Tranquility, a quiet, gorgeous world of untouched terrain and resources. Beautiful forests lined the planet's surface and tall mountains dotted the land. The temperature was temperate, with mediocre winters and warm, shiny summers. It was a true sister planet to Earth, at least, back in older times. Large cities were near nonexistence on the planet, there being only five at the most. The planet was host to mostly medium-sized towns, and then the outliers who chose to live further away...

Dustin snapped his eyes open. His obnoxious alarm blared into his right ear, forcing him to smack the damn machine. Sierra, his wife, lay next to him, disturbed by the noise as well. Dustin swung his legs out from under the comforter and stood, stretching his muscles. He turned around and leaned towards his wife, kissing her forehead softly.

"Sorry, Sierra" He said.

"I'm used to it. Don't worry" She spoke softly, her long blue hair splayed out across the bed. "Just don't wake up Liam."

Dustin took only his usual ten minutes getting ready in the restroom. He walked out in over to his dresser, putting on a black long-sleeve shirt and jeans. Walking out of the room, he snuck past his son's bedroom and down the stairs.

Breakfast was nothing but a protein shake and two graham crackers. He was finishing his last bite as he opened the front door and quietly shut it behind him. A cool breeze greeted him as he took his first steps outside toward the barn, which sat in his front yard. A large, expansive forest was immediately to the right of his house, and tall mountains lay in the horizon.

Being a lumberjack, his wife, then fiancé, questioned why he was so adamant on having a large barn on the property. The answer was quite simple….

"Maximus, you awake?" Dustin said as he opened the door.

Blue lights appeared inside the barn, and rose 20 feet in the air. Stomping was heard and Dustin stepped back as an Atlas-Class Titan emerged from the barn, dirtied from years of lumber work. He tried to keep him clean, but it's not exactly easy.

"A human's definition of sleep is not something I can accomplish, Dustin" The Titan said.

Dustin smiled. "Being a smartass again?"

"Precisely"

Dustin shook his head. "Alright, let's go to Anthony's for that wood." He ran his hand over his face, feeling his short facial hair as he tried to wipe the morning grogginess away.

"Yes. Would you like to embark?"

"Nah. It's a nice day, I'll ride on your shoulder."

Maximus reached down as Dustin lifted his arms to be parallel with his shoulders. The metal fingers he trusted wholeheartedly wrapped around him and lifted him off the ground. He took hold of handlebars at the top of his Titan as he let him go.

"Alright, Max. Let's go."

"I must ask, why does a lumberjack need to take wood from someone else?"

"Eh, I suppose I didn't really need to. But Anthony was offering it up so I decided why leave it to rot. I'll take it into town and sell it then give him a portion of the profit when he gets back at the end of the week" Dustin responded from atop his Titan.

Maximus carried a large tree in his hands, marching towards the house. The sun had fully risen and was nearing the center of the sky. It normally didn't take him long to get to Anthony's and back, but he stayed for a few early drinks. God knows he needed it.

"Understandable. I will set the tree down by the barn and tell Sierra we have come home."

"Thanks, Max. I'll get the chainsaw revved up. I am going to need you to carry the chunks back to the pile." Dustin said.

"Acknowledged."

Maximus set the tree down, then reached up and lifted Dustin off his shoulder and set him at the barn entrance. As Max stomped off, sunlight poured into the barn as Dustin opened the double-doors. His workbench lined the wall near the back.

Under it sat his chainsaw, inside the casing. He reached under and heaved it onto the bench, the easily flipped open the locks and lifted the lid. An orange power tool presented itself. The man ran through his standard check over the fuel and chain. With everything good, he slid on his gloves, grabbed his goggles, and took the handle in his right hand and made for the doorway.

The chainsaw, now roaring with life, cut into the tree. Splinters blew everywhere and bounced off Dustin's skin. A small shard bounced off his goggles, barely fazing him due to his past experiences. The first chunk of wood came off the tree, Dustin raising his tool and kicking the log away.

He saw his six-year old son run from the house and towards him. With the chainsaw turned off, he set it down and removed his goggles and gloves, then received his son with open arms.

"Hey, Bud! How you doing today?"

"I'm good, daddy! Momma wanted to know what you wanted for dinner tonight?" Liam asked.

Dustin playfully thought for a moment. "Well, tell mommy I didn't import that beef for nothing. Tonight's a burger night!"

