As Stella began to fuss about over the disconnected pilots in the VR chamber, Ritsu became visibly annoyed. She raised a finger about to scold her. “Cadet-SR 45-” She managed to speak before a dull sound could be heard: it was Lorenzo, who had lightly struck the floor with the tip of his cane.
“Lieutenant…let the Lilim proceed.”
Ritsu adjusted her glasses. “But Executive Officer-!”

“Taking care of others is her current prime directive. Obstructing her would only cause more distractions in the long run. Besides,” he glanced at Aurora, who visibly dry retched after her disconnection from virtual reality, “I’d rather not have pilots puking up their guts…Could stain my coat,” he added, his callous nature as apparent as ever. As he said this, Liisa walked over to Aurora, and took out something from her pocket: it seemed to be a small vial filled with bluish liquid. The vial was labeled “Buran-X”. ”She offered it to Aurora with a kind expression.
“Please take this,” she spoke in a monotone voice. 
“Ingesting the contents has a 98.5% probability of immediately alleviating symptoms of nausea caused by VRNFS, virtual reality neural feedback syndrome.” Stella, using her on-board navigational computer that scanned through Solaire's map, quickly located a nearby supply station, where emergency supplies including flasks of water and rolled up thermal blankets were stored.

Ritsu’s eyes narrowed for a short moment as she watched the shorter Lilim join the taller one with nursing duties past the silently stretching Jake, before her eyes turned softer, and she yielded. “Very well then.” She turned to the others. “You may now speak. However, you are to strictly avoid bothering those who are focused on observing the battle.”

[hr]
Meanwhile, in the virtual reality, team Apple had come under a crisis with the chain of command, as Mema-Ka and Arrish struggled for the position of commander after Aurora’s departure from the mission. Horst rounded the corner with a stylish slide, before kicking off from a crouch and bounding across the battlefield like a faun of war, Heavy Assault Gun brought to bear, ready to roar out as heavy caliber ammunition was unloaded in Argent Wings’ direction.

But as the weapon was lifted, and the trigger was about to be pulled, Arrish saw a lone droid speeding from the north, courtesy of Sparks and his galling Guinevere. He turned, ready to shoot Dancer down…But it was already too late, as the parasitic machine swooped from under the Frame’s heavy legs, and latched on to the red terror’s back. Nanomachine tubes injected by the drone raced through the seams in his armor, and interfaced directly with the Frame’s operating system, infecting it with a Dancer Virus that quickly gained administrative privileges of the Framewerk, and ASSUMED DIRECT CONTROL. As a result, Horst was left shaking in place violently due to conflicting orders, as if possessed. However, now that Guinevere was performing the hacking protocol through the drone and sending out commands to the proxy unit via electromagnetic waves, his Frame’s cloaking could not perfectly maintain its camouflage, resulting in a faint ripple in space that a sharp eye could see, like the alien in Predator.

However, Mema-Ka was not deterred despite Raptor’s poor condition. “Affirmative!” Elora could be heard responding in comms; the young pilot was quite shocked to see the simulation stutter at Sleeping Thunder and Mother Goose’s mutually assured destruction, and for a moment wondered if the VR was going to crash due to a buffer overflow from all the missiles and explosions that spread like rainwater across the simulacrum city. But it didn’t matter; team Apple’s efforts had given Logic Diver another chance to fight, and she would not squander it. She also accepted the suddenly given position of second in command: while not a position Elora was comfortable with, the adrenaline spiking through her won over any nervousness, and she responded with a sharp “Roger!”

Raptor dove to the north at Argent Wings, the Attack Drones activated on the Frame, like turret emplacements on a fighter plane. They began pouring out laser cannon fire in a fusillade of vibrant fire: Argent Wings managed to dodge fire from two of the drones, and ended up struck by the two other drones, damaging the Frame’s armor, causing it to turn red hot and melt at parts. As Ava averted confrontation and continued with her hit-and-run tactic, Mema-Ka took the opportunity as a [Supporter], and took a reaction shot with the damage mode of Marker Light. The rifle’s shots, while not as potent as the Heavy Assault Gun, found purchase through the melted back armor, and several rounds managed to hit one of the Frame’s Microburst Monopropellent Thrusters, causing it to pour out smoke in a trail as it failed to function. [Speed reduced by 2, 30% reduced maneuverability].

