DARK ROCK ZERO 1

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Selected at random, ten inmates would be given access to MWPs - Massive Weapon Platforms - under highly controlled parameters - bomb collars, anesthetic gas systems, MWP kill switches. Selected by lottery, these ten, from Dark Rock Zero, would fight for the right to be moved to a less-secure, less restricted Dark Rock, Dark Rock One. There, the process is repeated - with eleven combatants. Ten from that world, and the winner from Zero. And so on, eleven entrants on each Rock but Zero, until one man gained freedom into military service from Dark Rock Two. An unlikely freedom for Zero's combatant, but a chance, a chance nonetheless. Not sure why folks on freeside are cool with this, but... whatever.

The events would be televised, of course, with commentary from a range of expert and not-so-expert voices. Events could be unleashed, like the animals and supposed traps that littered the colliseum of old, at the Owner's discretion.

The MWPs would be armed with basic weapons, chosen by combatants, and more parts with installation systems, would be scattered around the area, useful but dangerous.

Alliances, betrayals, violence, explosions, giant robots, what else could the public want?

Of course it took off. And of course I'm selected.

"Look, inmate." the dark-eyed security guard grumbles. "We just need you to fill out the form. Participation in the Arenas is mandatory if you're selected." he crosses his arms, staring me down. I look down at the form, partially filled out:

>Entrant Name: Daniel 'Steeleyes' Terrigan
>'Stage' Name:

"...This is it?" I manage, "Two questions."

"Well, we already know the rest." the guard says, offhanded. "Age, vitals, it's all checked every year at the physical. This is just your preference. Hell, they might not even use it, you know, corporate meddling and all that. I mean, we could go with your alias."

Stage name. Hah.

>Choose a stage name for gladiatorial mech combat.

>>545321
Gun Runner.

>>545321

>Steeleyes

Good enough for us, good enough for the arena. The powers that be can make us play their game but not give up ourselves

These sounds split the atmosphere: https://soundcloud.com/vvasa/fjoh24-11-16

>>545344
Yeah I'm in class so I can't listen to that

>>545334
>>545336
"Use Steeleyes or Gun Runner." I say, writing both down with a slash in the middle. "Whichever works - I like my own name well enough to not really care."

Pushing the envelope across, the man looks it over, thoughtful.
"Aight, Steeleyes."

The name is from ages ago, when I lost my eyes in an accident during a shipping run. The ammo nearby cooked and burst from the packages we were smuggling at the time, a single bullet peircing one eye, but not all the way through the other. The lead was stuck in there, and I needed two replacement eyes. They're a bit unnerving to look at, blue lights in iron spheres, since they're early augmentations. But they work just fine.

"Let's get you up to the hangar."

Through a variety of security protocols I'm brought not to the actual hangar but a viewing room, bereft of furniture and with a single window. Several MWPs loom tall in the other room, big as buildings. MWPs were originally MOPs, Operation platforms built for scouting new worlds. Recently MWP production has boomed, for all sorts of uses and sizes. These are among the largest, the smallest are barely bigger than powered armor. "One of these is yours."

>There's one with big arms, powerful legs, and somewhat weak detection systems aside from a general radar/sonar array. It's made for melee, closing gaps. The paint job reminds me of asshole kid warlords on border planets. Always wanting swords and shit, this one is all chromed up to hell to look bronze and whatnot. Heavy armor, too...
>Another with a massive coilgun and extensive detection systems, on four legs. No armor to speak of, aside from that meant to guard against wind and rain against sensitive equipment. A sniper, good pick for this sort of arena, but you never know what the other combatants are gonna be capable of.
>The last one is balanced, a sort of middle-of-the-road humanoid operator. These models, rather small (Only 15 feet to the thirty some other models I can see here) were used for urban deployment since they could fill a city street but still walk in it. Average detection systems, armor, a rifle and a pile bunker on one arm with meh range.

