Part 770: Let's Read: Main Event - Part 12
Let’s Read: Main Event (part 12)Chapter 12
Solaris City, Solaris
8 August 3054
Days elapsed since book start: 108
Mercenaries recruited since book start: 2
Mercenaries recruited off-screen: 1
Things accomplished since book start: 1 (Rose took a nap)
Protagonists introduced since book start: 5
Protagonists mentioned but not yet introduced: 1
Antagonists introduced since book start: 1
Antagonists defeated since book start: 0
Chapters Spent on Northwind: 5
This fight begins right as the duel is starting. Rose and friends are piloting a Stinger, Hunchback, Jeremiah’s Shadow Hawk, and Esmeralda’s Warhammer (guess which of our new friends is going to die!); while Warwick has sent a Javelin, Hatchetman, Centurion, and the Charger he was going to give rose; giving Warwick a ten-ton weight advantage.
Oh, and for this duel, nobody is allowed to use any weapons. It’s Steiner-rules fisticuffs; only more retarded because Carstairs actually agreed to this idiocy. You can also understand why Warwick wouldn’t really care to keep the Charger afterwards; this is a gimmick fight and Warwick stood to make a fortune betting on Rose to win (a dark horse is always worth bank).
Oh, and just to make everything even more retarded, everyone has a full load of ammunition.
Esmeralda immediately earns Jeremiah’s respect by volunteering to duel the Charger one-on-one in what may be attempted suicide.
The Javelin and Hatchetman then move in on Rose, who should’ve attempted to kite them around the battlefield and let his team gang up on the Centurion and Charger. Instead, he just stands there like a moron and lets the Javelin get within punching range.
Main Event posted:
The Javelin began to smash down on the Shadow Hawk’s head with both arms in an attempt to finish Rose with a single raining of blows to the cockpit.
…
What?
How does that even…
Rose takes the hit on the arm, dodges, then kicks the Javelin in the knee; shattering its leg. The Javelin falls over and Rose tries to punch it (not possible to punch a prone opponent, dumbass); and then has to dodge the Hatchetman.
Anyway, Rose is doing a good job keeping both the Javelin and the Hatchetman out of the fight when the Stinger shows up and rams the Javelin. Rose then kicks the hatchetman in the leg, and takes a cockpit hit for his trouble… and thus you see the problem with the Hatchetman. At 45 tons, the hatchet only does 9 damage; so no critical hits sustained.
Oh, and remember Rose has been fighting with two needler wounds this whole time; which have just reopened. It’s a good thing he’s plot-invulnerable or he’d have died of blood loss days ago. The Hatchetman then takes another couple of swings and eats a Stinger to the back for being too single-minded.
The Hatchetman then takes the Stinger apart; so Rose punches it in the back (because Rose does best when he’s bushwhacking something). We then learn that Esmeralda has killed the Charger with a gyro-hit, and the Hunchback has body-slammed the Centurion and the two are just sorta laying pinned inside a building. The centurion gives up when it realizes the fight is a 3 vs 1 which should help you understand why Warwick didn’t want to count on his pilots.
Rose smugs about not getting any of his lance mates killed this time; and vows payback on the Clans.
Then the chapter ends.