S******** T*****
Day** Month** Year****
Original Hive, 3,870 meters below ground
Shirogane sluggishly opened his eyes as he surveyed the cockpit of his silver Type-00. Shaking away the nauseating headache born from the intense G-Force of his extreme acrobatic, he hastily checked through multiple system statuses and looked for any malfunctions.
"—Valkyrie-1 to all units… data-link is currently down. Report the condition of your TSF." Somewhere close by, he noticed Isumi's fighter rising out of the hideous scene. Being the leader of the Valkyries, she strived show composure and control under any and all circumstances, as horrendous as they came.
"—This is Valkyrie-4. System's all good. I was pretty far from that bastard." Kazama's ragged voice could be heard over the comms, even if her presence was outside of Shirogane's cone of vision.
"—Valkyrie-12 here. I lost my right main arm and rifle, the machine is functional otherwise." Another report came in from Ayamine, sounding as stoic as ever.
"—T-this is Valkyrie-9. Eh- my system is also fine, didn't take much damage from that." Tama's Takemikazuchi bore many scratches and scars on its outside armour from their previous clashes. Shirogane saw her fearful expression from the camera, the drained pilot squeezed out a wearily smile when her eyes connected with his.
"—This is Valkyrie-3. Jump unit's completely busted. Don't think I can get more than ten meters off the ground." Next, he noticed Munakata's pitiful TSF and started to pace her way, wanting to lend her a hand, but the First Lieutenant anchored her stance by leaning on a melee halberd.
"—Valkyrie-10 here. My system is fine, seeing no problems so far, everything is functioning above seventy-six percent." Remembering he was the first to recover, Shirogane also reported his machine's quality.
"—Emm… Valkyrie-8. The left main arm got destroyed along with the supplemental armour and rifle when the carrier came through that wall. I'm still operational though." Mikoto was able to dig her way out of the rubble, the cause of her burial was the hive boulders which broke down minutes prior.
"—This is Valkyrie-7. All systems all functioning normally, no external damage detected." As seen from her feed, Chizuru rubbed the left side of her head in an attempt to ease the pain from bumping around in the cockpit block.
"—Valkyrie-6. My TSF is a bit roughed up but no major malfunction yet." Next, Kashiwagi's parched voice emitted onto their channel. She kneeled down in search of her rifle, finding it wedged in-between the rocks.
"—A-04 reporting in. no damage taken, Rutherford Field is operating at eighty-two percent. The engine is functioning… we can continue at any time." Apprehending her inexpressive statement, Shirogane was perhaps the only one who understood the weight shouldered by XG-70's red-haired engine.
Having to power the behemoth that was the Susanoo IV proved to be no easy task, even for a supercomputer. Unlike Shirogane's first run with the XG. This time, its Rutherford Field was up and running at the cost of all close to medium ranged weapons. Only four missile launchers were still operational.
Shirogane cleansed his mind of all irrelevance for the time being. Out of the eleven TSFs nearby, six had taken minimal damage, two were missing their main arms and a single unit was immobilized by the aforementioned attack. They could, and they must continue the mission, that was his conclusion.
But they came with a greater number, there laid another unavoidable fact.
"Valkyrie-2, Valkyrie-11, report back." Isumi's request was met with absolute silence. She spoke no more once her fear had been confirmed.
Shirogane was the closest to the two destroyed TSFs, namely the two units that belonged to Meiya and Hayase. He struggled to stiffly trot his way over to the remains of their units as he felt complicated emotion shifting between disappointment and grief.
"…No good, Captain… two K.I.A…"
"I see…"
Shirogane hesitated to slam his fist on the aluminum sheets surrounding his controls, his teammates were dead; again, for the countless time. As for his reaction, the sorrowful sadness persisted, the surplus misery kept looming over him. But it was all a part of his venture, wanting to cry for the dead wouldn't do any good.
Meiya's purple Takemikazuchi had been crushed down to a mere one-third of its original size. He averted his eyes from some red reflections of liquid leaking out under the machine, a mixture of blood and oil was his best assumption if one must be made. A couple of electrical sparkles still flickered on, unlike the light of her stifled life.
