Steel Jihad

PART I

ARM base on Luschinfoggen sector Alpha-Epsilon.

      The ground shook with every shell that landed.
      The base was under a full scale attack, and the squad captain had to see his best
      men die in battle, most of them dying a soldier's death, while firing at the swarm of
      incoming troops.
      Others were killed where they stood. On the background, the sound of artillery fire
      was getting louder.
      Even that, the captain clearly heard the commander's orders:
      "Flank through sector three! There's a vacuum on area 57 there! MOVE OUT!"
      A force of three PeeWee units and 5 Warriors proceeded to the designated spot. CORE
      forces kept coming.
      -"Sir, up in the hill, look!" - PeeWee #2 yelled. The captain looked up, and
      immediately recognized the hill as hill 152, the highest spot in the area. He saw 3
      Fidos and about 9 Rockos who where desperately holding the offending forces off.
      -"Bugs incoming, 8 o'clock!" The PeeWee's weapons locked on the target. -"FIRE IN
      THE HALL!" six shells were fired from the PeeWee's cannon, ripping the AK into half.
      The CORE assault was huge. There wasn't an accurate death toll, but at least 100
      troops were KIA.
      -"We're getting our asses kicked here! We need back up! NOW!" -Garcia radioed.
      -"No units available, Private. The fronts are all covered!"
      Garcia engaged a battle with a Sumo. The last thing he saw was an incoming laser
      beam.
      * * * * *
      Garcia woke up in sickbay, his arm covered with bandages and suffering from a
      headache. He looked at his chart. -"Broken arm, Punctured lung, Concussion... A
      miracle I'm still alive." He lied down on the bed again. He looked around and saw
      fellow soldiers suffering from different wounds. He looked at the chart again. It said
      he would be released in two weeks. He lied down and started enjoying his
      unprepared vacation from the PeeWee squad.

Luschinfoggen sector Alpha-Gamma.

      -"Hawk 1 from Blue-jay squad reporting. Incoming CORE hovers. Construction units, I
      count about 6 of them."
      -"Roger that Hawk 1. This is eagle patrol 759. Affirmatives on 6 hovers, I repeat:
      affirmative on 6 hovers. Blue-jay squad, you are authorized to use deadly force in
      case of aggression."
      -"I copy that Eagle patrol. Radar has just detected another incoming force. I think
      they're bugs."
      -"Go get 'em"
      -"That's a roger. Tally-ho!"

Luschinfoggen sector Gamma-Beta.

      Sergeant Waters was sleeping on the barracks, his Zeus Kbot waiting to be manned.
      Suddenly the alarm was sounded. -"ALERT! ALERT! ENEMY TROOPS INBOUND!
      ALERT! ALERT!" Waters stood up and ran to his Kbot. He entered the suit and did a
      system check. All systems go. He ran out to the open. -"RED-WING SQUADRON
      REPORT!"- He radioed to his team. All 12 members were ready for action. The
      hangar doors opened. In front of the team was the base wall, a 10 foot tall concrete
      wall. On the wall were the laser cannons. They were firing like mad. Waters didn't
      have time to think when he was first hit. Fortunately for him, it was only a scratch.
      -"Divide into Dynamo formation. Two teams! ORDERS ARE SHOOT TO KILL!"
      -Waters radioed.
      Explosions where everywhere. The base was caught completely by surprise. A lot of
      K-bots where being repaired. The pilots of those K-bots grabbed anything they could
      fire and went out to the field.
      It wasn't long before CORE forces were erased from the area, but then the real
      surprise came.
      -"INCOMING!" -a gunner yelled. All eyes looked to the skies. A missile was headed
      straight to the base. Everyone started praying almost simultaneously. The defense
      systems locked on the target. Three missiles were fired. One of them missed
      completely. Another exploded in mid-air. The last one went straight to the missile
      exploding into a green fireball.
      A vamp diamond formation crossed through the smoke screen blocking all sunlight.
      Like a ballet, the vamps released their missiles. The total number of inbound missiles
      was about 100. Defenders and AA Flanks where shooting at an incredible rate.
      -"LOOK AT THE BRIGHT SIDE!" -a gunner yelled.
      -"WHAT BRIGHT SIDE?" -his partner replied.
      -"AT LEAST THOSE AREN'T NUKES!" -the gunner yelled again.
      -"THEY'RE FIRING ABOUT 100 MISSILES AT US! THEY DON'T NEED GODD@MN
      NUKES!" -a corporal yelled.
      The missiles were landing. A Flakker exploded into pieces. From his bunker, the base
      commander could only keep the track of his KIA soldiers. The missiles kept dropping.
      The base fuel depots went up in flames almost instantly. A missile hit the armory.
      A blast was heard. That was the cue for the rest of the assault forces. CORE
      trigger-happy troops entered the base, slaughtering
      ARM soldiers. Waters ran into the command bunker. Apparently it had taken a hit. He
      saw the commander, lying dead next to his unused suit. He activated the
      self-destruction sequence and waited. No way in hell they would take him alive.

