Let me get this out of the way early, you are not invincible. That flak armor you’ve been issued MAY save you from a glancing blow from a Model Four, but a direct hit will punch right through. You’re not a samurai, you can’t stand toe to toe with even the smallest antithesis models, so don’t try it. Your armor is there as a last-ditch attempt to save the months and years of training we’ve put into you, it’s not reliable protection. The only ones that survive more than three seconds in close combat with an antithesis are the samurai

- Burning Eagles PMC - Primer for new recruits

—

As soon as we sat down, Skyler turned to me. “I can’t believe you’re leaving most of your purchases up to your AI. Before we leave this APC, I’m going to force you to buy at least one fun, interesting device,” she declared.

“Look, I know all this is important, but I’d rather stick to what I know, what I’m comfortable with, than purchase some fancy tech or weapon that I’ll fumble in the midst of battle,” I grumbled.

“Okay, that’s fair… but I’m sure there’s a ton of different options which’ll help keep you alive or augment your combat style. Remember GroundWire? That samurai that your mother contacted to try and get samples of the super trees she’d purchased? Well, she used a ton of electrical arc weapons. Maybe you could apply something similar to your arrows?” Skyler suggested. “Or if you want examples of other famous melee samurai, there’s Maniac, over in Germany. She uses deflector shields and teleportation to get closer to her opponents.”

“Isn’t she the one that’s always on the news for doing something crazy?” I asked suspiciously.

“I’m definitely not suggesting you emulate everything she does, but some defensive techs wouldn’t hurt,” Skyler quickly clarified.

“I’ll think about it,” I mumbled. “Some extra protection from those Model Fives would definitely be nice. How about you? What are you going to spend your points on?”

Skyler smiled. “My first priority is to get more types of shells for my mortar. If we’re going to be wandering into buildings, I’d like to have other options besides high explosives. I’d hate to bring the place down upon our heads the first time we encountered trouble.” She paused for a moment and bit her lip, obviously thinking. “Oh! Maybe some small recon drones to check out the surrounding area, and spot for Howie too!,” she exclaimed after a few seconds. She held her hands out in front of her, and after a second, a small hover drone appeared in her hands. The small, plate sized drone took off and immediately started flying around the crowded interior of the APC, stopping over each person for a moment before moving on. Skyler laughed in delight, and even I had to smile. I loved to see her excited like this.

While she was distracted, I connected to my augs. [Artymis, how are my points doing?]

Exceptional. You have close to fifteen hundred points right now. Most samurai, like your girlfriend, tend to spend points as quickly as they get them, but you are quite conservative.

[Yeah, well, apparently I don’t have the imagination that some of the other samurai do. Are deflector shields and teleportation really possible?]

Absolutely. Teleportation isn’t exactly safe or reliable at class I, but if you expand into the higher class equipment, it can be quite effective.

I paused for a second. [What the hell are classes? And why is this the first time I’ve heard about them?]

Classes represent the more advanced levels of equipment that samurai have access to. Early on, you only have access to technology that’s slightly above peak Earth tech, but as you progress, you can unlock increasingly more advanced catalogs. That’s why more experienced vanguards have increasingly amazing tech.

[I’m guessing it’s not as easy as asking you to unlock the catalogs, what’s the catch?]

You need to earn tokens, either from performing an exceptional feat or destroying hives. Class II catalogs require one Token to unlock, while higher Class catalogs have increasingly complicated and expensive requirements.

[Well, since I don’t have any of those, let's ignore the Class II catalogs for now and concentrate on finding something more reasonable to spend those points on.]

Wonderful! What are you looking for?

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

[First of all, I want a new bow and a handful of monowire and penetrating arrows.]

I am in awe of your imagination and ability to branch out from your safety zone.

[Shut up. They’ve been exceptionally reliable up to this point, so I might as well make sure I restock before splurging on something else.]

A box appeared, leaning on the bench between Skyler and I. As soon as it did, Skyler leaned over and peeked before giving me a disapproving look.

See, even your girlfriend is disappointed.

