When Worlds Collide

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Chapter 5 – First Blood


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Two weeks after ordering his Mick, L’Cor was piloting his Mick through the deserted streets of Old Neomar. During the two weeks, he had definitely not been idle. After placing his order, his next order of business had been to find a place to live. With the funds left to him, that meant renting a cheap apartment in the slums of New Neomar. L’Cor hadn’t minded too much. He’d lived in much worse during the war. As for worldly possessions, he didn’t have much. He carried R’Tus’s AV journal with him at all times, and everything he owned was considered replaceable. If fact, he hardly spent any time in his apartment at all. For the first week, L’Cor had spent as much time as possible in Abin Town, a small entertainment district in New Neomar. L’Cor wasn’t too interested in the various entertainment possibilities in Abin Town. In fact, he only went for the Mick simulators. For a few credits, he could lock himself up in a metal and plastic sphere and teach himself how to pilot a Mick. For the first few days, the spectators around him had laughed long and hard at his expense over his clumsy antics. However, after a few days, he eventually got the hang of the controls and the spectators stopped laughing so hard.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A week after he had ordered his Mick, L’Cor went back to Ivan’s shop and checked out his newly assembled Phantom Crash. He also put down a one-month garage fee to Ivan for housing his Mick. The advantage for L’Cor – other than having a secure place to store his Mick that is – is that Ivan had a large plot of empty land where he could practice handling Phantom Crash. For about one hundred credits a pop, he could have computerized drones run around the land for target practice. L’Cor had noticed a few times that Yoko Ana had come by to see him practice but he had ignored her presence.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Now, in his first ever game, L’Cor struggled against his nervousness. The controls in Phantom Crash were not all that difficult. It just took some getting used to. In a MAAC, the neural suit provided a quick control system that ensured fast response times between pilot and machine. In a Mick, L’Cor had to rely on manual controls for everything. L’Cor could have chosen to automate some of his controls, the way many newbie pilots did, but L’Cor didn’t want to be caught in a situation that his pre-programmed commands could not get him out of.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The foot pedals controlled the leg movement of the Mick. Alternating pressure on the foot pedals made the Mick walk forward. One of the buttons on his left hand control switched the Mick into reverse. If L’Cor dug in both heels and lifted his toes up, the rollers on the legs of the Mick came down, allowing L’Cor to zip down streets. If L’Cor dug in his toes and lifted his heels up, his jump jets kicked in. Digging in either left or right toes allowed him to boost to either side while digging in with alternating left and right heels allowed him to skate his Mick with a side-to-side motion.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]His left and right hands gripped joysticks that primarily controlled the weapons on each respective side. For example, the right index fired his rapid-fire cannon while his left index trigger fired his shot cannon. The middle buttons on both joysticks fired his missiles. The little thumb caps on his right joystick controlled the torso twist of his Mick while the left thumb cap controlled the direction that the Mick traveled in. It was possible to be facing one direction while moving away from where you were looking but it was easy to get confused if one wasn’t careful. The helmet on his head was linked with the cameras and monitors of the Mick. Wherever L’Cor looked, the Mick would also look too. There were even more secondary controls – enough for L’Cor to seriously miss his old MAAC with the neural suit interface.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A blinking red dot appeared on L’Cor’s right secondary monitor. This monitor showed the results of various scans performed by the Mick automatically. Right now, the monitor was showing a possible heat signature about one hundred yards away from where L’Cor was now. The heat signature could either be another Mick, residual heat from an earlier explosion, or even residual radiation. If it was another Mick, chances were that the other pilot had already seen L’Cor’s heat signature as well.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Instead of heading directly for the signature, L’Cor hit his jump jets and jumped onto the roof of a nearby building. Before L’Cor had a chance to fully rest the weight of Phantom Crash on the roof of the building though, he hit the jets again and jumped to an even higher building. He kept moving until he reached the top of a medium sized office tower that was about twenty stories tall. The roof of this building showed obvious signs of heavy wear and tear, which meant that he was not the first Mick pilot to seek refuge up here.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The heat signature had vanished from L’Cor’s scanner. He decided that it was very likely that the heat signature had been another Mick whose pilot had just activated his/her Optical Camouflage. He crouched down and scanned the streets in the direction where the heat signature had come from.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]He panned the camera back and forth but could not see anything obvious. He had to admit that the OC was a very tactically useful tool on the battlefield. If he had had the OC during the war, he probably wouldn’t have lost so many pilots to the Saxx.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor had two choices. He could either wait until his opponent’s OC ran out of power or he could do something useful. The longer he remained stationary the more he increased the chance that someone else might come along and take a shot at him.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]He decided to make one more sweep before making a tactical withdrawal. That was when he noticed something odd. All the buildings in the street cast a shadow, and all of the shadows were leaning in one direction. All that is except one, one of the buildings cast only a partial shadow, as if something were standing in front of the building. That something had to be the other Mick.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor’s missiles were useless, as they had nothing to lock on to. He swivelled his right joystick and aimed his reticule at the centre of the where he thought the other Mick was and pulled the trigger. Phantom Crash shuddered as its RFC unloaded hundreds of .75 calibre rounds. On his HUD, the target area shimmered as the rounds hit. Suddenly, the OC on the other Mick failed, and he had his first clear image of his opponent.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The other Mick was outfitted with treads instead of legs. That marked it as a heavy Mick. The arms and shoulders bulged with heavy weapons and L’Cor shuddered to think what would have happened if he had not had the advantage of height and surprise.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A dual tone pinged in L’Cor helmet. His missile launchers had a solid lock! He released the RFC’s trigger and pressed both middle trigger buttons at the same time. Phantom Crash recoiled slightly as two large missiles flared out from its shoulders. L’Cor watched the missiles as they traveled to their target.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The other Mick was just starting to move forward and bring its weapons up when the missiles hit. As a massive fireball engulfed the other Mick, he suddenly realized how vulnerable he was standing on the edge of a tall building. He reversed slightly before charging forward and jumping off the roof. As Phantom Crash started to come down, he dug his toes into the pedals and eased Phantom Crash down on a pillar of smoky exhaust. He hit the ground running with all of his weapons pointed at the other Mick.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]There was no movement from the other Mick. He didn’t think anything could take two solid direct missile hits at the same time and still be functional. He was right. As he approached the other Mick, he could see that it was a flaming wreck.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Suddenly worried for the safety of the other pilot, he rushed forward to see if he could help. This was a fellow human being after all, not an alien Saxx!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The cockpit assembly of the other Mick was still attached. On the side, there was a large pink logo with the works, ‘Fizzy Pop!’ painted on the side. He waited anxiously for the pilot to eject. His hands were reached out in front of him in an unconscious attempt to help.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Get the frak out of there!” hissed L’Cor. Dagnag-it! If only Phantom Crash had hands like a MAAC!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]There was no movement though. An alarm chimed in L’Cor’s cockpit, warning him of an eminent explosion. He backed off several yards just as the other Mick exploded. He had his first victory in the Tournament.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Another alarm chimed and he saw an advancing heat signature. Another Mick was coming to investigate! He backed himself up until the back of Phantom Crash was flush was the wall of a building. Then L’Cor activated his OC. The glossy material popped out of the top of Phantom Crash’s head and draped itself over the Mick. Its internal fibre batteries charged up and it changed its colour to match its immediate surroundings. L’Cor took a deep breath and waited.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]He didn’t have to wait long. A four-legged Mick came ambling down the street. It had a weird gait, not unlike that of a walking spider. L’Cor watched at it approached and decided that there was a distinct advantage to having four legs. Not only could it bear heavier weapons, but it was also a pretty stable platform for shooting while moving.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The legs were centrally attached so that if the Mick lost a leg, the other three could compensate. However, if the Mick were to lose two at the same time…


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Thought became action as he disengaged his missile launchers and brought up both targeting reticules for the rapid-fire and the shot cannons. Not only was the range too low for missiles, he didn’t want the other pilot to know that he/she was being targeted.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As the other Mick walked past, he hit both triggers. The distance to the other Mick was only about twenty yards. At this range, the light shot cannon was bound to do some damage while the medium rapid-fire cannon would be devastating. He targeted both cannons on a single leg. As soon as it collapsed under his fire, he shifted his aim to another leg. It too broke apart under his withering fire. At the same time though, his OC flared and failed with a rippling snap. Obviously, firing one’s weapons while under the OC cover will destroy it. He vowed to be more careful in the future.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A moment later, the Mick fell backwards. “I yield!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor was startled to hear the voice coming through his helmet. He had not thought that he could speak with the other contestants during the match. He keyed his communicator and said, “I accept.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Good shot by the way.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Uh, thanks.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor’s OC ran out of power and he stepped out of his hiding place. “Are you alright?” he asked.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yeah, just a little bruised up. Hey, is that Yorich up there? Did you do that?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yes, but I didn’t mean to kill him.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The other Mick turned its head unit around until it was facing L’Cor. “Don’t worry about it. We kept telling Yorich that he was piling on too many heavy weapons. He has those great big treads. He should’ve been putting on more frontal armour.” The other Mick waved its left arm weapon, “By the way, I’m Lani and this is my Mick Arachne. You’re new right?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Bemused, L’Cor waved back and said, “Yeah, I’m L’Cor and my Mick is called Phantom Crash.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Lani laughed out loud. “Well you certainly are a phantom and you definitely crashed me! Better get out of here newbie. Other Micks are probably on their way. Don’t expect other pilots to simply walk past your guns like I did.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor was utterly surprised by the lack of rancour in the other pilot’s voice. Wasn’t he angry at being shot? “Right, thanks Lani. Uh, see you later?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Count on it. Meet you at the Pecca bar after the fight. You can buy me a drink. It’s the least you can do with the prize money you just won off of me and Yorich!”

 

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“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Sure thing.” L’Cor pushed his heels in and fired his jump jets behind him. Phantom Crash shot off like a rocket down the street. He wanted to put as much distance between him and the scene of the fight as he could. He planned on circling back around to see if he could get the jump on anyone else coming to investigate. He was glancing up at the sky when he saw another Mick jumping from roof to roof.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The other pilot must have seen L’Cor at the same time. An alarm shrieked in L’Cor’s cockpit. He was being locked on with missiles! His scanner monitor automatically switched views. It showed several small objects heading towards him at high speed, he kept his velocity up and waited until they were almost on top of him, then suddenly cut to the right at the next intersection. As the missiles exploded against some buildings behind him he fired his jump jets, jumping to the roof of a nearby building.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Phantom Crash rocked back and forth and the screeching tortured sound of metal upon metal hammered L’Cor’s ears. Dagnag-it! The other Mick was still after him! He fired his jump jets to the side and dodged the next barrage of bullets. As he turned his torso, he saw his attacker jumping from rooftop to rooftop. L’Cor let his STM’s acquire a lock and then let fly with a staggered one two launch. This time, he didn’t repeat his mistake of watching the missiles fly. Instead, he jumped off his roof and headed back down to street level. He booster-rolled his way to an open park before spinning around to face his opponent.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The other Mick was still bouncing from rooftop to rooftop, however, when L’Cor zoomed in, he could see some damage on the Mick’s left side. L’Cor let fly with another pair of staggered missiles, then charged forward this time while keeping his eye on the other Mick. One of the missiles hit the Mick below the waist. He had time to see damage to one of the legs before his other missile hit the Mick in the torso. He fervently hoped that he had not killed this pilot as well.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The other Mick landed on the field about one hundred yards away. One of its legs promptly broke apart and it fell face first into the ground. “I yield!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]This time, L’Cor was expecting the call and called out, “I accept!” He gave his opponent a friendly wave as he sped away.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor headed back towards the area where he had left Yorich’s dead Mick and Lani’s disabled Arachne. Sure enough, there was another Mick poking around the area. He waited until he got a double tone and cut loose with a staggered missile launch. This time, the distance was greater and the other Mick had time to dodge around the corner. Both missiles missed. He checked his quickly dwindling ammunitions supply. He would have to be more careful.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Instead of racing down the street, he cut down an adjacent one, hoping to cut off the other Mick. He stepped out into the next street with all weapons ready to fire. However, all that confronted him was an empty street. Where was the other Mick?


