Chapter 133: Evil Female Executive ~The Only One in This World~ (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 133: Evil Female Executive ~The Only One in This World~ (3)
Bioroids are a vital resource in Spacetro’s invasion activities. Moving a massive fleet consumes an astronomical amount of energy, so stealth aircraft—which use relatively little energy—are sent ahead of time to visit the target planet and secure the genetic data of its inhabitants.
The invasion preparations involve a long series of processes, such as monitoring the growth of the Bioroids and analyzing the environment of the target planet and the DNA structure of its people.
Just as there are many types of planets, there are countless types of planetary inhabitants. Bioroids are born to match them, and those based on inhabitants with special abilities are often born with powers even greater than the originals.
For instance, the 6th Fleet’s Aviation Corps once handled the training of a Bioroid other than Lloyd; that particular Bioroid had the ability to breathe fire or generate flames from its body.
After completing the final stage of training through various processes, a Bioroid is finally treated as a human being rather than just a biological construct.
However, because of their diverse appearances and numerous unique traits, it was difficult to lump them all into the category of "human." Since they had to be distinguished genetically, Bioroids who completed all stages of training came to be called "Kaijin."
The name implies a human with strange and special abilities, but they are not treated differently from ordinary humans. Of course, there are those who are wary of Kaijin, but as their numbers and varieties have grown, the eyes of discrimination have gradually begun to disappear.
Ultimately, the creation of a Bioroid means someone must put effort into their training. The fact that a Bioroid is currently undergoing training signifies that one of Spacetro’s many fleets will soon commence invasion activities.
While the fleet in charge of education isn't necessarily the one launching the invasion, they couldn't help but feel the tension.
"Another weird thing has arrived."
Entering the hangar, A frowned as he looked up at a tall, bipedal robot.
"They say it's a new model. Apparently, it was built specifically for Bioroid use."
"Dammit, if it's for Bioroids, they should leave it to the specialists. Why dump it here?"
A vented his frustration after hearing Theo, who was calmly reading the manual for the newly arrived robot. While robots performed most of the repairs and programming adjustments in the aviation hangar, that didn't mean the engineers had nothing to do.
The engineers had to identify what needed adjusting beforehand and input those instructions into the robots to carry out the work. Naturally, the adjustment phase was a massive headache, often leading to literal migraines, so A was always on edge during a job.
It wasn't that the other engineers weren't sensitive, but A, who felt the need to ensure everything was handled perfectly and held a position of significant responsibility, was pricklier than most.
"Roy said last week that the Bioroids were coming. This must be for them."
A, who had completely forgotten what Roy said during their meal last week, sighed as the memory finally resurfaced.
"What about the calibration?"
"It's probably just on default settings."
"Which means we have to do it from scratch."
The engineer team consists of about ten people, and one team is responsible for roughly thirty fighters. They already had plenty to manage and maintain, so the arrival of new equipment made A rub his throbbing temples in irritation.
"Let's get started."
Though he sighed, he had a job to do. A and Theo took a small elevator up to the cockpit, located in the chest of the thirty-meter-tall bipedal robot.
"Being new is nice, at least."
Theo let out an admiring whistle at the clean cockpit. A sat in the pilot's seat and pulled out the keyboard to adjust the programming. Soon, a hologram appeared, and countless lines of code scrolled up. A scanned the rapidly moving screen.
"So, when are the Bioroids getting here?"
The arrival of new equipment meant the Bioroids who would operate this robot would arrive soon. A asked Theo, who was inspecting the interior in front of him, while keeping his eyes glued to the holographic monitor. Theo shrugged.
"Who knows? Probably soon. The procedures and ceremonies are for the big shots to handle; we just wait until they tell us."
"If they come here and act like assholes, I'm breaking their heads."
"Breaking heads" was a common phrase for A, who always carried a wrench. Theo just chuckled aimlessly, seeing him say it out of habit.
"Check the equipment modules, set the program, and check the joints... actually, I'll handle the settings. You just check the joints."
"Got it. Tell me when the settings are done. I'll check them then. I'll look over the modules in the meantime."
"Right."
As they discussed the work, A began the programming adjustments while Theo continued to inspect the internal systems. Since the interior differed from a fighter jet, there was a lot to figure out. Whenever he saw something unfamiliar, he immediately flipped through the manual.
While the two were deep in their work, a voice echoed through the quiet hangar.
"Is anyone here?"
"Huh?"
Startled by the unfamiliar voice, A and Theo locked eyes. Theo, who was near the entrance, stepped onto the platform in front of the cockpit and looked down.
"Who is it?"
About thirty meters below, a man in a uniform was looking around the hangar. When Theo shouted to identify him, the man looked up at him.
"Are you the one in charge here?"
"I'm the engineer on duty. Outsiders aren't allowed in here without permission. Who are you?"
"Don't you people even clean this place properly? Equipment is scattered everywhere."
Seeing the man ignore his question and just say what he wanted, Theo instinctively knew this wasn't someone of the same soldier rank as himself.
He didn't like the man's attitude, but identifying him was the priority. Just as he was about to speak again, A, who had been sitting in the cockpit, stepped out.
"Hey, you son of a bitch!"
A, who had already been scowling, shouted at the top of his lungs. Theo, who had been trying to be polite despite the man's unpleasant attitude, sighed and looked at A standing beside him.
"Wh-What?!"
The man was flustered, unable to find words after the sudden profanity.
"We're in the middle of working, and you just crawl in here to talk shit? Didn't you hear what he said? No outsiders allowed, you bastard!"
"You! Do you have any idea who I am, talking to me like that?!"
The man raised his voice in response to the rapid-fire insults. A's neck veins bulged.
"I don't care! Do you know who I am?! I don't give a damn who the hell you are; you can't come in here without permission!"
