Sergeant Faraday drove the scout vehicle himself, speeding down the streets of Echo Town.
From Augustus's perspective, aside from the townspeople standing along the flagstone road and in front of their homes, all he could see were militiamen clad in deep crimson power armor. On their pauldrons were bold initials identifying them as members of Echo Town's Civil Defense Force.
The militia stood in tight twin columns, and Augustus could count more than two hundred of them just on the street alone—far exceeding the two-platoon organization the Echo Town Civil Defense Force was supposed to have. And he knew that this was merely the contingent responsible for guarding Echo Town and the surrounding mining zones.
Where once the Revolutionary Army had concealed their identities, now they were stepping openly into the spotlight in Echo Town and nearby settlements—and the locals welcomed them.
Over the past six months, revolutionary ideals had deeply influenced the people of Echo Town. Most now held profound respect for these so-called freedom fighters from the rumors.
By now, everyone in Echo Town knew the Revolutionary Army was amassing. Yet none of them had any idea what their plans or objectives were. Even so, that didn't stop the curious, the self-proclaimed insiders, and the true believers in revolution from gathering in bars across town, passionately discussing what they called a "momentous victory."
Joeyray's Bar was located far from Echo Town, standing in the nearby settlement of Backwater Town, close to the Confederate military installation known as Backwater Station. The drive covered roughly 32 kilometers.
It wasn't until over an hour later that Augustus finally arrived at Joeyray's Bar. By then, two Revolutionary Army battalions—totaling around 800 troops—had already fully assembled in the area, while another two battalions were conducting a forced march from the southwest of the rally point.
An armored company composed of twelve Arclite Tanks advanced across the crimson wastelands of Mar Sara's barren desert. At the lead of the formation fluttered the Revolutionary Army's flag: a red star encircled by a ring holding a whip. Many of the soldiers in powered armor rode atop the tanks.
As Augustus stepped into Joeyray's Bar, he found the area outside packed with Styrling Wolfhounds. These elite Revolutionary Army warriors bore the black wolf-head insignia on their powered armor, and their helmet visors were coated with a silver-white anti-radiation finish.
Each and every Wolfhound paid Augustus the highest respect in their own way. After all, their lineage traced back to the original forest guardians sworn to serve the House of Mengsk—they were the descendants of the first generation of Mengsk loyalists.
Among them, any member of the Mengsk family commanded immense reverence. A simple wave from Augustus was enough to trigger a wave of frenzied cheers.
There were hardly any customers left inside Joeyray's Bar now—just Tychus Findlay, guzzling down an ice-cold beer, and the bar owner himself, Joeyray, who was behind the counter wiping glasses. At this point in time, Joeyray still had a full head of hair and a trim figure.
"Ray, stop worrying about artillery shells falling on your head," Tychus roared with laughter as he chugged his beer. "They don't even dare to fire back!"
"Tychus, you bastard." Augustus stormed in and immediately jabbed a finger at Tychus's nose, cursing him out. "Get back to your damn post. The assault begins at 11:00 sharp."
"It's just a drink—beer, at that," Tychus muttered under his breath, barely holding back a string of profanity.
As Tychus trudged out of the bar, Augustus's attention turned to the LED display mounted inside. The screen was broadcasting a UNN news segment from earlier that day.
"This is Mike Liberty, bringing you the latest from Liberty Morning News, your go-to source for up-to-the-minute updates across all of Koprulu. We interrupt this broadcast for breaking news: A new uprising has erupted on the fringe world of Mar Sara. Insurgents have attacked an armory in the planetary capital, making off with a large cache of weapons. We now go live to our frontline correspondent—"
At that very moment, having learned of Augustus's arrival, the Chief of Staff at the Revolutionary Army's Marshal Command, along with Advisor Umojan, hurried over.
Augustus turned to them and said, "I trust you're here to tell me my troops are ready."
