Chapter 30.
Slater drove his avatar up to the crowd of Chixturax, spotting Hixrax near the front of the mob. The crowd skirted away from his imposing mech, afraid of being crushed beneath it. Ixlab pushed his way forward, not worried in the least as he began prodding at and using scanners on the avatar’s hull. Slater ordered the medpods containing Kraxton and Bexlan to be brought forward and the armored casing removed so Hixrax could see his children.
“Why are all these peop...
2021-03-17 16:36:18 +0000 UTC
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This was a bit of concept art for Derelict 3. I was toying with using one of the big battles inside the station for the cover, but ended up wanting a shot of the ship in front of the station instead.
2021-03-15 15:29:18 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 29.
Several things happened at once. First, Slater ordered his drones to build a pair of medpods for the injured kids. He had designed them for the Chixturax ship and knew they would do the job, if he could get them inside quickly enough. While the medpods were being built he flashed a warning to the MOBS at the dockyard, they went into high alert, moving into position in case the Administrator struck there. He called back his nanobots, pulling them from the Derelict compartme...
2021-03-15 14:07:57 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 28.
With resources flowing in, and over fifty construction drones working away, Slater made good progress on the two ships. While he was still angry, he didn’t stop work on the Chixturax vessel. Giving himself some time, Slater realized that he wouldn’t punish the vast majority of the Chixturax people because some of their leaders had treated him poorly. At least the Chixturax had sent over the start charts as promised. It took him some time, but Slater was able to pinpoin...
2021-03-12 15:26:41 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 27.
“Slater there is something I don’t understand about the early games of your culture,” Kraxton said. Slater looked over and found the young Chixturax had started his foray into human gaming with some of the classic early games. They were primitive things, but that didn’t seem to stop Kraxton from enjoying them.
“What don’t you understand?” Slater said, paying half attention to the kid while considering how the current research might require him to rebuil...
2021-03-10 15:09:03 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 26.
His cyborks at target one had been caught out in the open, stacked up on the doors and ready to breach the building. The death contraption thingy went straight at them, the heavy laser beam eyes of the ungainly machine continuously firing. In response, the pair of gnomechs assigned to target one counterattacked, moving in close to draw attention away from the less protected cyborks. Turning to face the cyborks had left the weaker armor on the sides of the machine open to a...
2021-03-08 19:22:04 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 25.
“Slater, I believe we have uncovered some information that may be critical to our defense,” Hixrax said over the comms. The kids had just left with the prototypes for the newest Chixturax body armor. They delayed their departure to watch the latest group of challengers attempt his Derelict.
“What did you find?” Slater replied.
“In preparation for our eventual departure, several of our remaining businesses have been sold and the funds were used to purc...
2021-03-05 18:16:27 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 24.
Slater watched the snipped of sensor data and audio from a human warship called the USS Phoenix. The ship was about to engage in a border conflict with a superior Chinese fleet when alien ships arrived. It was painful to watch, two earth nations ready to fight each other over a system when there was an entire universe out here to explore. Now, it looked like alien forces were going to exploit our infighting.
Instead of a flood of enemy vessels jumping into t...
2021-03-04 15:48:32 +0000 UTC
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This is the last chapter of War Core that I have written. I'll likely keep working on it, but will only be able to do a chapter or so per week while I focus on finishing up Derelict 3. The next chapter of Derelict 3 will be up later today.
Let me know how you're liking the War Core story. Is it something you'd like to see continue?
Chapter 20.
Hugh had ten minutes left to build up his defense. Hitting level three on the command post had unlocked new build options...
2021-03-04 15:19:31 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 19.
Hugh was down to seven minutes when the machine gun team walked off the assembly line. The team consisted of two standard infantry mechs, each holding a component of the machine gun. The weapon itself resembled the World War 2 weapon it was named after, just like the GCA had done with most of his other equipment. The second mech on the team carried a foldout tripod for the weapon as well as the large power supply that the plasma-based weapon required. He assigned the team ...
2021-03-02 15:29:54 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 18.
