"And here comes in the question of whether it is better to be loved rather than feared, or feared rather than loved. It might perhaps be answered that we should wish to be both; but since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved. For of men it may generally be affirmed, that they are thankless, fickle, false studious to avoid danger, greedy of gain, devoted to you while you are able to confer benefits upon them and ready as I said before, when danger is distant, to shed their blood, and sacrifice their property, their lives, and their children for you; but in the hour of need they turn against you."

-Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince

Chapter 1 - Failure

Earth - Wednesday, March, 15th, 5575 A.D. - Present Day

An armored figure stood motionless inside a shallow trench overlooking a pockmarked battlefield. The final command post had fallen days ago. All that remained of humanity's front-line command structure stood before him. A group of quivering men with a single malfunctioning radio split between them. Simon, the commander, turned his head to the left and watched the sunset on what he knows will be mankind's last day.

Beneath the horizon, hundreds of transport vehicles are frantically delivering the last supplies they can to the Ark, High Commands secret project that will supposedly save us all.

Fat chance.

Simon turned his head to the right and looked out onto the blackened blood-soaked battlefield that had once been Tokyo, The Last City on Earth. No trace of mankind's existence could be seen. All that remained was crumbling jet-black rocks, their glossy glass-like surface reflecting the sunset and painting the battlefield an eerie red. Just beyond the ridge, hidden beneath a curtain of never-ending artillery fire, 'they' could be seen. Unholy abominations that never should have existed within this reality, much less within the realm of man. Their shape and size varied wildly. Some were as small as ants while others were larger than the orbital shuttles humanity had once used to travel among the stars before being chased screaming back to Earth.

[Magnify]

Simon's worst fears were realized as one of those shuttle-sized horrors lumbered forward. A gaping puss-filled module, seemingly torn into the creature's head, slowly started to emit a black light as two voices spoke at once.

{{Originator.}}

{Artoria, have all remaining batteries focus fire on that damned thing!}

{Aye!}

The commander turned back towards his still reporting men. It wasn't that he didn't care about what they had to say; he was just able to focus on multiple things at once.

"Sir! Lucian, Tag Alargo, Derango, Echo, Gina, Havel, and Deelyle's squads are confirmed KIA. No word on Rosa's or Kara's Squad." The Sargent reported quickly, receiving only a grunt in reply before Simon started barking orders.

"Henrick, Have all mortar squads aim at 1134/231e immediately! Johnson, gather whatever we have left. Wake up anyone still sleeping. Drag the wounded out and arm them. Tape them to their guns if you have to." Simon's gaze focused in on the second shuttle-sized object emerging from just beyond the line of fire, followed closely behind by dozens more. "This is it."

Johnson's face paled, but the man refused to give purchase to his fear. He gave his commander a single sharp salute and disappeared off into the muddy trench.

Simon tilted his head upwards and shifted his gaze to the black clouds closing in overhead while holding out an armored hand. A single raindrop landed within his grasp causing him to shake his head as the centarium plating on his armor began to sizzle.

Not even the rain had been spared the monster's corruption. Simon thought through a grimace while fastening his helmet.

{Darlin, How much longer does the Exodus need?}

Artoria sighs softly in his head before replying, {30 minutes. The wormhole drive is still charging.}

Simon merely shook his head, {Can't believe it's come to this. Have you figured out what that thing even does yet?}.

{No, All of the plans have been written down on non-digital media and kept out of sight, most likely to prevent me from being able to do so.}

The commander slams his fist against a nearby 30mm steel barrier and punches right through it.

{High Command, Even at the end of the world, they're still acting like cunts.}

Artoria's soft laughter resounded in his thoughts, causing the tired soldier to smile slightly.

A large explosion rocked the shallow trench, knocking several soldiers onto the sizzling ground. Screams echo throughout the battlefield as exposed flesh begal sloshing off of bones. A single man crawled his way towards Simon, begging for help. The commander closes his eyes, shaking his head before a heavy boot crushed the melting man's skull. There was nothing that could be done for him. Thus he ended it.

Simon raised his leg and shook off the clinging bits of dissolving flesh, and observed the battlefield. The remaining artillery pieces had already shifted targets. The original originator had been torn to shreds while the next three were missing several of their legs, rendering them immobile. Around him, some of the men started to cheer as the second one burst into a wave of black liquid. When one of these monsters dies, no remains are left behind. Instead, they erupt into a thick black sludge that seeps into the ground, poisoning the earth. All that’s left is a glassy black rock, creatively named, ‘void rock’ by humanity's scientists.

