Aegis vs. Astray

[Mal Fain 0]

The sound of machinery from all around was the first thing Mal noticed as the lift to the arena powered up, lifting him and his almost fifty ton war machine upwards slowly but surely. Standing beside the MBF-P02 Astray, its skeletal red and white armor made all the scarier by the Gerbera Straight katana sheathed at the suits left hip. Matching the paint scheme of the Astray, Mal waved to the crowd in his pilots’ suit complete with white skeletal design on top of a red base.

 

”Let’s get this party started!” Shouting for the crowd despite the fact that his words were amplified by the microphone in his helmet, Mal slipped his foot in a hook at the end of some metal cable attached to his MS and allowed himself to be winched upwards. Giving the crowd a quick salute, the soldier entered the open cockpit and sat slowly before checking all of the systems.

 

The flight unit was A-okay, although the pilot wasn’t sure how good it would be in terms of height in this arena he did know that the added maneuverability and three dimensional combat would give him some kind of a bonus in the melee combat that the two combatants would find themselves in soon after deployment. There simply wasn’t enough room in the arena to go blasting things to pieces from afar… especially with the spectators.

 

 

 

Number of Competitors: Two

Battlefield: Gladiatorial Replica

Battle Mode: Free Battle

Restrictions on MS: Aegis, Red Astray

Restriction on Weaponry: No Non-Fixed Guns

Referee: Rad

[Rusty 0]

The roar of the crowd, the rumble of the lift, and the crimson giant loaming behind him. It sent a chaotic swarm of butterflies through his stomache. Dizzy nausea spread along his spine and threatened to topple him over with every lurch of the platform. If there was a way to escape, Albert would have taken it without a second thought. He wasn't that fortunate.

 

There was no way off the rising elevator. No cover to hide behind. Just a frail man in a surplus Enforcer pilot suit standing in front of a piece of old technology. A monstrously flexible piece of old technology but it was still a forerunner to the current designs. He hadn't even used it in anything beyond a few simple movement tests and a simulated match against a squadron of M1s. He lost that battle in less than five minutes.

 

"What a great confidence booster," the Natural thought. Recalling the memory made his legs weak. What chance did he have to win now against a live opponent? There was only one man this time but the skill difference had to be massive. The same could be said for the upgraded M1. If it had even half the power of the mass-production model then the GAT-303 did not stand a chance in Albert's hands.

 

A beam of light signaled the end of the journey. Albert and his grey Aegis had reached the surface. Before their monolithic foe they both looked rather unimpressive. The GAT-303 did have a neat headfin but it only seemed to wield a shield. The "Pirate Astray" in comparison had a plethora of weapons. Japanese sword, beam sabers, and a flight pack. Though he couldn't see Mal, Albert imagined that he was protected by something better than the Enforcer's standard.

 

The crowd roared despite the disadvantages of the challenger. With a simple clumsy wave of his hand, and a sudden drop of a foot hold, the spectators seemed to grow even wilder. The battle was about to start in all its brutal glory. They didn't need a favorite in order to appreciate what was about to happen. After a short rise from the ground and the closing of the cockpit, the Aegis Gundam seemed to spring to life.

 

Red coloring spread across its surface while with one deft hand it plucked the shield from its waist. A hardpoint firmly locked the shield in place on the lower part of the right arm. The thrusters across its body seemed to glow with fire in preparation for quick movement. It otherwise simply stood there on the other side of the arena. The head wasn't even fully facing the Astray and the arm fell to the mobile suit's sides. Kind of pathetic, really.

 

"Try not to make me look too bad, kay?"

[VAL 0]

A sharp whistle sprang through the air in the Coliseum, the source being the speakers mounted on the referee's fighter. There were many 'ordinary' referees, that simply stood in their tiny booth, tallying points all day long. Treep Luc was no ordinary referee. Instead of the little booth, he chose to fly around the arena, keeping close tabs on cheaters and any shenanigans they may pull. It was also way cooler.

 

"Aegis vs Astray Red," the loudspeakers sounded, "Your task is simple, take the other one or be taken down yourself. Rules are simple aswell, there aren't any. BEGIN!"

[Mal Fain 0]

An exaggerated laugh echoed inside of the Astray cockpit as Mal replied to the pilot of the Aegis, his gaze one of concentration as he looked into the face of his opponent. Or rather into the faceplate of a helmet from a pilots suit, a helmet like the one that was behind the single seat in the cockpit of the ORB mobile suit. I really should put that damned thing on… Instead of doing what he thought best, the blue haired coordinator grinned as he spoke.

 

”I’ll try my best, perhaps I should disable my right arm?” It wasn’t well known that Mal was ambidextrous, those that did know the truth however also knew that he favored his left hand rather than his right. An edge in most combat situations, a greater percentage of people were right-handed than left after all.

 

Without waiting for a response, Mal slid a single beam saber from its shoulder mount and into his right hand; not activating it. The propulsion system on the flight unit burned with a blue glow, almost but not quite hurtling the suit into any one of the various angles it could cover. The inactivated beam saber moved upwards with the arm, angled towards the cockpit of the Aegis so that if activated the blade would be pointing towards it. “Ready?”

[Rusty 0]

He listened with one eye on his control console. There wasn't much of a difference between the real thing and the simulation. Same ol' power indicator that never seemed to read anything beyond the upper eighties. Standard ol' weaponry that didn't do jack against the M1s. No rifle though. Albert would have loved having a rifle.

 

The news of a further handicap spurred his attention towards the Red Astray. It was a neat idea but an idea that really had no credence. Who was to say that the Upgraded M1 wasn't already set up for something like that? Senor Bad somehow might have been planning it from the beginning. It was still a handicap though and Albert felt no qualms about replying with a playful "only if you insist".

 

Action, however, dictated a reaction. His opponent made the first move and as such an answer had to be given. The word ready played in Albert's mind a thousand time as he put his energy into the controls. Fingers tensed and muscles tightened. Instantly the GAT-303 responded in kind. It was like a statue coming to life. The ornate head spun towards the other collosus with dim emerald eyes. Both arms worked in concert to assume a runner's standing start. All that was left was the right foot which inclined at a degree just short of fifteen while knee joints bent to accomodate the strain.

 

It was a parody of what a human could do. For the Natural in the cockpit though it was a good start. He hadn't tried this against the M1s which meant that this stance wasn't tainted by defeat. That was a very good thing.

 

"On your mark, buddy."

[VAL 0]

OOC: No combat occured, proceed.

[Rusty 0]

OoC: I suppose that we won't be continuing this anytime in the near future.

 

I withdraw.