“So these are the Velocipedes… remarkable.”

I was in the hanger adjacent to Doctor Zehra’s lab, 11 days after the first Bladebug attack. There had been two more intermittent Sarcophage attacks in the meantime, although no more cruisers appeared. The enemy was sending out mixed squadrons of Spineballs, Clawteeth and Bladebugs in differing force compositions, likely to probe our response. Thanks to the Impact Fins we had prevailed each time, but our Gravity Frames had taken a beating. We only had three units left operational, including Sveta, so the long-awaited delivery of the Velocipedes was a big relief.

“Do you like them, Laria? They’re my finest work yet, gao~n! At least until I finish Sveta’s new frame, bwahahahaha!” Zehra was in the hanger floating alongside my Doll body, and Vicky was present as well, holding a tablet displaying blueprints for the new units.

“They are extremely impressive, Zehra.” I responded. The Velocipedes were still unpainted, but even rendered in gunmetal grey they were quite a sight. Their sleek, powerful bodies reminded me of a wildcat, coiled and ready to strike. They had three pairs of primary drive fins on their backs, one more pair than was standard, which made it seem as if they were sprouting angelic wings. It was this extra pair of fins that gave them enhanced acceleration compared to older units; this would be critical in countering the Bladebugs.

“One thing I don’t understand, Zehra. According to the blueprints, these units top out at 50Gs of acceleration, and 20Gs in side-to-side bursts. That’s well beyond pilot safety limits, even with Inertia Suits. Won’t the pilots sustain injury?”

“Ohohoho! Normally, yes, but I’ve developed a new technology to mitigate that: inertial dampeners, gao~n!” Zehra seemed as if she had been waiting for that question, and her voice was filled with pride. “It’s my fourth-greatest invention! There are miniaturized gravity fins embedded throughout the frame, and they generate localized gravitational counter-force to mitigate the effects of acceleration, gao~n. They still need fine-tuning, but presently they can cancel out seventy percent of inertial forces is the cockpit!”

“I see. That’s truly revolutionary.” That comment wasn’t hyperbole; one of the chief limitations of gravity control was the need for massive drive fins to generate thrust. If Zehra had successfully miniaturized the technology, it could revolutionize the designs of everything from ships to space colonies, especially if it allowed for the creation of artificial gravity fields.

“Isn’t it, gao~n? You may praise me more!” Zehra gloated, with her hands on her hips and her non-existent chest puffed out.

“Please don’t.” Vicky chimed in. “Her ego is inflated enough.”

“Bad maid!” Zehra shot back. “How dare you speak of your mistress so disrespectfully?” She stuck out her tongue at Vicky, who reciprocated. The sight of a tiny lion girl and a buxom maid bickering in front of six shiny new giant robots was remarkably strange, but I was slowly growing desensitized to the chaos Zehra brought with her. After all, her accomplishments far outweighed her troublesome quirks.

Ignoring their argument, I continued to inquire about the new units. “I see the shoulder cannons have increased yield as well.”

“Indeed, gao~n!” Zehra said, snapping right back into tech nerd mode. “Each shoulder cannon is actually a quad-cannon, which allows them to fire more rapidly, and their destructive power is increased by nearly thirty percent, gao~n.”

“The reactor can supply enough power for that?” I asked.

“There are two linked reactors, gao~n. One beefy one for the drive fins, and a slightly smaller one for the cannons. This dramatically increases the power output, gao~n. The higher weapons yield isn’t a perfect counter for the Bladebug’s chitin, but it should reduce the number of shots needed to take one out. Add the Impact Fin racks to the equation, and we’ll be coming out ahead of them every time, gao~n.”

“Excellent. Most excellent.” I straightened my glasses. “Your hard work is appreciated. We’ll have the pilots begin simulator training on them immediately, although I suspect it won’t be long before we must deploy them in battle. Now, as for the other item on our agenda…”

“Ohohoho, yes! Sveta’s new Frame is coming along nicely in my lab, gao~n. Would you like to come take a peek?” Zehra seemed even more eager to show me her latest project. I was somewhat eager to see it for myself as well. Sveta would no doubt be wracked by fits of jealousy when she saw these shiny new Frames, and there was no way we could let our good friend suffer in an old and busted body while everyone else in the squadron was piloting the latest and greatest.

