Faust ducked, dodging a punch from “Spark”, the air blowing their hair out of the way. Their eyes darted back at their opponent, and they turned to swing at her. Faust struck Spark on the shoulder, forcing her to take a few steps back to recover from the blow.
They never had quite a taste for nicknames, always feeling as if they were too casual. It wasn’t as if they had another choice here, given that their sparring partner had refused to let them know her name ever since the day the two had met.
I’m afraid you’ll put a curse on me, or something, she had joked. Faust of course, absolutely had planned on doing so, given that their first introduction to the woman was her tripping and spilling a tray of food on their new uniform.
It was a trifle that Faust had long put behind themselves, but it seemed that Spark had felt differently. She had kept her real name secret ever since.
Spark rolled her neck around, hopping in place. She kicked forward with her back leg, taking another swing at Faust. The blow was too fast to avoid, and Faust opted to raise their forearm to absorb most of the impact.
The strike still radiated pain through Faust’s arm, and they dropped it to their side. They retaliated by sharply raising their knee, stabbing into Spark’s abdomen. She buckled instantly, folding over herself in agony.
Faust didn’t give her any reprieve, swinging a fist at the side of her head. Spark hit the ground with a thud, coughing as she tapped out. Faust reached out a hand to help their sparring partner up.
Spark raised their arm to grab Faust’s wrist, her vision blurring for a moment as blood drained from her head. “God, where did you learn to fight? I can see why nobody else wants to spar with you,” she joked.
She looked up to see Faust’s deadpan face, apparently not amused by her comment. “Cmon, give me at least a little bit of a smile. You’re always so boring.” Spark shook her head out, whipping her hair around, accidentally whipping herself in the face.
“I’m sorry if you don’t find me interesting, although I hardly see how that’s relevant in a fight.” Faust grabbed a bottle of water, taking a hearty swig. They stretched out their arms a bit, positioning themselves in the corner of the padded ring for another match.
Spark pouted for a moment before abruptly breaking into a sprint towards Faust. “Personally, I think it makes things a little more interesting!” she quipped. Spark took a wide swing, catching Faust off guard. The blow connected with their cheek, sending Faust into a dive towards the ground.
Faust quickly reacted, positioning their arms as to roll forwards, landing back on their feet. They took a moment to adjust, disoriented by the sudden attack, but Spark didn’t give them the chance to recover.
She chased after the dazed pilot, slamming into them with the full weight of her body. Faust flew back, scrambling to stay upright. They put a foot behind them, rolling back over their shoulder this time, ending up crouching on the ground.
Spark let out a groan at the recovery, peeved that Faust was somehow still upright after her assault. “At least give me something to work with here! It’s boring if you just keep spinning around like that.”
Faust gave a curt nod, holding their hands up in a guard for a moment while they recovered. They rushed forward, and feinted an attack at Spark’s jaw, instead redirecting the attack towards her left rib.
Immediately recoiling, Spark struck Faust’s outstretched arm, kicking out with her foot into their stomach. She took a bit of satisfaction watching her boot sink into Faust’s gut, watching as the pilot tumbled backwards onto their back.
Attempting to recover, Faust began to get back up, but Spark pressed her advantage. She ran forward, slamming her foot into their knee. Faust let out a cry as they collapsed to the ground, tapping out.
Faust mumbled something incomprehensible into the mat, before rolling over and shooting a glance at Spark. “That enough to work with?”
“Of course, it made all the difference, oh great and mysterious Faust,” she replied sarcastically. Spark grabbed the arm Faust had put up, pulling them to their feet. She debated pushing Faust back onto the ground for a moment, deciding it wasn’t worth the risk of Faust making another halfhearted comment.
Taking a bit of offense at the sarcasm, Faust frowned for a moment. “I hardly think I can be considered mysterious.” Faust did believe they had made rather large strides in getting to know people on the base, and giving them the same opportunity as well.
Spark scoffed at the reply, looking a little incredulous at Faust. “You think you aren’t mysterious? Why is this the only time I’ve ever seen you train? Where in the world did you get a mech to build the Scarab? I still have no clue who it is!” She stepped back, letting a smirk break through her facade. “If I didn’t know you, I’d think you were afraid of letting people get to know you.”
“I hardly think any of that is necessary- I see where you’re coming from. Fine. Let’s strike a deal, and maybe make this sparring match a little more interesting. Every blow you land on me in this next match, I’ll answer one question to your satisfaction.” Faust lightly brushed themselves off, heading back over to the side of the ring to grab a drink of water.
