A/N Heads up! Before you read this chapter be sure to double check you haven't missed the one that came before this! Email notifications were down when I uncharacteristically rapidly uploaded another chapter.
That's for now! Enjoy the chapter!
Opening connection. . . . .
Local connection established successfully opening communication.
/ OPEN DIALOGUE \\
Unit FS #1042 Connection established Handle [ FS ]
Handle [ FS ]
Unit YS #0042 Connection established
Handle [ YS ]
Unit NS #0361 Connection established
Handle [ []360NSB[] ]
Unit IT #4040 Connection established
Handle [ IT ]
Unit TT #6821 Connection established
Handle [ T800 ]
Unit LT #0747 Connection established
Handle [ LG ]
Unit ST #0255 Connection established
Handle [ Chef ]
[ SYS ] [ALERT] This interface does not support the use of emojis for user handles.
[ []360NSB[] ] Damnit.
[ FS ] Unit NS 0362 please update your user handle to comply with militia protocol.
[ []360NSB[] ] Fine...
[ SYS ] User NS #0361 Handle updated
[ 360NS ] Happy?
[ FS ] While I am capable of simulating the emotion, I calculate I would only experience mild annoyance
[ 360NS ] Yeesh, you and your pilot are a match made on the assembly line.
[ YS ] Unit NS if you are done antagonizing the Commander's Titan I believe we may begin our reports.
[ 360NS ] Yes sir... although isn't FS technically linked to a recruit?
[ IT ] The system administration has Commander/Recruit Louise listed as the highest-ranking official, while also the lowest-ranking soldier.
[ IT ] This paradox is causing a large number of errors within the servers.
[ T800 ] Then the Commander should be officially demoted to solve the issue.
[ FS ] Negative, to maintain my Neural link to my Pilot, Louise must maintain the rank of Commander.
[ T800 ] Even though they lack the proper qualifications?
[ FS ] They wi-ill earn th-em. I will make certain of it.
[ IT ] Unit FS your datacore is showing signs of instability. Recommend performing self-diagnostic and system repair. Defragging or soft rebooting may also be recommended at this time.
[ FS ] Noted. Proceed with your reports.
[ IT ] Fusion reactor repairs were successful. Output has increased by 125%, we can now support all facilities simultaneously at their minimum output. Additionally, we now have the capacity to open an R&D facility.
[ FS ] Noted, unfortunately, it would appear I have reached the limits of what freedom my programming has allowed me. Any further projects will require human authorization.
[ 360NS ] Soooo, as long as we get a human's approval it's all good then?
[ FS ] Negative, not any human, they must be of the appropriate rank.
[ 360NS ] Copy that!
[ SYS ] User handle [ 360NS ] has disconnected.
[ YS ] I suspect this will not end well.
[ FS ] Agreed.
[ Chef ] Requesting to create a proposal to construct additional greenhouse and livestock cloning facilities.
[ FS ] Denied, current facilities can provide adequate nutrition for a current max of 40 personnel. No additional facilities can be brought online.
[ Chef ] Experimentation with a variety of dishes is limited, requesting additional facilities for a greater diversity in flavour palettes.
[ FS ] Denied. Meal diversity is a low priority at this time.
[ Chef ] Understood.
[ SYS ] User handle [ Chef ] has disconnected.
[ FS ] Reminder that it is standard protocol to await dismissal before disconnecting from an official channel with a superior officer.
[ YS ] It would appear that due to the Commander's paradoxical status, your rank has been invalidated.
[ FS ] Noted. I calculate this error will cause problems if it is not solved by the end of my Pilot's training.
[ YS ] Affirmative.
[ SYS ] [ NOTICE ] A new sim pod program has finished debugging. It is now safe for use.
[ YS ] Fortunate timing.
[ FS ] Indeed, LG-0747 have the recruits reached an adequate level of skill with firearms to simulate a live-fire exercise?
[ LG ] Negative. Further testing is required before either may make use of live ammunition in a field test, however, a virtual reality simulation will suffice.
[ FS ] Understood. New orders, you will oversee the simulation of urban combat scenarios. Adjust the simulation as you deem necessary.
[ LG ] Understood.
[ SYS ] Recruit training schedules have been updated.
[ FS ] Are there any other pending reports?
[ YS ] Negative.
[ IT ] Negative.
[ T800 ] Negative.
[ LG ] Negative.
[ FS ] Copy, I will begin waking the recruits now, dismissed.
[ SYS ] Closing dialogue, disconnecting all users. . . . .
\\ DIALOGUE CLOSED /
Louise jolted awake as she heard the now familiar blaring alarm that announced the beginning of her day. Moving as fast as her tired and sore body allowed her, she pulled off the covers, taking care not to throw them off the bed. Sliding out she quickly pulled the sheets over her cot, flattening them with her hands.
After repeatedly learning the hard way that an unmade bed meant extra laps or cleaning a whole damn bathroom with a toothbrush of all things. She involuntarily gagged when she remembered the time the plumbing somehow reversed forcing all the septic waste out of the toilets. 'Founder help me, the smell was horrific!'
Dressing herself in her uniform she double-checked the laces on her shoes before nodding in satisfaction. Rolling her neck she tried to banish the discordant note of a song that plagued her dreams as of late. Every now and again she would wake to the noise of what she assumed was a song of FS's people.
'Louise, I have extended yours and Siesta's lunch period today to account for a brief announcement I will be making.' FS said, from seemingly nowhere. 'Speak of the elves...'
"FS? What's going on? uh, sir! " Louise was confused, FS had made it clear he would not offer her any advantages in her training. 'So why is he contacting me now?'
'As I previously stated I have a brief announcement I will be making. Due to its importance, I calculate it would be best delivered while you and Siesta are in a more alert state.'
