Once the tests were completed, X137 was walked back to its testing bay and the whole team gathered around for an afternoon celebration. The Heavy and Super Heavy cha projects had been taking up most of the combined manpower of the lab for most of a year now, with an intense crunch at the end when General Lu decided that the planned design needed so serious overhauls, but now that all three patterns were finished in house testing, they could finally relax and start focusing on less ti-sensitive projects.
So would be moved to Exoskeleton projects, so to small arms developnt, others to Virtual Reality upgrades or even civilian interests, like better shelf stable ration packs for the disaster recovery portion of the mission that ca at the end of most military interventions.
That also ant that the primary reason General Lu had brought in Max and Nico was now finished, which raised the question of what they were going to be up to next.
Max hoped that it would be sothing relatively safe and interesting, but that sort of assignnt didn’t often co up two deploynts in a row, and this one had been pretty good to him so far.
There were still many more cha designs that needed to go through the final testing phases, including upgrades for the existing models of cha within the Kepler Military, and the new weapons for the Corvette Class units, so there was hope that he wouldn’t be leaving here for a while.
The most important part of not wanting to leave was actually standing right next to him though. Moonie was looking up at him with a data tablet in her hand, wanting to get his take on the data that she had collected during the live fire exercises, and hear all about what it was like being inside a Super Heavy cha when it was actually in action.
“Is it as loud in there as it was in the observation room? I an, they turned down the external volu, but it was still pretty loud in there.” She asked, impatient for more details.
“It’s loud, but it’s not the volu that really gets you, it is the air displacent from the vibration. There really isn’t anything you can do about it, being so close to three high-powered Mass Drivers, but it can really shake your insides.” Max explained.
“Hmm, we have the sensor data from inside the cockpit, and it includes vibration information, as well as audio and other sensors. I will have to send the data to be analyzed for overall safety, so they can determine who is safe to send in as the Technicians in these units.” Moonie nodded, tapping away at her tablet.
“What are our plans for the rest of the day, Sister?” Max asked Lilith, who was only a few ters away, working on her own data analysis.
“Data, data, and more data. The General has a questionnaire here for you to fill out about the responsiveness of the Chassis. You might need to go into the virtual trainers to check on so of the answers, but most of it you will be able to fill out right away.” Lilith inford him, handing over a data tablet with the questionnaire open.
It was all simple things. Lag ti, responsiveness, any hesitation under rapidly changed commands, potential overloads, and thermal variations in the electronics after prolonged firing. So he knew, so he could look up after the testing, but so he would have to go to the simulator for as Lilith suggested. They hadn’t done any combat maneuver testing yet, which would co soti later, so the simulator was his only option for the day.
The rest of the day passed in a mind-numbing blur until finally, it was ti to head ho. Max checked out of the simulator and headed for the locker room to freshen up, wondering what he would order for the night. He rarely went to the restaurants, and instead preferred to cook or pay the extra fee and have sothing delivered to his room.
A bit wasteful, but everywhere was so packed with people lately that it was hard to enjoy yourself. Even the Gas Room had been near maximum capacity, which was strange because the total number of people on the base hadn’t changed. It was like everyone was just congregating in this district for so reason.
That made Max think of the unauthorized ssage that had been intercepted. How many of these people had allegiances other than the Military? How many were sent specifically to gather data to send ho, or were hired by outside forces? The vetting process was good, but top scientists were needed, so the employee pool was limited, and it was unreasonable to think you could fill a city with people who didn’t have split loyalties, even over an area as large as the Kepler Empire.
Max was just about to start looking up data on employee recruitnt when his doorbell rang, bringing up a security feed that showed him three won standing outside his door. Nico, Lilith, and Moonie, who were all dressed up to go out.
“Ladies, co in. Welco to my humble abode, and I’m sorry I don’t have enough chairs.” Max greeted them.
“A small Cyborg has brought it to our attention that today is a very special day back on your howorld.” Sister Lilith laughed, walking towards Max’s closet.
“And so, we are dragging you out for the evening. Reservations have been made, so there is no reason for you to turn us down.” Moonie agreed.
Max thought for a second about what would constitute an important day, then checked his watch, not finding anything.
“In two hours and sixteen minutes, Kepler Standard ti, you will be another year older.” Nico smiled, seeing Max’s confusion.
That’s it. The change in seasons and from Kepler Terminus to the Standard calendar threw him off, but it will indeed be his birthday. According to the altered data in his official records, changed when the Cygnus officers were captured to prevent accusations of child soldiers, today will be his eighteenth birthday and not his fourteenth, but it is still his birthday. That’s fine by Max though, with all these returned mories, he certainly doesn’t feel like a youth anymore.
“I’m sure you will love it. We put a lot of thought into what would be just the right evening.” Moonie smiled, giving Max a kiss on the cheek, before handing him the clothes that Lilith picked out for him.
“I only have one more question. Did our favorite Cyborg troublemaker tell you that it is her birthday too? We were born only a few minutes apart.” Max pointed out, and Nico just shrugged. In her mind, she wasn’t that nonchalant, she was greatly looking forward to a proper birthday party, but she didn’t know how to show that, so instead she arranged a party for him.
Reviews
All reviews (0)