120: Mecha Combat – Three
Sat around their circular meeting table somewhere deep within the Pelekys, the crew turned to Queen Kaizoku as she settled into her seat, her mismatched eyes sweeping across them.
"Now that we've dealt what will hopefully be a warding blow to the Thalatte, it is time for us to turn our attention to an enemy that is actually worth our efforts - the Omega."
The screen of the table between them all lit up, the red axe avatar of the Program materializing as its voice rang out through the speakers in the room, "I have been monitoring what I believe is its signal within the upgrades given to me by the Knight's Storlayacas. There has been no change, no sign of when it will emerge."
"Do you have an idea of where it's going to arrive?" The Queen's Red Left Hand asked, arms crossed as she leaned back in her seat.
The Program's avatar glitched momentarily, a sign of frustration as it replied, "No. That is not something this signal has been able to provide."
Her metal fingers tapping against the screen, Kaizoku said, "And this is the oversight we need to correct."
Across from her, Chancellor Bathory gave her a searching look while she leaned back in her seat. "I take it you've already thought of a way to do so, then?"
"Potentially," Kaizoku agreed, returning her look, "You are aware of the Gheluc, I assume?"
"No." Was the Knight of the Tomb's immediate reply, the weight of her focus shifting to Kaizoku.
The Queen let out an apologetic hum at that. "Forgive me. I find myself forgetting that you are not privy to the same galactic history as the rest of us. To truncate the tale, the Gheluc Isocracy are an extinct people, one who died out long before our races reached the stars. They were the foremost experts on Hyttan technology in their time, so much so that most advancements that modern races have made in understanding anything Hyttan have their beginnings in Gheluc research."
"And you believe their research will hold the key to what we seek?" The Knight asked.
"I believe their research will allow us to forge a key of our own." Kaizoku corrected, sweeping her flesh hand across the table. Spreadsheets were displayed across the screen with that gesture, bills of sale totalling in the billions. Hyttan artifacts, sold by Necupole businesses.
"The source of the Gheluc's research was the seemingly limitless access to Hyttan technology they had. There had been speculation that they had managed to discover the Hyttan homeworld, but there has been nothing to corroborate this claim. Instead, it is believed that they had the means to locate anything Hyttan with pinpoint accuracy. The easiest way to do so for modern people is to scan for signs of their perpetual energy source, but this is not without its own difficulties. Scanning for such is only accurate at short range, meters rather than kilometers, which makes it useless for wide range scans conducted from a starship, for example. In the modern day, the only ones who seem to be able to locate Hyttan artifacts with the accuracy of the Gheluc are the research consortiums of the Necupole Plutocracy." Kaizoku told her.
Nodding along, General Grim added, "The Gheluc homeworld of Khartes was located close enough to the Necupole homeworld of Surterae that they were able to secure exclusive archeological access to their ruins. It is obvious that whatever it was the Gheluc used to find Hyttan ruins, the Necupole possess it now."
Next to Kaizoku, the Hand frowned. "I'm assuming, then, you want to go after this technology for our own use. I have to ask, why?"
"Understanding," Kaizoku told her, "Or as close to it as we can get, given the limitations forced upon us by the Omega's spite. The truth of our mission is that we are scrambling in the dark. The Program can sense when it will arrive, and by all accounts that won't be immediately. We've no idea as to where this hellion will emerge, nor any other data about it. All we know for certain is that Storlayacas is meant to fight it, and given the prodigious power we've felt when the disparate parts of that machine are made as one, to say nothing of the fact that the creature was able to wipe the Hyttan from the face of the galaxy and prevent them from being understood by those who would follow, the strength of the Omega could be likened unto a God. In the face of such, we will need whatever advantage we can wring from the remnants left over to us."
Flickering into view overtop the Necupole sale documents, the Program said, "I was created from a warning, upgraded into functionality by Storlayacas. I can't understand the Hyttan language any more readily than the rest of you can, but every piece of Hyttan code I've been subjected to has advanced me considerably, given me something close to an intrinsic understanding of what their information means, even if the minutia of it is lost to me. Given access to more of their data, there's no telling what mysteries I might be able to glean from the chaos."
Turning to the silent and stationary Madame Augury, Bathory asked, "Do your visions give any insight as to whether or not this thread is one worth following?"
Beneath the hood of her robe, Augury's eyes narrowed briefly, before she gripped the table, head thrown back as a vision overtook her.
…ruins and ruins and ruins, as far as the eye could see, pristine as they day they were built, despite the eons they'd been left deserted…
…tall, beautiful figures, their heads tilted back in laughter, gold filling their hands while knowledge slipped through their fingers…
…that knowledge falling on a computer console like rain, seeping into the seams of the machine, causing the simple coding on it to become infinitely more complex…
…a simple sketch of a map, bare bones to the point of uselessness, until that same rain of knowledge fell upon it, and details bled through with ever new drop, until the map was rendered in photorealistic detail…
…in the void between stars, something darker began to tear its way forth, but before it stood Storlayacas, dappled in that very same rain, drawing their energy sabre with the brilliance of all the stars in the galaxy, ready to cut short their enemy before it could claw itself free…
With her hands already braced, Augury only sagged slightly against the table as she came out of the vision, chest heaving as she announced, "We'd be fools not to seek out additional information."
