Many are quick to label most Samurai as anti-social, but in a lot of cases that couldn’t be further from the truth. Standoffish, perhaps, but based on how many like to stay rooted in their home cities and work to improve the world around them, being social sort of comes with the job and many of us are happy to work with either those directly in the community or other Samurai. More nomadic Samurai aren't necessarily anti-social either, as quite a number travel with either friends and family or a veritable army of drones, usually requiring at least some level of communication.

  No, the true loners of the Samurai community are those who travel the world with not but the clothes on their back and the weapons in their holsters.

  - Samurai Helios, 2048

  When I had first begun my on-foot trek across the empty stretch of desert that had surrounded the mining towns of the western continent, I had done so with a confident, delightfully optimistic mindset that said it would be fun. Travelling the land all by my lonesome, making sure each step was mine and mine alone and enjoying everything the world had to offer. What I didn’t expect, stupidly, was being bombarded with hour after hour of 130 degree weather and getting to gaze at a whole lot of rock, dirt, and cactus. Maybe the rare hovercar if I was lucky.

  This was the third day of the endeavor, and being honest it was starting to really wear on me. The scenery had long lost its splendor, and so my attention could only focus inward on how hot, sweaty, and tired I was trudging down the empty road one laborious step at a time. My pack was now very much taking its toll, weighing down every movement despite the weight reduction implements added to the bag.

  Really, the only reason why I hadn’t caved to one of the several dozen purchase options Calydon had suggested to speed up or improve the quality of the trip was bullheaded stubbornness on my part, as well as a small dose of spite. Who that spite was directed towards I couldn’t say, but boy was I feeling it.

  A small wash of relief washed over me as I slowly watched the sun start to drop below a nearby mountain. Just as succinctly, my AI finally chose to chime in.

  I can tell you were about to start anyways considering when we called it the previous two days, but now would be the best time to set up camp for the night, Max.

  “Thank god,” I blurted out, genuinely too exhausted to feel embarrassed about it. It's not like there was anybody around to here it anyways.

  Stepping out a good distance from the road and into the desert terrain, I fished a metal box out of the backpack, about as large as a fuse box. I gently tossed the box onto the ground, hitting the dusty earth with a soft thunk before the entire box began to unfold itself. Panel after panel of metal plate somehow emerged from inside the comparatively tiny box like an impossible origami craft. In under a hundred seconds an entire small living space, door, bed, and all, had unpacked itself right before my very eyes.

  “Still the best purchase I’ve made so far.” I said to myself.

  Even better than the arm prosthetics, pulse-burst thruster boots, and concussive force gauntlets?

  “I said what I said, Cal.”

  I slid open the door to the space and practically sighed when that cool interior air hit my skin, somehow coming from that tiny box’s miniscule fan despite the room being close to seventy square feet. I let myself fall onto the inflated mattress built into the structure, embracing the slightly artificial but still extremely comfortable fabric.

  Unfortunately that left my nose undistracted, and I physically felt my face scrunch up once the smell of my own sweaty body entered my nostrils. Worse, I knew I had run out of my solution to that problem earlier today.

  “Cal, I need more hygiene spray, please.”

  Purchased: GreenRefresh (Aerosol) x1 - 10 Points

  Point Total: 1104

  The cold metal can appeared from thin air and dropped into my open hand. “Thanks.”

  I begrudgingly pushed myself back up and started spraying every inch of skin that I could with the stuff. A cool sensation hit wherever I pointed the can, and within a few seconds I felt all the dirt and sweat of the day’s expedition evaporate off of my skin, leaving behind a fresh, verdant smell.

  “Still doesn’t beat a shower,” I grumbled.

  I have several options for hygiene-based facilities inside your Compact Structures Catalog, if you desire to take a bath or shower right now.

  “Nah, sounds like a waste of what…thirty points?”

  Forty, actually.

  “Yeah, I’d rather just wait until we get to Orson. What is our ETA on that anyways?”

  Your pace slowed considerably today, which I contribute to general physical and mental fatigue. If the current pace were to be maintained, you would arrive in the mining town of Orson approximately one day and sixteen hours from now.

  “Let’s just round up and say two days then.” Being honest, the offer of that motorcycle was getting more appealing by the day, just so I could finally wrap this trip up.

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  No! I committed to this, I’m seeing it through.

  “Do you think there is anything I should prep in advance for the visit?”

  Combat investments are a low priority, since I have received no indication of Antithesis presence within Orson. However, I do believe it is time to address the metaphorical elephant in the room we have been putting off for a while.

  Where he was going with this was clear as day. “My augs.”

  Correct. Put most politely, they are significantly under the standards of even the median citizen, let alone other Vanguard. I highly recommend upgrading sooner rather than later, especially since we do not have any more pressing purchases to consider.

  “What’s the less polite version?” I asked.

  Your augs are a cosmic fluke of metal and wiring that function solely on prayer.

  I let out a snort. “Yeah, that tracks. What are you thinking then?”

