Chapter 271
Marcus laughed. Then he laughed, and laughed, and laughed some more. Finally, when he composed himself, he looked in Kyle’s direction. “You’re just as greedy as that drone of yours, do you know that?” Marcus asked. “I’m not working on anything at all right now, at least nothing that needs testing. Tell me, kid, are you really that eager to get hurt?”
“In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a lot tougher than most D Grades,” Kyle said defensively.
“So what?” Marcus asked, his tone growing more serious. “Look, Kyle, I like you. Your grandfather always did well by me, and you’ve given me a unique opportunity here. But that doesn’t mean that you have the chops to handle C Grade attacks or environments.”
“I’ve survived a couple already,” Kyle protested.
“Back on that goblin planet, right? A world that was measured as having D Grade mana density? I’m guessing those weren’t exactly high-tier creatures. And if I’m picking up a C Grade project, I’m picking one that’s a challenge. Believe me when I tell you, Kyle, you’re not ready for anything in my C Grade arsenal.”
Marcus’s tone left no room for negotiation, and Kyle let the matter drop. The Originator was already doing him and C.H.A.D.D. a favor; pushing him further than he was comfortable wouldn’t end in Kyle’s favor. Instead, he turned the conversation to the drone’s upgrade. “How well is C.H.A.D.D. adapting to the new enhancements?” Kyle asked.
“Pretty well, all things considered. Once the sixth is installed, the next step will be archiving backups of its operating systems and files into the pillars, which will take a while. After full integration, C.H.A.D.D. should be able to start unlocking further functionality as it gains power. Unless I miss my guess, it should be enough to power your drone into early C Grade, maybe beyond.”
“That’s incredible,” Kyle said. “Sounds like I’ll have some catching up to do once we leave.”
“You’ll have time,” Marcus replied. “I programmed in gates that C.H.A.D.D. will need to overcome as it progresses to limit the possibilities for accidents. Wouldn’t do for your backpack to get blown up the first time C.H.A.D.D. tries to channel mana, after all.”
Kyle was tempted to use this opportunity to ask about getting an upgrade to the C.H.A.D.D. pack, but held his tongue. His earnings from the job on Er’Mithren were largely calculated, and almost all of it was being spent on C.H.A.D.D.’s upgrade. There was no way that he could afford more equipment from Marcus, at least not until he’d completed more jobs.
A soft ding prompted Marcus to check the tablet he kept on hand, and he hurriedly finished the last bites of his meal before standing. “Almost lost track of time, there. It was good to see you, Kyle.”
“It was good to see you, too, Marcus. Thank you for the meal.” By now, he’d grown accustomed to Marcus’s abrupt departures, the Originator sticking to a highly regulated schedule. Kyle cleaned his plate, and made his way to the S.T.U. waiting outside. He checked his nav bracelet for any updates from Garth or Skippy, but there hadn’t been any exciting news in a while.
On a whim, he took a look at the Courier’s Guild job board. Despite the time he’d been with Marcus, the jobs were still stacking up. Most of them looked to be fairly quick assignments that could be completed in a day, and filtering for the Gray Conglomerate, there were over a dozen that would bring him through the same network of teleporters that he’d use to get back to the Kulhavey Manufactory. I am getting a little light on credits.
None of the jobs he looked at would pay well enough to let Kyle afford the upgrades to his equipment he was considering. However, any influx of credits would help him stave off the slow depletion of his remaining assets. He resolved to check with C.H.A.D.D. in the morning, and then confirm with Suierrillax that he was approved to pick up a few more jobs.
Surprisingly, that lifted his mood quite a bit. Marcus was a generous host, and while there were plenty of opportunities to train and get stronger, he felt an ever-increasing sense of isolation. A feeling that was coupled with a slowly building anxiety. The scars on his stomach ached with phantom pain as he thought back to his time on Er’Mithren.
Jarberry told Kyle that he would be safe if he stayed within Collective space, and he largely trusted the imp. Even so, he wouldn’t – couldn’t – grow complacent. Eventually, the Sanction would expire, and Kyle would be a target again. And when that time came, he didn’t want to be a powerless victim. For now, that meant continuing to build the resources and connections he would need to stand firm when the time came.
Speaking of… Kyle groaned internally as he settled into his room. He’d been putting it off for a few days, but he pulled out the tomes that Jarberry lent him. Training with them wasn’t a particularly pleasant way to wrap up the evening, but his train of thought left him convicted.
A few hours later, he collapsed on his bed, completely spent.
278, 250, and 399, Kyle noted. His progress with the first two tomes was steady, though without C.H.A.D.D. nearby to help share the burden of his pain, he still lost some ground on the final tome. Jarberry’s target of hitting 500 pages on each before C Grade still felt like a tall order, but he was going to keep working toward it. Thoughts of the trials ahead running through his mind, Kyle finally lay down to a dreamless sleep.
[DR. MAYHEW, I AM UNCERTAIN IF SUIERRILLAX WILL ALLOW YOU TO TAKE A JOB WITHOUT MY PRESENCE.]
Kyle sighed, rubbing his temples. He hadn’t anticipated that C.H.A.D.D. would have such a strong aversion to him going out on a couple of jobs, but the drone had been insistent that Kyle wait since his arrival.
