The Figurehead V will end its main weapon.

The shutter doors of the Figurehead V slowly opened as warning sirens blared throughout the ship to inform a crew that no longer existed to brace for the firing sequence. The android, Haruka Goshin, ignored them and continued her stubborn path from the burning hangar towards the bridge. Although her appearance as a human was ordinarily flawless, she was completely covered in fire-suppressing foam, making her unrecognizable. She was so singularly focused on having a word with her captain that she ignored the alarms.

Soon, however, the firing sequence became impossible to ignore, as the whole ship began to rattle and screech with the **** of the energy being routed to its main weapon. The entire hall began to vibrate, knocking Haruka off her feet and sending her skittering in a sudsy trail across the floor of the ship. Her body was made of reinforced materials, and it didn't hurt, but it was making her mood even worse...

Meanwhile, on the bridge, Captain Astara was jostled wildly in the captain's chair she hadn't buckled herself back into, her lilac-colored mop flopping around her ears. Her butt bounced on the cushion of her chair over and over like she was riding a mechanical bull. Finally, there was a sound like a loud explosion. Rebecca was dumped onto the floor with her butt in the air, her arms clapped over her head to protect herself from anything falling. Slowly, she opened her eyes, looking at the monitor before anything else. She'd never forget that surprisingly troublesome enemy who had **** her to use the pride of the Squadron on a single enemy-

Mekanee's sneering face looked back at her from the two-way view. "Ho ho ho! Having a bit of trouble, Captain? I can tell I got something important that time!"

"Y-y-you did not! FV, damage report. How much damage did we do to her?!"

"The enemy craft has sustained no damage. The Figurehead V, however, has sustained major damage, estimated fifty percent. The Figurehead Flying V cooldown period was exceeded and safety protocol was breached. The weapon has sustained major damage. A fire has broken out in the weapons bay. The fire-"

"Damn it, put it out already!" Rebecca panicked, scrambling to her feet and grabbing her console, shaking it as if she could reach FV that way. "Put it out before-!"

"A chain reaction has occurred. The Figurehead Flying V has been completely destroyed."

Rebecca's feet slid out from under her, leaving her collapsed on her hands and knees. "The Flying V... This c-can't be... F-forget my medals! If I bring the ship back in this shape, I might get a court martial! Aaah... d-damn it...! I just saved all of humanity! I get a couple of passes, right, FV?!"

"Captain, the ship has sustained sixty- Incoming. Captain, Haruka Goshin has requested access to the bridge. She says she needs to speak to you."

"Oh, oh... Haruka's okay! Thank goodness." The captain took stock of the warning klaxon still sounding around her, then pushed her fingers together sheepishly. "Um... S-speaking of which, FV, how would you describe Haruka's state?"

"Ensign Goshin is only superficially damaged. Her uniform, however, is significantly distressed. She appears extremely agitated."

"... FV, don't let Haruka onto the bridge," Rebecca decided, picking her cap up off the floor and returning it to her head to try and add dignity to her command. "Tell her I'm ordering her as captain to calm herself before she enters."

"I have relayed your message. Captain, be advised that Haruka is asking for you to be relieved of your command. As she comprises fifty percent of the remaining crew of the ship, I am required to forward her request to Squadron Command-"

"Aaaaah! No no no! I am ordering you as the captain not to do that, FV! O-or at least, tell them there's nothing to worry about! I've got this situation under control! I'll... I'll handle it! Give me direct control of the turret firing systems! I'm going to wipe her out of the sky myself, dammit! I'm gonna send her plummeting to the ocean, and then I'll promise to rescue her if she pays for my damages... That's what I've got to do...!"

"Captain, the fire suppression system is currently at maximum output. Along with the output that was previously lost in the destruction of the Figurehead Flying V, there is minimal spare processing power. To divert power to turrets, I will need to take fire suppression to half capacity, which is highly inadvisable in the current situation."

"It'll only take a second. I just need one good shot... Right in those stupid eyes or that bug's big fat butt...!! Then this will all be over!!"

"Captain, as a reminder, the enemy craft has done negligible damage to the Figurehead V. All combat damage, which has now brought the ship to seventy percent integrity, has been self-inflicted."

"Ahaha! Th-that's a little harsh, don't you think? I mean, I've just been defending the Squadron's interests here. Tell them that in the report, FV! Now, give me manual turret control."

"At once. As a reminder, Captain, there is no record of you having received any formal manual weapons system training at the academy or in deployment."

Rebecca took a seat in her captain's chair with fury glinting in her big blue eyes, meeting Mekanee's gaze on the monitor. "You're done taking advantage of our ship's questionable artificial intelligence, alien! Now, you're going to face the same ingenuity that destroyed an Empire of mechanical monsters and saved humanity. Eat thiiis!!"