Chapter 9: A Friendly Chat

Professor Stewart was wholly captured by the telemetry feedback from the pilots he was inspecting. He stayed there through the rest of the night, and only when morning came did he finally step back. It was time to send the pilots to Pluto.

The orders were given, and steps were quickly made to transport the pilots to their new post on the icy planet. Meanwhile, he invited Moses to his office for a more private discussion.

"Sit down, Moses." Stewart said with a smile when Moses stepped into his office.

"Good morning, Uncle Stewart." Moses returned the smile with one of his own as he sat down. Due to the necessary formalities that they had to put up when in public, they had not been able to relate with each other as usual, but now, they could.

"How have you been, kiddo? I missed your enrolment ceremony, and we have not had the chance to speak all that much since then. I hope there are no hard feelings." Stewart got up and walked around the table to lean on it as he spoke. He preferred to speak with someone he considered family this way. There were no need for any of those psychological games that imposed superiority by sitting behind his large table.

"I've been fine, I guess. Things are only turning out better now that I am a Paladin pilot." Moses replied.

"Don't rest on your laurels now, Moses. Being a Paladin pilot only brings a lot more responsibilities and danger. In any fight against the Xenon, they will be sure to send their more mobile forces to target and pressure any Paladin that is on the battlefield, and if you are close enough to any of their battleships, then you must be ready to be the focus of condensed firepower." Stewart sternly warned.

"I already know all that, Uncle Stewart. I've been a mech pilot for a while now." Moses sighed and crossed his arms. "Besides, I don't mind being sent to the frontlines. Anything that brings me to where I can kill more Xenon is enough to satisfy me. Paladin pilot or not, as long as I go down fighting the Xenon, I will be happy." He grunted the last bit.

Stewart sighed. He was very familiar with Moses' stance when it came to the aliens.

"Your obsession has grown worse, Moses. It is unhealthy." He told the young pilot.

"Says the old fogey who spends his day looking over telemetry scans and research documents." Moses scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"It is my job, Moses. No one else can take over my role." Stewart replied.

"Well, it is my job to kill aliens. I don't see the difference!"

"You can always be replaced by another! That's the difference, Moses! If you die, then what do you think will happen? Do you think your parents will be happy to see you joining them wherever they are so soon?" Stewart snapped at Moses.

The young Paladin pilot went silent at that jab. He could not say much after that. He had made it his life's goal to kill the Xenon, but he did not truly want to die fighting. If it was possible, he would love to settle down and have kids someday. That would be what his parents would have wanted.

"That aside, congratulations on becoming a Paladin pilot. I am proud of you. I am sure they would be proud as well." Stewart smiled and placed his hands on Moses' shoulders. The frown on the young pilot's face melted away as he heaved a great sigh.

"Thank you, Uncle Stewart." Moses also smiled.

"You are welcome. Now, there are just a few questions I have for you. Perhaps I can help you a bit in understanding the capabilities of your Paladin." Stewart said and pulled up a holographic panel. Aside from the fact that you can 'store' your Paladin, are there any other peculiarities that you have noticed from the short time you piloted it?"

"Erm... Not from when I piloted it, but I did notice that I could speak to it." Moses scratched his jaw in thought for a moment before eventually remembering the moments he had spent speaking with Hex, his Paladin.

"You could speak to it? Do you mean that it spoke back in return?" Stewart quirked a brow.

"Yes, it spoke back to me." Moses nodded.

"Interesting." Stewart rubbed his chin in thought.

"What is? Is it something weird? Do I need to keep this information to myself in the future?" Moses asked.

"It is certainly something out there, but not too much. There are other Paladin pilots that are able to hold conversations with their Paladins, but most pilots are unable to do so. Only about five percent of the pilots can commune with their Paladins, so it is a rare occurrence." The older man explained.

"That said, it is not a problem you need to worry about. In fact, it might even turn out to be beneficial for you. Most of the pilots who have reported being able to converse with their Paladins have gone on to become excellent figures in their careers, while the rest are well on their way there. You might be the next rising star of humanity!"

"That sounds... Great. I guess?" Moses looked lost for words. He had never really enjoyed being in the spotlight, so he had no idea how to handle being a rising star for the entire human race.

"You do not need to worry about that. Just focus on surviving while also achieving your goals. Do not go against the wishes of your superiors unless it is absolutely necessary. The high ranking officers that have been stationed at Pluto are some of humanity's best. They have sway and lots of backers, so getting on their bad side will do no good." Stewart warned him as he stood up and returned to his seat.

"I understand, Uncle Stewart." Moses nodded dutifully.

"Good, now hurry off and prepare. You only have less than two hours before you depart for Pluto." The aged scientist and researcher shooed Moses out of his office. When Moses was gone, he brought up his hands and interlocked his fingers as he delved into his thoughts on Moses' words. Being able to speak with his Paladin might not be a good thing.