Chapter One: A War Without Moral

They all gathered in a conference room that overlooked the command center. A young colonel with her commander and several other commanders from different branches sat in uncomfortable silence around a table. A cube hologram in the middle of the table displayed photos of a demolished military base, destroyed weaponry, monolithic machines that had a humanoid appearance were dismembered, and profiles of the victims who didn’t survive the incident. The atmosphere of defeat was heavy, none of the commanders being able to look at each other. The colonel, Margo Cross, sat with her lips pressed to her hands, fingers interlocked with each other. She was casually dressed despite the military uniforms of the others, a representation that she was nonmilitant unlike the others despite her rank. She wore jeans and a blank tank top with a red jacket, collar popped up. Her black hair had been pulled back in a tail, light from the table reflecting off her violet eyes. 

“How did this happen?” The commander of the England branch spoke. 

“The attack was entirely unexpected.” 

“The loss was…total. Everything had been destroyed.”

“That outlet was the best chance we had at defeating Darva.”

“Why wasn’t anyone prepared for an attack like this? This could have been prevented entirely!”

Margo spoke. “Darva has been silent for nearly two years. With that amount of time, anyone would have dropped their guard. They probably had that planned out. That and that facility was off the grid. The government keeps no records of it. There are no files and no locational info. It was strictly for Dogstar personnel only.” 

“So, we had a mole in the system.”

“It wouldn’t be a surprise with the rate of people pledging to a new evolution and world order nowadays. 

“This is inexcusable! Your people could have handled this better!”

“I understand you’re distraught over the losses, but understand that each of us suffered a loss, too. This will make the war against Darva almost impossible.”

“They’re already advancing their hierarchy. The rogues we’re encountering now are becoming too much for a single squad of Banshee units to handle without critical damages being done to the units or pilots.”

“We can’t rely on the Apex units anymore either. Even those are taking a hit.”

“And with the new ban put in place by the U.N., we can’t expect anymore Apex units to be placed in production.”

“Benedict Kinsley had been working on a new unit with a similar neuro-system to that of the Apex units without the deteriorating side effects and a minimizing risk for pilot harm, correct?”

“It was meant to be a replacement plan for the Banshee units and would have given us the edge we needed in case all of the Apexes were lost.”

“Benedict was also constructing a transporting method, but those plans had been stolen with the rest of his work.”

“According to the report, all of the Banshee units had been destroyed along with the pilots at the Athens base. There had been a single Apex unit stationed there at the time, too…but that had been destroyed with self-termination of the pilot, Natasha Kinsley.” Margo read off the report.

“Natasha had been one of Russia’s best pilots, too. Married to Benedict Kinsley.”

“The report states that Natasha Kinsley went against orders and engaged in her Apex’s overdrive during battle. She reached an overdrive level of 80% neural contamination.”

Margo breathed. “The point of no return for Apex pilots.”

“As a result, mental deterioration was imminent. Her Apex was ripped apart, and she crashed landed at the base. We think the death of her husband may have been the cause of her actions.”

“Benedict was murdered during the invasion. She may have learned of his death over communications.” 

“Then in a fit of insanity, she strangled her own child…” Margo added.

“She may have taken own her life as a way of protecting the child.” 

“We lost our best pilot and the one man who was the key to ending all of this.”

“Darva has the upper hand unless something changes.”

“What is the status of Apex Unit Echo?”

“We have found a potential pilot, but nothing has been confirmed yet. His DNA is only a half match, but he shares the characteristics.” 

“I feel the sibling is someone to take interest in as well.” Margo suggested. 

“We don’t have that time to waste.”

“Obtaining a pilot for Echo may be our only chance left.”

“That’s if Oras is telling the truth about the potentials of Unit Echo.” 

“We have one more Apex unit at the ready, too, as a last request from Natasha Kinsley.”

“It still needs a pilot.”

Margo’s eyes widened at the men sitting around the table. “You’re not seriously going to suggest that, are you?”

“Suggest what?”

“You know how the matching system for pilots and Apexes work. There is only one person qualified for the Apex you’re talking about.” Margo clarified.

“It’s for the survival of mankind, Colonel Cross. What is the conviction here?”

“The conviction?” A look of disgust stretched across her face. “The conviction here is she’s just a child! She’s not even ten! You can’t force a seven-year-old into the pilot seat and expect her to understand why she’s doing it. Not to mention the dangers and lifelong effects piloting an Apex can have on her mental health as she gets older. That’s about as inhumane as Darva! The lack in humanity is why the U.N. banned the creation of Apexes, and now you want to start using children!?”

Silence fell upon the meeting. The men stared at Margo, her words circling their minds as they processed the point she was trying to make. However, the Russian commander was staying to his stance.

“Apex Unit Aero is under Russian jurisdiction. Not Dogstar’s. I have to do what is best for humanity.”

“She just lost her parents, and now you want to stick her in the middle of a war?” Margo gritted her teeth.

“This is not your decision, Colonel Cross.”

“For f**k’s sake!” Margo shouted.

“The designated pilot for Unit Aero will be Sasha Natalia Kinsley. That decision is final.” 

“And we expect training to commence for the candidate pilot for Echo effective immediately.”

“It will be done.”

The men began leaving the conference room, Margo and her commander left to themselves. The commander gazed at the furious colonel and shook his head.

“High emotions do not suit this job, Colonel. The order is inhumane, but being a child, she won’t know any difference. If she’s anything like Benedict or Natasha, she’ll turn the tables in this fight.” The commander said.

Margo scolded the table. “It doesn’t make it right. Sasha’s just a little girl.”

“She’s the only one who can pilot Aero. We can’t wait. The sooner she’s in training, the better.”

“You have a granddaughter, don’t you?”

The commander didn’t respond to the woman’s question. He only stood up and made his way to exit the conference room.

“Margo, you need to learn that this isn’t a normal war, and we’ll continue to make decisions that seem immoral if it means survival. That’s something you should know now with your past connection to Darva.” 

As the commander left, Margo stayed in the conference room a while longer. Her heart weighed heavy with the thought of a child in the pilot’s seat. Her connection to Darva, although severed, was why she didn’t want to see this happen. She knew how cruel they could be.

“B******s…”