Mechwarrior: "Days of the Jackal"

[Maerdwyn]

Malcolm nods. "That is what the notice says. However, if they were simply building a stable for competition in the Games, it seems like some of the...flashier... candidates would have made it this far. Some of those outside seemed like minor celebrities, at the least. And while I am sure that the two of you have superlative piloting skills, I would say that I...I have not yet reached my potential. I am just wondering if they may be looking for something other than the 'next big star' of the Solaris Games. What do you think, Mr. Mayne?"

 

[Mike D F]

Samuel nods at the answer.

"Bad luck. I do know what that's like. Why I'm here, as well."

"Lady luck gave me a swift kick in the balls. Took my 'mech, a good 40 percent of my body mass, my wife, my daughter, my home, and my career."

He pauses, "Sorry to whine at you ma'am. Been a long day." He's almost apologetic about the rant.

"So, I take it by your standing here, you did well?" He jerks a thumb in the direction of the door and the sims.

 

[Festy_Dog]

"A Maruader Mad-3D. I do like heavies but I practice with that one because that's the mech I actually have."

Kevin opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, but found nothing to actually say. In the end he just raised an eyebrow and stroked his dark red goatee. The goatee itself was an interesting contrast to his brown hair.

"Umm, ok," was all that came out of his mouth.

Kevin shook Malcolm's hand without much thought on it, and while Malcolm and Ryan conversed for a minute Kevin was left a little dumbfounded by Ryan's prior claim. The kid was naive enough to actually seem convincing, but where he would have gotten a Maurauder, and how he would've afforded it left Kevin mightily confused.

"That is what the notice says. However, if they were simply building a stable for competition in the Games, it seems like some of the...flashier... candidates would have made it this far. Some of those outside seemed like minor celebrities, at the least. And while I am sure that the two of you have superlative piloting skills, I would say that I...I have not yet reached my potential. I am just wondering if they may be looking for something other than the 'next big star' of the Solaris Games. What do you think, Mr. Mayne?"

Kevin was following the conversation for the most part, but he was also trying to make sense of the things currently in his head. He answered without much forethought.

"Hmm? Oh, the reason they're recruiting? Well you see-" Kevin suddenly realised what was coming out of his mouth, and who it was going to. He paused abruptly, then continued, "I know some of the people here. They're just looking for some new blood to inject into the games as far as I know. Shake things up a bit I guess. Sorry if I seemed a bit distant there, occupied with other things."

Kevin smiled.

"I know what you mean about piloting skills though. My usual profession is that of a medic. Makes me think they want some character in their gladiators these days," he says with a shrug, pressing on with the conversation.

 

[Radiant]

Samuel nods at the answer.

"Bad luck. I do know what that's like. Why I'm here, as well."

"Lady luck gave me a swift kick in the balls. Took my 'mech, a good 40 percent of my body mass, my wife, my daughter, my home, and my career."

He pauses, "Sorry to whine at you ma'am. Been a long day." He's almost apologetic about the rant.

"So, I take it by your standing here, you did well?" He jerks a thumb in the direction of the door and the sims.

There is a moment of genuine compasion in Yurikos eyes. And a lot of pain as if she knew exactly what Samuel was talking about. It doesn't last long before her practiced friendly and neutral mask covers it again.
"You won't honour the dead like this. You can only fullfill their last wishes. And in the end what does your own carreer matter compared to that."

Very thankfull about the change of subject her gaze follows his direction back to the simulators.
"In fact I did not. I lost my mech in a direct battle with a Dark Hawk. It seems to me that they evaluate who here has at least the qualification of an academy pilot and at least at that I must have passed."
She supresses a sigh.
"...barely..."
The group around Ryan catches her interest, she is pretty sure she saw one of them pilot a Phoenix Hawk. Even though that machine could be nothing compared to Ikazushi the number of other pilots of this mech type at home had been very limited.
"I have been traveling through space for over a year without much chance to practice. Still there is no excuse for allowing such weakness to spread within oneself."