ARM base on Luschinfoggen sector Alpha-Epsilon.

      -"Commander, All contact had been lost with Gamma-Beta sector, but we know that
      CORE had massive jamming on the area a few hours ago." -"An attack..." -"We
      believe so, Sir." -"Dismissed, soldier." The soldier exited the room. The commander
      walked towards the radar tower. When the commander entered, soldiers saluted him.
      He entered the radio room. -"Commander! What is the reason for your sudden visit to
      our facility?" An officer asked -"Gamma-Beta base just bit the dust. Now we are the
      only surviving ARM troops on Luschinfoggen, and we can't hold on for long. I need
      you to send a message to Empyrean, tell them the CORE is coming, and coming
      hard." -"Yes sir! On the double" The officer started the radio transfer. The
      commander walked to his command bunker.

PART II

ARM base on Luschinfoggen sector Alpha-Epsilon

      The base was recovering from the assault that happened two weeks ago. CORE
      forces did so much damage that the commander thought they'd never end with the
      repairs. Garcia was now back in his squad, training hard. Everything seemed normal,
      and apparently was. -"OK listen up, girls! Some of you where WIA. Don't let it happen
      again. We just received orders. We're leadin' a huge assault force, right after the
      Zippers. Command says that after it we'll evacuate to a nearby planet. Understood?"
      PeeWee sergeant Holmes said -"YES SIR!" the entire squad replied. -"Very well then,
      sissies. Dismissed". The troops scattered around the compound, some heading for
      the barracks, others for the shooting ranges. Garcia walked to the Close Combat
      range. The scene of that laser beam hitting him didn't leave his mind. He attempted
      several times to recreate the situation, succeeding in duplicating it only once. This
      time he did it right. He dodged the laser and fired at one of the Sumo's legs. The
      huge behemoth collapsed under his weight, exploding. Garcia did this exercise again
      and again. He convinced himself that he'd never be hit again.
      * * * * *
      -"T-Minus 10 hours 'til evac, Garcia. Don't scr3w up this one!" -"Shut up Carl. Let's
      go!" Two PeeWee K-bots exited the hangar and regrouped with their squad. -"Ok,
      Everyone line up for checking!" The PeeWees ran to their places, as a Warrior K-bot
      passed in front of them. -"Mendez, Check, Garcia, Check, Robertson, Check,
      Winslow, Check..." The Warrior went on and counted every PeeWee in the line.
      -"PeeWee team, Delta Formation. NOW!" The PeeWees regrouped in a triangle
      formation. They walked out of the base, heading for the CORE base on the north.

CORE base on Luschinfoggen sector Beta-Epsilon.

