With the IMC on the decline, their influence across the Frontier shattered into nothingness. Determined to escape the madness and expand towards new horizons, a splinter IMC faction called the Initiative dedicated itself towards a project that would hurl humanity into another galaxy. Now in its final stages, the Ark Prometheus and its escort flagship the Olympus Mons prepares itself for the long journey as only hopes and dreams lie beyond.
Commanded by Vice Admiral Joseph Raines, the man himself together with his steadfast crew are determined to start life anew in the now proclaimed Tau Frontier.
-Ship Log 601, Olympus Mons-
Date: Not set
Destination: Tau Frontier, Orbiting planet H-078c
Time since departure: 600 years
Operational Status: 100%
Cryo Pod Crew count: 6,791
-Initiating Phase 2-
"Welcome back, how are you feeling?" The female asked in a soft voice.
A gentle hand on his shoulder, the freshly awoken male blinked rapidly as he stared into the non-existent abyss while his thoughts came together. Only after a few seconds had lapsed that the male responded to the question.
"Uhh..yeah!" He began enthusiastically but still wore a mildly confused look, "What's going on? Have we arrived at our destination?"
The female attending to him rolled her eyes, "I'm pretty sure that's the reason you were brought out of cryo Reyes." A small scoff escaped her mouth.
"How long has it been since we were asleep?" Reyes scratched the back of his head while looking around the half empty room.
"600 years according to Ordis, although it felt like short nap if you ask me." She answered him while gazing over the clipboard.
"Gee doc, for 600 hundred years you sure changed a lot." The sarcasm rolled off his tongue as he gave her a cheeky grin.
-whack- The clipboard made a sound as it made contact with Reyes' head, "It's only been less than fifteen minutes and you're already acting like your usual self." She groaned.
"I was expecting more people…" Reyes commented as he scanned the half empty room before trailing off.
"Nice to see you're awake as well buddy." The dark-skinned man the same age as him, greeted with a shit eating grin.
"Liam!" Reyes chuckled softly as he gave a wave.
"Didn't think I was going to wake up the same time as you. But here we are." Liam shrugged.
"You knuckle heads weren't woken up by coincidence, its because Commander Briggs personally asked for you two to be thawed out." The doctor informed the two as she busily multitasked on her holopad.
"Why, did something bad happen?" The tone in Reyes' voice shifted drastically.
"Unfortunately yes," She shook her head in mild disappointment, "Starting life in a whole new galaxy wasn't going to be easy, kind of hard to explain right now. I'm sure the Admiral and the Commander will fill you in once you're ready to walk in a few hours."
"That bad huh? Who else has been brought out of stasis?" Liam asked curiously.
"As of right now, mostly military and scientist personnel. Standard protocol was issued but I think that's changed now. Ordis has been awake the past 600 years, why not throw him a few questions." The doctor suggested.
"Sure Katie," Reyes said while turning to the blank holoprojector, "Ordis, you there?"
"Reporting for duty Lieutenant, how may I help you today?" The A.I responded with a slightly high pitch.
"First question before anything else, are you allowed to disclose information regarding our current situation?" Reyes began.
"Unfortunately, not Lieutenant, Admiral Raines has given me strict orders to not reveal any sort of information. I recommend visiting him once you are combat ready."
"Well that reduces the number of questions we have." Liam remarked.
"How's the planet Ordis? Was the so-called golden world we scouted out still golden?" Reyes furrowed a curious brow.
"I cannot answer that question fully Lieutenant, but all I can say right now is that planet H-078c is giving us a complicated issue." Ordis answered in a crisp way.
"Oh boy, what an exciting start." Liam said sarcastically.
"Sorry to interrupt your chatter boys, but I've gotta make sure you're all mission ready within the hour." Katie chimed in while recording her data onto a holographic wrist device.
"Let me guess the rush, the Commander?" Liam raised a brow.
"Kind of an obvious answer," Katie replied as she scanned Liam thoroughly with her wrist pad, "Alright, everything checks out for you Liam, now to make sure both of your implants are still synced with Ordis," She trailed off while waking towards a larger console, "Ordis, you there?"
