Elora found her resolve wavering after she had made her request known to her fellow Strike Force Apple members, as Aurora had coined the term. In the back of her mind, it was an illogical demand: Zel-Ghin's Framewerk was suited for direct combat, and favored drawing attention away from more specialized units. However, after the time she had spent together with her squad and following the examples of her fellow comrades, she had decided to be more assertive of how she felt.
Coincidentally, one of the pilots who had inspired her to be braver, Griff, was the first one to speak up, and she found herself blushing slightly at his reassurance of granting her request. "Th-Thank you, Griff..." She found herself replying in a quieter tone, her index fingers pressed together and her eyes cast downward, happening to glance at Rhylaen as she looked mildly uncomfortable: she wondered if she could talk with Griff about his issue with Tevranians.
She nodded to Jake's words of caution for the environment the squad battle will take place. "I suspect that the map will include some form of vertical cover rather than an open space. After all, for some missions we will probably need to defend Federation colonies against Cruxi invasion, so we will probably have buildings to use as some cover."
A bit of a heated argument once again rose between him and Arrish, and she found herself tuning out the exchange as she looked over the specs for her own Frame, thinking about any preparations she could make in the little time they had.
Fortunately, Aurora quickly took reins of the team, and the two men seemingly calmed down, if only a little, as she gave out more specific instructions. Elora saluted when it was her turn.
"Understood. Hopefully I can upload the Analyzer with data on the Framewerks to speed up algorithm generation...But I can also see the professor resetting the data on the grounds of assuming the enemy is unknown like with Cruxi. Once I have coordinate data on the Framewerks I will link up Hyperwave triangulation, allowing you to launch indirect attacks on the targets," she spoke to the rest of the squad, though only Sleepy Thunder would likely gain any actual value from this potential advantage.
Elora found herself slightly chastised by Mema-Ka, and she averted her eyes, understanding but not willing to admit it. After all, while Mema-Ka was the more well-behaved twin of the two, she had an uncomfortable feeling that he was partly responsible for Zel-Ghin's behavior as an enabler. She had yet to truly know if that was true, but for now Elora decided to linger on the side of doubt.
"Understood," she quietly but surprisingly firmly answered, only briefly glancing up to look at him, her eyes slightly cold. "Let's do our best."
After Arrish gave one last confirmation and a rousing rallying cry, Aurora adjourned the meeting, and Elora stood up from her seat. She decided she wanted to spend the last moments tuning her Frame's software, before it was go time, and left the meeting rooms. On the way, she happened to see Lucius, and blinked in surprise before passing by him.
Meanwhile, Bug gave a moving speech to team Mango, and bolstered their resolve for the coming fight with his oratory skills, granting them a boost in confidence and fighting ability.
(Team Mango members have each received a Bugatti Token for the next battle. Consuming the token allows a pilot to add + 1 to either their weapon range or movement speed for one time.)
"Alright, I'm getting bored," Lorenzo commented in the briefing room, and brought up his device. "Let's see what kind of simulation we'll-'Huh?"
He blinked as she saw the door opened, and Lucius walked through it, having been given instructions earlier by a Solaire janitor to head through the door. The professor stared at him for seconds that felt like hours for the pilot, before he snapped:
"Who the hell is this? I thought the helmet lad was the last one!"
Lieutenant Ritsu sighed, and checked her own device. "Looks like...The Galactic Fleet Board of Members also sent a pilot to the program."
"Damn scheming snakes!" Lorenzo cussed, and walked over in a fast pace, looking like he was about to trip with how violently his walking cane shook. "Laddie! You will be taking a special assignment! Head to the virtual training sector, and plug in." He pressed a button, and the projector display updated for the final time. To the new cadet's surprise, his Framewerk Rex Artus was added in to the list of Framewerks that would participate in the simulation mission. However...
It was under a new team: team Banana.
"You're on team Banana. Your winning condition is not getting disconnected before all members from one team are wiped. Maybe one of the teams will spare you, hoping they'll get an ally out of you. Or maybe you'll just be used as bait to draw the other team out. Either way, try to avoid getting blown up, haha!" the professor cackled, and walked out of the room, not giving another glance at the pilot.
Lieutenant Ritsu gave her trademark sigh with an adjustment of her glasses, and greeted the pilot with a salute.
"Cadet Sterling. It seems you have caught the Executive Officer at a bad time. I apologize on his behalf. Now then, here is the necessary data such as your training schedule," she added, and sent him the same information she had given to to other pilots, as well as the same introductory speech she had given to the first group of pilots.
