SOLARIS CITY, SOLARIS VII – Welcome back once again, fight fans, to INN’s Season Recap of the 3132 Solaris VII Grand Championship. The most intense week of BattleMech combat ever seen outside of a major war, and all for your entertainment! Today’s Recap of the final round is brought to you by Bannson Universal Unlimited; “Bannson Universal, Where People Come First.”

Day Seven. The Finals. The match to end all matches—if only for a year. Yes, folks, tonight saw the hour come that everyone, everywhere, has been waiting for. Blackstar Stables versus Galahad Stables. Davion versus Marik. Kirkpatrick versus Durand, in the twisted, cluttered industrial battleground that is the Marik Arena, the infamous Factory.

Fighting in their trademark ’Mechs for this final battle, Shayne “Shockwave” Kirkpatrick stormed onto the floor with her 80-ton custom Zeus “Thunderstorm” to square off against Omar “Demolition” Durand and his Vulture, “Gravewalker.” Yet, despite a Championship on the line, the fighting in Solaris City’s Montenegro sector was far more controlled than the brutal slugfests and no-holds-barred grudge fights both MechWarriors faced in their climb to the top.

Despite giving up twenty tons to Kirkpatrick’s black and gold assault ’Mech, Durand’s purple and gold heavyweight made up the difference with its maneuverability and its sophisticated array of Clan weapons that gave his Blackstar opponent plenty to worry about. “Shockwave” was often forced to pull back as Durand raced across the open fields of the arena, and fought a largely cautious battle, working to pick off the Galahad MechWarrior’s weapon-laden arms first. Though only partially successful (Kirkpatrick sheered off only one arm after a full minute of combat) this tactic succeeded in putting Durand on the defensive.

The winning move came, however, when Durand charged across the bridge connecting the Factory’s two structures. Kirkpatrick, having stayed out of the time-ravaged buildings throughout the fight, suffered under several strikes launched from Durand’s ’Mech as he raced back and forth along the platform, his ’Mech and movements vaguely reminding spectators of an old-style carnival shooting game. With each exchange, the two combatants further ravaged one another, until Durand’s fifth pass, when Kirkpatrick unleashed a full alpha strike against his machine. Knocked off balance, the Vulture crashed off the bridge, its gyros destroyed between Shockwave’s weapons fire and the fall.

And so, as the dust settled over the ancient, coolant-stained floor of the Factory, Solaris VII inaugurates a new Champion into the annals of history. But it’s not all over yet, fight fans! Stay with us, as our annual season recap continues with Kirkpatrick’s post-battle interview, and the standings for Solaris VII’s new Top Twenty rankings. I’m Dennis Stanzio for Solaris Broadcasting Center, an affiliate of INN, with your Championship Recap, and I shall return!

+You know, Durand just *had* to know he was pushing his luck by running along that bridge so many times. What he should’ve done was close in.
:-KevvyCone

+Did you watch the vid, KC? Durand’s armor was paper thin by the time Shockwave took his left arm off, compared to a few nice rents in the Zeus! Closing in may have let him take advantage of Clan weapon superiority, but all it would’ve taken was one solid hit and he was down!
:-GreasL

+Yeah, man. They may have had the same punch, and Demolition certainly had the range, mobility, and home turf advantages, but Shockwave wasn’t going to play like Ghost Bear did. She just hung back and sniped, knowing that Durand’s aim was gonna be off from all that running.
:-Chungabunga

+Still, if he’d been on solid ground, Durand would’ve at least not fallen so far. I mean, oof! Even with those fancy harnesses they wear in the cockpits, there’s not much protection when you fall down like that. Had to be like a nightmare roller coaster from hell. :-KevvyCone

+Oh yeah. But still, I’ll never get tired of watching that fall. One alpha and that was all she wrote! Woohoo!
:-BNCFanatic

+*sigh* I’m just never gonna hear the end of this. Am I?
:-TVBluFist