"Yes Doctor Leoncello," Ordis replied almost instantly, "I am reading an increase in adrenaline levels. The implant is working fine for Lieutenant Reyes."
"What can I say? Can't start my day without coffee." Reyes smirked.
"And for Liam?" Katie glanced at her patients.
"Lieutenant Herschel is displaying green readings, his implant is functioning as expected."
"Looks like both of you are ready to go, make your way to the bridge, I'll inform the Commander that you're on the way." Katie ordered the duo as she began blazing away on her wrist pad.
"You heard the doc, let's not keep our leader waiting." Reyes began with a small groan as he stood up from his bed.
/…/
"Ah, good to see you two up and about." Briggs greeted them with a welcoming smile.
"Good to see you too Commander." Liam replied with a salute.
"We were told about a situation regarding our golden world, what's the problem boss?" Reyes asked right off the bat.
"The situation regarding planet H-078c is rather complicated as it stands right now." A deep gruff voice joined the group.
"Admiral Raines, sir!" Reyes stood to full attention.
"At ease Pilots, you can disregard the formalities, hardly any of the crew are awake yet so we're still relying on our bots for now." Raines smiled.
"Shall we commence the debrief since we have our Aces here now?" Briggs asked curiously.
"Please Commander, go ahead." The Admiral gestured towards her.
"Here's the deal, we've come across all the way from the Milky Way galaxy in hopes to start a new life. We all knew what we signed up for and the dangers and problems that would face us. Well then, here's our first problem," Briggs began as she typed away on her wrist pad and brought up a holographic projection of the planet, "600 years ago, we discovered this planet and pinned it as our destination since it met the conditions of a prime world. Fast forward to the present, our scanners immediately picked up unusual signs of activity and an increase in carbon levels. A few scout drones here and there and we're presented with this."
Briggs trailed off as she began streaming crystal-clear footage of the planet's surface from the recorded footage of the scout drones that were launched. Of the evidence provided, signs of early civilizations blanketed the lush grounds. But the most interesting capture was an image of what seemed to be humans roaming about.
"Well I'll be, there's people living down there. From the looks of it, they look like us back when we first started out." Reyes remarked as he studied the video.
"Is that….giant walls?..." Liam wore a visibly confused look as he pointed at the colossal structures.
"You aren't wrong there Lieutenant, those are indeed walls made from materials similar to concrete from the looks of it. Until our scientist can get a sample we can only speculate. However, additional scans show bizarre readings that we're unable to deduct at the moment." Raines butted in with his minor info dump.
"That's not all, these walls span a surface area on the ground that houses maybe thousands of people. Satellite images provided a better picture and well, see for yourself." The Commander said as she changed the display.
"Are you telling me all of that, is on that one tiny island?" Liam said in disbelief.
"Considering how far inland they are from the ocean, I'd say that island is more than tiny."
"And this civilisation is just holed up here, behind these giant walls? There's more to this right?" Reyes raised a brow.
"Oh yes Reyes, have a look. Other drones have picked up more intel together with satellite imagery and it seems there's more people beyond that tiny island." Briggs said in an excited manner as she began showing to them the gathered data.
Various videos and images hovered in the air as maps dictated what housed what and the types of things living below. So far only more questions raced through the Pilots' heads as they absorbed the reality of it all.
"Zeppelins? Coal powered and Steam machinery? This sounds all too familiar." Reyes said.
"It's like were watching a different version of our world grow slowly." Liam remarked in awe.
"Can I point out something rather disturbing?" Reyes began as he garnered curious looks from everyone, "What the hell is that thing?!" He pointed at the image of an abnormal bipedal creature.
The Commander and Admiral exchanged glances before proceeding, "That is an unknown hostile that roams the lands of the island. But somehow, we see it across the larger continents and it pains to say this, but these creatures are seen being used as living weapons."
"That is one nasty looking thing." Liam wore a disgusted look as he analysed the physical features of the beast.
