ajmucha
New Member
This is only a teaser of sorts for a story im writing, any input and/or criticism would be greatly appreaciated.
“Claíomh Solais…the legendary tournament planet…a re-creation of the mighty Roman Coliseum…I never thought I
would be fighting on this rock.” Korit muttered over his headset as his Esion’s cockpit hissed close. He heard a slight
chuckle on the receiving end of the secure line created between Roland’s Esion and his own. “What do you find so
humorous?”
“If you must know, the 14th Royal Guard received a special request to compete this year, which, as you should
know, is a high honor.” Roland replied as he waited patiently inside the serene darkness of his own Esion's cockpit.
“I vouch for your father’s theory. The tournament organizers only wanted a celebrity to enter the tournament to
draw spectators. Just make sure you stay alive.”
“I am not concerned with such complications, old friend. The organizers took every conceivable precaution to
prevent any instance of that. Also...” his reply was cut short by a sudden broadband transmission from the control
ship hovering high overhead.
“Attention: The Ring of Fire stage of the seventh annual Claíomh Solais Tournament is about to begin. Most of you
already know that this round is the quarter-final round of the Colossus Championship. There are twenty-four of you
today, each in pairs. The top eight pairs will move on to the Semi-Finals, and then the last two teams proceed to the
final round. Then the last team standing shall earn the envied title of Claíomh Solais Champion! On behalf of the CSTC
and trillions of fans across the Terrain Republic, we wish you an honorable and phenomenal fight. Let the games
begin!”
The transmission ended as abruptly as it began, a loud siren signaling the start of the round. Roland’s eyes
quickly adjusted to the light as his Esion’s reactor roared into life, lighting up the myriad of displays and controls. A
few dozen display panels as well as thousands of meters and contorls, ranging from basic heat monitors to intricate
nuclear reactor stability flickered on. A small light strip on the floor panel lit up near the foot and movement controls,
as the columns of the control sticks glowed softly. All across the battlefield, others did likewise.
With a dull thud, the right foot of Roland’s Esion moved forward, the fiber-optic camera system revealing a 180°
arc of the battlefield. He looked over to see the Esion of Korit, his partner, turn sharply left and raise the twin mortar
cannons of his Goliath, already taking aim. “Be careful. Remember what happened in the last round. Try to let the
enemy fight back a little bit before blasting them to kingdom come.” The only reply he received was a grunting sound,
as the barrels glowed white and launched the twenty-seven inch diameter high-explosives over to the neighboring
island. He glimpsed the sight of a bluish fireball erupting, soon followed by an orange one and a plume of smoke.
Roland grinned a little as he concentrated his aim at a Hydra on the neighboring island. He watched cautiously as his
targeting systems locked on. He piloted his customized Eclipse swiftly through the trees. He broke through a slight
clearing and fired off a shot from his Rail Gun, the humming of the electromagnets temporarily blocking out the
announcer’s commentary as the depleted-uranium and titanium alloy slug tore through the air, colliding with his
opponent and sheering off a majority of the armor on its left arm. His opponent turned to face him as a pair of Dragon
Fang Missiles collided with its other side, turning its other arm into a chunk of twisted, molten metal.
His Esion’s feet hit the water, moving closer to his opponent’s island so he could attain a new lock for his twin
Rotary Large Laser Cannons. A salvo of approximately ten stinger missiles crashed into the water around him as Korit
shouted over the line, “I’ll cover you. Just concentrate on your target!”
Roland grinned as from the edge of his view screen he saw Korit’s Goliath recoil under an assault of nearly twenty
missiles, though seemingly unfazed by the barrage. He laughed as he brought his mortars to bear again, and fired,
blasting the cliff out from under the modified Bowman.
The voice of the commentator blared out “Ouch! He’s gonna feel that one in the morning!”
Thanks all
On a side note, I'd appreciate anyone to suggest ideas on how to make this better, as well as mention which unnamed opponent they feel the most sorry for.
NOTE: This is a sci-fi book, most names, unless referred to as otherwise, refer to Esions, a sort of mechanical fighting machine either based on 2 legs, or in very rare cases (which shall be denoted) 4. I guess you could compare them much to Mechwarrior, however, if you want more technical data, PM me.
