Chapter 17, Fifth Wheel

Tentacles of the Hive Mind whipped across the bleak air of Aegis VII. They weren't as unpredictable or malleable as Gauna tentacles, but they carried massive amounts of kinetic energy and moved just as fast. Now, Shizuka cursed her Guardian pilot course curriculum for not having enough time spared for learning full-manual controls.

Nagate's rebuilt Type 17E - E for Ersatz model - felt hypersensitive in her hands, bucking like the motorized water filter she used on the last day of the infamous space drifting. It lacked active gyroscope correction assistance of the Type 18, requiring fine tuned inputs to not overshoot boosters and throw itself off balance when dodging. Although relatively slow in handling compared to the older one, the computer on Sidonia's newer machine could in theory provide pilots with more reaction time and better situational awareness.

Benisuzume's first incarnation was physically based on a Type 18, and used her very limited piloting experience as a control template. Its Gauna nature meant the simulated Guardian had instant and holistic control over its movement verniers, giving it horrifying mobility over regular man made machines. Ena material also provided it with extreme structural integrity that could survive instant acceleration where Guardians would break apart at the seams.

Shizuka had around a dozen hours of simulator experience with the Type 17E after it was completed, taught by Nagate; the Aegis VII mission required her in the cockpit because Ravager's science officer Dr. Stross theorized her Gauna senses would provide very useful readings on the replacement systems Earthgov installed. This newly established combat test unit, callsign Special Detachment 704, was supposed to have a low risk mission for its first since the Marker has been slagged into volcanic obsidian.

WE NEVER WENT AWAY, UNBELIEVER, THE SICKNESS IS THE CURE

Gritting her teeth, she focused all thrust on the Guardian to its front lower left to avoid a mass of tentacles rising from below, while turning the head turret analog towards the Hive Mind's central body mass to line up a shot. Both her human and Gauna senses were approaching an overload of information, from piloting and the colossal alien's hostile signals. The Marker was gone, yes, but a faceless, shapeless presence still controlled the biomechanical monstrosity.

BOOM!

The Hive Mind's main stem snaked away from the Hyggs cannon's targeting beam, then tossed over a biochemical grenade. The projectile detonated on its own, creating into a viscous, volatile cloud - the beam igniting it into a wall of fire, blinding the Guardian's sights.

"Hoshijiro, 2-unit bombing run incoming, to your 3!" Zoe announced, her gunship already entering a course approaching the monster's root in the crater. Shizuka pulled away, launching a grenade burst from the Guardian's chest cannons to draw attention.

A ripple of explosions; rockets impacted smaller tentacles, clearing a way for the gunship. Unguided bombs followed, separating from the gunship at the last second for a tight grouping and high enough inertia to send them with unavoidable velocity. Then, Zoe pulled up, autocannons still firing at the Hive Mind's head without pausing. John Carver's gunship was the next to attack; he largely followed the same path, but pulled a sharp banking rise, separating his bombs at the same moment, tossing them as he made his escape.

It was an impressive and fearless display; they could be great Guardian pilots once the Type 17S, Singularity drive model, would be mass produced. She would make sure all of SD704's test pilots would see the day.

The monster reeled from the explosion and roared, sending all its functional appendages towards Zoe's craft - she pulled up too late, spent too much time aiming. A few tentacles sent her frantically trying to maneuver left and right, bleeding speed for smaller tendrils to leisurely catch up from behind.

SCHWING!

The Guardian's booster howled with a metallic reverb, dashing at the gunship in top speed. Its right fist punched through the smaller craft's vectoring engine pods, while the open left hand caught the cabin section. As the fuel exploded, Shizuka redirected main thrust for a safe direction.

"Come in! I'll catch you!"

She opened the cockpit hatch and gestured for Zoe to step out of hers, into the Type 17S' hand. The older woman hastily unbuckled herself from the seat.

"Ship to flight, the ground team is all aboard, return now!" Commander Fabrik announced, "We're leaving when you're back!"

Behind the monster and the leftover CEC dig site building, the atmospheric assault ship was leaving its mooring. Nagate and the others were all safe! Shizuka smiled with relief.

"Copy! I'm returning with Hampton, her craft is destroyed."

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"Thanks a lot." Zoe said apologetically as she settled into the the emergency backseat.

Warning: Propulsion system reserve low

The Type 17E was a near identical restoration of the Type 17 Custom 2 Tsugumori in shape and function, so it was armed with a caseless chemical propellant gun in its left arm, just like the original. For testing purposes, it was loaded with artificial Kabi ammo made on the Ravager, which should still provide some worth in kinetic energy.

Shizuka fired a long burst across the Hive Mind's width, then set a course for the ship.

Warning: High energy reaction detected

WE ARE AWAKE, WE ARE HUNGRY

Warning: Gauna detected

& New core formation in proximity, initiating handshake

& Handshake return is hostile

WE KNOW YOUR TRICKS, DID YOU FEAR YOURSELF IN HARRIS? YOU WILL FEAR US NOW

the Hive Mind spoke in a voice Shizuka recognized from the Marker. She saw multiple Hyggs energy distributors forming on the fleshy mass, lightnings arcing across accelerator rails made of both biomass and Ena; targeting beams began to focus on the Type 17E's left arm. The times call for measures her existential identity wanted to forbid.

"Sit tight, Zoe, I apologize for the ugly view." She took off her helmet, and materialized her own Ena inside her mouth, red tentacle cables connecting her with every port, socket and exposed electronics in the cockpit. Finally, she could establish full control of the Guardian like it was an extension of her own body. Creating this much Ena would drain the craft's Hyggs energy reserve even faster, so the battle needed to be a duel of speed, to peel open the monster's newly created core before starvation.