Bearing resemblance to that of a human, the giant naked creatures merely seemed to possess no degree of intelligence and roamed around aimlessly until it could eat something.
The horrifying part about these creatures was the fact they solely preferred humans and outright ignored everything else. This was heavily evidenced when footage of a battle between what seemed to be humans and the giant creatures unfolded on the larger land masses while a footage of another of these creatures was shown roaming the country side next to wild mammals as comparison.
But this only paved way for more questions and intrigued both the officers and the current scientist onboard the ship. What ever this new world was, it was far from Golden given its current state.
"This day just keeps getting weirder, I was expecting something, but now this." Liam remarked.
"Yeah, but none of us were expecting our Golden World to have already been inhabited. But this doesn't add up at all, from the footage we were given, it seems that these nations are advancing at a slow pace. But then there's this one island housing a good portion of people living behind closed walls and are at least 100 years behind in technology behind everyone else." Reyes began, "Now there's giant naked brainless humans walking around eating other humans while being used as weapons at the same time."
"Perhaps we can focus on those problems later, right now we need to figure out a plan and fast. Mind you our Ark Prometheus is carrying 20,000 souls aboard, people eager to start a new life on this Golden World we promised them. Now that we know we aren't alone complicates matters." Admiral Raines said.
"The Admiral is right, supplies can only keep us going for so long and eventually we're going to have to start thawing out people to kick start our colonisation efforts. More mouths to feed mean our supplies getting used up faster."
Reyes folded his arms enthusiastically, "So Commander, what's our next move?"
A small smile crossed her face, "While generally frowned upon, the Admiral and I have agreed to set up a forward base on the tiny island."
"Hold up, you mean the same land where these giant naked beasts run amok and where a backwards civilisation resides as well?" Liam responded in a shocked manner.
"While generally other alternatives were considered, this spot on the secluded island does give us a better advantage than landing near a major nation. We don't want to startle the populous on first sight. Bear in mind if the Olympus Mons were to drop orbit, she isn't the friendliest looking type of ship either." Raines said.
"And considering the situation down below, it seems there's some sort of war going on down there. Imagine if we were to Titanfall and have the Olympus park right above, not the most welcoming sight, right?" Briggs agreed with the Admiral.
"Neither is setting up an armed base guarded by towering metal giants." Reyes said.
"Like it or not, this is our best option right now. This forward base will serve as the beginning and as soon as more of our personnel wake up, we'll begin setting up more expansion points across the planet. Right now, let's be subtle with our arrival before establishing any kind of contact at all." Raines said.
"We need to get a move on, it's only been two weeks since we initially began waking up and we're making some progress. Let's start by first dropping you two in, once you're on the ground I need you to secure the perimeter and cover the transport ships. Once that is done, we have a small but functioning outpost to start with." Briggs instructed them.
Liam smiled nonchalantly, "What's first contact protocol Commander?"
A serious look formed on her face, "If you spot any of those monstrosities heading your way, do not hesitate in engaging. Any other contact is to be treated with caution."
"Roger that, we'll get suited up." Reyes nodded before urging Liam to follow him.
As the two Pilots left the room, Briggs let out a tired sigh as she returned to a control panel and began inputting data. Accompanied by another officer in the room and the Admiral, they were the only living people present as the rest were manned by bots for the mean time.
"I left the Milky Way behind in hopes of never repeating the IMC's actions again. Yet here we are, ready to embark onto another world inhabited by people who are completely oblivious to our existence. Feels like another invasion." Raines let out a disappointed sigh.
"None of us could've predicted this sir, we have no other worlds left unless you wish to devote a research team in finding us a new Golden World?" Briggs suggested.
"We're committed now anyway, let's see how our cards play out with this new planet." Raines casually said while attending his console.
"It's fascinating really, I'm sure the egg heads down in science would be going crazy once they all wake up. To think there's another civilisation down there, and human too!"
