Roger wasn't too sure entirely of what was going on, chaotic as battle was, but he had a relatively decent understanding on the broad picture. They had managed to inflict significant casualties on the enemy, if not getting out entirely unscathed themselves. But everyone was still in perfectly serviceable condition as far as he could tell. Well the werks were, the mental state of some of the pilots was questionable, but that might as well be called Tuesday with Squad Sigma.

Through the various comms there were a lot of messages, most of them Rooney heard, but didn't really stick in his head. It was bad form, but there was a lot to take in at once, and he had to focus hard enough on piloting as it was. That said, there were two messages in particular that snagged his attention. First was Dietrich's message. Not for any particularly dramatic or important reason. It's just that he heard his name, which pulled his focus in that direction until he figured out that the other pilot was merely using "roger" as an affirmative, rather than specifically trying to call his attention.

More importantly, there was the directive from the boss lady herself: press forward, engage, take out the turtles. Well if there was one thing Yeager was good at, it was pressing forward. Unfortunately, directly in his way was a wall of Cruxi War Machines, and he didn't have the firepower to take on all those combatants at once, nor was he the melee type, so trying to simply bust through (without suicidally ramming into them) was out of the question.

However, Roger directed his gaze down upon the radar once more. There was a spot open he could just make it through if he put the pedal to the metal, figuratively speaking. And once though he'd have a clear line of fire at 2 of the turtles. The drawback is that he'd be in a compromised position, but now was not the time for timidity. He'd need to rely on the help of the rest of the squad, but that's what they were there for.

"Got it. Going to try to maneuver to their rear flank along with Wagner." Roger first directed Yeager to move to his 10 o'clock, moving just far enough to align himself with the break in the cruxi formation. Then he adjusted course to point straight ahead and activated his Overboosters to pass straight through the gap in their offenses.

---

Actions:
Move: F8->D6
Boost: D6->D3

Zim felt a great tremble in Black Star's inner systems, followed by the sound of metallic parts bashing against each other; it lasted only a couple of seconds, but it was enough to cause 3% worth of damage to the Werk's internal systems. What was alarming was the location for the damage; it was in the torso section, close to where a human's heart would be located. His Synch rate with Black Star seemed to also waver, fluctuating at a 2-3% ratio. For the first time, Zim could sense that this was intentional, as if Black Star had meant to behave in this manner. However, the Framewerk's system stabilized as Zim's rage rose. In response, the Frame seemed to throw off the Cruxi Beast's massive palm aside with a flick of the Thermal Scythe on its own, scattering it aside like the uncertainty that the pilot had.

The Cruxi CWM squad at J7 was hunkered down behind a sturdy bunker, ready to intercept any direct assaults with counter-fire. However, by performing a circling sweep Zim managed to buy a bit more time before they caught on. Due to the high gravity, performing a flanking dash was difficult, as there was more inertia involved in the Framewerk's velocity that required more force to redirect. However, Zim's high Experience proved its worth, as he knew to shift the Framewerk's mass towards the inner circle, helping to keep the momentum for just long enough to reach behind the squad. Of course, the Cruxi managed to land shots on Black Star before he closed in and strike the first CWM down, easily slicing through the metallic armor with the symbol of death.

The damage incurred was partially absorbed by an Orbital Deflector, which ended up breaking when one of the Cruxi landed a point-blank strike with a new type of melee weapon; it was disguised to look like a Plasma Cannon when closed, but it packed tremendous punch as it launched with the three-pronged blade. The CWMs didn't get a chance to take another shot, as their vertical halves fell to both sides, four pieces one after the other. The rest of the shots landed to the shoulders and chest, having incurred 8% exterior damage in total. Were it not for the protective drone, the damage would have likely been multiplied. Elise's face popped up on Zim's HUD. "Come in Black Star! Our long-range Frames can't get a dent on the turtles while those mechs are blocking the firelines. Approach discreetly, and eliminate them given the opportunity. Over and out."

Ojo readied the Hoshizora, and aimed the rifle down at the Cruxi Beast, slightly trembling as it was hit with the EMP-inducing payload. However, as soon as Ojo turned, the Beast lunged like a zombie from a horror movie, and gripped the Framewerk's ankle; it only seemed to turn even more frenzied as the cybernetcis in its brains were fried, its muscles bulging grotesquely. At that moment, if the Beast was undeterred, it would have easily torn off the limb. Fortunately Katya was there to save Elizabeth; using Caretaker's Artemis Attack Droids to their full potential, she used them to deadly effect as they attempted to cut off the Beast's head. The Beast let go of Ojo at that moment, and grabbed one of the Droids, slamming it down on the ground and destroying it; frighteningly, it was still capable of attacking even while it's head was leaning to the side from being cut, like Nearly Headless Nick. Before the Beast could repeat the move on another one, the Drones backed off to launch ranged shots, finishing the job and severing its head off of it's broad shoulders. High-pressure blood then splattered on Ojo, not unlike when Irina decapitated the Beast grappling Ana's Frame, leaving a terrible mess. Ojo did not escape completely unscathed; it's ankle had been damaged to the point of no longer being able to support the Frame's standing.

