Chapter 12 - Augmentations

  “Give me a phone. Why did you put these augs in me? I can’t understand how to use them…

  Yes, I have listened to what you said no, I can’t get the hang of it….

  Can you just use them for me? I’m too old for this crap…

  Yes, I know we agreed for me to learn…

  Haaa, fine I’ll try again.”

  Recorded audio of Vanguard ‘Blood Haze’ argument with his AI ‘Morrígan’ - 2050.

  I came back to my senses from my memories as I heard a cough in front of me. I looked up and saw Teach standing a few feet in front of me, looking slightly nervous but with a sympathetic look.

  “My apologies, Sergeant that was…”

  He flinched slightly, and I realised I had accidentally shifted again; the words were coming out along with growls, and my voicebox was slightly slurred. In this form, I wasn’t entirely able to enunciate a human language anymore.

  Giving the mental order, my bones and flesh in my body began to change back into my more human guise. He then spoke.

  “We are ready to set off, sir.”

  I sighed the nodded my assent and asked.

  “Is there anywhere for me to sit?”

  He nodded and continued.

  “If you don’t mind, we have the back of the heavy transport cleared enough for you to use the benches or floor, sir.”

  “That is much appreciated, Sergeant. Do you have a spare radio so that I can be on the coms in case of an emergency?”

  I requested reasonably sure they had a command channel I could tap into.

  “We don’t use the radios for our normal operations, sir. We do however, have networked augs for communication. If you would like, I can patch you in?”

  He responded. I tilted my head to the side and gave him a puzzled look. What the hell were augs? I elected to ask rather than be ignorant.

  “What are augs?”

  He looked stunned, then realisation came onto his face, but before he could continue, Anand spoke up.

  Mental augmentations, commonly referred to as augs they are an interface system that has overtaken the role of more traditional phones and tablets. The vast majority of the worldwide population has some variant of augs varying in quality. They became widespread in the late 2020s and early 2030s.

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  “Thank you, Anand. She just explained to me.”

  I responded promptly, as an answer to looking away from Teach, receiving a nod in response.

  “Also, please do send Anand the codes to patch me in. All three of you do not completely retool their entire software, please just connect me to it.”

  There was a mild bit of grumbling, most probably from Macha, then they spoke in unison of all three differing tones.

  You can’t keep getting us to manage your augments. You have to learn to use them. We are very limited in what information we can properly convey to you without you asking specific questions.

  I flinched slightly. It had been some time since the three spoke with one voice. The last time I remember was them strongly disagreeing with me throwing away my human form completely, along with the introduction of the full merging of the moon stalker instincts.

  I had somewhat listened, I still had my guise and we’d dialled back the full integration by a large amount until I was only integrated with two-thirds of the instincts. Anand and Macha still argued that I was still too much of a berserker, even without the influence related to battle and other brain chemistry alterations I was going to originally subject myself to.

  “Fine, fine, one of you will have to teach me and continue to help. I’m an old man; none of this fancy new tech makes much sense to me.”

  I replied in the silence the three had left me. The reply came in the same unified manner.

  Good, we shall hold you to your word.

  “You know my word is bond.”

  I felt mildly insulted that they could even mildly doubt I wouldn’t stick to my word.

  Macha appeared in my vision in all her glory, with flowing platinum hair and spiralling cerulean tattoos, faintly glowing and spoke in a serious tone but with a hint of mirth underneath.

  Do not take it as us thinking you untrustworthy, my hound, we merely mean that we assist you in this endeavour and remind you to take the time to practice. It will be fun to watch you flail about while I teach you.

  “Alright, darlin' I look forward to our lessons, then go easy on this old man.”

  I smirked as the form she took in my vision spun around to look away from me and she sputtered out.

  You aren’t an old man and you’re impossible. Stop talking back to me already, just accept my gracious help. Also, stop wagging your tail. I know you’re enjoying this, but stop trying to embarrass me!

  (Teach)

  I watched as, after asking for the codes, Blood Haze devolved into arguing with his AI out loud and apparently being scolded, judging by his reactions, it was hard to tell as I was only getting half the conversation.

  Eventually, he refocused on me and said.

  “My apologies for that display, Sergeant. Shall we get on the move?”

  I blinked through my augs display and there was suddenly a new set of contact info added into the code I was attempting to send, must have been Morrígan. I continued with my original objective.

  “If you are ready, sir I have sent through the codes and we are otherwise completely prepared to leave.”

  He nodded his assent, so I turned and he followed as I led him to the heavy transport.

  As we walked I found myself thinking about the man who I was walking next to he was certainly odd and probably insane who in their right mind decides to fight the antithesis in melee but then again the vast majority of samurai aren’t normal most of them were nuts enough to replace themselves fully with cybernetics that or go full furry and not even flinch at the conversion.

  But a lot of that was understandable. The world is a hellhole now in comparison to 30 years ago. I don't think anyone could expect today’s kids to be normal, but for someone from back before everything collapsed to be like this.

  I guess even the samurai from back then are just as bad. I thought through the other old samurai and nodded at my thoughts, as it just reinforced them. There is no way you could call ‘Foxfire’ normal either. Not even ‘Incarnis’, who had always been touted as a stable samurai, was normal; he spouted that his hard light constructs were the souls of ancient beasts he was capable of calling upon.

  I concluded that all samurai have most of their screws loose.