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]He glanced at his scanner monitor. There were no telltale heat signatures. That meant that either the other Mick had dropped under its OC, or it had run out of the range of his scanners.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor fired his shot cannon down the street. At this range, he couldn’t hope to damage anything. However, that was not his intention. The little individual ball bearings inside SC rounds fanned the width of the street as L’Cor panned back and forth. In the distance, around 300 yards away, he saw a shimmering outline. He quickly fired his RFC just as the other Mick’s OC shredded apart with his opponent’s return fire. Either the other pilot panicked or he/she had deemed it necessary to fire through the OC. Whatever the reason, the result was the same.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor felt a few impacts just as he boosted away from the front of the street. A small missile hit Phantom Crash high in the chest while five more small missiles arched overhead. In return, he fired off a single missile that hit the other Mick’s left shoulder, destroying both the left arm and shoulder weapons. He fired another burst from his RFC as he closed and he had the satisfaction of seeing multiple impacts stitch their way up the other Mick’s torso.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Just then, the other Mick’s frontal armour caved in and the entire machine fell forward; he saw a small explosion before seeing the cockpit assembly fly backwards. The other pilot had ejected!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rather than hang around, he chose a side street at random and boosted down it at well over eighty-five miles an hour. He had run through over half of his RFC ammunition and he had five missiles in one launcher and six in the other. Only his shot cannon had over seventy percent of its ammunition capacity left. He had to find a resupply depot. According to the game brief, there were a total of six contestants in today’s brawl. He had taken down four contestants so far, which left one more to go. He had not seen any sign of the last Mick, which meant its pilot was very cagey. He/she had not gone to investigate the firefight like the other pilots had. He would have to be careful, as he might not have enough ammunition for an extended battle with a wily opponent.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As L’Cor wove through the streets, he kept an eye out at the rooftop line, just in case his last opponent decided use height against him. He turned another corner and was suddenly greeted by a large warehouse type building. There was a large ‘Resupply Depot’ sign on top. He stopped and scanned the plaza before him. It occurred to him that this would be a great place for an ambush.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The sudden shriek of the missile lock on alarm rewarded his caution. He had no idea where his opponent was and since doing something was better than doing nothing, he boosted to the left so that his RFC could cover the plaza. His instinct was good. As he sped in a zigzag pattern, he spotted the puffs of multiple missile launches. He kept his speed up and let the missiles chase him. Only two missiles came close to hitting him. He rounded a corner and then hit his jets for a vertical boost. He saw a blazing red line of light fan the area that he had just vacated. Frak! His opponent was armed with a laser! He had not had enough money to put any anti-laser modules onto his Mick. If that laser touched Phantom Crash, it was all over for him!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The nice thing about the laser though, is that it let him trace a line back to its originator. He saw a heavy Mick on treads rolling away from the remnants of its OC.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]He got a lock on tone from his launchers and fired both missiles. He hoped that this pilot at least had better frontal armour than poor Yorich.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Both missiles hit the Mick on its upper torso but did no appreciative damage. As he came down from his jump, he fired his jets again and rolled towards some cover. If two of his missiles didn’t faze his opponent, he wasn’t sure if the other weapons in his arsenal could do much better. He had to find some way to get behind the behemoth!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor watched his scanner screen as the other Mick rolled towards him on a perpendicular course. The pilot was smart. He/she was trying to keep him in scanner range so that even if he were to drop under his OC, the other pilot would have a good general idea of where he was.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor turned at the next intersection and began raced down the street. He was now running down a street that was parallel to his opponents. The distance closed and he suddenly jumped into the air. He had a few precious seconds as he fired both missiles at once.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Both missiles hit while his opponent’s return fire missed. He rolled down another street that would bring him closer to his opponent. As soon as he came across some short buildings, he jumped again and fired another two missiles. Again, both missiles hit but the monster was still coming on strong! What would it take to bring this monstrosity down?


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The next intersection would bring him face to face with the heavy Mick. Instead of rolling straight through it, he alternated his foot pedals until he was skating Phantom Crash like an ice skater. These juking motions made the other Mick’s pilot miss with both the laser and its missiles. However, its heavy shot cannon threatened to destabilize Phantom Crash’s course. When he was about one hundred yards away, he headed straight for his opponent and then jumped.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The other pilot tried to follow his motion and missed with all four missiles. L’Cor fired his jump jets to the side while in midair in a desperate attempt to turn Phantom Crash around.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]When he landed behind the other Mick, he had only managed to turn Phantom Crash about ninety degrees. However, he thrust his right thumb cap all the way to the left and Phantom Crash twisted its torso another ninety degrees. In the classic ‘from behind’ position, L’Cor let loose with everything he had. He aimed at the waist, where the torso connected to the heavy treads. Two heavy missiles hit in that area, followed by several hundred .75 calibre rounds. Thousands of ball bearings added to the carnage.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]There was an explosion as the other Mick’s pilot ejected the cockpit from the rest of the doomed Mick. The armoured sphere flew over his head and landed somewhere behind him. It was over! he had won!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A bell chimed in L’Cor’s cockpit and an aerial map overlaid his heads up display. He followed the flashing arrows that were blinking on the map and slowly made his way out of the ruined city.

 

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Chapter 6 – A Simpler World

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Start of Entry - Orbit 3011, 10[SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]th[/SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif] Moon, 40[SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]th[/SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif] Solar Cycle​

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Eventually, I graduated from MAAC Basic. I never did have sex with Cinda again, but there was no shortage of volunteers to share my bed. I learned from my previous mistake and I didn’t let my emotions get away from me – even when I saw Cinda pairing off with different men. After all, it was just sex, right? Life in the military was short. Fraternization was not forbidden or even frowned upon. Who knew how long our life expectancy would be once we hit the frontlines, right?


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Anyway, on the day we graduated, I did have a nice conversation with Cinda and we exchanged personal information and promised to keep in touch. I think deep down though, we both knew that neither of us would keep that promise.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]After the ceremony, I spent a nice week of R and R with my other favourite person in the whole world. My baby sister Q’Wen. Well, she’s not quite a baby anymore, but she certainly is my only other blood relative. She had just turned twelve orbits old and was developing quite the ferocious reputation at the boarding school. I guess it was both L’Cor’s and my faults that she grew up to be a tomboy.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We were walking down Main Street in our home city of Avon Mist. She was hugging my left arm as we walked. I didn’t mind. L’Cor is several orbits older than me and though I’m sure he doesn’t mean it, he tends to be an overbearing older brother sometimes. With Q’Wen, I got to be the older brother for a change. This was going to be one of the last few completely free times that I would have for her so I really wanted to make it special. I pretty much blew my entire pay from MAAC Basic on her. What did I need the money for anyway?


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Life for Q’Wen hadn’t exactly been a picnic. Come to think of it, it wasn’t a picnic for me either. My father had died when I was young. He was an astronaut in the Space Exploration Force and had disappeared during a mission. In hindsight, it wasn’t hard to figure out what had happened. His team was probably one of the first human teams to come in contact with the Saxx. Our mother eventually remarried a doctor (Q’Wen’s father) and we moved to another neighbourhood in Avon Mist. About six orbits ago, a large spaceship crash-landed in the suburbs and three gigantic three-legged armoured war machines crawled out and decimated the entire area. Q’Wen and I were not home at the time. We were downtown, watching our big brother lead his high school starball team to victory in the championship game. My mother and step-father never had a chance.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ok, enough with the bad memories. Q’Wen and I had spent the afternoon watching a movie. Not just any movie though. This movie was loosely based upon my favourite book, History of Royal Gaya. Unlike documentaries that downplayed the magical and fantasy aspects of the book, this movie actually featured them. It was refreshing to actually see certain scenes of the book brought to life on the huge holoscreen. The actress who played Princess Gaya was very pretty and actually came really close to my own mental image of her. The actor who played the Black Knight however, left a lot to be desired. He was, in a word, a lump who barely managed to deliver his lines. Oh well, can’t have ‘em all, right?


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Q’Wen was chatting amiably and I really enjoyed my time with her. Then, she asked a question that floored me.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Did you have a lot of sex in MAAC Basic?” She was smiling a devilishly innocent broad smile.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I suddenly missed a step and tripped. “Excuse me?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]If possible, her smile seemed to grow even broader. “Sex! You know, that thing that happens when a man and a woman like each other. Sort of what happened in the dark when the Black Knight and Princess Gaya were alone.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I choked on my own saliva and muttered a bit. I certainly never expected to talk about sex to my twelve-year-old sister! “Um, well, ah, well, the women in the military were certainly very friendly.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She giggled in response and I had to laugh with her. Then she asked me another unexpected question. “So, did seeing Princess Gaya for real make you love her even more?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How did you know?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She rolled her eyes and said, “I hacked into your AV journal the first night you visited!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The boarding school had rooms for visiting family members and I had vague memories of Q’Wen visiting me in my room. I had been so tired from traveling that I had fallen asleep soon after I got in. It seems as if Q’Wen had used my downtime to her advantage. I suddenly remembered my first few recordings. “Did you…uh…”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She giggled again and said, “You really should keep in contact with Cinda. I’d really like to meet her one day when this war is over.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I sputtered some more. There was so much I could say right now but I didn’t know where to start. At first, I felt somewhat peeved that my privacy had been invaded, but when I looked into Q’Wen’s face, I couldn’t feel mad. She hadn’t seen me in several moons, and probably won’t see me for many more - maybe even orbits. What harm was there for her to have some insight into my inner most thoughts?


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]When I didn’t say anything right away, her expression grew concerned. “Are you mad at me? I’m sorry I peeked, but you really should put a better password on your journal, you know?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I gave her a reassuring smile. “I’m not mad Q’Wen. In fact, if you want, I’ll give you a copy of my journal before I leave.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Her concerned expression suddenly grew deeper. “Why? You’re coming back, right?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I stopped walking and gave her a hug. “Q’Wen, it’s a war. Anything can happen. If something happened to me, I just want to make sure you have something to remember me by.” I fished my copy of History of Royal Gaya out of my pocket. “Here, I was going to give you this before I left anyway. I might as well give it to you now.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Her eyes grew as big as saucers. “But that’s your treasure! When I was little, you wouldn’t even let me touch it! It’s all you have left of your father!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I glanced at the battered book. It really was my treasure and I felt a pang in my chest at the prospect of never seeing it again. It had been a good companion on those lonely nights. I took Q’Wen’s hand and pressed the book into it. “Don’t worry. I have an electronic copy in my journal. I want you to have this. When our home was destroyed, we never got a chance to recover any mementos of our parents. L’Cor is not sentimental enough to want to leave anything behind, but I am. If something happens to me, I want this book to remain in our family.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Tears were streaming down her face now. “Don’t die R’Tus! Please come back!”

 

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif] hugged her again until her storm of tears passed. What could I say? I couldn’t lie to her and tell her that I would be back for sure. Anything could happen, right? When she got control of herself again, we continued our walk. It really was a nice day and I wanted to make the most of it.

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Later that night, she stayed in my room and curled up in my bed. I sat on the floor and we talked about nothing and everything. Then, she surprised me for the third time that day. She sat up in bed and said, “Tell me a story, please?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]When she was younger, I used to tell her stories from the book to her. Instead of reading the archaic words from the book, I would use plain simple language so that she would understand. “Which story would you like?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She thought for a moment and then said, “Tell me that one about how the Black Knight rescued Princess Gaya from the Mordue Hunters.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I gave her a playful frown. “What? That one again? I must have told you that one a thousand times!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It’s my favourite,” she said simply.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I had to agree. It was my favourite too. It was the story of how the Black Knight and Princess Gaya first met.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I started to talk and I could see that Q’Wen had closed her eyes so that she could picture my words in her head.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Princess Gaya rode through the Damon Forest with her Royal Guards. They normally would not have tried to pass through the dreaded forest but they had to return to the city of Camu as soon as possible. The Mordue were massing an army and Princess Gaya had to rally her own forces. Their drac’en steeds wove through the forest trails with slithering ease. All was quiet in the forest. Too quiet. That should have been Princess Gaya’s first warning. However, she was so concerned with getting back to Camu that when the ambush occurred it caught her and her Royal Guards completely by surprise.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Drac’ens have short stout necks with large serrated teeth. They have large noses but their eyes are rather small. As such, while they have an excellent sense of smell, their eyesight left a lot to be desired - especially in the dim light of the forest. Princess Gaya might have seen the tripwire, if she wasn’t so concerned with reaching her destination.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Her drac’en snagged the wire and a cleverly concealed spear shot up from the ground and impaled her steed. She hit the ground hard and rolled away from her drac’en’s death throes. Behind her, her Royal Guards had met a similar fate. Two of them did not get back up.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A horn trumpeted through the forest and in moments, Princess Gaya and her remaining guards were surrounded. Their enemy wore dark amour with horned helms. They were the Mordue Hunters! The Hunters specialized in tracking and killing important people for the Mordue Empire. In a way, Princess Gaya felt honoured. The Mordue Emperor was willing to dispatch his prized Hunters to hunt down and kill one princess of one little obscure nation. Her efforts to unite the smaller kingdoms must be taking fruit!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She parried an attack with her buckler and stabbed her long sword into the belly of her attacker. The armour was thinner there and her attacker grunted in pain. He dropped his sword and grabbed Princess Gaya’s blade with both hands and fell backward.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]With her sword pulled from her grasp, the Royal Guard immediately closed ranks around her and formed a protective circle. Princess Gaya could do nothing, as her loyal guardsmen died one at a time to protect her.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]When the last of her guards fell, Princess Gaya picked up a sword, backed up against a tree and prepared to sell her life and her chastity dearly. There were only four Mordue Hunters left, but it may as well have been four hundred because there was no way she could beat four to one odds.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Suddenly, blinding white light filled the forest. Princess Gaya looked away from the intensity. Even the four Hunters could not look directly at the light. Princess Gaya allowed herself to feel a small thread of hope. Surely this magical light could only mean that her wizard Malin had come to her rescue? The light seemed to last forever but eventually it died down. When she could, Princess Gaya looked back over to her right where the light had come from. Her heart sank. Instead of seeing her wizard Malin as she had hoped, all she saw was a tall figure in black armour. It was just another Mordue Hunter!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]But wait! Could it be? The helm on the newcomer was not horned in the fashion of a Mordue Hunter. As the newcomer strode forward, one of Hunters raised a crossbow and fired it at the newcomer.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A cry of warning froze in Princess Gaya’s throat as the crossbow bolt shattered on the chest armour of the newcomer. But that was impossible! At this short range, nothing short of a stonewall could stop a bolt!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The Hunter that fired the crossbow readied his weapon for another shot. Two of the Hunters charged the newcomer while the last one turned his attention once more to Princess Gaya.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]One on one odds were a little bit more to Princess Gaya’s taste. She sidestepped a lunge, stepped into her opponent’s charge and hammered her buckler into his helm. It was enough to distract him for a precious second. She used that second to step back and swung a powerful horizontal blow that parted the Hunter’s head from his neck.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The Hunter with the crossbow took careful aim with his weapon. Princess Gaya was about to charge him when a brilliant red light flew from the newcomer’s head and drilled a hole through the Hunter’s helm. The Mordue fell without a sound.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A warrior mage! Surely only a warrior mage could have cast a death spell while locked in combat with two Hunters!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]At two to one odds, even a trained Royal Guardsman would have difficulty in winning. However, the newcomer treated them almost like playthings. Instead of fighting with his sword, the newcomer raised his left forearm to block a mighty overhand attack. The Hunter’s sword broke in half at the impact. Then, the newcomer used the same left arm to punch the Hunter in his chest. As the Hunter fell, Princess Gaya could see a large dent in his armour.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The last Hunter swung his sword in desperation. This time, the newcomer raised his own sword in response. It flared up as a blue magical light engulfed it. The newcomer contemptuously batted the Hunter’s sword aside and then passed his magical sword through the Hunter’s neck with an almost gentle ease.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Princess Gaya took off her helm and said, ‘I thank thee, fierce stranger for thy timely aid. I am Princess Gaya of the city kingdom Camu. Might I have the name of my rescuer?’ In response, the newcomer removed his own helm and for the first time in her life, Princess Gaya laid eyes upon the Black Knight.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A soft snoring sound distracted me from my narration. Q’Wen had fallen asleep. I smiled as I gazed upon her face. She looked so innocent when she slept!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I sighed as I thought about the story was I telling. How many times when I was growing up, did I wish that I was there at Princess Gaya’s side? Compared to an invasion by giant three-legged alien bugs, uniting a continent seemed much simpler.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Although I had long since stopped believing that this book was a true account of our history, I never could shake the desire to be a part of the story. This story had fair maidens, dashing knights and miraculous magic…Hadis, who wouldn’t want to be part of it?


