A referee in a hoverbot gave a signal to firethe jets. The moment Rem did so, he felt his mech begin tovibrate.
Unbelievable. He had to struggle tomaintain his composure. After all these years, you’re actuallydoing this.
It would take ninety seconds to reach fullpower. In the meantime, he checked the ammo supply, which in thiscase was paint. It would be great firing it at Gannor—satisfyingwithout any actual danger. The only danger today washumiliation.
Or at least that was the only danger as longas he stayed in the mech. Unlike Gannor, he couldn’t simply get outof the vehicle to check a malfunction or even celebrate a victory.The only thing lethal in this battle was the particulate-ladenoutdoor air. Gannor could breathe it, but for Rem, it would befatal. For that reason, they had supplied him with an oxygenator,but he had no intention of relying solely on that. Whether he wonor lost, he’d wait for the hoverbot to reach the skirmisher’s hatchbefore he’d venture outside again.
Meanwhile, the jets had reached full charge.It was time for the critical opening gambit—the move that would setthe tone for the entire match. Daniel Quito had always begun byjumping, and Rem considered that now but had a feeling Gannor wouldanticipate it. So he waited, and wasn’t surprised when Gannor’smech sprung high into the air.
Grinning, Rem rammed Gannor’s robot as itbegan its descent. The crunch was bone-rattling, almost throwingRem from his chair.
He quickly tightened his harness, then madehis own jump, but backward, away from Gannor. At the same time, hefired down on him, coating his mech with a spray of green paintthat clashed nicely with its yellow trim.
Howling with pride, he backed away andcircled warily. This was his match now, to win or lose.Gannor had no choice but to play catch-up—and hope Rem made astrategic error.
If Carrak was watching, she’d be impressed.He was sure of that.
And if she’s watching, that meansZee’s watching, he told himself cheerfully. Let’s hope she’simpressed too.
His thoughts flashed for a moment to theirsexy good-night kiss, and in that split second Gannor jumped,crashing into Rem with full force, almost toppling him.
Concentrate!
Spinning to regain balance, he dared to firehis forward cannons at Gannor, trusting his aim despite thehaphazard view available on the screens. Then he jumped high andpeered down, delighted by the sight of huge green splotches overthe head and shoulders of Gannor’s mech. With any luck, Rem hadjust covered up one or more of Gannor’s exterior cameras, limitingthe pilot’s view for the rest of the match.
They circled each other again, mindful of thehoverbot pilot’s voice, which was announcing thirty seconds tillthe end of the match. There was no doubt now about what Gannorwould do. His only hope of winning the match was to topple Rem, andfor that, he needed to jump forward and crash down into him.
All Rem had to do was jump out of the way andhe had it won. But that wasn’t enough. If this were a realchallenge, they would battle until only one was left standing. Whysettle for a paper win just because this was a fake scenario?
And so when Gannor jumped up and forward, Remdid too, and the hulking mechs crashed into each other with so muchforce Rem literally felt his brain ricochet off the walls of hisskull, leaving him senseless for a full second. By the time heregained control of his reflexes, it was too late. He and his mechwere toppling to the ground.
* * * *
“You did not just lose the battle. Youdestroyed valuable Malaran property. And for what? You had won! Butyour pride made you reckless and idiotic. You deserved to lose. Ihope you remember it for a very long time.”
Rem stood straight and quiet, but inside hewas cringing.
It was Gannor who spoke up, saying warily,“The Earthling did not actually lose, General. It was a draw. Mymech was toppled as certainly as his.”
“Was I speaking to you?” Carrakgrowled. “You were a disgrace. Get out of my sight.”
Gannor saluted and departed, leaving Remalone with the general and also with Zia, who was standing a fewyards away. Rem didn’t blame her for distancing herself from thismess. Carrak’s fury was so strong, so powerful, it was more like ahurricane. Enough to cause any sane mammal to run for cover.
Carrak eyed Rem with contempt. “In two hours,we will meet again at your hotel, where the minister of my planetwill ask me about your progress. He will blame me for yourincompetence. It is my responsibility to train you, and you havehumiliated us both. Get out! Go and think about what you have done.And take your delicate flower with you, so that she can soothe yourwounded ego.”
“I’m sorry, General Carrak. It was a stupidthing to do—”
“Are you speaking to me? When I havedismissed you?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Ma’am?”
Zia darted over to him and took him by thehand. “Come on, Rem. Let’s go. Carrak’s right, the minister andHumber will be at the suite in a few hours. We need to be there togreet them.” To Carrak, she said quickly, “See you tonight,General. Bye-bye.”
Carrak spun on her heels and strode out ofthe room without bothering to acknowledge them further.
“Let’s go,” Zia repeated, yanking on Rem’sarm.
He took one final pained glance out thewindow, where mechanics were still struggling to get the batteredmechs back on their feet. Then he followed Zia up the stairs towardthe roof, where their transport awaited them.
He appreciated the fact that Zia wasn’ttrying to talk to him. Or comfort him. She was smart to just hustlehim out of this place before he made any more career-shatteringmistakes.
Even in his miserable state, he rememberedthat the Vekzori could be anywhere, so he insisted on going firstas they stepped out onto the roof and into the makeshift tunnel ofclear plastic that led to
