We could see Jester and Exxes still going at it over the monitor. Thankfully Erin had the sound off. Internal conflicts, this early on, wasn’t something I was ready to wade into. I turned to Erin who was plugging away at her databoard. “They're going to be okay right?”

Erin looked up from her databoard. “How should I know. I don’t know them, other than occasionally in passing.”

“Oh.”

“Shall we get started?”

“Yeah. Let’s do this! All though... I feel like I have no idea what I am doing. I mean, I haven’t even tested my abilities thoroughly, how am I going to design something that is going to suit my strengths and mitigate my weaknesses?”

“That’s just it. Most of this is more about how you see yourself. So if you view yourself as some heroic badass swinging a sword that’s something that should work out quite well. So we design it with traits that mirror what you visualize.”

“So if I say I want 2 smaller blast/burst focuses mounted in parallel to the top of my forearm we could do that?”

“Well sure, but you have a limited number of focuses that you can use, certainly size does play a role in the total number you have available, but I’m not sure if that would be optimal.”

“Well one of the things I have learned in my life, won through time on the battlefield, is that sometimes the numbers lie, and what works best is something purpose built. For instance, say you have 100 soldiers equipped with the latest smart weapons. What happens when an enemy closes into a melee? Sometimes the right tool for the job may not always be the most optimal. Sometimes something that seems less optimal, but with some type of specialization will be a superior choice.”

“I see. I think that makes sense. It’s like using a sledgehammer to break a rock versus a crowbar. Sure the crowbar might work, but a sledgehammer is designed for it. Well depending on size we might be able to treat it as just one of your total allotment.”

“What size are the focuses? Can you give me a rough estimate so I can visualize the systems I am drawing up in my head? I need to know if it will cause complications.”

“A typical Rig is scaled up from the user’s height by about 1/3rd. A standard focus before specialization equipment is about the size of a softball.”

“I have a question. It sounds like to me, if they are wired into a rig they are assumed to be always on. Is there a way to turn some on or off? Could there be different modes that change which focuses are connected? Does a wielded type only count as part of the system if it’s being wielded?”

“Wow, you ask a lot of questions when it comes to weapons. Are you some kind of gun nut?”

“No, ma'am. I’m just deadly serious about what weapons and or force multipliers I can or can’t manage to carry with me. In any conflict, the outcome is determined by the hardware brought to bear. That’s ultimately why we ‘won’ the war. I like to refer to it as the great interdimensional skirmish, but people seem to take offense to that. We sabotaged their weapons and tech, and since they thought they would stomp us in their first offensive, the ultimately didn’t bring enough weapons to the fight. Once we defanged their main force everything else was just tacit token resistance. There is a reason the founding forefathers of the United States of America included the Second Amendment. An enemy from without or within will have a hard time oppressing or conquering an armed people. Certainly, there are reasonable regulations to be put in place, but it has a purpose, and it certainly saved the U.S. They suffered the least out of the nations that were attacked.”

“Well, that’s a very traditionalist point of view.”

“Only because I lived it.”

“Well as far as the number of focuses, usually 6 standard sized focuses can be used simultaneously. We have had some luck testing mode switching, but that has had limitations. Focuses that are intended to be wielded usually requires a micro focus installed to act as a pipeline to it, but only the micro is counted as being active until it's being used. It is about the equivalent of 1/4th of a focus.”

“Are there large focuses? I figure you have a micro at a fourth, small as a half, normal as a whole. Is there a double that is considered a large focus?

“Yes, but most pilots don’t go for something that’s going to tie up two whole slots. The spider leg mod actually runs on a large focus. That is why it limits the focus options so much. Although with some specialization you can lower the total cost. For instance, it only requires one large one, because that focus is tuned like an engraph would. Otherwise, it would have been 4 normal focuses.”

“Okay. I think I’m starting to get an idea of what I want to try out. I think a micro focus for each arm. I want wielding options.”

“That should be simple enough.”

“I want specialized burst only small focuses, if possible, on the outside of the legs and on the shoulders If possible. I’m not sure if it can be specialized that much.”

“I think we might be able to keep that cost down to 1 equivalent focus instead of two with the right tuning. I am guessing you are looking to have evasion jets?”

“Yeah, more or less that’s the plan. I am interested in doing 2 small focuses 1 on each forearm to help with the shield generation. Would they be strong enough for that?”

“Yeah if you specialize them with a short range emitter array. We should be able to get you the shield size and hardness you are looking for. Wouldn’t be able to use them for your other defensive technique.”

“That’s fine. That should work just fine. Would 2 small focuses on the left forearm that are specialized to ‘burst only’ be enough to duplicate my shotgun blast?”

