The Kax Arena

For the next hour, Xiao discussed the three loadout templates with Wattan. The three templates were laser focus, ballistic focus and mix focus. The ant mech she piloted for the interview was the mix focus template due to it possessing both a small laser and light machine gun. Out of the three templates, this was the most balanced approach, making it the most ideal in situations where they had too little intel to work on.

“Take a look at the laser focus template,” said Wattan as he handed over a tablet with the information.

Xiao didn’t waste her time looking at the entire loadout. She only checked the right arm and torso where the light machine gun and ammo were originally stored.

<

Component: Right Arm

Armor: 40/40

Structure: 20

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]

>

<

Component: Right Torso

Armor: 40/40

Structure: 20

Subcomponent(s):

2x Heat Sink (Basic) [-1 Heat per minute, 2 Slots]

>

This one has two small lasers and two extra heat sinks. Compared to mixed, this one doesn’t produce extra heat and there’s no concern about running out of ammo.

After taking a quick look at the laser focus template, she swiped on the tablet to access the ballistic focus template. She skimmed through the template until she noticed the changes made.

<

Component: Left Arm

Armor: 40/40

Structure: 20

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]

>

<

Component: Left Torso

Armor: 40/40

Structure: 20

Subcomponent(s):

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]

>

“Light machine gun quantity was tripled and there is 300 extra ammo,” muttered Xiao.

“Once you get through the armor, three light machine guns can do some serious damage.”

Wattan is right! Even against armor, the sheer number can still tear through light mech armor.

“It’s still risky,” said Xiao. “What happens if I’m out of ammo? Light machine guns burn through ammo very quickly.”

“The ant mech can still punch!” exclaimed Ahote.

“It can but it’s not built for it.”

Xiao learned that some mechs were built specifically for punching. Their armor, engine and even arms were configured specifically for punching. The ant mech she would be piloting had extremely weak punches. It was better than nothing but, given that it forced her mech into a range where light mech weapons could excel, it should only be a last resort option.

“What do you prefer, missus?” asked Wattan.

“The mix focus is the safest bet but our opponents are expecting that. If we can catch them off guard with the ballistic template, then we might be able to secure victory easily.”

“You’re the boss, missus!”

With that Wattan gave orders to the two mechanics and they went to work. Unable to assist with the matter, Xiao walked out of the mechbay, realizing that she was never given a full tour of the facility. As she walked down the hallway in search of the break room, Vesna nearly ran her over.

“Are you okay?” asked Xiao as she offered a hand.

As soon as she helped Vesna up, the young woman asked her for directions. Vesna embarrassingly apologized, promising to make up with a tour as soon as she delivered some papers to Isaac.

“Let me come along and meet Isaac then!”

Xiao followed Vesna to the basement she never thought existed. Much of the basement was used as storage space but one room became Isaac’s office. The young woman didn’t get a chance to look inside since the girl merely slid pieces of paper under the door.

“He’s just very busy and rarely meets people,” explained Vesna.

The girl then led Xiao to the break room where they discussed the plans for the match. With two days left, Zavaso booked a space shuttle for her, Vesna and Isaac. They would leave for the space port in an hour so they could arrive by the following morning. Once there, Xiao would be taking the ant mech on simple test runs to ensure that everything worked. On the day of the match, they would meet at the match site where they would make the final preparations. By lunch, Xiao would be participating in her first ever match.

“Don’t be nervous! I got you covered!”

“How much experience do you have as an operator?”

Vesna explained that her experience all came from Operator Sim and she passed all the tests in the sim with flying colors. It took Xiao a full minute before she realized that the girl was referring to a game popular with kids who want to grow up as operators. While the game was made to resemble reality closely, it was still a game that wasn’t recognized by any mech organization. An individual would be promptly booted out of an interview if he or she presented Operator Sim as past experience.

How did she even get the position?

“I applied and got the position,” said the girl angrily. “I’ll prove to you that I’m as good as any other operator outside of tournaments!”

The young woman knew that, in the world of mech competitions, results are all that matters. This was true for her as she needed to make a name for herself. Even in the smaller circles outside of tournaments, a good record could open far more doors than connections. She also knew that Vesna had quite the challenge before her. Like any simulation, the real thing was very different. An operator had to observe the match from the outside and provide important information to the pilot. There was very little room for mistakes. It was common knowledge that, once a mech was in combat, the quality of both the pilot and the operator had the biggest influence on the match outcome.

“I’m sorry I questioned your abilities,” said Xiao. “Like you, I have a lot to prove in the next match. Pilots generally don’t get many chances before they are released from mech organizations.”

“Let me show you what this operator genius can do,” said Vesna as she proudly placed her hand on her chest. “I’ll get you into a small tournament in a few months!”

The young woman shook her head as the thought of getting into a small tournament in a few months was unthinkable. Xiao had researched on the matter before so she was aware of what was needed. The pilot had to participate in twenty matches minimum. These matches could be single or double. The idea of packing twenty of these matches into a few months not only required a lot out of the pilot and operator but the cost of readying the mechs in time for all of these matches was far more than what most mech organizations could handle.

Assuming all of the above is possible, the pilot still needs to achieve a 80% win rate which means the individual has to win 16 of those 20 matches. Easier said than done.

She didn’t even want to think about the relegation matches that a pilot needed to win to even get a spot in the tournament. She could worry about all of that or she could just focus on the upcoming match. With the latter in mind, she asked Vesna if she could use MTS to do some final preparation. As soon as she got permission, she made use of the last hour to get more comfortable. With the convenient reset button, she could repeatedly practice things like jump jets without worrying about the repair costs to the mech. She kept up her practice session until Vesna told her that their ride to the space port had arrived.

How I wish I can practice for another week!

With the help of Vesna, Xiao managed to purchase all the items needed for the trip before they got on the port. The young woman expected to board a civilian space shuttle that would be cramped but, to her pleasant surprise, she boarded one reserved for those with plenty of credits to spare. Isaac was already locked in a room so Xiao once again didn't meat the man. As a consolation prize, she had a warm comfy bed which she fell asleep in instantly. When she woke up, Vesna informed her that they were almost at their destination.

“What were you doing while I was asleep?” asked Xiao after she suppressed a yawn.

“Just busy gathering the intel on our opponents,” said Vesna as she typed away. “The summary should be ready in an hour. Use it to your advantage!”