"Actually, I tried asking my AI why I kept finding equipment in the catalogue named after human mythology. I have to admit, 'Taming Sari' was a much better name than the original five seconds of simulated alien smells."
-From an overheard conversation between two Samurai
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As I entered my temporary quarters, it felt like all the energy left me at once. I went straight for the shower, peeling my ruined outfit off as I went. There was absolutely no way that thing was salvageable, and even the clothes I’d been wearing beneath it were in tatters. I’d need to ask someone for a change of clothes or buy something with points.
It took an unreasonable amount of time to scrub myself clean. The dirt and grime of several days, combined with so much blood I could fill another person, came off my body in a brown-red stream. The very water changed colors as it ran off me. My hair was even worse- practically a series of hardened spines at this point rather than loose strands, and closer to black now than blonde. I had to soak it for several minutes, gently rubbing shampoo in, until it finally softened and came apart. Even more time went into working the shampoo in and extracting the filth clinging to my scalp.
After the longest shower of my life, I finally was able to dry myself off and drop into bed, but I still wasn’t quite done. I needed to sort my gear before something came up- I was tired of being on the edge of death every time an Antithesis got within spitting distance. The shower had left me feeling incredibly refreshed, so I thought I could stay awake just a little longer.
First, I ruffled through the drawers in the room and threw on a set of PMC issue fatigues that were close enough to my size. I considered for a moment whether it was normal for the guest rooms to be stocked with clothes or whether Alana had arranged for it somehow after seeing my clothes, but decided in the end that it didn’t matter. I took a seat on the edge of the bed, happy to be dressed in more than rags.
I pulled up the armor I had designed with Juny on day one. I had gone back and forth on the appearance before settling on Mark IV Mjolnir. It was either that or ODST Battle Armor, because using the appearance of a later version of Mjolnir wouldn’t have felt right for one big reason: my first suit, at the least, would not have energy shields.
Technically I had only adapted the appearance of the Mark IV Mjolnir to fit the frame of a Class I suit of power armor called the Dainsleif-6. Apparently that wasn’t the real name, but something Juny substituted due to the original being unpronounceable to humans, but that was beside the point.
The Dainsleif-6 was a mishmash of upgrades and downgrades when compared to the original Mjolnir series, as some components of the armor turned out to be easily replicated with Class 0 technology, while others required Class II or higher. The plating itself was a Class I composite that was superior to titanium and lighter, which would make it possible for me to move in it with far less in the way of mechanical support. It would also stop most attacks from anything in the single digits, although the coverage wasn’t perfect, and the undersuit, though made of similar Class I materials, was not nearly as impervious.
In other words, I was tougher, but not invincible. I could still be crushed by the mass and strength of a Model Six, and the undersuit wouldn’t hold up to a direct hit from a Model Five’s quills or a Nine’s blades. Even Threes and Fours could pose a threat if I was caught prone and they held me down long enough to break through the undersuit, though in almost any other situation they would be a non-threat.
The undersuit consisted of three layers: an outer, flexible armored weave, an interstitial layer containing a power frame that would allow the suit to effectively carry itself and reduce some of the strain on my muscles during extended fighting, and an inner layer that whisked away sweat and controlled the inner temperature. It could also constrict to combat bleeding. This setup was a lot more bulky than the Mjolnir’s solution to both defense and enhancement, but the liquid metal crystal layer would require higher class technology, and the gel layer wouldn’t have been terribly helpful right now.
A point of similarity was that this suit also had magnetic weapon holders; the difference was that they were not always activated and would be manually toggled by Juny when needed. That was because the magnets were significantly more powerful- I wouldn’t have to worry about losing a weapon at an inopportune moment. The strips were also mounted atop ammunition cases within the armor, and deployable arms could reload my weapons for me when they weren’t in use, enabling me to switch weapons repeatedly as each one ran dry and was reloaded.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
The Dainsleif-6 also came with several additional features unique to itself. Everything save the plating could be repaired by an internal reservoir of nanites, so long as they had the raw materials, and there were limited sensors built into the helmet that could feed directly to my augs, giving me thermal and low-light vision in addition to audio, vibration, and motion sensors- notably, the last set was less robust than what the Mjolnir packed, being strictly line-of-sight only. This entire package was powered by a micro-fusion reactor not unlike that of the original, but a lot safer than the one in my car.
