Chapter 792: Stars and Sunshine
"This is the command tower of AS1921 on the Earth Star. We remind you that you are about to enter a no-fly zone. Please slow down and take a detour." A mechanically synthesized voice came from the headset.
In the dim cockpit, apart from the eye-catching orange-yellow marks and data on the screen, there was only a little light projected from the top of the head, reflecting the lavender mask below.
Have we arrived yet? The driver thought to himself, then slowed down and began to turn.
A few minutes later, a black mecha with sharp edges slowly landed on the ground. When its wide feet touched the ground, the surrounding buildings and people felt a tremor.
This is a large mecha about 60 meters high, and it is also a cutting-edge war machine currently in the experimental stage of the Federation.
Soon, the cockpit was pushed out from above the mecha, and then the hatch was lifted, and the driver in a white uniform with purple edges walked out. He walked past the wide armor on the shoulders of the mecha, came to the aerial dock protruding from the side, jumped on it, and then untied his helmet, revealing his short black hair.
"Biaoxing, you're awesome!" As soon as he entered the lounge, a familiar voice sounded from behind, and then rushed over and hugged him.
The young man named Biaoxing nodded shyly, feeling a little embarrassed by his companion's praise, but still showing a pure smile.
"Hahaha, don't be embarrassed, our team relied on you to save the score in this exercise, otherwise it would be embarrassing." Five young men wearing the same driving suit as him laughed and played.
"The captain said before that if we lose this time, don't even think about taking a vacation in the second half of the year, and we have to train until we die, tsk."
"But it's lucky that you're here this time, haha, the guys in the first team can't hold their heads up, and the captain probably has gained face, so he must treat us tonight." A group of people discussed how to make trouble later.
About half an hour later, probably after finishing the summary and report, their captain came to the lounge.
"What are you arguing about, you're making a lot of noise, you're so impatient!" The captain was obviously ten years older than them, and he was quite majestic. He made everyone quiet down with a roar.
Seeing the lounge quiet down, the captain's expression eased a little, and then he walked to a square table and turned around.
"Although we won this time, the process was not smooth. You guys, Norton, Jane, and Sid, lost too quickly in the early stage, which almost led to the collapse of the situation. In the end, it was completely due to the risk of Biaoxing and the single-handed breakthrough that turned the situation around."
"Such a process is ugly even if you win in the end. You are not always so lucky on the battlefield."
"Yes!" Although there were many small complaints in their hearts, everyone still stood at attention and answered in a pause.
Seeing their old-fashioned appearance, the man as the captain and instructor could only shake his head and say nothing more.
"That's it for today, disband!"
"Yes!"
Then the group of people who had a serious face just now immediately became like school was over, and all kinds of playful sounds and movements spread, and some of them even rushed to the captain.
"Captain, captain, do you remember what you said before?" They winked at each other.
"Hehe, you bunch of hungry brats." The captain smiled and shook his head, then took out a card.
"Let's go, I'll take you to eat good food. Don't spend more than the limit, but don't save money either. Your captain, I haven't spent all the supply money yet."
"Not spent yet, didn't you say you've been out of the front line for more than ten years?" Several people were very curious.
"It's more than ten years, but do you know where I was twenty years ago?" The captain lifted his collar.
"I participated in the battle against the Federation's Western Star Region at that time, and survived from countless dead bodies. If it weren't for this, I wouldn't be qualified to sit in front of you as an instructor and captain today."
Hearing this, many people showed admiration and envy in their eyes.
"You are worthy of being the captain. Can you tell us again how you survived on the battlefield back then?"
"This is a long story..." Although he said it was troublesome, from the captain's raised mouth, he was still very proud of his life experience.
20 years ago, Western Star Region, Civil War...
Among the team members on the side, Biaoxing silently recited these terms, then raised his eyes and looked at the instructor surrounded by his companions in front of him.
He was not born in the Western Star Region, otherwise he would not have been able to join this elite pilot team. In terms of origin, he was a resident of the Central Star Region, but this did not prevent him from understanding the history of the Federation.
Because of his good family background, he received a good education since he was a child, and knew the reason why the Western Star Region wanted to be independent. Those people just wanted to get rid of the blood-sucking management of the chaebol and the official.
This world has never been fair. He understood this truth very early, and he was also a class that enjoyed this privilege. With all kinds of favorable conditions and resources, he entered the Eighth Fleet of the Federation as soon as he graduated and was trained as an elite pilot.
