2-12
I was leaning against the chest high fence that surrounded the platform we had parked our ship on so I got to see the kaiju surface. I was taking a pull from my kiseru when an alarm went through the city. I blew out the cherry flavored smoke and turned to the city when i caught something moving out of the corner of my eye in the desert we were moving across.
A giant white spike pierced the ground and the rest of the kaiju followed it. It was various shades of green with a darker tone closer to the line of spikes sticking out of its back. A long thin arm jerked from the ground and slammed back down and it pushed the rest of its body from the ground. It pulled its legs from the ground and its tail followed. The whole thing looked like it was a starving lizard. I could see its ribs moving under its scales as it shook the dirt and sand from its shoulders. It looked sickly with how thin it was. It pushed off the ground with its hands and stood tall, it was as big as one of the larger buildings in the city behind me.
It opened its mouth and let out a scream that echoed across the desert. I could see the shockwaves resonating from its mouth. So that is a kaiju. I took a pull of cheery smoke then pulled my kiseru away from my mouth, “Shit.”
The of the city picked up speed, going from a crawl to a sprint. It started moving and the Kaiju started chasing. Weapons sprouted from the side of the city and started focusing on the kaiju. Balls of plasma and rockets shot off the city and connected with the kaiju. The most it did was scuff its scales or knock it back a step.
Owl came running up to me from the ship with the rest of the group. She had a big grin on her face as she set the box she was carrying down with a clank and popped the tabs. Lahrya pulled Rowand over and turned her so her back was to Owl before pulling her shirt up exposing her spine. Guardian Wannaniki stepped near me and watched the kaiju with a frown.
Owl pulled out of the box what looked like a spinal column made of steel and electronics. It was covered in strings that extended back out into the box. She moved over to Rowand and held the steel spine up before pressing it against her back. Rowand let out a little gasp at the touch. “What happened? Did it hurt?” Lahrya asked her.
Rowand just shook her head, “It's just cold.”
The metal spined hissed sealing itself to her back. The cords connected to the spin pulled tight and jerked things out of the box. The things collapsed and wrapped around her working from her chest down to her feet forming a suit. She reached up and pulled her shirt off before turning around and looking at the kaiju, “Ok. I am in the suit. Now what?”
Owl stood from where she was kneeling and looked out towards the kaiju. She scanned her head back and forth before pointing to the side away from the kaiju but still out in the desert, “Suneya. Throw her out there.”
“Throw me?!” Rowands voice climbed quite high.
Guardian Wannaniki turned from watching the kaiju, “I can carry her out there if you want.”
Owl shook her head as I approached Rowand who was looking more alarmed as Owl replied, “Suneya can get her there faster.”
Rowand put her hands up to block me and I swept her legs. She tilted sideways and I stepped out, grabbing at the steel spine she was now wearing. It made a good hand hold. I turned towards where Owl had pointed then took a step forward and threw Rowand out into the air. She let out a shriek as she flew in an ark. “Nice throw.” Owl said as we watched her fall from the height of the top of the kaiju.
Guardian Wannaniki nodded as he watched, “Good distance too. I can see what you meant about a faster delivery system.”
Lahrya stepped up next to me, “She has quite the air reservoir.”
Owl let out a chuckle. We watched Rowand fall and something shot out of the sand and met her. It was large black and swallowed her falling form. It spun to bleed off her momentum then fell itself towards the ground. When it got close to the ground things rose to meet it. They clanged and locked together in places and a form started to take shape. Joints locked together and an arm connected to a torso. The chest closed itself on the lower half and suddenly it was standing on two legs.
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Soon there was a massive mech standing behind the kaiju and out in the desert. it was standing there looking at its massive hands for a few seconds before they dropped and it took a stomp towards the kaiju. I watched as Rowand closed the hands of the mech into fists as she piloted it closer to the kaiju. The kaiju must have heard or felt her behind it because it quickly twisted around to face her.
She hopped as it twisted and threw a quick jab. Well.. for the size of the mech it was quick. The mech's fist hit hard and the kaijus head slammed to the size. It was a good punch for what she knew but the kaiju must have had some experience fighting because it followed with the motion and came around with its tail.
It hit with a clang where a humans ribs would be. The mech lifted off the ground and went tumbling. It rolled onto its back and the kaiju leapt up on top of the mech and tried to savage it with its claws and teeth. Rowand caught the kaijus mouth on the forearm of the mech and jerked it to the side, pulling the kaiju off the mech slightly. It gave her room to twist the lower part of the mech and give the kaiju a kick.
