Stephan's Past
At the same time, Jack's leave application was approved, so Stephan took him to a barbecue restaurant, ordering a variety of dishes and engaging in conversation over their meal.
Stephan felt a sense of relief seeing Jack agree to join him for dinner.
As the saying goes, "A way to a man's heart is through his stomach!"
As they enjoyed their meal, the conversation flowed.
Stephan, naturally curious about Jack, asked about his background and strengths.
"Buddy, spill the beans," Stephan said, skewering a piece of meat. "How did you manage it?"
"How did I manage what?" Jack quipped.
"Tsk, it's your turn to answer!" Stephan chuckled, taking a swig of beer, his cheeks turning slightly flushed. "I mean, even though it was just the first test, those questions were pulled from the top-secret question bank, and there weren't any repeats! Most folks couldn't even read through them in five minutes!"
"Well, I guess I'm just naturally gifted," Jack replied casually.
"I can see that, genius," Stephan remarked, taking another sip of beer. "You know, I almost became a genius myself once..."
"Almost?" Jack's interest was piqued. It sounded like there was a story behind it.
"Yeah..." Stephan's tone took on a nostalgic tinge, and with just a couple of beers, he seemed to be slightly tipsy. Nonetheless, he recounted some of his past experiences.
Through Stephan's storytelling, Jack gained insight into his background.
Stephan, now twenty-five, was at an age where he should have been exploring the world, yet he found himself stationed at the Shatterdomes branch. There was a reason for his placement in the department responsible for handling Jaeger designers' retirements and reassignments.
Three years ago, Stephan, at the age of twenty-two, had a bit of a temper but was generally easy to get along with. He was trusting and always willing to lend a hand to others.
Then, there was that one time he placed his trust in the wrong person.
As a result, he, who was once qualified to become a Jaeger pilot, lost that opportunity!
Of course, old habits die hard.
"At the time, we formed an unusual three-person pilot team. But back then, there were no Jaegers designed for three-person crews; they were all controlled by either one or two individuals. Sure, a single person could handle it, but the human-operated ones had been decommissioned...
Of course, headquarters saw it as a positive. According to them, having multiple pilots allowed for redundancy—if one person faltered, another could step in rather than losing the entire team.
However, we all knew the reality. Jaegers were built for two pilots. Implementing a three-person rotation system was impractical due to issues with combat experience and coordination... In essence, it meant that among the three pilots, one would always be relegated to backup duty unless something unforeseen occurred!
There were only two types of unforeseen circumstances. One was illness—the pilots received top-notch medical care and underwent daily check-ups. The chance of falling ill was practically nil!
The other was death... But a pilot's death could only occur in battle against monsters. In that scenario... how could only one person perish?
This meant that the backup pilot would almost certainly never get a chance to shine!"
"What happened next... Haha, let's not dwell on it. Long story short, I ended up here alone."
"Did you ever resent it?" Jack inquired, intrigued by Stephan's story.
"I used to harbor resentment, but then I lost it. They died... both of them died," Stephan's voice grew louder as he continued, "The Horizon Warrior, the Jaegers they piloted, were destroyed..."
"So, later, I was thinking, maybe they deliberately made me lose the qualification as a driver to protect me?" Stephan shared, his eyes slightly red as he forced a smile. "When I think about it, I feel a lot better..."
"So, you're willing to be a nobody?" Jack asked softly.
"The probability of three unrelated people meeting the physical fitness standards of Jaeger pilots and being mentally coordinated is almost a miracle. Even the testing doctor at the time found it incredible," Stephan said, shaking his head. "How is it possible that there would be a fourth one? I don't have any brothers or sisters, I'm just an orphan!"
"Hmm... this template sounds familiar..." Jack thought to himself.
Suffering a heavy blow to his career, having abilities of his own, and being an orphan—it all seemed oddly familiar.
"The proper protagonist template! All we need now is a grandpa or a genie in a ring!" Jack quipped.
"That's what you say, but you don't seem to have given up, right?" Jack observed. "You're still exercising and keeping your body in the best condition!"
"Yup, you can say that!" Stephan chuckled.
....
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