[b]Solarel[/b] You’re set up to face Akaithon not in the darkness of space, but in a tight arena within the planet. There’s room to fly, but there’s a reinforced dome ceiling that even the Aeteline would need focused effort to destroy. The walls are light tan stone sloping outward and the floor is flat in the center and then curve up in steps so that it’s like fighting at the base of a great amphitheater. Akaithon has the lance that you wielded in your last match. But something is different about it… [u]A short while earlier[/u] …It was Charon himself who took your call. Dressed now in a navy blue suit that contrasted his cybernetic implants with their red glow. You were somewhat distracted at the party, and of course now you were seeing him through the viewing instruments of the Aeteline, but even so, there was a chance to focus on him and it was an odd sight. The cybernetics ran their own AI, but to a Zaldarian it would be quite a hard one to place in the hierarchy of spirits. It’s subservient to and interacting with Charon’s own brain, but he’s chosen to allow it to run more freely than most AI assistants on personal equipment would run. It’s actually most comparable to the Kathresis or to Smokeless Jade Fires, if you’ve been following her activity. Essentially, this man is running two functional brains on the same overall physical platform, and in a much smaller space than the sort of gods you’re used to. He was all business when he took your call. “Solarel, my dear! We haven’t met properly, but you’ve been a fine associate already, well worth the upfront investment!” His smile was genuine, and when he heard your request about Akaithon, he was quick to check references, quick enough to even stay on the line with you as he made a few inquiries on his own terminal and then put one of his dock workers on speaker for both of you to hear. “…I was working with the Kathresis as ordered. What I heard was that after the theft, Akaithon piloted it out of the gala. She came to us first, the Kathresis had information on its own dock, and the Zaldarian cult immediately followed it to a new berth in a different dock that Akaithon had assigned. A few of us went as well, but weren’t allowed in the new dock, since we didn’t have the same permissions and the deal was with Solarel and not the empress of Zaldaria. That’s what they said, and it meant we couldn’t come in. But I saw some of the work they were doing. It was…mmm I dunno how to say it, Akai seemed a bit how Solarel seemed before. I think being hooked direct into the Kathresis ain’t good for you. But anyway, they were setting up the lance that had been used before, but to link with the Kathresis core somehow. I could tell based on the lines they were using. I think it might work like how that freeze pistol worked. One touch of that lance and anything would go to nearly absolute zero. Probably make it shear right off of any other material from the sudden change in molecular motion if I had to guess.” And there you have it. Charon smiled with the satisfaction of immediate information. Of course, since you still have your same dock and his crew just lost their access to the Kathresis from your last deal, you’ll be giving them access to the Aeteline now. It’s only fair after all. *** [b]Isabelle[/b] You’re deploying in the open plains. This is similar to Kiriala’s last match with Mirror: an open, grassy field full of tall brush but little cover big enough to fully obscure you or the Ginger Tiger. Perhaps the match organizers liked how that fight went and thought that for the semifinals, seeing Kiriala in a similar environment against a different opponent would be illustrative. When she fought Mirror, she used the ground to her advantage, since it offered additional maneuvering angles compared to relying strictly on midair thrusters. Though, there’s a question how much of all this you really studied, isn’t there? After all, a lot of your prep went into yourself. The Zaldarian nanobots change how you see the world. There are spirits of some sort or another in everything. Mostly little heists, automated functions. But to the Zaldarians, these are existing things, animated and acting, even if they have only a single function such as opening a door or operating a memory weave. Having the nanobots offers you a new perspective on these things. They’re not nearly strong enough in just your body to shut down an opposing mecha or anything that grand, and indeed even things like tapping in facilities security were only possible in the Trak’tho facility because they were already keyed to it and had the right passwords and access levels. But what you do have is the ability to see these things in a new light. That vision is something you never had before and it might open new doors of combined Terenian and Zaldarian (and Trak’tho!) engineering principles. You’ve had just enough time to scratch the surface there. And of course, there’s the other sort of personal time. Asil has taken advantage of this opportunity to actually get you somewhat on the regular without causing problems. She hasn’t had to sneak around as much. And what you have found is that she’s a hungry, but gentle lover. She wants, always. She wants kisses. She wants your touch. On her neck, on her chest, on her ears, her cheeks, wherever she directs. And she wants to