Chapter 1 – The Misfortune of Lady Luck

Darkness. Everything felt surreal. Time seemed not existent, with the exception of the absolute darkness. A strange thumping noise came from the abyss. It reverberated louder and louder, until it seemed everywhere. A shout screamed in the distance, muffled by the thumping. Slowly the shout rose over the thumping.

“Alkam, del sentarin nie philik bal nare…”

“Tastel, minga reel! Eru shael nie, desta mil prava!”

The voices made no sense, but the shouts continued. They seemed to echo through a field of static.

“….Tastel!” Someone cried again. “Kail naza…abelta fe tre…hataril!”

Gunfire and screaming followed as the echo of the thumping droned the darkness.

A blinding light overtook the darkness. When the light finally diminished, a hideous creature hovered above. It flashed its set of razor teeth and reared its head. Piercing ruby eyes looked down and the monster seemed to grin. It flashed its teeth again, widening its mouth, and then dove its head; engulfing everything in a horrible scream.

Meige awoke with a shout, panting and sweating. His head pounded and he was shaking all over. He looked down at his hands and wiped them on his covers. After a few minutes, his breathing slowed and he climbed out of bed. He shook his head and quickly glanced at Terry. His roommate and best friend slept soundly on the other side of the room. Meige walked to the bathroom and washed his face in warm water. He glanced in the mirror and stared into his reflection. His dark eyes had focused on their mirrored counter part, while his short dark black-brown hair fell to his neck and ears in jagged strips. He moved some of the bangs out of his eyes and parted it toward to his left. The hair slid back down to its original position. Meige wiped his smooth face again with water and gazed at his reflection. He looked terrible. Even now, his face still showed a hint of something along the lines of seeing a ghost.

Meige shook his head and walked back into the room. He sat back in his bed, and whispered, “What the hell was that…” He had never been so scared in his life, and it all felt so real. He wiped his eyes and tried to get back to sleep. He began shaking again and wrapped himself in his covers. After a few minutes, he dozed off quietly and peacefully.

The next morning Terry wandered around the room, trying to fix his shirt and eat a bagel at the same time. Meige slowly opened his eyes and rolled his body to face Terry. Meige was still wrapped in the covers, but much more comfortable.

“Meige come on, its 9:00 already,” Terry laughed. “Time’s a wasting.” He shoved the rest of the food into his mouth and turned on the television. Meige slung his legs out of bed and rubbed his eyes. Terry took a small brush and began parting his short blonde hair to the side. He smoothed it out and used the metal from his desk lamp to check his accuracy. He groaned and violently rubbed his head, starting over. As he brushed, he taunted Meige again, “Classes will be starting up again soon, better get ready while you can. No more oversleeping and the like!” He sat down on the edge of his bed to watch television.

“What are you doing up so early,” Meige spat with a yawn.

Terry grinned and turned to Meige. “This is not early,” he laughed. “We’ve been through this every year for who knows how long.”

Meige struggled out of bed and walked to the bathroom shouting back, “And what have we been through every year again?”

Terry cleared his throat and hit his chest, “You asked for it…”

“Oh no, not that,” Meige shouted from the bathroom.

“Here at the U.N. sanctioned, international capital for research and development-”

“Come on Terry, it was a joke…”

“We open the way for the progress of mankind!”

“Great, now do you—"

“Welcome to Hevalon! Just like any major city, we carry a wide range of services and entertainment facilities to fit your ever-changing needs. And with our state of the art educational facilities, and our new Hevalon Academy, your children have the benefits of a first rate education!” Terry paused for a moment and Meige poked his head from the bathroom in surprise. “Yes Hevalon Academy!” Terry shouted again. Meige quietly retracted his head as Terry continued.

“All the benefits of a college experience, but so much more! Our teachers are not only qualified, but the very fact they work here makes them the best of the best! And let’s not forget our laboratories and Core Training Facilities! From pilots to poets, we have it all! Because remember, our only goal is the progress of mankin—” Terry choked as he was hit in the face with a pillow.

Meige laughed and wiped his mouth. “How do you remember that thing anyway?” he asked in irritation.

“I work for the Elite, of course I know it. We only have to print the damn advertisement every week,” Terry groaned.

Meige stood a moment and pondered. “Elite? You mean the Academy’s newspaper?” he laughed. “But why do you have to print the advertisement? I mean, the only people that are going to read it, are the ones that already live here in Hevalon.”