Liam cheered before charging back to the house. Dustin resumed his work as Maximus approached and carried the segments he cut off. One by one, the segments were cut and carried off by Maximus. Finally, after twenty minutes of chopping and carrying, Dustin put away his chainsaw and opened a fridge inside his barn. His throat welcomed the cool water as it rushed down to his stomach.

Wiping sweat off his brow, he walked back into the sunlight of Tranquility. He lifted the water bottle to his lips.

"Dustin, my optics spot a truck approaching in the distance. Approximately 5 kilometers' out. It bears the insignia of the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation," Maximus pointed down the dirt road that led to the house.

Dustin choked on his water and coughed. He wiped his mouth with his forearm and watched the pure white truck close the distance. As it pulled up, five soldiers in white combat uniforms hopped out of the bed, one bearing the chevron of sergeant on his shoulder pad.

"Sarge!" Dustin called.

The man turned and looked at him, then approached. "Are you Dustin McHawken?" He asked.

"Yes. What are you doing here?"

"The IMC has recently conducted a scan of this territory. We have picked up a significant amount of oil under your property. The Corporation wishes…."

"Not a chance," Dustin interrupted.

The Sergeant had an unsure look on his face. "But, Sir, we are prepared to offer you a reasonable sum of credits…."

"Again, not happening." Dustin felt a tug on his pant leg. Looking down, he saw Liam with his arms wrapped around his calf. He glanced behind him and saw Sierra standing next to Maximus. The other IMC troops seemed extremely uneasy with the mech being around. Fully knowing why, Dustin couldn't blame them. After all, he used to make a living out of doing the very thing they were afraid of.

"Mr. McHawken, you do understand the IMC ALWAYS gets what it wants."

Dustin rubbed the top of Liam's head, smiling devilishly. "Max! Take Liam to the backyard to play!"

The Titan playfully motioned to Liam and brought him to the backyard. Dustin turned to the Sergeant, fury in his eyes. "Well, if the IMC wants it, tell those corporate bastards to come and get it! Tell them they will have to rip the deed from my cold, dead hands! My dad and I didn't serve in the US military to lose our land to some greedy gold diggers looking for a small supply of oil!"

Dustin pressed his forefinger into the Sergeant's chest-plate. "Tell them to bring it on! I was a damn Pilot, and I still have both the gear and the Titan to show for it! So, go ahead, run away and bring more! I dare you!"

The Sergeant was taken aback by the sudden assertiveness of Dustin. His squad trained their
R-201 carbines on him. He told them to stand down. "Get back in the truck! We'll be back, McHawken. I hope you're prepared to lose it all." The Sergeant boarded the armored vehicle, and they were gone.

Sierra watched as Dustin stalked off to the back yard. After processing what had just transpired, she promptly followed him. He stood with his arms crossed, watching his son and Titan play hide-and-seek. Maximus was hiding behind a tree far too thin to cover his chassis. Liam found him almost instantly.

"Oh no! You've found me!" Maximus tried to sound surprised. It still was truly amazing at how Maximus went from a war machine to a family member capable mimicking emotion. Dustin always said that, in truth, Maximus did possess emotions, he just had to find them. Sierra liked to think it was Dustin's charisma that brought out these emotions, it was the original attribute that attracted her to him after all.

He was smiling as he watched Liam going full sprint across the yard, laughing all the way as Maximus easily closed the distance in a few steps. She wrapped her arms around his waist and embraced him. His arm came around her shoulder.

"It's beautiful how a giant robot and a little boy can get along so well," Sierra said.

"It truly is. I hope it doesn't all come crashing down."

"Do you think it will?"

Dustin didn't answer. Instead, he let go of Sierra, and walked over to the storm cellar doors on the rear of the house, just under the deck. He opened them and disappeared inside. Sierra wanted to follow, but he always said she wasn't allowed down there. Dustin was not a controlling husband what-so-ever, but the one thing he never allowed anyone into was the storm shelter. Maximus wasn't going to give answers either, the two were far too deep into the neural bond that a Pilot and Titan share to even remotely hesitate in saying no.

She sighed, it wasn't hard to guess what was down there. They dated while he was in the US Titan Corps. She just wanted to see it for herself, see his former glory. He was a born soldier from a long line of family warriors, but he retired from service when they were wed, a first for any man in the McHawken family. His father served alongside him, but retired when he was diagnosed with cancer. He died two years after, his last gift to his son being this land.

Dustin had emerged from the storm doors and shut them. He rubbed the back of his neck before going in the house.

