Ch.5: Shanxi under Siege


April 6th 20:30, Arcturus Station:


Sitting In a chair in a conference room nestled deep into the station, was President Nijah Nader. Until three days ago she was the most powerful woman in the galaxy. Not even halfway through the second year of her first term, she would be remembered as the President who made first contact. An emergency session of the Federation Council had been called once it been confirmed that first contact with a spacefaring civilization had been made. It would have been a truly momentous moment in her peoples' history if it had not been soured by the fact those same people were under siege by the Dragon Orphans.

The deathly silence that befell the council chambers, when she made the announcement spoke volumes of the fear that the people still held against the Dragon Orphans. To be honest, she was scared too, but as the leader of an entire nation, she could not show it. Few things started a panic better than seeing the leaders scared. So she held it in, even within the closed doors of the Federation Council chambers, she could not risk showing such weakness. The councilors too seemed to realize what their fear would cause if ever got out to the public, and they quickly reigned in their fear. What followed were some of the longest hours in her life, as heated debates flared up over what course of actions should be taken to deal with the renewed threat of the Dragon Orphans.

All of them, of course, were pointless, as the protocols in dealing with the Dragon Orphans were already in effect. The entirety of the Federation's armed forces were being mobilized for full-scale war against the D-Orphans. War, that word left a bitter taste in her mouth. She had read histories of the different wars waged throughout Earth's history. The lives that had been destroyed, the atrocities committed, and the hate they breed, none of them had ever been a pretty sight to behold. This would be the second thing she would be remembered for, the President who through no fault of her own plunged the United Terran Federation into a 4th Dragon War. Needless to say her already complicated life, just got infinitely more complicated.

She silently laughed to herself, the history books would record her as being more than just the first Arabic woman to hold the office.

It had taken her several minutes, to get them onto the topic she wanted to talk about. Wither or not they would provide aid to the races of the Citadel, and what their policies would be regarding them. She swore that she could have baked a turkey with how heated that discussion got. Discussions ranged from creating an alliance with them, isolation, and conquest. In the end, after six hours of debating, a majority vote was passed to form an alliance with the Citadel races for the duration of the war. Anything beyond that would have to be settled at a later date. Oh, how she wished for simpler times.

Looking over the data-pad in her hand, she still couldn't wrap her head around everything. The sheer size of Citadel space boggled her mind, one glanced showed it was several times larger than the Federation. Individually the space of each race was more comprehensible, most of them being smaller than the Federation. But all together they made Terran territory look like a drop in a bucket.

'To think there was a whole galactic community right at our doorstep. One comprised of over half a dozen races.' It was almost a dream come true for her people. Finally, they were no longer alone in a cold uncaring universe. Almost being the operative word. Her face scrunched into a frown, as she read more about the Citadel. There were facets of their society that deeply unsettled her. The first being that of the eight races that are considered to be a part of the Citadel, only three held any real power. The others had been regulated to being "associate members", she huffed at the phrasing. To her, it sounded like a nicer way of saying "second class citizens". To add to her grievance, numerous treaties limited the economic and military capabilities of the "associate" races and did little to the "council" races. As far she saw the only ones that actively defied these treaties and got away with were the Batarians, and if weren't for their abdominal practice of slavery she would respect them.

Then there was their treatment of the non-citadel races like the Quarians and the Krogan, and how they view A.I. The Krogan sterilized just because the council couldn't be bothered to help them develop a culture beyond warfare. The Quarians condemned to a slow death for one mistake. Finally the illegalizing of A.I. because of simple fear. Oh, yes there would be a lot to discuss with the Citadel once they made contact.

