Pre Scripto:
Hey, guys! My name is Kohdominator, and I'm a new writer for the Fan Fiction world of Spiral Knights. And yes, Fan Fiction is capitalized because it is VERY important! Anyway, I write about stuff that's a bit off the beaten path from what I've seen from the other writers here. This is just a generalization, so don't get all up in my lunch if this isn't you, but from what I've seen in my short look through the Forum, it seems that the writers here tend to personalize the Spiral Knights adventure to knights of their choosing, adding dialogue and verbal description. And not much else. They write about knights that land and make it to the Rescue Camp, cross the Chasm, and explore Haven and the Clockworks.
But what I wanted to do was go beyond that. Write about specific battles. Write about character development. Write about combat styles. Write about Spiral History. Maybe others have already done these, and that's fine! But this is my take on it, so I hope you guys enjoy. I will be updating this post with new chapters as they reach completion, and I would be glad for your feedback. Happy reading!

What you should know before you start reading:
(1) I WILL be writing about ideas such as Spiral history (how the Alpha Squad was founded), character development (how Feron came to be general), explanation of some things from the game (why there are already recon modules on the ground in the Clockworks), specific battles (the experience of the first knights ever on Cradle), and even relationships between knights (Feron has a cousin. Yes he does. And he's in this story. And his cousin has a girlfriend. And his girlfriend has...). So if you're not a fan of the long and drawn out, this may not be for you. But if you love all things SK, or are interested in my take in things, read on!
(2) The stories I am writing about have been divided into three "generations". The first generation is the time from the Skylark to the first exploration of the Clockworks. The second generation is from the exploration of the Clockworks to the discovery and battle of the Snarbolax, Jelly King, and Vanaduke (combined). The third generation is from the time of the Roarmulous Twins to Operation Crimson Hammer. If 3 Rings decides to do more, another generation might be added. We'll see how successful this project is.
(3) In case you don't pick it up, I'm writing in the third-person present tense. If such things hold no meaning to you, skip down to the story. But for those that care about such things, just be aware that it is present tense, so that you don't get confused.
(4) Be sure to enjoy!

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Landing on a New Adventure

Running for all he’s worth, a knight named Merick sprints down a short, room-lined hallway, his fiery handgun at the ready. He is in full battle gear with Firebreak Shield in hand as he checks his corners and advances towards the platform at the end of the hallway. The passageway is dark, and Merick’s brilliant Magma Driver glows in the darkness, casting shadows on the walls. Just as Merick nears his goal, two opponents suddenly jump out at him. A short character, light pink eyes visibly glowing through her helmet’s visor in the darkness, leaps in the air from the left, firing yellow Magnus slugs down at Merick. At the same time, a taller red eyed ghost wrapped in a black cloak sweeps at his feet from the right with a modified Flourish blade. Immediately, Merick notices by garb and color that the pink-eyed attacker is probably female.

Merick doesn’t have much time to react, so he leaps up and forward, tucking his head and rolling. Just as he makes a full spin and springs to his feet, he fires two quick shots at the red opponent behind him and lifts his shield to block an incoming Magnus slug. The red-eyed opponent catches the first shot from Merick’s flaming shooter with his shield’s force field, but the second one smashes through the protective barrier, colliding with the target’s left thigh and lighting him on fire. The enemy is knocked off his feet as he attempts to extinguish himself. The Magnus slug fired by the pink assailant is absorbed by Merick’s shield body, but the impact knocks him against the left wall. He uses the momentum to push off the wall, ricochet off the right side, and rush back towards the pink female faster than he could ever run on his own. He quickly pulls his Cutter blade from its sheath and strikes at close range with blinding speed. The girl puts up her shield and somehow deflects the first volley of blows. Just as Merick pulls up to recover to strike again, she deftly lowers her shield and just as quickly levels her Magnus at his chest.

