Chapter Twenty-Three - Cat Themed Tower Defence
“The changes happened slowly. So slow that even though all the scientists were screaming about it for years, we still failed to notice them. A winter without snow, a complete lack of any insects outside, a few days where the weather was so wild that we barely recognized it?
It all paled next to the distractions we could afford ourselves.”
--Excerpt from, On the Big Change, 2026
***
“No, really,” I asked. “Why’d you come over?”
“Gomorrah explained to Franny what you were up to, and she explained it to me,” Lucy said as she reluctantly stepped out of our hug. “So I thought I should come over and discuss the ecological and environmental impacts of unleashing a bunch of nanomachines to mulch aliens stuck underneath the city.”
I stared. “You’re messing with me, right?”
She grinned. “Maybe?”
I hugged her again. “You’re such an idiot,” I said.
“And yet I still managed to catch you with my evil ways,” she murmured. Lucy placed another peck on my cheek.
“Who’s watching over the kittens?”
“Daniel is,” she said. “Not the best of choices, but hey, they have everything they need and most of them are plugged into one feed or another. They don’t cause too much trouble when they’ve got their bread and circuses. Need help with anything here?”
“Around here?” I asked. Did I need Lucy’s help with anything? What could Lucy help with in the first place? She was great with the kittens, but I wasn’t sure if babysitting skills would really... actually, no, those skills would absolutely come in handy. “Hey, how would you like to be put in charge of an army?” I asked.
“That sounds fun!” She said, “Do I get a cool title? Admiral Lucy?”
“It’s an army, I think that would make you a general,” I pointed out.
“As long as I get one of those nice uniforms with all the medals on my chest. I want to look like a third-world dictator’s right hand woman.”
I laughed, then nodded to Franny who was coming over. “Right, let me give the two of you the rundown. It’s not super complicated yet, but it’s about to be. Also, hi Franny.”
“Hello, Cat,” Franny said with a nod. It struck me just how much like Gomorrah she was sometimes. Sure, she was a hot redhead with authority issues as opposed to a hot blonde with pyromania issues, but a lot of their mannerisms were the same. Maybe it was a byproduct of being raised close to each other?
But then Lucy and I were plenty different and we were raised in the same shithole.
“So, what’s the situation? Delilah is keeping me up to date a little, but I don’t exactly have a full picture,” Franny said.
“Things are just about to get interesting,” I said. “We’ve launched an attack against the hives, but most of the hives... or just the one big hive I guess, is underground. They’ve dug out these long tunnels across the entire city. They’re full of water right now, which isn’t a problem for the aliens.”
“It wouldn’t be, the xenos are from space, being underwater is probably a lot more hospitable than vacuum,” Franny said.
I nodded along as if I knew what she meant. “Yeah. So, we sent down nanomachines to start eating away at them. They’ll all start at the same time, which means that the hive will get a nasty wake-up call. And we’re expecting it to react like anyone would when you wake up to a million little things trying to eat you all at once.”
“Oh, like when we had that bedbug infestation,” Lucy said.
I nodded. Of all the insects not to go extinct, bedbugs just had to stay on the list. Mosquitos too, of course. “Exactly like that. We’re about to wake the fuckers up in the shittiest way possible and I bet they won’t be happy about it. That’s why we’re working on arming the civvies and getting defences up, including the turrets you brought.”
“And how’s that going?” Franny asked.
“Terribly,” I said. “The locals have actually been helpful. Got a bunch of volunteers geared up for a fight, but against anything in big enough numbers or any really strong models we’re basically screwed.”
Lucy frowned, and if it wasn’t so cute it might have been intimidating. “And what are we doing about that?”
“Honestly, I don’t know what to do about it. In New Montreal we had the army and a bunch of strong samurai to back us up.”
“And now you’re the big strong samurai,” she said.
I nodded. “That’s right. I don’t exactly have everything I need to keep the entire Downtown area safe. None of my catalogues are geared towards strong defensive things and I don’t know where to start when it comes to that kind of thing anyway.”
Then I laid out the rest. At some point it became a bit of a rant but Lucy was used to my ranting and Franny took it well enough.
Mostly, my problem was that the Downtown area wasn’t ready to destroy the wider hive. The local samurai weren’t equipped for it, and I couldn’t be all over the place at the same time. Even if I bought a bunch of cat drones (which I was going to) it wouldn’t do anything but stop the tide.
Then, after listening for a while, Franny asked a question. “Do you intend to fix all of this by tonight? Because that doesn’t seem as realistic as treating this as a long-term project.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“This is a siege, isn’t it? You have walls, the enemy needs to get over or under them, but as long as you can repel them then... then it’s just a siege. Not an actual prolonged battle like you fought in New Montreal a few days ago.”
