Disclaimer: This story is based upon the online flash game MechQuest. While most characters and happenings in this story will largely be from my own imagination, major events, references, and mechas will be heavily based on MQ. Unless I get lazy, refuse to look stuff up, and pull stuff out of my butt instead. Feel free to notify me of any game reference mistakes you see.

Please enjoy. 

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Time ticked by in steady rhythm. There were only a few seconds left, and the last few seconds were absolutely crucial. One misstep, one mistake, and Athene would lose everything she'd worked so hard to earn the four previous years. A wrong move could ban her from her dreams, and the blood, sweat, and tears she had spent would have al been wasted. She scanned the paper frantically, eyes darting from page to page. Oh please be alright, please…

"Time! Pencils down!"

The sharp voice of the proctor rang through out the classroom, and the simultaneous clacking of pencils hitting metal desks followed. Athene Adama flopped back in her chair, breathing an exhausted sigh as the tests were collected. The whole process took only a matter of minutes, and Athene had the distinct feeling that something precious was just snatched away from her.

She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. I'm just thinking too much into this, she decided. I'm going to leave the classroom and forget about the whole thing until the results come in. Of course, that was easier said than done. After all, her whole life was hinging upon this test.

Athene's brother had passed the test years ago, earning his pilot's license easily, and now Athene was determined to follow in his footsteps. Apollo's dream had always been to fly among the stars, she thought, reminiscing as she exited the hall where the test had taken place. He promised me I could come with him. She couldn't help but smile. Now that her eighteenth birthday was coming up, she could get her very own pilot's license, assuming she had passed the test. Her stomach suddenly plummeted when she was reminded of the grueling experience. The essays were focused on tough topics like the science behind the Lagrange points as well as interplanetary etiquette. Athene never dreamed she'd need to learn these things when she first enrolled in the specialty four-year piloting cram school. Now she knew piloting was much more than just sitting in a cockpit. Commanding a vehicle, whether it was an armed mecha or a innocuous dropship, required incredible physical stamina, especially if one intended to pilot it past the planet's protective atmosphere. Not only that, rumors of hostile aliens had prompted most employers to call for pilots to learn hand to hand combat in case of attack. Eventually, licensed pilots were required to obtain these skills, driving the bar even higher. There was no question about it: having a pilot's license meant you were a member of the elite.

However, Apollo hadn't been satisfied with simply having a license to fly. Unlike Athene, who had been perfectly content to remain holed up in her home forever, he had wanted to see other worlds, other places. The then thirteen year old Athene had thrown a fit when she found out Apollo was leaving, but then he made her a promise. "One day, you'll finally catch up to me," he told her. "And when you do, we'll see the universe together." Maybe these were just words to appease a younger sister who was afraid of losing her brother for good, but they held some comfort for Athene nonetheless. I'll find you first, Apollo, she thought with determination. And you'll see how much I've grown.

And so, overcoming her fears of the next frontier, Athene began on the same path her brother had taken five years ago: entering Soluna City's GEARS University.

--

Firion Rodriguez pedaled as fast as he could, his legs numb from pumping the gears on his bicycle. "Come on, come on!" he panted, speeding down the road. Whatever happened, he had to get to the cram school on time. Today was the day the final combined scores of the practical and written exams were posted, and they were going down in twenty minutes.

Screeching steeply into a right turn, Firion kicked off from the pavement to prevent from losing his balance. Of course, the scores would be posted on the internet, as well as mailed to the students electronically, but Firion was short a computer.

"In hindsight, I probably should have pawned off something else," he muttered breathlessly. Then again, there was no other way he could have possibly been able to afford all the study materials he needed to pass the written exam, plus the many different exam fees. Not only that, his internet had been cut off a few weeks ago, so it wouldn't have done him much good anyway. He was probably never going to get the poor computer back, but it was only a small sacrifice in comparison to what he had to gain. Hopefully, all those late-nights of working overtime and studying would pay off. He had to have passed that test, or he would be doomed to pizza delivery in a hovercart for the rest of his life.

His thighs were already aching in protest, and he knew the abuse he was giving them would come back around with a vengeance the next morning. "Just think about the scholarship. Scholarship to GEARS, scholarship to GEARS." He repeated this mantra over and over in his head furiously with each stroke of his pedals.

Ten minutes.

The traffic light in front of him flared yellow in warning. "No! Wait!" He pedaled faster.

WHRREEECH!

Tires squealed. Firion's bike skidded out from under him and he crashed to the pavement.

"Hey! Watch it, kid! I coulda killed you just then!" The driver of the red van rushed out the door to inspect the damage. "What were you doin' running out in front of traffic like that?! H-hey, where're you goin'?!"

Ignoring the shouting driver and the curious onlookers, Firion ditched the mangled bike and began running. Five minutes! There was a block's worth of distance left. He was too tired to sprint any faster. "Wait! Don't lock up yet!" he shouted. "Wait!"

By some miracle, a girl coming out of the school building where the test had been held heard him. Zero minutes. She held the door open, staring gape-mouthed at the young man racing up the front steps of the school. Firion stopped in front of her, wheezing and swallowing large gulps of air at the same time. "I…test…pass…?" he managed.

