That Wounded, Old World (IC; Far-PMT; Invite Only)

[Gigaverse]

Rolo + Keiji

January 1st, 2293 LC
Secured Frenkish Network
1132 Hours

"Well, now that you are both here... actually, we want to talk to both of you.", Keiji said.

"I am going to be straightforward: whatever will happen in Japan, I order both of you not to let your mechanical units intervene. Just that simple. What do you have to gain? Once we're done, I'll guarantee to give you necessary materials and data to upgrade... well, I don't know, the Lioness?

What say you, gentlemen? Any questions?"

[Ardavia]

January 3rd 2293
The Imperial Palace, Ardavia Central
2045 Hours, somewhere over the Pacific

Autarch Vezn Hisar

Raven walked back and forth, distraught. The little event on TV had been fun, but eventually he had run out of things to do with the little bitches they called soldiers. The Hollows had endured without screaming when he lopped their fingers off, but once he got to work on their legs, they had screamed in torment. After all, someone was literally ripping the skins off their legs with his bare hands. The pain must have been excruciating. They had eventually stopped screaming once he was done, and suffered through the whipping without doing anything but whimpering in pain. They had screamed for a little while when they were getting large poles rammed up their asses, but they had died during the procedure and now the bodies rotted on the main plaza. Or will, once it goes above 0, he thought, reminiscing of when he had done largely the same to a group of Chinese soldiers who had refused to give up a bunker they held in Northton. He had walked in, thrown their guns out the window, tied them down and gotten to work.

That had earned him a court-martial, but he was never sentenced. Marshal Chase had released him, deeming it stupid to keep one of the most useful assets and the commander of the Spartans locked up in the middle of battle. Eventually, Ardav XVI had sentenced Chase to death after he went too extreme. It apparently had something to do with ordering that his troops fire on civilians during some riots in 2279, which had led to the death of dozens of soldiers after the crowd overwhelmed Chase's troops. Raven had observed the entire event, keeping 2000 Spartans on stand-by in case the crowd got too big or unruly. Strangely, a firefight between angered civilians and military personnel in the middle of western Ardavia wasn't deemed unruly, or unruly enough to order the Spartans in.

Then a message beeped on his datapad. It read, simply, "TSNR forces at war with the UDAP. Recommend we pull our troops in Siberia back into our city, and have them wait. Permission to do so?" and Raven laughed. Then he wrote an answer reading "Affirmative. If they attack you, you are to call for reinforcements and use whatever means you can to repel them, but not before" and laughed even more. If it was as he suspected, they may very well come under attack again. The TSNR had been closely allied to the UDAP, and he doubted they'd randomly attack each other, making him suspect the Hollows. They apparently were for false-flag operations, judging by what happened in 2290, when they impersonated Rangers.

[New Frenco Empire]

Chairman Joseph Hightower

January 1st, 2293
Secured Frenkish Network
1133 Hours

"What? Hell fucking no! Japan is a grade A asset!" The Emperor yelled, his emotions clear in his voice. "Calm down, Zane. These...men, have ventured quite a ways to get here. Though, my sentiments are comparable to yours. Japan is simply too valuable to risk."

Keiji sighed. "We're aware of the Lioness program. Like I said, upgrades. The Arda-" Hightower chimed in just as K was talking. "-vians are developing counter-weapons." Both Hightower and Keiji talked the same words at the same time. "Yes, I know," finished Hightower. "Ever since we decided to dangle even the slightest information on the project, the Ardavians have been trying and trying to counter it to ensure their own dominance. Though, their little projects have one, fatal flaw they have yet to see...Hold on a moment. Forgot we had company." Hightower looked to Hathaway, frozen where he stood. He snapped his fingers, and he dematerialized out of the network.

"I pushed him to some obscure corner of the Frenkish network. Better we don't have curious ears in on our conversations. Right then. The flaw. The Ardavians try too hard to counter the suits, that the counter-programs are essentially useless aside from dealing with them. Combined arms has always been a necessity in times of war. Those 'Four Winds' characters...sure, they have swords and knives and pretty little cybernetics lining their bones, but what good are they going to do on a legitimate battlefield? I've often started my own little simulations involving the Lioness against them. One on one? The Wind or whatever outmaneuvers, and defeats the suit. However, when I factor in tanks and aircraft and infantry and snipers and guns...the Wind can't do a single thing to the suit. She dies in battle before she could even touch it."

"The little Hyperion Project...I doubt it would last. Oversized nanosuit. Essentially, a strange hybrid of mecha and man. I suppose it's a nice little wank at us for the Lioness, but Ardavia doesn't have the economic resources, nor the drive to actually deploy these things on the battlefield. Nanosuits (I should know, I helped to develop them, after all) rely on agility. While the Hyperion actually does a good job at fending the Lioness off. Though, factor in any battlefield environment and they'd be the first units to go. The Ardavians think too much about the short-term. The Lioness was designed to be flexible with other ground units, while performing individually in specialized operations."

"Seems I've gone on for quite some time. Any talk about my inventions will spark it. We don't need upgrades. The Lioness is merely a base program for future warfare concepts. When single individuals in suits can do anything a tank, a jet fighter, a naval destroyer, a submarine, even a spaceship can do, you do not need any of these things. Alien technology on current models would prove redundant and unnecessary. Why risk economic depression and the loss of a star colony over pretty lights and slightly more effective weapons? Ever since their loss in WWII, the Japanese have been pioneers of sorts in technological innovation. They were much too good to be under UDAP's domain. We would do better with leaving the Lioness to the economic strength and technology produced by the Japanese."

