Codename: Freedom - Book 4 - Chapter 13
Added 2021-09-16 16:15:18 +0000 UTCAs I began to mess around with the different psionic weapons, there was one large distinction between them. Some were made for people with limited psionic ability and worked much like the Adamantium ore we’d found in Freedom. It allowed those that had only unlocked their aura to focus energy and fire off psionic bolts, or use other psionic abilities. Then there was the type of items designed to better utilize or enhance the abilities that a person had already unlocked.
Picking up an item that was familiar to me, I had to admit that it felt good to have a gladius in my hand again, even if much of the materials used felt too heavy, or light.
Purifier - Psword Gladius by Lucci Psionics
Ammunition: NA
Effective Range: Melee (User dependent)
Damage Type: Psionic
Direct Impact Damage: 800 – 2,000 Melee (Assuming Rank E Psionics)
Bonus: 12% damage boost to the Psionic Enhancement ability
Strong Against:
Armor type: Sonic, Ballistic, Metal Alloy Plating, Magnetic
Weak Against:
Armor type: Psionic, Energy
A 12% damage buff didn’t sound like a lot, but over an extended battle it could make a huge difference. It meant you could use 12% less energy for the same damage output or have access to a weapon 12% stronger than normal. Either could be lifesaving.
There was one problem I ran into with such weapons. When I tried to use Apotho to shield the blade it automatically converted all psionic energy to enhance the blade. Even worse, if I didn’t directly use my psionic enhancement ability, and energy filtered through it would be less efficient. So trying to use the blade by using my aura would still enhance the blade but to a much weaker extent. Using healing and shielding energy was even less efficient. And if I tried to cast a bolt or use Othisi to push energy out of it, the blade’s enhancement flared but nothing exited its tip. It was limited to the single ability it was designed for.
The good news was that it wasn’t nearly as expensive as the Lethality Short Psword’s 435,000 SP, but at 110,000 SP still made it a premium item. That was enough for a year’s living expenses. Three if you were frugal.
That didn’t make the blade a bad purchase. Especially for someone that had only unlocked a few abilities with enhance being one of them. It’s lack of versatility was a negative for me though. It still might be worth having in the right context. I had the money…
I then turned my attention to the various types of body armor available. There were two that I’d noticed that were strong against almost all of ammunition types Destiny had shot me with. One was psionic shielding that I already had access to, and the other was energy.
After giving me a minute to browse, Destiny started to explain. “Energy shielding has revolutionized the last century of warfare. The other types Ballistic, Magnetic, Metal Alloy Plating, and Sonic shouldn’t be underestimated, but even Psionic shielding has weaknesses that can be exploited. Ceramic rounds for instance are repelled by psionic shielding at a lesser rate then alloy rounds, and the military has found some success using them against the Ekseliksi. Here’s a quick list of weaknesses and strengths. I will break them into two main categories.”
The list she spoke of appeared before me through my headset.
Limited Use
Ballistic – Designed to defend against small caliber kinetic ammunition. It generally helps defend against most damage types, but it breaks down after limited use, so it’s considered weak even against the damage type it’s designed for. It’s often used as a backup layer.
Strong Against: NA
Weak Against: Kinetic,Energy, Psionic, Sonic, Plasma, Laser, Hyper-velocity, Chemical
Metal Alloy Plating – Designed to defend against small and large caliber kinetic ammunition. It also defends against most damage types, but is only considered strong against small caliber kinetic ammunition. Even then, because the plating is compromised after use and must be replaced, it is also used as a backup layer.
Strong Against: Kinetic
Weak Against: Energy, Psionic, Sonic, Plasma, Laser, Hyper-velocity, Chemical
Renewable
Magnetic – Designed to create a highly compressed magnetic field approximately six inches from the body to catch kinetic ammunition. Such fields don’t just affect ferromagnetic metals, but all physical substance. One major drawback is the extreme energy requirements which limits runtime. The user must also use specialty equipment and be aware of their environment during use. Magnetic field must be cycled on and off to release captured material. Specialized training is required.
Strong Against: Kinetic, Hyper-velocity, Plasma, Sonic, Chemical
Weak Against: Energy, Psionic, Laser, Chemical (Some gases)
Sonic – Originally designed to disrupt incoming lasers. A sonic field still acts as one of the best defenses against such attacks. Its popularity has waned, but a sonic field is often used as a layer in multi-layered defensive strategies.
