The st week had flown by, while I had been looking through and adjusties. Finding ways to ge and adapt Human goods into new aer equipment was highly enjoyable.

  My Militech Trench Coat with Bullet Resistant Triweave had been remade into Trench Coat with Khai Alloy Interweave, and was currently on it's MK 6 iteration. The new armor value was 4 4, while maintaining the exact same weight. My Norored Vest with Polycarboing had been evolved to Armor Vest with Khai Pting and Psi Shield Emitter Mk 5. Its armor value was 5 and shield rating was 10, though it ended up a bit heavier. It had taken a full day, each, to get both of those just right. Several Prototypes had beeed and then ultimately disassembled.

  In the end, one small annoyance remained, I couldn't find a way to ge the brassy sheen though. I'd just have to live with it.

  Another day ent tweaking the Omaha Prototype. I'd found a few emptes fun modifications and finally figured out how to make them patible.

  [ Omaha Khai Variant Mk 8

  Range: 45 yards with Reflex sight

  Damage: 9

  Ammo: 12 rouended magazine, +1 round in the chamber

  Mods: Extended Barrel with Baffling. Slide adjusted for Recoil pensation. ]

  So much quieter and easier to hah only a small loss of damage. My neon was well worth the time I'd ied.

  Two days were spent p over the schematics for both the Galena and the Supron. I'd made dozens of improvements to both and even designed armed and armored versions. The problem with that was that I couldn't assemble them in the Valley. I'd have to have the Probes widen a path through the mountain, to get them out, and I didn't think we were ready for a rge enough pathway to be built. I'd have to wait for onized vehicles until I'd created our first outpost.

  I spent a day making a more streamline version of the Probes. With some study, I'd determihat the fins were almost purely decoration. Removing them allowed me to thi the armor a bit and add ara power crystal. This slightly increased the output of both their on and shield. I'd finally experimented with an unnamed Infused Probe to make sure their Cores could be transferred with no Personality loss. As long as their Cores survived, my favorite Probes could be restored. Everythi smoothly so I got Scuff and Fix upgraded and ready to Rock.

  [ Wisp Infused Khai Probe Mk 2

  Unknown Unit

  Armor: 4 +2

  Shields: 15 +5 (Shields now block Spells)

  Damage: 10 +4 (May affecorporeal Beings)

  The bination of an Elder Wisp and a Khai Probe. This Unit has partial Stealth.

  This Unit has has been upgraded by -Smith Ryawood ]

  They were almost ready for a heavy assault role. At least by the local standards. By normal Khai values, they were just now reag levels that might be sidered bat capable.

  A day was wasted to try to adapt my cyberware. The Khai themselves had Cyberics, so I though I could just switd s things. However, it wasn't that simple, it was going to be far more plicated than that. I wasn't sure what I'd been missing. I asked Alina, if she could do some off-cycle resear the matter.

  Iween tinkering sessions, I had explored more of the Valley's current fruit options, like a golden e-type fruit, a red banana-type fruit, reen plum-type fruit. While all of them were delicious, I by far preferred the Silver Apples. I'd also developed a hankering for meat, but none of the fish in Meadran's pond were big enough yet. I could've bought something from the pany Store, but it seemed a waste to spend the points on something I was just going to eat. I instead bought a Ferassian Forest Cockerel and several matg Hens. They were on a daily sale. Only 100 pany Points for the bunch when they were usually 100 per chi.

  The Cockerel itself came up to my waist i, which was troubling as it was still growing. It leapt at me only to bou my shield. It wasn't being overly aggressive, that had been a reflex from being transported to a new pce. It eyed me warily. I smirked at it. It was a magnifit beast, with vibrant plumage in every shade of green and uones of dark blues. The hens were uniformly a monotone forest green.

  Then I also bought a pallet of Dustwallow grubs, frozen in crates, for another 100 ts. These would be good for aerating the soil and even their final form was something both retively harmless and that the chis would eat it. With a future food source obtained, I tinued my day.

  Our first Observer was built. This had been structed in our new Robotics Facility, located right o the Fe. I immediately sent it to spy on the Corporation located in City ter zone. Information could often be leveraged into power after all. Observers were permaly stealthed unarmed units. Their powerful sensor suites could intercept data and passively colleformation about anything within a mile of its position. As far as I could tell, there was no current human teology that could detect them. Their downside was that they took days to make and a rge amount of resources.

