And like an old computer's floppy disk, a thin card-like piece of technology slid out from just below her right shoulder. Hurriedly, I muttered a quick prayer to the machine spirit, took hold of the doctrina wafer and reprogrammed it using my [Magos Designation: Cybertheurgy] before sliding the modified doctrina waifer right back into her chest. Chloe stiffened up as her artificial cortex processed the protocols, databases and APIs within the doctrina waifer. Coil's thirty-six professional mercenaries with their tinkertech equipment weren't going to stand a chance against her now.
" New doctrina waifer inserted: {Slutty Turret-Defence-System}. '' the blonde gynoid relayed in Binharic Cant. I didn't have the time for a full reprogram, so a partial one will have to do: Chloe's sexual skills were now several magnitudes less of what it had been- almost as bad as a high-class human courtesan now, but at least, she could shoot off the wings off a swarm of flies.
"Chloe, assume control of the Multi-Laser turrets."
"With pleasure, master." she purred right back with an impish smile on her pink lips, "I'll handle your turret until it runs dry."
"I'm sure you will." I nodded with an indulgent smile as I linked her to the Manufactorum's defence systems. Coil will learn to fear my Slutty Turret-Defence-System.
And with the possible attack handled, it was time to make some purchases to round off my Warhammer tech tree. Readying the incense, I began the customary ritual prayer to the Celestial Forge and the Omnissiah. Possibly my last Warhammer purchases as well- barring any surprises. I had all the blueprints I need in the [Plecian Tome]. What I needed was some flexibility and scalability…
...Especially as a contingency for whatever the Undersiders had planned for me later in the day.
CELESTIAL FORGE
LIBRARY PURCHASE ORDER
Black Boxing (Warhammer 40k - Squats) (200CP)
While certain red-robed rats of Mars always trying to get their grubby mechadendrites on your stuff is annoying, messing with them is endlessly entertaining. You can easily tweak your work to be nearly impossible for others to duplicate. If you're feeling particularly spiteful, you can build in some cross-connections so anyone trying will blow themselves up.
A Matter of Scale (Warhammer 40k - Squats) (400CP)
Let others joke about compensating, you know the engineering it takes to make war-machines function. Most devices work best in a narrow range of sizes, too big and they become unwieldy, too small and insufficiently powerful for the job. Either way efficiency drops off sharpy. Not for you. You can scale up weapons to level cities and slay Titans, or miniaturise them almost to the point of digi-weapons with no loss of functionality, and can do this for virtually any technology.
Xeno-Archaeologist (Warhammer 40k - Squats) (400CP)
Let the tech-priests wring their hands over tech-heresy, you know that all xenos and archaeotech works on sound physical principles. They worked before, and can be made to work again. You are a master of figuring out and reverse engineering technology, taking less than a tenth the time it would take a Guild workshop, and about a millionth the time it would take the AdMech.
END LIBRARY PURCHASE ORDER
End-Node User Points Balance: 300 CP
500 CP now spent in Warhammer 40k - Squats
End-Node User may now obtain Libraries which are not Warhammer 40k - Squats
(Minutes later) [Coil's Underground Base]
"Return to base, Echo Team. We're done here." Coil grumbled into his burner phone as he closed the unmitigated disaster that was the other timeline.
"Confirm exfiltration, sir?" The team leader of Echo team clarified back, "We can verify that Magos is vulnerable and his current expanding of his base leaves it wide open. Echo, Charlie, and Foxtrot Teams report all clear and our tinkertech gear are green to go. We can capture him, sir."
"No, you can not." Coil corrected with an annoyed tone. "Magos isn't vulnerable and his base is the farthest thing from undefended. Your orders are to exfil, Echo Team."
"Understood, sir." Echo Team's team lead reluctantly complied, and Coil sighed.
In the other timeline, he had given the order to attack, and all three teams of twelve men each were immediately slaughtered in the span of three seconds. Their Tinkertech armour proved too fragile as they were vaporised into a red mist by a storm of high-powered laser turrets. And then there were the unfortunate few who would be captured by horrifying 'servitors' that worked inside Magos' workshop. The disturbingly uncanny bionic mannequins had dragged his screaming men into Magos' workshop- the strange mechanical chanting reaching a crescendo before Coil slammed that timeline close.
Some days, he just wanted to tear his hair out screaming, or curl up sobbing in the shower with a pint of ice cream. And with his power to split the timeline, he could certainly do both at the same time. But right now, he just wanted someone to blame for his current predicament.
Tapping at his keyboard, he checked the now brief, week-old message that pushed him down this path.
Find out everything you can about Magos, use the usual channels to send your reports and we will consider your favour to be repaid. And before you ask, your favour is repaid when we say it's repaid.
[Coil]
It had taken him years to pay back the first half of his debt to Cauldron, and yet now here he was again for how many years more: Under their thumb and banging his head against the solid concrete wall that was Magos and his indecipherable insanity.
How had this unstable Tinker even attracted the attention of Cauldron?
Bah, he supposed that the reason was immaterial at the moment: He had nothing worthwhile to report to Cauldron. Having his pet thinker, Tattletale, dig around for Magos' civilian records turned up with nothing. Raiding Magos' unguarded delivery trucks only confirmed that Magos certainly doesn't sell tinkertech. And now, directly assaulting his base told him what was already common sense: that a Tinker would construct defences for his workshop. The most he could do right now is confirm what his PRT Threat Assessment file contained. He'll send his very brief report tomorrow…
Then he realised something and Coil couldn't keep the relieved smile off his face.
With the daily grind over, it was time to move on to the best part of his day. Coil took out his tablet and fired up one of Magos' games. The irony of using Magos' product to unwind after trying and failing to torture him for information wasn't lost to Coil. But at this point, he didn't care.
Coil didn't care, because he had her.