Jill reached her mind towards Bertha and willed the crystal settlement core to show itself. The night before it had erupted from the bathroom floor right before she was going to use the toilet. But now, nothing happened. Her mental commands were being refused.
“Jill,” Babu said, “that’s your bathroom. Did you, uh, make a custom seat or something?”
“I’m trying to get the stupid settlement core to show,” Jill said, “it was going to be dramatic!” She scowled and stopped mentally pushing. “Hey, System,” she shouted aloud, “why isn’t the core popping up?”
System Inquiry Detected
Your Inner Sanctum is not secure! Current security settings restrict Core access outside of authorized personnel.
“Inner Sanctum?” Sangita asked. She had gotten the message from the System as well. “Your Inner Sanctum is the…” she gestured.
Babu burst out laughing.
“It’s not my fault, it’s the System,” Jill said, “it was messing with me. Like I said before, it’s a sassy bitch sometimes.”
“To me, it just acts like a computer program,” Sangita said. “And a useful one at that.”
“It says it’s adaptive to its user,” Babu said and wiped a tear from his eye. “Now we have proof of that!”
It was Sangita’s turn to laugh, though she cut it off after just a few chuckles.
“You two suck,” Jill said, spiking each one in turn with a glare. “System!” She barked to the sky. “Make Babu and Sangita authorized to see the core, will you?”
System Inquiry Detected
Current security settings restrict changes to settings unless the Inner Sanctum is sealed.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Jill said and stomped into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her. A glowing gold crystal burst from the floor, but Jill had been expecting it and she leaped aside, onto the toilet rim.
“The System really does seem to make things harder for her,” Sangita said, her voice muffled by the metal door.
“It seems to tease her” Babu replied, “but I don’t think it has ever done something bad in a crisis.”
“She must have swore at it too much. This is why I taught you manners.”
“You taught me manners,” Babu said, voice laden with skepticism, “in case a magic-power granting program-thing came to earth and could be offended?”
Jill tuned them out and focused on the crystal.
Welcome, Settlement Administrator Jill MacLeod
Your Settlement is ready to configure!
Settlement Name: System Go Fuck Yourself I’m Going to Bed
Type: Dimensional Bubble Core Level: 1
XP: 1,000,000/3,000,000 Available Points: 1
MP: 10,000 Mana Generation: 16.7 MP per second
Shield HP: 10,000 Shield Maintenance: 1 MP per second
Residents: 3051 Resident Mana Taxed (1%): 14.1 MP per second
Net Mana Generation: 30.8 MP per second Net Mana Expended: 1 MP per second
Available Administrative Actions:
Invest XP: Send future or pending XP to ‘System Go Fuck Yourself I’m Going to Bed’
Set Taxes: Mana and XP tax rates can be raised up to 10%.
Manage Security: Settlement shield and Inner Sanctum may be configured.
Select Focus: Biological, Technomana, Mystical
Available Power Categories:
Common
Dimensional
Infrastructure
Social
Further options may be unlocked by fulfilling requirements.
‘I did not name it that, smartass,’ Jill thought, ‘change the name to…’ she paused, ‘shit I don’t know, how about Berthaville?’
Settlement name changed! Settlement name is now ‘Shit I Don’t Know How About Berthaville’
Jill sighed and projected disappointment toward the System. ‘I’ve got something for your adaptive interface to ponder, shit-for-brains,’ she thought. ‘Jokes are much funnier the first time.’
Usually, responses from the System came instantaneously, but this time there was a pause of several seconds.
Adaptive Interface input processed. Changing Settlement name to ‘Berthaville’.
‘Nice,’ Jill thought. ‘Now, show me the security options.’
Settlement Security
Inner Sanctum: Core will only reveal itself to authorized personnel. The Sanctum must be sealed to enact changes.
Settlement Shield: Active, Permeable
Sub-Administrators: None
Jill tapped her fingers on her thigh for a few seconds and thought about who she trusted.
‘Set Babu, Ras, and Mia as Sub-Administrators,’ she projected to the System, ‘Let them change whatever they want. And don’t require the door being closed, that’s just dumb unless I make the bathroom some sort of armored high-security super-crapper. For Sangita,’ she paused for a moment, then nodded to herself, ‘let her see the settlement boxes, but don’t let her change things. Hide the core from everyone else.’
Security settings updated.
Jill balanced and extended one foot over the core crystal. She hooked it onto the door handle, flicked it down, and pushed the door open.
Babu and Sangita turned their heads and took in Jill, standing on one leg on the seat of her toilet, balanced over a spiky gold crystal. They shared a look. “This is normal,” Babu said. Sangita sighed. Then both of their eyes started flickering back and forth as they read the settlement notifications.
“You named it Berthaville?” Sangita asked.
“Yes,” Jill said. She jumped over the core and out of the bathroom, ducking her head in midair to avoid the lintel.“That right there is what I named it. No other name. You have a problem with that?”
