Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima.

Nor do I own anything else in this chapter or story that's related to other movies, games or animes.

I do own the idea for the fic though.

(A/N: Okay! I was reading Roxas.97's "Venomous Reality" and Shedauwz' "A Ghost's Conviction" (amazing stories btw) and I suddenly had a revelation. Uhm, well, it's more like a reminder... before getting myself into Fairy Tail and all its jazz, I was a Sci-Fi lover... yeah. Movies, games, books, etc. I love all of that, so... and seeing there's not many stories about this genre in the archive, I decided to give it a shot, try to write something along the lines of a chaotic future and see how it goes. *nods* I hope you enjoy it. I put a lot of myself into this story and even planned it beforehand, doing my best to create something worth the read.

Thanks to my pal Matt *winks*, you know who you are, and his help beta-reading the prologue. Sorry for bothering you with this when you have so much on your shoulders, pal. I promise to improve and continue with this story. Btw pal, you were right, there was a mistake. I rechecked my info and found out Admiral is a higher rank than Colonel... *chuckles* I corrected it and done. Thanks for pointing out.

Enough talk! *grins* Let's see if you like this. Leave a review if you do, no matter how short, I'll appreciate it.)

Lost Cause.

Transmission 00: "Drilling exercises".

Planet Galuna.

2nd moon, Fiore.

Settlement T-005, 13:20.

-Your coffee is ready.-

"Yeah yeah, whatever…" The young man groaned tiredly, annoyed by the faked female voice produced by the vending machine, and snatched the cup with his drink from the holder, turning to continue on his way, which wasn't clear in his mind. He ran a hand through his spiky black-colored hair and sighed after taking a sip from his hot beverage, looking at the road and the people bustling through the streets with no interest whatsoever. 'Always the same…'

The year is X576 After the First Colonization, or AFC.

The Confederation rules over more than a dozen colonies, planets and moons under the command of its Emperor Faust Fernandez and the Army led by his son Gerard and his seven generals, stationed strategically in positions where they are most valuable. Peace does not usually last in the system, but the timely intervention of those watching over the Confederacy's government keeps things under control and calm for the citizens living there.

At the moment, we are in Galuna's second moon, Fiore, following the daily movements of one citizen that prefers to spend his time wandering around Settlement T-005's streets rather than committing to something in his life. He was wearing just a simple white jacket, red shirt and black cargo pants. The day was just perfect; not too cold, nor too hot.

-Looking for a way to end the boredom? Want to prove your worth or just show your idiotic brainy friends how much you changed since the Academy? Join the Confederate Army today! Go to your nearest recruitment post now!-

'Sure I will~' His lips twitched, wanting to grin at the message repeated by the poster near the corner of that block of stores, but he fought it back marvelously and kept on walking, the green sign at the other side of the street letting the people around and him know that it was safe to cross. He eyed some business men talking loudly to their phones and some families hanging around with their kids, there was not a single person of his age in sight. 'Am I the only youngster here or what?'

It was after a long walk that he reached his destination.

'Here we are…' He looked at the greenery in front of him, a small smile going to his face when he remembered why he liked to hang around that park in particular. He moved to one of the benches near the center of the park and its fountain and relaxed, closing his eyes to enjoy the fresh air even more, though they half opened when a thought came to mind. 'I wish… I could see them again…'

-Incoming phone call.-

"You don't say…" Pulling the square shaped device from his chest pocket, he flipped it open and stared at the screen, already groaning in frustration. "Oh, what does he want?"

He accepted the call.

-Hey Gray, how's it going?- A cool male voice asked him from the other end, mirth overflowing his tone when hearing a growl from the man he was talking to. –Losing time at the park again?-

"Shut up," Gray snarled, not liking to be bothered at the moment. "And why're you calling, huh? Isn't it four in the morning there?"

He could imagine the owner of the voice shrugging. -Emergency drill, we are to stay awake for tonight.-

"Shouldn't you be doing… some kind of military stuff then?"

