“She has told you she has done nothing. Kree ‘bre talai shriko mal tok.” The ruby scaled Tymerian gives a slight tilt of her head. This is the sixth day of this Interrogation. And she had continued to give the same story.

“If that is the case then explain to me…” I am cut off as the ship seems to vibrate at a subsonic frequency. “The ship is on the move… You can sense it as well?”

“Indeed” she responds. Her voice is clipped, and short. A flash of the teeth as she spoke the last word. Signs of agitation, a flick of the tail, the scraping of the claws on her saurian feet. Her eyes dilate a fraction sharpening ever so slightly, a flash of the claws, her breath becomes sharper.

Her mind is unusually resilient to impressions, perhaps as a result of this dream realm. But she is very adamant about not being involved in the sabotage. Now usually that would be a negligible piece of information, but do to her resistance I can't overlook the possibility.

It has been six days since the commencement of this investigation and for six days she has told the same exact story. I am at times astounded by how differently human and alien Tymerian minds work. A human would have probably changed his or her stories about a thousand time by now, but Miiora is persistent.

Now a lanky is completely unreadable its mind is almost like constant white noise, like millions of voices independent yet united all screaming at you if you try to talk to them. Kleese minds are actually relatively close to how a human works if more aggressive.

A myrialos is calm, collected, and peacefully even. Most UEC personnel of any kind are simple even if they will never admit it. Changelings are interesting possessing the distinct ability to network their minds as will, and share information like a natural version of our tac-link.

Now Tymerians are different, their weird. Some very few individuals of their species possess a very distinct barrier like a liquid. While the majority posses only the same defences possessed by humans. But all of their minds are fluid.

Maybe I should try another tactic? Her mind continually goes to someone she cares deeply for, possibly loves.

I lean back in my chair, typing up then sending a message to Colbern with my implant. Behind me I can hear the android’s uniform rustling as he folds his arms before sending me back a data packet…. Interesting.

If this was pre lanky war inter command romances wouldn't be tolerated, or at the very least frowned upon. But since the second battle of earth and stalemate, such regulations have become intensely lax, or in some cases completely abolished. And why would they abolish a regulation like that?

Because before the second battle of earth the population of humanity's home world was just above one hundred billion. But from the time after the first lanky set one toe on terran soil, to the time the last lanky was killed. Earth’s population had gone from just over one hundred billion, to sixty billion over the course of three weeks of combat. And that number dropped by another two billion after the smoke cleared.

After such a thurogh asskicking the regs changed and we stopped caring where our troops happen to find romance. Because our population was dropped by half, just a few weeks.

“Alright corporal, tell me about…” the ship suddenly erupts as warning klaxons begin blaring. “What the hell is going on?” I ask my assistant, who immediately checks the net.

“Inquisitor, The Tymerian Balori has escaped confinement and stolen an escape pod. The CAG is deploying the ready five fighters to intercept the pos. And there appears to be a radiation burst at…” He stops tilting his head slightly. Seemingly tuning something through his head.

“That's impossible, were days from the node into this system?” He says to himself I can hear the cuffs holding Miiora shifting as she leans forward to here what is being said. “Speak up man, what the hell is impossible?” but what he says sends chills down my spine.

“three small lanky signatures have just appeared in the system inside of our drone net linked radar network.” He responds but that doesn't make any sense.

“What do you mean appeared, I know we can't really see them that easily, but you make it sound like they just teleported into the system.” I say my voice raising. I don't understand if they had transited we would have had advanced warning.

“The SRA-Novosibirsk acknowledges, they confirm zero three Lanky Flayed fighters. At extreme range, they aren't engaging yet just sitting there.” herring this I immediately know I have better things to do than interrogate a girl who was obviously innocent. “You, you are free to go, get out of my Interrogation room and report to your unit.” I say unlocking Miiora’s bindings, immediately the female stands and sprints out of the room.

“Action stations, action stations. Lanky incursion detected, Ready five fighters launch. All mech units units report to stand by positions.”

Sargent Gusty
New Trottingham - Fuel and Water Depot

The world shakes and rocks as one of the Changelings’s fat and ugly insectoid shuttles thunders over head, spitting green tracer rounds from the gun on its chin. Damn them, they were on top of us before we could get any more than a cursory signal out.

I roll to the left before using my magic to guide one of our shoulder mounted missiles into one of the changeling shuttles. The rocket strikes the bulky Beatle shaped aircraft in the flight pit with a vicious boom, sending the craft spiraling into a guard tower with a trail of flames.

“Crystal Light, keep that group from taking fuel tanks B and C.”

