Chapter 2: Praetomium.
Fort Solstice lives on another day.
Two weeks have passed since ExoFront forces attacked Fort Solstice to claim the Praetomium depository within the fort. New Horizon forces were wiped out almost completely due to the presence of PAU-305, ExoFront's newest Power Armor Unit. Tensions within Fort Solstice was rising as sightings of a new PAU test were evident in the Central Valley, the only area with terrain flat enough for new bases to be set up, alongside many Praetomium depositories that are very close to the surface. Harvesting activities has not been commenced, however, a fierce battle is about to ensue a few days later.
"We need to weaponize Praetomium.", says Nielson, in a meeting with the board of directors aboard the Second Star, New Horizon's mothership. Nielson had experienced vivid hallucinations when he accidentally inhaled particles of Praetomium when it was being dug out of the sand and turned into liquid form for shipping.
"What do you say, Captain Hart? Weaponizing Praetomium? You are out of your mind!"
"Precisely, Mr. Mathers. You see, Praetomium is more than just a rare metal. It has this special ability to alter the perception of anyone who comes into contact with it within seconds. It disturbs brain signals to create hallucinations, and once that wears off you almost feel like you are revigorated with a new sense of power."
"And you plan on?"
"Creating military-use Praetomium supplements. It can come in the form of a small cracker that soldiers can pull out and consume in the midst of a battle. This pushes their mental capacity. Also, this method will allow our soldiers to essentially predict the future if their mental power is high enough."
"What if the mental powers put a strain on soldiers? Remember, you are the only one here who was born and raised on Xara. Earth-born soldiers will die if they overdose on the thing. Plus, we don't even know how much Praetomium we should use for these crackers."
"The material must be weaponized. I demand an in-depth research on the material now. Maybe there is something to it besides it being a beautiful metal."
"We shall reconsider your proposal."
The meeting ends with the directors giving commander Elena Torres authority to carry out research on Praetomium. During the tests, the metal was grinded into powder and put into tea and water for soldiers in Fort Solstice. This resulted in many soldiers getting addicted to the substance, going so far as to steal Praetomium from the storage to grind into powder and put into their beverages. The treat, dubbed "Blue Milk", was so popular among dwellers of Fort Solstice that a few business owners actually formed "Mining Teams" to dig for the material for use in their drinks. Within weeks sales of Blue Milk skyrocketed. Frequent consumers state that they experience mild hallucinations and a revigorated strength afterwards. Soldiers who have consumed the drink before engaging in simulated battles displayed better coordination, focus and decision-making, lessening casualties.
The positive effects of the drug prompted Elena to commence production of the "Focus Cracker", a military-use ration that is infused with Praetomium, allowing for easy-to-consume Praetomium supplements.
The use of the new rations were initially positive; soldiers taking the ration reported heightened senses and a greater degree of control over their PAU. However, disaster struck.
"Soldier 201, do you hear me?"
"Warning: Pilot unconscious. Preparing emergency resuscitation."
"Warning: Pilot unconscious. Preparing emergency resuscitation."
Alarms blared within the walls of the testing facility, with monitors displaying vital signs of the soldiers all turning red with a large "WARNING" on their screens. The PAUs were not receiving any pulses from the pilots, and attempted to shock the soldiers using their built-in AED. Doctors rushed into the testing facility and opened the cockpits, extracting the soldiers. Some of them are brought back to life by the shocking of the PAUs, recalled that they experienced intense hallucination and came under shock, which caused them to faint. Some of which were not that lucky. Their hearts failed when the machines attempted to shock them, and they died within minutes of taking the new rations.
"How many casualties?" Elena asked worriedly.
"About 50. All are Earth-born. It seems the drug had a particularly adverse effect on them." a doctor replied.
"But they drank Blue Milk and were fine. Why is this?"
"The water must've diluted the metal. The crackers didn't, that's why they experienced shock."
"But, Blue Milk contained far more Praetomium than the crackers."
"The Praetomium may have reacted with the vitamins inside the crackers. That's what amplified the effect. It seems excessive consumption of pure Praetomium, as in the case of Blue Milk, is safe."
The crackers were soon recollected and destroyed. The incident left the New Horizon fleet scarred as some of their most well-performing soldiers perished due to the drug. Afterwards, an emergency meeting was held and Elena as well as Nielson were openly criticized due to their testing of the dangerous drug. The situation got so bad that New Horizon peacekeeping forces were called in to fend off the angry crowd that has formed around the main building of Fort Solstice. All citizens demand an arrest of Nielson and a severe punishment for Elena, unknowing of the fact that without the duo, they would've been dead under ExoFront fire.