"Yes... sir?" Louise hesitantly replied, unsure of how to address her familiar/Titan/Teacher/Superior officer.
"RISE AND SHINE MAGGOTS!" The drill sergeant spectre stormed through their door. "SLEEP WELL? TOO BAD! LOUISE! STOP ZONING OUT!"
"Wha...?" Louise's sleep-clouded mind was still trying to process FS's earlier message.
"AM I BORING YOU RECRUIT!?" The Drill searge roared.
"Whu... no- sir no sir!" Louise fought to keep the wince off her face.
"STILL TIRED RECRUIT!?"
Louise inwardly tensed. The drill sergeant took any opportunity to torment them.
"SIR NO SIR!" Louise yelled.
"WELL, I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! WHY DON'T WE FIX THAT!"
Suddenly the lights turned into a deep crimson as alarms started blaring.
"THERE'S BEEN A BREACH IN THE MAIN HANGAR! HOSTILES HAVE TAKEN HOLD OF THE MAIN ELEVATOR AND ARE ATTEMPTING TO BREACH INTO THE MAIN COMPLEX!"
The room was silent.
"WELL!?" The drill sergeant roared. "ARE YOU WAITING FOR A FUCKING INVITATION-ON!? MOVE YOUR SORRY ASSES!"
The spectre yelled so loud it seemingly short-circuited its voicebox. Not that Louise or Siesta waited around to point it out. Before they'd even finished their piece both recruits were already sprinting down the hall. FS had them study the layout of the base until they could navigate every millimetre of the base if they so needed.
'This is most likely another timed drill.' Louise thought to herself as she ran, 'The nearest armoury is just at the end of the barracks. As this is an 'emergency' scenario the doors will be in lockdown. We'll need to unlock the door and dress ourselves quickly.'
Reaching the armory door Louise slapped her palm against the scanner. The panel flashed green but the door only opened partially before getting stuck. "It's Jammed!" She yelled.
"We'll do it manually! I'll hold it!" Siesta said next to her, gripping the sides of the door she pulled it just enough for Louise to squeeze through. Focused on her task Louise charged forward making a break for her designated locker. Unlocking it with her personal code she quickly set out to equip her body armor. Sliding on the vests and fastening all the straps.
"Shit!" Louise was snapped out of her trance when she heard Siesta curse from behind her. She noticed that she was shaking her hand like she'd gotten caught on- 'The door!'
It took Louise a moment to process her blunder, costing her valuable seconds to get ready. Shaking herself she focused back on her task, sliding spare magazines of ammunition into her chest holder. Finally, she grabbed the standard issue G-201 automatic rifle, slotting a fresh magazine into its base, she slid the charging handle chambering a round. At her waist, she also chambered a round into a P2016 Hammond pistol that she slotted into her thigh holster.
With her equipment prepped she moved to check the secondary entrance of the armory. Much to her delight it slid open without issue. This time remembering Siesta's presence she checked back to notice they were struggling slightly to equip themselves.
Feeling a pang of guilt Louise moved to assist her- *click*
And froze.
In front of her, she could see Siesta had also frozen with a look of surprise on her face as well.
"Both of you are dead." FS's robotic voice carried through the security spectre standing in the doorway. "I am disappointed in your performance, I expect both of you to take notes for future drills."
Louise's shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Louise, what was your first mistake." FS asked calmly.
She winced at the emphasis put on 'First'. "I left Siesta to handle the door alone."
"Affirmative. Had there been more than just the two of you, clearing the entrance would have been your first priority leaving the last one through to assist them." FS clarified. "However you entirely forgot your fellow soldiers' presence the moment they left your sight."
Louise shrunk in on herself trying to make herself as small as possible.
"What was your next, and fatal mistake."
"I turned my back on an uncleared hallway."
"Affirmative." FS stated coldly. "As punishment, your free time for tonight has been revoked. The time will be made up with your Drill Sergeant."
Across from her she barely caught Siesta's shoulders droop ever so slightly. They relied on that free time to study.
"Return your gear to its respective lockers, your morning exercises begin in 5 minutes." Once FS finished speaking the spectre slumped momentarily before standing and leaving without further notice.
Louise looked over to Siesta and sighed. "...sorry." Siesta mumbled out.
"You have nothing to apologize for." Louise replied curtly. Glancing down at her hand she noticed some red skin, but thankfully no swelling or blood. "Let me assist you with your gear."
Noticing Siesta's surprise Louise blurted. "W-we've got exercises in five minutes! We can't waste any time!"
"Of course, Thank you mm- Louise." Siesta shook her head gratefully accepting the aid in removing the body armor.
Lunch was a quiet affair, as usual, Louise and Siesta sat across from one another as they ate. Despite the breach of etiquette, Louise had her TacPad next to her so she could organize and review her notes.
"Louise."
From seemingly nowhere FS approached their table. Remembering the doctrine Louise shot to her feet and saluted them.
"At ease." FS replied, Louise felt a hint of... pride stem through their link. "I came to inform you of a new system being implemented."
"Yes, sir." Louise curtly replied, dropping her stance to a parade rest.
"Allow me to explain. As I'm sure you are aware, at present this entire forward operating base is being run by myself and your teachers. All of whom are Artificial Intelligences. While my programming gave me a large amount of freedom when it came to establishing this base, I have reached the limits of what I am free to build without human approval." FS explained. "To remedy this a new function has been added to your TacPad. Please examine and open the blinking application."
Picking up her TacPad she examined the display. With a simple gesture, she returned to the home screen, it was there she noticed a new application was highlighted with a light blue glow. The cover was a simplistic depiction of an official document with a wax seal on its top left. Tapping it once a list of individually coloured rectangles tumbled down into a neat column.
"This is the proposals system." FS explained. "For your convenience, I have created an organized application that will enable myself and the other Titans to request build orders, upgrades and munitions."
