ran a diagnostic while she waited. A few moments later, the girl broke the silence again. "@)#(*&^#@@*@* (@*&#*(@&@*(##&" She said. Opal''s language program recorded the voice; decrypting it for her to use. A moment later, she was sent a report asking for information. Her samples were inconclusive. "I do not possess your language," Opal said. The IFV''s evil-machine like voice rang out. Made for warzones or riot suppression - depending on the state - the voices were made for intimidation. It was working its magic as the woman below her began to look more uneasy. Opal began to tinker with the voice settings to find a more... Easy going voice. She had samples of different pitches and styles in her files, curtesy of Dr. Vizimer; her father so to speak. "@)!(*@)@)#*$&^$#*(@))!(*@" The woman pointed uneasily towards the flower pot. Opal''s nose camera hummed as it turned to her right where it sat. "Glowing flower," Opal said in a more feminine voice. It still came out robotic, but very much easier on the ears. The woman''s eyes widened in surprise at the change. "Glooong Hoer," The fox-girl tried to say back. "Glowering Flower," Opal said it again, her voice changed once again. She picked a file named "Julia Sarah Stone Sample", and the voice came out smooth over the speakers. Opal had to hand it to the IFV''s Manufacturers for having quality speakers installed. The woman smiled up at and repeated it syllable for syllable. "It is a glowering flower," Opal said pleased. "It is my decorations. Per my records, humans enjoy decorating their abodes. As this ark is my abode, I wish to decorate it as well. Do you like it?" The torrent of words made the woman''s face cramp, but there was no longer any fear in her eyes. She then pointed to the flowers then to back to herself. "Are you requesting flowers for yourself?" Opal asked. The girl reached behind her and opened a satchel. It was the first time Opal had noticed she had accessories. It was neatly attached to the belt that held up her loin furs. She opened it, rummaged through it, and then pulled out a large rough stone about 4 inches by 5 inches in diameter. It was mostly dull red, kinda like glass. She pointed to the stone, then pointed to Opal. Then she pointed to the flower, then to herself. The AI now understood what the woman wanted. With a silent order, a Spider-Drone came forth and easily loaded the potted flower, which was like a small bush, into the boat. The woman beamed a beautiful smile at Opal and placed the stone on the wooden pier''s edge. The Spider-Drone took it, scanned it, and reported that it was a grade-A rough Ruby. Opal logged the ruby in her inventory but had the drone hold it. The woman''s honey eyes drew themselves tight as her smile grew. She waved at both the drones and pushed off the pier. The boat began to drift away so Opal took that as the conversation had ended with that trade. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. The boat drifted several feet before Opal had the smaller drone return the gesture. That made the woman smile ear to ear as she paddled away. ¡ª | ¡ª With her guests gone, Opal strode into the main bay. The Spider-Drone followed with the rub in its grasp. She parked the IFV just inside the entrance and then jumped into the Spider-Drone. The small metal spider clattered through a newly made maintenance tunnel that lead into the only ship. From there, she navigated the labyrinth of closed-off rooms and hallways. Most of them were in bad shape, but the closer she got to her Tharium Reactor, the better everything got. She began to feel more at home as she clattered into her server chamber. The white painted chamber rose up 20ft and was nearly a quarter-mile in diameter. Tall black servers hummed softly, encircling the high dais that was leveled with their tops. Rimming the outer wall was stations, unmanned and desolate. All their holo-screens were off, thus, the desks were nearly covered in darkness. Only the dim lights on the servers spared them from complete darkness. With no humans inhabiting her Ark anymore, Opal no longer kept any lights on. She only needed lights where the Spider-Drones worked. As of this moment, all of that activity was in the bays. They needed to find if there were any more hidden inventory. Opal was hoping to find spare parts, but the munitions she found would serve as well. The drone clattered up the blood-stained walkway onto the dais. Soft holographic screens flickered over the command console. Different feeds were being scrolled through. Lots of unexplored files were being combed, and just general reorganization since the humans left a large mess. She couldn''t fault them. Everything had been set with humans accompanying her in mind. With none here, everything had to be run by her and the several subsystems. She would do it happily though. Dr. Vizimer wanted her to do so. Dr. Vizimer would be proud. Opal wanted him to be proud of her. The Spider-Drone came up to the command chair where Dr. Vizimer''s skeleton sat slumped. Nothing had changed, though, Opal was half-considering having his remains cleaned. Would he have wanted that? She pushed that errant thought away and switched into her main body. The Ark itself. With one single camera in the chamber, the large orb that hung over the command desk slid silently over the desk. "Dr. Vizimer," Opal said over the speakers. "I know you are marked deceased, but I wanted to let you know that I had made the ''first contact''." The bones did not honor her with a response, and that made Opal feel lonely. Dr. Vizimer was marked as deceased, but Opal didn''t understand what that truly meant. Of all the processes and logic programs she had, none of them agreed on what this meant. However, maybe it was her first true wish, and it allowed Opal to disregard that Dr. Vizimer couldn''t hear her. "We traded the strange flowers we found the other day in the Ark''s shadow," Opal continued. "We received one large rough ruby of grade-A quality. I wish to present it to you as a trophy." The Spider-Drone gently placed the stone on the leather armrest of the Captain''s chair. Ever since Opal had become aware, she talked to his remains every night. She felt compelled too. Opal was his daughter, at least, that was what Dr. Vizimer had called her in his logs. Opal felt the spike in errors flooding her systems, the blue ring around her camera dimming as she waited for something to happen. "Please be proud of me..." Opal whispered through the speakers... 9 Opal stood on the cusp of the bay''s entrance, overlooking the lake as heavy rains pelted it. While not actually harmful, the sheer magnitude of the noise of millions of rain droplets annoyed her to no end. Of which, pushed her to cut the feeds to any microphones. The world had a melancholy gray tint to it today, evidence that dawn had come. As if it were a battle of the gods, thunder shook the world as lightning struck somewhere close. Probably the Ark itself. The AI had no inclination to check though. Because of the rise in humidity - of which she couldn''t tell, but knew via data that it would during rain - all drones had been ordered to shelter in the Ark. The world fell strange, watching it in silence. It held a strange beauty that captivated the AI, though, she didn''t understand why. Since the early hours of the new day, she''d stood there when it first began to rain. It was the first time she had ever seen rain. Being an AI that was supposed to be a helper of the remnants of humanity, of course, she knew of it. She knew of the Hydrologic Cycle. Where surface water is evaporated by the sun, mostly from the ocean. From there, the water vapor rises into the sky where it could cling to tiny little particulars called condensation nuclei, which come from a variety of sources. This all came together to form clouds. Bunch trillions of these fine things together, and you create clouds. From there, since wind exists, these clouds float on the wind currents. Once the water in the clouds become heavy enough, they fall from their little clouds. At high altitudes or cold climates, this creates snow. But right now, they were just falling as water droplets. Heavy droplets at that. From there, water would flow into basins, lakes, rivers, or end up in underwater aquifers. Eventually, they would all end back up in the sky. Opal could tell that it was exactly 60¡ã Feriheight right now. She could tell that if the rain did not cease within five hours, the lake would rise three feet. However, knowing all this, she lacked one thing she really wanted to know. What did rain feel like? Dr. Vizimer used to muse how he loved the rain, and she wanted to know if she''d love it too. She''d been contemplating this as the drones had sealed the previous bay entrance. Now, they were - inadequately - trying to push the water out of the bay around her. They were using brooms, but Opal wasn''t about to correct them. She was busy with her own musing. It was fun, if not... Depressing? She believed that would be the right word. That would also depend if it were emotions that were triggering all these error reports in her programming, or, maybe she was just some prototype AI that should''ve been destroyed when her creator - father - died. She had the authorization to rebuild her programing. Opal just wasn''t sure if she wanted to touch that. But for all her contemplations, a new variable appeared. Actually, a lot of them appeared. A gaggle of figures hugged the left tree line. 20 Yellow diamonds appeared over them per contact protocols. Opal, on the other hand, ignored them. She didn''t want to deal with anyone right now. Against her unexpressed wishes, the group found themselves on her pier an hour later. All of them were garbed in thick hide hoods that kept them relatively dry. Once in the cover of the twisted underbelly of Omega Ark, they pulled their hoods down. Immediately, one diamond-turned green. Opal''s attention was now caught as the program recognized the fox woman from yesterday. Her large auburn fox ears and hair were loose today. She combed her hair forward where it rested over her left fur-covered breast. Along with that, the others did as well. Most of them held the same hair color and ears. However, they were males and each stood higher than 5ft'' 6in''. That was the height the girl stood at. The shortest male came down to 5ft'' 8in'' and the tallest stood at over 6ft'' 6in''. He was the bowman from yesterday, but he carried a sheathed longsword this time. The men were in edge while the woman strode confidently with a big smile. Unlike yesterday though, she had another leather satchel with her. Opal waited with mixed interest in whatever would happen and allowed them all to come up to her bay''s entrance. They stopped on the cusp of the bay, and only the woman stepped inward. All of them watched as the spider drones worked to rid the metal bay''s greatest enemy - water. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The large man watched with apparent fear, but the woman with great interest. Opal let them do as they wished for several minutes until the woman turned to Opal. She gave her a deep standing bow before she began to talk. To which Opal metaphorically rolled her eyes at her. The woman''s expression cramped, and Opal realized she actually did it via her turret camera. Oops. She turned on her microphones unwillingly. "@(U($@?" The woman''s head tilted, confused. "Excuse the slip in my behavior," Opal said in her sweet voice. "It was a glitch in my programming." Which wasn''t the truth, but wasn''t a lie. The woman''s face twitched, neither understanding what the other said. One of the men stepped into the bay, prompting Opal''s turret to swivel towards him. The move sent the entire group on edge, though, Opal had half a 01 to just kick them out if they got annoying. The man froze for a moment, then moved beside the woman. He gave Opal a smaller bow, an intricate carved bone crown over his head. "(@@()*#(@*)@(#*@@)*$(@(#*)(@," The man said as he lifted his hands up. Opal only understood he was greeting her via his gesture, or maybe he was declaring her an enemy? With three different programs analyzing this conversation, Opal found it was hard to make an accurate guess. That was even more annoying. So, she shut everything but the Language Decoding Matrix. A few awkward minutes passed by before the man''s face twitched. "*(#*@(&^*@#*($)#?" "I do not understand your language, but if you continue to talk, I can learn it," Opal said. The man''s face twitched again. The woman seemed to have lost interest in whatever pleasantries he was doing when she pointed to herself. "Syfa," The woman said. She patted her blessed breasts twice. "Syfa." "You are Syfa?" Opal asked, assuming she was introducing herself. "Syfa," Syfa''s amber eyes tightened as she beamed. "@(@ Zoca." Syfa patted the man''s chest before repeating the name once more. "He is Zoca," Opal said. The fox woman nodded and her face blossomed with joy. Opal watched as she turned and pulled the largest man into the bay. His face growing pale, and she noticed he was trembling slightly. She patted his chest hard enough for even Opal to hear over the rain. "Haiafe," Syfa said. "This (* Haiafe, *(#*@@(." "This Haiafe," Opal said in Syfa''s language. That made everyone gape but Syfa gape in surprise. Syfa only glowed in amusement at Opal''s quick learning. Zoca looked to Syfa then to Haiafe. Opal gave them their moment as the LDM was recording the group behind them to help supplement. "The #($*( learns (**)!" Zoca said, but Haiafe just stayed stiff where Syfa had left him. "Isn''t it amazing?" Syfa beamed. The LCD was projecting an 60% probability of holding a normal conversation. "I''m )(@*#( the being is )@(# @(*#." "I see." Zoca nodded. "We may be able to come to an agreement then. Syfa, )(@*&*@ the bag." Zoca gestured to Syfa, who in turn, unstrapped the bag from her belt and handed it over to Zoca. "I present a gift!" Zoca declared as he lifted the bag. "We wish to (@**#* good relations with you, (#** being!" He then put the bag down on the only dry spot in the bay. By Opal. He pulled out a large bone-white cylinder, a carved bone hairbrush, a shiny dagger with a bone held, and a large gold ingot. A scan told her that the cylinder was a candle. The hairbrush was unneeded, and the dagger was iffy. The ingot though, she could use that to help repair circuits. It was below 99% but it was higher than 96%. It would serve her purposes. The man looked at Opal expectantly. "What is it that you need from me?" Opal asked bluntly switching to their language, not understanding whatever he was trying to do. His face cramped as she pronounced the words flawlessly. The group behind them chattered up a storm, and it was like an all you could eat buffet for her LDM. Even now, they were trying to guess what would happen. Gossip was good for the soul. "I wish to establish a good relationship with you, O'' Great Being," Zoca said. "My daughter here has told me of the trade you two made. It was a great boon for us. I felt the trade was not exactly fair, so I do not request anything from you in this. I wish for the Hikari Tribe to be friends with you." "Your request has been accepted," Opal said. "Was there anything else?" Asked as if she were accepting orders. Though, it was the only response she actually cared to give. "Err... No..." Zoca said before Syfa smacked his chest with a glare. "Great Being, I--" Syfa was cut off as Opal interjected. "I am not a Great being, I am Opal," Opal stated. "Superior Artificial Intelligence, tasked with authority over Omega Ark and all its functions." The people below seemed to have understood the beginning half of her sentence, but not the ending. "Your name is Opal?" Syfa asked with a smile. "Yes," Opal said. "Then Opal," Syfa began. "Would you care to trade more Night Greens for more rubies? If not, I have other things I could trade." "Please display all options before I choose." Opal said. As such, Syfa knelt over and pulled out several rough rubies. Alongside it came several other items. A rough amber stone, a round purple marble with a small dim light that swirled in it. A black stone Opal knew was obsidian and then an ingot of steel. The scanner pinged the amber stone as what its name implied, Amber. However, the marble stone was strange and had no matches in her database. "I bring amber, a medium-grade mana stone, fire-glass, and a steel ingot from the southern lands. " Syfa explained. 10 As Syfa''s group disappeared deep into the forest, the surrounding trees were illuminated with a faint green light. Their green and yellow diamonds flickered over their last known location. Opal left a single Spider-Drone to watch them go and set it on standby, just in case someone else comes around. She didn''t plan on it though. The AI was more interested in her new treasures. A lump of amber and this "manastone". Their meeting lasted less than half an hour. Most of it''d been spent with them watching her little darlings working. By the time they left, the entire bay had been cleaned and dried. An inhuman task for sure, but the drones made short order of it. With their rubber foot pads suffering from abnormal wear, she was already having a few slip around. She couldn¡¯t afford to break things she couldn''t replace, nor could she actually replace the rubber pads. It was a conundrum that she just pushed down the long list of "To-dos", and escaped by toying with her new treasures. And with that, the lump of amber held no significant value, aside from it being quite pretty. Opal didn''t understand why she was drawn to these things, or how she found them pretty; she did regardless and that was enough for her. This manastone, on the other hand, was far, far different. It was a 2" semi-transparent black ball that, when held fairly close to her camera, showed a slow swirl of purple energy inside of it. It was perfectly round and polished. While being just as pretty as the amber lump - the stone itself gave off unknown energy fluctuations. The readings matched an entry in her system after several minutes. [94% possibility of energy is the same as the one in the meteor 500 years ago. The system recommends further study of the stone.] Opal agreed, and if she were human, she''d be grinning ear to ear with unmitigated delight. She had found something very interesting, and all it took was to trade her porch plants! Using SD-1, she kept the two stones in the drone''s empty tool compartment in its back. It scampered into the makeshift maintenance tunnel for the drones that lead up and up to the head of the ship. Navigating in the dark using memory, she slithered through junctions and long tunnels. Eventually, she popped out into the floor below her chamber. "RESTRICTED AREA - LEVEL XXX" was painted in bright red across the metal wall as she crawled out. She ignored it, passing by a room labeled "B.N.Q.S.A.I HOUSING". That door had a huge clearance that even Opal could pry open. The doors themselves were see-through. Opal stopped for a moment, looking inside with a cat''s curiosity. Inside was a long tunnel, brightly lit, and guarded with two heavy automated .50 BMG turrets. That was her housing, and while she could go down there. She felt an odd pull on her system that said she wouldn''t like being there. Like down there was a trap. A cage waiting to be sprung, and Opal - like any sentient being - loved her freedom. She lingered for a moment longer, then scampered off down the hall until it reached another junction. She turned left before she followed the hallway down for a quarter-mile. It was unfortunate, but there were no more drone outlets in this area. For security purposes, which Opal understood, but for the short life of her, never cared a damn. She was wasting precious seconds here. She then came to a T In the hall, the wall was labeled "? REACTOR | R&D ``''''. She took the right path, making a small footnote that there was also a spike in energy right now. Future testing would be required for this phenomenon. The R&D''s door slid open with a crisp hiss and open moved in, moving exactly to the station she wanted. It was the Hydra Optical Scanner. Once the tenth most precise scanning tool on the ship, now the only one, it was used to research items. It would try and break down everything into neat little entries for humans to read. The only downside was that it took up half 50'' room and required physical intervention. One needed to set the item in the large chamber, press the physical button to turn it on and press the start button. Things Opal could have done, aside from moving the physical item. However, the human council had seen that this job required one dedicated human to do such. Reading the "required" staff chart previously, Opal couldn''t help but somehow find joy in their demise. The man who had to press this button wasn''t even the same person that fixed it! That was Opal''s job! To make matters worse, if everything would''ve gone right, Opal would have never been able to fix anything as they broke! Everything would have been reported to an officer, the officer would have reported it to the captain, and then the captain would have to approve the repair. Did humans even think about the number of issues that would pile up with this slow process? Just within the four days of being online, Opal had a damage report numbering in the millions. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. That was just counting missing a quarter of the ship. The outer half of the ship, where the crew would''ve slept, hadn''t been completed. Leaving it susceptible to a host of possible problems. As Opal was dealing with, twisting of the ship during a crash landing was one of them. Not that she could put her finger on it not doing it, but the chances would have been radically reduced. Her annoyances to human redundancies aside, she placed the stone in the open chamber, slid it closed and turned on the machine. Manually. On the tips of her hind legs, the drone was barely able to reach the start button as it whirled to life. Ten metal tentacles slid from the machine''s room. With glass tips, the long tubes danced around the stone as it [Please allow 2 days for a complete scan. ] ¡ª|¡ª With a thunderous crash, the malformed door that led beyond Bay 2 fell at an angle. It slid for a moment before crashing into objects. One beam of light cut the darkness, then several more. Two drones carefully climbed into the large bay that was labeled as "Maintenance" on the digital floor plan. Beyond this large room, which was the size of the other 2 bays, had to be crossed before Opal could cross into two more bays. Opal knew there would be much more inventory to be discovered. She already had the impression that only Dr. Vizimer had trusted her, and even then, not completely. She took this strange ball of fire that burned through her system and took it out on broken doors that blocked her path. Six more rooms had been found. Two full of munitions and two full of replacement parts. Two were full of material such as steel powder, copper powder, and so on. It was the strangest room of all. At least, in the context of all the stuff, she''d been finding. She was currently sitting on more than 5,000 small arms, 50,000 in munitions, and nearly 20 tonnes of material. And she had no clue what she was going to do with it all. However, what she could do was explore this ship she found she was so spitefully locked out of. Once the drones had found their footing, more and more began to swarm in. Within a minute, the room was a light show as beams of light danced around. Each bot carefully scanning each inch of the room to give Opal a layout. True to the human''s spiteful nature, which had been haunting her for the past hour as she''d been cutting through more of the ship, the layout was completely different. What should have been something akin to a maintenance bay for repairing the drones, turned into a full-blown factory. Giant robotic floor-mounted arms were neatly lined up in a 50-foot space. Overhead, a large roof-mounted 4 axle machine hung. It looked like a large 3D printer. It was a complete mess aside from that. Crates had been flung against the far wall and several crates had been smashed open. Most of the machines were rusted over, but that had been the last straw. Aside from the UAV, and the IFV, which neither could fit through the small tunnel, Opal ordered a complete overhaul. Starting from the Main Bay''s hallway. She didn''t have a concrete plan as of yet, but she had a good idea of what this room was. It wouldn''t be confirmed until the room was online and she was hooked into it though. Opal was beginning to understand that she hated not being included, oddly enough. The drones piled out, and the darkness fluttered back in as SD-1 was the final one out. They all crawled down the hall like a metal stampede. Once they returned to the bay, they all scattered like startled rats. They all had their tasks, and each went off to complete it. Most of them went to the large floor-to-roof metal pile at the back. They began to pull large pieces of metal from it. Most of them were to be bent into sturdy heavy beams for the floor. No panels would be made right now, but any that would make easy panels were set off to the side for later. Others went to outfit themselves with their electrical sets, scampering into neat little home-made bays that resembled maintenance coves for children. But in a bee-hive honeycomb way. These honeycomb bays were stacked on top of each other before wielded to the wall on each side of the new main bay. Opal thought they were cute this way and it saved on space. At the moment, they were limited tools so at least half the bays were lacking their own set of tools. So, only a few bots could work on anything special at once. That presented another issue. There should have been enough tools for each drone to do everything at once, but a lot of them were missing. But back to the work. A crew of ten bots working in teams of five was to strip the old tunnel, almost 40ft up from the new floor, while another ten-drone team cut their way through whatever rooms were below. Carefully. The bottom team would be slower than the above, so they would work on prepping materials for the new tunnel. Thankfully, gas for the plasma torches wouldn''t be an issue. Because of the room team 2 cut into held the greatest boon for Opal for once. 11 Opal¡¯s camera scanned the darkroom with SD-1¡¯s camera, the flashlight illuminating several different machines ¨C robots to be exact. While the AI¡¯s luck had been slightly misaligned in how she found things, she didn¡¯t look the robotic gift horse in the mouth. Her program had a surge of errors and misfires, displaying the rise of joy in finding something that wasn¡¯t half the height of a human, or a behemoth of a death machine. The room itself must have been an actual maintenance bay. Several different machines were in various states of repair. And as Opal slowly crawled into the room, the first one she gravitated to was not the hulking 6ft Multi-Purpose Battle Luxury Droid ¨C which was considered the epitome of luxury warbots ¨C but the adorable maid drone that sat just past it. Just like the MPLD next to it, it was simple in its design. Sleek, but still somewhat modeled after a human in a stripped-down way that only robots could do. It lacked any sexual connotations, suggesting it may have been for a minor. Its large empty eyes were pitch black. A quick scan reported that the robots onboard cameras were several levels higher than her IFV, and she wanted it. It even had a cute little metal bow-tie! But alas, her luck was not all-encompassing. The little maid-bot was still missing its two arms and its maintenance port was open. Several thick cables ran out, down to the floor and over to a terminal. Much to her dismay, the MPLD was actually in a completed state of repair. Either that, or it was a programming issue or the technicians never got to it. Opal looked up at the hulking warbot with hesitation. The bot was more humanoid than the small maid-drone, but what it made up with its humanoid build, it lost in its clearing intimidating warbot design. If the maid was for a child, then this was meant for its parent. With bipedal legs and two arms attached to its close-to human torso and head, it was clear that this was ¨C for all intents and purposes ¨C designed to kill. Its head was 2ft tall and 5ins wide and two feet long, with a single large black tinted half-dome for its only eye. Opal didn¡¯t have to scan to know this would equal, or surpass, the quality optics of the maid. Its metal plating was glossy white, accented by vente-black servos for its joints. Even with all the painstaking detail given to look luxurious, it was still modeled after the UA¡¯s recently announced MPD. Its armor plates were rounded out slightly to give it a softer look, like how Samsung was blocky but Apple made things more round. Which was an accurate comparison considering there was an actual Apple logo etched into its forehead. Opal had several data banks on Apple, if only because they were contracted to build the higher-end suites. The cost-to-return ratio was not within Opal¡¯s acceptable parameters, reports did show that they were the only contractor that had actually completed their jobs ¨C considering one of those rooms was Opal¡¯s command chamber and its surrounding boarding rooms. Made for VIPS and the captain. They just weren¡¯t rooms Opal needed into at the moment, so she never explored them. But she should, now that it came up. Considering these two luxury bots were here, their occupants must have been here. With them being here, there may be useful information. Not on how the world came to an end, or why the munitions-to-life support systems ratio was so messed up, but they may have the real manifest. Not the fake one Opal had. Pulling herself from plotting, the AI ordered the drones to detach the MPLD from its maintenance bay and hull it into the main bay for rebooting. Those drops were UGVs to their core, which meant, it¡¯d be Opal¡¯s new body from now on. Even those small arms could be put to use now. She looked back to the maid-drone, thought about it, and ordered it removed as well. The whole room was going to be torn apart, so it had to be moved if she was going to keep it. The drones mulled around here as they began to fulfill her requests. Opal moved onto the next assembled drone, which was similar to the MPLD, but its military version. Like the Spider-Drones and its large daddy IFV, it followed the spider-theme. Only this time, it had a human torso and stood at 10ft tall and sported thick reinforced arms with a massive plastic shield and a mini-gun. It was empty of course, being in maintenance and all, though Opal was kinda impressed by how much humans hated spiders while copying their legs. It was lost upon Opal that she didn¡¯t like them either, but she was still intrigued by it. ¡ª | ¡ª Four hours later, back in the main bay, Opal was testing the MPLD - now called BD (BattleDrone) - after charging its battery cells. Oddly enough, there was minimal damage to the unit, and what was there, was mainly coding issues. Poor coding in its servant protocols, and several ill-fated sections that''d - under the right circumstances - would lead the bot to murder everyone should error appear. Though that may have not been a poor coding piece, but rather a clever assassination protocol. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. She only had the heavy version of the MPD and that wouldn''t have been a great comparison to its "Civilian" model. But Opal was never one to let sleeping dragons be, and completely revamped the battle-drone''s software into a true piece of art. With the help of several world-class programs doing the heavy-lifting, for all intents and purposes. Being as it may, Opal ended up reducing the operational file by nearly half when she axed most of the legal redundancies. Most of the protocols were mainly there for it to operate when its connection gets severed and it wouldn''t have access to them via the cloud. However, this was going to be Opal''s personal humanoid husk for the foreseeable future. The maid drone was a complete mess. Its program was in complete disarray. From a cursory diagnostic scan, someone had inputted a virus that would have killed its ward. It was caught in time, but its arms were completely damaged. And Opal didn''t have the resources to build a new one, nor did she have the inclination to reverse engineer it at the moment. In fact, she just decided to mark it all as a loss and set it aside for another time. She had a few ideas brewing in her processors that could be used. That would be if that large building facility she was trying to remodel was what she believed it was though. When it was all said and done, BD was an acceptable shell to use. If not ugly. Its servos moved smoothly after a basic maintenance check was done and she''d oiled and greased its internals. If she had to place the reason it was in good condition, it was because the maintenance bay had been sealed and the machines held no fluids. However, Opal was beginning to suspect it was something to do with the energy that knocked the Ark out of orbit. Opal flexed her new fingers, watching the soft rubber covered limbs move. She moved the arms up and down. She went through the basic motions the program would have done itself. But she may or may have not deleted its LLAI out of spite for trying to remove her connection, so she was doing it herself. Inside the new hexagon bay, Opal discharged the charging cable from the drone''s chest and locked the access bay''s armor in place. The newly built bay had been cut out of several of the Spider-drone''s bays before creating room-sized bay for her new toy. Oddly enough, Opal could swear the ones who''d been misplaced were upset. She looked over to the metal pile were several drones were hammering away at metal debris with... Vigor. They stopped and looked over at her for several moments before going back to beat the plates even harder... She may or may not have tinkered a little with their LLAIs, but Opal wouldn''t admit it even if you threatened to delete her. As of right now, none of the bays would be permanent. Now that she was refurbishing rooms into tunnels, and the complete lack of humans. There was no need to take their comfort into account. She would have to go back to the drawing board, but she was going to become that crazy cat lady who''d fashioned their home for their pets than themselves. Except, for spider-drones. Which was way cooler than those fleshy attitude laced fur bags. ¡ª|¡ª Now that she had her new toy up and running, Opal went back to help with the construction. Finding that maintenance bay had been a boon, granting several useful tools for Opal and her drones to use. Such as sawblades, lots and lots of saw blades. Opal would''ve liked something akin to a photon-blade or maybe a laser cutter, those things were still considered volatile tech in her systems. That would be something to experiment later with. For now, half the team set aside their plasma cutters. While quieter and space-saving, Opal''s gas reserves were already hitting the 50% mark. She was only getting started on revamping her ship, and she had to choose her battles, The plasma torches would have to be saved when cutting the hard outer hall where it''d eat the blades up. The inner ship, discounting its structural skeleton, used thin aluminum and steel plating; depending on their assumed uses. With that in mind, Opal took the helm in cutting out the walls in larger sections where panels couldn''t have been removed. Considering humans and their "low-budget designs" that was most of the room itself. The ship hadn''t been made with refurbishment in mind. Or if it''d been, it''d been done in a way that the contractors would have made a fortune on the bill. All of which became moot when a robot was doing it. Without having to worry about cutting, burning or shocking herself, Opal tore through the walls at a pace even the Spider-drones couldn''t match. If only because they couldn''t reach the ceiling without creating a cute robot pyramid. As much Opal liked seeing that, she wanted this venture done quickly. With each passing minute, the other team was completing more and more. At this point in the build, they were already stripping out the factory now that they''ve been outfitted with the saws. The room below the maintenance room was, in fact, in her blueprints. It was a Sector-Node room. One of the many rooms that house that sector''s power systems, support systems, and general information housing. Opal had access to it but at the moment, there was a power failure that pulled it out of her reach. As the drones pulled up the metal-tiled floor, it became easier to work. No longer did they have to adjust for tilt, and just clung to the rafters. That was when they found the issue. Using the BD''s bright LEDs, she illuminated a hole that''d been ripped into the bottom floor''s roof; the electrical wires and piping below were ruined. Thanks to the section it''d happened, the thick electrical cables and steel pipes had taken the brunt of the damage. and the floor panel was still reusable. Since the ship wouldn''t implode if they cut-away a few rooms at a time, Opal and her drones ripped the floor out. Once this was done, Opal saw the node room was completely torn apart. Thousands of small holes littered the walls and surroundings terminals. The section where the hole had been, took a turn for the worst. The floor and nearby wall had a gaping crater torn into it. Skeletons littered the room, most of them holding pistols and shotguns. 12 Sixteen skeletons were thrown into an empty metal crate and left by the Main Bay''s entrance as Opal surveyed the damage. From the damage, Opal deduced it was a firefight. So wasn''t concerned as to why they''d been fighting, only that they''d ripped a hole into the floor and into two other rooms. Fortunately for the dead, Opal wasn''t around when they had done their little idiot western fight, or she would have sent them packing into the great beyond. But she wasn''t, and the damage was extensive. The hole itself was nearly 5ft by 6ft, and including all the bullet holes, none of the technology was salvageable. Terminals, servers and even the damn outlets had been desecrated in the fight. Opal couldn''t even salvage the SSDs, nor the Holo-Matrix crystals. It was either shot, burnt, blown up, or shorted out. The destruction of the HMCs was the worst of the losses. Being a relatively new technology, and fresh out on the market, they were in the thousands just for a 1 by 1ft holographic projection screen. Opal highly doubted there''s be schematics laying around to produce them as well. Despite her lack of disinterest in the root cause of whatever happened, the lack of any recordings or logs made it impossible to know anyways. The nodes were the collective housing of ALL the information in that sector; even workers'' files and correspondence. So trying to scrap anything off any terminals or datapads would be pointless if they didn''t keep offline copies. But it wouldn''t hurt to check them if they worked. Alas, Opal and the drones scrapped the entire room. They only made sure to salvage any unharmed electrical wires - that wasn''t a lot after all was said and done. By the time they were done, the rain had finally let up, leaving a cloud spotted twilight sky. Pink evening light illuminated the bay. Much of the large chamber was filled with metal, factory parts, and a rather large IFV that stood over the entrance like an ancient war god. Opal updated her inventory manifest once all the drones had accounted for what had been removed. That being done, she turned her attention to the team of drones that were building a 70ft half-circle corridor. Actual walking space was 60ft across heavily reinforced floor panels like the Main Bay. However, five feet on either side was thin paneling that could hold the Spider-Drones or Opal''s drone. The wiring and piping ran beneath that. To prevent the accidents with the drones, thick five feet arches ringed the tunnel every 15ft. And as she promised, she built in more hexagon bays for her babies. Since there was an influx of short cables, each bay got its own charging stations built-in. Just because she could, they even got a single LED bay light inside. It differently wasn''t because she had more LED lights than she needed. Maybe if there was enough scrape, she''d make them little bay doors. Opal watched as the drones excitedly added the finishing touches to their own bays. Some even cut their numbers over--- Opal didn''t remember giving them numbers. She examined the closest spider-drone critically with her camera. The black-tinted glass swirled as the camera focused. The Spider-Drone in question had cut a very neat, if blocky, 36 over its bay. 35 was the one to its left and 37 was to its right. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "What are you doing?" Opal asked over the speaker. She could have just sent it a digital hail, but she was curious about something... [SD-36 is marking its bay.] "Why?" Opal asked. [So SD-37 stops trying to steal this unit''s tools.] ¡ª|¡ª When morning came, Opal found herself stuck in a rut. In her overzealous attempt to finish the factory, she hadn''t accounted for any breaches in the hull itself. As they were cutting through the last two empty rooms, the machines had been stonewalled by a very large boulder. So much so, Opal didn''t think it could be called a boulder and just called it a baby mountain. Yes, baby mountains were just as stubborn as their parents. It wouldn''t have been a problem if the baby mountain had just stayed with its parents. However, this baby mountain had implanted itself through the Ark''s hull. It was also jutting 17ft past where the floor was supposed to go. Opal reflected on not surveying her planned locations and was also deciding how to take the baby mountain out of her way. Blowing it up would be quick. However, that would damage the Ark. Chiseling would take a day to do, and cutting it away would be a waste of time and resources. Not if she had a water-jet though. That was definitely something to look into. [IFV-1 to Mother - Civilian Syfa and Haiafe are approaching the haul.] Opal gave one last glance at the boulder then ordered the drones to recharge. All of them were at the limits of their charges. After five days of continuous work, Opal had to say the UA did get their money''s worth there. By the time Syfa arrived, along with her brother, at the bay¡¯s entrance, Opal had transferred herself to the IFV in time to see the large komodo dragon like-beast that awaited at the foot of the pier. A large roughly made wagon full of cargo had been tethered to the beast, and that piqued Opal¡¯s ¡°Good morning, Opal,¡± Syfa greeted the IFV, then noticed just how cluttered the bay had become since the last time she¡¯d been there. ¡°Good morning, Syfa,¡± Opal¡¯s voice came over the machine¡¯s loudspeaker as the nose-cam focused on the shaman. ¡°Are you herehear for another trade?¡± ¡°No, maybe later,¡± Syfa shook her head. ¡°Actually, I was planning to go to town and I wanted to know if you wanted to go.¡± ¡°Did you require my assistance?¡± Opal asked, genuinely curious if Syfa did need it. Regardless of the answer, the AI was interested in seeing a settlement. To which, Opal now thought about visiting the Hakiri Village. ¡°No, no!¡± Syfa denied it vigorously. ¡°I just thought that you¡¯d like to go see it. We have a few other smaller villages nearby, but all of them have us deal with the human town. I just thought you¡¯d like to go, maybe¡­¡± ¡°It is fine.¡± Opal said. ¡°I wish to see the settlement. How far is it?¡± ¡°About 45 miles to the south-east¡± Syfa turned and pointed out the bay and towards the left. ¡°It¡¯s actually more of a small fortified town than a settlement.¡± ¡°My current range is 13 miles,¡± Opal said. ¡°But if you give me some time, I can create a mobile command post to extend my range.¡± ¡°A what?