*****

302 seconds later, the three of us floated in Zehra’s lab before a half-constructed Frame. The endoskeleton had been completed and the combat chassis was about a half done, and technicians were just beginning to apply armor plating to the shins. The design clearly was based on the Velocipede, but extensively customized. It was beefier, and the internals far more intricate.

“Firstly we have built-in Impact Fins, gao~n!” Zehra was proudly giving us the grand tour of the blueprints. “In addition to larger battery capacity for longer uptime, they’ll have self-contained weapons modules from positron rifles installed.”

Positron rifles were small enough to be held in a Frame’s hands, which meant that they didn’t have their own nuclear reactors and particle accelerators to supply the charged particles necessary for operation. Instead, the positrons were stored in an excited state in a replaceable ammunition compartment inside the weapon, contained by a charged magnetic field. Standard frames carried twenty-two replacement cartridges in compartments in their forearms, and reloading was handled automatically by small sub-arm manipulators. This meant that the rifles, drawing upon a supply of positrons in their clips, could fire rapidly, but with ammunition limitations. Shoulder cannons, on the other hand, were linked directly to particle accelerators that were piped directly from a Frame’s nuclear reactor, which resulted in increased power and no ammunition limitations, but longer intervals in between shots as the system took a second or two to generate and compress the positrons for the next shot. Each of these weapon types had their advantages and disadvantages, which is why Frames were outfitted with both at once, one covering for the limitations of the other.

Zehra was indicating the new Impact Fin design had positron rifle components attached to them, which allowed them to fire independently while being remote-piloted. In other words, it was like increasing the rifle firepower of the unit by a factor of seven. It was one of the most outrageous weapons designs I had ever seen.

“Adding the rifle parts was Sveta’s idea, gao~n. She calls them ‘Fin Funnels’ but I think that name sounds silly, so I’m calling them ‘Strike Fins’ instead.”

“Both names sound silly.” I replied tartly. “Regardless, it will give this Frame the suppressive firepower of half a squadron.”

“But that’s not all, gao~n. I’ve also installed a second pair of nuclear-piped positron cannons, identical to the shoulder cannons, mounted on the hips. Combined with the new quad-cannon design, her long-range firepower will be increased ten times, gao~n!” This new Frame design was absolutely bristling with weapons. I didn’t even want to think about the cost in resources required to give a single unit such overwhelming offensive abilities.

“That will give her enough firepower to take out a cruiser single-handedly. Can the nuclear reactor handle the increased output?”

“I had to make the weapons reactor twenty percent larger, which is why the frame is bulkier, gao~n. However, the new armor plating actually decreases the mass, since it’s tougher and lighter, so it all evens out.”

“Ah, right. Armor plating derived from the Beelzebub corpse, correct?” I recalled Sveta’s disgust at the prospect of being clad in corpse parts harvested from the insect.

“It’s more like we’re carving out pieces of the chitin in the shape of armor, gao~n. The method of manufacturing a polymer that resistant to damage is still beyond us. It’s not a good approach for mass production, but for a single custom unit it works, gao~n. Only the best for my daughter!” As proud as Zehra was of the new armor, I somehow doubted Sveta would be happy with it. Oh well, she was getting the most advanced Gravity Frame ever developed in human history, so she could put up with a single drawback.

“I see. Unprecedented firepower, ironclad defenses, and maneuverability equal to the Velocipedes. Zehra, what you are building here is nothing less than a superweapon.” I was looking forward to how exactly Sveta would use this newfound power on the battlefield. It was sure to be a dazzling sight.

“I know, isn’t it glorious, gao~n?!” Zehra cackled madly, and her jovial mood was ever so slightly infectious.

*****

“According to Zehra, Sveta’s new Frame should be ready in approximately one week, on the 22^nd. The unit includes an entirely new miniaturized AI core, so she simply needs to perform a data transfer of her personality and memories, which should take an hour at most.”

Captain Savitskaya floated a few feet away from her desk, munching on a muffin. I had brought back a few of Vicky’s latest batch from Zehra’s lab for her. “Mmm, excellent. I’m glad we won’t have to physically transfer her current core. We can’t afford to put her out of commission for a week.”

“Indeed. Aside from that, the next batch of six Velocipedes will be delivered on the 23^rd. Production is moving a bit faster now. I believe you presently have them slated for the Telesthesia II.”

