Fusiliers Forever: Chapter 5

5
Outbound to Nadir Jump Point
Solaris VII, Lyran Commonwealth
19 March 3038

After three days aboard Shearling the biggest problem Cera had to deal with was boredom. The initial shock of take-off had long since vanished. There was nothing for her to do, not really. The running of the DropShip and its maintenance was in the hands of its capable crew. She didn't try to help them with their duties, knowing she'd only get underfoot. If someone asked her to lend a hand, then fine. Otherwise she tried to keep out of their way and not be a problem.
     Watching 'Mech battles on the vid could only kill so much time before it got boring. It was an advantage for any ship in the Solaris system, getting to pick up broadcasts (often live) of the Games. But Cera was a mercenary now, not an arena fighter. Watching what was going on, keeping an eye on the competition, keeping up-to-date on the race for the Championship, knowing what the bookies were saying – it simply didn't have the same attraction anymore. Oh, it was still exciting, no question. Just not the same.
     Practicing in the simulators was much more fun because you were doing and not simply watching. The simulator pods Alexandra had purchased and had installed were the best commercial units available, with the most current software. They didn't have the full hydraulics and pneumatics like those used in stables or in the military, and only used light plastic neurohelmets, but they were still entertaining and did a good job as training tools. Cera and Garadun had been partners for years and worked seamlessly together, requiring little verbal communication.
     Working as a team with Alexandra, Ian and Sayuki was another matter entirely. Not only had they never been in combat together, but Alexandra and Ian had never been in actual combat before, period. Sayuki had some experience in the minor arenas, so she was ahead of the game there, but she'd never won a match. As scary as it seemed, Cera at the age of twenty-two was a combat veteran in comparison. Alexandra was only a year older than she was and she was the company commander.
     Garadun had turned thirty-four in January and was the old man of the entire unit. Even Nicolas Forrester, the Captain of the DropShip, was younger than he was by two years. She'd heard the Captain of Distant Memory was middle-aged, but to Cera he didn't count. When did he even get planetside? He was a spacer, not a 'Mech jock.
     Heaving a sigh, Cera rolled from her bunk and left her cabin, deciding to go for a walk. She needed the exercise anyway. Everyone did. While under acceleration the ship effectively had gravity, but it wasn't the same as being planetside and you had to keep fit. In zero-gee the need was even more vital. There were drugs and supplements that helped, but people had to stay active. She wound up making her way to the ship's 'Mechs bays. Standing on the gantry and looking down on them, the impression of just how enormously huge the ship was really sunk in, as it always did. A Union was over eighty meters in diameter.
     The clang of metal echoing loudly through the upper 'Mech bay caught her attention, and she saw Jimmy in one of the alcoves, working on Sayuki's Centurion. The young woman had named it Bonaparte and it was configured for arena combat. The 'Mech's notoriously unreliable Luxor D-Series autocannon, which was mounted in the right arm, had been replaced with a Tomodzuro Type 20 autocannon, the same model found in Garadun's Hunchback. To compensate for the increase in weight, the Centurion's Luxor 3R LRM-10 rack had been replaced with a lighter Holly LRM-5. The front-firing Photech 806c medium laser in the centre torso was still there, but the one in the rear arc had been removed. A pair of jump jets had been installed in the 'Mech's feet, allowing it to jump about sixty meters. Not very far, but in the arenas this could provide a sudden tactical advantage. It sported an extra ton of armour for better protection, and Jimmy was in the process of installing a CASE system in each side torso. Cera could see the girl next to him, helping as best she could in the role of astech.
     Sayuki Anzai.
     Cera's hands gripped the railing tighter.
     It didn't help that the girl was beautiful and sexy and had a body that wouldn't stop, with breasts like melons and a fabulous rear. Sayuki was sweet, polite, eager to prove herself and wanted to be part of the team. Ian was always flirting with her, and Jimmy was no better. Okay, okay. It wasn't as if she wanted either as a boyfriend, but still. They were her boys, her buddies. Sayuki was also part of the same Izumatura clan Cera's father had been a member of. Cera didn't hate them per se (she knew her family's prosperity owed everything to the yakuza) but she wanted her own life without any ties or obligations. Garadun knew that better than anyone. Yet he goes and agrees to have Sayuki join the Fusiliers? All right, all right, how was he supposed to say no? Not really an option. But still. The girl was a link to a "family" she wanted no part of.
     Well, at least Garadun wasn't throwing himself at her. Cera knew he found Sayuki very desirable but he wasn't doing anything stupid. Then again, he never did, did he? He liked girls, very much so. But romance…well, he'd basically given up on romance. MechWarriors on Solaris (the successful ones at any rate) tend to attract groupies, and while she knew that after nearly four years in the arenas he had some fans (so did she) there'd never been any "'Mech bunnies" hanging around (at least not the kind that wanted to sleep with him). In fact, in all the time she'd known him he'd never had a girlfriend or even any one-night stands.
     "Women just ain't interested in me," he'd said with a shrug when she asked one day. "Sucks, but there it is. Least I got you, eh?"
     Cera knew her opinion was biased but she couldn't understand why there weren't at least some women showing an interest in her best friend. Okay, he wasn't handsome like Ian, but he wasn't bad looking either. He was smart, streetwise, a loyal friend, a damned fine MechWarrior and a genuinely nice guy. What was wrong with them?
     She looked down at Sayuki and drummed her fingers. Fine. So she was gorgeous. So what? She wasn't the warrior Cera was and never would be. She wasn't a rival for another girl and she wasn't her type. Fine. They could get along. Cera turned and started off for the simulators. She suddenly had the urge to blow something up.