Focused Icer Weapon Review

This crystal weapon has a minimum level of 35 associated with it and will run you 525 Ferrite, 420 Bioptics, with 15 Crystal. No limitation to how many you can have and you can bulk buy 5 for 60 Crystal. This weapon has a speed of 90 with a damage of 37 that packs the ability of freeze 3%. A great little middle of the road ice weapon for your ice based mecha.

It is affordable crystal wise, although you will most likely outgrow it quickly and move on to bigger and badder weapons. For the time you do need it however it can be a rather formidable weapon and even out the odds rather well. It's cheap, available fairly early on, can be augmented ability wise with proper equipment/mech build and you're ready to rock and roll.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Hyper Amp Weapon Review

The Hyper Amp laser weapon has a minimum level of 51 to attain. It will cost you 1,000 Ferrite, 2,000 Bioptics, and 50 Crystal. It has a limit of 80 and a bulk buy of 5 for 200 Crystal. It has a speed of 100, damage of 46 and ability of Slow[2]. Not a bad weapon really and goes well with laser based mecha like the Bishop, some of the new dino based mechs, and the Jadoon, not to mention the lower tonnage mecha as well.

The speed is decent not super fast but not real slow either it is about middle of the road across all stats really. This is a crystal based laser weapon so it doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the niode based lasers but in a pinch it will do the job and shoot the enemy dead. Really what more can you ask for? Of course equipment will make all the difference in the total output of this laser.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Address The Masses

Thunder cracked over the night sky of Novum Dolorum. This hostile world of conflicting weather formations had been designated the training grounds for the coming faction wars. Across it's surface, beneath the vast electro-storms warping it's heavens, various clans dug in and set up their bases in lieu of the battles ahead. Shade of mountain and depth of ravine offered housing for the numerous titans that would, in the coming days ahead, shake the very ground upon which they all stood. The ebon darkness that encased the planet would soon be split by the brilliant fractures of laser fire and atomic lesions of war.

Many had stood this event in the past and many had survived. Of course, there were those who still bathed in their victories, and those who yet hungered for either glory or vengeance. Time was a telling mistress and the future was a witch who weaved her magic, but the present... oh, the present was a whore of contemplation and longing.

Earth-breaking explosions split the silence and, on a local scale, the curses and praises of technical advance and failure rang out across the wastes. Soon the reckoning would come. Many had re-formed as they once stood during the first faction wars. Others? Well, they had found new homes beneath fresh banners.

In the camps and bastions the possibilities of prospective foes were weighed and considered. Line up's were juggled and specialists tested and regulated their formations. If such a hive of activity could be measured it would give cause for our greatest scientists to re-evaluate many theories. This will be a cataclysmic event of monumental proportions; In the air hung the words: "Let the games BEGIN"!









Submitted by  Steve Ross #162076

Firing Speed Explanation

You may find yourself as a pilot wondering what the heck is up with munitions in Mecha Galaxy.  I've a simple explanation for you as to why laser weapons fire slower than projectiles... You see, slugs reload in a magazine, clip or are fed mechanically along in a belt, and this makes sense.  The reason it takes awhile for laser weapons to shoot is that they have to charge up. This pumping and amplification cycle must occur between shots and takes a rather high amount of energy.  One cannot argue with the results though... it's quite nice having beams that can cleanly punch a hole through the hull of an oncoming enemy mecha.  Missile weapons are traditionally slow and this has to do with their physics as well... without external mechanisms to increase their speed, the primary reaction of propellant combustion's exhaust providing thrust is how they are driven, which means a low starting velocity with constantly increasing acceleration.

Some special engineering in newer classes of missiles has increased their speed to a respectable 99 to 100 which in of itself is something many arms manufacturers are rather proud of.  Supercooling the materials used to freeze enemies with ice weapons involves some complex chemistry, generally a rather complicated series of reactions of an endothermic nature rather than the quick exothermic combustion reactions between fuel and gas that are typical of fire weapons.  There are some exceptions, mind you, as certain fire weapons that are slower involve heating controlled emissions of volatile gas mixtures, for example.  Overall this is generally believed to be the reasoning behind why weapons have the firing speeds that they do.

