Chapter 2.01 Training days and invitation

Chapter 2.01 Training days and invitation (edited 2/9/23)

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Location Katinka, Zoid base area

Date August 27, 3021 07:00

I observed the area outside of the base. Seeing it from the height of a Zoid was one thing, but looking at the forest at ground level was awe-inspiring. I sat on the blanket and stared at the beautiful nature around me.

It was like looking at the Redwood Forest but around me for a ten-km radius. I was more surprised that no one deforested the area for development. That is why I learned a bit about using Hound's advanced sensor to hack into the town's network.

The whole planet of Katinka was a gold rush town. Instead of gold, it was for lostech with a secondary focus on minerals. Once all of the system's resources are emptied, the planet might become a ghost world unless something comes up and makes this place better. The future abandonment of the Katinka will happen. So I'm not surprised this world would join the Aurigan Coalition soon.

I sighed and got up from my lotus position. I looked at my zoid and wondered what I would do today. I had enough rest to pilot Wolf or Hound on their regular's patrols.

'Well, their new patrols,' I thought to myself. I had changed the routine four-hour patrols to three independent and random ones. This way, I could have time to rest between patrols and train. I still remember how bad it was trying to move Wolf with my control skills. I still have the bruise on my chin to show for that recklessness.

I looked back at Wolf, who was 'resting' in the way I've seen dogs and wolves (in the documentary) lay down when looking at someone. A good position for me to quickly climb the forepaw and into the cockpit should something happen. The shade he was in allowed his new color scheme to hide him better than before.

After all, it is easy to spot a giant white mech, not one painted in wood brown with some black spots. I ordered the Hanger's computers to remove his rocket launchers since it would be impossible to find or make ammo for them. Without those extra weights, he could move faster.

Hound's refit kept him at the base. The Battletech SRM launchers replaced his missile pods. I felt his depression on not being on patrol, so I assigned him the role of scouting. He used that super cool advanced radar control to recon from the hangar.

Hound started feeding Wolf data for the surrounding area. It could detect any mechanical forces in the area and land changes, but PBI could walk around if they didn't wear any comms. That was a surprise when I nearly ran over a few guys in the woods on the zoid's patrol route.

I walked over to climb into the cockpit. Wolf took that as a signal to close the cockpit as I started the Command system. After letting it load, I switched the combat system to restricted mode. I didn't want to fire a shot during the piloting session accidentally. However, there was an emergency release on it if we came under attack.

The command system allows me to control Wolf's movement and weapons more precisely than the Zoid could typically do. This awareness was primarily thanks to the cameras and sensors showing more positions around us. However, zoids tend to rely on their natural sensors more than the ones added by humans and zoidians of old.

Ironically, the Zoid processes the sensor differently than humans, like seeing electromagnetic emissions from vehicles, mechs, and electric devices. Due to their low emissions, small animals and plant life could slip by his sense. I had to change the route a few times because Wolf didn't realize the humans from Little Rock were observing him. I knew they must have learned Wolf was avoiding them the first few times due to the vehicles and mechs near them. However, without those around, he wouldn't dodge the militia outside of not trying to step on them.

I looked at the dozen Navi markers on the map and continued the patrol route at 140 km/h. I rearranged a few Navi markers yesterday because of how slow I was going at the time. My speed yesterday almost let the hidden APCs and VTOLs catch up to me until I let Wolf have control.

I rubbed my knees as the memories of that ride were rough. Wolf had to hop around trees while maintaining his max speed. Thankfully the bodysuit I was wearing kept me from being permanently injured during the patrol.

I plan to maneuver like that one day without Wolf's natural control. But for now, I best observe the town through the data feed from Hound as I continued the patrols.

Little Rock had become a hive of activity since the pirate attack. I still couldn't figure out why things had happened as their communication, which Hound hacked, didn't say much other than a rescue mission the Planetary Governor went out on. I heard that the rescue force won and now had its JumpShip that the planet now owned.

I moved Wolf through the forest path created by the Zoid's patrols. I knew it was terrible to take an obvious trail. Still, it made these trips easier in this section and let me gain more experience piloting.

As I moved on, I noticed the marker for the town of Little Rock. It was about six kilometers away and still had the two mechs that were the gift for saving the city. I knew they had stashed away in the warehouse closest to the patrol route, but I never went into town to claim the battlemechs. Well, that and the fact that the APC and VTOL kept appearing near my path made me a little paranoid.

I needed to be more confident in piloting Wolf to try and appear as the leader of the two Zoids. Also, I needed to find out if I was neurohelmet compatible. None of the pilots' helmets had survived the Zoid's attack.

I slowed Wolf down at an observation spot as another thought hit me. The Zoids might have eaten them since the pilots' bodies were still in the cockpit. I would have said they ejected, but none of the logs showed that for the mechs they collected. The ones they managed without just destroying the cockpit. It was a morbid thought.

I decided to head to my next Navi marker and view the lands around me again. The trip there should get those thoughts out of my mind.

I watched the trees pass by as I got closer to my Navi marker. When I observed the town, I had set the point to be at least several hundred meters yesterday. I may be a rookie to combat, but I wasn't stupid either. If the Zoids hadn't emerged, the whole pirate attack wouldn't happen, then I would have walked into town and tried to build my life. It's like I got snake eyes on the roll of life here.