Valéria's scans confirmed the kill on the Cruxi Beast before her, with the additional information that the rapidly shot lasers managed to hit the beast right between its natural armor plates; as a result, they pierced its lungs and destroyed some cybernetic implants linked to them, causing the Beast to drop dead near-instantaneously. At that moment, Elise opened a comms window at the corner of Redeemer's HUD; her eyes were constantly flicking back and forth, as if she had over six different screens that she tried to monitor at the same time. "Good job scanning the bogey, Pilot! Downloading database, over and out."

Redeemer proceeded to join Black Star in getting up and personal with the enemy. However, unlike the flanking maneuver that the more lighter Frame performed, Valéria's hulking juggernaut smashed right through the defensive cover that the CWMs were using with a hammer strike with Judgement, sending rubble flying in all directions. The Two of the CWMs immediately began shooting, clearly surprised by their sudden loss of cover; Redeemer's heavy build absorbed most of the Cannon shots, incurring only a measly 10% damage to its armor before one of the CWM's was sent flying by Judgement smashing into them, their chest caved in to the point the Frame doubled over itself. The third CWM, who was located behind her, grabbed on to the larger Frame's back, and shot a three-pronged blade into the back at point-blank, managing to punch into the armor deeply enough to become lodged in, allowing the Cruxi mech to ride on Redeemer's back by using the blade as an anchor.

Krieg deftly moved to cover to avoid the Cruxi War Machine squad's plasma fire, using the Cruxi's own artillery weaponry's size against them. That turtle had just finished firing, and now became aware of the enemy unit right next to it. It's weapon systems switched on the fly, the large cannon having switched to a pair of Plasma Gatlings, identical to the ones the other turtle had attempted to use on Krieg. The rotary cannons began spinning, but Dietrich bid his time, waiting for the right moment. As soon as the turtle began firing, Krieg flipped over the turtle in a parkour of extreme agility, the turtle unable to turn it's cannons fast enough to hit it. The CWMs were too late to realize their mistake, and stood completely still the moment Krieg struck with Helles Messer; as the CWMs were Medium-armored foes, the blade sliced halfway in before it bounced back up, followed by a sweep kick that Dietrich seemed to perform almost instinctually, sending the machine down. The other CWMs seemed to finally get out of their stupor, and lowered their guns. However, this wasn't a case of surrendering; one lunged forward with a shot of a three-pronged blade that Krieg deflected with the sword, causing sparks to fly between the two, before slashing the arm off the Cruxi, while the other attempted to flank around.

Maria took position, steadying Neo Angel's aim for a shot on the Cruxi turtle in the west, using a rifle with emphasis on range and accuracy. She successfully hit the Cruxi Turtle several times, punching holes in the turtle's shell and causing the cyber-biotic monstrosity to cry out in pain. As before, tentacles rose up from it's back, and began repairing the damage that it sustained, with smaller tentacles squirming inside the holes. The CWM squad in B4 incurred damage from Tayna's antimatter rifle, and one shot managed to tear off a leg from one of them, causing them to fall. In response, both that squad and the one in C4 began shooting counter fire at Tayna; they were not successful in hitting her despite launching a volley of plasma, as she launched herself in dodging maneuvers with her charges, avoiding any damage. But as much as she wanted to be a distraction, it wasn't enough...And war showed it's true face.

The turtle shifted it's aim, and with a mighty sound shot another immensely powerful shell.
Maria had not taken cover, nor did she prepare for evasive maneuvers, so it was too late when Neo Angel attempted to leap out of the way before it was partially caught in the blast radius; an intense light burrowed into her eyesockets, followed by burning heat and agonizing pain. When Maria next opened her eyes, she saw a vertical world; the Framewerk was lying on it's side. Based on the data, she was blown back to A10.
Most horrifically, the Frame's entire left side was burnt and broken down, missing an arm and a leg. Maria herself felt a trickle of blood coming down her nose, and noticed how her own left side felt numb; due to her extreme Synchronization, she had to struggle to move her arm and leg, feeling like the bones in them were broken. "Caretaker!" Elise popped up, looking shocked. "Neo Angel has sustained critical damage, and needs repairs!" The entirety of Squad Sigma was now witness to the threat that the Cruxi turtles imposed upon them.

"Tch."

Irina saw what happened to their fellow comrade, and scoffed at Anastasia's resentful threat.
"See that?" She sent the visual feed of her Frame to Ana, showing Neo Angel's torn arm and leg lying in a crater.

"That could have been you."

With those cold words, she shut down the communication channel between them just as Sköll readied GAR, and took fire on the turtle. Her shots failed to hit the turtle, as the CWM with the broken leg jumped to intercept them, before it blew up. "Damn. No choice but to cut them up, huh?" She cursed under her breath, no longer as calm as before. Her vision flashed back to Neo Angel's remains. "Why...Why does it still hurt?"

Hou-Yi dashed across the battlefield, it's many legs suited for traversing the rough, cratery grounds. As such, when it reached crater, Krista had enough time to identify an enemy unit, and proceeded to launch a shot from the ditches. However, she didn't have time to calculate the shot trajectory, and so the impact zone erred to the side; it only managed to hit a single Cruxi mech, destroying half of it in exploding plasma. In response, the Cruxi units at E5 and F5 retreated while shooting at Paladin's shield. Paladin took the opportunity, and blasted apart two Cruxi mech that were lined up, destroying them completely, before it advanced further into the battlefield, seemingly ready to take on the turtle before it. The CWM unit at G5 proceeded to advance, and opened fire on the Redeemer, causing 10% more damage to its armor bombarded by plasma.

