Meeting the Detective

Cathay    

Solaris City

Solaris VII

11 April 3061 

                    Lin Ming sat at a booth in the bar that she had agreed to meet the detective at. She had arrived early and ordered a cocktail, and was sipping on it when the detective arrived and slid into the opposite side of the booth. The server arrived and Nicky ordered herself a whiskey neat.

                    "So, you have some information?"

                    Lin Ming shook her head. "Not really. More of just a feeling. Like something is wrong, and I don't know what, I'm just looking to you for help, if that makes any sense. 

                    Nicky took a sip of her whiskey. "It does. Something fishy is going on. You have a right to be scared."

                    Lin recoiled at that last word. "I'm not scared....just confused. There is more to this story than my boss is letting on, and that worries me, given what happened to Mr. Avellar."

                    "Do you think it could have anything to do with whatever project you're working on?"

                    Lin shook her head. "I can't get into that. It's all under NDA and what not."

                    Nicky shrugged. "I don't need to know the specifics, just if there's any way that it might be tied to Mr. Avellar's murder."

                    "I don't know. There's certainly corporate espionage to think about, as well as possibly state actors given what I'm working on. But I just don't know."

                    Nicky downed the last of her whiskey. "Just keep your eyes and ears peeled, look for anything funny going on. You've sensed that something isn't right, and I'm glad you came to me with this."

                    Nicky reached out and touched Lin's arm. "This is probably just the beginning. Lay low, just keep your nose clean, and everything will work out. We'll get to the bottom of this."

                    Lin felt an almost electric buzz at Nicky's touch. She wanted to come through for this woman, wanted to impress her if she was being honest. She tried to push the foolishness to the back of her mind. "I will keep you up to date on things. I'll let you know if I find anything out." 

                    Nicky nodded. "Let's get some air."

                    Lin smiled. "Good idea."

                    The two left the bar and walked to the nearby bridge over the Solaris river. "So, you're not a local, what's your story?" Nicky asked.

                    "My story?" Lin posed inquisitively.

                    "Yeah, everybody's got a story. I was born and raised here on Solaris, so I've seen people come and go my whole life. Everyone comes to Solaris with a story."

                    Lin shrugged. "I guess I just wanted something different. I always knew I wanted to pilot a Mech, and I just went through the motions back on Altorra to get it done. But there always seemed like there had to be something more to me. I didn't want to end up on some backwater garrison my whole life, so when my enlistment came due, I signed out, cashed out, and bought a ticket here to see what might happen. I guess it's probably every MechWarrior's story here on the game world."

                    Nicky chuckled. "You're certainly not the first or the last. But there's something unique to your story. One way or another it won't be like everybody else. I see a lot of stories come through here in my line of work. Each of them different. Each of them unique."

                    Lin smiled. "I guess when you put it that way, it sounds like the grand plan I had in my head."

                    "Grand plan? What's the grand plan? See, you've got something to your story."

                    Lin smiled shyly. "Nothing much really, just what everyone wants, to make a name for themselves."

                    "Oh, so you want to be famous?"

                    Lin shook her head. "I didn't say that. Just make my mark on the world somewhere."

                    "Good for you. I don't follow the games much, just what's on the news. But I bet you've got a part to play in all this."

                    Lin leaned up against the railing, soaking in damp river air. "What about you, detective? What's your story?"

                    Nicky shrugged. "Call me Nicky. And yeah, I guess I've got a story. Ever since I was a little girl, I've wanted to understand this place. What goes on here, the people and all that. Police work just seemed like a natural fit, investigating things, trying to find out the angle to everything. I've only been a detective for a couple of years now, but I've seen a lot of stories and I've figured a lot out about how this place works. Still got a lot to learn, but I'm trying. That kind of things leads me to nights like these, here, with you, uncovering yet another story."

                    Lin smiled slightly. She was enjoying this evening. She had somehow gotten past the nervousness and just opened up, at least a little, to this woman. Of course, as a detective, that's probably what Nicky was good at, getting people to open up. Lin took the plunge "You make it almost sound like a date."   

