Erich swapped comms to Alroy's damaged Crab, sounding tired as his 'mech continued to drag itself towards the outer perimetre of the base. "No can do, Al; bleeding like a stuck pig here and there's coolant in the wound. I punch out, the wound opens around the metal chunk, and I bleed out before you get to the Bastion. Besides, we have support, and Kismet can play 'meat shield' as well. Safer for us to keep moving; besides, you've seen the Brick come back from worse; remember the time I came back with only the legs, engine, and head in one piece? Got into a nasty fight with a Stalker and a Battlemaster if I remember correctly; they took apart both flanks like they were wolves on steak, but I came back from that."<br/><br/>Erich gritted his teeth, his right hand slipping from the control stick that commanded the 'mech's weapons to peel off his cooling vest, allowing him to apply pressure directly to the wound in his side, the triangular wedge of metal he simply fit between two fingers as he pushed against the injury, trying to slow the bleeding.