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

[Gigaverse]

Hu Wutian's Arc

January 3rd, 2293
People's Army Headquarters, Beijing
2200 Hours

"NO! IMPOSSIBLE! BUT... OUR COMMANDING OFFICER!"

The Chairman-cum-General-in-Chief of the PLA slammed his fist on the desk, his expression was of shock and anger.

Suddenly, a message came to him. He ordered to bring it online for him. On the line, an enigmatic voice contacted.

"Chairman Jiang-Wei?"

"WHAT?"

"Calm down. Look inside the drawer, what do you see?"

The Chairman opened the drawer and checked it. Blueprints, of advanced weapons he'd never seen before.

"For the love of Mao Zedong...!"

"Those are prototypes for the Beijing - a new generation of fighting machines developed from intelligence gathered of Frenkish Imperial war machine. Use them well. For now, you're holding the upper hand, sacrifice a number of men will solve both overpopulation and buy time for state industries to finish the first of the machines."

"Wait! Who are you?"

"Zero."

The voice hung up on the Chairman, leaving him confused. Nevertheless, he now knew what to do.

[Gigaverse]

Elizabeth Devereaux

January 2nd, 2293 LC
Anarchist Africa
0825 Hours

Samantha continued to look at Elizabeth for a while, with more astonishment than fear on her face. Then, she proceeded to laugh.

"All this mess! We'll get along more than fine enough!", the redhead remarked.

"Is that a..."

"More cartel guns. A swarm, I see.", Archambault said.

Just before any of them could move, all of the Africans exploded and reduced to halves in one instance.

"This clean sweep... the Comman-"

And Sakahara landed in front of the gang, his trusty Katana and Nambujuu both drawn, his face sharply cold, as ever. His ponytail and black trench-coat flew in the air.

He slowly stood up and looked at the party, who got in line and prepared themselves to take his orders.

"At ease. This is a fire-at-will situation."

And they became the crowd he knew once again.

Devereaux, out of curiosity, looked to the direction of Keiji's... thing.

"And where are you looking, Devereaux?"

"Um... no, nothing. Wait, actually, there is. I have something to ask."

"Then fast. I don't come here for nonsense."

Elizabeth sucked in her breath to take courage. Then, she started speaking.

[New Frenco Empire]

Sergeant Mitchell Hampton

January 3rd, 2293
Tokyo, Japan
2200 Hours

The gas released from the strange being's cloak. His power helmet was designed to filter out gas, though, several of the Enforcers behind him weren't' decked in power armor, and were exposed. "Gas masks on!" He yelled to them. Pleasure gas wasn't dangerous in the least, though, it would definitely screw with them. Before he could become an Enforcer, he was required to get hit with a big dose of the stuff. He could only half-remember what happened after the fact, but he remembered that when he was in the right state of mind, the instructor told him that he had to restrain him, since Mitchell had nearly raped him in the euphoric state. Pleasure gas was one hell of a way to control riots. Humane, yet, not exactly clean.

By the time the gas poured over the barricade, most of the Enforcers had masked up. The thick cloud of green-yellow smoke restricted Hampton's eyesight. He switched on his helmet's thermal vision. Beyond the smoke, the enemy mechs were slowly clamoring towards the blockade. "GET BACK! GET BACK!" He yelled to his comrades. The police Herons had picked up the mechs, and began firing on them. The police variants, however, were equipped with soma gas hoses and stun lasers. The most lethal weapon they had was the 20mm gun, which didn't do much to a pair of mechs with superior arms and armor. The enemy mechs shot off a barrage of explosive rounds into the lightly-armored police mechs. One by one, the three Herons cockpits' exploded, and their legs collapsed to the ground.

Hampton and the other AR Enforcers were spinning up their miniguns, careful to avoid the mechs. The pleasure gas had shielded them visibly, though he was sure the mechs had a thermal vision of some sort. Hampton dove into a nearby alleyway. After turning another corner, he stopped. He could still hear the explosions and gunfire in the distance. He took a moment to breathe, and looked to his group. Only three other AR Enforcers had gotten the same idea he had, and followed. One of them, unidentifiable behind the helmet, shook his head. "What the hell is going on here. Those mechs came outta nowhere! That...guy...had magical powers or some shit! What the fuck are we going to do! I'm freaking out, man!" Hampton put his hand up. "Straighten up. We have no idea what happened, but I think it's in our best interests to analyze the situation. Remember, thugs for life." The other Enforcer exhaled deeply through his helmet. "Hoorah," he said in a casual fashion. Hampton moved to the front of the group. "Let's see of we can get to Block Two-Eight. They can help us."

[New Frenco Empire]

Chairman Joseph Hightower

January 1st, 2293
Secured Frenkish Network
1151 Hours

"Done." He responded instantly. "The 15th Mechanized Cavalry and the 2nd Vanguard Bugle Company will arrive via JetCarrier within twelve hours. About one hundred troops, and two dozen mechs. That's all I can spare like this." Mao nodded, his boredom becoming more noticeable. Hightower materialized another cigar. "I will also arrange for an empty mech to be left about three miles away from the landing position for you. Inside, you'll find a suit of power armor, and a databoy. Put them on. I mean no offense, but I doubt my men would listen to you dressed in...that. Are you listening." Mao nodded. "Unfortunately." He said, not bothering to hide the boredom. Hightower sighed. "Well, we're almost complete. Your Frenkish personae is Captain Michael Cho, IIA. The soldiers will be ordered to listen to you and only you. The power armor completes the deception. The databoy will contain a direct link to me, should you need it."

Hightower put his cigar down, and reached under his desk. "One more thing, then you can go." He pulled out a long, glowing, golden-blue crossed rod. "If I implant this into your datacore, I can keep track of you. Don't fret, it comes out after this operation." Mao's eyes widened. "Organic-digital cross-trackers? That's pretty advanced, even for the Hollows." Hightower shrugged. "When you manage a mostly self-sufficient Empire and the only visitors you get are spoiled politicians, pretentious Ardavians, multiversal aliens, and a young woman being corrupted by aforementioned aliens, you get a lot of time to yourself. A simple reverse-engineering of a sample of Devereaux's digital and physical biological material made it easy enough. Care to let me put it in?"

[Gigaverse]

Hu Wutian's Arc

January 3rd, 2293
Headquarters of the Novaya Russian Army, Novaya Moskva
2202 Hours

General Ivan Volkov anxious watched. Zero's personal army had been wiped out suddenly, after they destroyed the entirety of the Asian Mongolian army. Perhaps the worst - the death of Zero - might have happened.

But he was only getting himself overly preoccupied.

"General Volkov?"

"Oh thank goodness you're not dead!"

"Of course. After all, they call me the man of miracles."

"Zero. Any news of the Asians?"