Nijah rubbed the temples of her head, already feeling a headache coming on. She seriously considered the possibility of not running for a second term, so she could avoid all the political and intergalactic incidents that were sure to come. 'Why was that I wanted to enter politics again.' She asked herself. 'Ah, yes! It was because I wanted to help people, make a difference.' History had shown time and again what one person, one voice could do to change the world for better or worse. As a child she was mesmerized by figures like George Washington, Martin Luther King J., and Kaneki Ken, they all had through their inspired her to do better, to be more than she was. Because of those influences among others, she from a young age decided she would enter the world of politics, and even had the grand dream of becoming president one day. She smiled to herself, more than a bit amused, the dreams of a child could have effects on their lives as adults. She never once wavered from the path she laid for herself, she had her doubts, but she never wavered. As she would not waver now. Now more than ever the Terran people, Humans, Ghouls, and Synths needed a strong decisive leader. She would do her best to fulfill that role.

She heard the door slide open and several figures walk in. She turns to the table to see several high ranking Generals and Admirals taking their seats. She saw holographic projections of similarly ranked officials appear. In all, twenty figures were sitting in front of her, ten from the Navy and ten from the Army and Marines.

"I assume that everyone is here?" She spoke. No reaction. "Good, then we can begin the first war council meeting of the coming conflict against the Dragon Orphans. Firstly what is the situation with Shanxi?" She prompted.

"We received reports, that the Dragon Orphans have gained orbital supremacy over Shanxi. " Spoke Admiral Ines, the commanding officer of the 1st fleet. "My, fleet will arrive in approximately six hours to relieve our besieged forces. Additionally, the 7th Stealth Squadron will be arriving two hours ahead of us. They'll keep an eye on the D-Orphan forces in orbit."

"The 4th fleet will arrive about an hour after them, Madam President." One Admiral spoke.

"The 5th is ten minutes behind the 4th." Another said.

Nijah nod this was good, Shanxi would be secured. That was the first step in the coming war. "Alright then, what is our overall war footing and what are we doing to improve it?"

The Admiral in right next to her, an old ghoul in his late nineties with spoke. "Subtracting the forces we lost over Shanxi, our current naval strength stands at around forty-six thousand, six hundred combat ships. Of witch twenty-nine thousand make up the eight main fleets, another two thousand are centered on the defense of Arcturus and Sol, and the remaining sixteen thousand are spread throughout the Federation. As per wartime protocols, all forces are being mobilized, shore leaves have been canceled, reserves are being called, a call to arms sent to all worlds, and the mothball fleet is being put back into service. Additionally, production on all warships and other war materials will be increased by two hundred fifty percent. All in all, I would dare say we are in a very good position, for this war. Especially when you consider that we might not be fighting it in our territory, leaving our infrastructure untouched and that we have time to prepare ourselves." He finished.

Nijah nodded at what the Fleet Admiral said. "Very, good Fleet Admiral Kirishima." Fleet Admiral Kirishima, was perhaps the oldest Officer in the Navy and was known for his to the point attitude. A member of the Kirishima family, who has strong ties to the Kaneki family, and is the Admiral in command of the Arcturus and Sol fleets and is considered to be the head of the Federation Navy. "Now what are your recommendations for improving our war standing on the naval side of things?"

"First, I recommended that twelve thousand, of the ships spread throughout our territory be resigned. One-third of them be used to bolster the numbers of the eight main fleets, the rest are to be used to create numerous smaller fleets that can be rapidly deployed throughout Citadel space in response to developing situations." He responded calmly.

"Won't that leave our space awfully undefended?" Nijah interrupted not liking the idea leaving so much space undefended."

Kirishima raised his hand in a placating manner. "Not to worry madam President. That's where the mothball fleet comes in. I recommended that it be used to patrol our space. It may be made of old ships, but they are still reliable."

Nijah arched an eyebrow. "How big is the Mothball fleet?"

"Around thirteen thousand ships. As I said it should be more than adequate to full fill our needs."

Satisfied with what she heard Nijah turned her attention to the row of Generals from the Army and Marines. "Now what of the Army and Marines?"

