The usual rules for Pioneer resource harvesting were slightly different when they were operating in large groups, such as a company. While fighting in big, wartime groups, Pioneers needed to be as coordinated as possible. There was no room for fighting over kills or loot either during or after a battle, yet the more Pioneers there were, the greater the chances such fighting would occur. The reality was that, despite their training, Pioneers tended to be individualistic and independent. The regular army constantly drilled marching and group fighting tactics, yet such things were much less helpful for the Pioneers, who often had to face threat 1-on-1 or in small groups. The qualities of Psionic capacities usually lent themselves to individualistic fighting styles, even when doing battle as a group. The Federation of Pioneers had only been made a part of the military because it was too dangerous to allow private actors, all with their own different agendas, to accumulate Psionic power and Enhanced elites. In the eyes of the government, at least.

  All this meant that Pioneers usually lacked the cohesion of a typical military unit, especially when loot was involved. This was further exacerbated by the value of Morphic stones and the semi-randomness with which they appeared. In the past, it wasn’t uncommon for a Xenos to drop a stone, only for Pioneers to argue over who’d been the one to kill it. Such a thing was further complicated by the fact that the stones obviously couldn’t be split, leading to numerous disputes before the Federation implemented a new policy. Looting while fighting was strictly forbidden, while looting in the aftermath was usually handled by a crew handpicked by the commanding officer. That crew would bring the CO the loot, and he/she would sort through it before distributing it appropriately. In theory, the resources should be distributed relatively evenly, with maybe a few significant contributors getting some bonuses.

  As one would expect, this process came with its own share of problems. A certain degree of embezzlement was always possible, or COs could simply decide to reward their friends/family and punish their enemies, but there were protocols in place to mitigate these abuses as well. Embezzlement was a crime that could be punished by death, though such punishments could only be meted out by a court-martial. Both COs and low-level soldiers could file complaints if they suspected embezzlement or nepotism. Direct family or clan members were usually prohibited from serving immediately under each other. The Pioneers were arguably the most meritocratic institution in the entire Empire, and they’d worked to earn that reputation. Admittedly, ‘most meritocratic institution in the Empire’ was a low bar, but Daniel would take what he could get.

  So far, he’d received 3 Delta class stones and 8 Epsilon class stones. Two of the D class stones had been from the Skulkers, while all the other stones had come from the native Xenos, known appropriately as the Stoneborn. The Stoneborn cores became inanimate after enough damage was done to them, though they were challenging to completely destroy. After a Stoneborn core died, two things could happen. They could become inert cores, which could function as a sturdy crafting material. Or they could become Morphic stones. This enigmatic process yielded higher-than-average Morphic stone drop rates, one of the perks of dealing with such strange Xenos. Daniel hadn’t received any inert cores in the distribution process. In exchange, he’d obtained more Morphic stones than anyone else by a wide margin. He suspected that the captain had even dug into his own share to provide him with substantial loot, and it wasn’t a mystery why. The stronger Daniel became, the greater the likelihood that their whole squad would survive.

  Alas, he hadn’t been able to use much of this loot. Daniel’s body still trembled with some of the aftereffects of his Psionic overdose. Nuntius’s simulations had indicated that Morphic stone consumption could easily result in his condition drastically deteriorating. Frustratingly, even Litradia couldn’t change that fact. The reason for that had been long and technical, but Daniel had eventually managed to figure out a simplified explanation.

  Litradia could banish poisons in his system and heal the damage caused by said poison. However, he didn’t primarily suffer from Psionic poisoning. He suffered from Psionic hypersensitivity, a universal side effect of a Psionic overdose. Absorbing more Morphic stones would put him at drastic risk of another overdose, even if those stones were only Delta class. Litradia would not fix the hypersensitivity, and another overdose would’ve been catastrophic, so he’d been cautious in his consumption of the stones. He’d only touched 6 of the weaker Epsilon class stones, along with a Zeta class stone that the captain had gifted him, producing the following stat sheet:

  User Name: Daniel Sylvester Hardgrave

  Age: 18

  Pioneer Class: Delta

  Rank: Sergeant

  Status

  Strength: 325 -> 328

  Dexterity: 435

  Constitution: 290 -> 298

  Adaptability: 344 -> 346

  Psyche: 496 -> 497

  Psionic Capacities:

  Slot 1: Hunter’s Domain (Delta) (MP=3/21)

  

  
• Establish an Extrasensory Domain with Psionic Energy surrounding the User.


  
• Senses are enhanced within the Domain. User extends Senses throughout the Domain.


  
• Dexterity is enhanced while the Domain is active.


  

  Slot 2: Destroyer’s Strike (Delta) (MP=3/21)

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• Use Psionic Energy to temporarily Enhance a user’s limb or weapon.


  
• Enhancement increases the attack power and durability of the limb or weapon.


  
• Enhancement reaches its pinnacle when first activated, losing power quickly over time.


  

  Slot 3: Overclock (Gamma) (MP=0/60)

  

  
• User expends Psionic Energy to improve the power of any Psionic Capacity temporarily.


  
• Can only boost one Capacity at once.


  
• Cannot be used in rapid succession.


  

  Personal Attributes:

  Slot 1: Predatory Grace (Delta) (MP=3/15)

  

  
• Considerable enhancement of natural Dexterity.


  
• Improves the ability of the User to move silently.


