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The first cargo run was always the most dangerous.
Reeve stood in the Atlas-class freighter's mobile command room, eyes on a live feed of the ocean ahead. The Atlas 01 was slow, unarmed, and valuable—stuffed to the bulkheads with processed iron and rare earths from Fort Ironjaw.
It was a floating prize just begging to be stolen.
On its flanks, the Mistral and Brandenburg ran escort, radars live, missile tubes open, 360-degree coverage over the sea lanes. Above, the NH90 recon helo swept low and fast, dropping sonar buoys to catch anything that swam too close.
> MISSION OBJECTIVE: CARGO ESCORT TO FORT SENTINEL
Distance: 23.8 km
Escort Package: 1x Atlas, 2x Frigates
Threat Level: Moderate
Reward (Successful Delivery): +1,500 Steel | +50 Tech Points | +Blueprint Token
"Keep speed steady at 12 knots," Reeve ordered. "Maintain wedge formation. Nothing gets close."
"Affirmative, Admiral. All ships in sync."
At 8 kilometers out, the radar screamed.
"CONTACT. Bearing 020. Speed: 30+ knots. Multiple—at least four targets."
"Fast movers," Reeve growled. "Probably pirate hydrofoils."
They came in hard—smaller than gunboats, but fast and armed with drone-guided torpedoes and rail-fired grenades. Just one hit on the Atlas's weak hull and it would be game over.
"CIWS active! Mistral, suppress! Brandenburg, lock RAMs!"
The ocean lit up in seconds.
Mini-guns barked out a storm of tungsten. Missiles screamed overhead. The hydrofoils zigzagged, launching salvos—but most fell short or were swatted from the air by laser-guided interceptors. One pirate boat got through, just close enough to launch—
—and was obliterated by the Brandenburg's 127mm cannon.
The Atlas shook but held course.
> ESCORT MISSION SUCCESSFUL
+1,500 Steel
+50 Tech Points
+Blueprint Token: [UNIDENTIFIED – Naval Support Class]
> SYSTEM UNLOCK: Convoy Scheduling Menu
[Schedule Regular Hauls]
[Assign Auto-Escort Loadout]
[Upgrade Convoy AI Threat Response]
Reeve checked the new interface—clean, tactical, no fluff.
He scheduled a 24-hour loop from Fort Ironjaw to Fort Sentinel with alternating escort pairs. In the background, his engineers began construction on the Drone Hangar at the mining outpost.
---
> TIME PASSED: 12 HOURS (Base Cycle)
[ALERT – FORT IRONJAW UNDER ATTACK]
He was already moving before the message finished.
Back on the Brandenburg, the fleet turned and burned across the sea.
> Attacking Forces:
2 Pirate Gunships
1 Behemoth-Class Aquatic Lifeform (New Classification)
> Threat Analysis:
Hybrid attack: coordinated assault from both sea monster and pirates.
Fort Defenses holding at 61%. Outpost may fall if reinforcements delay.
Reeve's voice dropped low.
"Time to test what we've built."
---
ENGAGEMENT – Fort Ironjaw
As the fleet crested the ridge of the island's outer waters, smoke trailed from one of the outpost's turrets. A sea beast the size of a patrol ship was rising from the shallow reef, its body armored in barnacle-crusted scales, spitting acid across the embankments. Pirate ships darted between waves, using it for cover.
"Fire pattern Omega. Target beast first. Then mop up the trash."
Guided torpedoes sliced through surf. The monster roared, spun, and slammed one of the drone turrets with its tail. The Mistral swept in, unleashing everything—57mm cannon, RAMs, and an experimental sea mine dropped straight from above.
A direct hit.
The creature spasmed, let out a dying screech—and vanished beneath the waves in a cloud of black ink and blood.
The pirates ran.
And Ironjaw held.
> OBJECTIVE COMPLETE: OUTPOST HELD FOR 24 HOURS
+Control Bonus: +20 Iron/hr
+Defense Slot Unlocked
+"Behemoth Scale" Recovered (Use: Unlock Biological Armor R&D Tree)
---
Back at Fort Sentinel, the Recon Drone Hangar came online. A small fleet of long-range, high-endurance aerial drones launched into the skies. Their purpose: to scan the surrounding ocean for rare nodes, enemy fleets, and Leviathan nests.
It didn't take long.
> RECON REPORT – SECTOR FOXTROT-6:
> Oil Deposits (Deepwater Crude)
Floating Wreck Field (Contains: Naval Blueprint Crates)
Abandoned Coalition Supply Rig
Leviathan Signature Detected (Dormant, ID: "Abyss-Class")
And beyond that?
A much larger island chain.
Unclaimed. Heavily fortified. Likely AI-controlled bases or event zones. Possibly home to pre-collapse military structures, judging from the system's fragmented description.
He marked it for future ops.
Then, he expanded the ops plan.
---
🗺️ Expansion Phase: Initiated
> New Objective Tree – Tier II Command
🔲 Upgrade Fort Sentinel to Tier II HQ
🔲 Build Drydock (Heavy-Class Ships)
🔲 Recruit 2nd Officer
🔲 Capture Second Resource Island (Fuel Priority)
🔲 Scan & Recover at Wreck Field Foxtrot-6
🔲 Unlock Submarine Construction Tree
The ocean wasn't a mystery anymore.
It was a map. A theater.
And Reeve had just finished drawing his borders.
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[End of Chapter Five]
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