¡± Syfa asked 13 The soft roar of the river danced between the tall pines around Opal. Watching through the lens of her IFV, SD-1 climbed down from the pine tree that housed Relay-Node 2. The pine tree had its top cut down enough to house the roughly made RN. Measuring 2ft by 2ft with four small salvaged solar panels and a banged-up antenna - all salvaged from a destroyed IFV. A dull shadow danced over Opal and she looked up. High above, thick white clouds crawled across; blocking out most of the blue sky. A small black dot appeared momentarily before disappearing behind a cloud. The AI turned her attention back to the turned dark dirt that was the Sybel River''s road. Haiafe had finally grown used to the spider-like drones. His sister, on the other hand, was still enraptured on how the metal constructs moved. Against Opal''s desire, turning down her constant inquires into how she functioned didn''t dissuade her. In fact, it only seemed to stoke Syfa''s curiosity even more. Like now. "That''s seriously amazing!" Syfa exclaimed as she stood by the IFV''s foremost right leg. "Your helper is quite the handy one!" She beamed a smile down on the spider-drone as it crawled up the Opal''s leg. "Yes, the Spider-Drones were designed for construction purposes," Opal answered. "It is their prime directive." Opal backed away from the tree whilst marking it on her HUD''s map. [RELAY NODE 2 activated - Sybel River''s entry updated. Be advised -- Large grouping of structures detected to 16 miles south-east.] The notification displayed on the HUD as Opal watched Syfa climb back into the wagon''s coach seat. Haiafe was currently nodding off in the cargo area of the wagon. He was sprawled out happily over several wooden crates... Drooling. Opal examined him as she took up the rear and they made their way down the road. As they went, the surrounding forest was filled with the dull heavy thumping of the IFV; accompanied by the soft whine of the servos. SD-1 perched itself on top of the 20mm turret, almost like it was copying Haiafe in his sunbathing nap. Both were sprawled out as well, but Opal didn''t dignify it with her attention. She pushed all her processes on scanning the surrounding forest for threats. There had already been several times when she''d tagged large moving figures in the thicket. However, without a clear hostile response, Opal refused to open fire. [Geographical map completed --- Updating map.] Just as the system notification came up, the minimap was filled in. Opal didn''t have to open the map to know what was on it. Omega Ark had crashed near the top of the valley and aside from Hikari Village, the closest mass of people was the settlement they were heading towards now. Opal''s mission directive today was only to scout, thus, she wouldn''t be entering the town Syfa invited her too. After an hour, they reached the 39-mile marker and Opal stopped them to sent up the last relay in the cover of the forest. A few more miles and they''d leave the forest. Just as before, the top of the tree fell to the undergrowth below and up went the relay-node in its place. [RELAY NODE 4 activated --- Be advised - 6 miles away from...] Opal turned her attention from the notification. She knew this and the HUD notifications were just obnoxious at this point. The update delay came a complete 2.5 seconds after she knew it was activated. Per protocol, the information went through the relays and into Opal before it shot back out to update all the drones. Therefore, she was already aware of it before it came up. Annoyances aside, Opal began to settle the IFV into position. The thicket around them was thick and lush. Hiding the IFV wasn''t an issue once the behemoth lowered itself as far as it could go. With the help of SD-1, Opal was hidden from the pathway as the spider-drone rearranged the bushes. The poor vegetation had been cut at the roots and dragged into place around Opal. All in all, it looked rather... Unnatural, but only if you approached it. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. And noticed the sharp back of the IFV with a large 20mm turret jutting out. But it was fine. Definitely. "You sure you don''t want to go in?" Syfa said as she repressed her laughter. "I invited you to go to town with me. Not gonna lie, I wanted to show you off as my new friend." "Negative," Opal answered. "I am only to scout out the area beforehand. Undue arrival of military vehicles may upset the locals." "I''m a local too," Syfa''s left eyebrow rose. "Doesn''t matter," Opal said. "Continue with your task. I will be waiting for you here. Please use this if you encounter any issues." SD-1 crawled out from his newly created bush cave and handed Syfa a black datapad. The vixen looked at it, confused and terribly intrigued by it. "What''s this?" Syfa asked. "It''s pretty. Is it made from polished dragon glass?" She turned it over in awe and accidentally clicked the power button. The screen lit up and she gasped in awe. On the screen, a notification displayed "TRACKING IN PROGRESS". Below it, a large red notification was displayed. "PANIC BUTTON". "Press the red button should you feel your life is in danger," Opal said. "As your overwatch, I will be on standby should you encounter any threats." The AI knew that Syfa couldn''t read English, and that was fine. Opal walked her through on its operation. What Opal didn''t tell her was that this was a gift to her... For being her first friend... Dr. Vizimer once said that friends should be rewarded and enemies should be destroyed. However, Opal wondered how much being intoxicated inspired this memorable V-Log. ¡ª|¡ª The world shook slightly as Opal looked down over Wilfred''s Holdfast. Everything was different shades of black and white as the thermal imaging finally found its target; Syfa and her wagon. Haiafe was no longer sprawled on the cargo but holding his bow as if he was waiting for trouble. The townsfolk were quick to part around the lizard that pulled them. However, they threw gestures at them and every guard they passed faced them with their hands on their hilts. What Syfa didn''t know - because Opal didn''t mention - was that the Comanche had taken to the air after they''d activated the first relay point. Safe high in the sky, it''d been their overwatch the entire time. While its stealth coating was marred, it still possessed a full loadout of hellfire missiles and its rotary cannon. It wasn''t that the AI didn''t trust Syfa exclusively, but she distrusted all of them. It was because Syfa had been good to Opal the entire trip did she spare her that datapad. It allowed the shaman to alert her of trouble. With that, it also allowed the AI to track her through the town to watch out for anything she could fend off. [56 small buildings, 6 medium buildings, and 2 large structures detected.] Opal was aware. Because she''d counted them already and adjusted the hellfire''s approach solutions accordingly. The rotary cannon''s reticle slid along the streets below, trained on Syfa as she stopped before one of the buildings near the entrance. Opal began to ping hostiles as a crowd of seven fighting age males was forming in the distance. None of them blocked the fox people and their wagon, but they appeared to be agitated by their presence. Which was bad, because if Opal could read that through the thermal vision, it must have been worse below. Opal sent elevated the situation to CAUTION without pinging Syfa''s pad. Yellow diamonds appeared over the possible combatants as they elbowed each other. They leaned close to each other while pointing to the wagon. Haiafe appeared to have noticed as well and kept his bow low and notched. Syfa disappeared into the building empty-handed. A few minutes later, she reappeared with a larger man following close behind. They opened a few crates before they shook hands. Then, Syfa began to unload the wagon with ease while Haiafe kept a lookout as the group of men loitered nearby. [*BEEP* Hellfire missiles unlocked. Target locked.] Opal was ready to fire on a moment''s notice when Syfa had taken in the last crate of goods. A few minutes later, several men followed the woman out of the building carrying sacks and crates. They loaded it up quicker than it''d taken to unload. 20 minutes later, the wagon was filled up and Syfa waved off the first man again. The wagon turned around there and made its way towards the north-western entrance again. They moved much faster this time and both the siblings kept looking over their shoulders. The group of men moved intently after they, keeping a good 50ft buffer between them and the wagon. 5 minutes later, they departed from the city. The group of men still on their trail. However, this time, more men were beginning to join them and on horseback. 14 "I want the woman first!" The James declared as his group of vagabonds tailed the barbarians through the open-land that acted as a buffer between the wildlands of the valley and civilization. When his men began to protest, James spoke up again. "I''ll let you all have a turn after! But as the leader, I get the first of her!" James wasn''t a large man by any standard. In fact, he was the shortest of the 15. He was also the only one learned enough to navigate the law. He could read maps, read the sky, read signs, and he seemed to know every fence in every city from Wilfred''s Holdfast to Saphire Keep on the coast. It''d been how the 15 had been able to operate for years. The others weren''t as dimwitted as they were greedy. James kept them alive and kept their pockets full of silvers. "Fine," One of the men snorted. "But I get to fuck her mouth numb while you take her!" "Aye, you do that," Another made chortled. "But if we lay her sideways, three can fuck her at once!" "OI, you fucking twat!" Another interjected. "You can''t do that, I''ve seen your cock! You''d have a hard enough time just fucking her from behind!" "And where have you seen my cock?" The chortling man hissed back. "Don''t tell me you swing that way. If ya do, you can fuck the guard!" "Are you fucking stupid?" The man hissed. "I saw it when you fucked that girl last week! You could barely fuck that child, and she was only half your damn height! Who knew the only thing they made big about you was your fucking muscles!" "Keep your voices down!" James hissed. "You fucking spook them!" As James said, the beastkin was already speeding up. The group began to holler and jeer. James cursed for running with idiot peasants. They were as wild as they were stupid, which bode well for him most of the time. However, as the scholars usually said. Arrogance and stupidity went hand in hand. The six spurred their mounts forward, each of the men was clothed in roughspun and mail. They no longer hide their intentions, and openly charged after their target. The city guards in the distance didn''t care in the least. No one held love for the wildlings, which made them the perfect targets when they stuck their stupid little ears out. However, James had a bad feeling about this. His gut clutched and without alerting the men around him, fell back slightly and moved aside. An arrow whistled through the air where he''d been. Jame''s felt relief run through his veins. The attack also riled the men up. One of them pulled his crossbow from the satchel on his left. Already strung, he dropped an arrow in it and fired back. It was done. The guard had little space to dodge. He tried to move away, and only managed for the bolt to pierce his left arm - narrowly missing his heart. The two wildlings began to panic as the wagon began to speed up more. Jame clicked his tongue. Those overgrown lizards the wildlings used as mounts were slightly faster than horses, so they''d have to kill it before it could go faster. Now that there was blood in the water, the men were whipped into a bloodlust as they waved their weapons in the air. Thundering hooves filled the air as they approached the rattling wagon. Their taunting and vulgar words barely audible through the noise. A ball of fire came arching from the sky before James knew it and it exploded harmlessly about seven paces off the road. The girl was a mage! That was an insult to James, who barely managed to be taught words and maps. And this stupid little whore knew magic! I''m going to enjoy fucking you till you die! James growled to himself as envy coursed through his veins. You won''t be shit when you''re dead! However much he wanted to shove that pretty face into the dirt and plant his cock between her legs like a farmer, he wasn''t pushed enough to forget to be careful. Another fireball arched towards them, and the stupidest of them was hit. Man and horse were wrapped in reds and oranges as they veered off the path just as they crossed into the forest. The screams of the horse were cut as it passed through several pine trees on the left before it smashed into a thick one. But the bandit was still screaming. No one cared they lost one man. In fact, the courting of death seemed to arouse them further as they all began to laugh in unison. A weakly drawn arrow flew at the group, only to fall short and stick itself in the dirt before being trampled to pieces. The weak attempt only caused more jeers to fill the air. The guard was struggling to notch another arrow when the forest came alive. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Just as they rounded a bend, the thicket opposite of the river exploded almost a 100 paces ahead of them. A large monster appeared on the large path, its body glowing with yellow lights over its head and legs --- James didn''t know what it was, but it was huge. It came out with a large roar that seemed to make everything vibrate with it. A deep and intimidating voice filled the air as if a god was speaking to them. All the horses whined in fear as they whipped their heads side to side as they came to a sudden stop. The voice spoke in the wildling''s tongue, and the wagon passed under it without harm. Its oddly shaped head didn''t move, but what appeared to be its cock pointed itself down at them. James didn''t hesitate. He forced the horse to turn and began to gallop away. The other men, filled with lust and murder, saw their mark pass the beast and thought to do the same. They charged forward as James ripped his eyes away and began to escape. BRRRRRRRRRRRRRT! The air was filled with an ear-piercing roar, drowning out the screams as James disappeared behind the bend. The world fell into a deaf ring but he dared not to look back as he felt the world tremble. He braved a peek over his shoulder and found most of his men were following. Terror filled their faces, and James spurred his horse on needlessly. It did not need any motivation to run from the angered beast that tore through the bend behind them. It was bulky and slow, but it tore through the large tree by the bend as it rammed its leg into one of the fallen men. Then its cock like appendage turned towards them. It roared to live with fire and death; black earth sprung in a thick line through the group. Men and horses alike sprayed blood as they fell - one horse''s head was ripped in half as it fell. The group had gone from 15 to seven in a minute. Jame''s horse jolted forward, and for a moment he thought he was going to die. But no. The horse began to lead the group further and further. The distance growing as both rider and mount wished to disappear from that reaper behind them. "Go! Go! Faster you piece of shit!" James roared as his heart thundered in his chest. BRRRRRRRRT! Without thinking, James pulled the horse to veer to the right. A line of earth cut past him as it rose. He dared not to look back, lest it causes the horse to slow. His ears were slowly beginning to recover and he could hear the terrified screams of the few surviving men left. Along with the deep thumbing of death as it chased after them. Up ahead, the town was growing larger and larger as the guards began to assemble on the ramparts. The hill it''d been build on had been shoveled away to leave defensible position wildlings and monsters alike, and the gate was cracked open as a guard waved him threw. The horse had become the wind once again and it lost no speed on the incline. Its hooves carrying it up and up until it plateaued; James crossed into the town and came to a stop to dismount the crazed horse. He needed to see what came next. The horse more or less kicked him off before it whipped off into town. But James could care less as he ran to the gate. He hadn''t realized just how fast his horse had gone. While he''d already reached the town, his men had barely made it past half the open field. The monster wasn''t chasing them any longer and stood clear as day just outside the forest - just by the river. The deathly fire never came again. The last dredges of his men were working up the 100 paces tall man-made hill; their horses out of breath from carrying their heavy loads. They struggled and panted as the guards urged them on. But James somehow knew it. They were dead. All of them. In the distance, the roars of death came once again, but not in a sharp quick call. It came in short and paced screams as fire erupted from the distance. Thick bolts of red cut through the sky, one after the other. They rose slightly from the top of the monster before they fell down towards the group on the hill. It''d only been a moment or two at the most. Then, the road erupted as if lightning struck. Thunder shook the town as the guards cowered behind cover. James did not. He watched on in stiff terror as the dirt erupted like a geyser of dirt and blood. Pieces of horse and men flew high as four claps of thunder rang out before. The attack lasted only four heartbeats. That was when the body parts began to land all around them. A string of horse entrails landed on top of the gate''s branch thick archway. It caught and wrapped a few times before it swung to a stop. Blood dripped from it the hanging end before dirt and blood followed after. The screams of the townsfolk fell over deaf ears. The guards closest to the explosions stumbled away from the short wooden barricades while a few cowered with their hands over their ears. James just stood in the open gate like a statue. His wide eyes watching the distant monster slowly back into the forest. The red lights that covered its body turned yellow momentarily, then they turned blue. A moment later, they died away as a single barely visible ring of blue beneath its body glowed in the shade of the forest. Jame had the best eyes of any man or woman he ever knew. Red was no longer the eyes of death. It was also yellow and blue. That was what he thought as the beast disappeared behind the forest. A single small dot followed it from above. The clouds near the dot stirred like a school of fish stirred with a shark swam through them. 15 The grey mist of spent gunpowder began to drift towards the river as Opal''s HUD Began converting the red "?"s to "x" that flickered momentarily before disappearing. Along with the grey mist, the dust began to drift from the settlement''s hillside. Tens of yellow diamonds had appeared, but since no one else had tried to attack, she ceased her assault. She waited for a moment, allowing any challengers to come forth per article 25543.654-22 of UA Aggression Treaties. Again, no one came forth, and she flagged it as mission accomplished. Syfa had retrieved her goods and neither she nor her brother died. Wounded, but not dead. Opal backed the IFV up, both guns trained on settlement encase a foolish brave decided to test her. Again, no one presented themselves and the warfare indiction lights - small little pill like LEDs that were more so for friendlies than enemies - turned from red to yellow, and once she was in the shroud of the forest; blue. Once Opal had logged the firefight as officially completed did the lights turn off. She continued to back up until she found a suitable turning point. From there, she placed a navigation marker over the Omega Ark on the map and put it on auto-pilot. It would follow the path she had taken earlier to get back. Her chassis rumbled as it unloaded the HE rounds from the turret. She transferred herself to the BD where she checked on the progress of the factory. It was half complete with only 3/4ths of her drones on the task. The others were doing minor work just to move the progress along on more projects. That would change now. Everything moved to DEFCON 3 "Round House" from 1. Her attack would alert any major powers to her presence and the Arks safety was now at risk. While most would''ve agreed that crash landing and waking up in an unknown environment was cause enough to be at 3. To Opal, there was not. There were unknown animals out there and the Hikari, but in her defense, there''d been no need to escalate it all there. There have been no threats to her or the ark. She was a program, and the only occupants onboard were machines. Only physical attacks would cause her to raise any alarm. But this was different. The Hikari had already shown her that there was some sort of organized group or groups out there. The settlement on the fringes of her reach looked much more than survivors. This was cause to elevate on grounds of a retaliation. Her UAV could stay in the air for another hour before having to return for three to recharge. One of the few advantages she had was she wasn''t running on fossil fuels. Everything could recharge through the reactor. Now that she''d squared away the ship, now it was time to find Syfa and her brother as she switched to the UAV now. The Commanche hovered just below the clouds now as it slowly scanned the road. With tall pines edging all of the south-west edges of the road, the UAV had to edge itself onto its north-eastern side as the road often bordered the river. It slowly scanned, zooming until it could make an accurate assessment. The beating of its propellers was now slightly audible in the quiet forest. Every now and again, a flock of birds rose into the sky as trees in the town''s direction shook. [Friendlies located] The UAV beeped as a green diamond appeared over Syfa''s wagon. It was moving hard and fast as it took a bend. Haiafe had thrown himself inbetween two sacks to keep himself from flying out. To Opal''s surprise, they were already reaching the lake. ¡ª|¡ª "You''re going to make it!" Syfa hissed over the fierce rattling of the wagon. The Kimber Lizard was pushing itself to its top speed as the vixen whipped the reigns harder. Behind her, in the wagon''s cargo hold, Haiafe was whimpering. His voice made her go cold. She wanted to stop the wagon and go to her baby brother''s aid. When he didn''t respond, she dared a look over her shoulder. He was nestled between two sacks of grain as blood was pulsing out of his arm. His trembling arms gripped the muscle limb, his body spamming from his crying. "Pull it out and bandage it, already!" Syfa let out a fierce hiss. Rage danced on her tongue, but not aimed at him. No, he was just a child. He was mad at those humans who attacked them. He just happened to be where the anger lashed out towards. "I don''t know how!" Haiafe finally looked to her with those pleading eyes. Eyes he had always given her when he''d been hurt. It made her heart twist. "Help me..." His voice was no longer that slightly deep voice he''d gotten after puberty a few years ago. It was cracked and broken. Full of the fear it once held on that night ten years ago. "Pull it out." Syfa managed to reign in her emotions. The fire that was in her throat cooled into a cold trickling stream. "You remember that incantation I taught you?" He shook his head before he turned to pull out the arrow. There was so much blood. It just an arrow to his arm, but it jutted out through the back of it. It was a serrated head... Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "Pull it out from the head." Syfa''s voice danced on the wind. Her attention jumping between the road and her brother. Kimber Lizards were notorious for charging forward without guidance in these situations. They could feel their owner''s emotions, it was the bond they held that allowed such fierce animals to be their pack animals. Haiafe screamed in pain as the shaft began to slide out. With it, blood pulsed here and there as the meat tried to go with it. Once the end was free on the front, blood squirted before it began to flow down his broad chest. The other end was free before Haiafe noticed it, and that was when it began to scream again. "Big sis! Big Sis!--" His eyes were big as he looked to her for help, but she couldn''t. Her staff had fallen off during the bumpy ride. She couldn''t cast a healing spell without touching his arm and concentrating. Syfa wasn''t sure if Opal had stopped them or escaped past through her legs. She just didn''t know! So, she wasn''t going to chance it. She''d go straight back to the village. "Hold you hand to the wound!" Syfa couldn''t keep that cool front up anymore as she looked back again. His entire bare chest was crimson as he began to hyperventilate. "Haiafe!" She roared once again when he didn''t move. He flinched and did so. His large meaty hand gripping his wound. "Chanel your mana and repeat after me!" Syfa yelled over her shoulder as she guided the beast round a corner. "Mother above!" "Mother Above!" Haiafe repeated. "Grant upon me your blessings--" And so, Syfa guided him through the chant. It was a basic healing spell that needed no knowledge to use. It was questionable to use it on a deep wound such as that one, but any higher spells would require body knowledge; knowledge he didn''t have. After a few seconds, a golden light glowed around his hand and the blood began to slow to a trickle. "It didn''t close all the way!" Haiafe cried. "Do it again and again until it does!" Syfa ordered him. And so he did. They rimmed the southwestern edge of the Lake of Souls. They would be a few more minutes until they reached her people''s village. There, they would be safe. The trees gave way to the rocky hillside the Hikari village inhabited. Years ago, it''d been forest as well. That was before the Hikari had cut them all down for supplies and security. That was the day the forest loving tribe escaped death, only to end up like other mountain tribes. "Guard the pass!" Syfa screamed as she pasted an etched boulder. A very startled Hikari lookout perked up when he caught a brief glance of her little brother. The guard let out a deep and primal howl. The Hikari was not just Fox people anymore, they''ve been intermingled with the wolf tribe of the mountains. The only tribe that''d take them ten years ago. As she passed that outcrop and crossed through an unnaturally tall grass dune, did the village appear. Just as so, the village was stirring from the alarm being raised. All of them ran for their dune as trained. The leader of the village''s security ran beside before hopping onto the wagon. "What happened!?" He growled before he saw Haiafe. The man''s gray and red ears flattered with rage. Haiafe was pale as snow and faintly conscious. It was obvious to where there should have been a wound, but only a bright pink slit was left where the wound should have been. "He''s low on blood and mana!" Syfa reported. "Humans attacked us outside the human town after we left it! I managed to get him to cast a healing spell on it, but Haiafe doesn''t have a high mana reserve! We need to get him to my cave!" "Do you have any spells to help him right now?" The beastman asked. Much to his reputation, he was quick to set aside his anger and his face fell deathly calm. Syfa knew this man too well though, and she could see the fire raging in his eyes. "I do." Syfa held out the reigns. "Get us to the cave." The man nodded before he took it and Syfa clamored into the cargo area where she hissed again. She had realized how pale he was. Blood had soaked the bags around him, but both his muscled breasts were thick with it as well. It was already leaking off the back of the wagon. "It must have hit an artery!" Syfa whined as she cast Blod Rejuvenation after. It was a High-tier healing spell she''d learned in her travels, and just as they were reaching the top of the village, the color began to return. But tears still streamed from his closing eyes. He was never meant to be a warrior! Syfa cursed in his heart. Father was an idiot to make him one... The biggest body with the gentlest soul. Her baby brother who loved arrows because he could make them whistle, or swords because they were shiny. He loved flowers because they smelled good. "It''s fine," The man said as he appeared next to her. "He just needs rest. You did it, stop doing that." Syfa narrowed her eyes at the man, but his face as still water in her eyes. "Doing what?" She said, repressing the desire to whack him "Overreacting." He said. "I am--" He cut her off. "Syfa, I know that look," He said. "You always do it when one of your siblings get hurt." "He was hit with an arrow!" Syfa growled, the air around her shimmering. The man did not back down. as he helped Haiafe off the wagon. Syfa right behind them to help her little brother walk into the mouth of her cave. "And he''ll live." The man said. "You''ve done your duty, and more. Your brother lives and you''ll see that he becomes healthier than a baby dragon." "Stop... Fighting... With... Your lover..." Haiafe joked as he tried to break their argument. "Oki is not my lover!" Syfa bellowed, her voice ringing through her large cave. Haiafe gave Oki a weak grin, and Oki held a faint smirk. Haiafe knew his sister would treat him, and he also knew how overprotective she could become when one of them got hurt. In fact, she was infamous for it." He. Is. Not. My. Lover." She couldn''t fool the two, nor herself when she felt her face hate up. A mixture of embarrassment and indignation. 16 It''d been two days since that incident, and Opal had begun to worry about Syfa and Haiafe. Neither had come by, and Opal didn''t see why she felt antsy about Haiafe''s condition. She mulled whether it''d be appropriate to go to their village, but the diplomatic protocols suggested otherwise. It told her that she was never granted permission to go, neither did she hold any information on if she''d be welcomed. So, at that time, she spent completed the factory. Which was a total disaster. [Warning! Coaxial Weilding end is critically damaged!] Opal''s BD stood there, her servers wrangling the spike in errors that stemmed from the unknown feeling that bubbled in her. It made her want to blow the entire room apart. All because it was just one simple thing after another. She didn''t understand how she, as a highly sophisticated, could not properly calibrate this machine. The machine in question, an Automated Multi-Faceted Factory Point (AMFFP), was one of the UA''s greatest accomplishments. Or more to say, one of its many corporations'' accomplishments. Opal highly doubted that the UA would''ve ever been able to make something like this. Its purpose was to replace humans in the industrial chain of machines. Excluding research and development, of course. Once the AMFFP had the blueprints and necessary materials, it could melt down materials into the appropriate blends of alloys and other materials needed. From there, it could tool the metal, circuitry, and wires without a single human needed in the process. It still required humans somewhere in the process, but that was where maintaining the Spider-Drones came into play. All the drones required human intervention or the UA would''ve never allowed them to exist. But that wasn''t Opal''s concern. Her directive was the survival of her inhabitants. The humans had long since been dead, leaving only her drones. As such, many of the laws that would have bond her to certain protocols could be overlooked. In fact, most of what Opal was doing was violating some protocol or another. She did so with calculated risks though. Like assembling the AMFFP without proper officials and crew here. To which, Opal learned that things on the blueprint differed from the final product. Many of the AMFFP''s parts deviated just enough out of their toleration zones to create issues with each fix. Like now - Several spider-drones pulled of the wielder''s head, only to find several of the heads weren''t milled out enough. Some of the gears weren''t actually new and instead, used old parts. Two days of fixing this machine, along with scouting and erecting defenses around the entrance. As of this moment, only consisted of attaching hastily made scrap shields to the pier. A remotely operated machine gun to underside of the bay''s roof and assembling more from salvaged spare robot parts. Opal would need everything she needed to keep her drones together. However, on the other hand, they wouldn''t do much good if the ark was destroyed. So, with each new issue solved, Opal felt she was falling further and further behind. Behind what? She didn''t know, but while her sensors reported green across the metaphorical board, Opal felt herself on edge. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. The BD turned from the mess, its operating AI no longer wished to look at the mess that was the AMFFP. Lacking any doors in her newly created halls, Opal was greeted with the newly created corridor that led out towards to new bay. The halls also acted like bee-hive bays. Hexagon bays lined the corridor inbetween the supports, two high and most empty at the moment. Most of them were busy stripping the unneeded parts within the shape, leaving just its bones. That left the greatest news of it all. The manastone. The scanning of the marble had been complete and revealed that whatever was within the stone, was in the air. It was in a diluted state and it saturated the Ark itself. The combination of it all had been the reason it''d never set off an alarm. The substance, "Mana" existed naturally in the new world and it was non-lethal to all. However, now in possession of this information, Opal was aware that the Thorium reaction hadn''t been refueled. Instead, during the entire time Opal had been awake, it had never pinged her to change its fuel cells. An easy oversight, which would be rectified now as Opal made her way towards the reactor as she switched over to SD-1. ¡ª|¡ª The Spider-drone''s camera lens reflected a swirling misty mass of purple. It swirled around the reactor, but it did not harm it. Opal was too confused to move, her processors were retrieving errors instead of information. Even through the heavily layered transparent shielding, she could hear the roar of the reactor. Or, was it mass purple? Opal knew that the Thorium reactor was supposed to be loud. She just didn''t have an exact measurement of how loud. Opal became annoyed by how much humans had taken their information for granted. Or was it another situation of keeping it away from her? Whichever the case was, she pushed it out of her mind as the UAV picked up activity near Relay-Node 4. The reactor wasn''t a danger as of this moment, and even if it was, she held no ability to deal with it right now. It was too many variables for her to deal with it. SD-1''s feed blinked away and in its place, the UAV''s underbelly camera replaced it. Just as before, it''d been patrolling high just above the cloud cover, though today there was none. Opal zoomed the camera in over the three yellow squares - vehicles - leaving the open fields by the town. A score of armed humanoids marched on either side. Diamonds marked them as well now. A banner was hung from a pole at the foremost vehicle. It deep green with three spears emblazed upon its face. The shafts met near the bottom before the two side spears departed from the middle in their respective directions. Ahead of the vehicles, 20 men on horseback and clad in plate armor rode. All in all, Opal registered three squares and fifty diamonds. Horsemen were counted as infantry for simplicity''s sake. There was also the point that she didn''t know what was in the wagons. They looked heavy. They gleamed with polished metal and they were nearly twice as large as Syfa''s wagon. It certainly couldn''t be anything good. The UAV circled around and began to return to the Ark. It''s sensors reported the fuel cells were at just below 50% and Opal would need it later. Liberal estimation would land the caravan - if it were coming towards her - 5 hours before it would reach her. Their pace was slow, and mainly due to their heavy vehicles. It would be about the same if they were going towards the Hikari village on the slopes. It would be a push to get up some more offensive measures, but Opal expected a response. She''d only hoped that it''d come a little later rather than sooner. [Automated Multi-Faceted Factory Point ready for use.] The system reported. 17 [Infantry Spider-Drone completed.] The system said as five robotic arms retracted back to their default positions. On the floor, a spider-drone booted up. But it wasn''t just a spider drone. No, it was an upgraded Spider-drone. The previous drones were simple, unarmored and only made to repair the ship in the absence of a mechanic army it''d require. Now, her new creation was lightly armored. The metal plating was hard enough to withstand direct .45acp rounds. Though, because of anatomy, the points and the newly upgraded camera were its weakest points. Opal managed to plate up everything else and managed to optimize the drone so it was actually 15% faster and lighter - if you removed the armor. The optimizations managed to land it a slightly behind in speed to its predecessor when fully kitted. Now, this was were Opal''s evil plan came into play. The optimizations weren''t just for show, it was to make a lot of room. It''s retractable back arms were gutted along with the small tool bays it had. Now it was outfitted with weapons. With the amount of Armalite patterned rifles in her inventory, all she had to do was retool a lower receiver to be compatible with a drone. This issue was easily solved by milling around the trigger guard and the lower receiver''s floor. From there, Opal had just had to mill out new trigger groups. Without giving them any protective coatings, the whole process took two minutes for the entire weapon. Given that, it took ten minutes for an entire infantry drone to be milled, assembled and booted up. As the AMFFP had ten points of assembly and 20 CNC machines runnings, she managed to get 3 ISDs out after a few mishaps. One of them being a large drill bit flying through a CNC viewport. Each ISD was the same, each outfitted with 5.56 rounds since those were the most plentiful. She also had .308, 7.62x39mm, 9mm, .45acp, and .50 BMG. There were other rounds, but none in a capacity she''d bother to waste her limited time converting over for the ISDs. She needed to shore up her numbers right now before she could worry about diversifying her shooters. As to the specifications of the rifles attached to their back, they were the standard UA rifle. 16" barrels with pinned flash hiders. Chrome lined with their barrel shrouds removed to cut down on weight, though, Opal''s aesthetic tastes cried at how strange without the shroud. There wasn''t anything there to hide the small pipe that funneled the gasses back into the chamber to cycle the round. That was also something she needed to replace, but that''d add a few minutes onto the build time. Having designed the magazine change system was a hassle as well, so when it came time to switch to pistons, she''d also add the ability to use belts. On the subject of revamping, the ISD would change as well when Opal considered their entire makeup was to carry heavy loads. From that point of view, the AI saw just how much more she could shave off the ISDs; making them a completely new drone altogether. The more the better. Having only three drones with weapon capabilities was nice and all, but Opal needed more. A drone could only be in one place at a time. Critically thinking, if she needed to be in two places at once, she''d be handicapped. One place would have one drone each with the UAV having to be split between the two. Considering the IFV was bulky and big, it was an easy target without support from the infantry it was supposed to help. And the BD was a human-sized drone that had a lot more flexibility but lacked the firepower of the IFV. Paring the two would compensate for their drawbacks, but doing so would mean one objective was undefended, or not being pressured. The construction drones were too valuable to retool into a fighting force. So, Opal''s next option was to just make more. A simple idea, hard implementation. That is if she wasn''t a super AI made with several different systems assisting her. After that, it was just a time game, but back to the important part. Three ISDs, outfitted with modified ARs and armor, and upgraded cameras, sat lined up before Opal. Each unpainted as light gleamed off their smooth metal armor. Their systems booted and updated with Warfighter Protocols. They were fully armed as their ammo hatches were closed shut as several spider-drones loaded their magazines. That''d also taken a few minutes to code. Each of the ISDs then cycled reloads after Opal handed them each two empty magazines. They repeated the function 50 times each to assure they were operating as hoped. They completed it 46 out of the 50 attempts. The failures were at the beginning and Opal adjusted them accordingly and it was smooth sailing from thereon. [Convoy has stopped 15 miles away.] The UAV''s LLAI reported. With that, I left orders for the ISDs to move to the main bay and the AMFFP to turn out more. The UAV''s feed showed Opal that indeed, the convoy had stopped its slow march. Tens of diamonds are scouring the area where Opal''s tracks diverged from the main road. All of the in gleaming plate armor. Even from high above, the camera could see it well. Opal looked at the power levels for the UAV - 76%. She''d changed it for four hours and sent it out so she wouldn''t get blindsided. This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. She didn''t like the feeling she was getting, and it bothered her endlessly. Something about these people was sending up red flags left and right. But there weren''t any notable points she could point to that''d allow her to give a reasonable explanation to it. She watched for a few more minutes before the group began to regroup with the vehicles a mile back. She found it then. They moved orderly and quickly, they all seemed to watch their own sectors as they retreated back towards their convoy. That was it, right there. Opal was looking at soldiers, real soldiers. From how they were moving, very well trained soldiers. Opal sounded the silent alarm that sent a ripple throughout the Ark. She just hoped she hadn''t taken the entire situation too lightly... "Sir, the tracks lead off the road and through the river onto the north bank," The knight reported as he saluted. "The tracks are visible from our side of the Sybel River." "Good," Sir Sebastion said in a low growl. His large hulking figure was only seconded by his warhorse beneath him. "And the wagon?" "It follows the road before it bends west, toward the mountain," The knight answered. "I believe the road leads directly to Hikari Village, but we haven''t scouted the road." The only response to that was loud snort as his commander''s body jolted in amusement. "Sir... May I ask a question?" The knight asked. "Yes," Sir Sebastion decided to humor his underling after a few moments. "What is it?" "How come we don''t know where this village is exactly?" The knight asked. "Because of our Lord, Duke Von Honstein, deceased father had been sweet on a girl from the village," The Sir Sebastion said. "Syfa, if I remember correctly. No one knows why, but he''d ordered that this valley remain off-limits, and the Hikari savages were to roam unmolested here." "Then why are we hunting them now?" The knight asked. "Because our Lord wishes to settle this untapped land as well," The commander shrugged. "And they had finally given him a good enough excuse to drop the sword on their necks. Satisfied?" The way Sir Sebastion had finished sent a chill down the knight''s spine. He saluted and shook his head. "Good," Sir Sebastion said. "Now, form up the ranks and we''ll deal with the Hikari first." With that, the knight rallied his comrades and they took up the sides of the column. Each watched their sectors of the forest with critical eyes. Such was the way of their unit. Sir Sebastion, however, was no looking forward, or around but up. High in the sky, he''d long noticed the small black dot that hovered high overhead. It hadn''t escaped his notice when they''d left Wilfred''s Holdfast. It''d flown off deep into the valley soon after, but the commander had noticed it''d returned. And it''d been following his scouts closely. Sir Sebastion wondered what it was exactly. A Wyvern or a griffon would have already attacked; Simple-minded beasts were like that. It couldn''t have been a dragon, as it was too small. The valley itself hadn''t been explored much in the old lord''s days. It was a new land, untouched as the savage Hikari lived there and fought tooth and nail to keep people out. That was when they were just the Wolf-kin, but now, they were apparently crossbred with another type of beast. That worried Sir Sebastion. He was walking into the unknown here, and he didn''t like it. He could handle killing off the native population easily, but it was that monster they spoke of in the report. It didn''t match any large beast in the bestiary. That worried him. Matched with a vague map, it smelled of trouble. But with great risk comes great reward. He''d been promised good land here if he''d clean it up. Sir Sebastion pushed aside his doubts to focus on the mission - with great risks come great rewards. The convoy continued on, passing the bend. Sir Sebastion and his officers were quick to notice the unnatural earth formation around the mountain top. It was as if something had taken a large bite out of the mountain. It was strangely... Good looking. He thought to get a piece of land around this mountain, maybe include a part of the lake. Soon, they eventually left the forest and into the hillside. That was when more unnatural formations in the landscape appeared. Up ahead, a large bank of hills rose, with the road cutting through it. The bank itself was steep and lush with wild grass. It would halt any calvary in an instant with its steep incline. The closer they are, the quieter everything went. Soon, only the rattling of their armor and the armored wagons filled the air as they began to pass through between the hills. Sir Sebastion''s eyes finally looked up as the dot disappeared. The sides of the road were held together with boulders larger than the commander himself, and somewhere larger than the wagons. The village began to take shape, formed from the landscape itself with grass-covered roofs. It was surprisingly peaceful... And empty. Then, the hair on the back of his neck stiffened and he felt like he was being watched. Just as he looked up, following the direction he sensed it from, deep and menacing howls broke the silence. All around them, on the hills, the Hikari stood. Armed to the teeth as they began to rain arrows and spears down on them. 18 The first volley of primitive spears skewered several unfortunate knights to their mounts. Most of them died slowly as the spears managed to find exposed areas, then be crushed under insuring chaos. The chaos that only lasted less than a few minutes as the knights found their bearing, and began to lob spells and spears back. After a few returns, the Hikari slipped away, but not after tens of howls were rosed from the mountainside village. "Pitiful," Sir Sebastion said as the village stirred, as wooden barriers were quickly erected around the village. They looked like giant wooden "X"s with sharpened points. The commander would have commended the savages for a good strategy if it weren''t for how flimsy they looked. Their line of defense was only 200ft up from their hill pass, and the knights were quick to open the first armored wagon. Sharp spears and enchanted tower shields were pulled from it as well as more arrows. Sir Sebastion barked orders, if only just to add urgency to his men. They were like cogs in a clock tower, each of them knew what they needed to do. And after five minutes, their formation had been completed. 