STEEL WOLF

Chapter 4: Stadium Lights

Mech Bay 01, Vargas Estate, Korla,

Lyran Alliance,

June 25, 3075

"So, are you sure you're ready, Carlos?" Cassandra teased her boyfriend yet again as the latter slipped on his cooling vest.

Carlos flashed her a quick smile. "I've been looking over the competition, their strategies, their 'mechs, their personal feuds. This first match will honesty be the most difficult for me. If I can get past this... then I've pretty much already claimed the grand prize."

"Then you get out there and prove yourself," Cassandra encouraged him with a hand clapped to his shoulder. She ran a hand through a lock of her soft brown hair. "I'll be watching!"

"Great," Carlos nodded. "The match is about to start. Might want to get moving..." He rubbed his hands together and walked off toward his waiting Shadow Hawk, while the support staff crew backed away to let the Mechwarrior though. Cassandra, meanwhile, hopped on board a small personnel transport truck that drove her across the desert road and toward the northern grandstands tower.

As the hot Korla sun settled on the horizon and the opposite horizon's sky turned dark blue, Cassandra showed her VIP pass to the tower security officer, who nodded and told her to take seat A-23. A cool, dry breeze toyed with Cassandra's hair as she worked her way through the line and ascended the elevator to the tower's top level of seats. From there, she settled down on her seat, looking this way and that. Wow, this seat does give the best view! She thought. I can see everything easily from here. And the desert evening is so pretty, so calm and somehow colorful. She could see a few stars shining brightly on the dark horizon and a pair of helicopters buzzed over the Vargas family mansion, red and green lights flashing on their hulls. Several towers loaded with powerful lights illuminated the square stadium against the evening twilight.

"Great view, isn't it?"

Cassandra jumped as Lyla Lister's voice interrupted her thoughts, and the dark-haired tech smiled playfully, settling down in the seat next to Cassandra's. She carried an armload of snacks and candy.

"I... yeah, I can see everything from here," Cassandra said, gawking at how much Lyla carried. "How can you eat all that and not get fat? This isn't the first time I've seen you eat like that..."

Lyla laughed as she unwrapped the foil from a hot dog loaded with condiments. "Chalk it up to a high metabolism. I also paid for a deluxe seat like yours. Not cheap." She offered a box of assorted candy to Cassandra, who accepted it.

"People of the Vargas Estate, welcome to the 3075 Arena Tournament! This is Donald Durand, commentating live on the action!" boomed a voice on the loudspeakers. "Last year, Deadeye Philip claimed the title of champion yet again, but his retirement opens a power vacuum that many are willing to fill!"

"Nothing like a good scramble for power," Lyla commented, tearing open a bag of candies. "It's fun watching folks trample over each other to get the goods."

The announcer continued, "Tonight will be the first of eight four-way free-for-all games to determine who advances to the next round. We have thirty-two contestants in this year's tournament, and so only eight warriors will advance to the second set of rounds! After that, we get an intense series of duels to see who can claim the championship. Here come the contestants now!"

As the gates for the four 'mechs opened, Cassandra recalled how the tournament worked. Starting today, there would be one four-way match every week, and at the end of eight weeks the duels would start. The ninth week of the tournament would consist of four duels, the tenth week had two duels, and the hotly-anticipated eleventh week would have the final duel for the title of champion.

"And now, we get our first contestant tonight: Michael Fournier in his personal and classic 'mech, the one we know as The Legionnaire!" declared the announcer. "This Centurion has seen action since the Fourth Succession War and endured many hardships on faraway battlefields. And now, Mr. Fournier brings it to the glory of the arena!"

A red and white Centurion marched proudly into the arena from the east entrance, its right arm's Autocannon 10 lowered. The 'mech's head frill was painted vivid gold and its view-port was a shiny silver sheen, giving an air of luxury to the war machine. The Centurion waved to the audience with its left hand, then settled to a halt at its designated starting point.

"No relation to the actual Legionnaire 'mech, I assume," Lyla said around a mouthful of gummy worms, referring to the Lyran-made 50-ton 'mech.

