Yuren woke in his room on the base. He felt groggy and disoriented.
"Huh?" He sat up and rubbed his eyes; the events from the last mission came flooding back. Reaching for his tablet, he noticed a notification from the vice minister. He tapped the message, and it opened, notifying him that the 701st was on a 90-day break from operations.
"Is this real...?" He wondered, "it has to be, right?" Yuren checked his tablet again, but there was no further information. "A break from missions... is this for real?" He looked around his room. Nothing had changed; the same furniture and decorations. Everything was exactly as he remembered.
He checked the military's bulletin board, and a post noting the 701st had been reassigned to the reserve was posted. "We're back to being a reserve unit?!" He couldn't believe it. It was true, the 701st had been moved back to a reserve unit status, and no more active missions would be assigned. It wasn't making any sense, and Yuren was confused.
His phone buzzed, and he picked it up. "Hello?"
"I'll make this quick, just listen." Amalia's voice spoke, "The 701st have been given three months to rest. During that time, I expect you to make progress with your resonance. And to do that, you MUST be close to them. You now have full agency over them, and can use them however you see fit. They are your property and responsibility now."
"What?! But-"
"Don't interrupt, I don't have time. I've transfered all of the authorizations and management systems to you. It is strictly for your use only, and must be kept confidential. No one outside of the 701st knows about this, and it must stay that way." She cut him off. "Even at the cost of your own life, you must not reveal any of this information."
"I understand." Yuren nodded.
"It is imperative that you increase their power and resonance capabilities as soon as possible. Use whatever means you need to achieve that. And lastly; as an Exalted, it's your special ability to control, regulate and produce resonance... you should be able to create a solution for transmutations... I really need you to try. This may be the last time we speak, Yuren. Take care." The vice minister hung up.
Yuren couldn't believe it; he was dumbfounded. The 701st had been taken out of the frontlines and reassigned back to a reserve unit, and the vice minister just gave him the reins to the 701st.
The 90 days were for him to get used to everything. Something big must've been happening behind the scenes, and the Vice Minister seemed anxious. That last part of what she said, though, aggravated him. Bei didn't have to die if he'd done something. Why wasn't he told any of this sooner? Yuren tossed his phone on the bed and flopped back. He sighed and closed his eyes, his thoughts drifting.
None of this was what he expected his time in the military would be like. He wanted to help people and fight back against the Republic that besieged his hometown. "Just what the hell is all of this?" He muttered. That Meteorn in the blackout zone also worried him. Why did she have such a strange reaction when she saw him? It was all too bizarre, and none of it made any sense. Yuren felt tired just from thinking about it all and didn't know how to handle any of this.
"This sucks." He lay there, staring at the ceiling, wondering if he was the only one feeling like this.
Yuren got up and dressed; he had no idea what to do now. The battalion's block was a lot quieter than he expected. "Where is everyone...?" As he looked around, he realized there were only a handful of soldiers and androids wandering around. It was a far cry from the usual bustling activity.
He wandered around their section of the base, checking different places for any sign of his fellow soldiers or the 701st. All of the androids were present in various locations, but most of the other soldiers were missing. "Hey, where's the rest of the squad?" Yuren asked a soldier passing by.
"They've all been reassigned were they're needed, since this battalion is no longer on active duty." He answered. "They'll all be back after the 90 days is over. All the necessary staff is still here."
"I see..." Yuren mumbled.
"Well, good luck, man. Enjoy the break while it lasts."
Yuren continued exploring the 701st's area, finding that the hangar was mostly empty as well. He looked at the Eisendrache sitting quietly in the center. "Nothing for you to do either, huh?" He thought, walking up to the large ship. He placed his hand on the cool metal surface, feeling a subtle tingling sensation under his fingers. "It's weird being alone here..." Yuren didn't like the quiet; the emptiness of the place was unsettling.
"Why is it weird?" A voice projected from the ship, startling him.
"What the-"
"What's so strange about an airship being alone in a hangar? This is my hangar." The voice spoke again, sounding annoyed.
"Who are you?" Yuren asked.
"Did you forget already? Some commander you are..." The ship groaned.
"Huh?"
"Reila! My name is Reila!" She huffed.
"Wait... but... this is very confusing. I thought Reila was the android pilot." Yuren stammered.
"Like I said, that's just an auxiliary body."
"But the android..."
"I'm not an android! I'm a warship! Reila is my name, and the android you saw is an extension of myself!" The voice snapped.
"This is so weird... Why am I being yelled at by a ship?" Yuren looked around nervously.
A panel flipped out and smacked his face, "Ow!"
"I can hear you, you know."
"What the hell?!" He shouted, rubbing his face as he retreated from the ship. Just what was this situation he got himself into?
"You're quite rude. I was sleeping until you showed up." Reila complained.
"Sorry. Sentient warships aren't exactly common, you know." Yuren apologized.
"Whatever." Reila sighed, "Are you done bothering me yet?"
"Yes, I guess."
"Good."
"Wait. Before I go. What are you doing during the break?" Yuren asked.
"Sleeping."
"That's it? Don't you want to go anywhere or do anything?"
"Are you an idiot? I can't go anywhere. I'm a ship. I'm stuck here until you get a mission."
"Oh... right." Yuren scratched his head. It'd be very strange for a battleship to be flying around on its own. "Well, see you later."
"Bye." Reila closed her panel, and the airship went silent.
Yuren headed for the exit, wondering where he should go next. Maybe the cafeteria or the library would be a good start; the battalion's block had a lot more to it than he expected. When he entered the cafeteria, the only ones there were the kitchen staff. There were a few other soldiers scattered about, but the place was quieter than he'd ever seen it. "I guess nothing interesting is happening right now."