Merick stops abruptly and looks up into her vibrant eyes through her helmet, breathing hard. It’s definitely a girl. “Surrender. Set down the weapons and put your hands up, or this is going to hurt,” the female says shakily, waving the gun around his chest. There is silence for at least a full second as Merick makes the motion of lowering his sword. Then suddenly, without warning, he spins around. The girl fires a shot, but Merick quickly hooks his foot around and uses it to knock the gun from the hands of the surprised female. The shot goes wide right. As Merick spins back around towards the front, he extends his Cutter’s blade, which curves sharply around and strikes the girl in the helmet, hard. As she reels and falls to the ground, her helmet flies off, revealing the beautiful feminine face of a knight like Merick, about 18 years in age. The room is silent once again, with both adversaries lying on the ground incapacitated.

Merick turns and sprints to the platform at the end of the short hallway. He swings himself up onto the dais and fires a flaming shot in the air. Abruptly, a bell goes off and lights turn on, revealing a warehouse-like room filled with small hallways similar to the one Merick was just in, open arenas sparsely populated by dueling knights, informative combat displays, and cramped metal observation decks protruding from the walls around the chamber. Shortly, a voice drifts down from above Merick and his two downed opponents. Merick looks up to see Brinks, a fellow knight, looking down at him from an overhead observation deck. “Well done, Merick!” Brinks says, blue eyes shining under his red armor. “Your time was, let’s see, uh, 24 seconds.” Brinks studies at a clipboard hanging on the wall behind him. “Hey, 24 seconds is a new record for this course!” he says. Then louder, “Hey everyone, Merick just set a new record for the 2 on 1 course in Hallway Three! 24 seconds!” Clapping rises from different parts of the Hall.

Merick nods excitedly and pumps his fist in the air once before jogging back to the opponents he immobilized not a minute earlier. He sees them approached by two knights dressed in white armor, and he waves them aside. “I’ll do it myself,” he says. The two knights hesitate for a second, shrug, and then walk away. Merick goes to stand next to the helmet-less female knight first, grabbing her helmet off the floor as he approaches. When he gets to her, he reaches down and puts a hand on her chest, near the collarbone. A shudder goes through Merick’s body, and he feels energy slightly drained from his being. But as a result, the young, pink-eyed knight sits up, looking a lot better than before.
“Thanks, Merick,” she says, grinning and getting to her feet. She reaches out and takes the helmet from his hands. He hands it over and moves across the room to do the same reviving exercise to the assailant with the cloak. When the shrouded being sits up, Merick offers it a hand and helps it to his feet.
“Thanks, man,” the figure says, removing the dark Magic Hood from his head and his Magic Cloak from around his neck. Exposed is a male knight, now folding his cloak over his arm. “Congrats on setting the new record!”
“Yeah, thanks, Marcus,” Merick says, feeling pretty wasted from reviving his partners. “Hey look, I need to go get some health before I fall over.”
“Say no more,” Marcus says, holding his hands out in mock protest. He lets Merick put his arm around his neck and helps him to a recharge station. The female knight follows.

