BAM!! A heavy thud echoed as a box was set down, the sound hinting at its weight.
“We have tractor-beam technology at our disposal, so why are we hauling these things by hand? Isn’t this a waste of both resources and our valuable ti?” Charlie, a soldier in an Imperial army uniform, grumbled as he straightened his back and headed toward the remaining boxes they needed to move.
Despite his complaints, there was no hesitation in his movents, creating a stark contrast between his words and actions.
“You’re already using anti-gravity devices to carry them, so what are you whining about? Besides, we’re in a testing zone—do you really think they’d let us use high-end tech and risk a disaster mid-experint?” his friend retorted, dropping his box before jogging to catch up.
“Laziness is the mother of innovation. Do you think we’d have advanced this far if we weren’t too lazy to repeat the sa tasks for centuries? And if that were really their concern, they could just disable the equipnt once testing begins,” Charlie countered as they each grabbed another box and resud their task.
They had barely taken a few steps when—
BAM!! BAM!! BAM!! BAM!! BAM!!
The ground convulsed violently, as if a giant were pounding the ground with a hamr. Boxes toppled over, and both soldiers found themselves involuntarily bouncing with the tremors.
“What the fu—”
“OH MY GOD—”
Their voices carried two distinct kinds of shock—the first half filled with alarm, unsure if they were under attack or if a test had gone terribly wrong. But as their eyes fell on the source of the commotion, their words trailed off into an entirely different kind of astonishnt.
BAM!!! BAM!!! BAM!!! BAM!!!
Two massive humanoid chas stomped forward, each towering hundreds of ters tall. One was a deep blue, carrying a gun proportionate to its enormous fra. The other was crimson, unard, but with two sword-like hilts affixed to its hips—though no blades extended from them.
The colossal machines ca to a sudden halt, their heads turning toward the two soldiers. A faint hum followed as a blue beam swept over them, disappearing monts later—having already scanned and extracted all available information.
"{Keep up the good work}," the red cha rumbled, its voice as vast as its form. Raising its left arm, it gave them a casual wave before both machines resud their advance.
"............"
"............"
Charlie and his companion stood frozen, their brains struggling to process what had just happened. Their eyes locked onto the cha’s raised foot, instinctively bracing for the inevitable tremor when it made contact with the ground.
But the impact never ca.
Though the chas continued walking as before, their movents were now eerily silent, as if their imnse weight had vanished into thin air.
Charlie let out a sharp exhale. "Ha… I should really be used to impossible things happening by now," he muttered, forcing himself back to the task at hand—though his gaze remained fixed on the retreating figures of the chas.
With that, they resud their work, but the encounter left their minds adrift. Conversation dwindled, replaced by lingering awe as they chanically completed their assigned duties.
…………………..
"I thought the smooth operation in VR was because it was an incomplete program and the empire had control over the variables, but I was wrong. It feels exactly the sa, with no difference at all," Yaloria mused as she piloted the red cha.
She was the designated pilot representing the Yrral Coalition in the battle against the emperor—until she was captured. Once Nova had seized control of cha 765, the fight was effectively over, and Yaloria, along with her cha, beca Aron's property as per the terms of the agreent.
Due to the backlash from the control system—a brain-machine interface directly linked to her brain—Yaloria had fallen into a coma when Nova forcibly took over the system. When she finally regained consciousness, she found herself in VR, where Nova explained her situation.
Once she was fully brought up to speed, Nova presented her with two options:
Swear loyalty to the emperor and the empire, and contribute to the empire's cha research.
Live freely but under constant surveillance, unable to leave the planet.
Both choices ca with the promise of full dical restoration. The circuits and implants embedded in her body—which allowed her to control her cha but also drastically shortened her lifespan due to the physical and ntal toll—would be removed. Her body would be returned to peak condition.
For Yaloria, the decision was simple. In exchange for her loyalty and commitnt to the research program, she negotiated for her entire family tree to be relocated to Earth. Nova accepted without hesitation. As a result, her entire lineage was brought to live with her, transported by Yrral Coalition representatives as part of the mana exchange program—one of many trades made in return for mana stones.
Although Yaloria had sworn loyalty to the emperor, she remained skeptical about the promise of being fully healed. She believed that as long as she needed to pilot chas, her condition would remain unchanged—only this ti, she would be fighting under the emperor’s banner.
However, that assumption was quickly shattered when in the Universal Simulation, she tested the new cha control system that didn’t require pilots to bear the physical and ntal strain. Instead, the computer handled the burden, while her role was simply to issue commands—just like moving her own body, but without any of the exhausting toll she once endured.
At first, she was doubtful. But now, as she lived this reality, piloting chas without the sacrifices that once defined her profession and with no lingering worries about her family, she found herself truly enjoying life for the first ti.
"{Hey, are you daydreaming again?}"
Yaloria’s thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the voice coming from the blue cha, positioned about a kiloter away. It stood facing her, its massive hands gripping the equally massive gun.
"{No, just adjusting. It feels exactly like it did in VR}," she responded, her hands tightening around the two sword handles on her hips.
With a swift motion, she pulled them free—though at first, they appeared to be nothing more than empty hilts. That changed in an instant. A brilliant blue light flared to life, materializing into twin short swords. Unlike traditional weapons, their cutting edges were ford by intersecting runic shields, aning their shape could be adjusted at will to suit the wielder’s needs.
"{You were the one who insisted on testing things in real life, so you better take this seriously}," the blue cha’s pilot said, raising his gun and leveling it at her.
Yaloria smirked, tightening her grip on the glowing blades. "{Looks like I need to show you what real-life experience truly ans to a cha pilot}," she shot back.
At that mont, Athena’s voice rang out, acting as the referee.
"{START}."
Reviews
All reviews (0)