Part 1

- Confederation Controlled Space / Rhone System / Hidden C.E.I.S. Weapons Development and Testing Facility / Training Grounds -

"What's with that sorry display of physical prowess?! You bunch of pathetic little shimps! C'mon you idiots. You're looking down on TF piloting too damn much! You ain't going anywhere near equipment related to pilot training without my A-OK. Put some more back into it you little shits!"

Aaah... Another fine day has come. The air is crisp and fresh. The birds are chirping in a resplendent chorus. The sun with a slightly reddish hue is slowly peaking out of the horizon. And Instructor Keynes is once again spewing out a torrent of verbal abuse as she makes us go through grueling physical exercises.

What a truly wonderful morning...

Yeah right...

Ok. Enough of my pathetic attempts to escape from reality. I'm actually nearing my limit here. Seriously! What the heck is up with this spartan training menu?!

***

It's been nearly two weeks since I've found myself stuck on this unfamiliar world under another identity. Due to a certain string of events, I ended up striking a deal with a guy named Satoru Saionji in order to find a way to get back home. I agreed to become something called a "test pilot" and help him develop a sort of weapon for war. I decided to play along for the moment in order to glean some more information.

Thus, I spent the first few days since the battle between those steel giants they call Tactical Frames undergoing a crash course in Common Sense and History 101. Ms. Nemu and Ms. Aiko taught me most of the basics.

Having these beautiful women teach you sure did wonders for concentration. I just made sure to remind myself of the fact that both of them could probably turn me to mince the moment I attempt anything funny. Thanks to that, I managed to gain an adequate grasp of the world I'm in and the circumstances surrounding it.

To be honest, I think things went far too smoothly. It actually felt somewhat creepy. I was supposed to be learning all that knowledge for the first time, but I remembered and understood most of it almost immediately. It was like I was recalling facts I was actually familiar with instead of learning completely new things.

This feeling wasn't there the first few days after I woke up to this foreign world but it had gotten increasingly more distinct lately. I became anxious at first but I decided not to brood about it for now. Worrying too much won't solve anything anyway. And considering my circumstances, this was actually quite convenient.

I was then dropped off to a so called secret facility in one of the habitable planets within the Rhone System - a planetary system located at the outskirts of Confederation controlled space. Here, I was slated to begin my job as a test pilot for the military. It turns out I'm not the only one though. A number of recruits who came from various Confederation territories also arrived at the facility in order to become test pilots.

We were told we had to undergo a refresher course before they let us begin our test pilot duties. The equipment we were supposed to handle differed greatly from standard issue ones and held classified tech so a bit of retraining was needed in order to familiarize ourselves with all the new systems. They also wanted to make sure we had all the basics down pat.

We met our current training instructor, Lisa Keynes, a few hours after we arrived at the facility. She was a gentle looking soul with golden brown hair cut just above her shoulders. She also wore glasses and sported a full figure despite her somewhat smallish stature, making for a captivating contrast. Needless to say, us guys got all riled up while the women in the group collectively clicked their tongues in annoyance.

All of us guys thought we were really in luck to have such a beauty as an instructor. That ended up being a truly terrible misconception...

Part 2

We were immediately subjected to lots of tough physical drills as soon as we started the training course. At first we didn't think too much about it. Some of the guys even tried to make use of the opportunity to show off to the women. After an exhausting hour or so, all of us finally completed the entire set. But then Miss Keynes said something surprising.

"Pathetic. That was utter rubbish. Absolutely unacceptable! Do it again. And this time, do it properly." she scolded in a surprisingly icy tone.

Some nearly raised complaints but ultimately refrained from voicing any, thinking this may be some form of test or some sort of crazy initiation rite. We redid everything as told. But after finishing the sets once more, Ms. Keynes still wasn't satisfied and ordered us to do it again. After the eighth time redoing everything, some of the guys finally snapped and went over to protest.

Then, the unexpected happened...

A guy almost two metres tall flipped over three and a half times in mid air then fell flat on his face. Within moments, Ms. Keynes planted herself on top of his defenseless back, straddling him and effectively pinning him down. He tried to get up forcefully but let out a scream akin to a pig being slaughtered instead. We were all shocked into silence.

The oppressive air Ms. Keynes gave off felt extremely familiar. It was akin to an apex predator staring down on her hapless prey. It really was quite similar to the aura of coercion those crazy high spec combat nurses gave off. I shivered Involuntarily as I watched her torment the poor guy.

Ms. Keynes pressed some points on his neck and back. Each time she did so, screams of agony erupted from the guy's mouth. She then proceeded to lean forward and brought her glossy lips near his left ear.

"Now listen here you pathetic piece of sh*t. What do you think this job was for huh? What the heck were you expecting when you took it? This ain't some leisurely vacation on some resort planet, trash. This here's a military facility. And you're here to help develop weapons that may very well turn the tide of this damn war. You think we'll settle for mediocre performance little man?" she scolded harshly. The guy pinned down was obviously in agony but still managed a feeble retort.

