Chương 407: Book 7 - Chapter 3 - The Groove

The bears were efficient, I'd give them back. In the few minutes it took me to find a pilot for the Ursa and travel up to Bear Force One, the recon team had somehow already moved the resupply operation up to the Strato Carrier. Ursas were flying in one side of the ship, stopping just long enough for the ground crews to replace their sensor pods, then exiting out the other side of the ship, ready to head to their next drop point.

"How did they get the sensor buoys up here so fast?" I muttered as I hopped out of my transport. They didn't need to, Nyx replied, making me jump. You had several of the matter reconfigurators assigned to building replacements, remember? So you didn't have to keep buying them with points.

"I know that," I replied.

"I meant they've only been going for an hour. How do they already have enough to take over the rearming process already?" Did you forget that you just updated the majority of your matter reconfigurators to Class III? Nyx asked. Not only are the new machines capable of working with more esoteric materials and creating objects with far more precision than their predecessors, but they're also capable of printing out simple patterns several times faster.

As long as they're not working on a Class III device, a single Class III reconfigurator can do the work of 4. 579 Class II machines. I paused and glanced over at the manufacturing bay tucked away at the front of the hangar.

"So the fact that I bought Six regular Class III machines and two industrial ones…" I said. You almost tripled your production capabilities, Nyx said. Thanks to the new machines, you've managed to build up quite a surplus of sensor pods in a very short period.

"I didn't know they'd be that fast," I moaned.

"I'd better get the fabrication team to slow down, or we're going to be swimming in sensor pods soon." It won't be that bad, Nyx said.

"I assigned three Class III machines to the process," I replied.

"Thinking that they'd take as long as the old machines. How could we not be overproducing?" Oh, I agree you're overproducing, but I meant that since the pods are round, they'd probably roll out the side of the hangar before you could swim in them. You'd be wading at best, my AI replied. I rolled my eyes and sent a quick command to the production crew, telling them to shut down two of the machines and to make sure they asked for a max item limit on all future orders.

Even though I knew that anything the reconfigurators made could be recycled and broken down into raw materials again, I didn't want to risk the chance I'd place a mass order for ammo or something, only to come down to the hangar later and find the excess spilling out of the manufacturing area.

"Before I head up to the bridge, I guess I should probably ask, are the bears waterproof? If one of them ends up in the ocean, are they going to be able to march their way out again?" I asked Nyx as I turned towards the stairs that led out of the hangar area and back into the main body of the ship. You chased the Gene Tender all the way to the coast without knowing if your troops would be able to function out here? Nyx asked back, their voice raising a couple of octaves in surprise.

"Well, I kind of assumed that despite all their armor and environmental shielding, they'd fizzle out if they were dumped into the middle of the ocean," I said.

"That's why I wanted to convert the Marsupial to be submersible, so I'd have something I could use to contribute to the underwater battles. However, if the bears could function underwater, even briefly, that would give us more options if we ran into an underwater horde or something." You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. I'm glad you weren't forming all your battle plans around them, like usual, Nyx muttered.

"I have more sense than that!" I replied.

"At least sometimes." Well, the truth is that your bots could probably function underwater for a few minutes, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you're truly desperate, Nyx said.

"What if I gave them some underwater weapons before I did it?" I asked. Evelyn, the problem isn't with their equipment, it's with the environment. Your bots have been designed and optimized for terrestrial combat. Everything from the power-to-weight ratios in their servos to their visual sensors and targeting systems is designed to operate on the ground. They'll be at a severe disadvantage underwater, Nyx said.

Even if you adjusted their programming to better adapt to slow movement and underwater drag, they don't have the proper sensors to engage enemies in deep water. The bears rely upon visual data to engage their opponents, and in the murky water visibility will be next to zero. Even the foxes, who normally use their advanced sensor suites to direct the other troops, will be almost blind down there.

You're better off creating an entirely new bot design, one that swims instead of sinking right to the ocean floor, than relying upon your existing troops.

"I thought you'd say something like that," I sighed.

"The problem is I have no idea what we'll face down there, so I have no idea where to even start with a new design. I saw what crawled out of the water in Seattle a couple months ago, but is that typical? I have no idea." If I were you, I'd start with something that could swim, Nyx said.

"Thanks, I got that much," I grumbled.

"What I'm hung up on is the size of the leviathan that came up to meet the Gene Tender. I doubt a bear-sized combatant is going to have trouble injuring something like that, but is something like that common or abnormal? The sisters have told me stories…" Let me cut you off there and say that, just like on the surface, there is no standard Antithesis. They can grow to the size of planets or down to the size of microbes. Worrying about something like that won't do you any good, Nyx said.

Besides, isn't that why you upgraded the Marsupial with such strong weapons? To be able to take on that leviathan once you track it down?

"I did…" I admitted slowly, "I'm just not sure it'll be enough." In that case, you can call the other samurai to back you up. You don't have to do everything on your own, Nyx reminded me. As for your bots, there's no rush. You can implement a new design if and when you need it. If you really want to figure out a good subaquatic combat model ahead of time, I would recommend consulting some of your friends and getting their feedback.

They're more familiar with the underwater battlefield, so they'll probably be able to point you in the right direction.

"That's a good point," I muttered.

"I'll ask them about it, assuming they're not too swamped with the search." So, do you know how many samurai are involved in this Antithesis hunt of yours yet? Nyx asked.

"Not yet. When I talked to Claire, I got the impression that she and her sister were still trying to get in touch with all their contacts and get organized. Hopefully they'll get in touch soon and let me know who, and what, we're dealing with," I said. You're not going to call them? Nyx asked.

"No, if they're organizing the other locals, then I don't want to distract them. Besides, I have something else I need to do," I said. Oh? And what's that? Nyx asked.

"Get some food, and sleep!" I replied.

"Do you know how long I've been awake?" I do, and although it's been awhile you're still well within your body's limits, Nyx said.

"That might be true, but if I need to spend another week chasing this fucker, something I really hope doesn't happen, then I'm going to have to get some rest whenever I can. Considering how wily the Tender has been so far, I'm guessing it won't run directly into our nets right off the bat. We'll probably have to drive it into a corner before it'll show itself, so I'm going to try and get some sleep so I'm refreshed when we find it," I said. And if it decides to fight?

"Then Bob, Heavy, or Bandit can ping me through the network and wake me up. I'm all for the Tender making things easier for us; I just don't think that's going to happen," I said.

"Why? Do you think it's a bad idea?" On the contrary, I think it's an excellent choice. I just expected you to run yourself ragged, like usual, before finally taking a break. I'm glad you've decided to take care of yourself, Nyx said.

"Oh, if I had the option to run after that fucker right now, I would," I replied.

"But since I can't, I want to be prepared when the time comes." Not exactly the healthiest mindset, but if it works for you, who am I to disagree?.

"That's why I like you, Nyx, very agreeable," I chuckled. Shut up and go to sleep.