48th Colchis Auxiliary Army garrison zone
Agri World Sigsaul
There were no steel jungles of Hive Cities here, nor the smoke and thunder of Industrial Worlds.
As far as the eye could see, enormous farms stretched to the horizon, neatly divided into a checkerboard of greens and earthy yellows in varying shades.
The air carried the year-round scent of fertile land—a blend of humus, ripe grain, and a faint trace of fertilizer—occasionally accompanied by the distant rumble of agricultural machinery.
The camp itself was rugged and practical, its gray-white prefabricated buildings arranged in orderly rows, surrounded by barbed electric fencing and watchtowers. It clashed with the peaceful farmland, yet had stubbornly taken root.
"Heave—ho!"
A deliberately muffled cry, tinged with smug satisfaction, sounded atop a relatively low section of alloy wall on the camp's western side, accompanied by the faint scrape of fabric against metal.
A figure nimbly swung over the wall, gripped the edge with both hands, and swung down like a pendulum before letting go, bending his knees, landing, and rolling to absorb the impact.
Johnny glanced around outside. Beyond the wall lay a packed dirt road connecting the camp's main gate to the local settlement in the distance. It was deserted, with only the rustle of wind through the roadside crops and the indistinct calls of livestock farther away.
All clear.
Johnny breathed a sigh of relief, brushed the wall dust from his hands, and carefully took two coins of Throne Gelt from his jacket's inner pocket.
He weighed the coins in his palm. Their pleasant metallic clink brought a smile of triumph to his face.
"Hmm... those old bastards will definitely want that stuff that hits like welding fumes again..." Johnny muttered, narrowing his eyes as he considered his options.
The brothers in his squad—the men