An Engineer In Night City - ch 11.3 (Patreon)

Preparation (3)

In one of Wube Inc.'s new meeting rooms, Mark, Miguel, and Maine are watching a recording of the latest news broadcasted on N54 News. The blond bombshell Anchor starts the main news. “On tonight’s news, NUSA, Militech, and Petrochem signed a historical document, pledging to uphold the law and work towards making other companies more accountable for the citizens. Here is the speech from NUSA president Rosalind Myers during the event.”

The screen changes to a different image showing the official pronouncement of the current President, and Mark notices an extra detail that sours his mood: several Militech logos on the background sharing space with the official government's emblem.

The distasteful and disrespectful symbolism almost made Mark miss the announcement. “It is with great satisfaction that we sign this pledge between three important pillars that sustain this Country: the State, the power of our Military, and our Energetic Independence. Thanks to those three pillars, the people of this land can find prosperity and safety!”

Mark turns to Maine and Miguel with thinly concealed disgust. “What do you think about her?”

“Fuck that bitch, she’s part of the problem.” Miguel almost spits on the ground in anger at her mention but holds himself back at the last moment. “She fought on the same kind of extermination wars as we did back in the day and didn’t even flinch, then when being a grunt was beneath her she joined Militech and got to the top, ordering us to die this time.”

Maine piped in, “The woman started with a platform of peace and unity, but ended up declaring war on the free states almost immediately after she took over power. The states that ‘voluntarily joined’ either had the leaders at the time assassinated by a group of Militech spec ops or were blackmailed into joining under threat of force. Fucking ‘union’ that is.”

Mark isn’t exactly happy with what he sees either. “It feels like she wipes her ass with the Constitution, giving just enough freedom to use as an example to further gain more control. The only reason the NUSA government didn’t abolish the second amendment until now was because of the threat of Arasaka, and the Time of Red making most of the country ungovernable.”

The new Spartan nods to Mark, “There’s a bit of nuance to that, but it’s not completely wrong. You need to ask an Historian to figure out the truth.”

This time it is Miguel who gives his opinion, “Rumors say that she was part of some ‘shadow cabal’ that elected her into power and that they’re displeased with her.”

“Oh, good catch,” Mark states as he remembers some information his spy satellites caught for him, together with speculation based on the game, “that’s true.”

The pair of men turns to Mark. “What do you mean?”

Holding his finger up, Mark gives the pair his analysis of the situation, “Well, I don’t have concrete proof, but my sources confirmed that aside from the Gang of Four, there was a larger, fifth power that held the strings of power. At the time they sacrificed political power and the Gang of Four to remain relevant and rebuild," Mark points to the prominent logos, "They were the old Military Industrial complex, but now you might know them as Militech.”

Mark watches the reaction of the pair, and their stunned expressions are what the Engineer was expecting.

“That sounds crazy,” Miguel admits, “but I can believe it.”

Unfortunately for them, Mark isn't done. “Oh, it gets worse. Militech’s shareholders are mostly composed of old wealthy and influential families from that era who survived to this day, alongside a few newcomers, and they influenced politics since the dawn of the old country's days. Miss President over there is descended from one of those families.”

The pair jump at the same time, “No way!”

Mark sighs tiredly feeling like a conspiracy theorist. However, they are close to irrefutable facts, “You will have to take my word for it since I can’t keep any physical or digital evidence of it in a way you can read. She was groomed to her current position for a long time, and the reason for dissent among Militech isn’t because she developed a radical new view, instead it’s because of her incompetence during the unification wars that allowed Arasaka's return to Night City, giving them a foothold back in the country.”

Maine immediately catches the implication. “Does that mean that the reason you’re being targetted…”

Mark nods affirmatively to his friend, “Is probably because of my friendship with Yorinobu, which they see as a sign I will favor Arasaka in the future.”

“Will you?” Miguel asks, curious but without judgment.

'So long as Yorinobu is in charge,' Mark thought but he shook his head negatively, “I won't attack Arasaka first, which honestly sounds like a neutral action to me, but to Militech unless you're aiding them they consider you their enemy.”

