Disclaimers: Genshin Impact is owned by Mihoyo and Titanfall 2 owned by Respawn Entertainment. Any original characters shown are made by me.
Chapter One: Coming Home
Favonius Cathedral, Mondstadt
19:30
Death is a natural course of life, as it symbolizes stagnation and finality to one's life. It keeps life at a balance.
And yet it is something no one wants to experience, to have themselves or their friends perish. Who can blame them? The thought of not being able to do anything, not being able to pursue your dreams or goals because the thought of getting stuck in the afterlife (or in a black void, as some people believe) sounds horrible.
These were one of the thoughts that plagued the Acting Grand Master's mind as she sat on the front pews of the Cathedral. Instead of her vibrant blue and white outfit, the colors were switched to black to fit the occasion. Her tired eyes were red and wet from sobbing, and her already haggard face looked worse, practically looking like a zombie. The funeral was already done, yet she still sat there, unable to move. She could only stare at the small portrait that remained on the altar. A faded picture of a brunette with long hair, golden eyes, a red headband and that damn energetic smile.
Amber.
Why? Why did it have to be her?
The mission was so simple. Investigate a suspected Abyss hideout, flush out the mages and extract. Jean had a party consisting of herself, the Traveler, Amber and Eula during that quest. They were able find the mages and rogue hilichurls, but no one expected the appearance of an Abyss Herald, which according to Aether who had personal experience with them were very dangerous. The fighting was brutal, but as the Herald prepared some kind of magic attack, Jean had been caught off guard by a stray arrow lodged in her shoulder, stunning her for a moment. Eula and Amber rushed to her aid, but the projectile had been sent. Jean can vividly remember the way Amber ran faster than Eula and pushed Jean away, just as the projectile hit the Outrider. She was engulfed in a bright light, letting out one last cry of agony leaving her throat just as she was vaporized. The only thing that survived was her Pyro Vision, clinking on the floor.
Tears threatened to fall again from her eyes as Jean held that same Vision, now a dull red compared to the brighter color it once was. She had kept it with her ever since that loss, after the Traveler defeated the Abyss Herald - serving as what was left of their dear friend. Jean had kept it for a while, but after the funeral, she didn't know whether to keep it to herself, let it be buried along with her grave or let it stay on the altar. Instead, she stood up and left the cathedral. The night sky did alleviate her pain a little by showing her a wondrous sight of the many stars decorating the void, along with the bright moon lighting her path. She walked down the stairs, past the headquarters, where she found the training area. Usually it was occupied by Ellin, the wannabe knight that looked up to her. The one occupying it now, the person Jean wanted to give this Vision to, was Eula.
When the Outrider was alive, Eula and Amber would be seen together sometimes after missions, sitting on the hills of Mondstadt and watching the dandelions fly into the breeze. Jean had found it rather odd, yet endearing seeing a woman of the Lawrence Clan and a Knight of Favonius spending time with each other. At one point, Amber was seen hugging the Lawrence knight, with the aforementioned knight flustered at the act. When she was vaporized before her eyes, she had practically thrown herself to the Abyss Herald, fueled with a vengeance rivaling even her own "vengeance" against the Knights of Favonius. She had fought with so much ferocity, Jean could've sworn she had turned into a walking blizzard. Unfortunately, she was not strong enough to fully take down the Herald and tired herself out - while Aether took care of the rest.
Jean had hesitated whether to approach her, she didn't want a fight knowing her grief and her attitude towards her at times. But she had wanted to give her the closest thing she had to Amber at this point. So, she mustered up the courage and approached the knight, who had just brutally mutilated a hilichurl dummy and was setting up another one.
"Eula?" She asked. No response. She kept swinging at the wooden dummy with her claymore
"Eula…are you alright?" She asked again. She did get a response this time, as she stopped swinging.
"Leave me alone." Eula answered coldly. She turned her head away to avoid eye contact
Jean sighed; she had expected Eula to push her away. She held Amber's Vision in her hand before she offered it to her, showing it with an open palm. "I wanted to give this to you. I know you cherish your relationship with Amber, so I wish to give you the only thing left of her." She had heard Eula mutter something, which made Jean pause. "Excuse me?"
"She was…the only one that was close to me." Eula repeated, dropping her cold demeanor. "I-I…I admit I was too harsh for pushing you away, Master Jean. It's just…" She clenched her fists, the warm tears running down her face.
"Why?"
Eula gripped her sword as she started her attack once again. "I should've been faster. I should've been stronger." She started swinging her sword at the dummy again.
"I SHOULD'VE BEEN STRONGER!"
She roared, continuing to hack away at the dummy. With one battle cry of rage, she split the dummy to pieces. Panting after that burst of energy, she let the claymore fall and fell to her knees, a sob leaving her throat. Jean watched the whole ordeal with concern and took a few steps closer. "Eula?"
The Knight stayed kneeling for a moment, before she shakily stood up, giving a sigh and wiping her eyes. "I'm fine." She answered, before looking at the Vision in her hand. "Where did you get that? I thought it was lost in the dungeon…"
Jean shook her head. "I was able to pick it up before we left. I didn't want Amber's memory to be buried in the rubble." She offered it again. Eula stared at the dead Vision, before taking it with her hand.