"Regarding your actions, which had led to the deaths of over 50 soldiers during the testing of the Focus Cracker, you shall be demoted to Captain of Fort Leeds, Elena Torres. You will also be prohibited access to any Praetomium-related research."
The punishment for Elena was responded with the cheering of the crowd, except those at Fort Leeds. Elena collapsed immediately upon hearing the announcement, and began weeping uncontrollably.
"I wasn't good enough! I wasn't a good leader!"
As Elena was sobbing, the council shifted their focus to Nielson Hart, the man behind the idea of the Praetomium research. Nielson was standing tall, his gaze fixed onto the wall where plaques of the victims were hung. He was clearly shaken up by the consequences of his actions.
"I will be the sole test subject of the Praetomium project. No one has to die but me."
"Captain Hart, you are our best pilot. Doing this means you are effectively sentencing yourself to death."
"So be it. I caused their deaths. Now I have to pay the price."
The Praetomium research project carried on regardless. For three months, New Horizon was left with no protectors, having to rely on foot soldiers and makeshift mobile vehicles. Fort Leeds, under the leadership of Elena Torres, effectively became a military barrack, with most of its members becoming front-line soldiers. Meanwhile, Nielson endured life-threatening tests, even almost dying in an incident involving pure Praetomium.
After many trials and errors, the key to weaponizing Praetomium was developed: the Praetomium Enhanced Power Armor Frame, or PEPAF. The system has three primary components, the "Control Module", which is the human brain itself, the "Power Module", which is a closed environment in which Praetomium-lined walls were powered with a 10V electric current, which causes the Praetomium to emit particles that form a field in which senses are heightened. The final module is the "External Module", which is a series of Praetomium wires that transmit brainwaves into the external machines, allowing the pilot to freely control their PAU.
"PAU-276, Clawbeaver. Can you hear me?"
"Clearly, Dr Masons."
The first test run of PEPAF has commenced, with Nielson piloting a modified PAU-276, now equipped with PEPAF instead of the usual cockpit. The Power Module houses inside the Clawbeaver's chest part, and this enables Nielson to freely control the mecha with his thoughts.
"Begin simulation."
The test room is surrounded with lights and a virtual environment replicating that of the valley just outside Fort Solstice was created. The Clawbeaver is launched out of its hangar with the help of two jet thrusters, and descended onto the enemies.
"First test, normal piloting mode. Nielson, try to destroy the enemy PAUs with using the control panel."
"Roger that."
Nielson pushed the throttle to high power mode, which thrusts the mecha forward using its two propulsor located on its legs. A pair of binoculars were then placed on Nielson's eyes, initiating combat mode. The propulsors stopped, and Nielson placed both of his hands onto two joysticks, the one on the right controlling the mecha's orientation and right arm, while the one on the left controls the mecha's two legs and its left arm. The pilot can switch between movement mode and arm mode using a button placed on the base of the stick, and the trigger on either sticks are used to launch an attack using the corresponding arm. To move in "arm mode", two pedals, one for moving forward, and one for braking, can be used. To turn in arm mode, the pilot must switch back to movement mode on the right joystick, forcing the pilot to use one arm as the weapon. To compromise this disadvantage, the PAU-276 is equipped with two 100mm machine guns located on its chest, and can be fired using a button placed right under the thumb of the pilot.
Nielson approached an enemy unit, then switched to arm mode, ready to fight. The enemy is equipped with a machine gun and started to open fire towards the Clawbeaver. Nielson withstood the barrage of bullets, and grabbed the enemy, piercing its head with the Clawbeaver's two sharp claws, rendering it immobile.
"Excellent work, Nielson. Now, activate the PEPAF."
"PEPAF initiated. It's going to hurt a little."
The entire cockpit shone brightly with a bluish hue, before the seat of the pilot was pulled away from the control panel, and a device resembling a virtual reality headset was placed onto Nielson's head. Wires connecting the device to the external module was attached to the headset, and any of Nielson's actions would be transmitted to the machine via the headset.
"Take out the remaining enemies."
The mecha came to life, performing somersaults, running, sprinting across the battlefield and tearing through enemy barriers with relative ease. After a few minutes, the entire enemy battalion was wiped out.
"The test was a success. We have weaponized Praetomium."
A few days later, PEPAF would eventually be revealed to the public, marking a milestone in New Horizon's fight against ExoFront.
New Horizon is turning the tides of battle to its favor.
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