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Babu waved at his mother and shook his head back and forth.
“That’s what I thought,” Jill said. “Bertha’s a kickass name, so Berthaville is too.”
“You know it!” Babu said, far too cheerfully.
Jill narrowed her eyes. “Back to business,” she said. “First up is picking a focus.” She willed the Settlement screen to show those options.
Select 1 area of focus for ‘Berthaville’. The choice cannot be revoked.
Biological Focus: +10% to growth and healing rates inside of ‘Berthaville’ for all living things. Unlocks Powers related to life and biological engineering.
Technomana Focus: +10% to the crafting rate and effective level of all mana-powered devices produced inside of ‘Berthaville’. Unlocks powers related to devices and technomana applications.
Mystical Focus: -10% to the cost of all spells cast inside of ‘Berthaville’. Unlocks Powers related to the direct application of Mana.
“Why this option first?” Sangita asked. “Not spending the point on a power?”
“Well-” Jill started to explain.
“Ope!” Babu interrupted. “This doesn’t cost points, but it’s permanent! It’s just like the choice you have to make when you fully upgrade one of your modules. What it reveals could totally change how the settlement progresses and what power is best to buy first.”
“Bingpot,” Jill said. The coffee machine beeped and she reached over to grab the freshly brewed cup. “So, there’s the obvious choice of biological focus to help fix our food problem, but I don’t think long term that’s the right call.”
“Bertha is your main asset,” Sangita said. “Will the techno one help things that are made through your Soulbound powers?”
“Oh,” Babu said. “That would make the choice easy. Does Bertha count as being inside of Berthaville?”
“How can the truck be inside of the things inside of it?” Jill asked, mentally poking the System at the same time.
System Inquiry Detected
Potential spatial paradox detected. Resolving Mana flows.
‘Berthaville’ occupies the region enclosed by Soulbound Modular Vehicle ‘Bertha’s dimensional barrier. Integration of exterior Mana flows supporting the Settlement’s region will cause dimensional cascade failure. Bertha will not be included in Settlement focus.
Warning! Dimensional cascade failure is not recommended.
“That’s a ‘no’ then,” Jill said. “What do you two vote for?”
There was a beat of silence as everyone thought. Sangita broke it first. “We need food. Badly. But nearly everything else that people here do falls under Technomana.”
Babu nodded. “People are already crafting things out of monster parts,” he said. “Remember that machine shop at the armory back in Boseman? Everything they were doing there would count. Maybe we can ask for some of the airport’s trucks or forklifts as payment and people could upgrade them into battle buddies for Bertha!”
“Or as a more practical priority,” Sangita said, “have them make farming equipment, so the focus’ bonus will apply to them in a roundabout way.”
“I’m more excited about them crafting guns,” Jill said, “or armor.” She glanced at her tiny closet, where a badass, spiked-shoulder set of leather armor hung. It needed a good cleaning and repair, as there was a blood-covered hole in the shoulder, but Jill could hopefully get it upgraded at the same time. If the armor had been 10% better, it might have stopped the round entirely.
Another flash of memory struck Jill: Bertha side-on to a horde of monsters, guns blazing away, while those inside ran out to rescue others. They were exposed in a way that Jill wasn’t and would rely on their arms and armor far more. The edge Technomana gave them would save lives.
“Right,” Jill said. “Technomana it is.” She selected and finalized it; a new set of options for the Settlement appeared before her.
Technomana Powers
Workshop: Unlocks the workshop structure for placement in the Settlement. This structure provides a facility, bonuses, and further options for item creation. Unlocks Foundry at Settlement level 20.
Direct Mana Feed: Allows for Settlement Mana to be routed into Technomana devices. Unlocks Overdrive at Settlement level 10.
Device Incentives: Experience gain for the creation and maintenance of Technomana devices increased by 10%. Unlocks Device Spark at Settlement level 50.
“Ok,” Jill said, “nothing we can use now for food. But I bet that Workshop is what the armory had.”
“I’ll call them right after we’re done and ask Buckman,” Babu said. “If it is he can tell me exactly what it does before we spend a point on it.”
“Nice thinking,” Jill said. “Now,” she cracked her neck, “time to read the rest.” She summoned boxes for the other available powers and silence descended in the cabin as they read.
Common Powers
All Common Powers may be taken multiple times.
Size Increase: Increase the diameter of ‘Berthaville’s claimed region to 1km. Note: Settlement Shield upkeep is proportional to shield area. Settlement Shield strength in any given place is inversely proportional to shield area. Unlocks Boundary Shape Control at level 15.
Shield Reinforcement: Increases the HP of the barrier shield by 10,000 HP and decreases the shield’s upkeep by 20 MP per second. Unlocks Shield Notifications.
Core Mana Reinforcement: Increases the mana of the Settlement Core by 5,000 MP, with a consequent increase in mana generation of 8.4 MP per second. Unlocks Secondary Core at level 50.