  Considering your focus on close-combat, I'd recommend an aug-gear from the Class I Combat Simulations Catalog. Unlocking the catalog would be one hundred points, while purchasing the gear itself is seventy five points. Additionally, the aug-gear does require specialized firmware, which would cost twenty five points.

  “Why that particular catalog? Couldn't I get away with a more standard gear?”

  While there is nothing stopping you from buying a more standard Aug-gear, I consider my suggestion a much better long-term investment. Class I Combat Simulation specializes heavily in moment-to-moment tracking and movement prediction algorithms, making it best suited towards melee-leaning Vanguard. The aug-gear would contain implements to accommodate these features.

  Predictive algorithms? That sounded promising. “Fair enough. Buy it.”

  Unlocked: Class I Combat Simulation Utilities - 100 Points

  Point Total: 1004

  Purchased: Mark II Microtracking Augmentation x1 - 75 Points

  Purchased: Mark I Sagesight Application - 25 Points

  Point Total: 904

  A tiny box plopped onto the bed. I took the two disks that lay inside and followed their instructions, gently pressing one into the back of my neck and the other right next to my right eye. “Is this good-”

  A sharp pain could be felt from the discs as well as the unmistakable sensation of…something rushing into my head.

  Yes, that's fine Max. Cal followed up with, his digitized voice a touch more amused than usual.

  “Son of a…” I hissed, feeling a weird tingling from behind my eyes that went away after a few seconds and some uncomfortable blinking. Nothing looked particularly different from the outset, which was a bit of a bummer. “So what's the whole predictive algorithm thingamajig?”

  Regretfully, it is quite difficult to illustrate the effect without another body present. An opportunity will inevitably make itself known once we reach Orson. On a related note, I'd like to report that you are within the ninety-fourth percentile for Vanguard waiting to install new aug-gear. Take pride, you lasted almost a month since initialization, and are for the most part only beaten by more elderly Vanguard who are more skeptical of mechanical implants.

  “Not sure that is something for me to be proud of, to be honest.” Why had I not changed them out already? I never saw it as a decent use of points. There was always another purchase on the horizon, be it new weapons and armor during the Targ incursion proper, or just having to buy whatever defensive or support equipment was needed in the cleanup phase. Wasting a hundred points on a new aug-gear for myself always felt like it was ignoring the possibility of needing those points down the line. And running out of points at a critical moment, as I learned first hand, is just about the worst thing that could happen to a Samurai.

  Still, some part of me wondered how differently that entire mess of an incursion would have gone if I had bought a new aug during it, and that answer was ‘probably a lot smoother’. My duct-tape-and-prayer setup was…functional from a civilian perspective, but having it not on the verge of shorting out would have made me use it more in an emergency, like the one I was initialized in. Plus the entire cleanup and recovery operation would have been way less hectic with it; communicating with Kevin, now going by Bone Hawk, was important to minimizing casualties, and the few times I lost my signal really put that effort in jeopardy. Maybe so many people wouldn’t have died.

  I felt my temper swell at the thought, but I did my best to quell that rising heat, although it did take a few deep breaths to do so.

  Obviously, Cal picked up on it.

  Are you thinking about the Targ incursion again?

  “You could say that.” With a sigh, I fell back onto the bed. “Just a lot to take in, and a lot to be mad at myself about. What a Samurai I am, right?”

  Even if meant somewhat sarcastically, do not go there. You were chosen to be a Vanguard for a reason, Max. Faced with a set of Model Threes with nothing but your wits and a brass knuckle, it was your sheer tenacity that kept you alive and moving forward, and that drive directly led to several of your most noble actions. There is no hyperbole in saying that you saved thousands of lives that day.

  All of that was flattering, but it didn't dissuade the little gnat at the back of my mind, that brain worm that endlessly played pictures of bloodied, unmoving bodies from inside my own head. “But I could have done better.”

  A common sentiment among Vanguard. It is admirable that you are not treating those you could not save flippantly, but there will always be factors outside of your control. Some of those factors make saving everyone caught in an incursion a statistical impossibility. Reflecting on how to improve during the next incursion is a great habit, but beating yourself up over it is not.

  Maybe it was because he was a hyper-advanced AI from who-knows-where and he likely had cheering me up down to a quite literal science, but I hated to admit that it was working. “Are you happy being with me?”

  Without a doubt. If given the choice to re-do my selection process, I would choose you again in a picosecond.

  A smile crept up on my face. “Don’t know how small that really is, but I’ll assume it's really, really, small. Thanks for the words.”

  Any time, Ms. Peregrine. Now, I do recommend getting some rest after today, as well as eating a good meal. Walking for so long expends significant energy, and a good nutritional diet helps maintain both mental acuity and emotional control.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Why does it feel like that last part was a jab?”

  Nonsense. Now, is there anything in particular you would like to eat?

  “I'm sure whatever you think up will be awesome. You haven't let me down yet.”

  Oh? Then I shall see to continuing that streak. Let’s go through some of the options.