      -"Sarge, ARM troops at Six o'clock!" A spotter AK yelled. -"Everyone man your
      stations! We've got an incoming force here!" Battle scarred K-bots and tanks walked
      to pre-determined stations. The first Zippers were now visible, and the rumble of
      heavy machinery was felt. Vamp Z-17 aircraft, vamps fitted with cameras instead of
      missiles, rushed towards the force for recon and intelligence. The Vamp Z-17 was an
      experimental unit, as ARM forces where about to find out...
      * * * * *
      -"Wasps, Twelve O'clock!" Rockos aimed at the skies and fired. A horde of SAM
      missiles approached the Z-17's rapidly. The pilots maneuvered with great skill, but
      one of them wasn't very lucky. -"Mayday! Mayday! Black Knight 9 is going down!
      Mayday!" -the vamp radioed. -"ARM command, we've got a kill. Wait a minute... I think
      I'm seeing an ejection..." a Rocko radioed. -"Ejection from a CORE aircraft?
      Impossible! Are you sure?" -HQ replied -"Affirmative, HQ. Ejection!" -The Rocko said
      -"Follow the object parachuting and walk towards it when it lands, understood?" -HQ
      answered -"Yes Command. Sending Zipper 860 to check it out. Blue Leader out." -the
      Rocko closed the radio. Zipper 860 broke formation and raced towards the landing
      object. Garcia kept walking, filling the gap made by the Zipper. By this time they were
      entering Punisher fire range. Some minutes later, a shell blew up a Marky Radar
      Tower, and opening the assault. Both ARM and CORE forces ran towards each
      other, meeting in a foggy valley. Garcia turned on his Heat-Seeking radar. Very faint
      signs of the incoming troops. Punishers were still firing, landing painful blows to ARM
      soldiers. Garcia's radar picked up something. -"Leveler Tank, Coming right at me!" he
      radioed. He released the safety off his EMG guns. 6 shells landed on the tank, as
      Garcia reloaded. The tank fired a Plasma Round, and started repairing the damage.
      Garcia dodged the round, fired and reloaded again. A Warrior K-bot joined the fight.
      He fired three EMG shells and gave the kill to Garcia. They stayed together, covered
      by the burning remains of a once proud CORE soldier. -"All forces, advance!" Garcia
      and the Warrior K-bot moved towards the base. They walked between the charred
      debris of people fooled by the CORE's promises. He thought of the men and women
      who died inside these patterned cages. They where filled with promises of eternal
      life, brainwashed by an evil enemy. He and his partner walked between the dead with
      frightening silence, casually checking ARM wreckage for familiar faces. For the
      second time in his life, Garcia had seen the hell of war. A hail of Hollow Point bullets
      hit his frame, interrupting his thoughts. He aimed at the aggressor, and fired. The
      smell of death was in the air, along with the smells of scorched earth and burnt flesh.
      Garcia and his Partner where among the men of the second assault wave. They
      entered a destroyed base. ARM soldiers lied dead, and no CORE unit was within
      range. The once mighty Beta-Epsilon sector was reduced to ashes. Garcia looked at
      the patterning facility. Men and Women lay bare naked between the rocks, dead.
      -"Troops! Listen up! Our attack was more successful than planned. Minelayers are
      now laying time delayed bombs around the galactic gate. You will now cross the
      galactic gate two by two. The co-ordinates have been set to land in a small planet
      named Rigal. Good luck" ARM troops lined up and started crossing the gate. Garcia
      crossed it along with the mysterious Warrior K-bot.

ARM outpost on Rigal, no sector division yet.

      Garcia looked around amazed. He and his Partner crossed twenty minutes after the
      first pair crossed the gate, and already a camp was built. He walked towards what he
      thought was the barracks. He took off his helmet, and cleaned the sweat out of his
      forehead. He was curious about the whereabouts of Zipper 860, since it was
      supposed to return with a CORE object. He asked the highest ranking officer, a
      quartermaster, where was the pilot. He was directed to the main tent, the command
      center. He entered the command center, looked around and saw the zipper. The pilot
      was wearing his uniform, but the K-bot was aside. Garcia walked outside of the K-bot
      and walked to the zipper. -"Hey, are you Zipper 860?" he asked -"Yeah, Why?" He
      replied. -"Oh, I just wanted to know what did you find from that Vamp?" -"Oh...
      Everybody asks that question. Well, I found a pilot chair, with a human looking robot
      on it. It was like a human, only instead of skin, he had metal." -"Really? Weird" -"Tell
      me about it. They're questioning him now." -"Thanks for the info, bye" -"Anytime"
      Garcia walked out more confused then when he entered. He left the tent on his
      uniform, and saw the Warrior K-bot waiting outside. He decided to wait for the pilot to
      leave the K-bot in the Command center. A few minutes later, A tall, blonde woman
      exited the tent. -"Hi. You're that PeeWee pilot that killed the Leveler back in
      Luschinfoggen, right?" -"Yea...Yeah. You're the Warrior Pilot?" -"Yeah. Good job
      there. Maybe we can get to know each other a little better later." -"Sure. I mean, if you
      say so." The woman smiled. She walked away from Garcia. -"Carlos Garcia, You've
      scored big time." He thought.
PART III

Rigal sector Tango-Bravo.

