This is a Beta Test?! - A Literally Broken System

"And as for you, Shade and Shizu, I found the button. Get ready for some assistance on my end."

Turning off the comms, I hovered my finger on the one button that Shade said would turn this entire [Rig] into a veritable fortress. I didn't know how it would work, but I could only assume that this thing was just going to go transformer on us and shift into something cool.

Or maybe it'd just switch gears from cruise control to actually zooming across the water.

"Now's gonna be a good time to press that thing!" Guidance yelled out, her eyes still peeled towards the outside world. "They're starting to gain on us."

[*BOOM! SPLASH!*]

More cannonballs made close contact with the ship, one being blocked by Maruki while the other grazed us by the skin of our teeth. Looking at the chart, the enemy was indeed starting to catch up with all of our running away, the red triangle blinking ever so closer to our location with each second that passed.

"Anytime now!"

"Pressing it!"

Feeling my finger sink into the Battle Controls button, a brief few seconds passed where nothing of notice really happened. The sounds of battle echoed from behind us, and we were still sailing out into the middle of the sea in an effort to run away.

"Did you press it already?!" Guidance asked aloud.

"I did!" I quickly replied. "Maybe it just needs some time to-"

[*VROROOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!*]

"Kick in..."

Holding onto the console for support, the entire [Rig] shook once more, the engine below us exploding into overdrive as the entire bridge turned deep red. It didn't look as ominous as last time, however. Instead, it looked as if the entire room was shifting right before our eyes.

"W-What is-"

"Just hold on!" Guidance called out. "It'll be over in a second, I think!"

Hanging on for dear life, I almost yelped as the platform the console was on raised a good few inches off the ground. The machines that once lined the sides of the entire room were now organized in neat little rows and boxes as if they were meant to all be manned by one person at a time. Meanwhile, the chart in front of me flipped itself over, what was once a pretty sparse blue hue now exploding with information about the immediate vicinity.

[*Battle Control Online*]

To my surprise, a robotic feminine voice echoed out from within the bridge, the red hue becoming blue once more as my entire interface just blew up with more information than I can manage.

And wouldn't you know it, I could actually see a sonar in the chart now.

"You can stop playing spotter, Guidance!" I called out. "I can steer this thing on my own now!"

"You mean-"

"I've got sonar!" I quickly added. "Right now, I need another person to help me sort through this crap!"

Cause holy hell on high water, there was just too much stuff to keep track of now! Water elevation, engine power, hull integrity, projectile targeting, this thing had it all!

[*FWOOOOOMMMM!!!*]

Another long sound came out of the [Rig]. This time, my eyes widened as the deck below us split apart, revealing what looked to be a massive ray gun that had no place even existing in a place like this!

"Is that massive fvck off ray gun?!" I found myself yelling out loud.

"I don't fvcking know! Don't ask me!" Guidance yelled out in reply, her own confusion and awe matching mine as she now stood beside me. "Besides, we don't even know how to fire that thing in the first place!"

"Well, I'd think that it'd be in one of these battle station-looking kiosks in here," I harshly replied amidst all the chaos happening outside. "I don't see it anywhere in this thing, so-"

[*BOOM! BOOM!*]

"Fvck!"

Two shots shook the [Rig] to its very core as we held on for dear life. Keeping track of the charts, I forced the engine forward as soon as I noticed that I could push our speed faster than what we were currently running on.

[*HULL INTEGRITY AT 60%*]

[*ENGINE OVERDRIVE ENGAGED. ENGINE INTEGRITY DROPPING*]

"Thank god for the A.I. existing and telling us what's wrong with our lives right now," I sarcastically sighed as I picked myself back up. "And here I thought we were in a fantasy setting."

"H-Hey, fantasy can exist with technology," Guidance vehemently defended. "Besides, said technology is finicky for balance!"

[*SPLASH! SPLASH!*]

"Less talk more work!"

With the enemy hot on our tail, I pushed the [Rig] further as I used the chart to navigate our course. Doing a hot ninety-degree shift, the entire [Rig] began drifting across the water as it struggled to adjust to the sudden change in direction.

Of course, I didn't mean to do that.

[*BOOM!*]

[*HULL INTEGRITY AT 55% ENGINE INTEGRITY AT 85%*]

"What're you doing?!" Guidance yelled out, her eyes still frantic as she stood by one of the newly formed kiosks. "Are you trying to get us killed?! Exposing our side like that's just asking to get shot!"

"Don't blame me! I haven't driven something this large before!" I fired back. "Why don't you drive the massive battleship then?!"

[*HULL INTEGRITY AT 60%*]

My ears perked up at the new alert. "Did our hull just heal itself?!"

"That's probably Shen's work!" Guidance replied from below. "And I just found the offense kiosk. I think I can start using that ray gun now!"

"Now we're talking!"

Cheering at our now available offensive options, I did my best to keep our speed constant as I course-corrected. Currently, we were zooming away from the enemy at a different angle, trying to juke the enemy [Rig] by turning hard right into open waters.

"Aim that thing, Guidance!" I cheered on. "I'm gonna try and give you a clear shot!"

Looking out at the deck, the massive ray gun seemed to be pointing straight forward. But surely, this thing could turn, if not at a ninety-degree angle, then at least by a few degrees in a way that could give it more coverage.

[*BOOM! BOOM!*]

[*HULL INTEGRITY AT 58% ENGINE INTEGRITY AT 80%*]

"Uhh.... Anytime now, Guidance!"

"We have a problem!"

Huh?! "What is it now?!"

Looking down, I could only gawk in confusion as Guidance gave me an awkward laugh. "This... This thing can't turn!"

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