The Klarn Mecha By Pat Willis#224534

A unique site to Novum Dolorum the Klarn is often just called the Novum mecha. It was first discovered by Novum security pilots, and a few mecha pilots as it speed across the landscape looking for resources to pick up. Eventually the sightings got to be rather common and resource theft started to become a problem. Novum defense grids were useless in keeping the intruder out as it flew by, or through them so fast no one had time to register they were there.

Eventually a fighter squad was sent to tail the Klarn once it left Novum orbit, to see where it went, and what it was up to. The squadron tailed it back to an asteroid belt on the edges of Novum space, which was when they discovered a majority of the asteroids were actually hollowed out rocks containing colonies of Klarn mecha. When the squad was discovered they were set upon by thousands of Klarn and brought down in short order, all except for one who managed to make his way back to Novum to tell what had happened.

It was agreed to try and get these mecha under control as an actual flying mecha was unheard of and could provide quite useful to Novum security forces. Many attempts were tried, many failures were had. Soon the Novum forces began to wise up and started to put together squads of Jadoon and Yallan mechs, figuring given the design of their targets there had to be some relation. Freighters were loaded with make shift drop pods, and were sent off to the asteroid field. When they got close in proximity they were set upon again by an angry swarm of Klarn mechs. It wasn’t until they started to deploy their cargo that the flying mechs backed off and stood down.

Once the Yallan and Jadoon subdued the Klarn a closer look could finally be had at what makes this mech tick. To start with the Klarn is surprisingly light, only coming in at 25 tons, and seems to sacrifice the majority of its expansion slots for maneuverability. It runs multiple gravity conversion engines within its chassis to manipulate the gravity around it, effectively in most atmospheres making it very light and agile. Or a large group of Klarn may cluster together and turn the gravity all the way up in space to simulate a black hole and crush their enemies by proximity alone.

The Jadon is the soldier of this family of mechas, the Yallan is the armored division, and the Klarn fills the role of recon scout. Fast, capable of flight, lightweight, and small size are all integral to the mechas survival and success. It shares the same swooping back armored look as the other two with the singular eye dead center of the design. Although this design is made with Niobium and not Vanadium for its nerve bundles for increased response time and outfitting of superior weapons platforms on such a small mech. Its singular “eye” like its other two bigger cousins is a multi-wave sensor unit, but this one has a emanation tracking ability to it so that it may follow its quarry to the furthest ends of the galaxy if need be.

The carapace due to the design reduces, and almost eliminates radar profile; however it leads to missile vulnerability like the other two mechas in this family. Where the other mechas in this family have engines dedicated to weapons system powering, this mecha has eliminated the double back guns in favor of a smooth design. It has pincers on the top and bottom front of the mecha for capturing and carrying resources, as well as for closing them together out in front of it while flying to do a corkscrew type of maneuver, which burrows through most planets crusts, and many mecha when it is flying top speeds. These mechs favor lasers for their main weapon load out, although traditionally not as strong as their bigger cousins, the inbuilt niobium makes for some tantalizing possibilities in the form of weapon placement and load out.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

The Return Of Kellek Part 2 By Pat Willis#224534

My on board environmental suits computer was going nuts with read outs across the H.U.D. in my helmet as I struggled to breathe in the grasp of this creature calling itself Kellek. It was some kind of bio mechanical construct, with the thought box lodged inside of it. From the read out the creature was nano tech mixed with bio tech through and through. The readings stopped making sense after the detection of the thought box, I was gasping for air as the creature studied me. Just as I was about to pass out I was dropped onto the floor of the lab. I looked up to see the creature shifting, as tendrils of a doughy skin like substance reshaped it into a human form, granted one that retained those odd cross shaped pupils but aside from that it looked very human.

“I know who you are and why you have come here; you would be a thief and steal that which gives me life.” It addressed me. “This will not be allowed I hold within me the thought box of Kellek, I will not be stolen by the likes of you sub creature. I can read within your mind you know what a thought box is, also you have created a few for yourself. I also can read that the original Kellek has long since passed, I am but one of many contingencies he left behind, for all intents and purposes I am now he. Tell me why you have come here to steal my box, and why I should spare your life?”

