Plunge Of A New Era

It was relatively a peaceful day for the people of Logria. There was no sign of any disturbances in the air. The bright red sky was clear and no strong winds carrying tons of sand that buried half of the outer rim.

Emma had returned to her apartment upon learning that Sy was gone - sharing a cup of tea with Genevieve on the third floor at the moment.

Although, the city had yet to receive reparation funds from the central government, construction was already ongoing for the pulverized transportation infrastructures. People and commodities needed to be somewhere around the city and there was only a limited amount of ways to move them.

Meanwhile, in the Starport, a newly arrived officer - bringing along with him 100 men - bolstered the PDF of Logria. More will arrive in the coming days with mechs and defense weapons at their disposal. The Union can't afford to be careless the second time.

In the meantime, the officer will act as the new commander for the defense forces.

Leading a couple crews of journalists after a recent interview, the officer; Major Laney, made his way to the command center for a quick lookout for the reporters. The personnel there had experienced the invasion first hand and could provide accurate statements as to what happened here.

Upon entering the secured room, Major Laney turned to his back with a smile, "Are we live?"

When he received a nod, he returned his attention to the room and was about to address the men inside when suddenly... everything became tense.

"Oh, shit! Not again!" One of the technicians manning the electronic suite exclaimed, causing the entire room to panic.

"What is it?" Major Laney questioned with a commanding voice.

"Unidentified transport ship inbound!"

The response made the commander to remove his cap - abandoning his effort to look good on camera, as he hastily made his way to the center of the room. He was young for his designated position - about in his late twenties. Half an inch light blonde hair adorned his head while his icy blue eyes swept across the screens displaying Logria's orbital camera feeds. In his fright, he had already forgotten about the reporters tailing behind him a moment ago. Everything that was transpiring was being broadcasted all over Union, including Logria.

After considering for a moment, Major Laney ordered one of his men assigned to the Comms with a shaky voice, "Contact the ship's bridge. Tell them that they are entering a Union's restricted orbital space!"

In an instant, the message was relayed by the comms specialist.

As they silently watched the transport ship aligning itself with the Starport, the comms specialist finally stated, "They are not responding, sir!"

Major Laney swiped the beads of sweat forming on his forehead with a hand. He had just arrived in Logria. Would it hurt to at least give him a couple of hours to rest in his journey from Pyr Prime to this desert planet? But this was just his wishful thinking. In times of conflict, anything could happen.

To their current predicament, all turrets and other defense weapons were disabled during the former invasion. They only had their puny energy rifles to defend Logria.

What was the point in conquering this desert planet, anyway? It had limited industrial capacity and a measly 20 million population. Well, actually, for the enemies of the Union, this planet was a strategical point. Capturing it could potentially starve the other planets of the Union since its main production was food.

Suddenly, the technician in the suite shouted, "I'm detecting movement on the underside of the ship. It's launch bay is opening!"

Their faces grew bleak. They knew exactly what was going to happen next. Although, this ship was smaller than the former, it could still carry one drop pod, and one drop pod could transport ten mechs into the planet's surface.

Once again, the technician broke the silence, screaming this time. "Object launched! Object launched!"

"What the fuck do they want? The AO guild had already gotten what they want. Is this another guild trying to strike a deal with the central government?" One of the defense forces cried.

A huge holographic screen appeared above the room, zooming in at the object, something that the journalists did not fail to capture.

After a closer inspection, the faces of the people in the room turned from dread to confusion.

It's a mech!

"What?" One of the crowds spouted.

Logria had no orbital defense network for a void mech to destroy. Why send it out?

"Identify that mech!" Major Laney commanded, steeling his voice - acting tough to stabilize his distraught men.

After a quick search, one spoke while swiping his monitor, "Sir, we have no data on the mech."

"Check again!" Major Laney waved a hand, "We have intel on the 6th Gens of Durn, Leeb and Xepp."

"Sir, I just did. This mech is not on the list!"

There was a momentary silence. After observing the mech drifting in space for a while, they realized something.

"Object gaining speed. It's---" The technician stuttered. There was no need to finish the sentence. Most of them already knew what the mech was attempting to perform.

The perplexed look on their faces intensified even more. They had no clue as to what was happening and with their initial assumptions being extinguished, it was way more unsettling.

"Object will reach entry in 3 minutes..."

---

Meanwhile, inside the unknown black mech, Mina's eyes opened. The first thing she saw was the screen displaying the feed from the Straggler's eyes, already optimized for her own sight.

Niel was right. She had never been in a situation like this. She had fought using void mechs. She piloted military transports into planetary dives. But nothing like this.

A soft smile adorned her beautiful face behind the helmet as she assessed her situation.

This was the void. Empty. Weightless. Free.

The Straggler spread its arms wide, complying to her commands, as she took in the view.

The violet sun was peeking over the horizon, bathing the black mech in a steady streams of blinding light. What would have been a collosal figure of the Straggler was merely a tiny object compared to the gigantic red surface of the desert planet.

