What Do You Mean I'm The Captain Of A Yandere Mercenary Company? Chapter 797: Test Pilot’s First Day

We had a moment to head back to our quarters and stash our outfits, allowing me the chance for Renata to wrap around me and devour the pilot suit before slipping into its spot.

The greatest advantage here was her adding extra padding to the soles, making it seem like I was truly in shoes rather than padding about without any.

I'm truly fortunate to count Renata as my eldritch servant.

After that, we returned to the training area where Theresa guided us to merge with another bunch of folks clad in matching pilot suits to ours, each sporting their unique hues.

Theresa's partner, Anthony, was present too, his expression lighting up upon spotting her.

All of them stood before a lone bald man featuring a cybernetic right eye, who appeared midway through instructing them as we neared.

Theresa waved toward him, "Hey Gary! I've brought a few fresh faces for you!"

The bald man arched a brow at us, and I caught his cybernetic eye flickering briefly before he gave a nod.

"I've been informed, indeed. So these are the alleged prodigies who wowed you corporate types?"

Theresa folded her arms, "Let me assure you, they're the genuine article this round! Their scores blew past nearly every company benchmark multiple times in our trials."

"Right... Via the simulator, correct? Every record from the simulator comes from rookies who've barely handled an Exo-Knight for a single day. That's precisely why I suggested adding an experienced hand, like a seasoned pilot, to your hiring squad."

"Well, I guess you'll need to brace for a shock today! Since they're set to demolish every preconception you hold!"

The bald man scowled, "You realize we're evaluating the latest Exo-Knights today, don't you? Are you certain you want these rookies diving straight in?"

Theresa pointed specifically at me, "No concerns! Miss Tera here has already handled piloting a new gen Exo-Knight!!"

"What?! Impossible! We haven't released any new gen Exo-Knights to the public yet! Deliveries aren't due until next month at soonest!"

"Ah, yet we did feature three special units to demonstrate the new gen Exo-Knights at Talavee Station, didn't we?"

"You don't mean... She attempted to nab one of them?!"

Abruptly, all eyes turned to me with hostile glares, as if ready to clash right then.

My companions swiftly positioned themselves at my side, meeting their stares boldly without a hint of dread.

Theresa hastily placed herself before me, "No! No! Haven't you all received the update yet?"

The bald man squinted, "What update?"

"Yes, there was a bid to swipe the next gen Exo-Knights, that's accurate. They utilized the event's other Exo-Knights to attempt a breakout and seize the ones we displayed... But Miss Tera commandeered one of ours to counterattack and safeguard it along with the remaining two from theft!"

The group looked stunned by this revelation, suggesting the details of that incident hadn't spread here yet.

Or... Maybe the corporation was deliberately keeping it under wraps, as I figured they'd prefer not to advertise nearly losing their advanced Exo-Knights, which they would have without an outsider's aid.

The bald man faced me, "Is that accurate? You operated one of our tenth gen Exo-Knights to repel a foe Exo-Knight?"

"Several foes," Theresa amended with evident pride, acting as if she herself had been at the controls that day.

I gave a nod, "Essentially..."

"And to confirm it wasn't mere luck..." Theresa pressed on, her pride swelling further. "The simulator for their evaluation was set to mimic the new Exo-Knights, and every one of them mastered them flawlessly!"

Wait, really? That was entirely new to me... I hadn't even known...

The bald man exhaled, "Alright then... I guess we'll simply observe their capabilities."

Theresa beamed, "Excellent! I'll entrust them to your skilled oversight!"

She spun to face us and tossed a wink, "Time for me to resume my tasks! No need to fret over him; he's genuinely a decent fellow!"

The green dragon woman then dashed away, abandoning us with this crew of pilots.

The bald man motioned to us, "As you probably caught... I'm Gary. I lead the test pilot team on this outpost. Put simply, during your stint here, I'm your superior, so skip the nonsense and we'll mesh well. Now, line up with the others. I was on the verge of outlining today's assignments."

I guided my team to integrate with the pilots before him, several offering a welcoming nod and a few even grinning at me, their demeanor flipping entirely now that they understood I hadn't sought to pilfer the Exo-Knight.

This clearly indicated these folks' deep devotion to the firm, likely willing to sacrifice for it.

Unclear if that's positive or negative in this context... As their loyalty might stem from excellent treatment, which seems true given the top-notch setup here.

Gary held off until we were gathered, then gestured to summon a holographic display behind him.

"Okay, team! To continue, we're tasked with assessing select new Exo-Knights today, and the researchers crave data on their output. Some of you'll take your knights out and deliver the details they require. Understood?"

A wave of confirmations rippled through the pilots before Gary shifted focus to us.

"Fine... With Theresa's endorsement... I'll pin any mishaps on her. You'll each claim an Exo-Knight and heed the researchers' directives once airborne."

Ries lifted her hand tentatively, "Um... Quick query? What precisely will we handle? They only mentioned we'd serve as test pilots, but... How do we test them? Like... What tasks await?"

"Oh... Got it... Total novices, huh? First go as test pilots for you ladies? You've only flown Exo-Knights for personal reasons up to now?"

My group and I exchanged glances before I faced him with a grimace, "Well... You'd know as team lead, but... We all just earned our pilot licenses a week or two back... Our sole Exo-Knight exposure was from school sessions..."

Disbelief etched across every face staring at me.

Gary jabbed a finger my way, "You've... Hardly any Exo-Knight piloting under your belt?"

I affirmed with a nod, "We just began with Exo-Knights lately... None of us own a personal one yet."

The pilots whispered among themselves, likely pondering how such amateurs landed this gig.

To my surprise, Anthony lifted his hand to quiet the murmurs.

"Ahem... Let's not rush to conclusions, folks. Give them a chance to demonstrate first, yeah? They were handpicked by HQ to join us, after all."

I eyed him narrowly, uncertain if his tone rang true or dripped with irony.

Regrettably, his even smile offered no clue either way.

No matter, that's our plan regardless.

Gary rubbed his head, "Tch... Okay, suit yourselves... Just remember, your contracts likely include terms that if an incident claims your life due to your error... The company bears no blame. And damaging assets from your blunders means you're on the hook to cover costs."

I acknowledged him, "Rest easy, we're cognizant. We reviewed the contracts thoroughly prior to signing."

He dipped his head, "Very well... Then let's proceed... We'll proceed to the hangar, and you'll receive orders post-launch in your Exo-Knights. Onward."

The test pilots scattered, forming clusters to head for the exit.

Gary approached us with a wince, "I hope... For your benefit... You ladies possess real talent. Else... The others might resent your inclusion."

He departed without a backward glance.

Strange... It almost feels like we've enlisted in the armed forces or similar...