Ten Armors and Value

"ACPA?! Are you sure that's an ACPA?"

Jack looked genuinely surprised at Oliver's words, because everyone knew what an ACPA was.

ACPA, short for 'Assault Combat Power Armor,' is essentially a suit of armor that provides the firepower and protection of an armored vehicle or even a tank, but can be worn by a person.

In current Braindance gaming terms, you could call it a 'power armor.'

"I'm certain, Jack. The Sixth Street Gang has three sets of small riot ACPA stashed away. I never thought I'd see information about ACPA in a Scavenger's den, especially since they aren't exactly allowed to be openly present in Night City after Arasaka and Militech signed the ceasefire agreement. It's really strange."

"ACPA don't need to be openly present?"

Karl thought back to something he seemed to remember seeing: "But I remember that NCPD officers blocking traffic sometimes have a fully armed mech standing next to the vehicles they're stopping. Isn't that an ACPA?"

"That's just an exoskeleton with an ACPA weapon platform attached at best."

Oliver explained, "A real ACPA completely outclasses those exoskeletons that just look like ACPA mechs in terms of firepower, armor thickness, and personnel safety. It moves like a tank, you know? It can plow through anything."

"That suddenly makes me wonder," Karl said, running his fingers through his hair. "If power armor is so strong, why do corporations prefer to research cybernetics? Could it be that cybernetics are more useful than power armor on the battlefield?"

"Karl, you really are a clueless young master."

Jack answered the question for Oliver: "Cybernetics are about the lives of those Corpo Dogs up there. They can replace a heart or a lung and still look human. But if they climb into power armor and let machines replace their bodies, surviving purely on nutrient fluid, their whole appearance is just an iron shell. Wouldn't that make them a canned good?"

It felt like the Dreadnought veterans from certain stories were being dissed.

"And that's not all," Oliver added. "Controlling an ACPA with just a human body would subject you to too much G-force during movement. A fragile human body might not be able to withstand that kind of force. It's not so much that they value cybernetics more than ACPA, but that a person's cybernetic enhancements need to be strong enough to withstand the ACPA."

"I see... But what does G-force mean?"

"Didn't you watch the aviation guide Braindance I recommended? Simply put, it's the gravitational acceleration experienced during high-speed movement."

"Yeah, I didn't finish it. I don't really get it."

That's what Karl said, but he understood a bit about the situation with cybernetics and ACPA.

The two shouldn't be seen as separate things, but rather as complementary, like a wooden stick and the iron spearhead attached to it. They become stronger when combined.

After resolving that question, a new one arose.

"Speaking of which, if Militech and Arasaka don't allow ACPA to be openly present in Night City, aren't they afraid that a corporation or a gang like the Sixth Street Gang might hide ACPA and launch a surprise attack on their important personnel in Night City?"

Oliver explained this to Karl as well:

"That's because, while ACPA are strong, they're not invincible against cybernetics. Do you know how much a good ACPA costs, Karl? Take the Sixth Street Gang's small ACPA, for example. Those are relatively cheap, only about 1.4 million eddies each. But do you know how much it costs to take down one of those ACPA on the battlefield?"

"Money?"

"After all, to corporations, human lives are worthless; money is what matters. It's always measured in money. I once heard a veteran from the Sixth Street Gang who participated in the war say that on the battlefield, not just those 1.4 million eddies light ACPA, but even medium and heavy ones, can be taken down by sending out a few veterans with Sandevistans and technical weapons. And do you know how much those expendable veterans cost?"

Sandevistan

: A type of cyberware that can enhance a person's muscles and reflexes in a short period of time, allowing them to reach their limit and slowing down their perception of external time.

Taking down high-value ACPA only requires cybernetic veterans to risk their lives.

Karl understood and said, "So, the value isn't equal."

"That's pretty much the idea. Corporations only care about money."

Having understood, Karl didn't foolishly ask what would happen if a veteran with a Sandevistan wore ACPA. According to Oliver, the pilot of an ACPA needs to have a significant amount of cybernetics installed in the first place. Adding a Sandevistan, which few people can handle, would probably cause the pilot to develop Cyberpsychosis and indiscriminately kill teammates and enemies after one battle or even halfway through a battle.

The consequences of installing random cybernetics are well-known, even to street punks.

The discussion about ACPA armor was coming to an end. Karl looked at the message from the client. The vehicle would be downstairs in one minute, and it was about time to move the target down. So, he copied the image data about the ACPA armor from the Scavenger's computer and then raised his gun and smashed the computer to pieces.

"We can talk about this more later while we eat and drink. Let's finish this job first."

The presence of ACPA armor data in a Scavenger's den was certainly strange, but Karl and the others didn't have any more information. Even if they did, knowing it was just knowing it, and there was nothing more to explore in depth.

"Alright, we'll have a topic to talk about when we get back, but before that..."

Jack glanced at the place filled with messy cybernetics. "I have to call the NCPD. We should be glad there aren't many bodies here, just a lot of cybernetics that have been stripped off. Otherwise, I'd definitely have a nightmare tonight."

Of course, Jack was joking. A tough guy who came from the Valentinos gang wouldn't be scared by a few bodies.

Oliver raised an eyebrow at Jack's words about calling the NCPD.

"If you call the NCPD, they'll probably confiscate these cybernetics and then sell them to Ripperdocs who buy second-hand cybernetics."

Even as he said that, Oliver still dialed the NCPD's number.

Because compared to scum like the Scavengers, the NCPD at least had some principles.

Although not many.