Zone Of The Enders Fan Fiction ❯ Zone of the Enders: Resurrection ❯ The Nereidum Incident ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Summary of Events:

The time around 2100+ is possibly the darkest point in human history. In an effort to conserve energy, the United Nations had sent almost half of the Earth's population into deep space for colonization. With the Fossil Fuels dried up, all hope laid within the manned colonies that were to be developed on the planet Mars and beyond. Such a move was costly, but in the end, it had proven it's worth. Thanks to vast colonization, new technologies and energy sources had been introduced to humanity. However, the Earth nations saw this attempt as a waste of money and resources, and everyone who participated in the colonization project as opportunists and cowards. Therefore, a strong racial discrimination was wedged between the Earth and Martian colonies, Earth seeing themselves as superiors. As a result, Earth occupied Mars with an iron fist, driving the colonists to the point of armed resistance. 2153, the Candor Incident, further deepened the boundary between Mars and the Earth, but had also supplied Mars with a key energy source: Metatron Ore.

It all began in the year 2167, on Mars. It had taken almost nine years to completely develop, but it happened. In this point in time, the company called Nereidum Universal Technology (NUT Ltd.) made the first fully functional Orbital Frame, a sixteen meter tall mecha composed of the mysterious material known as Metatron. Metatron, unlike previous alloys discovered by man, was it's own power source, able to create more energy than a nuclear reactor without any special chemicals or substances mixed with it. Though there have been many experiments to control such power, the Orbital Frame was the first true success. Codenamed Idolo, the Orbital Frame had proven it's power to the leaders of Mars and was to be put into mass production for BAHRAM, the Martian resistance movement against the Earth. But Earth had long since known about the Orbital Frame project, and launched a campaign to capture Idolo. In response, the frame's test runner captured the Orbital Frame for himself, and combated the Earth forces when BAHRAM was to keep the Orbital Frame project in utmost secrecy. The battlefield was set upon the space station Deimos, where Idolo slaughtered the local Earth garrison before being brought down by BAHRAM forces. The attack was labeled the Deimos Incident, putting the Orbital Frame into the eyes of the public. Tensions once again, deepened between Earth and Mars.

2172, five years after the Deimos Incident, was the turning point for all of humanity. Using Metatron Ore that was labeled `missing' by the UNSF (United Nations Space Forces), two new Orbital Frames were constructed on the distant colony of Antilia, orbiting Jupiter. Anubis and Jehuty, the most powerful forms of energy, were brought into the world. To keep the two frames from falling into UNSF hands, BAHRAM launched a fleet of mass produced orbital frames into Antilia, lead by the forces of Colonel Nohman and Viola, his second hand, destroying the Earth forces stationed there and hijacking one of the two frame, Anubis. Before they could take Jehuty, a young 15-year old kid, Leo Stenbuck, took the frame from it's construction sight and fought off the BAHRAM forces one by one. While Leo wasn't trained to run Jehuty, the syncronization rate between him and the frame was far beyond that of normal humans, showing another mystery to Metatron. How could a mere child pilot such a powerful form? In the end, the Antilia Raid, as it was called, gave BAHRAM the upperhand against the Earth forces. In the next two years, numerous conflicts would arise between Earth and Mars with various types of Orbital Frames.

2174, the final conflict had arisen at last. On the moon of Phobos, the military fortress of Aumaan was constructed, under the supervision of Colonel Nohman, the leader of BAHRAM and the frame runner for Anubis. Using compressed space energy from the Orbital Frame Anubis as it's fuel source, Aumaan would launch a wave of energy that would consume the Terran Solar System, generally destroying all of humanity. All Earth forces banded together against Aumaan, but without substantial power, Mars was immediately conquered by BAHRAM and the Earth forces were fragmented. It wouldn't be until the reawakening of Jehuty that the tide of battle would turn to the Earth. In a final confrontation between the two frames, Jehuty dispatched Anubis in a heated battle, and used it's body to detonate Aumaan from it's own core. After the battle, the UNSF fleet dispersed from Mars and returned to Earth to leave the colonies to themselves…

Or so they wished. The Earth leaders, not wishing to give up such power, spent much of their wealth to reinforce their fleets and return to Mars, this time to capture it. The situation changed for the worst. Without BAHRAM's power, Mars was fully occupied by the Earth forces in the year 2176, though Earth was lenient enough to let the Martians keep their own government and political officials. Despite the Earth's occupation, and the establishment of defense forces such as Special Taskforce Aegis, resistance and anti-Terranism grew each day since. In the year 2177, after an attack by the Type S orbital frame Deus upon Mars, the Earth finally caved in and absorbed the Martian government into the UNSF.

Not wanting another Aumaan or Deus attack, Earth took in the Orbital Frame design, NUT Ltd. and all developers for the Orbital Frame for itself, further strengthening it's power, as well as outlawing the development of Orbital Frames and any other Metatron based bodies on Mars. As a result, Mars was technologically stripped down, not allowed to develop anything beyond that of a construction vehicle or it's own life support systems for it's colonies. Few corporations such as NUT were permitted to develop combat LEVs, such as the LGM-118R Vic Viper unit, now being mass produced among the space forces. Mars is now a technological and economical wasteland, considered only by the UNSF for it's developers and nothing more.

The present year is now 2179, where the vicious cycle between Mars and Earth would once again, commence...

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"The perfect world would be a place where all humans would co-exist together, a world where suffering would not exist. Human nature dictates that Perfection is a state that has no flaws, no cracks in the wall or smudges on the color. There is only one way to reach this state, and that is to do away with human nature."
-Anonymous

Chapter 1: The Nereidum Incident

It was just another day in Nereidum County, as far as the people who live there were concerned. It was approximately 5:30 PM, Nereidum Time. Cars were driving around the streets, people were walking along the sidewalks and lights were starting to flicker on as the sun began to set in the horizon. Despite the fact that there was a military base nearby, the Martian population seemed to be content with their day-to-day lives. There was no reason they shouldn't be: Nereidum County was the wealthiest and most technologically advanced county in Mars, as well as the most heavily defended. This was the headquarters for NUT, the Martian corporation responsible for the creation of many military weapons both to the County Guard and the UNSF. Despite how truly wealthy the county was, it wasn't taken care of by it's population. The atmosphere within the protective dome was heavily polluted by vapors from the factories that dotted the area. The buildings were mostly painted in a dull grey hue to match the industrial feel that permeated the area, most of them cracked, dilapidated and lined with graffiti. As well, there were homeless people lining the streets and alleyways, most of them out-of-work factory personnel that were laid off due to one of NUT's policies or whatnot. It hardly mattered. The scenery was dark and ugly anyway, and people lining the sidewalks with gas masks added only a negligible amount of further gloom.