The turtle in the middle, having seemingly decided that the new arrival on the east would no longer be a threat, aimed down the middle, aiming to destroy both Paladin and Caretaker with a single shot. Once again, Elizabeth's Ojo managed to redirect the shot that was aimed at them. However, because of her unfortunate meeting with a berserk Beast, the shot ended up landing right in the Yeager's way. Fortunately, Yeager managed to outspeed the impact radius, but the resulting explosion's knockback sent the Framewerk flying; it ended up landing at C2, farther away than Roger had planned to. Having experience with high velocities, Yeager only ended up making a light tumble before it was already back up, ready for combat behind enemy lines. The CWM unit at C4 at first aimed at him, but then lowered their guns and charged at him with claws and a Punch Blade.

However, Roger soon realized he wasn't alone.

A raucous sound seemed to come from west, similar to a demonic roar, and squad Sigma saw imposing Framewerk come charging in at unnatural speeds, aiming right for the Cruxi turtle in the west; it seemed to be able to move four grids in one move. Elise looked confused, and managed to open communications. "Come in, Framew-" In return, she got a pleasant response.
"GO TO HELL SHELLHEAD!" The Framewerk lifted it's arm up, and a giant glowing blade suddenly appeared, glowing with energy. He slashed downwards, and with an earth-shaking slam, cut the giant Cruxi turtle in half. Numerous tentacles popped out, attempting to pull the halves back together, but the Framewerk's shoulder-mounted cannons lifted up, took aim, and unleashed hell on the two sides, obliterating them to ash.

"YEAHHHH! EAT IT, FILTHY FUCKING BUGS!" The squad heard him announce on a loudspeaker system installed in the monstrous Frame.

Elise was irritated, yet a bit relieved; after all, the mysterious new pilot managed to destroy one of their targets. She opened up comms with everyone. "We got a rogue unit. Give it a wide berth, and take out the two remaining turtles!"

"..."

It hurt...but this pain...this pain is what she was used to. Like it or not, the Helldivers had prepared her for such physical pain. Emotional, though, was far worse...

Or at least, that was what she was trained to know.

Letting out a groan and cough, Maria tried to at least get to a sitting position but the best she could make Neo Angel do in her condition was to now lie down flat on her back than on her side.

She then heard all the commotion over the line...and heard a familiar voice.

"GO TO HELL SHELLHEAD!"

She must have misheard but then she heard some demonic roar of what she SOMEHOW guessed was from a framework. How she knew that without even looking escaped her but that voice...

"Mai! You ok?!", then came Jake's voice over the line.

"...still here", she managed to respond. "But Jake, that voice..."

"You know it?", Jake then asked.

Then came the voice again.

"YEAHHHH! EAT IT, FILTHY FUCKING BUGS!"

Now she knew who it was but here of all places? Why? And what's with this new attitude?

"...Cau...Caulder...", she groaned in pain.

"...wait. That's Caulder?! Your old boss?!", Jake then said in shock. He soon abandoned his sniper position and pushed Weissritter to Neo Angel's location as fast as he could.

"...thought...you were...dead...", Maria then called over the line.

She then heard him take a long deep breath as if calming himself down then simply said this.

"...well talk later Seven. Just tell your squad to NOT come anywhere near my framework, Ragnarok, and they'll be fine. I shall handle these new turtle Cruxi personally", he responded as he moved east to the next turtle Cruxi.

"...I think...Elise summed up that nicely anyway", Maria responded, hearing Elise's latest order.

Maria then made a global call to everyone.

"...everyone...don't take any direct hits from the long range blast the turtles fire. Even with my TK barriers, I wasn't able to tank the hit. I don't care how big and tough your frameworks are, DON'T TANK it's long range...shot...ooowww..."

"Don't talk Maria! Caretaker! Where the hell are you?!", Jake yelled as he continued to head towards the Neo Angel.

Zim could feel Black Star's pain, just as much as Black Star could feel Zim's pain. It was more obvious now than it had ever been before to Zim. As soon as Zim pulled off the difficult maneuver, despite the extra external forces on the frame and the pilot Zim looked over the sensor readouts for damage to the systems. All well within active combat parameters. "I'm sorry, Partner," Zim said out loud, he didn't mean the damage to the armor, but the werk no doubt knew that.

He had gotten a communique from from Command about his next target, "Understood," was all Zim replied to the order. "Come on, let's put an end to this," he said to Black Star as he looked over the map to plot his route. The target they wanted him to go after was clear across the map, as far from Black Star as possible, but he could do it, maybe. Just as Zim was about to punch the controls a Rogue Unit entered the fray and quickly dispatched the intended target.

