The surprise attack, perhaps the ultimate double edged sword in strategy. In the majority of scenarios, taking ones enemy by surprise offers an immense advantage that can be immediately pressed, allowing small and otherwise disadvantaged forces to obtain an advantage. However, in a far smaller and often unheard of minority of cases, the plan backfires spectacularly. It does so because when an enemy knows they are to be surprised, they are not surprised, the roles reverse and the attacker instead is placed upon the back-foot. The importance and relevance of this theory became immediately applicable in the present contest between monster and metal. Higan was not surprised.

The A.S.P plays numerous roles in the Grent Republic’s army, scouting and support for infantry being the two main factors. It is the pilot’s business to ensure his ground forces are not surprised, to seize the initiative and know when to retreat. Higan had deeply suspected the Pater was waiting for him close-by, hence why he had fired to either side of the entrance-way. Lo and behold, he’d flushed out a little birdy with his fire, and now it was only a matter of dropping the hammer so to speak. The problem was, with an enemy as quick and deadly as Slimy, it was easier said than done.

Needless to say, Higan reacted immediately to the sudden green visible in his peripheral. The Mech twisted in order to meet the incoming threat, the right leg and foot turning 90 degrees to face the Pater. The effect of this was to close any gap on the Mech’s right side as it hugged the wall, also making a grappling effect difficult on that side as only one angle of attack remained open to the Pater. This was done as the creature whipped its body sideways to launch its tail at the A.S.P, where it could certainly gain purchase as the right leg was naturally forward, but it would struggle to wrap around due to the barrier of stone, and it may even be crushed against the wall as the Mech itself moved.

The importance of only opening the left-side line to the creature was obvious, the A.S.P’s turn naturally brought the already warmed up and consistently firing chain-gun into position to be trained on Slimy. It had perhaps half a second to react upon wrapping its tail around the Mech before it would have the chain-gun pointing in its direction spraying it liberally with rounds. Not only this, but Higan had followed the creature’s path with his rifle, and while it was in cool-down and unable to fire he could use it effectively to ward the beast off if it came straight at or underneath him. The metallic barrel could serve as an irritating barrier to the creature in the hands of the physically powerful Mech.