“Here’s what we’re going to do. I need a section of five infantry mechs covering the west. The rest of our forces will crush the eastern force then move to support the west,” Hugh ordered. He didn’t have time for it now, but with his forces growing larger in each battle, there was a need to standardize unit sizes at some point. While he had the time, Hugh assigned any newly produced units to assist with the holding action to the west. New arrivals would take posi...
2021-02-27 15:04:36 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 23.
Hamilton System, USS Oxford.
“Hold our course steady, this is a close to that thing as I want to get,” Captain Marth told helm.
“Can we get everything we need from this distance?” His XO, Commander Rice, asked.
“We’ll get more than we’ll get if they spot us,” Marth replied. They still weren’t entirely sure how the Gargonth sensors worked, so he had stopped just short of the poin...
2021-02-26 20:59:32 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 17.
“Light ‘em up! I want focus fire on the two highlighted landing craft,” Captain Tran shouted over comms and the fifteen infantry mechs I had assembled began to lay down fire on the approaching Krixnas landing craft. The captain highlighted two of the craft for our soldiers, and they split their fire between them. Hugh was a little worried that they were ignoring the other four craft but spreading the fire out over six different targets wouldn’t accomplish much with...
2021-02-25 14:11:15 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 22.
The debris remaining inside the dockyard was sparse, most of it had been sucked out when the gnomes destroyed the airlock. Thankfully, they had enough funds to bring in fresh salvage, even though prices continued to increase as sellers realized that the Chixturax were buying whatever they could find. When the first loads of salvage arrived, Slater’s pair of construction drones began to rebuild the airlock, pausing now and again to print up another construction drone to a...
2021-02-24 20:53:54 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 16.
Hugh’s brief overview of the type of fight he was participating in was complete and the GCA began his flight across the galaxy to Ix0071, wherever that was. Despite it happening to him several times by now, Hugh was fascinated by the galaxy he flew through, wishing the amazing the trip wasn’t one that would end in a battle. The type of fight he was heading toward was one that was almost guaranteed to inflict casualties. They would be fighting off waves and waves of ene...
2021-02-23 14:37:05 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 21.
Slater’s attention shifted from his Derelict to the construction drones at the dockyard. It was a bloodbath. All the Chixturax workers had been shot or hacked to pieces by a mob of gnomes. They had then proceeded to the docks where they were now systematically shooting down his construction drones and planting what looked like demolition charges. Hixrax called him as he watched the destruction of all his hard work unfold.
“Slater, I know you are in the midst of a...
2021-02-23 00:48:14 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 15.
Hugh did a quick assessment of his options. The unit upgrades were enticing, but he didn’t want to focus on a unit type only to be thrown into battles where they were banned. Structure upgrades for efficiency and defense were contenders given the nature of his prior battles. Under the War Core options, all four looked good. After thinking things over as the timer ticked down, Hugh decided the best option, given the limited information the GCA was providing, would be to g...
2021-02-21 15:07:29 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 14.
Captain Tran divided his infantry mechs into three lines of nineteen. Weapons lowered and ready to fire, the mechs moved through the forest of red trees. Hugh kept his point of view following the first rank as, in the distance, a single Krixnas infantry mech moved through the forest toward them. Once it spotted the approaching infantry, the enemy mech turned to run. The front line of mechs halted and a volley of nineteen shots reached toward the enemy. Trees blocked many o...
2021-02-19 16:08:49 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 13.
The second stage of the Krixnas invasion of system es1422 is initiated. The attacker is making the following demands.
Krixnas Demands:
1. Max command post level, 10.
2. No unit type restrictions.
3. No combat pod support.
4. Command post starting level, 3.
5. Enhanced resource flow.
6. Additional starting s...
2021-02-18 14:35:21 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 20.
Slater watched as the entry compartment hatches adjusted to whatever this mystery challenger had opted for. This time, a single oversized hatch was placed on the wall directly opposite from the hatch leading toward the engineering bay. In addition, the hatches between his other compartments were replaced by the station with the same oversized design. Something big was coming and Administrator was more than happy to allow it free passage into his Derelict.
As the entr...
2021-02-17 18:09:05 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 12.