touch you and make you feel her. But she’s got the sense that you don’t want her to be too aggressive. That you’re a little bit like a wild cat and you might start if there are too many sudden movements. So she works gently to find the right spots, goes carefully over you, probes, asks questions and then asks them again, always listening, seeing how your answers change over time until she finds the right ways to touch you just so. And this too is important match preparation because this may be one of the rare times you come into a bout not totally stressed out of your mind. What sort of greeting does that lead to? *** [b]Dolly and Jade[/b] You are deployed amidst running water. A mountain lake. Broad and deep, surrounded by alpine trees and snow-capped peaks. Clear weather, cool and crisp, a handful of clouds. In another time, this would be an idyllic vacation spot. Incredible as a show-piece of what the Akar Arena is capable of producing. Jacinta deploys visibly across the lake. She’s not known for using a cloak, though she has one if you lose sight of her. But she’s already training cannons on you, setting up a firing solution to end the fight before it’s even begun. She’s got an open comm line immediately as well. “How unlucky for you, goddess. Here, I am the mistress of all fires and your deployment was directly in my sights.” She’s not waiting to fire while she banters either, autocannons are starting up already, and so are the first lasers, which she can fire with abandon without even worrying about ammo unless you force her to reallocate her power to defense. This is, without a doubt, a trap for you. Though of whose devise exactly, it is not clear. There are many suspects including random chance among them. Perhaps it’s simply bad luck that you deployed at Jacinta’s best range with a clear firing arc. Or perhaps this is how Jacinta Niares likes to play it. Her freedom is that the rules and laws of others don’t apply to her, after all. No matter which way you cut it though, you’ve got to claw yourself out of this hole before it’s too late. *** [b]Angela[/b] This is a bad matchup for you and there’s nothing you can do about it. No amount of frustration or pride will help you. The anger that you often feel at being a backwater branch of the second most powerful family in all of TC space doesn’t matter one tiny bit when it comes to the fact that you’re just not up to specs. It’s doubly infuriating because Ada Smith is an “independent free trader” and so her access to superior technology including from the Hybrasilians, rankles with you and your limited access. And that’s the thing, you have limited access. You can get any weapons you need, but Ada isn’t beatable with better weapons, not even a surprise ion burst. She knows those tricks, she wrote the book on those tricks, and has given herself the speed and strength to work around that. It’s an outclass of mind as much as it is of technology. She’s wary and she’s motivated and god in another context that would be so goddamn hot. It’s one of the things you like about your relationship with Dolly and Jade. You get to be their villain, to make them think about you all the time, even when you’re not there. To loom large in their life, for both fear and revenge. If that means sometimes you have to accept a little humiliation, that just gives you cause for further strikes and them cause for renewed attention, does it not? That makes you smile to consider. The games they play are something special and you’re glad to have found them. They help you think more creatively too. Which is why you’ve done nothing special for Smith at all. Let her see nothing and thus expect everything. If she looks for you at every corner, then when you strike her in the face, you might just land a blow. At least, that’s the hope. You still have to worry that even without seeing it coming, she’ll have the reaction speed to block it anyway. *** [b]Mirror[/b] It is Maelia who picked you as a partner. Apparently she was really excited to co-cast with another Hybrasilian. Something about understanding each other’s cues better. When she joins you, she’s wearing a fisher cat station suit in a light yellow, a far cry from the fancy dresses of the ball and instead something comfortable and easy for her. She has a lens in one eye, feeding her information, giving her one regular golden eye and one that’s glowing with a blue-green tint from the text being fed to it. Her shaggy mane is tied back in a neat bun that won’t get in the way of someone examining equipment. She is known for having lived long stretches of her life in border space stations (one of the things that led to her getting so good as a mecha pilot). “I picked the match with Dolly and Jacinta for us to commentate, I hope that’s okay. I uh, figured the match being all Hybrasilian would get everyone back home kind of excited. Plus, Jacinta comes from basically the opposite end of the galaxy from me, and I’m really hoping to see some new tech. I’ve studied up a ton on her weaponry and its balance, but the Roar’s got something special up its sleeve and I think Dolly can at least get her to use it!” She blinks, looks a little bashful at already having gotten into the tech side of things. “How about you, Mira, any particular standouts you’re looking for here? I hope I didn’t presume too much.”