Being pushed down the corridor in a wheelchair by Harry, I found myself humming a tune I'd picked up from Traveler. A strange melody—slow, powerful huffs that carried the weight of something ancient. Perhaps that was what drew the attention of passing crew members, but their gazes weren't just curiosity. There was something else. Something more... respectful.
The moment we entered the engineering bay, I was struck by the sheer chaos of it. Sparks rained from overhead, workers rushed between stations, tools clattering against metal as they shouted over the noise.
"So this is what an engineering bay looks like?" I murmured, awestruck.
"Huh?" Harry sounded almost incredulous as he pushed me past a row of fighter-class ships. "You've never seen anything like a car workshop before? It's not much different."
"I've only ever seen a small handicraft table," I admitted, watching a group of engineers huddled around an exposed engine. "I'm an Artificial Knight Pilot, after all. Just a few months ago, the only world I knew was the training facility, the forest mountain, and the military base."
At my words, Harry fell silent, likely realizing his misstep. But I didn't particularly care.
As we passed the other Knights belonging to the pilots I'd saved, I couldn't help but notice the modifications they'd already made since the Knighthood Test—colour changes, additional armour plating, new weapons. The third Knight we passed had a newly installed sonic field generator.
"How does this even work?"
A sharp cry of frustration drew my attention. A woman stood before Andromeda, arms flailing as she scowled at my Knight.
"The couplings are too loose!" she snapped. "If they stay like that, your whole chassis will fall apart!"
Andromeda, unphased, responded in his usual calm but direct manner.
[That is what the soldered tungsten is required to counteract, Engineer Havet. Without adequate ventilation to expel the heat from my Constellation Drive and cold-fusion core activation, my body will function at 90% below optimal levels. This would result in roasting my pilot alive, even with cockpit heat shielding. The pilot's safety is a paramount protocol.]
"No! I can improve you! Just let me—hey! No! Give that back!"
The woman lunged for a drill, only for Andromeda to snatch it away, holding it out of her reach like an annoyed parent keeping a toy from a tantrum-prone child.
"I will scrap you if you don't give that back!" she threatened.
"I'm not sure the pilot would be too fond of that," Harry spoke up, drawing both Andromeda's and the engineer's attention to me, still quietly observing from the wheelchair.
[Pilot, you should be resting in bed.]
Andromeda's protective nature kicked in immediately, his massive hand reaching across from his bay in an attempt to grab me—only to be stopped by the chains restraining him.
[Cannot visually acquire, pilot.]
I rolled the wheelchair forward slightly and placed both hands over his massive metal fingers, squeezing them tightly. "I couldn't just lie in bed knowing you were injured too. How bad is it?"
Andromeda calculated the answer before responding, his voice even but burdened with the weight of damage reports.
[Multiple spirit wires burst. Three of fifteen heat dampeners melted. Gyroscopic balance systems destroyed. Armor integrity reduced to 15%. Many internal systems compromised. The battle with the mutated KnightMare incurred more severe consequences than initially estimated.]
I glanced down at the bandages wrapped around my own arms, then offered him a small, weary smile. "Seems like we both could use a little more rest, Andy. How are the engineers treating you?"
Andromeda pulled his hand away and returned to the centre of his bay.
[Engineer Havet has been adamant in trying to understand my systems but refuses to follow repair protocols. I request the pilot rest quickly so you may take over my reconstruction.]
"Oi!" Havet, still furious, suddenly hurled a wrench, striking Andromeda's head with a loud metallic clang.
I instantly bristled. "You hurt Andy..."
Pushing against the arms of the wheelchair, I tried to stand—only for Harry to step in. In a swift motion, he grabbed Havet by the collar and forced her onto her knees before me.
"Harry?" I questioned.
"Under Section Two, Page Nineteen of the Knight and Pilot Service Policy," Harry stated coolly, keeping Havet restrained, "any disrespect to a Constellation Knight during repairs is to be punished at the pilot's discretion. What would you like to do?"
"Hang on! Hang on! Hang on!" A man with a round belly, dressed in an engineer's uniform, came rushing over, his face a mix of exasperation and panic. "Blasted girl! I told you to stop thinking you know better!" He bowed slightly in my direction. "Apologies for sullying your Knight, Star Pilot. We're swamped with work right now, and I had no choice but to leave Havet on her own. Could you overlook it this once?"
His pleading tone sparked a memory—something Traveler had once told me.
"What do you do when someone insults or harms you but you can't kill them?" I asked.
