CHAPTER 5

Hartford Garden Arena,
Xolara, Solaris VII,
Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,
January 18, 3075

Battlemech fights were the crown jewel of Solaris game circuits but they were not the only ones. Other armored games, ranging from exoskeletons up to armored vehicles and battle tanks enriched Solaris gaming industry, although they were not as prominent as the battlemech version.

"Hartford Garden is not as glamorous as the Class-6 Arena in the middle of Solaris City, but tank battles are not particularly hot commodities in this world," Henry Laxus explained as they took their seats. "And for a good reason. I don't know what you see in this."

For Kiyomi, tank battles were more fascinating than battlemech combats. Tanks had low profiles. They easily took advantage of the terrain and vegetation. Tanks were for team players. They were the penultimate ambush predators. And they were cheap. One battlemech could make 4 tanks, which would give the wielder a great number advantage.

"You do what you do, I do what I do," she replied. "Now let's watch."

The match started when a trio of Tokugawa tanks rolled into the forested area. The 60-ton wheeled vehicles were slim enough to slither in between trees. Their movement was restrained, like a pack of wolves prowling their preys, as they used the shadow of the canopy as camouflage. They spread about 50 meters apart, looking for a chance of crossfire.

Their opponents rumbled into the arena with total audacity. A couple of giant Ontos tank razed down trees and bushes, gutting the forest into an open field, where their short-ranged firepower and indirect volley would play for their advantage. Their monstrous Artemis-reinforced missile launchers rotated left and right, looking for enemies that foolish enough to stand in their way.

The Tokugawas drew first blood. One of them shot a scattershot volley through a clearing between tree trunks. Half of the submunitions razed the side armor of an Ontos. The thick ferro-fibrous armor absorbed the hit without a sweat. The other two Tokugawa followed suit with direct shots to the hull. One flew into the arena wall but the other smashed into the Ontos' starboard armor inches away from the opening shot. The assault tank stood unfazed but half the side armor shattered into shards.

The Ontos duo split, trying to trap the Tokugawas in between the two behemoths. But the Tokugawas used their speed to dispersed themselves. One of them held the line, baiting the Ontos into setting up pincher movement on it. The Ontos tanks doubled up the Tokugawa on both sides, then rained down their laser bolts on the smaller tank. But the Tokugawa deftly used trees as cover, minimizing damages from the laser salvo. The missed bolts created a long swath of flames on bushes and trees. Yet the Tokugawa's armor was not freed from the laser onslaught. The rear hull turned red hot, and the armor began to sag. A couple more hits breached the casing and dug dangerously deep into the engine compartment.

As the Ontos duo got busy to bring down the lone Tokugawa, the other Tokugawas sneaked behind the Ontos and slammed home HEAP slugs onto the Ontos' unprotected rear armor. The ferro-fibrous blunted the attack but the second shot dug craters along the hull, and the scattershot blast after that bored the craters into deep canyons, exposing machinery to the open. The Tokugawa's pulse laser cannons flashed in rapid succession, and although they failed to exploit the cracks, they managed to shed more armor layers.

The Ontos changed direction and turned their massive turrets toward the sneaky Tokugawas, but the smaller tanks quickly broke engagement. Missiles raced toward the Tokugawas like killer drones, but the lithe tanks snaked among trees, negating the missiles' biggest advantage. Tree trunks exploded into a cloud of wood chips, a spectacular yet vain display of firepower. Few missiles struck the Tokugawas' hulls, inflicting nothing more than scratches on their hides.

Left unattended, the first Tokugawa banked hard left and poured its ballistics on an Ontos. The short-ranged missiles opened up a smoking gash on the Ontos' rear side, and the submunitions slipped through the crack to shred its internal parts. The assault tank caught fire, but maintained its course, tracking the other Tokugawa like an apex predator locking all its senses on its prey.

The action energized the spectators to a wild pitch. Kiyomi was surprised that in a world dominated by battlemech thuggery, there were still some who appreciated the technical finesse of tank combats. But maybe it was not a matter of battlemechs or tanks taking the field. Maybe it was the love for violence. And money. These people were born with gambling addiction infused into their bloodstream. They didn't care who killed whom in the battlefield, as long as there was money on the table.

