State Ukraine, Neutral Territory, M06 Highway
Maxim Chernykh’s team, August 14, 2049, 03:44 PM
The news about “super-skills” had really stirred up the team, especially given the potential for integration of them with the System. So, it was no surprise that Alisa and Dasha dove straight into Deep VR the moment the truck began to move.
Maksim, on the other hand, took the wheel himself, deciding to assess the situation on the highway before handing over control to the autopilot. The first thing that caught his eye as they neared the on-ramp was the heavy traffic.
An unpleasant surprise — there were far more vehicles than he’d anticipated. The road was packed primarily with large Protectorate trucks and buses, all traveling under the escort of combat drones flying in tight formation. This dense stream occupied every lane heading toward the former polis Kyiv.
“Kurwa, look at these fuckers driving around, huh, Max?” Nikola remarked as she watched the convoy of black-and-red buses crammed with people.
“Seems like they’re moving folks from the surrounding towns and villages. Well, screw them, we’re getting on the highway,” the guy replied, steering hard and pressing on the gas. Fortunately, the lanes heading in the opposite direction, out of the Kyiv region, were clear, and their truck merged smoothly onto the autobahn, quickly picking up speed.
About ten minutes into the drive, it became apparent that the road to Lviv would mostly be empty. Satisfied, Maksim switched the vehicle to autopilot, set the cruising speed to 120 kilometers per hour, and turned to his companion.
“There is plenty of time while we’re on the way, and it looks like WonderKid and Alisa will be out for a while. So, Redhead, shall we get down to business?”
“Hell yeah! Could throw together an order for the Drone. Just talked about it not long ago. If we’re going to pick up some missions soon, better be fully prepared.”
“That’s actually a great idea. The sooner we take care of that, the faster we can start accepting missions. We’ve got some medical expertise, and Alisa can review it at the end, maybe tweak it if needed.”
[Girls, don’t get completely lost in the astral, okay? Nika and I are putting together a medical supply list and plan to summon the TACTA Drone along the way. After that, we’ll check out some missions and see if there’s anything along the route to Rzeszów.]
[Got it. Here’s the script to launch the “Team management” module. You’ll need it for placing orders and handling finances too. Yeah,] Dasha responded.
[Max, you’re going to share the shopping list in the conference anyway, right?] Alisa added. [I’ll take a look at the medical stuff you chose afterward and see if there’s anything we need to change.]
[Roger that,] Maksim responded, launching Informatorium and sharing the entire screen with the team conference.
----------------------------------------
“There’s way too much we need, and way too little cash,” Maksim grumbled, eyeing the list of over fifty items with a total cost exceeding three hundred thousand grants.
“Yeah, fourteen and a half thousand ain’t buying out the whole store,” Redhead chuckled. “But we can grab just the bare minimum, enough to make the next mission a bit safer. First off, our foam should definitely be replaced — what they’ve got is way better. Then, the ‘Military’ medkit, or at least its equivalent, is a must. Next — some solid pharma. And to top it off, the cheapest regen bandages, or better yet, regen gel. Actually, both if possible.”
“That’s pretty much what I had in mind. We can drool over compact med-bots like the MedCase Prime or the portable nanomachine assembly unit LifeTech Nanorobotics all we want, but let’s start small. You’re completely right.”
He quickly went through the list, dumping entire clusters of items. In the end, they narrowed it down to five essential items, totaling 9,840 grants.
#Cart:
* Medical Spray + Solvent “FieldPatch-CX2” (6 sets)
* Healing-Infused Bandages Set (20 pieces)
* RevitaGel Regenerative Gel (10 units)
* “Military” modular first aid kit, FieldMedic Pro A4.1 (Core unit only)
* Field Medical Kit (Biostimulants, Antidotes, Universal Antibiotics, Fast-Acting Anesthetics) in a case
* Diagnostic Scanner Orion Scope Alto2
[Good choice,] Alisa commented when she noticed Maksim and Nika had finished their picks. [The diagnostic tool is a key. As for med-tech, especially the robotic treatment module for the medkit, we’ll get that next time — it’s just way too expensive. Anyway, go ahead and send the order.]
[Hey, ladies, care to surface from your beloved Deep VR for a minute, huh? The list’s ready, and I’m about to submit the order. So, we’ll be pulling off the highway — no need to call attention to ourselves in front of the Protectorate. It’s technically not illegal, but why poke the bear? While we’re at it, maybe check the available missions before we stop.]
