Nikola’s suggestion to freshen up and tend to their wounds sparked a predictable wave of enthusiasm among the team. Daria was the first to slip into the shower, which also doubled as the restroom.
Meanwhile, Alisa got to work on Maksim’s leg, which she had only managed to patch up briefly when he was in a critical state. The remnants of the medical foam had dissolved completely after applying a special solvent, leaving her with a large torn wound to stitch up and bullet wounds to treat. And, of course, injecting some medications were needed to prevent any potential blood infections.
“Max, it’s going to be uncomfortable for a while. Uh... scratch that, it’s going to hurt. You’ll feel weak, maybe even nauseous. I’m not sure what kind of stuff that creature might have pumped into your blood, but I’m not taking any risks. These drugs are risky in the heat of battle, but we still have time to apply them now...”
“Go for it, sis. It’s okay, I’ve been through worse as a kid, remember?”
Alisa nodded without a word and gave him two injections.
“All set. If there’s anything nasty in your blood, this should stop it. But we need to get to a proper medical facility as soon as possible and run a full blood analysis.”
“Mmm-hmmm,” Max groaned in agreement, leaning back in the seat, eyes closed, and teeth clenched. As promised, it hurt — a lot.
“Ugh... we truly need TACTA’s medical tech,” Alisa muttered under her breath, but loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Absolutely,” Daria agreed, stepping out of the shower, glancing sadly at Max. She desperately wanted to help but didn’t know how. “Is there anything I can do? To… be useful, perhaps? Oh, and the shower’s free, by the way.”
“Nika, you’re not allowed to wash up just yet. I haven’t properly treated you, so, wait a little,” the ‘chief doctor’ immediately intervened.
“Okay, got it,” the cyborg girl nodded. “Max is going to be fine, right? He just needs to ride out the side effects of the military-grade meds?”
“Yes. He’s already coming down from it, as far as I can see. Dasha, we don’t need anything from you right now, but thanks.”
“Ah-ha, got it,” Vasilevskaya sighed. “Uhm... I wish I could vape right now, just a tittle-little bit...”
Max struggled to prop himself up to look at Daria, despite the lingering pain and weakness from the medication, but was quickly nudged back into his seat.
“Alright, WonderVaper, I think a little is fine,” he rasped in reply. “Just move to the cargo hold with Moira for that… and shut the door behind you.”
He exhaled and added softly, “It already smells like damn barracks in here, even without steam. And it’s as hot as a Turkish bath.”
“Yay! Thanks, Maxie! Get better soon!” Dasha squealed happily, darting off to her gear, snatching up her device and disappearing through the door in a flash.
“By the way, we’re already cooling the temperature,” Alisa said as she finished stitching up Maksim’s leg. “Moira completed managing the drone clouds under the agreement and disconnected. Oh, and Miro and the Linkers made it out. I’ve got confirmation.”
Maksim nodded with relief.
“Good news. I’ve got a feeling we’ll cross paths with them again. Alright, team, let’s figure out what we’re doing next. I feel like crap, but I can still talk and think. Alisa, you mentioned that our first destination is Rzeszów, right?”
“Exactly.”
The guy quickly pulled up a map in augmented reality and looked at the route from their current location to the target city.
“It’s about seven hundred kilometers from here if we take the highway. Using secondary roads will make it even longer. Can you explain why we’re headed there specifically?”
“I managed to gather some intel on Eastern Europe. Before the invasion, there was a multi-corporate military base, an airfield, a repair plant, and warehouses. All of it now makes up Rzeszów, the first of the Free Cities in Eastern Europe. There, we can buy tech, including military equipment, upgrade what we’ve got, and take on some contracts. Their Mission Exchange is already up and running, and we can even submit some TACTA missions. In short, a lot of interesting stuff,” Alisa explained.
Having finished her work on Maksim’s leg and bandaging it, Alisa turned to her next patient.
“Your turn, Nikola. Strip to the waist and face me with your wounded side.”
