The next morning, Yuren woke up to find Lina gone.
He quickly dressed and went downstairs to the main office. There, he found her talking with Jia and several other members of the battalion. They were laughing and joking around.
"Good morning, Sir," Jia greeted him.
"Good morning," Yuren replied, taking a seat at his desk.
"Did you have a nice sleep last night?" Jia asked with a smile.
"Uhh... yeah," he responded, looking away.
"That's good." She continued smiling as she looked over her tablet, "Our schedule is clear, the Ministry hasn't yet assigned us a task. But the 532nd have been deployed, they departed last night. And it looks like the 315th is also preparing to leave, the 323rd have received a new assignment as well. They're heading out next week."
Yuren sighed, "We'll receive our operation soon then, Strategic Command is probably still planning."
"We should start the day with inspection." Lina suggested, "Let's see how the battalion's faring after the maintenance."
"Sure, sounds like a good idea." Yuren replied as he typed away on his terminal, "I'll just finish writing the report for yesterday and we'll go."
"We'll meet you there, Sir," Jia said, standing up and following Lina out of the office.
The inspection was uneventful, but Yuren was surprised to learn that several members of the battalion had completed their maintenance earlier than expected. It seemed they were eager to be deployed. He was impressed with their attitude; they were all extremely professional and dedicated.
Yuren was nervous, though; he didn't realize he'd have to do some of the inspections himself. He hoped that he wouldn't make any mistakes or embarrass himself.
The fact that they were androids became more and more irrelevant as his thoughts focused on their feminine details. Their breasts, their hips, and their slender forms. It was a little unnerving.
He hesitated at the door to the barracks, his stomach twisting in knots as he thought about the women waiting inside.
"Sir, is something wrong?" Lina asked.
"Uh, no. I'm fine." Yuren replied quickly, forcing himself to enter and swinging the door open.
Inside the barracks, the lobby area was rather crowded with soldiers, chatting and joking among themselves. Most of them were wearing their uniforms, though a few had opted to wear casual clothing.
A few of the soldiers noticed him and began whispering among themselves.
"Is that him?"
"Is it really him?"
"He's young, isn't he?"
"Why is he so young?"
Yuren was taken aback by their comments, but he understood the surprise they must've felt. He was just a boy, not a seasoned soldier. He had no battle experience or leadership skills.
"Hello, ladies." Yuren waved awkwardly, "I'm your new commander."
"Aren't you a little young to be a commander, boy?" A woman with red hair scoffed.
"Regardless of his age, he has the skills required, the Ministry went out of their way to find someone who meets all conditions." Lina replied sternly, "His resonance is extremely high, and he's capable of using resonance weapons."
"Oh? So he can actually handle our guns?" A woman with short brown hair asked with a grin.
"Of course," Lina replied proudly, "And he's even capable of synchronizing with all the battalion."
The others began murmuring excitedly among themselves.
"The more exceptional they are the quicker they are to die." Another girl with blue eyes muttered.
"Shouldn't think so negatively, we can't lose another commander." A blonde girl spoke up.
"Oh, what's all the noise? Whose fighting this time?" A door opened, and a brunette android stepped out. 'XMV22' was imprinted on her shoulder.
"It's not a fight, it's a debate," the blonde answered.
"Oh? Who's winning?" The brunette asked.
"No one, yet."
"You're not a part of this," the redhead grumbled.
"I'm just curious, don't get your panties in a bunch." The brunette shot back, before turning her attention towards the young commander.
"Who's the kid?" She asked.
"Bei..." Jia stepped forward, "Tell me XMV22, did you just wake up?" She smiled yet kept a menacing tone.
"No, I just finished my maintenance," Bei replied. "Already on my case... sheesh."
"Yuren, that's Bei; the battalion's administrator. She supposed to be your secretary." Lina explained.
"Oh, right. That's her. Nice to meet you, Bei." Yuren extended his hand, "I'm Yuren Gotsutoa."
"Huh?" Bei tilted her head, "new commander?"
"That's right." Yuren nodded, "I've been assigned to command the 701st Heavy Assault Battalion, so that means you're going to be seeing a lot of me."
"Wait, that was you who suddenly connected to me yesterday?" Bei asked in disbelief.
"Sorry about that, I haven't done this before..." He smiled sheepishly.
"No, it's okay. Just surprised, that's all." Bei laughed, "Only one in three people can manage a connection with a XMV."
Yuren blinked in disbelief, then turned to Lina and Jia, "So the XMV series units are different from the rest?"
"That's right," Jia answered.
