I think it would be a good idea to impress upon my company my new Samurai status. Don’t want them to think that just because I’ve worked for them for a while that they can walk over me. Need to set a new first impression that they won’t forget, and nothing says a new impression like screaming in at Mach 2 in a Vanguard tech level craft.

My Witch Mobile is sitting unmolested in its spot looking like a dumpy pickup. I access its controls and revert it into its natural configuration. The nanites respond instantly reshaping itself into the sleek black and purple combat form.

It’s interesting how far I’ve come as a Samurai in such a short time, here I am controlling some tech far more advanced than anything produced by humans with just a thought. And on that thought, how I wonder if my nanites are susceptible to hacking.

While it is possible for another Samurai with sufficient catalogs and equipment, it would be very very difficult. Your nanites being class II are significantly hardened from EWAR and cyber threats. Another AI could do it. However, we would not exercise our power on another Samurai in that way. The opposing Samurai would have to do it themselves without aid. I would not worry too much about it, worst case scenario I would intervene and block them from taking over.

Think nothing of it! I already protect your augs from unwanted invasion and cyber threats. Granted almost nothing gets past your Class II augs anyway, but before they were upgraded, corps and other agencies have made attempts at gaining access to your old augs.

Several entities, your current employer being one of them, a few other competitive corps of your employers, the local government, a few casinos. Like I said though nothing to worry about; its fairly standard for us AI to protect our charges in this way. I did not mention it because I did not want to distract you from the important tasks at hand. I should have mentioned it sorry; would you like a report every time it happens?

I open the rear hatch to the Witch Craft and climb in, I check my staff and wand are secure in the locker behind the drivers cabin, then take my spot in the driver’s seat. I strap in and initiate the startup sequence, setting the navigation system for work,

Of course, that is reasonable. No need for apologies; we are a team, and good communication is paramount. I will be more forthcoming with information that you might find relevant.

In the email from work they mentioned that I will be working from the secure off-site facility instead of the old one I was at. Something about wanting to provide additional security.

The location they sent me was out in the middle of the desert surrounded by nothing and more nothing. I deftly maneuver up into the air, in the email it provided a route to take to avoid traveling directly to the facility, so if anyone followed or tracked me it would confuse them, and avoided flying directly to it.

I quickly hit the top speed and blitz my way over the city at a safe altitude to avoid shattering windows and colliding with other traffic.

Due to the round-about way of travel it took me fifteen minutes to arrive at the designated facility. The building was little more than a concrete parking-garage randomly sticking up out of the desert. There was a fairly large sized door on each side of the cube building allowing vehicles in and out. Unlike a normal parking garage though, none of it was exposed to the outside, it was entirely encased in concrete.

There were also gun emplacements evenly spaced around the roof top and side walls. The facility also had a forty-foot concrete wall surrounding it with its own gun emplacements. A fortress is what it is, or a bunker. I’ve heard of this place, but was never granted access, or even given its location.

Unfortunately, there was no one around to be impressed by my spiffy new ride, maybe the security cameras around the place would be enough to show it off.

I brought the Witch Craft up to one of the doors, and sent the codes included in my contract. The giant door split down the middle and slid into the walls, granting me access to the interior. I slipped inside and quickly scanned down a suitable parking spot near one of the access points that led below.

I deftly maneuvered the craft into a parking spot and settle it down gently between the lines of three parking spaces. Nothing like asserting dominance by taking up a load of space.

I made my way over to the nearest elevator. I had to provide it a retinal scan, thumbprint and I could tell it also had a bio scanner. The door hissed open and revealed a simple little elevator with a minigun hanging down from the ceiling. I stepped in, the door closed behind me and the elevator started it’s descent. From what I could tell, it knew what area I’m to be working from.

Clever security system, giving no one the chance to go somewhere they don’t belong. Although… I reached out with my augs to find any remote access controls. I quickly sensed that there was, I’m guessing for management, so they could check on projects.

I’m no hacker but with my Class II augs I quickly broke through their security and found the options for floors and, and the bio-information for who can access the floors, but other than that, there is nothing about what is being researched. I saw my credentials will take me down to sub-basement seventeen, out of thirty-two floors.

The elevator eventually comes to a stop and the doors open with a soft ding.

The elevator opened directly into a huge open space, my sensor suite instantly tells me that it’s a hundred feet by a hundred feet, and thirty feet tall. The space is not entire empty, along one wall is a much larger door, and stacked around it are pallets of ingots of varies kinds, and other materials in raw form. These would be the materials that Merlin told them I would need to start working on projects.

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In the middle of the room there were several worktables and a desk with a computer set up on it, and an expensive looking office chair.

Indeed, but the great thing about nanites, is you can use them to make whatever things you need that are missing.

Naturally, loot inbound!

New Purchase: Class I Nanite Manufacturing Swarm:

Points reduced to: 1,004

In the middle of the room a large spinning circle of runes and lights appeared. Glowing light pulses out from the middle and slowly a black cauldron formed in its center. The cauldron was five feet around and about three feet tall, I peek inside and see a viscous looking goop bubbling away inside it.

Simply touch the cauldron to initiate the control interface install, then you will be in business!

None at all! Your augs are more advanced than any non-samurai tech on the planet, and even then, it is likely more advanced than the majority of Samurai since they seem to have an aversion to upgrading support systems, in favor of things that go boom.

