Becoming a Pilot
Whiiiing— drrrdrrrdr— Hermann and I watched from the passageway as the mechanics tinkered with the Nexus cockpit. They yanked out the seat, repositioned the monitors and controls. The neural port specs didn't quite match, and with my tiny frame, these mods were unavoidable for any hope of smooth handling.
"You sure this'll work?"
"Yeah."
I gave a small nod and clammed up. In the end, I'd turned down Hermann's offer. Sure, it was a sweetheart deal—no family, no roots, and he was handing me a bed, food, even cash. All I had to do was run his missions. For a Nexus newbie like me, it was almost too good.
But.
That's exactly why I said no. Take on that much goodwill, and I'd end up mentally chained to him. You can swear it won't happen, but human hearts don't play fair. Good intentions or bad, once you're tangled, it's like quicksand—you sink without a fight. That's bonds for you.
"Don't like being tied down."
"If that's how you see it, can't argue."
"Not turning down everything, though."
If I hated strings attached, just make sure nothing stuck between us. Instead of a contract, we'd stick to straight merc-broker relations.
And... couldn't say no to covering the Nexus startup costs. Repairs, basic armaments—unavoidable. So I took just enough from Hermann to square that.
"I'll work off what you fronted... cough. Take the payout from jobs I finish, or hit me with personal gigs. Use me however."
"Thorough as ever."
Plus and minus, back to zero. No grudges left between us. Hermann eyed me quietly for a beat, then turned. I trailed after him, IV stand rattling behind.
Hermann dropped my first gig two weeks later.
"Wear this."
Right before the op, they handed over the finished pilot suit—custom-tailored to my size, way smaller than standard issue. Dull black all over. Holes in the back for neural port links. Thin fabric; hard to imagine it offering real protection. But hey, if they say it works...
Gonna be my daily wear from now on.
I tugged at the suit, wrestling it on, then soon panted my way to Hermann.
"Uh..."
"Problem?"
"Can you... help me into it?"
"......"
After some fumbling, I squeezed into the suit and hauled myself into the Nexus. Only then did the briefing kick off.
I skimmed the target intel Hermann beamed over. Olivia Bio Group research complex, leveled two months back by a Nexus raid. Looked like a brutal fight.
"Got it."
"...Yeah."
"Luck."
My ears burned a little as I settled in the cockpit, squirming for comfort. Hermann chimed in.
"Yeah, back soon."
Thud thud thud... The mobile hangar lifted slowly from the ground. I leaned back in the cockpit and dozed off.
Three hours later, the familiar hum jolted me awake at Hermann's ping.
Target close. I eased upright, glancing at my seat. Tiny pins had poked my back the whole nap—no real rest. Gulp.
First real Nexus run.
What would merging with this beast feel like? Deep breath. I aligned the backplate with the seat's neural port. Leaned in—click clack. Locked.
And then—flash.
My head exploded with light. I gripped the sticks hard on reflex.
"......!"
Mind expanding endlessly. Ears popping open, vision stretching—beeeep—
"Hah, heuk."
Fog in my skull vanished clean. Nexus sensors fed me the world like my own senses. Limbs quivering at the tips.
The world was this sharp?
Euphoria hit. Nothing like it before! What blurry hell had I been living in? Gasping in the high, Hermann cut in.
"Hah, yeah."
"F-fine. cough."
I reined in my pounding heart, focusing. View stayed cockpit-bound, but I felt every sensor feed. Creak creak. Loose grip on sticks—hands and feet touched cockpit gear, but I just knew how to move the Nexus right. No "how"—it just worked. Like flexing my own limbs.
I was the Nexus.
Drip. Something warm down my right cheek—blood.
Too hyped.
Following Hermann's advice, I fought to adapt, not drown. That's when I dropped from the hangar.
Thud!Shhhwaa—
Out of the tin can, world unfolded. Horizon swallowed by thick sunset clouds, painting everything alien hues. Target five klicks out.
No guards in sight. Cruised in cruise mode, eating distance fast. Whoooosh—
Solid.
Pilot safeguards fixed—no strain even at max accel. Mild pressure, that's it. Tested burst a few times—flawless.
Like a pup discovering legs, I bounced around testing when—site reached.
Quiet.
All ash and rubble. Who'd guess this was once a research hub? Deep breath. Time for my first job.
....
Whose bounty was this—someone's request, or Hermann's side hustle? He hadn't said, so no clue. Didn't matter anyway. Whoever wanted it, not my problem.
"Oh."
Scanning for more intact databases, something pinged. Dug through ash—two Laterano compact hand-cannons.
Short range, slow projectiles, but high damage and penetration. Decent for close quarters.
Melee main in games, I loved hand-cannons. Shook off dust, stowed 'em in the back module. Hummm—
Stood the Nexus, scanned around. Wreckage everywhere. Fierce battle.
Going this far... feels like pressure.
Probably Hermann's personal gig. Tailor-made for my spot. Worried about parts costs later? Plenty here.
Silent nudge to hustle harder for him? We'd agreed tit-for-tat, but he's forcing debt anyway. Custom job for me?
What's he gain from data grabs? Selling it?
What did Hermann really want? Why help me? Curious, but he wasn't spilling, so I wouldn't pry.
Kept at it.
"......?"
Then—camera caught something.
"Hermann, lights."
I'd reached the complex core. Massive crater punched underground. Everything should've been dead down there—but faint blue glow leaked from the depths.