"They're an experimental unit designed specifically for various roles. They're a little... special," Lina explained.
"Special, how so?" Yuren asked curiously.
"She's got all kinds of equipment crammed in her head and body." Jia answered, "She's heavy even in android terms."
"That's why I'm so cute!" Bei replied cheerfully, "I can do things no other android can, I'm an absolute beast!"
Yuren noticed her chest bounce slightly as she spoke. Her clothes were a little tight on her frame; he wondered if that was because she was a heavy weapons model. She was certainly a little bit bigger than the rest of them, though not by much.
"Where are you looking, Commander?" Lina spoke with a sly grin. "She'd crush your pelvis."
Yuren choked at the thought, "D-don't say things like that!"
"Hey! Don't give him the wrong impression of me!" Bei complained, crossing her arms under her chest.
Jia sighed, "Anyways, Bei here isn't just our administrator. She's an omnipresent unit when on the field, well, it's more her mecha than her herself."
"Her mecha?" Yuren was intrigued.
"Bei here is the pilot of the 701st's Armored Reclaimer Mk. 4, or the 'ARM4'. It's an advanced heavy vehicle that specializes in enemy interception." Lina explained.
"So, it's a tank?"
"No, not a tank... hmm... Oh! Haven't you seen the action show called Full Armored Destroyer? It's a battle-suit mecha like those." A girl with 'AVS41' imprinted on her shoulder answered.
"A battle suit mecha? Isn't that just a normal armored combat unit?" The boy asked.
"No way! Mine is much more closer to those in the show. It's loaded with weapons and can fly, that show won't be animated fiction soon enough." Bei answered with a smug grin.
"Her mech, the AMWP-06 Archeus, is an interception assualt remodel of the Armored Reclaimer Mk. 4. It has a black and red color scheme and stands at just over 10 meters and is armed with two vulcans, a laser rail, two missile pods, and a 200-millimetre demolition gun. It was designed to be deployed in the field to intercept enemy units and is capable of destroying tanks, aircraft, and even ships." HID13 noted.
"Damn right! I'm badass." Bei chimed.
"Bei..." Jia glared.
"What?" She returned the look, "I'm not wrong, are you Hexa models that desperate to remain the best? It won't last long with us new XMVs on the way."
Jia launched forward and grabbed her collar, "Don't be a bitch, Bei. Or I'll rip you apart and toss your parts in a furnace."
"Try me, shortstack." Bei laughed.
"OI! That's enough!" Yuren stepped in between them.
"Tch..." Jia released her and took a step back.
"Do you really want this to be your first impression?" He asked, "because this is embarrassing."
"The ARM4 is our best weapon." Bei shrugged, "and it's my other half, what make XMV22 is me and the mech together. Each android here has her own unique weapon, and the ARM4 is mine."
"Don't mind her gloating too much, Commander." AVS41 smiled. "She's just frustrated that it's only use recently has been a overpowered forklift."
"Oh? Says the one who's just a glorified radar." Bei scoffed.
"At least I don't need a mech to be useful!" AVS41 retorted.
"Alright, enough!" Lina interjected, "Commander, you're here for an inspection. Let's continue with that."
Yuren nodded, "Okay, but what exactly does that entail? And why did I need to come to the dorm for it?"
"An inspection is to ensure that the androids received proper maintenance. None of our previous commanders actually did it; it's always been just me and Jia." Lina replied, "As for why the dorm, most of the girls are here, and it's the quickest way."
"We brought you to do it officially, since you seem genuinely interested in us. Rather just sending orders from your office all day." Jia stated, "Don't worry too much about the paperwork; me and Bei have that covered."
"Oh, okay," Yuren nodded.
"Hmm, since you're new to this we'll have you just inspect one." Lina cupped her chin. "Who should it be...?"
"How about me, Lina?" A girl with the 'ATI91' imprint on her shoulder spoke up.
"Are you sure, Kuno?" Jia asked.
"Yeah, I don't mind. Plus I'm sure the Commander will want a little hands on experience~" She replied with a smirk.
"Great idea!" Lina smiled.
"Huh?" Yuren was confused.
"Girls... Commander Yuren is very interested in androids." Lina began, "I've never seen someone so eager to understand us. So we'll give him a demonstration."
"Wait..." he didn't know why Lina was saying that.
He felt like he stepped into a wolf's den, and he was the lamb.
"Kuno will demonstrate an inspection session with him." Jia nodded.
"Wait a second! I-" He didn't get to finish his sentence as his wrist was grabbed and he was pulled down a hall.