Submitted by Mycobacter#712744

Chronysis Rail Weapon Review

This one is for the big boys and girls starting at level 96, it will cost 2,300 Ferrite, 900 Bioptics, 57 niodes, with a limit of 45 or buy in bulk 5 for 228 niodes.It packs a damage of 115, speed of 107, with 3x damage at 30% and precision of 9 for abilities.

Pretty obvious as to why this is a bigger level gun given the damage it can deal straight up not to mention factoring in the 3x damage. Speed wise it isn't a slouch either at 107 it is a pretty fast weapon, with built in precision it's a nice deal all around. Couple this with other cockpit equipment pieces that offer up high precision stats and you have a monstrously accurate weapon on you hands with high damage and fast speed. Win, win all the way around.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Reinforced Plating Equipment Review

This piece of equipment is for mechs 70-90 tons, and will cost 400 Ferrite, 333 Bioptics, with 70 Crystal. It has a Trample Shield at 38%, Shield [5], and speed of -4.  For a piece of shielding equipment and crystal to boot it isn't bad and you would expect heavy extra armor to slow you down some so the drawbacks make sense for this piece of equipment unlike a lot of other equipment out there.

The trample shield is especially nice to see on a crystal piece of equipment, the added shielding isn't too bad either so over all this is a nice little piece of equipment. It could have a place with many mechs within its tonnage range and do some real good, well as long as you don't mind slowing down because you put it on.

Submitted by Pat Willis#224534

Jim's Review: What You Need To Know About Transitioning from Division 9 (Levels 1-9) To Division 8 (Levels 10-18)

Division 8 comes with a lot of things to consider.

1. Niode/crystal income. Just about everything good requires one or the other, so if you want to progress, think about where your niodes and crystal will come from. You can get a few extra niodes from Battle: Circuit Fights after reaching level 12, or by purchasing them (remember mechagalaxy.com gives bonuses to niode buyers!) A bit of crystal is available from your personal crystal farm, but for the amounts of crystal you are likely to want, you probably want to make Facebook friends. Be sure not to send out too many Facebook friend invites, or Facebook may lock you out of your account, or at least start asking inconvenient security questions.

The following links can be helpful for Facebook players.

Mecha Galaxy Players is for players that play the game. Check out whatever new announcements are made (limited edition items, events, &c), chat with other players at https://www.facebook.com/groups/262520027198092/

Mecha Galaxy Honor Guard is for players that want to staff other Honor Guards / have their Honor Guards staffed. Staffing your Honor Guard gives you in-game combat bonuses, so is a good thing. Joining another's Honor Guard has them automatically join yours, and gives free bioptics to boot. Find this group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/275081472605927/

Mecha Galaxy Free Agents is for players without a clan that are seeking to join a clan. It's always nice to find others with shared interests, and other clan members may offer helpful advice if you want. Besides, some events are clan only, so think about joining one! https://www.facebook.com/groups/506464962769038/

2. Would you like to gain levels quickly or not? What's quick and what's slow? If you're making niodes/crystal faster than you can spend them, and have the absolute best mechs, weapons, and equipment you could possibly have for your level, you're leveling slowly. If you're piloting a bunch of Anzu and Red Ant mechs to fill out your roster because you don't want to spend niodes/crystal for anything better, you're leveling quickly. You'll likely fall somewhere in between; exactly where is up to you.

If you're leveling slowly, you're spending a lot of niodes/crystal on costly weak mechs and equipment that won't help much later except in restricted events. However, the event prizes you can win, especially for first place gold or second through tenth place silver, can help a lot at lower levels. Your event performance is good, but your raw game power increases very slowly.

If you're leveling quickly, you may have crystal or niodes, but you're not spending them. Perhaps you're waiting for higher tier mechs and equipment, and leveling your cheap mechs to complete missions. When you eventually spend crystal and niodes, you get a few very strong mechs to go with the rest of your weaker ones. Your raw game power increases as fast as possible, but your event performance suffers as your power isn't on par with other players of your level that didn't deliberately take the fast track.

You don't have to worry much about whether slow or fast is "right" or "wrong" for you. If you go slow then want to go faster, you can speed up. If you go fast then want to slow down, you can do that too. You can't rewind the clock and lower your level to go down in divisions, but if you went fast to begin with, at least you won't have spent a lot of niodes/crystal on weaker mechs/equipment.

