Matthew retrieved the metal cylindrical container from Doc which she had just dug out of the ground, then he twisted the top until a low hissing sounded out from the container, from there Aea quickly reported back
[Store of blank BlueArrow bio-nanites confirmed, beginning absorption…]
After a few moments streams of metal sand like nanites streamed out of several tiny holes in the metal container, they flowed up his arm under his clothes and were quickly absorbed into his bionic spine
[Starting imprinting of blank bio-nanites, ETA: 6 hours, critical failure cascade avoided]
Matthew let out a sigh, not that he didn’t have to worry about his organs shutting down and rotting within his own body he could start planning ahead
‘...Alina’
Matthew looked North, as much as he wanted to head North at once it would make better sense to acquire some transport instead of simply legging it all the way, and for that Doc was his best option… However, he would have to make some preparations if he happened to run into Ripper
‘...Bare minimum, I need a coil rifle and 3 extended mags of metal slugs’
“Matthew”
Hearing Doc’s voice he turned around and saw her kneeling on the ground, he tilted his head in confusion, he did not remember her being this docile before
“...Why are you acting like that, Doc?”
“...Like what?”
Matthew narrowed his eyes and applied silent pressure on her until she finally spoke a few moments later
“Ali… Mistress Alina have overwritten the master priority list on my 09 after I linked with yours”
“...She did what?”
“Why don’t you confirm it for yourself?”
‘Aea, confirm master priority list”
[Confirmed, Mistress Alina’s master priority list includes two entries, Entry 1: Keep Matthew safe Entry 2: Keep bad women away from Matthew]
Matthew let out a deep sigh, but after a moment he noticed something critical
‘What is defined as bad women?’
[Definition not found]
“Of course not…”
Brilliant as Alina was, she was no contract lawyer, still to find a loophole in the 2nd entry was really something
‘...Not that I am complaining, Doc would most likely count in that category… What is the consequence for violating an entry on the master priority list again?’
[Immediate retraction of all services provided by all BlueArrow bionic’s installed, along with a lifetime ban for any and all other services provided by BlueArrow and all associated subsidiaries]
‘Great… I need to have a word with Alina about that…’
This might not sound as bad as it really was, to those few that had read the BlueArrow end user agreement to the end knew that ‘basic biological functions of the replaced organ’ were included in those services, so in the case of Doc and the new master priority list it meant that if she failed to “Keep Matthew safe” Or “Keep bad women away from Matthew” all the functions of her bionic spine and other BlueArrow bionics would cease function at that very moment
And people tended to not live for more than a few minutes if their spine suddenly stopped all biological functions
“Well, don’t worry about it too much, Doc… There’s not much difference between then and now”
Doc understood what Matthew meant, thought she really didn’t like the comparison between an intergalactic corporation built on greed, spite and hedonism and Alina, Matthew’s obviously very clingy girlfriend, after messing her hair around for a bit she accepted her new reality and asked
“Then what is our next order of business, Major?”
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Matthew still didn’t like being called by his old nickname, but he accepted it as it was her own way that she would follow his lead
Matthew raised his hand and opened and closed it a few times, he certainly had grown tired of his current form… That said, last time he had tried to power through things he had been divorced from his lower body
‘...I won’t make that mistake again’
Matthew quickly figured out the best course of action, given Doc and Ripper had cleared a path for him, so he would follow it for now
“We’re heading to Uliat, we’ll consolidate power in this area… After that, I’ll lead an expedition North and fetch Alina”
Doc nodded, as Matthew had decided the course she would follow, there was no friendship between the two, and even less trust, only a shared sense of familiarity from their common bloody work over 150 or so years… That and the very real promise of mutually assured death kept Doc in line, she knew it and so did Matthew
‘... Not that a person so singular focused and true to their own desires as her would risk doing anything that would set her permanently off the rollercoaster ride that is life’
The two walked for a bit in silence before Matthew had a stray thought he decided to voice to Doc
“That reminds me, Doc, what was that drug you were working on all those years?”
“Oh that? It’s not really a drug, it’s more of a pharmaceutical chemical designed to render down biological protein to a “Base Biomass” in order to facilitate organ 3D printing after a patient stem-cell implantation”
“...In other words, what? A chemical solution that can be used to facilitate printing of replacement organs?”
“Yep”
“...... But why go through the trouble of doing that when nanites and straight cloning already are capable of the same thing?”
“It would be far cheaper to do so with my theorized chemical solution”
“How much cheaper?”
“Hmm… Around 24%”
“That sounds like a fat slice of profit for the holder of that patent… How much did BlueArrow offer you in commission?”
“0.0002% and they will cover all R&D cost I incur doing the development too”
“0.0002% of the profits?”
