“It is very nice of you to offer to buy both of us dinner, thank you” Lance replies to Fenton’s salutations.

  “I wouldn’t pass up the chance to introduce a skilled pilot to Trent. I owe Trent everything, just my way of paying it back while making some new friends along the way. Tonight we’ll be dining with Trent and his girlfriend/teammate Monique. They are just as passionate about Mechs as you two. Fair warning Monique can be a bit of a drama queen, it's just the way she is. Once I asked Trent to practice duo battles with me. Just to end up getting an earful from Monique about how her and Trent were meant for each other on a spiritual level, and that Trent duoing with others unaligned their spiritual aura ”

  “Note to self that Monique is both insecure and possessive. Any other land mines we want to avoid?” Rebecca quips

  “Trent is just a special person to Monique and me. He gave us both purpose and direction when we had none. Some people are born to lead and some to follow. I’m glad I have a leader worth supporting.” Fenton says with confidence, clear in his voice.

  “What is that Trent did in order to engender this level of respect from you?” asks Lance with genuine curiosity.

  “I lived in a small mining town called Gerjem, rural Falcon Rest. My Pa wanted me to take after him and operate the Mechs used for strip mining. I thought that was gonna be my future too, I just couldn’t imagine doing anything else. One day while I was being trained on the mech some big shots were touring the mine. One of the other trainees lost control of their mech, I acted on instinct and saved the fat cats. Turns out the people I saved were Trent and his father that owns the mine. Trent said he wanted me to join him in piloting Mechabelli for sport. I never thought there were other options for me in life, I didn’t know how to turn him down so here I am. Looking back, I am glad I got out of that small town, out of the mines. Trent took a risk on me, and now I need to pay that back” states Fenton with sincerity as they are seated at the table.

  Lance takes the seat against the wall, Rebecca sits next to Lance in the middle seat, and Fenton sits across from Rebecca. The waiter takes drink orders, a lager for Fenton, a stout for Rebecca, and a Bloody Mary for Lance. When the rest of the party arrives. Monique sits next to Rebecca wearing a single shoulder split dress, while Trent sits next to Fenton, across from Monique, while wearing a blue button up with a black sports coat, and tan slacks with black sneakers.

  “Cute outfit if I would have known I would have dressed up more” Rebecca says while gesturing at her t-shirt and knee length jean shorts and then over to Fenton that was once again in a white t-shirt with his pilot suit half unzipped tied around his waist.

  “It would have been nice to see someone who knows what they’re doing dress up around here. I mean can you believe with Trent’s background he can barely dress himself. I knew I should have been the one to pick out his outfit.” groused Monique while settling in Monique ordered a cosmopolitan, followed by Trent ordering a pale ale.

  Trent looking across the table to Lance announces “So you are the skilled pilot that took down Fenton. First let me congratulate you and second I look forward to your match against Monique.”

  “If I lost in the first round I would have brought shame to Ylishia, so while there is no shame to lose to someone of Fenton caliber, I simply could not lose that match.” concludes Lance.

  “Graveyards are full of irreplaceable persons. Strange to think that your victory is preordained.” dissents Trent.

  “I am no longer just a person but a symbol. Part of that symbol is projecting strength so that others may feel empowered to stand up for themself. As long as I fight for Ylishia I have divine providence on my side.” states Lance with indefatigable conviction.

  Trent turning to face Rebecca asks “What about you? Do you also subscribe to this zealotry?”

  “I have enough confidence to get paid off winnings, but my faith is in the flesh not divine providence. I just find it hard to believe that between me as the mechanic and a splintered pilot we will lose.” Rebecca states her own level of conviction.

  “What exactly is a splintered anyway?” Trent asks.

  “I was once someone else. I merged with the previous splintered and now share a portion of their strength, reaction speed and memories. One day a splintered will end the Ylishian peoples wandering and that will be the last of the splintered.”

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  “Okay so what does it mean to end the wandering?”

  “The Ylishian people will be reunified under one banner, one land, and one custom.”

  “Falcon Rest is only one generation from the Greater Federation of Oqubj. The Ylishian didn’t fight in the Great War, how can they now claim nationhood when they didn’t fight for their freedom to begin with?”

  “We, Ylishians, were united under the Greater Federation. We were not sovereign but we were united and self-governing. Ylishia when united was prosperous, whereas now the arbitrary borders leave the city of Ylishia wasting.”

  “Colonialist sympathizers just love licking the boot of the Fjkloqu oppressors. Is that why you fight here in non lethal combat rather than join the military? Too much of a coward to fight the real battles?”