Hayase's Type-00 was in a similar state. The right side of the mech had been violently sheared away when she was plunged against the Hive wall. Shirogane again avoided looking closely, as after a few glances he could clearly spot some parts of Hayase's deformed body.
Nowhere in their plan contained a surprise attack from the BETA's new species, losing two of their most talented Eishis and leaving the entire team in an unpleasant state of disarray. Shirogane thought back, to when the first mistake was made.
—
Special Task Force A-01 was making their way to the first barrier when an unidentified BETA signal was detected directly to their left. Confusion was shared between the Valkyries members, as no one understood how the BETA could be somewhere inside solid walls.
However, ahead of any order Isumi could imagine on the spot, ahead of any impulse Hayase could instinctively perform. The tunnel was viciously rammed apart by a strain of BETA A-01 never encountered before, the Carrier-class. That monstrosity spared no time waiting for the Valkyries' response, instead, it continued to obliterate anything in its path as the alien broke through the other side of the Hall.
Giant broken pieces of earth were sent flying towards the Storm Vanguards. In a period shorter than a fraction of a second, the debris shot across the passageway like a bulldozer with the speed of a rocket.
Pure luck was on Shirogane's side as he avoided all of the big shards that could have easily turned his frame into a hulk projectile with zero effort. Meiya however, unfortunately caught many huge scraps with her TSF. Which in turn, did fire her off against the opposite side just as physics dictated.
As for the final victim, Hayase was crushed without mercy by the carrier itself. The left side of her fighter was stuck on the alien's ragged plate-like-skin and that took her life when the BETA broke through the other wall, crashing her front against an immoveable surface.
Instantly, two of Shirogane's closest comrades were killed. All of his endeavors up to that point in life was rendered foolishly pointless once more.
—
The rest of the Valkyries were left alone in shock when they noticed that Shirogane didn't even try to help his very dead teammates. He emotionless gaze met the dreadful stare of everyone around him, its message was already told in full.
"Meiya-san… Hayase-san…!" Tama's broken voice rang within the ears of her companions as she tried to hold back her tears.
"Mitsurugi…1st Lt. Hayase… god-damn it all!" This time, Kashiwagi could not control herself seeing the fate of her fellow Eishis.
"—We have to continue the mission… Alpha squad, get the barrier open and plant that S-11. Beyond these two doors will be the primary objective. We can leave after the target is destroyed."
Trading glances with Isumi, she offered him a sign of condolence gathered from what composure she could afford to lend. Knowing that if she were to lose her cool now, what was left of A-01's morale would be completely shattered. Therefore, Isumi chose to only function as the leader of the Valkyries and temporarily banished her human self.
Her teeth bit down hard, warm blood was leaking from a fresh rupture on her pink lips.
The BETA, however, being the heartless aliens that they were, gave the Valkyries no time to mourn. Thousands of mindless bodies rushed in from both sides of the newly formed tunnels, dedicated to the task of chewing their invaders into bits for supper.
"—Two divisions of BETA are approaching us from both sides! Total numbers… over thirty thousand!" Mikoto's voice was audible on the comms carrying a fresh sense of fear and panic alongside it.
"Yoroi and Kazama, hurry up and get that barrier open. Bravo squad, set up defensive positions by the left tunnel entrance, A-04 to the right. Once this opens, Alpha squad will take vanguard to the second barrier. Susanoo can pass after the barrier has opened up big enough. Bravo squad will then go once they inject the closing chemical and clear any BETA that get through! Move, people!"
Isumi fervently shouted her command to the rest of the team. Her responsibilities as a Captain leading the UN Squadron were weighing down now heavier than ever. Everyone was more or less obligated to come back from the upset and hurt by suddenly losing two of their brightest members.
"—Roger!" With no other choice, the remaining soldiers began to act out their assigned duty. Trying their best to momentarily forget about their gone friends.
—
"—Those Grappler-class are getting too close on the right! Valkyrie-7! Blow them away with the 120mm!"
"—Copy!"
"—Damn it! There is no end to these bitches!"
