---
Fort Sentinel, now ringed by automated turrets, humming power lines, and a growing lattice of concrete and steel, had begun to feel more like a stronghold than a temporary outpost.
For the first time in days, Admiral James Reeve wasn't issuing rapid-fire orders from a command deck or dodging sea monster attacks.
He was walking alone across the upper perimeter wall, steaming mug in hand, eyes on the sunrise.
The ocean was calm. The last convoy had arrived without incident. Fort Ironjaw was fully operational. The newly reinforced dockyards below were beginning to hum with early-stage construction again.
And he was exhausted.
Not from battle—but from thinking. Strategizing. Anticipating.
He hadn't slowed down since the moment he woke up in this world.
And now?
He had to start thinking bigger.
---
He returned to HQ just as Lieutenant Commander Keira Holt was coming out of the R&D wing, flight jacket slung over one shoulder, clipboard in hand. Her sharp eyes scanned a stack of tactical data, then flicked up to meet his.
"Morning, Admiral," she said. "You missed breakfast. Again."
"I like the quiet before everyone starts making noise," he replied.
She gave a knowing half-smile. "Old habits."
They stood at the main balcony together, watching the new defensive radar sweep the sky.
Reeve broke the silence first. "You ever wonder if this place is real?"
"Every day," she said flatly. "But I also wonder if reality matters. I bleed when I get hit. Ships blow up. You give orders. I follow. Feels real enough."
He nodded slowly. "You remember anything…before this?"
Keira hesitated.
"Some flashes. Annapolis. A ship's deck at night. You. Giving orders. But nothing too clear. It's like someone glued a thousand pieces of memory together and hoped I wouldn't notice the seams."
Reeve didn't answer. He didn't need to. The silence between them said everything.
---
> HQ UPGRADE AVAILABLE: LEVEL 2
Cost: 2,500 Gold | 2,000 Steel | 1,000 Timber | 200 Electronics
Time: 6 Hours
Benefits:
Unlock 2nd Research Slot
Enable Modular Airstrip (Short-Range Drone Launch)
Increase Defense Slots +2
Increase Storage Capacity
[CONFIRM UPGRADE]
He confirmed it.
Construction drones began reconfiguring the command tower. Walls thickened. Antenna arrays extended. Reinforced concrete slabs were lowered into place via gravity-cranes. The entire base shifted—like it was beginning to sprawl outward.
> HQ LEVEL 2 COMPLETE
> NEW FACILITY OPTIONS:
Missile Workshop (Custom Ammo Types)
Drone Factory
Modular Airstrip
Barracks Expansion (Unlock Ground Assault Options)
Reeve queued up:
Modular Airstrip
Drone Factory
Missile Workshop
Three builds. All with long-term payoff.
---
Meanwhile, in the R&D wing, Keira reviewed the frigate research progress.
> FRIGATE R&D TREE – TIER 1 UNLOCKED
[RESEARCH PATH: Light Frigates]
F125 (Base Ship) ✅
Freedom-Class ✅
[NEW] Formidable-Class (Singaporean Multi-role Frigate) – In Progress
[NEW] Admiral Gorshkov-Class (Russian Stealth Frigate) – Locked (Intel Required)
Time Remaining: 3 Hours
Benefits (upon completion):
+10% detection range
+15% ECM resilience
New ship blueprint unlocked
She tagged the Gorshkov-class for intelligence scanning next—possibly from deep-sea wrecks or pirate tech caches.
When Reeve walked in, she looked up. "Once HQ hits Level 5, I'll have the electrical infrastructure to support diesel-electric submarines. Quiet, efficient, limited range—but deadly."
"And destroyers?"
"HQ 10, minimum," she replied. "You'll need a drydock expansion. Reinforced hull bays. Advanced missile launch frameworks."
"And cruisers?"
"HQ 20," she said, then paused. "And we'll need to start building fuel depots, satellite links, and an air control center. Those ships will change everything. Fleet carriers. LHDs. Assault platforms. We won't just be defending islands—we'll be taking them."
Reeve smiled.
"That's the plan."
---
That evening, Reeve returned to the barracks—now newly upgraded—to address the crew.
A hundred AI officers, human-shaped but cold-eyed. Ten NPC specialists with real emotion behind their eyes. And two humans—or close enough.
He stepped up onto the platform, voice clear and loud:
"This world's giving us a chance to do what most of us only dreamed of: rebuild from scratch. Not to survive—but to dominate. Every island we hold, every ship we build, every drop of fuel we burn—we're sending a message."
He raised his hand to the sea.
"We don't just belong here. We own this water."
Cheers erupted. Not programmed protocol—real response.
Keira watched from the shadows of the side wall, arms crossed. A grin tugged at the corner of her mouth.
Fort Sentinel was no longer just a base.
It was becoming a capital.
---
[End of Chapter Six]
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