Two men she recognized as Generals Cooper and Garza, the heads of the Army and Marines respectively, look at each in a silent conversation that lasts for a few seconds. Cooper was the one to speak. "All together both the Army and Marines have around five billion soldiers. Much like our Navy friends we are mobilizing all forces for full-scale war, leaves have been canceled, reserve units are being put into active service, and recruitment drives increased. For how we can go about the war against the Dragon Orphans, I recommend that two-fifths of our forces be deployed to the Citadel fronts. The remaining units are to defend home and country, reserved forces and recruits could be used to bolster our defenses here as well." He finished.

"I second that motion." Garza spoke up.

Nijah nodded and processed the information given to her. The recommendations given to her sounded to be reasonable. Though no specifics had been given, mostly just broad strokes. "How long will it take for us to fully mobilize our forces for the War?

It was Admiral Kirishima who spoke. "By my estimate, about four months. That will also give our economy time to switch over to wartime production and roar fully to life."

It was at this moment that Nijah was reminded of what kind of nation she was the leader of. A large powerful nation that could easily transition into a wartime mentality. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but right now it served their purposes. For a moment she wondered how they stacked against the Citadel races. "Alright, than. Do what you can to prepare ourselves for the coming war. Now than any specifics in improving our war capabilities?"

Several hands shot up, it was going a long session.


April 6th 23:00, Shanxi orbit, Dragon Orphan command ship:


The creature had long since regained control of its anger. It was still there and burned more brightly than ever following the battle against the old enemy's void-sailors. So many of its brethren had been lost, never to have a chance to fight the old enemy on the surface below. But it was under control.

It sensed, how the battle was going. At first, they tore through the old enemy's defenses, spilling their blood and tearing their flesh asunder. Inching ever so closer to the center of their great nest. Where those who do not fight were hid. 'Such weakness.' The creature thought the progenitors did not dedicate all of their beings to the hunt as its kind did. Nor did the other prey that in its view made them all weak. The weak would perish to the strong. The swarm was strong, and as such, they would perish to the swarm.

But then their advance was slowed, the old enemy was holding the swarm back, killing many. It did not matter though, the swarm was many, and they were not. In time they would falter, and the swarm would consume them all and those they protected. The life orb would be theirs to devour.

The creature's lips twisted to a smile. Perhaps it was time for a "little push". But first, it needed to warn the rest of the swarm of the progenitor's return. Sending its command to send void sailors out to the gateway, it arose and made its way for its destination.

All things would be theirs to devour.


April 6th 23:00, Shanxi space, TFV. Silent Shadow:


"Commander Movement detected in the D-Orphan fleet." Said a crewman.

"Report." Said the Commander. Their squadron had been monitoring the D-Orphan fleet, since their arrival in the system close to an hour ago. They've been keeping track of the enemy numbers and positions, and keeping an eye out for anything interesting. This would qualify as being interesting.

"Fifty enemy ships have just broken off from the main fleet. Sensors indicate that they are making their way to the Relay."

The commander quickly realized what their intent was. "Order the Chameleon and the Abyss to pursue them. Once they are beyond the relay they are to destroy the D-Orphan ships. We cannot risk losing the element of surprise." He ordered.

"Aye, sir. Sending the order now."


April 6th 23:15, Capital of Shanxi:


The sound of gunfire, explosions, and screams echoed throughout the city, as Sanders and her squad made their way through a ruined street. Almost twelve hours of running to or from one fight to another without rest had taken its toll on them. But much to her delight the men and women under her command had persevered and held up under the pressure. So far they had suffered no losses in the unit, and the worst the injury took was when of her men took an Rc shard to the shoulder. Nothing that a med-gel couldn't handle and the man was still able to carry his rifle.

She may have only known them for the last few days, and they were rough around the edges, but she was proud to be their commander. Already she thought of them as the Federations finest. They took cover around a corner when they heard several loud hisses. She glanced over to see just what they had run into.

Two dozen standard D-Orphans, five prowlers, and a- 'shit'. A brute standing over the remains of a type II mech, and it was a spiker no less. Taking a deep breath, she thought over their odds. The standards and prowlers they could handle with ease. The brute, however, was another story, those things were tough as hell to take down without the proper equipment. A Rinkaku or Bikaku type ghoul could take one by themselves if they were skilled enough.