"But doesn't that seem odd? Humans, out here in the fringe of the Tau frontier. You think someone else attempted colonisation before? I find it hard to believe another civilisation, humans at that, popped up in this new sector." Raines commented.
"Well, I have as many questions as you Admiral, the faster we get our Pilots on the ground, the more answers we'll get."
"Let's hope so, or else we'll just end up with more questions."
/…/
"He's all ready to go sir!" The ground technician waved to Reyes as he sat perched on top of his customized Vanguard class Titan.
"Whoo wee," Liam gave an exasperated whistle, "Still can't believe you managed to get a hold of a Vanguard Titan, the Militia ain't the type of people to give their tech away willingly."
Reyes let out a small chuckle, "You'd be surprised with what credits can get you on the Black Market. I managed to save Ryder from being turned into scrap heap mind you, so a rescue buy if you were to look at it."
"You gave it name huh? About time, at least Sparky here will feel a little less lonely." Liam gave a grin at his Titan.
"Lonely?! I assure you Pilot I do not feel such things." The Northstar class Titan argued at the tiny man.
"Liar, you complained to me how you lacked company before Reyes came along with his replacement Titan." Liam wore a smug look.
"Ignore those two Ryder, rest assured you won't be neglected any longer." Reyes patted the carapace.
"I appreciate the comfort Reyes, however I believe we have a mission to get too?" Ryder responded with a hint of enthusiasm.
"I see Ordis already briefed you, let's get this underway then!" He said before hauling himself inside the cockpit.
"Maverick 1 and 2 ready for launch in five minutes." Briggs chanted over the P.A system.
"That's our cue, take us there Sparky." Liam instructed the giant as he climbed into the cockpit.
"You ready for this brother?" Reyes asked him while double checking his systems.
"Having the opportunity to set foot on a new world for the Initiative, hell yeah!" Liam responded enthusiastically.
"Race you to the bottom."
"Gladly."
Mechanical arms moving all around them, the two giant machines of war were docked into their respective launch bays as the final preparations for launch began. Alarms blaring wildly, the maintenance crew evacuated the scene like cockroaches.
Blast doors sealing off the place, the bay doors opened below to reveal the bright blue planet as it's oceans blanketed the area. With the final pieces in place, all that was left now was to jettison the hulking machines out the door.
"Remember the mission, scout the area and eliminate all threats if necessary. First contact protocol is to approach with caution and to establish peace. And for the love of God, do not get killed." Briggs informed them over the comms.
"Roger that Commander." Reyes said with a bright smile underneath his mask.
"Goodluck boys, remember, you're doing this for the Initiative."
"STAND BY FOR TITANFALL. DROPPING IN 3…2…1"
With a loud ear piercing shriek, the rocket assisted boosters jettisoned the two Titans out of the launch bay at speeds exceeding well over 7000m/s. Beginning their rapid descent into the low orbits of the planet, the friction caused encased the duo in a fiery ball.
Entering the planet's lower stratosphere, the two pilots were close to their target landing zone. Free from the initial rocket boosters, the Titans slowed their descent at a reasonable pace while making a high pitch wail towards the ground.
Solid ground in sight, the lush green pastries were all that's needed as the giant behemoths landed with an thunderous echo that stretched as far as the plains went. Smoke and dust rose into air as the towering metal giants made their presence known to anything within their immediate vicinity.
"Command, we're on the ground!" Reyes gave said triumphantly.
"Heads up I'm seeing a lot of heat signatures on radar." Liam said over the public channel.
"Weapons up, you heard the Commander, let's make this quick." Reyes said sharply.
"Pilot link is stable, you have the controls Reyes." Ryder informed him.
"All good Ryder, now then, let's see what we're dealing with." Reyes cracked his knuckles before aiming the X0-16 Chaingun.
Hello all~
I hope you enjoyed the beginning of this chapter and the start of diving into the AOT x Titanfall universe. While events may be tossed up, I am going to starting this somewhere between late season 2 and early season 3 of AOT so that I can perhaps dive into the makings of the Manga as well just to play with the political side of things.
With that said, see you all next time!