The Earthers and old breed changelings have been been slowly encroaching on this position for the passed few hours. Just as our intelligence asset had informed, I am about to order an encirclement of the humans when the resounding boom of a grenade detonation draws my attention to one of the security holos.

The three dimensional image shows an injured centaur blowing the chest cavity of a slender human open with his shotgun. But before he can sweep the weapon to the side another human appears in frame its armor is unlike the regular NAC armor I had been expecting. Instead it is more angular, with an unfamiliar camouflage pattern. The patch on the shoulder displaying a red star.

The human in frame shoulders a bulky looking rifle and kills the centaur in a spray of traces rounds. Movement catches my eye and I look to another security camera this one showing two humans in gas masks with glowing eyes in even stranger armor engaging and winning against a small squad of the garrison’s soldiers.

A spark flies passed the screen and the camera panned to show a jagged flechette embedded in the wall. Unnerving, since usually the earthers use smooth nail like flechettes in their weapons. Then a flash of movement and something resembling a bionic squid glides into view.

It appears to be a multi-tentacled robotic creature with multiple glowing red sensors that moves effortlessly through the air, and around the strangely armored humans. The thing sails straight into the squad of garrison soldiers and begins tearing them apart with its many arms.

“Damn it; Let's get out there, these garrison soldiers aren't worth the material it takes to resurrect them.” I order before retreating my rifle from its position by the table.

The window to my office then shatters inwards without warning. But unlike the garrison soldiers on the other levels of the building my frontline soldiers and I turn as one and light up the Earthers entering the room like a summer sun parade.

As the last human falls corporal Cherry raises begins chattering into the radio. “Sargent, one of the humans mechs has been sighted, headed east in sector six.”

“Deploy the serpent prototype. We might as well get some hard data on the thing for the princess.”

UAF CQB Siafu 21 “Blank”

https://youtu.be/zOOXOyxy9DA

A young violet scaled dragon female screams as I crush it between my mech’s pincers. I then swivel the mech and gun the accelerator. The wheels in the feet spin before finding grip and begin sliding towards another UEC encampment. Seeing the shoulder mounted rocket aimed at my mech I swing the mechs arm up bringing the autocannon to bare and fire off a four round burst from the autocannon.

The rounds tear massive foot wide holes into the building as they stitch their way towards the hostile with the rocket launcher. Then the final round finds its mark and red mist bursts from the bunker’s upper window. More movement around the base of the bunker draws my attention and I fire off two rockets from my ankle launcher.

“Vir die mensdom! Vir Afrika!” I yell s I draw closer to the burning bunker. The panicking UEC soldiers fire becomes increasingly more speratuc and spaced out over the chassis of my mech. One shot clips my cockpit canopy forcing my to lower the head and seal the cockpit.

My vision goes dark as my view of the outside is replaced by the inside of my cockpit. Unlike the Mechs used by the other nations the Siafu does not possess a full view from inside the cockpit instead relaying information via the exoskeletons limited sensor suits.

Red crosshares stitch themselves across my HUD prompting me to fire the built in shoulder gatling in retaliation. And as the offending UEC soldiers are turned to various kinds of mulch and organic matter I notice something large moving off to my right.

“Goeie probeerslag” behind me the shoulder mounted L-blade snaps open and I swipe it towards the offending figure. Firing my two remaining rockets into the bunker I turn down another street. As I enter the second street my HUD the image of a dragon appears with a red box on its neck, signifying a decapitation with the L-blade.

This news puts a wide grin on my face. But then comes the pressure joined by, The noise, the whining, the keening Its so loud! My vision slowly begins taking a reddish hue as I storm down the street, rolling over a fleeing UEC soldier. I can feel it like I'm standing on a ledge before a black abyss.

“Variable calls to Blank a shadow walks as the sky falls. Pattern:Red. Blood spills, as a viper strikes Pattern: Sapphire.” The voice of Helldiver X comes over the tac-link. There’s a ULH heading for one of the Helldiver teams, an unknown large hostile. Now thats what im talking about. “Blank shines to Variable. Clotting wound as blood flows. Pattern: Omega.”

As I return my acknowledgement I can feel the pressure build and build until it reaches its crescendo. I notice my L-Blade drawing more and more power as the keening gets louder and more painful. Until just as i am about to pass out I can feel myself taking that step into the abyss.

I can feel myself reaching out, Reaching out fifteen million times I reach out. I can feel the presence of billions of lives that are there, yet aren't. Voices that are millions if not billions of years old, but are somehow new. It is all so much to take in but an image a sound draws the the things attention.

The thing that was Blank is absorbed by the one and by the many. But it needs purpose, it needs understanding, it the thing that was once blank had become part of the whole but somehow didn't. But it felt its call, it felt one thing above all and as its knowledge was added to the whole it felt rage and begin moving into the direction of the pattern called Helldiver X.

