The Fallen Empire
In the long history of the Mekka universe, there have been countless conflicts between factions. Even after signing a peace agreement, there are still many factions openly violating it in order to compete for resources or establish regional hegemony. Given the destructive power of Meka weapons, most conflicts end quickly, lasting no more than a few weeks, with both sides either exhausted from the fighting or forced to cease fire due to the rapidly increasing risk to civilians in the combat area. Usually, battles only take place between two opposing factions, while the other factions remain on the sidelines.
However, when the OG faction launched a large-scale attack on the city of Olafia, destroying about half of the buildings inhabited by civilians, other factions regarded this behavior as heinous and declared the end of their long-standing policy of neutrality. Subsequently, the Phantom faction launched a comprehensive counterattack against the OG faction. This twenty year long battle of empire decline began in the uninhabited area south of the Mekka fortress, which became an ideal place to release destructive weapons without any restrictions.
by @mech_dealer / Lore by Sonic Steel & Mahacs
After witnessing the arduous struggle of the Phantom faction against the overwhelming OG forces in the first three years, the F9 faction decided to forgive the Phantom faction's past disrespect towards the Nine Elders and joined their ranks based on moral principles. The F9 army also successfully convinced their ally, the Guardians, although they usually oppose violence, their ideas were temporarily put on hold in this situation because the overall stability of the Mekka universe is facing the danger of disintegration.
尽管三个派系联合起来在人数上仍然少于OG派系，但他们在长达十二年的血腥僵局中证明了，战争的结局并非仅由规模决定。
In the following three years, the reasons that initially united them began to fade away, replaced by the trauma and pain of war. Phantom drivers, driven more by self-protection considerations rather than thoughtful thinking like the F9 or Guardians, began to doubt the true intentions of their allies, which sparked multiple small-scale conflicts. The news of casualties reached the ears of faction leaders, who viewed these misunderstandings as intentional strategic strikes, leading to further escalation of conflicts and losses among allies.
The ultimate trigger occurred in a battle between the Phantom faction and the Guardians, where the Guardian General Taisa was pierced by the Phantom General with his own sword, in order to buy enough time for his troops to retreat. The Phantom's blatant betrayal immediately shattered their alliance with the Guardians and F9, who had maintained a nonviolent and strong connection.
They withdrew from the war together, disappointed that the Phantom failed to surpass their previously observed self-centered mentality.
After being abandoned by their former allies, the Phantom faction returned to the battle against the OG faction. The OG faction deliberately maintained a passive posture in order to provide the necessary space for the dissolution of the alliance. However, even though the Phantom faction and OG faction have resumed their conflict, both sides have suffered heavy losses, making the last two years of the battle seem insignificant compared to previous years. During sporadic conflicts, the Phantom faction and OG faction devoted more energy to recovering parts from the fallen Mika - and their drivers - until the conflict gradually subsided and eventually evolved into a unsettled, tense state of peace.
In this long-lasting war, all factions suffered huge losses, hence this war is known as the decline of the empire.
Illustration by @mech_dealer / Lore by Sonic Steel
Scavengers on the battlefield
A search and rescue team travels through the vast ruins of the empire's decline.
Until now, the battlefield is still littered with wreckage and debris, and various factions have continuously dispatched recovery teams to collect damaged Mika components and supplies.
Due to the inability to accurately estimate how much valuable equipment is still left, this has led to corrupt smuggling activities by some people or skilled criminals who are familiar with how to exploit institutional loopholes, cleverly smuggling materials out of this area.
by @mizutoriart - MIZU - Mikhail Bugrimov