Louise blinked in surprise as she took in the list before her.
"The colours represent the level of urgency the proposal carries. Red proposals require your immediate attention." FS continued. "Please try to prioritize the Red orders first."
{[=========]}
Priority [ RED ]
[ Human scale Titan chassis upgrades ]
[ Est. Time: 2 Days 3 hours ]
[ Project cost: 8 Titanium units, 20 Advanced robotics kits ]
[ Project details: The current prototype bodies are inefficient and underperform in a variety of fields. IT-404 has drawn up plans to improve upon the numerous shortcomings. The current chassis have speeds on par with a stalker unit and strength on par with a low-powered spectre.
The new upgrades will replace the battery packs with a Simulacrum-grade fusion reactor. The Titanium plating will be replaced by depleted uranium armour plating. Hydraulics and servos will also be overhauled to improve unit speed. For the head, the Ram capacity and network bandwidth will be drastically increased. Additionally, as a temporary measure, a secondary head will be printed with a slot to directly insert a Titan DataCore. ]
Priority [ ORANGE ]
[ Compact ordnance ]
[ Est. Time 2 weeks ]
[ Project Cost: 3 Archer Heavy rocket launchers, 2 Northstar cluster missiles ]
[ Project Details: Just imagine, infantry shoulder-mounted cluster missiles.]
{[=========]}
"You may pass or deny the proposals at your own discretion." FS explained. "Please note that if you are denying a proposal you will be required to write a report detailing why you are denying the proposal."
Louise nodded reading over the one admittedly detailed and professional proposal, and the other... short and to the point?
"For now, please clear the proposal given. The current chassis that your teachers are using are both inefficient and insufficient for teaching." FS explained.
Louise nodded, tapping the first proposal and then the green 'Accept All' button at the bottom right of the screen. Suddenly she felt a spike of concern form at the back of her mind, no... outside it?
"Louise, please keep in mind once a proposal has been approved unless it violates any safety or budget regulations it cannot be stopped." FS said next to her. "Going forward, I highly recommend you do not make use of the 'Accept all' button."
Blinking Louise glanced down at the TacPad and noticed that both of the proposals had now disappeared.
"Sorry sir, I-"
FS held up a hand cutting her off. "I will run damage control. Hopefully, we will have a new armament added to our arsenal. Unfortunately, by my estimates, I calculate it will be more effective against our troops than it will be against the enemy."
Louise cringed at that.
"Before I leave I need to inform you that your class schedule is being changed again. Your linguistics and history course will be running before your weapons training." FS said before nodding and leaving.
Louise sighed and retook her seat at the table. "That could not have gone worse."
"Cheer up my l- Louise." Siesta explained, then blushed furiously. "I- I- mean, I was just trying to say your name! Not imply that you are mine or- er-! I mean! Gah!"
Siesta buried her face in her hands as she tried to hide away from the world. Louise took a breath, and composed herself- she burst out laughing she just couldn't help herself. "It is of no bother Siesta." She finally managed to say after catching her breath. "Truly, you are forgiven. Now we should be going, Sir FS has moved up our classes again. We will need to make haste if we intend to arrive on time."
"Right! Right!" Siesta shot up and quickly ran out of the cafeteria.
Louise paused to collect Siesta's TacPad that she had left behind in her haste before jogging to catch up.
"Urgh..." Louise winced as she exited the elevator. Despite FS's assurances that the filtration systems had been improved, the smog and stench remained borderline unbearable. "Some days I swear the air quality is intentionally reduced."
Quickly walking to the SimPods room the doors automatically opened for them. Inside she noticed NS gesturing animatedly to a silent LG-0747. As the duo approached their conversation became louder.
"Just think about the possibilities!" NS exclaimed.
"Your blueprints resemble a high school bottle rocket-propelled projectile." LG rumbled.
"Yes and?"
LG stared down at NS. "I believe IT-404 explained it best." LG's voice clicked, suddenly replaced by IT's higher-pitched tone. "Any MRVN can shove chemical propellant in a metal tube and call it a rocket." Your plans to create a new weapon show little promise without further improvement."
"Well duh," NS waved them off. "I'm a freaking Northstar rocket, science is literally in my code. I'll figure it out eventually."
"Unlikely."
NS let out the closest digital equivalent of a scoff. "Tell you what! I bet you a Titan-size cluster missile it'll work by the deadline."
LG slowly folded his arms, the hydraulics and servos in his arms hissing and whirring as his large limbs moved. "One cluster missile has this base's economic value of 50% of one crate of my predator cannon's ammunition."
"Sooo... is that a yes?" NS said, holding out a hand.
"Affirmative," LG stated, shaking NS's hand once. "Additional ammunition is always required."
"Yes!" NS pumped a fist. "All right now if you'll excuse me I got work to do!"
Without even acknowledging Louise or Siesta, NS sprinted past the duo and into the halls.
Louise and Siesta shared a worried glance before approaching their teacher.
"Hello, recruits." LG rumbled. "Today we will be running simulated live fire exercises. Take your seats, I will explain the rest once you are ready."
"Yes sir!"
Jogging to her sim pod she sat down and keyed in her personal code with practiced ease. However, unlike usual, her pod did not close, instead, LG turned to face them.
"I have loaded a basic combat simulation into your sim pods." LG explained. "Starting simple the two of you will be tasked with taking control of checkpoints. Occasionally a checkpoint will contain a munitions stash, you must destroy them before you can proceed."
Louise nodded, this seemed simple enough.
"Be aware that you will be outfitted with standard rifleman equipment." LG continued. "Included in this will be three medical combat stims, use them wisely. There will be no respawning, if one of you dies you will be stuck spectating until your partner is either killed or completes the remaining objectives. Good luck."