Zim had his orders, despite what this new-comer said. "Engaging the turtle in quadrant I3, Krieg disengage the area. Command, going black," Was all Zim said in the moments before he activated the Active Jammers, his RFID blinked off of the collective HUDs of his team mates and those observing up in orbit waging a different kind of combat. As soon as his digital signal disappeared Zim pushed the thrusters hard as he approached J4. As soon as he was within range of the wave surger Zim flipped the active jammer from cloak to decoy, making 3 signatures appear on screen. Zim released the charge from the tidal battery and kept the blast focused on the turtle, ignoring the CWM nearby, depending on the armor wings and the decoy signals to keep him safe - trusting his partner to keep him safe. Zim made small circles with black stars hand to spread the beam slightly in order to make sure the entire turtle was being enveloped in the blast and ensuring that if the repairing tentacles tried to peak out between rounds that they would be caught in the next round. Zim continued to approach the turtles location until he arrived at it's smoldering, heat-wave radiating remains.

It hurt.

Having your skin punctured over and over to reach the depths of your tissue really hurt. A needle kept burrowing itself into Serah’s skin at breakneck speeds, slowly trickling down her cheek while all she could do was grit her teeth and bear the hellish experience. She knew what she was in for ahead of time, but nothing could prepare her for the grueling agony she had to endure. How much longer was this torture going to go on for? It felt like ages ago it started, with no end in sight.

“...C’mon, Ser. It’s not that bad,” the muscled woman seated next to her plainly commented. She lifted the tattoo gun from Serah’s face, then shoved a small, handheld mirror in front of her.

"Cypher… couldn’t you be a little more careful?! What would my boyfriend think if he saw how barbaric you were with my face… honestly!" the energetic girl replied. She wanted to puff up her cheeks in defiance, but the burning aftertaste of the freshly painted image clued her in to let it rest a little before trying to massively alter the shape of her visage. Even talking made it sting a bit more than usual. Serah took the mirror from Cypher and turned her head slightly to the right, to inspect her new tattoo. It was a pink heart with ribbon-like wings.

"Mou… it’s super cute, but the jumper really ruins it. Being back in my normal clothes would suit this so much better..." she complained.

“Knowing the way Boss smothers you, Ser, I don’t think you’d have any problems getting those in here as well.”

Serah turned back and giggled. It was weird to think Cypher looked so scary back when Serah was transferred into the prison… well, everyone did, really. Despite the prison being female inmates only, Serah didn’t know women could look so… butch and augmented. The one she’s staring at is practically a cyborg! Half her skull and the entire right arm, all the way up to the shoulder, is entirely cybernetic. The constantly adjusting red orb of an eye and otherwise buff physique didn’t really help matters. Serah got to know them, though. Not just Cypher, but everyone else too.

"Thanks for this, Cypher... It means a lot-"

“Cut the crap. It’s your birthday, ‘least I could do was give you a gift. Especially now that I won’t get to see your cute face around soon,” the rough woman said with a wink.

"Oooh, don’t remind me! It sucks I’m the first one to leave! You all deserve so much more than me, and it’s only a few days until I have to say goodbye!" Serah complained. She threw herself backwards on the bed they were both sitting on, staring up at the light on the ceiling. The light illuminating her prison cell. It was weird how this facility had separated beds instead of bunks for the inmates, but it’s not like it got any more comfortable. Even the bunks back at base laid less like they were made of solid steel- and they literally were! "I’m not sure if they even want me back after what I did, but… I’m going to show them the new me. No use in being hung over what’s already happened!" Serah said. She heard the buzzing of the jail cell’s barrier field suddenly vanish and shot up to look. A guard was there, staring wordlessly at the inmates.

“Looks like that’s our cue to go,” Cypher remarked while pushing herself off the bed. Serah scooted up as well, following along with the guard’s orders. Strangely, every cell was empty on the way to wherever they were going.

"Hey, what’s up with that?" she whispered to the other woman, who didn’t bother to comment. Eventually, the two were lead to the door of the dining hall. When it slid open, Serah was greeted with a loud cheer. "...huh? What?"

In front of her were nearly all of the other inmates. Some older, some younger, but all of them with a visage that matched the severity of the crimes they were put in jail for. On one of the tables in the middle were a few cakes. They were circled around a bundle of coloured candles, tied together, like you’d see inside of the birthday cake of a small kid. It took Serah a few moments to process everything over the loud singing and cheering everyone was doing, but before it could all sink in, she felt a strong tug pulling her into a hug.

“Happy birthday, princess!” a deep voice congratulated her. The owner of it ruffled her already messy hair and the girl had trouble breathing from being pulled so tightly against someone’s body. She eventually managed to wriggle free, gasp in some air, then looked up at this mysterious entity. Not that she didn’t know already; this overly affectionate display wasn’t a first. It was none other than 'Boss' herself. Ring leader of the local mafia voluntarily become inmate, pulling the prison’s strings more than they pulled hers.

"M-Mara… did, did you do this?" Serah stuttered.

“Of course, princess! I would’ve done even more if I could,” the older lady, ridden with alien-like tattoos and various scars, replied.

Even if Serah reminded her so much of the daughter she lost, Mara went too far for her sake… it wasn’t fair. But even Serah’s not dense enough to see she reignited the flames in that woman’s heart, long after she’d resolved to waste away in here. Another inmate, half their head shaven with the other forming a fringe over one of their eyes, their face full of piercings, approached Serah soon after. They gave her a small, woolen doll in the form of a little red robot.