"Be careful, Liam! Max, I want him in before dark!" Sierra yelled.

The Titan turned and gave thumbs up before continuing to follow the young boy. Sierra entered the living room from the back door and followed the sound of dishes clattering in the kitchen. She found him leaning on the counter eating a sandwich. He glanced over to her and swallowed.

"You know, it's kinda your job to make me these." He teased.

Sierra smiled. In light of his anger a mere ten minutes ago, he still retained his sense of humor.

"So, what are you going to do about the IMC?" She asked.

"Nothing. They won't come. They know I am a former Pilot who still has his Titan, and all of their Titans are being rallied to combat the Frontier Militia. They cannot afford to send in troops after the destruction of Demeter's refueling facility," Dustin replied.

Sierra thought about his words. The IMC was tenacious. That was their most commendable attribute, even if it was utilized in a negative way.

"Well, if you're sure about that, I feel better."

Dustin finished his food. "Good." He checked the time one the stove top. It was noon. "Well, I'm going into town to sell these logs. I'll see you later, babe." He kissed Sierra before grabbing his truck keys. A few minutes later, she could hear the truck start and drive to the backyard for Maximus to load the logs. Ten minutes later, Dustin was gone.

Night had fallen on the McHawken household. Dustin had settled into his recliner in front of his TV with an iced tea. Sierra was upstairs reading and Maximus was playing with Liam outside. Peering out the back-door window, he could see the fluorescent blue lights of his Titan friend.

He stared back at the TV. News of recent Militia assaults on IMC territory popped up more and more every day. This actually eased his mind a bit. Truthfully, he lied to his wife earlier. Dustin felt the threat of the IMC was true. And it was imminent. Trying to push it to the back of his head, he looked over at a memorabilia table against the stair case. Resting on it was battle damaged Pilot helmet and a stand holding a B3 Wingman revolver. Dustin stood up to examine them, then looked down at the photograph framed in between.

It was a picture of his father and him, side by side in full Pilot armor. He slid the photo out of the frame and read the writing on the back. It was his father's. "Like Father, Like Son" it read. In the photo was the exact same helmet and revolver that lay on the table before him. Dustin always wanted to get the helmet fixed, but his father retired soon after it being damaged. That, and his father was always one for battle scars.

The B3 had also belonged to him. It was his favorite sidearm. He always said it kicked just right when you pulled the trigger. Dustin missed his father, and his mother for that matter, both taken from him long before they were due. At least he knew how his dad went, he had no clue as to how his mother died. His father refused to share details, and his normal flamboyancy was lost when the subject was brought up. The only clue he had was within Maximus' records, which wasn't much anyway. Basically, all he knew was that she was a chemist, and one day she left on a scientific mission to an alien world with his father as a guard. She didn't come home. He was only ten.

He held the picture fondly, a single tear streaking across his cheek.

"Dustin! Please get Liam back inside!"

"Alright!" He answered his wife. He took the B3 Wingman off its stand and walked over to the closet door under the stairs. Opening it, he found the bullets at eye level. Loading the gun, he stuck it in the back of his jeans, his belt holding it to him. He walked over to the back door and called for his son, who came scampering inside, leaving Maximus looming in the backyard, staring at his pilot.

"I am sensing grief from you. What is wrong, old friend?"

"My father and my mother." He looked up at his Titan. He could feel the emotional connection through the neural link as he stared into that blue optic of his.

"I apologize, I still retain the same files on your mother's passing. Allison Dewey-McHawken passed on a mission to an alien world. Cause of death unknown. The only possible answer would lie within your father's memory, which is obviously inaccessible now."

Dustin sighed. "Alright. Well, go ahead and shut down for the night."

"Affirmative. Goodnight, Dustin."

"Goodnight," He said as he shut the back door.

Sierra stood in the living room, watching him. He noticed her as he turned around.

"You think they'll come, don't you?" She was plain. Her face gave way to no emotion.

"What makes you think that?" He asked, trying to put on the same mask he did earlier.

"Don't bullshit me. I saw your father's pistol under your belt. That thing hasn't left its stand in years."

His eyes tried to avoid hers, something ultimately unachievable for him. She could see the worry start to show on his features.

"That, and don't think I can't assume what is in the cellar," She continued.

He sighed. "Yes. I admit I'm a little worried."

Sierra sighed. "Well I think we will be fine."

Dustin was surprised. "What?"

