The Island of Evolution Mission, The Beginning of the Extreme Salvage Team

Prelude The Shattering, California♦

Barcara Kician

June 17th, 1864

Quiet as a whisper, the trio of tanks rolled over the train bridge, keeping their engines low so we didn't get spotted. The scout team had already removed the lone guard at the bridge house, letting us slip in without fuss. I slipped out of Chirrut, my tank, and joined the rest of the squad in the steam hauler. We glided into the little town, built by Lady Hillington's followers—it seemed like a simple place, just a T-junction with a church on the hill.

The steam hauler rolled in at the town's lower end, looking as empty as possible. I spotted a sniper in the bell tower, puffing on a cigar, and noticed a few flat-roofed buildings perfect for a shooter. It gave me a bad feeling like we were being watched.

"Angle's good, but it's gonna be a max shot," Maria whispered, her voice carrying in the stillness. No raptors or any movement except for our steam hauler. I stopped right outside the church and let the scout team out before grabbing my Colt Army pistol. We needed to deal with that sniper before we could make our move. I spotted a ladder leading up to the church's second floor. Just as I was about to get out of my seat, I felt a shiver down my spine. I turned and fired on instinct, dropping a cultist coming out of the hotel with a shotgun.

Gunfire erupted inside the church, so I fired up the flare gun and maneuvered the steam hauler through the street. I didn't look back at the church—strange noises were coming from there, so I focused on clearing our escape route. The scout squad burst out of the church and piled into the steam hauler. I slammed the gas, aiming to get back to Chirrut. I saw her silhouette and lined up so I could get inside quickly.

Just as I climbed in, the cannon fired. The church bell blew sky-high, the roof caving in. A bullet pinged off the tank's roof as the turret took down the building. I saw the scout squad guiding the steam hauler to a small building next to the church. Swearing under my breath, I realized there might've been kids in Sunday school! I pushed Chirrut to cover the scout squad, with bullets flying all around us; they needed all the protection they could get. The scout squad stopped at the entrance of the Sunday school building and burst in.

The ground in front of Chirrut exploded—a shell missing us by inches. There was a full-on cannon battle as I repositioned Chirrut for the best firepower. Our rear gunners were tearing into Lady Hillington's little army with their Gatling guns, and the cannon switched to canister shots.

I didn't even notice when the buildings started burning, probably lit by the cultists. The town was going up in flames, but I stayed sharp, keeping my eyes on the road and the fight. The fire roared and reached for the sky when ammo started cooking off! Bullets and shells were flying every which way! I threw Chirrut into reverse and charged the army! My turret crew and rear gunners guided me to cause the most chaos. They continued to fire, shredding through Lady Hillington's army, turning them into red mist with every cannon roar.

A cannonball glanced off Chirrut's armor, leaving a massive dent! The turret swung around and fired a shell, knocking the cannon out. The repeating rifle I stuck in the turret gunned down the remaining cannon crew. I was unhappy with the slow speed of my guns; I'll try to improve them later. The cultist army tried one last time to reform, but they were no match for the Union soldiers. The Union soldiers laid down such constant fire with their repeating rifles that the cultist never stood a chance to reload. Rather than surrender, they shot themselves in the head.

Magnus didn't catch Lady Hillington; the whole town's been reduced to ashes. Luckily, the scout squad managed to rescue the kids before things got too out of hand. We wiped out the cultist army, but now there's chatter about them already working on warships! They had the wooden frames set but lit them on fire when they fled.

Lt. Col. Fallon thanked us for our work and said our performance today would help secure the governmental recognition we need to keep moving forward. It felt good to know our efforts weren't going unnoticed, but Lady Hillington's escape soured the feeling.