The Pilot's Gambit

The recruitment office of the Empire's 'Standard Mech Military' stank of sweat and ozone. 

Lena leaned against the wall, her arms crossed, watching the crowd. Dozens of them—starving, desperate, their eyes glazed with the hollow hope of the damned. They clutched their ident chips like talismans, praying to a Empire that would grind them into dust. 

A hologram flickered above the check-in desk: 'Serve the Crown. Become More.' 

The line inched forward. 

"Name?" The clerk didn't look up, his fingers dancing over a holographic keyboard. 

"Lena Voss." 

"Age?" 

"Twenty-three." 

"Occupation?" 

Lena wanted to say 'survivor' but she decided against coming out as a smart ass therefore replied demurely, "Unemployed"

The clerk's eyes remained unchanged as he typed in. Clearly he was long used to such tryhards who come here in hope to find their natural talent, which was missed by everyone around them. His gaze was cold and assessing as he finally looked up to find a beautiful woman looking at him. "Training?" 

"None." 

A snort.

"You'll wish to never have come here in the sims." He added, maybe because he felt compelled to say something to such a beautiful woman. Lena didn't mind, in fact she smiled thinking at least basic human nature in both worlds was the same. 

"I'll take the chance." 

The clerk shrugged, slapping a wristband onto the counter. "Level Three. Try not to vomit on the equipment." 

---

"What to do? What can she do?" Lena had thought about the future direction of her life very deeply. As a Succubus she can charm humans, even if she has no physical body of Succubus her soul was enough in this non-mythical world to reign supreme. 

But would she be safe? 

Manipulate humans to do her bidding? To rear them as her lovers, her food, her security…her pets. But would it be enough? If there were no other way to top in this world, after what she had seen in the video of Archmage. She would have taken this familiar path gladly. After all, Succubus is born to walk the path of lust, ruling humans with their desires. 

But now after she had seen the fruit of this world's human ingenuity. The cyber-skeleton soldiers, a prime which most young males and some females adore as their idol. She was more than tempted to choose this path. What if she had this strength to reign supreme along with her Succubus powers? After all, in her mind, strength was integral. 

Even If this world was different from her home world, the rules of strength were still the same. Those with strong fist reign over the weak, even if in this world's strong have one extra definition due to the capitalist nature of society - that is wealth. Ultimately it's still the same. Weak people are chewed by society while the rich and powerful live in an extravagant world of luxury away from the law and hardships, compared to gods living in the mortal world. 

If Lena can't become strong herself but rely on others, a day will come when her powers will be revealed. No one can stay in the shadows forever. Then she will surely come face to face with an opponent with strength or wealth that she can't resist and then what will happen to Succubus who no longer has security of her demonic bloodline and body. She would become a toy in their hands, an attacking toy or a pleasing toy, it doesn't matter as she would be at their mercy, even her death would not be in her own hands. 

Lena shuddered at her supposed fate. She wasn't scared of being used for pleasure but if her will is there, she would never ever submit to another being. Even in the bedrooms of the strongest of Demons, where many Succubus find their survival. They held power to change their lover's decision with their body to get anything they wanted and if things went south they could always 'try to' escape with their abilities. 

Therefore, in this world where she has a chance to have strength for herself even after finding out that Lena's human body has no potential of becoming mage. She pounced on it hungrily. With her Succubus powers, her path to top would be many times easier than the average common human looking to become a Cyberskeleton soldier. 

Though Lena's logic said that against Archmage even a cyber-skeleton soldier would be helpless, she would not be totally helpless. And if fate is written in such a way that she really had no chance against an Archmage, she would happily choose the path of his or her bedroom for her survival. Though she doubted any being that lives at such a peak could be seduced so easily, at least it was better to try everything before dying. Who knows she might wake up in another different world after death. 

--- 

The sim pod was a coffin attached with several tubes of glowing wires. 

Lena strapped in, the neural interface prickling her temples. Her heart thrummed—not fear, but thrill of power. The same thrill that had once driven her to manipulate kings and warlords to do her bidding. 

*Let's see what this flesh can do.* 

The world dissolved into static. 