The Edgerunner rubs his face. “One day you might bite more than you can chew, which says a lot coming from me.”

Mark laughs at the irony. “There are many things they can attack that will hurt me, but if they do, they will sign their death warrant.”

The pair look at Mark trying to see if he’s joking, but as usual, he is serious about his boast.

…

In another place, NUSA officially enters DEFCON 3, sending orders to prepare for mobilization in a few hours. Several Militech hidden mercenary bases are activated and ready to go hot for the upcoming conflict.

In one of the military bases, a sergeant inspects his troops. Most of the recruits have minimum chrome, but by the time their training finishes, they will have several pieces of cyberware installed, and their contract will allow them to keep the chrome.

"Do you think it's true?" The rookie asks the other recruit, "That we're going to war?"

The other recruit lightly shakes his head.

The rookie sighs, "I just joined to pay for college, man. If I wanted to throw my life away, I would become an Edgerunner."

The second recruit turns to the rookie. "Then why did you join the Military? You know the Country keeps sending expeditionary forces all over the world."

The rookie shrugs, "You need military training to join Militech. Private training is expensive, you know?"

"Is that so?" A loud voice yells at the recruit, "Could the little ladies share with us what are you gossiping about?"

The rookie stands straight, "Nothing, sir!"

The Sergeant comes closer and continues yelling, spittle flying from his mouth. "First, maggot, you will start all sentences with 'sir' and end all sentences with 'sir!' Did your maggot brain understand that?"

The terrified rookie replies, "Sir, yes, sir!"

"Louder!"

Closing his eyes, the rookie screams at the top of his lungs, "Sir, yes, sir!"

The Sergeant didn't pause with his abuse, however, "Do you want a fucking prize for doing the bare minimum, maggot? What is your name, maggot?"

"R-rapahel Smith, sir!" The recruit realizes too late he fucked up, "Sir, Raphael Smith, sir!"

Raphael almost jumps away when he sees the malice in the Sergeant's eyes, "Did I ask you to repeat yourself, maggot? On the ground and give me fifty!"

He hesitates but falls on the ground and starts doing pushups.

This scenario repeats itself on several bases, with the veterans exercising for war while a new recruitment wave sweeps through the nation. The same goes for the other branches, such as the Air Force and the Navy.

…

The conference room is a new addition to the Pacifica Factory, with enough seats for fifty people to sit comfortably. In the conference room, the local security forces are watching the presentation from the Engineer. The most notable watchers are Miguel, the overall Chief of Security, and his accompanying staff; the Edgerunner Maine and two of his crew, the techie Pillar, and the professional pilot Falco.

Taking a deep breath, Mark turns to Kiwi to check if the transmission is going correctly. At her thumbs up he steps in front of the projector.

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for taking the time from your busy schedule to watch this new educational video. It might sound impossible, but thanks to Wube Inc.'s satellite coverage this transmission is going live to all viewers, a feat restricted to corporations holding monopolies over optic cables or with ties to the ESA. I assure you that Wube Inc. in their ever-diligent work for excellence and independence, we're not tied to the currently established powers."

A new projection shows the new garage of the BN2 Complex, where a new line of vehicles finishes production one after another. On a belt, a group of miniaturized Chain Gunners moves forward in the line before entering the Equipment Gantry. The machine allows the Engineer to automatically equip vehicles with compatible modules.

"Like many of you already know, the Chaingunner is the most basic mobile weapons platform, acting as a mobile turret shooting submachinegun bullets. It is slower than the Buggy, but it is more durable and stable when shooting in formation."

A new image shows a tank that Mark used in the past, though this version lacks the machinegun barrels and the flamethrowers at the front. "The original tank was modified into a Heavy Tank and shot Piercing Cannon shells able to punch through the enemy's heavy armor. A few units are instead armed with Explosive Cannon shells to deal with concentrated formations of enemies."