Raven Vostrikov stood in the middle of the chaos, examining the aftermath of the battle that lay before him. Bruised and beaten bodies lay sprawled about the alleyway from the fierce brawl that he fought in, with some blood drawn on the building walls and the concrete ground below. Of course, nobody outside would have noticed, and even if they did, it was doubtful that they would care. A few minutes ago, Raven was walking down the sidewalk to the arcade when five or so gangsters jumped out at him from the alleyway. It took them a moment to immobilize him, taking him back deep into their hideaway. That's when Raven broke free and the fight began. They were your average everyday street punks, nothing much to get concerned about, but Raven still felt jumpy from the adrenaline surge that came with the surprise attack they launched on him. Slowly, he moved away from the bodies, remembering everything that the group had seethed at him in between punches and kicks.

”So this is the halfling dog that's been making a name for himself? Not exactly what the image I had."

"It's degrading that this kid has Martian blood in with his Terran guts. I say we take some of it out of him."

"Careful, we want him to enjoy' the fun, remember?"

"Halflings ain't worth tormenting, Wilms. Just put him out of his misery.”

Halfling. That was the description everyone gave him. He heard it when he went to school, when he went out in public, even when he was at his own home. The term was made to symbolize his heritage. He was half-Martian and half-Terran, two incompatible bloodlines put into the same body. Genetically, it gave him physical advantages, such as a strengthened bone structure from his Terran side, and better tolerance for lower gravity on his Martian side. As well, he had heightened sight and hearing senses, which he took full advantage of in his day-to-day life. Still, those few features didn't seem to make up for complete rejection from society. Raven groaned at that last thought. Was it his fault that he was born to an Earth scientist and a Martian LEV pilot? If so, then why did it matter to everyone else? He was still a human being after all, and the origins of his flesh and blood were the same as everyone else's.

As the thoughts stewed in his mind, one of the thugs began to get up. He struggled because his right arm had been fractured, but eventually got on his feet. Raven leaned against the side of the building, watching him regain his footing, while the other glared.

"Go home." He said, with no traceable character in his tone, except for the slight Russian accent that he earned from the upbringing by his father. As much as he hated them, and as much as he wanted to kill each and every one of them for getting in his way like this, he was still a human being and he knew better than to hurt out of hatred.

"What?" the thug questioned, slurring his words.

"Fighting you any more would be a waste of time. It doesn't show any merit in your skills. If you've learned your lesson, then leave." Raven simply put, then looking around at the barely-conscious bodies he added "that goes for the rest of you." He chose to rub his words in by kicking at one of the prone bodies. The response was a small coughing sound coming from the thug in question, followed by the sound of heavy breathing and groaning. Raven then turned away, straightening out his coat as he did.

"Wait a second!" Raven heard the thug yell back at him, "Don't turn your back towards me, dog!" He turned around and narrowed his eyes at his had-been opponent, now wiping the blood off of his lips. He gave a devil's grin at Raven "No matter how good you are in a fight, you still don't deserve the right to live, halfling. You're a mistake, you're nothing compared to us." Several of the others had managed to drag themselves to their feet by now as well, joining their apparent boss in a defensive circle. Judging by the cocky grins sketched on the faces of the ones still lucid enough to make them, the thug's attempts at taunting Raven had reinforced their morale. Two of them drew knives, while the rest stuck to their fists, almost forgetting their wounds.

"Am I that much of a monster?" Raven questioned, feeling rage build at the group, "I don't remember hurting any of you until now. Why do you hate me so much?"

"What are you, Jesus Christ!" he thug almost screamed, fully enraged, "It's simple enough why we hate you. You should worry more about what we're going to do to you." He clenched his left hand, using the threat of force to back up his words. Raven didn't react this time, but instead simply stood his ground, glaring at the group in his own rising anger. He didn't want to fight them any more, but if they wanted a rematch so badly, he wouldn't hesitate. Going into a martial arts fighting stance, he pulled out a small blade weapon from his pocket, which appeared to be a black and gold handled knife…

Just then, before any party could attack the other, the ear-splitting bang of a Melenum 400K shotgun being fired could be heard from a few feet behind where Raven was standing. The five immediately looked past Raven and at the angry shopkeeper dressed in a plad shirt and torn jeans at the dead end of the alleyway, holding up his weapon. A small curl of smoke rose slowly from the end of the barrel.

"Didn't I tell ya punks before that I don't want any trouble?" the shopkeeper yelled at the group in a hillbilly tone of voice, "I suggest ya do as this young boy say and leave my place of business!"

At first, Raven didn't think they'd turn away, but it seemed the group leader finally listened to logic. He held his good arm out in front of everyone to signal they were finished, before they turned away and left the scene for good. Raven breathed a sigh of relief, letting his body muscles relax and mend to the bruises that were inflicted on him. The shopkeeper saw this, his expression changing from one of anger to concern. "Are ya ok, Raven?" he asked.

"Of course I'm not ok." Raven sighed, coughing afterwards, "I just got the living hell beaten out of me!"

The shopkeeper came over to him and lifted his arm over his shoulder to support. They began walking over to the store, "You shouldn't let those boys pick on ya like that. Why didn't ya get me out here sooner? You know I'd stand up for ya any time of the day." Raven didn't resist, but he felt like he should have.

"To prove a point" he spat.

"Eh?"

"They shouldn't have fought me when I was alone." he explained. "I didn't ask for your help, because I didn't need it."

"Yeah, but…" he replied, understanding where Raven was coming from, but not fully agreeing with his decision to fight alone. He gave up and sighed instead. "Alright, I'll call your papa again. In the mean time, you can relax in the back room. There's some food back there."

"I'll be fine." The boy replied.

With that, the shopkeeper said no more, since knowing this specific boy, he wouldn't get anywhere near conversation even if he tried. Going through the door, the keeper supported Raven until they reached the couch, where the boy sat down and the shopkeeper went over to the front desk for the phone. “Monster…” Raven thought, the word ringing through his mind as the thought about the fights and his own words during it. He brought up his hands, which were bright red from the muscle tension. This wasn't the first time he fought for his life and almost certainly wouldn't be the last. He would get off for self-defense, but there was still one question that dwelled in the boy's mind. “Is that what I truly am?”

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However, even he hadn't noticed two shadows on the other end of the street, watching him. “As arrogant as the reports said he would be.” Said a teenage girl, dressed in a school sailor-outfit herself. The girl was oriental in origin, most likely Japanese due to her long black hair and short build. She was standing against the stairway entrance box with her arms folded.