“Alright,” Redhead nodded, taking off her damaged tactical vest and the rest of her uniform. “Max, once we’re done, I want to get into the cargo area and pick up a new shirt and jacket. Need me to grab something for you too?”
“Sure, new pants, a T-shirt, and a jacket, please. For now, let’s keep talking while we’re all still upright.” Max shifted in his seat, trying to get comfortable as he stretched out his injured leg. “I’m good with Rzeszów, it’s a solid destination. A big Free City with a working Mission Exchange is exactly what we need to get back on our feet.”
“But how do we get there safely? The Protectorate must be furious after all those provocations and bombings. Our speed is limited by the energy consumption of the stealth module. And turning it off isn’t an option. Obviously, everything’s under surveillance from space, and the moment we do, they’ll spot our truck. It wouldn’t take more than a few minutes for their fighter drones to reach us from Kyiv.”
“What if we turn off invisibility at some covered parking and then just casually drive out?” Nikola suggested, already undressed and waiting for the solvent Alisa applied to dissolve the last bits of foam on her wound. “No one’s seen our new vehicle, and they don’t know it’s us inside.”
“I thought about that,” Maksim replied, grabbing a water bottle he had stashed in the driver’s side door pocket. “But only once we’re much farther away from the polis. The Protectorate mentioned a 100-kilometer control zone around Kyiv in their messages, though they didn’t specify how exactly to measure this distance.”
“But the bigger issue,” he added, taking a long swig, “is the roads. I don’t know how busy the highways will be during the day, but it doesn’t matter. It could be as empty as it is now, or packed with caravans. Either way, any lone vehicle like ours will stand out. Even if we make it 500 kilometers away, they can still track and check us, since there are too many fast drones at those jerks’ disposal. Then, they’ll intercept us, and that’s the game over.”
[Max, I’ve got something important on that front,] Dasha chimed in from the cargo hold, content and relaxed as she sat near Moira, surrounded by a cloud of steam. [Before our escape, my Ravens were working, continuously analyzing all the documentation we had access to. I had to turn them off during the battle, of course, but I booted them up just a few minutes ago. Here’s the kicker — we all got a ‘Partner’s Starter Guide,’ and in it, there’s a section about Security and Interfactional Agreements.]
“Wait, what?” Maksim raised an eyebrow. He quickly toggled his AR display, revealing the notifications he had set aside for later. One of them was indeed a link to the guide. “It’s really there!”
“Uh… sorry for not mentioning it sooner,” Alisa said sheepishly. “I saw the notification but didn’t give it much thought. I was too busy sorting out the changes in my thread modifications. Everything… altered so much. But I’m reading it now!”
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“Well, it seems like we don’t need to read it anymore,” Maksim smiled. “Sounds like the Ravens already summarized it for us, right?”
[You bet! And I see that Alisa is already syncing with them. So technically, two AIs have already read it... or… um… well, Moira and you... I mean, a human...] Dasha trailed off awkwardly, realizing she might’ve hurt Alisa’s feelings, mentioning a sensitive subject for her friend.
“It’s okay, technically I am also an Artificial Intelligence – though who knows under which category I fall now,” Alisa chuckled. “Anyway, Max, this guide actually answers all your questions. The most important thing is that there is an inter-faction agreement between TACTA and the UNSA Protectorate. Outside their controlled zones, the Protectorate isn’t allowed to attack official TACTA Partners.”
[Yep,] Vasilevskaya confirmed. [And Free Cities are off-limits for satellite surveillance. Though the protes’ folks can still enter them, but only if they follow the rules and all that. Even no visas required, yeah!]
“So, did you figure out how faction members identify each other? How will the Protectorate know we’re TACTA Partners?” Maksim asked thoughtfully.
[Ah-ha, the required ID-tag is transmitted by the TACTA upgrade to our Cortical Grid. From what I understand, it’s not required constantly, only in disputed territories or in the Protectorate’s controlled zones, yeah…]
“Wait a second. Controlled zones? Are they marked somewhere? That should be public information, right?”