Strong Against: Laser, Energy (Some forms)
Weak Against: Kinetic,Energy (Some forms), Psionic, Sonic, Plasma, Laser, Hyper-velocity, Chemical
Psionic – Though considered by many to be a subcategory of Energy, it’s popularity alone makes it deserving of its own category. It’s one of the most universal types of shielding available. Much like Energy, it is capable of repelling the majority of ammunition types. With users being able to use their own psionic energy, it is easily the most renewable defensive option.
Strong Against: Kinetic,Energy, Psionic, Sonic, Plasma, Laser, Hyper-velocity, Chemical
Weak Against: Specialty Ammunition, Chemical (Some gases)
Energy – This category has the highest variance of subcategories and can be specialized for any ammunition type. Energy types that universally defend against most ammunition types are the most popular. There is no perfect shield tech so multiple layers are still recommended.
Strong Against: Kinetic,Energy, Psionic, Sonic, Plasma, Laser, Hyper-velocity, Chemical
Weak Against: Varies on type
She waited to continue until she saw I’d reached the bottom of the list. “As a reminder, these are general categories that contain many different subcategories. That leaves room for exceptions and specialty gear that can contradict the norm. There are literally thousands of options which we’ll go into in more detail at a later date. By taking what’s commonly used by the Genesis participants and tweaking it to match up with your psionic abilities, here is where I think we should start.”
It didn’t take me long to get changed to what she recommended.
Psi-wrap Ballistic Body Armor by Lucci Psionics
Armor Type: Ballistic
Grade: Rank E
Strong Against
Damage Type: Kinetic (Limited Use)
Weak Against
Damage Type: Plasma, Laser, Hyper-velocity, Psionic, Chemical, Energy, Sonic
It was one of the most common body armors used for psionic users and also very affordable. It wore much like a wetsuit, fitting me from neck to ankle. It was also psionic friendly. It could help me brace against any larger rounds that slipped through my psionic shielding. Once damaged though it would have to be replaced.
The best part about wearing defensive gear was that it counted as my uniform. The main reason for this was because much of Vanguard was going to be viewable through the Metaverse in the same way Freedom had. My Psi-wrap was silver in color with a small yellow logo in the center of the chest. Hiding such logos wasn’t a smart move if our government wanted to make their countless company sponsors happy. Secondly, a uniform was no longer necessary like it had be in the past. Everyone was required to wear headgear, and even the most basic AI could bring up a passing person’s name, rank, and other info. I could also wrap them in a augmented skin. All companies were required to follow certain design guidelines, of course, but there were still a lot of styles to choose from. No doubt the dress code had expanded with Vanguard going live.
The ballistic body armor was just the foundation layer to the shielding strategy Destiny had recommended. I also wore a belt with the single purpose of boosting my psionic shielding ability.
Lethality Pshield Refinement Belt Model B4
Armor Type: Psionic
Grade: Rank E
Energy Source: User
Bonus: 14% defense boost to the Psionic Shielding ability
Strong Against
Damage Type: Kinetic, Plasma, Laser, Hyper-velocity, Psionic, Chemical, Energy, Sonic
Weak Against
Damage Type: Specialty Ammunition, Chemical (Some gases)
This piece of gear was far more impressive than its description gave it credit for. Most Pshields, or psionic shields, were designed for people that hadn’t unlocked psionic shielding. Because of that, they had to convert a user’s aura into shielding which was 50% less efficient than the belt I had strapped around my waist. On top of that, it boosted my shielding ability by 14%, which seemed to be close to the limit current tech could boost an ability by. The only problem was that any psionic energy it absorbed would be used to create a psionic shield it created over my body. There was good news though. Its shielding function could be turned on and off.
The last piece of defensive gear I didn’t equip right away was my backup system in case I was running low on psionic energy.
SizzleTech E-Field – 7th Gen
Armor Type: Energy
Grade: Rank C
Energy Source: YVolt Solid State Power Pack
Strong Against
Damage Type: Kinetic, Plasma, Laser, Hyper-velocity, Psionic, Chemical, Energy, Sonic
Weak Against
Damage Type: Chemical (Some gases)
There was more to its setup than the simple belt design of my Pshield. It required me to equip bangles around my wrists and ankles, and one around my neck like a collar. Because it was made of psionic unfriendly metals, I’d need a way to carry it. Which was a problem, but one with an easy solution since I’d have a drone following me around at all times.
