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 forw...
2021-03-17 16:36:18 +0000 UTC View Post
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 View PostSeveral 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 t...
2021-03-15 14:07:57 +0000 UTC View PostWith 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 Chixtur...
2021-03-12 15:26:41 +0000 UTC View Post“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, pay...
2021-03-10 15:09:03 +0000 UTC View PostHis 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 ...
2021-03-08 19:22:04 +0000 UTC View Post“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 ev...
2021-03-05 18:16:27 +0000 UTC View PostSlater 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 f...
2021-03-04 15:48:32 +0000 UTC View PostThis 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 ...
2021-03-04 15:19:31 +0000 UTC View PostHugh 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 w...
2021-03-02 15:29:54 +0000 UTC View Post“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 ...
2021-02-27 15:04:36 +0000 UTC View PostHamilton 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 sti...
2021-02-26 20:59:32 +0000 UTC View Post“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 ot...
2021-02-25 14:11:15 +0000 UTC View PostThe 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 dr...
2021-02-24 20:53:54 +0000 UTC View PostHugh’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...
2021-02-23 14:37:05 +0000 UTC View PostSlater’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 wa...
2021-02-23 00:48:14 +0000 UTC View PostHugh 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 do...
2021-02-21 15:07:29 +0000 UTC View PostCaptain 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 fron...
2021-02-19 16:08:49 +0000 UTC View PostThe 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, ...
2021-02-18 14:35:21 +0000 UTC View PostSlater 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...
2021-02-17 18:09:05 +0000 UTC View Post“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 the...
2021-02-17 13:41:44 +0000 UTC View Post“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 ...
2021-02-16 14:23:51 +0000 UTC View PostA 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...
2021-02-15 21:21:23 +0000 UTC View Post“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 an...
2021-02-15 16:18:28 +0000 UTC View PostHugh 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 comma...
2021-02-14 14:21:25 +0000 UTC View Post“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 biomas...
2021-02-13 19:36:14 +0000 UTC View PostI should also have another chapter in Derelict 3 ready for you tonight.
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. Conn...
2021-02-12 14:05:08 +0000 UTC View Post“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 cal...
2021-02-11 21:03:52 +0000 UTC View PostHugh’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 bod...
2021-02-11 13:54:11 +0000 UTC View Post“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 ...
2021-02-10 19:22:37 +0000 UTC View Post