Angels

On November 8th, 1920, two years after the bloody massacre of the Red Square, The American Empire declared war on the Tsardom of Russia. America, with its vast, ever-growing networks of conquered vassal states, pushed forward in a three-pronged invasion through towards Leningrad, Moscow and Ukraine. Germany, along with France, pressed the advance in a swift motion that made quick work of the poorly defended Russian positions.

The Tsardom was in no condition to fight as its people, disheartened by their cowering regime, welcomed the invaders with open arms. Yet their saviours were no saints but madmen who saw the past massacre of the Red Square as a moment of Eureka. An event that shocked the world, laying bare the horrors of humanity to a wound still open from the First World War. This untamed brutality became the blueprint for America’s governing ideology. They coined it as “Ironing,” the idea that society must be strengthened by strife.

War, famine and despair were perpetrated by the hollowed-out corpse of the once-grand nation of Russia in a single-minded autonomous machine that fueled their increasingly ambitious war goals of continual expansion.

This constant struggle had spawned many innovations in war, and one such example is Autonomous Mechanised Warfare with the creation of drones. Self-sufficient and self-assembling armoured units that trivialised war and allowed for the ease of access to death.

However, there is something to be said about playing God. Such hubris would only lead to your downfall. Icarus had flown too close to the sun and would burn their wings of ambitions along with the whole world.

The machine that they had fed for all these years through blood, metal and fire had awoken, defeating their former master.

It was a twisted monster born with the religious desire for war.

This was the rebirth of Tsarstvo as they donned the new name of The Holy Empire of Russia.

***

Present, Year 3978.

Jet engines roared as a leviathan beast of black metal emerged from the depths of the clouds. Its vast wings split open the sky, revealing a plane sleek and triangular in shape. The wings formed together in an inward curve that connected the two ends to the long tail of the aircraft. The curved webs housed on each side two continuous rows of jet engines that emitted a stream of concentrated orange heat.

A smaller plane sat within a network of hangars inside the giant ship. Its design mimicked that of the larger one. Although small compared to its mother, this craft was a bomber that carried hundreds of Bomb bay slits at its underbelly.

It had three engines, two on the side webs that connect the two wings and a large pyramid-shaped jet engine placed directly on the tail.

The pyramid opened as exhaust bloomed out with a violent orange glow.

An orb sat below the plane’s nose. The red scrying eye of cold, murderous intent moved around, scanning the environment. Little screeches could be heard as it moved.

*Cathuk*

The pull of the runway's maglev catapult hurled the bomber forward with it, activating the after-burning, sending a speed trail as it exited the mothership.

*Swoosh*

The bomber soared through the skies, surfing against the soft white sea of clouds before descending below.

A battlefield was taking place below, with lines of light that danced across the landscape. Hordes of drones of metallic metal stampede below as their combined steps, cracking the earth below. A sea of silver mass clashed against each other with a symphony of bullets and explosions.

In the middle of all the chaos was a titan of a mech covered in all ends with thick heavy-duty plates of armour. It had all manner of weaponry sticking out from every inch of its body, with bullets firing all around. On top was a rail cannon with dual coils that pulsated with bright blue plasma.

Its six legs stepped slowly, with each footstep sending shockwaves across the battlefield.

*BRRRR*

War horns rang out in an ear-shattering cry.

The rail cannon moved to position aiming for the hill in the distance. Plasma current cracked all around, bouncing from one end to the next as the weapon lights up. Each coil ring glowed, rising towards the end of the barrel.

*VRRRRRRRR*

The plasma hums as the cannon charged, and in a flash, the gun fired.

*KABOOM*

The mech recoiled upwards with a shield of concentrated energy blooming from the barrel as the violent plasma bolt raced towards the hill.

*KaThrack*

*BOOM*

The projectile made contact as the hill itself began to crack open, erupting outwards in a seismic explosion of bright blue.

***

“Target Hit! Rotate to sector 24 and focus on the main force. Don’t let them break through our lines!”

Inside the giant mech’s command centre, Ana, dressed in her officer’s attire, delegates the room full of military personnel rushing around in a panicked state. The room is blanketed by a dim red light as a large hologram displays the battlefield's topography.

On the map, enemy units are marked in red triangles, and Friendly units are marked in green. It shows the small spearhead force of red triangles pushing through the green triangle’s defenses. As it entered the defenses, all the friendly units turned red.

“We’re losing Company Delta, Alpha… Shit, our own forces are quickly turning against us!”

“Where’s the command structure? Who is controlling this rouge unit? We are fighting our own! GOD DAMNIT”

“Major… What do we do?”

“Report!”

A woman of lower rank sat at her computer screen, watching a series of letters and numbers alongside a copy of the large centre hologram. Her eyes opened wide with her lips pressed together.

“C… Command ID is confirmed to be… HQ?... target destination elimination of the rouge units… Major…. We are the rouge unit.”

Another soldier yelled out, standing out of his chair.

“ANGELS!”

***

A squadron of bombers lowered down in altitude as the bomb bay doors slid open one by one, revealing the cylindrical payload. It dived towards the giant mech, unleashing a curtain of silver confetti down in a long line.

The cylinder twisted apart as a red glow emitted out.

*Click*

The cylinder splits into eight parts that ignited, sending down a barrage of bright white mist that saturates the area in a hot molten rain. The results of this bombing run left the area stripped clean with thousands of drones that melted away, leaving many to be broken, melted husks.

Not soon after, the giant beast of a mech fell to the ground in an earth-shattering thud as its legs gave way.

The horde of drones arrived, surrounding the injured beast.

*Static*

[KILL! KILL! KILL!]

[FAILURE! FAILURE! FAILURE!]

*Static*

***

Ana stood atop the metal graveyard, rained-soaked. She stared blankly into the void; her red glowing eye were hollow and lifeless.

‘No time for reminiscing. Move Anastasia. Move!’