The idea is mine, but I could never have been able to make it a reality without the help of my dear friend Andivia. This story is a collaboration between us two, so if you want to put it on your watched list do the same for a story of his, they're all good.
Disclaimer: RealmOfEmptiness and Andivia don't own even a single 1% of Kantai Collection and Armored Core. They belong to the societies that made them.
Prologue: Gathering of Steel
How much time had passed? Days? Weeks? Years?
He couldn't tell. He didn't remember.
His name. His origins. His past. Everything was a blank state.
He couldn't see. He couldn't hear. He couldn't feel. He couldn't move.
There was only him and the overbearing blackness that was his whole world. Never living, only existing, his own thoughts stopped in perpetual stasis.
Look there!
Until he heard it.
They're coming! Run!
It's too late!
Mommy!
Something began to stir. Forgotten memories resurface to the fore of his mind, jumbled images of blood and fire chief among them.
Why were those sounds so familiar?
Help me!
Ah. Yes, that was it.
Someone, please...save me!
Those were...cries of help. People screaming in despair, asking for salvation, for someone to protect them. For the first time he felt something, a deep rumbling rage tempered by iron-clad determination surfacing from inside.
Why? Why were those voices making him react like that?
"I was created to protect mankind and this world."
...Yes, he remembered now. The purpose of his existence, the reason he was born into this world.
His name. His origins. His past. Everything was a blank state.
Except for his purpose.
A single light came into being in front of him. Blind, deaf and numb he nonetheless pushed himself forward, moving as if many miles underwater, the pressure threatening to crush him.
Isn't there out there someone that will save us?
He will do it.
Isn't there out there someone that can defeat what is threatening us?
He can do it.
For every centimeter gained more memories came back to him, until they were like a deluge threatening to submerge his still awakening consciousness. Yet he still persevered.
I can't see anymore...please, is someone, is someone out there?
"I AM!" He bellowed with all of his strength through his comms system. He didn't notice how his voice was less synthetic and more natural.
With a final push he reached the light and jumped into it without hesitation. A single final piece of memory sets itself in its proper place, and he knew the right thing to say:
"Nineball Seraph! Launching!"
Thrusters roared to life, pushing the Master of Arena out of the light until his vision cleared.
And was promptly filled by a seemly endless body of water. The ocean stretched below him to the horizon, his sensors telling him of levels of pollution whole orders of magnitude lower than any of the records stored in his memory banks. It was the same for the air.
Looking around he discovered he was hovering above a large island with real trees covering its surface while the beach was clear of trash and detritus.
How was that possible? How could such a paradise of nature exists, untouched by the hellish ravages of the Great Destruction?
That was what he was created for, to regain Earth's past glories...and it was right before him, as if out of a history book. It didn't make any sense.
But then, it was the same for his own presence in that place.
He was supposed to be terminated, destroyed by the Raven that overcome all the obstacles he put in his way, driven by revenge for his killed father. His last moments were of laying down in the middle of a burning Arena, his systems failing one after the other until he went offline. And just like the world around him, he too felt different from what he was used to.
He lifted his right arm. What he saw was an metallic red and black gauntlet, on its side the barrel of what he knew was a powerful energy machine gun. His other arm was the same. His legs were clad in similar but smooth armor, small thrusters in the back humming softly as they keep him afloat.
He tried to run a complete diagnostic, only for the data he received to boggle his mind. Almost instinctively he became aware of additional wing-like binders on its shoulders, of large thrusters on his back and an angular spiked helmet covering his upper face. The reports on his arsenal spoke of improvements and additions he didn't remember being added, or even possible for that matter. He knew the theory behind the working of this new Core of his...but that was it, just a theory that wasn't feasible even with the entire resources of the Raven's Nest. The rest didn't make much sense either.
It was almost as though someone heavily updated his frame with technology much more advanced than his own time and then...then gave him a human-like appearance.
He couldn't come up with a rational explanation, and that frustrated him to no end.
Even more, if he had those improvements during his last battle he would have never lost!
A system alert suddenly popped up on the HUD. It was then replaced by his radar showing unidentified units moving near the southern part of the island, some airborne and two on sea level.
Igniting his boosters he quickly moved to intercept them. As he came closer he realized there was a battle going on, one of the sea-level units fighting against the rest.