Merriel “SNAFU” Shelton

“What the fuck is this thing?” I ask myself as my team jets to another position. The thing in question is obviously some kind of mech.
“But it ain't no mech I ever seen.”

It's to stream lined, it's joints are circular instead of being normal. It's hands closer to actual hands instead of the more claw like digits of Siafu and Atlas-2s. It is obviously some kind of variation of the Siafu design, but it just looks bulbous.

It's legs are in the same situation as the Siafu mechs with low range of movement and propelled with its wheels instead of actually walking. But unlike the Siafu its arms aren't very human, instead possessing two roughly hourglass shaped appendages with fingers extending from the inside of the lower bulge.

It's head and torso were strange as well. It's torso in fact most of the frame was slightly feminine. I could see the track signifying that the mechs head was lowered meaning it could retract like the siafu. But unlike the Siafu its head was elongated in an almost draconic fashion, and trailing behind it was a tail that swayed in a vary Tymerian fashion.

It was obviously a machine meant for counter our mechs, but there seemed to be places where function took a backseat to aesthetics. But at the moment that didn't seem to matter.

Turning my head to look over my shoulder I can see the enemy mech lifting its rifle to track us and time seems to slow down. A dull gold glow begins to build up deep in the barrel.

But just as the mech is about to fire the tank beside it explodes shifting its aim and sending the bolt of golden magical energy wide to strike below my squad. Seeing the mechs attention is drawn else wars we fire our jets again and leap onto another roof.

Now secure for the moment I take the opportunity to look over the roof with my guns targeting camera and see the silhouette of Siafu 21 advancing from the other end of the street. But something seems wrong, it holds it's rifle in one hand in blatant disregard for regs.

https://youtu.be/9ZbbTGP_b-E

In its other hand it clutches what looks like three dead and skinned bodies. It's silver and red armor scheme is bathed in streaks of blood that glisten in the street lights. It's cockpit remains closed but looks like blood and bits of gore ooze from its covers port, like it has been stuffed into the cockpit.

But perhaps the most striking feature was the L-Blade that hung extended on its shoulder mount, was streaked in gore. Streaks of blood from various species stained the blade made from a piece of a Lanky seed ship’s hull, while the blade itself pulsed with vains of glowing red. The veins flowed from where the blade itself connected to the sheath shoulder mount, winding and twisting throughout the matte black blade.

As the Siafu raises its rifle towards the UEC mech a scream comes blasting over the net. It is so lower that I have to literally tear my helmet off to protect my hearing. The scream is inhuman to loud and grating, like an alarm… or a warning siren.

Min’Baku
New Trottingham - Fuel and Water Depot

https://youtu.be/PIF7fLh0VH8

Turning her mech to face the human machine Min’Baku’s hearing membranes are immediately bombarded with a whale that comes screaming over the radio forcing her to mute the channel as another voice comes over another line. “Kree Baku. Sho’awla kit’chru i breka!”

“Shasha’lowe!” Min’baku yells as she raises her rifle preparing to fire a bolt of golden energy. But in burst of movement from the human mech the machine begins barreling towards her.

It's stance is low and the autocannon fires in fully-automatic. One of its shots strikes Min’Baku’s mech and her shot goes wide, striking the humans free arm instead of its cockpit.

An explosion of golden energy fills the street as the bolt strikes. The resulting explosion launches the human mech into the air. But instead of this incapacitating the human mech like she had hoped the machine instead rotates itself mid air performing a lazy somersault.

Landing on its feet with a crash the human machine snaps up its weapon again loosing a burst of shells. The rounds strike her mech tearing chunks of armor from its frame like flesh from bone. Then she hears the distinctive tiresqueel and the human machine begins charging towards her.

"Disor!" She shouts throwing both her mech into reverse, while simaltaniously raising her mech's free arm up in front of the cockpit, blocking the incomimg rounds with the bulbus appendage. The spent shells of the human’s autocannon shower the ground as it advanced towards her.

Another screech comes over the radio as she raises her rifle charging and firing another bolt. But this time the human machine seemed to fire some kind maneuvering thrusters that raised to life on the blood coverd sides of the machine. Their flames burned an almost evil red as the mech was launched to one side avoiding the bolt of magical energy.

Firing another bolt and getting the same result Min’Baku’s eyes widen as the Human mech’s shoulder blade poised itself to strike. Acting quickly she fired three shoulder rockets towards the charging human in hopes of destroying jt before it exited her cannons minimum range.