      The tent camp was now starting to take form. The arriving Construction units built a
      few solar collectors and metal extractor, and Mapmakers started dividing the planet
      into sectors. The ARM base was located in Tango-Bravo. There were some local
      villages around, but only one major city, a supposed Gigapolis. Garcia wondered why
      ARM expeditions hadn't voted for colonization of this perfectly calm planet.
      -"Private, welcome to Rigal. This planet was discovered and colonized by Arabian
      refugees from the patternisation of planet earth to CORE prime. I'll be your guide on
      this marvelous tour... " A picture in Garcia's screen said.
      -"Put a sock in it, Ray!"
      -"OK, let's cut to the case. Come back to base, intelligence has something to report."
      -"Roger, on my way"
      Garcia moved his K-bot to base camp. As he entered, all the combat crews were
      gathering in a long line. He walked to his position, and waited. After a few minutes, a
      picture appeared on his screen.
      -"Welcome to planet Rigal, soldiers. As you may know, the entire base is built out of
      survivors from Luschinfoggen. Everyone has already been designated to his
      barracks, and some of you have started patrolling. The population of this planet is
      consisted in a 100% by Islamic religions, not including us. Some of you may come
      from cultural background that has a bloody past with these people. Forget about it.
      Command had a meeting with the leader of the Gigapolis, who said we are welcome
      to stay in this planet. As a sign of good will, we have been asked to silence an
      extremist cult lead by this man: Mohamed Abu Nazer."
      A picture appeared in Garcia's screen, in front of the Intelligence officer's picture.
      -"The cult has a total of about 270 members, having a male majority. There is the
      possibility of children over 14. Whoever agrees to this mission, agrees to kill the
      population above. Anyone willing to accomplish this task, step forward now."
      Garcia looked around. A lone Zipper stood one step after the entire ARM troops. He
      thought about the mission. Could he kill 14-year-old boys?
      A Warrior then walked forward.
      -"Anyone else? You have 90 seconds to decide. If there are less then six men, we'll fill
      the squad with random choices."
      Two PeeWees from his own squad walked forward. He stepped forward himself. The
      woman Garcia had seen walked forward as well. They were a full, six men squadron.
      -"Very well. All the volunteers, walk towards the Command Bunker."
      Garcia walked along with the PeeWees and the Warriors. The Zipper led them, as a
      proud leader. One by one, they entered the bunker.
      -"At ease, soldiers. We're gonna drop you in a suburb named Baab IL Mohamed,
      Gate of Mohammed. It leads to the Gigapolis of Inshalla, Help of God. Your target is
      at the corner of El Alamein and Umar streets. You will infiltrate this building, locate the
      leader and make him call everyone. When they arrive, do your job. Simple, isn't it?"
      -The intelligence officer explained.
      -"Yes Sir!" The group replied.
      -"Good. Load your weapons with live ammo. Expect minor to medium resistance. We
      don't know what those guys have. Now get going!" -Intel said.
      The team loaded the weapons, and entered the awaiting Atlas. They began a
      two hour flight to Inshalla.
      * * * * *
      The team landed on the quiet suburb of Baab IL Mohamed. In perfect co-ordination,
      they secured the LZ. They started walking up the streets toward the Gigapolis. They
      finally arrived to El Alamein Street. The massive military K-bots didn't really step out,
      for the military had guards everywhere around the target building. They arrived at the
      designated corner. An inscription read: "Private Property". The Zipper lined up in front
      of the door, and kicked it down.
      The men inside, caught by surprise, turned around and fired their automatic
      weapons. A hail of bullets hit a Warrior in the chest, causing minor damage.
      Everyone dived for cover. The men inside yelled commands in Arabic, as the K-bots
      fired from behind cars and trees. After a few minutes, two Arabs were down on the
      floor. The Zipper K-bot armed a crawling bomb, and aimed it to the building. A sniper
      round blew it before it reached the target, causing severe damage to a Warrior. The
      K-bot, having taken all the fragments, lied on the ground. Three men charged at the
      ARM troops, invisible due to smoke. The Zipper fired blind, guessing the location of
      his aggressors. Two fell down. The third passed a sharp blade trough one of the
      Zipper's connections, killing the pilot. Out of six operational soldiers, only four
      remained. Garcia fired at the Arab who killed the Zipper with his EMG, killing him
      instantly. As the smoke dispersed, two men were now visible. The remaining Warrior
      fired at them, killing one, burying the second under tons of stone and wood. The four
      K-bots entered the building. There was no need to call the cult, they were there,
      aiming at the K-bots with Bazookas and Auto-Rifles.
      -"This are ancient weapons! We can take 'em" A PeeWee said.
      -"I agree! Deploying smoke in 5 seconds. Fire like mad when it gets foggy!"
      A few seconds later, two Smoke grenades filled the room with thick fog. EMG shells
      produced dim light as they passed through the dark cloud. The screams of men
      dying echoed throughout the walls, as bullets hit the K-bots. Bazooka missiles where
      also being fired, but they killed more men than the EMG. A PeeWee suddenly went down,
      blood coming out of his shoulder. The smoke was dispersing, revealing the red color
      of blood all over the walls. Garcia found himself pointing to a 15-year-old kid aiming a
      Sniper Rifle at him. His armor status was low. He closed his eyes and prayed for
      forgiveness as he fired a single round at the kid's stomach.

