Xiao smiled as soon as she saw Puhi’s eyes widen. After being around her squadmate for so long, the young woman knew that very few things caught Puhi by surprise. She tallied this moment as one of those rare victories for her side. As for the secret weapon, it was the hornet mech that she never ridden in. Xiao had secretly been training with a hornet template that she received from Twan once she knew how bad the allied squad would be. When both Vesna and Wattan agreed that an ant mech simply wouldn’t cut it, she called for the decision to use the hornet mech. The template was close to the default one but, even then, it was far superior to her ant mech as shown on the tablet.
<
Component: Left Arm
Armor: 60/60
Structure: 30
Subcomponent(s):
Upper Arm [Basic gear that makes up an arm, 1 Slot]
Heat Sink (Basic) [-1 Heat per minute, 2 Slots]
Small Laser [2 Damage, +2 Heat per use, 2 Slots]
Small Laser [2 Damage, +2 Heat per use, 2 Slots]
>
<
Component: Left Torso
Armor: 60/60
Structure: 30
Subcomponent(s):
2x Heat Sink (Basic) [-1 Heat per minute, 2 Slots]
SRM Ammo (Basic) [Contains 20 ammo, Can explode for up to 10 damage, 2 Slot]
>
<
Component: Right Arm
Armor: 60/60
Structure: 30
Subcomponent(s):
Upper Arm [Basic gear that makes up an arm, 1 Slot]
3x Light Machine Gun Ammo (Basic) [Contains 50 ammo, Can explode for up to 5 damage, 1 Slot]
Light Machine Gun [1 Damage, +10% Critical Chance, 2 Ammo consumed per shot, 1 Slot]
SRM2 Launcher [5-7 Damage per missile, 2 Ammo consumed per shot, 2 Slot]
>
<
Component: Right Torso
Armor: 60/60
Structure: 30
Subcomponent(s):
Heat Sink (Basic) [-1 Heat per minute, 2 Slots]
2x Light Machine Gun Ammo (Basic) [Contains 50 ammo, Can explode for up to 5 damage, 1 Slot]
SRM Ammo (Basic) [Contains 20 ammo, Can explode for up to 10 damage, 2 Slot]
>
<
Component: Center Torso
Armor: 120/120
Structure: 60
Subcomponent(s):
Armor (Basic) [Provides up to 2 Armor per Structure, 0 Slots]
Gyro (Basic) [Provides 50 Stability, Recovers 1 Stability per Minute, 1 Slot]
Engine Core 20 (Improved) [Provides mobility to the mech, 2 Slots]
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Cooling (Improved) [Provides 40 Heat capacity to mech, 1 Slot]
6x Heat Sink (Basic) [-1 Heat per minute, 2 Slots]
>
<
Component: Left Leg
Armor: 120/120
Structure: 60
Subcomponent(s):
2x Heat Sink (Basic) [-1 Heat per minute, 2 Slots]
2x Jump Jet (Basic) [Allows mech to fly a short distance, +2 Heat per use, 2 Slots]
>
<
Component: Right Leg
Armor: 120/120
Structure: 60
Subcomponent(s):
2x Heat Sink (Basic) [-1 Heat per minute, 2 Slots]
2x Jump Jet (Basic) [Allows mech to fly a short distance, +2 Heat per use, 2 Slots]
>
When she first saw the template, Xiao was very much impressed by the big differences. The structure and armor stood out the most because the hornet simply could take that much more damage that she originally believed. Each of the components had extra slots which provided lots of versatility as seen with Puhi’s numerous templates. The young woman learned from her training that the SRM wasn’t very easy to use but the return for a direct hit was pretty big considering that a single missile was several magnitudes stronger than a single laser hit. However, she liked having such a weapon at her disposal should she need it. Only downside with her current template was the lack of flamers. Twan simply didn’t have enough time to make a template in time for the competition and chose for a safer well balanced template.
Maybe that can be my secret weapon in my next match.
“This changes everything,” said Puhi. “Our odds of winning are still low but I like our odds more now. I didn’t know Zavaso had such an ace ready for special occasions.”
