The Ballard of Cairo
Part forty-nine: High noon
The Coliseum, Silesia
Solaris City, Solaris VII
Lyran Alliance
Cairo walked Retribution out into the bright sunlight that filtered through from the roof of the massive Roman-styled arena. Banners flew from the upper seating and a steady rain of confetti fell round the old Orion's feet.
Across the arena, Cain moved his Champion, named Black Death, to meet Cairo in the centre. The past three years dissolved into the background: the same jet-black paint, the same skull and cross-bones on the knees.
The two Mech's stopped 200 metres from each other. The crowed fell silent. Time seemed to stand still as the clock slowly counted down to noon. Cairo could see over 100 holo-cameras recording the event. The airwaves were filled with the excited voices of commentators describing the scene.
Cairo turned off his com-system. He closed his eyes and opened up the door in the back of his mind that kept the darkness at bay. White-hot rage flowed through every part of his body. In his ears he could hear the voices of all the people Cain had killed cry out for vengeance. He was no longer human...he was the right hand of Death - come to claim Sebastian Cain.
The buzzer sounded and both Mech's opened up with everything at their disposal. The air between the two war machines became a torrent of energy and destruction as Cairo and Cain simply held down the triggers and firing studs on their weapons. Armour fell like rain during a hurricane as the two avatars of war pummelled each other.
Cairo pushed his throttle forward, slowly pushing Cain back against the edge of the arena. The autocannon on the two BattleMech's fell silent as their ammo reserves ran dry. Still neither Mech fell. The SRM launchers on Cain's Champion ran out of ammo. Soon after, Cairo's ATM launcher fell silent.
Laser bolts continued to cross between the two Mech's, but eventually, they too fell quiet as the focusing crystals melted under the strain. Heat bled from the two BattleMech's in huge shimmering veils, easily visible to the infrared cameras that the TV crews used.
Still the crowd made no noise and even the commentators fell silent in awe of the sheer ferocity of the duel going on the arena below. The two Mech's where sluggish from the heat; their pilots finding it hard to stay conscious in the hellish infernos that were their cockpits.
A lucky shot from Cain's medium lasers cut Cairo's legs out from under him. The old Orion fell onto its back. The battered Champion staggered forwards to deliver the killing shot, but Retribution's left arm rose up to meet the centre of the lighter Mech, just below the cockpit. Cairo flipped a switch that disabled the power regulator to the heavy laser that the arm housed and fired.
A ruby-red beam of hyper-intense light ate through the last of the Champion's torso armour and into the reactor housing. The dampening field tried to hold the reactor, but failed under the prolonged fire of the Clan built laser.
A bolt of plasma shot forth from the centre of Cain's Mech, propelling it backwards. It slammed into the detonator grid, before falling to the ground at the edge of the arena. The control system finally gave way and the full fury of the nuclear heart of the Champion tore the 65-ton Mech to shreds.
O'Brien was the first to reach the shattered Orion that lay at the very centre of the Coliseum, closely followed by Rix, Jackson and McCoy. A gaggle of rescue personal followed them out, stretchers and first aid kits at the ready.
To Be Continued...