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We rushed through the desert as one. The others couldn’t keep up. I paid no mind to the sand racing over my armour, and neither did my pilot.
Perhaps I should explain.
I am a SKELL.
My pilot is ERIN. I follow her wherever I can, and together we protect humankind and explore this world.
On this night, in this desert, as we drove past the LEANING RING, somebody called out to my ERIN.
“HEY, CHIEF!!!”
We drifted around the RING, halting at its base. I stood, and ERIN looked at the distant figure of someone I didn’t know.
“Mia?” said my pilot.
The MIA looked down at us. “You should come up here, Chief!” she said. “This view is amazing!”
By this time, the others, ELMA and LIN were beside us. ERIN explained to them that a MIA was atop the LEANING RING and wanted her to go up too. MIA called out again. ERIN turned us towards the RING, and as one we leapt up it.
Halfway to MIA, several indigens made their presence known to my ERIN. She and I leapt nimbly away, and reached MIA without a scratch.
ERIN commanded me to allow her exit. It wasn’t safe, with so many indigens, but I would not refuse her.
MIA talked to ERIN about why she was all the way out here. I learned that my ERIN had, long ago, given MIA the means of leaving the city and that, since then, she had ended up in need of aid several times.
When she had finished talking, MIA turned around. She didn’t notice that she walked right off to edge the RING. If only we were together, ERIN, we could jump after her –
But something else had caught MIA. It looked like an AURAVIS. My scanners registered it as a FALCONINE JACUL.
MIA called out for my ERIN to help her. Without hesitating, she leaped into my cockpit and we drove after the JACUL. We tracked it all the way to KEEGAN RIDGE.
As we checked on MIA, discovering that her legs were injured, the JACUL descended in front of us. With a cry, it struck.
The battle was intense. ELMA and LIN couldn’t do much for long against its terrible beak. Even my ERIN was in danger.
Suddenly, the JACUL dove. Its beak pierced my armour, forcing ERIN to evacuate. No, I thought, my ERIN, I must protect you . . .
~~~
In the darkness, I thought about this night. Had my ERIN abandoned me? I had never been hit this badly before. Always, we fled before I was destroyed. But not this time.
Then, light. I was at the HANGAR, in the city. Somewhere, a metal door lifted.
“Einarr!”
My ERIN!
She had come back for me! I had hoped it would be so, for only with her am I complete.