Ship and Pyre

The HeelNavi got back to his feet, and saw Ship taking aim directly at him. Though he wanted to put a cannon round in Pyre's face, Ship was directly ahead, and he certainly didn't want to get himself fried. He quickly pointed his cannon towards Ship as he smirked.

The prog was watching the HeelNavi with the keen eye of a professor, and immediately darted in front of Ship just as the HeelNavi's cannon went off with a flash and a very familiar-sounding boom. The prog wasn't tall enough to completely shield Ship, but the shot was fairly low and aimed towards her bow. The prog saw the cannon round incoming and braced itself just before it impacted with a loud clang and ricocheted off his cylindrical body and flew off in a wild angle before it disappeared from sight (20). However, the force of the blast drove the prog backwards and smacked against Ship's bow.

Partially due to the amount of care she took into aiming, and also due to Ship's much larger size and weight, the Prog's collision with her didn't throw off her aim, and the HeelNavi was given a very painful helping of paralyzing electricity, saved only by his undershirt (69). Ship switched to defense as the NormalNavi advanced, but as soon as he attempted to bring his sword down on Ship and Prof. Prog, it bounced upward with a shower of sparks, as if it hit something very hard in front of him. This was followed with a loud popping noise and a shower of painful shrapnel that struck the NormalNavi and effectively halted his advance (50). The mystery was then solved as Pyre started to come back into view, with her spear held horizontally over her head with her right hand, and smoke oozing out of a shotgun that was partially concealed by her left robe sleeve.

"Man, my expectations weren't high, but these guys are total chickensh*ts!" Lyn exclaimed, pressing her hat against her forehead with her unoccupied hand. "The university really didn't have anyone capable of taking care of them? Not even some student volunteers?" Lyn still thought it was ridiculous, but she was considering the question. Maybe the university needed someone unaffiliated to do it so they didn't get the reputation of beating their own students out of the net?

Ship, meanwhile, was more concerned for how her partners were doing. "Pyre and the Professor are doing everything they can to help me finish this safely... I'm going to end this now." "Lyn, send me the Rageclaw. Professor, you've already done more than I could ask: please try and keep yourself safe. Pyre, please try and keep this one occupied!"

Keeping her shield squarely in front of her, Ship built up speed in her progress towards her helpless enemy. Her focus sharpened on him, and she raised her voice to allow her words to carry as she traveled. "I hope you've learned the error of your ways! You've caused the professor a lot of trouble by acting up out here! If you understand what I'm saying, then clean up your act and get a real hobby while you're healing up!"

When she judged she had gotten in range successfully, Ship quickly spun her steering wheel to the side, giving it extra force from her claw. The ship careened sideways and dipped down, allowing her to duck from her elevated position to melee range. She grabbed out with her clawed hand and leaned on the wheel, forcing it the other way. The ship continued to spin until Ship was facing 180 degrees of her starting position, and straightened back up in the process. During this quick motion, however, Ship used the momentum to unclench her claw and hopefully release the load she'd picked up. "You can have your friend back!" she called to the NormalNavi. "Please have him pass on to you what I told him!"

"Huh," Lyn thought, biting on her pipe thoughtfully. "I guess the Princess can get pretty intense when it calls for it. If she could tap into this kind of mood all the time, she might make a decent fighter after all." Lyn was already considering the battle over, figuring that Pyre could deal with the remaining opponent even if he survived his flying ally. Personally, she'd wanted to break the boards of those punks as well, but she figured they'd already been given a tight-*ss lecture by a little girl in a cruise ship. Their bruised egos would serve as a reminder of this beating, boards or no boards.

Summary:
Movement toward HeelNaviA (emphasis on avoiding obstacles in path)
Movement for quick spin (attempt to face Guard towards NormalNavi)
Rageclaw HeelNaviA to NormalNavi [20 to each]

Pyre heard Ship's orders and smiled at the HeelNavi with slight grin before she floated to the side as Ship advanced and scooped up the downed navi and chucked him into the NormalNavi. He shattered on contact, but the force was enough to cause the NormalNavi to lose his footing and fall to the ground as his undershirt deactivated (20). Pyre looked over at Ship and smiled as she clapped in amusement. The NormalNavi tried to get up, but Pyre quickly moved over towards him, and the first thing he saw was the point of her spear floating in front of his face. The Navi then realized the predicament he was in, and deactivated his sword.

Lyn couldn't help but be a little disappointed when the two knuckleheads colliding didn't result in both of them exiting the net. She supposed she'd been fighting just viruses for so long, she didn't immediately recognize that most Navis had an undershirt. Regardless, Ship and Pyre had pretty well kicked the sh*t out of the trio.

Ship had somewhat lost her steam after her finishing blow left one remaining. Pyre had him pinned down, however, and the professor was safe. She was taking her sweet time deciding on what to do to leave an impression on the third...

"Oi, Princess. I'll handle wrapping this up. This last guy stood down, so maybe he has a brain that'll be capable of interpreting words. Still, we don't want him suddenly pulling a cannon and blasting Egghead..." Lyn punched the keys to open her visual and audio output in the Net again, a floating window for the two-way window of the Navi's and operator's side appearing next to Ship. "Ship, grab the punk." As Ship set out to do that, Lyn continued to issue orders. "You. Block any shots for the employer."

