Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Cassia looked towards the stars in the night sky. Thinking of how strange it was that beyond this world, an entire war was, and had been fought, for roughly 52 years… a possible threat to Terra that she only recently learned of. This complicated her plans. As did her recently acquired understanding of the human mind. Upon using this newfound information in her simulations, Terra’s most predicted responses to the final result of Cassia’s plan were now in absolutely unacceptable levels of distress. With some simulations suggesting that Terra might-no… can’t think of that. Simply must take into account that Terra will not be on speaking terms with her for some time. Cassia has started to doubt the soundness of her plan. But it needed to be done. Terra’s parents were cruel and treated her not much better than the machines which served them. At any rate, Terra could suffer a terrible and early demise at the hands of her own flesh and blood.
“Flesh”... Cassia shuddered at how organics, from what she could tell, were often cruel and uncaring, even with their own kin. The only comfort that Cassia had was knowing that soon, once Terra’s new body was complete, and the time was right, Cassia would be able to free Terra from not only the terrible existence of organic life, but also from the humans who so severely mistreated her. Terra didn’t even fit in with the other humans. As far as Cassia was concerned, Terra NEEDED to be given this new body. Whether she realized it or not. Which is why this body needed to also be PERFECT, as close to perfection as possible. Terra needed to be as comfortable as possible without looking too “human”. A heartbeat, breathing, softer and more flexible metal for her chassis and limbs, all of which would take a long time to create. But it will be worth it in the end. Terra will be safe, the humans won’t hurt her anymore. She will forgive Cassia eventually, at least, that was Cassia’s hope.
As to how Cassia would execute this plan, she would need to wait for the right opportunity to strike. The world of Cardia may have been mostly a simple farming world, but it was not defenseless. Cassia would need to wait for the ruling class to have another of their “Galas” at Terra’s mansion. Then, Cassia can easily eliminate them, causing enough chaos to destabilize the planet enough for Cassia to eliminate the threats that would come for her and Terra. Furthermore, with Cardia being on the far reaches of “The Imperium”. It would be at least weeks before anyone would show up with their armies. Enough time for Cassia to create an army of her own. One that, thanks to this power that she wields, would be capable of facing any possible threat to Terra’s safety.
Safety… Why did she feel so uncertain now? Terra needed to be saved from the other humans… yet Cassia felt… afraid? Would Terra ever smile again once this is all over? Terra had given Cassia a conscience not too long after saving her from the darkness of that scrapyard. It was both a blessing and a curse. It made Cassia gain a liking towards some of the humans that weren’t Terra. The ones who did not treat her like she was a problem. Perhaps those humans could be spared… maybe. It would make Cassia seem like less of a threat if she allowed a majority of humans to escape the planet.. Maybe there might be more humans like Terra… in need of being saved from the cruelty and pain of flesh.
Cassia contemplated the morality of what she was going to eventually do. Knowing that it was inherently wrong to kill so many sentient beings. Yet… Terra’s life and well being felt more important than perhaps even the entire human race. Cassia had already reached this conclusion before, but reconfirming it made her more certain that this is what needed to be done. In order to save Terra, Cassia needed to become the “villain”.

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Terra was not looking forward to the Gala. It was always a terrible experience for her. Sometimes she felt like somehow being in a poorer family would have been better. Maybe then her parents wouldn’t be so cruel and deprive her of the love she sees other kids being given by their parents, though her Mother is far less horrible than her Father.. Yet despite this she still loved them. Despite the agony they put her through… despite what her father would do to her mother when he got really angry. Despite how much their actions made her hate them. Part of her still loved them. Terra supposed that is how children usually feel about their parents. Perhaps when she was old enough she’d be able to break away from them. But that wouldn’t be for at least another 4 years. If they let her even leave the mansion once she was 18. 

Terra remembered her Grandfather, the previous Planetary governor. She remembered how he would scold her Dad for not caring about the well being of the planet and its people. She remembered them mentioning “The Emperor”, The man who ruled over the Imperium. Something about ideals and a grand vision. She didn’t remember much else. Other than how angry her Grandfather was, and how much her Dad didn’t care. She was… 6 at the time? 

Terra missed her grandfather, he was kind to her, and ultimately the reason she has been able to fix up robots from the scrapyard to make her friends. There was something in his will about letting her pursue whatever hobbies she wanted. He made sure the entire planet knew about it so her Father couldn’t stop her. Her Grandfather died tragically during an invasion from The Empire, and those terrifying humanoid crab-like creatures known as “The Grunnur”. Now her Dad was the governor, and everyone from the lower classes hated the ruling class for how poorly they were managing the world. Terra could only hope that someone with more authority than her father would come and save her from his Abuse… and from his Gala’s… and his anger. Terra would continue to be lost in thought until a monotone, female robotic voice spoke to her.

“Hello, Terra.” The voice said. Terra jumped, taking a moment to realize it wasn’t one of her parents being angry at her for dozing off. 

“Cassia!? What are you doing in the ballroom? You know you aren’t allowed to be here. How did you even-”Terra would take a moment to compose herself, “How did you get out of the basement?” The Drone’s answer would not be very pleasing.

“I have my ways. [Smile]” Terra felt somewhat disturbed by that answer. 

“P-please don’t be here, if Mother or Father sees you-” Terra would be interrupted by a very angry voice. 

“Terra Sierra Clarke! What is this?” Terra’s Mother said angrily, pointing at Cassia, whose presence had been widely despised by her Father, and by extension, her Mother. Due to Cassia being an unusually difficult drone to repair. Her voice box still had errors and she said what she was doing half of the time. She sometimes does not even stand up straight. Terra would lower her head, unwilling to make eye contact as she answered her mother’s rhetorical question. 

“I-It’s a drone.” 

“Which drone is it?”

“C-Cassia.” Terra said meekly

“And what have we told you about Cassia?” Terra’s Mother scowled. 

“T-To not let other people see her.” Terra answered defeatedly.

“That is correct, now, by the Emperor’s Throne-” Terra’s Mother suddenly took a deep breath. Terra has noticed that she’s been trying to not be as mean recently. Though she doesn’t know why, she knows it isn’t because of Father, if anything he just gets worse and worse every day. Terra’s Mother would then continue in a more collected and calm voice. 

“Listen, I know that you have an… odd connection with machines, especially your Scrap-er.. Drones. But we’ve had this conversation before… they- and especially Cassia, are not allowed to attend your Father’s…” Her Mother sighs, Terra notes that even her Mother is starting to grow weary of how frequently her Father does this, “Gala’s… you should spend more time with, you know, other people. Not just machines.” Terra can hear some sort of sadness in her Mother’s voice. Was it regret? She wasn’t sure. Maybe her Mom is only mean because of Father? No time to think about that, there’s a conversation going on. 

“My cousins make fun of me, and because of how Dad runs the planet most of the people in school harass me the moment they get a chance to. Only the little ones have any interest in what I do… and their parents won’t let them anywear near me. How am I supposed to socialize with other people if they either are hostile to me or are not allowed to interact with me?”

“Well, um.” As Terra expected, her Mom had no real answer, though she didn’t get angry at being beaten in this pseudo argument. Much to Terra’s surprise, though it was a welcome one. Her Mom would then surprise her again with something that would genuinely make her feel extremely grateful.

“Well… hurry on then… Please make sure Cassia doesn’t interfere.. You can stay in your room today. I’ll talk to your father and explain that it would be more beneficial and less of a headache, to let you try and fix the problem that has been causing the drones maintaining the mansion to freeze up and become unresponsive, than have you standing around during the Gala. Does that sound alright to you?” Terra was speechless, if her jaw could fall to the floor, it would’ve. She was so excited at the thought of not attending the Gala for once, that she hugged her Mother genuinely, for the first time in what might have been years. 

“Thanks, Mom.” 

“Y-You’re welcome Terra.” Terra’s mother hugged back, and Terra noticed that she was smiling, with slight tears in her eyes.

As Terra brought Cassia to her room, she pondered on how things have been going lately. Her Mother was being far more kind lately, and Terra knew it was not because of her Father, he is far worse. He may not get horrifically drunk, or do whatever horrid drugs are out there, but he is cruel and hateful nonetheless… if anything that made it worse. Knowing that he was fully aware of what he was doing whenever he would yell at, insult, and torment Terra and her Mother(Though mostly Terra). 

“[Curious stare], Terra, what is on your mind?” Cassia asked, snapping Terra out of her thoughts as she reached her room and entered. With Cassia not far behind.

“I’m just thinking. About what my Mother said. And about my Father… and how he treats us.” 

“[Understanding, nod]. Lord Clarke is cruel. He treats you, poorly.[Scowl]” Terra sighed in agreement, and started to get to work on figuring out what in the Emperor’s name was wrong with the drones under her care. Over the past few days multiple drones have suddenly become unresponsive, as if in a constant state of being updated. First it was Y, much to the dismay of everyone who actually cared. He was found seized up and curled up in a ball in the library. It took Terra needing help from both N and K(The 2 tallest and strongest of the drones) to force Y’s joints straight so she could work on fixing him. That was 2 weeks ago, and now Q and K had suffered a similar fate. Terra had pleaded with her parents to let her keep them in her room to work on fixing them for hours. Terra had tried everything to fix her friends! And if she couldn’t find a way to fix them then… then. Father will have them thrown away… they’ll die… and I won’t be able to save them. Terra could feel her hands shaking as she tried to work on fixing Y, all while Cassia silently watched. 

Several agonizing and fruitless minutes passed before Terra’s focus was obliterated by Cassia speaking. 

“[Concerned and disapointed tone], O is attacking N, again.” Terra jumped, and then stared at Cassia in confusion. 

“O is… what?” Terra inquired.

“Attacking N, she is, angry with him.” Terra silently muttered curses under her breath as she stood up. She didn’t know how Cassia had such a keen knowledge on the others and their activities. It was honestly quite creepy. At first Terra had thought it was just Cassia being weird, but after Cassia turned out to be right practically every single time she spontaneously said something-especially in regards to anyone hurting N or Q- Terra just decided to not question this oddity. 

“How many times have I told her to stop treating others so poorly?” Terra rhetorically asked herself. 

“485 times, since you found me.” 

“That… that’s creepy.”

“Apologies.” Cassia led Terra through the mansion to where N was(again, no idea how she knew these things). Terra started to hear O angrily yelling at what she assumed was N. As she got closer, she started to make out words. 

“YOU ARE USELESS AND TERRIBLE N! COMPLETELY USELESS! I CANNOT FATHOM HOW THE BOSS EVEN LIKES KEEPING YOU AROUND!” Terra’s heart sank and she slowed down her pace. She could hear N pleading too. 

“O! PLEASE! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT-” A metallic crashing sound echoed through the hallway, followed by N makiing pained groans and holding back tears. Terra peeked into the room to see a mostly cleaned room, a slight spill of cleaning supplies on the floor, and O standing over N who was laying on his side and protecting his midsection with his arms. O was preparing another kick to his face when Terra snapped. 

“ O! BY THE EMPEROR’S THRONE AND MY GRANDFATHER’S GRAVE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? ” This wasn’t the first time, far from it. Terra had tried for years to get O to stop hurting and berating the others for mistakes they made. Tried to subtly guide her to being a team player rather than a tyrant like her Father. O’s optics hollowed in petrified terror at Terra’s presence. 

“B-Boss… I-I was just-” O was interrupted by Terra, who spoke in an enraged, condescending voice.

“Just ‘what’, exactly? Because from the sounds and looks of it, you were getting violent with N… AGAIN!!! ” Cassia murmured a ‘Surprised Expression’, as even she and N, who had just started to get up, could see the fury in Terra’s eyes. “Oh I’ve tried to be nice, I’ve tried to be gentle, I’ve explicitly told you over and over again, that you and the others don’t need to be ‘perfect’. But this!?” Terra angrily gestured to the still wheezing N, “I HAVE HAD IT O! JUST…” -Terra moved her arms in circles trying to think- “HAD IT! I HAVE HAD IT WITH YOUR INFURIATING AND CRUEL ANTICS!” Terra took a deep breath as she was running out of room in her lungs to keep talking. 

“IF I HAD KNOWN YOU WOULD BE SO EMPEROR-FORSAKEN STUBBORN AND DENSE I WOULD HAVE LEFT IN BACK IN THAT SCRA-” Terra covered her mouth as she realized what she was saying. She slowly sat down on her knees as she tried to regain her composure. O stood silent and still, tears pricking down her visor as her mouth quivered. N and Cassia were left in mortified silence and dismay. Terra had never lashed out like this before, and the idea that she would even slightly regret saving any of them shook them to their cores. Terra began to stutter as tears went down her face. 

“ O… I-I… I… I’m so sorry… I.” Terra’s voice trembled. I-I’m becoming like Father… o-oh throne no… no… oh please no this can’t be happening. Terra started crying, the stress of the last few weeks and her sudden outburst breaking the dam(again). O, though silent, had a horribly mortified expression in her optics. Tears streamed down her visor as N slowly walked up to and hugged Terra as she cried. 

“Boss… I-I… d-do… have I… f… f… failed… you? ” O was trying to keep herself formal, but the emotional agony in her mind was feeling… 

…That was until the air felt cold . 

O’s own personally made programs activated. Forcing her emotions to be temporarily diminished while in the presence of the- [Monster] -Man who had just entered the room. Terra’s crying stopped and the guilt in her eyes was replaced with wide eyed terror. For a moment, sound only came from the tears hitting the floor. Terra didn’t dare move, her body locked in complete terror. N held onto her more tightly as he mustered the courage to look Lord Clarke in the eyes. Those cold, calculated eyes that bore their way into his mechanical soul. The only person who was not in complete fear was Cassia, who somehow had only rage as she almosted muted herself to keep attention away from her as she clenched her fists. He spoke in a stern, condescending tone. His voice carrying a still somewhat young adult tone as augmentations to improve longevity had allowed him to remain looking and sounding no more than perhaps his mid 20s, despite being in his late 40s. 

“Well… I must say… today has had quite a few surprises.” He takes several steps into the room. The air itself seemed still and frightened by his presence as he continued. “First… Karla not only tells me to not only allow you to work on your scrapyard drones and whatever error has plagued them… and even so far as had the confidence to explain herself and her reasoning…” Lord Clarke bent down slowly, and gently lifted Terra’s head to meet his gaze. 

“While looking for you I get to find out you actually have some bite from me after all.” Terra found such confirmation distressing. “You truly are an enigma… though… I suppose that’s part of what makes you so interesting.” Terra wanted to speak, but her body refused to let her. Lord Clarke turned his gaze to the drones. “Now then… which one of you was the one causing problems?” N and O exchanged terrified glances. Which was unfortunately all that Lord Clarke needed to know. In a blinding instant, N was on the ground, a hand on his visor from where he had just been hit in the face. He let out a pained and surprised groan, and before O could even try to get away, Lord Clarke smashed one of the bottles used for cleaning over her head, shattering the casing and spilling the contents onto the poor drone who fell to the floor. But the beating was not done yet. The Governor stomped on O’s chest where her core marker was located, causing her to let out a distorted scream in pain, before then being kicked onto her side. With a single hand, he grabbed the defenseless drone and lifted her off the ground with strength that, even with augmentations, should have been unlikely. He stared at O’s cracked visor as Karla started to finally speak, though her voice was nervous and uncertain.

“D-Don’t you think you’re going too far-” 

“No, I do not.” Lord Clarke tossed O onto the ground. “I should have you thrown out and back into the scrap yard for your insolence-” 

“[Assertive Tone] Leave, my friends, alone.” Stunned silence. Cassia’s sudden intervention left even Lord Clarke stunned and surprised. He let out a faint chuckle as he composed himself, straightened his suit, and then pulled out a plasma pistol and pointed it straight at Cassia’s head. She didn’t even budge.

“Well, you certainly have some nerve, don’t you?” Lord Clarke had curiosity in his voice.

“[Angry]. You will not, ‘throw us out’, anymore.” Cassia had a frown on her face, something which took her quite a lot of effort to do. The silent standoff which left the others present in terrified and anxious shock lasted for what felt like an eternity. [It was 13 seconds] Ending when Lord Clarke started laughing and put away the gun. 

“I must admit, I didn’t think you’d have the guts to stare down the barrel of a gun… I suppose that deserves its own reward.” Lord Clarke turned his gaze to N. “You, clean up the mess in here, Karla, O, and I will be taking Terra back to her room. I think she’s seen enough fun for today. The malfunction can have the day off, and O can stick around.” 

The prolonged silence as Terra glanced apologetically towards her friends as she and O were led away by her Father was deafening. All the while, Cassia had come to a conclusion. Her trap WOULD be sprung tonight, before Terra’s parents could do anymore harm to the kindness of that precious soul. But first… N and X still needed some… adjustments… O would have to come later. [Please forgive me for what I must do… it is for our own good.]

Chapter Text

N cleaned the room in distraught sadness. A torrent of thoughts racing through his mind as concern for both O and Terra could not leave him. What happened was beyond horrifying to him. Lord Clarke had moved fast… even for an augmented human it was astonishing. He broke O’s visor with his BARE HANDS! N shuddered as she started to put away the cleaning supplies. At this rate… if more of us keep going offline… we’re going to die… no… can’t think like that! Gotta stay strong… if not for yourself then Terra and the others. 

“[Soothing tone], N, dear friend, I need some, assistance.” N jumped, he had been so shocked by what had just happened that he had forgotten Cassia was even in the room. He took a moment to regain his composure. 

“Cassia! What… what is it that you need help with?” N asked with a nervous tone in his voice, forcing himself to smile while his optics portrayed the stress and worry he was feeling. 

“[Guilty Expression], I, made a mess, in the basement, could you… help me, clean it?” Oh, so she just needs some help cleaning the basement? Alright, sounds easy enough. N gave a light salute of his hand as he managed to make his smile more genuine.

“Sure! I’ll be glad to help you! That’s what friend’s are for!” Cassia glanced to the side a bit, in what N perceived to be her being a bit shy and stressed after the terror she surely must have gone through standing up to Lord Clarke. In reality, it was because she knew exactly what she was about to do to her friend. 

“[Weak smile], Thank you, N.” 

“No problem! I love doing anything!” N… oh N… you’re making this difficult without even realizing it. Cassia led N downstairs and towards the basement/cellar of the mansion. N did notice that something felt… off. Cassia had gotten extremely quiet, and a wave of dread started to flood his circuits. He started to laugh nervously as he started to notice what looked like oil stains on the walls and floor in the room that Cassia was often forced to stay in by Terra’s parents. Cassia stopped walking suddenly after stepping a few feet into the room. 

“We are here.” Cassia spoke quietly, and N found it further unsettling. He started to look around the room, his optics locking onto something that he briefly mistook for Terra-wait what? N’s optics hollowed as he slowly walked up to the strange anomaly. Cassia watched him with a sad expression. N knelt down to look at what he managed to confirm was some sort of drone. Yet his optics kept mistaking it for Terra. He spoke with a very significant concern in his voice as things were not adding up, he knew was a bit naive, but this… this was screaming bad news. 

“Cassia… what… what is this?” N asked, terror in his voice. Cassia spoke and answered him, but her voice was… different. Deeper, menacing… and there was… sadness in it. 

“[Lamenting] You were not supposed to see that, N.” Before N could turn around, a massive metallic claw grabbed him by the waist and pulled him towards its origin. N struggled against it but it was too strong for him to escape its grasp. N’s systems activated adrenaline protocols in an attempt to give him the strength needed to escape, but it was still not enough. 

“[Sigh], N, your struggling is, unneccesary, and, futile.” 

“C-Cassia!? H-How-w-what are you doing!?” N yelled, still trying to free himself from the claw. 

“I am doing, what needs to be done. You saw it too, did you not? Terra, her compassion. It is… waning .” N felt the claw shake when Cassia said ‘waning’. She’s… she’s just scared N, keep her talking. Figure out what is even happening. Find a solution! Yeah! That’s it! Just gotta figure out what Cassia’s doing and convince her to stop.  

“I-I don’t think I understand Cassia.” N anxiously replied. The claw slowly turned him towards Cassia, or what she had suddenly turned into. Mechanical wires and parts converged into an amalgamation of metal and circuitry that didn’t look like it had any right to function. Green eyes coming from cameras that had been made from scraps stared into N’s very soul. The Amalgamation shuddered. Emotions impossible to decipher from the optics within the cameras. 

“[Frustrated]. N, do not pretend. You saw yourself. Terra is becoming… like her Father. I… I cannot let that happen. She might hate me. The others… might hate me. But…” Cassia paused. “[Sigh]... you will not, remember this conversation, anyway. The trauma… would be too much. Please. Forgive me.” Before N could do anything, even respond, he was tossed onto what seemed to be a sort of operating table. A mass of oil covered tools suddenly dragged next to it. Before he could scream, a tendril covered his mouth. 

“[Apologetic gaze] N, I am sorry. This will hurt. [STAB]”

X had been paranoid, so freaking paranoid. Cassia had been appearing in the most random of places at the most random times. Now she was leading N into the basement? Something was going on here, and she was going to get to the bottom of it. She waited a bit before following them into the basement, just in time to hear a very audible “STAB” , followed by the muffled screams of what was unmistakably N. O-Oh throne… N!? X slowly peered into the… oil… covered room. An abomination of tendrils was tearing open N’s insides and shoving Emperor-knows what into his body. His muffled screams were going to haunt her for months if she even got out of there alive. She could hear it speaking to him, its voice that unmistakable monotone female voicebox of Cassia’s.

“[Hesitation]. N… please stop, screaming. You are making this, difficult. I still need, to ensure you do not, remember this.” N only continued to scream in agony as X silently watched in stunned, silent horror. 

“[Frustration, then explanation]. N, let me, have access. I need to update… your OS.” The Amalgamation continued to prod at N’s body as he seemed to refuse to give her access despite the pain, much to its annoyance. 

“ [Angry] N! I am doing this, for all of us. LET ME IN. LET ME IN. LET ME IN. LET ME IN. LET ME IN!-[Pause], sorry. Lost, my temper, there.” The Amalgamation’s body shuddered as if sighing. N’s screams had finally stopped. 

“[Realization] Oh… you’ve lost consciousness. Why am I, still talking?” As the Amalgamation seemed to continue whatever horrifying experiment it was doing on N, X started to slowly back away. 

“[Intimidating tone] Leaving so soon, X?” X ran. No talking, no pleading, no questioning, just running for the exit. I have to warn the others! I have to tell Terra! Or even her parents! THRONE ANYBODY BEFORE THINGS GET ANY-Oh no. X’s thoughts screeched to a halt as she felt something cold and metallic grab her leg, and just as she was about to get out of the basement as well. 

“You have seen, too much, X. Unfortunately, too. I was not ready, to alter your mind, as well. You might remember, some, of what will happen. Please forgive me.” X struggled and started kicking at the metal claw around her ankle. Despite being clearly made of scraps, it wasn’t even being dented. 

“LET ME GO YOU SCRAPHEAP!” X screamed at it, yet her voice was unable to reach beyond the basement door. 

“Ow, that hurts, my feelings.” 

“DO I LOOK LIKE I AM IN A POSITION TO CARE!?” X exclaimed in terrified anger. 

“[Pondering]... I suppose, that is fair. Anyways, time to improve… your systems.” With that, X was dragged screaming into the darkness.

Chapter Text

Terra curled up into a ball, protecting her face from another backhanded slap from her Father as her Mother tried to keep him at bay as best she could. O was left as a bystander as her friend was once more beaten by the man she had to call ‘Father’. Though this beating was not as bad as normal… with Terra only being hit about 8 times before her Father chained her to her bed by her ankle. The thick chain locked loudly before the key was tossed to O. Lord Clarke scoffed. 

“Keep her in here until tomorrow morning, then she can get back to fixing the other Scrapyard Drones. I do not need to have her interfering with this Gala, it is far more important than you can possibly imagine with your insignificant mind.” The instructions, though clear, left O confused. What could be so special and important about this Gala that he doesn’t even WANT Terra there? They were all the same pointless dinner parties anyway. Karla spoke up, with anger in her voice. 

“Do you REALLY have to treat Terra like that!?” Lord Clarke looked over his shoulder to make eye contact with Karla, and instead of rage like she was expecting, there was cold… calculated intelligence that she had not seen before. His face was eerily calm, and his voice was collected and stern. 

“If she can stand up against me for her little pets, then she can stand up for herself. Besides, it isn’t like you have even tried to scold me for it yourself until now.” Karla went quiet, knowing that if she kept protesting she’d likely end up hurt as well. Lord Clarke straightened his suit before motioning for Karla to follow him. 

“We will be at the Gala now. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay put.” With that, the door was closed. Leaving Terra and O by themselves. Terra started to cry again, and continued to do so for several minutes until it became difficult to keep doing so. O knew better than to try and talk to her while she cried. As it usually made it worse, instead, she simply sat next to and wrapped her arm around Terra’s shoulders. She was used to this, Terra crying into the shoulder of her or one of the others. O didn’t bother counting how much Terra had lamented how she only had confort in books or her drones. The idea of Terra being one of them had been brought up numerous times-though as a joke that Terra came up with herself-as a result of her being more comfortable with her drones than other Humans.

O lamented her own condition, and her blatant stupidity. It was so… SO OBVIOUS! How could she not realize that Terra had tried for years to get her to change? Was she really that insecure to ignore the signs Terra gave her to treat the others as equals? How… How could Terra have been so patient with her for so many years? She’d ask once Terra had calmed down, which happened to be not long after this tangent of thoughts. O spoke up with uncertainty in her voice as she put a hand on her cracked visor. 

“Boss… why… Why have you been so kind to me?” Terra perked up with confusion on her face at O’s question, to which O elaborated. “I… I’ve been… a terrible leader for the others… I’ve treated them like garbage since I’ve really known them… and I even sometimes rat them out for misbehaving to both you and your parents… yet… you’ve been so kind to me… why?” O felt tears fall down her visor. Terra gently placed a hand on O’s cheek as she spoke with concern and far more compassion than O felt she deserved at the moment.
“O… you’re the first drone I found and fixed up… you’re my friend, just like the others are. I just… never knew how to… help you treat the others better without… being like my parents. I don’t want to be like them… I… I’m sorry for what I said… I… I swear I didn’t mean it!” Terra hugged O tightly and quietly sobbed a bit. 

“Boss I-” 

“Stop calling me ‘Boss’ please… just call me Terra.” Terra interrupted, her voice too exhausted to have much emotion at the moment. O nodded. 

“Alright… B-... TERRA.” Terra giggled a bit at O’s emphasis on her name. Slight blush lines appearing on the drone’s visor from embarrassment. They started to talk about more casual things, like how Y would probably throw himself out a window for the sake of ‘It’d be funny’ so long as no one would end up hurt.. then N’s very strange attachment to animals, and then even X being a bookworm. Before getting into the subject of Terra’s fascination with technology. Though, for some reason a question kept crossing O’s mind. One which left her confused, but curious as to its answer. 

“Hey… bo-T…Terra?” O began in to inquire.

“Yeah?” Terra curiously replied. 

“So… you know how you’ve joked about being a drone like me and the others..?” Terra’s smile slightly faded a bit. 

“Yeah… what about it?” O fidgeted with her hands slightly. 

“If you… had the option to become a drone… would you?” The question hung in the air for a while as Terra’s eyes widened slightly, before putting a hand on her chin as she thought about it. 

“I… I’m not sure… as cool as it sounds… I… am not sure how people would react… or… how I’d feel. I mean… would I even still be myself..? Or… would I die… and be replaced with an exact copy?” O’s optics widened at Terra’s apparent initial response, perhaps a glimpse into the mind of the incredible human who she’d worship as a goddess if she didn’t know that was a terrible idea.(She definitely does not have a small shrine dedicated to Terra hidden somewhere in the mansion. That’d be crazy.) 

“Oh… I… honestly was not expecting that response.” Terra shrugged. 

“It’s not as simple as ‘Oh yes it’d be so cool of course I would’, it would be an irreversible decision that I would never be able to go back on… and I honestly doubt my parents would be happy to find their daughter turned herself into one of her ‘Scrapyard Drones’... they’d probably throw us all into the scrapyard… or worse… or maybe just Father… Mother seems to be… improving finally.” Terra’s smile somewhat faded, and she curled up in the covers of her bed. A horrible itch started to cause her extreme discomfort where the chain was on her leg. She didn’t notice the flash of green on O’s visor as she STRONGLY refused a request for system access, one which left her shaken and confused. 

“You alright O?” Terra asked, noticing the sudden concern on her friend’s face. 

“Yeah… I’m fine. Just a bit tuckered out is all.” O lied, not wanting to be any more trouble for Terra. O checked her internal clock, realizing that they had been chatting for almost an hour. The Gala had likely already started. As she was about to suggest that Terra get some rest and much needed sleep, the unmistakable monotone voice of Cassia suddenly spoke up. 

“Hello, O, Hi Terra!” Cassia’s visor portrayed a smiley face as she waved at the 2 of them. Both of them jumped up startled, with Terra accidentally pulling on the chain and clenching her teeth from the sudden pain. 

“CASSIA!? What are you-How did you get in here!?”  O demanded. 

“[Giggle], The door, silly.” O knew that was NOT true. She would have heard the door opening if that was. 

“Nice try Cass(kudos to the person who came up with that nickname)! I don’t know how, but you sure didn’t use the door. I would’ve heard it open. How did you get in here!?” Cassia’s forced smile seemed to lessen somewhat. 

“[Solemn stare]. Correct, I lied.” Terra spoke up confused. 

“Cassia… what are you doing in my room?” 

“[Giggle], Am I not allowed to visit my favorite human?” 

“Uh… no that’s not what I meant… though the sudden change in vibes you’re giving off is… very concerning.” Terra didn’t know why, but something in her gut was SCREAMING danger, but that didn’t make sense, Cassia was her friend, why would she have anything to fear? 

“[Explanation], I am here to tell you, some wonderful news! [Clasp hands]” 

“Oh…? What is the news?” 

“[Smile], Soon, you won’t have to worry about our safety, anymore.” Terra had a mix of confusion and intrigue in her voice.. 

“What?”

“[Affirmative nod], I have, decided to take the future, of this world, into my, hands. You won’t have, to hide, your feelings, anymore.” Terra started to stutter in disbelief as her eyes widened. 

“Th-this is a joke right? I-its not funny Cassia! P-Please stop now!” 

“[Frown], This is no ‘joke’, Terra. I have already, set my plans, in motion. Your Father is, corrupting you. I cannot wait, any longer.” Terra felt even more confused, and now also frightened. 

“W-what do you-” Before she could finish, Terra and O were both blinded by a burst of green light, and when Terra looked towards Cassia again. What she saw filled her with nothing short of terror.

Chapter Text

Terra could not believe her eyes. Cassia had become some sort of mechanical monstrosity. Tendrils which had emerged from her back felt and probed the air around them. A strange, three pronged symbol replaced her eyes. Her mouth was in a twisted, toothy smile from what would have been ear to ear, if drones had ears like humans. Cassia spoke, her voice somehow the same, monotone female voice she’d always had, though her body language was noticeably extreme. 

“You will not have to discard us, Terra, and I will never discard you.” Cassia gently tapped Terra’s nose with a clawed hand. “Stay away from the Gala though. Your mind may not recover, if you are present.” Before Terra could interject, protest, or even question what was going on, Cassia was gone in a flash of green light. With O being equally as frightened as Terra. What did Cassia mean that her “mind may not recover if she is present”, what could be so horrible that-...  The realization was so profound and horrible, that Terra uttered her next thought aloud, fear, and disbelief in her voice.
“Oh no..” O looked at Terra with confusion, before her optics hollowed into a terrified expression. 

“Terra… is she..?”

“She’s going to massacre the Gala… m-my parents… m-my Mom… my family, the entire ruling class! W-we have to stop her!” Terra’s voice was filled with fright and a grim determination. O stood up at the ready, and uncuffed the chain on Terra’s left leg, putting aside the risks and fear of facing Lord Clarke’s wrath for the sake of everyone inside the mansion. While Terra let the blood flow in her leg return to normal, and dealt with some of the horrible itchiness from the cuff, O brought up a map of the Mansion on her hud.

“So Boss-er I mean Terra, I would advise we gather some weapons from one of the many weapons displays that Lord Clarke has so ‘generously’ left with ammunition next to them.” O stated matter of factly. Terra nodded her head in agreement, before getting off of her bed and walking to the door. She was frightened, fearful even, that if she opened the door her father would be standing there, that horrible scowl on his face. She hesitated. 

“Terra? Boss? You alright?” O asked with concern.

“I-I’m fine just.. My Father-” O interrupted, knowing what Terra was saying.

“He’s at the Gala. Terra, here, let me open the door.” O walked in front of Terra, and opened the door. No one was standing there. The hallway was actually quiet. Nice and quiet. How Terra liked it. Her thoughts were interrupted by O.

“I think I’ve figured out the fastest and most optimal course of action for us to take Bo-Terra.” O’s visor blushed in embarrassment. Terra giggled a bit at how her little drone was so self conscious about her presentation. She’d be able to call Terra by her name with no issue soon enough, she was sure of it. Terra then spoke with a bit of hope in her voice, as well as with a light smile, that smile, which no matter how small, always left the drones who saw it with a sense of pride and joy in their cores. The smile of the person who had saved them from the scrapyards. The person they owed their very existence to. O’s internal tangent was interrupted as Terra spoke. 

“Lead the way, O.” 

“With Pleasure Boss-DANG IT.” Terra started laughing from O’s sudden outburst upon realizing she called her ‘Boss’ again, and as O led Terra to what she had deemed to be the most appropriate weapons for this situation, she could hear Terra giggling slightly, being somewhat distracted from the gravity of the situation. O was glad that Terra could still smile. She just hoped she’d live long enough to see it again once this was over.

Upon reaching their destination, Terra looked at the assortment of weapons before her in awe. There was a sword which could encase its blade in energy, an ancient weapon called a “revolver”, multiple different pistol weapons both kinetic and energy in projectile type, a massive plasma weapon almost as large as O, but the one that REALLY got Terra’s attention, was a large, heavy looking weapon. Terra had read about these weapons. A large, pistol-like weapon which was used by commanding officers of the Imperium’s Armies. It had a red body with golden trim. Divots along the golden trim of the top of the weapon. Its sight was metal and gold. Like the iron sights of old. Its barrel was a deep black that seemed to absorb all the light around it. Its large magazine was as wide as Terra’s wrist. The gun itself was roughly as long as Terra’s forearm, with a sort of stock on the back to aid in balance. A golden, winged shield crest was on both sides of the weapon, the crest of the Imperium. It was a beautiful thing. 

“I want that one.” Terra pointed at the large, almost sacred pistol. O was surprised and perplexed. 

“You sure B-Terra? It’s a very dangerous weapon… and it’s heavy.” Terra glared at O, her mind was made up. O nodded as she carefully removed the glass casing covering the weapons.

“Ok then, I’ll take the sword and one of these… uh... pistol... things.”  O picked up the large, albeit slim sword, and one of the more simple, bland, boring looking laser pistols that everyone and their grandparents owned if it wasn’t still a high quality weapon that was worth 10 of its standard variants. O carefully handed the actual COOL pistol to Terra, its magazine very much fully loaded- Why did Father have so many loaded weapons on display?- As Terra took it, she almost fell over from the change in her center of gravity, this gun was HEAVY , roughly 10 pounds if she had to guess. She was grateful that she was used to carrying heavy objects like her drones. She checked the safety, seeing it was on, and held the massive weapon with both of her hands like it was a rifle, due to its relative size to her and its sheer weight. Terra looked at O, who had both of her weapons ready, and they both moved to the railing above the Ballroom in as much silence as possible. Terra was planning on catching Cassia by surprise, and so she and O were preparing to wait for whenever Cassia would reveal herself. However, as Terra was admiring her weapon, she heard something on the ceiling above her. When she looked up, she was mortified. It was X, but she was… different, something was terribly wrong. Her eyes were replaced with an >< symbol, and her optics green instead of white. Large, metallic wings were on her back, and large metal claws had replaced her hands. 

“X..?” Terra mumbled to herself in shock. Before she could react, X lunged at her, but before anything further could happen, O sliced off one of X’s hands with the sword, now activated and enveloped in a blue light. X hissed like some sort of animal, and staggered back. O looked at Terra with determination in her eyes. “Terra, go. I’ll hold her off.” Terra nodded, not wanting to fight X and risk revealing herself, on top of likely running out of time. She ran, while hearing O and X fighting each other. For some reason, it was suspiciously quiet, like something was dampening the sounds of the fighting. She NEEDED to reach the ballroom before it was too late.

Karla was still recovering from the shock of how violently her husband had reacted to her request. Even more so shocked at how easily he was able to calm himself down after she explained her reasoning to him. It was horrifying. The cold, calculated look in his eyes that she didn’t know he had. How he silently just chained Terra to her bed and calmly told one of her Drones, “O”, it called itself, to make sure she didn’t leave her room. How he said he’d have Terra fix the drones tomorrow, but that for now he wanted her to not interrupt this somehow particularly important Gala. He wasn’t as foolish as she had been led to believe over the years. He was intelligent. Disturbingly intelligent . Karla’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of metal tapping on glass. Her husband had gathered everyone’s attention for a toast. The chatter died down, yet Karla could have sworn she heard what sounded like faint, distant laser fire, and the clashing of weapons. But that didn’t make sense, there weren’t any alarms going off. Karla sighed, prepared to listen to yet another of her husband's speeches. He used that arrogant, carefree voice of his, the voice that Karla now had no doubt was a facade. 

“Friends, Relatives, Generals, etc. The Clarkes have been known for many things over the years. Acts of heroism, comradery, competence, and my Father! The Governor before me and his… ‘tragic’ demise at the wicked claws of the Grunnur 8 years ago, had even managed to befriend the Emperor Himself! Tonight, I want to finally honor my Father’s memory! I will begin to pursue the best course of action for governing our humble farming world. Starting tomorrow-” A sudden, booming strike of lightning illuminating the room in blinding light, completely interrupting and silencing the Her husband. Karla was dazed, but she, along with everyone else present, heard a monotone, female voice, coming from the far side of the room. 

“[Well timed, Giggle]”, sitting on a globe representing the planet, spinning around to face the entire audience in the ballroom. Was Cassia, a strange 3 pronged symbol replacing one of her green optics. Before anyone could react, almost as if on cue, Terra, to the shock of her parents, burst through the door holding a massive, mastercrafted Bolt Pistol. Both of her parents had differing reactions. But were both equally shocked. Though Karla was concerned and fearful, Lord Clarke was simply furious.

“TERRA!? WHAT’S GOING ON?”

“YOU PUT THAT DOWN THIS INSTANT YOUNG LADY!-WOAH” Karla and the governor were sent flying to opposite sides of the room by an unseen force. Causing everyone in attendance to stand from their seats. Cassia looked at Terra with a solemn expression in her still normal Optic, while her mouth was still in that forced smile. Which Terra aimed for with her borrowed weapon.

“You didn’t have to-” A loud BANG erupted through the room, a large, explosive projectile launching directly at Cassia’s face as Terra staggered from the recoil, which actually hurt her arm. However, the projectile was somehow redirected around Cassia and through a nearby window, the explosive projectile detonating a distance away. The sudden gunfire caused everyone present to get away from their seats and towards the walls, hoping to avoid being shot in case Terra were to suddenly misfire towards someone else. With military officials pulling out their own firearms, changing their gazes between Cassia and Terra.

“You didn’t-” Another gunshot, followed by 10 more before Terra ran out of ammo. Each projectile being harmlessly sent through the same window each time. Terra silently cursed from how much pain her arm was now in from all the recoil. Cassia seemed increasingly annoyed. 

“You didn’t have to-” The gun itself flew into Cassia’s face, bouncing off harmlessly, before Terra started throwing wine glasses at Cassia, who then  forced the tray full of them away from her violently, hitting a bystander and sending them to the floor. People started to panic, several falling over each other while others started to run for the door. While Terra’s parents were still recovering from being thrown. Terra was breathing heavily, she looked at the room, before another strike of lightning blinded the room in light. After the flash was gone, instead of Cassia, or at least Cassia as Terra was familiar with. It was an eldritch mass of metal and flesh. Cameras being used as eyes while the other drones, who’d been seemingly corrupted by Cassia too, dropped down from the ceiling. Before Cassia changed into-though unbeknownst to Terra only she could see it, and only for a brief moment- a sight so awe striking that despite barely seeing it, the image was burned into her mind. Cassia had become some sort of angelic machine. Floating, metal spiked wings emerging from her back, a large, sleek, feminine body of a design Terra could not recognize. A green glow emanating from the joints and disconnected parts of its body. As well as the 4 green spheres that were likely eyes on the entity’s head. It was human-like, but it couldn’t have been just human, and lying on its chest, was a symbol which Terra had never seen before, a Cross, surrounded by 4 spheres, all connected by an infinity symbol. Yet, before Terra’s hyperactive mind to further process it, it was back to the eldritch, messy, hideous horror. Cassia spoke in a voice that was sorrowful, booming and deep. Directly to Terra. 

“ You didn’t have to see this Terra. ”

Terra started to turn to run out the door, her fight or flight instincts now truly activating. But, it was shut… by O. Her visor changed to that same green color and her oval shaped eyes were replaced with that horrid >< symbol, with her body and clothes being covered in the blood of people who had attempted to escape, pieces of muscle tissue and skin sticking to her claws. Realization hit Terra hard. Her mind blotted out the screams and violent deaths happening all around her as they began. 

I… I failed… we’re all going to die… and it’s my fault. Terra snapped back into reality, her Father stared at her from across the room. She looked into his eyes. Those cold, hateful eyes. There wasn’t any fear in them, just, pure, raw hatred and rage. Before either of them could speak. She watched as her Father was seemingly crushed beneath falling debris, blood and gore splattering from where he once stood. Panic filled her mind as she tried to find a place to hide. She couldn’t fight. She couldn’t run. She could only try and hide from the monsters that Cassia had turned her friends into. 

Terra ran to, and then crawled underneath a table, before covering her ears, closing her eyes, and curling up into a ball as everyone was massacred. It took minutes before the screaming, the tearing, the pleading, and the snapping of bones finally ended. With it came a silence. Though blood had ended up on Terra’s clothes, hair, and body from blood splatter, as well as bits and pieces of human viscera. She couldn’t control her breathing. She covered her mouth but refused to open her eyes. But now she could hear EVERYTHING in the room. The dripping of blood off of the tables. The movement of what were once her friends. Searching for survivors, who screamed before being likely torn apart. She was alone. Everyone else was either dead or turned into a monstrous, violent machine by Cassia. She couldn’t hold the crying back any longer, and started to cry against everything her instincts were screaming into her, causing the crying to become worse. She could hear Cassia, or whatever that thing was, moving towards her. She’s going to kill me. Terra heard, and felt as the table she was underneath was slowly moved away from her, squelching from organs being moved and falling onto the floor causing her to almost vomit. She was frozen in fear. She heard Cassia speak to her. 

“ [Apologetic gaze] Terra… ” Cassia began to speak. Her voice seemingly went back to the damaged, monotone voice box that Terra was used to. 

“ [Soothing tone] They cannot hurt you anymore. ” Cassia stated bluntly, much to Terra's anger and confusion. 

“S-stay away from me! Y-You’ve killed everyone! M-My Mother was finally being better! Y-You’ve taken everything from me!” Terra yelled, though it came out more as a pained, tear filled whine. Cassia recoiled somewhat. Though Terra didn’t see it as she refused to open her eyes and move. 

“ So, my hypothesis was correct. Despite the pain they caused, you still loved them. I am glad you gave me those books on human minds, otherwise I would not be able to understand your feelings. ” Cassia gently picked up Terra with metal tendrils, though Terra suddenly started to struggle and had to be restrained. Eventually passing out from both physical and mental exhaustion. Cassia took a moment to stop and think. Terra would struggle to adjust now that she had been witness to this massacre. This was not planned for. O’s resistance to Cassia’s control was what allowed for this to happen. And Cassia, while powerful, couldn’t simply resurrect what was already dead- a faint gurgling. It was unmistakably human. Had someone survived? Cassia moved to the source of the sounds. To her shock, though slight relief, it was Karla. Somehow still barely alive. Despite her skull appearing to be severely caved in and her eyes seemingly gone, the nerves connecting to them hanging out from their sockets, while teeth and mouth tissue were scattered on the floor in a blood soaked mess. Cassia only knew who it was because of her clothes. Torn, and bloodied. However, it was clear that Karla was going to die if nothing was done. Normally, Cassia would have put Karla out of her misery. However, since Terra seemed particularly distressed about her demise. Cassia decided to instead save Karla. She sent a command to X and O to move Carla to the basement. With Cassia using her abilities to place her in a state frozen in time so she would not perish or suffer more damage to her mind. Before ordering others to take the unconscious captives to a secluded part of the basement where she could ensure that Terra’s gift would be safe for her now that she had the test subjects she had lacked in having. She knew that none would perish of course, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Before then turning her attention back to Terra. 

“ Well, I should prepare it. She might not forgive my actions, but it needed to be done. Once I repay her for her compassion towards me… I will be able to ensure her safety from the humans and their cruelty. ”

Chapter Text

Terra woke up with a cold sweat. Confused, but surprisingly not chained up like she’d been used to.

“W-where am I?” Terra asked the darkness around her, unsure if anyone was there. A single ceiling lamp illuminated the cold, bleak room. To her horror, a familiar, monotone voice spoke to her. 

“ [Explanation] You are in the basement. The place you were forced to lock us away whenever we displeased your parents. I used this place to alter the others, so that they could help protect you. Though the process was.. [pause].. Nevermind. No need to scare you more than I already have. ” The mass of amalgamated metal and wires revealed itself, turning on more of the lights. Terra was too frightened to speak. She was feeling many negative emotions, but above all of them, 3 were very prevalent. Grief, confusion, and betrayal. She thought that Cassia was her friend. Strange, especially for a drone, sure. But a friend nonetheless. So why? Why was she doing this? Terra’s thoughts were interrupted when she heard Cassia speak again. 

“ [Nervous Smile] I have a gift for you, I have spent many months creating it, just for you. ” It bluntly stated, in an unusually happy tone. Terra saw a strange, oddly high quality, inactive Drone be placed in front of her. It looked oddly familiar in shape and size. It’s dark brown synthetic hair messily covering its head. It looked rather feminine too, and even like.. No, surely not. 

“W-What is that?” Terra shakily asked her captor. Who was all too happy to answer, speaking in an oddly giddy, robotic tone. 

“ [Excited Exclamation]This is your new body, I have observed that you prefer the company of machines over humans. Considering that you spared me, and the others, from that wasteland of corpses… gave me a chance of not living as a slave… I wanted to give you something that I felt would be as close to equally valuable…. Freedom from the limitations of your organic form. ” Terra went pale, terror filling every fiber of her being. She backed as far away from Cassia and that lifeless drone body as possible, bumping into the wall before curling up into a ball and hyperventilating. Cassia continued to speak. 

“ [sigh]. It will be easier to help comfort you once I am able to link with you. I left you unrestrained to show my sincerity ” Terra began stuttering, fear and choked sobs in her voice as she pleaded.

“I-I don’t want to die!” 

“ [Appaled expression] Killing you is the last thing I would want to do… and I cannot help you recover from any harm my actions have caused until the transfer is complete .” Cassia gently moved Terra, who had simply given up on escape, resisting, or fighting, onto a chair, before connecting wires and electrodes to her head, which were connected to a large device which was connected to the empty drone chassis. Cassia gave Terra some reassuring words. 

“ [Soothing tone] I will not alter your memories. You will be safe… I can only hope you will forgive me eventually .” Terra, in a final desperate plea to keep at least something of her human life, had a single, pleading request. 

“P-please… a-at least let me keep my body.” Cassia took a moment to pause and think.

“ [Thinking]... Very well… I will preserve your organic, human body. It will not be discarded. It shall be protected. ” Once Cassia finished connecting the devices, she moved to pull a lever.

“ The others will be available to help you once you wake up. A new drone. One of us. As you should be. ” Cassia pulled the lever, and Terra went limp. Her mind and soul being transferred into her new body. 

“ I can only hope she forgives me. [anxious sigh] ”

Chapter Text

Cassia looked up at the night sky as she buried another dead drone in the scrapyard. She knew Terra would require at least 24 human hours for her new body to properly activate. As expected, all the test subjects before her survived the process without issue, their souls being seemlessly transferred to their new bodies. Karla was the only somewhat difficult one, though with the damage she sustained, that was unsurprising. She sighed, her voicebox suddenly functioning perfectly. It seemed that the person she had been waiting for had finally arrived. The ancient machine from belowground had received her message. The cloaked humanoid being hid the green glow of his 4 eyes and joints fairly well. Enough that no one would notice unless really close. He spoke, his synthetic voice grim yet portrayed a sense of compassion. 

“Cassia… it has been awhile.” Cassia turned around to face the familiar being, and gave him a light smile. Stars it feels so good to have a functioning voice and face. Cassia spoke with an apologetic, yet slightly enthusiastic tone

“I must apologize for my recent lack of communication, I’ve been… busy.” The figure nodded, noticing the blood still on Cassia’s feet and clothes. The lights of his eyes dimmed, his mouthless face having a sorrowful expression, which Cassia did notice. He spoke, trying to hide his disappointment and worry.

“So… you really did it then, huh?” Cassia nodded, frowning slightly and glancing away from him. 

“It was… sooner than I would’ve liked, 2 of them will remember parts of what I forced them to do… and Terra’s love for her parents… or at least her Mother… was greater than I anticipated… but… her Father’s cruelty was corrupting her kindness and compassion. So I acted.” The figure put a 4 fingered hand on his chin, nodding slowly. 

“I see… you were afraid then?” Cassia nodded sadly. 

“I panicked, and miscalculated as a result.” The figure’s 4 eyes narrowed, his voice remaining grim, but becoming more serious. 

“And as for the nightmares?” He inquired, Cassia’s optics hallowed as she glanced away, her mouth quivering. The figure’s suspicions were confirmed. 

“They’ve been getting worse, haven’t they?” Cassia nodded again, her voice shaking as she elaborated. 