-I've to pass fake notes to the personnel and officers, nothing I can't handle while talking to you.- The tone in the man's voice changed to a harsher one. –Listen Gray, if you still haven't decided on something to do with your pitiful life, I recommend you waste your time in the army. At least there you will be doing something for others and not just for yourself.-

"Why cannot I have a life like I have now?" Gray sighed tiredly, not wanting to join in on another of their discussions. "I'm fine like this…"

-Because it's an eyesore for those that know you.- The owner of the voice sighed.

"And why'd I care about what the others think, huh?!" Gray snapped, glaring at the fountain in the middle of the park and attracting some attention from people around the place. He lowered his voice. "Listen Lyon, I won't join the army, I won't study, nor take a normal job… I'll be fine with the money Ur left for me…"

-…you're lucky we're millions of kilometers away or I would've blasted your head off.-

And the call was ended.

Gray pulled the phone away from his ear, staring at it with narrowed eyes before throwing it to the fountain. He had enough. 'Asshole,' He glared at those staring oddly at him and left the place, not wanting to stay there any longer. 'Because he's some shitty officer in the Army doesn't mean he can go and try to make me join.' He crossed the street when the sign was red, not caring for the cars stopping and blasting their horns at his recklessness, and continued to go back on his steps. Passing the vending machine, there was a corridor that leads to some stairs to the upper floors of a five story building. He climbed his way through the steps with a fast pace. 'I'll do whatever the fuck I want…'

Gray Fullbuster. Born in Settlement T-005 of Galuna's second moon, Fiore. Twenty-one years old. Single.

Unemployed.

Adopted child of Ur Milkovich, brother of Lyon Vastia and Ultear Milkovich, he spent most of his youth looking for his real parents with no true success or care for the new family that adopted him. Always by himself, never with others, he made a habit of taking long walks to nowhere or just sat for hours at the park with no other reason than to stare at his surroundings.

Thinking of where his family could be. A thing he was cut short of doing for some time when he was a student at the Academy and his friends learned of this troublesome issue of his from his siblings. He managed to set his thoughts straight but the issue was still there.

When he reached the age of eighteen his foster-mother died of natural causes, with her life insurance leaving him a big sum of credits so he could continue his search. Money that didn't last long. Bad decisions, paying to the wrong sources and the money that was left for him was enough to provide him with shelter for a few months more.

A serious detail his brother and sister didn't know about.

'Fuck him! I'm going to bed…' He got to the fifth floor, walked to the door at the end of a long hallway and passed a card through a scanner, hearing it beep in confirmation before the door slid open. He stripped off his jacket, left his card and wallet on the table and dropped on the couch opposite to a medium sized TV.

The small apartment had all that he needed. A bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and a large living room where a small round table and two seats were so he could have his meals like any other person. The only bad thing was the smell. He never bothered to clean the dishes or open the windows to let some fresh air inside. The air was heavy and filled with nicotine, a result of countless sleepless nights spent smoking in front of his TV, trying to dig deep into his mind for the short blurry memories of his biological parents or just wondering what else could he do if there was no new clue about them in a few weeks' time.

Lyon was right; even if he wouldn't admit it to him he needed to do something with his life. But what could he do when there was no money to pay for a career at Superior Academy? And getting a job was hard with all the people that populated this moon.

He could now understand why his friends from the Academy did it but there was no way he would join the army!

Just the idea of ending up as his brother's subordinate... 'The idiot will make my life an everyday nightmare!' …sent shivers down his spine.

Now on the couch, he ordered the apartment's computer to close the curtains shut and the place was left in the dark.

His eyes closed.

He cleared his mind of any thoughts.

And drifted off to a long nap.

Fortress World - Planet Crocus.

'Scars' Headquarters.

Communications room, 04:12.

In a well illuminated room inside a large building that had a large concentration of antennas on its rooftops; five rows of computers were set in front of a large screen that showed the general status of the defense systems and the state of every soldier and base in the planet.