I was almost at my Navi point when I noticed something ahead. I thought back to my thoughts before switching the combat system to full access. Because what was in front of me was a trailer without a cab. A familiar trailer should have been in a warehouse three kilometers from my current location.

I watched as all the cameras' views appeared around the cockpit. It was a bit disorienting as they appeared with multiple perspectives—Standard, thermal, and electromagnetic vision. I saw nothing on the normal or thermals. I removed all the trees on the electromagnetic view and looked for anything different from everyday forest life. The only object on the trailer was the thing I could see giving off a high amount of EMF.

A trailer that originally weights over a hundred tons only weighs around sixty-five now. Half the gift was here.

Apart from that, I wanted to check out what was there. Another part of me was looking for an ambush because of this Battletech. I know this couldn't be just an open gift without someone trying to get something out of it. Or I'm getting my tabletop games mixed up—too many grim dark narrative games.

I searched through all the screens again for anything that could be a trap, but nothing stood out. Even Wolf let out a whine as he couldn't find anything either. I waited for a few minutes, but nothing moved closer to us. Even Little Rock's militia continued their patrols on my battle map without pause.

There were no active APCs or VTOLs around, and the second patrol from either the Planetary Government or Aurigan Coalition was far off on the other side of the mountain. At least, that is what the data Hound sent me with his sensors.

I moved Wolf a little closer and noticed that the latch port, the cab's spot that generally hooked up to the trailer, had several thick chains attached. I keep the turret sweeping the area while keeping the Vulcans ready to fire. I didn't want to kill someone, but I would scare them with a barrage of 20mm bullets unless a mech somehow hid from me. I felt Wolf's head dip as he gripped the chains in his mouth and began to turn around and back to where the remains of the Capellan DropShip were. We decided to finish the patrol here until I could figure out why the Zoids reward was out here.

We dragged the trailer behind us. I could see the tracks we left behind and made a mental note to cover them after dropping this off at the wreckage area. It felt like hours dragging the reward back to the drop point, but a quick clock check showed that a little over fifteen minutes had passed. I was tired from checking every sensor and screen for anyone following us, but nothing again. I looked around with Wolf before heading back to where we grabbed the trailer and began covering up the trail and making a few fake ones.

Many hours later...

Date: August 28, 00:00

It took way longer than I wanted before Wolf and I returned to the base with our cargo. I had to cover up old patrol routes and move fallen trees to make a direction arrow for anyone tracking us. I may be paranoid, but I know I would feel guilty if this were trying to pay us back for the Zoids saving them. So instead of a goose chase, those downed trees lead to a cache of minerals. If the sensor were correct, it should be a mixture of gold and germanium. Even if it is a dozen meters down, the mining mech, like the new Dig King I saw, should be able to pick it up.

I waited as Wolf lowered his head to let me jump down. Finally, the canopy opened and allowed the mechanism's loud noise to reach my ears. I got up and jumped down.

Dang it, I should have braced a bit more on the landing. I could feel the knee pain screaming at me for not bending fast enough. I hobbled a bit over as I waved off the worried whine from both Hound and Wolf. Wolf moved over to the trailer, so I could climb the ladder to remove the binds on the tarp over the giant and most likely battlemech.

It took a while since Hound couldn't help. He was still undergoing refits and jamming everything within eight kilometers away. The jamming should hide Wolf from surveillance outside of a person watching via telescope.

We slowly but surely managed to get the tarp's binding loose. I walked over and hopped onto Wolf's right-side Vulcan pod as he gripped the tarp with his fangs. I watched as the zoid pulled off the tarp of the mech to reveal well-designed military hardware (at least to me).

This battlemech made the Guncanon from Gundam look underpowered to me, the Swordsman.

This battlemech had an autocannon on its left shoulder and a five-tube LRM on its right. If my memory is correct, two weapons on both arms should be lasers. In addition, a built-in missile pod under the LRM should be an SRM. There was a small laser, too, right next to the cockpit. All and all, I love it. However, there were a few things that could have been improved.

First, it was old, with some patches of new armor here and there. Second Wolf was telling me there was something inside the cockpit. Third and finally, I didn't see a neurohelmet anywhere.

I open the cockpit door with hopes of finding a neurohelmet. But, instead of a helmet, I see a note folded, stuck on the chair. After a quick check to seal my suit, I grabbed the letter and hopped back to Wolf's cockpit. Inside I unfolded the note and read its contents.

I wanted to laugh at what I read. What is this? The worst roll of the dice or the best draw of the deck. Someone out there may find this even too unlikely, like me. After all, who gets a note saying they would have a reward ceremony for my 'group' heroics?

Part of me wondered if this was still a trap, while another told me we should go and greet the local leaders. At least they gave me a couple of months.

I looked at the Swordsman and decided it would need a full scan and rebuild soon. For now, it was going through months of a stress test and replacement parts that the Hangar would produce after the zoids fully healed. I wanted to take only a few resources away from my friends when I could make do with something lighter and already in progress.

I turn Wolf's head to the activity next to Hound's bay. Another bay was working on a mess of metal and wires—a bunch of scraps slowly forming a familiar trashcan shape.