Her partner, a boy with long blonde hair and brown eyes, dressed in a black school uniform, didn't give her a direct reply right off. He just simply continued to watch until Raven Vostrikov had disappeared back into the building. “Nonetheless, he is a Dark Elemental, and is apparently knowing of his power. That makes him a dangerous piece to normal society, Yuriko.”

”Don't remind me, Xander, I'm just amazed how highly he must think of himself.” Yuriko quipped.

”A unique one, yes. But that's why General Taggart is showing an interest in him.” Xander said.

”Not so much as Colonel Velasgo.” Yuriko shot back.

”Taggart's orders take priority over the Colonel's, so that hardly matters.” Xander explained.

Yuriko busted up into laughter at hearing that, “You just don't want to admit you're interested in this guy just like the rest of Aegis.”

”Does that include you?”

Yuriko's eyes narrowed into a knowing glare, if that was a real expression, “If I had it my way, Xander, Raven Vostrikov would have been dead by now. As you said, he's a dangerous piece to normal society, and it should be our job to kill him before his powers develop any further, not watch him.”

Xander just gave her a half-smirk, “Too bad for you and Colonel Velasgo then, Yuriko. Our orders stand either way, and after watching him in action, yes, I'm interested in him now as well.”

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Evening began to fall upon the main sphere in all of Nereidum County, with the sun setting in the horizon and the colors of sky changing from Martian orange to pinkish/yellow colors. As such, it was almost time for Dr. Pavel Aleksandrievich Vostrikov himself to leave the UNSF base at Area 89, having finished the completion of his latest project, on schedule of course. Before he could leave though, he had to make a quick call, and that wasn't an easy task considering the amount of soldiers that occupied the building. Therefore, he decided to make the call in the hangar bay, where the prototype lay dormant. His staff had all left already, and due to the high level of security on the project, not even armed guards were allowed inside the hangar itself, just posted around it to make sure nothing gets in or out.

Still, the elder Vostrikov felt uneasy being alone in the hangar with that thing. He had gotten the phone call from the shopkeeper, and yes, it had bothered him for Raven to get into yet another fight, but not as much as his pet project did. He was now on ground level, in front of a large metal box that was split down the middle. The contents were such, that Vostrikov actually shivered as he stood in front of it, and more than once, he thought he had seen a pair of crimson red eyes shine through the crack in the middle, as well as sounds of breathing that were not his own. It was almost like the contents of that box were growing more and more impatient toward its awakening. But, he ignored such feelings and continued with the call, bypassing the military network and switching over to three public servers to make the call untraceable from the base. Soon, the silhouette of a man with long red hair and thin eyes appeared on the screen. “General Wilhelm.” Pavel said.

”Your report on the prototype, Vostrikov?” Wilhelm asked, giving a knowing grin like he always did. His deep Germanic voice, even from a computer monitor, was still enough to cause the entire room to vibrate.

”It's complete sir. We ran in to some trouble with the AI module, due to the nature of the data uploaded, but it's more than ready for combat now.” Pavel explained.

”Then why isn't your son as ready as that orbital frame is?” Wilhelm brought up.

Pavel let out a gulp, “We're back to nature, sir. It's not a question of capability, Raven just doesn't want to be the prototype's runner. And as a result, he's not putting his full power into the frame.”

”Hmmmm… Quite a boulder in the road, isn't it?” Wilhelm said, “An orbital frame is next to worthless if its runner does not understand it or does not want to use it. I take it there aren't any other candidates?”

”There are candidates, but for whatever reason, the frame only responds to Raven's commands. In fact, my son doesn't even need to be in the cockpit to give commands, as the frame responds to his brain patterns as much as his physical commands.” Pavel said, quivering a little. He tried his best not to anger the General.

Wilhelm noticed his humility and laughed a little, “Do not worry yourself, doctor, I saw this coming. If it were this easy for us to operate this particular frame, then we wouldn't be having so much trouble as we are now. Nonetheless, if the prototype is complete, then we must retrieve it before the UNSF takes it for themselves.”

”What are you going to do?” Pavel asked.

”Quite simple. I will send a force to Nereidum to retrieve it. This could double as a good `preview' to the main show itself.” Wilhelm said.

Pavel nodded in approval, “Sounds good, but respectfully speaking, do not send the Talons just yet.”

”Afraid that your raven would be overtaken by true birds of prey?” Wilhelm asked.

”No, the UNSF would go to full alert to learn that they are still around. That would attract way too much attention.” Pavel replied.

”Not as much as the public seeing the prototype…” Wilhelm contemplated, “But yes, I can see what you mean. Very well, I'll send a force of Raptor-types, and a LEV team as advanced scout. That being said, I want you out of there as well Pavel.”

”Where do you want me to go?” Pavel asked.

”Head to Tarsis County for now and await my orders there. White Harrier and Blue Kestrel will join with you to ensure you safety. Wilhelm out.” The General then signed off before anything more could be said between the two.

A smile curled on Pavel's face. It was almost ready to begin, and his work and toil would finally pay off. It was just a matter of a certain raven leaving his cage and accepting that he is free among the other birds…

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After some resting at the pawn shop, Raven had finally managed to drag himself home on his motorcycle. He soon made his way to the sixteenth floor, apartment number 668. Home sweet home to the average half-Martian, half-Terran. He reached to the keypad at the side of the door and entered in the security code, but he found that the door was open. “Just lovely.” He quietly had the door slide open, and then he slipped in.

The Vostrikov apartment wasn't a fairly big space compared to the average suburban house, but it was a lot larger than the average design, which NUT held in reserve for their top engineers. The entry way connected to the living room, where a big screen TV, a Playstation 3000 and an antique Nintendo system that had somehow survived nearly two centuries of history were all kept. Aside from that, there were two chairs and a couch facing the TV, a table with chairs behind that and some antique weapons that adorned the walls, from a musket to a pair of old Colt Single Action M1873s to a Japanese daisho set (though the latter wasn't the real deal). The left side of the room led to the bedrooms and bathroom, while the right was to the kitchen. Beyond that was a large one-sided glass screen (bulletproof, of course) that showed a magnificent view of the city. And unlike the graffiti on the outside, the apartment was kept clean and tidy, looking similar to housing in New York City or Seattle back on Earth rather than a slums area.

However, at this point, there was the sound of water running, and it was coming from the bathroom. Raven reached out, charging energy into his hands, as well as slipping his hand on the hilt of his apparent knife. He was ready to place energy into the knife, and in a flash it formed into a long staff-type weapon, with a black and gold long handle and a good sized duel-edged blade at the end. There was something he needed to check out. Sneaking, he came up to the kitchen, he silently peeked around the corner and sighed “Home a little early, eh pop?” he asked, as he relaxed against the wall.

