(Dropped) [AI] Titanfall: Iliad

[Pilot's Perspective]

War is hell. That's a universal truth, one thing that transcends galaxies. Whether you're fighting in the Frontier against militia insurgents or caught in the endless slaughter of a war as ancient as the stars, that truth never changes.

I blinked, the inside of my Titan, Nemesis, still humming with energy. My HUD flickered for a moment, a blue-tinted prompt appearing at the corner of my vision:

New Mission Detected: Interdimensional Displacement

Objective: Survive.

Reward: +200 Experience Points

I'd seen some weird things on the Frontier, but this? This was new. A "Game" system? I had no time to puzzle it out before a massive explosion rocked the sky, sending my Titan careening through the atmosphere of...wherever the hell this was.

"Pilot, brace for impact." Nemesis's calm, automated voice called out.

Yeah, thanks, Nemesis. A second later, we slammed into hard ground. Everything went black.

Respawn Initiated

Location: Unknown planet

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was not the inside of my cockpit but the twisted remains of my Titan, broken pieces scattered across the dirt of some alien battlefield. Thick smoke rose from the wreckage, embers floating in the wind like the last breath of a dying machine.

"Nemesis, status report."

No response. Silence.

Mission Update: Survive the Battlefield

Great. I crawled out of the wreckage, grabbing my EVA-8 shotgun from the compartment. As I took in my surroundings, I realized just how screwed I was. This was no planet in the Frontier. In the distance, alien warships were engaging in full-scale combat with forces I didn't recognize.

"Welcome to the party, Marine."

I whirled around, shotgun raised, but the voice was coming from behind a visor—an armored figure, his black armor streaked with soot, stood in front of me. It took a second for my brain to catch up with my eyes. I had no idea where I was, but this guy? I knew the armor.

ODST. Orbital Drop Shock Trooper. And if my hunch was right, I wasn't in Kansas anymore.

"Relax," he said, lowering his battle rifle slightly. "If you were hostile, you'd already be dead." His voice was gravelly, but not unkind.

"Where am I?" I asked, still scanning the horizon. The distant hum of an alien war machine sent shivers down my spine. I knew a battlefield when I saw one, but this was on a scale I'd never imagined.

"Earth." The ODST's reply was simple, but the weight of that word hit like a Titanfall.

New Objective Unlocked: Join the Fight to Save Earth

Optional Task: Assist ODST Forces.

Reward: +500 Experience Points. New Weapon Unlock Available: BR55 Battle Rifle

Alright, this was getting weirder. A Game system, objectives, rewards? This had to be some sick simulation... right?

But there was no time to question it. The ODST nodded toward the battlefield, gesturing for me to follow. "Name's Commander Bishop. Looks like you're not from around here. What's your story, pilot?"

"Name's Hawk. I don't know how I got here, but I figure if there's a fight to be had, I'll make myself useful."

Commander Bishop sized me up, his visor glinting under the faint sun. "ODSTs could use a guy like you. But I hope you know what you're getting into. This isn't a skirmish. This is the war to save humanity."

Mission Update: Defend Earth

That was enough for me. I wasn't exactly the sentimental type, but saving humanity? It beat getting blown apart in some backwater colony.

We moved through the war-torn streets, ODSTs weaving in and out of cover, their boots thudding against rubble and broken concrete. The air was thick with the stench of burning metal and scorched flesh. I'd seen plenty of that on the Frontier, but this was different. The stakes were higher. The scale was larger. This wasn't a militia. These were... aliens.

"Those Covenant bastards hit us hard, but we've still got some fight in us," Bishop muttered, taking cover behind a burnt-out vehicle. I slid into cover beside him, my shotgun in hand.

"What's the plan?" I asked.

"Plan is simple," he grunted. "We survive. And if we're lucky, we take a few of those alien bastards down with us."

I glanced up at the sky, where Covenant ships loomed like titans of their own, casting long shadows over the battlefield. My heart raced, but something about this felt… right. I had survived the impossible more times than I could count. What was one more?

Game Update: New Skill Acquired - "Titan Instincts"

Description: As a Pilot, you possess enhanced agility and combat awareness. Use these instincts to outmaneuver enemies in the heat of battle.

Well, this "Game" system was at least trying to help. I took a deep breath, feeling my body respond with that familiar surge of adrenaline. It felt like slipping back into old habits, even if the playing field had changed.

"On my mark, we push forward to the comm tower," Bishop ordered. "We need to hold it if we want any chance of getting evac."

"Copy that."

Objective: Secure the Comms Tower

Reward: +750 Experience Points.

Bonus: Hold position until reinforcements arrive.

It was do-or-die time. The world exploded into motion as Bishop gave the signal. I broke cover, sprinting across the battlefield like I was in the middle of a Frontier firefight. The roar of war rang in my ears—explosions, gunfire, and the deep, guttural growls of the Covenant brutes bearing down on us.

I took one down with a clean shot from my shotgun, moving with the fluid precision that years as a Pilot had drilled into me. Bishop and his ODSTs weren't too shabby themselves, fighting with a mix of desperation and skill that only elite soldiers could pull off.

We reached the tower, battered but alive, and began fortifying our position. Covenant forces were relentless, their numbers overwhelming, but I had seen worse. I could handle this. We could handle this.

New Mission Objective: Hold the Line

As the Covenant pushed harder, my HUD flashed with more objectives, more challenges. This war was different from anything I had faced before. But it was a war I was ready to fight, a war I was ready to win.

Because now? Now I had something more than survival on the line.

I had a world to save.