I reached out and placed a hand on the cauldron, as soon as I made contact, I felt the data flowing into my augs.

The interface immediately manifested in my mind, showing me the available nanite types, swarm count, available blueprints, materials in range, and a bunch of other options. If it was not for my augs I’m sure it would have been overwhelming.

I had wondered how I would get the raw materials over into the cauldron, but it looks like the nanite swarm would gather it and drag it into the cauldron and construct the nanites there.

Right then let’s get to designing stuff!

I showed Mr. Vanderik the nanite armor first, so I think that would be a good place to start and it should be fairly simple.

I only have access to the basic nanites, so anything I make will be at best Class I, but I’m thinking something closer to like Class 1/2.

For my first project, it would be bad if I unleashed some sort of super armor and inadvertently kicked off some sort of tech war.

Over the next few hours, I immersed myself into the design interface, experimenting with how the nanites interacted and shaped the objects they made. Studying the way, they shifted the different nanite types to form a functioning object. The armor/defensive nanites seemed to naturally shift and flow over the support type nanos. They always ensured that even though the armor was moving or taking damage that they tried to present themselves to the outside.

Initially I wanted to make something that the corp could manufacture and sell, but I think I want to maintain control of the production, and if I’m going to do that, I need to be able to produce on a larger scale.

Yes, and no. You would need to unlock the Class I Nanite Manufacturing Nanite blueprint, for five hundred points. Then you can duplicate them, to increase your output levels.

Of course, installing now into your nanites.

New Purchase: Class I Nanite Manufacturing Nanite blueprint:

Points reduced to: 504

In the control interface I see the new type of nanite appear for construction.

There appears an option to make more, and next to it shows how many I can create given the supplies on hand. I don’t want to exhaust all my supplies making more of these but I definitely want more to be able to produce faster.

I adjust the quantity and set it to essentially quadruple the available construction nanites.

The swarm instantly begins to bubble out of control in the cauldron, several of the bubbles shot out of the cauldron and quickly floated over to the raw materials, they pressed up to them and enveloped several ingots and other supplies. Somehow the delicate bubbles managed to float up and back to the cauldron with several tons of materials, depositing them into the viscous goop.

The nanites went nuts, they swarmed around the materials causing them to glow a cherry red and melted into the goo. The nanites swarmed and swelled in a hypnotic pattern, sparks and bright lights flashed out of the cauldron.

I have to take a step back because the cauldron starts to grow in size as it creates more nanites, adding them into the mass, and interestingly the new nanites start creating more of themselves in a cascade effect, and within the span of twenty minutes the cauldron is four times bigger than it was before.

With that taken care of, I go back to tinkering with my first suit of armor for the everyday infantry. I want it to be protective, light, easily repaired, and capable of being adjusted on the field to fit the soldiers need,

It has to also be simple enough that even without advanced augs it can be manipulated.

I take inspiration from the normal camo fatigues that I see the soldiers have underneath their actual body armor, if they can go into combat with less weight, and more protection it will be a net gain. More mobility, able to travel and operate with less fatigue, and able to carry more of other items that can help them, like ammo, weapons, or even food and water.

I don’t know how much time I spent in the design interface, but sometime later Merlin interrupted my work.

Morigana, it’s probably time to call it a day. It’s nearly 6PM, you have been at this non-stop.

I check my internal clock and realize he’s right. I’ve been at this for hours and did not even notice. I look at the progress that I’ve made and I’ve only managed to assemble and design the basic outline of the nanite lattice for the armor, and this is just one of the forms that I want pre-loaded into the armor.

Sighing, I get up to leave, this is going to take longer than I thought.

Do not be discouraged, Morgiana, this is no easy task for even the most advanced earth technology. You have gotten more done than my prediction models suggested you would in the time span.

Uh well, you see… oh look at the time you should get home and eat, you need more calories!

Ugh, fine you were ahead of the model by 0.00001%. Happy?

Definitely flattered! You are above average for Samurai performance at this stage in your Vanguard career.

Oh for… I don’t want you fat! Your caloric intake is too low for your physical needs.

I leave the room, and ensured it is locked behind me.

I got into the elevator and it automatically started moving up to the parking area. After a few seconds the doors ding open, letting me out into the parking area. I quickly find the Witch Craft and load in setting my navigation system for home.

I deftly maneuvered my ride to exit the structure, clearing the opening doors at around 700MPH, just shy of the sound barrier.

The sensors on the Witch Craft immediately send off an alarm in my mind, right as I passed over the compounds outer fence line.

Out in the desert north of the compound a massive return from the sensors indicated a wave of flying objects twenty-two miles out.

I focus the sensors into the area and the resolution increase showing individual returns. Antithesis, thousands of flying units, Model Ones, Model Twos, Model Elevens all of them heading this way.

Indeed it is, there is little risk of your ship being destroyed, and it is fully capable of killing the models in that swarm. However, by my estimates, there is a probability of about 52% of the hoard slipping past while you try and kill them. I suggest perhaps alerting the others.

Naturally.

While Merlin called Hank, I pointed the Witch Craft at the approaching horde, decelerate to more manageable speeds, and warm up the weapon systems and targeting sensors.