First, I hear a sound. Loud, ringing, incessant alarms, pounding into my brain.
My eyes flicker open, to bright, painful chaos.

I squeeze them shut again. Blinking a few times, I let my eyes adjust to the flashing red of the warning lights. My nose is bleeding.
Right, the battle. I must have passed out when they shot down my mech. Damn Imperials. I doubt my mech is capable of movement, but no point in giving up already. Focusing on the flashing alerts, I start looking through them. 
All weapon systems non-operational.
Legs not responding.
Arms nonfunctional.
Nervous system link disrupted.
Comms system damaged.
Bulwarks penetrated.
Cockpit integrity compromised.
It's only after reading that last one that I realise something.
I can't feel my legs.

I look down and- oh fuck. I can't stop myself from staring in shock. My cockpit has been partially crushed. My legs are, at very minimum, trapped in between the metal. Since I can't feel them, likely worse than that. I don't know if it's my training or from a concussion, but I manage to remain calm. No, not calm. Numb, like someone hit the off switch on my panic response. I don't need to panic after all: the Recovery Team will be on its way, accompanied by a pilot of the Obol Division. I reach for the Medi-Spray in my cockpit, and aim the canister-like device down, between the metal to where my legs are. Squeezing the trigger, I feel a cold sting wash over where I should be feeling my legs. I grit my teeth and bear with it, changing the angle so as to coat all of both my legs with the substance. It's a coagulant, though unsuited to use as a permanent remedy.

With that done, I return the device to its storage. Not much I can do now except...
wait. The analogue sensor display is still active, and I see an incoming contact. A sense of dread fills me as I realise that it's coming from the north - the direction of the nearest Imperial stronghold. A VALKYRIE. The Imperials' response to the speed of our Recovery Teams. A division of mechs deployed after a battle, to eliminate the Recovery Team and ensure that the Imperial Salvage Ops secures our mechs - and our pilots. The VALKYRIE is halfway between the edge and center of the display, when I get another contact. From the south this time - that will be our Obol Division mech. Once the VALKYRIE's entered service, we had to defend our Recovery Teams somehow. This isn't as comforting as it could be though - we lose what seems like just as many recovery operations as we win.

The VALKYRIE is stationary, one third of the display away from its center. Additional contacts. Not unusual - judging by the speed it's just the Recovery Team and Salvage Ops dispatch. They will not affect the incoming fight. A knot of anxiety twists in my gut as I can't help but fear the worst.

VALKYRIE-0002 smiles as it observes the wrecks of the battlefield it hovers over. This one has a surprising number of survivors, it sees with its thermal vision. Candidates for the VALHALLA Program, all of them. It smiles, for the acquisition of such candidates is its purpose. Even the fallen Imperial pilots will not be spared its gift of VALHALLA. 
A memory.
Once, wasn't she, one of them? The Pilot Corps... She went through it too, did she not? Or... Or was she a rebel-

The VALKYRIE purges the forbidden thoughts. It shall report them to its Commander later, after the battle. Whether it wants to or not, once She has it stare into Her singular eye. It wants to. It wants to be good. It doesn't want to have its wings tied.

It will obey Commander's Orders. It will bring Pilots to VALHALLA. It repeats this mantra to itself, as it hovers, waiting for the rebel craft to strike.
It doesn't take long. The VALKYRIE's left arm raises before the rebel's shots can hit, the reactive shield negating the energy blasts. Its mech's head turns, locking on to the enemy craft, scanning it. 
Callsign: Charon
didn't it
Threat Level: B2
didn't she
Weaponry: Energy rifle, modified. Plasma Burster. Back-mounted cannon.
didn't she fight alongside a Charon?

The VALKYRIE purges the disruptive thoughts once more, readying its Adaptive Assault Emitter and setting it to Lance mode. Prepared to charge the enemy target.

The VALKYRIE is waiting for our Obol mech. I flick through the feeds from my mech's visual sensors. Connection Lost. Connection Lost. This one is working, but the angle reveals only the crater made by my fallen mech. Connection Lost.

There.
I can see the VALKYRIE. An intimidating mech, bipedal, all sharp points and edges. It has talon-like feet, and a semi-triangular head with a curved beak. In its right hand it holds an emitter of some kind, an energy or plasma spear by the look of it. The other arm holds a heavy kinetic blaster.

I stare at it nervously, but it just hovers, stationary. At least until a smattering of energy blasts hit it from outside of the sensor's sight. They don't appear to have done anything, making my stomach sink. The VALKYRIE activates its emitter - a lance, though I still can't tell if it's energy or plasma - and boosts away, out of my sight. I search through the remaining sensor feeds, but none still functioning have sight on the VALKYRIE or the Obol mech. I sigh with frustration. Nothing to do, and I can't even see the battle.

