ASTRA: GAZERS OF THE FALLEN SKY
Fifty years ago, the sky opened.
Not metaphorically.
Not poetically.
It tore.
From orbit, something like cathedral spires descended — biomechanical monoliths that hummed with an unearthly frequency. Cities were erased in hours. Human missiles dissolved mid-air. Tanks folded like paper. Nuclear weapons… did nothing.
They called them Angels.
Not because they were holy.
But because they descended from heaven.
The Angels were not flesh in the traditional sense. They were living war-constructs — adaptive organisms encased in organic alloy. Their bodies regenerated. Their cores pulsed with gravitational distortions. Their weapons bent physics.
Humanity lasted six months.
Then a madman changed everything.
The Mad Scientist
Dr. Kael Vire.
Expelled. Ridiculed. Obsessed with alien anatomy.
When a wounded Angel crashed near the Siberian exclusion zone, Kael did the unthinkable — he didn't try to destroy it.
He dissected it.
The Angel didn't decay. Its skin was reactive. Neural. Semi-conscious even in death.
So Kael grafted it.
He built a frame around the alien hide. Hardwired a neural interface. Designed a cockpit that plugged directly into the human nervous system.
The result?
ASTRA-0
Nickname: Astra Minus
It wasn't just a mech.
It was wearing an Angel's corpse.
And when it launched, it slaughtered three Angels in a single night.
Humanity had its first weapon that could wound heaven.
The Cost of Power
But Astra Minus killed its pilot.
Not from injury.
From overload.
The mech didn't "respond" to human commands — it demanded synchronization. The Angel skin tried to overwrite the pilot's nervous system. Brain hemorrhages were common. Spinal collapse. Organ liquefaction.
Out of 100 early candidates, 97 died on first synchronization.
Then something strange was discovered.
The mech reacted differently to women.
Female neural patterns stabilized the Angel tissue. Hormonal responses dampened the overwrite effect. They could survive multiple sync cycles.
But there was a catch.
The strain burned their lifespan. Internal bleeding. Neural scarring. Cellular decay. Most female pilots didn't live past 35.
And physically?
They couldn't withstand direct combat recoil.
So the Astra Program evolved.
The Dual-Core System
Each Astra mech now requires:
A Female Control Unit — the Gazer
She synchronizes with the Angel skin. She sees through its perception field. She directs its movement. She becomes its mind.
A Male Vanguard Unit — the Shield
He anchors the mech physically. Takes impact feedback. Absorbs kinetic backlash. Bears the neural recoil during high-output attacks.
When Astra takes damage?
The male feels it.
When Astra overclocks?
His body pays first.
Internal fractures. Organ rupture. Brain frying.
The women control.
The men bleed.
Together they are called:
GAZERS
Because when synchronized, their eyes glow with Angel light — and they can see the Angels' true forms.
Angel Threat Classification
The public believes higher numbers mean stronger threats.
They're wrong.
Angel Rank 1
The most dangerous.
Rare. Strategic. Intelligent.
Facing a Rank 1 almost guarantees the male Vanguard's death — either during the mission or weeks later from neural collapse.
The Astra assigned to fight Rank 1 threats is:
ASTRA-1
And its pilot…
Is Reina.
Reina — The Widow of Heaven
Age: 27
Rank: Gazer-Class Alpha
Confirmed Angel Kills: 48
Copilots Lost: 230
She's survived longer than any Gazer in history.
Some call her humanity's shield.
Others whisper she's cursed.
Her synchronization rate is unmatched — 96.3%. She can push Astra-1 into Overflare Mode, a state where the mech partially reverts into its original Angel form.
But that mode kills her Vanguard within minutes.
She doesn't activate it anymore.
Not unless she has to.
She remembers every name.
Every face.
Every promise from a new copilot who said:
"Don't worry. I won't die."
They all did.
Some in battle.
Some smiling in recovery wards before their brains shut down days later.
She stopped visiting funerals after the 100th.
Now she just watches the sky.
The World Now
Earth isn't unified.
Nations still exist, but Astra facilities are sovereign zones.
The Astra Program is humanity's only real defense. There are 12 active Astra units worldwide.
Only three are capable of fighting Rank 1 Angels.
Astra-1 is the strongest.
And the most lethal — to its own team.
Recruitment for male Vanguards is controversial.
Some call it sacrifice.
Others call it state-sanctioned suicide.
But volunteers keep coming.
Because if Astra doesn't launch…
Cities disappear.
Today
Reina stands inside the synchronization chamber.
The room smells like antiseptic and ozone.
Technicians avoid eye contact.
A new male Vanguard candidate waits behind the glass.
Young.
Early twenties.
Healthy.
Too calm.
Reina doesn't look at him at first.
She knows the pattern.
Confident smile. Brave words. Maybe a joke.
They all try to make it easier for her.
The intercom clicks.
"Compatibility test complete. Synchronization potential: 87%."
High.
Very high.
That means he'll last longer.
Maybe.
The door opens.
He steps inside the chamber.
For a moment, they just look at each other.
She expects fear.
Instead he says:
"You look tired."
No one has ever said that to her before.
And for the first time in years…
Reina hesitates.
End.