Machina Arcanis: Two Worlds Collided
Chapter 124. Tuning Test

124. Tuning Test

Sitting inside the cockpit once again brought back memories of his survival, and even more so, of wars and destruction.

Zetius inhaled deeply, involuntarily drawing the scent of engine oil and worn cushions into his lungs. He could never forget it, a scent that once exhilarated him in high-speed battles. All in the past now, he thought. Buried.

Shaking off that useless thought, he closed his eyes and focused on the flow of mana coursing through his veins.

"Epopteia!~ Cubie, you awake?!" he rasped, uncertain.

"Uhmmmmmmm..." a voice replied from within.

Zetius’s smile widened. "Come on out, Lil' Cubie!" he commanded, both palms facing his chest.

"Hmmmmmm…"

"Don’t 'hmm' me, come out!" he scorned, louder this time.

The irregular Cubie manifested itself out of his chest. "Meanie!" she squeaked, but Zetius, already anticipating her escape, snatched her out of the air like a viper.

"Mama!" she cried out. Zetius tightened his grip gently; she had little to no pressure against him. That’s new, he thought.

"Cubie, I'll let you go if you help me with this," Zetius bargained, grinning.

"With what? Let go of me, pervert!" Cubie yelped.

"Pervert?!" Zetius blurted, incredulous. That last word was loud and crystal clear. He released her immediately.

Cheerfully, she flew in a circle before hovering close to him. Was it because she was too much like Aurelia? he wondered. Could she really be her mother?

"Cubie, I need you to access the core processor and grant me access to this Armatus unit," he commanded, his tone gentler, almost pleading.

"Got it!" Cubie landed atop the control panel before disappearing into it. After a few seconds, the Arcanite engine hummed to life, along with a blue-glowing screen.

Zetius chuckled in awe. "It’s not a fluke, I see."

"That’s so rude! Of course it’s not. It’s my excellency!" Cubie’d have pouted if she had a face, her tone now more mature. Yet still tinged with childishness.

In front of him, the screen now showed a complete 360-degree view of his surroundings.

The remnants of the failed stealth mission were less visible now.

The damaged hull had been patched and reinforced with metal plates.

The bodies of the fallen knights had been restored and preserved in the cold chamber known as the mortuary.

The mess of blood and dirt had also been cleared away.

Zetius swept his eyes around, spotting technicians running diagnostics on various Armatus units. He missed Hein and David already.

"Cubie, can you control more?" Zetius asked.

"Definitely! I can control up to eight units at once," Cubie replied, her tone robotic, almost like a system voice.

"Huh? Are you sure?" Zetius asked, rubbing his chin.

"Affirmative! Affirmative! Affirmative!" Somehow, even her robotic voice had an attitude.

Zetius pondered for a moment. "Okay, can you run a system diagnostic? I wanna do the dashboard."

"Processing your request," Cubie's voice rang out.

After a brief hum, the dashboard displayed health and weaponry data — all green across the board, a good sign that everything was operational.

"Fantastic, Cubie," Zetius nodded in satisfaction, his eyes darting to the large digital clock atop the massive door connecting the hangar to the mid-chamber.

It displayed: ‘00:04:12:34’. The Zeigerlich was already four hours away from Solis Aeternum.

He closed his eyes, savouring the memory of the place he once called home with Friederich and Aurelia.

Once, he had lived the life of a scholar and warmonger disciple, studying wars, arcane arts, politics, history, philosophy — to name a few. So close. He felt that warmth in his heart.

"Connect me to Director Sandria. I wanna take the Armatus unit for a test run," Zetius commanded sharply.

"Connecting to Systems Director Sandria Meinhardt…" She replied willingly.

Soon, the video conference opened, revealing the dark-haired woman.

"Zetius, you called for me?" she asked, raising one brow in surprise. After studying his surroundings, she blurted, "Are you inside the Armatus? How? I haven’t given you any clearance yet."

Zetius raised his hand, gesturing for her to pause. "Let’s just say... I have a masterkey to jailbreak any Armatus system!"

"Director Sandria, I’m Cubie! The jail-breaker," Cubie added gleefully.

Sandria’s brows furrowed even more. "Okay…" she muttered, but soon dismissed it.

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"I’m just checking in on you and the flight status," Zetius interjected.

"I’m functional," Sandria replied. She watched him intensely for a moment, then exhaled, visibly tired. Not once had she left the bridge for more than fifteen minutes. Always cautious at this critical moment.

"It does seem like Magnus Primarch Haoxuan of Hongon sent his regards and wished us well on our journey. More or less, he believes we’re aligned with Dunkelheit," Sandria replied nonchalantly.

In truth, she actually knew the man personally. Haoxuan had once tried to court her when she was a rising-star Vice Director, and even attempted to appoint her to his flagship, Jinlong, meaning Golden Dragon. But that was something she preferred to bury for now.

"Good to hear! Mind if I take some Armatus units for a test drive?" Zetius requested, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

"Judging from Friederich’s claim, you’re highly skilled with Armatus units. So be my guest. Enjoy," she said, sarcasm lacing her tone. Because she knew his request wasn’t actually a request but a courtesy.

"Alright! You hear that, Cubie? We got the pass!" Zetius bellowed excitedly, speaking to the console.

***

The light from the thrusters traced across the horizon as Zetius’s Armatus arched with Mach 3 velocity.

The sense of thrill returned once again. His fingers danced inside the mechanical glove controllers.