      Garcia saw the shell advance in slow motion, and then pierce the boy's stomach. He
      saw the boy raise his rifle and fire to the ceiling as he yelled in pain and fell to the
      ground.

As the kid Garcia shot fell to the ground, the leader of the cult raised a white flag.

-"Orders are orders, Garcia! We have to kill them!" -the Warrior radioed.

      The Warrior fired at the flag, as Garcia held off the last of the cult members. The
      Surviving ARM soldiers where covered with blood and bullets. Out of six only three
      were in combat worthy status. Garcia looked down. 270 men lied dead below him. He
      wondered how the armor had lasted for so long after all the abuse. Then he saw
      himself shooting the kid. He checked for life signs on the injured PeeWee, as the
      other two carried the bodies of their companions to the awaiting atlas.
      * * * * *

      Garcia attended to the funeral of the woman who saved his life twice. Once by
      drawing the attention of a tank, and twice by covering with her own body the
      fragments of a misplaced crawling bomb. He didn't cry, but he knew he owed his life
      to her death. Sadly, ARM isn't what it used to be, he thought as the first shovel tossed
      the sand over the grave.
PART IV

Planet Rigal, sector Tango-Bravo.

      The CORE pilot downed a few days ago was awakening. The commander waited
      patiently, and after the pilot was fully awake, he began the standard military
      questioning procedure.

      -"State you name and Rank, soldier" the commander asked
      -"I'm Sergeant VZ1709" the soldier replied.
      -"Very well, sergeant. I'm General Watkins, CIC of this base."
      -"What is my exact location, General?"
      -"You are on planet Rigal."
      -"What do you want from me?"
      -"I ask the questions here, soldier. You don't look like a normal CORE pilot. Explain
      yourself."
      -"I don't look like a CORE normal pilot, since I'm not a normal CORE pilot."
      -"Meaning?"
      The CORE soldier pressed a button in his left hand, and his face fell off. It revealed a
      human face, only that the eyes were metal gray.

      -"What the..." the commander asked.
      -"Some people in CORE are getting sick of this war. My organs have been replaced
      with machines, and I wear a solid armor, but I can take it off whenever I want." The
      soldier explained.
      The commander was puzzled. So, CORE wasn't a huge single mind, but various
      minds, united.
      A battle scarred veteran commander signaled the general to walk outside with him.
      They both met outside the Command Tent.
      -"General, I don't like this. A CORE civilian model?"
      -"This could signal a break through, commander."
      -"Or doom, general. I say we break him into scrap and study the thing for
      weaknesses."
      -"I agree commander, but he is a human being"
      -"Sir, with all the respect, that thing could be as old as my great-grandfather!"
      -"I'm not breaking him down, commander."
      -"As you wish, sir. I'll go back to my Bulldog, we have some targets to shoot."

      The commander walked towards the armory, leaving the general alone.
      Watkins thought of the benefits. A link could be made from the pilot to the K-bot.
      Making the K-bot part of the pilot's life and body. The K-bots would be shaped to
      match the figure of the pilot. The K-bots would be... CORE.
      * * * * *
      Garcia was at the kitchen, eating. A hawk unit was having a party.
      They must have downed a big target, he thought. He kept seeing the 15-year-old boy
      falling. One of the pilots sat by Garcia.
      -"Hey" he said.
      -"Hey" Garcia answered, monotonously.
      -"Big party over there, huh?" the pilot asked.
      -"Yeah." Garcia replied, without looking at the pilot.
      -"What's wrong, man?" the pilot asked.
      -"Wrong? Nothing's wrong" Garcia replied.
      -"Come on, I know something is troubling you." The pilot insisted.
      -"I'll tell you what is troubling me. The army, that's what is troubling me" Garcia said,
      angrily.
      -"What do you mean?" the pilot inquired.
      -"Remember the squad that left to kill the terrorists?"
      -"Yeah, so?"
      -"I was one of them. It appears like one of the terrorists, a 15-year-old boy, decided
      to join the fight. I had the 'honor' of killing him"
      -"Oh, man. That's tough." The pilot commented, surprised.
      -"Ever since, I've been thinking. I don't like the ARM anymore. I'm gonna leave."
      Garcia said.
      -"Where to? The only place left is CORE, and no sane man will go there!" the pilot
      exclaimed.
      Garcia stood up.
      -"So, I'm insane then."
      Garcia left the room. He entered his K-bot, and left the base. For once, the idea of
      eternal life seemed good to him. He wanted to punish himself. He deserved to suffer
      for what he did. He made a white flag out of his clothes, and crossed the galactic
      gate.