"Our second contender is a daring upstart: Franklin Klein!" the announcer spoke. "Little is known of his 'mech that he calls Whiplash, but this Uziel looks ready for action all the same." A blue and white Uziel pranced onto the battlefield from the northern gate, sporting House Steiner's colors proudly. The 50-ton 'mech raised and lowered its left arm's LBX-2 as a wave, then settled into position.

"And our third contender, a Capellan visitor with everything to prove," the announcer boomed. "Please welcome Wen Liang!" A green and silver Helios trotted onto the field from the west gate, its gun barrels lowered like the Centurion's. It took up its position across from the Centurion.

"And finally, I would like to welcome Carlos Vargas, son of our esteemed leader Alfonso Vargas!" shouted the announcer, and the crowd went wild as Carlos' desert-camouflage Shadow Hawk marched onto the field from the south gate. "Carlos showed real promise last year and was halted only by the indomitable power of Philip Deadeye. In the absence of our long-standing champion, will Carlos find the championship he desires so much?"

Lyla prodded Cassandra. "Looks like your guy is the crowd favorite!"

"It seems so," Cassandra smiled, setting down her empty candy box and leaning forward, intently watching Carlos' Shadow Hawk as it waved to the audience with both arms. It stood rigidly in position, awaiting the signal to fight.

"We have our four contestants, all with their eyes on the prize," the announcer declared. "Let the match... begin!"

A horn blared somewhere and the stadium lights flashed green. At once, the four 'mechs burst into movement, all of them tracing wide, curving paths across the desert arena to line up shots and avoid each other's fire.

"So how much did you bet on Carlos?" Lyla asked Cassandra around a mouthful of candy.

Cassandra blinked. "I, um... didn't think to do that."

Lyla elbowed her friend. "Don't think he'll win?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then you might want to make a little cash off of it, my friend. To help pay for the Hunter's Insight and all..."

"Or to afford the masseuses at the Vargas mansion."

Lyla smiled. "I like how you think. We've got to try that out..."

Down in the sandy arena, Carlos' Shadow Hawk fired up its jump jets, rising on a plume of fierce yellow and orange fire to glide upwards and to the right. Carlos was just in time; a blaze of light flashed from the Centurion's arm muzzle, and ten Autocannon shells tore through the warm, empty air where the Shadow Hawk had been only minutes before. Turning in mid-air to face the enemy 'mech, the Shadow Hawk released a volley of LRM's from its right shoulder. The Centurion, alarmed, hurried to its right to avoid the incoming warheads. Cassandra watched as the missiles hit the target anyway, a string of explosions rocking the Centurion and forcing the Romanesque 'mech back. Chunks of smoking armor flew from its chest and to the sands.

That's the power of an Artemis IV system, Cassandra thought with glee. As she watched, Carlos' Shadow Hawk landed and strafed to the side, now firing its shoulder-mounted Ultra Autocannon 5. The shells rattled the Centurion's thigh, blasting off flakes of armor and making the 50-tonner stumble awkwardly.

Then, the Shadow Hawk reeled back as though punched in the face. The Helios confidently stepped forward, its Gauss Rifle cannon aimed straight at Carlos' 'mech. Cassandra could tell from the hideous dent in the Shadow Hawk's left torso that a Gauss slug had hit right on target from long range.

Before the Helios could make another move, however, the Uziel scampered forward, its guns aimed at the distracted 'mech. Its large pulse laser released a stream of bright red bolts that pounded into the Helios' exposed back, melting off small globs of armor that fell to the dunes. The Uziel then fired its LBX-2, and the pair of shotgun-like shells bit into the melted armor on the Helios' back.

Whirling around, the infuriated Helios pilot slashed the Uziel's center torso with a pair of ER medium lasers from its left arm, the sudden loss of armor throwing the Uziel's charge off-balance. Then, from 400 meters out, the Helios' two shoulder-mounted SRM 6's opened fire. This time, the Uziel was thrown off its feet and collapsed to its side, its legs kicking uselessly in the air.

