Sigma/Star

Chapter 134: Humming

Ardwen sauntered over to the younger pilot, kneeling in front of him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're...an idiot," he stated, before walking away.

"Rex," Nami began, picking up from where Ardwen had attempted to start, "you do understand we're actively part of a rebellion that wants to specifically knock out the government powers showing up here, right? That broadcast message was the reason you even came to join us. You wouldn't know about us if it wasn't for that."

"Really?" Rex's face held genuine surprise, and the rest of the group groaned. "Aren't you guys just like, a special forces kind of group, doing all that training and being expert pilots."

"No," came the unanimous response.

"Look, Rex." Porter stopped at the doorway, looking over his shoulder to address the junior. "Just try to survive out there." The young teen suddenly tensed at hearing the words, his carefree expression melting away as Porter hit upon the key concept that drove a different side of Rex.

Ardwen rolled his eyes as he passed by his comrade in the doorway. "You just live to make this harder on me, don't you?"

"He'll do fine out there. Just let him kill everything, and give him a clear path ahead."

"Why thank you, master strategist. Yes, let us all attempt to craft plans around berserkers."

"Wasn't there an old-timey race that just had entire armies of them?"

"You mean vikings? You didn't even try to study in school did you?"

"One of us has the swords, the other one can figure out world history." With that, Porter leaped out of the shuttle, his feet landing softly in the grass. "If you don't mind me, I'm going to kill a lot of Jahari now. You'll have to manage the rest Ardwen."

"Right, same as every time ever." Ardwen rolled his eyes. The Goliaths were nearby, their hulls glimmering in the sunlight. They had been dumped prior to the arrival of the pilots, kept hidden as best as Sigma could from scans and satellite networks. The only thing they couldn't prevent was somebody stumbling upon the warmachines, and had held faith in the idea that nobody would be coming to the fringes of the Breach if they weren't commanded to, and any farmers who worked out in these fields would have already fled.

The youths quickly clambered into their battlesuits, systems booting up as the cockpits became occupied. Viewscreens began to appear in front of their faces, connecting with each other before tapping into the new central server of information the former students had started using: Sigma. The android had to use himself as a database now, bridging the gap between the new rebel group, as they had had to rapidly disconnect from the Enian Federation upon announcing themselves.

"How are you feeling Sigma?" Ardwen checked in with the cyborg as he went through the usual start-up process for Mother Gaia.

"It comes with a buzz, but it doesn't mean much to me." Sigma's voice came in through the communications system on-board each Goliath. He was up above in the clouds, hovering over the battlefield so he could inspect what was down below him. Massive, bloated warships drifted past him, some of which were already entangled with the living worm-ships that the Jahari employed. Tiny dots roamed the earth beneath, with larger, lumbering specks in between where Bahari and Goliaths wandered. All of them mingled around the enormous hole in the ground, the gaping maw of war now known as the Breach, and all of this information was forwarded through to the pilots, displaying on their viewscreens to give them a glimpse of what they were approaching.

"Good to know you're not inhibited at least," Ardwen said, continuing his preparation work. "Everyone else is doing well then, operations normal?"

"Check."