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Apparently, our father was something of a fanatic too. After all, he had named his sons L’Cor and R’Tus. These are mimicries of an ancient Gayan dialect. Leicour for heart and Erthus for the colour black. My mother obviously carried on the naming convention with Q’Wen, which is taken from Queen. Put them all together and you get Black Heart of the Queen. Or, for those of us who are familiar with the legend, Black Knight who holds the love of the Queen – this is obviously a reference to the great romance between Princess Gaya and the Black Knight.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I think I’m going to follow in Q’Wen’s footsteps and call it a night now. Tomorrow, I’m going to take Q’Wen to the amusement park where she’s going to try to thrill me with the rides there. How could those puny rides possibly thrill someone who has jumped out of an space shuttle with nothing but a few layers of alloyed armour and jump jets that may or may not work is beyond my understanding!

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]End of Entry
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Chapter 7 – The Champion


L’Cor stumbled away from his companions as they left the Pecca bar. “See ya later guys!”


His companions laughed and waved. Lani, the friendly young pilot of Arachne yelled, “Get home before you hurl!”


L’Cor chuckled and gave Lani a friendly gesture that involved folding all his fingers except his middle one. Lani and his friends laughed again and walked away.


L’Cor took a deep breath of the night’s air and started walking in the general direction of his apartment. Tonight’s party had been to celebrate another one of L’Cor’s victories in the Tournament. Thus far, he had won ten matches with only minor damage to Phantom Crash. He was really starting to get the hang of piloting a Mick but deep inside, he sorely missed piloting a MAAC.


As with other parties, L’Cor had passed the night away by drinking and swapping war stories for Tournament stories. He also enjoyed debating the virtues of Micks versus MAACs with his fellow Tournament players. Now, with the party over, he only wanted to get back to his ratty apartment so that he could watch another entry from R’Tus’s journal before he passed out. R’Tus’s journal was special in more than one way. Not only was it a record of R’Tus’s thoughts and feelings, but also the way that L’Cor came to possess it was special. After that fateful day, the one when R’Tus had died while holding back a tide of Saxx so that L’Cor and the rest of his tri-quad could get to minimum safe distance, L’Cor had collapsed onto his bunk only to find R’Tus’s AV journal already occupying it. As far as L’Cor knew, R’Tus kept the journal close at hand at all times, yet somehow, had managed to sneak it into L’Cor’s bunk the day he died. It was almost as if R’Tus had somehow known that he would not be returning. L’Cor was not normally someone who held on to sentimental mementoes, but somehow, he knew that he was meant to have R’Tus’s journal.


L’Cor turned down a dark alley to take a shortcut. As soon as he was sure that no one was around, he straightened up and lengthened his stride. There was no way these young pups could ever out drink him but he wasn’t about to let them know that!


He heard laughter coming out of the darkness, followed by a loud indignant scream. Unlike the laughter, the scream definitely sounded female. L’Cor frowned and turned his stride into a jog. Someone was in trouble up ahead!


He skidded to a halt at mouth of another alley. This one was darker than the rest and he could barely make out four or five figures at the end of the alley. He heard more raucous laughter followed by a string of curses shouted by a feminine voice.


“Ha ha! Hold her steady will ya? I’m gonna do her good!”


“Yah Jok!. Do her man! Come on!”


“Not so tough out here in the real world are ya?”


L’Cor heard the sound of cloth shredding and suddenly, he was past all thought. He raced down the alley and bulldozed his way through the crowd of dark bodies.


“What the frak?!”


L’Cor lashed out with his right fist and was rewarded with a thud and a grunt of pain. A hand bearing a knife flashed in his face and he blocked with his left forearm. Before his attacker could recover, he twisted his left hand and grabbed the wrist of his attacker. L’Cor heaved to the side and threw his assailant into another dark figure.


Something jabbed him in the back and he hissed with pain. He spun around and kicked out with his right foot. He felt more than heard the kneecap of his attacker breaking.


A beer bottle hit him a glancing blow on his temple and his vision blurred. He saw a young roughly dressed man with a mean looking knife come towards him. Suddenly, his arms refused to move properly. He stared helplessly, as the knife got closer and closer.


A small brightly coloured form leapt from the shadows and kicked the knife away. A reverse roundhouse put the thug down onto the ground for the count.


L’Cor blinked his eyes several times, not quite believing what he was seeing. It looked as if a small girl was kicking and screaming obscenities at the man on the ground.


L’Cor couldn’t hold his head up anymore. He sank to his knees and closed his eyes for just a moment. The next thing he knew, he was staring up into the dark eyes of a young girl. The girl looked vaguely familiar but L’Cor couldn’t place it at the moment. The girl snapped a bubble from her gum and said, “Gonna take a holo this time old man?”


Recognition finally hit L’Cor’s brain but before he could say something heated in return, his mind blanked as he passed out again.

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]*​

​

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor awoke to the sound of someone coughing. The sound was ugly and nasty, as if the person coughing were trying to expel something from their system. L’Cor opened his eyes slowly and stared up at the dirty ceiling. Where was he? He remembered a brawl of some sort. Some guys had thought it would be funny to abuse and rape a young helpless girl.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Only, the girl wasn’t all that helpless. Yoko Ana! He had rescued Yoko Ana, and then in turn had been rescued by her! Where the Hadis was she. Wait…where was he?


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]There there now. Take a deep breath and drink this.” The voice was soft and soothing.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I don’t wanna. It’s tastes terrible!” The second voice sounded old, tired and raspy.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Come on, don’t be a baby. It’ll help you sleep.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The second voice suddenly broke into deep hacking coughs. “I…ok…”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor got out of the couch that he was in and softly walked towards the voices. He was in a small apartment room that had certainly seen better days. The rug was tattered and there were cracks in the walls and the ceiling. The furnishings were spartan but clean.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor walked to a door that was slightly open. The voices were coming from inside. The floor creaked just before he reached the door. Before he could raise a hand to knock though, the door swung open and he stood face to face with the current reigning champion of the Tournament, Yoko Ana.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She was wearing simple clothes and not the usual hideous attire that L’Cor was used to seeing her in. Her hair was still multi-coloured but it was now combed straight. Her mouth was set in a grim line and her eyes were glaring silent accusations at him.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Well, wanna take that holo now? Come on and get it over with!” Yoko angrily swung the door wide so that L’Cor could see inside. The room was tiny with a small dresser and a small bed. On the bed was a thin frail figure that L’Cor couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko, who is that?” said the figure on the bed.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko’s face softened as she turned to face the figure. “No one Kasa. Try to get some rest, ok?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko stepped out of the room and gestured for L’Cor to follow. She pointed to the front door and said, “Now that you’re awake, the front door’s over there. Help yourself out.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor took a step towards the door and then said, “Thank you. I think you saved my life tonight.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko sniffed loudly and said, “Ok, now get out.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor took another step and then turned and said, “I saved you too, you know.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]So what? You want a medal? I would’ve gotten free eventually and taught those bastards a lesson.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Instead of feeling angry, L’Cor only felt curiosity. Why was Yoko always acting so angry? Lani and the other players had said that Yoko never partook in any of the after game parties and that she always disappeared as soon as the game was over. “Are you angry at me or just the world in general?” He kept his tone mild and as easy going as possible.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko snorted and said, “You don’t deserve my anger. I reserve my anger for the people who did that.” Yoko gestured with her head at the room where the pale thin figure slept.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Who is that?” asked L’Cor softly.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]All of a sudden, all the anger seemed to melt away from Yoko. She sighed and sat down on the couch. She motioned to L’Cor and he sat down on the chair opposite of her.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]That is what happens when someone signs up with one of the corporate sponsors. They pamper you, treat you like a princess, and when you lose, they drop you like a hot potato. That, is the former champion of the Tournament. That, is my older sister Kasa.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor leaned back and muttered a curse. He suspected it might’ve been something like that but he never imagined that the person on the bed was Yoko’s sister. “What happened?”

 

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko’s eyes took on a faraway look as she said, “My sister is several orbits older than me. When she turned eighteen orbits, the corporate hacks at Fizzy Pop discovered that she had a talent for piloting Micks. They sponsored her and provided everything from living expenses to a brand new top of the line Mick. She climbed up the ranks in the Tournament and soon became champion. She reigned for a few orbits until she met her match…me.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I didn’t go through the sponsorship route. During my sister’s time as champion, I got to know a certain Ivan McMac rather well and he counselled me to stay away from the corporations. I followed his advice but I desperately wanted to be a pilot like my sister. So, Ivan leased a Mick to me at a fraction of its worth. In a few games, I earned enough credits to both pay him back and to purchase my own Mick and customize it. In less than half an orbit, the Tournament was abuzz with the possibilities. Two sisters, one title. Who would win? I didn’t want to fight my sister. I was quite happy chugging along and earning my way through the Tournament. However, the hacks at Fizzy Pop cornered me. They owned Kasa’s contract and could tell her who to fight and when. We didn’t have a choice.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko paused and got up. She left the room for a couple of minutes and then came back with two glasses of water. She handed one to L’Cor and took a long gulp from hers. “I still don’t know if it was my missile that punctured Kasa’s cockpit or if it was shoddy maintenance. Either way, Kasa ended up being exposed to the radiation in Old Neomar for a hellishly long time. The corporate devils at Fizzy Pop had decided that since Kasa couldn’t even defeat her younger sister, then she wasn’t worth retrieving in a timely manner. After she got sick, they dropped her contract and moved on to the next victim. That’s all she was to them. A way to sell more of their crap to the general population. A brief moment in time. A candle in the wind.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Is that why you keep fighting? To earn money to take care of her?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]That and to stick it to those corporate devils by keeping the title away from their people. The problem is, as champion, I don’t play as often anymore because very few people are willing to challenge me. I have a reputation for not leaving enough of my opponents’ Micks to salvage.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You’re that good?” The question was asked honestly, with no hint of arrogance or rancor.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko answered the question with the same respect. “Yes, I’m that good.” She picked up a holo remote and pressed a button.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Across the room, a small holo screen came to life. It showed a recording of a Mick game. L’Cor became instantly fascinated as he watched. It took him a few seconds to orientate himself because of the top down view but he managed.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It wasn’t hard to pick out Yoko’s Baby. From what L’Cor could see, it was a hover type and it moved very very fast. He watched in silence as Yoko danced Baby through the crowded and devastated city streets, always on the hunt for more prey. She hardly bothered with OC. As soon as she spotted another Mick, she went in for the kill with guns blazing and missiles flying. L’Cor watched carefully and could tell that Baby was armed with a laser weapon, a triple tube missile launcher, a rocket propelled grenade launcher and some sort of projectile weapon that spoke in powerful single shot bursts.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko was right. She was that good. In fact, the only other person that L’Cor had ever seen who could move a war machine that fluidly was his long lost brother R’Tus.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The battle quickly wound to a stop as Yoko expertly defeated all of her opponents. L’Cor whistled softly and said, “I don’t think I would want to face you either.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko smiled the friendliest smile that L’Cor had ever seen on her. “You’re not so bad yourself newbie. I’ve been looking forward to facing you on the field.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor shook his head. “As much as that would be an honour, I wouldn’t last five minutes against you. You remind me a lot of my younger brother. He was a natural, just like you. He could do things with his MAAC that no one else could.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Oh? Where is he? I’d like to meet him.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]He died in the war.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko fell silent as she digested this piece of information. The she said, “So, you were a soldier? A MAAC pilot?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor nodded. “Yup. I got drafted out of high school and wound up fighting the Saxx until we finally won.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko suddenly did something so unexpected that it took L’Cor completely by surprise. She got up and crossed the distance between them. She bent down and planted a kiss on L’Cor’s cheek. “Thank you.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor cleared his throat and managed to say, “Um, you’re welcome?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko giggled and L’Cor decided that she was actually very cute and attractive when she laughed. “Thank you for fighting the Saxx. I actually have a soft spot for war veterans. Whenever I meet one in the field, I try to disable their Micks with as little damage as possible. You, and people like you, saved our world.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It didn’t always feel like that,” said L’Cor. “My brother died from friendly fire because some creeps at Intel didn’t know their heads from their asses.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko didn’t say anything to that. Instead, she bent down again and this time, kissed L’Cor on his lips. “Thank you for saving me in the alley tonight. It was very heroic.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]In spite of himself, L’Cor found himself smiling. Now that Yoko was letting her guard down, he found that he actually liked the young woman. “You’re welcome. My brother would’ve done the exact same thing, only he wouldn’t have gotten beaned on the head.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko laughed and gingerly touched the bump where the bottle had hit L’Cor. “Your brother sounds like a regular knight in shining armour.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor laughed. “Yup, that he was. He was always carrying around this old book. It was left behind by our father.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko’s face brightened even more. “Book?” She waltzed away and came back carrying a worn and tattered book. “This book?” She perched herself on the arm of L’Cor’s chair and showed it to him.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor looked at the title. It read, [FONT=Arial, sans-serif]History of Royal Gaya[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]. “Yup, that would be the one. Somehow, I’m not surprised that you’ve got one too.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko cradled the book to her chest. “This was left behind by my mother. When I was young, I used to fantasize that I was Princess Gaya and that the Black Knight would come and rescue me from the slums that we lived in.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor glanced around the room. Come to think of it, the room wasn’t all that much bigger than his own ratty apartment. He had thought that once he started playing and winning money that he would move into a nicer place. However, between maintaining Phantom Crash and partying, he didn’t have much money or time left over. “It certainly costs a lot to maintain a Mick in top fighting condition doesn’t it?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko snorted derisively. “You got that right. I spent a large fortune in outfitting Baby with a laser cannon because I thought I would save money in the long run on ammunition. Little did I know that a laser cannon needs a ton of money just to keep it properly tuned. Ivan knows about Kasa. He knows how much I’m spending in her leukemia treatments. He’s offered to maintain Baby for free but I won’t accept charity. However, if I don’t get some games soon, I may have to start selling pieces of Baby just to keep up with Kasa’s treatments.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How about a challenge match?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Challenges are good, but they’re generally one on one with the challenger earning more potential money. The prize money from one top-notch player is barely enough for a month supply of medicine. I need to get into a melee where there are multiple opponents and more cash potential, but the rules state that players cannot win the title from a melee game. That prevents them from ganging up on me but it also means that they can’t win the title from me either. Without numbers on their side, there aren’t very many players that want to face me.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor felt a very strong urge to help Yoko. Not only did he feel empathy for her plight, but she also reminded him of R’Tus very much. Like Yoko, R’Tus had a strong sense of nobility and honour that she hid away from the world. Suddenly, he had an idea. “How about a team battle? You could form a small team and offer to fight any other team up to a set number. Players would have the chance to face you with odds on their side and you would earn more prize money.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko cocked her head to one side as she considered the idea. “That could work, but who would team up with me? It can’t be another Class A player. No one would want to fight then.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You could team up with me,” said L’Cor. As the idea took form in his head, he began to speak more excitedly. “I’m still a newbie so I’m still a Class E right? We could bill it as Champion and Newbie versus all comers.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko got off the arm of the chair and began to pace around. “I like the idea. You’re not a half bad pilot and you’ve got tons of potential. I don’t think you’d be a liability at my side.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor got up too and began to pace in the opposite direction. “I don’t need much prize money myself. Just enough to keep Phantom Crash maintained. I’m not in this for the money after all.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko suddenly stopped pacing and face L’Cor squarely. There was just a hint of anger and wounded pride on her face. “No. If we’re going to team up then we split the prize money fairly. I don’t accept charity.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor raised his hands in a placating gesture. “That’s fine. If we face a team of oh let’s say six, I’m pretty sure I can handle two and leave you the rest. We’ll split the money based upon who we take down.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko smiled brightly at the suggestion. “That puts me back into a melee scenario where I can earn more money. I like the idea very much! All we need now is a team name.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How about The Champ and the Nube?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko shook her head and took a few steps forward until she was standing right in front of L’Cor. “Not catchy enough. How about Beauty and the Beast?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]That’s catchy but you really shouldn’t call yourself the Beast!” said L’Cor with a laugh.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko laughed out loud and punched L’Cor playfully on his shoulder. “Idiot!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor rubbed the spot where Yoko punched him in mock indignation. “Owch! You pack quite a punch for a little girl!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]In response, Yoko punched him again on the other shoulder. “I’m not a little girl. I’m a hunter in search of prey!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A hunter eh? How about, The Stalkers?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The Stalkers…” Yoko rolled the name around in her mouth. “I like it. Simple yet sinister.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It’s a deal then!” L’Cor held his right hand out. Yoko took it and shook it firmly. Then she stepped and kissed L’Cor firmly on his lips.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]There, sealed with a kiss!” She bounced away and disappeared into another room.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor touched his lips with his hand. Both Yoko’s attractiveness and her kisses were starting to awaken feelings in his body and emotions in his chest. He wasn’t sure how he felt. Did he like Yoko in that manner? Did she like him? What did she expect from him? There was such a large gap in their ages that L’Cor really didn’t know how to relate.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]He was roused from his internal conflict when Yoko came back into the room. She was carrying a computer terminal. She showed him the screen and said, “Here, I’ve registered us as a team and put in our fighting conditions. By this time tomorrow, there’ll be at least five or six other registered teams, all vying for a shot at the champion.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor reviewed Yoko’s posting but could not find anything that he disagreed with. “Looks good. I better get home to get some rest. Looks like I’m going to need it. Do you by any chance have directions?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko smiled broadly. “Of course! Take the elevator down two floors and hang a right.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What’re you talking about?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]You live in this building!”

