The lumbering march of the Agri-Corps Titan resembled that of something from a Jurassic world.
Methodically slow, but not crawling, imposingly heavy, but not weighted down. More than anything, it seemed like a dinosaur, in that it was big in stature: looming over 25 ft. over the sandy, hard packed unpaved road it was trekking along, running through the center of Skylar village.. Every step, each with a throaty, rumbling thmm , gouged out a print inches deep into the soil.
It wasn't quiet, either. Well oiled servos, hidden behind meshing hull plates, nonetheless whined and ground as they worked, propelling the Titan's legs, balancing its considerable mass and weight. Titans, even the ones not armored and armed for combat, were certainly not light; they were as far from that as could be. Indeed, the Titans built for the purposes that the one in question were fulfilling, were still solidly built, and robust to a fault.
It had to be: As proud as the denizens of the Frontier were in their ability and tradition of harvesting their crops- primarily quinoa, farro, carrots, and Brussels sprouts- there was no denying that Titans could do the same job, but at a far superior rate, and much larger amounts. Thus, the pilots of the Titans of the Agri Corps found themselves hard at work whenever it was time to harvest.
It didn't matter how hard it was raining, or if there was lightning coming down, or a hailstorm bombardment; crops were essential to Frontier life, and in weather like that, Titans were often the only way to quickly get all the produce harvested before it was ruined. On days when the crops were ready, columns of Titans could be seen marching from the fields back to their respective towns, massive metal arms hefting storage bins brimming with produce, heading to deposit their loads at the the storage and distribution warehouses.
Year after year, for many, many of them, had this continued. The Frontier thrived on caring for itself, for supporting itself, and it did so with alarity and steadfastness, with the diligence and contributions of its Titans playing more than a small role.
The Titan making its way through ' downtown ' Skylar ( if a village could be said to even have a downtown ) had just come back from fulfilling such a role. Vardonna's latest mist rain shower had finally tapered off, and the last of the village's harvested crops- quinoa, in this case- had successfully been fully transported to where it needed to be, freeing up the Titan pilots to head home for the day, and enjoy some well earned rest. The small, winding streets of the village center were now frequently traversed by these ( mechanical ) beasts of burden, careful to keep the center of the roads, even though it wasn't really a real danger of them stepping on the townsfolk; everyone here had grown up with Titans anyway, facet of life on the Frontier as they were.
Still, that was beside the point, obviously.
AG-4772, the Titan in question, had a good pilot anyway: Elijah Briggs, one of the longest working pilots of the Agri-corps. The goatee sporting, square rimed cap rimmed farmer deftly tweaked the controls, all by muscle memory from years in the saddle, maneuvering through the streets as he headed back to the Briggs home, eager to spend the last few hours of the day with his Tamara, and Sarah.
Despite having a Titan do the actual psychical work of getting the crops out of the ground and carrying them into town, it still needed a pilot to control it, and hours a day operation a machine the size of a Titan was still enough to make you look forward to relaxing after a long day of it. Which, for Elijah, included a nice hot dinner of ( which itself boiled sprouts ), and an evening along with just them, and nobody else.
His rig ( though, of course, nobody ever called their Titan a rig ) had its designation prominently displayed over the slightly cramped, but still fairly comfortable cockpit, which happened to have a hotpot installed in it, perfect for a good drink while on the job, with the symbol of the Agri corps- a scythe and pitchfork crossed behind a shield, with a bundle of grain in the center- across and down the right from it, both of them showing up clearly against the Titan's dark red metal body.
He skillfully drove his Titan along, receiving waves and called acknowledgments from locals, and returning them all through the clear glass cockpit windows. As Skylar wasn't exactly a thriving metropolis, he tended to recognize most of those he saw; other pilots who'd gotten off work earlier, warehouse loading dockworkers, and members of the local security guard force.
All familiar faces-
Wait a moment
Sarah ? !
Of all the places to run into them, there she was ! Right out there, down the street from him, walking his way !
And, it seemed she'd spotted him as well. Sarah had already pulled away from the small throng of pedestrians, launching into a run toward the Titan, dodging around the rest of the foot traffic in her way.
She stood out to him, not just because she was his own flesh and blood, but also because of that blood red bandanna she was wearing. It was a bit of a tradition among Vardonna's girls, something they began wearing once they reached adolescence ( and thus, the age where they became unmanageable and unruly ).
The point of the bandannas, and why they were red, was to stand for the love Vardonna's women had for looking after their homes and land, while their men were out to work, and earn the clan's livelihood. It also stood for the blood they were willing to shed, to protect and defend said homes, and loved ones, if they were ever threatened.
Not really a girl anymore. She's growing up.
Has, actually. She's just about there.
Elijah remembered the day Sarah had received her bandanna; For a moment, he headed down memory lane.
Sarah had been beset by sleeplessness, having stayed awake through the bulk of the previous night due to excitement. That was outweighed, though, by how proud and joyful she was as well, walking down the hardwood flight of mildly creaking stairs, into the Briggs household's living room on a Saturday morning, to a loud and warm welcome from the members of her extended family- grandparents, several uncles and aunts, and even a few cousins-all in enthusiastic attendance.
Them, and others dear and close to the Briggs.
