Oath of the Survivor

Author's Note:

Hello all! This is the planned end to Book 4! Book 5 begins on Monday!

~~~

“Damn,” Marcus said, polishing off his drink as Kyle finished telling the story of Earth’s fall. “Can’t say that I expected to hear a ritfwyrm attack would be how Earth went out. Your grandfather would be proud that you managed to survive a nightmare like that.”

Kyle felt a warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with the strong drink. “I appreciate it, Mr. Kulhavey.”

The old man snorted, adjusting his coaster to line up with the edge of the table. “Call me Marcus. I get enough of that ‘Mr. Kulhavey’ crap from the folks I do business with.”

“Marcus it is, then,” Kyle replied. “So, how did you end up getting set up out here?”

“Hard work, determination, and already being a damn C Grade by the time I showed up on the Gray Conglomerate’s radar,” Marcus said. “Of course, my specialties made me a lot more valuable across the Collective than the others.”

Kyle nodded along, feeling a string of questions bubbling up. “With a bunch of C and D Grades showing up in their space, why didn’t the Gray Conglomerate investigate? Wouldn’t that mean that there was a lot of opportunity for them?”

Marcus shook his head. “From what I hear, planets that are freshly awakened tend to lead to some spikes of growth early, and Earth was no exception. But that fades pretty quick. By the time they got around to doing a full investigation, the mana readings on Earth were down to low E Grade levels, so they didn’t bother with an integration.”

“I see,” Kyle said, trying not to draw too many comparisons between the Gray Conglomerate’s methods and those of the Verdant Republic. He expected the goblins would have been eager to integrate any new planet within their purview, assuming they met administrative criteria.

“I did some cursory investigation when I got to the Hub,” Kyle said, changing the subject. “I couldn’t find anything on the other Originators, where did they end up?”

“Hopefully dead,” Marcus said, his body language tense. “What did you grandpa tell you about us?”

“Not much,” Kyle admitted. “He mentioned the integration was more violent than the Central Authority’s histories suggested, but not much about you all personally.”

Marcus got a faraway look in his eyes as he absentmindedly fiddled with the cuffs on his shirt. They sat in silence for a moment, until Marcus looked at Kyle again. “Those are some stories for another time. I’ll leave you with this; we weren’t allies by choice, and I was eager to go my own way as soon as I could.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry,” Kyle said.

“Not your fault, Kyle. You didn’t know. We left Earth with the hope that you would never have to know.” With that, Marcus stood up, watching as the flying drone approached to take the empty glasses and bottle. “Now, it’s getting late. It was good to meet you, Kyle.”

“Wait,” Kyle said, standing with Marcus as the man moved toward the saloon door. “Wait! I was hoping to talk to you about some custom work, if it’s not too much trouble.”

His dark eyes regarded Kyle with an appraising expression. “Is this about the C.H.A.D.D. unit in your pack?”

It wasn’t much of a surprise that they’d been scanned upon arrival, and Kyle nodded. “It is. C.H.A.D.D. has had some… interesting developments over the last couple of years, and we’d love to get your expertise on how to improve from here.”

“I have a few things to get taken care of tonight,” Marcus said, “I’ll take a look in the morning and see what I can do. To be clear, this isn’t going to be charity work.”

“I wouldn’t expect it to be,” Kyle said. “What time tomorrow should we plan on coming back?”

Marcus gave him a perplexed look, as though Kyle’s question was the most bizarre thing he’d heard. “I’ve got accommodations,” Marcus said. “Unless you need to leave, I can get you set up in one of the guest houses.”

This whole planet is his, Kyle admonished himself. Sitting in the small saloon made the conversation feel much more casual, and it was easy to forget that he was sitting across from a powerful C Grade with his own world to put toward his projects.

“I didn’t bring anything expecting to stay, but if you’re willing to put me up for the night, I’d appreciate it,” Kyle finally replied with a grateful nod.

“We’ll have the basics taken care of,” Marcus responded with a wave of his hand. “I’ll have a S.T.U. sent this way, and they’ll get you to your lodgings.”

“S.T.U.?” Kyle asked.

“Service and Transport Unit. They’re pretty handy when the trains don’t have a direct drop-off.”

Marcus walked to the door, and Kyle followed him. Outside, what looked like a phone booth with four angled propellers on each corner was waiting. Service and Transport Unit was emblazoned on the side in bright yellow letters.

