Chapter 3

Note: Sorry to stonegnome and cklammer (and anybody else that got confused), I forgot to mention that this story is a continuation of We Are Cavaliers. That's what happens in rework: some info from the original version got lost. I will put as much information about Jeremy's past as needed, but more detail can be found on We Are Cavaliers. I hope this clears up a lot of things.

4-Cross Arena,
Solaris City, Solaris VII,
Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,
August 21, 3067

Jeremy still remembered the first match he watched on TV channel. The image of giant robots mauling each other, complete with energetic reports by the commentators, turned him into a Solaris maniac. For the better part of his youth Jeremy watched, learnt, and followed Solaris games from regular season to the championships, from blood pits to Class-6 arenas. He could memorize the stats of almost every major Solaris players. He even went as far as planning to go to Solaris VII and became one of the star mech jocks.

So after his fiancée left him, and his battalion beaten, Jeremy's first and only rebound plan was Solaris VII. If he had to start fresh, if he had to succeed in a new world, might as well start from a place he knew best. Jeremy understood the gaming world very well. He knew that success didn't come overnight, and those who thought otherwise only ended up lost and forgotten. Some of them even lost their lives. He understood that the first step toward Grand Championship was a blood pit like the 4-Cross arena.

Lucky for him he didn't have to use old, obsolete mech to start with. The Apocalypse was a 70-ton boxy weapon platform, with short stout legs that supported Kilroy's claim about the mech's stability. A gargantuan 6-barreled cannon nested on its right torso, and a long laser cannon made up its left arm. Each torso sported a SRM-4 launcher and a medium laser as the mech's close-range armament. It was a solid mech for a blood pit match.

The new mech – with its new mechwarrior, no less – sparked the other's interests. VEST innovations always put colors in Solaris arenas, and nobody wanted to miss VEST latest work. Everybody was present in the hangar, which according to Jenny had never happened before. It was the first time that the Ground Control came together as a team.

"Technically this mech is just a loan," Kilroy smirked as he caught Jeremy's awe. "But VEST wants you to push it to the limit. They want to see what this mech is capable of. We don't have to pay anything for repair, so don't be modest in the battlefield. Take it to war, Jeremy," Kilroy signaled him. "Let's stretch its legs."

As Jeremy stripped, he observed reactions from other stable members. Strangely he got a feeling that they were more interested in him rather than the Apocalypse. Jenny and Stan looked calm and unassuming. The teen couple, Mickey and Hyolee, watched him with great curiosity. So did Amber, the red-haired girl. The only one that didn't seem to care was Mac. He was more interested in playing with Amber's hair, caressing her arm, and trying to make out with her once in a while. His overacting made Jeremy sick.

When he was ready, he climbed into the cockpit and strapped himself on the command couch, then pulled out a photograph. It was his engagement photo with a blonde woman, his ex fiancee that left him for another Solaris mechwarrior. Jeremy took a deep breath, dissolving the grief that suddenly embalmed him, and wondered if it was a good idea to have that photo covering his sensors. Distraction could get him killed. But that photo was more a motivator than a distraction for him. The memory of her golden hair, her velvety skin, her pursed lips, and their passionate lovemaking always gave Jeremy a lot of calm and composure in the heat of the battle.

Sadly, memory was all he had left.

Jeremy pushed the throttle, and the Apocalypse reacted with smooth gait, galloping off the ramp toward the arena. The circular arena had four outlets, one for each contender. Jeremy was placed right in front of a guy named 'Flapper' in an Archer. On his right was a Tempest, piloted by 'The Don' Matrelli, and on his left was a Marauder, piloted by a guy named Ricky. Jeremy had never heard from them before. They were rookies and wash-ups who were - just like himself - regular contenders in a blood pit like 4-Cross.

Each contender had assumed positions, and soon the horn blared. The Archer immediately discharged its missiles at Jeremy. He gunned his engine, sidestepping the attack. More than half of the missiles blasted the wall behind him. The rest tried to track Jeremy down, but he brought his Apocalypse to backpedal, dodging the missiles.

Jeremy put his crosshair at the Archer's midsection when suddenly it was jerked forward. The 70-ton relic was too busy shooting at Jeremy to notice the Marauder sneaking behind to get a clear shot at its rear. Jeremy had seen countless of fights through the HPG. He knew that soon the Marauder and Archer would beat each other up, and whoever won would be easy to sweep. His only real threat was the Tempest.

But he didn't have to find it. The Tempest fired its jump jets and charged him with all guns blazing. The Gauss slug rammed Jeremy's shoulder, piercing the armor and threatened to chop off his UAC-10. Jeremy staggered to stand. He turned around and blasted his UAC in desperation. Multiple orange flashes glared as the bullets speared the Tempest's torso.

