Hemlock Creed and the Last Call

Pronouns: She/Her
Age: 44
Hometown: Olde Town, New Issaquah Collective
Sponsor: The Benefactor
First Season: 311
Grand Victories: 5
Current Division: Melee
Current Mech: The Last Call

On the observation deck of the colony of Olde Town in the orphaned New Issaquah Collective Hemlock Creed leans her tan forearm against the thick transparent fiber-metal, her sleeve tattoo of the North Star clearly visible. She wears a flannel shirt with rolled-up sleeves, old jeans, and well-worn work boots. She scans the empty space in quiet contemplation. 

She rubs her chin as she turns away from the window to say, "So you'll get me back in? You'll be my sponsor?"

Her one good eye meets a strange figure clad in pale gray robes and wearing a featureless white oval mask standing across from her. 

"That's correct, Miss Creed," a crisp, almost robotic voice says.

Hemlock squints, "Why? What do you get from it?"

"The satisfaction of seeing a hero return," it states instantly and with a strange expressionless flatness.

She laughs, "Hero, huh? I'm middle-aged, missing an eye and leg, and haven't been in the ring for three years! My mech is barely functional. It's over for me…"

The stranger remains silent, neither arguing with Creed nor confirming what she says. Creed frowns. She leans her back against the window, crosses her arms, and glares at the stranger.

“Who hell are you anyway?” the Battler demands.

The stranger stands still, saying nothing. Suddenly, they break their silence: "The Sun never sets on the galaxy’s horizon."

Hemlock is shocked momentarily at hearing a phrase her father used to say when she was a girl, but she then narrows her eye with suspicion.

The figure continues, "You needn't make your decision yet, but please consider the offer. You know how to contact us. We will keep a transport to New Singapore ready for you."

She turns back to the window as the figure leaves and mutters to herself, "Everyone loves a loser… You’d say that too, didn't you, Dad?" 

"Heellllllooooo~ Circuit Fans!" 

A smiling blue-haired woman welcomes the viewers to the program from behind the large curved desk where she sits. She is dressed in her signature princess-sleeve blouse with huge shoulder pads, a brooch of the UMBC logo pinned above the left breast. 

"I'm Stella Howard-Delaney, here for another Season 334 announcement straight from UMBC HQ in the heart of Brooklyn, New Manhattan!” 

Behind her is a window overlooking the collection of colonies known as Brooklyn, joined together by a web of bridges. Lights from the other colony stations that make up the New Manhattan Cluster can be twinkling far off in the distance.

“Joining me as always is the Champion of Champions, Hank Dreadful! Hank, how are you doing today?”

The camera pans over to Hank Dreadful, a larger-than-life elderly man in an outrageous Victorian-themed costume and oversized reflective sunglasses

"Ooooooh Stella! You KNOW Old Hank Dreadful is doing wonderful on this fine day! Especially when we have such a special announcement for AAALLLL of our faithful fans!"

The camera cuts to a wide shot that includes Hank and Stella both.

"That's right, Hank. It's with great happiness and joy that we announce a UMBC veteran Battler known for her incredible acrobatic fighting style is coming back in Season 334. Hank, you have some history with her—why don't you tell the folks who it is?"

"Ha-HA! History, she says!” The former Battler crosses his arms and shakes his head. “But you're right—we are, of course, talking about the Battler that knocked me out of the finals of Season 312. The one, the only: HEMLOCK CREED!”

The broadcast shows images of Hemlock Creed throughout her career. From her first Grand Victory in the Season 312 Finals through her disastrous match that left her one eye and leg less during the pools of Season 331. 

"For the past three years," Stella says, "Hemlock Creed has disappeared from the UMBC following the serious injuries she sustained during Season 331. Back then, we were sure that match would mark the end of her career in the Circuit.”

"And what a career she had!" interjects Dreadful. "Creed premiered in Season 311, placing fourth in the Mixed Division. It was an honor to face her in the finals the following season. Phew BOY, now THAT was that a tough match! We'll have to double check with the Stat Rats, but I'm pretty sure it's the only time both myself and an opponent were left with nothing but our fists!"

"I think you're right about that, Hank."

The broadcast cuts to archival footage of the match where Hank, in a wide heavy mech known as the Highwayman, and Hemlock, in the much more slender Polaris, are locking hands trying to overpower each other. Both are covered in battle marks, damaged armor, dust, and dirt, their metal joints groaning as they struggle.

"That was the start of her five season win streak!” Stella remarks. “I was just a kid at the time. I remember feeling like it was never going to end!”

"But end it did," Hank says in a somber tone. "In the finals of Season 317 against Mike MacCullin, ‘The Monster of Meganeapolis,’ disaster struck. In a close range tussle the Polaris’ laser cannon went off unexpectedly. The blast pierced the MacCullin’s cockpit and he passed away in an instant. Creed only suffered minor injuries herself." 

A video of the explosion is shown, followed by a still frame memorializing Mike MacCullin. An image of the young man from the former American Midwest giving a thumbs up with a big proud grin on his face fades in over the screen with the years of his birth and death, (003.03 to 003.32.)