I felt icy fingers in my brain as it probed me telepathically, picking out the words from my head as it learned English in a short amount of time to communicate with me. Still gasping and coughing from its vice like choke hold I finally managed to answer; “There…there is another Forerunner who threatens this galaxy once again. I thought if we could find your kinds secrets we could fight back. Your name is known to me, as the Niodemancer Johnathan Judas mentioned your involvement in the creation of the Ignis mecha.  This galaxy is threatened by one who calls himself Drochah oh-Shyrengh’ar.”

This seemed to give the newly risen Kellek pause as he considered my words, as well as probed my brain deeper for the truth behind them. He seemed to relax a little and even cracked a smile across his reformed human features. “Drochah you say? That sad and sorry excuse for a warrior actually threatens the Galaxy? I have been gone much too long if that is the case. If his weapons were as big as his ego or his words were bullets then perhaps I could see him as a threat. As is he is a ghost out of time insubstantial, appearing through the corridors of history, the future, and the present.”

I finally had enough strength to return to my feet and just stared at this bio mechanical construct blankly, I soon felt the return of icy fingers through my brain as it took all of the information related to the perceived threat on the galaxy.

“Yes human he is not as strong as you may think. He was a warrior who thought if he could build an empire in the past he could reign for eternity. Time travel, parallel dimensions, such were child’s play to my race.   The fool was no scientist, he was warrior caste. This means he was all brawn, little brains. He got himself struck in the time stream forever bobbing in and out of history, the present and the future. He only exists in one eternal now. His goal was to pick and groom the best and brightest from history, train them to be his army, then set them loose upon whomever he perceived as an enemy. He was a fool and now is paying for his lust for power by being stuck in time.”

“Yeah well for a stuck in time fool, as you put it, he is raising one hell of a ruckus and raiding on the various clans from this here and now”, I informed him.

Another smile creased his human like features, “This is an interesting development, one I had not foreseen. You have awoken me, given me valuable information, for that I shall allow you to live.”

He crossed the lab in a handful of easy strides and quickly punched in a sequence on his machines side panel which started the whole lab humming again with power. “I will take my leave of you now, there is much to see and do in this new era of man. I suggest you hurry back to wherever you came from as this lab is not long for this world.”

As he spoke the lab started to tremble as if an earthquake were passing through it. Blinding light poured from cracks that the tremors wrought in the walls and ceiling. I scrambled to my Frigis mecha in a massive hurry to get out of there. His mad laughter echoed in my headset as Frozen Dream pulled an about face, heading quickly to the entrance I had made. I got through the door and about a half mile away I turned Frozen Dream to look back on where I had just run from.

The entire cliff face was rumbling, white light spilled out from numerous cracks in the hanger door, soon the entire cliff was engulfed in the light and a deafening explosion occurred reducing the whole structure to so much rubble.

Through my communications array I was addressed one final time. “Fear not human, time and space are my kinds play things. I am already half a galaxy away in another lab. Tell the inhabitants of the here and now Kellek has returned, and I will suffer no fools to get in my way.”

I turned Frozen Dream to head back the way I had come wondering to myself exactly what have I set loose upon the galaxy and what would be the ramifications of this reawakening. I hauled ass back to Black Watch HQ, the clans must be warned, we must prepare. There is a very real threat loose now, the only consolation I have is that this new threat opposes the old one. But how long until that is all resolved, and who will be the victor? How long until a new threat comes to pass? What will have to be sacrificed to beat it?

End

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

The Return Of Kellek Part 1 By Pat Willis#224534

There are some definite bonuses to having a “wild” Regis mech with Forerunner files in its on board memory. Like the location of old weapon caches, Niobuim deposits, and secret bases. My Regis A.I. Wocky brought it to my attention that she had deciphered the location of one of Kelleks labs, supposedly containing thought boxes of actual Forerunners. Now no one in their right mind would install those on any of the beast mecha given how much of an unknown variable such a find would be. However the data that could be found, in theory may open up a huge advantage for the one who holds such information. Always looking for an edge for both myself and my clan I decided to head out and see if I could track down this lab.

Not knowing what I may run into I loaded up my Frigis Frozen Dream with the coordinates and set off for the edges of Shogunate controlled space. It took a few gate jumps, and a chartered freighter to drop me on the dead mud ball of a world in the ass end of nowhere. This world had no real designation other than K4978. I set Frozen Dream at a run upon touch down heading towards the designated area. The landscape was barren, the skies ravaged by storms, and blinding lightning lit my way as I headed ever closer to my destination. Frozen Dream plowed on through the rain and muck for a couple of uneventful hours until at last we came to a large cliff face. I started up the scanners and saw that the cliff was actually an armored hanger door. Not knowing how else to gain entry I powered up Frozen Dreams weapon systems and made a door for myself.

