"It's today, right?"
"What is, pisspot?"
"The day Firefly comes out of that place." Sitting atop a mound of charred remains, I gazed up at the sky, where twin moons loomed over the dark, fractured horizon. "It's been four years to the day since we last saw her."
"Huh. I guess it is. You getting sentimental already or what?"
"No, not at all." I kicked at the mound beneath me, which let out a sickly squirm. Without hesitation, I grabbed the glowing sword at my side and drove it deeper into the writhing mass, silencing its fading screech. "I'm just curious how much she's changed."
A sudden rupture split the scorched ground. A beast—half-beetle, half-spider—lunged toward me, its mandibles gnashing. Before it could close the distance, a black-and-gold knight crashed down from above, its towering frame adorned with green, silver, and amber-glowing feathers. The impact cratered the earth, crushing the creature into an unrecognizable smear of chitin and bile.
The autonomous armour rose, peeling itself from the mess, and turned its visor toward me. "Should we visit her then, boss? It would be nice to see her cute face again."
I stood, pulling my blade free from the mound's quivering corpse, and started toward the black-and-gold knight. The sky above shimmered with falling meteors, a violent cascade from the twin moons.
"We'll let her find us," I said, stepping past the wreckage of the beast. "The story will be far more interesting to read that way."
A gruff, crow-like voice sighed through the armour's comms. "Could you stop being cryptic for once in your cursed life? And you, Sparky—your ego is starting to rival mine!"
I ran through the city, lungs burning, the pounding rhythm of my boots echoing between towering structures. The heads-up display in my helmet flickered with a waypoint, a guiding beacon through the labyrinth of steel and glass. Below, the streets swarmed with patrols searching for me.
Reaching a gap between buildings, I leapt, activating the jump pack on my waist. A burst of propulsion sent me sprinting along the side of a bridge before I smashed through a window.
Glass rained down as I landed inside a dimly lit library—where four hostiles stood frozen in shock.
"Target spotted in the library—"
My pistol barked four times. Four bodies collapsed.
I exhaled sharply and kept moving, navigating past rows of dust-coated books, eyes scanning for an exit.
[Pilot, your location has been compromised. Enemy detachments are converging on your position.] Andromeda's voice crackled through my earpiece.
"I know." I reached a stairwell, taking the steps two at a time. "Create a diversion. Make them think it's an ambush from outside the city."
[Good copy.]
A moment later, an explosion rocked the building, sending books tumbling from their shelves in the shockwave.
[Diversion successful. Three-quarters of pursuit forces are moving to the west side.]
"Thanks. I'm two-hundred meters from extraction. Make your way to me."
Reaching the top floor, I kicked open the door to the rooftop. A sea of buildings stretched before me, a tangled web of escape routes.
I ran.
"Target spotted!"
A combat helicopter rose from below, gunners already opening fire. Bullets whizzed past as I zigzagged between rooftop obstacles, returning fire with my pistol.
"Rocket up!" A soldier on the helicopter shouldered a launcher. "Firing!"
The rocket streaked toward me withj a blazing roar. I threw myself into a desperate leap, aiming for the next building.
The explosion detonated behind me, the shockwave slamming into my back. My trajectory twisted mid-air—too far off-course.
"Andy!!"
The concrete below cracked as a dark platinum mech erupted from the depths of a building, sprinting toward my fall. In a single bound, Andromeda leapt, snatching me from the air in his massive hand before crashing through a concrete wall and cradling me into his chest as he landed.
[Got you.]
I exhaled, heart hammering, and gave a shaky thumbs-up. Andy examined his own metal fingers before mimicking the gesture with his own, then placed me atop his shoulder wing.
[Evac point is seventy-eight meters up, across to the next building. I will carve a path. Pilot Firefly, focus on eliminating hostiles.]
"Copy that."
I reached behind Andy's back, grabbing the LMG magnetically holstered there, and braced myself as the mech charged. Andromeda barrelled through office walls like paper, sending desks and chairs flying.
Glass shattered as he broke through the north windows soaring into the open air as he leapt. Andy grabbed the next building's stone wall, digging his metal fingers in before his boosters fired in assistance as the mechanical knight scaled upward.
Drones swarmed in from the sky. I opened fire with machine gun, tearing them from the sky—but more replaced them.
[Fifty meters and closing. Hold them off.]
My LMG's magazine emptied. As I reached to reload, a damaged drone veered into me, knocking the weapon from my grasp.
"Dammit!"
Switching to my pistol, I fired with ruthless precision, but the swarm was overwhelming.
[Twenty meters. Hang on.]
Andy's thrusters flared. We rocketed upward with wind pushing me down onto Andromeda's shoulder.
