The conquest of the Old World, led by 17 fleets of the National Empire, each commanded by a divine son or daughter of the Emperor, was the only outcome humanity deserved for the sins they had committed. After the economic disaster of 2028 and the subsequent war between China and the US coalition, the world had officially bowed its head to the East by 2029. However, instead of world peace and collaboration, the West, naturally, denied the new world order.
Subsequently, what followed in the decades to come was the slow and ugly degradation of those who refused to submit to China as it monopolized technology, resources and the means of production for itself and its allies. Those outside of the Chinese system were starved of progress and exploited by the rotting government apparatus that once ruled over them. While, eventually, left with no enemy to fight, the Dragon of the East turned inward, slowly consuming itself as the greed of man revealed its ugly head.
The world soon devolved into a hideous amalgamation of decay as countries starved and suffered while others bloated with decadence and greed. It was in this atmosphere of darkness and hopelessness that one man, armed with the power to rival Gods, planted the seed that would eventually grow into the factionless equalizer known as the National Empire. The name of that man is Apogee, God Emperor of the National Empire, saviour of humanity. Under him, the Cleansing Crusade will unite humanity once and all under one common banner––through ideals––
In Germany, the streets flooded with cheering crowds as Imperial Marines of the 5th fleet marched in formation in a victory parade. They stepped forward in perfect unison, the triple-striped colours of Germany painted across their dark green chestplate armour. In Iran, as Imperial Marines of the 7th fleet tore down propaganda posters urging suicidal resistance against the National Empire, he stopped in front of a group of children. There was a brief silence before the group courageously approached the warrior, who offered them sweets and allowed them to touch his strange grey armour.
––Or through force.
Through the streets of Warsaw, Poland, the Imperial Marines of the 17th fleet rode through the devastated city on hovering bikes. As they reached a military blockade, the enemy soldiers fired at them, only for the shots to expectantly bounce off their armour and bike. With a pull of the trigger, the bike's cannons fired, eviscerating the blockade and the soldiers around it.
In Moscow, as Imperial soldiers of the 15th fleet lay dead all over the field, killed by enemy artillery, the Imperial ship above the city opened its belly gates. Alongside the rain of drop pods, a single beam of red plasma descended from the cruiser, leaving a black scar where it passed, devouring whole housing blocks with the heat of the sun. Then, as a single shell-shocked Russian soldier fell to his knees, his comrades burnt to charcoal by the leftover heat of the plasma, he came under the shadow of a drop pod. Then, impact.
Cassiel was violently woken up by the trembling of the ground around him. He was out of his armour, and without the powerful shock dampeners built into the suit, no man could've slept through the earthquakes caused by the movement of the beast behind him. Another rumble and Cassiel barely had the time to catch his tablet while the empty food canister fell from the crate he was napping on. Cassiel quickly took a look at the resupply request on his tablet he made last night, including the order of 12 gaming consoles as a reward and moral boost for the company.
Behind him, a massive bipedal war machine painted in the white-purple-silver paint job of the 3rd Fleet walked into position facing the hangar opening. It was the smallest titan unit of the fleet, being a Xenomorph-class Titan standing at 25 meters high and armed with massive claws the size of grand pillars and a Gatling-style 125mm cannon in its mouth. As Cassiel managed to get his beating heart under control from the rough awakening, the angular alien face of the machine opened with a hiss.
[Angela] - "Sorry, Chief Commissar, for the rude awakening! I had to move my baby to the deployment zone. "
Said the young titan knight as she tapped the body of her machine enthusiastically.
Cassiel picked up his food canister and waved at the titan pilot, who quickly waved back at him with a smile.
[Cassiel] - "My fault for choosing a horrible place to sleep. I'll take this elsewhere. "
[Angela] - "I don't think you have the time to continue your nap; you should suit up instead. We're making landfall in 20 minutes after all. "
Said Angela as she took off her helmet, revealing her charming long blonde hair and her sparkly blonde eyelashes.
In an instant, Cassiel was equally shaken by her beauty and his absence from duty. The young Chief Commissar looked around the place, finding not a single Marine, meaning everyone had already left for the mission briefing.
[Cassiel] - "I– I'll get moving then. Thanks for the alarm clock. "
Said Cassiel as he took a long look at Angela; her smile carved into his mind.
[Angela] - "You seem still a little sleepy; need me to shake you more awake? "
Joked Angela while leaning against the edge of her cockpit.
[Cassiel] - "No, no! No thanks, I'm fully awake, see? "
Said Cassiel in panic as he quickly blinked his eyes, making Angela giggle.