Choosing to go fast or slow affects how you will want to spend your niodes and crystal. If you're determined to stall, you'll likely invest heavily in mechs and equipment. If you're determined to push, you'll try to squeak by with whatever you can, reserving most of your niodes and crystal for stronger mechs and equipment available after you level up.

3. Planning mech builds becomes a lot more useful. The choices in Division 9 (levels 1-9) were limited, so it was hard to really go wrong there. But in Division 8 (levels 10-18), leveled mechs have more equipment slots, and equipment itself is more differentiated, making effective combinations possible. Weapon speed starts becoming significant. From fastest to slowest, those generally are projectile, laser, fire, ice, then missile.

There's a random element in determining what fires first, but speed makes a difference. Simply, you either want to fire first, or survive enemy fire so you can fire in turn.

How does mech planning work in practice? For example, the Shocklite is a decent Division 8 mech with high bonuses to missile damage and a lot of equipment slots, particularly a Shield Slot at level 11 that helps it survive. The weakness of the Shocklite is a bit less obvious. The Shocklite, at 20 tons, can only use the first generic tier of shields for 0-25 ton mechs. The difference in damage mitigation for the 0-25 and 25-50 ranges of niode shields is pretty steep. All shield slots are not created equal!

That doesn't mean the Shocklite is bad, it's still quite good. But it does mean you're likely to want other mechs in your lineup too.

4. About now is when you want to slow down on spending skill points for leveling up on energy, and plan for the future. The Heavy Mech skill becomes available at level 10; the first applicable mech you normally see is the Fides at level 23. (Exception: If you purchase niodes at mechagalaxy.com, you get bonus mechs, which may mean you have super heavy mechs at low level.) But you need 5 points in Heavy Mech to pilot a Fides, and you only get 2 points for leveling up. So you need to think ahead and start leveling Heavy Mech at level 21. Similarly, you need 15 points in Heavy Mech to pilot a Namtar at level 26; if you want to pilot a Namtar as soon as it's available, you'll again need to spend almost all new skill points in Heavy Mech every time you level up, starting early. This is all even more so for niode buyers that get bonus mechs from buying niodes on mechagalaxy.com, as those bonus mechs may be a lot heavier than normally available to a player.

Since most of your points in Division 7 (level 19-26) are going to be spent on Heavy Mech, now is the time to start thinking about spending points on things other than energy. You haven't wasted points on energy to this point; you likely want energy anyways for Battle: Circuit Fights starting at level 12. But you likely want to start specializing in damage for one or two weapon types.

I don't suggest armor. Your opponent's mechs have equipment to prevent and regenerate damage. If you can't overcome damage mitigation, your mechs are shot down while your opponent's mechs live, so you lose. Armor doesn't help overcome damage mitigation. Stronger weapons do.

Distributing points evenly across weapon types is much the same; weak weapons don't help overcome damage mitigation, only strong ones do. Concentrating points in one or two weapon types makes a big difference. To use a simplified example, suppose you have a weapon with 10 damage, and your opponent has gear preventing 10 damage per shot. If you have a skill bonus of 10% to weapon damage, you do 11 damage instead of 10, less your opponent's 10 prevention = 1 effective damage. If you have a skill bonus of 50%, you do 15 damage instead, less the 10 prevention, for 5 effective damage. So in this example, increasing weapon damage from 10% to 50% increases damage from 1 to 5. That isn't a 40% increase in damage, it's an increase of 400%! In practice, you don't get nearly as much of an increase in damage, but the same rough principle applies; it's likely more useful to specialize than to generalize.

If concentrating weapon damage is so useful, why not put all skill points into a single weapon type? Some do. Others, though, want to diversify a bit. If you only do good projectile damage, and your opponent loads up on projectile shields, you're in for a tough time. On the other hand, shields that are strong against projectiles make a mech more vulnerable to lasers. So things become a bit interesting. Maybe you spend some skill points in lasers, and equip a few lasers to your mechs. Or maybe you anticipate your opponent will think you're going to go for lasers, so you use missiles instead.

In closing, these four things - where you get crystal/niodes, how you choose to play, understanding how mechs, equipment, and weapons work together effectively, and thinking about allocating skill points in advance of leveling up - are things to consider when moving into Division 8 (levels 10-18). Hopefully this article has been of use; I'll follow in a few days with a review of mechs/equipment for levels 10-18.