The monsters were not designed to show any indication of fear or terror, the corpses of their fallen only served to bring the rest closer to the burnt-out intruders. Minutes passed quickly as the blood-boiling battle continued in favour of the endless BETA army, aliens with infinite numbers steadily closed the distances between them and the A-01 task force.
"—The barrier has completely opened! Kasumi-san, you can move the Susanoo through now!"
"—Bravo squad, fall back behind the Susanoo! Alpha squad, Move up and open the second barrier!" Kasumi flew the giant fortress through the hole, firing her missiles behind the escort units to slow their pursuers.
"Everyone hurry up! We need to get to the other side of this barrier now!"
"Kashiwagi! Watch out for the Fort-class on the left!"
"…Thanks! I got'em, we good! We can go now, the door's closing!" Just as she claimed, the teeth-like panels extended downwards, shutting off the passageway separating the pilots from the BETA.
"All units, full speed to the second barrier. We should be fine behind us now that thing is dead, watch out for their worm-like strain."
—
The dirt beneath shook intensely followed by a rumbling howl of transforming earth, sending the minds of those Eishis who survived into another alarming frenzy. They were tired beyond measure, every last one of them, but the few minutes of intermission was still robbed away by their appalling enemies nonetheless.
"—What was that?! Check for BETA signal in the walls!"
"—Negative, there is nothing h— shit- look! The first Barrier!" Sakaki's words veered the team's attention to a location behind them already travelled.
The Carrier-class announced its eventual return by a thundering smash, busting down the first barrier with pure, brute force. Its serpentine crawl rushed the monster halfway across the Hall before opening its mouth and releasing thousands more of its allies.
"—Fuck, fuck! Bravo squad, engage the incoming targets! Alpha squad, we need that barrier open ASAP!"
"—Roger!" The rest of the Valkyries answered in unison, everybody hurried their respective tasks.
—
"—Empty! I'm empty here! Valkyrie-12 switch on me!"
"—Roger, but I'm low too."
"Here, take my extra mag. Make it count, Ayamine." A Magazine was tossed in the air before getting caught by a mechanical arm.
"T-thanks, 1st Lt. Munakata." Ayamine briefly nodded to her senior.
"—The barrier is seventy percent opened, about a minute left." An update on the progress of Alpha squad was announced by Kazama, she and Yoroi worked zealously to hasten their task as much as possible. With help from the firepower of the XG-70d, the BETA were having a difficult time gaining any ground for the duration.
Untimely, from amidst the BETA army, a few Laser-class emerged out of their transport's open mouth. Against all assumptions, the group of Lux that was supposed to never fire within the hive took its aim and blasted shots of concentrated energy at the Valkyries.
"—Laser-class! Move!" Reacting barely in time, Shirogane grabbed Mikoto's frame by its Mount Pylon and forcefully threw her aside, out of danger's way.
"—T-thank you, Takeru-san! I-I just saw my life fla—" Yoroi froze midway through her sentence when Shirogane's 00 already departed from her.
"—What?! What that a laser-class?! How could they be firing in here?"
"—Did you not see the carrier-class? They are trying to stop us at all cost now!"
"That's crazy! I thought they would never…" Kashiwagi cut herself off when Sakaki's point was realized as she recalled their preceding encounters.
"—Anyone got hit by that shot?!" Isumi cried out over the exploding noise of 36mm shells.
"—We're all good! Just hold them off a bit longer and…" Kazama's sentence trailed off when she observed the chemical injector.
"What's wrong Kazama? Report!"
"The injector! The Laser-class hit it!" Yoroi filled in for Kazama when she was too busy improvising a solution.
"What? That was their target?" Having Laser-class inside the hive itself was ridiculous enough, it was blatantly unfair how they broke expectations one after another.
"Is it still functional?"
"Negative, Captain. The opening chemical is spilled. We have no way of getting this thing to expose any further." Kazama announced the unfavourable news.
"Well, that is a million dollar shot if I ever see one." An extremely out-of-place joke by the Storm Vanguard was only startling to his teammates.
"Shut up, Shirogane! The hole is big enough for the A-04. Just ram it through. Maximize the Rutherford Field and clip away the edges! Alpha squad, forget about the closing chemicals. Set up the charges and let's go!"