I don’t know how many people dream of such an opportunity, and they compete fiercely. After all, the Federation has a population of 10 trillion, and among them, there may be less than 10 million who can be mecha pilots, that is, one in a million. Among them, those who can become high-level mecha pilots of Sequence 6 are particularly rare, about 1-2 in 10 million people, and as for the ace-level Sequence 7 mecha pilots, there are only 1-2 in 100 million people.
The team he was currently in had teammates who were all elite geniuses of Sequence 6. No matter how the captain scolded them, they were all very proud, because except for a few elites of the same level, with their current strength, they could easily crush those "dogs" outside.
"Dogs" refer to mecha pilots who have served on the ground all their lives and have never fought in space. This is the contempt chain within the mecha circle. Fighting in space requires a higher sense of space and physical fitness, which is not something that members serving on the ground can overcome.
The Federation has always treated elite pilots preferentially. With his current salary and social treatment, he is even better than the boss of a small company outside. He has a guaranteed salary of one million Federation coins a year. If he is on a mission, in an exercise, or wins an award, he will receive various additional awards. After serving for ten years, he can easily save up a fortune of tens of millions, and he is protected by his military status. If he becomes an ace pilot, he can easily obtain a fortune of hundreds of millions, which is unimaginable for office workers outside.
Not to mention other things, the cost of the experimental mecha he drives is worth hundreds of millions of Federation coins. As a pilot, he is sometimes more precious than the mecha.
"Let's go, Biaoxing, stop daydreaming." His companion patted him on the shoulder.
"Okay." He nodded in response and followed.
The dinner was sumptuous. Just as the captain promised, they ordered almost all the expensive dishes on the menu and drank countless drinks.
Late at night, a group of people staggered back to the dormitory. Although it was not decent, tomorrow was a day off and no one would jump out to criticize.
After dragging his drunk companion to the bed, he heard snoring like a pig. He smiled and closed the door, then walked to the balcony to get some fresh air.
The night breeze here was cool. Although it was in the space station, you could still see the artificial urban beauty.
The entire space station was like a giant drum, and all the buildings were built along the inner wall of the drum. The rotation of the space station would bring centrifugal force to simulate the effect of gravity.
Leaning against the balcony fence, Biaoxing closed his eyes and felt the comfort of the night breeze. Occasionally, his eyes swept across the surrounding buildings and apartments of the same style. Here were soldiers like him who were currently serving in the Eighth Fleet.
As a training reserve, the Eighth Fleet has no shortage of recruits and instructors. After serving and training for a few years, they will be transferred to other main fleets according to their performance. The best treated fleet is the Fifth Fleet. Due to the funding from the Fire Lotus-Brilliant Star faction, this fleet has developed very fast and its current status is slightly higher than the traditionally strongest Third and Fourth Fleets.
The instructor also served in the Fifth Fleet before, he said he participated in the war in the Western Star Region, Biaoxing suddenly recalled.
Then he asked him about it.
The next day, the training was the same as usual, but after the training, Biaoxing went to the instructor and captain alone.
"Captain." He called him.
"Oh, it's you, Biaoxing." The man, whose appearance began to show signs of aging, turned around and put down the towel to wipe his sweat.
"Is there anything? Or, are you here to ask me for a reward, hehe." He was not stingy with his appreciation for this talented genius. He
raised his hand to let the young man come over, and the instructor pulled him to sit next to him. At this moment, the two of them were in the stands of the huge battlefield, and the space was spacious and bright.
"Sit down."
"Yes."
"Go ahead."
"I want to ask the instructor about the battle in the Western Star Region 20 years ago."
"This..." The coach skillfully took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, and slowly smoked it. The fat on his face twisted, and his eyes gradually became deep and distant.
"What do you want to know? How badly did the war go? Or the lessons learned from the battle?"
"I want to ask you how you felt during the war, and how you viewed the battle after it ended."
"You are very special. You ask questions that others don't care about." He smoked and blew out long smoke rings.
"If you want to discuss justice with me, I won't answer. It has nothing to do with me. You should go to Congress to find those congressmen."
"I am not that narrow-minded and extreme person, instructor." Biaoxing shook his head.
"I just want to know your true feelings at that time and later."
"At that time..." The instructor sighed again.
"I was on the battlefield, rushing out of the cabin with countless companions, shuttling through the vast sea of stars. It was the most grand operation I participated in. There had never been so many mechas and warships on the radar screen."
