Chapter 65…

Ashley longed for her old grappling hook…

The long retracting cable, specially engineered for transversal in vertical environments, would have been well-suited for the tree-filled swamps of Lyra-1. The bark of the ancient trees were as hard as stone and their trunks sturdy - prime surfaces for the burrowing head of her old grappler.

Once she had the credits scraped up, Ashley was planning to buy a new grappling hook. The dark haired woman could only assume that they were ruinously expensive; then again, Ashley was willing to fork over however many credits it would take to have that trump card in her arsenal again…

She also didn't exactly trust the idea of a "budget" grappling hook…

Ashley's jumpkit spat and sputtered as she fired the device in short bursts. The spare fuel tank she had attached to the fuel nozzle only temporarily extended her ability to stay airborne; Elijah's spare tank would keep her running for longer - but only if she had the opportunity to stop and screw it in.

The earthy, heavy scent of mud filtered through Ashley's rebreathers as the dirty filters absorbed a stream of moist air. Tree's zipped past in columns as the dark haired woman flew at breakneck speeds, following closely behind her teammate. The water stained exterior of her jumpsuit and armor felt cool and crisp from the speed and air pressure.

In the distant fog, a hulking bipedal form lurked amongst the silhouettes of trees. Heavy footfalls echoed throughout the swamp - followed by the sounds of churning water and trees being uprooted…

"One hundred meters until contact!" Elijah's computerized tone warbled though Ashley's helmet speaker. "Val!? Sitrep!?"

"Reinforcements have already landed," Valentina's voice crackled in response. "Take out that Legion before it causes trouble, I'm on my way to assist you."

"Roger, roger…" Elijah's voice warbled again through Ashley's speaker. "Ishikara and I have already set the stage, we're ready to tango… and step on a few toes while we're at it…"

"Just get it done."

The crackling radio next to Ashley's ear cut off, leaving the dark haired woman feeling like a third wheel.

"Hey, Ashley…" Elijah's voice warbled through the speaker again. "Look up!"

Temporarily cutting off her jumpkit, Ashley twisted and corkscrewed her body until she was looking upwards. Elijah was flying a few meters above the dark haired woman, his modern jumpkit flaring up in short bursts to maintain his speed.

"You want to know another neat trick about Legion titans?" Elijah sounded almost… amused. "Ogre-class titans in general, actually…"

"Don't hold anything back on me…" Ashley yelled into her microphone. The woman twisted her body mid-air and fired her jumpkit, giving her a momentary boost of speed.

"If you're looking for a good way to immobilize one, go for it's ass."

"What?" Ashley resisted the urge to tap at her helmet-mounted radio. "Repeat?"

"Right, let me rephrase…" Elijah let out a computerized chuckle. "It's metaphorical robotic ass. Legion's have a wind-out towing cable on their back - the winch clasp is always left outside of the body for ease of use!"

For a long moment, Ashley's radio fell silent.

"Do you see where I'm going with this?"

Ashley pursed her lips underneath her helmet and concentrated on what Elijah had told her. As she did so, Ashley maneuvered her body around trees and zipped-past low-hanging branches.

"Oh!" Ashley's eyes widened as she came to a sudden realization. "Are you suggesting what I think you're suggesting?"

"Assuming that we're thinking on the same wavelength - yes," Elijah fired his jumpkit again, moving several meters ahead of Ashley. "Legion's are squat and sturdy - but also very top-heavy. So, here's the deal… one of us has to play chicken while the other goes for the winch-"

"Winch!" Ashley quickly answered, speaking over her rambling teammate. "You can play chicken with the titan…"

It was a selfish thing of Ashley to demand, but the dark haired woman felt justified. After all, she had just been the one hanging onto the Legion's predator cannon for dear life as the titan tried to shake her free. In addition, Ashley had just experienced what it was like to run for your life from a rampaging titan - she wasn't eager to put herself in that situation again…

"Alright, fair…" Elijah sounded less enthusiastic.

Up ahead, a hulking bipedal form was tearing through the trees. The Legion was equipped with a whole suite of environmental scanners and it had wasted no time in tracking down Ashley and Elijah.

