This was the assembly platform of the base, right next to the landing platform where we arrived. As the largest flat area in the asteroid fortification group, this place was entirely cast from silvery-gray Imperial Alloy. The ground was also etched with the emblem of the New Eden Federation and the imperial crest. All around the assembly platform, everything that came into view was brand new.
The smooth surface of the buildings, the alloy armor plates that the nano-builders had just finished growing, the air combat robots that had been assembled but not yet activated, and the spotless crystal matrix—the lifeless base was everywhere imbued with a crisp newness that felt particularly discordant.
Before we set sail, we had contacted this base once. Only twelve hours had passed since then, yet the base had already been abandoned due to an attack, and its garrison had vanished without a trace. What on earth had happened here?