Submitted by Jim Lee# 843365

Jim's Review: What You Need To Know About Mech/Equipment for Levels 1-9 (Division 9 players)

I recommend saving niodes and crystal to purchase heavier mechs or to take advantage of weapon / equipment sales. Ferrite and Bioptic costs are generally ignored through this review, as they are relatively easy to obtain. Most niode/crystal equipment at this level isn't worth its cost, as you quickly level up, and will want those niodes/crystal for better mechs and equipment.

Cockpit: Cup Holder boosts kill power, costs no niodes/crystal. Better versions available but cost crystal/niodes.

Chassis: Light Torso Plating gives Shield (4) at a cost in speed; Reinforced Joints gives Dodge (10). Neither of the previous cost niodes/crystal, and better versions are available but cost niodes/crystal.

Engine: Block Charge boosts Speed, costs no niodes/crystal. Better versions in niodes/crystal.

Shield: Different shields are available at no cost in niodes/crystal; each grants protection against one type of weapon damage (laser, projectile, missile, fire, ice) at 34%, and gives vulnerability to two other damage types at 12% and 10% respectively. The niode versions grant 44% protection and vulnerability to only a single other damage type at 12%, and Shield (6). If you're having trouble in a match against a particular weapon type, get the appropriate shield; it can make a load of difference. Although I still recommend caution in spending niodes/crystal, niode shields *are* really great.

Red Ant: No cost in niodes/crystal. 20 start armor, 1 weapon + 1/6 levels. Good laser damage bonus, but fragile. Gains cockpit slot at mech levels 8 and 18, which boost kill power, but do nothing to help with fragility. Not much use against most opponents as they simply die too fast.

Anzu: No cost in niodes/crystal. 25 start armor, 1 weapon + 1/7 levels. Decent laser damage bonus and low proj. damage bonus, but fragile. Has Kickback, which may damage the mech a bit, but this is negligible against most opponents (against weak opponents it doesn't matter; against strong opponents the other characteristics of the Anzu are more important). Gains chassis slot at 5, engine slot at 12 and 20. This is your go-to mech if you don't have crystal/niodes. The chassis slot lets you gain Shield, which is good against very weak opponents, or Dodge, which is better than nothing against stronger opponents. Engine slots boost Anzu speed even more, allowing it to fire first (and so possibly inflict a bit of damage before it's destroyed.) Generally better than Red Ant, as it survives longer with Dodge, but still the Anzu is usually best used only if you don't have crystal/niodes for better mechs.

WarHorse: Costs niodes, then 3 niodes per upgrade; 30 start armor, 2 weapon + 1/5 levels. Low bonuses to various weapon type damage, has 3X Damage and Freeze chances. Cockpit slot at 3, shield slot at 7, chassis slot at 17. This mech is often sold off, as higher level players find niodes better spent on equipment or other mechs than leveling this. However, this mech has the distinction of being the first mech to gain a shield slot, at level 7, which may make a difference for players planning to stay low level to level up their mechs. (I don't recommend for or against staying at low level, but apart from the low 3X damage and Freeze abilities of the WarHorse, the shield slot at level 7 distinguishes this mech.)

Axe Bot: Costs niodes, then 3 niodes per upgrade; comes free if purchasing $25 worth of niodes on mechagalaxy.com (follow link in-game). 35 start armor, 3 weapons + 1/5 levels. 3X damage, Crit-Kill, Speed bonus, Shield (3) very quickly. Engine slot at 6, chassis slot at 14, engine slot at 16. There's very little a 20-ton mech can do with engine slots apart from speed bonuses, and the chassis slot is probably best directed towards gaining more Shield, which allows the mech to remain a bit relevant at higher levels. Although tougher and hittier than previously listed mechs, and having some nice bonuses, Axe Bot is still outperformed by higher level mechs, so you may not want to invest in this too much. Still, Axe Bot *does* come equipped with the Fist of Fury projectile weapon and an Air Shock missile weapon, which are very good; particularly the Fist of Fury's 38 damage 111 speed. Apart from limited quantity niode weapon sales (which granted do show up regularly) you still can't get comparable weapons until around level 19, including weapons you get on other mechs you purchase.