                    Nicky smiled wryly. "I guess it kind of is. I didn't plan it that way or anything. Technically you're still my only suspect in this murder case."

                    Lin was coy. "So I'm still a suspect?"

                    Nicky laughed. "I didn't mean for it to sound like that. I just mean you're the only actual person with a motive. Everything else is just shadows. Oh god, that sounded even worse, didn't it?"

                    "Kind of. But it's ok, I get what you mean, detective. Let's hope this case reveals itself to you and we can dispense with the suspect thing."

                    "I'd like that. Anyhow, the night is getting late. Can I offer you an official police escort back to your apartment, or can you find your own way."

                    Lin smiled. "I think I like the sound of that, detective. It's only a few blocks away."

                    "I said, call me Nicky. Let's go."

                    The two walked the several blocks to Lin Ming's apartment building in silence, but smiling. 

                    "This is your stop. Look, like I said, just lay low, keep your senses peeled for any funny business, and we'll get to the bottom of this whole mess together. Sound like a plan?"

                    Lin smiled. "A plan indeed."

Musings

  Cathay    

Solaris City

Solaris VII

11 April 3061 

                    Detective Nicky Vale sat at her desk and pondered the case she had been stuck with. She had just interviewed the victim's replacement, and that was a strange affair. Normally MechWarriors were cocky and outgoing, but Lin Ming had been nervous, defensive, almost shy. The girl was cute for a MechWarrior, and in any other setting, Nicky might have asked her out. But she couldn't be sure yet what that nervousness was hiding. Was it the normal nerves around the police? Was she covering something up and that was what bothered her? The thought crossed Nicky's mind that maybe the girl was even nervous because she was attracted to her, but she quickly put that out of her mind. 

                    No, she couldn't rule out Lin Ming as a suspect just yet. In fact, weak as it was, she was the only suspect that she had. There had to be something going on at Red Dragon, but she had no way of finding out what it was. The corporate officers were helpful enough, but one could only glean so much from files. 

                    No, there was nothing more she could discern from the files that she had been pouring over. She needed an angle, an in, as it were, and the only angle she had right now was Lin Ming. She just had to figure out a way to leverage that into getting the MechWarrior to help her out. Without someone on the inside, the case was cold, a dead end.

                    #####

                    Lin Ming walked into the office of Teng Shen, her boss for all intents and purposes right now. The Capellan style was familiar to her, and the entire office let off and air of relaxation and calm. 

                    "Mr. Shen, thank you for seeing me."

                    He smiled. "Thank you for your victory in the scrapyard the other day. You piloted our test machine well. I trust all is in order with your payment for the bout?" 

                    She nodded. "Yes, everything has gone splendidly. I am happy to be a test pilot for Red Dragon. That is not why I wanted to see you. I was visited by the Solaris City Police. They gave me some disturbing information about the death of my predecessor. I wanted to make sure everything was on the level."

                    Shen nodded. "Of course. I also spoke to the Solaris Police regarding the unfortunate fate of Mr. Avellar. I assured them that his death was in no way connected to his work. Are you worried for your safety?"

                    She hadn't considered that. If her predecessor had been killed, might she be the next target for whoever committed the crime? "I suppose so. I mean, how can we be sure that his death was not related to the projects that you have ongoing here?"

                    Shen opened his arms wide. "Of course espionage is a possibility, but logically, you as the pilot are the last rung of the ladder that anyone would target for information. We have many techs and scientists on our payroll that have far greater working knowledge of the project than you do. Speaking of, did you disclose the nature of the project to the police?"

                    "No. I'm aware of the NDA I signed, and I would never leak that sort of information, even to the police."

                    Shen smiled. "Then there is no cause for alarm. You are safe, my dear. This business with Mr. Avellar is unfortunate, but do not let it color your view of our project going forward. You continue to pilot the test Mech, and leave all of the secrecy to us. Simply play coy if you are asked by the police or the press about our project. There is nothing to share, and there is nothing to fear."

