Chapter 2: A Boring Life

Vyran

I rubbed the back of my head and sighed. "Then let's try asking my big sis. She might be able to help."

His azure eyes glistened. "Lady Varia?"

Lady? Why the respect put to her name? I mean, she was technically one of our bosses, but still. Guess I still wasn't used to having her as a boss, in a professional setting. Now, being bossed around by her, that I was sorta used to. Still wasn't fond of being told what to do, but I had little choice in this line of work.

"Yeah, my family has been a part of the management for a while."

"You don't act like it…"

I laughed weakly. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

He laughed. "Well, let's go see your sister later."

I blinked. "Not now."

He fidgeted. "Well, I wouldn't mind seeing her now. B-but we got lessons to attend. We're already late as it is."

Right… If I skipped them, Sis would actually get pissed instead of maintaining her calm bossy demeanor.

"Alright, let's get to class then. We can talk to Sis later," I said.

Deros nodded in agreement.

"Say, I don't think I've seen you before today. Did you barely transfer over?" I asked.

He laughed.."Barely asking that?"

I laughed. "Well, we did have more pressing stuff to talk about."

He hummed. "Well, I did need to get several tests done. The gravity in this world is different from mine."

"Heavier? Not lighter?"

He laughed. "I have to wear weighted clothing to keep myself from floating away."

"Eh? It's that different?"

He chuckled. "I over exaggerated with the floating away, but the weighted clothing bit is true."

Wow…

"Wait, but your world isn't much bigger than this moon," I said.

His sky-blue eyes glanced up at the sky, staring at my home world. "True, but Orginal is closer to its host star, Sotes. Its core is also relatively larger to its mantle than this moon or your planet is."

"I see." I wanted to talk to him some more about his world, but we were already late as is. "Let's hurry up."

We rushed off to our mecha training, the most exciting part of our day. 

As soon as we arrived, a familiar voice echoed through the air stripe. "Vyr, Deros, you're late!" It was our instructor, a stern man named Commander Rigel. Despite his gruff exterior, he was a fair and dedicated teacher.

I turned to face him, giving him a sheepish grin. "Sorry, Commander. We got caught up in something."

He gave us a stern look. "I don't need any excuses. Go get your mechas and come back here on the double!"

We saluted him and rushed to the hanger. As we walked in, the smell of oil and metal filled the air, a scent that was oddly comforting. The massive place was filled with rows of towering mechas, each one a marvel of engineering and design.

We quickly made our way to our respective mechas. I climbed into my mecha, a sleek machine named 'Valkyrie'. The cockpit was a tight fit, filled with an array of buttons, switches, and screens. Although they were all unnecessary, just backups should the integration process fail. Sister found them redundant, but preferred not to voice her opinion to her superiors. She worried she might be wrong. At least she wasn't entirely blind with her faith in tech.

I strapped myself in as the interface linked up with the chip in my brain, allowing me to control the mecha as if it were an extension of my own body. The familiar hum of the engine beneath me soon came to life. 

Moving my mental image of my feet, I moved Valkyrie outside of the hanger.

Deros joined me. His mecha was pink and white and had sleek curves and few jagged edges.

"Is that what you use on Orginal?"

His mecha nodded its head. "Yeah. Although, this is just a standard factory unit. It was originally chrome, but I wanted to give it some of my own flare. I call her, 'Aegisia'."

"Aegisia? Does it specialize in defense?"

He laughed. "Not exactly, but old Aegis is no slouch there. It's a well rounded mech, like most Orginal standard units. And yours?"

My mecha unleashed green streams from light from its feet and mechanical wings. "Its specialty is speed!"

"Speed, huh?" He chuckled. "I can see why. But remember, speed isn't everything on the battlefield."

"I'm well aware, Deros," I retorted with a smirk. "But it's my ace in the hole."

"Well, let's see how well your ace holds up," he challenged, his mecha taking a fighting stance.

Before we could continue, Commander Rigel's voice echoed from the speakers, "Enough chatter, you two! This isn't a playground. Let's see what you've learned."

A solid vision hologram target popped up in the distance. It started to move erratically, mimicking an enemy mecha on the battlefield. 

I instantly moved Valkyrie forward, the ground beneath me blurring as I accelerated. My focus was solely on the target. My mecha's arm raised, a green energy blade extending from its hand. The distance between us closed rapidly. With a swift movement, I slashed the holographic target repeatedly, aiming for all the typical weak points. As soon as I was done slicing and dicing, the fake mecha disintegrated instantly.

"Good execution, Vyr. But do remember not to overextend. You've left your sides exposed. Had that A.I. 's reaction speed been a little quicker, it could've severely damaged your mecha," Commander Rigel's voice was stern, but fair.

I nodded, accepting his criticism. "Understood, Commander."

Next, it was Deros's turn. His mecha, Aegisia, moved gracefully. It was slower but more deliberate in its movements. Aegisia charged its weapon, a beam saber, and struck the holographic target with precision. The target disintegrated, just as mine had.

"Well done, Deros. Good control and precision," Commander Rigel praised as he stood beneath our mechas. "Remember, the battlefield isn't just about who can strike first, but who can strike best while also maintaining their guard up."

I sighed. That was something I had to work on. But, speed was my form of the ultimate defense. There was no need to maintain my guard up if the enemy couldn't hit me in the first place.

The commander smirked as he stepped back. "Now, how about you two pick up where you left off? I do believe we have some time for a friendly sparring match."

I exchanged a glance with Deros, an excited grin spreading across his face as it popped up on one of my screens. "Sounds like fun, right Vyr?"

"Right, let's do this." I replied, grinning.

We moved our mechas higher into the sky, facing each other with our weapons at the ready. Deros's Aegisia was still and steady, the beam saber glowing with a steady light. My Valkyrie, on the other hand, was humming with energy, ready to dash forth at any moment.

"Begin!" Commander Rigel's voice boomed.

I immediately pushed Valkyrie towards Aegisia, her wings leaving trails of green light in her wake. Deros didn't falter, his mecha stepping aside at the last second, causing me to miss my strike. I quickly turned around, blocking the incoming strike from Aegisia's beam saber with my own energy blade.

We continued on like this, our mechas dancing around each other, clashing and evading in a mesmerizing display of skill and precision. It was clear that we were evenly matched. Deros has made it sound like he was a noobie, but he clearly had prior experience.

But then, Deros made a surprise move. His Aegisia leaped into the air, the beam saber aimed at Valkyrie. I quickly moved out of the way, but not quick enough. The beam saber grazed Valkyrie's arm, causing sparks to fly.

I smirked. Seemed he was making me eat my prior thoughts. Deros's control sure was impressive. Despite piloting a standard unit, his movements were fluid, precise, and fast, all while maintaining his guard up.

"You handle that standard unit like it's a custom model, Deros," I complimented, my thoughts guiding Valkyrie into a defensive stance.

"Thanks, Vyr. Your speed is impressive too. It's like Valkyrie is an extension of your mind," he responded, his Aegisia mirroring my stance.

I grinned, mentally gearing up for another attack. This time, I projected a feint to the left before rapidly darting to the right. But Deros was quick, his Aegisia pivoting to block Valkyrie's energy blade with its beam saber.

Just as his saber was about to connect, an image flashed in my mind - a glimpse of the future, a unique capability of Valkyrie. I saw Aegisia's saber striking where Valkyrie was, and in an instant, I redirected my mecha, dodging the attack smoothly. If only the visions were more consistent. But that would make piloting a tad boring. Life needed some challenges to mix things up. Else it would be like a game without an aim. 

I chuckled as I redirected more energy into Valkyrie's thrusters. A boring life was no way to live!