"Can you prove we're trying to take Japan?" K replied with astonishment. "I suppose no, but we're aware of the patrols you send to the scattered pacific islands. I always assumed you people held an interest in the region. Either way, I have yet to confirm not deny the request. Tell me; why do you want the island?"

[Gigaverse]

Sakahara Keiji

January 1st, 2293 LC
Secured Frenkish Network
1136 Hours

"Well, I anticipated this would happen anyway... then, it's true, yes, we want Japan. As we speak right now, perhaps things are already being done to bring Asians to our cause. Why, you ask?

Don't be shocked or anything, I guess you won't. Where we come from, we descended from the Japanese. What you once called Washington D.C., we call Corinthia. There, we prospered. And we intend to do the same things we did right here."

"And that is...?", Hightower asked.

"Enough chitchat. Well, I'm still gonna make you an offer, but a different one. Give up Japan peacefully, and we won't be the enemy that creeps around your neck. Otherwise... I cannot guarantee that we wouldn't make Frenco collapse sooner or later."

"I thought the Hollow Ones were all about honor?"

"Well, tell me this: what must you do in order to accomplish your very important goals? Do you sit back and wonder whether doing this or that is wrong? Or do you set out to do whatever must be done to bring about the greater good?", Keiji asked, appearing menacingly villainous.

"What about you?"

"Yes... I will wage war against you, Zane, the Lioness or any possible threats; and do everything I must to achieve anything. I shall stain myself with blood for my goals..."

"Is that so...?"

There was a second of silence, before Hightower finally spoke his mind.

[Gigaverse]

Hu Wutian('s Arc)

January 3rd, 2293
Beijing, United Dominions of Asian Peoples/Novaya Moskva, Tsarist State of Novaya Russia
1645 Hours (Beijing)/1245 Hours (Novaya Moskva)

*Chairman Jiang-Wei/Czar Nikolai III showed up on their respective national televisions, ready to address their nations*

"Dear United Peoples of Asia! Comrades! Members of the Politburo of the Communist Party! ..."

"My Loyal Subjects! Soldiers! Businessmen working for the glory of Novaya Russia! ..."

"Today is a sad day in all of Asia's history..."

"... as our once greatest allies..."

"... have betrayed us and decided to turn against us, all perhaps because they've got a great deal from the so-called CCP, ..."

"... that they think they're strong on their own, and can rule the world - rule us - with an iron fist! ..."

"... It's certainly our mistake to ally in the first place..."

"... because obvious Communists and capitalists, no matter in which part of history,..."

"... can never get along! HOWEVER! We can undo that mistake! ..."

"... 'How?', you'd ask. Simple, I, Czar Nikolai III..."

"... I, Chairman Jiang-Wei of the UDAP, representing the interests of my peoples and the Communist Party..."

"... hereby declare a state of war now exists..."

"... between the UDAP and the NTSR."

"... may God help us all."

[Gigaverse]

Elizabeth Devereaux

January 2nd, 2293 LC
The Hollow Ones' Liberated Africa/Hollow Africa
0745 Hours

And thus, the whole gang of newcomers, along with Devereaux, hit the desert above a Jeep. Not such an old piece, however, when the thing had a Lifewave Screen and ran on Lifewave Detection. Therefore, they had a small screen.

"Turn to local news, Murakami. Perhaps... Mongolian? I'm bored."

"IF by Mongolian you mean the State Channel of the UDAP, then wait for it. I'm catching signals."

Murakami worked a bit, and the Asian Central News Agency - ACNA, was on their screen.

"As of today, from declassified information of Comrade Chairman Jiang-Wei, we believe a group of Russian terrorists are currently attacking the Northern Sector, killing off civilians and military numbers alike..."

"... so K wouldn't be going with us for this operation?", asked Elizabeth.

"The Commander? He said he had grander plans to do. You can consult him later when we're back.", said Murakami. Elizabeth sighed, and she didn't put any effort in hiding either her boredom or her curiosity at all. Because, after all, she still had questions about brotherly relationships. More particularly, the just-too-close relationship Keiji shared with Youko.

But whatever. She had things to do, and she got a chance to meet new people. She hadn't come to know much about them, yet, but perhaps eventually, they'd get along.

"So... do you have this... carnal interest with The Commander?", Samantha asked, her entire face spelling 'foxy'.

"WHAT? NO! WHAT MAKES YOU SAY SO? HE'S YOUNGER THAN ME!"

"I wouldn't say that. Rumors had it that he's wandered the Earth since the times fire wasn't even there. I could be wrong, though, but who knows? I once asked him about immortality, and he stated it as a 'burden'.", Archembault chimed in.

"Then what about his sister?", Elizabeth pushed on with her curiosity.

"DNA analysis confirmed it, they are related by blood, and they are siblings. Though records would also suggest that his age deserves to bring him up to the level of her... Yotta-Great Great Grandfather.", said Murakami.

"Those same rumors said he's both a God and a Casanova. Heh, a good example for us all.", Robbie "Bob" Bartender said.

"And his... thing... is monstrous. His assets are certainly attractive, and his height... a blond standing straight and shoeless at 1m85...", Samantha chuckled.

"His thing?", Meimei innocently asked.

"Blanca! Our group has a rookie!", Murakami stated.

"I'll be more careful next time~", was the reply.

"Is that really Keiji...?"

