Some say when trouble comes, it never comes alone.

When Caity instructed that the truth of the Portal be released to the entire Phasewalker Corps, she made the right decision. Yes. Some of the Phasewalkers were horrified by the notion of never being able to see their home, the home that they sacrificed so much to protect, again. But most of them, after a long silence, openly declared that, Portal or not, they would keep on carrying out their duties.

After all, they were the mightiest of Earth’s champions. At this point, whether that was objectively true or not, that was something the Phasewalkers truly believed.

But the situation remained problematic. Phasewalker scouts were concerned when they discovered that throughout their time in the wild, the horde of Mutated Ants had grown nearly tenfold in numbers. It had hunted down countless Mutated Animals, human survivors, and other prey in their path and, with their bodies as food, nurtured numerous more Warrior Ants.

There was even evidence of higher leveled Mutated Ants in the swarm, leading the assaults.

If left unchecked, the Mutated Ants would’ve grown to a threat more deadly than New Sara or Camp York. The Phasewalkers, for the first time in a while, might be handicapped by the limited ammo under their disposal. They could key a tab on the Ants, but a major conflict in the near future could deplete the limited assets of the Corps and put everything at risk.

But the Mutated Ants weren’t the only threat. That was what Caity Hunter discovered when a group of visitors arrived at the Phasewalker settlement in New Sara.

“So, this is the faction that took over New Sara.”

New Sara had been completely transformed after it fell into Phasewalker control a month ago. After the initial takeover, the Phasewalkers had Alpha Troopers work on cleansing the entire city. All five of the local Support Battalions took part in the countless skirmishes that ravaged across the city.

There were casualties, quite some of them, as a matter of fact, but ultimately, every Mutated Animal was dragged out into the open and slaughtered.

For the first time in a year, the city of New Sara was in human hands.

The Phasewalkers left the two Alpha Support Battalions in New Sara, a decision welcomed by many of the troopers as this was their home. In fact, unless they were needed elsewhere, the Phasewalkers left all the local support battalions in the settlements where they were first recruited. This way, in the event of an assault, they would fight to the death to defend their families.

Under the instructions of Phasewalker officers and commissars, the Alpha Troopers worked to turn New Sara into a fortress. Before the Portal was closed, countless trucks of construction materials were brought to New Sara, where they were transformed into numerous bunkers, bomb shelters, watchtowers, trenches, barb wires, and other defensive structures.

By the time the Portal was shut, the constructions were mostly finished.

This morning, a group of visitors reached the northern gate of the city. There, the Phasewalkers have set up a checkpoint. Every once in a while, a group of survivors would approach the city, having heard of a human faction strong enough to offer protection and nice enough to accept them. There, Alpha Troopers would log these new survivors onto file, give them a basic introduction of the rules in the city, and then let them in.

But this new group of visitors was slightly different. Just like the Alpha Troopers at the checkpoints, some of these visitors wore black Guardian IV Armors and carried Defender Gauss Rifles. Even as they were approaching the checkpoint, their lines were spread out. While their faces couldn’t be seen under their dark masks, judging by the motion of their helmets, it was obvious they were constantly keeping an eye on the surroundings.

This was an army that could only be rivaled by some of the best Phasewalker units or the Mutants’ elite guards in Camp York.

Leading the escort was a man in a straight military uniform. A sidearm was strapped to his side. He was young, in the mid-twenties. He looked at the Alpha Troopers not far away not with hostility, but with curiosity.

“Are they former military?” He questioned.

Standing half a step behind him was a Tier 2 Mutant woman. But despite being a powerful being who could crush ordinary mortals with absolute ease, the woman was only the man’s underling. Hearing his question, she replied.

“I don’t believe so. New Sara is just one of their territories. Rumor says they come from a place called Fortress Alpha.”

“Fortress Alpha? I don’t remember that being a UEC designated military base. Hmmm...maybe they got their war gears from some nearby military base or warehouse.”