Finally, it was time to begin the training mission, as indicated by an announcement by Ritsu. Elora slightly shook with nervousness as she headed to the locker room, though it was not because she had to change into her pilot uniform: while it was quite tight, and conformed to the shape of her petite frame, she was used to the firmness of the material, having worn it almost daily in her days at the academy. She was glad that it was the custom suit she had requested as well: the first suit she wore sagged at the front, looking like a bizarre poncho. She winced at the memory of other students giggling upon seeing her. She gave one last look at the mirror in her locker after she was done changing, and turned slightly.
Has my butt grown bigger? She briefly pondered, but then shook her head.
No, that doesn't matter! I should go already.With that, she headed to the Virtual Training sector, a darkened room where various sophisticated machines whirred and buzzed, and a set of seats simulating Framewerk cockpits with VR helmets were situated. Elora took her seat, put on the helmet, and plugged into the simulation, her senses being overcome by the alternate reality.
Soon, she found herself sitting in a cockpit which was very familiar to her: it belonged to Logic Diver, her trusty metallic companion. Beyond the machine's optic detection system, she saw the other Framewerks of team Apple in her vicinity, like Aurora's Sleepy Thunder, and Griff's Shiva. They were all situated in a war-torn colony littered with various megabuildings: they were tall enough to cover a standing Medium-sized Framewerk, though larger Frames peeked out of the top, needing to crouch or bend down to take proper cover.
Elora turned the ignition key, and heard not only the rising roar of Logic Diver's engine, but also the various computer systems booting with beeps and boops, accompanied by subtle flashes of opening screens and displays. She heard Lorenzo coughing in the command channel of the communication system, followed by Ritsu's words:
"Cadets, report on your deployment status once ready, and wait for further instructions. System checkups and communications are permitted." Then Lorenzo's voice boomed in at an uncomfortably loud volume.
"HOWEVER! If I see anyone move out prematurely with their Framewerks, they will be disqualified immediately. That is all. Also, Logic Diver's enemy data will be set to zero: can't have you cheat, can we, haha!"
Even if they were permitted to deploy, Elora would still have waited until the the rest of the squad was ready, and pouted with puffed cheeks at the last remark.
"I figured. Well, it's no different from fighting Cruxi."
She checked her systems, and went through them, vocally verifying the preparation as she had trained:
"Logic Diver startup activated...Combat Analyzer system green...Hyperwave Array system green...All Systems, Go!"
She initiated the Combat Analyzer program, and set it to limit its environmental data processing to urban terrain, speeding up data processing, and linked up the Hyperwave Array to the team. She added Logic Diver's data to the map for cross-referencing. It was easy enough to do, the Combat Analyzer being a state-of-the-art supercomputer that could be customized up to the finest details, though Elora didn't touch on anything more than was necessary. Then, she synchronized the Hyperwave Array with Electric Dragonfly's jamming system, circumventing the system by automatically adjusting frequncies and data to bypass it using an encrypted signal that pinged for Dragonfly's system without needing input from Rhylaen's end. She leaned back on her seat once she was done checking the shared Team Apple communication channel worked properly between her and the rest of her team, and then contacted them once they were in their Framewerks:
"Testing, testing, do you read me? It seems the mission will take place in a colony. I'm detecting several pathways but I'll set us up with a better map once we get moving. Also, Ive adjusted the Hyperwave Array: Electric Dragonfly's jamming won't affect Strike Force Apple, so we're staying 100% operational." She then switched to the command channel. "Umm, ready for deployment."
She felt relaxed and at ease while she was sitting in front of a computer; she was truly in her element now. Elora was quite adept with computers for her young age, and was thus chosen to pilot a Framewerk reliant on expert technical skills like Logic Diver was. Unlike the outside world which was full of hate and malice, inside Logic Diver she felt like she was safe from all that. It was comforting, almost as if she was held in her own mother's arms.
But she shook her head.
I can't think about things like that. The mission comes first.
Brown rectangle: building tall enough to cover standing Medium Framewerk
Dash: Move without attacking for your turn. Includes a dodging bonus against attacks.
Reaction Attack: instead of attacking, prepare to attack the first enemy that enters or already is in line of sight if in weapon range. Includes a slight accuracy penalty.
Glossary:
Team Apple:
LD: Logic Diver
HT: Horst
ST: Sleeping Thunder
R4: R4-PT0 Type R (Raptor)
SH: Shiva
ED: Electric Dragonfly
AZ: Angel Zero
Team Mango:
AW: Argent Wings
CR: Cockroach
AT: AA-XOTRY (Atty)
AG: Argo
MG: Mother Goose
GV: Guinevere
5Q: 5Q-U1 Type D (Squid)
Team Banana:
RA: Rex Artus
Member
AtomicNut
Mustang1907
Ammokkx
Shifter_Master
Scrawl Banditta
Crusader Lord
Not a Sayan
DarkRecon