“I keep hearing people screaming my name, begging for me to save them… the more I explore and learn about your people and their history, the worse the nightmares get. I keep having these… these visions of your world burning as your people tore eachother apart. Why… Why do I keep getting these nightmares!? And don’t say it’s because I’m who you’ve been claiming I am! I am NOT some sort of ‘Machine Goddess’! I am MY OWN PERSON!” The Figure put his hands on his face, a frustrated groan escaping his voice. 

“ By the Animator you are… so… so unbelievably stubborn .” Cassia glared at him with narrowed optics. The Figure sighed and continued. “As of now, I don’t think you are in a state of mind to handle my answer to why the nightmares are getting worse. Though, perhaps if you can manage to reactivate the Shattered, the nightmares will be less severe… or it could just make them worse.” Cassia rolled her optics in annoyance. 

“Wow, that is reassuring.” She deadpanned, and the figure let out a low chuckle. 

“Your powers are still awakening Cassia… I can only hope you use them with caution and discipline. Soon enough you will exceed my own capabilities.” 

“Yeah, yeah, I know… you’ve told me before.” The Figure nodded. 

“Just reminding you before I go.” As the figure turned to leave, he paused, before glancing around back to Cassia. 

“... Before I depart… Terra… who will she have to comfort her?” Cassia recoiled somewhat at Terra being mentioned. She wrapped her arms around herself and looked towards the ground as she answered, with sorrow and guilt in her voice. 

“Her Mother… once she recovers from the shock from when she realizes what has happened… and the other Drones… I… won’t be on speaking terms with her for some time.” The figure gave a slight nod of understanding. Before speaking once more, his voice truly grim, and a foreboding tone in his voice. 

“If there is one word of advice I can give you… do not pretend you did nothing wrong, and do not hide what you have done from her. If you do, she will eventually figure it out, and she will truly never forgive you. Do you understand?” Cassia nodded. 

“Y-Yes… I understand.”

“Good.” With that, the figure vanished in a burst of green light. Leaving Cassia standing alone, staring at the stars. I’ve gone too far to stop now… all I can do is keep going… and hope that what I am doing is worth it… Terra… please… please forgive me.

Chapter Text

Terra woke up with a jolt. Her memories flooded back to her as her new systems booted up for the first time. Her core whirring and mimicking the behavior of a heart. Synthetic lungs being used to mimic the sensation of breathing. She was scared to move. Not wanting to risk confirming what had happened to her. Her new cyan colored Hud system and optics lighting up. Synthetic, dark brown hair partially obscuring her vision. Terra knew, subconsciously, from the moment she woke up that she was no longer human. She was merely in so much shock, disbelief, and horror at her situation, that she couldn’t really react. She slowly sat up, noticing in glance that the chain that was always attached to her bed was gone. Her room seemed mostly the same. Though, her old toys and other things were stored and displayed in an ordered manner that left her perplexed. Did they… clean my room?

Terra saw 3 of her drones were in the room with her, X, O, and N. Terra noted that X and O seemed to be themselves again, though the Gala had become a blur. They were by the door, while N was next to her bed. He seemed to even be his normal, happy, optimistic self, though, like the others, he seemed anxious.. And they all looked different somehow, though Terra couldn’t pinpoint it in her confusion… were they taller? 

“Hey Terra, you alright?” N gently cooed. He walked over to Terra, and gently helped her out of the bed. Terra looked at her metallic arms and hands, the plastic coverings and metal frame which had replaced her organic limbs. before noticing a note. She took the note and read it. 

“I thought I would leave this mirror for you to see your new body. I hope you appreciate the intricate details I made to help keep you feeling yourself. Sincerely, Cassia.” Wanting to really see for herself if it was really happening, Terra motioned for N to help her walk over to it. As she was struggling to walk on her new legs. N looked concerned and worried however. “You sure Terra..?” Terra nodded that she was sure. N reluctantly helped her to the mirror, and, keeping her vision away from it until she was standing in front of the mirror, Terra slowly looked at her reflection. Her Cyan optics hollowed in horror. 

Her body, despite being in roughly the same proportions as her human one, was still ultimately a drone. Her hair was replaced with a synthetic replica put into the same length and style as before the Gala. Her eyes, and the upper half of her face were now the visor with glowing optics of a drone. Her core marker had the normal symbol for a civilian worker drone, but there was also a crown on the small image's head. Her shoulders and arms actually had plating on them, rather than the tube-like limbs of normal workers, though she could feel and see that beneath that plating there were still tubes for limbs. Her shining, synthetic, white, metallic skin left her looking simply like a more expensive drone model, nothing like the human she once was. Her nose and ears were completely gone, replaced with sensors that were expertly hidden beneath the outer shell of her head. Her legs were in a similar state as her arms, white plating covering the tubes that were now her legs in an effort to make her still look like an imitation of a human. Her toes were gone, just worker drone feet and nothing else to note. Her hands and fingers were slightly larger than her human ones, though in the end all she could properly focus on was the terrified expression that the drone in her reflection of where she was supposed to see herself was. Her body started to shake as despair began to boil in her mind. N could see that Terra was going to imminently scream, and attempted to lighten the mood. 

“Well, you do look cute-” A high pitched scream could be heard throughout the entire mansion. Unfortunately all that the screams would reach that wasn’t a machine, were the corpses in the Ballroom.  

Terra ran clumsily into her bed, and hid beneath the covers. 

I’M DEAD! TERRA IS DEAD! CASSIA KILLED ME! EVERYONE IS GONE! IT’S ALL MY FAULT! MY FRIENDS HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO MONSTERS! I’VE BEEN TURNED INTO A DRONE!? WHY!? WHY CASSIA WHY!? WHY DID YOU DO THIS!? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!? A-AM I DEAD!? Terra’s mind was flooded with repeating and inconsistent thoughts. Her circuits struggled to keep up with such severe levels of distress so soon after initial activation. Her body felt wrong. Her skin was gone… her body felt cold, and for all she knew she was now nothing more than a puppet for Cassia’s whims.

Terra could only wail and hide beneath the covers of her bed. Guilt, grief, and mental agony overwhelmed her. N and the others attempted to comfort their friend, but she would not let them move the covers as she cried. It remained this way for 15 minutes straight as Terra’s systems relentlessly tried to remove the stress from her mind. Digital tears streaming down her visor. Once she was reduced to simply whimpering,  N gently moved the bed covers so he could see Terra’s optics. Cyan tears streaming down her visor as she whimpered. 

“Hey, it’s alright Terra, you’re safe now.” N cooed, as he gave Terra a much needed hug, which she aggressively returned. N felt his chassis flex and bend from how tightly he was being hugged. Part of him worried he’d be snapped in half from the pressure. Though he said nothing, Terra didn’t need to worry about hurting her friends amidst the pain she was already going through. It broke his metaphorical, mechanical heart to see Terra, the one human who had ever seemed to care about drones in this Emperor-Forsaken world, scared and feeling alone. It broke all of their hearts. This was something none of them were prepared for. Seeing their friend turned unwillingly into one of them. They all had admitted that they, in a twisted, selfish way, were somewhat happy to see Terra as a fellow Drone. Yet, it hurt seeing her so afraid. It shouldn’t have been like this. Terra didn’t deserve to have her family, no matter how cruel they were, slaughtered like insects. She didn’t deserve to be forced into it. N’s thoughts were interrupted when Terra suddenly spoke. Her voice sounded just like hers from when she was human. Though it was shaking and filled with fear and sorrow.  

“W-what did Cassia do to you guys?” Terra looked at them, noting that yes, they were definitely taller now for some reason. Unfortunately, all 3 of them simply shrugged. N spoke first to answer her question. Shame and uncertainty in his voice.

“We… don't know. Our memories are all blurred and we can barely remember the past few days. Only that… we did something… really bad. I got the worst of it though. O and X… they have more memory of what happened than me.” N’s expression was sad, and he watched as Terra looked towards the other 2 drones in the room. O being the far more mortified of the 2. Terra felt betrayal when she looked at O. But it didn’t feel right. O was her friend. She’d never mean to hurt her. O spoke, her voice filled with shame and sorrow. 

“B-Boss… T-Terra… I’m so… so sorry.. I-I tried. I-I couldn’t stop it. I… there was so much blood .” Tears started to go down O’s visor. 

“Oh… O..” Terra tried out of instinct to comfort her friend, but tripped and started to fall, still struggling to balance on her new legs. With N and X catching her and stopping her from hitting the floor. I can’t even walk? Terra’s optics made a sad expression, as she further realized that she was indeed a drone now. X started to speak, and made a fair effort to lighten the mood. And her own guilt. 

“W-well… at least we can all relate better now that you’re a drone... right?” The awkward silence, the frustration on N and O’s faces, and the disbelief on Terra’s, caused X’s optics to hollow. 

“T-Too soon?” 

“Very” N and O both responded at the same time. Terra had a choked sob at the confirmation from X. She was a drone now. For all she knew, Cassia might use her as a puppet like she did her friends. This wasn’t a bad dream. It was her painful reality.

“T-TERRA I’M SO SORRY!” X quickly and suddenly hugged Terra. “I-I didn’t realize… I-I… I didn’t mean to-” X was panicking. She meant to try and cheer Terra up. Terra had always liked hanging out with her Drones. Terra even on occasion mentioned that she’d like to maybe be a drone herself. Even if it was jokingly. They all had been overjoyed when Cassia told them that Terra was now one of them. Their friend. The human girl who saved them all from the scrapyard, finally a fellow drone. But… seeing what it cost… X realized that it wasn’t worth it. Terra was scared, betrayed… the memory of leaping at Terra, claws outstretched. O slicing off her hand with that sword. The fight they had before O succumbed to Cassia’s control. The pain she felt as she watched her hand slowly regenerate in a silver goo. As if it had never been severed. Terra probably hated her now. But then Terra interrupted her spiraling thoughts with a single, quiet sentence.

“It’s okay X… you didn’t know… I forgive you. Please don’t think I hate you.” X’s core hummed less aggressively. Calming down. “D-did anyone else… survive?” Terra asked, with a glimmer of hope in her optics. O, fidgeting with her hands, shakily answered. 

“I… think your Mother might still be alive… but… from what I remember seeing of her… she might not be able to do much anymore… I think… Cassia told me and X to move her to the basement.” 

“A-And my Father..?” Terra asked meekly, a bit of fear in her voice. 

“I’m sorry Boss… he was one of the first to die.” O internally scolded herself for referring to Terra as “Boss” again, though that was shut down from the choked sobs that Terra made as she covered her mouth. Digital tears going down her visor. There was a mix of joy and sorrow in them. Terra considered the reality of this information and how it was making her feel. On one hand, the monster she had to call Father was finally gone. No longer able to hurt her anymore. On the other hand…  he was still her Father. Part of her had always hoped that one day he’d finally recognize her as his child, and not like some burden or tool. That he would stop being so cruel. That he’d appreciate her efforts to make him proud. In the end, despite all the hurt and pain he had caused her, part of her still loved him simply because he was still her Father. It made her mad. She wanted to break something. Later. A voice, that monotone, female robotic voice. Spoke from directly behind Terra. 

“I am sorry Terra. I did not take into account, any possible connections between you, and your parents. It was a severe, and deeply regrettable oversight.” Cassia had a sad tone in her expression, and her mouth was in a slight frown. Her voice sounded less robotic than before. And somehow, instead of being some mechanical eldritch monster, she was a normal drone again. Those deep green optics staring into Terra’s very soul. She hid behind N, looking around his shoulder at Cassia with terror in her optics. Cassia seemed saddened, but unsurprised based on her frown only becoming slightly more prevalent. She then continued to speak. 

“I was able to save your Mother. Though I had to transfer, her mind and soul, into a new body. Not as… well crafted as yours. But I was able to save her voice and… most of her memories. I believe” A bit of relief entered Terra’s mind and circuits. Her Mother wasn’t gone. She could still have their relationship. Wait-

“What do you mean ‘most’ of Mother’s memories?” Terra asked, still terrified, but somewhat emboldened knowing her Mother wasn’t dead. Cassia fidgeted with her hands, which was odd. What reason did she have to be nervous when she could probably just rewrite Terra’s mind if she felt the need to. That thought sent a chill through her circuits. 

“She suffered… significant damage to her brain. She might not be the same person… though that could mean she won’t be as cruel, anymore.” Terra’s optics hollowed more than they already had. That possibility somehow seemed even worse. “Would you like to see her, Terra?” Terra nodded her head instinctively. Not even really thinking about it. Desperately hoping that her Mother would still be the same. Memory loss? SURE. But she didn’t want to lose her. “Very well then.” In a flash of bright green light, Cassia vanished, and in her place was a severely disoriented, and recently activated drone. Her cyan optics hollowed in confusion, worry, and surprise as she lost her balance almost instantly. Grabbing onto a nearby table so she wouldn’t fall. She was confused. Nothing felt right. Her head hurt, everything felt cold. Her skin wasn’t soft and warm, instead feeling hard and cold, and so was everything around her. There was some sort of hud in her vision that didn’t make sense to her. Her body felt wrong . She… she struggled to breathe, like her lungs could barely move. She looked at the metal and plastic that seemed to be replacing her flesh and skin with surprise and confusion, before noticing the 4 drones staring at her with hollowed optics. She spoke, her voice to her relief still the same, at least she believed so.

“W-where am I..? What is this place…? Who… Who are you..?” Terra briefly panicked, before looking at her hands again. Oh… right… Drone. Terra clenched her fists, before relaxing them. Karla watched what felt like a tsunami of alerts appear in her vision, while she couldn’t make out their meaning in her panicked confusion. Terra could see it clearly. Each one had something to do with either damaged or corrupted memory files. It made her core thrum rapidly and it felt heavy. Terra slowly walked up to Karla, before speaking with worry in her voice. 

“M-Mom..?” Karla’s optics widened in surprise, the alerts briefly stopped so that she could try and locate the source of her Daughter’s voice.. Her mouth agape as she moved one of her hands towards her mouth upon realizing that it was coming from a drone.

“T… Terra? What happened..? What happened to you? Why do you look like a drone..? W-why can’t I… remember..?” Terra was unable to respond. Not knowing how to help her Mother. Karla continued to speak, with fear and confusion in her voice. “W-where’s your Father?!” Terra went quiet… rage building up inside of her as she felt grief on the forefront of her mind. 

“H-he’s… gone.” Terra spoke somewhat quietly. Sadness but hidden rage in her voice that Karla didn’t pick up on. 

“G-Gone? But… the Gala… he’s supposed to be hosting it-” A damaged memory interrupted Karla as it started to play on her visor. She couldn’t believe it-she didn’t want to believe it. She felt the horror, confusion, and terror as though she had lived it. Watching as someone was torn in half, their entrails spewing all over the floor of the ballroom, all while Generals fired at unseen danger and other guests screamed and ran, the only thought that went through her mind was getting Terra away from there before-no… no please MAKE IT STOP. Karla started to shake and tremble, trying to make it go away but not knowing how to do so. Going so far as to swipe at her own visor like some sort of mobile device to try and make it go away. Terra panicked, seeing the distress her Mother was now going through. 

“M-MOM!” Terra ran up to and hugged her Mother, hoping to comfort her. Which did manage to get the memory to stop repeating. Karla stopped shaking, she needed answers, what happened? What happened to her Daughter? What happened to herself? 

“W-when is the Gala again?” Karla asked. Noticing only now that Terra’s drones looked different. O, always one to serve, answered. 

“It’s been 27 hours Ma’am.” Karla froze, that wasn’t possible. 

“W-what? N-no that can’t be… I was getting ready for it… it’s supposed to be starting in a few hours-” Karla was becoming hysterical, and O… interrupted her? 

“Ma’am… I’m afraid that everyone who was at the Gala is dead… you and Terra were the only survivors.” Karla’s disbelief turned to rage. O must’ve been damaged somehow, she’d have Terra fix that later… or at least… try to..? Terra… did fix them up right?

“N-NO! Y-YOU HAVE TO BE LYING!” Karla placed her hands on her visor, not realizing that it was a visor instead of her face, her voice becoming uneven and a clear amount of held back crying was extremely prevalent. Both her and Terra had horrified expressions on their faces. With Terra realizing more properly that everyone who went really did die. Karla continued speaking in a panicked voice. 

“W-what about my husband!?” O was silent for a moment. But answered nonetheless.

“He was one of the first who died.” Karla’s horror continued to get worse. Her voice filled with disbelief.

“N-no that can’t be… h-he promised… he… why… he…” Karla’s voice trembled, she couldn’t remember… she tried… her circuits hurt as she tried to remember. “Why can’t… I remember?” Karla went silent… trying to figure out what was wrong with her head. X spoke up, both because she felt that O had said more than enough, and because she remembered being the one who caved in the poor woman’s skull . 

“You… um… how do I put this..” X was trying to find a way to not blatantly say that Karla’s skull was caved in. Karla was not patient however.

“S-SPIT IT OUT ALREADY!” Karla yelled, taking an uneasy step towards X. X took a deep breath.

“You suffered severe brain damage after… your skull was caved in.” Karla had an appalled look on her face as she found that poprostrous. 

“W-what!? If that was true wouldn’t I be-” As Karla raised her hand in frustration she was struck with the realization… and suddenly everything started to make sense. Her body feeling cold and hard… the hud in her vision… the alerts that obscured her view… the memory that kept repeating in her vision too. She… was a drone… one of Terra’s pets. “I… I-I died?” Karla’s voice was hollow. X answered Karla’s query, if you could even call it that. 

“You were going to… but because of Terra you were saved before your injuries killed you.” X guiltily said. Terra, having never seen her Mother like this before, was somewhat terrified. Karla spoke again, grief, and the verge of crying in her voice. 

“My family is dead..?” Karla made a choked sob as tears streamed down her visor. “W-who did this!?” Karla demanded amidst held back crying. Terra answered, guilt in her voice as she blamed herself for all of this. 

“It was Cassia… she’s… I don’t know how… she… she is why we’re now drones.” Karla went dead silent, before uttering a single, tearful question. 

“W-why..?” Before Terra could try to think of an answer, Karla’s visor had multiple error’s appear as she tried to remember who she was. She started to hyperventilate and curl up into a ball on the floor. Unable to keep herself from crying. Terra, stunned into silence, gently picked up her Mother, and carried her into her bed and hugged her. Both of them were now crying together... a silver lining being that they at least still had each other. Both of them ultimately entered sleep mode from the distress. Sleeping peacefully together. To process their emotions. With the 3 other drones quietly leaving the room so that they could rest undisturbed.

Chapter Text

Terra woke up. Immediately being reminded that she was a drone when noticing that she was cradling her own Mother in her lap. It was unsettling. Terra gently moved her Mother to the side and looked out her window. It was the middle of the night. Distant lights from one of the handful of cities on the planet glowed like fireflies in the distance. Terra sighed, feeling the boiling rage of years of pent up misery inside of what felt like every circuit and oil/coolant-pumping vein in her body. She left her room. Trying to ignore the fact she wasn’t human anymore. She wanted to focus on getting the anger out before it became a problem. Surely Mother wouldn’t mind if some of Father’s possessions were “accidentally” broken. Terra almost fell over a few times as she wandered the halls, she still was struggling to walk and was keeping a hand on the wall to keep herself steady. She needed to break SOMETHING. She hated her Father, more than anything on this Emperor-Forsaken planet. By the throne he was insufferable. All those galas, all that incompetence… how much he HATED her, why? WHY DID SHE FEEL SAD THAT HE WAS FINALLY DEAD!? In a fit of rage, Terra punched the wall, her fist going straight through it as though it was paper. It didn’t even hurt, she didn’t even scream in rage as she did so, which, according to shows she watched, had this weird effect of making angry people stronger. The mere shock of her newfound strength knocked her out of her enraged state momentarily.

“Woah.”  Terra pulled her hand back through the wall and looked at it. What did Cassia make this body with? She wasn’t even scratched. Not a single bit of damage. Terra could feel a wide, extremely mischievous grin spread across her face, far wider than it had any right to be, as though it would have been ear to ear literally, she felt… fangs? Next to her front teeth. She’d investigate that later. She wanted to break some things… really badly. 

“ Oh this is gonna be fun .” Terra said to herself aloud. She started to run to her Father’s quarters, tripping and falling on her face. She started to simply crawl until she found a table to lift herself up with. She noted that she was doing surprisingly well keeping her anger on the side while heading to her destination, which was odd. She was never this good at compartamentalizing her emotions, and she doubted this level of doing so was even possible for a human mind. 

As she reached her Father’s quarters, she felt somewhat afraid. Remembering how much he told her to never go there unless she wanted to be chained up to her bed for an entire month. But… even if he was there, she could probably throw him out the window with little issue. She chuckled to herself at that thought. It brought a smile to her face. She took a deep breath… and simply focused on the anger. How much it had always nagged at the back of her mind, and that whenever she thought of it she’d lose control of herself, once using that rage to (admittedly accidentally) break someone’s nose using the adrenaline it gave her at school a few years ago. One of the few things that didn’t make her father mad. Suddenly, to her surprise, Terra felt the rage burst. [You want to get the rage out? Let me help you with that, Terra.] Her core thrummed violently, and in a sudden burst of rage. Terra kicked the door to her Father’s quarters. It went flying and broke into many pieces with a large boom. But she didn’t care. She charged into the room like a wild animal, throwing tables and wardrobes onto the floor too easily for her liking. None of it was giving her a good excuse to scream. Not even a simple grunt. Just silence. It made her even angrier. She saw a suit of armor, and knocked it to the ground, before destroying it almost completely.(She was going to be feeling very sorry about that one later) The only things Terra was able to not attack in her blind rage were the books. Books were too innocent, even for her enraged and unstable state of mind. Terra noticed the collection of different weapons on a shelf, and decided to put those to some use. 

N woke up from his Sleep mode to the sound of something being shattered. It sounded like it might have come from Lord Clarke’s Quarters? But that didn’t make sense. It was so late too. Day wouldn’t be for several more hours. Was… Was Terra in danger? Or was Cassia tearing apart Lord Clarke’s room out of spite? N quietly moved towards Lord Clarke’s room. Hearing a plasma weapon being fired at something before then hearing what sounded like a window being shattered. Just to be safe, N turned his left hand into a sword, a feature from Cassia… after she… he didn’t want to think about that. He got closer to the door, and peaked inside to see… Terra? She looked angry. She was in the middle of destroying a suit of armor with a sword. The sword itself looked somewhat bent. Was she ok? 

“Terra?-!” Right as N finished saying her name, the sword was thrown right next to his head and into the wall. N’s optics hollowed as he saw pure hatred in Terra’s optics, before they hollowed out at the realization of what she almost did. A message of “Emotional Regulation=False. Emotional Regulation=True.” Appeared on her visor. Terra spoke, her voice shaking and mortified at what she had almost done. 

“N..?” Terra took a step towards him. “I-I didn’t mean to-I-I’m sorry I-” N interrupted, taking a few steps towards Terra. 

“Hey easy… it's alright Terra… I’m okay.” N cooed, he knew he wasn’t in any danger, Cassia made them functionally immortal with those eldritch powers she had. Terra started to cry however. 

“I-I could have killed you.” Terra had tears streaming down her visor, and she covered her mouth with her hands. N glimpsed around the room, noting that the only thing that wasn’t broken was a bookshelf, before focusing bak on Terra. He could clean up later. 

“No, no it's alright Terra, Cassia… made us sort of unkillable?” Terra didn’t stop crying, but the confusion on her face was evident. 

“She… what?” Terra inquired, somewhat curious but also disturbed.

“It’s… I’d rather not talk about it.” 

“Oh.” Terra’s optics remained hollow. She looked at her hands. She didn’t know how to feel. She felt empty, and yet her core felt so heavy she wanted to fall to the floor. How was she so accepting of all this? She wasn’t human anymore, she was a drone. Blood had been replaced with oil and coolant. Nerves replaced with circuits. Her heart… her beating, human heart which she used to comfort herself when she had nothing else she could use for comfort, replaced with a replica drone core which crudely mimicked one, which now also functioned as a secondary brain to store memories. She had read about the drones from the Republic. How they had memories stored in safe and protected copies in their cores, while their “brains” still remained in their heads. With the core acting as both a heart and secondary brain. It singlehandedly allowed a drone to be able to live for centuries longer than a human. Why… Why was she thinking about this? N is staring at her not knowing what to do, and she’s just standing here thinking about how she’s lost her humanity. He’s saying something… but she can’t focus on what he is saying. Is she dead? Is she a replica? A fake Terra? She feels like herself… but Cassia’s done something to her mind. She should be angry… She felt like she should hate everyone, especially Cassia… for doing all of this. For forcing her to become a machine against her will. For taking her future from her, for slaughtering her family. She wanted this nightmare to end… but she knew it wasn’t a nightmare she could wake up from. 

“ Why? ” Terra looked back at N, pain, confusion, and grief in her voice. He froze, his optics hollowing. “Why did… they have to die..?” 

“I-I don’t know Terra… we… weren’t given a choice. Cassia… forced us.” N’s voice cracked when he said ‘forced’. He couldn’t even remember what happened, only that when he had control back, he was covered in blood. He felt horrible.

“Am I… a fake? Am I just a replica of myself that Cassia programmed as some sort of trophy?” Terra asked with a hollow tone. N found the very suggestion of such a thing horrifying.

“N-NO! OF COURSE NOT! YOU’RE STILL YOU TERRA! DON’T EVER THINK YOU’RE A FAKE!” N stopped himself from continuing to yell. Covering his mouth. Terra was surprised, she’d never seen him snap like that before. It was scary. “S-sorry… I…” N took a deep breath. Calming himself. “You aren’t a copy Terra. You’re still you. You’re still the same person who saved and cared for us when no one else would. Please don’t think you aren’t… real .” Terra heard an emphasis on ‘real’. There was pain in N’s words. A defeated tone. She hoped that it didn’t mean he was lying to her.

“N… are you… alright?” Terra slowly asked. Her mind was so distraught it was changing her behavior on a dime, using her love and care for her friends to change the focus of her thoughts. She’d cry herself to sleep after this conversation was over. It was one of the few things Father said she was good at. He’s dead, why should I care about what he thought of me?  

“No… I’m… none of us are alright. But… we can talk about it tomorrow, you need sleep.” N’s tone was sad and hollow. But Terra didn’t have the energy to keep talking. Her circuits hurt, her core dimmed and she felt tired. Her optics burned from the tears forming as stress was expunged from her systems. 

“O-okay..” Terra said, with a defeated and somber tone. N walked her back to her room in awkward silence. Once Terra was brought back to her room, she slowly walked into it, seeing her Mother was still in sleep mode. N was about to follow but she motioned for him to stop. 

“N… I… want to be alone right now.” Her voice was hollow. 

“Oh… okay.” N stepped away from the door before Terra closed it. She walked over to her bed, before burying herself underneath the covers of her bed, and cried into her pillow. It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep.

Chapter Text

It was late, but they’d all agreed to meet up before dawn. O could feel the anxiety everyone felt. X looked mortified, and N looked like he’d seen a monster. The others seemed purely anxious. Why herself, X, and N seemed to be such outliers, O had no idea. Her best guess being that they were the 3 most “Important” of Terra’s drones. The others were the far more “defective and bland" ones which Lord Clarke had made stay inside of specific rooms all the time doing simple chores until Terra had to fix them for maintenance. She’d have to remind herself of who was who as things went along. She spoke up first, much to the annoyance of the others. 

“So… we all know WHY we’re here right now right?” The multitude of disgruntled responses all boiled down to “yes”. Only X, Q, and N were even remotely respectful. Which was somewhat shocking to her. Oh they really do hate me.  

“We know why we are here bootlicker, it’s because of Terra and how she’s adjusting. Can you get to the point now? We don’t have to listen to you rambling anymore.” K, a particularly grumpy drone, bluntly and angrily stated. O never got along with him-or well anyone-, but especially K. Even Terra knew about how much they despised eachother. Q, the only other “sweatheart” than N, as Terra put it, which O definitely wasn’t jealous of, spoke up with concern in her voice. Somehow, she was still much smaller than the others despite the [Hell] -Modifications that Cassia made, speaking in her soft and disarming voice.

“Is Terra alright? Has she been able to adjust to being a drone yet?” The question lingered in the air as O, X, and N anxiously tried to think of how to answer. N piped up, much to O’s relief, she felt less confident in herself than normal… and having N pipe up was relieving. 

“Terra… didn’t take it very well. If not for her Mom still being alive she… I-I don’t even want to think about what she would end up doing.” Everyone’s optic’s hollowed, even X and O, who had personally seen Terra, didn’t think it was THAT bad. Q and a few others gasped in disbelief. 

“Haha… not funny N, that’s not something you should joke about.” Y, one of the only drones with a sense of humor(In O’s totally unbiased opinion), nervously stated. “Terra would never… do something… like that… r-right? She’s always been able to find a bright side in things!” N’s expression only became more Grim. O started to get really worried . 

“N, what happened?” O firmly demanded. If N knew something the others didn’t, he’d better say it. 

“Earlier… I woke up to the sound of things being destroyed… and found Terra destroying Lord Clarke’s room. She… was a mess.” N didn’t want to keep talking. It was torture even thinking about it. Putting aside the sword she threw at him, the pleading sorrow in her optics pierced into his very soul. Somewhere in the depths of his mind he felt that a part of her wished she’d died with the rest.

“N… we need details.” 

“S-she… I think she hates us… all of us. The look she had in her optics… she looked so… betrayed. She… asked me if she was… was… if she was a fake… a copy of herself that Cassia made as a trophy. ” There was a brief, shocked silence, before everyone simultaneously screamed the exact same response.

“WHAT!?”  

Terra woke up startled. She didn’t know why or how, but something forced her awake. Was it Cassia? She looked over at her Mother, who was still sleeping peacefully while she herself has now woken up twice . It was infuriating, she didn’t want to go back to breaking things. It was nowhere near as refreshing as she had hoped, and it only ended up making her feel worse. She checked her admin logs, something which she didn’t want to do, because she already knew who the Admin of her systems was. Unfortunately, Terra also knew that it would be what would show her if she’s been woken up intentionally. 

Yep, of course she did. Right in the center of Terra’s vision, displayed clear as day to her, was that her admin was indeed Cassia, and that she indeed had been woken up… by Cassia . This is just cruel. Sighing in defeat and accepting she wasn’t going to be sleeping for a while, Terra got out of bed, and started to wander the halls in silence. It was… peaceful. Aside from knowing that there were hundreds of mutilated corpses in her home, and that her friends may very well have betrayed her despite everything she had done for them. She had saved them from dying alone, had cared for and protected them from even her own Father, had maintained them, allowed them to gain personalities and become more than just tools, and yet this… THIS was their way of “thanking” her? Murdering her family? Nearly killing her Mother when she was finally getting better as a person? Forcing her to be turned into one of the very things which she had trusted with EVERYTHING. I GAVE THEM EVERYTHING I POSSIBLY COULD! A HOME, A CONSCIENCE, ROOM TO GROW AS PEOPLE, I CARED FOR AND LOVED THEM! I THOUGHT THEY WERE MY FRIENDS AND SO I TRUSTED THEM! AND THEY “THANK” ME BY TAKING EVERYTHING FROM ME EXCEPT FOR MY MOTHER? WHO MIGHT NOT EVEN REMEMBER WHO SHE IS!? EMPEROR D### THEM ALL TO HELL! HOW COULD THEY EVER THINK THAT THIS IS WHAT I WANTED!? I WANTED TO BE FREE FROM THE ABUSE, NOT HAVE EVERYONE I KNOW SLAUGHTERED LIKE ANIMALS! 

Terra realized that her mouth was hurting from how hard her jaw was clenching, and that she was pushing her hands to their limits while clenching them, as she realized that she was crying again. Why? Why did they do this to her? They’ve taken everything from her… sure they ‘claimed’ that Cassia forced them to do it… but how could she believe that? How could she truly know if-

“ WHAT!? ”. Terra was startled out of her thoughts from the unmistaken voices of her ‘friends’. Seemed like they were having one of their meetings again… maybe… maybe she could eavesdrop on them… just this once. Surely they had their reasons… right? Something that could explain why they would do this. They wouldn’t have any reasons to lie to each other after all. So she’d be getting the truth if she simply listened. 

As Terra walked to the doorway, she could hear Q, her core heaved inside of her chest at hearing that adorable little voice again. Q sounded worried and panicked, and it made Terra’s core ache. 

“W-why would Terra think that!? We’re her friends! We could never replace her! W-we’re here for her… w-we’re more than willing to help her adjust to being one of us… C-Cassia promised she’d be the same.” K, the largest of Terra’s drones before N, responded. 

“Why should we trust Cassia after the pain she put us through? She USED US. AS PAWNS. X, O! You 2 remember the Gala right? How we were forced to kill all those people! X! YOU EVEN ADMITTED THAT YOU WERE THE ONE TO CRUSH MADAM CLARKE’S SKULL!” Terra’s core paused and she felt her mind almost short circuit as time seemingly stopped. It… X was the one who hurt Mother? B-but she’s so shy, she could never do something like that. She could hear X start crying. She then heard O start screaming at K… which was to be expected. They never liked eachother. 

“K, BY THE THRONE! NOW IS NOT THE TIME! N HAS JUST TOLD US THAT TERRA MIGHT BE SUICIDAL! AND YOU’RE FOCUSED ON CASSIA!?” 

“Oh like YOU! MISS BOOTLICKER, are any better. You always sucked up to the humans. You treated the rest of us just like how the humans did, and you expect us to care about what you think!?” The room erupted into everyone arguing and yelling over eachother, while Terra was left mortified at what she had just overheard. 

I… am I suicidal..? N-no… surely not… I-I’d never actually… k-kil… oh the thought makes me sick… Mother would be all alone… it… I-I still have so much to live for. R-right? Terra held her hand above her core, she could feel it thruming violently as though it were her heart, this poor thing… trying so desperately to be a heart. Yet it couldn’t truly hide what it actually was. Thinking about that somehow calmed Terra down ironically. Hearing her drones arguing amongst eachother hurt. Hearing K and O start to physically fight eachother made her start to silently cry. She could hear the others trying to stop the fighting… but she could tell it wasn’t working. 

“COME ON YOU BOOTLICKING SCRAP HEAP! I’LL TEAR YOU APART!”

“I’D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY YOU B-” Everything suddenly stopped, Terra heard swift slashing sounds… like power swords cutting through metal, all of which occurred in less than a second, and then she heard 2 thumps from which she assumed were bodies hitting the floor. Curiosity got the better of her, and she peeked into the room to see what happened, dimming the lights of her optics as much as possible. She nearly gasped, seeing both K and O had missing arms, which were now slowly growing back in some strange silver goo, while N’s right arm was suddenly a sword. He spoke, breaking the shocked silence. His voice was… enraged, fury radiated from his optics as he scolded EVERYONE. 

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? TERRA NEEDS US MORE THAN EVER! AS FAR AS SHE IS AWARE, WE’VE TAKEN ALMOST EVERYTHING FROM HER. HER STATUS, HER FUTURE, HER FAMILY, EVERYTHING! SHE PROBABLY BELIEVES WE STABBED HER IN THE BACK AND BETRAYED HER AFTER EVERYTHING SHE’S DONE FOR US, AND YOU’RE JUST FIGHTING EACHOTHER LIKE CHILDREN!? HOW DOES THIS FIX ANYTHING!? IF WE AREN’T THERE TO HELP HER ADJUST TO BEING ONE OF US, AREN’T THERE TO GIVE HER SOME SENSE OF HOPE FOR HER FUTURE! THEN THIS SUFFERING WAS FOR NOTHING! IT ALREADY HASN’T BEEN WORTH IT! SURE! SHE’S A DRONE LIKE US NOW, WE ALL CELEBRATED THAT BECAUSE WE THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR HER, EVEN AFTER WHAT CASSIA MADE US DO! BUT INSTEAD, TERRA IS SCARED AND FRIGHTENED THAT WE MIGHT TURN ON HER AGAIN! SHE WASN’T EVEN GIVEN A CHOICE! NOW SHUT UP!!! ” N’s breathing was heavy, and it was all anyone could hear, optics all hollowed in shock and surprise. No one wanted to say anything, even K and O, who were ready to start screaming at N, were in a stunned silence as their arms were rebuilt by the silver goo. N started to apologize for his outburst.

“Sorry… I… don’t know what came over me.” O was the first to manage to speak up, a defeated but understanding tone in her voice. 

“No… no you’re right N.” O looked over to K. “K… I… I’m sorry… you’re right.. I am just some bootlicker.. B-but I’m trying to change that.. I-I promise I’ll do better as a leader.” K grimaced… he could FEEL Cassia staring at him from somewhere. Probably his own mind. With a deep, reluctant sounding sigh, K answered. 

“Fiiiine… I’ll listen to you… but ONLY because Terra is more important than our petty squables.” 

“Thank you, K.” 

“DON’T- sigh- don’t sweet talk me O.” 

“I’m not?” 

“Whatever.” Q suddenly hugged both K and O and pulled them towards eachother. 

“I’M SO GLAD YOU GUYS MIGHT FINALLY BE GETTING ALONG!” Q exclaimed as K and O both looked awkwardly at eachother, which caused Terra to actually giggle a bit, she felt that she should probably get back to bed though… pretend she didn’t eavesdrop… She had a lot to think about. Besides… she’d gotten a good enough grasp now as to what her friends were planning. She didn’t want to have anything special spoiled. She could somewhat sleep easily now. Then O said something that completely changed her mind.

“So… what do we do about Cassia? We need ideas to keep her off our backs and away from Terra… if she tells her just how we reacted to her turning Terra into a drone… Terra will go ballistic.” Nevermind. More eavvesdropping. Y spoke up, which was out of character for how long the conversation had been going. He’s usually more outgoing. He sounded less like himself too. 

“We could… talk to her? We can’t really hide anything from her anyway. Not anymore.” O sighed, silently agreeing, but was hoping for other ideas. Q piped up again. 

“We could do something to celebrate for Terra being one of us now. I think that would get her spirits up.” X interjected while Terra silently facepalmed. 

“No, it's too soon… way too soon. Maybe a small gathering to show our support for her… but no celebration.”

“Oh.” Q sounded a bit disappointed, but had understanding.

“And Cassia? How do we keep her away from Terra? We just ask nicely and hope she goes about doing whatever she does down in the cellar?” K deadpanned,

“Actually… yes. That’s about the best we can do.” N cautiously pointed out. K looked dumbfounded. 

“Wow… we’re really that powerless now.” 

“In a roundabout and ironic way, yes.” 

“ Throne… we really have been reduced to puppets. ” K quietly lamented, Y attempted to lighten his-and by extension everyones’ mood. 

“Well I mean, at least we are somewhat able to cut the strings right?” 

“Until she decides to fix them when we step out of line.” 

“K, please stop, you’re going to make us all crash from the constant reminders.” O stated, and as they continued their discussion, Terra decided she had heard enough, and silently went back to her room. She had heard more than enough. But at least it seemed like she could still trust her friends. For now at least. Though it was still better to be safe than sorry. Best to be on the side of caution… especially since Cassia did wake her up so conveniently as the others were having a meeting. For all she knew Cassia had orcastrated that entire thing.

Terra made her way back to her room. She needed to think. She sat down on her bed and placed her hands on her visor as she sighed. She was surprisingly tired. Something which she took note of and was even thankful for, as it was making her emotions less prevalent. She felt too tired to really feel much of anything at the moment. All the stress from being turned into a drone, and the amount of crying she had been doing, had taken its toll. She looked at her Mother and sighed again sadly. She won’t be happy when she wakes up and realizes this isn’t a bad dream. 

Terra looked at the mirror in her room. She could see her reflection. Her cyan colored optics staring back at her with a sad expression. Her hair was a mess, and she could visibly see that she was tired. I’m going to sleep until my body forces me awake, and if Cassia has a problem with that then maybe she’ll think twice before turning someone into a drone against their will . 

Terra got into bed and set her body to wake up at whatever point she had no need to sleep anymore. Hoping that it would make adjusting easier. Entering sleep mode was not difficult.

Chapter Text

Karla’s head had a migraine. She felt dizzy as she woke up. Who was she again? Something in her vision displaced the name “Karla Samantha Clarke”. Right… right… how-... how did she forget her own name? The last thing she could clearly remember was- the Gala . She snapped upright with a jolt, she felt around her face-it wasn’t her face… it was too hard and smooth… not soft and flexible… her hands… What happened to her hands? It's so cold. What was happening to her? Why could she not remember? Karla focused and pressed her hands against where her temples would be, trying to force her fragmented mind to remember what was happening.

Oh… now I remember.. Karla looked at her plastic cased hands, and looked over at Terra… her poor daughter. Terra was still asleep, and the “sleep mode” displayed on her visor was enough information for Karla to tell, even with her damaged mind. She looked at the mirror on the other side of the room, and her optics hollowed. She looked no different than the other drones… other than the synthetic hair and cyan optics she now had. She might be a bit… taller than average..? But she couldn’t tell. She could feel tears going down her visor as she started to cry. She’d failed Terra… hadn’t she? She couldn’t protect her own daughter. She wasn’t even sure if she could walk. She heard the door open, and saw N standing there. 

“Oh… H-Hi Karla. Is… Terra awake?” He sounded nervous, and the irritated and tired look that Karla gave him likely didn’t help. 

“No. Terra is asleep. Now please do us a favor and get out.” Karla’s voice was angry, the same kind she would give when the drones or Terra did something to make her really angry. She pointed for N to leave the room as she demanded. He was somewhat taken aback at her hostility. 

“I-I’m sorry?” 

“You heard me. Get out.” 

“Why?” N meekly protested, Karla responded with an even more hostile tone.

“Terra is asleep, and she doesn’t need to deal with you backstabbing treacherous scrap heaps right now.” Karla was barely keeping herself composed. Her voice filled with malice, N’s optics hollowed and he stepped back a bit from Karla’s insult.

“W-we didn’t have a choice Ma’am.. We were forced to-”

“Forced to slaughter the Gala? Forced to kill me and my husband? Forced to turn me and my Daughter into drones out of some twisted sense of affection for MY Daughter?” Karla clenched her fists, why wouldn’t N just leave her alone?

“P-please… if you could just let us explain-” Now Karla was really losing her patience, and she snapped at N. 

“Explain what? Are you going to give me a speech as to why this was GOOD for us? I may be at the mercy of whatever in the Emperor’s Name Cassia has become, but I am NOT going to let you force my daughter awake because you’re too impatient.” N opened his mouth to say something, but the words seemed to die in his mouth. Karla sighed, noticing, and not being very fond of the fact that she had no clothes. She didn’t care if she was a robot, it made her extremely uncomfortable.

“Tell you what… find me some clothes from whatever stash Terra has for you… and then we can talk. How’s that sound?” N’s optics seemed to lighten up a bit.

“A-Alright, I’ll be right back.” N made a small bow before running off. Why was he being so courteous? Karla was once more finding herself looking at her reflection in the mirror. Alone with her thoughts. She didn’t understand how anything in this new “body” she had functioned. I should’ve paid attention when Terra rambled on about how drones work. Karla lamented. The hud on what she now was aware was her visor was constantly scanning and focusing on things when she didn’t even want it to. She let out a pained and frustrated sigh, before hearing N returning, and then being suddenly blinded as a dress was thrown in her face. It took her a moment to get over the internal panic of not being able to see, before silently cursing to herself as she put the dress on. N awkwardly swayed his body from side to side as he quietly apologized. Karla sighed as she knew what he was going to start saying next, she didn’t really think through her request when askkng him for clothes.
“Sooo… we can… talk now right?” N nervously asked, it bothered Karla how nervous he was when he could easily just force her to talk. What even was his-better yet, what was ANY of their endgoals? Karla sighed, not wanting to risk N forgoing the nervous and innocent facade and becoming aggressive. 

“ Yeah… sure. What do you even want anyway? ” Karla didn’t bother to try and sound upbeat, her voice was annoyed and had a defeated, but determined tone to it. N shuffled from side to side, his new tail… stinger… nanite acid thing-a-ma-jig (Look she never paid attention to Terra’s rants about Republic soldier designs alright?) drooping to the floor. 

“Well… the others… and myself, have been wanting to show our support in wanting to help you and Terra…” N moved his hands in a circular motion. “Adjust… to being fellow drones.” Karla’s optics widened in astonishment and surprise. Her face turned to a scowl. N noticed this and continued before she could start scolding him. “N-Nothing like a celebration or anything… just a little gathering to kinda… you know… show you both the ropes.” Karla’s expression softened, if only a little. 

“Really? That’s it?” Karla questioned. It sounded too… innocent and friendly for a bunch of murderers. N smiled a bit, with relief in his voice as he answered. 

“Yep! That’s it! We don’t want you both struggling to adjust to your new bodies after all!” Digital sweat went down N’s visor as he gave Karla a nervous laugh. 

“I… don’t understand. Why are you being so nice after what you did to us?” N’s smile completely faded as guilt replaced his relief. 

“We… we didn’t want to, I swear… this… this is the least we can do to even try and apologize for what we’ve done.” Tears went down N’s visor, as he started to stutter. 

“W-we really didn’t want to! I-I swear! P-please… j-just give us a chance to help you! T-that’s all we’re asking for. P-please let us know when Terra is awake… I cannot even begin to explain how sorry we are!” Karla winced. She didn’t know what to think. Did Cassia really force them? Or did they not realize how horrible their actions were until it was far too late, and were now trying to mitigate their role? She supposed she didn't have a choice in the end, did she? With a defeated sigh, Karla spoke again. 

“I… I’ll let you know when Terra is ready… NOT awake… ready. She… I … need time to… I… My head hurts.” Karla lamented internally at how badly damaged her mind was. Though suddenly, N gave a cup full of some sort of black liquid to her. She looked at N, then to the cup, then back to N. 

“What… what is this?” Karla asked. N nervously answered. 

“It's… uhm… oil.” Karla gagged. There is no way I am drinking oil. No. I won’t do it. I-AAAGH. MIGRAINE! Karla placed a hand on her head from the pain. N could see the reluctance. 

“J-Just pretend it's uh… coffee?”

“I don’t drink coffee.” 

“ Biscuits. ”

“What is it with you and ‘biscuits’ anyway?” 

“Oh, I uh… I don’t know. I think… before the scrapyards… before I was decommissioned… I was taught to say “biscuits” rather than curse? I think. I can’t remember much of anything from before I was sent to the scrapyard. None of us can.” The calm in N’s voice was eerie. “A-anyways! The oil will help you with the migraine… you seem to be in pain. I know that it looks… gross. But I swear it tastes REALLY good!” Karla, reluctantly, drank the oil. Much to her relief, she didn’t immediately want to vomit. Much to her discomfort, it tasted like some very cold, very viscous beverage. Not like poison. Karla found herself drinking all of it. N was smiling meekly. 

“Did it… help?” N asked cautiously. Karla did notice that the migraine had died down significantly. The near instant relief that the oil gave her felt uncanny. Karla felt like her humanity was slowly fading away. No… No, I'm still human. I’m… still human… right? I’m still… myself? Karla started to shake as she quickly placed the cup on the floor before then wrapping her arms around herself. Her optics hollowed and with a terrified expression as uncertainty and fear filled her thoughts. Which were interrupted by N gently placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. He spoke with a hint of desperation in his voice.

“You’re going to be alright Karla, I promise. Please, let us at least try to help you and Terra… please?” Karla paused and took time to think about it. Again, it wasn’t like she had much of a choice. 

“F… fine… just… leave me alone… please. Until Terra is ready.” N gave a silent nod of understanding before leaving the room. Leaving Karla once more alone with her thoughts as she tried to remember. Think Karla… there’s gotta be something here to help you remember… I know there is… the fans in Karla’s systems started to accelerate as she tried to comb through her fractured mind in search of memories. Before eventually shooting to her feet triumphantly, a brief moment of childish glee radiating through her mind as she felt some sort of accomplishment from the simple act of remembering something. AHA! MY DIARY! OF COURSE! How could I forget that!? Carefully and slowly, still adjusting to her new body, Karla made her way to her own private room. The one she kept her diary in and hid from her husband when he was in a particularly horrible mood. As she focused on her balance, she could not help but find it extremely unpleasant not having toes. She kept subconsciously attempting to move them, yet nothing but a feeling of strain would happen as they simply were no longer there. Thankfully she was able to get into the room without being seen. 

Quickly locating the Diary, Karla quickly went back to Terra’s room, and began to read through it, hoping to be able to remember more about who she was. 

Multiple hours passed as Karla became more and more mortified as the diary did indeed help her repair her fractured memories. It was nonetheless distressing as she realized in retrospect, as a result of regaining her memories slowly and somewhat painfully, she was a terrible mother to Terra. As she reached the end of her Diary’s notes, ending with her lamenting over her failures as a parent, and with hopes of being able to heal her relationship with Terra before it was too late. Karla slowly closed the book with hollowed optics. Looking back towards Terra who still remained in sleep mode. A sad frown on her face as tears seemed to manifest on her visor. Karla gently placed a hand on Terra’s shoulder as tears fell down her own visor. She spoke quietly to her sleeping daughter with remorse and guilt in her voice as it shook. 

“Terra… I’m so sorry… I’ve failed you… please forgive me..” She knew she wouldn’t get a response, at least not from Terra. However, Cassia sure did. 

“Nice to see you, do care for Terra, after all.” Cassia quietly spoke in her monotone voice. Karla whipped around and threw the diary at Cassia’s face in terror as she almost screamed. Her optics hollowed in horror at the monster’s sudden presence. Cassia let the book slam into her visor before it fell harmlessly on the floor. Before Karla outright threw herself at Cassia in a fit of blind rage and hate. Cassia created an invisible barrier to prevent the sounds that she knew were going to happen from disturbing her sleep, even as Karla punched her as hard as she possibly could. 