Cassiel hurried toward the hallway, but at the last second, he halted and ran back toward the titan. Angela touched him in a way he couldn't describe. Maybe it was how she was so cool in her white uniform, sitting atop a machine that could make Imperial Marines tremble with fear. Maybe it was her angelic beauty that reminded him of the radiance emitted by Michele.
"I know it's fucking stupid, but I have to say it."
Thought Cassiel as looked up at the titan's cockpit.
[Cassiel] - "Hey, I think you're pretty! "
Yelled Cassiel before running away.
Up in the cockpit, Angela dropped her art tablet and pen, only hearing Cassiel shouting but not what he said.
[Angela] - "Huh? What did you say? "
Yelled Angela as she quickly leaned over the edge, only seeing Cassiel running off.
Arriving at the mechanic's hall, Cassiel dashed toward the only armoury still holding an empty armour. A middle-aged engineer in an exosuit approached Cassiel with his younger apprentice, both watching as the Marine undressed down to his underwear in a hurry. Noticing the two men, Cassiel breathed a slight sigh of relief between his panicked gasps before stepping into the suit-up chamber.
[engineer] - "They suited up one hour ago, son. You're quite late, it seems. "
Said the engineer as he watched the dark synthetic muscle fibres bind to Cassiel's body.
Like a living mass, the muscles' tendrils pulled the pieces of armour around Cassiel onto him before shifting them into their rightful positions. Already waiting for him, the engineer raised Cassiel's helmet, ready to pass it to him the moment he finished suiting up.
[disciple] - "Why do you need to use your exosuit just to pass him his helmet? "
The old engineer chuckled at the obliviousness of his student before passing him the helmet.
[engineer] - "Try lifting it then. "
The disciple, unconvinced, confidently presented his hands and received the helmet. As soon as the engineer let go of the exosuit's arms, the disciple immediately paddled forward and dropped the helmet, his face a look of utter shock and surprise as his master swiftly caught the piece of armour.
[engineer] - "This thing is around 50 kilograms; that's why. You still have a lot to learn. "
Exiting the chamber, Cassiel hastily grabbed his carbine and then picked up his helmet as if it weighed a feather.
[Cassiel] - "Thanks! "
Said Cassiel as he ran off at an incredible speed.
The disciple, seeing Cassiel's inhuman acceleration and strength, could only blink speechlessly at his master, who shrugged at him.
Arriving finally at the briefing room, Cassiel had to do the walk of shame as he moved to the front, where he needed to join Hubris and the Chief Medical Marine. As Hubris' presentation halted, every Marine turned their gaze toward him, forcing Cassiel to look down at the floor in embarassement as he walked. Once Cassiel arrived beside the Chief Medical Marine, he immediately felt the disgusted gaze of his peer.
[Chief Medical Marine] - "Tsk... Tsk... Tsk... Indisciplined child... "
Whispered the medical officer as he shook his head in disapproval.
[Hubris] - "Anyways, if we are without questions, then this briefing is over! Alright, boys, let's go finish this mission quickly and swiftly. We can have a nice gaming session once we get back. "
With a clap of his hands, Hubris dismissed the room.
As Cassiel held his breath and waited for the round of ridicule coming his way, or even worse, Hubris instead tapped playfully against his chestplate, seemingly pleased with him rather than angry.
[Hubris] - "So? What woke you up, little man? "
[Cassiel] - "Why– why did none of you wake me up? You just left me there until a titan shook me awake! What the hell is this? "
Said Cassiel, unsure if he should be angry or ashamed.
[Hubris] - "I told you, the mark of a good Commissar is in his ability to secure assets for the Company. "
[Cassiel] - "But you said– "
Hubris quickly held up his hand and stopped Cassiel.
[Hubris] - "Ta– Ta– Ta– Whatever I said is whatever. But you, I told you you were good at your job. You're smart, little man, so darn smart with your pen and tablet! Securing a total of 12 gaming consoles, citing the fact that we captured the president's hideout yesterday. You manipulative little bastard, that is genius! "
Said Hubris, his excitement barely concealed behind his exaggerated hand gestures.
Cassiel, shocked by the positive praise, understood why they had let him sleep a little longer and didn't seem to want to mock him for his embarassement.
[Cassiel] - "But... As a Marine, I still neglected my duty and slept while you– "
Said Cassiel before Hubris held up his hand again, cutting him off.
[Hubris] - "Ey! Ey! I'm the son of a gun who told everyone to let you sleep as thanks for your little 4D chest move! Other commissars would've simply requested the basic resupply or ensured standard operation, doing their jobs like the boring nerd they are! You, on the other hand, you care and understand us as people, not statistics. "
Said Hubris while tapping on Cassiel's shoulder.