Terry shrugged and turned off the television. He shoved Meige out of the way and looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. Contempt, he picked up his bag and made sure he had all his papers.

“Going to work on your articles again huh,” Meige said. “Well, I’m going over to my parents’ place tonight, so you won’t see me till tomorrow.”

Terry nodded and walked to the door. He glanced around the room and then grinned at Meige, “Ok man, I’ll see you whenever then. And tell your parents I said hi.”

Meige gave him a thumbs up. Terry waved and shut the door. Meige leaned back into his bed and turned on the television. It would be a good idea to see his parents sometime today. They had been busy with all their research and hadn’t seen him in a while. Meige sighed and stood up. After getting dressed, he turned off the television, and walked downstairs to the cafeteria. He liked the food there compared to the other Academy Halls’ cafeterias.

After ordering something light, he quickly finished it. He then stepped out onto campus and checked his watch; it was 10:00. Meige stretched his arms and wandered toward the Core Training Facility. It was located west of Hevalon Academy, but did connect to it in some areas. However, unlike other academies, Hevalon Academy was more research oriented then it was military.

Meige reached the gate and quickly flashed his ID to the guard. The gate opened and Meige stepped in, wondering where his parents would be. After asking a few guards and interrupting a few strangers, he began jogging toward the Science Investigation Area.

While he was walking, he looked around the base in amazement. A flurry of activity was taking place. Troops marched in lines while jeeps and trucks unloaded supplies to warehouses. But the most amazing things to watch were the cores. About four stories in height, the large robots stood like sentries. The standard models had wide feet, shaped like metal boots. Their knees were open showing the metal cylinders of its skeletal frame. The legs were tall and built into its armored hips and thin abdomen. The torsos were large and spun on its waist like a turret. Shoulders connected to arms and hands were attached to both sides of the tank-like body. Its head contained most of its sensory equipement and obviously rested on its core-sized gorget. But most cores had different variations. The lightest carried more sensory equipment, a smaller mini-fusion engine, and less armor, while the polar opposite carried heavier armor, a bigger mini-fusion engine, and stronger weapons. The Hevalon cores patrolled around the base, making the sheer size in comparison to the rest of the equipment, fascinating. Meige turned his head to his left and saw a small rocket shoot straight into the air.

He slowed down and watched it spiral into the sky. After a few seconds, it disappeared. Meige looked ahead and noticed a tent set up on the concrete. There in the middle of a group of scientists, his parents stood, watching a monitor. Meige continued to walk toward the tent, glancing into the sky as he approached.

“Ahh, Meige,” his father shouted. “Come look at this!”

Meige jogged toward his father and turned to the monitor. Long strings of data ran across the screen including graphs and charts. He frowned and asked his father what he was looking for.

“Well my boy, all this data is the recording of everything our toy rocket is doing.”

“Doctor Star,” one of the technicians called.

His father turned and waved. “Ok Meige,” he shouted running to the technician. “If you don’t mind waiting a little while, we’ll be out of here in no time!”

Meige rubbed the back of his head and took a nearby seat. A woman with glasses, and blonde hair tied in a bun, sat down next to him and handed him a drink.

He smiled at her and she relaxed. “What’s going on Mom?” he asked, opening the can of soda. She looked up at him and smiled. Afterwards, she leaned into him with a hug.

“Oh Meige, its good to see you again,” she said looking into the sky. “As for your father and I, we’ve been working on collecting atmospheric data for a new science project.”

“Oh, and what’s that?” Meige asked, taking another sip. His mother patted his head and he laughed shoving her away.

“It’s a new type of defensive system we’re developing,” she continued. “We’re trying to see what effects it would have on the atmosphere, or any thing else for that matter.”

Another scientist waved for her, and she sighed. After standing up, she kissed Meige and walked to the other table. Meige looked at both his parents. Whenever they asked him to wait, he always knew it was going to take a while.

Two hours later, Meige had come up with a game to see how many little rocks it would take to push a bigger rock as far as possible. Just when Meige was aiming for the bigger rock, his father tapped his shoulder and signaled it was time to go. Meige looked at his watch and slowly shook his head.

They went to lunch together and talked. Meige told his father about the Academy and the classes he was going to take to become a core pilot. His mother spoke of the research they were doing and the progress done in each field. They finished their lunch and left the restaurant. His parents then took him out around the city, going shopping, relaxing at the park, and going to dinner.