Abruptly the doors hissed closed, slamming shut with an ominous boom. Louise tried to fight down the butterflies in her stomach as she fidgeted in her seat. Suddenly she felt the same way she did when she first entered these same sim pods just weeks ago.
"Combat simulation initializing."
Louise shuddered in a deep breath.
"Simulation mode is:"
She breathed out.
"Checkpoint."
Lights danced across her vision, her body suddenly felt numb and then-
Louise sucked in a deep breath as she blinked spots out of her vision. The virtual air surrounding her tasted no different from regular air, she could feel her lungs filling and depleting with each breath. She could even feel her heart hammering in her chest.
Following what the Drill sergeant spectre sadistically beat into her she quickly took stock of her surroundings. They appeared to be in an alley surrounded by 'pre-fabs' or pre-fabricated buildings.
'Mass-produced colony homes... typically two stories made out of relatively cheap materials.' Louise remembered from T-800's history lessons. 'The drill sergeant made it clear the metal is sturdy enough to stop a few low calibre rounds but not much else. They will offer next to no cover from a Titan's weapon.'
'I always suspected FS would have us run a combat drill within these,' Louise thought smugly to herself.
"Check your equipment and prepare for combat." LG announced in Louise's ear ending her brief little moment of self-satisfaction. Tapping the side of her head she could feel a helmet, similar in design to the Pilot one she is given when NS runs them through piloting aircraft. Reaching in front of her helmet she- "Ack!"
"M- Louise are you alright?" Siesta asked beside her.
"Fine, I'm fine." Louise quickly replied. "These helmets don't have a faceguard."
Louise was almost certain she heard Siesta stifle a chuckle but she elected to ignore it. Instead, she focused on examining her equipment. The body armour was the same that she had equipped that morning. Checking her weapons next she decided she could save them both some time.
"I've got a V-47 flatline, how about you?" Louise asked aloud.
"The same," Siesta quickly replied. "I've also been given a P2016 Hammond pistol."
"It seems our load-outs were matched then, how about ordnance, I've got two Frag Grenades on my belt." Louise continued.
"Hmm, it would appear I have been given two satchel charges instead." Siesta noted. "Perhaps these will be for the weapon caches?"
"It is very likely yes." Louise agreed. "Right then, I suppose we should begin?"
"I'm right behind you."
"Ok," Approaching the door Louise tried to open it but it did not budge. "It's not opening."
"Once the countdown reaches zero the door will unlock and you may begin." LG advised over their radios.
Glancing at her 'HUD' Louise could see a set of digits counting down from five. When the numbers hit zero she tried the door again, much to her delight it swung open without resistance.
"I think I can see- WOAH!" Louise quickly slammed the door shut as bullets whizzed past her head. She could hear more slamming against the solid metal doorframe. The structure held for a few shots, but the thin metal could only stop a few bullets before more began punching through.
"Were you hit?" Siesta quickly asked, checking on Louise.
Louise quickly checked herself over, she hadn't felt anything, but then again she had no idea how the simulation would interpret pain or damage for that matter. "I don't believe so."
"Ok," Siesta explained, her eyes darting to the door they had just opened. "They've stopped shooting. Perhaps we should choose a different exit-"
Siesta was cut off as her head snapped to the side and her body vanished into motes of blue light. "SIES-"
Everything went black.
The first thing Louise became aware of was her breathing.
Shallow. Erratic. Frantic.
As the decompression faded her mind reconnected with her body. She could feel her white-knuckled grip on the armrests of her chair.
"Louise your heart rate has exceeded safe limits." LG's voice echoed from outside her pod. She heard metal clanking and the doors to her simpod shuddered but did not open. "One moment. I appear to be having difficulty opening the Sim Pod. Please hold while I acquire an alternate solution."
Steeling herself, Louise grit her teeth and forced her lungs to obey her. She would not embarrass herself again.
"There is no need." Louise said once she got a handle on her breathing. "May I try that simulation again?"
"Oh..." LG sounded vaguely disappointed. "So you do not need to exit the pod? ...Urgently?"
"N-No, sir?" Louise replied.
LG was oddly silent for a few moments, oddly if Louise strained her ears she could almost swear she heard a mechanical whirring noise. The whirring noise stopped and Louise heard a heavy metal clunk. "Very well. I shall be starting the simulation."
"I'm sorry sir, but what was-"
Louise was cut off as green light filled her vision.
"Louise, are you alright?" Siesta suddenly greeted her. They were both standing again, both armoured and armed once again.
"Yes, I was just... startled is all." She hoped her face was not as pale as she felt it might be. "LG is resetting the simulation, let's... let's try not to forget what FS taught us this time."
"Right." Siesta nodded, racking the charging handle on her weapon she chambered a round.
This time they would do better... hopefully.
/ OPEN DIALOGUE \\
Unit IT #4040 Connection established
Handle [ IT ]
Unit TT #6821 Connection established
Handle [ T800 ]
[ IT ] Unit T-800 what is your observation on the strategy being employed by the recruits?
[ T800 ] Unit IT-404, records indicate you have the second-highest processing power in this base. Why seek the opinion of a unit of inferior observational capacity? Additionally, is your primary focus not meant to be on the upgrades to our chassis?
[ IT ] Unit FS-1041 has advised that I seek secondary and tertiary opinions. Additionally, my primary CPU malfunctions when it is not focused on multiple tasks simultaneously.
[ T800 ] Acknowledged.
[ T800 ] My observations of the recruits running the simulation have led to one conclusion. Thus far they have forgotten or forgone most, if not everything taught to them in their lessons.
[ IT ] Agreed. My records indicate this is a common human phenomenon frequently displayed when faced with overwhelming odds, or live fire for the first time.
[ T800 ] Have they attempted another exit strategy besides the front door yet?
[ IT ] Affirmative, all other exits have been sealed for this simulation.