Before Destiny addressed the issue, she was also kind enough to help me pick out a new wardrobe of psionic friendly clothing with only half of the outfits being up to military code. As she was switching gears to go through drone upgrades and addons, she momentarily froze, drawing my attention.
“We have a problem,” she said. Her brow was creased as she scanned some new information she’d just received.
Before she said another word, a countdown timer appeared in the top right corner of my peripheral vision. We had less than ten minutes.
“What is it for?”
Destiny shook her holographic head. “I don’t know—incoming contact. One moment.” She nodded a few times before looking up to me. “Connecting now.”
A voice was sounded from my headset. “Lucius?”
“Colonel Victoria Golshan,” I replied. “How may I be of service?”
“Stop it you,” she laughed. Her tone quickly changed. “While I’m in Combat General mode just using my name or Colonel is enough. You’ve seen the countdown?”
“Just a moment ago. What’s it all about?”
“That’s unclear. It’s being broadcast through the game system, so, if I had to guess, the first real challenge is about to begin. Look around. Does this situation remind you of anything?”
I immediately spun to get a look at our base. There weren’t exactly walls encircling it, but the fences were close enough. Spinning back, I closely scrutinized the field and wilderness beyond. With the naked eye, there wasn’t much I could see, but Destiny responded to my actions by telescoping my vision through the headset. I then saw what was coming. A horde of goblins? But it wasn’t medieval armor they were wearing.
“They’re approximately five miles out and should reach us when the timer reaches zero,” Destiny said where we both could hear.
“It looks a lot like our first night in Freedom,” I said, responding to Victoria’s question.
“My thought exactly,” she replied. “Except this time we won’t be stuck outside the walls. Two minutes to finish with any purchases, then head to the closest gate. I’ll have your men meet you there.”
“I’ll be there in one minute. I’m assuming everyone was given the same minimum gear requirements that I was?”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be some people playing catch up because they were too busy testing other things. I’ll add a reminder to the battalion message I’ll make in a moment. Oh, and one last thing. Do I have permission to use your eyes and ears?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Without another word, our contact was cut, and an open channel was created between us.
Comments
I'm curious how the ballistic body armor Lucius is wearing will fair against piercing and slashing melee attacks. You mention its (like) a wetsuit which naturally makes me think of kevlar (which tends to be bad at stopping edged weapons), but maybe in the future they have something better than kevlar. I suppose I'll find out when he gets stabbed.
Blandge
2021-09-17 16:02:48 +0000 UTCI should be mad at you for this, but since Chapter 14 is already up, I'll allow it 🙃
Blandge
2021-09-17 15:58:37 +0000 UTCBummer. Hehe. "When I tried to use Apotho to shield the blade it automatically converted all psionic energy to..." This is a specific design. Certain materials just respond to psionic energy differently, so it takes advantage of those characteristics. I'll go back to the armor descriptions to clarify at least what he's using. The case with ballistic isn't that it doesn't work, but that it breaks down when it's used, so comparatively, it's weak compared to most other shielding methods. However, it's also commonly used as a base layer despite this because of its low cost. I'm not sure exactly how to handle the difference between audio and written to be honest. I might need to do two different versions. Maybe even cutting some of the item description info? I clarified the "It didn’t take me long to get changed." to "Agreeing with the choices she laid out, I began to get dressed." Yeah, the goblin battle just seems appropriate. Also, it's giving me a lot of opportunities for memory queues. Thanks again, Blandge!
Apollos Thorne
2021-09-17 14:35:15 +0000 UTCThe reason they will have to give up the conquer worlds as the war goes on will be indirectly mentioned in the next chapter, so I won't mention it yet. :D I do want to come back to it though.
Apollos Thorne
2021-09-17 14:11:33 +0000 UTCGrr 😤, I just realized the first comment I made was deleted because it was too long. Some of it was saved on my clipboard so here it is: > "When I tried to use Apotho to shield the blade it automatically converted all psionic energy to..." ^Is the implication here that the makers didn't take Apotho into account or was the just a design decision? > "110,000 SP ... That was enough for a year’s living expenses. ^Nice, this gives some good context that was missing before. After the last armor type, it would be really, really nice to get a summary with something like "so ballistic is weak against basically everything, psionic and energy are very broad but weak too ceramic rounds and some chemical weapons..." and so on. The format you used works just fine visually, but it all kind of just flies in one ear and out the other on audio. After the first listen, I only caught bits and pieces. > "It didn’t take me long to get changed." ^Question, after this sentence, do you transition from a list of armor types to a list of specific gear Lucius is wearing? This is a similar deal. It was hard to understand this on audio. You seem to imply that when Lucius gets changed, it means he gets changed into the pieces of gear you mention afterwards, but I didn't catch the implication when I listened on audio. It just seems like a continuation of the same list from above. I really love the idea of starting Vanguard with a goblin battle. It can really show Lucius's growth since his first day in freedom and also set the tone for how Vanguard will be different. Great concept.