“I’m not looking to take long assignments or dangerous jobs. I just figured while I’m waiting for Marcus to finish up the next sets of components, I may as well go earn some credits,” Kyle said.
[IT IS NOT ABOUT THE CREDITS, DR. MAYHEW. YOU ARE SIMPLY GROWING RESTLESS.]
Kyle was about to defend himself, when he stopped. Their shared link made it difficult to keep anything from the drone, and he knew that C.H.A.D.D. had a point. “It’s not just about the restlessness,” Kyle finally replied. “I want to make sure that we have options while we think about our next steps. After your upgrades, it would be nice to have enough credits on hand to do whatever we decide to do.”
[IF WE DECIDE NOW TO WAIT TO COMPLETE ADDITIONAL JOBS, THEN WE WILL HAVE FLEXIBILITY AFTERWARD.]
“C.H.A.D.D., it’s not like I plan on being gone all the time. Most of the work I flagged shouldn’t even take a whole day. I’ll keep the calendar clear around potential infusions. I promise.”
The drone was quiet for a moment, before Kyle felt resignation through Pack Leader’s Instinct.
[FINE. JUST DO NOT BLAME ME IF SUIERRILLAX TELLS YOU THAT SOME JOBS ARE OFF LIMITS WITHOUT MY SUPPORT.]
“I won’t,” Kyle agreed.
[BEFORE YOU GO, CAN YOU SPARE SOME MANA FOR THE WORLD TREE SEED? I AM QUITE BEHIND ON MY PROJECTS DUE TO LACK OF EXCESS ENERGY.]
Kyle smiled, connecting to the seed with Parasitic Resonance as he activated Identify. Kyle supplied it with more power, as he examined C.H.A.D.D.’s improvements. Even missing four of the six planned components, the drone’s mana cultivation had improved significantly. He could faintly make out an echo of the World Tree Seed’s power behind C.H.A.D.D.’s own, empowering the drone and adding depth.
He felt a surge of pride from the bond, and crossed his arms. “You know, C.H.A.D.D., I’m starting to get the sense that you’re mostly interested in testing out your own upgrades.”
[VERY, DR. MAYHEW. IF MR. KULHAVEY DID NOT NEED TO MONITOR THE INTEGRATION PROCESS, I WOULD BE QUITE INTERESTED IN FIELD TESTING MY CURRENT UPGRADES.]
“Just a few more months, and then we’ll find a good opportunity to stretch your legs. Sorry, vines,” Kyle promised.
[I AM GOING TO HOLD YOU TO THAT, DR. MAYHEW.]
After getting C.H.A.D.D.’s approval, Kyle connected with Marcus on the plan. The Originator didn’t mind, offering windows of time for Kyle to be back on-site to help with Infusions as necessary. During his time back, he would also help with calibrating the guard drones and get a little more time to temper his body in the more dangerous environments of the industrial zones.
With that, Kyle was off. It felt strange travelling without C.H.A.D.D.; the missing connection feeling more pronounced as he returned to the Hub. Soon, he was in the Courier’s Guild headquarters, looking at jobs. At least, that was the plan. The moment he arrived, his nav bracelet indicated an inbound call.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Suierrillax asked through the nav bracelet.
“I’m looking to pick up a job?” Kyle replied, confused by her response.
“We weren’t expecting you back for another six months, and I was looking forward to finally getting that vacation I promised to take. Are you sure you need to get back into it right now?”
“I’m not looking to pick up anything too big, just some quick jobs to help deal with the backlog and get some credits back in the account,” Kyle protested. “And it’s not like I cause that many problems when I take jobs.”
“True, but when you do cause problems, they’re big ones. Still, if you stick to small jobs, we should be okay. I’m surprised that C.H.A.D.D. was able to leave, given what you told me about the project Kulhavey was working on,” Suierrillax added.
Kyle’s silence must have spoken volumes, as Suierrillax jumped in again. “C.H.A.D.D. is with you, right?”
“Look, I’m the one with the licensure, not C.H.A.D.D.” Kyle argued, before getting cut off.
“C.H.A.D.D. is the only reason you’ve made it this far,” Suierrillax shot back. “And I’m pretty sure the drone is the only one of you with a preservation instinct. Remember, Kyle, I watched your Practicum. Don’t argue with me.”
“I’m just looking to do a few small jobs, that’s it,” Kyle said.
“Fine. Nothing with expectations of combat. Nothing that leaves the core systems. From what I can see, you haven’t gotten any new equipment, the upgrades to C.H.A.D.D. aren’t finished, and you aren’t in a position to do anything reckless. Is that fair?”
Suierrillax ended her statement with a question, but Kyle knew there was no room for negotiation. He also knew that she brought up some good points.
“That’s fair,” he agreed. “Thank you.”
The call ended, and Kyle found that his view on the available jobs had shifted, with some highlighted for his consideration, while others were marked with warnings. She’s fast, he thought. Even with the list being curated down to opportunities that aligned with Suierrillax’s conditions, there was no shortage of work.
Kyle sorted by longest outstanding, looking at the first job on the list, which had been on the board for over a month. It was simple hazardous materials delivery, consisting of dangerous components that needed to be taken to a specialized waste disposal facility. From the sounds of it, the materials were heavy, volatile, and the pay was fairly low. Work is work, he thought, accepting the job. Time to get to it.