The Ontos tanks did their best to divide and conquer the Tokugawas, but it was the Tokugawas who singled out one Ontos and tore it up piece by piece. Their LB-10X cannons proved to be the deciding factor. In between trees, the submunitions could still sand off a great deal of armor. Pieces of the hull fell to the ground with each shot. The tank desperately swiveled its turret around and fired every weapon in its arsenal, but the Tokugawa took turns attacking the Ontos from every corner, scoring critical hit after critical hit, reducing the 95-ton weapon platform into a scorching crate.

The other Ontos saw opportunities to turn the tide. With the majority of trees razed to the ground, it locked on one Tokugawa and launched its missiles. No less than 20 warheads swerved past a lightly-wooded area and hammer the port side of a Tokugawa, ripping a great deal of armor to pieces. The middle wheel exploded and the axle caught fire. The Tokugawa reeled. Its bottom part was covered in smoke as it staggered to maintain its course.

The other Tokugawas switched target, now centering the other Ontos on their crosshairs. Their LB-10X cannons roared without relent, sending armor-piercing rounds of all size to the Ontos' vulnerable side. The damaged Tokugawa joined the fray with its missile, and a lucky shot slammed into the Ontos' wheels. The left track broke into several sections, rendering the 95-ton monster immobilized.

Without locomotion, the Ontos was reduced to a turret. It fought in defiance, switching around targets and firing every weapon available. But the Tokugawa circled the crippled tank and sank debilitating volleys from all directions. The Ontos caught fire and stopped firing in a short time. The crews scrambled out of the behemoth and ran to the hangar, seconds before ammunition explosion tore the Ontos up in a great ball of fire.

The Tokugawa regrouped and finished of the remaining Ontos. A couple laser bolts were all it took to overload the Ontos' engine. Blue plasma bled from the hull, consuming what was left of the once fearsome tank. The remaining hulk crumbled into a heap of smelter.

The Tokugawa lined up for a victory lap around the arena, eliciting a thunderous cheer from the crowd. Kiyomi joined the standing ovation, and secretly planned a proposal for the Tokugawa team. She liked the way they fought. They used their skill and understanding of their machines to beat stronger enemies. And since there were 3 of them, and Kiyomi lost 3 lance mates during Ashio campaign, everything seemed to proceed toward the right direction.

She wanted them on her team. No, she had to have them on her team.

"Do you think you can arrange a meeting between me and the winning team?" Kiyomi asked.

"I see what can do, but no promises," Henry replied. "I'm nobody in this circuit. But I'll see if my boss can pull some strings. I'll let you know."


Brit's, Montenegro,
Solaris City, Solaris VII,
January 18, 3075

Kiyomi knew the Tokugawa tank commander as soon as he entered the bar and grill in the heart of Montenegro. He was a man with heavy built, not much taller than Kiyomi but with muscles sticking out of his sleeveless shirt. His legs were somewhat short compared to normal human, but reinforced with heavy muscles. His blonde hair stuck up high above his head, creating an impression that he taller than he actually was. A few dogtags hung on his neck, making sound like a wind chime whenever he walked.

"Tai-I Kiyomi? Lieutenant Surge, Vermillion Stable," the tank commander greeted Kiyomi with gruff voice. "I take it you like my performance?"

"Very impressed, Lieutenant," Kiyomi bowed her head. "You lead your men well. Let us sit and enjoy some good meal while we talk about our future."

"That will be my pleasure, Ma'am," Surge replied and slid on the chair opposite to Kiyomi. "I like this place. Better service than those upscale restaurants in Montenegro. I think Montenegro has the best restaurants among all the sub divisions of Solaris City."

"Then I choose the right place," Kiyomi smiled.

"Hi, welcome to Brit's!" a young woman with a high ponytail greeted them. "My name is Hyolee, I will be your server tonight." Then she looked at Surge with her big round brown eyes. "Lieutenant Surge! Always happy to see you here. I heard about your big win today! Congratulations!"

"You're too nice, Sweetheart!" Surge threw a wide grin. "This is Tai-I Kiyomi, she's new to Solaris."

"You can't find a better place to capture the heart of Solaris games than Brit's!" Hyolee chimed. "Can we start with a drink?"

"Water will be fine," Kiyomi said.

"I'll have the usual," Surge added. "You know my usual, don't you?"

"Sure do, Lieutenant, I take good care of my customers. And for your win today, I think I can have it on the house." She gave him a wink then scurried back to where she came from.

"I told you," Surge chuckled. "Best place to eat in town, for everyday people like you and me."