"Made you a doll of that robot-thing you talked about. I don’t remember a lot of it, but I tried making it the way you told me it looked."

"Ah…! No way, you tried knitting Atty?!"

The little doll didn’t look exactly like Serah’s framewerk, being a lot more cube-ey than the real thing, but this woman, Tanya, did include two pairs of comically oversized, orange bat wings. Sure, it didn’t look like the real thing, but Tanya only picked up knitting from Serah a short while back. The girl thought it could help with the anger issues that got her locked up in the first place, and now the woman made her something so nice...

But it wasn’t just Tanya. Everyone who Serah helped gave her something. Rally, with scars all across her body from drug and alcohol consumption, who Serah recalled stories with about the greatest drunken pilot she’s ever seen, gave a drink she had stashed for emergencies. Axia, a teenager her age struggling with parental abandonment, confided with Serah’s personal struggles long ago and now gave a portrait she’d drawn. Serah recalls when she started being called ‘princess’ by the boss, after helping out everyone here. It made her sad to go, to leave everyone behind like this. Just when they got a new lease on life.

“Hey, princess,” Serah heard. She whipped her head back around to Mara. Her eyes widened.

"This is... one of the newest mini holos!" she whispered, looking back up to the older woman.

"Couldn’t let you go without a gift of my own, right?" she replied with a wink. Serah was beginning to crack up.

"E-Everyone… thanks for my best birthday ever!"

Although one of Roger's specialties was rushing headfirst into situations that were out of his depth, perhaps this one was the most out there yet. Neo Angel had been wiped out in the few moments he hadn't been paying attention (not to mention he nearly got caught in a similar blast were it not for the impressive capabilities of his boosters). He was alone behind enemy lines, unable to directly help or receive assistance from any of Squad Sigma. On top of that, some of the Cruxi had focused their attention rightfully on him. His machine was passable in combat but didn't have the power of the big artillery bots or the fancy tactics of lighter machines like the Black Star. The worst part was that perhaps it would have been better if he were actually alone back here.

This new Framewerk. It didn't look right. It didn't sound right and it certainly didn't act right. That said, the pilot, whoever it was, had the correct attitude towards the opposing side, but that did little to quell his doubts towards this newcomer. A rogue berserker was just as likely to turn its blade on them after the Cruxi were dealt with as it was to leave them in peace. Not to mention that its performance didn't match the capabilities it should have. Yeager was designed around being able to accelerate to Ludicrous Speed, and this new machine seemed able to match, if not exceed that same level of thrust on top of wielding that sword and those cannons. Just where did this Framewerk come from?

Unfortunately he lacked the luxury of time necessary to even hold that question in his head for longer than a fraction of an instant, let alone try to come up with anything approximating an answer. He had a mission and this new werk amounted to little more than an extraneous detail at the moment. He'd keep an eye on it, otherwise it would be filed under the "Potential Obstacle" folder in his mental filing cabinet. The cruxi were still the topmost threat at hand, and the Turtles even moreso, having already inflicted a severe casualty on the Squad.

Rooney positioned himself to space D1: closer to the rear of the turtle, while simultaneously distancing himself from the rogue framewerk and the other squads of War Machines that would want a piece of him and his frame. He trained the scope of Yeager's machinegun at the turtle at the border of E2 and F2 and opened fire. He had a feeling that he might not have enough firepower to take it down directly like this, but he couldn't know until he tried. At the very least he could communicate any necessary change of plans to the rest of Squad Sigma over the comms.

Elizabeth watched on in horror as the Cruxi Hulk spasmed and fought through its cybernetic systems shutdown. Maybe the Cruxi were less machine than she thought they were? Either way, she couldn't escape it's grip as it proceeded to crush Ojo's ankle joint. Elizabeth felt the pain flow into her, she gave out a surprised moan of pain inside the cockpit for no one else to hear. Thankfully, Katya had responded to the request for someone to make sure the beast was dead and dispatched her drones, the drones working together to remove the Hulk's head from the rest of it's body.

Ojo fell, it's damaged leg crumpling underneath the weight of the werk in the high gravity environment. "I'm down! Major damage to my leg. I'd appreciate some assistance!" It didn't take long though for Elizabeth to change her mind as the events unfolded and Maria took an antimatter blast. Elizabeth would have thought that it was obvious to everyone that Katya and her repair drones were needed elsewhere.

"Scratch that! Get those drones to Maria, I can keep going as I am!"

Katya was pleased with her drones as she watched through visual feed and her radar as her drones took down the Cruxi beast. Watching as the beast managed to get hold and smash one of her drones. It making her heart feel heavy. Like she had lost a small part of herself. It also made her feel angry and when drones brought the beast down in a hail of laser cannon fire. She felt a little too happy as the drones scanned the beast to confirm it really was dead.

That feeling was quickly shoved aside as Elizabeth reported that one of her werks legs had taken major damage.
“On my way Ojo,” Katya spoke ordering her combat drones to take defensive positions around Ojo. Caretaker had only made it halfway to Ojo when Maria was hit by one of the Cruxi turtle weapons. Katya listening to Elise pop up saying Neo Angel had taken critical damage.
“Shit. Copy that I’ll make my over soon. Are Maria life signs stable?” Katya spoke continuing toward Ojo. Planning to do a dump and run. Given there was no way she’d be able to reach Neo Angel quickly. It would take time and in the meantime she could get Ojo back on its feet.