  
• Scales with Dexterity (D) and Adaptability (E).


  

  Slot 2: Titanic Might (Delta) (MP=3/15)

  

  
• Considerable enhancement of natural Strength.


  
• Toughens skin, making User harder to damage.


  
• Scales with Strength (D) and Adaptability (E).


  

  Slot 3: Pneumonic Enhancement (Delta) (MP=0/15)

  

  
• Increases lung efficiency, allowing the User to survive with less Oxygen.


  
• Allows User to more easily convert the atmosphere around them to Oxygen, making breathing in many hostile environments possible (e.g. Breathing underwater)


  
• Scales with Adaptability (D).


  

  Slot 4: Empowered Psyche (Gamma) (MP=0/42)

  

  
• Major enhancement of natural Psyche.


  
• Can more easily process sensory information.


  
• Scales with Psyche (C) and Adaptability (D).


  

  Slot 5: Empty

  Integrated Technologies:

  Slot 1: Archangel System (???) (Power=19%)

  He hadn’t added an attribute because, frankly, the attributes provided by the Stoneborn were pretty bad. Only two of their stones even possessed an attribute, and it was the relatively weak Pack Tactics, something that could only be used effectively when others in his group had the same attribute. It was situational at best, so he hadn’t consumed those stones. Technically, there was a way to ensure that their energies went toward providing Morphic points, rather than slotting into his open attribute slot, but he hadn’t wanted to risk it. The attributes he chose were key to his survival, as demonstrated by his recent battle. His Empowered Psyche had been key to managing the sensory input that came from an Overclocked Hunter’s Domain. The attribute had worked hard to ensure that he hadn’t run out of mental energy mid-fight as well, as Psyche governed the total size of his reserves. Since Psyche also governed mental energy recovery, Daniel would regain what energy he’d lost faster than his peers.

  Furthermore, the upgraded Pneumonic Enhancement had allowed him to handle the moon’s deadly atmosphere much better. Of course, the Protocol could filter the air or provide him with oxygen, but Daniel obviously couldn’t always rely on that. The bottom line was, he needed to be somewhat choosy with the attributes he obtained, lest he be stuck with something worthless that would get him killed.

  But, turning back to the most recent distribution of resources that the captain had called for, Daniel wasn’t expecting much. He’d already obtained the Ravager’s Morphic stone, which arguably wasn’t entirely his in the first place. He’d half-expected the captain to ask him to hand it over, though no such request had been forthcoming. His hanging onto the stone was technically a violation of protocol in the first place, though Daniel had been unable to help himself. Who left a Beta class Morphic stone just lying there? Daniel had known that the captain would understand, whether the man demanded that he hand over the stone or not.

  Daniel’s expectations were overturned again, however, as Lieutenant Alron strode over to him. The aristocratic-looking man reached into his storage and retrieved six glowing yellow orbs. Daniel watched, flabbergasted, as Alron practically dumped the resources into his hands. The lieutenant’s fiery eyes caught Daniel’s as the man spoke, “You have my thanks. For saving me. The boys and I agreed that this should go to you. Your armor gets stronger when you get a class upgrade, right?”

  Daniel nodded, speechless, before the man continued, “Don’t get the wrong idea. We’re all grateful, but this is partially self-interested. That tech of yours is something else, and we’ve all decided to invest in it for our own safety. You know what that means, right?”

  Daniel frowned, but Alron didn’t give him the chance to finish, “It means that we’re putting a lot on your shoulders. The weight of our lives rests on you in a big way. I know it’s not fair to ask that of you. But there’s no telling if we’ll run into something like that Ravager again.”

  The man furrowed his brow thoughtfully, “Something even worse could easily be lurking out there, too. If it comes for the company, you need to step up. Can you do that?”

  Daniel fought the urge to gulp nervously as he felt the man’s aura blaze hotter, his eyes glowing like well-lit coals. Daniel stood up straight and tried to meet the man’s gaze as he responded, “I’m flattered, but I can’t meet your expectations.”

  He held the resources out as if to give them back, explaining, “I’m low on charge and I’ve had an overdose recently. I can’t absorb these right now. It’d be better for you guys to take them instead.”

  Alron didn’t take the stones, raising an eyebrow as he replied, “The captain is already making plans to deal with your energy problems. How long will it take for you to recover from the oversensitivity?”

  Daniel typed, “Nuntius, how long until I recover from the OD?”

  He saw the AI start calculating, running hundreds of thousands of simulations in a few heartbeats before typing back, ”Approximately 30 minutes remaining before acceptable recovery expected.”

  Daniel let out a surprised cough, blinking several times before re-reading the text. Alron waited patiently as he gathered himself and finally answered, “Eh, actually, I’ll be ready soon. 30 minutes.”

  Alron nodded, “Roger. I’ll tell the captain. And by the way, those two stones were taken from a Greater Thrall. The other was taken from a Goliath. Your Codex should be able to identify the rest. Keep the Greater Ravager’s stone. Obviously.”

  And with that, Alron turned on his heels, marching back to the others and leaving Daniel with his arms outstretched. Daniel bit his lip thoughtfully, stowing the Morphic stones and running some calculations in his head.

  Thirty minutes passed in a flash as the Pioneers sat there, steadily recovering from their recent ordeal. Once Daniel got the notification from Nuntius, he felt a small thrill of excitement.

  It was time to make a push for Gamma class.