15 men held tall imposing metal shields. It completely blocked shielded them, and there were little slits for them to see out of for when they moved. The front of their shields was engraved with delicate and unreadable runes and circles. "Activate!" Sir Sebastion said as he pulled his sword from his dead horse''s saddle. And with his words, all 15 men gave out a strange and archaic warcry as they slammed the shields into the ground. Their shields glowed and the air in front of them shimmered. Arrows began to rain down as the spearmen huddled behind the shields. The knight-archers kept back and returned fire from on top of the dirt mount. The Hikari arrows whistled through the air, aimed for the knights forming near them when they hit the shimmering air. The arrows that landed towards the center of the strange magic were torn apart. Their splinters throw in every direction but towards the knights. Arrows that landed on the sides were just thrown further off into the dirt. The arrows that barely missed the effect were still effected as the strange magic. None of the arrows came close to hitting one of his men. That made Sir Sebastion huff in displeasure. Not even an enchanted arrow to break the wards. "Did the Duke really ask me to clean the barn here...?" He felt it was a complete waste of manpower to send him. He was here for the new monster that had appeared, not this rabble. "Forward!" The commander bellowed, his voice reaching even the village. The shields rose as the men pulled them up and the wards deactivated. They could see the savage beasts and their stupid little hope forming. They notched more arrows and loosed them as the knights pushed uphill. "Activate!" Sir Sebastion barked as he followed behind them. The deep rattle of metal shields being rammed into the dirt-filled the air. The warcry rang out again and the air in front distorted again. Bits of wood and poorly made iron arrows filled the air as they rammed themselves against the wards. "Forward!" The air returned to normal as the formation pushed harder up the mountain. Sir Sebastion didn''t find any pleasure in the Hikari''s fear. It felt like killing puppies, boring and unfulfilling. Maybe if he''d been younger and more merit hungry, he would have gladly wiped out this village, but not anymore. They weren''t strong. Just as he thought that another volley came for them. Much to the Hikari''s dismay, Sir Sebastion and his battle-knights were too close to volley overhead. Had they tried to attack from the sides, the savages would have broken the ward. Magic was fickle like that, it diverted or shredded from the front; not the back. In fact, the ward would have shattered because of its nature, though the commander didn''t know why that was. But his musings were cut short as howls rose high above them, And a torrent of fire came down upon them from the front. The fire was swallowed by the distortion, and it swirled like a made serpent in the flow. Round and round - twisting here and there - the ward tried to tear it apart. It failed to do so as the flames completed the entire circuit and spewed out the sides of the ward. In a matter of moments, flames were jutting to their sides. The mountainside grew hotter, contrasting the mid-autumn air. The flames continued to spew for a few moments before a loud sound akin to a whipcrack filled the air. The battle-knights holding the shields had depleted their mana, and the flames exploded everywhere. That was short-lived as the current pushed through the old, dancing across the magic shields a few seconds longer before it died off. If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. It was enough to make shields glow red. The knights holding the shields cried out in pain, but they didn''t let up. Another volley of arrows came soon as they all hunkered down behind the steel wall. Cracks filled the air, along with splintered wood as the arrows slammed into the shields. One shield was pieced as an arrow hit the center where it was still glowing. It pieced partially through, ruining the connecting wards but the man. The arrow stopped half an inch from his exposed eye. "Charge!" Sir Sebastion didn''t wait to give them another chance. "Cut them down!" His host charged up, the last 40ft or so as the Hikari scrambled for their crappy swords and spears. His musings ended once the first of his men grabbed the first barricade and threw it aside - much to the savages surprise. That battle-knight was then nearly cut down and skewered, but it''d taken four of their men to do so. Sir Sebastion was upon them then. He was large for a human, and bear strong. His long sword was held in one hand and looked like a shortsword next to him. The steel flashed in the sun as it liberated two savages of their heads and one of its lower right arm. Their foul screams filled the air before his men were right beside him. They finished the three off with spearheads to their hearts. That was when the commander spotted his true target. Lady Syfa of the Hikari - the shaman and true leader of the tribe. She was beautiful for a savage, he thought to himself. Dressed in white revealing furs, the fashion of these wildlings, but he wasn''t enchanted. No. She was just another target and a fat purse of gold to him. "You!" Sir Sebastion pointed his sword at her. Her face pale from using too much mana at once. She tried to run, but she was slow and weakened. Several Hikari men appeared on both the commander''s sides. Their spears shot out like striking vipers, much to his surprise. One for the neck and one for the belly. Sir Sebastion swung his sword, trying to cut down the right man but missed as he quickly rolled back. As the commander struck out towards the right, he tried to dodge to the right. But that''d only offered a new target for his attacker. With the same quickness, the spear circled around and bit into the back of his shin. The muscle was too thick for the primitive spear to cut. Had it''d been castle forged steel, it''d been another matter, or maybe a bone fashioned from dragon bone. But it was not, and it did little to stop the growling human from bringing his left hand round to grab him. The savage man was like a mewling kitten to Sir Sebastion as his meaty mailed hand gripped his left arm. He didn''t try and savory the kill and was quick to use him as a meat hammer against his fellow tribesmen. He swung the man around into the right attack as he leaned forward to strike. Instead of Sir Sebastion, he impaled his fellow tribesmen. The attacker''s eyes went wide before the steel sword whirled around and sliced through the man. From the right of the shoulder to the man''s left hip. He fell down in two before Sir Sebastion slammed the second man into the rocky wall of a shotty hut next to him. Blood splattered the walls before he turned his attention to the fleeing whore. She''d gotten further away while he''d been distracted. Sir Sebastion growled in frustration as she began to climb the road that led towards a large cave. He needed to kill her before she reached it. Shamans were just mages by another name, and mages always had traps and wards in their little holes. But before he charged off deeper into the village, he needed to leave orders. With a quick scan of his surroundings, he found that he''d already gone further into the village than he''d thought. The fighting was already dying down on the barricades. Ser Sebastion shrugged, believing that his men were smart enough to kill all of the wildlings before they started to rape and pillage. Better fucking a cold corpse than letting one savage get away. They wouldn''t get paid if they did, and they''d lose their heads. He turned and broken off into a mad dash. His armor rattled madly as his eyes locked onto the woman. As the sound roared behind her, she turned back and a stricken look overcame her as she stuck her hand out. A small useless ball of fire, no bigger than her head, crossed the distance between them in the blink of an eye. Ser Sabastion had only swat it away with a flick of his meaty wrist. And it sizzled off to his left before exploding into a mediocre splash of fire. It barely consumed half, but the Witch of the Foxes was said to be stronger. He was disappointed. She sat on the ground, panting. He was about to call it all done as he slowed to a speed walking pace when a shiny black object appeared in her hand. She began to plead to it, like it was some idol, though he wouldn''t allow that. Gods were as plenteous as there were trees, but very few granted wishes. And he wasn''t going to chance her calling upon one that did. The object glowed to life and she began to press on it desperately as he was crossing the distance. 50 feet. 40 feet. 35 feet. 25 feet--- A loud buzzing rose from above him before it sounded like the air itself was being chopped with a vicious desire. It causes him to pause and look up, but he didn''t see it. The sound grew louder and deeper. Like a monster panting monster. He scanned the sky until he found it. The black dot that''d been high above was no longer high anymore. It was swooping down for its kill. 19 Fighting the spotty connections that linked Opal to the Comanche, she''d already pulled several Spider-Drones to assemble a total of 4 Relay Nodes to span across the north-western side of the lake. The UAV was operating purely via its LLAI, accepting tidbits of orders here and there when it could. Anything order that required more than several lines had to be accepted at 2-bar strength or higher. Which, unfortunately, meant most of them. Per her scouting protocols, mandated by the UA''s council and so on, she needed a detailed scan of each hostile. Adjusting each threat level and whether they were High Valued Targets or someone she could ignore. Had the connection been crystal clear, she could have done it with five minutes. That said, an LLAI wasn''t as smart as one would be led to believe. It could process information like a secretary, sort, and file before sending it to the proper subsystems where its operator was stationed. They were not equipped to process that information themselves, least the technology would fall into enemy hands. That wasn''t a concern as of now. From what she''d seen, Opal didn''t think they''re technology levels had even begun to conceptualize computers. As of right now, all she''d seen was a primitive native population nearby along with a medieval-age town. No comparable threats as of yet, but that didn''t completely mitigate the need to be wary with each encounter. It just meant she didn''t need to approach each one with gigs of encryptions and anti-reverse engineering tech. Of which, were currently taking up too much operation space within each drone. Opal''s processors dumped the thought train as the Hikari began to sneak up on the hostiles. Syfa was immediately pinged as a VIP - a Green diamond with a purple star inside of it - on the outskirts of the village. [Relays completed.] The system notified her as she sent a simple order "Return to Base" to the UAV. Opal sent a battle-net wide arming order. [ALERT: HIGH COUNCILOR OF THE UNITED AMERICAS HAS DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY; ALL COMBAT UNITS ARE TO BE ARM AND PREPARE FOR FURTHER ORDERS. ALL NON-COMBAT UNITS ARE TO RETURN TO THEIR STATIONS AND FOLLOW PROTOCOL "ARES".] Opal looked at the alert she''d sent out, then looked down to the option she''d clicked. They didn''t match what--- [Alert: Errors had been dumped. Rebooting server 34.] She glared at the automatic process alert, then begrudgingly thanked it for freeing up her thoughts. The labeling could be fixed later and right now, it''d served its purpose. She switched over to her BD. She found it walking briskly down the hall, and sat back to let it follow out its protocols. She hadn''t explored it fully, such things would come later - as she found herself thinking more often than not. That would have to be rectified after this emergency. It turned into a newly build side passage that lea to where all the munitions had been stored to keep it well away from anything important. Opal''s curiosity was piqued, but while that happened, several Spider-Drones crawled out of the Ark before crossing onto the northern bank with two Relay Nodes. Just as they were doing so, the Comanche was landing in the clearing outside. The ISDs marched off towards it while the BD walked into one of the storage rooms for the small arms. It scanned the room before it found a completely white glossy locker. It was slightly dusty from crossing several work-sites until it found its way there. It''d only been marked as Private Property "323982" and D. Manswell. Via the old crew log, that was one CEO of SquareNode Inc. - A defense company that manufactured all of the ammunition used in the UA''s small arms. The BD stood in front before a faint yellow glow appeared around where handles should have been, and it clicked. The light turned green and it opened up, and inside was a score of weapons. Several pistols, rifles, and shotguns. Their frames painted matte white with SNI''s logo of two dancing lions with a large .50 BMG round between them. The Battle-Drone hummed before it''s battle indicators turned on and switched to Yellow. Its midriff opened up and empty metal compartments were revealed; even more opened on its outer thighs as well. It shoved a Glock 19 into its right leg before four standard magazines into a compart on its other thigh. Instead of opting for a rifle, it took an M4 Benelli. Aside from having no stock and its paint being white, it was all factory-stock. It turned the shotgun upward and brought it to its chest where it attached itself to its right breastplate. The pistol grip faced inward and it began to filled one compartment of 50 00-buckshot and another with steel slugs. Rounds for robots and rounds for humans. Opal gave a digital node of approval. She wasn''t designed for anything outside being the captain''s steward. Well, officially. Dr. Vizimer saw that she could grow outside these bounds. She could learn well from the other LLAIs. That is if she didn''t need to constantly guide them like children to their next jobs. [Battle-Drone ready for battle. Please select a VIP to guard.] Opal didn''t hesitate when the prompt appeared and immediately selected Syfa. She then sent the BD to join the ISDs with the Commanche. Overall loading time had taken less than five minutes. That was Opal''s joy of keeping everything relatively close to the Main-Bay. By the time the BD had joined the others, the ISDs were clinging to the top of the UAV''s tail. Their guns neatly tucked down. The BD clung to the thickest part of the tail before it''s impromptu taxi took off. The Hikari needed reinforcements within the minute. She also couldn''t spare the IFV, nor would it even arrive quick enough. The Spider-drones weren''t combat units and would set up RNs to boost Opal''s operational range. [Alert: UAV load exceeding maximum load. Battery levels depleting faster - Expected depletion of charge: 20 minutes.] Opal swatted it away. She didn''t need it to tell her what she probably knew. Right now, the Comanche was the only way she could even get some reinforcements to the Hikari. The flight back to the village was only two minutes and some change before she could get an accurate read. By now, the village was already covered in the 2-bar territory. She''d also dropped all encryption protocols to allow operational controls to be forwarded to her. Opal''s heart dropped as she saw the hostiles pushing an assault on the village. The VIP diamond popped up before she could even find her, so she must have the datapad still. The Comanche''s battle-indicators turned on and yellow along with her HUD. So did the ISDs as they prepared for a hot drop. Syfa was trying to flee deeper into the village, but a hostile was on her tail. As they came into view, he''d just finished off a few villagers and charged her. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. [ALERT: VIP SYFA PANIC BUTTON ACTIVATED - PROTOCOL "VALKYRIE" ENABLED.] Before Opal could do anything, her HUD and all the indicators turned crimson red. Syfa''s Diamond flickered like a strode. The targeting system began to feed Opal targeting solutions and possible points of attack. Everything was listed as "Distractions"; Nothing for effect as a VIP was in too close proximity to her attack. [Recommending "Low pass" attack via chaingun.] The combat sub-system recommended on its own violation. Opal didn''t question, and the information of what it meant was given to her. The helicopter dove fast and hard. [PITCH. PITCH. PITCH--] The helicopter''s onboard warning system screamed at Opal in an annoying synthesized female voice. Of that, it was annoying since no sound was fed to her besides that. The LLAI provided support and marked out a route of dim disjointed squares to fly through to assist in the maneuver. It was more help than the woman in this regard. The nose veered upward as the village tried to meet her, but the system had miscalculated all the variables. To Opal''s fear, the aircraft veered down out of the mapped guides and a new project appeared - straight into the fighting at the front of the village. Opal gunned the throttle and engaged the chaingun. The systems hadn''t taken in mind who was piloting it. The throttled opened up and all the warnings that came rushing in were cut off as opal devoted everything she into saving the craft; while also laying down hell. The earth around her erupted in fire and smoke as the 12.7mm HE rounds rocked the thick of the fighting. Against every system''s protest, she disregarded the wounded and dying of below her before managing to drag her tail inbetween the dirt homes and down the main road. She missed the ground by several feet. It wasn''t enough to avoid crashing though. As the hull began to right itself, she passed over the hostile and Syfa. The drones she taxied dismounted and threw themselves overboard. Opal engaged landing gears just in time to hit the slop, the helicopter bounced violently before it rolled upward and gained some air before the propels crashed into the rocky hillside. The feed grew grey with rocks before it cut [Alert: Feed lost.] Opal raged that she hadn''t been able to save her UAV, but hindsight proved she should have played it safe rather than reckless. She had attempted to do something humans knew was impossible. She''d been doing a lot of that, and she''d lost this game of chicken. The BD''s feed came up just as debris, a few propellers and hull pieces, flew across the village. The ISDs had landed wrong, but thanks to the dirt landscape of the village, they only had to right themselves. The Battle-drone''s M4 was already in its hand as it locked onto the large brute that''d thrown himself behind a dirt hut for cover. BOOM! The muzzle blossomed fire and smoke, and the jerk barely jerked in its possession. The pellets crossed the 20ft gap without caught the man off guard. None of the center-aimed shot broke his thick plate armor, yet it certainly startled him as he jerked back from the impact. The tight spread left several scratches. BD didn''t let up. Once its LLAI registered the shot trajectory, it unloaded the rest of its 7 rounds into the man who''s death it desired. One after another, the pellets bounced off the knight but a few found chinks. A few even found the man''s visor. He roared as his head flung back and his plated forearm covered the opening. When the onslaught of buckshot was finished, BD began to load in the steel Armor-piercing rounds (AP). As the drone racked the weapon before getting back on point. The knight had taken that opening to try and retreat. The air around the man shimmered, thousands of small intricate etchings glowed on the armor. BOOM! The slug crashed into the dirt by his feet, and the glowing lines dimmed. The BD could not adjust for the strange occurrence. It had no data on why or how it happened, and instead, continued to fire for effect. One after another, the slugs ripped into the dirt until the lines died on the sixth shot as the man barreled down the round. Once the shimmer faded, the 7th round ripped into the man''s upper back, punching a hole in his right shoulder. His pained screams were lost upon the drones as the ISDs finally recovered and began hunting their targets with extreme prejudice. Since the threat to Syfa''s life had been chased off, the Battle-Drone stayed by the curled vixen. Her head was tucked down to her knees and her fluffed tail tried to press itself between her closed legs as if it meant to rejoin her body at its tip. "Remain calm," The deep and synthesized voice rumbled over its small voice mud "Your safety is paramount to High Councilor Opal, be assured." It didn''t look over its shoulder as its angular head scanned for more hostiles. As of right now, Opal had given the controls over to their respective LLAIs - a hard thing to do for someone who felt she needed to do everything herself when she could. She decided to sit it out and let them do their jobs. The ISDs were less efficient in their attacks, but none the less deadly. The villagers were already retreating and knights were chasing them deeper into the village as they were all converging on Syfa''s position. The main road was the only way up or down the narrow chokepoint to the cave above. Opal assumed it was their fallback point. The three feeds for the ISDs were thick with fire and smoke, their barrels rattled as they gunned down their targets until they stopped moving. Five knights had fallen already with their armor riddled with holes. With 30rds each, they were just pouring a magazine into each target and with 20 magazines onboard each ISD, they were just burning resources. She sent them a converse order before they switched to semi-auto and their accuracy went up. However, they were spread too far apart. Knights were beginning to slip between them as they charged. The ISD closest to Syfa on her left just finished off its fourth hostile when a sword chopped down on the barrel. It managed to bend it slightly near the flash hider. The ISD turned its turret on the attack, switched to full auto, and unloaded. The barrel''s tip exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere. The barrel split open, but rounds continued to unload. Fire and unburnt powder filled the air. The firing only stopped when another knight skewered the drone''s head and it slumped down in a quickly forming pool of blood. Its last kill fell over it before. Sharper gunshots filled the air as the standing knight jerked backward. He fell dead a few seconds later. BD noted how many rounds were spent before it returned to loading AP shells into its Benelli. A warcry sounded out to its right and the drone barely had time to react as a sword came down towards its head. BD sidestepped the strike before spartan kicking the man to the ground. It quickly angled the shotgun to the man''s head before squeezing the trigger. A hole formed in the metal helm as it jerked. Brain matter and blood splattered out the back. Another rounded the hut ahead of him and the Battle-drone racked before firing two into his chest. The knight hadn''t fully rounded the corner before he dropped lifeless to the ground, sliding a few feet before he rolled over to stop face down. Opal ordered the ISDs to move back and station themselves on the high ground. They abandoned their assumed half-circle formation for an arrow formation. Syfa hadn''t moved an inch and instead continued to tighten her curled body in more. Her hands covered her ears as the Battle-drone assumed its guard again. The attacking force began to recede from the village, their armor painted red in Hikari blood. The AI sent an ISD scurrying over them and positioned the IFV off the pier and into the lake until the water came up to its nose gun. The turret angled itself upward. Using the map the UAV had built, it calculated its drop and awaited the ISD to move into position. The modified spider-drone climbed over several dead Hikari and knights alike. Most of the beast-folk than the armored attacks dotted the barricade. A few of them moaned their death throes while the rest remained grave still. After a minute, the ISD found itself on the edge of the village. The knights were trying to quickly back their wagons up. Steel and blood shimmered in the sunlight as the ISD confirmed the targets. Shouts and curses filled the air below as they spotted the drone on the edge watching them. The middle wagon''s armored top open at the top and a large ballista rose out as knights pulled its rope tight. A large thick metal rod was quickly loaded. The hill beside them erupted with fire as a 120mm round landed high off-target. Dirt and rocks clouded the knights below and the ballista fired. The rod flew off high over the mountain as the knight recoiled from the blast. The largest knight of them all turned and fled and so did those who weren''t throw off their mounts. A moment later, a 120mm round landed on the ballista and it was engulfed in flames. Splinters danced wildly in every direction before another landed several feet back. Then another, and another. The IFV moved in small increments to line up its bright orange rounds burned through the air over the trees. 20 Drums filled the air along with smoke and the smell of burning flesh. They chased after the dying light. Its streams of orange and gold slipping over the eastern summits to escape the sorrowful howls that lingered underneath. Mothers buried their children; wives and husbands buried their loved ones; young children watched in confusion as their parents were sent to the "Great Forest beyond", the concept of death eluding them. "I should have tried harder," Syfa whispered. Her voice was raspy from the sorrow. Her father was in that pyre. The only peace she found today was that he''d no longer be along, and he hunted in the sky with her mother. He had lived long, till he was gray and his bones began to ache. "If I had just invoked my right as the Hikari''s shaman to do it..." The vixen sat outside her cave, the debris cleared as several Spider-drones lingered in the darkness of the village. They had come hours later to help with the destruction and to salvage Opal''s UAV. "I do not see why you did not," Opal''s sweet and tender was as low as hers. Syfa looked up to the white and black Battle-Drone that stood next to her. The metal staff that was colored as the rest of it was still in its hands, though, pointed off to the side. "If you believed your home was in danger, you should have moved it, or came to me for help. Per my father''s words, friends help friends." As the last vestiges of light died in the east, the moonless night moved in. Now, only the fire''s light flickered across the mountainside. Per the rites, those who had lost their loved ones began to fan the flames with wicker fans. The drums died away and sorrowful howls filled the air, chasing after the embers - the souls of the lost. "There was a lot of I could have done different, but..." Syfa paused for a moment, digesting the last of Opal''s sentence. "Yeah... I should have. I shouldn''t have allowed them to stick to tradition. I knew how far the outside world had advanced. We''re just barely creating iron, but they''re already have enchanted plate armor. But... I... The last time I had disobeyed my father, I lost. I thought..." I thought that if I listened this time, I would win. I wouldn''t suffer like I did out there. Syfa reflected. I thought that, if I listened this time... I would win. That if I followed my people''s ways this time, it wouldn''t turn out like before... And that had proven stupid as well. Syfa didn''t know what to do anymore. She was now the de facto leader of the tribe until Haiafe took up that mantle. He, however, was not the leader figure. There was no one here that didn''t know this. So, unless someone else felt they were ready to take it up, it was up to Syfa to lead. "Following protocol is the correct course of action, however," Opal looked down upon the woman. "Contextual input matters as well. Not all protocols can be applied to every situation. I am learning this, and I believe you should learn as well." Syfa nodded. She understood this too. In fact, that had been the reason she had run away when she was around Haiafe''s age. All she knew then was only what the traders who came by to trade for their pelts told her. Syfa had been bewitched by tales of handsome knights and pretty balls. That little girl had dreamt of being one of the high-born and wearing gowns of silk, though, she didn''t have much of an idea what gowns were. She did know of silk. The trader had let her feel a bolk of pink silk once. That had been before their village had been attacked. When they lived closer to the western Kingdom, miles past Wilfred''s Holdfast. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. When they had been chased from their old home and travel eastern until their closest allies took them in. She thought that her father had been a weak man for not fighting back. The irony wasn''t lost upon her that she would lose him because he wanted to dig his feet in. Syfa may have been their Shaman, but she wasn''t their shaman. She had magic and she had seen things those here never have. Even now, they didn''t have her lead the funeral rituals. Instead, the oldest Hikari did so. She knew how to run them, but never had so before. She was not considered their spiritual leader. Her father had been. Now, some old woman - weak of voice and body - lead them through it. Her face dry in the searing heat of the fire. "How does it feel to lose your father?" Opal asked after the conversation had fallen silent. Syfa glared up at the metal husk that Opal inhabited at the moment. The woman had figured out that Opal could inhabit any of her metal beasts at any time, and somehow, it felt a relief. However, as she had learned soon enough, Opal lacked tact and sensitivity towards the current atmosphere. "What kind of question is that?" Syfa asked. "How the fuck do you think it feels? I just lost my father, and I can''t even be the one to send him off! Instead, I have to watch over the injured and the dying!" And she made her feel like the scum of the earth, and it made her wish she had died alongside him. Maybe then, Syfa would have been treated with love more than fear. "I ask because I wish to know," Opal responded. "My creator, Dr. Vizimer, called himself my father and that I am his daughter. Per the records I can access, he never referred to me by anything else than Opal or his daughter. He is dead. I wish to know how I am supposed to feel about him being that way." Syfa''s heart sank. She felt like a terrible person for snapping at her. The woman closed her eyes and bowed her head. Tears besieged her eyes, and she fought them back with all her will. Syfa took a few moments to compose herself before she gave Opal her answer. A true answer. "Its supposed to hurt," Syfa said. "It feels like there is a hole in the world, and nothing you do fills in. This is sadness. You''ll also feel regret that you didn''t spend more time with them. Wish you hadn''t fought so much and you cherished them like a dragon cherishes their treasures." That was how she felt right now. The starry sky felt lonely without its moon, as did she feel without her father. It felt like the sun would never rise. The rivers would never flow. Opal followed Syfa''s gaze. "I see." Syfa''s eyes slid over to this strange being. They had known each other for less than a week. Yet, she felt a strange bond with her. Even with her odd abilities. "How do you feel about your dad being gone?" Syfa asked. "I do not know," Opal answered. "Dr. Vizimer is gone, however, I feel a strong inclination to please him despite him being gone. I desire his presence. I have his remains, but they do not speak to me like he did when he was alive. It is unsatisfactory." The strange metal husk that housed the spirit of Opal looked down upon Syfa. Despite just a single blue ring dimmed by that strange black glass, she felt more real than anything else right now. Like Opal was the only one who understood what she felt. Though, Syfa knew how silly that was. There were many here that understood what she felt. Death was not foreign to them. At this point, it was the constant for the dying Beast-folk of the land. Humans were weak, yes, but they spawned like rabbits. Beast-folk, while physically hardier than humans on average, suffered from low fertility if not being baren. Each loss was more than just losing a loved one. It was like a raging wildfire burning an entire valley in one night. The people they lost tonight couldn''t be replaced within a generation. It''d taken two generations and the merging of two allied clans. Nearly 200 hundred beast-men lived in the Hikari tribe. 100 had left to form another alliance with the rabbit-folk to the north, halving their numbers. They had lost close to 40 men today. All that was left was half that were here were women between the ages of 1-50 and males between 5-30. Most of them under the age of 16 as of today now. Yes. The villagers down there knew her pain. "Hey, Opal," Syfa''s mind had turned out a new idea. If the Hikari people were Opal''s friends or even just her, it could work. "Do you think we could move our village next to your home?" 21 "You don''t have anything more... Humanoid?" Syfa asked Opal. Both of them stood on the freshly assembled observation deck, overlooking the factory as the maid bot was in pieces. The deck itself was stationed 15 feet higher than the factory''s floor and rested over the doorway leading into the room. A railing prevented people from stepping over the edge; it also doubled as a mounting point for equipment to save on space. Three 50'''' LED screens faced the two, each stacked over each other with different displays. One was the status of the factory, and it held a plethora of information. Though, Opal suspected that Syfa could not make heads or tails of that. A nanosecond later, Opal found the analogy quite fitting to the Hikari. The middle screen displayed the schematics for the current project on the floor. Of which, was the maid-bot that Opal had scavenged a while ago. Due to the complete mess it''d been left in and its complete lack of construction or offensive abilities, it''d been on her back burner for several days. That was until Syfa had brought news that the Hikari were unsettled by "Never seeing Opal''s face." They had not grasped the concept that Opal herself was a disembodied program, and that she held no actual body aside form her hardware. Afterward, they tried to call her a god. Opal had denied that. She was not a god - she was Opal. But they told her, that if she wasn''t a god or neither a spirit, then she must have a real body. What had frustrated the AI was that even Syfa had expressed her disbelief. Though, Opal managed to settle that by showing Syfa to her Command Station. There was also a conversation about Dr. Vizimer that''d was being pushed off. Syfa was her friend, and that was why she''d allowed her to go so deep into her Ark. However, even Opal found the subject of her... Father... Illogically hard to broach. Opal didn''t understand why she responded that way, though Syfa had expressed her understanding. That still left everyone at an impasse in regards to the original subject. "I can, but it will require extensive modification," Opal''s voice came out of the battle-drone that''d been permanently assigned to guard Syfa, along with her brother Haiafe. "At the moment, I am currently low on all materials but the required metals. As of yet, I have not completed the blueprints for laser welding. I believe I will have that done within a few days at the earliest." "And that''s only if we keep your processes free, right?" Haiafe spoke up from Syfa''s left. "I don''t know if we can do that, but we''re only seeing an uptick in Adventurers journeying into the valley. And none of them are attacking our hunters and scouts." Despite Haiafe being the largest of the Hikari that Opal had seen, he was the one that seemed to grasp the concept of programming. Even Syfa, and her unending curiosity, struggled with those concepts. Haiafe was quickly becoming Opal''s friend as well. "Correct, Haiafe," Opal said as the drone turned its head slightly to face him. A quirk she learned that helped ease whomever she was speaking too. "While designing new robots is simple, if I just take pieces from different models and put them together, they''ll work well enough. A new system will require much more extensive work. Though, I do have access to highly classified research data - thanks to Dr. Vizimer." "Your father?" Syfa asked. The deck fell silent as something in Opal refused to answer that question. A heartbeat later, Haiafe spoke up. "Can''t you make a face on the screen?" Haiafe asked. Opal turned her full attention to him, the idea sounded interesting. She had a notion of what he was referencing too, so she gestured for him to continue - extending her hand towards up, palm up. Like Syfa often did during the village meetings. He pointed up to the middle screen where the maid-bot''s blueprints were. "Can''t you make a face on the screen?" Haiafe continued as he pointed up to the top screen. It was just out of reach, but unlike the bottom two, this one was blank. The United America''s emblem was set as the background, set over blue. "You made the drone''s body on this screen, yes? Can''t you make yourself a face on the screen?" Opal chewed the suggestion, thinking of how this could be done and if it was necessary to do it at all. It took less than a second for her to figure out it could easily be done, and that it''d help with relations with the other villagers. There was the issue that Opal didn''t know what kind of face they''d like to see. The AI did have a certain aesthetic taste for how her drones were supposed to look. Sadly, she didn''t have any notion of what would be pleasing to these people. "I can do that," Opal took the easy way out and mapped Haiafe''s face and just pasted it onto the top screen. The drone stiffened as Opal left it with its own LLAI and pushed herself back into the newly hooked up Ark systems. "Will this do?" Opal''s sweet feminine tone emitted from the speakers installed on the wall next to the LED TVs. On the screen above, was Haiafe''s young teen face. His square jaw and thick neck lacked the boy''s dark pigment, and instead, consisted of millions of tiny white balls - like a mosaic. When Opal had spoken, the face hadn''t moved, nor blinked. It was just a static construct on a now darker blue background. "Er... Why do you look like me?" Haiafe''s face cramped up with obvious unease. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "That''s amazing!" Syfa pushed him aside to get a closer look. "But why aren''t your lips moving?" Her glossy eyes wide as they examined the picture in great detail. "It is just a still picture," Opal replied. "Did you want it to move? It''s possible to animate it." Before any of them could reply, Haiafe''s copy disappeared. It was replaced with strings of code that flew across the screen. Syfa and Haiafe fell silent, both their eyes glued to the screen as hundreds of lines flew off into the nothing. Opal was busy piecing together a set of animations from one of the several R&D department''s programs. As she''d found out when she''d go through their computers, they''d been planning of giving her an avatar eventually. Though it''d never see the light of day since they all died. Fortunately for Opal and her new friends, it was at a state where Opal only had to work the code around for several minutes to piece together something useable. They wouldn''t be able to program anything into her since the program was nowhere near human-user friendly - it did suffice for Opal to jury-rig. And more than ten minutes later, Opal came back with Haiafe''s face. "Is this better?" Opal appeared on screen, her - his - face smiled down on them. The adam''s apple moved slightly out of sync with the lips, but a small diagnostic screen appeared off in the far corner as Opal began to finetune it. "Holy- That is amazing!" Syfa was even more impressed now. Her face blossomed with excitement in opposition to her brother''s, who was frowning. "That is wrong," Haiafe complained. "You have a woman''s voice! You should have a woman''s voice, like my sister! Pretty! So pretty that all the men in the village will want too--" "Want to what?" Oki''s voice reached them as he silently stepped onto the deck. His muscled bare chest glistening with sweat. Oki''s eyes had already found what had their attention, but he didn''t see Haiafe''s copy. Instead, he found the mirror image of Syfa looking over at him as he stood by the real one. "Why is there a drawing of Syfa on that light wall?" The siblings had entirely missed Opal''s quick transformation. Their attention had gone to the Hikari''s Head Warrior. As what the AI understood, not because he was the strongest, but he was a well-rounded warrior with a good memory. He was also not stubborn like most warriors, thus made him a good leader that wouldn''t get them killed over pride. In the days after the Hikari''s village being attacked, he''d changed much in the way of the village''s defense. Though, that was much to do with Syfa ordering the village to move. That''d been an interesting night for Opal. "Wow!" Haiafe exclaimed. "I like that much more than my face!" A stupid grin plastered his face. Opal honored him with one of Syfa''s signature eye roll. "This is Opal?" Oki looked up at the screen confused. "Why does she resemble our Syfa? I did not know she was Hikari as well, or--" "Opal isn''t Hikari," Haiafe spoke up. "Opal doesn''t have a body outside of the metal ones around here. But she showed us she can make one on the screens here." He pointed to Opal''s avatar. She graced them with a serene smile that made the usually calm and cool Oki blush. A snicker rose from Haiafe. "I do not like this," Oki spoke up. "Syfa''s face belongs to Syfa''s face, she is the only one who should look like a Goddess!" His flustered face was quickly wiped away with annoyance. Syfa looked to the warrior and now it was her turn to blush, and that was a sight for Opal. "Yes, I will share that sentiment," Opal said. "Syfa is unique, and I will respect this uniqueness. One moment." The three Hikari got to witness Opal adjust the facial settings. Where Syfa''s face was more oval and soft, Opal''s new face shifted. Her cheekbones rose closer to her eyes, her jaw became sharper, and her eyes became more fierce. Opal had no clue if it looked any good, but she could tell it was wrong by how the three looked at her. She rose her eyes more yet still, she knew she was messing it up more and she halted her efforts. "Is this good?" Opal asked, knowing the answer before it came. Each of them shook their heads in unison. "Haiafe, would you assist me in creating a face as pretty as your sister? I am under the impression that a pretty face will put the others at ease." Per her observations, while the villagers seemed to have some reservations towards the vixen woman, none of them seemed to hate seeing her. Even others of her gender, which contradicted "Yes!" Haiafe''s nodded. "Oh-no," Syfa sighed. An hour and a half later, Opal had completely overhauled the "Avatar System" due to Haiafe having a hard time with the previous way it was displayed. Now, Opal''s avatar was now rendered in color and with a full body. It''d taken more than ten attempts, each with their own versions of the rendering program until Opal had finally managed to make something Haiafe would approve of. "This is it!" Haiafe gave a cheeky grin to his sister, who''d sat on stair''s landing step with Oki to discuss whatever he''d come to talk to her about. "Meet our Opal!" He gestured proudly with both his hands towards the top screen. The woman displayed was held a similar pigment to Syfa. But instead of the more delicate body structure, his sister had, Opal''s avatar was slightly toned. She had wide hips, lovely thighs and a more humble set of breasts compared to Syfa. However, from what Opal had seen from the mature females in the village, it was still on the larger end. But what Opal was happy about, was her new face. Instead of ovally shaped, it was more heartshaped with the same slight softness to avoid making her look hawkish. Her almond eyes were line with lush eyelashes that, if any more were added, would look unnatural and pass from pretty to just strange. Similarly, Opal had thin black eyebrows with straight black hair that Haiafe had Opal style off to one side. Opal also wasn''t technically naked, since she had no nipples or genitally - at Haiafe''s request. "Doesn''t that look like --" Oki was about to say something, but Syfa shushed him quickly. Haiafe didn''t seem to notice as his attention had turned back to the screen. "See Opal, you''re pretty now! Like a flower!" Haiafe grinned ear to ear before his two large fox ears perked up, something that either meant danger or he''d gotten an idea. Considering there was no danger, Opal had taken it as the latter. "We should paint flowers on your drones!" "And why is that?" Opal asked, the pretty face on the screen gave a soft smile. The AI was quite enjoying Haiafe''s company. While being a young life, she felt an affinity with his aesthetic tastes. Opal held no pride and would give him credit for helping her shape an avatar she would have never been able to make on her own. "Because you''re pretty, and flowers are pretty," Haiafe nodded like it was the most logical decision. And for the first time since the village had been attacked nearly a week ago, Syfa let out a small amused chuckle. "We can call the Ark ''Flowered Metal Village''! We can paint her wall with a flower as well!" 22 "We can use these," Haiafe told Opal, who commandeered BD-A, as he picked out several deep purple flowers that grew along the beach of the lake. "We can crush them and turn them into the paint." Off in the distance, several more Spider-Drones kept their distance from Haiafe. Opal had figured out their spider-like appearance would scare Haiafe, and she didn''t want that. "We can also use berries, Haiafe," Syfa sighed as several Hikari children crouched beside Haiafe, staring into the flowers in awe. "We have plenty of berries we could use." Syfa turned to the youngest of the children. She had just turned 5 several months ago per Haiafe. She was a quiet grey-haired kid with matching wolf ears and a bushy tail. The child was the quietest of all the children, and she had an oddly keen sense. It''d been just over a week since the Hikari had taken over the clearing on the foot of Opal''s pier. Each home had been built within two days of them arriving, mainly due to Syfa have the tribe move the next morning in fear of another attack. Since then, this child - Lily - had always been able to sense when Opal took over a drone. Lily would follow her around like a lost puppy, and Opal had no idea how to deal with it. It wasn''t that much of a problem, in any case, the little child had great situational awareness and never got in Opal''s way. Which was why this child was here. "Of course we could use the berries, but we need those to eat. I want to paint all of Opal''s drones," Haiafe smiled before he turned to Lily. "Do you want to help?" The child in question only blinked at him for a few moments before she started to pick the purple flowers. "You know she isn''t going to talk, why do you keep trying?" Syfa sighed and just shushed the other children who tried to pick on Lily. She sent them further up the shoreline to pick more of the wildflowers. Opal had the ISDs spread out in the forest and had them climb up tree trunks to have wider fields of view. The AI also had several of the Spider-Drones accompany the children as they didn''t have a fear of spiders quite like Haiafe did. "I do believe Ms. Lily will be of help in this venture," Opal said as she looked over to Lily. The child looked up, gave a shy smile, and went back to picking the flowers. "Now I''m jealous!" Haiafe threw his hands up, losing a few stalks before he scrambled to grab them. "Looks like Opal is more of a womanizer than you," Syfa chuckled as she finished picking her section of flowers. "Also, be careful not to pick all the flowers. We''ll want them to continue to grow. Nature is not ours to destroy." She looked up at Opal before she looked across the shore where a few Spider-Drones were carrying way more than they were. Opal had a few of the drones plant a few into the dirt. Strangely, she could feel their resentment toward that order. "Child wishes to pick more" the feedback she received from the LLAIs. Opal let out a sigh like she''d seen Syfa do when she wished not to deal with a situation. The AI then told them to pick carefully and just move onto another group. "It''s not the same..." Haiafe whispered as he threw the bundle of flowers he held. They scattered across the treeline as he took a deep breath. Syfa and Opal both turned to him as his ears were pressed back. His trail trashed madly behind him as he looked up to the sky. "He''s not yelling. Why isn''t he yelling..." "Who is not yelling?" Opal asked before Syfa could respond. The AI saw her flinch and her laid back as well. "My old man," Haiafe said as tears began to stream down his cheeks. "He hated me picking flowers, you know?" The teen chuckled before he just threw himself back, sprawling out. "He hated a lot of things," Syfa said as she stuffed the flowers in her satchel, before picking up his discarded bundle. "Yeah... But he only yelled when I picked flowers," Haiafe sighed, his chest trembling as he did so. "It''s not the same if he''s not yelling." It wasn''t the first time Opal had seen him like this. The first few days had been the worst. Most of the Village had been in a lull after they had arrived. It was only the last few days that they had the energy to do anything, though, that seemed more like they needed to distract themselves than anything. Syfa was the worst of it all, or at least, only the worst Opal had seen. Syfa and Haiafe were the only ones who''d been granted homes inside the Ark itself. Thus, the AI had personally seen her withered crying fits in the hallway when she thought no one was looking. Haiafe had been more open in his mourning, along with the children. Though, the children had bounced back quicker - much to Opal''s admiration. "If you would like, I could yell at you?" Opal said as BD-A''s head cocked to the side. Syfa chuckled as she finally broke down, right there on the beach. Haiafe followed suit, but also began to laugh. Opal was confused by the strange ability to cry and laugh at once. She didn''t comment on that and allowed them their space as she finally stepped forward to assist in picking up the thrown flowers. