State Ukraine, Territory of the Helios Corp Warehouse Complex
Maksim Chernykh’s Team, August 15, 2049, 01:49 AM
The sky was shrouded in thick clouds, and the thin crescent of the waning moon was barely visible. Just like the stars… and the looming colossal structure of unknown purpose that the aliens had erected in Earth’s orbit at record speed.
The area outside the buildings of the “Helios Corp” warehouse complex was enveloped in a deep, nocturnal silence. It was late summer, August, yet not a bird or insect could be heard. Streetlights cast a cold white glow over the area, stretching sharp shadows around the storage facilities and machinery, creating an almost ghostly atmosphere.
Signs of a rushed evacuation were everywhere. Semi-trucks with trailers still stood at the loading docks, some with their doors left wide open, blinking red and yellow emergency lights. Under one of the trailers, containers and crates were strewn about in disarray — clearly, the workers hadn’t finished their work.
The silence was nearly tangible, broken only by the faint hum of generators and the occasional crackle of drained batteries in abandoned carts and tractors. Empty boxes and pallets lay around the hangars, scattered and stacked haphazardly, casting long shadows over the concrete.
A small group came out from the open doors of Warehouse B-6.
“Three minutes until they arrive,” Alisa said. “The drone already has the convoy in sight.”
“Good,” Redhead said with a snort. “I wonder what toys they brought along?”
“Looks like it’s not just a squad, but a whole army,” Maksim chuckled.
The team moved to the gates of the complex, and Dasha sent the command to open them. Just in time — the convoy from Free Rzeszów appeared up ahead.
The first to enter through the gates were two armored combat vehicles, distant descendants of the renowned German-Dutch Boxer modular system, the design dating back to 2009.
Eight-wheeled, massive, and angular, they were covered in thick layers of ceramic and steel armor, further reinforced with next-gen composites to protect against shrapnel and medium-caliber fire. Their bodies bore an “urban camo” pattern — a dark, matte design that allowed them to blend seamlessly into the surroundings and remain hidden from a distance. Mounted on each roof was a combat module with an automatic medium-caliber cannon and a twin-barrel machine gun.
[I want to get us one of these beauties in a command-ops version,] Maksim whispered to Nikola over a private channel.
[Ah-ha, I’ll add it to the shopping list,] Redhead replied with a mock-serious look and a grin in her eyes.
Next, a group of scouts on off-road motorcycles sped through, immediately spreading out across the area. Following them came a line of ten armored trucks, each armed with machine gun systems. Bringing up the rear was another Boxer, this one in a “wheeled tank” variant. This model boasted an unmanned Samson AT Mk IV turret that sported a 30mm cannon, a 7.62 dual-barrel machine gun, and a rapid-launch catapult for Hellhound Octo 3 rocket drones.
But the most impressive spectacle wasn’t the imposing combat vehicles. From the armor of this “tank,” two heavy combat cyborgs leapt down, detaching from their special mounts on the left and right sides.
Standing a bit over two meters tall, they resembled two living fortresses, equipped with a deadly arsenal. Their reinforced bodies were crafted from dark, matte, light-absorbing metal, and provided robust protection against high-energy weaponry. The armor panels were heavily fortified, featuring angular sections designed to deflect and dissipate impact.
On their chests, where the corporate logo might once have been, they bore a crest — a white cross with broad, triangular arms on a blue shield background. On the right upper arm, there also was an emblem of a stylized snarling panther head — white and black strokes suggesting cybernetic elements, a gaping maw, and blood-red glowing eyes. This appeared to be the emblem of their team or maybe even a TACTA partner clan.
The cyborgs’ armaments were equally formidable. A high-speed machine gun system was mounted on a retractable suspension connected to their left arms, fitted with recoil compensators. The rotating barrel array allowed for sustained, highly accurate fire. And if they ran out of ammo, they could jettison the whole system to keep it from getting in the way.