Elizabeth sat back, thinking about Sakahara. If all those rumors were true, then surely K was something much more complicated than she previously understood...

"Uh-oh. We've got company. African Cartels."

All the members of the group got down from the Jeep, arms ready to check the few Africans ahead of them...

[Gigaverse]

Kyler Kingston, Captive of the Hollow Ones

January 1st, 2293 LC
Unknown Location
1230 Hours

Kingston looked up to the ceiling, clinging onto the questions in his mind. For the last 3 hours or so, he kept on wondering what they needed from him. Is it going to be torture? Then, why aren't they doing so already? Why would they do so hard as to feed him?

His answer came quickly.

A cloaked figure showed up with a tray of exotic food. His face and his cloak didn't resemble that of Kingston's captor, but nevertheless, he was probably a Hollow One.

Once his restraints were loosened, Kingston grabbed a pistol placed near him - perhaps by the absent-minded crazy doctor. Right at the moment the tray was put down, he shot.

But the cloak deflected the bullet.

"Nice try, Kyler Kingston. This cloak is bulletproof.", the figure said, much to Kingston's surprise and dismay.

"Yo... How did you know my name?"

"I know what I need to know. Now, make yourself at home, we don't get to see steak and mashed potatoes so often here."

Kingston looked. His doubts remained, they'd probably poison him. But then again, if so, why would they go through the trouble abducting him, sending in some sort of super soldier, destroy reinforced cyborgs and make food for the abductee, all just to have him dead?

After some logical thinking, he decided it was best that he ate the food. And, admittedly, his first bite went with a "damn good".

"Well, enjoy yourself, Mr. KK. Because you won't be spending too much time left on Earth until you returned."

Kingston stopped eating for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

"We'd be relocating you to other places, from time to time, in the next 2 years. You wouldn't be returning to Earth before that."

Kingston wanted to grab the gun again, but he knew what would happen. So he continued asking:

"What's the meaning of all this?"

"I cannot explain the details yet, but for now, we're certain that no harm will be done."

"Yeah, as if I can trust a Hollow One."

"Until then, your time on Earth is not over. I'll explain more of this later; now, eat."

The figure grabbed the gun and walked away from an once-again confused Kingston.

"This day can get neither worse nor more incomprehensible...", Kingston thought as he chewed on the steak.

[New Frenco Empire]

Chairman Joseph Hightower

January 1st, 2293
Secured Frenkish Network
1137 Hours

"Hmm...threats, is it now? 'Give us what we want, or we'll bury you!' How very...Frenkish of you. May I show you something, Mister Sakahara?"

"I suppose..." He said, slightly hesitant.

Hightower raised his hands. His fingers danced in a motion. Eventually, six huge screens appeared between them. "The 10 Years War was our wake-up call. I'll admit, I'm not perfect. I figured mindless jingoism would keep expansion high and the body count low, but I was wrong. The United Dominion of Asian Peoples showed me something important, useless communists they are. They showed me that to survive in this world, I needed the resources to back my sentiments. So...I got them. Simply put."

Suddenly, the screens exploded into a flurry of color and sound. One screen depicted the mass production of SecuraBots, while another showed a group of engineers hard at work studying the blueprints of the Lioness. Another had a group of Greatsword tanks field testing new railgun models on deactivated Asian Dragoon walkers, while it's neighbor showed thousands of satellite parts moving upwards towards space on the World City Space Elevator, while the next showed several Condor gunships making their maiden voyages from their respective production plants. The final one depicted extremely large amounts of Ranger recruits fistfighting with one another in a large field.

"Ever since that strangely beneficial war, I've been ordering a subtle transition to militarism. The appearance of...extraterrestrials has only heightened this state of shadow war. I'm going to be frank: You don't scare me. We've seen your technology. We've seen your strange little powers. We're prepared. We will fight to protect our interests. Will you?"

[New Frenco Empire]

Elizabeth Devereaux

January 2nd, 2293 LC
Anarchist Africa
0800 Hours

Elizabeth dove for cover as the cartel guns spotted the group. The group's leader pointed Elizabeth and her peers out, waving forward his men in his thick African language. Elizabeth put out her hand, closed her eyes, and imagined a weapon in her hands. Suddenly, pieces of metal rushed to her, and the assembly of a battle rifle had started and ended almost instantly. The Hollows way of arming themselves actually wasn't magic, as it seemed. (Though, magic, in it's purest form, was extremely rare. She wasn't even sure if it existed. The term just became a blanket statement for fancy tricks with the advanced technology, such as the arming) It was something to do with magnets and space metals. Most of the Hollows borderline-fantasy technology went right over her head, though, so she never gave second thoughts about it. She just enjoyed using them.

Her comrades did the same. All except for Meimei, who had that strange revolving gun full of syringes. The thugs began opening fire first, just before the group could ready itself. Unfortunately, Samantha was still assembling a rifle whenever a sniper round caught her in the upper leg, just below her waistline. She yelped loudly, and fell to the ground. Instinctively, Elizabeth fired several rounds to cover herself, and then dove after her downed mate. She quickly crouched down, half-grabbed her, and tossed her into a shrub. "Bianca, are you ok? Still awake? Breathing?" she said as she crouched. "Yeah. I-ah!-will be, at least." The attractive red-haired soldier said with some strain. "Just get Meimei over here, and I'll be ready." Elizabeth nodded, and whistled towards the petite medic. "Uh, I just patched Archambault up! You people neeeeeeeeed to stop getting shot! Sit up, let me look at it." Elizabeth helped her wounded squadmate up, as the medic poked and prodded at her bleeding waist. "May want to bite down on something for this," she said as she pointed her gun towards the wound. Though, before she could do anything, she fired a syringe right next to the wound. Samantha screamed loudly in pain as only a small amount injected itself into her before it automatically popped off her skin. "Numbing agent. Full dose, good for surgery...and shooting at bad guys! Partial dose, good for treating wounds without...well, further pain, at least. It hurts pretty bad going in, but it's nothing compared to what I have to do to get the bullet out." She set the gun down, and put her hands over the wound. She pulled enough armor away to reveal the smooth, white skin on her leg, along with the red of her blood rushing from the wound.

