After giving Jun so affection, making sure he was okay and happy, and comfy and back to feeling like he was ho and everything was okay. I finished cleaning up. Grabbing my gear I ran it all through a thorough cleaning. Holsters, belts, guns, and equipnt. Just everything needed a cleaning.
So much dust.
Bleh! I hate the Badlands!
After that everything was settled I took a nice sleep, sothing I hadnt really enjoyed during the gig and woke up feeling refreshed and ready to get to work!
First thing first.
My stat page.
Level 17
Body 8(16) Due to Cyberization, Maximum value has increased by 8.
-Athletics 7
-Street Brawler 8
-Annihilation 5
Reflex 8
-Blades 7
-Handguns 7
-Assault 7
-Driving 7
Intelligence 10 (14) Due to Cyberization, Maximum value has increased by 4.
-Breach Protocol 9
-Quick Hacks 8
-Programming 10
Cool 9
-Ninjutsu 9
-Cold Blood 8
-Rockerboy 8
Technical Ability 5 (9) Due to Cyberization, Maximum value has increased by 4.
-Crafting 4
-Engineering 4
3 Stat point.
7 Skill point.
Perks.
Ambidextrous Blades 2
Quickdraw Handguns 2
Gun Nut Assault 2
Parkour Athletics 2
Grappling Street Brawler 2
Drive By Driving 2
Cat-like Athletics 5
Cool Nerves Cold Blood 2
Danger Sense Ninjutsu 2
Wall Breaking Breach Protocol 2
Cyber Security Quick Hack 2
Recoil Reduction. Annihilation 2
Cyber Ninja Ninjutsu 5
Fearless Chill Cold Blood 5
Improvised Weapons Street Brawler 5
Parry Blades 5
Robotics wizard Crafting 2
Drifting Driving 5
Rapid Reload Handguns 5
Design Wizard Engineering 2
Rifle Ace Assault 5
Ghost touch Breach 5
Perfect Musical mory Rockerboy 2
Debug Programming 2
Siren Song Rockerboy 5
Hacking Wizard Quick Hacks 5
Inspired Programr Programming 5
A.I. Whisperer: Programming 10
Annihilation 5 *Unused*
Cyberware:
Seacho Electronics Mk.2 *Adaptation Seacho Mk.2 0/0*
Kiroshi Mk1 *Adaptation Kiroshi Mk1 1/2*
Militech Condor *Adaptation Militech Condor 5/6*
Arasaka Smart Link System. *Adaptation Smart Link 0/0*
Arasaka Ex-Disk *Adatapation Ex-Disk 0/0*
Militech-Armalite Ballistic Guard *Adaptation Ballistic Guard 1/2*
Serano Air-Groove Ankles *Adaptation Serano Air 1/1*
MoorE Titanium Bones (Shoulders, back, and ribs.) *Adaptation Titanium Bones 0/1*
Biotechnica Muscle and Bone Lace *Adaptation Muscle and Bone Lace 0/0*
Looking through it I took in all the little changes. Reading everything carefully so I would know exactly where I was at. And there were a few minor changes indeed.
My adaptation max had dropped again for my Condors! It was now only 6! I wiggled my shoulders and smiled. I guess I had gotten pretty used to the things. Maybe it also had to do with the Titanium bones? One of the problems I had was the chro was a bit heavier than a normal limb, and so it was pulling on normal muscle and bone
By improving my body more, had I eased one of the problems the Condors were causing? It was kinda annoying how complicated Adaptation was!
Either way, whatever caused it! It was aweso! One less point I would have to spend!
In fact
I pushed the button without even thinking about it. It had to be done. A finale to the whole thing. A completion of a task.
Militech Condor *Adaptation Militech Condor 6/6*
It was over. I exhaled not even in relief because the Condor had been sothing I hadnt been really bothered by in a long ti. But in a way this was finally, completely recovering from the Maelstrom attack.
