Hilltop Skirmish - 1
The incident began right after the midterms for the second-years, which included the protagonist Rendell. It was a large-scale practical exercise that every second-year cadet had to participate in. The event was called the Hilltop Skirmish, where the grade was split into two massive teams to capture several strategic high points across the island.
While the first- and third-years had finished their exams and were enjoying their vacation—some taking short trips off the island—the second-years were stuck wearing training modules for days on end, which left most of them pretty disgruntled.
Just as Rendell’s performance was about to secure victory for his side near the end of the exercise, enemy craft suddenly appeared out of nowhere and launched an assault. It started with the second-year cadets’ units losing contact one by one during the drill. Soon, attacks broke out all across Allob Island—downtown Allob, the academy itself, and even other military installations.
In the end, Rendell, the CT Club members, the rest of the second-years, and the belated reinforcements from other grades and the military managed to repel the invaders. But the damage was far from light. Though it was never explicitly stated, there were rumors that some cadets had lost their lives.
Despite the severity of the casualties, they obtained almost no clues about the enemy. The craft had no identifiable markers, and every pilot recovered from the downed Aindiums was an unidentified individual who had committed suicide by poison.
*Beep-beep— Beep-beep—*
The sharp notification sound snapped me out of my long train of thought. I closed the bulletin board, straightened my school uniform tie, and rose from my chair.
“I’m heading out.”
“Mmm… Good luck on your test.”
Neria, who had finished all her exams yesterday, lay on her bed and saw me off. She said she planned to spend the entire week of vacation in the maintenance workshop. I had gently suggested going outside the island together, but she declined so strongly that I gave up. At least the maintenance lab had a shelter, so that was something.
Completely unaware of my worries, the pink-haired mechanic was already dozing off again shortly after. Must be nice.
I let out a small sigh and left the dormitory.
Today was the final day of midterms—the day of the pilot practical test.
Following the trembling voice of the novice operator, I gently shifted the Aindium’s torso slightly to the left.
*Bang—*
A tracer round from the single-shot rifle drew a long line as it sped forward. Whether it hit the target was still unknown. The field of view was low and the angle narrow.
This practical test involved shutting off the main camera and relying on the small camera mounted on the front of the cockpit, firing according to the operator’s instructions. I could now truly appreciate why the main camera was located in the head unit. Having your “eyes” on your chest meant an extremely low viewpoint, awkward arm positioning right beside you, and dizziness with even the slightest movement.
The unit I was piloting was an eight-meter Eind-class. Since I still hadn’t handed over the fake masterpiece or Dr. Carol’s research data, it wasn’t time to bring out the Black Fairy yet. And because Nimust-types were rarely mass-produced, there were no spares available. So I had no choice but to train and test in the smallest eight-meter Eind-class unit. Surprisingly, it handled quite well.
If I didn’t have Limpy, I probably would’ve been piloting an Eind-class all along.
Thankfully, my rough estimate had been on target. I immediately switched the selector to burst fire and kept pulling the trigger.
*Rat-tat-tat— Rat-tat-tat—*
After a few three-round bursts, the next target rose. This time I missed once before hitting. Considering the lack of the main camera, my accuracy was pretty decent. By the time I had turned three targets into Swiss cheese, I had only used a single forty-round magazine.
When the test ended and I stepped outside, the classmate who had served as my operator came running over, thanking me profusely with a touched expression. The operator was a smart girl from my class who wore thick glasses. Her name was Christine. There was even a time when her giving me a thumbs-up and saying “Not bad” had become a bit of a trend. It’s a fond memory now, but back then it was rather embarrassing.
“You’re really amazing, Luna!”
“R-really? Ehehe.”
“Absolutely. The other operators were all jealous when they heard I got paired with you for the practical.”
“Your instructions were good too. Since it was based on training rankings, we both benefited.”
I wrapped up the chatty conversation with Christine at an appropriate point, exchanged a high-five, then piloted the Aindium toward the next test site.
This time it was a breakthrough exam. It was the Aindium version of the equipment-assisted training we had done with our own bodies. However, unlike the previous test where I had nine teammates, this one had nine competitors.
Groans leaked from the comms at that last remark. It wasn’t as if there had only been one or two cadets who had been chewed out by the maintenance instructor in the last month and a half. I had never been in that situation since I could secretly ask Neria and Kirie for help if anything went wrong.
The ten Aindiums that had been spread out began sprinting across the urban-style training ground. Several of them showed quite good movement. I wondered if I could recruit them later to prepare for the upcoming attack.
I stood at the starting line and took a deep breath. Forgetting the attack that would happen in a few days and the battles that would follow in the original story, I focused solely on the battlefield before me.
*Ding—*
With the beep, I slammed the throttle to full. Since I was confident in my target accuracy, finding the targets came first, and getting in quickly was also important, so taking the lead was advantageous.
Where are the targets?
*Bang bang bang—*
Gunshots rang out in rapid succession from behind. Damn. The targets that had activated as I passed were being hunted down. Had I been too focused on what was ahead and missed them?
With three or four people now tied up on a single target, this was my chance to shake off those following me. I accelerated even harder and pushed deeper inside.
The total distance to the goal was two kilometers. There were supposedly quite a few targets along the way, so I could just take out whatever I saw while staying in front.
