Somewhere in the eastern cardinal, Kelvin landed with KROME, his thrusters powering down with a mechanical whine that echoed across the landing zone. The ten-ton mech's feet hit packed earth with enough force to leave impressions three inches deep, hydraulics hissing as weight transferred from flight systems to ground support.
Up ahead were several ships on the ground. Grey ships.
Not the civilian transports Eclipse used or the commercial vessels that moved cargo between settlements. These were military craft, sleek and angular, painted in the distinctive blue and white of Grey family colors. Each one was maybe forty meters long, configured for rapid deployment rather than extended operations. Weapon systems were visible along their hulls, retracted but present, the kind of hardware that made a statement about what Grey family could do when they decided to act.