"...Thank you, Master Jean." She replied. Jean nodded before giving Eula her needed alone time, walking away. She sighed as she looked up into the night sky, wondering which one of these stars was Amber…
Knights of Favonius HQ, Mondstadt
3 Months Post-Mortem
Mondstadt was a whole different beast after the death of Outrider Amber. It was still the land of freedom, but it lost something that made it a bit…duller than usual. Not to mention, the Knights were a bit more…stern. The loss of a member reminded them of what they signed up for as knights, and thus taking things a little more seriously. The adventurers, the city of Mondstadt, the wanderers out in the wilderness and even the Fatui, as much as they despised the Favonius organization. They all felt it.
Of course, none were as affected as the Knights of Favonius. They just lost a valuable member of the team, and a vital member at that. Now that they had no Outriders in support of the other divisions, they were solely on their own in recon and investigation. Jean did appreciate the new recruits and volunteers that joined for "the memory of the last Outrider", but without Amber herself it wouldn't be as efficient.
The Acting Grand Master groaned as she sat down at her desk, clutching her temples. This was causing more stress than the Stormterror Crisis. Jean had been signing paperwork after paperwork, along with joining on other expeditions around the territory for any suspicious activity. She was not losing another knight while she may live.
Still, the work did take a toll on her, and the lack of sleep certainly didn't help. Jean let her head fall against her desk, emitting a loud thud. She could just fall asleep right now…
The sound apparently caught the attention of someone as a knock came to the door. Jean raised her head from her desk and spoke with a raspy voice. "Come in."
"My goodness, you look terrible." The mature voice of the Librarian reached her ears as Jean sighed. Lisa closed the door behind her, approaching the Acting Grand Master with concern.
"I've…faced worse." Jean answered, attempting to make the conversation lighthearted, but yawned afterwards. Lisa frowned. "That doesn't mean you shouldn't push yourself over the edge. Did you know you haven't slept for two days?" Jean looked at the clock, then looked outside. It was 7:00 in the morning and it was already breaking daylight.
"R-really?" Jean turned to Lisa with tired eyes of surprise. The brown-haired woman nodded, sighing. "Jean. You need rest, more than you realize. If you keep this up, you're going to collapse."
"I-I…I can't. Not with Amber gone. I need to find ways to keep the Knights going without her." She protested, despite her dwindling consciousness. "I must…keep going."
Lisa went to her side to catch her as she was leaning too far to the side. "Shh, Jean. You need sleep. Your work will suffer if you are not well rested." She gently insisted, earning her a groan from Jean.
"Mm, fine~ Bring me over to the couch." Jean gave in, rubbing her eyes and pouted. Lisa hauled her to the couch, where Jean flopped her body into. The Librarian couldn't help but chuckle as the Acting Grand Master squirmed on the couch like a child unable to sleep because of excess energy.
"If you need anything when you wake up, I will be here by the books." Lisa said, rubbing the head of her colleague affectionately. Jean gave a small squeak, much to her amusement, and fell asleep. Lisa sighed as she left her side and went to the bookshelves. Although she never admitted it, Amber did make her work more. With the Outrider gone, she too took on more work than her old self could ever think of. The ever-growing pile of issues concerned her, but not as much as the Acting Grand Master. How she was able to survive on coffee, and two days without sleep was beyond her.
She opened a book and began to read, passing the time as the Dandelion Knight took her well-deserved rest. However, it wasn't until an hour later did Lisa notice something from Jean. She was shaking, her face contorted into something of pain and fear, and she was sweating. Jean also began mumbling in her sleep. Lisa went to her, checking on Jean. Perhaps it was just a nightmare, but it looked bad. "Jean?" She tried to wake her up. The Acting Grand Master woke up with a jolt, gasping and clutching her chest. Her wide eyes were bloodshot and wet. Was she crying? "Amber…" She mumbled, failing to keep her composure.
"Jean. Calm down." Lisa wrapped an arm around her to calm her down. Jean jumped slightly at the sudden touch, but was relieved to see Lisa there. "Did you have a nightmare?"
"I…suppose I did." Jean answered, shuddering. "It was awful…I was forced to relive the memory of seeing Amber die again...H-her scream...Oh, Barbatos..." She broke down, sobbing into her hands. Lisa pulled her into a hug. "Hey, hey, hey. Shh…it's okay. It was only a bad dream." She assured the knight. Thankfully no one was there in her office, or anyone outside hearing them, otherwise it would've been rather awkward.
Jean sniffled, but nodded. "T-thank you, Lisa. It was much appreciated." Lisa nodded and wiped her tears away. "Do you want me to get water for you?" After getting a nod from her, the Librarian stood up and left her office to get a glass of water, leaving Jean to her thoughts.
She sighed as she sat down on the couch, glancing out the window. Despite her nightmare, there was one part of it that was…truly bizarre. A dream of flying metal creatures, raining down magic across the land. Metal giants bigger than Ruin Graders fought with strange weapons. And Amber in the gist of his, carrying a weapon of her own, with fear and determination in her face.
"What even was that…?"
