Unity by Carl Stubblefield (epub read online books TXT) 📕

the gels in place. Her nostrils flared like an angry bull as she tried to breathe through the pain. Yuki exerted an ever-increasing pressure on her arm, and Aurora was glad she wasn’t standing as the torment intensified, or she would have buckled and fell as the intense pain caused her whole body to tremble.

With a *pop*, the joint reseated and there was another burst of pain. Aurora bit down on the gels in agony as the intense pain finally began to diminish. Yuki eased her to the ground as she went boneless, her rigid muscles draining away their tension and with the release she slumped down.

She continued to hear unsettling gurgling and cracking noises and saw her suit ripple as the damage was repaired from the inside, distending the skin and suit as they worked. After her breathing had returned to normal and the easing of the pain-induced vertigo, she wiped away some tears that had combined with the flour-like dust covering her.

Yuki helped her to her feet and she slowly began to move the arm again, testing its range of motion, massaging her upper arm and shoulder as she rotated and twisted. In a couple minutes, the pain was replaced with a mild itch as the Nth began the next phase of repairing the muscles and damaged tissue now that the bone was reset.

Finally feeling a bit better, she took in more of her surroundings. They were fortunate to have found a small clearing with a tiny creek running through it. Due to its slow movement, the water was green with algae and other swampy-looking materials, and didn’t look appealing to drink.

The area was encircled by tall conifers, and a mountain range encircled them. Since she had fallen asleep to design, she had no estimate for how far the transport had gone or where they possibly could be. A chill wind blew past and she hugged herself and massaged her upper arms to generate a little heat while she took in the situation.

Before she could ask, Yuki slid something from her display and Aurora’s minimap updated. They were somewhere in Colorado, their exact location unclear, but a large yellow circle on the minimap displayed their most probable position.

“Let’s get a shelter built, then maybe I can cobble something together so we don’t lose any juice for this laptop.”

Wondering if her crafting skill would work, she activated Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Under the Soldier tab she found simple plans for forts and barriers to withstand infantry advances. A cave would be ideal, or at least a rocky wall to reflect some heat and give a little less area to guard from the elements and predators.

A subskill under the Soldier tab was called Quartermaster. Curious, she activated this skill and a ring pinged out to about twenty feet before rebounding to her and disappearing. A few branches were highlighted, as well as some components and kindling for a campfire. That would save time hunting for things, but they still needed a place to make it through the night.

Sliding the display over to Yuki, she could then see the highlighted objects. She looked at a downed log here that had the name:

Downed Timber (Small)

Component in small shelter, crude-tier weapons, and basic frameworks. More blueprints available from experimentation or increasing skill level.

Breakdown for following components:

Firewood

Kindling

Ash

Sap

“If you want to gather some stuff for a fire, I’ll try to find someplace I can build a shelter.”

Yuki threw a thumbs up and tore into a piece of gum she had, chewing aggressively as she gathered pine cones and small twigs.

Aurora walked up the meadow and found an area where some trees were growing in a small alcove. The area below was clear, but large branches reached up over the area, giving it extensive cover above. Enough so that it would protect them from the rain.

“I think I found it; bring what you’ve gathered over here and we’ll set up,” Aurora urged on the mental link.

Yuki came kicking some larger pine cones with arms already loaded with smaller versions that occasionally shifted and abandoned ship, leaving a trail of them as she tried to balance the ungainly kindling.

Aurora had already started gathering branches, fallen leaves and dead grass to make mattresses for them. With the raw elements highlighted, she quickly found what she needed. By concentrating her Ion Storm into a beam, she was able to adjust the heavier parts that would make the frame of the mattresses so there was less to drag.

“I’m seeing the value of sleeves on uniforms now,” Yuki griped as she saw the scratches on her arms where the pine cones had dug in and pinched or scraped.

The two returned to their tasks and when Aurora had finished, she got the design up to the point where she could save it.

Save template? (Y/N)

250 XP gained for crafting Leaf Mattress 1.0

Tier: Rudimentary

Aurora hit yes and looked at what she had wrought. They looked like tiny pigsties filled with leaves and grass. They were only about a foot and a half tall, but they should be high enough to keep them from getting wet or rolling down the hill.

Yuki hadn’t been a slouch while she was making their beds. A fire pit had been dug and lined with smooth, wide rocks. A square log-cabin with thin branches leaning against it was in the center of the pit, and dry pine needles peeked through the tiny spaces left in the construction.

Smiling her way, Aurora thanked Yuki and pulsed a small burst of energy into the center of the pine needles, controlling the flow so that it didn’t collapse the wood. The tree above should offer enough protection from rain. They didn’t have any tarps or waterproof materials that could serve as a tent, but the idea stirred Yuki to action.

Yuki knelt and removed a large belt and buckle from her outfit. Flipping it over, she unzipped a long zipper that extended from one side to another, revealing two folded rolls inside. These she unfurled