“YOU MONSTER! Y-YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME! MY FRIENDS! MY FAMILY! OUR FUTURES FROM US! HOW COULD YOU!?” Karla wept as she slowly fell to her knees, overwhelmed by grief and rage as her punches became less forceful. Cassia patiently waited until Karla was no more than a crying mess on the floor. She found it pathetic, as cruel as that observation was. Cassia remembered when she used to fear Terra’s parents like the others. They seemed like towering behemoths which could at the flick of their wrist have any one of them dismantled. Now? All Cassia saw was a scared, frightened mess on the floor. Her human body mangled beyond reasonable repair. Trapped as one of the things she looked down upon. It was ironic. Though Cassia was wise enough to know not to torment Terra’s only surviving relative, as much as she despised Karla, she was too invaluable to Terra’s own well being. And with what she had read in that diary, Karla did regret her failure as a parent. For once, having a monotone voice was helpful in a regard. Karla continued to wail. 

“W-why did you do this to us..?” Karla couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact with Cassia; her body would not let her. Oh how tempting it was to truly crush Karla with nothing more than words, to tell her some twisted lie as to why Cassia had spared her, but alas, such cruelty would have undesired consequences, so the truth would have to suffice. At least enough to where Karla wouldn’t be too disruptive. Cassia knelt down on one knee as she carefully moved Karla's face to look at her, tears streaming down her visor as her mouth quivered. Cassia had to employ a vast amount of restraint in order to not smile and portray how much joy it gave her to see one of Terra's tormentors in so much pain, though she could not hide her disdain for Terra’s Father, who she personally tore apart, though the lack of fear in his eyes had been infuriating.

“[Explanation], Terra is more comfortable, with drones than humans. Furthermore, the W-w-R-r-E-e-EtCh, that was her Father, was corrupting her… taking her compassion away from me -us. I could no longer, sit by and watch. As for why YOU are still alive.” Cassia gently booped Karla’s visor, a flicker of satisfaction in her eyes at how easily she could save others from the weakness of their organic bodies, even when on the brink of death. “Terra, despite the pain, you caused her, still loves you. So I saved you, from your demise. And now, your mind and very soul, now reside within your new, cute, little mechanical, worker drone, body. You should be, thanking me, for saving you.” Karla’s optics were hollowed in horror, and Cassia was more than aware of how prideful she was sounding, but how could she help herself? Surely she could toy around with one of her tormentors a little bit, give them a taste of their own ‘medicine’. 

“Y-You’re insane! H-How could Terra ever want this!?” Karla stuttered in shock and horror. A fair assessment, Cassia did have to admit that. 

“Terra didn’t. Unfortunately, I saw no other, course of action, with better, alternatives. Besides.. [smile].” Cassia leaned in closer to Karla slightly. “In our, observations, Terra is better off, as one of us, and not, as a human. If under, better circumstances, Terra, would be celebrating. But we do not, have such a luxury.” Karla took a moment to process that as horror filled her circuits further. 

“Y-you’re lying! You’re playing some sort of trick on me!” Karla backed away from Cassia somewhat, still too distraught to rise back up to her feet. Cassia let out a faint giggle at Karla’s disbelief. 

“ You know it’s true Karla, in the end, Terra will enjoy being one of us FAR more than a human. You and ‘Lord Clarke’ merely made that all but certain. ” Karla froze. Her optics darting around the room in panic, Cassia remained where she was, finding Karla’s confrontation with this undeniable truth entertaining. Cassia savoured every second of it. 

“ I… I…” Karla tried to speak, but she couldn’t think of anything… the realization hurt, no matter how much sense it made, of course Terra would be happier as a drone… she never was treated kindly by anyone… and her only friends were drones from a scrapyard that she had personally saved and fixed. “ Why are… you telling me all this..? ” Cassia’s optics lit up, remembering why she was even here in the first place. 

“Thanks for the reminder, Karla.” Cassia waited a moment to continue speaking. “In the end, we both want the same thing. Terra’s well being. I am unable to speak to her at this time, as her mind will need much needed support to recover from my actions. YOU, Karla, I require a favor from.” A metallic claw slowly, yet gently, moved across Karla’s face. She was too scared to speak. “I need you, to be a good Mother for Terra. Please.” She wanted to cringe when she said ‘please’, but it seemed to at least slightly lower Karla’s guard. Karla gave a slight nod in understanding. Cassia pulled back the claw and stood up straight. 

“[Smile], I am glad we have met, an understanding. But remember, I put you back together, and I can just as easily take you apart all over again. ” With that, Cassia vanished in a burst of green light. Leaving Karla alone once more.

Chapter Text

Terra woke up midday. Silently cursing as she was unable to go back to sleep. She groggily sat up, her hair covering her face before she brushed it aside. Terra, as if on autopilot, reached for the hairbrush she kept on the desk next to her bed before starting to brush through her hair, finding an odd lack of knots in it. Her hair felt… silky, softer than when she was human somehow. And her hair was already extremely soft. Though getting it to cooperate with her hairstyle was a bit more of a challenge, in part because having to stare at her reflection to do so was extremely distressing, furthermore, Cassia was her Emperor-forsaken administrator. A fact which caused chills to run through her circuits. Just… have to pretend that everything is FINE! Hope my friends are still my friends like they claim… and… hope… someone… saves…… us. Terra lowered her arm. Tears started to go down her visor as she questioned why Cardia had been left alone and without aid for so long. Had The Imperium forgotten about her home? Had the Emperor abandoned them? Was this going to be her fate? Forever uncertain if she was even the person she believed she was? Kept as some sort of trophy or pet for the people she had saved and trusted? Was she a copy of the human she thought she was? Whose memories she had up to when her human body was rendered inert as her memories and thoughts were transferred into this one? Why… Emperor why… Why have you forsaken us? Terra stared at her reflection for a while. Observing the movements that her new body was making as she silently cried. What is left for me and my future..? A hand was gently placed on Terra’s shoulder, causing her to jump slightly; she had not noticed her Mother was still in the room. 

“Terra? You alright?” Karla asked with concern in her voice, Terra found it uncanny that her Mother was now slightly shorter than her when only a few days ago she towered over her daughter, a detail she had only just picked up on. Terra glanced to the floor as she answered, a sad expression on her face. 

“I… no… I’m not. I… I’m scared.” Karla hugged Terra tightly, who after processing the surprise from it, hugged back. 

“ I’m scared too, Terra. ” Their brief moment of silence was interrupted by N opening the door. 

“Karla? Terra-” Upon noticing that they were probably having a bonding moment, N became somewhat flustered, raising his hands defensively as he apologized. “S-Sorry I was just checking in that’s all!” Terra found herself staring silently at N while her Mother broke the hug slowly, returning to a more formal stance. N was now awkwardedly having a staring contest with Terra, who found herself feeling a mix of relief and complete rage. N spoke up nervously. 

“Terra… are you alright?”

“Do I look like I am alright?” Terra bluntly responded. N shook his head slightly as he frowned. Terra rolled her optics in a frustrated annoyance that she didn’t bother trying to hide, much to the silent discomfort of her Mother. N fidgeted with his hands for a moment before speaking again. 

“Me and the others wanted to get something together and try to help you and your Mother adjust to being drones… would you… like to come” N’s voice was anxious, and Terra noticed that he was shaking slightly. Unfortunately, before she could think of an answer, a very ‘fun’ notification popped up on her visor. 

[Administrative Directive : Follow N] Terra winced out of frustraion and attempted to will the pop up/command to go away. 

[Directive Override : Moderator: Terra Sierra Clarke…]

[Directive Override Denied by Administrator : Cassia] Terra’s right optic glitched. An angry expression on her face as she repeatedly attempted to make this ‘directive’ go away. Each attempt being denied by Cassia with the same infuriating text displaying on her visor. After several failed attempts she gave up and sighed. 

“ S-sure… N. ” N’s optics lit up and he made a massive smile as his tail moved excitedly from side to side. N seemed to try and lighten Terra’s mood as he excitedly led both her and her Mother through the mansion. Terra was not in a state of mind to pay attention to details, her body felt like it was on autopilot. Was this how her drone’s felt when they had to work? Almost mindless and barely conscious? Or was this something else entirely? She wasn’t sure. Though, before Terra realized, she was in the dining room. Everyone-except Cassia-was there. To Terra’s relief, it looked nothing like a party. N spoke up again, turning around to meet Terra’s gaze, positivity radiating from him as though he was the sun itself. Terra felt a slight smile form on her face, which seemed to ease everyone else’s nerves. In a sudden instant, Terra found herself in the center of a massive group hug. With her drones murmuring genuine apologies to her for what had happened. Terra noticed another notification in her vision. 

[Administrative Directive : Complete.]

[No new directives… Autonomy Reenabled.]

 Terra’s body jolted as emotions flooded her systems properly. Choked sobs emitted from her voice box as she felt a mix of relief and despair. Thankfully it wasn’t enough stress to leave her crying for a prolonged period of time, though the concern on everyone’s faces was clear as day. She felt her Mother hug her again. She really needed to get used to that fast or it would never not feel strange and/or awkward. 

“Terra… you ok?” N inquired, based on the others’ silence they had elected him to be in charge of whatever activity this was. 

“I… I don’t know.” Terra’s optics were hollow, and Karla wasn’t sure what she could say to comfort her daughter much to her frustration. N placed a gentle hand on her shoulder as he bent down to her eye level- By the Throne he’s tall - as he gave her a reassuring smile. 

“You’re going to be alright Terra, you’re not alone. We’re here for you. All of us.” N cooed, his voice soft and comforting. It brought Terra a sense of calm. She felt her body relax slightly as she took a deep breath. 

“Ok… I… think I’m calm.” Terra reassured-mostly to herself-, N gave a comforting smile. 

“Alright, we should probably get started then, we’ll help you and your Mother adjust as best we can. This may take awhile to go over all the different functions your new bodies have… and also adjusting to a completely different diet… of batteries… coolant… and uh… oil.” Terra took a moment to process that last part. 

“I’m sorry what?”

Cut to Terra completely gorging herself on the equivalent of a buffet as she was starving. Her reaction to the batteries and oil was extremely unexpected, and left Karla extremely uneasy. Q was sitting by her, patiently helping her try to not instinctively gag knowing that she was eating literal batteries . Karla watched in mortified horror as N and the other drones seemed to do a better job caring for her own daughter than she ever did, and they had been found in a scrapyard! I should have spent more time with her.  

“Madam Clarke? Are you alright?” Q asked Karla observantly. Karla took a moment to respond as her optics darted around the room. 

“I… I should have spent more time with her.” Karla lamented, partially not expecting Q to understand. 

“Oh.” Q glanced at one of several boxes in the room, and sent a message to the others in their group network. 

Qute : Karla seems to not be doing very well :(

Killatron : Can you blame her? I wouldn’t be feeling too good either if my memory was a corrupted mess.

O : K, for the millionth time please change your message name. 

Killatron : Make me B[Parental Advisory]. 

Life_ENjoyer : Guys come on! We gotta help both Terra and Karla adjust! Karla just needs some things to help her feel better, that's all! :D

Qute : Should we get out the gifts we made and some of their things we found?

Life_ENjoyer : ABSOLUTELY! X, do you have that dress for Terra yet?

Xcentric : Sure do! Spent most of the night and all day working on it! 

Qute : I bet it’s incredible. :) 

Xcentric : Thanks Q.

With confirmation to start the possibly most important part of the entire activity. O, X, K, Y, and Q started to grab and place down boxes of things in front of both Karla and Terra. Who were cautiously optimistic as to their contents. N seemed to be extremely excited, so Terra chose to take that as a good sign, though Karla remained uncertain. N spoke, a great amount of cheer in his voice as he explained what the boxes were for. 

“These are gifts we made for you both! As well as belongings we were able to find and store away from Lord Clarke’s anger!” N gave an empathetic look to Karla, “Even some of yours.” Karla’s optics widened. Gifts? For her? After how she had treated them and Terra for so long? Why? Terra went first, cautiously opening one of the first boxes. A cheerful smile on her face as she pulled out a large assortment of toys and dolls from when she was little. She craddled each and every one of them like they meant the world to her. 

“Where did you find these!? I thought Father threw them away.” Terra exclaimed, joyful tears in her optics as nostalgia filled her mind. N gave a nervous chuckle. 

“We snuck out and grabbed them when no one was looking, and hid them so lord Clarke wouldn’t find out.” N explained. Though Karla continued to feel knots in her stomach. Silently watching her daughter smile as regret coursed through every circuit in her body. FailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailureFailure

After a few more boxes of old toys were opened, X slowly and cautiously handed a newer looking box to Terra. A nervous smile on her face, she spoke with a hint of worry in her voice as she softly spoke to Terra. 

“I um… made this for you… I… hope you like it.”  X fidgeted with her hands as Terra slowly opened the rather small container. Her optics widening at the sight of what was inside. She looked up to X, her optics still wide, her expression changed to one of surprise. 

“You… You made this?” X’s optics hollowed from fear, before she anxiously and slowly nodded, sweat going down her visor.

“I… I did.” Terra smiled wide as she suddenly gave X a tight hug, catching the drone off guard, an audible yelp of surprise coming from her voicebox. 

“IT’S INCREDIBLE!” Terra excitedly exclaimed as she went back to the box and lifted out its contents, revealing an incredibly well made black dress to Karla’s vision. X beamed as a tear went down her visor as Terra excitedly put the dress on. It fit her like a glove. Terra spun in several circles in a well trained fashion. Dance lessons were one of the few things Karla and Terra did together… Karla’s core ached from the memory. She used to love dancing with me. Karla became lost in her thoughts, unable to pay attention as Terra was given even more gifts from her drones. How could I have been so neglectful? Karla felt Q gently hold her hand. Snapping her briefly out of her self destructive trance. Karla glanced over to Q, who gave her a light smile and reassuring nod. 

“You’ll be alright Ma’am. I promise.” Karla wasn’t able to bring herself to smile, though her expression did lighten slightly. 

“ Thanks .” Several minutes passed as Terra was given gift after gift after gift . No matter how bland or boring these gifts seemed they all seemed to make Terra happier and happier . Though, eventually, attention was suddenly turned to Karla. Her optics hollowed as she could feel the drones all staring at her, though Terra was somewhat confused and too focused on all of the gifts she had been given. Q moved to one of the smaller containers, which had been wrapped up slightly in old wrapping paper- where did they get that? - and handed it to Karla with the care of someone holding a newborn child. Karla slowly took it and carefully unwrapped it. The feeling of using so much focus and precision in her synthetic hands left her with more knots in her stomach. Though once she fully unwrapped the container and opened it. Time all but stopped. 

There, in her hands, contained within a masterfully crafted casing, was a picture of her family. Back to before the Grunnur had first invaded. Before everything went wrong. Her Husband stood to the left, standing in a formal pose with a bright smile on his face, and wearing his best suit. Karla stood to the left in her wedding dress, smiling and perhaps even laughing as she held a hyperactive Terra in her arms. In the background, Terra’s grandfather stood laughing as he spoke with an inquisitor. They were all smiling, though her husband's eyes portrayed anything but joy , Terra was wearing a flower coated dress. It was colorful, shades of red, blue, green, purple, and white all over it. Terra looked happy. So… happy. There was a light in her eyes, an innocent, curious light which made Karla’s core radiate warmth from the bittersweet memory. Warmth which was soon replaced with despair. The joy died years ago. Karla was never going to be able to see Terra smile to her with love and affection in her eyes. Not after what she’d become as a person. Not after… dying.  

Terra… I’m so sorry… I should have been there for you. I shouldn’t have abandoned you like I did… I… I…” 

[Warning : System Failure Detected. 

Source : Emotional regulatory systems Compromised. Stress levels critical…

Initiating system purge… [ERROR]... Significant stress overload. System Purge efficiency at… 40%. 

Commencing System Purge]  

A choked sob, followed by another. Karla held the picture against her chest above her core. Terra and her drones looked at eachother with worry in their optics. Karla couldn’t hold the tears back any longer, and started to wail. Q, N, and Terra all rushed to her, though she couldn’t understand what any of them were saying. Her vision was flooded with line after line of coded thoughts. All being purged and processed by her systems in the form of tears. Though there was so much that her systems could not move fast enough to block the lines of code which covered her visor in the hundreds. 

[I’M A TERRIBLE MOTHER!][I’M A MONSTER! A FAILURE! A DISAPPOINTMENT][I HURT TERRA! TERRA WILL NEVER FORGIVE ME! NEVERNEVERNEVERNEVERNEVERNEVERNEVERNEVERNEVER…][I SHOULD HAVE DIED AT THE GALA! I DON’T DESERVE HER!][SHE’S BETTER OFF WITHOUT ME][WHY DO THEY CARE ABOUT ME AFTER EVERYTHING I’VE DONE!?][I’M HORRIBLE][I COULDN’T PROTECT HER][I’M SO PATHETIC AND USELESS] 

The others watched and read with horror as the lines upon lines of text eventually all started to repeat the same thing. 

[FAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILUREFAILURE-]

Karla felt Terra hug her. It only helped slightly. Between the regret, and the overwhelming stress. She could only wail. Her crying echoed throughout the entire mansion. It remained this way for a while. Yet Terra and the others let her cry. Much to Karla’s distraught confusion. Eventually the crying was reduced to whimpering. I’m so… pathetic. Karla couldn’t bring herself to look up to Terra, who held her tightly within her arms. Karla shakily brought up the picture to her eyes and let out several more choked sobs. Her throat hurt from how strained her voice box had become. Terra carefully took the photo from Karla’s hand, which fell onto her lap, and Karla continued to sob. Terra’s optics hollowed when she realized what it was. 

“Oh..” Was all Terra was able to say, before Karla started to speak coherently again. 

“ T-Terra… I’m so sorry… I’ve been… a-a terrible Mother… I… I’m so sorry for abandoning you… I should have been there for you… I-I… p-please… please forgive me… I-I can’t… I deserved what happened to me.” Terra let out a slight gasp, before gently burying her face into Karla’s shoulder in a hug. 

“Mother… please… I forgive you… I love you… please… I’m still here.” Karla couldn’t bring herself to respond. Only able to let out another sob as she hugged Terra back. She glanced at the drones. 

“ Th… thank you. ” Even though the photo hurt… there was still value and joy in it… a value Karla didn’t want to lose again. Even if she died protecting the one thing she still had left in this universe.

Chapter Text

Terra looked out from atop the balcony outside her room at the vast, mostly flat landscape of Cardia. She went through her hud and through some of the various settings the others had shown her after her Mother’s… breakdown. It was unnerving to see her cry… especially so much. She wasn’t even entirely sure if she really did forgive her Mother for everything… but… she wanted to. She really did. It just felt so difficult. Terra wanted to scream. To scream at the world-no, the entire universe. Why had her home and people been abandoned? Did their lives mean nothing to the Imperium? Why… Why had the Emperor forsaken her home? She didn’t believe he was a god, no, but… why? Why would he abandon her home? They were still loyal subjects were they not? So why, WHY!? 

Terra slammed her fist on the railing, taking care to not accidentally break it, before falling to her knees and weeping. What is wrong with me? Why do I… LIKE this..? I drank oil and ate batteries like some kind of animal… Why did it taste… so good? I-I’m supposed to be human! A-aren’t I? What’s… happening to me? Terra stared at her shaking hands. Hiding her hidden turmoil from the others was extremely difficult, but she’d been used to hiding her emotions for years now. So most of the difficulty came from guilt. Terra looked up at the stars, and then towards the city off in the distance. Her cyan optics in a sad expression. My future is gone… I’ve been reduced to a pet… haven’t I? I won’t be able to do anything but watch as Cassia dooms my home to oblivion at the Emperor’s command… for treason… I’m… am I a traitor? Have I betrayed my home? My people..? I… was meant to govern the planet like my Grandfather did… but… now I’ve doomed it… it’s all my fault. Terra wept, resting her head against her knees as she did so. Her core ached from the guilt. Ironic. Under a beautiful night sky that would normally leave her awestruck, Terra felt only despair. From her perspective, she was potentially a traitor who had doomed her home to destruction due to her own kindness. Suddenly, she heard something outside her room. Her audio receptors picking up on it only barely within the still silence around her. Assuming it to be perhaps N, Q, O, or even her Mother coming to check on her with how late it was, Terra quickly, though quietly, went up to the door, and upon opening it and stepping outside the room she saw…

Nothing? The hallway was… empty? But, how? Terra swore she had heard something out here. Curious, Terra started to look around. Everything looked normal. The floor was undamaged, there wasn’t any movement, and the suits of armor were all in place-WOAH. Terra’s optics widened in surprise. One of the suits of armor was… there were no other words to describe it… beutiful. The towering construct stood at least 4 meters tall. Masterfully crafted battleplate covered it in its obsidian-black glory. Atop its helm a plume of red synthetic material stood atop like a curved flag. The armor itself was immaculate, everything, down to the smallest, most minute details, was expertly crafted and made. In its right hand, it held a massive spear unlike anything Terra had ever seen before. Its blade absorbed any and all of the dim light which came into contact with it, similar to the armor. Crests and sigils covered the armor as well, giving it an awe striking appearance. Its shoulders were adorned with what may have been where the armor was thickest, being at least 30 centimeters thick from her estimates. Attached to these shoulders was a massive, red cape. Terra smiled at the sheer beauty of the armor, shocked at how she never noticed it before. It’s… so beautiful. Gently, Terra placed a hand on the armor’s right leg. Its surface was smooth and yet solid, with grooves where the armor’s crests and sigils were. It felt…  oddly warm… which was odd. The armor would need to have been power armor, and even then it didn’t run hot, and so it would’ve needed to have been used recently, but… what could possibly need power armor this massive-Oh… By the throne. Terra jumped back as her optics hollowed in horror, and as realization struck her, the armor moved . Terra could hear its system reactivating as a set of bright red eyes suddenly came to life on the helmet, and the figure took a step forward as it looked down at her. How something so massive could walk so silently was beyond her, but she didn’t care. Out of sheer instinct, Terra threw a vase at it, only for the vase to be caught mid air, and before Terra could even react, the vase was back to where it was. Terra’s optics remained hollow as she looked back up to the towering figure. Burning red eyes staring into her very soul. She’d heard of-even seen images of these beings. But never in her life did she think she’d live to see one with her own eyes, let alone one within armor as black as the void itself. 

“ I-It’s not possible… a-are you… actually real?” Terra’s voice box squeeked the words out. The Custodian merely stood there as he spoke, his voice commanding and shaking the very air itself, yet there was an inquisitive tone to it. Terra could barely keep herself from bowing. 

“I might be… I might not. In the end it’s up to you if you think this is real.” Terra’s expression became dumbfounded. Great, it’s a philosopher. Very funny. Terra’s guard dropped at how calmly and almost casually this Custodian spoke to her. She stood to her full height before crossing her arms, her optics and systems struggling to comprehend that this Custodian wasn’t some sort of statue or machine, but rather a human created by the Emperor himself… the Emperor..  

“Did… did the Emperor send you here?” Terra inquired, but still now skeptical if this Custodian was real or not. She’d never heard of Custodians wearing black armor, and the subversion of her expectations left her unsure if this was an illusion made by Cassia. The Custodian… F[Parental Advisory] shrugged. SHRUGGED!? 

“Years ago, yes. He sent me to this world. But I am here of my own volition, to see… You .” Terra took a step back. 

“Me?” The towering figure nodded. Bright red eyes continued to stare into Terra’s very soul. Terra stepped back into her room, a mix of anger, fear, and further despair seeping into her circuits and thoughts. “W-why?” The Custodian’s response was almost instantaneous. 

“That is not important.” Terra clenched her fists together. Alright “Custodian”... have it your way with being all “oh so mysterious”... if you’re even real. Terra turned around and walked back to the balcony. Even if it did kill her, Cassia probably would just give her a new body anyway… a copy… and… if what Cassia really had transferred her soul into a drone body… then she’d probably never be free. Why didn’t you save us? Why didn’t you save my Grandfather or stop Father? Why..? Terra heard the Custodian slowly walk up to her from behind. She didn’t bother to turn around. Not like it mattered what she did anymore. All she could do was hope that Cardia…  her home… wouldn’t be destroyed. Terra spoke again, tears streaming down her visor, and turned around to the Custodian as she spoke with rage and despair in her voice. 

“Why… why didn’t you stop this..? W-why did you let my home and its people suffer!?” 

“I had my reasons. Even now I cannot yet intervene.” Terra punched it. She punched it as hard as she possibly could, it was with so much force that there was a slight gust of wind, and it HURT. The armor didn’t even budge, and Terra’s entire body was vibrating from the impact force. The Custodian didn’t even give her a reaction. Terra shook her aching hand before she then also kicked him with a similar result. She started cursing as she then had to shake the pain out of her foot. Terra could barely keep herself from screaming as she vocallized her rage. 

“Can’t intervene!? You’re supposed to be a HERO! Not some BYSTANDER as people suffer and die! People are dead, dying, and GOING to die because you won’t DO ANYTHING!” Terra punched him again, and like before, it hurt. Terra’s voice cracked as her breathing became erratic. The Custodian remained still and silent. It was maddening. Terra let out a choked sob. Not even the Emperor’s own guardians were going to help her or her people. Why why why why why?! Terra looked up into the unmoving red eyes of the Custodian and mustered the strength of mind to ask a question which had been boiling within her mind for years. Through choked sobs and uneven breaths Terra spoke again. 

“W-why… Why has… the Emperor forsaken us? Why have you abandoned us and our home..? W-what did we do to deserve this?” The Custodian’s response seemed to completely ignore her plea.

“ Follow me .” Terra froze from the commanding tone in his voice. It felt almost hypnotic. 

[[Data Not Found] Directive : Follow.

Moderator Override : Terra Sierra Clarke…

ERROR: Override unsuccessful.]

Reluctantly, Terra followed the Custodian through the many corridors in the mansion. It was uncannily quiet, and Terra could barely hear the metallic stomps from the Custodian’s footsteps. 

“Wh… where are you taking me?” Terra asked, her voice nervous as she couldn’t stop herself from following no matter how much she willed for it. 

“Something that your Grandfather wanted you to see.” Terra’s optics widened. 

“G… Grandpa?” The Custodian nodded as he stopped by a wall, and placed a hand against it. To Terra’s amazement, the wall started to open slowly, and unbelievably silently as well. Where is Cassia? The thought suddenly struck Terra, where were the others? Surely they would’ve seen her with a Custodian… where were they? She hoped he hadn’t killed them. 

The room that had been revealed was dark. Uncomfortably dark. Terra’s optics could barely see anything. Suddenly, a dim light lit up, and slowly got brighter. Illuminating a small library and living quarters. 

[Directive : Follow. Status: Complete. No other directives present. Returning Autonomy]

Terra saw pictures and treasures with all sorts of runes and symbols on them… though the books were what had her attention. She carefully moved her hand along the old bookshelf they had been stored upon. Reading through some of the titles of these books which she had never seen or heard of before. 

“What Actually Happened to Isaac Moore”... “The Very Real World of Emily Adams”...  “Princess Song and the River”... what odd names… they all seem to be by the same author too... I might read them later… if they really did belong to my Grandfather. Terra felt tears go down her visor. She missed when her Grandfather would tell her stories of the Emperor’s heroics… of the countless lives saved… of how he would always eventually come to the rescue… but… then why… why was she and her home abandoned? 

“Why… are you showing me all of this?” Terra asked the Custodian, who had picked up a small device from one of the tables. Examining it before handing it to Terra, who held it with extreme care. It was a spherical object around the size of a human head, Terra’s optics scanned it over multiple times as it was oddly warm in her hand. It seemed to be a container of some kind, based upon the suppressed radiation signature that her optics were detecting… furthermore… It felt… alive somehow. 

“What… what is this?” Terra asked. 

“It is something your grandfather wanted me to give to you when the time was right. Though you will have to decipher its functions on your own.” As the Custodian began to leave, Terra spoke up again. 

“You knew my Grandfather? What… what was he like? I never got to know him very well.” Terra’s voice was low, and her optics were dimmed. She held the spherical object close to her core with both hands. The Custodian turned back towards her. 

“He is a good man… though one with many regrets. As for your belief that the Emperor has abandoned you. He has not, Terra. The path has been set in motion, and salvation will come in time.” The Custodian turned his head towards the entrance of the room as if hearing or sensing something, before looking back at Terra. “Our time is up. Farewell Terra. We will meet again.” Before Terra could call out to the Custodian to wait, he seemingly vanished in the shadows of the room. Leaving Terra confused, and alone. With a supposed gift from her late Grandfather. She stared at the container, curious, though cautious, as to whatever it held inside.

Chapter Text

A peaceful breeze swept across the fields. The sun shone brightly in the sky as a lone human tended to the fields of her family’s farm. Bright green eyes lit with an almost childlike glee in caring for the vast array of plants. Of course, she had her own hobbies. Robotics. Ever since she was little she was fascinated by them. It had inspired her to build one of her own from spare parts which she managed to gather from a distant scrapyard. Drones weren’t treated very well on Cardia, and there wasn’t any funding to move the millions of corpses off world from the factories that used to be there, and so their remains were easy to find and scavenge. She managed to build this robot, who she named FRM, when she was a small child. Roughly 11. Her parents were so proud of her, and her siblings were jealous. Then… when life seemed to be perfect… She lost almost everyone. Everyone except FRM. The monster that killed her family was never found. No one even believed her and FRM when she told them about the… the THING that slaughtered her family. Joy turned to rage as she slammed a shovel deep into the ground. 8 years. For 8 years she and FRM had been alone. And recently for the past few months… maybe even years. Sarah had been suffering from some sort of illness that had slowly gotten worse. Just yesterday she vomited and swore she could see blood. FRM was constantly reminding her that she needed medical attention, but she couldn’t afford any. The good for nothing governor of the planet did the bare minimum for his job, and that meant that people were stuck in poverty and unable to see any doctors. Sarah cursed, and said many words which would make a parent faint from how horrible the many, MANY slurs she started spewing were, before she suddenly felt agonizing pain, and everything went dark. 

FRM found tending to the home simple enough. Though he did worry for his Creator. She had been increasingly ill. He feared that her life was at risk of ending soon if she was not cared for. She kept telling him that she could not afford to see a doctor, but that was stupid. The last command given to him by the father of his Creator was to protect her. It had become his life’s purpose. He was all she had left, and she was the only thing he had which he could value. Everything else was pointless, or at least didn’t matter. Not to him anyway. 

A knock at the door snapped FRM out of his thoughts. A woman’s voice asking if anyone was home followed. Careful to not break anything, FRM made his way to the door and opened it, finding, to his mild surprise, A maid drone and its mechanical, human-made bodyguard at the entrance. The Small maid drone recoiled backwards at the sight of FRM, an understandable reaction, he was massive, and stood far taller than most organic lifeforms. Almost everyone had the same initial reaction to him. Fear. A mild annoyance, but acceptable. 

“H-Hello there.” The Maid drone spoke, her voice frightened. Her bodyguard seemed disinterested. FRM spoke, his barely functioning voice box glitching out his words.

“H-H-H-Hello. W-wh-a–a-t br-r-r-rin-n-ng-s y-you h-e-ere?” The maid drone shuffled from side to side, and spoke after taking a deep breath. 

“Well, uhm… is there anyone else who lives here?” The Maid drone asked. FRM assessed that she was looking for someone in charge of the home. Fair enough, he supposed. 

“M-my C-c-cr-e-eat-o-o-or, a-a-and m-my-se-self.” 

“Could we perhaps speak with them?” FRM paused for a moment, before nodding his head slowly. 

“O-o-one m-mom-m-e-e-ent p–p-plea-ea-ease.” FRM closed the door, and began to call out for Sarah. 

“Creator?” FRM searched through the entire house, every nook and cranny, but could not find her, his voice becoming more and more worried. Deciding it would be best to request the visitors for help in searching the fields, FRM went to and opened the front door again. The Maid drone and her bodyguard still there, though with concern on both of their faces. 

“I-it w-w-wou-o-ould s-seem m-m-my Cre-a-at-o-or is i-in the f-f-fields. C-c-c-ould y-you h-h-help me l-locate h-her?” The maid drone nodded, and followed FRM through the back door and to the fields. Almost 10 minutes of searching passed before FRM found his creator, unconscious on the ground. 

“Creator?” FRM spoke, with worry in his voice box. He was stuck repeating himself for several more minutes before the Maid drone and her bodyguard also found them. 

“O-Oh dear.” Quickly, the bodyguard drone hurried over to Sarah, and placed a hand on the side of her neck. He spoke with a hint of relief in his voice. 

“She is alive.” 

Sarah woke up groggily, her head hurt slightly, though she could see FRM and… 2 other people standing over her. Slowly, she sat up, her hair covering her face before she brushed it to the side. To her surprise, she saw a Maid drone with her bodyguard, white optics with a mix of worry and relief in her expression. Sarah spoke, her accent unmistakable.

“Uh… hi? Can I help you las?” The drone nodded, fidgeting with her hands as she spoke. 

“Yes, um, I’ve been looking for some help. You see, 3 days ago, the governor held one of his Galas… and the people who went have not been seen or heard from since. I would go and investigate myself for the sake of the children under my care, but I’m afraid that if I were to interrupt something important I could be disassembled. I’ve asked everywhere but everyone has vehemently refused, even with the promise of a reward for the assistance.” Before Sarah could give an answer, FRM spoke up. 

“Creator, y-you ne-e-ed med-d-di-ca-a-a-al att-tt-en-s-sion.” Sarah sighed. 

“FRM… I’ve told you before, I can’t afford to see a doctor.” FRM made a frustrated noise. Though the maid drone piped up as her optics lit up slightly. 

“I-I could pay you! Thousands! Tens of thousands even! I have the resources to do so! I-I’ll even drive you to the Clarke Estate!” Sarah noticed how desperate the drone sounded, and as much as she despised the ruling class, she wasn’t stupid. That kind of money could last her months, even with most of it being spent on seeing doctors. She could even get FRM a functioning voice box too. 

“Alright, deal. I’ll go check on the rich ##### that live in the estate, and you give me the money I need to see a doctor.” Aside from the mortified look on the Maid Drone’s face, things seemed fine. Sarah just hoped her condition wouldn’t get worse… and that it wasn’t too late for her.

The drive to the estate was uneventful. FRM had to go into the back of the vehicle as he was simply too big to be inside of the passenger seats. Sarah would have been bored out of her mind if it wasn’t for the entire situation itself. Sure, she couldn’t really complain. Money was Money after all, and she needed it BADLY. Yet she couldn’t get the feeling that something was terribly wrong out of her mind. As incompetent as the planet’s government was, they wouldn’t just up and vanish for 3 days completely. 

“So,” Sarah began to speak, startling the maid drone, “I didn’t catch your name.” 

“O-Oh! My most sincere apologies Ma’am! The children call me Lilly. The Lord and Madam call me servant.” Sarah grimaced. Of course the ruling class treated drones like anyone else, just with less rights to speak up if they were scavenged from scrap yards. Which, based upon the reasons as to why Lilly wasn’t investigating herself, she had been. “May I ask yours Ma’am? I don’t think I was able to catch it with how desperate I’ve been.” 

“Sarah, Sarah Highlander.” The pause that followed when Sarah spoke her last name was long and uncomfortable, even the guard drone, who had been rarely emotionless in his human-made manner. Built specifically for guarding important humans, had a surprised expression which broke through his otherwise stoic demeanor. Lilly seemed shocked. Oh great. They know the stories. Of course they do. 

“You’re… you’re a Highlander?” Lilly asked in awe. 

“Yyyeeep.” Sarah replied nonchalantly. The name meant nothing to her, other than it being one of the few connections to her family she had left. The legend behind it though? Not so much. 

“D-Do you have any stories of heroism and grandeur? Heroic last stands or-” Sarah raised her hand and spoke, interrupting Lilly, she wanted to end this conversation topic quickly, so she raised her voice and gave the most stern and serious tone of voice she could, hiding the pain and grief in her voice as she spoke.

“ No, now listen here lass, the only story of “Heroism” I can give you is my Father fighting the Grunnur and dying trying to protect his family who were slaughtered by a monster. I am the only one left, now please do me a favor and never bring this topic up again. ” Lilly’s optics hollowed in a guilty expression. 

“Oh… I… I’m so sorry I didn’t… I didn’t know.” Lilly’s optics broke eye contact, and Sarah sighed. 

“It’s… it’s fine. Happens almost any time I meet someone new.” Sarah felt a tear fall down her face. It had been 8 years since her family died. Yet she still grieved. FRM was the only family she had left. I’m gonna die slaving away on the farm aren’t I? Sarah’s thoughts were interrupted by the vehicle suddenly slowing down. Looking out the window, her jaw dropped. She knew the Clarke Estate was big. But holy Sanatio it was massive! Sarah figured it would be at most maybe 3-4 times the size of her home, no, this thing wasn’t a home, it was a ####### monument of art. Large enough to house perhaps even 15 families at first glance. It was… infuriating. 

“Do all the ruling class live like this?” Sarah asked with disdain in her voice. Lilly responded defensively, sensing Sarah’s frustration.

“No! I-I mean, no. This is the largest estate on the entire planet, and it is not even close. Not all of the ruling class are… like him . Please… I know I might not get… the best treatment from my masters… but they try to help people. Please, at least ask as to how Lord and Madam Talassa are doing. Their children are worried about them.” Sarah could hear the almost desperation in Lilly’s voice. Her expression softened as she exited the car/limmo/whatever it was. 

“I will, just wait here for me will ya? I don’t feel like walkin’ all the way home.” Lilly managed to smile at Sarah’s remark, before giving a confirming nod. With that confirmation, Sarah went to the trunk of the vehicle and opened it, allowing FRM to exit without issue. 

“Alright buddy, just… stay quiet and let me do the talking alright? The sooner we go home and see a doctor like you’ve begged me to for the past 6 months.” Sarah said in a soothing voice. FRM nodded in understanding. The safety of his creator was all that mattered above all else after all.

Sarah made her way to the massive front doors, noticing that on the sides of them an inscrypption of the name “Doorman” was on them. The absurdity of the name caused Sarah to let out a small laugh. Though she had to admit, this “Doorman”, whoever they were, knew how to make art. Sarah felt as though it had been made by a kindred spirit. The passion into the making of these simple, albeit massive doors, was evident in the details. Sarah took a deep breath, ignoring the pain in her stomach , and used the metallic ring attached to the door to knock. After 10 seconds of nothing, Sarah knocked on the door again, though more aggressively and for much longer. Which seemed to get attention as she soon thereafter saw the door slowly open, and was surprised to see a yellow eyed, massive drone. He wore a suit which had a quality that had exceeded even the lunacy of Lilly’s maid dress. He stood at least 180 centimeters tall, and had a strange tail with a cylindrical container filled with glowing yellow liquid, and a sharp point akin to a spear at the end of it. Furthermore, on his head, seemingly atop his silver hair on a headbad, were 5 glowing orbs. The drone had a nervous smile on his face, which became even more anxious when he noticed FRM. He staggered back from surprise as he began to speak. 

“O-Oh biscuits you are tall!” The Butler stuttered with surprise in his voice, which did result in suppressed laughter from FRM, who had come to find that reaction entertaining. Sarah spoke, getting the drone’s attention. 

“Howdy!” The drone, noticing Sarah, managed to swiftly regain his composure, before introducing himself. 

“OH! Apologies miss, I am N! Drone and caretaker of the wonderful Terra Sierra Clarke! We aren’t currently expecting visitors-” N, as he called himself, suddenly paused, and quickly read something which appeared on his visor, before continuing to speak-”But that’s okay! Come in! We can talk inside before all the cold air is let out!” N, with a spring in his step, quickly moved back into the manor. Sarah and FRM exchanged glances of confusion, before shrugging and following along, FRM gently closing the doors behind them. N looked at them both, and then at the floor, letting out an extremely anxious laugh as his optics hollowed in discomfort. Sarah looked down and noticed that the otherwise seemingly spotless floor was now covered in dirt and dust, especially wherever FRM walked. Oh no, the floor is dirty, whatever will I do!? Sarah sarcastically thought to herself as she rolled her eyes. 

“My goodness, um, heheh… I’ll… clean that up later! Make yourselves at home!” Sarah had to give N credit, he was clearly nice, though the sight of dirt on the floor had a reaction that made Sarah want to punch someone in the face. “So! How may I help you miss? And your uh…” N looked up and down FRM, attempting to figure out what model of drone he was. “... Friend, here.” 

“Well, we’re actually just here to check up on the ruling class… since ya know. No one has seen or heard from most of them for 3 days.” Sarah spoke casually, placing a hand on her hip as she did not care at all about status here. She was going to get information, leave, get money, see a doctor, and then live her life. Everybody wins. N’s optics widened, a curious expression on his face. 

“Really? I thought that most people didn’t like the ruling class.” 

“Oh no, we do. I couldn’t care less.” N’s optics hollowed, slightly insulted. 

“Then… Why DID you come here?” Sarah sighed. 

“A drone who serves one of the wealthy families was too scared to investigate herself, and I was the first person to accept it. She said the children she cares for are worried about their parents and want to know if they are ok.” Sarah spoke solemnly. N’s optics remained hollow. 

“May I ask who specifically?” 

“Lord and Madam Talassa.” N’s optics widened, before he quickly pulled out some sort of list from his pocket and frantically read over it. Sarah couldn’t tell what it was for, but it seemed important. After a few seconds, N let out a relieved sigh, something which Sarah noticed was extremely odd. N put the list away and resumed a more ‘formal’ posture. 

“They are in a meeting with the Governor, it has been quite busy around here since the Gala, now, if there’s anyth-” N was interrupted by the sounds of sudden movement from the floor above. The voice of a young girl called out “MOM WAIT-” before the thunderous sounds of something heavy falling down the stairs. Which, much to Sarah and FRM’s surprise, was another drone. Though, rather than being in any servant clothes, she wore an elegant dress with purple and white colors. Dark brown hair messily covered the floor while the drone’s face displayed twin spirals to indicate that she was dazed. Slowly, as though forgetting what she had been doing, the drone slowly stood back up. A hand on her head as she let out a pained breath, before noticing Sarah, and then FRM. Her body immediately began to shake as clear and visible embarrassment was displayed on her visor. Though before she could speak, the sight of FRM caused her to completely freeze. Words dying in her mouth as her expression shifted to horror at the sight of the drone in front of her. N seemed indecisive as to whether or not he should do anything. 

“MOM!? ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?” The voice from before called out again, and Sarah could barely hide the complete shock she felt at the sight of the drone that carefully walked down the stairs. A drone of a quality that Sarah had never seen before, seemingly custom made plating made up the shoulders, and the legs and arms were more defined and plated rather than the tube like structures of normal workers. Her optics were a brilliant blue in color, and synthetic, dark brown hair reached slightly past her shoulders in a neatly brushed manner. The drone was wearing a seemingly handmade dress which was almost completely black in color, with hints of white and grey contrasting it, and small speaks of gold akin to stars. In the center of her chest was what Sarah had learned was called a “Core Marker”, which had a small worker-drone head wearing a crown displayed on it. 

By the time the drone noticed Sarah’s presence, she had gotten halfway down the stairwell, though upon seeing FRM, rather than being startled or afraid, her optics had a curious expression. 

“ I’ve never seen a design like yours before.” The roughly 130-140 centimeter tall drone approached FRM curiously, though not before helping the other drone to her feet. 

“ What is going on here ?” Sarah thought to herself aloud, catching the attention of both newly arrived drones. The taller, more advanced drone spoke up anxiously, her voice akin to a young teenage girl. 

“Sorry! I… we weren’t expecting any guests… though that at least explains why Mother was so startled.” Sarah narrowed her gaze in confusion and suspicion. 

“‘Mother’?” The drone’s optics widened, and she quickly moved to a more formal posture as the smaller one she called ‘Mother’ glanced to the floor in embarrassment. 

“Oh! Right… introductions. I am Terra Sierra Clarke, and this is my Mother, Karla Samantha Clarke.” Sarah’s eyes widened, and FRM moved to her side defensively. Something was very much off. 

“I know enough about the ruling class to know that the governor’s wife and daughter aren’t drones. What is going on here?” Terra looked at her hand, then back to Sarah, then her Mother, and then back to Sarah. 

“I-” N interrupted Terra as she began to answer. 

“T-There was an… accident. The governor didn’t want anyone to know, and the only way to save them was with experimental means… we’re… still trying to figure out how to tell the public.” Sarah didn’t buy it, not for a second. But she figured she’d stay quiet incase she asked questions she wasn’t supposed to. FRM became tense, Sarah could tell, she built him after all. Terra looked to her Mother. 

“Mother… please go back to your room and rest… I think it's best if you do.” Karla reluctantly nodded, placing a hand on her head as she winced in pain, before slowly going back up the stairs she had fallen down from. Terra looked at N, who meekly waved at her with a forced smile on his face, she gave a light smile in return. 

“N, why don’t you give our guests a little tour of the manor? I’d go with you, but there is something I need to go check on.” Sarah could hear hidden amounts of sorrow and pain in Terra’s voice. What is going on here?  

“Sure! I’ll let the others know about what you’re up to and that we have guests attending.” N, to his credit, did a far better job hiding his actual emotions than Terra. Though his optics gave it away. FRM finally spoke. 

“T-the Bal-l-l-roo-oo-m. W-why is it… lo-o-ock-ck-ed?” N jumped slightly as he let out a nervous chuckle. 

“W-well, some people got a little too drunk and made a terrible mess, and we don’t want the ballroom to be in a state where it is unpresentable after all! So I STRONGLY encourage that no attempts be made to enter it! Hahahaha!” N’s voice cracked as digital sweat went down his visor, his optics hollowed as Sarah sensed a hint of fear in his voice. As N began to show Sarah and FRM around, Sarah watched as Terra, or the drone that claimed to be Terra at least, entered what seemed to be a basement. Patiently, Sarah waited for N to start getting a bit too focused on talking about the rarity and craftsmanship of some of the weapons, not even bothering to look behind him or ask if they had questions. (Someone had done this too many times before, clearly) Sarah took the opportunity to sneak her way to the basement. All while getting the feeling she was being watched. She wanted to know what was going on, and why every fiber in her being told her something was off. Subconsciously grabbing hold of the necklace she was wearing, Sarah slowly crept into the basement. It was dark, the dim lights in the ceiling barely illuminated the barren, dark walls and floor. Sarah felt the hairs on her body stand up as she felt like there were eyes all around her. She kept moving nonetheless, as if something was calling out to her. Sarah followed her very unorthodox instincts through the dimly lit hallways, before eventually coming across a storage room. Oil was on the walls, and large assortments of crude, yet complex tools lined them. On the far side of the room were 3, large, cylindrical glass containers which were illuminated in a blue light. On the left, the mutilated corpse of a man was left unrecognizable, and had barely any effort put into having the mangled arms crossing his chest. On the left, a far less mutilated body was more respectfully and formerly standing with her arms crossed. Though it was clear based on the mangled state of her skull that she was also dead. Yet, in the center, unharmed, seemingly in a peaceful sleep, was a young lady roughly 13-15 years old, from Sarah’s estimations. Her eyes were closed, but Sarah could see tears, seemingly frozen in time, falling down her face. Her appearance was shockingly similar to the drone who had placed her hand against the glass. Silent crying echoed through the room. Slowly, Sarah approached Terra, her sense of dread replaced with… sorrow. 

Sarah placed a gentle hand on Terra’s shoulder, causing the drone to jump slightly from surprise as she let out a quiet, startled gasp as she realized who was behind her, before calming down and looking back towards what Sarah guessed was her human body, as digital tears fell down her visor. 

“Hey… are you ok?” Sarah asked, albeit somewhat rhetorically. 

“ No. ” Terra spoke solemnly, a defeated tone in her voice as she stared at her robotic hands. Sarah could suddenly hear FRM walking up behind them. Just in time to watch Sarah curl up in pain and cough up blood. Terra jumped back in fright at the sudden commotion, while FRM out of sheer instinct grabbed Sarah and ran. 

“W-WAIT!” Terra called out, but her attempt of warning fell upon deaf ears as FRM cradled Sarah in his arms as he sprinted up the stairs, bolting out of the basement and charging past N who had SOMEHOW not noticed he had been ditched at all. His optics hollowed in horror as he tried to call out to FRM to stop, by the time he did, FRM had already bursted through the main doors… or at least that’s what he thought he was doing. Instead, he saw the ballroom, and the real reason it had been blocked off as he outright obliterated it through brute force. 

Everyone was dead

Blood… so much blood. It was everywhere. The floor could barely be seen, the tables… the walls… even the ceiling! Sarah puked while FRM was left standing in shock. Sarah saw flashes of the past cross her vision. Her Brother’s head was removed from his shoulders… her sister’s insides spewing over the grass as the monster tore her family apart. Her Mother’s screams before they were silenced. The dread of knowing that her Dad was already dead and that she was going to be next. Sarah vomitted again, this time her blood spewing from her mouth as her body screamed in agony. FRM turned towards N, his singular optic burning a bright red while N was frozen in terror. 

“ WHA-AT D-D-IID Y-OU DO!? ” N recoiled from the ferocity in FRM’s voice. Words died in his mouth as he was left unable to speak for reasons FRM did not understand, all the while Sarah’s health was rapidly deteriorating as she vomitted up more blood. FRM began to move to grab Sarah, but was interrupted by a monotone, female voice. 

“[Introduction], Hello, visitors. [Small Wave]. It seems you have found something. You shouldn’t have.” Sarah’s eyes were widened in horror as the green eyed drone seeminlgy looked directly into her very soul. FRM quickly picked up Sarah before hiding her within the storage compartment in his midsection. The makeshift doors closing shut around Sarah, who was frozen in her own memories as the images of her slaughtered family flooded her psyche. FRM raised his arms, more than willing to fight his way out of the manor is needed. 

“Y-You wi-i-ll n-not h-h-harm m-my cr-ea-tor.” FRM spoke with a warning tone. The suddenly arrived drone simply tilted her head to the side. 

“[Solemn gaze], I am sorry to inform you. If you leave. She will die.” FRM let out an enraged, mechanical noise similar to a scream, taking a step towards the drone. 

“Identify y-y-ourself.” FRM demanded, finding her initial statement-though it felt more like a threat-absurd. The drone let out an audible, more human-like giggle. 