 

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor was stunned. “You live in the same building as me?”



“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I not only live here, but I manage it too. This building is owned under Kasa’s name. I generally rent out rooms to people who otherwise could not afford more expensive homes.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor chuckled softly. He’d been right about Yoko’s nobility. The rents in this building were by far the cheapest. They were cheaper than even some of the other apartment buildings that were in worse shape. “Well, that makes it easier for us to get together to discuss strategy and tactics!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]And easier for transportation too. Make sure you set your alarm early old man. We’re going to see Ivan tomorrow morning.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Why?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]If we’re going to make this partnership work, you’re gonna need some serious upgrades to Phantom Crash!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Upgrades? I thought I had a pretty good weapon load out.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko laughed. “Ok, maybe I was wrong. You’re not braver than you look for riding in that piece of crap – just dumber!” Yoko’s laughter and smile took the sting out of her barb.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What do you mean piece of crap?” L’Cor tried to sound angry but he couldn’t. He knew from seeing Yoko’s Baby in action that he had barely scratched the surface of all the options available to a Mick.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko kissed him softly on his cheek and said softly, “Just trust me.”

 

[Cybermike]

Cool

 

[GoPro]

How long did it take you to put this together?.

 

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Chapter 8 – Sibling Rivalry


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]When L’Cor got back to his apartment, he could still feel Yoko’s lips on his cheek. To turn his mind away from potentially dangerous ground, he slumped onto his tiny bed and fired up R’Tus’s AV journal. Yoko’s story about her sister reminded him of a similar one involving R’Tus. It had happened shortly after R’Tus joined his unit on the northern continent of Arca. R’Tus’s reputation had preceded him and everyone at the base in Arca wanted to see the two brothers duke it out with simulated weapons to see just who the better pilot was. R’Tus hadn’t wanted to do it, but L’Cor had to admit that he was just a bit curious to see if the stories about his brother were true. Besides, duty in Arca tended to involve long periods of tedious waiting followed by short intense combat. In the end, R’Tus had caved in to popular demand and the two brothers had squared off in the icy wastelands of Arca.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor scrolled through the AV journal entries until he found the one he was looking for. He pressed the play button, rested the journal on his chest and closed his eyes.

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Start of Entry - Orbit 3012, 3[SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]rd[/SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif] Moon, 3[SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]rd[/SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif] Solar Cycle​

​

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A strange and wildly exhilarating thing happened today. I had a MAAC duel with L’Cor. In retrospect, I should have expected this but truly, it was not something that I wanted to happen. Before I shipped out here, my old crew chief, Chief Warrant Officer McMac, had warned me about letting my skills and victories go to my head. He was of course, referring to my actions in the mountain regions of Appal.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I was part of a recon quad out on patrol in the mountains. Our Wyv’en MAACs were equipped with light weaponry that emphasized mobility over power. Officially, our job was to scout the region and report any Saxx activity. Unofficially, everyone knew that recon Wyv’en MAACs were best suited for drawing out any Saxx that were hiding. Mobile bait is the term most often given to Wyv’en pilots.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]My quad commander, 1[SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]st[/SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif] Lieutenant Womark, knew this of course, which probably explained why his patrol route did not cross over the mountain range. Any long-range weapons from our base would not be able to reach over the mountains so we would not have any fire support if we crossed.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]To make a long story short, I spotted a long column of Saxx making their way through a large valley, between two large mountains. Most of the warriors in the force did not have power armour but instead wore heavy plating that covered most of their vulnerable parts. There were however, several Saxx in power armour running up and down the column. Based upon intelligence reports, we now know that the Saxx in power armour were the equivalent of our officers while the ones in unpowered armour were the grunts.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Upon seeing this force, Lieutenant Womark immediately ordered us to withdraw. I didn’t think that was a good idea. Our base was about one hundred miles from here and there were a lot of valleys with good cover between the base and the mountains. If the Saxx force got out of these mountains, they would be able to travel through these valleys and be literally at the base’s doorstep before any shots could be fired. Our long-range cruise missiles would be of limited use if the Saxx force dispersed and went to ground.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I argued that here, in the mountain ranges, would be the best place to engage the enemy. True, we wouldn’t have the benefit of long-range artillery due to the terrain, but several well-placed MAACs with HVC’s would create a massacre in the Saxx force.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]While we were standing their arguing, a Saxx air recon craft nailed Lieutenant Womark with an HVC shot. I guess it really doesn’t pay to paint your rank insignia on the outside of your MAAC!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Anyway, the point was now moot. We had been spotted and the Saxx force sped up their progress. I took aim with my auto cannon and shot down the air recon craft. Then I told the other two members in my quad to take cover in the high walls of the valley. I called in to the base and apprised them of the situation. Not surprisingly, they agreed with my assessment and promised some support as soon as possible. We only had to delay the force for about fifteen minutes.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We were armed with medium auto cannons and single shot missiles. I doubted that we would last for five minutes.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The single shot missiles had one advantage over other types of missile systems. Since there wasn’t any need for additional ammunition, the warhead on each missile was much larger than other missile systems. The idea behind them was for a recon MAAC to carry them and use them to help cover a tactical retreat. Each of our Wyv’en’s carried two on the shoulder hard points. It was enough.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Six high yield warheads caused a rockslide that conveniently divided the Saxx force. The bulk of the force was trapped on the far side while about fifty of them were on our side. That evened the odds a little bit.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What evened the odds even more was the quad of Grif’cens that flew over the mountains and touched down. I never liked the Grif’cens. Out of all the MAAC models, they were the least humanoid in appearance. The Grif’cen is a medium class MAAC, but it could only use light weaponry that is typically assigned to Wyv’ens. The reason is that most of the Grif’cen’s shape and mass is dedicated to a geometry shifting system. Like the ancient legendary beast for which it is named after, the Grif’cen could fly. In its aerial mode, it could not perform like an air superiority fighter but it did well enough to allow its pilots to travel from point A to point B fast at low altitudes. Its armour also helped it to function decently as a low altitude air support vehicle.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Anyway, just this once, I was glad for their support because they brought with them the most powerful projectile weapon available to light and medium MAACs – the hyper velocity cannon.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I directed the quad to higher ground for cover and we proceeded to shoot downward at the Saxx force.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It worked for a while. I don’t know about the Saxx’s alien mentality but any human soldier caught in a situation like theirs would find it hard to shoot back much less hit small entrenched targets that were busy killing his comrades.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It wasn’t enough though. We just couldn’t kill the Saxx fast enough. There was a large number of Saxx in power armour who could shrug off two or even three hits from an HVC. I needed a way to kill them faster – especially since the Saxx that were trapped on the other side of the rockslide were slowly climbing over it.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I passed my HVC to a quadmate and pulled out my monofilament cutter. This by far was my favourite MAAC weapon. Basically, a MFC was a long bar that emitted an L-Wave beam all around it. As a melee weapon, the MFC was ideal because it could cut through most armour as if it wasn’t there.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I jumped down into the valley and ignited my MFC. The eerie blue light was like a torch that drew the Saxx to me like moths to a candle.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I threw myself in the thick of things. I knew that my only chance of survival was to get as close to as many of them as possible. At that range, their weapons were next to useless because they had a much better chance of hitting each other than me.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I kept on the move and I kept swinging my MFC. There was no finesse to it as each swing almost guaranteed me a kill. The torso armour of the Saxx in power armour was too thick for even my MFC, so whenever I came upon one, I aimed for its legs. A Saxx with one or two legs missing was as good as dead.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The law of averages say that, eventually, one or more of the Saxx was going to get lucky and nail me. Luck favoured me instead that day. Before the Saxx could get their act together, reinforcements arrived in the form of a full tri-quad of heavy MAACs. They rained AROWs down upon the Saxx force and in the confusion; I was able to jump jet to safety.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I really didn’t see the big deal with what I did. I was in a desperate situation and I made a desperate call. If I had more guns and more MAACs, I would’ve never jumped into that valley. Anyway, the brass at the base saw fit to give me a medal and award me any assignment of my choice. I think they expected me to opt for a safe cushy assignment because when I asked to be shipped off to Arca, there were many surprised reactions.

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]*​

​

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ok, I see that I got a little sidetracked. I was going to record my thoughts regarding the duel between L’Cor and myself. Well for one thing, it lacked the life and death feel of true combat. We were using simulated weapons so neither of us was ever in any real danger. We had our choice of MAACs and L’Cor, true to form, chose his heavy Drac’en. I think everyone else was expecting me to choose a Drac’en too, but I didn’t. I stuck with my Wyv’en. What can I say? The Wyv’en was the most humanoid of all the MAACs. In a way, it reminded me more of a giant man dressed in knightly armour than a MAAC. Of course, that wasn’t the only reason.

 

[ERecTile]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The Wyv’en is my favourite simply because it was the only MAAC that was fast enough to keep up with my movements inside the combat harness in the cockpit. It was faster and more agile than any other MAAC. Sure it couldn’t use the really big guns like the multi-barrel auto-cannon or the AROW missile system, but what it could carry was more than enough to take down a Saxx or another MAAC.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I armed my Wyv’en with an HVC and a MFC. The HVC wasn’t going to be enough to take down L’Cor with one shot but if I could get close enough, my MFC would do the trick.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I knew that L’Cor would probably load up with his usual mixture of MBC, AROW, laser cannon and a rocket-propelled howitzer. He’d always believed that bigger guns equalled big victories. I was about to prove him wrong.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]We started off about fifty miles apart on a flat frozen field. There wasn’t going to be much cover for either of us. Maybe it was an unfair duel from the outset. I mean, who knew L’Cor better than I?