“With our little pet project near completion, there's no reason to waste time with those big wigs at NUT…” Pavel explained as he was making himself an omelet. There was slight hint of hesitance in his voice, but Raven ignored it.

”Whatever.” Raven replied. He didn't really care, to tell the truth, and he would've gone off to do his own thing, when…

”Something wrong?” Pavel asked.

”What?” Raven shot up.

”You're in a bad mood, I can tell. Anything you want to talk about?” Pavel inquired, still very hesitant to press.

”Going for a PHD now?” Raven replied skeptically.

Pavel looked back at him with a raised eyebrow, My son the smartass… “Hey, I'm trying to help you Raven. That whole fatherly thing.”

Raven sighed, “I just had a bad day, that's all. Got ambushed by a bunch of racists outside Maynard's shop and all. I feel like the only good thing is it's a Friday and I don't have to deal with this tomorrow.”

”Besides the rollout of the AFX-001 prototype on Monday.” Pavel reminded.

Raven grimaced, “You didn't have to remind me about that dad. Damn orbital frame.”

”Regardless, Raven, if something's bothering you, then please tell me now. If you don't, it's going to follow you all the way to the cockpit, and neither of us want that.” Pavel said, still having trouble hiding his caution. He knew the unstable mentality that was his son, and he didn't want to upset that.

”Alright, fine.” Raven said, taking in a breath before he continued, “There wasn't that much trouble with these people, I just used a bit of my powers and…” he said.

Pavel almost dropped his serving pan, “I thought we both agreed you'd stop doing that. It's bad enough you have my bone structure, but if you start doing that Matrix stuff…”

”I didn't punch brick walls Dad; just added some extra power to my blows. Hell, I didn't even use my staff.” Raven said.

”So, what part of it is bothering you?” Pavel asked.

”I'm getting to that. The attacked me because they didn't like the idea of half-breeds…” Raven explained, almost trailing off.

"Very observant." Raven shot back in English again, "Don't tell me you really are becoming a psychologist."

"No snide remarks, Raven, please. I am only trying to help you." Pavel said.

"I don't need help." Raven turned around, with his eyes glaring at Pavel as if the older man had insulted him somehow, "I've always been alone, for my entire life. I don't expect anyone to help me with my problems, and I'm not about to start asking them to."

Pavel remained unfazed from Raven's reply; or his expression, at least. His grip on the spatula had tightened, however. "You cannot remain alone, my son. Humanity is a social race. We cannot exist individually; we need each other for support. You should know that by now."

"From experience or from an encyclopedia?" Raven replied. He swung his body off the wall, and began walking to his room. He had better things to do than this.

"Where are you going?" Pavel questioned.

"I want to be alone. I want to be away from everything." Raven simply answered.

"But you are always alone." Pavel said after him, "Why can we not do something together, perhaps go see a movie or eat out for dinner?"

"I don't know, why don't we do that anymore?" Raven questioned, going into his room to change. Pavel soon heard the familiar beep of the computer lock shifting into place. Sighing, the troubled father turned back toward the kitchen. If he couldn't get Raven to come out of his shell, he would at least do something useful his time.

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”You heard me, Esteraund! I want that basin destroyed by tonight!” screamed the woman on the other side of the phone.

Esteraund Legato scowled at the sound of this loud shrill voice. It was like, ever since he took this job on as a frame runner for hire, he had to be everyone's screaming post. Even if it was for no particular reason. And he hated it when random people, whether superior to him or otherwise, bitched at him for no particular reason. “…and I say again, why does it have to be tonight, Colonel?” Esteraund growled back into the vidphone, “You know you have to pay me up front before I do this, not after. Demolition jobs aren't as simple as they are in the movies, you know.”

”Watch yourself, Legato, you're lucky we took you in…”

”Correction, your branch offered me this position, in fact, they sent me a fruit basket for it. I didn't send in a resume, I didn't go in for an interview, and I definitely didn't have sex with anybody. So you should feel lucky I accepted.” Esteraund shot back, trying to gain the upper hand in this exchange.

Silence came up the next moment, as the woman calmed herself down. Esteraund felt like patting himself on the back for finally getting her to shut up, but he knew it wasn't worth celebrating about. She wasn't that annoying, she just wanted the job to get done, a job that Esteraund honestly couldn't blame her for wanting to be finished. He continued, “Fine, I'll give you a break, you can pay me tomorrow, same time and place as previously scheduled. However, I still want to know why I'm going to destroy that building.”

”I don't want to discuss this over the phone. It would be… special if a UCM peacekeeping force were listening in on this call.”

”Like they ever give a damn about shit like this. Besides, I already cut the trace signal.” The mercenary smirked, showing a tiny computer chip that he was holding in his hands.

”Alright, if you want. According to our agent, the development of the AFX-001 orbital frame is complete, and they are going to roll it out this Monday. As you and I both know, development of Orbital Frames and anything that has to do with Metatron is illegal, since the leaders of the UNSF are afraid of anyone having such power. However, it is still in our best interest that this particular Orbital Frame should not be revealed to the public.”

”Interesting…” Esteraund's violet eyes glittered, “How do you know I won't steal this frame, and use it as my own toy?”

”For one thing, you won't get paid. And for another, you already have an OF.”

”I don't know, the sound of an OF that would scare even you…” he chuckled at the thought.

The woman merely glared at him, then shook her head, “Just destroy it. Easter Air Basin, Area 89, Hangar C. I don't want a single piece left, otherwise, they may try to reconstruct it.”

”Fine, fine…” Esteraund accepted, “You've got your wish, Colonel. It's probably just another Neith variation, I can't imagine it being anymore powerful than that.” He took a look at his watch, after he said that last statement, “Well, looks like it's time. I'll talk to you again after I complete this mission. Don't forget the suitcase I requested.” Just behind the phone booth, a pair of blue eyes seemed to flare on, followed by the familiar pulsating of metatron lines outlining the form.

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The complex wasn't that large, but one couldn't exactly call it miniscule either. It consisted mostly of a converted space port, with three hangar bays originally designed to house interplanetary transport shuttles, lined up on the east side of the field; a control tower and administration building beside them; and two runways at the end which entered two exit tunnels leading to the outer desert of Mars. When NUT was forcefully commissioned by the UNSF to supply new weapon designs, it bought this spaceport and converted it into a testing ground for LEVs and new fighter designs, since the field was ideal for the Vic Viper atmospheric flight LEV, among others. Raven was now past the guard post, going into the parking lot with his motorcycle. As he moved to park his vehicle, he noticed that the area was deserted of personnel.

