Chapter 45

　　As she waited patiently, Mare stared down the scope of her modified Heavy Lasgun, the tracking crosshair prominent on her HUD. She Piloted a Scout` variant Mech called an Archer,` designed for long-range combat, the head having four Eyes` for sensors, increasing her visual range and linking to her weapons.

　　A long-barreled Railgun was strapped to the back of her Mech, ready to be used. Breathing deeply, she steadied her nerves. Her emotions could affect the Link, slowing her reaction time, and she needed to be ready at a moment`s notice.

　　They were patrolling the outskirts of Schad, hunting scouting parties from Clan Toth that had been harassing players in the area.

　　"Contact, two Scout Mechs coming your way." Ty`s voice crackled in her ear, their communications linked in their team channel.

　　"Roger," Mare confirmed, adjusting her Lasgun as she caught a glint of light off a metallic surface cresting a slight rise. The pair of enemy Mechs were coming into the ruins, weaving their way around a toppled building and entering her line of fire.

　　"Are you in position?" Mare asked, waiting for confirmation before firing.

　　"Ready when you are," Merit replied, his voice calm and steady.

　　At once, she fired, the Lasgun cracking as each shot streaked across the ruins. Her first struck the Mech on the right in the shoulder, spinning it around as it reacted to the noise. Her second shot missed, piercing through a concrete slab and sending up a spree of debris.

　　When she fired her third shot, the enemy Mechs were already ducking for cover, the bluish-white streaks of light passing harmlessly overhead.

　　While they were hiding, waiting for her to stop so they could return fire, a Mech dashed out of the ruins. Shining black with a white circle on its chest, the thin and agile Blade` shot across the space between them, its boosters leaving a trail of red light behind it as it pushed its speed to the limits.

　　Mare stopped firing as the Blade leapt over the concrete barrier, spinning in midair, wielding two long swords in both hands. The weapons were vibrating loudly, creating a keening wail as they moved. The pair of Mechs looked upwards just as the black shadow blocked the light, the swords closing in quickly.

　　The first stabbed deep into the Scout Mech`s chest, piercing the cockpit and killing the Pilot instantly, while the second sliced through the shoulder of the other Mech as it moved slightly in an attempt to avoid the blow.

　　Its movement lifted it above the concrete barrier, where a shot from Mare`s Lasgun burned a hole through its torso.

　　The Toth Clan Mech teetered for a moment before crashing to the ground.

　　"Great work! I knew pairing you two together was the right decision." Ty`s voice sounded out of their comms as the others closed in on them. They had separated to screen for the enemy, leaving Merit and Mare to eliminate the targets.

　　Ty had warmed to Merit over the past few weeks when it was evident that the handsome newcomer had no interest in pursuing Cid. Unfailingly polite and easygoing, he had fit into their group quickly.

　　Ty was even happier to pare Mare and him together. The beautiful black-haired woman was intimidating. Undoubtedly the best Pilot amongst them, Ty was always self-conscious when trying to order her around. To his delight, the pair worked well, complimenting each other`s strengths and quickly growing a rapport.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author`s consent. Report any sightings.

　　They were a good match, with Mare providing covering fire for the melee-focused Blade.

　　Mare scoffed at the compliment, refusing to respond to Ty. Even though she agreed that Merit was an adequate Pilot and complementary to her fighting style, she couldn`t bring herself to like the man. Something about him irked her, but she couldn`t quite figure out why.

　　She had searched his Game records and found that he had only joined a few months ago. Aside from the familiarity of his name and appearance, there were his Piloting skills. From his age, he was either a well-trained Rookie Pilot in the real world hoping to blow off steam in a game or a prodigy.

　　Mare could tell that Merit wasn`t overly experienced, his fighting style was too rough, and he lacked some basic knowledge about the game and real-life combat. Added together, she leaned towards the man being a talented newcomer who had only started Piloting recently and took to it as easily as a bird did to flying.

　　For someone to overcome the neural burden required to Pilot a Light Mech like a Blade in only a few months, he must have support in the real world. Merit may come from a wealthy background that could provide for a tutor or trainer. That in itself wasn`t rare. Ty, Cid and John had similar supports and were the same age as Merit.

　　But the difference was they all had years in the game, learning to Pilot safely one step at a time. It showed in their actions and the way they handled their Mechs.

　　Mare shook those thoughts from her mind as Merit Piloted his Mech toward her, stopping at a short distance from her Archer.`

　　"Thank you for the assist." He stated. Another thing he did that she noticed, he never let his ego get in the way. Even Ty and John, her teammates, would sometimes get upset if she helped them without their asking, putting down an opponent they were struggling with.

　　Merit would simply say thank you,` taking the proffered help without complaint.

　　"Hmm. Your inexperience with the Blade is slowing you down. You should have been able to dispatch those two easily." Mare replied, almost wincing as she said it. Even for an easygoing teammate, she expected disapproval from the criticism.

　　"You`re right. It`s harder to adjust than I thought. I feel like I`m half a step behind. It`s getting better, but I`ll need you to pick up my slack for a while." Merit replied, and Mare could hear the smile in his tone. She was surprised again by how he accepted her critique and moved on.

　　Before Mare could respond, the others came around the corner. The trio all Piloted Scout Mechs, their machines in various colours, although they each had red bands around their arms and legs to show they were in the same team.

　　"Merit, that was great! See Ty, aren`t you glad I asked him to join us?" Cid questioned, rushing her Mech to Merit`s side. It was hard to convey body language in a Mech, but Cid`s personality shone through. Even in the twenty-foot machine, she acted like a bubbly girl, practically dancing on her tiptoes.

　　"Yeah, I`ll admit, you`re a good fit. I was wondering, are you trying to join the Duke of Caledon`s House Guard? I heard on the Net that they`re recruiting." Ty wondered. He had caught a snippet on the Imperial News Net before joining them.

　　"Baron," Mare responded, leading the group to look at her.

　　"What?" Ty asked, confused. He wasn`t well versed in History, but he recalled hearing about a Duke of Caledon.

　　"Caledon has a Baron. He was stripped of his title after the Rebellion." Mare stated as if history was evident to everyone. For some reason, something in her mind twinged at the statement, like it was on the edge of her memory.

　　"Oh, right. Baron, sure. Well, planning on joining?" Ty asked, turning away from Mare and looking at the jet-black Blade.

　　"Something like that," Merit replied before leading the conversation away from the topic. They spent the remaining day hunting Clan Toth`s scattered scouting forces in the area before logging off.

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　　Mare awoke in the real world, the early morning Terran sunrise greeting her as she climbed out of her VR Terminal. Stretching languorously, she briefly reviewed her schedule for today. Determining she had time to spare, she sat at her office desk just off her private quarters.

　　It wasn`t easy to coordinate times to play together, forcing some of their team to compromise. She preferred to play early while the sun hadn`t yet risen, giving her a few hours of solitude where she could join her companions on the World Event in Beluth.

　　Pulling up an image of Merit that she had captured in the game, she used her Optical Implants to search the Imperial Net for any references to him and current events on Caledon.

　　She could have entrusted this task to one of her aides, but she didn`t want rumours to spread about her interest in a boy halfway across the galaxy. Her parents would be livid, while her grandmother would probably be over the moon.

　　Shaking off the thought, Mare sunk herself deeply into her investigation.