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  The Clan didn’t like littering, but the failures paid off in the form of new, more durable constructions, and they didn’t lose many nowadays. The only ones they did were the deep core probes that were still in what they labeled as a prototype stage. None of those were currently deployed, as the Clan engineers were still working on designing upgrades after the last mission that had narrowly brought back the bulb after it hit a pocket of turbulence within the molten core that had stretched the tether far beyond expectations. It had been raised back up in time to preserve the tether, but there had been so much stress damage that it was easier to build an entirely new one rather than attempt to repair the damage.

  As fascinating as all of that was, Rio wasn’t here to assist with the mining or engineering efforts. The Snake Pit was a fully functional colony housing some 18 million people inside the floating city. This was to be his first assignment, along with thousands of other Clan Metal Gear commandos that were on hand for military readiness, should an alert come through they need to be deployed nearby in the system or, in the unlikely case of an internal problem, combat within the city itself.

  That aside, most of the commandos were here for training…and trials combat. The Snake Pit was one of the permanent trials sites, meaning that not only commandos, but Knights and Archons would be there in large numbers, eager to battle each other to gain status and rewards for their Clans, as well as combat experience for themselves. While there were no mechs or aircraft trials taking place here, save for on simulators, there was an aquatics section within the city, allowing for real water combat in addition to the simulators, which Rio found to be absolutely crazy.

  Water warfare, inside a city that was floating in the upper atmosphere of a gas giant? Now that was something he was definitely going to have to see for himself, but more than anything else, the Snake Pit was renowned for its commando trials, with few facilities in the Solar System that could match its varied challenge courses. Clan Metal Gear typically maintained a Top 10 ranking amongst the Clans, and a Top 15 ranking with mainline and Canderous units through in.

  All divisions of the Star Force military took part, using the trials to hone their personnel, as well as experiment with new tactics, giving their troops practical experience before being sent out to the warfront. The most experience Regulars, Knights, and Archons were out there, fighting the war, with a few remaining behind to take care of business in Sol, with them occasionally joining in to help their teams or give the newbs a lesson they wouldn’t soon forget.

  Rio was arriving with a dropship full of new Clan personnel. About half of them were commandos, but there were also techs and medics, with one administrator and two personnel relations division, who they referred to as either attendants, facilitators, or handlers, based on what task they were assigned to. All of them were new acquires by the Clan, and as such had never been to the Snake Pit before, so Rio didn’t know any less than they did upon landing.

  The dropship came down through heavy atmospheric shields into an ‘open air’ landing bay that had more shield than roof covering it. Dozens of dropships were coming and going, most with cargo, but there was a steady stream of personnel transiting back and forth up to one of the starports in orbit. A city/colony of this size had to have a busy link into the transit network, but it still impressed Rio, given the fact that they were in such a remote location…from his point of view, anyway.

  Uranus was, to most Star Force personnel, a part of ‘home’ that they considered the Solar System to be. Only to a rookie, who’d lived his entire life on Earth and Mars, would consider the blue/green planet to be ‘remote.’

  Rio walked out of the dropship, duffle over his shoulder, along with the others and reported into the processing station where they each received their quarters assignment and information on when and where to report for duty. Unlike with his training, there was no one here to meet, greet, and lead him around. He guessed this was what it was to be a Star Force ‘adult,’ and as overwhelming as the Snake Pit was, with crowded and constant pedestrian traffic, he rather liked the sense of freedom it gave him.

  Breaking off from his dropship group, Rio took an impromptu tour through the city as he almost immediately got lost. He had several hours before he was due to report for duty, so he embraced the moment and wandered, crossing through civilian sections and realizing they weren’t Star Force personnel roaming about, but denizens that had come to make the Snake Pit their home. There were business vendors everywhere, along with what looked like a decent amount of tourists, but interspersed amongst them all were the obvious Star Force uniforms, making for an integrated population that moved about within the city, with each person attending to their own duties or prerogatives.

  Rio thought about dropping in and catching a movie, but he was carrying his duffle so he thought better of it and kept walking, but did stop to buy a specialty sugar stick, the kind of thing that didn’t come free in Star Force cafeterias. This one was laced with chocolate and other novelties, then twisted up into an exotic design that caught his eye. It cost half a credit, which he pulled from his personal account via his ID card, then he walked off, slowly devouring his treat as he explored the city.

  Eventually he got his bearings, with the help of several interactive maps, and moved into one of the Star Force personnel-only sections. It wasn’t long before his curiosity brought him to the gigantic trials complex within the heart of the city, which was itself more of an extravaganza than the entertainment sector had been. There were walkways meandering in and around clear walls that looked down and into the various trials courses, most of which currently had ongoing challenges.

  Most were combats between various teams, but some were obstacle courses or other things that required the team to go up against a standard, and then their score would be held up against others. Rio saw that every now and then there were scoreboards superimposed over the windows in hologram, detailing who was currently involved in the challenges and how well they were doing.

  Rio saw a hand to hand engagement in full armor taking place between a small group…only a dozen or so on each side. The scoreboard indicated it was his Clan, the Metal Gears, taking on the Ninja Monkeys, with the current score tallied as 123-118. He didn’t know what criteria they were using to mark points, but was glad to see his new Clan on top.