"The Militia attacked an IMC troop center about an hour ago. Destroyed it completely. So, now they don't even have enough infantry to send after us," She explained, running her hands through her long blue hair as she did.

Dustin was a little surprised. He rushed forward and picked up his wife, feeling the weight of fear falling off his shoulders. He kissed her affectionately before setting her down.

"Get a room!"

Dustin and Sierra, with arms wrapped around one another, looked to the long window over the front door. A glowing blue eye stared through.

"Max! I told you to shut down for the night!" Dustin had a huge smile on his face.

" Couldn't sleep." Maximus replied.

"Oh, bullshit. Whatever happened to the whole "I cannot achieve this" act this morning?"

"Fair enough. Goodnight. Sierra, try not to scream so loud tonight. Liam may be scarred."

Sierra let go of Dustin and flicked the Titan off as it walked away. She turned back to her husband. "I'll be up in bed."

He sighed as he watched her ascend the stairs. Was his family really safe? He didn't know. But that's one of the beauties of living on the Frontier: Not knowing. For better or worse. Dustin turned off his TV and the living room lights. He stole a few chips from the cabinet before heading upstairs, leaving darkness behind him as he shut out the lights.

Passing Liam's bedroom, he stopped to say goodnight to his beloved son. However, Liam called to him as he tried to leave. Dustin turned in the doorway and looked at him.

"Where those men soldiers? Like what you used to be?"

Dustin sighed. "No, they are nothing like what I used to be. In more ways than one," He answered. He said one final goodnight and made for his bedroom. Sierra was waiting for him in their room, scantily clad and laying in a suggestive position.

"Better heed Max's warning," Dustin teased.

She rolled her eyes. "Shut up and get over here."

Dustin started to remove his shirt as the door slowly shut behind him.

A loud crash woke Dustin from sleep. He looked to his wife, her was awakened as well.

"What was that?" Sierra asked groggily.

"I don't know. I'll go look," Dustin responded, swinging his legs out of bed and standing. His father's Wingman was on his bed side table. He grasped it with a tight grip, laying one thumb over the base of another. With the safety off and finger resting on the trigger guard, Dustin slowly walked out of the bedroom and into the short hallway leading to the stairs.

He peered into Liam's room, the boy lying awake in his bed with a fearful look on his face.

There was another crash and he gasped. Dustin pointed the sidearm down the hall, half expecting a Prowler to leap into view. It wasn't so, and Dustin relaxed a little. He turned to his son and motioned for him to stay in his bedroom.

Proceeding down the stairs with care, he aimed in the Wingman into his kitchen as he descended. The dining table was on its side. Taking in a deep breath, he jumped the rest of his way downstairs and pointed into the living room. Nothing. Nothing but a shattered drinking glass he left last night. Additionally, the back door was torn off the hinges, and lay on the floor a few feet away.

He hugged the wall leading up to the closet door, weaving his way around his father's table, and found himself standing in front of the closet door. He could hear a very faint noise coming from inside. A very faint beep. Dustin reached for the knob, and then the beeping heightened in strength before he heard the sound of joint servos moving.

It was too late for him to react. A metallic hand broke through the door and gripped his throat. An IMC Stalker shattered the door as it fully emerged. Wood splinters scattered the floor as the machine lifted Dustin off his feet.

"Dad!"

Dustin turned to look, seeing his son standing at the base of the stairs. The robot began to squeeze. However, Dustin regained his senses and raised the Wingman to its head. A trigger pull shattered the protective alloy and sent circuitry onto the floor. The Stalker dropped its target but still functioned. Another two blows to the chest plate crippled the machine, causing it to keel over onto the floor.

Dustin stood up, gripping his throat as he gasped for breath. His face was red. When he was finished, he gave his son a scolding look. "I told you to stay in the bedroom!"

The window of his front door shattered as more automated infantry tried to gain access to his house. A robotic arm desperately searched for the lock. Once they broke through, Dustin fired a round through a Spectre's head component, and two more into one's chest plate. A third came through.

*Click*

"Damn!" Dustin ran out of ammunition. The Spectre raised its machine gun, only to be shot to pieces from up the stairs. Sierra came down holding Dustin's G2A8 Rifle, something he normally used for fending off Prowlers in the forest. She looked to her husband, who was reloading his pistol while watching her.

He sighed. "Get Liam to safety. I know what I have to do," He said. She nodded and handed him the rifle. He offered her the Wingman. She shook her head.

