In the mid-21st century, the collapse of the old international order has given rise to new states, new forms of warfare, and a new international system. Enormous robots driven by pilots with a 1-in-10 million brain mutation have made nuclear weapons obsolete and now dominate the battlefield as an all-in-one package of artillery, missile defense, and symbol of national pride. However, amidst rising international competition and a new arms race, colossal monsters are emerging in the Sahari desert, bent on the destruction of humanity. Araari Ahmed, star pilot of the Pan-Republic of the Horn, is barely keeping the monsters at bay. All she can hope for is that her fellow international pilots will come to her aid in time, and that Nile water politics, ethno-nationalists, and self-serving superpowers won’t get in their way first. Updates whenever the chapter is finished. [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]