Everyone had dreamed what it was like beyond the stars. What is there in the black void that is called outer space. Once space travel was invented and applied into society, almost everyone had the chance to witness what was there in the void. Countless stars, planets and even galaxies explored. All thanks to the technology of the jump drive, being able to travel what would take years mere minutes.
This new collection of worlds, solar systems and celestial anomalies, was called the Frontier. Each world was teemed with life and resources. Naturally with such opportunities, it was only a matter of time before these worlds were colonized and used for the benefit of the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation, the largest corporation of…practically the known galaxy at this point.
It wasn't without conflict, however. There were quarrels between the inhabitants of the Core Worlds (the Solar System with Earth in it, along with the surrounding planets) and the inhabitants of the Frontier, about the ownership of the Frontier worlds. Eventually it erupted into two full blown wars. The first of these, were the Titan Wars. The IMC deployed these hulking 20 feet tall mechs called Titans to crush opposition as they took the Frontier. No one knew who really won, everyone assumed it was an IMC victory. But it was clear that the Frontier was not going down without a fight and formed the Frontier Militia shortly after, a fighting force who fought for the freedom of their home worlds and the Frontier as a whole.
This started the second conflict that truly put the Frontier at stake, the aptly named Frontier War.
IMC Outpost; Planet Fhranth
1 year after Operation Broadsword
0527 hours
Deep breaths…
The Militia rifleman held his assault rifle, the V-47 Flatline, tightly as he stood ready in the transport compartment of the dropship, they were in. He could see out the window that they were landing in some kind of forest, the dawn-breaking sky now littered with tracer rounds from anti-air guns and missiles. He, along with several members of this platoon, will be dropping into conflict. The compartment shook as the dropship shrugged off flak, causing him to grip the handle bar over his head tightly. His anxious eyes scanned in the side, looking out the window to see their target base; an IMC research facility, surrounded by a 20-foot wall with battlements and turrets to keep out the local wildlife.
Their mission? A raid on one of the IMC research labs in an attempt to cripple their war effort and the prevention of creating new technologies. Salvage any prototypes that are useful for the Frontier Militia, and disable any potential WMDs, or weapons of mass destruction.
The rifleman soon found himself looking at an elite soldier that stood in the dropship with them. With a helmet that covered her entire face, wearing gear that looked far more durable than typical rifleman gear, and the familiar outline of a small pack on their waist called a jump kit, it was obvious this soldier was a Pilot.
Now these kinds of Pilots were different from the personnel that piloted the dropships and the fighter ships, these Pilots were the ones that controlled the Titans, the hulking 20-foot mechs with giant guns. Despite this, they aren't always associated with Titans as they themselves are a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. They were, essentially, the special forces of a military.
The Pilot walked to the back of the dropship, revealing to be female. Her armor had definitely made her feminine parts stand out, with her curves visible. Not that the riflemen cared, there were plenty of female soldiers in the Militia anyway.
What did stand out was her gear. As the dropship lowered into their designated landing zone, the Pilot's helmet suddenly shifted as two antennae fold out, shaped like bunny ears. She held to the lever on the ceiling and pulled as the door of the dropship opened, a ramp lowering down from the back.
She faced the riflemen behind her and yelled. "Alright, jackasses! We're going hunting today!" She pulled out her weapon, a Longbow DMR and cocked it. "Keep your heads low and stay on target. I expect only the best from you! 26th Platoon!" She raised her weapon. "Salute!"
As the Pilot mentioned their platoon number, the rifleman and his comrades answered with ferocity, raising their fists. "AUGH-OO! AUGH-OO!"
And with that, they spilled out from the dropship and engaged the enemy.
[...]
The Pilot watched her comrades engage the enemy, firing on the entrenched IMC grunts with their Flatlines. She smiled under her helmet, pleased with her pre-war speech. It was necessary to keep the morale up. In fact, they were motivated enough to practically break through their defenses by charging through their south gate with grenades over the battlements and suppressing fire. The Pilot watches one of the 26th hold up a Spitfire machine gun and let loose at a group of IMC grunts, felling one while the rest keep their heads down.
"Captain." A female voice reached her radio, her bunny ear antenna wiggling to receive the frequency. "We just watched a breach in the south gate, is that you?"
She chuckled in response before speaking. "Damn right. Jealous?"
The voice laughed. "We're good here. I need someone to support the east side, care to help?" The Pilot pulls the cocking lever of her DMR, her helmet getting the marker in her Heads-Up Display.
With a cocky smirk, she responded. "Alright, time to show 'em a taste of the Red Devil Baroness."
The Pilot took off from her position, which was a rock formation 30 meters away from the south gate. She started sprinting towards the east gate, using the rocks and broken barricades as cover. If she couldn't reach a cover in time, she slid across the battlefield towards cover. Eventually she reached the east gate, where the squads of Militia riflemen were being pinned down by an IMC turret and drone soldiers called Spectres. The Pilot found a route, flanking the left side of the defensive line where there were less Spectres and less IMC infantry squads. After steeling herself, she took off once again. From her hip, she fired a grappling hook that brought her to the walls of the outpost. She was surprised she wasn't spotted with that stunt. Granted, they were all focused on pinning down on those squads of riflemen. She pulled out her explosive ordnance and tossed over to the lines and the turret. Five satchel charges, primed. She pressed the trigger twice and set the line ablaze, destroying the turret and sending some poor sap into the air.
