State Poland, Free Rzeszów City, TACTA
Ghost of the Future Team, August 15, 2049, 01:55 PM
Before everyone split up, there was one last task: placing the final orders. Maksim opened the Informatorium app, as usual, sharing the screen in the team conference. But just as he entered the TACTA Store, a notification suddenly popped up instead of the usual Catalog:
Attention!
You are currently within the territorial responsibility zone of the Free Rzeszów settlement.
Your order will be processed by the City Production and Distribution Service. A TACTA Drone delivery is not required for this location.
Happy shopping!
For more information regarding product orders, bulk production requests, or renting manufacturing, repair, and storage facilities, please visit the “Production & Rental” section on the City’s website.
“Well, Redhead,” the guy said with a smirk, scanning the notice, “here’s a clear illustration of where all those city taxes are going.”
“Max, I’ll look into the rental options and see how it might affect our plans,” Alisa replied. “But let’s go ahead and place the order, anyway.”
He nodded, accepted the service terms, and entered the main catalog. Finding and adding the list he and Nikola had prepared didn’t take him long.
“There we go,” he said, hitting the ‘Place Order’ and reading the system’s response. “Twenty-five thousand grants, production time is eight hours from the moment we provide either a biological sample for DNA extraction or an existing genome file.”
Nikola smiled.
“I have a cryptographically signed file with the sequencing of my genome after the extensive correction procedure I went through at fourteen,” she said, uploading the data. “Sending it now.”
Maksim confirmed the payment, and the order status changed to ‘In Process.’
“Perfect. Now, about the drone blueprints,” Alisa said, switching his shared screen to hers. “It’s simple — the more uses the blueprint allows, the cheaper each unit ends up. There are unlimited-use versions too, but I think they’re unnecessary for now. I suggest we go with limited versions first to test the models in real conditions before making any long-term decisions. I’ve put together a list of drones that should be useful for us.”
The screen displayed a small drone, about five centimeters long, resembling a hummingbird but with two pairs of wings. Its body was crafted from matte black composite material that absorbed light and radio waves, making it nearly invisible in shadows. On the front was a tiny, highly sensitive camera lens surrounded by micro-sensors. Built-in microphones and antennas were concealed within the body, while an anti-gravity module allowed for quiet, seamless flight.
“Our first model is the ‘Scout 2500’ microdrone. It’s designed for covert info-gathering. Compact, stealthy, and almost silent. Equipped with a high-sensitivity camera, lidar, and mics. A license for up to a hundred builds will set us back nine hundred grants.”
“What a nice little gadget,” Daria remarked, studying the model intently in augmented reality. “I’ll see how to integrate these ‘birdies’ into the System. I see a ton of scenarios where they’ll come in handy… yeah…”
The screen switched to the next item: a medium-sized drone shaped like a flat disk about half a meter in diameter. Its surface flickered, changing color and texture as it demonstrated its adaptive camouflage.
“Next, we have the ‘Eye’ tactical observer drone,” Alisa continued. “It’s outfitted with advanced optical and infrared sensors, lidars, and radar. It’s got a stealth module and, as you can see, pulls off a nice ‘Predator’ disguise. A license for ten builds costs nine hundred fifty grants.”
“Hey, sis, why only ten builds?” Maksim asked thoughtfully. “I think this might be our go-to ‘workhorse’ tech. Maybe we should invest more in these blueprints, especially since the cost per unit drops with more uses…”
“Well, as for the ‘Eye,’” she replied, “a hundred units are nineteen hundred grants, a thousand will run us twenty-eight fifty, and unlimited is fifty-seven hundred. My thought was to test it on a few missions first, and if it proves reliable, go for the unlimited option.”
“Hm… Makes sense. My bad, didn’t mean to cut you off. Go on.”
The blonde adjusted her hair and switched to the next image. A hologram of a combat drone appeared, sporting an aggressive design that resembled a mechanical flying wasp. Its body was crafted from a durable yet lightweight composite alloy, reinforced with ceramic inserts to withstand high heat and impact. A large compartment in its flexible “abdomen” housed a weapon module and ammunition. The front was fitted with targeting and guidance sensors, and its streamlined profile reduced air resistance at high speeds.
