Junction Pt. 01

The dragons did these types of raids to each other all the time to probe defenses or steal military technology or secrets generally. He thought given the 97% turn over from death and injuries in these units they were damned near mission impossible by design. Designed to probe defenses and test genetic research.

Commander Triviliana and Jace were often the only 2 who returned in healthy condition. He returned with just intelligence only on 2 missions as the last man standing. The 8th and 9th mission. On the 8th one, he lost his commander, Commander Triviliana. An Elven Commander, and son of the ruling Elven House of Avalon.

Commander Triviliana did not go on every mission. He only went on those with a higher degree of perceived success, as was his right being a member of the entitled race for the City-State. He had been involved in 10 missions in just over 7 years. If he had lived he only needed to go on one other mission after that to complete the terms of his 8-year assignment.

Commander Triviliana was a lifer and instructor as decreed by his father. The head of the Avalon Royal House. A Military lifer was 20 years regardless of race, minimum. Some left earlier but gained no benefits if they did so. Some individuals went to 30 years or more in the upper general ranks held by elves and dragons. Commander Triviliana as an elf would have excelled in the higher ranks.

Commander Triviliana had the option on which missions he wished to undertake and which position to take on the mission, yet that still did not save him. Commander Triviliana was one of his primary instructors during the first 30 months of training and when he was not out on a mission the commander chose to take. He became one of Jace's only true friends in the service when he pulled Jace into his own personal unit upon graduation.

The closest he had to a father figure who encouraged him to do his time and get out. Jace followed his orders on that mission and left him behind. Even though that was not what Jace wanted, he followed those orders completely. Commander Triviliana's injuries were extremely severe.

His Ki expansion unit and its connection were destroyed in the fight. No vamp units were installed into either of them for this mission to allow him to transfer Ki to his friend. He would regenerate, but not enough to save him and they both knew it. He gave Jace another mission for when he left the service.

This personal mission was a matter of honor he had to complete for his former commander. Commander Triviliana wanted Jace to leave the service because he knew the unit would kill any human test subject who stayed. Not that any human test subject ever survived beyond a couple of missions, let alone every mission in a 2-year assignment that the Royal Family had planned for testing Jace.

Commander Triviliana knew his own survival, even with the ability to select those missions he wished to undertake, was pushing the boundaries at 7 years and he had less than a year to go in that stint before he would be moved into a command job at headquarters with a well-earned promotion most likely.

Commander Triviliana managed to return and was in the hospital from several of those missions that he survived before Jace went active in the field with him. A few were deemed failures before Jace came into his unit.

Commander Triviliana felt for the kid but also knew if he stayed, a mission would eventually consume him one way or another in those units. The Commander had been forced into service by his father after his evaluations. The youngest son of the family with 10 older male siblings. 12 females and some were younger and had served but not in Spec-Ops, he was the only one who had that rating.

It was a way to show the 'Entitled Races' were fully supportive of the Royal Family of San Angeles a not all elves joined the City-state's military. The follow-on mission after the commander's death was with a green crew, including a brand-new Elven Commander who finished at the bottom of his graduating class and could not find his ass with both hands. Made the Commander because of his race and not his ability.

The mission ended when the rest of his unit died, except for Jace. Jace followed his orders, but he was sent in instead of on snipper cover duty, just like the mission before that cost him his Commander. A new Elven Lieutenant had requested the sniper position.

Jace believed there was elven House politics involved in the decision but never voiced the matter as it was not his place to raise the issue. His Commander did voice it to Jace who only nodded at his comment.

One of the last exchanges they had before he found his commander on death's door. The new sniper was one of the first to die in that mission. Jace still returned with valuable intelligence to turn a failure into at least a minor success.

He also added a trove of data into his hidden archive for when, not if, but when it might be needed in the future. He accesses a computer that should not have been there and got in and out of that system undetected.

