The morning of the third day after I got to the Aldecaldos camp, Amanda came over to breakfast with the three of us.

This was the first time I had seen her since we had danced that first night.

I hit her with a Cleanse. Unflapped that woman was. She didn't even blink.

She did give me a thankful nod, "I've scouted out a good place for a more long term setup. The complication being some Wraiths sulking about."

She gave us a quick run down on number and positions. A lot and everywhere, was my takeaway.

This was sounding like a night job with the Probes. I suggested as much.

She nodded, "They are hard to spot in the dark. They can sweep around the far side and drive them into a firing line."

We went over every detail three times. She pulled up charts and maps, from satellite feeds on her tablet. Drew it out, sent to the her teams. I really didn't have much to add, but I did take notes. Amanda's knowledge and experience was valuable, and I wouldn't have access to it indefinitely.

They were Nomads, and would eventually move on. I had to establish bases and outposts. I couldn't stay with them forever, no matter how much I wanted to.

This was the moment that I began to worry about a future with Sally and Megan. Whether there was going to be one at all.

And they knew it. Women had their ways. I'll never understand it.

"Don't overthink it. We'll figure something out." Sally gently chided.

"You won't be getting rid of us that easily." Megan concurred.

"You both aren't leaving my sight, I'm owed backrubs. I always collect what I'm owed." I gave a mocking stern face.

We all broke out into uncontrollable uproarious laughter.

That night we had moved into our first position. I gave the Probes their instructions.

I got a series of beeps back, "We got this." They took off like little bats out of hell. Had they somehow gotten faster? Huh.

Sally had a Techtronika SPT 32 Grad set up and ready to fire, Megan was nestled in next to her to act as a spotter. I could hear them softly working out a series of initial targets.

Me I'm here to make sure no one got the drop on them and to drive them to Sally's next position if needed.

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I'd be driving Sally's Mackinaw. Truly, I was touched she let me drive it out here to begin with. I know how attached people could get to their rides.

We were on an eroded outcropping, overlooking an old manufacturing plant. This place was pre fourth corporate war, whatever that was, and had produced cyberware parts.

The plant itself was mostly hidden away by a series of hills and outcrops like ours. There was only one good drivable path up to it and that's where Amanda had positioned her people in an L formation. A good place for an outpost, but only if you had a way to keep from getting bottled in. Well, I'd take care of that later.

The Wraiths weren't nested in the plant itself, though Barry was going to do a quick sweep through it to make sure. They were camped around it, in a disorganized mess.

From this distance, I could barely make out any details, even with my zoom function. I looked at Sally's iron.

That must be some rifle. I wondered what I would see when she fired it prone. Never thought I'd cheer for recoil.

I shook my head, my job was to watch the open desert behind us. No entertainment for me.

Amanda messaged us it was go time, I relayed the signal to the Probes. I heard distant screams and yells, but I couldn't even hear the zapping.

Then the Grad bellowed and I couldn't hear much at all for a while.

All in all a very boring half hour for me.

Even Sally only ended up taking five shots the whole time. The last two were to core engine blocks, when the Wraiths finally broke and started to run. We found out her third shot had dropped Sourtooth their local warlord. Big points there.

The Probes had gone beast mode on them, barely any made to the ambush point and they were shredded in a few minutes. People, vehicles or equipment they savaged everything, laying waste to the desert scum.

Amanda gave the all clear.

The ladies packed up and I drove us down to the ambush site.

Hell, even the clean up was done by the time we got there. I was feeling just a bit useless. Watching people's backs is important, of course it is. Doesn't take that empty sucking in your gut away.

Eh, I tried to shake it off. My real work was about to begin, if the Probes even let me get over to the plant before they started. Little showoffs. Haha.

Everything at the ambush position taken care of. Half the group scattered to patrol around and see if anyone was snooping and the rest of us headed to the plant.

While the rest of them couldn't see them, the Probes were doing some kind of victory dance about fifty feet up in the air. Weaving back and forth making patterns only they understood. Silly little guys.

When we had stopped, I excused myself to hunt up a good place for a Moon Well.

As I headed off, I called back, "I'm going to trust you folks not to talk about what you are going to see next."

I called the Probes to me, and gave them their orders. I had them dig out a moat area then an overflow channel for a stream then a pond about fifty yards away.

It took them only a few minutes to get the moat and stream dug out. While Chuck and Barry kept excavating the pond, Fix started A Pylon above where the Moon Well was going to go.

Meadran had ten Silver Wisps loaded up into my Supron, which I called out here. I let Amanda know it was coming, didn't want any accidents. Things were going to get crazy as it was.

While waiting for them, Scuff started a Forge building to one side.

We mirrored the moat stream and pond arrangement on the other side of the plant. Another Pylon above the second Moon Well position, and a Robotics Facility over there on the side of those buildings.

Everyone stayed well out of the way but I could hear their exclamations. Yeah, buildings coming out of the void was pretty shocking.

But that changed when the Wisp finally arrived and I had them merge into the Moon Wells.

Fresh Mana infused water began to flow and you'd think they had lost their minds.

Haha, maybe we all had.