Infrastructure Powers
Warning! ‘Berthaville’s region is currently fully occupied. Increase available space to place structures.
Basic Housing: Creates 20 Basic Housing buildings and allows for the manual placement of more. Each is equipped with housing for 5, life support for 10 including air, water, and rations, and is self-maintaining. Upkeep per building: 1 Mana per second. Each rank of this power taken supplies the upkeep for 20 buildings. Unlocks High-Density Housing at level 30.
Social Powers
Tax Increases: Reinforces ‘Berthaville’s Mana pathways, allowing for a maximum tax rate of 20% for both Mana and XP. Unlocks Distributive Services at level 15.
Proclamations: Displays messages to all residents through their System interface. Unlocks Propaganda at level 20.
Community Goal: Unlocks Administrator action Set Community Goal. Any resident action taken in furtherance of this goal generates 10% more XP. Unlocks Emergency Action at level 10.
Dimensional Bubble Powers
Air Supply: Refreshes the air inside of ‘Berthaville’, maintaining an Earth-standard nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere at 50% humidity. Upkeep cost: 1 Mana per cubic kilometer per second. Unlocks Terrain Generation at level 5.
Artificial Sun: Creates a spherical source of heat and Earth-standard spectrum light. The sun can be set to a static or orbital mode. Upkeep cost: 1 Mana per second. Unlocks Seasonal Control at level 15.
Interstitial Airlock: Allows access to the Interstitial Realm without contamination. Creates two portals around an intermediate dimensional chamber between ‘Berthaville’s bubble of causal reality and the exterior Interstitial Realm. Unlocks Interstitial Gates at level 25.
Warning! Exposure to the Interstitial Realm is not recommended at your level.
Warning! Combat with Interstitial Beings is not recommended at your level.
“So,” Jill said when she had finished. “I’m thinking we put the first point into size increase so that we can set up some farms or hydroponics or something.”
“There’s no option in the buildings for those,” Sangita said. “We’ll have to get people to build them manually.”
“You said people had farmer classes,” Jill said. “I’ll give them space, they do their stuff, we don’t starve.”
Babu raised his hand. “I think it might take a few more settlement levels before that will work,” he said.
Jill scowled. “Yeah? Why is that?”
“Well there being a power called Air Supply is a bit of a red flag, don’tcha know,” he said. “It kind of implies that an extra source of air is needed.”
Jill snapped her fingers. “Right! It’s a dimensional bubble, whatever that means -” she was interrupted by another notification.
System Inquiry Detected
Dimensional Bubble type Settlements are pockets of causal reality residing in the Interstitial Realm. Access to the Material Realm is typically granted via anchors or portals. The Interstitial Realm does not contain matter compatible with that of the Material Realm.
Warning! Dimensional Bubble Settlements cannot draw Mana from the Material Realm.
Warning! Combat with Interstitial beings is not recommended at your level.
“Thanks, Sys,” Jill said. “So whatever we need, we have to bring in from outside, unless it’s made from a power?”
“Interstitial Realm…” Babu muttered, staring at the wall. His eyes began flickering back and forth, the sure sign of someone reading more System-provided information.
“When I made Bertha bigger,” Jill continued, “it sucked in a ton of air even though I’ve got some climate control stuff generating air.”
“I remember that,” Sangita said. “It was like a hurricane blasting through the trailer.”
“I bet a whole kilometer diameter of extra space would be a fuckton worse.”
Sangita grimaced. “There would be more deaths,” she said, tone flat.
“Hey System,” Jill said, “Put warnings on options that are going to straight-up murder people if I take them, will you?”
Adaptive settings updated.
“Good,” Jill said. “Well, it has to be air first.“ She selected it and braced herself. Every time she had taken one of Bertha’s soulbound powers she had felt the changes in her truck as if they were happening to her own body, and some of them had been truly disturbing. But this time there was nothing. Jill shut her eyes and focused hard, shutting out as much of the room around her as she could to feel what was happening in the rest of Bertha. Finally, she felt it: her truck wasn’t spending Mana on creating and filtering the air anymore.
“So no food production right away,” Sangita said.
Her voice snapped Jill out of her introspection. “Uh,” she said, “right.”
“So is stealing back to being plan A?” Sangita asked and narrowed her eyes.
Jill sighed. “It’s kind of a kick in the cooter, but yes. I’ll also put food on the top of the list of things to ask for in payment from the Commander.” She stood. “Hey, Babu,” she said.
He didn’t answer, still engrossed in reading System boxes.
“Babu,” Sangita said, tone sharp.
“What?” he said, jerking backward and looking around.
“We’re done for now, but I’ve got a job for you after you talk to Buckman,” Jill said. “For you too,” she said to Sangita. “Figure out how to level the Settlement as fast as possible.”
“Ok,” Babu said. “Sounds fun. What are you going to do?”
“Something that’s always a giant pain in my ass,” Jill said. “Convince someone to pay for a shipment I’ve already delivered.”