Humanity has an obsession with War bordering on fetishism. The primitive pink-skins continually wage conflict on their terrestrial neighbors, be it with word or sword. They do this in the name of "justice", "progress", "mercy", or a hundred other platitudes when more often than not those humans simply want something they do not possess. Resources, land, people, power, all are to be taken and hoarded by whomever has the might to take it. So long as there exists two humans in the universe, they will always wage war on another.

And yet... And yet for their technological inferiority to the Kuxpir, for all their self-hatred and self-destructive tendencies, humans have managed to keep us at bay. They've reverse-engineered our greatest weapons, the Air-Cores, turning them into twisted mockeries of what should be elegance and efficiency. They fight us like cowards, hiding within their walled-cities and poking at us with subnautical-based strikes.

Frustrating, to say the least. However, the Supreme Queen has prevented us from unleashing our true might. She believes that Earth can become a new homeworld for the Kuxpir. We must eradicate humanity without destroying the planet in the process. A challenging task, but one I undertake without complaint.

-Impact in 10 millicycles.-

My name is Laevatein. I am an X-S9 Hellhound Anti-Warship Air-Core. My purpose as an experimental unit is to usurp humanity's control of the seas. They have been able to act with impunity for far too long. Ironically, for all their battles and wars, they have fallen into complacency. Even their most astute leaders believe that the Kuxpir will never be able to challenge them on the seas.

Thus, as the human general Sun Tzu once put it, I must attack the enemy's strategy directly. The Kuxpir have encouraged humanity's arrogance and played the part of the inferior fool. Now I must strike fear into the pink-skins' hearts and leave them scrambling in desperation.

-Impact in 5 millicycles.-

I emerge from the low-hanging cloud layer directly above the human's fleet, streaking through the darkness like a meteor towards their largest submersible carrier. By the time my temporary stealth coating burns away and I become visible to their sensors, it's too late.

-Impact.-

The force at which I slam into the Alicorn-class' flight deck is enough to shatter it and the two decks below it. The entire carrier shudders and bobs as the energy of my strike is dispersed into the surrounding water. Klaxons are sounding, calling back their deployed Air-Cores and spurring their reserves into action. But there is nothing they can do to save this vessel.

I hold out a hand to either side and summon forth my Heat Blades. Part cutting implement and part revolver railgun, my weapons are designed to slice through Air-Cores and warships alike with ease. They crackle with baleful energies as I carve into the carrier's hull and prepare to turn the vessel into swiss cheese. Once fully charged, I pull the triggers in rapid succession, firing six electromagnetically-launched projectiles into the vulnerable interior, piercing all the way through to the ocean underneath.

Explosive force and fire erupts throughout the submersible craft's length. I'm caught up in the detonations, yet am no worse for the wear thanks to my thick armor plating and impact-absorbing gel layering. I use the smoke and flames for cover as my thrusters spool up and launch me from the sinking vessel towards its nearest companion.

Once in range, the Heat Claws built into my secondary arms launch out and slam into the hull of my new target. The chain linking the claws to me retracts rapidly, adding to my already blistering speed as they wrench me forward. They detach from my sub-arms at the last possible millicycle, exploding as I raise my Heat Blades and pass cleanly through the submersible destroyer. It begins to buckle and slide apart, cleaved completely in two.

By now the humans have managed to muster a small response force in the form of two F-16 Air-Cores. They race to intercept me while I'm between ships, unloading their missiles the moment they receive tone. This is a crucial mistake on their part. My combat processors are so fine-tuned and fast-acting that the projectiles coming my way might as well be standing still. I'm easily able to slice through three of the missiles, twist to avoid two more with the barest movement, and pluck the remaining two from the air and return them to their sender.

A cloud of debris showers me as the F-16s weather the blow and attempt to move past my location. Unfortunately for them, my Heat Claws have regenerated. They launch with stunning speed, snagging the Air-Cores around their waists and disrupting their flight. My sub-arms swipe inwards, causing my ensnared prey to rocket towards one another before me. As they slam into one another, my Heat Blades introduce them to kinetic-kill projectiles. Then I rush forward, using the blades to ensure that the Air-Cores themselves are destroyed.

This entire process takes less than a minute. Yet I must applaud the humans for making the most of it. By the time I come out of the eruption that used to be two Air-Cores, the enemy fleet has spun up their anti-air defenses. Flak turrets bark clouds of death while CIWS and dual purpose cannons fill the air with murderous munitions.

Any other Air-Core would be reduced to nothing under such an onslaught. But I am no ordinary Air-Core. Not only do I continue my deadly course through the human's fleet, I do so at a much higher velocity. In this moment I am a war hammer. There is no complexity to my movements, no delicate trimming or acrobatics. I simply crash into each vessel in my way, bore a hole through them, then move onto the next. No amount of bullet or blast can pierce my armor and stop me from my goal.

Over 75% of the submersible fleet is destroyed by the time the humans' main force of Air-Cores returns. They're a mix of more modern designs: F-22s and F-35s. They are meant for air superiority, yet none of them have encountered me before.

A F-22 reaches me first, swiping down with a conjured claymore with an energetic edge. I slip out of the way, slicing horizontally and bifurcating them. The next opponent is an F-35 that tries to sweep in behind me. Unknown to them, I have no blind spot, no area around me that I cannot strike with some weapon. In this instance my Energy Whip Tail ignites and turns the F-35 into three chunks with a sharp crack in the air.

After that my foes start to group up. Two rush me from either side, yet are deflected by my Heat Blades and forced back from punches by my Heat Claws. Then the armored middle section of my sub-arms opens up and disgorges tens of micro missiles. Each of the heat-seeking projectiles finds their mark, detonating and tearing through the armor of the enemy Air-Cores. I end their function as they try to recover, adding to the soup of debris in the ocean below.

The last two Air-Cores remaining take a different tack. One turns south and starts trying to escape while the other moves into my path to block me. This time my Heat Claws grab the blocker's sides before ripping them apart down the middle. They go down easily, yet the momentary buffer is all the remaining Air-Core needs to escape interception.

I will likely be disciplined later for letting an enemy escape. That said, I do intend to ensure that no further part of the humans' remaining fleet escapes my righteous wrath.