6 year old (February-SY102)
Some time on my first day in the academy.
"Here it is."
Ms. Greta guided me to the MECHA club room.
She peeked into the room before opening the door.
"Huh? A teacher?"
Inside are several startled boys and few girls.
"Um... do you need something Ma'am?" asked a girl quite a bit older and taller than me.
"Who is the one in charge here?"
"In charge...? Um.. that means club president isn't it? That would be me. Is there something, Ma'am?"
"Here is a new club member. Please take good care of him." Ms. Greta move behind me and slightly pushing me forward.
"Then I'm going back to prepare for welcoming celebration first. Sena if there is something else you need, just come to the classroom, I will be there, alright?"
Just like that Ms. Greta quickly leave me alone in the clubroom.
...
Inside the clubroom is bigger than our classroom.
"So, your name is Sena, wasn't it?" the girl club press asking me.
"Ah, yes, I am Sena Rayfield, Senior." I reply slightly bowing.
"Are you interested in MECHA?"
"Yes!"
"Hmm? How much you know about MECHA?"
"Ah, it's mostly theoreticals. Since quite a bit of the mechanics need specialized components that's quite expensive. Though I have been prototyping with the basics."
"Huh? Prototyping? Even though you are so small you already understand those complicated diagrams?"
"Complicated diagrams? I don't know about any complicated diagrams. I only know standard EMSL diagram though."
"EMSL? What's that? It's not MDL??"
"MECHA Design Language (MDL) is for general MECHA design, but you can't build components with that. For that you need EMSL, Electro-Mechanical Standard Language. Isn't it pretty basic stuff senior? You can't build even the most basic ion thruster without it you know."
"No no no. You normally don't build it. You buy it."
"Eh really?"
"MECHA components, especially ion thrusters, are fairly complicated. So you normally buy the components to refit your MS. You are a strange one if you try to build one."
"Hmm? I built some though."
"Built-- what??"
"Though it's the most basic one. I built a sequential type ion thruster for my prototype. That was tough one, I had to cry begging to Dad to buy me the plasma generator. It was fairly expensive see, though at least it's not impossible to buy one like it is with sequential type thruster."
"Huh?? You built one??? An ion thruster?? Even more so, the sequential type one??? Where is it?? Can you show me now???"
"Ah..haha... sorry. I left it at home in the colony."
"Colony..?"
"Ah yes. I'm new student here. I just moved here from a colony."
"..."
"Senior...?"
"Can you ask someone to bring the thruster here?"
"Ah.. that probably impossible."
"Why?!!"
"Sequential type ion thruster is categorized as a military grade component. I don't know why they categorize such basic component as military grade. But because so, it would be probably illegal to move it around without special permit. Even if it's possible, there will be a lot of legal hassles to take care of. It will probably be expensive, much more expensive than just building a new one. In the first place, that was one of my reason for building one."
"..."
"Senior...?"
"Okay it's decided."
"What's decided, Senior?"
"Sena, here is the club entry form."
"Oh, I am accepted?? So it was an entrance interview after all. So I passed?"
"Yes yes. You passed with flying colors. And now I appoint you to be the chief engineer of our club."
"Chief engineer...?"
"You see, we always do our own refit and repair of our MS. And that always take a lot of time. But with a dedicated engineer around, finally we can focus on training for competitions.
The other club members nodding their heads vigorously.
"Huh?? Would I not get time to pilot an MS then?"
"You are too small anyway. At least grow a bit more. Maybe 5 years later? Our club MS's cockpit are still too big for you."
"No way. Can't we just refit the cockpit?"
"Then us seniors won't be able to use it."
"We can buy or build a new separate cockpit."
"No budget. Even if we build one, you will still be reserve pilot. In competitions us seniors will be the one playing off. You don't even have an experience riding one, do you?"
"At least in practice. Let me pilot one during practice."
"That would be fine. But there is really no cockpit fitting you. And we really don't have budget for new one."
"...ugu.."
"E-eh... w-wait are you crying..?"
"It's only dust. I'm not crying...ugu..." my eyes is a bit teary, because someone not cleaning properly.
"Pres is making a kid cry."
"H-hey?! It's not my fault."
"I-I'm nottt c-crying!!"
"P-pres! Please do something. Or we will get scolded by that teacher before."
"S-stop. Sorry sorry. We will give you time to pilot one. So don't cry okay?"
"Really...?"
"Y-yes. We will give you time to pilot one okay?"
"Yes~ Thank you, Senior."
"Haaah... But there are conditions."
"Conditions?"
"You will still be our chief engineer, and be responsible for most of our refit and repair, of course with other members' support. In exchange we will give you budget to build a new cockpit. How about it?"
"Un"
"Still though, it will still be mostly us seniors who enter competition at least until you are experienced enough."
"I will do my best."
"Piloting one is pretty difficult at first, so you train with the simulator first. Well to be honest most of our activities are in the simulators anyway."
"Simulator? Why?"
"Well we can't waste fuel and gas since it eats up lot of our club budget. So unless there is competition coming up, we mostly practice in the simulator. Also usually there will be repairs after a real practice, so that eats up quite a chunk of budget too. So simulators it is. Also we only have 3 MS, not enough for everyone. That's why, simulator."
"Won't simulator and real MS be different?"
"Ah, you never piloted one so you don't know how it feels right? Actually the feeling from simulator is pretty similar to piloting a real one. Of course there would be differences, but it should be sufficient for most purposes. Really, we only use our MS when it's competition. Off-competition we only perform refit and recalibration on it."
"I see..."
"Anyway, from now on you are our chief engineer. We leave our MS in your hands, so please do as you see fit to make us win competitions okay?"
"Leave it to me, Senior."
"Also you will start practicing in the simulator to get your body used to MS cockpit. Who knows but if you are good enough, you will also enter a competition."
"Yes!"
"By the way."
"Yes, Senior?"
"Can you build another sequential type?"
"If there is budget then."
"Then we need to win competitions for that. We will win competition and get the money prize, so please take care of us from now on."
"Y-yes! Please take care of me too, Club Pres."
Like that I joined and became the chief engineer of the academy MECHA club.
