There would be a penalty for leaving a hostile unit behind, but it would be relatively small compared to the punishment for killing a friendly pilot. Most cadets who encountered this part of the simulation made exactly that choice.
Ning wasn't most cadets.
He looked at the two machines again, recognizing something integral about their situation that could help him isolate their signals.
"They're rotating around a common point."
Instead of moving away, he changed course and headed toward the fight.
Outside the simulation, several students immediately reacted.
"What is he doing?"
"He should leave them."
"If he guesses wrong, he'll lose more points than he gets for killing the Mekharan."
Lorna did not say anything. She was watching Ning's movement more carefully.
Rather than trying to force the identification system to solve the problem from his current position, Ning moved until his own trajectory began matching the rotation of the two machines.