“The ‘Hornet’ strike drone,” Alisa introduced. “The name fits, doesn’t it? This combat model is compatible with light firearm modules. It’s fast and highly maneuverable. A license for ten builds costs two thousand grants, and for only double that — four thousand grants — you get a hundred builds. But we should probably test it first.”
“I think this one’s going to be a beast,” Nikola said, waving her hand. “Just look at those specs. And the design? Kinda a total killer wasp, if you ask me.”
“True,” Max cut in, “but our funds are disappearing fast. Pretty soon, every thousand grants will start to count. Let’s rein in the spending for now. Moreover, Alisa isn’t finished yet.”
The next AR hologram appeared: a massive heavy assault drone of the tiltrotor type, looking like a flying fortress. Its body was covered in thick, multi-layered armor, and a powerful gravity compensator kept it airborne even if its wings or engines took damage. At its center was a universal mount for heavy-caliber weaponry or rocket launchers. Extra cooling and power systems allowed it to operate under extreme combat conditions.
“And finally, the ‘Hurricane-2’ heavy strike drone. A true powerhouse, extremely reliable, capable of carrying heavy-caliber weapons or missiles. A license for a single build costs twenty-four hundred grants, and for ten builds, it’s six thousand. I suggest we start with just one. We’re still figuring out the best way to use it, and it’s too large for indoor operations — six meters long, with a wingspan including engines that brings it to a full six meters across.”
“We’re absolutely building one,” Max remarked. “It’ll be a priceless asset for open-field combat against monsters. And unfortunately, the Shaiszu are multiplying in our world by the hour.”
Alisa nodded and displayed the final image with a description — a small drone with a slender, elongated body, vaguely resembling a dragonfly. The model was crafted from lightweight polymers and coated in matte gray for maximum stealth. Its nose housed an explosive charge equivalent to one hundred grams of TNT, concealed beneath a streamlined aerodynamic shell. Small wings and stabilizers kept it steady at high speeds, while its simple design made it both quick to produce and cost-effective.
“I’d also suggest the ‘Tonbo Sanda S’ kamikaze drones,” Alisa said. “These are single-use, high-speed FPV drones — real flying grenades with pinpoint accuracy. A hundred-build license is only seven hundred fifty grants. Cheap, convenient, and effective.”
“Great choice,” Maksim nodded. He could already see just how useful this model would be.
“In addition, we’ll need ‘Universal Firearm Module with Reloading Device’ sets,” Alisa continued. “Standardized for 7.62mm caliber ammo. The light model — Assault Rifle version — costs nine hundred eighty grants for a hundred-build license. And the heavy model, LMG type, costs three thousand four hundred fifty for a ten-build license. I went with ten because the module is versatile. We can mount it on vehicles, trucks, or wheeled bots.”
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“Looks like we’re building quite the flock of ‘birdies.’ So, what’s the final damage?” Redhead asked.
“The total package comes to twelve thousand one hundred eighty grants, including the ‘Craft Master XL’ engineering tablet for seven hundred fifty grants,” Alisa replied.
“All right,” Max decided. “Let’s place the order.”
His sister quickly entered the details, and within seconds, it was confirmed.
“The courier bot will have everything here in ten minutes,” she reported. “That’s only because of the tablet, though. All future blueprints will be sent straight to it over the network.”
“And what about ammunition?” Nikola asked. “We’re going to need a lot of it.”
Alisa shook her head. “It’s not practical to buy blueprints for making rounds ourselves right now. Ammo isn’t cost-effective to produce in small-scale craft machines like forges. Automated production lines do a much better job, but we don’t have access to those yet. It’ll make more sense to buy ammo in bulk from local suppliers who’ve already set up mass production. Plus, finding the components for gunpowder and primers would be tough — stockpiles for those are probably the first to get completely cleaned out.”
“Alright,” Maksim agreed. “We’ll stock up from the gunsmiths here in Rzeszów.”
Meanwhile, Nikola received a response through a private channel.
“I got in touch with the city’s cyber-clinic,” she reported. “The cost for the surgery to install all the ordered sets is nineteen thousand grants. Appointment slots are open — I could even get one for tonight. Thoughts?”
