Virtual Field Commander

Another entry for the bi-weekly contest at Theme this time is: System Connected.

Time taken: 15-20 hours
Software: Photoshop & Painter

The goal of a Virtual Field Commander is easy: to lead your troops to victory. The sacrifice is not so easy.
The Virtual Tactical Connector Suit Mark II combines your nerve system with a CPU that allows you to see, control and feel every soldier on the battlefield. With each death the Virtual Field Commander´s nerve system is permanently damaged...

It is the year 2377. The battlefield is Katarakt, fourth planet of the Accara system. In the large chapel dome of the Tireless, flagship and home to a vast computer core, Commander Alixia Vane puts on her VTC suit. The needles of the suits connectors sting. She is used to it. Showing no sign of pain, she sits on the commando chair, waiting. The echoes of the dome begin to fade as a bright flash indicates that she is connected to the CPU. Thousands of thoughts suddenly pounce on her mind. Calm. Breath. Her training kicks in and she begins to focus.
Like a hive mind, the armies on the planet below begin to move with unimagined precision....