Max and Nico, as well as Major Miller, Max's new Executive Officer, had to change rooms to be with their new unit, but that was a simple task, accomplished in a single trip before heading to dinner.
Major Miller and the other Super Heavy Pilots were waiting at his new dorm when he arrived, eager to talk shop and get to know each other better since they were actually all on less formal terms. Some Unit structures were very strict, and the upper echelon had very little interaction with those below them, though not usually to the point of the Regiment Commander who didn't want to even speak with anyone who wasn't a Noble.
"I heard that you already hit 250 points of total bonus at your age? What sort of crazy System Functions did you get?" Petrova asked, drawing the attention of the others in the Command Officer's Mess, which served the entire Regiment's Command Staff.
Max looked over his status quickly, thinking back to how and when things had really started to change for him. It was almost certainly after that day on Kepler 142 Station when he gained the secondary bonuses and extra points of base stats. Since then the concept of diminishing returns no longer seemed to apply to him, and the points above 200 total bonus, which was generally considered the Human Limit where gains became nearly nonexistent, had been as steady as those from 150 total bonus points were.
Keres Max
[Compatibility Determined] Rank A
[Primary Attribute] STR 2.5x modifier
[Secondary Bonuses] DEX 2x, SPD 2x
[STR] 3+129%
[DEX] 3+76%
[SPD] 3+76%
[Innate Talent] Mind Reading
[Additional Function Unit Optimization]
[Additional Function Multi Point Targeting]
[Additional Function Split Fire]
[Additional Function Perception 1]
"Yes, I'm over 250 points already, and at the rate which I am gaining, I will likely reach three hundred within the next few years. One of my physical makeovers greatly reduced the Diminishing Returns, so I have an easier time than most." Max explained.
"Good on you then. I had wondered why they had made you the Battalion Commander so young, even if you were the face of the new Mecha Propaganda films. They could have kept you as a Crusader Class Pilot and portrayed you as an everyman's hero for great effect. Now I understand why they didn't, you've got too much potential to be held back for something like that." Major Pippin of Baker Company said, loud enough that those around could hear him. It was a small thing, backing up the silent criticism of his Battalion Commander, but Max appreciated it.
"But why isn't your Technician, Major Nico, one of the Wing Leaders? Half the Empire knows she's a monster in combat, we have all seen the videos." Major Ivanov asked, and Max shook his head, not wanting to explain.
"Regimental Command thought that her skills would be better suited to Command of the Mecha Repair Group. Central Command is the only reason she's still in a Mecha." Major Miller said quietly, filling in the others on her situation.
"Does she have a really good System Function for diagnosis or something?" Major Ivanov asked, still not understanding why anyone would want to transfer a Pilot like that. He was a bit of a combat maniac himself, and just the thought of the close combat scenes they had shown gave him a bit of a tumescent glow.
"You could say that. She's not just a monster in Combat, but she does it without a single Piloting-related System Function. All of her skills are Technical unless you count Drone Controller, which could be considered a combat skill, though not a Mecha one." Max reluctantly informed them.
"She can Cap out the Emag on a Redemption Pattern with pure skill, and in a Cyborg body? Monster doesn't even begin to cover that level of skill. If she had the sort of Multi Weapon Activation skill that I have, she would have been a shoo-in for a Super Heavy Pilot." Petrova whispered, referring to the electromagnetic over hydraulic movement system that the Redemption Pattern Crusaders use for motion.
"I heard it's not only in Mecha. There was a rumor among the second wave that landed on Sigmund that she went ten-on-one with the Narsians in a Mobile Suit and lived. The officers were talking about it before the Regimental Assignment, saying that Regimental Commander General Yaakov actually wanted to transfer her out of combat so he could have her assigned as his personal assistant." A Major at the next table leaned over to tell them quietly, not wanting to be overheard spreading rumors.
That would explain why he was so mad when General Tennant moved her into a Super Heavy as a technician. A Personal Assistant for Generals was more than just an assistant, they were bodyguards, problem solvers, and sometimes even a lover. The position was one that a lot of noblewomen aspired to since it didn't involve a lot of danger but had huge rewards and political influence. Not just women of course, but two-thirds of the Generals were men, and many of the female Generals preferred a female assistant as well, so most of the personal assistants were female.
"He wouldn't have survived it. She's not that kind of gentle and agreeable Noble." Max chuckled, imagining the look on her face if the Regimental Commander had actually had a chance to make the proposal.
"Speaking of which, where is she?" Major Pippin asked.
"Since she's a full conversion, she doesn't keep the same meal schedule, but she is likely hanging out in the general Mess Hall with the other technicians, or over with the Lab staff in the next sector," Max explained. Their new rooms were only twenty meters from their old ones, since First Battalion was right next to the researchers' quarters, so it would make sense for her to be hanging out with them.
While they were chatting, General Tennant was putting the final touches on their first live trial. There was a nice uninhabited planet near the border with the Tapani that had an abundance of hostile non-sentient animals, and breathable air. The Empire wanted to secure it with a military base as a front line defense against the threat of a Klem invasion since the Insectoid species was the greatest nonhuman threat in the region, so General Tennant had volunteered the test Regiment to go clear out a landing zone for the base construction crews.
[Mission Assignment: Prepare Planet Rae 3 for construction of Military Facility]
The order went to all personnel on the ship, along with a time stamp and basic maps, but that only brought more confusion.
"What are we supposed to fight them with? The Mecha aren't here yet?" Max thought to himself, not liking being kept in the dark about the schedule, or the lack of time for the actual testing since the star system they were going to was so close it would only be a few-day trip.