Samantha breathed heavily as Meimei's hands and eyes glowed blue. She did her hands in a "pulling" motion. Elizabeth watched in curiosity, despite the bullets whizzing by. Suddenly, the metal projectile exploded outwards, bringing quite a bit of blood with it. Meimei flung it aside, and motioned her hands sideways. Her skin seemed to literally pull over the wound, patching it up effortlessly. After a minute, Meimei was back to normal. She patted Samantha on the head. "You're good to go! Please don't get hurt again!" The medic grabbed her gun, and rushed to the aide of a group of legionaries in a nearby brush. Elizabeth looked to Samantha, who was shaking some numbness out of her leg. If she were fighting for the Frenkish, a medic more than likely would have hosed some medfoam into the wound and gave her something for the pain. Then, when the engagement was over, haul her back to the camp, surgically remove the bullet, and throw her in a medfoam chamber to treat blood trauma. It was the most efficient system of dealing with the wounded she had known. Her, a simple medic had singlehandedly done all of that in a couple of minutes. It amazed her how much the Hollows had on Earth. "They're thinning out!" A nearby Legionnaire yelled. Elizabeth looked to the female soldier again, who had just assembled a rifle of her own. She was ready to go again. "Want a little bit of vengeance?" She said, with the slightest hint of an evil grin. Samantha chuckled a bit. "Why not?"

Together, they advanced to the clearing the gunfire was originating from. One thug popped right out at them, but, TUH-TUH-TUH! A burst of rounds from Elizabeth's rifle took a good chunk of his head off. TUH-TUH-TUH! Samantha's own shot had pierced the chest of another. Eventually, the thugs' leader waved them away. He was expecting to find refugees escaping from Hollow Africa to rob, rape, and kill. Not alien forces! Elizabeth held out her off-hand, and envisioned a grenade in it. A glowing light had materialized in her hand. She threw it at the cartel guns. It exploded instantly, it's range far wider than she expected. The leader was blown towards them, his legs missing. He looked up to see Elizabeth staring down at him, the devilish grin apparent on her face. He yelled words of mercy in his incomprehensible language, but they fell on deaf ears. Nostalgic of her Frenkish training, she positioned her boot above him. She could hear the drill sergeant now. "The only way to survive war is to enjoy it. Take pleasure in the fact that you're giving savages the ends they deserve. Be as brutal as you can. Send a message, even if no one will receive it." She brought her boot down on his head, gibbing to pieces and scattering the blood in every which direction. Be as brutal as you can. She couldn't help but to laugh a little. Her laugh was broken by the disturbed stares of her squadmates. They had a mix of horror and astonishment on their faces. Elizabeth shrugged. "What?"

[Gigaverse]

Sakahara Keiji

January 1st, 2293 LC
Secured Frenkish Network
1138 Hours

Keiji looked at the screens Hightower showed him. After the man finished, he just stared; before finally letting out a frightening cackle.

"What so funny?", asked Hightower.

"Well, I suppose it cannot be helped... your underestimating of us might as well cost you everything you've built since 2077. Yes, we might not be so different personality-wise, but our goals are distant. Hmph, I was right about your uncooperative nature after all."

Keiji turned his back on both Hightower and Zane to walk away. Rolo did the same. As the white cape and blond ponytail flowed in the artificial wind, as they walked a large distance away from the Frenkish and Hathaway, who was returned to the spot, Rolo asked.

"I wonder just why you wouldn't try your best at convincing them."

"Then what fun would that be? My Code of Honor prevents me from using other things."

'You have a Code of Honor?"

"That's not important. Right now, things are already being worked on. Hightower is aware of us, and our surface technology. If we're to give him a show, we might just give him newer toys to observe. I'll also work more on that. Deployment of trump cards if necessary."

"Elysium's trump cards? The Pacifier, and..."

"... well, nice to have your help."

"Pleasure, God of Destruction."

[Gigaverse]

Hu Wutian('s Arc)

January 3rd, 2293
Siberia
2045 Hours

Third day of the war. Third day of the year. Wutian was certain that the People's Army was pushing the Tsarists far behind. He was in Siberia, but with not much resistance at all, he expected the fall of the Asian side of Russia within a month, nay, two weeks.

"Cheers! To the victory of the People's Cause."

As they were about to celebrate their victory, the soldiers were attacked, yet again.

"You're defying your overlords! Now, bow, you filthy pigs! BWAHAHAHAHA!!!"

General Stoyanovich and his troops caused rampages within Wutian's encampment. Soon, only Wutian was left - the Chinese invaders of Siberia had all died, horribly.

Suddenly, a mysterious figure appeared.

"You've done your job very well, Stoyanovich. But... it's high time you died."

"..."

