Mirage Phantom

Beyond the boundaries of the world, there is a vast network center ruled by the Phantom Empire.

This faction utilized the local resources of each center to enhance their Meca mecha, with a particular focus on improving maneuverability, which is reflected in their Meca's aerodynamic design and high-speed performance.

origin

Thousands of years before the decline of the empire, a remote rural area adjacent to the OG domain was inhabited by an indigenous tribe called Mira. The Mira tribe is composed of nomadic peoples who search for ancient relics, often worship excavated statues, or reuse unidentified mechanical fragments found during their travels. For the latter, they feel as if they have received a divine miracle, able to activate seemingly conscious machines that are only used for farming and survival.

At the same time, the OG regime continued to expand its interstellar gate construction factories throughout the country, forcing the Mira people to migrate deeper into the primitive and remote areas, forming densely populated towns. This forced migration eventually became commonplace and evolved into a norm of pre evacuation from areas adjacent to the expanding borders of OG. The Mira people accepted the subordinate status of OG and prioritized the protection of citizens' lives by sacrificing their land, which they believed was a worthwhile sacrifice.

unexpected guest

About 77 years before the decline of the empire, the Mira tribe hesitantly welcomed an unexpected visitor who brought a prophecy: Valleda, a former servant of the OG High Representative, who silently observed and listened to the sensitive conversations of the OG throughout her life, ultimately foreseeing the inevitable power struggle among members of the OG Council. Out of concern for her future safety, she escaped at night and spent several weeks trekking from one Mira settlement to another by exchanging a few stolen trinkets, in exchange for food, shelter, and transportation.

After arriving in the largest Mira city at the time - Spees, Valeda requested asylum from the Mira aristocratic council and was willing to exchange all the information she knew. Initially, her secrets were kept as top secret by the parliament. However, a few months later, with the arrival of nine elders who had withdrawn from the OG High Council, Valeda's prophecy was confirmed.

Given that all of this seemed to be arranged by fate, the aristocratic parliament negotiated with Valeda and reached an agreement. Subsequently, the nine elders began actively promoting the comprehensive progress and development of the Mira tribe. At the same time, the turmoil caused by this divergence led to a massive wave of exile among the lower and middle class citizens of OG, known as "fugitives". Many people who feel oppressed in the Stargate factory either try to rebel or seek refuge in remote areas outside the OG's sphere of influence, which has triggered a supply chain crisis for OG. Feeling betrayed, OG mobilized all available resources to massacre countless towns near the border, mercilessly striking both the Mira people and fugitives. Before OG considered resource conservation more important than revenge and stopped attacking, tens of thousands of people had already lost their lives.

As the attacks ceased, the population of fugitives in Mira city significantly increased in the following years, especially due to a decrease in fear when fleeing OG territory. Out of resonance, the nine elders helped these fugitives integrate into the culture and belief system of the Mira tribe, and utilized this additional labor to fulfill their commitments to the aristocratic parliament. There are many talented and well-educated individuals among the fugitives who have been responsible for operating the Stargate factory, designing and manufacturing processes, and building weaponized equipment or OG Mech. The combination of the professional knowledge of fugitives and the abundant natural resources within Mira's territory greatly propelled Mira's modernization and catalyzed technological development at a hundredfold pace.

Due to the fact that most of the valuable resources of the Mira tribe are hidden underground and difficult for OG to access, the Mira tribe and fugitives have decided to collaborate to build an underground metropolis called Mirus, which is designed as a safe haven for technological research. Although Milus eventually became such a safe research site, a few months after construction began, nine elders evaluated their treatment and decided to terminate the partnership, taking away many loyal fugitives. However, key engineering and technical knowledge has been imparted to the Mira people, and there has been no shortage of labor supply. Most fugitives choose to stay and continue building Milus because they believe it will become their new home, and they hope this is their last nominal escape.

As time goes by, the city of Milus is about to be completed, and the builders have gathered into an unbreakable community. Cultural differences have faded to almost imperceptible levels, and marriages between Mira people and former fugitives have become common. The fusion of traditions has given birth to a generation of people with similar appearances, all of whom have proud ancestors as builders. In the end, all citizens united around a unified vision, even though their history and lineage became blurred. In commemoration of this unique development, the aristocratic council announced the Day of Liberation at the inauguration ceremony of the city of Milus, releasing the citizens from the last traces of history with a solemn ceremony, marking the birth of a new unified nation - the Phantom Clan.

Phantom Meika Driver

The Phantom faction is vastly different from the other three factions in terms of selecting drivers. With the completion of the city of Milus, the aristocratic council announced a new system: selecting armed Meca drivers through annual skill competitions and forming faction guards. The selection of this method aims to avoid any suspicion of nepotism and ensure that all ethnic groups have the opportunity to join, becoming a force to protect their people and neutral territories.

It is worth noting that the annual selection competition is not just a stage for newcomers, in fact, all Phantom drivers must prove that their performance can be sustained and stable. Many drivers are able to successfully make this their lifelong career, but sometimes their abilities may decline with age or injury. In this case, the driver will be retired with honor, and a new driver with high potential will replace them.

In terms of defense strategy, the Meca mechs of the Phantom faction are deployed in underground hangars and interconnected through a massive tunnel network, which increases the difficulty for enemies to predict the strength of Phantom troops. Even if Phantom Mika is discovered by the enemy, these underground passages can provide rapid transportation for reinforcements. A typical practice of the Phantom Combat mechanism is to use false retreat tactics, intentionally exposing decoy units to lure pursuers to predetermined locations and sending signals for support units to launch attacks from the flank. This strategy is extremely effective in combating small-scale enemy forces. As long as there is enough space for Phantom Mika to reach maximum speed and there are not too many obstacles, it can also defeat larger enemy forces.

Technical attributes

The numerous technological advancements of the Phantom faction began decades after the completion of the city of Milus. The busy underground passages in the city extend to numerous research institutions and manufacturing facilities, all of which focus on developing Meca mecha with aerodynamic characteristics and agility. In this process, a key step is to deeply transform the extremely scarce energy stones used by OG. In a shocking discovery that almost brought catastrophic consequences by chance, an engineer from a jet engine laboratory discovered that an experimental fuel sample produced 44% more energy during combustion than traditional fuel, almost melting the ignition coil. After fine-tuning the ratio of energy stone particles to fuel, an optimal mixture with a 36% energy increase and greater stability, S-DEC, was ultimately achieved.

S-DEC, The stone derived energy concentrate has become a widely used performance enhancer for all Phantom faction drivers. Combined with the low drag Meca framework, the S-DEC provides drivers with an escape route when combat becomes too dangerous. The S-DEC was arranged to produce in a confidential location, but the factory in the city of Olafia became well-known due to a violent seizure attempt by OG.

Phantom engineers have further innovatively proposed concentrating solar energy on S-DEC storage tanks, which can generate enough energy to provide a stable power supply for cities of the same size as Milus for many years. Subsequently, according to the instructions of the aristocratic council, the production of modular S-DEC systems was accelerated, and these systems became the preferred way for underground lighting in the Phantom Civilization.

leisure activities

The pilots of the Phantom faction are passionate about the competition, and this passion has also spread to the general public. Citizens are enthusiastic about regularly hosting professional level Meika racing events or Meika wavelet competitions among family and friends as leisure and entertainment. The most notable event of the Phantom faction is the Cross Faction Champions Cup held every three years in Ahaben, which is the most dangerous and prestigious competition in the entire Meica universe. This event is widely popular in all Phantom regions, and if the Phantom faction's driver wins, a grand celebration parade will be held.