Ji Xinghe didn't know Zhang Qian wanted to apologize to him, but he wished to apologize to Zhang Qian: I'm sorry, I did more but still couldn't protect you.
Ji Xinghe, who had single-handedly drawn away three Imperial mechas, had contributed far more to this battle than what his commanding officer tasked him with. Imperial mechas weren't pushovers. If Ji Xinghe could single-handedly destroy an Imperial mecha, they could surely destroy a Federation one as well.
If dogfighting were so easy, why would commanders ask mecha warriors to record their last words before going into battle?
They had already recorded their last words, everyone had. This wasn't a bad omen, but rather their declaration of willingness to die. When they updated their last words before a new battle, it showed they were prepared to die.
But they shouldn't die, they were so young, like my son, even younger than my son.