Five years later
"In the year 2080, Your ancestor, Heinrick Hammond was born. Together, with a fellow scientist called Sam Shefield, they went on to study their research. Unfortunately, in 2122, there was a disaster."
A thin, chrome-like robot spoke in a rather posh-sounding British accent. Its elongated limbs moved with an eerie grace, servos whirring softly beneath its gleaming white outer shell. Its face, an emotionless, flat screen embedded in a smooth skull-like head, lit up with a digital frowning emoticon.
"There was an asteroid strike that destroyed a town in Missouri, killing everyone there."
The soft hum of nearby servos accompanied the grim statement. Outside the penthouse window, the towering metropolis of Earth's capital sprawled into the distance.
It was a city of impossible glass spires and colossal digital billboards that screamed advertisements into the night, a restless storm of neon color and mechanized sound.
"What happened next, Albreck?"
"Ahh, yes. Of course. Heinrick and Shefield began studying this asteroid. It is highly undocumented what truly happened at the crash site, but - Heinrick and Sam were both likely exposed to a highly dangerous and powerful radioactive element."
"Shefield perished in the incident, but by some bizarre twist of fate, your Grandfather survived. He would then go on to form Hammond Robotics, a subsidiary company of Hammond Engineering."
Samael leaned back into his chair, which was an intricate fusion of classical mahogany and bleeding-edge smart materials, its cushions adjusting automatically to his posture.
He was five years old now, but there was nothing of the average child about him. The flickering flames of an authentic coal fireplace crackled softly nearby, filling the room with a warm, flickering glow that danced across the oak floorboards.
The penthouse, perched within one of the highest towers of Earth's capital, blended the old-world charm of brick masonry walls and polished wood with the clean sharpness of modern post-urban aesthetics. Even the air smelled expensive- filtered through imported flora, carrying hints of fresh pine and iron.
Albreck stood before him like some refined, metallic butler, its seven-foot frame casting a long shadow across the room. Its crimson ocular projectors pulsed in sync with each word spoken.
Samael himself was growing into something that felt barely human. There was an unnatural perfection to the way his mind absorbed information, traits bordering on eidetic memory, coupled with a body developing years beyond its age. At five, he was capable of outmaneuvering a ten-year-old in combat. A sharp, alien cunning gleamed behind his eyes.
Possibly the effect of reincarnation?
But right now, violence didn't interest him. Knowledge did.
While the roaring city outside continued its restless cycle, he studied relentlessly. Each hour of instruction in this sanctuary of old-world wealth and cutting-edge technology brought him closer to understanding the universe and how to claim it.
Biting on his pen, Samael spoke ahead, already anticipating what Albreck would say.
"With Hammond Robotics, he improved on the mechanized suit programs of the past and created functional suits from the scraps, right? I remember going through the files when Father wasn't looking hehe..." He giggled.
"But this was how the first Titans were made, right."
Albreck shook his head, servo joints quietly clicking. "I told you not to snoop in your father's belongings. But yes, you're right. The first Titans were not made for warfare, but for mining. Demands for resources required massive exoskeletons capable of lifting impossible weights. They could be adapted for other things like agriculture-"
A screen of soft blue light flickered to life in front of Samael, projecting a floating image. It displayed a fertile, vivid green field under a broad azure sky, dotted with tall grain stalks swaying in a digital breeze. Amidst it, a gigantic robot plowed through the earth, its towering frame moving with ease. Dirt and vegetation churned beneath its colossal limbs, far faster and more efficiently than any human workforce could dream.
"Of course, these mechs needed skilled and highly trained pilots, connected through neurolinks. Without a skilled pilot, these Titans were just unreliable machines with only rudimentary AIs to guide them."
Albreck waved one spindly, dagger-like steel finger, shifting the projection with a lazy, fluid motion. The display shimmered, its light tracing across the walls, and a new image appeared before Samael.
It expanded, engulfing his view entirely. The projected light reshaped itself around him, cloaking him in a ghostly holographic skin. It rendered him into the image of a smaller robot - dull yellow paint peeling from its blocky frame. The figure looked primitive, with a single round ocular lens for an eye and a clumsy, hunched posture. In the center of its chest, a monitor buzzed to life, showing a smiling cartoon face.
Then, with a flicker, it vanished, replaced again by the tall, imposing silhouette of Albreck.