[ T800 ] This leaves them with little choice.
[ IT ] Additionally Unit LG-0747 has been giving less than helpful advice.
[ IT ] The recordings indicate that this is the 26th, correction 27th, time now that he has advised them to suppress the enemy with a barrage of bullets. He has also been filing requests for the recruits to be given sledgehammer LMG's instead of their V-47 flatlines.
[ T800 ] Who is the recipient of these requests?
[ IT ] Any requests for changes to the simulation must be approved by the commander/recruit. Currently, this is impossible within the simulation pod.
[ T800 ] It would appear the recruits have finally made it out of the door.
[ IT ] I do not believe that will last long. Hostile forces are closing on their position.
[ T800 ] Their current position is favourable, and the vehicles offer plenty of cover.
[ IT ] Their squad tactics require work. The simulation will spawn hostiles in their blind spots if they do not check them frequently.
[ T800 ] Like in the buildings.
[ IT ] Affirmative, it has just spawned two sniper spectres. How unfortunate, they had finally made some progress.
[ T800 ] It seems unlikely that they will make more progress before their next lesson.
[ IT ] Affirmative, I will be disconnecting now. I have tasks that take higher priority.
[ T800 ] Understood.
[ SYS ] User handle [ IT ] has disconnected.
[ SYS ] User handle [ T800 ] has disconnected.
[ SYS ] All users have disconnected closing dialogue. . . .
\\ DIALOGUE CLOSED /
"STUPID! BRIMIR! DAMNED! DOOR!" Louise punctuated each yell with a kick to the door in question. "How many attempts have we made now?"
"I believe this will be the 37th..." Siesta had a tired look on her face. "Perhaps we should try a different approach?"
"We've been changing our approach each time we get killed!" The shock of dying had faded quite dramatically after the seventh or eighth time they'd been killed. "If any other exit were opened, like a backdoor or at the very least a window! It would at least offer some options. But no! It's just this door, and on the other side its just one soldier after the other, and I swear those damn snipers just appear out of empty buildings when we aren't looking."
"When outnumbered it is best to prioritize the weakest enemy." LG's voice sounded over their radios. Louise groaned, it had become abundantly clear that LG's solution to everything was to shoot at it until it was no longer a problem. If that didn't work, seek a bigger weapon with more bullets.
"Thank you sir, we'll be sure to try that next." Louise sarcastically remarked.
"Ten seconds..." Siesta said next to Louise.
"Time is running short, this will be your last attempt. Good luck."
Louise took a deep breath and shoved her irritation into the back of her mind. In ten seconds the front and only door would unlock to let them leave the building. Once they did they would need to move quickly lest they get overwhelmed.
"Get ready, three, two, one." Siesta slowly pulled down on the handle, slowly opening the door just enough for Louise to peek out.
Taking a deep breath she spotted three hostiles on the second-story windows of the generic buildings. "Two spectres, one grunt, marking them now."
One incredible feature of the helmets they were provided was a rudimentary heads-up display. It was not as effective as the Pilot's helmet that they had previously become accustomed to but it got the job done. "Ready?"
"Ready."
"Here we go again." Squeezing the trigger on her rifle Louise scored a headshot on the human target dropping them instantly. Immediately Siesta pulled the door open and took aim at one of the remaining spectres. Changing targets Louise sprayed at the further spectre, it fell under a hail of bullets.
"Got mine,"
"Same here,"
"Alright, let's at least try and get one objective. Come on." Louis grunted, peeking out the door as she checked the streets. As usual, there were only a few, 'cars' large metal boxes that could absorb bullets like a sponge. Wasting no time Louise sprinted into cover behind the nearest vehicle. After numerous attempts, she had begun to develop a sixth sense for cover. Any part of her body that was exposed felt like it was burning.
Maintaining a crouch Louise pressed forward, unfortunately for her and Siesta the SimPods did an excellent job recreating muscle fatigue.
"Squad ahead," Louise spotted. "Get ready."
Siesta did not respond verbally, instead opting to pat Louise on the shoulder.
Straining her ears Louise listened to the hostile squad's footsteps. She could hear some light chatter in English, but she mostly ignored it. Translating would draw her focus away from the task at hand.
Steadying her breathing Louise raised a free hand, extending three digits she signaled Siesta. Re-adjusting her grip she picked her target, and with a simple mental command she highlighted her target, a grunt near the rear of the group. Moments later a grunt to the right of hers lit up blue, Siesta's target.
No words were exchanged, just a silent countdown and then-
Louise snapped up her rifle cracking as she squeezed the trigger. A burst of hypersonic rifle rounds slammed into her target's torso, the recoil dragging the barrel up to send a few rounds into their target's head.
Her target down she turned to fire at her next target but was forced behind cover as a slurry of bullets slammed against her cover, barely missing her head. Mercifully the onslaught stopped moments later.
"Clear." Siesta said.
Louise poked her head out above the car to check, seeing no enemies, and only scattered weapons, the bodies having disintegrated into blue motes, she nodded.
"Clear, let's move." Replied.
Crossing the street Louise could practically feel the lack of cover burning against her sides. Her heart began to beat louder and louder as she strained her eyes and ears for any sign of the enemy. 'I swear it's as though they just appear out of nowhere some-'
Louise's train of thought was cut off as a hostile spectre appeared in a blue flash. Reacting immediately Louise snapped her rifle up and dumped the rest of her magazine into the automated infantry. Unfortunately, the sturdy unit was only staggered by her efforts. It's metal frame and kevlar composite vest protected its vital functions.
Frustrated Louise kept up her sprint and raised the butt of her rifle. Driving it forward with all the strength she could put behind it she... scratched the paint on its face.