Shocklite: Costs crystal, then 1 crystal per upgrade, 45 start armor, 3 weapon + 1/7 levels. Very good missile bonus damage, cockpit slot at 5, shield slot at 11, engine slot at 18. The cockpit slot makes this mech even more killy, and the shield slot helps survivability at higher levels (though notice you can't get the shield slot until level 11!)

LEVEL 10 MECH: Hoplite: Costs crystal, then 2 crystal per upgrade, 55 start armor, 3 weapon + 1/7 levels. Low chance of 2X Damage and Freeze. Has assorted damage-specific Shields as leveling up, shield slot at 6, chassis slot at 9, engine slot at 13.

A player that starts an event in division 9 (levels 1-9) remains in division 9 until the event expires, even if leveling up to 10 or beyond. That is why the Hoplite is listed here; along with the Shocklite, it's a crystal mech that early on features a Shield Slot. Unlike the Shocklite, the Hoplite isn't focused on missiles, but instead has added general purpose abilities.

LEVEL 11 MECH: Nerio: Costs niodes, 50 start armor, 3 weapons + 1/5 levels. Small bonuses to various weapon types, Precision, 3X Damage as leveling up. Cockpit slot at 3, shield slot at 7 and 14, engine slot at 9. With multiple shield slots available by mech level 14, the Nerio can be pretty durable, especially with niode shields of the appropriate type.

In closing - if you've decided to camp out in levels 1-9 to try to get multiple small Division 9 prizes, the WarHorse might be worth considering. However, this should only be considered by players that are *really* determined to stay at low level - the 80 XP bonus you gain from winning 2nd through 10th place will push you out of Division 9 pretty quickly, then you'll have spent a lot of niodes on a very weak mech.

If you've decided to stall a bit in levels 1-9, build up crystal for a Shocklite mech for as soon as you hit level 10, and niodes for equipment and/or other mechs. But watch out for leveling right through a division; you can jump from Division 9 (level 1-9) through Division 8 (Level 10-18) into Division 7 (level 19-26) in a few days, especially if you invested points in energy, used stimpacks, and watched a few videos for energy. Jumping two divisions means you might not be able to place top ten, or even top twenty-five in your new division, so you won't be able to secure those division prizes any more - your old mechs just won't be able to keep up with iMechs and Ogguns or what have you.

Submitted by Jim Lee#843365

Niode Gate Mapping II

Dorien wasn't any closer to his goal of getting this last gate mapped than before and now he had the problem of this massive ship sticking out of the ground. Calling his troops around him he started to give orders. “Long Bow and First Strike” split up the men and each take a side of the ship, I want everything holo mapped and photographed, note anything unusual but don't go inside until I get there....come on, you guy's know the drill now MOVE OUT! He watched as the men formed two teams and headed for the grounded ship, now maybe he could get some work done.

Stepping out of his mech he squatted down, he started to examine the gate and the ground around it keying in note's on his wrist data pad. Metallic composition of unknown origin......slight golden sheen.... has a musical tone when activated. He was certain he had heard of this before if only he could remember where....oh well, it will come to me,it always does he thought.

Immersed in his work he heard sound's of heavy mecha footfalls behind him but he didn't turn around to see. Come on you guys...I gave you a direct order now obey it! The next sound he heard wasn't as pleasant (the sound of weapons powering up) Getting his full attention he turned vary slowly around to see a rather beautiful lady smiling and looking down the barrel of a extremely deadly looking gun. It’s ok she said to her force which were now powering down, it's Dorien the gate mapper, I hoped I would find you here I need this month's issue of the gates.

Sure, just finishing it up Dorien said putting on his best smile and trying not to look frightened as he suddenly knew who she was... (The Mantis wanted in 10 sectors) He remembered the holo posters description of how she could use her over productive pheromones glands to make any man do her bidding. She was also called the kissing bandit..... kissing but no telling because there was no one left alive to tell. Just let me fire this off to my publisher and I’ll make you a holo coin copy.

Pilots are his best customers and of course they got a copy free because it was either that or death. You don't know the name of this rock do you? he asked matter of factly handing her the freshly copied holo disk. Tolobin came her reply, at least that is what the stones in the ruin 18 clicks west say. They go on to tell of the fallen one that came down from the sky killing and enslaving everyone that was not smart enough to leave the planet. I think his name was Kellek or something like that and he met a man from the future name Droh, but that couldn't be who we think it is could it? I mean Drohchah oh-Tryehgr and Kellek on the same planet …...too spooky for even me to think about. Well it's all there in the stone's record if you want to look for yourself, but as for me, I have to run.... oh and as for that ship she said pointing to the ship sticking out of the ground a big waist of time …. nothing of value there and I should know.

