War of Drekis, Rearmed - Chapter 7: War of Shadows

[Justin Law]

Chapter 7: War of Shadows

 

 

Segment 81: Xaelis, City of Bones

Jon “Darkenfire” Avalon stood on the bombed-out observation deck of what was once the tallest building in all of Xaelis, one of the few high-rise buildings in the city left standing in the aftermath of the devastating second siege of Xaelis which saw Xaelon’s old capital fall into the the hands of the Drekis Empire, with his faithful draconic mount Zegrin next to him. Jon continued to watch the distant horizon beyond Xaelis’ burned-out skyline even as his fellow Magister Deimos came up to join him.

“Ah Deimos, you have returned,” Jon smiled, his hands folded behind his back as he glanced over his shoulder to acknowledge his fellow Magister, who held a fire-blackened human skull in his right hand. “So how goes your mop-up of the Greater Xaelis region?”

“Consider the region pacified, and with this, one more step closer towards victory,” Deimos replied in his usual deadpan voice as he held up the skull, staring into its empty eye sockets before pointing the skull at the horizon, “I can smell delicious despair from over the horizon… I can feel that we’ve crushed their spirits and broken their will.”

“Yes… they must be sweating bullets over the revelation that Aigonis has led his legion into Araelis and are massing in Rugedelon for an all-out attack,” Avalon added as he glanced down at the dead streets of Xaelis, now dotted with Discordant Scion encampments amidst minions of all shapes and sizes who were wandering idly, awaiting their next commands.

“Say, Avalon, have you heard the news though? Zel’Myas has been ‘liberated’ from Marauder occupation courtesy of Relinqiest’s legion,” Deimos remarked, “Just thought it might interest you.”

A faint chuckle escaped Jon’s lips. “Aye, my own Phantom Sorcerers have told me that much; just when I was thinking Relinqiest was starting to get a little too comfortable sitting on his black iron throne all day. Anyway, with the Greater Xaelis region pacified, this means I can devote all of my assets to taking New Xaelis,” the blue-haired Magister remarked as he unfurled a map of the Khazanian mainland, known as Greater Khazan, his index finger hovering over where New Xaelis is marked; knowing that he could now march the entirety of his legion eastward towards the capital through the Fields of Walshin, with no fear of flanking assaults from the west.

“His Eminence has revealed updates to His strategy to me,” Avalon continued, “Instead of razing the capital to the ground as we did with Xaelis, New Xaelis is to be captured relatively intact, for He has plans for establishing a new hive-fortress there.”

“A hive-fortress, on the surface? Now that’s quite the escalation,” Deimos commented, raising an eyebrow at the news.

“Yes, for our Archon’s objectives of controlling the entire west of Greater Khazan to be fulfilled on time, we will need a surface lair to receive reinforcements, so that we do not need to wait for relief forces to march all the way from The Citadel,” Jon nodded. As if understanding his master’s words, Zegrin roared and flapped his wings, as Avalon’s dragon mount expressed his eagerness to see battle once more. “Anyway, it’s long past due that we moved on from this forsaken place – with Veronica reporting her campaign going well, as well as Aigonis and even Relinqiest on the move… surely you don’t want them to have all the fun, do you?”

Deimos maintained his impassive facade, the ambient air chilling as the Magister thought of the carnage and destruction that he could unleash. “While you set your sights on New Xaelis, I will lead my legion in the direction of Cretalia.”

“Ah, to think that the new hive-fortress at New Xaelis would see use so soon,” Jon nodded approvingly as Deimos shared his plans to take Cretalia.

“Truth be told, I’d very much prefer to consolidate our legions in attacking New Xaelis before moving on to Cretalia” The dark-haired Magistered remarked as he folded his arms, before taking a glance in the direction of Zel’Mier where The Citadel is located, “But I sense a growing restlessness on the part of our Archon – I can feel it in his soul, even all the way here,” Deimos crushed the charred skull in his grip before scattering the fragments over the ash-blanketed floor.

“Huh, I wasn’t aware His Eminence even possesses a soul,” Jon laughed sardonically as he raised his right hand in a deft gesture. Zegrin responded with dog-like eagerness, recognising the gesture as he laid down on his belly to allow his master to climb onto the saddle.

“But are you certain you’re up to the task of facing New Xaelis with just your legion?” Deimos wondered as Jon mounted Zegrin.

“Thank you for your concern, Deimos, but I will handle New Xaelis just fine… perhaps you should ask yourself if you’re confident taking Cretalia on your own,” The blue-haired Magister smirked as Zegrin flapped his wings, carrying the dragon into the air with his master in the saddle. “If it brings you any consolation, our legions will march alongside each other until we arrive at the plains known as the Fields of Walshin… it’s likely the Khazanians have established Walshin as a buffer zone where they will stage defensive assaults against my legion as they advance, but I will keep them busy while your legion breaks off and continues towards Cretalia with minimal opposition, how does that sound to you?”

Deimos closed his eyes contemplatively before reopening them to look at Avalon, giving his fellow Magister a slow nod, “It’s not like I have any reason to doubt my fellow Magisters – especially you, Jon.” While Jon had lost battles in the past, with the first siege of Xaelis being the most recent example, the Magister always outgrew his past weaknesses and never repeated the same mistakes. “As far as I’m concerned, your confidence in taking New Xaelis on your own is no empty boast. So Cretalia it is then. May all Magisters of the Drekis Empire succeed, hail Drekis!”

“Hail Drekis!” Jon acknowledged in kind as he summoned his green energy sword and pointed its tip in the direction of New Xaelis, flying towards the horizon while under the escort of Bio-Fighters and Ptera-Deminites. 

“Hail Drekis! Hail Drekis!” The Discordant Scions’ cheers were mixed with the eager roars, screeches and howls of Deminite Soldiers, Reptillions, Reavers, Hunter-Killers and other minions as the legions under the command of Jon Avalon and Deimos began to make their advance eastwards in the direction of Walshin.

 

Segment 82: Waking to a Nightmare

With a gasp, Vincentzo’s eyelids jerked open as he sat bolt upright in bed as his ears picked up the sound of rushing water. The blonde archmage grumbled at his interrupted sleep, before realising that it was late morning. With a muffled yawn, Vincentzo stretched himself out before climbing out of bed somewhat reluctantly – it wasn’t as if he was still feeling tired, but rather it had been a long time since he’d indulged himself with a good night’s sleep. Shuffling over to the windows at the eastern side of his lavish quarters, the royal archmage pulled the curtains aside to take in the majestic sight of the artificial waterfalls that decorated his palace garden – a design element he’d insisted on adding to his palace grounds when he became ruler of this state-kingdom, while animated statues of mermaids made splashes in the pool at the foot of the waterfall; no doubt they were the source of the sounds that woke Vincentzo up.

In stark contrast to the gleaming skyscrapers of metal and glass that dominated the skyline of urban centres such as Khazan City and New Xaelis, Araelgrad’s architecture evoked imagery of a mythical past, of ancient temples and grand castles constructed from polished white marble and translucent blue waterstone. Araelis was established millennia ago by strong-willed individuals who sought to maintain their independence and unique cultural identity in the face of the encroaching homogenisation of Khazan Prime’s Central Government. Despite numerous reconstructions and upgrades over the centuries, Araelgrad’s core aesthetic has remained unchanged – with the only primary changes in recent times being the statues that Vincentzo had ordered built in his honour, which made him fond of this city even if some of its citizens resent having to constantly represent his at-times egocentric personality. 

Vincentzo took a few moments to go through reports given to him from various officials and ministers pertaining to the growing unrest in the capital – by now, almost the entire populace of Araelgrad had heard of the fall of Rugedelon and how Drekis legions are amassing in the captured city, and how near-stampedes were reported in some districts of Araelgrad as panicked citizens packed their bags and flooded the streets in a chaotic attempt to leave Araelgrad as soon as possible. There was no denying that the Drekis Empire had indeed established a beachhead in Araelis, though there were no reports of any other major cities in the state-kingdom coming under attack.

Not that it brought any comfort to Vincentzo. “Bah, I know they’re only ignoring the other cities because they’re preparing to gun directly for Araelgrad,” the archmage grumbled as he crumpled the report papers in his hands, a dark cloud already descending upon his day as soon as it started as he took a quick bath, followed by shaving his face and grooming his hair before getting dressed in his royal archmage robes and ceremonial cape.

Heading to the observation deck on his palace’s highest tower, Vincentzo stepped out onto the balcony to catch some fresh air and to soothe his nerves with the sight of Araelgrad’s majestic cityscape, but he could never shake the feeling of dread that hung over his head – especially when the wind blew in from the west as he sensed fear, bloodlust and death. It was very different from the usual calm that would come over him whenever the winds from Thenesiea blew inland towards Araelis. Even without going over military reports of what was going on in the aquatic state-kingdom, Vincentzo knew something terrible was going down in Thenesiea. The archmage closed his eyes, placing his hands together as he prepared to cast a clairvoyance spell, until he found himself interrupted by a familiar voice.

“Something troubling your mind?” Tanin asked, the Archon of Light lying face-up on the roof of the observation tower, his legs crossed and his hands folded behind his head as he glanced at the passing clouds in the sky. “I understand the news of Rugedelon’s fall has been hard on you, but I hope that didn’t stop you from getting a good night’s sleep.”

“I struggle to comprehend this, Tanin. Why do you not seem perturbed by this turn of events?” Vincentzo grumbled as he tousled his blonde locks before huffing, “Then again, it’s easy for you to be this carefree – unlike me, you do not shoulder the mantle of responsibility towards Araelis and her people.”

“Oh well,” Tanin sighed as he sat up, “I see even a good night’s sleep hasn’t helped your mood any.”

“It’s not like this is some minor ailment that I can simply sleep off!” Vincentzo snapped as he spun around to face the Archon on the roof, his cape swishing with his movement. “I haven’t been able to think of anything else since word of Rugedelon’s fall reached my ears! A city in my realm, burned… innocents slaughtered like animals under a rampaging horde of darkspawn, and my people in Araelgrad are gripped in fear! What do you expect me to do?”

“At the very least, as the ruler of this land you should show the people you’re made of sterner stuff and not fall into the same gloom and doom as they do,” Tanin replied with a sagacious smile as he looked down from his rooftop perch. “Look, Vincentzo, I get why you feel the way you do and you have nothing but my deepest condolences over Rugedelon, but to play the part of the pessimist would go against everything I stand for as the Archon of Light.”

Maiinverno’s eyes softened for a fleeting moment as he heard the Archon’s remark about showing strength in front of his people, but then his expression turned downcast just as fast as he leaned forward against the railings as he hung his head, “I wish I could share your optimism Tanin, I really do – but I really don’t want to fail Araelis like how I failed Eroneth. I’ve lost a kingdom once… I can’t stand to lose it again.”

“Ever since I took up the mantle of the Archon of Light, it’s been my duty to be the lamp upon the path of the Khazanians, to be light in their darkest hour,” Tanin replied as he jumped off the rooftop to land next to Vincentzo. “Not once in my crusade against evil in all its forms had I ever given up – I’ve been to just about every nook and cranny of Khazan; as the Antioch of the multiverse, Khazan is a strong world, and its people are tough, and I can tell you, Khazan isn’t going down. We’ll weather this storm, just like with that Quietus crisis two decades ago.”

“That was all before my arrival in Khazan, I’ll admit,” Vincentzo replied, acknowledging that he knew little about what was called the Quietus Crisis – when The Fallen were at the zenith of their power under the leadership of Quietus, the Archon of The Void, who threatened to return the multiverse to the emptiness before Creation starting with the Nexus of All Realities. “But do you really believe in your own pep-talk? Could you give reassurances to the people while part of you felt that you’d inevitably disappoint them?”

Tanin gave a casual shrug, “I wouldn’t be who I am today without such beliefs – it’s just part of my nature, I suppose. The irony is that when things are mostly peaceful in Khazan I end up getting bored out of my wits, just wandering across the multiverse over and over again while wishing for a little action… and now that I’ve been in the thick of the action I’m now wishing for some downtime… strange, isn’t it?” The Archon of Light leaned forward against the railings so that he stood side by side with the archmage. “That being said, with the war against the Drekis Empire now in full swing, it’s my job now to see that the Drekis threat is decisively handled, and as for yourself, you have your job too as both a ruler and a Sentinel, no?”

“I appreciate your advice and your kind words, Tanin,” Vincentzo gave a sardonic chuckle, “But know that I’m not someone who likes being told how I should conduct myself – even from higher powers such as yourself.”

“The fact that you’ve managed to stay civil about it for as long as you did suggests otherwise,” Tanin replied with a cheeky smile. “You do your job, and I do mine – and we’ll get through this together. I may not be able to predict what the future holds for Khazan or even Araelis, but I can promise you one thing, we’ll give them hell if they try to take this country.”

“Knowing that the defense of Araelis will not be led by just Woose and myself does bring me some comfort,” Vincentzo nodded, until a sudden ringtone interrupted their conversation.

“No worries, Vincentzo, it’s just me,” Tanin chuckled as he held up his ringing phone before answering it. “Hello? Tanin here. Oh? Vincentzo? Yes, he’s right here with me… right, I’ll be right over, see you around,” the Archon of Light said before hanging up. 

“Well, this is just in,” Tanin remarked as he put his phone away. “We’re wanted at the War Council Chamber, the Central Government has finished reviewing the after-action reports of Operation Guillotine and have new directives to pass down.”

“Well then, let’s not keep them waiting then,” Vincentzo smiled and nodded as both he and Tanin left the observation tower to head to the War Council Chamber inside his Araelgrad palace.

 

Segment 83: Mobilisation

Tucked away in the archives of the Araelgrad Council Hall, Uberman poured over strategic maps on a computer, overlaid on top of a digital map of Greater Khazan as he studied the latest intel updates on the positions of the Drekis legions as well as those of friendly forces ranging from the Central Government’s assets such as military and Sentinels, as well as friendly forces such as allied heroes from the Maniacal Heroes and freelancers and civilian militia groups. The recent fall of Rugedelon and establishment of a Drekis beachhead in Araelis was no fault of the Sentinels leader, but regardless he felt compelled to shoulder his share of duty towards Araelis and her people.

“Like I said, as the leader of the SLJ all of Khazan is my responsibility,” the cyborg said to himself as the glowing computer displays reflected on the surface of his faceplate. In the eyes of many of his fellow Sentinels, Uberman’s unwavering sense of duty and iron-willed commitment towards always doing more for the safety and well-being of Khazan and its people was simultaneously his strength and his weakness.

At the moment, the only thoughts that occupied Uberman’s mind was formulating a viable strategy against the Drekis Empire, which proved to be a vexing prospect even with the extensive intel that Telissa had shared with the Central Government. As the cyborg went over numerous after-action reports and intel updates on enemy movements, the most frustrating aspect of the Drekis Empire was that they seemed like a living paradox – their strategy felt perfect because of how outwardly chaotic and unorganised their legions appear based on their movements across the map, yet they were always striking in the right place at the right time. The only discernible hole in the Drekis Empire’s strategy is that at their current rate of attrition, Khazan Prime would be able to significantly ramp up its mobilisation of Sentinel and military assets, but by then the enemy would already have controlled large swathes of territories across the west of Greater Khazan.

Uberman found his train of thought interrupted as a notification flashed across his suit’s HUD, alerting him to an incoming call from Captain Khazan – whom the cyborg recalled was strangely absent since early morning. “Guten morgen, Uberman here,” the cyborg picked up the call, as a video feed window showing a bust-up shot of Captain Khazan opened in the right-hand corner of his HUD.

“Trent? What are you doing all the way in Cretalia?” Uberman asked as the call was traced as coming from the Cretalian branch of the SLJ. “You had me worried when I found you absent from Araelgrad this morning. You do understand that in a crisis like this, you really ought to announce your actions ahead of time.”

“My apologies for the unannounced departure to Cretalia, but it was an urgent mandate courtesy of Elwin herself; she contacted me last night and instructed me to head for our Cretalia branch ASAP,” Captain Khazan apologised, though his voice retained an undercurrent of urgency, “I didn’t announce my departure because I didn’t want to disturb your rest – and figured that you needed every minute of it in order to defend Khazan while at your best. Either way, it’s a good thing I was able to get hold of you.”

“Thank you for your concern, Captain. Had I known about this I would’ve given myself a timeout instead of pulling an all-nighter here,” the cyborg chuckled to add a fleeting moment of levity to their call before his voice turned serious again, “But judging from the tone of urgency in your voice, I’d take it you have bad news?”

“So you’ve been expecting it?” Captain Khazan remarked, his tone and expression grim.

Uberman placed his right palm over his visor and gave a deep sigh, as steam escaped from his armour’s cooling vents, “Considering we’ve been receiving nothing but bad news ever since we arrived in Araelis following the aborted Operation Guillotine, I’ve come to expect them with every report.”

“As disheartening as it is to acknowledge, it does feel like things can only get worse from here,” Captain Khazan replied, although the caped crusader managed to force a smile for a brief window, “Still, it’s not all gloom and doom – there have been some positive developments of late.”

“Oh?” lights flashed behind Uberman’s faceplate as the cyborg leaned back in his chair. “I’m listening,” he said, hoping for the best while bracing himself for the worst.

“Ahem, here goes,” Captain Khazan placed his right hand over his mouth and cleared his throat before continuing, “I just spoke with Elwin over the phone before calling you to pass the word down that the Prime Senate has greenlit another mobilisation of the Khazan Armed Forces; we have activated one more Airship task force and three Mech groups, as well as activation of two wings of the air force and one division of the ground forces, which are on the move towards Xaelon and Araelis at this very moment. Additionally, the Khazan Mobile Police have mobilised their MARS contingents for a full sweep through the southern regions of Xaelon.”

If Uberman could smile, he would, so in lieu of a smile the cyborg’s visor briefly glowed pink on hearing Captain Khazan’s report, “About time the Central Government stepped up their game… I just hope this isn’t too little, too late.” While Uberman knew that President Pharis and First Lady VP D’Larthi had been nothing but supportive of a full-scale mobilisation of Khazan Prime’s military power in the face of the Drekis threat, he also understood that they had to contend with the tangled web of bureaucracy and political power plays that is the Prime Senate – knowing that had it been left to the husband and wife duo, they would be seeing not merely an incremental mobilisation, but a full-scale one, complete with activating their reserves. Still, Uberman wasn’t about to pretend he knew what the administrative process was like within the Prime Senate. Unfortunately, war wasn’t as simple as a kaiju or alien invasion film, and there are likely numerous administrative, logistical and financial concerns beyond “shoot monsters and go home,” but he wasn’t about to deny that there weren’t particularly vocal factions within the senate who raised points like “fiscal responsibility” and “escalation management” to tie the hands of well-meaning heroes like himself and the frontline commanders.

The same however, could not be said of the Drekis Empire, as Uberman recounted how Telissa had repeatedly stated that the Drekis Empire is really an empire in all but name only. The DSA only called it an “empire” as a matter of administrative convenience – but anyone who’s seen their world scourged by the Drekis Empire tells a different story; unlike what was expected of an imperial power, across eight centuries of GDF-documented conflicts with the Drekis Empire, they have never shown any interest in playing The Great Game; no spheres of influence, political power plays, ruling through proxies and puppet regimes and other typical imperialist strategies. Instead, as survivors like Telissa could attest to, they functioned more like a cosmic blight, sweeping across galaxies and burning entire civilised worlds clean of sentient life. But it’s likely that Drekis never had to navigate a minefield of bureaucracy and endless politicking.

“Now that I’ve heard the good news, let’s deliver the bad news,” Uberman remarked as his tone went serious once again.

The cyborg saw the bad news before hearing it out of Captain Khazan’s mouth, as the strategic map of Greater Khazan updated itself. There, on the westernmost end of the continent, the territory of Thenesiea went from being highlighted in yellow to being highlighted in red. Before they departed for Operation Guillotine, much of Thenesiea was highlighted as contested territory, but as of the latest intel reports it would seem that the enemy now had full control of the aquatic state-kingdom. “Mein gott,” Uberman murmured.

Captain Khazan had a sad look on his face as an uneasy silence hung over them, before speaking up to confirm, “As of eight hours ago, the Thenesiean Defense Force went completely radio silent – while the Khazan Armed Forces and Khazan Security Services have yet to conduct on-site intel in Thenesiea, the loss of all contact with Thenesia’s government institutions have driven us to assume the worst and believe that the enemy has full control over the territory.”

“That’s not making things any better for Xaelon and Araelis,” Uberman shook his head, “Can the Khazan Armed Forces help to liberate Thenesiea then?”

“Sadly, no; the freshly-mobilised contingents will likely have their hands full just reinforcing the embattled divisions in Xaelon as well as to shore up Araelis’ defenses in preparation of an imminent all-out attack,” Captain Khazan sighed and hung his head, “In other news, another GDF delegation paid a visit to Khazan; they announced their visit three days ahead of their scheduled arrival, but that was based on what we could salvage from their transmission – much of it was either lost or corrupted. What we do know is that interstellar sensors picked up a GDF-registered ship entering the Khazanian system, but the readings vanished the moment it got within three astronomical units of Khazan; the Central Government sent deep space probes to investigate where we lost the signal, but they too vanished without a trace.”

“Wait, you’re not saying that the Drekis Empire has established a military presence in Khazanian space as well?” Uberman asked as he felt a knot in his metaphorical stomach. 

“That was one of the theories being passed around, but so far nothing concrete has been found to either support or discredit it, which I must admit is what makes it so aggravating, because the DSA is expecting answers,” Captain Khazan replied glumly, “Without irrefutable proof that the disappearance of a GDF ship is the doing of the Drekis Empire, they have no reason to suspect negligence… or even sabotage on Khazan Prime’s part.”

“Wait, what!? That’s preposterous!” Uberman exclaimed, his grip tightening around the armrests of his chair until his fingers left indentations on them. The DSA and Khazan Prime may not be enemies in the strictest sense, but it would be a stretch to say that relationships between the two polities were cordial – still, the cyborg didn’t think they’d go so far as to blame Khazan Prime for the disappearance of a GDF delegation. 

Captain Khazan waved his hand to get Uberman to calm down, “Easy there, sir, official statements by the DSA and GDF’s representatives make no such accusations – like our own government, they’re also pushing for moderation and restraint from all parties and keeping open channels of dialogue and all. These are mostly the domain of conspiracy theories being pushed by far-right pundits in DSA space, such as claims that the Khazanian Central Government is using the Drekis Empire as a pretext to conduct false flag operations against the DSA; they are not supported by the DSA, but they’re gaining traction on social media regardless. And I certainly wouldn’t put it past some hardline politicians to bank on it during their election campaign.” 

“But that is a digression; let’s get back to the topic on Drekis,” the caped crusader rubbed the side of his head as if to tousle his black hair, although there was nothing to ruffle due to it being buzzed so short, “Elwin also told me that you made some breakthroughs in deciphering the enemy’s strategy… how true is that?”

“Mrs. D’Larthi really puts a lot of faith in me huh? Perhaps a little too much,” Uberman sighed as he vented a short burst of steam from his cooling vents. “Truth be told, the only thing I managed to discern from their movement patterns across the entire span of this war is that the perfection of their strategy lies in how paradoxically disorganised they seem. Their demonic legions seem to pick their targets on impulse rather than following any coherent game plan, but it’s only in the heat of the moment that one realises – too late – that there is a method to their madness. All I can say is this, don’t expect long-term strategies against them to go according to plan, and that the current step-up in mobilisation only takes into account the enemy troop strength on the surface… their actual strength remains unaccounted for; only the Archons know how many more reserves they may have lurking in the Endless Caves?”

“So we’re basically fighting blind the whole time huh?” Captain Khazan remarked, “Here’s hoping that the current reinforcement package proves sufficient. With Sentinels being force multipliers for the military, and recent news of the Maniacal Heroes stepping up their operations against the Drekis Empire, plus courage, ingenuity and luck on our side, we might just be able to push these demons back. As for myself, I will be stationed here in Cretalia until further notice to oversee the integration of the reinforcement units with the existing contingents stationed there. All I can say is, I wish you all the best in the battles ahead.”

Another notification flashed across Uberman’s HUD, alerting him to a memo that was just sent in by Elwin D’Larthi and addressed specifically to Uberman, with a CC to Captain Khazan and Colonel Louis Freebird. The glow behind Uberman’s visor dimmed a notch as he opened the file – a quick read of its contents revealed instructions from Elwin to have Uberman assigned to New Xaelis. “I don’t know what to make of this; on one hand, orders are orders and I have little reason to doubt the wisdom behind Elwin’s decision,” the cyborg remarked as he went through Elwin’s memo, which outlined how New Xaelis has a weaker SLJ presence, and as such Scout’s division could benefit from having a Sentinel of Uberman’s calibre on the team. But on the other hand, Uberman had also made a quiet promise to help Vincentzo see his state-kingdom through an unprecedented crisis. 

“Reassignment to New Xaelis, huh?” Captain Khazan chimed in, the caped crusader going through the CC of Elwin’s memo. “I can’t say I didn’t see this coming… Xaelon is at a tipping point, and as you can see, most of the mobilised units under this latest executive order are being deployed to New Xaelis.”

“It couldn’t have been an easy decision either way,” Uberman replied as he saved the file, “The Araelis Legion is a newly-established military force that’s untested in combat and could really use even more support from the Khazan Armed Forces on top of increased Sentinel presence… but Xaelon could use more reinforcements too. It just makes me wish the Central Government didn’t slow-walk aid like this, so we can defend Greater Khazan on all fronts. That being said though, how is Scout doing? I haven’t heard much from him since our return from Operation Guillotine.”

“For now, the city of New Xaelis itself has not come under attack – there was a short window of reprieve following the old capital’s fall as irregular forces entrenched in the Greater Xaelis Region conducted a series of guerilla strikes against the Drekis legions in Xaelis city,” Captain Khazan replied as he filled Uberman in on the gaps in his knowledge as he highlighted different zones on the strategic map. “This forced them to divert resources towards mopping up the holdouts, which bought New Xaelis time to shore up its defenses, as well as coordinate with the guerillas to conduct several successful defensive assaults against Drekis forces.”

