Aces High
27 May 2019Virtus Vrtra
Virtus slid out from underneath his battered Viper “Mötorhead” and took a deep breath. “I guess that’ll have to do” he sighed, wiping the grease from his hands with a nearby rag. Although he was slated to win the final round, a sense of dread occupied a corner of his mind. Despite the rigorous testing phases prior to the opening rounds of the Viper Pit, Mötorhead suffered a critical overheating issue. Though there were plenty of remedies for such a setback, Viper Pit rules stated that “No major changes be done between rounds.” With the fight set to be planet side, this overheating concern would be crippling in comparison to the last fight in the cold vacuum of space.
After a careful review of Mötorhead’s primary systems and power priorities, Virtus slapped the side of his ship, and started towards the staging area. Though he belonged to one of the most respected fighting forces in the galaxy, he couldn’t shake the obscure notion that something was amiss. He’d read the dossier on his opponent Nicky Line, but never actually flew with her. Technical background in shipbuilding, Lieutenant in Leviathan Independent Task Force. It was impressive.
Virtus stopped dead in his tracks. His introspective preparations were interrupted by a sensation he was unfamiliar with. The floor was shaking, and a dull roar seemed to permeate from all around. Up ahead, the figure of a young woman stepped out from around the corner. She beckoned him closer
“C’mon, they’re waiting for us…”
Bridges Survey had come to life. Spectators filled every window and balcony within view of the competitor’s staging area. The ships that occupied the neighboring landing pads had become littered with blissful fans, as they awaited their favorite combatants to take the stage.
The enormous docking bay doors rumbled, and began to open. Suddenly, the crowd fell silent. The automated landing pad emerged from below, revealing the long awaited rivals and their prized killing machines.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” the announcer bellowed through the loudspeakers. “The moment you’ve all been waiting for. I present to you, your Viper Pit finalists: Virtus Vrtra and Nicky Line!”
The crowd erupted in thunderous applause. Virtus never dreamed there’d be so many people gathered to watch them fight. But there they were, as far as the eye could see. Hundreds upon thousands of people. A smile crept upon his face, and that feeling of dread seemed to wash away. These people were in for a show.
With a shake of hands, both duelists climbed into their Vipers and strapped in. After a few clicks and beeps of the ignition sequence, Mötorhead’s turbines spooled up, and the thrusters roared to life.
Systems: ONLINE
Engines: ONLINE
Weapons: ONLINE
Virtus placed his hands upon the controls, and took a deep breath. He slowly pulled his trusty steed off the landing pad. The ground crew signaled their approval, and he started toward the staging area above the eagerly awaiting crowd. Nicky followed suit in her Viper, “Manasa.”
After a few rolls and boosts to check his control surfaces, that sickening pull of doubt came crawling back. Even with those minor maneuvers, Mötorhead was showing a dramatic escalation in heat. Far worse than he had anticipated. If there was any chance of him winning this, he’d have to strike fast.
The stage was set, and the gladiators were in position. The masses below fell silent. Muscles flexed and knuckles cracked as the warriors stood toe to toe, awaiting the final countdown.
“BEGIN!”
Both ships screamed past each other in the typical “pass and go” tradition, and the fight was on. Manasa and Mötorhead brought their guns to bear simultaneously, and cannon fire cascaded across their shields. Mötorhead dealt significant damage to the weaker shields of his opponent, but after they made their first pass, Manasa’s shields began to immediately repair themselves. Even worse, the over-clocked Mötorhead was already spiking in heat. Thermal energy poured from heat exchangers, as Virtus tried to expel the heat, but it had little effect.
This dance of death continued for several minutes. The withering shields of the Manasa were ready to collapse, when tragedy befell the now red hot Mötorhead. After multiple attempts of fire suppression and heat sync ejections, Mötorhead’s weapon management systems were quite literally fried. His cannons were malfunctioning every ten seconds, rendering the once overwhelming hail of bullets to a pathetic trickle.
A knot gripped Virtus’ stomach as he watched his rival’s shields steadily overcome his now desperate attack. Out of shield cell banks, and his shields failing, Virtus knew the end was near. As his shields collapsed, he primed the ejection system. Manasa’s rounds ripped into the back of Mötorhead, dealing the killing blow. With a heavy sigh, the ship powered down, and the lights grew dim. The canopy blew itself away from the ship, as Virtus safely ejected into the night sky. It was a long way down, so he’d have some time to think about what he’d do differently next time…