Simon holds up a hand to quiet the still cheering men, "It's not over. That wasn't even the beginning." he states as dozens more appear behind the black wave.

12 Minutes Later

“Sir! We've lost contact with the left-wing!"

Simon shook his head, "Return to your positions. We'll hold them here." One of the nearby soldiers who had come to report screamed out, "If we stay here, we're all going to die!"

The commander's closed eyes opened as he stared directly into the shaking soldier's own.

"You can glare at me all you want! I'm le-" The soldiers disobedient words never managed to leave his parted lips. All eyes within range widened as the complaining man's left and right sides slid apart while his guts splashed onto the floor. Simon casually flicked the blood off his vibroblade and returned it to the sheath on his leg.

His icy gaze swept over the remaining men, "Return. To. Your. Positions."

Several soldiers gulped loudly, but no one said a word, and quietly returned to their positions with a vacant look in their eyes.

{Simon, an origination cannon is charging at 1135/233g}

Simon's booming voice screeched across the communicator, "All units, aim at 1135/233g. Artoria, switch to speaker mode."

Artoria's regal voice played across the palisade suits external speaker system, "'Origination cannon charge estimated to be at 87%. 89%. 9-"

"All units, prepare to fire! Aim at the glowing object across the ridge!"

"97, 98"

"Fire!"

All at once, several cannons hidden deep within the trench began spitting out fire, each shot causing the very ground to quake. Several of the more unlucky men were buried alive as sections of the tunnel collapsed on themselves from the shockwave generated by the firing cannons.

"Artoria!"

"Volley Ineffective! Origination Cannon Preliminary Power Supplies damaged. Estimated current charge 91% and increasing!"

"Shit! Right-wing get out o-" Darkness descended upon the blood-stained world for a single moment, yet when the light returned, all that remained of the right-wing was an empty void.

Simon grit his teeth loudly, {How are they doing?}

Artoria chimed in, {Roughly 15 more minutes.}

Simon's vision zoomed in as he recorded the sight in front of him, {Send that footage to command. They've got 5 minutes, maybe 10, at most, IF they use the transports as a shield to delay their advance.}

Artoira's digital avatar nodded in the corner of his vision. Suddenly the woman's green eyes opened wide, {Simon!}

The entire world shook violently, hurling everyone and everything to the ground. Even the towering horrors approaching quickly had been knocked off balance and started crushing their allies during their frantic attempts to stay upright.

The commander quickly got to his feet and scaled the trench wall in a single bound.

Simon closed his eyes and grimaced. Nearby frantic footsteps could be heard splashing wildly in the gore-soaked trench.

"C-Commander!"

"I know."

Simon replied while opening his eyes, staring briefly at the child soldier standing before him. He couldn’t have been older than twelve years old. Simon quietly shifted his icy gaze south, where the allied encampment was located nearly twentyfive kilometers away.

Off in the distance, a mushroom cloud reaching far beyond the exosphere could be seen among the now burning sky.

The child quietly fell to his knees, holding his head in his hands, mumbling incoherently. Simon quickly approached the boy and ruffled his hair with an outstretched hand while his other hand gave the boy a quick, painless death.

{Estimated time till blast wave arrival, 70 seconds, estimated time till oxygen depletion, 175 seconds.}

Simon briefly nodded his head at Artoria's words.

{So that's how humanity ends then, eh? A spectacular failure rather than a blaze of glory. What a shame.}

Simon turned towards the few remaining men still standing.

"Everyone, That's it. High Command finally finished what 'they' couldn't. Fucking idiots set the atmosphere on fire. Can't say I'm supprised." He sighed loudly, "Let's at least make them remember we were here, that we existed, and that we fought till the end."

Simon approached one of the nearby crumbling walls and swiftly scaled the trench.

{That was a horrible final speech, you know. Fufu.} Artoria’s soft laughter caused a grim smile to appear beneath his battered helmet.

{Yeah, I know. Next time, you do it.}

{Heh, It'd be an honor.}

"No, the honor has been mine, Darlin."

No more words were spoken as a lone soldier crossed the trenches threshold. His booming footsteps were drowned out by the constant metallic pings of bolter fire ricocheting widely off his armor, followed closely behind by an unstoppable wave of destruction crowned with a burning sky.