"The 1st Brigade of the 1st Army—5,300 soldiers—has fully assembled and stands ready for deployment," replied the Chief of Staff, a man in his forties who once served as the head of the only military academy on Korhal.
Among the Revolutionary Army's original 100,000-strong forces, the 1st Brigade of the 1st Army had been the first to reach full strength. A veteran unit forged through countless battles, every one of its soldiers was a Korhal-born combatant—utterly loyal and unquestionably reliable. Originally under the command of Lundstein, they now answered directly to the Marshal's headquarters.
At that moment, Augustus's military advisor placed a portable holographic projector on the table before him. As light and shadow intertwined, a detailed 3D model of a Confederate military base appeared before Augustus's eyes.
Backwater Station—the primary Confederate supply hub on Mar Sara.
"There's less than a battalion of Confederate Marines stationed here," Augustus said to his Chief of Staff and military advisor. "They're the only Marine force garrisoned in the entire Hinterland Region."
"This should be a swift and decisive raid."
"What I want… is a lethal strike."
After a pause, Augustus continued: "There are many civilian settlements and residential zones near Backwater Station. Relay my orders to the entire army."
"Do not harm civilians or the innocent. Absolutely no looting or criminal acts of any kind. Violators are to be executed on the spot. Their officers will be charged with dereliction of duty."
...
Backwater Station lay with its back against the hazy ridge, facing the vast Gray Spine Plain, nestled between a few scattered immigrant settlements that had yet to grow into towns.
At first, it had been nothing more than a mining outpost built by prospectors arriving on Mar Sara. Only years later did it become a supply hub established by the Terran Confederacy military, used to store and transport strategic materials to bases across the planet.
The population of Backwater Station had always been complicated. A large portion were families of religious dissenters persecuted in other Confederacy worlds, or zealots expelled for their extreme faith, all seeking refuge here. Such was the pattern across the fringe worlds—havens for the unwanted and the outcast.
The Revolutionary Army's temporary command center, built of marching tents, stood only a few kilometers from Backwater Station. From there, Augustus could see the barren orange-gray mountains in the distance, and the settlement buildings glinting with scattered golden light under the midday sun.
The sun hanging in the sky seemed like a blazing point of light, impossible to look at directly. It was larger than any sun Augustus had ever seen, and its radiance turned Mar Sara into a colossal furnace.
Even inside the pointed tents, lacking proper climate control equipment, Augustus and his staff officers in their CMC-powered armor needed no extra effort to withstand the searing heat. That left them more time to process the streams of radio transmissions coming in from each unit and to shape their battle plans around the constant flow of information.
More than a dozen men filled the tent, speaking nonstop, exchanging reports. Augustus stood at the center of it all.
"The bomber squadrons have completed their strike orders and are returning to base."
"Tychus's 451st Battalion, together with Lieutenant Colonel Herman's 12th and 14th, are advancing across the open ground before Backwater Station as planned. They're less than a kilometer out."
"Captain Manstan's tank units are pushing into the defensive positions outside the base."
Everyone crowded around a long table, where a holoprojector cast a three-dimensional battle map. The device itself was one Augustus carried everywhere: a wooden-bodied projector, photo frame, and letter box, a personal gift from his brother Arcturus during the Guild Wars—an object he valued as much as life itself.
On the map, four green squares marked the advancing Revolutionary Army units, while red triangles represented the enemy. The vanguard forces had already crushed the Confederacy's outer defenses around Backwater Station like a hot knife through butter.
The marines stationed at Backwater Station had long been infamous among nearby settlers for corruption and disorder. In recent years, their scandals had spread far and wide; the yearly incidents of sexual assault had made them loathed by the locals.
Though some of the garrison had been composed of resocialized troops, they made up less than 20%—far fewer than the forces fielded at the Guild Wars front. With low combat effectiveness and no civilian support, the Confederacy troops stood no chance against a Revolutionary Army several times their size. The only thing left to trouble Augustus was the presence of civilians near Backwater Station.
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