《Mechs in Revolution》 A Duo and Their Mechs The ritual circle hummed, a low thrum that vibrated through the stone floor and into Thesh¡¯s very bones. Cold sweat slicked his sun-tanned brow, the ruddy hue of his Ylishian skin a stark contrast to the blue ceremonial paint that adorned his bare limbs. He finished the final placement of the sacrificial offering, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs. From beyond the thick, oaken doors of the town hall, Elder Whistler¡¯s voice boomed, clear and resonant. ¡°Today the boy Thesh dies, and the man who will end our Wandering is born.¡± Thesh¡¯s pulse surged, a wave of heat washing over him as the circle¡¯s glow intensified. A torrent of foreign sensations flooded his mind, a chaotic deluge of memories and experiences that were not his own. The life of another, from a universe unknown, crashed against the fragile walls of his consciousness. Thesh¡¯s control wavered, his body a battleground for two warring souls. Instinctively, he retreated, shielding the core of his being, the essence of himself, like a parent bird protecting its young from a raging blizzard. The figure that emerged from the town hall doors was not Thesh. He was taller, broader, the ritual clothes now straining against newly formed muscles. But the transformation was most evident in his eyes. Where cool hazel had once resided, now burned a pair of brilliant golden irises, the unmistakable mark of the Splintered. The crowd, a sea of expectant faces, hushed as Elder Whistler stepped forward. ¡°What do we call you?¡± he asked, his voice a low rumble. The Splintered gazed around, his eyes wide with a mixture of awe and confusion, as if seeing the world for the first time. ¡°My name is¡­ Lance,¡± he said, the name sounding foreign, tentative on his tongue. ¡°What is your mission?¡± the Elder demanded, his voice hardening. ¡°To end our Wandering. For Ylishia!¡± Lance declared, his voice ringing with newfound conviction. ¡°FOR YLISHIA!¡± the crowd roared back, a wave of sound that shook the very air. Lance stood before his Mechabelli, the sheer scale of the machine filling him with a sense of awe. The Scope Cougar, as it was called, stood eight meters tall, twelve meters long from head to rear, and boasted a ten-meter tail that doubled as an artillery barrel. Its design, inspired by a large feline predator, was both elegant and formidable. ¡°This is your Mech now, Th¡­ Lance,¡± Elder Whistler said, his voice laced with anticipation. ¡°To build up a reputation, I want you to enter the Rymentall Grand Prix. Ylishia shall gain prestige and galvanize our support to take up arms for our coming independence. Let me introduce you to Rebecca, she¡¯ll be your mechanic.¡± He gestured towards a woman of similar age, her curly red hair, streaked with black highlights, pulled into a tight bun. A thin, three-centimeter scar ran vertically above her right eye, a stark mark against her pale skin. ¡°I am getting paid based on your prize money winnings, so there is a lot riding on your splintered head,¡± she said, her voice sharp and direct. ¡°I will live up to everyone¡¯s expectations,¡± Lance replied, offering a slight bow. ¡°Good. Rebecca will follow in the Al-Mi¡¯raj,¡± Elder Whistler said, pointing to the adjacent Mech bay. Inside, a horned rabbit Mech, five meters tall and six meters long, stood waiting. ¡°It¡¯s not suited for combat, but it¡¯s agile enough to make it over the Tylishia pass.¡± Lance settled into the cockpit of the Scope Cougar, the familiar scent of oiled metal and energy conduits filling his senses. He initiated the boot sequence, the Mechabelli¡¯s systems coming to life with a low hum. Outside, the garage¡¯s long mechanical arms disconnected the fluid bank, installed fine dust filters, and applied a layer of flux wax, a protective coating designed to withstand both the scorching sun and the biting chill of the desert nights. He received the all-clear from the gray shirted attendant, his left hand gripping the yoke, his right resting on the accelerator. The Cougar slinked out of the docking bay, its movements fluid and graceful. Lance monitored his instruments, ensuring he had a clear view of his surroundings as he left the military base. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The base was located on the northwest edge of the city, the access road running parallel to the main thoroughfare. As he passed, he saw the city¡¯s traffic, a constant stream of vehicles against the backdrop of sprawling apartments and multi-story buildings, a stark contrast to the farmland that had once dominated the area. Fields of hertch, the grain of the Ylishian people, rippled in the warm summer breeze. Children, their flashlights like fireflies, lined the road, eager to catch a glimpse of the Mech. Lance was grateful for the Cougar¡¯s smooth ride. An Ursa, while formidable, would have been a jarring experience on such a long journey. He ate his spicy vegetable spread on flat hertch bread, enjoying the meal without worrying about crumbs. Once he reached the shrublands, he began to test the Cougar¡¯s capabilities, opening up the throttle, weaving through the dense foliage, and leaping across deep gullies. The Mech responded flawlessly, its agility and responsiveness exceeding his expectations. Before losing communicator range, he sent a status report back to base using his PDA. The shrublands gave way to the vast expanse of the Tylishia desert, and Lance began to monitor his instruments more closely. He was carrying a significant sum of money, intended for consumables and modifications for the upcoming matches. The Cougar¡¯s footing became unstable as it traversed the shifting dunes, the landscape a blur of sand and sky. Relying on his navigation systems, he pressed onward, until the jagged peaks of the Tylishian Mountains appeared on the horizon. The mountain pass was a treacherous route, a winding path that demanded precision and agility. It was not a road, but a series of ledges and precipices, accessible only to nimble Mechs. The Cougar, built for such terrain, moved with ease, its powerful legs leaping from ledge to ledge. After fifteen hours of travel, Lance reached Twin Oaks, a small settlement nestled in the mountains. He found the hotel with its dedicated docking bay and guided the Cougar into its assigned space. Using his PDA, he connected to the dock¡¯s robotics, initiating the maintenance sequence. Robotic arms connected the fluid bank, installed new dust filters, and applied a fresh coat of wax. He left the rest to Rebecca and headed to his room, changing into his workout clothes before embarking on a five-kilometer run. He returned, showered, and fell into bed, exhausted, at midnight. The next morning, Lance rose at seven, heading to the hotel¡¯s gym for a weightlifting session. After another shower, he entered the tavern and spotted Rebecca, the pilot of the Al-Mi¡¯raj, eating breakfast. He approached her booth, holding his bowl of hertch porridge. ¡°Mind if I join you?¡± he asked. ¡°Only if you¡¯re here to talk shop. What¡¯s your strategy going into the tournament ?¡± After finishing a mouthful of breakfast Lance replied ¡°The Scope Cougar is better on low resources so creating space while slowly wearing down the enemy Mech with artillery fire¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong that the Scope Cougar is better than most Mech when both are out of Turbo and missiles but you have to get to that position first. Your current setup in the Scope Cougar only has room for two turbos and six internal missiles. If we take your strategy as first order optimal, I can get four turbos and 2 external missiles. You¡¯ll have to fire off the missiles at the start of each match otherwise they¡¯ll tear off when you turbo, making you predictable but high enough tempo that you¡¯ll be able to make space. This strategy puts the onus on the other pilot to score a knockout before you inevitably wear them down. Personally I prefer the onus being on me to perform well, and if Splintered are as good as they say then a more skill expressive strategy should play to your strengths against the lower ranked tournament competitors.¡± ¡°I like playing toward inevitable endings, making space is more than just turning tail and running. Besides any plan needs to be customized for that opponents Mech¡± ¡°Plans are worthless but planning is everything. Isn¡¯t that an old Ylishian saying?¡± ¡°Actually it¡¯s a Terchian saying ascribed to Ylishia, but I take your point. Where did you learn all this from? I have gained lifetimes of Mech pilot memories and yet concepts like tempo are still fuzzy to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve just always loved Mechs from a young age and my parents were willing to indulge my unquenchable curiosity.¡± ¡°Normal kids don¡¯t have access to Mechs, these are quite literally war machines. It¡¯s only been since the stalemate of the Merchese Civil War that civilians of Falcon Rest could even own Mechs.