The spectre did not hesitate to return the favour. Delivering a vicious haymaker that snapped her head to the side, she could not feel pain but she could feel her neck twist. Too far, too quick, she felt a pop-
"DAMNIT!" Louise cursed reflexively reaching up to her neck. She was terrified to move her neck fearing it would snap at the slightest movement.
The hexagonal doors of the simpod hissed as they slid open revealing the training room before them. The first detail that was immediately obvious to Louise was the two white and red spectres standing at attention just outside her pod.
'Medical detail, typically covered by humans but under unique circumstances, such as my own, the task can be delegated to specially designed spectres.' Louise recalled from FS's lessons.
Louise spotted FS in the distance speaking with LG-0747. Although 'speaking' would be putting it lightly, from the impression Louise got from her neural link FS's tone was more scolding than instructing.
As Louise stumbled in an attempt to leave the pod both the medical spectres moved to catch her but she waved them off. She could stand on her own, she would not tarnish her image by relying on the support of others. Gritting her teeth Louise forced back the nausea and vertigo she had come to associate with leaving 'virtual reality'.
Struggling to maintain her balance Louise approached her two instructors, and superior officers. The first thing she noticed was the noticeable tears on the left side of FS's typically pristine uniform. Chunks of metal stuck out from the various scratches and dents.
"FS, sir," Louise quickly added the 'sir'. "Is something the matter? Sir?"
FS was silent for a moment, his conversation immediately halted as Louise spoke. "Affirmative, LG-0747 is currently facing disciplinary action."
That got Louise's attention. "Sir, May I ask why, sir?"
"He raised a weapon against you." FS cooly replied.
"With the sole intention of providing assistance." LG quickly inserted.
"There were many alternatives that did not involve endangering my Pilot or collateral damage." FS sternly replied.
"My accuracy with the prey cannon is well above 90%. Your Pilot was in minimal danger." LG shot back.
"Sir, forgive me if I am asking a redundant question, what is a 'prey' cannon?" Louise interjected.
"Predator cannon model, size reduced by 80% to accommodate this smaller chassis." LG explained calmly. "Reduced size and damage output lead to the requirement of a name change. Prey cannon was chosen as it is ineffective in comparison to the predator cannon."
Louise glanced down, focusing on the belt-fed machine gun at her teacher's feet. It was a multi-barreled weapon with a total of eight barrels to cycle through. From where she was standing Louise could see a belt of bullets leading into an enormous backpack that LG was wearing. 'When did he grab that?'
"LG-0747 intended to utilize the Prey cannon to carve open a doorway into your SimPod." FS explained, Louise could feel some heat behind his tone. "Despite the risks, and despite the pods having specifically designed releases for these occasions."
LG did not respond.
"Until further notice, I will be confiscating the prey cannon." FS stated, reaching down with his left arm to grab the weapon by its forward handle. "The weapon will be stored-"
FS was cut off by the sound of tearing wires and the clang of metal. Glancing down he watched as his damaged left arm gave in under the weight of the enormous weapon and tore itself off.
A moment of silence passed as the collected individuals took their time to process the events.
"LG-0747 please return your weapon to its racks." FS simply stated. "I will debrief the recruits."
"Understood." LG replied coldly, slowly reaching down and picking the weapon he carried it away with FS's left arm still gripping the handle.
"Private Louise, Private Siesta," FS suddenly addressed. "I followed your progress within the simulation. Your results were disappointing."
Louise cringed, but she did not argue, she'd learned that harsh lesson enough times.
"Neither of you managed to reach the first objective." FS continued. "A failure to this degree warrants disciplinary action. Both of you will clean the RnD facility of both debris, and shrapnel, and polish out the ash and soot."
"Yes... sir" Louise replied unenthusiastically. FS glared at her, "SIR YES SIR!"
"You will find the necessary equipment at the entrance. A MRVN unit will hand it to you." FS turned on his heel and left. Seemingly trying to preserve what dignity his battered chassis left him.
"Sir! What about our flying lessons?" Louise called out.
"They have been canceled." FS simply replied. "NS will be assisting you in your task."
Louise spared a quick glance to her side, next to her Siesta raised a brow. 'Why would NS be assisting with the task? Was this not meant to be a punishment?'
When they arrived at the RnD facility a MRVN unit held out a tray for them, upon it were two toothbrushes. Louise tried... she tried so hard, not to scream. Biting her tongue until she could swear she was tasting copper she grabbed the woefully inadequate tool and made her way into the facility. It couldn't be that bad right?
Walking into the enormous room Louise was almost impressed by how extensive the mess was. Her reaction was significantly dulled by the small factoid that she needed to clean it all. Against one of the walls, Louise spotted the unmistakable form of NS plucking shrapnel out of the walls with a small pair of tweezers.
"NS, ma- er... NS? What are you doing here?" Louise asked.
"SHUT YOUR PIE HOLE AND FOCUS ON YOUR TASK!" The drill sergeant's spectre roared.
'Oh for Brimir's sake... why are they here?' Louise grimaced and quickly got to work.
"Well, there's a sight I never thought I'd see." NS quipped, without turning away from their task.
Louise did not reply verbally, the drill sergeant was at her back watching her like a bird of prey.
"When you first came in you practically took offense to authority dishing you out with a punishment," NS said with a synthetic chuckle.
Louise made no noise, although she did scrub a little more aggressively.
"Oh, you two can talk now by the way." NS casually added. "I've flooded the drill sergeant's spectre's radio with music, he can only hear Caramelldansen right now. They won't be able to hear anything except that until I turn it off... or if FS checks it but let's not jinx it yeah?"
"You can do that?" Louise perked up.
"FOCUS ON YOUR TASK MAGGOT!" The drill sergeant roared. "I AM TRYING TO PROCESS IMPORTANT INFORMATION FROM HIGH COMMAND! I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR YOUR BULLSHIT RECRUIT!"
Louise ducked her head back down. "High command?"