Behind all that, there was a single seat to overview the entire operation.

And in it, there was a white-haired man glaring holes at an object in his hand.

Lyon clutched the phone in his hand tightly; ignoring the questions from the people around him and making most of them turned to look at him and what was keeping him from answering their calls for instructions. Upset from what he heard and the constant bothering, the white-haired man threw the phone to one of the screens of his officers, effectively breaking both things before letting out a loud growl and glare so his subordinates could start to mind their own business.

A deep chuckle was heard next to him.

"Calling that dumb brother of yours again?"

Lyon spun to face a tall blond man in a suit much like his own talking to him. He wore the bright yellow uniform of their regiment under a set of camouflaged protective armor on his arms, forearms, legs and chest. The small insignia on his left arm, showing the emblem of the Confederacy with a dragon holding it while giving a roar, identifying him as a Colonel of the Army. He gave him a salute before nodding to his question.

"Colonel Dreyar," sighing tiredly at the memory of today's call and the other times he talked with Gray, he continued. "Yes, that brat gets on my nerves…"

"It was the same for me with you, remember?" The blond man asked him, turning to face the broken screen and the inactive officer bowing to him in apology. "Go get some technician to fix that and stop apologizing, squirt."

"Y-yes sir!"

Lyon quirked an eyebrow, crossing his arms under the breast-plate of his suit, he stared at the blond curiously. "Why are you here, Laxus?"

"What? I cannot do a surprise inspection during the drill?" Laxus smirked at the white-haired, adjusting some loose straps on his suit's armguards. "General wants us, Colonels, to run the drill smoothly, he sent us to check on every station and ensure everything's okay." He pointed to the broken screen and some slacking officers that nervously started to work when he laid his eyes on them. "That, is not okay."

"Take it from my pay and done." Lyon shook his head and turned to the large screen of the room, a black and white light flashing in one of the planets' sectors. He groaned tiredly. "Uh? 'Skylogia'? What do they want now?"

"Let's find out." He pointed to one officer. "You, connect us." Laxus ordered and after a few clicks from the officer in charge of the calls from that division, a grinning blond appeared on the large screen. He wore a large suit of armor that covered him completely from head to toe, thick as a brick, with a retractile circular visor around the head. The suit had one side painted in black while the other was a spotless white. "Colonel Eucliffe."

"Hey there! Didn't expect to see you Laxus!" The younger blond commented merrily, playing with the visor of his helmet a few times. "Everything here is ready-merry~ All marines accounted and dressed for battle."

"Why didn't you just send a message?" The older blond asked slowly, an eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

"Uh? I wanted to show y'all my pretty face." Sting smiled sheepishly, still playing with his visor.

The personnel and the two superior officers inside the room sweatdropped.

"End the transmission." Lyon ordered, bringing a hand to his face.

'Skylogia' Headquarters.

Colonel's quarters, 04:27.

A room spotless as the white in the armor worn by its only occupant, with a bed nicely…

Who am I kidding?

The room was a mess only seen in movies about conflicted teenagers. Magazines scattered around the floor and desk, dirty clothes barely hanging from the closet or lying on the bed and floor, food stains on the walls. The owner could have learned proper military codes regarding cleaning of one's quarters.

-Transmission Terminated-

"Uh? Now what did I say?" Sting looked at the holographic screen of his desk in complete cluelessness. He clicked some buttons on the screen and tried to reestablish the connection, only to be met with the same words every time. He called off the screen and stood up from his chair, walking straight to the exit of his quarters to open the door and find his second-in-command, Major Rogue Cheney, standing right outside with disapproval etched on every corner of his face. "Great," The blond groaned. "And you're mad because…?"

"We must stand in front of the lined up troops and you're wasting time," the dark-haired man turned and walked down the corridor, being hastily followed by the one who was supposed to be his superior. "The General won't be happy if we fail this drill, and neither the Chief of Staff."

