The parade ground hummed with anticipation. Rows of cadets stood in full gear, their helmets clipped to their belts, their voices low with nervous chatter. Beyond the training field, hangar doors rumbled open, and the silhouettes of mecha loomed against the dawn light.
Olivia's breath caught. Even cadet frames—smaller, simplified versions of full military mecha—were breathtaking. Their armor was smooth and unadorned, painted the Academy's stark silver and blue. Each stood three meters tall, skeletal compared to the Knights she had piloted in simulation, but alive with potential.
Captain Joran Kade stood before them, his voice sharp enough to cut through the air.
"Cadets. You've touched the simulations. You've studied the theory. But none of it matters until you've tested steel against steel in reality. Today, you will step into the battlefield—not the safe comfort of a pod, but the cockpit of a true frame. Mistakes here will hurt. They may scar. But that is the price of becoming a pilot."
A ripple of unease swept the ranks.
Olivia's heart pounded. She could feel the hum of the nanotech-linked System in her blood, eager, alive.
Squad Assignments
"Today's exercise will be fought in squads of four," Kade announced. "Each squad will face a scenario simulating a live engagement. Victory requires not only skill but coordination."
The cadets shifted uneasily. Rivalries had already formed in the short weeks since arrival. Many feared being paired with enemies rather than allies.
Kade tapped his datapad. "Squad assignments are as follows…"
Names rolled out. Olivia listened intently until she heard her own.
"Squad Seven: Marcus Corvinus. Olivia Corvinus. Hana Saito. Darius Venn."
Her stomach sank. Marcus. Of course.
The siblings exchanged a glance, his smug smirk meeting her steady glare.
Hana, small and quiet with sharp eyes, gave Olivia a reassuring nod. Darius, broad-shouldered but earnest, groaned softly. "Great. Guess I'm the meat in this family sandwich."
"Form up," Kade barked.
The four of them stepped forward, their mismatched energies colliding. Olivia could already feel the tension radiating off Marcus like heat.
Entering the Cockpit
The cadet mecha waited, cockpits open like yawning maws. Olivia climbed the ladder into hers, heart racing. The cockpit was cramped but functional, stripped of luxuries, every panel utilitarian.
She lowered herself into the pilot's chair, strapping in as the neural interface crown descended onto her scalp.
The world shifted.
Her senses expanded, body dissolving into metal and servos. The mecha rose, towering above the field. Olivia flexed—her machine flexed. She could feel the whine of gyros, the thrum of artificial muscles, the pulse of energy through conduits.
The rush was intoxicating. Alive. It feels alive.
Through comms, Marcus's voice cut in. "Try not to slow us down, little sister."
Olivia ignored him, checking her HUD as Hana and Darius came online. Squad Seven stood ready.
The Mission Briefing
A holo-map flared in her display. Kade's voice followed.
"Your mission: secure the uplink beacon at Gridpoint Delta before the enemy. Resistance will consist of automated drones simulating hostile forces. Time limit: twenty minutes. Failure means elimination. Understood?"
"Understood," the squad chorused.
"Then begin."
Into the Field
The terrain unfolded around them: a ruined cityscape simulation, buildings crumbling, streets cracked with debris. Smoke and dust filled the air, though Olivia knew it was projection layered over reality.
Marcus immediately took point. "We push straight down the center. Fast and hard. Knights don't skulk in alleys."
Olivia frowned. "That's reckless. Drones will be watching the main streets. We should flank and approach from cover."
"Wrong," Marcus snapped. "Speed wins. We don't have time to tiptoe."
Hana's voice cut softly through comms. "We could split—two through cover, two down the street. Cover each other."
"That splits our strength," Marcus said. "No. We follow my lead."
Olivia's jaw clenched. She wanted to argue—but the mission clock was already ticking.
Fine. Let's see how this plays out.
First Contact
They advanced down the main street, mecha footsteps pounding like thunder.
The first salvo came from above.
A swarm of drone Scouts darted from the rooftops, their light rifles spitting plasma fire. Beams rained down, forcing the squad to scatter.
"Contact front!" Marcus roared, raising his cadet-issue plasma blade. He slashed a drone from the sky in one clean arc.
Olivia darted behind cover, returning fire with her rifle. Her shots were precise, each drone dropping with a single hit. Data streamed into her HUD—the machine whispering to her, warning of angles, predicting drone patterns.
