Chapter 34

“The Rig that Brought Down an Empire”

Looking over the photo, Sam thought it was certainly a nice looking rig, though she couldn’t really tell if it was worth that kind of grand title from just a still image. None the less, she still spent twenty minutes looking it over, seeing if she could discern anything from it; though that was mostly because she was bored at the time. The opening ceremony was every bit as dry and formal as she thought it would be, and she idly looked through her phone just to get through it. That was when she noticed the message, and decided to make that her distraction.

She knew that Jeff had a preference for armour based designs, drawing inspiration from knights and soldiers, but it wasn’t entirely clear why he had put so much focus on the look, rather than the function. The rig looked mostly like a set of SWAT armour, complete with what appeared to be fabric clothes. The only real difference between that and the rig was that the rig’s joints were reinforced, the armour sections were connected, and thrusters placed along key locations. The rig’s wings were even attached to what appeared to be a fabric backpack, and made to look like equipment of some kind. If Jeff were to tell her that it could survive a barrage from a heavy Gatling, she would have to tell him he’s crazy.

What made it even stranger was the apparent lack of offensive power. She could understand a lack of armour if it was in service of more speed and power, but the rig didn’t seem to have any of those. Attached to the vest section were an assortment of small weapons, such as pistols, grenades and knives. None of those would be particularly useful in a match. Knives were worthless against armour, as were most pistols, and almost no rigs were slow enough to get caught by a grenade. It wasn’t until Savannah’s match that Sam understood just how much she was underestimating the new generation parts.

When the ceremony was over and the first match was soon to begin, Sam started to read through the part data she had collected from Jeff’s stall. From what she was reading, she understood why it was an entirely new generation and not just a new line of parts. It was a huge change in the fundamental structure behind the rigs. The first generation of rigs, the one that Sam had seen on display in the airport, consisted mostly of physical parts, with formless particles acting as a coat and joints, as well as some of the machinery and circulation. Every generation after that reduced the number of parts by increasing the complexity of what the formless particles could do. That trend continued and the current system only had very few simple parts, and those were only where it was more cost effective, needed ridiculous durability, or where extremely high currents of electricity would pass.

The next generation was different, however, as the foundational equations had been altered. It was no longer necessary for there to be any parts, and the formless particles could form the entire rig. Not only that, they could now form non-fixed patterns and high energy routes. Sam was so enthralled by what she was reading that she hadn’t noticed the match had started. Large energy systems, such as energy weapons, could be used by sacrificing some formless particles and letting a supply of excess blank particles replace the ones that were burnt out. During the break between rounds, the blanks could be refilled. That wasn’t the only benefit of that new system; it would also allow the rig to regenerate damage or even burn off some of the blanks for extra energy. It added entirely new strategies and fighting methods to the sport.

As Sam looked up at the fight, she saw for herself the greatest advantage the new generation had. Formless particles had flowed from what had looked like a backpack and coated Savannah’s forearm and hand, taking the shape of a rifle. The particles shaped like grenades then formed into a box of ammunition that used the explosive charge of the grenades as the propelling force. The transformation happened in moments and her opponent hadn’t expected it. As such Savannah was able to make three quick shots to take out several of her opponent’s thrusters, slowing that rig’s speed.

Savannah’s boots and leg armour then reshaped into extra thrusters, sending her flying towards her opponent at almost twice her previous speed. As she arrived at her surprised opponent, the rifle’s barrel completely reshaped, forming a sword with a burning plasma blade. With three quick and flowing slices, the rig had been dealt enough damage to deconstruct back into its cube shape and the round was over. Without missing a beat, Savannah returned to her bunker, where Diana was waiting to refill the rig with blank formless particles. A few minutes passed and her opponent was unable to make it back into the arena. Savannah had won in one round with an overwhelming victory.

Versatility

The queen of the new generation was adapting mid fight. If every part was actually an equation with a few forms, then every rig could start the match as one thing and end that same round entirely differently. She could see in the data that changing forms used more energy and time, but if those were well managed then it didn’t matter. She could even understand why Jeff and Diana had made the rig so light, it was so they could store the weight they weren’t using as blank particles. If those could be used for parts or power, and that gave Savannah the room she needed to adapt to the situation.

This generation also put the Kaya and Campbell use of the pit method in a new context. It wasn’t that Sarah and Satou Campbell were using a strange method; it was that they were preparing the foundation for the next generation. The parts that they needed were weak jointed compared with the parts of that generation, but the next generation didn’t need joints. It was entirely possible that Alicia Kaya had Sarah use that method in order to gather data.

Sam rushed back to her workshop to continue reading through the information she had while waiting for Sachiko’s rig to be delivered. If Jeff’s cheap knock offs were that good, how powerful must the upgrades made in the Kaya companies’ labs be? Several hours later, at a time that the clock said was early in the morning but was indistinguishable from the other hours of the day, the rig arrived; Sachiko and a maintenance manual with it. It was lucky that Sam didn’t sleep; otherwise reading through the entire book in time for Sachiko’s match wouldn’t have been healthy. In order to promote the new rigs, both Sachiko and Sarah would be competing as representatives of the Kaya family. They almost never used their right to have a representative, saving it only when they needed to advertise.

As Sam deployed the rig and looked through its programming, she was confused by what she saw. Almost none of Sachiko’s style was implemented into the design. Sachiko liked bright and vibrant colours, and loved having her rig in a fiery orange; yet the rig was a soft and demure white. Sachiko loved the sound and sensation of explosives, the steady heartbeat thump of a Gatling; yet the rig was equipped with an elegant sword and a precisely aligned energy rifle. Sachiko wanted a war-machine, yet the design was like a princess. The pair could only look at the machine with a kind of resigned loathing. The event was for the media and what she wanted didn’t matter in the slightest. Sam took a photo of the rig, captioned it and sent it to Jeff.

“The State of the Empire”