Merick and his partners stand on the warm recharge stations set into the floor. The stations regenerate the knights’ health and make Merick feel a whole lot better. As he steps off his revitalizing platform, he says, “Yeah, wasn’t sure I’d make it for a minute there. I thought Rhoda had me beat.”
Rhoda, the pink teenager, giggles lightly. “I should have just shot you in the chest.”
Merick nods. “Could’a, would’a, should’a.” He smiles.
“Only reason you made it was because my shield broke too fast,” Marcus complains. “I missed the bullet with my shield, and it hit the force field instead. And then you lit my leg on fire.”
Merick shrugs. Every knight knows that your shield stays intact a whole lot longer when you actually catch a blow with the shield body instead of with the force field it creates.
“Oh, well,” Merick says. “At least we set a new record. Team Merhoma for the win!” Both Marcus and Rhoda nod vigorously.
Suddenly, the clanging sound of shoes on metal is heard from overhead as a panting knight rushes out onto one of the tiny observation decks lining the high walls of the Basic Training Hall. The knight looks down, scanning the crowd and finally locking eyes with Merick. Although he looks exhausted from his run to the Hall, his voice quivers with excitement. “There you are, Commander Merick!” he says. “Commander Feron wanted me to get you. And…” He looks around a little more before he spots Rhoda. “Rhoda, uh, Commander Feron asked for you too.”
“Um, okay? What’s the problem?” Merick asks, still looking up at the envoy.
“Just talk to Cael. He knows more. I think I saw him just outside.”
 “Sure.”
“Sorry, I’d have found him first, but I have to go deliver some other messages.”
“Okay, thanks,” Merick says. The messenger turns and leaves the platform, disappearing out of sight. “Uh, let’s go see what Cael wants, I guess. Come on, Rhody. You too, Marcus,” Merick says, motioning for them to follow. Rhoda and Marcus hop to their feet and follow Merick out the Basic Training Hall.

They find Cael leaning against the wall just through the heavy double doors of the Hall. Cael is a tall, lanky knight of yellow, known for his expert handling of a shield and his frequent mood swings. Sadly, Cael carries a stigma from his ancestors, because on an exploration mission from long ago, they deserted their team on an important quest. Cael now has to bear the reputation of deserter with him, but he is working hard to break it, and his efforts seem to finally be paying off. Just recently, he was promoted to head of the Construction Team, responsible for experimenting and building different exploration aircraft. While usually gruff and surly, the 19-year old knight is now bobbing on the balls of his feet with excitement, not an easy task when you’re leaning against a wall.
Merick extends his hand to the taller knight, saying, “Good morning, Cael. What’s up?”
Cael shakes his hand and laughs, which is usually unlike him. There is vitality in his voice. “It’s morning? I wouldn’t know, the Construction Team has been working all night.”
Merick shrugs. “What else is new?”
Cael points to Rhoda. “Rhody?”
She acknowledges him in an uneasy nod. Only Merick has ever called her Rhody before. Ever. But Cael continues, “Feron wants you on the bridge. He’s got something for you to do for him. For your training for the Spiral Squad, I think.”
Rhoda nods again, glancing hesitatingly between Cael and Merick. “I think he meant now,” Cael persists.
“Oh, well in that case…” Rhoda drops off. She turns to Merick and wraps her arm around his side in a hug. “I guess I’ll talk to you later then.”
Merick returns the gesture, putting his arm around the shorter girl’s shoulders. “Yeah, I’ll probably be headed that way in a minute anyway.”
Standing in the back of the foursome, Marcus glances up at Cael and notices a rapid change in facial expression, from lively and animated to distrustful, or faintly jealous. But Marcus is as familiar as anybody concerning Cael’s mood swings and his fruitless interest in Rhoda, so he ignores his observations and starts down the exit hallway, patting Merick’s back as he passes. “Well, it was good seeing you set that record,” he says. “I’m gonna head up with Rhoda.”
“Okay, thanks man. Stay safe.”
“You bet.” Marcus and Rhoda turn and walk away, leaving Merick with Cael, alone.

“So what did you want again?” Merick asks.
Cael stares bitterly into space for a second more before registering Merick’s question. Remembering his original purpose, Cael’s face resumes its excited composure. With an important tone of voice, he starts, “Seeing as how you are second in command of the whole Spiral, I have the pleasure of giving this news to you. No one but Feron has heard it yet.”
“Hmm? Wait, no… it can’t be!”Merick exclaims, suddenly remembering that Cael is the head of the Construction Team.
Cael’s smile, as if somehow possible, widens even more. He nods forcefully. “They are full operational!”
Merick stutters, “They? There-- there’s more than one?”
“Yup, we built two last night!”
Merick shakes his head in disbelief. “I can’t believe it. You guys actually...”
“...constructed an escape craft!” the two knights shout in unison.