"What kind of high school romance books are you reading?" Traveller shot back only grinning to my dismay. "Well, there's the boring way—just reprimanding them. Or there's the fun way—punishing them so thoroughly it changes their entire personality. Burying them alive or making them eat their own shoes smeared in hot sauce are fun ideas. Get creative."
Returning to the present, I made my decision.
"As punishment... you will eat your own shoe. Covered in hot sauce."
"Hah?!?" Havet's face twisted in horror. Meanwhile, the chief engineer struggled to contain his laughter, and Harry simply stared at me, baffled.
Did I make it too light of a punishment? I wondered.
Then, with a sudden burst of laughter, the chief engineer clapped his hands together.
"PAHAHA!! Now that's a mighty fine punishment! Hey, Tony! Get your hot sauces and a bowl of boiled water!"
From atop a ladder, a man immediately hopped down and ran out of the repair bay.
Havet tried to get up in protest. "Wait! I'm not actually going to—"
"Shut it, brat." The chief engineer cut her off. "Be grateful you're not losing an arm."
Sulking, Havet slumped back onto her knees.
"Thank you for your mercy, Star Pilot," the chief said with a slight smirk. "I'll make sure to 're-educate' her after she carries out her punishment. I'm Chief Mechanic Tribiwi, in charge of Knight maintenance and ship repairs."
"Ah... uh." I stammered, struggling to figure out what to say. "L-let's just make sure no one damages Andy further, please, Chief Tribiwi."
For some reason, I got the distinct feeling that every man in the room had the same collective thought about me. Cute.
"You're quite devoted to him, aren't you?" Chief Tribiwi stepped onto the repair platform, walking into Andromeda's bay while Harry stood back behind my wheelchair. "I've heard the bond between a Constellation Knight and its pilot is ten times stronger than that of a regular Knight and its operator. Seeing how much you two care for each other, that must be true."
He picked up a socket drill and started fastening some of Andromeda's armour plating onto his already-repaired waist. "I'll try to get this bucket patched up as quickly as possible. You're welcome to check in whenever you can, missy."
Before I could respond, I caught Harry muttering into his radio. Then I said, "Thank you, Chief Tribiwi. I'm uh... not sure what I'd do without Andy. We'll leave now so we don't distract you any longer."
"A shame." A voice called out from above.
Looking up, I spotted one of the engineers lounging on a beam. "Sure you don't want to stay and watch Havet's punishment? It was your idea, after all."
"Pilot Firefly has been summoned, so I'm afraid we need to go." Harry didn't hesitate, gripping the handles of my wheelchair and pushing me toward the exit. "Send me a video later!"
As we left the engineering and repair bay, I turned my head slightly. "Where are we going?"
"Meeting room. All pilots have been summoned. You as well." His tone was urgent as he guided me into an elevator.
As the lift hummed upward, I pressed further. "What's happened?"
"Don't know. Captain Guvec just said to get to the bridge as quickly as we can."
That set me on edge. Guvec was usually laid-back in the short time I'd known him—until the battle where we exterminated the pirates. If he was calling a sudden meeting like this, it couldn't be anything good.
When we finally reached the bridge, Harry pushed me into the room where five other surviving pilots from the Sorfex evacuation were already waiting. Captain Guvec watched as I arrived, then gave a casual nod.
"Ah, you're here. At ease. While what I'm about to divulge is serious, it's nothing you need to fret over. You can stop panicking now, Pilot Firefly."
I pursed my lips, recognizing his teasing.
"What's the mission, sir?" One of the fellow pilots asked.
"No mission. Just a short brief." Guvec tapped the holo-table, bringing up an audio file. "Listen to this and tell me your thoughts."
At another tap, the black screen flickered, and a voice—nerdy, precise—echoed through the room.
"Greetings, patrol cruiser Saint of Paradigm. This is Head Scientist of the Enemy Analysis Division, Doctor Yurbert Gang'Stru. In your latest battle report, which has just crossed my desk, I have learned that you have successfully acquired an intact body of an estimated 5.0-magnitude mutated KnightMare. As of this moment, the Harmonic Pack battalion is en route to collect the corpse at Epsilon Outpost. Please follow the instructions below to preserve it."
Guvec fast-forwarded through a long-winded section. "This guy blabbed for thirty minutes on what to do, but that's not important. Here."
*"-Once the cryogenics are in place, no further action is required. But, uh, I heard the Knights took quite a beating while procuring the specimen. Especially Constellation Knight Andromeda and their pilot. As thanks—considering how difficult it is to secure such a high-value product—all medical requirements and repairs for all the Knights, along with some upgrades once the Harmonic Pack battalion picks up the package at Epsilon Station, will be provided at my expense. Additionally, extra merits will be awarded. Glory to the Empress, soldiers."*
The message clicked off.