On their right forearm was a grenade launcher, capable of firing either single rounds or volleys. Ammo options included fragmentation or armor-piercing charges. The dorsal unit, also detachable, contained compartments for storing micro-drones, along with a compact acceleration module for their deployment. Also attached to this block were sheaths for two hand-and-a-half swords, scaled to the cyborgs’ size — clearly intended for close combat against the Shaiszu.
The crowning feature, however, that this already deadly platform was further upgraded by the finest gunsmiths of Rzeszów, who procured from TACTA weaponry previously unavailable on Earth. On the right shoulder of each “terminator” was a mobile plasma turret. Maksim had seen similar models in the catalog before, and had been struck by its price, energy demands, combat parameters, and restrictions — available only to partners of Category C or higher.
Both legs, in addition to extra external jump boosters, were equipped with active ground-claw mechanisms capable of anchoring these giants even under a hail of fire or locking them in place to enable siege-mode for operations with large-caliber weapons.
Their heads were fully encased in high-tech helmets, with two red “eyes” blazing fiercely on the front panel. Small antennas and angular protrusions hinted at 360-degree field of vision, lidar, radar, and infrared illumination for night vision. Naturally, they were also equipped with secure TACTA communications.
[Holy shit, Max, look at these beasts! Kurwa!] Nikola whispered in awe. [Only Ares Tactical Solutions has units like this — top of the elite. I’ve never seen them in person. And this mod version… I don’t recognize it at all!]
She shook her head and added in the main channel, [Looks like they mean business.]
Watching the approaching convoy, Maksim encouraged the team, [Let’s not forget — they’re our allies. We just need to stay professional.]
[Let’s hope it all goes smoothly,] Alisa said as she stepped forward, while Dasha quietly moved back, hiding behind the guy. She sometimes had bouts of panic when faced with large groups of unfamiliar people, and it looked like there would be quite a few this time.
The convoy came to a halt, and a tall man in combat armor, marked with the same blue and white crest, stepped out of the lead vehicle. Like Maksim’s team, his helmet visor was raised. A moment later, one of the cyborgs appeared behind him, and together, they approached the group.
“Joint Rapid Response Unit Rzeszów-Four. Captain Rafal Murawski,” the man introduced himself, extending his clenched right fist in greeting.
“Maksim Chernykh, leader, assault specialist, team ‘Ghosts’,” Max replied, opting to shorten the less-than-ideal name to a single word. He met the captain’s fist with his own. “Good to see you, Pan Rafal.”
“Nikola Kowalski, cyborg — heavy assault,” the girl followed with a familiar military gesture. “Pleasure to meet you.”
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Alisa Chernykh, cyborg, analytics, drones, and medical,” the former android offered her greeting with a fist bump.
“Vasilevskaya, Daria…” Dasha peeked out from behind Max, almost blurting her usual “yeah” but still managed to hold it back.
“Sniper-programmer. Hey there. So… yeah,” Well, she almost managed to hold it back.
Rafal smiled, as had the Council coordinator Shimon Wozniak before him, clearly amused by this quirky greeting style.
“EXCELLENT WORK, I MUST SAY,” the cyborg suddenly boomed in a voice so deep and loud it seemed to shake the ground.
The visor lifted quickly and quietly, the additional tech panel beneath split in two, sliding to the sides.
Before Maksim and his team stood a young woman, with features clearly indicating her mixed Japanese-European heritage. Her hair was neatly tucked under a helmet cap, with only a single unruly strand of jet-black hair with a greenish sheen escaping, contrasting with her strikingly pale skin. Dark brown, slightly almond-shaped eyes focused intently on Nika.
“Subcom of the ‘Wild Cats’ Guild, leader of the third strike group,” Rafal introduced his companion. “Tanya ‘Thunder’ Takahashi. She wants to speak with Pani Nikola personally.”
“You impressed me,” Tanya addressed Redhead directly. Her voice softened, though it still held strength. “I watched your fight with the two Shaiszu closely. Looks like you’ve awakened a ‘Cybernetic Berserker’ ability.”
