----------------------------------------
1.3 - First Day
----------------------------------------
As Una sat awaiting what could only be an inevitable end at the convenience of the enemy machines, she reflected on what a single day ago had been like. How very distant her last journal entry, recorded not long after splitting from her previous squad, now seemed:
Once Daily Personal Audio Log - Entry No.300;
Ahem, erm, aha, this is Una O' Conchabhair reporting, umm, oh right ya - Today was my first official day at my new posting aboard the 'Independent-Alliance-Of-Free-States, Battleship Am-Fluchtig'.
Sorry if I sound stiff or anything. I have had so little to talk about in these logs recently that now I'm struggling to remember it all. I hope no one ever listens to these; that'd be really embarrassing...
Guess I should start to actually log my day now. I want to say all went well, but that would be a lie; I wish it had gone well... Hikari’s squad got off the transport first, boarding the Fluchtig’s escort ship, a frigate class ship where they will be the new Vijiak squad. I guess it’d be wrong to say I was really part of Hikari’s squad; it was only for a couple of days, but still, I enjoyed being with them and am kinda already missing it.
Anyway, I arrived aboard the cargo transport that was also bringing scheduled supplies to the ship, which itself is heading somewhere on the far side of Abhailen space for a meeting or something, I think.
Once I got off the shuttle was when it all started going wrong. You see there was this group of four hanging around a little ways in front of where I came in. The Fluchtig, my new posting, has these massive hanger rooms more than twenty metres tall and lined with metal walls and rivets, doors you could fit giants through, ya know? So small freighters can come right in and out to be unloaded like trams in and out of a station back home.
As I dismounted, I didn't want to be rude, but the four looked kind of weird, how was I meant to know any different? They were all in mismatched uniforms and just lounging around or leaning on crates, so I avoided looking too hard or making much eye contact and attempted to walk right past.
I really should've just looked, or maybe been appropriately polite and said 'Hello there' or 'Good evening'... Instead, I did the opposite... One of them laid a hand on my shoulder as I was passing, I tried to be, well, you know how it is in stories right? I brushed the hand aside and said; '"I'm a pilot" and "I don't have time for chatter with loiterers.'"
That's when the laughing started.....
It wasn't cruel laughter; least, I don't want to think it was. When I turned to face the four, ready to try and give both barrels, I-, Ahhhhhhh, I'm such an idiot.
Once I actually looked at their laughing faces it came to me that I recognised two of them. Well, I guess it's 'protocol' to state records of your comrades here so I might as well put that now.
The man who'd tapped me on the shoulder was the oldest of the four; his name is Kolme Nilas, and he's the team XO - Err, that means 'Executive Officer' - Like the second in command, although I guess anyone listening to this would also be military and already know that huh?
I say he's the oldest, but it's actually kind of hard to tell. He looks old, sure, with greying hair, unnaturally tanned skin and stress lines all over like you wouldn't believe - But like he's still a pilot, so I doubt he can be that old, and then there's his eyes… Anyway, he laughed with a kind of kindness, I think?
I hope so anyway. He seems pretty nice. Apparently, Mr Kolme has been fighting since the very first day of the war. He was there backing up Commander Ceather's assault against the Union base to steal the new Casnels, the thing that 'officially' started the war!
He served on the Flagship 'Tradech' too before coming here, Sabban as well; in fact, they're designated wingmen now - Which is kind of surprising, it's only been a little more than three months since the graduation ceremony.
I guess them coming here from the Tradech was a promotion or something. Still, I'm kinda surprised Sabban came on his own, I wonder how the rest of his squad is doing?
That aside, after him is Miss Scarlet. She's sort of famous - And was also the one who laughed the most… She's a middle-aged woman with a tone of hair to match her name, though it's closer to a deep crimson than any real 'scarlet shade'.