In addition to more armor and SRMs, Xiao’s mech had three additional advantages over her ant mech. First, it had an improved engine core 20 which guaranteed faster running speed. The extra running speed would be useful in closing gaps and evading enemy missiles. Secondly, the hornet had improved cooling which doubled its heat capacity compared to an ant mech. Such an increase allowed the hornet to use more of its heat producing weapons and equipment, giving it a bigger burst in combat. Finally, the hornet had two jump jets in each of its legs, allowing it to maneuver through the air with more ease. For the last advantage, Xiao had yet to master it but the young woman could already see the possibilities while she trained.
“Xiao’s hornet lacks MRMs so medium ranged combat isn’t possible. Therefore, she will focus solely on close combat with me. Odds are the two of us will face off against their spider mechs. In order to do well, we must put the spider mechs between us and the enemy bombers. MRMs, unlike LRMs, lack indirect fire. We can use that to our advantage.”
After that, Puhi sent a message to her team to inform them of a template change. If Xiao was going for close combat, Puhi decided that she must as well. She needed to go all in with their approach or they would be destroyed easily. While Puhi updated her team, Xiao walked over to Vesna.
“Do you have more footage of our allied mechs' battles? I’m curious about something.”
“What’s on your mind?”
“I recall Puhi saying that both the opposing squads have perfect records and I know these matches are made with squad rankings taken into account. If the allied mechs are so bad, how did they make it into this match? Sure, we would be matched up with a different squad if they were as terrible as we first believed.”
Given the unreliability of no brand equipment, it should be impossible for two mechs to achieve a ranking that would make them eligible for the match. As Vesna checked quickly, the allied squad was perfect and hadn’t been defeated. For most, the mere mention of no brand equipment would make many overlook the squad, thinking it would be an easy win.
“Maybe that’s what they are counting on,” continued Xiao. “If any team thinks that victory is guaranteed, they would lower their guard and allow the opposition to take advantage. This can be the same situation.”
At the mention of that, Vesna quickly dug out the footage which hadn’t been easy to acquire. For some reason, the footage was well hidden and couldn’t be accessed by most. If it weren’t for Vesna’s decent hacking skills, they probably couldn’t find a trace of the battles. When they watched the first battle, Xiao couldn’t help but be amazed by what she was seeing.
“What are those? Are those allowed?”
Vesna typed away until she brought up the mech overview of the mechs present in the battle.
<
Mech Type: Cicadas
Mech Weight Class: Light
Left Arm (Structure): 20
Left Torso (Structure): 20
Left Leg (Structure): 40
Center Torso (Structure): 40
Right Leg (Structure): 40
Right Torso (Structure): 20
Right Arm (Structure): 20
Armor Type(s): Armor (Cicadas)
Gyro Type(s): Gyro (Basic)
Engine Core Type(s): Engine Core 20 (Basic), Engine Core 20 (Improved)
Cooling Type(s): Cooling (Basic)
Weapon Type(s): Chainsaw, Sword, Light Machine Gun, Small Laser
>
“Are they achieving their wings with the Armor (Cicadas)?” asked Xiao as she pointed to the armor type.
The young woman had heard of certain armor made specifically for a mech but there wasn't a lot of information on the matter. Mech specific armor was rare and generally had very niche functions that made the mech stand out. Considering that she never heard of a cicadas mech before, she assumed this mech could be, like the spider, a new model being tested in a tournament setting. With this knowledge, she realized that the match squads were organized to ensure that the spider mechs would face off against the cicadas mechs. The one winning the match would no doubt get more attention moving forward.
“I’m starting to think our squad was merely a fill-in to make the match more exciting.”
“What do you mean?” asked Puhi after she finished her call.
Xiao shared her discovery with Puhi who nodded her head a few times. Once the young woman finished, she waited for Puhi to finish pacing back and forth. Then, Puhi said that they would still go ahead with their plan. The cicadas could still make their name by getting through the blanket fire from the bombers while the two of them could prove that the spider mechs weren’t as hyped as many claimed them to be. In such a scenario, it was a win-win situation for their side which Puhi was confident their allied squad would agree to easily.
“Sounds good,” said Xiao who was really excited for the upcoming match.