As the doors slowly slid open, the distant voice suddenly became very clear.
"... The Diamond Blades!!"
'Diamond Blades? Is that their squad name?' Gus thought to himself.
"And, on the other, we introduce our second squadron of the night, led by Gus Braye of the Earthen Academy, sponsored by Solus Supplies... The Apex Reapers!!"
There was a man above the arena, perched above in a hanging platform connected to the ceiling by some unseen contraption. As they stepped foot into the arena, Gus noticed that there were seats all around the area, and that they were filled with various spectators, each eager to witness the start of the new season of academy competition.
*Mission Complete: Name your squad.*
*Reward: [5] EXP.*
'Only five?' Despite knowing it was an easy task, Gus was still a little disappointed with the measly reward he received as congratulations.
"Okay, what's our game plan?" Connor asked, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.
Gus studied the layout of the arena. A destroyed bus, lengthways between the two doors, acted as the central landmark of the arena.
'Not a lot of empty space,' he thought. Most of the arena was covered in boxes of some kind, dividing up the space nicely with a lot of cover. The only real lines of sight that they would have access to during the fight was the space on either side of the bus.
On the right hand side of the arena was a contraption found in a scrapyard, and a short row of parked cars. It acted as a definitive stop in the midway line of the arena on that side, giving a good position for a team to control but not allowing them to move up any further without coming closer to the centre.
The left was a little more forgiving. An office building was planted in a similar position to the row of cars, but the presence of doors and windows implied access to the space inside was available.
It seemed that the central bus would be the key point of the arena. In an attempt to control it, Gus told his cybernetic heavy hitters in Joel, Teala, and Anten to hold it. He then divided his remaining force into two. Gus went to the left, along with Claire and Emmy, while he sent the others to hold the position at the cars, placing Connor in charge.
"It's a simple fight. We take our positions, control the arena, and win this!" Gus said.
Overhead, in an observation box behind a thick, protective screen, two men sat with devices connected to the TerraNet television channel, a channel that centres around the home system of humanity. Cameras built into the surroundings of the arena and small drones, that hovered over the arena, sent the broadcast of the match across space.
"So, the Diamond Blades versus the Apex Reapers for our first match of the season. Interesting fact about the Reapers, their leader opted to not keep the ten from the enrolment examination together. What do you think of that, Adam?"
"Well, it's certainly an odd choice, Michael. But it might end up being a good one. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
"Who are you fancying for this one?" Michael asked.
"Well, we've not really seen anything from either of them," Adam began. "But, I think I've got to go with the Reapers. Judging from the information cards provided to us by the academy, they have a couple of decent looking cybernetic users, and their Leader bested one of the heavy hitters in combat class just today, not that it will play much into the game today. Speaking of the Leader, we have to mention him. Gus Braye. Who knew that Andrew Braye had any family? As the leader, he will need to harness that ancestral intellect to devise a winning plan. That's not to say that the Blades don't look strong, but I think on paper they're looking a little bit better. What about yourself, Michael?"
"You said it yourself. It's too early to call, but I think that we have to back the Reapers."
Seconds later, a klaxon screamed overhead, and it had started.
The cybernetic trio rushed forward behind a screen of machines deployed by Anten, as the others took cautious positions on either side of the arena.
"And the Reapers here are opting to take a split approach to this round, sending people up the centre and on either flank of the arena, whereas the Blades are taking a far more direct approach to the centre. What do you- Hold on. what's this?"
Mere seconds into the first round, the Reaper's plan had collapsed. Caught off guard by a quick rush up the centre, the Blades had completely taken out the central group of the Reapers. Turning their attention outwards, they traded fire with the two groups on either side and, despite losing a handful of members in response, made short work of the remainder of the Reapers.
The two commentators were stunned. After their prior thoughts, they had thought it impossible for the Reapers to be blown out in that way.
"Well, it seems like all of that planning was no match for a simple, well executed rush strategy up the middle of the arena."
"Indeed it was, Michael. But how do the Reapers come back from this? Do they match it, or do they adapt to the rush and try to trap them? Will they even be given the chance? Stick around to find out after a quick ad break!"
Despite it supposedly being safe, being shocked by the modified Repeaters was a very unpleasant feeling. The shock rapidly spread from the area of impact over the skin, and through the bones. It paralysed you. Gus never wanted to feel it again.
"What happened at the bus?" Gus asked Joel. "Where did they hit you from?"
"I don't know. Not specifically. It was all around, like they got there too quickly," he responded.
"How are we going to counter that rush?" Connor asked.
"We barely had time to set up. We can't let that happen again," Kyle added.
