Chapter 16

Note: As I said before, this chapter is rewrittened as it was intended to be written originally. The reviews for this chapter do not make sense because they were made for the previous version. Apologies for the reviewers.

4-Cross Arena,
Solaris City, Solaris VII,
Freedom Theater, Lyran Alliance,
June 26, 3068

Mickey felt like an old fart.

It was 20 minutes to game, and Mickey had read the statistics of the other three combatants, but it only made him more nervous. His Jenner-K was the only mech that aged more than 15 years. The other three were a Koto, an Arctic Fox, and a Razorback. True, his Jenner outweighed everybody, but everybody carried big guns. The Locust-in-steroid had a lostech Large X-Pulse laser, the morbid Arctic Fox had a PPC, and the Razorback had an ER Large laser. With only 4 medium lasers and a missile launcher, Mickey's Jenner was obviously outgunned.
Mickey watched many battleROM in the lightweight division, back in the days where Jenner was the prince of the arena. The Kuritan mech was feared by most, and the quadruple medium lasers were as nightmarish as AC20 in the heavy and asssault division. Then along came the Clans, bringing with them XL engine, Ferro-fibrous armor, and ER technologies. More and more light mechs were equipped with heavy weaponries, reducing the Jenner into antiquity. And sometimes Mickey wondered why the Ground Control stable stuck with it.

"Nervous?" Hyolee squeezed his hand. "Don't be afraid. I don't care if you win or lose. I just want you to be safe, alive, and happy."

"I'm happy if I can win this match," Mickey replied, trying to be macho. "I should climb up in rank, so I can bring home more money."

"Oh Mickey, I love you so much," Hyolee gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Hey, enough with the smoochy smoochy," Jenny tossed the neurohelmet at him. "You have a fight in front of you. Get out there and kick some ass."

"Mickey, I've been watching Solaris games for a long time," Jeremy said as he helped Mickey with his cooling vest. "You're outclassed. When the fight starts, run like hell. There's no way you can fight them in a fair combat. Let them beat the crap out of each other. Then kill the survivor. It should be an easy kill for you. Got it?"

Usually only Hyolee, Kilroy, and Stan watched Mickey fight. Major Tom came occassionaly, and Mac and Amber were too arrogant – or busy with each other – to watch him in the arena. Today was different, because Jenny and Jeremy accompanied Kilroy as Mickey's ground crew. Somehow this gave Mickey a considerable boost in morale.

"Got it... thanks," Mickey took several deep breaths. He climbed his Jenner and sat in the command couch. As the old mech rumbled to life, he began to think about Jeremy's strategy. Mickey knew only one way to fight – to go straight at the closest enemy and shoot until one of them was incapacitated. It was mundane but honorable. Jeremy's strategy was new and radical to him, although a little cowardly. He had never turned his back from a battle before, and he was reluctant to do it.

The horn sounded and Mickey turned to the closest enemy, only to find the Arctic Fox aiming its mammoth PPC at him. The Jenner was jerked backward by the attack; its right arm sizzled with steam, sparks and smoke. Mickey gritted his teeth as his Jenner dropped to one knee, twisting its torso frantically. His HUD went nuts with electric charge, and his right medium lasers went offline.

Mickey's head throbbed with headache. Losing 2 medium lasers early in the game was not a good omen. He dragged himself up and tried to fight orthodoxly by firing his remaining weapons, but the Arctic Fox easily sidestepped his rushed attack. His missiles hammered the wall, and his lasers carved divots on the ground.

Suddenly a massive quake jerked the Jenner, crunching its right arm into shredded pieces of titanium. Mickey lost control of his mech as it hobbled several meters before crashing to the ground. He felt he was just rammed by a truck. His boned turned into mush. He looked up and saw the Arctic Fox stood where he was a second ago, ready to deliver the killing blow with its PPC.

"Run, dammit, run!" Jeremy's voice exploded in his ears. "You can't take on the Fox! Get out of there!"

Mickey fired his jumpjets to dash forward. The Arctic Fox blasted its PPC but the azure bolt hit the wall behind him. Concrete shards showered him, but Mickey fired his jets, taking his mech into full speed. And when his legs touched the ground, he put all energy into the leg myomers. The antique mech wobbled and limped but managed to get out of the Arctic Fox's killing field.

The Arctic Fox gave chase, but two laser bolts landed squarely on its chest. The pilot decided that Mickey was not an immediate threat, so it turned and joined a three-way battle with the Koto and Razorback. The Koto's X-Pulse laser showered the Razorback; each impact created a fireball on the mech's torso, wiping off the armor layer by layer. The Razorback answered with its ER large laser, completely wiping off the side armor of the newly-arrived Arctic Fox. Chunks of armor flew to every direction. The Arctic Fox staggered, but it steadily regained balance and took a shot at the Koto. With a loud crash the Koto rammed to the ground, hard, spitting smoke and spark from its rear torso.

Mickey was awed by this new development. None of the other combatants paid attention to him anymore. He watched as the Arctic Fox, Koto, and Razorback shot themselves out, turning armor into dripping smelters. Of course, when only one of them survived, it would be in a very bad condition, just like Jeremy said. But this was not the right way to win a championship. It was dishonorable, and the consequence of non-fighting combatant was disqualification. Mickey knew it, and he decided to abandon Jeremy's strategy.

"Hey, where are you going?" Jeremy yelled as Mickey started marching toward the other three. "Stay out! Wait until they're exhausted!"

"But I'm gonna get disqualified!" Mickey objected.