I ran that through my head a few more times.
It made a lot of sense, and reframed things a little.
If we treated this as a battle to keep the antithesis out as opposed as one to just kill them all, then our priorities when it came to defences changed a lot.
And it would have to be a siege, because no matter what, there would always be more of the hive that we hadn’t found spewing out more human-hungry aliens.
“You’re smart,” I said to Franny who smiled demurely. “I can see what Gomorrah sees in you.” And at that she blushed scarlet, the smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose standing out in sharp contrast.
I didn’t have time to tease her much more than that since the militia finally showed up in a pair of vans.
“Right. Lucy, Franny, want to follow me? We’re going to meet the General. Lucy, I’m putting you in command of the civilian side of things.”
“Really?” Lucy asked. “No one’s handling that?”
“Oh, someone is, and they’re doing a decent job of it, but I don’t know who and I don’t have time to figure it all out. Can you spend a bit of time figuring it all out and then keep me apprised? I’ll give you a cat drone or something to keep you safe.”
She was wearing my first samurai-bought jacket, the one with the holes and the burns and the cuts all across it, and I knew she had a gun stuffed away on her, but still, I’d be happier if she had something more capable to play bodyguard.
And watching over the civilians would let her help without being anywhere near the frontlines.
“That sounds fun,” Lucy said.
“Cool!” I tilted my head left and right, then gestured for Lucy to give me a minute before I walked over and found the militiaman in charge. As it turned out, they had orders to bring the turrets to ground level around some of the more important buildings in Downtown. I countermanded that with my own order, to place them on every available rooftop to snipe out any flying aliens that might be trying to swoop in.
When I returned, Lucy was grinning. “I like it when you take charge,” she said. Her tone set Franny off to blushing again.
“If you like it so much, why do I never get to be the one taking charge, huh?”
“I always let you look like you’re the one in charge, what are you talking about?” she asked.
I laughed. “Alright. Save that energy for later. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Come on, I’ll take the two of you to the mall?”
“Actually, I think I’m going to fly back to New Montreal first,” Franny said. “There are more turrets to bring over, and by the sounds of it you’ll need every one you can grab. Say hi to Delilah for me.”
“Will do,” Lucy said.
And with that, I had to get back to work. A small shift in my plans was in order, then we could get the show started.
***
I just realized but she's always buying new disposable stuff on the spot. For something like grenades that makes sense but for re-usable things like turrets and drones and guns it might make more sense to try to carry some of that stuff with her. Could she maybe get some kind of personal inventory like that cosplay guy? Or even just a big flying truck filled to the brim with all her stuff that follows her around? Myalis could pilot it.
Get a "mothership" or "mobile forward base" a nanofactory with construction drones in a large chassis with extra cargo space...
I constantly think about the large amount of drones she makes on the battlefield and seemingly abandons wholesale. I’d say she’s made like, maybe a dozen or so combat panther (big cat in general) things over the course of this series and barring a few exceptions earlier on she doesn’t reuse them. What happened to the kitty artillery crews? The aforementioned combat drones? When all this is over, are the scuba cats going to actually go back to Montreal with Cat or are they just gonna chill in the antithesis tunnels for the rest of eternity? It’s so wasteful.
Plants vs kitties heck yeah
Aided by the supreme general of the civilian forces
They've totally got this. Nothing will go wrong whatsoever.
Got idea for structure mc to use possibly if goings tower defense as name joked about, first CGK baracks, second kittens den, third cat factory's forth supply depo, airport tower,
CGK baracks: one as name applies is structure is to build civilian gear kits, store (CGK) and distribute (CGK) to those not already have gear lile civilians, training in said CGK's, is one time placement structure later marks can be redeployed, building is staffed with auto mated bypedal cat girl robots personnel, to distribute and run verious parts of structure any non personnel may enter.
Kittens den: a factory to make various modules units usually humanoid and no bigger then 3 meters in hight (think of mcu hulk buster as maximum this structure will build) uses advanced printers to build various modules, basic kittens den has 9 printers. why not more printers or less. cause its joke on cats nine lives this structure having nine printers to build nin different basic model's. Usually mass production types. Self powering, self repairing etc.
cat factory: one of biggest buildings mc can build, builds mostly anything kitten's den does, how ever if something bild has crew made of models that are in kitten dens, like mortar battery then they will be made with the item. Like if theirs troop Carrier ment for her kittens model's they have full troop printed with the carrier it self. Builds tanks, atv, troop Carrier's, supply trucks, amd everything in-between. Stuff like mechas at mcd home are also made here Thought about air units but thought be best be separate structure for air craft.
