The Frontier Spark
Episode 9: Ode to nonsense
A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long and is lackluster, I have been suffering from massive writer's block for months and extremely difficult problems at home. This is all I can do for now.
Burke and VX had followed the caravan closely until they reached the location where the troupe had stopped for the night. When the two of them had finally seen the caravan halt in another clearing the, pilot and titan approached the site. Both of them stopped short of entering the clearing and Burke hopped out, ordering VX to wait amongst the foliage and remain out of sight. The pilot then sat down in the brush and started a campfire of his own, and listened to the sounds of nature during the night. Burke the laid himself on the ground beside his titan and began to sleep for the remainder of that long night.
-THE NEXT DAY-
The sun shone brightly in the skies above the picturesque forest, it's bright light bathing a certain clearing in golden light. Beneath the morning sunlight, the tired pilot stretched himself out and yawned as he woke himself from his well-deserved rest. He stood up and twisted himself around with an audible pop in his back, resulting in a relaxed sigh. Burke shifted his gaze to his vanguard class titan that stood idle nearby.
"Good morning Pilot." The pilot's mechanized companion said with a positive, yet still robotic tone. "The sun's current position marks the time of day as approximately 0630 hours Zulu time."
"Heh, morning VEX. I'm going to head over to the campsite and see how Agatha's doing. Have a seat and park here for a while, if you understand what I really mean by that." Burke chuckled to the advanced technological golem.
"Command acknowledged, activating guard mode." VX replied in an orderly fashion and proceeded to sit down on the ground to conserve energy. Just as Burke began to walk away VX spoke up. "Pilot, I recommend the use of the tactical machete in case of further need for sword combat."
"What Machete? You have large blade hidden in there somewhere that I magically didn't know about?"
"I was equipped with it when my chassis was provided, and you never inquired about the full system and equipment status. To put it simply, you didn't need or ask for it until now."
"That's… actually a good point." Burke raised a finger and took a breath to deliver a counter argument, he immediately stopped himself less than second later to think it over for a brief moment. He lowered his hand and conceded to the Titan's logic on the subject, telling himself it was better not to argue with a machine. He walked back over to the titan and removed the large blade from a hidden compartment that sprung open in the cockpit. He whistled at the fine craftsmanship of the weapon as he unsheathed it and held it in his hands, taking careful note of the serrated edge along the blade's top and the razor-sharp cutting edge on the curved side of the weapon. Once his appraisal of the blade was done, he re-sheathed the blade and clipped the sheath to the back of his right shoulder. After that, the pilot stretched his legs and strolled over to the nearby area where the circus troupe had parked their wagons.
It was nice for the pilot to see the small encampment bustle like that of a very small town on the frontier. The performers were engaging in their daily routines and a few of them even waved hello to him as he made his way to where he believed Agatha was staying. He had a wild hunch it was likely with a certain someone who sported a strangely natural shade of green in her hair. A loud series of shouts and tired pants caught his attention and he rushed over to the source which confirmed his suspicions. He spotted Agatha being run ragged in what appeared to be training by the fierce female warrior they'd encountered a short time ago. Burke couldn't help back silently giggle at the sight of it and remembered the trials of his advanced pilot course, which included the utterly brutal drill instructors who put the pilots through a miserable experience. "The price of success…" He muttered to himself at the feeling of twisted nostalgia.
"Hello ladies, Top o' the morning to ya both!" Burke shouted to the both of them playfully.
Agatha turned her attention away from her tor-mentor to see Burke strolling towards her. "Hello Thomas!" She greeted him with a renewed vigor in her tone. But barely a second later she received a solid smack on the head from Zeetha.
"Don't take your attention off of me! That could cost you in battle Agatha!" Zeetha scolded her trainee. She then turned her head to the militia pilot and away a dizzied Agatha. "Good morning Burke. I trust you slept well."
"Oh sure, nothing beats laying under the stars in the woods on the open dirt." He replied sarcastically.
"Hmph, and here I thought you were more of a rugged person." Zeetha snorted.
"Ruggedly handsome, yes. Preferential to the rock hard ground, not so much." The pilot answered. "Anyway, you're training Agatha, eh?" He pointed to the irritated orange haired girl who laid on the ground frowning in misery.
"Yes, I am training in the style of my people! But I think it's time I challenged a worthy opponent again for a change."
"Oh here we go." Burke grumbled as prepared to reach for the new blade.
Zeetha looked at the tired Agatha who continued to huff and puff in exhaustion from the intense training session. "Agatha, I'll allow you a short break for now while I spar with Thomas."