"Good luck, Commander~" Lina called after him.
"Good luck?!" He could hear the girls laughing behind him as they headed towards one of the rooms.
Yuren's heart raced.
What kind of check-up was this? He was terrified. He had no idea what was going to happen, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he walked right into a trap.
"Here we are," Kuno said as she unlocked the door to her room.
He was led inside, and she closed the door behind them.
"Well, what are you waiting for, Commander?" Kuno grinned mischievously, "Strip me."
"W-what?" Yuren stuttered.
"I need you to remove my uniform, that way you can see all~ the~ details~" She giggled.
"B-but that's...!"
"You have to make sure I got proper maintenance, after all." Kuno blew into his ear. "Start here." She pointed to the zipper at the front of her jacket.
Yuren swallowed nervously. His hands trembled as he slowly reached up to grab hold of the zipper.
His heart was racing as he began pulling it down. As the zipper made its way past her neckline, her breasts began to appear from beneath the fabric.
Kuno's large, full mounds were covered by a white tank top.
The zipper reached the end of its track, and her jacket was now completely open, revealing her tank top and the valley of her cleavage.
"What's the matter, Commander?" Kuno asked. "You're not done yet."
"I..." Yuren struggled to speak.
"Hurry up. We don't have all day." Kuno urged.
"R-right..." He slid the jacket off her shoulders and placed it on the nearby desk.
Kuno smiled seductively. "Now the pants."
"I'm not so sure this is-"
"Just do it." Kuno commanded, pointing at her waistband.
He reluctantly reached down to her waist and grabbed hold of the waistband.
"You can pull them down." She whispered.
He slowly slid the fabric down her thighs, revealing her black panties.
"Now you have to make sure everything's working properly." Kuno smirked.
Yuren hesitated, his mind racing. What did that mean? What was this android asking him to do?
Kuno's smirk grew wider, her eyes twinkling with excitement.
"Go ahead." She cooed.
"I..."
"Don't waste time." She took off her top, revealing her ample breasts. "We're on a schedule."
Yuren was frozen.
"Well, aren't you gonna check me out?" Kuno asked. "Don't be shy."
He immediately noticed something about her skin. It's very faint, but he could see the glowing traces leading to her core.
"Is that...?"
"Yep, the circuitry that keeps me functioning." She answered.
"Wow..." He reached out to touch her; she was warm. It was nothing like the normal androids he had seen used by businesses; they were always cold to the touch. It was like he was touching another human; her skin was so soft.
"What are you waiting for? Go ahead." She encouraged him.
Yuren gulped, his nerves shot. But the curiosity of learning more about these androids got the better of him, and he touched her skin, sliding his fingers down her belly, following the faint light.
He felt his cheeks flush; the sensation was indescribable. He couldn't stop himself; his fingers continued, the heat building between them.
She chuckled, "What a naughty boy you are, Commander."
"S-sorry." Yuren retracted his hand quickly.
Kuno laughed, "Lina was right, you do see us that way."
"What's wrong with that?" He asked, his voice barely audible.
"Nothing," Kuno answered, placing her finger on his lips. "Absolutely nothing."
Yuren was stunned.
"Alright, teasing over. I've confirmed what I needed to." She covered her chest, "You're actually supposed to check if my resonance factor is at the normal level."
"O-oh..." he exhaled, relieved. Yet he felt somewhat disappointed.
"You were hoping for something else, huh?" Kuno grinned.
"N-no... not at all!" Yuren denied quickly.
"Off you go." The android girl opened the door, "Otherwise~ I'll trap you until I'm satisfied."
Yuren gulped and rushed out the door.
He was still breathing heavily when he rejoined the others.
"Hi, Commander." Jia smiled.
"Don't hi me!" Yuren exclaimed, "What was that?!"
"Oh, you mean the demonstration." Lina asked, "That's the old way. You check the circuit traces to an android's core."
"You're supposed to connect to her via NUWA." Jia held up her tablet, showing various data. "And confirm her levels are in the proper range. Checking our bodies is still a legitimate method, though. Even if we did tease you, it wasn't wrong."
"So how was Kuno's resonance?" Lina asked.
"I don't know, I couldn't really tell." Yuren answered.
"Oh, then what were you doing?" Lina leaned closer, "were you not paying attention and looking at something else?"
"N-no!" Yuren stuttered his denial.
"Really~?" Lina teased, "Your cheeks are red. Were you checking out her curves~?"
"S-stop it..." He whimpered, embarrassed.
"Don't be embarrassed, we're only teasing. We can't be offended." Lina giggled.