Yuren grabbed a tray of food and sat at a table in the corner. As he ate, his mind drifted back to the 701st and their situation. "What am I supposed to do?" He muttered, sighing. "How the hell do I even start with all of this...?"
As he thought about what he should do, a hand grabbed his shoulder.
"Hiya, Commander." A girl's voice chimed.
"Huh?" Yuren looked up, seeing a woman standing beside him.
"Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to scare ya." The woman grinned, taking a seat across from him.
His eye gravitated to the 'NIT72' engraved next to the barcode on her neck. "Yun, right?"
"The one and only." She flashed him a wink. "Whatcha doing here all alone?"
"Just thinking." Yuren took a sip of his coffee.
"About?"
"The 701st, I suppose." He sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"What's your opinion on us so far? I'm curious." She rested her chin on her hands.
"That's a tough question." Yuren shrugged.
"C'mon, tell me." Yun cooed with a bright smile, "We're stuck together, might as well be honest."
"Honestly, it's confusing and hard to describe."
"Confusing?" Yun tilted her head, her expression turning quizzical.
"Yeah... so much responsibility was suddenly dropped on me by the Vice Minister. And I have no clue what I'm supposed to be doing."
"Hmm..." Yun leaned back in her chair and stared at the ceiling, her fingers drumming on the table. "What did she tell you? Maybe there's something you misunderstood."
"She told me to be closer with the 701st, and said they were my property."
"Huh?" Yun raised an eyebrow, her gaze returning to Yuren. "She said that? Really? That's..."
"Crazy, right? I'm sure there's some kind of catch."
"No, not crazy. More like, I don't understand. Did she turn over the command rights to us? Or did she turn over the complete authority over us?" Yun's tone shifted, and she leaned in close.
"To be honest, I'm too scared to check. I haven't been to the office yet."
"Commander, you need to go to the office right now." Yun demanded.
"But the break..."
"You're our commander, and that's an order." Yun glared, "We need to find out what the exact situation is. It's very important."
"Okay." Yuren stood up and headed for the exit.
"I'll come with you." Yun followed after him.
Yuren was slightly irritated, but didn't argue. The pair walked in silence as they headed for the main building.
When they arrived, Yuren opened the door to the office and was greeted by the sight of Lina working away at Bei's desk.
"What are you doing?" Yun questioned.
"Sorry Commander, Jia and Bei used to have all the administrative tasks finished before you woke up. But with their loss, I've had to step up and handle them."
"Oh..." Yuren looked down at the ground.
"Is there something you need from me?" Lina inquired, her eyes never leaving the monitor.
"No, It's alright. I came to check a few thing on my computer." Yuren responded, moving past her to his desk.
Yuren sat down, his heart pounding. He wasn't sure if he was prepared for what he was about to see, and his fingers hovered over the keyboard. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and pressed the power button.
"Yun, What did you come here for?" Lina questioned.
"The new Commander was being lazy and avoiding work, so I dragged him over." She responded.
"He's probably still shaken up from yesterday. Don't be too harsh on him." Lina replied, her hands never stopped typing.
"I know."
"And don't bother him while he's working."
"I won't. I was going to sit down and relax. That's it."
"Good."
Yuren stared at the home screen of his computer; the icons seemed to mock him. He noticed several new programs installed. One was titled 'Nova GEN Management,' and the other was titled 'Nova GEN Control.'
"What the heck...?" He whispered.
He clicked on the first icon, and a NUWA screen appeared.
"Nuwa based authentication? But..."
He tried to log in using his normal credentials, but it failed.
"Hmm, Lina? Where is the Syn-link cable?" Yuren called out.
"What? Oh, sorry. Here." She tossed him a wire and returned to her work.
"Thanks."
He connected the cable to his terminal, then to the socket behind his ear. He entered his personal passphrase, and the screen changed to an authorization screen.
'Warning: the following program cannot be removed once installed on the NUWA. Final User protocol is in effect.'
"Huh?" Yuren felt uneasy.
"Lina, what's this final user protocol?"
A question that made her hands stop, she turned to him. "What?"
"Oh uh, nevermind... Sorry." Yuren felt a chill run down his spine.
Once the screen finished loading, the two new programs disappeared from the desktop.
"Weird..."
He looked over his folders, and the documents within were the same as he left them.
A new notification appeared in his vision from his implant.
"Authority Transfer Initiated. Verifying User Identity. Identity Confirmed. Command Rights Transfer Complete. Nova GEN protocol authority successfully transferred. The AMPI Control system has been removed from the network - Direct user control initiated. All overrides have been successfully transferred to user: Yuren G. ID:7075631."
"What the fuck...?" Yuren whispered.
"Something wrong Commander?" Lina glanced at him.
"No, just reading through some of these reports." Yuren smiled, waving her off.
"Okay."
He was dumbfounded; the 701st's files and information had been placed under his personal user ID.
"What the hell is this...?"
'System Information'
'Command authority: Yuren G'
'Unit ID: UNG701, Special Assault Attachment.'
'Current number of units: 5'
'Command structure: Battalion - 2 company'
'Status: 701st assigned to Reserve'
'701st affiliation: Private Force - Contracted to Schreadel Imperial Union - Ministry of Defense'
'701st contract type: 7 Year - Active Duty'
'701st Contract Status: 50% Complete'
'701st status: 90 day Break from active duty'
'701st contract expiry date: 2079'
Private force? Did the Vice Minister really separate the 701st from the Ministry and give it to him? The thought was terrifying; he had no idea what kind of consequences this action would have.