                    Lin nodded. "Thank you, sir. I'm glad we could work everything out. Thank you for your time"

                    Lin Ming left the office, but couldn't help but feel that there was more to this story than met the eye. Should she talk to the detective again? What would she say to her? Was she just looking for an excuse to see the cute detective again? Why was she even thinking in those terms? There was so much going on. She was sure there was more to the story.

                    She spent much of the rest of the day nervously trying to determine what to do. After fidgeting with her phone, she finally sent a text message off to the detective, asking to meet to discuss the case. She had made her move.

The Interview

 Cathay    

Solaris City

Solaris VII

11 April 3061 

                    Lin Ming  had just come out of the shower and was about to enjoy her breakfast, when there was a knock on the door of her small Cathay apartment. She was not expecting anyone, let alone this early. She had slept like a log after her first Solaris match, and had nothing planned for the day but relaxing.

                    "Who is it?"

                    "Solaris City Police Department."

                    The police? What were the police doing at her door? She hadn't done anything wrong. What could they possibly want. Her pulse raced a little higher than normal as she made her way to the door and opened it. 

                    Greeting her was an absolutely gorgeous woman, average height, wearing jeans and a blazer and sporting the shield of the SCPD on a chain around her neck. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a pony tail and her blue eyes gave away no emotion.

                    It was just Lin's luck, not only were the police after her for something, but they had sent an incredibly attractive officer to her. She was nervous as hell, and the combination of the the unknown reason for the police being there coupled with a woman she found attractive, this was not going to go well.

                    "Are you Lin Ming?"

                    She nodded before blurting out "Who's asking?"

                    "Detective Nicky Vale, Solaris City PD. Do you have a moment, I'd like to ask you a few questions."

                    "Of course, detective, come in. Can I ask what this is about?"

                    She closed the door after the woman entered, and she gestured towards a chair.

                    The detective took a seat, and Lin sat opposite her on the small couch. "I understand that you piloted an Urbanmech last night in something called an Urbie Derby out in the Reaches for Red Dragon Corp?"

                    Lin bit her lip nervously. "That's right. I won the match in fact. It's all registered proper with the gaming board, everything was legal."

                    Detective Vale smiled. "I'm not here about the fight, per se. Have you ever come across a man named Mitchell Avellar?"

                    The name was unfamiliar to her. "Not that I'm aware of. The name doesn't ring a bell."

                    "Interesting. He was the man who piloted your mech up until last night. You never met him?"

                    Lin nodded. "Never. I had no idea whose place I was taking. I just got offered the gig after paying a hefty price to a fixer to get my name noticed. I never met any other pilots for Red Dragon."

                    "This fixer, he have a name?"

                    "Grimes. That was his name. He checked out as above board and all, nothing out of the ordinary."

                    Detective Vale moved slightly in her seat. "Would you be surprised if I told you that Mitchell Avellar was found dead yesterday morning in an alley here in Cathay?"

                    Lin's heart began to race. She could see where this was going. "Yes, I would be."

                    "So a guy end up dead, you take his place, and you don't know anything about it?"

                    Lin shook her head. "I know how it might look, but I never met the man. And I can't think that Mr. Grimes had anything to do with his death either."

                    Nicky Vale squinted. "I never said he was murdered, just that he was found dead. Do you know something I don't?"

                    Lin caught herself before speaking. "No, I mean I just assumed. I didn't know or anything."

                    "Can you think of any reason why someone might want Mr. Avellar dead?"

                    "No. I mean...well, we're working on some corporate sensitive stuff. Maybe that got him on someone's bad list? I don't know."

                    "You seem nervous. Is everything alright?"

                    Damn, there it was, she was giving off nervous vibes, the worst thing that she could be doing in front of a cop. "Yeah, I'm just a little flustered, this is a lot to take in, a murder and all that." To say nothing of her attraction to the detective.

                    "You deal with death all the time in the arena, it's a bloodsport."

                    Lin shook her head. "This is different. A murder is different than the battlefield."

                    "If you say so."

                    "Look, I will help in any way I can. Honestly, I knew nothing of this man before you brought him up. I hadn't even given a second thought to whose place I was taking. If there is any way I can help, I will."