[Of course. There’s an interfaction app,] Dasha replied as she finished vaping and started heading back to the cabin. [I just downloaded it and checked. There are no vague 100-kilometer circles around the city centers or something like that.]
“So, the Protectorate deliberately misled the future renouncers in their messages?” Maksim clarified.
“Not exactly. They just left out that the ‘Perimeter Zone’ isn’t some arbitrary 100 kilometers from the wall. It’s a well-defined area around ‘numbered cities,’ meaning former major Polises and the largest cities in the States, which the Protectorate is turning into their outposts. Once the Drone is summoned, all of this becomes known. The documentation is public.”
“It’s the protes, to jebane dupki, pierdolone oszuści, skurwysyny przeklęte!” Redhead cursed passionately in Polish, but realizing she had gone too far, quickly added, “I meant to say… they’re liars… and bad people. Sorry for the outburst.”
Maksim chuckled. “Alright, we’ve got it. Nika already explained everything about the Protectorate. But what about the roads?”
[Major highways are neutral territories, and all factions collectively maintain them. It’s clearly stated. Moreover, in the event of a Shaiszu attack, it’s protocol to assist each other.]
“Sounds a bit too good to be true,” Redhead expressed her doubt.
“But it is real. In the event of an attack on a highway, TACTA automatically generates a mission request to all nearby Partner groups. If your group meets the combat rating, you can’t refuse — the penalties are steep,” Alisa said.
“Hmm, is that so,” Maksim murmured thoughtfully. “Well, that works out better for us. A lot of big problems are already off the table. Sis, maybe it’s time you told us the whole route you’ve mapped out, considering everything we know and the Protectorate’s boundaries?”
Alisa nodded and pulled up a map in the group chat, explaining the entire route:
“Alright, our first destination is Rzeszów, the State Poland. The route goes: Kyiv – Rivne – Lviv. After Zhytomyr, we’ll leave the controlled zone of the numbered city Kyiv, and from there, it’s neutral territory. It’s the best road in Ukraine, a six-lane highway all the way to Lviv. We just stick to the left lane, cruise at 120 kilometers per hour, and we’re golden. No one is entitled to stop us.
I’ve already downloaded the control zone app, and this route bypasses Rivne, where there’s a Protectorate military base. We’ll steer clear of that.
After Lviv, the road curves toward the State Slovakia, and from there, we’ll make a wide loop around the city and head straight to Rzeszów. It’s only a couple hours from Lviv!
Now, a quick rundown of the next stops:
Rzeszów – Prešov – Žilina – Brno.
We’ll have to detour around Brno and the highways nearby. The control zone is huge, and we don’t have a transit visa for the Protectorate, so we’ll have to navigate around it cautiously. No rest stops are possible. Technically, we’ll be moving between three Protectorate numbered city zones, so better be extra paranoid.
After that, the route goes: Nuremberg – Heilbronn – Karlsruhe – Mulhouse, skirting the edges of Protectorate zones, thankfully on neutral highways. The only issue is that the traffic there is likely to be heavy with Protectorate vehicles, which will feel unnerving. But they don’t have the right to stop Partner transport. By the way, Mulhouse is also a Free City, so we can restock there and complete some missions.
And then it’s a simple and straightforward route: Besançon – Lyon.
Based on my data, this area is relatively safe.
However, we need to remember that the Shaiszu won’t sit still, and their activity seems to be higher in the south. There’s speculation that they prefer warmer climates.
The final destination is Marseille — the major independent TACTA city we need so badly. Crucially, it has a stationary base, so we won’t need to summon the Drone anymore.”
Alisa finished her explanation, wiping imaginary sweat from her brow. “So, that’s the plan.”
“Care to share where you’re getting this info?” Maksim asked, curious now that the worst side effects of the corporate military drugs had worn off.
“Sorry, big brother. I can only tell you that it’s from a very reliable source.”
Alisa finished treating Nikola’s wounds, sealing them with waterproof regenerative patches, and injected her with blood infection preventatives.