¡± ¡°My mom was a pilot for the Falcon Rest¡¯s military. I used to read books on Mechs from the military¡¯s library during school. I learned about Maneuver and Tempo from Closhe and Leonhard. I took any opportunity that I could to learn about the Mechs. At sixteen I was better read on Mechs then my mom, or even the smartest from her Brigade¡± ¡°So why aren¡¯t you still with the Falcon Rest¡¯s military?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t understand why such beautiful creations should be used to kill. Non-lethal tournaments like The Grand Prix are the pinnacle of Mech expression.¡± ¡°Funny ideology to have when aiding the symbol of a revolution.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not going out and killing anyone.¡± ¡°Not yet.¡± Grand Prix Begins Lance, having finished registering for the Grand Prix, sits down at Rebecca¡¯s table at the local bar. Lance sends a copy of the tournament bracket via PDA to Rebecca. ¡°So, in the first round, we¡¯re against Schilling¡¯s Fenton in the Turbo Tortoise,¡± says Lance as he signals for a waiter. ¡°On the bright side, the Tortoise tends to be heavy on protection and overall tanky, which has no use in the non-lethal scoring of knockouts. Even if they are willing to remove some of the countermeasures, to maintain structural integrity, the Tortoise will still be heavy. This gives us greater flexibility while staying under the weight limit,¡± Rebecca pontificates over her porter beer. ¡°We have to apply the conductive ceramic panels before we know how much weight we¡¯ll have to work with. I think we have more surface area than the Tortoise, so the overall weight edge might wash out,¡± said Lance between ordering a soft pretzel and cheese, with a margarita. Walking over with a light lager in hand is a two-meter-tall wall of a man, helmet hair, with olive skin, and still wearing his pilot suit unzipped from neck to waist, tied around his midsection, revealing a white undershirt. ¡°You must be Lance. The name¡¯s Fenton. Just wanted to introduce myself before the match tomorrow,¡± drawled Fenton, in an accent native to rural Falcon Rest, while extending his hand. Taking Fenton¡¯s hand to shake, Lance replies, ¡°We just got here today. How long have you been here?¡± Fenton, taking the empty seat at the table, explained that Team Schilling got here a week ago so they could use the full allotted time to scout both Area 1 and Area 2. ¡°Excuse me for being rude, the name¡¯s Fenton,¡± he said, reaching his hand out to Rebecca. ¡°Rebecca, Lance¡¯s mechanic for this tournament,¡± said Rebecca while shaking his hand. ¡°So, you¡¯ll be free if I win our match tomorrow. How does working as my personal mechanic if I win tomorrow sound to you?¡± ¡°I am being paid based on winnings. Are you willing to match 10%?¡± ¡°10% is kinda steep. Are you willing to throw in a date to sweeten the deal?¡± Fenton replies with a wink. ¡°10% and the date is contingent on my decision, not some deal.¡± ¡°You got it! I¡¯ll see you all tomorrow,¡± Fenton says, getting up from the table and returning to a guy and gal across the bar. ¡°So, Fenton is your type?¡± Lance says with a playful smirk. ¡°Actually, you¡¯re more my type, but there is no harm in playing the field,¡± Rebecca states with a tension in her face as she tries to hold back laughter. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind going on a date with you if it means you won¡¯t sabotage my mech before the match.¡± ¡°WELCOME ONE AND ALL TO THE RYMENTALL GRAND PRIX! For the first match of the day, we have Fenton of Schilling piloting a Turbo Tortoise versus Lance of Ylishia piloting a Scope Cougar. Feabin, what more can you tell us about this first match?¡± ¡°Well, Tresha, the Turbo Tortoise gets its name from the unique use of turbo thrust. When the Tortoise uses a charge of turbo, it becomes like an air hockey puck. This allows each of the four legs to act like springs, facilitating rapid directional change. This unique form of motion means that the Tortoise specializes in last-second dodging from incoming missiles rather than the relatively more gradual bleeding of energy from missiles fired at mechs with normal turbos. It¡¯s said by veterans of the War of Liberation that, with a good pilot, Turbo Tortoises are unhittable with missiles during their turbo; however, without turbo, they are an easy target. What the Tortoise lacks in conventional mobility it makes up for with the pressure it constantly puts out from missiles. The Tortoise¡¯s above-average magazine depth keeps consistent pressure until the opposing mech just can¡¯t avoid the next missile. The Scope Cougar looks to make space until the enemy no longer knows where the mech is, allowing for sniper pressure to take over the match.