"Those were sad times, Hank, and perhaps a portent for what was to come in the following seasons. The official investigation at the time ruled no foul play, and Hemlock was not held responsible by UMBC or ABEMS. However, the fans felt otherwise, and called for her to be kicked out of the Circuit. Her sponsor, North Star Regional Transportation, ended their contract with Creed due to the audience backlash. On top of that, the Polaris itself was totaled in the incident. It was the end of the road for Hemlock Creed..."

"I certainly thought so," Hank chimes in, "But it wasn't what it seemed!”

"Right you are," Stella continues, "She disappeared for five years. Then what happened, Hank?”

"Well, Stel, Hemlock Creed was like a phoenix rising from the ashes. She returned to the ring with a new mech: the Goodnight Kiss! Sure, it was a cheaper, mass produced Cyrus Alto, and her new sponsor, Elmer's Eggs and Dairy, contractually required her into those ridiculous promotions,”—A picture is shown of Hemlock dressed in a giant chicken suit, standing around on a farm with a forced smile on her face; Hank can’t help but laugh—“Yeah, that one! Always cracks me up! Anyway, that stuff didn't hold Creed back, not one bit! She came out kicking and won the first season that she returned. What’s more, the fans forgave her! The crowds still loved her incredible piloting. It looked like she was picking up right where she left off…”

"But," Stella interrupts, "There turned out to be a lot of stiff competition down the road."

"You’re darn right, Stella. And I don't know if I’d have fared too much better in her shoes. See, the Circuit saw an uptick in new Battlers, ones who really knew their stuff. While Hemlock often finished in the Top 8, if not the Top 4, she never did claim another Grand Victory." 
A montage plays of Hemlock's various matches during her early return to the UMBC. She pilots each of her mechs with the grace and dexterity of a gymnast. She dodges thrusts of HLT spears with twists and twirls. She shoots out an opponent’s camera systems with her mech’s pistol mid-backflip, weaving around their mech like a dancing ribbon. The tone shifts to something more dire as the newer generation of Battlers are able to outpace her raw talent through familiarity, new equipment, and new gimmicks. In these glimpses into her later career we see her getting thrown to the ground, having her mech’s arm broken, and accruing loss after humiliating loss shamefully playing out, one after the other.

"Then came that fateful match against Dea Tacita in the pools of Season 331,” continues Stella. “Dea's Grey Ghost had the upper hand the whole match. Then, when Our Lady of Silence executed her signature Silent Reaper attack, Hemlock's mech exploded!" 

We are shown the end of this match: Leda and Elara—Grey Ghost's flying semi-autonomous BITs—disable the Goodnight Kiss' elbow joints with pulse blasters. The Grey Ghost itself quickly swoops in with scythe at the ready. In a brutal instant, Grey Ghost slices off Goodnight Kiss’ right leg, then both of its arms. As Grey Ghost jumps away, an explosion erupts from the right side of Goodnight Kiss’ neck, right under the cockpit. The shockwave rocks the aerial camera drone recording the match. 

"We now know the Goodnight Kiss had reported a faulty wire in the quanton injection line during the pre-match diagnostics but it was unreported by Creed and her team," says Stella, "and that's what likely caused the explosion. Dea Tacita, like Hemlock all those years prior, was not found at fault, and went on to claim a Grand Victory that season."

"Our Lady will be here this season, right?" asks Hank Dreadful.

"You must be living under a rock, Hank!" Stella teases good-naturedly. “Dea’s rivalry with Richardson Gold grows more bitter by the day. The fans would burn HQ down if she wasn’t throwing her hat in the ring this season!”

“Unfortunately, we won't see a rematch between Tacita and Creed. Uhh, which reminds me—we should have mentioned this sooner," Hank says, "but Hemlock Creed will not be competing in the Mixed Division. Rather, she will be entering as a combatant in the Melee Division."

"Very interesting! This will mark her first appearance in Melee. Hank, As someone who’s won Grand Victories in both categories, what are your thoughts on this?”

"Well, Stella, I think her reasons for doing so are very different from my own. It seems to me that it must be related to the state of her mech!" 

Pictures of what was once the Goodnight Kiss show a sorry hunk of metal, hacked together with junk parts. All nonstructural armor has been stripped from it, giving it an emaciated appearance. The missing leg has been replaced with unarmored skeletal pieces. Its right arm is gone, and the right shoulder now sports a newly installed dazzler light. The left arm has been replaced with a completely rudimentary, unarmored limb, now terminating in an axe where it once had a hand.

"It doesn't have a ranged weapon! We all know you can take part in the Mixed Division with only a melee weapon."

"Anything else?"

"This is all speculation on my part,” says Hank. “I sense Creed’s in it for…” He leans towards Stella and lowers his voice. “Revenge…!”

"Revenge?!" Stella exclaims in shock.

Hank's face and tone are dead serious. "Not against Dea, or anyone in the Melee Division. Revenge for the misfortune she suffered. Am I making sense to you, Stella?" 

"I'm not so sure I follow your logic, Hank.”