  “Action speaks louder than words. I am who I display I am. Unlike the backstabbing Trifecta.”

  “The Trifecta is just another name for those who took up arms: Merchese, Treaaw, and Falcon Rest. Unlike Ylishia who thought that they could profit by selling to the Fjkloqu.”

  “We were neutral and should have remained so. The very Mechabelli sold to the Trifecta were turned around to carve up Ylishia. It was the Trifecta that begged for Mechabelli and to take a side in your war for independence only for our trust to be betrayed the second after the war with Fjkloqu ends.”

  “The division is just part of reparations for Ylishian free riding. If you all won’t fight for your freedom the least you can do is pay for it. That is the language of the Ylishian money.”

  “Okay can you two just not do what you’re doing right now and instead have a nice dinner together?” interrupts Fenton trying to defuse the situation.

  “No, I think enough has been said. We’ll leave the rest out on the field. I look forward to you showing your true colors.” says Trent as he gets up to leave. Monique follows behind Trent.

  “ What a shit show. Well that couldn’t have gone any worse.” Rebecca chimes in and then finishes off her drink.

  “Sounds like Lance and Trent just have irreconcilable views. My bad I wouldn’t have brought you two together if I knew it would end like this.” says Fenton with remorse.

  “Actually I like Trent more than before dinner.” states Lance.

  “What?!”

  “There are two types of belief: belief because you believe and then believing because you are supposed to believe. Trent is the latter, he only believes because that is what is expected of him as an elite of Falcon Rest. Change Trents peers and expectations and he would believe whatever was expected of him. If we were to work together it would be a problem if he was a true believer in Falcon Rest.”

  “I don’t know about that. I’ve never seen Trent act that way before. To me it seems like he believes.” says Fenton expresses his doubts.

  “We will see. It would be a shame for us to be on the opposite side of battle.” Lance muses.

  “WELCOME ONE AND ALL TO DAY TWO OF THE RYMENTALL GRAND PRIX! Areas 1 and 2 have been consolidated into the final stage for the top four teams. Our first match of the day is Quarst’s Abigail in the Stealth Chameleon vs Schilling’s Trent in the Backpack Gorilla.”

  “The Stealth Chameleon not only has camouflage like a real chameleon, making it invisible to the human eye, but has the ability to mask both its radar and heat signatures. This is going to be a tough matchup for a missiler like the Gorilla, we see the adaptation by only employing laser guided missiles but Trent will have to guide them in without a lock. Trent will be firing blind. Meanwhile the Chameleon is relying on loitering munition that will also require laser guidance but she will have the luxury of locking on to the opposing mech meaning she can dodge incoming fire while the missile closes in where as Trent will have to keep his radar on target till splashdown”

  “We are going right into the action!”

  The drone swarm spreads out across the area monitoring and recording the match. Countdown till start 3…2…1…the start horns blare.

  The Stealth Chameleon launches all eight of its loitering missiles, activates its stealth, and then kicks up sand. The area around the Chameleon disappears into the haboob. The Backpack Gorilla, not wasting any time, fires off two laser guided missiles without lock on target. The Gorilla is forced to turbo in order to dodge the first incoming munition. Without the ability to keep radar locked on to the Chameleon the two missiles explode harmlessly into the sand storm, while the Gorilla also dodges the first of the incoming fire. Trent clicks his tongue in irritation as he is pushed by the threat of the loitering munitions. Abigail's heart races as she carefully pilots her mech so as to not give away her position. Trent uses the last of the first charge of turbo to push into where he thinks Abigail is hiding, and launches a missile. Trent smiles slightly as a loitering missile homes in on him. Trent fires off another two missiles and activates his second turbo trying to get to behind where he thinks the chameleon is. Abigail reacts by calling in two more of her loitering munitions to pinch in the closing Gorilla. Trent’s first missile hit nothing but air as he is forced to defend before he can direct in his second missile. Trent assessed the incoming missiles. Instead of moving orthogonally, he leaned closer to the front-facing one. Trent launches another three missiles before committing to dodging the incoming fire. The rear facing missile misses the Gorilla but the front facing one hits a glancing blow! The Gorilla is now a sitting duck as his left side is limping from the disrupted conductive ceramic. Abigail calls in the remaining four munitions into the Gorilla's location before going defensive. Missiles explode, hitting both targets! Both Mechs are down on the field! The drones put up a replay of the missiles homing into their final destination showing that Abigail’s mech was knocked out first!

  “THERE WE HAVE IT A REPLAY FINISH! Trent advances to the final!