“Wait a minute, this is the future. Where are all the phaser guns?”

  – Simon Phoenix

  My new ride didn’t have any windows, but it did have cameras and view screens. While the command center had a dedicated station for a pilot, with a number of screens showing everything, it was the main conference table that caught my eye. It showed a hologram of the area we traveled through. At the bottom of the hologram, at tabletop level, I saw the ground for hundreds of miles. Where there were mountains, the hologram’s ground level went up. Where there was civilization, you could see the major features of the cities. Above the cities hovered their names. I gave the word, and we lifted straight up perhaps a thousand feet before accelerating back home.

  Might I suggest you alert the Family to your impending arrival in a few minutes? Otherwise, they might have a collective heart attack. They may even have a suggestion for where to park.

  “Oh shit! Connect me, Ysys.”

  Of course.

  “Hello Calamity Jane. What can we do for you?”

  “I’m returning home from cleaning out the megahive near Vegas. I now have a large and fast craft. Unfortunately, I didn’t think about parking. Where should I park?”

  “Can you give us the speed and size of your craft?”

  “Ysys? If you would?”

  We are currently going over mach 10. We need about five hundred feet by fifteen hundred feet of space. We can hover and maneuver. So as long as there is a clear path, we can manage.

  “That’s quite fast.”

  “Hence my immediate need to find a place to park. It’s okay if I have to park outside the city.”

  “Agreed… There aren’t many places available, and none appear to have sufficient open space. Sorry.”

  “Damn. Guess I’ll find a place outside the city limits near my place. Could you send someone out to meet me? I need to buy some land and make myself a parking space.”

  “Can do. I’ll find someone with real estate experience.”

  “Thanks.”

  I found an open spot near some abandoned and broken buildings in the area close to me. I waited nearly twenty minutes before a hovercar arrived.

  We both exited our vehicles and met in the middle.

  “Calamity Jane, I assume?”

  “Yes. And you are?”

  “Frank Parker, the Family’s local real estate broker. Sweet ride.”

  “Yeah. Just got it, but haven’t had to use it yet.”

  “So, what can I do for you?”

  “I want to park this beast in a safe spot. Given what was said earlier, I’m going to have to make my own spot.”

  “Maybe, but…”

  "Don’t worry. I actually have other plans for places like this.”

  “You do?”

  “Yep. I figure I can start with a parking space. How big a spot can I get? And how quietly?”

  “I’ll have to look into it.”

  “Do you know who owns this spot?”

  “I have some charts. If you can come to my office, I can show you.”

  “Why not use my remote office? It’s just inside. Want to check it out?”

  “Well… sure.”

  I lead him into the dragonfly, and we headed to the main table. I turned on the hologram showing the surrounding area, and sent him the access code.

  Frank soon had the city and outlying areas mapped out on the table. He highlighted a number of areas.

  “The areas in blue are owned by some company or other. Areas in red are under forfeit due to tax or other banking issue. If you clear the financial claims, you can purchase the property cheaply. Areas in yellow are owned by someone, but has been offered for sale within the last few years. And finally, the areas in green are currently up for sale.”

  I pointed out an area of a few square miles that included where we were. “How much do you think it would take to purchase this?”

  “Quite a bit, Ms. Calamity.” He then spoke a rather large number.

  “Ysys? Any ideas on how to raise that much money?”

  “As soon as it becomes known you want this property, there will be a bidding war. But you might be able to negotiate with a bank to get a loan to cover it.”

  “Ouch. How about just a small amount right about here, so I can make a hanger for this?”

  “That’s much less.” When he told me how much, I asked Ysys to get it.

  “Will that be all?”

  “What about building permits and such?”

  “I’ll forward the information. Your AI should be able to figure it out easily.”

  “Thanks.” With that, I escorted him out, and he left.

  I went back inside, sat down, and said, “Ysys, I think we have two problems. First, we need money. Second, we need a place to build up a new area so I can have a place to park. Since it will be out of the city, it has to be big enough and strong enough to defend against antithesis. With my Cyber Warfare Utilities, can you get into the city’s systems to find out how best to get a neighborhood, and to get some cash as well?”

  Of course. However, figuring out what to acquire, and how, might be better done in conjunction with the City catalog and tools we talked about earlier. The dragonfly’s AI can be connected with the City Builder AI. The catalog has tools for hiding your digital footprints and preventing attention so that you can secure real estate cheaply. It also has tools to analyze the markets and your abilities to provide for them, to find ways to get rich, financially. And money is power.

  “You’re right. It had slipped my mind. Let’s get the package, and then do what we can for the analysis.”

  Opened Class I City Building for Humanoids catalog – 40 points

  Rescuing a Failing City – 20 points

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  City Builder 700 – 300 points

  New Total – 1243277 points, 9 tokens

  “What about buying this spot, and generating the hanger?”

  I will see to it. With the City Builder, and our access with the Cyber Warfare Utilities, we’ll own this place presently, and be well on our way purchasing more stuff. However, there is something you could do to help speed things up.

