While administrative power is distributed undemocratically, Scania's Citizen Oversight Council is elected yearly by lottery from the entire adult population, adhering to the original democratic ideals. They have the power of censure over the administrative system, and can demand the replacement of any given administrator or official with a simple majority vote. In practice this doesn't happen often, but the Council's conduct reports have heavy weight when promotions and reappointments are considered.
--Scania, wikipedia article, current
***
The next few days passed pretty quietly. I kept spending points to buy the materials for further Yellowjacket production, and was rapidly closing in on two-hundred of those. Add to that the fifty a day Wasp production, and it was getting a bit crowded on the walls and ceilings of my room. I was contacted by a Polish Samurai calling herself Grindstone, who said she was working her way through a complicated set of organization charts for a bunch of companies who owned each other in a messy network, trying to figure which of the people involved were supposed to be responsible for the unmaintained Shelter we'd found, and which other problems they'd caused. She sounded like she was having fun, which was good, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been, trying to untangle that particular knot. Anyway, she said she'd be in touch once she had something more concrete.
Other than that, I met up with Cammy and a few of our other friends for a meal and a catch-up out in the city, checked in with Laura from the military, but mostly just spent time with Katherine.
I was currently sitting leaned into her and reading a book, while also pruning the plants in my room with a couple of my drones. They weren't great for the task, but they were adequate, and this way I could manage my small indoor garden while doing other things. I got jostled out of my book, though, when Katherine moved.
I grumbled good-naturedly and shifted around to get comfortable again.
"Hey, Sylvi?"
This backrest was getting uppity. First it moved, and now it also started talking to me?
"Mmmm." I hummed, not quite ready to depart from book-land.
"Sylvi. Seems I've gotta get going."
"Hmmm? What? Who's stealing you away from me?" I asked.
"No one, but I've volunteered to standby for missions, remember? Seems something has come up." She said.
"Oh. Do you think I should come, too?" I said, suddenly a bit concerned.
"Naw, you just stay here, lazy bones. I can handle myself, and besides I'll have a squad watching my back."
"If you're sure."
"I am. You can keep your promise to your mother today."
"But what if I want an excuse to get out of it?" I said.
"You said you'd say that, and to tell you to stop whining when you did. So, stop whining."
I pouted.
"Now, I'll need you to move so I can get up." She continued.
I reluctantly moved out of the way to let her get to her feet.
"Be careful out there, okay?" I said.
"Pssh, I've got a new suit of armour to try out, I doubt anything will trouble me."
"Then I guess I'll see you when you get back."
"Of course. And good luck today with your public appearance."
I nodded, and she turned to leave. Public appearance, hey? I had run the whole thing past Val, who had commented that it was a bit distasteful to use Valkyries to sway public opinion like this, but had also said it was ultimately my own decision whether to attend or not. She had warned me to be careful not to get taken advantage of, though, and advised me to keep my helmet on if I did go. And so with no solid arguments against the plan, I had reluctantly agreed to participate since I didn't have anything else planned on those days.
I still had a few hours until I was expected, but I was now a bit jittery, so I went to start slowly getting ready.
When I went to have a look at my armour, a sad sight greeted me. I had forgotten how scuffed and battered it had become after my encounter with a Nine. I doubted Mother would be impressed if I showed up in this thing. Or maybe the scars and battle damage would make me look more fierce? No, best not to risk it.
This isn't exactly the best reason to buy a set of armour, but I might as well, right?
[Looking your best is an excellent reason.]
So I take it you approve?
[Of you looking your best? Always.]
Okay. Do it then.
Catalogue Unlocked: Class II Light Armour - 400 points, 1 token
Catalogue Unlocked: Class I Force Projection - 100 points
Catalogue Unlocked: Class II Hard Light Emitters - 400 points, 1 token
New Purchase: Class II Light Armour Suit, Carapace - 1450 points
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
Points reduced to... 294
A box appeared on the floor next to me. It was... large. Larger than I was, which I guess sort of made sense. I eagerly opened it, finding an angular, black and yellow suit of armour inside. It looked properly dangerous. I picked up the helmet and looked into the suit from the top.
What should I wear underneath this thing?
[Anything tight-fitting would work. I'd recommend something like your climbing outfit.]
That would work nicely. I changed clothes, then considered.
And how do I get this on? It looks a bit unwieldy.
[You chose the design yourself.]
Yes well, I didn't realize I was trading off looks for ease of use.
[It splits at the waist. The legs go on like regular pants, and I'm sure you've squeezed into tighter tops.]
Sure, but none of them were this stiff.
Still, once I'd picked up the legs and started putting them on, I realized they were remarkably loose. The chest piece went on with similar ease. It wasn't until I'd pulled it all the way down that they suddenly locked together and sort of shrink-wrapped themselves around me. Moving now felt really easy, not like the ease of moving in loose clothes, but like I was just wearing a second set of skin. I rapped a knuckled on my now hard thigh. Well, carapace, I guess.
[Please put on the helmet and connect to the Carapace suit.]
I picked up the helmet again and slid it over my head. It was far more claustrophobic than my previous one, with barely any vision at all. My hearing was also muffled.
Eyon, what the hell?
[Your senses are now one of the weakest links in your setup. I saw no reason to try to account for them when optimizing the functionality of the Carapace suit. Connect and you will understand.]