Complete. I felt complete, I stretched my arms and nothing felt weird, or uncomfortable. Just muscles stretched around titanium bones in my back and my arms just felt like my arms.
I slamd a fist into my palm.
Fuck yeah!
I grinned goofily as I felt the happiness just surge up through . I did it!
I shook it off patting my cheeks to refocus. I still had other things! I had a perk point!
Well, Ill be honest and admit Ive had it forever. Annihilation was just I didnt know what to pick!
But today was a clean slate kind of day. Ti to clean up my stuff!
So I popped open the perk selection and humd as I looked it over. There was Well a lot of stuff for sure, but I needed sothing It was a split of perks for the most part. Shotgun stuff, and Machine gun stuff.
I an, I used both weapons, but when it really ca down to it. Neither were ever going to be my primary weapons. Most of the ti I would need more penetration for serious missions than a shotgun offers, and machine guns were good, but Im kinda small, and those things are chunky.
My first Annihilation perk had been Recoil Reduction, probably one of the best perks I picked, considering how versatile it was, but now I needed sothing I read through the list and there wasnt just a perfect option I could find. No perk that would just affect everything, or would blow things away.
In the end I just shrugged. I grabbed a Shotgun perk. Id grab a Machine gun one next ti.
Slam Fire. You know how to hold, cock and fire a pump shotgun.
It seed simple, but firing a shotgun faster was a neat trick.
I selected it and shivered in delight as the knowledge flowed through. Once it was done, I rolled backwards off my bed sliding from my arms up onto my feet and into a brisk walk without slowing down as I found my Tactician, and unloaded it.
I brought it to bear and noticed how my hands shifted automatically. My grip changed, and I brought it down, and then up down and up, and then I faux fired, pumped and fired again. Both of my arms worked in tandem, pushing and pulling the gun at different intervals. I knew I was also adjusting for recoil that wasnt there, and then I blurred through firing, and I slamd out eight rounds in just a few monts.
Quick! Really quick!
I nodded pleased. I wouldnt be as quick with the Carnage because that thing was brute and cocking it was like bashing two pieces of tal together until sothing gave, but it would probably still be a lot faster than it had before.
I reloaded the Tactician and put it back by my bedroom door before heading back to my bed.
Okay I was satisfied with that! Now onto the really interesting bit.
Intelligence 10 (14) Due to Cyberization, Maximum value has increased by 4.
I took a breath and clicked on Intelligence. Putting in a stat point and then.
Well nothing. I didnt Feel different? Well I shrugged it off, I was used to Intelligence being kind of a zany stat.
No, instead I moved on to see what was beyond 10.
I only had one Intelligence skill at 10 already. Programming, which was definitely a powerful tool. So it was perfect to test out.
I put in a skill point, which the system reminded I needed to use a skill point to gain anything in skills over 10, and then
I yelped, blinking stars that were definitely not in my vision, at the surge of new information.
It was Oh.
Oooooh.
I get it now. I understood. The difference between under 10 in a skill, and over. Why I needed Cyberization! It all made sense!
The information I gained was a lot of repeated information in a way. Things I already knew, but now? Now I knew how to do them solely with my cyberware. To integrate being a cyborg into the task so there was no need for sothing more. No need for a laptop, for typing.
Just , and the code. and my ghost accessing the digital space.
While I had always been a cyborg, I hadnt been using the connection of machine and man to its full extent I now realized.
This was more than just a repeat of old information. If before I was learning how to code as a human, now I was learning how to code as a cyborg. I had only touched on the barest of programming without a laptop before in ergencies, when I needed to rewrite so code on the fly, and it hadnt been easy.
But now? I had all the beginner tools to do it without getting distracted or losing sight of what I was trying for.
BrrRrrrrRrrrRrrr! I exhaled and shook my head back and forth for a few monts. Then I once again slapped my cheeks a few tis.
That was a lot.
Okay. Note to self. Dont double skill upgrade with post 10. I felt like my brain was overheating. But I felt normal, just sort of swamped.
