A foreign fleet dropping into a sky controlled by the Kharov didn't feel like help to anyone watching from below.
It felt like the start of something worse.
Most people down there had never seen a rescue before. They didn't have any reason to think something good would come from ships they didn't recognize.
So when the sky dimmed and unfamiliar hulls appeared overhead, their first reaction wasn't relief.
It was fear.
Some thought the Kharov had finally decided to end things. A full wipe. Quick, brutal, and final. No more half-measures, no more control. Just erase everything and move on.
Others thought it was a different enemy. Another force entirely. One that didn't care who was in charge and who wasn't. One that would kill everyone the same way.
No one knew what was actually happening.
And when people don't know, they panic.
Across the settlements, things broke down fast. People started running without a clear direction.
