FiMTech - The Clan Civil War - EDITED (BattleTech Crossover)

"Are you serious? Your cutie mark is a Timber Wolf?!" Mist exclaimed. He fell back onto his bed exasperatedly. "I mean, everything makes sense now, but why you? First Chartreuse starts to like you, then you run laps around the hangar your first time piloting a Mech, and now this?"

Sundance scratched his head. "Just luck, I guess. Celestia knows why, but it's what I'm good at." The nurse had let him go for the night, giving him a bottle of pain reliever and instructions to take it every morning with breakfast until the bottle was empty. He hadn't broken anything, thankfully, but his ribs were pretty badly bruised.

"I know, but..." Mist sighed. "Even before I got stolen from my home, it was always my dream to be a MechWarrior and charge into battle, blasting holes in enemy Mechs with PPCs. That's why I know so much about them. I became obsessed with them. But it's not going to be me; it's your destiny. I'm the worst pilot in the Sibko."

Sundance placed a hoof reassuringly on Mist's shoulder. "You'll get better, don't worry. You know more about Mechs than any other cadet here. If anyone has the potential to be a great MechWarrior, it's you." He looked around nervously. "Besides, I'm sure you've noticed how much of a coward I am. I couldn't even defend myself against Bittersweet this morning. Even if I'm a good pilot, that doesn't mean I'll be a good soldier."

Mist looked up at Sundance. "You really think I can be a good MechWarrior?"

Sundance nodded. "Of course. Situational awareness and knowing the enemy are big parts of piloting a Mech. I don't know any other pony who has both of those things."

Mist smiled slightly at Sundance. "Thanks. The two of us would probably make quite the team on the battlefield." He sat up in his bed. "We should probably head to bed now. The drill instructor will have my ass on the wall if I'm the last out of bed again." Sundance nodded.

"Yeah. Goodnight, Mist."

"'Night," Mist replied. He lied down in his bed and pulled the thin sheet up over him. Sundance turned to walk to his own bed, lost in thought. He and Chartreuse had talked a bit on the way back before she went to the female barracks, but not much. Sundance didn't think he liked her that much, but she was cool to be around. Maybe if he could introduce Mist to her...

Sundance didn't notice the pony who was standing in front of his bed until he was inches from them. He looked up, startled, to find Bittersweet staring at him. "Heard you impressed the Commander today."

Sundance stood still for a second, remembering their encounter from earlier that day. "Umm... Y-yeah, I guess," he said nervously.

Bittersweet snorted. "Don't let it get to your head. You're still not MechWarrior material." He pushed past Sundance on his way to his own bed, bumping into him roughly. Sundance stared after the larger pony, his bruised ribs aching.

"He isn't wrong. I'd probably be about the most useless pony to be beside in battle." Sundance crawled carefully into bed. The scratchy sheet and thin mattress suddenly felt almost too rough and uncomfortable. "What if I don't end up being a good MechWarrior? Will the other cadets laugh at me? Is Commander Charcoal going to get angry? What if I don't pass my Trial of Position?"

The lights turned out as the last cadet got into bed, and the barracks descended into silence. He had never thought about it too much before today, but he definitely wasn't cut out to be a MechWarrior. This cutie mark was basically just a slap in the face. "I wish someone else had gotten this cursed cutie mark. What can I do with it? There's nothing heroic or brave about me." He pulled his sheet up close around him. "I wish I could just wake up back in Styx. I won't make it through my first battle, assuming I make it past my Trial."

These negative thoughts continued swirling around Sundance's head for hours, adding to his self-doubt. Sleep was a long time coming for him.

~~

The time had finally come for the cadets to pilot a real BattleMech for the first time, and Sundance had never felt such a conflicting combination of emotions. He couldn't wait to hop into a real cockpit, but he still had doubts about being able to fight in one, and he was nervous about piloting a new Mech. He had formed quite a strong bond with the Shadow Cat in the month he had piloted her. Sundance shook his head. He needed to keep these negative thoughts out of his head or he'd be sure to disappoint the Commander.

Commander Charcoal walked down the line of cadets. They were standing shoulder to shoulder just outside of the hangar, their black and blue cooling suits fitted snugly to their body and their matching neurohelmets in their left hooves. It had taken some time for the cadets to get their suits, but they had had enough time to make any minor adjustments before the next stage of their training. The suits were designed with their growth in mind, and could be modified without too much trouble as the cadets got older.