“The sooner we get this going, the sooner you’re back in action,” Maksim nodded. “Let’s go ahead and book it.”
He approved the incoming request, and Nikola received confirmation for her appointment on August 16 at 1:25 AM. The operation would take just over eight hours.
Daria stood up from her seat and stepped closer. “We need to get in touch with the surgeons ahead of time to coordinate the software update… to configure it for the new implants during the operation… yeah. Thankfully, since we’re in TACTA territory, there shouldn’t be any issues with our… uhm… customized software. Could you get me the surgeon’s contact info, please? I’ll reach out when I have a moment and send over everything they’ll need. And I’ll prep the patches for your Cyber Core in advance.”
“Thanks, Dasha,” Nikola nodded gratefully.
“By the way, I just rented a storage unit at the warehouse,” Maksim added. “It’s a ten-cubic-meter room for twenty-five grants a day, for two days. We’ll need it to unload the truck. Might be safer to store Moira there too, but it doesn’t have the necessary conditions for her to operate — no power supply or cooling.”
“I’ll look into that as well,” Alisa said, jotting it down on her task list. “In the meantime, I’ll stay here, meet the courier, line up a good mission for later today, and, if I have time, start planning out the crafting complex rental. I’ll also help Dasha with the System updates.”
“Sounds good,” Max glanced around at the team. “That’s the plan. Alright, Nikola and I are heading to the storage unit.”
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The street greeted Maksim and Nika with the blazing midday sun, reflecting off the glass facades of buildings and the numerous new constructions that had sprung up since the invasion. Heat shimmered off the asphalt roads and concrete paths, while construction dust mixed with the aromas of street food and the distant hum of machinery. People bustled about, focused on their own tasks, a clear sign that life here was thriving, resilient even after recent upheavals.
The warehouse district of Rzeszów turned out to be a busy area adjacent to the industrial quarter, with repair and maintenance shops lining the streets. The sounds of machinery, workers’ voices, and the muffled tunes playing from a nearby radio filled the air. Max and Nikola pulled up to the loading ramp of Warehouse Sixteen, where their rented storage unit was located. The massive doors stood open, inviting them into a vast four-tiered space filled with long rows of metal containers.
“Not a bad spot,” Redhead smirked, jumping out of the cab. “I’ll go grab a robo-cart.”
“Yeah, go ahead. And I’ll start unloading the truck,” Maksim agreed, swinging open the truck’s back door.
Half an hour later, after four trips up to their storage unit on the second level, Alisa appeared in their conference.
[Guys, I’ve got the tablet with the blueprints. Based on my initial analysis, we only need to dismantle a couple of luxury electric cars to gather all the components for crafting — except for the explosives and grav-compensators, which we’d have to buy anyway.
Plus, while we’re in Rzeszów, we can rent a SynthForge from local workshops instead of buying our own. It’ll be cheaper, and we’ll be able to convert one hundred percent of our raw materials into resource cartridges. With this setup, nothing will go to waste, unlike when we use TACTA’s crafting drones. Even with the city’s ten-percent resource tax, this is far more cost-effective.]
[Good news,] Max replied with such a broad, and genuine grin spreading across his face, that the System picked up on his emotion and added a matching emoji to his voice message in the conference. [What are the rates?]
[Rental is two hundred grants per hour, fourteen-forty for ten hours, and five thousand for a weekly rental of one hundred twenty hours. Anything over thirty-five hours, and the weekly rate becomes worth it.]
Max fell into deep thought, absently looking around as he considered. Could they gather enough materials to load the machines for a full thirty-five hours? Could they afford to stay in the hospitable city of Rzeszów for an additional week?
After a brief pause, he replied, [Alright, sis. Let’s try to gather enough resources to fully load the SynthForge. If we can manage it, we’ll go for the one hundred twenty hours. Prepare the calculations, and we’ll review them.]
[Agreed,] Alisa confirmed simply.
[Great. What do we have on missions?]
[I found one about eighty kilometers from Rzeszów, heading toward the State Ukraine border,] she reported. [It’s a recon assignment for a warehouse complex — something we’ve handled before. The city’s actively expanding its influence and recently put out a batch of similar jobs. It might turn into combat, though, since it’s in an area with wandering portals. But we’re not required to engage with any monsters — it’d be okay to pull back if necessary.]
