Virtual War: Alpha Centauri (A LitRPG Novel) by Steven J Shelley

Author:Steven J Shelley [Shelley, Steven J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Blue Orchid Books
Published: 2017-04-09T06:00:00+00:00

15

Talbot heard the drone of an engine approaching from the north east. He had the troops take up defensive positions along the edge of the jungle while they waited for it to approach. At length the quad came grumbling down the river bed, manned by the two engineers Talbot had left behind.

“Sir,” one said bashfully as he pulled in, aware of the eyes on him. “We tried to contact you, but our coms were disrupted.”

Talbot frowned. Did the Irians have some kind of signal jammer?

“What happened, soldier?” he asked.

“We were attacked. Three Irians on patrol. Private Jannes and I just had time to get the quad going. We figured the raw materials were more valuable than winning a minor skirmish. We found this river bed and have been following it ever since.”

“You did very well, Private,” Talbot said. “In fact, your timing is immaculate.”

The young man beamed.

“What now, sir?”

“I want a five-man base,” Talbot said, raising his voice so everyone could hear. “You can bet the Irians will be on our tail. They’re quicker than us. Stealthier. We need to slow them down while we make a run for the remaining beacons. Start building something compact but fucking hard to bust open. I expect you all to level up at least once in the next few hours. Before we get to work, you’ve got half an hour to refresh yourselves. Dismissed.”

From the looks on the soldiers’ faces, they were keen and engaged. Talbot suspected they, like him, enjoyed being proactive rather than reacting to what the Irians were doing. It made for a positive change after the horrors of Regal.

Under the watchful eye of Gary “Quantum” Banner, the base started to take shape within a couple of hours. Talbot authorized the use of all materials salvaged from the last mission. There was no reason why they couldn’t fashion more materials on Avari. A workbench and forge were created in the shade of the north canyon wall. Talbot planned to destroy them once the base was completed and the rest of the host was ready to move on.

The engineers produced tools on the workbench using raw materials gathered from the jungle. Quite a few mechanists were emerging from the engineer pool. These guys came into their own when given a time to be creative. Before long the soldiers were mining granite directly from the canyon wall. Adding water and mud from the river, bricks could be fashioned in the forge.

The soldiers sweated and grunted in the morning sun as Quantum’s design began to take shape. Talbot marveled at the economy of the construction. The base was like a hexagonal bunker. The walls were comprised of granite bricks, the roof crafted from existing metal plates. Quantum and a dedicated detachment began digging a trench through the hard-packed sand. One of the hydrologists charted a channel that diverted the water through, creating a moat. Of course, it wouldn’t stop marauding dragoons, but it might slow them down enough to pick them off.

Once Quantum had finished his sweaty work, he approached Talbot with a coy expression.

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