“No I don’t think so, but I think we might be able to do an array of 4 micro focuses that are blast/burst and get the same result. The size will greatly limit the range, no worse than before, but I think treating them as an array we should be able to get the same results, and that same oomph. It’s tricky. Larger single designed focuses usually benefit from an increase of around 25 percent. In an array, depending on tuning, we sometimes lose certain effects that don’t scale well, like in this instance range, but we make up for that with about a 50 percent increase in output. Meaning we are crippled on range, but boosted on output. That should work quite well with your shotgun blast. Might even be able to double up and use it as your pile driver punch. The range would be about the same. The output would be devastating.”

“I was wondering if we had a shoulder pod, could it be something that didn’t count, unless engaged? Like readying it up, locking it into position or something.”

“I actually think that could work. What did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking a railgun with a large focus, and a ‘missile pod’ of dart + blast/burst with 1 normal sized focus each, for the hybrid effect.”

“Interesting. We will have to test it, but that seems like it could work, we would need the additional micro focuses though.”

“I want a large field focus, as a kind of backpack. Well... installed center mass. I feel like that would allow me plenty of defensive options.”

“With your defense options that could be a powerful tool. Your entropy might even work to damage some of the more potent monsters out there. There is a category we refer to as elementals or spirits. They often have a high density of Aether, it would wreak havoc on them. It should also give you an advantage in Aether control confrontations.”

“That’s the plan. I figure I can also use it as a giant shield projection, in the worst case scenario. I’m betting If it’s a directional shield I could potentially create something like a bulwark. Being able to set up a stable defensive wall would be of great tactical value.”

“You really do think these things out.”

“That’s a pleasant surprise. Usually, I’m being told I think too much. Okay, if I’m honest, it’s usually: God! Why do you have to overthink everything!?”

“Well assuming everything balances out, we still have one more focus point to work with.”

“I think an explosive quarrel hybrid for the right arm would be good. A 2 small focus burst/dart unit. That should work right?”

“Yeah, I don’t see why not. If it was another microarray, that would be good as you could double up with the other arm. Not sure how compatible that would ultimately be, but if it isn’t compatible, we would just end up a net loss. I don’t think the explosive quarrel would be very effective being hamstrung by a quirk of a microarray.”

“Yeah, that was pretty much my thinking as well. Is there any testing on how it would work? Would the range be reduced or would it be the number of fragments?”

“That would ultimately depend on the array set up. Technically that applies to both. You could tune the ‘shotgun’ microarray to have better range, but lower power output and projectile count. I honestly don’t think that would work very well with your visualization. Not to say that you couldn’t adjust it, but your current one just has immense destructive potential. I know we haven’t really covered elemental biases, but pairing that with your entropy or entropy + dark, would be potentially very powerful.”

“Yeah... I’m kinda lost there. We have only worked with raw Aether, so far, but how would I go about adding, folding, combining, or whatever it’s called with my elemental biases? Would that be helpful, you mention one combination being a good idea, but how will I know what is a good combination?”

“Whoa, there. Let’s go through this one at a time. Good questions, but this gets complicated. You still have ports for wielded options. Why don’t we finish that up first.”

“Okay, I guess I understand setting up a base layer first. I just worry that I might set different priorities if the elemental inputs change things too much.”

“I don’t foresee anything that would limit you so far, but we still need to start testing some of those things. We can always adjust things later.”

“Alright, I was thinking a basic emitter focus that was comprised of an array of small focuses.”

“That should work fine, but a generic emitter? Granted using an array should combat some of the downsides of the generic emitters, but you have to understand that arrays can’t take as much Aether at one time. You can ‘burn’ them out. With a failsafe built in that equals a kind of a cooling off period, but that will present its own risks.”

“That’s fine, it’s more of a backup anyway... Is it possible to make a large focus that combines blast and rail? How about Field and burst? How about a threeway between field, blast, and rail?”

“Yes, Yes, if we put a limiter in it that only allows 2 to be active at any given time, Yes.”

“Could you create a mounting bracket to hold one of the three-way hybrid and one of the field burst ones?”

“Depends on design. I’m guessing you want the ‘backup’ on your thigh in a pistol style holster?”

“Yeah, that would be perfect. Here let me sketch out the design I’m thinking for the hybrid and the field burst units. Could I wield these at the same time? What happens if I go over my target of 6 points for a focus load across the system?”

“Sure that might work better. You could, it might be taxing. It varies, it will often prove very taxing if you don’t have the mental focus for it, and the results could be poor. If you are not actively using all of them all at once in a continuous fashion, it shouldn’t pose too much of a problem. The more you increase the load, the greater the chance you drain/utilize too much Aether too quickly and it either knocks you out or causes you to become sick. You might just be rendered unable to move. I have no doubt you should be able to handle a little extra, due to being subjected to wildling exposure, but I would definitely be careful. Taking too many risks like that could prove fatal.”