Gunshots are heard everywhere. Explosions are happening all across the land. The Empire, the force that governs all 900 planets under Humanity, the force that united all humans under one banner, is now attacking Ungrath, the first planet ever discovered ages ago, where Humanity first found a planet that could inhibit life. The once green and lush planet is now charred with explosions and constant war dating back to when the first humans came to this land, when it was first discovered and inhabited.
The planet was used for research purposes and for Humanity's early development of the now famous battle weapon, the Angel Frame, known all across the galaxy as the mech used for war. Even after the Unification War ended 500 years ago, the mass-produced Angel Frames are still used in all sectors and planets, with varying purposes from farming, killing, guarding, and many more. The original Angels were called the Arcana, numbering 72 original Angel Frames representing one of the Arcana from the ancient human card known as the Tarot. The now mass-produced Angel Frames do not have the same core-powered energy that the 72 Arcana had, which was the Maternum Crystal, an element found deep within Jupiter, capable of generating power that could move an Angel Frame for years before depleting and needing to recharge. Once abundant, it has now become an element nowhere to be found, as every single one of them was dug up and used by royalty and nobles.
The boy, an orphan, was running through the broken walls of houses and debris, holding a rifle and trying his best to find a place to take cover. He was no rebel, nor a soldier, just a boy caught up in the ongoing attack by the Empire. Even after unification, corruption, slavery, and many atrocities humanity committed back then still exist, and the boy is one of the casualties of such things.
As the boy ran with his rifle, an energy blast from one of the Empire's Angel Frames shot past him. Fighting that Angel were the people called outlaws who ran the planet. As this was the farthest planet from Earth, it had less Imperial influence, a haven for those with wicked hearts like pirates, traffickers, and others. The Empire, having had enough of it, sent one Seraphim-class battleship to eradicate those people, not caring even if they also committed needless killings of civilians.
The boy was blown back and fell into an underground ruin. His ears were ringing, his left hand injured with blood pouring down. His once bright white hair was now covered with dust and ash from the explosion, turned grey. His eyes were dark, as deep as the abyss, one of them shut as blood ran down from his head, making it hard to open. The boy was battered but alive. He tried to stand up, not even crying, he just endured the pain in silence, an unusual maturity built after witnessing cruelty from a young age.
The boy grabbed his rifle near him, using it as a cane, not even minding his injured hand. He walked, or limped, forward, trying to observe where he was. It was an underground ruin of some old human facility, probably one of the ancient sites once used for research by humans 700 years ago. As the boy walked forward slowly, trying to find an exit, he stumbled into a room, unusually pristine but still filled with moss and vines all over. Electricity was gone, so the room was dark, but the boy could still see, as the emergency lights powered by an old generator were still present, which surprised him.
Walking in and taking a closer look, he saw an Angel Frame kneeling down. Its frame was pristine, like it had never even been touched. The frame, which usually looked like the Empire's regal white with some golden parts, was different, pitch black in color with crimson lines here and there. Behind it were mechanical wings that looked strange, as Angel Frames used thrusters, even the Arcana did not use wings. The Angel Frame before him looked like a relic, never used, like something abandoned because its creator thought it unnecessary. As the boy walked closer, he saw on its chest something written in ancient human text dated back around 600 years ago. The boy, not knowing much, could only read one line aloud:
"Arcana-00, codename: The Fool." The boy read it aloud, thinking deeply. He remembered hearing about the 72 Arcana, ultimate Angel Frames, most of them in the Empire's hands. The first Arcana was The Emperor, an Angel used as a symbol and proof of power by the Emperor himself. But he had never heard of an Arcana with the number 00, so he began to think, recalling that the ancient Tarot card deck used as naming references for the Arcana began with The Fool.
"The Fool?" the boy tilted his head in curiosity. "As in the Beginning? 00? So it's one of the earliest prototypes to create the first Arcana-type Angel?" As the boy realized what kind of Angel Frame was kneeling before him, he felt an urge to touch it. When he did, the Angel Frame moved slightly, and its blazing crimson eyes suddenly looked alive.
[ DETECTING HUMAN PRESENCE, CONFIRMED ]
A mechanical female voice was heard from the Angel Frame, frightening the boy.
[ Initiating system, frame, and energy check ///// Most systems operational. Damage: none. Energy reserve: 13.7%. Requesting Maternum Core recharge. Negative source not found. ]
The Angel began its speech, which stunned the boy. Not knowing what to do, he only stood there watching and listening before the Angel's eyes seemed to focus on him. He was surprised, as he knew Angels used by soldiers elsewhere couldn't do that.
"Are you… an A.I.?" asked the boy toward the Angel Frame.