"Ha ha! Well, Stel, I’ve taken many bumps to the head in my time, so that’s my bad. Going back to her mech for a second…"

"Oh—sure! Tell us more about the newly repaired Goodnight Kiss."

"While this is technically the same mech as the Goodnight Kiss, it’s had a bit of a rebranding."

"Bit of?"

"Ok, a COMPLETE rebranding. It is now fighting under the moniker 'The Last Call'!"

"Quite the melancholy name, but I’d be feeling pretty melancholy if I had gone through what Creed did. I’m as surprised as anyone that she’s coming back for a second return.”

"Indulge me a moment,” says Hank. “I wanna try to explain again how the name change makes me think revenge.” 

“All right. Go for it, Big Guy!”

“Stella, no offense here, but you wouldn't understand because you've never been a Battler." The camera focuses on old Hank Dreadful's face as he speaks. "Hemlock—just like me, just like everyone who ever suited up for this great sport—she just can't quit. Once you get bit by the Battler bug, there's no going back. It's in her blood, her bones—the essence of her very being. And that's what she's trying to get revenge against."

The broadcast cuts back to the wide shot. “So, in other words, she wants to get ‘revenge’ on the ‘Battler’s bug’?”

“Yep.”

"’Thus is the curse and glory of the Battler,’ right, Hank?" 

The old man nods, "I see you read my book!"

"Every night before bed,” jokes Stella, rolling her eyes. “Anyway," she continues, "why don't we talk a bit more about The Last Call?"

"Oh, we're not done? I thought we’d cut after my little monologue. Would have been a good ending, don'cha think?"

"No sirree, Hank, there’s still more show to do!" Stella bops Hank's hand playfully as he shakes his head apologetically.

"Right, right!" he says, shaking his head and grinning. "So, Stella, what are the capabilities of the Last Call?"

"That's what I'm asking you! You're the expert!”

"Oh! In that case, to answer my own question, its capabilities are…Not much to write home about!"  

A complicated animation swoops around and reveals a polygonal spider graph of the five major values used to rate a mech and its Battler. Each stat falls between a number range of 0 and 20. The Last Call’s stat spread reads as follows: 

Offense 8
Defense 4
Agility 7
Battler 19
Starpower 11

“I’m going to be straight with you, Stella, these stats are some of the worst I’ve seen. Even if she is by far the highest rated Battler of the bunch, she’s going to have a tough road ahead of her.”

“I agree,” says Howard-Delaney. “Let’s start with the Last Call’s offense. That arm-mounted axe doesn’t offer much stopping power. Her strategy will obviously involve the dazzler light on what’s left of the right shoulder. Creed may be able to momentarily blind or stun her opponents if they’re not careful.”

“That’s right, Stella. It's no fun being on the receiving end of one of those. Knowing Creed, she must have some clever plans for that piece of equipment.”

“Moving on, it’s clear her defense is her major weakness, wouldn’t you say?”

“Oofta, you got that right! The Last Call is built from the remaining armature of the Goodnight Kiss, but many of the replacement parts were used for other Altos. The majority of armor for that model’s been stripped and scrapped. Whatever’s still kicking around is, well, not much, I’m afraid. Here’s my advice to Creed: don’t get hit!”

Stella laughs. “That’ll be easier said than done, Hank, looking at its Agility rating.”

“Hah! You're right about that, Stel! The big issue here is that the heel connector for the right leg had to be attached in a different orientation. Not only that, but that leg is a few meters shorter than the other one. This will really mess with the balance algorithms! If it was anyone else but Creed at the controls… Well, that gal,” the former Battler makes an odd gesture with his hands, “She could make a brick fly like a hummingbird.”

“I believe it. A Battler rating of 19 is unheard of!”

“Besides yours truly, that is!” Hank flashes a hammy grin to the camera.

“Yeah, yeah, okay, Big Guy... Now, let’s move on to the Starpower rating—”

Dreadful puts up a hand to cut off his co-commentator, “Look here, I’ve said it before. I don’t think anyone will ever figure out how that mystical malevolent being that is the UMBC Quantum Computer determines that rating. We just have to take its word for it.”

“Just so, old friendo!” Stella tents her hands and turns to Hank. “So—final thoughts. What’s your verdict on how Hemlock Creed and The Last Call will fare this season?”

“Ooo-weeee…Hard to say. Creed’s shown that she’s scrappy enough to throw herself against any obstacle—this is her second comeback, after all—but between the talented Battlers she’ll be facing and that sorry thing she’s pretending is a mech? It’ll be a sheer vertical climb up a mountain taller than the sport is old. I’m not supposed to be biased, but I can’t help but be rooting for her! I’m all fired up and I can’t wait to see how far she gets!”

“Me neither, Hank!” With that, they both look into the camera. “We’ll see you all again as we continue our coverage through the 334th Season here at UMBC Headquarters! Once again, I’ve been Stella Howard-Delaney.”

“And I’m Hank Dreadful!”

“Good Night, Fight Fans!” Howard and Stella say in unison. The lighting dims and the camera goes out of focus to mark the end of the program. Their silhouettes both relax and credits play over the top of them as the scene fades to black.