The sun rose high over the Mojave as a crowd gathered on the observation ridge, a few miles out from Goodsprings City. Officials, engineers, Brotherhood representatives, settlers, and even a few of the newer allies had shown up to witness history in the making—the first full test of the Knightmare Frames.
August stood in the cockpit of the Knightmare Frame Barbatos, his movements precise as he powered it up with Llyod monitoring the readings from a makeshift command van nearby.
Rebecca stood holding Lumbo, close by with Sasha and Missy, her eyes locked on the battlefield with an expression that was both nervous and proud. Cassidy leaned against the side of the bus, arms crossed, chewing on a toothpick. She muttered,
"Your kid's got more balls than brains—but hell, let's see if he's got the skills to back it."
Lloyd turned toward Six with a crooked grin.
"Everything's stable. The power flow from the Naquadah generator is flawless. The moment he moves, we'll know if the numbers were more than just theory."
Six didn't say anything. He only nodded, arms folded, eyes locked on the sleek, spiked silhouette of Barbatos as it readied for deployment.
[TEST START]
Within seconds of the signal, Barbatos launched forward with a thunderous roar, its feet tearing into the earth as it accelerated. The first wave of opponents—military-deployed tanks, LAVs, elite B1 Droids with heavy weapons, and drone-controlled power armors—opened fire in perfect sync.
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM.
Explosions blossomed across the field, but Barbatos danced between them like a ghost. It weaved through the chaos with stunning agility, propelled by its augmented thrusters and reinforced frame.
August was silent inside the cockpit, his face utterly calm—expressionless. Like it wasn't his first time doing this.
He smashed through the line with the giant Wrench Mace, a sickening crunch as a LAV folded in two. A tank fired point-blank, only for Barbatos to leap skyward and drop down like a meteor, impaling it with its spike-tipped knee. The drone-controlled power armor squads tried to encircle him, only to be cleaved apart in a single sweeping strike.
In under a minute, the entire wave was destroyed.
[Minimal Damage Reported: 3% Surface Scratches | Generator Stable | Pilot Vitals: Optimal]
A stunned silence swept across the ridge.
Lloyd stared at the monitor.
"...Well, that's one way to stress test a prototype."
But it wasn't over.
From the other end of the field, a second Knightmare Frame emerged—sleek, angular, painted in BOS matte gunmetal.
The Graze frame was piloted by one of Ron's best: a Brotherhood Knight who had never lost a simulated battle and held the top score in mobile suit combat drills. This test had been specifically arranged as a benchmark.
As the Graze approached, it brought its halberd to bear and charged.
Barbatos didn't move.
The two machines met in a flash of steel—halberd against mace. Shockwaves cracked the earth beneath them. But where the Graze had strength and speed, Barbatos had raw precision... and August had something else.
Instinct.
Because he wasn't just a prodigy. He was Mikazuki Augus, reborn.
The Graze pilot attempted a feint maneuver, shifting into a blade-thrust counterattack. August predicted it before the pilot even committed. Barbatos spun low, dragging its mace in a wide arc—and shattered the Graze's leg clean off.
In the control van, the Brotherhood Knights monitoring the duel gasped. One of them turned to Ron.
"Sir... that move isn't in the manuals."
Ron, arms crossed, gave a slow nod.
"That's because we're watching a killer, not a kid."
With the Graze disabled, August didn't finish the strike. He stopped Barbatos just inches away from decapitating the other frame. The screen inside the van lit up:
[Test Complete | Winner: Barbatos | Efficiency Rating: 98.7%]
Back at the ridge, Six placed a hand on Lloyd's shoulder.
"You've outdone yourself."
He said, low and firm.
Lloyd blinked, as if just now coming to terms with what they'd accomplished.
"That's not just engineering. That's… something else."
Cassidy smirked.
"That kid's gonna be a nightmare for anyone who picks the wrong side."
Rebecca whispered from behind, holding Lumbo in her arms.
"That's my little prince."
As August exited the cockpit, drenched in sweat but otherwise calm, he walked toward Six with his usual stoic expression. But there was pride in his eyes, and something else—readiness.