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As I had predicted, L’Cor opened up with his AROWs first, hoping for an early victory. I must admit. Once an Aerial Optical-recognition Weapon had zeroed in on you, it was very difficult to evade.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Difficult, but not impossible.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As the first missile approached, I stood still and waited until it had a solid lock on me. As soon as its sub-munitions burst out, I boosted away. I zigzagged in a random pattern as the individual computerized warheads fell all around me.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Next, I knew that L’Cor would open fire with his RPH, in the hopes that splash damage would slow me down. He didn’t disappoint.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]For today’s duel, I had outfitted my Wyv’en with shoulder foils instead of shoulder weapons. These allowed me very minimal flight capability when I used my jump jets. They were enough to get me out of the computer calculated blast zone of L’Cor’s shot. While I was up in the air, I took the time to fire off a shot of my own. My computerized HVC round hit L’Cor high in his left shoulder. Because he was stationary, the computer simulator ruled that his AROW system was damaged and was now offline.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor realized his mistake and fired off another shot from his RPH before he began to move.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]His shot came nowhere close to me as I closed the distance between us. He fired his laser but I blocked with my small shield. Little reactive armour pockets in the shield blew out as the computer calculated the damage.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I spared another precious second to line up another shot and let fly with another HVC round. This one hit near L’Cor’s waist and it drastically slowed down his already slow MAAC.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]In return, he fired his MBC and shredded my small shield. I didn’t care. I threw the shield away, transferred my HVC to my left hand and drew my monofilament cutter. In normal fighting conditions, the L-Wave engine in the MFC would generate a wave of ultra compressed laser light that was so tight that the leading edge was just over one molecule wide. For this duel though, my MFC was just a handle and the computer threw up a blue hologram to simulate an L-Wave beam.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I think it was at this point that L’Cor finally realized the danger that he was in. I had taken out his long-range weapons by destroying one and rendering the other one effectively useless by closing the distance. Then I had had destroyed his mobility and in doing so, had limited his ability to track me properly with his remaining weapons.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I threw down my HVC and went in for the kill. L’Cor did his best. He rotated his waist and brought his right arm up. My heads up display showed me a line of computer-generated tracers as I hunched down to dodge the attack.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]My fake MFC drew a beautiful line in the air as the fake beam ripped up under L’Cor’s right arm and through his torso.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor’s Drac’en froze as his computer shut it down. The duel was over and I had won with no damage to my Wyv’en. My chronometer display showed that less than five minutes had elapsed from the start of the duel.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Later, I got a lot of congratulatory slaps on the back for my performance. I don’t think anyone thought I had a chance of winning. My victory gave me a lot of respect from many of the younger pilots. It even filled up my nightly social calendar as many of the female admin staff that had watched the duel suddenly found me very attractive indeed. I accepted as many of the proposals as I thought my body could handle. My physical needs were now taken care of, but my emotional ones remained unrequited. Ever since Cinda, I had not allowed anyone to come close to me so my heart still belonged to a certain princess in a somewhat fictitious book.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor didn’t say much to me beyond quietly congratulating me on my victory. I wonder, was he angry with me? Did I make him look like a fool in front of everyone? I’m too scared to ask, but deep inside, I hope that he is proud of the man I have become.

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]End of Entry​

​

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]When the entry wound down, the AV journal waited patiently for further input. When it received none, it waited for a few more minutes before shutting down. As the hologram of R’Tus’s face disappeared, the small apartment was thrown into darkness. The only light came from the journal’s standby button and the only sound in the room was the quiet droning buzz of L’Cor’s snores.

 

[ERecTile]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Chapter 9 – Upgrades


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor was rudely awakened the next morning when Yoko flounced into his room. She had used her master key to let herself in. She was dressed in her usual trashy attire and she acted as if she didn’t give a dagnag. In short, she was back to her usual self.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She stood over L’Cor’s head and her loose shirt flared out at the bottom, giving L’Cor a classic up-the-shirt view. Yoko’s pink bra covered a pair of surprisingly well-rounded breasts.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What’re you waiting for sleepyhead?!” exclaimed Yoko. “The taxicab is downstairs. Come on, we’ve got to go!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor pretended to keep his eyes closed for a couple more seconds and then said, “Shhh. I don’t have a holo camera so I’m trying to preserve a memory. Pink looks very good on you.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko glanced down and blushed deep red. She drew back in a hurry and pulled her shirt shut. Then, she got a devilish gleam in her eyes. “It was too dark last night so you probably missed it.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Missed what?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]This!” Yoko grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled upwards. Along the way, she managed to grab the bottom of her bra as well.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor’s mind instantly snapped awake as he saw Yoko’s beautiful breasts. It had been a very long time since he’d been with a woman and his body reacted accordingly. He felt slightly disappointed when Yoko covered herself up a moment later. “Hadis! What a way to wake up!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko chuckled and then sniffed the air. “Ew, you better take a shower, before we leave. The taxicab can wait.” She took a good look around and wrinkled her nose. “Doncha ever clean up in here?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor glanced around his messy apartment. “It’s the maid’s week off,” he said. He got up off his bed and made his way into his bathroom. Inside, he stripped off his clothes, stepped into the shower, and turned the shower up to full blast. As the washed himself, he thought he heard the door open, but he could not see anything beyond the fog generated by his shower.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]When he was done, he opened his shower door to find that all of his towels were missing. Even his dirty clothes on the floor were gone. Someone had come in! He shook his head bemusedly and chuckled. If that was the game that Yoko wanted to play, then so be it! His time in the military had long burned away any shyness he might have felt about nakedness.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]He whistled a tuneless tune as he stepped out of the bathroom. Yoko was sitting on his bed with an expectant look on her face. She whistled through her fingers as L’Cor playfully posed for her. “Can I at least have a towel to dry off?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]In response, Yoko threw him a small face cloth. L’Cor caught it, and then shrugged. He proceeded to wipe himself down as he made his way to his dresser. He was acting as casual as possible but his mind was racing at ways in which he could get back at Yoko. The only problem was, all of the scenarios running through his head involved getting Yoko naked and in bed.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko screamed in glee at L’Cor’s physical reaction. “You naughty old man, what’s going on through that gutter that you call a brain?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Keep this up and you’ll find just how not-old I am!” L’Cor smiled broadly. He had to admit that he was enjoying this flirtatious activity. He pulled some clothes out of his dresser drawer and got dressed amidst booing noises from Yoko.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As they left his apartment, L’Cor asked a question that had been plaguing him. “Why do you dress up like that?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Like what?” asked Yoko innocently, “Like a hooker?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yeah.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How do you know I’m not?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor snorted derisively. “You don’t have the temperament. A hooker wouldn’t blush because a dirty old man had sneaked a peek under her shirt.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]They shared a laugh and then Yoko said, “I find that it tends to make men underestimate me. If they’re busy thinking of my body out in the field, it makes my job that much easier.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]That made a lot of sense to L’Cor. Yoko’s current attire was definitely hard to forget. She dressed in such a way as to show nothing of her body’s naughty bits, but left a lot for the imagination.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]They got into the taxicab and Yoko ordered it to take them to a drive through restaurant first. They ordered their meal and ate in the cab. By the time the cab pulled up outside of Ivan McMac’s shop, they had finished their breakfast and threw the paper wrappers into the taxicab’s disposal bin.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]They walked into the shop together and Yoko linked her arm with L’Cor’s. Ivan greeted them with a smile and an arched eyebrow. “Good morning Yoko. Good morning L’Cor.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Good morning Ivan!” said Yoko brightly.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What can I do for you guys today?” asked Ivan.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor has agreed to team up with me. If he’s going to play in the big leagues, he’s gonna need some major upgrades to his Mick.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ivan gave L’Cor a questioning look. “A partnership eh? Is he good enough to keep up with you?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor was about to say something but Yoko beat him to it. “I’ve seen him fight. He’s pretty good. He just needs some better equipment.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor felt something like pride inside of himself because Yoko was standing up for him. A part of him was surprised at how easy it was to get along with Yoko ever since she let down her guard last night. The other part of him was just going along with the flow because he really enjoyed being with her. “Actually the plan is to use me as bait and for Yoko blow up the other guys before I kick it.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]That got a laugh out of both Ivan and Yoko. Ivan angled his head towards the back door. “Head on in Yoko. I want to speak with L’Cor for a couple of minutes.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko surprised L’Cor by giving him a shy smile and then obediently followed Ivan’s instructions. It was obvious to L’Cor that the relationship between Yoko and Ivan was more than the usual mechanic/player one.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ivan confirmed this when he said, “You know, Yoko is almost like a daughter to me. If you’re teaming up with her as a way to take advantage of that girl –“


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I’m not,” said L’Cor abruptly with a raised hand. “She reminds me a lot of my brother.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Brother?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yeah, I think you knew him in the war. R’Tus Penrag’n”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ivan’s face brightened up immediately. “Of course, I knew there was something familiar about you! That boy had the most potential of any pilot I ever had the honour of being a crew chief for. How is he anyway?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]He died,” said L’Cor quietly. “About six orbits ago. It was from friendly fire.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ivan’s face fell and he looked as if he had suddenly aged. “Oh frak it! I knew no Saxx could ever do it in for that boy. He was a natural. I didn’t hear anything. I guess the brass hushed it up?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yeah. They didn’t want it generally known that their best ace was nuked by his own people.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]How did it happen?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The usual frak up,” said L’Cor with a bitter tone. “Satellite images had picked up unusually high Saxx activity but because of the terrain, they couldn’t confirm the presence of a hive. When R’Tus’s quad discovered it and called it in, someone at HQ panicked and fired off a thermo-nuke before we could get everyone to minimum safe distance. R’Tus had some damage to his jump jets so he couldn’t boost out of there fast enough. He decided to hold rear guard and make sure that no Saxx followed us out of the area as we retreated.”

 

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Ivan sighed, a deep sad sigh. “A hero to the end.” Ivan shook himself visibly and then said, “Well come with me. Yoko was right. If you’re gonna team up with her and fight in the big leagues, you’re going to need better equipment.”


L’Cor followed Ivan to through the back door and said, “How much is this all going to cost me? I haven’t spent much of my prize money yet but I’ve sent a fair bit back to my sister Q’Wen.”


“Don’t worry about that for now. There are a lot of poor and destitute people in that apartment building that Yoko manages. My helping her ends up helping a lot of other people too.”


“Like Yoko’s sister Kasa?”


“Yes,” said Ivan in a sad tone. “She was seduced by those corporate bastards with their promises of riches and fame. Well she got her five minutes of fame, but the riches all turned to dust.”


They made their way to the central computer where Ivan had originally configure Phantom Crash. Yoko was already there. She had an image of Phantom Crash on the holoscreen. L’Cor could see that she had already stripped out all of its weapons.


“You have a rather bad habit of holding down your triggers too long. In an extended fight like the ones we’ll have, you’ll run out of ammo long before anyone else,” said Yoko without any preamble.


L’Cor held his tongue. He didn’t like to be criticized by a half pint of a woman but he reminded himself that this small woman was the current reigning champion and if she were in a MAAC would have given R’Tus a run for his money.


Yoko manipulated the computer like a pro as she dragged an icon onto Phantom Crash’s frame. “This Gatling gun is the closest thing to a MBC for a Mick. The damage per shot isn’t that great, but the volume of fire this baby can dish out is amazing. Plus, you’ll have more than enough ammo to keep your trigger finger happy.”


The weapon system looked huge and he looked at the display half expecting the computer to warn him that Phantom Crash was overweight. Instead, he was surprised to find that Phantom Crash was nowhere near its weight limit yet.


“The best thing that Ivan did for you was to give you a pair of really decent legs.”


L’Cor remembered how much those legs had cost and now he was glad he had gotten them. “What about the torso piece?”


Yoko snapped a bubble from a piece of gum that L’Cor didn’t know she had. “It’s not bad,” she said thoughtfully. “But, most of the opponents you’ll be facing have advanced targeting computers. That means that all of their missiles will lock on at the same time.”


“That’s bad?”


Ivan cleared his throat and said, “Think of an AROW system for medium range.”


“Ah,” said L’Cor simply.


Yoko pulled another icon onto Phantom Crash’s frame. “The shot cannon is a really useless weapon. At the ranges where it becomes effective, a Mick with a melee weapon would toast you before you could lock on. This rocket propelled drill arm will do the trick.”


“What’s that?” asked L’Cor.


“The concept of the rocket propelled drill arm was taken from the construction industry,” explained Ivan. “Basically, you take a hardened tungsten drill with a diamond head and you attach it to a small rocket. Then you link the fire control to your Mick’s jump jets and you’ve got a melee weapon that can take out even the heaviest armour in one blow.”


“Cool.”


Yoko pulled two more icons onto Phantom Crash. “A rocket propelled grenade has better range and better targeting abilities than the old spring-fire versions. And, last but not least, a dual tube missile launcher with an advanced targeting computer means that you can still fire two missiles at once.”


“Ahm…Yoko, I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but aren’t we taking too much advantage of Ivan here?”


Yoko turned to look at him. The smile that she gave him made him feel as if he had just won a prize.


“Actually, these are weapons that I used to use before I could afford my current weapons on Baby. I’m a bit of a collector and I never traded them back to Ivan. As my partner, I’m loaning them to you. Put them to good use, ok?”


“Ok!”


“Now, as for the items that we’ll have to lease from Ivan…let’s see…” Yoko pulled the rollers off from Phantom Crash’s legs and dragged another pair on icons onto its frame. “The legs that Ivan gave you actually have optional hover attachments. That means that if you use the hover jets in conjunction with your jump jets, you can have the same kind of mobility as a true hover platform. Also, if you ground yourself to use your OC and need to suddenly move, you don’t have to wait until your hover jets fire up. You can just run on your regular feet.”