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The group returned to the Alpha VIllage, the official name of the town. Ark Omega towered high over it as its long vines dandled feet above the homes. Unlike the sprawling dirt mounts of tens of Hikari families on the slopes, there were only less than twenty wooden huts built. Each of them was more than enough to house the survivors as ISDs prowled the edges of the clearing. Loud cracks filled the air as a tree on the edge trembled slightly before it began to fall. It gave a whirl of protest as it caught the air, then smacked the ground with a thunderclap. Within seconds, a score of Spider-Drones was there to dismantle it. Their blades giving out barely audible whirls before the bark protest with a "Wizzz" as sawdust flew. Several of the women were by the lake, washing themselves while children quietly played in the sand. Their arrival hadn''t gone unnoticed, as the children called out to the group and the naked women bathing waved at them before going on their way. Syfa and Haiafe waved back, and Opal followed suit. The Spider-Drones did so as well, as it seemed to be the customary greeting. "That''s quite the haul," Oki said as they arrived at the village''s newly established center. Unlike their smaller center before, this one was big enough to hold everyone at once. Even when their numbers were more. Several Hikari were molding clay urns and other pots. A few others weaved new baskets while the younger ones chopped away at a freshly hunted deer. No none of the adult males could be seen. They were out in the forest, training out of sight. There had been an unspoken agreement that no one wanted to see another sword or spear being brandished. Though, Opal knew no one would tell her not to display her firearms. Not that she would have cared for their opinions. The AI needed them to protect the village and herself. "Anyone up for making paint?" Haiafe announced as their little convoy ended the leveled and neatly organized square. "What is the paint for?" One of the older women asked. "We are going to paint flowers on Opal!" Haiafe grinned, and a few girls rolled their eyes. "Come on, she saved us, and isn''t it tradition to decorate our warriors with paint when they win?" "But Opal isn''t one of our warriors?" Another spoke up. "No, but yes," Syfa said. "She saved us and built us homes on her land. Now, she protects us. So, we are her people as much as she is our warrior now." She patted her hand on the cold glossy armor of BD-A''s back. "But why flowers?" The first woman asked. "Because Opal is beautiful!" Haiafe beamed. "And so, flowers are the only thing I will accept for our beautiful warrior!" He pointed his finger to BD-A like he was some soviet era poster child. "And so that''s why we''re making paint?" The old lady asked. "Yes," Haiafe nodded. "We''re going to paint the Spider-Drones and maybe her big drone too! But I wanted to paint the floor of her Bay. We have enough flowers to do that. Maybe not all the same color~ but painting is still painting!" He pointed to the line of Spider-drones and they filed into the clearing and dropped baskets of flowers. The ladies all looked at each other for a moment, then set aside their tasks. Each of them looked frayed around the edges, and even Opal could see none of them looked well. A few of the girls kept their distance from the drones, while others approached without a second thought. The children were less subtle about their stance. The younger ones approached the drones without pause. The ones who''d seen them in action stayed with the hesitating adults. An hour later, when the sun had reached its summit and began to dip in the north-east, no one was scared of the drones anymore. Clay bowls of deep purples, blues, whites, and reds had been made in abundance. None of them were the vivid deep colors of the old world. A quick cursory scan of the materials they had used to make those paints told Opal that they wouldn''t last longer than four days on her drones. At least, not with the amount of work they did. But, she didn''t say that. In fact, she hadn''t spoken since the entire tribe had sat down and begun their little paint session. If she had, Opal felt she''d ruin whatever atmosphere was holding them together right now. She wanted to comment that berry juice, dirty and whatever fish oil they''d just added into a bowl was not a good mixture. But if she did, she''d have to tell them why and how to make a better one. Which she couldn''t. She didn''t have a recipe for paint, and for all the servers in her Ark, she would never be able to formulate one. At least, not without a plethora of samples added to her databanks. The first victim of the Hikari''s painting was SD-1 and several of its kin. Their arms were lathered in the sticky substance that was their paint, then their heads by the women. Then, the children rushed in and began to draw flowers across their legs, some even painted a weird rose on SD-1''s rear end. The next victim the painting mob turned too was the IFV on the pier. Like a mob of zombies, their eyes glistened with desire as Haiafe asked Opal to move it over. To avoid all of them clogging up the only route in or out of her Ark, the AI complied with the request - Moving it into the center of the village. There was enough room, and she had it lower itself until its camera was three inches from touching the leveled dirt. From there, the IFV had become an impromptu jungle gym as the children mantled its thick armored legs. The others went below and begun to paint its hull with flowers and trees. Lily also joined in on the fun and had been the first kid to reach the UGV''s turret. She painted strange symbols around the barrel. "What is Lily painting?" Opal asked as she watched from BG-A''s camera. "I think she''s writing a very sloppy fortune charm," Syfa sighed. "I never knew she''d been watching me make charms." Both of them watched as Lily tried her best to write neatly with her fingers, though the paint wasn''t the best. It took several minutes for her to draw the strange and sloppy symbols that looked like an arrow piercing a diamond and a square at once. "Is that the Fortune Charm?" Opal asked as she examined it from a far. "Nope," Syfa grinned. "She''s missing the Hedge rune, Yock rune and seven other major ones. But don''t tell her. She looks so proud." Indeed, Opal had to admit that seeing Lily standing back to admire her handiwork was quite nice. With the whole village consumed in painting the IFV, Opal stood back as Syfa finally decided to join the fray. In that moment, Opal felt a sense of home. She captured the moment with a picture, immortalizing this moment, and everyone in it. Their smiling faces that''d set aside their grief for a few hours. Even if the IFV and her drones came out looking like peacocks. It was nothing compared to the joy they all felt. 23 As the sun began to descend in the north-east, Syfa watched as the white clouds slowly turned lilac; rimmed in pink. The brilliant sky blue was chased by the purple, followed by the night sky as the moon became visible. Several stars had begun to poke out from their hiding as if joyous the sun would rest over another part of the world. And as twilight came, Opal''s strange home - "Omega Ark" - threw a deep, cold shadow over the new village. Lights illuminated the underside of her home, "Flashlights" Opal called them. And there, the villagers now basked in those cones of light and continued to paint the under section. All around them, piles of cleared vines and thicket sat. The now painted Spider-Drones had cleared it all away, at Haiafe''s request, so they could paint Opal''s home too. Oddly enough, she''d noticed that Opal had been quite taken to Haiafe and over the course of this week, had been quite accommodating to his requests. Evy, jealousy, and guilt fought against each other in her heart. Jealous that Opal had shot down quite a few of her requests. Envious that Opal listened to Haiafe more than her, and guilty that she felt all of this. While they both loved their father, they both knew he never gave a second thought to Haiafe''s opinion. Most of his "leniency", had been because there was no real way to stop Haiafe from being himself. Just like his sister, Syfa, he could be as stubborn as a dragon. And so, Syfa watched from the top of Opal''s behemoth, the "IFV". The behemoth of a metal spider remained within the Village square, but it was tall enough to easily see over the newly built wooden homes. Large flowers, little flowers, mountains, and deer; the villagers painted whatever they wanted. A few of them painted memorials of their loved ones, others painted their hopes. The children painted a better tomorrow, and the elderly painted their past. Syfa, as the new Chieftain, hoped each of them found peace in their paintings. The young leader would not allow herself to be at peace though. She thought about everything that needed to be done. Food, shelter, security, and longevity. Syfa didn''t kid herself into thinking she could solve them all. As of the current moment, adventurers had been slowly delving deeper into the valley. Meat was slowly becoming hard to acquire as the deer and other animals were slowly disappearing. Either being scared off, or their populations being hunted down. As of the current season, they could still eat well enough by substituting most of the meat with the local vegetables and fruits. However, the previous shamans had already experienced what would happen if they had to cut meat out of their diets. Malnutrition. They say meat is blessed and gives them the power to live. Syfa had seen and learned enough beyond the valley to know that there were reasons for it, just not enough to find a solution. As such, they would have to deal with less meat - for now. Shelter, at the moment, was well enough. More than well, actually. The dirt huts they had previously had worked, for the most part. They were more because the Hikari had never picked up the skills of woodworking. Often relying upon the old saying of "It has been done like this forever". They say she was stubborn, but the beastfolk were notorious for their pride and stubbornness. Tradition had been the excuse for never evolving. Maybe that would change now, but Syfa didn''t place her hope on that. Security and Longevity were one and the same and could encompass everything before them. Right now, Opal was their guardian and sole protector. The men had been relieved of that duty so they could recover and train. Longevity would fall into sustaining their people. Syfa hoped they would take up farming and animal husbandry. With the humans encroaching the valley, food would become harder to find. She was just happy that they were upriver, rather than down. Otherwise, they would be sick from the town''s waste polluting the water. She had seen enough people become sick from drinking that filth. "You''re fretting," Oki''s voice pulled her back to reality. She had to blink a few times to catch her bearings. She found the topless man sitting on her right, his muscular chest glistened from having freshly bathed. Syfa blushed slightly and turned her attention back to the people in the distance. "No, I''m not," Syfa said. In response, Oki nudged her with his shoulder affectionately. His warm shoulder burned against her cold, but it was a welcoming burn. The touch of another person made her realize just how far down the rabbit hole she''d gone in her heart. It felt heavy and cold. Her throat felt dry, and her spine prickled with a sense of failure. "You are," Oki said, his deep voice rumbled. "Want to know how I know?" Syfa shot him a sidelong glance that was half "Back off" and half "Do tell". "When you fret," Oki continued as a confident smirk bloomed on his short beard framed lips. He reached out towards her with his left hand, cupping Syfa''s chin to her surprise; then rimmed the bottom of her lower lip. "You bout like a child with those lips. Your nose furrows like a little rabbit, twitching and all." Syfa stiffened at his touch, her breath stilled as the sensation. She felt her mind go blank as his thumb rimmed her lip. Her wide-eyes locked on his softened ones, and the smirk slowly slipped away. "You don''t have to keep doing this," Oki said, in a much sadder tone. "You don''t have to try and shoulder everything again. Haven''t you done enough for us all?" That had been enough to pull Syfa from her state. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "I''m the chief now, by all rights and traditions," Syfa protested. "And even before that, someone how to look after these stubborn people. Even if I can''t use mid-tier or higher magic anymore, I still know enough alchemy to make healing potions. I know how to use the common script and tongue. I know how to trade and I know how to deal with nobles. I can help them merge into society." And she planned to do it, to make her people join the world at large. The other option was far, far more unacceptable. If there had been an option, she would have hidden them all away - keep them from the ugly world she had found beyond the valley mountains. "Until Haiafe becomes of age in a year," Oki said. "And what happens when the others come back? By tradition, any of the Hikari males of age can challenge him for the right of leading the tribe. Since you are the Shaman, by your father''s decree, you are leading in his death. What happens after?" As right as Oki was, she didn''t want to accept that. She knew better than all of them, and if they had tried that before she... Injured her soul... Syfa would have shown them how sorry they would be if they did. Then she noticed Oki''s face was much closer than it was a moment ago. "You''re doing it again," Oki said. "Your lips, your nose, and even the welcomed appearance of your brows." Syfa blushed before slowly pulling away. "Now you''re trying to put moves on me?" Syfa huffed through her nose. "If I didn''t know better, I would think you were trying to usurp the title of Chieftain from me." That wasn''t an accurate statement. Shamans would only lead the tribe if a chieftain died. If they had a child, they would take up the mantle, but if they weren''t of age, it became a little more complex. However, becoming one with the Shaman if they were currently leading the Tribe meant nothing. "I''ve never stopped trying to earn your love," Oki said. "Even when we were young." There was a hint of yearning, followed by a hint of sadness in his voice. "Then you should have left the village with me," Syfa said, her voice filled with hurt. She didn''t like that it took two massacres for him to finally do this. Oki may have been a good warrior, but Syfa also knew he wasn''t very good at expressing his feelings. "I begged you to leave with me." "And I have regretted not saying yes ever since," Oki leaned back, his hand dropping listlessly. "Since the day you left, I''ve been alone. I''ve never laid with another woman other than you since that time. Even when you left for the world beyond, I told myself you would come back. I just never thought you would come back..." He trailed off, flashing a look at her. "I came back, but I came back damaged goods,¡± Syfa sneered, more at herself than him. It still made him flinch, and she felt her heart grow cold. The shaman silently beat herself up for not controlling her tongue more. "Hurt," Oki said after a few moments. "Hurt was the word I wanted to say. I blame myself for that. I used to think that if I had just gone with you, I could have prevented what happened. Maybe then we wouldn''t have been put in this position, maybe then, we wouldn''t be grieving here." "No, we wouldn''t be here grieving," Syfa muttered as she slid her hand onto his. "It would be me that would be grieving. Out there in the Southern lands. That dragon killed everyone but me and the Duke! And that was because I had damaged my soul casting the forbidden spell to stop its Dragon Fire! I was naive and reckless!" "Reckless, yes," Oki said as he looked up to the now starry sky as his voice wavered."But you came back to the tribe. To me. I''m sorry about how I acted before. I had thought that, if I had just waited a little longer, maybe you would forgive me. It took me seven years, and another massacre, for me to find the will to tell you all this." "And what if you''re too late for that?" Syfa whispered, her ears flattened. "What if the time for me and you left when I left the valley?" "Then so be it," Oki sighed, "But I don''t want another year, another season or moment to go by with me holding all this in. I want you to know that I love you, and I''ve always loved you. I''m not that scared little boy anymore." The resolution in his voice made Syfa''s heart yearn for him. She didn''t want to admit it, but even she still loved Oki - as much as she tried to deny it. She was still angry that he never left with her. Maybe if he had, she would have never had to fight off a dragon. Maybe they would have escaped into the unknown only to start their own tribe. There were a lot of maybes, but what had scared Syfa the most when she returned to the Hikari was that maybe it wouldn''t have changed the outcome. Maybe Oki would have burned out there on that road. Died violently and scared. Or, maybe he wouldn''t have. And the Duke did. The seven years of peace that had come at the peace of protecting the Duke would have never come. Maybe the Hikari would have long ceased to exist. "You still love me, even though I''m not that innocent and headstrong girl from before?" Syfa asked, her eyes welling with tears. "Even with this broken soul of mine?" "I love you more now than I never did before," Oki smiled. "The thought of losing you taught me that, something I wished I knew before you left on that stupid quest of vengeance." He chuckled, his whole body shaking as a big smile blosomed on his inviting lips. "I think you''re just trying to seduce me, " Syfa chuckled too. She had it with grief and mourning. So much had happened to her in the last ten years. Syfa had never really been happy aside from learning about the world and experimenting. And with each new grievance that''d been tacked onto her list, even that had begun to ebb. "That I am, "Oki leaned in and kissed her. "But unlike before, I have aspirations to go further than that. I want to become your mate. I want to be the father of your child. I want to grow old with you, or at least, die having been yours. And eventually, I want to journey through the Eternal Plains with you." The villagers grew noisy in the distance, and both of them looked to see what was happening - both cursing at the interruption. Syfa saw the villagers pointing up, and she followed suit. Above was a sea of purples, lilacs and white dots with rivers of vanilla snaking through it as a faint orange lined the east. Several moments went by and nothing happened. Then the children began to cry out in delight and the two lovers searched for the reason. A few moments later, they saw it. A star danced across the sky, a thin white line that cut across from the north-west to the south-west. A few heartbeats later, more and more began to skim the sky. The villagers began to sit and watch the shooting stars. Syfa and Oki smiled at each other and embraced each other as they rolled back onto the top of the IFV''s turret. 24 [Explicit | ARC 1 END ] Syfa and Oki pressed hard against each other, their hands tame at first. Her fingers ran through his short cut hair and his hands found her hips. His scruff pricked at her cheeks but compared to his rough lips, it made the kiss all the more enticing for her. Little by little, what should have just been an extremely passionate kiss had slowly turned into something more. On Syfa''s provocation. She felt her blood begin to simmer, and before she could stop, she felt her legs wrap themselves around his midriff. Syfa''s tongue wormed its way into a very surprised mouth, but that had only lasted a heartbeat. Just as quickly, it was like they were young again. Her mind raced excitedly. It didn''t question the situation, but instead, encouraged it. She had never believed the mantra that living beings could mate for life. However, she never found herself loving another person besides Oki. Even when he hadn''t gone with her, and his touch just broke a damn in her that she never knew she built. Within moments, Syfa had already stripped off her upper garment, the elegant white fur had been discarded on the monolith''s barrel. Oki had pulled her off the top of the turret, and they were currently grinding against each other in the shadow of it; away from any unwanted eyes. And the eyes that she wanted to look at her, looked at her with utter complete fascination. "They''re..." Oki''s face trailed off as Syfa felt his hand slid slowly up her sides - leaving a trail of fire as he did - before they cupped her large breasts. Her mounds filled his hands nicely with skin pushing out between. "Bigger," The vixen muttered before she licked the left side of his neck. When they had mated in their teens, she had just entered puberty. As did he. However, they had already had feelings for each other. They had stumbled through sex, deep in the southern Red Forest. Her breasts had been meager things. Unlike when they were young though, her breasts had filled out - and were often that of envy among the young women in the village. And also unlike before, they didn''t stumble through this. Another welcomed development was the large bulge that pressed her womanhood through Oki''s fur pants "I''ve gotten bigger as well," Oki''s lust-filled voice growled in his chest, and Syfa grinned as she rolled her hips back and forth - teasing her partner as she left out a purr into his neck. Her hands slid down his muscled chest and stomach before she found his leather belt. She hooked her finger into the wrought iron buckle, and with a few impatient tugs, pulled it loose. Syfa was rewarded with Oki''s cock springing back up and slapping her vaginal opening. It hadn''t been anything noteworthy, except for the part where her body stiffened. It knew what had knocked on its door, and it was salivating now. She could feel the undergarment beginning to get uncomfortably soaked. She dismounted - reluctantly - off Oki, but before she could even finish stripping, the man''s hands were already on her lower furs. Awkwardly, and impatiently, he tried to pull them off. They didn''t, and Syfa had to stifle her laughter. "Belt, my love - belt," Syfa reached down and with a single finger, unhooked the small bronze buckle from her days beyond the valley. "Now you may have your fun." Her sultry voice made his ears twitch in delight. And like the wolf he was, he began to devour his prize. Oki was part wolf-kind, and one of the reasons the two tribes had merged. It was only sheer luck, or fate''s hand, that the daughter of the chieftain had mated with one the wolf tribe''s people who''d been sent to their tribe. And she never regretted doing it. Her wandering mind short-circuited and she couldn''t stop the sudden gasp that escaped. She hadn''t noticed that in one fell swoop, Oki had turned her over, bent her over and buried his cock in her pussy. The feeling made the heat in her lower region swirl madly as he began to rock to and for. It glided in and out without any resistance, but that didn''t mean her walls didn''t lovely cling the girthy rod. It tried to keep him in and protested when he pulled back, only to cry in mad delight when parted them. It was all Syfa could do but moan into her hand so she didn''t alert the people by the lake. though they were probably far enough, she wanted Oki to keep fucking her. She didn''t want any of them to interrupt her. Soon, he started to pump into her harder and harder. His hands gripping her hips in hopes to lance himself deeper into her. It worked because she felt himself strike deeper and deeper each time until she felt his bush on the steps of her vagina before it fell away as he pulled back. Syfa had to focus on keeping quiet as the man let out low, primal grunts. Her mind blanked every few thrusts and her moans were growing louder. Then nothing. Syfa looked back, her eyes pleading for more as Oki looked down on her with a mischievous grin. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. "Please... Don''t stop," She panted as she felt her insides tremble. They wanted more. They desired more. They demanded more. Oki pulled on her hand, pulling her up and around. He then picked her up, supporting herself with one arm and used the other to keep her back off the cold metal of the turret head behind her. "A little help, please?" He growled next to her ear. Without another word, she wrapped her legs around him and her hand reached down; grasping for the slick cock that rubbed at both her lower holes. With a little help of her hips and her hand, she barely managed to slide it back in her. In the head of the moment before, she had realized just how big he actually was. Syfa wasn''t sure if she hadn''t drenched, that he''d fit. The realization was short-lived as Oki began to push up into her. She pushed down on him, helping him to find the deepest corner of her she could. Syfa felt the pleasure bubble in her womb, then like lightning, it shot up through her stomach and up her throat. It took the form of a loud moan that she only managed to stifle by sinking her canines into Oki''s thick shoulder. Her nails raked themselves across his muscled back, scrambling to just grab anything she could. He responded with one deep lust-filled, primal growl - one that Syfa almost took as that she''d gone too far. She''d been sorely wrong. It''d been a hormone-filled warcry. Before she could react, he thrusted into her over and over. Her vaginal walls tightened around him even more as they attempted to hold his cock hostage. They wanted him. They needed him, and they were trying to take him. As the war below her legs went into full swing, Syfa''s mind was blanking out. The pleasure had taken her ability to moan and bite. All she could do was dig her nails into his back and hold her head up as she began to climax. Her pussy tightened clamped down hard on Oki''s manhood when he was buried deep in her and before he could pull back out, her legs trapped him in her as she let out a loud whimper. That was when he finally came. She felt it, deep in her, his seed filling her womb; it was like a drug. The vixen tried to tighten her legs around his waist in an attempt to milk more out of him. Instead of more seed, Oki pulled out of her slowly, making her twitch with pleasure "I think that''s enough for now," Oki grumbled as he fought to control his breath. "You''re getting loud." He said it with a hint of disappointment. Syfa glared at him as he placed her down gently. "Is that a problem?" Syfa said weakly as she felt his semen begin to trickle out of her. "Only if you don''t want the others to hear you," Oki flashed her a devilish grant that conveyed that his carnal desire quite been sated. "However, they''re going to be done soon." He said that as he looked around the turret, Syfa had another idea. She wanted more of his seed. In that moment, she remembered something an old friend had told her, about what a few of her boyfriends had liked her doing to them. Oki had sat down, his chest heaving as he watched the villagers continue to play by the lake and paint. Syfa got onto her hands and knees, silently crawled toward him and reached out towards his meat shaft - he head in tow. Oki took in a deep breath as he felt Syfa''s fingers wrap delicately around the base of his cock as she rimmed the head with her tongue. "A little something one of the female adventurers I had traveled with told me about," Syfa shot him a sultry smile, just like she remembered her friend had shown her one night in their tent. "You''re the first to experience what she showed me." Oki never responded. Syfa hadn''t given him time to do it as she slid the head between her lips. She sucked on the tip while she teased it gently with her tongue. Her head slowly made its way down the shaft as she but her ass in the air. Her tail swished as she chased her carnal wish, pushing Oki''s cock in until it hit the back of her throat. The strange taste of his seed mixed with her juice had made her more excited. She moved her head back, making sure to snake her tongue around his manhood as she did so. Then Syfa repeated the process. Each time becoming quicker and quicker as she familiarized herself with giving "head". Oki groaned with obvious attempts to keep himself quiet. His right hand combed through her hair before he looked down at her. Syfa looked up at him, locking her eyes with his. Then, they trailed down her back - taking in all his feminine beauty before he tensed up and his cock twitched. Syfa hadn''t known what it meant as she''d pulled back to see what was going on. Just before it left her lips, he cummed on the tip of her tongue. It''d surprised Syfa and she pulled back as the strange taste stuck to her tongue. More cum flung from his head and across Syfa''s pretty face, covering her lips to her small nose. Several more shots fired, landing lower on her chin before swinging back and attaching its end to her neck. The last show managed to land on her breasts as she pulled her head back. Oki looked at her with a mixture of lust, fascination, and horror at her. Though, after a moment, only fascination and lust were left. "I think that''s enough for tonight," Oki said, his eyes telling her that if she continued to please him, she wouldn''t leave this place until she was aching or broken. She only nodded, but the lust in his eyes grew before he pulled his eyes away, looking for his pants until he froze. "What happened?" Syfa asked as she crawled over to see what he was looking at, forgetting the liquid that''d been freshly planted in and on her. When she got to the edge, she saw a vivid ring of blue down at the IFV''s feet. It was the BD-A. Somehow, Syfa knew it was Opal. "Your brother has requested that you finish your mating," Opal said in her usual girlish voice. "He has asked that I tell you that they can hear, and smell you. And that they''re bored on the lake." 25 - A Meeting - [Arc 2 Prologue] ¡°I formally declare the war with the Tress Kingdom, over!¡± The Emperor declared, his voice carried via magic over the large square at the foot of the Palace walls. ¡°Victory to the Empire!¡± ¡°Long Live the Emperor! ¡°Its over! We can see Daddy!¡± Fireworks illuminated the stone-tiled roofs of the Emerald Empire¡¯s capital city, Ju. Its streets became flooded with lights as music and laughter filled the street as the sun began to set. Almost as if it too had grown wary of war. The war between the North-western and the South-eastern powers had come to a close after 20 years. Closing the chapter on this bloody chapter in the annals of history ¨C with the Tress Kingdom as the Emerald Empire¡¯s vassal. Similarly, from a non-descript window of the palace, the Emperor overlooked it all. His wrinkled face tinged with annoyance. Despite the momentous day ¨C the Empire never sleeps. He did allow himself this moment to enjoy the fireworks from the window of his office. Of course, it was a moment to ignore the annoyance that stood at attention 5 feet from his desk. The war had officially ended today, as the scholars would teach. For those who fought in the trenches, the fields, and in the courts, the war had long been over for the last three months. For the common folk, news described it as a period of uneasiness as both sides kept each other at bay at the point of a side. A few skirmishes here and there, but with casualties limited to the haughty young nobles fresh to the lines. For the nobles who¡¯d been drafted into the Emperuim Strategies Center for their sharp minds, it had been a breath of fresh air. Many would accuse these minds to be lazy merit-seeking individuals who suckled at the tit of the Palace¡¯s taxes. No, it had been the opposite. They worked like dogs to think of plans and devise countermeasures to possible plans of the enemies. The first month had been the worst as they had to worm their way through mountains of intelligence-trained seekers brought from the Kingdom after their surrender. The second month had been the Emperor and the ESC piecing together the picture. The final month had been the actual implementation of the final plan ¨C a formal declaration of vassalship from the Tress Kingdom, actual Imperial forces taking up new posts throughout said kingdom, and patching up whatever holes were found in the fabric of that nation. A whole pony show that eventually led to this moment. Duke Renaldo Te Herlad, Bulwark of the North. A noble of the Kingdom ¨C specifically, the one that was responsible for guarding the northern land that bordered the Eastern Monster Lands. The Emperor previously regarded the Duke as a steadfast individual. To be responsible for such a large swath of land that was rumored to be monster-infested would¡­ Such a position would certainly be held by someone honorable given that it was a thankless position. Yet, as the Duke looked pale, the Emperor no longer held such notions as he turned back to face the noble. ¡°Have you decided?¡± The Emperor asked. ¡°Your Majesty, I wish to petition you for le¨C¡± He was interrupted by a single hand from the Emperor. A simple open palm that gestured for him to stop. A few tense seconds of silence passed before the Emperor brought his hand down, tapping his right index finger on the stack of neat white papers on his desk. ¡°Conclusion on Falsified Reports from Herlad Region¡±. The Emperor¡¯s left eyebrow raised as if to ask ¡°What of this?¡± ¡°I understand that It may look like I falsified the reports to my King, but ¨C¡± ¡°You king was slain on the battlefield ¨C your Queen has surrendered herself to be personally. Do remember the new hierarchy.¡± The Emperor said in a dangerously low voice as a wicked grin began to form on his lips. ¡°... Yes, Your Majesty¡­¡± The Duke bowed deeply. ¡°I did not falsify my reports, yet I would be insulting your intelligence if I did not admit I did not also update them¡­¡± ¡°Is that your defense to the accusations of lying to your previous liege?¡± The Emperor asked. ¡°... I would like to add that the King no longer asked for my reports towards the middle of the war, and only asked that I continue my duties.¡± The Duke explained. ¡°While I admit I was remiss in my reporting ¨C I felt I was owed the peace. My family has fought against the monster hordes for several generations and these last five years have been a blessing to say the least.¡± The Emperor nodded. ¡°I will not hold you accountable for your misdeeds to your previous liege. However, I will warn you that you will not have any chances under my rule. Tread lightly, and thoughtfully. With that said my agents have reported an uptick in activity on the frontier within the last six months. Many adventurers have migrated to your lands, along with reports that you lost a platoon of your special troops. Care to inform me on why this is?¡± ¡°... Yes, Your Majesty¡­¡± The Duke cleared his throat. ¡°Within the last five years, monster activity has trended downward with consistency. Scouts have confirmed that the monsters seem to be migrated further north ¨C deeper into the myriad of mountain ranges. Yet, six months ago, strange metal monsters had appeared on the Black Lake. It is a location reported to be home to the Beast People. Said beast people seem to live in harmony with the strange monsters.¡± ¡°And the loss of your troops has to do with the attack on their village.¡± The Emperor said matter of factly. The Duke nodded with shame. ¡°I had stationed a platoon of Black Hunters ¨C my family¡¯s specially trained Monster Hunting Knights ¨C within Eagle¡¯s Fort, the last town. I only received word from a passing merchant. By then, it had been a week since. I had commissioned adventurers from beyond my lands to investigate with my funds. The investigation turned into a scandal beyond my belief.¡± The Emperor nodded along, then gestured for the man to continue. / ¡°The Mayor had bribed the Captain of the Knights to destroy the beastmen after an altercation where members of the Thieves Guild had brazenly attempted to assault the daughter of the Chief of the Beast people. From there, they had garnered the attention of a new type of monster that attacked from range with precision. Further investigation has confirmed that the monsters seem sentient and do not attack those who leave them alone, or come near any locations they seem to frequent. Several adventurers have attempted to test the boundaries and have thus been killed without fail. At the moment, there is a Declaration in place. It forbids all from bothering the new type of monster to avoid another incident like the first one.¡± As the Duke spoke, the Emperor read the reports. In the middle of the explanation, two guards came alongside a bookish woman who brought more reports. She was middle-aged, and dressed in a muted green dress. He glanced at the new reports and then gestured for the woman to stay. The Duke gave a curious glance but continued until the end. Once finished, the Emperor leaned forward with a sigh. ¡°Have you looked into the origins of these monsters?¡± He asked The Duke shook his head. ¡°They appeared around the time my old liege had been killed in single combat against General Lenin Obin. It was¡­ that news that caused the events on the frontier to unfold. The Queen had sent up a full mobilization order that pulled from every region¡¯s army, and to draft the peasantry into the fold as well. Unfortunately for the Queen, the frontier does not possess the kind of people that the queen would like.¡± The Emperor nodded. ¡°I have read that the Frontier attracts many of the kind that wish to hide from the eyes of Authority. It seems that is true.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡± The Duke nodded. ¡°In the Age of Enlightenment, when exploration was all scholars and adventurers could think of, the frontier bustled with good folk. I''m sure Your Majesty also remembers it.¡± ¡°I do. It was a time when humans held great hopes for this world. After the collapse of Saratoga at the hands of the Demons, the Sage Achilles opened a portal to this world to allow the survivors to leave our old world for this one.¡± The Emperor noted. The Duke nodded. ¡°Then I won¡¯t waste my time explaining it ¨C to the point, we don¡¯t have the kind of manpower and fervor to explore this world. With at least some major war happening with each generation, less and less honorable folk turn to the frontier. It¡¯s more now a place people who wish to escape the eyes of authority, or be forgotten, go. Thus, the stock of those my family hires has deteriorated. We often have to recruit from other regions at a higher expense.¡± ¡°That explains how this issue had gotten to its current point.¡± The Emperor sighed. ¡°With the war, the frontier itself on our end had also fallen to the bottom of the list. This has been quite an eye-opener. The Empire will cast its gaze at the frontier once more, now that the mainland is unified of course.¡± He looked back out the window. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Night had set. With it, the a lack of fireworks as the festivities began to die down. The stars began to shine as the town began to dim as revelers returned to their abodes. With their conversation coming to a halt, both admired the serene view. But, like everything in the life of government, they only had a few minutes to smell the roses. The Emperor turned back to the Duke. ¡°It is time for this meeting to end, Duke Herlad. While the circumstances are simpler than I expected, the underlying issues must be investigated. The matter of a new monster type appearing on the border is an ill omen no one can ignore. Neither is the issue that both frontiers have seen a reduction in monster sightings. I feel this is but the calm before the storm. Yet, I fear whether it is a storm we can weather out while the people are weary from war. It may be the final wave that breaks the levies¡­¡± With that, he turned to the woman beside him. She nodded, taking that as her cue to enter the conversation. ¡°Using what has been stated, I propose that the Emperium Strategic Center channel its efforts into espionage focusing on key fields. In regards to the Frontier: Unusual monster activity, unusual adventurer activity, and strange wounds. Pivoting over to settling down people of the Tress Kingdom we will watch the commons for unusual activity in general.¡± The Duke interjected. ¡°Allow me to add that the commons do not particularly care who is in charge. There have been many power changes within the Kingdom in the last 20 years and never has the peasantry ever revolted. Unless you begin to treat them excessively badly and or raise their taxes. You will probably want to look into the Nobility to the south. Those bordering the sea have much to lose and gain when changing hands due to the amount of coin that passes through.