Ch. 1 - Drivers and Lancers
March 15th, 2057. Today is the annual celebration of the end of the war. On this day, twenty years ago, the Genos and Seraphim disappeared from Earth, and the death and destruction they brought on Humanity finally ended. Today, the UEA celebrates the beginning of a new world, where Humanity rose from the ashes to retake what was left of their world. Capital City was the site of parades, fireworks, and all kinds of music and speeches. However, the big event was starting at noon, where the UEA was unveiling their new weapon that would take to the frontlines, and officially begin 'reclaiming' the resources of the world.
At the UEA Headquarters, people had gathered in a massive crowd, with screens all over preparing to unveil this revolutionary weapon that would change the face of the UEA forever. Or, so they claimed. And soon, it was time.
Kadus Vandran, Prime Minster of the UEA, stepped up to a podium and began the announcement.
"Today, we celebrate the end of the war. It is the twentieth anniversary, and we are still here. Humanity has shown that nothing, not even invaders from the stars destroying our world, will stop us from surviving. Twenty years later, and the UEA has a city in the same size and scope of cities from before the war. The UEA is strong, the UEA is proud, and it is time, for us to take our place at the head of Tera. For too long have we allowed acts of aggression from the South. For too long have we stood by while the WDU have spread their influence and claimed resources for their greedy war machine. Today, the UEA in one voice will say, no more. Today, I give you the face of the new UEA, that will stand idle no longer.
He motioned to something massive behind him covered in a large white drape, as a worker crew pulled the drape off to reveal a Giant Machine standing 20 meters in height. In front of it, was A Woman with silvered hair, red eyes, and a weapon in one hand that was larger than she was.
"This is a new line of machine that surpasses all other machines the world has ever seen. We call them Lancers, and their pilots, Drivers. Drivers have been intensely augmented to super-human levels of strength and speed, and are the absolute peek of Humanity. Together with their Lancer's, the UEA will change the face of Tera, forever!"
Irina was the only Driver on display, however, in a building nearby the other Drivers set to be a part of her squad were arriving. Until this moment, none of the Drivers had met one another. Some of them had even questioned whether or not there WERE other Drivers. The only reason Irina was the one out there in front of the crowd, in front of all the cameras, was because she was the first Driver, the test bed that lead to fixing many problems with the process that she had to simply endure. Nobody could truly come up with a full list of things that was wrong with her.
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Irina cared little for the speeches and politics. She was a soldier, and soldiers fought things. They didn't smile for cameras, they didn't do interviews and they were set pieces to be shown off. But an order was an order, so there she stood until told otherwise. Once she received the green light, her Lancer knelt down, allowing her to slot her heel onto a zipline that lifted her up to where she could step into the chest where the cockpit was. The massive weapon in her hand was pulled away, slipping into some unknown corner of the Lancer.
She let out a sigh, finally in silence as she took control, and the massive machine turned to walk to the nearby hangar. She stepped it into place, and just as quickly as she had entered, she opened it up and stepped out onto a catwalk, leaving the Lancer standing and ready as she walked towards the main room to meet her team. She had to see it for herself... if other Drivers were really here.