Cassandra gawked at the sight. Those SRM's threw that 'mech to the ground! What was that Uziel pilot thinking, charging right at a 'mech armed with twelve SRM's?

"I wonder if that guy was trying to get too close for the Gauss Rifle to be a threat," Lyla figured. "But sniper 'mechs often have short-range defense in case of a headlong attack like that one."

Meanwhile, the Centurion pilot decided that the Uziel was too reckless to keep on the field for much longer. Its Autocannon 10 and LRM 10 punished the ravaged Uziel, tearing off smoking shards of armor and severing the 50-ton 'mech's left arm, robbing it of its LBX-2. Instead of giving up, however, the Uziel flared up its jump jets, pushing itself into a standing position. The Uziel aimed its guns at the Centurion and let loose, its combined SRM 6 and large pulse laser hammering the Centurion's left torso, mangling the LRM 10 launcher there. The Centurion reeled back as its internal LRM ammunition exploded, filling its inner torso with fire.

"And now that Centurion is dead," Lyla smirked. "Makes Carlos' job easier – what the hell?"

Instead of preying on the fire-ravaged Centurion, however, the Helios turned its guns on Carlos' Shadow Hawk and let loose. It fired two lasers just to distract Carlos, and then its right arm recoiled from launching another Gauss slug. The Shadow Hawk's torso armor caved in at once, screeching loudly as it was warped out of shape. A shower of sparks and smoke burst from the wounded Shadow Hawk, and the 'mech's legs fought to keep the 'mech from falling over entirely. Carlos filled the air with his two medium lasers, but the bolts went wide and sizzled harmlessly into the dunes.

The flaming Centurion, meanwhile, slowly raised its arm and its Autocannon thunderously released ten more shells. The ballistics hammered into the Uziel, which twisted on its torso to lessen the kinetic impact. The Uziel fired its large pulse laser again, but the stubborn Centurion scampered out of the way, letting the lasers fill empty air. The Uziel also fired its SRM 6, and the missiles exploded against the Centurion's right shoulder, exposing its inner metal bones.

Recovering from the hellish Gauss Rifle attack, Carlos moved his Shadow Hawk into position. His combined LRM 15 and UAC 5 tore apart the Centurion's mangled torso, shearing through flaming armor and destroying inner components. Heat sinks exploded and the 'mech's inner bones warped and snapped, causing the whole Centurion to collapse like a house of cards, sprawling into its back. As it fell, the pilot's ejection pod roared into the sky, raising cheers from the audience.

"And we have our first victim!" the announcer roared. "Michael Fournier is out of the running for the championship. Well played, Mechwarrior, and better luck next season!"

Not distracted by the Centurion's fiery demise, the Capellan pilot of the Helios rounded on the injured Uziel and let loose. His two medium lasers raked the Uziel's torso, melting its right leg's hip into one fused piece. The Uziel tried to limp out of the way, but its right leg was locked up and the 'mech nearly fell over. Showing no mercy, the Helios unloaded the rest of its weapons on the hapless Uziel. A Gauss slug punched into the 50-ton 'mech, breaching the last of its torso armor and igniting fires on the inner systems. Then, twelve SRM's leaped onto the Uziel like hungry piranhas, shredding the rest of its inner components. Just as the Uziel crumbled in a swelling fireball, the pilot streaked into the air in his ejection pod.

"Franklin Klein joins Michael Fournier in defeat. It seems this young rookie has more to learn!" the announcer commented. "That leaves only two warriors to vie for victory tonight!"

Determined not to suffer a third Gauss slug impact, Carlos took to the air again just as the Helios turned to face him. The Helios triggered two lasers that sliced through empty air, and then Carlos hit back with an LRM 15 volley that staggered the Helios with explosions all over its torso. Landing its feet on top of a dune, Carlos raised his Shadow Hawk's arms and triggered his own two lasers. One missed while the other stabbed into the Helios' torso, burning deep into an LRM wound, but the Helios still stood strong.

"If Carlos fights at a long distance, he only has to worry about the Gauss Rifle," Cassandra figured. "He has Artemis-aided LRMs and a UAC on his side."

