The Pit (arena)
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Located just outside Solaris City, The Pit is one of Solaris VII's many small arenas used mostly for training and for an occasional match. It was built on a crater-like hole in the ground accesses by ramps.[1]
History[edit]
The Pit is located just outside Solaris City proper. A small arena, it does a brisk of business renting its facilities for 'MechWarrior training and an occasional match. The Pit is run by Anton Hughes, who works for a group of investors that own the facility. Rates for use are reasonable, more for repeated customers. Long-term contracts with regular clients usually also include on-site reload and repair by the Chief Tech Master of the arena. Several small stables and cooperatives do have this kind of contracts with Mr. Hughes, but they are not closed to new business.[2]
- Anton Hughes: Meticulously and efficient manager identified as a consummate professional. He is a precise professional (a trait that leads his life), with a speech pattern slow and deliberate. He is hard to know (also maintaining an emotional detachment from his work) but easy to work with.[3]
- Vincent Amadore: He is the Chief Tech. Known as The "VinMan", he is a cliché and enjoys it, wearing sleeveless black shirts, gold chains, and greased-back hair that attest his wholehearted acceptance of an obsolete cultural archetype (centuries ago he would have been into cars instead of 'Mechs). He is an expert tech with years of experience though he tends to add unapproved options to 'Mechs in his care, such as sound systems, excessive exterior lights and tinted view-ports. His own 'Mech, a customized Hunchback has chromed armor and fuzzy dice in the cockpit.[4]
The Arena[edit]
The arena was built like a crater hole in the ground that can be accessed by ramps. There are Six massive pylons that can be changed between the matches using loader 'Mechs. A series of pumps and grates crisscross the underside of the arena floor so they can fill The Pit with smoke in minutes. This results in limited visibility which makes combats more interesting without affecting spectators as special UV cameras on the observation towers have no trouble penetrating the fog.
Most matches are very straightforward. With limited space and mostly even terrain do not give much room for maneuvering. Fights usually devolve into toe-to-toe slugfests where both combatants try to fell their opponent with sheer firepower.
The arena is protected by massive ferrocrete Blast Shields angled to deflect stray laser blast and missiles. They have endured the punished years, and so will continue.[5]
Seating[edit]
The Pit has a very small total seating capacity. There are four massive Observation Towers that rise far above the arena and provide bird's-eye view of the action. Each tower can hold four viewers comfortably (not a problem as it is used mostly for practice and other nonspectator matches). It could be possible to distribute the match to more people outside the arena itself as the shielded viewing platforms are equipped with Tri-Vid cameras.[6]