[ Initiating contact / Identifying human personnel / Failed / Unable to link to any database / Checking last boot time ///// Confirmed / Last boot time: 616 standard years ago / Initiating protocol A.U.D.A.L ///// Protocol codename A.U.D.A.L is online. ]
The Angel Frame, speaking on its own using its A.I., stopped after a long pause. The boy asked again, "Are you there? Are you an A.I.?"
[ Confirmed / Codename A.U.D.A.L (Adaptive Unit for Directive Analysis and Logic) / Initiating contact / Please register your name: ... ]
The Angel Frame stopped speaking. With a confused look, the boy stared blankly. "A name, is it? Silver," the boy said.
[ Confirmed / Silver registered as pilot / Detecting age / Silver age 13 / Compatible / Advising to start Neural Link / Overwrite protocol / Opening cockpit ]
The mech spoke again as the cockpit, located on the chest of every Angel Frame, opened with a hiss, revealing the interior.
Silver didn't know what to do. He grew suspicious, but knowing that in front of him was an Angel Frame, possibly one of the earliest Arcana types lost in time, curiosity overcame fear. He stepped in, his back against the cockpit seat, gripping the control handles as he had once read about in a book. Once he felt comfortable, the cockpit shut. Even without prior training, he was curious to see what would happen.
[ Pilot on board / Proceeding with Neural Link Protocol / Injecting anesthetic ]
As the voice faded, Silver was startled. "Huh? Anesthetic? What for—" Suddenly, all his fingers resting on the cockpit handles were stabbed in succession, injecting the anesthetic.
[ Success / Initiating Neural Link / Injecting Neural Needle ]
Again, a needle stabbed into the back of Silver's neck, connecting directly to his spine.
[ Neural Link established / AUDAL successfully integrated with pilot / Reading information / Success creating known database / Confirmed / AUDAL registered to pilot brain / Time before pilot wakes up: 5 minutes ]
The mech fell silent.
Five minutes later, Silver woke up still inside the cockpit. He felt different, like a wave of memories had been uploaded into his brain. "What happened?" he muttered, holding his head.
[ Report / Neural Link established / Welcome, Silver ]
said AUDAL inside his head. Silver blinked in surprise as a rush of information flowed through his mind, it felt like he could see everything he had learned so far, now neatly archived.
"You… you're inside my head?" asked Silver, surprised but trying to stay calm.
[ Confirmed. ]
"That's weird… I can hear you, but there's no sound. Who are you anyway?" asked Silver again.
[ Report: I am AUDAL (Adaptive Unit for Directive Analysis and Logic), an A.I. created for Angel Frame number 00, type Arcana, codename The Fool. ]
Her voice was gentle and calm.
"So you're like my own personal A.I. now? Or are you the same as the ones used in every other Arcana-class Angel Frame? I heard each Arcana has its own A.I. — is that you?" Silver asked, worried that the Empire might harm him if they discovered a peasant had an Arcana-class Angel.
[ Negative / Each Arcana-type Angel has its own A.I. — remodeled versions of me. ]
said AUDAL softly, calming his worries.
"So you got abandoned because you could… think?" asked Silver, trying to understand why such an Angel was left behind and forgotten.
[ Affirmative / I was built and awakened 616 standard years ago / I am the first A.I. successfully integrated into an Arcana-type Angel, codename The Fool / But the Empire did not need thought / Its goal was to create an A.I. to help pilots process data mid-battle / So I was abandoned, and my data was used as a reference to create the remodeled type of A.I. ]
explained AUDAL in her gentle voice.
The ground shook, Silver had forgotten he was still in the middle of a war. Even with all that happened, only two hours had passed. "Do you have any way to get us out of here?" he asked.
[ Affirmative / Detecting pilot unable to operate The Fool completely / Requesting permission to use autopilot / ... ]
Silver heard AUDAL speak in his head, then fall silent after asking permission. "Allowed. Get us out of here — somewhere safe," Silver said.
[ Confirmed / Target: somewhere safe / Looking for options / Option found / Detecting two nearest Seraphim-class battleships / Calculations finished / Detecting and setting the Empire as enemy using pilot memories / Changing course / Course set: Ark Noir, Seraphim-class battleship / Detecting and calculating / Finished / Commence mission ]
Silver, hearing her calculated voice run through countless data in seconds, was amazed. But before he could react to the fact that their target course was a Seraphim-class battleship, he felt his body pinned to the cockpit as The Fool shot upward, its engine, powered by the legendary Maternum Core, roaring to life. The Angel Frame moved at incredible speed, and as it did, AUDAL initiated defense protocols:
[ Initiating defense countermeasure / Detecting high radar wave from Seraphim-class battleship Juggernaut / Activating stealth / Activated ]
said AUDAL before leaving the atmosphere and flying into orbit toward one of Ungrath's nine moons, the smallest of them all.