"Alright, MechWarriors. While you are going to be piloting BattleMechs with real weapon systems, the ammunition has been replaced with blanks and the energy weapons have been deactivated. You won't be firing at anything today, just getting used to the added strain of extensive DI and battle computers. Most of you have been assigned to a medium mech, but a select few of you will be piloting heavies today. It's similar to riding a hover bike with an extra fifty kilos strapped to your back. It takes some getting used to, but you'll manage." The Commander looked expectantly at Sundance, Chartreuse, and another earth pony whose name Sundance didn't know. This cadet had orange eyes, a blue mane, and a dark red coat. It was an odd match of colors. "It's a big jump to go from a dumbed-down medium to a fully decked-out heavy, but I know the three of you can do it."

He turned back towards the rest of the cadets. "Now, while you're not guaranteed to take these Mechs with you into battle, the choice is there for you. We have a number of extra Mechs standing by if anyone want's to try something in a different weight class tomorrow. However, for today at least, everypony will use what they were assigned." The Commander lifted up his neurohelmet. "Everypony meet me at the training field northwest of here in ten minutes. Don't be late."

"Aff, Commander!" the cadets all said, saluting in unison. The Commander nodded before fitting his neurohelmet to his head and turning towards his Mad Dog. As the rest of the cadets began walking towards their own Mechs, Mist caught up to Sundance, Chartreuse, and the other cadet.

"I wish I could pilot a heavy Mech. You guys are so lucky. Well, guys and girl I guess," Mist said, smiling at his own bad joke. "I got stuck with a Standard Black Hawk 2." He sighed. "It's not exactly the pinnacle of medium Mechs. I'm one of the few cadets who wasn't assigned an OmniMech."

"That sucks. Maybe you can switch tomorrow?" Chartreuse suggested. Sundance had managed to get the two of them to converse at one point, but it was a strange experience. The two of them acted so strangely towards each other, and Sundance still had no idea what she thought of Mist.

"I doubt Commander Charcoal would have kept me out of an OmniMech if there were any left." He perked up after a moment. "But... that's only all of the medium OmniMechs. Maybe there will be a heavy, or even an assault!" he said excitedly.

The other cadet shook his head. "The assaults are only for the third years and above who manage to impress Charcoal. Being a freeborn Sibko, we're not very high on the priority list for assault Mechs compared to the casket borns."

Mist sighed in response. "Oh well. A heavy is still cool. Maybe they have an Ebon Jaguar or something."

Sundance raised an eyebrow. "You're brave to refer to the Commander as just 'Charcoal.'"

The other cadet shrugged. "I don't have any respect for a pony born in a machine. They all think they're so much better than us just because they're stronger." He glanced back at the Mad Dog that was leaving the hangar, a dark look on his face. "He's not as nice as he wants you to think. The freeborn units always go into battle first under his command. He's just buttering us up so that we follow him blindly like sheep to our deaths."

Sundance, Mist, and Chartreuse glanced at each other. "Are you sure? But he seems like such a good pony. He certainly treats us better than the drill instructor does," Chartreuse said.

Sundance and Mist looked at each other behind the other cadets, and Sundance shook his head. They had promised to keep the drill instructor's secret, and he could get in serious trouble if anypony else found out.

The cadet nodded. "It happened to my brother. Just last year, his freeborn unit was on the frontlines acting as cannon fodder for the casket born. Half of them died, including him."

The three of them thought about that for a moment. It was possible, and even though it was hard to believe, Sundance could actually see it happening. Mist shook his head. "Well, let's get off this dark topic. Even if that's true, it's not like we can do anything about it. I want to see what Mechs you guys are piloting!" he said excitedly.

"I'm in the Summoner on the end," Chartreuse said, motioning towards the Mech in the opposite back corner of the hangar. It was situated next to Mist's Black Hawk. "I think Commander Charcoal said it's a configuration C."

"The Timber Wolf's mine, Prime config," the cadet said, nodding towards the Mech they were about to reach. "I guess Charcoal thought it would be funny to give me the Mech Sundance here has on his flank."

Sundance looked up at the massive machine. He hadn't realized just how big it was from his cutie mark, even though Mist had told him it was a seventy-five ton Mech. He looked down at the last Mech in the hangar. "I guess that one's mine. I think the Commander said it's called a Hellbringer, but I don't remember which configuration."

Mist stopped for a moment. "Really? He gave you the Hellbringer? But you're the best pilot in the Sibko, why would he give you a failure of a-" he caught himself mid-sentence. "No, it's not a failure. It's actually got really good offensive potential, but it barely has any more armor than a medium." He glanced at Sundance. "That Mech usually pairs well with aggressive pilots. Do you think you should switch?"

