Chapter one
Djeen's mech stomped across the desert, its copper three-toed feet sinking into the sand. Smoke rose into the sky, telltale signs of war. Djeen shuddered thinking of the battle to come. already hearing the shells explode and the screams of the wounded. His hands shook at the controls, his eyes wide, thinking back to the battle that took his friend's life. The mech walked on, followed by his compatriots who would surely hate him if he stalled. Djeen muttered nonsense to himself as he strode to the crest of the hill that overlooked the battlefield. His mech stopped at the top of the hill, gazing down upon the carnage that lay at the bottom. Blood stained the sands. Bodies piled up. Craters. Fire. Death. Broken mechs lay on their sides, their riders surely dead. Djeen screamed a blood-curdling scream of raw terror. Those who had died. Thrown into combat. Who would remain? Who would win? Why was this war so brutal? Why did those who where loved and cared for have to die? Why? Djeen cried. Tears for the fallen and those they cared for streamed down his face. His sorrow turned to rage. His terror turned to hate. His hands gripped his controls with all his might, His mind going haywire.
"We're here." the captain said. "Charge on my order" "three," "two," an enemy mech raised its arm cannon as it turned towards the captain. "ONE!!" Djeen charged forwards in a flash, all his reaction thrusters firing away at once. Djeen's rage and hate had been transformed into pure determination. Determination to kill, to win at all costs, to survive. He flew forwards, his axe positioned to deliver a direct hit to the cockpit. With a primal howl Djeen swung his axe around, copper fragments and blood flying through the air, a broken body flying backwards. two shells slammed into Djeen's mech just below the cockpit the impact shaking him. With a flick of his hands on the controls, his gun was raised. the twenty-millimeter machine gun fired away, shell after shell slamming into the body of the enemy mech. The machine crumbled and Djeen charged once more, only to face certain death. a high powered shell rammed into Djeen's cockpit, and everything went black
"Wake up!" a voice yelled from the abyss. Djeen shot upwards, flinging his sheets forwards. Sweat, then tears dripped down his face as Djeen began to recall the advents of last nights dream. "You okay man?" the blurry figure said, now coming into view. Djeen blinked twice, startled.
"Oh, hey Tarin," Djeen mumbled, still shell-shocked from his dream. "Just get up sleepyhead!" Tarin shouted playfully, flinging a pillow at his head "we've got a special announcement from the chief pilot instructor. Djeen pealed the cotton pillow off of his face and began to rise as Tarin walked out of the room. Djeen groped under his bed for his uniform and slipped it on. What was that dream, it felt so real Djeen thought to himself as he struggled with his rank pin in the mirror. His rank pin. The pin that showcased his rank. His pin had two bars signifying his rank as a private class two. His pin also had a small wing made of copper signifying his class as a cadet pilot. He cherished that pin as losing it meant losing meal privileges, and who wouldn't want extra bars and symbols added to their pin. "Finally got it" Djeen muttered looking at his reflection in the mirror, the other pilots in the room giving him strange looks. Djeen hastily left the room, not wanting to miss the chief pilot instructor's important announcement.
"I have hated every moment of those long, Insufferable years I have had to train you all." "Three whole years of my life, gone like that," the chief pilot instructor yelled. "ARE YOU HAPPY MAGGOTS!!" "YES SIR!" each and every pilot screamed. "I look forwards to seeing you fight", the chief pilot instructor said, a tear in his eye.
Every single pilot rushed to their dorms. Each one gathering their things and packing their belongings as fast as they can. In order to get onto one of the landships that strode across the terrain with their massive treads, you had to get there first. Naturally Djeen ran to the landship with Tarin onboard. Djeen was followed by Saron, Kalith and Tson. Many other cadets who've names where never known fled towards Djeen's landship. Tarin, Djeen, Saron, and Kalith where among the best pilots in the training core and Tson was an amazing tank operator and mechanic. Many clamored to get onboard with the most skilled trainees but few where allowed on the landship. The fifty most skilled trainees where forced onto the landship. With twenty spots left, everyone wanted to get onboard. Unlike most other sandships, this one didn't abide by the name rank system. While most other cadets where sent to sandships D1 to D9, Djeen was sent to Starship 1. Starship 1 was named this way because most of its pilots would earn the gold star award, accepting them as aces. Starship 1 would also become the star of the 2 year war and would later contain generations of aces to come. Starship 1 was also equipped with much stronger technology than others, Its main guns where two sizes bigger, It had two extra barrels on its anti air systems, and it had twice the heavy cannons than others. It was the first dreadnought produced by the empire of steam and if the war was lost. It would be the last.
Djeen stomped across the battlefield once more, a heavy cannon held in both his hands. He aimed. He fired. Another human being perished from the earth in a ball of fury. He reloaded. He aimed. His gun exploded in his hands. The searing heat on Djeen's face broke him out of his trance. He was a murderer. A killer. He took lives with no regard for the consequences. How many had died at his hands? How many families where grieving? How many waited for their son to come home? How many had heard the horrible news? How many hated him? He was a criminal. A serial killer. He fought for Justice. Twisted, Corrupted Justice. He was fighting for his country. At the expense of the other country. Djeen dropped his shield, Stirred back into battle. These were nameless soldiers. They knew they were going to die. They chose to die. Did they? Did they care? Did they feel the same? Djeen shook himself. He drew his sword. A shell rammed into his mech's arm. Its left arm. His sword fell to the ground. His arm too. Shell after shell rammed into his mech's body. Armor cracked. His Chrystal reactor shut down. His power levels dropped. Fuel and oil spilled out of him. The mech fell to the ground. Everything went black. Again.
"Jeez', if you sleep in any later we will have to move your bed to the engine room. "Heeeellooooooo!" "anyone there. Djeen opened his tear soaked eyes to see Tarin bending over him. "Djeen you've been crying again," "you've got to get that checked out," Tarin said as he walked out of the barracks. Djeen slipped his uniform on and looked at his desk. a small box sat there. Djeen opened the box and found his new pin. two copper bars, a copper wing, and a single copper star. he was a class two private and a pilot. He was also a junior ace, later to earn his wings in combat. Memories flashed through his head. no. Dreams flashed through his head. They felt so real. Where they memories or dreams? Djeen shook his head and attached his pin as he walked out of the barracks. Djeen stood still. Sand flew through the air as the landship trudged on. Starship 1 would lead the charge. Its crew members would be the first to fight. The first to die. Djeen shook his head once more. Nobody would die. Djeen strode towards the eating hall. The ship's captain would be making a special statement.
"I welcome you all aboard Starship 1!" the captain yelled, his voice reaching the junior aces sitting in the front, the skilled soldiers and officers in the middle and the 20 lucky troops in the back. The trainees sat in the lunchroom, the tables arranged to form rows of seats. The captain and the experienced soldiers and officers behind him stood on a large platform hastily constructed for the grand speech. "You today sit here. serve here. Under the Empire of Steam." "You joined the military of your own will. 50 of you were forced here onto this ship. thrown headfirst into enemy lines. 20 of you were foolish enough to want a spot on the front lines." I welcome you. To Starship 1. The ship of destiny.