“No guards, but the building's still here. I guess they went home early." Raven thought, sighing. He turned off the motorcycle, and put the keys in his jacket. He didn't want to stay for long, just check up on a few things and then go find some illegal nightclub to go get drunk at or something. It was around 2 or 3 AM now, and he wanted to make up for his little scuffle that afternoon, so he took his motorcycle and drove around the city, until he finally decided to go to Easter Air Basin, the place of work for both himself and his father. Not that he was going to steal anything; he just wanted to pay a visit to a certain object.

”Something's wrong…” he said to himself, sensing a presence of some sort wandering around him.

Looking around, he saw that there was no one following him, so he shrugged the thought away. He lived on the streets for so long, that he had gotten used to people pursuing him, to the point where he actually developed a `detection sense' of sorts to keep an eye on his surroundings. The entry door slid open, letting Raven pass into the main building's lobby. Surprising Raven even more, the lobby was still lit with lights, as if nobody had left the building. Yet, nobody was here, and it didn't look like anyone had left. Papers were still spread across the front desk, security cameras were still active, there was even food left out in the open. Raven touched the food and sensed it was cold, so the place had been like this for a while. “Something's wrong indeed…” he commented to himself. Immediately he checked the security cameras for the third hangar, searching around to see if everything was still intact. Coming upon an object of interest, he stopped, relaxing. “At least they didn't get you.” he commented, looking across a metal case that was set in the middle of the hangar with relief. “But if you're still here…what the hell is going on?”

The next thing Raven found himself doing was kicking down the security door to the number three hangar, then entering to see that this too was well lit. He stealthily continued, keeping his eyes set on the case in the center. “I don't understand” He let out, “Why are you still here?”

Only silence answered him, not that Raven expected a sound response. Grinning, as if he had somehow inflicted damaged, he walked toward the case with the gaze of a predator. “Worthless piece of junk…” he said, “It's no wonder nobody stole you. You have no real worth. You couldn't compare to the frames from five years ago, just a cheap duplication attempt.” He stopped when he reached a metal door set at the bottom of the case, “Those idiots running NUT, they're upset because the Earth turned their backs on them. That's the only reason you were created. So, tell me?” he took the handle, “How does it feel to be a sales gimmick?” The door creaked open, revealing a stairway. Raven immediately proceeded up the staircase, saying nothing more until he reached the top, where he came across and open cockpit pod. He had reached his destination. Content, he adjusted his view upward, gazing at the frame's head. He couldn't see it in detail, just the outline and a slight glow from a pair of dormant red eyes.

He smiled and laughed. “You're on borrowed time, my friend! I tell you, after some idiot weapons inspector discovers you, you'll be melted down into ore, either to be jettisoned into deep space or to be put in some museum somewhere. Either way, you die before you awaken!” He burst into laughter, the same kind of laughter always used whenever a human with malice in their heart laughed at those weaker than they were. Raven enjoyed such an emotion, treasured it above all else. It was a feeling of dominance, a feeling of superiority. It was a feeling that covered all the sadness in his heart.

The feeling on this occasion was short lived, however. The sound of an explosion echoed across the hangar, immediately silencing Raven's laughter. “What the hell is going on?” he roared. Without a decent opening within the casing, he couldn't tell what was going on outside, and this his anger returned anew. “Damn, why did they have to keep this thing covered by metal? What ever happened to the white shroud that you whipped off at a rollout run?" He didn't have time to guess what was going on outside, for another explosion followed, rocking Raven to other side of the catwalk and almost causing him to fall off. With little choice, he glared up in anger at the Orbital Frame's face. Its expression didn't change, but he knew the thing was somehow smiling, seeing Raven barely standing at the edge like that, as if it somehow won in the end. “Fine, you win for now!” Raven growled back up, before jumping into the cockpit pod. Soon the pod's canopy phased closed, and red energy lines began to pulse around the frame…

”You'd think they'd notice our attack by now, Lieutenant Wesley!” one of the LEV pilots reported to his boss.

Wesley nodded at his wingman, bringing his Cyclops down to ground level, just a kilometer outside the airfield, “I agree with you, Gus. One can't even hear an air raid siren going off. NUT must be drained of defense budget…”

Beside the Cyclops, three more LEVs landed, two brandishing their standard machine guns while the other held onto a twin-tube missile launcher. The Cyclops, naturally, had no hand-held weapons, but its two gauntlet arms were powered up. Fire was spread all over the test field, with one of the runway tubes, the number two hangar, the control tower and the administration building all demolished. Wesley checked his Orbital Frame's sensors to see if any fighters had taken off or LEV arkjet battery reactors had activated. He got nothing noteworthy on his frequencies.

”Alright gentlemen, looks like intelligence was right. Vostrikov must have gotten all personnel to evacuate. Just pray there's an actual Orbital Frame around, otherwise I'm going to log a nasty complaint later today.” Wesley said in a sinister, british sounding voice that many had likened to an old 20th Century actor. Tim Curry or something like that.

The LEV on the left turned it's head and eye camera at the Vic Viper, “Are you sure this isn't a falsified report?”

”And how would I know that?” Wesley growled impatiently, “General Wilhelm just gave me orders, some possible intel, and nothing more. Either way, there's no point in staying here for long, so just dig around and see what you can find.” With that, the Cyclops ignited its thrusters and shot back into the air, flying back towards the city.

”Oh great, that must mean the target's here.” the missile LEV pilot whined, speaking in a low grunting tone, sounding somewhat like a pig.

”How would you know Lester? Just because the Lieutenant left doesn't mean we're going to die!” the right LEV pilot, the one called Gus, yelled back.

”We might! Don't you see the movies? Whenever an officer leaves his men behind, some ninja or vampire comes out of nowhere and kills them off!”

The left LEV pilot grumbled, “I told you, Lester, you shouldn't watch that stuff! Besides, I'm second in command, so that leaves me in charge.” The pilot turned his attention to his sensors, which were flashing violently, “Metatron reaction detected boys, and it's inactive! Lets get to work.” He cocked his machine gun.

”But Sarge…”

”Lester, another word out of you, and you'll be eating mashed up dog for a week! Now move!” the three LEVs hovered across the ground, toward the space port.

"You..." an enraged voice said, "How dare you awaken me..." The LEV squad didn't see it, but around the intact hangar, red energy started to swirl, entering through cracked windows and the open door, congregating in the metal case. The energy well grew until the case glowed into a bright red, light breaking through seams in the metal. Suddenly, a large burst of the bright light engulfed the hangar and the space port alike, shredding the buildings into metal shards, and leaving the LEV pilot dumbfounded. The shards orbited the glow in a perfect ring, rotating around it and crackling with it's energy.

Though it was obvious from the spectacular sight, the lead pilot screamed his new information to this wingmen. ”Metatron reaction detected! Someone activated the frame!” the Sergeant reported to his wingmen, “I'm calling for reinforcements!”