Dorien was still pondering the implications of her last few statements as she and her crew stepped into the gate and vanished. Just then his data pad started to vibrate. Longbow was on the other end and screaming AN ARMY IS HEADED YOUR WAY! ….wait, they seem to be gone now Longbow said, as he beat on the long range sensor with his fist. You done over there boss? Yes, Dorien said in a most annoyed voice and headed your way... oh and thank you Mr. obvious! He didn't give Long Bow the chance to question his meaning or try to explain but visions of security drills danced in his head upon returning home.


Reaching the ship, Dorien called his team together to review their findings. First Strike was the first one to offer his holo disk and as Dorien watched chimed in with “hey boss this part I think you will be particularly interested in”The image of a large glyph on the side of the ship hovered above the holo disk. Dorien watched the other disk's in turn but nothing else out of the ordinary was discovered. I think I will have to call in a favor to find out what this glyph means he said as he punched on some keys on his data pad.

Moment's went by then a poor reception of a image of Drake appeared. “ Drake here, what can ... crackle.... crackle... for you?” “Oh hi Dorien, crackle....crackle...just ...crackle... minute.” “There, how is that....Better acknowledged Dorien. Drake continued “The radiation in this universe that I am exploring coupled with the strange gravity is making a mess of things.” “Maco and I are rather busy at this time can you be brief ?” Yes exclaimed Dorien, “what do you make of this” he said, holding up the image of the ship and glyph to his data pad. “Wow! Where did you find that?” exclaimed Drake! “On Tolobin, so what is it?” inquired Dorien “It looks like you have found a Niode Gating ship and a old one at that” came Drake's reply . “The glyph on the side of the ship is very early forerunner and translates to the number eight.” “I'm very interested in your find but I’m afraid you caught me at a bad time, but keep me informed,” with that he signed off.

Dorien thought this was a good time to bring the crew up to speed about the Mantis visit. Afterwords he assembled the crew at a large crack they had found in the side of the ship. The ship being mostly buried had no entrance except this crack as a way in. To small for a mech to fit in, they had to go in alone. Here, put these on, he said, passing out brand new suites he had ordered and planed to give the crew when they got home. It's the latest.... strong, flexible and lightweight. The suite was a pack the size of a slice of bread with two shoulder straps and a green button is the middle. Writing under the button read (stand with arm's out at sides and feet apart press button and put on quickly!) Upon doing so, nanites in the pack, wove a suit complete with monitor and electrical systems that their bodies provided in a matter of sectons. They call this the Thin Skin, Dorien said. First Strike, no need to suite up just stand guard in your mech here at the entrance.

Stepping inside the ship, it was found to be dark, very very dark. Their faces brushed and got tangled in something thread like hanging from the ceiling. Dorien pulled a snap apart on the back of his collar and out folded a full helmet complete with light, which surrounded his face and coupled to his suite with a click. The others followed. Ceiling's shredded, old optical fibers whispered Dorien just then a noise seemed to be coming from behind them whooo! Whooooo! Cold chills ran down their spine's. What is that? Dorien grabbed his com-link and screamed, First Strike you got anything to report ? No boss, nothing here, the wind has picked up though and is making a heck of a racket! Roger that, do me a favor and stand directly in the opening, that should stop the sound we are hearing, which it did, but it was not enough to comfort the crew's nerves.

Continuing on, their light did little to cut the darkness, but threw ghostly shadows of themselves on the walls. Up ahead they could hardly make it out but the ceiling seemed to be moving. Was it one creature or many, it was hard to tell. Thousands of red eye’s winked on instantly as the smell decaying flesh wafted through the air. Suddenly thousand's of Death's Smell bats launched themselves from the ceiling
flying in all directions and then out of the opening, giving First Strike quite a scare. (The smell given off of the bats attracts creatures looking for a free meal, but instead they become the meal and are eaten by the bat's.) The dark is interrupted by a faint yellow glowing orb which seems to have a scary face staring at them,This happens so fast that it left them wondering if it even happened at all. Each member of the crew think they are the only ones to see this orb but later, after talking to each other, find out that they all saw the same thing. The night exploring progressed slowly from then on.

