Time seemed to fly that week as Max eagerly anticipated the physical testing of the X137 beginning.

Data analysis of the System Skills of Crusader Class Pilots showed that under two percent of them should be capable of meeting the acceptable standard for individually using the Super Heavy Mecha, which was determined to need a minimum targeting ability to exert simultaneous control of at least three weapons, but preferably five, so that the artillery battery could be individually aimed. For perfect control, nine separate weapons needed to be used at once.

Similar to the issue that the Phalanx Class Mecha ran into, that was too many weapons for almost all pilots, so they added automated defense protocols to the lighter weapons, to deal with nearby threats, while the pilot dealt with the serious ones.

Still, one in fifty was a lot better than expected and meant that they could easily field an entire wing of them with most mechanized regiments. Most regiments currently didn’t have any Super Heavy Mecha in their numbers, and their presence would be a turning point for many battles, without creating a higher class of Mecha that would create an arms race.

The team all looked a little depressed under their excitement when Max arrived at work that Monday. The mecha was ready and standing ready in all its glory, so Max didn’t understand why they were so glum until he overheard that the Archangel Suit had been sent back to the drawing board. Central Command didn’t trust the shield in place of conventional armor, so it was being relegated to the pile of fun ideas that the top brass didn’t see the genius of.

Its construction requires under five percent of the materials of a Line Mecha as well, so the project being mothballed was seen as a travesty by the scientists. Uncle Lu was already making new plans for the project though, removing the wings, adding chest armor, and reducing the anti-gravity capability so he could market it as a new armor for Infantry Special Forces.

The full armor the Special Forces used now was expensive and hard to store, so he thought he might still get the exoskeleton to the battlefield that way.

That left them one unit type short of a standard deployment, so a Line Mecha replacement was in the works. Like the original, it would be bare-bones and basic but would equip light shielding and have better mobility than the old pattern.

“What do you think, the humanoid or the transport pod on legs?” One of the X137 team asked Max, who was filling out a questionnaire for pilots about which design to prioritize.

She had a point, the second design did look like someone placed an armored hovercar on a Sentinel chassis. The first one was stylized to resemble a warrior in layered lamellar armor, with the pilot in a semi-seated position in a cramped torso.

It might not be the most practical thing he had ever seen, but it was just plain cool. Max checked the box for the human design, then looked at the comments section and added his personal recommendation.

[It needs a sword. I recommended not sending them out without a sword.]

That would be much better in Max’s mind. Even his somewhat unconventional common sense knows you can’t make your Mecha look like an ancient warrior and not give it a sword.

The layered design was supposed to take more damage before failing and was easy to replace in modular units. At least, that was the Lab’s official position on the reason that design won.

The size and very human dimensions reminded Max of a Narsian commander instead of a Mecha, though. It was a bit unsettling for someone who had fought against them, but he couldn’t deny their combat effectiveness. Mimicry was the most sincere form of flattery after all.

That design would take some time to be ready for testing, so the majority of the design teams were focusing on what was almost prepared, with a plan to leave Line Mecha pilots entirely out of the first deployment if they couldn’t get a new design ready. There was still some hope, but Command had rejected every replacement for the Line Mecha that the lab had sent over the past few years.

Lamellar mecha was very cool but highly likely to get a summary rejection once it met a bureaucrat’s desk.

“Forget all that. We can still play with the exoskeleton suits ourselves. Let’s get this X137 powered up for the first time and see what we’ve got for glitches and bugs.” The head of the live testing unit called out.

Max could see that they had an audience above them. Sister Lilith, Moonie, and the others from the chassis and weapons design teams were all here to watch as Max brought the X137 to life for the first time.

“Main power is online. Diagnostic Displays are online. Sensors are active.” Max narrated the bootup sequence.

“Power plant active. Hydraulic pressure in range. Control diagnostic shows no errors.” The second step of the startup sequence was now done, and Max waited for the computer to run the scan of the weapon system electronics.

“All green. X137 reads good to go.”

It was official, the Kepler Empire’s newest Super Heavy was ready for live testing.

The whole sector of the lab stopped working for a moment as the supports were retracted, and the X137 stood under its own power for the first time.

“Begin testing with arm movement. Right arm up” The lead tester ordered, his tone all business despite the festive atmosphere.historical

“Arm response is within parameters,” Max announced as the limb came up to shoulder height.

“Lower arm to the default position and repeat with the left.”

Max gave a little wave to the crowd before lowering the limb and repeating the process.

That upset the humorless researcher more than Max had expected. “Was the wrist motion a system error or a user input error?”

“I have it recorded as an unscheduled dexterity test Lieutenant. Arm motion shows within parameters.” Max answered, smirking at the glare he was getting from the team leader.

“I will remind you that this is my test bay, Pilot Max.” Lieutenant Bean, the humorless man in charge of this bay almost snarled over the speaker as his team laughed at him.

Ever since he found out that he was going to be a testing bay leader during the last employee review he had been insufferable, and everyone on the team was about sick of his attitude. Max just thought he needed to lighten up a little and he should be alright.

Up to fifty percent of employees were shuffled every six months based on their evaluations to encourage productivity. After the bi-annual review, he was in that group, and four months ago he was brought down to practical testing to lead a team whose leader had a poor review.

It wasn’t going well for him, and he was likely to be shuffled again early, or be demoted from his new leadership position at the next review two months from now.

Max spent the first half of the day trying not to make life hard on the hapless man as he gave imperious and redundant orders to his team. The bystanders were looking at him with more and more disgust until finally Sister Lilith had enough and stomped into the bay to drag him away for a talk.

“Break for lunch. It’s only ten minutes early.” Max called, as the senior officer in the bay and put the Mecha in standby mode, waiting on his unlock code.

“Major Max, how about one more lunch with us?” Moonie called sweetly as Max climbed out of the Mecha and hopped over to the catwalk. She had a slight blush on her cheeks when she asked, which Max was certain that any man would find hard to resist.

She was a sweet girl, and Max was going to miss being in her department, so he didn’t even think about turning her offer down.

“I ordered a full lunch spread to the bay for all the spectators.” Sister Lilith announced, coming back out without team leader Bean, but in a much better mood than she had been in a few minutes ago.

Max had heard that Lieutenant Bean didn’t eat lunch with the team, which was very strange in this lab, and coupled with his attitude, Max decided that it was enough to flag him as a suspicious person of interest, with a note that he was a high likelihood for disgruntled employee malfeasance.

Max would have to do up a full report to justify his suspicions, but something about a scientist who was hostile to his own research team just didn’t seem right to Max.