The Gig

 

            “What is that?” She glanced up at the sleekest, most streamlined Locust she had ever seen. It looked like a Locust but the lines were too sleek and streamlined.

               “That is what’s going to take you out in the arena tomorrow night. It’s a Koto, based on a Locust but with some experimental tech all around. It’s a corporate showpiece, lots of Diverse Optics money backing it hoping to get some big contracts in the Federated Commonwealth if it has a good showing.” The man from the bar pointed up at the imposing BattleMech.

               Hannah nodded. “And a good showing involves it tearing me apart in the arena? That’s about the size of it?”

               The man nodded. “You get paid to put up a decent show, but make sure that the star of the match is the Koto.”

               Hannah shrugged “What’s the point if everything is staged? I thought the object was to win, to beat the odds?”

               “The object is to play the odds. There’s so much money riding on certain outcomes, it’s only natural that there should be a little influence as to the results. The results are what’s important, and that everyone can go to sleep at night looking like it was an honest fight. It’s about appearances, everything on the Game World is about appearances. That’s what matters. Think of it as more theatre than competition.”

               They continued on to the next slot in the ‘Mech bay, which housed a Wolfhound. “That’s your ride. Bigger and tougher than the Koto so you get to play the giant getting taken down by the agile attacker. Shouldn’t be too hard. You’ve got lots of armor to take a beating, just make sure the fall is good.”

               “What’s in it for me?” Hannah asked. Her dreams were to be a Solaris warrior, and taking a dive in her first fight didn’t seem like it was the path to glory.

               “You mean besides a paycheck? Look, this kind of work isn’t pretty, but it pays. You don’t rock the boat, do as you’re told, and you get a nice paycheck to make it worthwhile. This isn’t the holovids, sweetheart. It’s not your ticket to fame and glory as the next champ of the game world, it’s your ticket to next month’s rent. Any ideas you’ve got about victory and glory, stow ‘em. This isn’t the gig for that.”

               She nodded. She didn’t know why she nodded. Everything in her said this was a bad idea. This wasn’t real ‘Mech piloting, this was play acting and she was just a cog in the machine. But every time she thought about turning back, she thought about another day, week, month, or year of tending bar in a little hole-in-the-wall. That wasn’t why she came to Solaris. And it wasn’t how her story was going to end.

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