Clearly, her existence was insignificant to the seemingly boundless universe.

Taking a deep breath, Mina rolled her eyes to the screens. The Straggler's telemetry was already working side by side with IO ship's sensors and scanners for a calculated trajectory. It was already suggesting hundreds of potential landfall.

It was time to give the people of Logria something that they have never seen before.

Carefully picking an abandoned construction site within the city as her crash point in case something went wrong, she manipulated the mech's interface. Without engaging, the flight module's flexible boosters rotated to adjust the Straggler's position in orbit.

Everything was proceeding well as the countdown to her descent appeared. Soon enough, she was not drifting, but falling when she entered the vicinity of the atmospheric drag - pulling the mech toward the planet. She was now in entry.

The lower she got, the stronger the pull. As such, the fall will get faster and faster, the friction compressing the air around the mech.

Inside the cockpit, it was indifferently peaceful. This stirred Mina's heart. She had been in a mech protected by an orbital drop pod during a fall and it was a very rough ride. Thinking that she was piloting a mech without the protection of an orbital drop pod's tough and thick shelling was something to consider. Was she still in simulation?

Considering that outside, it was all messy with plasma particles starting to lit the Straggler. She felt too comfortable! It felt unreal!

Trying to distract her chaotic mind, she began to asses the mech. There was a few components exceeding their desired heat, but should be able to withstand the punishment. The flight module was mostly the one in a desperate situation - the fall threatening to rip it apart. However, it was protecting and repairing itself from the inside.

Just as Mina was considering to activate the shields, a screen appeared displaying the city coming into sight. The place where she grew up. The City of Patter.

The Straggler's vision was not augmented, and was only a few levels above that of a human's. It was safe to say that it was like Mina staring at the distant city with her own naked eyes.

At the center of the city was the Starport, rising up into space. She had intentionally distanced her trajectory from it. Since this was an illegal entry, the Starport will not aid in her descent. She might crash on it and cause an irreparable damage.

Boom!

The Straggler was now a ball of bright light.

Some people watching the news were already outside to watch it personally.

---

"I trust what you build." Niel whispered toward Sy's direction. Even though, he was just assuring his own self.

All of them were on the bridge, spectating the whole ordeal. They had yet to contact Mina to offer assistance. The reason was that she managed to do it all on her own and she was very precise. No error was shown on their data.

This caused them to further revere the Straggler's navigation system.

"Black Straggler is reaching peak velocity. Components are overheating. Should I contact her to activate shields?" One of the crew on the bridge monitoring the status of the mech suggested.

"No.. NO!" Niel immediately interjected, "She knows what she is doing."

Despite his reluctance to this endeavor, he still trusted his sister.

Sy gave the older Fanick a glance before he returned his attention back at his gauntlet. He was also monitoring the Straggler through it. Only a single word was in his mind.

'Success.'

---

The defense forces' distinct expressions were frozen on their faces as the unknown mech were now burning up in the surface. None of its black metallic hue could be seen, and only a bright devouring flame surrounded it.

Was it suicide?

This was not the first time a mech attempted an orbital drop. Many had tried before and only a tiny portion of their once mighty figure survived the fall.

Just as they were contemplating the fate of the pilot, their jaws dropped as the bright light was suddenly extinguished, revealing the black silhouette within it. A moment later, particles of colorful lights danced around it as it adjusted its position. Now, instead of falling head-first, the black mech abruptly stopped just a couple of hundred meters above the city, righted its head up before it seemingly stood in the air. Four wings sprouted on its back, jagged due to the damage it sustained.

A huge shadow of its magnificence was cast into the desert city as it blotted the sun.

In that exact moment, time seem to have paused as everyone watching the scene were frozen in shock. It was like they were watching a divine being descending into the mortal realm. A fallen angel.

And then... as if ushering time to continue, the voice of a woman spoke in the open line.

[This is Commander Mina Fanick of the 37th Falcon Squadron... Test piloting the Straggler S1-2...]

The dark and terrified faces of those watching instantly brightened. Local defense forces hearing the name of their planet's great house and familiar voice jumped up from their seats, exploding in a series of cheers before others finally caught up to the commotion.

Their little cries were no match to the people in the entire city watching the news. Myriad of voices united into one - thundering into the mighty red desert and reaching up into the heaven.

Since the whole Union was watching, the 20 million people in the city of Patter was like a puddle in the ocean as their cheers could not compare to other planets with populations numbering tens of billions.

People started running outside their shelters and flooding the streets of the desert city. What they initially thought as their doom was replaced by salvation.

Giving them one last show, the black mech broke the sound barrier, flashing across the city before it ascended into the sky, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

---

---

---

END ~ VOLUME 1: GUILD WARS

---

Inspirational beats:

Orbit to plunge scenes - Who Will Save Us Now

End - Sirius