TBoB - Book 8 - Chapter 8 - Brain Pain (Patreon)

“Hey Nyx, let’s talk,” I said as I slipped into one of the planning rooms near the rear of the bridge. 

Sure, how can I help you today? Nyx asked.

“I’m sure you heard, but my Command and Control implant is on the fritz. I think I may have overloaded it earlier, and either need to repair or replace it,” I said. “And once we’ve got that fixed up, I figure we can talk about any potential upgrades I might want to invest in.”

Well, that shouldn’t be much of an issue, Nyx replied. I could get you a medical scanner and have you perform a number of self-scans to determine whether the implant can be fixed or not, but I’ll be honest with you, the price to fix an implant and the price to replace it are so similar you might as well just immediately replace it.

“What? They are? Why?” I asked.

Because both use the exact same process. Inject nanites that travel into your brain, locate the proper place to create neural connections, make space without causing brain damage, and assemble into a functional implant. The only difference is that the creation nanites break down whatever’s in that location and assemble the new implant, while the repair nanites only replace the damaged parts based on what's in their database. Nyx explained. They’re pretty much just creation nanites with extra checks and fail-safes.

“Okay, so… how much would it cost to install a new Command and Control implant?” I asked

Five hundred points, Nyx replied.

“That’s it? Not five hundred thousand?” I asked skeptically.

You haven’t upgraded the implant in a while. You haven’t needed to since the Class II system has distributed quantum computing, which has both allowed you to both offload some of the command processes you shouldered before the upgrade and perform a number of complex on-the-spot calculations, Nyx said. 

“I thought I’d already updated to Class III, and that’s what helped cut through the ECM,” I muttered. 

That was due to the ECCM systems and implants you invested in during the global, Nyx said. It wasn’t specific to the Command and Control network.“Oh, right, shit… I forgot I did that,” I muttered. “So could I upgrade to a Class III network?” 

Well, that’s a definite possibility. It’ll set you back a few points though, Nyx said.

“How much?” I asked.

Twenty-five thousand and several tokens for the catalog, and another five thousand for the implant, Nyx replied.

“That sounds reasonable,” I said. “How many points do I have?”Sixty-two thousand six hundred and seventy, Nyx said. You also have close to fifty tokens after dealing with so many heavily modified Antithesis while dealing with that shard of Phobos.

“Wait… that’s it?” I said, blinking in disbelief. “I would have expected far more points after dealing with the Gene Tender.”

While the Gene Tender did have an extremely high bounty compared to most Antithesis you’ve encountered so far, keep in mind that everyone involved in the hunt is entitled to a share. Granted, most earned only one or two percent, but Humboldt, Warspite, Mako, Depth Charge, and yourself all made significant contributions to the kill, Nyx explained. Keep in mind, despite all the effort you put into hunting down the Gene Tender, you really didn’t kill that many other powerful Antithesis since coming out to the coast. Besides the crab leviathan and the ‘snake-head,’ most of the Antithesis you killed were the equivalent of Model Ones, Threes, Fours, and Fives. In addition to that, you spent most of the points you had left over from Phobos to retrofit the Marsupial, and develop your aquatic models. 

“Ahhhhh… shit, I forgot about the points I sunk into the Otters and Aquabears,” I muttered. “Still, Sixty-two thousand isn’t bad, it’s just far less than I’m used to having after finishing up a battle lately.”

You have been fighting abnormally strong incursions in the last few months, Nyx admitted. That may have skewed your expectations a little.

“Maybe a little,” I admitted. I sighed and looked for a place to sit, but since the planning room had been designed for people to stand around and plan an assault, not to sit down and have a calm discussion, I just put my back to the wall and slid down to the floor. “So, the question is, do I think upgrading my command implant is worth the majority of my points, or should I invest in something else. I want to keep a decent number of points, in case I need to make an emergency purchase, so I can’t really afford to make two large purchases.”

Do you have something else in mind? Nyx asked.

“Well, no, but I haven’t really felt the need to upgrade the network either,” I said. “As I mentioned earlier, I already thought I’d upgraded to Class III. What’s the advantage of upgrading?”

More processing power, smoother neural integration, and a stronger connection to the network, Nyx replied. For you I think the biggest change would be that you wouldn’t need to consciously attempt to pull up information from the network. Your brain would subconsciously absorb things like messages from your team and network updates.

“I’m not sure if I’d want that,” I chuckled. “It would mean I couldn’t use ‘I haven’t checked my messages’ as an excuse to the squad going forward.”Is that really a good thing? Nyx asked.

“Well, no, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s not exactly worth spending thirty thousand points on either,” I muttered. I let my head roll back, and stared at the roof for several long seconds before shaking my head. “Nah, I’ll hold off for now. I do want to upgrade my implant, but I can’t justify that cost right now. What if something else comes up?”Is there something else you want to invest in? Nyx asked.

“Well, I did want to get a couple more Class III AIs to help the squad out,” I said. “I don’t suppose I could afford the blueprint for Class III AIs?”

Not even close. Class III AI modules are expensive, you’d need close to a hundred thousand to get a Class III blueprint for them, Nyx replied 

“Maybe I should save up for that then,” I said. “It’s something that I know I’ll want, and it ensures that I have a healthy amount of points on hand in case of emergency.”

You do realize that most samurai would kill to have fifty thousand points. It’s more than they’ve ever earned, Nyx said.

“I know, but I’m not just any samurai, am I?” I replied with a small smirk. “Yeah, let’s just hold on to it for now.”Then for your implant… “Just give me a new Class II one for now,” I said. “I can always change my mind later.”

I held out my hand and waited for a couple of seconds, and a hefty metallic syringe landed in my hand.  Without a moment’s hesitation, I flipped it around, stabbed it into my neck, and pressed the button on the side. There was a quiet hissing noise, and I was suddenly hit with a wave of disorientation and nausea. 

“Ugh… It’s a good thing I sat down before I did this,” I groaned. “Why didn’t you warn me?”

Because you’ve experienced it before, Nyx replied, and besides, it’ll pass in a couple of seconds. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and waited until my center of balance returned. “I missed these discussions,” I said. “I feel like it’s been a while since I didn’t know what I wanted to invest in, and asked your opinion.”It's because you figured out a direction you wanted to go, and didn’t need my help that much. I could always give you more suggestions if you want.

I thought for a second, then smiled. “Sure, why not. Bring back the feelings of the old days,” I said. “Thanks, Nyx.”

Anytime, my AI replied as I laid back in order to wait the nausea to subside. Anytime.