“Already did, Sarge. The main group is on its way!” Lester said.

”Screw the support, I can take that thing out with just this Phantoma.” Gus smirked, leaping into the air ahead of his comrades.

”Gus! Get back here!” the sergeant commanded.

”It's probably just some test pilot.” Gus shouted, firing a machine gun burst into the glow. He then threw the machine gun away and whipped out his laser blade, preparing for a downward strike, and piercing the fiery red glow as gravity assumed control of him. Silence resulted; the two remaining LEV pilots watching to see if their comrade made it. The sound of a loud, piercing slice could be heard by the two, interrupting the pause. The LEV's black outline appeared silhouetted against the glow. Lester and the sergeant didn't let out a sound. They could only watch in horror, as the LEV split into halves.

”What the hell's going on Sarge?” Lester screamed out in fear, horrified for his own safety rather than Gus' demise.

”Backup's on the way, Lester! Take cover and let them deal with it!” With that, the two LEVs jumped away, landing behind a hill and retreating further from the glow.

Within the energy field, a single frame shone from the white light sparkling across its armor, crimson red eyes glaring, menacing and cold, at the two retreating LEVs. Its jet black and gold armor hummed and vibrated as if alive, as it lowered its narrowed face plate into view. "You will not escape..." the voice came again, "Not this time..."

The frame's eyes shone brightly, and its large wings split into six separate binders, spreading around the back into a in a 90-degree circumference, with only the connection roots keeping the wings attached to the body. Raven didn't show any enragement or amusement while watching his adversaries, but merely sank back into the command chair, smiling a demonic smile. “It appears you have awakened after all…” he acknowledged, satisfied arrogance and contempt dripping from his words, “I suppose you won't be melted down just yet… Anubis.”

As if it were prided that its name had been spoken, Anubis shot from its position over the ruined base and into the air, red energy seeping from its six wing binders like rays from a sun. Its runner couldn't help but smile at the events that unfolded in front of him. It was a sick twist of fate, but he still found it especially humorous. He never really thought he'd enter battle, let alone one in a real Orbital Frame. Especially Anubis. Manipulating the controls to move the orbital frame forward, he remained in fighting stance. Raven noticed, when he activated Anubis, that there were some key differences compared with the original version of the frame that he had been forced to study. Besides the black-on-silver and red with a golden outline color pattern, it had a `breastplate' over its upper torso, armor plating that was similar to that of a medieval warrior. The armor stretched across the chest and around the back, with openings for the wing joints and the arms. The shoulder armor had been stretched over and out into a pair of angular guards. Anubis' wing binders remained spread, but were still connected to the frame through mechanical-skeletal joints, not connected via energy as its predecessor's was. Raven wasn't sure about why such changes had been made, but at the moment it hardly mattered. This Anubis was still far more powerful than a Phantoma, which Raven was quite sure he would be facing off against.

"New contacts... about five of them..." he muttered quietly to himself, looking at his HUD panels. On the display, he saw a couple red dots coming straight at him, which he assumed were other LEVs. They were traveling airborne, so they had to Vic Vipers. "No matter..." Anubis' binders spread, releasing metatron energy that propelled it into the sky. There was no point in waiting around, after all, especially after he was noticed. Anubis drew closer to the contacts, which were now moving much faster than anticipated. In a flash, his auto-lock activated and highlighted the targets, picking the closest one for the main weapons. Raven eased back to dodge a javelin shot flying straight at him. What? Since when does the UNSF allow Orbital Frames to run around so freely?

Sure enough, the five targets were indeed orbital frames. Anubis' computers instantly performed the necessary checks and tagged them as Raptor general-purpose frames, all emitting an unknown IFF code. Raven recovered from his shock and ordered his machine into a dive at the Raptors, scattering them apart. He couldn't afford to allow them to organize, even with the near-godly Anubis under his command. He adjusted the course of his dash, heading straight towards the first Raptor that he'd locked-on to. The Raptor's AI programming reacted fast enough to respond when Anubis popped in front of it, grabbing and crushing its head. Deciding to test one of Anubis' abilities, he initiated the Absorb program. The energy lines on the Raptor pulsated again, but instead of flowing down the frame's form, the energy seeped into the head and pulsated into Anubis arm and up its body, draining away at the Raptor's power. This was one of the many `improvements' NUT had made to the design, and although Anubis itself had nearly limitless power thanks to its Anti-Proton Reactor, this technique worked very efficiently and was pretty intimidating to watch. After all the energy was drained, Anubis dropped the frame, letting the body free fall to the ground.

Another Raptor dashed at Anubis and brought its twin energy swords to bear. Raven was quick to spot the incoming attack; Anubis' main weapon forming in the right hand. The trademark staff, made with a black and gold handle and a long silver-ish twin edged blade blade at the end, much similar to Raven's weapon of choice. The Raptor jumped away from the staff and rushed; this time targeting Anubis' head for a quick kill. Raven once again deflected the blow, swiping his weapon at the Raptor's own skeletal spinal cord, fending it off. Anubis jumped away, avoiding another Javelin shot, then coming back at the same Raptor, promptly separating its lower half from its torso with one clean swipe. The staff, designed off of Raven's own personal weapon, had a larger blade than the original staff, and thus made a cleaner cut on the Raptor rather than clubbing it. The final three grouped together in a desperate attempt to form a party, but Raven didn't allow them have the chance. Anubis spread its binders, and then raised its right arm, which glowed fiercely, releasing a swarm of crimson-red homing lasers at the Raptors. All three Raptors scattered once more in an attempt to dodge, but the lasers were too fast for their programmed maneuvers, and as a result the rest of the squadron ended up getting ripped apart by the energy.

Anubis' eyes flared crimson, reflecting the battle-rage of the soul within, as it twisted around and put up an energy field to deflect an oncoming rocket. One of the LEVs had decided to come out of hiding and attack it with a missile launcher. A second later, his comrade came into action and unleashed his machine gun against the orbital frame. The pilots had given up on all hope of survival now, coming out of their hiding places to challenge the OF. Raven was unmoved. He dashed at one of the LEVs, the one with the machine gun, and grabbed it, actually lifting it above Anubis' head as it absorbed energy from the Arkjet reactor within. Its comrade continued firing machine gun rounds, but they had no effect on Anubis' armor at all. After some time, the LEV stopped struggling, its power entirely gone, and the black orbital frame simply tossed it into its comrade in a javelin like throw. A single shot through the torsos caused both to explode.

Raven took a moment to let out a pent-up breathe and take in another. He knew that more were coming.