"You're the one who keeps claiming to know all the tricks…" Ashley pursed her lips underneath her helmet. "You'll figure it out…"

"Fine, fine…" Elijah's voice crackled with interference. "I'll guide you as we go…"

Ashley's radio cut-off just as a massive metal fist hurled it's way through the treeline. The Legion's brawny "hand" tore straight through the trunks of two trees, sending splinters and bark raining down on Ashley and Elijah.

Reacting quickly, Ashley bent herself backwards, arching her spine until she had pulled off a sloppy backflip. The dark haired woman could feel the shift in air as the Legion's sloppy punch flew one foot past where body had been.

"Ashley! Get behind it!"

Hearing her radio crackle, Ashley completed the flip, pushing herself back further until her feet were lined up with the ground far below. Firing her jumpkit in a short burst, Ashley sped past the Legion titan before it had a chance to pull back it's extended fist.

Racing towards a nearby tree, Ashley felt a painful shock in her legs as she pressed her boots against the bark-covered trunk. Using the trunk as a springboard, Ashley fired her jumpkit and took-off in the direction of the Legion.

To her surprise, the hefty titan matched her speed…

Spinning on its large rotating cuff, the Legion's torso turned so that it's glowing red optic was pointing in Ashley's direction. The titan extended one arm as it spun - straightening the limb in an attempt to smash Ashley out of the air.

Ashley's eyes widened underneath her helmet. Tilting her body backwards, the woman thrust out her legs towards the Legion and fired her jumpkit to cancel her momentum. For a brief moment the woman was caught in limbo - suspended mid-air.

Noticing Ashley's sudden drop in speed, the Legion stumbled forwards. The "fingers" of it's clamp-like hand extended in an effort to snatch Ashley up in it's metal grip.

Firing her jumpkit again, Ashley blasted herself up into the air and just out of range of the titan's reach. Getting caught by the Legion would be an instant death sentence; after all, Ashley had destroyed it's main weapon, she could only assume that the enemy pilot sought to crush her as an act of revenge…

"Move it!" Elijah shouted.

The simulacrum came flying in, his Flatline held in one hand and his Wingman revolver in the other. Elijah fired both weapons simultaneously, the servos in his metal arms granting him a level of accuracy and dexterity that would be impossible by human standards.

Elijah's hail of bullets sparked harmlessly against the Legion's armor plating; but a few rounds did manage to impact against the hard glass of the titan's optic.

The Legion spun back around, it's attention temporarily torn away from Ashley.

"Remember what I said!" Elijah cried as he slammed his Wingman back into its holster. In the same motion, the simulacrum pulled a frag grenade from… somewhere… ripped off the pin, and tossed it at the Legion. "Go for it's metal ass!"

Breaking off from the fight, Ashley twirled and tilted mid-air, firing her jumpkit sporadically to adjust her course. The dark haired woman shot towards the trees which ringed the tightly-spaced battleground.

Trusting in Elijah to keep the Legion's attention off of her, Ashley landed on a tree and began to wall-run around its circumference. Picking up speed from the wall-run, the woman fired her jumpkit and leapt off of the tree - her hands outstretched in preparation to mount the Legion's back…

But, once again, the Legion was faster and more attentive than Ashley had anticipated…

The top of the Legion's metal torso spun around on it's rotating cuff. Ashley spotted the titan's shining red optics as it extended its blocky arms - rearing them up before whirling them around in a wide spinning circle.

'Fuck'

The entire world seemed to shift from the multiple series of impacts. Tree trunks were shorn in half in a circular arc - scattering their shattered halves and sending the crashing trunks towards the swamp below. The air was filled with fast-flying debris which smashed against Ashley's armor.

Releasing a strangled cry, Ashley felt a buzzing sensation as she fought through the wood chips and debris - a feeling comparable to being stung by hundreds of bees. If she hadn't been wearing her durable armor and thick jumpsuit, Ashley would have been shredded into a fine red pulp.

With the world still spinning, and the concepts of "up" and "down" temporarily meaningless, Ashley came to the terrifying realization that she was flying blind. The sound of rushing wind and her own labored breathing muffled the muted blasts of grenades against a thick metal hull. Ground and sky became one - and at her speed the horizon could not be clearly identified…

"Ashley!"

'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.'

"Ashley, fire your damn thrusters!"

The world spun around and around, air rushed past Ashley's arms and legs, her vision was blurred both by speed and interference from her scrambled helmet cameras.