  I queued up a Sentry Unit. These units could operate both as a Mobile Shield Recharger and a Shield Projector. This made them epically vital to all future operations. As my efforts at testing had shown, a shield's output had to be exceeded all at oo allow damage through it. Most small arms we had entered, were only capable of this if multiple rounds hit the shield at the same time. Multiple simultaneous impacts could overload the energy flow output causing the shield to go down. While down, the shielding system entered a recharging state. Uhe effects of any form of Recharger the shield shouldn't go down, as quickly. This would often minimize damage to whatever round mao get through, while ter round would likely be deflected.

  The Sentry also had a disruptor beam on, capable various types of circuitry. The damage throughput was low but the ability to knock out vehicle systems and heavy cyberware would be invaluable. Sentries would take 8 days to plete. However, I was getting antsy and didn't feel like waiting around for them to be done.

  I'd been talking with Meadran and it seemed that until some of our trees grew rger we couldn't build much Kaldorei Infrastructure. As most of their structure were built with trees as their tral support. Also to advance my mana abilities, and potentially create mana based armaments would require specific types of Treants. ypes of Wisp could also give access to new options, and those were governed by Meadran's adva. His adva was governed mostly by the local May, which again was a matter of time.

  He further expihat with my current 84 Tree points, I could purchase up to 8 random seeds. The seeds might be Treants, or they might be other types of special trees, or most likely be one of the many species of retively normal trees from throughout the Multiverse. I'd decided to hold off on this. My thinking was that with the Moon Wells chugging out mana and Keeper Statues guarding the pathways we were doing fine on the magical side of things.

  Lumber produ was stantly improving. We had set aside 1 unit of lumber to sell for every 5 produced. I had 50 units of lumber to trade now. Eait of Lumber was an 8ft long 4"X4". Obviously, the Supron wasn't going to be able to haul much of this, never mind the Galena. Fortunately, I had made some new es.

  I had the Probes take the selble lumber out to where the broken bridge was. Ohey had finished, I loaded up a feacks, I'd kept from my raiding iy. I made sure they were bulging with fruit, thinking I might be able to gee some goodwill with tasty treats.

  I had added a few different types of attat points to the Probes. These were to facilitate better looting. I'd found I'd developed quite a taste for plunder, and wanted my Robo-Buddies to be better at assisting ihering of goodies. Scuff and Fix, tagged along side me, joined by the newly minted Chud Barry. They were also WI Probes, each carrying tacks apiece. The packs rested across their sides like saddlebags.

  A few moments were spent gearing up in my new equipment, with my oack of fruit and a new rolling tool case. I gave my farewells to Meadran, Lumi and Alina and headed back out of the Valley.

  Wheed the cave, into the Badnds, several things happened all at once.

  Most of it was a series of messages on my interface. The Veil around the Valley apparently blocked signals. I'd simply thought no one o, or wao talk to me.

  Carver - I see you have chosen to skip out on the job. sider yourself banned from all future work.

  Carver - ( Symbol of a Skull ) This one came two days ter. Guess he found out I tipped the kid off. Oh, well. I'd po track Carver down anyway. Imagine, getting offehat your intended patsy opted not to die for you. A sign of poor character I'd say.

  Sinnamin - You pissed off Carver. Haha, probably tried to use you dirty. Well, let me know it you made it out okay. Huh. Wouldn't have thought she'd care. That's nice.

  Misty - Just cheg in for Vik, on how the new e is treating you. Ah a checkup. That's better aftercare than I'd expected.

  Unknown Sender - We should meet. Big fan of your work. Not just no. Hell no!

  Amanda - 2 missed calls.

  Sally - 5 missed calls.

  Well fuck. I'm mister popur all the sudden. Replying would have to wait for a moment while I found out why my BTC was currently trying to squeeze my arm off.

