Giant Robots? Say no more. I’m in. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

…

Though I expected to be demeaned, looked down upon, and pretty much be the lowest on the pecking order of the boarding school filled with future movers and shakers, I found a bright side.

At the very least, the high school bullshit I expected wasn’t obnoxious.

It was still there, of course, but it was subtle.

And, in the face of subtlety, I could deploy my arsenal of “it is what it is” and “idgaf.”

Anyway, I was pretty much struggling with the very first classes of the year. The curriculum for the Preparatory Academy was college entry level and I spent the last seven years reading only mission briefings and studying weapons from the catalogue and encyclopedia binging. While my classmates were using a program to calculate orbital flight plans, I had to learn how to use the program, along with relearning higher-end math.

I could barely recall trigonometry, let alone physics and calculus from my previous life, so I was barely qualifying in any of the sciences.

Not that I was doing any better in the humanities. History was all recent, as in the past two hundred years, because anything past that was scattered to the winds. Earth got hit hard, humanity mostly survived by fighting, holding the line, and dedicating everything to reverse-engineering what tech was dropped from the enemy along with throwing industry at the problem. History officially started again when the first self-sustaining Arcology was built, and by that time most of the planet was ravaged and the original data centers were destroyed or corrupted.

Probably by the ruling class who wanted people to forget about democracy, freedom of speech, and other human rights, since that interfered with, y’know, survival along with their own power over the new world coming about. There was a complete lack of mention of a lot of the political revolutions during the industrial revolution, in fact. Almost to the point where what ancient history was presented made it seem like monarchies never ended. So, if I started talking about apple pie, liberty, equality, and all that jazz, I’d probably get vanished away regardless of my achievements.

The ideals of liberty, fraternity, and equality weren’t discarded.

They were wiped off the face of the planet and probably forgotten by everyone already.

Unless there was a cabal of immortals somewhere that ruled everything from the shadows, they’d probably still remember.

Hm?

What did I intend to do about the fact that mega-corporations led by oligarchic nobility now ruled the world?

Fucking nothing.

I’m here to fight in a giant robot.

…

As always, I arrived at class barely awake thanks to caffeine and other stimulants, with my head aching from being filled with information and my body sore thanks to my morning exercise.

In other words, the day just started, but I was already tired, sore, and operating of willpower.

I really missed simpler days when I could just wake up, eat some nutrient jelly, and get to fighting.

My seat was just like everyone else’s in the room. A plush, ergonomic recliner chair with a built-in desk and holographic screen that would present the day’s lesson, while we took notes from our personal devices. The classroom was like a college lecture hall with amphitheater-like seating, but ridiculously financed. The lights around us dimmed and focused only on the lecturer on the center stage, there was a 360 screen above the teacher, and the teachers came in instead of the students relocating.

During breaks, we follow stretching exercises, are given snacks and drinks, and for lunch everyone goes out to socialize and eat in various small cafes and lunch areas. All of which, naturally, were staked out and claimed territory by the various political factions attending the school. After lessons, there were clubs, which worked on projects to better their resumes and pad their academic careers, which friend/political groups dominated too.

Boss told me to pick once I got acclimated to the new environment, which meant that I had another two weeks max before I showed off my results.

Maybe just one more week, since she saw that I was good enough to not fail.

Anyway, I was the first in the classroom, an hour ahead of schedule, because I needed to read ahead some more… when the worst thing happened.

The doors to the classroom opened.

“C-140, please put up the sign.”

“…I cannot against this particular individual, sir.”  Dammit. The sign was a simple statement that I was in the process of studying and acclimating. Hariss snorted and gave a nod when I presented it, which was her version of doubling over in laughter and giving a thumbs up. The sign, held up by my assigned servant while she stood over my shoulder, dissuaded most of my classmates from approaching. It helped that I always had my nose in the books. However, of course, there was a caveat. C-140 was given a list against who the sign could be used for and those it cannot be used for. I checked on the list of names on the whitelist and found that they were all pretty much houses above Hariss’s. My boss’s bosses, in a way. “It is the Empress.”

And, just like that, my worries went away.

“Okay, then tell her to leave and stop bothering me!”

“I heard that.”

“You were meant to!” C-140 sighed and palmed her face, while Empress smiled her way over to my desk while I settling in and booting up my programs for the day. “I’m here early so that I can spend more time on plotting orbital transfers, not talk to you!”

You might be wondering why I’m talking to headmistress of this academy this way.

The answer is simple.

She creeps me out.

“I would be more than happy to help you with that.” Codename: Empress was close to six feet tall and wore a black with red trim military uniform aggressively tailored to show off a perfect figure. All the parts and pieces of the formal ceremonial uniform were there, and she was even wearing pants and not some stupid micro-skirt, but she wouldn’t be out of place as a pin-up. Like some mouthbreather put a regular person in uniform and had an AI sexualize it until everything’s so tight that the belly button was visible, let alone the rest of the bits and bobs. “I have some time before class begins, as I’m the lecturer today.”

“The lecturer for the morning today was Professor Stevens.” One of the foremost experts in arcology supply chain management, along with a few other PHDs. I liked learning about how arcologies worked. It’s just cool to learn about a self-sustaining, growing structure that terraformed and protected humans at the same time, which also doubled as massive war factories. “I don’t think you’re as qualified.”

“Don’t worry, I took all the qualification tests over the last week to take this slot. He’s signed off on it… just like the rest of your morning teachers.” I wondered why I hadn’t seen her since we first met. It looked like she was securing all the morning slots of everyday to bother me, specifically. “After all, I simply cannot allow you to ignore your potential.”

There it is.

The reason why I don’t like this woman one bit.

