2 You Said It Yourself
In Black Sun, arranged skirmishes were usually set up in one of two ways. The first way was to go to a major starbase and enter an official match, where players would be allowed to battle in a separate instance of the game, away from outside influences. Naturally, this was the safer option. Very few people went with it, however – the fee was 30% of the winner's earnings.
The other way, one that was usually cheaper and far more popular, was to ask a reputable player guild to host the match. The money or property being staked would be transferred to an "arbiter," usually a member of that guild. From there, the battle would be played out within the guild's owned territory, and the guild would be responsible for making sure that the match went smoothly and fairly.
One of these widely-trusted guilds was Fortuna, and Xiaohan's cruiser was currently parked in the middle of their space. Across from him, a hundred kilometers away, were the four boys; Lovesky was right beside him.
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(Sector) kerobero: "Alright, you've all settled into your burner ships, right? Transfer your stakes to me."
———————
The arbiter for this match, kerobero, was Fortuna's second-in-command. A popular figure within Black Sun's Chinese community, kerobero was about as trusted as any player could get. Not only did he have an amazing track record, but he was so wealthy that he had no logical reason to even think about scamming anyone.
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(Sector) kerobero: "Chateau has already sent me his 50 bil credits."
(Sector) kerobero: "And as for you guys… complete asset transfers, since you're betting everything in your accounts."
(Sector) admiral_cheng: "Yeah, we're sending them to you now."
———————
Xiaohan's hands flew over his keyboard, his fingers stabbing at the keys. Every time he typed a message, it almost sounded like rain was falling down in front of him, pattering against his table.
———————
(Whisper) Chateau: "Hey, kero. What's the total value of their assets? "
(Whisper) kerobero: "Only around 12 bil total, including the, uh… was it 2 bil, you said? That they took from Lovesky."
(Whisper) Chateau: "Yeah, she told me they took around 2.5 bil's worth."
(Whisper) kerobero: "She was a pretty big haul for them then, damn."
(Whisper) Chateau: "Apparently they've been gaining her trust over the course of the last week. They've definitely put in the work."
(Whisper) kerobero: "Haha, such scum."
(Whisper) Chateau: "Well… it's not like we're totally clean, either."
(Whisper) kerobero: "Ahaha maybe not."
———————
"You type really fast, mister."
"Hm. I do, don't I? But that's usually what happens when you spend as much time in front of a computer as I do."
He chuckled, a tinge of self-deprecation hanging in his voice.
"Anyways, Mei. Once we start, just play however you want. I won't be telling you what to do."
She gave him a nervous look.
"Mister, are you sure? I… don't really know how to fight…"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
He smiled at her reassuringly, holding out his pinky.
"Here. I promise you'll get back everything they took… even if we lose."
She wrapped her pinky around his, even as utter confusion gripped her little face.
"O-okay."
———————
(Sector) kerobero: "Let me know when you guys are ready to begin. Maybe you'll want to refamiliarize yourselves with these ships haha. In case you haven't used them in a while."
(Sector) Chateau: "Ah, good idea."
———————
Taking kerobero's advice, Xiaohan tested his ship's weapons, firing them into the empty space above him. He smirked. It had been a very long time since he'd used anything so weak. Since this was going to be a "standard ships" match, they were only allowed to use unupgraded Tier-0 training ships. Doing things this way meant that the participants would be on more or less of an even playing field, ships-wise. It was also incredibly cheap – so cheap that kerobero had bought these "burner ships" for all six of them for under 100 mil total.
Though the ships' potency matched their price, he found it amusing just how huge the power difference was between these ships and the ones he usually helmed. If he were to use this cruiser against his current flagship, it would be like a tiny fly trying to take on a massive, fire-breathing dragon.
"You ready, Mei?"
She nodded, her jaw clenched in determination.
———————
(Sector) Chateau: "We're ready to go."
(Sector) admiral_cheng: "So are we."
(Sector) kerobero: "Alright. You're already in your positions, so go dark."
———————
All six participants switched on their stealth, and the enemy ships disappeared from Xiaohan's scanner.