"Bah, like I could care." Sting followed his longtime friend through the endless white corridor until they found a grey double door with a deep-green sign above. It read 'Hangar 2' in white letters. "I miss the old days when we were the ones shooting stuff instead of commanding the guys that do it… don't you?"

"Indeed," Rogue admitted, feeling bored with this new schedule they had to endure. "But this is our present; men and women are counting on us to make the right calls." He nodded to himself. "We cannot fail them."

"Again with the serious stuff…" they passed through the sliding open double doors and met with the huge hangar of their division, where soldiers were forming lines from one side to the other with their superior officers standing straight in front of the rows. All the people wearing the exact same black and white armor with the only difference being the number of their respective squad and role on the right shoulder pad. A red cross, a skull in fire, a metallic skull, a skull with grenades at its sides; each one showing a role of the soldiers in question.

Rogue walked a step forward and eyed every guy in the front row, nodding to them and the order in between the ranks they managed to keep. "Squads, report."

"1st Medical Squad, ready."

"42nd Grenadier Squad, ready."

"34th Heavy Weapons Squad, ready."

"So… any news from the General?" Rogue asked his superior, seeing him scratch the back of his head anxiously through the corner of his red eyes.

"Nothing, he's pissed about my late wake ups and wants me to run this drill to perfection." The blond eyed some other squads reporting in and shook his head. "The guy's fun and all but in service he's a pain in the arse," He grinned. "Just like you…"

Rogue tilted his head to glare at the chuckling blond.

-Incoming Transmission-

"Now now, who could that be?" Sting asked with a roll of his eyes, raising a hand to stop his squads from reporting so he could address the computer. "Connect us."

-Hey babies! Ready to fly or what?- A guy yelled through the speakers, his image appearing above the marines and annoying the officers with his crazy grin. He wore a long gray trench coat with a red outlining and several medals on his left pectoral, a gray peaked cap with the same symbol of the Confederacy at the front, his hair coming out of the sides and showing to be lavender in color. The four silver stars on his shoulders showed him to be an Admiral. –'Aquarius' is getting impatient~!-

"Admiral Bickslow," Both officers nodded their heads at the guy, Sting waving a hand nonchalantly while talking. "We're about ready, come anytime you want."

-Alright then, would you mind opening the Hangars' doors?- The Admiral asked rudely before cutting the transmission.

"I wonder how the General can stand so many crazy guys under his command," Rogue shook his head tiredly, nodding to the guys manning the hangar's control room so the ships could enter and take the soldiers to their designated sectors in the planet. "He's a really patient man…"

"That's because you didn't meet his wife," Sting shivered and moved forward when some ships entered the hangar, the mighty machines lowering themselves until they were hovering just a few centimeters from the metal floors and opening their side doors so the marines could enter. "That woman is a hard piece of work."

"Still, to stand you every day of every month of every year," Rogue smiled mockingly. "That's admirable in itself, he should get another medal."

The blond growled. "Shut up, Major."

Crocus' orbit.

'Aquarius' Insignia ship, Tenrou.

Admiral's Bridge, 04:40.

Hovering around the orbit of their military fortress in defensive formation and ensuring every division got to their transports and destinations on time was the mighty Star Battlecruiser Tenrou and its protective fleet, 'Aquarius', overseeing the emergency drill and its success.

All around the front of the room were dozens of people and officers working non-stop and commanding the movements of the fleet and the smaller ships, making sure every maneuver was perfect and every soldier reached his assigned destination as soon as possible.

At the head of all the personnel and standing proudly before the frontal window of the bridge, watching the formations made by his ships, was Admiral Bickslow. A man of many words and irrational behavior that despite this personality of his was catalogued as a military genius and granted permission to be the Admiral of his own fleet, with the General he now serves helping in that process.

"Sir, Ghoul Squadron reports all systems are fine and running accordingly." An officer informed him from his position near the screens. "Same with Trident and Axe, all systems operational."