                    She shrunk back. She had to listen to herself. She was practically pleading with this detective. She was a MechWarrior, she shouldn't be acting like this. 

                    "I appreciate that. Look, here's my card with my details. Think about things. If you think of anything that might be important, give me a call, ok?"

                    "Sure. I will."

                    With that, the detective stood up and left the apartment, leaving Lin Ming to worry over what had just happened. 

The Body

Cathay    

Solaris City

Solaris VII

10 April 3061 

                    At least it wasn't raining. That was a change. Detective Nicky Vale walked down the cold alley that had been roped off by Cathay regional police. Ordinarily a body in Cathay wouldn't be in her jurisdiction, so she was confused when she got the call that there was a murder scene she needed to attend. The morning dew and a low fog did not add to the appeal of the location. 

                    She made her way past several uniformed Cathay Police officers, and spotted the body where the forensics team from the Solaris City Police Department were gathered. She glanced over the scene and spotted what appeared to be the Cathay detective on the scene. She made her way over to the man, an older man she judged to be probably in his fifties, with thinning hair and drinking a cup of coffee.

                    "Detective Nicky Vale, SCPD. You guys tossed this one our way?"

                    The man took a long sip of his coffee before answering. "Captain Miles Chang, Cathay PD. We wouldn't normally call you guys for something like this, but the victim's ID says he's a MechWarrior. Gaming stuff goes to you guys."

                    Nicky frowned. Ordinarily, a murder in Cathay would be handled by the Cathay Police, but for some unknown reason, these guys were looking to pawn the body off onto her and her Solaris City Police Department crew. It must have been her lucky day. She didn't particularly want the case, but it had been thrown her way, and now she would have to deal with it. 

                    "What are the details?"

                    Again, Captain Chang took a long sip of his coffee before answering. "The victim is one Mitchell Avellar. A small time freelance MechWarrior who was on the payroll of some subsidiary of Ceres Arms. Apparently he was some kind of test pilot or something for them. No record of note, no ties to any of the major organized crime syndicates or anything like that. Just a MechJock getting a paycheck from a corp running their tests here at the games. Took two slugs to the back of the head. Nothing on him but his ID, a few L-bills, and a set of keys. No phone or noteputer that we found."

                    "I assume no witnesses?"

                    "Correct. Nobody saw or reported anything last night when he got whacked. It was only this morning that the body was discovered and they called us. Not much to go on. It's a clean kill. Probably professional, but nothing that sets off any alarms or anything. The guy probably just saw the wrong thing or said the wrong thing to the wrong people, became a liability, and that was that. I don't see any other angle here."

                    It made sense. There was nothing to indicate that the MechWarrior was into any kind of drugs or crime. She pulled up his bio on her phone, and as the Captain had said, there were no red flags. He was a native Solaran who had fought mostly in the Reaches, nothing bigtime. He had no next of kin listed, didn't seem to be in a relationship of any kind. Everything was a dead end.

                    Just her luck that Nicky got stuck with this case. There really was little to go on. She would have to interview the employers, see what kind of vibes they gave off, but that was about all she could come up with. 

                    She made her way over to the body, and confirmed details with the forensics team. Everything seemed to be in order. There were few physical clues. The man had been shot twice, there were apparently no shell casings, so the perpetrator had cleaned up after themselves. 

                    She mad her way to the corporate headquarters of Red Dragon Industries, a Solaris subsidiary of Ceres Arms. These guys were small time, nothing like the full on corporation. They were obviously doing some work under the radar. 

                    She was ushered into the office of a Teng Shen, the head of Red Dragon. The office was small and was decorated in traditional Capellen style. The two security guards who had ushered her to the office vanished, leaving her alone with Shen.

                    "What can I do for you, detective?"

                    "We found the body of one of your employees murdered in an alley down in the lower quarter. A mister Mitchell Avellar."

                    Shen nodded. "Yes, he was one of our test pilots that ran matches in the Reaches arenas mostly. Very sad news."

                    "Was he working on anything that potentially could have gotten him killed?"