———————
(Sector) kerobero: "Then without further ado…"
(Sector) kerobero: "3."
(Sector) kerobero: "2."
(Sector) kerobero: "1."
(Sector) kerobero: "Start!"
———————
Immediately, Xiaohan put his engines on full blast. His ship moved at a crawl at first, but it reached its maximum cruising speed just a few seconds later. As it hurtled forward towards Xiaohan's invisible enemies, he noted that Mei was following close behind.
The boys' flotilla was composed entirely of battleships, so he and Mei – who were both using cruisers – had a stealth advantage. Even so, the enemy's decision to pick all battleships wasn't a bad one. A ship's stealth was negated the moment it fired its guns – any such advantage was only useful for the first few minutes of the battle. In addition, the most effective counters to the slow and heavy battleships were carriers and space subs, both of which were too risky to use when teams were so small.
Not that any of it really mattered at the end of the day. After all, he wasn't playing to win.
He closed in, and all four enemy battleships dropped out of stealth. They were sticking close together, and they were also moving in as quickly as they could, hoping to force a head-on engagement.
As much as Xiaohan disliked them for choosing to spend their time luring younger players, it was clear that they knew what they were doing. By sticking together at all times, they were ensuring that they could take full advantage of their greater numbers in every single engagement. A skilled player could easily win 4 consecutive 1v1s. But a 4v1, when all ships were at full health, was a different matter altogether.
Well… he wouldn't gain anything by wasting time.
He aimed all his armaments at the closest battleship and fired. Missiles, railguns, lasers, space torpedoes – all manners of weaponry flew forth from his ship. And when they reached their target, the lasers arriving first, followed a few seconds later by the railgun shells…
Something like a fireworks display erupted around the enemy battleship.
The battleships started firing back, and Xiaohan began taking evasive maneuvers. Missile after missile, shell after shell. As he continued to exchange fire with the enemy, it became apparent that he was landing far more hits than he was taking. That was another advantage cruisers had over battleships – they were smaller and therefore more maneuverable.
Meanwhile, Mei had chosen to stay in stealth, prowling back and forth a distance away from the fight. And just as well. She likely had no idea how to dodge and predict shots correctly, and showing herself now would be suicidal.
Xiaohan landed a massive torpedo salvo, and one of the battleships detonated in a dazzling display.
One down.
Mei began firing, breaking stealth to help him focus down his second target. Though her shots missed way more often than they hit, it was better than nothing.
Two down.
And then...
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(System) Flotilla member Lovesky has been destroyed.
———————
"Ahhh… Sorry, mister. I'm so useless..."
Mei's voice was hushed. It was clear that she was disappointed in herself, even though she really had no reason to be. The battlefield wasn't her area of expertise.
"Don't say that, Mei. Think about it this way. Just having you on my side is making me way more motivated. And don't forget what I told you. Even if we lose, we'll… ah, crap."
A storm of incoming missiles distracted him, and he didn't finish his sentence. The space around his ship lit up with explosions and chaff as he placed his point-defense on high alert. Even so, a number of missiles made it through his defensive bubble, exploding devastatingly against his ship's hull. His health was now at a critically low level. Still, he wanted to take down at least one more enemy with him…
Three down.
He grimaced. His heart was speeding up, and his mouth was drying.
"Man, really wish I'd gotten a drink," he muttered to himself.
By this point, he was fully engrossed in the game. Even though he had treated the skirmish casually at the start, it really wasn't in his nature to not try his hardest. All his talk about "even if we lose" had gone out the window, and he was now fighting tooth and nail. It just wasn't fun otherwise.
But as he took a railgun shell to his citadel and his ship's hitpoints dropped to 5%, it was becoming pretty clear that he wasn't going to win. The last ship, admiral_cheng's, was still at nearly full health.
Still, he continued playing as he had been, keeping his aim on target and dodging his enemy's return fire. Two minutes later, he had whittled admiral_cheng down to just under 50% of his health. Perhaps he had a shot at this after all?
Just as he began to entertain the thought that he might actually win, an energy lance hit his stern. It tore through the length of his ship, eating up his remaining hitpoints. When the lance had made its way back out through the bow, his ship let out a metallic groan before splitting cleanly in half.