Inside was a lab of some sort just like the files from the Regis said there would be. Large machines whose function I couldn’t even begin to guess at adorned the walls. I made a quick check of my environmental suit, and got out of my mecha to explore. There were beakers congealed with unknown goop, long dead specimens in cages, and equipment everywhere you looked. On the far left wall was what looked to be a storage unit that still had power going to it. I figured this must be the X that marks the spot, and set about cracking the unit.

It didn’t take that long to hack the security protocols as Wocky had given me a skeleton key program she had found along with this location in the files we uncovered. Once I got through the security the lab itself went nuts. Power came on to the entire lab and everything started up. It was a chaotic assault on the senses after the total silence that had reigned here for untold centuries. Ignoring the commotion for now I looked inside the storage unit. Sure enough there it was. No bigger than jewelry box, with specks of niobium weave running through the ferronite shell, a real Forerunner thought box. I reached in to claim my prize which is when the trouble started.

Defense drones detached from the ceiling heading right for me, about twenty of them. I had nowhere to run, and knew my sidearm wouldn’t be able to stop them all. The drones seemed intent on the thought box given the way their optics were following the movements of my hand. So figuring it would probably be best to put it back and reassess the situation, I slowly put the box back in the storage unit. They seemed to lose all interest in me at that point which allowed me to back up and get out of the way as they all converged on the unit. They formed a wall of sorts cutting me off from the thought box while one went into the unit and actually grabbed the box, only to fly off down the corridors of the lab.

I gave pursuit of course I hadn’t come this far too lose my prize now. I came upon the drone a few minutes later as it was putting the box into some kind of machine. Huge generators stood to either side of a central chamber which held odd symbols, blinking lights, and what looked like a large Tesla coil. As soon as the box was in place the generators started to hum as they powered up, energy arced from them to the coil, and the air was alive with the static thrown off from this machine. Towards the top some kind of containers filled with an odd fleshy looking substance started to depress like some large needle giving the machine an injection. Steam began to hiss and pour out from seams in the side of this thing whatever it was. I stood there fascinated trying to work out the purpose of all this when suddenly the machine simply stopped.

It was as silent as a tomb in the large cavernous room until a door started to hiss on the side of the contraption and opened up. Curious I walked forward and peered into the haze trying to see what was in there, I was brought up short when a large brownish grey hand that shot forward out of the murk and grabbed me by the throat. I was lifted up off my feet as the being inside walked forward; I was soon staring into a pair of cross shaped pupils. “Hello human, I have slept for long and long, you have awoken me so I won’t kill you yet there are things I must know. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Kellek reborn.”

 To be continued…
 










Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Black Rain Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

A solid niode based missile system for levels 25 and up. It will cost you 375 Ferrite, 175 Bioptics, and 25 Niodes. Bulk buy is an option here with 5 for 100 niodes no restriction or limitations. It deals straight damage of 31, has a speed of 92, and the ability of Fork at 60%.

For a lower level weapon the Fork ability is rather high and sold at a reasonable price all things considered. You can get the same ability at the same percentage in the Adv. Fury Rack at level 15, but this has  substantial damage hike and is a point higher for speed. Oddly enough the Adv. Fury Rack has limits on how many are owned while the Black Rain does not. As usual you can amp up the ability damage by smart equipment load out and build bonuses for your mecha. All in all a solid investment and with such a high percentage of fork you will see damage being doled out far and wide.











Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Tales From The Campfire Part 2 : Does My Bum Look Big In This Mech? By David McCallum#701548

The safety catch was just sliding off as the undergrowth exploded in a spray of leaves and snapping branches…

The group rushed into the clearing, arms waving frantically.

“Hold your fire!” yelled, Kev from the back. “We’ve got beer!”

Somewhere along the line, Kev had become a veteran. You could tell by the fact that he ran in a few steps behind so that if there was trouble, it could happen to somebody else first.

Mac raised the barrel of his pistol and slid the catch back to the safe position, the sour look on his face silently demanding an explanation as to why his privacy had been disturbed.

Kev looked back sheepishly.

“I saw you had been rostered on night patrol, so I figured I’d bring the guys out for a field craft exercise so we wouldn’t have to put up with another surprise kit inspection by the Colonel,’ he explained. “We brought steaks too,” he added.