"All will be good. They're focusing on defense, so their next waves would be nothing the army can't handle. Thus, I have new orders for you."

"Orders? Who do you think you are?"

"General, I must have you reminded that I am the personal advisor to the Czar, and thus, my authorities are higher than yours. If you wanted to ask, my personal army was just a sacrifice for the good of the State - I know."

The General paused. He didn't know the guy was a close advisor. And whoever could speak so confidently after his army was crushed was definitely not normal. But, might as well, abnormality could save Mother Russia, so he trusted the slightly crazy man in black.

"Then give me your orders. ... my Lord."

"A surprise liberation of Vladivostok will be more than helpful. Don't worry, I have forces to spare and help you."

Volkov hesitated. After all, the Ardavians were powerful, and they had held the port and its surrounding areas for a while. Nevertheless, it was Zero's orders.

"Yes, my Lord."

"Good, I knew I can trust you. Make the Motherland proud."

Zero went offline. From there, it was up to the Russians to act.

With an attack of Vladivostok, the war's name might as well be changed to the "North Asian War".

[Gigaverse]

Mao Kongbu

January 1st, 2293
Secured Frenkish Network
1153 Hours

"Yes yes, quickly.", Mao said while yawning.

---

Zero

January 3rd, 2293 LC
Tokyo, Japan
2203 Hours

Zero looked in front of him. Soma gas was beginning to clear, giving him vision of what was happening. But it wasn't like he needed that, he had better fish to fry.

Behind him appeared what seemed like a long pole reaching 4.5 meters. He simply leapt up the pole, to the astonishment of the Frenkish police surrounding him. Then, what looked like hi-tech screens appeared, visible to everybody's view.

Up on the pole, he began his speech, moving his hand naturally while curiously still managed to balance with two feet on the not-so-large pole.

"People of all nations! I am... ZERO! Fear me, or rally behind me as you see fit, for we are the Jikazuya numbers. We stand with those who have no weapons to wield, regardless whether they're Asian, Caucasian or Latin American. The hypocrites of the New Frenco Empire, their allies and adversaries everywhere have always been carrying out their dirty plans without any regards whatsoever to innocent bystanders. Their actions had, at countless times, led to meaningless one-sided massacres, and I cannot tolerate that. Wherever oppressors have abuse their power by attacking those who are powerless, we shall appear. No matter how mighty, or formidable our foe may be! Those of you with power, fear us! Those of you without it, rally behind us! We, the Jikazuyan Army, shall be the ones who stand in judgment of this world! Now, decide your fate; allow yourself to be trampled on, or join us and fight an ultimate war against the malevolent powers that drive this world. BE A PART OF US!"

Zero stopped. He knew what happened, his speech appeared on every television screen of the world in local languages; they couldn't be turned off, so certainly, his followers were many.

Within the next minute, another crowd gathered along with the previous one. They had the spirit, as they were raising their fists furiously in the air.

"YES!!! Death to the fucker Zane! Nippon, Banzai!"

"NIPPON, BANZAI! NIPPON, BANZAI!!!"

The Frenkish police couldn't believe what they saw anymore. Such a large crowd was openly rebelling against the Empire. Could the UDAP actually be competent?

"Now, all male volunteers from 10 to 65 who wants to fight! Stay with me and take up arms!"

"HOORAAAAAH!!!!!!"

Zero jumped down to the crowd hailing him. He first reminded them of what they had to do. After that...

"Order to Hollow Pacific Fleet: complete quarantine of the area running from Taiwan to Sakhalin within the next thirty minutes. Kangei Forces, you are hereby given a go."

Designated Area STAPT
2209 Hours

From the outposts, the Frenkish units checked the waters. But effectively, frontal positions came under massive amounts of missile firepower, from the horizon and the sky. One could say, it was a combined attack from space and sea.

When Frenkish positions started to catch fire, countless ships, planes and multi-terrain tanks began to emerge from the waters. Submarines that rushed to the coasts and turned into bipedal mechs with tridents, aircraft carriers that flew into the air, etc.

The grounds shook violently. Bombs hit military facilities. Non-Frenkish military personnel from within Japan and Taiwan abandoned their cover and amassed by the seconds. Gigantic Transports bringing in armed forces and carrying unarmed people out of the battlefield. In a matter of 10 minutes, there was a sheer number of non-Frenkish military forces.

"... you will hereby accomplish your duties to the Homeland. And now..."

All the previously normal men turned into armed soldiers. Legionaries and soldiers that looked like futuristic Samurais came up to the scene. All of them now wore military masks and handled firearms or light sabers - or both.

Pure chaos summed the attack up quite well.

"I shall repeat myself! Citizens of the world, look at what's happening. Join forces with us, for the greater good of humanity!"

The red Samurais and black Legionaries raised their fists in the air and shouted, intimidating but full of fighting spirits. Zero then jumped to a roof nearby, and watched the Battle of Japan ensued.

Certainly, he did it. The Battle of Japan, to get rid of degenerates, and bring forth a world made anew.

[New Frenco Empire]

Sergeant Mitchell Hampton

January 3rd, 2293
Tokyo, Japan
2315 Hours

"My people! I have just spoken the most honorable Emperor Zane! He had said that one day, a new enemy would arise! An enemy greater than UDAP! Greater than the Russians! Greater than communism! I always just said, 'Derry, you've been reading too much Asimov and playing too many video games.' It seems he was right. Though, this new enemy is unknown. For all we know, this could be UDAP attempting to return us to communist slavery. Could be the Russians, ready to chew us up and spit us out for profits. Hell, could be our quiet Anoctan friend to the South, seeking to spread their Corporatist agenda. Could it be the Koryans? Questions for later, my people!"

Minister Takeshi's calm voice echoed through the large telescreens, located on nearly every street corner. The streets were empty, presumably due to Takeshi's speedy response on the emergency broadcasts. All citizens within a few-mile radius of the attack were to report to the three Frenkish forts in the city. The rest were ordered to remain in their homes or leave the city, if possible. The attack had apparently spread to the rest of the pacific territories, with reports of similar stories in Taiwan and Indochina. Something big was going down. "I have just received word that the FIS Arthur C Clarke has been ordered to investigate the disturbances in orbit. The Arthur C Clarke is an orbital battleship in the Isaac Asimov-class. A Frenkish superweapon that hasn't been put to proper use. Whatever enemies we may face will stare in awe of the might of Imperial Space Force!"