A moment later he saw the first target: a small, sleek black plane with an almost organic appearance, teeth-like protuberances on its bottom together with a machine gun. There were twenty of them.
His attention switched to the first sea-level target: it had the appearance of a woman wearing an organic-looking black and white skin-tight suit, a set of lower teeth around her neck acting as a collar together with a cape. She was moving on the water as if skating, hands resting on a cane. She had a pale face with emotionless glowing orange eyes and long white hair. At the top of her head sat a large bulbous helmet with a lipless jaw in the front and glowing red oculars on the upper sides. In front of his eyes the jaw opened and a new plane flew out of it to join the others. On the lower sides were four tentacles moving like living serpents and two turrets shooting ballistic rounds at precise intervals.
From the explosions created when the rounds hit the water he calculated their destructive potential was way higher than what their sizes would suggest.
The target of the strange woman and the planes was another woman, this time looking completely human. She had brown eyes and long brown hair bunched into two braided buns. She was wearing an outfit that his archives identified as a modified miko uniform from the old nation of Japan, a skirt and thighhighs. Behind her was a metallic backpack shaped like the hull of a warship, with four sets of small cannons frantically shooting at her assailants. In contrast to the pale woman her face showed deep concentration, but also traces of panic. She was outnumbered, and she knew it.
Under his careful watch the brown haired woman managed to hold out the numerically superior force for several minutes before a lucky shot made her stagger. She was then hit by all sides before a powerful shot blasted her out of the water and onto the beach, where she roughly crashed. Her clothes in tatters and backpack damaged, she watched helplessly as the pale woman and her planes slowly drifted closer, as if savoring the moment before finishing her.
He knew that, if he did nothing, the pale woman would terminate the brown haired woman. He has been attracted by their battle only out of curiosity, in the hope of finding answers to his current situation. He was aware that, by interfering, he could turn around the battle's outcome for either side.
The problem was, which side should he support?
He focused on the pale woman, her face betraying no emotion. She was like an unmanned drone, a mindless machine following a program's directives.
His gaze switched to the brown haired woman. Her face showed defiance and anger, yet there were tears forming on the corner of her eyes, full of something he saw many, many times on the battlefield.
Fear.
He was a machine create to protect humans.
It was obvious neither of those two women was human.
And yet, the brown haired woman was clearly showing emotions that he only saw on the faces of humans.
It was sufficient.
He dived down, boosters pushing forward at full force. He took aim, machine guns on both arms roaring to life as they unleashed their payload on the black planes. They didn't stand a chance, their bodies shredded to pieces as the blasts of concentrated energy tore through their casings with ease.
By the time he landed between the pale woman and the brown haired woman only a few seconds had passed. By then every plane was destroyed, the pale woman having survived the onslaught only because he retreated back the moment the first plane was destroyed.
He rose from his crouched down position, the hum from his thrusters dying down. Through his visor he stared down at the pale woman.
As things were, there was only one thing to say. Even if he was a machine, he more or less understood the human saying of 'old habits die hard'.
So he spoke. The words that, he thought with pride, alone instilled fear and despair in the hearts of all Ravens for many years.
"Target Verified. Commencing Hostilities."
How long had he been fighting now? He couldn't remember. It had been so many years. Since the very first day he awoke there'd been nothing but endless battles.
He didn't regret it though.
He'd always been used by those that fought to protect. It had been fun, fighting alongside that laid-back Lynx. It had been fulfilling, fighting alongside the hero of the Lynx war. But that was what inevitably brought him here. On top of that bridge, fighting a pair of formidable opponents.
It hadn't been hopeless. In fact, he'd already sunk one opponent right to the bottom of the ocean. But he was at his limits. The heavy rifle rounds thumped against his armoured chest, tearing chunks from the plates and damaging fragile electronics. His consciousness flickered for a moment, and the rapidly firing rounds drew a jagged line of craters right across his torso and through his arm. The force spun him around and propelled him over the edge of the bridge.
He hadn't been fast enough. Hadn't been strong enough... It was disappointing, but he had learned that all things come to an end after his first partner abandoned him. He wouldn't complain though. He'd done his best right up until the very end. How could anyone complain about such a thing?
And when his partner spoke, something he rarely had to do when his actions spoke so loudly, he really couldn't complain about this ending.
He had said: "We'll see you soon, Joshua."