  He walked through section after section, taking it all in and resisting the urge to stop and watch, for there were so many. Rio eventually made his way into the aerial division, where he was given holographic battlefields to observe as the pilots, in nearby simulators, fought it out in a variety of engagements, one of which was so large it had to contain several hundred fighters.

  After that he passed through a similar section that contained naval engagements, then another for mechs, coming up lastly to the aquatics. That section was split between simulators and several water courses, his favorite of which was the jet boards, which had Regulars and Archons in full body suits riding on what looked like surf boards on top of the water. Their feet were apparently locked in, and they were zipping about tagging targets by hand in some sort of scramble race.

  Commando as he was, that looked like so much fun he wished for a moment that he could switch divisions.

  “You lost?” a voice asked from behind him.

  Rio turned around and his eyes widened as he saw the white uniform with red stripe that denoted an Archon adept.

  “No…yes, well, I was, but…I’m just looking around before I report for duty.”

  “Commando?”

  “Yes. I just graduated.”

  “Newb then,” the Archon said, eyes narrowing a bit. “You like the jet boards?”

  “I wish we could use them,” he said sarcastically, glancing back at the ongoing challenge.

  A confused expression crossed the Archon’s face. “Who do you think that is in there?”

  Rio did a double take. “Aquatics?”

  “And commandos,” he explained. “Aquatics operate mostly underwater,
so being on the surface is kind of a neutral zone between them and the commandos. Sometimes aquatics use the jet boards, sometimes the commandos do, and then sometimes they do mixed challenges, like this one. Clan Mantle commandos are taking on Clan Sneaky Fox aquatics in a non-points match.”

  Rio fought back a smirk, for he couldn’t help himself. He’d become familiar with all the names, but hearing the Archon say it in such a serious manner was ironic.

  “Something funny?”

  “Sorry, Archon. It’s just that some of the Clan names are serious, and then some are…”

  “Less so?”

  “Exactly.”

  The Archon nodded. “Each of the original Archons got to choose their Clan name. Some went for serious, others for ironic or funny. Now, none of them are funny. I look at Clan Sneaky Fox and I see the Clan, its strengths and weaknesses, all the times I’ve engaged them in combat. Only rookies and civilians find it humorous.”

  “But why did some of the trailblazers choose funny names in the first place?”

  The Archon shrugged. “You’d have to ask them.”

  Rio nodded. “Just curious. What Clan are you?”

  “Clan Aquaman. You’re a Metal Gear, I assume?”

  “Yes, how could you tell?”

  “Fresh out of graduation, carrying a duffle…means this is your first assignment. And no rookie goes straight to the trials.”

  “Right,” Rio agreed.

  “Given that these are your new stomping grounds, I expect you’ll find yourself on a jet board eventually. Just make sure you wear a full suit. You may have had swimming training, but you’ll half drown before you get your feet unlocked from the board if you aren’t aquatics…or really familiar with the boards. So make sure you and your buddies wear the masks.”

  “I’ll remember that,” Rio promised.

  “Carry on,” the Archon said, walking off.

  “Right,” Rio whispered, resetting his duffle over his shoulder and moving on through the aquatics section until he eventually found his way back around to the commando courses. He lingered there, finding more and more new combat variations that he hoped to try at some point, before finally heading off to find his quarters and settle in.

  When he finally reported for duty it was a basic information session along with 30 or so other freshly minted commandos. As it turned out, he wasn’t going to have to wait long to get his taste of the trials, for it seemed that Clan Metal Gear favored a 50/50 split between training and combat in the Snake Pit, given that they had the trials facilities on hand. They said that meant the new commandos coming here had an opportunity to rise through the ranks faster than others…so long as they kept up their physical training.

  It was an arduous combination, but they hadn’t been recruited by the Clan to take things easy or slow. Rio had been chosen, it seemed, because of his steady progression. Others had been more streaky, rising quickly then plateauing…only to break through and repeat the process. The Metal Gears wanted rookies who could grind their way through training and combat simultaneously, absorbing far more experience than others could in a short period of time, and only those who had a firm grasp on the principles of adaptation and ascension could be expected to survive in that intense environment.

  Those that couldn’t would crack and their workouts would tank…then they’d have to reset themselves and get their mojo back on a purely training program. That wasn’t altogether bad, for those that had gone through that process had come out stronger for it in the long run, but it wasn’t the preferred path, and every now and then you’d get a commando that would say they’d had enough and quit, returning to civilian life...but Rio was past that point. He was a commando for keeps, no matter how hard a regimen the Metal Gears put him through.

  7

  October 12, 2464

  Solar System

  Uranus

  Rio walked out into the ‘Arena’ along with 74 other Metal Gear commandos, each wearing their signature camo green uniforms. The single color motif was broken up by black stripes down the sides of the arms and legs, with black safety sunglasses that looped around the left ear holding a comm piece. Lastly, each of the commandos wore a headband with tails, a bit of a flourish the Clan liked to sport in situations where an opponent couldn’t grab hold of it to gain leverage.

