CHAPTER 0 – The Day of Doom
August 25th Republic Year 368 (Stellar Year 2149)
The annoying noise of the Legion Attack Alarm wasn't anything unusual for the Handlers in the Republic. Most of them tend to ignore it, but some driven by ambition respond to it, as it's an easy way to gain points for promotion for just showing up. It's treated like a silly game, a poor quality one, with little plot and stubborn pieces, sometimes not moving according to the orders. In this kind of environment, one silver-haired girl, dressed in black, was standing against everything she had been taught her whole life. Enduring the humiliation and ridicule from her colleagues, Vladilena Milizé knew, that every time she heard that sound, a battle for many lives was about to start.
On the faithful day of the Republic's Revolution Festival, there was no warning. In the span of seconds, cheerful laughter and upbeat music ringing in the Northern Front went silent. The Commander's wife personally delivered home-baked cakes at noon and the party was in full swing before dinner. All the Handlers, as per this Front's tradition, brought their favorite alcoholic beverage to share with their colleagues, allowing the Festival's spirit to blur differences between the ranks. Maybe there was a holiday miracle in all this, as when the first attack hit, everyone in the Northern Gran Mur was instantly obliterated. It was a quick, peaceful death, as there were no bodies left after the impact. If anyone had asked a Republic's citizen a few days before about this kind of fate they would have been terrified, but for the following months, it was clear to everyone, how lucky they had been, to get such a mercy.
When a sound as deep as a church bell rang in the headquarters, everyone assumed it was a creepy festival parody of a well-known alarm, nagging them to do their duty as the Handlers. Only when the holographic screen popped in the middle of the room some people had begun to feel uneasy. The video of a child's sandcastle's wall, with a gap as if it had been kicked during a temper tantrum. Everyone was confused by where was this joke going, as no one seemed to take credit for this prank. When a swarm of ants started to pour in by the crack, some of the Handlers got annoyed and asked for the party to be resumed. Others chimed in, bored with this nonsense, but even the higher-ups were unable to turn it down. Only a small group of people realized what was going on, and that this was just the beginning. Led by a woman in a black uniform the team split up to do the tasks they were assigned a long time ago. Every step of the way had been practiced countless times, but endless variables were going against them. Lena took a deep breath, to fight the impending sense of doom, and changed the settings on her Para-RAID.
The help of her friend had allowed her to do the impossible, as she set the targets for every Para-RAID available. She knew it was something that would take a toll on her health in the future, but without it, there was no future to speak of. The battle has begun.
"Bloody Regina to all Processor on all fronts!"