State Poland, Free Rzeszów Territory, S19 Highway
Ghost of the Future Team, August 18, 2049, 2:58 AM
Maksim woke up just minutes before his alarm went off. He’d managed to nap for about an hour — not much, but better than nothing. Thankfully, Alisa had handed out specialized TACTA stimulants designed to maximize recovery, even during short sleep periods.
Now, the Ghosts were steadily making their way toward the PolTech-IV Innovation Park in two pickups and an armored truck. It was the site of what would likely be their most challenging and dangerous mission yet.
Their ticket to the big leagues. A trial by fire.
And all of it perfectly aligned with the upcoming launch of TACTA’s Ratings system.
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Three and a half hours earlier
At 11:19 PM, Jacek’s convoy arrived, bringing all nineteen promised Quantum Cores. The Chernykh siblings were there to handle the transfer, both outfitted in TACTA armor with sealed helmets. Given the shipment’s strict confidentiality, their cautious, concealed appearance raised no questions. After a quick exchange of greetings, Alisa transmitted the verification key, and the cargo was officially handed over into the Ghosts’ possession.
Thanks to the ginger-head AI’s meticulous preparation, inspecting and accepting the equipment was quick and seamless. When the truck’s sealed cargo bay was opened, they found neatly arranged rows of securely fastened Cores, each one numbered from one to nineteen. On the floor nearby, in a designated mount, sat a reinforced case. Inside was an industrial-grade laptop containing the logbook of the most recent operational sessions for each core. According to the records, the final activity had been a full diagnostic test performed a little over twelve hours earlier. Since then, the units had remained powered down.
“Everything checks out. We confirm receipt of the shipment. Payment has just been transferred to the designated account,” Maksim stated as he signed the electronic acceptance protocol.
“Excellent. All the best,” nodded the senior member of Jacek’s team. With that, the guards and drivers climbed back into their escort vehicles and departed the site in disciplined formation.
Maksim examined the delivered truck and was thoroughly satisfied. It was reinforced with specialized TACTA composite armor — durable enough to withstand moderate gunfire and fend off attacks from mid-sized shaiszu. The fuel tank was nearly half full, providing a range of approximately 1,000 kilometers, meaning refueling wouldn’t be a concern anytime soon.
Perfect for the upcoming mission! Using this truck with the two pickups, they could significantly reduce the risks. The armored cargo bay was large enough to carry all their drones, except for the Hurricanes, which could fly alongside them, easily keeping pace.
The team relocated the truck with Moira and the trailer to a covered parking lot with heavy surveillance. With nearly all the Quantum Cores — except for one — transferred into the trailer, Maksim decided to spare no expense, opting for premium insurance and maximum-level security. Ironically, the guards on duty that night were a squad of combat cyborgs from the “Wild Cats.”
However, the high level of confidentiality ensured that no one at the facility knew what was locked inside the Ghosts’ hangar. Nearly every item stored in this warehouse was a high-value asset belonging to clans or guilds, making discretion paramount.
Before sealing the hangar, they waited for Dasha, who helped connect Moira to a second Quantum Core and two custom-built “AI accelerators.” Alisa had assembled these units in the workshop, repurposing high-performance onboard computers salvaged from two business-class sedans. The upgrade significantly enhanced the clan AI’s capabilities, ensuring it could efficiently manage the drone fleet while maintaining the System’s operational demands.
With time running out and much left to do, Maksim and Dasha resorted to TACTA stimulants to keep going. By this point, Radoslaw had finished installing drone launch systems on both pickups, and they were soon driven back to the workshop for final loading.
For the rest of their aerial fleet, the Chernykh siblings designed a quick-launch system that they installed in the bed of the armored truck provided by Pan Jacek.
The setup was straightforward but highly reliable. Pull out a rack section, release the restraints, deploy the drones — all equipped with anti-grav systems — and slide the rack back into place. Repeat as many times as needed.
Though it was a manual system, it allowed the team to deploy all their UAVs quickly and efficiently. They even rehearsed the process to ensure there would be no mishaps during the mission’s critical moments.
Meanwhile, Redhead spent the entire time in the regeneration capsule, undergoing accelerated rehabilitation after her recent implant upgrades. Of course, she wasn’t simply resting — the cyborg girl was tirelessly training in DeepVR to master her newly acquired TACTA Cybernetic Battlesuit.
At 1:00 AM, the city inspector arrived to verify that the Ghosts’ weapons and equipment matched their mission declaration. He conducted a quick but thorough examination of the drones and their test protocols, even requesting a few units be launched for demonstration. Additionally, he ran standard performance tests on Moira to confirm her classification. Satisfied, the inspector gave them the green light.