                    "Shen waved his hand dismissively. "He was working on a project of ours, sensitive corporate trade secrets, you understand. But he was simply a test pilot, he was not knowledgeable in any area of research or anything that would compromise him to a competitor or a foreign agent. I can't see his death being in any way connected with his work. Perhaps something in his personal life?"

                    "Perhaps. I'll have to dig into that. I'll need access to his personnel file."

                    "Of course. We will provide you with any details that you need. We wish to see his killer brought to justice, and will assist in any way that we can. I will have the appropriate files transferred to your office by the end of the day. Is there anything else that we may provide to help you in your cause?"

                    She nodded. "If I think of anything, I'll let you know. Thank you for your cooperation Mister Shen."

                    True to his word, Shen had the personnel files transferred to the SCPD before the day was done. Just as he had said, there was nothing alarming in the man's file that would set off any red flags. The file was likely to be a dead end. 

                    But someone had killed him, and they had a reason for doing so. She couldn't see it at the moment, but she would do her best to uncover it. She had never worked around the games before on a case, so this was uncharted territory. 

                    Without any obvious signs of espionage involved, she would have to build a picture from the ground up. Step one would be to interview whoever replaced Avellar at his job. Jobs fighting in the games were a limited quantity, and the next man up had as good a motive as any from where she stood. She dug around the gaming circuit news to find the name of the MechJock that replaced Avellar in whatever his next fight was. It turned out that the fight was an Urbie Derby out in the reaches, and his replacement was a green behind the ears nobody on the gaming world. It was as good a place to start as any. The MechWarrior was a Liao citizen named Lin Ming. Nicky would have to have a crack at her.    

                     

Urby Derby

 Cathay    

Solaris City

Solaris VII

9 April, 3061

                    Lin Ming slid into the command couch of the Urbanmech that she would be piloting for this particular match. She was clad in only her moisture wicking leggings and a sports bra. She quickly donned the cooling vest that was prepared for her in the cockpit, plugged it into the command couch, and then settled the neurohelmet over her head.

                    Her fingers ran over the proper keys for the startup sequence. This was not an average UrbanMech. In addition to it's stealth armor, the mech had been totally rebuilt. A light Fusion Engine triple the size of standard Urbie engine was installed to give her greater speed. The Autocannon had been ripped out in favor of a group of five medium lasers. There was also a cutting edge laser anti-missile system installed in the torso.

                    She hadn't had much time to practice on it, but she already knew that the machine ran fast and ran hot. Her plan for this match was to use the mech's stealth ability to avoid combat for the first few minutes, letting her opponents wear themselves out against each other and allowing her to sweep in at the end to finish them off. She had no idea how well the plan would work. Everything depended on the efficiency of the installed stealth systems.

                    The announcer called the start of the match, and a light in her cockpit went from red to green, signaling that the match had begun. The first thing she did was to hit the button to engage the stealth systems on the mech. Without moving or firing, there was no perceptible difference to her as a pilot so far.    

                    Due to the stealth system, her active scanners were offline and thus the minimap on her console displayed no information. She would have to trust to blind luck for the first few moments of the match.

                    She moved the mech forward, careful of her movements. Visually she could already see several other mechs engaged in combat. She saw one lumbering mech pass by her. She paused, allowing it to pass. It was an older model equipped with a giant class twenty Autocannon, but it moved at a snail's pace. She hoped that the stealth technology would hold, and it did, as the lumbering Urbanmech passed her without so much as a glance.

                    The arena was a scrapyard, filled with lots of metal and debris. She would blend in fine for now. There was no real high ground or anywhere to get a better position to observe the fight, so she settled in on a small hill with an outcropping of debris to give her cover. 

                    From here, she could see some of the match going on, with several of the combatants already out of the fight. Her HUD was linked to the arena systems and told her that of the original twelve mechs to begin the fight, only 6 remained, including her. 

                    She focused on a slugfest going on between two standard Urbies, dueling it out with their class ten Autocannoons. She saw that one of the opponents was gaining an advantage, and decided to make her move. 

                    She ran up the throttle and sprinted her own Urbanmech towards to two combatants. Neither of them seem to take notice of her. As they circled each other, she lined up a shot on the mech with the advantage and pulled into all of her triggers, sending five beams of light outward and into the mech's back. 