In the hallway, Hubris announced to his company over the com to take position and board the Reaper-class gunships. Cassiel, meanwhile, marched beside Hubris, a bit torn between feeling prideful and feeling ashamed as he still felt the Chief Medical Marine's gaze on his back.
[Hubris] - "I told you, Cassiel, Hubris Maximus makes no mistake because he is just this damn good at seeing people for who they are! You always were the Chief Commissar we deserved; now you owe me an apology. "
Said Hubris brazenly, while shaking Cassiel's shoulder.
[Cassiel] - "Yeah... I guess I'm sorry for doubting you? "
Muttered Cassiel.
[Hubris] - "Say it louder, say: Hubris Maximus, you handsome, dastardly Captain, the best Captain of the National Empire, I was wrong, and I'm sorry! "
Said Hubris with a large grin, his grandiose personality explosively displayed.
Cassiel hesitated, even grinning while thinking that Hubris was simply joking. However, as Hubris stared at him, expecting him to actually say it, Cassiel's grin quickly faded.
"This guy can't be serious; he thinks he's the main character or what? I'm not gonna say that; what the heck even is that? This can't be real... "
Thought Cassiel while raising his eyebrow under the safety of his helmet.
[Cassiel] - "Erm... Hubris Maximus, you... erm... handsome, dastardly Captain, the best Captain of the... National Empire, I was wrong and... well, I'm sorry. "
Said Cassiel, cringing at what he just said out loud for everyone to hear.
All around him, Cassiel could hear whispers from the other Marines, all trying to contain their laughter. Suddenly, Hubris wrapped his arm around Cassiel's neck and pulled him closer.
[Hubris] - "There we go! Haha! There's my smart little man! "
Said Hubris, beyond pleased with the result.
Arriving back inside the hangar, the Marines stepped onto the ceiling walkways toward the hanging gunships. Below, Cassiel could see Angela's titan being the first in line to deploy, followed by two other similar titans. While the two titans behind worked with teams of four operators, Angela drove hers alone as a titan knight. Any titan commander skilled enough can become a titan knight, driving instead of a standard Xenomorph-class titan, a Hunter variant with better performance and more automation.
Cassiel looked down at Angela through the railing, his helmet allowing him to zoom in as if he were standing right beside her. He saw that she was drawing a beautiful depiction of a forest on her tablet, the colours vibrant, just as those purple eyes of hers. However, as the deployment alarm sounded, Angela swiftly put away her tablet and geared up for action. Just as Angela's cockpit sealed shut, Cassiel received a smack across the head from the Chief Medical Marine.
[Chief Medical Marine] - "Board the gunship, child! "
Yelled the Marine with utter contempt in his voice.
Cassiel quickly snapped out of his trance and boarded the gunship, where, again, he was immediately ridiculed by a few Marines who saw the whole scene unfold.
[Medical Marine] - "If this was a battlefield, and that smack was an artillery round, even our advanced armour won't save you. My suggestion? If you really can't focus, I know an uncle running a school for special needs children, ahaha. "
Mocked the Marine while the rest of his comrades laughed with him.
Meanwhile, switching his com to general addressing, Hubris delivered the usual motto of the 3rd fleet in his confident and fiery voice.
[Hubris] - "BEHOLD HIS CHOSEN ANGELS; THE WRATH OF HEAVEN MANIFEST! "
Screamed Hubris, his palms crossing to form wings against his chest.
"Behold his chosen angels; the wrath of heaven manifest! "
Chanted the Marines in unison, all mimicking the gesture of wings against their chests.
As the gunship's ramp closed behind Cassiel, he quickly took his seat and pulled the heavy strap over his chestplate. Cassiel looked out of his window again, witnessing firsthand as Angela's titan leaped out of the hangar of the Imperial cruiser with ungodly speed and power. With one jump, the titan went from being a giant to simply a tiny dot on the horizon. Then the other titans followed, moving forward before jumping into the fight as if they weren't massive machines, each the size of two houses stacked on top of each other.
Landing inside the city of Dallas, Texas, where rogue elements of the US military refused to surrender following the decapitation of the US leadership, Angela's titan was immediately met with basic gunfire and mortars. However, to the men's surprise, each shell landed not on the titan's armour, but onto an invisible field of matter around the machine. While her other titans moved recklessly through the city, smashing through housing and civilian infrastructure in search of targets, Angela moved gracefully, avoiding unnecessary damage and choosing exclusively to step and jump on open roads and parks.