Hampton looked to the left, and to the right. After the normally busy street was deemed clear, he waved forward the other Enforcers. They had been on the move for quite some time, but they were close to reaching their objective. Tokyo was a huge city, and Hampton, being a native Frenk, had some trouble getting around, but he knew where he was going. "Block Two-Eight, coming up." He transmitted. Two-Eight was a large lot. On the surface, it was an abandoned movie set, dating back from the old world. Inside, however, the Enforcer Corps used it as a safehouse. If Hampton and his comrades could get to the safety within, they could get a briefing on the situation. If things were as desperate as they seemed, they could get put on the frontlines. If not, he had no doubt he would assist in an evacuation. As they crossed the street, five N-500 Liberator UAVs soared over the street. "Liberators! Five of 'em! The navy's bringing in the big guns! Hate to be those bastards!" One of the Enforcers said excitedly. Hampton nodded. "Maybe we can see the show later on. C'mon. Keep moving."

[New Frenco Empire]

Chairman Joseph Hightower

January 1st, 2293
Secured Frenkish Network
1153 Hours

Hightower brought the rod near Mao's face. "Hold still," he said as he pressed it on his face. Mao's face seemed to break apart for a mere instant. When the rod was inside, and Hightower's hand away, it rematerialized. "Oh yeah, it's in there." Mao said, expressing the first bit of excitement in his tone since he confronted Hightower. Hightower yawned. "Alright, get out of here. The coordinates of both the supply drop and the landing zone should be in your network storage. If Japan is to be invaded, I need to make preparations..." He turned to the screen. "ALMIA," he said, signaling the Empire's most advanced AI program.

Within an instant, she appeared. She was a sight, indeed. Almy always took the gender of a female. She appeared as some hybrid of human and digital being. Her basic shape and appearance was that of a human, although her skin was a glowing violet-blue. Her body was perfect by many standards. Tall, curvy. Her avatar was naked, though her skin glowed too brightly to notice at a distance. Her face was a near-perfect representation of most Frenkish women. A pretty one, with large eyes. Her hair was smooth, but constantly flying about, as though it were in a wind tunnel. "Almy, I need exact statistics on Japan's military strength. I'll also need to speak to Takeshi as soon as possible." Hightower turned to see Mao was still there. "Anything else, or...?"

[Gigaverse]

Zero

January 3rd, 2293 LC
Tokyo, Japan
2319 Hours

As Hampton was almost done crossing the streets, he suddenly heard a massive explosion, away from where he and his comrades were.

"THE FUCK? WHAT WAS THAT?", one of the men spoke.

"Could it be the Liberators from just now?"

"Hold on right there, buddies."

They looked behind them. Several Rangers with darker armors and men clad in red armors held them at gunpoint.

"You're not going anywhere, pal. Thugs like you have physical capabilities to serve the Empire."

"Then who do you think we're serving?"

"Not that Empire."

Hampton started, then looked at the direction where the riot was. Faraway, standing on top of the pole, he could feel it. The shadowy masked figure was looking at him. Or maybe, the whole city...

"Zero, did you pick up Takeshi's news feed?", a voice asked Zero through contact links.

"Yes. Stupidest move Hightower made was to declare just which of his weapons will show up. Well, we'll adjust. Within the next 15 minutes, veterans will show up to thrash them. BUT! We must not lose our vigilance, and thus, it's best that we find a way to get around things like Big Brothers or Death Eaters."

"And the Psionic Pacifier?"

"Full deployment within 3 minutes."

Zero then looked up. Up in the night sky, a new squadron arrived. Flight-enabled mechs.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Commander, the carrier has been very busy."

"Your excuse is acceptable, Murakami."

"Say... we might as well pull this up as a full-scale assault. Why aren't you driving your Gigamech, Commander?"

"Unless I'm absolutely worn out and both the Lioness and the Four Winds showed up all at once, then no, I'll hold it on my own... Oh, the Pacifier is ready. But maybe, this is not the time yet. I'll save it and enjoy myself a little. Perhaps you should do so too, Taku."

"Shouldn't we all?", Murakami chuckled. He and his squadron then flew away. Zero immediately resumed with the human-sized chess game he was playing.

"Helicoplane 2293-AH1, Shinkou Mini-Missiles at the Fleet to your right. Ordnung Cannon CODE6-84 and all subordinates, bombard the position Northwest to your position. Call Team 731, disable all Frenkish energy supplies and communication lines within the area."

Zero then took of the mask-helmet he was wearing, revealing himself to be a neck-length blond-haired male. Sakahara Keiji.

Alright, Hightower, if this is the chess game you and Zane desperately and passionately wanted to play, I'll give you one. His face changed from somewhat satisfactory to outright evil, as he gave a long psychotic laugh at the sight of exploding Frenkish military forces that had yet to actually put up a fight.

[New Frenco Empire]

Sergeant Mitchell Hampton

January 3rd, 2293
Tokyo, Japan
2324 Hours

The four Enforcers stared down the dozen or so Hollows that moved to greet them. Most looked like some odd combination of samurai and Frenkish Vanguard, while the others were decked in what appeared to be a darker variant of Ranger patrol armor. "Go on, drop those guns right there, pals!" One of the Ranger-likes said, in English so broken it was hardly recognizable. If he weren't staring down a group of people who would kill him, Hampton felt he could laugh at it. Hampton analyzed the situation a bit. More mechs were literally dropping from the sky all around the city. He was being harassed by a group of soldiers who outnumbered them three-to-one.

What did they have? There were four of them. He was unsure, but their power armor looked like it could take more hits than the Ranger armor or the Samurai power armor. They all four had miniguns, while their foes had varying weapons. They could spit 10 mils all over the group, though, the 3 second spin-up on their weapons would alert the Hollows before he could. Could they take them? Hampton doubted it. He just had to hope for the best...

Suddenly, one of the nearby flying mechs exploded into an orb of red and orange. A Frenkish A-62 Eagle flew right through the fire, clearly indicating that it was the one who did the deed. The Hollows, if only for an instant, turned their heads (just a little) to witness the destruction right above them. This gave Hampton and the others the chance they needed. Hampton spun his weapon, and aimed it towards the Hollows. The opportunity was limited indeed, as the Hollows managed to dive for cover just as Hampton fired off his first volley of bullets. They returned fire from behind the jetcars and walls they were covered behind. "We need to go!" Hampton yelled to his group. He didn't want to risk alerting the rest of the Hollows. Even though they were outnumbered by the Hollows, they weren't outgunned. The Vindication 10mm was used individually to provide fire support to entire squads of soldiers. The platoon of Hollows were on the receiving end of not just one, but four of them. They were extremely suppressed.

They took the chance to move to another alley. Hampton threw a few tear gas grenades to cover his escape. The Hollows probably had masks, but the smoke would at least conceal them partially. Hopefully.