'Oh what a relief!' The red-head spark relaxed
"Now let us begin!" Zeetha roared as she dashed at Burke who reacted quickly thanks to his anticipation of her assault, a loud clang sounded as the two of them clashed blades like the day before. "I see you obtained a proper blade!" The warrior woman remarked as she eyed the weapon.
"It's something my partner brought along just… in… case." Burke grunted as he pushed the green haired warrior back.
"Now's a good time to test its strength then, HA!" Zeetha replied and threw a powerful slash at her opponent. Burke parried her attack and followed up with a devastating headbutt. Zeetha shook her head before she kicked in the chest by the pilot. She slid back for several feet and blocked burke's heavy blade right in time to punch him in the stomach. Burke winced in pain from the low blow and bent forward slightly. Zeetha backhanded his helmet and knocked him aside, causing the pilot land on the ground. "Owwww." She hissed and blew on her hand from the hit.
"Thank god for helmets." Burke groaned as he stood back up, then took a deep breath and leapt skyward with his jumpkit. Smirking to himself, he fired his grapple line and swung the blade downward at Zeetha.
Agatha watched the two of them fight with mild interest since she had seen both of them quarrel the day before. It still amazed her how acrobatic the boy from another planet really was and that his advanced technology made it possible. Her thoughts then drifted to the advanced clank he traveled with, or 'Titan' as he preferred to call it. The lumbering war machine had so much mystery to it that she had yet to grasp, space age technology working within it that she never even dreamed of before. She grinned at the very thought of seeing what made it tick, it obviously wasn't steam powered from what she could tell. But that left with the question as to what even powered the 'Titan' in the first place. A devious idea crept into the Heterodyne heir's head, since Burke was busy fighting with Zeetha he surely wouldn't mind her having a little peek at VX's systems.
With a crude plan in mind, Agatha silently tiptoed away from two warriors. Luckily for her, the titan wasn't far from the camp and was sitting conveniently by itself. She didn't know why, but a part of her felt a bit sad to see the machine all by itself, like a dog that had been left alone by its master. The girl approached the Titan until she was standing right next to it, although that didn't mean she wasn't eager to learn more about it than what little Burke had shared with her. Just as she was about to begin tinkering with the machine a familiar robotic voice echoed from the metal behemoth.
"Miss Clay, it is a pleasure to see you again." VX greeted the young spark.
"Eep!" She jumped in surprise at the Titan's greeting.
"I apologize, I did not mean to surprise you." VX said calmly.
"T-that's ok." She told the machine.
"Good. May I inquire as to why you are here? My pilot is currently in the campsite if you wish to speak with him." VX pointed his arm at the camp where feint sounds of blade clashes echoed.
"I just want to see what makes you so advanced, and besides you might need a tune up!" Agatha suggested to the mighty machine.
"Apologies, but you are not an authorized maintenance technician and I have not received confirmation from my pilot to allow you access to my systems." VX refused.
"What about your hydraulics or-?" She tried again but the titan remained firm.
"Without authorization or emergency circumstances I cannot permit you access to my systems, however I can provide with information on non-classified subjects to satisfy any curiosity you may have. Is that acceptable?" VX refused and offered her an alternative to satisfy her curiosity.
"Do'h. Alright fine, I guess I can ask Burke about that later." Agatha begrudgingly accepted the Titan's offer.
"Your vocal pattern suggests that you are unsatisfied. If you still wish to request access authorization I can contact my pilot so you may convey your request." The titan offered her another chance to speak with Burke.
Agatha shuffled a bit. "Er, well…. He's a bit busy so no thanks, I think I'll settle for some answers though."
"Very well, please vocally select a topic to discuss." The titan replied.
-LATER-
Agatha had asked the intelligent war machine several questions about the alternate world that he and Burke had come from. She was very amazed to learn of the extent of human colonized space beyond the planet. The fact that such a vast cosmos was simply waiting to be explored served to fuel her curiosity about that world. When the subject of their arrival came about, VX was quite limited in the amount of available data he could share be it non classified or otherwise. She decided to let that slide since there was still so much about the frontier as she had managed to glean from the well of information that sat beside her. With space covered they eventually reached the topic of technological innovations, and that had stoked the fires of Agatha's curiosity in earnest.
