Chapter 18: Ch 18 – Classes

"Wow, this is good."

"Why thank you."

"I don't think I've ever had a home cooked meal like this."

"Never?"

"Well, my household wasn't normal."

Asphodel shrugged as she stuffed her face with bacon and eggs. 

She had been honestly surprised by how good the food was. While it didn't have the same high class flavor or texture of her normal food, it actually tasted better. She never paid much attention to what she ate since basically everything could be nutritionally good for you, given the technological level of the Mantle. That meant everything could taste like a five star meal despite being packaged like a gas station burrito.

This was a home cooked meal made with real food. The Mantle, being supplied by the Megaliths, had every kind of meat and plant available on site. All the galactic trade was only for industrial purposes. None of it was food. That meant this world grew its own resources. The Megaliths could build farms and plant genetically modified superfoods. They could also raise all the animals they wanted. Anything and everything could be found here, catering to all tastes of the couple billion people residing here. 

But cooking was too time consuming and tedious. Everyone would much rather buy their food on the fly and simply eat it. Something like a home cooked platter was rare, and Asphodel had never known what such food tasted like. 

She had even half expected Issac to just buy food, unpackage it, and hand it to her on a plate. 

Issac ate alongside her. There was more food than either of them could eat, so none of them held back and took big or small bites of whatever they wanted. 

As they were eating though, they suddenly heard a knock on the door. 

"Come in!"

As Issac half expected it to be Anthony, he just yelled out. When the door opened though, he saw someone who definitely wasn't Anthony.

"Bareyla?"

Asphodel was surprised, speaking with a mouth full of cheese. Her sister looked at her weirdly, walking in with slow steps. 

"...I can't say this is what I expected when I came over. But it's more welcome than the alternatives."

"Am I a child you have to supervise anyway? What's going on?"

Asphodel swallowed her food with a small glare. Issac brought over another chair, beckoning Bareyla to sit. 

"Thank you."

She nodded and took her spot. She was about to speak again when Issac also put a plate and utensils in front of her.

She waved.

"No, it's alright."

"Oh, have you eaten?"

"No. I came to find my sister who's been missing for three days."

"Oh... Go ahead and eat then. Believe me, we have more food than we know what to do with."

Issac waved to the table as he sat down. Asphodel also kept eating, more than happy to ignore her sister using food. 

Bareyla took a glance at Asphodel before sighing. She thanked Issac before making herself a plate. Her first bite of bacon cause her eyebrows to raise, and after a few bites of a dish Issac called cheese muffins, she was no longer reserved. 

The table became silent as everyone continuously stuffed food into their mouths. Issac smiled. A quiet table always meant good food, and he was happy with his performance. 

Asphodel smiled when she saw his grin, stifled by the food he tried to chew simultaneously. She giggled a little, putting her hand over her mouth to prevent crumbs from falling out. 

Her laugh caused Issac to chuckle. Bareyla couldn't help but smile, looking between the two as if missing out on some sort of joke. She eventually shook her head, ignoring them. 

With three people and big appetites for good food, the table was actually cleaned off. Asphodel took the last cheese muffin, causing Issac to curse inwardly. He was too slow. 

"Mm. So, what's the verdict?"

She asked, causing Issac to rub his chin. Bareyla thought Asohodel was asking about why she was here, so she opened her mouth to answer. 

But Issac beat her. 

"The cheese muffins. Definitely number one."

"I agree. The buttered toast was really good too."

"I know. You ate all but two."

"Hey, you seemed awfully in love with those bacon strips."

"That's true. Those definitely take number two."

"No, no. Number two is the omelets."

"..."

Bareyla was silent as they began evaluating the food. She couldn't help but rank them too. While she tried to remain elegant at the table, the food was just too good. She had eaten only a bit less than the other two. 

When they began getting off topic though, she clapped, catching their attention. 

"Excuse me. First, the breakfast was amazing. Thank you, Chef Issac."

"Of course." 

"But we all have urgent business to attend to." 

Her visage became serious. 

"Orientation is in two hours. You've registered for classes?"

She focused on Asphodel, who shrugged with a disinterested huff.

"Obviously."

'And it looks like the fun times are over.'

She grumbled inwardly, closing her eyes as if feeling the burden of the future rest itself upon her. 

Issac perked up though, turning his head to Bareyla. 

"Uh, we have to register for classes?"

"That depends." 

She mused. 

"What's your technician rating?"

Issac pulled out his card, as if he hadn't memorized everything on it. "I actually have two. The first is 3-, and the theoretical is 3."

"Oh?"

Bareyla's brow raised. Then again, he did occupy an island, so she wasn't that surprised. 

