Heinrich’s voice buzzes in Lanis’ ear, his voice tight, as if he’s almost annoyed by what he sees: “Lanis, your readings were a little concerning there for a moment, and they’re still damned odd, but we’re ready to move ahead with the simulation if you feel up to it.”
Lanis scans her internal integration feeds alongside Ether. She didn’t know the first thing about this simulated Suit five minutes ago, but she’s now a Versk Mark II expert, an old hand with a coil gun and shield. She increases power to the Suit’s reactor, switching it from standby to combat-ready, and feels a trembling as the sim pod’s hydraulic haptic feedback system kicks into gear.
“Everything feels fine on my end,” Lanis responds, eyes narrowing as her HUD panel switches into full readiness combat mode.
Lanis can hear Heinrich clearing his throat: “Ok, here’s the deal. As you’ve probably noticed, we’ve dropped an opposing Suit into your simulation. Don't worry, your scanners are fine, its loadout is just currently hidden. To put it simply, we want to see how you deal with it. Just a straight-forward fight. On my mark, the simulation will begin. Ready?”
“Ready,” Lanis says, Ether echoing in her mind.
“Ok then. Monitoring team is good to go,” Heinrich says. In the background, Lanis can hear a bubbling of assent.
A pregnant pause.
“Mark.”
Then things move fast. Really fast.
The first thing to hit Lanis is a flood of information, quickly sorted and prioritized by Ether. The opposing Suit is a standard bipedal arms with an energy lance, mass driver array, and a heavy missile launcher that I advise we avoid.
Lanis sees and feels a cascade of alarms. She responds near instantaneously, with Ether’s advice.
Missile launch. Decoy drone launched, Ether confirms.
The pod gives a quivering thump as the decoy drone rockets out on a missile-intercepting suicide mission.
Ether give as a tactics overview of their situation, each fact supported by digital footnotes for Lanis' future edification: Standard engagement procedure against a long-range offensive mech dictates employment of shield with medium range engagement. Our shield should be able to absorb up to 30% of our opponent’s ammunition. Observable energy spikes from the opponent’s energy lance should allow for evasive maneuvers as long as our reactor stays unharmed. The missile is the highest concern.
Lanis absorbs the information as quickly as her altered neurons can fire. She fires her Suit’s lateral thrusters while ripping off a burst from her coil gun.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
Damn. The opposing Suit fires off some type of smoke screen, disappearing behind a white cloud. Lanis switches her optics to thermal, and feels the pod shudder again as the Versk shield absorbs a half-dozen shells from its mass driver.
Shield at 82% integrity.
Lanis brings up Ether’s tactics doctrines again, and they flash into her mind.
“What about a rapid engagement, closing as fast as possible? Lanis says. She feels the sim pod jerk to the side as the thrusters fire again, assisting the Suit dodge an energy lance by a hair’s breadth. There’s no fucking cover in this simulation, Lanis rages, just flat, parched earth, which benefits the long range Suit immensely. She sees and feels a sudden thermal explosion as one of the Suit’s missiles meets her own drone decoy barely twenty meters away. The pod shudders.
Coil gun jammed- ejecting round- now functional. Damage detected, advise lowering energy supply to avoid further damage, Ether explains
Lanis crouches behind her fan-shield, unloading a full array of micro-missiles, trying to buy a moment to think as Ether rattles off advice. She can feel herself gritting her teeth. More worryingly, she can feel a headache coming on, building from the base of her skull like a stone grinding into her cerebellum. This isn’t sustainable, not with a fresh integration under duress, Lanis thinks.
She quickly reaches her decision. Even if it goes poorly, at least it will be decisive.
“Right; Ether, I want a rapid engagement.”
Lanis, a meta analysis of Arena literature shows that the current tactics doctrine dictates that- Ether begins, but Lanis cuts her off.
“Fuck current tactics doctrine. I’m launching all the drones; hopefully we can avoid a missile to the face. Shedding coil gun, all power to thrusters and shield; readying shield drop and Mag-blade deployment,” Lanis says, each action happening with Ether’s guidance as fast as the thoughts are formed. She feels the sim pod’s haptic relay shove her body into the pilot’s seat as the Suit’s thrusts fire, closing the imaginary twelve hundred meters to the opposing mech in an anticipated five point three seconds.
Is there a moment of hesitation from the opposing Suit, or is that just Lanis’ imagination? Regardless, it suddenly unloads everything it has as it tries to back away, its mass driver muzzle burning white hot. Each shot minutely slows down Lanis’ charge as they ricochet against her shield.
Slowing her… but not slow enough, Lanis thinks. Her Suit rocks forward again from a blast felt right behind them. All decoy drones expended, Ether explains, a bit needlessly.
“Shit,” Lanis breathes as the two Suits come together. She can feel her Suit’s left leg go dark as it takes a point-blank hit from the energy lance. She pushes Ether’s attention toward thruster re-calibration while she casts aside the shield, simultaneously deploying the Mag-saber in a crackling emergence of lethal power. She ignores the pleading warning lights that advise against the power surge through the damaged arm.
Ether fires the thrusters in their new calibration; the Versk energy core groans in anger; Lanis feels the weight of her Mag-saber pierce through their opponent’s imaginary armor with breathtaking ease as they collide into one another.
There’s a strange moment of stillness: Then the two Suits topple over into the packed earth, held together in a horrid embrace. Lanis’ Suit’s HUD is all yellow and red, alarms flashing bleakly. The Versk Mark II is missing a leg, and its right arm is held together by luck: But its power still flows.
Tactics doctrine updated, Ether says.
Enemy Suit Destroyed: Simulation Complete