'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.'

Another grenade went off nearby - Ashley could feel a wave of heat from it's blast…

"Ashley! Hold on!" Elijah cried in his computerized tone. He sounded close!

'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.'

A clamp-like metal hand gripped down painfully on Ashley's arm. With a violent heave that left her shoulder aching, Ashley was flung straight upwards.

Musty-scented air from the rebreather slowly circulated around in Ashley's lungs. Her wide eyes observed the rainy, overcast sky above her; an image pieced together from the exterior cameras on her helmet.

'Wait… the sky is up…'

If Ashley was looking up at the sky then the ground was down below her…

Suddenly, the concepts of "up" and "down" made sense to Ashley again…

Gritting her teeth, Ashley pulled in her arms and legs, pushing back her elbows to execute a quick barrel-roll. With her vision pointed back towards the ground, Ashley watched as her teammate - and now her savior, on three separate occasions - caught the attention of the Legion titan.

Elijah was blindingly quick, his metal body lacking the unneeded weight that came with typical human anatomy. The simulacrum did not feel fatigue, stress, or pain like Ashley did.

A human consciousness combined with a mechanically-perfect body…

Ashley wondered if simulacrums like Elijah were the future of warfare…

It was a scary thought.

Allowing gravity to drag her back down, Ashley watched intently as the berserking Legion whirled around erratically - trying and failing to swat Elijah out of the air. On the rear of the titan, just above it's metal hips, Ashley caught a quick glimpse at something small and shiny.

The winch… her objective…

Now entering freefall, Ashley rolled herself backwards and held out her legs straight. Pulling her arms close to her sides, the dark haired woman felt her position stabilizing as she drew closer and closer towards the top of the treeline.

Ashley fired her jumpkit once, the jet nozzles flaring brightly as the woman's descent was briefly interrupted.

Below her, Elijah had adopted the riskier tactic of staying low to the ground. The simulacrum weaved around and between the Legion's thick legs - confusing both the titan OS and the enemy pilot with his rapid changes in position. Several times he disappeared into thin air only to reappear again moments later; Ashley would have plenty of questions for him after the fight…

But Elijah's game of chicken had granted Ashley a golden opportunity. Going for the tow-winch in the immediate moment was risky - given it's close-proximity to the mass of shifting metal that was the Legion's legs. However, thanks to Elijah the top of the Legion's chassis was not being paid attention to…

Ashley fired her jumpkit again, angling the soles of her feet down towards the flat top of the Legion's chassis. Firing her jumpkit one last time, Ashley landed in an off-balance crouch atop the titan's slippery metal plating.

Shooting her gloved hands out Ashley immediately searched for something to grab onto. The Legion, even if it had detected Ashley's presence atop it's chassis, was far too preoccupied with Elijah.

"I'm on top of the titan!" Ashley yelled into her radio microphone, her voice muffled by the sounds of cracking timber and screeching metal.

"I told you to go for it's ass!" Elijah cried back, his computerized tone sounding oddly strained - as if he was being tired out by his current ordeal.

"I need a distraction!"

"What the fuck do you think I'm doing!?"

"Explosives!" Ashley grit her teeth. Her knees twisted around as she tried desperately to maintain her balance - her fingers slipping around on a maintenance handle that she had managed to find for herself. "Can you spare some!?"

"Not at the moment!" Elijah's voice crackled. "You're smart! Figure something out before I get crushed!"

Pursing her lips and releasing an irritated sigh, Ashley resolved herself to follow her teammates' suggestion. Whipping her helmeted head around, Ashley searched desperately for anything that looked important.

The dark haired woman's eyes zeroed in on the Legion's battery slots.

'Definitely important…'

With all four of Ashley's limbs steadying her, the woman began to crawl towards the battery slots.

Crawling atop the top of the Legion's chassis for what was the third time in the past hour, Ashley recalled some of the lessons she had learned about "rodeoing" back when she was just a recruit.

Generally speaking, it was always good to maintain "three points of contact" when climbing; only one hand, or foot, would move at any single time - ensuring proper grip and stability.