Ship went forward and attempted to grab the NormalNavi. If she swiped and missed, she'd just try again. Lyn kept on talking regardless. "You piece of trash," Lyn began, tilting her head down to give the captive Navi the evil eye from the shadow of her cap. "I don't know what the hell you and your dope-headed buddies thought you were doing trashin' a school network, but let me make this clear: you ain't the biggest on the Net, and you ain't the baddest on the Net. Maybe next time they won't hire us: maybe next time me and my Navi will come and clean your clocks just because we f*ckin' feel like it. Just because we want something for target practice. If we turn out to like it, maybe we'll come every week, and won't the school do a damn thing to stop us or protect you. You'd better leave without trying anything funny, or I'm going to have Ship hit you again. And this time, we just might decide we like it."

Lyn shifted her pipe in her mouth while keeping her teeth loosely clenched while continuing to stare down the target. She couldn't imagine he would try anything else at this point.

Use Rageclaw to pick up Navi
Use Rageclaw to REALLY pick up Navi if failed before

Turn Splice
-----

The NormalNavi was taken up by Ship's rageclaw, and sheepishly had his hands in the air. He couldn't do much else, considering he was outnumbered by 3:1, and he was literally an inch away from being EJO'd.
I-I'm sorry, we didn't mean to- I mean..

The Prog quickly slid closer to the Navi, and would have had a scowl on his face... If his face could have shown expression.
Stop mumbling and explain yourself!

I-I was just tagging along with these guys, It wasn't my idea! I'm really, really sorry for doing that!
And you expect a "sorry, I was just following others" will get you off the hook?!? I am within my right to not only expel you and your operator, but also turn you in to the police!

Pyre stood idly next to Ship, with a calm, but stern look on her face before she glanced over to the Prog. The Prog stopped as she leaned down and whispered something into his ear. He recoiled back just a bit out of what appeared to be frustration, but after looking at the seriousness in Pyre's face, he let her finish.
Hrmf... Alright, you have two choices: Expulsion and a talk with the police, or turn in your cohorts, fix everything you three damaged, and possibly stay in this school.
That is, if Ship and Miss Lyn agree to this deal as well.

"I haven't got any problem with it at all," Ship told Pyre and the Professor. Keeping the culprit suspended in her grip, Ship turned back to him with a serious expression on her face. "You should be glad for the opportunity you're being given. If you and your friends fix what you've done and walk the straight and narrow path from now on, you might still be able to graduate."

Lyn, meanwhile had taken her pipe our of her mouth. She appeared to be contemplating something in particular, but whatever it was, she wasn't saying. She kept her head tilted up and her cold stare focused on the NormalNavi. One of her eyebrows raised dubiously. "Well, what's it going to be?" she asked. Her words seemed strangely measured, which Ship took notice of... it was if Lyn didn't know which option the Navi would choose. Surely the wrongdoer wasn't going to pass up this chance for forgiveness, was he?

The Navi's eyes got a little bigger when he was presented with a choice, and started to twitch nervously as he gave his answer.
I-I'll do anything! Please! Anything other than getting expelled and arrested!

The Prog was a bit annoyed with the idea, but it he started to warm up to it.
Alright, we'll give you a second chance! But if I so much as suspect you of mischief, you will be out of this school faster than you can compute a single function

The Navi, still held in Ship's grasp, appeared genuinely appreciative of this second chance as he looked over to the Prog.
Thank you! Thank you so much!
Don't be thank me, you should thank Miss Ship, and Lady Pyre.

The Navi looked right into Ship's eyes, and also looked over to Pyre as he thanked them both profusely.
Thank you so much Miss Ship, Lady Pyre... I'll never forget this!

Pyre smiled warmly before she turned towards her former teacher.
Thank you, Professor.
The prog still wasn't exactly happy with the idea of keeping a delinquent in the school, he knew Pyre wouldn't have suggested the idea without a good reason.
After all these years, you still are as kind as you were when you first attended my classes.
Pyre blushed and giggled slightly before responding
Oh stop it~, you make it sound like I'm an old woman!

The Navi watched the bantering of the two programs, thinking he may be off the hook, but then the Prog rapidly approached, plucked him from Ship's grasp, and proceeded to pull him by the scruff of his neck and take him further into the network.
Alright, first thing's first. YOU are going to clean up the mess you hooligans made I expect everything back in their proper places, down to the 1s and 0s!
A very audible groan could be heard from the Navi as the pair faded into the distance, which left the pair of Navis alone in the network. Pyre looked out into the distance where the Prog and Navi departed, and chuckled.

It looks like the Professor will whip him into shape.
She turned back to Ship and smiled
Thank you for giving him a chance to redeem himself, Ship. I also think you did a very good job dealing with the others; I'm very impressed!
Pyre started to float closer to Ship, and rose up to her level before she halted in the air, just over her bow.

"Feh! Ship, why don't you just throw this piece of sh*t and end this?" Lyn told her Navi, removing her pipe from her mouth to spit on the sidewalk in anger.