The General and his men got out of their mechs, coming down, and... pulled the triggers on themselves.

After that, only Wutian and the mysterious figure were alive.

The mask turned to face Wutian.

"What is this?"

"The nature of primitive humans."

"What did you just do?"

"You don't need to know. Just shake my right hand."

Wutian was confused, but nevertheless, did what he was told. As a result, he fell unconscious.

"You, a valuable aide, will help me end all this...", said the figure, while Wutian was asleep.

[New Frenco Empire]

Chairman Joseph Hightower

January 1st, 2293
Secured Frenkish Network
1139 Hours

"My lord, I don't mean to sound critical, but...did you just start a war with the Hollow Ones?" Zane asked, the shock evident in his speech. Hightower shrugged. "What else are we supposed to spend the defense budget on? They wanted Japan. I didn't give it to them. We fight it out. I just went over this with a Hollow. We need a bit more than jingoism to back our sentiments up." Zane shrugged. "You know, what with the war between UDAP and NTSR suddenly heating up, this may spiral put of control. I'm talking World War Four. Chairman, are you sure you know what you're doing?" Hightower sighed. "Zane, they wanted our economic powerhouse. I'm fully aware of my actions. Besides, haven't you always said you wanted to fight alien beings in a 'first contact' scenario?" Zane blushed a bit. "Well...uh..."

"Right." Hightower snapped his fingers, and Hathaway appeared before them, unfrozen. "Why did you do that!" Hathaway yelled, a mix of shock and anger in his voice. "Enough of that. This little meeting just got a lot more important. The blood games are off." Hathaway shook his head. "What? Why? The Autarch isn't going to like this." Hightower approached him. "Well, tell the 'Autarch'", he seemed to emphasize on the word a bit, as if in a mocking fashion "that we may very well be in a state of total war soon. Tell him the Pacific region is not safe, and he needs to guide the city away from there. Tell him the Hollows are acting aggressively again, and he'd be smart to mobilize his militaries." Hathaway rubbed his head. "Another war, Hightower? I really thought you were smart enough to avoid these kinds of things." Hathaway stepped onto the lift, and his digital body dematerialized from the network.

Hightower looked to the screen Zane's face showed largely on. "Get me Minister Takeshi. We'll need to discuss this."

[Gigaverse]

Mao Kongbu (Mao Kyoufu)

January 1st, 2293
Secured Frenkish Network
1140 Hours

"Not so fast, Zhuxi (Chairman)."

Hightower turned around. 'Twas a very tall, slim, apparently young man with long white hair. His clothes seemed... odd and off, being something that perhaps Ancient Chinks would wear. Along with high-tech-ey lens, and headphones. A mix of a smirk and a grin on his face made him look especially out of the ordinary for most people's standards.

"What is this? Are the Hollow Ones playing with psychological warfare now?", asked Hightower, calm and collected.

"Weh? So helpers are labeled 'Hollows' now?"

Hightower started a little at the "helpers" part. If he was correct, whoever this white-haired one was, he had to possess at least an amount of power to put a stop to the Hollows.

Before he could speak, the white-haired one continued.

"So, here's the deal. I'll help you take care of the Hollows, but not before you give me command of adequate numbers of units. Just that, simple. Will you enter this contract between ourselves?"

[New Frenco Empire]

Chairman Joseph Hightower

January 1st, 2293
Secured Frenkish Network
1141 Hours

"What? Another mysterious being, belonging outside of my own world, my own universe, even, making unreasonable requests? Is this some kind of holiday to you people?" Hightower walked away from the massive windows, towards the desk. "At least you aren't openly malevolent," he said as he sat down. "Though, how can I trust you? If these Hollows are how I believe they could be, I'm sure they've made plenty of enemies. You could be one of them, simply helping others not face the same fate your people met. You could be a Hollow, or an ally of some sort, attempting to deceive me. I cannot be sure. Though, you're the first man to hold off in threatening me today. It intrigues me. I'm half-tempted to grant your request. Though, if I granted every random request to every alien who stepped foot in this office, I'd be down a valuable colony as we speak. Please, I want to know more about you and your...intentions. Please. Have a seat."

[Gigaverse]

Mao Kongbu (Mao Kyoufu)

January 1st, 2293
Secured Frenkish Network
1142 Hours

"Might as well.", Mao said, licking his lips as he sat down.

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself, how rude am I. I'm Mao Kongbu. Well, that's about it. Frankly, I don't have much of a reason to fight the Hollows. Nobody to avenge. But there's a particular someone I want, whose other... particular someone bothers me. That's all you need to know, Zhuxi.

But there's enough. That someone has to go. And if I'm not mistaken, he's the blond Hollow who antagonized you just now...

So rest assured, he will be dead, and you will be head.", Mao said, licking his own lips yet again.

"So let me get this straight: your reasons and intentions are all... personal?"

"Why should you care? I'm a valuable helper, you know. Don't reject me, else you'll regret it."

Mao looked to Hightower. The man was in a sea of thoughts, before he decided to respond to the offer.

[New Frenco Empire]

Chairman Joseph Hightower

January 1st, 2293
Secured Frenkish Network
1144 Hours

Hightower, as calm and stern as ever, stared at the man with a straight face. Threatening me? These...things lack respect. He reached under his desk, reaching for the drawer containing the liquor. This collection of scotch and wine wasn't real by any means, and simply made Hightower feel more at home in the network. He grabbed a large bottle of scotch, and two small glasses. He put them on the table, and poured both. He also materialized a cigar, and the elegant gilded lighter he had whenever he still lived. He lit his cigar, and began smoking.

