Tag: fiction

“When subtlety is uncalled for and stealth unnecessary, hit first and hit hard.”

Concept art by Shen Fei

Corporal Vasilov moved his hand over the control surface and twisted his wrist slightly. The massive metal frame he was commanding deftly stepped over the fallen soldiers in front of it and bounded forwards. He wanted to push his advantage and pursued the remaining Children of the One True God soldiers with a grim determination.

His HUD warned him that his own Coyote Assault Troopers were approaching from the right and so the unit of fleeing Speakers would be forced to pause their retreat in order to engage them. The Speakers had not yet spotted the Coyotes and so felt a moment of relief when they saw the hulking frame of the Kodiak slow to a halt and drop to its knees.

A second later though they saw the Coyotes pause their own pursuit and take cover behind the rubble. The lead Speaker, a battle-hardened veteran named Liebowitz, realised that something terrible was about to happen, and looked over his shoulder just in time to see the stabilised Kodiak spin up its terrifying minigun and slowly strafe his entire unit. As the red mist that was once his fellow soldiers approached his position, Liebowitz barely had time to whisper a prayer to the Prophet before diving into the rubble to avoid being torn apart by the Kodiak’s fearsome weaponry.

At last Vasilov powered down the minigun but remained motionless for a few seconds, surveying the scene to ensure there was no movement. Satisfied, he engaged the control surface again, raising the Kodiak up from its static firing position, and began walking back towards the main battle. Behind it, Liebowitz looked in horror at the patch of red ground where his brothers and sisters once stood mere moments earlier. He turned to regard the departing Kodiak, and thought that perhaps he had seen the devil himself.

Concept art by Shen Fei

The Kodiak Tactical Heavy Frame (THF) is a mobile artillery platform, and the largest frame currently in production. The predominantly-Russian made unit represents the pinnacle of UNM engineering, providing mid-range fire support for UNM soldiers on the front lines, and packing heavy armour and high-impact weaponry for use against multiple different threats.

The Kodiak is physically imposing at almost 12’ high, carrying more than a passing resemblance to the bear it shares a name with. It is often described as a ‘walking tank’, and occupies much the same role on the battlefield. Whilst tracked vehicles are still in use in some operational zones, the rugged terrain of 30 A.E. ensures that heavy frames like the Kodiak are in much more widespread use.

Like most frames the Kodiak is bipedal; however, being a heavy frame, the pilot inside sits within an enclosed cockpit rather than providing direct limb control as with light and medium frames. The cockpit itself is housed within the enlarged chest cavity, with a series of external cameras providing a 360 degree viewport for the pilot.

Piloting a Kodiak is a complex operation, akin to the jet fighters of the previous age. An in-built Static Intelligence (SI) controls most of the more complicated functions of the frame’s multiple systems, with the pilot free to directly control the movement and weaponry. Targeting systems provide all-around coverage, and are able to track high-velocity targets. The frame itself is surprisingly agile, with a rotational mount at the waist allowing the torso to spin through nearly 270 degrees when the legs are planted.

Weaponry varies as the Kodiak can be modified to suit the engagement, with hard-points built into the shoulders and along the length of the arms. Most are equipped with arm-mounted miniguns for mid-range anti-infantry, and top-mounted micro-missile launchers (called MIRVs) for anti-armour and long-range threat elimination.

The thick armour of the Kodiak can withstand almost all projectile weapons, and is insulated against extremes of heat and cold. The outer casing also provides some protection against EMP attacks, although the SI is still susceptible to enemy hacking. To combat this, the SI is protected by a high-level firewall and low-level intrusion counter electronics (ICE).

“If real human lives are precious, the simple answer is to create artificial ones to take their place.”

General Martinez looked at Professor Alison Watkins with suspicion. The military commander was aware that she was the most gifted scientist the Advanced Weaponry and Tactics unit had ever produced, but there was something about her that made him uneasy. She had pioneered the research that had created the Echoes, the almost-human front line troops used by the Humanist Rebellion and, for this, the General had the greatest respect for her. However, the more time he spent in her company, discussing the efficacy of the units in combat field tests and suggesting small iterations to improve their performance, the more he thought that the enigmatic scientist may be as coldly indifferent as her creations.