"I'll use my pistol. Good luck." She ran up the stairs with their son as Dustin stepped outside the front door. A single drop pod rested in his yard, but several more followed. All deployed either Spectres or Stalkers, and three Reapers were dropped from orbit as well.

As the robotic infantry marched on his house, he yelled as loud as he could "Maximus!"

The barn doors shattered as the Titan emerged. "Combat protocols engaged. Defending McHawken household." Max tore apart the first Reaper he saw and continued to fend off the rest as Dustin ran through his house to the back. He threw open the cellar doors and charged down the stairs. Flipping the light switch revealed everything.

His old pilot armor rest on a mannequin near the back of the room. To the left was his jump pack and satchel charges on a table, and to the right there was a workbench he used to keep everything maintained for a night like this.

Approaching the uniform, he stripped out of his sleeping attire and slid the pilot jumpsuit over his body. He hurriedly clamped the armor pieces onto him before retrieving the helmet. All those emergency drills from years ago, flooded into memory. He still had it. The helmet fit snugly around his head and the heads-up-display flared online almost instantly.

With the Wingman in the holster and the G2 Rifle wrapped around his back. He quickly strapped on the jump kit and placed the satchel charges on his belt. He was ready. Ready to fight for what was his.

As he exited the cellar, rifle in hand, he muttered something to himself:

"Once more unto the breach."

He wrapped around the side of his house. It was nostalgic feeling the heavy footfalls of his boots, the clanking of his ordnance around his belt, and his HUD visualizing possible wall run attempts off the side of his house. But, above all, it was the sound of a Titan fighting. Upon seeing his mech, it only brought more memories.

Maximus smashed a Stalker under his foot before smacking another away with the back of his fist.

"Maximus!" Dustin yelled, firing several rounds into Spectre soldiers. The Titan turned and identified its Pilot.

"Dustin! I guess it's once more unto…."

"I already said that!"

Dustin fired again and again before exhausting the magazine. While it is a perishable skill, his reloading never faltered, and he was back into action once more. A Spectre squad approached quickly, three of them falling to his rain of bullets. The fourth managed to close the distance and grabbed at the rifle. They wrestled back and forth for it, the drone eventually gaining the upper hand by smashing the side of the gun into Dustin's faceplate.

He fell backwards. Thinking quickly, he drew his sidearm and fired as soon as he hit the ground. The robot's head split into pieces and it collapsed next to him.

Rifle retrieved, he made his way over to Max, who had trampled a squad of Spectre's.

"Max! Embark!"

The Titan looked at him before registering the request. It had been so long. Both were considering how it would feel to do it again. Maximus opened the front hatch with a hiss. Dustin leapt inside, stowing his rifle and sitting down in the Pilot's chair.

The hatch sealed and the neural link reached its peak. The feeling of invincibility! He remembered how euphoric it was. How much it heightened his adrenaline! His heart was pumping so fast! A missile striking the chassis brought him back to reality. He smirked under his helmet. He rushed forward, running over any infantry drones under him. A Reaper attempted to defy him, only to be torn apart by strong, metal hands.

Maximus had no weapons to fight with, only his limbs. The military would allow Dustin to hold onto the Titan, but not a weaponized one.

"Dustin, incoming hostile titanfall."

There was a deafening noise, then a loud crash behind the pair. Turning to face the new arrival, a heavily armored Scorch-class rose from the smoke and dust. The impact had shattered some of the house's windows.

His enemy spoke over loudspeaker. "Should've never defied the IMC, Pilot. Actually, thank you. You earned me another paycheck."

'Mercenaries' Dustin thought.

"All this for a paycheck? Your kind has always disgusted me."

"Please, spare me the criticism. Time for you to suffer," The enemy pilot retorted.

To Dustin's surprise, he didn't charge. His Titan turned towards the house, the hatch opening. A hefty pilot landed before it and marched into the shattered front door.

'No'

"I'll cover you. Go." Maximus said as his hatch opened. Dustin launched off his chair and ran for it. The Scorch Titan left behind by the pilot engaged Max, the two Titans matching each other blow for blow. Only issue was that the hefty, orange mech was much larger and stronger than Dustin's.

As he moved inside the house, he scanned the kitchen for his enemy. Nothing. He heard screams upstairs and promptly used his jump pack to launch himself halfway up the staircase before climbing the rest on foot. His bedroom door was shut, so Dustin picked up enough speed and kicked down the door.

