A
Alex Hart
ON> Starport, 188604
Starport was a generous name for the location. While it certainly was made with space age equipment, by aliens, for landing starships... it was little more than a block of concrette that seemed to stretch out towards the horizon forever, the endless desert on one side, Osman city on the other.
A local was busying himself scratching the back of his head and looking confused. He was standing right outside the Queen's slave, a young woman in tow. The ship's ramps were lowered and Alex was standing on those ramps.
"So.... "
The local pulled a piece of paper out from his pocket, carefully unfolded it, and then slowly read the text that was printed on the page... before folding it back up and carefully placing it back in his pocket.
".... uh... she said to tell you that this girl is a teenager and has no parents. So she is mee ka team material."
Alex ruffled his hair for a moment while thinking. He supposed that he would be the one to talk to now that he was the only pilot left.
He looked at the local. "Thanks for your time," He said. "Can you let her know to come out?"
Alex was extremely uncomfortable telling others what to do, and it showed.
"Um," the young woman said, as a precursor to saying anything else. "I'm here... Woe is me?" That seemed to be the part she was playing, at least until she had a better chance to explain herself. "Who are you?"
Alex held out his hand in greeting.
"My name's Alex. Welcome to the... umm... planet."
Stupid. Why did he say that?
She stared wide-eyed at the offered hand in the confused manner of someone who had never shook hands before, and after a moment, finally made an awkward bow. "I am Sarena. Do you know why I'm here?" There was a definite note of uncertainty in her voice, as she scanned the dusty horizon overtop of Alex's head.
Alex did a double take at the bow, having never expected anyone to do that. "I'm told that you're here because you're like me. That you don't have parents or anywhere else to go." He shrugged. "That's how I ended up here. More or less."
Sarena nodded... then shook her head. "That doesn't explain anything about mecha teams. I'm not just here because things are crazy. I'm supposed to do crazy stuff, too. That's what they said you were all about."
Alex laughed a little. "I guess I am kind of known for doing crazy things. As for the mecha team, well, Uso wanted you on it, and since I'm what's left I guess she sent you over to me."
Sarena stiffened up and asked what seemed very much like the most pertinent question. "What happened to the others?"
Alex looked down for a moment. "One left and the other one got killed."
The silence stretched out for a few moments, while Sarena waited for Alex to continue.
He looked back up. "I'd rather not go into it much further right now." He sat down on the ramp, seeming eager to change the topic."So you're going to be a pilot now. Ever thought about it before?"
"No... piloting is a lot of work, I was going to try out for the bridge crew. Something easy, like navigation? I don't think piloting mechas is like piloting starships, though."
"We don't really have many ships that require more than a pilot. Why don't I show you my craft and you can give it a spin?" At this, Alex summoned his mecha, though it would take a moment or two for it to arrive.
"Huh, really?" Sarena shook her head, this time to shake off a thought. She then asked in bewilderment, "When do I get my own?"
"I would guess as soon as we can make one. Though it'll probably take some time to teach you the basics, the U-1 we made here can read your thoughts and act on them, so it shouldn't be too hard."
At this moment, the U-1, or unicorn, as it had been dubbed by Uso, showed up, hovering above the ground in fighter form before landing softly.
"That's a mecha? It doesn't look like a mecha," Sarena said, dubiously. "Did you get to customize it?"
Alex nodded. "I helped design it. Just watch."
As he spoke, the U-1 unfolded itself parts repositioning themselves, bringing into the forefront it's humanoid form, with its signature single ed horn, it's sleek metal surface shining in the sun.
"We call the prototype the unicorn."
"Like... a corn niblet?" Sarena was not sure of the etymology. She stared at the transforming mecha in much the same way she might have stared at a unicorn exploding into popcorn.
"I'm told it was a mystical horse like beast with a single horn."
"...I guess it has one of those?"
Alex looked to the side at Sarena. "Once we get it a little further away from the city and landing pad, do you want to try flying it?"
"Um... Sure," Sarena said, her tone and demeanor suggesting she might prefer to be a few parsecs away from the event, for safety.
"You seem a little nervous. It's not very hard to fly, the seat has a headband that can read your thoughts and let you pilot it like that. Basic stuff like throttle and direction is handled manually with the controls, but you should be able to think it through complex actions."
Alex was excited to show someone else how it felt to fly.
Sarena shrugged when she saw that Alex expected more of a response from her. "So... we go over there, now?"
Alex shook his head. "Watch this."
He then mentally directed the craft to walk over to them carefully, kneel down and open its cockpit, revealing the two empty seats inside. He lowered one of the mecha's great metal hands to the ground, laying it still to use as a platform, and stepped onto it.