"It's the Baroness!" A Militia rifleman pointed with his finger, recognizing the red and gold colors of her Pilot gear. "Let's go, men!" At the uplifting sight of the Pilot, the squad charged and pushed through their defenses. The Baroness picked off any soldier and Spectre that tried to hamper the flow of the offense with her DMR, 8.19mm bullets lodging themselves into flesh and metal alike with an echoing bang. She detached herself from the wall she was hanging on and got up the battlements, running across the walls and taking down IMC forces there. A swift kick to an unfortunate IMC infantry officer, an explosion from a satchel charge, she was unstoppable.
She had spotted an enemy Pilot defending the inner walls, and was about to put him down with her DMR when a friendly Pilot came flying from the side, drop kicking the IMC pilot. The enemy Pilot rolled away and deployed an A-Wall, a disc that produces a hard light barrier, but the friendly Pilot leapt over it, unloading her R-97 magazine. The adversary unfortunately was not fast enough and was caught in the hail of bullets, finished off by the friendly Pilot with a kick sending his corpse into a wall.
This friendly Pilot was familiar, wearing an olive-green camo Militia pilot gear and a helmet with an X-shaped visor. Her legs were slim prosthetic stilts instead of organic legs, which definitely gave the Baroness an idea who this Pilot was. Then she spoke on her radio.
"Let's go, Amber. We can stare into each other's eyes later." She quipped, earning her a laugh from the red-clad Pilot. The Baroness, now known as Amber, hopped down from the wall and ran up to her colleague. Or rather in Amber's case, her sister.
"Well, can't deny I'm rather hot, Kay~" Amber teased, getting a groan from the other Pilot.
"You're hot, alright: burning my brain with your teasing." Kay answered with annoyance. "Now let's haul ass."
"Right." The two Pilots ran towards the outpost itself, running up against the wall to boost themselves. Kay fired a burst from her R97 submachine gun, taking down a squad of IMC soldiers as they headed towards the main building. The duo stopped at a door on a roof, slowing down. Amber had noticed this and turned to her companion. "Why'd we stop?"
Kay pointed over to the main building, the target lab of the outpost. Guarding the perimeters were two IMC Titans. An Ion and a Legion. They halted any advance to the lab, keeping Militia forces at bay. Amber saw where she was pointing and widened her eyes. "Shit."
Kay nodded as she contacted someone else on the radio. "Valiant One, this is Kay. Do you read me, over?" She spoke. There was some static coming from the receiving end before a voice answered.
"This is Valiant One, go ahead." A male voice answered. Kay continued to speak. "Spotted two enemy Titans, requesting for Titan support. Sending coordinates." After a few moments, the two Pilots looked up to see two objects entering the atmosphere of the planet.
"Request granted, standby for Titanfall." Kay smiled as the two Titans landed in the adjacent open spot next to the Pilots with a mighty boom. The first titan was a Vanguard class Titan, a bulky frame armed with shoulder rocket pods and a 20mm automatic cannon in its hands. It had the same colors as its pilot. This was VK-3341, Kay's Titan.
The other Titan took the deployment a bit more stylish, activating its thrusters to slow itself down before it landed on the ground in a superhero landing. It had a slimmer chassis, but it had four thrusters on its back enabling flight, armed with a railgun. The colors matched her Pilot, only with a more vibrant hue. This was the Baron Bunny, or BB-8790: Amber's Northstar Titan.
Both Pilots hopped into their Titans, Amber jumping into hers with a leap. The Northstar caught her with its metallic hands and brought her to its chassis. Once inside, Amber took a seat in the cockpit.
"Controls transferred to Pilot." The Titan's OS chimed, the voice of a young woman reached the Pilot's ears. "Welcome back, Captain Amber."
Amber replied with a smile. "Good to see you too, BB." She took the controls as the Northstar raised its railgun. "Let's go kick some ass."
Kay spoke in her radio channel. "Stay behind me. I'll provide cover." The Vanguard stood in front of BB and activated its Vortex Shield, an energy field capable of not just absorbing damage but also catching the bullet/missile and sending it back to the enemy who fired it. The Ion and Legion Titans have already spotted the duo of Militia Titans and opened fire, the Legion letting loose a burst of 30mm cannon fire. The Vanguard's shield absorbed a good amount of the burst and released it, returning it to sender. The Legion tanked the projectiles and continued firing, prompting the Vanguard Titan to deploy smokes and take cover, the Northstar following suit.
"Why did it have to be a Legion?" Kay groaned from the cockpit of her Vanguard, readying her 20mm chain gun.
"Better than a Monarch, right?" Amber quipped as she activated BB's Hover to peek from the building she was taking cover in and took a few shots at the Legion, damaging it enough for it to take cover as well. However, the Ion Titan fired its Splitter Rifle, stopping the Northstar from taking any more shots at its comrade. BB had only sustained a few hits before her Hover expired and she landed back into cover.
"Any other ideas?" Amber's voice came from BB as she turned to the Vanguard Titan.