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°What do you mean by sniper pressure?¡± ¡°The Cougar needs time and space to line up a shot, but once that happens the opposing mech has to play around getting sniped. This limits the Scope Cougar¡¯s prey¡¯s movement, giving the hunter a compounding advantage until the Scope Cougar takes its shot. Should the Cougar miss, however, not only has the Cougar given away its position, but it takes time to reload a new round. This can result in very cerebral play where it is just as much about what the pilots don¡¯t do.¡± ¡°Thanks, Feabin. How about we go over their custom loadouts for this match?¡± ¡°First, we have the missiles. The Turbo Tortoise is coming in with 24 missiles: 7 heat-seeking, 7 radar-seeking, and 10 loitering laser-guided. The key takeaway is the 10 loitering laser-guided missiles that can hang out over sections of the battlefield only to dive bomb when a target is highlighted. This gives the Tortoise reprisal options should it become a long-range shootout. The Cougar has 6 missiles, all heat-seeking, meaning the Tortoise starts with four times more missiles. The Tortoise, being less mobile, is made up for here with 5 turbos. While that might make the Tortoise a sitting duck without them, you need to push the Tortoise to expend charges. The Cougar has 2 turbos, so has to rely on its natural mobility to avoid the missiles. The Scope Cougar has a head-mounted small fire and a tail rifle, while the Tortoise has no guns.¡± ¡°The match is about to start¡± The two mechs square off three hundred meters apart across a grassy field. One hundred meters behind the Scope Cougar is a treeline making its way up the face of a mountain. Two hundred meters behind the Turbo Tortoise is a canyon that runs orthogonal to the mountain¡¯s face. A fleet of drones monitors the whole combat area, acting as live camera feeds and the referee. A specialty drone counts down 3¡­2¡­1¡­horns blare to start the match. The Scope Cougar immediately ignites its first turbo and runs directly towards the Turbo Tortoise. The Tortoise responds by firing off a heat-seeking missile, followed by a radar-seeking missile. The Scope Cougar, one hundred meters closer to the Tortoise than the start, fires off one of its heat-seeking missiles. The Tortoise activates its turbo, kicking off its front leg to move directly away from the Cougar. The Tortoise floats and wobbles like a UFO floating a meter off the ground, gliding over the grassy, uneven surface. The Scope Cougar, still sprinting toward the Tortoise, turns perpendicular at the last moment and activates flares followed by chaff, just dodging the incoming missiles. The Scope Cougar once again charges the Turbo Tortoise, activating their second and final turbo while firing off their second missile. The Tortoise dodges the incoming missile by springing off its leg, moving now parallel away from the Cougar, trying to maintain as much space as possible. Fenton, realizing that he needs to make space, fires off two heat-seeking and two radar-seeking missiles directly at Lance while shooting two loitering missiles directly overhead. Lance¡¯s pants inflate to push blood from his legs back to the rest of his body to fight the overwhelming G-force. Lance, now one hundred meters from Fenton, fires off two precisely timed missiles. Lance uses the last of his turbo, chaff, and flares to dodge the four missiles. Lance then fires off his last two missiles, leaving the Scope Cougar totally empty on expendables. Fenton, seeing he has won the match if he can just dodge this incoming volley of missiles, dodges the first, second, and third missile with ease. ¡°Fu¡ª¡± ¡°AND THERE WE HAVE IT, LANCE TAKES THE FIRST ROUND! WHAT WAS THAT! IT¡¯S LIKE FENTON CHOKED DODGING THE FINAL MISSILE! Lance, full of surprises, didn¡¯t take the expected line of creating space, instead opting for relentlessly pushing the Tortoise. Let us get an interview to see exactly what Lance was thinking.¡± ¡°Once we realized that making space just wasn¡¯t an option against the Tortoise, we looked for a way to leverage tempo. Each of the Tortoise legs work like springs, meaning that if we set them off fast enough, the spring won¡¯t have time to reset. We were able to take advantage, with careful positioning, that the Tortoise would be unable to dodge. We had no wiggle room, so it was a close match, but ultimately we pulled it out in the end.