Mac raised an eyebrow as he re-holstered his weapon while the others fanned out into the clearing, taking up spaces around the fire and making themselves comfortable. Gampy Bob, who had come to mech piloting far later in life than the rest of them. Mike, Stan and Peter, the relative newcomers who had shipped in after the recent clan merger. ‘Leg Humper’ Eric, the regiment’s sneak attack specialist, struggling with the supply crate they had brought with them.

Eric half dropped the crate on the ground and straightened, putting a fist into his back to crick the vertebrae back into place. “Yeah, I noticed that too,” he stated, oblivious to the fact that they had come within a hairs breadth of having their heads blown off. “How come the ‘surprise’ inspections only happen when you are out of the barracks?”

Mac shook his head, giving in and making the best of the situation with a small sigh, then answered as neutrally as he could.

“It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement that suites all parties concerned,” he said. “The Colonel doesn’t need the grief and in return, I don’t need to pretend to give a monkeys.” He shrugged, then lowered himself back into his original seat.

The older Heroes glanced at each other and shrugged, accepting it as a perfectly reasonable explanation, however Mike looked troubled.

“Why don’t you guys seem to get along?” he asked. “Why do you stay together? I mean, I know folks drifted away in our last clan, but all the other Clans like the Smurfs or the Bunnies, they are all about how close they are as a family. Family this and Mom and Dad that… but all you guys seem to do is bicker. Why are you together at all?” He trailed off looking unhappy.

The older heroes had the decency to look uncomfortable, all except Gampy who sucked on his gums for a few seconds before replying. “Y’see son,” he began, “family is all about bickering. Always has been. The natural state for a close family to be in is a good old fashioned feud. That’s the way it is, an’ we just bicker better than most. It’s when we start acting friendly that you know somebodies in for a world of hurt… providing of course somebody hasn’t raised the DEFCON level by being… polite..” He nodded at his own wisdom for emphasis. “Cards anyone?” he added hopefully, pulling a well thumbed deck from his breast pocket.

Stan’s eyes brightened at the suggestion, until Eric laid a restraining hand on his forearm. “Word to the wise bud. Heroes rule number 47. Never get into a card game with a cheating old goat when he is wearing a long sleeved shirt.” He tapped the side of his nose in a knowing gesture, while Gampy shrugged resignedly and started to deal himself a hand of patience.

The supply crate was duly opened and Stan set about the task of skewering meat ready to roast over the coals while Kev passed the beers around.

Waiting for the hiss of his opening can to subside, Mike then carried on the conversation. “Look, can I ask something on the understanding it’s not going to get back to the big bosses?” His eyes darted around the group, looking for approval to continue.

“Sure, why not” replied Kev.

Mike relaxed visibly, glancing at the others who had come with him from their previous clan. “Look, we’ve all been wondering this. Just never felt comfortable asking. You know that we traveled light in our last clan… kept the mechs to a minimum, sold off old gear for new, that sort of thing. But you guys seem to hoard every piece of kit you come across. Not just multiples of useful stuff, but everything, even the junk. Why?”

“Because it might be useful one day” answered Eric, scratching an armpit and trying to shrug at the same time.

“We got caught out badly with the Specialist War and had to scramble to re-purchase stuff we’d sold off,” continued Kev. “Most people got caught out the same way. We just bit the bullet and did our best under the circumstances, and now we make it a policy to double check before we ditch stuff so we don’t get caught out again.”

“I can accept that,” Mike responded in a tone that meant he didn’t really, and was confirmed by the next sentence. “But I mean, I’ve seen your guy’s hangars. You’ve got mechs in there that make even Gampy Bob look young… no offense intended,’ he quickly added.

“None taken,” Bob replied mildly, pausing in the process of laying a black jack on a red queen.

Mac smirked as he relaxed back further against the log. “You’re talking about my Fides, the Urachnia, aren’t you?” he inquired knowingly, glancing across at Kev. “She’s a special case.”

Mike’s face was confused as he looked back and forth between the two pilots. It was Kev who responded, his voice a half chuckle. “Friend, you are in the presence of the only pilot who got off Vupa 6 with a niode mech and his skin intact, and without cash changing hands or a bullet being fired.”

All eyes swung expectantly towards Mac, who glanced around the group before sighing resignedly.