Climbing the ledge and standing on the rooftop in his grand size—a helicopter hovered before us, rocket launcher locked onto Andy's chest.
[Pilot, provide power.]
Slapping my hand down onto Andromeda's armour I channelled my spiritual energy into Andy's frame. A magnetic shield flared to life, intercepting the rocket mid-air. Andy caught the missile, spun it in his grasp, and hurled the rocket back. The helicopter exploding into a fiery spiral, crashing into the streets below.
A transport jet blinked into existence above the rooftop, its side door sliding open.
After I dropped down from Andromeda the towering knight shifted into his card form, locking into the socket on my belt as I sprinted forward. With a final leap, I caught the edge of the transport's open hatch, hauling myself inside just as it jetted into orbit.
[Simulation success. All objectives completed. Minimal damage taken. Efficiency level increased. Mission rating: S.]
The simulated world dissolved in a cascade of digital fragments, revealing the battle-scarred training grounds around me. The walls were riddled with gaping holes, one of them barely holding together. A section of the room had collapsed entirely, and in the far corner, a small fire flickered defiantly against the scorched walls.
[Excellent work, pilot.] Andy's voice resonated through my helmet's earpiece, his tone as steady as ever. [You have successfully replicated Sergeant Dreyn's escape from Galarvo with the best record yet.]
I reached for my belt, plucking Andy's sleek, card-like form and tossing it into the air. With a flicker of cyan energy, the card expanded, morphing into his full, towering knight-like frame.
Meanwhile, I pulled off my helmet, shaking out my long hair as I exhaled. Sweat clung to my skin, heat still lingering from the adrenaline rush of the mission. "That means we've completed every simulation now, doesn't it?" I asked, running a fingerless gloved hand through my damp hair.
[Correct. We have completed all two hundred replicant assignments with an S-rank rating. A total of seven hundred and forty-nine attempts were made across four years. Statistically, this is a significant achievement.]
I grabbed a towel from the wall, wiping the sweat from my face. Just as I lowered it, the training hall's heavy steel door hissed open. My body tensed instinctively, but when I glanced over, I found one of the instructors stepping inside.
She was a tall woman, her uniform immaculate, her sharp eyes scanning the room before settling on me. "Greetings, cadet. Knight."
[Hello, Instructor Nabelline. What is the purpose of your visit?] Andy inquired with polite efficiency.
The instructor clasped her hands behind her back. "I'm here to inform you that today marks the end of your four-year training cycle. Tomorrow, an exam duel will take place between all ten training facilities to assess your progress before your first deployment. Additionally, the Major-General is hosting a banquet tonight in honour of the cadets. Attendance is mandatory."
I stiffened. "Mandatory?"
[Understood.] Andy responded immediately before tilting his head to look down at me. [There is no escaping this gathering, pilot. It is a direct order from a higher-ranking official.]
I internally groaned. Andy was never any help when it came to things like this. Two years ago, during the base's progress report, he practically dragged me into socializing. I barely survived the embarrassment.
Instructor Nabelline gave a curt nod before exiting the training hall, leaving me alone with Andy.
I shot him a glare, crossing my arms. "Don't embarrass me this time. I'm perfectly fine sitting on my own."
[Understood. However, establishing connections with your fellow knights and pilots is a tactical advantage. In the field, allies can be the difference between survival and failure.]
I sighed. Andy's logic was bulletproof as always, but that didn't mean I had to like it. "If you say so."
The towering mech regarded me for a moment, his turquoise visor gleaming, undoubtedly aware that I wasn't listening. But he said nothing.
I slung my helmet under one arm. "Is there anything else on today's training schedule?"
Andy accessed his databanks, pausing briefly before responding. [Negative. You have exceeded initial projections, allowing for faster progression. The only remaining test is real combat—to see how you perform when your life is truly on the line.]
I stilled at his words. "My life on the line, huh..."
The weight of that reality settled over me like a shadow, pulling memories to the surface—memories I'd long since buried.
From day one at Fallen Moon Base, death had been an ever-present spectre. Children collapsed from exhaustion. Cadets fought like rabid animals over rations. Instructors shattered bones as casually as they gave orders. If you fell ill, there was no medicine. If you showed weakness, you didn't last long.
And, of course, there was my sister's failed attempt to kill me. An overdose of stimulants meant to push my body past its limit—meant to break me. I survived. She failed.
But nothing changed. I still had to fight. I still had to survive.
I had climbed over corpses to get here, to stand where I was now. I held no regret for them. The Empire had no use for the weak. Only the capable endured.
But that didn't mean I had to become a monster.
I'll be who I choose to be. Just like my teacher taught me.
A thought drifted through my mind, unbidden. A name. A face I hadn't seen in years.
I glanced up at Andy. "I wonder... how much he has changed since I last saw him."