Chapter 5: I CALL…!

  ‘Shotgun! What do you got?’

  Since I couldn't do anything else, I decided to listen to Altany’s sale-pitch. Might help pass time.

  While listening, I took periodic hits on that weirdly delicious vape pen. I might have liked raspberries more than I thought! Peach, my second favorite, would be the next experiment. Also, of course, nicotine helped me focus.

  Oh! Litchy! Had to try Litchy! Man, those drugs were some good shit. I wondered if…

  I see two major options in front of you. The first is to use solely mole-bear technology. They have an understanding of alloys and metallurgy almost unmatched by species of their technological advancement. This results in much more durable weapon components.

  This allows for more powerful rounds to be fired without damaging the weapon. However, they are limited in several ways, especially in the first tier catalogue. Most weapons will not be semi-automatic as the power of the shells do not lend easily to a recoil activated action.

  Their design philosophy, at this early stage, was focused on infallible stopping power followed by melee combat. In part, this was due to their armor technology being very advanced. To inflict any damage, they required calibers unused by your world’s militaries outside of heavy machineguns.

  They did develop semi-automatic weapons, but they were considered somewhat flimsy and unreliable. Engagements occurred in such close proximity that it would have been unwise to focus on repeating fire above alpha striking capability.

  That… was one hell of a limiting factor. Would it keep the price down?

  ‘Will they have magazines? I don’t think I can survive if I have to single-load.’

  Yes, certain internal magazines can also be replenished with the expenditure of points without manually reloading the weapon. If you go this route, I’d have to insist you take the Esoteric Large Bore Ammunition catalogue. This catalogue is relatively wasted on weapons of human quality. It would allow you to be much more effective for the level of technology you have.

  ‘Oh fuck yeah! Versatility is one of the main advantages of a shotgun, or so my dad said.’

  He was correct, except that as a vanguard, it can extend to smaller calibers to a degree. Ammunition will be more expensive however.

  ‘Sure, sure. Alright, what’s the other option you’re building to?’

  Purchase a shotgun catalogue, one that can be combined with mole-bear technology to create much more capable weapons.

  I spent a few moments thinking as my ribs moved back into place. I needed a shotgun. They’d always been my favorite weapon platform. My mom taught me that a CQC weapon needed to make sure your opponent couldn’t shoot back.

  It was a sticking point for me. Rifles with FMJ rounds would mess somebody up, no question about it. However, even unenhanced people could take a few rounds and shoot back thanks to adrenaline.

  Things got worse with cyberware and worse again with the antithesis. The PMC machinegunners I knew always preferred explosive rounds. In the end, inside a damn megabuilding, stopping power was king.

  You shot anyone with a one ounce magnum slug? The sheer kinetic energy would put them on the ground. People with soft body armour often got their chest caved in. Even someone with a bulletproof skull would die from the instant acceleration of a headshot!

  The only problems were rate of fire and ease of reloading. If you had to reload every round manually, the overall rate of fire wasn’t that different from having no magazine at all. Quad-loading helped, but it made keeping ammo a mess.

  Switching ammo types could also be slow…

  ‘I… I think I have the beginning of a sort of idea? What if… Can you get me a gun with two barrels of different bores?’

  Easily. I see where you are going with this. If you choose this direction, I would insist on taking a shotgun catalogue. The result would be mixed otherwise.

  ‘Alright, get me something not too expensive? Wait, no, it’s an investment…’

  A catalogue could be upgraded, right? There was tier one, two and stuff. I had to imagine they cost more when you upgraded. A single one to invest in would probably be better.

  Do you wish for something that would include one-handed weapons?

  I suddenly remembered my pistol. A quick check of my side reminded me that I lost it in the fight. Also? That it kind of sucked. It didn’t have anywhere near enough power against the antithesis.

  ‘Shit, yeah, thanks for reminding me.’

  My pleasure. What do you think of the Large Bore Kinetic Weapon Systems catalogue? The inclusion of pistol-like weapons increased the price slightly, but not too much. I also strayed from firearms as it would hinder your growth in the future. This catalogue includes more varied platforms, as long as they are made for delivering kinetic strikes.

  I blinked for a second as an image came into my mind.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  ‘How large of a bore are we talking?’

  This catalogue is limited to devices an enhanced individual can carry and fire. It also limits itself to calibers above ten millimeters. At much higher tiers, you could consider them mobile artillery. Combined with Esoteric Large Bore Ammunition, you should have a very strong battlefield impact.

  With your focus on close-quarters fighting, I believe you could be a very powerful frontline vanguard, eventually. Someone who could grab the attention of a horde and keep it, allowing the innocent to escape, or dive into an active hive to take the fight to the antithesis directly.

  I knew Altany painted a rosy picture, to give me encouragement and all that but… Yeah, it worked. She probably chose her words with AI perfection, because they hit me just right.

  ‘Alrighty, let’s grab those catalogues!’

  Class 1 Esoteric Large Bore Ammunition unlocked!

  Points reduced to… 270!

  Class 1 Large Bore Kinetic Weapon Systems unlocked!