Maksim, Dasha, and Alisa quickly finished loading and set off, picking up Nika along the way. She had remained in the capsule until the last possible moment but still managed to complete all procedures, take a shower, and suit up in her combat gear just in time.
“Get as much sleep as you can,” the Ghosts’ leader instructed. “And don’t forget to take your stimulants.”
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“Good, kurwa, morning,” came a voice from the neighboring seat.
This seat, by the way, had to be pushed all the way back to make room for Nikola in her battlesuit. She wasn’t exactly small to begin with, and the armor added even more height and bulk. This pickup wasn’t a compact vehicle by any means — it had plenty of space. Had. Until Nikola climbed in.
Maxim glanced over with a grin, watching his girlfriend shift around, trying to get comfortable.
“Rough, huh? I promise, we’ll replace that seat before the next mission.”
“Nah, it’s fine,” she huffed. “Actually, it’s more than fine. This TACTA pharma is something else! Back in the corp, we only had regular stimulants. But this stuff? Feels like I got a full night’s sleep.”
“No kidding,” Maxim replied. “The effect’s impressive. Too bad the instructions are clear — no more than once every forty-eight hours.”
The team’s conference icon lit up, signaling that Daria Vasilevskaya had woken up in the other pickup and joined the call.
“Hey, everyone… uh… good morning, yeah!” her groggy, slightly hoarse voice crackled through their helmets. “You won’t believe this — I actually feel rested. Crazy, right? How much longer till we’re there?”
Stolen novel; please report.
“About fifteen minutes,” Alisa answered, currently managing all three vehicles.
“Great,” Daria perked up. “Hey, how about I fill you in on the latest System updates?”
What followed was a fascinating and critical twenty-minute briefing. The team even pulled over briefly at a waypoint to fully hear her out before continuing with the mission.
The news turned out to be substantial — the kind of thing that deserved a proper discussion in a quiet room, seated comfortably at a large table with steaming mugs of coffee… rather than hunched in the seats of pickup trucks, clad in combat gear, rifles within arm’s reach. And heading straight into the fray. Maksim assured them that tomorrow, once the mission was over, they’d revisit everything and dig into the finer points.
Here’s what Vasilevskaya shared:
The rapid growth of new System users had finally reached a critical mass. The deluge of incoming data had transformed into actionable insights, allowing the current phase of machine learning to wrap up. As Dasha aptly put it, all the main modules had “leapt into release.” Even the core interfaces were polished with the latest update.
The big news? The System could now fully handle “super-attributes.” The official name was still up in the air — Dasha kept pushing for “magic powers” — but the functionality was solid. Both individual fighters and their commanders could now see exactly when an ability was activated, how long it would last, how much “energy” remained, and, most critically, a countdown timer for when it could be used again.
Another major improvement was flexibility. As attributes leveled up, new abilities unlocked, giving users more options to adapt to specific scenarios. Not every fight called for the “highest caliber,” after all – now you can choose what skill exactly to use. And for the first time, the System could accurately track and factor in the effects of passive abilities that didn’t need activation.
Even more impressive, the System could now act as a “tactical commander in the field.” With access to both the mission briefing and all assigned objectives, it seamlessly integrated additional resources — like archived maps and media files — to provide a comprehensive operational overview.
In this role, the System organized and synthesized data from drones and bots, incorporating the passive and active super-attributes, as well as the full spectrum of skills available to the team. Special priority was given to members with Foresight-abilities, ensuring maximum tactical precision in rapidly evolving scenarios.
It continuously monitored the team’s vitals and psycho-emotional states, tracking any changes in real time. If a situation became critical, the System could step in with alerts and deploy life-saving interventions via the auto-injectors in each soldier’s military-grade medkit.
Ultimately, the updated interface, for both commanders and ground troops, was significantly more flexible and informative.
Nika, unable to contain her excitement, exclaimed, “This is the best, kurwa, battle interface I’ve ever seen!” Raising a fist to the sky, she added dramatically, “Now we’re gonna fight for real!”
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The monotony of the Technology Park’s surroundings dissolved into the consuming darkness of night.
No lights broke through the black — even the streetlamps stood silent and lifeless. The barrier gate stood frozen, pointing skyward, while faint silhouettes of buildings loomed through the mist, one bearing the faint, weathered sign “Accelion Labs.”
Farther back, an industrial complex emerged like a spectral monument, its shadowy pipes and concrete forms blending into the night. The air was damp and heavy with the scent of grass and asphalt, a faint echo of the days when traffic and visitors filled these grounds.