But concepts like "grip" and "stability" did not apply to titan rodeoing - especially when said rodeoing was occurring in the middle of a slick rainfall. Ashley would go even further to say that when rodeoing a titan the entire idea of "three points of contact" went flying out the window…

With these thoughts in her mind, Ashley adopted a vaguely crab-like scuttle as she traversed the top of the Legion titan's chassis. Trying to stay "safe" in her current position would have been rather ironic…

As she quickly moved, Ashley's hands flew around, reaching blindly for anything to hold onto. Elijah was still keeping up his assault and buying Ashley precious seconds, but the woman dared not dawdle in her current position. The Legion shifted and turned at high speeds, the sudden motions sending powerful vibrations jittering up Ashley's arms…

"Hey, Ashley!?" Elijah's voice cackled through the woman's radio. "When Barker made you ride the mechanical bull, how long did you stay on for!?"

Ashley's eyes narrowed underneath her helmet. Now that Elijah had brought it up, the Legion was just like a larger version of that stupid bull…

"Screw you."

"Ha!"

Reaching one of the Legion's three battery slots, Ashley was unsurprised to find the clamps concealing the batteries locked down tight. She had no explosives, so there was no way that she could blast them open. However, Ashley's disappointment turned to delight when she noted that one of the clamps had been sheared open. The metal was black and twisted - brittle to the touch - and easily pulled back until the battery was exposed.

It seemed as if Ashley's earlier desperate slapping of a satchel charge against the titan's torso had granted her a golden opportunity…

Weighing her options, and still holding on for dear life, Ashley instantly ruled out the idea of shattering the battery with bullets. Titan batteries had a thick metal casing to protect the radioactive substances within; even if Ashley's bullets did punch through, her only prize would be several weeks of agonizing pain before radiation poisoning took her life…

"Elijah!?" Ashley called into her microphone. "I'm grabbing a battery!"

"I like your style!" Elijah answered back. "Be a dear and toss it my way, would you!?"

Reaching down and grabbing the top of the battery by it's carrying handle, Ashley twisted the mechanism and pulled the battery free. It weighed a lot more than it looked, and Ashley was having trouble holding onto the titan with the battery in her right hand.

"I'm tossing it!" Ashley warned. "Fetch!"

Rearing back her arm and channeling all of her strength, Ashley heaved the battery as far away as she possibly could. The battery was long and awkward, and it emitted a faint green low as it spiraled off into the air…

…only to be intercepted and caught by a familiar simulacrum.

"What a prize!" Elijah whooped with glee. As he flew, the simulacrum held out his arms to show off the battery - both to Ashley and the enemy pilot within the Legion. "Let's see if they'll come to grab it back!"

Elijah's challenge was quickly met. After a moment's hesitation the titan's chassis lurched forward - once again trying to swat Elijah out of the air. Ashley took immediate notice of the Legion's slowed speed, every action it took was more sluggish than the last…

"Now! It's ass!"

Resisting the urge to say something biting over her mic, Ashley did as her teammate suggested and went for the titan's tow winch. Allowing herself to slide down the slick metal of the titan's back, Ashley reached out a hand for the winch.

Luckily, she caught onto it. With a savage tug and some assistance from her jumpkit, Ashley leapt off of the Legion titan - a long black cable extending behind her. Ashley could hear the whistling noise of the cable extending behind her; but it was noise that was barely perceptible over the sputtering roar of her jumpkit.

Taking the risk and expending more of her fuel, Ashley planted her boots against a nearby tree and rocketed back towards the Legion titan. The cable had already extended out to about twenty meters and was still lengthening - but Ashley was unsure of just how long it truly was.

The absolute worst thing that could happen in the present moment was Ashley accidentally looping the cable around a tree. It was a real, legitimate risk, given the path of destruction that the Legion was carving through the swamp. Up ahead, Elijah was zipping around mid-air, the Legion titan's stolen battery dangling and wiggling from his hand.

"I've got the cable!" Ashley yelled into her radio microphone.

"Great!" Elijah's computerized tone warbled back. "Aim for the gaps in the armor around the knees, the cable will get caught!"

Elijah sounded confident about the plan, but Ashley had her doubts. The Legion supported itself on two squat, heavy legs. Would the cable be strong enough?

But there was no time to lull-over the plan… Ashley needed to take action…

Boosting her jumpkit, Ashley rocketed herself forwards until she was ahead of the stomping Legion. Briefly cutting off her jet, Ashley felt her stomach leap up into her throat as she briefly crossed paths with the rampaging titan. The dark haired woman could feel air rushing as her body soared just feet away from the Legion's shifting metal legs.