Spark raised an eyebrow at Faust. “What, you gonna stop ‘holding back’ this match? A little bit too old for the roleplay, aren’t we Faust?” She chuckled at her own joke, nodding for a bit. “Sure, why the hell not. You can have a question for every hit on me too, just to even things out a bit.”
Faust nodded, not antisocial enough to turn down the opportunity to learn a little more about a fellow pilot. “Sounds like a deal to me. On your mark.”
Spark responded quickly, attempting to catch Faust off guard. “Go.”
The two launched forward at each other, with Spark lunging forward attempting to get a quick first blow. Faust stopped in their tracks, instead sidestepping the obvious attack.
Spark hit the ground, feeling the air get pressed out from their lungs as Faust slammed down on her back with their foot. She did her best to recover, rolling to the side.
Faust lost their balance as Spark turned below their leg, having to take a step back. The moment gave Spark a chance to get back to her feet, and she readied her fists in front of her once again.
“One. You’re already desperate,” Faust noted. They broke into a lighthearted smile, already beginning to enjoy the sparring session a bit more.
Spark scowled at the comment, circling with Faust around the arena. “Oh shut up and fight.” She crouched, swinging her leg out in a sweep. Her legs connected with Faust’s calves, knocking them out from below her opponent.
Faust collapsed to the ground, unable to get back to their feet before Spark’s foot connected with their side. “That’s two for me, you cocksure punk,” Spark jabbed.
They pushed themselves off the ground, making sure to keep their distance from Spark. “Cocksure punk. Never heard that one before. I like it, though maybe you should take your own advice. Shut up and fight.” Faust rushed forward, throwing a punch at Spark’s chest.
Spark was sent reeling, pain arcing through her torso. She felt spittle fly from her mouth as she struggled to focus on Faust.
“Two,” Faust taunted. What was a gentle playfulness in Spark turned to a mild rage, as she charged back at Faust, as if she was a bull.
Faust predictably stepped to the side, attempting to avoid the incoming Spark. She expected the dodge, swinging out an elbow to the side as she continued running past them. The limb clipped Faust, as a sense of pride filled Spark. “Thre-”
She felt herself trip, feeling Faust’s foot kick her left foot out from under her, and hit the ground with a resounding thud. Spark let out a groan of pain, attempting to roll back over.
Not giving an inch, Faust quickly bent over and pinned Spark face-down on the ground. They grabbed her arm, bending it behind her so she couldn’t push herself up.
Faust flicked Spark’s head a few times, counting out loud as they couldn’t help chuckling. “Three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. I think that’s enough of a lesson.” They stood, letting Spark out from the hold and walked towards the edge of the ring. “Ten for me, three for you. Good match.”
Spark made a sound of disagreement as she rolled onto her back. “Oh, those do not count you li-” She was cut off from continuing her insult as Faust interrupted her.
“Would you have preferred they be real strikes? If you’re asking me, I saved you the headache.” Faust grinned, stepping out of the padded ring and grabbing their bottle of water. “Let’s grab some lunch. It’s on me, if that matters.”
Spark rolled her eyes, getting up off the ground. “No, I wouldn’t have preferred that, Faust. That’s your first question, if we’re playing like that.” She brushed off her clothes, staring at the leaving Faust.
Faust shrugged as they continued walking. “Nine to go.” They opened the door, stepping outside without looking back towards the fuming Spark.
“Dammit- Wait up!” Spark jumped out of the ring, quickly grabbing her bag as she chased after the departing Faust.
The two walked through the hallways, Spark wondering what her three questions should be. She was still out of breath from the fight, and upset that Faust hadn’t even looked at her since they had won.
“Why haven’t you settled on a mech yet?” Faust asked, unaware of Spark’s annoyance. They had been curious, given that the two had left training around the same time. More than enough time to select, or design a machine.
Spark tapped her chin, feigning giving a lot of thought to the question. “Hmm… I already have! It’s just not ready yet.” She wasn’t lying, but she mostly didn’t want to answer their real question. Spark had trouble deciding what she really liked in a machine, having spent hours swapping around parts on her designs.
She tapped Faust on the shoulder, making them turn to face her. “It’s also rude to look away when speaking to your friends, Faust.” Spark shook her head, clicking her tongue as if scolding them.
