War Core 3, Chapter 9.

Chapter 9.

The others were still digging into their rewards and purchasing things using their contribution points. Just like before, nobody was keen on telling what they had bought or received as a reward. It was strange, since sharing that information might mean a better chance at survival, but it seemed they all still held some fear of each other. Hugh pondered his options, eventually deciding on a plan for how to spend his contribution points.

First off, he couldn’t resist the lure of the combat drone. He wasn’t sure what it was, but anything that expensive had to give a decent boost to his combat potential. Given how the GCA tried to balance everything or at least the appearance of balance, Hugh was pretty sure it would help shore up his weaknesses. Hugh was already invested in the core rewards, so he went ahead and purchased the second upgrade. He had a feeling that if he opted not to buy one, they would stop appearing in his random rewards options.

With only thirteen contribution points remaining, his funds were limited. The personal upgrade patch was a must-have, Hugh needed to push his physical body as far as it could go if he wanted to keep up with the physically strong races. The last three points went into ammo. His personal rewards had given him enough ammo to refill all four pistol mags, and he didn’t expect to use it as much now that he had the M4, so all three points went into rifle ammo.

He finalized the requests and waited as the system dispensed his choices. A small box was pushed out of the wall, containing his ammo and personal upgrade patch. He slapped the upgrade patch on and sorted through the ammo. Thankfully, it appeared each point gave him five loose rounds of ammo for the rifle, the same as his pistol. He was worried it would be fewer based on the rounds being more powerful. It also gave him hope there were more powerful weapons out there if the difference in power between the rifle and pistol didn’t warrant a reduction in ammo given per contribution point.

You have upgraded your core reward pack. Once you enter the final, war core stage of the battle pits, you will be able to make 2 choices from a list of minor upgrades. Should this war core upgrade option appear again at another stage of your challenge, it will improve the quality and quantity of the upgrades offered to you when you enter the final stage.

The information was still a bit vague, but it looked like whatever his reward would be, he had doubled up on it. They were still qualified as minor upgrades, but a future investment of his contribution points might bump them up to something more useful. It was still all a gamble at this point, but Hugh was willing to take a chance on it. A final check of his personal upgrades showed more improvement, but he had a ways to go still before he could compete with his allies.

Hugh Logan. Physical form enhancements.

Intelligence: 18%.

Perception and vision: 22%.

Physical endurance and strength: 30%.

Cellular regeneration capacity: 115%.

Hugh’s last purchase, and the most expensive, appeared next. One of the combat drones that were sitting inactive in the safe zone powered itself up and scuttled over to Hugh. The others jumped up and got ready for a fight, but Hugh waved them off, letting the team know it was a reward he purchased with his contribution points. As the drone reached his side, Hugh could feel a connection to his interface established and new system prompts began to appear.

You have purchased a tier 1 personal defense drone. This drone can perform duties as a bodyguard to its owner and can even follow a limited set of commands. Interface with the drone can be done by thought and you can also access its sensors for reconnaissance when needed. The drone has the following upgrades.

1. A ranged weapon upgrade has been installed on this drone. The weapon has a recharge rate of 10 seconds and operates off the drone’s internal power supply, negating the need for ammunition.

2. To complement the piercing damage of the drone’s legs, a leaping attack upgrade has been activated for this drone. It is a command attack option and must be targeted by your core. The attack has a range of 5 meters and can be used once every minute as it places large demands on the drone’s power supply.

Your drone will respond to attack or defend commands. When ordered to attack, you must specify an individual target, or command it to target all nearby enemies. If no individual target is selected, the done will engage the nearest threat and move to engage another when the first threat is eliminated. You can also specify ranged or melee mode for your drone for both attacking and defending.

When ordered to defend, the drone will patrol an area 5 meters around you. If it detects a threat, it will move to engage the threat using the chosen combat mode. The drone can also be commanded to stay in a particular position and do its best to guard you from there, negating the need to constantly patrol.

Further upgrades to improve your drone may be offered at your next safe zone.

Hugh played around with the drone, opting to tell the others about its capabilities so there would be no confusion in combat. For now, he ordered the drone to stay near him, but not patrol, the ticking sound of the sharp metal legs on the floor was getting a bit irritating. Vilkrex scoffed at the drone and chastised Hugh for not spending his points on something more useful, but Hugh kind of figured that Vilkrex was just mad that someone else had a minion to help defend them.