Menawhile, Mao simply stared down, ignoring the glass Hightower passed to him. Hightower took the cigar out of his mouth, put it in the ashtray on the desk, and downed his entire glass before he spoke. "Alright." He said, oddly cheery. Mao seemed a bit surprised. "Just like that? I thought I'd be sitting in this office for a while." Hightower shook his head. "A small task force is nothing in the grand scheme of things. If you were a Hollow, you'd ask for much more. You're either the worst spy the Hollows have, or a trustworthy helper. Either way, I've decided to grant your request. I'll let you see a catalog of our military technology." He waved his hand, and a large book appeared. He threw it to the young, Asiatic humanoid. "Tell me what you want, and you can have it. Vanguard Corpsmen, Viking Submarines, Hoplite Tanks, maybe even a few Olympus APCs or, Emperor forbid, a Condor gunsip. Of course, be sensible. I can't blow the entire budget on your needs."

[Ardavia]

The Imperial Palace

Lord Marshal John "Jack" Raven

Raven was sitting at his computer, staring in disbelief, as the map changed suddenly. The Frenks had managed to encircle his Spartan regiment and were crushing them beneath a tidal wave of steel and lead. The battle had been going fine until now, he had managed to rout the Vanguard regiment holding the bridge and pushed on into the city and through into the foothills of Mount McKinley.

There, he had sent in his Spartans ahead and ordered the Infantry Corpsmen to slow down and be careful. Obviously, that had been a mistake, since sending Infantry on the sides through the forest would have discovered the trap. God fucking dammit, do you have to be this cunning? Then he laughed at himself, sending in a couple of infantry regiments and two armored battalions to relieve the Spartans, then going into FPV.

The Spartan he had entered was pinned down behind a tree, watching his comrades die as the Frenkish tanks rolled ahead. Then he dove out and fired his Mark 63 rifle. The massive bullet cut through the air, into the thin armor of the tank and straight through it. Good thing tanks by now were only designed for infantry support, they didn't have much armor. Of course, not many tanks had heavily armored joints between the tower and main body either.

The Spartans were holding out for now, repelling the massive amounts of Frenkish tanks with Mk63 rifles and other available weapons, and then the reinforcements arrived. The M7A4 MBT's rolled into the valley from behind the Frenkish, the infantry were laying down a wall of fire from the opposite treeline and the Spartans pulled back in order to have the tanks follow them and make easy bait.

It worked. Then Raven jumped back, slightly startled, as Hathaway's face appeared on his terminal. "Video games? Really? And of everything you could pick, you take Total War : Alaska? Wait, are you playing the battle of Mount McKinley? Hah, that map is so easy. Anyway, Hightower sent me a message. We have to pull away from the Pacific and we should mobilize. The Hollows are being aggressive again" and Raven groaned, then nodded. He shut the game down and opened the military command screen. He issued the order of mobilize. Within the course of a day, one million men would be ready for total war.

Then he issued another order. This one was for the Vladivostok garrison, who were to return. They would leave a small garrison of 20 soldiers, who would initiate Protocol Funeral Pyre if the Hollows attacked. That ought to send them a message, if they do attack. Then he rubbed his temples again, feeling the imagined headache again. Damn persistent, this.

[Gigaverse]

Mao Kongbu (Mao Kyoufu)

January 1st, 2293
Secured Frenkish Network
1145 Hours

Mao looked at the catalog Hightower gave him. The look on his face as he skimmed through it was either entertainingly comical, expressing just how bored he was just from looking, or both. It didn't take long for him to return the catalog to Hightower.

"How about you just consider giving me anything good for deserts?", asked Mao.

"Deserts? Doesn't Japan have no desert?"

"Japan? Oh no no, I think you got me a bit wrong there," Mao grinned, "What's better than to strike the Hollows right where they are? It will cause them a lot to fix things up. Besides, that kinda assure you that I'm not a spy of the Hollows - whose interest is not in Africa, right? Well, not much anyway."

Mao casually crossed his legs as he waited for Hightower to answer.

[New Frenco Empire]

Chairman Joseph Hightower

January 1st, 2293
Secured Frenkish Network
1146 Hours

"Deserts? We have gear for it. Though, I really recommend looking through the little book again. I'm more than happy to accommodate, but due to how our logistics work, I need specifics. At the very least, tell me what you need? Drones? Aircraft? Tanks? Infantry? Hyperjets? Anything you want, I'll not hesitate to provide." Hightower poured another glass of Scotch, waiting for a more (hopefully) specific reply.

Sorry for the brevity.

[New Frenco Empire]

Sergeant Mitchell Hampton

January 3rd, 2293
Police Precinct No. 9; Tokyo, Japan
2126 Hours

The Captain turned to face the class. "You see, these books are a plague on society," he said in fluent Japanese. He flipped through the Quran, and tossed it on the desk. "Religion. Faith. Prayer. A coping method invented thousands and thousands of years ago. Life was dreadful for most. They didn't have robots to tend to you. They didn't have a government that cared about them and made sure they didn't starve. They didn't get top-tier education to ensure that they were protected from a petty job of hard labor. Tell me, Ishi, if you lived a hard life such as this, what would you do?"

