New Terra: The First Wave (Volume 1 of the New Terra Trilogy)

Chapter II- This is War

"Hello?" Queen Radcliffe called. "Is anyone home?"
"The lights are off," Avi observed. "Why are the doors unlocked, then?"
"Mai must've forgotten to lock up." Queen Radcliffe felt the wall and flipped on the light switch once she found it.
The lights in the building turned on in rows, starting at the front and moving to the back. Every gun and melee weapon in the store was revealed.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Queen Radcliffe asked.
"I would not call methods of killing 'beautiful'," Jane whimpered.
"I wonder if Mai will remember me," Queen Radcliffe said, looking through the weapons. "We haven't talked since our childhood. Plus, she's so into her work that she doesn't care much about the outside world. Probably doesn't even know what year it is."
"She loves her job that much?" Avi asked. "Now that's some dedication..."
The doors slammed shut behind Queen Radcliffe, Avi, and Jane. A woman, bound from head to toe in leather clothing, walked in. Her hands were pressed against her hips as she walked. Two androids followed in her wake.
"Damn right, that's some dedication," the woman said. She drew two pistols from her belt and aimed them at Jane and Avi. "Now... Who the hell are you three?"
"M-Mai?" Queen Radcliffe asked.
"M-hm. That's me."
"It's me. Honey. Honey Radcliffe? Remember me?"
"You sound familiar. Angus?"
The android on the right, the size of a wrecking ball, stomped up to Queen Radcliffe and lifted her up by the neck.
"Mai?" Queen Radcliffe choked.
"Jerrybot?" Mai asked. "Watch over these two?"
The other android, the size of a human, took Mai's pistols and aimed them at Jane and Avi.
"Angus, let her breathe."
Angus grabbed Queen Radcliffe by the waist before letting go of her neck. Queen Radcliffe shakily caught her breath.
"Now, I haven't been listening to the news lately, so I don't know if you're some sort of clone or something."
"Clone?" Queen Radcliffe asked. "Are you crazy?"
"I'm not crazy, I'm cautious. I'm gonna ask you some questions now; get them right, and I'll believe you're really Honey Radcliffe. Number one: what's my full name?"
"Mai Jamison Devereaux," Queen Radcliffe answered immediately.
"Good job. That one was easy, though. Number two: how old were we when me met?"
"I was seven years old, and you were five. It was the day before your sixth birthday."
"Good job again, possible-Honey." Mai gave Queen Radcliffe a slow clap. "Number three: Jerrybot and Angus here. I made one myself. Which one was it?"
"You made Jerrybot. Easy. He looks like a dog vomited on my father's corpse."
"Good description," Mai praised. "You're starting to sound like Honey. Number four: why do I like guns so much?"
Queen Radcliffe hesitated. "Oh, that's right. You shot yourself in the leg once. You got really angry and disassembled the gun you shot yourself with. You got really interested in the mechanics of the gun, and began taking guns apart and redesigning them."
"Good. And finally, number five: what was the first thing I ever said to you?"
"You said that my hair reminded you of a poodle's."
Angus dropped Queen Radcliffe to the ground. Mai picked Queen Radcliffe up and bear hugged her. "Honey Radcliffe is back!" Mai yelled. "The legend is back!"
---
"So," Mai asked, "Do you wanna introduce me to your new friends?"
"Sure," Queen Radcliffe agreed. "This is Jane Dawson, my personal assistant, and Avi Rolán, my pilot."
"And why do you need my service?" Mai asked. Her androids walked up behind her and stood their ground.
"The Primal Terror, the new King of Bristinon, might place an embargo on all Bristinese trades tonight."
"So?" Mai asked. "Why should I care?"
"Because that will kill our economy. People, including you, will go into debt. We need this war so that Bristinon will continue trading with us."
"And why would they want to trade with the planet who killed its soldiers because of an embargo?"
Queen Radcliffe stared at Mai blankly. "Look, this war will not only benefit us, but also several other planets who trade with Bristinon. It could even save Bristinon from a potential economic collapse. If he places the embargo, I'll lead troops to try and persuade the Primal Terror to repeal it. If he doesn't repeal it... Boom. Headshot."
"...Can I kill people if you go to war?" Mai asked.
"Only if things go south."
"Thank you." Mai snapped her fingers. "You two can drop the act," she said.