  Across the Arena course there was another 75 commandos from Clan Firestorm in their orange uniforms with equally orange safety glasses and earpieces. To Rio’s left in the Arena was the light blue uniformed Clan Saber, and to his right was Clan Kirk in yellow with gold trim. In the middle, separating them all, was an irregular pyramid topped with a finish pedestal. The goal of this challenge was simple…get to the top and press the button to win. Getting there ahead of the others was the challenge, especially when everyone was armed with stingers.

  Rio had two pistols, each with a clip of 40 rounds. That made them heavier than usual, and a bit awkward to aim, but he needed the extra clip size because they weren’t allowed to carry spares. That meant once you ran out you had no further ability to hinder the opposing Clans, leaving it as a race to the top, for hand to hand combat was barred in this challenge.

  The rest of the Metal Gears had an assortment of weapons, all chosen to maximize their Clan’s chances. Rio was tagged as a rusher, which meant that when the start tone sounded he was to flank the other Clans and try to take down as many of their people as he could while some of his teammates made their way up towards the top, grabbing strongholds as they went. While the pyramid’s highest elevation was at the peak, there were several others enroute, separated by valleys, that offered good sniping positions…which those of his team so equipped would be heading for first off.

  It wasn’t a quick climb to the top, but if they didn’t get their snipers in place Clan Saber and Clan Kirk would make more progress than they should, grabbing up additional strongpoints, so the game was as much about hindering your opponents as it was about climbing to the summit. The tricky part was, the Metal Gears couldn’t see Clan Firestorm, for the pyramid was blocking their view and firing lines, meaning they were going to have to trust the other two Clans to keep them hindered, and vice versa.

  Rio and the others lined up on the starting grid, 25 wide by three deep, with him on the extreme left flank first in line. He could see the Sabers well off in the distance, for the Arena was absolutely huge, yet only the third largest off all the challenge courses. They were his target, and his first attempt in a counting trial. Before now he’d been running through practice challenges with other Clan Metal Gear commandos, but now the outcome counted in the rankings, and he wanted to do everything he could to measure up…which right now meant shooting Sabers.

  The start tone sounded, blaring out across the vast empty chamber as onlookers formed a ring around the top where the observation windows were. Rio took off sprinting while moving to the left, heading for the lowest of the strongpoints…a stubby elevated nook on the lowest level that formed the corner of the pyramid. It wasn’t a high value spot, because other nearby strongpoints were at a higher elevation, and with no roofs the high ground would rule, but he needed to get there in order to get around to the Saber side on the flat before he took to climbing.

  The rest of the Metal Gears split up, each heading towards their individual assignments. Nearly all of them were faster than Rio and moved ahead of him, including the other four that were tasked to go after the Sabers. He found himself getting to the mini-fort last, but just in time to see one of his Clan get shot in the chest by a Saber as they both got to the corner at nearly the same time.

  Rio brought both pistols up and peppered the area with stingers, catching the Saber with two of them. It was a waste of ammo, but a takedown none the less. He kept his pistols raised as he ran up to the spot and took cover on his side of the strongpoint, wondering how many others were on the other side.

  “You’re clear,” he heard in his earpiece. “Get going.”

  Rio didn’t bother to respond. Less ta
lk was preferable in an engagement like this. He took two steps and rounded the corner, hanging close to the wall and seeing none of the Sabers ahead of him…at least until he got to the edge of the strongpoint box and the first level of the pyramid came into view, inset as it was from the corners. They were everywhere, all climbing up various routes, with some shooting back at the Metal Gears above his head in the strongpoint they’d claimed.

  “Ok, time to get crazy,” he said, sprinting off, not towards the pyramid, but at an angle away from it, drifting back towards the Sabers’ starting position as he headed for the center of their side. No one bothered to shoot at him as he ran, probably because they didn’t want to waste ammunition, and he eventually got to the center and swung about, now fully behind the other Clan and following in their footsteps.

  “Point 7 and 9,” he reported, noting the strongpoints where the Sabers were headed for the benefit of the others. After that he picked the closest Sabers and went after them, nowhere near close enough to hit, but gaining ground quickly. He didn’t go unnoticed, and caught the swivel of sniper rifle from one of the lower strongpoints the Sabers had just claimed as it came around to target him.

  Rio immediately went into a zigzag, making it difficult for the sniper to steady his aim, and as a result no incoming fire rained down on him. Again, with the limited ammo, it wasn’t worth risking a shot until he got closer…then he was toast.

  But fortunately he wasn’t working alone, for as the sniper took aim at him a Metal Gear sniper took aim at him and used several rounds of ammo to take him out, giving Rio a narrow opportunity to get up to the first level of the pyramid and take cover.

  He backed up against the wall and caught his breath, then turned left and ran a few steps to one of the ladders, climbing it awkwardly with a pistol in each hand, but he got up and onto the second tier and ran to the closest bit of cover. Fortunately the pyramid wasn’t trim, but rather had a zigzaggy configuration of its own, so now that he was in amongst all the cracks he had a fair chance of getting to at least one of the Sabers before he was taken down.