Scarlet isn't her real name, of course. Apparently, she was going by the alias 'Bela Grimizan', but after that whole court martialling thing a ways back, she apparently decided to drop the fake name, and now she just uses her ace’s title - 'The Scarlet Scourge'. Sounds kinda cool, right?
I was pretty intimated to know she'd be here on the same ship as me; there's all sorts of stories about her. They say she fought in the First War against the earliest Casnels and made it out alive! In the peace years, she was said to be one of the greatest pirates of all time, constantly messing with Bhailien supply lines, and they even say she was a mech-team commander in the Remembrance Incident back in '18. Those last two are why the TSU pilots who chased after her gave her that aces' nickname, or so they say.
More recently, a big controversy got her imprisoned, but before that, she took out one of the brand new TSU Casnels all on her own!
So you can expect the expectations I had right? Well instead of being some legendary figure, she sort of seems… vulgar?
I really hope she never hears this but, like, sure her hair is as beautiful as they say, she's really pretty in general actually and she looks like a strong person, especially with that eye-patch of hers, a real pirate... Maybe that's the problem, actually.
It's like she also acts like a pirate rather than a soldier? She barely wears any of the uniform; instead, she's in these plain, scruffy clothes, and even though she only ranks as a Warrant Officer, she doesn't seem to take orders from anyone or even talk to the others, for that matter.
Also, she definitely laughed at me the most. And the hardest...
On the other hand, someone who knows how to act gracefully is Miss, or I should say, Ensign Hoki Bachika.
Back at the academy, she was one of our special instructors who'd handle our lessons and practical training for a couple of weeks every now and then. She's pretty famous in her own right, the daughter of the 'Hokuai' dynasty on Bhaile - That's right, the very same family who helped create IAFS in the first place, that clan!
She inherited the family title back after her dad was arrested for his involvement with the group's organisation, but she doesn't seem to be going by it. Then again, she didn't back when she was an instructor either, so I guess that's not that strange.
She is actually less than ten years older than me, but you'd never know it to look at her. She's the image of a proper woman: Tall and elegant but also kind of stern, if you get my gist.
I really admired her during training, so it's an honour to get to be with her now. Unlike a 'certain other ace', she lives up to her reputation way better. She barely laughed at me at all, and it was far more lady-like to boot!
Finally, there is Sabban Vint. Well, I say that, but I'm not really sure what to call him. Ensign, Sir, Mr.Vint, orrrrr- Maybe just plain old Sabban? He's the one I really should've recognised immediately after getting off the transport; we were in the same year in the academy! Although I took the fast track scheme, so he is a little older than me - I definitely should have known it was him for sure!
Still, it's kind of weird, once I looked properly I knew the face but even then he's changed a lot. Like I'm not trying to make excuses; I know it was pretty dumb not to look first and speak second - But it's he holds himself differently. He's got the posture of an older man, and the bags under his eyes don't look like they are from a lack of sleep, but more so like they've got a permanent residence.
Then there was his personality, we were in different cadets squads before but I still interacted with him a fair deal and he used to be the brotherly type. You know the sort who keep an eye out for others but equally are the ones who tease people the most and are always quickest with a joke?
Not quite the class clown, but not far off in a slightly smarter kind of way?
Well now he's like a totally different guy, he barely said a word and his laughter was more... Stilted - Like he was forcing it to blend in, it felt kinda' uncomfortable to listen to differently to me just being embarrassed if you get my drift. Not that I know who 'you' are, seeing as these are personal logs, but anyway.
When he did talk, he seemed uninterested, like he had only come to greet me with the other's out of an obligation. Also, he just called me 'rookie' and never asked about any of the others. I mean Hikari’s group was also in our year too; you’d think he’d ask how they are.
So now I'm not sure what to call him back… He couldn't have forgotten my name, maybe?! Maybe he forgot me entirely and that's why?
Uhhhhh, I don't know, he just seemed weird. We both graduated at the same time, but well, this is my first time being posted to a warship while he's been out here over three months. Is that really all it takes for someone to change that much?