*Clack.*
A panel shaped like an Aindium suddenly rose on top of a building I was about to pass. I manipulated the lever and pedals, spinning in reverse to control my posture. Then I drew my rifle, fired a burst at the target, and immediately swung the muzzle to the side.
*Bang—*
The guys who had been following me and aiming for the targets that rose behind me scattered in surprise when bullets slammed into the ground at their feet.
I didn’t answer and continued along my original path. Since it was a test unit prepared separately, they wouldn’t know who I was unless I spoke.
After that, I advanced carefully while watching left and right. After destroying five targets, I maintained first place and kept running. I was only a few steps from the finish line when three Aindiums appeared from behind with suspicious movements.
The moment I turned around, they raised their rifles toward me.
“Tsk.”
I immediately stepped on the pedal and maneuvered sideways. A hail of bullets poured into the spot where I had just been standing. Even though they were training suppression rounds, getting hit by that many would probably wreck something.
The three who had been firing indiscriminately soon ran out of ammo. The moment their reload times overlapped, I burst out from the alley where I had been hiding and charged straight at them.
I could have just gone for the finish line, but if I got hit that hard, I wanted to pay them back just as hard to feel satisfied.
“Consider reload times when more than two gather!” I shouted as I rushed in. The startled trio tried to back away. Ignoring the one in front, I rammed my shoulder into the largest twelve-meter unit at the very back.
The one whose center of gravity had shifted backward as he tried to move his upper body fell flat on his rear.
“Stabilize your lower body first when maneuvering. Did you forget everything you learned?”
The other two, now completely flustered, were subdued without much resistance. “I’m sorry for the accidental friendly fire, but three of you ganging up on me is a bit much, don’t you think?”
“The targets look like Aindiums, so I got confused.”
Once they realized who I was, the kids became completely obedient. The rumor that the instructors were giving me special treatment had already spread like wildfire among the first-years. I had unintentionally become something of a celebrity.
“Yeah, I’m sorry too. So let’s call it even?”
I left the three fallen Aindiums behind and ran toward the goal. Only then did the other cadets who had been watching from afar swarm in and cross the finish line. In the end, those three came in last and had to retake the test.
The exams ended safely. I had relied on the original Lewina’s sharp mind for the theory portion, and my practical scores were all at the top of the grade. The conditions for joining the CT Club should be met now.
Then it was time to prepare for the Hilltop Skirmish attack, which was less than a week away.
Once midterms were over, first- and third-year cadets were given vacation. Instead of heading into town like the others or taking a boat back to the mainland, I climbed Fairy’s Hill.
Together with Neria.
“Luna. Are you really okay with me choosing weapons for Limpy?”
“Yeah. Can you do it within three days?”
“Three days? One day is plenty.”
Neria, who seemed to have flipped her switch after a long time, rolled up her sleeves and put on her goggles. The Limpid Fairy currently had no armaments at all. It was a completely unarmed Aindium, lacking even the most basic machine gun. Of course, that was only its current state—the weapon systems themselves were installed.
According to Unit 1, Dr. Carol had said she was someone who made Aindiums, not weapons, so she had barely done any weapon development. Therefore, the Aindiums she created usually used weapons developed elsewhere.
Choosing a weapon suitable for a Nimust-class Aindium that could fly through the sky was no easy task for a beginner, which was why I had brought along Neria, who had considerable expertise.
Neria examined Limpy’s weapon systems and exclaimed in admiration.
“After analyzing the mounted systems, it looks like it can use virtually any weapon. Physical constraints might be an issue, though.”
“What about the replica?”
“The masterpiece replica used commercial systems—and very old ones at that. Using newer ones would have given it away.”
“I see.”
They must not have had time to replicate the weapon systems as well. Still, since the Black Fairy had been fitted with newer systems, it probably wouldn’t be too inconvenient.
“Hmm. Limpy’s specialty is flying, right? Then how about this?”
Neria scrolled through the weapon list on her terminal and showed me one particular weapon.
“Whoa.”
“Huh?”
“Ah, no. It looks good.”
If I could use that weapon, I would be able to put up a decent fight even during the upcoming attack. Of course, it would require a lot of practice.
“There’s one in stock at the maintenance bay right now. Want to try it?”
“Yes! It’s already late today, so I’ll start training tomorrow.”
“Alright. I’ll check it out under the Black Fairy ID.”
“Can Black use it too?”
“Yeah. The output might be insufficient to fire while flying, though.”
Fortunately, there was no risk of my identity being exposed because of the weapon. With the weapon ready, next I needed to drop a subtle hint to the seniors. If I was too obvious, I might become suspicious, so I had to find a suitable excuse.
No matter how much I thought about it, nothing came to mind. Come to think of it, the more I tried to scheme, the worse things usually got. Maybe it would be better to casually let just one appropriate senior know.
That appropriate senior was none other than Rendell. He was the original protagonist and a second-year pilot cadet who would be a target of the attack. Above all, I felt a bit awkward with Senior Carson and Senior Muri, so approaching them first would look strange. In the end, Rendell was the only option.
I decided to meet him to encourage Rendell, who still hadn’t shown much protagonist-like behavior, and to give him a hint about the upcoming attack. Before training started on Monday—in other words, tomorrow or the day after.