Genevi’s Gravity Frame was spiraling towards the Sarcophage cruiser, helpless. I wasted no time in seizing control of it via the data link, quickly micro-threading the two remaining RCS thrusters to stabilize its movement. After orienting the Frame towards our formation, I poured energy into the main drive fins, sending it rocketing back towards us.

“Miette!” I barked at my pilot. “I’m bringing her back! Cover her!”

“Yup!” Miette replied, blasting away pursuing spines with her positron rifle.

With only two RCS fins Genevi’s Frame had lost a lot of maneuverability, but its acceleration was mostly unaffected. That meant it couldn’t dodge very well, so it was only Miette’s superior marksmanship that kept it safe. I linked up to Genevi’s inertia suit and checked on her condition.

“Genevi is nearly unconscious and wounded, but not severely.” I reported to Miette. She repeated that report to the other squad members.

“I’M GOING TO RESCUE HER!” Sabina shrieked at the top of her lungs.

“NO!” Miette countered. “I’ve got remote control of her frame! I’m bringing her back! Cover her!”

“Wh- How-“ Sabina stuttered, quickly adding her rifle’s covering fire to mine.

Miette muted the comm and turned to me. “We have to get her out of there. Are ejection systems online?” she asked.

“No. They’re shorted out.”

“How about the plasma blade on the undamaged arm?”

“That’s still functional.”

“Alright, Sevta. Think you can safely cut her out?”

I nodded.

As the damaged Frame reached our formation, the three of us fell into position surrounding her, blasting away incoming spines all the while. I remotely ignited the right arm’s plasma blade and sheared off the front of the cockpit. Then I used the Frame’s hand to reach inside and gently pull Genevi out.

With a twist of my controls, Miette uncoiled my left hand from the stock of my positron rifle and grabbed Genevi. Opening my cockpit hatch, she pushed Genevi inside.

“Oy, Sveta. Take over piloting for a minute.” Miette said.

“Aye-aye!” I responded.

Releasing my controls, Miette gently took Genevi and pulled her to the side of the cockpit, hooking her suit up to rings on the wall via eight carabiners to keep her from jostling around. It was then that Genevi finally came back to her senses.

“BIG SISTER!” she cried, throwing her arms around Miette. “You saved me again!”

There was a long pause.

“Uh…” Miette said sheepishly, “I appreciate the sentiment, but…”

“Wh-“ Genevi gawped. “You’re not my… you’re Miette?”

Miette just nodded.

“GAAAAAAH!” Genevi cried, covering her helmet’s visor with both hands. She was blushing.

Uh, wow. Awkward.

Ignoring the mood, Miette stretched several elastic cords around Genevi’s torso, arms and legs, hooking them to the cockpit wall. Genevi was now securely trundled up and tied down so g-forces wouldn’t send her banging around during maneuvers. It reminded me of secured freight inside a box truck back in my old life.

Meanwhile, I was struggling with the battle. The Sarcophage cruiser kept blasting us with those massive super-spines and I didn’t possess Miette’s combat experience or instincts, so I was having a hard time shooting them all down. Sabina and Maurice were picking up my slack, which made me feel guilty.

Shit! I’m supposed to be supporting the pilots, not vice versa!

It was a huge relief when Miette slipped back into my cockpit chair and took the controls once more. She unmuted comms and reported. “Genevi is safe and secured in my cockpit. Minor injuries but she’s stable.”

“Thank God…” Sabina gasped, a look of relief washing over her face.

“Good work, Miette.” Maurice nodded. “This position is untenable. When there’s a break in enemy density, we’re retreating to a safer position.” He blasted through an encroaching clawtooth as he spoke.

I muted the comms and addressed Miette. “I have an idea. Couldn’t we overload the nuclear reactor in Genevi’s damaged Frame and use it as a nuclear bomb?”

Miette looked at me incredulously. “That’s not how nuclear reactors work, dork.”

“Ah…” I replied, dejected.

“However…” Miette said thoughtfully. “Sveta. If you pushed her Frame’s drive fins past the redline, how much velocity could you build up before they burned out? Ignore pilot safety limitations since there’s no pilot anymore.”

“One moment.” I pulled up the specs of Genevi’s frame and ran the calculations. “At maximum acceleration past the redline, it could reach 3432 meters per second before the fins fail. Oh. OOOOHHHH!”

I suddenly understood exactly what Miette was getting at.

A kinetic weapon! At that velocity it would be nowhere near as powerful as a nuclear explosion, but it would punch a big hole in the enemy ship!

Miette unmuted the comms. “Requesting approval to remotely pilot Genevi’s abandoned frame towards the enemy cruiser. Standard kinetic kill vehicle protocol.”