Kay thought for a moment before replying. "Engage the Ion. The Legion can still be a problem even when immobile." Amber was about to protest when she interrupted her. "As much as I hate Legion Titans, we're bound to fight what we hate the most anyway."
"Fair. But that doesn't mean I hate the Ion any less." Amber readied her railgun. "On three?
Her fellow Pilot seemed to be horrified at the mention of that. "Oh God, don't tell me..."
"Okay, on three...ONE!" Amber yelled as she peeked from cover, aiming for the Ion Titan. The enemy Titan noticed the sudden appearance and tried to retaliate, but BB already had her Plasma railgun fully charged. Pulling the trigger, the Ion suffered heavy damage as the projectile ripped through the armor plating. The Ion finally retaliated, with firing its Splitter Rifle. Amber dashed away towards different cover, narrowly avoiding the energy bullets.
Kay sighed. "I hate it when she does that." She peeked from her cover and deployed her Vortex shield as the Legion faced her to engage, firing another burst from the Predator cannon. Redirecting the burst back to the Legion, Kay's Vanguard let loose missiles from her Acolyte Pods, combining the attack with fire from its chain gun. It tanked some of the damage before it fired again, activating its gun shield to mitigate some of the damage. What it did not expect was the Vanguard closing the distance and punching the Legion, before dashing backwards. It let out its smoke grenades, the smoke screen suddenly arcing with electricity.
The Legion was unfortunate enough to be within the area, the Titan's chassis taking damage from the electric shocks. The Legion moved away from the smoke screen, into Kay's kill zone. She activated her Core, reloading the chain gun's ammunition to explosive rounds before ripping apart the Legion. The Ogre-based chassis can tank so much damage, but unfortunately their earlier bout had diminished the structural integrity of the Titan. The IMC Pilot screamed as he and his Titan was ripped to shreds before it blew up. Kay smirked in her cockpit before she turned her Titan around to check on her comrade. Safe to say, she was faring on her own.
"FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK! STUPID LASER CORE BULLSHIT!" Amber cursed, seeing the HUD warning as the Ion activated its Laser Core and fired a red beam of concentrated energy at her. The Northstar was on hover, so she had to maneuver somehow without suffering too much damage. One of the things that the captain despised so much about fighting Ion Titans: their Laser Cores. The Ion is able to nick BB, but she is able to get away safely. The hover expired as Amber's Northstar lands close to a destroyed building, deploying tether traps to try and catch off guard the IMC titan.
The Ion pursuits, but is caught by the traps, forcing the Pilot to divert his attention away from BB. With this small window, Amber fires a missile from one of its shoulder pods, impacting the Ion. It exploded into smaller clusters, discombobulating the Ion's Pilot. With a victorious laugh, Amber flies towards the Ion and rears its fist. The Ion can only stare as Amber sends the Ion upwards with an uppercut, boosted by the thrust of its jet thrusters on the Northstar's back. The Titan lands to the ground with an earthshaking thud, eliminated.
"Enemy Titan destroyed, well done Pilot." BB notifies Amber, which prompts her to smile. With the Titans gone, they are able to occupy the lab and secure it for the Militia. She watches as Militia riflemen squads break into the lab, eliminating any IMC grunt that were inside.
"What a battle." Kay comments, the Vanguard walking towards BB and standing next to it. "That's, what, 12 titans underneath your belt now?"
"Yup. 12 titans. Next to my 30-pilot killstreak. One day I will overtake you." Amber boasted, getting a chuckle from Kay. "You'll reach me someday, just twenty more." The fellow Pilot replied with equal smugness. She only pouted in response.
"Enemy lab secure." They hear one of the Militia officer report to the main channel. "Starting investigation and lockdown. Requesting additional back-up."
Amber sighs as she opens up the cockpit. "I'll be helping out the guys. Don't die out there." She hops down from her Titan.
"Good luck." Kay says from her Vanguard, walking elsewhere to patrol. Then Amber turned to BB. "You know, I'd probably let you go with me, but I don't think you'd fit in the garage."
"A fair observation, Amber. I will remain here. Notify me if you need anything." BB says as the Northstar stands guard by the lab entrance, gripping her railgun firmly. Amber gives a thumbs up before heading inside. Once she was inside, she took off her helmet, undoing the straps.
Three years of warfare and life in the Frontier changed the former Outrider drastically. Her hair had been cut short to accommodate for the helmet. Her once vibrant golden eyes have an air of experience and exhaustion to it, the gold irises dulled from constant fighting. Her left cheek had a small scar that cut across from her ear to her nose, a grim reminder of the risks she took as a Pilot and of her humanity.
Her body was also chiseled from war and growth. Her height had considerably grown by an extra four inches, her feminine features more pronounced from age. She was stronger, faster, and more durable compared to her former self as an Outrider.
Amber looked at the room she was currently in. The room itself was large, large enough to fit in the numerous ATVs, trucks and jeeps parked inside. Close to the walls were stores of different materials, ammunition and weapon crates. Maybe these were supplies for the security personnel. A shame they were all dead.