Nika raised an eyebrow, surprised by the directness.
“Possibly,” she answered cautiously. “These… abilities are new to me. I’m still figuring things out.”
“I had a similar experience,” Tanya’s gaze held a hint of understanding, “when my own ability first manifested. Most likely, you’re at Level One right now. And, honestly, that’s fortunate — otherwise, no one would have survived.”
The cyborg bent her right arm, shortly pointing at Nikola with her index finger.
“REMEMBER THIS!” for a moment, her voice returned to its booming depth. “It’s absolutely vital for you to install TACTA implants as soon as possible. There’s a special section for Berserkers, and you’ll need those specifically. Don’t let the price deter you. Yes, it’s expensive, but that’s the only way for you to handle your power and avoid fatal overloads. Most importantly, without them, you can’t control the Rage. The Berserker path… it’s yours now, forever.”
Redhead nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll remember. Thank you. I’m grateful.”
“And if you find ‘Ghosts’ aren’t the best fit for you,” Tanya continued with a slight smile, “the ‘Wild Cats’ guild would be happy to welcome such a talented cyborg-fighter.”
Maksim felt a surge of irritation boiling up inside him, like a spark hitting dry tinder. “What the hell she’s doing?!” Jealousy flared, sharp and hot, at the blatant attempt to poach Nika for another team.
“We appreciate the offer,” he interjected coolly, taking a step forward. “But our team values every one of its members.”
Tanya’s gaze flicked to Max, and her dark eyes sparkled with a touch of amusement. “Of course,” she replied. “Just a friendly suggestion. A pleasure meeting you, Ghosts of the Future.”
The facial plates slid back into place, and her visor lowered, concealing her face beneath heavy armor. The cyborg turned sharply and strode away, her massive footsteps echoing across the area.
Nikola glanced at Maksim.
[Something wrong?] she asked privately, noticing his tension.
[Everything’s fine,] he replied shortly, doing his best to stay calm. [Just be wary of other groups’ offers.]
[Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere. I need you in every sense,] Redhead said, a soft smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
“I apologize for any unintended incident,” Rafal inclined his head slightly. “The ‘Cats’ are an excellent guild but very… willful. I didn’t know what she wanted to discuss.”
“It’s fine,” Maksim assured him. “We’re ready to hand over the site. All security systems are under our control, and the turrets are set to defend against Shaiszu. However, as I mentioned before, some of the warehouse’s contents were removed prior to our arrival. Plus, a wandering Shaiszu portal opened on the premises — twenty-four entities. Had to put up a fight.”
“Yes, we’re aware. Our AI closely monitored your streams. On behalf of the Council, I’d like to thank you for your precision and efficiency in carrying out this mission, as well as for minimizing property damage during combat. Please provide your team’s account number. I’ll transfer the full reward amount, including the combat risk bonus, as soon as we finalize the handover.”
[Dasha, do we even have one?]
[Of course! A basic team account is created automatically when you register, yeah. Here you go.]
A mediaglyph appeared, requesting a secure connection.
Maksim sent the sixteen-character alphanumeric code he received.
[Thanks, WonderStar. Connect too; we need to upload the access keys and the warehouse data.]
[On it.]
Within a minute, the final mission formalities were complete. And a moment later, a message from the Council of Free Rzeszów appeared, accompanied by the pleasant sound of the team account balance going up.
MISSION Reconnaissance of Helios Corp Warehouse Complex
SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED!
Base Reward:
15,000 grants for successful mission completion and providing detailed warehouse inventory.
Bonuses:
Increased Combat Risk Bonus: 51,500 grants.
Data Quality Bonus: 4,000 grants.
Honesty Bonus: 6,500 grants.