Jerrybot and Angus simultaneously slouched and sighed. "Thank you for putting us through that senseless torture!" Jerrybot exclaimed. "Could I remind how hard it is to act differently than how you were programmed?"
"I am sorry for choking you," Angus apologized. "Let me show you that I'm sorry."
Angus hugged Queen Radcliffe. "An...gus... Y-you're breaking my... Back..." Queen Radcliffe wheezed.
"Oh! I am sorry!" Angus apologized, letting Queen Radcliffe free.
"Buggers, aren't they?" Mai asked.
"They are," Queen Radcliffe agreed. "Will they be willing to fight with us?"
"Jerrybot can. I'm not sure if Angus will kill or apologize on the battlefield."
Jerrybot rushed over to Queen Radcliffe. "Hello!" He greeted. "I am Jerrybot! It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"Same to you," Queen Radcliffe said, shaking Jerrybot's hand. Jerrybot's jaw unhinged, creating a smile-like allusion.
"You're a Queen!" Jerrybot exclaimed. "You're so cool!"
"You think I'm cool?" Queen Radcliffe asked. "You're an android!"
"Aww..." Jerrybot put his hands behind his back and dragged his foot across the ground.
Queen Radcliffe and Mai looked over at Jane and Avi. The two were being cuddled by Angus, who softly hummed a tune. Queen Radcliffe smiled and waved.
"So, us six and your army versus one of the most powerful militaries ever?" Mai asked. She giggled to herself quietly. "When do we start?"
The lights in the store flickered. The outside crowd began screaming. The ground shook as explosions rang in the distance.
"We start now," Queen Radcliffe answered in a panic. "Go! GO!"
---
Queen Radcliffe led the group outside. Bombs dropped from the air from large black Zeppelins. People were running around, screaming. Bodies and rubble littered the ground.
Mai climbed on top of Angus and stood on his shoulders. "Run away!" She shouted. "Find your loved ones, and get to safety! NOW!"
Jane tripped over rubble. Avi caught her in mid-fall and wrapped his arm around her as the two ran. Jerrybot held up the rear of the group, occasionally look up at the Zeppelins.
"Get to the Bird, now!" Queen Radcliffe yelled.
"We don't need a bird right now!" Mai protested. "We need a way out of here!"
"No, not a bird! The Bird! It's Avi's aircraft!"
"Nine seats, including the pilot's seat," Avi yelled. "It can reach warp speeds easily! It's a present from my daughter!"
"Will Angus fit?" Jane asked. "He may be a bit too large..."
"I am sorry if I do not fit," Angus apologized. "I cannot control my weight. I was created like this."
"There! On top of that cliff!" Queen Radcliffe yelled, pointing off into the distance.
The six dodged bombs and stray rubble as they climbed the cliff. Avi sprinted ahead of the group and jumped into the pilot's seat. Queen Radcliffe, Mai, Jane, and Jerrybot climbed into the back. Angus tried squeezing his way into the back, to no avail.
"I can only get upper half in!" Angus yelled. "My waist is too big!"
"Just hold onto something, Angus!" Queen Radcliffe yelled. "Avi, start the Bird already!"
"We don't have all damn day!" Mai added.
The Bird's engine roared to life. The Bird lifted a few feet into the air before leaning back.
"I am too heavy!" Angus yelled. "I am sorry!"
"Everyone, move to the front of the Bird!" Jane yelled. She, Queen Radcliffe, Mai, and Jerrybot rushed to the front, causing an even weight distribution to level the Bird out.
The Bird struggled to fly with all of its weight. The speed of the Bird was massively reduced. Avi flew the group towards Queen Radcliffe's castle. Avi maneuvered through bombs, stray rubble and debris, and low-flying Zeppelins.
Mai hugged Jerrybot as he began panicking. Queen Radcliffe and Jane held hands, chanting a prayer together. "There is a lot of violence," Angus yelled. "I do not like violence."
"We're here!" Avi yelled to the others. "The castle isn't getting bombed. There's not a single scratch on it, actually."
"What do you mean, it wasn't bombed?" Queen Radcliffe asked, looking out of the window. "Why wouldn't my castle get bombed?"
"Probably because cities have more innocent people," Mai suggested. "More lives would be taken."
"Uh- Queen Radcliffe?" Jane called. "You might want to have a look at this."
Queen Radcliffe looked back out of the window. Standing alone in front of the castle was a lone blue figure.
"The Primal Terror," Queen Radcliffe whispered.