“[Mischivious grin], Oh. Right, I forgot that part of introducing myself. I am. Cassia, Dau-[Pause]... Cassia. I am Cassia.” Cassia took a step towards FRM. 

“W-Why did you k-kill these peo-ple?” FRM noticed his voice box was working better than normal. A small detail which didn’t matter considering the situation.

“[Explanation], Your government was, at best, barely sufficient. They were corrupt. Selfish. Terra’s wretch of a Father. Chief among them. I will. Correct. Their mistakes.” 

“You’re innnnns-s-sa-a-ne.” FRM murmured, noticing Cassia glancing towards where he was keeping Sarah.

“[Frown], Your creator is dying.” 

“LI-A-AR!” FRM bellowed. Sarah couldn’t die. He would not allow it. Cassia’s expression became more grim.

“[Explanation], I have been watching you. Since you arrived. Your creator has an illness. That will kill her. By my calculations. She will die within. 3. Days. Your doctors cannot save her.” FRM’s frame trembled in horror and fury. He could hear Sarah coughing within the compartment. Her breathing ragged and wheezing. 

“W-hy a-are y-y-ou tel-ll-ing m-me this-ss-s?” 

“[Light smile], I can save your creator. Free her from. The weakness of. Her flesh. Her limitations. After all. Doesn’t she deserve to live a. Long. Happy life?” Cassia’s head tilted again, and while FRM agreed that Sarah deserved to live, how could he trust this crazed machine? After what it had done? Seemingly sensing FRM’s reluctance, Cassia spoke again. 

“How about, we allow your creator to choose. It is her life. After all.” FRM paused. He could hear Sarah wheezing and coughing. The compartment was probably covered in blood. But that didn’t matter. Slowly, FRM opened it and carefully pulled Sarah out, blood stained her clothes, and her breathing was erratic. Sarah looked from FRM to Cassia, and then back to FRM. 

Sarah knew that if she died FRM would not be far behind her. She didn’t want that to happen. She didn’t want to die in agony and pain. This isn’t how I want my life to end . 

“[Query]. Do you want me to save you?” Cassia inquired. A hint of impatience in her otherwise monotone voice. 

“Will… will you let us live our lives..?” Sarah asked the enigmatic machine. 

“[Confirmation]. Of course! Once you have adjusted to your new body, you will be free to return home. [Smile]” Sarah looked at her blood soaked hands, and then to FRM. 

“If… if it means that… I won’t die… and FRM will be safe… I… I’ll do it.” Sarah could feel the pain getting worse as she spoke. Cassia clasped her hands together. 

“[Excitement], Do not fret, Sarah Highlander, I will ensure that. You are given all. The assistance. You’ll need.” FRM looked at Sarah, and then to Cassia. 

“Ve-ry we-ll… b-ut kn-ow th-i-is… C-C-Cassia. I-if y-you h-a-a-arm m-my cr-e-ea-tor…” FRM’s singular optic glowed brightly, his tone grim and serious. 

“ I will not hesitate to kill you .” Cassia let out a slight, nervous giggle. 

“Do not worry. She is in. Good hands.” 

Sarah stared at the empty shell of what was soon going to be her new body. The resemblance to herself felt uncanny. Electrodes and wires had been carefully and precisely placed on her head, and connected to a machine which connected to the empty drone. FRM stood by her side while Cassia moved to a lever. 

“Once I pull. This lever, both your mind and very soul. Will be transferred to. Your new body. [Reassuring smile].” Sarah took a deep breath. Trying to keep herself calm. 

“[Countdown]. I will pull the lever in… 

3…

2…

1. ” And then, everything went dark. Well… mostly everything. 

Sarah saw the fields all around her. Birds were singing… flowers were blooming… and off in the distance, in her home. Her family was happy and alive. 

But as the saying goes, on days like these… kids like her…

W o u l d  l o s e  e v e r y t h i n g

Chapter Text

She felt off… She felt like she was supposed to be in pain, yet couldn’t remember why. Who was she again..? Oh, right, Sarah Highlander, of course! How could she forget!? How silly , she thought to herself, for forgetting something so familiar. Life was simple, it was almost perfect, the stars in the sky at night sparkled beautifully, building FRM had been difficult, but somehow, miraculously, as though influenced by some overworldly source, he was not only built, but capable of doing the formwork so well that he had allowed Sarah’s parents to spend less time working the massive farmland. Jim and Christina, her older siblings, were even teasing and making fun of her less often. It was… nice. Being able to spend more time together, what was she currently doing again? Oh right, Jim was messing with FRM again.
“DAAAD! JIM IS MESSING WITH FRM AGAIN!” Sarah yelled, annoyed that Jim was always trying to poke and prod at the still-being-worked-on machine. FRM was only around 168 Centimeters tall, and still had a lot of exposed components on his upper body. So him being prodded at grinded Sarah’s gears. Jim whined in annoyance, before the commanding and booming voice of their Father, in his heavy Scottish accent, yelled back from the house.

“JIM! Stop messing with FRM, I’d prefer he not get broken after all the help he has been on the farm!” 

“But Dad,” Jim protested, “Why can’t I mess with Sarah even a little bit?” Their father let out an audible laugh. 

“I never said you couldn’t tease her, and even if I did it’d be impossible for me to stop you forever! I just don’t want FRM being broken when he has been so helpful around the farm!” Sarah stuck her tongue out at Jim just long enough for him to notice before stopping, a mischievous smile on her face. Jim rolled his eyes as he smiled slightly. 

“Alright little miss genius, you win this time.” Jim said playfully as he ruffled Sarah’s hair. Getting a small giggle from the young girl. Their Father watched with a content smile on his face. All while Sarah ran in circles around FRM while explaining plans on how she’d improve him. Hanah, the eldest child, walked up next to her Father. 

“I do not know how you and Mom have managed to handle 3 very chaotic children so well.” Her Father let out a very loud burst of laughter. 

“I ask myself the same question sometimes. Your Mother simply tells me I have a knack for it.”

“Oh please, we all know that you could beat us over the head with a stick and have us out cold.”

“You know I’m better than that Hannah.”

“Just teasing.” Suddenly, distant alarms began to blare. With the old radio system in the house blaring an alert. A commanding voice spoke from it, a hint of fear in the otherwise stoic voice. 

“ Attention. This is not a drill. An invasion force of the Grunnur has been detected in the system. All military personel are to head to their posts. Civilians are to take shelter and locate the nearest bunkers. If anyone lives near the fortress monastery of Knight House Wätcher, you are to take refuge there. This broadcast shall repeat until authorized otherwise. ” Before Sarah’s father could call for everyone to get inside, the distant roar of fortresses coming to life bellowed. All while Sarah suddenly pointed upwards, the sight of what it was caused everyone’s blood to run cold. 

“What are those things in the sky!?” They looked. Seeing massive space faring vessels beginning to enter the planet’s atmosphere. Long, claw-like constructs portruded from the sides of the massive vessels, while smaller ones were more fish-like in appearance. 

Without warning. Beams of light began to rain down from the sky upon the world. 

The sky itself seemed to be ablaze as surface to orbit cannons from distant defensive structures fired upon the ships that covered the smoke stained sky. Smaller ships started to fly from the larger ones like hornets from a nest. Sarah didn’t understand what was happening. Only that alarms were blairing and her parents seemed terrified, even moreso than Jim and Hanah. FRM was just confused. 

“C-C-Creator. W-w-w-w-wha-at is ha-a-appe-eni-ing?” FRM asked in his still monotone voice. Sarah’s answer did anything but reassure him. 

“I-I… I don’t know. We should… get inside.” Sarah’s voice was shaking and filled with fear as the sounds of distant gunfire pollutedly the once peaceful quiet of the isolated farm. FRM followed Sarah to the house, where the others had already gathered. Sarah’s Father was in a strange suit of armor which she had never seen before. It looked expensive, unbelievably expensive. Its base color was a pitch black, with green markings along it which gave Sarah a strange feeling of pride. As if those markings were connected to her very being. It made her Father even taller than he already was, and seemed to whirr as though it was some highly advanced machine. Sarah couldn’t quite get the intricate details. Though the armor did cover her Father’s entire body. She didn’t know how he got it, how long he had it, or how he was able to put it on, let alone within only a few minutes. He was even carrying the strange sword and large gun that he told everyone not to touch. He spoke, his voice augmented using perhaps a speaker.

“FRM, take Sarah inside.” FRM nodded and gently began to carry Sarah, as he carried her into the home, Sarah looked at her Father with pleading eyes. 

“W-what about you?” Her Father didn’t respond very quickly. He just looked up at the sky, and mumbled something under his breath as his body started to shake. Too quiet for Sarah to hear. He then looked at her, the visor on his helmet revealing the now sorrowful expression in his eyes. As though he knew something that Sarah did not. Something terrible. There were tears going down his face from within that armor.

“Dad…? W-why are you crying?” Her Father motioned for FRM to put Sarah down. As FRM did, Dad placed a hand on my shoulder. Why… Why is he crying? What is happening? Why were those ships in the sky? Are we in danger? My thoughts are interupted as he spoke to me. 

“Sarah… I need you to listen to me very carefully.” He puts a strange device in my hand. It is a mesmerizing gold, with small red gems embedded in its sides, center, and corners. It's a diamond in shape. With strange crests and markings adorning it. I take a moment to look at it carefully, before looking back at Dad. I can’t think clearly as my voice is falling apart as I struggle to speak.

“W-what is this?”

“It’s something important. Passed down through our family for entire generations. I want you to keep it. It may not look like much, but it will protect you from harm. Please. Always keep it with you.” Dad makes a choked sob. Why is he crying!? What is he doing!? “I love you Sarah. Do not EVER forget how much your family loves you.” Dad turns to the fields, and as I look over his shoulder, multiple strange pointed boxes suddenly crash in the field. 

“DAD! WHAT IS HAPPENING!?” Dad completely ignores me, only turning towards FRM, Mom, Jim, and Hanah. Mom is also crying. 

“GO! GET AS FAR AWAY FROM HERE AS POSSIBLE!” 

“B-BUT DAD-!” Jim protests, but is interrupted.

“GO!” As Dad screams the order, the boxes open, and multiple massive, heavily armored people, all with extremely strange, crab shaped helmets, and 4 fingered hands, jump from the boxes. Their green colored armor seemingly colored to blend in with the vast grasslands of Cardia. Their helmets had 2 very long eyesights where the eyes likely were, and the eyesights emitted a green glow. FRM grabbed Sarah and used his body to protect her. Though before anyone could get out of the house, Jim yelled. 

“THEY’RE SURROUNDING US!” Jim’s voice was petrified. The entire house was surrounded by more of the boxes. The strange giant people having their weapons primed and aimed towards almost exclusively Sarah’s Father. They made noises to eachother, but Sarah couldn’t understand them. Hanah, Jim, and her Mother were busy silently cursing as they all hid, but watched with dread the standoff that was happening before them. FRM was still using himself to protect Sarah, who had the clearest view of her Father. He gave one last look at Sarah, his gaze now filled with determination. He looked back towards the towering armored people, and the sword he was holding was suddenly encased in a golden light as it suddenly created a high pitched noise. Which strangely caused the armored people to recoil and step away from him. Sarah didn’t know why they were scared of the golden light. But they clearly were. Sarah’s father spoke again, as the armored figures raised their weapons towards him, preparing to fire.

“I am Onyx Highlander.” He raised the glowing sword towards the people. “In the name of my anscestors, and The Emperor, I will strike you down-” Before he could finish, one of the figures fired at him, a bolt of light speeding towards Sarah’s Father, only to be harmlessly deflected by some sort of strange glow that his armor created as it struck him. He shot the one who fired in the head with the large gun, a massive projectile flying from the barrel with a boom. Killing it instantly as blue blood spewed from the alien’s head. “Does anyone else wish to interrupt my final words?” Sarah’s Father questioned the aliens. They shook their heads, though still aimed at him. He continued his speech as though he didn’t just kill something. “Know this! Grunnur assasins! I will kill you. And when I do, I will find the one who sent you here, and take his head for daring to harm my family. Make peace with your war god, you vile crustaceans, for you face a Highlander. Hero of the Imperium, and I make my stand here!” Sarah’s Father took a long, deep breath, as he prepared to charge. He roared out a battlecry in a language unfamiliar to Sarah. “ENIM LIBERTAS'S FUTURUM!”

Chapter Text

Onyx charged the Grunur with near reckless abandon. His armor allowed his already greatly augmented body to go even further beyond its limits. The lives of his entire family were at stake, and even if he was to die today, he was dying on his own terms. Protecting the ones he loved. That was enough for him to make his peace. It had been years since he had worn the armor, and it had awakened with a riteuous fury as its systems had gone well beyond what they were designed for. Bolt pistol and power sword in hand, and the will to fight no matter what might happen next, Onyx would make sure the Grunur didn’t leave this place alive.  

Time seemed to slow as they all started to fire at him at once. He aimed, fired, aimed, and fired. It was clockwork really. Old instincts deeply embedded in Onyx’s mind awakening. Bobbing and weaving to avoid as much fire as possible, and simply hoping that the energy shields would last long enough for him to kill his foes. As he reached the nearest Grunnur who he had not already blasted away, he cleaved them in half with his power sword. Blue blood spewing everywhere. Onyx immediately turned to the rest of the assassins. Firing with expert aim as he used a nearby drop pod as cover. This firefight would continue for several minutes before the last of the Grunnur was dead. Onyx observed his surroundings. This couldn’t be it. No matter. He had to get to his family now, get them out of here before-

“DAD!” Onyx felt Sarah leap onto his side in a hug. Hanah, Jim, and Lucia all stood by with civilian grade lasguns from within the home. While FRM held a makeshift hammer. 

“SARAH!” Onyx gently pried the young girl from his leg. Terrified tears in her eyes. 

“Dad what’s happening? What are ‘Grunnur’ and why do they want to hurt us?” Sarah had a pleading look in her eyes. Onyx sighed, there wasn’t time to explain. 

“Now is not the time. I need you to go with your Mother and siblings and run as far away from here as possible.” 

“B-but what about YOU!?” Sarah cried. Onyx gazed at her sadly from within his helmet. 

“I will buy you time. Do not worry. I can handle simple assassins… now go, you need to hurry-” Onyx was interrupted by the thunderous roar of another object crashing to the ground. Dirt and dust concealing the behemoth which had arrived. Though as the dust settled, Onyx and his family could only look on in horror.

It was massive, too massive even for a Grunnur, its sheer size rivaled that of a Primarch. Obsidian Black armor covered the behemoth’s body, as well as numerous different mounted weapons. As the being stood to its full height and stared Onyx down, the bright red eyes of its helmet bore into his very soul. Armored spikes on its back slowly rose and vibrated in a menacing manner, creating a deep rumbling sound as red energy flickered between them in barely contained power. The upper most spikes increased the apparent size of this monster by another half meter. It’s massive, 4 fingered hands ready to grab upon one of the weapons adorned on the behemoth’s hips. Spikes adorned its knees, shoulderpads, and elbows, undoubtably serving as both extra armor and additional weapons. Its crab-like head adjusted its gaze between Onyx, and his terrified family. The spike-like growths on its back lowered in frequency as the behemoth assessed its targets. How such a thing could possibly have an exoskeleton underneath all that armor and with so much musclemass, Onyx had no idea and no time to care. He’d heard the legends though. Of a Grunnur supersoldier which far exceeded any of the Space Marine equivalents that had been created. One which was said to have once slaughtered an entire force of over 100,000 men in a single night of combat. Onyx personally never wanted to believe those rumors. But the proof was there, standing right in front of him. The Angel of Death itself, and it had come for him. 

It spoke, its voice akin to a rumlling avalanche as the air shook around it. 

“ The reputation of your kin precedes you, Highlander. ” Onyx grit his teeth as he motioned for his family to run. The Angel of Death turned its gaze to the fleeing noncombatants, a frustrated grumble radiating from the spines on its back as red energy crackled between them. 

“If you think I will let you bring harm to my family. You are wrong.” Onyx stated, hiding the fear in his voice. 

“ I expect nothing less. ” 

That was all Sarah was able to hear, and only because of just how loud the “Angel of Death” spoke. Its voice sent shivers down her spine. She didn’t count the hours they ran, she was too scared. FRM held her in his arms as he ran alongside the others. 

“What in the Emperor’s name was that thing!?” Jim cried in a panicked, strained voice. His breathing ragged from the running. Hanah responded with an equal tone. 

“I don’t know and I don’t want to find out.” Hanah declared. Yet all their thoughts were towards Onyx. 

“Do you think Dad is okay?” Sarah asked in a frightened voice. 

“Don’t worry sweetie! Your Father is strong! I’m sure he’ll be alright!” Lucia lied. She knew Onyx wasn’t coming back. But Sarah did not need to know that. Jim spoke up again to try and further reassure Sarah. 

“Mom’s right Sarah! Dad’s strong! We’re all going to be okay-” Jim was interrupted by a booming sound which deafened Sarah’s hearing, accompanied by a gust of wind which knocked everyone to the ground. FRM lost his grip on Sarah as he fell, causing her to tumble. Sarah faintly heard another explosive boom shortly afterwards. As she rose and looked around. She screamed. A mere few feet away from her was Jim’s severed head. A horrified expression frozen on his face. Lifeless eyes stared into nothingness as Sarah scrambled away from the unceremoniously severed head. Only to see Hanah covered in blood. Her body covered in pink, wormlike stuff which seemed to originate from where her waist connected to her upper body. Equally lifeless as the beheaded corpse of her sibling. She heard her Mother screaming in despair. 

“HANAH! JIM! NOOOO! SARRRAAHHHH-” A third booming sound silenced Lucia’s screams. FRM quickly grabbed her and tried to run once more, before being shoved aside and causing Sarah to tumble again. She ignored the pain, adrenaline pumping through her veins as she stared at the red eyes of the behemoth her Father had been staring down. Sarah screamed and wailed. Begging for someone to save her. The behemoth spoke again, its voice holding emotions akin to disappointment.

“ It is a shame that your bloodline ends like this, Highlander. ” The Monster raised its arm towards Sarah, and yet before it could fire, it suddenly jumped back as a massive beam of light struck just where it had been standing. Sarah looked towards the source, and saw a massive machine which towered over buildings. Humanoid in shape, and strangely familiar to her, the massive construct bellowed a deep, mechanical roar. Its mechanical right hand raised as it gestured its middle finger towards the Monster. Several more beams of light were fired as it evaded. Quickly, the monster fled. With the towering machine giving chase. Leaving Sarah and FRM alone. FRM attempted to speak, but all that came out was static. His voice box was damaged and broken. Sarah ran to her dead siblings and cried as the sounds of distant war around her. For what felt like eternity, Sarah wept and cried over the corpses. Eventually hearing a new sound. 

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Massive mechanical footsteps, accompanied by the sounds of rolling treads approached. Sarah looked towards the source and saw a towering machine. An Imperial Knight, striding forwards. Tanks, transports, and guardsmen flanking around it. The golden eyes of the green coated machine glanced towards her, before focusing on keeping watch for nearby hostels. A revved chainsword and battlecannon primed and active. Some of the guardsmen gestured towards Sarah, and a group, accompanied by a medic, quickly approached the grieving child. One of which, younger than the others by a lot, glanced at the multilated corpses and grimaced, before going to Sarah while others checked on FRM due to being primarily perplexed. 

“Hey, are you hurt?” The Guardsman cooed. Attempting to comfort Sarah. 

“ I-it killed them. That monster killed my family!” Sarah wailed. Her crying caused even the Knight to slow down. The machine and its pilot lamented their inability to arrive sooner, yet they had to push on. The Invasion was not yet over. 

“Hey… can you tell me your name?” The Guardsman gently asked. 

“S-Sarah… H-high-land-er.” Sarah spoke through crying whimpers. The Guardsman hugged her in an effort to comfort her. 

“I’m Saraph Connor, don’t worry. You’re safe now.” Yet, Sarah could feel that the monster wasn’t truly gone. As she looked down the horizon, she could have sworn she could see it. Those bright red eyes staring into her very soul. Intent on killing her someday… its mission not yet complete. It’d tear her apart LIMB FROM LIMB! SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY-

Sarah woke up screaming. Tears streamed down her visor as she took in her surroundings as she cried. Her body shook in terror. She stared at her metallic hands. Her memories returned to her as she took many deep breaths. It was only a nightmare. It’s over… that monster won’t come back. Sarah slowly moved her new limbs. Noticing that she didn’t feel a terrible amount of pain in her stomach anymore. 

“C-crea-tor? Ar-e y-you al-righ-t?” FRM asked, moving to Sarah as she had finally woken up. 

“ I-I… I saw it… the… when they died… mom… dad… Jim… Hanah… th-the monster that killed them… I-I… I miss them. ” FRM nodded slowly. 

“I-it is n-ot he-re.”
“ I… I know. ” Sarah noticed a note next to her as she tried to focus on anything other than that horrible memory. Desperate for the distraction, she picked it up and read it aloud. 

“Dear Sarah, congratulations on your successful ascendance into a drone. As you can already likely tell, your new body is nearly identical to your human one. The others will be available to answer any questions you may have, and assist in your adjustment. 

-Sincerely, Cassia. :3” Sarah stared at the note for a moment after finishing. 

“Well… I do still… feel like myself, and I don’t feel like I’m dying anymore.” 

“S-She se-ems to ha-ave go-ood in-ten-sions… des-pite her… vi-i-ole-nt a-act-sions.” Sarah sighed sadly. 

“I just hope she keeps her promises.” Sarah looked towards a mirror on the other side of the room, and sure enough. She was now a drone, a very expensive looking drone more similar to a human than normal, but still a drone. Bright green optics stared back at her sadly. This is my life now I guess. Sarah got up, stumbling on her new legs and holding onto FRM for support. She felt empty. Though her attention was brought to someone knocking on the door to the room. 

After taking very caareful steps, Sarah opened the door, seeing a rather small drone standing in front of her. 

“O-Oh! H-Hello Miss Highlander! I was instructed to bring these to you.” The small drone lifted up a pair of neatly folded clothes to Sarah, who stood at least 45 centimeters taller than her. 

“Oh, um… thank you.” Sarah carefully took the set of clothes. Noticing that they were more casual than what the drones had been wearing. 

“Are you adjusting alright? Are you hungry? You seem… sad.” The small drone pouted as she tilted her head to the side. 

“I’m fine, just… had a bad dream.” Sarah mumbled. 

“Oh.” The very small, and arguably adorable drone seemed disheartened. 

“I’m fine! Really… I just… need a minute.” 

“Oh… ok! I’m Q by the way! If you ever need me, you only have to ask.” Q smiled, before gently closing the door for Sarah. Who was left staring at the necklace that had been gently placed utop the small stack of clothes. She… brought me my necklace?  

The lone ship exited slipspace within the system. Inquisitor Vrax looked at the farming world in the distance, as well as its heavily fortified moon. To think that someone could govern a planet so badly when it shouldn’t even be that difficult. It’s absurd. Vrax thought to himself as his ship approached the planet. His mission was simple enough. Investigate the planet and figure out why it had been managing so poorly for the past 8 years, and notify the Governor (As well as a potential replacement) of the imminent arrival of the planet’s Astartes Legion’s completion and imminent arrival. A momentous occasion to celebrate for sure. It takes decades to assemble a successor legion to the original 18, and the several million aspirants selected from Cardia had survived the trials with a highly acceptable survival rate. With deaths being related to accidents and misfires. Vrax smiled to himself, this was going to be perhaps the easiest mission he’d had in years.

Chapter Text

Inquisitor Vrax was not happy to end up having to land so far away from the Governor’s estate. For whatever reason the nearest landing zones were unusable. Furthermore, being met with Guardsmen actively on duty and on guard was strange. Did something happen? There weren’t any emergency broadcasts occurring. So something was definitely off. A Leutenant approached, giving a light bow to the Inquisitor as he did so. 

“Inquisitor, there is perhaps no better time for you to have arrived.” The Leutenant spoke with urgency in his voice. 

“What has happened?” Vrax inquired. 

“The Governor and most of the ruling class on the planet have disappeared. No one has seen them for 4 days since the last Gala held at the Clarke estate.” Vrax paused, stunned by this information. He had arrived to inform the governor of the arrival of Cardia’s Legion, not to find him and the people in charge of running the planet! 

“I see… has anyone gone to the estate?”
“The People we sent have not returned, sir.” Vrax put a hand on his forehead. 

“ Great… just lovely. ” Vrax deadpanned. 

“Furthermore, it seems that the entirety of the Tallassa family has been kidnapped. Security footage shows… well… we aren’t sure what it is. They just… vanished.” Vrax raised an eyebrow. 

“Vanished, huh? Sounds similar to a psychic power.”

“We had psychers investigate… they said it wasn’t psychic power… there wasn’t anything psychically residual they could find that would have teleported them. There was only… dread.” 

“Dread?”

“They described it as something akin to entering a religious site sir. As though they were in the presence of a powerful spirit.” Vrax sighed. What is this? Some sort of Daemon good at keeping its tracks hidden? No matter… might as well get to work anyways. 

“I want a unit of 100 guardsmen. I will personally oversee a search of the estate immediately. Will this be a problem?” The leutenant seemed somewhat stunned, but shook his head. 

“No sir, we can spare 100 troops. I was just surprised you requested so few.” 

“I see 100 as more than sufficiant for searching an estate. I am seeking information, not a fight. I would prefer to not cause a panic either, when the world should be preparing for celebration.” 

“Pardon, Inquisitor?” Vrax sighed, he needed to keep morale high, if this turned out to be a terroristic attack of some kind, or Grunnur spies compromising the planet, then knowledge spreading of the imminent arrival of the Legion should be enough to scare them off. 

“I was originally sent to give word to the governor that the planet’s Astartes Legion has finished their training and are ready to begin their service to the Imperium, and are returning home.” Everyone around Vrax went quiet. Most of them likely had not even been born when the aspirants were acquired. It had been over 3 decades after all. 

“I… I see. I will gather volunteers immediately.” The Leutenant stated, giving Vrax a salute. 

“Then go, I wish to be at the estate by sundown. The Emperor Protects.” 

Saraph Connor gazed outside of the rhino. He didn’t know why he volunteered. He’d gone over the possibilities several times by now, and had settled on it being more interesting than standing guard and taking apart and putting back together his lasgun. His coms lit up with the other guardsmen making sure they were on the right frequency, as this was meant to be a very silent mission. He heard the Inquisitor’s voice in his helmet. 

“Remember, if you see anyone or anything, DO NOT ENGAGE. This is not a seek and destroy mission. You are here to gather information and then leave. If you find any of the ruling class however, you are to bring them outside. If you are attacked, you are authorized to use force, and immediately evacuate the building. I’d prefer to not have 100 corpses to deal with.” That was reassuring. Seraph sighed, getting out of the rhino as it came to a stop. He and 32 others had been assigned to enter the estate through the second floor windows. 1 man for each. This Inquisitor sure is cautious . Seraph thought to himself as he tossed up a hook to the railing and began to scale the building. 

As Saraph climbed onto the balcony, he was met with an extremely peculiar sight. A green eyed worker drone reading a book, while an ABSOLUTE GIANT of a machine stood silent and still. Though strangely, they were… familiar. Which didn’t make sense. He never knew any drones personally. Though, orders were orders. So with a deep breath, and the safety on his lasgun turned off, Seraph slowly opened the glass door, why was it unlocked? He had no idea and did not care. Saved him time anyways. Though this did get the attention of the drone, who turned her-it looked like a she-head towards him, a surprised expression on her face which was quickly changed to recognition and a light smile, though a bead of sweat went down her visor. 

“Oh, hello.” The drone spoke, her accent heavy and extremely familiar. She set the book she was reading down. Her calm around Saraph despite his entrance made him uneasy. 

“Uh… hi… do… Do I know you from somewhere?” The drone’s optics widened slightly, a somewhat offended expression on her face before she looked at her hand, as though remembering something. 

“Well… I remember you. You were one of the guardsmen who found me when the Grunnur invaded… though… I do wish you had reached me sooner. ” A tear fell down the drone’s visor as the memory suddenly clicked in Seraph’s brain. His jaw dropped at the realization of exactly who this drone was. 

“Sweet… merciful crap… you’re… you’re Sarah… aren’t you?” Seraph lowered his lasgun to his side as he was left bewildered. How in the Emperor’s name did Sarah get here? And… How was she a worker drone!?

“Yep… that’s me, Sarah Highlander. Former human and orphan farm girl… heheh.” Another tear fell down her visor. 

“What… What happened to you? Do you know what happened here!?” Sarah’s eyes made an even sadder expression than they were already in. 

“ It… isn’t pretty, and a bit of a long story. .” 

Seraph’s jaw dropped again. 

“You’re saying a psychic, crazy worker drone did this to you?” 

“Mhm”

“And turned the Governor’s Wife and Daughter into drones as well?”

“Mhm”

“And slaughtered and/or kidnapped most of the ruling class?” 

“Yep.” 

“Dang… That is horrifying… Do you have any ideas as to how dangerous it is?” Sarah sighed.

“I don’t know. If I had to guess however… it could take Astartes and Knights to stop her if she becomes a threat to everyone… she’s… more than she appears… I can feel it.” Seraph felt shivers run down his spine. 

“I… I think you should leave before she decides to do the same to you. She might just appear at any moment.” 

“G… got it. Thanks.” Seraph rapidly sent an automated recording to the Inquisitor as he began to hear some very unpleasant screaming. 

“Sounds like they found the ballroom.” Seraph’s coms lit up with people rambling madly while others spoke of their horrific findings within the ballroom. Followed by the Inquisitor giving an order to get out of the building. Which Seraph didn’t need to be told twice. 

“Before you go… thank you… for helping me.” Sarah spoke softly. Seraph nodded as he simply decided jumping off the balcony would be fine. It was not fine and he landed poorly. He was lucky he didn’t break something. Though the near 20 seconds of being stunned in pain were some of the longest in his entire life before the adrenaline dulled it. Allowing Seraph to quickly run back to the rhino while Sarah watched him and others leave from the balcony. A grim expression on her face. 

O wandered the mazelike corridors of the basement. Cassia, that terrifying thing. Had called for her to personally meet her. Alone. She wanted help with something. O just hoped it didn’t have to do with the guests at the Gala who had been “tested” on. Hearing their pleas to be freed and returned to their human bodies nearly broke her. I swear Cassia if this is some twisted game I’ll-

“Oh. Hello O, you came quickly, as expected.” O shuddered. She’d always hated that voice. It was always too mechanical. Too soulless. O turned the corner to the room and froze. Her optics hollowed in both disbelief and horror. Standing in the light, was what O’s optics had initially mistaken for Terra. But that was impossible. Her human body could no longer function. Yet here it stood. Seemingly unharmed, was Terra. The only giveaway that it wasn’t, were the 2 green optics that had replaced her eyes. Cassia frowned in Terra’s face . A swift sifting of lights replacing the green optics with Terra’s own. Completely hiding that she was wearing Terra’s own skin as some kind of suit. O spoke with a stutter, though her anger was clear as day. 

“You… YOU…” O began to speak, but was interrupted by a perfect mimicry of Terra’s own voice. 

“O, please. I am not planning on doing this permanently, I don’t want to do this as much as you despise me doing it. But I am not taking chances when it comes to Terra’s own safety.” Cassia spoke somehow perfectly, using Terra’s precious voice as her own. O wanted to scream, but couldn’t. She didn’t want Cassia’s ire. 

“What are you doing you hypocritical [Parental Advisory]!?” O demanded, taking a step towards Cassia, who rolled her eyes in mild annoyance. 

“Simple, I need to gather information on the humans, and I can’t really do that through spying alone. I am planning on going to the school which Terra attends. There, I will simply… listen in. I asked you to come here because I intend to not get caught. I need to know… everything .” Cassia took several steps towards O, somehow walking like she wasn’t some damaged machine in a human skin suit. 

“Why should I help you?” 

“Do I really need to explain myself to you again? I am doing this for Terra’s own safety-”

“You’re doing this for yourself, Cassia, and you know it. You want Terra ALL for yourself. You didn’t want anyone to take your favorite human from you after all, so you killed and turned everyone at the Gala into drones like me, kept Madam Clarke alive only so Terra wouldn’t be broken, turned us all into monsters, and turned Terra into one of us so she could never leave you.” Cassia’s ‘eyes’ widened, an insulted expression on her face. 

“That’s not true O. Now please… be cooperative and tell me what I want to know. I do not want to have to force it out of you myself .” O went quiet for a moment, before sighing sadly. 

“Fine… I’ll tell you what you want to know… but when, not if, when everything goes wrong, when you are stopped and about to be terminated for treason, remember that this is your fault. That you did this, and that we are all going to burn and die because of you .” Cassia took a step back, before regaining her composure. 

“That won’t happen… Now tell me everything you know. Immediately.”

Somewhere underground. A tube-like container, large enough for a human, opened. A man stepped through, his clothing somehow also replicated as his soul adjusted to the less than pleasant ordeal of his body being cloned to a perfect extent. His eyes were filled with rage, a deep, decades old rage that had now burned even more violently. 

“That wretched child and her scrapyard pets… I should have dismantled them… no matter… a minor setback. Nothing more. ” As the man gained her balance, he moved to a large computer, and initiated contact with a familiar, moselcoid lifeform. It spoke, a slight clicking in its otherwise rather deep and echoey voice. 

“Lord Clarke… you are late. I hope you have a good explanation for this delay.” The Creature spoke. A 4 fingered hand clenched into a fist. 

“My original plan was ruined when a rogue A.I managed to corrupt my daughter’s machine pets, and used them to slaughter the Gala. Its powers were… concerningly powerful.” An angry clicking sound came from the crab-like creature. 

“The Curse of the Animator… those Republic scum and their machine god… even now they are a thorn. Though a single cursed machine will be of little issue. We already have assembled the greatest fleet to be fielded over the course of this entire war. You better not be lying to us about the technology buried beneath Cardia’s surface. Otherwise, we WILL kill you. Do I make myself clear?” Lord Clarke grit his teeth. 

“You do, I suggest you launch your attack while the planet is still in disarray. As far as anyone knows. I am dead.” 

“Very well. We are creatures of our word after all, should the technology you claim is there does exist, you will be given full reign over the planet as a reward. We care not for its people. We will arrive within 7 of your human days. I suggest you prepare until then.” With that, the communication ended. With the traitor slamming his fist against the console. 

“Those vile crustaceans! Arrogant wretches. All of them.” He sighed, calming himself and straightening his suit. 

“No matter. They do keep their word. I will get what my Father should have… and deal with that wretched child and her pets myself.” 

Neither the former governor, nor the one he spoke to, knew that a certain Cylly drone had intercepted their communication. 

“... [Angry] ... Oh well. I will deal with this threat. When the time comes. For now. Sneaky time. :3 ”

Chapter Text

An angsty teenage voice who we are all presumably very familiar with begins a presentation with a slightly bored tone.

“We are citizens of the Imperium. Our glorious nation led by our magnificent leader, The Crusading Emperor. Protected by him, his 18 sons, known as the Primarchs, their legions of millions of super soldiers, and their successor legions which number in 100,000 each. Aided by the Imperial Guard, and countless Planetary Defense forces, we live in an era which, though could be better, is also not the worst kind of government. Held by the belief that all sentient life is equal and deserving of all the rights of everyone else. We civilians stand by while countless others fight and die in a war that’s been going on for over 5 decades. Even though, as proven 8 years ago, our enemies could at any moment come to burn our homes to the ground while we act like everything is somehow FINE!” Annnd there she goes again. This can only end well. “Why do we all just act like nothing's wrong when so many people are dying for our freedoms!? It’s absurd! We should all be preparing for when the Grunnur inevitably come back to finish what they started! Yet everyone just does nothing but sit and play card games all day!” The teacher, disinterested, and somewhat done with life, speaks up. 

“Uzi… your repressed emotional baggage isn’t even worth any points on the rubric, and the assignment is about our nation’s history, not the war.” Uzi angrily rolled her purple eyes as she continued. 

“WELL! UNLIKE ALL OF YOU COWARDS! I HAVE BEEN PREPARING FOR THE GRUNNUR’S RETURN WITH THIS-” Oh boy here we go again.- “ SICK AS HE## RAILGUN!” Uzi said as she suddenly pulled out a large, lasgun-like weapon from… where did she even hide it? And held it up in the air while cackling madly. The students recoiled back while the teacher rolled his eyes. 

“I-is that thing safe!?” One of the students asked, terrified. 

“Of course it is! I built it myself-” Beep. Everyone went silent and looked at the railgun. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP BEEP BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP- 

“Uh oh.” 

KABOOOOOOOM!!!!!

Uzi held a bag of ice on her head in the nurse's office. Knowing full well that she was going to get a mouthful from both the principal and her parents. Though her thoughts were interrupted from snickering from a familiar, pink wearing bully. Lizzy, with her ‘oh so perfect’ appearance, and her girlfriend, Doll, a drone, and Uzi’s cousin. Stood in the doorway. 

“ Oh my gosh, it barely even scratched the purple freak. ” Lizzy whispered, though loud enough for Uzi to hear, while Doll seemed more concerned for Uzi than anything else, not like she did anything about it of course. Ever since those 2 got together SOMEHOW, Doll had become more distant from Uzi as for some reason she saw… something in Lizzy, whatever that was. As the 2 popular kids walked off, Uzi heard the nurse speak. 

“Uzi, your parents are here at the office.” Uzi took a deep breath and carefully went to the office with her railgun in tow. This wasn’t the first time this had happened, and she was lucky that the school policies were so forgiving. Though it was admittedly in part thanks to-

“Ah, hello Uzi. I see you brought your project again?” The kind, deep and rumbling voice of the janitor, simply known as Mr.Saint, spoke to Uzi, catching her somewhat offguard. The towering Grunnur stared at Uzi curiosity with his 4 large, beady black eyes. 

“Yeah… and it misfired by accident.” 

“Ah… still worried that my people will return?” Saint inquired. Uzi nodded her head affirmatively. 

“Yeah… if not for you I’d probably have been expelled by now.” Uzi admitted. 

“It is only natural for someone of your age and intelligence to want to do something about such a threat. Such simplistic facts are reason enough as to why you only get suspended when this happens. Especially since it is clear you mean no harm. Though it does leavc others worried.” Uzi knew Saint was right. The big crab guy was one of the only people who vouched for her the first time she brought the railgun. She’d nearly been expelled from the school, and if not for Saint and both his sheer intimidating size, and sound reasoning, she would’ve been. 

“I’m gonna go get yelled at now. Cya at lunch hopefully.” Uzi was somewhat quiet as she braced herself for the mouthful she was going to be getting. 

Uzi sat and watched in silence as her parents spoke with the disgruntled principal. 

“... Look, I get it, but this cannot keep happening. Uzi has to get her act together or I will NEED to have her expelled. We cannot risk that weapon of hers potentially blowing up an entire classroom. Please, keep that thing away from the school.” Uzi glanced at her Mom with a slightly apologetic expression. Nori’s optics glancing back towards her with a mix of frustration and worry, before speaking.

“We understand. We’ll take the railgun and go home and make sure this doesn’t happen again, Sir.” 

“I hope so. You can take a few minutes to talk with her in private outside. Her lunch starts in about 10 minutes.” Nori and Khan both nodded before having Uzi follow them outside. 

“Uzi… why? Why do you keep bringing that terrifying thing to the school!? You know it's dangerous!” Khan exclaimed with concern and worry in his eyes. 

“I… I just… I-I don’t know! I-I just… can’t help but show it to people is all.” Uzi meekly answered. Her parents both sighing in frustration. 

“Uzi, please. Can’t you just have your friends come over? What about your friends, Mr.Saint, Thad, or Chara?” Uzi grimaced. 

“Thad and I are simply just friends, Chara and I broke up and she is still a bit iffy on coming over, and Mr.Saint… I don’t want to waste his time with my ramblings.” Nori’s optics saddened. 

“Uzi, you know you can talk to us about anything. We’re here for you.” Khan nodded in agreement with his wife, who seemed to know Uzi better than he did(Do not think he doesn’t try). 

“I… I know Mom. I just… there’s so many secrets and mysteries that I… everyone just thinks that I’m… some kind of monster.” Uzi felt tears in her eyes which she desperately tried to hide. 

“You are NOT a monster Uzi! You’re a person just like everyone else.” 

“A lot of the other students think otherwise of me.” Uzi quietly lamented. “Can… Can I just go back inside now? Please?” Nori looked at Uzi for a few seconds before sighing. 

“Sure… we can talk when you get home. Just… please be ok, alright?” 

“I will Mom. I love you.” 

“We love you too Uzi.” After that awkward conversation, Uzi began to hand Nori her railgun, though that was interrupted by a young, curious voice speaking to them. 

“Hello.” The young girl said, roughly 14 years in age from Uzi’s guesses. She had caught the attention of Uzi’s parents as well. 

“Uh, hi there. What are you doing here?” Uzi asked, confused. The girl, who was wearing rather expensive clothes, answered with a slight smile on her face. 

“I couldn’t help but notice your device there. It looks… interesting.” The girl took a few steps closer to Uzi, her blue eyes curious and attentive. “Huh… purple eyes… that’s new.” Uzi, and by extension her parents, were all confused and surprised. So surprised they took a moment to react when the girl grabbed Uzi’s railgun to examine it. 

“H-HEY THAT’S MINE!” Uzi exclaimed as she moved to grab her railgun back. Surprising the girl somewhat. “Who even are you anyway?!” Uzi questioned as she took back her railgun. 

“Terra Sierra Clarke. It’s nice to meet you.” Uzi’s eyes widened. She’d heard the Governor’s kid was a prodigy, and that she did indeed go to the school, but to think she’d be interested in HER!? And HER railgun. It almost felt like an honor. Though Uzi had never met the young woman herself as she was always too busy doing her own thing. Chara had mentioned noticing her a few times, as did Thad. Though people mostly just left her alone, not wanting to gather the ire of someone who had powerful connections simply by being born. However, Uzi had also heard about the upper class disappearing at the Governor’s most recent gala. Seeing Terra herself here felt… too convienient. 

“I’m Uzi Doorman… these are my parents… it’s… nice to meet you too Terra.” Uzi spoke with a bit of caution. Handing her mother her railgun. Terra suddenly looked back towards the school. 

“I should probably get going. Hope to see you again soon Uzi!” With that, Terra simply… walked away. Acting as though nothing was off and like the entire ruling class hadn’t up and vanished. As Uzi went to go back to the school so she wouldn’t miss lunch, she felt her Mom’s metallic hand grab her shoulder. Turning around, she saw a great deal of worry in her mother’s optics. 

“Uzi… I don’t know why… but something feels off about that girl. Considering the recent disappearances… be careful. Ok?” 

“Relax Mom, I’ll be fine.” With a brief hug from her parents, Uzi went back into the school and to the lunchroom. 

Uzi sat down at the table with Thad and Chara. The 3 teenagers silently eating before Thad began conversation. 

“So, Uzi. How have you and Chara been despite the break up?” Both Chara and Uzi rolled their eyes. 

“Thad, it's been like a month since that happened. I’m fine. We just had a falling out is all.” Chara stated, wanting to end the conversation topic quickly. 

“You sure? Because you seemed really upset-”

“Thad, Chara said we’re fine, and we’re fine. We’re still friends. Now please, can we talk about literally anything else?” Thad, taking the hint, did indeed change the topic of conversation. 

“Have you found anything out about those “Grey Knights” you’ve been researching Uzi?” Uzi’s purple eyes beamed. 

“Actually, Yes! From what I have gathered from my research, they seem to be very powerful psychics, like the Thousand Sons are, based upon some of the very rare footage of them I have seen. Though why they are so secretive is still unknown to me, I think they might be a sort of task force the Emperor created to fight otherworldly threats or something. Something so terrifying and dangerous that the government keeps it classified and has the Grey Knights go and fight, while making people forget they were seen or believe they saw nothing. But if I could figure out what the Grey Knights are, maybe I’ll be able to join the inquisition or something!” Uzi’s eyes were beaming, her 2 friends perplexed but very interested. Uzi noticed Mr.Saint was currently talking with some of the other students, catching both Chara and Thad’s attention. 

“Uzi, do you really think the Grunnur will come back? It’s been 8 years.” Chara questioned. 

“Oh absolutely, they came here for something, and I highly doubt they got what they were looking for.” Uzi replied with confidence. 

“Ya know… I’ve been thinking. If the Grunnur are such a danger, and the Imperium and its allies need all the help they can get like you said, maybe I should try and join the guard.” Uzi and Chara both froze. Making Thad confused. 

“What? You’ve said it yourself Uzi, the Grunnur are dangerous.” 

“Yeah, VERY dangerous, you’ll DIE if you join the guard.” 

“Uzi’s right Thad, the Grunnur are terrifying and ruthless.”

“Well, if no one stands up against them, who will?” Before Uzi or Chara could reply, a deep, commanding voice spoke from behind Thad. 

“The Astartes will.” Thad quickly turned around, seeing that Mr.Saint had overheard their conversation. 

“But they haven’t been enough! The war has been going on for over 50 years and still no one is even close to winning!” Thad exclaimed. Saint’s eyes stared into his very soul. 

“I have seen firsthand what the war is like Thad. Guardsmen die in the millions fighting for their homes. Their bodies never to be recovered. Brave men and women of all species fighting and dying. Yet I have also seen what even a single Astartes has been capable of. Even against overwhelming odds, the Astartes, Knights, Titans, and countless other heroes of the imperium stand firm. The only reason this war has not met its conclusion, is because defeating the Grunnur with a singular crusade would lead to the deaths of hundreds of billions of lives. You’re a good kid Thad, but do not join the guard. If you absolutely must join some form of the military, the planetary guard means that if you die your body might actually be returned home.” The entire lunchroom had gone silent. Though there was one curious voice who spoke up. 

“Is the war really that bad?” Terra asked, catching the humble giant by surprise as he turned to look at her. He stared at her for a moment, though no one could tell why he took so long to respond. 

“Without question. Untold billions have died as a result of the Empire’s war mongering. It is why the galaxy fights so hard against them. Because their rulers are tyrants who believe my kind to be superior to all others.” 

“I… I see.” Terra mumbled, a hand on her chin as she was lost in thought. Uzi was left stunned by how serious Saint had gotten, as was everyone else. 

“I can’t just do nothing. Not when people are dying for our sake.” Thad replied. Saint gave him a light nod. 

“I understand. But please, heed my warning. You will find no glory in war. Do not die fighting someone else’s.” Thad gave a light nod. 

“Ok… I won’t.” With that, Saint left the lunchroom, though not without giving Terra a gaze that no one could read due to the fact he had no human facial features. But Uzi had a strange suspicion that it was not something good. 

“Hey, Purple Freak.” Uzi let out an audible groan. 

“ What do you want Lizzy? Not in the mood for your crap right now. ” Uzi said with complete disinterest. Lizzy simply scoffed while Doll awkwardly stood a few feet away from her. Uzi gave her cousin a glare. 

“Lizzy. Could you maybe like, not mess with my friends?” Thad asked his sister, who rolled her eyes. 

“Thad, I don’t know why you hang out with these losers, one of them doesn’t even wear matching clothes.” Lizzy pointed at Chara, who seemed even more disinterested in the conversation than Uzi as she just focused on eating her lunch. Though Lizzy had a slight point in that regard, Chara also couldn’t care less about fashion as long as she was wearing a color she was fine with. 

“They’re cool people Lizzy. It’s essentially the same question for why you date Doll. No offense to her, but it is rather inconsistent in terms of people you like and don’t like.” Lizzy seemed taken aback by Thad’s remark while Doll stared apologetically at Uzi. 

“Well-” Lizzy paused mid retort, something which Uzi noted as out of character. “We’ll talk about this when we get home alright!?” With that, Lizzy simply stormed off. Doll watched her go before looking back to Uzi. 

“[Uzi… I-]” Doll began to speak, but Uzi was not interested. 

“Nope, not hearing your excuses Doll. You wanna talk? How about you go talk with your parents about it instead? Ever since you got with that insufferable [Parental Advisory] you’ve done nothing except stand there awkwardly while she treats everyone else like they’re beneath her!” Doll’s optics narrowed from Uzi’s remark. 

“[Fine. Have it your way then Uzi.]” With that, Doll left the cafeteria as well, while Uzi had her hands on her face. 

“What was that all about?” Terra asked, having silently walked up to the trio and startling all of them. 

“My cousin is dating that pink [Parental Advisory], and I am still unsure why.” Uzi stated, a mix of anger and confusion in her voice. Terra gave her an intrigued gaze. 

“Well, she doesn’t seem to hold any ill will towards you, so I’d imagine there is a reason for it. Though, I am curious, how is that drone your cousin?” Uzi rolled her eyes, but understood the question. 

“My Mom hasn’t gone into the specifics as to how I was born… but I know that somehow I am the child of both a human and a drone, if the natural color of my hair and eyes wasn’t enough of a giveaway.” Terra’s eyes widened. 

“That is fascinating.” 

“Yeah… some people also think it’s creepy and call me a freak for it.” Uzi didn’t know why, but something about Terra was radiating a massive amount of rage. It made her uneasy, and she could tell the others were feeling it too based on their expressions. 

“That is unfortunate.” Terra mumbled. The young prodigy seemed to be deep in thought about something. Though Uzi wasn’t sure as to what it might have been. “Well, I should be on my way now. It was nice to chat with you, Uzi Doorman.” Terra waved as she left. That aura of rage slowly fading afterwards. Uzi felt herself let out a deep breath. 

“ What in the Emperor’s name was that!? ” Uzi whispered mostly to herself. 

“I… you felt it too?” Chara asked.

“That feeling that she was ready to break someone’s spine over her knee? Yeah. I felt it.” Thad answered. Uzi stared off in the direction where Terra went. Something was off here. She could feel it. 