The Tempest bled smoke and sparks, but refused to give up. It fired its entire arsenal, burying three SRMs on Jeremy's center torso, just inches under the cockpit. Pierced armor flew to every direction. Jeremy felt his stomach churn as the missiles blasted in mini fireballs, carving a small but deep crater in his torso. The Tempest followed up with its pulse lasers, but Jeremy quickly took the Apocalypse away from the Tempest's line of fire.

Running sideways, Jeremy guided his crosshair toward the Tempest's center. As soon as the reticule burnt gold, he fired all guns. His lasers and UAC rounds wiped the Tempest's torso armor, and his missiles thrust deep into the delicate structure. Three consecutive blasts ripped the Tempest from inside. Jeremy felt his chest burning with excitement as he watched the Apocalypse's deadly precision. He mashed his trigger, firing several more rounds of autocannon, pushing the Tempest backward.

The Tempest absorbed the onslaught, then fired its lasers and dashed toward the Apocalypse. Jeremy ducked and dodged most of the attack, but its short-range missiles ripped open his shoulder, exposing the arm joint. Jeremy winced and turned his mech to the left. Smelling blood, the Tempest fired its pulse laser again and again. Molten armor sprayed to every direction as the Apocalypse's center torso turned into bubbling mush.

But the Tempest miscalculated the amount of armor the Apocalypse carried. It quickly reached shut down temperature, and Jeremy saw an opportunity to end the fight. He fired his lasers at the center torso, then hit his autocannon trigger. Muzzle flash accompanied a mild vibration as the barrels rotated full speed, spitting uranium-depleted shells toward the Tempest's weakened armor. Tongues of fire licked from the torso, and Jeremy backpedaled to safety, seconds before the Tempest roared in a fireball.

As the Tempest collapsed into a charred hulk, Jeremy inspected the battle between the other two combatants. Having 5 ton advantage, the Marauder seemed to be all over the Archer. Its PPCs hammered the Archer several times, frying the electronics the Archer needed to guide the missiles. Smoke billowed from the Archer's torso, and its missiles flew without coordination. The Marauder, combating overheating, sank critical salvos onto the Archer, until the mech couldn't take it anymore. The Archer exploded in a fiery burst.

Jeremy knew how dangerous a Marauder was. He had fought one before, and even his old 80-ton Goliath had to pull miracles to survive. But this Marauder had lost most of its armor and was overheating, and Jeremy knew he had to make the most of it. He sprinted forward and buried his large laser into the Marauder's left torso. The left torso exploded, and the left arm clattered to the ground.

But the Marauder was not done yet. It twisted and hammered the Apocalypse torso with its AC5. Jeremy cringed in his seat as the Apocalypse was thrown aback. The impact tore a bad gash on his right torso. Gear fluids and coolant dripped to the ground like blood. Warning messages invaded his ears, and the HUD flashed a raging alarm. The Apocalypse was thrown side to side as the AC5 hit it repeatedly. Jeremy had never had to struggle that much before. A quadruped like his old Goliath had enough support to withstand the vilest barrage of weapons. Bipeds were different. A single AC5 shell swayed the Apocalypse like a tree blown by strong gust.

Unfortunately for the Marauder, the AC5 quickly ran out of ammo, and its remaining PPC wasn't ready for another volley. The mech was still hot, which was obvious from steaming coolant. Jeremy took a moment to regain control, then launched his answer. Ballistic tracers, lasers and smoke from missiles blended into one huge spear that jabbed the Marauder right under the cockpit. The Marauder twisted, then careened and exploded.

Jeremy knew his opponents were not elite mechwarriors, but he still felt good about his first victory. His face was covered by a thick sheen of sweat, but it was the last on his worry list. All he cared about was he was one step closer into becoming Solaris Grand Championship, and maybe one step closer into winning his fiancée back.

"Congratulations!" Mickey was the first to greet him as he exited his mech. "That was awesome! You are a great fighter!"

"Yeah, nice move man!" Kilroy added. "You could've dodged some of the shots, but that's OK. Getting used to a new mech was always hard. You'll get them next time."

"Impressive work," Amber tuned in. "There are places you can improve, but overall not bad for your first time."

"Nah, beginner's luck," Mac rebuked unenthusiastically. "Those pilots were chumps. See if you can pull the same tricks next time."

"Alright that's enough," Major Tom came. "Jeremy, that's a good work. You may not bring home top money, but you didn't get wasted either. Now go home and rest. Let Kilroy deal with the mech."

"No, no , no, that's not the way you celebrate your first victory," Jenny quickly said. "Hangar66 is the 'mechwarrior' way to cool off after a day's work. Come on, you have to buy everybody drink."

"Alright," Jeremy replied. He shot a glance at Mac and Amber, and he knew he shouldn't invite them. Mac wouldn't be a nice drinking buddy. Mickey and Hyolee were underaged, and Stan didn't seem to be too enthusiastic about his victory. So he turned to Kilroy, "What about you? Care to accompany me?"

"Hell, why not?" Kilroy grinned. "Never pass a free drink."