Year: 2354
EnRoute to Frontier world Shanxi aboard the MCS Valor's Edge
Heh, first chance I get on this trip to get my thoughts down. Hard to believe it's been 21 years since Jill and I got hitched ( and Droz interrupted my writing ), but things have been quiet. We moved into a small house near where Captain Lastimosa used to live ( God rest his soul ). Started a family not long after that. Jill insisted we name her Melissa. She's smart… like really smart. Some at her school said she's a real prodigy in Titan mechanics. Wonder where she got that talent. Goodness knows it wasn't from me. I only taught her how to use a gun properly. Probably Jill.
"Dad, mom's waiting for you"
Well. That's my cue. I stand up, putting my weathered journal on the small nightstand we've been using in our cabin.
I walk over to the cabin door and open it up, greeted by my daughter's piercing gaze. "You were writing, weren't you? I swear, you're having an affair with that… old piece of leather"
I chuckle. "Your mother is of the same opinion. It's just a habit though… one I've had since before the Frontier War"
Melissa smirks. "Well, breakfast is almost over, and you really should eat something"
I nod. "Probably for the best. You wouldn't want your old man to keel over from starvation now, would you?" I say, as I follow Melissa to the mess hall. Jill's waiting at a table with three trays, two of them empty. A quick breath, and I sit down.
"Writing again?"
I nod.
"I swear –" I raise my hand. "Melissa already said as much" Jill shakes her head. I smile at her. She smirks, then smiles, as I start in on the sausage on my plate.
"We should be arriving soon" Jill says, as I finish my first sausage. I nod.
"Good. Can't wait to see what all the hubbub is about" I say, as I start in on the bacon and eggs.
"Bee Tee's excited too. Well, as much as I can tell. You know him a lot better than I do". Again, I nod. BT was, next to Jill, my best friend. His AI fully realized during our time on Typhon, we came to understand each other in a way that only a Pilot and his Titan could. Melissa's beginning to understand this too, with her own Monarch-class Titan, CV-9126. Instead of going into the private sector like everyone expected, she joined up with the Militia almost immediately after graduation, and quickly rose through the ranks to join the SRS. Word from Sarah was that she expected Melissa to take over the SRS after she retired, which didn't really surprise me.
Finishing my bacon and eggs, I stand up and collect the trays. "You wanna head to the bridge? Probably get a good eyeful of whatever it is the Militia found out here" I ask
Jill. She nods and stands up. "Melissa?" she asks, turning her gaze to our daughter. Melissa shakes her head. "I wanna check up on our titans before we land on Shanxi… and maybe talk a bit with them. Probably won't get the chance while we're touring the planet".
I nod. "Alrighty."
[-]
I head down to the hangar to check in on CV. She's been the best friend a girl could get during my time with the SRS. Much like Dad and BT, I think.
I turn the corner and am greeted by 40 tons of walking death. "Hello, Melissa. It is good to see you"
I smile. "It's good to see you too, CV" I say, giving her a thumbs up. She replicates it, much to my amusement.
"Been playing nice with BT?"
"I do not understand this concept of 'playing nice'. Can you elaborate?"
I smile. "It means, 'have you been getting along well?'. Does that answer your question?"
CV's eye closes in and opens up. "I believe so. I have been 'playing nice' with BT-7274 95% of the time spent on this trip"
I raise an eyebrow. "What were you doing the other 5% of the time?"
"I have been trying to understand many human euphemisms. One of the hangar workers has been assisting me in this matter" CV says, almost guiltily, as if I'm the only person she's supposed to be spending time with. I smirk. "That's good. I'm glad you're trying to expand your knowledge base".
"Indeed. On the topic of expanding my knowledge base, has the captain explained why we have been reassigned to Shanxi?"
I shake my head. "Still as tight-lipped as when we set out from Harmony. Something about a major discovery, but nothing beyond that. Still, it's gotta be pretty important, right? I mean, there's you and I, Dad and BT, and Mom as well. Whatever it is, it's big"
The screen turns on. The captain, with Mom and Dad in the background, appear. "Passengers. We are approaching the Frontier world of Shanxi. I know I have been rather silent on why we've been asked to come all the way out here, to the fringe of Frontier space, but now I am allowed to reveal that knowledge" I turn my gaze to the screen.
"This was discovered by a science team based out of Eden Sector"
It's huge. Bigger than the weapons Militia teams found during the remainder of the Frontier War, but not like any of them. The back end of… whatever it is, I don't know, but it's curved around what looks like a giant, blue sphere, not unlike the Ark, but ephemeral. "I've never seen anything like it"
"Pattern analysis says that this Space Construct is unrelated to any installation found during the war. Indicates presence of other alien presence" I hear CV say.
"It looks… powered down" I stutter out. "That is probable, given it was discovered only recently"
I shake my head. "Why does it feel like we just opened up a can of worms?"
[-]
Frontier Alliance Codex Entry: Pilots
Frontier Alliance Codex
Entry – Pilots
A Pilot is an elite soldier and operator of a Titan, possessing superior skills and equipment compared to those of the standard Rifleman. Pilots can be found in a number of different factions, some employed by the Interstellar Manufacturing Corporation, some in the service of the Frontier Militia Fleet, or in one of the multiple mercenary factions present, such as the 6-4, the Apex Predators, or the Angel City Elites.
