The Outpost Quest plete, and I became 1000 ts richer. A hexagonal also appeared. It's lustrous surface seemed to be made out up a pearlest alloy of some kind. This must have been a Hero Token. However, I had no clue as to what a hero was so decided to hold off on using it. Making buildings appear out of nowhere is ohing, making random people pop ience is quite another.

  I spent the majority of the day pg Photon on in the hills all around the manufacturing pnt. It took so long because I tried to pce them in such a way that they wouldn't be visible from a distance. Visibility outside the cirounds and outcroppings, was vast. Each on ced behind a ridge of the hills, or was near a boulder, while still being able to cover the inner se of nd. A few times the Probes hollowed out a se of stoo improve the pt. Sure, most of the ons could be seen from the air, but by the time an AV saw them the ons should have them locked.

  , I made a little Pylon field behind the the main building. This was to support the incredible power draw, of the frankly ridiculous amount of ons I pced in the area. I might have gone overbroad, but I had an it the bay neck. Something , but I thought I was just being paranoid.

  I also had to spent a an hour or twraming each on to not target the Aldecaldos. I could have just made it a b and; Propagating the order through the Psifield, but it would link back to the Valley but I still wanted a fall back point just for me. I liked the Aldecaldos, I really did, yet something told me plete trust might be a foolish idea.

  Four more Robotics Facilities were then queued up for a higher unit output. I had a Sentry cooking in the first one already. Then I had the Probes build up every structure that we could could. The Cyberic Core and Robotics Bay would be up quick, however the Stargate and the Fleet Bea were blocked from our current build options. Which was a g shame the value of the Stargate was enormous, both on a strategid logistic scale. However, as I uood it, ohe Stargate is plete it would into orbit. Meaning I would still need a Psifield work capable of reag into orbit first. So that was a very long term problem to sort out. In addition to the Stargate, The Probes weren't allowed to build another Nexus. Nor were they allowed to in Gateways or Tempr buildings for some reason. So a purely robotic army would have to do.

  The Supron was sent back to base to pick up a bunch of golden Wisps, and some more Probes. I felt a kind of building fever settle in my soul, increasing my desire to expand this outpost. I was going to set up more trees, and a sedary lumber produce zone here. There was a lot more room for a settlement, than the Valley, and I also wahe new forest to source fruit and popute with tasty critters. I ordered the extra Probes so that we could increase mineral and vespene res. Chuck had already found a coal deposit and Barry found some ore veins in the hills. Why none of these were not already exploited, I had no idea, but I also wasn't going to let them go to waste either.

  Amanda, Non, Sally and Megan came by from time to time to chee. They offered advise on the pt of defenses and ideas for other various improvements. We ran over a few thought of future pns, though I was still loathe to it to anything too long term. After all who could say what would happen tomorrow?

  While I was frantically trying to get everything arrao my liking, the Nomads were arranging their own ne site. Much as it was before they circled up, putting together the eating and food prep areas in just a hour. They were already getting back to their normal routines before I had finished pg the sixth on in the Hills. The only exception was that they all ended up spending at least a little while pying in or around the ponds. All of that water to py with was a luxury they were rarely afforded. This was after an i ated a brief but emphatic expnation that they shouldn't drink from the Wells themselves, only from the streams. Thankfully no other acts had occurred, yet.

  Now even Lynx's sour ass had been cheerful at the sight of so much water. He and I had been avoiding each other. While I was sure he was jealous of Sally attention towards me, he didn't do any of the petty bullshit I would have expected. Maybe he wasn't such a bad dude, or maybe, he knew something I didn't?

  If nothing else, all of my efforts at making this area into a nicer home had earned me regard amongst the families. They reized the value of what was now avaible to them, and would fight to defend this pd what it would mean for their future. Not that they would o, if my paranoid ass had it's way. I'd make this into the safest harbor in this shitty nd. All peaceful folk would be wele. Fet the bullshit of the city, and e rest under my trees. 99 for a liter of water. Nah , here have a drink of the best water you've ever tasted for free.

  Shit, that would backfire wouldn't it. Too many people would flood this pce. Sigh. Alright, it had to stay secret for now. But a guy could dream, couldn't he?