"But, why are you guys like this?" Yuren asked.
"Well, because of how you see us. If you treated us like machines, we wouldn't bother to act this way. We wouldn't have the motivation to make you comfortable with interacting with us." Jia explained, "And get our commander to open up."
"It's a little bit of reverse psychology," Lina said, "We're not used to being treated so respectfully, and we wanted to test how sincere your heart was. If you were just a creep, we would have thrown you out. But you were easily embarrassed, it's cute."
"I-I see..." Yuren muttered.
"Don't worry, Commander. We're not trying to humiliate you. We're just happy you're different from the others. So let us take care of you and show you how grateful we are." Bei Grinned.
Yuren's face turned red. "Okay, thank you."
"No problem, Sir," Lina smiled.
"But... why are you guys so different? All the other androids I've met are very serious." He asked curiously.
"There's no real answer for that. Maybe it's someone's idea of an experiment, maybe the want super soldiers but couldn't bring themselves to use actual humans. And settled for making a close imitation." Jia answered, "All I know is we're a bit different. We don't have much of a military mindset, but everything we need is already pre-loaded into our memory."
"So rather than being brought into military culture through conventional training, you're just given tactics and strategy straight away?" Yuren asked.
"Yes," Lina replied. "I guess the Ministry just couldn't find a way to integrate androids into the military social structure."
"It's because we aren't people in the end, we're weapons by the sum of our parts." Bei frowned, "Even if made very lifelike, we're still simply just loaded guns."
Yuren was quiet, thinking about the situation. He could understand their feelings. They were treated like objects, like tools. They weren't considered people; they were simply a means to an end.
But it seemed they didn't hate their purpose. In fact, they embraced it. It was clear that they wanted to prove themselves. They wanted to show that they could be useful and that they could fight.
What they seemed to want was their individualism to be recognized. Yuren recalled his meeting with the Vice Minister, who warned him not to repeat the past.
The Ministry went through undisclosed efforts to create these androids, and they had a lot invested in the project. It could be inferred that the previous commanders failed to meet the expectations or were simply unable to handle the battalion.
There was a very important function between the androids and their commander. In fact, it seemed the most important part for the Ministry was getting a capable commander who would work well with the battalion.
An indescribable feeling came over Yuren; not quite fear or worry, but it was enough to make him realize that he had been handed an incredibly huge responsibility. Not much was said about the 701st's previously commander, only that they had passed.
There weren't any major battles in the past few years, just small skirmishes between the nations. And the 701st weren't deployed often. The more he thought about the details, the more unlikely it became that the former commander died on the field. There were far too many gaps in the official story.
It had to be a catastrophic failure, one that the Ministry sought to eliminate the man responsible. 701st's impressive records were all under their very first commander's name. The second wasn't very impressive, just average at best. And the third didn't have much combat experience at all.
Yuren sighed as he leaned back against his chair. It was the fourth who had the shortest record and the sudden death. The records weren't very clear, and Yuren wasn't even allowed to read the full reports.
What had the ministry done? It became clear the battalion was more important to the Ministry than he realized. He felt like something was missing, something crucial to the Ministry's success.
They spent two years looking for someone capable, and he alone fit their requirements; none of the current ranked officers or graduates from the academy met the conditions. Why him? What did they know about him that no one else did? The questions plagued his mind as he sat there pondering the possibilities.
"Commander, don't get caught up on the details of things outside of your control," Lina's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Huh?" Yuren looked up at her, confused.
"I said don't worry about the details," Lina repeated. "You're focusing on the wrong things. You should be worrying about how to lead us, not why we were made."
She was right, the Vice Minister's warning was in relation to his predecessor.
"I know. Sorry," Yuren replied.
"Why are you apologizing?" Bei asked, "though we very much appreciate you deeply considering our circumstances."
"We're weapons first and foremost, and that's a fact that won't change, Commander." Yun spoke up. "It's best you remember that."
"Yeah, but..." the young commander was hesitant; he knew what he wanted to say. But it wasn't his place to.
"Commander, are you saying that you think we're more than just weapons?" A girl with a 'MIA74' imprint on her shoulder asked him, smiling slightly.
"Uh..." Yuren wasn't sure how to respond.
"It's okay. You don't have to say anything." She answered, "But we appreciate the sentiment."
"I just wish the world saw us the way you do." Another girl with a 'HID13' imprint said.
"well," Bei spoke, "It's not all bad, most people in the capital city treat us normally. No one really disrespects us when we're out and about."
"Really?" Yuren was surprised.