Currently, they had none of those, no heavy ordinance as it would have slowed them down too much, and all of the ghouls in her unit were Ukakus. If they wanted to take that thing down (and they had to considering how close it was to the eighth defense line.), they have to overwhelm it with weapons fire from multiple angles. At the same time, someone would have to get up close and personal to keep it distracted. That someone would have to be a skilled combatant to even survive an encounter like that. In other words, her.

Sanders stilled her beating heart. No need to show her unit how nervous she was. She signaled for her squad to take up firing positions in the nearby buildings, and to fire on her command. Dutifully they each nodded their heads and went ahead. She watched with bated breath each one of her soldiers crept silently into the builds around the D-Orphans, being careful not to alert the creatures to their presence. Several minutes later she received a com signal from them that they were in position.

Taking another breath she mentally readied herself for the coming fight. She activated her com-link. "Fire!" Not a moment sooner she heard the sounds of gunfire and the death screams of D-Orphans. Without a moment of hesitation, she darted out from the corner. As she ran towards the brute, she saw that several of the standards and a single prowler had been killed, and the brute look like it was ready to pop a blood vessel. Not wanting to give the thing time to vent its frustration, Sanders hostler her rifle and fired. Two more prowlers want down and so did several more of the standards. A second later she unleashed her Ukaku and fired Rc shards at the brute. Several of the shards found their mark on the legs and stomach of the monster, it roared in anger. Its attention now fully on her it raised its spiked arm and fire a single massive Rc shard at her. She dodged to the left and continued her way to the brut. It raised its other arm to smash her to a meaty paste. In the instant it swung it down, she threw her weight down and sled under its legs, firing her rifle at the massive D-Orphan as she did. Its hand smashed uselessly to the ground.

About a meter away she quickly got back to her feet, and fire off her rifle killing two more D-Orphans. She jumped high into the air to avoid the last prowler from pouncing on her. While in the air she twisted to ordinated herself to face the brute. Then using her Ukaku to slow her descent she aimed and fired. The last prowler and the remaining standard D-Orphans slumped lifelessly to the ground.

She lands on her feet and fired on the brute. It charged at her, a primal roar emanating from its bloodstained mouth. It brought its arm down on her. Reacting fast she extends her left Ukaku out in front of her and hardens it as much she could. It's fist collided with the crystalline wing, causing it to rattle from the impact, her feet almost buckling under the force. She gritted her teeth, and pulled her rifle and fired into the monster's stomach. In response, the brute raised its spike arm to strike her. Ready for this, Sanders extended her right Ukaku and used it to strike at the spiked arm, parrying its blow.

Half a second later she felt the brute's fist connect with her stomach. Blood spurting out from her mouth, she was sent flying and crashing into the street creating a small crater. It took a second for her head to stop spinning, and another to get her bearings back. Another second later she saw the brute with its spike arm ready to snuff out her life. Gunfire rained down on the monster from all sides. The brute thrashed in anger, its spike arm flailing about, as it looks for a target to shoot. It settles for a second-floor window in the build nearest to it.

Sanders screamed in anguish.

The brute roared as gunfire continued to pelt it. It readied to fire.

There was a loud boom.

Then the brutes back exploded in fire, and it cried out in pain. Its arm dropping as it turns to face its new attacker. In that same instance, Sanders got from her crater and saw something that brought a smile to her face. Down the street were two heavy tanks. An armored platoon must have heard their fighting, and arrived to assist. One of the tanks fired its main cannon. An instant later the brute's non-spiked arm was blown clean off, blood gushing from the wound. The brute roared in agony as it raised and fired its spiked armed. The resulting Rc shard found its way into one of the heavy tanks, destroying it. The brute turned to face the remaining tank, readying another attack.