"They'll give you a warning first. Stay out until you get the first warning."

"But..."

"What's the matter with you? You wanna get killed? Don't get into the fray yet!"

Mickey was hesitant, but he knew his mech wouldn't survive a conventional strategy. He was the weakest player in the arena, and he had to be the smartest to win the match. Perhaps Jeremy's strategy could help him do it. So Mickey held his joystick back and observed the other combatants from the distance.

The Razorback turned its attention at the fallen Koto, but the Arctic Fox buried its missiles deep into the Razorback's chest. The 30-ton mech shuddered by the heavy impact; electric sparks and gear fluid spurted like blood. It raised its arm to bring its ER laser to bear, but the Arctic Fox swung left, away from the Razorback's line of fire. The Koto got up and pummeled the Arctic Fox as it was trying to dodge the Razorback. A stream of laser strands burst from the Koto's main gun and hit the Arctic Fox on the left side. The Arctic Fox staggered heavily, trying to put off the fire by shaking and flailing its arms.

Smelling blood, the Razorback turned around and unleashed its wrath. Laser beam struck the Arctic Fox in the left leg. The thigh armor hissed and glared red because of the heat, and the molten armor drips right into the ground. The Arctic Fox answered by firing its PPC at the Koto, blasting its left torso, mutilating its medium laser. The Koto staggered, then fired its X-Pulse laser into the Arctic Fox's midst, just inches away from the cockpit. The hot blue strands ripped the armor, then buried itself in the engine. The Arctic Fox staggered heavily as it lost power. The body arched forward before crashed down to the ground. Smoke curled up from the disemboweled torso.

The Razorback quickly sprayed the Koto with beam missiles. The Koto ducked, dodging the attacks. The beam strands carved the wall, sending concrete debris to the air. The Razorback gunned its engine to get out of the arena, but the Koto managed to sink a shot on his right torso. The beam pierced the armor and incinerated the power lines. The Razorback's right torso exploded in one huge fireball, ripping off his right arm and its ER large laser. . The Razorback staggered heavily, trying to keep it on its feet.

The Koto let loose a barrage of laser, but the Razorback's machine guns flashed, peppering the front armor of the Koto. Seconds later its missiles rocketed and slammed into the Koto's right shoulder. The impact caused the Koto to twist. It fell back to the ground, but not before sending streams of pulse laser beams. The Razorback dodged the attack and pumped up its machine guns. Cannon shells ricocheted on the Koto's right torso, chewing up armor and dangerously getting closer to the internal structure.

Meanwhile, Mickey was still watching the entire fight, getting jittery by each passing minutes, anxiously waiting for his turn. The Koto and Razorback were throwing everying at each other, to the point their armor wouldn't take it anymore. Finally, Mickey couldn't wait anymore. He throttled up and dove into the battle, lining up his crosshair at the flaming Razorback.

The Razorback was still oblivious when Mickey hit his alpha strike button. His lasers and missiles raked the Razorback on its chest, cutting a bad gash on the center, ripping the engine door apart. The surprise attack sent the Razorback staggering to maintain ballance. The Koto raised its gun and blasted Mickey, but Mickey triggered his jets. The Koto still fought valiantly, firing its X-pulse laser to every direction. But the fire quickly overheated the power generator. Soon the Koto reached shut down sequence.

Mickey landed safely on the ground, some 100 yards away from the Koto. The Razorback charged him with its missiles. Mickey ducked and sent his own missiles at the Razorback's torso. Weakened by the duel with the Koto, the Razorback's armor sank deep into the reactor casing. Blue plasma spewed and consumed the Razorback until it was left a charred hulk.

Grinning, Mickey turned to the overheated Koto and unleashed everything he got. The Koto staggered hard, its limbs fell apart. The pilot tried to fire back, but Mickey didn't give him a chance. His medium lasers wrecked the structure, and his missiles sank into its lower back, right above the waist. The Koto jerked forward before crashing to the ground, then exploded in a fireball.

"Holy Mother!" Mickey didn't believe it. What started as a doubt turned out to be a brilliant scheme. His heart pounding in his ears, and Mickey rushed to the hangar. He jumped out of his cockpit at the first opportunity, then quickly climbed down his mech, where Hyolee waited with glassy eyes.

"Aw, baby, that was magnificent!" Hyolee threw herself at him as soon as he touched the ground. "Congratulation, honey! I'm very proud of you!"

"I never thought it would work, but it did!" Mickey replied. He gave Hyolee a quick smooch on the cheek, then rushed to meet Jeremy, Jenny and Stan. And lo and behold, Major Tom and Kilroy were present too, which made his first victory taste a hundred times better.

"The salvage right alone should be enough to fix Mickey's Jenner and keep the rest in good condition," Kilroy stated, "unless somebody decided to wreck his or her mech on the next fight. Good job, kid. You give us a little room to breathe."

"We'll split your winning," Major Tom rolled toward the young mechwarrior. "You can keep half of it."

"You mean it?" Mickey's eyes twinkled with delight. He turned to Hyolee, who gave him a sincere look, reminding him about their decision to help the team before their own needs, then returned to Major Tom, "No, take everything. The team needs it more than us."

"You earn it, Mickey," Major Tom said.

"Everybody decided to go this route. It was a team decision. I am just doing my part."

Major Tom turned to Jeremy. They flashed smiles at each other. Then he went back to Mickey. "Alright, as you wish. But your sacrifice is duly noted. One day I will make it up to you, and I never break a promise."