It felt like ages since he had last controlled an Armatus, even though it had only been less than a month. Yet now, in his true body, he could easily push it above and beyond.

His perception sharpened, his vision clearer, and his reactions were almost instant. In addition, his advanced spatial awareness caused him to feel like the Armatus was part of his own body.

The sleek, dark green Armatus tore through the sky, circling the colossal Zeigerlich. Thick clouds enveloped the area as they drifted above the vast, sprawling formations. Some openings revealed the distant, dark blue ocean far below.

The sun hung low, signalling evening, painting the sky in an orange hue.

"Lure them to the case, and one-eighty for the kill," Zetius muttered, imagining a scenario in his mind like an advanced shadow boxing.

"What did you say?" Cubie asked, confused.

"Sorry, I was talking to myself. Watch this, Cubie!" he said with a conceited smirk.

At full throttle, his unit darted forward before abruptly braking with a sharp manoeuvre.

Its verniers flared outward, sending a booming gust across its towering back.

The momentum spun him around to the opposite direction in a mere split second.

The blade glowed, sweeping at the imaginary enemy with precision.

Zetius noted that he could use this technique against enemy units without much effort. Even Gold Knights would never anticipate it.

The sky was his playground.

It was a stunt he never thought he could pull off as Jack.

He tested the move and refined it a few more times.

"This is truly something else!" Zetius exclaimed, the flow of euphoria surging through him.

"Yippie!" Cubie chimed in happily, her voice echoing in his hull.

Together they accelerated, the sonic booms on their back. "Woo~Hoo!" he cheered in triumph, the clouds passing below his feet. A sense of tranquillity bloomed.

***

[Incoming Message!]

The notification rang out in front of Sandria’s console. The director shot to her feet, hands bracing against the console. Her heart thudded heavily, her instincts told her something wasn’t right.

Why a message and not online comms?

It was labelled as coming from a battlecruiser under Hongon’s flag.

"Madison! What’s this?" Sandria asked sharply, looking at her navigator operator on her right.

Friederich mimicked her movement, standing beside her.

The operator tapped her glasses. "Checking now! It’s legit, coming from Hongon’s flagship! The Jinlong battlecruiser!"

"What’s the meaning of this? I thought we had them fooled," Friederich muttered, turning to look at Aurelia in the backseat. Her expression mirrored his, equally confused and concerned.

Sandria’s face whitened. She steeled herself and clicked ‘play’.

A short, thin man in a lavish dark suit appeared on her HUD screen. She recognised him immediately.

"Haoxuan, Magnus Primarch of Hongon…" Sandria muttered. She could never have anticipated a heartbreak turned into deadly conflict such as this.

"What’s he up to now?" Friederich pondered aloud, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

Haoxuan leaned closer to the camera, his gaze intense.

"Sandria, my dear… I’ve always been ever so cautious of you. You always had that air of uncertainty underneath your cold façade," he said, his voice dripping with arrogance.

A trickle of sweat slid down Sandria’s forehead. Her fingers hovered over the emergency button. She swallowed a lump in her throat to steady herself, then pressed it.

The alarm blared, summoning the reserve crews to their stations. At the moment, only fifty per cent of the crew was present.

"By trying to make a fool of me for the second time. Tsk! Tsk!" Haoxuan smirked, the eyes of an obsessive man glaring down at her.

Sandria turned to her operator. "Shield Protocol now!" she yelled, her voice strained.

Friederich quickly motioned to Aurelia to stay seated. "Stand down for now, Aurelia," he bellowed.

The video continued. "I knew you’d defect one day… As a courtesy of Hongon, this is goodbye."

"Shield Protocol engaged! 50 per cent capacity and climbing!" the operator reported back. The tension in the air grew heavier.

Balling her fingers into a fist, her short nails scraping against the console, Sandria barked, "Madison! Check the radar for Arcanite signatures! I think the Jinlong battlecruiser is on us!" Her mind raced, her heart pounding faster.

"If they’re chasing us, how could we not detect such a large signature?" Friederich asked, remaining mostly composed.

Sandria didn’t answer. She seemed lost in her thoughts.

[Alert! Arcanite Energy Detected!]

The system warning rang out, and the blue LCD light shifted to battle red. Chaos erupted inside the main control chamber. Fear and confusion rose, thickening the atmosphere until it was almost impossible to breathe.

The enemy cruiser was a few hundred kilometres away and closing in fast on the Zeigerlich.

Frantic commands echoed across the room as reserve crew members rushed through the entrance to their stations.

Sandria snapped back to herself and issued her orders firmly. "Dive! Dive under the clouds! Battle protocol! What’s the shield status now?"

She barked commands almost mechanically.

There was no Platinum Knight to issue orders anymore, those days were gone. It was her full responsibility now, and she intended to bring them safely to Solis Aeternum.

"70%, 75% now, Director!" the operator shouted back.

The director straightened her posture, exuding the presence of a true commander, no longer wavering. Her objective was clear.

"What’s the status of the Armatus drones?" Sandria demanded.

"82 units ready to deploy!" the operator replied promptly, the clatter of the mechanical keyboard filling the background.

Friederich frowned. "I remember 83 units, wasn’t it?" he asked, crossing his arms.

Sandria turned to meet his eyes, and her face filled with painful realisation.

"Zetius is still out there!"

Aurelia sprang to her feet, a stunned cry escaping her lips.

"What?!"