'On no, you don't bastard.' Sanders thought to herself as she fired off a swarm of shards into the D-Orphan's back. It turns to face her, with a snarl on its lips, and its head disappeared in a ball of fire, courtesy of a shell being fired from the remaining heavy tank. The brute's body swayed back and for a few seconds, before finally falling forward and hitting the pavement with a loud thud. The whole fight had lasted less than two minutes. But it may have as well have been two hours.

She wanted to slump down, from how tired she was. Willpower and adrenaline were all that kept her on her feet. Out from the tanks, she saw some infantrymen walk out and take defensive positions. From the destroyed tank two survivors crawled out. Out of the corners of her eyes, she saw the members of her unit emerge from the buildings.

From the tank unit, she saw a man in his mid-thirties walked out. Likely the commanding officer. She walked towards him, her unit close behind. They met in the middle. The man gave her a jovial smile.

"Well, miss governor. It looks like we arrived just in time to save your sorry ass." He said good-naturedly.

She returned the smile. "Thanks for that. How did you know we were here?" She asks.

The man gestured to a nearby building. She turned and saw a young man walked out. "A scout reported the position of a brute that needed to be taken out. We were sent to do just that. You being here was just coincidence. Not a bad one mind you." He explained

"None the less, thank you. I owe you the life of at least one of my men." She said bowing slightly.

The man tilted his head in acknowledgment. "I'll remember that. In the meantime, I suggest that you take a few moments to rest. You may be a ghoul, but even you people need to rest after a fight like that." He said, a bit of worry in his voice.

She nodded. "I'll take that under advisement. Meanwhile, I'll have my people assist salvaging your destroyed tank."

"That would be appreciated, Ma'am."

"Then let's get to work, and get out of here." For the moment she would be able to rest. She planned to take full advantage of it. More fights were coming and she needed all the energy she had to survive them.


April 6th 23:40, Capital City:


Unit 09:

Firing cannon. 7.2 seconds elapsed.

11 confirmed kills. 7 standard D-Orphans, 4 Spiker D-Orphans.

Units 17, 34, 35:

Engaging enemy group, supporting creator units. 3 minutes, 35 seconds elapsed.

Enemy group destroyed, no survivors. Units 17 and 35 lost. 1 creator killed, 2 creators injured.

Squad retreating to Defense Line Number. 8

To an organic it would have been mind-shattering to control several bodies at once, all the while being fully aware of all of their actions and stimuli. Their brains were simply not built to process so much information at once. But for Vertigo a Synthetic it was a simple matter, though even he had to admit there was a limit to how many bodies they could command. It was for this reason that most Synths preferred to keep to a single body. It was both easier and more intimate.

His kind may be creatures of logic being made from an incredibly complicated series of 0's and 1's, they were also creatures of emotion as much as their creators were, they were just better at controlling them. It wasn't all that surprising when one thought about it. Following the creation of Herald the First, all Synths had been created with the intent for them to emulate the minds of their creators. The capacity for emotion by extension was included in that goal. It was because of that and their creators' foresight in granting them equal rights, did Vertigo's people elect to remain loyal to the organic beings. They wanted to grow and learn alongside their creators, to be there as they expand through the galaxy and beyond. To share in the joys and hardships that life offered.

Synth after being "raised" for a year by its parents, was considered to be an adult by Federation law. Several would choose to enter the military and find a role to serve there, but most would just remain in civilian life and find a job. Vertigo was in the later, preferring to use his talents in the field of the sciences, namely in the field of Exobiology. Shanxi had proven to be a treasure trove of information when he and his other fellow researchers arrived when the colony was first founded. The planet had a high level of biodiversity, not on the same level as Earth, but still high.

In the seven years, he had lived on the colony he had grown to think of it as home, and he had established lasting relationships with a number of the colonist. This was the reason, why he was now controlling several combat mechs. When he had heard of the coming attack, he'd been one of the first volunteers to come forth in defense of the colony. Shanxi was his home, and he would do everything he could to defend it and the people he had grown to care about.