“But as you can see…” Captain Khazan highlighted several towns located within the Greater New Xaelis region, “The enemy must’ve successfully pacified the entire Greater Xaelis region of late, since several rural settlements in the Greater New Xaelis region are now being contested – that’s why your presence is sorely needed at New Xaelis. Remember, if New Xaelis falls, all of Xaelon will be written off as under the Drekis Empire’s control.”

“I understand what needs to be done,” Uberman nodded. “I will raise these points during the upcoming War Council Meeting here in Araelgrad, and after that I will head straight to New Xaelis.”

“Very well, sir – may the Archons guide us; Captain Khazan, over and out,” Captain Khazan replied as he signed off from the call.

“Uberman, over and out,” Uberman acknowledged as the video call window displayed a black “no signal” box before closing itself, leaving the cyborg to stare at the Khazan map on the holography display once more. Hours of research, and he found himself no better informed on Drekis than when he started – the only thing that is certain is that the Drekis Empire acted more like a cosmic scourge or walking extinction event than a textbook imperial power, which automatically ruled out any prospect of a peaceful resolution through negotiations and treaties, and that there was no silver bullet counter to their often unpredictable strategies. As the Sentinel leader left the archives to proceed to the War Council Chamber, he knew there was only one thing left to do – to fight to the very end for all that he held dear and believed in.

 

Segment 84: Separate Ways

Tim grunted as he rolled across the mat after being countered by a shoulder throw courtesy of Raea, wiping the sweat from his bangs, the young Sentinel smiled sheepishly as he rose onto one knee to look at Raea, who stood at the opposite end of the mat, dressed in a sleek red sports bra with black highlights and matching gym shorts over knee-length compression trunks that accentuated her curvaceous but athletic figure, the glistening film of sweat that coated her exposed skin drawing emphasis towards her flat belly and firm, toned abs. Tim knew that for the purpose of their hand-to-hand spar, Raea’s choice of outfit was borne of practicality – though with the way her outfit kept holding the silver-haired youth’s eyes, part of him had to wonder if she wanted to also look radiant while kicking ass and taking names.

“Liking what you see?” Raea giggled, eliciting a nervous gulp from Timothy – but also confirming the swordsman’s notion that perhaps her outfit was chosen for this very reaction. “Like c’mon, how else could you not see that shoulder throw counter coming? You’re better than that,” the young redhead grinned as she shot a playful wink at her boyfriend as he rose to his feet. On her end, she had to admit that Tim’s choice of a navy-colored short-sleeved compression top with teal highlights and cobalt blue shorts also accentuated his own wiry and athletic frame well.

“I’d say perhaps I’m liking what I see a little too much,” Tim gave a sheepish laugh as he and Raea stepped back to the centre of the mat, once more assuming their fighting stances. “Ladies first,” the silver-haired Sentinel smiled.

“Considering how much trouble you had in telegraphing my attacks, maybe you should go on the offense for a change,” came Raea’s playful riposte as she shot Tim a wink, recalling how Tim had a hard time keeping up with her when he was on the defense. 

“Oh c’mon, you’re gonna be playing Raul’s card as well?” Timothy laughed nervously as Raea’s invitation for him to go on the offense brought back memories of his training sessions with the retired soldier. “But if you insist, then I ain’t holding back!” For a moment, Tim imagined he was back in Estrada’s garage in Khazan City, and that he was once again sparring with the Filipino as he went in with a flurry of jabs, crosses and straights at Raea, who predictably dodged and parried every blow with no wasted movements – but Tim hoped that the sheer volume of punches being thrown would mean at least one would get past his girlfriend’s guard.

‘Now!’ Tim thought as Raea tilted her head to the side to avoid a jab, which Tim chained into an uppercut. As anticipated, the redhead managed to spring back to get out of reach of the uppercut, but in doing so, she put herself right where Tim wanted as he closed the gap by performing a shoot, diving towards her midsection as he sought to wrap his arms around her legs for a double leg takedown.

Or at least, he thought he had Raea where he wanted her. “Double leg takedown? That’s new,” Raea replied in a playful tone as she dug her feels into the mat and countered Tim’s takedown attempt with a sprawl – and due to her advantageous leverage, Tim would find his girlfriend weighing like a boulder as he tried to hoist her feet off the mat. Raea punished Tim for his trouble with a knee to chest, before taking hold of his arms in a double underhook to scoop him off the ground and deliver a perfectly-executed butterfly suplex.

“By the Archons…” Tim groaned as Raea stood over him, grinning as she offered her hand to help him up. The young Sentinel accepted his girlfriend and fellow Sentinel’s offer as she took hold of his hand in a firm grip and pulled him back onto his feet.

“Hey Tim, are you alright there?” Raea asked.

“Only hurt my pride,” Tim laughed, “My first battle – okay, a spar – as a Sentinel, and I’m already getting humiliated.”

“You just don’t like losing to your girlfriend, huh?” the redhead playfully stuck her tongue out at Tim.

Tim smiled back in response, although his smile appeared forced – as if there remained an undercurrent of discontentment. It wasn’t his losses to Raea on the mat that disappointed him, with his girlfriend being a far more experienced Sentinel than himself, this was an anticipated outcome. Rather, his disappointment was directed inwards, for he’d shown more weakness than he’d deemed acceptable – especially given how he’d been officially inducted into the ranks of the SLJ, and was about to see himself involved in a large-scale conflict that Khazan had not seen since the Quietus crisis over twenty years ago. 

And Raea – Raea represents just how much Tim has to learn as a Sentinel; from their spar, Tim could see how much she’d improved since the days they trained together under Raul. As a Sentinel, she represented everything Tim felt he ought to be, but isn’t; she was quick on her feet and kept a cool head where Tim would fumble and panic. And she was tough and resilient where Tim would run out of breath.

While Tim tried his best to hide his dejection, Raea ended up seeing through her boyfriend as though he were made of glass, already picking up on the subtle cues in his body language. “Don’t be so hard on yourself, Tim. It’s pretty impressive that you were able to last so many rounds,” she remarked as she draped a towel around Tim’s shoulders for him to dry off his sweat. “Maybe the spar didn’t quite go the way you wanted, but setbacks like these are all part of the growth process, believe me when I say this – when I was first inducted as a Sentinel I lost track of the number of times Captain Khazan and Supercomrade chewed me out during our training drills,” Raea said with a knowing smile as she grabbed a towel for herself to wipe her sweat.

“It’s not just that, something else has been weighing heavily on my mind the whole time,” Tim replied, his expression now more visibly downcast as his gaze wandered towards his heirloom sword that was resting on a bench together with their personal belongings, staring at the weapon as if it were a puzzle that he desperately wanted, no, needed to solve. “You remember what happened with me back in Zel’Myas, don’t you? And then before that, there was that Hunter-Killer ambush back in Chinatown. For a moment, I became the hero I always wanted to be… I managed to draw out the powers inside that sword. I can’t describe the exact feeling… but in those moments I became the hero I was always meant to be…”

“Timothy, you can’t compare a friendly spar like this to those life-and-death struggles back there,” Raea replied as she placed her arms around Tim’s waist while leaning against his shoulder, “Being in mortal danger can make people see a side of themselves they never knew existed – something inside you must’ve awakened during those crucial moments, and it’s up to you to learn how to tap into this power at will. And I believe you will, because you remember what Raul used to tell us back when we trained together, right?”

“The night is always darkest just before dawn,” Timothy smiled and nodded.

“That’s right,” Raea patted Tim on the back, “So you can’t let early setbacks like these disenchant you from your dream – our dream. We’ll both be great heroes,” she remarked as she let go of Tim’s waist and stepped back.

Timothy looked out of the window to gaze into the sky beyond, the fire returning to his eyes as his resolve reignited. “Yes, our dream. I think amidst all that fighting to stay alive, I lost track of myself and became obsessed with the destination rather than the journey itself. When all this is over, I want us to be remembered not just as war heroes, but also as a legendary power duo in Khazan, to inspire the next generation.” 

Raea giggled as she gave his nose a boop, “Like what? Being invited to schools for motivational speeches? Or becoming a household name across Khazan securing brand endorsement deals? Imagine that being us someday… that sunny smile of yours fits you much better than that melancholic expression, at any rate.” 

The redhead handed Tim a sports drink before grabbing one for herself. “Let’s go a few more rounds – but this time you’d better be giving me your fullest attention, no more getting distracted by outfits or having your thoughts wander to heirloom swords, alright?”

“Alright, that’s a promise!” Tim nodded with the eagerness of a puppy, ready to take another shot at Raea, but without any intrusive thoughts weighing down his mind or keeping him distracted as he and Raea exchanged a fist bump before toasting with their sports drinks.

The duo contemplated taking a short break before going for another round of sparring, but their plans were interrupted by an incoming call on Raea’s phone, as the redhead heard the familiar ringtone coming from the bench where they’d set their bags down. “Hello? Raea here,” the redheaded Sentinel answered in a cheerful tone, although her expression and voice immediately became solemn upon hearing what was being spoken on the other side. “Yes, I got it. Tim and I will be there shortly.”

“Is something up?” Tim asked; judging from the abrupt mood shift her girlfriend underwent, he knew at once that the conversation she had on the phone was no casual chit-chat. 

“It’s Uberman,” Raea replied as she stowed her phone inside her bag and picked it up, “He’s just finished a War Council meeting with Vincentzo, Shinsuke, Tanin and the others, and we’re on a thirty-minute warning before Uberman proceeds to brief us on our new assignments. So you know what to do,” the redhead remarked as she headed to the women’s showers.

“Right, wash up real fast and get a change of clothes, can’t have us showing up to a briefing smelling of sweat after all,” Tim added as he followed Raea’s lead and proceeded to the men’s showers to wash up and get changed.

Moments later, Tim and Raea found themselves outside the doors to the War Council Chamber, the duo having freshened up with a quick shower and changed into more appropriate attire. The silver-haired Sentinel stole a glance towards his girlfriend, who was now sporting her SLJ duty dress uniform – an immaculately press-ironed white jacket with gold-threaded lanyards and epaulettes in the style of police or military dress uniforms over a crisp lavender shirt, black necktie and gray pencil skirt. Sure, Tim had seen Raea in that outfit a number of times – but that was back when he was a civilian, and now that he stood next to her as a fellow Sentinel, the sight of the uniform just hit differently.

By contrast, all Tim had was his usual working-class attire – T-shirt and jeans, with a plaid flannel shirt on top and accessorised with a bandanna around his neck; although there was now an additional flair to his outfit. Over his civilian attire, the young swordsman sported a ceremonial armour gifted to him by Vincentzo, consisting of a finely-crafted breastplate bearing Araelis’ coat of arms and artistic engravings that according to the archmage were cleverly-concealed protective wards, and a pair of matching vambraces with a buckler attached to the left vambrace.

“Finally got your hero costume, I see,” Raea giggled.

“I do wish I had something nicer to wear this armour with though,” Tim laughed back as he turned the polished brass handles on the double doors to gain access to the War Council Room.

“Sentinels Timothy Shinestar and Raea Shalhalla, reporting!” Raea declared as she and Timothy stepped into the War Council Room where Uberman, Vincentzo, Woose, Tanin, Natsumi and Shinsuke were already present. The Sentinel leader said nothing, only nodded in acknowledgement before gesturing for Raea and Tim to get seated at the large table that took up the room’s centre.

“You’re five minutes early, looks like you gave a good account of yourself on your first day of duty as a Sentinel,” Vincentzo smirked as glanced at the wall clock at the far end of the hall.

With scant seconds before the briefing could begin, the double doors swung open one more time as Michael Cortelloni stepped inside. Without acknowledging anyone in the room, the esper made his way towards the nearest unoccupied chair and plopped himself down before taking off his bronze-rimmed aviator sunglasses and stowing them away in the pocket of his leather biker jacket.

“The ex-Marauder decided to join us?” Shinsuke cast a side eye at Cortelloni. “One would think that with your personal score settled you’d simply slink away into the shadows to never be heard from again,” The cryomancer had known that the esper hadn’t so much volunteered for Operation Guillotine, but rather only rode on their coattails in order to pursue his personal agenda in Zel’Mier – which made him wonder why Michael still stuck around.

“What can I say? I’m full of surprises like that,” Michael smirked as he leaned back in the leather-bound highback chair and crossed his legs in a devil-may-care sitting posture.

“It’s alright, Yagami,” Uberman held up a hand to get the cryomancer to stand down before their altercation could escalate. “Mr. Cortelloni may not have joined the team with the same purpose in mind, but his contributions to the effort are not to be overlooked.”

“Better listen to the Tin Man, brother… he’s your boss, right?” Michael remarked, but got nothing save for a cold shoulder from Shinsuke as the SLJ cryomancer brushed off the ex-Marauder’s attempt to ruffle his feathers. As much as Shinsuke resented Michael’s flippant attitude and irreverent way of speaking, the cryomancer came to the conclusion that the esper must’ve come to the realisation that should Drekis win the war, he also stood to lose everything as much as anyone else, and that he was part of this conflict whether he liked it or not.

“Before we begin, may I inquire of Sir Young’s whereabouts?” Vincentzo queried as he glanced around the hall and noticed the conspicuous lack of Captain Khazan at the table – for as long as the archmage had known Captain Khazan as a fellow Sentinel, he was the epitome of punctuality and discipline, and to think he would be late or worse, absent without prior notice was inconceivable to the archmage. 

“About Captain Khazan, you needn’t worry, Mr. Maiinverno,” Uberman replied. “First Lady VP D’Larthi called him last night with an urgent reassignment to Cretalia, he has since arrived at the SLJ’s Cretalia branch to oversee and coordinate the integration of reinforcements from the latest Central Government aid package into the military forces currently stationed there.”

Meanwhile, Tim too glanced around the hall and found another member of the former Operation Guillotine team who was missing – namely Telissa. “And what about Telissa? Didn’t she arrive in Araelis with the rest of us when we escaped Zel’Mier? Where did she go now?”

“I understand your concern toward Ms. Ravan, young Mr. Shinestar,” Uberman commented as he looked in Timothy’s direction. “I’d invited her to attend the War Council meeting earlier, but she said she felt obligated to pay one last visit to her friend at the First Hospital of Khazan before heading off towards her new assignment. So I sent her the minutes of the meeting and informed her of her assignment by phone before she set off for Khazan City.”

“I think I can see where this is headed – Captain Khazan leaving for Cretalia in the middle of the night, Telissa heading to pay one more visit to her friend,” Tanin remarked in a contemplative tone, “I have a strange feeling that on what this briefing is basically about – we’re about to go our separate ways with new assignments, eh?” With that, the Archon of Light looked at Uberman with a Dwayne Johnson-esque arched eyebrow as a nonverbal “tell me I’m right on this one.”

Uberman gave a faint chuckle as lights flashed behind his visor before the glow dimmed a notch, the hue changing from green to pink; despite the lack of any human features on the cyborg’s faceplate, Tim swore he could see a combination of weariness and cautious optimism on Uberman, “Tanin my friend, even after working alongside with you for this long, your perceptiveness still unnerves me at times – but you’re spot on; per what we went over during the War Council meeting, the latest executive order from the Central Government didn’t come with just a reinforcement and aid package for the Khazanian military forces, but also new assignments for Sentinels and SLJ-allied heroes. Time is of the essence, so I’ll try to keep it concise.”

A holography terminal powered up in the centre of the table, displaying a 3D strategic map of Greater Khazan, as regions on the map were highlighted to demarcate territories still under Khazanian control, contested territories and enemy-controlled territories. “As you can see,” Uberman pointed to the enemy-held territory of Thenesiea and Zel’Mier, “Thenesiea and Zel’Mier have fallen under the Drekis Empire’s control, and the enemy is currently contesting territories in Araelis and Xaelon – on top of this, we suspect that they are also making ingress towards Cretalia via Xaelonian territories under their control. This is far beyond the criminal antics and petty power trips we’ve grown used to dealing with over the last decade; we’re talking about a disaster on a scale comparable to our conflicts with The Fallen at the height of their power over twenty years ago, back when they were under the leadership of Quietus, the Void Archon.”

Tim held his breath as Uberman conducted the briefing, his heart pounding within his chest. He could not deny the excitement of this being his first official assignment as a Sentinel, but reality hit completely different from the world of fantasy. Unlike the video games he’d played, there was easing into the adventure via tutorials — this was a straight-up baptism of fire that thrust him directly into the endgame, where the stakes are unimaginably high and the consequences are brutal. Despite the faith Raea had continually put in him, Tim found himself unable to tear his thoughts away from contemplating the very real possibility that Raea or himself might not make it back alive.

“So my intuition was right,” Vincentzo murmured as he stared at Thenesiea on the map. “The wind that blew into my realm from Thenesiea carried echoes of death, despair and loss… it’s not quite a spell… I don’t know how to put it, and to add salt to the wounds… Xaelon is down on her last legs.”

“I’m not going to let this happen on my watch, and neither is Elwin,” Uberman replied, lights flashing behind his visor. “As we’ve gone over during the earlier War Council meeting, another aid package from the Central Government has come through, and the number of military assets being mobilised this time is larger than the last – there’s still another mobilisation and several more aid packages being reviewed for the green light. On top of that Elwin has leveraged her position within the SLJ leadership council to convince fellow council member Joe “Big” Gunn to draw up a lend-lease agreement with KOMBG to supply the Khazan Armed Forces and Khazan Mobile Police with more arms and equipment. In spite of all these developments, this war is still going to be fought on three fronts. With a military intervention force from Khazan Prime enroute to Araelis to reinforce the Araelis Free Legion, I am at ease leaving the defense of Araelis in your hands.”

The archmage nodded, and for the first time since his return to Araelis in the aftermath of Operation Guillotine gave a warm, earnest smile, “Thank you for everything you’ve done… both you and Lady D’Larthi. This should give the people of Araelis some reassurance that with me, they are in good hands. I certainly don’t want to go down in Araelis’ history as the first ruler to bring stability to this realm, only to see it fall to a bunch of darkspawn in short order.”

“That’s the right kind of mindset,” Uberman remarked, his tone ringing with pride, “Mr. Shinestar, you and Ms. Shalhalla have been assigned to Xaelon alongside myself – we will be deploying to New Xaelis to link up with the Xaelonian branch of the SLJ to support Col. Freebird, as well as to oversee the integration of the newly-mobilised contingents into the existing forces under the colonel’s command. On a side note, Telissa has received my memo on her assignment to Xaelon and she too will be joining us once she’s settled her matters in Khazan City – this sums up the assignments for the Xaelonian Front.”

The cyborg scrolled down the list on a computer before looking at Woose and then at Tanin, “For the Araelisian Front, Tanin and Woose will be assigned to support and assist you.”

“Personally, I’d have preferred an assignment to Xaelon, but if that executive order is signed by Elwin herself, it’s not my place to question her,” Tanin replied with his trademark self-assured smile.

“Now that is reassuring,” Vincentzo remarked.

“I wouldn’t settle for any other kind of assignment, to tell the truth!” Woose added.

“And on the Cretalian Front…” Uberman glanced at Natsumi and Shinsuke, “Mr. Yagami, you will take Ms. Shirai with you to rendezvous with Captain Khazan in Cretalia. And for you, Mr. Cortelloni, assuming you’re interested in helping out, I’d request that you join Shinsuke and Natsumi in Cretalia as well.” 

Upon hearing Uberman’s request, Michael finally looked up at the cyborg after spending the whole time keeping his eyes on the table, a devil-may-care smirk crossing his face as he kept his arms folded and his legs crossed, “Huh? Did the Tin Man just issue me an order?”

“Think of this as a request, Mr. Cortelloni,” Uberman corrected the esper, “I understand that you’re not officially part of our team, and that you think differently from the rest of us – and as such I am willing to be democratic about this, even if I personally feel that it would be a shame for a man with your level of power and talent to not contribute to such an urgent cause; and I admit that it probably sounds selfish of me to ask everyone with any power on their hands to jump at the call to arms. But like I said, as you’re an outsider I respect your right to choice – whatever it may be.”

“You’ve got a way with words, brother – and for a moment you almost won me over,” Cortelloni smiled as he looked up at Uberman with a forced cordiality, “See, it’s normally not like me at all to get myself tangled up in big battles like these – under regular circumstances, I’d just say it’s not my problem and forget about it.”

“Why the change of heart then?” Tanin asked.

“Let’s just say the funk that went down in Zel’Myas reminded me of two important lessons I learned in life, that’s why,” the esper gave Tanin a frigid stare as he held up his right hand and raised the index finger, “One, the only person in this world you can ever count on to get shit done is yourself, and no-one else.” Michael raised his middle finger next to form a gesture for two, “Two, if you don’t nip a problem in the bud, it will come back to bite you in the ass, and by then it would’ve already spiralled out of control. This is basically that Quietus incident all over again – only a matter of time before all of Khazan is caught in the tempest. I could run far and wide right now, pretend that it ain’t none of my business… but sooner or later I’m gonna get pulled into that crap whether I like it or not.”

“So yeah… count me in,” Michael remarked, putting his hand down as he lifted his legs to rest his feet on the table, smirking as he raised his left hand in a gesture that looked like he was ruffling a wad of banknotes. “But here’s the catch, brother; since I’m doing this as an independent contractor – you don’t expect me to work for free, do you?”

“I thank you for being more considerate than you first appear,” Uberman replied with a nod of acknowledgement, glad that Michael Cortelloni was willing to help out, even the esper’s attitude was wholly transactional, “I’m certain I can work out a special contract between you and the Sentinels to ensure that you receive a fair recompense for your services.” 

Michael gave a sardonic chuckle as he got up from the chair, “Ain’t that nice to hear? Money makes the world go round afterall. Alright, I’ll be tagging alongside Ice Man and Kiddo as they make their way to Cretalia – and I’ll even throw in a little extra, if we run into any Drekis goons along the way, I’ll be sure to give em’ hell. But other than that, don’t expect to hear again from me so soon. So, ciao!” With that, Michael made his way towards the doors of the Council Hall and gave the group a sarcastic farewell wave before exiting.

Timothy bore silent witness to the exchange between Uberman and Michael Cortelloni, surprised at how the cyborg could understand the esper’s mindset and accommodate him – for the ex-Marauder was an enigma to him, as he wondered what kind of tragedy he’d endured to make him such a bitter man, or as Uberman had put it – someone who thinks differently from the rest of them. The difference was stark; for as long as Tim could remember, he’d grown up as an unapologetic optimist, who liked to assume there is inherent goodness in everyone, and believed that there is no greater calling in life than to pursue one’s dreams.

On the other hand, Cortelloni wore cynicism and misanthropy like a set of spiked armour, and it was nothing short of a miracle that the ex-Marauder allied himself with the group. However, Tim remembered something his mother had told him a long time ago, when he was still a small child – the world cannot depend only on those who act out of goodness in their hearts; the hopes and dreams of an entire world rests on the shoulders of all who inhabit it, regardless of their differences in beliefs and personal values.

As he recalled his mother’s words, one thing led to another and he found his thoughts drifting to his father, as he drew his heirloom sword out of its sheath by a few inches to stare at his reflection on the gleaming blade. ‘My hopes and dreams, can I achieve them with this sword? Will this be the true test of my courage?’ As many times as he asked himself that question in his mind, the truth was already in front of him as he faced the horizon with the city of New Xaelis looming in the distance. This would be his first major test… he would be fighting a war.

 

Segment 85: Conversation in the Dark

Deep within the heart of The Citadel, Drekis floated inside his throne room in silent contemplation, the only sound filling the cavernous chamber being the intermittent crackling of the arcs of red and white lightning that danced around his amorphous form surrounded by roiling clouds of gray smoke. ‘To think that what began epochs ago on a distant galaxy will soon come to an end here, on this planet,’ the Chaos Archon thought, recalling ancient memories. His campaign began epochs ago on Khazan before it was the Nexus of All Realities, before humans walked the surface of the planet, escalated on planet in a far-off galaxy that was the prior Nexus, and now… what began on Khazan will soon end on it, with Khazan being the current Nexus. ‘This must be the Supreme Irony of Khazan that the denizens of this current age like to talk about, huh?’ 

Hovering above his throne of umbricite, Drekis projected his will into the minds of his innumerable minions, allowing him to see through their eyes and get a grasp of the current situation beyond the confines of the Endless Caves. It delighted him to learn that his Magisters were doing a good job, as Drekis bore witness to cities falling and territories being occupied by his forces – but there was a shadow that loomed over Khazan that embodied a similar kind of destructive intent as himself, but at the same time philosophically opposed to his own. Through the eyes of a Bio-Fighter on a reconnaissance flight, Drekis was treated to a vision of a floating island in the sky, and at the heart of that island stood an ominous-looking tower, topped with a levitating pyramid that bore an All-Seeing Eye. It was the Fallen Tower, the base of operations for The Fallen, apostles of The Void and former adherents of its Archon, Quietus. 

From the moment Drekis made planetfall on Khazan, the Fallen were factored into his plans – for the Archon of Chaos knew that sooner or later he would come to blows with the apostles of The Void due to their differences in philosophy, despite their shared propensity towards inflicting carnage and destruction. For the Archon of Chaos, destruction is the means to an end, a catalyst for change. But for the Archon of The Void, destruction is an end to itself, an unchanging finality. For a decade, The Fallen had made no bold moves, which had kept them off Drekis’ radar – but now, the sight of the levitating pyramid known as the Grimspire all aglow with a dark aura, its magical glyphs pulsing with unholy energies, was a sign to the Chaos Archon that The Fallen were planning something big, and a time would soon come where he could ignore them no longer.

