“Only a Samurai could look at an incursion and think “jackpot”

I never understood it until I worked for the family. Now? I just get the sales department ready the moment the plants start to fall from the sky.

When the points start flowing to Samurai they upgrade. And that means leftovers.

And for the Family those leftovers means profits.”

-Unknown Family upper manager. 2038

*****

~Elevated heart rate detected. Are you okay Jack?~

I just nodded as I stared ahead.

“Two?” I squeaked out. Masculinity be damned.

~The second token was for holding off an excessive number of antithesis on your own despite your low level.~

I nodded. I didn’t need to do the math to ask where the points had come from. The mulch field in the hall was proof I had killed a LOT of the things.

And killing a lot of the things meant a lot of points.

“So, you can get an upgraded catalogue and really hit the stage with a splash.” She crooned into my ear, sounding more and more like one of those red dress clad singers from an old school speakeasy.

“Uh… yes. Level two of the catalog of…. What were they?” I asked, leaning against a wall. From a mid tier corpo to a Samurai with a wallet. Damn.

“The Dezerek. They are a reptilian species that live on a planet close enough to their sun it caused most of their planet to be a desert. When the antithesis invaded their world they opted for massive static defensive lines in depth with artillery as large as your skyscrapers.

Since the biological material on their planet was very isolated alongside water they managed to starve out most of the invasion while using their artillery to blow up any hives they found. No matter how deep they were. High winds on their planet however left their air capabilities reduced and they were unable to get to space without protectorate help. This leads their catalogue to specialize in trench warfare, defensive lines, heavy walkers, and projectile weapon specialties.”

I grinned wide. “Space lizards? Fuck. Yes.”

There was a pause before she spoke up. “I am detecting… arousal? Ah. I finally checked your aug’s browser history.”

Oh no.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

“No wonder you felt a connection to Eager Eagle. Do not worry. I will not judge you for your interests.”

Oh thank god.

“I will also include the adult section of the catalogues for your perusal later.”

Oh?

“But for now let's focus on getting you geared up.”

Oh right.

“The coat will be tier 2 and can be made of their ballistic nanosilks with interwoven alloys to make the fabric bullet resistant as well as to the quills, teeth, and claws of the lower level antithesis. The metals will be made of a strong and slightly heavier alloy that should be able to resist damage. The whole thing will be lined on the inside with a gel that will help with percussive forces and temperature regulation with everything impregnated with a spray to ensure hazardous substances will not get to you. Along with the vanity customisations the whole total will be 12,500 points and a token.”

I let out a long whistle.

“The level of customization, a new catalogue, and two other factors that I have yet to reveal to you are the main causes of spending.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Oh please, we both know you are more than out of shape, so I took the liberty of including a weight loss helper as part of the outfitting process that was not cheap and called for the purchase of a level 1 catalog. It will be… very unpleasant I am afraid, but it will get you to the more slender but fit form you desire for both form and function. I am also including an exoskeleton to help you lift things underneath your gear to help you run faster, jump higher, and carry heavier loads. It will also allow you to wield heavier weapons.”

The image of me in that costume going Rambo with a .308 browning popped into my head and I smiled. “Ohhh you lovely, sexy, smart assistant.” I cooed.

“Oh honey, think bigger.”

My eyes shot open. “Bellona. My beloved.”

Her chuckling filled my head. “Oh stop it. We can’t be a thing, but I do appreciate your appreciation.” A rather large pill appeared in my hand. “Eagle has been notified you will be doing some body enhancement and to go on without you for now. I will begin to assemble your new gear while you… handle the changes.”

I shrugged and gulped down the pill. “You make it sound like it's going to be horrible!” I teased before something occurred to me. It was a weight loss pill. The weight had to be lost somehow and she had directed me to a bathroom.

Oh shit.

“Indeed. Please try to relax while your body goes through its changes.”

Outside the door Eager Eagle was about to check in on me to make sure I was okay before he started to escort the people out. After hearing the beginning of my trial he opted to just leave me be with both of us glad the people we were saving were unable to hear. Nobody should bear witness to the horrible things that would make post Kentucky Bell bathroom trips seem easy.

****

“I think diet and exercise would have been less traumatic.” I groaned as I staggered out of the bathroom stall.

“You did fine honey.” Bellona gently whispered into my head. I had faint memories of her comforting me during the last hour, but that was joining the rest of what happened in the land of repressed memories. My clothes hung loosely off my now fit body that were soaked in sweat. I let out a weak groan as I slipped off my old clothes and put on my new outfit.

I sighed in relief as the built-in motors took my body’s weight off my lower body. It has been through enough for now. I adjusted a few things here and there and shifted the gas mask on my face to get me the best visibility possible. Time to go topside and help out some more.

I hummed happily as I followed where Eager Eagle had gone up through the hallways that would need an army of janitors to clean and back up into the sunlight.