He felt a sudden, sharp pain in his abdomen. A throwing knife had been sent into his stomach, the hilt sticking out for him to grab and make painful attempt to remove. Unfortunately, it was serrated, any attempt of removal would leave his flesh shredded. It would have to wait. The figure stood before him, donned in armor of red and white stripes. The symbol of the Apex Predators was proudly presented on his shoulder and chestplate.

His wife and son were in the corner of the room. Sierra was curled up around Liam, trying to protect him. The boy had genuine fear in his eyes for the first time in his life. He had already seen the attack, now he just witnessed his father be impaled.

The mercenary stood in the middle of the room, staring down Dustin. After a few seconds, his gaze seemed to look beyond him. Dustin turned to the window in time to witness a rocket strike Maximus' leg, crippling the Titan. The Scorch Prime loomed over him, activating its flame shield and driving Max onto his back with it. It left a charred chassis in its wake, the Scorch walking away as Maximus did not stand back up.

At this point, Dustin couldn't understand why the merc didn't kill him. He only found him staring him down again. Sucking up the pain, he charged forward and through the best, albeit weak, punch he could. The pilot dodged with ease, planting a right hook into his ribcage followed by an upper cut, which knocked him onto his back. But instead of going directly for him, the Pilot removed a firestar from his belt. It was sent at Sierra, who held tightly onto Liam as she dove out of the way.

The wood wall was instantly lit up in flames. Sierra struggled to get up, but the Pilot grabbed her and pried her from her son. He threw her onto the bed with impressive strength as two Spectres entered the room.

"Take the boy and wait for my command," He ordered. The machines quickly took Liam away. Dustin pulled the Wingman from it holster and fired. A Spectre fell to the floor, but his next shot was hindered by another knife entering his wrist. With all strength in his wrist and hand sapped from him, the gun fell to the floor and his son was taken away by the remaining robot.

"You are a tenacious one, Mr. McHawken. It's a shame, you're not an Apex Predator. Perhaps your family would live to see you again." His assailant was now crouched before him. Through visors they stared at one another. He spoke again: "But this is result of your choices. I hope your happy with the fruit they bared. Even though the fruit is rotten."

Suddenly, Sierra tackled the Pilot, but to almost no avail outside of briefly stunning him with her audacity. The woman was grabbed by the throat and violently forced against the wall, where she was stabbed twice in the stomach by a blade hidden in the man's wrist. He held here there. He watched her suffer as she wailed in agony, the crimson of her blood soaking into her shirt.

"NO!" Dustin yelled as his adrenaline kicked up once more. He used all his strength reserves to stand and charge, only for a bullet to break through his stomach remove the last of his strength, and hope. The pilot stared at him once more before putting his sidearm away, a P2016. He looked back to the struggling woman he still had pinned to the wall.

"I can at least offer you some solace. Be happy he cared enough to fight, not many do." Sierra looked at him with utter hatred, her last act of defiance as he gently caressed her cheek with his gloved hand. As his fingers touched her throat, the hidden wrist blade surged through her neck and into her head. Blood splattered the floor as he ripped the blade out and concealed it.

He let her go. Time seemed to slow for Dustin as he watched his beloved's body collapse onto the ground in a bloody mess. Her once beautiful, blue-dyed hair, was now spattered in her blood. The mercenary stared him as he stood before him.

"This is only the beginning, Pilot. General Marder gets what he wants and you were foolish to threaten him and his forces." He raised two fingers to the side of his helmet. "All Spectre teams, open fire on predesignated target."

Gunfire from outside filled the Dustin's ears. In the midst of it all, he heard a single, brief scream of a child before it was cut out almost immediately. Tears began to slide down his cheeks and his breath hitched. The Pilot remained for a few moments more before taking his leave.

"Begin extraction, we are done here." His body became transparent before fading from existence almost entirely. Dustin felt alone in a cold world, the only thing keeping him company was his deceased wife and his thoughts of never ending agony and shadow. His final action was pressing a button on his armor, which read that it was administering medical relieve on his HUD. After that, his eyes fluttered shut as he gave into the exhaustion.

[Here it is! Chapter 1 of my Titanfall story! I know I have disappeared for a while but I am back! As for RWBY: AoC and Halo: Nova, those stories might never move on. But this one absolutely will! Hope it is good and that everyone enjoys it! Please favorite, review, and by all means PM constructive criticism! I know this chapter was a lot of setup, but trust me, everything will kick off in time.]

See you all on the virtual battlefield - Toa of War