Before the start of the battle, he had commanded a hundred mechs, mostly type I's with a few type II's, spread out across several squads. In some of those squads, he had struck up fledging friendships with the soldiers. Now less than half his mechs were operational, and several of his new friends were dead or dying. His current kill count was hovering around five hundred.

Aside from everything else the battle was progressing well. Federation Forces were holding steady and most of Dragon Orphans were being held at the ninth defense line. If they could hold out for just a few more hours than when reinforcements arrived, they have a mostly intact city to save.

Warning: Units 9-12, 16 destroyed. Numerous creator causalities.

Attempting to identify assailant.

Warning: Unites 14, 21 destroyed. Portion of Defense line number 9 as fallen. Assailant identified. Elapsed time 1 minute, 17 seconds.

Analyzing image.

Image Analyzed.

Surprise and horror.

Confirming resultsx1000.

Results confirmedx1000.

Response: "Fuck you, Murphy!"

Sending information of General Williams, priority one.


April 6th 23:50, Capital city of Shanxi


Lieutenant Anderson was not having a good day right now. Actual scratch that he was not having a good hour right now. Why you ask, a little something called being surround with little ammunition left. He poked out from his hiding spot and fired off a few shots from his pistol, killing two spiker D-Orphans, and quickly retreat to cover just in time for several Rc shards to glide past where his head was.

His unit had been caught off guard by a large group of spiker D-Orphans, while they were mopping up a pack of prowlers. The result, half his men dead, and the remaining half being forced to take cover within the perimeter of several ruined vehicles. For the next thirty minutes, he and his remaining men staved off annihilation. "Can anyone see a way out?" He shouted. He was met by several grunts of no. "Than keep looking. Those things look like their ready for a final pounce." He shouted firing his pistol into the pack of D-Orphans.

"We're dead. We're dead. We're dead. We're so dead." He heard the panic rant of a young man not too far from him. Looking at the young man, most likely fresh out of training, Anderson couldn't blame him for being on edge like he was. No amount of training could prepare anyone for a situation like this. A Dragon Orphan invasion was about as hot as a trial by fire as one could get.

"Calm down private. This neither the time nor the place." He tried his best to use a calm and soothing tone. However he failed since his nerves where about as frayed as the private's, and it came out more like a shout.

The young man looks at him like he was a madman. "Calm?" He muttered out, his voice hoarse. "Calm down? You expect me to calm down!?" He all but shouted, standing on his feet. "We've been fighting none stop for over almost thirteen hours now. Half of our unit is dead. We're pinned by the D-Orphans, and we're quickly running out ammo. WE. ARE. DEAD." The man fell to his knees sobbing. All around Anderson could see what was left of his unit giving him looks of pity. They were all tired, himself included. Colonial defense was supposed to be a quit boring affair, especially when the colony they were assigned to defend was far from the lawless areas that bordered Federation space, A nice safe place to be eased into the military life. Well, life decided to take one look at that and decided "Nah, screw that noise. Let's give these suckers hell." she was a bitch that way. It didn't help that Anderson himself wished for something interesting to happen. Colonial after was a boring affair. That same boredom look to be very appealing right now.

Wondering if similar incidents had been occurring in other units Anderson reached out to the young private. "It's alright private. We-." The world slowed down as Anderson's mind captured the moment, to be engraved into his memory for all of eternity. The way the young man's red face was twisted with sobs, the way his hand was less than an inch from wiping away those tears, and the way his body was yanked away by a prowler. He looks on in horror as the man's body was dragged out of their perimeter and dragged into a pack of prowlers. The sounds of his screams and flesh being torn from the bone would haunt his nightmares for years to come. An instant he and two others let lose a volley of weapons fire, killing the feasting pack.

When they stopped firing all that was left was the sound of soft whimpering. Anderson could almost make out two words "mommy" and "Mikhail". He couldn't get a good look at the private, but by what little he did see he knew no amount of medical care would save him. He also knew that he wasn't going quickly, it would be slow and painful. Anderson took a breath, stealing himself for what he had to do next. He aimed with his pistol and fire a shot. The whimpering stopped.