Following Isumi's order, Kasumi calmly accelerated the XG-70d, carelessly pushing it through the barrier. The boundaries of the circular entrance were trimmed and melted away by the gravitational distortion that was the Rutherford Field. Although thanks to its departure, the BETA were able to gain ground rapidly after Susanoo IV's fire support left its post.
"Alright, it's through! Everyone follow after!" One by one, the Valkyries put their jump units to good use and leaped over a low barricade.
—
"—Captain…! What about 1st Lt. Munakata? Her jump unit is still no good, remember?" As the clock ticked down and the entire team climbed over the half-extended blockade, Kazama was faced with a realization way too late.
"—…That's right! 1st Lt. Munakata's frame is damaged!" A couple more agreements from the squad called attention to their trapped team member.
"—Tch- Touko… why must you remember? I was sneaking away so well too." For memorizing the perilous condition of her best friend, Kazama received a complaint in the place of gratitude from Munakata.
"Misae! Don't tell me you ar—"
"—Focus! Let's stay focused, 2nd Lt. Kazama! The Primary objective is right ahead." Isumi interrupted Kazama before she could declare Munakata's painstakingly obvious intention.
"Captain! But the First Lieutenant is still back there!" This time it was Tama who spoke up against her leader's actions.
"I talked to Captain about this already! It will be pointless if this door doesn't close! You guys GO! JUST GO!"
"All units full speed forward. We should be reaching the core very soon."
The second time around, no one dared to raise their voice in objection. Knowing that both the Captain and the First Lieutenant had made one of the most difficult decisions in their lives. So many of their comrades perished during the battles with no end in sight, for whatever determination led Munakata to reach her verdict, she was fated to become another sacrifice for the victory of humanity.
—
After what was left of Task Force A-01 made its way into the main chamber, they finally reached the primary target. Unlike Shirogane's experience with the Superior last time, this time the Hivemind did not shoot out its tentacles, instead, it sat there quietly not putting up a fight for its life.
"—Area clear. A-04, start charging the particle cannon now. Everyone else watch out for BETA reinforcements."
"—Copy!"
As the pilots spread out around the XG-70d for its protection, each and every one of them was doubtlessly hoping for an easy end to their prolonged mission after having to witness the death of their beloved teammates. They were so close to the light at the end of the tunnel, it was supposed to be a very bright flash of mankind's ultimate weapon.
Yet once again, luck was not on the side of the invaders as the walls surrounding the main chamber and the second barrier all came crumbling down to reveal another massive BETA force.
"—You're fucking joking… how can this be happening…"
"The BETA just won't give us a break! They are even willing to destroy the reactor room to get us!" Frustration increased hastily amongst the Valkyries when they discovered, for one more time, the BETA would stop at nothing to wipe them out.
"Just shut up and shoot them back!" A quick argument over the channel reminded the crew of their number one priority, shooting aliens until they die.
"All units! Set up defensive positions around A-04! Hold out until the particle cannon is ready to fire. We are sticking to the plan. Once the charging is finished, we will board the Susanoo and can evacuate right away after the primary target is destroyed."
Resolving the confusion caused by unexpected reinforcement aiding their foes, Isumi issued a set of immediate orders for her nervous pilots.
Shirogane took his spot in front of the XG-70d as he started to slay hordes of BETA by pure instinct. He was putting around zero thoughts into his maneuverer, preferring to just massacre groups after groups of BETA relying on his nature instead.
He had already given up on this time-loop and moved on to consider his actions for the next. While the sudden death of his teammates dealt no less shock to him compared to the rest of his squad, Shirogane was able to recover from the astonishment at what could be argued as an inhuman speed. After all, the shock value of a surprise diminishes rapidly second time around.
Under normal circumstances, he would be curious as to why the Superior had yet to perform an attack against the TSF Squadron. However, now all that he wanted was to complete the mission as fast as possible, so he could have a peace of mind prior to committing suicide.
