The quiet hum of an empty grid-like room mixes in with the whispers of two dissonant voices.


    <Overlord to Overseer One.>


    <Go ahead Overlord.>


    <Deploy the 12th Armored Corps and prepare to intercept and hold hostile forces at Line-Elbe. Recon confirms large assault waves that exceed initial estimation. Be advised. Enemy forces have disabled autonomous defenses, only remaining assets are local garrison forces.>


    <Roger Overlord. Requesting evacuation plans for deployed assets.>


    <Negative. High-Com has already declared Steel Dome #342 lost. They’ve been redesignated as expendable.>


    <...Understood.>


    <End Transmission.>


    -----------------------------


    <System Initialized>


    <<Battle-Rig Sealed>>


    <System Check. Green. Weapon Systems Check. Green. Maneuver System Check. Green.>This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    <Neural Uplink Established.>


    “Warchief to all units. Sixty seconds til contact with the enemy. Enemy is estimated to have heavy armor and air support. Continue to delay enemy advances in your sectors. Out”


    “Wardog copies. Good to have you Warchief”


    “Goliath copies. Our first real engagement.”


    “Hoplite copies. Careful Goliath. You always sucked at the simulations.”


    “Stalker copies. At least it beats maintenance duty.”


    “Reaper copies. Confirmed visual on enemy forces.”


    “Let’s do this, boys!”


    <Hostile IF Detected.>


    <Identifying IF Signals> <Tango 1> <Tango 2> <Tango 3> <Tango 4> <Tango 5> <Tango 6> <Tango 7> <Tango 8> … <Tango 74> <Tango 75> <Tango 76> … <Tango 246> <Tango 247> <Tango 248> … <Tango 689> <Tango 690> <Tango 691> … <Tango 1121>


    <Engage>


    “Goliath Leader to Goliath Team. Light those fuckers up.”


    “Hoplite-8! You’re advancing too far in. Hostile on your right- Damn!”


    “Ambush right! Ambush right! Contact with multiple Class-B MBTs. Hit’em with the C8M!”


    “Stalker-2 take that chain-gun and cover that sector! Cover that sector!”


    “Warchief is KIA. I repeat, Warchief is KIA. Warchief-5 will assume command.”


    “This is Wardog-3. Looks like this is it. It’s been an honor.”


    “Reaper-6 been hit. Moving to assist. Reaper-2 take command.”


    “Roger, good luck out there. Plug those flanks, We’ve got to hold them here!”


    “I can''t see. I can''t see.”


    <Error: Signal Lost>


    <Enemy IF signal: 0>


    <Friendly IF signal:1>