"Captain." A Militia rifleman saluted as the Pilot went to one of the doors leading out of the room and deeper into the facility. Amber gave a nod of acknowledgement as she went into a hallway. Like the garage before it, it was white. Although it was a stark white compared to the dirty white of the garage. Amber gagged at the sight. Why did the IMC love white so much? She personally would've given this hallway a nice blend of brown and red.
She ignored the horrible color taste of the IMC and continued exploring, passing by MRVNs and Militia riflemen idling around. From what she remembered from the briefing; this lab contained prototypes and experiments that would be; A. beneficial to the Militia or B. far too dangerous to be kept intact.
Amber entered another hallway, the prototype wing of the lab. She smiled; she was in the right track. She entered one of the few rooms to investigate whatever was there. Militia riflemen worked in the room, carefully putting away some kind of equipment in crates. Others were putting documents in neat little zip lock bags. She was able to recognize some riflemen from the 26th platoon, seeing their red devil insignias on their helmets.
One of the riflemen of the 26th spotted her as she watched. "Hey, Captain." He greeted, while lifting a small crate.
"Good to see you still alive and kicking, rifleman." Amber replied. The rifleman gives a nod as he leaves the room, carrying the cargo along with other soldiers that brought crates with them. She was going to join them, since there wasn't much happening here...but saw something that caught her eye.
In the corner of the laboratory, there was a small glass case that was labeled "elemental anomaly no. 096", there sat some kind of ancient pendant decorated with golden trims and a silver lined chain. In the center of the pendant sat a purple gemstone. Or rather it looked to be some kind of purple colored glass with a symbol that looked like a cyclone. It seemed to emit some purple electricity in its current state.
Amber widened her eyes slightly upon looking at it. What kind of pendant was that to be considered an "elemental anomaly"? And why did it look familiar to her?
That wasn't all, however. She checked the other glass cases that were next to it. There was a sword in one case labelled "artifact no. 215". It was a long sword, perhaps some kind of steel, with the guard and pommel decorated in some kind of golden coating. In the guard was a coat of arms that looked like two crossed swords into a shield with feather-like patterns. She looked at it with wonder, the same uncomfortable familiarity coming to her when she glanced at that mysterious pendant. Why did she recognize the coat of arms, but not remember the name?
"Captain!" A voice cut her train of thought. Amber turned her head to see a soldier of the 26th Platoon by the entrance. "We found some kind of creature in one of the labs."
The Pilot tilted her head in confusion. "Why are you calling me then? We've seen plenty of strange creatures before. If it's another Prowler, leave it."
The rifleman shrugged. "It was calling your name, ma'am, so I thought we should notify you about it." Before he could hear her response, the Pilot was already up on her feet. "Tell me where it is." She asked seriously. The rifleman nodded as he gestured her to follow, heading deeper into the labs.
They reached a room that was a bit more spacious than the other laboratories, filled with glass cages containing the local wildlife, feline-like animals and some flora. However, there was also some creatures that didn't seem to look right. Some of the cages were filled with humanoid creatures that wore masks over their busy manes and long tall ears. Their bodies were black in color, with only some loincloths and primitive clothing covering them. All of them seem to be either hitting on the glass, sleeping in their cages, or just seated on the floor looking defeated. These creatures made Amber glare at them, finding them unfit to be in this place. Which surprised her since she was just looking at them for the first time.
The rifleman that was leading her pointed to a cage that had Militia riflemen stationed there. In that cage was a creature similar to the humanoids she saw earlier, but this time it was floating. It had a different mask, looking like some kind of smoother plague doctor mask. And it was fully covered in a blue robe. If the humanoids before felt wrong with Amber, this floating one made Amber want to kill it in a house fire. Next to the cage was some kind of reactor that looked similar to the Ark in Operation Broadsword.
"And you said this one calling me?" The Pilot turned to the rifleman.
The rifleman nodded, realizing his superior was starting to get pissed. "Yeah. Just, uh, don't break the glass, Cap'n." He moved away a good distance to let Amber do her thing
The Pilot approached the cage muttering. "Oh, don't worry about that."
The floating creature turned towards Amber and cackled. "What a surprise! The Outrider lives!" It pointed at her. "I didn't expect you to survive that attack. Oh, could this day any better!"
Amber slammed against the glass, startling the creature as it gave an "eek!" and making it shrink to the far end of the cage. "Shut the fuck up, fuzzball." She growled. "How the hell do you know that title?"
The mage was able to muster enough courage to speak up. "Y-you forget? You forget where you truly came from? As far as I'm concerned where you live now is not your real home." Another slam on the glass.
"What are you on about? The Frontier is my real home!" Amber roared back. The riflemen that were stationed next to the cage took this time to excuse themselves. They did not want to be in the same room as an angry Captain Amber. "I've lived there all my life..." She added, but for some reason she felt like what she said was a lie. Harmony was her home, right? There was no way she was an outsider...
It gave a chuckle of disbelief. "You truly do not remember? An interesting assessment." Looking at the angry Pilot in the face, trying not to piss itself, it spoke. "You never were supposed to be in this part of this universe, and so am I." It put his hands behind its back. "However, this place intrigues me. Humanity here has thrived and advanced in ways I cannot comprehend...ah...Khaenri'ah..."
