CHAPTER 14
Valhalla Club,
Solaris City, Solaris VII,
Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance
January 30, 3075
There was only one place like Valhalla Club in the entire planet. The place where only the best of the best mechjocks were allowed to hang out and relax. Its purpose was more political than essential, that mechwarriors who hung out in it were hot shots in Solaris arenas.
For a second-rated mechjock that had never fought on Class-6 arenas, Isamu dreamt of this place almost his entire career. It was the highest recognition he could get, that he finally became an elite mechwarrior in the gaming circuits. His entrance to the semifinal of the first Solaris tournament after the Word of Blake occupation granted him access to the most coveted bar in the whole planet. It was a dream long came true. But he didn't forget that he achieved his dream with the help of a certain officer from the Ryuken-go battalion, so he took her with him as a token of utmost respect and gratitude.
For Kayoko, political weight of Valhalla Club had no meaning. It was the adventure she sought. Like its namesake, the place was of ancient Norse warrior's vision of paradise, giving it an anachronistic feel compared to high-tech glitz of Solaris City. Its hall long and wide, constructed from genuine and rare woods, the floor planks having a rough unfinished feel, the pillars holding up the tall roof showing notches from the axes used to fell them and remove the branches. The walls were decorated with the hides from animals from two dozen worlds across the Inner Sphere. Lighting is primarily provided by a large holographic bonfire in the center of the hall, supplemented by smallber holographic torches set into wall sconces. Hand-made long table and the matching benches, all built from rough planks and running up the center of the room, breaking only for the bonfire.
"This place is amazing!" Kayoko whispered as Isamu towed her through the pillars. She was wearing the best dress she could afford with her salary as a Ryuken-go officer: a plunging-neck ultramarine gown that showcased her impressive cleavage, and a pair of velvet gloves with matching color. She wore her fiery-colored hair loose to complement her dark-themed dress. "Thank you for bringing me here."
"You're amazing. This place pales in comparison," Isamu stopped to kiss Kayoko's hand. "It is you that gives light to the Valhalla."
Kayoko replied with a soft giggle. "Well then, you'll find out what I can do to your half-lit cabin."
"I already know," Isamu pulled her and kissed her passionately. "I'd rather see you naked in my half-lit room than covered in faux fur in Valhalla Club."
"How about both?" Kayoko licked her upper lip. "Faux pleasure now, unadulterated pure pleasure later."
"I'm good for that!" Isamu grinned from ear to ear, then continued his course toward a group of people in a corner. He couldn't wait to join the conversation, but his fervent gait came to a screeching halt when he saw the man he expected the least in a place like this.
"Isamu! Come and join the merry fellowship of the semifinalists!" Jeremy Stewart boomed from across the hall, motioning to him to come. "And bring your friend too to lighten up these old ugly men!"
"Ah shit!" Isamu gritted his teeth. Jeremy was not his arch nemesis. Far from that. But the guy's runny mouth would ruin the night Isamu had been waiting for his entire life. And the fact that Jeremy ended his bid to win the championship the first time would come to the surface at the worst possible moment.
Unfortunately for Isamu, things happened exactly like he predicted.
"Isamu, you know Zuko Fen Wi from Valhalla's Chosen and Henry Laxus from Magic Metal stables," Jeremy grabbed two bottles of beer and handed them to Isamu and Kayoko. "They're in the semifinals too. I was just telling them that we have met in the previous game and I kicked your butt. They're wondering how you manage to get another mech and sneak into the semifinals. I was about to fill them in, but I think it's better if it comes from you."
"Shit-ass!" Isamu hissed and took a large swig from the bottle.
"I think our friend here has too much drink," the man called Zuko lifted his bottle. "Better pace yourself, Jeremy. You don't want to fight drunk."
"I think we've met before," Henry Laxus looked at Kayoko. "You were with Tai-I Kiyomi the other day."
"That's right, I was," Kayoko smiled. "Chu-I Kayoko Kuraishi, Ryuken-go battalion."
"Ah, Kuritan," Zuko bowed his head. "Zuko Fen Wi, Valhalla Chosen stable. To what do we owe this pleasure?"
"We're just having an R 'n R," Kayoko chimed. "Watching games and getting drunk are good for soldier's morale."
"Too the benefit of arena fighters, right, Isamu?" Henry slapped Isamu in the chest.
"Why don't you just shove it up your asses and behave like adults?" Isamu grumbled.
"Hey, Isamu, why the barb?" Jeremy quipped. "A little joke here and there doesn't harm you, does it? Especially since we don't see you around here very often…"
"I thought we were having fun in this place," Kayoko whispered.
"Yeah but that asshole keeps goading me!" Isamu snarled under his breath.
"Don't let some jerks ruin your night. Just relax and play along. I'm here to support," Kayoko winked.
"Alright, I'll play along, but if he keeps on pushing, I'll play it my way, which is cock my arm and punch him in the face!" Isamu growled. "Perhaps it's what he needs to give people some respect!"
"So, Isamu," Henry asked, "how do you like your new ride?"
"Gets me where I want to be, and that's all I care about," Isamu replied apathetically.
"It's a Marauder 5S, Steiner variant," Kayoko took over. "Two ERPPC and a Gauss Rifle, guaranteed to put your mech to scrap at 500 meters. The Ryuken-go loaned the mech to Isamu as a test."
"Ah, government issue," Jeremy snickered. "No wonder Isamu is back in the game. With a great mech on his right hand and a hot companion on the left, how can he fail? We'd better form an alliance against him, guys, because Isamu is the guy to beat, and it'll be a tough one."