They pulled in members from other crews to fill out the unit after that and placed them under Jace instead by the King's direction. The King wanted to see if Jace could lead these groups. They got better results when they made him the 'captain in charge.'

They had refused to promote any higher with him being in his first 2 years. They offered him a commander slot in a full-up 8-year tour for a Mastro97A if he went on to be a lifer. The carrot he refused. Losses dropped to 50% or less for most of those last 6 missions.

The last one being the exception. Designed as a non-survivable mission of sabotage by the General who dictated the planning. He still made it out with other members of his team and the objectives completed; he reworked the plan given to him as it sucked.

He knew it was an attempt by an Elven Military General to kill him off. Likely with the backing of an Elven Royal Family member or two. He had adhered to the over-arching parameters and yet he proved that he could still survive.

He also gathered intelligence from that City-State's Military Personnel and Clandestine Operation System. That General still rated the mission a failure. That did not last long. Of the 15 missions, 10 missions were deemed highly successful.

Success had been judged by getting the main mission objective completed, and returning with half or more of his 24-man unit. 4 six-man assault squads. 3 were considered very successful as the mission was completed but the death toll was higher.

Only 2 were marked successful, in the end, as the mission went to shit. Yet he still returned with valuable intelligence from those 2 missions' as the sole survivor in both cases. The mission where his commander died and the mission that immediately followed. He rose to the rank of Captain through Field promotions and being the senior surviving member of his team for the last 9 months.

He could have been a general inside of 10 years if he lived, with his choice of assignments after that. Provided he lived through an 8-year standard Mastrao 97A tour. The one-man, his 'planned replacement,' would take over for him if they had no issues growing a left arm for him.

He had no regeneration in his genetics. Else the last member of his unit, a woman, would be folded and merged with another unit and his second would likely not live out the month if they drained the remaining 20Ki he had left. This got into Ki on hand vs Ki required to cover the cost of the operation.

Only 2, besides himself, survived and they both owed Jace their lives and they knew it. His opinion on the status of his second made no difference in the eyes of the General who ordered the mission. 'It was not desired or required as you are leaving and broke mission parameters.'

Direct quote from the Elven General who ordered the mission; a traitor Jace identified but he had to get to the King to brief him on those findings directly. Jace accomplished that task as it was information he had held back until he was in front of the King. Jace cemented the fact he was resourceful and extremely dangerous to fuck with.

The General labeled the mission a failure, even though the sabotage was completed. Jace did not do it his way and blamed Jace for changing his plan to the high losses the unit suffered. The King wanted a personal de-brief from Jace because of this ruling. Jace was informed his replacement was deemed irredeemable before Jace got to the meeting.

Before Jace was able to provide the additional briefing material to the King. That information got the General deemed irredeemable after undergoing draconic telepathic interrogation. It also reversed the General's labeling of the mission as a failure to being labeled highly successful.

Just not in time to save his second in command. He sent in the request for promotion to Lieutenant for Sergeant Summers, she was good, a clerical medic, and another out of the program. Her promotion went through and she thanked him for it. She was infertile, 10 years older, and not one of Sylvia's projects.

Jace returned to the here and now as the door to the transport finally opened.

---

Jace walked away from the transit depot decked out in his unscarred military armor and armed to the teeth, with 2 swords and his bow. No guns. He went looking for Gregor's Tech shop to pick up his package while holding his bow in hand and a bag over his shoulder.

The package was a going away 'gift' of items off the books for his efforts and making it so she could corner the market, at least within the project and any 'friends' she had, with his genetic material. If she even had a friend somewhere.

Given the council's decision, she was going to add a couple of unknown items to the list which had him curious. She was certain on how they would rule before she even walked into doing his final evaluation and receiving her final 'payment.'

She knew how to manipulate simple bureaucrats. He followed her directions and walked inside the shop and straight up to the owner at the counter. Jace looked at the man, "You have a package for me. From our 'mutual friend' Sylvia. My name is Jace."