Drekis translocated himself from his umbricite throne to the balcony to look down at the subterranean city that lay past the walls of The Citadel, to take in the sight of the pulsating hives and roaring forges that continued to work non-stop to spawn Deminites and produce biomechanoids that would march to the surface to join the legions led by his Magisters – the Archon had a feeling that with The Fallen’s imminent involvement in the war, his grand fortress city would soon find its limits tested. “It’s strange how they continue to cast a long shadow over Khazan even with their Archon banished from physical existence, I will have to remove them from the board before they have a chance to enter my game in force,” Drekis mused to himself.

The Chaos Archon continued to monologue, “The Fallen must think themselves unassailable from their little island in the sky, the looks on their faces are going to be priceless once I reveal that there is hardly an organisation on the face of the Nexus that do not have Discordant Scions among their ranks… it’s about time Seryko makes his move.” With that, Drekis translocated himself back to his throne. But it was there that the Chaos Archon felt another strong presence within his throne room – not one of his Magisters, not a Scion, but a higher power similar to himself.

The darkness of his throne room lit up with a soft blue glow as an orb blue light appeared in the middle of the amphitheatre-like hall, before it rapidly expanded into a sphere exactly two metres in diameter, which appeared to display the void of space, complete with stars, nebulae and distant galaxies, surrounded by a soft blue corona that flickered gently. “Ah, is the Archon of Fate dropping by? I’m honoured by your presence,” the Archon of Chaos chuckled sardonically.

As if responding to Drekis’ remark, the corona surrounding the cosmos sphere extended at its north pole, the solar plasma coalescing into a humanoid silhouette that resembled a tall, athletically-proportioned human male, though devoid of any anatomical or facial features, save for two points where the solar plasma blazed more intensely that appeared to serve as “eyes” as it stood on the cosmos sphere, arms relaxed by its sides.

“Drekis, know that I have come merely to witness the events that you have set in motion on this planet,” the entity spoke in a deep, echoing voice that came from everywhere and at the same time nowhere. “I come not seeking a fight, so think nothing of my presence here.”

“Is that an admission of having nothing better to do then, Sphere?” Drekis snorted in disdain, his multilayered hell-choir of a voice echoing through the throne room to match Sphere’s own ethereal echoes. “You insult my intelligence by making it sound like I’ve only just caught your attention – I know you’ve been watching me for far longer.” 

“Not as long as you’d like to think, Drekis,” came Sphere’s riposte as he placed his hands on his hips, “While my duties as the Archon of Fate do call for me to observe the actions of yourself and others like you, you are severely overestimating your own significance by reducing me to your personal minder.”

Drekis let loose a mocking laugh that echoed through the walls of his throne room and shook the entirety of The Citadel, “Of course you aren’t, I know you have more important business to attend to, such as crushing the free will of others.”

“How quaint, Drekis – is this how you regard Fate these days? What’s more, what makes you think Chaos sets one free from the bonds of Fate?” Sphere replied; despite the lack of any discernible facial features, Drekis thought he could make out a smug expression on what passed for Sphere’s “face”. 

“Except that it does – I see no other reason for you dropping by,” Drekis interjected, his form going into a state of flux. “For it must frustrate you, to see that I do not follow the universe’s grand design nor play by Fate’s scripted narrative. While the same could not be said for yourself; for all the power you wield, you know that you’re nothing more than an actor following a script. Ironic, isn’t it? The Archon of Fate, a slave to the very Cosmic Precept he upholds.”

“How bold of you to assume that this upsets me… and to assume that you are somehow a source of constant frustration to me,” Sphere commented as he floated off the cosmos sphere and walked towards the abyssal blob that is Drekis’ body, the shroud of gray smoke parting with Sphere’s approach, “Learning of how everything and everyone is part of a grand design and following a cosmic script did indeed cause me existential angst when I first became the Archon of Fate, but I have since come to terms with that.”

A large mouth filled with jagged teeth appeared on Drekis’ form to sneer at Sphere, “That’s just an euphemism for simply accepting your lot in life. Don’t get me wrong, I do not treat your position lightly, Sphere. As the Archon of Fate, you ensure that everything goes according to script, so to say. What’s destined to happen, happens. And what doesn’t, doesn’t. Fate is tied to Order, a Cosmic Precept that I oppose on principle. Admit it, I’m a person of interest to you because I exist outside the bounds of fate — while all beings in the universe including yourself are following scripted roles, I am a blank book that is constantly writing itself, that is something that irks you, does it not?”

“In this you are right, Drekis, and that is why I keep you under watch – for I cannot see what the future holds for you or your empire, but the fact is, the quill of Fate has already written a future for Khazan, and your designs for the Nexus of All Realities is no doubt a factor that could rewrite the script,” Sphere replied as a leather-bound book appeared in his hands, which strangely did not burn despite his body being composed of solar plasma. “Should that happen, it will be a direct violation of a cosmic mandate. As the Archon of Fate, it is my job to witness whether you would live to see your ambitions fulfilled, or if you would fall like every other megalomaniac who thought they could upend the Great Balance.”

“In this regard, we are not so different,” Drekis snickered, “But one might argue that by being able to see how all narratives are going to play out, including your own, while being unable – or unwilling – to change any of them is a fate worse than death.”

“That is just a matter of opinion,” Sphere rebuffed as he paced in a slow circle around the hovering cosmos-sphere, “But opinions mean nothing when all narratives in the universe have a predetermined resolution, one true ending. But even as you claim to oppose Order and Fate, are you not also playing your role in the script as the Archon of Chaos? The greatest irony is that in setting out to free the universe from any cosmic scripts, from any grand design, without any regard for whether or not its inhabitants desire that freedom or not… you are forcing your own script onto others.”

“In that you are right,” Drekis rumbled as the dark silhouette within the gray cloud writhed and contorted, “I know that this kind of freedom isn’t for everyone, and some have grown so comfortable with the status quo that they will fight to the death to defend it — these are acceptable sacrifices to be made to pave the way for my ascent. You know better than most, of what I will gain once I have control of the Nexus of All Realities.”

“You seem pretty confident for someone who experienced a crushing defeat only decades prior,” Sphere retorted as he floated back onto his cosmos sphere and sat cross-legged on it while flipping through the pages of the book he summoned into his hands. “You should know that being free from the bonds of fate doesn’t guarantee success – you do remember how the War of Oblivion’s Fall went down, do you?”

“Yes, that war did end in defeat for my empire, but I hardly consider that a failure, for it proved to be a stepping stone towards the endgame on Khazan,” Drekis remarked as his silhouette spouted an arm with a clawed hand and waved dismissively at Sphere, “It would be pointless now for me to go back to the days of jumping from world to world, system to system, on galaxy-spanning crusades to purge planets of intelligent life as I did back then.” 

“You are a fool to think there was a point to it to begin with,” came Sphere’s rebuttal, “Moreover, you assume that I am unaware of other variables within this game of shadows that you now play on Khazan – as great as your ability to transcend the dictates of fate may sound, know that you’re not the only one in this universe.”

“Are you talking about the descendant of Sarachus then?” a pair of glowing crimson eyes appeared on Drekis’ silhouette to glare at Sphere, their gaze piercing through the gray smoke that shrouded the Archon’s form. “He is a wildcard that I have already factored into this game’s variables.” 

“But what about the other?” Sphere queried as he closed the book and rested it upon his lap. “There is not one, but two wildcards in this game.”

“Of course she has not escaped my notice – just as she hadn’t escaped yours. Not knowing her current whereabouts is no doubt quite vexing, but all signs point to her being somewhere in Khazan as well,” Drekis remarked as he translocated himself so that he now hovered side by side with Sphere. “But unlike me and the offspring of Sarachus, she is bound to the grand design. But her importance in this conflict involves a personal matter of mine.”

“Then you should know of the powers that the descendant of Sarachus will come to command, as the only other person to break free from the grand design. He too possesses no scripted destiny, no predetermined path for the future,” The Archon of Fate commented, “Most of all, know that the longer you play this game – he will one day stand against you, and the outcome of the war will be decided by the hand of two individuals with the insolent ability to write their own narrative.”

Drekis’ silhouette pulsated as he chuckled, “No doubt, it would be most entertaining for you.”

“It is equal parts vexing and intriguing, I must admit; I have never witnessed a conflict where the outcome wasn’t already written in the scriptbooks of destiny,” Sphere remarked as he stood up, his humanoid avatar dissolving back into the corona surrounding the cosmos sphere. “I will leave you to your own devices and continue to watch this narrative develop from my own liminal space.” And with that the cosmos sphere collapsed in on itself into a singularity point before fading from real space.

Almost immediately after Sphere left, the portal doors to Drekis’ throne room flung open with a loud crash as Relinqiest stormed into the amphitheatre-like hall, leading no less than two dozen Discordant Scions, wielding all manner of spells and weaponry both technological and magical, as well as numerous high-level minions such as Hive Guards and Hunter-Killers. “I sensed a disturbance in the throne room! Defend the Archon!” the Magister barked orders to the Scions and minions.

“Your response is swift, Relinqiest, but not swift enough,” Drekis replied as he translocated back to his throne, “The source of the disturbance has left.”

“My… my humblest apologies, Eminent One! I deserve punishment for my inadequacy!” Relinqiest gasped as he fell to his knees, which served as a cue for the Discordant Scions on site to follow the Magister’s action as they knelt down and bowed their heads before the Archon of Chaos.

Drekis’ dark silhouette sprouted an arm and gave them a dismissive wave, “Rise, all of you. It’s not like I was under any threat to begin with – and moreover, even if you showed up there’s nothing any of you could do against him either way, now go back to your duties.”

“Yes, my Archon,” Relinqiest said in a shaky voice as he and the assembled Discordant Scions rose to their feet and left Drekis’ throne room, along with the minions, leaving the grand hall empty once more save for Drekis himself.

“Yes Sphere, may this game entertain you,” Drekis monologued in a contemplative tone, “With the Archon of Fate as the VIP audience, I will have to make this narrative as dramatic as possible – but as the old saying goes, conflict is the soul of drama… so with that, let blood on Khazan run like rivers!”

 

Segment 86: 478th Mechanised Squadron

Deep in the jungles of Xaelon, at the outer reaches of the Greater New Xaelis Area, the shrill call of hundreds of birds filled the air amidst the rustling of leaves and snapping of branches as a squadron of Khazan Armed Forces war mechs from the 478th Mechanised Squadron pushed their way past the treeline, forcing numerous startled birds to take to the skies in fright. First to arrive on the scene was Lt. Cecelia Angelhart, pilot of the Derringer, who stopped in front of a disabled friendly mech at the clearing.

Inside the cockpit of the Derringer, the display panels lit up the interior with a blue glow that matched Cecelia’s eyes as she went over her mech’s equipment readings as sensors swept through the area before she radioed to the rest of her squadron, “Lt. Angelhart to 478th, coast is clear – no enemy signals detected within sensor range.”

“Captain Kitazawa Takuma responding; good work, lieutenant,” the squadron leader’s voice came over the radio as another mech – Captain Kitazawa’s Gemini – entered the clearing, before the rest of the 478th arrived at said clearing. “Any other points of importance?” 

“We discovered a friendly mech, or what’s left of it,” Cecelia radioed in as her mech knelt down next to the wreckage to inspect it, “I think this one used to be a MARS, Series-500 to be exact.”

“A Mobile Armoured Robot Suit?” 2nd lieutenant Carl Dezzman chimed in as his mech, the Fortune took position next to the Derringer. “That means all that gunfire we heard all the way from back there must’ve been the Mobile Police – and I was hoping we’d locate Col. Freebird and his squad out here.”

“I expected as much,” the voice of Lt. Sara Foster crackled in over the comms as her mech, the Dragonflare, covered the 6 o’clock of the rest of the squadron. “The Mobile Police were deployed to protect rural centres in the southern reaches of the Greater New Xaelis Area afterall. I’d deduce that this unit was cut off from the rest of its contingent, which must now be fighting in the town of Leibrook, about 12 clicks east of here.”

Inside the cockpit of the Gemini, Capt. Kitazawa cracked his knuckles before addressing the rest of the 478th over their squadron-level comms, “Well squaddies, remember our orders – we’re on a search-and-destroy operation for any Drekis Empire units in this region. If Leibrook is under attack, then we’ll have to provide backup for the units stationed there. Corporal Arlington, I want your Stormbringer to take point at 6 o’clock while we move to cover our rear – stay inside the tree line where possible, so in the event an enemy contingent intercepts our movement you can flank them from the trees, and Lt. Angelhart, keep pinging the colonel and his squad over the global comms, and keep me posted for any response. You read me?”

“Yes sir,” Cpl. Kurt Arlington replied over the comms.

“Lt. Angelhart, I read you loud and clear – you’ll be the first to hear from me the moment I pick up a response”

“Now here’s the plan; we’ll be moving towards Leibrook in formation until we arrive at the northern outskirts of town, and then we will fan out to flank the enemy,” the captain’s voice came over the comms, “2nd Lt. Dezzman, you’re coming with me as I make a frontal assault. Lt. Foster and Staff Sgt. Cole, have the Dragonflare and Tristar split from formation and circle around to the east of Leibrook to flank the enemy; you are to coordinate with Lt. Angelhart and Sgt. Park, who will simultaneously flank from the west. Sgt. Major Graham, your Senki has the longest-ranged weaponry on the squadron, so you will stay at the back to provide artillery support along with sniper support from the Stormbringer. Any questions on your assignments?”

“Sir, no sir!” The rest of the 478th replied in unison.

“Then you have your orders, 478th… move out!” Captain Kitazawa declared.

“Yes sir!” The war mechs of the 478th moved in sync as they quickly covered twelve kilometres in no time and arrived at the northern outskirts of Leibrook, which was already under assault by minions of the Drekis Empire as they made visual contact with various demonic thralls amidst burning buildings and battle-ravaged streets..

“Contact!” Sgt. Major Paul Graham announced as he put the Senki’s optics to telescopic zoom, catching sight of a massive Devonox destroying a Mobile Police MARS-500, crushing its head between its hands before tearing apart its chassis with its claws. “Weapons hot, firing at will,” the Sgt. Major remarked as his mech’s shoulder-mounted Burst-Cannon swivelled down from a stowed to firing position and fired a canister round on the giant scarlet-skinned biped. 

A storm of hypersonic flechettes from the canister round cleared the distance in less than a span of a heartbeat, leaving multiple perforation wounds in its muscular body as the projectiles shredded its flesh and punctured organs. The hulking, ogre-like minion staggered from its wounds, but remained very much alive as it grabbed hold of the wall of a nearby house to steady itself, before roaring vengefully and breaking into a charge in Graham’s direction.  

“How the fuck is that thing still charging!?” Paul exclaimed.

“Well… not anymore!” 2Lt. Dezzman chimed in over the comms as the Fortune disengaged its flight repulsors to land in front of the Senki to position itself in the path of the charging Devonox – the archaic-styled combat walker fired its primary weapon – a set of four particle beam cannons mounted on its undercarriage at the charging abomination. The first bright blue beam pierced clean through the Devonox’s chest, followed by a second beam that blew off its right arm, and a third beam that pierced its chest again. The Devonox growled its last as it tumbled forward to land face-first in the ashes.

“Pulse check,” Carl remarked as the Fortune marched over to where the Devonox lay and fired a quick burst from its arm-mounted Mk44 Bushmaster II autocannons. “No pulse,” the 2nd Lieutenant confirmed as the body didn’t so much as twitch as the 30x173mm rounds struck it.

“We have entered the northern outskirts of Leibrook, remember your orders! Corporal, get me some eyes in the sky!” Takuma radioed to the rest of the 478th as they pushed into Leibrook’s northern suburbs. 

In response to the captain’s orders, Cpl. Arlington’s Stormbringer launched a pair of small drones into the air to survey the town, promptly transmitting his drone feeds to the rest of the 478th so that they could see what his drones picked up.

Patching into Kurt’s drone feeds, the leader of the 478th could see that most of the fighting took place in the heart of the downtown district, where a combined force of Khazan Rangers, Mobile Police and civilian militia were being pushed deeper and deeper into the heart of downtown by a large swarm of assorted Deminites, where they risk being completely encircled by the enemy. The friendly forces’ armor support by this point had dwindled to a squad of Mobile Police MARS units and several AFVs.

“Alright, we’re going to provide relief for our allies! Dezzman, with me as I attack from the front!” Takuma reiterated his orders from before, “Foster, Cole, Angelhart, Park – split up to flank from the east and west!”

Meanwhile, despite being outnumbered and outgunned by the Drekis legions, the men and women who were assigned to the defense of Leibrook fought back bravely with small arms fire and heavy weapon support, the remaining mechs and armoured vehicles providing whatever fire support they can – Deminite Soldiers, Reptillions and Reavers charged for the bulwarks with terrifying speed, only to be promptly mowed down by bullets and energy beams. But even the most stalwart defenders could not hold the line indefinitely as Discordant Scions coordinated the Deminite Soldiers to pool their pyrokinetic powers together to animate the flames from the burning buildings, sending fire constructs in the shape of serpents, flying skulls and disembodied hands that cut through the front line of the Khazanians and forced the defenders further back.

As the Khazanian defenders were driven further back into the downtown core of Leibrook, the Drekis attackers capitalised on their momentum to send more Devonoxes into the fray – instantly losing yet another of their already scarce armoured vehicles to the giant crimson-skinned bruisers as one tore off a Caracal IFV’s turret, before another picked up the hull and threw it towards a squad of retreating soldiers.

“The Chinese have an old saying, the mantis stalks the cicada…” 2nd Lt. Dezzman remarked as he opened fire with the Fortune’s particle beam cannons at the unguarded 6 o’clock of the Devonoxes, who were too preoccupied with harrying the retreating Leibrook defenders to notice the incoming mechs from the 478th squadron.

“...unaware that the oriole is behind!” Capt. Kitazawa finished for Carl as he engaged the Gemini’s flight thrusters, sending his mech airborne before crashing down feet-first into the skull of another Devonox, smashing the Drekis siege beast into the tarmac before firing several shots into its back and head with the Gemini’s plasma rifle.

The Deminite Soldiers and other infantry-type minions switched targets and began engaging the mechs, but they were swiftly cut down by the Fortune’s arm-mounted autocannons and the Gemini’s shoulder-mounted vulcan gun as the remaining defenders cheered at the timely intervention of the 478th as the enemy found what was supposed to be a straightforward mop-up had turned into a desperate battle on multiple fronts.

“I’ve never fought a battle where they deployed so many Devonoxes!” Sgt. Matilda Cole yelled over the comms as a Devonox grappled her mech, the Tristar. In response, she swivelled the gun mount on her mech’s right shoulder, aiming a double-barrelled laser cannon point-blank in the beast’s face. The muzzles flashed as twin beams pierced through its forehead before exploding through the back of its skull. The sergeant’s mech proceeded to kick the dying beast away, blowing off what’s left of its head with the Tristar’s combat shotgun for good measure.

“And this isn’t considered an all-out battle yet,” Lt. Angelhart replied as several Devonox came barrelling down the street towards the Derringer. Cecelia activated her mech’s shoulder weapon mounts – each sporting 70mm Hydra rocket pods, unleashing a storm of high explosive rockets at the incoming brutes. The crimson-skinned bruisers that weren’t instantly put down by the barrage were sufficiently softened that quick bursts from the Derringer’s 30mm chainguns were able to finish the job.

“Persistent bastards, huh? They sure don’t know when to quit!” Cecelia remarked as more Devonoxes came loping towards her and Cole through the smoke and flames. The lieutenant’s eyes widened as multiple blips flashed on her radar. “Sergeant, we’ve got Ptera-Deminites inbound, 8 o’clock! Watch the air for me!”

“Roger that, lieutenant!” Matilda replied as she raised the left arm of her Tristar to fire its forearm-mounted heavy machine gun at the incoming pterosaur-like minions. The airborne beasts manoeuvred around to dodge the incoming swathes of gunfire, but the sheer volume of fire from the rotary autocannon coupled with the Tristar’s sophisticated target acquisition system allowed Sgt. Cole to shoot down most of the incoming Ptera-Deminites on their first pass; with a few survivors circling back to return fire with a hail of ball lightning that rattled the Tristar’s shields.

“Roger that!” Cole replied. She lifted the HMG attachment on the side of Tristar’s left arm and fired at will. The ptera-deminites spiralled through the air to dodge the bullets, but ultimately the scattered shots brought them down. A few that survived their initial attack circled back and fired bolts of ball lightning from their mouths that shook the Tristar’s shields. “Sgt. Cole here, I’m hit!”

“Cole, what’s your status?” Lt. Angelhart queried over the comms. 

“Matilda, how are you holding up?” The captain’s voice came through the comms.

“The Tristar’s shields are holding up well, no problem,” The sergeant replied.

‘Such strength!’ Cecelia thought as she manoeuvred the Derringer to dodge a tackle from a Devonox, vaulting over the ogre-like minion as it attempted to tackle her mech by its waist. The Devonox weren’t particularly intelligent as far as the beasts of the Drekis legions went, perhaps comparable to a dog in their cognitive and problem-solving abilities – but they were as large and heavy as any of the Khazan Armed Forces’ standard war mech models. What they lacked in ranged weaponry, they made up for in their brute strength, capable of battering down fortifications and tearing apart war machines with armour designed to stand up to high explosives, rail guns and beam weaponry.

“I’m running low on ammo, at this rate I’ll only have beam weapons to fall back on,” The lieutenant remarked as she unloaded her 30mm chainguns – one mounted coaxially on each shoulder with the rocket pods – on a trio of charging Devonoxes. The 30x113mm rounds, while small compared to those used in the guns by heavier models of Khazanian mechs, were equipped with high-explosive dual-purpose payloads that allowed the rounds to punch well above their weight as they ripped through the reinforced hide and dense muscles of the nearest Devonox to turn the organs in its chest cavity into mush – critically-damaged, the Devonox roared its last as it slumped onto the dirt, but the remaining two continued to press forward without any regard for their comrade.

Cecelia managed to put several more rounds into the remaining two Devonoxes before a warning flashed across her HUD. “Ammunition depleted!? Oh for fuck’s sake!” The lieutenant cursed as the ammo drums for the Derringer’s chainguns ran dry – despite being wounded by the last few shots, the remaining Devonoxes hardly showed any signs of slowing down as she backpedalled, desperate to put room between herself and the incoming behemoths. While the Derringer’s shields had enough power to take a few direct hits from these bruisers, the lieutenant knew she couldn’t take on two Devonoxes head-to-head without the Derringer taking severe structural compromise in the process; and with Ptera-Deminites contesting the skies, going airborne wasn’t a viable option either. As Lt. Angelhart weighed her choices, the Devonoxes were intercepted mid-stride by an explosion as a shell exploded between them.

“Yo, lieutenant, guess you owe me one!” Sgt. Major Graham chuckled over the Derringer’s comms, revealing that it was his Senki that fired its Burst Cannon in mortar mode to intercept the attacking Devonoxes.

“Lt. Angelheart, Sgt. Major Graham is providing cover fire – fall back and regroup; there’s a change of plans!” The captain’s voice came in over the comms.

“The Mobile Police are down to about six MARS at this point,” Graham radioed in as he switched his Senki’s Burst Cannon back into direct-fire mode to blow off the head of an incoming Devonox. “We need to clear a corridor for the Mobile Police to move to a more defensible zone in Leibrook, or else their forces will only continue to dwindle!”

“Good call, Sgt. Major,” Capt. Kitazawa replied, “Sgt. Cole, you’re with me now – we’re going to clear the skies of the Ptera-Deminites; once we take them out of the picture we will have free reign of the skies, and it will be easier for us to support Leibrook’s defences from the air!”

“Well, looks like I can’t let the sergeant major claim all the credit,” Cecelia remarked as one of the two Devonoxes hit by the Senki’s artillery rose to its feet – badly-damaged, but still alive and eager as ever to continue the fight. In response, the Derringer reached one hand behind its back and retrieved its mech-sized ion pulse rifle, while its other hand slid a mech-sized combat knife from a thigh compartment and fixed it onto the rifle’s bayonet lug.

The wounded Devonox pounded the ground with its fists before charging towards the Derringer; at the same time, Cecelia met the Devonox’s charge with a charge of her own, pitting bayonet against claw. With another roar as the combatants closed the distance, the Devonox thrust its claws towards the chest of the Derringer, but Cecelia turned the strike aside with her rifle’s barrel before stabbing the red-skinned brute in the abdomen with the bayonet and twisting the blade to widen the wound, before tearing the blade out to eviscerate the creature and drive the bayonet one more time into its chest.

As the Devonox crumpled to its knees, Cecelia delivered a coup de grace by smashing the butt of the Derringer’s ion pulse rifle against the back of its skull to send it face-first into the ashes, before delivering two point-blank headshots in rapid succession, followed by a third shot as a pulse check. “No pulse,” The lieutenant confirmed, before having her mech signal to the Mobile Police contingent. “This zone is quickly becoming indefensible, but I’ve cleared a corridor for you to regroup with your brothers-in-arms at a more defensible position in town, c’mon!”

“Sgt. Fujisaki Karen here,” a woman’s voice crackled over Cecelia’s comms as one of the Mobile Police MARS units waved back at the Derringer to indicate that it was Karen’s mech. “On behalf of the Khazan Mobile Police 77th Precinct, I thank you for your timely intervention, Lt. Cecelia Angelhart. Lead the way.” With that, Sgt. Fujisaki and the rest of her MARS squad moved in formation with Cecelia’s Derringer, with Khazan Rangers, soldiers and civilian militia following closely.

Lt. Angelhart had barely escorted the unit of Leibrook defenders past two city blocks before faint rumbles were heard from a nearby building, forcing the group to pull to a halt as they scanned their surroundings for potential lurking enemies. Before anyone could react, a Devonox burst through the wall of a neighbouring building to tackle one of the MARS units. The Mobile Police mech spun around as soon as the crimson-skinned bruiser ploughed through the wall, bringing its mech-sized assault rifle to bear against the beast, who managed to grapple the MARS’ arms just before it pulled the trigger, resulting in gunfire spraying wildly.