¡± Plans Within Plans ¡°First, I want to thank Chief Yerlish for attending today as a representative of the Ylishian people of the nation of Treaaw. Second, we stand together to express the special relationship between Treaaw and Falcon Rest. Third, I am proud to announce that we are sponsoring over two hundred students to come to study in our university in Mechabelli studies. Fourth, after the destruction from last mudslide season, we will be dispatching 7th Company of the Provincial Guard to Treaaw to train the Tribal Militia in Emergency Response Operations.¡± orates Elder Whistler to the news crews covering the reception. ¡°I want to thank Elder Whistler for their generosity and the ability to renew our special relationship. While the Ylishian people may be separated by nations, that doesn¡¯t end our ability to act as one people.¡± Chief Yerlish announces. ¡°Any comment on the win of Lance during the Grand Prix?¡± Asks a reporter. ¡°All Ylishian no matter their nationality, can take pride in sponsoring a new pilot with the mark of our ancestors and his impressive win today.¡± Responds Chief Yerlish. ¡°Lance has the full support of the Ylishian Providence along with the blessing of his people. Him winning in the first round is presumed. We expect great things out of our champion.¡± Elder Whistler states. ¡°In Merchese there has been a bombing of a hospital in the contested town of Gelth by the YML, the Ylishian of Merchese Liberation. Leader of the YML Ai-Thesh-pal claims that there were Merchesian Soldiers operating out of the hospital making it a valid target. Do you have any comments on the bombing?¡± asked a second reporter. ¡°The Ylishian Providence has no connection, no association, and provides no support for the YML. I condemn any military action that goes against human rights law, and that there is no room for terrorism no matter the stipulation.¡± Elder Whistler expresses earnestly. ¡°This ends questions for today¡± The news crews are ushered out of the room, the doors close, spider drones scan the room for any monitoring equipment then they are given the all clear. ¡°Ai-Thesh-pal activity will cause increased scrutiny from Falcon Rest. It would be best to refrain from saying we are acting as one people. We are attempting discretion with the transfer of military resources to the Treaaw¡± says Elder Whistler expressing grievance. ¡°Treaaw is simply not as advanced as The Providence. It will require many years before we have the military capability to rebel and join an independent Ylishia. My people cheer for the greatness of Ylishia but they have no stomach for war. You will need to stoke the fire revolution high to remove the water of complacency from my people. Seeing themselves as one people kindles that fire in their heart¡± Chief Yerlish quibbles. ¡°Today we essentially announced that The Province would educate your mechanics and train your soldiers. Yerlish make sure that you are not in the middle of the fire when your people¡¯s hearts ignite, but instead you are leading that inferno.¡± Elder Whistler threatened. Lance and Rebecca were working on maintaining the Scope Cougar when the second round of matches started. Each match was projected onto the walls of the garage. On Area 1 Schilling¡¯s Trent in the Backpack Gorilla versus the NRG¡¯s Kabir in the Basilisk Lizard. On Area 2 Schilling¡¯s Monique in the Terror Bird versus Quarst¡¯s Gael in the Missile Moose. Most of their attention was on Area 2 seeing as the winner would become their next opponent, in addition that they would never have a match in Area 1. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Who do you think is going to win Area 2?¡± Rebecca calls out. ¡°The Terror Bird is a melee focused build which should have the edge against a missiler, however I wouldn¡¯t count the Moose out¡± Lance muses. ¡°Why?¡± Rebecca questions trying to get Lance to be more open. ¡°The pilot clearly knows what is coming seeing how they have a small stock of missiles in the horns in favor of a close range machine gun mounted on the left side. Not sure what else I would do if I was piloting the Moose. At two to one odds I¡¯ll bet on the Moose.¡± Lance says with a devilish grin. ¡°Oh you want to bet! Sure I¡¯ll take you on! Six hundred Talons to three hundred! I¡¯ll be able to buy a nice dinner and a bottle of wine.¡± said Rebecca, already dreaming about the winnings. ¡°Deal, what makes you so confident about the Terror Bird?¡± Lance questions. ¡°Fenton told me that he¡¯s the worst of his teammates. So him losing in the first round, given he would have to go against his own teammate in the second round, is not that big a deal.¡± ¡°Wow Fenton wasn¡¯t a bad pilot in any sense, that is some high praise for the rest of his team.