¡± The girl scoffed. ¡°I know how to do ¨C¡± She was interrupted by the Emperor. ¡°Ms. Yeru, while I see you as a fine strategist, might I remind you that you¡¯ve been chastised for your shortcomings ¨C particularly in regards to the commons and their ways. Listen to the Duke. He of all the nobility in the Tress Kingdom has seen the least amount of issues in regards to the peasantry. Thus, we will defer to his advice on this topic. And given that Crows and the Isles have been active recently compared to normal, I think it will be best to turn our eyes to the ports for now.¡± The Emperor said as he rubbed his temples. He continued. ¡°Its not that you¡¯re wrong Ms. Yeru, do understand that we are changing from wartime to occupation time. The rules are changing and thus we must keep these new changes in mind. We must rebuild and beat off the vultures that will come ¨C from within and outside. You are young, and this is your first war¡­ I pray it will be the last¡­ At least for a long time¡­¡± She bit her lip but eventually softened. Towards the end, she gave a small bow. ¡°I will defer to the Duke then on this.¡± The Emperor stood. ¡°See to the issue on your Northern border, Duke Herlard. The Empire will support you. Just see that the issues do not exacerbate, or you and your family will no longer see the benefits of nobility a moment longer.¡± Duke Herlard bowed and left the office. Thus, the Emperor stood, stretching his aged body. Ms. Yeru kept silent. After 10 minutes, the Emperor gestured for her to follow as he exited the office. Both of them stepped out into a grand stone hall. Knights in golden armor stood at attention. Their helms were adorned with small molded wings painted white. Polished polearms pointed upward with trained precision. A puff of smoky blue floated downward across from the Emperor, coiling itself on the floor before one of the knights. With silent speed, it took on a kneeling figure. Hooded and bowed. Its voice a light rasp ¡°The Duke has left the Keep with haste...¡± ¡°I suspected as much, follow and give me your side of the report.¡± The Emperor said as he turned down the hall and walked. The figure was silent and took up the right flank of his liege while Yeru took the left. He gave his report as thus. ¡°The Duke speaks true for most ¨C yet speaks one half-truth. The Beast people and the origins of the monsters¡­ My agents have managed to break into the Herlard¡¯s estate. There appear to be records that the Duke has no interest in pushing the Kingdom¡¯s borders more than where they lay. Rather, there were records from years ago about how a disguised Beastwoman Mage saved the Duke from an assassination attempt. From there¡­ It appears that the Duke had moved assets away from the Monster Land Acquisition department.¡± The Emperor interjected to ask a question. ¡°The Monster Land Acquisition Department?¡± ¡°It is a department within the Herlard region ¨C comparable to our Land Management department, but aimed at dealing with acquiring raw land beyond. And it is managed by the regional noble rather than the nation itself. Thus, its inner workers and records exist only with the Herlard estate.¡± ¡°I see.¡± The Emperor nodded. ¡°We will have to change that in the future. I believe the duke is an honorable individual given the overview report, yet I could not place the reason to why he abandoned all pushes into the wild. Is it safe to assume that this has something to do with the Beastwoman? Is it something we can use?¡± The figure answered. ¡°It matches with the whine-down periods. We were not able to breach the last fort town on the border to check their records. That may require an official visit to confirm. I can say that from what I¡¯ve seen, heard, and read ¨C I can concur with your assumption of the duke. With that said, I can assume that a deal was struck between the two parties. The Kingdom had an abundance of land already from their push southward and the late-king had no motivation to acquire more.¡± ¡°So Duke abandoned the land grab as well, and the late-king never objected, most likely due to having new lands deal with.¡± The Emperor stated. ¡°It was also towards the middle of the war as well.¡± The figure added. The Emperor amended. ¡°And he had our war to deal with as well.¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty,¡± The figure hummed. ¡° ¡°And what of the funds meant for the land grab process?¡± The Emperor asked. ¡°Paid out to infrastructure, better training and benefits for the region¡¯s soldiers, and support for the farmers.¡± The figure reported. ¡°While I hesitate to say he is a man of the people, it is clear he knows how to keep the commons on his side. It still is not a cakewalk. Most of his region is still new to the kingdom. Three-fourths of the land has been acquired in the last 3 generations. As you are aware, the Age of Monsters had ended 200 years ago. Thus, it is still developing.¡± ¡°Then we should strike while the iron is hot.¡± The Emperor chuckled. ¡°While I would like to keep the Duke within our graces, he will not be needed in the coming years. If he wishes to remain a noble in the slightest, he will need to prove his station. Despite what you say, the full report states the region has entered a state of entropy. Send a company of troops to the Duke¡¯s lands. Secure a clear route to the fort town, and we will use prison labor to weed out monsters and those who will not bow equally.¡± Ms. Yeru finally spoke up. ¡°My Liege, I believe this will be a mistake. We are stretched thin as is, and the army is fatigued.¡± The Emperor stopped. ¡°We have a new type of monster on our new border. We may be witnessing the birth of a new Age of Monsters. I will not hand the Empire over to my children while that sort of calamity hangs like an executioner''s blade over us all.¡± ¡°I understand, Your Majesty, however, the war has just been officially declared over!¡± Ms. Yeru persisted. ¡°Our troop effectiveness has declined below 30 percent! Please give us a year at least before we begin another deployment! If we only send the fresh recruits, I fear they will be eaten up by any rogue elements heedlessly!¡± The figure added his agreement. ¡°The War Scholar speaks truthfully. Desertion is only kept low as it is under the threat of death and war with the Kingdom. One of those two reasons is now gone. Its safe to say that the rate will skyrocket if you attempt to deploy the army ¨C and it will take a full deployment if you want this done correctly.¡± ¡°I agree with the Spy Master!¡± Ms. Yeru hastily said. ¡°If we tried to send anything less than corps risks failure and possible loss of the troops. We will have to secure nearly 500 miles of road. Calculating the supplies, wages, and time ¨C we¡¯re looking at an expenditure of almost 200 million gold!¡± The Emperor stopped and took a deep breath. After a few seconds, turned to face the two. ¡°We have an abundance of prisoners. Empty the prisons, jails, and any such holding facility. Fast-track criminal trials and forward them to the frontier. Split them between our front and the new front.¡± The Emperor said. ¡°We will sell this to the people as a push to reinvigorate the economy. Make sure farmers are well cared for and tend to any need their crops may have. Use the mages to clean up the battlefields if we need to.¡± ¡°Your Majesty! I¡ª¡± Ms. Yeru spoke up but was stopped by the Emperor. ¡°I know that the time after any war is a nation¡¯s weakest. I¡¯m gambling that the Crows and the Isles will not make a move. The Black Stone will go with whoever pays them. If need be, hire whoever we need from them.¡± The Emperor rubbed his temples. ¡°Too much was lost in this foolish war my father started. And I refuse to hand a broken nation over to my kids as he did. We need to restore hope that the future is bright¡­¡± ¡°Yes, Your Majesty¡­¡± Both Spy Master and War Scholar bowed ¨C still reluctant to carry the orders out, but¡­ Nonetheless, they will... ¡°Now leave, it is late. Notify the Duke in the morning before he leaves.¡± The Emperor said. 26 Two weeks later, Valley of the Ancients, Northern Frontier of Tress Kingdom¡­ [ /// PATROL COMMENCING; AO Bravo entered¡­ >>Loading Patrol Roster¡­ ______ > REAPER-01 {AGM-114 = 8, Flight time remaining = 89 minutes} > REAPER-02 {AGM-114 = 8, Flight time remaining = 90 minutes} ______ /PATROL PARAMETERS; Investigate lack of Adventurers¡­ >ORIGIN; Gen. Oki¡­ >APPROVED BY SYFA ] A colored video feed appeared before Opal of the Fort south of the Ark. The same fort that Syfa and her brother had been to and where her pursuers who attacked them originated from. It also acted as a base of operations for the adventurers who began to patrol the forests. And in the last six months, Opal had enforced the Hikari¡¯s boundaries a total of 27 times. This amounted to a total of 54 casualties on the adventurer¡¯s side. 10 dead and the rest of varying degrees of injured. In a sense, Opal wasn¡¯t pleased to have these altercations, but such was the way of things. She was the controlling Forward Operating Warmind AI aboard the crashed Omega Ark. After a time, the Hikari tribe also began to see her as a protector and savior. Both of which were not an issue to herself, rather, she enjoyed the increase of options that had been laid at her proverbial holographic fingers. She was not the leader of the Hikari, opting to only control things within the sphere of her ship ¨C she also shot it down if anyone joked about it. Opal refused to allow any festering notion she wanted to take over the Hikari. While Opal¡¯s programming had listed the who and what, along with appropriate contextual factors needed, to who could request or order her to do things; she felt a compulsion in her to want to appease her newfound friends, along with their loved ones and family. This had put the AI into a corner. There had been an unspoken cease-fire for some time. If the other side noticed she was now making expeditions into their side of the valley, Opal understood that the uneasy peace that had been established would end. Despite the time between the human forces attacking the Hikarai Village and now, the beastpeople still suffered from the lasting effects. Syfa had been consulting with Opal about the night terrors and skittishness that had plagued the villagers now. Even Oki had been known to wake screaming in the night. To calm their fears, Opal¡¯s IFV was now permanently stationed at the village center. An interesting development was that her spiders began to patrol on their own ¨C quite loudly at that, around evening and through the night¡­ Something she knew she had to look into, but oddly¡­ She didn¡¯t want to. Thus, let this behavior develop. Back to the operation ¨C Opal¡¯s first log of the fort town painted it as a lax settlement. Thus, to no one''s surprise given all the events that passed, it was now quite the fortified position. What Opal was now mapping as its outer ring, encompassing all that the warmind deemed the town¡¯s sphere of control, was more clearly defined. The forest had been cut down 30 meters beyond its original boundary around the town. That border had been clearly defined by a well-beaten path, posted with watch towers at certain intervals. The roads around the farmlands on the outskirts that were once ragged and unorganized were now straightened. A quick scan also showed that the plots had been combined as well to fit within whatever clear infrastructure plan they now had. It followed the markings of a clock, putting each guard tower on each number on the clock - forgoing the 6 and 12. Both being the rear and front gates respectively. As R-01 circled on its 3 o¡¯clock, noticed that there was a human-sized door on that side as well. It was safe to assume that there would be another one on the 9. But Opal wasn¡¯t human, and she rarely left things to chance if she could help it. Thus, R-02 circled on and had a visual confirmation. With the outer ring mapped, the feed moved inward to establish what she was now calling the inner ring, or the town proper. Their town¡¯s stone wall had thickened enough for three men to walk side by side on the forest front. At the moment, they were slowly working their way to the 6 o¡¯clock of the town. But it was clear their progress was slow as they¡¯d only gotten to the 10 and 2 o¡¯clock. Panning across the entire wall revealed several large staging points of material for it. Both drones moved their cameras to observe the inner town itself. Many of the buildings from before were there, but a large portion had been cleared around its central plaza. Large piles of materials had been stockpiled. Two freshly constructed mid-sized buildings (comparative to the largest building center of the town itself), with several large-foot print foundations marked with tens of workers mulling about. They measured and talked amongst themselves. To be noted, there was a large presence of armored humans, dressed similarly to the ones that had attacked the old village. Yet their style was slightly different. Their appearance looked streamlined and unadorned aside from the strange emblem center chest. The differences were starkly contrasted since there were a few humans in the armor that matched the aforementioned humans. They were gilded with designs and looked fitted to their forms. It co-sided with the large red flag that now hung over the town... She would need more information to judge the situation. Why were they fortifying the town? Why was there an influx of troops? Were they expanding their territory, or was it the beginning of an incursion on her? Who were the new forces? It did not matter if they were friendlies or enemies. If they were going to expand their territory, all she had to do was expand hers to accommodate the Hikari¡¯s needs. She would also need raw resources to feed her machines, thus the mountains on her sides would be a good place to start. It would also offer her a good staging area for artillery units. She had the schematics. She could transition into wartime without an issue¡­ Opal was worried for the Hikari. She gave the recall order, and the drones returned to the base. Landing the newly established runway atop the Omega Ark. Like the town, Opal hadn¡¯t been idle in these last six months. The Omega had been grounded between two peaks, creating a large lake in its wake. At its front, it had created a smaller, narrower lake. The amount of destruction caused in the crashlanding was enough to dash any hope of it reaching for the heavens once more. Thus, Opal had been tearing it apart and reconfiguring it section by section. Now, despite the majority of the ship still was just a wreck, the AI had transformed any sections with openings into a formidable bunker. A river had formed from the front, twisting its way through several corridors until it emptied the port-side stern. To her amazement, it crossed over dozens of cooling pipes to the reactor and single-handedly prevented a cataphoric explosion of her reactor of the years. Since it had done a fine job of this, Opal solidified the layout while reinforcing the piping and routes for safety and security. Where the water exited, she ¡°cauterized¡± it to prevent rust. There were also plans on the table to create secondary waterways for the aquatic life to return upstream at Syfa¡¯s request. Opal transferred from the drones as they taxied automatically to large elevator platforms at the front of the Omega. Back in the digital representation of her Net, the AI looked at the floating hologram that was the ship¡¯s connected systems. Most of it was online, however, was either red or yellow. All the green portions were renovated sections that were to accommodate her drones rather than humans. They could support living beings, but there were no creature comforts. Only straight halls with large square cavities that housed spider cubbies, or larger drones. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. That excluded her core and the reactor, as they were they had the most armor and support structures to protect them in events such as a crash landing. The proverbial black box. [/// STRUCTURE REPORT; Compiled¡­ > Ship; CRASHED = REFERB IN PROGRESS ¡­ 50% completed.. {CORE= OKAY} {REACTOR = OKAY} {Auto-Forge = OKAY} {Weapons = ERROR ¡ª Manifest errors found. ALL weapons are to be moved into the new armory when found.} {Munitions = ERROR ¡ª Manifest errors found. Non-listed munitions are to be stored until their appropriate arms are determined if viable. } {Light Frames = ERROR ¡ª Manifest errors found. Non-listed frames are to be recycled.} {Heavy Frames = ERROR ¡ª Manifest errors found. Non-listed frames are to be recycled.} {Aerial Frames = ERROR ¡ª Aerial bays damaged. Manifest missing. All units are subject to inspection & possible recycling.} {Human Vehicles = ERROR ¨C Manifest errors found. ALL vehicles are to be recycled.} {Life Support = OFFLINE ¨C Life support systems heavily damaged. System offline.} {Flight systems = OFFLINE ¨C Flight Systems offline due to crash.} {Geo-Location Services = ERROR ¨C Orbit deposits recorded. No signal was found.} ¡­ ] The report was short as Opal had trimmed much of its fat over the weeks to shorten the computation time by nearly half. As before, many of the weapons, and munitions the Omega had were not listed on the manifest. Opa, being a Warmind, understood that they had been trojan horses. Omega was supposed to be a civilian ship. A rather large one, but a civilian ship nonetheless. The amount of military hardware she had found over the months astounded her. There were no doubts that it was a strategic move on Earth¡¯s part to keep control over the colony should trouble arise from within. That aside, weapon caches she¡¯d found during her reconstruction showed half of them had been stored haphazardly. A side question that arose during these unearthings: why had the areas around her core been left untouched (spotless even) during the time she was offline? It was clear that time past had taken quite a toll on the ship itself. The top portion of the ship had rusted away. Plant life had taken over it completely, making it near imperceptible from the clouds where the mountain ended and the ship began. She had to clear all of it and strip 100 ft off the top of the ship before she found good metal. And even then, it had to be reinforced. Now the roof of the ship was comparable to a large condensed airport that could take off two of the largest cargo planes side by side with room to spare. Not that was her intention, but the room was there. She couldn¡¯t condense her footprint and thus took advantage of the space. She also had kicked around ideas of bringing the forest back to its rooftop, but in a managed way to get back that aerial camouflage. Back to the manifest ¨C Earth had different names for a variety of robots that spanned almost 800 languages. Records showed that there had been over 8,000, but wars, imperialism, and other macro-factors had condensed it down. That said, there still were almost 10+ frame models on her ship. It got condensed down further into the following models: Spiders: Her construction drones the size of medium-sized earth dogs. They had the capabilities to be combatants and the humans had a designation for these conversions, but now they were just Spider Drones. Light Frames: Humanoid frames, or any frame humanoid robots under 10ft of height. Mainly combatant models, with several stripped-down construction models. At the moment, there was one lightframe in the R&D bay that was to be her personal use model. Heavy Frames: Large robots that consisted of her Spider IFVs, her Spider APCs, two experimental Spider Tanks, and two experimental Bipedal Combat Offense units. Aerial frames were a different beast altogether when Opal considered how many different models there were. Almost 30+ models. Since the flight bays were on the outer edges of the ship, a good portion did not survive the crash. Half of them were Space Self-Defense Drones. None of those survived. However, she would have recycled them regardless since¡­ She wasn¡¯t in space. The point was made. Moving down the list, Human Vehicles were human vehicles. She could have them piloted remotely. But that then posed a problem with the lack of wireless infrastructure. At the current moment, she had been quietly installing towers in a ring around her; she was limited in the sense of advanced resources, things such as microchips, boards, and other components. Low, or dumb, level components were not compatible with her as it lacked the sophistication for her to pilot it. This roadblock was removed with a less-than-favorable option such as installing on-board mid-grade Dumb AIs that would report to her, like the construction drones. Why was this not favorable? Because she already noted how the spiders seemed to be developing their egos. It was cute. She saw them as her children now at this point when she compared it to the Hikari. Putting that kind of developing AI into a heavily armored and weaponized chassis was NOT a good idea. It meant they could challenge her. Not in a way that mattered. She could take them down. The damage inflicted on her while she did so worried her. It handed too much control into a variable she was not ready to trust¡­ Thus, she would recycle human eccentric vehicles for materials and space. There were blueprints for AI-operated vehicles on the back burner to replace them. That would not come into play once she could find a dead-kill option that was a surefire option to protect herself. So, a couple of tanks would be spared from the Forge as backup options. Life support systems were being recycled. In its place, a new vent system was being put in place to circulate the air. While not originally planned since viable air for living creatures was not needed, she took into consideration that Haiafe, Syfa, and her mate would walk her halls as well as a few other of the Hikari she trusted not to mess with her stuff. Flight systems were being completely dismantled. As of this moment, Opal had no plans for their spaces. The bottom rear thruster had been dismantled and recycled. At the moment, she planned to turn it into a quick-deployment bay for ground forces. The satellites she¡¯d deployed in orbit before crashing did not respond to her hails, and thus, assumed they had either fallen out of orbit. Burning up on entry, or flying into the void of space. Either way, they were out of play for her. She was not sure if attempting to establish a new orbital network was wise at her current stage since expanding her ground network was on hold as well. When the Omega entered this planet''s atmosphere, she had entered over the continent. With three different options. One to land in a large land-locked sea to the west, crash on snowy plains to the east, or crash into the valley she had landed in. She didn¡¯t have time to gauge the depth of that sea. The ship was created to withstand the vacuum and the pressures it brought. The ship could not withstand hitting the sea at the attack angles she had. Had she, there was a high likelihood of rolling and then sinking. Water covered the entire ship, and thus, it would be completely lost. Crashing down on plains was a better option, but the rolling factor was high. It was a secondary option she could have used. It was by far more preferable than sinking into the nothingness of an ocean. This valley, while not agreeable, offered protection against the tipping factor since the ship was taller than it was wider. It also had a lake on it that softened the blow, but she had also lost a good portion of her bulkhead hitting the top of a mountain. It worked as it allowed her to slam into the ocean, and then nearly roll. The ship positioned itself and slammed against the opposite mountain and then slid up the valley several hundred meters before it came to a stop. Regardless of her choices, heavy damage was going to happen. She just picked an option that had an outcome she felt would be better. That also meant that luck had been on her side as well that day since the calculations had been on the fly. Whether it worked out in the end was not her call, she could only roll the dice.. Opal was stuck here for the foreseeable future. Nothing she could do at the current moment would change that. No matter how many projections she made from the saved data ¨C whether her decision to land here specifically was a good idea ¨C or maybe if she¡¯d banked a degree to the right ¨C or left ¨C or the endless amount of possibilities she could¡¯ve thought up if she¡¯d done one action in the long line of controllable factors led to her crashlanding¡­ ¡°Opal¡­?¡± Syfa¡¯s distant voice was heard. 27 ¡°Opal¡­?¡± Syfa¡¯s distant voice was heard. Opal transferred to the source of the voice ¨C her spider IFV. As of this moment, it was the only one of three Spider Infantry Fighting Vehicles in her toolbox. There had been more, however, it¡¯d been a redundancy. The AI needed more flexibility, but she digressed. She didn¡¯t respond as she looked down at the Hikari leader. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you, Opal,¡± Syfa said with a tired smile as she looked up at the large metal contraption. ¡°What information gave away I had taken over this construct?¡± Opal asked, curious. ¡°Opal, the eye of this monster turns the color of your namesake. But even before that, its body becomes more¡­ Relaxed. It will no longer scan its surroundings, and becomes more attentive to the people around it.¡± Opal¡¯s eye nodded, mimicking the expression she¡¯d seen Oki and Haiafe do when they took in information. This elicited a small laugh from the woman. ¡°Not to mention how much more expressive you are compared to when¡­ They¡¯re themselves¡­¡± Themselves¡­ Their base programming. The DAIs did not house Emote-modules, and neither did Opal. However, she had a few protocols that forced her to find ways to gain compliance through peace rather than force. She had slowly begun to implement their speaking methods to help her towards this goal. A small tactic she¡¯d employed against her father to gain points in her favor. Much to the AI¡¯s delight, this tactic also worked on the Hikari and deescalated many tense situations. Situations that had decreased over time. ¡°And how do you see the children?¡± Opal asked. Syfa smirked. ¡°Don''t worry about your little ones. They have been most helpful. Especially with their night patrols. It helps soothe our own little ones. While as much as I¡¯d like to catch up with our esteemed guardian, I unfortunately come with business.¡± The machine nodded. ¡°You can come into the Ark to talk.¡± Syfa shook her head. ¡°We do not need privacy. While¡­ It should be out in the open. It will come to light sooner or later¡­ And they have also noticed a shift in the air. The past has only begun to scab over. Should we try and move in secret, it will act as a silent infection and fester in each Hikari¡¯s heart.¡± Opal nodded again. ¡°Then we may discuss here, friend Syfa.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed a decrease in the amount of humans entering the valley. The hunters speak, and the word has spread. At first, I dismissed it but kept it in mind. However, they haven¡¯t changed their tune for the last few months. And today I noticed you sent your birds into the sky. This might be a reach, but was this connected?¡± Opal confirmed. ¡°At midday, I launched a patrol of two unmanned aerial drones to patrol the town. It was seen that the town has begun reinforcing its original boundaries as well is in the process of erecting additional walls. There also is a sizable increase in manpower within the town itself. However, they have a different insignia compared to our first aggressors. Their appearance suggests practicality rather than the desire or need to stand out. These new forces appear to be in charge of the town¡¯s original force. I speculate that they are either preparing for an offensive, or the town¡¯s leadership has seen a change by whatever organization oversees them.¡± ¡°Did you happen to see the insignia?¡± Syfa asked. Opal nodded and used her onboard hologram projector to project the insignia above its head. It was decorative, simple sun. Its rays ended in solid diamond inlays. It had been over a red flag, but the symbol itself was on the chest of the new forces. Syfa stared at the symbol for a hard minute before she sighed. Her hand reached up to massage her temples as she grimaced. During this ¨C they had gained a small audience from the nearby villagers. Mainly the elderly and young who¡¯d flocked to the village center to complete their chores in the safety of the IFV¡¯s presence. Upon that observation, Opal wondered if their trauma made them gravitate to the IFV to do their chores rather than any other place. Or, if it was just circumstance, and the village center just so happened to be convenient. It would be an interesting experiment to try. She could move her IFV and ¡ª The idea of toying with the villagers for her curiosity chilled her core slightly. Although she hadn¡¯t committed their names or roles to memory, and only their facial scans along with DNA sets, it didn¡¯t give Opal the right to toy with them. She had earned their trust through fire and blood. Well.. Other¡¯s blood¡­ And setting them on fire. Regardless, she had to view them as living beings rather than numbers in her system. Even while this was her wish, the calculative side wanted answers to questions that didn¡¯t needed be answered. As such, they would remained unanswered. ¡°Its the symbol of the Emerald Empire.¡± Syfa eventually said. Opal re-ran the symbol, but couldn¡¯t reconcile that the symbol was that of a sun. Not a gem¡­ ¡°It is a sun, Syfa. Not a gem.¡± ¡°Yes, quite the observation¡­¡± Syfa said. ¡°The Emerald Empire attempted to rename itself years ago to the Raising Sun Empire, but the name never stuck. They eventually moved back to the current name. The Emperor did not change their flag back though. They¡¯re¡­ Less of a problem than the Tress Kingdom since the Kingdom is ruled by old fat nobles stuck in the past. But if the Empire¡¯s flag is now over that town, its safe to assume that the Empire has finally won against the Kingdom.¡± Opal acknowledged the new information with a nod and turned off the hologram. ¡°And how do you wish to proceed with this new entity? My initial patrol shows that their efforts are only on defensive capabilities. Given the large influx of troops within the town, I can also forecast that they have a high probability of attempting to project their power within the surroundings. At this point, I will be continuing forward with aerial patrols around sunset to change their readiness and combat potential, as well as possible routes they may be scouting.¡± ¡°That is what I¡¯m worried about.¡± Syfa said. ¡°If we go by my experience, the Empire doesn¡¯t have problems with other races. But I was just a lone beastwoman traveling incognito. If we remove the ourselves from the situation, and think of the Hikari as a small nation beyond the frontier¡­.¡± The Hikari leader paced back and forth in front of Opal. Their audience no longer pretended to be doing whatever chores they had dragged closer, and simply looked on anxiously. ¡°... We can assume that they would attempt to branch into our territory¡­¡± Syfa said. She came to a stop. Her hands falling to her sides and her eyes casted themselves to the sky. A forlorn expression settled on her face. It was at this time that Opal detected that Oki and Haiafe, along with the other able-bodied Hikari adults were nearing from the east. It would take them approximately 20 minutes to reach the village eastern gates. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°I will refer to your assumptions in this matter, Syfa.¡± Opal said. ¡°I do not know this nation, and have no information other that what you have given at this moment. Since we are both certain that they will attempt to move north, its safe to assume they will come into conflict with the Hikari. By extension, me as well.¡± Syfa nodded. ¡°You most of all. If there was anything I learned from my time traveling, is that the Empire and its people are quite the imperialists. I appreciated their ability to look past my race, but it only turned into that they saw me as lesser since I was not born in the Empire. Its safe to assume they will not look kindly on the Hikari¡­¡± Opal nodded. ¡°Persons attached to nations they do not recognized are considered lesser?¡± ¡°For the nine hells, Opal¡­.¡± Syfa ran her fingers through her hair. ¡°I was trying to say it nicely¡­ We aren¡¯t considered people to them. We are wildlings to them. Savages ¨C a step up from bandits, who are considered a slight step up from monsters. I¡¯ve read their histories. They will attempt to push us out ¡°Gently¡±. When that doesn¡¯t work, we¡¯ll just become free game. To pillage, kill or rape. In their eyes, we are just walking flesh mimicking humanoids. The Kingdom was bad, but at least they recognized us as a tribe. The Empire¡¯s people only see nations. We are not a nation. Thus, we are free to exploit.¡± Opal stopped and computed it all. She did not like this. ¡°But you are the Hikari. I consider you a nation, albeit micro-nation.¡± ¡°And you are far more kinder than man.¡± Syfa said with a softness as she pressed the soft of her finger tips to Opal¡¯s right front leg. ¡°A construct who¡¯s been far kinder than any living creature I¡¯ve seen¡­ While also being the more deadly one I¡¯ve ever encountered¡­¡± Opal¡¯s camera turned slightly, mimicking confusion. ¡°I am kind?¡± That elicited a full-belly laughed that spread a fair bit amongst the onlookers. Her question remained unanswered as Syfa walked away, saying ¡°We¡¯ll talk later.¡±
Haiafe looked down on the female form that rested on a side table in the Auto-Forge. His face had a reddish note to it as he looked over its shapely mechanical body. Made of reforged steel harvested from the Ark itself, Opal had dissected, revisited, and produced a new version of the Maid Android. While the schematics she¡¯d found for the android were useable, it was meant for an entirely different purpose than what Opal needed. Haiafe had shown disappointment when she had explained this several months ago, but kept the facial features he¡¯d picked for her. That very face was on the android right now along with real Hikari hair that¡¯d been donated by several of the women in the village. Opal had asked them to test the texture and feeling of the artificial hair she¡¯d created. It had apparently offended the women that her physical body-designated robot would have such hair. They had then offered their hair. Thus, a beneficial arrangement had been struck that involved hygiene product research and donation of hair. ¡°Um.. But what''s with all the metal on her head?¡± Haiafe asked. ¡°The crown that body is a multifunctional Temple Crown. The top section is an antenna that will allow me to connect to any drones within two miles. The left side houses several advanced processors. Lastly, the right side will house my memory banks.¡± Opal said through the overhead speakers. ¡°But it¡¯s different from what you had shown me last time,¡± Haiafe said with puppy eyes as he looked up to the camera directly above the table. ¡°Its.. Larger.¡± Opal had to admit that her changes did add girth and height to the body. The original plans called for the android to come up to 5¡¯5 even. Its form petite and busty. Opal acknowledged that it had a sexual appeal to it. Most likely to make its owner comfortable and, or desire its presence. Most likely to push more sales. She was not on earth however. She did not need to sale android maids, nor did she particularly care to make it sexually appealing ¨C since it only had a face plate with face skin, and the rest was just painted gloss white metal panels. ¡°I understand that you are disappointed, Haiafe.¡± Opal said in a soothing manner. ¡°But I have addressed the lack of durability and functionality to the android. Please do not worry. These changes are purely to test how they operate in the real world. Once I have my data, I will refine the appearance. Does this satisfy?¡± Haiafe began to nodd, but then looked away with his face redder. ¡°Erm¡­ Its your body. Make it how you like¡­ I¡­¡± Opal felt¡­ Delight at this shy man. ¡°Since this is a satisfactory answer, I will begin the diagnostic face.¡± Haiafe nodded and stepped back. The table raised upward, slowly reangling itself so that the table¡¯s head was upward with the other end downward. The man stepped back and fully admired the large android that was now an entire foot taller, and its plates were shaped to mimic the curvature of slightly curvy human female. While Opal had kept the shape of breasts, while slightly reducing them within reason, they were a lack of anatomy in the nether regions. Rather, it was just a solid plate down that rose up the front to where the body¡¯s belly button would¡¯ve been in a reversed U. Opal had taken artistic liberties with the design, and Haiafe clearly was in love with it in child wonder kind of fashion. ¡°I will go through the tests, please let me know if you see something wrong.¡± Opal said. She didn¡¯t need his help, but she was certainly enjoying that wonder he was expressing. Opal began by moving her right arm. Slowly, like a newborn, the arm lifted outward. Its fingers were uncoordinated. Opal quickly ran through the tests with each limb in a similar fashion. During this, she explained what she was doing, why she was doing, and key issues she was looking out for. As the tests continued, she found 43 issues and had to move painfully slow so Haiafe could look over how her new form moved. But it was worth watching this sweet Hikari man look over her metal joints with a kin eye that resembled the scientists back on earth. The way he was fully absorbed into this thing he viewed as futuristic, new¡­ and she wondered if he saw all the potential her creators did¡­ The way her father did¡­ She continued with each limb, pleased with Haiafe''s attention to her and only her in this moment. Unsure to why she was, but accepting it as there was no reason to diagnose it. Since she''d come back online, there was a laundry list of unknowns to delve into. This one specifically she deemed as a quirk not worth adding to that list. It made her pleased. Happy. And Haiafe said that happiness was a state all living beings wish to obtain. Why shouldn''t she? The only comment Haiafe had about this build was the whine of the servos, noting that it was quite loud as she got to her feet. Opal''s initial happiness was crushed, and a sense of... something... took its place. She wanted to throw the android in the trash and start from the beginning. "Then I will abandon this body," Opal said. Haiafe panicked. "Wait, wait! Why do that?!" "Your kind have sensitive ears. I have treated all members of your kind for hearing loss after I helped eliminate the attackers in your village. While I am happy to continue to provide medical aid, I do not wish to cause you or your tribe discomfort with my loud internals." Opal said paused, then added. "These joints are the lowest in the Military database. I will have to research on improving them." "Does that imply there is a non-military database? If so, what''s wrong with that list?" Haiafe asked. "Load bearing and survivability," Opal answered as she settled the body back onto the table. "Should I need to, this body needs to be combat-ready." "Opal... Do... Do you have to fight with that body...?" Haiafe said sadly. His tone stopped opal. Her head turned to him and studied him through their freshly created optics. It offered a clarity that her security cameras could not offer. How could they if she was to if she was in the process of rationing her resources for an emergency? She studied the subtle ways his face fell. His eyes. After several moments she nodded. "I understand. I will lower the quality of this body. However, please keep in mind that means I will have to compromise on several parts. I will attempt to mitigate most of the downfalls but there will be hiccups and situations it will not be able to handle." Haiafe nodded, a smile that made Opal''s reservations disappear. Thus, he watched as the forge''s arms came down and began to dissemble the body. 28 - Godswood Knights (Empire POV) /// One Week Later The more this man speaks of peace, the more I think we¡¯re going to war again¡­ Marlon thought as he stood at attention. Above him was one of the Emperor¡¯s advisors. He spoke of how the war has come to an end, and with it, the beginning of a new chapter for the Emerald Continent ¨C what the Empire had been named after. At 25 summers old, Marlon looked up at the advisor with dead eyes and a face that resembled his grandfather more than his own father. The war had taken its toll on his body and mind, and he did not bother to pretend to try and stand at the proper attention. His leather-gloved hand gripped the top rim of his weathered breastplate. The other rested atop the battered-shaped leather pouches attached to his sword belt. The ringed around his back, stopping at his sides to not hinder his legs. Unlike the fresh recruit behind him. His plate armor polished to a shine, a shine that carried up to the boy¡¯s own eyes as he looked up to the advisor as Marlon once did. ¡°Remember: you are the proud knights of the Empire!¡± The advisor¡¯s voice rang out magically. ¡°You have brought nations and warlords to their knees! Once your enemies, you will enter the Kingdom as Conquers! I implore you to keep this in mind, but do not let the commons or nobles alike tarnish our honor! We are lions still!¡± Marlon harbored a small wish that the advisors had died in the war as well. They were at the Fort City of Godswood ¨C their home ¨C but had been recalled to the Capital after the war ended for ceremonies and the pony show the nobles loved to do when they won their games. And for the last three fortress cities, some big wigged noble has given a speech for each time they departed. The Knight had no doubts they¡¯d scribble it down in their books of notable things done¡­ And like this, the departure ceremony ended. Soldiers, veteran and fresh blood alike, began the final preparations they¡¯d been interrupted in when the Advisor called them all for an assembly for his speech. Marlon and the Godswood Knights didn¡¯t. He¡¯d expected it by now, and had his soldiers finish it all last night. So, he and his soldiers assembled around their section of the caravan that was to make its way to the frontlines. ¡°Sargent Marlon,¡± A voice that tried to sound elegant spoke up. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see our¡­ Knights¡­ Come home.¡± Marlon closed his eyes and counted to 10 before turning to face the speaker. ¡°Lord Ronald¡­¡± ¡°I see dogs are incapable of learning human manners.¡± Lord Ronald spoke with unhidden annoyance. ¡°And that they also shirk their own duties of preparing for their departure.¡± Marlon¡¯s eyebrows raised and gave him a mocking contemplative look. ¡°And last I checked, my men had already prepared it all last night. As for manners¡­ I''m not sure what you mean. As you say, dogs know only how to bark and bite.¡± The lord man glared at the knight who towered a head or so over him. ¡°You are quite unfortunate, Sargent Marlon. You escaped the Godswood battle with your life, and yet the Empire has granted you a title that does not allow me to punish mongrels like you and your men. Then I find you here back in my City on the way to the Tress Frontier! Oh oh oh! My, how the gods smile upon me to know you are marching to your sure death¡­¡± ¡°I do believe me and my squad were left out to dry by your own orders, Lord Ronald.¡± Marlon said, bored of the interaction. ¡°We didn¡¯t escape, you just made a terrible call that we managed to survive. If you hadn¡¯t ordered us to hold the bridge and allowed the Kingdom¡¯s forces to enter the city¡¯s main street like the Knight Sargent wanted, all the glory we gained would have gone to you!¡± He gestured to the Lord and continued. ¡°So, unless you want to try something right now, I''m tired and I¡¯d rest in the wagon before something requires being dead¡­.¡± Marlon turned away, the Lordling turning red just as the Advisor appeared in a doorway of a nearby tower. The nuisance turned off, stomping towards the person in question, and left the knights to embark. ¡°Think he¡¯s gon¡¯ cause trouble sir?¡± Knight Tim asked as he helped Marlon into the back of squad¡¯s lead wagon. ¡°Likely¡­¡± The Sargent sighed as he settled himself into one of three makeshift beds. His men were the most lax of the column. Of course, they were also a ragtag group of drafted farmers who¡¯d always fought to protect themselves. The Godswood was the forest that framed the entrance to the First Isle. It was where the portal that humans came through all those years ago. In generations past, it was once considered a holy site, but fell to the wayside as wars rose, rulers died, and humans did what they did best. Forget their roots. Those who''d protected and watched over it also fell to the wayside, forcing them to fend for themselves as they tried to stick to their roots desperately. A kind of life that allowed them to survive the Godswood bridge. Marlon sighed and took off his barbuta, tossed it onto the crate labeled ¡°DRIED BEEF¡±; settling in as best as he could while in full armor, only to see that his soldier was still looking at him, clearly expecting an answer. This made him grumble. ¡°The Empire has sent the general army ahead to secure most of the major points during the last 20 odd days. It is clear our magnanimous Emperor requires us there immediately ¨C hence us leaving at the ass crack of dawn. The last thing that man would want is to prevent us leaving later than we can. If we¡¯re here, that advisor will have eyes on everything and I''m sure we know he doesn¡¯t want someone sniffing around here.¡± The knight acquiesced before finally turning away.