“Claíomh Solais…the legendary tournament planet…a re-creation of the mighty Roman Coliseum…I never thought I
would be fighting on this rock.” Korit muttered over his headset as his Esion’s cockpit hissed close. He heard a slight
chuckle on the receiving end of the secure line created between Roland’s Esion and his own. “What do you find so
humorous?”
“If you must know, the 14th Royal Guard received a special request to compete this year, which, as you should
know, is a high honor.” Roland replied as he waited patiently inside the serene darkness of his own Esion's cockpit.
“I vouch for your father’s theory. The tournament organizers only wanted a celebrity to enter the tournament to
draw spectators. Just make sure you stay alive.”
“I am not concerned with such complications, old friend. The organizers took every conceivable precaution to
prevent any instance of that. Also...” his reply was cut short by a sudden broadband transmission from the control
ship hovering high overhead.
“Attention: The Ring of Fire stage of the seventh annual Claíomh Solais Tournament is about to begin. Most of you
already know that this round is the quarter-final round of the Colossus Championship. There are twenty-four of you
today, each in pairs. The top eight pairs will move on to the Semi-Finals, and then the last two teams proceed to the
final round. Then the last team standing shall earn the envied title of Claíomh Solais Champion! On behalf of the CSTC
and trillions of fans across the Terrain Republic, we wish you an honorable and phenomenal fight. Let the games
begin!”
The transmission ended as abruptly as it began, a loud siren signaling the start of the round. Roland’s eyes
quickly adjusted to the light as his Esion’s reactor roared into life, lighting up the myriad of displays and controls. A
few dozen display panels as well as thousands of meters and contorls, ranging from basic heat monitors to intricate
nuclear reactor stability flickered on. A small light strip on the floor panel lit up near the foot and movement controls,
as the columns of the control sticks glowed softly. All across the battlefield, others did likewise.
With a dull thud, the right foot of Roland’s Esion moved forward, the fiber-optic camera system revealing a 180°
arc of the battlefield. He looked over to see the Esion of Korit, his partner, turn sharply left and raise the twin mortar
cannons of his Goliath, already taking aim. “Be careful. Remember what happened in the last round. Try to let the
enemy fight back a little bit before blasting them to kingdom come.” The only reply he received was a grunting sound,
as the barrels glowed white and launched the twenty-seven inch diameter high-explosives over to the neighboring
island. He glimpsed the sight of a bluish fireball erupting, soon followed by an orange one and a plume of smoke.
Roland grinned a little as he concentrated his aim at a Hydra on the neighboring island. He watched cautiously as his
targeting systems locked on. He piloted his customized Eclipse swiftly through the trees. He broke through a slight
clearing and fired off a shot from his Rail Gun, the humming of the electromagnets temporarily blocking out the
announcer’s commentary as the depleted-uranium and titanium alloy slug tore through the air, colliding with his
opponent and sheering off a majority of the armor on its left arm. His opponent turned to face him as a pair of Dragon
Fang Missiles collided with its other side, turning its other arm into a chunk of twisted, molten metal.
His Esion’s feet hit the water, moving closer to his opponent’s island so he could attain a new lock for his twin
Rotary Large Laser Cannons. A salvo of approximately ten stinger missiles crashed into the water around him as Korit
shouted over the line, “I’ll cover you. Just concentrate on your target!”
Roland grinned as from the edge of his view screen he saw Korit’s Goliath recoil under an assault of nearly twenty
missiles, though seemingly unfazed by the barrage. He laughed as he brought his mortars to bear again, and fired,
blasting the cliff out from under the modified Bowman.
The voice of the commentator blared out “Ouch! He’s gonna feel that one in the morning!”
Thanks all
On a side note, I'd appreciate anyone to suggest ideas on how to make this better, as well as mention which unnamed opponent they feel the most sorry for.
NOTE: This is a sci-fi book, most names, unless referred to as otherwise, refer to Esions, a sort of mechanical fighting machine either based on 2 legs, or in very rare cases (which shall be denoted) 4. I guess you could compare them much to Mechwarrior, however, if you want more technical data, PM me.
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