"Then seek it we shall," Kaizoku said with a nod, wiping away the documents to bring up a different ledger, this one a Thalatte receipt for goods received. "Rather than keep what they find for their own research, the Necupole are wont to sell it to the highest bidder, and no one is more willing to pay for an edge on their competition than the Thalatte are. They are easily their most frequent customers, and the goods they acquire all seem to come from the same place."
Tapping against the screen to bring the document over to her, Bathory gave it a quick scan. "Looks like its on a world on the opposite side of the Necupole's territory than the Thalatte are - see how much they charge for shipping? That's a luck break for the Plutocracy."
"And for us," the Hand added, "Going to this place means we're far less likely to encounter the Thalatte, as I don't think any of them will be happy to see us after the Mercatus."
Looking over to Kaizoku, Grim asked, "So we're to have another heist, then?"
"Indeed we are," Kaizoku replied with a slow grin, "The world we are bound for is home to not just the distribution centre we seek, but the means with which we shall be able to land upon its surface at the request of a member of the Plutocracy itself."
"Usually the only reason an Enlightened allows us Lesser onto their worlds is in the form of slavery, so I'm hoping you're not suggesting we sell ourselves to the Necupole." Bathory said with a glare across the table.
"Nothing of the sort," Kaizoku told her, bringing up another document and sending it her way, "We come as test subjects."
Bathory glanced down at what she'd been given, one elegant eyebrow arching before her gaze returned to Kaizoku. "A test pilot?"
"For an experimental mech," Kaizoku elaborated, "They'd rather try out an unknown on a Lesser than risk one of their own. And I have a resume that will make me a candidate they simply cannot refuse."
Caught in the sunlight streaming in from the plentiful windows, the experimental mech was at rest within a transport frame, the dusty oranges and deep purples of its paint job vibrantly bright against the cream white of the rest of the lab. Erkanschlde turned to the crew of the Pelekys, her smile positively incandescent as she waved a hand at the machine, announcing, "The MGJX Aeon Mark V."
Pryseia and Malakh were rapt as they stepped forward, taking the mech in, and Elytra could feel their excitement bubbling up like twin springs. Nowhere near as tall as an Odazaen, to say nothing of a Storlayacas unit, it was still taller than the T0-K4Y Elytra had first trained in, the proportions of this machine mimicking the body shape of the necupole themselves. Longed limbed, there was a robustness to it that would no doubt serve it well against the other mechs that it would be pitted against.
Pryseia and Malakh immediately began questioning Erkanschlde about tensile strength, armour rating, and dozens of other mechanical things that Elytra had no head for, so she joined the others as they took in the rest of the lab.
"It's certainly not what I'd expect a research and development facility to look like," She admitted, turning to Rhea, "Unless this is the norm and I'm wildly out of my depth again."
Her frame rocking with a silent laugh, Rhea said, "No, I've been in a lab or two back home, and more than a few when I was forced to work for the Thalatte, and none of them were anything close to this."
Her gaze drifted about the space, and Elytra's did the same. Taking up the entirety of one of the smaller buildings, this lab reminded her more of a museum than a place where something like the mech before them would have been built. The all encompassing windows lit up the space with natural lighting, glinting off the assorted machining tools that were arrayed around the room. Massive things she couldn't guess the function of, all of them plated with the same odd chrome that didn't reflect light like it should, none of them looked like they'd ever been used, so pristine they were. Between these machines were long tables cluttered with smaller tools and other assorted mechanical parts, some tables meant for standing at, while others were low enough for the chairs scattered around them. Close to the door they'd come in through ran a counter dotted with empty cups and plates, a sink half full of them, next to what was unmistakable a fridge. It looked like whatever research and development the people got up to here, they barely allowed themselves time to refuel themselves before they dove back into their work. That reminded her of Malakh.
"But that was ruled as unsporting, so firearms have been forbidden from the tournament," Erkanschlde said with a wry chuckle, which caught Elytra's attention, "For the pilots as much as the mechs. They may have scoffed at Ahesa's profession, but those two mercenaries were far more dramatic than any Kith who'd piloted for me!"
Her mandibles clicking together, Nevara asked, "So all the other test pilots are going to be mercenaries, then?"
"Correct," Erkanschlde said with a nod, "I'm the only one who has ever reached out to the Kith. The others are always going on about professionalism and optics, as if the Kith aren't more keen on upholding those than a mercenary is! No offence to their profession, but I find mercenaries lack a certain… personability that you Kith possess. As well as showmanship. The whole point of this tournament is to show off these machines, not engage in a war of attrition! And the Kith know how to show off."