"W-What's that got to do with making us repeat that stuff over and over?" he asked in a weak tone.

"You'll be handling military grade Tactical Frames. And in your case, it'll even be a high spec experimental model. A certain level of endurance and tenacity is needed to properly pilot that sort of equipment - something most of you sorely lack. My job is to pound those things in you till they become second nature. Now get your sorry little ass back there and repeat those drills till I say otherwise." she finished in a tone laced with venom and forcibly stood the miserable looking guy up. She pushed him back towards the rest of us, then proceeded to look at each of our faces which displayed varying degrees of surprise, indignation and apprehension.

"What's with those sh*tty mugs you damn morons? Some of you may have civilian backgrounds. But the moment you agreed to take part in this program, you've already thrown away that kind of status. You're all effectively soldiers now. You may not necessarily participate in combat operations, but your job would certainly influence the flow of this war. Know what that means idiots? It means you're already responsible for countless lives! Drill that fact through your empty heads!" she lectured.

A somewhat timid looking young man raised his trembling hand, seemingly to object.

"B-But... Isn't the war effectively over? Aren't we developing new weapons as deterrence? L-Like... In order to gain some form of advantage in the negotiations... Or something like that..." he stammered.

Ms. Keynes expression warped into an even more contemptuous sneer.

"Deterrence is it? You goddamned idiot! There ain't no way in hell the Alliance will just sit idly by and allow us to get formally established. This so called truce is nothing but a hollow lie. This false peace is so fragile it could break at any given moment with just the slightest nudge. The fruits the Elysium project would bear will help us to deal with anything the Alliance throws at us when all hell breaks lose. That's the plan anyway. And if you don't step up your game, everything might end up failing miserably. So stop with the idiotic remarks and get to training already will ya!" she furiously scolded.

Her intimidating demeanor overwhelmed us and erased all thoughts of rebuttal - most of us anyway. The timid looking guy was surprisingly obstinate. He posed another question.

"B-But... If this project is so important... why'd you even hire civilians? I mean, we did undergo compulsory military training as state decree dictates. But it's not like we can compare to real soldiers right? Isn't sourcing personnel directly from the military a more logical course of action?"

Ms. Keynes expression froze. Her mouth then slowly broke into a smile. But within her eyes shone a dangerous glint. She grabbed the timid looking guys collar and forcefully brought his face next to hers.

"You're asking a lot of questions aren't you. You sure you're not a spy or something. We have lots of ways to deal with spies y'know."

The timid young man's expression turned flustered. He was obviously panicking.

"Wha - ? N-no, I..."

Ms. Keynes spoke before he could raise an objection.

"You seem like you have a good head on your shoulders so I'm sure you've already thought these things through before accepting our offer. The moment you decided to come here, there's already no going back. You've already entrusted your lives to the Confederation military, so holding any more doubts about us and this project is both unnecessary and futile. So shut up and train so you can finally do your job."

She abruptly let go of the young man's collar, causing him to stumble a bit. When she confirmed no more attempts to complain or question, she immediately ordered us to continue with the drills. This went on until all of us collapsed from exhaustion.

Part 3

"Was that really necessary?"

Lisa Keynes had just finished breaking in the new recruits and returned to the main facility. She was immediately greeted by a shady looking guy sporting a bemused smirk. Her mood visibly worsened.

"Says the guy who suggested this training method in the first place. What the heck are you loitering around here for Satoru?" she retorted.

Dr. Satoru Saionji shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and replied.

"I got a bit antsy cooped up in that stuffy office so I decided to walk around a bit. I'm more of an outdoor type see."

Lisa arched her eyebrow at the casual remark but refrained from retorting back. She didn't want to get caught up in this guys pace.

"Oh? No reaction? Well that's no fun." Dr. Saionji teased.

"What are you really here for Satoru? Oh, and spare me from the lame jokes." Lisa probed.

"Fine. You really take life too damn seriously Lisa. I just came to inquire about the new recruits. What are your impressions?" Dr. Saionji conceded.

After a short silence, she offered a blunt assessment.

"Lacking. Far too lacking. We've really been hit hard this time. Almost all the original recruits died in those damned Alliance attacks. These backups you sent may hold the same potential but they're hardly military pilot material. Those who do come from the military are far too few. To be honest, it's looking pretty bleak."

Dr. Saionji nodded slightly and furrowed his brows in contemplation. He then shrugged his shoulders once more and smiled lightly.

"Oh I'm sure they'll pull through. Whether we like it or not, they're the best we've got. We'll just have to make do." he affirmed.

"We may not agree on a lot of things you damn mad scientist. But this time, I hope you're right." Lisa answered back. She then turned towards the opposite corridor, heading for her own office.

"Do your job well Lisa. They're more capable than you think..." Dr. Saionji muttered.

- Chapter 12 End -