A curious thought occurred to L’Cor and he asked, “Baby is a traditional hover type right? How do you overcome the OC issue? The blow back from the hover jets would blow the OC covering off right?”


“I have my OC built into Baby’s armour. I usually don’t take enough hits to totally disable it.”


L’Cor whistled softly in appreciation of Yoko’s skill. He looked at the computer as it tallied up the weapons and calculated Phantom Crash’s specifications. Due to the added weapons Phantom Crash now had an even lower top running speed and its acceleration was lower too. However, these specs were offset by the ability to hover. “You also put an extra inch of armour plating?”


Yoko rolled her eyes as if this were a basic question. “Everyone takes hits. You’re gonna need the extra plating. In the melee matches that we’ll be in, I don’t think even I will be able to remain untouched for long. When my OC fails, our roles will shift. I’ll become the bait while you become the silent hunter.”


“I’ll do my best to protect you,” said L’Cor seriously.


“I know you will,” said Yoko brightly and then she blew him a kiss.


Ivan McMac watched the interplay between L’Cor and Yoko and smiled a broad proud smile.

 

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Chapter 10 – A Taste of Leadership


After Yoko finished customizing Phantom Crash for L’Cor, Ivan promised them that the modifications would take less than a week. That was a good thing because when Yoko checked the Tournament Bulletin, the forums were awash with the news of the new partnership. As she had predicted, many of the players were already starting to form alliances. A melee battle with the champion was not worth it for players because there was no way they could trust the other players enough to coordinate an attack on Yoko. However, when you formed a team, then it became a team battle and coordination of tactics became possible.


Yoko and L’Cor went back to their apartment building to discus tactics and strategy. L’Cor had wanted to go to practise on the simulators but Yoko and waved that suggestion away. She didn’t want to give away any secrets to the spectators. Besides, she wanted to be close to Kasa in case her older sister needed anything.


Back in Yoko’s room, she quickly changed out of her trashy clothes and into something much more comfortable and concealing. L’Cor didn’t know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. At least he would be able to get his mind out of the gutter at least temporarily!


They discussed various different scenarios and L’Cor was pleasantly surprised to find that Yoko had an amazing intuitive grasp of military tactics. R’Tus had been like that too. R’Tus had a knack for feeling the ebb and flow of a battle and he instinctively knew when a battle would shift.


Yoko noticed his distraction and said, “Hellooo! Gaya to L’Cor! What’re you thinking of?”


L’Cor grinned. “Sorry, you remind me so much of my brother sometimes.”


“I should hope not!” said Yoko with an impish grin. “I have at least two attributes that he doesn’t have!” She emphasized her remark by cupping her breasts and jutting them in L’Cor’s direction.


L’Cor laughed out loud. “Dagnag-it woman. Put those weapons away! I’d finally gotten them out of my head when you put on that sweat top!”


“Aww, poor baby; Miss them already? Here, why don’t I show them to you again?” Yoko dropped her hands to the bottom of her sweat top.


“No! That’s ok!” said L’Cor quickly.


Yoko pouted. “Spoil sport!”


Desperate to change the subject, L’Cor pulled out the AV journal and turned it on. “Here, he said, why don’t I introduce you to my brother?” He turned it on and a holo of R’Tus appeared.


Yoko peered at the image and said, “That’s your brother?” She sniffed. “I like my men to have a little bit more meat on them. Yup, big and dumb…that’s how I like ‘em.”


“My brother had a sixth degree platinum sash before he died,” said L’Cor a little testily. “Not only that, in a simulated duel, he took me down in less than five minutes with a light MAAC while I was armed to the teeth in a heavy.”


Yoko raised both hands, “Chill out big man! I was only joking!”


“Sorry,” said L’Cor contritely. “I miss my brother so much. I was so proud that day when he beat me in the duel. I just wish I had told him how I felt.”


Yoko reached out and touched L’Cor’s hand. “I’m sorry too. I’m lucky in that at least my sister is still around and I still have a chance in saving her.”


L’Cor said nothing but lifted Yoko’s hand to his lips and kissed it. He had meant it as a form of apology but was surprised when Yoko’s face flushed deep red. His eyes met hers in a long caressing stare that neither seemed willing to break.


A cough from Kasa’s room broke the moment as Yoko dashed into her sister’s room. L’Cor scrolled through the AV journal in a furious attempt to mask his feelings. What was going on with him? He barely knew this woman but the feelings that were stirring in his chest were growing stronger by the minute.


When Yoko came back a few minutes later, L’Cor stopped on an entry at random and hit the play button. Without a word of what had transpired between them, they both settled down and watched R’Tus speak.

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Start of Entry – Orbit 3016, 5[SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]th[/SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif] Moon, 12[SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]th[/SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif] Solar Cycle​

​

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A couple of moons ago, they gave me command of my own quad. I had the option of taking over a quad of medium class MAACs but I opted to stay with my Wyv’en. Not only did I still prefer the Wyv’en to anything else, but also the new recruits that got sent to the front line were closer to my age anyway. It’s too bad that they treat me with a certain level of respect and awe. I wish they wouldn’t. I’m just doing my part in fighting this war.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The Saxx were alien to humans in almost everyway. They were huge for starters, but their civilization was alien to us too. They were almost like insects in their dedication to building hives, but we also know that unlike insects, each individual Saxx thought and acted like an individual. Still, I sometimes felt like I got along better with them than with my own kind. With the Saxx, it was kill or be killed. With humans, I always got the sense that I didn’t quite fit it. There was also the sense that they wanted something from me. Even the ladies with whom I shared some recreational time with wanted only one thing: the chance to brag to the other women that they had scored with The Whiz Kid. That was their nickname for me.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Anyway, I today, I took my quad out on some training exercises. Our battalion had been transferred from the frozen wastelands of Arca to the desert wastelands of Mohabee. We went from one temperate extreme to another and I wanted my quad to get used to their new fighting environment.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]My quad consisted of 2[SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]nd[/SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif] Lieutenants Liselle Tenshen, Jensen Darril and Rosba Ama. Their skills were typical of the current generation of graduates from MAAC Basic, that is to say, not bad but with a few bad habits. For example, Liselle had a habit of running when she should be jumping or boosting, Jensen tended to ride his jump jets too much, and Rosba couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with her targeting computer activated.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I halted our march and called out on my S-Wave communicator. “Alright, listen up. Fire up your computer simulators. We’re going to simulate combat!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]There were groans from Jensen and Rosba but Liselle seemed excited. “Are we going to chase after you sir?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I liked Liselle. If she could get over her fear of jumping, she would make an amazing pilot. She had great legs to boot too. In her neural suit, they sometimes seemed to go on forever. Too bad she was part of my quad! Besides, I knew L’Cor had his eye on her and was just waiting for her to prove herself before making a move. “Not today Lis. Today, Jensen and Rosba are going to chase after you.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Me?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yup. We’re going to overcome your fear of jumping. You’re gonna need to use your jump jets if you want to get away from Jensen and Rosba here.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Alright!” exclaimed Jensen. “Hey Lis, if I tag you, will you sleep with me?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Liselle and Rosba shouted into their communicators at the same time.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Not on your life!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Hey what’s wrong with me?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Jensen’s MAAC rotated its head unit between the two women. “Sorry, but variety is the spice of life!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Both Liselle and Rosba reached out and punched Jensen. His Wyv’en promptly fell on its backside amidst laughter from the women. The two women then ‘high fived’ with their MAACs.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I keyed my communicator and tried to sound serious, “Can the chit chat folks. All right, here’s the plan. Program your simulated weapons load out with HVCs”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]There was a chorus of “Awwws.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Enough!” I growled. I had to key off my communicator for a couple of seconds so that I could laugh in private. Not many people liked the HVC. Despite its destructive potential, it had a slow firing rate and in a fast moving game of ‘tag’, it was dreadfully hard to use. “All of you need more practise with this weapon. Especially you Rosba! You still spray your fire too much. In an extended battle or recon mission, you’ll run out of ammo too fast! And Jensen, watch those jump jets. If you stay in the air too long, Lis is going to pin you like a fly on a wall. Now go!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Liselle took off like a flash as if she were waiting for my order. It took Jensen and Rosba a few precious seconds to react. By then, Liselle was almost a mile away. She was taking my criticism to heart and she was boosting for all she was worth.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Jensen and Rosba both boosted after her and Liselle surprised them by suddenly turning and firing. They both got tagged.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Jensen! Rosba! Just because you’re chasing Lis doesn’t mean that she won’t fire back at you!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Jensen hit his jump jets for a vertical jump and Lis promptly hit him with another shot. “Jensen! Don’t be so predictable!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rosba was shooting as she moved and my computer display showed me that she had already run through an entire magazine. “Rosba! Lead your target! Don’t aim for where Lis is, but aim for where she will be!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Why can’t I use a laser? I usually do much better with a laser!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Use your head Rosba! We’re out in the desert. A laser would overheat much too quickly!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Oh.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Liselle hit Jensen once more while he was in the air. I sighed but I didn’t chew him out this time. Liselle was doing fine in teaching him a well-deserved lesson. While Liselle was preoccupied with Jensen though, I watched as Rosba took on a kneeling position and aimed carefully. This time, she managed to hit Liselle with a well-timed shot.

 

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“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Good shot Rosba! Now, do it again!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Thank you sir;” she twisted her torso as she tried to follow Liselle’s movements.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Liselle took advantage of Rosba’s stationary status by hitting her with a simulated shot. “I meant while moving!” My voice was starting to feel a little hoarse. What did it take for these kids to learn?


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Sorry sir!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Eventually, I called a halt to the exercise. I had them form a semi circle around me and we all exited our MAACs. They were all sweating from both the heat and their exertions. Jensen did finally manage to tag Liselle once and Rosba had hit her twice. Liselle on the other hand had hit them both at least five or six times.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Jensen was leering openly at both Liselle and Rosba while I did my best to keep my eyes on level with theirs. I didn’t think it was professional to have sex with anyone directly under my command. My lesson from both Cinda and Micah had stuck to me. I couldn’t put myself in a position where my personal feelings would get in the way of my leadership decisions.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I started drawing in the sand as I lectured. “Jensen, you and Rosba made one crucial mistake. You did not communicate with each other. You both started the exercise with the mindset that it was a competition between you and that prevented you from working as a team. Take that lesson to heart. In an outnumbered situation, the advantage actually goes to the one working alone if his opponents are working as individuals rather than a team. The Saxx have amazing teamwork capabilities. Somehow, and we don’t know how, they often move as one complete unit. Take out the officers though, and the regular warrior class lose that smooth integration.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Jensen, you’re doing better with the jump jets. Just remember that while you’re in the air, you’re one big fat target. Lis, you have the opposite problem but at least you’ve improved dramatically. Rosba, you’re starting to get a feel for the HVC. Don’t depend on your targeting computer too much. Remember, when leading your target; don’t depend on that little pip provided by your computer. That’s just the computer’s estimate of where your target will be. Use your intuition more than your computer’s AI.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I directed their attention to the drawing I made in the sand. “Jensen and Rosba, this is what you should have done. You should have synchronized your movements so that either one of your would always have Lis in your field of fire. Don’t let her get directly between you two though. That would only put you in each other’s field of fire.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I lectured some more and I saw some understanding come to their faces. As always, Liselle seemed to be slightly ahead of the other two. “When facing Saxx, we’re usually outnumbered anyway right? Won’t there always be a Saxx in our field of fire?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yes, but remember, always try to go after the officers in power armour first. Once they die, the grunts’ teamwork will go to Hadis.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Jensen was nodding his head as he said, “This is all starting to make sense now sir. But maybe a little demonstration would be in order?” There was just the tiniest hint of a challenge in his voice.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Liselle looked up expectantly and even Rosba looked eager at the prospect. I grinned at them. I knew that I had nothing to prove to them, but it would be good practise for all of us. “Alright, get in your MAACs. This time, program your choice of weapons.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]There was a chorus of “Yayys!” as they dashed up the ladders and into their cockpits. When I got into mine, I programmed my computer simulator for an HVC and a MFC. I saw that Liselle had stuck with her HVC and added on a quad tube missile launcher. Jensen had traded in his HVC for a pair of medium auto-cannons while Rosba loaded up with lasers. I shook my head at that last one. Some people just have to learn the hard way!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Jensen didn’t wait for me to give the command to start. He immediately started to target me. I didn’t mind. I sidestepped and gave him a slice with my MFC. I heard him curse as his Wyv’en shut down. I used his inert MAAC as cover and kept it between myself and the other two. Both Liselle and Rosba ended up hitting Jensen multiple times. Jensen cursed at every hit because it kept resetting his computer.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I suddenly boosted away backwards and I nailed both Liselle and Rosba with my HVC. I keyed my communicator and yelled, “Synchronize your attack. Work as a team!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I have to admit. I worked them hard. I danced and I boosted and I jumped in seemingly random patterns. I wasn’t surprised when Liselle took charge. She ordered Jensen and Rosba to fan out and attempt to flank me. I knew what she was going for and I eventually let myself get trapped by them inside their triangle. In this formation, they all had me in their field of fire and there was little danger of them hitting each other. As they closed in for the kill though, I suddenly charged the weak link. Rosba’s simulated lasers had overheated and she couldn’t use them anymore. I gave her Wyv’en a little tap with my MFC as I boosted past. That small fraction of a moment was enough for one of Liselle’s missiles to hit me.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I called a halt to the exercise and ordered them all back to the base. As we marched, Liselle called me on a private line.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Does this mean I get to sleep with you now?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It took me a moment to understand her reference. I gave her expectant expression a small smile. “Sorry Lis. I don’t mix business with pleasure. While you’re part of my quad, our relationship will have to remain a professional one.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She looked a little disappointed but smiled back at me. “Too bad. You don’t know what you’re missing!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I chuckled. “Lis, you’re a great pilot and you have excellent potential. When you get transferred out of my quad, it would be my honour and pleasure to take you up on your offer. In the meantime though, I understand that my brother is available.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She wrinkled her nose. “He’s not my type.” She sighed theatrically. “Oh well, it’s just me and my toys tonight!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She signed off before I could respond. I tried to wipe the image of Lis naked and in bed out of my mind. Dagnag-it! Why did she have to be so pretty?


