Chapter 14 #2
Shoulder cannons and forearm cannons extended and concealed at my whim, and all of my weapons felt light and quick in my hands. The slightest flick of the mind was all it took to control every aspect and feature.
What a brilliant machine.
Though I knew piloting a real Shinka might be a bit different from this simulation, the perfection of this neural link was otherworldly on a level that resembled magic to the untrained eye.
I existed in the mind of the weapon, and it did everything I willed it to do with the total obedience of my own body, while I could perform tasks as though I’d always lived as one with the features and weaponry.
It suddenly made sense why we had to know how to physically fight to pilot a Shinka.
The only limitations of this machine were the limits of my reflexes, muscle memory, and coordination.
The complexity of the tech between my Imperium suit, the LYNC helmet, the gel, and the inner control unit was awe-inspiring. Eliza Shinka was a genius.
I took a few steps into the virtual world, and a Heads-Up Display stretched across my vision, embedding important metrics on each side of my periphery so as not to interfere with my sight, while still allowing quick and easy reference.
The graphs and gauges included everything from travel speed, to “vitality” of each separate limb component, to temperature gauges and sync percentage.
I was comfortably synced at 100% at the moment.
I didn’t know what would reduce that percentage.
They hadn’t briefed us on that yet, but it was difficult to imagine losing control of limbs and functions that felt like they belonged to my own body.
Would the ability to have limbs ripped off in real time via this artificial body create repeated trauma, or would it desensitize me to it? I might not be able to fathom something like that until I experienced it.
As I used my consciousness to scroll through the different options on my Heads-Up Display, a voice played through the space like a disembodied god.
“Welcome, soldiers, to your Shinka Unit. If this is your first session, please take your time getting acquainted with your unit. Once you’ve familiarized yourself with your HUD, and you’re able to move comfortably, proceed to the portal at coordinates 34° N, 118° W, and your first exercise will begin. ”
That seemed simple enough. All I had to do was repeat those coordinates in my own mind, and the GPS activated in my vision.
A laser light, not unlike the trails emitted by my CHRONO, directed me Northwest, and I activated both the jet boosters in my back and the propulsion in my heels to rocket towards the destination.
I entered the portal, and the whole environment warped from a nondescript field to a burning city, with fire and brimstone raining from the burgundy sky.
“Your city is under siege, and the enemy has separated you from your allies,” the disembodied voice of our instructor explained.
“Your mission: Using your tracking function, locate two of your comrades as quickly as possible. Enemy ships will patrol the area as you navigate the landscape. Points will be awarded based upon how quickly you’re able to secure your teammates and evade damage.
” I’d expected something more involved, but it made more sense to start very basic for our first simulation.
It wasn’t like I was some brilliant pilot or tactician yet, anyway.
This would be a good way to test the waters.
“The goal of this mission is to increase knowledge and comfort with control, navigation, and resource tracking. Taking on excess damage or failing to complete your task in the allotted time will result in degradation of your ranking. Please remain mindful of your surroundings at all times.”
Fortunately, my ranking was so low already, fumbling wasn’t much of a consequence. But the opportunity to raise that ranking? That was worth fighting for. If all I needed was to reach the top 1000, this was my best chance.
“The timer will begin in ten seconds.” A large, bold number ’10’ appeared dead center in my HUD and started counting down alongside an automated voice.
I couldn’t move anything but my eyes until the timer finished, so I used those ten seconds to survey the area, giving me the opportunity to gather my wits.
“3… 2…1,” The last number vanished, and I was off.
An explosion in the distance caught my attention, though I couldn’t help but think that was far too obvious of a draw.
They wouldn’t make it that easy, and heading toward an explosion without knowledge of what caused it sounded like a death wish more than a tactical decision.
If that was a test, I wouldn’t be failing.
I cycled through my combat modes. The Shinka had a whole menu worth of basic calibrations that better tuned my HUD to the task at hand.
I located a mode that focused on the status of allied units, where my view lit up with yellow dots in the distance, accompanied by sets of coordinates that were constantly updating in real time as the units moved.
There were no paths this time, just approximate directions and a compass.
The less data we pulled or transmitted from satellites, the less there was for enemy units to pick up on.
Individual Shinka signals were on a unique frequency, but as the master satellites were all considered a neutral commodity, GPS tracking signals could be read by both nations.
I located the nearest yellow dot, at approximately 15.
8 kilometers Southeast, and I started towards it, covering ground quickly and effortlessly with the thrusters in my heels and back unit.
The velocity and power with which I could move was exhilarating.
Despite being a simulation, I could practically feel the wind against my face, and smell the dust and melting steel, and the sensation of speed translated to be every bit as real.
An enemy cross wing ship appeared in my periphery, and I reacted immediately, ducking and rolling behind a half destroyed building, using splintered metal and crumbling stone to camouflage my all grey, mechanized body.
The enemy ship whizzed overhead, not picking up on my visual. I wondered how well something like this would work in the real world. Gehennan tech must be able to pick up on our frequency or heat signatures to some extent, but I didn’t know what specifically they used for targeting.
The obstacles here would help hide my presence even in such a massive machine, but what was I going to do once I got into the open wasteland? Shinkas weren’t about stealth.
I searched through my base functions, but there weren’t any sort of cloaking features. That seemed like a poor oversight in the design. If we could use A2s on a person, there was no reason they shouldn’t be able to craft A2s that would mask an inanimate Shinka on a larger scale.
I made a mental note to research Appearance Alteration integration, as if I might one day actually be able to work on and upgrade a Shinka myself, then I returned my focus to the task at hand.
Coast clear, I increased my speed toward a dome-like arena that had only been half destroyed.
It would be a perfect place to hide if you were another new recruit who was afraid of the enemy.
Though no one here should be cowering in a virtual scenario, my logical mind knew someone would be.
That mind body link felt so intensely real, it would be borderline expected for anxiety to override logic.
I jumped and landed within the top of the broken dome, and sure enough, there was one of my classmates, sitting in a crouch, hands on top his head, in full panic.
“Hey!” I yelled through the COMM link, whose frequency picked up automatically as I neared.
The name Ansel Raithliff appeared at the top of my HUD.
He wasn’t in my unit with Sebastian, but it was safe to say he was as new as I was.
I neared his position and offered a hand.
I would just need to find one more, and we’d both succeed. “Let’s go!”