“That was fast,” Kyle said.

“I always keep a few on standby, just in case. Now, before you go, how much sleep do you need?” Marcus asked. “In my experience, every D Grade is different.”

“A few hours should be plenty,” Kyle replied.

“Then I’ll have S.T.U. pick you up seven hours after your drop off. Should give you time to eat and clean up tonight, then get some rest. It’ll bring you to the shop, and we can take a look at your C.H.A.D.D.”

“We’ll see you then,” Kyle said. “Thank you.”

Marcus looked away, waving his hand. “See you in the morning.”

Kyle stepped into the S.T.U., which took off at incredible speed. Each of the interior walls carried a similar enchantment to the Corthian Mining shuttles, and he got an aerial view of the landscape. The train system was extensive, and Kyle could see dozens of trains in perpetual motion below, each moving with precision. And Marcus really built and designed all of this, Kyle thought.

Everything he’d heard about Marcus Kulhavey was that he effectively lived alone on his world, with administrative staff working out of the Hub to facilitate deliveries and projects. Given that, Kyle expected he would find a large industrial district, not a manufacturing operation spanning across the moon-sized planet. Is this still in the realm of C Grades? Kyle wondered. He could understand the scope more when he thought about an organization like Corthian Mining, which had a few C Grades and a lot of E and D Grades supporting their business. For one man to have accomplished all this was incredible.

Soon, S.T.U. arrived in front of one of over a dozen identical modular homes. Kyle stepped out, and the flying phone booth took off, the door to his unit opening. The interior was austere, and Kyle did his usual check for surveillance devices, feeling C.H.A.D.D. do the same through their bond. Surprisingly, they couldn’t find any. Not that Kyle assumed he’d be able to tell if Marcus hid them, of course.

There was plenty of freshly-stocked food, and Kyle helped himself before settling in to meditate before bed. He and C.H.A.D.D. discussed how much they were willing to share with Marcus about C.H.A.D.D.’s eccentricities, and ultimately decided on sharing most everything; with the exceptions of the World Tree Seed and C.H.A.D.D.’s class. It was a risk, but after meeting him, Kyle felt it was their best bet.

True to his word, a S.A.M. entered the home the following morning, bearing fresh food and coffee. As Kyle took it, the drone informed Kyle that a S.T.U. was waiting for him outside. What felt like moments later, they were approaching an imposing metal structure. Boxy in shape, with no fewer than six intersecting sets of rails coming up to the building.

He could hear the sounds of heavy machinery the moment he stepped out of the S.T.U., and felt C.H.A.D.D.’s excitement. He suppressed his own as he walked through the doors in front of him, seeing Marcus Kulhavey standing in front of a large workstation. Five different disassembled C.H.A.D.D. units were strewn out across it, and he gestured for Kyle to approach.

“I’ve got a lot of components here from some scrapped prototype ideas I had back on Earth. From what my scans showed me, though, your unit probably won’t use any of this,” Marcus said, not looking at Kyle.

The young man nodded. “C.H.A.D.D. and I both had some unique opportunities. It has integrated some biological components, and has an affinity for plant manipulation as well. Still, from what we can tell, its mechanical components are holding it back somewhat.”

“Given that these units were designed to be manufactured on an E Grade planet, that’s hardly surprising.” Marcus said. “Hand me the pack, I want to see what all we’re working with.”

Kyle felt the pack lighten as C.H.A.D.D.’s Knotted Vine Core was fully retracted into the World Tree Seed, and handed it over. Marcus gently removed C.H.A.D.D. from the pack, and Kyle winced as he saw all the dings and damage still present on the drone’s hull. Marcus clearly noticed them too, though he focused his attention first and foremost on the pack itself.

“It’s a solid construction, and the principles are sound,” he finally said. “Using the pack as an auxiliary battery of sorts was good thinking, and it provides a lot more protection than the drone’s hull. Fit is snug, which is good. Don’t want to have excessive jostling.”

Kyle felt C.H.A.D.D.’s vindication through their bond as the old mechanic turned to look at the drone.

Kyle’s anxiety spiked as Marcus opened the interior, examining the runic inscriptions inside. It was a hodgepodge of different work, some having been inscribed when C.H.A.D.D. was created, others being scratched in by Kyle using the materials from the Corthian Mining flagship, while others had been inlaid with mana-dense vines. It was far from precision work, though it allowed C.H.A.D.D. to function in the capacities it had.