Two pickups and a heavily armored truck rolled to a halt a kilometer away from the entrance. Their headlights were off, leaving only the faint outlines of the vehicles visible under the dim moonlight.
Maksim stepped out of the first pickup, clad in medium TACTA armor of the Bastion class. From the passenger side, Nika jumped out energetically, though she misjudged the added bulk of her armor and nearly stumbled as her dorsal module caught the edge of the doorframe.
“We need a bigger truck, kurwa!”
The deserted road absorbed her complaint in complete silence. Maksim had already gone over the team’s communication protocols — the TACTA helmets effectively muted every internal sound, allowing them to talk freely without worrying about being overheard.
From the second pickup emerged Dasha, Alisa, and their combat android, codenamed E-1.
Two ‘Eyes’ launched 40 minutes ago and were currently hovering above the area in stealth mode. So, the Ghosts could assess what to expect in the near future.
// SYSTEM
#Gungnir BETA, v. 0.09.5 module activated
#Initial territory scan complete.
The tactical map flickered on, blooming with a colorful array of markers. The shaiszu hadn’t been idle — they’d not only constructed their Nest but also established active patrols around the area. Key objectives were clearly marked: the Accelion Labs building, outlined in green, and the shaiszu-occupied structure, glowing ominously in red.
#Updating target list... complete.
#Current tactical recommendations...
“Alright, let’s move,” Maksim ordered, quickly reviewing the suggestions from the Tactical Module. “Alisa, get the drones in the air from both pickups. Redhead, get moving — open up the truck and send out the rest. Dasha, the platform will be here soon. Use it as cover like we trained and advance toward the entrance slowly. E-1 will provide cover, and the Hurricanes are standing by.”
Nika launched herself toward the truck in a series of powerful strides. Reaching the back doors, she flung them open and slipped inside, immediately prepping the Eye drones for deployment. Moments later, two more of those recon units rose silently into the night sky, their stealth modules activating as they ascended. For a brief moment, faint ripples marked their presence before they disappeared completely, blending into the darkness. In less than thirty seconds, they joined their counterparts already scanning the technopark.
// SYSTEM: Analysis of detected shaiszu specimens
The System quickly classified all identified threats by cross-referencing data from the recon drones with the vast Informatorium’s database.
// Detected Enemy Units
* Scout Spider
Reconnaissance unit. Stands 11 cm at the shoulder, 25 cm in length. Capable of leaping distances between 10 and 20 meters. Utilizes web to access hard-to-reach areas.
Threats:
** Venomous. Threat Class: 1-C.
Estimated number detected: 1,820.
* Scout Guardian Spider
Hybrid reconnaissance and combat unit. Stands 19 cm at the shoulder, 65 cm in length. Operates in packs of 6–10 individuals. Constructs dense, durable webbing used for barriers and traps.
Threats:
** Venomous spit (range 10-15 meters). Threat Class: 3-B.
** Molecular venom (deposited on webs and various surfaces). Threat Class: 5-A.
** Chelicerae (inflict molecular venom, capable of damaging light armor). Threat Class: 5-A.
Estimated number detected: 327.
* Stone Wolf (Beta)
Combat unit. Stands 120 cm at the shoulder and measuring 210 cm in length. An exceptionally fast entity with a highly durable armor-like hide.
Threats:
** Charging Strike (requires momentum). Threat Class: 2-A.
** Bite. Threat Class: 3-A.
** Tail Strike (blade-edged). Threat Class: 4-C.
Estimated number detected: 17 (organized into 3 packs: 7, 6, and 4 members).
* Stone Wolf (Alpha)
Combat leader and coordinator. Stands 155 cm at the shoulder with a body length of 270 cm. A highly agile entity with cascading leap capability and a kinetic barrier.
Threats:
** Charging Strike (requires momentum). Threat Class: 4-A.
** Bite. Threat Class: 5-A.
** Claw Strike. Threat Class: 3-A.
** Tail Strike (blade-edged). Threat Class: 6-B
Estimated number detected: 3
* Fire Wasp (Swarm Formation)
Defensive and sabotage-oriented unit. Each insect measures around 6 cm on average, with a maximum size of 10 cm. These entities only operate in swarms, and their danger level is directly proportional to their numbers.
Threats:
** Self-igniting Hemolymph. Threat Class: 1-F to 10-A (depending on swarm size).
** Flaming Gas. Threat Class: 2-E to 10-A (depending on swarm size).
Estimated count: 2 swarms (each potentially containing up to 10,000 individuals).
“Kurwa…” Nika muttered under her breath. “Guys, it’s gonna be a bloodbath.”