"I know I didn't get that much of an answer before so what really is a titan? I know that's what you are, but since you can't tell me much about yourself since you're the newest, then just tell me about older ones." Agatha
"Acknowledged, Titans were originally designed and manufactured primarily by Hammond Robotics. Originally titans were designed for industrial and agricultural work with the most basic model being the Journeyman class, that specific model is made for civilian use in such roles. The Atlas class chassis that came before it surpasses the journeyman as a heavy duty machine designed for flexibility and a multitude of applications both for civilian and military alike."
"So titans used to be gentle giants? When you say class what do you mean, there's more than one version of Titan, like large clanks?" Agatha asked the machine.
"Yes, the success of the general purpose Atlas chassis spawned two other classes to work alongside side it, the Ogre class and Stryder class. Ogre class titans have a prominent role as emergency response units to due to their proven durability. Their operators respond to a wide variety of calls in that sector, such as vehicle collisions, chemical spills, flooding and general rescue as well as fires." VX explained.
"What about the stryders?" Agatha tilted her head in curiosity at VX's lack of description of the other main class of titan.
"Apologies, but I lack sufficient data on the subject." VX responded.
"Let me guess, classified again, right?" Agatha misunderstood the response.
"Negative, my database is corrupted slightly by the travel between worlds." VX answered.
"Figures." Agatha shrugged.
Burke marched through the bushes and waved to the redhead. "Oi Agatha!"
"H-hey Thomas!" Agatha stuttered as she turned to face the pilot.
"What are ya up to with my Titan?" Burke inquired.
"I was informing miss Clay about the frontier and other non-classified subjects." VX told his partner.
"Nothing wrong with some knowledge." Burke nodded coolly.
"You finished fighting Zeetha?" Agatha asked him.
"She knows how to give a proper workout. Good thing my mentor put me through the ringer!" Burke replied in a relaxed tone.
"That was a milk run for you?!" Agatha asked incredulously.
"Eh more or less when compared to what I do on the Frontier on a daily bases." Burke shrugged in a nonchalant manner.
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised." Agatha giggled with a slight blush when she thought of how Burke had saved her life during the battle against the crab clank.
"You have no idea." Burke sighed. "Anyway, the circus folks told me to come get ya, something about one of their machines needing fixing."
Agatha raised an eyebrow. "Why'd they ask you to find me?"
"I dunno, maybe it's because we've traveled together? Anyway, come on time's wastin." Burke pointed a thumb at the campsite.
"Right. Well it'll be nice to do something today besides train with Zeetha. This morning was terrible for me, that darn cat didn't help." Agatha stood up and stretched.
"You mean Krosp? I'll never understand how furball can talk, and please don't try to explain it." Burke said as he and Agatha began walking to the camp.
"Oh I have no intention of talking about that pompous arrogant little ball of whiskers, I'd sooner wring his neck for a few of the things he's said! I nearly dropped a rock on him for this morning!" The redhead growled as she made a strangling motion with her hands, pretending to the twist the cat's neck.
"I'd believe that!" Burke laughed.
"Still, he did help out back on the airship." Agatha sighed, having recalled Krosp's efforts to assist her, even if it was out of self-interest.
"I can understand you owing him a bit for that." Burke nodded.
"Anyway, I'll stick with the circus to get back to Mechanicsburg." Agatha changed the subject.
"Mechanicsburg, that's where you're from? Strange name for a town." Burke remarked.
"What's that supposed to mean?! It's where I'm from, so what?!" That seemed to strike a nerve with Agatha and the redhead narrowed her eyes at the boy.
"I just said the name was odd! It's kind of on the nose isn't it?!" Burke replied with his voice raised.
"So what if it is?!" Agatha snapped.
"I just said the name was ODD! Jeez!" The pilot threw his arms up in frustration.
"Well look at that, two young ones in love." One of the older women of the troupe teased the youngsters. "Ah a love triangle! A strapping soldier boy, the baron's son, and Agatha Clay!"
The two youngsters then blushed furiously at that. "WE ARE NOT!" They both shouted at the same time.
"You're bickering like Mama and Daddy!" Balthazar giggled as he rode in on a bipedal clank that was carrying some firewood.
"Erk!" Burke and Agatha grunted in a mix of frustration and embarrassment.
"Hi mr Thomas, hi miss Agatha!" The little boy waved at the two embarrassed teens.
"Hey kiddo, ….I'm walking away now." Burke turned to walk away.
"Don't walk away from me!" Agatha snapped at him.
"I just need a minute of peace!" Burke ran off.
"Get Back here Burke!" Agatha attempted to chase after the pilot.
-END CHAPTER-