Additional Rewards:
* Warehouse Protection Reward: 35,250 grants
* Reputation increase in Free City of Rzeszów, granting access to more complex and lucrative missions
* Special awards from the Council for professionalism demonstrated:
** Access to category-D missions
** Choice of a semi-truck and trailer from the provided list
[Woo-hoo! We rock, yeah! We’re a gang! Ghosts rule!] Dasha exclaimed over the conference line, unable to hold back after reading the City’s message.
[Yeah, that’s us! We’ll tear apart every last Shaiszu and put ‘em in their place!] Redhead chimed in enthusiastically.
“Oh, and I have a message from Colonel Shimon Wozniak, the Coordinator of the Free Rzeszów Council,” Rafal added. “Shall I play it?”
“Of course,” Maksim replied, surprised but keeping his cool.
In augmented reality, a video window opened for each team member. It showed the familiar desk, the same uniformed man, but outside the windows, it was night. The message must have been recorded very recently.
Greetings, Ghosts of the Future!
You’ve shown exceptional skill. The Council of Free Rzeszów has decided to reward you with an increased premium for the combat risks you undertook and the operation's complexity. On behalf of the Council, I also offer official apologies for an error by our analytical group. Based on all criteria, your mission should have been classified as Category D. The dangerous Shaiszu entities like the ones you encountered typically appear only in operations of this difficulty level or higher.
In the light of your successful completion and upon the recommendation from the Deputy Commander of the ‘Wild Cats’ Guild, the Council is advancing your team’s rating to D-grade, prior to the official TACTA Rating system launches.
I take a responsible approach with the people I work with, and sincerely hope our collaboration will continue. Therefore, in gratitude for your high-quality work and as compensation for the damages you sustained, I am personally granting your cyborg, Pani Nikola Kowalski, access to the City’s Technical Fund. She will have the opportunity to acquire new ninth-generation legs, model ‘Mamba,’ and arms from the same gens, model ‘Temblor,’ for the symbolic price of one grant each. I’ll cover the remaining cost from my personal budget.
Once again, I thank your entire team and invite you to stop by for a brief chat when you’re in the City. Please arrange a convenient time and date with my secretary on the info line.
See you in Free Rzeszów!
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The Ghosts’ truck whirred softly from its electric wheel motors, flashed its turn signals in a final farewell, and left the “hospitable” grounds of the warehouse complex.
“Well, that was one hell of an adventure,” said Max, sitting in the driver’s seat turned inward to face the others. “But these wandering portals are unnerving. It means any mission could suddenly get a whole lot tougher — or even become downright deadly.”
“Not quite,” Alisa cut in as the team’s lead analyst. “Cities with stationary protection have systems to keep portals from opening inside their borders — that’s confirmed. Protectorate cities are always secure, but for the Free Settlements, it depends on their leadership. If they invest in suppression systems, then no random Shaiszu will just show up out of nowhere. As for missions, it depends on the region.”
“Ah-ha,” added Dasha. “There are zones where portals are likely to open and zones where they aren’t, yeah. The city analysts generally have that kind of intel. And… you can actually buy a subscription from TACTA to see it all in the app. You know, the one with the faction territories on the map. Costs a hundred grants a day per person, and it’s strictly non-shareable, with serious reputation penalties if you try.”
She rubbed her eyes, stifling a yawn. “Guys… can we leave the rest for tomorrow? I’m wiped out… no energy left, yeah. Don’t even have it in me to count how long we’ve been on our feet. Just nonstop…adventures. We need to rest.”
“That was my thought exactly,” Maksim agreed. “We got our payment, and it’s a lot, but if we try to place an order now, we’ll definitely mess it up. Purely out of exhaustion.”
“Or better yet, let’s start by heading to Rzeszów, get ourselves some decent accommodations. With a nice shower, or even a sauna. Pick up my paws, have a chat with the Colonel, and then go save the world,” Nikola suggested.
“Alright then, unless something comes up, we sleep until we reach Rzeszów,” Maksim concluded. “At least while we’re still on neutral ground.”