"Major, we've confirmed that the fighting in the engagement zone is over! The Transians withdrew from the East Prussian border before dawn and cleared the battlefield. They burned the bodies so thoroughly that they even saved us the trouble of collecting the Tower of Rings' strays."
The next morning, Major Fraser, head of intelligence at the Pioneer Fortress, quickly received a report from the scout he had sent out. A message relayed through the computational orb informed him that the previous night's battle had come to an end.
Judging by the outcome, the White Oak Warband had escaped disaster.
The major breathed a sigh of relief.
But before he could figure out how to write up the report on the operation, another scout brought him news that completely killed his appetite for breakfast.
"Sir, the war fog spread by the Tower of Rings' psions has completely lifted. But we found some 'things' the Transians left behind at the border!"
The scout's tone was very strange.
He sounded a little shaken, which surprised Major Fraser.
Pioneer Legion scouts were all outstanding warriors. It was rare to see them so visibly affected.
"Turn on the computational orb's projection. I want to see what the hell it is for myself."
The major sent a message. A moment later, a blurry long-distance psionic projection flickered to life. The scout adjusted the angle, and the sight that appeared before the major made his scalp crawl.
Human heads!
A full six hundred heads had been piled together to form a bizarre "tower." Beside it lay a broken stone tablet, on which a line of Transian script had been carved in blood:
"With this glorious death, we honor Mother of Night! The Scarlet Hand always repays blood with blood!"
"This..."
Major Fraser took a deep breath.
He