Opening her eyes, Asphodel suddenly stop sulking and pointed at Issac with her utensil.

"You have a lot to catch up on, Issac. Your theoretical foundation is fantastic, but you lack the sheer technological knowledge most people here have. Honestly though, with your smarts you can just spend a bit of time researching and get up to speed quickly. You'd probably learn everything you lack while trying to build your mech, so I wouldn't say it's anything to be worried over."

"Alright." 

He nodded. 

"So what about classes?"

Asphodel leaned back into her seat, playing with her white hair. 

"Only when you reach technician rating 3 can you begin to pick classes. Before then, everyone is placed into standardized and general classes. At rating 3, you begin to specialize. You pick classes based on your specialties or preferences. You can learn about anything from spaceship fracture drives to emission weapons of different types." 

"Hmm... I definitely excel the most in the field of Quantum Mechanics. Hardlight is also a specialty of mine."

Issac mumbled as he pondered. Learning all the basic blueprints for the myriads of low level tech below his theoretical knowledge was a secondary concern. Still, despite the card determining he had level 3 knowledge, he trusted Asphodel's judgment and knew he needed to spend some time on it. 

"You can take some classes on Quantum Mechanics then. As for Hardlight, that’s a very niche area, but I’m pretty sure there’s a class for it." 

Asphodel hummed. 

"But there are still a lot of other classes you need to consider, especially if you plan on building a good mech. You can learn how to build better emission weapons, power supplies, conversion cores. Here, I'm sending you a link. Register at this site after browsing their class list. Although you're registering late, it's not like it matters. Take anything at your rating. You can take as many as you want. You can drop and add them as you please throughout the year, too. The Mantle is very flexible and lets you experiment to find your specialty."

"Mm. Nifty."

Issac called, prompting a cat to strut over and jump onto his lap. A small hatch opened on its back, and Issac retrieved a pair of holographic glasses. 

After putting them on, the site for registration was automatically pulled up, Nifty having received and opened the link from Asphodel. The list scrolled as his mind beckoned. He quickly picked out everything he felt interested in, creating another list and pondering it.

Quite literally everything had a class on it. Bio-engineering, mega-construction, ship logistics, AI development. Issac could pick from any myriad of fields. 

It got him thinking about what exactly he wanted to do. Up until now, his biggest focus and project was building his pilot suit. He had spent many years studying with his mother, many years learning all sorts of scientific and mathematical concepts. Years of building his own gadgets, throwing together quantum computers, engineering all kinds of software. 

He knew so many things about nearly every field of science and Dark Tech. But he had yet to decide his specialty. That was like choosing your path in life. 

Although he didn't have to find his specialty right now, it was good to at least start searching. However, that brought him to another big question. 

"Hey Ash." 

He looked beyond the displays in his glasses to the girl sitting across from him. 

"As far as I know, knowledge of higher clearance levels are locked. You told me you need Prestige to pay for certain knowledges. In that case, earning Prestige should be my primary goal, and I doubt these classes just hand you classified knowledge for free. So what's the point of taking classes if they won't teach me anything new?"

"A good question." 

She sat back in her chair. 

"Classes probably aren't like what you know them to be. Classes can actually be thought of more as jobs. In the classes, you do certain projects and experiments in the field of that class. You may be asked to build fracture drives, refine blueprints for starships, study a tedious concept and then apply that knowledge to a biology experiment. There are thousands of projects going on all the time, and they both do and don't teach you as much as you might think they do."

"So I'm guessing you earn Prestige for all that work?" 

Issac caught on, and Asphodel sighed. 

"Yes. The projects can take anywhere from a couple months to a couple years, and it all earns you Prestige. However, it also takes quite a bit longer to earn Prestige through classes than it does for Missions. It all depends on the risks you're willing to take. Plus, not all Dark Technicians are pilots, so the amount of missions open to them is smaller." 

This information had Issac scratching his head. 

"Suddenly I'm not thinking the Mantle is so great..."

"Oh, but it is." 

Bareyla chimed in. 

"It doesn't seem like you know, so I'll lay it out clearly. The reason so many people across the galaxy fight to come to the Mantle is due to two things: Money and Technology. The Mantle funds virtually all projects, and nowhere else in the galaxy can you find the same level of tech that fills this planet. After all, this place is jointly operated by the Three Civilizations. There's practically unlimited money pumping through this place at all times."

"Mm. She's right." 

You are reading story Echelon at novel35.com

Asphodel bobbed her head. 

"You can carry out personal projects in your classes, and so long as it contributes value in any way, the entire project is paid for. I've personally gone through hundreds of millions of credits worth of materials and tools for two of my projects, and both times, they have only contributed a few small blueprints for weaponry. Basically, the Mantle gives you an unlimited budget for projects, allowing you to be creative and develop yourself."