After being out all day, they took Meige back to their home. Meige walked in to the house and looked around. It had been a few years since he had left, but nothing had changed. He went upstairs and opened his door. As it opened, he smiled and laughed. It looked the same as the last time he saw it. He jumped onto his bed and looked out the window. The sun was setting and it would be dark soon. A few minutes later, his mother came into the room and asked if he needed anything. He shook his head and turned on the television. She smiled and left him to his T.V.

A few hours passed and Meige went downstairs to see what his parents where doing. They watched a movie together until his father was called to work. Frowning, his father left reluctantly. Meige told his father not to worry about it. His mother smiled and shooed her husband away. Once the movie was over, Meige walked toward his room to get some sleep. He heard another beep and paused.

“Meige,” his mother called. “Your father is having trouble at the lab. I might have to leave.”

“Sure thing,” Meige answered, climbing a few more stairs. “And thanks for today.”

She smiled at him and relaxed on the couch again. Meige continued to his room and sat on his bed. He thought about telling his parents about the dream he had, but felt it was unnecessary. He didn’t want his parents to worry about him. Meige relaxed in his bed, and rolled over onto his side. He closed his eyes with a smile and stretched out across the bed.

Again, Meige found himself in darkness. Slowly, the scene of a battlefield crept into his mind. There was a single robot fighting a large creature. Meige felt like a spectator, watching an illusion. He continued to watch as the robot was slowly beaten back. The robot crashed to the ground and endured more hits. Meige felt his head spin, and quiet whispers echoed through the darkness. The voice sounded familiar, as the words grew louder.

"...Beldin...is that it," Meige asked the darkness. He listened again and felt his mouth move uncontrollably. "Beldin...allus matrie...caballan..." he whispered, feeling his body tense. Suddenly he felt a searing pain in his eyes and fell to the ground. It felt as if his head was about to burst open. Then a light flashed in his mind.

When Meige awoke, he noticed something bright flashing outside his window. Even though his room was eerily quiet, the light was beginning to irritate him. After a yawn, he checked his clock and frowned. Two o’clock in the morning was no time to be flashing a light in someone’s window. He looked outside and noticed it was a maintenance vehicle. He tilted his head in confusion and felt his body shake. The driver leapt from the maintenance vehicle and sprinted away. Before Meige could even blink, a core fell onto the vehicle causing a terrible shudder. The truck exploded, throwing the driver onto his front lawn. Meige stumbled out of bed and ran outside to help the man. When he reached him, he helped the driver to his feet and checked for any serious injuries.

“I’m alright,” the driver yelled. “Get out of here before you get hurt!”

Meige looked at the core and carefully examined it. From the design, it didn’t look like the trainers at the Training Facility. He squinted. In fact, it didn’t look like any core he’d ever seen. He asked if there was anyone in it, and the driver shrugged. Meige looked around and wondered if there was a way to get in it. The ground began to shake and the core leaned forward, slowly picking itself up. Meige watched the robot stumble forward until it stood motionless. It then turned its head and looked at Meige. He shrunk back as the towering robot faced its body toward him. Suddenly, it then knelt down and began reaching for Meige. As he turned to run, he felt his body being gripped by huge metal fingers and slowly rose into the air. The core’s chest opened, and Meige was tossed into the darkness.

He opened his eyes and looked around. The lights flickered on and he surveyed the consoles. It was definitely unlike anything he had ever seen before. Maybe it was one of Japan’s or the United States’ models. Then he realized it didn’t have a pilot. “What the…what am I doing here!” He cried, still looking around. Something clicked and answered in an echoed voice Meige couldn’t even begin to imitate.

Ahead a large dark creature stood several hundred meters away. It had two large lance shaped arms connected to its human-like torso and a large flat plated head. The body rested on its four spider-like legs. It screeched again and began walking toward Meige.

Meige shuddered and panicked. He didn’t want to be in the core, just get whoever was in it, out. “Umm hello? Is the pilot in here?” he slowly asked looking around. “I’ve come to rescue you.”

A series of clicks and beeps echoed in the large cockpit. Meige looked around again and leaned into the main screen. A series of strange symbols moved across the screen and above him, a small camera blinked. Meige looked up into the rotating device and was flashed by a bright red light. He shouted, flailing his hands, and tried to rub his eyes. He could still hear clicking and humming sounds coming from one of the terminals but could no longer see them.

“Marglea, antania ures sebna, ui alan ui gaire…” a soft female voice echoed into the cockpit.

“What? Who’s there?” Meige quickly asked. There was silence again and he squinted looking around.

“Ickur ran ba, la raz zal anz shi, uta la bai…” the same voice echoed again.