[Ardavia]

January 3rd 2293
Above Tokyo, Japan
0032 Hours

Lieutenant Enrique Vasquez, Imperial Airborne Infantry

"BOO-YAH, MOTHERFUCKERS". Vasquez yelled into the microphone, broadcasting it all over the city, then flicked his thumb and dropped four FAE-45 thermobaric bombs against the rioting hordes. They had full permission to broadcast anything in any frequency they could, for propaganda and fear-mongering. "THE CAVALRY HAVE ARRIVED, FUCKERS" his wingman yelled, dropping a pair of AGM-6T Battleaxe missiles against a mech. The fireball lit up the night sky as Vasquez blasted past, yelling "TAKE THAT ASSHOLES" as he dropped another pair of FAE-45's on a concentration of mechs and rioters.

Nearby, another MiG-90 was broadcasting a popular song, the pilot dropping dozens of small grenades from his internal weapons bays. They would cover the city in a cloud of artificial fog. He hoped that the Frenkish Enforcers out there had air filters, because an hour in that fog would have you ripping your lungs apart fighting for air. It was way too lethal for use against civilians, normally, but it had been approved now.

Vasquez rolled left, narrowly flying by a skyscraper, then dropped his last two FAE-45's and released a pair of AGM-6T's against a flying mech. He pitched up and soon left the city behind, reaching 5 kilometers of altitude in less than a minute. He'd wait for the rest of Eagle Wing, then they'd leave the area and rearm for a second strike. They'd be back in less than 30 minutes for a second strike. Then an impact shook his entire plane and he looked, shocked, to the left. A dropping mech just rolled off his wing, after making a severe dent in it, and the plane shook as the air ripped at the hole.

As Vasquez watched, the metal peeled off and soon his wing had a gaping hole in it. Then he realized what was going to happen, and panicked, trying to bring it downwards and land somewhere safe. The plane rolled over, then started diving towards the city. As he crossed the clouds, Vasquez managed to turn his plane upright and slow his descent, then flipped up a glass cover and pushed a button. With a hiss, the entire seat left the plane and he saw it plummet into a rioting horde, killing dozens, if not hundreds.

The parachute slowed his descent, but he soon landed on the street. He didn't have time to strap up and leave the seat before the rioters were on him, literally ripping him to pieces with their bare hands. Vasquez screamed as they gouged his eyes out and ripped the flesh off his bones. Then he ceased screaming, because he had died of the massive bloodloss and sheer pain.

[Gigaverse]

Zero

January 3rd, 2293 LC
Tokyo, Japan
2330 Hours

From the red orb, the mech flew out, with scratches on its frame. Within the next seconds, thevjet didn't get a chance to shoot a second time - it was then cut to pieces by the mech's gigantic long blade.

"What was that?"

One of the four men spoke within the smoke. The next second, shots were fired, and he was quickly reduced to but a bloody pile of red meat. The remaining three looked to see the troops from earlier approaching them, as one of the Ranger-likes spoke in clear English:

"Bad luck trying to test whose gun is better, aye punk? Raise those hands in the air!"

And to give them more psychological hits, the guy demonstrated his firepower on a nearby wall. It didn't take too many seconds for him to make a hole to fit four burly men in perfectly.

"Take away their weapons, neutralize them and escort them all to the transport. The pile of meat there is... collateral damage."

Meanwhile, Zero/Sakahara looked down the misty city. It was covered in gas, but thanks to his senses, he could literally feel what was happening down there.

"Transmission Jamming Field established. All enemy communication system will now be disabled; the same goes for power lines."

"Good. All Peacemakers and Bounders will form a safeguarding ring around the area and megacities to secure them. Destroy all enemies on sight. All ground units, deploy your weapons and turrets, stay on alert for approaching strangers. All Bergens and Helicoplanes are to shoot down enemy planes upon their appearance. Helicoplanes, make a second group and bomb all military facilities with extreme prejudice. Ground units, divide into two groups: one stay to help the other forces, one will evacuate the locals to our transports - by force if necessary, but not too forceful."

"Zero-sama, KKGK Yabuki Kentarou has arrived along with its fleet, awaiting orders, Sir."

Sakahara smirked, and put his mask back on.

Well then, let the game begin. Alea iacta est, mein Freund Hightower.

[New Frenco Empire]

Sergeant Mitchell Hampton

January 4th, 2293
Unknown; Tokyo, Japan
0619 Hours

Hampton awoke to the loud cranking of mechanical arms. He took a tired glance at his surroundings. He was pent up on a wall in a dark room. This room, however, looped around into one huge circle. All along the circle, dozens of men and women were pent up, just like him. Though, to his left, the spots were open, except for one next to him. Right to his left, a huge spidery arm was reaching toward one of the restrained men. In the center of the claw, a needle protruded. It was long, and extremely thin. The man was staring at it, wide-eyed. "No! No! No!" It was too late, however. The needle jabbed into his skull, and he was silenced. Hampton heard laughing, and he turned to see a few patrolling Hollows laughing at the man's unfortunate end.

Suddenly, more thin claws surrounded the area around the lobotomized man. "Shell ready," a robotic voice said as the claws began grabbing him. After a few moments, the man was covered in a suit of metal armor, the shell literally fusing to the skin. Another claw grabbed the side of the armor, and seemed to flip the switch. Suddenly, the man erupted into tense movement. "KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!" He kept saying loudly. "Drone ready," the voice said. The area around the restrained and armored man closed into a tight pod. The pod suddenly shot upwards into the air, through a hole that recently opened in the ceiling. "Another one of them Frenkish punk pals working for us!" Sung a familiar voice, in broken, yet legible English. Not that guy. Hampton looked to the nearest Hollow. "You son of a bitch, I'll get out of this contraption and stomp your fucking head in!" Hampton yelled in anger. "Ooh, what's the matter, Mister Frenco? You about to be our son of a gun!" He said mockingly. The claws began to close in around Hampton. Damn. Is this the end?

The needle protruded, and positioned itself near the center of his forehead. Just before it could stab in, a few explosions were heard in the distance. "What was that?" One of the Hollows asked worryingly. "This war's been going on all night. Get on with the scrambling! I've wanted this motherfucker droned since he shot at me!" Replied the snarky one. Just then, the door to the room exploded open, letting in a bright light. Hampton was blinded for a moment. He could only hear what was going on. "Shoot the arm! Quickly!" Yelled a stern Frenkish voice. Gunfire echoed throughout the room, and he could hear the Hollows closest to him go down. Just as Hampton came to, he saw sunshine pour in from the destroyed doorway. He saw the few Hollows guarding the chamber dead on the floor. As a sight for sore eyes, he also saw multiple soldiers from the Frenkish Imperial Army Corps breach the chamber. "Get these people down! Medical VTOL should be on it's way! Any of them still able?" The stern soldier (presumably an NCO) yelled at his troops. One of them approached Hampton. "Yeah, this one's awake in well." She said in a distinct World City accent. "Get him down, Lowski!" The NCO replied. "You ok, soldier?" She asked, as she used the butt of her rifle to beat out the restraints. After a moment of banging, he fell from the wall. "I got ya!" She strained, as he fell right on her. She straightened him out just as the NCO walked up to him. "Lucky we got to you when we did. The bastards have places like this scattered through the city. Sergeant First Class Alexander Mont, Army Corps, Thirteenth Regiment, Noble Company." Hampton saluted. "Sergeant Mitchell Hampton. Enforcer Corps. Precinct Number Nine. Group Two. What's going on?"

