The Kax Arena

Xiao pushed a cart full of batteries towards Bay C. The maglev tracks on the ground removed the backbreaking part of moving the cart throughout the mechbay, allowing Xiao to move even heavy components to where they were needed. Given that this was a holiday, the mechbay was short staffed and she was left with tasks she normally wasn’t responsible for. As she approached Bay C, the mechanic working there waved his hand and ran over.

“Thanks for the help,” said Vinod. “You saved me so much time with all your deliveries.“

“You owe me one,” replied Xiao.

The mechanic before her wore gray coveralls with a gray tool belt. The headgear was a welding helmet that made the man look almost like an alien seen in movies. Large carbon fiber toe boots had mini thrusters underneath that could provide the user more maneuverability. A black backpack provided power to all the tools while also providing AC to the user to prevent the individual from overheating. Vinod, after verifying that all batteries were present, pushed the cart beside the battle armor to unload the goods.

“Good luck with your work,” said Xiao. “It sucks that you have to work overtime to meet the deadline.”

Xiao left as soon as she saw the thumbs up from Vinod. She would only get in his way if she stayed behind because, unlike Vinod, she lacked the training to work on battle armor. In addition, the young woman had plenty to keep her busy with her own list of tasks. Due to this being a holiday, she could use the VR simulator without interfering with any pilot’s training. When Xiao stood before one, she went through her own toolbelt to locate a piece of data disk.

Let’s see how good this tutorial is.

As a novice pilot, Xiao had mastered the basics following a challenging entrance exam. The exam was the first step for any individual who wished to become a pilot and compete in the tournaments. When she prepared for the exam, Xiao still had to rely on books and videos. Since then, the development of the data disk became the new and improved method of preparing examiners. The young woman was fortunate to be selected as a tester of the tutorial to provide feedback. Once she got comfortable in her seat and placed the VR headset on her head, she selected the start button.

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Welcome to Pilot Training Tutorial!

By the end of this tutorial, you will have learned all the basics a pilot needs to begin training on an actual mech. This tutorial is broken down into multiple modules and you may revisit the modules whenever you need a refresher.

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Module 1: Mechs

A mech is an armored combat vehicle that comes in various shapes and sizes. Most mechs only require one pilot but there are special mechs that require up to four pilots. Before a pilot can compete in tournaments, the individual must first acquire a mech, either through purchase or lease. To know what mech to pick from, the pilot must first understand mech weight classes.

Mech Weight Class:

There are six mech weight classes in tournament settings: battle armor, light, medium, heavy, assault and superheavy. Each weight class has its pros and cons but the main factor of what weight class a pilot takes is one’s wealth and abilities.

Battle Armor:

Battle armor weight usually falls between the 0.5 and 5 ton range. While one can argue that battle armor isn’t a mech, tournament rules included battle armor in the weight classes to better organize matches. Compared to mechs, battle armor is a lot cheaper and is the only option for those who cannot afford a light mech. Pilots in battle armor are usually participating in matches that simulate battles so it’s not unusual to see hundreds of pilots in battle armor at one instance. Battle armor also poses the most risks to the pilot.

Light Mech:

All mechs weighing from 15 to 35 tons are classified as light mechs. They are typically lightly armed and armored but they more than make up for that fact by their speed and maneuverability. Pilots of light mechs have to make split second decisions because even a single misstep can result in defeat. Due to the low armaments and armor of light mechs, repairs and maintenance are generally on the inexpensive side, making light mechs a good budget mech for most pilots starting out.

Medium Mech:

All mechs weighing from 36 to 55 tons are classified as medium mechs. They possess more armaments and armor than light mechs but they lose some of the speed. Many pilots agree that medium mechs hit a good balance of speed, armor and payload, thus granting them more versatility over other weight classes. In terms of budget, medium mechs are generally the most cost effective out of all the weight classes when comparing tournament earnings and mech expenses.

Heavy Mech:

All mechs weighing from 56 to 75 tons are classified as heavy mechs. They sacrifice most of the speed boasted on medium mechs to obtain better armor and payload. Generally, the weapons on these mechs are mid to long range so the lower mobility doesn’t stop them from landing hits on their targets. Heavy mechs are designed to take and inflict damage. Therefore, one must have large funds to repair and maintain these mechs for tournaments.

Assault Mech:

All mechs weighing from 76 to 100 tons are classified as assault mechs. They basically have no mobility compared to the four lower weight classes but their armor and firepower are sufficient in drawing crowds. Nothing draws a bigger crowd than assault mechs unleashing their full weaponry at each other. Due to the extremely high costs in building, repairing and maintaining assault mechs, these mechs are generally limited to successful pilots with the backing of big sponsors.

Superheavy Mech:

All mechs weighing at or above 101 tons are classified as superheavy mechs. These are generally experimental mechs that require two or more pilots. The purpose of these mechs is to test the limits of mech development. Most pilots will never see the insides of these mechs as only a select few pilots with the right skills, backing and connections can earn a spot within a superheavy mech.

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Xiao reluctantly removed her VR headset, knowing that she couldn’t afford to finish the tutorial. There was simply too much content and she had priorities. With the data disk safe in her possession again, the young woman returned to her cart. She opened the list she uploaded onto the cart before making her way to the warehouse. She wasn’t exactly thrilled with the task of restocking the shelves but she knew the importance. Once the holiday was over, all personnel would be returning to work and they needed to meet the tight deadlines of getting mechs ready for combat. Any delays would be very costly for the entire organization.

Better get the shelves stocked first. That should take a few hours.

Several trips of carting the components from the warehouse to the respective bays later, Xiao took a quick lunch break. As she ate, she checked the list to see it had greatly shortened. The list only appeared long due to the numerous shelves. Once those shelves were addressed, only the components more specific to the bays were left. Different mechs had custom components that weren’t seen in many other mechs. Depending on the tournament, pilots might even put in requests to change out their loadout to get an edge on competition. Unlike the shelf components that were purchased in bulk and generally well stocked, the custom components were harder to come by due to the difficulty of keeping inventory of them.

I sure hope the shipments arrived this morning or we won’t be ready for tomorrow.

As Xiao learned since she joined, her organization, while a respectable one, lacked similar resources as some of the bigger organizations. Therefore, there was no guarantee their ordered components necessarily arrived on time. It wasn’t uncommon for delivery companies to prioritize the highest bidders to take a bigger cut from their deliveries. As a result, her organization had to tackle its schedule with that in mind. Things might not always go their way but they must be adaptable to make their deadlines. Just as in the tournaments, things generally didn't go the way one expected.

“Let’s see if we got lucky this time,” said Xiao as she pressed a button.

The conveyor belt turned on and the newly delivered goods came in one by one. Xiao checked off the arrived items until the conveyor belt was empty.

A 70% arrival rate? That’s higher than normal. Maybe our luck is turning around…