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
--Recording Suspended For 5 minutes, 22 seconds --
Sorry about that, Miss Cally just came in to pick up a file she'd left in the room.
Oh-h maybe I should've had her introduce herself? Well, she's my bunkmate; she's a junior navigator who handles night shifts on the ship's bridge.
She outranks me a bit, but she seems really nice; always polite and not that much older than me. I haven't asked her age or surname yet, but I think we're similar. I hope we can get along if we're going to be sharing this room for a while.
So where was I? Oh right... See, it wasn't just that I walked past the members of my new team and then tried to act cool in front of them. After I realised who they were, I tried to smooth things over...
I started looking around for something to change the topic with and stop their laughing when I spotted a Vijaik at the opposite end of the hanger - A really old MBT one or two like the ones we used to have for training in and… my mouth, it, ya know, just kind of moved on its own.....
----
Arghhhhh!! I said something like; '"We're not meant to fight in that old thing are we?'" in my best impression of a 'stoic voice' like the one I just put on - And before I knew it I'd set them all off laughing again even harder than before.
Heck, some passers-by, engineers and mechanics or whatever, started giggling too.
It turns out it's an old unit here for testing purposes and moving crates around, not fighting.
Ya see the Fluchtig is an experimental ship with full-on production facilities to create 'custom-Vijaik-Neo-Types', which means the vessel has less capacity for the number of mechs it can carry, But that the ones it does are all raised in spec and stuff.
With that spare MB-Type just there for the engineers to mess around with or move cargo about. And there I went, getting all flustered like an idiot.
I suppose it could have been worse. The only other mess-up came when I asked about the team leader, and I'm still not sure what I did wrong there.
Miss.Emilia Von Suwen is listed as my new Commanding Officer. Apparently, she was a TSU-special branch member but changed sides when she realised the war crimes TSU-s are committing; and now she's not only in charge of the Fluchtig's Vijaik-team but she even pilots one of the new Casnels that the Tradech battle group stole. Who better to pilot it than its original owner, I guess?
Her being an ex-TSU-s member is a little off-putting, but still, alongside the others, having a Casnel Ace-Pilot-Boss sounds like a dream come true! Yet when I asked where to report in to her the reaction changed.
It was almost worse than the earlier embarrassments. Miss Scarlet went deadly quiet and mumbled something under her breath before giving us all, at least I don't think it was aimed just at me, this death glare of pure disgust that could kill you at ten paces; before walking away.
Mr Nilas explained that Commander Suwen is off the ship right now and that he's acting as leader in her place, which I guess I don't mind; he does seem nice after all.
Thankfully, in the end, the rest of the day went a lot smoother; the ship I arrived on came in pretty late in the afternoon, so it's only been a few hours. My three less abrasive colleagues showed me around the hangers and then to my quarters, the break room where the synthetic food machines are, with some… awkwardly long queues for those machines - And then lastly to the canteen.
Apparently, they'll show me the rest, like the briefing rooms and things tomorrow. Once I got to my room, I met Miss Cally, who was already on her way to the bridge for her shift and that was about it. There was a sudden ringing of the ship-wide alarm earlier; it really spooked me! It only lasted a few minutes, and no one contacted me, so I don’t think it was an attack? A false alarm, probably. I’m not actually hooked up to the system yet, so I couldn’t contact my fellow squadmates, nor can I call Hikari to see if she’s settling in over on the other ship. Miss Hoki said by tomorrow afternoon, that’ll all be sorted, and I can access the network to my heart's content, so thats something to look forward to.
Yup that sounds about right, don't mind the rustling noise; I'm just checking back over my notes. I don't want to leave anything out!
Hmmmm-m, ya looks good! Well then, this got pretty long, haha. I guess I better get some sleep. Tomorrow, there is a big shipment of supplies coming in, and they said my new machine might be arriving tomorrow. Apparently, it's 'definitely not an MBT Mk2'. I wonder if I'm going to live down that teasing any time soon.
