Max woke up the following day to the sound of the shower running and the doorbell ringing. Looking at his watch, he had seven minutes to be at work if he wasn’t going to be late, so he hurried to throw his pants on before unlocking the door for Nico.

“Get a move on, you two. You will have to give Moonie a ride, or you will both be late.” Nico laughed, hearing the shower running, then left and closed the door behind her.

Max realized that he should have set an earlier alarm since he usually showered at work in the change rooms, but Moonie was used to getting ready at home since she had been working in the upstairs labs, and her job didn’t require a change of clothing.

“I heard her. I will be out in a second. You won’t get in trouble for coming to work without a shower, will you?” Moonie called as the shower cut off.

“No, I need to change into one of the Pilot Suits every day, so I shower there. It’s easier, and you count as clocked in before you enter the shower rooms.” Max called back while Moonie came out in one of his shirts that he left hanging in the bathroom.

“I, um, I may have forgotten to bring a change of clothes.” Moonie stammered when she realized her mistake.

Max walked to the counter and picked up the small bag, handing it over to her. “Either Nico or Sister Lilith thought of that, and they sent this over yesterday before you arrived.”

Moonie just smiled and opened the bag, which contained another simple dress, a hooded and comfortable-looking item that had corset laces at the sides, as well as clean underwear. There were even a pair of slip-on flats in there. They really had thought of everything.

“When I first arrived, I didn’t understand casual clothing. I was raised at the Military Academy since my parents were deemed unfit, so I had never worn anything but a uniform. For the first six months, Sister Lilith dressed me every morning.” Moonie smiled, dropping the shirt and sliding the dress over her head.

“I wasn’t that bad, but since I grew up on the downside, I wasn’t good at casual clothing that would suit the station. Nico helps me when I’m in a jam, but her own fashion sense is questionable.” Max consoled her since she was looking embarrassed again.

“She dresses like a Reaver for sure.” Moonie laughed.

Once he heard the word, Max knew where he had seen Nico’s fashion before. There were trading ships on the Kepler 142 Station, her family’s homeworld, that dressed that way. From what he remembered, they were basically mercenaries, selling whatever goods they could get to trade, as well as their combat services all over the neutral territories and to planetary governments with problems that they didn’t want to involve the Military in.

There had been talks many times over the years to have them declared a criminal organization, but so many people used their services that the motion never actually made it to the Emperor, and none of the Emperors had ever taken it upon themselves to do anything about the situation. In fact, the Reavers were said to have been formed as a private army by one of the early Emperors before the Military was as strong as it is now.

Max would have to ask her about it later and see what her thoughts revealed. He already knew that the Tarith Family was no ordinary family, given how everyone knew them, even the Cygnus leadership, but the topic of exactly how that happened never really came up, so all Max really knew of her family history was the final battle that ended their leadership of the planet Kepler 142, where they held off an invading army alone for an entire year and a day until reinforcements arrived to rescue them.historical

Since Moonie was now dressed, Max straightened his clothes and grabbed the hoverboard.

“I hope you’re not afraid of heights. We are going to be in a bit of a rush today to get to work on time.” He teased, leading her out of the apartment.

“I’ve never actually ridden one before, but I’ve seen you coming to work on it before, and it is really fast. We should make it with 42 seconds left if the line is at statistical average.” Moonie agreed, holding out her arms so he could pick her up.

The board was only big enough for one set of feet but had more than enough power to support the weight of two people, though his top speed and height would suffer for it. Not so much that he couldn’t still hover above the buildings, but not the usual breakneck pace that they set on the way to work, enjoying the wind on their faces.

The line was almost gone today, and Moonie cheered at the fact they would be on time for work, climbing down from Max’s side when he landed at the doors amidst a round of whistles and jokes about loverboy showing off for his girl.

“Just on time today, Major Max. The Colonel is in the change room waiting for you to arrive.” The gate guard informed him as they checked in for the day.

“See you at the bay then,” Moonie called, running away, with her hood bouncing on her shoulders.

“You pretty boys get all the luck. It’s not fair, I tell you, save some of the pretty ones for the rest of us.” One of the other pilots joked as Max entered the locker room.

“You could try hitting on Major Nico. She’s pretty cute too,” Max suggested, making the other pilots, as well as the Colonel, all laugh.

“No encouraging the Pilots to take on suicide missions, Major.” Colonel Noor told him in a serious voice that only made the other pilots laugh harder.

“It seems you are already aware of the change in the testing team for the X137, so that saves me a lot of time this morning. But that isn’t important enough to bring me in person. The x137 will require one hundred percent uptime, so alternate cockpit configurations for a second occupant will be tested along with the Mecha. Keep notes on potential long-term comfort and interference issues, as well as storage issues for an extended deployment with two individuals.” The Colonel informed him.

That wasn’t a surprise to anyone. Ever since the System came into effect, that has been the primary reason almost all Super Heavy units that get deployed still have two pilots instead of one very skilled one.

“Will the second person be a Pilot as well?” Max asked for clarity, so he knew what would be needed.

“The second occupant is intended to be a technician with Piloting skills. They will not be the primary combat force, but an onboard repair staff is believed to have the potential to keep the Mecha running more reliably in combat than the current two pilot setup.” Colonel Noor informed him.

“Thank you, Colonel. I think I know exactly what we will need for the testing then. Technicians will require tool storage, where a Pilot wouldn’t, as well as somewhere to place replacement parts, or raw materials and a printer.” Max answered with a fist to the chest Kepler salute.

“Good, you get the issue that we are facing. I expect a full report on my desk at the end of the week. New cockpit designs will begin digital testing this afternoon, with physical tests in the morning.