———————
(System) Your ship has been destroyed.
(Sector) admiral_cheng: "WOOOOO"
(Sector) admiral_cheng: "HAHAHA Take that, you cocky asshole. Easiest 50 bil I've ever made!"
———————
"Ah… I lost."
Though such an outcome was hardly a surprising one, Xiaohan was still a little disappointed. He'd actually managed to take out three of his four opponents. Had he been just a little bit luckier, he might have ended up winning.
Behind him, the small crowd that had gathered to watch him play whispered among themselves.
"Yo, who is this guy? Is he a pro? I've never seen his username before."
"I don't know, man. I've never heard of a 'Chateau' either."
"That was crazy. Those four battleships never broke off from each other, and he still managed to kill three of them. He even dropped the last one to half health."
"His kiting was insane… It's almost as if he knew exactly where every shot would go."
Xiaohan leaned back and stretched. At least things were fixed, he mused.
"Hey, mister."
A small hand tugged on his sleeve.
It was Mei, and she was holding a bottle of strawberry milk.
"I know you weren't talking to me, but I heard you say you wanted a drink. So I went and got you this… I also didn't know what you wanted, but milk is healthy, so…"
"I… wow. Thanks, Mei."
She looked down.
"We lost, didn't we?"
"Yeah… we lost."
Before he knew it, she was sniffling again. Her eyes welled with tears, and Xiaohan's heart sank at the sight. He leaned in, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, hey. Don't cry."
He turned back to his screen to check what kerobero was doing.
———————
(Sector) admiral_cheng: "kerobero, we're ready to get our stuff back."
(Sector) admiral_cheng: "And don't forget the 50 bil! Hahaha"
(Sector) admiral_cheng: "Well, 47.5. After you take your 5% cut."
———————
For a few seconds, the chat log was still. And then…
———————
(Sector) kerobero: ":^)"
(System) kerobero has left the sector.
(Sector) admiral_cheng: "?????????"
(Sector) admiral_cheng: "What the hell?"
(Sector) admiral_cheng: "Where'd he go? I can't whisper him either."
(Sector) admiral_cheng: "Chateau, do you know what's going on?"
(Sector) Chateau: ":^)"
———————
"Mei, check your screen."
She was still crying, but she listened and sat back down in front of her computer. There was a large notification flashing in the corner of her screen. After she clicked it, she gasped in disbelief.
"My stuff! All my credits, all my things. Kerobero… Kerobero just sent them back to me!"
She sat in stunned silence for a few moments. Then, she was full-on bawling. This time, however, her tears were tears of joy.
Xiaohan grinned, a wave of warmth washing over his body.
He lived for moments like this.
"Oy!"
The boys were storming over, and their leader was yelling across the room.
"What the fuck is going on?!"
When they reached Xiaohan's table, they pushed their way through the crowd. Their brows were furrowed in a mix of anger and confusion.
"Dude, do you know what's going on? I can't whisper kerobero, he's either blocked me or gone offline. Have you tried whispering him? And why the hell did you send the same obnoxious face he did?"
"Yeah, I know what's going on. Sorry for not mentioning this earlier, but Chateau is my alt."
Xiaohan swiveled in his seat so that he was facing the boy.
"My main account is the guild leader of Fortuna."
The boy tilted his head, not understanding at first. When the implications of Xiaohan's words finally dawned on him, however, his face flushed red with rage.
"You… you mean kerobero is your subordinate? You're his guild leader?"
"Yes."
"So you were working with him behind our backs?"
"Yes."
"Did you… did you just fucking scam us?!"
Xiaohan rubbed his chin.
"I suppose you could say that, yes."
"What the fuck?! We beat you fair and square. What happened to our bet?"
The boy looked like he was on the verge of exploding.
"You can't fucking do something like this! Fortuna's supposed to be a trusted guild, isn't it?! And kerobero is a trusted player! How the hell could they do something like this?! How the hell could he?!"
Xiaohan sighed. Sometimes, he fancied himself a poet.
"You said it yourself, didn't you? You shouldn't trust people so easily."