Gus scanned the arena and quickly formed a plan in his mind. To win, there only needed to be one of them left standing. Not the best ideology for a leader to have, but it was acceptable for the circumstances. Realising this, he began to weave that idea into his plan.
The game at the academy took hold of various different people at various locations throughout the known galaxy. Everyone would find entertainment from the games, regardless of things like age and class. Even the Evolved, the enhanced super soldiers created by Andrew Braye, could be persuaded to take time to watch occasional matches.
"Lady Angel, I believe there is something you will want to see."
"What is it, Jewel? And I've told you before, you don't have to call me 'Lady Angel.' We're on first name terms, and have been for a long time now. Just call me Kaya."
"The academy games."
"The games? Why would I care about the academy games?" Kaya asked.
"You once told me of a boy you knew, who could not awaken Evolved powers. What was his name again?" Jewel asked, leading her to the point.
"Gus. Gus Braye."
"Then I believe you will like to see the current game."
***
"Going into round two, and the game is already looking interesting. Adam, why don't you walk us through what both of these teams will be thinking at the moment."
"Well, the Blades will have their moods raised after that first one, that's for sure. But it will be interesting to see whether they stick to the plan or try to outplay their opponents. If I'm the leader, I'm sticking with the strategy, just because it's the first game, the first day, and you don't really know your squad all too well yet.
As for the Reapers, well, pressure's on. Can they claw back the round to tie us up, or will they just lose? This is what will be running through their heads now. For me, there are two choices: Counter the rush with a rush of your own, or set up far more defensively. But, interesting situation for the first game already, so exciting times ahead."
"You heard it here, folks. Can the Blades secure the W, or will the Reapers force us to a decider? Find out in round 2, coming up now."
The arena was heavily favoured towards a rush style strategy. The amount of crates and other bits of debris in the makeshift scrapyard shut down a lot of longer ranged sights, and really restricted the utility available to them. Once he had something, Gus gathered the others around him.
"Okay, we go for the same thing."
"The same thing? We'll be destroyed!" Joel exclaimed.
"Normally we would, but we need to even the odds, and I don't feel like playing their game. My knee does not bend. Joel, Teala, can you two get rid of the crates around the bus?"
"We can get it done," Teala responded. "But why?"
"Anten, use your swarm to delay the rush. Just buy them time. We'll stick to the same three sided strategy, but this time we will hold the advantage. By removing the cover that clogs up the middle, we can leverage the ranged supremacy we likely hold over them to catch them in a crossfire. We trade each other out, and win the round."
"I get it. You want to turn this into a game about skill and teamwork, away from the mindless rush they've got going on," Connor said.
"Not really, not at all. I just want to punish them for that rush, and force them to play by my rules. Like I said, I will not bend the knee and play by their rules."
As soon as the round started, the Blades were assailed by a swarm of Anten's cybernetic machines as they moved forward. With their visibility lost, they could only wonder what the loud bang that shook the arena was.
They quickly moved to the bus, and took it over just like they had in the round prior. Finding the same three at the bus as they did last round, they quickly became complacent, thinking that this round would play out the exact same way as the last.
Their complacency proved to be their downfall. Relaxing as they moved up, they did not notice that the crates, which last round provided cover to the flanks, were now not where they had been. Before they knew it, they were assaulted by a barrage of fire from both the office side and the row of cars. While they did manage to take out a couple of the Reapers, the Blades were utterly destroyed.
"And they've done it! The Reapers manipulated the arena to their benefit, and it paid off. What's more, they've just overturned the elimination deficit, and now they lead in that metric."
"Indeed a huge round for the Reapers, Michael. For those who do not know, in the leagues there are different ways to obtain points. The main way is winning, which is related to the objective, but another is scoring through a Kill:Death ratio. Teams will get a single point for each kill that they have over their deaths. After the round win, they have achieved fifteen 'kills' and suffered twelve 'deaths.' The reason it is big for them is that, should they win the match, they increase the gap between the other squads in their platoon."
"Of course, we already know that the first segment of the season, like usual, is the inter-squad league, but why should these squads care about this section?" Michael asked.
"It's a really simple reason: prestige. The winning squad will have a slightly better claim to the dominion of their platoon when they move into the combined platoon competitions later in the year. Of course, there are other factors, but a smart commander will take all of the advantages available to them."
"Good strategy, Gus," Claire said as they all returned to the area near their door.
"Yeah, but try not to bait us again. Getting shocked sucks, it feels so weird," Anten said.
"Hopefully, I shouldn't have to this time," Gus said. "If I'm right, then they'll be panicking, worried that their strategy needs changing. If that's the case, we can manipulate them to our benefit, force them to play our game. We engage them across the arena, trade each other, and win."
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