Have you ever assumed something would disappoint you—only for it to exceed expectations… by disappointing you even more?
Until today, Clarck didn't think that was possible. But the pitiful state of Mar Sara's defenses only deepened his anxiety and paranoia.
Upon arrival, he was greeted by a depressingly small committee: a couple of officials, a secretary, and two soldiers without power armor.
That alone was already a bad sign. But things only got worse when he checked the command center's records. He discovered there was a single battalion of five hundred men—more than half of them equipped with little more than standard rifles or old pistols.
Where did they even find these outdated, gunpowder-operated relics?
And the few power suits available were outdated CMC-300 models: bulky, slow, and fragile compared to the modern CMC-400s currently used by the Confederacy… not to mention the CMC-550s, personally modified by Clarck himself.
Luckily, there were still a few Vultures and Hellbats listed in the inventory… though so few that Clarck had to fight the urge to turn around and fly straight back to Tarsonis.
With a tired sigh, he dropped onto the office sofa.
Rubbing his temples, he re-read the last message from his uncle. It had already been a couple of days since he received it. He had just arrived at Mar Sara—if everything went as planned, the promised reinforcements would arrive in four or five more days.
Until then… he'd have to make do with these militiamen armed with sticks.
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Clarck walked into the command center with slow, deliberate steps.The adjutant turned to him, speaking in her usual mechanical tone.
Clarck couldn't help but wonder why they were always designed to look so much like human women.Was it the idea of some eccentric scientist? A lonely leader with questionable taste?Or maybe there was some psychological study backing the decision?
He didn't know. But he still wasn't used to it.
Better to stop thinking about nonsense. He needed to focus and prepare as best he could.First step: get reliable intel on the actual state of the troops. Numbers on a screen were never as trustworthy as a direct inspection.
"Adjutant, contact Lieutenant Gheorghe. Have him prepare the troops. We'll run a deployment, defense, and evacuation drill."
ADJUTANT ONLINE...Initializing memory. Verifying credentials. Confirmed: Magistrate of the Mar Sara colony, Clarck McCarthy.Welcome, Magistrate... establishing communication...Message sent. Drill scheduled for tomorrow at 0900 hours.Do you require any further assistance?
"For now, nothing. Wait—yes. Show me all reports of abnormal events in recent months, both within the colony and its surroundings."
Scanning database... analyzing memory bank...Records show disturbances from miners protesting Confederacy policies.A distress signal was received from Chau Sara nearly a month ago. No further communication was established.Current data indicates that the colony of Chau Sara was annihilated by alien forces.These are all recorded abnormal events.
Clarck still didn't feel at ease. If he missed something, he could end up dead from overconfidence.
"Adjutant, search for any strange events, rumors among miners or colonists. If necessary, hack the colony's internal communications."
Hacking is prohibited under Confederacy regulations. Checking rank hierarchy...No individuals detected with higher authority than current magistrate...Override granted. Initiating breach of internal communication systems...
Moments later, the office was filled with chaotic noise: overlapping voices, fragments of conversations, shouting, and static.
"Silence!" Clarck snapped. "Filter only the relevant information."
Understood, Magistrate.Filtering data... processing...
Rumors detected:—Discontent among miners. Some colonists openly criticizing the Confederacy.Would you like to dispatch the local marshal? Insubordination is punishable by law.
Clarck shook his head with a tired sigh. Even he was frustrated with many of the Confederacy's policies.
"Let it go. Check if there's anything else."
Understood.New report: miners south of the mountains—between the badlands and the colony border—claim to have seen strange creatures.Other colonists have reported similar sightings in various locations.So far, there is no confirmed alien presence near the planet.Would you like to investigate this information?