The Type 17E danced around the planet cracking crater, and the bright orange targeting beams failed to catch up - they only gave a nominal chase, then pulled back, and then all pointed towards a new direction.

A bone-piercing metal wail bounced around the Hive Mind, almost shaking the remaining gunships. Then, an explosion.

The Ravager's starboard engine pod was punctured clean through.

////

Weeks ago, under Temple Prime. The current Pontifex of Unitology, or one of his various proxy clone bodies, entered the most secret chamber in the entire religion. He flipped a series of safety switches that all lead to the containment of one ancient biocomputer built under the church's original Pontifex, Dr. Stevens. The inner workings of this device were never fully explained to the generations In between; some said its circuitry was built from fragments of the Black Marker, some said it was a prototype of the highly sophisticated AIs pioneered by the Sovereign Colonies. It did have a personality, or even a human side, that could only be activated after disengaging all the locks.

"Father, this is your humble servant Pietro Curon. I wish for a long talk about the discovery we made."

"You're not my son or my clone. If you aren't just her to torture me, then actually show something I haven't seen." The synthesized voice carried bitterness appropriate for a centuries-old entity. Some high priests have joked that the biocomputer had an attitude like a SCAF resource collector bot's, maybe its personality system has been replaced with a copy of one to save money long ago.

"Of course! Proof of a new life-form." He authorized transfer of every file from Ishimura, and then some from Shizuka's sightseeing tour.

"This better not be another bacteria found on Georgia IV. Was that in 2317? Let me die."

"Please see this, Father. Alien intelligence interacting with both us and a replica Marker, peace be upon Altman."

"Marker. Messenger. Which one will kill us all first?"

////

The first day of Special Detachment 704, when the Type 17E Guardian was finished but the ship was still under reconstruction at the Sprawl. A half-built prototype Type 17S was also loaded onboard for simulation training and hangar crew practice.

The pilots and bridge crew met on the ship, at the crossroads connecting the ship's central passage to its two add-on hangar modules. They made their introductions, and prepared to watch Nagate demonstrate operating the giant humanoid; though, he recommended a Sidonian tradition to the newly assembled squad.

"Some kind of weird handshake? Are you making fun of us?" John Carver asked.

"I'm not, Sgt. Carver." Nagate reassured him, still holding his arms out in the crossed pose, "I didn't know the tradition before my first launch, but it... Happened. The teammate who refused was eaten by a Gauna, the fist episode in the video record."

"...Alright. If it helps you."

Gabe began to chuckle, right hand already on Nagate's left: "Hold it, John. You sure about this? The guy you're looking at is the boyfriend of the Woman In Red, that's U-tology's new savior. You smelling what I'm smelling?"

"The Titanium Samurai isn't a rank, Weller." Robert Norton kept his hands behind his back authoritatively, "We're here to watch him fly, not for a basketcase anonymous heart-to-heart."

"LT, you're this close to getting it. He's going to make us do a group hug with crossed hands, this will totally contract our souls to Altman until Convergence!" Nagate shrunk back defensively, while Gabe held onto him, doubling over laughing. Zoe shrugged, caught his other hand and gestured Carver to join. Robert sniffed at this lack of professionalism, headed for the nearest training pod, but someone caught his collar. It was Commander Fabrik - a well polished man with long black hair in a spotless officer uniform, visually around his age, either some VIP's fail nephew or some VIP who spent too much money on age reduction.

"Where you going, LT? Don't wanna hold a man's hand? Too late, you're on a navy ship, remember."

"It's bromantic." Gabe agreed.

"Bromantic? On Sidonia, some people did tell me they think handholding is lewd..." Nagate suddenly had a few retroactive epiphanies he needed to suppress.

"Ugh. Fucking immature..."

The two nominal commanding officers entered the circle of unspeakably awkward clasp huddle, followed by Shizuka.

"Alright! Now we've done the proper ritual, pilots, don't complain about fate not being on our side from now on!" Fabrik announced, "We, SD704, are the tip of the spear, and we're here to have fun!"

////

Nagate soon realized that his new ship commander's idea of fun resembled Yuhata's constructive geekiness far less than Tsuruuchi or Mike's whimsical lowbrow vision. For instance, as the obsolescent Ravager went through extensive automation refitting, he replaced surplus living modules with extra food and alcohol storage, even a protein synthesis lab. The cabins that remained were also upgraded with non-standard materials geared towards comfort, from the officers' quarters to the regular mechanics'.

The Commander one day asked in complete earnest if the teens would have any use for an entire lavishly furnished suite with laser-proof space view artificial diamond glass, since a mobile hotel station was pawning off old parts. Both of them refused immediately, and only the assurance of single rooms on the opposing hangar blocks of the ship saved them from a level of blushing that risked red-out from excessive blood rushing upwards.

However, the good living standards also meant Nagate and the new pilots only needed to pay attention to their training. The squad did well with solo combat moves on gunships and simulators, now the hard part would be getting them to understand the mentality of Guardian piloting. Communication, movements, attack coordination, thruster resonance boosting - the pilots all should complement each other for truly effective operations.

On a 2-man team level, Gabe made decent teamwork thanks to his war experience and the time fighting side by side with Nagate on Ishimura. Zoe performed similarly, although her piloting style was alarmingly and even proudly short in self preservation. Carver would have a higher survivability rating on simulators, but he rarely conveyed his next move with the rest of the squad even if everyone's survival depended on good informative radio chatter. Robert could fight well and issue correct orders, but he nearly openly denied meaningful recognition of Nagate's authority as the squad leader, only as the instructor.

Still, before the Ravager was cleared for departure, the new pilots gained a level of knowledge equal to Sidonia's trainee pilots ready for their first hands-on mission. Unfortunately the only operational machine was still the Type 17E, while the 17S prototype remained at 80% completion.