“I’m not surprised if that's the case.” The woman scoffed. “Judging by how they took over New Sara, they probably stole more than war gears. I heard they had enough food for everyone that joined them. Probably looted a few food warehouses as well.”

The leading man turned to the woman, who immediately went silent. The man spoke quietly. His voice was low, yet dominant.

“Jaime. I know you have a grudge against this faction. They forced you out of your city and robbed you of most of your supporters. When my father found you, a Mutated Spider almost ate you. In a sense, they almost killed you. I get that.”

His tone changed.

“But now is no time for personal grudges. Everything we stand for is at risk. We can’t survive in this world if we have to fight off those Mutants and each other at the same time. The only way we can restore humanity to its former glory is by working together.”

Jaime nodded slowly. There was a reason she didn't just yield to the Phasewalkers when they took New Sara. She had been a leader for so long that the sheer idea of serving someone else disgusted her. But now, just a month later, she was working for another human faction. The fact that they saved her was just one reason. Another reason was because the belief this faction held, the idea of fighting for humanity instead of selfish desires, truly appealed to her.

All would die, one day or another. A part of Jaime just hoped that she would at least see humanity ruling this planet again before her time was up.

As the Tier 2 Mutant backed off, the first man smiled. He led the way as he walked up to the squad of Alpha Troopers at the gate. He could see all those men immediately tensed up when they saw the armed guests. Not wanting any trouble, the man reassured them.

“Please don’t be alarmed. We mean you no ill will. We are an envoy from the United Human Confederacy. We are here to speak with your leader.”

Even as he spoke, the man glanced across the markings on the arms of the Alpha Troopers. Yellow markings. The man knew almost everything about the UEC military, and he was well aware this marking didn't belong to any military branch of the UEC at all.

The Alpha Troopers looked at each other, unsure of what to say or do. That was when a voice asked from the side.

“What’s going on here?”

The man turned and found a dozen figures approaching from inside the city. Leading them was an armor-clad officer with his helmet lifted and a Defender-C strapped to his side. The men behind him had different markings on their arms. Green ones. They must be of a different unit.

Quickly and subtly, the new troopers spread themselves across into a firing line. A squad of elite, well-armed soldiers entering the gates of New Sara wasn’t an everyday sight.

“Sir.” The Alpha Troopers saluted at the newly arrived officer. “They claim to be from the United Human Confederacy. They want to speak to Colonel Hunter.”

The Phasewalker nodded slowly. An Assault Trooper of the 4th Motorized Battalion, he was among a detachment stationed in New Sara to help the two Alpha Support Battalions function effectively.

“Please wait here while I pass the news to my superiors.” He said politely to the man, who, surprisingly, returned a rather polite smile.

The Phasewalker officer turned to another Assault Trooper, who walked to a satellite phone at the checkpoint booth and reported the news up the chain of command.

“Colonel Hunter, it’s a real pleasure to meet you. I am Lieutenant Jason Kenneth of the United Human Confederacy. I must admit, you are younger than I expected, Colonel. Thank you for meeting me on such short notice.”

“A pleasure to meet you too. So, lieutenant, if you don’t mind, can you tell me about your party, the United Human Confederacy? I don’t believe I have heard the name before.”

Caity did her best to put on a warm smile for the guest. It was hardly easy. After the report was passed onto her, she left Ryan in Fortress Alpha and personally took a squad of Security Troopers and headed straight here to New Sara. Even on the road, she felt herself getting a little concerned.

Another human faction has been discovered, at the worst possible timing, no less. Now, all she could hope for was that this so-called United Human Confederacy was nothing more than a fancy name.

She was bound to be disappointed.

“Of course,” Lieutenant Kenneth answered swiftly, his voice polite yet efficient. “The main component of the UHC is what used to be the 12th United Earth Confederation Field Army before the war. Most of us were soldiers. When the outbreak occurred, dozens of Field Armies were deployed, tasked with putting down the Mutations. I am not proud to admit that we failed with that duty.”

