MSFHWraith

Famous Mech Pilots Though most soldiers in the galaxy rarely ever see a battlefield in our modern, relatively peaceful, age, in a mech this is not the case. A giant robot capable of leveling entire cities is such a valuable and useful piece of equipment that there will always be a need for them, and because of their scale and the tendency of pilots to perform better when they have more expressive personalities, it's not uncommon for pilots across the galaxy to gain a high degree of notoriety. It's standard practice for various product creators to create collectibles based on those with high win rates or especially noteworthy backstories or vehicles, and though most mech pilots languish in relative obscurity even when jobs are plentiful, there's enough who have achieved a high level of fame that many of them personally know each other and agree as a group for their likenesses to be placed on trading cards, holovids, posters, and t-shirts across the milky way. The Code Many of the

"Aakashi." Wraith's voice commanded her attention. He was absentmindedly chewing on a pencil, reviewing the blueprints on his computer screen. His sight darted between various components, studying them intently. "Be sure to connect the wiring from the probability calculator to the alternate matrix projection. It'll cut out a lot of junk worlds." Aakashi wiped the sweat off her forehead with her lab coat's sleeve. She and Wraith had been conducting experiments in interdimensional travel for quite some time. Following instructions, she flipped open a panel on its side, examining the jumbled mess of cables within. "Already done! Looks like it's holding steady." She closed the hatch, sighing. For the past several months, it seemed like all Wraith could think about was their latest great experiment. While they were fortunate to live in a world with such readily-available parts, he slaved over his designs and blueprints for hours on end, foregoing sleep and meals on some occasions. It was

The warm glow of the morning sun blanketed the landscape in a healthy glow. Stirred by the light, Wraith opened her eyes. The rising sun painted the horizon in a gentle rose gradient, coupled with the vast spread of the cherry blossom canopy above, melded together to form a sky of pure pink. A regular sight for her by now; it had been several years since Ally surprised her with, of all things, a Legion Seed. Since then, the two spent their days together growing their hive. Wraith drowsily sat up from her bed and grew out her usual queenly attire, walking outside to a balcony overlooking the nearby forest. There, she waited, leaning against the vine railing. [Morning, sleepyhead.] A cheery voice resounded inside her mind. [Good morning, Ally!] Around this time, Wraith would often be joined by her princess to watch the sun rise, but she had been unusually absent in the recent early hours. [I didn't see you when I woke up. You've been up earlier each day.] [Oh! Um...] Being a Legion

Click! Buzzz! The energy rifle powered to life as a new magazine was inserted. Wraith panted, out of breath from running. How long had it been? A few hours? A few days? He was running low on energy, both in himself and his weapon. It was an advanced design, though rudimentary by their planet's standards. The paint, once prominent and vibrant, had been scuffed and charred with a sickly olive residue. "Looks like..." Wraith huffed, still catching his breath. "I got about sixty-two that time. Used up a bit too much ammo, though." "You're getting rusty." A feminine, exasperated voice said from behind him. "And a bit too gun-ho. We're trying to conserve our resources, remember?" Wraith shook his head. "Sorry, 'Kashi. I'm a little... panicked right now." Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he considered his tapering accuracy. "I just don't want to let any of those... things anywhere near me." "Well, that might not be a problem for too long." Aakashi cracked a smile, a rare sight in the

"In related news, there's been a surge in the number of cases of spontaneous-" Joey slammed the car door, starting the engine and disrupting the radio. It was raining pretty heavily outside, and he was in a rush to get home before his groceries became soaked. While the bags had been dampened by the downpour, they were settled neatly in the back of his SUV. He sighed, connecting his MP3 player to the car's stereo and resting his head against the steering wheel. It was a fairly stressful day, seeing as he had to work with a tight budget, but with all his errands done, he'd have a relaxing night, at least. He and Ally had been planning on a movie night for some time, and among the groceries were the snacks required to make it a good one. Not wasting any more time, he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road. The rain didn't let up. It pounded on the windshield as he drove slowly and cautiously over the darkened road. There hadn't been a storm this bad in years. As he cursed

Dawn was finally breaking, light eked across the horizon as the sun blanketed the dark world in a healthy glow. It was the earliest hours of the morning, and as the sunshine invaded the drowsy eyes of Wraith and Aakashi, they rose from their torpor. They had shown up early enough to set up camp; first in line for the bin shop, which still had not opened. "Wraith... why did we have to show up so early?" Aakashi rubbed her eyes, clearly deprived of sleep. "I'm sure we could've gotten an extra two hours of rest. Maybe three." "I know, I know. It's just..." Wraith, despite having lost so much rest, was eagerly fidgeting on the spot. "They put up a preview of their stock today online and I saw some stuff I REALLY wanted. I didn't wanna lose it to anyone else." "Honey, there's only six other people in line." Aakashi looked back at the people behind them, all growing impatient while waiting for the store. "That could change! And besides, any one of them could gun straight for the good

"Rrgh!" Wraith grunted as he rammed his shoulder against the tall, metal gate. With the final impact, it finally budged, its hinges creaking in protest as though they hadn't been moved in decades; it scraped against the grass as it slowly gave way, plowing through dirt and gravel and leaving behind a trail. "Looks like that's taken care of..." Wraith mouthed an "Ow" as he gently massaged his shoulder, sore from the repeated impacts. Their path now clear, he slipped back into the driver's seat of his idling car. "That looked like it hurt. Are you okay?" Aakashi's brow furrowed in concern for her sweetheart. She couldn't help but worry whenever he overexerted himself. It didn't help that he seemed to do it all the time. "Yeah, I'm fine. You shouldn't fret so much, I can take care of myself." Wraith shifted gears, slowly driving down the newly-opened path. "Besides, I've had worse from my own arcade machines. Speaking of... I think we've got a new home for them." Not long after passing

"I'll get it, Ally!" Joey and Ally had been tidying up their hilltop house slowly, but surely, when there was an unmistakable knock at the front door. Not expecting any visitors, Joey cautiously approached the front door. Upon opening it, however, he found not a person waiting to greet him - or worse, try to sell him something - but simply a manila envelope laid down on the doorstep. No other signs of anyone driving, walking, or otherwise moving away. Not to mention it was nowhere near time for any mail to be delivered. Deciding it would at least be better for whatever was in this package to be brought inside rather than leave it exposed to the elements and any other person who happened by, Joey did just that. "Who was it, darling?" Ally asked, poking her head around the corner. "I have no idea," he responded, "but they left something for us." He carefully opened it up, not sure what to expect. The world's laziest census? A gift from a friend? A prank? He reached his hand in and

It had been about a few days since Wraith received the package. He was apprehensive at first; after all, it was incredibly suspicious. No postage stamps, no return address, just a parcel and a folded note on his doorstep, both addressed to him. While he took it inside, he had spent the past few days passing it on the table, his curiosity growing with each pass. This time, however, he paced back and forth, gazing over to the still-neatly-wrapped package, illuminated gently through a window by the evening sun. It could have been dangerous, but even still, the mystery it contained called out, reaching into his innermost psyche, tickling it in just the right spot to trigger his impulses. "Oh, to heck with it." Wraith exhaled sharply, ceasing his repeated pacing and redirecting his aimless movements toward the package. The note would probably provide some context. Not even contained in an envelope, it was awkwardly slipped into the restraining string of the parcel. Unfolding it slowly and