Blandge
2021-09-17 01:24:23 +0000 UTCYou could even extend this idea so that if the Ekselikse do an orbital bombardment on milsim Mars, the Jinwa stimulate how much damage it would have done to Mars' industry, and the humans have to take that many steel plants offline IRL for some amount of time.
Blandge
2021-09-17 01:13:43 +0000 UTCOkay that makes way more sense. This allows there to be a direct link between economic output and the milsim. I quite like this idea. I'm not sure it makes sense that they have to give up worlds that are conquered during the simulation in real time. The amount of unrest that would cause seems counter-productive to the entire point of having a simulated war. Here's an idea (I know you've probably already thought about this a lot, so forgive me if youve already settled on what you're planning, and I'm just blabbering): Why not just wait until the end of the milsim to exchange/annex the land, and give the occupier the industrial output of the planet in question? Ex. Mars produces a 10,000 tons of steel per day -> the Ekselikse conquer Mars in the milsim -> the humans owe the Ekselikse 10,000 tons of steel for every day that Mars is occupied. Then, when the war is over and the loser sues for peace, they exchange the planets as per the peace agreement.
Blandge
2021-09-17 01:12:59 +0000 UTCThe main thing being scanned will be personnel items and vehicles. Certain gathering type structures, like mines, will be duplicated. Once things get going though, they don't have to be managed in the same way. After setup, the scanning process will only be used for real world items being brought into the sim. Anything manufactured in the sim, after the Prime sim starts, will not have to exist in both worlds. This is mainly a Vanguard rule for the set up or preparation of the world.
Apollos Thorne
2021-09-17 00:41:15 +0000 UTCExactly. The real world resources also have to be accounted for to a certain extent so that they don't get duplicated. There arr also resources like food, tonics, etc. that I'm still thinking through. Also, they can't exactly create an identical base in both sim and real world. Not to mention on every planet they man. So there will be some rules for resource management and tracking set up. And yes. The world's they're fighting over will change hands often. If it happens in the simulation, they will have to give it up in the real world. There are penalties of it's not done in a timely manner. It will be a loss of resources without a loss of lives. As long as both parties uphold their end of the bargain at least.
Apollos Thorne
2021-09-17 00:35:12 +0000 UTCI think I see what you mean. So it's more that the participants can't use items that aren't real rather than making sure that the people can get the items when the simulation is over? Does this mean that if the Ekselikse take a planet then the humans can no longer use the material that is stored or produced on that planet?
Blandge
2021-09-16 22:59:44 +0000 UTCMaybe that's the easy answer? Everything has to be scanned in, and the real world equivalent is then stored in an off-site place, maybe, one overlooked by the cyborg race(Sorry I don't remember what they're called). Maybe even a joint initiative between the 3 races so nobody gets any bright ideas(they will anyways, but at least it's fair at the start).
2021-09-16 22:58:21 +0000 UTCThe main reason is that this simulation has to be as fair/real as possible. Not that I'm going to go into all the fine details, but I'm trying to get a baseline as to what the Ekselikse and Earth would agree to so I don't mess something up down the line. In the beginning, while Earth and the Ekselikse are scanning their materials and gear in, it needs to at least be accepted as "fair" by both sides. Not fair as in they start as equals, but as in their military might is accurately portrayed. If they don't start out where both sides believe in the system, or in how the system will handle ongoing changes, there's no way either side would adhere to any of the wins and losses, giving up territory.
Apollos Thorne
2021-09-16 19:33:35 +0000 UTCRegarding the authors note. Can you remind me why it's so important that the equipment in the simulation has a material counterpart IRL? We buy virtual objects all the time and nobody complains about it. You'd think in their society they would be even more accustomed to it.
Blandge
2021-09-16 18:32:49 +0000 UTC
