Declaration

"Anna! I'm being invaded! I c-can't stop the intrusion!"

An unfamiliar screen showed up on Anna's HUD. It was mostly dark with two red eyes that had no pupils. Sounds like talking could be heard but it was nothing that meant anything to Anna.

"Greetings, my an-nnoying adversary, Is what he said." Wolf translated.

"Wolf? Are you okay?" The worried Anna asked.

"I think so. The intru-trusion was just to force open a communication li-line."

More sounds came from the newly opened channel, ones that were much more complicated than what Anna originally heard.

"He says, "I see you have found a companion. Your resourcefulness is commend-mendable. But, I need my Emperor's pr-roperty back now. You had no right to take it in the first place and you will be destroyed-ed for betraying the Empire. Surrender yourself and the primitive life-form for de-de-deletion and extermination."

It was quiet for a moment.

'What happens if the commander of the invasion fleet is killed?' Anna asked Wolf through her implant.

'From-om-om the information I gathered, the fleet will either be put on-put on standby until a new fleet commander can replace the deceased. Or the fleet will temporarily retreat until the position-ition is filled. Either way, it will take time for a replacement to arrive.' Wolf informed her.

"My Moon?" Wolf prodded Anna for the next move.

"Hey Wolf, can that thing hear me? Can it see me?"

"Y-yes and y-yes, my Moon."

Anna leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. She put on her best bluffing face and began shouting with a huge grin.

"LIKE HELL WE'LL SURRENDER! I don't care if you were the Emperor himself. I'd NEVER surrender! For all the damage you've caused… for all the lives you've taken… not just humans, but for any lives in the universe that your Emperor has taken… I WILL FIGHT YOU UNTIL MY LAST BREATH!"

Anna stopped, closed her eyes, and took a breath.

"I…" She looked up at the screen. "Am declaring war on the Empire."

It took a moment for more of the strange noises to come through. As soon as the quiet settled in, the screen disappeared and the enemy backed away, allowing the crowd of enemy robots to engulf him and hide his presence.

"So b-be-e it, the Adjutant replied," Wolf informed Anna.

"Wolf, activate Werewolf Protocol."

Anna took the controls. Words on the screen showed up.

[Activating Werewolf Protocol]

The mass of enemies began to charge up their guns for a final assault on the small group.

The mech grabbed its own arms and pressed into its abdomen. Its knees were brought up, almost as if it were in the fetal position. It began shuddering. The light blue lights of the eyes turned a bright red. Portions of the head made quick movements and erupted in spikes. Two of which were larger than the others as if mimicking large pointy ears. The faceplate disappeared and revealed five more red eyes arranged in no particular.

The mech curved its back and ejected any unnecessary accessories or plates, making way for even more spikes.

In a sudden movement, the partially transformed mech bent backward, shot out its legs, and shredded the extra armor off of the arms as they slid against each other to an open position.

It was then that the limbs began to elongate. Inside the mech, the sounds of the wolf pack were very evident.

Of course, sound can't travel through space. But, every single unit in the solar system heard it. The call of the wolf pack was heard by every living being within range of any kind of communication device. The sound overrode any currently received communications.

This sound didn't just send a chill down countless spines, it also specifically disrupted targeted systems.

The red balls of light charging up were suddenly dissipating. Some of the enemies were clearly confused and began banging on their guns or shaking them.

"Is this a new upgrade too, Wolf?" Anna asked.

"Indeed. Do you remember the communications outage that the-the Protocol can enact when we transform? I've improved up-upon it. Instead of just blocking the comms, it also sends out a signal that is desi-signed to confuse the enemy A.I. into thinking their weapons are not functioning prop-operly. Thus, causing a weapons systems shutdown to any afflicted units for safety purposes."

Anna wasted no time in pressing the attack. With the enemy dumbfounded, she boosted forward the moment Wolf was done with his explanation.

The speed of the thrusters was nearly threefold compared to the humanoid form. Anna almost missed her first target, gashing the head of the robot into three jagged shards of useless metal. She wound up in the middle of a group of robots that all started to reach out to grab her at the same time. She kicked a few hands away and boosted through the swarm, all the while gashing at anything that gets too close.

She came to a stop and spun in place, severing a few bodies and limbs from each other with Wolf's claws.

Wolf highlighted several abandoned or disarmed weapons and put some text on the screen.

[Objective: Retrieve and arm friendlies]

"Once you have a-ave a weapon in hand, I can reprogram them for your allies to use."

Anna had a clear picture of what to do next. She grabbed the gun in front of her and rushed through the swarm to her allies. She arrived just in time to find Wrench grappling with an enemy. She landed a kick to the torso and sent it flying into a group of robots that were about to swarm another friendly. She let go of the gun handle and grabbed the barrel before holding the weapon out for Wrench to grab.

He took it without a second thought and fired into a smaller group that was pushing forward. The red ball flew toward the center of the group. The middle man unit took a direct hit, decimating the torso of the robot.

Wolf opened a comm with Wrench.

"A quick fire-re shot will damage a small area. A charged shot can eliminate a sizab-able group. Hold the trigger for around five seconds for a devastating explosion. Ten seconds for max-max-maximum effect."

Wrench took Wolf's advice and charged up a red ball to see just how devastating it could be. As he took the time to charge, Anna had retrieved two more weapons for her allies.

Wrench let go of the trigger. The red ball was no bigger than before. It flew through the gap that he had previously created in the oncoming group of enemies.

It was lucky that it did. The blast when it finally hit the unlucky bastard in its path enveloped what Wolf estimated to be over 100 units. Anything that wasn't outright destroyed was immobile due to a cooked pilot. Including the group that Wrench was aiming for.

The explosion itself only caught Anna's attention due to its proximity, but it was a familiar sight. It was the same kind of explosion that bombarded the Earth's surface.

Anna had made sure her allies were armed and went back to causing a commotion among the enemy. Wolf made sure the other pilots were instructed and made sure their HUD had them firing away from Anna.

Now armed, the group was holding its position against the invasion force. Unfortunately, the sheer numbers didn't seem to be dwindling at all.

How long before exhaustion sets in and mistakes are made?