“Thanks. I’ll hop into the shower and then bring some fresh clothes for me and Max,” Redhead said.
“But you’re in pain,” the blonde remarked, surprised. “How are you planning to have a wash in that state?”
“With some finesse,” Redhead smirked. “After all, pain is just pain.”
And with a grin, she added, “If it hurts, it means you’re still alive.”
With that, the girl hurried off to the shower.
Max scratched his head thoughtfully. “She’s a bit of a masochist, huh? Anyway, our first task is to get out of the Protectorate’s control zone and find a good spot to disable the stealth module. We’ll be able to move faster once that’s off and reach Rzeszów quick. By the way, can we contact them in advance somehow about those mysterious missions? Our funds are running dry.”
“Well, not completely dry, we’ve still got fourteen and a half thousand grants left!” Daria pointed out, having returned from the cargo area and settling comfortably on the bed. “That should be enough to stock up on field medicine, which we desperately need, yeah!”
“I’m on board with that idea,” Alisa agreed, putting away the medical kit. “You know, there are regenerating bandages — ones that start healing within an hour and can close a wound like Max’s in a day. We should also get universal antibiotics and stop worrying about potential infections. They’re less painful than military-grade meds, and certainly more effective. Also, they have a field Medkit with a RapidCare module, a med-scanner, and a better med-spray than the one we have.”
“I like the sound of that too,” Redhead shouted right out of the shower. “I could carry one of the kits with me, which would boost the group’s survival rate if we have to split up again!”
“But do we have enough money for all of that?” Maksim frowned. “Just calling a Drone for the group would eat up nearly half our funds!”
“A group summoning? But why would we need that?” Dasha asked, puzzled.
“Err, I probably should’ve checked if we can transfer grants to each other before making that suggestion...”
“You can do more than just transfer grants,” Alisa smiled. “I’m digging into all the new options we have now with the Ravens. And TACTA has a huge section dedicated to social groups. Mostly, it’s about managing Free Cities, but it also includes static groups, clans, and even guilds.”
She quickly pulled up a small AR screen to show the most relevant parts of the documentation.
“The most important thing we need to keep in mind right now is that TACTA heavily encourages the creation of social structures, ranging from static groups and clans to full settlements. Specifically, there are even discounts on certain types of goods and deliveries. In groups, you can set up a shared account, and calling a Drone for delivery will only cost 925 grants.”
“We really need to explore all of this, yeah!” Vasilevskaya interjected. “I’ve been looking into...”
@SYSTEM: Social group information has been recorded. Interface update in progress...
The sudden message that appeared in front of everyone caused Dasha to not just fall silent but drop her vape in surprise. However, the pause didn’t last long.
“Look, Max! It’s self-learning! It’s evolving — on its own, you see? Just imagine how...” she started, but suddenly yawned loudly, the exhaustion catching up to her. “…awesome.”
Seeing this, Alisa smiled warmly.
“Just go to sleep already. You all need the rest. Look, Nikola’s already out,” she pointed at Nikola. “You’re all going to pass out soon, whether you like it or not.”
By that time, Redhead had already finished her shower, grabbed fresh clothes for herself and Max, quickly changed, settled into the seat… and dozed off, almost instantly.
“Ah... fine,” Dasha yawned again and tucked her vape into the pocket of her tactical vest, which she had taken off and hung on a small hook near the bed. “Guess I’ll actually lie down. We’ll talk it all through tomorrow… uh… well, actually, later today, when we wake up… yeah.”
Maksim adjusted his neck support and reclined the driver’s seat as far back as it would go.
“Sis, I’m going to sleep too. Just stay off the main highway for now. The last thing we need is a Protectorate special vehicle ramming into us at top speed. Side roads have their own risks, but at least there’s no traffic.”
“Of course,” she nodded.
“And one last thing, if we’re still asleep when you exit the Protectorate’s control zone, look for a covered spot to drop the stealth, preferably without cameras. If you find something, wake me up.”
Satisfied with her nod, Maksim finally exhaled, relaxed, and closed his eyes.