Mont sighed. "It's been hell. Entire parts of the city have fallen to invasion or mobs. Communications are cut. The best we can do is send out our fastest boys and girls on shortswords. Or their own feet. The city's collapsed in some places. We got some short-range radio, but those channels are clogged to hell. And these...places. Noble's been ordered to find as many of these places as we can and shut 'em down. Did you witness anybody go through the sickening droning process?" Hampton nodded as the memories of the man came back to him. "It's terrible. These Hollows are ordered to take as many of us alive as possible, pacify us, bring us back to these centers, go through a brain-scrambling lobotomy, give us arms and armor, and, while in a slave-like drone state, kill our own people. Those drone pods show up all over the city. In fa-" Mont was suddenly interrupted by the coughing of a downed Hollow. Him. Lowski raised her rifle to finish him off, but Hampton stopped her. "May I?" The soldier nodded, and pulled her SIG Sauer 12.7mm from her holster. Hampton took it, and aimed at him. He then flipped the pistol so he was grabbing the barrel, with the grip facing him. Hampton dove down on him, pistol whipping his exposed head. "How does it feel, buddy? You like cruel death, pal?" By the time he stopped, the grip was soaked with blood, and the Hollow's brain matter was exposed.

He handed the pistol back to her, but she declined. "Uhh...you go ahead and keep that." She said nervously, Hampton shrugged, and put it on his side. He then realized he wasn't wearing anything, aside from the underarmor. "You seem well," Mont said. "Think you could join us? We keep losing heads, and we can't get reinforcements. I think Walters bought it when we assaulted this position. He was a big guy. You may have to wear a dead man's armor, but it's better than nothing?" Hampton nodded, and walked outside. "Oh! Almost forgot!" Mont said, chasing him. He pulled out a tiny single-shot .22 pistol. "Ordnance issued them after we figured out their tactics. Just in case the Hollows overpower us, save that for yourself."

[Gigaverse]

Zero

January 4th, 2293 LC
Drone Center
0625 Hours

The Frenkish company quickly escaped the droning room. Soon enough, ahead of them, Hollow numbers were crowding up the hallway, all of them the Ranger-like types.

"Prepare to fire!"

"All of you, HALT AT ONCE!"

A familiar voice echoed through the hallway. They all looked for the source. Up on a pole, Zero was balancing himself, looking down upon the Hollows. Though a mask was covering his face, one could tell from his voice: he was angry.

The Hollows bowed. Zero jumped down, gracefully and skillfully between the two sides, then he stood up.

"Who authorized this facility?"

The Hollows looked between themselves.

"... no one, Zero-sama. We were only having our fun. Besides, we thought that increasing our fighting numbers was a good thing..."

"Then let me be more specific with my orders: secure civilians and bring them to safety. This facility is only deployed in case a large number of Frenkish military personnel became prisoners and we are otherwise short in numbers. And I remember ordering this to be the last option for conscription. Get that in your head, go and restore any civilians turned drones. I'll think of a punishment for defiant numbers later. Spread this to all other active facilities, and quickly disband all facilities."

The soldiers all shuddered. They knew exactly who they were dealing with, so it was right of them to be afraid. Nevertheless, carrying out his orders was more important...

As the Hollows retreated, the Frenkish were dumb-founded. Zero looked to their direction.

"Wait, you are..."

Hampton said, pointing his gun at the black figure. Zero turned, the red visor of his mask-helmet became visible.

"No need to antagonize me, you'd regret it.", Zero said, his English flawlessly clear, "Perhaps you'd be more comfortable with my mask off?"

That said, Zero removed his mask-helmet. His features were rather Aryan-esque: blond hair, cyan eyes, but a stern face. The face of both a strategist and martial artist, with crosses of playboy millionaire and handsome lecher types. His somewhat snake-resembling eyes were not those of a naive, sinless person; one could tell.

"Feel free to ask your questions within the next five minutes.", he said, giving them a confident but trustworthy smile.

[New Frenco Empire]

RETCON

[Gigaverse]

General Luke Sonwells

January 4th, 2293 LC
Orbit above Japan; KKGK Yabuki Kentarou, Rito Legion
0211 Hours

"Sir, 'Arthur C Clarke' is within our detonation zone. Are we authorized to..."

"Go ahead."

"All units, stand clear of the area in the vicinity of enemy target; prepare to detonate in 3... 2... 1..."

In the middle of space, there was a violent, void-tearing explosion. The effects of the bomb had the ball of blaze clearing away quickly enough for the enemy target to become visible again after only a few seconds.

"Missed it by that much... the ship's not completely destroyed yet. ALL UNITS, PREPARE TO FIRE! ATTACK WITH FULL FORCE! DESTROY THE CRAFT!"

Once the General's orders were clear, all mechs, spacecraft and helicoplanes sprayed whatever they had to offer: missiles, laser, Shredder rounds... All hell broke loose, as if space was shaking with chaos.

In his conscience, the General pitied whoever was on the craft. Still, it was his God-given mission to put it down for good, thus, he would do what it takes to wipe it out, off the orbit above the Japanese Archipelago.

[New Frenco Empire]

RETCON

[Gigaverse]

Elizabeth Devereaux

January 2nd, 2293 LC
Anarchist Africa
0827 Hours

"Can I sleep with these people?", the words slipped out of Elizabeth's mouth.

Wait, that isn't what I was attempting to say! What am I thinking? She thought. Right at that moment, she felt too awkward to say anything else.

"Ooh, you're interested?", Samantha playfully asked.

"If that's all there is to talk about, then fine enough."

Devereaux just stood there. She felt her jaws could drop any moment. Well, all things decided then, perhaps K was still mad after all.

"Hmm. A message. I wonder who could be bothered to send me one.", Sakahara murmured as he turned his Lifewave screen on.

Suddenly, his face changed from casual, to shocked, to immensely angry within the next few seconds.

"K? What's happening?", Devereaux worryingly asked.

"It's you...", Keiji said, looking into the sky from Elizabeth's point of view, totally ignoring her question.

"Why won't you just crawl back to that shithole where you came from and wait for the Inquisitio to come?!", he asked furiously.