¡± ¡°Exactly, if he was a challenge for someone splintered, than his teammates must be freaks of nature¡± Lance and Rebecca stopped what they were working on to focus on the projections. ¡°The Basilisk Lizard is pretty lucky that they have a water feature as part of Area 1¡± Lance states. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about Basilisk Lizards, what is their deal?¡± ¡°Well, just like basilisk lizards, the mech can run on water.¡± ¡°Oh so it makes a pretty big difference if they have favorable terrain¡± ¡°The freedom of movement allows the Basilisk Lizard the choice of when to engage, meaning the Basilisk Lizard gets to set the tempo of the match.¡± The projections countdown 3¡­2¡­1¡­The Terror Bird turbos forward toward the Moose at frightening speed across the flat terrain. The Gorilla launches two missiles, while the Basilisk Lizard turbos out over the water. The Moose responds with small arms fire damaging the left wing but the Terror bird continues forward claws extended. The Moose has long claw marks into the conductive ceramic showing the damaged right side. The Moose tries to turn into the Terror Bird but the biped mech has a tighter turn radius gashing out the left side of the Moose. Already the match was over for the Missile Moose. Tuning into the other match the first duo of missiles were closing in on the Basilisk Lizard, and the water runner dodged the first missile only to be hit by the second. The pilot is ejected from the Mech as it freezes up and skids across the surface till it starts to sink beneath the water. ¡°Fenton wasn¡¯t kidding, they made short work out of their opponents¡± Lance says while fishing out his PDA transferring the three hundred Talons to Rebecca. ¡°Well he might be pushy but at least he was good for something¡± Rebecca says watching the funds tick up on her PDA. Before Lance can put away his PDA and get back to work on the Mech, Lance gets a call from Elder Whistler. ¡°Hello Elder¡± ¡°Hello Lance, Chief Yerlish still prefers being a big fish in a small pond, and is unreliably committed to advancing the revolution. I just watched your competition. You need to become a star for the Ylishian people. If you do not win first place people will feel that there are pilots that can stand against us. We need your troops to feel confident in your leadership when the time comes.¡± implores Elder Whistler. ¡°Yes Elder, I am your will made manifest, and I will bring honor to Ylishia.¡± ¡°Good, we are on the precipice. Our every action decides whether we rise or fall. We are facing changes not seen in three thousand years. The imperialists are falling while the colonized are getting back on their feet. Only once we have fought for our nation will they retreat with a bloody nose. Only then will we gain the respect owed to our civilization. Only then will the world be returned to tradition the way it ought to be.¡± ¡°Yes Elder¡± ¡°Good, the plan is in motion. There is no turning back. I knew I could only rely on you Th¡­ Lance.¡± ¡°Yes Elder¡± Dinner Banter ¡°It is very nice of you to offer to buy both of us dinner, thank you¡± Lance replies to Fenton¡¯s salutations. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t pass up the chance to introduce a skilled pilot to Trent. I owe Trent everything, just my way of paying it back while making some new friends along the way. Tonight we¡¯ll be dining with Trent and his girlfriend/teammate Monique. They are just as passionate about Mechs as you two. Fair warning Monique can be a bit of a drama queen, it''s just the way she is. Once I asked Trent to practice duo battles with me. Just to end up getting an earful from Monique about how her and Trent were meant for each other on a spiritual level, and that Trent duoing with others unaligned their spiritual aura ¡± ¡°Note to self that Monique is both insecure and possessive. Any other land mines we want to avoid?¡± Rebecca quips ¡°Trent is just a special person to Monique and me. He gave us both purpose and direction when we had none. Some people are born to lead and some to follow. I¡¯m glad I have a leader worth supporting.¡± Fenton says with confidence, clear in his voice. ¡°What is that Trent did in order to engender this level of respect from you?