In all honesty, there were better options. Models with built in weapons, stealth, better power assistance, limited flight, reactive armor, healing suites, and more. But I only had 682 points right now, and this armor and its catalogue would leave me with only 82. Points were there to be spent, but those 82 points weren’t getting me much in the way of improvements. Although…
“Juny, I know we hashed most of this out already, but I didn’t have the parachute at the time. Can it be linked to the suit?”
“Of course! If you upgrade to the Dainsleif-6b for five points, you will have an additional equipment slot that can be used to interface with external equipment! More expensive versions can integrate more add-ons, but the experimental version is cheapest in exchange for only having one port.”
“I’ll take it. Go ahead and buy the suit, please, I’d like to try it on before tomorrow.” I had to admit, this was rather exciting. My heart was pounding a bit and my palms were a bit sweaty with anticipation. I was going to get to wear Mjolnir in real life! Or…at least, a close approximation.
Class I Power Armor Unlocked!
Points reduced to…582
New Purchase: Dainsleif-6b
Points Reduced to…77
I barely noticed the notifications as the armor appeared with no fanfare. It was electric blue, with silver highlights and a silver faceplate, and it was several inches taller than me and quite a bit more bulky. I’d replaced the Spartan helmet insignia on the shoulder with a samurai’s helmet for, well, obvious reasons. It wasn’t quite the slim, form-fitting suit its appearance was based off of, but it was impressive nonetheless. A button appeared on my augs as Juny linked them with the suit, and I mentally slapped it, causing the suit to come apart at the seams and the plating to shift out of the way until I could step inside- a necessary consideration, as real Mjolnir required heavy equipment to don, and one I had specifically looked for in a suit.
All I had to do was step inside, and once I was in place, the suit closed up and powered on. New icons appeared on my augs, indicating the status of various features, and the taste of the air changed as the air filters came online. I suddenly had a new sense- the motion sensors were linked directly to my mind, and I just somehow knew there was nothing moving in the room. It was hard to tell if the audio and vibration sensors were the same…I suspected those were simply linked to my existing hearing and touch. That would take some getting used to.
I brought a hand up, feeling the servos in the undersuit assist with the movement. It was smooth, but there was some drift- the Dainsleif-6b lacked a neural link, so there was a slight lag in the activation and deactivation of the assistance. A fraction of a second. It took me a few minutes to adjust to it, but the delay was so slight as to be unnoticeable once I got used to ending each movement with a slight motion in the opposite direction to cancel out the drift. It wasn’t terribly different from the feeling of landing with your legs bent to absorb the shock.
After I had put the suit through a its paces, insomuch as I could do so in what amounted to a hotel room, I went ahead and popped back out of it. There were a few things I still felt needed work, but Juny’s explanations were getting harder and harder to focus on due to my fatigue, and I decided to call it a night. It did feel a bit silly taking the clothes I’d donned not long ago right back off, but I couldn’t stand the feeling of sleeping with a full shirt on, and I had a tank top under the fatigue shirt.
Still, once the lights were off and I was under the covers, sleep was just slightly out of reach.
“I feel like I should…be feeling something now. Like having a breakdown now that I’m safe. Or feeling fear about tomorrow. Or something. But I’m not. I just feel slightly too awake to sleep. Isn’t it normal to freak out after your first time in a fight? That’s what I’ve always heard.”
“Not everyone reacts the same way! Most humans do tend to crash after a trying experience, and even Vanguards require occasional downtime, but your current state is actually the average for Vanguards. Otherwise, you would not be able to do the job!”
“Is that, like, just how I am? That’s not…a side effect of becoming one, right?”
“The Protectors’ criteria for choosing Vanguards are difficult for other species to understand, but one commonality is a tendency to deal well with pressure. A minority of Vanguards cannot withstand combat and retire early, but they would fall a standard deviation from the average. Most that are chosen are like you, and handle it well. A select few fall the other way, and thrive under stress and constant combat.”
“In other words, I’m weird for a human, but normal for a samurai. I’ll take it, I guess. Thanks, Juny.”
“Of course! I do believe you could use some sleep, however. Would you like something to assist with sleeping?”
“No, I think I…”
“Ah. Good night, then, Erica.”