His helmet was an even greater technical marvel. It provided better transfer of his sense of balance to the giant 'Mech and operated at a much faster speed, allowing Rose to virtually dance when piloting a 'Mech. He pulled the helmet over his head and secured it to his shoulders. Now the dance was about to begin.

12

Solaris City , Solaris

8 August 3054

"Ladies and gendemen, we are proud to present our feature event, a lance-on-lance battle to the finish between the warriors from Carstairs Stables and the warriors of Warwick Stables.

"Entering from the north and painted in blue and white are the warriors of Carstairs. Stinger, Hunchback, Shadow Hawk,and Warhammer.,,

Jeremiah got his first view of the arena as the giant doors went up and the spotlights hit his 'Mech. Esmeralda had been right about the tiny "town" constructed in the center of the arena. Part of his mind reviewed his weapons while another part considered the tactical advantages of the small cluster of buildings.

"Entering from the south and painted in maroon and gray are the warriors of Warwick. Javelin, Hatchetman, Centurion,and Charger."

A Hatchetmanand a Charger?Warning lights began to go off in Jeremiah's head. They matched the warning lights going off on his control panel.

"Per private agreement between the stablemasters of both sides, tonight's duel will be fought without the use of ranged weapons. This contest will be decided up close and personal, the way you like it. Now, let the match begin."

Rose's blood ran cold. All Mech Warriors dreaded facing the Hatchetman'saxe, preferring to take out the forty-five-ton brute before it could get close enough to use the hatchet. That was not an option tonight. The Charger'sweight and speed made it a formidable enemy in close quarters. In a match where each 'Mech used all its available resources, the Charger'ssmall lasers did not provide enough ranged firepower to be a real threat, but in this situation, those two 'Mechs changed the balance of power dramatically.

Jeremiah could hear Esmeralda cursing as the electromagnetic field dropped and he sprinted out of the gate. He tried the trigger of his long-range missile system and was met by the silence of a failed launch. Checking his tactical readout, he confirmed his suspicion that he was carrying a full load of ammunition, which meant the LRM equipment must have been disconnected in the torso. He tried to dump his ammo out the rear ejection port, but nothing happened—just as he'd expected. Those lines must have gone the way of the launch system, leaving him with no way to get rid of the explosive munitions. No doubt the other members of the team were experiencing the same problems and reaching the same conclusions.

Warwick's crew didn't seem to mind at all, so that probably meant they were in on the private agreement. The more Rose thought about the conditions of the fight, the more he worried. Esmeralda's Warhammerlacked lower arms, hands, and jump jets, making her little more than a slow-moving target. The rest of the lance had arms and Mary's 'Mech could jump, as could his Shadow Hawk,but the lance gave away a lot of tonnage, maneuverability, and raw speed, especially against the Warhammer.It took only a few seconds for Jeremiah and Esmeralda to realize that the fight was almost over before it began. The commlink suddenly came alive with her voice.

"Listen up. We've stepped in the guano up to our knees and that's no lie. Pick your targets and give each other some support. I'll take the Charger,but the best I can hope for is a draw. It'll be up to you to do the rest."

Jeremiah felt renewed admiration for his lance commander. She knew her 'Mech was the least-suited for a slugging match and had decided to do her best before she was taken out. It was the same conclusion he had drawn, but she'd come up with it sooner. He tried to keep an eye on Esmeralda's progress as she headed toward the center of the makeshift town, but the Hatchetmanand the Javelinwere heading his way. Ignoring the sensor readings and data screens, he concentrated on the front view screens and prepared to make his move.

The Hatchetmanwas definitely the better warrior. As the duo moved closer, the Hatchetmanpilot used the bulk of the Javelinto conceal the movement of his arms, especially the one with the hatchet. When the Javelinattacked, however, the Hatchetmanwas there almost immediately. The Javelinbegan to smash down on the Shadow Hawk'shead with both arms in an attempt to finish Rose with a single raining of blows to the cockpit. Moving laterally, Rose managed to deflect the first blow with an upraised forearm and then take the second blow on the shoulder. Metal screeched in protest and he could feel the Shadow Hawklurch to the left as the second blow connected. Moving with the blow, Rose brought the Shadow Hawknearly to a crouch. He could almost hear the Javelinpilot gloating as he imagined Rose's 'Mech downed with one attack. But if there was a shout, it was one of frustration as the Shadow Hawk'sleft foot shot out and into the left knee of the Javelin.

Armored plates popped loose from the force of the blow and the frame buckled back as the joint was hyper-extended. Myomer bundles tore free from the joint, showering the sand with thousands of blue-green sparks. Rose attempted to follow up the attack with a punch, but the flashing axe of the Hatchetmanforced him to jump back. He was quick, but the axe still caught a portion of the Shadow Hawk'sright torso, burrowing into the metal, but failing to breach the thick armor.

A second blow from the axe went wide of the mark, but Rose was again forced away from the damaged Javelin.Attempting to circle the Hatchetmandid no good as the constantly moving axe threatened to strike whenever he got close. Although wounded, the Javelinwas providing effective protection to the Hatchetman'sback and being protected at the same time.

Rose was about to rush the Hatchetmanwhen much-needed assistance arrived. Little Mary in her Stingerhad managed to circle wide around the embattled pair and land near the Javelin.The Stingerwas not normally much of a threat to a Javelin,but the pilot had barely regained control of the damaged leg when Little Mary arrived. Kicking was out of the question, however, as a continued shower of sparks marked the 'Mech's every movement. Little Mary charged just as Rose feinted with a kick toward the Hatchetman'sleg. The axe flashed down, but failed to strike the Shadow Hawk.Overbalanced by the force of the swing, the Hatchetman'smisstep let the nimble Stingerthrough.

Little Mary hit the wounded 'Mech at a dead run as the Javelinattempted to limp out of the way. Her Stingercrashed into the right side of the Javelin,whose damaged leg snapped at the knee as the pilot attempted to stay upright. The two 'Mechs went down as the smaller 'Mech lost balance and crashed on top of the one-legged Javelin.

Both 'Mechs lay still for a moment, then Rose moved in on the Hatchetmanas it started toward the prone pair of 'Mechs. As the Shadow Hawk'sfoot shot forward, however, the Hatchetman'sdeadly axe swung in a backhanded arc toward the Shadow Hawk'shead. The blows struck simultaneously, but the results were dramatically different. As the kick buckled plates of steel and ceramic in the Hatchetman'sleg, the axe took off the top of the Shadow Hawk'shead. All the head armor, as well as all the communications arrays and sensor equipment, were neatly sheared away.