Yuren woke up early as usual the next day and looked upon the military academy's uniform one last time, "I've made it this far... now I have to do it..." he muttered to himself.
After a quick breakfast and a brief conversation with Father, he left to pick up his commander's uniform. The boy's mind raced with questions: what would be waiting for him at the barracks? What sort of people was he going to be commanding? Would there even be anyone else like him? But no matter how many times he tried to think it through, he couldn't get past his nervousness.
The boy arrived at rail station 36, which was one of the larger depots, connecting the districts together with the rail lines.
He looked towards the remains of line 45-B, which would've been the connection to the eastern district. Now it was just a dark scar against the horizon, a reminder to everyone of the attack that happened there.
Beyond the wall that now isolated the eastern side, he knew he would soon be facing his first battle. He knew it would come sooner than expected, as new commanders were often deployed quickly. It would either be today or tomorrow at worst.
[Now arriving; Line 14: Military district] flashed on monitor screens in front of him as he walked into the main hall of the depot. There was an assembly of soldiers, officers, and civilians gathered here, preparing themselves for their day as the sun rose above the horizon. The trains servicing the military districts were always the first ones out and the last ones to return.
He heard shouting from somewhere ahead, "We must demand equal treatment!"
It seemed someone was protesting about the military again. Yuren remembered the days when the protests used to be every few months; now they had grown into a regular occurrence. Many had lost friends in the last war, and now they wanted more than ever to be treated as equals by the government.
"Cease this disturbance immediately!" an officer shouted angrily. His voice carried throughout the depot's main hall.
"The soldiers deserve respect!" a civilian shouted back. "They have fought and died alongside us!"
The crowd of people murmured at the remark, but the officer remained firm in his command.
Yuren noticed the individuals at the officer's side were androids. They wore black uniforms, similar to those worn by the military. But were more armored than normal uniforms. Their faces were covered by armored helmets, which hid their expressions.
"I'll you one chance." The officer spoke up again, "Cease this protest, now."
A young man stepped forward from the crowd. He wore a red jacket and pants, with a white scarf around his neck. He had long silver hair tied into braided pigtails and a pair of goggles over his eyes.
"You and your androids ain't gonna intimidate us!" The young man yelled defiantly.
"Zero-Five, detain him." The officer ordered calmly as the android soldier approached him.
"No!" The young man said defiantly, "You can't do that! I won't let you silence my voice!"
Yuren sighed with irritation. The man was clearly unafraid, even knowing he was outnumbered three to one. The other citizens held their breath, afraid to get involved.
"If you don't cease this protest," the officer said with a threatening tone, "This station is property of the Ministry. You will do well not to cause disturbances here."
The boy struggled under the hold of the android's mechanical hands; the two others held onto him tightly, too.
Yuren saw the other passengers in the hall tense up at the sight, but none of them would attempt to intervene in a Ministry officer's business.
"Take him for arrest and clean up the rest of their protest!" the officer shouted to his comrades. "I want everything gone before the first train arrives."
Yuren saw Zero-Five lift the young man up by the collar and carry him toward an elevator door that led to the lower levels. It was an unfortunate sight that began to happen more frequently these days – the use of androids for security and police purposes. They were the best trained of the Ministry's troops, but also the most hated for being too efficient and unempathic.
Androids were programmed to follow orders without hesitation. As a result, they tended to be overbearing. Even Yuren was not immune to such treatment, as he was taken into the custody of a group of androids for questioning once before.
He waited quietly for the trains to arrive while listening to the commotion behind him. He looked around the large room, noticing all the various androids standing guard in the station. Some were made by the military itself, and some were supplied by private corporations.
There was even an old man in a wheelchair with a cane who was surrounded by four armed androids. That old man was apparently a local celebrity known as the "Old Man of Rail," because he'd been traveling between stations since before the Second War. And he had yet to miss a single ride.
"I am glad you're finally here, Commander." A tall man with a bald head and a stern expression greeted Yuren as he walked past him, "I am Captain Zett. 32nd Air Defence Corps."
"I'm not actually a commander yet. I haven't received my assignment yet..." Yuren smiled nervously, "I have no idea what kind of unit I'll be commanding."
The captain shook his head at him. "Ah, a newbie huh... Well, I hope you'll at least survive the first deployment."
"I'll try," Yuren replied. "I did beat records for the aptitude test... so I'm sure I'll do fine."
