In Coromaur's Debt - Part 12.

A dull ache began to grow behind Viper's eyes, the growing pain was all at once familiar to him. The gleaming slug shot out to fly at it's target, and as it left the barrel Viper felt himself once more pay it's price. And knew immediately what shell he had loaded in his haste; a flare round. With the realization of what he had just shot he immediately cursed his own mindless rush, and decided to keep his eyes closed tight. He recalled very well the last time he had used a flare round, all to well, along with the painful blindness and headache it inflicted on him. No, this time he'd keep his eyes closed.

Unfortunately the mecha's pilot however was focused on looking for his prey, and did not have the valuable experience or reflexes to avoid witnessing the impressive explosion of white-bright psionic light. It burned his eyes with it's flash, the world instantly extinguished from his sight. Pain sparked a furious blaze in his mind as he went into sensory overload. Panicked and confused he fought to comprehend what could have just attacked him, let alone what it had done to him. Chaotically he reached for familiar controls, engaging weapon systems to try and retaliate. But without his sight he couldn't direct his targeting controls, or be certain of what he was firing. Not to mention if he was firing at anything at all. Fear gripped him as a single thought struck him, he might as well be fighting ghosts now.

Viper gulped, his eyes still firmly clamped closed, he was still apprehensive about the flare's duration. Cautiously he cracked an eye to check if it still burned, only to be answered by a roaring assault of random fire. 30mm Vulcan's launched barrages of slugs in front of the mecha like a hail of deadly rain that only left found dirt and stone. Spinning, it's turret unleashed it's own impressive delivery with a pair of light Mag-rails that successfully pulverized a good section of stone outcroppings.  Clearly misfortune wasn't just smitten with him, Viper thought.

Safe from the torrent of blind-fire from the mecha, Viper stayed tucked against rock. It was only a matter of time though, he was sure before the pilot's vision returned or Ghost-Face managed to become collateral damage. He had to take out that mecha, and quick. But how, he wondered, as he scanned his remaining shells. One shell immediately caught his eye, and lit his face with a grin. "Let's see if your systems are shielded against an EMP," Viper declared as he loaded the round.