»INTRNL: Crucible

[Geno]

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(ADDRESS 0x000000CB)
(ADDRESS 0x000000AX)

LOCATION: VALRAVN.
ID: AUX-V-ASK-003 'AETHER'
SUBJECT: SALVATION

Crucible.

My name is Venator Aether. Stacker, for some. I'm in charge of Logistics. Mostly behind the curtains.

I've been following some of your progress as of late. Taking the reins of most of our operations in Rheinland is nothing short of commendable.

However, I've been receiving a... concerning amount of colonist reports as of late, mostly from the region you are currently overseeing, hence the reason for this little communique.

Saarbrucken. Our colonists left behind nearly inaccessible lines have been predictably struggling to make ends meet. I'm sure you can imagine how complicated the situation has become down there by now.

If not, please allow me to paint you a broader picture. The Burrowbeasts, as they've come to call them, have been wreaking havoc around the settlements. Dozens have been displaced from the outer regions and chased back into the few remaining settlements with functioning Positron ground rod thumpers - the only thing keeping those things from eating our people and synthetics. In order to keep their resources plentiful and their bellies full, my reports have shown that it has become increasingly more difficult for my pilots to make the monthly supply expedition.

Navigating through the Sigmas has become a challenge, and with our interests being diverted into the Omegas and elsewhere rather than within Rheinland itself, I believe that delivering relief supplies to our researchers has become cause for a direct loss in credits, personnel and resources we could divert to other projects. The time for the Saarbrucken settlements has passed, and it's time for them to rejoin the fold.

With your permission, I would like to hear your thoughts. I will oversee any operations regarding what is to come, and arrange for the preparation of multiple extraction convoys to safeguard our assets from further harm. It could only be a matter of time before those overloading worms will be the end of our settlements.

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