David versus Goliath: the slapstick duel of an UrbanMech
The sun burned mercilessly on the dusty landscape of the planet Severus IV. Sergeant Colin Drake sat in his UrbanMech UM-R60 and tried not to fret about the tiny armrests of his cockpit. It was a bit like being in a sardine can – only with more buttons and less room for self-esteem.
The task was clear: defend the communication station. The opponent? An Atlas. Colin almost choked on his protein bar when he saw the silhouette of the gigantic BattleMechs on the radar. “Really? An Atlas? Who’s handing out the matchups here? A clown?”
The Atlas rumbled through the wreckage like a drunken elephant on roller skates. Colin watched it through his gunsight and couldn’t help but laugh. “Okay, big guy. You may be strong, but I’m small, agile and… Well, small and agile.”
He activated his loudspeaker: “Hey, Atlas pilot! Your mech looks like a walking landfill! Want me to send you a spare?”
The answer came promptly: “I’ll squash you like a cockroach, you worm!”
“Ui, aggressive mood. Let me guess, no coffee this morning?” Colin snapped back and began to set his UrbanMech in motion. So slow that a snail race would have been more exciting, but hey – this was strategy, not speed.
The first volley from the Atlas’ AC/20 shattered a container right next to Colin. The pressure caused his mech to wobble and the small UrbanMech almost toppled over. Colin frantically grabbed the control links. “Oh, that was close! I told you, no violence! This isn’t wrestling!”
He advanced further, this time with one strategy in mind: to cause confusion. And if an UrbanMech was good for anything, it was making the enemy feel like they were fighting a toaster gone mad.
Colin turned up his speaker again. “Hey, Atlas! Did you know you could pass for a wrecking ball with your weight? No joke, I’ve got an application for you here somewhere!”
The Atlas thundered forward, and Colin grinned. Right, come closer, you big idiot.
Colin pulled his UrbanMech behind an unstable power system. He opened the radio channel to his technician. “Techman, ready for some pyrotechnics? I hope you kept a safe distance. Otherwise we might look a little crisper than planned tonight.”
“Ready as soon as you are, Sergeant. But honestly, you’re making me nervous. This plan sounds like something you made up over breakfast.”
“Hey, I didn’t have any coffee, so be nice.”
When the Atlas was within range, Colin activated his radio. “Now, Techman! Let the sparks fly!”
The explosion was so loud that Colin thought his cockpit was about to pop like popcorn. The power system blew up in a flash of light and debris flew everywhere. The Atlas stumbled like a drunken giant – first backwards, then forwards – and crashed face-first into a pile of scrap metal.
When the smoke cleared, the atlas stood up again. However, it was now so battered that it looked as if a kindergarten had redesigned it with glue and glitter. Colin couldn’t help but laugh.
“Hey, chic look! Is that what you call ‘post-apocalyptic haute couture’? Would almost be impressive if it wasn’t so sad.”
He took aim with his autocannon and fired again. This time he hit the cockpit. With a final roar of the systems, the Atlas collapsed. A slow, dramatic overturn that almost looked like a bad slapstick interlude. Colin applauded. “Bravo! The prize for the best performance goes to… the Atlas!”
Colin leaned back in his cockpit seat and took a deep breath. “You know, UrbanMech, we may not be the biggest, but we’re definitely the funniest.”
He tapped on the cockpit console and grinned. “And now for a coffee. After so much drama, I need a caffeine boost.”