Katya heard Elizabeth's request to ignore her. Katya shook her head. “Negative I need you mobile. Drone will dropped and I’ll move on,” Katya spoke as she arrived to Ojo.

Elizabeth intended to argue with Katya, but she was the squad leader and there was something in the tone that told her she couldn't change the senior pilots mind. "Fine, understood. Once the drone has us back on our feet I will launch them to you with the stardazer. I don't think they'll make it all the way to you and Maria, but it should still be faster than walking!"

The moment Katya arrived at Ojo. Caretakers drone bays doors opened up and four Eden drones scrambled out. Climbing the down Cartakers legs before leaping on to Ojo with a loud thump. The drones quickly setting to work. Scanning the leg as the drones clicked away and quickly started repairs. “You want to launch my drones?” asked sounding concerned as she made Catertaker move away from Ojo and begin the trek to Neo Angel.

"Yeah, the Stardazer, my EMP weapon? It's a rail gun, I can launch anything magnetic with it. I assume your drone's circuitry is mag shielded, right?" Elizabeth says, "It'll be fine, just get moving to Maria! No time to waste. Just tell the drones to tuck and roll when they get near you and they shouldn't break anything."

Elizabeth set part of Ojo's processor to work scanning the drones so that the computer could calculate the safest way to get the payload as far as possible when it was time to launch.

Katya listened to Elizabeth and nodded. “I see, yes naturally they have some shielding, nothing substantial, though.” Katya stated eyeing the status of the drones and what damage they had detected. “The drones should be able to get Ojo back on it's feet. Just don't push the leg, It's only a quick field repair. Tell me when you're ready to fire them. I'll send the shutdown command. Just be careful with my drones then. I don't need to trying to recover broken down drones in the middle of all this." Katya spoke her tone shifting to protective one as she told Elizabeth to be careful with the drones.

Katya didn't wait for a reply as she continued on her way towards Maria.

Elizabeth then returned her attention to the battlefield, her Deflector array was still usable, even if her leg wasn't. She readied to ground another antimatter round.

---

Krista grumbled as her shot went wide, barely destroying a mech in a glancing blow. Off to her side she saw Neo Angel firing into the westernmost turtle, and the tentacles trying to repair it. "Some sort of self repair machanism," she said to her self. Still, she turned her attention back to the CWM squad she had shot at first, just in time to see the center turtle's shot inbound. Reflexively she flinched into the crater, waiting for the impact. By the time she popped back up, the cruxi had retreated to the edge of her range.

"Sloppy," she said to herself. The squad had moved to the edge of her range. She needed the time to line up shot. Confident in her relative safety, she made sure that her shot would hit one of the Cruxi at E4 center mass, hopefully taking the other out in the same blast. Then someone shouted over the comms just as she pulled the trigger.

"GO TO HELL SHELLHEAD!"

She didn't see if her shot connected, instead she was trying to identify who the newcomer was, if they were a threat, and then ask why they the hell they just shouted something so obnoxious over the air. Leaving herself peaking over the edge of her crater, she saw the newcomer slice up a turtle and zoom around at record speed. Checking her IFF systems, she tried to see who the hell the newcomer was. Frustratingly enough the newcomer was an unknown. Also worrying was the red critical status of Neo-Angel. "I hope she's alright."

Elise's message came through first, snapping Krista back to reality. "Understood, " she responded. Realizing how exposed she was, she stepped back into her crater to mull over her next step. She picked up that the recently destroyed turtle was the one that shot Neo-Angel from Maria's message. She thought back to the first turtle she helped Paladin destroy, and compared to the two other turtles she'd seen. She kept talking over the general channel . "I think that my plasma shots can stop the turtles from healing, but I need to get closer. Think you guys can help open up a path for me?"

---

To know she had a confirmed kill under her belt. Stroked Valéria’s ego greatly, feeling a pang of satisfaction. Even if it had only been dumb luck she had hit the best in the right spot to put it down. A kill was a kill and provided she survived the battle she’d mark her the kill in a tally and twist the lucky shot into an epic tale to share over a drink or two. Well at the very least she’d try.

As much Valéria would have liked to savour the kill there still many Cruxi to put down and now having put down one Cruxi Valéria was sure she could kill many more Cruxi before the battle was over. Valéria now itching to test out Judgment on a few Cruxi to see in the simulations where right as to how much damage it would do.

Sure enough the mace did not disappoint Valéira. More than pleased with how sent a Cruxi CMW flying in one strike. Valéria again feeling a pang of satisfaction as she manvoured her werk to attack the next CWM. The woman wanting to see more Cruxi sent flying and doubled over. Valéira feeling herself grow just a little excited. To surprise the Cruxi and engage them in close combat was a rush and something Valéria knew she should not enjoy but could not help it.