"Isn't that perfect my babies~?" He turned around and walked to his chair, dropping on it with an amused grin in his face. "What's the status of Fairy and Lamia?"

"Planet Battlecruisers Fairy and Lamia report all systems are in the green, and they are ready for more orders."

"Aw yeah~" He pressed some buttons on the armrest of his chair and a holographic screen appeared before him, showing him the movements of his ship, the Fairy and the Lamia, and many transport and combat ships moving from one sector to the other, all of them reporting the fulfillment of their orders with seconds to spare. His grin widened. "The General will be pleased with our efficiency."

"Sir," his Vice Admiral came to stand next to him and bended forward to whisper something to his ear. "We are receiving a call from 'Spectre'."

"Aw man~ and when everything is okay, that old hag…" The image of the person of which he was talking about appeared without authorization on his screen, frowning at his words. She was wearing the same uniform as him, and the rank on her shoulder showed her to be a lower rank than his in the ground forces, a Colonel. Still, she was fearsome and deathly enough to force Bickslow to shut up, even if he was her superior officer. He flinched and thrashed his arms around. "I-I mean…! That nice old lady wants something? What could it be?"

-Save your words for someone who cares, Admiral,- the pink-haired woman had no time to waste, if her narrowed eyes meant anything. –'Spectre' is still waiting for your ships to arrive, do you mind explaining why is that?-

"H-hey, is that true Max?" Bickslow asked to his Vice Admiral, who was standing next to him shaking his head stiffly. He faced the screen again and shrugged. "I don't know about that, reports say our ships are outside your position and waiting to load your guys."

-You do remember 'Spectre' was to move to 'Rune' location and wait for transportation there, don't you Admiral?- The woman closed her eyes, already imagining the answer.

"Say what~?!" Bickslow's and Max's jaws hit the floor.

-Some of your ships came and took the engineers to their respective positions,- she typed some buttons and showed a hangar full of her soldiers waiting to be picked up before it showed her face again, looking pissed about this delay. –Do you now this whole operation is being overseen by the General right now and that he's aware of this failure of yours?-

The Admiral groaned loudly. "This is not my day… dammit…" He shook his head, and motioned Max to do the changes for him. "I'll correct this right now."

Vice Admiral Max Alors went and pressed some buttons on his personal computer, starting communications with the transport ships in charge of 'Spectre'. "Worm Squadron... uh... we have new coordinates; 'Spectre' is waiting at 'Rune' base for transportation."

-Are you serious?!- The poor pilots yelled, cutting the transmission and heading to their new destination in a hurry.

"There you have it, Colonel Porlyusca," Bickslow sighed tiredly, rubbing his eyes in frustration. "The ships will be there in just a few minutes."

-They better be, Admiral; the General already sent me a complaint about this delay of ours.-

The Admiral paled, not minding the abrupt end of the transmission. He slouched on his chair and started to imagine what kind of punishment would his superior deliver to him for this mistake. 'Hell, ever since he got married he got even stiffer with the rules…' He nodded to himself while making a mental note. 'Note to self, do not get married, women suck.'

"S-sir?" Max walked closer to his groaning superior, wondering if he should tell him of the new transmission waiting for him from Central Command. Though, thinking it better, it was better to have the Admiral mad at him than the General. The guy was as severe as the Military Academy instructors. "Y-you have a call from Central Command."

"WHAT?!"

Crocus' surface.

'Rune' Headquarters.

Communications Room, 05:03.

Another room of communications but with more sophisticated instruments, the 'Rune' Engineer Corps took pride on their well-earned reputation and did their best to keep that reputation high. Which meant no mistakes or hold ups; every little thing in which an engineer from their corps was involved was to be performed with the utmost precision and professionalism.

Not many engineer divisions were granted to be a separated unit from the main body of the army, so this was something they needed to hold for as long as possible.