The foot of the mech hit with a meaty smack we could here from where we stood. The city had stopped shooting at the kaiju and I saw people sticking their heads out of doorways as we watched the fight. The kaiju was flung away at the kick and it landed on its back with a scream of frustration and pain. It started to roll over to get to its feet but Rowand was there. She pushed the mech off with its arms and did a flying tackle into the kaiju.
The mech hit the kaiju in the side and rolled it back onto its back. Rowand ended up with the mech on top of the thing and she drew the mech's fist back before slamming it forward. It hit hard and buried the kaijus head into the sand of the desert.
Its tail whipped up from where it was buried in the sand and hit the mechs back hard. It forced the mech off it into a forward roll. The kaiju pulled its head from the ground and gave it a shake. I could see cracks running across its face from where Rowand had struck it. Rowand rolled the mech to its feet and crouched down, watching the kaiju.
I took a pull from my kiseru and leaned forward, Rowand was finally putting some thoughts into the fight it seemed. The kaiju hissed and snarled at her trying to scare her off and Rowand made the mech take a small stomping step forwards. That set the kaiju off, it leapt at the mech. Rowand reached out with one of the mechs arms and grabbed the kaiju by the throat then pulled. Instead on taking another tackle she guided the kaiju off to the side and slammed it into the ground.
It wiggled and fought to free itself, Rowand slammed the knee of the mech into its stomach. She put the weight of the mech on its stomach pinning it and used the free hand of the mech to grab its scrabbling hand. She kaijus other hand scraped up the mech's back so she released its throat and grabbed that too. It wiggled and squirmed trying to get free and bite the mech.
Soon she had both its arms pinned to its chest. She brought them together and held them in one place with one hand of the mech. The kaiju wiggled and twisted trying to fight and free itself. Rowand pulled the arm of the mech back then drove it down into the kaijus face. It hit with a boom and the kaijus head was pushed into the ground below it. She pulled back and punched it again.
The kaiju went from fighting to using all of its energy trying to get free. Rowand kept the mech on top of the kaiju as it twisted and jerked in a panic. When it looked like it was starting to relax or quit fighting, Rowand pulled the mech's fist back and slammed it down again. Soon Rowand was just slamming the mech's fist down into the kaijus face in a rhythm.
I heard a bone snap and the Kaiju twitched violently. Rowand kept slamming the fist down. The mech's fist started coming back covered in blood and gore. Rowand pulled the mech's arm back one last time then paused. The kaiju didn't move and what she saw mush have satisfied her because she let go of its arms and pulled back. The kaijus arms flopped down as Rowand stood the mech up. The mech stared down at the kaiju, I was pretty sure it was dead from the blood on the mech's hand.
The mech threw its arms up and started doing a dance, its feet bombing as it stomped around. The city started cheering and yelling in victory with her.
“That was kind of cool” ,Lahrya said from the side.
The grin never left Owls face as she nodded, “That was fun to watch.”
“Why did you let Rowand pilot it? Surely you could have made one of your own for the activity?” Guardian Wannaniki asked Owl.
Owl waved at the still cheering city, “Rowand needed to do it. I have a mech on our home planet just in case of Kaiju or things like that.”
I tapped my kiseru on the fence rail in front of me, knocking the ash from it, “that was cool and everything but why does that mech look so..”
“Built like it was made in a shed” ,Lahrya finished for me.
Owl pointed at the mech, “I made that thing using tech that Rowand's people had ten years ago.”
“Ah. They will be able to reproduce it then.” Guardian Wannaniki gave a slow nod, still watching the dancing mech.
The mech was doing some kind of hip twisting dance now, while the city cheered her on. Owl crossed her arms and leaned against the rail, “They will be able to reproduce it. That mech will last maybe two or three more fights. This time next year Rowand's people will have a mech at each city. In about ten years they will have taken the planet back from the kaiju and start hunting them for sport.”
I chewed on the mouthpiece of my pipe and looked at the corpse of the kaiju, “what else?”
Lahrya and Guardian Wannaniki turned to me at my question. Owl chuckled, “My brand new space station has a connection to the galaxy equivalent of television. When Rowand's people start hunting the kaiju for sport I will be able to pull up videos on my computer and watch live action kaiju vs mech battles whenever I want.”
I chewed on my pipe and nodded at that. That would be cool. I glanced at Owl then turned back to look at the kaiju. I was totally going to figure out a way to steal a stream of that connection.