“Fall back and defend the command post!” Hugh shouted as he changed unit orders, sending the faster T-7 mechs as well as the majority of the infantry back to defend the command post against the horde of Krixnas. Trying not to panic, he resisted sending everything back and left a force of ten infantry mechs behind to hold the forward base. The light mechs moved out on their bird-like legs as fast as they could go, the infantry was slower, but they also began to head in ...
2021-02-17 13:41:44 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 11.
“Looks like we’ve pushed them back, good work everyone. Let’s build up our forces again and see if we can take the initiative from the enemy,” Hugh said over comms to his soldiers. The fight for the forward base had been costly, only a single battered T-7 and one infantry mech had survived. His continuing stream of replacements making their way over from the command post would refill the ranks before too long. While they had suffered losses, the destroyed mechs fro...
2021-02-16 14:23:51 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 19.
A notifications pinged, telling Slater that the cyborg variant of his gnomes were ready. There were still some inefficiencies to work out with another pass through the process, but even this first incarnation of the gnome cyborgs would be perfect for what he needed them for. Unlike the other cybernetically improved races, the gnome were much more mechanized. Slater was a bit worried that it would leave them vulnerable to disruption beams, but tests proved they function jus...
2021-02-15 21:21:23 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 10.
“Sergeant Mendez, your pod is a go, button-up soldier,” Admiral Nix ordered over the commlink. Mendez was still not sure he liked this whole operation being under some Navy officer, but so far, Admiral Nix had left them alone when it came to ground engagements. The technician assisting him attached the last few connections on his immersion suit. Designed by the aliens and manufactured here on Earth, the suit was uncomfortable and tight in all the wrong places. Thankful...
2021-02-15 16:18:28 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 9.
Hugh watched the pair of drones struggle a bit to get the oversized resource container into the command post. It was the third they had brought back, and it should give him enough to begin the construction of more buildings. He had ordered up enough mechs to bring the total up to twenty. Tran had his force spread out on Hugh’s side of the ruins. Following the infantry commander’s suggestion, Hugh had detailed off a pair of mechs to cover the forest on either side of the...
2021-02-14 14:21:25 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 18.
“Slater, you’ve done very well on the second attack, and I’m happy to see your construction drones are working hard at the dockyard. We gained ranking and credit income, hopefully this trend will continue,” Hixrax said, sending the latest ranking data over.
“Thanks, have you ever heard of these Ku Ha Slime Lord things before? I was able to absorb their biomass, but couldn’t discern what they actually are,” Slater asked. The gooey opponent was a bit of a...
2021-02-13 19:36:14 +0000 UTC
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I should also have another chapter in Derelict 3 ready for you tonight.
Chapter 8.
Hugh’s first infantry mech stomped its way out of the barracks. He set it for attack mode and selected the resource gathering station that could be seen in the distance. His plans were interrupted by a new prompt.
Combat pod integration is active. Connecting operator to the battlefield.
“Major Logan, can you read me, sir?” Captain ...
2021-02-12 14:05:08 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 7.
“Very well, Admiral, even if it was done against my will, I’m in this fight. We need to get moving, the time is counting down,” Hugh said, noticing they had only twenty minutes remaining before the battle began.
“Good call soldier, now, let’s get to work and make these crunchy aliens regret invading,” the admiral said.
“Really, crunchy? They’re called Krixnas,” Maddison chimed in.
“Hey, if you two are done arguing, maybe somebody can te...
2021-02-11 21:03:52 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 6.
Hugh’s vision receded from planet x345z2, and he watched the stars fly past as he waited to complete the journey back home. The beautiful blue-green sphere that was Earth began to draw near and he plunged into the atmosphere off the west coast of California. His view went dark and Hugh waited for the hatch to pop open on the War Core. His vision returned, but not to his body, Hugh found himself hovering over the top of the War Core pod.
“Major Logan, if you can he...
2021-02-11 13:54:11 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 17.
“What a dump,” Pixi said as they scanned their new “shipyard”. The location was in an old forgotten section of Sarton Station, which was perfect since it meant fewer people would be snooping about. What wasn’t great was the dilapidated state of the dock. Instead of being setup for heavy ship construction, this place featured a dock that was only large enough for a small shuttle. To even begin building his ships, Slater was going to have to do some major reconstru...
2021-02-10 19:22:37 +0000 UTC
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