Half a minute later, Alisa and Daria appeared beside the driver’s seat.
“I went over the list of System modules. It’s pretty interesting. But what’s on the missions? While you prep the materials for that ‘business proposal’ to Miro and Lena, I could skim through a few and lock in one or two for us. We’re gonna need a lot more cash for a proper order,” said Max.
“We need more gold,” the blonde snarled, with her eyes gleaming greedily – and laughed. Apparently, that was a joke.
“Sadly, yeah,” Maksim nodded. “So, what’s up with the mission module?”
“Well, the interface is still temporary, but it works... yeah,” Vasilevskaya replied. “Problem is, only standard TACTA missions are available for now. At least they’re split into team and solo options.”
To stay on topic, she quickly pulled up a virtual screen in the group conference, running the module. After querying the list of available missions through the command line, she continued:
“See? It’s all here. For our categories, solo missions are a total joke. Maybe Alisa could try something, since she’s at least a Partner Category 5, “Experts”. The rest of us are stuck at Category 6, “Seekers”. No rankings available yet, and for teams too. All of that will only open up on August 20th.”
“Does that mean the team ones aren’t available to us?” Maksim asked. “Is that why they’re not showing up?”
“Why wouldn’t they be? They’re totally available, yeah,” Dasha countered. “We just can’t see them because our team hasn’t been officially formed yet. We’ll be listed as a Category 6 team. The thing is, since there’s no Rating yet, it’s based on the average partner score of the team. For ‘Experts,’ or Category 5, we only have Alisa, and one person isn’t enough to access for more advanced missions.”
“Hm. Makes sense, got it. So, what’s stopping us from registering the team right now?” Maksim asked, predictably. “If there’s no issue, go ahead and create it, please.”
“Give me a sec,” Daria muttered, doing something in the AR. “Max… uh… sorry, the interfaces are barely up anywhere. I submitted the request through a script, listed all four of our IDs, set the team type to combat — you’ll fill in the description yourself once we finish the UI. Basically, all that’s left is the name. And in keeping with the stupid traditions, which apparently transcend worlds, it has to be unique.”
“Damn… I’m drawing a blank. How about something basic like ‘Ghosts of the Future’? See if it passes?”
Dasha tapped a few buttons in the virtual interface and burst out laughing.
“Can you believe it? It actually worked! I’m shocked. I mean, there’s already a million ‘ghosts’ out there — ‘Ghosts of Death,’ ‘Ghosts of Hell,’ even ‘Ghosts of Bloody Carnage,’ but no ‘Ghosts of the Future’… Apathetic bloody planet. I’ve no sympathy at all.”
Wiping tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes, Vasilevskaya added:
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Alright, the team is officially created. Here’s the Team ID — you’ll need it if anyone asks. TACTA missions are ready; I’ll pull them up on screen. You can take it from here. Yeah.”
“Thanks, great job, WonderWhiz,” Maksim said, carefully reviewing the list that had just appeared. “I’m just surprised at how complicated it is to get missions for the ‘average person.’ It looks like it’s only accessible to programmers – those who’ve studied TACTA’s API.”
“Well, yeah. Our module is going to be a real gem… once we finish it,” Dasha declared smugly. “But for everyone else, there’s a simple interface in the Informatorium. And in that Free City, there’s probably a Mission Exchange where you can just walk in and ask for assignments. But we’re cool and awesome, so we get to do all this online, see?”
“By the way, speaking of missions,” Alisa chimed in, “Free Cities could be our real lifeline. Each one’s got its own tasks, tons of them, and they’re pretty diverse. And as far as I know, the payouts are decent. Of course, not all of them are public, and there are a lot of specifics... Because Free Cities are truly independent. They don’t have to follow any rules except for TACTA’s core laws.”
“But we’ve gotta keep in mind,” Dasha added with a serious expression, “the System can’t just connect to every Free City and pull missions out of there, yeah. First, we need to reach out to the city — thankfully, that can be done remotely — then request an API key to access their missions. Only after linking it to the System will additional tasks show up in the interface.”
“Then we should start contacting them right now!” Maksim pointed out the obvious. “The sooner we know the situation, the better.”