When another clip appears, the room grows agitated at the appearance of the vehicle, and Mark doesn't blame them. "I know it looks cool, but don't be fooled by its appearance. The Flame Tumbler is a fast scout vehicle with an armored front, useful for both ramming at fast speeds and hit-and-run tactics with the Type 1 flamethrower."

The new clip shows a different vehicle, with a similar color scheme as the previous demonstration. "The next newcomer is the Heavy Flame Tank, with a profile similar to the previous Heavy Tank, however, this armored vehicle comes with the Type 2 flamethrower, the same flamethrower nuzzle as the defensive turrets."

Mark watches as Pillar takes notes, while the other security forces are excited by the new toys. He continues, "The Warden is a tried and tested support vehicle, carrying ammunition and repair packs to keep the group in top condition."

The Engineer smiles when the new vehicles appear on the screen. "Another new addition is the MLRS Tank, a rocket tank loaded with Explosive Rockets, to provide area saturation damage."

For a moment, the room lights turn dim, until the highlight of the armor segment of the presentation appears. "Finally, ladies and gentlemen, the hidden ace that Wube Inc., the new Laser Battle Tank, equipped with a powerful high-intensity laser with enough power to melt through metal and concrete in instants."

Another screen shows the extra modules equipped to the vehicles to customize their loadout. "Each vehicle comes equipped with Adaptative Armor, energy batteries, and the newly developed Portable Fission Reactor. The PFR has enough fuel to last for decades without recharging its uranium fuel and is exceptionally safe even in combat situations."

Mark sees Jackie raising his hand. "Yes, Jackie? What is your question?"

The former Valentino stands up. "What about the security forces? Will our standard kit change?"

"I'm glad you asked." Mark changes the screen to show the silhouette of the security forces, comparing two images. "The new security forces will all be upgraded from the previous Modular Armor to the new Power Armor. The modular armor will go to non-combatants situated in dangerous environments."

There is some murmur among the security forces, most of the whispers agreeing with the change since it is consistent with Wube Inc.'s focus on safety. Grateful and proud of the culture he built among his employees, Mark continues, "The Power Armor has a set of Exoskeleton modules, a PFR, Adaptive Armor, and depending on the user or their position in the company, a piece of 'Chrome Module,' that will interface with the user native chrome to provide new functionality or to enhance their current abilities."

Several silhouettes appear on the screen, each with a different frame and body type. "A few, chosen elites will have higher quality equipment, with customized module load-outs that fit their position and personality."

The Engineer returns the grin from Maine sitting in the back before the screen changes to another logo. 

Taking a deep breath the Engineer shows the secret that will help his people in upcoming conflicts. "Advanced equipment gives the soldier an edge in combat, but dedication and training are more important in combat. With the help of my Chief of Security and an external consultant, Wube Inc. created a training program that will have the security forces rotate between active duty, rest, and constant simulator training, getting the equivalent of five years of constant combat training in a few months. Some of you might have experienced this program already."

A new logo appears on the screen. Contrasting  Wube Inc.'s usual aesthetic, the logo is a sleek, silver ring with the words "Project Reach" and several armored silhouettes in the foreground.

Mark feels emotional when the first notes of the music he painfully recreated play on the loudspeakers, starting slow until its iconic cadence hits its stride. 

On the screen, several moments captured from previous runs show the power-armored soldiers fighting against powerful enemies at a distance, in close combat, and on vehicles.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the secret to catching up with the elite training of Militech mercenaries, NUSA delta force soldiers, and Arasaka's cyber ninjas: The Halo program and its first installment, Project Reach!"

Seeing everyone's reactions, Mark is proud of the result of his research and custom development. By feeding the supercomputers in orbit with combat data sampled from Adam Smasher, he built a "Personal Combat Science," with one of its new Technologies an effective simulated training environment.

Mark isn't sure his efforts will be enough to bridge the gap in force between Wube and the NUSA & Petrochem & Militech alliance, but the Engineer swears he and his people won't be caught off guard.

Post Chapter Notes

The first chapter of the day. The production speed matches expectations for now. Please enjoy!