“Isamu! No!” Karen exclaimed over the comms, the Mobile Police sergeant’s voice cracking with shock and horror as the channel was assaulted by Isamu’s panicked, incoherent screams.

As quickly as the attack began for Cpl. Yonekawa Isamu’s MARS, it was over as the Devonox disabled Isamu’s mech by first tearing off its right arm, before smashing the police mech’s head with its own dismembered limb, and finishing it off by tearing the upper torso housing the pilot cockpit free from the MARS’ waist. The Devonox roared as it raised the remains of Isamu’s MARS over its head as if presenting a sacrifice to some profane god, before chucking it at the Derringer.

“By the Archons!” Cecelia grunted as the Derringer caught hold of the detached upper body of the MARS, sending the lieutenant’s mech tumbling to the ground.

“Th… thank you… lieutenant…” Cpl. Yonekawa’s voice crackled over the comms, still alive – although his weak voice suggested that the Mobile Police officer was injured. However, the two pilots were not out of the woods as the Devonox roared and made another charge at the Derringer as soon as Cecelia was done setting down the remains of Isamu’s MARS next to her.

Lt. Angelhart barely had time to retrieve her mech’s ion pulse rifle before the crimson behemoth was upon the Derringer, as she pressed the upper receiver of the rifle against the Devonox’s neck to keep it at bay as its claws raked at thin air just inches away from her mech’s head, the two locked in a desperate grapple. “Shit, hydraulics are nearing their limits!” Cecelia hissed as warnings flashed across her HUD, as the Devonox came ever closer to overpowering the Derringer in their contest of hydraulics and servos versus demonic muscle.

The MARS units and soldiers on-site readied their weapons and took aim, only to be ordered to stand down by Sgt. Fujisaki, “No! The risk of friendly fire on Cpl. Yonekawa and Lt. Angelhart is too great!” To add emphasis to the point, her MARS even stepped forward towards one of her fellow officers’ MARS and placed a hand on the barrel of its assault rifle to guide the weapon down.

The deadly pas de deux between the Derringer and the Devonox was interrupted by the sudden roar of flight thrusters as Sgt. Matilda Cole’s Tristar swooped down from the skies and tackled the Devonox from the side, sending the both of them smashing through the husk of a bombed-out building. In the ensuing melee, the sergeant managed to position her mech on top of the Devonox which was on its back, and proceeded to pummel its face with its left fist, “Get away from her, you bitch!” Matilda growled, punctuating each word with a punch to the face. The Devonox shot a hand up and caught the Tristar’s fist just as Matilda was about to land yet another punch, but the sergeant remained unfazed as she stared at the Devonox’s leering, bloodied face.

“Tough bastard, I’ll give you that,” the sergeant remarked, impressed that the creature was still able to defend itself after taking so many punches to the face from her Tristar, “But let’s see you take this point-blank!” With that, the Tristar lowered the mech-sized combat shotgun in its right hand and shoved the muzzle of the weapon into the Devonox’s mouth before pulling the trigger, exploding its head like a giant watermelon.

“Lieutenant, you really need to be more watchful of your back,” Matilda teased, before ball lightning began exploding around were the Tristar’s feet as a flock of Ptera-Deminites circled around in the sky, sending volleys of ball lightning raining down on Matilda’s mech. But before the sergeant could engage the airborne minions, a volley of Burst-Cannon shells arced through the air to detonate in the midst of the Ptera-Deminite’s flock, sending a storm of hypersonic flechettes through their ranks. The demonic thralls that weren’t shredded in midair plummeted from the skies critically-wounded, where they became easy prey for the Leibrook contingent as MARS units stomped on them, and soldiers and militiamen swarmed over them to finish them with point-blank shots or repeated strikes from combat knives and hatchets.

“Look who’s watching whose back, Sgt. Cole,” Sgt. Major Graham chuckled over the comms, “The captain gave his orders for a reason, y’know? In the end, I had to pick up the slack for you – still, that was one hell of a ‘deepthroat special’ on that Devonox! Like, talk about the supreme irony of Khazan… never thought I’d live to see a woman on the giving end of one, ha!”

“Paul, are you like, fifteen or something?” Matilda smirked at Paul’s jab, “If there was a way for me to punch you through the comms, I most certainly would.”

“Excellent work, all of you!” Capt. Kitazawa’s voice echoed over the comms as they caught sight of the Gemini flying past overhead. “With the skies cleared of Ptera-Deminites we can better support our allies in Leibrook by engaging the Drekis legions from the air!”

Another voice came in over the comms, this time that of Cpl. Kurt Arlington, “Captain! It’s Scout! Col. Freebird’s signal came through!”

“About damn time!” Takuma remarked, his voice showing a palpable relief, “Put him through, corporal!”

First there was a burst of static and garbled voices, but after a while a clear voice rose above the background noise, undeniably that of Col. Louis “Scout” Freebird of the Khazan Rangers. “This is Col. Freebird, callsign Scout, 1st Khazan Rangers – I led a contingent beyond the southeastern outskirts of Leibrook to conduct defensive assaults on an incoming column of mostly Reptillions and Deminite Soldiers, but they ended up kiting my unit into an ambush – we’ve taken heavy losses, requesting immediate backup.”

“I’m glad to finally establish contact with you, colonel. This is Capt. Kitazawa Takuma of the 478th Mechanised Squadron,” Capt. Kitazawa replied, “The high command at New Xaelis were practically losing their heads when you missed your routine reporting-in last night at around 2200 hrs.” Per the 478th’s mission briefing prior to setting off towards Leibrook, they learned that Scout set off from New Xaelis at 0530, leading a contingent bound for the Sun Elf Forest, about 15 km west of Leibrook to conduct defensive raids against enemy movements through the area in order to prevent them from reinforcing the invasion force at Leibrook. The plan was for Scout and his unit to dig in and ambush the enemy under the cover of darkness, but when he failed to deliver his mission report at 2200, it was when the high command determined the operation had gone south. 

The captain continued, “Colonel, do you have an estimate of your current unit strength? My squadron is currently providing backup for the contingent stationed within Leibrook proper – the plan is to open a corridor of retreat for the Rangers and Mobile Police so that they can move to a more defensible position in the town, are you able to hold out until then?”

“I am unable to give any accurate figures on my current unit strength – my team was cut off from the rest of the battalion during the fighting, and currently it’s just me and Cpl. Tarin Jennay – I believe the Connelly brothers and their Cougar command vehicle along with about two platoons from HQ-Company are out there somewhere. I lost comms with them, but I am confident that they’re alive,” came Scout’s run-down on his current situation. “Jennay and I are cut off from avenues of retreat, and we’re dangerously low on ammunition, without immediate backup I might not hold out for more than ten minutes.”

“Understood, colonel – I’m headed your way this instant!” the captain replied as he fired up the Gemini’s flight thrusters, sending his mech airborne, but not without sending a final set of orders to his squadron. “478th, listen up! I’m going to provide immediate relief for Col. Freebird. In my absence, Lt. Foster will be in command. Continue with the current mission objectives – relieve any embattled Leibrook contingents, and get them to consolidate at more defensible zones in the town, got it?” With that, the Gemini jetted into the sky as it took off towards the west as Takuma tracked Scout’s signal.

 

Segment 87: Into the Crucible

On board the Lion of August, a large and heavily-armoured Bahamut-class airship inbound for New Xaelis, Tim stared out of a viewport to observe squadrons of Peregrine fighter-craft flying in formation with their carrier airship, serving as its escorts as they officially crossed Araelis’ border into Xaelon’s territory. Part of the young swordsman wondered, ‘Why couldn’t I have been inducted into the ranks of the SLJ under more normal circumstances?’ After all, how many people in Khazan who’d joined the SLJ could say their first Sentinel assignment wasn’t a routine patrol of the neighbourhood, or helping a distressed citizen get her cat out of a tree, or stopping a mugging, but getting involved in a full-scale war?

There was a feeling of wrongness that gnawed at the swordsman; knowing that in less than half a day he was going to be thrust deep into bloodshed and death, yet the accommodations on board the Bahamut were uncharacteristically comfortable – which hardly fit his expectations of a military transport. It felt like he was taking an airline cruise into the thick of battle, and it was a feeling that didn’t sit right with him.

A warm hand resting on his shoulder with a firm but gentle grip quickly snapped Tim back to reality as he glanced sideways to find Raea right next to him, the redhead perceptive as ever towards whatever bugged the young Sentinel. “You need to find a way to lighten up, Tim. If you’re already so tense on the journey, Archon knows how you’d feel once the actual fighting starts?” 

“You can set your mind at ease, Raea,” Tim forced himself to smile back at Raea, “I’m not afraid. The moment you recognised my abilities, it’s like my fears and doubts have all retreated.”

Raea gave an empathic chuckle as she reached up to Tim’s head and gave his hair a playful ruffle, “C’mon, while it’s good to see you show confidence, understand that fear and courage are not mutually exclusive of each other. Know that it’s alright – natural even, to feel fear in battle.”

Seeing the puzzled expression on Tim’s face, the young redhead leaned back in her chair to elaborate, “I may not have been a Sentinel for long, but even early in my SLJ career I’ve learned that courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the ability to do the right thing in spite of your fears. So if you ask me whether I’m afraid? Let’s just say I even get butterflies in my stomach over apprehending some petty crooks, to say nothing of what we’re heading for right now.”

“Not to feel no fear… but to be able to act in spite of fear…” Tim nodded, “I think I understand.”

“Well, here’s hoping you do,” Raea remarked, resting a hand on Tim’s lap, “That’s why you should use every minute of this ride to relax, knowing full well what you’ve signed up for. Think of this as the calm before the storm, where we use the precious moments to reflect on our choices that put us on this path, and to think about what’s so important to us that we choose to protect – these thoughts will help you when you enter the crucible.”

The redhead looked Tim in the eye, “Know that I feel as much fear as you do, but as long as I have you in my mind, I know I’m gonna make it. And I hope you feel the same too… isn’t that right, Tim?”

“If that’s how you feel, I have no reason to not feel the same, aye?” Tim remarked with a soft laugh as he leaned over and rested his face against Raea’s shoulder. “After all, you’ve always been right about things, and something tells me this is going to be no exception.”

Raea giggled in response as she booped Tim on the forehead, “Then you shouldn’t be feeling afraid then? Since I gave you my word that we’re making it out of this together, alive.”

“Well said, Raea,” Tim replied with a catlike smile, “Now, maybe all you need to say is that this war will be over in a matter of days and everyone will return home happy… and maybe that might come true as well?”

“What, do I look like some magical wish-granting genie to you? Which, by the way, is not how djinni work at all if you’ve ever read the actual folklore behind them,” Raea giggled as she grabbed Tim by the head and twisted her knuckles against his temples to deliver a noogie.

“I don’t know about them, but I know you’d look absolutely gorgeous dressed as one,” Tim chuckled, as he mentally pictured Raea dressed as a genie, as his mind drifted off into the realm of make-believe as he arrived on a scene that looked like it came straight out of the set of Arabian Nights.

Clouds of pink smoke escaped from the lamp after Tim rubbed the magical lamp, making the treasure room appear like it was filled with cotton candy. “After so many centuries… you are the first mortal to have made contact with me,” Raea remarked as she materialised in a flash of light and golden sparkles, dressed in a Bedlah-style outfit; a red silk vest embroidered in gold thread, over a strapless pink top resembling a bra with matching gold-threaded embroidery and sparkling sequins, and a pair of baggy white trousers accessorised by exquisite sashes.

“Hmm… I wonder what naughty thoughts you’re having?” Raea wondered as she noticed a trickle of drool escape from the corner of Tim’s mouth, which was hanging wide open in a dopey smile.

Uberman’s voice crackling to life over the airship’s PA speakers yanked Tim out of his fantasy and back into reality, “Attention all Sentinels, we’re approaching our New Xaelis base, ETA – forty-five minutes! Meet me at the bridge once your preparations are finished.”

Moments later, Raea and Tim, along with several other Sentinels met Uberman at the bridge of the Lion of August with 30 minutes to spare. From the large windows of the ship’s bridge, they could make out the lights of Fort Abdiel, a military base located just past the southern edge of New Xaelis’ city limits, and beyond that, the skyline of New Xaelis’ downtown on the horizon.

“All preparations complete, Uberman sir! My sword is yours to command,” Tim greeted as he and Raea approached the heavily-armoured cyborg, who was standing next to the airship’s captain who was directing the bridge crew as they made preparations for the craft to land as Fort Abdiel’s airfields drew closer and closer.

“Well, your levity and resolve is heartening to behold,” Uberman replied as he turned around to face the duo, along with several other Sentinels who were assembled at the bridge. “I’d take it Raea has given you a motivational talk?”

“You flatter me, sir,” Raea chuckled, rubbing the back of her head.

“The reason for this sudden briefing is because I just received an unsettling update from New Xaelis’ high command,” Uberman explained, “Word has it that the Drekis legion has spread out into smaller hordes to engage us on multiple fronts by attacking several towns and villages in the Greater New Xaelis area, but they are expected to consolidate westwards of Walshin to launch an all-out attack on New Xaelis proper.”

“To make matters worse, Scout was reported missing in action since he led a defensive assault against the enemy from the town of Leibrook, some eight hours ago,” the Sentinel leader continued, “But on the good side, the colonel was confirmed to be alive as of ten minutes ago when the 478th Mechanised Squadron managed to establish comms with him. Anway, that’s all for this update, stand by and prepare for disembarkation at Fort Abdiel.”

Uberman looked out of the bridge’s windows as the Lion of August established comms with Fort Abdiel, receiving clearance for landing at the airstrip. ‘May the Archons guide the efforts of the 478th,’ the cyborg thought, hoping that the 478th would be able to reach Scout in time.

 

Segment 88: Retrieval

Blasts of hellfire from Deminite Soldiers left incandescent trails in the air as they streaked past the fleeing Scout as he and a fellow Ranger – Cpl. Tarin Jennay – crashed through the Sun Elf Forest, pushing through thickets, vaulting over fallen logs and sliding under low-hanging branches. Although this particular section of the Sun Elf Forest was considered part of Leibrook’s administrative zone, they were rarely traversed, and as such the undergrowth remained dense and lacked any clear footpaths. Under normal circumstances, this wasn’t an issue for Scout and Tarin, but with an enemy hell-bent on their destruction being hot on their tail, it was an obstacle that slowed them down more than they were comfortable with.

“Sir…” Cpl. Jennay panted as the two Rangers found a temporary respite from their pursuers by taking cover inside a hollow underneath the roots of a dead tree, momentarily retracting her helmet’s visor and faceplate to catch her breath, “I think we should stand and fight here… we can use the surrounding undergrowth for cover to ambush the enemy… if we continue in down the same direction, we’ll only arrive at a clearing and might run afoul of Devonoxes.”

There was a beat of silence as Scout held up his cybernetic arm to gesture for the corporal to stay silent as the sounds of leaves rustling and twigs cracking underfoot could be heard outside their hiding spot, accompanied by the signature guttural growls of Deminite Soldiers. “Keep searching, they can’t be far off!” a human-sounding voice called out to the Deminites, who were being led by a Discordant Scion. The two Rangers stayed still until the noises faded into the distance, whereupon Scout spoke up.

“We’ll only fight when we absolutely need to,” The colonel replied, peering out of the opening to scan for any lingering threats. “I’ve managed to make contact with the 478th Mechanised Squadron, and their captain is on his way over. We just need to stay alive until he reaches us.”

After several more minutes of dead silence, the two Rangers crawled out of their hiding hole and made their way through the woods, but they had taken no more than a few paces before the rustling of leaves coming from above alerted them to a Deminite Soldier leaping from the tree canopy to land in front of Scout and Tarin. This particular specimen must’ve been part of the horde that ambushed Scout’s unit, for the veteran Ranger could notice signs of battle damage – its left arm was mangled, and it bore lacerations upon its chest and face that still dripped blood. In spite of its injuries, the beast showed no signs of being hampered as it raised its good arm, conjuring an orb of fire in its palm that it readied for launch at the two Rangers.

“Corporal, evasive manoeuvre!” Scout yelled as he and Cpl. Jennay dived towards the ground in opposite directions right as the Deminite let loose its fiery projectile, rolling across the dirt a fraction of a second before the fireball whooshed past to explode against the trunk of a nearby tree. Getting up on one knee, Scout levelled the scope of his Ranger Repeater at the beast’s head and let fly a single bolt that pierced clean through its skull. The Deminite Soldier staggered as it clutched at the shaft of the bolt in a vain attempt to pull it out, before collapsing in a lifeless heap.

A chorus of roars and growls, followed by a Discordant Scion yelling, “They’re back there, get them!” were all the sounds Scout needed to hear to confirm that their earlier scuffle had drawn the attention of the pursuit party back to them as sounds of multiple bodies crashing through the undergrowth could be heard, forcing the two Rangers to break into a run once more as hellfire blasts and gunfire ripped through the treeline after them.

“Wait, sir… we’re heading to the clearing?” Tarin asked, noticing the direction that they were headed.

“Against a human foe, I would no doubt recommend staying concealed in the vegetation, but against these Deminites? It apparently doesn’t make much of a difference,” Scout replied, having learned the hard way that everything the Khazan Rangers knew about camouflage and concealment meant nothing against an enemy with supernatural senses, though whether it was thermal vision or enhanced smell or other means yet unknown was a question the colonel would leave for another time.

The foliage began to thin, as the two Rangers arrived at a clearing. A wood and stone cottage and an equipment shack indicate that this was likely a lodge used by local game hunters or loggers whenever they made forays into the Sun Elf Forest. “They’re coming from multiple directions!” Tarin exclaimed as the door of the cabin was kicked open from the inside to reveal a Discordant Scion, his face hidden behind black cloth swathed around his head and a pair of goggles with red glowing lenses, dressed in scavenged Khazanian military armour over drab olive BDUs and armed with a M249 SAW, from different sides of the clearing, more Deminite Soldiers emerged from the foliage, numbering twelve in total.

“No good, we’re encircled!” Scout exclaimed as another Discordant Scion emerged from the treeline to join the Deminites, dressed identically as the first, but armed with a stolen K-39A2 assault rifle.

“Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide… what a shame. Y’know, if you drop your weapons we might just let you live,” the assault rifle-toting Scion taunted as the two Rangers spun around, trying to find any possible avenue of retreat, with Scout soon letting out a frustrated growl as he realised that the enemy had them boxed in.

Far from complying with the Discordant Scions’ demand, Cpl. Jennay raised her pulsed plasma rifle in defiance as she whispered to Scout, “I’ve still got enough power in my plasma rifle’s charge pack to manage 17 shots, if I’m quick on the draw I might be able to take down five of them.” At least according to the weapon’s status on her helmet’s AR display. “And if all else fails, we can still take em’ in CQC,” the young corporal noted, knowing she still had her sidearm, with two spare mags. And should worse come to worst, she could always crack open some Deminite skulls with her entrenching tool.

“I wish I could share your optimism, corporal,” Scout chuckled grimly as he kept a firm grip on his Ranger Repeater, but the reality was that the enemy only had to open fire all at once and they’d be dead.

“So that’s how it’s gonna be huh?” The Scion with the K-39A2 scoffed as he raised his scavenged assault rifle, and acting on his cue the Deminite Soldiers began conjuring fireballs in their hands. “Kill-”

Before the Discordant Scion could finish issuing his orders, the roar of large flight thrusters interrupted him, right before the Drekis cultist was smashed flat beneath the feet of a humanoid-framed war mech as Capt. Kitazawa landed his Gemini in the thick of the enemy’s formation. 

“Corporal, get down!” Scout ordered as he dived towards the ground.

Tarin did the same right before the mech opened fire on the enemy, simultaneously barraging with its mech-sized plasma rifle, shoulder-mounted 20x102mm autocannon and head-mounted 7.62x51mm machine guns, making short work of the Deminites in the space of time it took for the two Rangers to land on the dirt.

The LMG-wielding Scion made a desperate last stand by firing his M249 at the Gemini, but his weapon didn’t even scratch the mech’s paint job. In desperation, the Scion swung around and turned his weapon towards Scout, who already had him in his Ranger Repeater’s sights; a single crossbow bolt zipped silently through the air, punching through the Drekis cultist’s armour and impaling him with such force that he was nailed to the wooden wall behind him. The Discordant Scion dropped his LMG and spent a few seconds tugging weakly at the crossbow bolt stuck in his chest before expiring. “You must be Col. Freebird and Cpl. Jennay, right?” the pilot’s voice crackled over the two Rangers’ comms. “This is Capt. Kitazawa Takuma of the 478th Mechanised Squadron, I’m the extraction you called for, please get onboard.”

The Gemini got down on one knee as its chest armour opened up to reveal the cockpit within. “I can cram one other person inside the cockpit,” Capt. Kitazawa remarked, offering a hand.

“Corporal, join Kitazawa inside the cockpit,” Scout gave Cpl. Jennay a pat on the shoulders before the mech’s arm hoisted Tarin up to the cockpit, taking hold of the captain’s outstretched hand to allow him to pull her on board, while the colonel climbed onto the Gemini’s frame to ride shotgun on the mech’s shoulders.

“Glad I made it in time,” Capt. Kitazawa remarked, happy to learn that the two Rangers appeared to have sustained no obvious injuries. “I wish I could’ve made it earlier, but the situation in Leibrook was a tough one, and the rest of my squadron had their hands full back there.”

“Regardless, we are indebted to you, captain,” Scout remarked over the Gemini’s comms as the mech began to chart a course back towards Leibrook. “At least, now Tarin and I can catch a proper breather… know that this isn’t over just yet.”

“I feel the same too,” Takuma replied, “Time to regroup with the rest of my squaddies – there’s still work to be done in Leibrook.” However, as they approached the outskirts of the town, the Gemini found two mechs standing in its path.

“The hell?” Scout wondered as he peeked from over the Gemini’s shoulders. The two mechs were, without a doubt the Series-500 MARS used by the Khazan Mobile Police, both armed with mech plasma rifles and both bearing signs of combat damage; their paint scraped off in numerous places, and sections of their armour showed burns from energy weapons and buckling from kinetic weapons.

“Mobile Police mechs, I presume you’re with the 77th Precinct?” Capt. Kitazawa asked, trying to hail the two KMP mechs on comms, “You’re located a long way from your unit though – are you separated during the fighting? I can lead you back to regroup, the rest of your precinct should be with my squadron.” The captain received nothing but radio silence on the comms, prompting him to try again on several other frequencies, but getting nothing but silence on each and every attempt. Instead of turning around to head back towards Leibrook, the two MARS instead took a step forward, as if to head in the direction from which the Gemini came.

“If you are attempting to flee from combat without an authorised retreat from your superiors, let it be known that such actions count as desertion,” the captain radioed to the MARS one more time, this time carrying a grim warning. “And wartime desertion with such valuable equipment is an offense that is punishable by field execution… therefore I would advise you to seriously reconsider your choices,” at the back of his mind, Takuma knew that even this warning would likely fall on deaf ears, but he still had to make sure that whoever were piloting the mechs – KMP personnel or otherwise, were given a fair warning.

“Wait, scans are turning up anomalous readings,” The captain remarked as the Gemini’s sensors performed a series of scans on the two damaged MARS, “Bio-scans indicate no human on board, so they must be controlled by the on-board AI, often affectionately referred to by Mobile Police personnel as the “Fairy Godmother”. But that doesn’t explain the lack of response over the comms,” Takuma mused – knowing that the protocols that the on-board AI of MARS units must abide by; if the pilot were injured, rendered unconscious, or killed, the AI would send distress signals as well as autopilot the mech back to the nearest allied unit. The current behaviour of the two mechs on the other hand, went completely against the programming of their Fairy Godmothers.

“This is getting weirder by the minute,” Capt. Kitazawa remarked as another notification flashed on his cockpit’s HUD, as a second bio-scan picked up a signal that he’d missed earlier. “I’m now getting a positive on the bio-scan… but it’s not human. I will try to see if I can contact their onboard “Fairy Godmother” AI.”

Scout’s voice came over Takuma’s comms, his voice ringing with urgency, “It’s those things again! You need to shoot them, now! Before they gun you down!” The colonel leapt off the Gemini’s shoulders and rolled to disperse the impact from the rough landing as the damaged MARS units lifted their plasma rifles in the Gemini’s direction and opened fire, the muzzles of their weapons flashing blue-white.

Takuma did not question Scout’s orders, but he acted too slow as the police mechs’ opening barrage sent high-energy plasma bolts splashing against his mech’s shields, the hex panels of hard light flashing as they weathered the barrage. “What do you mean by ‘those things’, colonel!?” The captain asked as he brought his mech into a circle-strafe around the rogue MARS to return fire. “Damn, I think I expended too much of my shields on our way to Leibrook!” Takuma exclaimed as one more hit caused the Gemini’s shields to collapse, and the next few hits were absorbed directly by the mech’s armour instead.

“But you’ll need more than just plasma rifles to take down a military mech like mine! KOMBG built em’ tough!” The captain remarked, before a red warning icon flashed across his HUD.

“M-missile lock!? The fuck!” Cpl. Jennay exclaimed as one of the MARS launched a missile from a shoulder-mounted missile launcher.

Seeing the plume of smoke and fire erupt from the launcher’s tubes, Capt. Kitazawa galvanised into action as he activated the gun mount on the Gemini’s left shoulder, sporting a M61 Vulcan. With a whirring noise, the six barrels spun up and unleashed a torrent of 20x102mm semi armour-piercing high-explosive incendiary rounds, intercepting the incoming missile and detonating it in mid-flight; the Gemini’s frame shuddered as the blast wave from the missile’s explosion washed over it, followed by a hail of shrapnel ricocheting off its armour. 

“Without any heavy weaponry, I won’t be of any use in this fight,” Scout said over the comms as he ran towards the nearest point of cover to avoid being caught in the crossfire. “But these MARS units are no longer our own and must be terminated with extreme prejudice!”