“Ok, It was like this,” he commenced, signalling for Kev to throw him another can. “I was pretty new to the clan, and still didn’t have my act together. I did a run to Vupa and got caught off guard by Mad Mulligan and a few of his boys. They jumped me, and dragged me back to their camp… Mulligan kept going on about how I was going to be his ‘new best friend’ and ‘what a fun time we were going to have’. That sort of thing.”

He paused to open the can and take a slurp. “They kept me overnight but I managed to get free. Only got as far as the hanger before it was discovered though, so I had to act quickly. I managed to hide away for a few minutes under one of their mechs that was getting some repairs done on the armor plating. The very Fides we are talking about in fact. Just before they got me, I managed to grab hold of one of the spray paint cans they were using on it, ripped off the label and wrote ‘Pinkalicious’ on the side of it.”

There was a slight pause in the narration while Mac waited for Peter to finish choking on his beer.

“So they hauled me out,” he continued, “and Mulligan was going to shoot me on the spot. But I pointed out that since we were best friends, he needed to let me have one last request. Since the guy is seriously not playing with a full deck of cards, he saw sense and agreed.”

“So I asked him to tell me why he had a pink mech… He looked confused and said, no, it’s grey. I said, no it’s pink, look. I even showed him the can. He was still really confused, so I sprayed the word ‘pink’ in big grey letters on the floor…”

“By that time he was looking reeeally confused, so I whispered in his ear and said, Look, my best buddy, none of the rest of the guys wanted to tell you that you had a pink mech, but as your best friend, I felt it was my job to.”

“And pink really isn’t your color, it makes your bum look big, and all the neighborhood cats are laughing at you…BUT,” he paused, raising a finger for emphasis, “since I’m you best friend, I’ll smuggle it off the planet and no-body will ever know, because that’s what best friends do.”

“And to think they have the cheek to call me a cheating old goat,” Gampy said to himself, shaking his head and laying the four of hearts on the five of clubs.

“So was that one of the high points to your year, was it?” asked Stan, earning himself a hard look from Mac. “Uh Yeah, sorry,’ he hastily explained, “we had heard at least a bit of your diary stuff. Sorry, couldn’t help it.”

Mac looked around the group grudgingly, then shook his head in acceptance. “Yes, that was a high point. There were some lows, but there were other high points as well…”


to be continued...

Submitted by David McCallum#701548

Double Sleet Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

This little ice weapon is for levels 26 and up, it will cost you 390 Ferrite, 312 Bioptics and a simple 10 crystal. Bulk buy is an option here with 5 for 40 crystal no limit or restrictions. It does straight damage of 27 with a speed of 98 and the ability of Wild.

Wild is a fun weapon ability as when it goes off it can hit any mech you are facing in the opponents current line. It is faster and deals out more damage than the Icy Blast, is only a couple points behind the Blue Reaper in damage and speed, and is your last crystal weapon choice before you hit level 30 and up weapons. You never really know where this weapon will fire off or at whom. I personally like the wild ability as it can go off an hit the one mecha you really need to kill, but is still hanging in there. Or it can go off and hit a mech that has so far been undamaged, no real way to tell until it happens. A solid weapon all around and at that price you really can't knock it too much.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Mech Review The Rook By Steve Ross#162076

FIRE SUPPORT!!! WE NEED FIRE SUPPORT!!!...

How often have you heard this cry from your enemy? How often has the need for artillery been required? Exactly; More often than you care to remember. At best, and with a standard line up, it is a desperately needed commodity. Well, the answer is not a million miles away. Ladies and gents, we give you 'The ROOK'!

Looking like the love child of the incredible Hulk and a cherub this two legged wall of noise is a one pilot shooting range with strength, resilience and gusto. The Rook weighs in at 75 tons and delivers where the rest are found wanting. Your crew member needs to be of level 51 with the needed piloting skills. It will set you back to the tune of 18500 ferrite, 16000 bioptics, and 140 niodes (prices best served chilled).

In answer to the cries for a Shocklite on steroids for the higher player, this behemoth pitches it's trade to the missile and rocket based market. It is the power-lifter of the mechanized warrior. It's stocky frame has numerous ports and bays for a plethora of the self propelled weapons of mass destruction available to the combatant.

From the point of build she will offer up a +5% to missile damage, possibly due to it's deployable stability rams in-built recoil compensators. As you level it up it's un-nerving speed minus depletes and gives way to a handsome wide fork ability of 7%, a general purpose shield of (18) and a lovely laser shield of 12%! So she can't duck and dive like a ballet dancer, but she can take a punch and still look the bad guys in the eye.