“Okay,” Vasilevskaya opened a broadcast of her Informatorium copy in the conference. “Here’s the data, Max, go ahead and make the call. But first, you and Nika should fill out the universal form I just sent you. That’ll improve our chances of getting access. It’s paranoid times we’re living in — rejections are possible, especially for newly created ‘no-name’ teams. I’ve got work to do — we’re digging into the TACTA Informatorium API and the System development while we still can.”
She rattled off the words, grabbed another water bottle from their stockpile, and dashed back to the bed in the rear of the cabin.
“Damn, this form’s massive!” Redhead said, surprised, as she opened the hefty document.
“Yeah, no kidding!” Max joined her. “They sure want to know a lot about us. Without help, we’ll be stuck at this forever, so I’ll hook into some Moira’s threads.”
With the AI’s assistance, they managed to knock out the long document in just twenty minutes. The form was no joke, Maksim and Nika even had to recall plenty from their combat experience.
@Call to Free Rzeszów, contact line
There was a small queue, so they had to wait about ten minutes.
@Rzeszów.Infoline#0023: Free Rzeszów. Operator Stanislav Malinovsky speaking. What’s the purpose of your call?
@Caller: This is Maksim Chernykh, speaking for a registered partner team of TACTA. Group ID is attached. I’m requesting an API key for public individual and group missions of the city.
@Rzeszów.Infoline#0023: What’s your current geolocation?
Maksim sent their coordinates along with an approximate route.
@Rzeszów.Infoline#0023: Understood. Team composition?
@Caller: Assault Specialist, Seeker – Sixth Partner Category. Heavy Assault Specialist, Combat Cyborg, Seeker. Sniper, Seeker. Drone Operator, Medic, Support Fighter – Fifth Partner Category. All equipped with corp-grade military weapons and gears, we have drones, and a tactical AI. Full group specs are detailed in the form.
@Rzeszów.Infoline#0023: Understood, partner team. So, you’ve already completed the application?
@Caller: Yes, it’s ready for transmission.
@Rzeszów.Infoline#0023: Excellent, send it over.
@Rzeszów.Infoline#0023: Please stay on the line, our AI is processing the application.
The screen showed the city’s crest as the operator temporarily disconnected.
Maksim turned to Redhead. “Gotta say, they’re pretty thorough. I’m going to grab some water. Suddenly got thirsty.”
“Bring a big bottle, I’ll have some too,” Nika nodded. “I’ll keep an eye here, just in case.”
He managed to fetch the water, check in on how Dasha and Alisa were doing, and exchange a few words with Nika.
Finally, Free Rzeszów got back online and resumed the chat.
@Rzeszów.Infoline#0023: Congratulations, your application has been approved!
A notification about receiving the file flashed in the chat. The operator continued:
@Rzeszów.Infoline#0023: Based on your team’s composition and the completed form, you have been granted access to public group missions of Category E and E+. Your access can be upgraded upon early completion of the criteria for advancing to Category D and higher. Additionally, your access will be reviewed on August 20th at 01:00, one hour after the launch of TACTA’s global ranking system. Good hunting, Freemen.
@Caller: Thank you, Free Rzeszów. Maksim Chernykh, signing off.
“Well, Redhead, ready for a fight?”
“Oh, hell yes,” the girl licked her lips with a predatory grin. “Call the girls — let’s pick our first victim!”
Maksim nodded and sent a message to the group chat.
[Girls, we’ve got access to missions from Free Rzeszów! Come over, let’s test out that great module of yours.]
Sure, they could’ve done everything in augmented reality, but Maksim figured choosing the very first mission called for a proper ritual. And no, it wasn’t mysticism or that “magic” he disliked so much — just good old social engineering for effective teamwork.
The girls showed up within a minute. Dasha dragged a small folding chair, while Alisa stayed standing. Nika turned the front passenger seat around, making herself comfortable facing the group. Maksim also turned, though not fully, keeping an eye on the autopilot, ready to take over if needed.
Dasha opened an AR screen and brought up the mission module console.
“Max, what search criteria should I set?”
“Well,” their newly minted team leader considered. “First, only active missions for the next five hours. Second, the location. We have the trip’s route, so let’s look at missions within fifty kilometers of it. What other filters do we have?”