Charon grimaces as the burst from her laser rifle is absorbed by the VALKYRIE's shield. It's necessary though - her back mounted cannon could pierce the shield, but it isn't ready yet. Waiting too long would risk the VALKYRIE noticing her. Better to start the battle on her own terms.

The VALKYRIE's head swivels, locking on to Charon's mech. It remains fixated on her as the rest of its body turns too, its emitter activating, taking the shape of a lance. Its boosters activate, and it charges towards Charon.
She waits for a moment, until the VALKYRIE has halfway closed the distance. Pushing off of the ground, Charon activates her own boosters, accelerating out of the lance's path. She retaliates with a plasma burst, damaging the enemy shields. Some of the buckshot hits the energy coming from the VALKYRIE's emitter - luckily so, as it morphs into a sword and moves to slash at her. The energy colliding with the plasma momentarily deactivates it, giving Charon enough time to boost back out of the way again, sending another burst round from her laser rifle at the VALKYRIE. It retaliates with its kinetic blaster, firing once, then again a moment later, both shots hitting her shield.
Shield Integrity: 75%

Charon dismisses the alert, swerving out of the way of the VALKYRIE as it slashes at her with its energy blade again. Another blast from the plasma burster, though from slightly too far a distance to do much with its spread.
Cannon Ready

Charon boosts away from the VALKYRIE, which takes the opportunity to hit her in the back with another kinetic round. She checks her shield integrity. 80%. Good, it recharged a little bit. She turns around, planting the feet of her mech firmly against the ground, crouching slightly. Aiming her cannon directly at the VALKYRIE. It won't end the fight, not by itself, but it'll tear apart its shields for a little bit. The VALKYRIE siezes this opportunity, charging directly at Charon's mech with its lance. The distance closes. Her cannon fires. Charon boosts to the side, avoiding a direct hit from the lance, but her cannon misses the VALKYRIE, marking the battlefield with another crater instead.
!ALERT!
Shield Integrity: 20%

The alert is jarring, demanding that she acknowledge it. She does, and dismisses it. Focus. The mechs are still close to each other. Plasma burst. The shotgun-like spread of plasma directly hits the VALKYRIE, at point blank range. Charon kicks off of the enemy mech, getting some distance as she sends several laser bursts into its torso. Its shields back up. She couldn't take full advantage of the opportunity. Focus. Don't dwell on it. The VALKYRIE doesn't seem to have its functionality especially hindered. Charon got some distance, but not enough, as it charges her with its lance once again. She attempts to boost out of the way again, but not soon enough. This time, the lance hits.
!!ALERT!!
Shields Disabled
Left Shoulder Booster Inoperable
Left arm Damaged

For a moment, the alert is all Charon can sense, her shields going down causing a surge of energy through the Nervous System Link. Acting on instinct alone, she nonetheless dismisses the alerts during this moment. As soon as she can move again, she's focused entirely on dodging the three followup kinetic blasts. The damaged booster makes this more difficult however, and one of them hits her before she can get her shields back online.
Left Leg Booster Inoperable
Cannon Ready

Gritting her teeth, Charon prepares to fire again. Plasma burster. Suppressing fire from her laser rifle. Keep the VALKYRIE away while she gains distance. Plant feet, fire cannon.
The VALKYRIE isn't close enough to risk the same gambit as last time, and its attempts to dodge are unsuccessful. Hit. Enemy shields down. Right arm damaged. Weapon potentially disabled. Laser rifle burst. Boost forwards. Plasma burst, close range-

Too slow.

The VALKYRIE can't help but smirk, its shields reactivating right before its enemy's plasma can hit it. Shields at 50%, but that doesn't matter. Not now. Not anymore. Right arm non-responsive. That too, does not matter. At this close range, the VALKYRIE knows it has won. It twists its mech, the talons reach up and grasping onto the enemy's shoulders. Point blank like this, the shield is useless. One heavy kinetic round disables the cannon. Boost downwards. Hostile mech pinned to the ground. Then, it begins to squeeze with its talons. Constricting around the enemy mech's arms. The metal begins to cave. A delicious screeching sound, as the metal grinds together. Crush. This is what the talons are for. Crush. Brutal, tearing noise, as the metal bends inwards. Crush. Embraced by a VALKYRIE. Crush. Until, with a final
SNAP
The arms of the enemy mech are crushed. annihilated. destroyed. It can no longer resist.
VALKYRIE-0002 feels something like glee as it observes the wreck beneath it. The pilot within remains alive, and has no chance of escape with the VALKYRIE perched atop her. She will join it. It will have her. She will be remade, a new VALKYRIE, a new sister. It will belong to VALKYRIE-0002. It will be its prize. It will be spared VALHALLA. It has a much higher calling to answer to. Commander's calling. Commander's Orders.