Travis Shaw woke in a hospital room, blinking in disbelief as sterile light washed over his face. Panic clawed at his mind until he felt the absence of cold metal around his waist. He was truly free, no chains, no threats, no ghost of his captors. His jaw tightened, his heart pounding with memories of the workshop. He tried the hospital bed, but its softness pressed on nerves worn raw by months of sleeping on the cold, hard ground. Pushing away comfort he could not trust, he slid to the floor, comforted by its familiar chill.
In his mind, the scenes from the day before played over and over. He had gone through a living hell with the Vultures. During the battle, he witnessed the armored man's wonderful technology; it amazed him. New ideas and inspiration for mech designs raced through his thoughts. He yearned to see these technologies once again.
A nurse enters the room. Spotting the malnourished man on the floor, the woman moves to check on him. "Mr Shaw, are you OK?"
Travis apologises for alerting the woman. "I am sorry, nurse. The bed is too soft. After sleeping on the floor for so long, I can't get used to it."
The woman tosses a pitiful glance at Travis. "That is OK, Mr. Shaw." The nurse helps him back to bed. "The Doctor will come and examine you in a few minutes. If all goes well, you could be released by tomorrow."
Travis's anxiety only deepened. After months of unpaid rent, his landlord seized the chance to lease his apartment to someone else. His belongings vanished, every scrap of his life gone. Now, he had no place to call home and only a handful of L-credits left. When the hospital doors opened, the cold street was all that awaited him.
The malnourished man saw only one way out of his predicament: Travis needed to find his savior. Memories flooded back, ...how the Vultures had surrounded them as they tried to leave. Tonight, the armored man would return to the Vultures' warehouse to deliver his decision to the gang members. A tug of war pulled at Travis's mind, fear of the Vultures clashing with his desire to work for this man.
His debate was interrupted by the Doctor entering the room. "Hello, Mr. Shaw, how are you feeling today?"
Travis looks at the Doctor. Without any further hesitation, he resolved to look for the armored man. "I'm doing great, doctor."
Meanwhile, inside the military surplus shop, Mark, Bart, and Jack had finished discussing the changes they wanted for the Vultures. The three men decided to go together and present the demands to what remains of the gang. They were expecting some gang members to jump ship; these changes would make some of them want to leave.
Before Mark acted, he realized this was a problem he needed to solve. Wanting to prevent desertions, he came up with an idea and approached his grandfather and Jack. "I am thinking of telling them about the next war and what happens to the city. Do you think it will work?"
Jack paused, looking pensive for a moment before responding. "I don't think so; these people are renegades. They do not care about the city or the Lishean commonwealth by that matter. I think it's best to talk about the benefits they would get by sticking with you."
After considering the situation, Bart shared his opinion. "I think we should try it. While it's true that these people don't care about the city or the Stellar Nation, they do have loved ones. We can use a possible threat to their families and their way of life to motivate them."
Mark looked at both of them, weighing their points. Each had made a valid argument. "I think it's best to use both approaches. We can inform them of the threat first, then discuss the benefits of staying. That way, we cover more ground," he said.
Both Jack and Bart agreed with this plan; it seemed the best way to entice the remaining gang members to join them. After settling on this approach, the three men decided they would head to the warehouse at 11:00 pm to put their plan into action. Only time would tell if their choice was the correct one.
Before ending their meeting, Mark realized he had one last concern, ...protecting their identities from the gang members. He could trust these people only as far as he could toss them. Mark did not want to put his life or the lives of his family and friends in the gang members' hands.
Remembering his grandfather's earlier request for armor, he paused to consider. Then he said, "Before we leave, let's discuss one final Thing. I don't want them to see our faces. After all, they are known criminals; they are not to be trusted. How about making the armors you asked for?"
Bart's eyes sparkled. "That is a fantastic Idea. What materials are you using? The raw materials from the droid shop?"
Mark scratches his chin. "No, I was planning to buy some on my way to the Droid boutique. I will use the fabrication ability to build these armors. It should not take me long."
Jack was also elated by the Idea. "Well, in that case, let's go buy it and build them here. You can use the space in the back of my shop to store the armors once they are built."
Mark smiled at the two men. "Well, let's go buy the materials."
Inside the Grease Monkey workshop. Scarlet and the other teens had finished preparing for the event. They were only waiting for Mark to return. A man dressed in a black suit and dark sunglasses on his face walks up to the table. The Game ID on top reads GACT.
The man greets the teens at the table. "Hello everyone, I am GACT. I want a few minutes of your time." He looks at the teens in expectation.
Steve answers the man without hesitation. "Sure, how can I help you? Do you need repairs or a custom paint job?"
The man looks at Steve. The loud-mouthed teen is reflected in his sunglasses. "Nothing of the sort, young man. I have a proposition. I want to help The Graese Monkey Workshop enter the interstellar market."
Steve thought for a moment. Why would this man approach them with this proposal instead of Mark? In his eyes, this behavior was a bit fishy. "Are you sure you want to talk to us about this? Why not speak to The Marked Guardian?"
GACT had a faint smile on his face; he seemed to be expecting this answer. "I have. After The Marked Guardian told me he was consulting you on the matter, I was under the impression that I needed to speak with you as well."
Steve looked at Scarlet, then he looked at Alex. None of them knew what this man was talking about. Steve was about to send this man packing when Scarlet intervened.