                    The beams cored through the relatively weak rear armor and began melting internal structure. She could see the radiant heat that told her she had hit the engine shielding as well. The heat in her own cockpit was manageable, so she risked a second alpha strike.

                    The heat in the cockpit soared to hellish levels, and remained there far longer than would be normal, with the mech's cooling systems hamstrung by the stealth system. She choked for air as she watched the five beams core once again deeper into the back of the enemy machine. 

                    There was a loud pop, and the enemy mech seemed to slump a bit as her weapons pierced the engine shielding for good and triggered a shutdown of the mech's massive fusion engine. This one was was dead.

                    She braced for return fire from the mech's opponent as she dashed her own mech into cover to attempt to cool down. Miraculously, not a single shot came her way. Apparently the stealth system was working.

                    She glanced at her HUD once again, revealing that now just three mechs remained alive in the arena, including herself. The opponent of the mech she had just killed did not get a lock on her position, and instead ran toward the center of the field. 

                    Lin thought about taking a shot at the enemy's weak rear as it ran away from her, but the heat in her cockpit was too intense to risk another shot just yet. She would have to trust in the stealth armor to keep her hidden until the mech could cool off.

                    The mech she tracked was a standard Urbanmech, packing a class ten autocannon. The bolt of blue light that lashed out and tore into it's frontal armor told her that the other remaining mech was a Suburbanmech variant, carrying a PPC and more speed, like her own ride did.

                    She watched the two duel it out, with the Suburbanmech coming out the victor. It was down to her and the SubUrbie.

                    The heat levels in the cockpit had now reached a more manageable level, and now she was faced with a choice. If she kept the stealth engaged, she knew she had two alpha strikes worth of heat to play with. If She disengaged the stealth, she would become visible, but her mech's cooling systems would allow her many more shots at her opponent. Unsure of how damaged her opponent was, she switched off the stealth mode and sprinted towards her foe.

                    With the stealth disengaged, she could now get a target lock on the enemy, and it showed that the Suburbanmech was fairly heavily damaged, with several holes in it's armor. It was protecting it's right side, which housed the PPC that was it's main cannon.

                    That was fine with Lin. She had full armor, and could take several shots. In addition, her group of lasers were spread throughout the mech, meaning she could lose an arm and still have significant punch.

                    Her cockpit shook at the enemy hit her square in the center torso with a PPC blast. Alarms screamed in her ears about damage. Her armor had held, but that PPC was hitting harder than a standard model. Her guess was that it was Clan tech, which hit fifty percent harder than a standard Inner Sphere PPC.

                    She had to end this quickly. She was finally within range of her medium lasers, and she pulled into a full alpha strike. Two of the beams went wide, but three jabbed into the already weakened frontal armor of her opponent. Nothing critical seemed to hit. 

                    She knew her lasers would cycle faster than her opponent's PPC, but it seemed like ages before her weapons read as ready and she fired another blast. This time, all five beams focused on the center torso of the enemy mech, melting a giant hole in the remaining armor and then touching the delicate workings of it's gyro. The enemy mech seemed to limp, unsteady on it's feet.

                    She braced for the return fire, but none came. The enemy mech shut down and signaled it's surrender. She had won the match. 

Where do I sign?

 Cathay    

Solaris City

Solaris VII

7 April, 3061

                    True to his word, Grimes had arranged a meeting for Lin Ming to attend with the prospect of getting a chance to fight somewhere on the gaming circuit. At the moment, Lin found herself in an office, facing off againts two agents of the company that was looking to hire her for a job.

                    "We are a subsidiary of Ceres Arms. We have several projects in the works here on Solaris. Your qualifications seem to fit the parameters of what we are looking for. The key matter here is confidentiality." The man on the left seemed to take the lead in any conversations.

                    "What is confidential? This is a public fight, it's going to be broadcast across the Inner Sphere."

                    The man on the right slipped a sheet of paper across the table to her. "There are certain elements of the Battlemech you will be piloting that are proprietary items. We are looking to develop new technology, and Solaris is the perfecet test bed for us."

