Chapter 41

　　Kal`s Exosuit made a keening wail as he pushed his speed to its limits. Ahead of him, Talha ran with a practiced ease that he envied. She wore a suit designed for velocity and agility, sacrificing protection for increased mobility.

　　Still, despite her speed advantages, Kal stayed close on her heels.

　　Coming to a vast gorge, they leapt the gap, their enhanced limbs easily carrying them across. Kal rolled on impact, maintaining momentum as they weaved around a forested area on the far side. Their charge scared a flight of birds from the treetops, filling the surroundings with the sounds of their cries.

　　"Keeping up?" Talha taunted, her voice tinny and mechanical through his suit`s communication system. He responded with a final burst of speed, pushing past his limits as he burst through the tree line into an extensive clearing.

　　She laughed as she joined him, standing on the grassy plain and taking in the surroundings.

　　They practiced in Caledon`s southern hemisphere, an area that had once been farmland but had been left to fallow for centuries as the population dropped and farmers migrated to the larger city centers.

　　Tamara had finally determined that it was time for Kal to train in an Exosuit in the real world, declaring him competent enough not to kill himself after mastering the suit in the VR game world. It had only taken him a few days to adjust, his skills quickly transferring to reality.

　　It helped that he wore the same Achilles` variant that he had in the game.

　　"How does it feel?" Talha asked, turning away from the environs and sizing up the man beside her. The black Achilles` suit enhanced Kal`s height, pushing him past nine feet tall. Keeping the plain and unadorned appearance he preferred, Kal was nonetheless an intimidating sight in the armour.

　　"Good, I barely notice I`m wearing it," Kal responded.

　　"How`s the lag`?" Talha wondered. It had only been a month since he first donned an Exosuit in the VR world. For most Pilots, it could take years before they mastered one system and could move on to the next.

　　"Non-existent," Kal stated, raising his hands and squeezing his fingers into a fist.

　　When he started training, it could take nearly a second from thinking about an action to the suit responding. That time had slowly reduced until there was no delay. As he had said, he barely noticed the Exosuit at all. It had become a part of him, demonstrating his mastery of its systems.

　　"That`s almost unbelievable. It took me six months in VR and another three in reality before I could say the same." Talha muttered, shaking her head at his fast progress.

　　"Noble genetics," Kal replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

　　Most of the time, he wasn`t aware of the gap between normal` people and himself, that divide separating an unenhanced citizen from the genetically cultivated and improved Nobility. It was almost as if they were entirely different species at times.

　　"Your genes are meaningless if you don`t have the drive to succeed," Talha stated. With a push of her legs against the ground, she launched herself at Kal, her right fist swinging towards his helmeted head.

　　Accustomed to the fiery redhead`s preference for ambushes and unexpected attacks, Kal was already on the defensive. Rather than retreat, he stepped forward, his armoured arm raised to block her strike. Her fist hit him with a dull thud, the cushioning gel in the suit`s interior absorbing the force.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

　　"I only have ambition. It`s one of the few things that stayed with me through stasis." Kal responded, sweeping his right leg forward in an attempt to knock Talha off balance.

　　Not one to wait for an opponent to attack, she sprang off the ground, his leg passing under her, before kicking out with both of her own, hitting him directly in the chest.

　　The blow pushed Kal backwards, his feet digging two long furrows into the soft ground. Talha flipped back after striking, landing on her two feet and cocking her head sideways playfully. Kal couldn`t see her face through her helmet, but he could picture that cocky grin she wore clearly in his mind.

　　"You fight pretty well for an old man. I`d swear you weren`t a day over four hundred." Talha teased, sprinting forward to tackle him. Kal sidestepped, hooking the young woman by the arm and tossing her away. She rolled across the ground before planting her hand on the grass and flipping herself upright.

　　"Are you finished, or do you want me to kick you around this field some more?" Kal asked.

　　"Good luck, you`re too old and slow!" Talha taunted, punctuating her comment with a renewed assault.

　　The sun slowly travelled across the blue sky, the warm summer`s day ending with the pair exhausted, covered in dirt and tufts of grass. The field around them was torn up, and several nearby trees had been toppled by an errant body flung into them.

　　"Do I pass?" Kal inquired, sitting on a large boulder and watching Talha as she had her helmet in her hands, fiddling with a stubborn piece of dirt that had become wedged into the side during their brawl.

　　"You`re adequate. You should be able to pass the exam to reach Light Class. Do you have the in-game credits to purchase one?" Talha asked, pulling out a small knife and trying to work the dirt free.

　　"Barely. There`s an old Junker on sale that I can cover if I trade in my Achilles.` It`s nothing extravagant, but I`ll make do." Kal replied.

　　"Junker? What kind?" Talha queried, finally removing the dirt with a slight, satisfied exclamation. Satisfied, she tucked the helmet under her arm and joined him on the rock. Her Exosuit was thin and lithe, black and red in the colour of House Caledon.

　　"A Golem`? I`ve never heard of it before. Here, I`ll send you the details." Kal replied. His helmet acted as both a HUD and a datapad. With a combination of eye movements, the neural link and hand gestures, he could even navigate the Imperial Net.

　　Pulling up the information from his VR Game account, he sent it to Talha with a swipe of his hand. After replacing her helmet, the suit made a slight hiss` sound as it locked in place. Talha reviewed the data he had sent. It showed as a holo, like a digital screen, in front of her eyes.

　　The Golem` light class well deserved the name Junker.` It was rust-covered, its metallic surface a reddish brown and pitted. Giant and humanoid, it had a large autocannon on its right shoulder connected to an ammo pack on its back.

　　It reached nearly thirty feet tall, making it one of the largest Mechs in the Light Class.` Its basic design and lack of features prevented it from obtaining a Medium` classification.

　　This variant lacked any of the high-energy weapons common to other Mechs, relying on ballistic ammunition. Accompanying the Autocannon was a small, wrist-mounted machine gun that would be useless against other Mechs but capable of clearing out ground infantry if required.

　　Not impressed by what she saw, Talha read through the description of the image Kal had transferred to her.

　　Xantherion Industries Light Mech Golem`

　　This model saw heavy action during the AI Machine Wars` and was amongst the first generation of Mechs to receive a Neural Link, replacing the onboard computers of the past. Commonly used during ground assaults, this Mech was transferred off Terra to Humanity`s early colonies to serve as a Security force.

　　The Golem lacks the agility and adaptability of its competitors, and it was rendered obsolete with the introduction of newer variants. Many new colonies used it as construction equipment during Terraforming missions.

　　"This thing is an antique. Where did the developers dig this piece of crap up from?" Talha muttered, shaking her head at the statistics. They had to have found a real-life model to render a digital version.

　　"Likely some collector`s vault, gathering dust. It`s terrible but also cheap and still functional. Apparently, it can be repaired in the game once I collect some credits and parts. But that isn`t the only reason I picked it. Take a look at the Neural burden." Kal said, drawing Talha`s attention to the bottom of the description.

　　The Golem had a Neural Burden higher than an Exosuit but lower than other Light Class Mechs, allowing Kal to adapt faster, creating a bridge between an Exosuit and Light Class.

　　"It`s because it lacks most of the functionalities of other Mechs in its class. No boosters, basic HUD, almost non-existent sensors." Talha replied.

　　"But it can run, shoot and fight. That`s enough for now." Kal responded.

　　"Well, all I can say is Good Luck,` you`re going to need it if you`re taking this hunk of junk into battle."