“I still don’t understand,” Meige shouted, focusing his vision. He rubbed his eyes furiously and waited for them to adjust.

“Gretchizlabithickonbezraehaitelemainus…” the voice echoed again.

“Languages?” Meige asked looking at the controls. Each time the feminine voice communicated, it was in a radically different language.

“Van…Van…Vandellus…” The computerized female stuttered. Meige felt something reach into his mind and he leaned back into the seat, fatigued. An enormous pressure was weighing down on his body. He blinked his eyes but found it increasingly difficult to open them again each time. While he was half conscious the computer spoke again.

“Aegis unit ready to assist,” it answered coherently. “Target sighted 200 meters ahead and closing.”

Meige felt his senses returning to normal and rubbed his head. As he squinted at the instructions on the HUD, he noticed they were all in a readable language again. “So you can speak English now, great…I think,” Meige commended the machine. The HUD turned on, showing a monster, moving very quickly. Meige looked at the controls again, and thought carefully. Colored buttons lined the console stretching from his left side to his right. More knobs, switches, and buttons, hung overhead on another stretching tri-panel. He placed his foot on two of the four pedals and slipped his hands into the strange, gloved shaped control sticks.

“Alright,” Meige whispered. “It looks like the controls for the Core Arena at the arcade, so I think I can manage.”

The monster bent over to inspect its prey. Then something streaked into its face, knocking it backward. Meige reached for the throttle and controls, and lifted the robot to its feet. He turned and looked around. Two more robots had joined the fray and were firing back. Meige looked over the controls again, but couldn’t tell what the buttons meant. Another missile struck the monster and it fell down.

Meige laughed, “Well maybe I don’t need to find the weapons.” Then the monster stood up and ducked behind a building.

“Arrow 3, I’ve lost con…kzzzsht...target, confirm its position,” someone buzzed in on the radio.

“Wait,” Meige asked. “How did you do that, ummm Aegis right?”

The computerized voice answered, “The machines in the immediate area are communicating using radio waves in set frequencies. I am scanning the frequencies and displaying the connections through my communications system."

Meige watched as the other robots carefully searched the area.

“Aegis, is there an instruction manual for this thing?” he asked in frustration. A series of symbols lit across the HUD, and Meige quickly checked through them.

“I can’t read those.” He frowned. The symbols morphed into something more familiar, and he quickly scanned through them again.

“Arrow 1 to Arrow 3, no confirmation on the target yet. Wait. Jesus Arrow 3, behind you!”

Arrow 3 turned halfway when a large spike drove through its left shoulder. The robot leaned forward to break free, but the monster continued to pull apart its arm. An explosion blew off what was left of it, and Arrow 3 fell to the ground. Then the monster ducked again to dodge another volley of missiles.

Someone yelled through the radio, “Arrow 3, what’s your status!”

The monster stepped over the fallen victim and charged the offender. Arrow 1, raised its gun and fired burst shots of bullets, but couldn’t stop it. The monster raised its arm for an attack, but then stopped.

Behind, Aegis had grabbed it and was straining to hold it back. Aegis then pulled back and lifted the monster into the air. After maneuvering the creature over its shoulder, Aegis dropped it backward in a slam. The monster cracked into the ground and Aegis moved away.

“Wow Aegis, I didn’t know you could run on auto-pilot,” Meige said in surprise. “I’m not even done reading yet, how did you manage to take it down like that?”

“I am no ordinary A.I.,” Aegis answered. “I am completely capable of analyzing situations and executing them to the best of my ability.”

Meige thought that sounded somewhat dangerous, but said nothing. The monster stood up and leered. Meige looked for the weapons panel and activated his energy guns. Aegis pulled a machine gun from its back and aimed it. Meige charged and squeezed off several shots. All the shots missed and Aegis tripped, crashing into the ground. It slid to a stop in front of the monster and Meige groaned. He looked at the controls.

The cockpit began shaking and Meige demanded to know what was happening. Outside, the creature was kicking Aegis while Meige could do nothing. A large explosion knocked the creature away, and Aegis picked itself up. Arrow 3 was kneeling down, holding a cannon with its good arm. Arrow 1 was firing its machine gun for support.

“Aegis, maybe you should take over, I don’t know what I’m doing,” Meige sighed.

Aegis stood up and pulled out its second machine gun. A series of high-powered shots fired into the monster’s body and it screeched in pain. Aegis quickly opened its boosters and sped toward the monster tackling it into a building.