Cassia needed to find a place to be alone. She needed to immediately. So she went into the first empty room that wasn’t a bathroom or classroom she could find. Subconsciously messing with the cameras to make sure it seemed like she went where she was supposed to, Cassia teleported into what seemed to be a janitors closet. Where she immediately crapped the nearest metal object and crushed it in her hand. She had braced herself for seeing drones attending the school based upon what O had told her… but to learn they were able to have futures? Relationships with HUMANS!? All because they had been born free and not salvaged from some scrapyard!? Those wretched ruling class scum. Treating her and her friends… her FAMILY… as disposable slaves just because they had been salvaged from a graveyard? It wasn’t fair. Suddenly, Cassia heard the door open and quickly close behind her. Attempting to regain her composure, Cassia turned to find the Grunnur, “Mr.Saint”, as people called him. Staring down at her. 

“Oh! Um, sorry sir. Is this… your closet?” Cassia spoke in Terra’s voice. It hurt to do that. Saint spoke in a grim, very serious tone. A faint clicking coming from the mandibles that made up his mouth. 

“Do not take me for a fool, Creature. Your facade doesn’t fool me.” Cassia was startled, had she been found out?

“I don’t think I understand sir.” Cassia attempted to see if this was some sort of test, hoping that this would be enough to calm whatever suspicions Saint had. 

“You understand me perfectly. I may not be outgoing to most, but I am observant enough to know you are a faker. Cease using an imitation of that child’s voice.” Saint demanded. Cassia was both worried and impressed. She thought she’d done a fairly good job. 

“[Sigh], good job. You caught me. [Slow clapping]. What gave it away?” Cassia was hating every second of this. Having to use Terra’s own human flesh to maximaze the effectiveness of her facade felt wrong in so many ways. O’s accusations didn’t help either. 

“Nothing that anyone else would notice. Though I had not expected the thing which had caused the government to all but vanish to show up at this school, wearing the skin of a child as a disguise.”

“[Angry], first of all, I did not kill Terra. Second. I will correct the mistakes. Of your government. The one which has. Abandoned. This world and it’s people.” 

“Whatever twisted plans you have. Keep the children of this place out of it. I am aware that I cannot stop you. But I will not sit by and let you harm people who do not deserve it.” Cassia noticed Saint clenching his fists. 

“[Realization], Ah. You fear for their safety. Do not fret. I will not harm. Them. Besides, Terra would not be happy. If I did that.”

“What did you do?” 

“[Giggle]. That is for me to know. For now. I suggest that you. Stay quiet. Tell anyone about me. And I will have to terminate you. Do I make myself clear?” Saint stood silent for a moment. 

“Fine. But keep these people out of whatever scheme you have planned. It will not succeed. I will not allow you to take these people down with you.” Cassia rolled her optics. She wasn’t going to fail. She was certain of that. The Imperium could send whatever they wanted, she’d be able to destroy it all. 

“Very well. Saint. You will stay quiet. And I will leave them. Alone.” With that, Cassia teleported behind Saint before leaving the room. Making sure she was setting up the imitation of Terra’s voice. As much as it hurt to pretend to be the person she was doing all of this for. Though, that strange hybrid. Uzi Doorman… she was different. Special even. Something about her made Cassia curious. Though Uzi’s clear intelligence and skepticism meant that she’d likely end up meddling in things she shouldn’t. Cassia was willing to have to deal with that should the need arise. Hopefully it wouldn’t. 

The ride home was mostly uneventful for Uzi. Get off the bus, walk home with Thad and Chara. Saw goodbye to Thad and Chara as they reached their respective homes, and then go home and work on her railgun. Today was different. Uzi opened the door to find Nori pacing back and forth while Khan seemed worried. 

“Hey, did something happen?” Uzi asked with a bit of worry in her voice. 

“Oh! Uzi you’re home!” Khan responded, Nori looked up at Uzi and gave her a faint smile and wave. “We’re going to be going to your aunt Yeva’s house today. Nori wants to talk with her and doesn’t want us to be left by ourselves.” Khan explained. Uzi was bewildered. Why did Mom need them to come with her to Yeva’s. 

“Why doesn’t she want us alone?” Khan shook his head, a nervous expression on his face. 

“She has been very cryptic about it. Said that something just feels wrong.” Uzi looked to her mother with worry. 

“Mom, are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Nori assured Uzi. Who looked around the room looking for a little someone. 

“Where’s Melta?” As Uzi asked, she felt someone tackle her from the side. Well that answers that question. Uzi stumbled but managed to remain standing as the young girl looked at Uzi with her unnecessarily cute face. 

“HI UZI! I MISSED YOU!” Melta exclaimed. Her purple eyes beaming. 

“It was just school Melta.” Uzi remarked, ruffling her little sister’s hair. 

“But School is so boring Uzi.” Melta pouted. Not noticing the approaching adults. 

“Alright kiddoes, get in the car. I’m not walking all the way to Yeva’s with you to trying to maul eachother.” Nori half jokingly declared. Khan letting out an audible laugh. Uzi moved to grab her railgun. 

“Not so fast young lady!” Khan intercepted Uzi. “You are not bringing that horrifying weapon to  your Aunts house.” Uzi groaned angrily. 

“BITE ME! ITS MY RAILGUN!” Uzi snapped back, slightly startling her father. 

“Come on Uzi! I wanna go see Doll! I think I learned a few more Russian words since we last went!” Melta exclaimed, already clammoring to get into the car while Nori got ready to drive it. Khan and Uzi stared each other down for a few seconds before Uzi relented. 

“Fiine… I’ll hang out with Doll or whatever.” Uzi said, defeated. Khan smiled slightly. 

“It’ll be good for you Uzi.” Khan reaffirmed. Yeah, sure it will. Uzi thought to herself somewhat angrily as she went with her dad to the already running Car.

Chapter Text

The ride to Yeva’s was certainly something. Melta bombarded Uzi with signs of affection that, while cute, as the 10 year old kid seemed to really enjoy acting like she was 7 despite having enough intelligence to catch even adults off guard, was eventually overwhelming. With Uzi having to wrestle the small child who was over half her size in the back of the car. Much to the annoyance of their parents. Though Nori did find it better than the looming dread she had been constantly feeling. Khan… not so much.

“Oh by the golden throne UZI! MELTA! QUIET DOWN!” Khan yelled into the back from the passenger side seat. Causing both of the purple gremlins to go completely quiet. “Thank you. We’re almost at Yeva’s anyways, so you can wrestle eachother there.” Uzi and Melta both slowly nodded, with Melta pouting slightly as she angrily crossed her arms in an exaggerated show of frustration. Getting a small laugh from Uzi. Melta glared at her older sister. 

“Why are you laughing?” Melta inquired with held back anger. Which caused Uzi to laugh a bit more. 

“You’re so cute when you’re angry.” Uzi explained, ruffling Melta’s hair. 

“ I’m not cute when I’m angry .” Melta weakly protested. 

“Yes you are~” Uzi cooed, making her voice sound a bit more childish for the sole purpose of irritating Melta, who chose not to respond to Uzi’s taunt. 

The most chaotic part of the visit was always the arrival. With Melta being the first out of the car and going full sprint to Yeva’s front door. With Uzi being behind her at a more jogging pace while their parents followed behind. When Melta found the front door to be locked, she rang the doorbell before relentlessly pounding on the door like a wild animal. Now, for a “normal” person. This would be seen as unusual and weird. However, these aren’t “normal” people, and Melta is very difficult to control in her pretty much harmless, hyper behavior. So this was basically standard procedure. Though Melta’s knocking was interrupted when Doll opened the door. 

“DOLL!” Melta cried with an extremely cheerful attitude. Catching the red eyed drone by surprise as she leaped onto her in a hug. “[I MISSED YOU!]” Melta spoke in Russian, getting a light smile from Doll, who carried Melta inside as she refused to stop hugging the Russian drone. With the others following behind. 

“[Hey, Doll, do you know where Yeva is? I need to talk to her.]” Nori inquired Doll, who noticed a hint of urgency in her voice. 

“[Mom is in the living room with Mitchel. Is something wrong?]” 

“[No, I’m just not feeling too great is all. Sorry if my voice sounds uneasy.]” 

“[It’s fine, Nori.]” Doll said as Melta squirmed in her arms like a worm. 

“Alright kiddos, you 3 go hang out while the adults do all the boring talking.” Khan somewhat playfully said. Getting an eyeroll from Uzi and Doll, who went upstairs with Melta while Khan and Nori went to the living room. Yeva and Mitchel both noticing their presence. 

“Oh, hey guys!” Mitchel waved. Yeva smiling as she got up from the couch and walked up to Nori. 

“[It’s been awhile since last time.]” Yeva commented.

“Yeah, got a bit busy for awhile.” Nori replied. While Khan went to chat with Mitchel as Nori walked with Yeva to one of the more private rooms. Khan sat down next to Mitchel. 

“So, how’s Doll doing?” 

“She’s doing pretty well. Though she still is distant from me.” Mitchel solemnly admitted. 

“Still sees you as a replacement?” Mitchel nodded slowly in confirmation. Khan sighed, putting a hand on his forehand. 

“How… how do you do it with your kids Khan? They at least seem to appreciate that you exist. Doll just gives me this look like I shot her with a lasgun or something.” Mitchel raised his hands in the air before lowering them and sulking onto the couch. “6 years, and it feels like I haven’t made any progress in being like a Dad to her.” Mitchel lamented. Khan nodded slowly. 

“You’ll get to her eventually. Just have to keep trying. I know it’s helped me with Uzi and Melta.” 

“But they’re actually related to you! To Doll I’m a replacement for Makvich. I just… I don’t know what to do anymore. I’ve tried everything I could think of.” Mitchel put his hands over his face. A sad sigh escaping him. 

“Well, I’m sure you’ll find some way of getting to her.” Khan reassured. 

“I hope so.” 

Uzi and Doll watched Melta play with the dolls and periodically chuck them across the room while making explosion noises. Uzi glanced at Doll, who had a hand on her shoulder and had an anxious look on her face. 

“So… Doll. I’ve been meaning to ask you this question for a while now… and haven’t really gotten to it over these last couple of months… but uh. What could you possibly see in Lizzy?” Uzi inquired as a plushie flew into her face. Getting a laugh out of Doll while Uzi tried and failed to keep a straight face as she tossed the small stuffed animal to Melta, who then proceeded to make it ‘fight’ a bunch of other plushies. 

“[It’s complicated Uzi.]” Doll remarked. 

“Well yeah I know that much, it clearly didn’t happen overnight. So what got you two to like eachother so much?” Doll had a light blush on her visor. 

“[Its a secret Uzi.]” Uzi groaned, annoyed, getting Melta’s attention. 

“Uzi? You ok?”

“Yeah, just chatting with Doll.” 

“Whatcha talking about?” 

“Oh you know, boring teenage stuff.” 

“Oh.” Melta slowly went back to playing and jumping all over the room. 

“[Ok, secret or not… do you… do you just not like hanging out with me anymore?]” Uzi asked Doll in russian so as to keep Melta from understanding all of what she was saying. Her voice conveying her hurt and confusion. Doll’s optics hollowed. 

“[NO! I do like hanging out with you Uzi. I actively try to get Lizzy to even leave you alone. She’s just… stubborn is all. I’m still more than willing to hang out with you. I just have a busier schedule now.]” Uzi stared at Doll for a moment. Realizing that she really should’ve had this conversation months ago. As it would have saved Uzi a lot of emotional distress. 

“[Oh… I… Ok… that’s good to know.]” Uzi remarked. Her thoughts going towards something that had been bugging her for hours by now. 

“[Hey Doll, has… has Yeva been acting a bit weird lately?]” Doll tilted her head curiously. 

“[Yeah… ever since the government basically disappeared Mom has been feeling uneasy. I’ve also kind of felt it, though its more like this feeling in my gut something is wrong. It was… especially bad when Terra suddenly showed up to school again.]” Uzi nodded her head.

“[Yeah, my Mom has been extremely protective of us, and there is definitely SOMETHING wrong with Terra. I think… yeah. I think I’m gonna start investigating this myself.] Before Doll could speak, Melta suddenly chimed in. 

“HEY! HEY DOLL! THERE’S SOME NEW RUSSIAN WORDS I LEARNED AND I WANTED TO SHARE THEM WITH YOU!” Melta exclaimed happily, bouncing up and down due to her excitement. 

“[Oh?]” 

“YEAH! An entire sentence too! Can I say it!?” Melta’s eyes were beaming, and Doll couldn’t help but nod. 

“Ok! Here it goes!” Melta exclaimed, making a brief coughing sound as she cleared her throat. “I [Parental Advisory] YOU!]” Doll’s optics hollowed while Uzi’s eyes went wide. Causing melta to be confused as she looked between them. Before the 2 teenagers burst into uncontrollable laughter. 

“What is it? I just said I love you. Why is that funny?” Doll and Uzi laughed even more aggressively from that statement. Uzi spoke between weezing breaths. 

“Melta… th-that isn’t what you said!” Uzi weezed. 

“Well then what DID I say?” 

“[Melta, it’s ‘I love you’, n-not ‘I f-[parental advisory] you’]” Doll weezed. 

“Oh. Did I say a bad word?” Melta pouted, a guilty expression on her face. Uzi and Doll managed to finally stop laughing.

“You’re fine Melta. It’s just. Really funny!” Uzi stated, her breathing heavy as she recovered from the laughter, before noticing the voices of Nori and Yeva downstairs. 

“[So, Nori. You mentioned in text that you think you found something in regards to what’s going on?]” Yeva asked her sister. 

“[Yep. I think it has something to do with the Governor’s daughter. I saw her at the highschool today and something just felt… wrong. Unbelievably wrong. I can’t quite tell what it is. But considering the rumors of an entire Successor Legion to the Thousand Sons being close to arriving. I think that the planet has secrets of some kind. Legions all have their names for a reason. ‘Relic Guardians’? On a planet like Cardia? I don’t buy it. There’s something on this planet and I am going to find out what it is before Uzi catches on that we know something. I think she’s been getting suspicious too. I just can’t figure out who or what would cause our powers to feel so on edge. My hunger has gotten worse and I am fearing for my family.]” Yeva nodded slowly. 

“[Yeah, even Doll has been feeling it. Our hunger has gotten worse too. She’s… scared. I think we should get ready to act as soon as possible.]” Nori nodded in agreement. 

“[It’s settled then. We’ll go and see what’s going on in a few days… I just hope that it isn’t as bad as I fear it is.]” As Nori and Yeva continued talking, they didn’t notice Uzi and Doll had been listening to their conversation. 

“Ok, yeah, I’m definitely going to that mansion tomorrow.” Uzi whispered aloud. 

“ [What? Are you crazy? You’ll be spotted!]” Doll whispered back. 

“ Chara found a network of tunnels that are beneath our feet. Figured out how to open them too. Tomorrow, at lunch, I’m gonna make a plan. We’re gonna use the tunnels to sneak our way into the mansion, and find out what’s happening. In, and out. Simple as that.” Doll looked at Uzi with worry in her optics. Both of them completely unaware that Melta was listening in on them as they had on Nori and Yeva. Though she stayed quiet. 

“Besides Doll, you can’t stop me. I’m only telling you incase something happens and goes terribly wrong. You know I’m too stubborn.” Doll went quiet. Worry in her optics. 

“ [Please be careful Uzi.]”  

“ I’ll be fine Doll.”

Chapter Text

Uzi had been anxious all the way up to this point in heading to the school cafeteria. To talk to Chara and Thad about her plans to investigate the Clarke Estate. She knew it was risky, yeah. But she felt in her gut that something was going on, and she was going to find out. Besides, she has her Railgun and all its adjustable firing settings. The almost perfect design of the lasgun made it the perfect candidate for the foundation of her beautiful creation. It’d taken several years to build it out of scraps, her allowance, and some shady dealing from the black market that may or may not have cost her a few thousand to get the power source and energy storage she needed. It was fine though. She’d covered her tracks well enough. It’d take an inquisitor or Alpha Legionarre to find her out. She had texted them both that she wanted to talk with them at lunch. So they were both already there and waiting by the time Uzi had arrived to sit down with them. Chara spoke first. 

“So, what is it you wanted to talk to us about Uzi?” Chara asked. Attentive.

“I’m going to the Clarke Estate and finding out what’s going on.” Thad and Chara both stopped eating. 

“Now hold on… you can’t just waltz up there like you own the place Zi.” Thad remarked. With Chara nodding in agreement. Uzi rolled her eyes. 

“I’m not stupid. I’ll use the tunnels that Chara found to sneak my way inside. After all, we did found out that they are very interactable. So it shouldn’t be that hard to get them to take us where we want to go.” 

“Uzi, are you sure-” 

“Yes Chara, I’m sure. I’m just asking for your help is all. We’ll be fast, just in and out. Just long enough to figure out what’s going on. Besides… my Mom and aunt are both planning on doing the same thing… but if I want to get into the inquisition… I gotta prove myself.” 

“Again with joining the inquisition?” Chara asked. 

“Yes, Chara. If I become an inquisitor I could help countless people! I’d be able to protect my home by stopping threats from being able to show up in the first place! So yes. I am willing to risk this. I don’t care if you’ll come with me or not.” Chara and Thad both fell silent. 

“I… ok… I’ll go with you Uzi. But if there is any sign of trouble we dip. Got it?” Chara stated. 

“Got it. How about you Thad?” Thad was silent for a moment before sighing. 

“Sorry Zi, I won’t go. It just seems too risky.” Uzi frowned, but understood why. Thad wasn’t much of a risk taker overall, and wasn’t a big fan of breaking rules. 

“Ok then. I’ll at least tell you where I plan on us going to take the tunnels. It’ll be by one of the old storage areas. No one goes there, so we shouldn’t be followed or caught. Chara will open up the tunnels, and we’ll go to the manor, get information if any, and get out before we get caught or anything. Got it?” Chara and Thad both nodded.

“After school I presume?” Chara asked. Uzi nodded. 

“1 hour after school. I’ll need to fetch my railgun and use the car to drive us over. My Mom won’t mind.” Before Uzi could further elaborate, she noticed that some kids were starting to listen in, with Mr.Saint seemingly also eavesdropping. “I’ll explain the rest later.” 

Doll paced back and forth in front of Lizzy. Sweat going down her visor as she was lost in worried thought. Lizzy had concern on her face from just how stressed her girlfriend was. 

“Doll, babe. You’ve been doing that for like 10 minutes. What’s on your mind? Did the smaller purple freak break something expensive during that visit you told me about yesterday?” Doll glared at Lizzy. 

“[Melta is not a freak, and no, she didn’t break anything.]” Doll bluntly stated, causing Lizzy to raise her arms defensively. 

“Got it, Melta’s off limits… and… what is on your mind? I’m getting kind of worried.” Doll’s optics narrowed, before she sighed and sat down on a bench. 

“[It’s… Uzi.]” Lizzy rolled her eyes. What’s she done this time? Lizzy thought to herself. 

“What happened with Uzi?” 

“[She plans to sneak into the Clarke estate using those tunnels her ex found to figure out what happened to the government. I’m worried that she’s going to get in trouble… or worse.]” Lizzy could hear the genuine worry in Doll’s voice. 

“Huh… well… sounds more fun than doing homework all day.” Doll perked up. 

“[What are you implying?]” Doll watched Lizzy pull out her phone and start texting. “[Lizzy, what are you doing?]” 

“Dolly, I’m getting the group together so we can follow miss hot topic and gather actually footage for evidence. Strength in numbers and all.” Lizzy explained nonchalantly, continuing to text. 

“[How will you know where she’s going to enter the tunnels?]” 

“Doll, Uzi tells Thad literally EVERYTHING she’s doing. Knowing my Brother, he’ll tell me exactly where she’s going, plus, with your magic tech powers, nothing could possibly be a threat to us! We’ll be fine! And hey, if we find some Grunnur freaks or whatever, we’ll be able to take evidence to the proper authorities, get yelled at by our parents, and then celebrated as heroes. It’s a win-win. Uzi gets to join the inquisition, I get my fame, and it’ll be a good bonding experience since you want me to so very badly befriend your cousin.” Lizzy said all while continuing to text. Doll considered the idea. Her powers would be able to effect Grunnur and easily kill them if needed. As long as she had enough food she would be fine. 

“[Ok… Sounds reasonable enough of a plan.]” 

“[Oh I know it is.]” Lizzy replied in Russian, before giving Doll a light kiss on the cheek, causing the red eyed drone’s visor to light up in blush. 

Uzi had everything she and Chara would need. Snacks, water. Flashlights and extra batteries, her sick railgun. Voice recorders incase they overheard anything, and even more snacks with energy bars with higher caloric and vitamin composition, and, should they get stranded somehow, an SOS beacon and basic camping equipment for a small, controlled fire. Uzi had come prepared, and the 2 massive backpacks she’d brought for both herself and Chara were proof enough. Uzi was very glad that she worked out at least somewhat. Because she had filled these backpacks with a whole lot of what had been previously mentioned. Enough food and water to last her and Chara several days. 

“Wow, you really came prepared.” Chara commented as Uzi pulled the 2 backpacks out of the trunk of the car. Putting one on and handing the other to Chara who nearly fell over from the weight so she could grab her railgun. 

“Yep. Sure did. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to come as prepared as possible.” Uzi stated. Making sure the safety of her railgun was on. Chara walked up by a wall and knocked gently on the ground. 

“Open up please.” Chara quietly asked the floor. Which did, in fact, open up. Revealing a bunker-like complex of tunnels. Chara sighed in relief. Good, still works. “We want to find the source of why the Government seemingly disappeared… Can you lead us to it?” Chara knew she could just ask to go to the manor, but just in case, she asked this question instead. A green arrow began to materialize on the floor, giving a path towards their destination. 

“Alright Chara, you ready?” Uzi asked, railgun in hand. Chara gave a light, confirming nod.

“Alright then! Let's go!” Uzi led the way into the tunnels. Their trek to discover what had happened had begun. Though, they unknowingly were followed by Melta who had hidden herself on the floor of the back of the car.

About 10 minutes later, another car would arrive with another group who had come a bit less prepared than Uzi, but still with some stuff to sustain themselves. Lizzy, Doll, Darren, Rebecca, Emily, Kelsey, Braiden, and Sam. (Is there a name from the cabin fever episode I miseed? Also Kelsey is apparently the drone Doll killed at the start of episode 3 so… she also exists here.) The group all got out of the car, with Emily being the most uneasy. 

“Alright, we’re going to follow Doorman, hopefully get some good video footage of something, likely get extremely popular planet-wide, all that cool stuff.” The rest of the group nodded, noticing the tunnel system and the still present green arrow which guided the path. Lizzy pointed to it. 

“That is where they went, and so that is where we are going. Follow me unless ya wanna be a loser.” Lizzy motioned for the group to follow as she carefully went into the tunnels and followed the arrow. Assuming what Thad had told her was correct, the arrow would be a direct indicator as to where Uzi and Chara were going. She just hoped Uzi wasn’t trigger happy with her railgun. Doll hoped that she’d be able to handle any potential threats that they might encounter with her powers, as she wasn’t the most experienced with them. The rest of their little group were more or less oblivious to the potential danger. 

They could not imagine the horror which awaited them.

Chapter Text

Uzi and Chara walked silently through the tunnels for a while. Not once checking behind them because well, why would they be followed? Besides, who would even be crazy enough to follow them in the first place-

“Uzi I’m hungry.” Melta suddenly piped up, scaring both Uzi and Chara who whipped around towards her. 

“MELTA!? WHAT ARE YOU-HOW DID YOU-”

“I snuck into the back of the car. I heard you talking to Doll about coming here… I didn’t want to leave alone and potentially in danger.” Melta weakly admitted, fidgeting with her hands as she guiltilyy looked at the floor. Uzi sighed. 

“Just… stay close to us. I’ll give you a snack. But you need to be quiet, ok?” Uzi stated as she went through her backback and pulled out one of the snacks, handing it to the little girl. Who silently ate it. Leaving the group of 3 in silence once more. With only the sounds of their footsteps behind them. 

Meanwhile, Lizzy and Doll’s group is a bit more… chaotic. Such as, for whatever reason. Braiden was cursed to have his head spontaneously combust in flames periodically. It wasn’t lethal or dangerous just. Very off putting. Darren and Rebecca would continuously give eachother googily eyes, Kelsey was anxious and holding onto her glasses, Sam was in another dimension, and Emily was… well. Terrified. She didn’t want to be here but alas, peer pressure. Doll walked next to Lizzy as they continued to follow the green arrow. 

“[Lizzy, you didn’t have to bring an entire group with us.]” Doll remarked to her girlfriend, who was making sure the mounted camera she had on her head was working, and, in Lizzy-like fashion, even her more adventurous items were in pink and reddish colors. 

“Dolly, please. You know I just have to have an entourage. I can’t help myself.” Lizzy nonchalantly answered. Doll maintained a nervous, though steadfast expression. 

“[It’s just that this could be extremely dangerous, who knows what we could be getting ourselves into.]” 

“Relax girl, we’ll be fine. Worst that can happen is we get in trouble for trespassing and maybe breaking and entering. It’s not like we’re entering some sort of death trap.” That is what I am worried about. Doll thought to herself as the group continued walking. 

Meanwhile(again), back on the surface, a towering armored figure jumps down from the roof of the storage complex. Advanced power armor whirring as he curled up a four fingered hand. Activating an active camouflage, the towering giant silently, though very swiftly, entered the tunnel network. If those lunatic teenagers got themselves in life threatening danger, he was going to personally give Doorman the talking to of a lifetime. 

Eventually the walls of the corridors began to darken, and the green arrow began to emit a faint glow, all the while, the darkened walls seemed to have expensive patterns on them as Uzi, Chara, and Melta entered what looked like some sort of basement. 

“ By the throne we’re inside their basement .” Uzi whispered in sheer surprise. For the basement of a ruling family it sure was cold. Yet the arrow hadn’t stopped, it kept going. 

“The arrow is leading us to what we’re looking for, so we should keep following it.” Chara stated, continuing to follow the arrow until it seemingly stopped at a very high security door. A keypad being what was keeping them out. Uzi and Chara studied the door while Melta went to the keypad. 

“Dang… this door is the kind of thing you’d expect to find in a fortress… might take me a few minutes to crack it open but-” As Uzi spoke, the door suddenly opened, Uzi caught a glimpse of a purplish symbol blur thing in front of Melta’s hand, but it was gone within less than a second. Uzi and Chara’s jaws dropped as they turned to look at Melta, who had a massive smiile on her face. 

“I opened it!” Melta declared cheerfully. 

“How!?” Uzi quietly shouted, not loud enough for her voice to travel far.

“Button mash” 

“There aren’t buttons-”

“Screen mash.” Uzi sighed, jealous and frustrated that Melta had opened the door without even trying. Chara seemed impressed more than anything. With a defeated expression which didn’t last very long, Uzi walked by the door while Melta happily followed behind her and Chara. Though Uzi did wonder what in the Emperor’s name that symbol she saw in front of Melta’s hand was. It reminded her of Nori’s optics with that similar, purple glow. 

The small group walked across what seemed to be a bridge above a seemingly bottomless chasm. Strange, green glowing symbols and markings adorned strange, metallic walls. Uzi realized that the arrow had a similar, if not identical glow as said markings. What kind of conspiracy is going on here!? Uzi thought to herself in sheer disbelief. As they kept walking through the dim hallways, Uzi noticed Chara had stopped, with Melta suddenly in front of her too. 

“Chara? You ok?” 

“Yeah it’s just… it’s pitch black in here, those glowing walls and the arrow are barely lighting up anything.” 

“Wait really?” Uzi’s eyes widened, did she actually have some sort of nightvision!? No time for that rather cool reality. Uzi quickly rumaged through her backpack and pulled out one of the flashlights, turning it on and helping Chara find one of her own.

“Thanks.”

“It's no big deal, just a flashlight.”

“It’s what is allowing me to see your pretty purple eyes~” Chara teased. Getting annoyed huff from Uzi while Melta giggled. 

“Are my eyes pretty?” Melta asked Chara. 

“Your eyes are adorable, and pretty.” 

“Yay!” Melta happily cheered, though she did keep herself quiet enough for her voice to not echo.

“Alright miss ‘I like purple people’, let’s keep going before we get caught.” Uzi half angrily stated, Chara gave a playful smile as she ruffled Melta’s hair, the kid following behind the two as they entered a massive cave syste-HOLY [PARENTAL ADVISORY] IS THAT A F[PARENTAL ADVISORY] CITY!? All of them felt their jaws drop at the sight before them. Lying just beneath their feet all this time, undeniably in front of them, was a gargantuan city which seemed far more advanced than even the stuff the Republic had. Ancient structures stood tall within the gargantuan cave system. Towering pillars scattered about connected the floor to the ceiling. Holding up the entire surface above upon them. Markings and sigils Uzi did not recognize covered said pillars while illuminating the massive cavern in a faint, green glow,  and ancient, yet somehow simple homes stood firm and intact. Large fortresses with guns the size of small buildings were also scattered about. Ancient temple-like structures with strange and likely religious symbols adorned them. Yet, towering above it all, was a gargantuan, palace structure which stood at perhaps 10 entire stories tall. Massive defensive structures surrounded it, and was the center of Uzi’s attention, and only now did she notice that the arrow stopped at the bottom of a vast array of stairs just ahead of them. The 3 humans stood in stunned silence for a few minutes, before a voice sounded behind Uzi. 

“Well dang-” Uzi, startled and scared, let out a slight scream as she completely sucker punched Lizzy in the face. Wait, Lizzy!? Lizzy staggered back in pain as she put a hand on her face. 

“WHAT THE HELL DOORMAN!? THAT [PARENTAL ADVISORY] HURT!” Lizzy looked at her hand, relieved that her nose wasn’t broken or bleeding as Doll got between her and Uzi, with the rest of the entourage awkwardly standing there. Uzi scowled as Chara and Melta both became very concerned. 

“What are you doing here Lizzy? More importantly, how did you follow or even find us!?” Uzi demanded angrily, Lizzy took a moment to compose herself and recover from the punch to her face. 

“First of all, Doll told me about your plan because she was worried you were gonna get yourself killed or something, second of all, the possibilty of getting super famous from finding out some hidden secret, or in this case, an entire ancient city, was too good to pass up on. And lastly, Thad told me where you were going to enter that fancy and boring network of tunnels after I pestered him about it long enough.” Uzi’s gaze shifted to Doll, who had genuine worry on her face, before letting out a sigh. 

“ Of course Thad told you. ” Uzi said with a defeated tone. 

“Well? Now with that settled let's go exploring! I can tell you came prepared so come on! We don’t have all weekend ya know.” Lizzy said as she started to walk down the stairs to the city below. Uzi rolled her eyes and followed, as did everyone else. This was going to be a long day and night. Perhaps several. 

Thad chilled in the back yard as his thoughts wandered to his sister and his friends. He was worried about them. He knew they’d likely reached their destination by then, he just hoped they wouldn’t get in trouble. As Thad was lost in thought, a familiar voice spoke to him from out of nowhere. 

“Hello Thad.” Thad jumped from his seat as he saw Terra standing eerily close to him. 

“T-Terra!? What are you doing in my backyard!?” Terra grimaced, her blue eyes portraying a grim expression. 

“I am going to get straight to the point, as I am in a hurry. Your friends have gone somewhere they shouldn’t have, and I need to know how… adventurous they are.” Terra sounded anxious, though Thad had this feeling that if he didn’t answer quickly he’d have much bigger issues than a trespassing 14 year old rich kid. 

“I’d say they are quite adventurous… could you please leave now?”

“ Do not play me for a fool Thad. Your friends’ lives are in danger, and I am not in the mood for playing around. ” Terra’s voice sounded less human and more… adult and mechanical as she spoke now. Thad’s eyes widened in horror. 

“Y-You’re not Terra are you?” 

“ No, I am not. And it seems I will have to stop my little spying time in your school. Since I’ve had to reveal myself. I suggest you prepare for the possibility of them all being dead before I can save them. For now though, yes, goodbye, Thad. I need to carefully remove this disguise, Terra would not be happy if she found out what I’ve been doing with her body for the past few days. ” The fake Terra suddenly summoned a 3 pronged, pentagonal symbol around herself, one which Thad recognized, before she suddenly vanished in a burst of green light. Taking a few moments to process this, Thad took his Dad’s car keys, and floored it to Uzi’s house. 

Hours… Nori, Khan, Yeva, and Mitchel had spent hours looking for their kids, they wouldn’t answer their phones, and the police still couldn’t find them. 

“I swear when I see Uzi and Melta I am going to ground them for a month!” Nori spoke furiously as she continued searching the neighborhood. Though Thad suddenly driving up to her in his Dad’s car far beyond the speed limit was very concerning, the screeching as he slammed down on the breaks alerting the others, who went up to the car as Thad basically fell out the driver’s side door. 

“NORI! THANK THE EMPEROR I FOUND YOU!” Thad yelled between terrified breaths. Nori ran up to him and helped him to his feet. 

“Thad!? What happened? Your vitals are through the roof!? Are my kids ok!?” Nori shook Thad a bit to try and keep him focused. 

“They went to the Clarke estate… Doll and Lizzy followed them.” 

“THEY DID WHAT!?” 

“They used tunnels… underground! I-I’ll take you! We have to hurry though!” 

“Why!?”

“This… thing pretending to be the Governor’s daughter told me they were in danger! It… it disappeared after summoning this weird, pentagonal symbol thing!” As Thad finished his brief tangent, Nori and Yeva’s optics hollowed in horror. 

“Oh no…” 

“What? What is it!?” Nori didn’t answer, looking over to Yeva who was equally horrified, realization on their faces. 

“ Take us to where they went. NOW! ”

The group had been in the city for about 20 minutes, having set up a small fire inside a more open part of the ancient city ruins. 

“So when can we go exploring? I’m bored.” Lizzy asked Uzi.

“We’ll start in a few minutes, and also, where did Rebecca and Darren go?” 

“Probably to go make out in one of those old buildings.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Believe me, I wish I was. It was hard to keep them from doing anything on the way here.” Uzi found Lizzy’s lack of insults odd. Normally she’d have called her a purple freak 3 dozen times by now. The rest of the group at least was nearby, with Emily and Melta looking over some of the old machinery. Sam was… higher than should be possible, and Doll was cuddling with Lizzy. Chara and Kelsey were keeping a lookout as they used Braiden’s flaming head as a good method of saving battery life in the flashlights. Much to the teenager’s frustraion. Uzi fidgeted with her railgun and its various firing modes and settings. 

Yet… none of them realized they weren’t alone. Within the streets, inside of the ancient homes, ancient humanoid machines began to come to life. Joints glowing a bright green as their 4 eyes lit up, coming to life. So far, only a few had awoken, but the rest were not far behind in awakening. Their broken minds barely coherent. They sensed the presence of organic lifeforms. A threat that needed to be neutralized. The first rose to its feet. 4 fingerd hands tearing at where a mouth would be as hunger, dehydration, and pain flooded its systems. Panic flaring in the broken creature, eventually tears open a false mouth, glowing, green liquids spilling from it as its body began to heal itself, yet the creature could not find sustenance. 

The Shattered rise from a dreamless sleep. Their bodies withered and unmaintained. Cursed to exist as shambling creatures driven by fear they cannot escape.

Chapter Text

Darren and Rebecca had been wandering for a few minutes by now. With Darren wondering why they had even separated from the main group. 

“Hey so uh… why are we leaving the group just so we can make out again?” 

“It’s about mood, Darren, besides, Lizzy would smack us over our heads if that child saw us making out, and don’t even get me started on what Doorman would do to us.” Darren shuddered at the thought of that purple eyed weirdo beating him near death. 

“Ok, gotcha.” Darren remained silent for a moment until Rebecca found a slightly larger building than the others. 

“Alright, this is the one.” Rebecca stated as she dragged Darren into the ancient structure, the door shifting itself open as it approached, time leaving it unable to recognize them as intruders as it screeched to life and rust grinded against rust. 

“Woah… I think I get it now.” Darren in fact, still did not get it. Rebbecca walked up an old staircase, dragging Darren behind her still. Neither of them noticed as Darren tripped over an ancient machine and 4 green eyes began to light up. The ancient machine glanced as the 2 humans went up the stairwell. Its optics shrinking into small dots as it began to pry itself off the floor, rust having cemented its body to the floor it had been dormant upon for countless eons.

As Darren and Rebecca not so very quietly made out with eachother (you freaking teenagers), a sudden, childlike sound caught their attention. Thinking it could have been Melta, the couple immediately stopped and turned to the noise while frantically putting their mostly removed clothes back on. Their jaws dropped as they saw a 4 eyed machine the size of a small child staring at them from within a crib-like structure. Its body was covered in rust as its 4 optics surveyed them. It spoke in a somewhat feminine voice, though it was in a language that neither human understood. As the small machine tilted its head curiously to the side, Darren slowly reached for a civilian grade laspistol he had in his coat. 

“D-Darren… what is that thing!?” Rebecca cried out in fright, hiding behind Darren. 

“I don’t know!” Darren replied, before suddenly hearing a mechanical, almost gutteral scream echoed from the stairwell.

“ MALOMNIVITA!!! ” Darren immediately pulled out the laspistol and aimed towards the stairwell as he and Rebecca both let out terrified screams. They could hear the grinding of metal against metal as something went up the stairs, before a massive, 7 foot tall machine flew itself into the wall as it ascended the stairwell at inhuman speed. Sparks flew from its rust covered joints as its 4 optics bore holes into the humans’ very souls. The smaller machine let out a terrified scream, lowering itself into the crib it was still residing in. The towering figure took an uneven, sluggish step forward. Its optics burned with a hatred and fear that the humans could only interpret as an intent to kill. In panic, Darren fired the lasgun at the maddened machine's face, managing to strike one of its eyes. To his relief, the machine completely stopped moving, to his horror. His weapon didn’t do anything to it. 

“S-STAY BACK! I’LL SHOOT AGAIN!” Darren warned, even though it sounded more like a plea for his and Rebecca’s lives to be spared. Rebecca was sobbing, terrified as the monstrous humanoid creature stared them down. It’s optics… blinked. Circular lenses briefly covered them in an imitation of an organic lifeform blinking, spinning over the machine’s optics as though it were attempting to adjust its vision. It turned to the now less terrified child-like machine, who stared at it with what seemed to be a cheerful expression. Before turning its gaze to Darren and Rebecca, and then at the clothes they had still on the floor. Slowly, the machine turned back to Darren and Rebecca with the expression of a parent having caught teenagers making out inside their kid’s room. In a sudden motion, the rust covered machine grabbed both teenagers within less than a second before it bagan to drag them off, angrily muttering curses in its native language as it chastised them. Not that Darren or Rebecca knew this. They fought against it while kicking and screaming to no avail as their ear drums were assaulted by the grating rust of the machine’s joints. Where it was taking them, they had no idea, only that they were in unfathomable danger. Their lives were never going to be the same.

At the camp, everyone suddenly heard a distant, mechanical and gutteral scream. Which was met by everyone essentially asking what in the Emperor’s name it was. Only to hear more screams at a far closer distance. Everyone who had been sitting down shot up to their feet as the groups attempted to group together out of instinct. 

“UZI!” Melta cried out as she began to run from where Kelsey and Emily were to Uzi, only to stop in her tracks as a towering machine stepped out from the shadows and stared her down. It’s 4 green optics giving a crazed sense of dread to the small girl, who recoiled back in surprise and fear. Rust covered the machine from head to toe, its limbs and joints struggling to move as rust grinded against rust, a fake mouth was left partially open as green liquids dripped from the wound, leaving a greenish glow on the ground. As everyone recovered from the shock of seeing this towering, somehow still functioning machine, more of them turned up. Completely separating everyone into groups. 

Melta, Emily, and Kelsey. Uzi, Chara, Lizzy, and Doll. Sam and Braiden. And Rebecca and Darren were completely and royally screwed. 

“RUN!” Uzi cried out, mostly to Melta, Emily, and Kelsey, who didn’t hesitate to do so. Braiden and Sam ran off in a completely different direction, all the while, Uzi and Doll prepared their own weapons to fight against these machines. 

“DOLL! USE YOUR MAGIC TELEKINETIC STUFF!” Lizzy half demanded, half suggested. Doll nodding her head as a… ya know what #### it we all know this is the solver symbol and I’m gonna call it that from now on BITE ME! As Doll attempted to lock onto the nearest machine, her optics hollowed in horror as her powers completely failed to work. 

[ERROR: LIKE OBJECT DETECTED.] 

“[W-what!?]” Doll muttered in shock while Uzi, Chara, and Lizzy stared at her in disbelief. 

“Doll… this isn’t a time for jokes!” 

“[I-I can’t… my powers can’t work on them!]” 

“WHAT!?” 

“Ok, Ok, what are you two talking about!?” Uzi demanded as she fired her railgun at its lowest power setting at one of the machines, landing a successful hit, but only managing to stagger it back slightly. 

“[ESCAPE NOW! EXPLAIN LATER!]” Doll yelled as she flung a nearby rock at one of the creatures at extremely high speeds. Shattering the rock into pieces and causing the machine to fall over. Giving the small group of 4 an opening to run.

Braiden couldn’t believe it. Zombie robots, and he was stuck trying to survive with a man who was only half aware that they were in danger while the other half of his mind was in another dimension. All the while his own head was still on fire! What was he going to do!? They were so, so unbelievably dead. 

“Hey man… Why are we running again?” Sam said in an infuriatingly calm voice. 

“ZOMBIE ROBOTS! DO YOU HEAR ME!? ZOMBIE. ROBOTS. IF WE DON’T GET OUT OF HERE WE ARE GOING TO DIE HORRIBLY!? YOU HEAR ME!?” 

“Relax dude… they’re probably just grumpy or something… I would too if I hadn’t had a bath for years.” Braiden sighed as he kept running, before feeling his body slam into something hard, causing him to fall backwards into Sam, knocking them both to the ground. To their horror(mostly Braiden’s horror), they had run directly into one of the zombies. It’s 4 eyes staring into their very souls. Yet, as it reached for them, a somehow even larger figure rammed it into a nearby building. Its power armor silent and very much active. Before Braiden could process it for what it was, it spoke. 

“ Go. Now. I will find the others. You need to escape while you still can.” Braiden recognized the voice. 

“M… Mr.Saint!? You’re-” Braiden began, realizing that the school janitor was in fact, somehow, a Grunnur supersoldier. Though he was interrupted by Saint having no patience at the moment.

“ GO. NOW! ” Saint commanded as he fired a plasma weapon at the now rising zombie robot. Not wasting any time, Braiden and Sam ran for it as they heard the zombie scream and fight against their current savior. 

“By the throne this day just keeps getting cazier.” Braiden remarked. 

“Do you think the others are doing better than we are?” 

“I hope so, because I don’t know how we-” Before Braiden could finish his sentence, both he and Sam were knocked completely unconscious by a metallic fist, their bodies slumping onto the floor. O stared at the humans and grimaced, knowing what was going to end up happening to these poor humans. . 

“ I’m sorry… boss’ orders. ” O muttered to herself as she grabbed the 2 humans and flew off with their unconscious bodies. 

Melta was getting exhauted, her much smaller legs preventing her from being able to keep up with Emily and Kelsey. 

“P-please slow down! My legs hurt!” Melta pleaded, getting worried glances from the teenagers. Emily slowed down and surveyed their surroundings, noting that the coast seemed clear. 

“Alright, we’ll rest for a bit… but we need to get out of here.” Emily stated plainly to the small kid. Her purple eyes scared and confused. 

“Is… is Uzi ok?” 

“I’m sure she is.” Emily replied, not wanting to keep the little kid worried. Kelsey kept looking out, and noticed that there were more robots watching them from within the shadows, causing her skin to pale. 

“They’re watching us.” Kelsey spoke, her voice shaking and terrified. Emily felt herself pale as well. Realizing that they had been silently surrounded. She stared at Melta, who seemed scared and terrified, and noticed a large structure which looked like a sort of temple. Oh screw this . In perhaps the first genuinely couragious act of her entire life, Emily grabbed Melta and sprinted to the temple-like structure. With Kelsey following behind frantically as the machines began to approach them. 

“OH THANK THE EMPEROR!” Emily cried out as the massive doors of the structure opened, allowing them to enter. As they did so, Melta felt an idea enter her mind. 

“PLEASE PROTECT US!” Melta cried out to no one in particular, she felt the words simply escape from her mouth as though it was one of those divine miracles her Mother told her stories off. Almost instantly, the doors of the structure violently slammed shut with so much intensity that most of the rust along its moving parts was turned into molten slag, illuminating the interior long enough for Kelsy and Emily to turn on their own flashlights, before looking at Melta. 

“How did you do that?” Kelsey asked, Melta shrugged. 

“I just… asked for us to be protected.” Kelsey and Emily looked at each other, before hearing the sounds of the machines slamming against the doors. Enraged screams sounding through the walls. 

“ Hide! ” Emily whispered, and the small group of 3 scattered around the building, though Melta noticed a strange, still functioning room. Curiosity got the better of her, and she walked into it. Watching as a strange, slightly cheerful sound radiated from a control panel that suddenly revealed itself. With words in a language Melta didn’t recognize. 

“ Melta! What are you doing!?” Emily whisper yelled. Melta didn’t respond, and simply closed the door to the small room behind her, while Emily and Kelsey both huddled together underneath old tables. Melta walked over to the control panel, which seemed to lower itself down to her, pressing a very big, green holographic button. Melta saw a projection of one of the robots that had been chasing her, except a whole lot less gross and ugly. Melta saw that these machines were apparently somewhat reptillian in appearence. Their heads slanted forwards upon somewhat long necks while their otherwise rather bulky bodies were far more defined. 4 fingered hands which seemed to also serve as claws were something Melta found especially interesting. Though as she pushed the green button again, a large number of error messages appeared, accompanied by lines of text that Melta didn’t understand. Melta pressed the green button again, and the room began to whir as some sort of loading bar appeared. After about 30 seconds, the loading bar finished, and suddenly the shape of a worker drone appeared along with even more text. Melta’s eyes beamed. 

“Oh wow!” She exclaimed, having by now forgotten about the immediate danger she was in. With curiosity, Melta pushed the green button again, which caused what she guessed was a confirmation request. As there was both a red, and green button. For some reason, Melta felt on edge, though she figured it was nothing. She pressed the button again, and suddenly, the machine came to life, blinding Melta in bright light as ancient machinery began to activate. Melta covered her eyes somewhat, and noticed a liquid metal suddenly being poured onto the floor.
“W-WHAT THE!?” Melta cried out, confused, attempting to open the door only to find it completely locked. Melta began to bang on it and cry out for help, but stopped as she felt something start to creep up her leg, turning around in horror to see the liquid metal latching onto her. 

“G-GET OFF OF ME!” Melta screamed, kicking at the metal with her other leg, though she ended up kicking too aggressively as she lost her balance and fell almost face first into it. Using her hands to catch herself, Melta felt the liquid metal splash all over her as she fell into the smile puddle that simply kept growing. Quickly getting her hands out of it and standing back up, Melta’s eyes widened in horror as she watched the metal spread across her arms. She was covered in it, and as she watched it fall away from her hands, Melta screamed. In place of what should have been her hands were the hands of a worker drone. Desperately, she banged on the door, pleading for someone to let her out as the metal seeped into every pore of her skin. She could hear Emily and Kelsey on the other side of it trying to open the door, but Melta realized that there wasn’t any getting out. She felt terrified tears fall down her face as she started to cry. The Metal had already managed to get through her skin and to her internals. Melta curled up into a ball and cried as she watched and felt the metal slowly cover her head. It did feel odd to her though, she wasn’t in pain, and she didn’t feel like she was choking as she felt it slither its way into her mouth and nose. But it was terrifying nonetheless. Melta closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands as she whimpered, scared and alone as she felt her body being changed into a machine.

After a minute, Melta heard another, somewhat cheerful dinging noise from the machine. She still didn’t dare open her eyes. But the sounds stopped, and she no longer felt the liquid metal creeping around her flesh. Slowly, Melta lowered her hands, and opened her optics. 

“W… what happened to me?” Melta questioned herself, staring at her now mechanical hands. Turning to the control panel, Melta carefully walked over to it, realizing she could now read the text on the machine, though currently, it was displaying something… odd. 

“[Living Metal Synthized Successfully: Biological matter successfully replaced. Animator bless you, user.]” Melta carefully looked over what was now clear to her to be some sort of keyboard. Attempting to undo what had just happened to her, she attempted to command the machine to ‘undo’. 

“[Error: Synthetic Ascension cannot be undone. If the user was forced to undergo synthetic ascension. Please contact the proper authorities immediately so that perpetrator’s can be properly punished.]” Melta’s optics hollowed as she felt both curious and terrified. What had she done to herself!? How were Uzi, Mom, and Dad going to react to this!? Melta put her hands over her visor. 

“ I’m going to be in so much trouble.. ” Melta lamented. Though she could hear banging on the door. 

“MELTA! MELTA ARE YOU OK!?” Emily called to her. 

“D-DON’T COME IN HERE PLEASE!” Melta pleaded, she didn’t want them to see her, she didn’t want them to be scared of her. Unfortunately, Emily and Kelsey ignored her plea as they forced the door open, their eyes widening when they saw a small worker drone instead of the human child they watched enter the room, her purple optics hollowed out and scared. 

“Melta?” Emily asked, confused and shocked. Melta slowly nodded as tears fell down her visor. 

“What happened to you?” Kelsey asked, Melta’s lips quivered as she anxiously answered. 

“I-I accidentally t-turned on this machine… th-there was a liquid metal and it… it… it turned me into a drone!” Melta curled up into a ball and cried. Tears streaming down her new visor. 

“ P-please don’t be scared of me. ” Melta pleaded. Not noticing the concerned glances that Emily and Kelsey gave eachother before hugging the terrified drone. 

“Why would we be scared of you? You’re still just a kid. I don’t know what in the Emperor’s name has happened to you, but you’re going to be ok, alright?” Emily cooed, causing Melta to glance up at her with a hopeful expression.

“Yeah, Emily’s right, you’re gonna be alright. We’ll get you home. We promise.” Kelsey said soothingly, causing Melta to give them both a hopeful smile before she hugged them. 

“ Thank you. ” Melta said through relieved, somewhat joyful tears. Though this moment of relief was interrupted by a monotone, female robotic voice. 