“I told you that I don’t want to be a general! I want to pilot a giant robot!” If she was after me for my mech piloting skills, I’d be charmed. Hell, I’d probably take up her offer to adopt me and place myself under her care. I wouldn’t mind being put through hell by the best mind and talent on the planet, with all her resources and influence and ability, so long as I can pilot a mech. The problem was that she wanted me to “allocate strategic assets properly” and “optimize logistics by validating weapon effectiveness.” “Train an AI! I already told you what to look for and how to find that stuff, it’s not that crazy! The patterns are there if you look and they just repeat!”

She wanted me because I could zone in where to hit shit with artillery, drop in mechs, and call in support.

If Empress had it her way, I’d be in a command bunker, sifting through overviews of battlefields, and hitting enemy territory with strategic assets.

Which sounded boring as fuck!

“AI guiding our strategic weapons has been attempted in the past. They are commonly overcome by our enemies. Spore density increases along with living mines being deployed to saturate the air for the bugs.” Calmly and concisely, Empress laid out why AI wouldn’t work. She leaned on my desk and rested her chin on her white-gloved hand. I really didn’t want to listen. Stop hitting me with the facts and logic, dammit! I’m here to learn, so that I can validate turning my brain off! “Our more technologically adroit foes subvert them, forcing us to put them down at grievous cost. Finally, the more eldritch creatures corrupt them through their sensors and breaks them down from within.”

“Thermobaric weapons and a preceding orbital barrage of air-burst shells for the bugs. Downgrade sensors to just optics, radar, and infrared to avoid getting data sent through for the droids. Just put a grid pattern on wherever the squids are and set it all on fire. They can’t fuck with your head when they’re on fire.” I listed off some tips from my long years of experience fighting the things, and waved her off. Surprisingly, she backed off after blinking. For a second, her usual smile and bright eyes went still and placid, like a mask fell off for a second. I just snorted and ignored it. Of course, the savior of this dirtball filled with authoritarians who calls herself Empress is a psychopath. It’s just par for the course. “Now, shoo. I need to learn how to send a single stage orbiter up to dock with a low-earth station.”

Whoever designed the program, for some fucking reason, made it all touch and gesture based.

The keyboard exists, and shortcuts do too!

Use them instead of making everything touchbased, dammit!

…

Interlude: The Rising Heiress: Madelynn Harris

…

The Empress hid her heritage well, and some were fooled by the story of her being a soldier that rose from the ranks as a prototype and became the apex of humanity through trials and tribulations.

In truth, she is a gene-forged savior pulled from the finest stock of humanity. A carefully cultivated embryo that required an artificial womb to be born. And, after she was born, she was subjected to innumerable operations to enhance her further. A whole fleet of warships could have been constructed with the immense costs it took to create and forge her.

But the results were without question.

Once humanity barely had a foothold on our home planet.

A single arcology hidden beneath the ground, along with stations high above the Earth with automated mining facilities across the solar system sending materials our way.

Since she came forth, 145 years ago, we have fully taken two continents, established ourselves in our solar system, and increased our population over five hundred times.

We are now ten billion strong and set to continue growing.

All because of her ability to lead, to have the noble houses work together, and to bring hope into the hearts of our troops.

And, of course, tear practically any foe of humanity apart with her bare hands while being unperturbed by nearly any attack short of naval weaponry herself.

I was very aware of that fact as she sat across from me drinking tea demurely.

I knew why she was here, and I did not wish for her to be.

“OS-549 is a promising knight aspirant of House Harris.” I told her. “We have immense interests in his abilities and our plans for him will benefit all of humanity. It already has.”

“His worth to humanity is decided by me. Not you.” OS-549 described her as insufferably cheerful and always smiling. An annoyance that he rejected repeatedly. The Empress, that woman the spoke of, fit the image the woman he spoke to, which C-140 recorded and showed to me. That cheerful, peppy young woman was nowhere to be found now. Her voice was cold and dominating and precise. Every word meant to kill. “You are fortunate. Your house has thrown the lives of 19,304 children into battle and seen them die. 19,310 now. The one who has survived is somehow loyal to you and refuses my offered hand.”

The Empress has used her influence and power throughout the land. Many houses have been culled, and many laws passed since her creation. Her creators are long gone, their hold over her fleeting at best. She, standing at the apex of humanity, decided they were not trusted along with many houses. Those who do not abide by her law, by her word, perish.

Her words, quite plainly, told me she disliked our use of Operating Systems.

“We have operated within the standards that have been set. I see now that the is unpalatable to you, we will comply with your wishes immediately.” I bowed my head without hesitation. A hum left her lips after a moment. It felt like a sword was lifted from my neck. Without raising my head, I spoke again. “We will begin hiring mercenary groups for frontline combat, and all OS’s will be trained and educated and raised into defense forces.”

A single clap from gloves hands greeted my words, and the Empress stood from the seat I had offered her.

The faintest hint of a smile accented her next words, as if she were the tiniest bit pleased.

“As I cannot take him, I shall take your house instead. Fret not, so long as you comply, opportunities will be abundant for your household. You shall rise… so long as you abide by my will.” I kept my head bowed and showed not a hint of the bubbling frustration in my stomach. Some part of me wanted to rage at our stolen future, of our ambitions destroyed, and our plans deemed wrong and trodden upon. A smarter, calmer part of my mind told me that I had no choice in the matter the moment OS-549 was judged and found acceptable by the Empress. “Very good, Lady of House Hariss. I shall contact you again soon.”

With those words, she left and her gene-forged, power-armored guards all left… except for one.

One remained to ensure my word would be kept.

I let myself have one hollow laugh, before refocusing.

One path has closed, but I will take hold of the new one, and climb it with all my might.