Soon, Natsuki and Marshal Stacker arrived at the spare Jaeger repair warehouse behind the Jaeger bay.
This warehouse was much smaller than the Jaeger bay, with room for no more than two Jaegers, and its overall structure was far more basic.
Amid an assortment of steel materials and equipment, a burly, silver-white Jaeger stood on one side of the warehouse.
Shaolin Rogue.
There were no regular maintenance workers here, only a handful of design engineers studying ways to improve the Jaeger near his cockpit.
"Shaolin Rogue once defended China's coastline alongside Crimson Typhoon. He is a Jaeger specializing in close-quarters underwater combat and was destroyed during a mission in 2024. After Dr. Albert arrived here, he began restoring the Jaeger."
"But for some reason, this Jaeger's neural interface system keeps malfunctioning, so he hasn't been able to take part in any subsequent operations."
Marshal Stacker looked at the enormous Jaeger nearby, who resembled a warrior monk, as he explained.
"Looks good." Natsuki also looked up at the Jaeger and nodded in satisfaction.
The Land of Light also had mechanical creations from other civilizations, though most were kept at the Space Science Technology Bureau. Those things were pretty novel, but unfortunately, after Natsuki broke a few while playing with them, Hikari stopped letting him into the lab. After that, he had to sneak in whenever he wanted to visit, which was hardly dignified.
Here, on the other hand, he wanted to pilot a Jaeger, and they simply arranged it for him.
With people this accommodating, it was hard for Natsuki not to grow fond of Earth.
"When can I get in?" Natsuki asked with a hint of anticipation.
"It's seven twenty in the morning now. Installation of the single-pilot neural control system should be finished sometime this afternoon." Marshal Stacker thought for a couple of seconds before answering.
Replacing the control system wasn't difficult and could be done quickly. After all, the equipment was already available.
"In the meantime, you can familiarize yourself with how to pilot a Jaeger. It's an extremely complicated process. Our pilots usually spend several years training at the academy," Marshal Stacker said.
He wasn't exaggerating in the slightest. Piloting a Jaeger was an extremely serious matter in this world.
Before the United Nations withdrew its funding, Jaeger pilot academies had been even more popular than prestigious universities, and their admission requirements had been higher as well.
Piloting a Jaeger well wasn't as simple as standing in the cockpit and throwing punches and kicks. Pilots also needed a basic understanding of every system inside the Jaeger and had to be able to use all its functions under any circumstances.
"All right. Is there a pilot's manual or something? I'll take a look in a bit." Natsuki frowned as soon as he heard he would have to learn how to pilot it, but considering that he really did need that knowledge to handle a Jaeger smoothly, he accepted it.
"There is. I'll have someone bring it to you shortly," Marshal Stacker said with a nod.
"Once you have some understanding of how to pilot a Jaeger, you can take part in the activation test this afternoon. We can run it alongside Gipsy Danger's."
Gipsy Danger's pilot selection was scheduled for the morning, with the activation test taking place that same afternoon.
That reminded Natsuki of something.
"Speaking of which, Raleigh's partner has already been decided, right?"
"It's that girl?" Natsuki asked.
From what he had observed, Raleigh and Mako Mori becoming partners was practically a certainty.
Marshal Stacker nodded silently.
But there was still a trace of conflict on his face.
"What's there to agonize over?"
"Raleigh's a veteran. Even if that girl has never piloted a Jaeger before, he can guide her through it."
Natsuki could tell that Raleigh hadn't lost his qualities as a warrior. In fact, he had maintained them very well.
"It isn't that simple." Marshal Stacker frowned, looking toward the enormous Jaeger nearby as he said gravely, "She still carries intense hatred in her heart. It will affect her emotions."
"When two pilots enter the Drift, every emotion is amplified as much as possible. If she gets lost in painful memories of the past, the other pilot will be trapped in them too."
"That's why I'm worried... she isn't ready yet."
His concern for Mako Mori wasn't solely because she was his daughter.
Whether as a father or as a marshal, he believed it was still a little too soon for Mako Mori to pilot a Jaeger.
She hadn't fully let go of the past.
"Care to explain?" Natsuki asked, looking at him. "And explain your physical condition while you're at it?"
Just then, another stream of dark red blood trickled from Marshal Stacker's nose.
Only belatedly did he reach up to touch his nose. Then he deftly took a handkerchief from his suit pocket, wiped away the blood, and swallowed a capsule.
He looked at Natsuki for a few seconds. After a brief hesitation, he slowly began, "It happened nine years ago."
He shared the worries weighing on his heart with Natsuki.
"Back then, I wasn't a marshal yet. I was just a pilot."
"A kaiju codenamed Knifehead made landfall in Tokyo, Japan, and took countless lives, including those of Mako Mori's parents..."
In 2016, the Category II kaiju Knifehead emerged from the Breach on the floor of the Pacific Ocean and made landfall in Japan. Stacker Pentecost, then a Jaeger pilot, deployed in the Mark I Jaeger Tango Wolf alongside his partner, Tamsin Sevier.
That year, the Jaegers had yet to receive their later upgrades, and their performance had many shortcomings. The two pilots hadn't been able to stop the kaiju immediately.
During the grueling battle, the kaiju even killed Tamsin Sevier, leaving Stacker Pentecost alone.
The kaiju's gigantic form rampaged through the city. Beyond killing Mako Mori's parents, it also set its sights on the young Mako Mori.
In the end.
Stacker Pentecost had piloted the Jaeger alone under immense strain, killed the kaiju, and rescued Mako Mori. He then adopted the poor girl as his daughter.
"Her parents' deaths... and the despair of facing a kaiju as a child. She turned those emotions into the force driving her forward."
"She thinks she's made peace with it, but after looking into her eyes, I know she hasn't."
"She still needs to grow."
After finishing his account of Mako Mori, he turned to himself.
"As for me... there isn't much to say."
"All Mark I Jaegers used nuclear power. Things were urgent back then, and radiation protection for the pilots wasn't built into the design."
"After I fought that kaiju alone in a Jaeger, my body was already destined to deteriorate."
Because of the Jaeger's radiation, Marshal Stacker had developed incurable cancer, and his remaining life was now counting down.
After explaining all of this, he suddenly felt a sense of relief.
As the backbone of the entire base, he had to appear strong and decisive at all times, reassuring everyone and making them believe they were a united whole, with someone leading them forward.
Now, facing a being whose level of existence far surpassed his own, he no longer had to worry about those things. He could temporarily take off his mask of strength and voice his concerns as an ordinary man.
For him, it was a chance to relax.
"What worries me now is whether something might go wrong during the activation test."
"Both Mako and Raleigh have pasts they can hardly bear to revisit," Marshal Stacker said, worry creasing his brow.
Choosing these two as pilots had truly been an act of necessity.
I'm already out of time.
Or rather... humanity doesn't have much time left. I have to make a choice.
"It won't."
After he finished speaking, Natsuki looked at him and spoke.
"Nothing will go wrong."
"Because I'm here."
A faint smile touched Natsuki's lips.
Because he was here.
Those few simple words brought an immense sense of reassurance.
Marshal Stacker looked at him, and for a fleeting moment, he seemed to see that giant again, a faint smile on his lips-the one whose mere appearance could make people feel hope deep within their hearts.
Before you continue