Humanity's Greatest Mecha Warrior System



The group waiting for Max and Nico at breakfast was much smaller than the last few meetings, only Commander Yuri and a few of his base staff since this was considered a base entertainment matter and not a military matter. 

That would make everything easier, as Commander Yuri was a simple man to negotiate with, and their ideas usually aligned on what to do about the lack of skills possessed by the defence force. 

Max shook the Commander's hand and took his seat at the table while Nico took a seat beside him, facing the Station's Logistics Subcommander. 

"We will start with the basics. What makes you think that these virtual reality games will be a valuable addition to the Station? It would have to be a justifiable level of benefit in order to reallocate space for an Arcade, as you called it. 

"First, we will only be loading educational games at first. Mecha Combat, problem-solving, team building and other similar themed games will be the mainstays of the Arcade. Using such realistic simulations, the Pilots are able to keep their skills fresh when they are not under attack, and if there are enough units, then the skills like team building can be practiced for non-military purposes, helping the crew improve their skillset in new directions, and increasing their job performance. 

The games also release stress and tension, which helps most species concentrate while under pressure. Their minds and bodies will have practiced the scenario many times before they have to face it in reality, which gives them a sense of confidence, reducing stress buildup and minimizing the chances of a team member freezing with indecision in a critical situation." Max explained. 

"Humans put this much thought into their games?" The Subcommander from the Logistics department asked. 

"Yes and no. The developers put a lot of thought into them. The users play them because they are enjoyable." Nico told him with a smile. 

"Do you have a unit to test? If we could experience the game for ourselves, it would help us understand your concept of relaxation through education." Commander Yuri asked. 

"Of course. We have some units set up for testing inside Santa Maria. Would you like to test them yourselves, bring some volunteers, or both?" Max asked. 

"I think both will be necessary. We will need a variety of opinions on a new entertainment venue for the Station, even if it is the two of us who have the final say on what gets spent and how much space is allocated to it." Commander Yuri agreed. 

The servers brought their meals, and the two Koleska leaders called over another group of residents, half of them Pilots and the other half noncombat staff from the Station. 

The idea was that they would get a well-rounded view of the reception that an Arcade was likely to get from the crew, so they could make a proper decision and not just be seen as jumping on board with every idea that the humans had. 

One of the staffers that they called was the daughter of one of the senior ministers, so if the games made a good impression, the message would be sure to get passed on, and the addition would get some behind-the-scenes support to keep the bureaucrats from nagging them too much about the spending. 

It was an excellent tactical choice on the part of Commander Yuri, and as soon as the group was assembled, he got to his feet and prepared to head to Santa Maria to see the games for himself. 

The Commander was secretly looking forward to the new additions, which sounded a lot like the learning machines without the huge information dump or the distorted passing of time. 

With their current technology, Nico could have added that feature to the pods, but that would make interactive events and team games nearly impossible since even a few minutes' difference in login time would put them weeks apart in the game. 

That could be compensated for with strictly timed logins during an Academy class, but in an Aracade, open to the public, with everyone coming and going, it would make building a team for a game event nearly impossible. 

The small group made their way back to the ship, where Nico had dozens of VR pods already prepped and ready to use, set up to interface with the Station's power supply system. The fact didn't escape the notice of the Logistics Officer, who was carefully assessing the units for their potential downfalls now that he had seen them in person. 

"The Pods close completely to prevent foul play or other outside events from interfering with the player, while an alert system will show them the view from the Pod's cameras should there be interference with the Pod. 

That also allows Commanding officers to pound on the Pod to wake up players who are late for a shift or needed for other reasons and might not have heard an alert, though the Pods can be tied to the emergency broadcast system so that the players are aware of calls to battle stations." Nico explained to the intrigued "volunteers." 

One of the Koleska climbed into the Pod to examine the interior and any possible comfort or usage issues that they might have with the human-made design and laughed as they saw the goggles. 

"It is a convenient thing that your heads are shaped so much like ours. Your heads might be softer, but your goggles fit our heads very well." The staff member joked, then reached up and pushed the big red flashing button. 

"Hey, what does this..." The sentence was cut off as the Pod closed and the light turned green, indicating that it was ready for the occupant to put on the goggles. 

"That button closes the lid. You can lay down and put on the goggles to choose the game you want." Nico informed her over the intercom. 

"That button on the side of the Pod lets you talk to the one inside, but it won't work when they're in the game unless they are particularly easy to distract. Outside senses are dulled in virtual reality so that the body doesn't respond and end up hurting the occupant." Max explained. 

The rest of the volunteers rushed to the pods to get a chance to see the new games, followed closely by the Commander and Subcommander. 

"We will see you in two hours. I will send an alert into the system at that time so that you don't forget to log out." Max informed them all as they got ready to play. He couldn't see most of their responses, but within seconds, he could feel their minds drop into the game interface and start searching for a suitable source of entertainment.