"Really! So quit your worrying and stop with the brooding expression like you had earlier." Lina laughed.
"Brooding expression...?" Yuren asked, confused.
"Your thoughts are practically written on you face. We could tell the general idea of the things you were thinking about a minute ago." Jia sighed.
"Oh..." Yuren replied sheepishly.
"But seriously, try to relax a little." Lina said, patting him on the shoulder.
"Sorry, I'm just worried," Yuren apologized again.
"If you don't relaxe we'll put you in the room with Kuno again." Jia warned, "And we won't interfere with anything we hear."
Yuren felt his cheeks turn red. He was still thinking about what happened.
"Ha! Look at his face!" Bei laughed. "He's definitely thinking about it."
"Stop it," Yuren protested.
"The commander is into androids." Bei giggled, "A huge discovery."
"Stop teasing the commander, Bei." Jia ordered, "It's not good for him."
"Yeah, yeah." Bei waved her off.
"Is that all Lina? Are everyone's levels good?" Yuren changed the subject.
"All green, Sir." Lina nodded.
Yuren let out a sigh of relief; he was glad the girls were healthy. Probably a little too healthy and energetic for him to handle.
"Good. I'm going back to the office, let me know if anything comes up." Yuren got up and headed out the door.
As soon as he left, the girls began laughing hysterically.
"Did you see his face?!" Bei exclaimed, "He's adorable!"
"An exception amongst all the other officers," Lina nodded, "An inexperienced boy that's weak to women."
"It's a miracle," Yun remarked.
"I hope he doesn't die, that would be a shame." The android with a 'HID13' imprinted on her shoulder muttered.
"You're all idiots..." Garra huffed. She didn't bother looking over and began dismantling her rifle.
"Oh? You have an objection, Garra?" Lina asked, smirking.
"No." Garra said flatly, "I have a complaint."
"What's that?" Lina raised an eyebrow.
"We're wasting time." She stated bluntly, "Our new commander has no battle experience, we need to rectify that."
"You're no fun," Bei frowned. "Besides, he got top scores in the Academy and aced every single simulation. A real prodegy, just like our first commander."
"Meaningless." Garra barked. "Regardless of their scores, the fatality rate remains high for android commanders."
"Not so fast, Miss perfect sniper." Ola stood, "I looked into his file, he's a siege survivor."
"Explain," Garra demanded.
"The siege of East Toador, he fought and eliminated 45 advanced assault androids on his own. Lieutenant Major Volhiem's comment on his file praises his remarkable adaptability and strategic mind." Ola continued, "He notes, the Ministry shouldn't waste such talent as Infantry, and I suggest either a commanding position or an advance force squadron leader." She tried to mimic the Lieutenant Major's low and raspy voice.
"How did you get your hands on that?" Bei asked.
"Trade secret!" Ola grinned, "We radar operators have connections."
"Whatever." Garra grumbled.
"Our last commander may have been a flop, but our sweet boy Yuren was chosen for us by the Vice Minister herself. And every officer she assigned to a battalion has done remarkably well." Lina explained.
"Still." Jia added, "His resonance is abnormally high..."
"I noticed," Bei agreed.
"He's at the level where it should be damaging his body... yet he seems completely normal." Jia wondered, "I didn't notice anything."
"A human with a higher factor than any of us..." Lina mused.
"Impossible." Garra objected.
"So... his resonance is super high huh?" Kuno appeared from the hallway, "Do you think he could pilot the ARM4?"
"No." Garra immediately replied.
"What? Why not?" Kuno asked.
"The cockpit is specifically designed for XMV models. Even I think putting a human in there would be brutal." Garra answered.
"But..." Kuno started.
"No." Garra said again.
"She's right, No human should be placed in the ARM4; the pressure and g-forces would shred his body." Bei agreed, "It would be like tossing a cat into a blender."
"What a horrible analogy," Garra grimaced.
"Doesn't really matter though. He's pretty easy to manipulate." Kuno said.
"KUNO!" The others shouted.
"What?! If he's really into us, then he might be down!" Kuno argued.
Garra slammed her fists on the table. "I will put a bullet through your damn core."
"Whoa! Easy! I'm just kidding." Kuno backed off.
"We're weapons, no human sees us that way you fucking idiot." Garra growled.
"Hey, hey, take a breath. It was just a joke." Kuno held her hands up.
"You're a pervert." Ola sighed.
"Tell that to the companies that made us." Kuno retorted.
"Let's focus, Commander is going to give us a task. We need to be ready." Lina ordered.
"Right." The girls replied.