“That goes without saying!” Takuma echoed back over the comms as the Gemini performed a defensive roll to avoid a volley of plasma blasts from the rogue MARS, before rising up on one knee to return fire, causing them to stagger. “If a pair of traitors can take my Gemini down, then my name isn’t Kitazawa Takuma!” 

 

Segment 89: Tarnished Victory

“I thought I heard an explosion coming from the west end of town, is it the captain?” Sgt. Matilda Cole monologued within the cockpit of her Tristar, her mind drifting to their squad leader who had singlehandedly set off outside of town to extract Scout from his predicament, and so engrossed was the sergeant in her thoughts that she failed to notice a missile lock warning flash across the HUD as a squad of Discordant Scions on the street level armed with MANPADS took position on the top floor of an abandoned low-rise apartment block opened fire at her mech as it flew past. 

Staff Sgt. Katie Park’s voice barked over the Tristar’s comms, snapping Matilda out of her reverie. “Focus, Cole! Enemy SAM’s incoming, at your five!” 

Matilda’s eyes widened as she saw the radar window on her HUD, displaying a pair of flashing red triangles with exclamation marks heading fast towards the Tristar from five o’clock. The sergeant hissed and performed an evasive roll in the air, while simultaneously firing off its decoy flares, causing the enemy anti-air missiles to detonate in midair, though far too close for Matilda’s comfort as she could feel the shockwaves from the explosions shake the frame of her Tristar, her heart pounding as she realised just how close she came to taking a direct hit.

 “Come now, this is no time to get distracted – not when we’ve already come this far on our mission; just a little more, and we’d have played our part in helping to secure Leibrook!” 2Lt. Carl Dezzman added over the comms as the Fortune soared through the air, locking onto the building where the Discordant Scions were attacking from. “Scans indicate no friendlies in this building, perfect...” With that, the 2nd lieutenant brought the Fortune’s quad beam cannons to bear against the building where the Discordant Scion anti-air team was holed up in. A salvo of four near-simultaneous particle beams sent the entire rooftop collapsing into the top floor of the building, crushing the Drekis cultists under tons of rubble and twisted steel. 

“Yes sir,” Matilda replied as she brought her Tristar flying low to perform a strafing run along the length of a street with its twin laser gun-mount to devastate an entire column of Deminite Soldiers, Reptillions and Reavers. 

“Lieutenant, if you circle around the current city block you will be able to flank an enemy formation from their nine!” Cpl. Arlington came in over the Fortune’s comms as his surveillance drone performed a reconnaissance flight over the district, picking up footage of another horde of Deminite Soldiers attacking a defensive perimeter of Khazan soldiers and civilian militia.

“Thanks for the pointer!” 2Lt. Dezzman replied as he circled the Fortune around the city block before landing on the street, at the 9 o’clock of a horde of Deminites besieging a defensive position. The muzzles of the Fortune’s quad beam cannons flashed as a volley of particle beams cut through the sea of bodies like a hot knife through butter, and those that survived the initial beam volley were swiftly cut down by the mech’s arm-mounted Bushmaster II autocannons. “Hey, what’d ya know? I think their hordes are finally thinning out!”

As hard as it may be to believe, the tide of Deminites that the 478th had encountered since their arrival in Leibrook had finally thinned out into a trickle – more Deminites continued to attack defensive formations in the downtown, but with the Ptera-Deminites knocked out of the sky and the Devonoxes fast dwindling in number, the hordes were quickly losing their combat efficiency as Deminites fell in increasing numbers, and it seemed like it was only a matter of time before the siege of Leibrook was finally broken.

“You think the captain’s gonna be disappointed that we didn’t leave any behind for him when he gets back?” Cecelia joked as the Derringer arrived at the 478th’s designated rendezvous point, ion pulse rifle rested casually behind its shoulders.

“I think he and the colonel would be pleased to know that Leibrook has successfully repulsed the assault,” Staff Sgt. Park chimed in as her mech, the Pharis’ Blade touched down at the rendezvous point, whereupon she was joined shortly after by Cpl. Arlington’s Stormbringer and 2Lt. Dezzman’s Fortune.

“They probably stopped attacking because there’s hardly a town left to fight over at this point,” Sgt. Major Graham said grimly over the comms as the Senki arrived next on the scene, accompanied with Lt. Sara Foster in her Dragonflare. “Look around you, the downtown’s practically rubble now – as far as those Drekis bastards are concerned, they’ve basically accomplished their mission, our intervention was all for nothing!” the Senki threw its arms into the air, mirroring the pilot’s frustration.

“I’ll have none of that, Graham! None of what we did here was for nothing,” Lt. Foster’s voice interjected over the comms, “Look around you, the Leibrook garrison stopped taking further losses as soon as we showed up – we saved them from being wiped out; and the civilians? It’s thanks to everyone’s efforts that they’re able to safely evacuate the town,” the Dragonflare gestured over to Sgt. Fujisaki’s squad from the 77th Precinct, who were now cleaning up stragglers from the invasion force, while the wounded Cpl. Yonekawa had been successfully extracted from the remains of his MARS and was being tended to by medics.

“Heads up, team! We’ve got company!” Cpl. Arlington came in over the comms as the Stormbringer’s sensors picked up enemy signatures headed towards their rendezvous point.

“Looks like the Discordant Scions are in full retreat after losing most of their Deminites,” Sgt. Matilda Cole added as the Tristar’s sensors picked up on several enemy signatures that were moving further and further away from downtown Leibrook – with Kurt’s drone feeds revealing a truck and a pair of APCs driving away from the town at full speed, while several more Scions behind them ran after the vehicles on foot, presumably unlucky ones who weren’t able to board on time before the Drekis cultists decided to beat a hasty retreat.

Meanwhile, twelve Devonoxes advanced down the main street towards the 478th. “Looks like they ordered the remaining Devonoxes into a Hail Mary to cover their retreat,” Lt. Angelhart remarked as the Derringer raised its ion pulse rifle. “Well then, let’s finish what we came here for, shall we?”

“Hey lieutenant, I hope you and your team don’t mind leaving at least one for me?” Sgt. Fujisaki Karen’s voice crackled over the comms as her MARS took position next to the Derringer, “This one’s for Isamu, the corporal deserves at least this much,” the Mobile Police sergeant cast one look back at where Cpl. Yonekawa was receiving medical attention, before her MARS got into a fighting stance – a mech-sized machine pistol in one hand, and a mech-sized katana in the other. 

“I’m always happy to have the KMP fight by my side, sergeant,” Lt. Angelhart smiled, “You’ll guard my flank, will you?”

Karen’s voice burned with renewed determination, “I let Isamu down by allowing that Devonox to get to his MARS… I will not repeat the same mistake with you, Cecelia-san.”

The Tristar, Fortune, Dragonflare and Pharis’ Blade took to the air, while the Derringer, Stormbringer, Senki and Karen’s MARS charged in from the front. Lt. Angelhart led the frontal assault, firing three ion pulses in rapid succession from the Derringer’s rifle as it closed the gap with the foremost Devonox in the enemy formation, ducking to avoid the crimson goliath’s arms as it reached out to grapple her mech’s shoulders, before driving her bayonet into the enemy’s chest.

Two other Devonoxes attempted to simultaneously flank the Derringer from its 3 and 9 o’clock as it was tied down by its current adversary, but one was swiftly intercepted by the Tristar as it swooped down from the skies to divebomb the behemoth, as Matilda smashed the ogre-like minion into the tarmac under the Tristar’s feet, before firing its shotgun point-blank at its chest, and as it tried to claw at the legs of the sergeant’s mech with a dying burst of strength, Sgt. Cole stomped the Tristar’s foot against the Devonox’s throat, before pumping its shotgun and thrusting its muzzle between its jaws for a point-blank headshot finisher.

“Ooh yeah, hit me baby one more time!” Sgt. Major Paul Graham cackled over the comms as he belted out Britney Spears upon witnessing Matilda Cole pull what he termed as the “deepthroat special” a second time. Meanwhile, his Senki opted to simply stay out of melee reach as it stayed in the air, only coming down low enough to make the Devonox think it had a chance as it roared and hurled a van-sized hunk of rubble into the air at the Sgt. Major’s mech, which evaded the projectile with ease, before raining explosive ordnance down on the brute to utterly destroy it.

As for the other Devonox attempting to flank the Derringer, it was intercepted by Sgt. Fujisaki’s MARS, the law enforcement mech leaping towards the scarlet bruiser to deliver a flying kick to its chest that knocked it onto its back. The sergeant raised her mech’s machine pistol to shoot at the downed Devonox, but had an abrupt change of heart as she stowed her firearm and instead held her katana in a two-handed grip as the Devonox rose to its feet with a roar. “You’re tough, but you’re not so dangerous without the element of surprise, are you not?” Karen remarked in Japanese.

The two combatants charged at each other in perfect synchronicity, the Devonox feral roars contrasting with Sgt. Fujisaki’s steely silence as they cleared the gap in three strides. The crimson goliath swung a massive, claw-tipped hand to slash at her MARS, but the sergeant ducked under the swing and performed a well-timed circle-step to get behind the overcommitting Devonox, before performing a diagonal cut with her mech’s katana, slicing through the brute’s reinforced hide and cutting deeply into the powerful muscles on its back.

Roaring with pain and fury, the Devonox spun around with a roundhouse backhand, only for the MARS to duck under the wild swing and counter with a horizontal slash across its midsection, followed by an upward crescent slash to the chest; as the crimson-skinned bruiser reeled from Karen’s counterattack, the sergeant capitalised on the opening to go all-in on the offensive, skewering the Devonox’s belly on her mech’s katana, before ripping the blade out to disembowel the beast. With a groan, the heavily-wounded Devonox crumpled to its knees as the sergeant readied her sword for the coup de grace.

“Isamu, this is for you,” she remarked in a solemn tone before delivering a swift and precise horizontal swing to its neck, slicing clean through its thick neck muscles and reinforced cervical spine to behead the beast.

Back on Cecelia’s end, after stabbing the Devonox with her bayonet, the lieutenant brought the Derringer’s right foot up to deliver a snap kick to its midsection to knock the scarlet behemoth back while extracting her blade, before performing a diagonal shoulder-to-hip slash across its torso. The beast roared and recoiled, but quickly recovered and performed a shoot, looking to tackle and grapple her mech. The lieutenant ducked as the Devonox shot forward, repositioning the Derringer underneath the brute’s centre of gravity to perform a back elevation that sent it flipping through the air and crash-landing on its back. 

Before the Devonox could recover, the Derringer stomped on its chest and delivered multiple stabs with its bayonet, before pointing the muzzle of its ion pulse rifle at the crimson bruiser’s face, its muzzle glowing as Lt. Angelhart charged up her weapon to deliver a point-blank Buster Shot to the monster’s face. Looking up from her kill, Cecelia noticed how the rest of the 478th, along with their Mobile Police ally had similarly finished off the enemy, as eight mechs stood in the centre of the avenue, surrounded by twelve dead Devonoxes. 

“Good job, 478th! Capt. Kitazawa and Col. Freebird would no doubt be pleased to learn of this development,” Lt. Foster buzzed over the comms, “Don’t you all be celebrating just yet, though. We need to assist the Mobile Police and our KAF brothers-in-arms to ensure any remaining civilians are evacuated.”

“Thank you, lieutenant, for granting me the opportunity to set things right for my Precinct,” Sgt. Fujisaki’s voice came over the Derringer’s comms as her MARS faced Cecelia’s mech with its arms by its side and bowed. The Mobile Police mech sheathed its katana and stowed the sword on its hip before turning away, the sergeant now embarking on her next objective of ensuring that no civilians were left behind during the evacuation of Leibrook. 

 

Segment 90: New Menace

Capt. Kitazawa Takuma had the Gemini dive out of the way of another incoming missile, the blast of the explosion causing his mech to shudder as tremors ran through its frame and shrapnel peppered its armour. “That one came way too close,” he remarked as he checked the system reports – structural integrity of the armour remained good, no signs of imminent hull breach, but the proximity blast from the missile had knocked out the Gemini’s flight thrusters, which removed his ability for rapid repositioning on the battlefield, but it was hardly crippling as given the current situation he had no real use for flight. “Looks like I gotta count my blessings that as law enforcement mechs, their missiles carry anti-personnel payloads rather than anti-armour ones; even a proximity hit from the latter would fuck over my Gemini at this range!” 

“Wait sir, we’ve got additional company!” Cpl. Jennay warned as she pointed to a display window on the HUD showing two more blips approaching the Gemini from roughly 6 o’clock. 

“What in the Powers That Be…” Takuma muttered as the a video feed of the Gemini’s rear showed two more Mobile Police mechs emerging from the treeline that they’d left behind – one of them still sporting a wisp of smoke rising from an empty launch tube on its shoulder-mounted missile launcher. An oddity about these two newcomers is that they showed more extensive battle damage than the first pair, and where sections of their armour plating had been blown off, they now sported what looked like chitinous plates akin to the armoured exoskeletons of Drekis biomechanoids such as Tanker Beasts. One MARS even appeared to have its mech plasma rifle fused to its hand and forearm by goopy black flesh lined with luminescent orange veins. “I don’t get it… how are these Drekis bastards using our own equipment against us!? Did their Discordant Scions manage to capture and pilot these mechs? Or had their pilots defected to the enemy? None of this makes sense! Our top-end hardware has numerous security measures to prevent them from falling into enemy hands! And… and what’s with those organitech growths that seemed to be overtaking some of them anyway?”

“That was my initial assumption as well when we first encountered those things,” Scout replied over the comms in a grim tone; there was an undercurrent of fear in the colonel’s voice. “We thought that the Discordant Scions had either somehow captured our mechs for their own use, or that some of our personnel were secretly Drekis collaborators the whole time, but the truth turned out to be something far more disturbing…”

“Not traitors, you say?” Kitazawa wondered, “No wonder bio-scans come up positive, but the signals aren’t humanoid.”

“It’s a new type of minion, a previously unheard-of weapon that the Drekis Empire has deployed against our mechanised forces, even the GDF files shared by that female Seeker made no prior mention of such a creature in the Drekis bestiary during their previous wars,” Scout’s voice buzzed over the Gemini’s comms, “They initially appear like creeping blobs of flesh, which were easily missed by our soldiers during the ambush in the Sun Elf Forest. In the heat of battle, they sneaked past our defensive lines and managed to ooze their bodies into the MARS units backing us – once inside the mechs, the creatures begin to spread and grow, assimilating machinery and electronics into its flesh; the process locked out pilot controls and overrode the AI-Godmother… within minutes, half of our mechanised support had turned into new biomechanoids for the Drekis Empire, turning our initially successful defense into a rout and allowing the Devonoxes to push onward to Leibrook.”

“Some kind of parasite huh?” Takuma replied; or at least, that was the closest parallel. “If I could give that creature a name, I’d call it a Technoklept, because it ‘steals’ tech and uses it against us.” Though deep down, the captain knew that was just a word, and that the true nature of the creature was far more sinister; it didn’t merely steal their technology, it twisted them into abominations that bore familiar silhouettes, but underneath the hood had been corrupted into something wholly alien.

After a brief but intense standoff, the quartet of Technoklept-infested MARS made their move –  the first pair of mechs, the ones that appeared less visibly corrupted – raised their plasma rifles; acting on the cue of the first two MARS units, the other two mechs with more obvious signs of corruption also raised their weapons. Cpl. Jennay watched the displays with bated breath as she whispered to Capt. Kitazawa, “What do we do now? We… we’re gonna make it right? This is a military model afterall… it should be tougher than those law enforcement mechs…”

The captain grit his teeth as he went over the Gemini’s system reports, “I’d like to think so too, but my mech has taken damage – the flight thrusters are down, force shields are depleted, and my Gemini isn’t a model noted for being particularly agile or fast on its feet. There’s no way I can dodge all their shots when fired at from four directions,” he remarked as he lifted one of his mech’s feet and stomped the ground to space its legs wide in a high-stability stance, indicating his readiness to stand his ground. “If I barrage with all my weapon systems, I might be able to take two of these bastards down before the Gemini goes up in smoke…”

“Colonel, please, listen to me…” Takuma’s voice came in over Scout’s comms earpiece, “I may be done, but you must get out of here – when I open fire with everything I’ve got, I want you to run back in the direction of Leibrook – run as fast as you can, without looking back.”

“Captain, then what about Tarin?” the colonel asked.

“Don’t worry about me sir,” Cpl. Jennay buzzed over the comms, “It’s been an honour serving alongside you… you’ll tell my parents I fought bravely, right?”

“I will see to it that you receive full military honours posthumously,” Scout nodded grimly as he slowly crept out of his cover, preparing to make a run for it any moment.

“It’s been an honour too, colonel,” Capt. Kitazawa chorused over the comms as he checked the Gemini’s weapon systems one last time; a plasma rifle, one shoulder-mounted M61 Vulcan, one shoulder-mounted missile launcher, and two head-mounted M240 machine guns. The Gemini’s index finger tightened against the trigger of its plasma rifle as the captain made a defiant declaration, “This is Capt. Kitazawa Takuma, 478th Mechanised Squadron, signing off. Semper fi!” Just as Takuma prepared to end the standoff with a blaze of glory, volleys of particle beams and lasers rained down from the sky to hit the first pair of corrupted MARS units. Instead of sparks and hydraulic fluids, black slime spewed from where the energy beams had pierced the mechs’ hulls as they collapsed onto the ground in mangled heaps.

The remaining pair of corrupted MARS raised their weapons to the skies to engage the new threat, only for a second rapid-fire of volley to riddle their frames with holes and blow off their heads. Wasting no time at all, the captain marched over to the downed hostiles and unleashed a stream of fire from his plasma rifle’s underbarrel flamer, dousing their shredded hulls in burning napalm, specifically targeting the cockpits to get whatever was nestled within. Takuma felt a grim sense of satisfaction as he heard shrill cries issuing from deep within the mangled cockpits as the Technoklepts infesting the mechs died to the flames.

“What… just happened?” Cpl. Jennay wondered.

“I was about to ask the same myself,” Scout chorused.

“A miracle, that’s what,” Capt. Kitazawa replied as the adrenaline rush faded, noticing six blips on the radar, all converging towards his mech – but the signals were friendly. The video feed from the Gemini’s optics showed a total of six mechs of varying models, but all bearing service insignia of the Khazan Armed Forces swooping down from the sky to touch down on the grass. “I’ve never been a particularly religious person myself, but after this I think I might just have to accept that gods and Buddhas exist afterall.”

The Gemini’s comms crackled, followed by a male voice coming through, “This is Maj. Kyle McFadden, 898th Mechanised Squadron – I’m glad we made it in time.”

Capt. Kitazawa chuckled before responding, “Capt. Kitazawa, 478th Mechanised. I thank you for your timely assistance – you couldn’t have picked a more dramatic time to join the fray.”

“We were reporting back to base after a skirmish to the west of Milton Creek, and happened to be passing through when Staff Sgt. Choi spotted you on the ground,” the major replied, “It was one hell of a battle… I lost two of my men back there. Heard there’s a situation in Leibrook, and since we’re already nearby I figured me and my men can back you up.”

“My condolences to you and the families of these brave men,” Takuma remarked, “Still, I appreciate any help I can get – the rest of my squadron is located back in Leibrook, not far from here. I will contact them and inform them that we have reinforcements.” With that, the captain hailed the rest of the 478th over the comms, and was pleased to learn his entire squadron had made it, as seven cockpit video feeds appeared at the bottom of the Gemini’s HUD.

“It’s good to hear from you again, captain,” Lt. Sara Foster acknowledged, the in-cockpit feed from the Dragonflare showed her sporting a satisfied smile, “I take it you accomplished your mission?”

“Well, see for yourself,” Capt. Kitazawa replied as he broadcast the Gemini’s front camera feed to the rest of his team, showing Col. Freebird standing in front of the captain’s mech – at once, the entire 478th Mechanised Squadron saluted the colonel from inside their mechs.

“At ease, soldiers,” Scout replied with a smile as he saluted back. “What’s the situation in Leibrook like at the moment?”

“We’ve successfully relieved the Leibrook garrison by routing the enemy, sir!” Lt. Foster remarked over Scout’s comms earpiece, “The Discordant Scions are in full retreat, and we’ve wiped out their Devonox siege unit – there’s still a handful of stragglers in the form of stray Deminite Soldiers and Reptillions out and about, but they’re nothing the infantry and Mobile Police can’t handle at this point. We’re assisting with the mop-up!”

“I knew I could count on you, lieutenant,” Takuma added, his tone lightening up, “All of you, in fact. Scout and I will be headed back to Leibrook – Capt. Kitazawa Takuma, 478th Mechanised Squadron, over and out,” no sooner had the captain signed off from comms would his attention be drawn to the radar display on the Gemini’s HUD as two airborne objects entered the range of his mech’s sensors, moving at high speeds.

“Captain, what’s wrong?” Scout hailed Takuma over the comms as he noticed the Gemini not heading towards Leibrook as the captain had initially promised, instead standing its ground with its plasma rifle trained towards the sky.

“Sensors picked up two aerial objects approaching at high speed from 6 o’clock; no IFF signatures, presumed hostile!” The captain replied in a grim-sounding voice. “Major, you should order your men to be on guard too!” Takuma hailed Maj. McFadden, who responded likewise as the mechs of the 898th spun around to face their six, weapons trained on the sky. 

“What are they? Ptera-Deminites?” Scout queried as he too looked up to the sky, raising a combat viewer to his eyes to magnify his vision while his grip tightened around his Ranger Repeater as the colonel expected trouble any moment.

“Negative, colonel,” Takuma interjected over the comms as cold sweat began to bead around his temples and forehead, “Ptera-Deminites attack in far larger numbers – there are only two signatures… and they’re flying far too fast! Ptera-Deminites aren’t capable of breaking the sound barrier!”

Before long, they managed to make visual contact with the source of the anomalous signatures, as the Gemini’s optics managed to pick up two objects that bore a profile that appeared to be a vague mock-up of a fighter jet, although it had a clearly organic appearance – possessing a chitinous exoskeleton with rows of spines and claw-like appendages tipped with bio-energy cannons; the best description Takuma could give was that they resembled a devilish fusion between a crustacean or arthropod with a fighter plane, streaking through the air at an impressive speed that easily rivalled that of the Khazan Armed Forces’ Peregrine-series fighter jets.

“Oh, shit! They’re Bio-Fighters!” Capt. Kitazawa exclaimed, recalling the GDF intel files regarding a particular class of Drekis biomechanoids. He’d heard horror stories of run-ins with these organitech fighter planes from the Thenesiean Front, but the captain never imagined that he’d be encountering them here in the Leibrook-Cashar region. As the Bio-Fighters neared the positions of Takuma and the 898th, they began to descend in altitude, their noses tilted towards the ground as the energy-emitting organs on their bio-cannons began to glow.

“Major, order your men to take evasive manoeuvres!” Takuma hailed Maj. McFadden, his voice burning with urgency, “Ground strafing imminent!” Unfortunately for the captain, his warning came a split-second too late as the pair of Bio-Fighters began strafing the ground with their bio-cannons, as volleys of particle beams rained down from the sky to cause a storm of explosions on the ground that sent plumes of dirt into the air and engulfed the vicinity in a dense pall of smoke.

Their optics obscured by the smokescreen, the mechs fired blindly into the air as the airborne biomechanoids thundered past. In the span of time it took for the pilots to switch their mechs’ optics to thermal vision, the Bio-Fighters had already circled around for a second strafing run, and this time two of the 898th’s mechs were caught in the salvo of particle beams, which appeared to pierce through their energy shields without resistance before violently breaching the mechs’ hulls. The pilots’ screams echoed over the comms before cutting to static as their cockpits were consumed in their mechs’ reactor explosions.

“Burnett, Pavlichenko, please respond!” Maj. McFadden hailed the two stricken mechs’ comms, panic in his voice, “Burnnet, Pavlichenko, come in!”

“I hate to break this to you, Kyle,” Takuma chimed in over Kyle’s comms, “But they’re both gone… I’m sorry.” The Gemini spun around to face twelve o’clock, weapons trained towards the sky as the captain expected the Bio-Fighters to circle around to perform yet another ground strafe; but to his surprise the biomechanoids simply continued on in the direction of Leibrook, leaving only their sonic boom fading into the distance and two burning wreckages that used to be the mechs piloted by Cpl. David Burnett and Master Sgt. Yulia Pavlichenko.

“By the Archons… they’re headed for Leibrook!” Takuma exclaimed, his eyes wild with fear and growing rage as a dread realisation sunk in, “Those bastards are going after my team!” Without another word, the Gemini scooped Scout into its arms and began sprinting towards Leibrook at full speed, hot on the tail of the new enemy as he hailed his squadron, “Capt. Kitazawa to 478th! Watch the skies, you have Bio-Fighters inbound! I repeat, Bio-Fighters inbound!”

 

Segment 91: Demons of the Sky

“Cpl. Arlington to 478th, south is clear – no bogeys in sight, negative hostile signatures on sensors,” beyond the southern outskirts of Leibrook, Kurt Arlington combed the countryside from the air on board his Stormbringer. As far as his mech’s optics could see, there didn’t appear to be anymore hordes of Drekis minions or squads of Discordant Scions. “Wait! Sensors just picked up a friendly signal to my eleven, six clicks away. I’m heading over to investigate.”

“Roger that, corporal, we’re headed your way,” Lt. Foster’s voice buzzed over the Stormbringer’s comms. 

“Safety in numbers, kid,” 2Lt. Dezzman added, “Fortune inbound.” Shortly after, Kurt also received comms acknowledgements from Cecelia, Paul, Matilda and Katie as they agreed to converge at where the Stormbringer picked up the friendly signal.