Mars, outside of CORE base.

      -"Sarge! Sarge!" A spotter yelled.
      -"What is it, private?" A Thud yelled back.
      -"White flag, 12 o'clock!"
      -"Send out a scouting party, get the unit back!"
      -"Roger!"
      The AK sounded the alarm, as 5 Weasels rushed towards the surrendering PeeWee.
      When they arrived, Garcia was already waiting outside the K-bot.
      -"What took you so long, guys?" he asked, sarcastically.
      -"I'm W109, Weasel unit."
      -"I'm Carlos Garcia, PeeWee unit."
      -"Hold on for a second, private."
      The weasel opened a lateral door.
      -"Step inside" the weasel ordered.
      Garcia obeyed. As soon as he entered, the door closed after him. He sat on the floor
      and leaned on a wall, as the Weasel drove at a speed of 80 MPH.

When the weasels arrived, the door opened again. Garcia stepped out, and looked at
the sky. The color reminded him of blood, the same blood he had spilled.

      -"Private Carlos Garcia, right?" a Commander K-bot asked.
      -"Yes, sir." He replied.
      -"You're here alone?"
      -"Yes, sir. I want to join the CORE."
      -"Yet another ARM drop out comes to his senses. Come with me." The commander
      said.
      He walked towards the command bunker. After Garcia entered, the lights went out.
      -"What is going on here, sir?" he asked.
      -"Patience, Private, Patience." The commander said.
      A few minutes later, the lights came on again.
      Garcia looked around. In front of him, a screen showed the available units.
      -"Choose a unit, private."
      Garcia decided to go for the Goliath. The moment he chose the unit, a helmet came
      down and covered his head.
      A bright light appeared in front of him, and approached him. For a moment, Garcia
      could see himself travelling throughout millions of light years and then through miles
      of optic fiber. After a few minutes, he arrived to what he distinguished as a huge
      computer terminal.

Back in Mars, a Goliath tank was being nanolathed...

PART V

The mind of Garcia was transferred from mainframe to the Goliath. He would earn a
rank of First Sergeant.

      CORE had created a plan to invade Empyrean by creating a chokehold on it, an old
      reliable technique. Units had secured every world needed, except for a few. The
      brave, but foolish, population would pay the price.
      One of these worlds was the Arabian world of Rigal...

      Throughout the days, the name Carlos Garcia became nothing but a painful memory
      to First Sergeant G526. He had forgotten his motives for the patterning, but he was
      happy he did it.
      But he was just fighting. The true purpose of battle was lost. The great conflict that
      ignited the war had been forgotten, but the war still stands. The flaming heat that
      once fueled combat between the two sides had been extinguished, leaving nothing
      but the roaring thunder of the last remnants of the once mighty human empire...
      * * * * *

      CORE had launched massive simultaneous assaults on every world they considered
      a treath. Brilliant generals, striking a decisive blow on ARM troops led various
      campaigns. It was only a matter of time until Empyrean was reached.

The desperate Guerilla tactics ARM had taken proved to be wrong. CORE had taken
the opportunity given to them and decimated the last remains of the ARM.

      The galaxy had once known peace. The glorious CORE victory returned those times
      to a wounded galaxy.
      * * * * *

-"Jimmy! Dinner's ready!" a voice cried
-"Coming!" Jimmy answered.

He turned off his computer and rushed down to his family, leaving behind the pride
and glory of a great general...

      *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
      So, this is it. Another, five-part story by me is finished. I'm looking forward to see the
      replies, and also for you to read the story at www.angelfire.com/co/tasj
      ---Or---
      http://come.to/steelj

      Please note Steel jihad will be up only starting from January 8, but you can read
      Terran Wars or Steel Nightmare.
      You can also help me get some of the stories I'm looking for, in case you wrote them.