llıllıᵂᴱ ᴬᴿᴱ †ᴴᴱ ᴺᴵᴳᴴᵀllıllı

[Light]

Echo Only

---

In 1972, an ancient alien hypergate was discovered on the surface of the moon. Using this technology, humanity began migrating to Mars and settling there. After settlers discovered additional advanced technology, the Mars Empire was founded, which claimed Mars and its secrets for themselves. Later, the Mars Empire declared war on Earth, and in 1999, a battle on the Moon's surface caused the hypergate to explode, shattering the Moon and scattering remnants into a debris belt around the planet. Cut off from Mars, the remnants of the Martian Empire established several massive orbital space stations within the debris belt and a ceasefire was established. 15 years later, in 2014, an attack on the Mars princess during a peace mission causes the Empire to launch a new attack on Earth, this time determined to conquer it once and for all...

Now, with the threat coming down to beat them into the earth, humanity starting training anyone that they deemed 'of age'. This included young teenagers beginning at the age of 15--and in a certain base near the border between the US and Canada, they were preparing the teens for battle. From piloting robots to shooting guns, and learning the best place to shoot a person for a quick kill, these children were learning it all. The humans couldn't afford to be beaten this time, since they all knew that this time was going to be the last--whether they won or lost the war.

In a certain class at the certain base, students who had showed certain skill had been made to start learning to pilot the large robots. These machines were for two people--one to man the weapons, and another to run and maneuver the mechanism. In the metallic body suits, the students were scattered in a large group, partnering up. One stood to the side, a dark helmet covering their head. It was the standard uniform for this type of training, but while others walked around wasting time chatting, the silent teen just stood there with their arms crossed, waiting. Training would be starting soon--and there were very few without a partner; the silent one being one of those few.

[~echo~]

At a nearby table in the same classroom, a scrawny, boyish-looking girl sat with her green eyes shifting around. Her short blonde hair framed her face nicely but her features were nevertheless rather dull. She seemed the kind of person who would do almost every sport but still be considered a weirdo to her same-aged counterparts. She looked to be about sixteen, though, and wily.

The girl noticed the person at the other table and looked around before standing and slinking over towards him/her. She gazed into the helmet, trying to discern a face in vain. "Hey," she said, and her voice came out rather deeper than you might have expected, though not in an unfeminine way. "Do you mind if we work together? I don't have a partner and it doesn't look like you do, either..." She looked up at the other person hopefully.

[Light]

A long sigh is exhaled from the person, and they nod their head in agreement. "Sure..." the helmeted head tilts up and focuses on the girl. The persons figure was smaller, more like a child, and their personality... Needed improvement--which is why no one had approached them. "you... Do you shoot, or control the movements?" the voice was muffled, and echoed thru a small opening in the bottom of the helmet.

[~echo~]

"I can do either but I'm best at movements. I don't have great aim," she said as she gazed at the suited figure. "And you? And what can I call you? Communication is key in a team like this."

[Light]

"I can handle the shooting..." they stand up and push the chair in, "Saber... My name." hesitating for a moment, the teen asks, "You?"

[~echo~]

The girl watches the person before saying warily, "My name's Skyler, but you can just call me Sky. I'll answer to both." She looked over at the teacher- she wasn't sure what she was doing.

[Light]

Saber walks out from behind the desk, light-footed feet carrying the helmeted teen past her partner and towards the door leading to the training grounds, not interested in what the overseer would have to say.

The teacher claps her hands, "Alright everyone, board the bots. Several targets will appear in the field; we'll be keeping score of how many each team takes down. Move out!"

[~echo~]

Sky listened to the teacher before rushing out after her partner, catching up quickly. "We have to win!" she said- Skyler was very competitive by nature and loved winning.

[Light]

Another sigh comes from her partner--"Alright..." grabbing onto the mecha, Saber starts climbing up to the top part to enter the pod where she would control the weapons from. "Try not to trip."

[~echo~]

Sky smirked and swing herself up onto her enclosed platform. "I don't trip," she said with a chuckle. She put her headphones and microphone headset in and tuned into Saber's platform. She then connected herself to the machine and began testing the motions to make sure it worked. "Testing, testing," she said into her mouthpiece.

[Light]

"Communication line is clear. Voltage, check. Oil pressure, check. Temperature, check. RPMs, check. IFF confirmed." The weapons in the robots slots click as Saber checks their movements. Small red dots, the targets for the test, appear as she says IFF on a screen to the side. "All systems green--commence operation."

[~echo~]

Sky gave a smile and started forward towards the targets, moving quicker than all the other teams. "Okay, the targets are small but you can get them," she said mostly to herself. She ran towards the center of the field, waiting for Saber to begin shooting at the targets.

[Light]

The large arm raises up as Sky begins running, "Stay away from other pairs--someone has a sensor tagged on us... firing in 5, 4, 3,--" bullets start flying, and Saber hits the first target, then quickly the second and third closest to them.

[~echo~]

Sky nodded and trotted away from the other groups, though in an area populated by several of the targets.

[Light]

Saber makes a small noise of approval in the line, and continues firing, pacing each shot. Though, as they were getting ahead in the contest, a large blinking light appears on the target screen, with the label 'WARNING' that flashed brightly. It was faster than the robots the students used, and something that made the teachers looking over the exam order an immediate return to base.

[~echo~]

Sky looked worried as she pushed her hair out of her face and began trotting towards the main base. She quickly powered down her section and hurried out, gazing at the teachers. "What's the matter?"

[Light]

"We received reports that confirm a Martian fighter with hostile cargo coming towards this base--"

Saber stayed in her pod for a few moments before pushing open the pod door and climbing out. How they slammed their feet down on the ground and stalked towards the window to look out on the field said how angry they were at being carried back into the base in retreat, "...there's still someone out there..." Saber quietly murmurs.

"--everyone in the base that isn't a teacher is to go to the underground facility and wait," the teacher continues, not hearing the silent teen.

[~echo~]

Sky, though, heard Saber and cleared her throat, looking at the teacher. "Saber says someone's still out there," she said urgently. "We can go get them! It'll be fast!"

[Light]

The teacher looks out the window, and presses a button on her earpiece, connecting to the stray team, "Pair Seven, what seems to be the problem, why haven't you returned?" there's some buzzing; but Saber had already tuned the teacher out and turned towards Sky, "Three minutes. We need to get back with the target before the hostile arrives in that time frame."

"They say the left leg engine on their bot isn't working," the teacher frets, "We'll get a teacher to--h-hey!" The helmeted Saber had already approached the bot, "If your caught out there when the enemy makes contact, you'll get destroyed!"

[~echo~]

Sky nodded seriously, knowing the severity of the situation. "We can be fast. I can sprint." She brushed some wispy hairs out of her face and grit her teeth. "Why now..."