"No. If it was her they'd have succeeded. They seemed to know our ship layout and where to hit us though, and that makes me think a Scholar is involved," Anna said, as she grabbed Ophelia's hand and the pair teleported to the showers.
I had some research to begin and a Command core to absorb. It might be just the thing to get us some answers.
29
I would start with the Command core. The singer hadn't survived getting highly caustic acid pumped down her throat, which wasn't really a surprise. The whole point of shooting acid down someone’s throat was generally to shut them up permanently.
You have acquired a Command Core
The core has bonded with and enhanced your "Insulting" trait. Foes that you insult are now far more likely to believe your words and be either debilitated or driven to feats of rage as a result.
I WAS GROWING IRRITATED at Command cores. Between the Commander and the Singer, I'd now encountered two people able to compel behavior to some degree—including mine—and hadn't been able to take either alive for research. My own powers gained from the cores were less than impressive. Things would be so much easier if I could simply make the humans do what they were told.
Research Project
"Cutout"
You have begun research on the subject known as "Cutout". The subject has been bonded to a Dimensional core and exhibits powers related to the distortion of space and matter. Research will unlock a lesser version of Cutout's ability.
Research will take two weeks
Research Project
"Blades"
Cutout's guards genetically appear to be either identical siblings or some sort of clone. They exhibit some teleportation abilities and research may unlock some variant of their power.
Research will take one week
ANOTHER DIMENSIONAL CORE. I'd originally gotten a variant of those abilities from Sylph. Cutout's appeared to be similar in some ways, but with more offensive options than Sylph's presented.
I started the projects and pulled up the menu to use my next core point.
You have an unspent core point
Your options are
Research 6
Research 6 will allow you to build a translation facility. Often upgrades and improvements are specific to certain core types or paradigmatic principles. With this you can undertake conversion of that knowledge into a form usable by your own systems.
Military 2
Military 2 will allow you to control a greater number of defense drones. There is power in numbers. In addition defensive systems all acquire a minor upgrade.
Engineering 2
Engineering 2 will allow the production of the Fabricator. A Fabricator is a versatile production machine that can apply schematics to construct everything from ship upgrades to trade goods.
Command 1
Command 1 will allow status warnings. Currently you receive no notification when an individual component is in distress. With this upgrade you will receive alerts with the issue, severity, and suggested fixes.
Espionage 1
Espionage 1 will allow you to control a reconnaissance drone. This unit is capable of stealth and will allow visual and audio surveillance.
THE LAST TIME I'd had a point to spend I had thrown it at Engineering correcting a long-term weakness. So far I had no regrets on that, the ship was in the best shape ever, and that was in no small part due to those upgrades.
As always, Research was always going to tempt. I still wanted to gain access to whatever was in those libraries and especially now, if Cutout had been working for a Scholar, that information might prove invaluable. Command and Espionage would be shoring up two other weaknesses, of the two Command seemed the more important.
I selected Research. While the others were weaknesses, none were pressing and there was a great deal to be said for building on your strength. This was first and foremost going to be a vessel of SCIENCE and that required the proper tools and equipment.
Research Project
"Magical Texts"
In storage exists a moderately sized library of arcane and magical lore collected by Lady Sylax. With a translation facility now open to you research can begin on translating these texts into a usable format. This is a long-term project, completion will take 7.8 years. Future upgrades may hasten results and periodic updates or research points may be gained as the process continues.
THAT WASN'T QUITE USELESS. I could think in the long-term, but I was all too well aware that I was not immortal. Danger kept finding me and I needed more tools to defend myself. I'd start the project, but I was already regretting not making another choice. That upgrade point might have yielded more immediate benefits spent elsewhere.
There were numerous ship upgrades that I could make, but now didn't seem the time to worry about them. I tabled those to go over later when the situation was more peaceful and shifted my focus to the cameras in Cutout's testing chamber.
I'd be taking a chance with him. Those with offensive powers often reacted to a bit of a push by fully bringing them out. But I had questions.
"When we first met I thought that you didn't seem the sort to be in charge. You've more the look of a filthy sidekick to provide contrast between someone of wealth and taste," I told him.
"You'd know, wouldn't you? What makes a ship like you decide to sidle up to a gutter scamp like that over-pomped and under-mannered Queen? What are you going to do now that I've killed the bitch?" Cutout said.
"You think I've an eye for trash and so you've got a shot?"
Cutout shrugged. "Why not? What did that hyped-up little shit ever do for you? Me? I'm a man with connections. With a ship like you I could own this town inside a week."
I was reminded of one of Anna's rare good traits. Anna did not lack for proper ambition.
"You're a little man with little dreams. Anna survived your little assassination attempt just as I did your effort to control me," I said.
"You lie. I sank my blade into her good and deep."
"Words I never thought a man would be proud to say regarding Anna. You weren't man enough to get it done," I said.
"Nobody comes back from my blade. Let me out and I'll have work for you. If you don't, when Jade gets here maybe I'll drive a blade into you," Cutout said.
It wasn't much of a name, but it would do. I cut the comm link and initiated the testing procedures. Combat drones would be harrying him unexpectedly from all sides for awhile. To get a moment’s rest he'd have to teleport around the cell. Normally I built in some time to sleep, but in his case I thought I'd skip that for the next few days. Exhaustion would break him down further.
30
"Who are we killing?" Anna asked. Instead of the throne room she'd called the meeting in one of the conference rooms on the Command deck. Present was Ratticus, the Mechanites, Ophelia, Candice, and one of the surviving Wolf lieutenants. I still had a significant portion of the crew locked up in testing cells and I wasn't going to let them out until the routines completed.
"Mechos does have a transponder," said one of the Mechanites, a young woman who was mostly biological but for both her arms which had been replaced by mechanical appendages. Steel fingers tapped at keys and a hologram appeared showing a tower near the center of the city.
I knew it, this was from where we got landing clearances.