  [ Adjusting... ]

  [ Quest Offered

  Establish an Outpost in the Badnds around Night City

  Reward: 1000 pany Points, 1 Hero Token

  Accept: Y/N ]

  [ Quest Offered

  Establish an Outpost in Night City (any area)

  Reward: 2000 pany Points, 1 Theme Token

  Accept: Y/N ]

  Okay. I liked the thought of getting more ts. But what exactly stituted an outpost. As I always do when fronted with g information, I asked Meadran. He expined an outpost sists of at least two buildings. They o be from across your Themes, and protected by at least one deferucture. He defiheme as being like the Khai or the Kaldorei. Ah, so a Theme Token would get me ypes of building and units. Nice.

  'Just be cautious, Young One. Outposts tend to attract more attention than they should.' He seemed worried. Hmm. I'd have to get defenses up quickly, once I set up shop somewhere. I pohe issue for a few more moments.

  'Either way, set aside enough silver Wisps for two Moon Wells. That should be a good starting point.' We'd start with two Wells and a Fe or two, and then surround them with Photon ons. I'd adjust after I saw how it went.

  'They will be ready in a day.' I felt him also thinking deeply about the needs of our unity.

  'Thanks Meadran. I really appreciate your help.' I tried to send him gratitude.

  'You are most wele, Young One.'

  I went ahead and accepted both quests. I was happy that there didn't seem to be a time limit. So there was no rush to find good locations.

  Then I replied to the messages from everyo Carver and the Unknown Sender. Expining that I was in a area that was off grid. That I was okay and everything was going smoothly.

  Then I headed down to the Galena. I loaded all the backpacks full of fruit irunk and put my tool case in the front passenger seat. That left plenty of room in the back seat for loot ste. With their reamline form, the Probes could fit two to the front and two to the ba the roof. That had turned out better than I thought it would.

  I drove down to the bridge and parked o the lumber pile. The Probes had set it up to the south of the path and the outflow als. Looking over the pile of wood, I nodded and messaged Amanda, I have a pile of Lumber we move, let me know if you are avaible.

  Scuff and Fix led Chud Barry on a patrol of the area. I decided to work on the Galena a bit, while I waited for a reply. I had seen several pces in the schematics, were small tweaks would help a lot. Maybe I could get a few more horses out of this engine.

  A couple of hours ter. I got a reply from Amanda, Where and how much?

  I sent babsp;By the broken highway bridge east of NC, best to approach from the south along the torn up road. 50, 8ft long 4\"X4\"s, weight between 750 and 800lbs.

  Three Hours. Her reply this time was almost immediate.

  I ate a few pink grape-like fruits. This oasted of chocote and butterscotot my bag, but an iing fvor he less.

  I returo tinkering on the Galena. I'd noticed that the teology in the engines here, barely seemed to resemble what I was familiar with from bae. There must have been fual shifts in how people solved problems here. Well that was obvious, but the whole process of bustion in this engine shouldn't have worked anywhere near as well as it did. I uood the what and the how of it, but not the whys. It was going to end up drivis one of these days.

  I was still elbows deep in the engine bay when I heard the Probes beep. 'Visitors.'

  I finished up, and made sure everything was reected. I went and turned over the engine. Ah, now that was a smoother purr. I revved the engine a few times. Good response, I'd gotteiming just right. I turhe engine back off and tried to up a bit with some left s.

  Three vehicles had pulled up and parked. Each vehicle was done up in badnd colors, sand and dust, to help them blend in. Those still had personalized touches here and there. The spshes of color stood out mainst the bnd background colors.

  One looked like a onized muscle car. It had some kind of turbine on it's hood, was that how it kept all the dust out? It roared like a beast. I liked it very much. The vehicle was a Thorton Maaw truck the big brother of my Galena, I'd my eyes on one while ba the city. My thought was it might be good for hauling supplies. This one had all kind of armor pting added and a small on on top. Sweet. The st vehicle was a cargo truck of some kind, and a bit of overkill for this job. It was a brute somewhat parable to a Semi from bae. It was towing a bare bo bed trailer.

  The Probes hovered above weaving in and out of each others paths. Just in case. Mistrustful little Robo-Buddies.

  Amanda got out of the muscle car, Sally got out of the Maaw, and an older fel I don't recall being introduced to got out of the cargo truck. They started walking towards me, when almost at the same time they stopped and she air.

  "Is that water?" Sally asked, or rather demanded.

  I gri them.