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rosba called me a little later with a similar offer and I turned her down too. She didn’t seem that surprised though. I wonder what the women were talking about during their private chats.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]To be honest, ever since we arrived at this new base, I haven’t tried very hard to find new playmates. Lately, my dreams of Princess Gaya and the Black Knight were getting more and more intense. It had gotten to the point where I would turn in early just so that I would be free to dream of them and their adventures together.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Speaking of which, it’s about that time for me to turn in now. Signing off!

 

[Bubba]

Let me know if you need help.

 

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Chapter 11 – An Unexpected Twist


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A week after their announced team, L’Cor and Yoko were stalking through the ruins of Old Neomar, hunting for their prey. They had spent most of the week going through various strategies and plans. Because other players could monitor their communications, they came up with a complex series of coded phrases that would mean nothing to anyone else.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The last couple of days had been spent on Ivan’s property where L’Cor practised some manoeuvres in his freshly modified Phantom Crash. He had to admit that he really liked the Gatling gun. Not only did it have an unholy amount of ammunition, but also the way that Phantom Crash vibrated every time he used it sent soothing shivers through the cockpit. The only downside was that the damage per shot was actually less than his old rapid fire cannon. The rocket propelled drill arm had truly amazing damage potential. He would have to be careful when he used it. As for the rocket propelled grenade launcher, he was still a little dubious as to its effectiveness. Its damage potential was greater than the spring fire versions because of its ability to target other Micks, but the blast radius and explosive content was less. Of all of his new weapons, the dual tube missile launcher was his favourite. When paired up with his advanced targeting computer, both missiles could lock on at the same time to either one or two targets. For today’s game though, he kept the fire control synchronized and he had staggered the ammunition with armour piercing and high explosive.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]At the moment, L’Cor and Yoko were playing through Battle Tactical Plan A. This was a complex name for saying that L’Cor was the bait. He stomped down a deserted street until he reached an intersection. He paused for a bit and then turned left and stomped down another street. To a casual observer, it would seem as if he were walking around randomly and aimlessly. However, Yoko had carefully picked out his route. She was waiting patiently under OC on one of the tallest remaining towers in this district of Old Neomar.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A red blip appeared on his scanner and he smiled grimly. The plan was for him to head directly for any opponents that appeared and to have Yoko retain the high ground and search for the rest of the opposing team. It was up to Yoko to see how their opponents’ teamwork was before she joined the battle and racked up her wins.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor changed his course until he was heading for the red blip. His communicator chimed and a face appeared on the screen. It was Boran, a pilot on the opposing team. The transmission was coming through on the all wave band.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]This is Boran of Angel’s Kiss to all Micks pilots playing in Old Neomar. All Micks, drop under OC now! There’s something weird going on.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor frowned. What was Boran talking about? Sending out a transmission on the all wave band was unheard of. The transmission went to all Micks currently playing in the entire city – not just to the area where L’Cor’s game was being played. Still, Boran was known to be a cautious and serious player. L’Cor keyed his communicator and said, “What’s up Boran?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Boran looked somewhat relieved and said, “L’Cor? Something took a pot shot at me just now and it wasn’t a Mick.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What do you mean it wasn’t a Mick? Are you sure it wasn’t someone on your team?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Of course it wasn’t!” Boran looked a little exasperated and confused. “It was big. Bigger than any Mick and it didn’t have a humanoid profile.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A shiver rippled through L’Cor’s body. A Saxx! It had to be a Saxx. What the frak was it doing here? All of the Saxx had been wiped from the surface of Gaya during the closing days of the war!


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What did it look like Boran? Did it have three legs?” The red blip that L’Cor was heading was standing still and L’Cor was getting closer to it. What would he find when he reached it? A Mick or a Saxx? If it was a Saxx, then he was in serious trouble. He doubted that any of the weapons he had on Phantom Crash could bring down a Saxx in power armour.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]On L’Cor’s communicator screen, Boran shook his head vigorously. “No, it didn’t. It stood on two legs.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]That froze L’Cor in his tracks. He halted Phantom Crash as he digested this new piece of information. The red blip on his scanner was on the other side of a row of low buildings. Before he could jump to take a look though, the red blip moved.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Phantom Crash’s external microphones picked up a low rumbling sound. L’Cor knew that sound to be that of jump jets on a large mechanical vehicle. But what kind was it?


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The answer came soon enough. A large vaguely human shaped figure rose above the buildings. L’Cor stared in dumbfounded not because he didn’t recognize the shape, but because he never thought to see a MAAC in Old Neomar.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]A whisper in the back of his mind pushed him into action. He fired his jump jets in reverse and scooted backwards. A large missile hit the spot that he had just vacated. The explosion rocked Phantom Crash but did nothing to alter its course.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The unknown MAAC touched down and then did something extraordinary. First it bent at the waist and knelt down on hands and knees. As its palms touched the ground, large thrusters at its shoulders pivoted and fired downwards. The mysterious MAAC hovered as the rest of its body completed its reconfiguration. Large aerofoils deployed to either side as it began to thrust forward.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor reached an intersection and then spun Phantom Crash around in a smooth 90-degree turn and zipped down another street. His mind was still trying to struggle with what he had seen. A Grif’cen! What was a medium class Grif’cen MAAC doing in Old Neomar? And what in Hadis’ stinking armpit was its pilot doing? Why was he or she firing upon civilians engaged in a Tournament game?


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor made another turn at another intersection as he looked around for a good spot to hide and engage his OC. A missile detonated to his left and he flinched as the explosion shook Phantom Crash. He had gotten used to the smaller weapons that Micks were equipped with. A MAAC could field much larger guns, missiles and lasers that made Mick sized weapons seem like toys. L’Cor punched some keys and his secondary monitor showed him a view to the rear. The Grif’cen was keeping pace with Phantom Crash at an altitude that was just above the building level. That was pretty close to the ground and any slightest misjudgement on the part of its pilot would bring the MAAC crashing to the ground.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Suddenly, the left side of the Grif’cen flared with multiple explosions. L’Cor had just enough time to see a line of coherent light before the Grif’cen smashed into a row of buildings.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor! Are you alright?” Yoko’s face appeared on L’Cor’s communicator screen. She looked worried.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I’m fine Yoko. Get back under OC! You’re not equipped to take on a MAAC!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I’m still under OC. My OC is built into my armour remember? I can fire while it’s engaged. What’s going on? Who was that?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I have no idea and this is not the time to worry about that. Get on the move! There’s at least one more Grif’cen out there judging from Boran’s description. It can trace your laser blast back to you.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Good point! I’m leaving – AHHH!” Yoko’s face disappeared from L’Cor’s screen.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko!” L’Cor changed course and headed for Yoko’s hiding place. “I’m coming Yoko! Hang on!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Boran’s image appeared on L’Cor’s screen. “I’m on my way too my friend!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Be careful Boran! MAAC’s pack heavier weapons than Micks!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I know that L’Cor. I’ve already tasted their fire.”

 

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor stared at Boran’s face and noticed several lines of blood dripping down his face. He rounded a corner and was presented with a hideous sight.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yoko’s Baby was lying on its side. Standing above it was another Grif’cen MAAC – presumably the one that had engaged Boran before. It was pointing an HVC at Yoko’s prone Mick.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor aimed all of his weapons at the MAAC and was about to fire when a heavily damaged Mick raced down the street on damaged hover jets and slammed into the Grif’cen. Both the Mick and the MAAC crashed down into a tangle of twisted metal.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor rushed forward but he was too far and too late. The Grif’cen managed to get back onto its feet and pulled a short monofilament cutter from the weapon slot on its waist. Boran’s Mick was lying on its side and wasn’t moving. The Grif’cen plunged the MFC down into the cockpit module of Angel’s Kiss.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]NOOO!” L’Cor fired his weapons at the Grif’cen. The Gatling gun that was so effective against Micks merely tickled the MAAC’s armour. The RPG managed to get the pilot’s attention so that when both of L’Cor’s missiles hit it, the pilot was just straightening up and they impacted right on it’s chest armour, directly above where the cockpit was.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor hit his jump jets and ignited his rocket-propelled drill. The engine on the arm weapon gave Phantom Crash extra speed and momentum as the drill hit the Grif’cen right on the chest where the missiles had impacted moments earlier.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Sparks flew as the drill arm pierced the chest armour and into the cockpit underneath. L’Cor imagined that he could hear the pilot scream before he or she died.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor grounded Phantom Crash and called out to Yoko. There was no response. He popped open his cockpit and quick undid his safety restraints. The air outside was hot and humid as he jumped down and ran to Baby.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Once there, he touched the control panel beside the cockpit hatch and prayed that the manual override was still working. He breathed a sigh of relief as the hatch opened with a hiss and a mechanical whine.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Inside, Yoko was still strapped and there was blood on her face. L’Cor couldn’t see any other signs of hurt as he undid Yoko’s straps. Her eyes opened and L’Cor whispered a silent ‘thank you’ before he kissed her forehead.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]My knight comes to my rescue once again,” said Yoko in a voice that was tinged with pain.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Hush…” said L’Cor as reassuringly as possible. “I’ve got to get you out of here.” He picked Yoko up and marvelled at how small and helpless she seemed.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]He carried her over to Phantom Crash and got in. It was a tight fit and he wasn’t able to do up his safety straps, but Yoko was able to sit on his lap and lean back into his chest. Just as he closed the hatch, his communicator screen came on. This time, it was Ivan.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ivan’s face appeared scared and worried. The worried part of the expression eased when he saw both L’Cor and Yoko. “Oh good, she’s with you. Is she ok?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I think so,” said L’Cor. “She’s got a cut on the side of her head but that’s about it from what I can see. I still want to get her back to New Neomar asap to get her checked out.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]No! You can’t do that!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Why not!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ivan heaved a sigh and said with great seriousness. “Everything’s gone to Hadis back here. About two hours ago, City Hall was attacked by a bunch of mysterious MAACs. The mayor’s dead and so is half of the City Counsel. The Hinton Embassy hotel was attacked too as well as most of the major Mick manufacturing companies.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor frowned at the news. “What about the police and the militia?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The militia were only armed with Micks. They didn’t stand a chance. The MAAC force wiped them out within minutes.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Does anyone know anything about them?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Not much. There are no Royal Gayan Armed Forces insignias on any of the MAAC’s. Just a black skull.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor pondered that for a bit. He’d never heard of any unit that used a black skull. Yoko stirred in his arms and he turned his attention to her. “Are you ok?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She half turned and gave him weak smile. “My head is killing me but otherwise, I think I’m fine. Ivan, what about Kasa?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ivan smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. Jan left a few minutes ago for your apartment. She’ll be in good hands.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Your son?” Yoko struggled to sit up but L’Cor wouldn’t let her. “No…she doesn’t want to see him. You know that!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It’ll be alright Yoko. They used to date before Kasa’s career in the Tournament, remember?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Of course I remember! She doesn’t want him to see her now!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Don’t worry! He still loves her you know. He’ll take care of her. As for you, L’Cor and the other Mick pilots stuck out in Old Neomar, under no conditions are you to come back here! No fancy heroics until we get a better handle on who these guys are.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor piloted Phantom Crash as best as he could with Yoko sitting on his lap. He made random twists and turns until he found a small neighbourhood with small houses. He parked Phantom Crash beside one of them and activated his OC. “What are we supposed to do?” he asked quietly.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ivan made some typing motions and a map appeared on L’Cor’s secondary monitor. There’s an old reservation not far from where you are now. It has a huge underground facility. Make your way there and stay hidden. I’ll be in touch.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What about the other Mick pilots?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I’ll contact them one at a time. I won’t risk a wide band signal. I’ll join you with some supplies as soon as I can sneak out of the city.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Be careful Ivan!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I will. Your number one job right now is to take care of Yoko!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Yessir!” said L’Cor automatically. It wasn’t until after Ivan had signed off that L’Cor realized that he had answered Ivan as if he were back in MAAC Basic. In this time of crisis, Ivan was showing a surprising about of authority and initiative. L’Cor fervently hoped that Ivan would make good on his promise because beyond getting Yoko to safety, L’Cor had absolutely no idea what to do.

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]*​

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[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor gingerly walked Phantom Crash down a large ramp. He marvelled at the size of the reservation. Everything here seemed to be sized for giants. From the walkways to the thoroughfares to the gates that opened into the underground facility, Phantom Crash felt right at home. L’Cor wondered if this might have been an old military base of some sort.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]He reached the bottom of the ramp and was confronted by a large metal gate. Before he could wonder how to open it though, the gate rumbled and vibrated and slowly lifted up. How was there even power? How did Ivan know about this place? Just who was this old man anyway?

 

[ERecTile]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor walked Phantom Crash though the gate and the gate automatically began to close behind him. He barely noticed. He was awed by what he saw in front on him. He was standing at the beginning of a long lighted tunnel that was obviously man-made. The tunnel was at least sixty feet tall by one hundred feet wide. L’Cor could march an entire tri-quad of MAACs through this tunnel and still have lots of room to spare.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor spotted some large green arrows with signs that said, “Hangar” so he followed them. Eventually, he came upon a gigantic hangar facility. It was obvious to him now that the long tunnel he had just traversed must have sloped downward. The hangar was mostly empty but there were several bays that were large enough to service MAACs.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As he walked around the hangar, he heard stomping noises and when he looked, he saw several Micks trudge into the hangar bay. He could almost imagine the looks of the faces of the pilots. They must be as dumbfounded as he!