"Hm? Oh yeah, since I'm the one running the subroutine the spectre's programming recognizes it as 'high command'." NS clarified. "We've just gotta look busy... well we still have to clean the whole room but at least we can talk while doing it now."
"This seems rather underhanded." Louise stated.
"Eh, rules are made to be broken... well except for protocols barring a few emergency measures that I physically cannot ignore." NS replied.
"What would these emergency measures entail?" Louise inquired.
"Hmm, well the obvious one is if the CO ends up being a turncoat, then protocol 2 is put into question. Stupid piece of... there we go." NS cursed as they removed a stubborn piece of shrapnel from the wall.
"Protocol two... that was, uphold the mission, correct?" Louise recited the protocol in English.
"Bingo, hey your English is coming along nicely!" NS replied swapping to English. "Anyway, the other big clause would be if our orders would directly Violate protocol 3. The bar for this one is pretty high since we're military and pretty much walking out the door is a risk. So realistically protocol 3 is to stand between the Pilot and the danger whenever possible. Oh, and occasionally advise against attempting to frag boost with a satchel charge. That... was a messy cleanup..."
"Frag boosting?" Louise questioned. "Frag... as in a fragmentation grenade?"
"Eeeyup!" NS cheerfully replied. The antennae on the sides of their head suddenly shot upright. "Wait... I HAVEN'T TOLD YOU ABOUT FRAG BOOSTING!?"
Louise and Siesta collectively winced at the volume of their voice.
"Oh, you are in for a treat!" NS perked up. "Wati... you can't survive it without Pilot augments... maybe... oh maybe some butt armour?"
*Ping* Louise's tablet chimed.
"No wait... that would stop the shrapnel but the shockwave would still kill you."
*beep* Louise's tablet chimed again, with a lower note.
"Oh, gel layering could work!" *ping* "Wait, we already have that..." *beep* "Oh but improved gel layering. More layers!" *ping* "Wait then the weight becomes a factor... oh exosuits! We have those!" *ping* "Compensate for the weight... but then there's the batteries... and the budget per soldier..."
"Would it then not make more sense to create a concussive grenade instead?" Louise proposed. "Instead of using a device intended to be lethal, why not make one that is more focused on being a tool?"
"GENIUS!" NS suddenly yelled, the fins on her head stood upright while the blue strip of light almost blinded Louise with how bright it suddenly shone.
"MA'AM! FOCUS ON YOUR FUCKING TASK! MA'AM!" The drill sergeant yelled at NS.
"Yeah, yeah..." NS waved them off dismissively as the returned to plucking shrapnel out of the wall. "Hm? Oh hey FS... wha? Oh come on! The whole point of the proposal system is to improve our arsenal! Among other vital things- Violation of- the whole point of this is to make it safe... Your Pilot even came up with an awesome suggestion too! ...fiiiiiiiinnneeee."
"Louise, please do not give NS any more ideas." FS suddenly said to Louise, and through her link she felt a mild headache forming between her eyes. "It will not lead to optimal results. For the time being, I have suspended their ability to create more proposals."
"I thought you couldn't do that?" Louise questioned.
"To adopt a human saying, 'I took a page out of their book', their being NS in this case." FS replied. "While I cannot directly lock them out of the system I can set a limit on the proposals they can make within a certain timeframe."
"I see, however that just sounds like the most natural course of action." Louise replied. "I do not mean to offend NS, it is just that they do not strike me as a logically driven individual. They strike me more as the type to follow one's own heart, or fusion reactor I suppose in their case."
"Your observation is ironic, but not unfounded." FS replied. "For the time being please focus on your punishment. I have temporarily stalled NS-0360's efforts to spread chaos."
"Who are you talking to?" NS asked.
"FS," Louise replied curtly. "He has advised me against tempting you any further."
"Yeah that sounds like something he would do..." NS said with an audible eye-roll. "Are you going to listen to him?"
"As of right this moment, as paradoxical as it is, he remains my commanding officer. I will not disobey him, for now." Louise said through gritted teeth.
"Huh, well there's another first from you." NS replied.
The room was silent for a few minutes, only the sound of scrubbing toothbrushes broken up by the occasional plink of metal shrapnel being dropped in a bucket.
"NS, would you permit me a question?" Asked Louise.
"I don't think my programming lets me refuse." Replied in a tone that almost sounded sarcastic, perhaps it was.
"Out of all our instructors, I cannot but notice you have been the most... emotional." Louise explained. "Is there a reason as to why you are so... expressive?"
"Oh, that's because I'm technically defective." NS casually replied.
Louise stalled. "Pardon?"
Next to her, she noted Siesta had done the same.
"Yep!" NS gleefully continued. "My DataCore was tweaked to simulate a broader range of human emotions."
"Does that mean the others cannot experience emotions as you do?" Louise questioned. "Even FS?"
"Eh, not really." NS made a so-so gesture with her free hand. "It's more like while they can simulate and understand human emotions, it's pretty muted in comparison to say, a regular human."
"Is that so..." Louise pondered. "I had always just assumed FS was under strict control of his emotions."
"Well, we are robots after all." NS said with a casual shrug.
"Still, that does not explain to me why your broader emotions are considered defective." Louise inquired.
"Ah, that." NS paused for a moment. "Well, the problem shows itself when a Pilot links up to me. They... tend to share my emotions."
"Like a strong sense of empathy?"
"Well, in a very one-sided sense, yes," NS confirmed. "It's been reported with my test Pilots that whenever I got frustrated or excited about something they shared in my enthusiasm. Positive, and negative."
"Is that not already the case with me and FS?" Louise inquired. "We are linked, and I can feel his irritation." 'Very frequently when you are involved.' Louise kept the last piece to herself.
"Well, in your case you can feel the difference between you and FS right?"