“Yep, before tax too”
“That sounds like a fat stack of credits…”
“Yeah, I would be able to fulfill my dream of buying myself a colony liner and retire to the endless black”
Doc stretched her hands up towards the sky, a hollow smile on her face as her eyes dead eyes reflected none of the orange light from the setting sun, after a moment she giggled before she spoke
“Imagine all the powder, pills and needles you could do if you had another 3 sets of replacement organs lined up ready to be installed by an auto-surgeon”
Matthew let out a sigh, he was in no position to judge anyone's retirement plan as his own had consisted of intimate contact with the surface of a main sequence star until very recently… And frankly if Doc wanted her own starship where she could manufacture and do all the drugs her untethered imagination could dream up while she floated off into the space between galaxies he didn’t really have a problem with it
“That sure sounds like a classy way to go”
The bionic implantation that replaced most of the internal organs in her lower body received the reading of her mood swing from Aea and a moment later it squeezed out a newly fabricated batch of her personal cocktail, as euphoric, antidepressant and antipsychotics flooded her bloodstream Doc’s eyes regained their usual light as she responded with a smile
“Of course, I am a classy lady after all”
-
Sofie Arimir had not had a pleasant summer, even if she had finally cleared the Mystic known as the insect witch out of the old ruined trade outpost named Babai, the expedition had cost her many trusted subordinates, some which she had held closer than her family, of course the insect witch had not killed them
‘...It burns’
A person with dark skin, gray hair and a large build had been seen escaping the trade outpost carrying a large metal doll before it happened, she clearly saw it, even now… She had approached a metal obelisk in the central plaza, shortly after the same flash of blinding light that still burned her blinded left eye had killed all of her subordinates in the plaza
‘...It burns…’
She had been saved, just barely kept alive… and ever since then the searing pain of her burnt body had tormented her, along with her already poor temper and Mystic strength which only increased with her anger she had set out in pursuit of the man with the gray hair… At once, she sprung out of bed as she yelled
“It burns… IT FUCKING BURNS! BRING ME MY MEDICINE!”
“I have it here, Princess Arimir!”
Sofie felt her vision blur, a moment later a wet crush sounded out as she felt warm water flow down her hands, then her vision returned to normal, in her hands were the slushed remains of a servants' skull, she paid him no mind, the dead didn’t need her pity, she crouched down and picked up the glass vial which contained her painkillers, she didn’t bother keeping the cork stopper which functioned as a lid, she threw it away and raised the glass vail over her open mouth and quickly poured the 20 or so brown pills into her mouth before chewing them and swallowing
After a few moments, the searing pain of her burns were replaced with the usual dull headache, this was what her life had turned into, it had turned into a pendulum that swung between dull headaches and searing pain
‘Wait a little longer, Jaric… I will avenge you soon’
Sofie checked her armor straps and gave the few she had loosened to ease her sleep last night a few hard pulls before she secured the leather strips and pulled the large board sword out of the ground where she had planted it the night before and stepped out of her tent, around her were a sprawling army camp, in her pursuit of the gray haired man that had fled North she had encountered harsh resistance from The mountain savages that occupied the entire mountain range
“Princess Arimir”
Sofie glanced over at the soldier that saluted her, she had originally been forced to retreat by the fantastical weaponry of the inhuman mountain savages, but she had managed to bring back some weapons she had claimed as trophies, from there she had stuck a deal with the king of the Turman kingdom… He would lend her a army to conquer the savages that had long annoyed the kingdom, and she would offer all of these weapons to the kingdom
“State your report”
The soldier kneeled down and spoke in a clear, loud tone, there was none of the dejection and frustration in his voice she had grown used to hearing over the 4-month invasion and subsequent siege of the savages city… Instead, excitement shone clear in his words
“The savages have finally run low on supplies and have sent a messenger to negotiate for their peace”
Sofie showed a wide smile and asked
“Where?”
“At the Northern entrance to our encampment, shall I escort you—”
“No need”
Sofie kicked off the ground and instantly accelerated before she launched off the ground with a might leap, after sailing through the air for a few moments she landed a few meters from the Northern entrance, there she immediately saw the diplomats from her kingdom facing one of the savages, the savage looked towards her and bowed to her with respect as he spoke the kingdom’s language with a heavy accent
“My name is Iaka, I am the 143rd Forge champion and I have come here to negotiate princess A—”
“Do you remember the words of our first meeting?”
Iaka suppressed his displeasure of being interrupted doing a formal diplomatic negotiation, nevertheless he kept his cool as he raised his head from his bow to continue speaking, however he never got the chance to speak, the last thing he saw was a flurry of Sofie’s unkempt emerald hair as she carved him in two from shoulder to hip
“I told you to surrender at once or be slaughtered”
She then hacked a loogie and spat on the shocked face of the dismembered corpse before she raised her bloody board sword over her head and let out a thunderous yell
“SLAUGHTER EVERY LAST OF THESE DISHONORABLE CURS! REMEMBER OUR FALLEN COMRADES, THEY STOLE THEM FROM US WITHOUT THOUGHT, SO WE SHALL SHOW THEM NO MERCY IN RETURN!”
A moment of silence followed before the entire encampment erupted in thunderous bloodthirsty cheers from the Turman soldiers
‘...Just a little longer, Jaric… Wait just a little longer and I shall avenge you’