The girl he directed the question to shrugged. "Nothing?" He asked. "Well, they did something. Why deal with the harshness of the real world whenever an afterlife of luxury is promised to you? In return for complete faith and servitude, obviously. Hence, the masses are happy that they get to go to a heaven, and the higher classes are happy they can use religion to rule them. It was a really good deal back then. Unfortunately, religion persisted. Dug it's filthy nails into modern society. Crawled under it's skin. Leeched. Thankfully, common sense began to take over near the beginning of the 21st century. More and more people denied these imaginary titans and focused on Earthly matters as they should. Today, our people are free from this divine tyranny. We, the Enforcers, not only ensure the law is followed and antisocial behavior is discouraged, but serve as the sword that smites the cults from our Empire. That is what we will be discussing today." He grabbed the bible, and handed it to the closest student.

"Pass it around. Look in it if you want. Read it a little." He grabbed the Quran. "This too. I left the Torah back in Frenkish America, unfortunately." After a few minutes, both books found themselves back on his desk. "Anyone notice anything? The incomprehensible lingo? The novel-like structure? Perhaps you noticed a few highlights? All of it is a lie." A student raised his hand. "Yes, Yagu?" The boy lowered his hand. "Why is the Empire so strict on religion? I mean no offense, but does it harm anyone?" The Captain shook his head. "That's the worst part. It does indeed. Mostly mentally and emotionally, but the scourge to please God or Allah can stretch into the physical plane. The Crusades. Jihads. Mass suicides. Religion corrupts. Good or bad, short or tall, man or woman, anyone. We save people from corruption. The fundamentalists see us as monsters, but it is us who are the saviors. Good day Sergeant." The Captain finished by eyeing Mitchell standing in the doorway. "May I help you?"

The teenaged students glared towards Hampton. They were all dressed in the uniform of Enforcer Corps Trainees. He himself wore his skin-tight underarmor most of the time. What with all of the criminal and antisocial activity that went on in Japan, he needed to be constantly ready. "Yes, Captain. Lieutenant Hiroshi asked me to retrieve you. Seemed important, sir." The Captain grinned. "Alright, students, it's nearly ten anyway. I'm sure Howe wants to get right into firearms training. Dismissed." The students raised, saluted, and calmly exited the room. The Captain looked to Hampton. "If you see Hiroshi, tell him I'm on the wa-" An intense squealing phased the Captain's words out. It was the siren. Big trouble. "GET TO IT, SERGEANT!" The Captain yelled as he ran through the door. Hampton nodded, and followed.

Hampton grabbed the pneumatic pole. It took him downwards with a hiss of compressed air. He ran to the Riot Armory, where his unit was gearing up. He nodded to his mates, and stepped into one of the automated squires. He put his databoy up to it's scanner. "RETRIEVING ARMOR FOR HAMPTON, MITCHELL. SERGEANT. ONE MOMENT PLEASE." The robotic voice echoed back to him. "ARMOR READY. PLEASE STAND STILL AND DO NOT RESIST THE ARMORING APPENDAGES." Several long, spidery robot arms holding large pieces of metal surrounded him. He took a deep breath, and let them stick the metal on him. Eventually, he was decked out in his Hammerhead Mk2 Power Armor. He left the squire, and picked up his helmet from his locker. He grabbed a minigun from the rotating gun display, and let one of his comrades attach a canister full of Somahaliphide gas on his back. If they were to deploy the pleasure gas, he would supply it to the hosers. He grabbed a few tear gas grenades, and once again, headed for the pole. It took him down to the motor pool, where a police Rover vehicle was waiting for him, it's sirens blaring.

[Gigaverse]

Mao Kongbu

January 1st, 2293
Secured Frenkish Network
1147 Hours

Mao grabbed the book again with pure boredom on his face. As he was doing so, he grabbed the other glass of Scotch poured by Hightower, and drank it all down in one go. After a while, he handed the catalog to the man yet again.

"Hmm. The Scotch is good. And I'd just like those light vehicles and elite units, which would be enough for operations. Mechs, if possible, can't never be too careful."

Mao finished, and Scotch appeared once again in his glass, out of nowhere. He took a sip, eagerly waiting for Hightower to conclude with a mutual agreement.

[New Frenco Empire]

Chairman Joseph Hightower

January 1st, 2293
Secured Frenkish Network
1148 Hours

"Ah. Into the mecha scene, are you? I remember all those pretentious engineers of the old world rant about the impracticality of mechs, but in the end, there are just some things a legged weapons platform can do that a tank just cannot. We probably have what you're looking for. Mechs and elites, mechs and elites..." Hightower zoned out for a minute. Suddenly, the outline of a large Heron Mech appeared in front of Mao. "The Heron Light Main Battle Mech. Outfitted with twin heavy gauss cannons. Nose-mounted 20mm turrets. Dual rocket pods. Optional flamethrower and laser weapon attachments. Thick titanium alloy armor. Top speed of fifty-five miles per hour. Joint overdrive pushes it to seventy if you're desperate. Thrusters were recently added to the designs, alloying you to literally leap through the air if necessary. The Heron is a great tool for scouting, skirmishing, and urban combat. Though, careful if you put it against armor. The aforementioned engineers weren't completely wrong about mecha against tanks. As for the infantry, the IIA manages it's own branches of thugs in power armor for search-and-destroy black operations. Anything else? Deployment locations?"

