The drone wasn't as advanced as an orbital recon platform, not like the systems that kept Earth’s surface under 24/7 surveillance.  But it was advanced enough to pick out the remains of the colony ... and note the places that had once been human settlements.  Now, they were nothing more than blackened ruins.  Even the handful of farms, carefully primed to feed the main body of colonists when they finally arrived, had been destroyed.  One of the analysts dug up the original files from Vera Cruz and placed them on the display, next to the images from the drones.  It was all too clear just how badly the settlement had been hammered by the aliens.

“Interesting,” Major Parnell said, through the intercom.

James jumped.  He hadn’t realised that the Royal Marine was watching the live feed from the drones ... which was stupid, he rebuked himself.  The Royal Marines would be very interested in alien conduct on the ground.

“Yes,” he agreed, sardonically.  “Why?”

Parnell didn't respond to the sarcasm in his tone.  “There should be much more devastation,” he said, instead.  “If the aliens took out the colony from orbit, there should be nothing more than a giant crater in the ground.  Instead ... they seem to have raided the surface rather than simply destroyed it.”

James hesitated.  As a junior officer, he had watched targets on Earth being destroyed from orbit ... and he had to admit that Parnell had a point.  The aliens could have dropped a handful of kinetic strikes and obliterated the colony from orbit, but the evidence suggested otherwise.

“Point,” he agreed, finally.  He shivered as he studied the images of the settlement, the old file showing a standard colony arrangement, the newer ones showing destroyed buildings and ... he cursed as he realised what was missing.  “There's no bodies.”

“No,” Parnell agreed.  There was no hint of triumph or amusement in his tone.  “Sir, I believe we should attempt to determine what precisely happened to the settlers.”

“You want to go down to the surface,” James said, slowly.  “Are you completely out of your mind?”

“This is the first chance anyone has had to examine the remains of an alien attack,” Parnell pointed out, smoothly.  “I don't think we can pass it up.”

James considered it, rapidly.  The Captain would have to make the final decision, of course, but Parnell was right.  There were strong reasons to make a quick examination of the remains of the colony.  On the other hand, however, if the aliens returned in force the carrier might have to withdraw rapidly, leaving the Marines completely alone.  The aliens would send troops down to the surface to finish them off ... or simply leave them to fend for themselves.