“No! Not there!” Meige cried in distress. “Haven’t you ever heard of property damage? Can’t you fight somewhere…not so populated?”

“Affirmative, new location selected,” Aegis replied, “moving creature into adjacent sector.”

Aegis grabbed one of the monsters arms and fired its jets. Green flames shot from the boosters on its back and legs, while Aegis lifted the monster into the air. Meige jumped from his chair and watched as Aegis carried the creature toward the sea. Meige could hear the strain being placed on the robot and glanced at the main HUD. Graphs and bars went from yellow to orange while some of the symbols began stacking and blinking. Aegis quickly threw the monster into the water and unsheathed the sword attached to its right hip. Meige strapped himself back into the seat while Aegis dove toward the flailing monster. In a brilliant splash, Aegis drove its sword into the monsters chest. The creature withered in agony, and Aegis kicked it away. After swiping at the water, it slowed, and fell underneath the water.

“Oh, we did it, we actually killed that thing?” Meige said in awe. Aegis slowly walked from the water and stopped on the beach. “Aegis what’s wrong,” Meige asked. “Why did we, oh…”

On the beach, stood three cores with their guns pointed at Aegis.

“Unidentified rogue, please send us your confirmation code. Your registry does not appear with any Hevalon Military forces.”

“Aegis, patch me through, I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding,” Meige said as he searched for the radio. Aegis complied and continued to stand still.

“This is…” Meige called into the radio. But he had no idea how to explain himself. Finally he continued, “the temporary pilot of the Aegis unit, I don’t have any confirmation code, and it’s really just an accident that I found myself in this thing, just a misunderstanding.”

There was silence on the other end. Meige shifted nervously.

“Please remove your weapons and come out with your hands up,” one of the men called back.

Meige sighed with relief and laughed, “Well Aegis it’s been fun, but this is where we bid adieu. Thanks for the thrill of a lifetime…you can put away your sword now.” But Aegis didn’t sheath its sword.

“I cannot comply with those orders,” the computer answered back. “Anything that puts me in danger of capture or destruction is not feasible.”

Meige ran his hand through his hair in frustration. “What? What am I suppose to do then!”

The radio buzzed again, “Rogue pilot, please give yourself up, or we’ll be forced to fire.”

Aegis leaned forward and charged. Meige panicked as Aegis pointed its sword at the nearest robot. There was no way they could fight against this machine; it would be a massacre.

“Aegis! What are you doing!” Meige shouted as Aegis neared the first target. Meige shouted again, “AEGIS! STOP!”

Aegis swung the sword, barely missing the robot. Aegis dashed away and dodged a hellfire of missiles and machine gun rounds. Meige continued to pant as Aegis retreated toward the ocean. It then activated a dozen anti-sensory options and propelled itself under water. Meige felt dizzy and moaned. He reached for the controls, and then passed out in his chair.

When he came to, Meige gripped his head in pain. “Ouch,” he cried. “What happened…what did you do to those cores?”

“Nothing, as you commanded.”

Meige rubbed his head and sighed. He checked the displays and realized he was in a large dark empty space.

“Aegis,” he asked. “Where are we? We didn’t get captured did we?”

Aegis ran a system check and answered, “We are in a warehouse, in the harbor district of this city. I detect no one near our vicinity, and we are relatively safe at the moment.”

“What time is it?”

“5:13 AM, local time.”

Meige wanted to know what that meant, but decided not to ask. Instead, he looked around and asked, “Can you open the cockpit for me then? Am I allowed to leave?” The hatch opened and Meige quickly unbuckled the safety harness. He climbed out, and carefully slid to the ground. He backed away slowly looking up at Aegis, and stopped a dozen meters away.

“What will you do now?” he called out.

“I’ll wait here for your return,” Aegis answered.

Meige frowned and shouted back, “I’m not your pilot!”

After a few seconds, Aegis replied, “You are not only my pilot, but my master as well.”

Meige cursed and held his head, “What’s that suppose to mean?”

Aegis said nothing, and Meige walked away in frustration. He turned and opened the door, only looking back at Aegis for a second. He frowned and shut the door. Walking away, he thought of everything that happened, and wondered about what to do. Finally, he jogged back to the warehouse and opened the door again. Aegis was kneeling, but otherwise, immobile.

“Ok…I’ll be back later, but until then, don’t do anything, unless you have to,” Meige said. He shut the door, but quickly opened it again. “And absolutely under no circumstance are you allowed to blow anything up!”