Sundance shook his head. "That's actually something I've been meaning to work on, so I think it'll be a good match for me." He thought for a second. "Was it a coincidence that the Commander gave me this Mech? Or did he do it intentionally?" He glanced at the other cadet. "Either way, I guess this is something I needed. The Commander seems to know what he's doing, whether it's for our good or his."

"Well, me and Chartreuse should head to our BattleMechs. We'll follow you two out of the hangar," Mist said, waving at the other two cadets. Chartreuse cast a quick glance at Sundance before following Mist over to their Mechs.

Sundance and the other cadet stood in front of the Timber Wolf for a moment in silence. After a few seconds, the cadet broke the silence. "Well, I'm getting in my Mech." He turned to walk up the stairs, but stopped. "My name's Vermilion, by the way. The comms are almost certainly tapped, even the private ones. Don't mention what I said to you earlier over them," he said, turning back to head up the stairs to his Mech.

Sundance nodded before turning towards his own Mech. He had a strong feeling of apprehension, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. "You'll never be the pilot you need to be if you can't get over your cowardice. It's time to do what's expected of you," he thought. He hurried up the stairs and climbed into the open cockpit, which swung closed behind him. The controls definitely seemed a lot more complicated than the ones in the training Mech.

Sundance strapped himself to the seat and put on his neurohelmet. He pressed the power-up button and was wholly unprepared for the Mech, which violently invaded his mind as soon as the Fusion Reactor powered up. He could feel nothing but anger and bloodlust coming from it, which wasn't anything like the gentle, reassuring hum of the Shadow Cat. No; this Mech felt hostile.

Sundance was roused from his thoughts by various beeps from the DI computer as it checked to make sure all of the Mech's systems were working as they should. This went on for a couple more seconds before Sundance heard the DI computer's female voice confirming a successful startup.

Reactor - Online. Sensors - Online. Weapons - Online. All Systems Nominal.

Sundance shook his head. The Hellbringer's aggressive harsh whine certainly matched how it was supposed to be used, but it was too much to hit him all at once.

Vermilion pulled forward into Sundance's view and turned the torso of his Timber Wolf towards Sundance. "Something wrong? We should go before we get left behind," he said over the open comms. Chartreuse and Mist had already climbed into their Mechs and were in the process of powering them up.

Sundance shook his head. "I'll be fine. I just wasn't expecting this Mech to have such a violent personality."

"If we're quick about it we can switch Mechs. I think Commander Charcoal would understand."

Sundance shook his head again. "I'll push through. Let's go."

Vermilion led the way out of the hangar with the other three close behind them. They could just see the last Mech heading down the road through the trees as they exited the doors. "Come on, we need to catch up." Vermilion started after the other cadets, his Timber Wolf taking slow, massive strides down the road.

Sundance followed close behind Vermilion, the hostile Mech fighting him every step of the way. "This really is a cursed cutie mark. I could probably move just fine if I didn't have this 'talent' for communicating with Mechs," he thought. Mist pulled up beside him.

"Are you alright? You seem like you're having trouble," he asked.

"I'm fine. There's something up with this Mech, though. There's a lot of anger in it. My cutie mark isn't really doing any good in this situation; it's only making things worse." Sundance looked back out towards Vermilion, who was quite a ways ahead of them. He pushed the throttle forward a bit.

"If you're sure. Maybe you should ask the Commander if you can switch to a different Mech tomorrow," Mist suggested. "I don't know what it feels like for your Mech to communicate like that, but it sounds rough."

Sundance winced as he felt a migraine coming on. "Sure, I guess I'll do that. I just hope the other Mechs aren't like this."

The four of them continued on towards the training field, crashing through tree branches that had strayed too far over the road. Before long, the training field became visible through the trees. It was a huge open field situated in the shadow of the mountains, allowing them to use the field for target practice without worrying about stray fire going near the camp. Much of the grass had been chewed up by Mechs over a period of years, leaving the field mostly dirt.

The other cadets were already gathered around the Commander's Mad Dog. Vermilion went up to join the others, and the other three followed him. Sundance checked the time on the cockpit's digital clock. "Nine minutes. We barely made it," he thought. There wasn't much of a reaction from the Hellbringer, just a slight distortion of it's frequency.

