-Xeios, Sea of Souls Military Research Facility-
It was night on Xeios, and in the hanger of the facility's Experimental Vehicle Storage Facility, one lone individual stood; doing maintenance on her beloved humanoid machine as she worked tirelessly to ensure that it would perform to her needs tomorrow. She sat down on the floor, taking a break as she took a sip from a nearby energy unit.
"Working hard, aren't we Lady Aeira?"
The pilot stood up and turned around quickly, smiling once she recognised who was standing behind her. She saluted, knowing that the man was higher ranking than her, before speaking, "Ah, Sir Vaihlar. I had thought that everybody on base was in stasis on this hour but the guards." She spoke, with a refined but sassy tone, "What is it that brings you out here this late? Surely your Ascaion's maintenance was already finished in the day cycle."
Tank Commander Vaihlar laughed, spinning what looked like a metal crystal in his hands as he approached Aeria, "To be quite honest, I was more intrigued in observing the mania of a War Armor Pilot doing her own maintenance. Is it true that you refuse to let the Techno-Savants even touch your Xivilai's inner components without your supervision?"
Aeria laughed back, "Well, Vaihlar, my War Armor is a bit more complicated than your Ascaion. If it isn't tuned exactly to my specifications, then it is essentially worthless in combat to me." She spoke, "Each War Armor is built to match their pilot, not the other way around. The Xivilai is no different."
"The Xivilai blows the other War Armors out of the water, however. To be able to take on an entire armored regiment and win is something no other War Armor pilot could hope to achieve." Vaihlar replied, looking up to the imposing black machine, "Your kind has always been looked at with scorn and scepticism, I myself was vehemently against this project since normally War Armors are far more costly than they're worth in combat..."
"Oh really?" Aeria asked with a scoff, "Do you still feel that way after the proper ass-handing I delivered upon your regiment?"
"To be frank, actually," Vaihlar replied, not taking his eyes off the machine, "I feel as though the Xivilai is a machine that can deal enormous battlefield damage in the right hands; a proper monster of a vehicle that far outclasses anything we've ever developed before."
Aeria rose her head high with a grin, and was about to speak, when Vaihlar rose a finger and interrupted her, "But!" He added, "It's cost is too prohibitive for mass deployment, and you yourself know that it is far too complicated for regular pilots to properly utilise. The reason why the Ascaion has been so widely received was because it was simple, powerful, and relatively cheap to mass produce. The Xivilai severely lacks two of those things, and as such while its usefulness in combat is undebatable: It's usefulness in a war leaves something to be desired."
Aeria's face fell, and she almost pouted as she looked away with a scoff, "Well, that's why me and my War Armor are only going to be deployed sparingly for now Sir Vaihlar. Elite forces are just as necessary in armored warfare as they are in infantry warfare, and we shall be the ones to fill that role."
Vaihlar smiled in response, "I don't doubt it, Lady Aeria; which why I have decided to give you this." He spoke, before giving the pilot the small metal crystal in his hands
Aeria looked over the crystal, raising her eyebrow, "What is this?" She asked, looking over the metal crystal with confusion, "A puzzle?"
"No, not a puzzle; a Kryptasim Crystal." Vaihlar replied immediately, "When the time comes, I shall open that crystal and reveal what's hidden inside it. In your time of need, no matter where you are, it shall aid you in combat."
Aeria looked over the crystal, before shrugging and putting it in her pocket, "Well...thank you, Sir Vaihlar. I didn't think you cared!" She said with a grin, before turning to the Xivilai, "Thank you for the interruption, but I've really got to get working on my machine; it needs to be ready by daybreak, or I'm not going out to perform."
Vaihlar nodded with a smile, turning to leave before speaking, "Goodbye, Lady Aeria."
"May fate favour you in battle tomorrow."