MTLNOVEL Chapter 1: Astra Falkov
"Astra Falkov, you're surrounded! Step out of the mech with your hands up and return the tech to us!" an echoing voice filled the cockpit as sweat trickled down Astra's brow. Her fingers flew over the controls in a frantic attempt to coax life out of the failing machine.
"Come on! You piece of junk!" she snarled, slamming her fist against the unresponsive control panel. The system sputtered, and sparks were sent flying as the monitors' shrill alarms started out one by one.
Then, silence.
The cockpit plunged into darkness, save for the faint red glow of a dying monitor—a grim reminder of her failure.
"Great," Astra muttered, leaning back in the chair with a defeated sigh. She covered her eyes with one hand, struggling to think.
"Come on, you idiot… think—" Her tattered bag shook slightly, catching her attention. Her gaze narrowed, and a sly smile spread across her face. Without hesitation, she snatched the bag and reached for the latch above her.
The sudden burst of light made her squint as she scrambled to the top of the mech, a cold gust brushing against her midnight-blue hair.
The sight was bleak: an endless wasteland, cracked and barren, with only the scattered mechs encircling hers offering any sign of life. Searchlights pinned her in their blinding beams, casting long, jagged shadows across the ground.
How had she ended up in this situation? The thought flickered through Astra's mind as she scanned the hostile scene.
"You're under arrest for illegally manning a mech, stealing interstellar tech from the government, and resisting capture!" a stern female voice boomed, sharp and commanding. "Do you have anything to say for yourself, Anomaly?!"
Was all this worth her curiosity? Had she gained anything from it at all?
The wind whipped at the tattered rags Astra called clothes. Her gaze dropped to the rusted metal beneath her feet. Slowly, she raised her hands, the weight of inevitability sinking in.
I guess not...
"I give up," she muttered, the words barely audible, lost to the barren winds. "Take your dumb thing and get out of here—"
Maybe… maybe in the end...
"Check her," the woman commanded, one of the mechs stepping closer as a hatch opened. A guard cautiously climbed onto the shoulder of Astra's dead mech.
"Here." She shoved the bag into his hands. He flinched at her sudden action but grabbed it, his expression a mix of weariness and disgust.
The scene stilled as he peered into the bag. Suddenly, it shifted in his hands.
"What's going on?!" the woman barked.
"I—I don't know—" The guard's words were cut off as the bag flew upward, striking him square in the jaw. He tumbled from the mech's shoulder with a startled yell.
"Whoa, careful! This isn't a playground, kids!" Astra taunted, catching the falling bag and bolting toward the now-unoccupied mech.
The hatch sealed shut behind her as she grinned at their stunned faces.
"Why are you all just standing there like idiots? Attack!" the woman roared, her voice rising over the cacophony of chaos as the mechs stormed toward Astra.
Inside, Astra's eyes darted around the pristine control board. The interior was a stark contrast to the battered, cobbled-together machines she was used to. This was sleek, efficient, and gleaming with state-of-the-art technology, clearly a high-grade piece of government-issued machinery.
The control board stretched before her in an organized array of glowing panels, their interfaces pulsating with a cool, blue light. Various holograms projected critical information—fuel levels, weapon status, and targeting systems—into the air above the console, shifting dynamically as she moved. Her eyes finally landed on a keyhole.
"All right, let's give this puppy a spin, huh, Yu?" she muttered, the head of a drone bot popping out of the bag, taking in its new surroundings.
Astra rested her hand on the keyhole, her mind reeling as the system blared nonstop alerts:
[Notice: New tech detected!]
[IP N.o.v.a Corp Mech, model J7421 #2000078]
Energy: 75%
Burst: 50%
Shield: 100%
All systems seem to be functional. The mech bears no issues! Here are its functions:
Energy shield!
Energy blade!
Energy blasters located on the arms and back of the mech!
Bear in mind these consume energy!]
[Would you like to modify it?]
"Yes."
[Loading...]
The mech thrashed as enemy fire struck its shield. Outside, the other mechs relentlessly bombarded her position.
"Come on, hurry up!" Astra growled, gripping the controls tightly.
[Notice: Mech takeover complete!]
"Finally! Hold on tight, Yu!" she roared, slamming the levers to their apex. The cockpit erupted into a symphony of alarms as the monitors around her flickered, their calming blue shifting to an ominous neon green that bathed the interior in an eerie glow. "This is it!"
The mech's frame groaned under the strain, its feet anchoring into the cracked earth as molten metal began to bubble around them. The thrusters roared to life, their intense heat shimmering in the air like the breath of a dragon awakened. The ground trembled violently, fissures spider webbing outward as seismic force rattled the surrounding mechs.
"Put everything into the thrusters!" she bellowed.
[System Alert: Thrusters now operating at 100% energy output! Overload imminent!]
Astra ignored the cold, mechanical voice.
The earth seemed to ignite beneath the mech, the raw heat liquefying dirt into glowing rivers of magma. Flames licked at the edges of its legs, consuming the wasteland with blinding light and searing winds.
"Come on!" she snarled, gripping the controls as the force of the thrusters pressed her back into the seat. Sweat poured down her face, but she refused to let go.
The mech surged upward, tearing free from the earth with a violent blast that sent shockwaves rippling through the air. A swirling vortex of fire and debris engulfed the landscape below, the last remnants of the wasteland disappearing beneath the sheer force of her ascent.
For a heartbeat, it felt as if the entire universe held its breath. Then, with a final burst of energy, the mech shot toward the heavens, leaving only a trail of incandescent light in its wake.
"How is it moving that fast!?" A woman with long black hair slammed her fist against the cockpit of her mech, the face of a guy with brown scruffy hair appearing in her peripheral vision.
"Ms, Seraphine! It appears Astra Falkov had already used the Interstellar tech on herself, how should we respond!" He reports, his voice urgent as he pushes up his glasses to stop it from falling.
"Don't bother, she's already too far gone– she has one of our mechs doesn't she? Track her down!" She commanded, watching as the young man jolted, startled by her boisterous nature.
"R-right away ma'am!"
All the mechs around her began to fly up to the sky, leaving her remaining on the poor, crusted soil. Her mech turning towards the shattered earth before her, from the sight alone she couldn't help but snarl.
"Damned, Anomaly—"