Publisher's Synopsis
ChronoCore: The Iron Legion - Machines of War
Chapter One: The Edge of DesolationSmoke choked the air as the Iron Legion swept through what was left of the northern outpost. Captain Livia Kane, crouched behind a crumbling barricade, watched with grim resolve as the towering machines advanced with their precise, almost graceful movements, blue ChronoCore energy pulsing through their skeletal frames. They moved with a singular purpose, their cold, mechanical eyes scanning every inch of the battlefield. One misstep, one sound too loud, and she'd be spotted. The ruined city loomed in the background, hollow and eerie under the darkened sky. Once a sprawling metropolis, now it was just another graveyard for the fallen. Resistance was dwindling; each wave of Iron Legion assaults drained their numbers, resources, and morale. But for Livia, surrender was not an option. She adjusted the grip on her pulse rifle, her gloved fingers brushing against the worn stock. This was her home. And today, she'd do whatever it took to defend it. Around her, what remained of her squad took positions. They were a ragtag mix of veterans and fresh recruits, each bearing the scars and exhaustion that came from constant fighting. To her right was Specialist Reza, a tech genius with a sharp mind and an even sharper tongue, currently hacking into the outpost's surveillance system to give them a clear view of the advancing threat. Further down, Corporal Elena Ward loaded a rocket launcher, her gaze hardened with the knowledge that it might be their only shot against the steel giants. "Captain," Reza whispered, his voice barely audible over the hum of machinery in the distance. "We've got less than two minutes before they reach this barricade. They're scanning the area with ChronoCore-enhanced vision. We can't hide for long." Livia nodded, quickly running through her options. The Iron Legion operated with terrifying efficiency, their processors augmented by ChronoCore technology, enabling them to predict human tactics almost before they happened. The only way to survive was to outthink them, to be unpredictable in ways the machines couldn't calculate. "All right, listen up," she whispered to her squad. "We're not here to win a head-on fight. Our objective is to lure them to the city's central power station. Once we're there, we detonate the EMP charges, and that'll give us a fighting chance. Stay low, keep your heads down, and follow my lead." The squad nodded, their faces a blend of fear and determination. They all knew the risks. The EMP would disable the machines temporarily, but it would also drain most of the remaining power in the city. It was a desperate, last-ditch effort-but desperate was all they had left. As they moved, Livia noticed the machines' relentless progress, each step synchronized, as if guided by a single mind. A flicker of movement caught her eye: a rogue machine, damaged but still functional, veering slightly off course. It moved with less precision, its core sputtering with faint, erratic pulses. Livia's heart quickened. Could this be the anomaly that the resistance had been searching for? She signaled Reza, who narrowed his eyes at the machine. "What the hell? That's an AX-17. They stopped producing those models years ago." "Think it could be useful?" Livia asked. "Useful? If it's still operational, that thing could be a treasure trove of intel. But..." Reza's voice trailed off as he scanned the machine's erratic movements. "It's not just damaged; it's almost... confused." Livia didn't hesitate. They didn't have the luxury of questioning allies. "New objective," she ordered. "We're bringing that AX-17 back with us." With swift, silent movements, her team fanned out, drawing closer to the rogue machine. The AX-17 scanned the environment, its head swiveling with jerky, halting motions, as if caught between fleeing and d