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor called out to them and got them organized. He was somewhat surprised that the leadership role came as easily to him now as it did during the war. As for the other pilots, most of them had shell shocked expressions and it was obvious that they were relieved to have someone take charge.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor sent several to go exploring this amazing facility. Their goal was to look for medical supplies, food and anything useful that they might need. L’Cor then organized the rest to take care of the injured. Amongst the injured was Yoko. She had passed out again but her breathing was smooth and even. Not being medically trained, L’Cor didn’t know what else to do for her.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]When some of the exploration team came back to report that they had found a small hospital type room with several beds, L’Cor ordered them to go back and bring back some stretchers.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]By the time the all of the injured had been moved, L’Cor allowed himself a moment to relax his guard. It was at that moment that Ivan McMac made an appearance.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ivan came down the long tunnel at the wheel of a large truck. L’Cor checked his watch and saw that it was almost midnight. Most of the other Mick pilots had found whatever comfortable places they could and had turned in for the night.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ivan stopped the truck and hopped out. He held out his right hand and L’Cor shook it strongly. ‘What’s the situation here?” asked Ivan. Ivan’s face showed his exhaustion but his body still moved as if it were twenty years younger.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor found himself responding as if to a superior officer. “We’ve got about fifteen Mick pilots here. About half of them are injured in some way. Ditto with the Micks however a few of them like Phantom Crash are completely undamaged.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As L’Cor talked, Ivan began to make a circuit around the hangar. He was especially interested in the condition of the Micks and he nodded his head approvingly. “Good. Good. That means that most of the pilots who were playing today made it here. How’s Yoko?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I think she’s doing fine. I’m not a medic but her breathing is steady and she doesn’t have a fever.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ivan paused for a minute and placed a large hand on L’Cor’s shoulder. “Thank you for saving her. You have no idea what that girl means to me.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She means a lot to me too,” said L’Cor truthfully.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ivan gave him an appraising look but said nothing. L’Cor waited for several more moments but then couldn’t contain himself anymore. “What’s going on back at the city?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ivan started moving again as he said, “Pirates. They call themselves the Black Skull. They’re holding the entire city hostage. They have about four tri-quads of MAACs and they’ve already shown that they’re not too concerned about using them to make a point.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]What about the armed forces? Surely they’re mobilizing?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ivan shook his head. “They don’t dare start a MAAC battle in the middle of the city.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Have they said what they want?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Not publicly, but it’s not hard to figure out. They obviously want the Mick factories to start making MAACs. With enough MAACs, they could pretty much do whatever they want.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Oh frak!” swore L’Cor with feeling. “How did you get out?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ivan shrugged nonchalantly. “I know a couple of secret passageways. Over the course of the next few days, we’re going to have a lot more people show up here. For obvious reasons, we can’t have the entire city come here so I’ve made provisions for some critical support people to come. As for the rest of the population, as long as they stay in their homes and not try anything too noticeable, they should be fine.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor waved a hand at the hangar bay. “What is this place anyway? How did you know about it?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ivan gave him an amused smile. “This is my home away from home. After the war ended five orbits ago, I settled down in New Neomar but spent as much time as possible getting this place operational again. As for what this place is, this is the Neomar Institute for Mobilized Havoc – home of the first MAAC research facility.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor whistled in appreciation. “This is where they invented the MAAC?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ivan smiled enigmatically. “Not really. In my younger years, I was a technician here before I got called into active duty as a crew chief.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Wait a minute. What do you mean not really? Either they developed the MAAC here or they didn’t”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Oh, they developed the MAAC here, but they didn’t invent it.” Ivan had an amused smile on his face. “Since the war is over and this place is deserted, I suppose it’s ok to show you what I mean. Come with me.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ivan led the way deeper into the large underground building. They passed by several security doors that were wide open. L’Cor could almost imagine how tight the security must have been when this place was fully operational. A question formed in his mind and as he followed Ivan, he gave voice to it. “If this place was so secure and secret, why is it still here? Why didn’t they shut it down or destroy it?”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Remember the nuke that destroyed much of this city? The brass thought that this facility was destroyed too. After the war, no one really bothered to come out here to check. Everything had already been stripped out before the nuke hit so why bother? It wasn’t a secret anymore.”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]But the nuke…this place is almost pristine condition! The nuke should have caused some damage at least!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Ivan chuckled softly. “That is one of the mysteries that keeps me coming back.” Ivan stopped in front of a large door. Unlike the others, this one still had power to it. Ivan placed his hand on the lock sensor and the door opened. He led the way into the room and with a mockingly grand gesture, he said in an amused tone, “Welcome to the greatest secret of Gaya and one of the mysterious of NIMH!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor could not believe his eyes. In the centre of the room was a MAAC. He instantly recognized it as a Wyv’en. Even from this distance, he could see battle damage on the exterior. Most of the armour was blackened as if from an explosion. He whirled upon Ivan and said angrily, “What’re you playing at? That’s just an old battle damaged Wyv’en!”


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]That’s exactly what it is. However, that Wyv’en has been here longer than this facility. In fact, this facility was built around the Wyv’en. MAAC technology was developed by reverse engineering that Wyv’en.”

 

[ERecTile]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Chapter 12 – Collision Course


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor lay on the hard floor beside Yoko’s bed. She was snoring softly. Ivan had managed to turn on some medical machines and attached sensors that monitored Yoko’s condition. As far as the machines could tell, Yoko was fine.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As for L’Cor, he was anything but fine. His mind was still struggling with what Ivan had showed him. How was it even possible?


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]L’Cor pulled out R’Tus’ AV journal and turned it on. He was exhausted but he needed to see his brother’s face and hear his brother’s voice before he could allow himself to sleep.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]He put the journal on a random search. A few seconds later, it beeped softly as it opened an entry. L’Cor glanced at the date of the entry and did a double take. He had thought that he had seen every entry in the journal but he had never seen this one before. It wasn’t the date that had L’Cor confused though. He was quite familiar with the date. It was a date that was burned forever into his memory. It was the date that R’Tus had died. Somehow, R’Tus must have recorded this entry before leaving on the mission and the slipped it into L’Cor’s bunk. Satisfied that he had a reasonable explanation, L’Cor pressed the Play button.

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Start of Entry – Orbit 3016, 9[SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]th[/SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif] Moon, 13[SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif]th[/SUP][FONT=Arial, sans-serif] Solar Cycle​

​

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Down time is the time I hate the most. This is the time right before a mission. This is the time for the nerves to hit. Many pilots claim that they can sometimes feel that this is the last night of their lives. Many of these pilots were right.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As for me, I never had these so called premonitions of disaster. Never, that is, until last night.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Last night, when everyone else in my tri-quad was either boozing it up or seeking solace in someone else’s bed, I was lying alone in mine. I couldn’t explain the eerie feeling. Even now I can’t explain it. Am I going to die? Is today my last day here? Would it be such a bad thing if it were?


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]If I were to die, I know Q’Wen would be sad. She would miss me terribly but I believe in time, she would get over it. I have no doubt that she loves me, but she’s strong like that. As for L’Cor, I know that he would be devastated.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]In a way, it’s typical of L’Cor. Ever since we were kids, he’s always looked out for me. It’s become a of a way of life for L’Cor. I think it probably started when our father died.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I remember getting picked on and bullied a lot as a child when our father did not come back from his last mission. I remember one instance when I was surrounded by a bunch of bullies. The bullies said that my father had run away because he couldn’t stand me anymore. It was at that point that L’Cor had waded into the group and took on all of the bullies at once. I had never seen L’Cor so mad before. In the end, he chased the bullies off, but he himself was bloodied and battered.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]After that, L’Cor seemed to always be at my side, watching out for me, protecting me. It wasn’t until he got drafted that we were physically separated for a long time. Those years without him really made me realize that I had come to depend on him too much. It was in those years I think that I really grew up – without the smothering protection of my brother.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]After I joined his unit, we argued many times about this issue without ever putting a name to it. I think I understand now though. I thought about it all of last night with more clarity than I have ever experienced.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It was simple. I had changed. I wasn’t the small-frightened child anymore. L’Cor just wasn’t prepared for that. He had this role that he had lived in for so many years that he just didn’t know how to move beyond it. He was the protective older brother. That was what defined him. If I die today, I know it will devastate him because there’s no way that he can convince himself that he couldn’t have prevented it. If I die today, L’Cor will have to redefine himself somehow.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]As much as I depended on my big brother growing up, I now see that he depended just as much on me. Without me, he is not the over-protective older brother anymore. Sure, he still has Q’Wen, but they were never that close. In fact without me, L’Cor and Q’Wen probably won’t have much in common.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]If I die today…


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Rrrooonnnggg….Rrrooonnngg….”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Klaxons rang in the background as I ran with the members of my quad towards our MAACs. Chief Willan gave me a thumbs up signal as I came up to him. I clapped him on his back and gave him a big smile. One of the best advices L’Cor had given me was to make friends with your crew chief. That was the guy in charge of maintaining your MAAC and he was the only thing that stood between you and a critical malfunction or jam at the wrong time. I slipped him a couple of large bags of chocolate. One was for sharing with his crew. The other was for his wife, who was pregnant with his third child. Apparently, she had cravings for chocolate. Not just any chocolate though. She wanted the real expensive imported kind that Chief Willan could not afford. I didn’t mind picking them up for him. I didn’t have much use for money. After sending enough money to keep Q’Wen in school every month, I had plenty left for myself. So, I spent whatever disposable income I had on buying treats and such for Chief Willan and his crew. It was a good investment. My Wyv’en never had even the slightest glitch.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She’s warm and ready to go, sir!” said Chief Willan with a proud grin.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]That was another added bonus. Chief Willan and his crew had a habit of pre-warming the engine on my Wyvern. That way, I never had to cold-start it, and I was always the first one ready in my tri-quad.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Thanks Chief! Say, when’s your wife due?” I asked. I already knew, but I also knew that Chief Willan liked to be asked.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]She’s due any day now sir!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I shared a warm smile with him and said, “Give her my regards, ok?”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Chief Willan looked like he wanted to say something more and then he hesitatingly said, “My wife wants to name the baby after you.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]That surprised me and my eyes watered at the thought. I put a hand on his shoulder and said, “I would be honoured, chief.” We stayed like that for several seconds until one of his people noisily cleared his throat.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Chief Willan shook himself and promptly went into business mode. “I looked at your mission specs. It’s a recon-in-force mission; however, it’s all the way out in the Badlands.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The Badlands were once a mountainous region, host to a couple of rather beautiful cities and dozens of resorts. Ever since the Saxx created a toehold there though, it had been re-dubbed as The Badlands.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I nodded almost to myself and said, “The Intel folks think that the Saxx may be up to their old tricks there. They may be building a hive. Our job is to go in, verify the presence of a hive and then get the info to Intel ASAP.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Chief Willan nodded in agreement and said, “I had the boys put the heavy shield on your Wyv’en’s left arm. I know how you like to get in close and personal with the bugs. On your back, I’ve put in your favourite MFC, the one with the really long blade. For your right arm weapon, I’ve given you a Hyper Velocity Cannon.” He winked at me and continued. “Your head unit has the standard point defence laser - not very powerful, but great against missiles. Just remember to arm it when you get painted.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I nodded at all of Chief Willan’s weapons choices. Chief Willan was very familiar with my fighting preferences. We had never once disagreed on a weapon load out. The heavy shield is often distained by many veteran pilots. They scorned the idea of actually blocking any kind of fire and would rather rely on their mobility and the armour of their MAACs. The problem was, in modern combat, it didn’t matter if you were mobile. You were going to get hit no matter what. The shield gave enemy weapons another target other than my precious skin.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]The outer layer of the shield was dotted with reactive armour pockets. These pockets were designed to blow out the second they registered a projectile impact. If a laser weapon were to hit the shield, the fragments caused by the armour’s blowout served to help diffuse the damage done by the laser. Behind the armour, on the inside of the shield, I carried extra clips for my HVC.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Last but not least, was my favourite MFC. The monofilament cutter was the closest thing to a close combat melee weapon that a MAAC could have. Chief Willan had picked out the longest one he could find and given it to my MAAC. He had even added two extra bars perpendicular to the blade to so that it could be snapped securely on the side of my jump jet backpack. At first glance, it looked like a giant sword.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Chief Willan had loaded all of my favourite weapons. That was rare. Usually I only got one or two, but never all three. I gave him a questioning look and he replied, “There’s something fishy about this mission. I wanted you to have the best possible load out. Your Wyv’en would have been a little on the heavy side, so I didn’t bother giving you extra armour plating. If you need to run for it, just drop your shield to give yourself an extra boost.”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Again, I agreed with Chief Willan. Something about the mission didn’t sit right with me either. I noticed that the only energy weapon I got was the point defence laser. My HVC relied on ammunition and my shield was of time-limited use. As the mission continued; and if there was a lot of action, my Wyv’en would become lighter and faster. However, thanks to the point defence laser and my MFC, I would still be decently armed.


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I clapped Chief Willan on his shoulder once more and said, “Thanks Chief. See you when I get back!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Chief Willan took my hand between his and shook it warmly. “Good luck sir, and good hunting!”


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I climbed up the retractable ladder and strapped myself into my cockpit, which was located in the chest area of my Wyv’en. As I powered on my internal systems, the S-Wave communicator came alive with the chatter of my quad mates.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Can you believe this? My crew chief armed my Wyv’en with an HVC a flamethrower and a quad tube missile system. Why can’t I ever get a multi-barrel auto-cannon or something?” Jensen’s voice had a whiny quality that got one everybody’s nerves.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Because dumb ass, the Wyv’en can’t handle a monster that that! You’d need a Drac’en or something similar!” Liselle’s voice was firm and strong. It always made me feel good to know that she was going to be on my wing. She had caught the attention of the battalion commander though, so chances are, she’d be moving up the tri-quad to the medium class quad.


“[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]It’s easy for you to talk Lis!” Rosba was the other woman in my quad. “You’re armed with a heavy auto-cannon today. You’ve got real firepower! All I’ve got is a light auto-cannon and a pair of flamethrowers. Who the hell uses flamethrowers these days?”