"It's really embarrassing..."
Captain Shepard was lying on the railing on the second floor of the hangar, muttering.
In the battle with the Red Knights just now, the Osiris suffered more heavy losses than imagined. Two humanoid weapons of Team A were damaged, and the "Hundred Steps" sniper rifle was destroyed, not to mention that the ship's hull still had many battle scars.
Although there are some veterans on board the Osiris, most of them are new recruits. After the first actual battle, the preparation and maintenance were really unsatisfactory, and some people's legs are still shaking.
Captain Shepard sighed, took off his hat, shook it, put it back on, and issued an order through the microphone: "All combatants go to the combat conference room for a meeting, and the young man named Lin Ao will also come."
Lin Ao had just fired a shot, and he actually felt a little excited and a little scared. If you missed the shot at that time, it would be okay if you missed it, but it would be your own responsibility if you hit someone else.
Lin Ao, who was wandering in his mind, was pushed by Private Miao Haosi. Only then did he know that the captain wanted to go to the meeting himself. This feeling of being regarded as a crew member and soldier by others made Lin Ao very depressed.
After being taken to the combat conference room, Lin Ao looked at the people present nervously. They were all wearing Star Alliance military uniforms, so naturally they were all soldiers. He was like a duck in the henhouse, fidgeting and looking around. Others also heard about Lin Ao, and they all looked at Lin Ao with great interest, making him a little shy.
"stand up!"
Captain Shepard, who was different from usual, wore reading glasses. After gesturing for everyone to take a seat, he announced the start of the meeting.
"Through the battle just now, I discovered the shortcomings of the Osiris..."
Shepard stood up to speak at first. After a while, his feet became weak, and he sat down again to continue speaking.
Lin Ao sat in the back and understood a general idea of how to strengthen training in the future, look for local allies, and so on.
The meeting ended after an hour. Lin Ao just breathed a sigh of relief and wanted to leave but was stopped by Shepard.
"Young man, let me talk to you."
…
The captain's cabin of the Osiris is more stylishly decorated than other places in the ship, and it even has a refrigerator. Captain Shepard took out two pieces of cake from the refrigerator, handed one to Lin Ao, cut his own piece in half, and handed the other half to Lin Ao.
"I'm sorry...the doctor told me to only eat half a piece a week. If you don't mind, you can eat them all."
"Thank you, thank you for the hospitality."
Lin Ao couldn't remember the last time he ate cake or sweets. He scooped up a piece of cake with a spoon and put it into his mouth. He felt the cake melting on his tongue like a sweet cloud.
"This is so delicious!" The sweets made Lin Ao relax a lot.
Shepard nodded and ate his portion in two bites. He pushed the plate away with some disappointment and said to Lin Ao:
"Your name is Lin Ao, right? I am the captain of this ship, Shepard, the former commodore of the Star Alliance's 'Mycenae' Colonial Satellite Corps."
"H-Hello." This was the first time Lin Ao saw someone with such a high military rank.
"You're welcome, I want to ask you what your plans are for the future?"
Lin Ao was silent. He had thought about this problem but couldn't think of any clues.
"Since you have nowhere to go for the time being, how about working on my ship first? I will pay your wages."
"No, I'm not a warrior! It's okay if you let me cook..." Lin Ao waved his hand quickly.
Shepard looked at Lin Ao and said: "I don't think you look like a warrior, but these days don't pay attention to democracy and personal will. Besides, ordinary people are not guilty, but they are guilty. You are the one who can emit beams. Humanoid weapon pilot, do you know how many people are eyeing that machine? If you leave me, other people will come to you, and they may not be as polite as me."
"But I don't want to kill anyone..."
Captain Shepard turned his head and glanced at the photo he had placed on his desk, and said to Lin Ao: "Where are your family members? Are your parents still alive?"
"No...my mother died of illness, and my father was killed by HER..."
"It is true that some people cannot avenge themselves even if their loved ones are killed. But children, HER's claws will not let anyone go. Without anyone to stand up and fight against them, more and more children will become like you. Same…"
Speaking of this, Lin Ao had tears in his eyes and held his pants tightly with both hands.
"...It is also for your own good that you become the pilot of this ship. At least you can learn how to protect yourself and others..."
"Then when everyone (refugees) disembarks, can I leave too?"
Shepard shook his head and said, "For their own good, you should stay on the ship."
Lin Ao left the captain's room disappointed, and he planned to meet the refugees.
After watching Lin Ao leave, Shepard rubbed his forehead and said, "I'm not suitable to push a young man like this..."
…
"Does the captain want you to stay?"
Lin Ao met the refugees, and an elder among the refugees spoke before he could speak.
"Yes...he wants me to be the humanoid weapon pilot of this ship."
A woman came over and put her hand on his shoulder and said:
"Lin Ao, your parents are good people, and you are just like our children. But maybe this is fate. Bashar sacrificed himself to save you. You should live up to his heroic spirit!"
The hand on Lin Ao's shoulder was extremely heavy, and Lin Ao nodded helplessly.
…
In the hangar, Sergeant Anton and Technician Armstrong were talking to the AI of Unit 2, hoping to learn more information about Unit 2.
"...So, from now on you can call this machine No. 2, or 'Chongda', but don't call it 'horned one' again." The AI's tone sounded like a teacher lecturing a student.
"Chongda? Why is it called such a name?"
"In ancient China, there was a man who was good at swordsmanship called 'Chongda'. Because this machine is characterized by carrying multiple humanoid weapons for melee combat, the developers used 'Chongda' to call the No. 2 machine. In fact, it is famous There are many swordsmen, but there are always some who like to show off that they know some unpopular things. Also, the name of this AI, 'Thoth', comes from the ancient Egyptian god of wisdom."
"You said this machine is characterized by carrying multiple melee weapons, but I only found the handles of four laser knives?"
"That's because there are still some weapons being developed by the Moore Chamber of Commerce. If you can talk to them, they might bring weapons over."
"Are the other models developed by the Moore Chamber of Commerce the same as this one? How many units does one have?"
"There are ten units in total. The general development code is 'Ten Swords', and 'Chongda' is its second unit. The 'Ten Swords' are all test machines, and each unit has different test content. The No. 1 unit is a series The first one, the test project is whether humanoid weapons can use laser weapons. The second machine is to test laser melee weapons, and it is also the only one equipped with auxiliary AI functions."
"What about other models?"
"The characteristics of other models are confidential for the time being, but if you live long, you may encounter them on the battlefield."
"I really want to get to know the person who set you up with this kind of personality..."
"If you don't die over time, we will become friends."
"Forget it, I'm not lonely enough to need an AI as a friend. But I want to know if the Moore Chamber of Commerce that developed you can gain insight into the situation of the Osiris through you?"
"Don't worry, don't worry, I am completely closed unless you let me connect to the Internet. And the system permissions do not allow me to copy myself online. I have to accompany this machine to rust."
"How should I trust you?"
"Well, let me tell you some information, although this information has no value to me. The No. 2 machine was originally intended to be delivered to HER. It was stolen by the refugee guerrillas and appeared on this ship. "
"Moir Chamber of Commerce wants to hand over this machine to HER? Are they going to help the evildoers!"
"Not only HER, the Star Alliance and other forces also received one. The Moore Chamber of Commerce gave six machines to the six major forces in the name of holding a secret meeting."
"You're saying that the Moore Chamber of Commerce deliberately gave each force the latest machine body? For what reason?"
"I don't know, I didn't say anything."
After AI Toth told half of the information, he kept silent again. Sergeant Anton scratched his head and said: "Now we have an AI on board with shady origins, probably a spy, and an uncooperative rookie pilot!"