"The person in charge! Get the person in charge out here!"
Theo sighed as he watched the man throw a fit at A's words. A pulled the wrench out of his pocket and jumped straight down.
The man watched A leap from the height without hesitation, then looked up at him as A landed right in front of him with a loud thud.
A looked down at the man, who was about half a head shorter than him, and tapped the man's shoulder with his wrench. His brow was furrowed so deeply there wasn't a single gap as he glared.
"It's me, you prick."
"What?"
"I am A, the Engineer Lead and General Team Leader for Hangar 1, 54th Aviation Corps, 1st Mothership, Damocles Class, 6th Fleet. And who the hell are you, you bastard?"
In Spacetro's hierarchy, there are differences between ranks, but no seniority exists within the same rank. Whether you are a common soldier or a high-ranking executive, if you are the same rank, you are on equal footing regardless of when you enlisted.
However, that didn't mean there were no differences in their duties. Even among soldiers, some handled menial tasks while others held vital positions within a specific department.
A, Theo, and Kruger—who wasn't present—were all soldiers of the same rank, but unlike Theo and Kruger, A served as the Team Leader of the engineering team they belonged to.
In other words, in the absence of a direct superior, A, who held a key position in the aviation hangar, possessed the greatest authority.
"Weren't you ever taught to salute when a superior arrives?! You should be able to tell just by my uniform that I outrank you!"
As the man said, he was wearing a different uniform from a common soldier. Spacetro military uniforms are designed so that rank differences are visible at a glance.
The uniform he wore was for a rank higher than common soldiers like A or Theo—an officer's uniform. There was nothing wrong with the man's claim that he was a superior. However...
"So what?"
"What?"
"I know you're a superior, but what do you want me to do about it?"
The man was speechless at A's brazen attitude despite knowing his rank. A continued.
"Even the Aviation Commander listens to me in this hangar. Why should I listen to some nameless superior from another department coming in here to meddle?"
As A said, even Esmeralda, the Commander of the 54th Aviation Corps, prioritized A's words and instructions within the hangar.
Esmeralda, who sat in the command center, deferred to A because he was the expert who moved the team on the ground.
More than anything, it was because Esmeralda trusted A's abilities. She was well aware that A often acted aggressively in the hangar.
However, she knew that A's outbursts usually happened in situations where safety accidents could occur, and that his actions were meant to prevent them. Therefore, she never disciplined him for it.
"You don't have an authorized permit, and we haven't heard anything. Looking at the situation right now, anyone would see you as an outsider trespassing. Between my words and yours, which of us is telling the truth?"
A, who became sensitive while working, was extremely concerned about unauthorized entry. He wouldn't hesitate to curse out fellow engineers or pilots who frequented the hangar if they acted carelessly. There was no way he would quietly tolerate a stranger walking in and complaining about the cleaning.
Just then, Theo, who had taken the elevator down at his leisure, patted A on the shoulder.
"I know you're pissed, but calm down, man."
Theo stepped in front of A and spoke to the man, who stood there stunned, unable to find a rebuttal to A's words.
"You cannot enter the hangar without an entry permit."
"Wh-What are you talking about?! I scanned my ID and entered legitimately!"
Having regained some momentum after hearing Theo's less threatening tone, the man pulled his ID from his pocket. It was a Spacetro military ID with his name and affiliation. Theo looked at the ID and sighed.
"I've confirmed that your ID has gate clearance. However, a military ID and a hangar entry permit are two completely different things. Just because you have the key to someone else's house doesn't mean you're allowed to just walk in, right?"
The man was silenced once again by Theo's words, delivered with a smirk.
"Depending on the situation, we will take measures for forced eviction. I won't make this long, so would you please leave the hangar now?"
As mentioned before, A became extremely sensitive while working, and while the others weren't quite as bad, they were still considerably more high-strung in the hangar compared to their usual selves.
The man thought Theo was speaking kindly compared to A, but he was struck dumb again by the sharp edge in Theo's tone.
Tension hung heavy in the hangar air. It was broken by the next people to enter.
"Ah, here you are."
A woman in uniform entered the hangar. As soon as A and Theo saw her, they snapped into a crisp salute. It was none other than the Commander of the 54th Aviation Corps, Esmeralda.
"Greetings, Commander."
"At ease. Sir Baltor, even if you are a 'Sir,' you cannot enter the hangar without a permit."
Esmeralda, who accepted their salute with a relaxed smile, handed a hangar entry permit to the man she called Sir Baltor—the man who, until a moment ago, had been unable to say a word against A and Theo's pressure.
"Co-Commander Esmeralda! Even so, I am the one in charge, and I came to inspect the equipment. Isn't the attitude of these soldiers far too rude?"
Regaining his confidence now that a superior officer had arrived, the man raised his voice, forgetting to even take the permit she was holding out.
Esmeralda listened to him without any change in expression, then looked at A and Theo.
Seeing Theo shrug and A wearing a face that said he had done nothing wrong, Esmeralda grasped the situation and patted Baltor on the shoulder.
"Haha. These two are just doing their duty of managing the hangar. It's not wrong of them to stop someone without a permit from entering."
Baltor was speechless once again. A took the permit Esmeralda was still holding and shoved it firmly into Baltor's hand.
"Please make sure to bring your permit next time. Sir. Bal. Tor."
Still disliking the man, A spoke through gritted teeth as if giving a warning. Baltor gripped the permit tightly and glared at A with eyes full of resentment.
"Since you've met, I'll introduce you. This is Sir Baltor. He's from the 21st Fleet and is the record keeper for the Bioroids coming here for training. And one of those Bioroids has been assigned to the Hangar 1 engineering team."
A, who already found managing the new equipment a chore, couldn't fix his expression upon hearing that the engineering team would once again be responsible for Bioroid education.