Boundary River

Augustus noticed that these engineers, clad in orange-gray coveralls, were still quite young; various markings on their uniforms indicated they were local conscripts temporarily recruited by the Interstellar Marine Corps. These conscripts were usually refugees, and if the war went smoothly, their service would not exceed two years.

By now, the bridges and railway lines over the Paddick River had been severed by the Kel-Morian. The "Seven Sisters" bridges, famous throughout the colonial world, had either been blown apart with their main spans sunk to the riverbed, or were submerged beneath the surging waters of the rainy season.

Within a one-mile radius of both riverbanks, all buildings, lighthouse piers, and green belts had been razed to the ground, replaced by rubble, shattered glass, and sand kicked up by the wind.

On the south bank of the Paddick River, two brigades of the Terran Confederacy Interstellar Marine Corps were stationed, along with an army division, two artillery regiments, an armored tank division, and three Avenger wings. To the north lay a Ripper legion of the Kel-Morian; the land across the water was filled with bunker complexes and sandbagged fortifications built by Kel-Morian construction workers using the remains of existing structures.

After entering the construction site, Company Commander Warfield assigned tasks to each squad through their respective platoon leaders, detailing exactly where each person in every squad should be at any given time, what tasks they were to complete, and who was responsible for supervising them.

The task for Augustus's squad was to patrol the one-mile area around the construction site as scouts to guard against Kel-Morian agents infiltrating the perimeter. Every fifteen minutes, he was required to report to his platoon leader via the communication system inside his Power Armor.

For the rest of the day, Augustus's 1st Squad carried out their patrol duties. The patrol area was a ruin of the city; amidst the broken walls and debris, collapsed masonry and cracked bricks lay scattered, with twisted water pipes exposed to the scorching sun.

This area had once been the most prosperous commercial district in the city center, filled with high-rises and the magnificent, ornate Rococo-style villas of the wealthy. Now, only a few of the most resilient buildings remained standing, the best-preserved being a Europa Goddess Statue that had lost its lower half.

While performing his duties, Augustus did not see anyone other than his fellow squads and platoons. When patrolling near the Paddick River, he turned to use his binoculars to observe the river and the Kel-Morian positions on the opposite bank.

The Paddick River remained crystal clear, as pure as the glacial lake at its source, but the picturesque banks and rippling blue waters were long gone. All that remained for the world to see were ruins and a river of sorrow, roaring in anger.

Under these circumstances, Augustus and his men could no longer see the Paddick-Sister Bridge section that had once attracted countless tourists as a scenic spot. Occasionally, they could still hear the sound of fighter squadrons streaking overhead.

The river was wide, and low-magnification binoculars were simply insufficient for Augustus to clearly see the defensive fortifications and fire points of the Kel-Morian army on the other side.

Across the water was the fully armed Kel-Morian Ripper legion; over the past three years, they had long since built curved fortresses and retaining walls along the riverbank.

Inside the walls, which stood dozens of feet high, were missile towers, coastal defense guns, and pop-up machine guns. The Kel-Morian had focused on building the north bank into an impregnable military fortress, particularly in the sections where the current was slower and easier to cross.

Augustus often stared at the Paddick River, wondering how he would cross the turbulent water if he were commanding an army, how he would project his forces to the other side, and how he would bring this war to a definitive end.

By the time they reached the vicinity of the Paddick River for their fourth patrol, night had fallen and the sun had sunk into the earth. Warfield ordered Augustus to return to the newly constructed barracks.

At this moment, the blood-red glow of the sunset had faded, and the black skyscraper complex cut the moonlit horizon into jagged, saw-toothed silhouettes.

On the opposite side of the river, on the north bank of the Paddick River, hundreds of light beams from Kel-Morian laser searchlights swept across the water and the sky, with flares occasionally streaking through the air.

A few miles away from Augustus's squad, a Terran Confederacy artillery position began to fire. Hundreds of ice-blue points of light landed on the opposite bank, and the electromagnetic pulse waves generated by the explosions lit up a section of the night sky.

Upon returning to the construction site, Warfield immediately ordered Augustus to go alone to a garage built from prefabricated Plasteel plates, while his unit was placed under the direct command of the company headquarters.

Augustus had originally thought there was some task that required face-to-face instructions or that a meeting of officers was about to be held, but he soon discovered that the other officers had remained at their posts.

Upon seeing Warfield, the man did not beat around the bush: "Your brother arrived at Turaxis II yesterday, and the division headquarters is not far from here. He told me on the phone just now that he hasn't seen his younger brother in seven or eight years, and he wants me to bring you to see him."

"Arcturus? Ah—that's great, I really want to see him soon." Augustus did not actually want to meet his brother.

Warfield then ordered his new adjutant—a gunnery sergeant—to temporarily lead the 1st Company and have them continue their established tasks.

Augustus drove this time; his relationship with Warfield was quite good now. Because of his older brother, Warfield actually treated Augustus like his own younger brother, and he also genuinely liked the young man's strength and decisiveness.

In Warfield's view, Augustus was very intelligent, and what was most commendable was that he used this intelligence for the right path. Furthermore, his empathetic and caring personality was indeed very likable.

In some respects, Augustus was very much like his brother.

An hour later, Augustus drove Warfield's Sabre Command Vehicle into a district filled with skyscrapers that were dozens or hundreds of stories tall. Beyond the skyscraper complex lay areas of lower buildings, providing an open field of view.

This area had once been the largest stadium in the Pride of Boke, adjacent to an amusement park, a zoo, and a civic plaza. About a regiment of engineers was using space construction vehicles on the leveled open ground to build row upon row of modular barracks in an orderly layout.

The Sabre Command Vehicle drove in between the forest of skyscrapers, and in the center of this high-rise district, there was still one building with its lights on.

Although this skyscraper was not fully illuminated, bright lights could be seen on some floors where the glass remained intact. This indicated that there must be a gas generator in the skyscraper's underground garage, with power lines buried beneath the ground.

Within five hundred yards of the skyscraper, roadblocks and sentry posts had been set up, and at least a platoon of the 33rd Ground Assault Division marines were guarding the building.

All the marines stood in silence, gripping their Gauss Rifles and staring straight ahead. On their silver-gray Power Armor, one could faintly see scratches, like scars left behind after deep, bone-reaching gashes had scabbed over. These were the marks left by repeated layers of new paint applied in an attempt to cover the wounds of severely damaged and repaired Power Armor.

Although this clearly violated Article 144 of the Power Armor Modification and Maintenance Regulations, some individuals had, in addition to the original 33rd Ground Assault Division insignia, other private graffiti and spray paint—some exquisite, some sloppy—usually depicting parts of a wolf's body, a sharp claw, an eye, or fangs. Some of the graffiti was even wilder, such as a full wolf skeleton with bleached bones or a completely naked beauty.

This meant that these men were either veterans who left these marks to show they were battle-hardened, or they were local planetary garrison troops who couldn't even get enough Power Armor supplies and had to patch things up to make them last for years—these fringe-world garrisons often called themselves the "stepchildren" of the military—or perhaps it was a combination of both.

These guards had no rank insignia on their Power Armor; they stood as still as statues, like stone lions in front of a temple.

Thanks to the one favored by Atago, I will always love Slokai, the loneliness of one person, the monthly ticket of the cute newbie rabbit, and thanks to Agent Rongrong for the tip.

It's on the recommendation list, Templar Knights, worship me!