                    She glanced at the paper, which appeared to be some kind of non-disclosure agreement. "So you're trying out new tech on the Mech I'm piloting and I have to keep my mouth shut about anything I see. Seems straightforward enough."

                    The man on the left took the lead again. "There have been several leaks of late, and we are looking to put a stop to that. New talent as far as the test pilot is required. Can you fit this bill for us?"

                    "Where do I sign?"

                    True to their word, the agents had provided her with a fight in an arena in the Reaches, the outskirts of the city. It was not in one of the main arenas, but she could not complain about that. The fight was to take place in a scrapyard arena, and the theme was an "Urbie Durby." Twelvve Urbanmechs would enter the contest, and whoever was left standing at the end was the winner. It wasn't pretty, but it was a fight.

                    She found herself in the cockpit of the UrbanMech she was going to pilot, along with the chief technician for the corporation that was paying her way. "We are developing a kind of stealth armor, hopefully something to rival the long lost Star League Null Signature System."

                    "So it is built into the armor of the mech?"

                    The tech nodded. Mostly. There are also a series of heat baffles and modfications to the frame, as well as an integrated Guadian ECM Suite. When the system is engaged, you should disappear from most sensors and targeting systems. While still visible to the naked eye, it will be harder for enemies to target the mech and achieve lock ons."

                    She ran her hands over the consoles. "So what's the catch?"

                    "The catch, as you say, is that when engaged, the heat sinking of the mech becomes highly inefficient. You will not bleed off heat at the normal rate. In addition, you will not have access to any active targeting systems. Only passive sensors will function, so your sense of the battlefield will be limited. You will be somewhat blind to what is going on around you. It is the price you pay for invisbility."

                    She nodded. "I think I can handle that. When do I get to practice?"

                    You can take the mech out on our field here, but there is no live practice available. You will be piloting this thing for the first time in battle. We have had limited  success so far. We are hoping to improve the performance with you coming on board."

                    "So what happened to the last guy piloting this thing?"

                    "No idea. He disappeared. I haven't asked too many questions, but I get the feeling there was something wrong. Just keep your mouth shut and you should be fine, at least thats how I've been playing things."

                    "Roger that."

Three Months

 Cathay    

Solaris City

Solaris VII

5 April, 3061

                    Three months. For Three months, Lin Ming had tried every available option to get a fight on the Game World. She had tried the major stables and collectives, but nothing had come of it. Here she was, a veteran MechWarrior with all the skills and knowledge that her twenty-six years had given her, but she had utterly failed to find herself a match.

                    She had come to Solaris after her enlistment in the CCAF was complete. She wanted to make something of herself, to make a name for herself, to find something more than the backwater garrison duty that CCAF life was providing. But things weren't as easy as she had envisioned.

                    She found herself in a bar in Cathay, the Capellan sector of Solaris city. She had heard rumors that there were fixers working out of this particular bar, fixers that could get a MechWarrior a patron, or at least a slot in some fight circuit somewhere to start her career.

                    She had sliped a fair amount of cash to the bartender to point out any such people that might show up, but she was on her second drink and wondering if her money had been sqandered. 

                    Just then, a man came and sat beside her at the bar. "Gerry tells me that you are a MechJock looking for a gig."

                    She sized the man up in an instant. Everything about him was average, from his build, to the quality of suit he was wearing. He blended in.

                    "Depends who's asking."

                    The man nodded. "My name is Grimes, and I'm something of a talent agent here in the big city. I can make connections if you're interested."

                    She smiled subtly. "For a price."

                    The man's facade changed little. "Everything has it's price here on Solaris. If you're looking to break into the games, you need an in. I can provide that in for you."

                    "What kind of money are we talking?"

                    "We can talk price later. There's always room for maneuvering. What's your history?"

                    "Six years in the Confederation Reserve Cavalry. Worked my way through Regional Training Center on Altorra." She slipped her Confederation ID to the man, who scanned it quickly with his noteputer.

                    "Well, if you've got the chops, I might have something for you."