“Oh, naturally!” The Utaysi waved a hand dismissively.

“I just have to let you know that any prices discussed here today may not be available once you leave.”

Once Senjen had confirmed his choices, the fighting stopped at once. One of the droids loped over to a shuttered door on the lower level that opened to reveal an automated loadout station. As they watched, it deftly added and removed parts from the stationary robot frame while the others watched passively. They had returned to their rally points on either side of the kill house.

Once the droid was re-equipped it joined its teammates on the Red Team. The Myrmidon staffer handed Senjen an interface that could be plugged directly into his own body.

“This will let you remote control your avatar using your mind, to ensure you get the most immersive experience. The hard line prevents any griefing - you understand.” He also offered some viewing goggles to Ruknar, who took them with a skeptical look on her face.

Once Senjen had plugged in, the other two Red Team members looked at him. As soon as he made a move, the round would start.
[hr]
“You’ve got this!” Light cheered from the sidelines, quaffing his new glass of champagne.

The officiant nodded their head appreciatively at Jess’ stoic riposte.

“Ahh, our champion is of the strong and silent type, ladies and gentlemen! Evidently getting focused for the task ahead.” They played to the crowd, who murmured excitedly.

When Jess did speak, they waggled a ringed finger at her.

“While I'm sure that’d be fun to watch, I’m afraid it’d void this beauty’s extended warranty.” The crowd laughed politely.

Once the two competitors got going, some cheering erupted from the spectators. Light joined in, forgetting his previous anxiety, until Jess began to fall behind the droid.

“Pick up the pace!” Light offered as words of encouragement, though he wasn’t sure individual voices were registering in Jess’ mind.

“Your friend certainly knows her way around a bike.” Came a message from his side. Light’s suit and eyes instantly decoded the flurry of colours despite no sound passing between them. He turned slightly to regard the QV staff member who had sidled up next to him. She regarded him.

“She is a mechanic?”

Light immediately felt nervous again, in such proximity to this stranger. It felt as though magnets were drawing them together.

“Yes. The best I know.” The reply that arrived on his hide was erratic and plagued with emotional tics.

“High praise indeed. And what are you good at?” This warrior-priestess turned away from the contest to focus all her attention on him.

“I suppose travelling safely is my special skill. I transport cargo…well, my friend, erm, body guard and I transport cargo. All over, really.” Light angled himself so he could reasonably say he was looking both at this female and his friend at the same time.

“That sounds very adventurous. You must see a lot of interesting things in your line of work.”

“I suppose we do.”

“I’d like to hear about them, some time. Maybe we’ve been to the same places at the same time! Imagine that.”

“Oh, I’m sure that's not the case. We mostly visit warzones and…precarious situations at the moment. We work for a medical NGO.” She positively lit up with intrigue upon seeing this response from Light.

“Not possible! Before joining Myrmidon I was with the Zeteticist.” Light had heard the name before, after a moment he remembered they were a QV group mind that rescued their kind from oppression and war crimes throughout the cluster. Word was that they were ruthlessly effective against the aggressors.

The crowd politely clapped Jess as she finished behind the droid. The tank-topped officiant raised the droid’s hand triumphantly by the wrist, before coming over and shaking hands with Jess. They presented her with a wooden spanner engraved with her name.

“Another round of applause for our valiant runner up!” The crowd duly complied. Some then dispersed, off to examine other displays. Others moved into the enclosure to examine the product range in closer detail.

“Unlucky there. You’ll get em next time, eh?” They grinned.