On the Wings of Cranes [Eighty-Six: 86]

Prologue: Invasion

Stellar Year 2139

Transmission One: ...Buzz ...eral- Gene- ...buzz ... ...over- ...Buzz... the base! ...Buzz...buzz... not ... hold- Buzz... long ...Buzz-
[Transmission One Ends]

Transmission Two: ...Buzz... .......buzz.... Someone screamed ....buzz... buzz... Fuck!... buzz... et -way ...buzz... buzz... oming! ...many of- ...buzz... ... machines! ...buzz...
[Transmission Two Ends]

Transmission Three:  ...Buzz...buzz.... ... Reinforce- ...buzz... ... need to-- ...buzz ... ... Retre- buzz...... monst-
[Transmission Three Ends]

All transmissions that had been received by the Communication Corp at the main Eastern military base since a day ago were without exception, filled with the same terrifying sounds. Sounds that would give a grown man nightmares and turn their blood ice-cold. In between the jarring sounds of statics, desperate screams and bullets and explosions continued through the entire durations of all received transmissions. Screams were silenced when strange metallic whirring sounds arrived. And the eerie aftermath when there was nothing, but static. One moment, the smaller bases around and near the border to the East were filled with laughing soldiers and activities, the next, cleared of all life.     

Around a large square table, a group of uniformed men dressed in deep Prussian blue and white listened to the transmissions. At the twentieth-something transmission, a man with glasses perched low on his nose slammed his fist on the table. 

"Shit! What the hell is going on? What is this monstrous machine we keep hearing about?" he growled.

"The North and South bases are receiving the same transmissions from the border! Communication is becoming more difficult the more time passes. Something- those machines, whatever they are, is trying to block us. We must be under attack!" Another man seethed.

"Who could it be? Damn them!"

"The Giad Empire is to the East, isn't it? This whole bloody thing started at the East border."

"What should we do? We have been trying to get in contact with military bases stationed beyond the borders of other countries and none are answering us! We have to assume they are either in the same position as us or we are the only target. Either way, at the rate our bases are going dark, it's only a matter of time before this base is overrun."

"We have sent all updated reports on the situation to the headquarters in the Capital. What we must do now is to prepare the surrounding areas for evacuation."

Someone gritted his teeth. They were loath to admit the Republic of San Magnolia was inferior to that Eastern backwater country, if it really was them, but they were lacking the technological capacity to defend themselves effectively.

"Saint saves us all."

***

Grandmother Brunnhilde looked haggard as she ran a hand over her face.

"I have always known that fox will die before me. But I didn't think it would be this early." She said.

Then, Brunnhilde shook her head and smiled softly, "He was always talking about dying like a soldier in the battlefield and how it would have been an honour. In the end, he had his wish. He wouldn't want us to grieve his sacrifice."

Her eyes darkened.

"The Giad Empire had all but declared war on all countries. The Republic had suffered heavy losses in just a few days. More than a fifth of her soldiers are dead."

"It's the fault of those old guards who refuse want to listen to grandfather and others! We have been saying the same things for years. Our technology is lagging too far behind. Now, see where that gets us." Mother said, eyes flashing with hot silver.

"Blaming anyone now won't do us any good."

Mother harrumphed, and said, "All Father and the soldiers could do is to gain us time while the Republic prepares. We are at a severe disadvantage. Except for throwing living humans against those drones, this is all the Republic could do. They might resort to forced conscription on all civilians." Grandmother nodded, brows drawn tightly together.

Sophia glanced between the two older women who had become quiet.

War was something that she always saw on paper and behind screens, across thousands of miles of oceans and lands and time. Now, it was right on the doorstep of her home.

No matter what world it was, some things never change. 

She crumpled the edge of her yellow dress as she imagined a tsunami of humanoid robots trampling bodies under their feet, splatters of blood and body parts everywhere.

"Will father and mother go to war?" Her voice cracked. Suddenly, she was afraid of the answer. Living without parents in one life is enough.

All eyes, silver and indigo, turned to her, then at each other before turning back to her again.

It took a heartbeat for someone to break the silence.

"We will have to wait and see what the government decides to do."

Mother squashed Sophia against her side.

"It will be alright. And... it's the pride of the Henrich Family to fight for our homeland."

No matter what the outcome is.

Sophia pursed her lips. She could hear the unspoken word in the air. Even when her brother's warm hand held hers, she couldn't shake the chill that had seeped into her skin.

After all, what could old human-operated machines do against Artificial Intelligence programmed to murder all humans in sight?