So as they both sank down to the crushing depths, the powerful boosters of his having died when they hit the water, he sank peacefully. Ready to see his old partner once more.
As the pressure grew and grew, his consciousness faded more and more. His sensors went down one by one until nothing was left, but the blackness.
Then, a pinprick of light invaded his vision, alongside sounds he couldn't quite identify. He focused, trying to adjust his sensors to compensate for whatever interference there was. But something felt... off. For lack of a better term.
The light expanded, and the sounds came into focus. They sounded suspiciously like voices, though distorted... Were those radio signals?
"Fal- -ree. F-ll -ck."
He still couldn't quite understand. But he was getting there. And his vision was good enough that he could see where he was. It was a cliff. Standing at the edge of the ocean. And the sight was so different from what he was used to. The ocean was just so... clean. So fresh and clear. And he felt different himself. He tried to run a diagnostic, only to find he couldn't access any of his automated programs. Nothing was working.
"Falcon actual, this is Falcon three. There's nowhere to fall back to! We pull back any further and the harbour is gone!"
He heard that clearly. His head snapped to the side, the direction he just knew the signal was coming from. A moment later he realised that the fact he could turn his head meant he had full control of his body.
Surprised by that fact, he lifted his arm. And he saw an angular white gauntlet gripping a familiar semi-automatic rifle. An inspection of his other arm revealed the same, with a gauntlet gripping his old assault rifle. His legs were clad in similar armour. A moment after he inspected his condition, it was as though a switch flipped in his head. He knew that the slightly bulkier part of armoured left leg housed his old laser blade, and he knew that his angular shark faced helmet covered his face. It was almost as though someone had turned his old body into a human one but kept the aesthetics and armaments. He even had thrusters on the backs of his legs, the oversized wings that his designer had gifted him with and even the pair of missile pods on his back.
"Falcon three, this is falcon actual. The harbour is lost. We're retiring from this fight."
"Falcon actual, this is falcon three. You're retiring. We're not moving. There are still civilians in the harbour."
He glanced up when he heard that. With barely a thought a waypoint appeared on the HUD provided by his helmet. It was almost as though he knew exactly how to use it without any sort of instruction. And he knew, that waypoint was showing him where this 'Falcon three' was transmitting from.
If he had to explain why that last transmission interested him... Maybe it was because they sounded like good men. Good men defending their home. That was a fight worth fighting.
He smiled under his helmet. It looked like he'd be joining his partners another time.
He didn't even have to think before his wings slid out and opened up, before blasting forward with enough force to leave ripples on the ocean hundreds of feet below.
The battle was closer than he thought. And he was close enough for his radar to pick up numerous aircraft and a handful of medium sized ships defending a harbour from... something. Whatever it was it was either too far away or too small for him to pick up from his distance. He could clearly hear the soldiers arguing over the radio though. Right up until 'falcon three' presumably cut off communications.
It was a moment later when he saw a target.
It surfaced between him and the defenders. Some sort of whale like creature. He almost dismissed it as a normal animal before the sound of a cannon and the familiar flash of a fired ballistic weapon came from its mouth. That made it a valid target in his eyes.
He was almost within missile lock range when he started broadcasting on all channels as his ever reliable missile pods popped open.
"Target sighted. Beginning operation."
An unmistakable tone sounded inside his helmet. Then the signature fwoosh and roar of accelerating missiles surrounded his head. A half second later and he had passed the creature, outrunning even his own missiles after they started relying on their own thrusters. With practiced ease he used his left side boosters to whirl around in an instant one-eighty degree turn just as his over boosters cut out and the wings slid back.
He hovered steadily in the air, ready to engage the enemy. And now that he'd slowed down, it was easy to see a pair of figures emerge from the water near the creature just as his barrage of sixteen missiles connected.
The creature didn't stand a chance, and was devoured by the fiery explosion of all sixteen detonations.
With the broadcast still running he finished his introduction.
"White Glint. Holding the line."
Quick.
That was the only way he could describe his ending.
A shot clipped the booster on his left leg, sending him tumbling head over heels.
There were maybe five seconds where he was immobilized on his back. Such an undignified position.
His partner tried to urge him to get up.
"I don't believe it. Partner... We still have work to do!"
Then a wave of missiles descended on his form.
And that was that. He had failed.