With the heavy weight of the winch in her hand, Ashley whipped out her arm to straighten the cable. Luckily, the cable snagged around a large gap in the Legion's knees.

"Boost!" Elijah yelled into the radio. "Faster!"

It was good advice.

Firing her jumpkit at full-burn, Ashley felt her bones rattling as she arced around the titan's legs. The cable continued to extend behind her, it's braided surface scratching and grinding against the Legion's paint.

Ashley continued to fire her jumpkit, sloppily turning herself midair in an effort to get behind the Legion.

'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'

Sharp puffs of air escaped from Ashley's nostrils, her eyes widening in terror as she finally realized the ever-present danger of what she was doing.

One wrong maneuver and her squishy organic body would be ground into a pulp by the shifting metal of the Legion's legs…

Alternatively, the cable would snap - sending Ashley flying headlong into the swamp…

Another alternative - her jumpkit would run out of it's emergency fuel and Ashley would be dragged around by the cable like a ragdoll…

'Does fortune favour the bold…?'

Ashley didn't have the time to internally muse…

Keeping her jumpkit at full-burn, the woman continued the terrifying process of looping the titan's legs. She rocketed behind the Legion, straining her arm in an effort to straighten out the cable. Ashley didn't see where the cable hooked around the Legion's legs - not because she didn't have the time to glance back, but because she was already crossing paths with the Legion again…

'Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…'

Ashley's breath was beginning to hitch in her throat. The winch bit into the glove of her hand, the cable behind it rattling as Ashley continued to make her passes.

Finally, after the fifth pass… the cable ran out…

Ashley resisted the urge to scream as her arm was nearly pulled out of it's socket. Her lower body shot forwards and her upper body was slammed back from the sudden tug in opposite motion. The dark haired woman was quick to cut off her jumpkit and released the winch in her hand. Ashley tumbled into the swamp below and landed roughly, rolling back onto her feet and breaking into a pained sprint to put as much distance between herself and the titan as possible.

Behind her, Ashley could hear the sounds of arc grenades fizzling… and metal shifting…

"Timber!"

Looking over her shoulder, Ashley watched as the Legion titan began to pitch and teeter. The cable had indeed been strong enough to hold down it's legs, and Ashley watched in morbid fascination as the titan tipped forwards.

In an act of desperation, the Legion extended it's massive metal arms in an effort to cushion it's fall. But the strong servos in the arms were not designed to hold up the Legion titan's bulk. Metal twisted and crunched as the structure of the arms collapsed and folded in.

With a massive crash, the incapacitated Legion slammed face-first into the swamp. The ground shook from the impact and a massive swell of water shot into the air, forming a freezing cold wave which drenched Ashley from head to toe…

The water rippled and settled… and the Legion did not move…

"Alright!" Elijah whooped, his computerized tone filled with excitement. Ashley heard water splashing as the simulacrum touched down in the swamp next to her. "Nice work!"

Turning her head, and feeling the freezing water in her joints, Ashley spared a glance at Elijah. Despite his lack of a face or human features he seemed giddy, the titan battery still clenched in his clamp-like hands.

"To be honest, I didn't know if you'd be able to pull that off…" Elijah admitted. "But you did so with flying colours!"

"Thanks…" Ashley groused. Silently, the woman unscrewed the now-empty emergency tank from her jumpkit. Allowing the spent tank to clatter into the waters of the swamp, Ashley screwed on the spare tank that Elijah had gifted her. "Next time, you can be the one flying next to a titan's legs…"

"If I recall correctly, you were the one who accepted that responsibility…" Elijah fired back, one hand on his metallic hip and the other holding onto the titan battery.

"Whatever…" Ashley muttered. She turned her helmet in the direction of the Legion titan's top hatch, which was still sealed up tight. It was possible that the enemy pilot had been killed by the impact of the fall - but Ashley didn't want to take any chances.

"The enemy pilot…" Ashley muttered to Elijah. "Do you think that fall killed them?"

Elijah stayed silent for a long moment, his blue optic shining. "I don't know… the swamp may have cushioned the blow…"

Silently, the two pilots began to approach the disabled Legion. Ashley slowly withdrew her SMART pistol from it's holster, wiping her hand against it's slide to clear away any muck and mud.