Resilient, reliable and tough to crack, the Rook is a real Mammoth in the auxiliary fire department.
Pro's: Tougher than a solid oak gum shield. Generous on supporting fire. Excellent leveling bonuses.

Con's: Not the fastest player on the pitch. Not ideal to use en masse. Not the greatest for weapon versatility.

Verdict: As a single member to a line it can drop fork and power right where it's needed, but don't leave it alone to become a bullet magnet. A tidy addition and worthwhile buy.

Submitted by Steve Ross 162076

Magmolator Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

For players who like a gamble at level 43 and above we have this fire weapon. It will cost you 1,600 Ferrite, 1,300 Bioptics and 20 Crystal, or bulk buy 5 for 80 Crystal with no restrictions/limitation. For abilities it has a splash of 2%, and this is what makes it a gamble Kickback at 20%, for odds of 50% damage. It has a straight damage of 40, with a speed of 101.

In reality the percentage for splash is very minimal, and running anything with kickback is never really a good idea. You can go a whole fight and never see it go off, however when that is the mech you need up and running that is usually when it'll blow up in your face. Plus for 40 damage it isn't really worth it. You could go down to the Firebolt weapon (available for level 37 and up) take five off of damage for 35 straight damage, and one off of speed for 100 speed rating, and no abilities.  At least that way with mecha build bonuses and smart set up of equipment you can run the weapon at a higher damage rate than listed and not have it blow up in your face and take half a mech with it. Some people like to play risk/reward, if you're one of them than this weapon is for you. For the rest of us who would rather not blow ourselves up however there are plenty of other options.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Tales From The Campfire By David McCallum#701548

Part 1 : Dear Diary…

The solitary figure adjusted the sleeve of his combat fatigues and spoke into his wrist communicator, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb the peaceful darkness.

“Personal log, Lieutenant Davey Mac of the Heroes”, he paused, gathering his thoughts as he used a stick to stir the coals of the campfire that fought back the night-time chill. A cool breeze rustled the trees overhead, creating odd light patches in the undergrowth from the twin moons above. He settled back against a moss covered fallen log.

“Guess it’s been a busy year. Started out as a jobless bum, and found myself somehow in the cockpit of a mech.” He smirked to himself, “That was a life changer. Hole up overnight in the wasteland in what you think is an abandoned hover-car and then the damn thing wakes up, shakes off the rubble and starts walking around. Who’d have thought I was one of the small percentage of people the things will respond to?”

He pursed his lips, trying to formulate the various recollections, staring sightlessly into the jungle night as his mind’s eye replayed long ago images.

“I remember my first contact with another pilot, back when I was scrabbling for salvage and learning the trade. Being introduced to the pilot exchange network, where we could swap drugs, drink and other tech. My first foray into dueling, and scraping enough to buy my first new mech… well, not exactly new, it was a clapped out second hand Red Ant, can’t even remember what I called it now… that was a mistake when I sold it, of course I didn’t know it at the time. Who the hell would know that low tonnage mechs would be a major part in Clan Wars now…”, he shook his head and chuckled.

“I’m getting ahead of myself. Oh yeah, dueling. Must have done something right because I got noticed, probably when I outstripped the Highlanders top dog on the Galaxy Wide daily kill table that time. Damn, but I was mercenary back then; first come, first served. Heroes put their hand up first….”

A rustle in the undergrowth made him glance up sharply. “Pause recording,” he murmured, scanning the shadows for signs of movement. The camp fire had played havoc with his night vision and he wasn’t well enough acquainted with the terrain to know what movement or sound was out of place. Stare too long at an object in shadow and it would always look like something else.

It took a good minute for him to be half satisfied that there was nothing untoward. There was always the possibility that wildlife could be too dumb or get too ambitious for things to get interesting in a very quick and nasty way.

 “Ok, resume,” he murmured, still keeping a wary eye on the jungle. “Heroes, right. Well, H2 to be exact, under Jay Dubya. Couldn’t find my arse with both hands and a map back then. Completely missed the muster for my first Clan War. Turned up at the free for all and came out with a spanky new Cindron… that went down like a cup of cold puke,” he grimaced at the recollection.

