Mei didn’t hesitate to join the others in the battle, switching into her fighter mode and releasing her missiles to target the inactive Valkyries before they could launch. As soon as the missiles were launched, she had already set her sights on new targets, her guns ripping through them before she continued her destructive path on to her next target. Unlike the others, she had done her fair share of killing before, so for better or worse, she felt nothing as their fighters exploded and she moved on to the next.<br/><br/>This wasn’t quite like the killing she had done in her past, though. It was different when you took a life with your own hands and watched as the light left their eyes. This was impersonal, it made it easier in a way, only having to deal with the knowledge as almost an abstract concept that could be swept aside. That knowledge might come back to bite them later if they let it. Then again, maybe it wouldn’t.<br/><br/>Much like Emile, Mei was experiencing a heightened battle awareness and heightened senses, although, unlike her young partner, this was not a new sensation for her, but one that was a culmination of not only a natural talent, but also years of combat experience. While he warned the others of the enemy on their tail, she took down one on his before moving on to the next group of incoming fighters. She took the group down with relative ease, and as she was finishing off the last one, a squadron of VF-171 Nightmares had come up on her.<br/><br/>She had recognized their presence, and in truth, she had planned to toy with them a little before engaging in them, as the groups thus far had not provided her as much stimulation as she would have hoped. It was probably for the best, though, when Emile came in and returned the earlier favor by chasing them off her tail and beginning the process of eliminating them. It was disappointing, and she pouted a little to herself, but she knew it was for the best, given that this was a battle and not a playground, and the goal was to destroy as many as possible, not to play around and seek enjoyment.<br/><br/>With this newfound resolve to focus on her duties, she set her sights on another group of fighters that was approaching, heading for Emile who was in the middle of taking care of the second pair of Nightmares from before. She fired on the first two on the squadron as she moved to intercept them, eliminating the pair as she came between the remaining pair and her partner. She then shot forward towards them and before they could react, she suddenly came to a halt, transforming seamlessly into her guardian form with her guns pointed to either side of her as the fighters began to pass by. She fired her weapons and transformed back into her fighter form, jetting up into the air and doing a backwards turn followed by a roll, so that she was heading back towards her partner by the time the explosions occurred and the fighters destroyed.<br/><br/>“Thanks for the assist, kid,” she said, despite having been initially disappointed by the intervention. It turned out alright, after all. “Don’t let your guard down. Something is coming. I can feel it,” she warned over the comms to anyone close enough to hear it. She couldn’t say what it was that was coming, and she had no real proof, but she had always had unusually good instincts, and she had learned to listen to them. She knew that some people needed proof, and didn’t believe in these sorts of things, but she couldn’t care less what they thought. On the battlefield, your instincts were often your greatest tool, rivaling even the weapon known as your mind, although one needed both if they truly wished to become a great warrior and to survive long-term.<br/><br/>“At your 2 o’clock,” Mei drew Emile’s attention to a group of fighters approaching, “You take the two on the left, I’ll take the two on the right?” she asked, but didn’t really give him a chance to respond before she was already in motion to do just that. Just like before, she wore a grin on her face that seemed ill-befitting the somewhat grim situation they had found themselves in, but she lived for the thrill of this, and she had no fear of death, so she saw no reason not to smile.