The sunlight glinted off the top of his Mech, the sun close to setting in front of him. â€œThis planet ainâ€™t for you to be trompinâ€™ around, long wolf. Itâ€™s time for you to leave.â€

The Man shifted the cigar in his mouth, replying â€œAnd I guess youâ€™re the ones to show me off, then?â€

â€œThatâ€™s right. And weâ€™re thinkinâ€™ that nice Mech oâ€™ yours would be a good partinâ€™ gift. So why donâ€™t you get on out, and weâ€™ll let you leave.â€

â€œWell, thatâ€™s mighty kind of you,â€ he said, biting down on his cigar, â€œBut I think Iâ€™m just going to walk outta here, if you donâ€™t mind.â€

â€œThe thing is, loner, that we do mind.â€

The two Mechs stood, stock still, facing eachother. To each side he saw Mechs coming in to flank him.

â€œI guess weâ€™re doing this the hard way then,â€ he stated.

â€œFor you, yeah we are!â€ the other man sneered, suddenly starting to raise his arms. The Man was faster though, bringing his six medium pulse lasers to bear on the enemy Atlasâ€™ head, coring it in the blink of an eye. He shifted left, as lasers from a Cataphract burned past him. His next salvo took the pilot right in the chest, straight through the cockpit glass. Missiles landed around him as he spun and fired again, obliterating the side-torso of a Commando â€“ he turned away as it slowly thudded to the ground, and stood staring straight at a Centurion pilot hiding behind a rocky outcropping.

â€œNow you are probably thinking youâ€™ve got me. My guns are overheated and I canâ€™t possibly fire again. If I fire Iâ€™ll overheat, shut down, and youâ€™ll have me dead to rights. Ainâ€™t that so?â€

â€œI, uh, yeah. Yeah! Surrender now, get out of your Mech, and Iâ€™ll, uh, let you go!â€

â€œWell youâ€™re forgetting one thing, raider. One very important thing that has passed right over you, that you arenâ€™t thinking of, that coulda saved your life.â€

â€œOh yeah, and whatâ€™s that!â€ the raider shouted, his voice breaking at the end.

â€œThat the entire time Iâ€™ve been talking, my heat has dropped back down, and your cockpit is peeking out over the rock there.â€



â€œOh s-â€œ the pilot started to say, as six medium pulse laser shots hit his cockpit, exploding it outward. As his Centurion collapsed against the rock, The Man turned his Quickdraw towards the right, saying over his open mic.

â€œAnd you there, Raven behind that rock. Iâ€™m walking out of here, and you, youâ€™re going to tell â€˜em. Tell â€˜em what happened here. Tell them that no-one tells me what to do."

And with that, he turned and walked towards the sunset, blue light low forming a halo around him.