We got a lot of trophies. The weapons and ammunition of the bandits - some of them, though they used digital storage, had specialized modules instead of ECHOs, or no protection at all, or minimal protection that could be opened - were only a small part of the booty. Roland took Michael Schlepp, the gang's storekeeper, alive, and he opened up our treasury and armory.

  Sometimes the risk pays off. That's not to say this gang was particularly rich or well-armed, but... To start with Roland's trophy, which he honestly took from the ringleader's body. A revolver from Tedior, one of the "unique series" they used for their advertising campaign a few years ago. Not only is it basically good in every way, but it comes with a bonus of free ammo every day, a special service from the manufacturer.

  I am envious.

  However, Roland earned this weapon honestly, and we had discussed the division of trophies in advance. And most importantly, I didn't miss out either. Though the armory had no weapons comparable to this revolver, there was a worthy analog from Jacobs, with all its advantages and disadvantages. No free ammo, and worse overall, but still. There was also a decent assault rifle from Vladoff, a grenade modifier... Unfortunately, there was no decent shield.

  However, all this was secondary, and even money was not the main thing, although there was a lot of it in the "treasury".

  I'll start with the dubious.

  There were several Eridian artifacts in the ringleader's collection. "Slight increase in survivability", "slight increase in resistance to fire", "moderate increase in dexterity"... I risked trying the last one, since its effect should be the most noticeable... well, what can I say - it was easier to reload weapons. And the recoil is easier. Not much, but noticeable. Perhaps even worth using... Resistance to fire can also be useful, in certain situations.

  The second point... perhaps it would be worth saying "regrettable". The collection included not only Eridian relics, including the Eridian cannon, by the way. There were also trophies taken from corporate agents. A Hyperion night vision device, a shoulder support system for the Dahl themselves, an Atlas electronic cartridge belt... Vladoff's engineering visor.

  Quite old, but still better than mine - higher quality, and more functions. Considering that no special licenses are required to use it, I immediately replaced mine with it. Thank you, unknown comrade, for your contribution to my well-being...

  The third item is definitely useful. Several license keys, a couple of used ones, for multiple users, and a few disposable ones. Maybe the bandit planned to sell them, I don't know. A few relatively useless ones, but one of them was for synthesizing armor alloy; weak, between "civilian" and "for junior officers", but even so far better than the plain steel I've had to use. And it's a good thing if the steel is...

  Anyway, even though it required materials to synthesize - solvable - it was stronger and lighter than what I was using now, even in its basic form. And you could use layered composite, and use the right angles of plating... All in all, my survivability would have to go up. The car could be strengthened, too, again.

  The next, fourth, item... Weird. Well, at least by the standards of normal planets. Nothing surprising on Pandora, I suppose.

  An invitation, with an electronic access key, to a certain "Club of the Badasses". I would have just ignored it, were it not for two factors.

  First, my ECHO flagged it as an important object, even before I noticed it myself. And second, the thing came with the ringleader's journal, which... shall we say, described its usefulness.

  According to his entries, some lunatics, the founders of this club, well... gave out rewards for doing crazy things. "Badass," it said. Show proof on the site, get points for it, points could be exchanged for rewards. There was a list of tasks, plus you could submit something of your own to the founders. The late leader, according to his records, even got some licenses from this "club". Hmm. I'd say it's like a way to get extra cash on top of the levels. Hey, Almighty Bastard, you got anything to say?

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  It don't. The fact that the ECHO pointed to the key spoke for itself, though.

  And then there was the storekeeper. Or rather, that he actually had the information I needed.

  - In ca-caves, under the Dahl's av-avannpost on the Dead Mountain stashed fab-fabricator - shifting his gaze from Roland to me and back, confessed a small man with a large bald spot, desperately afraid of us. - Sunny Ku-kuk took the processor module, John Three Crosses took the activator key. Then they f-fought to the death, and fought for a long time, until the Three Crosses finished Sunny off. On this occasion he had a big drunken party, after which his drunken self was eaten by skags. But Sunny had a son, Moonny, who got the processor. He made an amulet out of it and wore it around his neck until he gave it to his lover, Catherine Puffass. In the end, when she separated from Moonny, she sold the amulet to a shaman from the island of Wam-Bam, from whom, in turn, the amulet was stolen. After that, the amulet was lost for a while, until it resurfaced in Ma-Marcus Kincaid's shop, where a tramp traded it for a revolver.

  - Listen, how do you know all this? - I asked puzzled.

  - Rumor mills is grinding - The storekeeper shrugged his shoulders. - As for the key, the skag that ate it was soon shot by Mordecai the hunter, and then the next day he exchange the key in Moxie's bar for drink.

  ...

  If it wasn't for the helmet, I'd be rubbing my temples. Moxie, you glorious bastard lady... I'm pretty sure she knew all that. Well, maybe not all of it, but the location of the key components.

  I feel like a goddamn protagonist.

  And what did Moxie say in response to my "report"? "Oh, that's how it is."

  At least she didn't break call out at that, though the image did disappear briefly. When it returned, the woman was holding a cocktail glass.

  - Sorry, darling, work is work, - she remarked, pushing the cocktail somewhere on the counter. - So you need a key and a processor.

  - That would be nice, - I replied sarcastically.

  - Hmm. How about a deal? I'll get you the "amulet" from Marcus if you help me improve my base, which you and Roland so kindly freed from bandits.

  Bitch. But for some reason I'm not even angry.

  - Agreed - I sighed. Considering that she started with the item that was listed as Marcus's, and not hers, I can assume that we'll have to work separately for the key.

  Well, what can I say - Moxie does not disappoint.

  Although this time she had me much less pleasantly.

  Moxie wanted to turn the fort into a new arena that would be not just a fortified area, but a special... complex, with a set of devices that would "add fire," including literal ones. Serious work, and requiring, for a change, not only the use of ready-made technical solutions through licenses, but also real work in various directions - from design to debugging.

  It's worth giving the lady credit: she didn't try to make the most of the situation. The captured building, objectively, was not needed by me or Roland, and she paid for the work not only with CPU, but also with cash. Moxie has an extremely strong grip - in every sense of the word, yes... - but she's also great at manipulating others without making enemies. Yes, I got screwed (again), but it remained mutually beneficial.

  Starting to admire this woman, frankly.