"I was particularly excited, with an impulse of blood boiling. At one point, I thought that I would not regret sacrificing on the battlefield, but soon this excitement faded."
"Do you know why?" He turned his head, and the expression on his face was obscured by smoke, a little blurry.
"The light of the battleship's salvo was too dazzling. In that instant, countless comrades and enemies disappeared on the radar screen."
"I don't know what they were thinking in the end. If I were also drowned in that light, I might have turned into ashes before I could say a word."
"The skills and experience that I had worked hard for more than ten years and trained for countless hours disappeared in that moment. They were worthless and meaningless. They were just a piece of data on the list of casualties."
"But I can't be a deserter, and I can't be a deserter. Every mecha and every starship has positioning and monitoring devices. Since I enjoy the treatment as a soldier, I must fight for my life at this moment."
"The battle was very difficult. Even though our equipment had the advantage, the opponent's mechas were also fighting desperately."
"That's right, I can't see the faces of their pilots, nor can I hear their voices, but in battle, you will directly feel the opponent's will. That kind of tenacity, anger, and indomitable spirit make us feel cold in our hearts, but we have to use all our energy and fighting spirit to fight and strangle the opponent."
"In close combat, we suffered a lot because our teammates were not as fearless as the opponents, who were willing to sacrifice themselves to drag others down with them."
"Many people died, ours and theirs. In that kind of high-intensity battle, even if it lasted only five minutes, countless people died."
"In the middle of the battle, we gradually defeated the defense line of the Western Star Region. The pressure was much less at this time, and victory seemed to be within reach, but I'm sure many people know what happened later." "
The singer from the Southern Star Region, Heshia Tilan, led the fleet to arrive. Under her attack, the Fifth Fleet where I served had to split up. Fortunately, I stayed to attack the Western Star Region, and my comrades who went to fight against the 'Emerald Dragon' were almost all killed."
"Looking back at the team back then, I was not the strongest, nor the smartest, but I should be the luckiest. I survived the war safely, and because of my status as a veteran, I was treated favorably by the 'Fire Lotus-Brilliant Star' faction and received additional subsidies every year."
"Now that I recall that battle, I am probably just thankful. Fortunately, now that the Federation is unified, you will not have to face such a cruel battlefield."
"Thank you, instructor."
After leaving, Biaoxing and his companions continued to train and participated in the exercise confrontation. Because of his excellent performance, he was valued by a research institute stationed in the Eighth Fleet.
"Are you interested in coming to us? We just happen to need an excellent soldier to test the new mecha." One day, a researcher in a blue and white coat came to his team.
Historically, only the best drivers are qualified to participate in the development of new models of mecha, because this requires the driver to constantly test the limit and reflect the various feelings in the mecha driving, which requires extremely high quality.
"No problem." He agreed almost without hesitation, which surprised the other party a little and touched his glasses.
"Don't you ask about the salary and the contract?"
"I believe you will not treat me unfairly."
"Haha, what a frank and brilliant negotiation skill. Okay, we will give you a salary above the average, and you are definitely not bad at this." The other party smiled.
"Let's go. Oh, by the way, I haven't told you the name of our institute." As he said that, he took out a small identity chip from his pocket and threw it to Biaoxing.
The black and blue chip was engraved with clear and neat silver handwriting - 'Allens Research Institute'.
"Is this the institute that researched the 'Allens Space Twist Hypothesis'?" Biaoxing was surprised. Even an outsider like him had heard of the top pearl in the Star Child Alliance. The origin of the superluminal navigation technology that brought about changes today was the result of the 'Allens Research Institute'.
"Yes, it's us. Not bad." The researcher with messy hair put his hands in his pockets and responded with a smile.
"Come with me. Recently, we are going to develop a brand new mecha. It is a mecha that can travel through time and space. It is the real trump card of the future battlefield... In fact, this was not our original creation at first, but the result of the 'Clock of Time Research Institute'. Unfortunately, after that person left, their research and development stagnated, and now they just handed it over to us."
"It's a very interesting and exciting project. You will be surprised when you see it. It is a very ingenious concept and ability. The mecha you drive no longer has to fear the terrifying artillery of the battleship. Instead, it can swim through the cracks of time and space like a fish and pierce the magnificent giant ship in the sky."
"I like poetry. To use the metaphor of poetry, it is the sun that moves vigorously in the sky. It penetrates the layers of fog in time and space and emits incomparable light. So I plan to name this new mecha - 'Scorching Sun',
that is, the sun that penetrates the phantom."
(End of this chapter)
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