"Seriously?" 

Issac found himself gawking. His parents had given him a few million credits for his mech, yet Asphodel spent dozens of times more for some projects?

"The Mantle, or the three civilizations, want better Dark Technicians and Pilots. Money isn't an object to them, and only Black Iron has its uses and consumptions monitored since it's one of the scarcest materials in the galaxy. The competition they promote and unlimited money they give push for the most extreme development in all fields." 

Asphodel twirled her hair with a bit of conflict on her face. 

"Anyway." 

She shook her head. 

"Classes have you carry out projects for Prestige and allow you to be exposed to actual construction and technological development. There's only so much you can learn from a book, after all. So they're important, and you should take the ones you want to learn more about and gain experience with. And when you buy new knowledges with your Prestige, you can carry out projects with them, pushing your knowledge further and further."

"I see." 

Issac quickly understood. If it were elsewhere, you'd have to get sponsored or give your own money to carry out projects, experiment, or do anything with your knowledge. But here? Everything was free, sponsored by the fattest wallet in the universe: the Mantle.

If the Three Civilizations could spend tons of money to push their technological level higher, then they'd do it. 

Since this was the case, Issac had a better idea of how to choose his classes. 

Each one would take time out of his week, and the projects he'd be doing in them would be individual, to some extent. Therefore, the less he took, the more time he'd have to develop himself. 

Issac already knew that Anthony would be taking on missions all the time, being exclusively a mech pilot. And Issac would probably follow, not just for the Prestige, but so he could help with his mech. Issac had agreed to be Anthony's technician, so he planned to do his job.

And thankfully, as Issac browsed the classes, they clearly detailed what would be required of him along with the time commitment. Some were like factory jobs while others had you working as an apprentice for another veteran in a field. They varied greatly, so Issac narrowed his focus. 

“I’m taking classes for conversion cores, and dark theory is basic for all technicians. I’m also working on a personal project.”

Suddenly, Asphodel blurted out. Issac lifted his head and gazed at her before nodding. 

“I suppose working with conversion cores would be good, as would learning more dark theory. I think I’ll also learn about quantum tech as well.”

“You should take four classes, so I recommend finding something for Hardlight as well. I don’t know much about it, but the rumors I’ve heard say that its a developing field. If it’s your specialty, then it could be a good investment as any innovations for it would be more valuable.”

Asphodel advised as Issac chose his classes. He was most proficient in the field of Quantum Mechanics, so he chose a class that taught all about various kinds of quantum technology and their manufacturing processes. And with his expertise in making Hardlight, he might be able to find greater applications for it in a class other than making small coins and such.

With that, he easily registered only a few hours before orientation. 

Seeing as that business was finished, Bareyla stood from her seat. 

“Alright sister, it’s time to go.”

“I don’t want to…”

“I don’t care. You need to clean up and get ready, as does Chef Issac, so let’s leave him be.”

Grabbing her sister’s wrist, Bareyla began dragging her out of the house. 

“Hey! I can walk myself!”

“Then stop holding onto the table.”

“Stop pulling me!”

Asphodel resisted her sister’s arrest, dragging the table as she hung on to it. Issac just watched with a smile. 

When Bareyla finally stopped pulling, Asphodel straightened herself out and looked at Issac. 

“I’ll see you later, hopefully in those classes of ours.”

“Mm. And don’t hesitate to call me if you need help in your lab.”

“Hehe, alright. I still need to pick your brain about certain things.”

“Keep walking!”

Bareyla yelled from outside the house, causing Asphodel’s face to fall.

“Bye then.”

“Bye.”

With a smile, she left the house, leaving Issac alone. 

Turning his head, he glanced at Nifty who was sitting in its own chair. 

“Hey cat, time to move my stuff in here. Help me out.”

Issac spoke while walking out. When he walked onto the porch outside the front door, he waved toward the flying car that was lifting away. 

Then, he made his way over to where all his boxes and items were dumped on the island, the place where the original mansion was located and uprooted. 

“Hm, let’s just take everything at once. Give me my suit.”

Issac called, and the next moment, he felt his suit approach behind him. Raising his arms, the mechanical sounds of his suit rang out as it opened and accepted Issac’s body. 

Within a few moments, Issac was covered and jacked into the pilot suit. All kinds of displays lit up in his vision, as well as status information on his body and suit. 

Feeling the power that came with the extension of his body, Issac approached the large pile of luggage. 

His hands sparked with bright blue electricity. Clapping his palms together and slowly pulling them apart created a flat object made of Hardlight. 

