Pleased to Start Over

System V. System 2.4

Pleasing Start-Over Chapter 17: Arc 2 Part 4

Author: 橘子

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The mech testing grounds were an exact replica of real world environments. Everything down to the soil and air was the same. The testing grounds even simulated the exact possible weather conditions or even unforeseen circumstances. This was to allow the soldiers who piloted the mechs to feel as though they were truly out in the universe.

Both parties had their pilots enter their respective mechs and access the battle simulation grounds. The fifth fleet's mech pilot was Jared. Qiao Chen didn't have a specific fleet to choose from, so Caesar approached the third fleet and requested a pilot from their unit. On Qiao Chen's end, the mech pilot was a male named Mike. Both pilots were seasoned with countless battlefield experiences. However, Jared had the upper hand in mech piloting efficiency and combat effectiveness. Both competitors were full of confidence. Each believed that their mech was superior to the other.

Everyone stood in the observation deck. It was located outside of the simulation grounds, directly to the exterior. The deck had a large screen that allowed the audience to watch the all of combat test process. Since this was only a test simulation, many of the mech's functions and features had been temporarily turned off. This let people to properly observe and compare the new features the engineers developed.

The new mech that the fifth fleet developed was programmed with aerial mobility and positioning capability. The current mechs in use were limited to ground in terms of movement capabilities. Aerial mobility, specifically in outer space, had not been created yet due to an overwhelming amount of variables and factors that interfered on the logistics side. All previous development focused on positioning capabilities for mechs on land. These ground-based programs and data were not compatible with outer space positioning capabilities. Therefore, engineers were unable to reuse the development and research from land mechs as the basic foundations to develop mech with space moving capabilities.

The fifth fleet had been preparing this new technology for a long time. They were very confident and certain that they would be successful. With such certainty, the fifth fleet wanted to keep a high profile as they unveiled the project. It was very obvious that they wanted to show off. Demonstrating such bravado during competition among the various fleets was a common occurrence. All their funding came from how well the performed, so no fleet wanted to hide their best qualities. However, that also meant that Qiao Chen had a very clear understanding of what Greene's project entailed.

Knowing that Greene was completely responsible for the project, Qiao Chen developed a program that worked quite similarly to the fifth fleet's mech program. The only difference was that his program's capabilities and features were vastly superior to theirs. Qiao Chen wanted history to repeat itself, but with Greene as the victim not Qiao An in this lifetime. He named this new program the Aerial Guidance and Positioning System.

The Aerial Guidance and Positioning System was capable of outer-space mobility. However, the program was able to do much more than just fly. Its key functions were the ability to induce the opposing mech to commit unforced errors, thereby missing or attacking in the wrong direction. It also had an algorithm that predicted enemy movements through calculating the highest probable attack and positioning movements. This allowed the pilot to 'see into the future' when in reality, they were just calculating the highest probable course of action.

The battle between the third and fifth fleet began. The battle on screen quickly answered everyone's question of which mech was stronger.

Everyone watched as Jared had piloted and positioned his mech to attack Mike several times now. However, he failed at each strike. Not even one of his attempts even grazed Mike's mech. The audience had the sense that Mike's positioning before each of his attacks was perfect. His hits landed exactly where Jared moved or stopped. It began to look like Jared was purposefully walking right into Mike's blows.