Lyla nodded. "As long as Carlos stays far away and avoids that Gauss Rifle, he's bound to win. But Gauss slugs move fast! Carlos will have to read his enemy's movements to guess when the Rifle will fire again."

Carlos let loose another LRM 15 volley but this time, the Helios fired up its own jump jets, quickly strafing to the side. The LRMs curved in mid-flight to catch up, but they couldn't turn fast enough. Half of the missiles streaked past their target while the rest exploded against the Helios' left arm, blasting away its armor.

Using the LRM smoke as a screen, the Helios triggered its Gauss Rifle again, its right arm jerking back from the recoil. The metal slug hissed through the air across nearly 600 meters, then the Shadow Hawk's left arm jerked back as the Gauss slug smashed into it. Fire and sparks leaked from the wound as the Shadow Hawk's left arm lost all its armor, and even its inner bones nearly snapped off. The limb dangled from the shoulder by a few cords of myomer muscles, the limb's medium laser useless.

The Helios continued to strafe from side to side, taunting Carlos to fire back. Aggravated, Carlos matched his enemy's movement, launching another LRM 15 volley. Once again, the Helios evaded fire, this time by changing direction and lifting off in its jump jets. Only a few missiles exploded against its leg. Not giving the Helios any respite, Carlos fired his UAC 5 as the missiles hit the Helios' leg, and the five shells impacted against the Helios' torso, breaking off flakes of armor.

Landing on the sand, the Helios triggered its Gauss Rifle again, but the slug went wide and slammed into a dune. Carlos fired his UAC again, striking the enemy 'mech's left torso. Taking advantage of the gun's short re-fire delay, Carlos triggered his UAC as often as he could without jamming it, filling the air with deadly bursts of shells. The Helios dodged as best as it could, but impact marks started to riddle its torso and SRM launchers, and another LRM 15 volley from Carlos' Shadow Hawk exploded against the Helios, staggering it.

Growing bold, Carlos took a few steps forward and fired another UAC 5 blast. The Helios made a move first, however, and its Gauss Rifle flung another metal slug into the warm evening air. The crowd oohed as the Shadow Hawk was knocked flat onto its back from the impact, fire blasting from its chest and armor shards scattering to the sands. Encouraged, the Helios hurried forward, breaking into a full run toward the vulnerable Shadow Hawk, no doubt intending to use its SRMs and lasers to finish the job.

The Shadow Hawk still lay on its back, squirming to get back up. Many of its inner myomers were visible, the cords stretching and contracting in the effort to get the 'mech back on its feet. The Helios came within knife range, lowering its Gauss Rifle arm and preparing its SRM launchers to finish off its foe.

At that moment, the Shadow Hawk sprang to its feet, its UAC 5 blasting into the Helios' left missile launcher. At the impact, the SRM launcher's internal ammo was breached, the missiles inside exploding like a box of fireworks. As the Helios reeled from the detonations, the Shadow Hawk thrust its right arm into the other 'mech's exposed innards and tugged on its internal systems, ripping out chunks of machinery and myomer bundles. Blasts of sparks and smoke leaked from the Helios' chest and the 60-ton 'mech collapsed, its legs wobbling. As soon as Carlos aimed his mech's guns at the Helios as a warning, Wen Liang ejected in his pod and the victory horn sounded.

"Tonight's winner is Carlos Vargas!" the announcer boomed as the audience went wild. "A clever feigned weakness brought his hapless opponent in for the kill!"

Both Cassandra and Lyla leaped to their feet, applauding and cheering. "That tricky bastard!" Lyla beamed. "Pretending to be all helpless..."

"Whatever he needed to win," Cassandra agreed over the crowd's roar. "That was great!"

The smoking Shadow Hawk's fires finally died down, and the damaged 'mech gave the audience one final wave before lurching off toward the 'mech hangar. As she watched the Shadow Hawk walk away, Cassandra made a mental note to meet Carlos at the Vargas family mansion to congratulate him in person. She couldn't wait to see the victorious look on his face.