The mech cockpit reverberated sharply as a stream of bullets hit the flank. Alarms and warnings flared all around her.
The situation was getting rapidly out of control. Her mech had sustainted critical damage and Hana had yet to even spot her attacker.

"Damn it!" she growled to herself, "Where are you?!"

Another burst of bullets hit the mech and cyan flames erupted from the right fusion cannon.
"Ejecting!" she shouted into her headset as she grabbed her sidearm and smashed the eject button. She jumped out through the emergency hatch, landing and rolling behind a low wall and watched just as the pink mass of her mech collapsed into a heap of burning wreckage.

Now she was truly on her own. Wearing her paper-thin bodysuit and having only a tiny sidearm for protection, she felt horribly exposed.

Hana scanned the factory courtyard, without the sensor assistance from her mech, the darkening sunset made the sharp shadows almost pitch black.
The silence was interrupted by the stuttering growl of a machine gun somewhere to her left. She threw herself to the ground, feeling bullets passing inches from her head. She recovered into a combat crouch, looking wildly around her, trying to locate the assailant, but there was no one to be seen. She tried reaching command again, but her communications were still being jammed.
"Oh no, no, no." she whimpered.
Suddenly, there was a static buzzing behind her. She started turning, but something hit the side of her head hard, making the world go briefly black. She fell onto her back and heard her gun go clattering across the tarmac.
A sole was planted hard on her chest. Looking up, she saw a tan woman with black hair with purple gradients wearing a black coat, her arms and legs were covered in a strange glowing purple material.
The woman gave her a crooked smile.
"Hola, amiga."
The woman raised her weapon.
"This might cost you some viewers."
Hana glared at the woman, surprised that she had been recognized. She then noticed a small pink shape off to her right. It was her gun! It was lying a few feet away from her. She started to throw her body in its direction, but the woman immediately hit her temple with the stock of her weapon. The Hana's vision turned black a second time and she felt blood trickle down her face.
The woman chuckled.
"Did you think that would work?"
The woman raised the weapon at her again.
"Adiós, Ms. Song."
Hana felt a deep dread and as she closed her eyes, tears started welling. She always knew that being a pilot meant it might come to this. She was ready for this.
A long moment of silence passed. And another. Time seemed to be passing very slowly... or was it? She opened her eyes.
The woman was still pointing the gun at her, but was now wearing a quizzical smirk.
Hana sniffed.
"Did you miss or something?"
The woman narrowed her eyes.
Hana had no idea why she had hesitated, but it gave her a chance.
"Let me go and you might still have a chance of getting my autograph."
The woman let on a faintly amused smile, Hana decided to push it further:
"I knew you weren't going to do it! A real fan would never kill me."
The woman put her head on one side and leaned her weapon on her shoulder.
"Amiga, you are lucky I don't like shooting at children."
"I am not a child!"
The woman cocked an eyebrow, then stood up and started slowly circling her.
"And you know, even though beating you was easy."
Hana made an angry noise.
"Talon could use someone with your skills."
Hana was utterly confused. She wanted was trying to recruit her? It made no sense.
"There's no way tha-"
"Okay, listen, the choice is this: You join Talon, or... you die. Right here."
Hana's thoughts raced. Why was she doing this? Talon had no reason to want or trust her. Was this planned by Talon or was the woman doing it for her own reasons?
In the end it didn't matter, she had no sympathies for Talon and she would never betray her people.
"So, what's it gonna be?"

A gunshot rang across the courtyard.

Hana stared at the broken remains of her headset.
"Did you have to do that?" She said, crossing her arms.
"Can't have you calling all your friends now, can we?"
Hana simply pouted at her.
The looming mass of dark angles and red lights that was the Talon dropship had finished landing and was now deploying the loading ramp.
The woman started up the ramp then turned around, spreading her arms and chuckling.
"Welcome to the family, Ms. Song!"
Hana gave her a defiant snort, then followed her up loading the ramp, towards the gloomy red interior.