From his position in the air, Kurt caught sight of a large wheeled armoured vehicle at the edge of the woods that had been overturned, but otherwise showed minimal signs of combat damage. It was then that the corporal remembered their initial contact with Scout, where the colonel mentioned he and Cpl. Jennay got cut off from the rest of the battalion during an ambush, but was confident of survivors in the unit – specifically mentioning of the Connelly brothers and a Series-A, Type 99 “Cougar” command vehicle from HQ-Company.

As Cpl. Arlington lowered his altitude, he could see two squads of soldiers trying to flip the Cougar right-side up without any success; as soon as the Stormbringer loomed into view, two of the soldiers stepped forward and waved at the approaching mech. “This is Cpl. Kurt Arlington, 478th Mechanised Squadron, are you from the HQ-Company of the battalion under Col. Freebird’s command?” Kurt hailed the two waving soldiers over the comms. The soldier on the left tapped on his helmet and then shook his head, while the one on the right began making gestures which the corporal quickly recognised as the Khazan Military Sign Language.

“Yes, HQ-Company, 34th Ground Battalion – Lt. Miles Connelly, tech officer; brother, Lt. Cedric Connelly, vehicle commander. Comms down; land your mech so that we can speak,” at least, that was what Kurt was able to make out of the Military Sign Language gestures before his mech landed near their distressed vehicle, with the rest of the 478th – sans Capt. Kitazawa – also arriving at the edge of the forest shortly thereafter.

“Looks like I’ve found Col. Freebird’s battalion alright; this is Cpl. Kurt Arlington, 478th Mechanised Squadron,” Cpl. Arlington spoke over the Stormbringer’s loudspeakers now that the brothers were within earshot as his mech raised its right hand to salute the lieutenant. “I’m glad I found you, Col. Freebird is confirmed alive alongside Col. Jennay; my captain managed to locate and extract them, he should rendezvous shortly.” 

“Thank the Archons! That’s probably the first piece of good news since our defensive assault went south,” Miles replied as he returned Kurt’s salute, before gesturing towards the overturned Cougar, where the remaining soldiers from HQ-Company were still trying in vain to flip back. “If you’re wondering why high command lost comms with the 34th Ground… here’s your reason.”

“Well, you’re in luck, cause you look like you could use a little mechanised assistance!” Kurt chorused in a jubilant voice as the Stormbringer stepped forward, rubbing its forearms as though it were rolling up a pair of sleeves.

“HQ-Company! Give the corporal some space!” Cedric ordered, gesturing for the soldiers to keep a safe distance from Kurt’s mech as the corporal got down to work, lifting up one end of the overturned Cougar and preparing to flip it right-side up.

Cpl. Arlington’s work was interrupted as the Stormbringer’s comms received a transmission from the captain, his voice riddled with urgency, “Capt. Kitazawa to 478th! Watch the skies, you have Bio-Fighters inbound! I repeat, Bio-Fighters inbound!”

“Hey, are the rest of you hearing this?” Kurt pinged the rest of the 478th Mechanised over his comms, to confirm if everyone received the captain’s transmission.

“Dezzman loud and clear,” 2Lt. Dezzman’s voice crackled over the comms. 

“Cole, crystal,” Sgt. Cole came in next. One by one, the pilots of the 478th gave their confirmations on having received the captain’s warning. 

“Lieutenant, order your men to spread out and keep weapons to the sky, Bio-Fighter airstrike imminent!” Lt. Foster’s voice barked from the Dragonflare’s loudspeakers as her mech gestured with its arms as a warning for the soldiers to scatter into loose formations rather than pack together.

“Company! Spread out!” Cedric ordered, instructing the soldiers from HQ-Company to spread out and conceal themselves in the treeline. “Where are the MANPADS? I want SAMs trained on the skies!” 

“Incoming bogeys, to my four! These must be the Bio-Fighters the captain mentioned!” Staff Sgt. Park announced, as two blips appeared on the radar of the Pharis’ Blade.

“I’ve got visual on the enemy, engaging!” Matilda was the first to make visual contact with the two Bio-Fighters, flying abreast of each other. The Tristar fired its shoulder-mounted twin laser on full auto, only to have the aerial biomechanoids break formation at the last split-second, circling away in opposite directions to evade the volley of laser beams. “Damn! These bastards are agile!” Matilda exclaimed, astonished at the Bio-Fighters’ well-timed evasive manoeuvres; performing such tight turns that the G-forces would render any human pilot unconscious in a heartbeat.

The Bio-Fighters circled around before returning to flying side-by-side with each other, their altitude descending as they prepared to strafe the Tristar with their particle beam bio-cannons, prompting Matilda to take swift evasive actions. The sergeant cursed as her mech rolled out of the way right before the Bio-Fighters strafed the ground with a volley of particle beams, before bringing the Tristar up into a half-kneeling position and firing its shotgun into the air as the biomechanoids flew past, leaving a sonic boom in their wake.

“The hell!? They’ve got shields too!” Sgt. Cole’s eyes went wide with shock as her shots landed, only to be halted by a spherical shield of hard light that materialised around the Bio-Fighter, a first line of defense against incoming attacks not unlike their own mechs’ shields. “Katie, they’re headed your way!” Matilda yelled over the comms to warn the staff sergeant of the imminent danger.

“Thanks for the heads-up, sergeant! Shields, you say? But any shield can be taken down if you hammer on it enough!” Staff Sgt. Katie Park leapt out of the path of the Bio-Fighters’ ground strafe and returned fire on their tails with the Pharis’ Blade’s mech-sized LMG, her rounds deflecting off the biomechanoids’ shields. “I’m not done yet!” the staff sergeant monologued as she acquired the passing Bio-Fighters on the optics of the Pharis’ Blade, highlighted in red as “locked on” flashed across the HUD.

“Gotcha!” Staff Sgt. Park declared jubilantly as the shoulder pauldrons of the Pharis’ Blade opened up to reveal a pair of missile launchers, launching a pair of missiles – one from each launcher – that began tracking the two Bio-Fighters’ movements. In response, the biomechanoids broke formation and flew in separate directions, the staff sergeant guessing that they were planning to circle around before converging side-by-side for another ground strafe. Katie smirked as she performed a swiping gesture on her HUD’s holographic interface, and both of the Pharis’ Blade’s missiles began homing in on the Bio-Fighter that split off towards the right. 

“Sgt. Major, to your eight!” Sgt. Major Paul Graham heard Katie’s voice over the Senki’s comms. “Bio-Fighter inbound, I’ve got two missiles locked in on it!”

“On it, staff sergeant! Save the thanks for later,” Sgt. Major Graham remarked, raising an OK sign as the Senki spun around to its 8 o’clock and raised its Burst-Cannon towards the sky as a makeshift flak cannon, firing a volley of air bursting canister shells into the flight path of the incoming Bio-Fighter. The Bio-Fighter decelerated in an attempt not to fly full speed into the cloud of shrapnel, but in doing so it allowed the missiles launched by the Pharis’ Blade to catch up to it. 

The first missile detonated against the Bio-Fighter’s shield, causing it to flicker and weaken, and the second missile collapsed the protective barrier entirely as smoke and flames swallowed up the enemy biomechanoid. “Yep, you can thank me now,” the sergeant major grinned as he flashed a peace sign inside the Senki’s cockpit – an action that was mimed by his mech, believing that it was with his help that Katie managed to neutralise one of the enemies. Paul’s serotonin rush ended as soon as it began, as the Bio-Fighter emerged from the smoke cloud, with breaches in its carapace and missing several spines – damaged but still flying, albeit at a significantly reduced speed.

“Just how the fuck is that thing still combat-capable after two consecutive missile strikes!?” Sgt. Major Graham’s grimace twisted his face into a picture of raw frustration as he smacked the dashboard; as a veteran pilot with dozens of combat sorties under his belt, he was one who’d confidently say he knew the ins and outs of mechanised warfare, but the Bio-Fighter’s resilience challenged everything he thought he knew. “The speed and manoeuvrability of a fighter, and the toughness of a mech… how is this even fair!?” 

“Keep your head on your shoulders, sergeant major,” the firm voice of Lt. Foster buzzed over the Senki’s comms. “They’re circling back for another strafe. The target with its shields down shall henceforth be designated as Tango-1; concentrate your fire on that one!”

“Soldiers, on my mark!” On Lt. Foster’s cue, Cecelia instructed the soldiers of the 34th Ground Battalion remnants over the Derringer’s loudspeakers as they took positions with portable surface-to-air missile launchers. Inside the mech’s cockpit, the lieutenant pursed her lips as she “painted” Tango-1 with the targeting laser on the Derringer’s ion pulse rifle. “Target locked, fire at will,” Lt. Angelhart’s smile radiated confidence as she successfully locked onto the speeding Bio-Fighter.

“Fire!” Cedric’s order to his troops came in sync with Cecelia’s lock-on. Fiery plumes erupted from the exhausts as two missile launchers were fired in a coordinated volley, programmed to home in on wherever the Derringer’s targeting laser was pointing at, which would be none other than Tango-1.

“Direct hits confirmed on Tango-1!” Cecelia declared over the squadron’s comms as one missile struck the Bio-Fighter in its left “wing”, and a split-second later another one exploded against its underbelly. The enemy biomechanoid went into a spiral as it plummeted towards the ground, an oily-looking black ichor spewing from the left side of its body while its once-roaring blue plasma jet was reduced to spewing flickering orange flames and thick black smoke.

Before anyone could even cheer, the badly-damaged Bio-Fighter began to regenerate itself in mid-fall in full view of the soldiers’ disbelieving eyes; the oily ichor that poured from its wounds congealed into a putty-like paste that began to shape itself into the missing half of the biomechanoid’s body. Damaged sections of its carapace also oozed the same oily black ichor that quickly congealed and hardened, repairing its armour – even the broken spines on its exoskeleton grew back. The Bio-Fighter’s uncontrolled descent slowed down to a halt as the flames from its tail exhaust intensified, turning back into an intense jet of blue-white plasma that blasted the Drekis biomechanoid triumphantly back into the air. 

Cecelia felt a knot in her stomach as she witnessed the enemy’s impressive healing factor, her hands tightening around the cockpit’s control handles. “This is bullshit! They even have regeneration to top it all off!?” the lieutenant’s exclamation echoed Paul’s earlier sentiments on the unfairness of their enemy. 

“Stay frosty, Tango-2 is on the attack!” Lt. Sara Foster barked a warning over the comms as up in the air, her Dragonflare performed a barrel roll to evade a volley of particle beams from Tango-2 as it came directly from the front. As the Bio-Fighter whooshed past the lieutenant’s mech, the Dragonflare spun around to open fire on the enemy’s tail with its mech-sized assault rifle – with most of the shots missing their mark, while the remainder were deflected by Tango-2’s energy shield. “Sgt. Major! Tango-2, at your six!” Lt. Foster exclaimed as the blip on her radar showed Tango-2 fast approaching the Senki from its rear.

Sgt. Major Paul Graham spun the Senki around to face the new threat, firing his Burst-Cannon into the air as Tango-2 began to dive, shells exploding in midair around it, but his actions came too little, too late as the Bio-Fighter powered through the cloud of flying shrapnel, its shields glowing as they absorbed the brunt of the sergeant major’s desperate defense. Tango-2’s particle beam bio-cannons flashed as it unleashed a salvo of energy beams while diving towards the Senki; most of the shots scattered and struck the ground, but two of them managed to score a hit – the particle beams bypassing the Senki’s shields before exploding against its left shoulder.

“Argh! I’m hit!” Sgt. Major Graham exclaimed as the Senki staggered from the explosion that tore through its left shoulder before toppling over onto its back with a thundering crash, spewing flames and smoke where the enemy’s particle beams had hit.

“Paul!” Lt. Foster exclaimed over the comms, her voice shaking with worry, “478th! Mech down! The Senki is down!” 

“But not out!” Paul interjected as the damaged Senki sat up and drew a mech-sized pistol from a compartment in its right thigh and began firing into the air after Tango-2, which was already speeding off after scoring hits on his mech. The sergeant major gritted his teeth as the Senki fired shot after shot into the air with its sidearm, his voice dripping with venom, “Don’t you fucking run after taking a pot shot at me, you pansy-ass bitch! Come back here and finish the fight if you’ve got the balls!” 

“Eye for an eye, blood for blood!” 2Lt. Dezzman remarked over the comms as the Fortune flew past where the Senki lay, in hot pursuit of Tango-2 as its quad particle beam cannons blazed, unleashing a blistering salvo of energy beams on the Bio-Fighter’s tail as it climbed higher and higher into the air. Tango-2 banked side to side in its flight to evade the beams, but with the sheer volume of fire from the Fortune’s quad cannons, it was only a matter of time before some of its shots landed. The Bio-Fighter’s shields collapsed from two direct hits, before a third beam pierced its carapace, sending oily black ichor spilling from the wound as it wobbled in flight.

“That thing’s gonna regenerate just like the other one! Don’t let up on it!” Sgt. Cole hailed 2Lt. Dezzman over the comms as the Tristar joined the Fortune in flight, as the two mechs continued to keep up the pressure on the damaged Bio-Fighter, the black ichor spewing from its wound already starting to congeal and patch up its damaged carapace. Another salvo of particle beams from the Fortune’s quad beam cannons tore a new hole in Tango-2’s carapace, while Tristar fired its shotgun, breaking the rows of spines that lined the biomechanoid’s back and putting yet more holes in its carapace.

Another shotgun blast from the Tristar ripped apart Tango-2’s tail, causing an explosion to erupt from its exhaust as its roaring plasma jet was replaced by a plume of orange flames and black smoke. With its propulsion knocked out, the biomechanoid dipped sharply and took a nosedive towards the ground, but even then Matilda and Carl continued to fire away at the damaged Bio-Fighter until it hit the ground with a satisfying splat, its body breaking into pieces on impact that were scattered all over the grass.

“I think that finally did the trick… just when I was about to wonder if those things are immortal or something,” Sgt. Cole remarked, satisfaction in her voice, as the Tristar and Fortune landed in front of the twitching and pulsating remains of Tango-2, the oily black ichor that oozed from the torn pieces forming writhing tendrils that tried to seek out the severed body parts and pull them back together; but after several seconds of trying to knit the pieces back together, the black ooze’s rippling and pulsing grew increasingly weak before going completely still.

“Seems like there’s a limit to these things’ healing factor,” 2Lt. Dezzman added, firing a few rounds from the Fortune’s arm-mounted autocannons into the larger chunks of the Bio-Fighter to perform a pulse check, before giving a wry smile as the pieces didn’t even twitch. “Shouldn’t come as a surprise that such impressive regenerative ability comes with staggering energy costs… if the pieces are too scattered, they won’t have enough energy to pull themselves back together.”

“Good job, you two,” Lt. Foster hailed over the comms as the Dragonflare joined up with the Fortune and Tristar as the lieutenant examined the remains of Tango-2, her eyes narrowing in apprehension as her mech raised its assault rifle. “However, I’m not resting until that thing is ashes… it’s the only way to be sure,” with that, Sara loaded the underbarrel grenade launcher of the Dragonflare’s assault rifle with an incendiary payload and fired at the largest piece of the slain Bio-Fighter; a fireball erupted at where the shell detonated, leaving a raging inferno in its wake that quickly consumed what’s left of the biomechanoid.

“Lt. Foster to 478th, Tango-2 neutralised,” Sara’s voice buzzed over the squadron’s comms channel as her Dragonflare, alongside Carl’s Fortune, positioned themselves such that the downed Senki was between them to provide cover for Paul. “Stay sharp, Tango-1 is on the move!” the lieutenant continued as Tango-1 circled back and made a beeline towards the Senki, intent on finishing what Tango-2 started. 

Knowing that the enemy isn’t immortal in spite of its impressive healing factor, the pilots of the 478th moved with renewed confidence, as the Tristar and the Pharis’ Blade scrambled to the skies to intercept the incoming biomechanoid, with Matilda making a direct assault from 12 o’clock, while Katie attempted to flank it from its 3 o’clock.

In response, a pair of shrimp-like creatures detached themselves from underneath Tango-1’s “wings” and flew to meet the Tristar head-on with blazing plasma jets on their tails propelling them through the air. Due to their organitech nature, the Tristar’s sensors did not register a missile lock on the HUD, but Sgt. Cole’s intuition warned her that these smaller biomechanoids were organitech analogues for missiles – due to them being invisible to radar, the sergeant had to rely on her human sight, firing the Tristar’s shoulder-mounted twin lasers together with its forearm-mounted heavy machine gun, destroying the incoming missiles in a hail of fire that caused them to detonate prematurely in a cloud of superheated plasma.

Following up from Sgt. Cole, Staff Sgt. Park’s mech sprang into action as the Pharis’ Blade swooped down from above to land on the Bio-Fighter’s back. In response, Tango-1 rolled, dived and flew loop-to-loops in an attempt to throw the mech off itself, but the Pharis’ Blade held firmly onto the enemy like a bronco-buster during a rodeo, grabbing the larger spines on its carapace to act as handholds. ‘Time to give this giant space lobster a reminder on where it stands on the food chain!’ Staff Sgt. Park thought as she drew the Pharis’ Blade’s combat knife to stab the Bio-Fighter, its monomolecular blade piercing through its chitinous exoskeleton to reach the soft flesh underneath.

Tango-1 let loose a hideous shriek as it bucked and thrashed with renewed intensity, but the Pharis’ Blade hung on like a tick, hacking and stabbing away with its knife, carving out chunks of its exoskeletons and flesh and even ripping out a few organs in the process. Staff Sgt. Park lost count of how many times the Pharis’ Blade had plunged its knife into Tango-1, but she knew the damage done to the creature must’ve been catastrophic as its plasma jets sputtered before giving way to belching black smoke and flickering orange flames as it began to plummet towards the forest.

The lights inside the cockpit of the Pharis’ Blade flashed red as both military mech and alien biomechanoid made a violent crash-landing in the woods, flattening an entire column of trees before cratering the ground beneath them. The thunderous impact finally threw the mech off Tango-1, sending it rolling several metres and knocking over yet more trees – a series of violent tremors and shudders ran through the frame of the Pharis’ Blade, and for a moment Katie thought even the cockpit’s suspension systems could not prevent her from sustaining broken bones or ruptured organs from getting jolted around with great force, heaving a sigh of relief as a status window opened on her HUD showing a report of her physical status. Outside of an elevated pulse rate and adrenaline spike, the rest of the reports showed a green status.

“Nothing broken, thank the Archons,” Staff Sgt. Park murmured to herself as the Pharis’ Blade picked itself up and turned towards where Tango-1 landed. The Bio-Fighter was nearly broken in half by the catastrophic landing, split into its head and thorax and its tail section. Unlike with Tango-2 however, the halves of Tango-1 were close enough to each other that the tendrils of black ichor from both halves were able to start joining them together, and Katie knew it wouldn’t be long before the enemy was whole and flying again.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Katie hissed as she swivelled the shoulder-mounted missile launchers of the Pharis’ Blade downwards, looking to finish off the Bio-Fighter before it could regenerate and take to the skies once more. 

“Capt. Kitazawa to Staff Sgt. Park, get down!” a sudden comms transmission from the captain interrupted the staff sergeant before she could commit to the action. Without thinking twice, the Pharis’ Blade dived for the ground and rolled across the dirt, seconds before a swarm of micromissiles soared over the treetops and converged upon the grounded biomechanoid, obliterating its regenerating remains in a barrage of explosions.

Raising the Pharis’ Blade back onto its feet, Katie brought her mech towards the crater where Tango-1 lay. As the smoke cleared, she could see that nothing remained of the enemy save for a few fist-sized chunks of flesh that writhed and pulsated futilely before going still and shrivelling away. “Staff Sgt. Park to 478th, Tango-1 has been neutralised. I repeat, Tango-1 has been neutralised,” the staff sergeant hailed the rest of her squadron over the comms channel, waiting for the chorus of cheers and jubilant shouts to die down before continuing, “And you’re not gonna believe what I just saw…” 

Four mechs from the 898th Mechanised Squadron circled around overhead before landing. Moments later, a damaged Gemini pushed its way past the treeline, with Scout carried in its arms. “Sorry for the absence,” Capt. Kitazawa smiled as the Gemini knelt down to lower Scout back onto the ground, followed shortly with its chest opening up to allow Cpl. Jennay to exit its cockpit to join the colonel on the ground. “Extraction mission completed; I ran into some complications along the way, but I also managed to get some good help,” with that, the Gemini gestured towards the remaining mechs of Mai. McFadden’s 898th Mechanised Squadron. 

“I’m glad you made it, captain!” Cecelia said in a triumphant tone as the Derringer gave a thumbs-up, before looking around. “All personnel of the 478th are present and accounted for!” 

“Albeit not all of us are in one piece,” Paul added as the Senki struggled onto one knee, the sergeant major scowling as he went over the systems status window of his mech over the HUD, “Look at what those bastards did to my darling Senki! She’s gonna be in need of some serious repairs and a new Burst-Cannon!” 

Takuma chuckled as the Gemini lumbered over to the Senki and pulled the damaged mech onto its feet before giving it a hearty pat on the back, “Paul, you should learn to complain less and thank more. At least, be grateful for the fact that you made it out alive.” The Gemini then turned its head in the direction of the 898th, “The same could not be said for four of the brave men and women under Maj. McFadden. I owe it to him and his team to be able to stand here right now.” 

“Thank you for what you did back there for our captain, sir,” Paul hailed Kyle over the comms; there was a beat of silence before the sergeant major continued, his voice a touch more emotional, “And I’m sorry to hear about what happened to your men… You have my deepest condolences.”

Maj. McFadden’s mech, the Cuchulainn, raised a hand in the Senki’s direction, waving empathically as the major replied, “You’re welcome, sergeant major. The dead will be properly honoured once this is over, but for now, mission objectives come first.”

“I concur, major,” inside the Gemini's cockpit, Capt. Kitazawa nodded, before hailing the Dragonflare over the squadron’s comms channel, “Lt. Foster, what did I miss while I was away?”

“Not much, I’d say,” Lt. Foster replied with a self-assured smile, “Before you went off on your solo mission to extract the colonel, we managed to break the siege on Leibrook – the civilians have been successfully evacuated, and the Leibrook garrison managed to repel the attackers with our help. In addition, we managed to locate the Connelly brothers and their Cougar, along with survivors from the HQ-Company of 34th Battalion… and to top it off we took out the Bio-Fighters that ambushed us without any losses.” 

“It’s good to see you, sir!” Lieutenants Miles and Cedric Connelly remarked in unison as they, along with the remnants of the 34th Ground Battalion saluted Scout.

Capt. Kitazawa smiled as he turned to Scout, his voice tired but relieved, “Well sir, looks like everything worked out well in the end… or at least, as well as it possibly could given the state of the town.”

Scout returned his troops’ salute before turning his attention back to the captain, although the colonel didn’t appear to be in a triumphant mood, instead staring off into the distance with a grave expression, “I wish I could agree – but this operation isn’t over yet, this is only the first half.”

 

Segment 92: The Leibrook-Cashar Bridge

With the threat of the Bio-Fighters eliminated, Cpl. Arlington got back to work as the Stormbringer flipped the overturned Cougar right side up, landing on its wheels with a dull thump as it rocked side to side several times before sitting still. “Thanks for the assistance, corporal! We wouldn’t know what we’d do without the Mechanised Squadron’s help!” Tech Officer Lt. Miles Connelly gave Arlington a thumbs-up before entering the vehicle together with his brother Cedric to assess its condition.

“Anytime, lieutenant!” Kurt replied as the Stormbringer waved at the two officers before firing up its flight repulsors, flying off to rejoin the rest of the squadron.

Meanwhile, Sgt. Major Graham had the Senki pace around in circles a few times to test the mech’s mobility while pouring over a display window on the HUD showing the current status of the mech, “Well, at least she’s still able to move around on her own – her left arm is busted and the Burst-Cannon is FUBAR… what a damn shame.”

“Don’t worry about it, Paul, it’s nothing the mechanics at New Xaelis can’t fix,” Capt. Kitazawa reassured his subordinate, before bringing the Gemini into a half-kneel. Inside the cockpit, the captain summoned an array of touch panels on the HUD and tapped on them; with a hiss, sections of the mech’s chest armor parted to expose the cockpit, which then opened up for Kitazawa to dismount, as the captain skilfully climbed onto the forearm of the Gemini from his cockpit and used a remote control device on his pilot suit’s forearm to guide the mech’s arm to lower him to the ground. 

Takuma removed his pilot suit’s helmet – revealing the face of a man who looked to be in his 30’s with dark brown eyes, short black hair with side-parted bangs swept towards right and a chiselled jawline – as he approached where Scout was conducting a debrief with the surviving Rangers in his Ranger team alongside the remnants of the 34th Ground Battalion. As he entered within earshot, he managed to catch wind of the colonel’s words. 

“...this has been a tactical error on the part of high command; they’d been expecting the enemy to play the same game as they had during the battle for Xaelis. The current strategy runs on the conceit that the Drekis Empire would ignore villages and small towns like Leibrook as not worth the effort and gun directly for New Xaelis, when in fact we should have larger contingents and more robust supply lines across the Greater New Xaelis Region,” Capt. Kitazawa managed to overhear the colonel say. The fact that the Drekis Empire changed their tactics after the fall of Xaelis shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone apart from the armchair generals who never had their boots on the ground – back when the enemy was attacking Xaelis, the towns and villages across the Greater Xaelis Region were used as staging grounds for the Sentinels and Khazan Armed Forces to launch defensive assaults against the Drekis legions as they advanced towards Xaelis; and even with the fall of Xaelis, they served as strongholds for independent heroes and paramilitary outfits, where they continued to harass Drekis legions with guerrilla strikes that necessitated a lengthy and resource-consuming mop-up operation before they could aim for New Xaelis. It was no wonder that they would be looking to avoid the same mistakes that kept them bogged down in Xaelis. 

“Permission to speak freely, sir?” Capt. Kitazawa asked as he stepped under the tentage's canopy, raising his right hand.