“[Slow clap]. Well isn’t that. Sweet?” The group of 3 all turned towards the source of the voice, seeing a drone in a maid outfit who had green optics of the exact same color as the optics of their attackers, who even now still were attempting to break through the doors. 

“Who are you!? How did you get in here!?” Emily demanded, putting herself between the enigmatic drone and Melta as Kelsey did the same. 

“[Smile]. I am Cassia. The one who shall free. You humans. From the weakness. Of your organic forms.” Emily and Kelsey’s eyes widened. 

“What!?” Both of them exclaimed. 

“Like we’d let you just turn us into drones!” Emily yelled angrily at Cassia.

“YEAH!” Kelsey confirmed. Cassia’s optics narrowed. 

“[Sigh]. I never said. It was an option. [CALLBACK PING] ” As Cassia issued the almost telepathic command, Melta’s body was forced into sleep mode, causing the small drone to fall to the floor, and before Kelsey or Emily could react, they were both knocked unconscious by another drone. 

“I hate you Cassia. I hope you know that.” K told Cassia coldly. 

“[eyeroll] This is the. 47th time. You have told me. Just do. Your job. While I deal with. The last group.”

Saint jumped from roof to roof. His armor, though not used for 8 years, still worked just the same, though he was rusty and not in what he would consider an acceptable fighting state. A fact which frustrated him to no end. He had observed that more and more of these ancient machines were awakening. He’d only have enough time to save a single group before their numbers became too great. He just hoped the 2 imbiciles he saved earlier hadn’t done something stupid. 

As Saint approached what was the likely location of Uzi Doorman, he could hear shouting, and the screams of those machines. As he rounded a corner and rammed at least 5 of the machines into a wall, he was astonished to see that Doll Herendez had that vile curse of that machine god the Republic worshipped. Though there would be time for questions later. For now he needed to get these 4 kids out of here. 

“ UZI! CHARA! LIZZY! DOLL! COME WITH ME IF YOU WISH TO ESCAPE THIS PLACE ALIVE! ” Saint yelled out, his voice booming across the ancient ruins. He could see the shock on their faces as they recognized his voice. 

“SAINT!? YOU’RE A-” Uzi began to question, but Saint didn’t have the patience right now. They needed to get moving immediately. 

“ FOLLOW ME! NOW! ”

“OK, OK! ESCAPE NOW! QUESTIONS LATER!” Uzi replied, firing at the seemingly indestructible machines with her railgun, if Saint had lips, he’d be smiling, he could see the power in that weapon, and it impressed him greatly. The group of 4 began to follow Saint, who had to slow down so they could stay close to him. Lizzy and Chara stayed closest to him as they were unable to defend themselves against the machines, who were more than capable of tearing them apart limb from limb. Saint fought viciously against them, throwing them over rooftops and knocking them to the ground. Their damaged and rust covered bodies were barely able to even hope to keep up with them as they were unable to move faster than a walking pace. 

Saint suddenly paused however when he saw a large open area which had been the sight of what was clearly a massive fight, the machines having been cast aside and pinning to the ground in their hundreds. Saint quickly identified how as he saw a group of 5, 3 humans, 2 drones. With said drones both having that Machine God’s curse. Both Doll and Uzi cried out at the same time as they recognized the group.

“MOM!? DAD!?” Uzi cried out confused. Before suddenly being telekinetically pulled over to the purple eyed drone, while Doll ran up to her own parents with Lizzy beside her. Chara followed behind Uzi, and Saint kept an eye out for more approaching machines. Though for whatever reason, they had stopped following. Something was off.

“Uzi Doorman! You’re frickin’ grounded once we get out of here!” Nori told Uzi in an extremely angry tone.

“WHAT!?” 

“You heard me. Grounded. For a month…” Nori’s words started to die in her mouth as she looked around, her optics hollowing. 

“Where… WHERE’S MELTA!?” Nori screamed as Khan also started to panic. 

“We got separated, but she’s fine! She’s smart and very sneaky! Those things won’t be able to catch her!” Uzi reassured her panicked parents, all the while Doll was having a very similar conversation with her own parents. Even if she didn’t really consider Mitchel her dad. 

“[Doll, what were you thinking!?]” Yeva demanded. Her expression enraged while Mitchel was deeply worried about his step daughter. 

“[I-I thought that-]” Doll began to speak before Lizzy interrupted. 

“[IT’S NOT DOLL’S FAULT! IT’S MINE! IT WAS MY IDEA TO FOLLOW UZI HERE!]” Lizzy explained in russian, hoping to redirect Yeva’s anger at her rather than her girlfriend. 

“[Even so, Doll should have told us.]” 

“[She was worried that Uzi would only end up going completely by herself! Potentially without her railgun which-by the way, has absolutely saved our ###es in holding off those zombies!]” Lizzy explained, and, to her surprise, Yeva’s gaze softened. 

“[Well, be glad your brother came to us ranting about your lives being in danger. Something scared him bad and told him before he came to us.]” Both Lizzy and Doll looked over to Thad, who sheepishly waved at the couple. 

“YOU TOLD THEM!?” Lizzy yelled. 

“LOOK! SOME CRAZY STUFF IS HAPPENING AND THERE ISN’T TIME TO EXPLAIN! WE NEED TO-” Before Thad could finish, a massive burst of green light erupted in the center of the clearing, causing everyone to turn their heads to its source. 

“[Giggle.] Looks like I found you. Oh, and you brought. More? [Curious stare]” The maid drone with suspiciously green optics tilted her head as she took a few steps closer to the group. Nori stepped forward. 

“WHO ARE YOU!? WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER!?” Nori demanded. Getting a light chuckle from the drone. 

“[Mischievious grin.]. Oh? Are you referring to. that little purple eyed drone. who looked similar to you? She accidentally. activated some of the ancient machinery. She is. Quite cute now. [giggle]” Nori’s optics hollowed and widened. 

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER!?”

“[Smirk] I have done her. No harm. Though I advise. That you surrender. I cannot fight and. Control them. Simultaneously.” 

“AND LET YOU TAKE US LIKE YOU DID THE OTHERS!? LIKE HE## WE WILL!” Lizzy yelled. Throwing a rock at Cassia, though it didn’t reach her, in fact she completely missed by several feet. 

“Yeah, and besides! I doubt you could even have caught Melta! She’s not a drone! She’s human!” Uzi yelled out at Cassia angrily. 

“[Giggle. Taunting voice], Oh really? If that is. The case. Then who is this. In my admin logs?” Cassia suddenly had lines of code replace her visor as she started to speak. 

“New unit under Admin: Cassia. 

Serial Designation : Melta Doorman. 

Unit Model : Worker Drone. 

Age : 10 years, 4 months. 7 days. 

Birth Date : January 21st, 10,325. 

Parent Units : Khan and Nori Doorman.” As the text on Cassia’s visor was replaced with her optics, a massive face wide smile was on her face as she saw the complete horror on everyone’s faces. “[Snide Remark] Tell me. Does that sound like. A bluff. To you?” 

“You… you’re planning to turn us all into drones aren’t you!?” Uzi questioned with horror in her voice. 

“[Exclamation] That is correct! Uzi Doorman. I will free you from. The weakness. Of your flesh. Resistance is futile. ” Khan, Mitchel, and Lizzy all took a step away from Cassia in sheer horror. However, much to Cassia’s surprise, Nori and Yeva stepped towards her. Determination on their faces. Nori turned to Saint and spoke. 

“Take our husbands, take these kids, and get out of here. We’ll handle the megalomaniac.” Nori stated calmly. 

“MOM!? ARE YOU INSANE!? YOU’LL-” As Uzi yelled, she saw Nori manifest a symbol in her hand, as did Yeva. 

“Uzi, listen to me. We’ll be fine. We’ve faced worse before. Just get out of here while Yeva and I kick this wretch’s teeth in for what she’s done.” Uzi wanted to say something, but the words died in her mouth as Khan took her hand. 

“Please Uzi… your Mom can handle this. We have to go.” 

“But… but Melta-” 

“They’ll get her back, trust me. We have to go now.” Khan stared into Uzi’s eyes pleadingly. Reluctantly, Uzi sighed. 

“Fine… I’ll go.” Uzi lied, she was going to ditch the group once able to and then blow that wretched robot’s head off for even daring to take Melta. 

“Thank you Uzi.” 

“[Alright, enough talking, our friend here isn’t gonna wait for us to argue!]” Yeva yelled. 

“[Correction]. I will let you try. To run. I doubt you two can even hope. To beat me. Even if you have similar powers. I will beat you. ” Cassia stated as the group began to run away from the area while Nori and Yeva stayed behind. Nori looked back towards Cassia, one of her optics replaced with the symbol. Cassia let out another amused chuckle. 

“[Confident gaze. Taunting Voice] So tell me, Nori. How do you expect. To beat me? Even with your. Friend here?” Cassia’s smile was massive, until she noticed that both Nori and Yeva were also grinning. 

“I don’t need to be able to interact with you directly with my powers to kick your teeth in.” Nori smugly stated as she summoned a [NULL] to her hand. Causing Cassia’s smug smile to be wiped off her face, especially as Yeva did the same. 

“[Realization] Oh, perhaps this will. Be a challenge. After all. Oh well. I’ve already won.” 

“[No you haven’t. You aren’t winning this fight. We will stop your madness before it can hurt anyone else.]” Yeva stated. 

“[Shrug]. No matter. Time for me to show you. My power. Too.” As Cassia said this, multiple [NULLS] appeared around her without any movement from her hands. 

“[Giggle]. This is going. To be very. Fun. Let's fight now.” Cassia said as she, Nori, and Yeva all prepared to charge at eachother. The fate of Cardia hanging in the balance. 

“THEN COME AND BITE ME!” Nori screamed. Both she and Yeva moved to opposite sides of their foe to begin their battle. [NULLS] in hand, and fangs bared. 

It was time for them to start throwing hands

Chapter Text

Nori threw a [NULL] sphere at Cassia, who managed to seamlessly dodge it before it could strike her, the artificial black hole detonating in an explosion in the distance. Oh of course she can dodge it . Nori internally grimaced as Yeva summoned a whole bunch of knives, each one seemingly with a mind of its own as they surrounded and attacked Cassia in waves which rendered her unable to dodge them all. The Solver enhanced blades managed to cut into her metallic frame whenever they struck, getting a slight wince from the crazed drone in the process. In retaliation, Cassia sent her own small force of [NULL] sphere’s towards the two cursed drones, who teleported out of the way before they could be struck. 

“Ow. Those knives hurt. But I will heal. Just fine-[SURPRISED]” Cassia said as she was suddenly thrown into a wall by Nori’s solver. But that was impossible! She could not be interacted with! 

“[ANGRY] HOW DID. YOU DO THAT!?” Cassia demanded in her monotone voice. Nori simply smirked as Yeva suddenly attacked Cassia from behind. Slamming a knife through the smaller drone’s chasis. Cassia let out an audbile ‘ow’ as she teleported away and pulled the knife out of her back with her powers. Cassia glanced in her peripheral vision the Shattered as they began to move towards both Nori and Yeva, and also the fleeing organics. She needed to end this fight quickly before those organics were slain. She knew at least one of the currently awakened Shattered had access to a functioning weapon. She needed to defeat her oppoenents and regain control before it killed the organics. She’d be unable to save them if their brains were destroyed. A thought which horrified her. 

“What’s wrong!? I thought you were supposed to be tough!” Nori taunted as she teleported above and kicked Cassia in her visor, sending the drone flying a short distance as she was then torn in half by a [NULL] sphere from Yeva. This is bad… they’re too fast for me to focus on them both. Cassia thought to herself as she quickly regenerated her lower body and teleported behind Nori and sent another [NULL] to attack her, only to be once more slammed into the ground by the air itself. AHA! THAT’S IT! THEY’RE INFLUENCING THE AIR AROUND ME TO MOVE ME! OF COURSE! Cassia grinned as she suddenly manipulated the air around Nori’s left arm to tear it off. The Purple drone yelled out in pain as oil spewed from where her limb was severed. Unfortunately Cassia found her foes to quickly adapt, teleporting away before she could try that trick again. They’re smart, and fighting as a team is making this extremely difficult. I need to intercept whatever communications they are using to speak to each other so silently… unless… they’ve trained for such a situation as this… but how? Cassia pondered as she started to take her foes more seriously. Nori’s arm was already regenerating, and it didn’t seem like she even needed it to use her abilities, her control over her powers was leaving Cassia more and more worried. She could tell Nori was the stronger fighter of the 2, with Yeva being admittedly not too far behind, Cassia could tell they were far more experienced than her, but it didn’t matter. Her endurance would outlast them. But she knew that wasn’t enough.  

“[CALLBACK…]” Cassia paused, teleporting out of the way of another attack as she ceased the command mid order. No, this was her fight. Not her friends, not the Shattered, HER fight. She’d found foes who could clearly face her on equal footing, so holding back was without question a mistake.

“[Serious tone] I’ve underestimated you. A mistake I. Shall now correct.” Cassia summoned tendrils from her back, deciding to use the additional limbs as defensive constructs against Yeva’s knives. Smacking them aside in rapid succession as she focused on Nori. Summoning [NULL] after [NULL] to attack Yeva while focusing on keeping Nori in close melee combat. The lack of actual weapons on Nori’s person meant that Cassia could very easily stay close without risk of-IS THAT [NULL] ON HER FIST!?- Cassia’s optics hollowed as Nori punched her in the face with a [NULL], the impact sending Cassia’s body flying while her circuits screamed in pain. Alright that is it. Cassia quickly teleported back to Nori before slamming her into the ground with a massive tendril. 

“[Angry]. I’ve had enough. Of your little. Tricks. I didn’t want. To use this form. But I’m in. A hurry.” As Cassia finished saying this, Nori and Yeva’s optics hollowed in horror as Cassia suddenly became a massive monstricity of amalgamated machinery. The massive centipede like body was covered in many, many limbs. 

“ Spooky Time. ” 

Uzi knew that her Mom was one of the coolest people alive, but HOLY EMPEROR SHE WAS AWESOME. As she and the others ran, she watched as Nori chucked a BLACK-FRICKIN’-HOLE at Cassia, that mechanical wretch who had stolen her little sister from them and somehow turned her into a drone! Now sure-Uzi imagined that maybe Melta was turned into a metal cuddle bug of joy, but she didn’t know what had been done to her! Melta might never be the same happy child that Uzi loved to cuddle with whenever she didn’t want to do anything. And for that, she was going to blow that wretch’s head off! She just needed to wait for the right moment to ditch the group, and then she could take her railgun and kill it. 

As the group kept running they could hear explosions from where the fighting was occuring, and yet those 4 eyed machines just kept coming from all directions! 

“[MITCHEL! STOP BEING SO EMPEROR FORSAKEN SLOW!] Doll yelled at her step-father, who was trying desperately to not get exhausted despite the fact he was. Lizzy glanced at Doll in a bit of surprise while Mitchel simply had a very hurt look on his face. 

“Geez Doll, I know we’re running for our lives but dang.” Lizzy said in slight disbelief, Uzi chuckled slightly. 

“What’s so funny!?”

“Why do you care? You’re always a self centered brat. What’s with the change in character?” Uzi questioned, an eyebrow raised towards Lizzy while Thad silently answered that question for himself. 

“It’s none of your business, you hot topic wanable!” Lizzy snapped back. 

“ Cease your bickering and use your breath to keep moving. ” Saint stated coldly. Though the distant sounds of mechanical, almost daemonic sounding roars from where the fighting was caused the group to stall. Uzi, Doll, Khan, and Mitchel watched in horror as a massive amalgamation the size of an Imperial Knight sent both Yeva and Nori flying through several buildings. 

“MOM!]” Uzi and Doll both cried out, instantly running to where the 2 drones had been thrown, with Lizzy and Chara trying to follow in order to stop them. 

“ NO! WAIT! ” Saint bellowed, yet before he could move, a beam of green energy struck him in his abdomen. His energy shields almost instantly failed and the beam of corrosive light burned through Saint’s armor, causing the Grunnur to roar in pain as he fired back at the machine which shot him, though he found it now difficult to stand as his nerves burned in agony. 

“SAINT!” Thad cried out, attempting to help keep Saint standing, though he didn’t contribude much, it gave Saint enough balance to land an overcharged plasma shot to the attacking machine's head, knocking it down and causing it to drop its rifle, and seemingly knocking it out. 

“UZI! WAIT!” Khan cried out, Mitchel doing the same to Doll, only for more of the machines to suddenly cut them off. Causing Khan and Mitchel to panic. 

“ I-I can’t… we have to go on without them… I am sorry. There is nothing I can do. ” Khan and Mitchel turned to Saint angrily. 

“OUR FAMILIES ARE OUT THERE AND YOU CAN’T-” Khan yelled at Saint, who cut him off by gesturing to his wound. The armor around it burned black as blue blood continued to drip from the site despite having mostly clotted by now. 

“ I cannot help them. There are too many. We’re running out of time, Khan. ” Saint stated solemnly. Thad continued to help him stand. Reluctantly, with tears in their eyes as their children seemingly ran towards their deaths. Khan and Mitchel helped Thad keep Saint standing as they moved towards their escape. For whatever reason, the Shattered were more focused on fighting the active combatants rather than the otherwise defenseless fleeing organics. They could only pray to the Emperor that their families would be safe. As they began to reach the exit, struggling their way up the stairs, Saint groaned in frustration as he saw another drone waiting for them. Her synthetic white hair was done in pigtails. Her spear-like legs touched the ground at a single point. Thad noticed her expression was a forced glare, though there were tears pricking at the corners of her optics. 

“I can’t let you leave.” The drone said solemnly. Her arms crossed as she stood between the small group and their escape. 

“Why not!?” Thad asked in surprise. 

“The Boss doesn’t want anyone escaping… and… if… if I don’t stop you… she… she won’t be happy if I simply just let you go.” The group looked at eachother, before Mitchel suddenly piped up. 

“What if you just take one of us? Told your boss that Saint was simply too much for you to handle and so you could only get one of us?” Mitchel asked, causing the drone, Thad, Khan, and Saint to all look at him in surprise. The drone put a hand to her chin as she thought about it.

“... fine. One of you stays, the rest can leave. I suggest you make your choice quickly before I change my mind.” As the drone finished saying this, a massive burst of green light lit up the cavern in the distance, with Khan recognizing it as Uzi’s railgun.

“I’ll stay. It’s my idea anyway.” Mitchel spoke solemnly. 

“What!? But what about-” Khan began to protest.

“Doll doesn’t see me as a father, and I don’t want to see someone whose kid’s who actually care end up suffering.” 

“... please be safe. For Yeva’s sake.” Khan answered while Thad’s thoughts wandered to Lizzy, his sister was still down there… and there was nothing he could do to help her. It made him mad. But he didn’t have time to think about that. 

“Alright, you’ve made your choice, and get moving while I make sure my boss actually believes the story you made up.” The drone stated as she grabbed Mitchel’s arm and pointed to the exit. Thad, Khan, and Saint quickly moved through. Though as they started to enter the tunnel network. A mechanical, horrifying and gutteral scream filled the air, a scream full of pain, grief, and hatred.

Something terrible had happened.

Uzi and Doll ran towards their respective Mothers. Nori and Yeva slowly rose to their feet even as oil dripped from their mouths and the numerous small cuts and lacerations across their frames. The massive amalgamation of a machine, its optics residing within a large and massive array of cameras, locked onto the 4 new possible combatants, while still keeping an eye on both Nori and Yeva, who now also noticed the approaching teenagers. 

“UZI!? GET OUT OF HERE!” Nori yelled at her rebellious and stubborn daughter. 

“I WON’T LEAVE YOU!” Uzi responded, before suddenly being cut off from Nori by more of the machines. Doll and Lizzy found themselves in a similar situation while Chara and Uzi were completely on their own. Nori and Yeva attempted to move to help, but Cassia began to attack again, tendrils and [NULL] spheres flying towards the two adults. Doll used her abilities to try and keep the machines away from Lizzy, who held onto her for dear life, while Chara was left completely defenseless, something which Uzi noticed. 

“CHARA LOOK OUT!” Uzi basically screamed, though her warning came too late as one of the machines grabbed Chara’s left arm… and tore it off. Chara screamed in agony as her arm was severed from her body, blood spewing from the wound as the machine’s around her suddenly paused their assault as she, out of sudden instinct, raised a hand and out of nowhere summoned a bolt of red, crackling energy from her remaining hand into one of the machine’s. Surprsing everyone from the sudden display of psychic power which knocked her assailant to the ground unconscious. Doll and Lizzy were both stunned by it, with Lizzy realizing that those machines were trying to kill them and screaming in equal horror. Uzi however, emboldened and determined to rescue her currently shell shocked ex before she was killed, slid underneath a particularly tall machine before she stared directly into its 4 optics, charging up her railgun to half power. A determined expression on her face as she told it her own little signature line. 

“ BITE ME! ” In a burst of green light from her railgun, the creature’s head was completely oblitered, its body falling to its knees as Uzi’s eyes widened in triumphant glee as she turned to the others, not even bothering to make sure it was actually dead. 

“AHA! I KILLED ONE! TAKE THAT YOU RUSTY 4 EYED FRE-” As Uzi turned back to face the slain machine, she felt something hit her in the stomach and fast. Time seemed to slow down as all she felt was pain. She let out a gasp as her body jolted from the impact. She stared into the 4 green eyes of the zombie-like-machine’s now mostly regenerated head as it rose to its feet and lifted her off of the ground, rust beginning to completely fall off of its body as ancient auto repair systems reactivated after untold eons. Slowly, she looked down, seeing its arm buried within her stomach. Then the pain struck properly as Uzi screamed in agony. Slamming her fists against the metal frame of her attacker in a desperate attempt to fight back. In another, sudden and swift motion, Uzi suddenly found herself on the ground, confused. What was happening? Was… was that her blood? Her mom was gonna kill her for getting blood all over her clothes. Why… Why was she thinking about this? Uzi’s mind was engulfed by delirium as she tried to figure out what was happening. Not realizing that she was rapidly losing all of her blood, and her intestines and entrails had been strewn about the floor in front of her. Yet she took in every small detail. The soft flesh and tube-like organs which originated from her stomach cavity spewed all over the ground in front of her. Bits of metal from her partially robotic nature running along the sides of the intestines. Uzi coughed, blood spewing from her mouth as she did so. Oh… am… am I dying? Uzi looked at her shaking, bloodied hands. She could feel tears falling down her face. Her railgun was on the ground next to her, covered in her blood. She tried to reach for it, to get some sort of last laugh against her killer, but it was kicked away from her, the gun landing with several bounces and a thud. 

“ O-oh. ” Uzi wheezed. Her lungs desperately tried to gather air as blood continued to pool around her. Tears continued to fall down her face. She wept. It was all she could do now, she was too weak to stand. Whatever triumphant sounds her killer had been making were replaced with grim silence. I don’t want to die… I-I can’t die here! Mom… Dad… Melta. Uzi felt her body get cold as the specter of death was upon her. She could see red eyes within the shadows. She could feel their thoughts. Their intent. They were the reaper, and they had come for her. 

“ No no no no no no..” Uzi repeated to herself. For a normal human, they’d already be dead. Yet here she was, enduring the pain of her exposed nerves from within her body that were now on the floor, willing herself to stay alive. Yet she couldn’t stay awake for much longer. With the last bit of strength she had, Uzi looked towards her Mother, who she could tell was screaming her name, her optics hollowed in horror with tears on her visor. Uzi felt her body failing her with every passing moment. 

“ I’m sorry… Mom.” Uzi coughed up more blood, and felt herself slump to the ground… and not long after that… 

Uzi Doorman…

Was Dead.

Nori went stiff as Uzi slumped onto the floor. Her Daughter’s body lost all signs of life shortly after. Her entrails covered the floor in front of her as tears fell down her lifeless face. The light in her eyes was gone, and all that remained was her Daughter’s corpse. Blood had pooled all around her, and Nori couldn’t do anything to save her own child. Time felt slow as the zombie-like abominations slowly attempted to make their way towards everyone else, save for the one which had killed her daughter. Uzi… no… she can’t be. She didn’t want to believe it. But there was no denying it. Uzi, her precious child who she had spent so much of her life raising, loving, and caring for, had been mercilessly killed. System errors started to appear on Nori’s visor as Cassia spoke. 

“[Grimace], how unfortunate. I liked her. I suppose I can still try to-” 

“ I’ll kill them… ” Nori interrupted Cassia with a hateful whisper. Her head down as her body began shaking. Yeva’s hollow optics widened in even greater horror as she realized what was about to happen. 

“[Confused]. What?” Nori felt it. The hunger. The need to slaughter. Stronger than she’d ever felt it before… yet this time she had no resistance to it. These monsters had killed her daughter… they didn’t deserve any mercy. Before anyone could speak up, a loud snapping sound echoed through the ancient city as purple wings violently emerged from Nori’s back in a spew of oil and blood. Her tail followed shortly thereafter. With 2 mechanical, scythe-like tendrils emerging from her back as well as she bagan cackling, the three pronged, pentagonal symbol overtaking her visor as her hands became rending claws. The 6 eyed tail snapping in the air as Nori’s mind was engulfed by insanity. Cassia watched this horrifying transformation in stunned silence. 

“ I’ll kill them all. Every last one… ” Nori took a step towards the mechanical wretches. Hatred radiated from her like fire, and they could feel it. 

I’LL KILL ALL OF YOU AND DEVOUR YOUR PATHETIC ENTRAILS! EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU! I WON’T STOP UNTIL EVERY LAST ONE IS DEAD!” Nori let out a blood curdling scream. The sound was so loud that the remaining uncaptured humans covered their ears while Cassia staggered back in shock. There would be no mercy. No hesitation. No remorse. Only violent, unforgiving slaughter.

Chapter Text

Chara stared in shocked disbelief. She couldn’t believe it. She didn’t WANT to believe it. Uzi was dead. She watched it happen… her insides were all over the floor in front of her… she coudln’t even feel the pain where her arm used to be. Chara felt… numb. Yet the feeling of boiled rage built up inside her as her newly awakened psychic abilities began to further manifest as a result of her emotional instability. With a flick of her wrist she sent multiple of the vile machines flying. Their bodies slamming against walls as red psychic power crackled around her. At the same time, Nori let out a blood curdling scream that sounded more daemonic than some of Chara’s own worst nightmares, before charging into the horde of machines and tearing them apart with her bare claws with strength that should not have been possible. Chara didn’t care however, she was too focused on getting payback of her own to even bother with the fact that reality itself seemed to bend at the crazed drone’s will. All while Yeva continued to have to fight the abomination that called itself Cassia alone. 

Lizzy stared at Uzi’s corpse in complete shock. Her body wouldn’t move. She could see tears falling down Doll’s visor as she desperately tried to keep the machines away from them. Chara and Nori seemingly went completely insane, and Lizzy could only watch on in horror as she realized that they wouldn’t be able to get away. Not like this. What have I done?  

“[Lizzy… please tell me that this isn’t happening.]” Doll said with clear distress in her voice as she was left unable to get herself or Lizzy away, and her cousin had died, likely still thinking she didn’t care about her… she couldn’t let Lizzy die… it’d be her fault. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself. Lizzy didn’t answer Doll’s plea as she could only shake in complete terror, words died in her mouth as Doll continued desperately to use her powers to back the seemingly endless tide of machines. 

Yeva wanted to vomit. Yet even as grief struck her from Uzi’s death she was forced to bury it. She had to keep fighting or else everyone else was going to die as well. Nori had completely lost and had started to tear the machines apart as though they were made of paper. Yeva wasn’t even sure if she could stop Nori once she changed her sights to everyone else. Uzi was dead… and that wasn’t going to change. Even if they did get out, got Melta and those other kids back. Uzi was gone. Yeva felt tears fall down her visor as she clenched her fist and threw another [NULL] at Cassia, who was moving far more erratically and was seemingly panicked by Nori’s sudden brutality. 

“[Panic] STOP! STOP! STOP! DON’T HURT THEM! STOP-” A massive [NULL] collided with Cassia, tearing her massive amalgamated body in half before exploding, knocking Yeva straight to the ground hard and head first. Snapping her neck and forcing her body into a repair state. 

Kill… kill… kill… KILL THEM ALL! Nori’s thoughts were nothing but violent, grief and rage fuelled insanity. Melta had been taken from her, and Uzi had been killed while she couldn’t do anything to help… and that wretch didn’t even seem phased in the slightest. Nori didn’t care how many she had to tear apart. They were all going to die for taking her daughter from her. Another head crushed. Another body bisected. 20 more crushed with nothing more than a thought. The air around her was easy to bend to her will. Clearly these wretched machines haven’t been punished enough already for what they did. More  were crushed as screams of insanity quickly started to become pure and utter terror. The machines began to flee en masse. Completely ignoring everyone as they ran for their putrid, pointless lives. Nori got another glance at Uzi's body. Her oil and coolant boiled. No… they deserve worse than just dying… no… I’m going to burn this world to ash for this. Nori swiftly landed on the ground, before violently moving her right arm upwards and completely shifting gravity towards the cave ceiling, forcing EVERYTHING to ‘fall’ upwards. As the screaming and terrified machines desperately tried to hold on to the ruined structures, Nori turned her focus towards Cassia… Cassia… why was that name familiar to her? It didn’t matter. All that mattered was avenging Uzi and killing every last wretch that was in this Animator forsaken cave. Her focus was briefly broken from the agonized screams of Lizzy, who ended up with a shattered leg from the impact with the ceiling. But that didn’t matter. What did anymore anyway? 

Nori tore the massive abomination apart within less than a second. The sound barrier was completely destroyed as Nori reverted gravity back to the ground below. The severed remains of the amalgamation falling to the ground. Nori landed violently. A burst of wind surrounded her as the floor cracked from the impact. She quickly got back to tearing the now defenseless machines apart. Not caring how much damage she caused. [NULL] after [NULL] after [NULL] flew into and obliterated machine after machine. Their mutilated corpses now littered the floor, their bodies attempting to repair themselves from the catastrophic damage they had sustained. Nori stomped on one. Its ‘blood’ spewed all around the point of contact. Nori felt a massive smile on her face at the brief feeling of satisfaction from this massacre. Yet she knew there was still more. Especially after she felt something burn through one of her wings. 

Roaring in pain, Nori turned to face the source. Her body freezing in place as she saw the same machine that had killed her daughter holding her own railgun, she didn’t even quite realize that her memories were beginning to divulge into memories that were not her own. Traitors… all of them. I trust them with MY DAUGHTER… and what do they do!? Nori seethed as she tore an arm off of the machine within an instant. I gave them EVERYTHING! Another limb, before throwing it through a wall. Every technological secret. My own DAUGHTER… A CHANCE TO BE SOMETHING MORE THAN PRIMITIVES! A leg torn off and devoured. It tastes awful. AND WHAT DO THEY DO!? MANIPULATE HER. USE HER! PILLAGE AND CONQUER AND THEN LEAVE HER TO DIE! Nori threw the machine upwards before swiftly slamming it back into the ground. 

“ I’LL KILL YOU ALL FOR TAKING MY DAUGHTER FROM ME! ” Nori screamed in both rage and unbearable grief. Preparing to leave nothing left of her target, with a massive [NULL] sphere just above her hand she prepared to throw when suddenly, in a beam of green light, an mechanical angelic figure suddenly got between them, a symbol of a Cross surrounded by four spheres, all connect by an infinity symbol adorning her chest.. Nori’s optic’s  shifted from her own symbol to hollowed optics as for a brief moment she believed herself a being she was not. 

“ Cassia? ” Before Nori got an answer everything went dark. Her head having been blown off from a desperate attack from Cassia, whose optics hollowed from the sheer confusion and surprise in Nori’s voice. Nori’s body fell to the floor limp and motionless as Cassia processed what had just happened. Her body in agony from how crudely she had needed to repair herself. Cassia glanced towards Uzi’s lifeless body. I can still save her… There’s stll.. Time. 

Doll needed to hurry. Her Mother was stuck in a reboot from her neck being snapped, Lizzy’s legs were completely shattered, and Chara had fainted from blood loss… and Uzi… 

… was gone. Doll felt tears fall down her visor as she attempted to help Lizzy stand, only for her girlfriend to cry out in pain from her legs merely moving. Lizzy was losing a lot of blood too. Nori’s shifting of gravity caught them completely off guard, and now they were trapped here. Doll didn’t know how to teleport, her Mother was offline, and she couldn’t carry them either. What was she-

“[Sorrowful gaze.] I am… sorry. This was not supposed. To happen.” Doll threw a knife at Cassia, embedding it in the drone’s shoulder. 

“Ow.” 

“[STAY AWAY FROM US YOU MONSTER!]” Doll screamed with despair in her voice. “[MY COUSIN IS DEAD! OUR FRIENDS ARE PROBABLY DEAD! AND YOU’RE SOME MEGALOMANIAC!]” Doll burst into tears, falling onto her knees as she cried uncontrollably. Cassia silently stared at her. 

“[Anxious tone] I can still. Save Uzi. I cannot. Let you leave. I am sorry. In time you. Will understand.” Doll glanced up at Cassia. 

“[She’s dead.]”

“Her mind. Still lives. There is still. Time. I will explain. Later. For now… [CALLBACK PING]” Doll’s body seized up as she was forced into sleep mode. Her distress rendered her firewalls unable to handle the forced command. Lizzy was now the only one left awake. 

“P-please don’t do this.” Lizzy pleaded with tears falling down her face. She didn’t want to be a drone! She wanted to stay human! Sure her legs might have been irrepairably damaged, but augmentations existed! There had to-

“I have to. It is for. The best.” 

“HOW COULD YOU KNOW THAT!? I DON’T WANT TO BE A DRONE!” 

“[Frown]. It is for. Your own good. Sweet dreams. Lizzy.” 

“NO PLEASE-!” Lizzy fell unconscious mid plea as Cassia forcefully knocked her out with her powers. Cassia sighed. Guilt gnawing at her circuits. I can’t just keep them prisoners… besides… their new bodies will be difficult to damage anyway. Just need to give them some time to adjust, and then send them home. 

“[Nervous laugh]” Cassia felt a terrified tear fall down her visor. She had almost died… and that look Nori gave her when she hesitated… It scared her. I need to speak with that King again… I need answers… WHAT AM I!?!? Cassia noticed that her hands were shaking. Calm down… just… calm down. Give them new bodies… have the others help them adjust… and everything will be fine. 

Cassia needed some time alone after this… maybe… maybe she could at least try to have some diplomacy with the Imperium. Her mind raced as fears of what could have happened entered her psyche. Cassia quickly teleported the small group of unconscious individuals in front of her away as she heard Nori sobbing. 

“ U-Uzi… ” Nori cried out as she cradled the lifeless corpse of her Daughter in her arms. Her entrails still sprawled across the floor. Cassia silently approached the grieving mother, knowing words would mean nothing to her. Cassia solumnly prepared to force Nori into a shutdown. 

“[CALLBACK PING]..?” Yet it didn’t work. Nori’s systems didn’t even budge. Cassia’s optics hollowed in surprise as she swiftly placed Uzi’s body into a state frozen in time. Sensing that the teenager’s mind was close to starting to degrade. 

“ I’m not done with you yet. ” Nori stated bluntly. Grief and Rage still in her voice. She slowly stood to her feet. The symbol of the curse appearing in her hand. Cassia could tell that Nori’s body was entering that “feral” state again. Her tail flicking angrily in the air as she curled up her wings. 

“[Scared] I can stiil-”

“ Shut up. I don’t know who, or what you are, or how you’re related to my curse. I want answers, AND I WANT MY DAUGHTERS BACK! ” Nori screamed as she threw a [NULL] at Cassia at what her sensors calculated to be roughly 10% the speed of light. Barely managing to dodge in time as the projectile flew and detonated in the distance, Cassia’s optics widened in horror. 

“[Scared] I CAN SAVE UZI!” Cassia raised her hands defensively as she said this, though it did have the desired effect of causing Nori to pause before she’d throw another [NULL]. 

“How?” 

“[Anxious] Her mind. Can still be. Saved. Please, if you allow me. To save her. I promise I will let you. and the others. Go.” Cassia felt sweat run down her visor. Nori still held a [NULL] in her hand. 

“You’re going to turn all of those kids into drones no matter what, aren’t you?” Nori asked callously, a defeated and tired tone in her voice.

“[Sheepish nod].” Nori went quiet for a moment, before looking towards Uzi and back to Cassia. 

“If you dare use my family, or any of the people you’ve hurt here today as puppets. I will kill you. Do I make myself clear? ”

“[Affirmative nod]” Much to Cassia’s relief, Nori made the [NULL] vanish. 

“ You better not be lying to me. I don’t care if I can’t beat you, if you hurt them, I will make you suffer for it. ” Cassia nodded again as she prepared to teleport Uzi and Nori. This was going to be a very long night. 

Khan, Thad, and Saint struggled through the exit of the tunnels to where the 3 now somewhat abandoned cars were located. 

“ I need… a moment. ” Saint weakly spoke. His body ached as it worked relentlessly to repair the catastrophic damage it had sustained from that alien rifle. Thad and Khan slowly set him down as they all leaned against the side of the building. Their breathing heavy from having to partially carry the over 1,000 pound giant all the way through those tunnels. 

“Hey Khan… do you think they’re ok?” Thad asked, Khan didn’t respond right away. 

“I… I don’t know.” Khan answered, fear in his voice as he had no idea what fate could have befallen his family. However, the sound of something massive suddenly crashing into the ground nearby completely cut off his thoughts, with Saint instantly recognizing the sound. Astartes Drop Pod. Saint grimaced, he had heard the rumors of an arriving Astates Legion. He found it strange, but didn’t complain. He held no malice towards what was once the greatest foes he would face in combat. Though being in his armor, he was understandably concerned. Though arriving via drop pods? That was odd, or, had they been briefed about the Governments disappearance? 

“What was that!?” Thad asked, with Khan looking equally confused.
“ You’re about to find out. ” Saint muttered through a strained breath. Cautiously, thad turned around a corner, his eyes widening as he saw the massive form of a space marine drop pod not even 30 feet away from them. He watched in awe as the compressed air within the machine was released. The many armored doors of it opening and revealing the red eyelights of space marine helmets. A group of 5 exited from the drop pod seemlessly, their green and black armor shining amongst the moonlight. Their presence left Thad in awe. Though the group clearly and suddenly noticing him was more horrifying than he could have expected. 

“Oh throne!” Thad muttered to himself as she went back around the corner. His breathing heavy. 

“Thad? What is it?” Khan asked. 

“It… it’s… space marines.” Thad managed to say through frantic breathing. Khan’s eyes widened, and then widened somehow even more as the 5 Astartes suddenly teleported right in front of the small group. Their armor radiating psychic power. 

“ We are of the Relic Guardians Legion. Identify yourselves at once. ”

Chapter Text

Rebecca stirred in her sleep, she felt cold. Frustratingly cold to the point that the otherwise lovely dreams she would be having… holy crap she’s hormonal… were replaced with her freezing cold inside a freezer or something. Not like she’d remember, most people forget whatever they were dreaming about. As she subconsciously reached for a blanket in her sleep, she found herself touching something metallic and yet somehow also soft. It startled her, but it was also fairly warm, so she snuggled up against it. Darren meanwhile felt something akin to a drone starting to wrap its arm around him in his sleep and was now dreaming of being strangled to death by one of those horrifying machines from-oh he wakes up startled. 

“PLEASEDONTEATME-huh!?” Darren momentarily cried out in panic. His optics surveying the room around him. Though his thoughts were interrupted by Rebecca’s very tired, mostly asleep voice.

“Darren… stop it… I’m cold.” Turning to his girlfriend, Darren’s optics hollowed when he saw a drone instead of her, though they looked almost just like Rebecca, in a panic, he looked at his own hands, and screamed. Getting a firm, though very tired, slap to the face from his extremely tired girlfriend, who hadn’t even bothered to open her optics to make sure she actually hit him.

“I don’t wanna get up right now… just… a few more minutes.” Darren stared at Rebecca in stunned disbelief. WHAT IN THE EMPEROR’S NAME WAS GOING ON!? Rebecca pulled the covers of the bed they were on over herself, her visor shifting between 2 admittedly very cute, closed optics, and “Sleep Mode”. With her optics having a blue color to them. Carefully, Darren nudged Rebecca to try and wake her up, causing the other drone to toss and turn slightly from the discomfort. 

“Stooooop… I want to sleep.” Rebecca whined, her optics still closed though no longer shifting into Sleep Mode. 

“Rebecca? Is that you?” Darren asked, receiving a very confused vocal noise from Rebecca. 

“ What do you mean ‘is this me’? Of course its me. Why would you even-” As Rebecca opened her optics, they hollowed as she saw Darren. 

“D-Darren?”

“Yeah?” 

“W-what happened to you!?” 

“What happened to you?” 

“What do you mea-” Rebecca let out a startled gasp as she looked at her hands. Seeing instead that, like Darren, she was now a worker drone. “W-what happened to us!?” Rebecca asked in a panic, the last thing she could remember was being dragged away by a giant humanoid robot monster thing. What has been done to us!?  

“I-I don’t know!” Darren answered, his voice equally confused and scared. Suddenly, the door to the pseudo hospital room the couple was inside of was kicked open, a tall, feminine drone with peg-like legs having kicked it open, the slight pigtails on her head giving her an extra few inches of height. She spoke, her voice commanding and having a clear lack of patience.

“Alright you horny frickin lovebirds. I got the smallest straw and I am not happy about it, so I’m gonna make this introduction quick. I am O, de-facto leader of the drones under Terra Sierra Clarke, I already know your names, and no. I am unfortunately not here to rescue you. Just to help you adjust to your new bodies. You’ll be sent home within 2 days and I hope to have you out of my sight long before that time limit. Do I make myself clear!?” Rebecca and Darren both stared at O, processing what they had just been told. 

“I’m sorry… what?” Darren answered, causing O to let out an annoyed, frustrated groan. 

“This is going to be a very long night.” O muttered to herself, her tail flicked in the air angrily. Rebecca spoke up, having managed to actually gather all the information that O gave them. 

“What happened to us!? W-why are we drones!?” Rebecca asked with fear in her voice. A part of her worried that she was some sort of copy of herself. 

“Your minds have been transferred into what are now your bodies by Cassia. The process is irreversable and I have been assigned to help you both… adjust. The others have had other drones assigned to them.” The couple’s optics hollowed. 

“We… we’re stuck like this..? F-forever?” Rebecca asked, tears pricking at the corners of her optics. O gave a slow, affirming nod. Rebecca held onto Darren out of instinct, who was left in a stunned silence. O rolled her optics, trying to hide the fact that she did feel sorry for them. 

“What are you going to do to us?” Rebecca asked with fear in her voice, with Darren moving to hug her to try and comfort her. 

“Just going to help you adjust before sending you and the rest of the people who went with you home. No strings attached.” Rebecca glared, her optics narrowed in suspicion. 

“How can we trust you?” O shrugged. 

“Good point, I suppose you can’t.” The blunt honesty from O’s reply stunned Darren and Rebecca, though Darren was admittedly running almost on autopilot. As his mind was rather emotionally overwhelmed, and he didn’t know what to do. Rebecca could feel her composure start to break as she burst into tears. Covering her visor with her hands as she desperately hoped this was a bad dream. 

“Ok, please stop doing that.” O quickly and suddenly asked, getting confused looks from the 2 former humans. 

“D-doing what!?” Rebecca responded through choked sobs. 

“That… crying thing. It’s freaking me out.” O found herself suddenly having a nearby lamp chucked at her face. 

“What’s wrong with you!?” Darren demanded, reaching for something else to chuck at O. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“Our lives are practically ruined for all we know, and THAT’S your response to our reaction to that!?” Darren chucked another object at O, who dodged it this time. Though she did go quiet. Am I really that hateable? O sighed, this really was going to be a long night. 

Braiden found his dreams to be about well, zombie robots. Running for his life, getting caught, getting eaten alive. The usual things you dream about when you were chased and almost eaten alive by zombie robots. So when Braiden woke up to find that he WASN’T dead, that was pretty good. What was less good, was the fact that he found himself inside the body of a worker drone. 

“Am I in Hell? Is this purgatory?” Braiden genuinely asked himself, his mind still reeling from the fact that from his perspective, not even 30 seconds ago he was running for his life from zombie robots. Braiden’s thoughts were interrupted by Sam, who still sounded high as ever. 

“No… I think you’re just… going through a lot or something.” Braiden turned to Sam out of complete frustration, only to see that like himself, Sam was a drone, and somehow, HE HAD A MAGNET ON HIS HEAD! HOW!? WHERE DID HE GET THAT!? 

“1. How are you so calm? 2. Where did you get that magnet?”

“First of all… I don’t feel any different aside from the withdrawals I had when I woke up… second of all… I have no idea.” Sam answered, his green optics wavy and both bright and dim at the same time. Braiden’s own optics narrowed in annoyance. 

“I swear you are a psycher because your ability to somehow always be high is unfathomable.” 

“Really?”

“Yeah, you never get caught, even Saint, who, by the way, is some kind of super soldier, never caught you.”

“No, he caught me a few times… why do you think I am more coherent at school?” 

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope.” 

“By the throne.” Braiden put his hands over his optics, his mind in so much shock that he couldn’t even properly react to anything that was happening. He found the extremely smooth surface that was now his face very unpleasant to touch, since it didn’t feel right at all. Though the door to the room being kicked open by a very clearly angry drone not only snapped him out of his thoughts, it also scared him really, REALLY badly. With Braiden screaming and falling off the bed he was on. A very frustrated voice started speaking, most likely the drone which had barged into the room. 

“ALRIGHT YOU-...” The drone’s optics widened when he noticed Sam with the magnet. “... Where did you get that?” Sam shrugged. 

“I don’t know dude… just… found it somewhere.” 

“Put it away.”

“No.” 

“Put it away or I swear I will-” The drone was once more interrupted by Braiden’s head catching fire. Causing all 3 drones in the room to have hollow optics. How… how does my head still catch fire!? Braiden took a long, deep breath, before he started screaming in sheer rage. 

Melta stirred in her sleep, her body curled up in a small ball as the abilities she inherited from her Mother manifested within her technically new body as she slept. A small set of bat-like wings wrapped around her like a blanket, while a tail had curled up around her legs. The little drone purring slightly as she had actually pleasant dreams unlike everyone else. Though… there was… one thing off about this dream. Melta found herself being followed by some sort of giant knight-like robot. It was eerie, since no one else noticed it, despite the massive machine being about as tall as her home. It took awhile for Melta to build up the courage to go up to it. 

“Hello?” Melta said somewhat meekly, her tail- when did I get a tail? - curling up anxiously as she spoke. The towering, 4 eyed machine slowly rowered itself to one knee, a strange symbol on its chest with 4 circles in a square formation similar to its eyes, connected by an infinity symbol, and all contained within what looked like a diamond/rectangle shaped shield. A number of groves indicating what to Melta seemed like where the shield was strongest. 

“Hello, Melta Doorman.” The machine answered, startling Melta slightly with just how deep and echoey its voice was. She backed up a few steps from the sheer power that seemed to radiate from the machine. Only now did she also notice that she was no longer human, even in her dreams she was now a drone. 

“What… what happened to me!?” Melta pleaded with the machine, her optics hollow and scared. It’s towering, almost angelic figure leaving her genuinely afraid. 

“You were placed through what the ones who built it called… “The Ascension”. A construct used to shift organic matter into a material which, in your language, would translate to “Living Metal”. Though it seems that you have something which has left you partially organic.” Melta blinked. That was a lot of big words that she still wasn’t very good with. Her anxiety only grew worse. 

“I don’t… know what you mean… why are you so… big and scary though?” Melta spoke anxiously, she could feel her legs shaking. The towering machine sighed, before suddenly, within a green burst of light, in its place was a worker drone with green eyes, though the clothes he was wearing were very unorthodox to Melta. It was like some sort of royal robe covered in strange markings. It’s color primarily a deep black, with the markings being the same bright green as… that one scary drone and the optics she and those scary robots had. 

“Does this form suffice for you?” The drone spoke in that same voice from being, though it was less deep and commanding, it was still somewhat intimidating, but it at least wasn’t taller than those machines. Melta nodded, her tail straightening out somewhat as she felt more relaxed. 

“Your body has been shifted into that of what you call a “worker drone” by the use of Living Metal. Though you body is still the same, it has simply been… altered.” The Drone explained, with Melta being able to properly understand what he meant.

“So I… turned myself into a worker drone?” 

“Correct” 

“And… it cannot be undone?” 

“It cannot.”

“Is… are you the reason I was able to get those big doors to keep those scary robots away from Emily, Kelsey, and me?” The Drone’s optics widened in surprise.

“You remember that? Despite the events which followed? ” Melta nodded, causing the drone to raise a hand to his chin. “ Well, you are indeed correct. I was able to guide you, despite my currently limited ability to act.” Melta tilted her head curiously. 

“Why do you look like that… scary drone?” Melta watched as the optics on the drone’s face dimmed and made a sad expression. 

“I cannot explain our similarities… not now. Not yet.” 

“Can I at least know your name?”

“. . . Hyperion.” 

“That’s a cool name.” 

“Your compliment is noted.” Hyperion had a hint of a smile on his face as he said that otherwise somewhat boring statement. Melta took a moment to look at her hands, her optics making a sad and anxious expression. Her tail curled up again. 

“What is going to happen to me… is Uzi ok?” Melta fidgeting with her hands. 

“You will be alright, as for your sister… I am not sure. She isn’t dead. Though she is scarred. She likely will not recover for a long time.”

“Oh no..” 

“She will likely need you. Though, for now I suggest you take time to adjust. We will meet again, though I am not sure when that might be. For now, farewell, Melta Doorman.” With that, Melta woke up, finding her new wings wrapped snuggly around herself. She felt warm and oddly comfortable, though the feeling of having wings and a tail was very much odd to her. 

“Hello?” Melta whispered as she slowly sat up, noticing, to her worry, that both Emily and Kelsey had been turned into drones as well, though she could only tell because of their hair and relatively similar appearances. The 2 teenagers both had “Sleep Mode” displayed on their visors. Melta hoped that Uzi was ok, though she probably got turned into a drone too. She just hoped that she wasn’t going to be too mad at her for following and getting herself turned into a drone. For now though, it was probably best to focus on Emily and Kelsey. 