I did so, not through my augs as I was initially expecting, but through the same connection I used to my drones. As I did so it was as if the world opened up to me. It was as if I was wearing one of my Spyflies, only it provided 360 degree vision and was, if anything, of even higher resolution. In comparison the sight granted to me through my eyes seemed paltry, and not just because of the poor visibility granted through the helmet. So, I closed them, and focused instead on the sight granted by my suit.
It was pretty spectacular. I was pretty sure some of my flowers looked different, too.
[The sensors on the Carapace can see a bit further into the ultraviolet. You can of course shift the spectrum, and view heat by shifting to infrared, should you so desire. Try landing one of your drones on yourself.]
I did so, and once it got to within roughly a meter of me, I started being able to pinpoint it's location even without sight.
[You now also have access to senses based on changes in the air pressure around you. Rapid changes in pressure triggers the automatic Hard Light Emitter defensive system, although this only works on subsonic attacks. The Carapace is of course rated to withstand even fairly heavy ammunition, and subsequent attacks will be deflected with Hard Light. Any preemptive defences is best accomplished through the Hard Light Projector you have yet to purchase.]
I see, I see. Oh wait! Will I need a new backpack and weapon mount?
[No, I made sure those are compatible with the Carapace. You can put them on if you so desire.]
I did so desire. A short while later, I was admiring myself from multiple angles through my drones. I struck a pose, and thought I looked rather good. This was a bit vain, but kind of fun all the same.
I had a bit of a blind spot where the shoulder mounted Stinger was in the way of my vision, but some experimentation and moving it lower down minimized that. Still, it was way better than the massive blind spot I used to have, behind my head and to the sides.
Satisfied, I continued experimenting with my newest toy, until it was time to leave if I wanted to be on time. I once again considered not going, but no. That would just make things complicated. So, I set off towards the hangar and Mother's publicity event.
***
As I arrived in the middle of a megabuilding, in a public square a bit off the path towards one of the larger stations in the sector, there was a small crowd already. I wasn't sure how Mother had managed to lure people out. Maybe they had just drifted over to see what was going on, or maybe it was the promise of free cheese bites? However it was done, she was chatting to a number of them, but looked up as I walked in, along with, admittedly, a fair number of other people. It was still a bit of a novel experience, walking through the city in my Valkyrie gear. I hadn't been harassed or inconvenienced, really, but I did tend to draw the attention and eyes of the people I passed.
"Ah, Hornet. So glad you could make it." Mother greeted me.
"Of course, Mother."
I got a few surprised looks for that greeting. Had they perhaps not believed Mother when she told them I was her daughter? There was even a banner hanging over the proceedings proclaiming as much.
"I was just telling these citizens about you, Hornet. You know, being an administrator is remarkably similar to being a Valkyrie, I think. The responsibility, the hard decisions you have to make, the long hours." She said.
"Facing down the ravenous horde if you make a slight mistake." A man standing next to her quipped. He got a polite laugh for his efforts.
"Of course, there are many differences, too." Mother continued. "Still, I am so glad to see you carry on the legacy of fighting for the people of Scania. I couldn't be more proud."
I wasn't quite sure what the programme was going to be, but from the small podium that was being set up, I deduced a speech was part of it. For now, though, it seemed as if mingling with the public was the order of the day.
"Woah, a real Valkyrie! I can't quite believe it. I saw you on the news from Gdansk the other day, good work out there!" A man gushed.
"Hang on, can you prove it? That you're a Valkyrie, I mean?" A woman said in a confrontational voice. "Anyone can put on a costume, after all, and yours doesn't look like what Hornet was wearing."
I thought for a moment. Mother had warned me this might happen, that I might be challenged to prove myself, so I wasn't too surprised or hurt by the allegation.
Instead, I started having Yellowjackets leave my backpack in a small stream. They weren't the flashiest thing in the world, but sheer numbers have a weight of their own, and soon we were standing under a small swarm of them, flying in intricate symmetrical patterns in the air. I couldn't help myself from having one hover just in front of the face of the woman who had doubted me, though. She flinched back, while the rest of the crowd were ooh'ing and aah'ing at my small performance.
I received a message from Mother in my augs.
"Very nice. Keep that performance up." It read.
I frowned. It wasn't the hardest thing in the world to keep up, but it was a bit taxing, having to concentrate on multiple things at once like this. I resolved to make the pattern less intricate next time.
"So, I believe that should dispel any doubts." Mother said.
"Hang on, I've seen drone swarms do similar performances before." The doubter persisted.
"How many of those drones were huge wasps? Lay off it, before you get into trouble." A man said. "I, for one, am happy to make your acquaintance, Hornet. May I shake your hand, so I can say I did so?" He asked with a smile.
I smiled, realized he couldn't see that, then nodded and stuck out my hand.
After that there was a bit of a rush as people didn't quite squeeze in, but were definitely trying to approach and talk to me, shake my hand, ask me something or other or take photos with me. Mother had luckily anticipated this and had people at hand to organize things, so soon order was restored and I was sitting at a table with a queue of people in front of me. It wasn't the longest queue, but it was still going to take a while to get through. There were even photos of me in my previous armour, standing next to Mother, for me to sign for people. I definitely didn't remember posing for such a photo, so it must have been edited for the occasion.
Mother rotated through the crowd, hearing peoples grievances and generally made herself available, while I settled in for the long haul.