“So back to school, learning how to do this job properly. Resource gathering, force configuration, large force battle prep, all under the watchful eye of our beloved Colonel Todger, ‘insert deity of choice’ bless him…” he muttered. “Anyway, he must have done some good, because I did far better in the Clan War I did actually turn up for.”

His brow furrowed as he tried to sort the time frames out. Less than a year but more than a lifetime ago.

“We must have picked up Trav and Sheila back then, because I served alongside them in Brigade during the First Faction Wars… well, the Trav clones at least after he had his run in with Drake and we rescued the resulting offspring from the gestation tanks. The others got shipped up to the Legion with H Prime. Except Big Col who got lost and ended up with us of course. That was a big learning curve for all of us, courtesy of our new found friends in the Brotherhood. Came out like a bandit with the loot from that job. Those mechs are still in the line now, thanks to a top 5 kill rating. That was pretty cool.”

“We picked up The Don after that. Sharpened up on the tricks we’d learned, and came out big. Took our first Clan War gold. Real shame the final match up was against the Exiles who trained us up in the first place, because they deserved it just as much as us. Ah well, they aren’t doing too shabby now so I guess it all comes out in the wash.”

He took a moment to throw another piece of wood on the fire, enjoying the way the damp caused sparks and sputters, watching new flames caress and dance across the fuel.

“That earned us all a promotion up to Prime. What honor does that give you? Well, it’s the honor of getting your ass shot at with bigger and more powerful weapons… oh, and the honor of getting shouted at by Todger face to face rather than across a vid-link. Life’s like that sometimes.”

“Almost didn’t make it to the next fight. The Specialists. Half our drop ships got lost in transit, I only arrived at the eleventh hour, most of us had jumped 3 divisions with the promotion and nobody knew what the hell was going on. We came out of nowhere and took another gold against the odds.”

He paused to glance up at the nearby mech standing sentinel over the small clearing, the same Red Ant he had piloted in that conflict. Then stopped sharply, catching the untoward ground movement again out of the corner of his eye.

Keeping his voice low, he whispered into the wrist link, “Pause recording. Dolly? I need an active scan of the immediate area. What’s out there that I need to know about?”

“Sorry Sugar” came back the female voice in its sultry tones. At least the A.I. had picked up on his voice tone to use low volume. “Y’all got your Ant with you. Best I can do with the cockpit gear is make a cappuccino”

“Yeah, like I just said, life’s like that sometimes,” he grinned mirthlessly, shifting his weight to ease the large caliber sidearm from its holster. The safety catch was just sliding off as the undergrowth exploded in a spray of leaves and snapping branches…

Submitted by David McCallum#701548

Oxidizer Spray Weapon Review By Pat Willis#224534

A great flame weapon for higher level pilots (minimum level of 92), and best of all it is crystal based. It costs 2,000 Ferrite, 1,300 Bioptics, and 68 Crystal. Or you can bulk buy 5 for 272 crystal with a limit of 60. It has a damage of 64, a speed of 101 and the ability of Burn at 10%.

With the sheer amount of flame using mecha out there this weapon will always be able to be installed on pretty much any weight class. Although it does great in heavier mechas like the Yallan, Ignis, Gigus etc. The speed is decent, the damage is pretty good for a crystal weapon actually, and the burn ability is at fairly decent percentage..for a crystal weapon. Slower but more damage than a Chemthrower, more on par with  a mag chain for speed but surpassing any crystal weapon in its category to date for damage. As always damage can be bolstered by smart equipment load out and build stats. Keep some of these on hand to turn up the heat on your opponent.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Weapon Review Bunsen Burner (Elite) By Deborah Hudak# 289133

One of the newest niode weapon drops came this week in the form of fire. With a better than average damage of 37, this weapon will keep you competitive. The top speed of 102 may help ensure you fire first. For a fire weapon, that's in the overall mid-range but a nice speed considering you need only level 10 to buy this elite weapon. If you're looking for an extra point here and there, the Bunsen Burner should be on your list.

Double bonus is the trademark for elite weapons and this one is no exception. As you might expect, burn is the first bonus at 3%. Crack your opponents armor as you set them on fire. If you're lucky enough to own a Zadok, this will fit nicely. There is also a 2% chance your 3x damage will kick in, turning your hit triple digit. Added to your hoplites or axe bot, you can maximize this bonus. Nothing beats 100+ hits at level 10, get yours today.










Submitted by Deborah Hudak # 289133