A veteran of countless battles over the last two decades, Martinez had witnessed carnage of the worst kind and was rarely moved by such sights, but there was something about the Echoes that got under his skin. Witnessing one calmly walking up to a fallen enemy and executing it without the faintest glimmer of emotion still jarred. The General had for many years been a front line troop himself and had killed countless foes, but even he felt a tightening of his face and chest when taking a life at close range. Not so the Echoes; they did not kill through a shared responsibility to further the cause of the Humanist Rebellion, or through a sense of duty or drilled-in obedience to the chain of command. No – they were simply programmed to kill.

Initially the first few prototype units were nothing more than metal skeletons, but the human soldiers that took part in the first few field tests found them to be unnerving, and several experienced psychological episodes as a result. In response, Professor Watkins and her team produced a flesh-like gel coating covered in artificial skin to sit on top of this skeleton, helping her creations to look more human and better integrate with the Rebellion’s regular soldiers. Even so, they had found it difficult fighting alongside the Echoes when they looked physically identical to them but could not share in the same camaraderie post-combat.

Martinez reported back to Watkins that a few subtle changes would be needed; something that made the Echoes look slightly less human. Professor Watkins pressed her lips into a thin frown, and began to sketch some adjustments on her tablet. Less variation, each unit’s bar code made more visible to help identify them, more angular features (Watkins remarked that this would save time spent ‘smoothing’ the Echoes’ appearance). Finally she showed the design to Martinez, and the General nodded in agreement; perhaps this would help his men treat them more like weapons rather than fellow soldiers. As he returned to the barracks, he couldn’t help but wonder what terrible consequences might be brought about in the name of protecting human life.

Concept art by Klaus Wittmann

Echoes are currently mankind’s greatest advancement in Artificial Intelligence (AI), made possible through the twin technologies of cybernetics and Whole Brain Emulation (WBE). They are mostly human in outward appearance but have been engineered in a number of key ways. They have not been built to approximate humans perfectly, more they have been built to approximate the perfect human soldier. Many people regard Echoes with suspicion, especially those within the Children of the One True God, who consider Echoes to be inhuman avatars of godlessness, the apex of humanity’s arrogance.

Echoes have a skeleton built of a lightweight and super-strong lattice polymer covered in a bio-farmed skin material that is much tougher than the human equivalent, effectively enabling them to use their bodies as weapons. They have the ability to heal themselves of serious injuries and, in certain circumstances, can shut down extraneous functions in order to fire off an extra shot or two.

Echoes are fully autonomous and have had their brains programmed specifically to be as efficient as possible in combat situations. They lack the capacity to ‘learn’ beyond battle tactics and they neither feel nor exhibit emotion, a ‘good kill’ simply being their prime objective. They carry pulse rifles – more advanced versions of the UNM Modular Assault Rifle – for long range combat. In close combat, they have no need for weapons, as their speed, lack of fear and increased physical toughness enables them to perform martial art attacks directly on their enemies.

“To wear the Crusader armour is a privilege; to take it off again a blessing.”

Sister Amonarth did not feel pride – such selfish thoughts were beneath the devoted – and yet still she knew that this was a special day for her. She had served the Prophet faithfully through countless battles as one of the Faithful with squads of Speakers and Listeners, excelling in both melee and ranged combat and catching the eye of her superiors as one possibly worthy of donning the famous Crusader armoured Frame.

To join the ranks of the Crusaders was one of the pinnacles of military achievement for the Children of the One True God, the ultimate reward for their battle-scarred veterans. Sister Amonarth had indeed proven her worthiness and was determined to repay the high-priest’s faith in her abilities at the next opportunity. First, though, it was time for her induction ceremony.

As the music drifted out of the vast doorway, she began to clear her mind and shifted on her stocking feet, slightly cold in her basic underclothes. Then the colossal door opened, revealing the ranks of the Faithful lining the aisle down the centre of the temple, leading to her blessed armour. As the organ music swelled, she strode forwards with her head held high and the choir chanting the hymn of benediction.