“Hmm. Since Maurice, Genevi, Sabina and Miette will all be stationed on 433 Eros as test pilots, I’ll assign five Velocipedes to the Telesthesia II and four to the Radiolaria. Additionally, we’ll send one each of the remaining Huntsmark units to each ship, plus Sveta’s old Nighthawk will be joining us. That will give each ship six operational Frames, and 433 Eros four Frames.”

“A total deployable force of sixteen. That ALMOST brings us back up to full strength for a single carrier.” I said dryly. “What a wonderful Christmas gift. We must have been good this year.”

The captain chuckled. “I sure wasn’t.” She took another large bite of muffin. “My, these are delicious. How did you say Vicky makes them again?”

“She refuses to say. I strongly suspect it’s witchcraft.” I was acutely aware of my Doll body’s lack of taste buds, and felt a pang of jealousy.

“Pfft. Maybe we should make her official chef of the ship, hmm? Is there such a position on the TO&E?”

“Regrettably not. I can submit a revision request to the Politburo with our next comm drone.”

“Hah, could you imagine? They probably already think I’m half-crazy.” She finished the muffin and licked the crumbs off her fingers. “Is there any more official business?”

“None at present. However, Katya, if you will indulge me for a moment. I did want to discuss a personal matter with you.” I was extremely nervous at the topic I was about to broach, but I kept my voice steady and calm. I had rehearsed this conversation hundreds of times; I was as ready as I'd ever be.

“Oh?” She looked at me, curiously.

“Upon reviewing the leave schedule you approved, I noticed you have not assigned a leave day for yourself.”

“Well, I am the captain.” Katya sighed. “I can’t afford to take a day off.”

“Can’t you? Captain Skelton is here with a fresh new ship, and we’re nearly up to a third of our proscribed battle strength. Barring an attack, I believe you are long overdue for some relaxation.” I pushed the point insistently.

“I don’t know…” She was still hesitant.

“Katya. Your mental well-being is perhaps the most vital to all of us. A day’s rest will do wonders for you, I assure you. Don’t think I haven’t noticed your headaches are getting more frequent lately. You’re extremely stressed.”

“…I can’t deny that. But why are you so interested anyway? Aside from your unfailingly precise attention to my well-being, I mean.” The captain was prying, but I knew exactly what to say next.

“Well, to be honest, that ties into my personal request. I would like to ask you to attend the Eros Christmas Festival with me.” I managed to force out the words without a single stutter, exactly as I rehearsed them, but I felt my face heating up just a bit.

Katya seemed taken aback. She started at me, silently, slowly drifting towards me. Her eyes searched mine. My face grew hotter.

She finally spoke, half-smiling. “Laria. Just to be one hundred percent clear… are you asking me out on a date?”

“I-I am.” I nervously looked away, then back to her.

Her smile grew wide. “A romantic date?”

“Ah, um. Well. Y-Y-Yes.” My practiced composure had deserted me entirely, and my face was now flaring hotter than the sun.

Katya floated over to me and took one of my hands in her own. Her skin was rough and warm, and her grip strong. My own tiny, cold hands paled in comparison. I slowly curled my fingers around hers.

“I was wondering when you’d ask.” Katya’s smile was confident, and her eyes resolute. I found myself lost in them. “Ever since that massage you gave me, I’ve sensed you were feeling, well, something deeper towards me.”

“Y-You knew?” I gawped.

“Only since that day. Laria, as the captain, I can’t go around propositioning anyone, so I resolved I’d let you make the first move. To make sure it was completely consensual on your part, you understand.”

I nodded.

“But now that you’ve asked, well. My answer is yes. I’d love to go on a date with you.”

The two of us stood there for a long while, staring into each other’s eyes. Then slowly, gently, she drew me into a hug. Her arms were hard and strong, and I melted into them.

It was the safest and happiest I’d ever felt. And so incredibly warm.

Neither one of us spoke. Neither one of us needed to. Only the dull buzzing of the florescent lights, and the distant humming of my drive fins, filled the room. There, in that dull almost-silence, we hugged each other for a long time.

I could scarcely believe it. My dream was coming true. I let myself float in the euphoria of the moment, embraced in the arms of the woman I loved.