As the iron dagger shoots into the Mother's chest, the reaction is immediate and obvious. One moment, she is grappling her arms with Ignatius, who is desperately trying to ward off her blades. The next, she shudders forward as if she's choking, as if something has caused her heart to rupture.

Which it has.

The iron rockets around inside of her chassis, until Peridot becomes too exhausted by the effort to move it anymore. The Mother bring one of her mechanical arms around, trying to wrench her own chassis open to remove the poison inside, but she can't. Her own hull is too well defended for her to open it so easily. The iron barb remains.

She cries out, losing her balance and tripping over the vines around her legs. She falls backwards, teetering and crashing with station-rattling sound. Her mechanical body seizes. Her arms keep trying to claw at her own chassis, trying to dig out the iron, but there's nothing she can do. She thrashes in pain, his mechanical arms flailing violently, endangering anyone near to her.

Ignatius falls back, panting from exertion, his body cover in wounds that bleed smoky grey vapor, left from her attack. He stares down at her writhing on the ground, obviously disturbed, but still determined.

"We... We have to destroy her... While we have the chance," he says, wide-eyed.