  By midday, the first purple grasses had sprouted and were spreading rapidly. I had to stop and assure them that the grasses were safe to be around, and that they were indeed part of the pn. All the while, I was freaking out myself. I hadn't realized that the grass was lio the Wells. I had thought the spread of the purple wn was an affeeadran's presence. We all had a ugh after they calmed down. If mine was a little nervous, they didn't seem to notice.

  Some of the Aldecaldos had been searg through the cybernt looking for any good salvage. Sadly most of the maes were te to use as they were. They'd have to be broken down, with specialized tools. This didn't stop Scuff and Fix from going ham sing every little thing ihey really liked studying "primitive tech". Maybe, it was somewhat like archeologists looking at our a hominid offshoots.

  The Robo-Buddies' personalities were still expanding but always seemed to tain a childlike wonder with the world. I wished I could say the same about my own attitude. I felt a lot of my own preceived notions about the nature of humanity being absolutely wrecked by the misery of this world. I had to find a way to maintain a positive outlook, or I'd never be able to help others.

  Meadran had sent baother 6 Probes, and enough golden Wisps te into 4 trees with a few left over to bond with them. There was also a couple more silver Wisps to build out paths and ward stones.

  Merging the golden Wisp into trees, two o each Well, had been another small event. Many of the Nomads hadn't ever seen a proper tree, just the sickly things growing out in the wastes. They said there were still pces with trees and forests. Even jungles and pces with natural animals, but they were tightly trolled as extremely valuable resources, or farmed for the Elites. Yup, old school farming did exist in pces as well, but those Elite bastards running the Corps monopolized the vast majority of their products.

  The less fortunate had to make do with bug products or at best have some chemically grown vat meat. It's "totally not human ed" we swear. What a wonderous time to be alive. If it wasn't for some truly massive algae farms out in the blighted os, no one would still have enough oxygen to live properly. Sigh, and they seo "fix" this mess.

  There was too much work to do. And I was sure the Corpo bastards were going to try to snatch everything I made up as soon as they found out about it.

  I shaped a Growth spell orees, helping them get a little closer to the sky. Oep, for one problem at a time.

  After an exhausting day of infrastructure pnning and pt, I was ready to kick up my feet and rex. Sadly, It was not to be.

  First, I had been wrangled into dang again and while we mostly kept it slow and simple, Sally and Megan dragged it out for a few hours. Every dy wanted a spin and even a few of the ds. I shrugged a with it. It was just dang after all and if they got a little handsy, it was actually socially acceptable to break their nose. Sally and Megan did their rounds, and then we ended up in a weird revolving dance. I'd move with one of them and theher and then back again. A few times, I was sandwiched between them. No power in the verse would make me pin about that.

  To keep up, I tried casting regrowth on myself a few times to keep up. Yet even with that boost, I was wearing down. The Ladies, however, seemed to be unfgging in their pursuit of aurn. You know, it was o be popur for once. Even if most of it was for my sweet, sweet magid sick trade deals.

  The Sed thing keeping me from hitting the sack, after all of the dang and the feasting, was that Amanda wao know when the batch of lumber would be ready. I assured her that it would only be another couple of days at the test. Then she wao know my pns, all of them, in as much detail as I could provide. I plead that I was tired, and my mind was too sluggish not to just go along with her, mostly. She didn't like that part of my future pns would be to establish an outpost iy. I couldn't really expihing right now, so I went with saying that it was necessary for my goals. Amanda's tsk told me everything I o know about what she thought of that.

  I decided to eborate, I swept my hand around the whole area. "This, more of this. Everywhere I get it going. Until there is so much life that the Corps 't stop it and it keeps propagating itself. It's not the best pn, but it's really the only pn. While I'm going to be stu a few pces, I'm vulnerable to being easily trolled or eliminated. I have to keep spreading out."

  She stared at me, "Sounds like a virus." Strahat didn't sound judgemental, at least not from her

  I nodded, "Yes. It does, because that's the strategy little buggers evolved into. Spread fast et crushed." We tried to e up with other ideas, but anything slow wasn't going to work. Unless I could figure out a way for others to trol and build the Probes and the Wisps, but Alina had told me it was hard coded into them not to accept any ands but my own.

  Megan thought that maybe we should build more hidden pces. Underground maybe? Or inside old abandoned buildings. Sure the amount we could do with the limited space was miniscule but discovery was less likely. Sally wao be mgressive. They wouldn't be looking at our outposts if we harassed them elsewhere. I could see the merit. But I ronger units. The Probes were not yet a heavy assault force, and I certainly wasn't going to involve the nomads in that level of risky operation. We kept batting more thoughts around until we ran out of more things to say.