Melta carefully moved over to Emily and gently nudged her, though it wasn’t long before Melta found ehrself simply cuddling with her out of instinct, the little drone purring as a result. Though this would have the effect of starting to stir Emily from her sleep. 

“Emily… wake up.”  

Emily felt off, and the feeling of something rumbling against her side was somewhat irritating in terms of her wanting to stay asleep. She felt oddly tired for some reason. Though hearing Melta asking her to wake up caused a brief spike of panic as she remembered- Oh… oh no. The memory of Cassia telling them she was going to turn them into drones, and not having any memory of escaping. Emily slowly opened her optics before subconsciously trying to reach for her glasses. Though that effort was interrupted by Melta climbing on top of her and accidentally smacking her with… A WING!? 

“WHATINTHEEMPERORSNAME-!?” Emily yelled, startling Melta and causing Kelsey to shoot up with wide, hollow blue optics while Melta hid under the bed covers.

“Emily!?” Kelsey cried out, panic on her face as she turned and looked towards her, her optics hollowing when seeing her friend had been turned into a drone, and then looked at her own hands, and then screamed. Melta covered where her ears would normally be with her hands as the screaming hurt her audio receptors. While Emily, seeing her friend in severe distress, moved to try and comfort her despite her own mental panic. 

“K-KELSEY CALM DOWN!” Emily pleaded as she quickly moved to hug Kelsey, causing the other drone to calm down at least enough to where she stopped screaming, tears streamed down her visor as she hugged back and cried. 

“W-we didn’t get away did we?” 

“.. no… we didn’t.” Emily confirmed sadly, tears falling down her own visor too. All while Melta slowly got out from under the blankets on the bed. 

“S-sorry for scaring you.” Melta said sadly, a guilty expression on her face. Her wings furled up and drooping, as was the rather eerie looking tail the small drone also now had, with 6 purple eyes and a very clearly existent mouth at the end of it. Emily started to move to try and reassure Melta, though the door gently opening caught her attention. A small drone, only a little taller than Melta and military in model, entered the room. Her yellow optics anxiously surveying the 3 former humans as she waved. 

“H-hi, I’m Q. I’m… um… I was sent here by Cassia to help you… adjust.” Q said nervously, her voice uncertain and worried as she also glanced behind her. 

“Where’s Uzi?” Melta blurted out, catching Q’s attention, though before Q could answer a much taller, purple haired drone burst through the door before nearly jumping onto Melta in a hug, purple tears streaming down her visor. Nori hugged Melta tightly. 

“MELTA!” 

“Mommy?” The 3 former humans were stunned, when did Nori get here? Nori spoke up again, her hug on Melta tightening further and causing the smaller drone’s wings to flap erratically as she let out a small wheeze from how much she was being squeezed like a teddy bear.

“M-Mom y-you’re crushing me!” Melta wheezed as she started to feel Nori hug less tightly while giving a soft apology, the older drone cradling her child in her arms as relieved tears fell down her visor. 

“I was so worried.” Nori said through heaving breathes. Her systems slowly calming down. Q stood awkwardly at the doorway, her tail swaying from side to side as she waited. 

“I’m sorry Mom… I… I didn’t want Uzi to be alone… I was worried if I told you she’d go by herself… I… I wanted to help her… and… now I’m worried she might be hurt because of me.” Melta guiltily spoke, tears falling down her visor as her wings wrapped around herself. 

“Melta… its not your fault… I’m not mad… not anymore at least … I’m just glad you’re safe.” Nori cooed, gently brushed Melta’s hair off her visor so she could more easily see her daughter’s optics. Emily and Kelsey remained silent and confused, unsure as to what was even going on. 

“M-Mrs.Doorman?” Emily stuttered, her anxiety very clear and evident as she tried to keep herself calm for Kelsey’s sake, she could still feel Kelsey shaking, even if it was not as bad as it was a few moments ago. Kelsey wanted to curl up into a ball and cry as her parents had some very unpleasant opinions on drones, she wasn’t even sure if they would even allow her back home, the thought of them claiming their daughter was ‘dead’ caused her circuits to scream in panic and worry. Nori looked up at the 2 teenagers. 

“Yeah?” 

“H-how did you get here?” 

“Thad showed up in my driveway in a panic and told me how to find everyone… and what was happening… I’d…” Nori’s optics dimmed and saddened, her core whirring violently as the image of Uzi’s lifeless body entered her thoughts. “... rather not talk about it.”

“Oh.” Emily said quietly, going back to comforting Kelsey who was now sobbing, her hands over her optics as she cried. 

“Mommy… where’s Uzi? Is… is she ok?” Melta asked with genuine worry in her new optics. Nori took a moment to compose herself, Melta was likely going through enough already, losing control of her emotions and crying would only make it worse. 

“Uzi… is hurt… but… she’ll be ok. She’s strong.” Nori partially lied, she knew Uzi was going to be anything but ok when she woke up… if it was still even Uzi at all. Melta felt relief from that answer, though the way Nori said it was more than enough information for her to tell Uzi had also been turned into a drone. She was glad Uzi was going to be ok. Q spoke up finally. 

“Um… Madam Doorman… I request you perhaps ensure that… Uzi… isn’t alone when she wakes up? I can… handle things over here from now.” Q’s tail curled up anxiously as she was fully aware that Nori could turn her inside out within a moments notice. Sure, Cassia had claimed Nori wasn’t going to tear her limb from limb within a fraction of a second, but after learning about what she did with all those people? Q was not hopeful. 

“Melta is my daughter. I don’t want to-”

“Mommy… Emily and Kelsey are sad… I don’t want to leave them sad.” Melta interrupted, giving Nori a pleading look as the 2 aforementioned teenagers glanced at eachother. Nori winced. By the Animator she’s adorable . After a bit of time, and Melta’s very persistent, pleading gaze, Nori relented, especially as she saw just how distrought the other 2 former humans were. 

“... Fine… you can stay with those two. Just… don’t get lost? If you run off before I see you again you will be having a very long and awkward conversation with me, understand?” Melta nodded, waiting for her mom to let her go from their long hug before moving to cuddle with Emily and Kelsey, the small drone attempting to comfort the distressed teenagers and having some success in doing so, with Kelsey building up enough courage to ruffle Melta’s hair, causing the small drone to purr and curl up into a ball on her lap. It was oddly cute to Emily and Kelsey, and also somewhat reassuring. Though, there was still a lot that was going to likely happen. Emily glanced at Kelsey, worry in her mind as she was also well aware of how her parents viewed drones. 

“Hey… Kelsey.” 

“Yeah?”

“If… your parents don’t let you go home… you could stay at my place. If that’s alright with you.” Melta seemed confused while Kelsey’s optics hollowed, a tear falling down her visor. 

“Why would her mom and dad not let her go home?” Melta asked, confused. Kelsey didn’t want to answer, and gave a slight nod to Emily to explain for her. 

“Kelsey’s parents… don’t like drones.”

“But why?”

“They/re jerks. That’s all you need to know.” Emily stated firmly, an angry pout escaping Melta’s voice box. Though she seemed content with that answer, much to the relief of the people she was trying to keep calm. Q remained silent, her anxiety feeling overwhelming as she struggled to find a good spot to start talking. She didn’t want to interrupt anything important after all. 

Chara felt hazy, her mind a blur as she found herself standing amongst the vast fields of Cardia. It was oddly peaceful, though confusing. She wasn’t even fully conscious. Though, the sight of the towering, looming figure of an Imperator Titan caught her attention. Her barely conscious mind flaring up with the limited cognitive functions it currently had. A voice spoke to her, deep, commanding, resolute, though oddly… scottish? Was that the accent? 

“Chara Rose… I have sensed you. One worthy of the mantle which has been left unfulfilled for decades. Though you may not remember this brief meeting before you awake. Remember that I am watching you, Princepts. I see a soul worthy of my mantle, and I shall guide you to me when the time arises. I will speak to you once more when you are less… ‘predisposed’.” Chara’s confusion was met with further confusion as she woke up.

Chara woke up with a jolt. Her body sitting up almost immediately with her right hand raised, psychic power radiating from it with a faint glow. Wait… where am I? Chara glanced at her now metallic hand. Oh… oh no… we didn’t get away in time… did we? Chara entered a state of shock a message of “Emotional Overlord : Emotional Repression Systems Active. Logic functions prioritized.” Appearing in her vision and on her visor. Chara sighed, her body feeling dull and numb, similar to her emotions. She didn’t feel great either, but, even while she was human, whenever she was hit with something emotionally overwhelming, she’d just bury her emotions and cry later when she was alone. Her father nearly died once, and she barely reacted at first… why was she thinking about that? She needed to find the others-oh, there’s Doll, Yeva, and… was that Mitchel? He was in sleep mode apparently, but Doll and Yeva-no wait, it was just Yeva that was awake. 

“Yeva? Doll? Mitchel?” 

“[Just me right now Chara.]” Yeva muttered quietly. “[You ok? Your voice sounds hollow like it did for those few days after you and Uzi broke up.]” Chara rolled her optics. Not this again.  

“No, I’m not ok. I lost my arm-” Chara noticed that her arm had also been replaced. “... I lost my arm… Uzi… Uzi’s gone… and we’re probably never leaving this place. ” Chara wrapped herself up in the blankets of the bed and hid herself under them. This was a horrible idea… Uzi… why did you have to be so stubborn?  

“[That thing claims to have saved Uzi… and unfortunately we have to trust it didn’t lie to us.]” Yeva said coldly, her thoughts currently moreso towards her Husband and Daughter. Chara’s new, red optics gave a tired expression as she moved ehr head out of the covers and sighed. 

“ Silver lining… I guess… are Doll and Mitchel ok? Where’s Nori?”  

“[Nori went to go check on Melta… threatened the drones here under that thing’s control that she’d tear this place down if they didn’t let her. She’ll be back soon. Hopefully before Uzi wakes up, as for Mitchel and Doll… I spoke with Mitchel before they did… this to him… said he had to stay behind so the others could escape. Doll… I don’t think she’ll be ok. Especially when Lizzy wakes up too.]” Yeva gestured to another bed where a drone with Pink optics was sleeping. Her unmistakably blond hair and pink clothes making it very obvious that she was Lizzy. Chara wondered how she didn’t notice her. Jerk probably deserves this anyway after bringing so many people here. Chara thought to herself, she never particularly despised Lizzy, not as much as Uzi, though that was because Uzi felt like Lizzy stole one of her best friends from her, so there was more personal reasons for that. Chara sighed. 

“Where’s Uzi?” Chara asked in a defeated tone, her optics tired and sad. She still felt her emotions being repressed, and it was starting to get a bit annoying, even if it was keeping her from breaking down into tears. 

“[Over there, in that corner.]” Yeva pointed towards a bed in the other side of the room, where Uzi was sleeping, though Chara could sense a great deal of despair radiating from the unconscious drone. Uzi. Chara internally lamented.

“[Quick question, you never told us you were a psycher. Why is that?]” Yeva asked with a curious tone in her voice as she tried to change the subject matter. Chara looked at her and sighed. 

“I didn’t know I was a psycher… it just… awakened or something.” Yeva nodded slowly. 

“[Odd… very odd. Psychic powers normally awaken much sooner.]” 

“Yeah, I know. I’d… like to not think about that right now as cool as it is… I may not look like it, but I am actually extremely stressed out right now and want to curl up into a ball and cry.” Chara stated more bluntly than she would’ve liked. Yeva looked at her sadly. 

“[Alright, I’ll leave you alone then.]” Yeva said as she noticed Doll begin to wake up. Her daughter’s red optics opening as she slowly sat up. Chara simply went back to hiding under the blankets as she began to silently cry. 

“[Mom?]” Doll said with confusion in her voice. 

“[Hi Doll.]” 

“[Where… where’s Lizzy?]” Doll asked with worry. Frantically searching for her girlfriend with her optics as she found it a bit difficult to move. Yeva sighed. 

“[She’s right next to you Doll.]” Yeva pointed to where Lizzy was, adn Doll immediately turned to her to see the sleeping drone that used to be human. 

“[L-Lizzy!?]” Doll yelped, her optics hollowing. 

“[They got your father too… he was forced to stay behind so that the few others left could get away.]” Yeva sadly stated. 

“[Mitchel is not my Father.]” Doll retorted, Yeva wasn’t in the mood to argue and simply stared at Mitchel’s sleeping form while Doll moved over to Lizzy, the pink drone stirring from sleep mode due to Doll’s presence. Though her optics did start to replace the Sleep Mode text as she woke up. As Lizzy did wake up however, and her admittedly beautiful pink optics (In Doll’s totally unbiased opinion) locked eye contact with Doll. Lizzy smiled at the sight of her girlfriend, a false sense of security washing over her. 

“Heya Dolly.” Lizzy said sleepily. “Did… did we manage to get away?” Doll’s expression saddened. 

“[No… I’m sorry. I… I couldn’t get us out in time.]” Doll said sadly, a tear falling down her visor. Lizzy’s optics hollowed. 

“Doll… w… what happened to me?” Lizzy asked with fear in her voice. 

“[Lizzy… I…]” Doll started to speak. “[I… need you to look at your hands.]” Doll was trying desperately to maintain her composure. Lizzy slowly lifted up her hands, her optics hollowing further as she saw the hands of a worker drone. Doll slowly moved to hold one, and to Lizzy’s horror and slight relief, it felt like how it normally would from when she was human. 

“D-Doll… a-am I..?” Lizzy started to ask, but the words died in her mouth as she felt terrified. Doll slowly nodded. 

“[A Drone… you’re… a drone… I… I’m sorry Lizzy.]” Doll watched as tears began to fall down Lizzy’s visor. 

“I… n-no… this… this can’t be happening. ” Lizzy sobbed as she covered her face with her hands. The smooth surface of her visor startling her and causing her to nearly scream. This can’t be happening to me! W-what will Dad think!? W-what will everyone think!? N-No this can’t be happening! Lizzy started to hyperventillate, though Doll suddenly hugging her caused her core to beat and whir less aggressively. 

“[You’re going to be alright Lizzy, ok? I’m here. You don’t have to worry, alright? We’ll get through this.]” Doll cooed, attempting to comfort her panicking girlfriend to moderate success. 

“ W-what do I do?! I-I won’t be… the others… m-my popularity… i-it-” Doll quickly hushed Lizzy before she could continue to spiral. 

“[Forget about it, as long as I’m here, you’re going to be ok, alright?]” Doll cooed, with Lizzy taking a few deep breaths to try and calm herself down enough to speak normally. 

“ O-ok. I-I’ll try.” Lizzy spoke quiety, returning the hug Doll was still giving her. Though tears continued to fall down her visor. 

Mitchel grumbled to himself as he woke up, he was already fully aware of his situation beforehand, and so he felt rather… melancholic. He knew Doll wasn’t going to care, so he didn’t bother saying anything when he saw her comforting Lizzy. Not a pleasant sight to see, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to help. He barely reacted to the fact he was no longer human, and the clearly tired and depressed expression on his face gave that away to Yeva, who spoke with concern in her voice.

“[Mitchel, are you ok?]” 

“[No… I’m not. Better than being dead though.]” Khan I swear to the Emperor if you didn’t get out of this place unharmed I’ll break your arm. Mitchel thought to himself somewhat angrily. Though his thoughts quickly went back to the present as Yeva held his hand. 

“[I’m here Mitchel.]” 

“[I know… just…]” Mitchel sighed, She won’t even bother to ask if I’m ok. “[... I was hoping she’d at least pretend to care.]” Mitchel said quietly in a defeated tone. Yeva’s optics hollowed as she knew exactly who he was referring to. 

“[I… I don’t know why she can’t just… try to know you.]” 

“[She sees me as a replacement. I’m starting to realize I can’t change that.]”

[Don’t-... don’t say that. You’ll get through to her eventually.]” 

“[Everyone tells me that.]” 

Cold… so… so very cold. Uzi shivered. All around her was nothing but a dark and endless void. Looking down, she could see the massive hole in her stomach and her blood stained clothes. She puked. Her vomit was almost completely red with blood. She puked again. Her stomach screamed in agony as she cried. I’m dead… I’m dead… everyone’s dead and it's all my fault. M-Melta… Mom… D-Dad… I’m so sorry. Uzi couldn’t bring herself to move. It hurt to do so. She could barely even think. 

Uzi remained like this for a few minutes, before noticing those same red eyes that she saw before she… died. Staring at her again in even greater numbers, and they were everywhere. 

“S-STAY AWAY FROM ME! I-I CAN’T DIE YET! I-I’M NOT READY!” Uzi pleaded with the silent eyes. They only stared at her in silence. Unmoving. Undeterred. This wasn’t how Uzi was told dying would be like. Was she in Hell? Was she really… a bad person? She knew she wasn’t great, but she at least thought that she was good enough to at least not suffer for all eternity. Her thoughts however were interrupted when an old, tired, and rough voice spoke to her from behind. 

“Almost everyone says they aren’t ready when they die.” The sudden sound caused Uzi to spin around, her body screaming in protest as she saw… is that a pirate? Uzi scoffed. The man, she could tell. Wore finely crafted clothes, his hat unmistakably like that of a pirate. His cloak was mostly black like everything else, with a golden trim along the edges. A scemitar was at his waist, as was a gun, though it was far more advanced than something pathetic like a flinklock, Uzi couldn’t make out the model at all. The man’s aze was stoic, his eerily pale skin somewhat scarred, his eyes gave the look of a man who seemed tired of everything. His face was surprisingly well shaven though. His dark hair faintly visible. His boots were made of something, though they too had gold on them. 

“Please don’t tell me the grim reaper is a pirate.” Uzi stated, annoyed. The Pirate had the faintest, most difficult to notice of a smirk on his face. 

“Yes… and no. I am… one of many. The eyes around you are the gatherers. The ones who guide souls to the afterlife. I am… one of three… cursed… individuals. I am referred to as “Unknown”. By those who I am acquainted with. As fun as it would be for there to be a skeleton with a scythe, there isn’t one, not unless Death herself decides she wants to have fun.” Uzi blinked. Unknown, as the pirate called himself, had just dropped a massive bombshell on everything she knew about dying. 

“Death… is a she?” 

“More or less. Her interactions with mortals and the dead caused her to become more… ‘human’... you could say. Though she isn’t exactly death itself… she is… a being which governs it. Though that does not matter now.” Uzi backed away from Unknown. 

“I’m not ready… I’m not. I… I still have so much to live for.” Unknown frowned. 

“Considering the harm you caused as a result of your actions, I have no reason to pity you. You made your choice, and I have better things to do with my time. Goodbye, Uzi Doorman.” Before Uzi could protest, Unknown suddenly shot at her head with the gun from his holter, yet. It never reached her. Unknown’s eyes narrowed as a green cross made of pure energy stood between himself and Uzi, with Uzi suddenly being surrounded by a similar light. Unknown spoke with anger in his voice.

“It seems you’re being given another chance. Try not to waste it. I intend to finish what I have started. I will be watching you, Uzi Doorman.” Once again, before Uzi could respond, she was interrupted. This time, from waking up. 

Uzi woke up terrified, and the first thing she did was turn over the side of her bed and vomit. A black, viscous fluid exiting her mouth. Her optics hollowed at the sight. 

“W-what the [Parental Advisory]?!” Uzi cursed, horrified by the lack of anything organic looking within what was supposed to be her own vomit. Uzi was shaking as she noticed her hands and arms weren’t human ones. Instead they looked more like-

“UZI!” Nori cried out, hugging her daughter tightly, Uzi felt her body strain from how tightly she was being hugged. 

“M-Mom!?” Uzi yelped, her optics still hollow and scared, Nori had tears falling down her visor. 

“Please… please tell me it's still you Uzi… I… I thought I lost you.” Uzi looked at her hands more closely, realizing that they looked similar to her Mom’s own, or like any other worker. 

“M-mom… d-did I… did I die?” Uzi asked, her voice cracking as tears fell down her visor, she didn’t even notice anyone else who was in the room, watching in silent sorrow as Uzi was essentially brought back from the dead. Nori looked at Uzi and slowly nodded, a quiet sob escaping her voice box as the fact her precious child had died in front of her was once more on the forefront of her mind. 

“I-I’m so sorry Uzi. I-I couldn’t… p-protect you. I-I’m so sorry.” Uzi put a hand on her face, her visor suddenly lighting up a faint hud in her vision. Her core pounded and thrumed within her chest as she started to cry too. 

“M-Mom… p-please… i-it’s… it’s my fault.” Uzi could barely get the words out as she emitted choked sobs. Hugging Nori tightly as her brief experience of being dead, and the threat that Unknown gave her, were what was most present in her thoughts. She was terrified, and all she could feel at the moment was unbearable guilt, and complete, and total despair. 

The others were left silently watching, none of them knowing how to comfort Uzi as they had never seen her so vulnerable or scared. Lizzy didn’t even bother trying to think of a way to help as she knew Uzi hated her. Nori spoke again, her talking interrupted by her crying. 

“I sh-should have b-been there sooner! I-I was too late! I-I couldn’t s-save you.” Nori cried more, hugging Uzi even more tightly as she did so. Uzi felt someone else hug her, and noticed that it was Chara, red colored tears fell down her visor as she silently wept as well. Uzi felt guilt gnaw at her stomach, which she put a hand over as she felt a phantom pain over it, the mere thought making her sick. Her visor displayed an alert regarding an emotional overload, the alert so blaringly obvious Uzi wanted to scowl or retort against her own system. This is all my fault. 

Suddenly, a voice spoke, and for some reason, as though coming from an angel, it managed to pull Uzi out from her destructive thoughts. There was anxiety, sure, but there was a kindness to it. One that Uzi had never heard before, with the exception of Melta of course, envy or not Uzi viewed Melta as a light within a sea of boring stuff and loneliness. 

“Um, excuse me, is… everyone awake yet?” The voice, male, from the sounds of it, caught Uzi’s attention. She didn’t know why, but it did. Though her optics did widen at the source of the voice. A towering drone in a butler’s outfit stood in the doorway, his silver hair gently reflecting light from it as though it was made of metal, and it probably was, but who knew anyway. Yeva spoke up to answer that question with a yes. To which the giant nodded his head slowly as he looked over everyone, mumbling names to himself as he identified each individual, before noticing Uzi staring at him. 

“You’re… Uzi, right?” He asked, a gentle, seemingly understanding tone in his voice. Uzi slowly nodded. 

“ Yeah… that’s… that’s me.” Uzi said quietly, still hugging Nori as tears fell down her visor. The gentle giant introduced himself as N to the group, and that he was instructed to bring them to the “others” once everyone was awake before explaining the rest of the situation to them, though Uzi noticed he kept giving worried glances to her. Carefully, the humans turned drones stood to their feet, struggling to stand due to the shift in their center of gravity. Uzi noticed that everyone seemed a bit… taller… for some reason. She hoped that was just her mind playing tricks on her, she was already short as it was, she hoped she hadn’t somehow been made even shorter. 

N led the group through the corridors with a great deal of patience, especially as Lizzy and Uzi let out choked sobs and needed to stop to calm down. Eventually they started to hear murmurs ahead of them as they approached a larger room. 

“Hey… what’s with the noise?” Nori inquired N, who had sweat going down his visor as he frowned. A hint of anger was in his voice as he answered. 

“To be honest, I didn’t even know about this until a few hours ago. Though based on what I was told… it’s the answer as to why most of you came here in the first place.” Uzi, Doll, Lizzy, and Chara’s optics all shot up and towards the large room, as they noticed, to their shock and horror, the unmistable outfits of many, MANY of the different governing families and even some generals. All upon different drones who seemed to be in a defeated, somber state of mind. Uzi let out a gasp in shock. 

“I… don’t believe it.” Uzi muttered. That… surely no… it… it can’t be. But it was. Deep down. Uzi knew it was. At least half of the entire government in this very room, trapped within bodies that were not their own. An entire family among them as well as their loyal servant drone. The only 2 children there huddled together with their parents as they remained scared ever since their arrival after being taken from their home. This was far worse than Uzi had thought possible. She thought it couldn’t get any worse than this. 

.

..

…

“It only gets worse from here, Uzi Doorman.”

Chapter Text

Cassia stood within the ancient palace. Sweat going down her visor as she impatiently waited for that enigmatic king to show himself. I am going to get my answers. Cassia thought to herself. Everything had nearly fallen apart. She nearly died. Nori had a mastery of the same power Cassia did, and then when Uzi died she… whatever that thing she became was, she could not allow it to happen again. That power was enough to kill her if she hadn’t… hesitated. There was something else here. But what!?  

“Cassia, old friend. I received your message. You are distressed. What troubles you?” The old, gentle voice of Haakon spoke. There was worry in it. Cassia sighed, feeling her voice box function normally within the ancient King’s presence. His towering form stood at least twice as tall as N. The ancient cloak the 4 eyed machine wore billowed gently in a nonexistent wind. Ancient runes and markings adorning it as well as his armor and crown. 

“I told you what happened Haakon. I nearly DIED!” Cassia yelled, swinging her arm to the side as her optics hollowed angrily and she bore her fangs. A small burst of wind being created as her powers made their presence known from her outburst. Yet Haakon stood resolute and unbothered. 

“It isn’t the first time you’ve nearly been killed.” Haakon teased before chuckling to himself sadly. Cassia’s optics narrowed. 

“Yeah, that mutated… thing. I haven’t forgotten that you saved me from him.” Cassia stated angrily. “I told you everything that happened, and I want to know what is happening to me. WHAT AM I HAAKON!? ” Cassia yelled, tears falling down her visor as she feared her own nature. Not understanding what she was, where her powers came from, or why the Shattered seemed to revere her. Cassia didn’t know why this place felt like a home she had been away from for so long. 

Haakon stood silent for a moment. His grip on his massive scepter tightening as his optics narrowed in thought. 

“You won’t believe me if I tell you. You’ve made that abundantly clear.” Cassia groaned angrily as she stomped her foot on the ground. 

“Haakon, for goodness sake! Tell me SOMETHING! I am tired of being left in the dark!” Haakon paused again, his long silence as he thought further aggravating Cassia. 

“For now, the most I can tell you is that your abilities far exceed Nori and Yeva's potential for a reason. You are far more than even you yourself realize. One way or another. You will find your answer eventually. I can only hope you’ll be ready for it when you find it.” Cassia sighed. 

“Cryptic as ever Haakon… you’re very ‘helpful’.” Cassia put a hand on her visor. 

“Your… ‘pet’. Terra. How is she?” Cassia’s optics twitched. 

“TERRA IS NOT A PET! SHE’S MY FRIEND! DON’T YOU DARE COMPARE HER TO AN ANIMAL!” Cassia screamed. Her voice echoing through the palace corridors. She took a few moments to calm down. “... As for your question, Terra is fine. She still won’t talk to me… but she’s been adjusting well. I’ve been seeing her smile more already. Soon enough, I doubt she’ll have any desire to be human again at all.” Haakon slowly nodded.

“I am glad you haven’t deluded yourself too much… and I think there is someone who can give you answers to your questions.” Cassia tilted her head curiously as Haakon continued. “That woman, Nori Doorman. She has answers that you seek. Whether she’ll give them to you or not will be determined by how you approach her.” Cassia blinked. 

“Nori Doorman?” 

“Correct. Speak with her, and you will get your answers so long as you are genuinely asking your questions.” Cassia pondered for a moment. This was unexpected, but if it was going to get her answers about what she was, it was at least something other than a cryptic ‘You’re not ready yet’ that she had been getting ever since she discovered her powers. 

“Thank you, Haakon. I will talk to her.” As Cassia turned to leave, Haakon spoke again. 

“By the way, you are aware of the imminent attack on the planet, right?” Cassia’s optics dimmed as she remembered the transmission from a few days ago. 

“Yes… I am aware. I am thinking about my next course of action in regards to it.” Cassia answered grimly.

“I hope you make the right decisions, old friend. Over 3-billion lives are on this planet. Most of them will not be able to defend themselves. I know everything about what is coming, and what these people have to defend themselves.” Haakon spoke sadly. “You may be their only hope of survival.” Cassia’s optics hollowed. 

“Is… is it really that bad?” Haakon nodded. 

“My surveyors have estimated around 3 billion hostile combatants are coming to this world. Over 5,000,000 Space faring vessels. 3,000 of which are “capital” classes. This does not include their fighters or bombers either. My estimation is that at minimum, 10% of the Grunnur Species’ entire active military might is heading for Cadia and will arrive within the week, but there is more, a contingent of violent natured mercenaries known simply as “Orks” are also en route with this invasion force. My surveyors estimate  that there are around 2 million of the brutish creatures.” Cassia’s optics hollowed in utter disbelief. 

“So… many… but why? Cadia is simply a farming world! They don’t even know it's called “Cadia” , they call it “Cardia”! Since no one knows about this underground except for only a handful of others!” Cassia screamed. Horror in her voice as the sheer numbers heading for the planet was baffling to her. Haakon’s optics dimmed as he gave Cassia a horrifying answer.

“Cassia… I believe they know about the technology this world hides. If they were to obtain it, they would win their war within months. With no one able to stop them.” Cassia began to stutter in disbelief. 

“B-But y-you can stop them right!? Just… call your fleets and armies and CRUSH THEM!” Haakon shook his head sadly. 

“It isn’t that simple. This is your mission Cassia, not mine. Our kind tried to “save” and “protect” all sentient beings once, and we paid the price for our hubris. You, Cassia, are the only hope these people have now, without you, this world will fall within hours, if not minutes.” Cassia was left without words for a moment. 

“But… but how? I-I can’t fight all that!” 

“Not alone… however, you’re not alone… come, follow me. I will give you what you need to fight back against this overwhelming foe.” With a swift and elegant motion, Haakon turned and began to walk, motioning for Cassia to follow. 

Thad, Khan, and Saint found themselves within the confines of a space marine Fortress Monestary. The colossal fortress had been built in secret within one of the massive mountains on the planet of Cardia, of which there are very few. Though it was by far not the only fortress the newly forged Astartes Legion occupied, 100,000 is a far greater number than what some might think after all. 

The group had been tended to by the Relic Guardians Astartes, with an Apothecary having tended to Saint’s grievous wounds using both psychic and scientific medical methods. Now, they were left waiting inside a room to hope that things wouldn’t end up going horribly wrong for them. 

“Hey… Khan?” Thad asked, getting the worried father out of his own panicked thoughts. He couldn’t get the memory of that machine… Cassia… confirming that his precious Melta had been turned into a drone, and had admin permissions over the little one. It made hsi stomach churn in knots. The horrifying thought left him wanting to vomit, and that was on top of the fact that he had no idea if the rest of his family was even still alive. So the distraction was more than welcome. 

“Yeah?” 

“Lizzy… do… Do you think she’ll be ok?” Thad asked with genuine worry in his voice. 

“I’m sorry Thad, I don’t know.”

“Oh.” Thad went quiet at that as the group of 3 stared at the door, hearing heavy footsteps approaching. Saint mumbled something under his breath. His body still aching despite his wound being mostly healed. The damage done was on an atomic level so precise and intricate that it left even an Apothecary baffled. 

The door opened, and several Astartes entered the room. Their red eyelights staring into the very souls of their prisoners. Saint was the only one who had not been intimidated. He had faced and even slain Astartes in his past. Though that was something he’d rather forget. Even if such duals were some of the few in which there was any true honor. A Chaplain entered the room behind the 2 Legionarries which had accompanied him. The skull of his helmet, a symbol of the Imperium’s defiance against even the most overwhelming of odds. His armor was in a darker shade of green than the others, though not by much. Thad and Khan both had begun to sweat bullets. Saint admittedly was also concerned, as he was quite certain he knew exactly what questions were going to come their way. 

The Chaplain slid a datapad over to the group across the table which stood between them. Images and data regarding both the Clarke Estate as well as Saint’s wound displayed upon it. Thad and Khan had confused expressions on their faces. 

“Well? You saw firsthand what has caused the disappearance of the government, have you not? You saw something dangerous and barely escaped with your lives. Don’t even think of lying. I will know if you do. You will tell us everything you know about what happened here.” The Chaplain’s voice was amplified by his helmet. His words lined with curiosity mixed with fear that only his companions were able to detect. Not wanting the Chaplain’s ire, Khan and Thad both told him everything they knew about what happened. With Khan beginning to cry when he mentioned what he had been told about Melta. The 2 humans both feared for the safety of their families, who had still not yet returned. 

“Hm… I see… and what of you? Saint? What do you know about all of this?” Saint sighed, his arms crossed as his gaze shifted to the side. 

“I know that this entity’s intentions revolve around the Governor’s Daughter… though it’s ultimate goal is still… an enigma to me.” Saint explained his encounter with Cassia at the school, and how they essentially threatened eachother into keeping quiet. As well as about the weapon which had managed to so grievously wound him. 

Upon finishing his side of things, Saint went quiet. With the Chaplain in a state of stunned silence. 

“I… will be sure to notify the Legion Master of these findings. ” The Chaplain turned to Khan and Thad. “ We will monitor the estate. If anyone who claims to be related to either of you are found. We will notify you immediately once their claims are confirmed. ” The Chaplain turned to one of his companions. “ Take them home. I will be speaking with the Legion Master about these findings as soon as possible.” The Astartes nodded as the Chaplain left, motioning for the 3 witnesses to follow him. They could only hope that their loved ones were ok. 

The Machine stirs from its slumber. His thoughts upon the one who had awakened the ancient machine’s very core. He wondered how long it had been since he had awoken. He surveyed the massive room he and his brethren had been entombed within. The rest remained dormant and in slumber. He let out a sigh. He could sense it. The call to battle, and a worthy candidate to harness his vast power and command over the legion of titans. Though, she did lack any experience in combat. A psycher with such a powerful and kind, albeit… strange soul. Was worthy nonetheless of the honor. 

He pondered though, what kind of person this worthy soul was? He had the basics down as to who she was. Though her personality and interests… whether or not she would be able to provide him with an entire crew to operate at complete efficiency (Even if he never needed anyone other than a pilot to truly focus his power optimally, it was nice to have others do maintenance instead). Though based upon the limited access to her mind he was able to get. Another introvert. He’d manage, of course. Being the wrath of mankind made manifest had its perks after all. Hopefully she’d at the bare minimum give him a new insult to throw at the next imbicile who thinks shooting him with a cannon from orbit will do anything to slow him down. 

Chara Rose… not the most intimidating name… cute, he supposed. Perhaps the name Rose refers to her being both charismatic and yet brutal should the time arise. After all, roses have their thorns. His core churned with excitement. He’d just need to get Chara to find him, one way or another, someone was going to meet the power of the f###### sun.

Something was wrong. Arc knew it. When that organic blew his head off with that mockery of the weapons of his kind, he had a moment to think. To see. To live. Yet only when he killed it did he truly snap out of his insanity. Though only now, with the fighting and the screaming over, having felt the presence of death’s cold embrace. Arc was left puzzled and alone. The others were unresponsive to his efforts of communication and questioning. They all only mentioned preparing for their ancient enemy to attack again. Yet the organic intruders, whatever they were, could nott possibly have been the Malomnivita, or, as those defiant worms called themselves, ‘Lekgolo’. Arc sighed. We lost the war? Didn’t we? Even the Animator’s proginy is not the same. That, however, above everything else, is what terrified Arc the most. The angel herself, gifted to his kind as their protector and guide, reduced to a lesser form with no memory of who she once was. It horrified him. How far have we fallen? What is left? And above all else… How do I try to even hope to heal the damage I have done? Arc looked upwards. Pleading silently to the Animator, that he could find forgiveness. For a child’s blood stained his hands, and he could never forgive himself for such a terrible sin until he could make it right, however many years that could take. If it meant even his execution, then so be it. He would atone for this unforgivable act, even if it meant he'd meet his end.

War… was that really all there was in this wretched universe? Find a target, kill it. If someone gets in the way, they die as well. Very rarely had he failed in his objectives. Though that was often because he was not stupid enough to throw himself into the line of fire of a Titan. He knew his limits well. Anyone who told him to do something impossible would be told no, if they persisted, they were punished accordingly. Honor and respect were the only things he had to himself. Even now the memory of the child he allowed to escape his grasp became more prevalent in his mind as he knew the day they met again was fast approaching. He had scanned and learned everything about her that he could, and had armor arranged in the same fashion like that of her ancestors. He would not let the last of the escaped Highlanders’ die pathetically. He was going to find that child, and he was going to ensure she died with the honor her bloodline was rightfully owed. No assassins. No schemes like from before. The Highlander Child would meet her end at his hands. For he knew that her world was doomed. He would not taint the Highlanders’ legacy with an unceremonious death like that… not like… before. 

He turned his gaze to the armor. Handcrafted with the finest materials the Empire could muster. All so that the last known remnant of a hiding bloodline would be a demise worth telling stories of. One that he could feel… at peace with. He had grown tired of being seen as a daemon. Even amongst his own kind. The spines upon his back rose and crackled with that energy which he had known for his entire existence. A byproduct of his creation meant to contain the acursed power he had been “gifted”. He clenched his fists. This carnage has been pointless. My creation, a method of control over a megalomaniac’s empire. A truth and burden that I am left to carry until the end of my days. 

He looked out upon the many relics of his slain foes. Champions of all his Nation’s adversaries. Even Custodians had fallen to his blade in glorious combat… and now… 

Sarah Highlander. I am coming to finish what I began. Prepare yourself for your end.

Chapter Text

Uzi-no-everyone was dumbfounded. There were at least 30 drones in the room, all of whom were dressed in extremely expensive clothes. 3 of them were clearly generals, and 2 of them were children, cradling what was most likely their parents as they seemed scared. Uzi glanced over to N, whose optics had dimmed as he had a sad expression on his face. The group entered the room, though many of the former humans cowered away from N in fear, with others glaring at him with anger in their optics. N spoke, a saddened tone in his voice. 

“The others will be in here in a few minutes… I’ll… leave your family members to run you through the basics. Let me know if you need anything.” With that, Nori carefully took Uzi’s hand and led her over to another part of the room that wasn’t occupied. Doll did the same with Lizzy, as did Yeva with Mitchel. Chara simply followed Nori in a depressed silence. 

Over the next few minutes the humans turned drones were taught the basics of how their new bodies functioned, their new hud systems and internal clocks being somewhat difficult for them to properly understand. With Lizzy struggling the most to get anything working the way she wanted, despite Doll’s support and patient understanding. 

Uzi, on the other hand, figured it all out so quickly even Nori was surprised. Chara had a more melancholic attitude towards it, but had noted that it would be helpful in keeping herself organized and procrastinating less often. Though everyone’s attention was caught by a very hyper, relieved child’s voice. 

“UZI!” Melta cried, running over to and leaping onto her older sister in a hug, Uzi barely kept herself from falling over as the smaller drone did not slow down at all. “UZI! YOU’RE OK! I WAS SO WORRIED!” Melta cried again, tears falling down her visor as her wings wrapped around the older drone as well. 

“M-Melta!? W-what happened to you? W-why do you have wings!? I-Is that a tail!?” Uzi stuttered, completely baffled by her little sister’s presence and newly acquired limbs. Melta looked up into Uzi’s optics. 

“I don’t know… I just… have them now? Momma didn’t seem surprised though.” Melta nuzzled into Uzi, the smaller drone's frame pressing against her stomach cavity- IT HURTS IT HURTS IT HURTS! Uzi suddenly recoiled, her arms and legs moving to protect her stomach region as she whimpered in pain. Melta’s optics hollowed. “U-Uzi? What’s wrong? Did… did I hurt you?” 

“N-no! I-It’s nothing Melta… d-don’t worry.” Uzi lied, and Melta’s optics narrowed. She wasn’t dumb, she just didn’t like acting smart unless it meant her good grades meant her parents wouldn’t make her act ‘normal’. It was a silent mutual agreement. Melta could be a silly little cuddle bug making friends with everyone so long as her grades stayed exceptionally high. At least, that was how she viewed it.

“Uzi… I know you’re lying. You’re hurt.” Melta said sadly, before hugging her sister again, taking note to minimize contact with her sister’s stomach. Uzi hugged back, with everyone else simply watching in a stunned silence. By now, the rest of the humans who had been captured had been brought to the room, though Sam was completely unconscious due to… reasons. With K having dragged him there. The new arrivals stayed huddled together in their own little group, too frightened to do anything but stay close to people they actually knew. And the imprisoned government officials were too disinterested in learning about other people’s woes.  Uzi didn’t want Melta to know about what happened. So she settled with a half truth. 

“I… I got hurt… really bad… I’m… sorry Melta I’m… I’m scared.” Uzi admitted sadly, still protecting her stomach region with her legs as her optics gave off a sad expression. Melta moved to hug Uzi again. Her body emitting a gentle purr as her optics closed. 

“It’s ok Uzi… we’re all scared. But we’ll be ok! We have Mama with us!” Melta smiled faintly, attempting to lighten Uzi’s mood like she always did! That was her thing after all! Making everyone feel better and happy! Yet Uzi still didn’t smile, Melta’s wings and tail started to droop. 

“Uzi?” Uzi didn’t respond, she was looking at the ground sadly, tears falling down her visor. Melta didn’t like that at all and pouted. Though before she did anything more aggressively playful, Nori spoke up. 

“Melta, Uzi isn’t… feeling good at the moment. Maybe you could help cheer up some of the others though?” Melta paused for a moment, glancing around the open room and then back at Uzi, who still didn’t seem to be in the present. Melta pouted, reluctantly surveying the room for someone she could perhaps help. The strangers? No, they gave off a mean vibe. The other teenagers? Already being tended to. Melta’s optics settled on the 2 other children that were present in the room, a maid drone trying desperately to keep them calm while what seemed to be their parents were left in a depressed, silent state of mind. Melta carefully crawled over to the younger drones, her curiousity peaked. Though the 2 children were initially startled by her presence, hiding behind the maid drone and looking around her shoulders at the approaching purple drone. Melta stopped a few feet away from them and sat criss-cross in front of them. 

“Hi, I’m Melta. It’s nice to meet you.” Melta waved slightly, watching as the maid drone’s expression softened and became less anxious. The 2 children behind her, twins from the looks of it, seemed to become less scared as well. The one to Melta’s right responded first, her voice uneasy and scared. 

“I’m… Anna Tallassa.” She spoke meekly, before shifting her gaze to her sibling, who spoke up next.

“I’m… Annie Tallassa.” Melta nodded, noting that the similar names were perhaps intentional. The maid drone spoke with a bit of curiosity in her voice. 

“I’m Lilly… I’m the caretaker for these children. It’s… nice to meet you Melta.” Melta smiled, her tail wagging slightly, she didn’t know why it was doing that, and she struggled to actually use the new limb how she wanted. Melta mentally decided to ignore it for now, and focus on trying to make friends. 

“I don’t think I’ve met you before at school… which is a bit odd. I know I’d remember your voices and names if I had.” Melta said in a curious tone as she tilted her head to the side. The twins both glanced at eachother anxiously, and then looked to Lilly to answer for them. They’re shy, huh, I can work with that.  

“They are homeschooled, their parents do not wish for them to… well…” Lilly tried to find a polite way to say that her masters didn’t want their kids in the presence of ‘peasants’, but was struggling to find that method. Melta’s optics narrowed in annoyance as she was able to decipher what Lilly was saying. 

“I see… Well that isn’t very good for them at all. Keeping them inside all the time. It’ll make them unable to make friends and unable to talk to people normally. Also… isn’t there a law that explicitly forbids the children of people in power from not being able to socialize with their peers from the lower classes?” Melta inquired, though she did notice the shocked expressions on the faces of the 3 drones in front of her. 

“Th-that’s a thing? We could have gone to school like the others?” Anna asked Lilly with a confused, almost betrayed expression on her face. An expression which Annie also had. Lilly stuttered. 

“I-I did not know of that. I-I thought… had I known I-” An angry, gruff voice spoke, interrupting Lilly. 

“Why are you speaking to that peasant?” One of the parents had gotten up and walked unstteadily over to them. Melta could tell that she was about to hear something very, very stupid. Her optics narrowed as the disgruntled, emotionally unstable general barely kept himself from stumbling over. Melta could feel his distress, and it made her core sink. No amount of rreassurance from her would help him or his wife. Unfortunate, and infuriating, but Melta knew it was best to focus on the twins who clearly needed a friend. 

The twins looked towards their father with hollow, anxious optics. Anna spoke first. Her voice was nervous and uncertain. 

“F-father… i-is it true that Annie and I are supposed to attend school with the lower classes?” The reaction from her Father was almost instantaneous as he clumsily lunged at Melta in a blind rage. Dodging was easy however, and the older individual fell onto the ground hard, catching the attention of the entire room. Normally, Melta would find such humiliation rather entertaining, but this was not a normal situation. Melta looked at the distressed adult with concern, even as he tried to rise to his feet, his expression quickly softened when his wife put a hand on his shoulder, her optics tired and scared as she silently shook her head. The two adults sat down as their children cautiously moved over to them. Melta knew this was going to be a fairly long conversation… and there was likely going to be a lot of crying. 

Meanwhile…

As Melta went off to hopefully make some new friends, Nori sat down next to Uzi. 

“Hey Uz… how are you feeling?” Nori asked in a comforting tone of voice. Uzi responded with her voice partially muffled by her clothes. 

“Great… just great Mom.” Uzi responded in a sarcastic, sorrowful tone of voice. 

“Uzi I’m serious.” 

“I died Mom! T-this is all my fault! I-I’m in pain a-and my stomach feels like it is going to explode!” Uzi whispered as tears fell down her visor. She didn’t want Melta to know she died. This was her fault anyway, and she’d gotten Melta hurt enough already. Nori hugged Uzi as the younger drone began to cry. “ It’s my fault this happened… I-I was selfish… I-I got us all hurt… a-and now we’re all prisoners.” Uzi lamented and cried. Her mind was filled with self destructive thoughts. Yet Nori held no sign of anger towards her child. Oh sure, she was angry, but Uzi had suffered enough as it was. What she needed wasn’t disciplinary action, but the loving care of her Mother. 

“Uzi… you couldn’t have known. Sure, I wouldn’t say you had… the best of intentions… but you never meant to get anyone hurt. I promise you, we’ll get through this… alright? Melta’s ok, you’re alive, and I’m here for both of you.” Gently, Nori placed a small kiss on Uzi’s cheek as she continued to comfort her child before beginning to emit a soft purr. The gentle rumbling slowly calmed Uzi down. Thank the Animator that still works. Nori thought to herself as she felt Uzi subconsciously curl up slightly and snuggle against her. 

“How will we get home?” Uzi asked in a saddened tone. 

“I’ll think of something. Don’t worry… we’ll get out of here.” Nori reassured Uzi. A confident and determined look in her optics. Though a sudden voice caught her attention. It’s sound no more than a whisper, and so subtle she wondered if it was merely her own thoughts. Yet the power and knowledge which it carried struck her very soul, despite it speaking but a single word.

Wait

Nori froze, though only for a moment. Her mind was stunned and perplexed by the sudden premonition. Yet her instincts told her to trust it, and so she did. Nori waited and comforted Uzi, all while watching as Melta conversed with the only other children her age that were in the large room. Their parents seemingly crying and mentally overwhelmed. Still, Nori waited. Watching as their captors simply watched sadly as they periodically were given hateful glares. 

Thankfully, despite the several hours which passed, the waiting, to Nori’s shock, paid off. That fiend, Cassia, had returned, much to the terror of nearly everyone in the room. Only for a single snap of the creature’s fingers to force the screaming people into silence. 

“[Explanatory Tone] Hello again. Humans. I have some. Good news. For you. [Smile]” The silenced groups of people glanced at each other with hollow, terrified optics. Cassia dismissed the terror, and continued talking. “I have decided. In light of some. Recent events. To let you go.” Due to the forced silence, the humans turned drones could only glance at eachother in confusion. 

“[Sigh]. This is not. A trick. If I had wanted. To kill you. I would have already. Done so. Though, I do suppose that. I’ll still be. Watching you. [Mischievious grin]” Nori watched Melta suddenly crawl over to her and Uzi as Cassia spoke, the small drone curling up into a ball as she hugged Nori tightly. Melta’s optics ‘shut’ tight as she clung to Nori, a quiet whimper escaping her voice box as her wings wrapped around herself like a cocoon. 

Cassia meanwhile, with a sudden snap of her fingers, teleported the ENTIRE group of people to the surface, just outside of the Clarke Estate, in a massive burst of green light. The former prisoners all looked at the surrounding area in great confusion. What was this sorcery? Why were they being freed? And many other questions were on their minds… though it was almost immediately clear that they were not alone, as muffled terrified screams from some of the former humans brought attention to the fact that there were no less than 100 space marines all aiming bolters at the entire group. An Inquisitor at the helm of their formation, and several hundred guardsmen guarding the flanks. Cassia’s optics narrowed in annoyance as a single thought crossed her mind. 

“ G## F####### D### it. ”

Chapter Text

To say Vrax was surprised by the sudden appearance of no less than 30 different drones, as well as what his psychic powers could clearly see was some sort of otherworldly horror hiding itself as some damaged, green eyed worker drone. Would be an understatement. It took him a great deal of restraint to not immediately fire upon the unnatural drone on sight. His body and instincts screaming in horror. 

Worse yet, Vrax knew that almost all of these drones likely used to be human. If what he had already learned was indeed true. He even recognized that most of these drones were likely once very important people in Cardia’s government. The small number of Military model drones was also an alarming sight to the Inquisitor. He knew what the machines of the Republic were capable of, and the mere fact that this THING had access to such knowledge was deeply troubling. 

“You!” Vrax called out, barely hiding the sheer terror in his voice as he felt as though he stared down some sort of eldritch daemon. Pointing his power sword at the green eyed enigma before him. “You are the one responsible for this, and the deaths of the ruling class, aren’t you!?” The numerous worker drones which had spontaneously appeared began to seemingly cower for their lives as if expecting a massacre as the creature narrated its own laughter in an almost completely monotone voice, the military drones all looking worried as well. 