As Angela stepped into a park, her sensors picked up a tank on her right, which immediately fired on her. However, as expected, the round disintegrated into vapour and dust the moment it smashed into the invisible shielding. With a smirk, Angela flipped a switch which opened her titan's mouth, exposing the terrifying 125mm Gatling system. She waited, watching as the tank crew bailed out in a panic and fled before firing, a single shot sending the tank's turret up in a fireball.
[Angela] - "Boom, chakalaka! "
Whispered Angela as the flash of the explosion lit up her vision.
Inside a makeshift underground command centre, US military commanders radioed concealed artillery positions, citing Angela's titan and her coordinates. However, Angela's systems immediately picked up the radio transmission and traced its location. A pop-up screen immediately gave Angela the exact location of the transmission's origin.
[Angela] - "Bingo! "
With one pull of her joystick, her titan leaped 100 meters into the air before landing on an empty street, moving with such impossible speed and distance that the artillery guns were still turning toward her previous position, which was now the opposite of where she was. Just as she was about to advance, she abruptly halted her steps, causing her to violently rock forward inside her machine. Below, she watched with relief as a few ducks fled the violence of the battlefield.
As she leaned in to see the ducks safely move out of her way, her machine also somewhat mimicked her action. Civilians in hiding watched in horror and confusion as the monstrous titan leaned down on its front claws, its head following the little ducks like a curious child. With the ducks finally out of her way, Angela's titan moved over to the building where the radio transmission came from.
At the same time, the other two titans wreaked havoc upon the defenders, ignoring any prepared positions by either blasting them into smithereens or by simply smashing through them with brute force. Coordinating with Angela's earlier detection of transmission, another titan moved to the concealed artillery position and unleashed hellfire upon it before anyone could even react. Elsewhere, as a convoy of military vehicles moved through the streets, the third titan simply appeared from the sky, landing right in their path before opening its mouth and delivering pure annihilation.
As Angela approached the building, her titan's leg stopped skillfully before a lamppost without knocking it over, eliciting a proud grin on Angela's face. Then, Angela violently raised the claws of her titan and smashed them into the building, tearing it apart within a few strikes. Pushing her hand deeper, the titan obeyed her precise movement as it dug through the ground and exposed the command center to the sunlight. Immediately, the officers inside the underground complex froze, their glassy eyes filled with terror, glued to the titan's impersonal face.
[Angela] - "Alright, people, no one moves. Put your hands up and wait for our guys to take you in. "
Said Angela as she stretched her arms casually.
Under the titan's powerful voice amplification, the officers could feel their skin vibrate with every one of Angela's words. Slowly, they raised their hands, all unmoving, just as the gargantuan beast looking above them had instructed. As one man tried to crawl away, he was immediately spotted by Angela's sharp gaze.
[Angela] - "Hey, you! Don't try to be sneaky now! I can see you crawling away. "
The officer lied to himself, thinking she definitely didn't see him trying to flee as he still continued to crawl.
[Angela] - "Yes, you with the stain on your pants! "
The officer finally stopped crawling as he turned around slowly and raised his hand, the stain on his pants only growing wider as he faced the monster above. As everyone finally complied and froze with their hands in the air, Angela linked her com with the Marines.
[Angela] - "I need a bit of support, got some high-ranking prisoners in need of transport. "
Meanwhile, arriving on the battlefield, Cassiel and the other Marines on the gunships disembarked, facing the expected but useless opposition of rifle fire and machine guns. As Cassiel received Angela's message, he excitedly searched around and found a nearby titan perched over a bunch of prisoners. Calling a few Marines with him, he left Hubris' entourage and went to help capture the prisoners.
Below the titan, Cassiel quickly waved at the cockpit, thinking it was Angela, only for his smile to drop when a regular titan commander opened the hatch and waved back at him. At the same time, on the other side of the city, a different gunship arrived at Angela's position. As the faceless Marines moved in to secure the prisoners, Angela opened her hatch and searched below, hoping that Cassiel, if he was among them, would recognize her.
The battle of Dallas was by that point all but over as the titans completely shattered any coherent defences put up by the military and militia forces. This was supposed to be the last holdout of the rogue forces, but it never stood a chance. However, the leaders of the resistance had other plans. In pure desperation, as the US faced total Imperial control, the generals in hiding all agreed on mutually assured destruction. If the US were to fall, then the invaders and the 3rd fleet would fall with it. Deep beneath the waves, as commands reached the nuclear submarines, the crew reluctantly obeyed the orders and began the launch sequence against their own home country.
To be continued...