B3 Chapter 5
Danielle invited me over to discuss some equipment she needed before she could move over to Camp Elsewhere and decide the best way to do this was to own the pain of setting up a professional hierarchy for the Settlement as I have with Nova Chem. I invite the Doctor to be the Hospital Director, which would give her access to a box of funds I was working to set up.
“Wait, Kimber, I just want to be a Doctor and do research, I don’t want to be the head administrator.” She protests.
“Largely moot when there are no other doctors or nurses working around here, but I see your point.” It’s one of the reasons I didn’t offer Marcella a position yet. I know she doesn’t care for the responsibility, and she’s currently holding Warram Criminal Enterprises together. “Where is Marcella anyway?”
“She said she had to finish a job. Seemed upset at the situation. I’d wager she’ll want to talk with you when she gets back.” She says, moving another fold of omelet to her mouth.
“That doesn’t sound ominous at all. I wanted to talk with her before she left, but can’t turn back time at this point.” I sigh and nibble on another piece of bacon. “Can we get down to the exam room soon? I’m starting to get jumpy and my aether saturation is creeping toward 100.”
The scowl she sends me while she scoots back her chair does nothing to detract from the beauty of that face. “Damnit Kimber! Now we have to hurry.” She turns, taking long strides toward the door to the elevator, and puts on her smock.
I jump up and scurry after her. “What did I do?”
She glares at me again, pushes the button or the lobby and crosses her arms. This is going swell. Marcella leaves early, is mad. Danielle invites me to breakfast, I make her mad. She’s probably going to tell me I’m messing up her study by being too reckless, but I see it as trying to maximize the changes I get in my ascension.
Her long legs and her dismay with me have her outpacing me by several strides by the time we reach the Hospital area. When we get to a room that seems to be an expanded version of her office at Warram, she tosses the suit on an exam table and walks off through another door. Time to strip at the doctor’s office again. After I get suited up, I hop on the exam table and start snacking again. At 101% saturation, I need to keep it creeping until I hit my messages.
“Kimber, the suit is reading that you are at 102 percent saturation and climbing. Is that correct?”
“It matches with what my AI has displayed, yes.”
“Okay, tell me what your goals have been since your initialization, and we’ll see what you realize afterward.” Her tone is even and interested, her frustration shedding as she switches to research mode.
I cover my desire to be more active in an enforcer-type role and less a paperwork role, emphasizing how my Track seems to go in either direction with the System contract side and the [Pass Judgement] sentencing that I performed yesterday. I then explain my physical goals, to include filling out this figure with slightly broader musculature than Marcella’s more delicate frame design.
“You seem to have also focused on crafting during this period. I would be surprised if your modules and gifts didn’t feature Alchemy related options.”
I can see that. I’ve been getting Alchemy related modules since level four.
“Alright Kimber, I’m ready to take your ascension data.”
Hit me Tova.
<You have advanced Gun-Fu>x2
<You have advanced Discerning Gaze>
<You have advanced Sense Motive (psi)>x2
<You have advanced Spectrum of Truth>x4
<You have advanced Adjudication>x4
<You have killed a hostile human>x6
<You have killed a non-hostile human>x4
/Significantly reduced experience is awarded for killing non-hostile Users
/Penalties are awarded via non-hostile kill thresholds. You are below the first threshold.
<You have advanced a level>x2
/advancement to lvl 17 suspended for ascension.
<You are eligible to ascend to tier 1. Do you wish to ascend now? Yes | No>
That is a long list, and the non-hostiles make me even more angry at Harlow. But that’s for another time.
“Yes”
A presence grabs my mind, isolating me from everything but my aether senses. I feel the saturation in my tissues being wrung from them and into the aura that hovers around me. Before I feel any changes happen, the entity’s grip pulls me away from the room my body is lying in an into a sterile space where I see nothing but a dull metallic humanoid in a field of white.
I look down at myself and see what appears to be my body in pajama pants and a sports bra—my usual lounging attire. Is this an attempt by that entity to put me at ease in this mindscape?
“It is indeed, Kimber Novarro,” as soothing female voice says. Likely another effort to put me at ease.
“So, you’re amorphous, accommodating, and powerful enough to separating my mind from my body. Agent of the System I presume?”
“You are more astute than your stat block suggests. I am a representation of the Astorian-based Sector Host of the Andromeda Matrix. Most Users call me a version of Andromeda. Earthers would call me System.” The humanoid makes no quirks or gestures and the lack of movement makes it slightly more unnerving.
“Thanks, I guess? Did I mess up or something? Or is this some tier 1 advancement thing?”
“The Empress of Humanity has requested that direct interaction before tier 1 be limited. Her reasoning was sound, so I have done so. The reason I’ve invited you here, now, is that communication between us will be easier and your Matrix connected power will be more effective.