"The results are on the plasma board in front of the main office," she said, once she had deciphered the words between his gasping breaths. "But don't you want to stop by the nurse—" Firion didn't give her the chance to finish. With a thumbs up as his thanks, he made his way as quickly as he could towards the test results.

"Rodriguez, Rodriguez," he muttered, scanning the plasma panel frantically for his name. He needed at least 85 passing rate to get the scholarship. Any less than that and his only path to GEARS would be lost. There had hardly been enough money scraped together for this test, much less the forty some million credits needed for GEARS tuition. Brown eyes ran down the plasma screen. "R…R…Rodriguez…ah, there…" He held his breath. "It's…" His heart stopped. "I can't believe it…" A solid 83.0 was boldly displayed next to his name. Close. Not close enough.

Firion sank to the floor, noticing for the first time how bloody his knees were after the earlier accident. He wondered if it'd be alright to let the stinging tears behind his eyes fall just this once. "Of all things, it's a stupid test…" He'd been through so much just to get where he was now, and one exam score stops him dead in his tracks.

"Hey…" A soft voice came from behind. "You should go to the nurse's office." Firion turned, facing the girl who held the door open for him before. A dull ache reminded him of his bloody shins. "You're not a student here, right? Do you know where it is?"

"I…er…" He scrambled to get his thoughts together.

"I'll take you there, if you'd like," she offered, obviously concerned for his health.

"Yeah, um, that'd be nice," he finally said.

"Well, then, c'mon," she said gesturing with her hand. Firion stood up. He managed a smile.

"Thanks." He hadn't really thought about what he'd do if he make the scholarship, but he suddenly realized there was a life after the exam. It had been so prominent in his life for the last few months that he was at a bit of a loss now that it was over.

What now? he thought. All people who find the path to their dreams suddenly truncated have asked this question. Firion wasn't alone. He could go on. The scholarship wasn't the end of all things. After all, it was just a measly test.

Alright, you've been through worse. You aren't beaten yet. Thinking this to himself and managing a small grin, Firion let himself be led to the cram school's nurse. GEARS wouldn't be hearing the last from him.

--

"Well, well ,well," the man said, laughing heartily. "Rebecca MacLechman's top student, first in his class, as well as top scorer on the Pilot's Exam? My goodness, Emile, I know we've had high expectations for you, but you might have overdone it a bit!"

Emile Sterling spared a slight smile for his uncle sitting across from him in the luxurious armchair, but to be frank, he was already bored of the conversation. It had never occurred to him that he'd do poorly on the test, but his near perfect scores on both the practical and written examinations were garnering too much attention from unwanted guests. Naturally, being the son of one of the most prominent men in high-class society only aggravated the situation. Stupid questions bombarded him daily, such as "Do you intend to attend GEARS University in the fall?". Of course he planned to attend. As if he'd waste four years in Mecha Lecha High for only a lousy pilot's license.

"There was a student who scored higher than you in the practical exam, though, wasn't there?" his uncle asked. He grinned widely. "You'd better watch for the people beneath you, eh? They might humiliate you one day."

"However," Emile said flatly, cutting his uncle short. "This particular individual scored much below the overall average of 72 on the written test. With that sort of ability, he can only dream of surpassing me."

"But you've already looked into him, yes?" the uncle said slyly. "Surely that meant he poses some sort of threat to you?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Emile said sharply. The uncle discontinued this train of conversation, but a knowing smile found its way onto his face.

"Of course, Emile." He lifted himself up, gathering his long coat. "Well, it's about time I get going."

"Allow me to show you the door," Emile said tersely. Unfortunately, his tone of voice seemed to have no effect.

"Oh, by the way…" Emile's uncle stopped and turned just before leaving the room. "I haven't said anything, since you seemed to be doing well, but…is being a mecha pilot really what you want?"

"That's my business," Emile said curtly.

"Ah, well, I just wanted to know. Four years ago, when you said you wanted to go to MacLechman Specialty Cram School, it seemed a bit out of nowhere, y'know?"

"Goodbye, Uncle."

"Yeah, okay, I can take a hint. Take care of yourself, y'hear?"

The door closed behind him. The sound echoed in the empty room.

Emile frowned, but quickly shook it off. His uncle's visits always unsettled him, but this time, he couldn't seem to simply clear his mind. It doesn't matter, he decided. His own path was set and clear. All he had to do was continue walking forward, in a straight path towards a murky future.

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END PROLOGUE

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Author Babble: Prologue Edition

Hey everybody. Thanks for taking interest in this and reading it this far. :) This is the first fanfiction I dare to put up online, but hopefully that won't scare you away from any future developments. Since I finally got the guts to upload it, I have confidence that people will enjoy this fanfiction, or at least not come after me with torches and pitchforks.

I made it my goal this time to introduce distinct characters in the prologue to the readers. After all, for adventure games like this where you insert yourself into the main role, it's quite easy to lose an audience if they can't identify with your OCs. How did I do? Please mention something about any of the characters in your review. It will make me very happy.

Until next time! Aileen