He remained silent and still angry for the next seconds, before he started, stepping back, his face clearly terrified.

"But... how? I did it so..."

He fell to the ground, traumatized. His face was no longer clear, darkened and covered by hair. Elizabeth approached him as he slammed his fist onto the soil.

"What's going on, K-"

"SO BE IT!"

He stood up as quickly as he fell. His face was purple with anger, eyes flashing with rage, while his fists look like they could punch the burly Archambault to his death. At that point, things were certainly no longer a joke.

"THE CITY IS UNDER ATTACK! ALL OF YOU, MOVE OUT! ANYONE SLOWING THE PACE DOWN WILL FIND THEMSELVES LITERALLY FLYING TO THE MOON!! CURRENT MISSION, ABORTED!!!", he commanded all of them and the Legionaries. Then, he turned away, his steps pounded on the soil with much force.

Devereaux had no idea what was going on. Nevertheless, it was time she followed the leader to see what could've gotten him to change mood so quickly.

[New Frenco Empire]

RETCON

[Gigaverse]

Mao Kongbu

January 2nd, 2293 LC
Hollow Africa
0830 Hours

Mao yawned. Certainly, it has become his signature move of sorts. He, suited in power armor, was bored enough to treat the databoy like his toy.

"So let me get this straight, sir... You're..."

"Captain Michael Cho, Imperial Intelligence Agency.", Mao said, all while looking back and forth at the databoy like a little boy given a new stuff to mess with.

"And Emperor Zane authorized you to do all this? Sacking Anarchist Africa - for apparently no good reason at all?"

"Believe me, soldiers, the Emperor always have good reasons for things like these. Whatever's in there is of extraordinary values.", Mao replied, having stopped looking at the databoy and gave the other man a smirk.

The other guy - John Goodall - knew nothing but to shrug, close his eyes while frowning, and walked away from the strangest captain he had ever met during his career. It's not like you get to meet an Asiatic guy with odd long-ish silvery-white hair everyday.

"Yes, Izanami-xiaojie, I'm coming for ya...", Mao said excitedly, licking his lips.

Sakahara Keiji

January 2nd, 2293 LC
Hollow Africa
0831 Hours

The jeep sped as quickly as it could. Sakahara was driving. And surely, everyone else almost felt like they were going to be ejected from their seats any moment. Meimei even had to hold onto Murakami to hold her petite frame from flying far away from the vehicle.

"Keiji, what's this all of a sudden?"

"DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THE DIRE SITUATION WE'RE FACING HERE?! THE BASE IS UNDER ATTACK, OF COURSE I HAVE TO BE WORRIED!!!"

"But you seemed like you were confident about base defenses at least a while ago..."

The driver started. He quickly returned to frowning, and focused again on driving.

"... you know what? Just leave it until we get there."

Suddenly, the jeep and truck convoy behind them came under fire. Two of the trucks carrying the legionnaires exploded, while the jeep had to maneuver its way through enemy firepower. The sheer power used in turning almost flung everyone except Sakahara from their seats.

After that first bit, the vehicles stopped, along with the hostile shooting. Everyone got down from their vehicles, along with truck drivers and legionaries. On the other side, bipedal mechs and enemy infantries faced them. Devereaux recognized those - they were Frenkish soldiers. Indeed they were. And up in a rather more customized mechs, sat a soldier with no helmet. The man seemed strange, perhaps a Frenkish-Asian, who sported, on top of all, long silvery-white hair.

He stepped down from the mech, and started approaching the party. Devereaux could notice Sakahara, his expression meant he was below contempt for whoever the white-haired one was. A few seconds later, Sakahara himself began moving towards the Asiatic guy.

"Ah, Weishen, so good to see-"

Before he could finish his sentence, he was literally thrown backwards, landing and sliding back almost to where he came from. He was punched by the blond one.

"What? Captain-"

"Leave it, soldier.", he said to his subordinate, spitting his blood out. His face seemed to be distorted by the sheer force of the punch given to him. He stood up, wiping off the dirt a bit, before approaching yet again.

"No need to be so mad, Weishen; your conduct might just have a say in what will happen to Shengxian."

Sakahara started, his right foot stepping back. Then, he grimaced, sighed, and proceeded to actually talk:

"So what does an Extremist like you want for an exchange?"

"Well, I'm but an Independent Activist and Mercenary. My actions could put all things in a totally new, likable order; but hey, who am I to say so, huh? But, after all, you're... Weishen, False God. It's simple... surrender the whole galaxy to Hightower, as a starter?"

A second later, a pistol was right at his nose. Keiji's index finger implied that he would be very happy to pull the trigger at that moment.

"You say one more word, Mao, and I'll make sure the barrel of this gun would shut you up for good. I will tighten the law of things that happen around here to ensure dirt like you gets no place in the Tengoku."

"Not that I need one, anyway...", Mao held the gun and Sakahara's hand down, "The so-called Tianguo, ruled by two False Gods and a council of twenty more? Oh please, I'd do everything in my power to ensure that you'd be kneeling to the one true Goddess."

Sakahara clenched his teeth and gave an angry look. He managed to pull himself together and gave the calmest conversation he could:

"I don't remember ever calling myself a God."

"Oh, but the many shrines dedicated to Izanagi? WHAT ABOUT THAT?", Mao raised his eyebrow.

"Freedom of religion, as with Christianity and Buddhism."

"I shall return to the main issue, Weishen: give Hightower control of the whole galaxy."

"You are working for HIM now???"

"Just give me an answer, or else..."

Mao slowly walked away from Keiji, raising his databoy. The footage of a rather familiar figure; bound, gagged and blindfolded, was on the screen.

"YOUKO!!!", Keiji dashed to the databoy, his eyes flashing with rage. But it was already too late; Mao was again safe inside the cover of his mech. K was now in front of everyone's view, his face turned to Mao's.

Devereaux, in the rear, understood everything once Sakahara gave his desperate scream: Youko was kidnapped and turned a political hostage.

"Screw the one with blond hair.", Mao ordered his lots. Once again, the firing resumed, and fighting broke out between both sides.

Devereaux and the party took cover from all the enemy attacks, behind the remaining trucks. They knew such a cover wouldn't last long, because the number of trucks, though reasonable, wasn't limitless. Then, she noticed. Sakahara didn't even bother to retreat along with them. He stayed where he was, in the same position as he stood.

"We've gotta do someth-", Elizabeth told the party, standing up a bit. But Murakami managed to stop her, his palm on her shoulder, holding her back.

"No, Eliza, he'll be fine on his own. Leave him be; if he was in his right mind, he'd tell us to worry about ourselves right now, which we should."

"I think we should face them with our full firepower, right, Archambault?", Ragtag Robbie said, assembling his shotgun.

