Mechs?

It is the year 2834 and the twilight of human expansion in space was over and almost reaching its zenith. Earth was no longer the point of life for humanity becoming a distant memory as with each subsequent wars waged over greed and past feuds, her name was slowly forgotten through the ages.

Although the rich history of Earth was almost lost with time, it was definitely known that every generation birthed an individual that would usher a new era, most notably in military reforms. In classical antiquity, the ingenuity of military geniuses like Philip II of Macedonia, introducing the sarissa phalanx and revolutionizing the use of cavalry, had paved the way for his son; a certain Alexander who was a brilliant commander.

Also, in a critical time for Rome, one man returned: Gaius Marius. He not only overhauled the legions, sending it on its way to the homogeneous heavy infantry of popular belief, but also hammered the last nail in the coffin for the Republic. His military reforms had the desired effect, but along with it were dire consequences for the Republic. The Eternal City was now well on her way to an Imperial System, with the perpetuator dubious of his own actions.

In the current time, Pioneers were the elites of human society. The harbingers of new times.

Sy Verdin was an orphan who aspired to be one, but was unlucky by lacking one special ability that all Pioneers possessed. The so-called Neural Affinity. With this, Pioneers can access databases from coveted Super Archives and download informations within the capacity of their brain. Without this talent, Sy had to manually study like a normal human being. With only his grit, determination and inherent intelligence, he managed to graduate in the Pioneer Academy of the Federation.

But after ten years studying in Simulation Pods equivalent to five years in real time, he ended up in a dark and menacing room planning his next move just to survive.

He somehow missed the high-end research lab in the Pioneer Academy of the Federation. The mixture of smell, the abundance of exotic goods, cutting-edge tools begging to be of service, brilliant peers to share his theories with...

Five months ago, he graduated with average grades not excelling in anything. He had to escape the Galactic Bank and the clutches of his shameful achievement and into this backwater planet called Logria within the sphere of influence of a faction called the Union of Pyr.

"I have to seek employment first. The remaining credits I have is only sufficient to sustain me for two weeks." Sy muttered while contemplating.

Logria was a terraformed planet but not thoroughly due to insufficient budget. It could only support the adaptation of humans but not plant-life. This maybe the case, the planet was still an agricultural center in the Union.

Now that he thought about it, he had basic knowledge in Bio-tech. It covered not only biology or physiology but also geology and other planetary sciences. This could potentially place him in the advancement of terraforming and farming.

However, Logria was not a plant friendly environment. To farm, they must have a water-based enclosure. This would then allow them to grow crops in a controlled environment. This was a problem as advance Hydroponics was not within the scope of his knowledge. They would rather employ specialists faithful to this specific field than an upstart Pioneer comparable to a nerd who just knew a lot of things.

"I need to go out!" Sy abruptly got up. The apartment was empty, with the exception of a pillow and blanket, and some of his luggages. He made a beeline toward the door, snatching the dark-green coat hanging around the doorknob.

'Construction-tech, Energy-tech... There must be something I can offer my service to.'

Computer-tech, Propulsion-tech and Weapon-tech were a far-fetched thought as the planet was not technically advance. Its level 1 Starport was a testament to this. Furthermore, the Union which it belonged was a mediocre faction. One of the poorest and less populous in the quadrant. Not to mention that every faction advanced their technologies separately. Thus, Sy hoped he had more opportunities here.

Sy's apartment was located in the outer rim of the main city. At the center, the titanic level 1 Starport stood, reaching out into space. An hour later, the young pioneer reached the vicinity of the mega structure.

Stepping out of the hover cab, Sy looked up and caught a glimpse at the blurry silhouettes of starships out in space. A freighter ship owned by an independent space trader whose loyalty to his faction was only a fraction to himself, was docked on the tip of the starport. Tons of crops that undergone a distribution facility, compressed and packed, were being loaded out from the reach of his sight.

"The work of the few feeds the many," He muttered silently.

No doubt the Starport was the most busiest and liveliest place in all human settlements. Ascending and descending industrial crafts designed for orbital drops, carrying passengers and goods, orbited the Starport relying on its anti-gravity and guidance system. The further he travelled inward, the more density of people and buildings he encountered. Still, it was anemic compared to the Federation where he grew up. The amount of development in this main city was scarce for his standards.

Another hour passed by wandering about, Sy was culturally shocked by how much this lesser faction diversified by preferences compared to the main factions.

Mechs! The Unionists deified these machines of war. They're conspicuously exhibited in every corner via holographic images. Children mobbed to admire the machines, aspiring to pilot them when they grew up. He had failed to recognize this when he first came here.

Sy hopelessly scratched his head in confusion.

As far as he could recall, The Second Age saw the introduction of Mechs. It was a fine addition to the conventional war machines, achieving short successes before being put aside. Cost-effective, it was not. A tank could be easily assembled and disassembled compared to these behemoths. Specially augmented troops easily brought them down with high-powered weapons.

The first generation of mechs showcased their clumsiness. Although a mobile artillery, versatile in carrying any type of weapons, its defensive capabilities sorely lacked competency to the destructive power of advance armaments.