“Nonetheless, our commander, General Kenneth, was able to alter the tactics in time to save the 12th Field Army from being overrun by the Mutation altogether. After that, we held out in our forts, fighting off the Mutants and providing shelter for survivors who made it to our position.”

“Recently, our scouts have noticed that the Mutants are no longer as aggressive and plentiful in numbers as they used to be. Our analysts attribute that to the conflict between the Mutants themselves. After most of the available human flesh was gone, these beasts turned on each other.”

“While the Mutants have been exhausting their numbers, the United Human Confederation has been working to rebuild what the virus has taken from us. To strike back. We have gathered nearly 300,000 survivors. The 12th Field Army now includes 100,000 soldiers, half of them veterans from the original unit. Our settlements span across three cities. Using this opportunity, we will strike back against the Mutants and retake our homeworld.”

As Jason boasted, his eyes were trained on Caity. He was eager to find out what her reaction would be. After all, he wasn’t saying all this to show off. This was a demonstration of strength, an act meant to convince Caity and the faction under her command to join the United Human Confederation and their cause to reclaim their world.

Caity knew Jason’s intentions all too well. This was what she has been doing to ordinary survivor groups for months. From the tiny factions in New Sara to the entire Camp York, she has been absorbing them under the banner of Fortress Alpha with the same set of tricks. A show of strength first. Those who didn't want to join could leave. If you didn't want to join or leave, well...some sacrifices had to be made for the greater victory.

Big fish eat little fish. Such were the rules in this barbaric world.

The ironic thing was that the table had been turned, and this time, the Phasewalker Corps was the small fish.

100,000 combatants. 300,000 survivors. Considering the UHC came from an entire UEC Field Army, their war gears likely surpassed that of the Phasewalkers in number and in quality.

What could the Phasewalkers fight back with? 3,000 Phasewalker Troopers? Or the 5,000 local troops? This United Human Confederacy outnumbered them by over ten times.

“I have heard a lot about you and your people from one of my...comrades.” Jason continued. He was referring to Jaime. “Just like us, you fight to take this world back from the xenos that have stolen it. Our causes are aligned. We...we can be allies.”

What Jason proposed was an alliance, but Caity suspected that as soon as Jason got to know the true background of Fortress Alpha and its forces, that alliance would slowly shift into a surrender.

But the Colonel couldn’t just outright decline it. Instead, she dodged the question and bought herself some time.

“I need to discuss this with my people. It is an important decision.”

“Of course.” Jason’s smile didn't disappear. “Oh, have I told you about our Navy?”

“Navy?” Caity was almost afraid to ask.

“Yep. After the UEC Space Fleet was destroyed, one of the Victory-Class Destroyers made a forced landing in an airfield of the 12th Field Army. A lot of its infrastructures were destroyed, but we were able to clear up the Mutations and salvage many parts. Lately, we were about to bring the starship back online. The ship’s name is called Loki. Quoting its late captain, the ship is “gorgeous”. You should really see it. There’s also a fleet of starfighters that we saved along with the ship.”

Victory-Class Destroyers. One of the smaller starships in the UEC Space Fleet. It could hold up to 10,000 men and a significant amount of other cargo. Caity remembered reading in a military magazine that these ships were designed to fight smaller sized enemy fighters, but she doubted they would be useless against ground targets. What could the Phasewalkers even do against a spaceship? A spaceship! Could their F-22s and artillery shells even hit that high?

And starfighters...Caity assumed the Lieutenant was referring to the Assassin XII Starfighters, which were agile fighters mass deployed by the UEC that were capable of functioning both in the atmosphere and in space. In terms of the stats, F-22 Jet Fighters were nothing before them.

Another show of strength, Caity thought darkly as the conversation finally came to an end.