This object gradually grew as Issac placed it onto the ground. After a few seconds and some power, it turned into a large sled that could hold all of his items. 

After that, Issac stacked all his items onto the sled. It was only a few moments later that he connected a Hardlight chain to it and started dragging it to the house. 

Of course, there were many trees that got in the way of his large sled. But after Issac generated a long and razor thin blade, he was able to easily slice through any and all trees in his way. The power he could display with his suit greatly surpassed his personal self. 

Before long, he was back at the house and moving in boxes. Of course, he didn’t have the time to organize everything since orientation was only a couple hours away, so for the time being his house became a big mess of clothing and gadgets. 

Still, Issac found some nice clothes to wear and cleaned himself up. After some grooming and dressing, he was all ready for orientation. 

With another hour left, Issac figured he could do a bit more organizing beforehand. However, he was stopped by some ringing on his terminal. 

It was Anthony.

Issac casually answered while moving a pile of clothes. 

“Hey.”

“Hey! When the hell were you going to tell me that you tested into the rankings?!”

“News travels fast.”

“It’s been days. The fact that I only found out now is slow. Anyway, I’m coming to your damn island.”

*Beep*

Anthony hung up right after, causing Issac to smile. 

Not even a minute later, a flying car parked itself right outside the cabin. Anthony came running in, dressed in nice clothes that befitted his status as the son of an Admiral. 

“You built this?”

He asked while walking in. It was obvious that this was a house still under construction. 

Issac nodded as the two clasped hands and gave a quick hug.

“Yea. I heard that you could order a mansion to be built on the islands for free, but I didn’t know that and built a place instead.”

“Well, it's impressive that you alone built this. It’s nice.”

Anthony nodded while looking around. After a few seconds though, he leveled his narrowed gaze on Issac.

“So, tested straight into the rankings, huh?”

“I guess so.”

“Well, you are a smart technician. But I guess your power is amazing too.”

“My thing said that my power is a Force type. Electromagnetic manipulation.”

Issac spoke while waving his ID card. The card itself never showed any data unless Issac wanted it to, but unlocking it, he tossed it to Anthony. 

Anthony caught the card before glancing at everything. Some things caused his eyes to bulge. 

“A Force type… Well, I guess I’m not that surprised. Still, a Yield of over 10 thousand? I was only able to get a Yield of 25 thousand.”

“Only?”

Issac tilted his head, confused as to why that was low when it was much greater than his own. His weird face caused Anthony to smirk at him. 

“I’m a great mech pilot but I have no value as a technician, so my Yield might be great, but not enough to get me into the Rankings by itself. You have not only an impressive Yield, but you’re also a level 3 Dark Technician. Those two things combined barely got you into the Rankings.”

Anthony explained while throwing Issac back his card. Issac fed the card to Nifty before shrugging. 

“I don’t know how good anything is, especially the Catastrophy Rating.”

“A Catastrophy Rating measures one ability to destroy things with their power. So even with the same Yield, a person’s rating can be varied. After all, the same amount of power applied in different ways can produce very different results. Yield is just a measurement of the sheer power capacity that you contain, not your ability to apply it. This means that from now on, you need to display your power in applied combat to earn a better Catastrophy Rating. And that will require a Mech.”

Anthony smacked Issac's shoulder while walking toward the door. Issac followed him out with Nifty to board the flying car that was parked. 

Anthony spoke as Issac pondered and pet his cat.

“Don’t worry about any of that right now though. Given a month or so you’ll have your mech and will be able to develop yourself. I know Prestige is important for technicians like you so I already have missions planned for us. But even I have many preparations to do before anything like that, so we won’t be doing anything but focusing on acclimating to this place for a while.”

The flying car took off as he spoke, taking them to the massive castle at the top of the world. 

And not only them. Issac could see dense clouds of flying cars and thousands of massive mechs flying toward the same place. It was an amazing sight. 

“To think I would really end up here…”

Anthony sighed while watching his surroundings. 

The Mantle. The galaxy’s most developed and competitive planet. This wasn’t a place to take lightly, and even those who dreamt of coming here had no idea about the cutthroat and brutal pressure this place crushed its denizens with. 

Anthony glanced at Issac who had dreamy eyes full of wonder. 

For a boy like him to go from such a relaxed life on a farming colony to this place… Anthony couldn’t think of anything more jarring. He hoped Issac would be able to handle it all. 

Though, for him to test into the rankings… Issac was far more capable than Anthony had initially realized. 

You can find story with these keywords: Echelon, Read Echelon, Echelon novel, Echelon book, Echelon story, Echelon full, Echelon Latest Chapter