"Well then, Lieutenant, let me tell you what I have in store for you," Kiyomi straightened up her posture. "I am the commanding officer of the armor company, Ryuken-go battalion, Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery. The Ryuken-go armor company is a tight-knit unit utilizing the state-of-the-art technology available in the Inner Sphere, ranging from Glory assault tanks to APC's and Thumper SPA's. Recently we lost a few members at Ashio. The armor company is depleted, and reinforcement is scarce at best. Now I am impressed with your performance on the field, Lieutenant. I have to ask you: are you interested in fighting real combats on the front line?"

"Real combat?" Surge chuckled haphazardly. "You think Solaris games are not real combats?"

"It's called 'games' for a reason."

"Tell it to those who died on Solaris arena. Tell it to the widows and widowers and orphans of Solaris warriors who will never see their loved ones again."

"And for what purpose? Money? Fame? Self respect? With the Ryuken-go, you have a purpose to fight. You fight for the right of humanity. You fight to get rid of malice that is the Word of Blake. You fight for the sake of the Draconis Combine, the Inner Sphere, and the human race."

"I don't care about Draconis Combine or Inner Sphere. I have been a Solaris gladiator all my life. Money and fame is my purpose, and I'm not looking forward to change it."

"You're using Tokugawa tanks. That's Kuritan product."

"Because they're good tanks. Not because I'm a fan of Draconis Combine."

"How much money and fame do you need to have a purpose in life, Lieutenant Surge?"

"More than what you can offer. How much do you offer for the salary of a DCMS soldier?"

"Not more than what you make now. But I offer something else that Solaris cannot give you."

"Oh yeah? What is that?"

"Respect," Kiyomi cleared her throat before continuing. "Solaris games are all about battlemechs, Lieutenant. We both know it. Armored vehicles don't have strong fan base. You will never be the hotshot you wish to be. You will never fight at Ishiyama, or Boreal Reach, or The Colliseum."

"And you Kuritans grant it?" Surge's lips cocked into a sinister smile. "Last time I checked, Kuritan units are just as polarized as Solaris games, and regard tanks and armored vehicles as an afterthought. Or worse, cannon fodders."

"The traditional Kuritan units, like the Genyosha or Sword of Light, still employ traditional Kuritan doctrine where battlemechs are the center of their army. But Ryuken-go is modeled after the Wolf Dragoons. It utilizes warfares just as unconventional as any mercenary unit. Ryuken-go battalion is a combined-arms unit, with a company of battlemech, a company of armor, and a company of infantry. We fight as one. No one stands above others. Our CO, Sho-sa Scarlet, might still have traditional mindset, but our new 2nd-in-command encourages the use of eclectic strategies, even those of the Clans', to ensure victories. That includes the extensive use of armor."

"So what are you saying, Tai-i? I'll be happier joining the Ryuken-go than being a Solaris gladiator?"

"It's a question you have to answer for yourself, Lieutenant. If you have a strong sense of duty, high moral standard, and like working in a team, I think you may want to give my offer a serious thought. But if you're satisfied with what you are now, then I wish you the best." Kiyomi let out a long sigh. "The bottom line is, I need someone with your skill to be my lance mate. You can discuss this with your lance mates, see what they think."

"Lance mates?" Surge shot an incredulous look. "You want my lance mates too?"

"All of you. I want all 3 Tokugawas to join Ryuken-go."

"Well well, this is more convoluted than I thought," Surge leaned back on his chair. He looked out of the window, watching people passed by the restaurant. "I will have to get back to you on that."

"You have my number. Call me if you make a decision."

By that time, Hyolee returned with their drink. "Water for you, Ma'am," she put down a glass of water in front of Kiyomi. "And for the winner of the day," she put a fancy cocktail glass in front of Surge, "Four shots of Everclear, two shots of ouzo, nutmeg, mint, on crushed ice." She produced a small notepad and a pen. "Are you ready to order, or do you need another minute?"

"Just house salad, with poppy seed dressing," Kiyomi said.

"Tripple cheese burger with extra onion and fries," Surge added. "Is this on the house, too?"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, but I'll see if there's some special," Hyolee wrote down the orders. "I'll be right back."

"Well, Lieutenant, to the future," Kiyomi raised her glass for a toast.

"Too the future," Surge raised his cocktail glass. "And purpose in life."