"You're not making any sense." Amber grit her teeth, annoyed. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't blow your little furry head open."
"Well, I could bring you back...to your REAL home."
"The fuck does that supposed to mean?" The Pilot clenched her fists. Why would she believe such a liar? There was no way this thing could bring her back to...wherever the fuck this 'home' is. But looking at the creature, it was floating without any technology on it. And what did it mean by magic? She wanted to just put a bullet to its head. But at the same time, this creature had the same uncomfortable familiarity with the rest of the things she's seen in this lab, like she has encountered them before but couldn't remember the names.
Just what was the IMC doing with these things here?
Before she could do anything, the wall next to them suddenly exploded, sending the Pilot flying. She cried out in pain, as she crashed into the wall. Her vision was blurry and her head was reeling. Once her vision cleared, she could see that it was chaos. The explosion apparently broke the ceiling of the adjacent room next to them. She quickly put her helmet on, trying to get a better assessment of the situation.
"Pilot, are you alright?" BB's voice reaches her ears. Amber groaned as she hastily brought herself up. She coughed before responding. "Yeah, just got the wind knocked out of me."
"We are under attack. The current room you are in is slowly falling apart and the reactor will detonate in two minutes. Recommend you leave the area immediately." The Northstar added, a marker in her HUD showing the way to leave the lab. Amber nodded to herself, steadying herself.
The mage had escaped its confines, but was weakly dragging itself. "Yes...freedom...at last." It mumbled. Apparently, the explosion had weakened him greatly to the point where it can't float anymore. Amber rolled her eyes, of course it'd use that as a way to escape. She had thought of shooting it in the head, but decided against it. The reactor was going nuclear, no need to waste a bullet on this poor sap.
Warning. Elemental reactor unstable. Please evacuate immediately. The intercom sounded as sirens rang across the facility. She could faintly hear the sounds of gunshots and explosions outside. Finding a timer on the reactor, she set a timer of her own. 60 seconds. She had no more time to lose.
Amber took off from the room, going to the same way she went, running past hallways now coated with red light. There was fire in the laboratories, and the bodies of some that didn't survive the surprise attack. She grits her teeth as she continued to run, wall running over obstacles and avoiding the flames.
30 seconds.
By the time she had reached the garage, it was pretty much gone. There was a massive hole where the ceiling should've been. The supplies and vehicles there were in smoking ruins, save for one Samson Transport Truck that still worked. Militia riflemen were scrambling to get on the truck, some of them giving them covering fire with their assault rifles and carbines.
"BB, where are you?" She called to her radio. As if to answer her question, the Northstar appeared, carrying a broken truck to shield itself from a hail of bullets. She discarded the truck and ran towards the ruin of the garage, giving covering fire with her railgun. The Titan stopped a few meters away from where the truck was. "Hop in, Amber." BB commanded.
The Pilot did not hesitate as she ran into the BB's cockpit and hopped on, taking control of the Northstar. She turned to the riflemen in the truck. "Go! We'll cover you. We don't have much time!"
"Copy. Let's go!" One of the riflemen, maybe one of the squad leaders, said as the truck drove off, heading towards the south gate of the facility. Amber pursued after it, but was suddenly was tackled by an enemy Titan, sending them both to the ground. She found herself being held down by a Ronin, a Titan class that came from the same lineage as the Northstar class, equipped with a giant metal sword that can cut through metal.
Amber widened her eyes to see this particular Ronin stronger than the other Ronin Titans she'd faced, as she was struggling to keep its arms from pinning her and BB down. The colors of this Titan were not the typical white IMC colors, rather a black and purple palette. So this was a custom Ronin then. This was also supported by the insignia on the side of the Titan - a skull with curly horns with a blood-red backdrop.
"Fuck me, an Apex Ronin. I thought Jack took care of them a year ago!" Amber grit as she made the Northstar lean to dodge a punch by the Apex Predator. She had to think fast. Then, looking at the bottom left of her screen, an idea came to her mind.
"Flight core activated." BB deployed her thrusters and opened the rocket pods on her shoulders. The Ronin was unfortunately not fast enough to stop the rocket barrage directed into its face, letting go of the trapped Northstar, and phase dashing away. BB took to the skies and rained down explosive ordnance on the attacking IMC troop. She used this window to retreat, hoping to catch up to the truck that went on ahead as the Northstar used its thrusters to fly into the forest.
Amber cursed as she checked her set timer. 20 seconds, she can't make it to the LZ in time. Even if she ran at full speed.
Suddenly she hears Kay's voice in the radio. "Amber! Where the fuck are you?!" She yelled, irritated and panicked. "The IMC deployed a counterattack and we're hauling ass!"
"I know." Amber answered grimly as the Titan jogged away from the facility. "Listen. I can't reach the dropship in time. You need to leave without me."
"AMBER LASTIMOSA, I AM NOT LEAVING A PILOT BEHIND! GET YOUR ASS IN HERE NOW!" Kay, obviously, did not take this well. Amber gave a sad sigh as she replied.