"Don't count on that." The captain chuckled as they walked into the train car, "The field is nothing like what you experienced in the simulations. It's dangerous out there. I've seen enough of you die to know that you commanders have wrong expectations."
Yuren remained silent as their train departed. The statement had struck him hard. He felt a little bit of his confidence wavering. Were they really expecting him to die like the others?
The train slowed down suddenly before stopping at one of the platforms. "This is your stop, Commander," the captain said, "The battalion command block."
Yuren got off the train as it moved on, the doors closing behind him. He looked out from the platform, seeing several soldiers loitering about the station while it was still early in the morning.
Yuren made his way up to the base of the building and followed the signs to the battalion command block. He was met by another man dressed in the same uniform as Captain Zett, who escorted him inside.
"I'm Lieutenant Major Iraj, Operations administrator for this division," Iraj said as they entered the main lobby. "You'll be commanding the 701st Heavy Assault Battalion, which is housed in block 14."
"I see... thanks for showing me this place," Yuren said politely.
"There are certainly some interesting personalities in this battalion," Iraj commented, "But you have your work cut out for you. The battalion's been neglected for years now... but I'm sure it's just an oversight on the higher ranks. Don't let those android girls tease you too much..." The lieutenant laughed lightly.
"It's an android battalion?" Yuren asked with curiosity. The only thing he knew about military life was that he would be commanding men. But he hadn't expected any Android units at all.
"Developed specifically for combat, nothing like regular androids," Iraj explained, "They are machines tailored for battle and are quite effective when deployed properly."
Yuren didn't know how to respond to the comment but was intrigued nonetheless. He had never heard of a military using androids before and was curious to find out how it worked.
"Each battalion and Its commander is housed in their own part of the base, but there are many shared facilities for the whole of the battalion," Iraj continued, "I will show you your quarters in block 14. After that, you should introduce yourself to your battalion."
Iraj led him into a wide hallway, which served as a shortcut towards the command block's entrance. The walls were painted white, and a series of paintings were hung up here and there as decorations. Several informational posters described the history of the military and its various divisions. The boy was fascinated to learn more about his new role; his eyes were drawn to the poster of a female soldier holding up a machine gun.
It was a promotional display for a android model called 'Hexa' which he had never heard of before. The soldier's skin was pale white, and her hair was dyed jet black with silver streaks. She wore a sleeveless red jacket and pants, and her face was covered by an armored mask that hid her expression. There were no details about Hexa in this particular poster; it just seemed to show off her design. But he was certain there would be more information in the command block. He was excited now to discover more.
"Are we almost there?" Yuren asked.
Iraj nodded. "Yes, just one more turn and you're here."
They turned into a small corridor, and the door to their right opened up into the battalion headquarters. It was a large open space, similar to an executive office. It contained a desk, chairs, couches, and shelves lined with books.
A large bronze plaque read "701st Heavy Assault Battalion," hung from the wall behind the desk. It was flanked by a pair of large windows looking out over the block. The entire room was lit by light tubes that ran from floor to ceiling, illuminating the entire area evenly. It was a stark contrast to the dark corridors he had traveled through thus far.
Yuren was confused. He noticed two women standing near the desk. Both wore their headgear down; their eyes were hidden under the visors.
He turned to Iraj, "Isn't this office a little extravagant?"
The officer shrugged with embarrassment, "The 701st is an elite unit," he turned and looked along the award-decorated wall to the right. "It's only one of the ways they've been awarded for their service."
"But why am I being assigned as the commander then? Wouldn't an elite unit be better off with a veteran?" Yuren asked. "I don't know anything about these soldiers."
Iraj smiled at him apologetically, "That is true, but only a select few can reach the aptitude required to sync with these androids." He then put a hand on Yuren's shoulder. "The others with high aptitudes like you are already assigned to a battalion. There is no one else. Resonance like yours is very hard to come by and highly sought after."
It felt like a boulder had been dropped onto his chest. His heart sank into his stomach as he took his first step into the battalion's office. The reality of his situation hit him now. It was too late for him to change his mind. The battalion was too important to waste on someone who couldn't command them effectively.
He understood now why the military rushed to replace battalion commanders whenever one died, as well as why they refused to recruit people with low aptitude regardless of experience. The Ministry must have wanted to save itself from wasting money.
Yuren was stunned; his confidence waned even further. He wasn't sure if he could ever do this job.
Lieutenant Major Iraj spoke again, his voice was soft and gentle as he approached Yuren, "You'll get accustomed soon, Commander. I promise you will do well enough..."