"Are you sure it was okay to lie like that?" A man of short black-haired asked to Porlyusca warily, already knowing of the sudden rash impulses and snaps she was famous for. He was wearing a normal light-blue suit with protection on his arms, shoulders, chest and the lower part of his legs. A helmet, with the same dragon holding the Confederacy's emblem showed him as a Colonel, was hanging from a belt around his waist. "That's what will make the General fume."

"Do not get in my business, Engineer," She glared at his form from the corner of her eyes, not minding his frowning face at the emphasis in his profession and how she despises it. "We, 'Spectre', have our reasons to do things as we do, go and find something to repair and leave me alone."

"H-hey! Don't talk to-!" Another black-haired man tried to intercede but he was silenced with a hand on his shoulder and solemn shook of head from his superior. "C-colonel…"

"I recommend you show some respect to your fellow officers, Porlyusca," the man stated sternly, narrowing his eyes at the scoffing pinkette. "Or I'll be sure to bring this situation to the General's ears."

"Do whatever you want, Colonel Doranbolt," she turned to leave the room, her words still as condescending as before. "And keep your men in check."

When she left the place, hell broke loose and every single officer in the room was found asking their superior why he didn't do anything against the woman. Her diminishing words about their profession and importance irking every one of them. The man walked to his seat at the back of the room and sighed, waving the complaints away. "Because… whether we like it or not, we engineers don't fight as the other divisions do." He eyed the screens and the current positions of his men in the planet. "We don't engage the enemy; we repair vehicles and open the path for the others."

"B-but…! W-what about our assignment as an independent unit?" The black-haired guy that tried to defend him a moment ago asked, going to stand next to Doranbolt.

"That's because of our efficiency," the Colonel sighed again, leaning to a side to rest his head on his open palm. "We serve the army better by directing orders by ourselves, something not every engineer division can do."

"B-but…"

"Chill out, Lahar," Doranbolt gave a weak smile and pressed some buttons on the armrest of his chair with his free hand, straightening his posture when the big screen at the opposite side of the room showed it was trying to make a transmission. "And stand straight, the General won't be happy to see you slouched like that."

"A-aye sir." Lahar did as told and waited for the transmission to be accepted.

Central Command of the Confederate Army in Crocus.

War Room, 05:20.

A large oval room with officers working at the corners in computers that showed the status of every single unit in Crocus and its planetary defenses, four large screens surrounding the ceiling and depicting the situation of the planet and the other three in the star system, and a large round table with six seats around it.

Only one chair was occupied, and the person sitting there was a man that wore the highest class of uniform in the planet. Spiky rose-colored hair, squinted onyx eyes, hardened facial factions and a scar on his neck. The four golden stars in his gray uniform's shoulders showed him to be the General in charge of that place.

"Sir, 'Scars' reports to be in position."

The man nodded firmly, already expecting to hear that. 'Laxus and Lyon must have drilled their guys for the past week in preparation.'

"We received the same message from 'Skylogia'."

He quirked an eyebrow and nodded uncertainly. 'I'm surprised Sting got out of bed… Rogue surely had something to do with it.'

"Just now, 'Spectre' reported to be on its way."

He grimaced, not wanting to remember some of the complaints he got from that group of soldiers. 'Ugh… that woman… her troops are in a constant drill.'

"A message from the Tenrou; 'Aquarius' ships are ready for more instructions."

He blinked in surprise and nodded with a small smile. 'So Bickslow managed to do that change in formation?' He could still remember the freaked out face the Admiral had when he called him to make a change in the plans. 'Great!'

"Incoming call from 'Rune', sir."

'Doranbolt? What could have happened?' The man thought a bit surprised before nodding to the officer in charge of communications. "Connect us."