 

[Douane]

The doors open into a set of smaller rooms. Formerly the kitchen and storage area, these have been rebuilt into wide office rooms housing now a small museum and a large conference room. Quite contrary to the front hall the exhibits don't celebrate the Dark Knights cooperative, but tell the history of mech duelling on the Gameworld from the days of the Star League Gunslingers to today. Centerpiece of the whole thing seems to be a small piece of 'mech armor-plate which, according to the attached legend, comes from the Zeus of Oliver Two Horse, the only non-consecutive champion ever.

Milling around the place you see about twenty other people and your best guess would be that they are, like you, real professional mechwarriors. Judging from their fatigues, some of them are former warriors for one of the Successor States, while others are rather experienced mercenaries, if the patches they wear are to be believed. Plus the usual oddballs, of course.
However, what you don't see is one of the Dark Knights or anyone else to give you the promised "pointers".

(Judging from their aimless strolling and the small-talk you happen to overhear, the others have realized the very same thing and are just spending some time away from the busy hall. The free drinks and snacks on one of the desks help, of course.)

 

[Douane]

"I hear that some of you are comparing your scores. Don't."


The calm voice of the 'hall overseer', who seems to have entered the back rooms a bit behind you, fills the area.


"The simulators were set up to allow each of you to choose training courses according to their own training and experiences. Thus your scores and kills won't be directly comparable.

I'd probably not need to emphasize this, but the standards for mech training vary greatly throughout even one Successor state. And crossing the border means a whole different game. For example, the difference between the standard training sims of the Federated Suns' Albion and the Lyran Commonwealth's Nagelring just couldn't be greater, despite their common origin.

So, view the results you hear with caution and don't judge your self too harschly by them."


A a few glances into the various rooms and an eyebrow-rising later, he makes his way towards one the doors marked "private".


"Just a moment, please. The man you came to see will be with you shortly."

 

[Drakknyte32]

"That was wierd, but at least something is going to happen soon. I wonder what kind of pointers they'll give us."

OOC: Ryan, like the completely Naive kid he is, doesn't get that this is anything more than a bit of extra help.

 

[Radiant]

"Is it custmary on this world to let people wait without even telling them what for?
Yuriko asks Samuel with a bit of confusion.
"I do have time but surly some of these warriors must have more urgent matters to attend to."
She looks at the armor plate of this Two Horse without any idea who he might have been. In fact the whole exhibition doesn't ring more bells in her than the previous one.
She is sure these people are not recruiting gladiaotors, or at least not for the games she has seen on the screens outside. But there is sense in asking more questions as clearly no one here knows what is going on, so she just waits silenty.

 

[Maerdwyn]

Malcolm was about to respond to Kevin when the Dark Knight spoke. After listening, he smiles slightly, and says to the two men, Ryan in particular: "Well, Tongzhimen, I am sure we shall find out their full purpose soon enough." He feels oddly unsettled about this process, but tells himself, Relax, you've only been in here a few minutes - there's nothing strange about waiting for and interview...if that's what you're doing. Still, he finds himself scanning the group, trying to discern if any of the apparent applicants(?) circulating about the room making small talk might instead be representatives of the Dark Knights sizing people up, unawares. He also tries to note any cameras that might be viewing the room. As he does so, he says pleasantly, "So, Mr. Mayne, you are a medic? Do you work here in the city?"

 

[Festy_Dog]

"That was wierd, but at least something is going to happen soon. I wonder what kind of pointers they'll give us."

"Ryan, by now you're the only person in this room who still expects to simply get some pointers and go on their way, and thats if anyone did in the first place," Kevin says, "There appears to be a little more to it than that."

"So, Mr. Mayne, you are a medic? Do you work here in the city?"

Kevin was surprised by the question, as he usually found himself to be the one asking.

"Yeah, after my contract with a merc company expired I came here and made ends meet by playing doctor with injured pilots and their sick relatives. I've also done a bit of mech duelling on the side, but not much," Kevin explains, "What about you? How've you kept busy?"