  Points reduced to… 195!

  ‘Thank you, can you think of more shit I need?’

  Yes, but the list is too long for me to enumerate at this moment. Also, you are lacking the points to address even one percent of it.

  ‘Fair. Starting to run a bit low. Shotgun, then we see what’s left? It’s what I’ll need to make more points after all.’

  My bones were finally in the right places even if not really fused well. I needed to start moving. People depended on me, especially now that I could actually fucking protect them!

  I’d felt so… impotent before. All I could do was act as a pre-meal snack! My fucking husband had to hide away from me to be safe! I’d have preferred defending them with everything I had. Where else should I die other than between them and danger? However, I… I’d been too fucking weak…

  I could only distract the goat fuckers invading my home.

  Well, not anymore.

  You mentioned you had an idea?

  ‘Yes, I wondered if I could have two barrels with two different magazines? One with a lot of power, the other… the largest rounds that will still get me a drum magazine and semi-auto?’

  It is workable, although remember your esoteric ammunition catalogue. You do not necessarily need a more powerful round if what you deliver is more deadly. However, given the situation, I would agree that a more powerful option would not go amiss.

  May I suggest the Bearier Mark 1? It includes a bullpup, semi-automatic shotgun firing a caseless variation of 12 gauge, or in a none-idiotic measurement system, 18mm. While you could have it in 10 gauge, you would lose magazine space and add recoil unnecessarily. This fires shorter shells with a more powerful propellant than the typical 18mm round.

  I may have groaned at the name, but that sounded hot as hell!

  ‘I can definitely work with this, what’s the other?’

  The second barrel fires an equivalent of 10 gauge, or none-idiotic 20mm, with the same caseless shell design. It is fed via a lever actuated internal magazine under the barrel. These shells are similarly enhanced, although the recoil will be quite severe. To be clear, I accounted for the recoil control systems. This may worsen depending on the ammunition selected.

  I didn’t have an erection, shut up! Although, I thought Altany could tell.

  Please remember, this is of low quality compared to more expensive options available to you. However, it fits the requirements and your current budget. In the future, you could have advanced recoil control systems, fully automatic 8 gauge, an aim assist system, much lower weight, advanced aug-link, rail tech, coil guns,…

  ‘Yeah, yeah, I get it. Still sounds awesome though! How much?’

  65 points. Would you like to buy it?

  ‘Yes, please and thank you.’

  New purchase, Bearier Mark 1!

  Points reduced to… 105

  I still startled a bit at the sudden appearance of a large box next to me. I wanted to tear it open but I had more purchases to make and not a lot of time. Probably smarter to coo over my new stuff all in one go.

  ‘Alright, now the less important stuff, any ideas for a sidearm?’

  Thousands, of course. Your Large Bore Kinetic Weapon Systems catalogue offers you many options. I believe the Collapser would fit you well. We can upgrade the design using Mole-Bear alloys.

  It is, mostly, a very simplistic gas-seal revolver. The cylinder contains seven rounds of caseless customizable ammunition. These can be compared to .480 Ruger, or NI 12mm, but fired at higher velocity. Close to the largest handgun caliber on earth. This model includes recoil redistribution technology to make the system easier to manage.

  Given your strength enhancement, you should be able to operate it without issue. All of your weapons will be able to utilize esoteric ammunition, of course.

  Ok, that was surprising. In samurai movies and shows, they always had super weird sci-fi pistols. Why a revolver? That power though… Yeah, no, I was approaching my ‘take Robin to the nearest closet’ mood.

  ‘Aren’t revolvers a bit… I don’t know, obsolete?

  Yes and no. They have many advantages, one of them is that they are an almost fool-proof system using nothing but a spring or two as moving parts. They also do not rely on recoil to cycle, hence they can handle significantly hotter loads.

  In this case, without Mole-Bear Alloys, you would have a capacity of five rounds and much lower velocities. You will be able to pull it quickly in an emergency and be certain that whoever, or whatever, you are shooting won’t be able to harm you. As the chambers are empty after firing, I can refill them with the expenditure of points.

  I had to admit, it was very, very appealing. Also, was it just me or did Altany sound a bit excited? She clearly enjoyed monologues but maybe she also liked very destructive weapons like I did. We might just make a good team if we were the same type of maniac.

  ‘I’ll take it, any suggestions for ammo?’

  I recommend claymore rounds. They use a very directional explosive cupped at the base to launch micro-tungsten balls through your target on impact.

  Oh yeah, she’s that kind of maniac! I thought as I quietly chuckled.

  ‘I fucking love it! Yes, to both the gun and the ammo! Any suggestions for 10 gauge shells? More claymore?’

  For your 20mm magazine, I recommend hyper-compressed buckshot. These will launch 16 balls of tungsten that will decompress roughly a meter from the barrel. They will have the size and ballistics as a 16mm slug. Each pellet will be roughly one point nine times heavier than a lead equivalent due to the material.

  ‘Altany?’

  Yes?

  ‘I love you.’

  I believe the many substances you’ve consumed may be affecting your judgement. May I once again recommend a detoxification suite?