Submitted by Marianne Stewig #687261(and Mark Stewig)

Clan Wars Gold With Clan "Song"

Dooo dooo doooo da dooooo!!! .... as a bugle sounds out over the PA system. Oh man ... somebody shoot that thing. Then a thought popped into my head: Better get up and going or it'll be another cold shower for me.As I head towards the stalls, the "towel whipping" of the juniors commences. It's waaaaay too bloody early for this shit, I think to myself as I get ready to face the day ahead. Wonder what clever jokes and prods they have planned out for me today? As I'm just about to head out to breakfast, I hear the call, "Woody, report to the office immediately." Like my day couldn't get any worse. When I arrive, the secretary points to a room. "In there Woody." "Thanks mom..." I reply with a smirk knowing how much she hates being called mom. "Yes, this is Woody." I announce as I pick up the phone. "HI my boy ... how's it going Just called to let you know that after you're done with that silly idea of being a 'robot warrior'..." "They're called MECH PILOTS dad." "Yeah whatever. I got you a position as a junior assistant at the office." "Dad ... I'm not going to work in a stuffy office with a bunch of fake bureaucrats and I don't care HOW much money they make. I'm going to be a Mech pilot and that's final." I say. "Oh my God. Did you HEAR how he talked to me dear? That's fine ... let the boy get it out of his system.

He's still young. Remember the adventures WE had before we settled down? Ok Ok ... just remember son, you can always come work for me." I cut him off, "Ya Ya dad ... I have to go." "Ok, bye son." Click. "Man, he just doesn't get it..." I think to myself. Mom has always been the mediator between us and I think she understands. All of a sudden the room glows red and sirens start sounding. Then I hear, "All senior cadets to their Mechs. This is not a drill ... I repeat, this is NOT a drill. All others to the bunkers." I step out of he room. All chaos has broken loose. People are scrambling everywhere. Just then, I see Commander Randy run by. I move to catch him as we continue down the hall. I ask him what's going on and he says "I'll explain in the hanger." As we arrive at the the hanger I take my place among the cadets. Randy quickly moves to the front. "Well boys, this is it. I'm going to have to ask you to grow up a bit sooner than expected. This is graduation. It's like this men: We are the only things standing between a bunch or Pirates and the school. Our forces are too far away at the moment - They're on a mission of their own so it's up to us. This is the real deal men. Your Mechs have been outfitted with live ammo. Don't take it lightly - Some of us are not going to make it out today but will be remembered by all here as heroes, so let's get out there and show them that we mean business and won't lie down without a fight." The room erupts with raucous cheers and banter. "Let's kick their asses!" We all run to our Mechs and sound off with a ready all is green "Woody good to go!" The hanger doors open and we move out. Randy takes Point "Follow me - Set up Delta pattern." We all fall into formation. Moments later we hear "Give up your Mechs and walk away kids, and you'll live to see another day. You are outnumbered and outclassed as you can see. All we want is your gear and your Mechs. Don't try to be heroes or you'll force us to kill you all." All of a sudden Randy comes over our com, "Stand firm men - No one leave this line. They'll kill us and everyone in this school anyways. They can't leave survivors if they want to get away with it." A moment later we hear, "You have ten minutes to leave with your lives." We all watched as the minutes ticked by and it seemed like an eternity. At around the eight minute mark we hear "To the PIrates with no class attacking a school of young cadets ... This school is under my protection." Randy pipes in on our com, "Who the HELL broke radio silence?" "It's not us sir..." I interject. "Well who in God's name is it then?", Randy bellows.

