Chapter 17: Progress Never Sleeps
Arasaka had no shortage of security contracts, but only two in particular required Vera's personal involvement.
The first was a high-profile wedding in Bharat, South Asia, for the daughter of an ultra-wealthy businessman with shady dealings and a long list of enemies—some of them religious extremists. He had paid a premium to commission Arasaka's elite security services.
At the time, Vera was at Arasaka's Tokyo HQ receiving a commendation. Spotting the lucrative bonus attached to the contract, she volunteered to act as both a high-level combatant and field commander for the operation. She spent a few tense days protecting the event, ensuring everything went off without incident.
The second event was closer to home: Arasaka's internal cultural celebration, the Aratama Matsuri.
This annual festival frequently featured appearances from high-ranking members of the Arasaka family. In 2074, Arasaka Michiko herself attended the Night City event, and Vera—by then a senior officer in Arasaka's Security Division—was assigned to patrol the floating palace where the VIPs gathered. Once again, everything went perfectly.
Now, Vera's attention had shifted to the South American branch—specifically, Chile.
The country, rich in copper, forests, and marine resources, was a crucial supply zone for Arasaka's manufacturing division. But Militech had begun to stir again, reaching in with its "dirty little hands."
They were arming local gangs, sponsoring insurgents, and smuggling weapons into the region—clearly laying the groundwork for a larger conflict.
Arasaka Intelligence picked up on the signals. Vera, after a swift briefing with her superiors, decided to preempt any possible threat. She deployed three Rapid Response Teams, each a hundred-strong, alongside a mechanized unit of heavy armor.
Then she parachuted in to command the operation personally.
By striking first, Vera disrupted the opposition's plans before they could execute. For the time being, Chile was stable. Local resistance had been crushed, and unless Militech committed serious reinforcements, they wouldn't be able to reorganize for years.
Just as Vera was preparing to return to Night City, trouble erupted in Australia.
This time, there was no confirmed external interference—at least none that Arasaka Intelligence could trace.
Still, the Pacific Rim command was wary. Vera's unit was nearby, with comms and logistics already in sync. As always, Arasaka's philosophy applied: "Use talent to the limit. Promote them if they survive."
So Vera was rerouted to handle the situation in Sydney.
Sydney wasn't like Night City. It wasn't a testing ground for bleeding-edge cyberware. It wasn't flooded with chrome junkies, black-market ripperdocs, or gangs juiced up on military-grade implants. Compared to the chaos of Night City, Sydney was practically peaceful.
The protests here weren't from chrome-guzzling anarchists—they came from exploited workers.
The people were upset about Arasaka's environmental pollution and exploitative labor practices: low wages, long hours, and contaminated rivers. Their grievances were real.
Vera wasn't bloodthirsty. If unarmed civilians protested, she simply dispersed them with minimal force.
A few black eyes, some fractured bones—there was no need for shotguns or bullets.
> "Sigh... I'm becoming more and more like a corporate mutt."
There was a glass ceiling at Arasaka. No matter how many accolades she earned, without blood ties to the family, she'd never climb high enough.
> I need another route... Maybe I should go back to school?
---
Chapter 18: I Want to Improve Too Much
Sydney International Airport.
The engines hummed with mechanical rhythm. The hatch sealed, the aircraft lifted. Vera looked out the porthole as Sydney's skyline shrank behind her.
Her expression was bored, almost bitter—another assignment checked off the list, another win that didn't matter.
A subordinate approached. Combat insignia on his shoulder, a tactical cyberdeck mounted across his chest. He hesitated as he spoke:
> "Officer Russell, Intel isolated the ringleaders from the protest. Are we really leaving it at this?"
Vera smirked.
> "What, they so hungry they'll eat anything?"
She waved the suggestion off. "This is a branch problem. We were just backup. Wouldn't be polite for guests to upstage the hosts."
Australia—like much of the Pacific Rim—was a goldmine of resources. Arasaka saw it as a supply chain lynchpin. Pollution, overexploitation, and factory expansion had already turned much of the countryside into industrial wastelands.
From her window, Vera saw it clearly: black smoke rising from automated megafactories, rivers choked with chemicals.
Industry is power. Heavy industry is military power. And military power secures everything else.
The execs didn't want riots, didn't want media leaks, didn't want the stock to crash. So rather than overstep, the local office asked Tokyo for help. Vera was dispatched because she was nearby, efficient, and could disappear after the job.
With the situation now under control—and no signs of foreign meddling—Vera filed her return orders to Night City.
But only Vera knew the full reason she wanted out.
Part of it was courtesy; let the branch office handle the messy wrap-up. The other part?
She didn't want her hands stained more than necessary. Even for a corporate dog, she had limits.
> "If I'm going to be a hypocrite, I'd at least like to be a clean one."
Settling back in her seat, she synced her mind to the aircraft's neural link and opened the virtual grid terminal.
— Application Submitted —
From: Vera Adelheid Russell, Arasaka HQ (Night City)
To: Arasaka Global HQ, Tokyo
Subject: Internal Recommendation and Scholarship — University of Tokyo Law Faculty
A flash of orange-red glimmered in her cybernetic irises as she stared at the data screen.
Vera's rank had plateaued. Even with her status as a loyal orphan of the Arasaka family, with medals, frontline deployments, and impeccable reviews—she had reached her limit.
Without a few more promotions, she couldn't access top-tier biotech research. She couldn't speak openly about what she'd learned from the alternate timeline Umbrella Corporation.
And she really wanted to bring the T-virus and G-virus longevity technology to Arasaka's top brass—maybe even to Saburo Arasaka himself.
But to do that, she needed legitimacy.
And blowing up a Militech HQ in Night City? That would trigger the Fifth Corporate War.
Not worth it.
So she needed a new angle. A civilian one.
A prestigious university.
Not some night school for gangoons. Not a corporate-sponsored academy churning out middle managers. A real elite school.
Like Tokyo University—the birthplace of Arasaka execs, Pacific Rim politicians, and ruling elites. Even Yorinobu Arasaka studied there.
It had been two years since Vera graduated from Arasaka Academy. She had field experience, wealth, and excellent performance records.
> "I'm motivated. I'm capable. I've led over a hundred operations. I'm not applying as charity."
Ding.
[Application Sent]
---
Arasaka Tokyo HQ — Analysis Department
On a holographic screen, Vera's profile floated before several executives.
> "Vera Russell. Night City's golden girl. Head of Security, chief of SRT. Has ties to Adam Smasher. Daughter of Frederick Russell. Clean record. Top-tier scores. Hungry for power."
> "Not likely to be a mole. No signs of foreign contact. No need for a scholarship either. She's loaded. Valedictorian of 2070. She won't be a bad investment."
> "Approve it."
> "Agreed."
> "Forward it to Lord Saburo for final decision."