He turned slightly, his gaze falling upon the tall, grim-faced officer standing rigidly at his side; this officer was none other than the Commissar of the local enforcers.
"Send in your men. Eradicate what remains. But maintain discipline and advance with caution." His eyes, hard as flint, returned to the chaotic exodus.
"The scout drones were clear. These rebels are no longer fighting with scavenged slug-throwers. They are armed with Kaelzar pulse rifles and plasma charges, stolen from our own fallen during the pacification."
This single piece of intelligence had changed everything. The earlier failures of the local enforcers were now explained; they had been facing their own superior technology in the hands of desperate, cornered foes.
The moment Carlos's fleet had entered orbit and the drone footage had reached his command screen, the mission parameters had shifted irrevocably. Capture and interrogation were luxuries of a stable occupation.