[Sounds good. Go ahead and submit the request,] Maksim agreed. [We’ll finish up here and head back at the hostel in about an hour. Then we’ll gear up and head out.]
[Got it. Standing by.]
Ending the call, Max turned to Nikola while finalizing the ammo order in Informatorium. “Seems like we’ve got a full day ahead of us.”
“As usual,” Redhead replied with a smile.
“I’ll get the ammo delivered straight here. Take a look at the order, see if you’ve got any comments.”
“Nah, looks good,” she said after a quick glance at the cart. “Let’s go for it.”
They finished unloading, leaving on board only part of the arsenal, the drones, the remaining bots — including Big One — and the tech bay with Moira. After loading the freshly delivered ammo into the vehicle, they drove off, taking the route around the far side of the warehouse. A large sign above one of the workshops caught their eye.
Bold letters read:
“Now Buying Cars for Scrap! Officially City Exchange. We Cover City Taxes. Top Prices Offered!”
“Look, Nika, those guys seem interesting,” he said, pointing at the sign. “Should we stop by?”
“Why not? Let’s see what they offer,” she shrugged. “No harm in checking.”
They climbed out of the cab and walked toward the workshop, where a middle-aged man in an oil-stained jumpsuit greeted them, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
“Hey there! What can I do for you?”
“We saw your ad,” Max said. “Interested in scrapping cars. What are the terms?”
The man quickly explained that they were working through the City Exchange, offering competitive prices for different types of vehicles. Pickups fetched between four and six thousand, sedans went for three to four, and minivans ranged from five to eight. Sports cars and other high-end vehicles had the highest rates, with prices starting at ten grand. A good sports car could bring in anywhere from seventeen to twenty-five thousand.
“And if the car drives here on its own, would that be a problem?” Maksim asked.
“Not at all!” the mechanic assured him. “Most vehicles come in on haulers, usually in pretty rough shape. But if you drive them in yourself, that’s even better. We might even pay a bit extra for some cars.”
Max exchanged a look with Nika, then looped Alisa and Daria into the conference.
[Hey, ladies, I’ve got an idea. Think we could hack a few extra cars and bring them here to Rzeszów for dismantling? The payouts are decent, and it’s more than we could handle on our own anyway. How many could we bring in at once?]
Daria considered for a moment.
[Hacking would take a while, but it’s doable. Depends on the car, of course. Cover me with drones while I’m in VR, and while you’re scouting the warehouse, I think I could hack about ten. That’s if they’re close by and we don’t have to go a hundred kilometers for each one, yeah.]
Alisa added, [I can set up an autopilot system based on Moira. But a big convoy might draw attention, so we’ll need to be cautious. Ten to fifteen cars should be manageable, but I wouldn’t push it beyond that.]
[Perfect,] Max said. [I’ll confirm the mission for ten cars and will be back at the hostel soon.]
He turned back to the mechanic. “We’d like to arrange for ten vehicles.”
“Excellent!” the man said with enthusiasm, heading to the printer. “Here’s the paperwork for tax-free vehicle transport at the city checkpoints. Just fill in the necessary details in the blank spaces.”
“Thanks. We’ll bring them in tonight. You’ll be open?”
“Yep, my shift mate will be here.”
“Alright, see you then.”
“We’ll be waiting!”
As they approached the hostel, Maksim signaled to the girls to come down. It turned out that Alisa had even prepared dinner for everyone, carefully packing it into containers for an evening snack. She’d also brought along a small microwave, mentioning that she had cleared it with the hostel’s management.
Getting ready for departure didn’t take long. Max and the girls climbed into the truck planning to make the most of the drive by running diagnostics on the remaining drones and recharging all firearms. Alisa took over driving, occasionally keeping an eye on the autopilot with her primary thread.
After about half an hour, with the checks completed and the remaining equipment charged, Max plugged everything into the power source to top up the battery reserves.
“I’m heading to the cab to call the Linkers and Miro if there’s time. We’ve got about forty minutes to our target. I’ll talk to them about the System.”
“We’re with you,” the girls responded, almost in sync, each in her own way but with the same eagerness to listen in on the call.