Not just that even, on the guided tour of the ship, people I'd never met before had started calling me 'Rookie'. Ughhhh, what a lame, cliched nickname to get on my first day - Maybe it'll pass?
Just newbie hazing, right?
Well, anyway, I think that's plenty for today. This is Crewman 1st Class and Junior Pilot, Una O' Conchabhair signing off.
--Recording ID; UC-PL-D300 - End--
----------------------------------------
Una sat quietly, thinking about how pointless her worries of the prior day now seemed - As she waited for the end to come, each second rolling endlessly into the next. On the screen before her, in what felt like some dramatic slow motion, she watched as the red-mech closed the distance and launched its glimmering blade inwards with an underarm thrust aimed straight at Sabban's cockpit, now only seconds from killing her ally.
She would never know now if he did actually remember who she was and no doubt Hikari and her other classmates would all be disappointed at how easily she had been defeated;
'Though I guess that doesn't really matter now...I-i...I'm going to die...'
She watched and waited. The blade seemed to hang in the air perfectly still. Although unseen, she was pretty sure a bolt from the long-range rifle was snaking its way towards her too. She wondered who would go out first, whether she would be forced to watch her school friend die before she too left.
She wondered what Auntie would think back home when she got the news. Would she open it on the porch where she always did her morning reading?
She wondered… Wondered just how slowly that blade was moving.
Una sat bolt upright and stared in disbelief at the main monitor screen, a pale translucent box had made itself known now, with simple letters written in block capitals across it;
GROUP SIMULATION A-7 HAS CONCLUDED PARTY A (1st LT.NILAS, ENSIGN.VINT, 1ST CREWMAN O' CONCHABHAIR) HAS ACHIEVED 95% SUCCESS LIKELYHOOD OVER PARTY B (ENSIGN.BACHIKA, WARRANT OFFICER 'SCARLET')
It had ended.
Una stared blankly, unbelieving, as the monitors all switched off one after the other, but for the main one, which in turn began to display more and more information and cut from being her camera feed to a top-down view of the cyan sniper Vijaik - Which Una could now see from this angle had been compromised, as floating behind it was Lt.Nilas's machine with his custom double barrel cannon aimed squarely at the sniper's back.
A faint glow in each barrel revealed their imminent firing just seconds away.
The monitor delivered further data in a ream-like fashion, with graphs and crude representations of predictions for the following moments, showing Kolme's Vijaik destroying the cyan one and then using its rifle to finish off the red machine from afar.
The plan had, in a fashion, worked. Kolme Nilas had taken the long way around in order to avoid all the sensors, taking the sniper off-guard and then using its own weapon to hypothetically finish the battle.
'A-a simulation, right...right, but... But it felt so real, it looked so real... It felt real when I was going to di...to die...'
Una felt around herself as the monitor droned on in computerised text-to-voice messages about specific statistics and such like, with complicated performance graphs and pie charts she could barely hope to decipher at the best of times, not to mention in her current shaken state. She felt at the controls, still there, still real - As was her chair and the floor below and ceiling above - But the battle, that had seemed just as real. The winding to her mid-riff, still so fresh in her memory, her body shaking from the physical impact of the thing.
Pilot Simulation Stats - [Call-sign Displayed];
Rookie +40 Rank D- Scarlet Scourge -75 Rank C- Hoki Bachika -125 Rank C Sabban Vint +100 Rank B- Kolme Nilas +75 Rank C
A part of her momentarily wondered who and when someone had changed her Vijaik's recognised name to 'Rookie'. Another part actually smiled a little at seeing her points increase; a further still, contemplated the surprisingly low ranks of her compatriots despite their immaculate performances compared with her own. But most of all Una simply sat there a-wash with relief, then immense embarrassment for somehow forgetting what was going on, and lastly, perhaps, a slight hint of indignation at the whole affair.
Finally, and maybe most of all, Una felt very, very tired.
----------------------------------------