Everyone had minor injuries, but nothing that would require the expenditure of any additional med patches. A watch was set so everyone could get some sleep and not be completely defenseless should the GCA change its mind on the safety of this area. Hugh felt he could sleep a bit easier now that he had a personal guardian drone to watch over him while he rested.

Just before their time in the safe zone was up, the group gathered and prepared for a fight. They had no idea what was coming for the next stage of the trial, but they knew it wouldn’t be easy. With two of their number already gone, the burden on the remaining four would only increase. Hugh readied his new weapon and waited for what would happen next.

Your time in the safe zone is ending. Prepare for the next stage of the trial.

All the consoles on the bridge began to activate, each one showing the same scene. It was an image of the ship they were on, which was essentially a large metal cargo container with some engines strapped onto it. They were approaching an enormous space station that orbited an unknown world. As they got closer, Hugh could start to make out details on the station, which was more than likely their destination. The station consisted of several large rings that slowly rotated. A central hub connected all the rings and other than a few spots on the station, it was dark.

As they drew closer, Hugh could tell that everything wasn’t right aboard the station, Large sections of several rings appeared destroyed and a small debris field drifted nearby. Their course would take the to the ring at what Hugh considered the top of the station. The rings at the top and bottom of the station were the smallest, with each one getting larger, while the central ring dwarfed them all.

Most of the damage to the station was centered on the center rings. But as they closed in on a small docking arm, Hugh could even make out some damage on the top ring. A large battle had taken place here, but who were the combatants, and more importantly, were they still aboard?

The central hatch closing off the bridge whooshed open, and a pathway lit up in the floor, guiding them to their next destination. Knowing that waiting around could be fatal if the GCA decided you were dragging your heels, Hssim waved the group forward. Their formation changed a bit, with Hssim and Vilkrex in front, Hugh and his drone in the middle, and Dalven bringing up the rear. As they left the bridge, a new information prompt appeared.

This station recently appeared through a rift in space. All recon teams sent aboard have vanished and several ships that have docked at the station went silent soon after arriving. Board the station and make your way to the central lift where further instructions will be given.

“Well, that’s not creepy or anything,” Hugh said.

“Bah, you show too much weakness, human. Your species as a whole must be weak and ripe for conquest. Lucky for you, my people do not yet know where your territory lies,” Vilkrex said.

“Don’t underestimate the humans, they may not be as physically strong as many of the species, but their armies are highly trained and deadly. They even defeated Hssim and his Ssath Empire,” Dalven said, stirring the pot a bit.

“Well, if the humans are so strong, then Hugh can lead the way onto the station,” Hssim said, giving Hugh an evil look.

Their ship jolted as it made contact with the station. The floor lighting had led them to a closed hatch on the floor that lit up once they docked. Hugh was a bit more confident in taking the lead now that he was more properly armed and armored. He also had the drone to assist him, if he needed it. Without warning, the hatch on the floor snapped open and foul air entered the ship. Hugh could smell something burning, and it gave off a stench that was somewhere between burning hair and toxic plastic fumes.

The GCA hadn’t provided any breathing apparatus, and none had been listed for sale as a contribution reward, so Hugh was pretty confident they weren’t all going to die from some unknown fumes without at least some kind of warning. A ladder led down into the docking arm, the interior of which was dark except for a few red hazard lights. Hugh climbed down into the station, a process that took the use of both hands, and for a few seconds, he was completely vulnerable to anything that might be lurking below.

Dropping the last few rungs, Hugh quickly raised his rifle, scanning for targets. His eyes still hadn’t adjusted to the much dimmer lighting, so he was a bit frantic until more help arrived. The help came in the form of his drone. Unable to use the rungs of a ladder, the drone took the more expedient route of just jumping down the fifteen or so feet to the deck of the station. It landed with a much too loud clang, announcing their arrival to anyone, or anything, that might be nearby.

The others jumped down one after the other, and once they were all aboard, the hatch closed. Hugh could feel the deck shudder a bit as the ship detached from the station. Their ride had left, and they had no idea where their next one might be. The only path available was forward, through the station and whatever horrors the GCA had placed aboard to test them.