"This I shall give them, for the sake of our Commander.", Archambault replied, all while generating his trusty Shredder Gun.

"Well, I'm sorry, boys; but I'll just start going commando from here - you know, fighting in the desert requires agility.", Samantha said, dissolving her armor to reveal her curvy, sporty frame; all while wearing sleeveless shirt and shorts - revealing her rather long legs. Hidden down her sneakers were a pair of two pistols, which she grabbed to prepare for combat.

"I'll just stick to this, then.", Meimei innocently remarked while grasping her disturbing syringe-machine-gun.

"Troops from both sides are flooding to this part of Africa, I've heard. We're about to have both reinforcements and company, depending on how scary the situation is. I suppose all we could do now is..."

"Attack.", Samantha finished Murakami's sentence, squeezing her pistols' triggers a bit.

They were all ready to come out to their shocked commander, stuck in the middle of the line of fire.

[Ardavia]

For the suits

1 is a marauder suit, the standard type
2 is a scout suit, fast and agile
3 is a stalker suit, pretty fast and powerful
4 is a command suit, heavy, fast and powerful

January 2nd 2293
The exosphere, aboard the S/S Alvin York
0930 Hours

Imperial Shock Infantry Corporal Sheila Rodgers

The York was slowly floating through space, loaded with the Shock Infantry who were paradropping. For this mission, they had been fitted with heavy Minuteman grade power armor, which was rarely, if ever, used because of the sheer destructive power. The suit itself was a thousand kilograms of weight and was extremely expensive, but the ability to drop out dozens of bombs from the Y-frame on the back to either side while advancing at tremendous speed was insurmountably valuable in these shock and awe ops.

In addition, each and every one of these 54 Shock Infantrymen carried a nuclear catapult. They'd be going in, cause chaos and destruction, retreat and pull out. With the assistance of the Minuteman's small rocket engine, they could travel up to 50 kilometers in mere minutes. The dropships would meet them, pull out and they'd be gone before the enemy even reacted to their presence. Corporal Rodgers chuckled inside her helmet, then slid a rocket into the catapult. She had 36 small atomic charges stuffed into the Y-frame loader and she'd be taking down an entire block by herself. She loved these missions, as it was the only time she got to use the Minuteman.

According to readings, the enemy military presence in the area was concentrated somewhere to the north and they should encounter minimal resistance. Not that nothing short of a tank shell could beat the Minuteman, and she could rip a tank apart with her hands with it on. Rodgers laughed out loud, getting her some weird looks from the others, and then the capsules slid into view, preparing to fire into the barrels. She climbed into hers, as the platoon corporal she went first, and felt the shock as it slid into the mechanism like an assault rifle cartridge.

Then the second shock came and Rodgers felt herself being in freefall. In two minutes, the third layer would have burned off like the two first would and she'd be landing in her suit. On this mission, no scout or stalker suits were coming, only command and marauder suits. Rodgers saw the second layer burn off and scatter into a thousand pieces of metal, creating a ton of radar echos that each looked like a soldier coming in to anyone watching, then saw the light through the transparent part of the third layer. Outside, the sun above Africa glared down from the sky.

Then the third layer scattered into the sky and Rodgers was in freefall inside her suit. 250 meters above the ground, she slowed her descent with the detachable landing rockets, touching down with a silent "thump" and a "clang" as the rockets fell to the ground. Around her, dozens of her comrades were landing. She ordered the suit to turn on the Y-frame and jumped forward, landing a few hundred metres ahead inside the city block and throwing two bombs to either side, then raised the catapult and fired.

Ahead, a large building collapsed and she heard the two buildings on either side collapse too. Soon, the enemy would be reacting, but until then, they'd continue wreaking havoc. Rodgers reloaded the catapult, then jumped yet again and saw two more buildings explode with nuclear blasts to her sides as she landed. She fired another shot at a skyscraper, then jumped around again, this time heading for an un-destroyed area, laughing all the while. She fired her third rocket at another skyscraper, then ordered the suit to fire all the Y-frame bombs while she ran forward along a long boulevard. Rodgers laughed like a maniac as she saw Hollows ripped to shreds by her bombs and the collapsing building, then saw a large group of them on the other end of the boulevard, trying to escape the destruction. She fired her fourth and last rocket at the civilians and laughed at the bloodbath, then turned around and ran.

Once outside the city, she took out a bearing and ran towards the pickup site, soon joining in with the other marauders. They'd be on their tails soon, and she didn't doubt that the Hollows had weapons good enough and vehicles fast enough to catch them, which was why she hoped that the second platoon had followed their orders and conserved their rockets. They had left no insignia and couldn't be identified even if captured, but if the Hollows found out who they were, they had standing orders to tell them that Raven says "Thanks for the massacre of my citizens three years ago, oh, and karma's a bitch, right?" before committing suicide with the neurotoxin pill embedded in their tooth.

[New Frenco Empire]

RETCON

[New Frenco Empire]

Sofia Carson

January 5th, 2293
Perth City; New Cintra
1400 Hours

The streets of Perth City were filthy, even for one so situated with the Outlands. Carson could smell the degenerates she caught walking down the street. She could definitely see them eyeing her as a piece of meat. She was probably the only person on in these slums that wasn't riddled with easily-cured STDs and didn't look like the dogs the people lived alongside. Quite the opposite. The whole femme-fatale thing was good with, say, foreign politicians and businessmen in gated communities. Not on bums and crack-cocaine addicts in rat-infested slums with a radiation leak. Three men, and what could have been, a woman had attempted to assault and rape her in the many back alleys she took in search for her contact. Needless to say, all four will soon be considered "missing persons" by the state. Plasma was one hell of a weapon.

She passed by the concrete ruins of what was more than likely a government office of the old world. Against one of the cracked walls, two men in raggedy clothing were leaning. "Oy toots!" The bigger, hairier man yelled to her. "I 'adn't 'ad a warsh in a week! Wanna smell this johnson?" The man burst out laughing, his scrawny pal sitting there, expressionless. Well. Back home, it was considered a bad idea to harass an individual in formal wear. They may be a trained IIA assassin. She approached him. "Oh...what was that about Johnson? I knew a man named Johnson once. He was attractive, but always had money troubles." She said, as girlish and naive as ever. Gotcha. The man smiled. "Agent Carson..." The man said, his accent changing from the thick, Rosevarian-like one most people living in Australia had to a typical North Frenkish one. "Y'know, I told the spooks that I would be in the slums, not the suburbs for this one. Dressed like you are now, it's a miracle these degenerates hadn't done with they did to all their women. Stripped ya down, nothing but tits, ass, and muff, went to town on ya, and left ya to rot in a ditch, heroin needles and HIV-plagued semen all over ya." Carson shook her head. "Always the charmer, aren't you Isaiah? Who's the friend?" The man looked at his companion. "That's Percy."