Sarena stepped onto the hand, tripped, and fell down next to Alex, which didn't bode well for the day's exercise. She clung on for dear life while trying to climb back to her feet.
Alex bent down and helped Sarena up. This was a little worrying, but hopefully things would improve. "Are you okay?"
"..? I'm fine." Sarena looked confused. She seldom had anyone help her up, much less someone so much smaller than her. (Unless it was a Neko using it as a trick.)
Alex noted Sarena's confusion. "What's wrong?"
"Um... nothing? (Except, this seems dangerous.)"
"I can take over if anything goes wrong and you can't fix it."
Sarena didn't say any more.
Alex stood for a moment in the silence. Dammit, why was he unable to stop saying stupid stuff?
He raised up the hand slowly to the cusp of the cockpit, providing an easy way into the seats.
Sarena stumbled in and made it to the co-pilot's seat with only a couple more bruises and an increased heart rate, hoping her mecha would have a ladder.
Alex sat down in the pilots seat and pressed a button that triggered the restraint harnesses to fold into place, securing the two teens in their seats.
He then closed the glass canopy and the metal covers to it, and activated the screens, which displayed not only the normal information that one would find on a heads up display, but also the outside of the cockpit, making it appear as if there was no metal covers at all.
He then stood the craft up and began to fly at a low altitude toward a safer, unpopulated area of desert.
"...Now what?" Sarena asked.
"Now we switch seats."
And so they did.
"What now?" Sarena asked again.
"Imagine it doing something."
Sarena imagined the mech waving its arms up high.
It did. And she could tell. The handles gave force feedback, simulating a scaled back version of what was happening.
Sarena imagined the mech leaning forward and sticking one foot out behind it, in a 'fairy lunge' pose.
It did so, although it wobbled a little before falling down headfirst, with its rear jutting up into the air, sending vibrations into the cockpit, and obscuring the view screen.
Sarena imagined the mech doing a handstand, before she could stop herself.
The mech did a handstand, leaving the two occupants upside down.
Alex's blood rushed to his head, and he quickly re-took control of the craft from Sarena, and turned the craft back upright. "I think that's enough for today." He said, before transforming the mecha into fighter mode and flying it back toward the starport as the sun set over the horizon.
Starport was a generous name for the location. While it certainly was made with space age equipment, by aliens, for landing starships... it was little more than a block of concrette that seemed to stretch out towards the horizon forever, the endless desert on one side, Osman city on the other.
A local was busying himself scratching the back of his head and looking confused. He was standing right outside the Queen's slave, a young woman in tow. The ship's ramps were lowered and Alex was standing on those ramps.
"So.... "
The local pulled a piece of paper out from his pocket, carefully unfolded it, and then slowly read the text that was printed on the page... before folding it back up and carefully placing it back in his pocket.
".... uh... she said to tell you that this girl is a teenager and has no parents. So she is mee ka team material."
Alex ruffled his hair for a moment while thinking. He supposed that he would be the one to talk to now that he was the only pilot left.
He looked at the local. "Thanks for your time," He said. "Can you let her know to come out?"
Alex was extremely uncomfortable telling others what to do, and it showed.
"Um," the young woman said, as a precursor to saying anything else. "I'm here... Woe is me?" That seemed to be the part she was playing, at least until she had a better chance to explain herself. "Who are you?"
Alex held out his hand in greeting.
"My name's Alex. Welcome to the... umm... planet."
Stupid. Why did he say that?
She stared wide-eyed at the offered hand in the confused manner of someone who had never shook hands before, and after a moment, finally made an awkward bow. "I am Sarena. Do you know why I'm here?" There was a definite note of uncertainty in her voice, as she scanned the dusty horizon overtop of Alex's head.
Alex did a double take at the bow, having never expected anyone to do that. "I'm told that you're here because you're like me. That you don't have parents or anywhere else to go." He shrugged. "That's how I ended up here. More or less."
Sarena nodded... then shook her head. "That doesn't explain anything about mecha teams. I'm not just here because things are crazy. I'm supposed to do crazy stuff, too. That's what they said you were all about."
Alex laughed a little. "I guess I am kind of known for doing crazy things. As for the mecha team, well, Uso wanted you on it, and since I'm what's left I guess she sent you over to me."
Sarena stiffened up and asked what seemed very much like the most pertinent question. "What happened to the others?"
Alex looked down for a moment. "One left and the other one got killed."
The silence stretched out for a few moments, while Sarena waited for Alex to continue.