I sighed but ignored the snarky messages from my AI. [Are there any more body enhancements I could purchase from the ‘Blades in the Dark’ catalog or better blades?]

There are some ocular improvements which synergize with the reaction speed enhancements. It’ll give you slightly better low light vision and allow you to see an increased color spectrum. The greatest advantage would be helping you identify stealth models before they strike. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than nothing.

As for the mental or physical enhancements, you’ll have to wait until you unlock Class II. The ‘Blades in the Dark’ didn’t rely upon heavy augmentation until later on in their development.

[I assume there are other catalogs for muscle and mental enhancements, can’t I use one of those instead?]

You could, but there may be conflicts if you decide to rely on the higher Class ‘Blades in the Dark’ catalogs later. I could provide you with some cybernetic options, but…

[Yeah, no. I want to keep my body looking somewhat natural, so enhancements or bionics. Cybernetics just remind me of that heap of garbage I call a father.] I sighed. [So if further enhancements are off the table, let's talk about survivability. How about a shield, like Skyler mentioned earlier. I’d prefer it if I didn’t always have to worry about getting sniped by a Model Five I didn’t see.]

Excellent choice. There are two different types that would fit you. The first is the Light Reactive Shield, which detects attacks of a certain velocity and projects a hard light barrier to intercept. It’ll be strong enough to deflect Model Five projectiles but much less effective against most melee attacks. The second type is the Projected Energy Shield, which surrounds you in a skin tight cocoon of energy which dissipates kinetic damage. It’s not as strong as the same class of armor, but it is exceptionally light weight and provides uniform protection for your entire body.

[My main concern right now is the ranged unit pinning me down but… can I use both?]

Absolutely! If you bought each device individually, there would probably be issues, as the overlapping fields would conflict with one another, but you could avoid that by buying both catalogs and a single integrated unit.

[And I can afford that?]

The catalogs are on the more expensive side of Class I, and the device will be costly, but you have more than enough to purchase everything you need, get the optical enhancements, and still have a little left over.

[Could I afford two of the devices?]

You could, but it would almost completely empty out your reserves.

[That’s fine. I’d rather have my girlfriend alive than a few extra points.] I smiled. [Let's do it.]

Skyler immediately looked my way when two larger boxes, and one smaller one landed upon my lap. I cracked open the smaller box and took a look. It had something that looked like eyedrops, so I put it aside and checked the next box. Inside there was a matte black, plastic looking chest piece. When I held it up, I could see a lot of integrated circuitry and panels seamlessly embedded in the surface. It honestly wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.

“What is that?” Skyler asked as she leaned in to look as well. “I thought you already had armor.”

“I do. This is a shield generator, apparently,” I replied as I repeatedly flipped the chestpiece over. I expected something a little more sci-fi looking, but I had to admit this low profile device fit me much better.

“REALLY?” Skyler screeched in joy. “That’s amazing! Try it on right now!”

I felt my ears heat up slightly as I blushed. “I… umm…” I stuttered, “I’m not wearing a shirt under this jacket, just a skinsuit.”

“So… I’ve seen you in less,” Skyler immediately shot back.

“But everyone else…”

“Probably saw skimpier clothing in every ad they saw today,” Skyler huffed. “I know you don’t like being seen, but this is nothing. Strip that jacket!” She commanded.

I did what she said, slowly peeling off my jacket, very aware of how my girlfriend’s eyes wandered all over me. “Oh my… very tight,” she said lightly. “Maybe we should get this on you as soon as possible after all. Turn around!”

I shuffled enough to present my back to Skyler and let her slip the chest piece over my head. “We’ll explore that suit of yours more later,” she whispered into my ear as she tightened up the straps. I didn’t think this was the right place for teasing, but I wasn’t going to bring it up so the rest of the APC could hear it.

After a few moments, she grabbed my shoulders and turned me around again. “There! All done! I can’t wait to see how it works.”

I grabbed the second box and placed it between us. Skyler looked at it, then me. “What’s this?”

"I got you one too,” I said with a smirk. “Now strip!”