When it came down to it I just didn't feel I could put it off any longer. The last few times I'd been under threat, I'd been good—and I'd been lucky. I kept playing it close to the line and that run of good luck couldn't last forever.
I selected the Military upgrade. At once I got the option of where to locate my new defensive facilities. I placed them on the level just below the surface. I wanted whatever defenses I could muster between myself and those who would do me harm, and with a few levels in hand too.
Military Options
As you have selected a military upgrade you now have several defensive options you can choose from.
Mechanical Options
Drones
Defense drones are the backbone mechanical defense possible. Each is capable of flight and are equipped with an electric zapper. Further upgrades are automatically included with further progression along the Military line. At your current level of Military you can have up to three drones.
Biological Options
As you possess a biological fabricator further options are available.
Rats
Rats are agile and fast and make excellent scouts. While they have no ranged abilities, they are possessed with sharp claws and teeth. At your current level of Military you can have up to four rats.
Humans
Humans are the apex predators of the planet. While individually poorly armored and unarmed compared to many other creatures their ability to implement strategies and utilize tools is unmatched. Manufactured humans will have randomly generated personality attributes and come armed with cloth armor and a spear. At your current level of Military you can have up to two humans.
Was this even a choice? For all that I might complain about them, the world outside was proof of how unbelievably destructive humans could be. If I was going to have guardians, I wanted the best.
I began fabrication of two humans.
Abigail
Gender: Female
Specialization: Melee
Traits: Rowdy, Fearless, Slow
Bernard
Gender: Male
Specialization: Scout
Traits: Cautious, Glutton, Nimble
"Oh, being alive feels good," Abigail said, stretching out. "You got some shit for us to wreck, boss?"
"I'd settle for plate of cookies or three," Bernard said.
Great, more human chatter. These were different from the others though, I could actually see through their eyes just as if I were switching to a camera. While I couldn't directly control their limbs, I could direct them.
"Not yet. Get out of that equipment and grab some decent gear. Then start patrolling before I turn you back into biomatter," I said.
We still had several sets of body armor from the Righteous. I quickly modified these to fit my new troopers and altered the colors to white and green. That armor was the best we had in stock, and the rifles of the Righteous were our best guns.
Abigail and Bernard began their patrols. I sent off a message to the Mechanites to avoid any accidental exchanges of gunfire.
With that done it was time to look at some smaller upgrades. Particularly with so many of my systems now being biological an upgraded Infirmary was more important than ever.
Infirmary - Level 3
With this upgrade the Infirmary will now be able to hold up to four patients simultaneously. In addition thanks to improved protocols all healing times are halved.
Once more I'd need to fund the upgrade out of my excess energy reserves. For now, that was worth doing, I began the upgrade.
With that out of the way it was my resource producers that were becoming increasingly important.
Growth Vats - Level 4
You can now also grow flesh within your growth vats. This large supply of muscle tissue, skin, and organs can aid the Infirmary in the replacement of these as well as providing a new source of nutrition.
This upgrade wouldn't increase the yield, which was unfortunate, but there was something to be said for variety. Especially now that I had human defenders, I could see where a supply of excess organs might be helpful. If expanded dietary options also gave a morale boost, it was worth doing.
Next, I needed to review my reactor.
Bioreactor - Level 4
Your Bioreactor now has the ability to produce a limited number of spawn. While these offspring cannot grow into full reactors and have a limited lifespan they can provide limited electrical power even away from the facility or serve as backups to the main power grid.
Batteries, essentially. The technology of the old world was built on electrical systems and the inability to generate electricity now was why most of it didn't work. This upgrade could provide some major possibilities out there in the wild.
35
I had research projects completing and it was finally time to harvest the fruits of those labors. Anna had begun one on the Slidekickers while I'd been out of it, and the project with Sylph I had started myself.
Research Menu
Slidekickers
The Slidekickers possess impressions of a dimensional core matrix that that offer them an awareness of threats in their area and grant them limited teleportation abilities. You are able to integrate that into your facility. Drones or agents connected to you may now teleport to any floor of the facility instantly.
Research Menu
"Sylph"
Sylph possesses a dimensional Power core granting her considerable powers over teleportation and movement in space as well as limited movement through time. You can grant a limited version of this ability as an upgrade. You also can now construct one of the following two rooms.
Transport Chamber
This chamber will allow you to transport people or objects anywhere in the world you have scouted. While it cannot be used to directly transport objects back, if acquired and in the possession of one of your agents those resources can be returned.
Producer
This room will warp space to produce a steady supply of materials useful for base construction. While it cannot be targeted it will run consistently in the background to generate its benefits.
Both options were tempting. The first would allow me to transport my agents anywhere. I could do the same thing with adding a dimensional matrix directly to my agents, but those upgrades were likely to be expensive. The Producer, on the other hand, would simply work and get me things I might require, perhaps even things I didn't know I needed.
Ultimately the Producer seemed likely to be the best long-term benefit. The entire reason for going after Sylph had been to solve my resource shortfalls and that was exactly what that upgrade promised to do. I selected it.
I was interrupted from any further consideration of upgrades by something I really hadn't expected to get in this world.
I was being hailed on one of my old communication channels.
The source was from above. I had no cameras watching the skies, but quickly repositioned one. There was some sort of airship hovering overhead. While I didn't know the design, the whites and golds were unmistakable. The Righteous had come for another visit.
I opened the channel to listen in.