Sundance wasn't getting much from the Mech, mostly just vague emotions. He had grown used to the various comforting noises of the Shadow Cat, so this was a difficult change. "I guess this is what using a new Mech is like. It's entirely different to try and understand. Hopefully whatever Mech I switch to tomorrow isn't so aggressive." This earned Sundance a violent pickup in the constant droning from the Hellbringer, and he clutched his head in pain. Chartreuse shot him a worried glance as she pulled up beside him. She was about to say something, but Commander Charcoal cut in on the open comms.

"Alright, MechWarriors. Since all of you made it here, I'm assuming you're getting used to the added mental load of these Mechs. It takes a while to fully adapt though, so we're going to start by running laps around the clearing. Let's start with ten laps and go from there. Begin!" the Commander said.

The cadets turned almost in unison and began tromping towards the tree line. The lighter Mechs shot ahead of the others, being geared more towards mobility rather than combat strength. This left Sundance alone in the middle of the field, still clutching his head. The Commander walked over towards him. "Is something wrong, cadet? You should be with the others." There was a slight edge to his voice, but Sundance was too distracted to notice.

"Sorry, Sir. I'm just having a bit of trouble," Sundance said, wincing. The Hellbringer certainly wasn't letting up at all with its mental attacks.

"Push through it, cadet. We're at the stage of training where we can't wait for anypony, so you're going to need to grit your teeth and continue. The enemy won't wait patiently while you sit idle."

"Aff, Sir," Sundance said. He turned the Hellbringer to follow the other cadets, his headache making it hard for him to focus. He stumbled a bit as he started moving and the Commander shook his head. "Damnit, Sundance. Keep it together," he thought to himself as he struggled along behind the other cadets. He managed to match pace with Vermilion and Chartreuse, but it was extremely difficult to focus with the Hellbringer raging through his mind.

Chartreuse slowed slightly until she was running next to Sundance and opened a private comm channel. "Are you ok? You haven't seemed like yourself today."

Sundance shook his head, mildly annoyed that everypony was asking him the same question. "I don't know. This Mech is giving me a headache. It feels like razor blades floating through my head."

Chartreuse shivered. "Lovely image. Is it because of your cutie mark? I know you said it lets you communicate with your Mech better than anypony else."

"Yeah. I know it sounds weird to say, but this Mech almost feels evil, like all it wants to do is hurt ponies." The Hellbringer buzzed angrily, worsening Sundancer's migraine. He flinched.

"Can you just ignore the Mech?" Chartreuse asked.

Sundance shook his head. "It isn't that easy. Think of it like a speaker constantly broadcasting the Mech's emotions. It might help somewhat, but that's just avoiding the problem."

Chartreuse brought her hoof to her chin and thought for a moment. "Would it be possible to switch the DI computer from the training Mech to that one? Mist knows a lot more about Mechs so he might be the one to ask, but if you're set on using the Hellbringer, maybe it could work."

Sundance considered her idea for a moment. The cadets ahead of them turned left to follow a sharp bend in the trees, and the two of them did the same. "That might work. I hadn't thought of that. I should ask Mist before suggesting it to the Commander, though," he said.

Chartreuse smiled at him. "Let's just make it through today, then. Even if it isn't possible, I'm sure the Commander would let you switch to a different Mech."

Sundance nodded. "Yeah. It would be great to have the Shadow Cat's DI computer back." The Hellbringer buzzed at him again, but this time he tried just ignoring it, like Chartreuse suggested. Obviously he couldn't just stop listening, but he could try focusing less on the Hellbringer and more on what he wanted it to do. Surprisingly, this made the pain bearable, at least for the time being. Chartreuse sped up a bit to catch up to the other cadets, and Sundance followed suit behind her.

The rest of that day's training session with the Commander progressed like this, with Sundance trudging behind the others at a barely acceptable pace. Commander Charcoal had them do things like climbing over rough terrain, changing direction quickly, and other maneuvering drills.

Sundance had asked Mist during one of the drills if it was possible to switch the DI computer in a Mech. He wasn't sure it would work since the DI computer is generally tuned for the specific Mech it's installed into, the lower power training computer is weaker than a full DI computer, and the Mech's so-called conscience might not even be in the DI computer, but he thought it was worth a shot.

The cadets all halted their Mechs in the hangar before powering them down and climbing out. As much as Sundance loved piloting Mechs, that was a stressful training session, and he had never been happier to shut down his Mech. The Hellbringer gave him a final blast of what felt like pure hatred before it got cut off by the DI computer's feminine voice.

Shutting Down.

