Inside his cockpit, the Guard Captain was left genuinely bewildered. Why had they given up their advantage? Instead of tightening the noose and pinning him down, they had broken off entirely, handing him precious breathing room, an avenue of escape, or even the chance to go on a rampage through their backlines.
Unable to fathom what the human pilots were thinking, he cast the doubts aside, a sudden surge of battle frenzy taking hold instead. His mech's rear thrusters ignited with blinding brilliance. Swiveling around, he locked his sights onto an isolated human mech suppressing two of his fellow guard compatriots just a few miles out.
He braced the controls to surge forward—
WHIR-CLACK.
A dull-grey projectile, traveling at speeds so absurd that his mech's automated sensor suite failed to track, register, or issue a warning, was already practically on top of him.
"Dammit—!" the Guard Captain began to scream, but the cry was severed mid-breath.
