So after re-watching Pacific Rim, inspiration hit me like an abusive father
Pilot
Grimm have existed since ancient times, take forms befitting of predators and evolving the longer they exist. And, for a time, The Huntsman and Huntresses of Remnant were able to hold the tide. Unfortunately for them, the Grimm weren't just mindless. There was a shadow war between two archaic forces, kept secret from the average man, woman, and child. Not because it wasn't important, but because the knowledge of such a thing would shake the very foundation of the world.
For the longest time, there was a stalemate. Neither side could take the advantage, for people were mortal, and civilization was constantly evolving. But the shadows, as always, followed mankind. A fateful day, four years ago, tipped the balance. Mount Glenn, a formerly abandoned frontier city, birthed a Wyvern Grimm of gigantic proportions. It's spontaneous deliverance cause ruin and mayhem along the continent of Sanus, following a path to one final destination.
Beacon of Vale.
Through the sacrifice and courage of the students and Hunters, they were able to defeat the monstrosity. The world thought it was an isolated incident, that it wouldn't happen again.
They were wrong.
Off the coasts of Argus, another monster emerged from the sea, threatening the city. A Leviathan Grimm, towering over buildings like a dark pantheon. As fortune would have it, a secret project headed by Atlas had an answer to the menace. An experimental mechanized weapon, a variant from the Paladin line, Colossus. The pilot and weapon had varied results, the bulky uneven frame was able to wound the Grimm, but not kill it. It was finished off by strafing runs from the air force and artillery bombardment by the local navy.
Once was an event, and twice was a coincidence. It wasn't until the third occurrence, a Sea Dragon Grimm terrorizing the Atlas coast city of Cragg, that the governmental powers took notice. It was only after a trail of ruin and destruction was the monster eventually stopped by exhausting the Atlas military arsenal. A new solution needed to be devolved to answer the colossal threats that seemed be becoming a regular incidence.
They couldn't send endless waves of Hunters at them, it would leave nearby settlements, towns, and cities defenseless in the face of the Grimm horde. Conventional weapons were inefficient, wasting Dust, ordnance, and personnel. So, what was left? The question stumped military leaders as citizens started giving these monsters names. A description, or moniker, caught on from a local Mistralian fisherman.
Kaiju, he called them.
Beasts of legend, monstrous and wrathful with their presence. A penance of the angered ancient Gods. No one believed the legends, but the description stuck to the new variant of Grimm either way. A breakthrough happened after the fifth Kaiju, a rampant Ursa, was slain after destroying the Vacuan settlement of Kenyte. Dr. Polendina, a genius by any right, proposed a solution. It would take the cooperation of all the kingdoms to make it work, but with the threat of giant Grimm running amok…
Let's just say the agreement was hashed out within an hour.
Backed by the SDC and all four kingdoms, the Mechanized Anti-Grimm Extermination Unit was created, or M.A.G.E. for short. Taking the old, outdated designs of the Colossus, Polendina and his team of researchers refined and revolutionized the concept. Hulking titans of steel and titanium were created, thousands of tons of metal, sweat, blood and desperation poured into these creations. Dust engines attached to corded titanium acted as muscle strands, tungsten-steel alloyed plating acted as it's protective skin.
Scroll based communication and circuitry was its nervous system, and onboard A.I. was created to run the procedures, diagnostics, protocols, and everything else any mortal couldn't handle. But what could power such a thing? What energy source could be so raw and powerful? It wasn't until a man proposed a radical idea, bordering on the realm of unethical, that the issue was solved.
Aura.
Not just any Huntsman or Huntress would do either, but those with exceptional Aura reserves. Finding candidates were troublesome to say the least, trials discovered that only 7% of the Huntsman population had the minimum Aura required while Huntresses only sported 4% success rate. But still, they had viable pilots for these machines. Creating the interface between Hunter and machine took time, bridging the gap from A.I. to pilot was no simple matter.
Turns out, each A.I. had to be tailored or 'imprinted' so to speak, to understand the will and intent of the operator. It wasn't long after the completion of the first pilot and machine that viable test appeared off the coast of Atlas. A Beowulf, towering and over thirty stories tall, threatening the city. The pilot and first titan, Vigilance, met the Grimm out at sea. The ensuing battle was hard fought, but the results were obvious.
Vigilance stood over the decaying Grimm, beaten and scarred, but victorious.
It was a turning point in the war against the darkness, a way to fight back against the newly evolved menace. But what to call these new weapons? These titans of humanity? Titans itself seemed too simplistic. Defenders seemed too cliché. There was a consistent back and forth on what to call them, even a scientist joking referred to them as 'Big Steely Bois'. Nothing quite stuck, nothing quite fit. Not until the Headmaster of Beacon recommended a name.
He was an older gentleman, but his youthful body betrayed his age, being a worldly Huntsman as he. It was an old word, almost lost to time and civilization. Back before the modern age, where Hunters of old roamed the lands, protecting and providing for the people. A lost language one might say, but when uttered, the name stuck. Almost as if it was meant for these guardians of humanity.
