Militech moves the instant WCN signs the war contract. The faster they finish, the better. A quick win hits before Arasaka fully recovers and keeps other corps from poaching advantage.
Militech's power base sits inside the NUSA. Since nationalization, they've been almost synonymous with the American military. Back in the Unification War, they already drafted plans to hit Night City. Only Arasaka's timely deployment forced a stand-down that kept the fight from turning into another whole corporate war.
Six years later, the plan comes back out. This time, the target is control of Night City and the destruction of Ascension Technology inside it.
Night City, south side.
Outside Pacifica.
Militech's main force rolls toward the city. Night City lies on the border between North and South California. The southern edge kisses territory the NUSA occupies. There was a reason the city wrote Pacifica off. If Militech chooses to invade, the push will come from the south, and Pacifica will turn into a battlefield first.
Last time, Arasaka's response arrived fast enough to stop open war. Pacifica got lucky. Not today.
Militech's full mobilization can't hide from Arasaka or Ascension. Arasaka, already on alert, concentrates several supercarriers in Del Coronado Bay. That formation once made Militech back off.
History echoes, but Militech doesn't blink. Their own supercarriers nose in from the open water. There are only a handful of hulls like these in the world, and here they are, facing each other off in Night City. No one should expect a neat or quiet fight.
On land, Militech floods the approach with alloy-armored vehicles, tanks, and heavy missile batteries. This is a top-shelf kit. During the Unification War, tech like this helped bring multiple Free States to heel. People nicknamed that conflict the Metal War for a reason.
Inside Night City, the news doesn't spread officially, but a mobilization this big never stays secret. Drifters camped outside the walls watch Militech columns pass and bring the stories in. Fixers and suits with eyes everywhere confirm the leaks. Panic ripples across the city.
Night City bled hard for independence during the Unification War. Now, Militech is at the door again. Even if the city wins, war still means damage.
City Hall steps up to calm people down.
"Militech is advancing toward Night City, trying to strip our Free City status again. Don't panic. We're confident we'll win. Ascension Technology will deploy its strongest forces to repel the invasion."
That statement doesn't duck the obvious. Months ago, jurisdiction over Night City's borders moved from Arasaka to Ascension when the council bill passed. At the time, most citizens shrugged. Now that Militech is on the march, everyone suddenly cares about what Ascension can really do.
Pacifica.
Chaos used to define this district. City Hall never had the appetite to manage it, and most corps avoided the cost. Kang Tao once floated a plan to stabilize Pacifica in exchange for cheap land from the city, but it never closed. With war incoming, the picture changes.
Some residents flee, not interested in getting ground up by a corporate meat grinder. Others stay to hunt for war profits. Gangs and criminals sniff opportunity and dig in.
Ascension bots step into that vacuum. A steady stream of units spreads through Pacifica's streets. They aren't headed to the front. They're here to lock the district down.
Rocky refuses to let Pacifica become a live battlefield. He means to secure it while the world stares south, turn it into Ascension territory, and protect the rear so no one gets cute with a knife in the back.
Ascension squads occupy the main arteries fast, then start quelling the riots that flare as the war nears. Locals who shrug off NCPD learn quickly that Ascension plays a different game. Anyone who resists gets dropped. The first blood of this conflict hits the pavement here.
For the first time in a long while, the district's noise thins. Silence arrives in pockets where chaos usually lives.
With the rear stabilized, Ascension shifts focus to the primary front south of Pacifica.
Badlands, south of Pacifica.
Militech pushes on Night City in force. This isn't a snatch-and-grab like the hunt for the chrome-mad giant. This is a real field army on home soil. Their ability to muster and move exceeds Arasaka's by a wide margin on this continent.
If this were just Arasaka versus Militech at Night City's gates, Militech would hold a significant advantage on the ground.
But the central defender isn't Arasaka.
It's Ascension Technology.