“Ah. I love a good strategic battle,” Beth said approvingly. “You know, I’ve heard any number of commentators and pilots go on about how dueling is the ‘purest form’ of the sport, but they’re full of it. After all, mechs have their roots in the warfare of our past, and wars were never some just-so test on a artificial, level playing field.<br/><br/>“Admittedly, I may be a bit biased. The problem with going into a duel with a mech that has strong offense and weak defense is that you either win really fast, or lose really fast. Both of those get a bit dull for me.<br/><br/>“It can be tough to distinguish yourself if you start off in the middle of the pack, but sometimes it can be a blessing in disguise. Sometimes these newbie pilots who have a lot of skill and luck get so full of themselves, and they just turn into lone wolves. And for everyone one Alister Malrain, there’s probably a dozen pilots whose careers imploded because they thought they didn’t need to work with or learn from anyone. At least you’re self-aware enough to recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and that’s the first step to beating everyone’s expectations.”