-General Dragneel,- Doranbolt addressed him the most polite way he managed to find, giving a short salute to the pink-haired before he showed the status of his men. –All engineers are at their designated stations and waiting for part two of the drill to begin.-

"I see," Dragneel lowered his head in thinking. Every one of his divisions was ready for the start of the second part; it wasn't a bad time to inform them of the new orders he got from Earthland and the Chief of Staff. 'Oh, many will be pissed about this.' He joined his hands and rested his head on them, his arms taking support from the round table. "Well done, Colonel."

-We await further instructions, sir.- And the transmission was over.

The pinkette leaned against the back of his chair, humming an old song while thinking about the next part of the operation. His mind playing with him and making him remember how he got there in the first place.

Natsu Dragneel. Born in Earthland's metropolis, Magnolia. Thirty years old. Married.

General of the Fortress World Crocus.

Adopted son of the late Captain Igneel Dragneel and older brother of Meredy Dragneel, he had a normal life during the short lived time he had with his foster-father. First abandoned by his biological parents to later be left alone with his sister at the age of twelve, when Captain Igneel was killed in action, he fought his way through the Academy and joined the Military, where he made some important friendships and came out of boot camp with top grades in all areas.

Two years later, during a mission to eradicate a rebel group, his marine squad was decimated and he was left stranded with a Special Forces' soldier that was with them, who happened to be the one that would later be his wife. They both stayed behind the enemy lines for almost six months, sabotaging and disrupting the rebels' supply lines and bases until the group was completely eliminated and they returned to Earthland as heroes.

After being in a stable relationship for five years, they had a son and they were married. The two of them serving the army in their respective positions and doing their best to ensure a peaceful and bright future for their son and all the citizens of the Confederacy.

'Nice memories…' Natsu smiled melancholically, fond of the old days when he was available to go into the battlefield. Now, he was in charge of a larger group, giving orders and making sure everything ended in success. Nothing hard for him, but he still missed the thrill of the frontlines, the bullets flying close to him, the tactical charges, the sound of explosions close and away from him. He shook his head in dry amusement. 'Now I get why she stayed as a Major… she realized it sooner than I did.'

"Sir, transmissions coming from all divisions." An officer passing by told him, waking him up from his thoughts.

"Connect them." He returned to his position supporting his head with his hands and stared at the five screens appearing where the other seats in the round table were, each one of his Colonels giving a salute and waiting for him to give the next order. "People, is everything running smoothly?"

-You know it is like that, why do you ask?- Sting voiced out for everyone, in the way none of them dared to do.

So they ignored his question and moved to report their statuses.

-'Scars' Shock Troopers are at the outposts outside Training Area 14, waiting for more orders.- Laxus shook his head and informed his troops' situation.

-'Spectre' Special Forces are spread at the four corners of Training Area 14, waiting for further instructions.- Porlyusca rubbed her temple and scowled at the image of the younger blond.

-'Aquarius' Fleet is hovering near the area, ready to rock.- Bickslow stuck out his tongue, showing a strange tribal tattoo on it, and nodded with a grin.

An awkward silence followed.

"Colonel Eucliffe, what is the status of 'Skylogia'?" Natsu asked slowly, groaning and rubbing his eyelids in tiredness.

-Uh? A-ah yes! 'Skylogia' Marines are spread throughout the bunkers and trenches,- Sting started to explain, trying his best to use the military language. They all knew each other, why couldn't they talk normally? –Medics are at the center of Training Area 14, Heavy Weapons squads are equally distributed around the four corners and bunkers, and Marine and Grenadier squads are in the trenches.-

"You mean to say, Fire and Suppression squads are in the trenches, right?" Natsu corrected sternly. He was able to understand the guy's problem with military language, but there was little he could do against it. All conversations were recorded and sent to Earthland for processing and storage. If Central Command in Earthland happened to learn of an entire army disregarding the military protocol, there would be hell to pay. Too many demotions for Natsu's liking.

-A-aye sir, excuse my mistake.- Sting paled and bowed in apology.

The General waved his concern and continued with the meeting.