Her System's Technology Communication pulsed like a heartbeat. The mecha wasn't just a tool—it was speaking to her.
"On your left!" she shouted to Darius. He pivoted just as a drone dove, skewering it on his blade.
"Nice call, Olivia!" he said breathlessly.
Hana, calm and deadly, picked drones from the sky with surgical bursts. Within moments, the swarm was destroyed, smoking wreckage raining onto the cracked pavement.
Clash of Wills
"See?" Marcus said, smug. "Direct works."
Olivia glared. "We burned time and took damage we didn't need to. If we'd flanked—"
"Flanking wastes minutes. You want to debate tactics, or you want to win?"
Darius cut in nervously. "Uh, guys? Beacon's still ahead."
The squad pressed on, tension simmering.
The Ambush
They neared the beacon site: a shattered plaza dominated by a ruined tower. The uplink beacon flickered faintly atop the rubble.
Then the ground erupted.
From hidden pits, heavy drone Knights emerged, plasma blades gleaming. Six of them, surrounding the squad.
"Ambush!" Hana cried.
Marcus charged instantly. "With me! Crush them head-on!"
Olivia's instincts screamed wrong. She saw the formation, the way the drones moved—predictive models flaring across her HUD.
"They're baiting you!" she snapped. "If you push forward, they'll flank and cut us apart!"
But Marcus was already in the fray, blade flashing. Darius followed with a curse, forced to back him up.
Olivia gritted her teeth. "Hana—on me!"
They broke left, weaving through rubble. Olivia used the terrain, forcing drones to bottleneck. Her mecha responded like an extension of her body, every dodge and strike guided by data whispers.
She disabled one drone, then another, precision cuts severing joints and power conduits. Hana's cover fire picked off stragglers.
Meanwhile, Marcus fought brutally in the center, strength and skill undeniable—but surrounded. Darius was hard-pressed to cover his flank.
"Damn it!" Marcus snarled as a drone clipped his shoulder, sparks flying.
Olivia's gut twisted. Idiot.
"Hana, suppressing fire!" she barked.
They rained plasma bolts into the mob, opening a gap. Olivia lunged through, blade flashing, severing the drones harrying Marcus.
He snarled over comms. "I didn't need your help!"
"Then try surviving without it next time," Olivia shot back.
The last drone fell smoking to the ground. The plaza was silent but for the hiss of damaged servos.
Securing the Beacon
The beacon loomed ahead. Olivia sprinted her mecha forward, interfacing with the uplink controls.
Her System pulsed. The machine's code unfolded before her mind like an open book. She reached into it, bypassed the simulated locks, and forced the beacon online.
"Beacon secured," her HUD confirmed.
Mission timer: 2:43 remaining.
They had won.
Aftermath
Back on the parade ground, the cadets disembarked from their mecha, sweat-soaked and trembling.
Captain Kade studied Squad Seven with a hawk's gaze.
"Successful mission," he said. "Barely. Sloppy coordination. Poor leadership. But adequate improvisation." His eyes flicked between Marcus and Olivia, cold and sharp.
Marcus straightened proudly. "We secured the beacon, sir."
"By recklessness," Kade said flatly. His gaze shifted to Olivia. "And by correction. Corvinus—both of you. You are oil and fire. Useful apart. Volatile together. Learn control, or you will burn yourselves out."
Olivia stiffened, heat rising in her chest. But she forced herself to salute.
"Yes, sir."
Kade turned away, but Olivia caught something in his expression. A flicker of interest—directed at her.
Night Whispers
That night in the dorm, Olivia sat awake again, HUD faintly glowing. Her System pulsed softly:
[Name; Olivia Corvinus]
[Compatibility; Rank A / Alpha]
[Innate System Function; Technology Communication]
[Strength; 6]
[Dexterity; 7]
[Agility; 7]
[Intelligence; 9]
[Endurance; 5]
[Perception; 9]
[Additional System Functions; 1 Pending Unlock]
Her stats had risen—small, but noticeable. The battlefield had tested her, and she had grown.
She closed her eyes, replaying the fight. Marcus's arrogance. Her instincts. The way the machine had spoken to her in the heat of combat.
And that flicker in Kade's eyes.
Someone was watching. Someone saw her potential.
Good, she thought fiercely. Because I'm not stopping here. One day, I'll stand in a Titan. And when I do…
Her hands curled into fists beneath the blanket.
No one will outshine me. Not Marcus. Not anyone.