"Kay. There's no time. I'm sorry." She checked the timer. 10 seconds. She hears electricity pass by her as the IMC Ronin shoots out its Arc Wave. BB sidestepped and engaged, firing its railgun in retaliation and deploying the tether traps. The Ronin blocks the railgun shots with its shield and dashes away from the tether traps, however still active. It switches to its Leadwall shotgun and fires its four-round magazine. Amber sustains damage but quickly dashes away to dodge the incoming shots.
5 seconds.
Amber sighed as she stared down the Ronin. The last thing she would hear is Kay's voice. "F-fuck, FUCK!" She cursed, realizing the situation. Afterwards she spoke. "...I'll see you in Hell, Captain." She struggles to keep her composure. Amber gives a sad laugh, using her special greeting for her, huh? "Get us out of here." Kay told someone, presumably the pilot of the dropship.
The Pilot looks to see a Widow Transport Ship leave and fly away from the planet's surface. Amber spoke out one last message as the timer reaches zero. "Hey...take care of my platoon, alright? And Jack too..."
The only thing Kay will see is the surface of Fhranth from orbit as the Widow returns back into its mothership, the MCS Nyx. The telltale bright light of the reactor going off on the surface and wiped out the facility. She stayed in her cockpit in sorrow, taking off her helmet to wipe the tears in her eyes.
Darkness. That was the only thing Amber can see right now. Just the endless void. If this is what death actually is, it sucked. For some reason, she felt relieved. No longer was she going to fight now. It felt like a weight has been lifted off of her shoulders. But...she will miss everyone she left behind. Kay, Jack and-
"Hull critically damaged."
Wait. What's her Titan doing here?
Amber slowly opened her eyes, groaning. She was still in the cockpit of the Baron Bunny. How? Didn't she get wiped off the face of the planet by that explosion? Well, it didn't seem to matter anymore, she was still alive.
Her body ached, like she had just fallen off a cliff and survived. Her legs felt like putty and all she could hear was ringing. Amber cautiously sat up, checking herself of any external injuries. A nicked shoulder and perhaps a bleeding abdomen. Not good. She found that her DMR and her Pistol was in their storage in the cockpit, which was good if it meant her chances of survival greatly increased. She reached for the medical kit on one of the pockets and began to heal herself, patching up her arm and her abdomen, which sure enough looked like a bullet went through it.
Grabbing her P2016, she manually opened the cockpit to be greeted by sunlight. Amber put her arm over her eyes to shield them from the glaring beams as she got down from her Titan. Her boots landed on grass as she stabilized herself to stand. The sunlight was not as bright anymore, and Amber was able to see where she landed herself into.
She landed in some kind of forest, with fir trees and fruit-bearing trees scattered across the woods. Off northwards was a small lake with some kind of totem in the center island. Beyond that was a cliffside. Amber turned to see what happened to her Titan. It was badly damaged, the Northstar's chassis was dented, with an arm missing. The thrusters were also damaged, with one practically busted. The only thing that survived the crash was the railgun, surprisingly.
"Ocular systems malfunctioning. Hull critically damaged." Baron Bunny beeped as the Northstar laid there like a broken action figure.
"Damn..." Amber cursed as she went back to her Titan, saddened at the sight of her companion. She reached inside to grab her DMR and her Pistol, as well as the spare ammunition. From the looks of it, she only had four mags for the DMR, and three for the Pistol. Hopefully she wouldn't have to be forced to eat through her ammo. She slung the DMR over her shoulder and put the Pistol in her holster. Her data knife was still in its sheath on her thigh.
"Amber..." BB called her, the Pilot closing the cockpit door to see the 'head' of the Titan. "I cannot continue operating in this body. I would transfer my AI to your helmet but my sensors have been damaged. You will need to use a cable to connect your helmet to my chassis. The cable is located on the right side of the cockpit. It will only take a few minutes."
She nodded, as she opened the cockpit door once again, lifting it over her head to grab the cable. Amber closed the cockpit door, where she found a small port to connect the cable to. She plugged it in and took off her helmet, puffing out her hair. She placed it close to the Titan as she plugged the cable to her helmet. While waiting for the transfer, she could feel the soft breeze flow through the woods. It felt refreshing in a way. Since she was going to be without her helmet for a while, she took out a small red piece of fabric from one of her pockets and tied it to her head, making it into a headband with bunny ears. Amber had always found this look cute for some reason, even with her shortened hair.
She idly climbs one of the trees to get a better look of the surroundings. The forest wasn't that large. It stretched over to a much bigger lake over in the east. In that lake stood a city. But it wasn't the sprawling metropolitan cities of the Core Worlds, or even in the Frontier. This one looked more primitive, like something in a medieval setting. Stone walls surround city, with giant windmills on top of the turrets of the wall.
Which wormhole did she fall through to find herself in a place like this?
A/N: Welcome to the new and improved Steel Outrider Redux. The reason behind this was that the old one was messy and some of the lore didn't make much sense. Compared to the old Steel Outrider fic, this one will be more polished at the cost of update releases. With my current predicament with school and my writing skills, don't expect quick chapter releases.
What do you guys think? Do you like this new format or do you like the old one? Leave a review about your thoughts.
Criticism is welcome, just don't throw hate for no reason.
Thanks for reading.
- LNC3LOT
[overhaul entry 1/4: added extra details and changes for continuity]