Yuren remained silent as he walked up to the two women standing next to the desk. They were both wearing identical uniforms: black jackets with a red trim, and matching trousers. Rather than surnames on their chests, their number and ranks were embroidered in gold letters on each sleeve.
"Visors down, this is your commander from now on." the Lieutenant Major ordered them, "Remove your masks when in his presence."
The two young women did as instructed, removing the masks and placing them on the desk as he passed by. Yuren saw the circuit traces in their eyes and realized that they were androids.
One of them stepped forward. "I'm Lieutenant Colonel XMV04-Jia, First Company Commander." Her voice was soft yet powerful. "I am responsible for the training and coordination of the battalion."
The other woman stepped up and extended a hand towards him. "I'm Lieutenant Colonel HXF07-Lina, Second Company Commander. I'm in charge of the battalion's operations. I'll be your security."
"This is where I take my leave, Yuren. They'll help you with anything you need." Iraj said, before walking out of the room.
Yuren was left alone with the two women, who were waiting patiently for him to say something. He remained silent until they offered him an introduction.
"I wish they found a suitable commander for us sooner." Jia sighed as soon as Iraj was gone.
"What a waste," Lina added with a frown. "We should have had a commander a long time ago..."
"How long has this battalion been without a commander?" Yuren sat at the desk.
"Two years," the second company commander replied, "Every moron who showed up for the position couldn't even sync with a single android in our battalion. The Ministry had to tell Iraj to stop accepting applications."
"I was relieved to hear they had finally found someone with a high enough resonance," Jia said, "And it was you... so you can imagine how happy we were when I heard the news."
"Yeah well let's hope he doesn't die soon..." Lina muttered as she sat down on a sofa.
The first company commander shook her head, "It'll be on you if he does, he's your top priority after all."
"Shit, you're right..." Lina replied sheepishly. "Don't worry Sir, I'll keep your ass alive. Who knows what they'll do if we lose someone with such a high resonance factor."
Yuren smiled; he was glad they weren't stiff and formal with him like they were with Iraj. Their design appeared to be close to his age; he guessed that meant they would be more relaxed around him since he was younger than the usual officer in his rank. But he knew they would still be professionals. He wouldn't let them down.
He also realized they were much more expressive and natural than normal androids; he had never seen any move like that before. He was impressed. Had it not been for their eyes, they would have been indistinguishable from humans. It was clear they had undergone a lot of work to make the machines look like they were real. He wondered how much of their body was human-like in design.
"Are all the androids in this battalion as advanced as you two?" Yuren asked curiously.
The two looked at each other, surprised by his question, then back at their commander.
"All of us are," Lina answered, "It's what makes us an elite unit. We're the best of the best." She paused, then continued in a quieter tone, "But the others aren't quite up to scratch... the battalion's been neglected for some time now. We haven't had a maintenance budget since our last commander died. And the military's basic maintenance isn't enough for us."
"A battalion's expenses are paid by their commander. The pay you get is also to cover the cost of maintaining your soldiers..." Jia explained, "But the Ministry is reluctant to allocate funds for a unit that can't be deployed so we were kind of desperate to get a commander that could actually sync with us."
Yuren was intrigued by this information. Just how much was he being paid to command this battalion? Was it worth it to be saddled with responsibility for a bunch of androids that couldn't fight?
He didn't know anything about military life before he joined, but it was obvious there would be a lot more to it than he expected.
He decided to use the computer to check his information; he nearly fell out of his chair when it showed him how much he was being paid. It was twenty-four times as much as any other officer would earn in a year; it was almost enough for him to live off of for ten years!
The cost of this battalion's operations must be huge. That was the only reason he could think of to explain this much money being spent on one man. Many soldiers outranked him and still received less than this. Just how much did a battalion of android girls cost? How much did the Ministry spend on all these 'super soldiers'? He felt a shiver run down his spine as he thought about the answer.
Lina broke out in laughter as she saw his expression. "Oh, don't worry, I'm sure they're paying you well because they want to keep you alive." She laughed again as she spoke, "You gotta keep us well-maintained after all."
Yuren tried hard not to laugh but failed miserably. The idea of having to maintain a battalion of androids sounded like a nightmare. But he had no choice now. He had agreed to do it, and he had no intention of backing out now. He was just going to have to suck it up and deal with it.
He spent the rest of the day doing administrative tasks for his battalion.