  “What’s that?”

  You have already started supplying some medical supplies. If you were to authorize a budget for medical blueprints, we could negotiate supplying more medical supplies at a large profit. We have some 3D printers already, and can make more as needed, so the only bottleneck will be resources. It shouldn’t be an issue for now, as there are plenty of resources around. You also have a lot banked from the megahive. Investing in the dimensional pockets was a wise choice.

  “I see. In that case, I’ll authorize up to ten thousand.”

  Thank you. While you head home and get settled, we’ll start growing your empire.

  While I took the HT and a pair of spider crew with me, I left the rest here, so it could be defended. I got in, headed for a bath, and after a relaxing soak, I walked naked over to my bed and lay down.

  You wanted me to remind you about getting a sensor suite. Do you want to do that now?

  “Thanks for reminding me. Please get it.”

  All Around Sensory Enhancement – 300 points

  Synthetic Senses Package – 250 points

  Power Sensor Package – 500 points

  Cuckoo’s Empathy – 400 points

  Mesh Supercharger Mk 33 – 800 points

  Mesh Superaug – 75 points

  New Total – 1240952 points, 9 tokens

  When you’re ready, just lie down on the Field Medical System’s table, and I’ll take care of you.

  I got up, and headed to it. After I lay down, I was ready. I barely saw the arm sneak up on me before I was out. I woke up, stretched, and quickly realized I was sensing a heck of a lot more than before. However, I felt odd, perhaps a little dizzy.

  “Ysys, did all go well?”

  Yes. You’ve been out just over a day and a half. I recommend you relax inside, either on your bed or sitting down. Your mind, while improved, will still take some getting used to the new normal. Go slow today, as it is the worst now, but as time passes, it will get better. Tomorrow, you could go out, but only for a short time. The day after, you can go out with just a bit of care. You won’t be in fighting trim until a week has passed. We can start your exercise tomorrow to build up the muscle memory.

  I nodded, then regretted moving too quickly. I got up slowly, and headed into the kitchen. Rather than try something fancy, I just looked to see what leftovers were available. I tossed them out because they were too old. Instead I ordered delivery. Over the next few days I saw the medical budget being used, but I also got a few requests from the City Builder for a budget for assorted tools it could use to get needed data and plan more efficiently.

  By the time I was allowed to go out, I took the HT to the site, and saw the basic hanger’s shell already made. Numerous construction drones were adding weapons, and sensor systems, and they were working on some other buildings.

  “Ysys, what’s all this?”

  To utilize the dragonfly efficiently, you will need to be nearby. Likewise, if you need to transport a PMC, they too should be nearby. Therefore, additional buildings are needed. They are planned, however, with expansion in mind.

  “Why does it seem like it’s taking a long time?”

  It really isn’t. However, these buildings are being made with class two material, and that takes longer to make. Already, a second construction spider has already been made. And in that building over there, another creation engine is making the medical supplies we are selling. By this evening, we will have sold enough to pay for this site. A few days later, we should have enough to expand to your original property amount. By the time you have finished your recovery, we can begin on the shelter you started.

  “I guess we can make a third construction spider, and a fourth, to speed up shelter construction.”

  The City Boss indicates otherwise. We will still make them, but we should be focusing on the nearby abandoned town instead.

  “Why?”

  We don’t want to get too much attention at this time. This will allow us to go under the radar, and accomplish a lot of things without significant resistance from the powers that be. By providing medicine, prosthetic devices, and augs cheaply, the poor are seeing a rise in the quality of life. More shelters do the same. But progress too fast, and they will go looking where we don’t want them to pay attention.

  As for the town, it is out of sight, and thus out of mind for most people in the city and region. By registering a salvage company, we can reclaim everything in that town, and build from the ground up. It is close enough that it will be easily reachable by the city. In fact, this hanger area is expanding the city towards that town, making it even closer. The new town will be the linchpin in your plan to expand the city. Much of the area between the town and the city is available cheaply, and we have set in place a number of shell companies to purchase a lot of real estate. We are using several different methods, to keep others unaware of our plans. We are also using your Cyber Warfare Utilities to redirect and subvert any systems looking into us.

  The end goal, which we think we can achieve, is to own an area of land about the five times the size of the city. That land can then be developed, first with a wall, then defensive weapons, and finally with places for people. Getting people there will require a bit of work, but we expect we can buy some companies and just relocate them to our area. Once there is a seed, others will follow.

  “That’s quite ambitious.”

  It’s also needed in the long term to sustain this city. It is currently too small to last more than a century. Less if big mistakes are made, and let’s face it. The city is run by humans. Something will go wrong, then when the antithesis come, too many will die, and with them, the dream of this city. By increasing the safe livable area and resources, the population will grow and people will flock to a growing city. That should be more than enough to get past the critical time.

  “I hadn’t realized it was that vulnerable.”