Supply depo: is structure that takes and recycles both organic and inorganic into basic materials like one at mcs home but bigger scale and better all around better at it, then takes these basic materials before sending them to other structures like CGK baracks, kitten dens, cat factory's, airport tower, etc.
Airport tower: one of largest and tallest structures at mcs disposal, both builds all air based units anything kitten's does make less unit is build with them like cat Factory's, but for air only, but not space capable craft thats for different structure, as well works at air craft coronation towers like normal airports have.
Have more ideas but realized my thoughts getting better of me again, lol, your story gets me going, ill probably post some more but as relays to this not sure, sorry if getting pushy, when i get idea i usually post it were i got it. Wether you use it or dont, i dont mide i just love this story and I'll continue coming back when available, this one of my favorite stores cant wait for next chapter
@DemeanCosmos
Idea for tower i call broadcast tower, has multiple purposes, area denial to enemies models, private cat communicate network, spot tower for models, mini bunker, normal speakers broadcaster projector for people in ear range with no network communication capabilities, and basic force shield defense, and clocking.
At base tower hexagon shaped bunker, that can fit 10 people at most, on each wall at base total of size large resonator projectors better fin tuned then grenade variants that no longer have potential harm humans any more like grenade variants by use of better technology of resonator types, that kills all most models from model 9 and lower models, on top of bunker edges above resonator projectors are six automated grenade Gatling gun implements crewed by six kitten robot models(for aesthetics ) be hind gun implacments shaped in cone going about 9 meters high(this hight reason? Cats have nine lives thought keep theme with nine's) has six large speakers for broadcasting, array of best mc could get for private and secured communication tech, at tope of tower three flat spinning rounded disk, lowest of three spinning disks is a radar disk, to detect hive models, and everything else, middle spinning disk is force Field projector with force field generator at base of tower, forming a dome shaped barrier, lastly top spinning disk is clocking shield projector ment block most basic models below model 9. Also surface of tower also has cloaking technology like MC's wears but made for static structures. This probably be later added tower mc uses. Not immediately as mc would need unlock this tech to build.
Generalissimo Lucy!
So with them being kinda dumb plant things, the "Tower Defense" bit is kinda literal, isn't it.
Hmm. Would being underwater actually be better for a race of aliens who apparently can survive in a vacuum? Becausr space has zero atmospheres of pressure, earth has ond atmosphere at sea level, and it only increases underwater. So it might actually be detrimental.
I blitzed through all this in like 3 or 4 days and I'm annoyed that I'm OUT OF CHAPTERS. A series this good after reading garbage for weeks and I run out of it in 4 days?!?!? I both love and hate this!
Love cause there's more to read in the future, hate cause there nothing to read now
Any who, the one thing I want to ask about is if you plan to have some kind of small time skip. Like a few weeks or months cause from memory, Cat became vanguard less the 2 weeks ago. This series has is my favorite in a while since good sci fi is hard to find online. Therefore the amount of time that has passed in the story is my only complaint, I've loved everything else.
Best part is probably the progression of the scale of conflict and how Cat has changed. It's slight but she's coming up with plans better than at the start and executing them in ways that let her outside her usual box. Plus, the fact that this city defense is smaller than her last incursion yet it's feels more important since Cat has to make all the calls herself with little help. And there's no big time Vanguard to call for back up. Not yet at least
Hmm, I'm not planning any sort of timeskip, no. I don't see why we'd need one?
I think I know where your question about a time skip comes from. It feels a bit "rushed" in terms of in-story time (2 weeks).
There's a limit to how much you can grow/adapt mentally in such a short time and it often feels like Cat just doesn't have time, or is constantly overwhelmed, to proactively develop (eg. reflect, planning gear like discussing it with Miyalis/Lucy in a not-active/impending battle setting, training, figuring out her weapons of choices etc.). The only instance being Grasshopper "forcing" her to train, where other Samurai just throw her into the deep end.
It's often than not that she just reacts to or gets dragged along by the current of events and also leaves a lot of such planning to Myalis who isn't that proactive by nature (not telling her what to do just accommodating her), which ends in impulsive/compulsive shopping with little time to consider or just plainly leaving it up to Myalis to choose.
This causes Cat to feel like a character that lacks agency that is somewhat contradicting her antiauthoritarian and cynical traits which could be explained by her being constantly overwhelmed(ie. coming full circle).
@RavensDagger
Maybe let Cat address the issues like being overwhelmed/untrained more proactively? At this point I would expect her to bite the bullet and get a brain implant to increase here reaction time/time to think under stress.
Anyway, thanks for the story. It's nevertheless very enjoyable so far.
@PhiPhi a bullet-time implant that lets a Vanguard plan out purchases in the middle of combat is actually genius since it perfectly plays to their strengths.
thanks for the chapter! more please!!!
it wasn't that important then