Katlin Mesura, the fiery local redhead dodgeball champion, who'd once been Sarah's most bitter rival, and frequent fisticuffs opponent, now stood in the middle of that group, smiling and laughing right along with had Sarah had come quite ways, from constantly getting into arguments, and just as often fights, to bonding over their shared love of traditional Vardonnan and Frontier ideals, abandoning their old bitterness in favor of a new alliance.
This was the kind of person Elijah and Tamara had helped Sarah to become: Someone who did not just get along with others, but who had them speaking well of her when she was not around them, and who thought highly enough of her to be preesnt, at a moment like this in her life.
It was amid this close knit crowd, several of whom held cameras to record the moment, that Elijah had stood beside his wife, both of them brimming with delight, as the rite of passage unfolded.
The girl of the hour, his Sarah, stood tall as Elijah quieted everyone down with both palms raised in the universal gesture for that. Obligingly, everyone fell silent.
Turning to his Sarah, he approached her, and looked her up and down, appraising how she was exhibiting all the confidence, and poise, of a woman now. Not a girl, not as they considered her to be.
She could not be more ready, and he could be more proud of her.
He put one of his palms on his chest, and she did the same.
" Sarah Dixon Briggs, are you prepared ? ", he asked, though not a soul in the room doubted it.
" I am "
Who could doubt her conviction in that response ? Again, nobody Still-
" Then, we shall begin "
A hush fell over the room.
" My native land , my homeworld "
" My native land, my homeworld ", she repeated, voice trembling only slightly, as she repeated after him.
" My household, my clan "
" My household, my clan "
" Our independence, and culture "
" Our independence, and culture "
" Them, I will defend "
" Them, I will defend "
" Amen "
" Amen "
The assembled crowed echoed the final world.
The quiet, solemn attitude persisted, as Tamara gracefully moved forward for the next step.
Moving around behind Sarah, she proceeded to affix the coveted red bandanna around her head, gently wrapping it around completely, before firmly knotting it at the back. Elijah could've sworn that the second that happened, Sarah's already standing-impeccably-still-with-joy stance, became even more so.
Dabbing emotional tears, she rejoined Elijah's side, and Sarah stood before them, every inch the Vardonnan lady.
There was just one step left now.
The last one, to affirm to all who she now was.
" Sarah Dixon Briggs ", Elijah proclaimed, pitching his voice up, so all could hear him with absolute clarity even more than before, and to hide his own emotion at the significance of this moment
" From this day on, you will be acknowledged, and treated as, an adult. Know that every decision, every call you make, of your own volition, must be owned by you and you alone. The pledge you have taken is on your shoulders to uphold, as it is on all of us. Treasure our shared trust. Treasure, those who would die to defend you, as you may need to do the same for them. Be faithful and true to the spouse you take, and always remain relentless in your pursuit of knowledge "
" I shall do as I have promised, to the best of my ability. I shall value and hold close, these cherished values. ", Sarah,at the peak of pride, avowed
With that, the transformation to adulthood was completed.
" Hurrah for Miss Sarah Briggs ! "
At once, everyone launched into cheering, chanting her name, and amassing around her to embrace this newest member of the adult class. Sarah had grown up, and now could and would take her place among the women, and their men, of Vardonna
And, the Frontier at large
As the celebration began, Elijah and Tamra would've traded all they owned, to stay in this moment forever.
It was just a shame, that you couldn't go back in time, and relive days like that. Of couse, said timetraveling could also have in moments you didn't want to be in, so perhaps it was more of a double edged sword .
Ah well, Elijah thought, as Sarah reached his Titan. The present mattered too, and it was just as important, wasn't it ?
He opened the canopy. With a low chssss, it flipped up, and he could look even more clearly upon who was standing in front of him.
" You're blocking my path ", he admonished, with a smirk.
" Well, you were coming down mine "
Her own smirk reminded Elijah of his own.
' Always did think that's where she got it from '
" Bit of an impasse, aren't we, eh ? ", he joked. " Maybe, you could tell me where you're headed ? I could give you a lift. Solve two issues at once ".
"Well, I would say ' Sure ! ', and hop in, but I am on my way to Chief MacGram s. "
Ah, right.
If Elijah was one of the most longtime Titan pilots around, then ol' Chief MacGram, a tough Scotsman , was the master. He ran a training regimen to teach prospective Titan pilots, out on the edges of the village. It was demanding, and attention-devouring, but fair and just, place, that only took those who both showed real aptitude, and drive.
Sarah had shown both, and it could be confidently said she was a rising star.
" Ahh, of course. Its about when your next class there is beginning, isn't it ? Well, I can't keep you from it, can I ? "
Sarah pretended to think.
" Hmm. No, But, now what I think of it, I wonder what that Titan of yours will look like with a new designation. Perhaps, FS-1041. "
Such a schemer. But, I love that about you
With a head-back laugh, Elijah replied
" Oh, be on your way, before I get there first and tell him you were late on purpose. "
" That's low ! " , Sarah protested, but then she grinned fiercely.
" Won't matter though. You can't outrun me in that ! Bye !"
She took off, racing past the Titan and on down the street.
Elijah let himself laugh a little more, then sealed the canopy
We lead a good life out here. Amen to that
He engaged the drives, and continued on his way.