What Do You Mean I'm The Captain Of A Yandere Mercenary Company? Chapter 808: Exclusive Testing

I secured myself in the pilot's chair as the Exo-Knight hummed to life.

Displays flickered on one by one, among them two that revealed the faces of the researcher and engineer I'd chatted with previously.

"Miss Tera! Is everything working well?" Rosalia inquired, her bunny ears perking up eagerly.

I blinked in surprise, "Uh... Well... I've only just powered up the Exo-Knight... But if you insist on hearing it... Things seem fine for now?"

"Miss Tera! What about the energy levels?! How is the generator holding up?!" Friederike demanded, leaning in as if ready to butt heads with her ram horns.

I turned my attention to her, "As I mentioned... I've barely started the machine, but... The readouts indicate it's operating smoothly within normal limits?"

The pair nodded gravely, as though I'd revealed some groundbreaking secret.

Seriously, are you two okay?

Please don’t pull me into your internal company mess, alright? I’m only here to complete this task and get out of dodge...

Another incoming call popped up, this one from Gary, whose face materialized on a screen over the two women.

"Tera... I just received word that you'll report directly to the Head Researcher and Head Engineer, so your orders will come from them. Good luck."

Without pausing for my response, he ended the connection, abandoning me to the intense stares of the duo.

Why did it seem like he was fleeing the scene?

Fine... I suppose that made sense since they summoned me into the Exo-Knight in the first place...

Rosalia began tapping at her personal terminal before giving me a nod, "Miss Tera... Given that this is an entirely new unit, we'll run some stress tests to evaluate its capabilities. When you're set, please disengage from the maintenance bay and proceed beyond the station."

I cleared my throat, "Ahem... Before we proceed, mind if I ask something?"

"Of course!" They both affirmed simultaneously.

"Why me?" I questioned plainly. "I mean... If you're after the top pilot, Yumiko is obviously superior between us... So why choose the runner-up over the champion?"

"Ahahaha~ That's straightforward," Rosalia chuckled warmly. "Your flying approach sets you apart from the rest! Even Miss Yumiko's skills align with what's typical for someone of her expertise."

"So you're saying... I'm selected because I'm an outlier?" I probed.

"Sort of... In a manner of speaking?"

Huh... Interesting insight...

Grasping the controls, I released the Exo-Knight from the maintenance bay and maneuvered it to the hangar's brink.

Drawing in a deep breath, I advanced the throttle, propelling the Exo-Knight out of the hangar into the void of space.

Activating the thrusters, I surged the unit ahead, racing toward the initial marker transmitted to my navigation display.

This time, I wasn't solitary, spotting a C Class Medium Freighter drifting in the vicinity.

A quick scan of the map marked the vessel as allied, and sensors confirmed it as company property, undoubtedly tied to my current mission.

As anticipated, Rosalia piped up after glancing at her terminal.

"Ah! You've arrived at the launch point, Miss Tera! We can commence the test now!"

I cleared my throat once more, "Ahem... It might help if I knew exactly what I'm supposed to be doing."

Friederike huffed, "Hmph. Exactly, you daft rabbit. You have to brief our pilots on the goals, or they won't grasp what's being evaluated."

The bunny girl glared at her goat counterpart, "I was about to, if you'd zip it for a moment."

Rosalia refocused on me, "Ahem... Anyway, Miss Tera... The test begins here... You've probably noticed the Exo-Knight is equipped with weapons this time, as we believe testing it in a realistic scenario will yield more accurate data."

"At least we agree on that much," Friederike grumbled aside.

Ignoring her, Rosalia pressed on, "The freighter nearby will deploy drones to hinder you throughout the test. For starters, navigate a flight path while a handful of drones fire practice lasers at you."

Hmm... Essentially, it's an obstacle run with intermittent enemy fire... Manageable enough.

I acknowledged, "Understood. Transmit the route details and signal when to begin."

Friederike operated her terminal, prompting a chime from my map as it highlighted a series of waypoints. The initial one materialized ahead as a luminous ring.

Two wedge-shaped drones emerged from the freighter and lingered close by, observing.

"Begin at your convenience, Miss Tera," the goat girl announced.

After reviewing the layout briefly, I signaled my readiness with a nod.

Immediately, I thrust the throttles ahead, hurtling the Exo-Knight through the 'gate'.

The map icons for the drones shifted to red as they pursued from the rear.

They unleashed twin lasers targeting my rear as I headed for the subsequent gate.

Engaging the thrusters, I rolled the Exo-Knight sideways, dodging the incoming energy streaks while holding my trajectory.

Keeping the rear view in my peripheral, I throttled up once more, propelling toward the next marker.

Nearing the following 'gate', the drones fired anew, still fixated on my back.

Rather than rolling, I reversed the thrusters to decelerate, allowing the beams to zip ahead as I pivoted, using inertia to glide through the gate while orienting toward the upcoming point.

Clearing it, I reignited the thrusters and accelerated onward, overtaking the drones en route to the next.

Then a fresh red blip emerged on the map, indicating yet another drone in pursuit.

I figured they'd keep deploying more with each gate I cleared at this pace.

To avoid a full horde trailing me, I needed to hasten things...

Maxing out the thrusters, I rocketed the Exo-Knight toward the third marker.

A sudden gleam caught my eye, prompting an instant barrel roll; the laser sliced through where I'd have been otherwise.

The initial duo closed in, unleashing their lasers in sequence.

I yanked the throttle, veering briefly to evade the first shot, then realigned to sidestep the second.

I pondered using the Exo-Knight's arm shield to deflect, but since evasion remained feasible, I held off.

As the drones fired again approaching the third gate, I'd already anticipated their rhythm and dodged effortlessly, the Exo-Knight zipping through before banking toward the fourth.

Predictably, this triggered another drone launch from the freighter, aiming to cut me off.

I deviated my course to draw its fire, then straightened to evade completely.

Simultaneously, the other trio unleashed their beams, and I slammed the throttle sideways for an abrupt spin, halting forward motion and veering the Exo-Knight aside just as the shots converged on my prior position.

Recovering, I twisted back and plunged unscathed through the final gate.

The red markers reverted to blue on the map as the drones ceased aggression and retreated to the freighter.

Shifting focus to my spectators, the two women...

"Wahhhh!! Look, look!!! Check out this data!! Are you blind to it, you idiot rabbit?!!"

"You're the one missing it!! See the output!! It shatters every projection we had!!"

"You don't even understand what you're staring at!!"

"No, you're utterly oblivious!!"

"Why not come say that to my face?!"

"You wanna fight, bitch?!! I'll head over and smash you right now!!"

"Oh please, you won’t lift a finger."

"Wanna wager?!"

Um... Hey? I'm right here, you know?