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Esteraund couldn't believe what he was seeing near the space field. Even from the cockpit of his orbital frame, the sight was spectacular and frightening to him. Sure, any manned Orbital Frame with a halfway-decent runner could destroy Raptors with ease, but the way this one obliterated his enemies... it wasn't normal. Luckily, his frame, Raijin, was still a good distance away, so there was no way for that damn ghost to detect him, unless his worst fears about Anubis were, in fact, true. Raijin was powerful, but the mercenary doubted he could stand up to such an opposing force as this. No amount could get me to fight that monstrosity, even if it came in a diamond briefcase...

”Eh-? Holy… The shits hit the fan now.” Esteraund whistled, checking his sensors. Off in the distance, toward the city, he could see several light flashes from orbital frames swarming around the city, fighting UNSF enforcement LEVs and gun emplacements. There was already an evacuation broadcast, and despite the distance, Esteraund knew the streets were crowded with civilians trying to make their way to the shelters. He switched open a communication window with his client. The video displayed a young, oriental-looking woman, probably in her late teens, sitting in a cockpit of her own. “I'd say we have a problem, Yuriko. Someone else is interested in that frame too.”

”Shit…” Yuriko growled. “I thought you said you could get the job done.”

“You never said anything about a second party being here.” He growled back, “Now what the hell am I supposed to do, Yuriko?”

”Destroy or capture it, Legato. I do believe that's what you're getting paid for.” She chuckled, seeing the fear sketched across his face. “Come on, you aren't afraid of a mere imitation, are you? Just sit there, all Aegis units have been deployed and are en route.”

Esteraund gaped with fear at the thought of staying where he was. ”What if that thing decides to come after me?”

”What can I say? I'll pray for your mortal soul.” Yuriko pronounced with no small degree of smugness, cutting the line as she did so. Esteraund slammed his control panel in frustration. It was official now: he was a dead man. Easing back on his control pads, he manipulated Raijin to move away from the area. Though there was still the chance that Anubis would detect the ion trail his frame's verniers left behind, the mercenary didn't care; all thought had fled out the door when he saw that red orb come out of the space-field. Only basic instinct remained, and if his luck was still intact, it would be enough. He nearly jumped out of the frame's cockpit when he saw Anubis turn around, but it wasn't toward him. All of a sudden, he noticed the new contacts on his sensors…

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So this is what it feels like... Raven thought, looking at the smoldering ashes of the LEVs and Raptors. The power he felt at his fingertips was…intoxicating. Even though he had been trained for years for the sole purpose of piloting this machine, he had no idea it would be like this. Anubis lowered itself slowly to the ground, still on combat alert, but its eyes and sensors seemingly glued upon the wreckage of the two LEVs. It landed a few meters away from one of them. Bending over and kneeling, it picked up the remains of a severed head sensor, then brought it up to its own face place as if to study it. Raven breathed heavily, physically worn out, at the sight of the scarred piece, the realization of his own actions setting in. They couldn't have harmed him, though they meant to. They were coming at him with machine guns and rocket launchers, while he destroyed them with only two shots. They didn't want to fight him either; most likely they were ordered to remain, unlike the various people Raven fought hand-to-hand. Thoughts converged on him; some trying to reassure him, others only causing more guilt. That was when his auto-lock activated again.

“Now what?” Raven snapped, as Anubis' sensors picked up more metatron signatures on radar. Once again, they weren't UNSF in origin, and much more, some of them were moving on an attack formation to the city while the rest came after him. As if responding on its own, Anubis turned to the direction of the presence, its staff re-appearing its hand. Immediately, it cut into a dash and flew toward the city, where a fire fight had already broken up.

“This is really getting annoying!” Raven snarled at the scene before him. It was a full out attack, with thirty or forty Raptor type orbital frames swarming around the city. Just like Antilia, they were flying around, shooting at anything that moved, and there were lots and lots of people running around. Anubis' computer began picking up SOS signals from the buildings, and Raven wondered if Mirielle was among the people running around down there. Or his father for that matter. It bothered Raven that he hadn't seen his father around on a night like this, even though he was used to his being away. Something was just off. Before he could contemplate more, the proximity alert went off, and Raven felt the sudden shock of Anubis pitching from an explosion. Somewhat enraged, he looked over his monitor. Another pair of Mummyheads had detected him, one of which had locked onto him with a pair of halbard cannons.

With a flick of the wrist, Anubis was off again, staff in hand and wrist blades powered up. A few Raptors charged at him, but Raven dodged their attacks and slashed them to pieces one by one. Immediately, he targeted another group, this time one that comprised of Mummyheads and Cyclops type frames, and sped after them. The group must've too busy terrorizing random civilians, because judging by the reaction, none of the frames had detected Raven's approach. The two Mummyheads let out Phalanx bursts, while three Cyclops began shooting gauntlet shots at the incoming black frame. Raven pulled Anubis into a zig-zag pattern, constantly weaving between buildings as he approached the targets. One of the Cyclops engaged its verniers and ascended out of formation, dodging the first shot Anubis fired, charging at him with its blade arms ignited. But Raven corrected his aim before he fired the last two, the second sheering off the left leg, and the third breaking through the AI module and rendering the frame useless. Raven rushed past the dropping Cyclops, which just exploded after he shot through, making a four-slash attack at the remaining orbital frames. They all exploded soon after, outlining Anubis' black silhouette as if it were a shadow while it hovered there.

Targeting another Raptor some distance away, he corrected his flight path so he was above the target, going into a dive and almost immediately painting the Raptor with his target, and charging energy around Anubis' torso. Red energy seeped out of the frame in sparks, like that of a blood red star, as brighter orange and white sparks seemed to bubble across the torso. Not long after, Anubis let loose a burst shot that homed in on the Raptor in a spiral pattern, slamming its side and sending it into a building. It then exploded from its anti-proton reactor detonating, taking the building with it. Seeing its target destroyed, and ignoring the fire from the defense turrets and SAM missile launchers, Raven continued after the remaining Raptors, with an undying ferocity.

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Dr. Pavel Vostrikov searched his pockets for a decent cigarette, or a lighter. It was past three o'clock in the morning now, when it got very cold in Nereidum; too cold for him to keep walking. He had been pacing around one of the city parks when the fighting had started, but fortunately, he had known about this ahead of time, so he made sure that the park he had gone through was out of the attack zone. That, and he also made sure the park had a viable shelter, which in this case was an abandoned recreation center.

He prepared to take in another breath when his cell phone rang. He knew who it was, but he had no choice but to respond. Although reluctant, he picked up the phone. “Dr. Vostrikov.”

”I see things have started much earlier than scheduled.” The voice said through the receiver, jumping straight in with no formalities, but holding a tone that showed both malice and amusement. “I thought you estimated a month or two before Raven could run the Second efficiently.”

