"I think it's a bit obvious we should have waited longer to strike," Kellin stated, talking down at the workbench while he started [Build] on a new rifle, then walked toward the kitchen.

They had both decided the value of having a backup gun of any kind was worth the minuscule amounts of [Credits], and there was no better time to do it than the moment they got inside. Gypsy worked on his left at the bench, still progressing with her creation of a smaller robotic body. She had just finished the waist section and was working from the bottom up. Currently, it seemed she was forming a chest of sorts with each piece she crafted detachable through a series of interlocking metal grooves and strong magnets. It was lithe, the legs and waist reaching about six inches in total while sporting a purposeful build. It looked more athletic to Kellin than anything while also just a bit animalistic, especially with the feet more triangular and sporting three pads with a large arch and heel, rather than the typical human foot.

"Waiting until it appeared ready to pass out would have been ideal. Waiting too long would risk not being able to strike at all," she added on, Kellin nodding his head as he prepared a soup. "Without an identification [Skill] of some kind, we would never know. Saving [Energy] for critical junctures during combat needs to take a higher priority than damage output. Perhaps returning to Hutch in between battles would be a better option."

"Maybe every two pulls of Swarmlings," he assented, rummaging around in the fridge, "but every single time would slow us down too much."

"Problem enters with inability to be sure of when a maximum resource pool would be ideal for upcoming encounter," she replied.

"Ah, yeah. That lack of an ability to see into the future," Kellin responded with a laugh, pausing his search for food and turning back toward her. "Thats true though, but it was three, or five Swarmling packs total that we managed to bounce between without needing to return to base. Two would be fine... I think. We should scout more before striking, either way," he finished, sighing before giving up on the fridge and turning to the cupboards. 'Running out of good food already.'

Gypsy beeped twice as he grabbed a can of soup and dumped it in a bowl before filling the can with water and throwing that in too. The bowl was placed in a heating box and Kellin set it to utilize the microwave function, not the convection heating one.

"Possibility of throwing Combat Blade," Kellin heard from over his shoulder.

He laughed.

"What, accurately? You think you could land that thing tip first on a Brute nearly two hundred feet away?" he asked, still chuckling and moving to the edge of the bed with a cup of water as he responded.

"Probability of accurately landing sword... low without relevant tests," she admitted. "In theory, it would work."

"That's basically saying it wouldn't work in practice."

"That is incorrect. Additionally, action could have been taken [Cloaked]," she added, catching him there as he thought for a moment.

"The action, maybe," he eventually replied, hearing a ding sound out and standing up. "But it would be a pretty stupid Brute not to notice a massive sword flipping through the air at it, and unlike Swarmlings, they are a bit intelligent."

"Intention was on ejecting blade like a spear, not an Axe. Less obvious. Similar speeds to an arrow if done properly while utilizing [Energy] augmentation of limb."

Kellin paused with the spoon halfway up to his mouth, looking up at the Repair Bay for a moment before putting the spoon in his mouth and then resting it back in the bowl. "If you actually mastered the ability to do that to a dangerous enough level, I'd praise you for your efforts. Though why not just use a spear at that point?"

Two beeps sounded out as Kellin continued eating, watching Gypsy continuing her project at the worktable. The torso she was making the small android seemed to keep in line with the rest of the lower body, lithe in shape and size. Small, compact, and quick from the looks of it.

"We should [Create] a silent means of attack, anyway. One that isn't chucking a massive sword at the opponent. Something that can be fired from the [Cloak] without disrupting it."

"A silencer could prove ideal," Gypsy stated.

"Yeah, but do you understand how to make one properly?" he asked, receiving to lower beeps in response. "Well me neither and while the [Canister Rifle] is quieter than the pistols, losing 20 [Energy] just to mask the shot noise from inside [Cloak] is way too expensive."

"Should experiment, or purchase attachment or [Blueprint] via [System Node] when one is located. Additionally, 20 was with the [Pistols]; we have not tested the rifle," she pointed out. "Though it is correct to say that it is not a sacrifice that is worth making with our most critical resource."

A few more seconds went by, Kellin slurping a few noodles as Gypsy quietly tinkered away at the table. His right hand set the bowl on the counter near the bed, shoulders drooping down as he leaned back and kept himself propped up with his hands. He took a deep breath and tilted his head until he was looking up at the ceiling, breathing out slowly and enjoying the moment of calm compared to the latest few days. Constant life and death fights, new environments, horrible dreams... all after having his life turned upside down. He almost wished he could allow them to just sit here in the hutch until it ran out of food and then take what came from then on.

Unfortunately for Kellin'a lazier side, he was a bit too determined for that.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"[Status]."

[Status Report]

[Kellin Finnel, Gypsy]

[Threat Level: 1]

[Race: Marine]

[Designation #: Progenitor]

[Evolution: The Companion]

[Current Title: Unselected]

[Class: Shield and Sword]

[Profession: Tainted Creationist(Unique)]

[Unspent Credits: 419.5]

[Spent Credits: 64]

[Body Stats(Separate):

Condition: Normal

Integrity: 73/100

Health: 64/80

Energy: 105/110

Stamina: 110/110

Mana: 56/56

Psionic Energy: 38/50]

[Stats:

Strength: 8/10

Dexterity: 12/7

Armor: 0/3

Constitution: 8/0

Density: 0/10

Endurance: 11/0

Battery: 0/11

Cardio: 7/N/A

Efficiency: 0/5

Intelligence: 8.5/16

Wisdom: 8.5/3

Perception: 5/0

Sensors: 0/7.5

Willpower: 20/N/A

Tech: 5]