"Hammond Robotics also started producing Marvins, among other things. These simple robots could perform basic labor, from window-cleaning to factory assembly lines. To this day, research continues into modifying them for more...lethal roles. I am one such model," Albreck raised his sharp chin in metallic pride.
"Though far too expensive for mass production."
The room seemed to shrink as the robot continued. Beyond the heavy glass, anti-grav cars zipped silently along skyways. A giant holo-advertisement beamed across the horizon, casting a ghostly blue tint over the room.
"Needless to say, at this time, Hammond Engineering and Robotics were thriving-leaving every other corporation in the dust. But your Grandfather had one last surprise for humanity."
"The warp drive?" Samael guessed.
Albreck nodded, his eyes flashing a brief gold. "Yes. In 2187, humanity finally escaped the confines of the Sol system, eventually settling what we now call the Core Systems surrounding Earth. Hammond Engineering evolved into the Interstellar Mining Corporation—or the IMC. They engaged in military conflicts, quickly becoming the dominant force in human-claimed space."
Samael straightened his crisp white button-up shirt. His fingers brushed over the titanium armor mesh woven into the fabric beneath. His father insisted he wear it, and truthfully, Samael didn't mind. Yet, he already knew where this lesson was headed and a flicker of annoyance stirred inside him.
His robotic instructor noticed and pressed on.
"I see you're already aware. In 2292, the Frontier was discovered - a sprawling region of habitable worlds, rich in untapped resources."
"Resources we desperately needed," Samael added.
Outside the luxurious window, the neon jungle of the capital city stretched endlessly. By now, the year was 2698. The once-vast Core Systems, seventeen star systems strong, had become overpopulated and heavily polluted.
The ground was arid, and the skies were choked with industrial haze. Harvesting rare metals and fuels from one's own worlds was suicide at the scale the IMC demanded.
"We do indeed, Sir. That is why our very own IMC sent veterans from previous campaigns to colonize these worlds, offering land ownership and contracts in exchange for their loyalty. Many of these men were former riflemen or pilots, trained to combat the hostile xeno lifeforms infesting these new worlds."
Samael's gaze drifted toward a painting adorning the wall - a portrait of one such creature. The beast was a towering, four-legged nightmare, even larger than most skyscrapers. So massive, in fact, it interfered with jumpdrive calculations. Its hide was a patchwork of armored scales and sinew, a hulking god-beast born of some cruel, alien ecology.
But not every creature out there was invincible. Some could be felled by gunfire. Like the Prowler, a tiger-like predator that could shrug off wounds and still tear a man apart in seconds with teeth sharp enough to shear through plasteel.
"Things were going well for a time. The Frontier boomed, and the colonies grew advanced and prosperous. But, as with all things, peace was temporary."
Albreck's voice softened, his speakers carrying a faint note of melancholy.
"Eventually, the IMC had to abandon the Frontier to focus on sporadic conflicts within the Core. These were swiftly crushed. But the colonies, left to fend for themselves, developed their own culture - and, more dangerously, their own independence."
Samael's brow twitched as Albreck spoke on.
"When the IMC returned, two centuries later, depleted and desperate, the settlers resisted. What followed were the Titan Wars."
"Even now, these wars rage on. The IMC holds key positions - like the planet Demeter and various critical facilities- but their grip weakens. The only remaining threat is the Militia, though they are little more than a ragtag insurgency. Nothing we haven't faced before."
At the mention of 'Demeter,' Samael flinched, his pale face tightening. With a flick of his wrist, a metal armband lit up with crimson light. A 3D map of the Core and Frontier systems bloomed into life above his palm.
The Core shone with seventeen luminous spheres, separated from the sprawling tangle of the Frontier by a vast black gulf. Long-range hyperspace jumps were the only means of travel between them. IMC ships would arrive at the planet Demeter- dangerously low on fuel - and only then refuel for operations.
'If I allow Demeter to fall to the Militia, as in the original timeline, the IMC fleets will be stranded or arriving to the frontier with no fuel,' Samael mused.
This would be his mission. His first true objective. The base's destruction was slated for the year 2708. In Ten years he should be ready.
His thoughts broke as Albreck clapped his hands together, a metallic chime echoing through the room.
"That concludes today's lesson, young master. Your father should return in approximately two lunar orbits. Until then, I will be overseeing your care."
"Hmph, thought so," Samael rose smoothly from his chair.
"I'll be in my room if you need me."
"Of course, Sir. Please rest early tonight."