I was really glad I was on my bed so I just flopped back and waited for a bit to get used to it.
Programming 11 It wasnt a direct increase in power exactly. I couldnt just make hacks at a new tier or sothing, but it felt like I could code faster.
Maybe even cut off half the ti in any project with just that one point.
The ability to split my focus through my cyberdeck. To code without touching a keyboard, but I could still synergize that. Code with both? Potentially.
It was a lot. I could tell I was pushing beyond human, beyond what just my flesh brain could handle without support.
And honestly?
It felt amazing.
--
A few hours later I headed over to the storage lot. Thankfully nothing looked stolen, even without performing overwatch for the night again.
I wasnt saying I trusted Fujimura to be enough of protection on its own, but this ti I didnt have a gang of gonk kids that would happily klep everything from knowing we just had a payday.
Plus if anyone did steal sothing I would just track them down and teach them it was a bad idea.
I had opened up the unit and was pulling out the tactical gear for the team. I had left it here yesterday because after unloading everything from the big truck, I was a bit too tired to want to haul it around again to ho.
Now I felt much better and was gathering up the Arasaka tactical armor and piling it into the Quadra. Along with a bunch of the extra guns and equipnt we had found.
I wanted to clean up a bit of everything for my chooms to use. The Arasaka equipnt was certainly better quality than so of the stuff we used up until now.
I might not be a fan of the Masamune for example, but it was a very accurate and dangerous rifle, although I was thinking sothing specific for my chooms.
Piling on another stack of equipnt into the Quadras passenger seat I once more spotted the TC grunts watching out of the corner of my eye.
They were keeping an eye on , but hadnt tried to talk to , or bother . So I was mostly ignoring them, but the attention still made aware, made consider ways to defend myself.
Thankfully it wasnt needed. I was done with what I needed today. Hiromi would be handling the rest over the next while.
I took one last look at the Minotaur the desire to play with it almost irresistible, but I had work to do before I could take it out and play with it.
I closed up the garage, and climbed back into the Quadra and drove ho.
Ti for so real tech work.
I had so many supplies, literally piles of guns. I was going to rip anything we didnt sell apart, and start working on the grind.
A few trips between apartnt and car later, I was all set up.
First I pulled out the helt of the armor. I did a scan, and started basically tearing it apart.
Frankly I was planning on redesigning most of it, but I first wanted to look it over for sothing I suspected to find.
Trackers. Listening devices. Anything for Arasaka to just keep one more finger on the pulse of their troopers.
It couldnt be anywhere not easy to find, I really tore this one apart. Every piece of tech was taken apart, examined, and explored.
I was even getting Crafting and Tech alerts for it!
The helts were pretty simple. Actual armored hard case. Internal electronics, and external electronics.
That was it.
The internal electronics were simple enough. A sound baffling to keep their ears from being blown out by gunfire, or flashbangs, and an internal booster, and squad radio.
I really wanted both pieces, and so carefully examined the whole thing. Even going through the chips that ran everything to check what everything did.
It was all Normal.
Maybe it wasnt in the helts?
Well, I had a fully taken apart the helt with all its electronics, scans of the whole thing which I was already storing in my laptop in case I ever needed to repair or replace the parts
But what do I do with the Helt? Couldnt just leave them as is. Getting thought of as being Arasaka forces would not be a good idea. I had to alter the form of the helt. Plus, I had to decide on paint as well. Did we pick a solid color, a camo?
Oh Wait I could probably get so of the ECM emitters that the TC used in their tats. ECM equipped armor could be pretty neat. It would probably be super expensive, but like
I had a lot of eddies right now.
I shook that off. Stop feature creeping. I havent even gotten the helt figured out yet. Staring at the disassembled helt I wondered what I could do other than just change up the paint. How could I give Section 9 a look
I did consider going Sentai Rangers, but no. That was just silly.
Hmm Well I did have my directional mic, sothing these helts didnt have integrated
I pulled up the CAD program, and tossed the helts dinsion into it, thank you Kiroshi scan tech!
