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Stanton’s star slowly crept over the horizon. It was still obscured by the dark brown clouds of the planet Hurston. But slowly the atmosphere turned light brown. My White Rabbit flew a few hundred meters above the reddish-brown ground. Out of the cockpit window on the right, I could see the yellow lights of the skyscrapers of Lorville in the distance. I had just flown over an old derelict settlement. I was surprised to find one so close to the town. It consisted of a landingpad and four clusters of buildings that were quite a distance apart. Lights were burning in two places.

Suddenly, a shrill warning sound echoed through the cockpit and a red light flickered on. ‘Radar lock’. An enemy Cutlass Black had targeted me. I was pressed deeper into the pilot’s seat as I gave full thrust. But the Cutlass was getting closer. This couldn’t be true. The White Rabbit was a Mercury Star Runner. One of the fastest ships. Why was the Drake Cutlass Black even faster?

My eyes went black for a moment as I jerked the wheel to the right and steered the White Rabbit towards the city. A few seconds later, my black and gold painted Star Runner merged with the black and gold skyscrapers. Flying low, I thundered through the city. The Cutlass was still following me. But then the radar contact suddenly disappeared.

I had been warned. This derelict settlement didn’t seem to be abandoned either. During my investigations of the derelict settlements in Stanton, I had repeatedly come across Nine Tails. The remains of the old buildings had an ancient history, still unknown to me, but they were not always abandoned.

Under the protection of Lorville’s security zone, I landed the White Rabbit outside the town on the edge of an open pit mine. With the URSA Medivac, I made my way to the settlement 14 kilometers away. It was a difficult navigation through pits, between piles of rubble, boulders, containers and remnants of the mining facilities. Two large, gate-like constructions on the other side of the open-cast mine gave me orientation. At some point, the first remains of the walls of the old settlement appeared at dawn.

I drove past the first large stone wall and on to a tower on which a flag was flying. Next to it was the dilapidated masonry of a multi-storey building. A platform was attached with steel girders and rusty metal plates. Several old containers stood in front of it. The rover came to a screeching halt. No one was to be seen.

Suddenly, the on-board computer reported that the shields had been hit. The rattle of assault rifles echoed through the remains of the wall. I moved the rover back a few meters to get a better view between the ruined buildings. Two Nine Tails charged towards me. The muzzles of their assault rifles flashed.

With a groan, I activated the turret screen on the rover. The two Badger repeaters on the roof spat thunderous fire and hurled red laser flashes in the direction of the Nine Tails. Both disappeared in a cloud of sparks and dust. Then there was silence.

The wind whispered softly as I left the rover via the rear ramp. Had I caught all the Nine Tails, or were there still some lurking somewhere? With the P4 assault rifle at the ready, I took cover behind a low wall. My heart was racing. Why the hell was I alone? Why didn’t I have anyone with me who was experienced in combat and could provide me with cover?

It didn’t help. If I wanted to find out what story the old walls had to tell, I had to keep going. I looked through the scope at every nook and cranny of the settlement. All I could see were dilapidated walls and rusty steel.

After a few minutes, I broke free from my cover and ran to the container standing a few meters away to my right. Pressed tightly against the wall, I ran along the outside of the container. When I reached the end, I peered cautiously around the corner. My gaze fell directly on a Nine Tail. It was lying motionless on the floor. After taking his ammunition, I moved on.

Slowly and extremely carefully, I worked my way forward piece by piece. I looked under every stone in every crate and collected everything that could somehow solve the mystery of these old ruined settlements. Finally, I climbed a wall and got an overview. In the haze of Hurston’s filthy atmosphere, the three other clusters of buildings could be seen in the distance. There was still a lot of work ahead of me.

By the time I had investigated everything and reached the last ruined buildings, it was already dark. After I hadn’t come across any more Nine Tails, my tension was gone. The rover’s headlights illuminated part of the old walls. A bonfire was burning between the buildings.

The side door of the Rover opened with a squeak. Just as I was about to get out, I heard a hiss and a bullet ricocheted off the rover’s armor next to me. Then I heard the shot. I fell uncontrollably back onto my back in the rover. I struggled to get up. As I got up, my hand hammered on the door switch. The door closed again with another squeak. Breathing heavily, I stood in front of the closed door for a few seconds, supporting myself with my hands on my knees.

Finally, I activated the screen of the protected device in the cockpit. The Nine Tail was really far away. It kept popping up from behind a wall, firing and then taking cover again. It took me quite a while to finish him off. Once I had made sure that there was really no more danger, I left the protection of the rover.

In the darkness, I examined the remains of the buildings. The cone of light from my helmet lamp wandered over walls, piles of scrap and crates. Finally, it stopped on a drawing on a wall. Three circles arranged in the shape of a triangle. Two circles at the top, one at the bottom. I had seen this sign somewhere before, I just couldn’t remember where.

After searching everything, I stood in the darkness, at a loss. The campfire was burning a few meters away from me. Behind it, in the faint light of two lamps, stood the remains of the ruined settlement. A few kilometers away, the skyscrapers of Lorville shone brightly.

What kind of old place was this, decaying in the shadow of the big city? It seemed older than Lorville, much older. Was this the original Lorville? The builders of the settlement didn’t have much money. The buildings were made of simple stone. Lorville, on the other hand, was made of steel and glass. It exuded money and power.

Could people have lived here before the greedy mega-corporation Hurston Dynamics arrived? Were they perhaps settlers of the free peoples? Did they live here in freedom until Hurston Dynamics began to ruthlessly strip the planet of its resources, oppressing the people and making them work for themselves under undignified conditions?

What had the salesman in the Schott settlement Zephyr said?

“They didn’t let the mega-corporations get them down and they rose from the ruins”.

What was the connection between the people in the scrap settlements and the old derelict settlements? And was there a connection between the derelict settlements? They all had the same architectural style.

These thoughts flashed through my mind, but they raised more questions than they answered. I had found lots of stuff here and in the other ruined settlements. Artifacts and old medals that I couldn’t make sense of. Were these clues to the history of the settlements?

To answer the questions and unravel the mystery, I needed help. Someone who knew their way around, who knew the history. I already had an idea of who I could turn to. Preferably before I investigated the last settlements in the ArcCorp planetary system.

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