"Barbatos works."
He said plainly.
Six nodded once.
"Yeah… it does."
____________________________________
That morning the nuclear winter sky over the Mojave was almost deceptively serene and clouded like usual. But the crowd gathered outside Goodsprings wasn't looking at the sky for serenity.
They were waiting for a storm.
From the far horizon, a sharp whistle pierced the air, followed by a thunderous boom as the second test began. Out of the clouds streaked Kyrios, the orange and white Knightmare Frame, already in aircraft mode. It shimmered under the desert sun, and behind it, a faint trail of energy could be seen from the Float System kicking into full operation.
"Goddamn..."
Cassidy muttered as she shielded her eyes.
"That ain't flying. That's gliding with attitude."
Six narrowed his eyes as he tracked Kyrios across the sky, the electromagnetic floatation tech visibly distorting the air around it. Lloyd was screaming in the comms van, struggling to compensate for the wild power draw.
"She's burning through ten percent of the Naquadah generator every thirty seconds!"
He shouted.
"The Float System isn't just pulling power, it's eating it faster than the generator can produce!"
But Tanya didn't care. And neither did the crowd once the first volley hit.
From high above, aerial bombs rained down with pinpoint precision. The test units—armored artillery, mobile AA platforms, automated tanks, and defensive drone towers—were reduced to scorched craters and melted metal before anyone could even react.
She soared overhead like a predator hawk, arcing through the air in defiance of inertia. Every move was cold, calculated, and—unlike her brother's brute strength—dripping with tactical malice.
Then she transformed mid-air.
Kyrios shifted smoothly from aircraft mode to humanoid combat mode, locking into place with a mechanical shriek of pistons and shifting plates. Tanya didn't miss a beat—she activated the beam weapons and turned her guns on the waiting squad of drone-controlled Knightmare Frames.
These were designed to be fast, agile, and combat-capable. But Tanya was something else entirely.
Inside the cockpit, her eyes were sharp, almost glowing with focused rage. Her expression didn't waver—not even when the first drone fired a direct shot at her frame.
She jinked left, fired a burst, and vaporized it.
Then she dove into the center of the group, Maser Vibration Sword drawn, tearing through the formation like a banshee in an inferno.
"Tracking systems can't keep up with her!"
One Brotherhood operator gasped.
"She's cutting through them before the targeting AI can adjust—!"
Ron watched with his arms crossed, lips a thin line.
"That's not training. That's experience."
His voice lowered.
"She's like her twin, a mobile weapon. A nightmare in human form."
Frame after drone-controlled Frame exploded in fire and shrapnel. The snow was littered with their remains. And through it all, Kyrios hovered, bathed in the glow of the Float System's aura—elegant and deadly.
[Test Complete | Generator 3/4 still stable | All Units Eliminated | Efficiency Rating: 99.4%]
Lloyd slumped back in his seat, dazed.
"Hehehe... This… This is beyond military doctrine. This is divine-tier warfare. With enough cores, she could solo entire divisions…"
Back on the ridge, Lumbo tugged at Rebecca's sleeve.
"Mama… is Tanya scary?"
Rebecca smiled down at her youngest son.
"Only to the ones dumb enough to cross her."
As Kyrios gently descended near the crowd, Tanya dismounted with perfect poise. Her uniform was pressed, her face pristine—like she'd just returned from a parade rather than a battlefield.
Six approached her, impressed.
"You went all-out."
He said.
Tanya simply shrugged.
"They needed to understand the difference between war... and annihilation. Besides, if August is going to be the hammer, I might as well be the scalpel."
August gave a sideways glance, smirking just a little.
"Took your time."
"I let them see it coming."
She replied coolly.
"Fear adds weight to power."
The crowd was silent—some in awe, others in shock. But the message was clear:
The twins were not just kids.
They were weapons.
And with the Float System operational and beam weapons fully integrated, the battlefield had forever changed.
Six looked out across the field of wreckage, then to his children.
The Mojave didn't stand a chance.
But then again… maybe that was the point.