The chorus repeated its chant as she slotted the various armour pieces together, enclosing herself completely within the ornate Frame. When the final piece locked into place, the priest adorned her Frame with the heavy fabric garments that represent the Crusaders’ complete devotion to the One True God. She turned slowly to face the congregation, her mind familiarising itself with the neuro-command system that allowed the human controllers to steer the massive Frames. As the chanting came to its tremulous conclusion, Sister Amonarth lifted her Sword of Worship above her head, knowing that the next time she would wield the blade, it would be tearing through her enemies.

Concept art by Iwo Widuliński

Crusaders typify the military ethos of the Children of the One True God; steadfast in the face of the enemies of the Prophet with a fearless determination to bring them to the sword. They consist of experienced soldiers who have shown the skills and bravery needed to wield the medium Frames and heavy weaponry of the Crusaders wing.

Their Frames consist of mechanically-controlled armour plating, pieced together in a way that enables unimpeded athletic movement and full body defensive coverage. It can absorb a great deal of punishment before the soldier inside comes to harm. A suited-up Crusader is a fearsome sight on the battlefield, around 7 feet tall and immensely broad and strong. Their huge Swords of Worship are far too heavy to be wielded by a normal human but the power of their Frames enables them to be employed with a lethal dexterity.

While approaching their targets with a grim determination, the Crusaders close ranks in a highly effective defensive formation, laying down terrifying covering fire from in-built flechette launchers. What these weapons lack in accuracy they make up for with a terrible destructive power that can freeze enemies in their tracks, leaving those who survive the onslaught to face the mighty blades in close combat, where the Crusaders are brutally effective.

“The truly strong need not shout; they can destroy with the merest whisper.”

The forward operating base was in disarray, the shell-shocked soldiers cowering in the rubble amongst the remains of their fallen comrades. Since the previous night, wave after wave of Cultists had been bombarding the small group of buildings that the Children of the One True God were occupying. The call had gone out to the main battalion for reinforcements but they were many hours away and, in the ensuing chaos, the Children’s front line had been reduced to a dozen remaining soldiers.

As the massed ranks of Cultists prepared for yet another frenzied assault, the few remaining Faithful were beginning to question their orders from the Prophet, such was their fear of failure at the hands of the blasphemous horrors of the Cult of the Dragon. Their eyes, wide with panic, darted between each other and the roiling mass of Cultists only a few hundred feet away. One of them dropped his weapon and fell to his knees, arms outstretched towards the heavens, and he shouted a prayer to the One True God to send them some sign of hope.

It was into this scene that Michael Abdul Shahid stepped, alongside an elite unit of Crusaders. A wave of optimism spread around the group at the appearance of one of the finest soldiers of the Children of the One True God. A few of the Faithful openly wept at this timely gift from the Holy One. Shahid stood at their centre, silently looking at each of them, one by one, saying nothing. He knew from experience that his presence alone was enough to rally the remaining troops and fill them with the strength of the Prophet.

As they slowly got to their feet and turned to face the enemy, Shahid, still silent, strode to the front and raised his monumental blade above his head. He strode out towards the onrushing Cultists, flanked by his Crusaders and the newly invigorated ranks of the Faithful. His mind was perfectly calm and full only of thoughts of the divine righteousness of his mission as he cleaved through the torsos of the first wave of Cultists.

Concept art by Iwo Widuliński

Michael Abdul Shahid is an elite soldier who commands a unit of his fellow Crusaders into battle in his specially adapted Frame, engineered to protect his vital organs that were traitorously wounded by a former UNM colleague before he saw the light and gave himself to the Prophet. Shahid’s legendary bravery over countless battles commands total loyalty from the units under his command, and gives him the appearance of total serenity, even when meting out violent retribution to the blasphemous.

He declines to equip helmet armour to his Frame to better see both his brothers and sisters, and his enemies, faithfully relying on the protection of the Prophet. His many displays of bravery in the name of the Holy One are evidenced by the gold seals and purple sashes that adorn his Crusader armour and cloak.

Shahid’s modified Crusader armour is equipped with a powerful heavy flamer, giving him moderate ranged capability and a useful crowd control tool. He also carries the legendary Sword of the Prophet, a weapon that radiates etheric power. He is able to decimate anyone or anything in close combat range with a combination of balletic swordsmanship and righteous fury.