As Raptor swooped in to attack Argent Wings, Elora leaned over with the Logic Diver, Automatic Battle Rifle hefted and ready to fire. She observed as the one-winged Frame dashed, and began shooting. Elora’s gaze intensified, as she focused her every shot: they struck Argent Wings in the forearm of her free arm right in the seams of the armor, severing it from the elbow joint, resulting in a temporary drop to her agility (Speed further reduced by 2 for the next turn, total -4 Speed).

Ava’s gambit seemed a success, as she slid behind the eastern megabuilding. However, thanks to Elora’s previous data collection, the Frame was seen through the building by the remaining team Apple members. “She’s coming from the south side!” Elora warned the others, and prepared for the Vibroblade-wielding warrior’s waltz, hoping Logic Diver and Raptor would manage to take her on despite their Frames barely holding on.

On the west side, Griff and Minerva found themselves facing off with their crippled Framewerks, the Shiva less disabled than Argo. Yet, the golden-clawed huntress would not go quietly into the night. She activated the Extreme Boosters, and smoke blew out in an explosive steam as the malfunctioning machine launched the Frame like a jet, managing to steer towards the right direction [Extreme Boosters resisted malfunction]. Further emboldened as she remembered Bug’s inspiring words, with her willpower as fuel she summoned a spear of pure energy from the stump of the Frame’s broken arm with Shining Fingers. The strain of holding the construct was vigorous, and sweat trickled down Minerva’s brow. But she would only need to hold on for but a few microseconds, as she let pure instinct guide her: Athena’s successor, a demigod questing for the honor befitting a heroine deified by the galaxy, would now begin her First Labor of defeating a monster called Shiva.

The valiant pauldon-heavy Frame was about to swing with the Trillium blade, only for the swing to be met with Argo’s energy lance. Sparks flew as the weapons grinded against each other, until finally the lance dissipated, but not before causing the blow to be deflected and miss.

Shiva followed up with a damaging burst of Marker Light fire, only for it to be partially deflected with a burst of the Hornet Point Defense System shots colliding with the rounds, allowing Argo one last chance to deliver an uppercutting slash into Shiva’s torso: the deadly claws, assisted by the Extreme Boosters, punched through Shiva’s heavy armor and into the cockpit, the index finger claw having struck from under Griff’s seat and slicing the pilot, but not before the final Marker Light shot, in such close proximity, pierced through the plating damaged by Sleepy’s missiles, and right into her cockpit in turn, blasting the pilot right through with a Howitzer-sized round.

[Minerva disconnected]
[Griff disconnected]

As the battle was approaching it’s last moments, Bug’s Cockroach crawled through the proverbial nuclear fallout, the heavily damaged chassis ejecting the dangling, broken limbs thanks to the modular Segmented Recombination, gaining precious maneuverability for a mere jet-assisted torso. With a desperate, determination-filled speech, Big then dashed towards Squid’s still-smoking wreck. Upon physical contact, the [Machine Mind] performed a system scan. To his elation, he found that while the cockpit of the Frame had been utterly demolished at the top, the Kattai system lying underneath was still in one piece. He hacked into the system, remotely activating it.

As a result, Squid’s Frame began to glow. Then, nanomachines began transforming both the Squid and Cockroach, transferring most of the metallic mass into the weaponized limbs the Framewerk was most famous for into the Cockroach’s back as a weapon system. This resulted in Cockroach being equipped with three full-sized combat tentacles on the left and lower right, and a half-sized left tentacle on the upper right, the nanomachines having been unable to fully assemble the broken limb. Still, three and a half limbs were more than a single man in a broken chassis of a Frame could have ever hoped for. 

Against all odds, Bug was still in the fight.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/7h6VwNF.png[/img]