Maurice quickly responded. “Permission granted. Sabina, join Genevi in providing covering fire so the Frame doesn’t get skewered before it hits.”

Sabina’s eyes narrowed, but she had moved past questioning the situation at this point and simply responded, “Roger.”

I aimed the damaged Frame towards the cruiser and fired up the gravity drive. Miette and her two squadmates surrounded it with a hail of covering fire as it pushed way past the redline. The gravity fins gave out when it reached 3297 kms, and the Frame itself began to break apart under the stress. I lost my connection and saluted my mechanical comrade as it flew towards its noble doom.

The impact caused a blinding flash of light, and all three pilots winced. When the light faded, the cruiser was silent, no longer shooting spines towards us. A massive crater, nearly one-third the size of the ship itself, had appeared on the upper side of its hull, and several of its tentacles had been scorched away. An expanding cloud of obsidian debris and shredded flesh surrounded the impact site. All three pilots stared in amazement.

Maurice was the first to speak up. “Miette, do you still have a current firing solution on the cruiser?” Miette looked at me, and I nodded.

“Roger. Sending now.” she replied.

After receiving the firing solution, Maurice detached another comm drone. Without any spines to intercept it, the drone easily accelerated back towards the Radiolaria. It transmitted the data to our mothership as soon as it left jamming range.

0.472 seconds after transmission, powerful blue streaks of positron fire arced back from the Radiolaria’s artillery and punctured the cruiser. Under the sustained barrage, it disintegrated to dust. The four of us breathed a collective sigh of relief.

*****

With the cruiser destroyed, it was easy to mop up the few Sarcophage escort units still flitting around. After that, we returned to the Radiolaria.

Maurice remained on patrol outside the ship, whereas Miette, Sabina, Genevi and myself returned to the hanger bay to be debriefed. Genevi’s wounds were minor, simply a couple of bruised ribs, so she was bandaged up by a field medic and joined everyone in the briefing room. Captain Savitskaya, Maurice and Radiolaria were attending via video screen and I watched silently via the cameras.

“I have completed my review of the combat recordings.” Radiolaria said in a businesslike fashion. “Excellent work out there, everyone. Especially you, Miette. You saved Genevi’s life, and that is to be commended.”

Miette simply nodded.

“What I’d like to know is HOW.” Sabina interrupted, drawing a sour look from Radiolaria. “Remotely piloting a Gravity Frame, calculating a firing solution so quickly, collating all that combat data… that’s WAY beyond the capabilities of a CIC unit! What exactly is going on here?”

The captain grimaced. “I suppose it’s time to fill you all in. Sveta, if you please?”

I popped up a video chat window on the room’s screen and struck the victory-winking pose I had showed Miette earlier. In my peppiest voice, I declared:

“Nice to meetcha, everyone! I’m Sveta, the giant robot girl!”

Silence filled the room. The captain wore a pained expression and rubbed her temples, and Miette shifted her gaze away and pinched the bridge of her nose. Radiolaria straightened her glasses. Maurice's eyes were wide in surprise, and both Sabina and Genevi just stared with their jaws on the floor.

Nearly thirty seconds passed, and nobody spoke.

Geh? What’s this awkward silence? My big introduction fell flat?! I thought, flustered.

*****

After nearly a full hour of explanation, most of which was handled by Radiolaria, our three pilot compatriots were finally brought up to speed. Radiolaria kindly left out the part where I claimed to be reincarnated from another world.

“That’s an incredible story.” Sabina mused, playing with her hair.

“A Gravity Frame with its own AI is truly something we’ve never encountered before.” Radiolaria replied. “But I cannot discount the truth of what I’ve told you.”

“It certainly does explain everything." Sabina mused. "Still, what’s up with her personality?”

“I’d like to know that as well.” Maurice interjected.

“That is a question I cannot possibly answer.” Radiolaria replied, her eyes narrowing.

“Don’t ask me, either.” Miette said, grinning.

Rude!! They’re talking about me like I’m not even here?!

“All that aside,” Sabina said while turning her eyes towards me as her voice grew solemn, “thank you, Sveta. Thank you for saving my sister.” She bowed gracefully and deeply, which was quite a feat in microgravity.

“Ah! Y-yes, thank you!” Genevi bowed much much more awkwardly, her face flushed red. The bow sent her spinning around and she flailed to recover her bearing.

“Ehehehe, don’t mention it!” I responded, happy to finally be included in the conversation. “Let’s fight hard together in the future, too!!” I saluted, awkwardly.

All four pilots nodded.

Bwahahaha! Operation: Make New Friends is a smashing success! I congratulated myself.

After that, the captain and Radiolaria excused themselves, and the four pilots (plus yours truly) continued to converse for several hours afterwards.