Chương 22: Chapter Twenty-One - Armed

Alexis gritted her teeth and collapsed onto her knees. Then a small part of her brain realized that she was being very dramatic about this and she stood back up. The movement down and up made the bones in her arm rub together in a way that was deeply, deeply unpleasant.

"V-Vyper, it hurts," she whined.

"I understand. One moment." Kills Confirmed: 34x Genestealers New Point Total: 353 That was it? It had felt like a lot more. On the other hand, wow, that was a lot of points!

"Okay?" she said.

"Good. Now that the accounting is in order. Might I suggest a one-point painkiller? It won't stop the bleeding, but it'll allow you to think more clearly."

"Yes, please." New Purchase: Class 0 Painkiller Points Reduced to: 352 The painkiller came as a small box with a single tablet in it. She popped it open with one hand, grabbed the pill within, and swallowed it. She expected it to take some time to act. Instead, the moment it was in her throat, she felt something like cool fingers tracing along the inside of her skin, and where they passed, she was left with a numbness that was strangely warm.

She almost started to cry again when the medicine flowed down her arm and the pain simply vanished. She was still bleeding a lot, however, but now that she could see better, she could tell that KYS was helping. The servitor had grabbed her just above the wound with a clamp and was pinching it shut.

"Okay, now what?" she asked.

"I will suggest three purchases. First a Medical Catalogue. Basic Medicine will cost 50 points. It may well be useful in the future. Next, Hemo-Restore for five points. You've lost a bit of blood."

"Okay, yeah, that makes sense," she said. New Purchase: Tier One - Basic Medicine Points Reduced to: 302 New Purchase: Hemo-Restore Points Reduced to: 297 She reached for the medicine, but KYS gently pushed her hand aside, opened the case, pulled out a large syringe and before Alexis could protest, stabbed it into her chest and pressed the plunger in. She was doubly glad that the painkiller was still working, because that looked painful.

"What's next?" she asked.

"Would you rather repair your existing arm, or replace it?" She blinked.

"I... crave the certainty of steel?" she tried. That was like, one of the first things that was part of her religious creed, wasn't it? Of course, she was so low on the rungs of the Mechanicus that the only steel she could crave the certainty of was the mechadendrite of a superior coming around to smack her behind the head. Having her own was... a lot. Not that she was averse to it. Actually, it was rather the opposite.

"What kind of arm do you have?" she asked.

"Better than any cast-off you might find on this vessel. One moment, let me compile something based on the catalogues you have... how about this... the Type 1A Arm of the Sacred Labourer."

"That sounds nice," she said. She felt strange, full, almost? Was that the blood stuff? She was still leaking all over. She was going to need new robes once this was done. Fortunately, red was good at hiding little disasters.

"What's the arm like?"

"It will fit in over your arm socket and clamp into your clavicle and scapula. The arm is weighted to be the same as your current, uninjured arm. It's skeletonized, made of a strong alloy to prevent future breaks. Seeing as how you have two good catalogues to pull from, I have customized it somewhat. Your new fingers will be able to replace their digit ends with in-built screw heads and can turn at 1, 000 RPM with decent torque.

The radius-equivalent contains an unfolding plasma cutter, usable as a weapon, but it's designed to cut and weld. It is, of course, extremely heat resistant, capable of operating at temperatures far below the norm, and toughened to a great degree. There is also a detachable wire, to connect to physical ports. The only downside is the price, at a respectable 150 points." She only had to think about it for a moment before nodding.

"Okay, I trust you." New Purchase: Type 1A Arm of the Sacred Labourer. Points Reduced to: 147 The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. The arm came in a case, one that she bent over and opened and then stared at. It was... an arm, made of a sleek, black metal, with a few parts in matte grey. The entire thing was smooth, unblemished, and it even smelled factory-new. More than any other prosthetic she had ever seen, this looked... perfect?

It was the arm that she'd expect a noble from Holy Terra to have, one that was very conscious of their appearance. It wasn't bulky, or cumbersome, or designed for easy repair. It was artisanal. And yet, she knew from Vyper's other gear that this was going to be stronger than anything she could afford otherwise.

"You may want to sit down for this next part." Alexis moved over to the corner and slumped against a bulkhead. She dragged the case with her arm closer.

"Now what?" she asked.

"Close your eyes and allow your companion KYS to do their job. The installation should be pain-free and relatively simple." Alexis didn't close her eyes at first. She watched as KYS cut her robes apart, then used some clamps to hold her arm out. She did close her eyes when KYS's saw started to cut into her armpit and her mechanical hands ripped her humerus out of its socket with a hard tug, little scissors clipping away at the cartilage that held it in place.

Alexis considered vomiting, but managed to hold it in, even when her right arm landed on the ground next to her with a bit of a splat. The servitor grabbed her new arm and brought it over. Even through the painkiller, she could feel things drilling into her bones.

"S-so, uh, we need a weapon for CS-3-2/11," she said conversationally. Anything to keep her mind off of what was happening.

"Indeed. Do you have any suggestions?"

"I think you mentioned a plasma lance at some point? I'd like something that can spray a space in front, but also hit stuff far away. Like an arc rifle, I guess?"

"Certainly. A heavier device like that, with a self-charging battery pack, might cost up to seventy points."

"That's fair. Maybe... a body glove, like mine? To keep her safer too? I'll probably buy armour for my friends later. But for now, uh, ouch, that pinches!"

"That pain was neurological, not physical." Alexis blinked, then moved her hands up, then she froze. Her hands. She stared down at both of them, one flesh, dirty, stained by oils and blood and soot. The other a blank thing, with perfect digits, made of a glossy, reflective metal.

"Whoa," she said.

"You have approximately two minutes before a second wave arrives."

"What?!" she asked before jumping to her feet. She felt a little woozy, but it passed. She didn't like the way her robes were all torn up, or the way the remains clung to her sides, wet with blood. She especially didn't like the breeziness, but whatever.

"Two minutes? That's... Ah! Get me that heavy weapon! And the body glove. CS-3-2/11, come here!" New Purchase: Type 99 Heavy Plasma Welder Points Reduced to: 77 New Purchase: Sized Body Glove Points Reduced to: 72 Alexis quickly brought the new box around and opened it to grab the weapon within. She went to grab her tools, then looked at her new arm. Almost instinctively, her fingers unfolded, revealing four of the more common bits she used on her drills, and then those flexed and changed shapes slightly.

They reclosed with a thought. Shaking herself, she gestured for a friend to come closer, then went through the process of removing CS-3-2/11's old body glove, wincing at the state of the combat servitor beneath. When was the last time anyone had cleaned her? The poor thing. The new glove went on top. There was no time for a scrubbing now, but she promised herself there would be later. Then the new tool was fitted into place. Unlike her arm, the thing was all hard angles and armoured casing.

She had barely finished connecting it in when there was screaming from down the corridor.

"More of them?" she asked.

"Those coming down this junction, yes. It seems like several teams of them circled around. Watch your back."

"Right! We can do that. KYS, let me know if someone comes from behind, yeah?" KYS's head nodded once. Good enough. Time to see what that new gun could do on her new friend, and... maybe her arm too.