“Almost all Samurai find a gimmick and an image to go along with it. You even have Samurai like Emoscythe Mordeath Noir, who actively act in a PR counseling role for new Samurai. You also have Samurai who have no discernable gimmick or image. I am sure that you can guess which of the two are more memorable, simply by noting which group I could name a Samurai for to represent them. Generally, a Samurai needs to get past their first incursion to begin developing these things, but there are exceptions. One of the most notable of these would be Teddy, most well known for her role in the Siege of Calgary. We must do our best to capture all aspects of the Samurai as they evolve, to keep up with the demand for their merchandise and memorabilia.”
* Internal memo on individual Samurai Brand recognition, Nimbletainment Inc., March 2057
Roughly halfway to the shelter we came across the more open area the others had been playing football on earlier. The tree line receded, making way for big, open fields of grass, lined with a variety of flowers and low bushes. Only the occasional tree broke up the area a little, just enough to add some variety without taking up too much space.
I motioned to Zuri to pull the group to a stop, hiding behind a large thicket that would serve to hide us a little. Of course, I still couldn’t waste too much time, people would get more antsy, but I wanted to check out our surroundings before we ventured into a big open area with little in terms of cover.
From our vantage point I had a good view on the entire area. Nobody was still around as far as I could tell. Neither people, nor any wounded or corpses, which was good. I couldn’t see that many aliens either, and those that were present were on the other side of the field. Honestly, I would’ve loved to find a different way to the shelter, one with more cover. But, considering the placement of the antithesis drop pod, this was about the best route we had. And at least it would work as much to our advantage as it would work against us. No cover meant that the aliens couldn’t hide from us either.
The few antithesis I did see across the field were all scouts, sticking to groups of two or three. I couldn’t quite be certain, but from my head count they were around ten to fifteen, depending on what was hiding in the bushes. Too many to fight head on, and the distances were too great to deal with them with the weapons I had available.
That wasn’t good. I wasn’t good at killing many adversaries all at once in a time efficient manner, and Zuri wasn’t a good fighter period. Even if we had some folk around here that could defend themselves, this wasn’t America, or the Deadzone. And at least in this part of the country, there were still a lot of conservatives sticking to the old days. The people here weren’t fighters, generally speaking.
Of course, you always had exceptions. And ever since the German government broke apart, and what remained of it bombed half of the country into a wasteland, things had started to shift and change. But that wasn’t an even thing. And especially in the big megacities gun regulations were still pretty sharp. Generally speaking, people relied more on police and PMC’s to keep everyone safe. Having a weapon on hand might not have been as rare as the late 2010’s, but it was still not the standard.
It meant that I couldn’t rely on outsourcing the defence of the group to others. And with my own inability to clean up this many xenos in a head to head fight, at least before they had the opportunity to kill anyone else, that meant relying on ambushes again. This time, though, I couldn’t just sneak up and stab them. The open field made that pretty damn impossible, and going around to sneak up from the other side would take far too long. The aliens would find the group sooner or later, and the field was big. I couldn’t afford to waste that much time.
“Stryx, what do you have available in terms of precision rifles or the like?”
Despite the question, I wasn’t quite sure yet if that was the right approach. Sniping them from here would work, but I rather not carry a big gun around, nor was I comfortable using one yet either.
But needs must, and unless I could come up with a better solution, I at least wanted to know my options.
While the arsenal of firearms available on your Class I Shadowstalker Nullstrike Weaponry Catalogue is not insignificant, anything close to a precision rifle is a bit of a rarity at this moment. At Class I most of the weapons available are smaller and more compact. Once you upgrade it to Class II, you will be able to procure a far larger variety of larger weapons, from greatswords to anti-material rifles.
As it stands, you have two options available to you that might be of immediate interest. The first is the Mark II Karmic PR-550-18 coming in at 40 points. It is a precision rifle firing standard 7.62x51mm munitions, with a magazine size of 18 rounds. Out of the box, it is loaded with standard NATO rounds, although a small variety of different ammunition is available with a small upcharge.
The second option would be the Mark III Shiverspine Marksman Rifle, coming in at 35 points. It has a slightly smaller caliber, chambered in .223 Remington, and comes with a 22-round magazine. Out of the box it comes with standard NATO rounds, but as with the Mark II Karmic PR-550-18, you can obtain different rounds for a small fee.
Neither option was wildly amazing, but both would get the job done. I just didn’t like the idea of trying to snipe the antithesis. For various reasons, really, but in this case it was mostly about the effectiveness before they would spot us, and the reaction of the civilians behind me.
Despite what so many media outlets and movies often claimed, even proper suppressors didn’t actually silence a weapon in most cases. They would reduce the noise, yes, but only a little bit. That was a bit of a generalisation, of course, and there certainly were some that would become significantly more quiet with a suppressor installed. But in most cases, unless you have a weapon specifically designed to be silenced, using subsonic ammunition and a firing mechanism that didn’t involve gunpowder, there was no way to actually make it silent.
Between the two weapons Stryx had mentioned, the Mark II Karmic PR-550-18 would definitely be very hard to make quiet enough for me to be comfortable. Standard .308 Winchester rounds were not subsonic, so I would have to pay extra for it. Plus the cost for the suppressor, of course.
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The Mark III Shiverspine Marksman Rifle was chambered in .223 Remington, which would be pretty quiet with a suppressor, even if I stuck to the standard rounds. It at least would be far better than the converse, but it also required me to pay extra for a suppressor.
The problem was that even if I got the more quiet version, people would still very likely react poorly when I suddenly grabbed a rifle out of thin air. The group was tense, nervous, and certainly not in a good mindset. I didn’t look like a soldier, or police, and even if they saw me fighting earlier, someone might still get the idea of grabbing the gun for themselves.