¡± asks Lance with genuine curiosity. ¡°I lived in a small mining town called Gerjem, rural Falcon Rest. My Pa wanted me to take after him and operate the Mechs used for strip mining. I thought that was gonna be my future too, I just couldn¡¯t imagine doing anything else. One day while I was being trained on the mech some big shots were touring the mine. One of the other trainees lost control of their mech, I acted on instinct and saved the fat cats. Turns out the people I saved were Trent and his father that owns the mine. Trent said he wanted me to join him in piloting Mechabelli for sport. I never thought there were other options for me in life, I didn¡¯t know how to turn him down so here I am. Looking back, I am glad I got out of that small town, out of the mines. Trent took a risk on me, and now I need to pay that back¡± states Fenton with sincerity as they are seated at the table. Lance takes the seat against the wall, Rebecca sits next to Lance in the middle seat, and Fenton sits across from Rebecca. The waiter takes drink orders, a lager for Fenton, a stout for Rebecca, and a Bloody Mary for Lance. When the rest of the party arrives. Monique sits next to Rebecca wearing a single shoulder split dress, while Trent sits next to Fenton, across from Monique, while wearing a blue button up with a black sports coat, and tan slacks with black sneakers. ¡°Cute outfit if I would have known I would have dressed up more¡± Rebecca says while gesturing at her t-shirt and knee length jean shorts and then over to Fenton that was once again in a white t-shirt with his pilot suit half unzipped tied around his waist. ¡°It would have been nice to see someone who knows what they¡¯re doing dress up around here. I mean can you believe with Trent¡¯s background he can barely dress himself. I knew I should have been the one to pick out his outfit.¡± groused Monique while settling in Monique ordered a cosmopolitan, followed by Trent ordering a pale ale. Trent looking across the table to Lance announces ¡°So you are the skilled pilot that took down Fenton. First let me congratulate you and second I look forward to your match against Monique.¡± ¡°If I lost in the first round I would have brought shame to Ylishia, so while there is no shame to lose to someone of Fenton caliber, I simply could not lose that match.¡± concludes Lance. ¡°Graveyards are full of irreplaceable persons. Strange to think that your victory is preordained.¡± dissents Trent. ¡°I am no longer just a person but a symbol. Part of that symbol is projecting strength so that others may feel empowered to stand up for themself. As long as I fight for Ylishia I have divine providence on my side.¡± states Lance with indefatigable conviction. Trent turning to face Rebecca asks ¡°What about you? Do you also subscribe to this zealotry?¡± ¡°I have enough confidence to get paid off winnings, but my faith is in the flesh not divine providence. I just find it hard to believe that between me as the mechanic and a splintered pilot we will lose.¡± Rebecca states her own level of conviction. ¡°What exactly is a splintered anyway?¡± Trent asks. ¡°I was once someone else. I merged with the previous splintered and now share a portion of their strength, reaction speed and memories. One day a splintered will end the Ylishian peoples wandering and that will be the last of the splintered.¡± Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Okay so what does it mean to end the wandering?¡± ¡°The Ylishian people will be reunified under one banner, one land, and one custom.¡± ¡°Falcon Rest is only one generation from the Greater Federation of Oqubj. The Ylishian didn¡¯t fight in the Great War, how can they now claim nationhood when they didn¡¯t fight for their freedom to begin with?¡± ¡°We, Ylishians, were united under the Greater Federation. We were not sovereign but we were united and self-governing. Ylishia when united was prosperous, whereas now the arbitrary borders leave the city of Ylishia wasting.¡± ¡°Colonialist sympathizers just love licking the boot of the Fjkloqu oppressors. Is that why you fight here in non lethal combat rather than join the military? Too much of a coward to fight the real battles?¡± ¡°Action speaks louder than words. I am who I display I am. Unlike the backstabbing Trifecta.¡± ¡°The Trifecta is just another name for those who took up arms: Merchese, Treaaw, and Falcon Rest. Unlike Ylishia who thought that they could profit by selling to the Fjkloqu.¡± ¡°We were neutral and should have remained so. The very Mechabelli sold to the Trifecta were turned around to carve up Ylishia. It was the Trifecta that begged for Mechabelli and to take a side in your war for independence only for our trust to be betrayed the second after the war with Fjkloqu ends.