Guvec leaned on the table. "So, what do you guys think? Pretty good haul for a bunch of greenhorn pilots, if you ask me."
The others shared looks. Murmurs followed.
"This feels shallow."
"We didn't even do anything."
"We're weak."
I wanted to say something—maybe offer comfort—but I hesitated. Wouldn't that be hypocritical? The only reason I even won against the KnightMare was because Andromeda had already been heavily modified before I became his pilot. It wasn't truly my achievement.
"What do you think, Pilot Firefly?" Guvec suddenly put me on the spot. "You think these poor excuses for soldiers are worthy of the title 'pilot'? Unlike them, you actually succeeded in the mission."
"Uh, w-well..." I floundered, then just started talking. "M-maybe there was still a chance you could've pulled through without us. However, thanks to Lieutenant-Colonel Drig making a wise decision to evacuate, I was able to secure this boon despite the cost. Even after you failed to hold the front line." I gulped. "A-also! Had you not been pressing the Dream Swarm so hard, the first KnightMare would've never come out, making it *easier* to lure a more dangerous Dream Swarm species onto the battlefield..." I trailed off, suddenly self-conscious. "Sorry if I offended any of you."
Guvec smirked. "Pilot Firefly is right. KnightMares—or LucidTails—never take the field unless the Dream Swarm suffers catastrophic losses. It just goes to show your squad was that effective in combat. Now, rather than feeling sorry for yourselves, be grateful Firefly saved your asses and granted you an opportunity to improve early in your careers. The merits that egghead is rewarding you with are enough for some heavy weaponry upgrades."
"The Captain's right," Harry added. "Our squad lead is dead. Along with three more of our members. We can't just stand still. We already learned in the training facility that idleness is death. Let's keep going and remember our fallen for the rest of our lives... for however long we have before we meet them again in the afterlife."
"You got a point."
"It was thanks to Harry, too, that the rest of us are even still alive," one of the female pilots added. "Our squad lead was so hung up on our talent ranks, he nearly got us all killed. So much for the 45th rank. He died first."
"All in favour of making Harry the new squad leader?" One of them raised his hand, and everyone followed, including me. "Take care of us, leader. Hehe~."
"You guys—"
"Alright, dismissed," Guvec cut in. "I don't want your tears on my war table. Make sure your Knights are being repaired properly and man up, ladies. Firefly, stay back for a second."
As the others filtered out, I remained in my wheelchair, watching as Guvec regarded me.
"Little bit of advice for you to think over," he said. "While it's good to be empathetic to your fellow soldiers, I shouldn't have to remind you that you're in a different league than them."
I blinked, confused. "What... do you mean?"
"You're the pilot of a Constellation Knight. Have a little pride, even with how pathetic you currently look." He grinned, earning chuckles from nearby officers. "Solidarity is important, aye, but if they start thinking they can take advantage of you, that creates a weak link." His tone darkened. "And I will not tolerate weak links in my military. Do you understand, Second Lieutenant?"
"I-I'm sorry, I just... didn't want to diminish them too much—"
A hand landed on my head. "I realized this when we first met, but you really do lack an evil side. It's eye-opening how innocent you still are," Guvec muttered playfully.
Feeling slightly sulky, I responded, "Well, I am only seven years old, truthfully, Captain."
"Guess that's a good enough reason." He removed his hand from my head, then perched himself on the edge of the war table beside me. "Most of the seven-year-olds I knew were raging little shits, though. Past AKPs were incredibly bloodthirsty under my command."
"I'll do what I can to change that, sir," I said with a light smile. "Though I'm afraid I might disappoint you... I am a defective AKP, after all."
"Don't." Guvec's tone sharpened, catching me off guard. "The military needs cruelty in war, but it also needs kindness to clean the gears from time to time. If nothing else, even a barrack bunny has its uses." His eyes softened—just a fraction. "Defect or not, I'll admit... you're my favourite AKP. Just grow a spine and stand up for yourself, Lieutenant. Or at least half of one. That's an order."
I wasn't entirely sure how to grow a spine, but I appreciated his words. "Thank you, Captain. I'll try my best."
"Yuh huh." He waved me off lazily as he stood, heading back toward the helm. "You're dismissed. Return to the infirmary and rest up—we still have a few days until we reach the outpost. And I imagine Specs will have a lot of questions for you."