Sundance tore off his neurohelmet and leaned back into his seat, breathing heavily. "Dear Celestia I hope the Commander doesn't make me use this Mech anymore." After a few moments of him recovering, Vermilion appeared on the catwalk next to his cockpit and tapped on the glass. Sundance undid the straps to his seat and opened the cockpit.

"Rough day, huh? You hardly seemed like the same pilot out there," he said wryly. "I'm glad I don't have to worry about an angry Mech screaming at me constantly."

Sundance chuckled. "Yeah, you're lucky. I don't suppose you'd be willing to trade?" he said, half joking.

"Nah, I've already got a good bond going with my Timber Wolf." Vermilion leaned in close to Sundance. "I named it Reggie, but don't tell anyone. I'll stuff your neurohelmet with dead slugs if you do."

Sundance grimaced. "Gross. I'll keep my neurohelmet clean, thank you." Vermilion grabbed onto Sundance as he climbed out of the Hellbringer and helped him onto the catwalk. "Thanks."

Vermilion nodded at him. "No problem." He glanced at the ground below them. "What might be a problem though is Charcoal. I'll let you handle this one." Sundance followed his gaze and saw the Commander walking up the stairs towards them. Vermilion patted him on the shoulder and walked away.

"Cadet Sundance," Commander Charcoal began as he walked up to Sundance. "What happened on the training field today? It was like you had forgotten how to be a MechWarrior."

Sundance snapped to attention and glanced up at the Commander nervously. "W-well, Sir, you know how I can communicate with Mechs in a way that nopony else can?"

The Commander nodded. "Yes, what of it?"

"This one was really hostile. It felt like a thousand needles stabbing into my brain the entire time it was powered up. I-I was actually going to ask you if it was possible to switch the DI computer from the training Shadow Cat to my Hellbringer. Uh, Sir," he added awkwardly.

Commander Charcoal opened his mouth to reply, but stopped for a moment, a thoughtful look on his face. "So that's how it works? I didn't realize your cutie mark worked like that." He thought for a second. "Follow me," he said, walking past Sundance. He followed the Commander down the catwalk nervously, walking past the other cadets' Mechs. They eventually came to a room, which Sundance recognized as the one Cadmium came out of on their first day training under Commander Charcoal.

The Commander opened the door and walked into the room, Sundance close behind him. Cadmium was in the back corner of the room, tinkering with something small Sundance didn't recognize. He turned when he heard the door and set the item down, noticing Commander Charcoal. "Is this something that can wait? I'm about to make a breakthrough in my research, I can feel it," Cadmium said, his glasses slightly askew.

The Commander shook his head. "We have quite an unusual request, assuming it can be done. Sundance wants the DI computer from the training unit he's been using transferred to the Hellbringer, today preferably."

Cadmium stared at Sundance, aghast. "Why in Luna's name would you want to do that? The DI computers in the training Mechs are horribly underpowered compared to that of a full BattleMech's. You might as well substitute in a pocket calculator."

"W-well, the Hellbringer has a really harsh personality that makes it impossible to pilot, and since I had formed a pretty close bond with the Shadow Cat, Chartreuse suggested I ask to have their DI computers swapped," Sundance said.

Cadmium straightened his glasses. "Hmm... it should be possible, in theory at least. Whether or not it actually works, I guess we'll see. I can tune the DI computer in the Shadow Cat for the Hellbringer no problem, but you'll notice the systems on the Mech functioning well below their potential." He scratched his head. "Well, actually, the battle computer should pick up most of the slack. That is one of the functions of the battle computer, to act as a backup for the DI computer. How can you be sure that the Mech will respond differently with a different DI computer, though?"

"I actually have bee thinking about that quite a bit. I can feel the emotions of both the Shadow Cat and the Hellbringer, but the Shadow Cat doesn't even have a battle computer. Unless there's another component of BattleMechs that can do that, it's probably the DI computer since that's the only thing they have in common."

Cadmium opened his mouth, then closed it and frowned. "Yes, I suppose you're right." He turned back to the object he was messing with earlier. "I'll have it done in time for training tomorrow. Now please leave; I know this is going to work." He said, bending over the table and peering closely at the object.

Sundance followed Commander Charcoal out of the room and shut the door behind him. He turned towards the Commander curiously. "Commander, how come Cadmium doesn't have to refer to you using an honorific?"

The Commander glanced at Sundance, surprised. "Cadmium's rank as a scientist puts him at the equivalent rank of a Point Commander, which is what I am. We're effectively the same rank, so we refer to each other as equals. Much to my distaste."