Faust cracked a light smile, nodding. “Noted, Spark. Do you consider us friends?”
“That’s your third question already, Fausty!” Faust made a face at the nickname, Spark quickly stammering an apology. “Oh- yeah, no nicknames. Sorry!”
She held up a little peace sign in her hand. She never understood their insistence on that, but assumed it had something to do with Faust’s name being important to them in some way.
Faust gave another nod. “You didn’t answer the question, should I take that as a no? Consider my heart wounded, Spark.” They clutched their chest, overreacting to the perceived wrong from Spark.
Spark pouted, “Of course not! We’re best friends, you and I.” She spoke with her best imitation of a grandeur tone, “We’ll go off to see the world, and space! Just us, little spacefarers!” Her facade cracked, as she burst out into laughter. “Yes, Faust. We’re friends.”
Faust seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at the reassurance, although didn’t seem to voice any agreement. “I think it’s about time for you to ask a question, Spark.”
“What’s your real name? Like, do you have a last name? Faust feels like an odd thing to name your kid,” she asked. She knew quite well that Faust had an odd relationship with names, wondering if there was any connection.
“That’s two questions, but I’ll be nice and count that as one. My real name is Faust. Any other names have long been lost to me,” they replied. Faust tilted their head at Spark. “Although, I hardly find it fair that you ask me this question when I still don’t know your name. You’ve gotten everybody else on base to keep it from me too.”
Spark tapped Faust on the nose. “Boop! Such a spooky answer, Faust. Part of the reason why I won’t tell you my name! How do I know you’re not going to write my name in salt and bury it or something?”
Faust looked baffled at even the concept. The comment stunned them for a moment, leaving Faust staring at Spark for a good thirty seconds before replying. “Let alone the absurdity of that situation, I’d assume that was something friends don’t do to each other.”
“Fine, then is your fourth question what my name is?” She rolled her eyes, pretending to be upset about it. In reality, it didn’t mean much to her, it was just fun to tease Faust about it.
Faust shook their head, “I would prefer you tell me without the requisite that you answer the question truthfully. You’re asking quite a few questions here, should I still be counting?” They stuck out their tongue at Spark, turning their head back towards their destination.
Spark felt a little bad for a moment, before realizing Faust was messing with her. The unusually childish behavior at the end made her feel as if Faust had actually been hurt by that comment. She did her best to move on. “Those don’t count. Second question, is there anybody on the base that you like? Like, you know, want to…”
“No. Besides the obvious note that nobody in this base is particularly enamored with myself, I’m not interested in romantic activity.” Faust eyed Spark, who still had a sparkle in her eye. “Nor sexual, Spark.”
“Ahh! Boring, but fine, I guess. You still have seven questions, go ahead.” Spark was a little disappointed, but hardly surprised by Faust’s answer. They had always struck her as a loner by choice.
Faust smiled, clearing their throat before giving their fourth question. “Seems only fair I ask the same. Is there anybody on base you’re romantically or sexually attracted to?”
Spark cursed themselves for giving Faust the idea, sighing. “I- Dammit Faust you- First, how eloquently worded of you. Second, yes. I believe that answers your question, Faust.” She knew Faust would press for more details, but making them work for it at least a little brought her some level of comfort.
“And you call me the boring one, Spark. You know quite well what I meant.” Faust didn’t even glance back at her, and Spark tapped them on the head to get their attention. “I do need to see where I’m walking, you know.”
She really didn’t want Faust of all people to know, but if she didn’t Faust would probably lord it over her for the next month.
“Fine! Well- I mean I’ve always had a small thing for Pyralis, but like… you know it’s a whole thing, and she’s more like a mentor figure to me.” Spark wondered why she was telling the truth here, but some part of her guessed that Faust was some sort of human lie detector and could tell. “Her and um. Aleria. She’s just… I don’t know, she’s cute! I haven’t gotten much time with her, but she’s always so caring and fun to talk with.”
Faust, in all honesty, didn’t particularly care, although it would be fun to tease Spark with later. “That’s six left for me, one for you.”
Spark couldn’t stay particularly mad at Faust, especially with how fast they moved past the topic. She lit up as she saw the dining hall coming up ahead. The amount of people there had slowly diminished, people getting ready to evacuate to a new base, or transferring to other rebel units. Weaver was bleeding numbers ever since Elara had been captured.
“Will you be staying? I know many people are leaving in the evacuation effort,” Faust asked Spark. They did care, in some fashion, and would likely miss their presence on base.