The man pointed to a reader and Jace stuck his hand into it. The guy raised an eyebrow and looked at Jace, "Former Military Captain but decked out in unscarred battle gear. You must have done well to have your entire file to be classified?"

Jace simply looked at the man, "My package."

He nodded. He brought out a sealed box and handed it to Jace, "I have been paid to install any tech in that box. This is the first time I know of her doing this. At least with my talented services being requested."

Jace entered the 24 digit passcode into the box's security and opened the box knowing the tech's statement was bullshit. He wanted inside Jace's gear and Jace would have none of that.

The box contained a Bridian communication crystal (a user would have to have at least 25% dragon blood genetics to track the crystal), Vitian microfilament upgrade crystal for titanium-based microfilaments.

A Milote enhancer crystal that could be added to his nutrient injector to increase muscle mass even further. To go along with the strengthened bones. Also, a magical amulet that would let him store his armor and put it on instantly as needed.

He put the necklace on and stored his armor. The communication crystal and amulet were not on his list of items, the crystal was pointless to him because he wanted a higher one to keep Sylvia out of his head.

He pulled the communication crystal. He used his fingers and held open his right eye. He sent a message to the processor. It cycled through the components and then his right eye telescoped out 15 cm.

Until an internal cylinder ejected out the cylinder holding his communication crystal along with several others. He carefully swapped the crystal into the cylinder and sent it back. He pushed his eye back to get it to catch.

Then Jace ordered the eye to retract and looked into a mirror and blinked a few times until his processor and eye recalibrated for the new crystal. He focused the processor on his nutrient injector assembly. He sterilized his fingers.

The man looked at him, "Never seen processor units get upgraded like that before. Normally it requires surgery."

Jace nodded, "New skeletal support mechanism. If the whole unit gets damaged then that would be a need for surgery. Each major component is housed in a cylinder and can be upgraded independently. Requires a 900 series processor or higher."

He looked at Jace, "Highest one I have seen is a 780 series."

Jace nodded, "I have an 840 series for sale or trade. The 900 units are just getting to the field in the military right now. They have a separate security module to prevent theft."

Jace left that warning on the technician but he did not appear to care or believe it either way. It was bullshit but Jace was giving him shit to eat after his own statement to Jace. He pulled out his field repair kit and pulled out the laser scalpel.

Jace groaned slightly as the nutrient injector pushed its way up from inside the cavity of his sternum. He used the laser scalpel and created an incision for it to break the surface. He cleaned the area and his fingers using the sterilization unit he had before he extracted the unit.

He removed the older Sitrin crystal and installed the Vitian crystal into the slot for those nutrients. Then added the Milote crystal into the auxiliary slot of the unit for the muscle mass increase he wanted after the Vitian crystal completed the bone enhancement.

The Vitian crystal transmuted the stainless-steel ones to a solid titanium mesh over his bones or installed the titanium mesh if he ever just lost a bone for some reason. He placed it back into its rails and slid it in slowly until it caught and the processor took over to get it reseated.

He set up the upgrade sequence to do the bone enhancer first. Stronger bones to support increased muscle density. It was also faster at this point as it transmuted the existing filaments from the current stainless steel into the new one that would be 10x denser. Something that should take a couple of days would be done in mere hours and then it would start on muscle augmentation.

Those 2 upgrades he expected, those he wanted for the gun he wanted to obtain. Better control over the weapon with a single hand instead of both and it was a gun that was no-longer considered 'military only,' at least in this City-State. He just needed a license to carry that gun and he had the forms for that already in hand.

The biggest drawback to the upgrades was the annual cost went from 2 Ki to 4 Ki to power those upgrades. Some dragons had an annual cost of a 100-1000 Ki for their augmentations they might have made or taken upon themselves. It was unusual to exceed 2Ki in a human and 10Ki was considered extreme. Only a few humans in the world had gotten that far, however, at that point, most thought they were more machines than humans.