Valéria was about to order Redeemer to rush the next work when the cockpit filled with alarms and her werk stumbled forwards. The woman surprised to see a Cruxi had gotten behind her and mounted her werk.
“Get off!” she shouted as she fought to keep the werk upright. The extra weight put Redeemer out of balance and threatening to fall over. The werk quick to notify it’s pilot it was now dangerously overweight, and its legs were starting to give out. Unable to take the strain of both Redeemer and a Cruxi in high gravity for more than a few minutes before the servos became severely damaged and werk potentially crippled.

Seeing as she had no other choice much to Valéria’s annoyance she quickly took aim at CWM’s head in front of her and Redeemers laser repeater. Before attempting to throw the werk backwards. Hoping to land of the Cruxi and crush it under Redeemers weight ideally killing it or at the very least doing some sort of damage. Valéria could only hope as she knew of no other means to damage the Cruxi on her back as Redeemers design stopped any of the werks weapons reaching the Cruxi on werks back. She also hoped she had not done to much damage to Redeemer trying to throw it backwards with so much extra weight.

---

Seeing the feed that Irina patched into her framewerk, Anastasia scoffed back at the other girl. It wasn't that she was afraid of that happening, or that she didn't care about Neo Angel, but that Irina felt obligated to taunt her with it? That upset the young android. Letting out a long sigh, the girl focused her energy on the task at hand. Dismantling the Cruxi forces. It took a couple of precious seconds before she could process all of the information coming in from the battlefield. Looking at the massive displays all around her, Anastasia wasn't sure there was particularly a good plan for this battle. Everything very much seemed like a risk-reward balance, and she had to choose the one with the most risk for the least reward. Afterall, she had her father she needed to make it home to take care of. Else who else would help the old man remember to take his medicine?

Not to mention, there was that pesky... presence in her werk. The one that slowed her movements and felt utterly alien whenever she tried to do anything towards those turtles. Not wanting to push her luck, Anastasia decided it better to back away from those units. With that, she fired up the anti-gravity drives with the hope of firing herself quickly back towards the crater that Neo Angel was in. "I'll cover Neo Angel until help arrives." She declared over the squad communications, firing up her phase shift to prepare to make the Tayna significantly stronger and tougher. Similar to what she had done in order to land earlier, but this time pushing herself to ensure that she would be ready to use the ability if they took fire. Hopefully, by then, she would be placed directly between the shot and Neo Angel. Especially since she planned on slamming her werk's feet down to dig in the ground, aiming to steady herself in case it was a big shot.

---

---

TLDR:

> Tayna moves back to A9 as fast as she can
> If Tayna succeeds in making in, slam down feet to secure herself against a heavy shot
> Prepare Frameshift to armor herself up if a shot comes at her or Neo Angel

Zim charged north with the Active Cloak, having disappeared from his squad's radar as he pushed towards the eastern Cruxi Turtle; he was successful in avoiding the attention of the nearby Cruxi CWM who were preoccupied with Redeemer.
The Cruxi Turtle, even if equipped with sophisticated surveillance systems, also did not immediately notice Black Star as it was casing after Krieg with it's plasma gatlings. However once it did, it was too late to respond to the Wave Surger blast directly aimed at it. The nearby Cruxi mechs were alerted, and began shooting, their shots wide as they aimed for the decoy signals on reaction, only incurring 3% damage to the armor wings. The prolonged beam proved successful against the Cruxi Turtle's defensive systems, as the repair tentacles kept popping out only to be destroyed before they could fix any of the damage caused by the powerful weapon. As a result, the Turtle was heavily damaged, its armor melted and sparks flying out of the bio-mechanical innards of it. It responded by turning it's plasma gatlings and opening fire on Black Star: it also missed most of its shots due to the decoys. However, the sheer volume of green, firey death was enough to incure 15% damage to the armor, causing pieces of armor on the chests and arms to fall off.

Yeager also joined in blasting the Cruxi turtles, and after an evasive maneuver to the north opened fire on the central Cruxi Turtle; he was less successful in causing lasting damage despite the high output of armor-piercing rounds that peppered its shell: the tentacles managed to plug up the holes that appeared with frightening speed, their slender forms difficult to hit. However, there was a positive to the attack: instead of using its plasma gatlings to shoot at Yeager, the Turtle prepared for a new antimatter cannon shot, the Turtle's insides whirring and clicking as it calculated its priority targets, its big shell shaking.

Katya was quick to react to the worsening situations with Ojo and Neo Angel, and proceeded to initiate a high-speed repair maneuver. Caretaker's Eden drones launched out of the Framewerk's back, and in a coordinated operation restored functionality to Ojo's ankle servos even as Caretaker continued on its way to the next patient to treat, with no time to waste. Elizabeth also did her part in the rescue effort, having successfully calculated a safe trajectory and power to her next shot shot; when the drones were finished, they tucked themselves into spherical shape in Ojo's hands, and were launched using the Stargazer. In a single activation, the drones were hurled across the battlefield like thrown baseballs, reaching the crater where Neo Angel lied; one drone had a leg break off from the impact, but otherwise the drones successfully landed with rolling motions, immediately getting to work in carrying the torn arm and leg closer to Neo Angel's body for first-aid repairs.