Kyle almost thought he saw a gleam in Marcus Kulhavey’s eyes, and suddenly the man’s face was practically shoved inside the drone as he took a closer look. Kyle could barely make out the words as the old man began muttering to himself.

“I see, so the inscriptions here are designed for mana flow, and the vines… perhaps for attunement? No, that can’t be quite right. A patch, maybe?”

Kyle stood nearby in silence as Marcus continued his evaluation, a tablet appearing out of nowhere in his hands as he began to copy the inscription work a lightning speed. Nearly an hour later, the mechanic had a completed set of all of C.H.A.D.D.’s modifications, as well as those connected to the pack.

“Your companion has turned into quite an interesting specimen,” Marcus said, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow as he looked up at the projected inscriptions. “I was right that these other parts were going to end up useless to you. Unfortunately, I’m not sure that I have much on hand that will be compatible. Tell me, what is it that you were hoping to accomplish by bringing your drone here?”

Kyle took a breath, considering for a moment. Before he could speak, however, C.H.A.D.D. interrupted.

[I WANT TO BE OF USE TO DR. MAYHEW. I WANT TO BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO GROW. I DO NOT WANT TO BE LEFT BEHIND.]

Marcus’s eyes bulged for a moment at the word “I” from C.H.A.D.D. He looked at Kyle, then back at the drone, then back at Kyle again. And he burst out in laughter. He laughed, doubling over until he clutched his sides.

“Kyle, do you realize what you’ve got here?” He finally asked, wiping a tear from his face.

“A valued friend and companion, who has saved my life on multiple occasions,” Kyle said back, his tone a warning. If Marcus tried to do anything to C.H.A.D.D., he was ready to do everything in his power to protect the drone.

“I don’t doubt that for a moment. I’ve read about naturally-occurring AI before, studied the theories and understood the principles. I didn’t expect to meet one, though, especially not in my workshop.” He turned to the drone. “You’re something special, you know that? And to think that one of my designs had the potential to shift like this. A cosmic accident, brought onto my doorstep. Now, are you serious about wanting to get stronger?”

[I AM, MR. KULHAVEY.]

He nodded, then turned back to Kyle as an eyebrow lifted. “Do you have any idea how valuable this drone is, out in the market?”

“From the number of times people have tried to steal it, I’m getting the picture,” Kyle replied dryly.

“Good. That problem will only get worse, if I’m successful. You’ll want to be ready for that.”

“What do you mean?” Kyle asked.

“Why do you think I opened up this Manufactory? Why I still take jobs the way I do?” Marcus countered.

Kyle considered for a moment, taking the questions seriously. “Because you’re passionate about creation,” he finally said.

“Damn straight,” Marcus replied. “I never wanted to conquer, to fight, to get into politics. I did what I had to on Earth, but I wanted to craft. I took a craftsman job when Earth awakened, and I took it again when I hit C Grade. Do you know how long it’s been since I got a level, Kyle?”

Kyle shook his head.

“It’s been the better part of 3 years. At this point, working on outlandish projects is the only thing that moves the needle. And I get the feeling that crafting components that can integrate with both the biological and mechanical nature of our C.H.A.D.D. here might fit the bill. Of course, it won’t come cheap,” he added, looking at Kyle.

“How much will you need?” Kyle asked, meeting Marcus’s eyes.

“Two million, up front,” he said with no hesitation. “Then more to follow as I finish getting the scope of the project. I’ll also need time, and access to both you and your drone,” he said, not skipping a beat. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novel·fire·net

“How long?” Kyle asked.

“Anywhere from six months to a year, at least. And I’ll need you and C.H.A.D.D. on the premises for about half of it,” Marcus replied.

Kyle considered for a moment, an idea beginning to form. “And what am I supposed to do while I’m waiting for you to get things made for C.H.A.D.D.?”

“That depends,” Marcus said with a sly smile. “You look like you can handle yourself, is that right?”

“I get by,” Kyle replied.

“Then how about we defray some of your ongoing costs with some field testing. Lots of security drones and other experiments that haven’t gotten some live practice. Some of them you might find particularly interesting.”

An opportunity to train against an Originator’s creations, and get C.H.A.D.D. taken care of. He felt a sense of longing and purpose from the drone through Pack Leader’s Instinct.

Kyle smiled, extending his hand. “Marcus, I think we have a deal.”