"You're just jealous because you think you got yourself a deal with of a lifetime with VEST," Isamu gruffed and finished his bottle. The alcohol and Jeremy's constant nagging started to get in his nerves. "In fact, you have no imagination. Your mech is somebody else's, your position in your stable was somebody else's, your girlfriend was somebody else's. You had to steal all those things to make you feel good about yourself!"
"Hey, don't bring Amber into this conversation! I don't use your lady friend to make you feel bad about yourself!" Jeremy got aggravated. "And for your record, I did not steal Amber. She was not owned by anybody to begin with."
"Easy there, Isamu," Zuko stepped back and tried to defuse the situation. "Everybody wants to have a good time here. Don't' take this too hard."
"Well, good time," Isamu grabbed another bottle from a passing waitress. "Who's not having a good time? I'm having a good time!"
"If this is your idea of having a good time, I don't want any part of it," Kayoko snarled in whisper, aggravated by Isamu's sudden change of attitude.
"This is how you play in the big league," Isamu snarled back. "We are in the company of Solaris legends, the likes of Gray Noton, Kai Allard-Liao, and Mac Storm." He deliberately stressed the name 'Mac Storm' hoping to aggravate Jeremy more.
"This is the big league but this is not how big leaguers play," Henry Laxus said calmly but greviously. "I think Isamu mistakes Valhalla Club with The Bitter Pool…"
"Perhaps he learnt it from 'Valhalla Club for Dummies' or 'Idiot's Guide to Talk Like You're a Solaris Hotshot'." Jeremy added, stifling his snickers.
"You're just jealous because I proved myself to be as good as you are," Isamu bared his teeth. "You frakkers thought I was just a dipstick that would never escape blood pits, but now I am the hottest hotshot, and you're scared, because next time we meet I will shove my cock up your asses and cry home!"
"Mind your tongue, Isamu," Zuko said sternly. "This has gone too far."
"In Vino Veritas, Zuko. Maybe you need to quit playing with the big boys," Isamu taunted him.
Zuko advanced to make a statement but Kayoko yanked Isamu's arm. She dragged him through the table maze and slipped out of the hall with her face red as overripe apple. She towed him out of the building, then looked at him in the eye with raging fire for the first time. "That was out of the line!"
"You don't know what you're talking about," Isamu was consumed by haughtiness and alcohol. "This is Solaris. Solaris Games are all about sparkle. You don't act like you want respect, you're not getting respect. You have to walk the walk and talk the talk to get respect around Solaris!"
"You signed up for a year of tour of duty with the Ryuken-go! In a matter of weeks this doesn't mean anything anymore! You're a warrior, a man of purpose, not an entertainer with hollow words! Why do you still care about respect from haughty warriors that have only fought in games?"
"I am a soldier but I am still a mechjock! I think you're scared of this sudden fame because you have never been with a man at the top of his world like I am!"
"I have been with more men than you winning a Solaris Championship! I know the difference between a boy and a man! When I first saw you I thought you were different from the rest of those idiots – and I was right on some accounts – until you try your damndest to be join them in the world of idiots! Just like my CO said you would!"
"Don't forget your CO extended her support from 1 game to unlimited because she sees something in me that most people don't! She knows I am a good mechwarrior, and that's the reason she extends the support!"
"The only reason you overstay your welcome is because I begged her to!" Kayoko growled like a ferral beast. "My CO didn't want to do this in the first place. She did it for me. Now you think what she would do if I told her you meant nothing to me anymore!" With that, she turned away and started walking back toward the dropship.
Isamu's ego prompted him to spurn her, to tell her that he didn't need Ryuken-go support, that he would be fine doing things the way he did, and that he won every match by himself because he was good, and nothing could take it away from him. But that would be a lie. He still had some decency to admit that he was not a hotshot he claimed to be, and that his second bid for the VEST Invitational was only made possible by Kayoko's support, because he was not good enough to best even Jeremy Stewart. Let alone Zuko Fen Wi or Henry Laxus.
But for all its worth, he wasn't afraid to lose Ryuken-go's support. He wasn't afraid to lose the Marauder, the mech that had carried him through impossible odds. He wasn't afraid to lose the status of 'hotshot'. He was afraid to lose her. She was the best thing ever happened to him. She was funny, witty, airheaded at times but smart nonetheless. And the sex was great. Isamu had his shares with girls, but none of them satisfied his physical, mental, and imaginative needs all at the same time like Kayoko.
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry," Isamu relented. "I was a jerk. I was out of the line. I have dreamt this day for a long time and some periphery frakker tried to ruin it for me, and I overreacted. Forget what I have said to you. I need you. You're the best thing ever happened to me."
"You say it to secure the Marauder for the semifinal," Kayoko scoffed.
"I don't care about the Marauder."
"That's not what you said five minutes ago."
"I never said I cared about the Marauder. You're right, Kayoko. I'm going with you, so Solaris and everything shouldn't matter anymore. If you're going tomorrow, I'll go. I'll leave all these behind for a year with you, and hopefully longer than that. I'm crazy for you, Kayoko. I've never met anybody I feel strongly about."
"I don't believe you," Kayoko huffed, but with a glimpse of smirk on her face.
"Then what do I need to do to prove it to you?"
Kayoko paused and mused. Her smirk blossomed into a full-blown smile. "You read Ivanhoe, Isamu? A mysterious knight played this game called 'Joust' where knights on noble steeds blasted each other with long spears. The mystery knight bestowed his victory to the lady of his choosing." Her eyes twinkled when she looked at Isamu's eyes. "I always want to be a noble lady. You think you could do that for me?"
Isamu grinned from ear to ear. "Your wish is my command, My Lady!"