Jaegers
Date: May 22nd, 678 P.R.P. (Post Reformation Period)
Time: 2034
Location: Fourteen kilometers west of Mount Glenn
Status: Engaged
Jaeger Callsign: Crocea Mors
The ground shuddered, the feet of the giants above raking deep scars into the earth. One was black as the void itself, ivory plates of unholy bone protecting the Beringal's twisted form. Bulging black muscles of the Grimm could heave hundreds of tons of material with their sinister strength. The plates themselves that covered the beast could deflect missiles, gunfire, and break most conventional arms against it.
But the massive, mechanized sword that pierced its armored chest?
Now that would work.
The challenger of this ruinous being was resemblant of a knight from old. Standing twenty-seven stories tall and weighing upwards of 7,500 tons, this mechanized pale warrior wielded it sword and shield. Tungsten-steel alloy protected the titanium muscles as they worked in tandem to tear the oversized longsword from the Grimm's torso. Black blood sprayed from the wound, coating the white knight in dark gore. The beast gave an ear shattering roar from the pain but was far from defeated.
An oversized bone plated fist swung in anger and rage, the only thing these things could feel. The knight raised its shield, blocking the blow and shaking the soldier's metal frame.
"Shield integrity is now at 74%." Chimed the A.I., updating the pilot's status of the Jaeger.
"Thanks, Mors." He responded, focusing on the fight. A suit, blue and armor plated, covered him from head to toe. Leg and arm placements connected pilot to Jaeger in the open room, housed in the brain of the goliath. Holographic screens on either side of him gave the man pertinent information on the many subsystems within the machine. The wall in front of him emulated a first-person view of Crocea Mors, fed by many cameras housed around the skull's frame.
Pilot stepped back and Jaeger echoed, the mechanisms mirroring his own movements to the titan. Swinging down the imaginary sword in his hand, Crocea Mors obeyed in real time, rending the oncoming arm of the monster in twain. The massive limb fell to the earth while the Grimm bellowed in agony. Pressing the advantage, he rammed the metal titan's shoulder into the beast, knocking the gigantic creature off balance.
The ground tremored with the impact, billowing dust and debris. Raising the blade high, the pilot saw the hateful crimson eyes of the Grimm staring back at him through the monitors. Unfathomable malice radiated from it's dilated pupils, a malice that needed to end. The massive edge of steel struck down, embedding itself into the dark flesh. The beast roared and struggled, its death throes echoing through the valley.
Wrenching the blade from the dissipating carcass, he took a minute to himself.
"Mors, status report."
"Current Jaeger integrity is at 92%. Sword at 65 while shield is now at 70. Aura reserves are now at 80% and steadily dropping. Estimated operational time left: five hours."
"Thanks." He grunted, sheathing the sword to the shield and reattaching it to the Jaeger's back. "Let's get back home. I already missed dinner with my family and I'm not about to miss breakfast. Juniper will have my hide."
"I'm sure she would understand. Your wife is an exceptional partner by human standards."
"Is that a hint of jealousy I hear?" He teased, moving the titan back to base.
"I have no idea what you mean." Before he could follow with another comment, klaxons blared within the confines of metal skull. "Three signatures detected, four kilometers out and closing."
"Fuck." His muscles flexed instinctively, drawing the sword and shield. "Send a request for support back to command."
"Already done. Estimated arrival time for backup is an hour."
"That long? Isn't Qrow supposed to be on site?"
"Harbinger has encountered multiple launching malfunctions. He does wish us luck."
"Cheeky fucker. Can we run?"
"It is advised, thought there is a village three clicks to the south."
"You're kidding me…"
"I'm afraid not."
Any further conversation died when the sensors picked up the colossal Grimm lumbering towards them. Through the screens, he could make out an Ursa Major and two Beringals Alphas following close behind. While normally three on one odds against a Huntsman was child's play, three on one against a Jaeger was a different story. The machines were too slow to react in ways to make up the difference, the huge frame befitting the fighting style of a brawler.
He'd have to use tenacity instead to get out alive.
The three monsters roared out in unison, spotting the hulking titan as their prey.
"Mors, initiate Overdrive protocols."
"Warning: it will reduce operating time to thirty minutes."
"It's either that or we die within five."
"Understood, removing neural inhibitors and administering stimulants."
Pain shocked his mind while fire was injected into his veins. The pilot was now intensely aware of the Jaeger's body, every fake muscle strand, damaged sensor, and dented plate was his to feel. He even felt the A.I. brushing against his mind, her synthetic psyche melding with his. Wind brushed between the titan's metal form, still and ready for combat. His minute movements were immediately imitated, the reaction time from Pilot to machine drastically reduced.
As the monsters of humanity closed the distance, a silent prayer was whispered. By the grace of gods, or even maybe even lady luck, it would be heard, a way out of this fight to carry him home. Only the comforting hum of engines and the howls of wrath answered. Metal sinew tensed in preparation, nerves of steel were tested in anticipation, and his resolve was that of iron for the confrontation. And as the deathly pale plates of the enemy came within striking distance…
They stepped forward.
So here we are, another story. This one will be sporadically updated, even more so than Drive. So if any of you want to run with this little writing prompt, go ahead, I'd love to see it put to use.
Until next time