A desert stretched before her, scorched and endless. Alarms blared: *"Hostiles inbound. Armament: Standard-issue plasma rifle. Objective: Survive."* 

Lena barely heard it. She marveled the feeling of simulation technology, everything in her eyes and human senses seemed almost real. But she wasn't satisfied, so she moved her limbs inside the cabin of a large tank like mecha, and ultimately concluded it really was a miracle of technology. 

But she didn't instantly give up, her succubi soul soon fluctuated as she tried to sense surroundings using her inhumane soul. As expected the tech aimed at fooling human senses was rendered useless in front of her soul, she could vaguely see her body lying in a sim pod along with several others. The image in her mind was not clear but blurry maybe due to mismatch of the human mind with her succubi soul, but it was enough of an advantage. 

Lena soon focused on her five human senses, coming back to the virtual world. The first target mech emerged from the sandstorm haze, its cannons glowing. Lena moved forward trying to control her own mech, her fingers dancing across the controls. The sim-mech lurched, clumsy, unresponsive. 

'Too slow' 

A plasma bolt grazed her shoulder, the feedback searing her nerves. She hissed, her vision swimming. Was there a need to connect mecha to her body's pain senses, but then she guessed probable reason. Maybe it's to filter out candidates as such intense pain would stop those who want to try for fun? Maybe, who knows? 

Lena focused on the controls as shown on the screen inside mecha. It moved with a jarring gait, but at least it was in balance, a thought that consoled Lena. Everything was going smoothly when at two minute mark, suddenly target Mecha began to fire randomly towards her, its firing speed becoming a little fast. 

Three shots out of seventeen in a minute grazed the mecha, making Lena wince in pain. For a second she debated with herself from running away as the objective of the test was survival. But then she decided it was better to show off to get picked off amongst hundreds of potential candidates. Otherwise sheer competition of desperate humans will bury her in the selection procedure. 

Lena made up her mind as she began to rush her mecha into running….towards the enemy mecha. As shots rang around her, the system rang for her to pick up her plasma rifle to practice shooting. But Lena was self aware that there was no way she could master shooting in her very first time. She wasn't like other humans, she really was completely virgin in terms of shooting using toys like guns and rifles. 

Thus even by succubi standards, Lena can't learn a rifle in such a short time. Therefore she decided a simple way, she is going to run through enemy mecha. Her Sim Mecha was built like a tank while enemy mecha was smaller and thinner at least seen from outside. Therefore she decided the strategy of the minotaur demons of her world, ram through the enemies. 

Jank! Jank! Jank! 

…. CRASH…. 

"Son of a… "Lena cursed vulgarities as her Mecha slammed hard into enemy Mecha throwing it away like a broken tool. But in the process of closing distance to the enemy mecha, she had to take five shots right on its chest, causing her body to break out in cold sweat. Her Mecha was riddled with holes in front, but her gamble paid off. The enemy mecha was thrown like rag as it crumbled while rolling over the sand. 

Lena was biting her lips…she was still enduring the aching pain of bullet holes on her mech's chest when suddenly noises came around her. Within the sandstorm, several enemy mechas came into view with their plasma rifle shining. Lena smiled sadistically as her demonic nature floated above,

'Cruel to others ultimately means Cruel to self.'

—

Meanwhile, after several hours, in the army station of City Four several officers were leisurely talking with each other while drinking whiskey after work. They were passing time while chatting when suddenly an officer initiated a topic. 

"Haha, you guys won't believe it. We had an unusual case at our Mech pilot testing center."

The man with the mustache raised his eyebrows in interest , "Oh this city can still produce some talents? Not bad. What happened? Someone broke the record, how many minutes of survival."

The officer in charge of pilot testing laughed, "No no nothing like that. Time of survival was average, even slightly less than average but the approach of this candidate was quite entertaining.

She was a pretty female, but instead of using a rifle she instead proceeded to slam her mecha into enemies like a bulldozer. Haha.. Her own mecha crumbled by the seventh time but I am surprised that she could hold in pain for so long. Infact I'm impressed she proceeded to press on after first slam."

"What? Such an interesting thing happened? Haha.. "The third officer who was wearing a cap finished his glass in one swing as he immediately perked up listening to something entertaining in this long forgotten corner of the empire. 

"Come on, show us the video. Play it on the main screen, I'm giving you access right now. Do it."