”My apologies, I underestimated Raven. It appears he can interface with Metatron much more skillfully than either of us thought.” Pavel paused to take another breath of warm, nicotine-rich smoke. “I can see the flashes from my apartment. Does the UNSF know of our presence?”

”Ah, my dear Doctor, I thought Wilhelm told you not to be so nervous. No, the communications from the LEV unit are heavily guarded; no way the UNSF could have picked it up, and that only leaves them with a few dead Raptors and an undead orbital frame to go with. Special Taskforce Aegis is on full alert, but that's understandable, since it appears they had tabs on this to begin with. As for our favorite black bird… he seems to be doing rather well, Doctor. You should be more proud than worried.”

”Oh, I am not worried about Raven. I am worried about the Jackal's overall performance. It was barely a third that of the original the last we tested it, and that was in a flight test. This is a real battle.” He paused once again to take another puff, watching the smoke flow out of his mouth and form a small hanging cloud in the frigid air. “If Anubis is destroyed before…”

“Even at a third of the original power, Doctor, Anubis is still out of reach for those unyielding drones. Granted, the sight of the great Lord itself is causing a great amount of commotion at Deimos, but the Terran brass still won't understand what they're dealing with.”

Pavel let out a breath, “That is that, then, we have no choice but to leave it in the hands of Raven for now. Interference would be premature.”

There was a maniacal laugh on the other end. “If that's the case, I'm off to kill a few Terrans. Goodnight Doctor.” The phone clicked off and the screen turned black. Despite what he had said, Pavel didn't feel nearly so relieved. It was natural for him to worry about Raven; he was, after all, his son. Pavel yawned before taking one last breath of smoke into his system; then he put out the cigarette and headed back out into the park. There was no reason to stay behind in Nereidum now.

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Anubis hovered, surveying the chaos as if curious. The city had been engulfed in flames long since the Raptors appeared, and its populace was now in a state of panic. As expected, there was looting, random fights and gunfire, the latter striking one somewhat strangely as gun ownership was illegal on Mars period. The local security forces were struggling to keep the city under control, even bringing in SWAT Team LEVs with riot gear. Raven knew a good portion of the panic had come from Anubis' decimation of the Raptors. He could hear the screams of people looking up into the sky and seeing a long dead ghost come out of nowhere to save them from their attackers.

Still, Raven sat against the cushioned padding of his cockpit chair, managing to relax somewhat. The remains of the enemy orbital frames remained on the streets, smoking and glowing, torn and blasted like the rest of the Lord of the Dead's victims this evening, each one something of a sacrifice to the superior power of Anubis. And yet, Raven merely looked into his displays and gazed at the remains of the orbital frames, thoughts wandering. What an annoyance… he thought. Anubis seemed to comply with its runner's thinking, turning away from the remains and preparing to move away when the computer's auto-lock activated once again.

”Not again.” Raven moaned, exhausted. He turned Anubis around to see what was tracking him. His blood ran cold when he sighted the pair of Orbital Frames just in front of him. From the outside, Anubis was taken back as well.

There were at least twenty or thirty of them, all orbital frames, and much to Raven's dismay, all were giving off the IFF signatures of the UNSF. Instead of Raptor-type frames, the bulk of the group was a legion of black tinted AlterNeith orbital frames, while the apparent squad commanders were using some new design Raven had never seen before. He came across the last three orbital frames, and Raven felt his heart stop beating slowly.

One was colored in a bright orange scheme, with gray and blue highlights sketched across its armor. It was slim, almost feminine, much like most type-C orbital frames were, but this one didn't appear to be modeled after a human. Its was jagged, triangular and narrow, stretching up at the neck to form the mouth piece, then the nose, then stretching in either direction to form two antennae like eyes. A pair of metal mandibles extended from the wrists, glowing with energy and obviously charging for an attack, and a set of wing verniers spread out from the frame's hips. The design reminded Raven of a Praying Mantis, an old extinct animal from Earth. Anubis' sensors identified it as Grafficane, a BAHRAM type-C high mobility orbital frame used during the Animus Campaign.

The other was bulkier than its comrade, more masculine, seemingly based off of an ancient warrior of some sort. It was colored in a dark, almost forest-green tone with navy highlights spread about, with samurai-style armor plating encompassing its chest, hips, shoulders and arms. The frame's head was similar to that of a human head, but it had a helmet on top of it covering the `face', distinguishable by a long horn at the top. A pair of sapphire eyes glowed out of the helmet visor. While the frame had no visible weapons in hand, several energy discs surrounded it, orbiting its structure. Electrical blasts emanated from the discs as they moved, striking in random directions. It was identified as UNSF prototype general-purpose orbital frame Raijin.

The last one was the one that made Raven's sense of fear. It was Idolo, at least it looked like it. He knew the original was destroyed at Deimos, and the remains were used on the orbital frames Hathor and Isis. In fact, this one seemed to be orbital frame design. White armor with green and blue points, a pair of short, angelic wing binders based off on its back and legs, a spiegel blade on the right arm and an energy shield projector on the left arm, and the same head. The same white human-shaped head masked by a black visor with two out-stretching sensor fins that Raven loathed beyond all reason. Like Anubis, Idolo was supposed to have been destroyed, and though Raven's mind tried to reach an explanation as to why that frame was here, he couldn't come up with anything.

But that didn't matter at the moment. Raven assumed that these frames were affiliated with the Space Force, so he of course further extrapolated that they were more reinforcements against the Raptors. And Anubis. The black frame dashed away from them, retreating while firing more of its homing lasers. The opposing frames dodged by splitting away from their individual formations, and allowing two units to attack. Grafficane, using its superior speed to dodge the shots while Raijin activated an indigo-blue energy barrier to absorb them. Anubis readied its staff as Grafficane came close, but it was too slow to react. Grafficane dodged the oncoming attack, used the momentum to dodge behind Anubis, and struck it with its claw.

Anubis struggled from the damaging blow, red energy pouring from its back `wound' while Grafficane observed the opposing frame's struggle, its runner just watching it twitch helplessly. Slowly, ever so slowly, Anubis stopped moving. Its arms lowered and its head bowed to its chest, the bright crimson eyes fading into black. Raijin floated toward the unconscious form that was only held up by Grafficane's impaled claw, scrutinizing.

Raven fared no better than his machine. When Anubis struggled, his body was flung around the cockpit like a rag doll, hitting the edges and control panel. When the punishment finally ended, he found himself low on energy as well, no longer able to endure the stress of combat. The last thing he saw before blacking out was Raijin's sapphire eyes staring at him…

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TO BE CONTINUED…