The skinny man, Percy, nodded to Carson. "Agent Percy Goodaker. Before you ask, I'm not exactly like you or Agent Baines." Sofia frowned in confusion. "Sure, you're kinda bony, but I never assumed..." He cut her off. "It doesn't matter. You may want to talk to Baines." Before she could say anything else, he quickly started walking away, fingering away at his hidden databoy. She was still looking back at him when Isaiah approached her. "What's his problem?" She asked, half-confused and half-angry. Baines sighed. "I, and don't call me crazy...I think the man may be XCOM." The word made her clench a bit. "What? XCOM isn't real. Silly rumors spread by the populace!" She whispered, careful that Goodaker couldn't hear. She didn't believe herself. The rumors of an IIA office dedicated solely to combating xenomorphic invaders and reverse-engineering extraterrestrial tech had spread even through the upper echelons of the IIA. She didn't know if she should or shouldn't believe in them herself. "Well, I took an over-the-shoulder peak at his databoy. I'm pretty sure he knew it, since the glance I had was only an instant before the screen changed, but it was all I needed." Suddenly, Goodaker's calm, yet resilient voice echoed through a nearby alley. "Carson. Baines. Coming?" Baines shook his head. "Well, shit. Let's talk about this later." Isaiah hoofed it over to Goodaker, and Carson did the same.

Just the other day, I was enjoying a happy, simple life. A civilian personae as a schoolteacher. Then the IIA calls me back, sends me to the shithole country of New Cintra, just to be greeted by some creepy dude who could be studying aliens? Life was always known for it's sharp turns, I suppose.

[Gigaverse]

Kyler Kingston, Captive of the Hollow Ones

January 1st, 2293 LC
Unknown Location
1830 Hours

Kingston woke up from a sleep. How he remembered it, he was no longer restrained after the meal. But the room didn't exactly have anything else other than the plates, forks and restraining platform. And the mad doctor's kit. And the boring monochrome TV. Kingston thought about ways of getting out, but he didn't know what the Hollows could have prepared for him behind that door - the way to his escape. Just thinking of the possible scenarios got him tired, so he fell into a brief sleep.

He was, nevertheless, awaken then. He continued to think of ways of escaping when another mysterious cloaked figure entered the room. His cloak was much more glamorous, signifying him to be someone with great impact on the Hollow Ones.

"Kingston. So this is how you truly look like."

"Who are you?"

"They call me the Puppet Master. Cultists call me Genesis, Yevedis or Nle. My People call me the Tennou. And friends I once had used to call me Minamoto Hideki. Few know the last one.

... you seem confused as to why I'd tell my true name to you. I believe you can very well tell that yourself."

"Cultists?"

"I am the Chaos God representing Humanity, Slavery and Youth."

The way he casually told Kingston so with a monotone made Kingston shudder.

"There are no Gods. If there are, they're Tyrants. You're a tyrannical megalomaniac madman."

"You're right. I am. Truly I am."

The stout man was a bit shocked by the confirmation.

"The ex-schoolboy that let the Salvation and Evolution of Man to take place. I hold no pride in my methods or titles, but if I didn't do so, Humanity would be an ancient relic, toyed with by the likes of hostile monsters.

My mentality when I massacred people here and there on this version of Earth serves the sole end goal: a Utopia for all Mankind, to live in Prosperity.

Kingston, you are among the chosen few, whose destiny is to enlighten this planet and its people. This Galaxy is not lonely, I warn you."

"Enlighten Humanity? Such a grand task... why me?"

"You have the ties, the qualities, and the muscles. Which will serve well in the defense of your Homeworld in the long-lasting war that is to be raged..."

"A war? Against who?"

"I will tell you more. That is your mission. You are now in Africa. This is where you start. Earn our trust with all honesty, and have faith, Kingston..."

The figure disappeared in a glow of blue and green lights. Kingston was now riddled with questions in his head, first and foremost of all: does God really exist?

[Dictatura of Ork]

Warrant Officer Mormor Mormorkus

January 3rd, 2293
North American Outlands, Frenco Empire
0945 Hours

The Scout Pod shook violently, as it flowed unsteadily within the psychic realms. It signified something - a Chaos stain, a sign from Mork, or easily, the natural occurrence that is malfunctioning.

"Sergeant! What the hell is happening to our Pod!?", Mormorkus yelled, his eyes still blindfolded to prevent Chaos corruption.

"Working on it!", the Sergeant yelled back.

Each moment passed, and the violent shaking of the ship had not yet stop.

"DO YOU NEED ME TO FIX IT FO' YA?!?", Mormorkus asked, anger filling his tone.

"NO, DICKHEAD! YOU'LL BE CORRUPTED BY CHAOS!"

"FUCK CHAOS, I WANT MAH SHIP REPAIRED!!!", Mormorkus said, putting his hand on the blindfold.

"NO, FUCK YOU!!!"

The Sergeant dropped the ship's control...

... next moment, Mormorkus was awaken. His eyes could see, and what he saw certainly wasn't Chaos. It was deserted land. He looked around. On the ground, his Pod was burning.

"MY SHIP!"

He rushed to the Pod. All he could salvage was no more than weapons, a few metal plates and a Squig containment unit.

He searched for the corpse of the Sergeant Weirdboy, and found it, when parts of it had been reduced to burning cinders. He threw the corpse on the ground and kicked it.

"FUCK YOU, MOTHER-FUCKING SON OF A FUCKING BITCH!!!"

When the corpse began to utter some noises, he shot it.

"THAT'S FOR FUCKING RUINING MY BEAUTIFUL FUCKING POD!!!"

He then collected the stuffs, and got going.

As he walked, he spotted another Ork. Red and large. He opened a four-way syringe, and ran to that thing.

The syringe was stuck in the red Ork's neck. The Ork tried to retrieve and dispose of it, but the syringe refused to let go. As the substance inside was pumped into it, the giant roared in pain. It fell, lying prone.

"Welcome to civilization, barbarian."

Suddenly, he noticed the presence of something else. A supposedly stray young human girl, looking at him terror.

"Oh! What's this? SEX MEAT!"

"Huh?"

What little rag on the girl was torn off. It all happened so quick, she could barely resist.

"NO! PLEASE, I BEG YOU, SPARE ME!"

"I like humies begging to be spared, even resist... IT MAKES THE MOMENT ORK EMBRYOS GROW IN YOUR WOMB EVEN MORE JOYOUS!"

"PLEASE...!!!"

"SHUT UP, BITCH!"

... the joy of victory, as he poured a thick substance the girl had never known before into her. A chain of Mormorkus' days on the Human Homeworld had only just begun...