Zuri, standing right next to me, heard my question to Stryx. She gave me a thoughtful glance, then looked out onto the open field again.
“Stryx? You mentioned that distraction thingy before… Do you think we could use it here?”
There was a moment of silence, before she nodded slowly.
“If I get that, how good do you think our chances are here? What other options do I have?”
Again, there was silence. I was wondering what exactly she was planning, although if it would help us I wouldn’t complain. Zuri might not be a fighter, but she wasn’t a dummy. And as much as I hated to admit it… She did need to learn how to defend herself, in whatever way possible. I just wished that she’d never have to.
I had experienced fights before. I knew what life could be like. And, in many ways, I paid for it. I didn’t want Zuri to end up the same way. She was too good a person for such a fate, and that didn’t even take into account how lost I would feel without her.
Zuri was my anchor into a more normal world. One outside of the shadows, away from the battlefield. One where I didn’t have to worry about schemes and subterfuge, assassins and the Clan. One where I could just be normal. If that ever changed… I wasn’t sure how well I would be able to handle that.
Somewhere deep down, I knew that it might be a bit unhealthy to think like that. To focus so much on her, basically pushing all of that onto her. But I just couldn’t stop myself. Something just viscerally rejected the possibility of leaving her behind.
Shaking my head, I concentrated back on the here and now. Thinking about it wouldn’t help, I had a mission to complete. Getting distracted like this wasn’t good, it used to be different in the past. My focus got disrupted too easily, and that could spell disaster.
Focus, Yurei. Focus on what’s important.
“What’s your plan?” I asked in a soft tone, when Zuri didn’t say anything for a while.
She was looking onto the open field with a thoughtful expression, slowly turning her head my way without looking away from whatever she was looking at. “I know that I can’t fight them directly. Not yet, at least. But Stryx said something about distractions. Holographic projectors, Hard-Light illusions, disrupting pheromones, light manipulation, scent lures, that kind of thing. It made me wonder if I might be able to disorient the aliens to make it easier for you to dispatch them all.”
I took a moment to digest this. It sounded like a good plan, if we could make it work. And it would help keep her safe. The more the aliens were confused, the less likely they were to attack her.
“Good idea… But I’d also like something that can deal with larger groups later down the line. We can’t always take our time to plan an ambush. And if push comes to shove, I want something that can deal with a large group immediately and with definitive force.”
“Mhm,” she agreed, a thoughtful tone in her voice. “I’m not sure what that could be, though. I thought about explosives, grenades and the like, but as much as it would help, I’m a bit sceptical about actually using them. I’m aware that I have no clue about any of that, and I don’t fancy blowing myself up.”
“Yeah, explosions aren’t typically something I’d consider using outside of very specific circumstances.”
Perhaps something a bit more subtle would be more to your liking?
I held up my hand, signalling her that I was talking to Stryx. “What do you mean?”
There are a number of options available in the Shadowstalker set that could be of use. Unsurprisingly, they are all a bit less conspicuous, which excludes the usage of explosives, large scale weaponry, turret emplacements, and defensive formations. But there are certainly ways to even the odds against an enemy such as the antithesis.
Specialised nanites, similar to the flesh melters, although more focused on taking over dead antithesis instead of dissolving them. It would turn their strength in numbers against them. There are some drawbacks, of course. While the highly specialised nature of the Shadowstalker set does reduce the point cost quite a bit, it also limits what you can achieve with any one purchase. In this case, technology such as the Deadlink Protocol, would be able to turn dead antithesis into forces on your side, but the number of such controlled bodies would be limited, and they wouldn’t be stronger than they had been while alive.
I frowned. “Like necromancy?”
In a way, yes, although without any magic. The nanites work much like model Sevens, taking control of the muscle tissue, moving the body by stimulating the antithesis equivalent of nerve endings. At Class I, this would only allow for control over already dead antithesis, and it would be limited in how long they can be controlled. Once the bodies rot sufficiently, the nanites would no longer be able to affect them.
Later on you would be able to take over living antithesis, should you decide to invest in this technology, but antithesis would be the only thing you can effect. Earthen life, be it animal, plant, or human, would be immune against such technology.
I nodded. The last part wasn’t much of a problem. Really, it was a relief. As much as I swore to myself that I’d never go back to my old ways again, I knew myself well enough that I would use whatever I had at my disposal in a pinch. Not even having the option made me feel a lot better.
“Good to know… Not sure if it is applicable in this situation, but for future scenarios it is certainly something to keep in mind.”
Indeed. For now, it would be more efficient to rely on Zuri Neylan’s plan. If she decides to invest into such technology, she will have quite potent control of the battlefield in the not so distant future.
Again, I nodded, turning my attention back to Zuri. “Okay, we follow your plan. But you also need to get something to keep you safe as soon as you can. Armor, weapons, whatever it is.”
“Agreed. But you do the same.” Her voice made it clear that that wasn’t up to debate, which I could accept. As long as it would keep Zuri safe, I’d play by her rules.
“I can agree to that. Do you have any idea what you’ll get now?”
“There are some options… Stryx, can you give me a quick run down about that pheromone catalogue you mentioned?”
While she chatted quietly with our AI, I turned my attention back to the aliens in the distance. They seemed to be collecting plants and the like, very likely to stock up on biomass. Depending on what Zuri had planned, we might be able to use that against them.
A part of me was apprehensive about letting her make the plan. But, as much as I’d like to take over, this would be a good opportunity for her to learn as well. If I could help her train in relatively safe environments, she’d be much safer in the future.
That said, I did make a few plans for the worst case. It wouldn’t be pretty, but at least we should survive.