  We were all about to head to sleep, when I felt a buzzing in the bay head. I focused on it. Meadran's pahoughts reached me, 'Young One, Alina has intercepted a series of local unications. They are headed toward yht now.' Ah, fuck.

  'Who?' My sluggish brain was trying to spool itself up once again.

  'A pany called Arasaka. They have been you si night from several orbital satellites. They have only just reached out to their Night City resources. They ordered local assets to sweep the area and snatch all high level persohe rest are to be disposed of.' I felt the blood drain from my face.

  I ran through everything Sinn had told me about Arasaka. Then I ran through the bits of info I had gathered about them while pying with the he pany was usually subtle, methodical, precise and trolled. This kind of brute force assault was not their normal tactiething had triggered this rapid response, but we had no time to figure that ht now.

  If they had been us, they already had several vital pieces of information. They may not know what kind, but it was obvious that the Photon ons were defehe Corpos had to have thought they'd have some way of defeating them. Or they wouldn't even attempt this. While it was certain they would get chewed up. I-We couldn't risk it. If any of them made it to the Nomads, who knows how much damage they could do.

  I leapt up yelling my head off, "Get everyo of here, now!" The response of the Aldecaldos spoke of folks used to survival and danger. Folks were moving almost before the words were pletely out of my mouth.

  When she saw my face, Amanda didn't eveion me. She dashed about camp barking orders. Sally and Megan both tried asking what was going on. "Arasaka. They spotted the outpost from orbit. They saw everything. I'm their target, or ahat they think might have information. You have to go, they have orders to kill everyone else. Save your people."

  For a moment, they both stopped a pletely still. It was odd, but I was too distracted to question it. Then Sally shook her head, as if clearing it of cobwebs. "What about you?"

  I was sing the skies for any sign of how the Corpo thugs were approag, "Oh, I'm going to run too. Just slower than you. Hurry up and take off, so I have time to get away." I called all the Probes to me. We left the tent area to find most of the Nomads in or heir vehicles with some already peeling out. Sally and Megan hit her Maaw and bugged out, while I could hear Amanda's Javelina revving in the distance. I got to the Galena and my main crew of four Probes attached to it. I had the others attach to the Supron a it oo the Su Motel. Arasaka shouldn't bother with that pce, it was too out in the open, and too close to the city. I was going another way, to try to lead them off. Soohe HEMITT's were rolling out.

  Amanda messaged me, Where?

  Scatter. Wait a me at the broken bridge in a few days. That should be long enough to dity tails, and head back to the retive safety of the Valley.

  They'll be watg. Well, she wasn't wrong. But where and how they looked would depend on why they were ham-fisting this operation to begin with. It might not be about us at all.

  Sally and Mega, Be Careful. For a sed, it was o feel like someone cared about me.

  I will. Because what else could I say.

  I kept waiting. My Galena was idling and ready to burn rubber. Now that they'd a head start, I wasn't as worried about the Aldecaldos. They knew every trick to throw off pursuit, and even the over watg satellites. They had hundreds of hidey holes all over the Badnds. No, I was worried about me. Worried about the outpost and all that work wasted. Okay, of course, I was terrified Sally and Megan were going to get caught, but logically they had a far better aking it out and avoiding capture than me.

  What was the best way for me to hide? My hands were shaking. Not from fear, from frustration, from ahe Corpo bastards couldn't have just left us alohen it hit me, and it was crazy.

  As dumb as it at first seemed, I thought heading to the city was a good bet. Hide in the masses. S out some ech ideas. Steal a different vehicle, get back to base and start on a different pn.

  I felt the ons all report tact. All of them at ohat didn't make any sense. I looked up at the stars to think. Oh. The ons started firing up into the air above the ter of the Outpost.

  They were dropping in. The fug bastards were dropping from the sky. I couldn't see them yet, but the ons were rep their positions. They must have been using some kind of optical camoufge. Bleeding stealth teology. Now that was a good idea. The Khai had some excellent cloaking options, and I should've adjusted it to suit my purposes. Fuck!

  No time to beat myself up about it. Who the hell was I to try to outthink a Megacorp?

  It ast time to get moving so, I floored my baby's pedal and aimed for the city.