" Leave now or I claim your destroyed Mechs as salvage." Oh my GOD!!! It's Woodman! He really does have a Mech and I recognize that arrogant voice anywhere. Moments later we hear a WHOOSH and a puff of smoke appears from the edge of the woods. BOOM!!!!! One of the lead Mechs blows to pieces. Just then, my eyes catch movement bursting forth from the trees. Randy shouts, "Attack!!! ... Move in men!" Just then my wing man bursts and explodes. I see Woodman moving across the field - He's going after the second Holmes. Boy! ... This kid has BALLS. I move in to support him as his wing man. BOOM!!!!! He got the second Holmes. "I'm on your 9 o'clock. I'm with you ... Let's DO this!" I say to Woodman. "Thanks for joining the fight guys.", he replies. Wow ... this guy is FAST. There's no way I'm going to keep up so I support him from the rear. I take a few rounds from one of the Pirates and side step. I return fire but he's made a direct hit on another Ant and it goes up in flames. Just then, a well placed shot by Randy takes the Pirate out. I push my Mech to the max in an effort to keep up with Woodman. Just then, I see a rocket flying straight at him. I move in and jump. BOOM!!!! My Mech's right arm flies off as I hit the ground running. Randy pipes up, "Are you OK Woody?" "Yep ... just a scratch.", I reply. Randy chuckles. Moments later we hear, "Let the rest go men." It was Randy. We move to his position and power down. I'm one of the last to emerge from my Mech as I needed someone to pry my hatch open. Apparently, I took more damage than I thought. When I finally get out I hear the other cadets cheering Woodman's name and welcoming him to the clan. I think to myself: Good job kid, you made it. From that point on, he and I have been the best of friends.

Submitted by Woody Walter Tooley#766360

More News From Exile's Song

This is Jack "Easy Rider" Smith. We're here today because an old friend of mine, Randy Taylor has allowed me to come to clan Exile's Song training grounds to show the world that they do not enslave or force young people to fight for them. They gladly join. The facility I'm appears more like a school. I thought it would be more "military'like". All of a sudden a bell sounds. Seconds later the door bursts open and young people fill the halls but as quickly as the halls had filled, they were empty again. "Hey you! Young man! Where has everyone gone in such a hurry?", Jack shouted as the boy runs by. "Lunch!" he yells out as he skitters off down the hall. "Well guys, let's go check it out." as Jack makes his way down the hall. There are about 100 young people gathered in a massive hall ranging in age from 12 to 20 years old. There are only a handful of older kids - maybe a dozen if that. As Jack moves around the hall, he notices one of the students sitting by himself at one of the tables. Jack takes a position at the front of the hall and shouts out, "Hey, who wants to do an interview for the net?" The young kids jumps at the opportunity. After hearing how much they all love it here, Jack calls it quits.

 "That's a wrap boys. Lets pack the main gear up ... Just leave the small hand held out. I'm curious about something." Jack corners one of the older boys and asks, "Who is that guy in the corner sitting all on his own?" The young man replies, "Oh, that's Woody." "What's his story? Why is nobody sitting with him?" The young man explains that he's a "richy rich". "What's that?", Jack questions. The young man takes a seat. "Well, he came from a rich family. You see, all of us come from poor families ... orphanages, and some right off the street. He's an outsider. Don't get me wrong, he's well respected as a Mech pilot. Everyone just expects him to quit and return home when it gets tough. Personally, I think he's one of us at heart. I tell ya, he's not the smartest or strongest, but when he's in a Mech, WATCH OUT ... he has no fear. He may not come in first but he's always pushing his way up. He never gives in. He's all heart. I'd go into battle with him any day." Jack nods," Sounds like you admire him." "Yeah, I guess I do ... but don't tell the guys I said that. I'd never hear the end of it. Well, gotta go .. bye."

As the young man gets up the bell sounds again. All the kids scamper off to their classes. Jack turns to the camera and says, "Well, it seems being privileged doesn't pay off all the time. This is Jack "Easy Rider" Smith with more insight on the Mech pilot to be." As Jack is just about to leave, Randy stops him to say goodbye. "Hey Jack... Did you get what you were looking for?" he asks. "Yeah, I guess I did. Can I ask you something?" Sure, what is it Jack?" "That young fellow, Woody ... he's having a rough go of it isn't he?" "Did he tell you that?", Randy asks. "No ... one of the older students did." "Woody is a solid Mech pilot..." Randy explains. "Just recently he and his clan mates in Song ... they won Gold in the Clan Wars XV111 event. We're proud of all our young men. The clan is family when it gets tough. In Exile, we all stick together and you can take THAT to the bank." "Thanks Randy. Hey, could I come back some time to follow up on the story?" Jack inquires. "Sure thing bud - You're always welcome here. Take care."

Submitted by Woody Walter Tooley#766360