"I hope I don't disappoint you on that front." Pryseia said, and Elytra could feel the confidence radiating off of her as brightly as the sunlight streaming into the room.
Turning to her, a look of excitement spreading across her face, Erkanschlde asked, "Would you like to take it out for a spin? It's been technicians and mechanics working on it the whole time, so I'd appreciate your input as a pilot."
Giving a slight bow, Pryseia said, "Of course. I'd be happy to provide my perspective."
It didn't take long for the Aeon to be brought out to the test range, a fenced off area on the lab's property. The rolling, grassy hills had several basic structures scattered across them, the whole area large enough to run the mech through its paces, and far enough away from the lab that no stray debris would come crashing through its many windows. While one of Erkanschlde's aids led the rest of them into a shielded booth to watch the trial, Erkanschlde and Pryseia were stood before the mech, the former going over some last minute details with the latter. As a safety precaution, Pryseia had changed into her Kith armour, and the dark splendour of Queen Kaizoku's attire was in stark contrast to the bright fashion of the necupole techs hurrying to their places in bunkers across the field.
The Aeon had been brought out in its transport frame, and as Erkanschlde stepped away with an eager grin on her face, Pryseia stepped up to the side of it, touching something that had her lifted off the ground a moment later, her helmet sealing up over her head as the cockpit to the Aeon opened for her. By the time Erkanschlde had joined the rest of them in the booth, Pryseia was fully settled, her voice coming in over the speakers in the room.
"Beginning initiation sequence. Is there anything in particular you'd like me to keep an eye out for?"
Leaning over to a speaker next to the wide window of the booth, Erkanschlde pressed a button and told her, "The balance and manoeuvrability of the machine. With its shape and height, we had to find ways to lower its centre of gravity, so we're using some denser materials than we normally have on our mechs. This close to the tournament, I'm hoping that won't affect its movement adversely, as I don't relish the thought of rushing to build a lighter machine with the time we have left before it begins."
Her chuckle coming over the comms, Pryseia said, "A valid trepidation. I'm ready to begin at your leisure."
"Activating the test range in five seconds." Erkanschlde replied, slamming her fist against a satisfyingly large button next to the window. After that, five sharp tones rang out, and before the sound of the last could die out, Pryseia was off.
She had the Aeon bolting across the course in a dead sprint, heading straight for any obstruction in order to either vault or scramble over, dodge around, or just fully attempt to climb. Thrusters along the back and legs of the Aeon aided in her movement, allowing her to pull moves that she'd be unable to outside of a mech. Rounding back to the transport frame, Pryseia slowed the Aeon to a stop before saying, "You've done well with the balance on this thing, so have no fear of needing to completely redo the whole machine. The reaction time between input and action has some lag - is the operating system you're using for it Prangall, perchance?"
Erkanschlde didn't answer right away, eyes and mouth wide, completely gobsmacked by Pryseia's initial run with her mech. She shook her head sharply, replying, "Ah, yes, The latest version. None of my team noticed lag when we tested it."
"I'm not surprised," Pryseia's said, the mech outside flexing its arms from shoulders to fingers, "It's a matter of milliseconds, not something that I would expect anyone but an experienced pilot to notice. There tends to be a line of code in Prangall responsible - the devs never seem able to rectify it, no matter how many builds they release - I can point it out once we return the Aeon to the lab."
"I'd appreciate it," Erkanschlde said, her eyes bright with delight, "Are you ready for the combat test?"
"I await your signal." Pryseia told her, turning to face the field before her, a hand of the Aeon reaching towards the back of its neck.
As the hand neared, a cylindrical shape jutted out from the Aeon's spine. Grasping this protrusion and pulling it away peeled a double bladed axe that had been cleverly mounted to the chassis of the mech.
"I took it as a good omen, that the emblem of your crew matched the weapon we had already designed for our mech," Erkanschlde admitted, shooting the rest of them a glance, "I was quite shocked to see the avatar that the Program uses in your videos, I'm not afraid to tell you!"
"I guess it's just another of those little things our two people have in common." Rhea said, and Erkanschlde could only nod in agreement on that, their eyes drawn back to the window before them as the countdown sounded across the field once again.
From the bunkers across the field, spherical objects began launching at the Aeon, which Pryseia dropped into a ready stance, cleaving the first to come in range with ease. Under her hands, the Aeon moved fluidly from hit to hit, Pryseia twisting and spinning to keep the momentum from each of its swings from slowing the mech down. With a flourish, she bisected the last target flying towards her before returning the axe to the mount on the Aeon's back.
Erkanschlde let out a disbelieving laugh at that, leaning against the wall as she announced, "Incredible. I can see now that Adynduaa undersold your abilities! When everything's said and done, I think you're going to place quite highly in this tournament."
"No." Pryseia countered, her confidence bright as midwinter sunlight even from where she sat ensconced in the Aeon, "I'm going to win this tournament."