"That makes sense. Thank you, Sir."

Commander Charcoal nodded. "That's all for today, so head on to lunch. Like Cadmium said, the DI computer will be transferred in time for tomorrow, so don't worry about that. If this doesn't work, we'll see about getting you a different Mech. You're dismissed."

Sundance saluted. "Aff, Commander." The Commander nodded again, and Sundance turned to walk down the stairs. He looked at the ground below and noticed Mist, Chartreuse, and Vermilion standing by the doors of the hangar, having already stripped from their cooling suits in favor of their cadet jackets. Vermilion nodded to him as he approached.

"Charcoal give you a piece of his mind?" he asked.

Sundance shook his head. "He was actually really understanding. Cadmium said he can switch the DI computers, so now we just have to hope it works."

Chartreuse glanced up towards the Commander, who was walking along the catwalk inspecting the Mechs. "Are you sure he's really as bad as you think, Vermilion? It's hard to believe he's as bad as you say."

Vermilion nodded. "I am. He's a con. He acts nice to get you on his side, then uses you. There are plenty of ponies like him in this cursed Clan."

Mist sighed melodramatically. "Can we not get on this topic again? I'm starving. Sundance hurry up and get out of that cooling suit so we can go to lunch," he whined. Sundance got the feeling they had been arguing about this while they were waiting for him to finish talking with Commander Charcoal.

"Alright, don't get your panties in a bunch, Mist," Sundance said. He walked over to the lockers and quickly changed into his cadet jacket before hanging up the suit and placing his neurohelmet on the shelf. He locked the door and walked back over to his friends.

"Finally. Let's go, guys," Mist said. He turned and started walking down the path towards the mess hall, not waiting for the others. Vermilion and Chartreuse glanced at each other, obviously still at odds, before following Mist.

Sundance brought up the rear of the group, lost in thought. "I sure hope this works," he thought. "If it does, I'll get to be with the Shadow Cat again. I actually miss her quite a bit..." He glanced at the sky, slightly embarrassed. "I guess I should name her if this plan works, like Vermilion did. I have to think of something good. I've got all day to come up with the perfect name," he thought, following close behind his friends but not really engaging in conversation. It had certainly been a stressful day and there was no guarantee of what tomorrow held, but Sundance couldn't wait to find out nonetheless.

~~

Sundance hopped eagerly into his Hellbringer, anticipating what would happen when the Mech started up. He strapped himself in and was about to put his neurohelmet on when he heard somepony call his name. He turned to see Vermilion standing on the catwalk next to his Mech.

"You think this plan worked?" he asked.

"I sure hope so," Sundance replied nervously. "I have the perfect name picked out for her, assuming the transfer went well."

Vermilion smiled. "Got that from me, did you? Just don't tell anyone who you got the idea from. Don't forget my threat."

Sundance threw up his hooves innocently. "I won't, I won't. Your secret is safe with me."

Vermilion gave him a searching glance, then sighed. "I guess I'll have to trust you on that." He turned to walk away, but stopped for a moment. "I'm just over here, so scream if the Mech starts to fry your brain or something."

"Will do," Sundance said. He put his neurohelmet on and swung the cockpit closed. His hoof hovered over the power switch nervously. "Well, there's only one way to find out if this worked, I guess. Here goes nothing," he thought. He clenched his eyes shut, flipped the switch, and waited for something to happen.

The Mech hummed into life, beeps sounding seemingly at random. This went on for a few seconds, and Sundance opened his eyes, relieved but worried. The Hellbringer hadn't immediately assaulted his mind, but he couldn't feel anything coming from the Mech. "Please work," he thought anxiously as the startup sequence came to a close. However, nothing happened, and the computer's voice ended the start up sequence.

Reactor - Online. Sensors - Online. Weapons - Online. All Systems Nominal.

Sundance sighed. "Fuck. Now what?" He sat in silence for a few moments, hoping for something, anything, to pop into his head. But nothing did.

He was about to give up, when suddenly, he felt a faint humming in the back of his mind, and he immediately sat up straight. "Is that.. Yes! That's definitely you! It worked!" he called out excitedly.

The hum picked up in her usual encouraging way. She was weaker than she was in the training Mech, but Sundance could tell that was due to her unfamiliar surroundings. She would adjust to the increased workload over time. Sundance smiled, feeling elated. He had the perfect nickname picked out for her, and he knew she would love it.

"Welcome back, Solis. It's good to see you again."