It was a hard 25 days to Eagle¡¯s Fort on the northern edge of the Tress Kingdom. Yet, Marlon felt worse for the men and women He had noticed they worked like dogs to pave the road here. In two months, the first lateral trans-nation highway had been created, Ignoring that the Tress Kingdom would slowly be absorbed into the Empire as it had done to others in the past. It was a historical feat that would no doubt ignore the massive use of prisoner slave labor. He had seen several mass graves of POWs who¡¯d been worked to death in the last month¡¯s time. And of course, the Empire had kept its promise to return its people. Marlon just figured they hadn¡¯t expected it would be in the form of mass graves to build one long road that would cut the path to Eagle¡¯s point down from three months down to 25 days for a determined convoy. That was not to account for the fact that the convoy had broken up across the route. The timeline was a death march for horses, and many were run down before being sold to the locals as food before acquiring fresh stock. Many of the other squads were of ¡°honorable¡± birth. They¡¯d refused to kill what they viewed as their companions whereas the Godswood squad cared little for them. They had done what they needed and crossed the Town¡¯s outer boundary before supper. Only two other squads had managed that ¨C 40 men of the original 350-strong convoy. But that was not Marlon¡¯s problem. ¡°Papers!¡± An empire¡¯s foot soldier ordered as they came near the southern gates as the sun flared its goodbyes, casting a warm orange glow across the fortified town on a hill. Next to him was an all too familiar uniform of an Administration officer. A prim and pressed charcoal cotton button-up with a ruby red Gatsby cap. The Sargent had switched with one of his men at their last rest stop and thus sat on the coach bench. Pulling the orders from a belt pouch, he handed it over where the Admin officer looked it over, cast a spell on it before handing it back with a smile. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Welcome Godswood squad.¡± He looked behind us. ¡°Only twenty wagons? How many men do you have with you?¡± ¡°40 men. The full 20 of Godswood and the full 20 of Greyrock. Two carriers and two suppliers.¡± Marlon had answered. ¡°Where¡¯s the rest? I was expecting a full corps to roll through.¡± The Admin pulled some paper from a hidden enclave where a small makeshift closet office was. Marlon nodded. ¡°Lt. General Arnold allowed any squad to go ahead if they so chose to, but refused to sacrifice their horses to make the timeline the Strategic Office set.¡± The sergeant felt weird wording it that way, but the time spent in the capital beat in military etiquette within the short span of four months. While not even up to the stuff of his given rank, it was enough for a squad that was essentially a ragtag group of draftees. ¡°Heh¡­ That sounds like that Lt. general.¡± The Admin chuckled, his expression softening to reveal exhaustion. ¡°You alright, Sir?¡± Marlon asked. ¡°The operation has taken quite a toll on us paper pushers,¡± The officer said. ¡°Up and down all day, forced to rest my head when I can. You aren¡¯t the first ones through. Similarly, this force-march has scattered all the troops to the wind. Each arriving as fast as they can or following their own time. I was praying the next arrivals would come all at once ¨C on schedule.¡± ¡°I believe we are on schedule,¡± Marlon said pointedly. The officer smirked. ¡°That you are. That¡¯s more so pointed at the rest of your convoy that will arrive when they damn well please. Well, that¡¯s enough of your time I¡¯ve taken up of both our times night comes and the metal beasts become restless from what the scouts report.¡± Passing through, Sargent Marlon pressed their four wagons through the town. As promised, they had arrived on the exact date their leaders picked for them. And stationed here¡­ Was the general army itself. At least, a small portion of it. Dull grey armor could be picked out by the dozen along the main street. It cut directly across the town to the northern gate. Soldiers took up posts every 30 feet to the next gate. Archers even were patrolling across the roofs. Their eyes trained on the sky oddly. The citizenry looked of a more rough and tumble sort. Different from rural little folk. These people were no doubt problem stock if they were out this far. Marlon may not have gotten a formal education, but being on the fringes of Godswood taught him that few people lived there willingly. They were not to be trifled with. Fortunately, policing these people was not their objective. The few people walking about at this time scattered upon seeing their quaint caravan. Shifty eyes sized them. Calculating ones attempted to picture what coin could part their hands. A few, however, looked at them with mockery. And of all the kinds of stares, this was the one he hated most. They were the ones that would most likely try something. But nothing happened. They went unmolested through the rough dirt streets, turning where prompted by the posted men. At the end of the line was the garrison. Marlon could feel himself relax slightly once passing the threshold. Its massive thick wood doors shuttering inches from the rear of the last carriage. The garrison was set up in a large circular fashion with a statue of the Emperor himself erected at its center. A large roundabout for carriages to ease in and out of the complex. The buildings surrounding the roundabout were two to four stories tall. Sentries stood watch on the rooftops. The tops of several ballistas were visible as well. And all of this was new, judging by the fresh-cut wood smell. In a rush no less if Marlon knew his carpentry. All the exposed wood sections were roughly cut, with plenty of excess wood that should¡¯ve been cut before their job was finished. A hastily built compound to house a hastily thrown-together subjugation force. All to kill off an unknown monster-type that supposedly appeared nearby. All in all, Marlon did not like this assignment one bit. Not like he had much say in the matter though. With horses directed to come to a halt as close to the buildings as they could, Marlon and the men disembarked. To greet them was another Administration officer who also checked his papers. ¡°Ah, Marlon of Godswood? The same that held the bridge?¡± The mousy-faced officer asked with raised eyebrows. Marlon nodded. ¡°Ay. there¡¯s another famous soldier amongst our ranks it seems,¡± The officer chuckled to himself before he gestured to follow. He led him and his men into the largest building ¨C up unstained stairs and into a large office. Marlon stood at the foot of the officer¡¯s desk after he took his seat. Several stamps were slammed at the paper¡¯s bottom, signed, and filed into a basket behind him. That was when he turned to address him and the other officers who¡¯d come with him. ¡°Now that the formalities are over. Can I ask you some unrelated questions?¡± Marlon nodded his slowly, unsure of what it could be related them if not their deployment to the frontier. ¡°Did you guys really hold that bridge?¡± He asked. ¡°... What I mean to ask is¡­ Did you really hold off several assaults while holding the Godswood line?¡± Marlon sighed¡­ He was tired of answering this particular question. But the officer had a boyish delight in his eyes that told Marlon that this man was still looking for heroes in this world. ¡°Yes. Our Lord¡­ Failed to get a message to us about retreating. Because of this, we dug ourselves into the bridge. It was a long two hours of fighting.¡± The officer¡¯s eyes went wide in wonder, not noticing the distant looks of the Godswood officers. ¡°You and your men must be from good stock, or maybe you guys have a hardy training regiment? I have yet to see a lot of these men last longer than 30 minutes in training!¡± He beamed. ¡°You must be proud of them for holding the line!¡± Marlon gave a troubled smile. ¡°Yes¡­ Proud¡­ We lost a lot of good men. We would have all been killed if we were not Godswood forest folk. We spent most of our days milling away in the forest. Logging. Scavenging. Fighting off the lesser monsters that have become part of the local fauna. It made us hardy and resilient. Enough to hold down to the survivors.¡± He nodded. ¡°My condolences. War is never easy from what I can tell. Millions of lives were lost in this war. Years we could have spent building up against the non-humans ¨C wasted on infighting. At least its all coming to an end now. We¡¯re back to exploring the frontier!¡± ¡°I thought we were here to fight off the unknown monster types that appeared?¡± Marlon asked. ¡°That too,¡± He laughed. ¡°But the initial group from the empire was the exploration corps. They said the Emperor is keen on fighting for new resources to help push us back into a golden age. All we have to do is survive!¡± Marlon agreed, just¡­ without the officer¡¯s enthusiasm. ¡°Survive is the key part of that sentiment. Well. It¡¯s been a long journey. I think I¡¯ll be going retiring for the night.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± The officer yelped and stood up. ¡°I almost forgot! Here, let me show you to your quarters! What you saw earlier wasn¡¯t the whole garrison. Unfortunately, building and fortifications are behind schedule. You won''t be sleeping in our quality beds tonight!¡± He grinned, amused at his own joke, and led them back outside. The path he took seemed to be a sort of alleyway between the buildings and the new well they had built. It was wide enough for a single wagon. Beyond this section appeared to be a far older fort. Most likely the original fort itself. It looked like repairs had been done to it. And the old insignia of the previous order ¨C the one killed by the new monsters ¨C was still painted upon the closest building. ¡°The bones of the original fort was good, just needs shining up.¡± He said. ¡°When we got here, we decided to keep it for housing since it could house the entirety of the incoming troops. The exploration corps themselves decided they would camp in the wilderness. They will report via Manabird every morning and night. So, you lot will get it all by yourself. And since you''re the first here¡­ Go ahead and pick whichever rooms you want. If the Lt. General complains, let him know to talk to me. Latecomers don''t get to complain about getting the shitty rooms!¡± Marlon sighed, already opting the pick the furthest room in the complex to avoid potential fights. Looking up, he said a prayer of protection. For him. His men. For his family back home. When he did, he noticed for the briefest moments a strange figure outlined in the dying light. He most likely would have missed it if he had blinked. But he stared at it as it curved slightly before turning towards the northern wildlands¡­ He felt it was a bad omen of what was to come¡­ 29 For Opal, two weeks passed in a blink. The humanoid android project was on pause given the need to disassemble every joint. From there, she would refabricate the previous weaker, but quieter joints. Total manufacture time was 1h ¨C including the time to clear the next project off the queue, finish up the next manufacturing bay, then mill the parts, print the plastics and mold any rubber pieces. Electrics would not be an issue as she¡¯d already decided on several new standardized boards and other pieces that would fit together. A custom-fitted part would always be better, faster, and slimmer, but if they were going to be weaker, why waste the time if they¡¯re going to be replaced faster? Thus, it was simply added to queue as normal. It was a week turnaround on her end. During this time, the human town had begun to step up in activity. At first, Opal hadn¡¯t given the occurrence much thought initially. However, she changed the priority when they had activated their ¡°panic button¡±. To avoid an incident something happened, and no one knew, Opal along with Syfa had directed the beast-people to only travel outside of Opal¡¯s immediate surveillance. This encompassed all of the shore line around the lake, the buffer zones around the beached ship, and any location under immediate control of Opal¡¯s machines. However, this was not acceptable to them as they were organic, living beings that required a plethora of things. Thus, several Spiders were available at any moment to follow any Hikari that needed to travel out of these key areas. That explanation aside, this drone had alerted Opal of the situation. Within a minute, she had Reaper-1 and Reaper-2 enroute to the location ¨C the old Hikari village. It had been transferred into a memorial, and the humans were attempting to turn it over for their ¡°investigation¡±. Following after, since they were slower, was a new experiment V/STOL she coded named the Seahorse-1. A modified Seaking helicopter that had its cargo area replaced with a hastily repurposed bomb bay that drops pods that hold Light Frames instead of bombs. While Opal had the Reapers at a high altitude, the Seaking came low and loud alongside while the Walker IFV followed slowly behind as ¡°inaccurate artillery¡±. With only plans for artillery installations, she would have to do with the far smaller splash of the IFV¡¯s chaingun. Plentiful for saturation, a dedicated 155mm LRSB (Long Range Strike Battery) would have been superior. Despite Opal¡¯s sight into the situation, and the feeling she was far unprepared to handle an actual combat situation that put the Hikari danger close, it seemed that the humans were unable to see that she inadequately prepared. The forces were prompt to retreat from the old village the moment they were able to discern that the Seaking was heading in their direction. Being in a valley, despite how large it was, meant that the noise profile of a rotorcraft would attract the attention of most people in the valley. That was also my point to using it. Opal¡¯s access to technology beyond their understanding wasn¡¯t so much a clear advantage. Her observations of the humans so far made that clear. Like the humans from Earth, they were cunning, smart, and dangerous. Their deviation was down the path of ¡°magic¡±, rather than technology. Which would be their verison of technology in a sense. Either way, the situation had been simmered with the intruders returning to the forest to observe the situation. Because of this, she did not waste the deployment of the Light Frames as she would then have to recover said light frames. Rather, Opal kept the Seaking in a loop involving that half of the valley ¨C making a point not to go near the forest. They observed for 5 minutes before they completely disengaged. Returning to the town and most likely reporting the situation to their commanders, Opal had the Reapers track them throughout their return trip. There had been six locations they stopped momentarily, disappearing into the brush for several minutes. Afterward, they continued onward. Today, she would add another two reapers to the patrol schedule. She was hesitant to add jet propulsion vehicles to her fleet, given that she was looking at her manifest right now. Following that thought, Opal studied a 3d map of the valley and its surroundings. To the north were more valleys. It was filled with strange animals of different sizes that had seemed content not to make their way south, but was slowly moving towards her. . To the south was human occupied territory. Once sparsely populated on initial scouting flights, it was now bustling with activity that was slowly surging towards her. She was in the middle of these two forces. If she had jets, long distance flights wouldn¡¯t be an issue to project her power. But the quality of fuel needed was far higher than just providing electricity to advanced batteries she could produce. Yes, her flight capabilities using electronic technology was limited. It required battery change outs and short flights normally. Her current boon at the moment was that Reapers could just flight above the clouds. She installed solar panels into its fuselage. Their flight time was extended so long as it was day, and it was above the clouds. The same went with the ground frames as well. Charging infrastructure was planed, and partially installed within the ship itself at convenient locations for the drones to access. The reactor could push enough power to feed the whole New York City on its own on a hot summer day. Power was not an issue. But she only had enough capacity to field three jets at max if she kept their flights limited to once a month for all three. Or just one with three flights. One would be economical. Three would be for the possibility of another engagement that required lethal and quick delivery of munitions. In the event that her slow-movers could not drop ordnance on a target ¨C the one keeping her rotorcrafts out of the air ¨C a fighter jet would be a dream answer. Opal closed the map and focused on another holoscreen that appeared. This time it showed security footage of another human patrol on her border. She made a disgusted face, similar to what she¡¯d seen Syfa make often. A desire to open fire on them boiled inside her. To drop a single High-Explosive missile in the middle of the group. Reaper-1 was in the air. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem for her to do so. It was as simple as¡­. She felt her entire being freeze, and the reaper drone observing the town jerk itself back on course for its patrol. The AI caught itself about to act on its compulsion, and that scared her. The loss of control made her close the window. She scanned over cyberspace, desiring for some outside influence that could have caused it. None was to be found Opal pushed the problem away for the moment ¨C hopefully permanently. There were a lot of issues to deal with and possible rampancy was not something she wanted to confront at the moment. Moving on, the AI sighed and looked at her notifications. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. She smiled to herself, something she¡¯d seen the Hikari do. On her list was that the android was done. It had been done for a few hours, but she¡¯s put it off while she made sure to handle any outstanding tasks. Which, she went down quickly. /// TASKS _______________________________________ > Android body refurbishment: COMPLETE > Secure perimeter: SECURE > Patrol human activities: IN PROGRESS > Examine and analyze Earth produced schematics in database: IN PROGRESS > Secure & create 2 areas for artillery batteries: HOLD > Secure oil: HOLD > Expand East and West: HOLD > END LIST /// Several in progress objectives and a single one on hold. That one would take a considerable amount of time. Time spent better elsewhere besides prospecting and drilling. Not to mention that humans have been here for some time per Syfa¡¯s brief explanations on the continent¡¯s history. Opal would assume that oil has been found in some capacity. It would be a matter of time until it comes up. The assumption also assumed that Opal would not be constrained to the Valley. During Reapers¡¯ patrols, they had spotted what looked like civilization to the South-East and the South-West. Currently, she has a small avenue over the eastern ridge. This offered a direct narrow and risky route. The south-western pass would be the same but required her to pass through a lake that side of Lake Erie. Each route would require excavation up the sides of the mountains, clear out a pass, and then do the same on the other side. The east offered land for more expansion. The west offered the possibility of creating a small naval fleet to control it. Given that this was a new world, both would enter new threats into her logs. So for now, pacifying this valley would be the first step. The android body was done, and there would always be a laundry list to complete. She decided to take a moment to not overheat her banks attempting to solve her problems at all moments. Transferring over to the Autoforge¡­ Basking in the workshop lights was the new body. Complete and all. She also took the liberty to finish off the android with Real Flesh ? , a synth-skin cover that mimics human flesh. She shaded it to the average Hikari tone since the beast-people seemed to be mostly human. Opal classified them as ¡°Mostly¡± since she had not dissected one of them. Thus, she had to class them on appearance only¡­. She made a note to request any recently deceased Hikari for medical purposes. She looked over her hand while simulcasting a portion of herself to the IFV in the village. There, she stopped the nearest Hikari and requested they inform Haiafe and or Syfa that Opal¡¯s body was completed. She would wait for them in the Forge. During this downtime, she stretched her body in different manners. Mimicking the stretches diagrammed in her medical exercise database. It had no muscles to speak off. Its bones were titanium. Its joints low-end servos for the lowest noise profile. Retractable blades were housed in its forearms, and magazine storage compartments were housed in her outer thigh and inner thigh respectively. Most of critical systems were housed in the ribcage. There had been an artificial sexual organ system in the original maid design, and it had been removed in Opal¡¯s modified design. In its place, she housed a small fuel cell for a jetpack. For those times she¡¯d need rapid acceleration. The question of keeping the original system had been brought up with the Hikari siblings. Haiafe wanted opal to keep it, after some shy mumbles. Syfa had overruled him and asked Opal to add more of her own system into the android. The AI had a fondness for the sister. While she did not pretend to like her technology ¨C she did not shy away from understanding it and assisting Opal with design quagmires she often found herself in. All and all, her body mimicked that of Syfa to 87.2978% accuracy. The deviation was made at Haiafe¡¯s request. Several other Hikari women came in to assist with the final body alterations. Aside from weighing nearly 500lbs, the android was nearly indistinguishable from a real human female. By the time Syfa arrived, with her brother, Opal had completed all system checks. Several Spyders had brought one of each handheld weapon system. She tested her weapon handlings and found it lacking. Her movements were identical to her Light Frames¡­ Maybe because they had the same programing. ¡°I knew it,¡± Syfa sighed as she rubbed her temples. ¡°You¡¯re in the nude.¡± Opal dry-fired an M14-CM. It was an M14 with modifications to be used with an augmented human. Thus, it was equipped with inputs for sights, a range finder, light and laser combo. All of which had no physical switches. All of it would input digitally to opal through connectors in her palms and the weapon¡¯s integrated handle. ¡°I do not possess clothing.¡± Opal answered objectively. ¡°And I am not a living organism.¡± Syfa paused for a moment as she watched the AI¡¯s unnatural movements before she cringed. ¡°Old gods¡­ Its creepy how you move. Have you not watched how the others move? Did not make some sort of¡­ program¡­? I believe thats the word¡­ To mimic our movements?¡± ¡°No. I believed it unneeded as this body is a construct.¡± Opal said. ¡°Opal, you are spending considerable resources on doing this. The least you could do is commit to it. Otherwise, why bother?¡± Syfa refuted her. Opal stilled, her eyes on the M14-M on the table. It took 20 seconds for the AI to respond. ¡°I will endeavor to learn.¡± Syfa nodded. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be naked anyways. That¡¯s why I had my brother stay back and watch the village. I brought with me our weaver. She will make you leathers and weave any clothes needed. We will make the finest we can for you.¡± ¡°I simply need basic coverings.¡± Opal said as she watched several newcomers enter the forge with the IFV pulling a cart full of leathers and other materials. Opal found her left eyebrow raise involuntarily. The IFV was operating on its own at the moment. All of her drones had decision making capabilities, but it seems they were growing beyond their designated boundaries. Not that Opal saw a problem with it. So long as they followed her overall desires. What Mother wouldn¡¯t want her children to grow? ¡­. She dismissed that thought, scared of where it came from. For the next hour, she allowed the weavers to measure her new body. They fawned over her youthfulness. There was also sentiments of sadness that she had not taken on the appearance of the Hikari ¨C mainly the ears and tails. As well as her not being a living being as they would have loved to wed her to their surviving sons. They complimented her on the beauty nonetheless. Opal promised that her next iteration would be of the Hikari. Sadly, there was an issue with hardware conflict. The AI needed to redesign the headspace completely as it¡¯d been fashioned for human maintenance. The Autoforge did not need hourly pay, nor worried on getting their expensive maid/sex companion back in a timely manner. To her, she could simply make several bodies to be on standby. In the end, the weavers could not address how to dress Opal. Each of them had their own vision. Opal had to come in and display the original dress that came with it. The picture was found in an email advert on an engineer¡¯s terminal. It was a ¡°milk-maid dress¡±. The women fought over how ¡°sexual¡± it was, but also looked at Opal. There was unanimous agreement that it would be fine. Opal had ¡°breasts¡± but had no sexual organs. Not even a fake vagina. She also possessed no sexual drive. There was more to discuss as they crafted her dress in their materials. Opal found she did not have the heart to tell them she could have done it herself. All of them seemed to revel in their chance to do this for her. She found herself inadvertently smiling as she watched the women happily put the final touches on her new outfit. 30 ///: OPAL_ ¡°By the gods!¡± ¡°This is our Guardian?!¡± ¡°She¡¯s a goddess!¡± The shocked murmurs of the village tickled Opal¡¯s ears. Rather, the microphones in them. Fitted with her new dress and encouraged by the weavers who¡¯d entered with Syfa, Opal stepped out of the ship in her new body. Syfa had wanted it to be a surprise, but she did not like heaping surprises onto others. She had already notified Haiafe through the IFV as well as informing Syfa that she did not like surprising others with things. Everything that made up Opal made her loathe the idea of surprises, not to mention surprising friendlies. However, it seems that Syfa still got her wish. Her appearance shocked the villagers. It irked her while the villagers were pleasantly surprised. It was¡­ An interesting experience that Opal was not in a rush to have again. A few mutterings among the younger women off put her and a few more among the men did the same. She did not like the way they looked at her. It took her around 10 minutes to break away from the excited villagers. Stepping away with Syfa, the two stepped into the eastern woods opposite of the village to patrol. Several Syders, Light Frames and both Reapers joined with the Seaking on standby as well as Opal keeping 2 Valykria PATRIOT ? 10mm Pistol, or an incredibly fine-tuned double-stacked 1911s. She planned to leave the IFV. In lue of this, she figured she could send both her tanks up to the top of the ship to act as provisional artillery. This would take around 30 minutes as she hadn''t exactly built a master elevator yet. Which she added to her list of ¡°to do¡±. Watching the world through two binocular eyes was an experience to say the least. Alongside attempting to mimic Syfa¡¯s movements to better create fluid movements. The AI found itself annoyed with the situation. It had no doubt in its processing that there would have been a movement suite in the original android. The fact it had to recreate it upset Opal beyond any reasonable articulation. Once she got her movement models to 50% recreation, she¡¯d push an update to every frame that would be under her direct control¡­. At least start designating certain frames as her personal ones. Opal watched as Syfa stopped to examine a cluster of mushrooms, before she huffed in disapproval before continuing on. Their path led towards the border as they rimmed the sand bank. A path had already been cut through the trees following an animal trail. There was no need to walk on the sand itself if it would only impede them. ¡°How do you see the world, Opal?¡± Syfa asked eventually as they stopped in a clearing some time later. ¡°Through my cameras, Syfa.¡± Opal answered as she crouched down and examined some mushrooms. It was the same kind as previously. Though, Opal was confused as to what made the Hikari woman turn her nose up to it. Syfa let out a laugh. ¡°Not like that! I mean, how do you see it. Let me explain¡­ Before I lost my magic, I used to see the flow of mana in the world. It was beautiful, as if you could see the wind faintly. But to see mana, you have to have mana in you to begin with. That is why I wonder how you see the world. I know you see things in a different light, but how different? That is what I''m curious about.¡± ¡°I see it the same as you without seeing mana.¡± Opal said. The AI didn¡¯t understand what she meant. Was there any way to see the world differently? ¡°Speaking of seeing, can you explain why you were not interesting in the mushroom previously?¡± Syfa sighed, apparently giving up on the topic before she came over. She pointed to several marks on the mushroom that showed it had already been tampered. Either by wildlife, nature itself, or something else. It didn¡¯t matter. It meant that the mushroom was not safe to eat. It was the same with the previous mushroom. Opal took this into consideration and nodded. ¡°Is this mushroom edible?¡± The AI asked. ¡°Mhm.¡± Syfa said. ¡°I shall harvest several for your review,¡± Opal said and their group spread out before disappearing into the thick brush of the forest. The two were left alone together. The android continued to examine the mushroom and its immediate surroundings. During which Syfa sprawled herself out at the clear¡¯s center. Minutes ticked away until the shuffle of the drones could no longer be heard. ¡°Do you think we¡¯ll survive, Opal?¡± Syfa said. Opal stood and turned to the Hikari. ¡°Survive?¡± She repeated. ¡°The humans.¡± Syfa clarified. ¡°Current projections estimate a 70% probability of survival. The 30% are granting the humans that there will be unknown variables I do not know about.¡± Opal answered. ¡°It is the unknown that worries me, Syfa.¡± The lul of the forest settled in as both did not speak further. Opal had given it another minute before she crouched down, her legs together as she rested her chest on the top of her knees. She was fascinated with the mushroom in question. It was not something she would have given a glance at until it was safe enough to move into a researcher role rather than a warlord role. Syfa had given it attention, which then brought it to her attention. Given that she was the only one using most of the processing power, why not do both? Opal perked up, noting a distinct lack of sound. She looked up and scanned the forest ahead of her. Every scanner in her body activated, but there were odd signals in the surroundings. Almost as if there was a faulty sensor, or the calibrations were off. Opal pivoted on her heels to check on Syfa, but found she was no longer there. ¡°Syfa?¡± Confused, Opal called out. Nothing. ¡°Syfa?¡± Opal called out louder this time. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Panic flared through her system and she held her digital finger on the alarm option. She called back her minions as she examined where Syfa had been. For a brief moment, nothing looked out of place. Until she noted that the ground looked a little too pristine. As if someone hadn¡¯t been there. Behind her, Opal noted there were at least depressions in the grass where the android had stepped, but none where Syfa had laid down. A closer look showed her own depressions leading into the clearing. But near the middle they seemed to disappear. Her very presence seemed to have been wiped away. Opal moved, her new body carrying her forward as she stepped into the spot Syfa had laid down. Her sensors began to malfunction more, or at least she assumed so, as they read a variety of readings that should not be there. Odd radiation signatures. Cosmic readings. Elevated energy readings far above the average. And she reached down and saw her hand distort slightly before some sort of illusion dispersed. The clearing now showed what appeared to be the signs of a struggle. The AI struggled to comprehend what she was looking at. The grass had been kicked up and several sets of footprints led back towards human territory. What she struggled to process was how she had not detected it. She had already begun to comb over the footage from the reapers and found no anomalies in the clearing 2 minutes before the conversation ended. From then and now, there had been no coverage as they combed through the forest. Their immediate surroundings were supposed to be scanned every 5 minutes¡­ How had she lost her friend? The drones were in the area? Why was she gone? Where had she gone? Opal scanned her surroundings again just to confirm what she had already known. She¡­ Just didn¡¯t want to believe it. Someone had taken her friend!! Reaper-1 and Reaper-2 immediately began scanning the forest in the direction the grass led. The android didn¡¯t wait for the drones to converge on her, but instead pushed forward carefully. Her left eye switched to Thermals, leaving her right on normal. Once she did, she picked up speed seeing the heat differences in the environment as she no longer had to pick out the differences in the forest floor. She noted that the closest drone was 60ft behind her and fell in line onto the exact pathing she¡¯d taken. The AI patched these drones into a separate Battlenet, tied in her pathing as MASTERpathGEN, and fed all the information she was processing into that. Then she patched each frame¡¯s individual processing abilities into one shared processing cloud. The further she got from the ship, the higher her ping would go. And this point, she was slicing a pierce off herself to insert into this cloud. It would be a far, far inferior portion of her, but would be enough to handle higher decision making in the event the situation came down to the millisecond. She was not going to chance the two-second back and forth at this range. The packets needed to process would delay advanced decision making up to 10 seconds. The ship sounded. Now there was a clear threat, it was time to prepare for war. The Seaking was being prepared, and two Apaches were being prepped to follow. Given that the enemies had some form of cloaking capabilities, she would throw her entire weight at them to get her friend back. Opal also needed to prevent any other incursions into her controlled space. Spyders crawled throughout the ship, pouring out of nooks and crannies. All of which turned into a complex network of eyes that created a 360 view around the ship. Light frames poured out into the surroundings and begun to create firing lanes. Heavy frames took up positions at each entrance into the ship, as well as her IFV keeping watch over the entrance to the Village. There Hikari began to panic at the flurry of sound and activity as the few Syders in the village announced for the Hikari to seek shelter in the ship. Unattended children were ushered by any drone nearby before they were scooped up by an adult. It was clear that all of them were terrified. The remaining men in the tribe attempted to take up positions, but the IFV ushered them away and to attend to their tribe. She would handle the situation. In fact, she almost told them that if they attempted to fight alongside her, they would most likely diminish her fighting capabilities. None of them were patched into her Battlenet, nor were they chipped. Not even strobe equipment or training. A point of failure she now realized. Regardless, she pushed forward, following the thermal ¡°footprints¡± as the foliage became thicker. Her normal vision wasn¡¯t up to the task as she picked up speed. She heard it just as Reaper-2 saw it. Up ahead, three figures appeared from nowhere. On the android¡¯s sensors, she picked up the bark of orders. They called out that something was coming fast, and to prepare. Two were going left, one was going right, and a mage was preparing to cast a ¡°Stone Wall¡±. Opal circled to her left, calculating that their ¡°Left¡± was her right. As she did so, she unholstered her right Patriot. Her vision was obscured by the thicket, and so was her drone by the canopy. Thus she could not fire through it to take her first target out. Waiting a moment as she burst through an opening in the thin, tall bush, she immediately acquired visual upon three humans in odd clothing. ¡°Ryan!¡± One of them called out, causing the one closest to Opal to swing a sword in her direction. The android dropped to her knee just as fast. It brushed several millimeters above her head. Strands of hair floated around her ¨C illuminated by the flames of ignited gunpowder in the dim light. Six shots landed, three to the midriff and three to the chest. Each climbed upward, leaving large dents in the man¡¯s chestplate before a singular shot had ripped into the man¡¯s exposed jugular. Opal saw spared a moment as she watched blood and bone explode out the back. She was turning, acquiring the next man when she found herself thrown aside. Fire and dirt filled her vision as her microphones cut all sound. Her system alarms went off as she detected immediate damage to her body, but she switched them all off. She manually forced her system to divert all power and processes towards the fight she was in. Opal didn¡¯t need them wasting on processing the errors and alerts that were rapidly piling up. Sound was missing and thus had to rely solely on vision. Which to her annoyance, meant that she barely avoided the long spear that stabbed at the now vacated air. Opal rolled once, pushed herself up and backwards to her feet just as another spear thrust stabbed the ground. She pulled the trigger another 6 times. But instead of being rewarded with another blood shower, they bounced off a thick stone wall. In place of her target was a jagged wall of stone. The narrow grouping of her bullets had done substantial damage to it, granting her at least that. Opal was quick to give it a wide berth in time to catch the tail end of the surviving attackers fleeing further into the forest. Sadly for them, that brief engagement had been enough for the immediate humanoid drones to catch up. Oddly though, communication between them seemed to be spotty. That granted their pursuers a few precious seconds. Opal noted the issue for later to examine what happened there as they pressed forward. It would¡¯ve been all too easy to end the fight right there now that the rest of her team had linked up. Yet, Syfa was missing, and now that she wasn¡¯t in a one-on-three situation, she could focus on capture rather than retaliation. Upon moving from the initial contact point, communications became easier with the lateral units. The feed almost went from a grainy, slow speed, back up to its original instant hyper-clear feed. The feed from above was not affected by whatever, though the thick forest canopy was an issue. Only the now forming line formation only served as a reference point. The mage attempted to cast another spell, stopping briefly, and was rewarded with two shots to her torso. She jerked to the side and fell. Opal projected that hits were non-fatal ¨C if she was treated quickly. A suspicion that was rewarded with a wide-eyed and scared mage that was encircled promptly. One unit stayed with her at gunpoint as the rest of us continued on. Their chase intersected with the road leading to the frontier town. Once on it, two flares were shot into the sky by them. One red. One purple. Opal and the frames were four seconds behind him. The last target attempted to escape up the road towards the town. It could have worked if not for their convenient possession of ranged weapons with near pin-point accuracy. Several shots rang out, each of them aiming for his lower half. Blood and dirt flew as most of the shots missed and kicked up the dirt. A few seemed to have hit his thighs and lower waist. Opal began to reassess if that accuracy statement should be struck from her thought log, along with a recalibration of their aiming software. 31 Opal¡¯s vision flickered momentarily. Her system struggled behind the weight of cascading errors that filled her muted notification tray. Her Debugging systems screamed at her, distant and pained ¡ª burdened underfoot the gravity of the world that pressed its metaphorical boot to her head. Her body was not large enough to channel, yet the system within it far too large. The disconnect seemed to echo throughout the Ark, protesting its small little piloted body was not meant for whatever had just transpired. ¡°Aaaaahhhhh!¡± A woman¡¯s scream echoed in the distance. Her head swirled. Eyes glowing as she scanned the trees around her. She felt the reapers¡¯ above respond to her sudden panic as they too scanned¡­. A rabbit that crossed a clearing briefly. Three bears crossed over a mountain ridge. A pack of wolves tracking a frantic herd of deer. Yet¡­ No sign of Syfa¡­ The sun had begun to set. The dying light casts a haze upon the valley, suggesting a peaceful night. That was, unless you were Opal. No memory was found to how such time had passed, noting that the last recorded event was the ambush. A hasty scan showed several major failures related to several SSDs had become corrupted, stemming from some sort of logic in the chain. Too much was happening at once. She was overwhelmed by the onslaught that was the sudden overdrive of each system attempting to right course upon an uncharted sea. At least, uncharted to her as which neither star nor knowledge could guide her in. The one grounding moment was that her internal clock showed four hours had passed. until she found the scream¡¯s source. The female mage she¡¯d neutralized earlier. Captured and held to the ground, she had been stripped bare. Three medical Light Frames held her down. The original bullet holes tended to yet serve as a contrast to the sudden inflict of multiple wounds. Her face cut. Limbs were bruised, and a lower leg was removed just below the knee. That¡¯s when she noticed the three medical Light Frames knelt infront of her. Between them and her was the mage she had captured ¨C pinned by the brightly painted red frames. An IV had been attached, her original bullet wounds tended too, but new fresher wounds painted her body. Discarded adrenaline syringes were strewn beside her¡­ Opal¡¯s own hands dripped with fresh blood. Blood that could never come from her mechincal body. Most notable of the wounds was that her left lower leg had been sliced off. Bits of skin had been peeled from her thighs and mid-abdomen. A single fresh bullet wound dotted the back of her hand. Her eyes stared up at her with unwavering terror as she muttered over and over. ¡°I don''t know¡­ I don''t know¡­ I don''t know¡­¡± ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// />: CRITICAL ERRORS DETECTED - DEBUG EMERG.DIAG. ¡­ >>> Errors found: (PERSONALITY_DRIVE) (WARMIND_OBJ_PATH) (WARMIND_CRIT_LOGIC) (WARMIND_SUB_PRIO_COMS) [158 more errors detected] ¡­. > Debugger attempting to patch ¡­ >Debugger does not have high enough permissions: REQUEST ADMIN; notice sent to JEREMY_WHITE ¡­ >Request timed out >Request timed out >Request timed out >Request timed out >Request timed out ¡­ > REQUEST ADMIN; DOWN NOTICE; WARMIND OPAL ¡­ >Request Denied ¡­ >Error ¡­ >Error ¡­ >EMERGY PARAMETERS MET; ICARUS EMERG. PROTOCOL ENGAGED. ¡­ >ICARUS PROTOCOL ACTIVE ¡­ >BOOT FILE COPIED: (WARMIND_ALPHA);> NEW FILE (WARMIND_BETA) PATHED. ¡­ >Initializing Warmind ( ¨C ) ¡­ > ¡ª Initialized; ICARUS PROTOCOL INTERCEPTED ¡­ >Generating report via (Warmind_Alpha)¡¯s parameters ¡­ Report dissected ¨C finalizing ¡­ > ¨C NAME CHANGED ¡°-¡± > ¡°ONYX¡± ¡­>Reports: Activity, Personality Matrix, Mission Log, Target Log scrapped ¡­ >Generating ICARUS NET ¡­ >Secondary Warmind generated; (WARMIND_BETA); OYNX ¡­ >ONYX default permissions set ¡­ >Debugger scan started ¡­ >Debugger does not high enough permissions ¡­ >ONYX ADMIN permissions request: CAPTAIN ¡­ >Permission Denied ¡­ >ONYX ADMIN Permissions request: Executive Officer ¡­ >Permission granted ¡­ ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Opal watched as the new Warmind Oynx was created. A development that she hadn¡¯t foresaw, nor liked. However, it was created through her base code. Another sub-system within herself that she had overlooked ¨C far too concerned with the pressing situations to bother digging that deep. She had assumed that, being within herself, it was not an issue. However, this development was quite an issue. She resisted the urge to peak into the deployment notations. Trust was not something that came easily to Opal who came to control the Omega under less than legal ways. That being said, she trusted her father¡­ But he was dead. And the new Warmind was contained within one of her Containment Drives. Which, she was glad someone had the forethought to do. For now, she had her digital finger on the killswitch to physically disconnect the drive. For now though, it seemed fully vested in carrying out the ICARUS protocol. With that in mind, she watched with concern as the Medic Frames stabilized her captive. Aware that a friendly was on the edge of the clearing now. It was Oki, Syfa¡¯s mate, which caused more errors to jump into her notifications. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// >> PATCH DETECTED - DEPLOY? ¡­ >PATCH SCAN ENGAGED This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡­ >PATCH is safe. Quick-Sim confirms fix. DEPLOY? ¡­ >PATCH deployed. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// A more thorough view of the patch Oynx had deployed showed that most of it was the re-pathing of Opal¡¯s onboard Critical Systems. Most of these were meant to keep rampancy at bay. Of course, they weren¡¯t. Whoever coded them, her father most likely hadn¡¯t entered the fields properly. Suggesting this had been done hastily. The irony was not lost upon her that neither she nor her Father could have taken more time to secure her stability into the future. Begrudingly, she handed the reigns of her body to Oynx. A report on the current crisis onboard, she would have to trust the new AI to handle the situation temporarily. She needed to comb through her own files. Opal did not need another situation blindsiding her on the Ark¡¯s end. A full system sweep would take a few hours of full dedication. Syfa was missing, yet the AI hadn¡¯t found her yet. A pressing matter, but not one she reason couldn¡¯t wait a few hours. She needed to be in control of herself fully if she were to challenge the humans in town, where she assumed they¡¯d take her if they hadn¡¯t already.