With a graceful demeanor, the well-endowed waifu spoke to the man. "At the moment, The Marked Guardian has not been able to discuss this with us. We are getting ready to announce a new product. It is possible that with the rush of things, he forgot to tell us."
Scarlet takes a breath, she was arranging the words in her mind. Her intuition told her that this was not a man to take lightly. "Once the event from tonight is over, our schedule will be clear to discuss such topics. I must ask you to be patient."
GACT smiled. After this young lady's response, he had no way to keep the conversation going. However, once he heard about the new product, he decided to take a different approach. "I will take my leave. Thank you all for your time." Soon after these words, the man flashes out.
Scarlet frowned. GACT's actions did not add up. She had told him about the new product, yet he did not insist on staying for the reveal. If profit were his motive, he would not have missed this for the world. But when conversation was no longer possible, he left without protest. The man was clearly after something, but Scarlet knew it was not profit.
After the man was gone, Steve relaxed. He was on edge ever since the man started talking. "What a creep. If not for Scarlet, I would have sent him packing." The loud-mouthed teen slammed his hand on the table.
Scarlet decided to do something. "We need to warn Mark about this man. I'm sending him a message."
Fran, who was at the table, commented about the strange man. "I don't know about his intentions, but that game ID was weird, don't you think?"
Alex showed no emotion. Her avatar was designed for this. However, in her mind, she replayed the moment Mark told Steve and her about the danger posed by his secrets. Her heart filled with worry, yet no one around was aware of her anguish.
Outside the hospital near Riggan's Point, Travis pushes through the main entrance doors. Determined to meet the armored figure, he thinks about his next steps. First, he needs to replace his comm-pad, so he heads toward a nearby shop, knowing his account balance will only cover a low-budget model.
With a determined look, he walked toward Riggan's Point, knowing all his needs could be fulfilled in the commercial districts. Once he could access his meager amount of L-credits, the malnourished man planned to make himself presentable; after all, you don't go to a job interview in the clothes provided by a charity.
His stomach complained while on his way to an electronics shop. The man talks to himself as he walks. "Maybe I should get some food before buying clothes," Travis said. With no other choice, he resumed his stroll.
Back at Riggan's Point, the three men returned to the Military Surplus store after purchasing what they needed to build the powered suits. Once inside, they moved to the back of the shop to avoid prying eyes. Mark took the lead, scanning the Mirmidón Armor to obtain a blueprint. After entering the Design Space, he began working on the powered armor design.
He used his Humanoid Mech and Miniaturization skills to improvise a quick solution. With more time, he could buy additional skills instead of improvising, but they were pressed for time. The armors had to be ready before the meeting with the Vultures, and Mark also needed to attend the product reveal event in his workshop.
In previous design runs, Mark spent about 120 of his 150-hour daily limit. Although powered armors were simpler than mechs, he lacked the related skills, forcing him to improvise with what he had, costing him more time. He hoped to finish in less than thirty more hours.
With a clear path, Mark began his third design run of the day. This time, He would be producing a downgraded version of his Mirmidón armor. If the system store was available, the young man could spend some TP and buy the gear. Yet, given Aurora's current state, he was forced to make his own design.
The young man loaded the Mirmidón blueprint onto the design suite. Mark examined the blueprints and recognized one key problem: the Mirmidón armor relied on a higher level of technology. He could not understand some of the components. The young man analyzed what he could and sought alternative solutions for the rest.
After spending around 25 hours, the young man designed a functional power suit that met his standards. During this process, he realized that replicating Anuviar technology was beyond his current skill set. Despite this, he concluded that the results of his latest design attempt would suffice for now.
To spare his sensibilities, Mark decided not to compare the power suits with the Mirmidon armor. Instead, he picked a name and submitted the new design for system review.
Name: Spartan Suit Mk1.
Technology Type: Powered Armor Suit (Bellicose technology).
Neuronal Load: D.
Original Component: 100%. TP Awarded 10,000 TP
Modified Component: 0%. TP Awarded: 0 TP.
Technology Impact: C. First Use Bonus: 100 TP/ Bonus added Daily.
Special Note: A poor man's Mirmidón armor.
Mark resented the special note a bit, but he had to agree. After getting more skills, he would design a better version. For the moment, these would get the job done. The young man hoped that his Grandfather and Jack were not disappointed by the result.
Exiting the Design Space, Mark walks up to the materials gathered at the corner. With a mental command, he started the system's Light Fabrication ability. Each suit of armor costs 250,000 TP.
It was nearly 7:00 PM when Mark finished making the suits of armor for Bart and Jack. While the suits were not as advanced as the Mirmidón Armor, they were still worlds apart from the technology available to the gangs.
Mark looked at the two men behind him with a bit of hesitation. "What do you think? It's not as good as the one I have, but it is worlds apart from the things the gangs use."
Bart looked at the powered armor suits with amazement. He placed his hand on one. "They are great, Mark. Although they need a color change." The man chuckles to himself.
Mark reminds his grandfather. "Make sure to test them before we meet the Vultures. I don't want any surprises."
Jack puts his arm on Mark's shoulder. "I will make sure they are tested, while Bart gets the paint. Don't worry, we will be careful." The man looked at the armored suits as a child looks at a new toy.
With that, Mark leaves for the Droid boutique. On the way, he looks at his comm-pad. The young man finds over two dozen messages from his friends. Fearing the worst, Mark rushes to his house.