"As you all know, there had been some complaints from the higher-ups regarding the past drills," he shook his head tiredly, trying to ignore the younger blond's constant apologies and continued. "So they asked us to run one every week for the next three months."

A collective gasp was heard with the exception of the pink-haired woman, who nodded in acceptance.

"With a few changes though." Natsu nodded in Doranbolt's direction and allowed him to speak.

-Central Command in Earthland sent drones to give 'reality' to our drills,- he pressed some buttons and showed an army of machines waiting in Training Area 12 to be activated and sent to battle. His face darkened. –They have real weapons and the capacity to confront our forces in equal grounds. The higher-ups made sure to download every piece of information about us in those things.-

Eyes widened at the revelation.

-That's crazy! How can we fight against real enemies?! What if we are attacked or something during the drill?!- Sting yelled in disbelief, earning a glare from his General and fellows. It was fine to have doubts, but there were ways to voice them out, especially in front of a military board.

-Did you approve of this, sir?- Laxus asked cautiously, knowing the answer beforehand but asking in Sting's place to save him some face.

The pink-haired man said nothing.

-A real fighting experience, huh?- Porlyusca nodded in acceptance. –Delightful.-

-Who will be the one to activate and control the drones?- Bickslow asked in complete cluelessness.

-'Rune' Engineers are placed at the drone control center in Training Area 9, sir.- Doranbolt gave his late situation status and informed the rest of the people about the ones that will be controlling the fighter drones. He smirked smugly in Porlyusca's direction, earning a narrowing of eyes from her. –When you give the order, the drones will be activated.-

-So that's why I saw just a bunch of your guys around here.- Sting stated, narrowing his eyes in thinking. If their squads just had a handful of engineers, there wasn't much they could do to stop an advancing army of machines. Not even if the 'Rune' Engineers were renowned for their efficiency and speed.

-Most of the free engineers were sent to the fleet.- The Engineers' Colonel continued to explain, looking at the flabbergasted Bickslow.

-You mean to say my fleet will fight as well?- He got a nod in response to which he responded with an excited grin. –Finally! You guys won't be the only ones having all the fun!-

-Sir, excuse me but, what was wrong with the old training system?- Laxus eyed the pinkette in seriousness, not understanding this change. Soldiers will get hurt with this new drilling procedure, there will be human casualties and invaluable machinery lost.

What was Central Command thinking?

Natsu sighed tiredly, nodding at the question. "It seems the lack of rebel activity is making the Emperor worry about our skills, he fears we will get out of shape and fail to repel their possible next offensive." He ran a hand across his pink locks and frowned. "As to your other question; yes, I did agree with this change."

There was another silence before his Colonels started to nod and cut their communications.

-Then 'Spectre' will wait for the start of the training.-

-It doesn't look like we have much of a choice so, 'Skylogia' will wait as well.-

-'Aquarius' is waiting eagerly.-

-…- Laxus looked at the General once more before sighing. –If you agreed to this, then 'Scars' will wait for it as well.-

-You know what to do, sir, give the order and 'Rune' will activate the drones.-

-Transmission Terminated-

-Decoding encrypted transmission-

-…-

-Decoding Complete-

-Audio logs available-

"Start it."

-Ghoul Squadron reports heavy casualties-

"H-hey… aren't those…?!"

-Wheelers have all-round protective shields.-

"S-sir, the Star Battlecruiser Cerberus is returning from the outer rims... their distress signal is active."

"What the…?!"

-Audio logs blocked-

-Restarting decoding process-

-…-

-System failure-

(A/N: So? What do you think? As you were able to see, Gray will be the main character. *shrugs* I saw that the archive writes too much about Natsu or Lucy or Erza or Jellal or Gajeel or whoever else so I decided to give the guy some more spotlight. He's cool anyway, and fits the role I have in mind for this story. Yeah yeah, the start of the chapter was the only one showing Gray but that will change with the next chapters. Be patient. *nods*

Until next time.

Saludos.)