[New Frenco Empire]

Sergeant Mitchell Hampton

January 3rd, 2293
Tokyo, Japan
2150 Hours

"Return to your homes at once! You are in violation of Frenkish-Japanese law, and we will not hesitate to enforce it! I repeat. Return to your homes at once!" The amplified speaker blared from the cockpit of the police Heron. In front of the mechs and police IFVs stood hundreds of Japanese men and women, nearly bursting with rage. This riot was not unlike the last few that went on. They suddenly started over unexplained reasons, no warning whatsoever. If these rioters were anything like the others, they would have no idea what came over them after they were calmed.

Hampton's IFV sped along at 70 miles per hour on the open Japanese streets. The mainline Enforcers and SecuraBots had done a good job of clearing everyone away from the radius of the riot. After several moments, they had reached the police blockade. Cruisers had blocked the street, their inhabitants waving the IFVs forward. If they were in the Empire, a thick line of SecuraBots would have been massing outside of the riot zone, preparing to smash it with pleasure gas and metallic claw. True, the SecuraBots had put policemen such as Hampton in rough spots. After all, why send in a dozen Enforcers clad in a mechanical, titanium-alloy suit whenever a dozen cheaply manufactured robots could do the same with pinpoint accuracy? No. The Riot Enforcers always added a much-needed "human" touch to these things. To see a robot moving to detain and neutralize you is one thing. A machine built for the purpose. To see a man do it, however, is another. The Enforcers have always taken the formerly negative title "Emperor's Thugs" as their own. To be a thug is an honor. To answer to something higher than yourself. To hurt and kill for it. For Hampton, being a thug for the Empire was an honor. The fact that thugs moved in to deal with them frightened the rebellious.

Hampton stepped out of the Rover with his comrades, minigun in his arms. "Alright, you eight, over to the left walkway! Make sure the soma gas is ready. Looks like we'll be shooting it off soon!" A rowdy Lieutenant ordered. Hampton nodded, and his mates followed him. Within a minute, the street was clogged with police mechs, cruisers, IFVs, and Enforcers decked in power armor. "The SecuraBots are moving in to block off their retreats to the left and back streets. It's about to get messy." The Lieutenant told them, putting on his own power helmet. The rioters seemed to get closer, and closer. "Back", Hampton calmly, you loudly said to them as they came within a ten foot radius of his group. They continued to slowly move towards them. God dammit, here we go. He handed his minigun to a nearby squadmate, and cracked his knuckles. A young woman was the closest rioter. He lunged at her. Her screaming was silenced with a swift punch to the jaw. She fell, her nose and mouth erupting in blood. He kicked an older man away, the breath in his lungs clearly audible as it left his body the instant the huge, metal boot slammed him to the ground. "I said get back!" He yelled, much more intimidating. The rioters did not fall back, but decided to not move forward either. Hampton shook his head, and returned to his group. After several moments, the order came through. "PLEASURE GAS, GO! START A FUCKING ORGY!" The Lieutenant yelled.

[Gigaverse]

Zero

January 3rd, 2293 LC
Tokyo, Japan
2154 Hours

When the order finally came through, a shadowy figure showed up, apparently having jumped from... the skies.

"What the..."

"Ladies and gentlemen! I am... ZERO!"

"Zero?"

"Zero?"

The crowd stopped making noises, and stared at the new arrival. The police ordered their men to temporarily stop with Pleasure Gas to see what was going on.

The figure turned to the Japanese crowd.

"Are you satisfied of your status as nothing but colonial citizens? For years now, look at you! Slaves of the empires! A false Communist "Asia", and a nation that calls itself by the name of a supranational corporation! Under them, you are dirt! Look at this! And this!"

He pointed to the young woman and old man - victims of police brutality, both of whom he helped to stand up.

"They all enslave you for economic reasons! Starting nuclear wars where you get stuck in the middle! THEY DESTROY YOUR ETERNAL CULTURE! ARE YOU WILLING TO SACRIFICE YOUR FREEDOM TO THESE INSOLENT PIG-THUGS?!", he said, pointing to the Frenkish riot police.

"NO!!!", the crowd said in sync.

The police knew what that mean. And they wouldn't just stand there.

"Bah... PROCEED WITH THE PLEASURE GAS!"

The gas was given a go. As it approached the crowd, they cringed. However...

Within the next minute, the gas all suddenly gathered inside the mysterious figure's cape, all while he was still turning his back to the police.

"WHAT???", the Lieutenant shouted in disbelief of what was happening before his very eyes. To stop the gas from being wasted, the men stopped. That was when "Zero" turned to them and snapped his fingers. Instantly, mechs dropped from the sky, with huge machine guns aimed at the police.

"Shit, SHIT! THEY'RE DANGEROUS ARMED REBELS!"

"Before I go, officers, I have a present for you.", the figure told the men, all while raising his cape-cloak hybrid, as the pleasure gas from before dashed quickly and specifically at their direction.

"WHAT IN THE..."

What happened next, nobody could tell.

"Bring these people to Africa. Signal the Hollow Pacific Armada at Kangei Islands to start the liberation as soon as possible. Now, all Dachaus, orders received, you are to move immediately.", Zero ordered.

"Yes, My Lord. ALL HAIL IZANAGI!"

The die was cast. The number is Zero.

[Gigaverse]

Mao Kongbu

January 1st, 2293
Secured Frenkish Network
1150 Hours

"OK, OK, I appreciate the info.", Mao faked a smile to hide his boredom, "Though, I must warn you that the enemies are a bit... heavily armored, to say the closest term. The deployment location? Somewhere in the South of Sahara, if I'm not mistaken. Can you suffice?"