The first was destroyed by a stream of tracers from the humans sholder glatling. The second was seconds away from impact but the human seemed to juke the missile causing it to sail passed to harmesly detonate against the street. Third missile was destroyed as the human used the ruined stump of its left arm to bash a car into the rockets path.

But now it was too close to use the bolt cannon, and it came around her left flank it swiped at her with its pulsing shoulder blade. She managed to shift the Mech in time managing to only just lose the shoulder launcher and nothing else. Shifting her body inside of the cockpit she managed to maneuver the her machine and deliver a vicious tail slap with her mech.

She hissed in triumph inside of the cockpit as she watched the Earther mech’s armor crumple under the force of the appendage. Taking her chance she swept one leg around rolling the wheels in the foot to get her turned around faster. Before the human's crude machine could respond to her move she had raised her rifle and blasted the squad head off of the human machine and she cried out in triumph. "Shesho!"

https://youtu.be/XPkzgYmuQQg

There was a flash of gold light followed by a cloud of gold dust like particles in the air as the earther mech's head disappeared. But instead of letting the earther machine fall, Min'baku started to thrust her mechs clawed hand towards her opponents cockpit intent on confirming her kill. Only for the earther to go into reverse and back away from her in a cloud of tiresmoke.

Angery at being denied her kill she looked up at her opponent and almost threw up as the sight she witnessed. What she expected was a human inside of a cramped but clean cockpit just big enough for the pilot.

But Instead she was greeted witn an organic sludge that filled the space. Ropes and streams of blood and awful oozed and fell from the now open cockpit. But at center the of the mess of organic matter was the pilot. It's flesh had began to turn sickly almost eggshell white, and one of helmet's eye peaces had been smashed. Revealing one eye that was grown over with what looked like bone.

Behind the machine the large black blade pulsed from within with vanes of red energy. Before she could react the thing in the mech’s cockpit let out a membrane splitting whale and the mech charged again. The thing was like a wild and rabid animal, whaling and chirping as it closed the gap in a fraction of the time as before and began firing with its weapon and slashing with its evil looking shoulder blade.

But it was no use the human machine was to primitive, to damaged, and old to contend with her serpent mech. And in the end she put an end to the beasts flailing. With a well placed blast from her cannon she destroyed the leg of the machine and it responded with one final lunge of its own.

In response she spun her mech around the Earther machine as it flew at her. And as it struggeld to stand she surged forwards and slammed the pointed tip of her weapon into the cockpit of the human machine. Metal scratched, sparks spewed, blood hidrolic fluid oozed, and oil flew as the weapon pierced deep into the Siafu mechs armor and put of its back. And when she removed her weapon the human mech the glowing sholder blade grew dark and the rest of the machine fell limp.

With a hiss of excitement she turned her attention back to the humans she was engaging only to find they had retreated. In fact according to the talk on the radio the Humans and ACM troops were in full retreat. And as she stomped her mechs foot down on the prone and crawling form of a human female the Tymerian couldn't help but wonder if their human informant was doing their job.

Supreme Commander Rarity Belle

As I am about to enter the bunker and get out of this dreadful rain storm I can feel the wind shift in our direction. Nothing gets my attention but my combead chirps in me ear. Behind me I can hear the sound of a helmet disassembling.

“You may speak.” I say into the combead. entering the doorway but curiously watch Bra'tac begin sniffing at the air. His reptilian head tilts from one side to the other as his nostrils flare out, and eyes narrow. His combination rifle/halberd weapon lowers in anticipation, one of his claws hovering near the firing stud.

“My team has made landfall, expect the first squad soon. I will expect my payment when this is over.” The informant says over a secure channel. I roll my eyes at that, I don't need this right now. “Yes, you will receive your agreed upon payment Earther. His better go as you proposed or you will wish you had never reached out to me.” I say before disconnecting.

“Bra’tac, what is the matter, what do you smell?” My prime stood up straighter resting his rifle halberd back into standby before speaking. “I do not know my Mistress. But that female scent I have smelled it before.” he says ordering his guards into the building.

“Explane, Bra’tac what female scent?” he bows his head before speaking again. “I do not know my lady it smells familiar. If it will please you I would like to take men to investigate.”

“Hmm, Yes do this Bra’tac, take three of your Ikutho but return soon.” I say if he can hunt down and kill a squad or two of the earthers flaunted special forces then even better. But…
“Bra’tac if you can try to bring some back with you.”

He makes pounds a fist against his chest plate before barking out to two of the four Tymerian in my guard. “Shikka, Kree!” The two Tymerian warriors bow their heads before as a group they partly collapse their halberd rifles, before getting down on all fours and dashing into the thick jungle like a pack of reptilian wolves.