Krista had Hou-Yi dig its four heels into the metallic dust of the crater as it was prepared for trench warfare, and launched a Plasma Cannon shot into E4's CWMs. Soon enough, small pieces of Cruxi technology rained over the Framewerk as she succeeded in destroying three CWMs in a single shot, two from E4 and one from F4 nearby; the Cruxi had made a wall to protect the Turtle behind them from Paladin.

Redeemer was in a bind, as the more agile CWM successfully held on with the embedded blade despite the pilot's attempts to throw it off with wild flailing. Redeemer's HUD blared with signals of damage; not only did the Cruxi take potshots with its Plasma Cannon, their combined weight also worked against Valéria, her leg servos gradually breaking down causing 50% damage to the legs and 40% damage to the back armor. However, she had a plan to escape. The Frame shot at the Cruxi before it with the Laser Repeater, easily shredding the machine with searing hot energy blasts. This also caused the Cruxi riding Redeemer to lean back in caution. At that moment, the massive weight of a juggernaut fell on top of it, causing a crunching noise as the high-gravity environment fully delivered on G-forces; the Cruxi was now flat as a pancake. Redeemer now has to spend all its movement to get back up in the straining circumstances.

Tayna dashed back to Neo Angel, Anastasia determined to protect the hapless pilot despite the complications her systems were going through. As she hit the edge of the crater, Tayna dug in its heels and phase shifted the environmental matter around it to form a protective barrier, ready as the Turtle Cruxi began charging. However, it seemed Tayna's sudden move caused a change; the cannon moved towards the south, where Paladin was advancing forward and shooting at the CWMS surrounding Krieg, blasting them to bits. The antimatter cannon roared, and despite Ojo's best efforts to deflect the blast, it caused a glancing hit on the mighty Framewerk; his Legion shield was shattered to bits, and the armor on gthe Framewerk's right side shattered, with a blackened exoskeleton exposed underneath. "Ariin, come in! What's your status?" Elise tried to contact her, but to no avail; the blast caused Ariin to recoil, causing him to hit his head and get knocked out. She opened up the squad channel. "Ariin's life signs are still positive, but Paladin has taken major damage, and his Synch rate has dropped to zero. We need those Turtles down right now!"

Krieg leapt back as Paladin's salvo hit the distracted Cruxi, scattering them to bits. "Roger. Moving south," Dietrich responded to Elise's order, and dashed south. However, on his way, he realized he had a chance to flank the enemy. "Scratch that, making a move on G6." Like a ninja, he launched himself towards the group of CWM soldiers; before they realized it, one of the mechs had the Helles Messer piercing out of their chest, followed by a quick slash that bisected the machine. Krieg then went for a downward swing, briefly caught by the opponent's meleec parry before he cut the entire arm at the shoulder. In response, the third Cruxi began shooting at Krieg, managing to hit the Frame's side. "Ngh! Damn," Dietrich cursed. "Could use some help over here."

A loud shot rang in the air, and one of the Cruxi assaulting Krieg fell down, it's head having blown up thanks to Sköll having made a shot. "You got orders, follow them!" Irina spoke with tranquil fury, and proceeded to dash north.
The remaining Cruxi near Caulder turned to open fire on him. However, Caulder didn't seem to care even as plasma shots landed on his Framewerk, dashing forward with shoulders cannons singing that took out CWM. The damaged third one was then kicked with enough power to punch a hole right through it, causing it to fall down as two pieces. Then, in a terrifying move, the Framewerk began to glow na intense red as he slashed his sword; it created a red shockwave that decimated an entire Cruxi unit, leaving them as a broken mess. "Is that all you got?" He taunted, laughing like crazy as he continued on his way with astonishing agility.

Seeing that the turtle still wasn't dead, Zim continued to close the distance. He gave a primal yell of frustration inside the cockpit as he brought Black Star got within melee range and releases a flurry of strikes from his thermal scythe. The first slice was horizontal, attempting to remove the gattling guns from the rest of the body. He followed this by rending a large X through what he assumed was the power supply. If the sensors indicated a power surge he would dash out if the way as quickly as possible (H8), re-engaging the invisible aspect of the active cloak with the armored wings down to protect from as much of the blast as possible if he wasn't fast enough. If not, he would continue hacking away until he was certain the turtle was dead.

Perhaps Zim had gotten used to being in lighter gravity, as he found himself breathing heavily. More heavily than normal, any way. He tried to remember to focus and slow down his breathing.

TLDR: continue to attack turtle with thermal scythe, run away to h8 if its gonna blow!

Ojo was back on it's feet, and Elizabeth was proud that she had... mostly... kept her cool during that situation. But more then that, she was proud that her plan to get the repair drones to NeoAngle worked so well. With a smirk she turned her attention back to the rest of the battle. She once again prepped for an anti-mater shot. Looking at things, it seemed like there was only one turtle left. She wondered if she had enough range to stop the round from even leaving the chamber. While she pondered she fired Hashizora at one of the CWM still standing in front of the ninja-like machine that was apparently a friendly from another unit. She would have given him a set of deflectors, but she wasn't sure if the tiny spinning deflector drones would activate for his RFID or not. Once that round was released, she turned her focus back onto the remaining turtle, calculating and readying how to capture the mass of antimater with gravity and hold it just as it left the turtle's barrel.

TLDR: EMP a CWM in G6, prep to capture the antimatter round as it leaves the turtle.