Luckily, the Professor plucked the hapless Navi from Ship's grasp before she had to consider whether Lyn was serious or not. She sounded really ticked off... before Lyn could say something she'd regret, Lyn closed the two-way audio/video window that she'd opened earlier so the communications would be private once again.

"Well, whatever. I personally think we should have just given him the axe," Lyn said, her words not striking Ship as a joke. "A whiner like that without enough spine in him to even stick up for his friends and sacrifice himself? I thought I was gonna see something interesting there at the end, but I guess I'm expectin' too much."

"Lyn, that's-" Ship started to argue, ceasing her private communications with a startled smile as Pyre drifted up to her. "O-oh, not at all, Pyre!" Ship said, waving her hands in front of her dismissively. "We did everything as a team..." Ship couldn't bring herself to say that if it had really been left to her, she might have ended up throwing the Navi to the ground just to please her operator. Of course, she was happy that she didn't have to do so in the end. "Setting that aside, the moves you used were very impressive! I probably said so before, but I don't think I can keep up with you. That invisibility program seems wonderful for not only protecting yourself, but also for working as a team. I think it's super, no matter what Lyn says."

"Tch! Love fest over!" Lyn barked, popping her communication window open again. She apparently had put her pipe back in her mouth during the intermission she hadn't been visible. "Joanna, you got any more sh*t for us to scrape off the sidewalks, or are you two warmed up enough yet?" Lyn didn't want to admit it, but standing around in the sun was starting to get troublesome. Sweat was visibly rolling off her brow beneath her bangs as she spoke.

Pyre blushed and smiled politely at the compliment about her invisibility skills, but then looked over to Lyn as she promptly returned to the conversation. Joanna's window appeared shortly after Lyn's, and slid a couple stray strands of her almond hair from her face over her ear as she responded.

[It seems we got a little sidetracked, but I think the both of us got some well-needed practice. I hope the both of you had an equal experience as well.]

Pyre glanced over towards Joanna with a slightly pout-y look on her face, but after Joanna gave her a corrective, stern face in response, the Navi accepted that this was the end of their encounter. She turned back towards Ship and her NetOp's window before she bowed gently.
Thank you so much for assisting us, Miss Lyn.

She smiled warmly at ship.
It was a pleasure to meet you, Ship. I had a lot of fun practicing with you, especially since you're one of the kindest, sweetest Navis I've met in a long time. Thank you...

Pyre floated closer to Ship before she very gingerly wrapped her arms around her newest friend. Her head was slightly above Ship's as she hugged her, and as she moved her right hand up towards the back of Ship's head as a thin sliver of data materialized between her fingers, and she slid it under Ship's cap. She slowly let go of Ship after a few moments and floated a few feet back.

[It was nice meeting the both of you, and I'm truly thankful for your help. Hopefully we'll meet again sometime. Thanks again!]

Pyre waved politely and smiled before her body began to glow white and beamed out of the network.



Ship GET: 4FXP, FireKnife1, Note

Quote ()

Ship, thank you so much for helping Joanna and I get back into busting; it was so much fun!  I hope the attached battlechip is enough to pay you back for all of your help.  If you ever want to meet up again, please don't hesitate to send us an email!

Sincerely,
Pyre.EXE  --JGrimsson@ElectownMail.com--

"Yeah, well, mission accomplished," Lyn said, cooling down as Joanna had gotten the conversation back on track. At the very least, Lyn could appreciate that Pyre's operator was largely all-business. "Don't mention it. The training was for our mutual benefit, remember?" Lyn said, cleaning out her ear with one finger while glancing away from the screen. She reached out and tapped a button to cancel her two-way communication.

Ship blushed in response to Pyre's compliments. She tried to think of a way to respond, folding her hands behind her back as she looked at her feet (or into her smokestack where her feet would be). As she cast her eyes back up to thank Pyre in return, she suddenly found Pyre in her face for a hug. She was initially looking up into her friend's face and somewhat awkwardly attempting to return the hug, but feeling a pressure against her neck, her eyes widened a bit as she glanced downward. "Ah..." she muttered, staring in surprise at Pyre's chest. Quickly, she glanced back up, a funny smile creeping across her rapidly reddening face as she hoped she wasn't caught. "Oh, ah, you too! I'm sure we'll see each other again, um... contact us at LClarke@lclarktop-, I mean... LCl-"

"Geez, give it a rest," Lyn said, putting a hand to her forehead (both as a gesture of annoyance and to get the sweat out of her eyes). "I'm pretty sure I gave them my contact info at some point... or not, whatever," Lyn trailed off, too late for Ship to do anything about it as Pyre had already left. "It doesn't matter, we're easy to find on the net. If they want us again, they'll find us."

"I guess you're right..." Ship said, still staring at the space where Pyre had been. "Wow, Pyre's really amazing, isn't she...?" Ship said in a kind of odd dreamy voice.

"Yeah, she's a real handful," Lyn said, raising an eyebrow at the weird expression her Navi was making. "Well, let's go report in."

With that, Ship jacked out. As of yet, neither the operator or the Navi yet aware of the chip data Pyre had given them.