“Permission granted, captain,” Scout replied, nodding. At once, the ranks of the assembled soldiers and Khazan Rangers parted, forming an aisle for Takuma to step forward to where the colonel stood. 

“Here’s the thing, colonel… earlier you mentioned that the operation isn’t over yet, that relieving Leibrook’s defenders was only the first half,” the captain remarked, “Could you elaborate on that?” 

In response, Scout pointed to the tactical map of Leibrook and the surrounding region that was being projected on a screen behind him, specifically to a point southeast of Leibrook. “Beyond the southeast of Leibrook lies a neighbouring town, Cashar – historically, the two towns were separated by a gorge, until a bridge was constructed to connect the two settlements,” the colonel explained, “I take it that when high command briefed you, they must’ve said I went MIA when I led the 34th Ground Battalion on a defensive assault in the Leibrook area, am I right?”

Takuma nodded, which was all the confirmation Scout needed.

“Well, high command only got half of the picture then,” Scout remarked, gesturing towards the location of Cashar on the map, “The truth is that I was leading a counteroffensive out of Leibrook, with the goal of retaking Cashar after it had fallen into enemy hands and to either capture or eliminate their leader, a man by the name of Regulus Morikai.”

“Is he one of those generals leading the Drekis legions that they refer to as Magisters?” Takuma queried.

The colonel shook his head, “I doubt it; the unit he commands is comparatively small – it’s closer to a strike force than a full-on legion. I think he’s more likely a deputy commander of sorts, probably someone of high standing in that Drekis-worshipping cult known as the Discordant Scions. My strike force that was tasked with retaking Cashar consisted of the 34th Ground Battalion, and MARS units from the Khazan Mobile Police’s 23rd and 68th Precincts. Our counteroffensive in Cashar was going well until a dozen of the Mobile Police’s mechs got taken over and corrupted by those Technoklepts.” Scout then pointed to a grid square on the map between Leibrook and Cashar, “We were forced to pull back to Leibrook’s outskirts after losing half of our mechanised forces, but by then the enemy had regained their momentum, and went on the attack against us while we were still reeling… and the rest is history.”

The captain hummed thoughtfully as he rested his chin on the knuckles of his left hand, “So that explains the ambush on your battalion and the attack on Leibrook… what do you think is the current condition of the enemy now that we’ve repulsed their attack?”

“I can’t say for certain,” Scout replied as he took a sip from a mug of coffee that had long since gone cold, “But based on the after-action reports from your squadron and those of the KMP 77th Precinct, I can tell Regulus’ contingent had committed a lot of assets to this one. Drone recon flights over Cashar also showed a significantly diminished occupation force… so all in all I’d say the enemy is just as chipped around the edges as we are. From what I can make of the footages, I count six corrupted MARS, and no Devonoxes.”

“No Devonoxes, you say?” Takuma commented, raising an eyebrow. “If I may, sir, I’d like to propose another counteroffensive into Cashar before the enemy regains their momentum. If we can quickly take out the corrupted MARS, we stand a shot at demoralising the Scions into retreating, which in turn will leave the Deminites leaderless and easier to rout.”

Scout swirled the contents of his coffee mug as he replied, “It’s still somewhat of a long shot, but I can see the feasibility. The enemy probably expects us to crawl away and lick our wounds after such a devastating assault, rather than mount a counteroffensive so soon – they’ll probably never see this coming. Still, manpower is a major concern here,” he said as he took another sip of coffee.

“So, what’s the current strength of your unit then?” Capt. Kitazawa enquired.

“Apart from myself and Cpl. Jennay, I still have twelve Rangers,” The colonel remarked plainly as he went over the 34th Ground Battalion’s ORBAT on a computer, “In addition, if we consolidate what’s left of the 34th Battalion’s A and B-Companies with HQ-Company, we have about one and a half companies of combat-ready soldiers. In addition, for mechanised support we have five MARS from the KMP 77th Precinct, one Lynx MBT, two Caracal IFVs, and one Armadillo APC.”

“You’re at less than half strength there,” Takuma interjected, “That is some serious understaffing.”

Scout nodded, although the fire in his eyes continued to blaze as the colonel remained uncowed by the odds, “Yes, it is; but if the local civilian militia agree to incorporate into our ranks, we’ll be able to more than make up for the shortfall – but this will be only on a voluntary basis; we will not forcibly conscript them for this operation… not that high command is going to authorise this to begin with.”

“Alright sir, let’s do this,” Takuma added, cracking his knuckles, “The 478th Mechanised Squadron is yours to command. Let’s take the fight back to the enemy once more!”

 

Segment 93: The Powers that Gather

A young woman with chin-length lavender hair and violet eyes walked the streets of downtown New Xaelis alone as the sun began to dip below the horizon and twilight gave way to darkness – one by one, the advertising holograms and neon-lit billboards of the city flickered to life. The cold weather did nothing to deter her from enjoying the sights and sounds of New Xaelis’ iconic night life, not even with her meteorologically inappropriate attire of an elegant, flowing red longcoat over a lacy red bustier and gray pleated skirt that showed a fair amount of skin, topped off with brown dress boots and black thigh highs. Despite her revealing attire, there was no sign of the weather offering her any kind of discomfort as she wandered down the sidewalk with a dreamlike languidity, weaving her way through the crowd with a grace more befitting of elves than men even while her eyes were distracted by her surroundings instead of focused on the path ahead.

Despite the news that war was raging across Xaelon, the nightlife of the capital remained as vibrant as ever; many of the cafes and restaurants in this district had their tables fully booked, or close to it – typical at this hour, buskers continued to entertain the crowds on the sidewalks, and citizens who had just knocked off from work queued outside bars and nightclubs that were opening for the evening. As far as New Xaelis was concerned, the only signs of a state of emergency were holographic media terminals frequently displaying public service announcements – such as encouraging citizens to report suspicious activities to the authorities, what to do when the emergency sirens start blaring, and recruitment ads promoting voluntary enlistment in the Khazan Armed Forces.

“I know you’re shadowing me, and have been for quite some time,” the lavender-haired maiden monologued as she addressed the presence she’d been feeling behind her back for a while now since she was wandering the streets. Stealing a glance over her shoulder, she caught sight of someone draped in a brown poncho, its cowl pulled up over their head to obscure much of their facial features. “It’s not an everyday thing that I have someone tail me like that… so, are you a secret admirer… or a stalker?” She had to admit that whoever this person was, they were good – their footsteps were synced perfectly with her own, allowing the sound of her own footfalls to mask theirs, and keeping just the right distance that they always had her in their line of sight, while being to claim plausible deniability if confronted on their stalking.

The hooded stranger said nothing, but continued to tail the young woman even as she left the bustling downtown district to a quiet park, the holographic terminals and buzz of human activity giving way to dim lamp posts and nature. “So, do you feel like talking now?” she asked, looking over her shoulder at the stranger, “This is as good a place as any, you needn't worry about anyone eavesdropping.”

“No, not good enough,” the stranger spoke – their voice feminine in pitch, a melodic mezzo-soprano – and raised their left hand, a circle of glowing runes floating around it briefly before firing off a bolt of lightning, not at the young woman, but past her.

The lavender-haired maiden didn’t even flinch as the magical lightning streaked past her shoulder and into the foliage of a nearby tree. A piercing shriek from the shadows confirmed that the spell had struck someone – or something. Moments later, a charred lump fell to the ground, revealed to be the remains of a Roving Eye familiar. “I think I have a clue as to who you are,” she remarked with a smile as a spark of recognition lit up in her violet-irised eyes.

“Connecting the dots now, I see,” the hooded figure remarked, a smile forming on their lips. “Well then, let’s take our conversation somewhere even more private, shall we?” With that, the stranger leapt into the air and flew back towards the heart of downtown New Xaelis without any apparent means of propulsion. 

The lavender-haired maiden lifted a hand into the air and waved like a conductor directing an orchestra, and the surrounding air swirled on her cue – a gentle breeze at first, that quickly turned into a fierce but guided gale that lifted her into the sky as she rode the winds following the hooded stranger. The two of them flew over the brightly-lit streets of the downtown district, in the direction of the tallest structure in New Xaelis – a massive skytree that towered over even the high-rise business towers and skyscrapers of the city.

“Tiara, it’s been a while,” upon landing, the stranger reached up and lowered their hood to reveal the beautiful face of an elflike woman with waist-length midnight blue hair that swayed in the cold breeze and violet eyes that reflected sagacious wisdom beyond her youthful appearance.

“My intuition was correct, so it is you, Maya,” Tiara replied as she too landed on the roof of the skytree, the two women standing at the foot of a radio mast. “Pray tell, do the Powers That Be have a new assignment for me?”

“In this regard, you are right,” Maya remarked as she stepped close to the edge of the rooftop to watch the city streets below.

Tiara gave a coy smile as she stood next to Maya, also glancing down at the streets, “I’m kinda surprised that out of all the Powers’ acolytes, it would be you to inform me of an assignment from the masters – after all, your current role as bodyguard to the queen of Axia must be a pretty hectic one.”

The elflike woman cleared her throat softly, “Lady-Commandant of the Royal Pegasus Corps, to be precise. And you’re right that my timetable is rather packed to say the least. Call it providence, but it happened so that Queen Relissan herself ordered me to seek you out.”

“The timing sounds too perfect to have been a mere coincidence,” Tiara interjected, shooting a quizzical look at Maya, “Could the queen of Axia herself be a disciple of the Powers too? And if so, why aren’t we aware of this?”

The blue-haired elf shook her head empathically, before giving her sapphire tresses a brush with her hand to move the locks of hair behind her head, so as to keep the wind from blowing them into her face, “No, I don’t think so – but she is the Archon of Order, so I cannot deny that her highness likely has close connections to the masters; but that’s neither here nor there. So I’ll cut to the chase – in less than seven days from now, New Xaelis is going to be the site of the largest battle being fought for Xaelon. This is something that cannot be avoided; but among the many heroes and soldiers who will be protecting this city, there is one boy in particular you must seek out.”

Tiara raised an eyebrow on hearing of her assignment, “A boy, you say?”

“A young man to be precise, about twenty years of age,” came Maya’s answer, “According to her highness he goes by the name of Timothy Shinestar.”

“How will I know I’ve found this Shinestar boy?” Tiara wondered, resting her hands on her hips, “Given all the soldiers that are going to be stationed around this city, there will no doubt be many twenty-somethings in New Xaelis.”

“You will recognise him from his head of silver hair and turquoise eyes,” Maya replied as a pair of military Hymenopteras flew over the skytree on a routine patrol flight, the sapphire-haired acolyte of the Powers That Be waiting for the droning of the aircrafts’ jet engines to fade into the distance before continuing, “In addition, he carries a sword that gives off a powerful turquoise light in battle.”

“Well, that at least narrows down the possibilities,” The lavender-haired acolyte breathed a sigh of relief. “What do I need to do when I find him? Did the masters reveal their reasons for assigning me this task?”

“My apologies, Tiara – the masters are cryptic as usual on this,” Maya bowed her head. 

Tiara chuckled sardonically as she folded her arms before her chest, “No need for apologies, Maya. I expected this much… the humans have a saying after all – that God works in mysterious ways.”

“That said, this Timothy Shinestar is a person of interest to her highness,” the elflike acolyte interjected, “I may not know what designs the Powers have for this young man, but Queen Relissan’s orders are clear – you are to find Timothy Shinestar and protect him.”

“The way he’s being described, he sounds like he’s one of Khazan’s heroes,” Tiara remarked, placing her hands behind her back as she leaned forward a little, “Pretty sure he can handle himself in a battle, no? It’s not like he’s some scared civilian.”

“He is a hero, yes,” Maya nodded before looking up into the sky which by now had darkened to the point where the stars could be seen twinkling, “But he is still green and unaware of his actual role in this conflict – if left to his own devices, his survival is clouded by uncertainty. Hence, it is of great importance that he survives the battles to come, one way or another.”

“Understood,” Tiara replied, her voice firm and resolute, “If both the Powers That Be and the Archon of Order view this Timothy as a person of interest, then this assignment must be of great importance.”

With that, Maya pulled her hood up to cover her head, “Then that’s all I have for you. Before I go, one last thing – Queen Relissan had foreseen at in the near-future, perhaps shortly after the battle for New Xaelis, many of Khazan’s greatest heroes will converge in Axia, and when that happens, she has instructed that Timothy be escorted to Axia to meet with her highness in person. With this, I think it’s high time you too left this place.”

Tiara’s ears picked up the sound of a door being unlocked nearby, and moments later the roof access door flew open to reveal a portly and balding middle-aged man with a bushy walrus-like mustache, dressed in a light blue shirt and navy tie with black trousers, topped off with a badge clipped above his shirt pocket. From the looks of the man's uniform, Tiara could only guess he was the security guard. Judging from his flushed skin, sweaty forehead and ragged breathing, it was clear he had run up several flights of stairs to get to the rooftop, likely as soon as he saw CCTV footage of two women on the roof. 

 “Ladies! This level is off-limits to the public!” The security guard yelled as he pointed his flashlight in Tiara and Maya’s direction; the two women paid him no heed, but instead stepped closer to the edge of the roof as the security guard waved his arms frantically, “Stay away from the edge! It’s dangerous! Come over here and I’ll escort you downstairs!” With that the mustachioed guard held out his free hand and beckoned for the two women to step away from the ledge and towards him. 

“Hey! Are you even listening!? I’m not kidding about the danger!” The security guard shouted again, beckoning more intensely with his hand. Without another word, both Tiara and Maya looked at each other before leaping over the ledge. “No!” the security screamed, his eyes wild with shock and fear as he dashed over to the edge, only to find the two young women shooting up into the sky, leaving a powerful updraft of air in their wake that almost knocked him onto his ass. 

“Ugh, Archons-damned metahumans nearly gave me a heart attack there!” the security guard muttered as he watched Tiara and Maya take off in separate directions, the two quickly becoming distant twinkles in the night sky that soon vanished. 

 

Segment 94: Regulus Morikai

Under the cover of darkness, the remnants of the Khazan Armed Forces 34th Ground Battalion hit the town of Cashar, their numbers replenished thanks to local militia fighters from Leibrook volunteering to consolidate with the military – alongside mechanised support from the 478th and 898th Mechanised Squadrons and the KMP 77th Precinct that were attached to their unit.

The local militia proved nothing short of helpful during the opening phase of the operation – most were lifelong residents of the Leibrook and Cashar, and knew the lay of the land like the back of their hands; with them acting as guides, the Khazan Rangers and infantry units were able to move unseen and unheard, flanking and eliminating Discordant Scions and Deminites on sentry duty, allowing the 34th Battalion to advance stealthily towards the outskirts of Cashar.

Next, based on the intel gathered earlier during the day, the Khazan Rangers had identified the enemy’s key assets in the town – ranging from SAM sites and lookout points, to buildings occupied by the Discordant Scions and repurposed as barracks, ammunition dumps and supply depots. The same game plan was followed – sentries were eliminated on the quiet, and the Drekis Empire’s assets were rigged with explosives charges with remote detonators set to blow on a coordinated signal from Scout.

When the time came to strike, with a single command from Scout the explosives were simultaneously detonated, knocking out the Discordant Scions’ air defenses and supply depots, while a joint Armed Forces and militia unit conducted mortar bombardment on enemy positions together with coordinated air strikes from the 478th and 898th Mechanised Squadrons and 77th Precinct. By the time Regulus Morikai was made aware of the attack on Cashar by the Khazan Armed Forces, half of his army had been thrown into complete disarray.

As intense firefights raged across multiple neighbourhoods in Cashar, from out of the town hall stormed an older-looking man dressed like a knight – sporting a set of gray-white plate armour with leonine motifs on the breastplate and with a kite shield fixed to his left vambrace. The man sported a head that was shaved of all hair, except for a mohawk-like crest of white hair on the top of his head that ended in a braided rat-tail and a matching white goatee. “What? We’re under attack? By whom!?” the old-looking knight demanded as he unsheathed his longsword, getting ready to head out to rally his troops.

It was at this point that a swirling black teleportation gateway appeared on the ground next to the armour-clad Scion, and from the abyssal darkness emerged a robed figure cloaked in a shadowy aura – it was a Shadow Priest, an incorporeal spirit that serves Drekis, and a support-oriented counterpart to the Phantom Sorcerer. “Sir Morikai,” the Shadow Priest spoke as it folded its arms and bowed its head before the high-ranking Discordant Scion, “It is the military unit that was defending Leibrook… it seems like they are now on the offense.” 

“But how is that possible!?” Regulus demanded as explosions shook the ground beneath his feet, now closer than before. “It was barely a day ago when we thwarted their counteroffensive and pushed them back to Leibrook! We had them on the brink!”

“They appeared to have gotten reinforcements,” the Shadow Priest replied impassively, “I do not recall seeing these military mechs during our last engagement – their appearance must’ve turned the tide of the battle in Leibrook. But still, I did not expect the Khazanians to mount another counteroffensive so soon after their previous one had failed.” The moment the ghostlike minion of Drekis finished speaking, the roar of flight repulsors rose above the sounds of distant gunfire and explosions as several mechs from the 478th and 898th Mechanised Squadrons flew by overhead, followed shortly by another series of explosions signalling a successful bombing run by the mechs.

“Persistent bastards, I’ll give them that,” Regulus hissed as another explosion tore apart a building several blocks away, as Discordant Scions and Deminites fought in vain to hold back the advance of the Khazanians. To see the mighty Drekis legion reduced to this was truly disgraceful, but Jon Avalon’s orders were clear; Regulus’ unit meant to provide a diversion for the Khazanians.

“Sir Morikai, shall I relay the order to retreat?” The Shadow Priest enquired.

Regulus shook his head as he replied, “Just you and me. Magister Avalon’s orders were for this unit to serve as a distraction… while the Khazanians are fighting for control over the surrounding villages and small towns, Jon’s main forces will advance unchallenged towards New Xaelis proper. So let this army serve its purpose. If the Khazanians want this God-forsaken town back so badly, then let them bleed for it!”

The Shadow Priest put its hands together and bowed its hooded head, “It shall be done, Sir Morikai – but before we exfiltrate from this town, may I remind you that Magister Relinqiest has a special request for two of the corrupted MARS mechs.”

The old-looking knight sneered, “I have not forgotten – four of them will attack the enemy to cover our retreat, the other two will accompany us to our extraction point before returning to The Citadel.”

“Very well,” the Shadow Priest replied, “A Terror Beast is on enroute to the extraction point.”

Regulus Morikai and the Shadow Priest then left Cashar even as battles between the Khazanians and the remnants of his army continued to rage. As the duo reached the top of a hill where a Terror Beast was due to arrive to extract them and the two corrupted MARS units, the high-ranking Discordant Scion turned around to take one last look at the burning town of Cashar with a smirk that oozed smugness, internally mocking the Khazanians for what ultimately amounted to a pointless endeavour. By the time they regained control of both Leibrook and Cashar, Jon would be yet another step closer to New Xaelis, and Regulus knew that it was at the Xaelonian capital that the mother of all battles would be fought.

 

Segment 95: A Sisyphean Task

The Pharis’ Blade hacked a Ptera-Deminite in two with its combat knife as the airborne minion tried to divebomb the mech’s mech, before swinging around to launch a pair of missiles into a phalanx of Deminite Soldiers. Meanwhile, Discordant Scions and Hunter-Killers made a desperate last stand as the Khazanian mechs continued their inexorable advance through Cashar – at a steady pace, the town was being cleared of enemy occupiers – street by street, building by building. While the mechs provided the hammer that smashed their way through the Drekis legion’s dwindling defenses on the streets, the infantry served as the scalpel that excised entrenched foes as they moved swiftly from building to building, clearing their interiors of Discordant Scions garrisoned within.

“Grenade!” Cpl. Jennay yelled as she tossed a frag grenade through the opening of an ajar door, before bracing the nearest wall for cover as an explosion echoed through the building. When the room fell silent, the corporal kicked the door open and stormed into the room with her pulsed plasma rifle trained on her front, while two militia fighters charged in right behind her to cover Cpl. Jennay’s flanks. A quick sweep of the room revealed that all the Discordant Scions holed up within had been neutralised. “All tangos down,” the corporal hailed Scout over her helmet comms, “And with that this building is clear.”

On the streets, Lt. Cecelia Angelhart brought the Derringer into a forward charge to skewer a Deminite Soldier on the bayonet of its ion pulse rifle, followed by using its body to pummel another Deminite Soldier before flinging it aside like a ragdoll to fire on a pack of Deminite Soldiers that were slinging fireballs at her mech. As the Derringer continued its advance, an energy blast raced down an adjacent street at the mech’s 3 o’clock to strike its flank, knocking the Derringer onto its side despite its shields absorbing the brunt of the attack.

The Derringer performed an evasive roll to dodge a follow-up volley of plasma shots as it sprang back to its feet to face the direction of the enemy fire, where Cecelia caught sight of one corrupted MARS armed with a plasma rifle, the muzzle of its weapon still glowing with the heat of recent shots. Moments later, a second corrupted MARS smashed through a nearby building’s walls to  join the first mech, weapons poised to fire. “Derringer to HQ-Company, I’ve a visual on two of the enemy’s six corrupted MARS!” 

“Lt. Connelly here,” Miles hailed the Derringer over their Cougar’s comms as the main turret of the command vehicle swivelled around to set the enemy within the sights of its main gun, which was being operated by Miles’ brother Cedric.

“I’ve got a clear shot on the enemy,” Cedric remarked as the two corrupted MARS were highlighted in red on the turret’s viewfinder.

“Fire at will!” Miles chorused.

Arcs of electricity and a ring-shaped cloud of plasma erupted from the muzzle of the Type-99 Cougar’s railgun as Cedric Connellly took his shot, sending a hypersonic slug downrange that streaked past the Derringer and struck one of the corrupted MARS in its chest, punching through its armour before ripping out from the other side to leave a gaping hole where its cockpit once had been. The Technoklept-infested mech swayed and staggered before keeling over. For a moment, tendrils of black ooze reached out from its shredded hull and flailed around futilely before going still as the controlling organism died.

Caught by surprise by the Connelly brothers, the remaining corrupted MARS turned its attention away from the Derringer as it tried to locate where the railgun shot came from. Cecelia was quick to take advantage of the distraction as the Derringer levelled its ion pulse rifle at the Technoklept-infested mech, unleashing a near-continuous volley of energy blasts at the corrupted MARS – the first two shots glanced off its armor, two more shots tore off the plasma rifle that had fused with its right arm, followed by another shot that pierced through its head and two more that penetrated its hull.

The Technoklept inside the corrupted KMP mech gave a shrill cry as it reeled under Cecelia’s assault. “You’re going down!” Cecelia declared as the muzzle of the Derringer’s ion pulse rifle glowed violet as she charged up a Buster Shot. Yelling a war cry, the lieutenant brought her mech into a charge as the Derringer impaled the chest of the corrupted MARS upon its bayonet, followed by discharging a point-blank Buster Shot that obliterated the enemy mech’s upper torso. “That leaves four corrupted MARS,” the lieutenant remarked as the Derringer raised its foot to deliver a Spartan Kick to the smoking remains, knocking it to the tarmac.

“I’ve got visual on another one!” Staff Sgt. Katie Park’s voice buzzed over the comms channel as she caught sight of another corrupted MARS from the sky. The enemy mech responded by aiming its missile launchers into the air and locking onto the Pharis’ Blade, sending a salvo of missiles into the sky after Katie’s mech. The staff sergeant performed a series of barrel rolls in her mech to dodge the first two missiles in the salvo, before firing her mech’s LMG to shoot down the remaining missiles as the Pharis’ Blade emerged from the cloud of smoke and flames in the air, diving towards the corrupted MARS while firing its LMG.

Sparks flew and black ooze spewed from where gunfire ripped through the former KMP mech as the Pharis’ Blade closed the distance from the air, before Katie flew her mech right into the corrupted MARS’ face and brought it down with a Superman Punch to the head. The damaged mech-turned-biomechanoid struggled to raise itself from a supine position and fire its plasma rifle, but the staff sergeant’s mech stomped on its gun arm to keep her foe pinned before firing its light machine gun point-blank at the corrupted MARS’ head and torso, ceasing her fire only when the tendrils of black ooze that leaked from its destroyed cockpit stopped writhing and twitching.

“The hell? There’s another one!” Katie exclaimed as a red blip showed up on her HUD’s radar, indicating an enemy mech approaching the Pharis’ Blade from 6 o’clock. The staff sergeant spun her mech around to engage the new threat, but her reactions were too late but a split second as the corrupted MARS, armed with a mech-sized revolver-action grenade launcher, beat the Pharis’ Blade to the draw. The first grenade went off in close proximity to the staff sergeant’s mech, causing the Pharis’ Blade to stagger, and before the smoke and dust from the first grenade explosion had even settled, a second grenade struck Katie’s mech square on the chest, collapsing its shields and knocking the Pharis’ Blade onto its back.

“Ugh, damn you!” Staff Sgt. Park growled as she struggled to sit her mech up and aim its weapons at the corrupted MARS; but before the enemy mech could pull the trigger on its grenade launcher, a missile struck it cleanly in the shoulder, blowing off its gun arm. The corrupted MARS spun around in the direction from where the missile came, firing the forearm-mounted pulse laser on its remaining arm together with its collar-mounted machine guns, but a volley of laser beams and pulsed plasma made short work of the former KMP mech as it rocked left and right before collapsing motionless onto the ground.

The Gemini swooped down from the sky and landed in front of the remains of the corrupted MARS, dousing it with burning napalm from its plasma rifle’s underbarrel flamer to ensure utter eradication of the controlling Technoklept before making rendezvous with the rest of the 478th and 898th squadrons.

“Thanks for your assistance, captain,” Staff Sgt. Park remarked as the Pharis’ Blade took hold of the Gemini’s hand as Capt. Kitazawa pulled the downed mech back onto its feet. “Sad to say, there are still two corrupted MARS that are unaccounted for.”

