Rise Like Giants

The Excelsion base was in chaos.

The Federation Force had expected this. They'd been briefed on the situation, that the Space Pirates had attacked the Federation outpost, and in doing so, had released the specimens being studied there. They'd expected that dealing with both sets of enemies would require disproportionate amounts of firepower, that the only thing that was stopping GFS Theia from bombarding the site from orbit was that the Federation wanted the base intact, and preferably with as many surviving specimens as possible. They'd expected that, and more. But out here, in the depths of space, the saying that no plan survived contact with the enemy held true. And even a plan as simple as "secure the site" was going awry.

"Titans, bearing down on us!"

"Pirates, they're flanking us!"

"Cover me!"

Grant kept firing. Balls of plasma tore through the frigid air, incinerating the snowflakes coming down, and on occasion, a bogey. Though "on occasion" was the key word. The ice titan specimens were giants, and the only reason that they hadn't destroyed the facility was that they were animals, intent on attacking anything they perceived to be a threat to them rather than coordinating their efforts against the lifeforms arrayed around them. The Space Pirates were easier to kill, provided they could be hit. And given how fast the bastards moved, that was no easier than trying to down a titan.

"Heads up!"

Case in point, as one leapt onto Grant's mech. Grabbing the titanium composite armour with one claw, blasting away at the cockpit with the other. An alarm wailed within the mech's chassis, warning him of an imminent breach. That if that happened, he'd be exposed to Excelsion's sub-zero temperatures, and even worse, a Space Pirate's claws. A three metre tall creature that he could only stand up to due to the technology of Project Golem. An automaton guided by a human who a Space Pirate could eviscerate in seconds in most scenarios.

So he grabbed the alien with one of the mech's hands, and blasted it with the other. This wasn't like 'most scenarios.' Space Pirates attacking a Federation base? That was normal. Deploying this kind of technology? This was new. And he liked to think that as the remaining Space Pirates kept their distance, firing their plasma cannons, they were beginning to see the difference.

"Form up – blue line."

Carol's voice rang out over the intercom, and the four mechs obliged. The Space Pirates had the advantage of mobility, but the marines had the advantage of firepower. Clustering together and letting out a volley of shots at their enemies, any chance of the Space Pirates picking them off was negated. And even the ice titans were lumbering off, either bored of the display, or thinking such lifeforms beneath them.

So the marines kept firing. One Pirate rose from behind a boulder, only to be incinerated. A second followed suit as a plasma beam passed through the boulder it was hiding behind. And the third was hit as the survivors began a retreat, its fellow drones not even sparing a glance as they fled into the icy wilderness.

"Cease fire."

The Federation Force obliged. Silence returned to the field. Snow fell, the wind blew, and eternity awaited those still present. The Space Pirates would always be a threat. Even after the Phaze FUBAR, they still kept coming. Lurking in the dark, venturing into the light only long enough to slay those that called it home. Grant winced as he did a systems check – his mech would need maintenance. A lot of it.

"Damn Grant, you look like shit."

It was Leto's voice. The first one to break the silence. And the tension.

"How can you tell?"

"Your cockpit isn't thick enough to hide your mug." He paused. "Mech's fine by the way."

"Liar."

He didn't resent the banter. He needed it. Needed to know that his team mates had his back as he shut the mech down and got out of it, even as Carol began giving orders to secure the site. He knew that they'd have to hunt down the ice titans and retrieve them for study. Knew that they'd have to hunt down the remaining Space Pirates – every last one of them – before researchers could return to this winter wasteland. Knew that it was risky for him to walk out onto the ice field rather than retreating into the fortress. Power armour and a pulse rifle would keep most hazards at bay. But he'd seen Space Pirates kill plenty of men and women with such equipment. So even as he approached his target, even as he saw the wound the plasma cannon had torn into it, he kept his hand on his rifle. He'd seen what these creatures were capable of.

"Hello," he said.

The thing looked up at him. Did they have a language, he wondered? Space Pirates operated on a hive mind, gravitating towards leaders like Mother Brain. They seemed to seek subservience.

"Don't suppose you even understand me."

The alien snarled at him, but couldn't get itself up to do any damage. And he fought the urge to recoil. The thing was huge – three metres tall. He stood at 1.8, and out of his mech, the size difference was all too apparent. In the mech, he'd felt invincible. A member of the elite. Here, he was one man on one planet, deep in the black of an uncaring galaxy.

"If you can understand me…" He trailed off. What to say. How to say it.

The Space Pirate screeched at him.

"I'm glad this hurts," he said. "I'm glad you're not dead. I'm glad because for once, just once, I can take my sweet time and see what it's like when a piece of filth like you bleeds out on the snow and-"

The Space Pirate lunged at him. He reached for his rifle. It wouldn't do him any good. It reached for him, clawed for him, tried to kill him…

And was grabbed by Carol's mech and thrown to the ground. Grant tried to steady his breathing. He looked up at the mech that loomed above him.

"Nice," Carol said. "We have this year's Social Darwinism award."

He frowned. Carol wouldn't see it. Both their visors were polarized. But he watched as she turned the mech down to the Space Pirate. Here, on the ground, he could appreciate the size difference. The Space Pirates were large. The mechs of Project Golem were even larger.

"You're a tough bastard aren't you?" Carol said to the alien. "Big guy, right?"

The Space Pirate didn't even snarl. It just lay in the snow. "Waiting to die."

"Well, guess what? We're the giants now."

Carol brought up her mech's boot. A moment later it came down, reducing the alien's body to mush. Staining the snow with its blood. Plasma bolts cauterized wounds. Brute force didn't. He watched as she turned the mech back to him.

"Now get inside. We've got plenty of more bugs to squash."

He gave a nod and obliged. Thinking of the remaining Space Pirates. Thinking of the ice titans. Thinking that at the end of the day, they'd have nothing to fear.

Project Golem was a success. The Federation was pushing back.

Humanity was the giant now.

A/N

This was written around the time Nintendo released a trailer for Federation Force, namely the Project Golem trailer. I.e. the trailer that's perhaps more well known for Nintendo hiding the like/dislike tab than its actual content. And...well, yeah. This isn't the first oneshot I've drabbled up on Federation Force, and I've always been willing to defend the game. Whether it turns out any good is another matter, but anyway, got fanfic in the meantime.