[Evolution Abilities]

[Passives: Unique Equip ---- Novice Body Manipulation(Suit) ---- Novice Repair* ---- Novice Recharge* ---- Novice Assimiliate Technology* ---- Unique Basic Manipulate Technology ---- Unique Shared Mortality ---- Psionic Communication*]

[Class Skills]

[Actives: Disruption(1) ---- Cloak(1) ---- Descent of Darkness]

[Profession Skills]

[Passives: Basic Create Blueprint ---- Unique Basic Manipulate Technology ----- Novice Mold Flesh]

[Actives: Basic Create ---- Unique Build]

[Auras: Enemy of the Inventor*]

[Equipment]

[Combat Blade:

Damage: 7-20

Durability: 46/50

Upgrades: None]

[Wave Pistol:

Damage: 2

Ammo: 0

Durability: 8/15

Upgrades: None

Weapon Special - Wave: Channel Pistol with Energy or Mana for .5 to 2.5 seconds, releasing a shockwave holding properties of the resource used to knock back enemy individuals in a wide cone from the barrel. Distance of knock dependent on enemy individual mass.

Resource Cost: 10-50

Knockback(Human): 1-10 feet

Mana Charge: 1-20 damage, double effects of knockback

Energy Charge: 2-40 damage

Weapon barrel must be empty to use ability.

Individual must be stationary to charge]

[Pistol:

Damage: 10

Fire Rate: 1/S

Ammo: 0

Durability: 6/20

Upgrades: None]

[Canister Rifle:

Damage: 5

Fire Rate: 180, Single Fire

Ammo: 157

Durability: 13/25

Upgrades: None]

Taking in the few changes, he noted mainly the repairable damage to their guns. They had yet to start on that, but as the rest of today was about cooling off and relaxing, he figured he'd take care of his rifle later at least, and let Gypsy handle the other two.

The other large difference was the massive influx of [Credits] they'd received. There were enough there to at least shoot them up another two [Threat Levels] up if he was right, but distributing them efficiently was important. Even though the first ten levels of anyone's life were the least important, at the same time they could also be considered the most important. On the one hand, it was a good idea to take the opportunity of reduced [Stat] costs now to get as many rounded as one could, but on the other hand, progressing through [Skill] trees was cheaper and not nearly as restricted.

After hitting [Threat Level: 10], everything became more expensive and less balanced, especialy [Stats]. If one were to increase every [Stat] as high as possible before hitting level 10, they'd have a ton more than they should and be very well rounded. However, after 10, all [Stats] became the same price; a price that was calculated based off of how many [Stats] you had total. So, while it was a discount early on, if you spent too much on useless [Stats] early, you'd be paying for it later.

[Skill] upgrades worked similar to [Equipment]. Unlike [Stats], the increase from one upgrade to the next was always a linear one. From one upgrade to the next, there wouldn't be any surprise huge jump in [Credits], though there would be a general hike in expense after they hit 10. However, it didn't matter how far up a [Skill tree] you were with any other; it would always be the same cost as it was a month ago, not effected by other selections. That in itself made it more important to focus on [Stat] gains in the early levels, but again, doing that made it difficult to get priority [Stats] higher later. It was as if the [System] was pushing everyone to have a base level of power and balance before being introduced to the universe as a whole while also punishing those that weren't planning on reaching higher with their lives.

Which was another thing Kellin was dreading: hitting [Threat Level: 10] and becoming identifiable through the [System]. Anyone from anywhere in the universe, so long as they had the requisite [Credits], could inquire about whether or not someone else was alive if they found a [Node]. Depending on your level and other factors such as distance or defensive measures, they could also find out exactly where you were. Any question you could think to ask the system, an answer could be obtained - for a price. A price that he knew Tresk would pay without batting an eye.

If there was any consolation, it was that Kellin also knew that he'd be hard-pressed to ask the right question, since he was a new [Race]. Certain answers could be entirely useless, despite still costing the full price, depending on wording and intent. If he tried to find the [Human] Kellin Finnel #642, he'd get a report saying Kellin didn't exist or was dead already.

Knowing all of this information already and being back at the starting line put Kellin in a unique position of control he hadn't been in back in the Empire, and he wasn't sure what to do with it. Back then, he'd been ordered to focus on supporting upgrades to his [Skills] related to his weapons and suit, allowed to invest in [Stats] only to the baseline of 20 in all the main ones. Upgrading [Equipment] specifically was a risky endeavor, as if they were destroyed, stolen, or just lost, it was gone. It could be brought back for a price at a [Node], but often, that price was nearly half what had already been invested. A huge loss in most cases, an expensive in others. If it was a [System] provided weapon on top of that, there was no telling how much it would charge to replace any specific gun either, Kellin's musings reminding him of the nearly lost [wave pistol]

But, that was the power of the Empire. Strictly controlled [Credit] allotment over their general population brought them countless victories. An army that was based around [Equipment] that could be passed from one man to the next, all while funded by their population. Millions of people forced to craft and live in mediocrity all while donating almost all [Credits] earned via the [System] to the Government, creating a nigh-unstoppable force for "protection."

Here though, as an individual, he was free to explore and sporting a [Class] he'd never even heard of before. Kellin had... hundreds of questions and little experience to draw from for this new journey he was embarking on, but the relatively low cost of [Skill] upgrades, base Rifle upgrades, and [Battery] seemed like as good a first step as any to him, at least.