¡± ¡°The division is just part of reparations for Ylishian free riding. If you all won¡¯t fight for your freedom the least you can do is pay for it. That is the language of the Ylishian money.¡± ¡°Okay can you two just not do what you¡¯re doing right now and instead have a nice dinner together?¡± interrupts Fenton trying to defuse the situation. ¡°No, I think enough has been said. We¡¯ll leave the rest out on the field. I look forward to you showing your true colors.¡± says Trent as he gets up to leave. Monique follows behind Trent. ¡° What a shit show. Well that couldn¡¯t have gone any worse.¡± Rebecca chimes in and then finishes off her drink. ¡°Sounds like Lance and Trent just have irreconcilable views. My bad I wouldn¡¯t have brought you two together if I knew it would end like this.¡± says Fenton with remorse. ¡°Actually I like Trent more than before dinner.¡± states Lance. ¡°What?!¡± ¡°There are two types of belief: belief because you believe and then believing because you are supposed to believe. Trent is the latter, he only believes because that is what is expected of him as an elite of Falcon Rest. Change Trents peers and expectations and he would believe whatever was expected of him. If we were to work together it would be a problem if he was a true believer in Falcon Rest.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. I¡¯ve never seen Trent act that way before. To me it seems like he believes.¡± says Fenton expresses his doubts. ¡°We will see. It would be a shame for us to be on the opposite side of battle.¡± Lance muses. ¡°WELCOME ONE AND ALL TO DAY TWO OF THE RYMENTALL GRAND PRIX! Areas 1 and 2 have been consolidated into the final stage for the top four teams. Our first match of the day is Quarst¡¯s Abigail in the Stealth Chameleon vs Schilling¡¯s Trent in the Backpack Gorilla.¡± ¡°The Stealth Chameleon not only has camouflage like a real chameleon, making it invisible to the human eye, but has the ability to mask both its radar and heat signatures. This is going to be a tough matchup for a missiler like the Gorilla, we see the adaptation by only employing laser guided missiles but Trent will have to guide them in without a lock. Trent will be firing blind. Meanwhile the Chameleon is relying on loitering munition that will also require laser guidance but she will have the luxury of locking on to the opposing mech meaning she can dodge incoming fire while the missile closes in where as Trent will have to keep his radar on target till splashdown¡± ¡°We are going right into the action!¡± The drone swarm spreads out across the area monitoring and recording the match. Countdown till start 3¡­2¡­1¡­the start horns blare. The Stealth Chameleon launches all eight of its loitering missiles, activates its stealth, and then kicks up sand. The area around the Chameleon disappears into the haboob. The Backpack Gorilla, not wasting any time, fires off two laser guided missiles without lock on target. The Gorilla is forced to turbo in order to dodge the first incoming munition. Without the ability to keep radar locked on to the Chameleon the two missiles explode harmlessly into the sand storm, while the Gorilla also dodges the first of the incoming fire. Trent clicks his tongue in irritation as he is pushed by the threat of the loitering munitions. Abigail''s heart races as she carefully pilots her mech so as to not give away her position. Trent uses the last of the first charge of turbo to push into where he thinks Abigail is hiding, and launches a missile. Trent smiles slightly as a loitering missile homes in on him. Trent fires off another two missiles and activates his second turbo trying to get to behind where he thinks the chameleon is. Abigail reacts by calling in two more of her loitering munitions to pinch in the closing Gorilla. Trent¡¯s first missile hit nothing but air as he is forced to defend before he can direct in his second missile. Trent assessed the incoming missiles. Instead of moving orthogonally, he leaned closer to the front-facing one. Trent launches another three missiles before committing to dodging the incoming fire. The rear facing missile misses the Gorilla but the front facing one hits a glancing blow! The Gorilla is now a sitting duck as his left side is limping from the disrupted conductive ceramic. Abigail calls in the remaining four munitions into the Gorilla''s location before going defensive. Missiles explode, hitting both targets! Both Mechs are down on the field! The drones put up a replay of the missiles homing into their final destination showing that Abigail¡¯s mech was knocked out first! ¡°THERE WE HAVE IT A REPLAY FINISH! Trent advances to the final!