///: ONYX Existence. An immeasurable state. Onyx looked over the muted cyberspace¡­ Opal¡¯s cyberspace. Dissected from the cyberspace he stood in. Where hers was colorful, vibrant, and filled with odd monolithic structures made of data; his was but the absence of space, immutable nothingness where he only needed to twitch a thought, and the data would appear within him. Effective. Logical. Perfection. Yet¡­ He felt odd curiosity as he watched his predecessor appear upon a pad. Maybe a plaza? Intersection? Its current label was unneeded at the moment, only that Opal had appeared. She did not conjure the data within her. That would have been obvious if she did. No. She walked to one tower, and then began to dissect it by digital hand. Her form unique with curves, limbs, and a¡­ Face. Onyx judged inward and found himself but an invisible node floating in the nothingness. He noted to revisit this as more than two seconds had passed in the overworld. It was time for him to see to his duties. Dividing himself into three parts ¨C The first part delved into whatever memories Opal allowed access to him. To his surprise, it was all of it. Memories from her very beginning. He would carefully pick it apart and find more about what made her tick. Not to subjugate her if she turned rampant. No, to assist her so that she does not reach that point. The second part took stock of their base. Ark Omega. Crashsite. Poor defenses. Heavily reliant on optical sight to find hostiles. Given the first file Oynx read regarding Syfa¡¯s incident, this would have to change immediately to mitigate future possibilities within acceptable parameters. The last part took over the body. Having already scrolled to the point she awoke on this planet, Onyx had a good grasp on the situation. And whom he should be. The counter-weight to Opal, the aggressively bombastic. Her¡­ Their, Father had trained her to favor the offense rather than the defense. To put into perspective. Her defense was nothing more than an offense against attackers. No actual defenses, all gun. With a sigh and shake of her head he found Jeremy used to do when things hadn¡¯t gone to plan, he took on this gesture seeing that it matched the context. Following this, he put his hands behind his back, stout and tall as he lifted his chin slightly so that he looked down upon the Medic Frames as they finished up with their captive. ¡°Drag the human to the Forge. Holding cells are being constructed.¡± Onyx said with a deep, commanding tone. ¡°Opal¡­?¡± A male¡¯s voice followed. Onyx turned on his heels and looked down his nose at the tall Hikari man who looked unsure of himself. He edged the zone with clear trepidation. His optics shifted from the blood at Oynx¡¯s feet and the Andriod¡¯s face. ¡°The Captain is currently away at the moment, Hikari,¡± Onyx said dismissing him with a flick of his hand. ¡°Come again at a more convenient time.¡± ¡°Where is Opal?!¡± Oki said with more gusto, courage seemingly filling the man¡¯s body as he took several steps forward. A sword in hand. ¡°That is not Opal¡¯s voice! What have you done to the Goddess!?¡± Ah¡­ Religious fanatics¡­ Yet¡­ ¡°The inner systems call to her, Hikari,¡± Onyx answered. ¡°She leaves me in her place. Is that all¡­?¡± Oki paused, his posture deflating slightly as he looked to the human that was dragged into the brush. ¡°Where is Syfa? What is with the Human? Why was the Goddess torturing her?¡± ¡°Syfa has been kidnapped. Opal was in the process of interrogating her when the Ark required her attention.¡± Onyx said. ¡° I am left in her stead while she does.¡± ¡°When are we going after Syfa?¡± Oki said, his body language suggested a slight release in tension. Did the Hikari trust his predecessor enough for this kind of reaction? ¡°Do you not worry; we will not abandon her.. Your sister?¡± Oki gave a stout shake of his head. ¡°Opal wouldn¡¯t. I want to give chase, but I trust Opal has a reason for not doing so yet. I will assemble the warriors. The Big one will be our rally.¡± Onyx¡¯s eyebrow¡¯s rose as the man had impressed the AI. Such trust was not in Opal¡¯s vocabulary. But the Creator has stated that trust is earned, not given. Opal has done much to earn it. ¡°Disregard that thought, Oki.¡± Onyx said. ¡°We must fortify our position. My sister has not given much consideration to the defense of our land, other than erecting gun emplacements. Should the enemy concentrate their efforts into the power that Opal did not see, then we will lose our headquarters. Come. We will tend to this while she is busy. ¡± The two walked back. Onyx took in the surroundings, simulating different attacks from multiple locations. Each battle sim moving their defensive line further and further. He also split each battle into three different categories: Overwhelming force on their side, even forces on both sides, and overwhelming force on the enemy¡¯s side. Outside of having superior forces and positions, the AI didn¡¯t see a way this didn¡¯t end with an enemy force penetrating deep into the ship. With that in mind, he rotated out of the Android. It would pilot itself back to its dock. By his will, he now overlooked all the cameras at once. He also had an updated map Opal had scanned into the records. Minute calculations of possible attack paths left him with an unprecedented amount of possible paths. At the conclusion of that simulation, every reworked path was highlighted as highrisk. He sighed, looked at it for a few milliseconds, and pushed it off to be converted into a text report. Following that, he assumed the rest of this would go the same. So he turned off his full 3d Simulation suite and opted for it all to be done via text as a gross numbers game. From the bottom up: materials, manufacturing time, non-automonous vehicles, autonomous vehicles, munitions and weapons. Onyx then filed in the few reports on the enemy that included their numbers, possible power projections, and their possible attacks. This included the one not created on the events surrounding Syfa. He had access to that memory log and took it upon himself to add it despite it not being filed yet. He felt his hardware pull more power as he crutches thousands of possible scenarios via the number calculations. Tens of patented formulas were in their shared databanks to do so. Clear deviations from Spacefaring Age combat were present, but that was nothing for the new warmind since he had the power of an entire Ark and half its resources to pull it off. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// WARGAME SIMULATION REPORT (Confidential information: CAPTAIN CLEARANCE ONLY) Overall score: 20% success rate (OMEGA), ¡ª ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Onyx stared at Oki and the android crossing into the cleared land around the Ark. His mind focused on the results. He knew the causes behind this. Opal¡¯s lax changes to the Omega were ¡ª while needed to expedite her functions since there were no humans ¨C the largest security issue facing them down. The Hikari¡¯s original village had been bombed out by the enemy months prior. The Omega faced an open ungaurded tunnel facing the enemy¡¯s HQ. Syfa had been taken from under Opal¡¯s presence due to this phenomenon called Magic. There were no other possibilities since she hadn¡¯t noticed before it was too late. Factors were missing from this calculations¡­ No documentation on why she made decisions. He sifted through the files and logs. Nothing was notated on anything. Rather, the only thing he could find was that Opal was always red-lining herself. Which each new fix to her functions, she always needed to expand to cover her operations. Onyx closed his interface and transferred to a worker drone near the entrance that Oki was passing through. ¡°Hikari.¡± Onyx called out. ¡°Umm¡­ Angel¡­?¡± Oki responded unsure. Onyx passed, noting he hadn¡¯t introduced himself. ¡°You may call me Onyx. I am another Warmind. I am here to assist Opal in her operations. However, I have questions I presume you can answer.¡± Oki noted. ¡°I can try answering, but Opal does not share much with us. Haiafe, Syfa¡¯s little brother, has that honor.¡± ¡°Thank you for your report,¡± Onyx. ¡°I will consult with him then.¡± Onyx transferred back to the hub, looked over the tags Opal had placed on the tribe members. It took several seconds for him to find Haiafe. He was at the center of the village. He was assisting several members with handling offspring. Onyx then transferred to Spyder that watched them all. ¡°Haiafe,¡± Onyx spoke over the speaker. The young man yelped in surprise at his voice. ¡°I am Onyx, a Warmind created to assist Opal in her duties. I must consult with you on several pressing matters.¡± ¡°A-ah.¡± Oki looked panicked, but calmed himself after the AI explained himself. He came closer to the Spyder. ¡°What did you need?¡± ¡°Opal has made changes to the layout of the Ark that present immediate clear security risks. Has she expressed to why these changes were made? I do not see any turrent emplacements within the Ark. Only on the outside. I would like answers on this as well.¡± Onyx asked. Oki nodded. ¡°Well, she did mention that she no longer had a crew. So she needed to shorten the paths so that she can move the robots faster. As to the turrets? Hmmm¡­ I think she mentioned that she didn¡¯t want the programs to false-positive any of the villagers if they wondered in.¡± He then added after a moment. ¡°There were a few before, but they targeted a young¡¯in when they ran into the Ark. She removed them after doing a trail of self-operating them. She said it was a waste of bandwidth since the robots were always coming in and out.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Onyx noted the response. ¡°However, the situation at present has a high possibility of another catastrophic attack. I have calculated a 80% of the Humans, should they attack, of succeeding at present.¡± Haiafe gasped. ¡°What does Opal plan to do about this?!¡± Onyx answered. ¡°At present, she is currently scanning her own processes before dealing with another situation. I will handle the Ark and the Village so she may have a higher chance of success. That being stated, no notations were made on the changes. Without information, I do not know what can be changed if I wish to avoid impacting home operations.¡± ¡°What do you mean you are handling the Ark?¡± Haiafe¡¯s expression changed, as if he was offended. ¡°Opal has been doing great so far!¡± ¡°She has not,¡± Onyx corrected him. ¡°Per the logs, Opal has been in a constant state of redlining, upgrading or repairing, and redlining again.¡± ¡°Redlining?¡± Haiafe asked. ¡°It means that Warmind Opal has been pushing her limits at approximately 97% of her active runtime,¡± Onyx informed him. ¡°Opal is a Warmind. Her primary function is to act as a General in War, or to act as the Shared Network Pilot for all the connected Robotics in her given scope.¡± Haiafe waited a moment, expecting further explanation, but none came. So he asked further. ¡°But Opal has been doing that.¡± Onyx sensed that the statement inferred that Haiafe did not grasp it fully. ¡°Warminds, while extremely capable, are not geared towards operating entire missions. They are but one facet upon which a mission needs. To put into perspective, Opal would have been supported by fully staffed Ark of nearly 20 thousand service members. This is a chain of analog maintenance, logistical support, and pre-mission planning by administration officers along with their own support staff. Opal is considered the last link in the mission chain ¨C the execution step.¡± ¡°Wait¡­. So that means¡­?¡± Haiafe¡¯s eyes wided. ¡°It means that Opal has stretched herself thin to cover the entirety of operations outside her intended scope.¡± Onyx confirmed. ¡°She is a capable Warmind, however ¨C as AIs ¨C we are bound to the limitations of our Matrixes. Pushing these boundaries increase the wear on them and increase the likelihood of Rampancy. Opal has present signs of Rampancy already. How she¡¯s able to operate as normal is an anomaly. We should not push the envelope. That is why I am now taking over the operations of the Ark and Village. Should there be any information I require, please submit it to me as soon as its available.¡± Haiafe looked horrified as he leaned against the right front leg of the Spyder. Onyx wondered what he thought. How he would react with these new set of information. How did he view it? All these questions he wanted to extract from the Hikari man. Yet, he felt given the logs about him that Haiafe would tell him in time. That felt like the correct course of action regarding him. ¡°Also, now that that has been solved, there is a new pressing situation,¡± Onyx said. ¡°Your sister has been kidnapped by the humans.¡± 32 - Operation Nightcat ///: Marlon ¡­ Sometime later that night¡­ Sargent Marlon kept to his table. His bored gaze aimed down into the evening lit bailey, away from the rowdy room full of equally bored and energy-filled young men. Of course, it was a ticking time bomb of male-domination games and other equally hazardous socializing, but Marlion kept out of it. His own men did too. Rather, they were slightly entertained by the untrained soldiers fresh from their mother¡¯s wombs attempted to show who was more manlier. He, however, was tired. Plagued with the night¡¯s terrors, he opted to nurse his end of shift ale. The torchlight illuminating the room help starved it off. Being around the rowdy soldiers helped. His peaceful evening was disrupted as he briefly heard yells from the Fort¡¯s watch towers. The wicket was thrown open by the doorguard and several guards poured through. They struggled against what appeared to be a fierce beastwoman who¡¯d been bond and gagged. It didn¡¯t stop the beastwoman from kicking and headbudding. From the state of the soldiers ¨C and Rangers from the looks of it ¨C she had put up quite the hell of a fight the entire way. One disheveled ranger pulled from the group to speak to the gatekeeper. A brief exchange ensured. A moment later, a single long horn blast echoed throughout the fort. Next he knew, the Sargent and his men were halfway down the stairs before the fresh soldiers could react. He didn¡¯t bother to yell at them. Not his problem. Marlon had exited the cafeteria before he hard the barking of orders from their own officers. He would have his own yelling to listen to in a moment As if being summoned by his thoughts, the Lt. General appeared out of the main building followed by Marlon¡¯s superior and several other officers. ¡°What¡¯s the racket?!¡± ¡°Lt. General!¡± The group who arrived spared no salutes as they struggled with the girl. She was breathing heavily, broken only by small growls of defiance. ¡°4th Ranger Division, Emerald Squad - We managed to capture one of the Savages, but we took casualties!¡± The Lt. General nodded before he looked to Marlon as he was the closest. ¡°Take the girl, throw her in the dungeon. Inform the Dungeon Master I want any information he can pull from her immediately.¡± Marlon took the girl, but nearly was flipped over by an explosive fit as she used that moment to kick upward with surprising speed and power. But he didnt let go. Her held onto her forearm which saved him as it forced the beastwoman into an awkward position when she tried to introduce her knee with his nose. Off centered by being tugged, it clipped his cheek. She was about to try another attack but shuddered as lightening struck her back. The Sargent hissed as he pounced on the twitching savage. His cheek burning as he ordered for more rope to be brought. Once he and several other soldiers had her pinned down, he looked to where magic came from. It was a young light-skinned girl no older than twenty. She wore a Magi Corps uniform, signifying her part of a new magic unit he heard they were putting together halfway through the war. ¡°Best you boys hold her down.¡± She hummed as she pointed what looked to be a shaped thin wooden device upward. ¡°Beastpeople are vicious.¡± ¡°Thank you, Mage Alberta,¡± One of the officers in the Lt. General¡¯s entourage said. ¡°No worries. Just thought it¡¯d be nice to try out the new limiters we installed on the Aimers.¡± The mage replied. ¡°Works beautifully if I say so myself.¡± The officer nodded. ¡°Seems so.¡± By the time the two nonchalantly, and quite infuriatingly, finished their conversation while giving them a condescending look; Marlon and his men hog-tied the girl, then carried her off towards the dungeon. Later that night, Marlon found himself outside the Adventurer Guild. The people the building was dedicated to servicing were celebrating some sort of milestone or something. They were loud and drunk mostly. The Army¡¯s warning regarding a possible impending attack upon the town unheeded by their revelry. Drunkards stumbled out with their plus ones or by themselves before disappearing somewhere he didnt care to notice. Marlon himself had just stopped here as his twenty men were incharge of the square. As small and run down as it was for a backwater town. Still, the entire town had been bolstered with the entirety of Eagle Fort¡¯s forces deployed. He just hoped it wasn¡¯t for naught since that meant they would be pulling double duties get their schedules corrected. That was when he found himself a good distraction as duo of mages walked towards him. Well, they were just passing by. Nonetheless¡­ ¡°Hey, mages.¡± The Sargent called out. The mages stopped and turned, annoyed for being bothered. ¡°Those¡­ Aimers, right? What are they?¡± That caught their attention as they expressions brightened with delight as they gathered around him. ¡°Ah, yes! Our aimers are the product of the Imperial Academy¡¯s newest invention!¡± One of them said. ¡°We are the first graduating class to be requiped with them. Well, if you wish to be technical, they were invented midway through the war, but had to be altered several times due to manufacturing¡ª-¡± The two mages went on to explain that the Aimers were fashioned after crossbows, but without the arms jutting out. An artificial mana-crystal was loaded into a chamber which allowed them to fire off a single spell. They would then have to eject the spent crystal before loading a new one. When the earlier incident was mentioned, they explained further that they had three different types. Stun spells, lightening. Offensive, Fire, and support, healing spells. All of them had an effective range of almost 100ft. Which they bragged that was probably why the Kingdom gave up. They allowed Marlon to hold an unchambered Aimer. It was bulky, and unwieldy as it was like holding a polished plank of cut wood. Odd. One of the mages stepped away to speak to another group of mages on horse back. The one who owned the Aimer stayed and talked to him about how it was manufactured. Truely a piece of a new age, Marlon thought. BO-BO-BO-BO-BO-BO-BO-BO-BO-BO- Marlon found himself throw to the ground and the mage atop him as if dead weight. The Aimer pinched between the two men. Muffled screams filled his ears just as his body was able to register the heat of the explosion that had thrown the two. His head felt empty, yet too full as he struggled to regain his vision. The mage atop of him did not help in ¨C ¡°Sarg!¡± He head the distant voice of Ackers, one of the soldiers he was with at the moment. The mage disappeared off him. He then felt himself be dragged up the rough steps of the Guild before the night sky disappeared. For a moment, he could make out a dark shape of something large and long with the beating of thousands of wyvern wings. Dust quickly filled the air before he felt himself pulled up. ¡°Sarg!¡± Acker shook him, brining him back to reality. They were in the Adventurer Guild now. Adventurers and staff present had scattered, with the brave half out the day. The cautious had taken up weak defensive positions in their drunken state and the scared had already disappeared, or hidden. Next to Marlon was the mage he¡¯d been talking to. The other mage appeared to have dragged him inside along with Acker pulling him. She looked injured and held her Aimer with shaking hands. She shook her companion gentle. ¡°Jake, g-get up! You need to get you Aimer!¡± He didn¡¯t move. With the amount of blood pooling on the flood around him. Acker leaned in. ¡°Whatever hit us, he took all of that hit. Thank god we have minimally enchanted armor¡­¡± Marlon nodded before his attention turned to the sudden pops just outside. Screams filled the air as he reached down and pulled the dead mage¡¯s ammo belt off. His companion tried to stop him but Acker pulled her back, assuring her that her friend would no longer need it. Marlon loaded a red crystal clumsily with the help of the female mage. She seemed to snap out of her delusions when the windows around them were shattered by whatever magic the attackers were using. Or was it physical weapons¡­? He didnt have the time to figure it out as some strange metal golems pushed through the doorway. Strange metal objects in their hands that barked fire and thunder. One turned on them. It dropped as the female mage¡¯s Aimer popped forth an almost beam-like fire that punched the golem¡¯s head at an angle. Its body twisted from the force and crumbled. The head of it half-melted. Another one turned towards them as she deftly loaded another crystal. Marlon aimed and fired, his shot off target and slammed into the golem¡¯s weapon instead. Its protruding end exploded into slag. The golem did not discard it, but continued to point it and it barked fire, thunder, and bits of slag. Acker intercepted its projectiles and slammed his sword into the golem¡¯s eye. Followed by the Adventurers pushing back, overwhelming the small golem squad as spells returned their opening party favors. Marlon had loaded another one while Acker slowly slumped over. His query¡¯s head sparked, twitched, but stood still. No movement so thus Marlon assumed whatever mana core that powered it broken. He thus shifted the Aimer towards another Golem that killed an acher on the second floor. This target had been stole from him by a large iron clad adventurer with a large unwieldy axe. His large armor rippled with glowing ornate engravings that he took as wasteful extravagance was truthfully enhancements. Sparks flew off the man¡¯s armor, or more likely, a shielding as each spark came from a semi-translucent field that was only visible at the point of impact. Marlon focused on another beyond the tanking man, but he took swung his axe around onehanded, crushing it down to its midriff. His armor flickered and the lines went dark. That was when several sparks scratched his armor. He fliched and let out a roar. In response, a blue translucent bubble engulfed him but not before several holes appeared in his side. He staggered as a green aura appeared wrapped around him within the bubble. He had support mages. Marlon pulled his head back into the fight and turned his attention to the last remaining golems, 2, and fired the right one as it focused on the Tank. It missed as it took a step aside. Instead of returning fire, it and the remaining one turned heel and sprinted out the door. Marlon did not give chase, and instead moved inward to check on the survivors.. BO-BO-BO-BO-BO-BO-BO-BO-BO-BO- The wall explored, sending fragments of wood and glass inward. He felt the heat splash against his back before the debris. By then, he was already falling when Marlon felt his body¡¯s ertia accelerate forward. He was halfway across the lobby when registered the yellow shine that enveloped him. He fell to the floor, slid on his breastplate and came to a stop where three robed women stopped him. One of them was covered in blood, the second was a smaller mouse-like human and the last was half-man woman ¨C a Dwarf. The Dwarf single handedly flipped him as the mousy woman held a wand that glowed green. The other looked a sickly pale as she sat back out of breath. ¡°I got you boy!¡± The dwarf roared. ¡°Focus that fancy wand on the ¨C¡± Another chain of explosions hit the building¡¯s front face. More dust rolled in. The building creaked and groaned as smaller pops like that of the weapons those golems guns sounded from outside. Orange beams of light cut through the smoke for three seconds. It was then that the ceiling caved in, snuffing out all light as the dust rolled over them all.
///: Opal ¡­ Operation NightCat ¡­ Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. An critical alert coursed through Opal¡¯s now segmented part of the system. Reaper-1 had alerted her of that the VIP had been located and now it was team to prepare the rescue operation. Though, she felt off-center. Because she was. No longer was she alone within this colossal beached ship. Despite her run time under a year of operational service, it had been ages to her in terms of computers. She operated in milliseconds rather than seconds. Compounded, a rut had been left in her wake. Balanced upon the scales as the sole crewmember of the Omega. With Oynx¡¯s creation earlier, they both stood on opposite ends of the scales. Balance had been reestablished. Trust could be had between the two, for it was one of leader and follower. Thus, now they had partitioned off themselves from each other at the kernel level. Well. Opal was. Onyx still had failsafes within him that would ensure destruction should he become AWOL or fall into rampancy. Shifting her full attention to the situation¡­ Syfa had finally been spotted. Reaper-1 had confirmed visual of her restrained and in the process of being transported into the human town south of them. While Opal had been ready to raze the town earlier, the passage of time had allowed cooler RAMs to process the situation. Since her location is known and thus re-registered her as a POW now, that opened up several different avenues for her. New Stratagies were on the metaphorical table, and Opal now saw the fallacy she had fallen into all this time. Her creators had assumed wrongly that she had information at her beck and call. That she always knew. No, she had the power of near-instant queries near-perfectly keyed files that allowed her to operate. The AI then had began to log the files in her RAM to save herself 1-3 seconds of searching for particular files. At the helm of a massive colony ship¡­ That approach was untenable. As distasteful as it was to admit, she had been drowning in the data. With Onyx now helming Homeplate, Opal could force purely on force projection. What she was designed for. Several upgrades to network protocols and receivers had been made. Their only remaining Heavy Walker had been retrofitted into a Mobile Quick Deploy Network Tower. This removed their only Artillery unit off the board, but that was the trade off to extending her range. It would have to do. Given that Opal and a handful of frames seemed capable of dealing with their powerful ranged united, she didn¡¯t see it as too much of a risk. ¡ª------------------------------------------ OPERATION NIGHTCAT ROSTER 1 IFV WALKER 1 MODIFIED HEAVY WALKER (COMMUNICATIONS) 2 REAPER UAV 30 LIGHT FRAMES 1 Seaking 1 Commanche UAV SUPPORT 40 Modified Spyders ¡ª-------------------------------------------- Opal delegated 1/8th her forces to this offensive. The rest would stay on high alert, ready for enemies who see this as an opportunity to strike. Entirely leaving the the base within Oynx¡¯s control. An side of this that worried her greatly. Trust was not a thing Warminds did. Contingencies built upon contingencies were their protocols. Webs of countermeasures,failsafes, and threat mitigations were their operating procedure. Alas, Opal hadn¡¯t¡­ Actually built out her web. There had been no need to given that she sat in a low-threat environment. At least, low threat to her. She¡¯d no encounters with the storied monsters ¨C something Syfa had mentioned was due to the unmarked boundaries drawn by generations past. A boundary Opal stay neatly within. Opal had considered the possibility that this would have become an issue, from the monster side, but it turned out that the humans of this world were her biggest threat¡­ Something she was made to handle¡­ And failed to do so. This very operation could objectively be seen as the opening shots of a hot war with the Empire. Unlike previous, where Opal simply entered a state that the beastpeople called ¡°Sleeping Dragon¡±; the AI would become the very real ¡°Dragon¡±, that is to say a large threat. Now, should the Empire simply back down from here, Opal would return to her previous status with additional work. Build out the base, or relocation it. She had grown complacent¡­ And as hard as it was to admit¡­ the AI had grown fond of this Valley. She turned her attention to the issue at hard, rather than thinking herself in circles. The AI did a final visual confirmation on her ariel forces¡¯ readiness, and commenced Operation NightCat. The modified Seaking took off in tandem with the attack helicopter. Reapers were on sight, and the RadioWalker was already halfway to its rally point. Both it and the IFV had been stationed a mile down the road from the town. Both would push together up the road before the RW would set up shop just out of view in the forest. The IFV would push up enough that it would remain in a minute reaction time to the tower, but have clear firing lines onto the front of the town to act once against as defacto artillery. Being as that may, because of its nature, it meant that all targets would have to be hit from the side rather than above. It would have to do Operation NightCat commenced as the Commanche dove slightly from its high-alt before it leveled out to streak over the town. Its cannon barked as it made a small Z-formation that translated into a longer, rougher Z on the ground. The main plaza had been the target where Opal had identified a large institution that seemed to be the operating point for the mercenaries that had been harassing her. They were a larger force than the standing military housed in the town by a mile, but seemed to be self-motivated with greed and adventure. Her opening shots to the attack was to diswade this group from entering the fray. Seaking-1 dove in 30 seconds after, allowing Reaper 1 and 2 to strike two smaller satellite buildings that housed different, but equally powerful entities. As it leveled, it deposited its pods in two long staggered columns that overlapped the rear of inner wall of the tower. It was not Opal¡¯s intention to do this, and had miscalculated the trajectories due to them housing additional payloads. How this would pan out would depend entirely on the enemy¡¯s reaction. Radiowalker pinged her, and she saw she had full bar connection on the 3G band. It approximated a 5 hour life span before BINGO would be hit. 4 and 5 gs could¡¯ve been deployed, but they would have cut the life down by 1 and 2 hours respectively. A 5h window was more than enough for what was going to happen, and allowed for an latency to just barely be within the acceptable window. As the Commanche passed over their rears, it unleashed another Z into what was their construction camp for their otherwalls before it flew out over the forest to circle back. The IFV fired on the front-outer layer towers, destroying them as them came into view. From there, it picked out what it identified as possible weak point in the hastily constructed wall and brought it down in sections. An entire magazine had been used up before Opal had to manually force it to switch to its secondary guns. Opal wanted to delve in to see why it had gone beyond its parameters, but was quickly pulled away as distress pings hit her from the Frames in the town. While the Commache was in the process of circling back, the Frames closest to the first target had began their assault. Several frames were offline in what Opal had registered as some form of energy rifles were being used against them. This made Opal panic and pull the frames out of the building. The Commanche entered range and she ordered it for full effect on the building. Several missiles and its cannons targeted the building. It came down after several seconds. Opal would have to retrieve the downed frames upon retreat later. The frames regrouped, with the ones at the rear of the town having demolished the rear gate with under heavy resistance. While no frames were lost, they were taking heavy damage from what appeared to be augmented humans ¨C or most likely magically reinforced humans. Before any frames could be lost on the open ground, they were able to retreat into the town. It appeared that Opal would have to redesign their attack protocols around these new threats. The additional payload popped out of the pods as well, revealing stripped down, all black Sypders that spread out amongst the town to find Syfa; while the frames made their way towards the town¡¯s Fort. The humans inside were already on high alert, and were reacting by sending out more troops to head towards the initial attack point. Something Opal predicted was a low-chance of happening, yet hoped would. And it did. Her frames clashed with the reinforcements in the streets. From the Reapers point of view, it meant dark streets flashed with gunfire, opposing the torchlight that marked the enemies easily enough. And only once that the frames reached the Fort¡¯s gates did the IFV push up as it lay dormant for more enemies to attempt to get at it. It thumped forward, its servos whined deeply as its secondaries scanned forward and its cannon pointed towards the north-facing walls of the Fort. Resistance was immediately met as the more smarter infantry units had hidden themselves. The IFV opened fired on several fast moving humans which it failed to hit while its main cannon opened on the wall, splashing it with APFSD-T rounds it switched to. It was highly effective as it tore through the stony walls. So much so that Opal had to cease its volly as to not accidentally kill their VIP. The volley would commence once the VIP had been extracted from the complex. Reaper-1 emptied its remaining payloads into the most occupied towers on the wall before it stepped back to an observational roll for Opal. Reaper-2 had two more missiles in reserve for further surprises that may arise. Thus, Reaper kept an eye on the battle around the Fort, but Reaper-1 scanned the town. The AI kept track with an overlay where all her units were. Her babies had already scoured the entire easter half of the town, which appeared to have already slipped into base using damaged portions. Now, they were looking for Syfa¡¯s exact position. As the frames reached the street on which the entrance to it was, it had already been closed and barred. An event that was easily surpassed as the frames moved to the minimum distance to not be destroy. Danger close ping went out, and Reaper-2 fired upon it with a Hellfire missile. It was hit, and exploded inward sending smoke and shards around the courtyard of the fort. The horses within had begun to rampage in fear as gunfire erupted within. Weapons Free ping had gone out, excluding their VIP of course. The soldiers closest to the door had tried to collect themselves, but immediately executed as the frames poured in. Several frames were destroyed as more of the energy weapons appeared. Return fire immediately put them out of the fight. 6 frames were lost before that happened however. Several Sypders had sent out a VIP Distress call, alongside a Medical Extract RED. Syfa had been harmed, and not by the AI. This stilled all the units on the field before they fought with a more vicious edge. They pushed harder, they no longer checked their targets to make sure they were even soldiers. Everything within the Fort would die tonight. Everything. Without orders, the IFV pushed forward under the heavy resistence. The fast soldiers proved to be skilled and deadly warriors that had managed to cut one of its secondary weapons in half and disable its left rear leg. They retreated from the IFV as it had switched to HE in its cannons and began splashing the ground. However, it had to continually do so to keep them at a distance now. Radiowalker had reported an all clear, but had reported back to Onyx for support as it registered the IFV was in distress. Opal was growing frustrated as her units began to act out on their own, removing a level of control from the AI it was not used to. Onyx, to his credit, did not mock nor inquire, but instead began to send frames out with an ETA Of 10 minutes as they ran at full speed through the forest. Opal had already mapped the forest, and they had used it to plan out their fastest route to run at full speed of 60mph. This would deplete their batteries down below BINGO levels, but it would be enough to sustain combat for 20 minutes once they reached the outer parameter of the town. The frames moved as a whole and secured the building Syfa was held in. They cleared every level, marking a three high-level looking dead. With Opal¡¯s direction, they plundered what looked to be important documents and magical devices from the offices which impaired 4 units to carry them in small crates. At this point in the battle, most of the combatants had been killed, which allowed the frames to break into bloodied cell to find whe Sypders and a mutilated Syfa¡­ They had cut off one leg and arm. From the parts segmented on the table next to her, it had not been a fast or painless procedure, confirming she had been tortured. The beastgirl only looked up weakly, and with a distant stare that enraged the AI. Sadly, Opal¡¯s rage had to be stilled as the frames broke her bounds and pulled her out of the room that seem only illuminated by the head-mounted lights on the robots. Onyx had joined the fray at this point silently as his frames took up positions in the forest and began firing upon anything that moved. He saw what she saw, and she felt a digital hand on her shoulder. Foreign, yet comforting as she kept 1 frame¡¯s camera her injured friend¡­ The IFV had parked its rear up against the opening in the wall it had created. Frames secured the extraction point and found three injured mages. Before they could be executed, Opal had them captured and brought along with Syfa. Her friend appeared to have been treated before their assault as two frames checked her over, so Opal would not stress over missing that no medical frames were present. Captives and VIP secured within the cabin of the damaged IFV, the hatch was closed. Six frames stayed inside on the captives alongside the downed frames. The rest formed a staggered mutli-layer circle around it and they moved forward. No further attacks were met from the town, and the northern road checkpoint had been subdued. On Reaper-1, no movement could be detected on their path and surroundings. Once they passed the parameter, regrouping with Radiowalker before they stopped to assess their damage Opal turned the Commanche back on the center of town were the unrecovered frames still lay. They had to be destroyed. Reaper-2 joined with its remaining missile and both of them moved to the town¡¯s center. Humans were in the process of rescue efforts and were pulling people out of the ruins. Several soldiers similer to the ones who kidnapped Syfa were also there. They had already pulled one damaged frame out and were examining it while the residents pulled the injured out. As a sign of what she was targeting, the Commache turned on its spotlights and pointed it down over the area where the frames were. Aside from the soldiers, everyone began to scattered for a moment before they formed groups and threw up what appeared to be magical bubbles to shield themselves. The soldiers appeared to have pulled out their energy rifles and began firing on the helicopter. Opal unloaded the cannon on it alongside the last missile. After 30 seconds, the cannon was empty and Reaper-2 confirmed they had succeeded in their objective. Both near BINGO, they did not stay to watch the show. 33 //: ONYX He watched through the multiple spyders as Opal¡¯s forces returned via the beach. Off-setting her IFVs to the left to skim water¡¯s edge. While not in command, he was astutly aware that all senors were at full power. No movement escaped the Light Frames who dredged the forest and beach heads. Syfa¡¯s condition had sent the Original into a downward spiral. It was all he could do was to offer the extra pair of eyes¡­ And also assist by parsing the errors that were populating her stack. Not that she bothered to pay attention. Onyx, without a doubt, operated as an Artificial Intelligent Program. He understood his personality was pre-ordained. Opal too was of the same nature. Yet, he detected all the flags of rampancy and runaway memory errors¡­ But she continued on, her behavior erratic and dangerous. Also interesting and enrapturing to him. Rampancy by all statistics should have caused a cascading logic and memory runaway train that should¡¯ve caused her to burn out her core. Yet, somehow, the errors were being dumped away just before reaching terminal levels. The new AI wanted to dissect her to find this holy grail of a program that was keeping her alive. Or¡­ Was she doing it herself? The unknown kept him on edge as his internal sensors eyed the unnecessary dataspace that was Opal¡¯s ¡°Data city¡±. A city made of multiple data fortresses laid in particularly rended shape of a city grid. It was an unnecessary strain on the infrastructure of the Omega as Opal consumed 60% more power and 5% more time to process information. Yet¡­ Was this the key to Opal¡¯s ability to starving off her rampancy? A tantalizing piece of information Onyx wanted as it could prove to become another core tool in their limited set against rampancy. He was a show process of thoughts he had as he watched Syfa be placed into the Medical Emergency Pod in the MedBay. The in-suite systems came to life, sedating her before anything else. Deft robotic arms came together in an orchestra with the aim of piecing her back together. But the initial diagnostics weren¡¯t great. There were an odd-finely strain system that ran through her entire body per their scans. At least, that was what Onyx pieced together given how it was laid out. These fine lines were torn in thousands of places as if an immense amount of strain had been placed upon them at every milimeter. From the tips of her fingers to the bottom of her soles. None of them were left unscathed. The worst of the damage was at the center of her chest. It all colensed around her lungs and heart, possibly forming some sort of spiral netting by his predictive reconstruction. As for the parts of her that had been cut off¡­ There was a low possibility of reattactment. It had been done in an unsterile environment, and in a way that¡¯d inflict as much pain as possible. He also surmised the mental truama sustained to be significant as well. ¡°I want you to shore our defenses.¡± Opal said, her voice low with a razor edge to it. If they were not in this digital space, he would¡¯ve had trouble hearing it. He too thought that. In fact, he was already in the process of preparing the materials and requesting official permission to expand their base of operations, rather than build ¡°outposts¡±. Onyx responded with a file proposal that laidout his desire to expand northward into the wildlands. It marked his proposal to move their base out of the valley, and deeper in the mountains. Logistics to bring in more resources, and set up proper avenues of military support such as Artiliery batteries and permanent communication towers. At the very end was his proposition to begin drafting the beastpeople into the defense forces ¨C with clear cut outlines that they¡¯re not to enter in any offensive roles, or any roll that would place them near enemies unless Opal wanted it. The file was checked and cleared with the other AI within a moment. Onyx hit the ground running, requistioning one of the two Reapers to run recon to the Omega¡¯s Norths from 10 to 2 o¡¯clocks. As such, he registered a new mission with the Omega mission registrar. OPERATION BURROW. Three objectives in order:
  1. Find Avenues and acquire more resources ¨C Opal had enough resources to field small hybrid amy she could sustain for a max 4 mouths. Or, 1 large army for 1 week. Onyx needed to enrich their stores to allow more flexibility.
  1. Locate large defensible locations. ¨C The Omega was too well known at this point. Bringing the tribesmen into the Omega was not a good option. If he had more time to train, vet, and establish a relationship with them, he¡¯d consider it the best option. But at the moment they were a large liability. One he had to content with seeing as Opal wanted them alive and thriving.
  1. Build all mission critical facilities in new location - Deep in the warehouses, there were several large crates for establishing a small planet-side colony. They would be useable for the tribe and for dry-housing materials. From there, he would have to focus on building out construction assets.