  Regrettably, your home town is at risk. Having an AI designed for analysis of cultures can reduce that risk by a large factor. Humans have not taken their analysis tools to the level needed to plan for such, and there is little chance it will be developed soon enough to save small cities like this one.

  “Well, keep me appraised. In the meantime, I need to finish recovering. I wonder if Flamer or Soundbite wants to visit?”

  Once I got home, I called them and asked. Flamer declined, but Soundbite accepted. A few minutes later, he arrived.

  “Welcome to my humble home.”

  “Pretty big for a home. Looks more like a base.”

  “That it is. But since I have barely started, I haven’t furnished it much. Care for a drink? I have some local brews cooling in the fridge.”

  “Sure. I’ll take one.”

  “Follow me.”

  I led him into the living area, and then to the kitchen. After grabbing a pair of brews, we went to the living room to drink them.

  We sipped in silence for a minute, then Soundbite said, “Is all this entertainment stuff from before you were a Samurai?”

  “Yes. Is there anything wrong with it?”

  “For the working class, it is fine. But you are a Samurai. You need something better.”

  “Anything in particular?”

  “I opened a catalog for entertainment systems. I could recommend something for you, and share the catalog so you could buy it. How many points you want to spend?”

  “How about a hundred points worth?”

  He got a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Something real nice and fancy, huh?”

  “Wait. Is that too much? How much did you spend on yourself?”

  “Never too much, but since you have ordinary and not audiophile equipment, I didn’t expect you would need to spend more than forty or so points. As for myself, I think I have about three hundred points invested.”

  “Well, I also need to equip my base here so I can connect any room to another for when I have guests. Then there is base to outside communications. Can you give me recommendations for a quality system that would be acceptable, even if not perfect, to an audiophile? It seems that some of my guests would appreciate something better than what I have.”

  Soundbite snickered at my comment. “Gladly. Flamer wanted something like that, but didn’t have sufficient points. His base needed about a thousand points worth.”

  “Could you change it to my specs, and send it to me, with a list of what each is needed for?”

  “Myestro, can you send the Samurai Premium List to Calamity?”

  Suddenly, I had a list with a lot of things on it. I noted that it had a large number of several pieces of equipment. Then I had an inspiration. “Ysys, can you buy blueprints for everything there? Oh, and are there some lessons on getting it all set up?”

  Yes. That will be a total of three thousand four hundred and seventy points, including lessons.

  “Okay. Then queue them up for printing.”

  “You bought blueprints? Why? You won’t save that much. And you have printers?”

  “Actually, I will save a lot. I am already building outside the city walls. I have a large fast jet, and it also needs a home. As will the PMC that I will eventually hire to go on that jet. It makes plenty of sense.”

  “I see. A second operating base would double the price, and with a PMC, maybe triple or quadruple it. Any chance I could check it out?”

  “Sure, but it will be a few days before it is ready. Until then, I don’t want any attention in the area until it is secure.”

  “Let me know when it is ready. How did you get so many free points?”

  “I’ll let you know. As to points, going up against a megahive can do that. I was perhaps the third strongest Samurai there. Even so, I was easily eclipsed by the first and second. You hear of Handy Hank?”

  “… Yeah. Isn’t he some rancher Samurai in Vegas?”

  “He is. He’s been shepherding lesser Samurai in the area by giving them small hives whenever they popped up in the area. Apparently, he missed one, and it cooked for some time.”

  “Ouch. How bad?”

  “Well, in the main hive, we encountered a number of antithesis in the thirties. I managed to take out a model thirty five.”

  “Thirty five? And you lived?”

  “Yeah. I needed Ysys to buy something without taking time to even think about it. But the expensive bullets did the trick, even as it was barreling into me.”

  “How much was it worth?”

  “No idea. With so many Samurai sharing points, and my notifications turned off for the battle, I don’t know.”

  “How much did you net?”

  “I don’t want to say, as you might get a little jealous. Lets just say there was a flood of antithesis, and I got three tokens for taking down hives that day. It paid for a lot of upgrades, and I still have plenty left over. But I have plans that might need those points, so I don’t want to spend them all at once. I want to be sure I can do what I need to before I spend too much on stuff other than combat or the project.”

  “What’s the project?”

  “It’s a secret. But I’ll give you a hint when I show you the jet.”

  “Bad girl. Making me wait.”

  We spoke of other things, and of the people I met on that megahive. Half an hour later, some construction drones came in and replaced the existing sound system.

  “That was fast. I would have thought it would have taken a few hours.”

  “You’ve heard I sell medical supplies?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I print them. I’m currently scaling up production, since I have blueprints for the printers as well.”

  “Oh! Can I get one?”

  “Sure, but not the big ones. But you need to help me get everything set up. I’m sure I could do it, but with your help, it will take a tenth of the time. Maybe a bit more if you explain it to me as you help.”

  “Deal.”

  We decided to spend points and have a nice Samurai meal. Ten points bought a sumptuous feast, and I had leftovers for later. Afterwards, he left and I went to bed.