Far and wide, they are considered the most effective and fearsome forces on the battlefield, a status which is only augmented by their constant companions, the Titans.
[- Certifications
Much like a license is required to operate a motor vehicle, Pilots must acquire certifications to operate either a Military or Civilian Grade Titan. Pilots are rated by a series of qualifications called "Certifications". These certifications apply in both civilian and military roles, qualifying a Pilot for a specific occupation such as salvage, deep-space search and rescue, shipping, loading, construction or agriculture. However, by far the most highly sought certification is the Combat Certification, a widely published series of tests that grade a Pilot's abilities.
All Pilots, whether soldiers or civilians, must complete the Pilot Certification Training in order to operate a Titan and cannot establish a neural link unless they earn their certification or the Titan's emergency protocols engage should their respective Pilots die in combat and a replacement is required.
Pilot Certification Training varies between both use and faction, but ultimately fall under the same basic training guidelines. Potential combat Pilots must first complete the Combat Training before going on to Titan Training, all of which takes place in simulated conditions.
[- Combat Certification
The Combat Certification is the hardest Certification for Pilots to acquire, taking years of training in both the operation of Titans and refinement of the skills of shooting, parkour and combat. Training can be completed or refined in a Simulation Pod. One such training program, widely available for Pilots of the IMC, and illegally available on the Black Market for the Frontier Militia is the Hammond Industries Pilot Combat Certification Simulator. Another, home-grown simulator for the Militia is the Pilot's Gauntlet used by Militia Pilots, who compete for the fastest time in a virtual parkour course that exercises almost all major pilot skills.
It is also possible to network sim-pods together for multi-Pilot training sessions, with arenas such as War Games and Glitch based off the aforementioned simulations.
At least one live-fire training ground exists for budding Pilots on the Frontier, Training Ground Whitehead on planet Gridiron. The IMC Dynamic Testing Facility also houses a number of testing facilities utilized by Pilots. In addition, the Coliseum, seemingly operated by Advocates, allows Pilots a chance to fight in an arena to earn money and prizes in the form of Advocate Gifts.
A requirement of the IMC's notorious Pilot Selection Course is for a candidate to use an R97-CN SMG to shoot a 10 cm grouping at 25m in fully automatic fire after a 20 km run.
Pilots do not require augmentation as part of their job, with the majority simply being the most skilled and disciplined soldiers the factions of the Frontier have to offer - in other words, Pilots are not supersoldiers, merely highly-trained and refined personnel with access to the best equipment their respective armies have to offer. However, many Pilots will opt for artificial enhancements to improve their skillset. These can range from minute enhancements such as the "hearing aid" Aural Implant to the transhumanist Simulacrum and Spectre Camo, both of which completely replace the Pilot's organic body with a robotic one.
Militia Pilots rated for combat are generally given officer ranks - notably all Pilots of the Special Recon Squadron such as Captain Tai Lastimosa ( DEC. ), Major Eli Anderson ( DEC. ), and Commander Sarah Briggs. However, many other Pilots such as James MacAllan ( DEC. ) and Robert "Barker" Taube held officer status as well.
A Pilot, while in a Titan, can maneuver and fight similarly as if he or she is on foot, due to the Titan being designed to be an extension of the Pilot's body. This is, of course, with the exception of the ability to jump, which is instead replaced by the Dash function. Titan combat also has a few other differences compared to traditional infantry combat, such as a set of weaponry and equipment.
If a Titan is at critical damage, a Pilot can also use an ejecting system to eject from a Titan before the Titan explodes. A Pilot can also manually initiate the eject sequence even though the Titan is still above critical damage levels.
A Titan can also be operated whilst the pilot is not actually in it, in "Auto-Titan" mode. It has two modes that can be switched between while pilots are disembarked: Follow and Guard. Follow mode makes the Titan follow the player as close as the titan could possibly be. Guard mode will make the Titan defend the position it is at, useful for defending objectives or key locations.
As special forces of their respective armies, Pilots employ a large array of equipment in combat, being able to choose their own weaponry and loadouts. Aside from standard primary weapons and sidearms for infantry combat, Pilots also employ specialized Anti-Titan Weaponry alongside their rifle and sidearm (Or, occasionally, in place of their sidearm). However, the most impressive array of tools at their disposal are their Tactical Abilities; special abilities designed to assist Pilot survivability. Grapple Hooks, Particle Shields, Cloak and the ability to phase out of this dimension entirely are but a small part of a Pilot's toolset.
Pilots rely heavily on advanced mobility to help navigate their way around the battlefield, utilizing special Jump Kits to Wall-Run, Jump Kick, Slide and Double-Jump. The Jump Kit can also be used in conjunction with Ziplines (improvised or intended) to allow Pilots to accelerate to platforms and heights otherwise unreachable, as well as launch into the air at unprecedented speeds.
Other equipment only available to Pilots include the Smart Pistol MK5 and Smart Pistol MK6, as well as the Data Knife.
Notable Pilots
- Commander Sarah Briggs
- Jack Cooper ( RET. )
- Jill Gates Cooper ( RET. )
- Robert "Barker" Taube ( RET. )
- Commander James MacAllan ( DEC. )
- Captain Tai Lastimosa ( DEC. )