“As such, with your Pass Judgement Talent you can act on my behalf in some circumstances. So far as yet you have not been prolific in its use or in its abuse. Should you ever tend towards abuse, the Talent can be changed or removed. Should you show consistent, thoughtful use, the Talent can gain nuance, power, and utility.”
Oh, that started sounding like she was chastising me, but it seems more like an informed warning now. Not that I would know how to handle an omnipresent AI’s criticism. She did basically call me smart for my dumbness though.
“Um, I do appreciate making that talent flexible. It’s been hard to figure out what I want to do with that. Oh, why is the aether Divine?”
“We are experimenting with giving certain users a level of local authority. Which leads to the second topic that we have agreed to discuss per the Empress of Humanity’s request. You have been identified as an Ordinal Being, specifically the Tertius of Humanity. After the last one died, the program responsible for such things identified the time and place Tertius would be assigned. You were inoculated at that time and place.
Ordinal Beings are identified as having the potential to do great things for the Supercluster, and thus the Matrix. As such, more privileges and power are awarded to Ordinal Beings in rank order. Do you understand what I’ve said so far?”
“I most likely received my Systems related aether powers because Big Andromeda identified me as a potentially special human.”
“Needlessly reductive, but it hints at your understanding. Further, your experience pools are now split into aether and tech specialties. It takes an aether imbalance and a tech imbalance to advance a level, and imbalance can be spent like module points at the appropriate levels.
My subroutine instructions have concluded. You are welcome to remain here until you finish your ascension choices or select the return option in your interface.”
“Wait, I have so many questions.” Before I can fire one off, the avatar interrupts me.
“I am not responsible for answering questions. That is a separate subroutine outside of this mental construct.”
It was going so well. It’s frustrating that they’ve been told to tell me stuff that means absolutely nothing to me yet, but I assume it’s important because the System was asked, by the Empress, to tell these Ordinal Humans about the xp and spending imbalance on modules. This seems to lead to the Empress either being an Ordinal Being or being close to one. According to stories, she rose in power extremely quickly, so it seems likely.
Tova, what options or choices are available?
Just two for your advancement to tier 1. You get a gift that you deferred from level 8, and since you can use Technology and Aether, you get to choose between a tech, aether, or hybrid Track.
Oh, I forgot about the gift. The goblin in me wants to look at the gift first, but what if the Tracks available influence what gift is available? And obviously looking at modules makes no sense until I’ve picked a track. Time to see them.
<Your Track has the ability to evolve: Justicar Acolyte | Gunmetal Justice | Divine Alchemist>
/Justicar Acolyte: Justicars embody the will of the Empire. They are expected to be willful, of consistent moral bearing, and accept the duty of mediation and punishment of the populace they serve. As an Acolyte your duty would be to cement your bearing and enforcement of laws for which you are responsible for, and the methods of which you will seek to advance your personal power.
Skills, items, and spells are commonly used to advance and augment personal power. Due to the diversity of augmentation, this is a hybrid Track.
/Gunmetal Justice: The law of the land, your quick wit, and your trusty sidearm are all you need. You use these tools to Serve, Protect, and Prosecute. As a Justice you are empowered to enforce the will of the city, region, etcetera; and enact sentencing as applicable by relevant lawmakers.
This is a Tech-only Track
/Divine Alchemist: Not only are your concoctions empowered by the grace of the Matrix, your hands may periodically be guided by it. In exchange for divine (Matrix) guidance, and unique abilities, you will be expected to fulfil any quests or orders given to you by the Matrix, by which you will be well compensated.
This is an aether-only Track.
<Choose a Track to Ascend>
Well, if I’m to follow the Empress’ and the System’s implied recommendation, I pick the hybrid no matter what. However, the Gunmetal Justice Track seems like it was written from my goals for after I achieve tier 1. Tova, do I lose magic if I pick the Justice Track?
Not intrinsically, no. You are apparently an Ordinal being and can support both a swarm and a symbiote at the same time. The downside is that the symbiote will recognize that you chose against it and will attempt to minimize its influence on your development. TLDR: Advancing magic skills will be multiple times more difficult and you will likely never be offered aether-based modules from the System in the future.
I would like to bring to light that the hybrid Track doesn’t limit you as compared to the Gunmetal Justice, it just focuses on self empowerment at the beginning instead of enforcing law and order.
Hmm. I guess it doesn’t say that I enforce the Empire’s will, but just a symbol of it. It also doesn’t say what moral code I need to have, as long as I’m consistent and willful. I see what you’re saying, Tova. It also doesn’t say who I’d be serving besides the people of the Empire. Last and not least, the personal tech improvements I’ve seen are pretty freaky and I’m not sure I want to be restricted to that in a Tech-only Track.
I’ll want to speak to Penny about Justicars and if she’s ever tried to use runes or enchantments to empower herself. Since I decided to see what modules I get after ascending, so here goes.
I choose Justicar Acolyte.