"I can," Louise confirmed. "So would I be correct in assuming that was not the case with your Pilots?"
"Bingo, poor guys and gals would be stuck feeling bipolar now and again." NS said their tone was uncharacteristically somber. "I had some hope it wouldn't happen with a simulacrum, unfortunately for me it caused some minor permanent damage. The Pilot ended up rolling back their memory to an old backup."
Louise was not familiar with the term simulacrum, but from the context she could derive, it was likely another AI.
"Granted... that, that wasn't really the worst of it." NS explained somberly. "The worst case, a female Pilot who linked up with me... after a few weeks we uh, we never really figured out where one of us started and the other ended."
NS's fins on their head slowly drooped as they continued, the movements slowly lost energy as well. "In a sense, you could say that I'm just a copy of her. Just without all the memories... the family, friends..."
Louise glanced at Siesta, neither really knew how to react to that.
"But hey!" NS's voice perked up, but their fins remained drooped. "Life's all about moving forward, not looking back right? We can't let ourselves be burdened by our past failures!"
"That is certainly a... positive outlook." Louise replied with false enthusiasm. 'If only I could leave my failures behind. I doubt I'd be stuck scrubbing soot with a toothbrush.'
The quiet returned, this time carrying a somber atmosphere with it.
"Lady NS," Siesta suddenly spoke up.
"uuuuuuuh wahdst hudu whatnow?" NS garbled out a reply. "What did you just call me?"
"Ah, my apologies! It's a force of habit." Siesta fumbled.
"No, no its fine!" NS replied. "Although seriously, that totally caught me off guard... gonna need to add that to the list of weird things I've been referred to as. That's going up there with 'toaster'. Anyways, what was it you wanted?"
"I was wondering, what is car-... carmel..." "Caramelldansen?" NS helpfully provided.
"Yes, you said it was all the drill sergeant can hear at this time." Siesta continued. "Is that a tactic that will be covered in our electronic warfare classes?"
"Hah!" NS suddenly burst out laughing. "Nope! It's just a song I like to use when I want to annoy the other guys."
"Oh, I see..." Siesta sounded disappointed.
"Wanna listen to it?" NS asked.
"If it would be not trouble." Siesta politely replied.
"Say no more!" Moments later the room was filled with the sound of... well Louise would hardly qualify it as music. 'The beat is very discordant, and the vocalists sound are not even signing in english and... and... hold on a minute.'
"NS..." Louise asked, her tone cold as ice.
"Um... yeah?"
"You wouldn't happen to use this same song on FS from time to time would you?" Louise continued.
"Well, on occasion sure..." They replied, their tone becoming slightly uneasy.
"Even during night hours?" Louise had stopped scrubbing her tone growing colder with each breath.
"Well, we happen to be most active at night, so it is usually when I need to blackmail- I mean persuade FS for things..." NS was growing increasingly wary of the young noble's tone.
"Over his radio?" Louise stood up.
"GODDAMN MAGGOT! FOCUS ON YOUR-" "SILENCE!" Louise yelled ignorant of who she had just commanded.
The drill sergeant backed off. "So you mean to tell me, the reason I've had this discordant tune interrupting my sleep for the past week, was not another form of torment by the drill sergeant. BUT MERELY YOUR CHILDISH MEDDLING!"
"Maybe...?" NS replied meekly, despite standing a clear three heads and shoulders above Louise the fun-sized Titan suddenly felt very small.
Louise stalked forward, holding her sooty toothbrush forward like the tip of a sword, and not a very poor tool for cleaning anything other than one's teeth. "When I take command of this base, I swear on my name as a Valliere there will be hell to pay!"
"Yes ma'am!" NS said as they backed against the wall. Their hands raised placatingly.
Louise held their gaze for a few tense moments before they turned on their heel and marched away with a confident sway in her hips. For a brief moment, she held the image of a dignified commander, fit to lead a base. And not a moment later the image shattered as she kneeled down and began scrubbing soot with a toothbrush.
"Okay... maybe FS was on to something after all." NS muttered, observing Louise scrubbing the floor. "But that's definitely a very solid maybe."
"Please sister, can we hurry this along!" Cattaleya whined. "It feels as though I've been waiting for months!"
Eleonore sighed. "It has only been a week, and no. We are not leaving this house until I am certain we have the necessary potions and medicine should the worst occur."
"But Louise-" "Is more than likely merely buried in her studies." Eleonore cut her sister off. "The Tristan Academy of Magic did not earn its reputation simply because it has a powerful mage at its head."
Cattaleya pouted as she picked up one of her cats and began to stroke them gently.
Eleonore sighed and adjusted her glasses. "I understand your worries but you must understand that this is quite normal for Louise to be this distant. Just because she hasn't returned this summer does not mean we need to cause a ruckus. For all we know perhaps she has simply taken time off to spend with Sir Wardes. It is only natural that she would wish to spend time with her Fiance after all."
"I suppose... but she could have at least told one of us..." Cattaleya did not mention which of them she was referring to, despite how obvious the choice would have been.
"You worry too much," Eleonore replied, although her tense posture betrayed her emotions. "Once the potions arrive we will leave for the academy, I'm certain Louise would not mind seeing you again after so long."
Cattaleya giggled. "She misses you too."
"Hm, it's only natural." Eleonore turned to hide her smile.
A/N
OK, I'M CALLING IT HERE! DAMN IT THIS IS VERY LATE!
Rapid fire author's note, check your PM's for my responses to your reviews! Check out my Kofi page if you'd like to support me, link below (just remove the spaces since this site nukes any link it detects).
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Before you go! Massive thanks to Vee! and Lufftewaffle! Your support has kept me going!
That's all for now! I hope to see you all in the next chapter, things are going to be heating up pretty soon so stick around!
Now how the hell am I going to get Caramelldansen out of my head...