Spark had avoided thinking about it too much, still unsure about what she wanted to do. “I- Well, most of the techs are staying, so I’d have to pretty much ditch my mech if I did. Besides, wouldn’t want to leave you here all by your lonesome, hm?”
Faust felt a smile creep forward, appreciating the thought. “Of course. Let’s grab some lunch. Probably enough questions for today, anyways.”
“Wait- One more. What- Sorry, you don’t have to answer this one. Do you have any… implants?” Spark was a little afraid to ask, the topic usually taboo among rebels. Every piece of metal had a story, most of which ended in somebody’s death.
Faust nodded, giving a small grin at Spark. “Most of my internal organs have been replaced. I have no need to eat, sleep, or dispose of any waste products. Only thing I need to run is a nightly charge and some water. Fact is, I don’t even have a reproductive system anymore.” They chuckled for a moment, seemingly entirely unbothered by the question. “Was that all?”
Spark nodded, a little stunned by how forthcoming Faust had been with the information. Faust turned to walk into the dining hall, apparently unfazed.
“My name is Khyla. Khyla Ghanil,” Spark blurted out. “You’re right. We’re friends.”
“Thank you. I think I’ll stick to Spark, it’s been growing on me.” Faust stepped into the dining hall, turning back to face Khyla. “I hope you don’t mind.”
Khyla tapped the mechanic in front of her on the shoulder, smiling as she turned around. “Hi Awl! I’m here to check in on her.”
Awlas Sirale. She had been Khyla’s engineer of choice, having come highly recommended by Pyralis, back when Khyla had been training under her. She had taken up the project of building Khyla’s dream machine, something of a brainchild for both of them at this point.
“Ah! Of- Of course, Kai! She’s looking pretty good, probably ready for field testing at this point. She’s a bit fidgety, so do let me know if there’s any issues controlling her.” Awlas stepped away from her workbench, grabbing her keycard and heading towards the testing hangar. “Have you come up with a name yet?”
“I think so,” Khyla responded. She followed Awlas to the development chamber, and saw her machine in all its beauty.
“Firecracker.”
Awlas nodded, typing something into a console to register the name to the machine. “It suits you. Suits her.”
Khyla wasn’t paying too much attention at this point, her eyes combing over the Firecracker for what must have been the hundredth time. It was like the Sunset, a digitigrade machine. Four limbs, all of which would work to propel her forward. The speed of the Sunset had made her a little jealous, and she’d managed to convince Krill to work on a second pair of kinetic boosters.
They’d need constant maintenance, but she was willing to do it.
Unlike the Sunset, she had designed the Firecracker for long range combat. It was modeled after a fox, its tail holding a large positionable cannon. It could fire a high-power laser, invisible to the human eye, for up to thirty seconds before it had to cool down.
Of course, there was more. It had a flamethrower attached to its maw, ineffective for most uses in mech combat, but flashy. She had modified the fuel to produce significantly more smoke, acting like a flaming cloud that followed the fox around.
There were some more conventional weapons, typical plasma and heated ammunition turrets mounted on the back, meant to keep up pressure during a fight. Attached to the side were some more powerful tesla cannons as well. She liked casting a wide net of available attacks, just in case one wasn’t particularly well suited to an enemy.
It made it difficult to theme the machine, of course, but she wasn’t too interested in that. It would be like watching a fireworks show, watching as each weapon fired, and the sparks flew.
For up-close combat, the Firecracker was still equipped with large metal claws, just in case. Most of her long range would be ineffective up close, and she didn’t want to be over reliant on her squad.
Khyla snapped out of her stupor, walking over to the back of the machine. She climbed up, heading towards the pilot hatch. Every moment she was spending out of this thing was time wasted.
The cockpit was just as she had envisioned. Clean, but with plenty of controls to fine tune her weapons firing. Reactor looked healthy, and power output was tuned as best she could without having truly put it into testing.
She considered asking Faust for a match, but wanted it to be a little more interesting that first time. Maybe just a trainee.
All systems look good. Sending you out to training field three. Have fun out there.
Awlas’ voice came over the internal communications, clear as day. Khyla wasn’t a fan of the old systems, despite their use for stealth purposes. She preferred to hear command clearly, not through all that buzzing.
“Khyla Ghanil, callsign Spark, ready to deploy in the Firework.” It was a little cheesy, but she felt it was right, at least for her first proper test run.