Regulator Lance α-42 - Mission 1

They call it "The Crawler", singular, like a creature out of ancient myth. Originally designed for large scale construction projects, the caterpillar treads and reinforced suspension could carry heavy loads across the loose iron-rich sands of the Martian desert without sinking into the terrain. Its broad cab was large enough for a small crew to effectively live in for long hauls, so long as they could stand close quarters and didn't try to all sleep at the same time. It could operate unsupported for extended periods, because instead of a conventional battery or hydrogen-hybrid engine, it was powered by a small fusion generator. This colossal mechanical beast stretched nearly a hundred and fifty meters long, and was broad enough to take up a four lane highway by itself.

When Regulator Lance α-42 had refused the order to withdraw from the Martian Front, some madman at MAD had ordered this monstrosity refit for their needs. Of course, that had entailed a bit of armor, and someone had installed a small turret while converting the passenger seat into a gunner's station. The most important thing, however, was converting the truck bed, which was bigger than most passenger liners by itself, into a mobile CASE bay, complete with retractable crane arms for salvage operations.

It may have lacked some of the glamor of a HALO drop from a CASPR dropship, but the Martians had lost enough bases that logistics had broken down in many places. Independent action and sustainability were quickly becoming the strategic watchwords. In that regard, The Crawler was less the only one of its kind, and more likely to be the first. A small base on treads, meaning that if a front collapsed, the MAD could reposition without abandoning essential materials.

It's early morning, the bright disc of Sol chasing away the haze of the Martian night, but not yet appearing from behind the broken horizon. The Crawler's deep treads are not dug into the shifting red sands, but rather leaving muddy rents in the agrarian fields that feed so many Martian colonists. Houses are sparse, giving you plenty of room to move, but you can see hydroponic gardens that rise up like small, transparent plastic towers on a nearby hill, along with silos, barns, and the occasional tractor left out for the night. Proof is all around you of the terraforming of Mars, of mankind's ability to persevere in the face of the impossible, to survive.

And then, the plaintive pinging of the suitcase-like portable comms station MAD left with you for coordination begins to ring out.

"Alpha-Four-Two, this is Kennel-Four, please respond." the voice on the other side comes through. Even with the warble of signal modulation and alien interference, the voice sounds too young for a military posting, though there's no face to associate with it. Instead, the holographic projector in the base of the comms unit projects a simplified topographical map which starts on a hydroelectric dam, then zooms out to include the Crawler's current position.

"MAD is requesting Regulator assistance with a warganism designated 'Thundershrimp'. Previously reported neutralized, Thundershrimp seems to have regenerated and taken control of the Gestart Hydroelectric Dam. Brown outs and power outages in major metropolitan areas are already complicating the defenses of those cities, causing worries that this is a prelude to another attack."

"We need that warganism eliminated with minimal damage to the dam itself. The nearest MAD Lance is still undergoing repairs from their first fight with him. Can you assist?"

"The information from the previous engagement is already out of date, I'm afraid. Each time we've recorded a warganism regeneration, their capabilities have changed drastically. The current theory is that they take advantage of the massive tissue regeneration to forcibly mutate, evolving in response to the strategies that harmed them before." the young voice began.

"Before, designate Thundershrimp was classified as a light combatant with a reinforced exoskeleton that was highly resistant against explosive bombardment. One of its primary claws was larger than the other, and was capable of generating a blast of pressurized air strong enough to topple a CASE and rattle its interior structure, bypassing armor protection. Some of the squad was injured from the force."

"In time, it was defeated by its primary weapon being burned away by an energy weapon, and its head crushed with blunt force trauma."

"Information from its attack on the dam is still under investigation, primarily cobbled together by eye-witnesses who evacuated upon its appearance. It seems larger than initial reports, and has glowing elements along its spine and well as antenna. Its damaged claw has grown into a new structure ... venting in the carapace suggests an energy or thermal weaponry of some kind. We believe that the power irregularities we're experiencing are from it siphoning energy from the dam; if it were damaging the generators we'd simply be in the dark. What it intends to use that energy for is still a matter of speculation. The most popular guess is that Thundershrimp hasn't developed power generator qualities, but rather, power cells that it's charging from the dam before its next attack."

"I wish I could tell you that, Captain." comes the response on the comms device, "The data is incredibly inconsistent. They don't always regenerate, but we haven't been able to pin down exactly why it fails. We've tried incinerating the corpses, but they've come back from that several times. Complete destruction has had the best results, but it isn't at a hundred percent either, and the ordinance required to manage it against creatures of this scale is prohibitive. We'd deplete our reserves long before we ran out of enemy combatants."

"We've been reduced to knocking them down every time they get up, and hoping it sticks."

One of the larger challenges of Martian settlement has been the relative lack of fossil fuels. Lacking in prehistoric forrests, the world was wholly devoid of coal, denying the early settlers abundant, high-energy sources native to the planet. Solar power was an sufficient stopgap for the pastoral beginnings, but as the population continued to flourish, other methods had to be developed. With the thawing of Mars polar ice caps, free-flowing water became next best option, particularly given that even on Mars the urban centers tended to spring up near the water. Dams like Gestart were once the lifeblood of Mars, though civilization's expansion further inland has been aided with the developement of Astevallian G-Reactor Plants.

As the broad wall looms ahead through Seth's long range scopes, the surrounding area seems quiet. The roads leading to the top of the dam have been physically smashed to ward away wheeled and tracked vehicles, but it would do nothing to dissuade a CASE.

Throttling down your CASE to deaden the heavy footfalls, and keeping your boost-thrusters cold, you make your careful approach on the dam. Your objective is the large, boxy structures at the base of the dam, where the generators are housed, which at least spared you a challenging climb up the cliffsides. That said, approaching from the water, or the beach, was much too open. Instead, you had to swing out wide, beyond the damaged roads and into forrests that were had grown up in the fertile soil left when the water level lowered. By the time you emerged from the treeline again, the generator building would be only a short sprint over open ground for your CASE.

Around the time you approached to mid-range, however, you started experiencing mechanical issues. The image on your scanners started to sputter and distort, rgb ghosts accompanying an image that warped and swam. A quick systems check revealed no fault in your equipment, instead, it seemed to be the result of interference. Your comms are badly garbled, making it difficult for your team to understand you.

Somewhat more distressing is what the visual distortion managed to hide. It seemed like just a heat distortion at first, lost in the artifacting and the warbling screen. That's how you'd missed it, but approaching the dam, their number has only increased and made them more apparent. Sticking out of the ground, waving on an ionic current, there are long, slender whiskers poking out of the ground. Are they a detection mechanism? The source of the disruption? A weapon? You're not certain, but you do know your Position is more dangerous