Slow and sporting its wide frame in the open, it became a big target practice for heavy infantry, tanks and air support. Even traditional artilleries mowed them down like bricks.

Starships reigned predominantly in all kinds of warfare. With its titanic clashes in the void of space and able to influence ground warfare by orbital bombardments and orbital drops of shock troopers in strategic areas.

Mechs still enjoyed a fair amount of furtherance especially in lesser factions like the Union of Pyr. The integration of neuro-link reintroduced them back in the battlefield. However, only a few selected pilots can successfully pair with a mech, becoming one with the machine. The robotic movement was significantly eliminated in the modern mechs as they moved by the will of their pilots.

Still, pilots for the advance mechs were a rare commodity. Pioneers, representing the peak of humanity were the first candidate, able to bond with the machine without any difficulty. But factions would not risk a hair of these extremely prized individuals just so they could drive a mech into battle. They'd rather flung them into the far fringes of the quadrant where they could utilize their distinct qualities and bring new discoveries for the human race.

"Maybe I could dabble into mechs.." Sy muttered, finding a rows of chair to sit, overlooking a Gaming Station.

Pioneers before going out to explore would devote themselves in Construction and Propulsion Technology. These combined technologies in the hands of these geniuses were aimed to maximize the durability of starships and allowed them to go faster and further. Such is the way.

Home-based Pioneers are the ones who engaged in Energy and Weapons Technology, tasked in assisting their faction for military advancement.

True Pioneers are proficient in every technology. That's why every young Pioneers who had just graduated learned basic knowledge in all technologies. True Pioneers would study new lifeforms and star systems, push the boundaries of human frontier, establish new colonies while introducing breakthroughs from their already tested theories. Factions would desperately hunt for these new colonies in hopes of a Pioneer leaving a superior technology in the hands of the colonists.

Mechs were not an exception. The neuro-link was the product of a few eccentric Pioneers curious about the machines. Sadly, the void would always call for them. Home-based Pioneers were busy with their power hungry citizens and the demands for new arms. As such, few contributions came from the Pioneers. Mechs were basically left to their designers and engineers.

Sy glanced at the gaming pods in front of him where two kids discussed about a game called, "Steel Arena".

"I'm going to 'The Engineer' after winning two duels." Said a chubby one.

"You almost have 5000 credits, Brian?" A tall but skinny kid, asked in jealousy.

"Yup. The Engineer said that he will upgrade my mech if I have the money." Brian, the chubby child, answered with a proud grin.

After a few more chatter, both kids entered the gaming pods.

Sy was curious about this VR game after hearing the juveniles talked about it so passionately, even more so with the mention of mechs. If he could bring his skills as a Pioneer in developing this overlooked machines, he might make a killing.

He activated his multifunctional gauntlet fitted perfectly on his left arm, a device exclusively created for pioneers. One of the few boons he received after graduating. As it projected some of its basic functions, Sy chose to access the galactic net in search for 'Steel Arena'.

Few minutes passed browsing its official forum, Sy had fully grasped the end-goal of this game. It not only featured pilots fighting for supremacy, but also aimed to improve their skills. Second generation mechs were widely used as well which were already installed with neuro link. One does not need an affinity to pilot these mechs in the game.

Real engineers and designers played the bigger roles in Steel Arena. Mech Engineers could repair or boost mechs in a workshop while Designers could purchase licenses with in-game currency or real cash to tinker with patented components or the mech itself.

All in all, it was a big project to encourage new innovations like the Neuro-link device on the mechs. It was a big coalition between the Mech Companies and the Mech Guilds working together to achieve a common goal, calling forth far and wide for the advancement of mechs.

The game's near 100% realism made it all the more impressive. An advance simulator dedicated solely to mech engineering and science. Something that Sy vitally needed to test out new theories.

An awkward smile appeared on the young Pioneer's face. As much as he wanted to dive straight to the game and seek out whether his future is bright or bleak, he needed to rest from the long journey he had taken.

After purchasing a few days worth of sustenance bringing down his credits a notch, Sy hailed a cab and went straight back to his apartment which took another hour. Upon arrival, he saw a pair of package on his doorstep. The first one was from the Galactic Bank, giving him a notice about his several millions credits of expenditure during his time in the academy. The letter suggested that he submit his Pioneering License as collateral, something that his pride as a Pioneer wouldn't allow even if he died a thousand times.

"Damn! Automated registration of current residency might have gave away my position. But it's only been a few hours and the bank is already knocking at my doorstep?"

"The Galactic Bank doesn't have any branches here, it will probably take a few months before one of their agents reach me." He sighed in relief but his voice carried a sense of urgency. "I need to increase my assets by then so I can down a partial."

He scanned the second package using his gauntlet and found that the sender was unknown. As soon as he grabbed the parcel to inspect its content, a jolt across his body caused his legs to buckle.

"Urrlgh!" Vomiting a multicoloured substance, a message appeared in his vision.

[DNA ACQUIRED!]

[SYSTEM EFFECTIVELY INTEGRATED!]

As Sy reeled from the sudden changes in his body, the parcel was relieved from his grasp. It rolled a few meters away from him and stopped briefly, displaying a surface with a handwritten message; "to The Future Or From The Future?"