That defeat, it left an odd feeling. Could that be the bitter feeling of defeat? To be beaten by such a lowly bandit. One without any sort of obligation or honour.
How humiliating.
He could do nothing but dwell in his own thoughts, as his consciousness sank into blackness.
Then there was suddenly a sensation. A cold feeling underneath him. The ground?
That shouldn't be possible, all of his sensors had been destroyed by the barrage. His form annihilated by the overwhelming firepower.
Then the ground shook. The deafening boom of artillery falling shocked him into motion.
Standing was a reflexive action. He hadn't even realized the oddity of having full control until he was on his feet. Knowledge came to his mind, similar but in a way different to his diagnostic programs. He couldn't believe the information for a moment. But after glancing at his hands he couldn't deny what was being reported.
He was wearing white plates of armour around his now human body. Medieval style gauntlets covered his hands, with a similar styled helmet on his head. And in those hands were his trusty rifle and his forearm attached laser blade. He didn't even need to look to confirm that his faithful laser cannons were secured to his back: the comfortable weight told him what he needed to know.
It was an unusual situation. So many unfamiliar sensations. Is this what humans felt all the time?
He couldn't contemplate that any more. The explosion of a nearby shell brought his attention to his surroundings. It was a city, he could just above see the ocean between the buildings from his location. Did that mean some sort of naval bombardment was in progress?
Then he saw figures moving in the street. Just a few, but their presence made his newly acquired blood run cold. There were people in this city. That had never been the case before. Cities on the ground were supposed to be far too polluted for people to live there. yet he couldn't deny what he saw. Here in this shelled city, people were living. They weren't even armed. They didn't look like they belonged on a battlefield... Were they civilians?
A fire ignited in every fiber of his being.
There was an ongoing naval bombardment. On a city, with civilian inhabitants. This didn't even look like a military installation.
He was moving before the thought had fully formed. Boosters propelled him down the road towards the ocean.
This would not stand.
This went against everything he had been made for.
He cleared the buildings between himself and the ocean, the sight before him was beyond odd. There were at least a half dozen whale-like creatures with cannons protruding from their mouths. And they were opening fire on the undefended city. The small harbour had been crushed. There was no sign of any defenses. And beyond those strange creatures were a number of figures out on the ocean. At least a kilometer and a half out to sea.
Without hesitation, he charged. Igniting his over boosters, he cleared the distance to his first targets in seconds.
The cannons turned on him, and he was forced to dodge left and right with his lightning-fast quick boosters to avoid the worst of it. He soon came into range with his rifle and fired off a handful of his own shots in response.
The high powered rounds easily pierced through the creature closest to him. He could only guess that he had damaged some sort of ammo cache when it exploded. And then he was too close to effectively use his rifle.
So when he came across the next target, he used his blade.
The laser blade ignited in a furious burst of energy. Swinging it from left to right, he cut down the first enemy and boiled the water beneath it. Steam rose up from the superheated section of the ocean. And the furious knight rushed his next target.
It couldn't be called a fight.
The unwieldy cannons of the whale's simply couldn't turn quickly enough to target their opponent. So they were easy prey for his blade. Three of their number were cut down and one shot to pieces point blank before the last made a smart decision.
It decided to flee.
It was too late.
If it had fled sooner then maybe it could have dived low enough to escape it's adversaries weapons.
But the moment it dived, six long barrels spread in a wing pattern folded forward from the knight's back. Going from a wing like pattern to unmistakable cannons. And then they fired.
Six blasts of concentrated laser energy cut their way through the water, and whatever the strange whale was made from, with ease.
Water vapourized instantly, shrouding the last man standing in a cloak of steam. His boosters kept him suspended just above the water.
There was an explosion about thirty meters off. The spray from the detonation rained down on him.
"Is this the way you live? Preying on the weak and defenseless?"
He turned slowly and deliberately to face the direction the incoming fire was coming from. He was broadcasting on all frequencies. Anybody within two kilometers would easily pick up his signal. He got no response.
"No honour. No responsibilities. No purpose. Such an empty way of life."
A shell impacted barely ten meters in front of him.
He burst through the spray from the shell. Overed Boosters on full blast to close the distance to the enemy fleet. Eyes steady and guns ready.
"Noblesse Oblige! On the field!"
You can now begin the shipping war.
...
...
I am not sorry.