"...can you two hear me?"

The two pilots stopped, sharing a look between one another.

Ashley tapped at her radio. Elijah did the same.

"Hello?" Elijah muttered.

"It's Val, step away from the Legion."

The radio in Ashley's helmet buzzed for a moment.

"Right fucking now, please!" Val's voice sounded scratchy with interference. "Get to a safe distance and look up."

Ashley spared Elijah a curious glance, although it was hidden by her helmet. Shrugging, the simulacrum gave Ashley a good natured tap on the shoulder as they both jogged backwards and away from the collapsed Legion titan.

"Val, you read?" Elijah spoke into his in-built radio. "What's up?"

"More like 'look up'".

Doing exactly what her team leader suggested, Ashley tilted her head back to look up at the overcast sky.

Something was moving through the clouds. Ashley initially dismissed it as interference from her cameras; but after the effect persisted Ashley knew what she was looking at was real.

An unidentified object descended from the clouds - shielded by a glowing red fireball as it continued to pick up speed. It traveled in a large arc, leaving a trail of smoke which reached all the way up into the atmosphere…

Ashley had a good idea of what she was looking at… and Val's warnings suddenly made sense to her…

Silently, Ashley and Elijah ducked behind the nearest tree. Tilting her head, Ashley snuck a glance at the still-prone form of the Legion titan.

It wouldn't be a titan for much longer…

In a blinding flash of light, the Legion was reduced to a twisted ball of scrap metal as the freefalling titan landed on top of it. Water splashed in a massive wave and nearby trees groaned from the sudden impact.

Wiping away the water stuck on the lenses of her helmet cameras, Ashley watched as the new titan stood up, it's metal feel digging into the twisted remains of the Legion.

It was a Stryder-class titan. Four spindly metal limbs connected to a spherical torso, in the middle of which sat a shining blue optic. Jutting out from the back of the lanky titan's spherical torso were two curved, blocky rocket pods. On the underside of the torso, Ashley could spot short, tightly-designed thrusters.

To be specific, it was a Northstar titan; designed for sniping, if Ashley remembered correctly. The Northstar was coloured in an alternating pattern of blue and white.

"Look at that!" Called a voice from up above.

Ashley and Elijah looked upwards at the tree canopy. Perched precariously atop a branch was a familiar blue and white clad pilot, a newly acquired Kraber anti-material rifle dangling from her back.

"I took out the Legion!" Valentina cried from her vantage point. "All by myself!"

"Fuck you!" Elijah shouted in response.

Ashley could hear Valentina chuckling through her radio as the blue and white clad pilot leapt from the tree limb she was balanced upon. With her jumpkit flaring behind her, Valentina held out her arms and allowed for the Northstar titan to catch her mid-air. The titan snatched her up and neatly inserted the woman inside of it's cockpit.

"Surprisingly good work, you two," Valentina complimented through the radio. The Northstar titan stepped off of the mangled remains of the Legion, it's metal feet disturbing the water and soil of the swamp. "I'm sorry I wasn't around to help. But you two will be glad to know that the rest of our guys have already captured the digsite."

"Something tells me that our efforts are going to get glossed over…" Elijah whispered in Ashley's direction, giving the dark haired woman a good-natured nudge with his metal elbow.

"You think?" Ashley rhetorically whispered back.

"Come on…" Val's voice crackled as the Northstar kneeled down in the swamp, one hand extending to allow for Elijah and Ashley to climb atop it's chassis. "Dee and I will give you a ride back."

"Much appreciated," Elijah called out to the Northstar. The simulacrum lifted the titan battery Ashley had stolen from the Legion. "Will this slightly-damaged battery suffice for payment?"

"Sounds good to me."

"What a bargain, eh?" Elijah once again jostled Ashley good-naturedly. Without hesitation, the simulacrum slipped the battery onto his back and scrambled atop the Northstar's chassis.

Pursing her lips into a tight line, Ashley sighed as she too climbed up the Northstar's chassis. The dark haired woman crouched next to one of the rocket pods, one hand reaching out to grab and steady herself.

In Ashley's opinion, she had had enough titan rodeoing for the day...

If there was a silver lining, however, this one wasn't trying to kill her...