Then I went to work, adding and adjusting, it wouldnt be expensive, at least not for the directional mic. I already had the design done and it was cheap to begin with.
The housing for it would be cheap as well, a bit of extra armor, I could even potentially use so of the spare armor from the extra sets to make it, but I would probably just go buy sothing feasible. It didnt need to be perfectly bullet proof since it was just a directional mic.
The program ca together and I nodded at the look, the triangle horns sticking out of the top. Yeah that could work. Of course the problem would be hooking it up to the squad radio already integrated into the helt.
Luckily I was a programr!
I pulled it apart, and started hooking it up to check the programming when Jun knocked.
Motoko?
Im here! Whats up Jun? I called out barely tearing my eyes away from the code I was dissecting, before realizing I didnt need to do that. I slipped my personal link into the laptop and was suddenly accessing the code on a visual spectrum in my agent, and then I could just Start modifying.
Programming 11! Stronk!
Hey, want to get lunch? I blinked as I whirled to Jun who was in more casual clothing than his usual TC gang outfit.
Yeah! I agreed instantly. Putting my coding to the side, but not shutting it down as I hurried after. Slipping my boots on I followed after casual clothes wearing Jun as he grabbed his big Cyberpunk jacket and slipped it on. I quickly reached out as we left the apartnt to grab his hand, swinging it back and forth happily.
--
Jun and I spent a nice lunch together and then split up. He was heading out to hang out with so of his chooms, while I went ho to continue my work.
I had done a little more programming work on the walk to the Ran place we ended up using, which ant by the ti I walked back into the apartnt and settled at my workbench, I was ready.
The in built helt radio was actually wired to the antennae in the back to increase its ability to punch through any ECM interference. But it ant I could splice a new wire in with the new coding and now instead of having multiple private channels on different frequencies. It had one, that I made sure wasnt the normal Arasaka frequencies anyways, and the radio could now toggle to connect to the directional mic.
It was a neat bit of coding and I was super proud of how it ca out! All the work on the helt was already paying dividends as I was getting Crafting, Engineering and Tech alerts as I solved each of the problems.
I rolled around the workbench grabbing supplies to start work on the actual directional mic housing. I would need them for each of us, but I figured a prototype first to show off what I was working with would be the best.
As I let my 3D printer form the tal I had into the right shape, I sent a text to my chooms in our group chat.
*Motoko: Fixing up the armor now, doing so prototype work still, but I need suggestions for color, or camo? Anyone have a preference? Also might want to integrate an ECM unit into the chest rig, like the ECM tats the TC use. Sound cool?*
*Malcolm: Oooh! I want mine in yellow!*
*Motoko: Im not designing your armor in the sa color as a Caliburn Malcolm. This is our combat equipnt. Be serious.*
*Ichi: Yeah Malcolm be serious. Camo would be good. City colors? Greys and concrete colored?*
*Malcolm: I am serious! Fine both of you pick on . I dont know. Camo sounds so corp. Id rather we do sothing Kitsch!*
*Ichi: Motoko, can you give us any visuals of what different versions would look like before we decide?*
*Motoko: Oh yeah. I can do that. I dont have a complete set yet, but once I do, Ill give us a 3D rendering, and we can ss around with the colors. That sound good?*
*Malcolm: Sounds perfect to !*
*Hiromi: Cant talk in class. Sounds preem Motoko! Thanks!*
*Motoko: Thats fine Hiromi no rush. Talk to when you are done. I might need help sourcing the ECM stuff. Have fun in class Badass corpo bitch!*
*Malcolm: Yeah! Bad corpo bitch Hiromi! Kick all those arrogant shits ass!*
*Ichi: I dont think you should beat up the other corpos you go to class with, but Im not saying dont do it.*
I giggled at the ssages we all sent at Hiromi which she undoubtedly couldnt read right now. I shook it off and went back to work. I could finish most of the stuff and do color sches and other things later.
Back to work.
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