He looked back up. "I'd rather not go into it much further right now." He sat down on the ramp, seeming eager to change the topic."So you're going to be a pilot now. Ever thought about it before?"
"No... piloting is a lot of work, I was going to try out for the bridge crew. Something easy, like navigation? I don't think piloting mechas is like piloting starships, though."
"We don't really have many ships that require more than a pilot. Why don't I show you my craft and you can give it a spin?" At this, Alex summoned his mecha, though it would take a moment or two for it to arrive.
"Huh, really?" Sarena shook her head, this time to shake off a thought. She then asked in bewilderment, "When do I get my own?"
"I would guess as soon as we can make one. Though it'll probably take some time to teach you the basics, the U-1 we made here can read your thoughts and act on them, so it shouldn't be too hard."
At this moment, the U-1, or unicorn, as it had been dubbed by Uso, showed up, hovering above the ground in fighter form before landing softly.
"That's a mecha? It doesn't look like a mecha," Sarena said, dubiously. "Did you get to customize it?"
Alex nodded. "I helped design it. Just watch."
As he spoke, the U-1 unfolded itself parts repositioning themselves, bringing into the forefront it's humanoid form, with its signature single ed horn, it's sleek metal surface shining in the sun.
"We call the prototype the unicorn."
"Like... a corn niblet?" Sarena was not sure of the etymology. She stared at the transforming mecha in much the same way she might have stared at a unicorn exploding into popcorn.
"I'm told it was a mystical horse like beast with a single horn."
"...I guess it has one of those?"
Alex looked to the side at Sarena. "Once we get it a little further away from the city and landing pad, do you want to try flying it?"
"Um... Sure," Sarena said, her tone and demeanor suggesting she might prefer to be a few parsecs away from the event, for safety.
"You seem a little nervous. It's not very hard to fly, the seat has a headband that can read your thoughts and let you pilot it like that. Basic stuff like throttle and direction is handled manually with the controls, but you should be able to think it through complex actions."
Alex was excited to show someone else how it felt to fly.
Sarena shrugged when she saw that Alex expected more of a response from her. "So... we go over there, now?"
Alex shook his head. "Watch this."
He then mentally directed the craft to walk over to them carefully, kneel down and open its cockpit, revealing the two empty seats inside. He lowered one of the mecha's great metal hands to the ground, laying it still to use as a platform, and stepped onto it.
Sarena stepped onto the hand, tripped, and fell down next to Alex, which didn't bode well for the day's exercise. She clung on for dear life while trying to climb back to her feet.
Alex bent down and helped Sarena up. This was a little worrying, but hopefully things would improve. "Are you okay?"
"..? I'm fine." Sarena looked confused. She seldom had anyone help her up, much less someone so much smaller than her. (Unless it was a Neko using it as a trick.)
Alex noted Sarena's confusion. "What's wrong?"
"Um... nothing? (Except, this seems dangerous.)"
"I can take over if anything goes wrong and you can't fix it."
Sarena didn't say any more.
Alex stood for a moment in the silence. Dammit, why was he unable to stop saying stupid stuff?
He raised up the hand slowly to the cusp of the cockpit, providing an easy way into the seats.
Sarena stumbled in and made it to the co-pilot's seat with only a couple more bruises and an increased heart rate, hoping her mecha would have a ladder.
Alex sat down in the pilots seat and pressed a button that triggered the restraint harnesses to fold into place, securing the two teens in their seats.
He then closed the glass canopy and the metal covers to it, and activated the screens, which displayed not only the normal information that one would find on a heads up display, but also the outside of the cockpit, making it appear as if there was no metal covers at all.
He then stood the craft up and began to fly at a low altitude toward a safer, unpopulated area of desert.
"...Now what?" Sarena asked.
"Now we switch seats."
And so they did.
"What now?" Sarena asked again.
"Imagine it doing something."
Sarena imagined the mech waving its arms up high.
It did. And she could tell. The handles gave force feedback, simulating a scaled back version of what was happening.
Sarena imagined the mech leaning forward and sticking one foot out behind it, in a 'fairy lunge' pose.
It did so, although it wobbled a little before falling down headfirst, with its rear jutting up into the air, sending vibrations into the cockpit, and obscuring the view screen.
Sarena imagined the mech doing a handstand, before she could stop herself.
The mech did a handstand, leaving the two occupants upside down.
Alex's blood rushed to his head, and he quickly re-took control of the craft from Sarena, and turned the craft back upright. "I think that's enough for today." He said, before transforming the mecha into fighter mode and flying it back toward the starport as the sun set over the horizon.
