shoulder into the chest of Perseid's unit. A resounding clang rang out at the impact, followed by the clatter of armor plating as Perseid struggled to stay on his feet.
Scott knew he needed to follow up fast to keep his advantage. "Right uppercut punch to chin." His Battlenaut did as he ordered; on the viewer, he saw his giant black fist swing up and crash into Perseid's chin. "Left hook punch to face." Again, he watched one of his fists blast into Perseid's armor like a runaway wrecking ball.
Scott got in two more big hits before Perseid spoke again. "Barely satisfactory." Another blow was coming, and Perseid caught it with one armored hand. "You need some training, Marine."
"Flux that," hissed Scott, and then he gave another order. "Weapons online."
Just then, Perseid let loose a barrage of rapid-fire blows to Scott's upper body, pounding the hell out of his head and chest. Scott counted five, six, seven blows; each new one knocked his armor back, to the right, or to the left, depending on the angle of impact.
"Step back," he told his Battlenaut, hoping for some breathing room. But as the armor took a backward step, Perseid caught it in the knee with a stomping kick, making it stumble.
"Stabilize! Stay on your feet!" said Scott, but he didn't need to say it. Servos whirred as the Battlenaut automatically compensated and regained its balance, planting both feet solidly on the floor.
Even as the unit kept itself upright, the A.I. piped up again. "Weapons are online."
Scott grinned. What a machine! It even reminded him, without being asked, that the onboard weapons were ready. Why hadn't Commonwealth Command installed the same system in every Battlenaut in the fleet by now?
On the other hand, he had no idea what weapons were available. He hadn't seen a single gun, sonic projector, or missile launcher on the unit's exterior.
Meanwhile, Perseid was taking advantage of his brief hesitation. Lunging forward, he grabbed hold of Scott's Battlenaut, wrapping his arms around its torso. He pitched Scott one way, then another, trying to throw him off his feet.
"You're going down!" said Perseid. "Shortest armor orientation session of all time!"
Sweat ran down Scott's back and sides, and his heart hammered like a fighter's fist in his chest. He knew it was only a practice session, and the stakes weren't life and death...but they might as well be. If he made a fool of himself during his first ride in a CORE Battlenaut, he'd never live it down. The Diamondbacks might never fully trust him on the battlefield.
Again, Perseid wrenched him hard to one side. Servos whined in protest, but Scott's armor stayed on its feet.
"What weapons are available?" Scott asked the A.I.
"Projectile guns with dummy rounds. Lasers at one-half power. Sonics limited to close-range." The A.I. paused as Perseid gave the armor an especially strong heave. "Drone pods fully powered."
With the other weapons in training mode, the words "fully powered" sounded promising. "Deploy drone pods," said Scott. "Target opponent unit."
"Deploy all drones?" asked the A.I.
"Yes!" said Scott as the Battlenaut rocked again. "Don't make me tell you again, Frank!" He surprised himself, calling the A.I. by a name like that. He'd done the same with his old Battlenaut, the one that had been blown to pieces on Chelong III. It had helped him, in the thick of a fight, to think of the big, lumbering machine as a person. Not that the reason for the name mattered, as long as New Frank launched those drones...whatever their capabilities were supposed to be.
As if Frank had anticipated his uncertainty, additional feeds appeared on the viewer, showing topside, rightside, leftside, and backside views along with the frontside feed. In each one, Scott saw sections of the Battlenaut's smooth hull...only it wasn't so smooth anymore. Each section was studded with rounded lumps the size of softballs.
As Scott watched, the lumps pushed outward and broke free of the armor, then leaped into
Scott knew he needed to follow up fast to keep his advantage. "Right uppercut punch to chin." His Battlenaut did as he ordered; on the viewer, he saw his giant black fist swing up and crash into Perseid's chin. "Left hook punch to face." Again, he watched one of his fists blast into Perseid's armor like a runaway wrecking ball.
Scott got in two more big hits before Perseid spoke again. "Barely satisfactory." Another blow was coming, and Perseid caught it with one armored hand. "You need some training, Marine."
"Flux that," hissed Scott, and then he gave another order. "Weapons online."
Just then, Perseid let loose a barrage of rapid-fire blows to Scott's upper body, pounding the hell out of his head and chest. Scott counted five, six, seven blows; each new one knocked his armor back, to the right, or to the left, depending on the angle of impact.
"Step back," he told his Battlenaut, hoping for some breathing room. But as the armor took a backward step, Perseid caught it in the knee with a stomping kick, making it stumble.
"Stabilize! Stay on your feet!" said Scott, but he didn't need to say it. Servos whirred as the Battlenaut automatically compensated and regained its balance, planting both feet solidly on the floor.
Even as the unit kept itself upright, the A.I. piped up again. "Weapons are online."
Scott grinned. What a machine! It even reminded him, without being asked, that the onboard weapons were ready. Why hadn't Commonwealth Command installed the same system in every Battlenaut in the fleet by now?
On the other hand, he had no idea what weapons were available. He hadn't seen a single gun, sonic projector, or missile launcher on the unit's exterior.
Meanwhile, Perseid was taking advantage of his brief hesitation. Lunging forward, he grabbed hold of Scott's Battlenaut, wrapping his arms around its torso. He pitched Scott one way, then another, trying to throw him off his feet.
"You're going down!" said Perseid. "Shortest armor orientation session of all time!"
Sweat ran down Scott's back and sides, and his heart hammered like a fighter's fist in his chest. He knew it was only a practice session, and the stakes weren't life and death...but they might as well be. If he made a fool of himself during his first ride in a CORE Battlenaut, he'd never live it down. The Diamondbacks might never fully trust him on the battlefield.
Again, Perseid wrenched him hard to one side. Servos whined in protest, but Scott's armor stayed on its feet.
"What weapons are available?" Scott asked the A.I.
"Projectile guns with dummy rounds. Lasers at one-half power. Sonics limited to close-range." The A.I. paused as Perseid gave the armor an especially strong heave. "Drone pods fully powered."
With the other weapons in training mode, the words "fully powered" sounded promising. "Deploy drone pods," said Scott. "Target opponent unit."
"Deploy all drones?" asked the A.I.
"Yes!" said Scott as the Battlenaut rocked again. "Don't make me tell you again, Frank!" He surprised himself, calling the A.I. by a name like that. He'd done the same with his old Battlenaut, the one that had been blown to pieces on Chelong III. It had helped him, in the thick of a fight, to think of the big, lumbering machine as a person. Not that the reason for the name mattered, as long as New Frank launched those drones...whatever their capabilities were supposed to be.
As if Frank had anticipated his uncertainty, additional feeds appeared on the viewer, showing topside, rightside, leftside, and backside views along with the frontside feed. In each one, Scott saw sections of the Battlenaut's smooth hull...only it wasn't so smooth anymore. Each section was studded with rounded lumps the size of softballs.
As Scott watched, the lumps pushed outward and broke free of the armor, then leaped into
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