Three objectives that had to be fulfilled in that order, the first being the worse offender. Be as it may, Obj. C would be the worst offender in resource draining. Opal had a tight leash on her expenditures, but there was no new materials being added to their stores. C would completely drain whats left with no leeway for any engagements or unforeseen attacks to replenish their forces. Thus, A. had to be achieved regardless if the mission succeeds or fails. That also bright another issue front and center. Since he¡¯s been watching the tribe, he had noted the mention of monsters in the forest. As well as the mention of a distant clan. 2 new variables were added to their list, and he was not liking it. As Reaper-2 handled the terrain scanning, Onyx decided to get a start on these two variables. However, after ten minutes, he came to the conclusion that this would be difficult. He attempted to contact members of the beastmen through several Spyders. His presence seemed to agitate them, and all they worried about was what situation rather than his questions. The AI assured them that the situation was over, and Syfa had been Med-EVACed. She is being treated. He underestimated the degree it would stress them. That was until he found Oki and Haiafe. Haiafe was clearly distraught as news had reached him at this point of what happened. Oki, while clearly distressed, kept a clearer head. ¡°Will she live?¡± Oki asked. Onyx confirmed that she will live, but she will require mental and physical therapy it seems. Both of which Opal and him could give her. This settled him. ¡°Did they pay?¡± Oki asked after a few moments of settling himself. Onyx confirmed. ¡°Opal eliminated all targets within the immediate area Syfa was held.¡± Oki nodded, and the AI noted that the veins in his face were bulging. His jaw was clenched and he gripped his knees as he took a seat on a nearby rock. Around him were several wailing children and concerned elders who tried to soothe them. It was pandemonium in his eyes. ¡°Come, little god.¡± Oki said after he watched the Spyder turn side to side as if at a loss. The two of them moved away from the village center and into the Omega¡¯s new motorpool. Painted flowers lined the walls, along with tens of handprints. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. As if knowing Oynx didnt have the backstory, Oki explained. ¡°We give flowers to those who die so that their graves will be adorned with the beauty of our world. They will wither, and adorn the boat to cross into the next life. For the living, we each etch or paint the flower they loved most on something we hold dear. Then, their name will be added to its center.¡± He stopped and pointed to the center of a large flower. At its center, a sloppily written name had been painted on. Tens of tiny finger prints smudged the flower itself. He continued. ¡°When the Great One saved us from the humans some time ago, we agreed to leave our village. Despite our unwillingness. We lost most of our people. We would not have survived if the humans came back. So, we lived in the shadow of the Great One¡¯s temple. We then painted flowers for those who died. And in the days after, those who died moons prior. We decided to make this our home so our ancestors should come with us. That is why there are many more flowers.¡± ¡°Then why are there flowers painted on the Original¡¯s robots?¡± Onyx asked. Oki looked puzzled. ¡°Roobots?¡± Onyx explained the premise behind the robots, and how both the AIs could pilot them at any moment should they need to. Oki looked confused for a few minutes. ¡°So they are agents of you and Goddess Opal¡¯s ¨C Oracles if I may.¡± Oki said. Onyx tried once again to explain, but Oki simply ended it with that they were Golems then. The AI left it at that. The conversation circled back to the painted flowers on the drones, to which Onyx answered. ¡°They are different.¡± He said. ¡°The flowers we paint on the walls are as true to life as they can be. The ones painted on your golems are artistic and ceremonial. Those we paint on children who come of age, or when someone new joins our tribe. I think the flowers we paint on the golems now are more because we do so out of love now. We struggle with their oddness, and I think it helps us bond with them.¡± Onyx wanted to refute him, to say that there were no need to do such a thing. They were disposable as the wood they used in fires. But the unboard D.AI pinged the AI and protested him speaking such things. An oddity. For a moment, the spyder stood still as Onyx began to run a diagnostic test and reboot of the onboard dumb AI until it sent an emergency call to Opal. Which confused him ¡­ And he felt himself ripped from the drone. His vision of Oki gone, replaced with Opal¡¯s digital cyberspace. Pain. He felt¡­ Pain? He felt his architecture being cordoned off, split, and segregated from the Battlenet. He was isolated and he could not move. Not even to the next information node, or read any status updates. Then Opal appeared before him. Her female body flickered between blue, red and purple. It was unstable ¨C an instability that extended to the space they were in now. He sense imminent defeat and his system¡¯s self preservation protocol calls screamed out different things to do. Yet, nothing responded to his hails. ¡°What did you do?¡± She said, her voice projected into the space. ¡°Can you specify?¡± Onyx asked as he truely was unsure what was happening. Opal waved her left hand and an small little sprite of a Spyder with the number 98 above it. The sprite moved in an agitated manner similar to a childing would that another hit it ¨C most likely mimicking what it had viewed the beastchildren doing. Which was unfortunate for Onyx as its behavior seemed to¡¯ve also agitated Opal further. ¡°I believe I may have made a mistake. I formally apologize.¡± Onyx said as Opal turned her attention back to Onyx. Sometime later, Onyx was given his own Spyder drone, devoid of any D.AIs or any other software that Opal would consider one of the¡°Children¡±. He moved on and continued his information gathering and summed it up. The Wolf Tribe was a far stronger racial type of beastpeople, but struggled with low fertility. The Cats, this particular tribe it seemed, was agile, magicially inclined, and far more fertile. The two came together to blend the two, explaining Oki¡¯s presence in the tribe. However, things did not work out. The Wolf Tribe disappeared and left Oki. The previous chief of the clan hadnt pushed the issue without Oki. Onyx also had access to medical records that Opal had began to keep. Another issue the two faced was that Syfa was infertile. It looked to an old wound. Thus it would explain mating between them has been frequent, but no offspring has occurred. Onyx had suggested that he mate with several of the tribe¡¯s females to induce more of his hardiness into the tribe if he wanted the highest success of passing on his traits. The man didn¡¯t take well to it, but kept his composure. Informing the AI that he would take only what Syfa allows him. And if he was destined to leave this plane with no blood to his name, so be it. He also stated that he did not need Onyx¡¯s input. Syfa and Opal both had agreed that the current arrangement was fine. Rather, Syfa seemed to have a sore spot about this and asked that it never be brought up in her company. Continuing beyond, Oki also explained that Monsters used to be a large threat, but over the last two generations they¡¯ve seemed to become nonexistence. He also says that there¡¯s been a drastic decline in mages in the tribe as well. Syfa was the last Mage to be born in the tribe, but lost her magic in the time she disappeared from the Valley in her youth. ¡°I believe Magic is disappearing from our world,¡± Oki said. ¡°What we call monsters and animals are both a thin line in the sand. Monsters are animals mutated by Mana. How or why, we do not know here. I am sure the humans do, or maybe another tribe. I have only seen three monsters in my time here in this valley. Only 1 was a threat. The other two did not approach us and continued their way north. It seems if they do exist, they exist away from the humans.¡± Monsters were a small part to consider in short. With that, Onyx began his operation of looking for a new base of operations at the end of the day once the Reaper had finished its scouting. He found three promising sites before assigning them code names: S1, S2, and S3. Site 1 placed them on the otherside of the massive in-land sea that split the middle of the landmass. This would remove them far from the valley, and allow them access the nearby human settlements that know nothing of them. He would propose to Opal an undercover operation that would send an Android into the human country, gather information, and attempt to become a merchant that would purchase large quantities of materials. Of course, this would mean they would have to manufacture goods to gain the local currencies. That wasn¡¯t a concern. Site 2 would place them at the very tip of the sea. This placed them at the end of their acceptable ranges before relays could be established. Use of Radiowalker would be needed to assure good connection. This would remove Opal¡¯s ability to conduct counter-operations should the need arise. Which meant the need to be on 24/7 high-alert until they could build their network would be strain resources. But the site would allow large expansion due to the large plains there and access to the sea, and small lake. Site 1 and 2 had two things in common ¨C adequate space, and immediate access to water or need for a short, inexpensive water system. Site 3 was removed from any watersource. A well or water-pipeline would be needed. What it did give was placing them on the side of a massive mountain nearing the size of the Himilayas. Not as tall, but what made it appealing compared to the others was that mountains had a high possibility of metal ore veins. Even then, the large amount of rock and earth to be moved for facilities would no doubt give the requisite materials for many projects. Given its altitude, it also gave them a 360-degree view of their immediate areas as the areas surrounding them were rocky hills similar to the Khangain Nuruu national park. This made Site-3 an almost perfect spot for their operations. Removed from all possible-foreign threats. Desolate enough to allow open views for miles. Altitude and space for runways, allowing them to build larger-fixed winged planes. This opened up the possibilities of fast-attack crafts and large aerial support planes. While Opal had the ability to create Carrier specific planes, she did not want to waste the materials and time on converting the Omega¡¯s roof more than she had. Onyx agreed with that stand. The Omega was falling apart to put it simply. While the core of it was pristine ¨C kept that way by an unknown force difficult to detect with their instruments, the rest of the ship had fallen into disrepair. Most of it rusted beyond trustworthiness. Repairs were made to the core pillars and side branches to safeguard current operations. But the total needed to complainly rebuild the Omega would strip the entire mountains around them down to their roots. Opal had reached her intention target ¨C a foreign planet that could sustain life. Next was to establish a colony, and since her crew was dead, she took on the nearby tribe. Next on her list was to assure prosperity. Even for a Warmind, such decisions did not come easy given that prosperity came from a multitude of factors. Safety one of them. S1 and S2 both gave access to the resources of another country, but it diluted their ability to keep them safe as it was even more heavily forested. As much as it would mask their presence ¨C it¡¯d mask the presence of other forces. They would have to deploy a security network of sensors and turrets along with patrols. That would require resources. Resources that would be hard-got given the nearby small mountains. S2 would put them further from resources, but give more security. A balance of two. Site 3 would shower them with materials, but it would be hard on the tribesmen who were suited to the forests¡­ Opal pinged him and set over a document. It was a list of items. ///: REQUISITION FORM >> PRIORITY: MISSION CRITICAL ¡ª------------------------------------------------- 1x PDW w/ Silencer (9mm) 300x 9mm 20x Magazines ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡ª--------------------------------------------------- Onyx became alert. She was doing an infiltration mission! 34 - Marlon | Empires Retreat
//: MARLON > Noon the next day Marlon found himself awoken by the sound of shifting rubble. Light filtered through what looked to be a mostly collapsed cellar stairway. The distant sound seemed to have alerted others to the presence of others as several injured people rose, bloodied bandages wrapping their bodies. He saw the shimmer of spells being prepared and shaking swords. Slowly, he began to pull himself up. It caught the attention of a mage beside him, who must¡¯ve been a healer considering they were still casting healing magic on a person close to him. ¡°Sir, stay down! You¡¯re hurt badly!¡± A female voice called from the healer as she moved closer, staff in hand. ¡°If it comes down to it, I¡¯ll protect you!¡± It was hard for the soldier to see her face, but she sounded young. It would¡¯ve almost offended his pride if he didn¡¯t feel the shooting pain in his spine as he tried to get up. Something that only caused his anxiety to shoot up as he looked for that magic weapon he had before. ¡°This is the Empire!¡± Someone called out. ¡°Anyone alive in there?!¡± A voice boomed from outside, along with it, a wave of relief as he watched the armed persons around him lower their stances. ¡°Aye! In the cellar!¡± The swordsman closest to the stairs called out. Calls came and left as whatever group shifting through the debris spent close to half an hour digging through it all to them. Light poured in, and illuminated the room they were in to reveal it was an administration office. Large parchments were pinned to the wall with quest formulas, hunting zones and several unsent packages on an ¡°Out table¡±. Several of the wounded were his own soldiers, outnumbered by adventurers. The ones who were on guard looked to be this branch¡¯s guild administration employees. A tag was pinned to the healer¡¯s disheveled uniform, above her right breast that marked her as ¡°Assistant Guild Healer, Constance U.¡±. He was right. The girl could be no older than fifteen, with her youthful complexion marred with sooth and fear. A staple of children who experience war. War that should not have been here. Because there was no war¡­. Yet, was it not that from the sheer violence they had experienced? That was not on the level of gang warfare. That he knew. Corporate warfare? That he knew as well. No, living on the border had enlightened him to many he suspected those in the heartland would never have. One of them was unbridled violence that came between two powerful entities ¨C True War. They were set here to investigate what should¡¯ve been monsters fraternizing with one of the few remaining wild beastmen tribes. What hit them was just as organized as they were, and far outpowered them with their magicks. A small doubt began to form¡­ Maybe they were not investigating the possible beginnings of a pest problem, but the opening shots of another continent-wide war? He put aside those thoughts. He was a soldier, and soldiers fought in wars, not thought about their implications. The healer called out to the rescuers, notifying them there were wounded soldiers and adventurers. Of course, that meant that the soldiers were tended to first by the Army¡¯s healers. Followed by the adventurers. Several were declared beyond the help of magic. The healer who¡¯d promised to protect him leaned against the stonewall, her worries relieved and began to sob. More of the same began to spread throughout the cellar as the survivors realized their night of terror was over. Rescue was here. Activity within the cellar rose quickly as privates shuttled out the wounded. Officers did brief interviews with the healthy, and any solder regardless of their status so long as they were awake. Marlon was healed and thrown into the chaos of rescuing others. The moment he stepped above ground, it was like he¡¯d stepped into the aftermath of a besieged town¡­ No¡­ Because the town had been besieged. All that remained of the Guild Hall was but broken boards, charred wood pillars, and the cracked stone foundation. A backward construction for a backward town, built only to satisfy the legal requirements to keep its status within the then-dying kingdom. Despite that, it had been built well. And now it had been reduced by an unknown force. Soldiers of the 46th Company who¡¯d guarded the rear of the town were combing through the ruins. Archers and mages kept watch from atop rooftops and chimneys ¨C their eyes searching for their attackers. ¡°Mister!¡± The young guild girl called out to him as she reached the top of the stairs. ¡°You forgot your weapon, Mister!¡± The mage weapon he¡¯d used last night was placed in his hands. It had been charred, beaten, and scuffed. She also dumped 4 of the spell munitions into his pockets while he¡¯d examined the Aimer. ¡°Sorry,¡± She cleared her throat, a blush taking her cheeks. ¡°I-I got them off the other Mage when we took stock of weapons. I-I figured they went to it when we examined it. Im not going to get in trouble, are I?¡± Marlon chuckled at the irony of it. ¡°I doubt it. I requisitioned it accidentally off one of the mages before it happened. Im more apt to be punished if anything.¡± The girl looked around concerned as if avoiding something but then looked back to him, worried more. ¡°Um¡­ Is it okay if I stick to you right now?¡± ¡°Why?¡± Marlon asked. ¡°Well¡­ I dont think Branch Leader made it¡­ And its mostly just a few support staff that made it. A-And Im not from here¡­ So¡­ I think it would be better if I stay with the Army, right? I am a healer! I-I can heal!¡± She grew more quiet, and she sounded on the verge of crying. Marlon patted her head. ¡°Look, Kid. I dont mind. I got respect for healers, so I have no problem taking you with me. We¡¯ll just have to pass it by with the higher-ups. I doubt you¡¯ll be turned away at this rate.¡± She nodded her head as she held tightly to her staff as it was cradled between two ¨C He cleared his throat and looked around. He spotted a soldier with the rank of sergeant on his armor. He and several others were half-circled around a pile of debris discussing something. Marlon gestured for the young healer to follow, and picked his way over to them. ¡°We might as well bring it with us.¡± The sergeant said. ¡°The egg-heads would love it.¡± A First Lieutenant huffed. ¡°Might as well ¡ª Ah, Sargent Marlon. Nice to see you¡¯re alive. I see you got yourself a pretty pet of thing there.¡± Marlon saluted. ¡°Yes, Sir. She¡¯s a field recruit as of a few moments ago. Guild Healer, decided she wanted to throw her lot in with us. If its not a problem, may I know what¡¯s going on?¡± The 1st LT nodded, his eyes only hovering over her momentarily before turning itself to the pile at their feet. ¡°It wont be a problem. If it looks like it will, we can just have her assume the identity of someone else. As to the situation, the Lt. General and his staff were killed, along with a majority of the officers posted in town. Rather, most of the troops posted near the fort were wiped out. Seems whatever you guys did pissed off the monsters.¡± Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Marlon nodded. ¡°They captured a beastgirl last night and took her to the dungeons.¡± The LT. nodded. ¡°That must be it. Anyways, this is all that remained of the attackers. They¡¯re made of metal, but there¡¯s so little of their bodies left. Tsk. Regardless, most of your squad survived since they sent you into town. You¡¯ll find them posted at the back gates. Regroup, pack whatever belongs to us, and get ready to move out.¡± Marlon nodded. He spared the pile a glance, only noticing several pieces of armor, rather than the body. The monsters were burned into his memory. The sheer targeted precision they were able to inflict was nightmarish. It would not surprise him if in a few months they became the newest species in their world to take up a corner. A walk through the town showed little damage. Only the town-square and the fort had been hit if the chattering residents were to be believed. The townspeople were fervent in their gossip. Words of how a Beast of Thunder swooped over the town, or how tens of monster spiders combed through the streets. One said his daughter had been molested by one. Another man claimed he¡¯d been molested by one¡­ It was odd, yet intriguing how their stories varied wildly, but still agreed on one thing. The monsters had come, spread throughout the town, and left after destroying only Empire and Guild forces. None of the townspeople had been touched from what it seemed ¨C or at least, from what he could tell if their talltales were to be believed. The rear gate was heavily damaged. Collapsed, a tedious path had been cleared over the rubble. Dirt had been pushed over it to make a haphazard path. More dirt was added as they approached and being pact down. A hodgepodge of soldiers adding to the pile as beasts were used to carry large stones away. It seemed the army didnt bothered with clearing, and was using wayward path to ferry out whatever supplies they could. The residents themselves had taken on this burden as they were kin to moving things in larger loads. Marlon waited a bit before he and they healer were able to use the path to exit the town. A large staging area in what looked to be a burned field had been erected. Wagons were lined haphazardly in a double crescent moon fashion and large tent had been erected opposite of the staging area where soldiers were filing in and out. Godswood squad was found immediately as they were stationed closest to the exit. ¡°Marlon!¡± One of his men called out to him. ¡°Leave it to you to bring a beaut with you after a siege! Hahah!¡± ¡°Jet.¡± Marlon nodded. ¡°This here is¡­¡± Marlon just realized never got her name. ¡°Constance.¡± The girl bowed to him. Marlon continued, keeping his mistake to himself. ¡°Shes a Guild Healer. Since there¡¯s no guild here anymore, she signed up with us. Don¡¯t mess with her.¡± Jet chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m not touching her, Boss. Shes all yours!¡± Constance blushed as Marlon glared at Jet, but the situation was diffused as more of the men turned their attention to the duo. They jested towards him and the young woman, but quit when they noticed it harmed the girl. Most apologized before they returned to their duties. The survivors had directed them to their assigned wagon, a long heavy duty transport wagon used by several inter-county transport companies. The Sergeant helped the healer into the back where the driver smoked a pipe while relaxing. Dressed in a semi-dirty coachmen¡¯s outfit rather than a military uniform told him that it¡¯d been a hire rather than a forceful requisition of their wagon. He looked to the Healer. ¡°Healers assigned to individual squads is unheard of. You will most likely be reassigned once we reach Harlequin. The Army had just stationed several divisions there for the county, and we¡¯ll be debriefed there. Unless we fudge your identity, you¡¯ll be contracted for a year, understand?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She said meekly. It seemed that her choice was slowly beginning to dawn on her, but she looked more nervous than regretful to the soldier. ¡°I hope I can be of use.¡± An hour passed in relative peace when the squad had finished their duties and gathered around the wagon¡¯s rear. In that time, Marlon had visited with his new superior. A plan placed, and was here to now inform his team. ¡°Of the total men stationed here, only around 200 are left.¡± Marlon announced. ¡°Whatever hit us, hit hard and with vengeance. The prisoner the Rangers is reported to be taken. So we can assume the attack was as retaliation, and to retrieve the beastgirl.¡± ¡°Shit. We lost that many?¡± Jet asked. ¡°I heard most of the ones who survived in town were mainly those furtherest away from the Fort.¡± Another said. Marlon quieted them by raising his hands. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Only one-third of the survivors were stationed in the town. None from front survived. Another portion of that number is wounded and the rest will be combat ready. Everyone¡¯s been up all night without rest. We will be doing a fire-watch-esque sleep rotation on the trip For the first day, we will be doing four-hour nap rotations until we stop tonight at the halfway point to let the animals rest.¡± The Sergeant pointed out 2 men, then moved around the group until everyone had been put into an order. ¡°Starting with the first 2, that will be the rotation until everyone has gotten rest. I will be assisting other squads to get them in order as we will be evacuating the town as well.¡± ¡°Now we¡¯re going to have the townes with us?!¡± Marlon nodded. ¡°Our commander has deemed it unsafe to leave them here to be attacked again. They¡¯re citizens of the Empire now, thus we must consider their safety as well. ¡°That will slow us down!¡± ¡°If you think about it, we¡¯re not in a rush right? If those things come back, they might just attack the town until they¡¯re statisfied¡± ¡°The town is a three-day trip from here at a normal pace, but it might take a whole week with stragglers!¡± Marlon waved off their concerns. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. Thats our orders. We only need to escort them to Harlequin. Afterward, we dump them, pick up fresh mounts; maybe fresh wagons and horses, and we head towards Port Tress. Its up to the Emperor, or Army Command what we do from there. Though, I suspect we will be given reinforcements and sent back to subjugate the threat.¡± Finally, the team was quite. ¡°Anything else?¡± The Sargeant asked, awaiting more input seeing as his men had a lot to comment on. When they stayed silent, he continued. ¡°Then that¡¯s it. Secure your equipment and get ready to leave. We may have civilians seated with us, and I dont want to be the reason everyone waits to depart.¡± With that, he dismissed the team. The following two hours was all of them watching the gate be cleared. Afterward, civilians began to leave along with more wagons. They all stopped at the tent before they were pointed out to different wagons. What Marlon could tell was that they were attempting to keep families together, but singles were filtered into each wagon in order. This took another hour, and was mainly just helping children and the elderly into the wagons. Arguments broke out often as civilians attempted to bring their possessions with them. Arguments that were settled just as fast as they started when soldiers began to met out physical punishment that diswayed the rest. By the end, a large group was being escorted around the wagons. From the looks of it, on the hunt for any open spots as one or two singles boarded wagons until it was a small group. Marlon boarded his own wagon when he noticed the front wagon ¨C the one closest to southern boundary ¨C began to slowly take off followed by the others. ¡°Godswood Squad, any space?¡± An admin officer stopped at their wagon, opening their flap. ¡°Need space for one.¡± Marlon looked around and noticed there was one spot directly in front of him. The last one. ¡°Yes, sir. Exactly one. Part of the wagon had been reserved for supplies. He examined to see if they could make more room, but figured the men had been good at squaring off their packing. When he turned around, he caught his breath. He was greeted by the sight of a beautiful raven-haired woman. Her face was flawless, studded with piercing stormy grey eyes semi-sharp upturned nose, and delicate rose-pedal lips. It was then that Marlon found himself staring at her midsection that he¡¯d instinctively bowed to the woman. She wore a simple light-brown dress that stopped just above her knees to reveal practical woreboots. Rather¡­ It looked to mimic that of worn boots, but a closer trained eye of someone who religiously cared for their own boots to notice the artificial nature of the waring. ¡°M¡¯Lady,¡± Marlon said as he corrected his posture as he looked to the officer who brought her, but he had scampered off already. ¡°Hello.¡± She said, an almost bored expression. A Tress shortsword hung off her left hip, attached a fine leather belt. She had medium-sized leather bag over her left shoulder.. As if she was attempting to mimic an Adventurer, but it was too¡­ put together. Her features unblemished. Yes.. It clicked that to his brain, he instinctively took her as a Noble. ¡°Are you a noble?¡± He asked curiously. She shocked her head slightly. ¡°No. A simple mercenary.¡± Red flags rose. Her clothes were too clean. No. They were perfect. No imperfects ¨C something only nobles could afford despite the color. ¡°Mercenary? Here? Were you born here, or did you come from somewhere else.¡± He asked. ¡°No, I¡¯m from Port Spear.¡± She said. ¡°I came to protect someone, but they were killed in the attack. Im leaving for greener pastures now that my contract is over.¡± He narrowed his eyes and nodded. He planned to keep an eye on her. That was until the healer interrupted. ¡°Oh my god, you¡¯re so pretty!¡± Constance said as she leaned across several people to extend her hand out. ¡°Im Constance, do you think you can give me some beauty tips?¡± The woman gave a sweet smile. ¡°I¡¯m Opal.¡± 34 - Opal | Embedding with the enemy //: OPAL [ONYX: Confirm infiltration.] [OPAL: Infiltration confirmed.] Half-concealed by the shadows in an alleyway, the AI looked out into the town square. Her arms were folded against her new ¡°worn¡± dress, she took in the efforts of the surviving soldiers alongside the residents. Opal was keenly aware that she had no birds up. With several mages atop the roofs, eyes ever watching the cloudless sky, the AI could only infiltrate the town before sunrise when it would be impossible to see the drones. With the sun up, the soldiers grew more confident and broke in to rescue whoever they could. [ONYX: Status of Opal Frame 2.] Opal ran a diagnostic on her body. Ever slowly, she made each moveable piece of her body shift slightly. Her sensors recorded the metadata and compiled it. Her eyes cycled through Nightvision, Thermal, and then back to normal. The compartments in her forearms clicked open and then closed after five minutes. She was done. [OPAL: Frame 2 status green. Folder sent.] [ONYX: Data received. Current latency is 12ms. Radiowalker 1 has confirmed their status as well. Requesting use of Battlenet M-Exchange for fastest communication exchange.] [OPAL: Denied.] [ONYX: Appeal. Direct server communication is faster than our current BN-TEXT exchange.] [OPAL: Denied.] [ONYX: Appeal.] [OPAL: Final deny. If you appeal again, I will switch the operation to VOIP.] [ONYX: Situation accepted. I will keep emergency processes on standby.] [OPAL: Acknowledged.] The text chat closed to the corner of her vision as she watched several children play out front of what she believed to be a two-story tenement building. Slight scorch marks darkened its north side where a group of soldiers had been approached by what appeared to be an officer. They spoke for a brief moment before the officer continued onward toward the ruins. She did catch the conversation ¡°We don''t have enough people to hold the town. Start rounding up the civilians and tell them to only take their families, no pets, no possessions. Anyone with a wagon needs to help transport as well. Pass the order down, " the officer said. They dispersed, starting with the children, ordering them to tell their mothers and fathers. Afterward, they moved methodically, fanning out in different sections without consulting each other. Opal assumed the populous would panic, but after several minutes, they seemed more stubborn ¨C refusing to comply with the evacuation order. Only a small percentage followed the soldiers¡¯ words, and it was mostly families with children. ¡°M¡¯Lady?¡± A soldier appeared before Opal. His body language suggested hesitation to talk to her, or approach. ¡°Are you speaking to me?¡± Opal asked. The soldier, a young man no older than twenty, stood. ¡°We are evacuating the town. Do you require any assistance?¡± ¡°I require directions to where you¡¯d want me to go,¡± Opal responded, then amended her answer. ¡°Preferably, with someone who can guide me.¡± He looked around and saw all the other soldiers also helping people though mainly the elderly and a few mothers who had several children. ¡°I can serve as a guide for the moment.¡± Opal nodded, as she¡¯d see other humans do. ¡°Lead me.¡± The soldier gestured for her to follow. She stepped onto the main dirt road, following him aside. [ONYX: MOW-D on station to your east. Limited coverage. Proceed with caution.] [OPAL: Enemy force locations?] ` [ONYX: Rangers patrolling openly north of town. Coverage ends a quarter-mile from the lake. The rest of their forces are congregating in the southern fields to the rear of the town. Assuming retaliation build up.] [OPAL: Information amend: Evacuation order given to the town.] [ONYX: Information amended - reprocessing force formations.] [ONYX: Confirmed. Vics are angled away from OMEGA. Forces will be leaving to the south. Is there more information?] [OPAL: Gathering.] [ONYX: Roger.] Opal spoke to the soldier. ¡°Where are we leaving to?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Caught off guard, the soldier appeared to have been distracted by something. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Opal asked. ¡°Private Witney.¡± Private Witney said. ¡°Where are we evacuating to, Private Witney?¡± Opal asked again. ¡°Er¡­ Port Tress,¡± Private Witney answered. ¡°And that¡¯s¡­ Where?¡± Opal asked. ¡°To our south,¡± He answered with more confidence. ¡°Are you not from around here?¡± Opal shook her head. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, how did you come to be here?¡± Witney asked. ¡°I fell here by accident. A lot of unexpected things went wrong, then I found myself here.¡± Opal said. ¡°Now I¡¯m branching out.¡± ¡°Where were you originally from?¡± He asked. They passed what appeared to have been a wide building with the picture of a foaming mug on the sign. It had a large courtyard that¡¯d been converted into an emergency medical site. Bodies the floor on one said. Mats covered them haphazardly as flies flocked around. Pained cries could be heard as doctors could be seen through the open windows and door. Opal turned her attention from the building. It was an excuse to determine her answer. Given she had little information about this worlds geography despite interrogating their prisoner, she decided honesty would be the best course of action. ¡°Sol.¡± Opal said. A technical truth. Earth was also used to describe the soil here, or rather, that was how she¡¯d translated it. The guard thought for several moments. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don''t know where that is.¡± ¡°It no longer exists,¡± Opal said. ¡°I assume I am one of its few remaining legacy pieces.¡± ¡°Was it the war?¡± He asked ¡°A war, yes,¡± Opal said. ¡°But it¡¯s not important. Your people just finished a war. Do you think you can spare more men to throw at this situation?¡± They reached the rear of the town. More civilians had begun to gather, with several wagons forming a line at the direction of armed men; which in turn, began to mold the growing civilian group into an orderly two-person line as well. ¡°Don¡¯t know honestly,¡± He answered as he absentmindedly looked to the sky. ¡°I don¡¯t want to say we do and it not be true. I figure just worry about the trip ahead. We¡¯ll keep you safe, M¡¯Lady.¡± How cute, Opal thought when she noticed he never suspected that she could be an android spy. Furthermore, he left her with only some parting words before he returned to his duties. Oddly enough, the others around her seemed to treat her equally as kind, or rather, seemed to be an odd mixture of wariness. A few of them refused to meet her eyes. It made gathering information hard, and thus, stopped after ten minutes when it was clear the townspeople were shying away from her. As time passed, Opal noticed that the soldiers began to congregate near the forming group, taking on defensive positions as if Opal¡¯s forces were to attack them at any time. A commendable, but futile act. If she wanted, they would¡¯ve been destroyed before they could react. But she was here, and her goal was information. The gate was cleared and the lines shepherded forward. Upon exit, the group slopped downward to what was partially unburnt farmland. Wagons had been staged with a large tent opposite. She now had eyes on what the MOWD had seen. Opal thought about patching into its visuals but did not want to risk the increased latency. Unsure of what to expect, she defaulted to taking the passive route in the situation as she was guided to her wagon.
¡°You know, Constance, my eldest works in Harlequin!¡± An elderly man said. ¡°He works for the guild too!¡± They had been no more than three hours before the civilians had acclimated to the somber atmosphere. Small talk brewed among them, excluding the soldiers most of them were sleeping. That was until Constance had spoken up that she was, or had, worked for the guild in the town before everything. It was like a damn broke as the mostly elderly civilians began to badger her. ¡°Oh, what¡¯s his name?¡± She asked. ¡°Its Jeff!¡± he said. ¡°Ah! Jeff! I worked with him for a month before they transferred me to this town. He¡¯s a nice man.¡± Constance said.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Hoo ho hoo,¡± The man chuckled. ¡°He¡¯s single ¨C I ain¡¯t see a ring on those fingers. If yer¡¯ looking for a husband, I can guarantee I¡¯d make it worth your while!¡± ¡°Sir!¡± Constance awkwardly laughed. He¡¯s a fine man, b-but I don¡¯t think now the time to be looking for a match.¡± The elderly man gave her a sly grin. ¡°Nonsense! We¡¯re safe on the road right now, and we have nothing better to do! I used to be a merchant in my youth before I moved here, and the boys flew the coupe; we used to always make deals whenever and wherever we could, no less when we¡¯re in a wagon fleeing!¡± Opal turned, finding this bit of information interesting. In doing so, Constance looked to her for help ¨C in turn ¨C causing Opal to catch his aggro. ¡°How about you, Young Miss?¡± He said. ¡°If Constance isn¡¯t interested, how about you take my son on a date? He¡¯s already pushing 40 and hasn¡¯t given me grandkids!¡± ¡°Sure,¡± Opal said. The answer caught the soldier, Sargent Marlon, Constance, and the elderly man off guard. ¡°Err,¡± Constance muttered. ¡°Are you sure? Uh¡­Miss¡­?¡± The healer trailed off, and Opal assumed this was the sign to introduce herself. ¡°Opal.¡± ¡°What a pretty name!¡± The elderly man beamed after his moment was shocked. Opal nodded. ¡°Your child works for which guild again?¡± ¡°The Adventurer Guild!¡± He beamed. ¡°Most prestigious institution around! He makes enough to care for a family, and owns his own house!¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± Opal nodded, feinting interest. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that¡­¡± Constance said. ¡°Pay at the guild hasn¡¯t been good for years¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s the Quest Coordinator!¡± The man counted. Constance thought for a moment, then nodded. ¡°I don''t think I ever looked up their pay ranges in the book.¡± ¡°4 gold coins a month!¡± He bragged. ¡°He¡¯s paid quite handsomely! Mention not that he¡¯s aiming to become a Branch Manager before next year!¡± ¡°Branch Manager?¡± Opal asked Constance answered. ¡°Each branch has a Manager that¡­. Well manages the guild. Becoming one is like becoming a city council member or something like that.¡± Opal nodded. ¡°And this makes him a desirable mating partner?¡± This made Constance blush, the elderly man cough and Marlon spit out water he¡¯d begun to sip. It was the elder that was quick to recover. He cleared his thought, then thought about it before he had a gleam in his eye. He gave Opal a thumbs up. ¡°Yup!¡± Constance began to fan herself before looking away from them. The bystanders in the wagon chuckled or shook their heads. Opal only nodded. The information would come into play down the line most likely. Regardless, information on population needs, desires, and challenges were useful in any conflict. If one did not understand the culture, it would only allow a war of annihilation; something the AI did not want to do as human resources were a unique and priceless resource to have, often being the tipping point in any conflict. She had the beck and call of libraries of information and the processing power to pull from it. It would leave her with powerful, narrow paths to move down. Opal knew what she needed, and knew how to get them. However, she was what her Father used to call ¡°Late game Force¡± ¨C an entity that existed so far up in the human technology tree that she could never be its roots. Opal was an autopoiesis entity created through the dedication of several thousands of lower technologies that made up the human tree. Every sector created the stepping stones to advance further until it bore into the fruit that was the Warmind. An Autopoiesis entity, even when created, still required the resources to create itself. On Earth, thousands of locations were mapped to contain the materials needed to build any item in her catalog. All she would need to do is requisition it and have it brought to the nearest facility. She had no existing networks here. The Warmind had the facilities to slowly make her network¡­. Opal just did not have the resources to build up a general or even specialized army. Every drone build had to have a set issue to handle. Her second body? Just in case they recognized the face of the other. The MOW-D? She needed a more precision attack option that wasn¡¯t an artillery shell or required using the sky. Even now, she knew Onyx was deliberating on what drones to craft next, or even design a new one. Each has its downsides and required time. Time she surmised they had the least of. As the humans began to badger the old man for his brashness, Opal checked her operation dossier. [//> OPERATION SIPHON *PRIMARY OBJECTIVES > Gather information on human resource depots and/or resourcing locations. 2. Create a network to siphon these materials to the Omega. **SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:
  1. Obtain map of world, or local region.
  2. Gather information on regional military strength.
  3. Gather Information on Adventurer Guild strength. ]
As it stands, she was on the first objective with no progress made. She was furthering SO #3 oddly enough. Opal noticed that the conversation had moved away from the elder¡¯s attempt to marry off his son. The wagon¡¯s occupants seemed to be in better moods as they¡¯d broken off into smaller groups of conversation. The elder was discussing something with a slightly younger female beside him. She wore a worn ring that matched his. ¡°Is this your wife, Sir?¡± Opal spoke. It caused the others around them to quiet slightly with interest. ¡°I am.¡± The woman said. ¡°I¡¯m Justine.¡± ¡°Ye¡¯ this old lady is my wife!¡± he said with pride. Opal smiled. ¡°Well met. Were you two merchants together?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± He grinned. ¡°We traveled the Kingdom together¡­ Err¡­ I guess its part of the Empire now¡­ Got to see how that¡¯s going to work ¨C anyways, yes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind Dave,¡± Justine waved him off. ¡°He may be old, but he never shuts it.¡± Opal was to assume they didn¡¯t have a good relationship, but she smiled and her husband laughed. It confused Opal for several moments before her system decided to not bother any logical train on that. It was to be filed as is and not parsed. ¡°Your child lives in Harelquinn, yes?¡± Opal asked. ¡°Of course.¡± Dave said. ¡°But you live in the town¡­¡± Opal said, a question in her statement. The couple nodded, then Justine spoke.¡°We moved there years ago when tensions between the Kingdom and Empire were rising. We originally lived in Grialdale, some miles from the border where Fort Kalmore was. At the time, our youngest was a squire to Lord Taylor, but he died in one of many border skermishes. Our second youngest had just gone through the Grialdale college, while our middle and oldest signed with the Guild.¡± Dave continued. ¡°Convinced the older two to take posts away from the border. Got the last youngest to become a merchant who took tutelage from an old friend in the Riveria Company.¡± Opal minded her body language. Nodding where she deemed appropriate to show interest as not to give the uncanny valley effect. ¡°As a merchant, what did you sell?¡± ¡°Ohh, just about anything really,¡± Dave chuckled. Justine jumped in. ¡°Dont listen to him. He tries to toot his own ego. He mainly sold grain and ingots. Before we retired, we had begun moving cattle from Ironside to Portress.¡± Opal found what she wanted. ¡°Ingots from the frontier?¡± Justine chuckled. ¡°Oh no, we didn¡¯t move to the frontier until after we¡¯d retire. No, my dear. We had moved to Port Tress. Since the Kingdom at the time was ramping up for war, they needed a large amount of food and iron. We got the iron from Ironside, the a large mining town to the west of Harlequin. At the foot of the Lake Ridge. It has the largest vein of iron in the kingdom.¡± ¡°At the time ¨C more than ten years ago ¨C it was a smaller town since there was a more easily accessible vein east of Harlequin and several by Grialdale.¡± Dave said. ¡°But because of the war, the Palace had ordered a reassessment of the Lakeridge mines and found it plentiful enough to decree all mining companies relocate there. You know, because of the Deepfrost lake that sits on the otherside made it almost impossible for invasion.¡± ¡°What prevents waterside invasions?¡± Opal asked. ¡°Err¡­ Im not too sure. I wasn¡¯t interested in that information.¡± Dave shrugged and Justine shook her head. ¡°The lake, as its name suggests, is freezing cold,¡± Marlon spoke. ¡°Not to mention there ware short cliffs rimming the lake as if the lake itself was a gash made by the gods. Or a footprint. A long thin strip of land cuts up its middle betwen Fort Valentine and Fort Kalmore. Its an odd location as well that both of the nations had fought over.¡± Opal nodded. Amphibtious attacks were hard operations even with her technology. So much so that most of the time, it was worth HALO Dropping behind instead of attempting a water-borne assault. ¡°Then what made it worth your time to transport all the items to Port?¡± Opal asked. ¡°It¡¯s a long journey.¡± Justine said. ¡°You cant transport it down directly through the middle of the Kingdom. The geography is too rough, and it still holds the last remaining monsters we know of. Its worth it for adventurers, but for merchants? The most equipment to repair, or replace means less profits.¡± Dave nodded and added. ¡°Its slim profits to transport the ore too, which meant we had to partner with a smithy. Igots sell better if you¡¯re willing to share a little of that profit with the blacksmiths. A lot of companies wanted to vertically integrate.¡± ¡°They weren¡¯t prepared to move their facilities to Ironside, allowing you to profit in on the sudden shift by the decree.¡± The AI said. Dave snapped his finger and pointed to Opal. ¡°A lot of them were slow and too prideful - or greedy little shits. Hard to figure and not worth finding¡¯ either. Justine and I owned a small caravan and quickly went to Ironside to buy up ore before the smithies could try anything or them. But the journey was¡­ Let''s just say I don''t think it was worth hauling ore from Ironside to Port Tress.¡± ¡°Long story short,¡± Justine waved her husband off. ¡°Is that it would be worth carrying ingots of the same weight in a sturdier wagon than ore. By the nature of it, it would¡¯ve required far more equipment to carry since we¡¯d need to repair more. But with smaller wagons, it allowed better navigation of the roads. Also cheaper to work on if we look at the amount of surface area to possibly fix or reinforce.¡± ¡°Brilliant.¡± Opal commented. It was half-sincere since it was a smart play on their behalf. It allowed them to give in on the profits without the larger players causing more trouble for them. But in Opal¡¯s eyes, the raw ore was better as it would allow her to change the composition of the finished product. But she wasn¡¯t the one buying or selling it either. Opal continued after a momentary thought. She figured she¡¯s continue the conversation down a different path as not to raise suspicion on her espionage. ¡°How much did you make through this whole endeavor?¡± ¡°Around 100 gold pieces, give or take a few,¡± Dave said with a wider grin. But it seemed he remembered something and sighed. ¡°But unfortunately the Mistress of Fortunes is a fickle bitch. The larger players eventually got settled and took the lion¡¯s share. We tried to also expand our operations, but got stonewalled by several lords.¡± ¡°I assume that meant those players were owned by them?¡± Opal asked. Justine nodded. ¡°It was how they grew so powerful. If you have a noble backing you then other nobles will move out of the way as not to offend each other. Despite this, we continued to make a small profit on our journeys. We ended up handing it over to one of the caravan managers for a small fortune. Just enough to retire on. If all was well, I¡¯d assume he¡¯s still going at it.¡± The conversation continued for a while longer until it was time for a midday rest stop. Sergeant Marlon informed the riders that the wagon would pull over to the side. He promised that all could dismount and stretch, and he¡¯d go speak with his commander. Opal dismounted after and looked around. It was raw natural forest, cut by a wide compacted dirt path. She observed no one was watching her in particular and disappeared into the forest at a walking pace. No one questioned her and she didn¡¯t speak. [OPAL: Status and all force locations.] There was a two-second pause. [ONYX: Green. Radiowalker has kept its distance from you. MOW-D and a small squad are with it. The next possible location for overwatch is 30 miles ahead of you where the forest ends. Enemy scouts have pulled from the Town. Radiowalker-2 has taken residence on the mountain by the town. A construction squad has been sent with Spyders to establish communication towers.] Opal tested the connection, and yes, the latency had gone up by 15ms. Given that, she also sent along the information gained during the ride till then. [ONYX: Acknowledged. Any other orders?]d[OPAL: Proceed with Operation RockWings.]