Leonard made his way back through the estate grounds, heading straight for the simulator pods.
Simulator pods were a very popular way for mech pilots to train and practice their skills without having to risk damaging an expensive mech. Even the cheapest mech was still worth multiple millions of credits, let alone the over engineered monsters the Mech Corps used.
While it wasn't the same as an actual cockpit it was pretty damn close. It was popular amongst the civilian population as well, the game Titan Forge offering a toned down version for general audiences. While the Mech Corps had their own version, while out in the civilian world this game was the one everyone used.
Although if anyone played it seriously they turned off the sensory limiters, while they helped a layman play the game it hindered anyone with actual skill.
It had been some time since Leonard had last been in the estate's simulation rooms. Walking through the large open glass doors he nodded to a security guard before making his way towards a small gathering of people.
There were a good number of simulation pods lined up either side of the spacious room, 50 in total. A few screens hung off the ceiling, projecting images from inside the game as a few of the older members of the family watched from a second story balcony overlooking the floor.
There was another screen on the far side of the wall, one that the gathering of people constantly watched. A large board ranking all the estate members in game rank. While those at the top never moved, further down it was a constant battle in order to keep your spot.
Leonard spied his own username, XxKnightxX, and cringed at his younger self's naming sense. His ranking had fallen some in his time away, not that it bothered him any.
"Leo, fancy seeing you here." a young woman walked up to him, wiping away the sweat from her brow.
"Hey Veronica, been a while." Veronica Vallum was the same age as him, however while he had joined the Mech Corps she instead moved into the family's own security forces. She was dressed in a skin tight flight suit, with her black hair tied back in a high ponytail. "I thought you were stationed on the home planet?"
"I was yeah, but I got reassigned here." The home planet was what most people called their ancestral planet Vallum, in order to avoid the confusion from their own family name. "The old folks up stairs are moving more of our mechs over here for some reason. But there's really nothing to do here so all I can do is practice in the simulators."
"Why are they moving mechs here?" Leonard asked, confused.
"No idea," she threw her hands behind her back. "But why are you here? Thought you were off in the Corps."
"I was sent home on medical leave, got pretty banged up in my last battle."
"Ha," she laughed, not worried about his health since he was able to walk just fine. "Couldn't be me."
"Yeah yeah," Leoanrds eyes were drawn up to the screens overhead, finding his sister Summer's username laid over the top of a harsh 1v1 battle. "The closest you can come to danger is if you get a cut on your finger while filing paperwork."
"Very funny," she said blankly as her eyes traced his up to the screen overhead. "That's your sister right? She's improved quite a bit since I've last seen her."
Leonard couldn't help but agree as he watched her pilot her nimble spear mech around her foe, running circles around the slower knight. Her lighter mech was too fast for the knight mech to catch, however the lack of weight behind her attacks meant they did little damage.
The knight mech turtled behind its large shield, only periodically lashing out with its sword before pulling back in.
"She's gotten much faster," Leonard said as he watched her run around. "But I don't know if she can keep it up for long. If she doesn't get a good attack on the knight before she gets tired she'll lose."
"That's true," Veronica agreed, being a light mech pilot herself she knew more about its particulars than Leonard. "It can't be easy for her to keep up that speed. Her spearmech might be lighter than the knight, but it's not designed for such movements."
The battle continued in earnest, Summer trying her best to break through the knights defences, however with little results. The knight mech was built to take a beating, something that Summer spear mech couldn't handle.
"She's using the mech wrong," Leonard deduced. "She's fighting like its a skirmisher, and not using her spear in a proper charge."
The outcome of the fight seemed to be already decided, Summer kept rushing around the knight, however without dealing any substantial damage it proved fruitless. Her mech slowly slowed down, not being able to keep up the high speed movement for an extended period of time.
The knight lashed out with its sword, striking a crippling blow against the spearmechs side. Summer tried her best to salvage the situation, but her speed was now dramatically decreased, forcing her to go on the defensive against the knights' renewed assault.
"She did well considering the match up," Veronica said as her virtual cockpit was run through and the screen faded to black. "Any other kind of mech and she would've been fine."
"That she did," Leonard agreed as one of the many simulation pods clicked open, Summer stepping out and guzzling down a bottle of water at its side.
"Urgh!" she exclaimed as she saw the duo approach. "Please don't tell me you saw that mess."
"It wasn't bad at all," Leonard tried to placate her. "Just a bad matchup is all."
"He's right, it wasn't that bad." Veronica agreed with him before looking down at her comm, a message coming through. "Well that's me then, boss is calling me back to work."
"It was good to see you again," Leonard waved her goodbye as she went back to work. "So," he turned his attention back to his sister. "Ready to keep up this losing streak of yours?"
"Yeah right. Just gimme a minute." Summer nursed her bottle of water, trying to catch her breath from her last battle.
"No rush, I'll just jump in a simulator now." Leoanrd looked around to find an empty simulator pod. "Give me an invite when you get back on."
Leonard walked over to an open pod, a green light glowing above its entrance indicating it wasn't in use. He slipped inside, its open face closing shut as he positioned himself in the seat.
"It may not be a mech, but it still feels like home." Leonard let out a satisfied sigh as he ran his fingers over the controls, an overwhelming sense of familiarity washing over him. "This is strange.. I've never felt this way before.."
His mind whirled as the pod came to life, a piercing ache assaulting his head.
"Arrrghhh!!" He screamed out in pain, slamming his fist against the pods walls as his mind drifted in and out of consciousness. "What the fuck is this!"
Visions flashed before his eyes, memories of battlefields and wars from the distant future. His hands moved on their own, loading his simulation into a practice range. He struggled to keep his mind awake, his body moving on its own as he began piloting his mech around a large empty field.
He lost track of time. His mind seeming to merge into the cold hard metals of his mech, moving around in a fashion he never thought possible. He lashed out with a blade, took aim with a rifle, charged forward with a spear. The actions burnt themselves into his muscles, the movements becoming second nature.
The pain began to recede after what seemed like years to him, time becoming so slow as he watched his body move on its own like a spectator in his own mind. He slowly regained control over his body, continuing to manoeuvre his mech in extraordinary fashion. Movements where he once felt sluggish and slow became as smooth as silk, a slash of his sword flowing into a jab like the currents of a river. Simple and easy, yet powerful and complex.
"Is this the side effects of the core?" He wondered as his body moved like a veteran with years more experience than he had. "Is this the prowess of my future self?"
His eyes drifted to the time on his comm, only two minutes having passed. "It's a shame that it was so short. If I had but a minute more of that trance-like state I could have improved my skills so much more."
"Hey bro," Summer's face appeared on the inside of his simulated cockpit. "You ready? I'll send you an invite."
"More than ready," Leonard replied, a fire burning in his eyes that took his sister aback. He wanted to test out his new gains, and what better way than in combat. "Let's get started right away."