Sweat ran down the side of Maximiler's face. He had always been on to remain level headed, but he was really on edge right now.
Although he was at the far back of the formation of defensive mechs, he was still feeling immense pressure. The pressure that was being put on the shoulders of the ranged specialists was crazy right now. They were in charge of putting ranged pressure on the approaching elite enemy mechs, but all their efforts were proving futile.
All the shots that the ranged mechs fired bounced uselessly against the energy shields that were projected around the approaching mechs. The two grotesque looking mechs advanced with a scary speed, and any mech that got in their way was cut down with an inhuman efficiency. Obviously.
While Maximiler had faced off against elite mantis units in the distant past, at least then, he had the advantage of technology on his side. The tech that the main military of the USC utilized was far ahead that of the ones that the colonies at the periphery of USC occupied space. The difference was so wide that Maximiler felt as though he was using a wooden stick to stab at an armored fighter.
The two elite mechs cut their way through any opposition they met, carving their way deeper and deeper into the defensive formation.
"Dammit." He muttered as he switched over to the physical rounds that his mech was capable of firing. Although his ammunition was limited, he hoped it would at least pack some punch.
'Some punch~'
A whisper ran through Maximiler's mind, freezing him solid as his mech pulled the trigger on his weapon.
'Some punch!~' Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The gears and motions clicked in the weapon as the heated up, solid round ran through the gun. With an inaudible bang, the red hot bullet rocketed forward, tearing through the cold space that surrounded it on all sides.
It seemed he wasn't the only one that noticed the elevated signals that emanated from his mech.
[Elite Unit: Storm Busters, unit 12 is showing some worrying signs. Get your mech under control, pilot, or we'll have to pull you out of the field.] The voice of one of the officers back on the space station ran through the unit's transmission channel.
"...I understand, sir." Maximiler managed to force out. In his mind, however, a chaotic storm was being stirred up. The signs showed on his mech, but the danger levels were still low.
'What was that voice?' Maximiler asked himself as he tried to flow back into the rhythm of the battle. Alas, that would never happen. That extra punch, had come to pass.
Out of nowhere, a ballistic round suddenly slammed into the shoulder of one of the elite mantis mechs! The entire arm of the mech was torn off from its frame, sending the machine spiraling in space!
It was almost as though the entire battlefield had paused as everyone tried to track where the round had come from. There was no need for the pilots to do that though. The space station had been tracking the situation of the battlefield since the start of the battle, and they already knew it was Maximiler who fired the shot.
Questions were already flying in the space station as everyone tried to take a quick peek into Maximiler's piloting file. But they were all dumbfounded when they actually set their sights on it. Why? Because,
-Name: Maximiler.
-Case: Special Case (Confidential.)
-Piloting Experience: None
...
The minds of all the officers went blank as they stared at the projected screen of information. If it weren't for the general overseeing the battle snapping them back to attention. They all quickly scrambled to continue tracking the progress of the battle, while the general paid some more special attention to Maximiler's mech. The telemetry being received from the mech was quite worrying, but it wasn't urgent yet, so they could afford to allow him contribute to the battle for a while more.
In space, the spinning elite mantis mech finally got itself under control, the mantis pilot within scowling, its hideous face contorting its already grotesque appearance. It spoke in a garbled language to its companion and sent it some feeds of the battlefield. In the images sent, only one thing was highlighted. A rifleman mech that was hiding behind a thick and bulky knight mech. That was their new priority target. When that mech was down, they could head to the space station.
Back in the midst of the defending mechs, Maximiler was being bombed by questions from Roman. He had been told by one of the officers that the one who shot that round was Maximiler.
"What the hell was that?!"
"I don't know. Look, I can't tell you anything because I don't understand it, okay? I'm just as confused as you." Maximiler spoke. "How about we continue this after the fighting is over? Or maybe when we fall back. It's almost time for the fighters to be redeployed."
"Fine." Roman cut off the transmission. He had been using his rifle to take shots at the approaching elite mechs, although he had little success in his attacks. Fire was being redirected to the approaching mass of enemies, and the fighters were being redeployed earlier than anticipated in order to put an end to the elite mantis units.
Just as the two returned their focus to the battle, they both noticed a change. The mantis elite units had changed their plot, veering off from the former route, and now, heading straight toward Maximiler's location.
"Oh, shit. We need to move." Roman ordered the ranged mechs to move back while focusing their fire on the damaged enemy mech.
'Protect the carrier~' That faint voice whispered in the back of Maximiler's head once again. His mind fogged over as he lost control of his body. He could vaguely hear Roman calling out to him, but he couldn't reply as he raised the muzzle of his rifle. He felt that strange surge of energy once again, just before his mind went blank.