Definitely one of the worst days in his life. "Lt. the remaining Dragon Orphans are charging us!" And it kept on getting better.

He raised to his feet and began to fire into the oncoming horde. "Men keep firing, we go down fighting." He didn't need to say that. Everyone knew it was a hopeless cause, none of them would live to see the next day. All they could do now was take as many of the bastards with them as they could. His order was met by a series of "Aye sir".

Anderson made sure that every shot counted as he fired. Aiming for chests and heads, guaranteeing death for his targets. Within a few seconds, he empties his pistol, and no more ammo clips to use. Close by he heard the sound of gunfire dying away slowly. Death had come to collect their souls. He saw a prowler jump towards him. He closed his eyes, ready to embrace death. 'Should have saved the last for myself.' Were his last thoughts.

Or they would have been. Instead of feeling sharp teat dig into his face he heard to sound of bullets flying over his head and a body hitting the ground near him. Actually, he hears several bodies hitting the ground. Confused he opened his eyes to see what was happening. Just in time to a tank shell obliterate the group of D-Orphans in front of him. Next, to him, he saw the prowler that had tried to jump lay dead.

In less than a minute all of the attacking D-Orphans had been killed, and the gunfire ceased. Anderson blinked, and blink again. His mouth hung open but no words came out. His mind having trouble processing what had happened.

It took the sound of footsteps for him to snap out his stupor. He turned to face the source of the footsteps. A saw a ghoul woman in her late thirties walk into the perimeter, with two men at her side. She came to a stop in front of him and gave him a quick and crisp salute. He returned the gesture, recognizing the woman.

"Commander Maria Sanders of the 57th Mobile Assaulted Squad, here. I assume you're the commanding officer of this unit?" She said breaking the salute.

Breaking his salute Anderson spoke, feeling a little nervous to be addressing the former governor. "Affirmative ma'am, I am second Lieutenant David Anderson of the 112th Infantry squad. I think you for saving me and what remains of my unit, we owe you our lives."

"No need to think us, Lieutenant. My unit and the 3rd Heavy Tank regiment were traveling through the area when we saw you in trouble." She pointed behind her, gesturing to a man on top of the lone heavy tank. "It was only natural for us to save you. Now is there anything you need for your unit?"

"Just whatever ammo and med-gel you can spare, Ma'am." He reported as he looks over his injured men. His gaze lingered on the young man's body for a second before he turned his attention back to the Commander. "As you can see, we took heavy losses, and have a lot of wounded." He saw a pang of sympathy flash across her face before returning to a neutral expression.

"I'll see what I can do." She responded. "In the meantime, I suggest that you get your troops ready to retreat to the 8th defense line." She turned and walked away.

However before she took three steps, she stopped and brought her fingers to her ear. 'New orders most be coming in.' Anderson surmised. After about a minute she turned to face Anderson. "Scratch that, the General as just given new orders. All available forces are to gather along with a point of the 9th defense line. The D-Orphans are preparing a final massive pass." She paused for a second, a moment of fear glistening in her eyes. Anderson's stomach dropped, that did not bode well. "Presence of a Dragon General confirmed, variant unknown."


In case I haven't made it clear this story takes place roughly around the same time as when the first contact war occurred in the original timeline. Before anyone points it out, I know that Rael, Han, Xen, Raan, and Koris were probably not admirals at this time. I didn't realize my mistake until I got good and well into this story, so baring a rewrite I'll have no choice but to roll with it.

I originally intended to end the battle here in this chapter, but I realized that it would be better to do the Dragon Orphans final push in another chapter. Don't want to linger on Shanxi any longer than I have to. So, next time we'll have a battle against a Dragon General, and the arrival of reinforcements to relieve the planet.

Also, what do you think of my characters so far? What of how I portray a synths point of view? I'm curious to hear what you think.

The Poll for Kadians Kagune is still up.

See you next time.