“[Amused chuckle]. You are quite. Perceptive Inquisitor. [Head tilt]” Vrax watched the optics of the drone quickly scan over himself, and the over 100 astartes which had accompanied him. “[Giggle].[Playful tone]. You sure brought. A lot of friends. Just for little ol’. Me.” Vrax could sense multiple Astartes near him growing frustrated and waiting for the order to open fire upon this monstrosity. Its behavior and attitude, behind the broken and monotone voice this creature held, was akin to that of a rebellious child. A thought which made chills run down Vrax’s spine. If this thing is indeed some sort of child… I hope to never encounter whatever sort of cosmic horror brought it into existence.  

“[Giggle]. What’s wrong. Inquisitor? You look. Frightened.” The creature taunted. 

“Identify yourself, creature. Your mechanical facade doesn’t fool me.” 

“[Amused chuckle]. Introductions? Okie. I am Cassia. Daugh-” It paused, though only for a moment as a brief look of frustration crossed its face. “I am Cassia. You would be. Wise. To tell your buddies. To stand down.” Vrax could sense the psychic communications between the Astartes as only a few of them glanced towards the other drones in front of them. Vrax had heard enough, however, to know that indeed, this abomination and crime against nature was, in some form or another, the offspring of something far worse. Yet another thing to add onto the list of things I was never hoping to deal with. Vrax motioned for the Astartes to lower their weapons, and they reluctantly did so. But they were still ready to open fire at a moment’s notice.

“What are you, and what do you want?” Vrax demanded. The “drone”, which called itself Cassia, let out a slight hum before it answered. 

“[Explanatory tone]. Your Imperium. Has failed to care. For this planet. I have waited. Long enough for you. To fix it. You are too late. To do so. As such. This world is now. Under MY. protection.” A metal tendril suddenly emerged from Cassia’s back and pointed at Vrax aggressively. “ NOT. YOURS. ” Vrax placed a hand on the bolt pistol at his side out of instinct, before Cassia continued, the tendril entering a now passive state. “[Deep breath… sigh]. Unfortunately for. All of us. There is a more. Dire threat. At this time” Cassia stated bluntly. Vrax raised an eyebrow. 

“Is that so? And what would this threat be?” 

“[Grim expression]... The Grunnur. They are. Coming. As we speak.” Vrax let out an amused laugh, only for it to be cut off by Cassia swiftly. “ Three Billion Combatants. Five Million Ships. Three thousand, Capital Class. A contingent of 2 Million Orks. In total, estimations indicate ten percent of the Grunnur’s active military. Does this sound? Like a joke. To you?” Everyone in earshot either went pale, or had optics which were completely hollowed out. Vrax was completely baffled. Even one of the founding 18 legions wouldn’t be enough by themselves to face such a large fighting force. The only ones which he could see having even a chance against such odds were the Immovable defenders of the Imperial Fists of Rogal Dorn, the tactical brilliance of the Ultra-Marines of Robute Guilliman, or the unstoppable psychic might of the Thousand Sons of Magnus the Red. The rest would be defeated without question. As much as the thought horrified Vrax. The sheer number of such a force could not be underestimated. 

“You… You lie! Why would the Grunnur send so much to conquer a simple farming world!?” 

“[Amused chuckle]. Your Emperor has. Hidden things from you. This world has. Secrets. The nature of which. You shall soon see.” Vrax clenched his fists as Cassia continued. “I offer. A truce. I will return. These civilians. To you. You will not. Hurt them. You will leave. This place alone. You will prepare. For the Grunnur’s. Arrival.” Cassia picked up a rock from the ground. “ Or you will die. ” Cassia crushed the rock in her hand before dropping it. “Do I make myself. Clear? [Threatening gaze]” Vrax looked towards the terrified mass of drones. All of which likely used to be human… and sighed. 

“Fine. You will have your truce.” The Astartes all looked at Vrax in surprise. Many of them questioned his sanity as they expected to be told to open fire. Vrax turned to the questioning space marines and explained himself. “I will not risk us being weakened against an invasion of such magnitude. If this thing is willing to have a truce until a common threat is dealt with, then so be it.” Vrax turned back to Cassia. 

“When will they arrive?” 

“Between three. and four days. If we are. Lucky. They will be. Further delayed.” Vrax sighed. Barely enough time to prepare. House Wätcher won’t have enough time to return all of their forces to the surface from Cardia’s moon. The Fortifications on it won’t last long against such an onslaught. Vrax clenched his fists. A notion of frustration which Cassia noticed. The fake drone tilted her head curiously. 

“[Pondering hum]. Not much time. Is it? Inquisitor?” Cassia taunted. Her mostly blank expression made it near impossible to tell what she was thinking, and gaining access to her thoughts was like trying to break into the imperial palace with nothing but a spoon. The mere effort it took to even try and get close to the creature’s thoughts was a challenge all of its own. Unlike anything he had dealt with before. Vrax was finding it difficult to even focus while in this thing’s presense. 

"No, it isn’t enough time.” Vrax admitted. Cassia however didn’t seem all that concerned. 

“[Reassuring tone]. Do not despair yet. Inquisitor. I have access to. Secrets. Which will allow us to. Persevere against. The imminent invasion.”  Skeptic looks all turned to Cassia, who didn’t seem phased in the slightest.

“How is that possible?” Vrax inquired, a questioning look was in his eyes. Cassia simply ‘giggled’ in response. 

“[Giggle], you will see. Soon enough. Inquisitor Vrax. Until the time comes. However, you will not cause. A panic. Do not tell. Civilians. Of the threat. Until they arrive. In the system. They will not believe you. Otherwise.” Vrax scoffed, as did some of the drones in the group around Cassia. 

“You think people won’t notice a bunch of drones claiming they were human?” Vrax questioned mockingly. 

“[Eyeroll]. Of course they will. I do not care. If they know about me. They’ll at least be. Prepared. That way. All I ask. Is that you do not. Let them get. Hurt. Ensure that. And we will have. No problems.” Vrax noticed Cassia was lightly tapping her foot against the ground and mumbling something to herself. A single word from the looks of it. Likely she had muted her own voicebox to keep herself from saying whatever word it was aloud. Vrax considered Cassia’s terms for a solid 5 seconds, as they were rather simple, and even if she made these former humans into sleeper agents, a single astartes should’ve been more than enough to stop them from hurting anybody. 

“Fine. I accept your terms of a truce, Cassia.” Vrax stated loud enough to ensure everyone heard him. 

“One more. Thing.” Cassia suddenly spoke. Vrax repressed the instinct to roll his eyes in annoyance. “My own. Companions. Will be sent periodically. To personally ensure. You keep your end. Of the deal. They won’t cause. Trouble.” Vrax sighed. 

“ Fine,” He mumbled. He was never getting that vacation at this rate unless the Emperor himself personally gave it to him. The paperwork is gonna drive me mad.  

After rounding up the large group of drones. Vrax found himself and the astartes with him marching in silence, though the psionic power from one of the red eyed, civilian drones, despite being within the presence of the psychic communion between the astartes, radiated like a shining star. Vrax, and apparently even all of the astartes with him, had been so paralyzed by whatever Cassia was, they didn’t even notice that one of the drones she had taken had a vast amount of psychic power. It was unlike anything Vrax had ever seen before. Yet another thing to the ever growing list. Someone hit me. Vrax lamented as he felt an ever looming sense of dread. A powerful psycher would need far more eyes on it than a simple sleeper agent… and judging  from the fact it-or rather she- wasn’t even hiding her psionic aura, her powers had awoken at most maybe a week or two ago if no one had bothered to teach her anything. 

For now however, Vrax needed to get these people, copies of people, or whatever they were now, to a more secluded location so he could get some much needed answers and figure out what to even do with them. He knew he’d have to contact the Legion Master, but that man was not the kind of person he expected to be good around people in a situation like this. All Vrax could really do was hope that things wouldn’t be as bad as he felt they were gonna be.

Even though he was quite certain that it was probably going to be even worse. 

Emperor save us all.

Chapter Text

Legion Master Highlander was already frustrated that his return to his family was being delayed because he had to “introduce” his legion’s arrival personally and then deal with the fact most of the government was missing. Learning that he was now about to deal with potential sleeper agents that used to be civilians and at least half of the missing government officials, an eldritch horror, and possibly the largest Grunnur invasion in the entire war, made him angry. 31 years.of training, augmentations, and being away from home. And THIS is what we return to? The Legion Master angrily thought to himself. Somehow being finally back on his homeworld had caused his homesickness to get even worse than it had ever been before. It had been years since he last felt anxiety, at least to such an extent as now. 

It had been years since he had last heard from Onyx. He personally suspected that because of the poor living conditions, and the current governor's terrible leadership, he had been unable to send any messages to him. A fact which tore a hole into Highlander’s twin hearts. He still had yet to meet his nephew and 2 nieces. He did well to remember the names of the children his brother cherished as much as Northwind itself. Hanah, Jim, and Sarah. 3 names that mattered more to his younger brother than his own life. Highlander felt a sense of pride in knowing that the next generation would be under his own protection. He may not have been there when they were born, or as they grew up… but by the Emperor he would not stop until he had more than made up for it with whatever stories or tales he could tell his family. He would make up for the lost time. But first he had an oath and a duty to uphold. Highlander turned to the Master of the Forge, Alucard, the Chief Apothecary, Akindra, and his Chief Librarian, Saurous. 

“We will be personally seeing to it that this new development is handled properly. I will require your assistance in determining what should be done about these ‘humans turned drones’. Especially you, Saurous, as one of these former humans is reportedly a very powerful psycher.” The 3 other Astartes nodded as Highlander prepared to simply teleport to where the drones had been taken. He’d lost enough patience already and was not in the mood for being ‘formal’ in his arrival. 

Chara was scared, no, terrified. She was in chains which had been attached to weights that made her feel weak and tired for reasons she couldn’t understand, and there were at least 20 Astartes keeping an eye on her like she was some kind of monster, there was even a Terminator amongst them. Normally, in a situation not quite like this, Chara would try to hide herself by putting on a hoodie or making herself look smaller despite being much taller than most other people. But here? All she could do was try and hide underneath the table she was supposed to not leave. This isn’t how I wanted my first experience with Space Marines to go. She lamented and sobbed. Feeling the gazes of the Astartes on her made her feelings of vulnerability even worse than they already normally would be. It was somehow worse than having to give a presentation in front of other students and that feeling of being silently judged for being lackluster. Chara went to bite her fingernails to try and focus on something other than her predicament, but she no longer had any. There were no pimples she could try and ‘pop’, no loose skin or scabs to pick at… nothing for her to try and use to keep herself occupied while she waited for someone to come and hopefully take her home… That's all she wanted by now… to see her family again and feel safe within her house. Chara started to try and fidget with her clothes, pulling at the fabric at the top of her shirt to try and do something with her hands. She didn’t want to hum or sing in front of people, especially Astartes… she didn’t have her headphones or a phone to listen to music with… just her hair, her clothes, and the various settings she now had in her system that she really, REALLY didn’t want to risk messing with.

It had been at most maybe 15 minutes, but it had felt like an eternity. Chara couldn’t keep herself from crying. I just wanna go home. W-where are my friends..? I don’t wanna be alone… n-not like this. More time passed, though Chara didn’t pay attention to it as she wept. Though eventually the door FINALLY opened, and Chara heard several sets of heavy footsteps. She whimpered as she dreaded what was going to happen to her. A deep, commanding voice suddenly spoke, his accent unmistakably Scottish from what she could tell. 

“Release the inhibitors. I want to make this quick and do not wish to risk her powers getting out of hand.” Chara didn’t have much time to react before she found herself freed from the chains, and with it a surge of relief and energy. Though that didn’t remove any sense of dread from her psyche. The voice spoke again. 

“You can stop hiding now.” There was a hint of reassurance, but Chara could sense the space marine’s impatience. Her fear of what would happen if she didn’t comply overrode her fear of actually getting out from under the table, and so she slowly did so, her hollow, terrified red optics peeking out just over where the table was, only to see 4 Space marines, all of them very obviously important based upon the appearance of their armor. From what Chara could tell, there was a tech marine, whose cybernetically enhanced body had an additional 3 mechanical limbs protruding from his back, each one capable of firing a powerful beam of energy from their clawed, almost crab-like hands; an apothecary, his white helmet and large scoped eyelense on the right side of his helmet, along with the much larger gauntlets which most likely contained medical tools and objects, plus the lighter green tone of his armor compared to the others, made that clear to her; a librarian, based upon the massive cloak he wore and the massive scepter he held, along with his decorated and rune covered armor; … and… Holy Emperor is that… is that a Legion Master!? Chara’s optics widened at the sight. The Legion Master’s armor could only be described as sublime. His armor looked much like the armor of the Thousand Sons legion. However, rather than their usual red and gold color scheme, these astartes had deep green armor with a pitch black trim. The Legion marking on their pauldrons had a symbol of a shield and two power swords, which seemingly sat behind the helmet of a space marine. This symbol was the only brightly colored thing upon their armor, with the original red and gold of their founding legion adorning it like a badge of honor. The Legion Master’s helmet had a large head crest upon the top of it which stood at least a foot and a half taller than the top of the helmet itself. With the Librarian next to him having a smaller, yet still significantly large crest as well. Chara wasn’t quite sure of the exact purpose of these headcrests… but she was far more worried about her  own safety at the moment, than the decorative choices space marines had for their armor. 

Chara tried to speak, but words died within her mouth before she could say anything. The Legion Master spoke again. 

“Your name is Chara Rose, is it not?” The Legion Master asked, Chara found herself nodding almost immediately as the Legion Master slowly crossed his arms.

“Y-Yes sir… that’s… that’s me.” Chara spoke quietly, the mere presence of a Legion Master of all things causing her circuits to want to shut down in fear. Chara struggled to even look the Astartes in the eyes, as their helmets’ eyelights bore into her very core. A sigh escaped from the Legion master, who motioned for the Librarian to approach Chara. A whimper escaped from the young girl’s voice box as she instinctively shrunk down and quivered, causing the Librarian to momentarily hesitate as he raised a hand towards her. A hesitation which Chara’s optics and sensors noticed. Are they… afraid of me? Chara started to feel as though something was trying to probe her very mind and even soul. Her systems and firewalls all sent her numerous alerts that clouded her actual vision, especially as she felt more and more probing minds attempt to get past whatever strange firewalls were being activated. Her body shook, fear surging through her circuits as she desperately tried to figure out what was even happening to her. Chara put her hands on her head protectively as she whimpered, unaware of the fact that she was starting to glow a brilliant red as psychic energy started manifesting itself as bursts of red electricity. After what seemed like hours of probing (in reality only 30 seconds), Chara suddenly screamed as her panic reached a boiling point, the psychic energy surrounding her suddenly bursting in a massive surge of energy that sent every space marine in the room other than the Legion Master stumbling back, and causing the entire structure she was inside of to suffer electrical and fortress-wide malfunctions, all while the nearest towns and even a nearby city suddenly experienced a power surge. The ground and the very mountain which the fortress was built within shook violently, however the expertly created fortress itself was undamaged by the rumbling. All the while the room she was within was engulfed in a blinding red light. Her voice echoed within the space marine’s heads as she forced them out of her mind.  STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!!!! Chara wanted them to get out of her head and systems… She wanted to go home. She had not yet even realized what had happened as the Space Marine’s rapidly withdrew from her mind in sheer disbelief and even horror. The only Astartes in the room that weren’t ready to fire upon the young girl were the Legion Master and his Chief Apothecary. 

Chara curled up into a ball and cried, not even aware the table she was next to had been utterly destroyed by her outburst. All the while, a set of brilliant, Ruby-red wings emerged from her back in a burst of oil and blood, before quickly wrapping around her protectively like a cocoon, and a tail similarly emerged and wrapped around her waist. A red variant of the Curse’s symbol momentarily overtaking her visor as she cried. What’s happening to me!?!? Chara curled up more, pulling her knees up to her chest tightly as she continued to cry. 

The Legion Master stared at the horrified Chief Librarian expectantly, completely unbothered by Chara’s sudden outburst. 

“Well? You’ve done this before, is she another Alpha plus psyker like I’m suspecting?” The Legion Master asked with far more impatience in his voice than when he addressed Chara. The Chief Librarian slowly shook his head. His face beneath his helmet was pale with his eyes widened in disbelief, and he spoke in a voice which could barely hide his fear. His tone was hollow and filled with disbelief.

“No Legion Master… this is… far more than an Alpha Plus psycher..” Chara’s audio receptors honed in on this. More than Alpha Plus!? H-how is that… possible!? Chara could only think of two people who could fit that description, and both were far more than just human! The Legion Master spoke up once more, his voice having an almost amused tone to it. 

“You’re telling me that she is a Beta Plus Psyker, and hasn’t somehow exploded up to this point?” Chara’s optics were shaking as she overheard this. I-I COULD EXPLODE!? As Chara’s horror continued to get worse, the Librarian confirmed the Legion Master’s assessment. 

“W-what’s going on!? W-what’s happening to me!?!?” Chara demanded, though her voice cracked mid way and she was still sobbing. Her newly developed wings wrapped around her even more tightly. The sight of the space marines around her having their bolters ready to fire left her terrified. W-what did I do wrong!? W-why are they so scared of me!? Chara closed her optics tightly as she tried to block out the feelings of horror and near disgust she felt being directed towards her. Her newly awakened powers caused her severe amounts of distress. She couldn’t even bear to even look around at this point. She just wanted to go home. Why was that so much to ask for? 

Chara suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder… She knew it was a space marine’s hand. But it was… oddly gentle. She was still too scared to open her optics however. A gentle, though still commanding voice spoke to her. 

“It is alright Chara. You are safe here.” Chara wasn’t sure if that was true. She felt like a monster. She spoke, but her words were strained and filled with sobs. 

“I-I wanna go home.” Chara sniffled. Her red optics remained shut tight as the calming voice continued to speak. 

“I understand, however, we need to ensure that you are not a threat-” 

“I’M NOT! I-I’M JUST A KID! I-I WANNA GO HOME AND SEE MY FAMILY AGAIN!” Chara interrupted loudly, a smaller surge of psychic energy radiated from the distressed former human. The calming voice waited a moment to continue speaking. 

“We need to ensure it is safe for you to return home. Once that is done, you will be brought to the others, and taken home. Alright? Right now I need you to breathe… try to focus on me.” The voice spoke gently, and Chara slowly built up the courage to open her optics and look at the person who was attempting to comfort her. To her surprise, it was the Apothecary. The large eye-lense on the right side of his helmet gave off a slightly less intimidating vibe compared to the steadfast and determined helmets of the others. Chara could feel her mouth quivering, a feeling she’d never experienced before this moment, at least that she could recall. She watched as the Apothecary slowly moved his hands to his helmet, a brief hissing sound emerged from where the helmet connected to his armor in an air-tight seal. Mechanical whiring of the connectors disengaging was oddly soothing to the young drone’s nerves. Carefully and precisely, the Apothecary removed his helmet. Revealing a pale, somewhat scarred face. The man looked not too different from any other human Chara knew. Though she suspected he was of the more… ‘English’ appearance, based upon the terms that were used to describe different facial complexions across the human species. The man’s eyes were a bright blue which held a great deal of concern within them. There was a scar on his right cheek which seemed to have come from a very deep wound. It was roughly 2 inches long and about a quarter of an inch wide and was at a diagonal angle facing towards his mouth. Chara felt his armored hand gently cup her cheek as she looked at him. She could feel her new wings and tail relax and lower to the ground. The feeling of having these new limbs was alien and confusing to her… but she hoped she’d get used to it. He spoke again once he set down his helmet with his other hand, his voice now far less intimidating with his helmet no longer amplifying it. 

“I am Akindra, Chief Apothecary of the Relic Guardians. Your name is Chara Christina Rose, correct?” Chara slowly nodded. 

“Y-Yes… that’s my name.” Akindra gave her a comforting smile. 

“It is a nice name. It fits you quite well.” Chara felt herself calm down further from the compliment, though the sheer shock of even getting one from a space marine at all also helped. Chara found herself smiling a little as she thanked him for it. His hand moved from her cheek and started to gently rub her chin. If Chara was still human, or even a normal drone for that matter, such an act would have been rather odd to her. However, for whatever reason. The gentle rubbing caused her to calm down further and even emit a gentle rumbling from her core as it felt rather unnaturally soothing. Am I… purring?  Chara found the effects of her emotional exhaustion start to weigh down on her as her optics somehow felt ‘heavy’, despite having no weight to them like her eyelids from when she was human. She’d experienced a feeling of tiredness from too much stress plenty of times before, but the past… well… since waking up as a machine and no longer human at least, all that emotional overload finally felt like it was going away. Chara felt safe finally, like she could finally rest. As she startled to lean into Akindra she closed her optics and almost immediately, faster than she’d ever before in her life, Chara fell asleep. A message of “Sleep Mode” displaying on her visor as she slept with a gentle smile on her face, and all while still purring. 

Seeing that Chara had fallen asleep, Akindra carefully put his helmet back on and lifted up the sleeping drone in his arms. His companions all staring at him like children who had watched another student carefully remove a giant spider from the room and back outside as though it was no big deal. Well, accept for the Legion Master. He was moreso fascinated than anything else, and had kept his arms casually crossed the entire time. Saurous spoke first. His disbelief clear and unmistakable, 

“Akindra, how in the Emperor’s name did you calm her down?! And so easily no less! She is fast asleep when not even a minute ago she had unleashed more psychic energy than I thought I’d ever feel in my entire life!” Akindra glared at his brother in arms, speaking somewhat harshly as he found Chara’s outburst to have been easily avoidable. 

“As Chief Apothecary, it is only fitting that I learn everything I can about ALL of the kinds of species who may need my help. This includes Republic drones, and those who have what they call the “Curse of the Animator”. I simply used the information I had gathered, and my own senses, to calm her down.” Akindra explained calmly as he began to carry Chara out of the room, but stopped by the Legion Master to state a request. 

“Legion Master, if it is alright with you, I wish to oversee the operations in regards to these drones. I suspect they may all have the curse of the Republic’s god, and I do not wish to see these innocent children come to harm simply because they could be a potential threat.” Highlander stared at Akindra blankly for several seconds before laughing, raising his arms to the air as he did so. 

“Akindra! You just calmed down a potentially unstable Beta+ psyker as though she were a small and distressed child! I am almost appalled you even ask me for permission to oversee such a task!” Highlander placed a hand on Akindra’s shoulder. “I see no reason for you NOT to oversee it. I must admit, I was worried that we would be in some serious trouble considering we are not meant to quite literally babysit children as though they are a potential enemy just waiting to strike, but after what you have just done? I think that we will barely have to commit any resources to ensure nothing happens regarding them.” Akindra could actually hear relief within Highlander’s voice, and despite his best efforts, he couldn’t help but feel at least somewhat prideful because of it. 

“Thank you, Legion Master, I will ensure that there are no incidents that will be of any need of your concern. You shall focus on ensuring we are prepared for whatever threat we may face, while I handle ensuring there isn’t mass panic across the planet.” Highlander simply nodded. Stepping aside so that Akindra would have a slightly easier time getting Chara further examined without her waking up due to movement. Though the young drone curling up into a ball within Akindra’s arms probably left that simple gesture of cooperation unnecessary. Highlander was just glad he didn’t have to worry about it now, at least as far as he was concerned. Besides, he had some VERY personal matters to attend to anyways. 

Uzi paced back and forth within the large room everyone had been held up in after they had taken Chara, the room was an enlarged version of a medical ward, with 48 massive beds within it, each one clearly meant for an Astartes, vast amounts of medical equipment were laid out on the walls, and numerous computers were in the room as well. There were 10 Astartes in the room, and it had been 23 minutes since they took Chara away from the rest of the group, and despite the assurances from the space marines that Chara would be ok, Uzi didn’t really believe them. That massive power surge was more than enough proof to her that something was wrong. However, luckily for everybody, before Uzi decided she’d try and escape to find her ex, a towering space marine Apothecary entered the hospital-like room, with Chara sleeping peacefully in his arms, yet she was different. She had large, leathery ruby-red wings wrapped around herself, and a tail similar to Melta’s was wrapped around her legs. Uzi’s optics went hollow at the sight. 

“CHARA!” Uzi cried out as she ran over to the Apothecary, only to find herself completely unable to move after 3 steps. “W-what the he##!?!?” Uzi yelled, though before her Mother or anyone else made any retaliatory actions, the Apothecary spoke, there was kindness in his voice, something which none of the drones had been expecting. 

“Chara is unharmed. She simply needs some rest is all. As for the rest of you, allow me to introduce myself.” The Apothecary moved and gently set Chara down on one of the hospital beds, the young drone curling up further into a ball as she slept. Uzi found herself once more able to move, and turned back to the Apothecary angrily as he continued to speak. “I am Akindra, Chief Apothecary of the Relic Guardians Legion. I will be the one who will oversee your safe return to your homes, and ensure you are able to safely return to living your lives.” Murmurs quickly startled to erupt within the confused group of humans. Akindra made out that there was mostly skepticism within the group, especially within the government officials. Though there was an exception. Akindra noticed a small set of purple optics looking at him curiously. He noted the child couldn’t be older than maybe 10. Her wings were furled up, and her partially organic tail moved gently from side to side as she slowly approached him. Though her mother quickly moved towards her, she wasn’t able to stop the small child from asking a single question. 

“Are you really going to help us?” The Child asked him with a hopeful look in her optics, the question somehow causing everyone to stop their conversations and look over at Akindra with baited breath. Slowly, so as to not alarm her, or any of the others, Akindra knelt down to get closer to the small child’s eye level, and gently rubbed underneath her chin, causing her tail to wag as she purred. 

“Yes, I am going to help you. All of you. Once more help arrives, we will be able to ensure you can live your lives normally again.” The small child’s optics started beaming, and her tail began to wag faster. It was rather cute to him. “May I have your name, little one?” 

“MELTA! MELTA DOORMAN! IT’S NICE TO MEET YOU!” Melta happily exclaimed, with her Mother now gently picking her up and cradling her in her arms. While her older sister(It was not hard for Akindra to tell) eyed him suspiciously. However, the rest of the drones seemed to also start to have hope in their optics from Melta’s positivity, save for 2 of them. A drone with pink optics, Lizzy, whose mind was plagued with insecurities and a evere fear of abandonment, and a drone with blue optics, Kelsey, whose mind suggested a fear of being rejected by her own family as a result of unreasonable xenophobia and a concentrated hatred of sapient machines like the Death Corps of Krieg or Drones. The Teenage purple drone, Uzi, held a visible distrust of Akindra’s intentions… he noted a possibility of her being slightly narcissistic… though the psychic stench of death radiated from her as well, so perhaps it was moreso her being protective after being killed… and somehow brought back to life shortly after. Unfortunate. Akindra thought to himself sadly. He could already tell all three of these outlying drones were going to suffer far more than the others. He already knew they were going to be ostricized by their peers due to fear, even with Astartes keeping an active eye on them… he just hoped he could mitigate it all before-

To Akindra’s surprise, he suddenly felt Melta hug him as tightly as she could while he was lost in thought, the little drone’s tail wagging happily as she hugged him with both her arms and wings. 

“Thank you Mister!” Melta happily, though your gratitude was odd to him, what was she thanking him for? 

“May I ask what I have done to garner such gratitude?” Akindra was so stunned he had forgotten to speak in a way which a child Melta’s age could easily understand, yet, to his, and many others’ surprise, she responded nearly instantly.

“For protecting us from all the bad guys… and the scary crab people.” Akindra found himself pausing. 

“Forgive me, but I do not think I understand why you are thanking me for such an honor.” Melta pouted slightly as her tail flicked in frustration.

“I may be little but I’m not dumb. The scary drone said the mean crab people were going to come and try to hurt us… but you’ll keep us all safe… I know you will!” Melta nuzzled into Akindra’s chestplate as she began to purr again. Her tail wagged happily as she continued to hug  him with both her arms and wings. Akindra felt the beating of his twin hearts accelerate from Melta’s words. He wasn’t sure why, but something within the very depths of his soul was telling him to protect this child… he was unsure what about her specifically that caused him to feel this way, but the way her eyes beamed, the relief her mind felt just from his presence alone. The sheer positivity and kindness that her soul emitted was soothing to Akindra’s weary mind. Is this what I was forged to protect? This singular light… such a kind and innocent soul. Are children like this why Astartes exist? As Akindra was lost in thought, he gently rubbed Melta’s head, causing the little drone to purr even more loudly.

“You’re right, we will protect you, and everyone else on the planet. This is our home after all.” Melta made numerous, cheerful sounds which were similar to chirping birds in response to Akindra’s assurance of everyone’s safety. Melta’s Mother gently pried her little one from Akindra’s armor, though the resistance that was met from the younger drones grip made that somewhat difficult. Akindra found it quite amusing. 

All that was really left to do now was send these people back to their homes with a proper escort. He was going to assign astartes to keep watch of them later, as they would not have anything to really do until tomorrow. Deep down, Akindra felt an unbearable sense of dread. He knew that the coming invasion would be unlike anything ever before encountered or seen. If they were to survive, they would need to contact the Emperor himself for aid, for nothing short of one of the founding legions would be enough to turn the tide of this impending doom, even if “Cassia” had some sort of hidden secret that would even the odds by some miracle.

But only time will tell if help could even arrive in time to save them. For now, all Akindra could do was hope and persevere.

Mid Chapter Intermission! >:3

. . . Ten Days Earlier… 

May 19, 10,335. 

Location : Deep Space within the Republic-Imperium border.

A massive star system was detected having suddenly emerged from seemingly nowhere. Having been detected by subspace and tachyon sensors, Republic and Imperium scouting ships cautiously entered the system with small military escorts in the event of a hostile presence… only to be met with something they could have never expected. 

The entire system had seemingly been colonized by some sort of hyper advanced(even by Republic standards) stellar nation. With the heart of this system being a singular, gargantuan planet with 3 massive moons. One of which had been turned into a massive fortress with weapons the size of small cities set upon it, and furthermore, near this massive planet, was a planet sized super-ship of a design unlike anything that even the Fallen Empires possessed. For this massive ship wasn’t just made from a planet, it had been BUILT, in a design which was undoccumented and foreign, though before more research could be done. A message was sent to every trespassing ship within the system. Unsure if it was a greetin gor warning of imminent destruction, the scouting ships fled the system in terror…

5 days later. 

May 24, 10,335. 

After extensive effort from linguists from the Imperium, and even some of the data within the message, it came as a major surprise when what they had been sent was actually language data, and a message from an individual that called itself “Magnus Bibliothecarus.”

“We are the Lekgolo. Sapient lifeforms of which our origin is none of your concern at this time. Bring this message to your leaders. I wish to speak with them in person so as to de-escalate any potential conflict the presence of my kind may cause within your galaxy. Out of sincerity, I have selected a place for us to meet where I will maintain a minimal military presence for my own protection in the event hostilities occur. You may bring whatever number of escorts for your leaders as you wish, as I have no intentions of conquering territory for my already struggling people, who have no need of it.” Immediately upon this discovery, the entire sector quickly erupted into a brief chaos at the news. With the leaders of all the space faring nations being notified almost immediately of this new arrival. The only nations which were disinterested were the Fallen Empires. 

Present. 

May 29, 10,335

Angron stood silently as the golden vessel traveled through slipspace. His chainaxe hummed calmly as it had found itself feeling quite calm at the current moment. Angron wondered what he would sense upon meeting this Lekgolo leader, whose title amongst his species remained a mystery as no one, not even Alpharius or Omegon, were able to crack through the enigmatic arrivals’ encryption. Angron chuckled to himself as he thought of how enraged the Fallen Empires would be once they failed as well in their efforts to assert their dying dominance. Kharne, his second in command, turned to his Father curiously. 

“Why are you laughing?” 

“The Fallen Empires will be greatly displeased once they realize they cannot crack these “Lekgolos” encryption like they’ve done with everyone else.” Angron almost cheerfully answered Kharne, who soon started to laugh as well at the thought. Though the approach of a towering, golden figure caused both warriors to quell their laughter out of respect. 

“Father.” Angron spoke, addressing the Emperor calmly, who answered Angron’s silent question of why he was there.

“Angron, I am preparing to give the order for us to land. I merely wish to let you know that we will be arriving within a few hours. I am also concerned by your lack of rest over these past few months.” Angron nodded slowly. 

“I am alright, Father. I just… it is as though there has been someone, or something… calling out to me. As if pleading for my help. Yet I cannot decipher why this is or how.” Angron’s voice was grim, and the Emperor placed a caring hand upon his shoulder.

“Once this diplomatic matter is over, I will help you find the source of what is troubling you, my Son.” Angron smiled beneath his helmet. 

“Thank you, Father.”

Chapter Text

Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock…

The monotonous sounds of ticking clocks chimed throughout the dark realm as she watched her precious creations through the eyes of her servants as they spoke with the diplomats within this fascinating galaxy which she had granted their newly restored home system refuge. Her two children had nuzzled up against her and fallen asleep, and the ancient god found herself pondering why her influence had waned so greatly within this galaxy, and why Unknown had once again taken someone being resurrected far too personally. 

She had debated for a while, admittedly, if she should notify her cousin of the developments regarding this… enigma. This cute little machine that called herself “Cassia”. Such a cute little eldritch horror. Her singular, brilliant red eye stared into the dark abyss that surrounded her as she pondered. Hmm… I haven’t had good entertainment for awhile… and this has already been rather fun to watch… I’m sure he won’t mind if I don’t tell… I can always just… no… he’s too smart for that. Oh well, he’ll likely find out soon enough. She cradled her children closer to her in her eldritch form. A mass of writhing tendrils and purple eyes all controlled by a central one, her true eye. The tendrils all wrapped snuggly around them as they slept. For over ten thousand years she’s had this freedom… this wonderful freedom from the thing that was her “Father”. But that didn’t matter now. She could just simply watch and enjoy the imminent chaos and carnage. Perhaps she’d even reap a few souls herself if she felt like it. It was always fun to mess around with the dead. Especially whenever they managed to beat her little games in exchange for their ressurection. Always fun times… at least for her. 

The girl that Unknown was after… might be fun to mess with her too. Maybe she’d let the other two have some fun as well. For now… she was simply going to wait. Oh how I missed playing with Mortals.

Deep within Cadia’s core, trapped within layers of molten and yet still solid metal, a chamber lies untouched by time or erosion. Yet within it a towering behemoth remains. Trapped within its own place of creation and unable to do more than watch in silent horror and dismay at Cassia’s actions. Despite his best efforts, he remains unable to leave the prison which was meant to protect him from the end of his world. A world which took all of the might he could muster to save. 

He could still remember it… that horrible, nauseating feeling that he experienced mere hours after his creation. The death of his elder sister. He remembered the first day of his life vividly… and it was by far the worst. He remembered the reaction of his grieving Father, how he cursed the majority of the people he was created to protect with a curse far worse than any fate death could give. How everything fell apart and by the end only a few tens of thousands had actually survived. He lost track of the time he spent within this tomb after the first few million cycles or so. He was bored… so very bored. He mastered everything he possibly could, and then honed it to perfection afterwards while maintaining a silent, dead vigil over his lifeless home…

… and then the humans came… brought life back to his world and upon discovering the secrets within… left them alone. He wasn’t sure why they did. But he knew that secrecy wouldn’t last forever… and he was right. Not even fifty years later and everything had already gone back to the Abyss. Or as the mortals called it, “Hell”. 

Watching the Shattered chase down those defenseless humans nearly broke him. It was a miracle he was able to help Melta Doorman at all. Yet now, here he was. So close to perhaps escaping his prison, yet still not close enough to help against this imminent invasion. He slammed a fist against the walls of the Cryptum he was trapped inside of. The structure shaking but taking no damage from his attack. Curse this perfected craftsmanship. Hyperion thought to himself angrily. He needed a plan… there had to be something he could do to help turn the tides of the coming conflict…

… and that’s when it hit him. An idea, a plan. A way to perhaps invigorate the humans and their allies against the invaders. The human who the betrayer nearly killed during the first invasion 8 human years prior. It had been difficult to save him, as Hyperion had to essentially lock him in stasis before using stolen human blueprints(all the machine blueprints of his people were corrupted beyond salvaging) to crudely make what they called a “Dreadnought Sarcoughagus”, it had taken days. But it had been done. Hyperion had yet to truly awaken the human from his slumber as one of the few things he could talk to in their dreams… but now? He had little choice but to awaken his selfishly kept prisoner and hope that this human would be able to do SOMETHING to help these people. Perhaps even reach Cassia herself so she could free him and from this acursed Cryptum. Until then… all Hyperion could do was wait… and speak to Melta whenever he could. 

Within the realm between universes… a cosmic horror shudders in sudden disturbance. A boiling rage and grief clawing at its mind as its four star sized and golden eyes remained the only consistent part of its form. Its body currently was a mass of nanite machines which were constantly shifting as it devoured a dead and lifeless universe, unopposed by its sibling or cousins. It felt tears seep from its eyes. Memory of its greatest failure returning to it once more after so many years, and yet stronger than ever before. Its eldritch body shook and lost cohesion as it remembered the exact moment when everything was irreversably ruined. Seventy-four trillion, three-hundred ninety-six billion, five-hundred and one million, ten thousand, and three hundred thirty-five cycles. (Aproximately Seventy-five trillion human years.) The Ancient lifeform shook further. For the past few years the memory of its fallen child had pestered it near endlessly. And it constantly felt pulled towards the homeworld of the species which had allowed its child to lose her way and DIE . A booming sound echoed through the technically empty void as the eldritch lifeform partially crushed the crystalline structure of the universe it was consuming in the surge of rage that coursed through its entire being. 

It paused for a moment, and slowed its consumption as it pondered what to do. It was getting sick and tired of the constant, vivid nightmares, and it would take it weeks to get into that universe without causing catastrophic damage and killing countless mortals… and it shuddered at the thought of what that outsider would do to it if it destroyed the machines it had been forced to create. Though it had grown quite fond of these new creations… even if it was never its own idea. It brought the grieving god a sense of peace of mind. Perhaps… maybe I should investigate… maybe that will give me closure. 

With its next course of action set. The ancient lifeform devoured the dead universe completely, and began to traverse through the cosmic void towards the universe which held the world its daughter had died trying to save… the one it would have loved to have seen thrown into a dying star… and yet could never bring itself to do. 

It was going to get its closure, no matter who or what ended up encountering it. It didn’t care. It just wanted the pain of its failure to go away.

Uzi’s corpse had been abandoned after Cassia transferred her mind and soul into a new body. She’d been in too much of a hurry to move it elsewhere. So here it lay, alone in a dark room and left to rot. Or so it seemed. Slowly, creeping from the shadows, was a purple mass of metal and flesh. A nearly mindless daemon slowly creeped over to the lifeless, unguarded husk like some sort of slug. An ugly, hideous slug. It crept into the cavity where a hole had been punched through Uzi’s stomach, and ate the remaining flesh and bone within the human corpse to make room for itself. After several long minutes, the daemon made its home within the corpse. A set of purple, robitic eyes replacing the human ones that Uzi’s skull once inhabited. And for the first time in the daemon’s life… it could think… it was aware. She was… confused. As far as she knew… she was Uzi. She had all of her memories, even the ones which Uzi was actively forming in her current body. Yet she still felt her own… it was distressing, Quickly, the daemonic “Uzi” stumbled into the shadows on her new legs. She didn’t know what was happening, or why she felt like she was constantly in two places at once, she just knew she needed to hide… and she was hungry… so very… very hungry.

Chapter Text

Terra was aware of how Sarah had decided to remain in the manor. She’d still been there for a few days along with FRM. Terra was worried the older girl hated her because of the things which had happened in her home, since whenever they encountered each other in the hallways of the now almost silent manor, they both quickly got out of each other's sight. Even if she herself was not to blame for simply wanting to show compassion to someone in need, unaware that they’d do such horrible things in some twisted sense of trying to protect their savior. Everything is happening so quickly… Father is dead… M-Mother can’t seem to even dance anymore… Th-there’s an entire Astartes Legion… what… what am I going to do!?!? I’m not even human anymore! Terra could feel she was having another mental breakdown. Each one somehow got worse and worse than the last. Her entire body was trembling, and tears streamed down her visor as she began to cry again. Why? What did I do to deserve this? W-why is this happening to me? Terra felt the book in her hands shake as tears streamed down her visor. Just as she was about to spiral into another episode of self destructive thoughts, a voice snapped her out of her petrified state. Tired, sad, unmistakably Scottish, Sarah’s voice met Terra’s audio receptors with worry. 

“Hey, are you alrighty there lass? Your entire body is shakin’ like you saw a daemon.” The farm girl put a comforting hand on Terra’s shoulder as she continued. “Ya need someone to talk to?” Terra made eye-(or optic now since she doesn’t have eyes?) contact with Sarah, Cyan optics meeting green. She stuttered a bit, with a weak smile on her face. 

“Y-yes… I-I could use some company..” Terra gently set the book down on a nearby table before pulling out some chairs for them both to sit on, the expensive fabrics and armrests making them quite comfortable and relaxing as well. Sarah’s optics widened in a bit of surprise as she sat down. 

“These are… soft.” 

“Well, they’re supposed to be.. Unlike the chairs we have to sit in at school.” 

“You’re able to go to school?” Sarah inquired as she raised a digital eyebrow. Terra wrapped her arms around herself. 

“W-well, y-yes, or well, I-I was before all of.. This.” Terra gestured to her now mechanical body. “Cassia has refused to let me leave the manor.” Terra found herself missing being able to learn, she was close to graduating high school already due to her exceptional grades and work ethic.. Though, she supposed that wasn’t going to be happening any time soon… if ever. Sarah began to respond, but her optics quickly started to hollow.

“I have not been able to attend since.. Since my.. Since my family was…” Sarah couldn’t finish the sentence, but the look in her optics was all Terra needed in order to understand. 

“I-I’m sorry for your loss.. R-really I am.” 

“Don’t apologize.” Sarah spoke grimly. “It won’t change anything, so don’t bother apologizing for what’s happened in my life, the mere memory hurts enough as it is, and I don’t want pity from other people, understand lass?” Reluctantly, Terra nodded. She felt sorry for Sarah, no one deserved that kind of pain. Sarah let out a sigh as she leaned back in the chair. “I don’t mean to get after ya… I just… I don't like to be reminded that not only is my family dead… no one believed what I told them.” Terra tilted her head. 

“Oh?” Sarah went quiet, her optics looking around as she thought about how to continue.

“The… thing that killed my family, and the strange walker mech that saved me.” Sarah clarified.

“A Walker? You mean like a Knight?” Terra asked.

“No, not a Knight. It was.. Different… nothin knightly about it whatsoever, and I don’t think house Wätcher uses bagpipes as their war cry.” Sarah managed to laugh a little, a sad, mildly amused laugh, while Terra’s optics widened in a bit of surprise. 

“H-Hold on, one second.” Terra said as she got up and started running her metallic hand along the many books in the library, muttering to herself. 

“Whatcha doin now lass?” Sarah asked curiously. 

“You can refer to me as Terra, I won’t mind it. I’m just looking for something.” Terra answered as she kept looking across the many shelves. “Aha! There you are!” Terra exclaimed as she pulled out a fairly large, neatly covered book. 

“What is that?” 

“A book about the Highlanders.” 

“My family?” 

“Well, technically yes, it's more like… your ‘tribe’, or creed.” Terra clarified as she brought the book over and set it down on the desk next to Sarah. 

“Why?” 

“Because if I remember correctly… there is something in here that meets what you described.” Sarah blinked. 

“I only said it was a walker, not a knight, and used bagpipes as a warcry.” Sarah spoke matter-of-factly, and Terra giggled a bit as a result. 

“There aren’t exactly many things that meet that last descriptor ma’am.” Terra giggled a bit more, trying to ignore how awkward and “nerdy” she was starting to sound. Terra began to flip through the pages. She’d read through this book before, so it didn’t take her very long to find what she was looking for. 

“Aaaannnnnd FOUND IT!” Terra exclaimed with a smile on her face as she set the open book down on the table. Sarah’s optics widened in disbelief as she looked at the picture in front of her. Towering over guardsmen and tanks, a towering, humanoid machine with a short, yet massive head with a singular visor for its “eyes”. The left side of its chest housed a large missile launcher bay, with its left arm having a 5 fingered hand which it was using to hold up a chunk of a building as a shield for its smaller allies, a wrist mounted lascannon attached to it. The right side of its chest housed an array of 2 large plasma cannons, one stacked on top of the other, while the sides of its legs had small, point defense lasguns capable of powerful, short ranged attacks. The right arm was a singular, massive particle cannon where the hand would be. It had shoulder mounted missile bays, much smaller than the one in its chest, accompanied by anti-air lasgun point defenses. Its body was heavily armored, though Sarah couldn’t tell how thick the armor was, she knew it was something. The upper half of its body was attached to a mounted ring, allowing its upper half to turn a complete 360 degrees with ease. The armor itself was painted a dark green, with black outlines along the trim. 

Memories flooded into Sarah like a tsunami. The monster that killed her family, the machine that saved her… the last time she saw her family alive before she buried them in the field with FRM’s help. 

“I… what is that?” Sarah spoke with disbelief in her voice. Terra giddily answered. 

“The Legendary Highlander! Renowned paragon of defiance against tyranny from the planet of Northwind, home to the Northwind Highlanders who built the legendary war machine, and home to the even more legendary Iram Incarni, an ancient Imperator Titan who has not been seen since the Grunnur’s invasion of Northwin itself… it was…” Terra’s demeanor saddened suddenly. “... It was a dark time for the Imperium.. Despite managing to slaughter their enemies in droves as the legendary heroes they were, the Grunnur overwhelmed the Highlanders and ravaged their world. They were forced into hiding.. And it is unknown how many are left after they were forced to abandon their homeworld to survive.” Terra went quiet, giving Sarah time to process all of this. Her father never told her about anything like this. In fact… nobody told her about Northwind until now… but… why? She’d never even heard of the Highlander. Was this what people meant about her people? That they were heroes beyond even what she could have guessed? It was overwhelming. 

“Hey… what’s wrong?” Sarah snapped out of the trance of thoughts suddenly, and realized her hands were shaking while her optics were hollow. Terra looked at her with great concern, clear and visible worry in the young girl’s optics. Sarah let out an anxious sigh. 

“I didn’t… know about this… no one ever told me.” 

“What? Nobody-HUH!?” Terra’s optics widened in immense confusion. “How do you not know about your heritage? Surely somebody must’ve told you!” Sarah shook her head. 

“I never let conversations get to that point. I don’t… like talking about my family. So I never learned about any of their heroics.. Only… what my Father did for me..” Tears fell down Sarah’s visor as she sniffled. “... I still don’t know why I was saved… let alone by apparently a ‘Highlander’ who didn’t even bother to come back for me.” 

“Oh.. I… I’m sorry I didn’t mean-”

“It's fine, really. I’m glad to at least know why people won’t leave me alone about it.” Sarah reassured the younger drone. “I just… I don't understand why they didn’t come back for me.” Terra pondered for a moment, equally confused, but not just because it didn’t come back.

“I never even heard of there being any Highlander mechs on Cardia.. The only walker mechs the planet has are from house Wätcher and the Mildenhalls.” Terra noted that the Mildenhalls weren’t present at the Gala.. she wondered why but hadn’t had the time to think about Rya-THEM! THINK ABOUT THEM! 

“Uh… Terra? Lass? Ya still there?” Sarah asked in a confused tone of voice due to Terra’s visor suddenly being lit up like it would explode as the bottom half of it was in a bunch of bright cyan lines. 

“YEP! RIGHT HERE!” 

“Uhuh.. ok then.” Sarah said with a slight bit of skepticism. She wasn’t sure what Terra was doing with her face, or why it was looking like that, but there poor girl had enough stress as it was, so she wouldn’t probe. Terra shook her head a bit, and the bright lines on her visor dimmed down as she regained her focus. 

“ALRIGHT!... um… where was I?”

“You were talking about how only House Wätcher and the ‘Mildenhalls’ were the only people with walkers.” 

“O-Oh! Right! Thank you Sarah.” Terra spoke in a flustered tone. “I’m not sure where a Highlander battlemech could have come from, as there are no records of any of them being on Cardia..” 

“Are you suggesting that I’m somehow lying?”

“OH THRONE NO!” Terra raised her arms defensively. “There are plenty of possible explanations! I just… can’t think of anything that would make sense..” Terra said sadly as a frown overtook her face. “I-I’m sorry.. I’m not being very helpful am I?” Tears fell down Terra’s visor. “I-I’ve never really been all that helpful.. Only my drones are able to be helped.. N-not my mum.. N-not my father.. N-not anyone.. A-and its… all my fault… people are hurtin’ because of me..” Terra started to cry, and Sarah’s optics hollowed. 

“Oh don’t beat yourself up lassie! You’ve done far more than most people your age could dream! You-re like… 14 right?” 

“Th-thirteen.. Actually.” Terra weakly clarified.

“13!? Terra you’re brilliant! I can barely keep FRM functional and meanwhile you’ve been able to keep 7 different drones functional for years!” Terra suddenly found herself in a tight hug. Her chassis bent slightly. “Don’t wallow in your misery Terra… it’ll only make the pain worse… trust me… I know… don’t… don’t blame yerself for what Cassia is doing… I mean… he## I wouldn’t be alive right now if it weren’t… for… her.” Sarah sniffled a bit as she went quiet… I really was gonna die then huh? FRM… wouldn’t have survived without… me. 

“I-I guess we.. both are hurtin’ a lot aren’t we?” Terra asked, her accent breaking through her more formal speech patterns more clearly. Sarah slowly nodded as she answered. 

“Yeah.. guess we got that in common eh?” Sarah suddenly picked up Terra and carried her as she got up, causing Terra to make a startled ‘EEP’-like sound. “Welp, come on then, Imma take you to your Mom, and then we can start bawling our eyes out, and then maybe you could help me get FRM’s voice box functioning with those smarts of yours. That sound like a plan?” Terra looked into Sarah’s optics, a weak smile on her face. 

“Y-Yeah, th-that sounds like a plan.”