The technical looked at him as he put a small bandage over the incision and put his shirt back on. He shook his head, "Those kinds of mods will put me out of business."

Jace smiled, "Not really, as it will be many years for the average soldier to get those mods, let alone the street market unless you are entitled. Then the cost for them will be cost prohibited to most others. Were you interested in the 840 series processor?"

The owner looked at Jace, "What are you looking to get for it?'

Jace looked at him, "What is the largest Ki unit you have for expanded storage on a human?"

He looked at Jace, "A 30 that is commercially available. Anything larger you would have to negotiate into a Mega-corporation deal."

Jace shook his head, "A 1,000 Ki unit would be borderline without a Megacorporation. Don't bullshit me. Either extreme wealth, a Royal Family exemption, or a Megacorporation to go beyond that size. That would be smaller than what I have already. What about a Ki transfer unit?"

He looked at Jace, "A vamp unit? Those can be had but many look down upon people who use them."

Jace nodded, "Except it is a way for a human-on-human Ki transaction and they are reversible for spending Ki as well. Also legal depending on the unit size."

Jace pointed at the counter, "Put it up here and I can cross-reference the model number for it."

The owner sighed and nodded, "I got one that can handle 1-2 Ki transactions from anyone only when both parties agree. Anything larger would cause you headaches with local law enforcement. Unless licensed from a sponsoring Mega-corporation. It would take up a 5-unit slot in an expansion module."

Jace nodded, "Bio scanner augmenter?"

He sighed, "I have one, I just do not know if your unit will handle it."

He went to the back room and brought out a box. Jace opened it and scanned the device in question. Jace shook his head, "Would work if it were not defective. That one has a short on four microcircuits. That could cause brain damage. It should be tossed."

Jace did not like this slimeball of a man, "Or should I just destroy this thing now?"

The technician did not like the implied threat. He tossed it in with the trash to fish it out later. Jace had started to get pissed off. The guy seemed to sense that. He walked in back and came back with another. That one was a step up in model and was compatible and factory sealed.

Jace pointed, "This and the vamp unit for the new processor with it expanded memory which is wiped clean and augmenters looking for a new home."

Jace pulled the box out with the parts and the owner looked over the components. He looked at Jace, "Add in a 1,000 gold."

Jace chuckled, "You want to give me a 1,000 gold on top of that I will not argue the point. You and I know you have the best of the deal in a straight-up swap because you can charge installation fees for those items. Especially when you decide to split them up for sale and charge for each piece. Which is what you would do if you don't have someone install it into yourself."

The owner nodded, "Alright, straight-up trade then."

Jace pulled out the vamp augmenter cell and he checked it out, "Factory sealed and compatible." They shook on the deal and exchanged parts. He did another incision higher up on my sternum and ejected out the empty Ki expansion module allocated for vamp units. He had used some in the field but could not keep them after the given mission. They had to be surrendered. He put it into the end unit closest to the connector and let it retract. He had another 20 units of space in that expansion module.

He had his processor run an end-to-end diagnostic and install restrictor code onto the unit that he knew how to do. He knew right away that the unit had been tampered with but he was able to correct what was done to it.

The technician/owner nodded, "You seem to know what you are doing with all of that new tech. You looking for work?"

Jace smiled, "Yes, I am, but not doing this crap. I still enjoy an adrenaline rush from the action, not into scamming people. I need to buy myself a personal transport."

The tech shook his head, "Going into the city you are better off using the tubes. Just across the street."

Jace ran facial recognition on the man and knew he was the owner of the shop, John Greggor who had several complaints filed against him for stealing tech. Jace figured he had a team ready at the tube to take him on. Jace smiled, "Not what I asked."

John Greggor shrugged, "Three streets up you will find a used transport shop. If you are wanting something new that will cost you serious DC's and is across the street from the used transport shop."

Jace nodded, "I suspected that much. I wanted to keep my options open. Might pick-up a small job or two before heading out if needed."