“Plenty! I can set this up pretty flexibly,” Vasilevskaya smiled confidently. “Just tell me what you want, and I’ll probably be able to work it in, yeah!”
“Alright then,” Maksim nodded. “Let’s go with recon or resource-gathering missions. Oh, and make sure to note that we can’t carry more than two hundred kilos — the truck is already overloaded.”
“If there’s a chance of combat,” Red added, “it’d be good to know what we’re up against. Can we add at least some standard military threat assessment criteria to the module?”
“That’s possible,” Alisa replied, already running four search threads in the network. “Nikola, hit me up in private chat — see if this is what you meant.”
Redhead nodded and clicked the link in augmented reality for getting access. While she was checking, Maksim continued outlining the search parameters.
“Dasha, let’s also factor in mission duration. For now, let’s aim for something no longer than five or six hours. We still haven’t fully recovered from the escape. Also, check the success conditions and how they impact the payout. We don’t need any nasty surprises. And the failure conditions as well — is there any payment in this case?”
“Got it,” Vasilevskaya nodded seriously. “Let’s wait for Alisa and Nikola to finish up, then we’ll set everything up!”
After twenty minutes of intense work, Dasha and Alisa had all the requests met, and the System presented the best mission match, taking everything into account.
//SYSTEM
Mission: Recon of Helios Corp Warehouse Complex
Coordinates: (reveal)
Mission Type: Reconnaissance
Difficulty: Medium
Urgency: Maximum
Importance: High
Expected Duration: up to 6 hours
DESCRIPTION:
The Council of Free Rzeszów is tasking your team with conducting recon of the Helios Medical warehouse complex. With limited resources, it’s critical to assess the contents of the warehouse and evaluate potential risks in extracting them.
Note: Increased activity from roaming Shaiszu portals was detected in the area three hours ago, elevating the mission to “Urgent” status. The analytics team estimates at least a 20% chance of combat.
MISSION OBJECTIVES
Primary Objectives:
* Conduct detailed reconnaissance of the Helios Medical warehouse complex.
* Gather and document information on the contents of the warehouse, paying special attention to medical resources and technologies.
* Assess threat levels and identify potential risks, including Shaiszu presence.
* Ensure a live feed of the team’s actions from at least three drones (additional drones are appreciated).
* Submit a complete report to the Free Rzeszów Council upon mission completion (can be done online).
Secondary Objectives:
* Avoid detection by hostile forces, if possible.
* Avoid direct combat inside the warehouse complex, if possible.
* Do not engage in any actions that violate mission terms, including theft or damage to property.
* After completing the mission, maintain security of the warehouse complex for up to 8 hours until the Free Rzeszów military team arrives.
REWARDS AND BONUSES
Base Reward:
15,000 grants for successful mission completion and providing detailed information about the warehouse contents.
Bonuses:
Combat Risk Bonus: In case of combat with Shaiszu, an additional payment ranging from 5,000 grants (depending on the complexity and results of the engagement).
Data Quality Bonus: Providing high-quality, detailed information may result in an additional bonus of up to 2,000 grants.
Honesty Bonus: Reward for following all mission conditions and completing the mission quickly and honestly. Reward is variable.
Additional Rewards:
* Reward for warehouse complex protection: From 5,000 grants (based on complexity).
* Reputation boost in Free Rzeszów, granting access to more difficult and profitable missions.
* Special rewards from the Council for demonstrated professionalism — potential access to rare equipment or settlement resources.
* Additional task rewards: variable.
SUCCESS CRITERIA:
* Successful completion of all primary mission objectives.
* Detailed report on warehouse contents and identified risks.
* Compliance with mission conditions, including the required drone live-stream.
* No violations, such as theft or unauthorized actions.
FAILURE CRITERIA:
* Incomplete primary objectives.
* Loss of signal from more than two drones for over 40 seconds.
* Committing theft or intentional damage to warehouse property.
* Violation of mission conditions or Council instructions.
Note: A forced retreat in the event of overwhelming Shaiszu forces will not count as mission failure. If all other criteria are met, retreat will be compensated as a Combat Risk Bonus.
PENALTIES FOR VIOLATIONS:
* Significant reputation loss with TACTA and Free Rzeszów.
* Restricted access to future missions and settlement resources.
* Possible disciplinary measures, including ban from the settlement.
ACCEPT MISSION
Yes / No