The training officer clapped a hand across his face and shook his head slowly in despair. "Son, we've been through this scenario a dozen times. It's a basic advance and attack simulation against a column of pirate Red Ants. You are in control of a Luison. Your mech is designed for rapid attack in the lower level classes. Technically you should have accidentally wiped out the hostiles by now. So far the closest you have come to the objective was losing control of your drive systems, sending the Luison slewing into the lead Ant and knocking it into the following two. You have a direct hit record of one, and that was cause by you firing your assault plasmas blindly whilst attempting to activate your decoy flares. Please, PLEASE! Tell me what it is you find so difficult." The desperation in the voice of the trainer was verging on begging.
The trainee pilot shrugged and turned his palms towards the ceiling. "I dunno sir. I done the sims on the pursuit an' escape programmes an' had no grief. This is jus' confusin' 'cos them Ants come atcha like a bat outta hell. It ain't easy focusin' on 'em all man", he moaned. The instructor waved a hand dismissively and the rookie slunk away. The instructor picked up his training files and looked at the list. "Okay, let's have candidate Tarrin Brosheer to the seat please", he shouted.
A gaunt six foot figure stepped out of the huddled group of waiting candidates. Tarrin was a native of the Novum system, and seemed to exude a stoic confidence in her abilities during training thus far. She had shown an uncanny proficiency in the fields of sniping and support and had been ear-marked by the instructors for advanced tuition in solo roles and artillery function. She glided soundlessly into the simulator seat and calmly connected the neuro-harnesses.
The instructor stooped and cleared his throat. "Okay trainee Brosheer, I would like you to initiate start up sequence and proceed into the simulation arena. Once there you will be besieged by 6 Red Ant hostiles in pyramid formation. Your task is to take advantage of your terrain and defend against their offensive. You have command of a Luison with laser and plasma weaponry. You may wish to take a moment to familiarize yourself wit......" Tarrin held up a hand. "Thank you sir", she said, with a clear imperious tone. "I have taken the time to make myself fully conversant with this mech class. I should like to begin immediately if this pleases you".
The instructor paused for a second. "Very good. In your own time then Brosheer", he said, and stepped back from the console. The young pilot secured her cross-yolk and fired up the machine. With as close to no hesitation as possible she steered the mech out of the entry dock and brought in the accelerators as though she had been born in the cockpit. Ahead on the vis-screen the simulated images of the advancing Red Ants appeared.
Tarrin opened the Luison's left air brakes and rolled her craft to the enemy's flank. A burst of ion-fire screamed by but Brosheer was far to quick for the A.I. to compete with. The first Red Ant erupted into flames as a plasma burst from Brosheer struck it between the cockpit and the chassis modules. It keeled backwards, only to be hit squarely in the pilot's dock by an injection beam shot. This spun the mech on it's feet as it fell, and brought it neatly beneath the feet of the two Ants directly behind it. The 3 mechs went down in a confused heap, and were immediately peppered by Brosheer's lazerizer batteries, crippling them permanently. The three remaining Ants broke left and right to avoid their fallen counterparts. The single Ant moving to Brosheer's left had it's power-plant smashed to pieces by a red plasma blast as Brosheer accelerated in a clockwise arc, stiding through the helpless enemy and knocking it to the floor.
With no propulsion means to correct itself it crashed into the earth and out of the young pilot's mind. The final two Ants, wheeling around to her five o'clock position, came to an immediate halt and attempted to turn to face the Luison's sweeping charge. To little too late. Brosheer came in hard on the nearest Ant's right side, opening it up with a volley from her injection beams. It's power core was exposed, and a shrieking bolt of red plasma detonated it's reactor. The explosion spat the rapidly separating mech segments back-over, in turn tearing into the furthest Ants hull and shutting it down.
Brosheer, without pausing, gunned her mech ahead and pulled it to a halt back in the entry dock. In the simulator she powered down the machine and unhooked her neuro-harness. She calmly stood up and handed the bout's data disc to the training officer. "Thank you sir", she said to the awe-struck officer, and walked back to her place in the lines of waiting prospective pilots. The instructor stared at the disc for a moment, closed his mouth, and made one quick comment on the recruit assessment file; 'Outstanding'!
Submitted by Steve Ross#162076