I've seen better. But hey, we're inmates, right?

>SELECT YOUR MECH

>>545375
>The last one is balanced, a sort of middle-of-the-road humanoid operator. These models, rather small (Only 15 feet to the thirty some other models I can see here) were used for urban deployment since they could fill a city street but still walk in it. Average detection systems, armor, a rifle and a pile bunker on one arm with meh range.

Always go balanced, especially if we're using the same mech all the way through

>>545375
I say big, let's go ballistic

>>545413

It would appear we're at an impasse

>>545375
>There's one with big arms, powerful legs, and somewhat weak detection systems aside from a general radar/sonar array. It's made for melee, closing gaps. The paint job reminds me of asshole kid warlords on border planets. Always wanting swords and shit, this one is all chromed up to hell to look bronze and whatnot. Heavy armor, too...

>>545533
>bigass punch bit with a Fucking sword

>>545375
What kind of sword does the mech have is it a zweihander? The cromagon/primitive sword from BRPD: hell on earth? A regular ass sword?

Balanced; gives us a wide range of options and since its on the small side it'll be easier to hide and conduct surprise attacks on other combatants

>>545375
Go big or go home!

RIP OP

>>545375
Also fuck it, I say go big

>>545375
>The last one is balanced, a sort of middle-of-the-road humanoid operator. These models, rather small (Only 15 feet to the thirty some other models I can see here) were used for urban deployment since they could fill a city street but still walk in it. Average detection systems, armor, a rifle and a pile bunker on one arm with meh range.

>>547688
>>546375
>>545913
>>545533
>>545413


>With a secondary majority of Midrange votes.

**Working on update**

File: RoughMap.png (21KB, 922x566px) Image search: [Google]

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>>548364
"Let me guess. The big one, it comes with a fucking sword, doesn't it?"

"It, uh, it's hard to see from here. It sort of folds into the leg, along the hip..."

"Yeah, I figured. And those servos on the arms?"

"They move with the arms, sort of like pile bunkers. Kinetic boosters, I think they're called. Hydraulic-based, but heavily armored."

I rub my chin, looking over at the midrange model. "No, you can't mix and match parts." he says. "In the early rounds, it lead to all the mechs being samey." he crosses his arms, "So which?"

"The big one. The armor... appeals to me."

"Alright. Well, we'll start tomorrow morning. Early filming, late night release, allows for some editing. Presented as live footage, of course. Here. A sort of map of the arena. It's a landmass surronded by cliffs into a deep drop."

"...Is this made in fucking paint? There's barely any detail or markings. Roughly sixty kilometers?! What the hell, man!"

"Look, I know you're a smuggler and maps matter to you, but this is all I have. The red dots are elevator locales. Entrants will come up on massive elevators for their MWPs. The orange dots are parts drops - weapons, armor, augmentations, and so on. The blue square denotes a model city, built roughly to normal scale, but without plumbing, electricity, or even windows and doors. Hollow concrete blocks made to mimic buildings, some of which house upgrades, and a large cconcentration of them in addition."

"...And everyone is getting this map."

"Exactly. Might want to figure a plan now."

"Anything else I need to know?"

"Installation hangars need about one full minute to do their job. If they're interrupted, they damage the MWP, and are unusable. They make a lot of noise and light, and Dark Rock Zero is aptly named, with a distant sun."

"Thanks."

>I see three plans, here.
>Hunt and seek - go to the nearest elevator as soon as I arrive, gank the shit out of the other challengers.
>Upgrade hoard/destroy - go to these stations, and use or destroy them, to deny enemy resources.
>Hide and wait - Find some cave or some shit, wait for a few deaths, pick off stragglers.
>But maybe there's another way?

>>548406
Let's hunt and seek

>>548406
>>548692
Also if possible let's make as many allies as possible

>>548692
>>548697
I support this. Why scramble for loot when you can gank noobs who are scrambling for loot?

>>548406
What sword is it dammit