“What matters most is that we’ve accomplished our primary objective,” Takuma replied as he surveyed his surroundings, the mechanised squadrons now convening in the heart of Cashar’s downtown district. “Comms transmissions from Maj. McFadden and Sgt. Fujisaki indicate that we’ve regained control of Cashar with much of the infrastructure intact.”

Scout’s voice suddenly came over the comms channel, “Col. Freebird to 34th Battalion! I believe I have visual on the two remaining corrupted MARS! They appear to be retreating past the southern outskirts of town, I need eyes in the sky to confirm!” 

“On it, sir!” Cpl. Kurt Arlington acknowledged as the Stormbringer fired its flight repulsors and took to the skies in the direction of the retreating former KMP mechs. “Eyes are in the sky!”

“They’re on a hill beyond the southern edge of Cashar’s boundary!” The corporal announced as he set the image magnification of the Stormbringer’s optics to maximum zoom to pick up the distant scene. “They… they appear to be boarding some kind of large organitech airship, I’m engaging now! Requesting backup!” Kurt continued as he cranked up his mech’s flight repulsors to full speed and flew towards the Terror Beast as Regulus, a Shadow Priest and the two corrupted MARS boarded the colossal biomechanoid.

The Stormbringer fired every available weapon system as it got within engagement distance, sending a volley of energy beams and missiles at the Terror Beast, but Cpl. Arlington found his attempts to shoot down the enemy biomechanoid thwarted by potent energy shields as a wall of hard light surrounding the Terror Beast absorbed everything his mech could throw at it as it took off. “It… it’s gone!?” The corporal exclaimed in disbelief as right before his eyes the Terror Beast’s visage flickered and faded before vanishing from sight, and by the time the rest of the 478th and 898th Mechanised Squadron scrambled, the giant biomechanoid was nowhere to be found, along with its passengers.

“Damn it! 34th Battalion, Cpl. Arlington here; I’ve lost contact with the enemy!” Kurt spoke over the comms, his voice riddled with consternation.

“No, no, no… this can’t be good…” came Scout’s reply moments later, the colonel sounding just as worried, “They may be older models compared to the Series-550, but they are nonetheless high-end products of KOMBG… I don’t wanna imagine what plans the enemy has for such advanced technology. Still, you have my lasting gratitude… the 34th Battalion couldn’t have retaken Leibrook and Cashar without the support of the Mechanised Squadrons.”

“You’re welcome, colonel. Well, that concludes our mission,” Capt. Kitazawa remarked, “It’s time for us to report back to New Xaelis.”

“You’re right, captain,” Scout replied, knowing that the high command would be anxious to see him in person after he’d gone MIA for more than 24 hours since the Leibrook assignment. “High command must learn of what has transpired here… the Technoklepts, the Bio-Fighters… everything. I’ve managed to contact New Xaelis, and high command has arranged the fastest airship for our extraction back to New Xaelis.”

“So, we’re heading back to home base now?” Sgt. Matilda Cole asked.

“Yeah, stand by for aerial extraction. Use the time before the transport arrives to take it easy for now… you’ve all earned the break,” came Capt. Kitazawa’s reply, although there was an undercurrent of worry in his voice. Despite how smoothly their operations in Leibrook and Cashar had gone, Scout’s words continued to haunt Takuma – attacks on rural centres such as these were nothing more than a diversion; as the Khazan Armed Forces, Khazan Rangers and Mobile Police continued to fight for control of small towns and villages in the region, sometime, somewhere, the bulk of the Drekis legion continues to advance unopposed through Xaelon, marching ever closer towards New Xaelis.

Knowing this, Takuma could only wonder if what they’d accomplished in Leibrook and Cashar be truly considered a victory, or was it just another Sisyphean task among many. He knew that one way  or another, he and his squadron would eventually be called back to defend New Xaelis in an upcoming mother of all battles.

 

Segment 96: Meet The GDF

Several time zones away, Elwin stood in the centre of one of Khazan City’s most prominent landmarks – the Arena of Khazan; a large circular fighting pit in the centre of a massive coliseum reminiscent of The Colosseum of Ancient Rome. But despite the old-world aesthetics, underneath the surface the Arena of Khazan was an architectural and engineering marvel, sporting some of the most advanced technology in the Nexus of All Realities that allowed this ancient-styled coliseum to simulate a wide range of terrains and environments for Fantasy Powers League matches. Simply standing in this structure filled Elwin with a sense of nostalgia as she remembered the old days, having fought in FPL matches herself when she was a young Sentinel and promising up-and-comer in the FPL.

Here, the veteran Sentinel wondered if her double appointment as both the First Lady and Vice-president of Khazan Prime would affect the way she’d handle the conflict. There was no denying that all of Khazan’s nations and polities were engaged in open warfare with the Drekis Empire; and all reports had pointed to Drekis being an existential threat to the Nexus. This was a conflict where a diplomatic solution was not possible. It was there that Elwin knew she had to see this war through a different lens – she was now a politician and statesperson, and it carried a different set of responsibilities compared to a typical hero of Khazan.

Still, the blonde could not help but reminisce about the good old days, when as the young Sailor Archer she’d fought side-by-side with the greatest heroes of the time, fearlessly casting fireballs and launching light arrows at Quietus. That was one thing in Elwin that time hadn’t changed. Her heart still burned with love for justice and compassion towards the good people of Khazan, and the courage to fight for what she believed in and held dear remained strong. If the stars decreed it so, she would gladly take up the bow and mantle of Sailor Archer to fight on the front lines if that was what the Powers expected of her.

In the end, Elwin had to quietly resign herself to the fact that her era was over and a new generation of heroes were rising to the challenge, the mantle of Sailor Archer long since passed down to a young heroine. Her role now as one of the old guard was to provide counsel and advice to the younger generation. And it would be on the shoulders of these young ones where the fate of Khazan rests. Elwin could only offer a silent prayer that the old guard like herself would guide them down the right path, and not cause them to fall to dark temptations and repeat the mistakes of the previous generations.

“My apologies for interrupting your thoughts, madam,” A masculine baritone snapped Elwin out of her train of thought as a member of the Presidential Secret Service, a clean-shaven short-haired man in a dark business suit, necktie and sunglasses approached the First Lady VP with a tablet-like electronic device in his hands. “You have an incoming transmission,” he said as he passed the device to Elwin. 

“Is it from Uberman?” the blonde wondered as she took the device from the Secret Service agent.

The Secret Service agent shook his head, “Unfortunately, no. This one is being transmitted through hyperspace from light years away. A representative of the Galactic Defense Force has contacted us, and they requested a teleconference with either you or Mr. Pharis immediately.”

Elwin raised an eyebrow as the transmission was ID’ed as coming from someone named Constantine Aubrieus, admiral of the GDF’s 7th Fleet. “The GDF, huh? I figured it would only be a matter of time…” the First Lady VP mused as she followed the Secret Service agent out of the arena, to where a presidential transport was waiting to pick her up. 

As they left in the car, Elwin took one last look at the Arena of Khazan. She'd known that sooner or later, the GDF’s representatives were going to directly contact the Central Government of Khazan Prime regarding the Drekis situation, and Elwin wasn’t sure what to make of this – on one hand, it would be foolish to turn down any offers of aid, but on the other hand, she wasn’t sure if the GDF wasn’t going to get up to their usual game of overstepping their authority and using this as an opportunity to pressure Khazan into joining the Democratic Systems Administration. 

 

Segment 97: Arrival

Beyond the northern limits of New Xaelis, Fort Abdiel buzzed with constant activity as Bahamut-class carriers and Hermes-class transports landed at the airstrips to offload entire battalions of troops, joining the thousands of soldiers and mechs that were already stationed across New Xaelis and the surrounding suburbs. Tanks, APCs, IFVs and other combat vehicles rolled down the disembarking ramps, while logistics crews and labour bots worked tirelessly to unload supplies and ammunition from the transport airships’ holds.

“Is this what a large-scale mobilisation of the Khazan Armed Forces looks like?” Tim wondered as he disembarked from the Lion of August after it landed at Fort Abdiel’s airstrip, with Raea by his side and Uberman leading at the front. More airships took off from the airstrips to make way for transports waiting in the air so that they could unload more personnel and materiel.

Even Uberman couldn’t help but be quietly impressed at the sight of the heavily-armoured mechs and  vehicles and soldiers armed with all manner of advanced weaponry and gadgets. As a war veteran, the cyborg had seen many armies back in his time on Earth, but none of them came close to this in both size and technology.

“This is incredible, New Xaelis is gonna be the site of the mother of all battles where Xaelon is concerned, huh?” Tim gasped, marvelling at the sight – to the point of getting carried away. If Raea hadn’t kept her hand on the young Sentinel’s shoulder the whole time to guide him along, Tim would’ve long fallen behind.  

“The old capital of Xaelon, Xaelis, was established centuries ago, during the First Age of Conflict when the Archon of Void, Quietus first appeared on Khazan to wage war on all of existence,” Uberman remarked, giving Tim a bit of history behind the former and current capital of Xaelon. “By contrast, New Xaelis was only established as the current capital a several decades ago during a relatively peaceful era – so unlike the old capital it lacks an inner city that is surrounded by powerful fortifications. However, New Xaelis covers a much larger area, and in theory this makes it harder for the enemy to seize as they will need to spread themselves out over multiple fronts… I hope we’ll be able to defend New Xaelis. Should this city fall into enemy hands, it will mark the fall of the entire state-kingdom of Xaelon.”

“And given what has befallen Zel’Mier and Thenesiea, the loss of Xaelon will grant the enemy total control over the western half of Greater Khazan,” Raea added as they left the airfield to enter an administration building.

As they made their way to the operations command centre, Uberman caught sight of Scout, who appeared to be in the middle of a tense conversation with Telissa and several high-ranking KAF officers, each holding a rank no lower than a colonel. The technical officers and operators in the command centre quickly moved out of the cyborg’s way as the Sentinel leader made his way over to the colonel. “It’s good to see you Scout – I heard about your predicament in Leibrook the other day. It’s good to see you’ve made it back in one piece. Also, what do you think of the fresh wave of reinforcements that have arrived in New Xaelis?”

“It was thanks to the timely intervention of the mechanised squadrons that I was able to make it back here,” Scout nodded as Uberman approached him, although the colonel’s smile appeared forced, and his voice sounded more weary than Uberman was familiar with, before continuing, “We’ll need every last bit of aid we can get from the Central Government though… things are about to get a lot more bloody real fast.”  

With that, Scout gestured towards a large holography terminal that took up the centre of the room, displaying a 3D topographical map of New Xaelis and the surrounding Greater New Xaelis Region. “Aerial surveillance has picked up on a massive formation of Drekis minions advancing through the Greater New Xaelis Region,” the colonel said grimly as he gestured towards a massive red patch on the map.

“That’s the largest Drekis legion I’ve seen to date!” Uberman gasped, his mind blown at the sheer size of the legion – the legion behind the attack on Sevarian City, and even the battle of Xaelis were a full order of magnitude smaller than the one that was slowly but surely advancing towards the capital. “Just where do they get all these monsters from anyway?”

“Stranger things have happened in Khazan I suppose,” Scout remarked with an exasperated sigh, folding his arms in front of his chest. “We’d underestimated their true strength… and that’s probably what the enemy wanted. I’m inclined to think that they kept a good chunk of their forces in reserve during previous engagements such as the battle of Xaelis, to make us think we stood a chance… that the conflict was a symmetrical one.”

“What boggles the mind is that you only realise it now,” Telissa interjected sharply, though her gaze momentarily softened as her eyes met those of Timothy’s and Raea’s, “Drekis has established a presence in Khazan for at least ten years, and he’s been growing his legion every single minute – and in the last few years, at an exponential rate. Believe me when I say this, he has yet to go all-out… though this is no doubt a very obvious escalation in his efforts to bring all of Khazan under his heel.”

“Is there any ETA on contact with the legion?” Uberman queried.

“Based on the last reconnaissance flight conducted by our drone unit, it’s estimated that in 72 hours – give or take – the Drekis legion will enter the New Xaelis Metropolitan Area through the Fields of Walshin,” Scout replied as the zone known as Walshin was highlighted on the holographic map. “High command fucked up… no, we all fucked up… we spent the whole time wrestling for control over the rural centres with their vanguards, while their main body continues to advance uncontested through the region. The latest orders from high command is for all units stationed in the outlying towns and villages to consolidate at Walshin – on their own they’re too small to mount any meaningful defensive assaults against the advancing legion – therefore, we’ll form a defensive line there to halt the enemy legion before they reach New Xaelis proper.”

Tim stared at the highlighted zone that is Walshin, which consisted almost entirely of open grasslands, no dense pockets of woodland or large rock formations, just open and mostly even terrain as far as the eye could see, and the swordsman could already feel himself getting tense. This was the crucible where his mettle as a Sentinel would be tested, on the frontlines of the first major battle for New Xaelis.

 

Segment 98:  Darkness Rising

Far from Xaelon, to the north of Greater Khazan, a lone island floated ominously in the sky, its key feature being a massive, smooth-walled tower that stretched well over a kilometre in height. This was the infamous Fallen Tower, constructed by the Archon of Void, Quietus during his second coming when he founded his order of Void Scions known as the Fallen. Even after the second and seemingly final defeat of Quietus, the tower remained as a testament to the Archon’s power. Even with their Archon trapped within the bowels of the Void itself, within the walls of this foreboding structure, the disciples of the Void continued to carry out their Archon’s will of extinguishing all life in existence.

The Fallen Tower appeared to be a colossal monolith made of a stone that resembled black marble, although it was infused with void-essence that made it nearly indestructible, while at the zenith of the structure hovered a stone pyramid bearing an All-Seeing Eye on each side. While already impressive when viewed from the outside, the Fallen Tower’s interior was a spatial anomaly created by Quietus’ Void Sorcery that made it even larger on the inside that it was on the outside, with the lower levels of the tower being comprised of sprawling labyrinths and catacombs filled with all manner of traps and abominations meant to deter intruders, while the upper level held facilities for members of the Fallen such as living quarters, research labs and storage rooms.

An angry Blitzkrieg made his way up the spiral stairs of the Fallen Tower’s central hub – even at what the cybernetically-enhanced Nazi regarded as “walking speed”, he ascended the long and winding flights of stairs at a pace quicker than most beings on Khazan could manage at even a full-speed run. In no time at all, Blitzkrieg reached the top level of the Fallen Tower, stopping outside a pair of bronze portal doors leading to the Fallen Council’s meeting hall known as the Chamber of Null. The Nazi cyborg paused before shoving the doors open and making his way in, expecting to see at least one member of the Fallen Council in the Chamber of Null’s anteroom.

Instead of seeing members of the Fallen Council, Blitzkrieg found himself greeted by a tall man sitting on a bench across the room with a lean build, with waist-length mint-green hair and soft, almost effeminate facial features, garbed in elaborate white robes with black accents and red threadings and a dark blue and red shawl draped around his shoulders, staring at the Nazi with a bemused expression.

“Seryko Rheomyr…” Blitzkrieg growled, a ghostly green glow coming to his eyes as he gave the man called Seryko an icy glare, “What are you looking at? I'm just on my way to speak to someone… anyone, from the Fallen Council. If you have any comments about that, I’d advise you to keep them to yourself.”

“The Fallen Council are at the moment preoccupied,” Seryko replied plainly, adjusting his shawl as he responded to Blitzkrieg’s attempt to stare him down with a cryptic smirk, as if amused by the Nazi’s attempts to intimidate him, “Surely they have far more important matters to attend to, than to entertain your requests to devote more of the Fallen’s resources to your petty feud with Uberman.” 

“Rheomyr, are you insinuating that I am putting my personal feuds above the organisation’s interests?” Blitzkrieg hissed as he stepped forward, “You are speaking to the holder of the seat of Qiongqi, one of the Four Calamities. You dare question my loyalty towards the Fallen as a whole!?” 

Seryko gave a cold laugh in response, “There, there, Herr Weissman, no need to go around flaunting your credentials like that,” the mint-haired bishonen remarked coyly, “Of course I know of the Lord-Tyrants, or better known as the Four Calamities… within our organisation your authority is superseded only by the Fallen Council themselves, and the holder of the seat of Hundun.”

A yawn issued from the shadows as a deep voice spoke in Russian-accented Khazanian, “For a German, you make enough noise to wake the dead, not very characteristic of one, I say.” With that, the Russian-accented voice ended his line with a rumbling laugh. 

Sitting on another bench with a bottle of vodka in his left hand was a tall and powerfully-built Russian man with thinning short blonde hair, dressed in a brown greatcoat over a white turtleneck and dark brown trousers. His skin bore an unnatural pallor like that of a frozen corpse, perpetually coated in a thin layer of frost. The most striking aspect of this Russian were his eyes – which bore pitch-black sclera and pale blue irises that gave off a spectral glow. “I recall hearing from you the other day that when you return to the Fallen Tower, it will be with the head of Uberman clutched in your hands, da? So, where is it?” As he spoke, his chill breath caused the air around him to condense and form puffs of white mist, giving the impression that he was breathing smoke from his mouth. 

“Tundra… or should I say, Yuri Vladimirovich Rogozhin,” Blitzkrieg hissed. Within microseconds, Blitzkrieg was right in the icy Russian’s face staring eye-to-eye with him. “And I would have…” the Nazi growled, the green light from his eyes growing more intense, “Until that despicable Cossack known as Supercomrade intervened.” 

Tundra smirked as he leaned back and chugged a mouthful of vodka straight from the bottle. “Well, am I hearing it right? The Aryan ubermensch, Helmut Weissman, admitting he needed my help after all…” The irony amused Tundra, knowing that a proud Nazi like Blitzkrieg, who saw himself as the model Aryan, would never admit that he needed the help from a Slav against another Slav. 

As Tundra prepared to chug another mouthful of vodka, Blitzkrieg flicked his right index finger at the air with high hypersonic speeds, creating a small vacuum blade that sliced the bottle in two, spilling its contents all over the cryomancer’s lap. “Blyat!” Tundra exclaimed as he sprang from the bench, staring daggers at Blitzkrieg as the ambient temperature of the room began to plummet as his fists generated a pale blue energy.

“Now there, gentlemen, let’s not be rash!” A thin, reedy voice that sounded like it could only belong to a man who is advanced in his years called out from the shadows as an elderly man of average height and slight build, dressed like a scientist with a white lab coat over a brown plaid suit and red bowtie stepped into view, the scalp of his bald head smooth as a cueball; by contrast the lower half of his face was taken up by a shaggy white beard and an equally thick mustache, topped off with a pair of round glasses with lenses so thick it was hard to make out if he had eyes behind them. “Though I must admit that ‘gentleman’ is probably a term that holds very little meaning around these parts,” the old man chuckled as he ruffled his beard. 

“Professor Vizeman, how thoughtful of you to mediate,” Serkyo remarked as the mad scientist known as Prof. Vizeman made his presence known. “Did you come here to introduce us to one of your new creations?” the mint-haired Fallen wondered as his gaze drifted to the man who stood next to Vizeman. 

In stark contrast to the dwarfish scientist, next to Prof. Vizeman stood a hulking brute of a man with buzz-cut blonde hair, nearly nine feet tall and with muscles bulked up to almost comical proportions, clad in camouflage BDU trousers and a drab olive sleeveless vest. The towering brute wore what appeared to be a pair of goggles, although on closer examination they would turn out to be a set of cybernetic optics that were surgically grafted to his face. The musclebound man-beast scanned the room, barely acknowledging the other members of the Fallen. 

“You’ll have to excuse Resho’s manners, out of my bioroids he was never much of a people person,” Prof. Vizeman laughed as he stepped in front of the man identified as Resho. The elderly scientist’s voice took on a more serious turn as he turned to Blitzkrieg, “Anyway, if you seek the Fallen Council, Devyn Soyokaze and Zalrafel are both present as the Chamber of Null. I think they’re willing to talk, if that’s what you still want.”

Blitzkrieg glared at Tundra one last time before proceeding to a second set of doors on the far end of the anteroom. The double doors swung open on their own as the Nazi approached, granting him access to the Chamber of Null proper. The meeting hall of the Fallen Council was a circle-shaped room with its walls, floor and ceiling that were dark as vantablack, giving one the impression that they were floating in the middle of the Void itself instead of being in a physical room. In the middle of the room rested a large pentagon-shaped table constructed from black marble with glowing purple edges, and seated before it were none other than two members of the Fallen Council – Devyn Soyokaze, the Twilight Dancer, and Zalrafel, the Wound on the Face of Creation.

“Blitzkrieg, you’re back at last… it’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Devyn was the first to speak; the Twilight Dancer was a handsome man with short black hair, dark brown eyes and sharp facial features, his lean and toned frame accentuated by a crimson dress shirt and black tuxedo that made him look like a young master from an aristocratic family rather than a member of the Fallen Council. “Zalrafel and I have been discussing recent events that transpired on the surface world below, and considering that you among us had spent a considerable amount of time on the surface of late, we would like to hear your views on the matter.” 

“Yes, I have done a fair bit of scouting on the surface after the Severian City incident and have observed the handiwork of the Drekis Empire,” Blitzkrieg replied as he stepped over to the table and sat himself down on one of the chairs. “So far, their activities have been confined to the western half of Greater Khazan, but before I made my trip back to the Fallen Tower I did catch sight of another legion headed in the direction of Cretalia. More specifically, they moved as one in the direction of New Xaelis before splitting off, with a much larger force continuing towards New Xaelis and a smaller one headed in the direction of Cretalia.”

Although Blitzkrieg would never admit it, seeing the Drekis legions destroy Sevarian City after his own attempt to wreak havoc on the Xaelonian city was thwarted by Uberman and Supercomrade brought the Nazi a measure of satisfaction. Severian City might not be ruined by his own hand, but he knew it was something he could rub into Uberman’s faceplate the next time they met; he would taunt his archnemesis on how his heroics ultimately amounted to nothing. The dramatic irony was something that goes down great with a shot of peach schnapps as far as the Nazi was concerned.

Zalrafel sat across the table from Devyn, the fallen angel dubbed the Wound on the Face of Creation sported straight, waist-length white hair and a pair of gray feathered wings, dressed in a black leather coat hung open to expose the lack of a shirt underneath, revealing his chiselled six-pack abs and sculpted pecs. The fallen angel gave Devyn a stern look with his heterochromatic blue-red eyes before he spoke, “I may not see eye-to-eye with the Drekis Empire, but I must hand them credit for their proactiveness and due diligence – Drekis is laser-focused in his campaign, and if those fools from the SLJ and Central Government don’t get their act together soon, they will be squashed like bugs.”

“You think so, huh?” Devyn asked as he hunched forward at the table’s edge, steepling his fingers in a Gendo Ikari pose, “The only organisation that has the right to crush the Sentinels would be none other than us, the Disciples of the Void; this what our Archon foretold, and the Drekis legions have no right to deny us our destiny.”

“I do not dispute that,” Zalrafel replied, resting an elbow against the armrest of his chair as he leaned to the side to rest his chin under his knuckles, “But there are those among us who interpret the desires of the Void in a different way, and has his own way of seeing that carried out.”

“Are you referring to that Alexander Shadowcast?” Devyn asked, a scowl crossing his face at the mere mention of the name, “That man has made himself a pariah within our organisation – there was a time when he sat among us on the Fallen Council, but nowadays all he does is wander the Fallen Tower’s catacombs and mope. A terrible waste of talent and power, I say.”

“With or without Shadowcast’s help, I do not intend to remain idle while Drekis scourges city after city on the surface,” Zalrafel remarked as he traced incomprehensible runes on the table’s marble surface with his index finger. “Make no mistake about it, the Drekis legion is as much an enemy of the Fallen as any heroic institution on Khazan… if not more so. They leave death and destruction wherever they go, but their philosophy towards such is diametrically opposite of ours.”

“And because of this, there is no chance we could ever work with them,” Devyn chorused, adjusting the white gloves that covered his hands, “We could leave them alone, but it’s only a matter of time before they put us in their crosshairs.”

“If there’s a time for the Fallen to take action, it would be now,” Zalrafel remarked, “With the Drekis Empire currently focused on subjugating Xaelon, they will not see it coming if we move against them.”

“And what do you propose then?” the Twilight Dancer asked, raising an eyebrow as he steepled his fingers again, “Shall we play both the Drekis legions and Khazan’s hero institutions against each other? Perhaps propose an unholy alliance with our old enemies the Sentinels against this new threat? Or perhaps covertly aid the Drekis Empire, only to stab them in the back while they’re celebrating?”

“Care to hear a second opinion on this?” A low, rumbling voice sounded from the entrance of the Chamber of Null as the doors swung open to reveal a sinister-looking figure; a powerfully-built man, almost seven feet tall, with a deathly pale complexion and a bald head save for a saucer-sized patch of long black hair on top of his crown that was tied back in a topknot, and decked out in a set of jet-black battle armour with blood-red accents and skeletal motifs decorating the pauldrons, greaves and breastplate; in contrast, his arms were uncovered by any armour, revealing his powerful triceps and bulging biceps.

Devyn smirked as he swivelled around in his chair to face the newcomer, “Well, if it isn’t the honorary councilman – the Archon of Darkness, Kaas has graced the Fallen Tower after so long.”

“It’s not like you to drop by without prior announcement though,” Zalrafel added, noting that the Archon of Darkness always made it a point to announce his visits to the Fallen Tower beforehand as a basic courtesy – to see Kaas forgo his usual manners was a tip-off to the fallen angel that all was not right, “What urgent business do you seek with the Fallen Council?”

“It’s regarding the Drekis Empire,” Kaas replied, the Archon of Darkness parting his lips to reveal a set of elongated canines with pointed tips that looked closer to the teeth of a large predator such as a lion rather than a human. “Or rather, it concerns the nature of Drekis himself, and why there is a lot more to him than meets the eye.”

 

To be continued...

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Onward to Chapter 8: Inevitable Storm

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