Shirogane's lack of awareness cost him greatly when he wandered too close to BETA's final boss and was unable to avoid a lethal assault from the Hive reactor itself. Unfortunately, he was left with little choice other than to accept the present when he noticed a tentacle from the Primary target had pierced his unit and stabbed him in his stomach.
"Shit! SHIROGANE!" The rest of the superior's appendages rushed him, lifted his damaged Takemikazuchi off the ground and started swinging it widely in the air like a Yo-Yo.
"OWWWO! What the fuck, you homo or something!? Fucking tentacles, REALLY!?" For some arbitrary reason, the immense pain that supposedly accompanied being stabbed in the abdomen was missing for the young failed hero.
Shirogane could hear muffled screams from his teammates who were all occupied dealing with the aliens that were trying to rip them from limb to limb. He would have attempted to sever the arms that connected him and the reactor, but his hands were just a tad bit short of reaching the control sticks.
"Life form, deny. Existence, acknowledged. Awareness of existence, confirmed. Activity, acknowledged." What Shirogane heard wasn't any form of language, it was pure information that was directly transferred to his mind. A type of communication he grew accustomed from practice with his psychic vat friends.
Nonetheless, what he felt there was on a totally different level than seeing images projected by Kasumi. Wholesome data was flooding his brain, most of which he was incapable of identifying or understanding.
"Higher existence, confirmed. Configuration, undetected. Configuration, beginning."
"Ay, ay! Don't do whatever gay shit you're thinking about, octopus head! I'm not into that kinda play—!" Missing by mere inches, Shirogane almost bit off his own tongue from his jaws clamping together due to the overwhelming pain that surged to every part of his body.
His deafening scream echoed within his seat. He was unable to lessen the burden on his body and soul.
"Takeru-chan! Takeru-chan! You have to stop it from doing what it's doing! All your physical readings are off the charts!" It was reassuring that Sumika, who presumably woke up from her slumber only seconds ago could already detect the suffering of the Primary objective's victim. Her thoughts forced its way into the young man, trying to get him to clear his head from the mental invasion.
"No shit- NO FUCKING SHIT! You don't know this but dudes also love being fuckin' penetrated! But not in the belly, OKAY!? Should I bent over for you, GAYLORD!?"
Motivating himself by the means of ridiculing Sumika and the Superior, Shirogane found the strength to angrily pull out the knife strapped under his seat and jab at the fleshed antenna until it broke apart, his each swing was powered by the sheer frustration of having to forfeit all of his accomplishments.
"GAYASS MOTHERFUCKER! You FUCK-HEAD! Goddamn faggot tryin' to fuck me! ARRGGA!" Mustering the last bit of his rage, Shirogane unlogged the head of the tentacle stuck in his belly, but that didn't heal the wound inflicted nor stop the blood leakage.
"TAKERU-CHAN! You're bleeding really badly! W-we have to stop it…!"
"Urrgg… I think this calls for restarting from checkpoint, you know? Really pissing me off. I'll say though… we're pretty close this time… sorry, girls… I'll keep trying, I promise… this's coming from the man who beat Contra on one life… you know I'm good… I got this, believe me…"
"Configuration, incomplete. Higher existence, rejected." The superior reeled in the lone tentacle while sending out a dozen more at the same time.
"Aha… hahaha… we will just try again right? I know Takeru-chan will never give up!"
"It is okay, Takeru-san. We still have many chances, all of the chances, in fact."
"Just shut up… and get ready to blast me…" Sumika and Kasumi's words of encouragement barely registered for Shirogane as he was seriously losing grasp on his consciousness.
"~Take me down… to the paradise city… where the grass is green and the girls are pretty… ~Oh… won't you please take me home~!" With his last breath, Shirogane hummed softly a classic song.
A few seconds later, the world once again resets itself when Shirogane's TSF and the primary objective was obliterated by the burning light from the XG-70d.
—
Muv-Luv Alternative, Shirogane's guide to world salvation
—
"An old destiny tossed about, in the same insane world—
A smothered flame of life blazing without any path, in another dying world—
Once again, the future that carried no hope, spun to the pleasure of no man"
The old tale of love and courage was long gone, replaced by an alternative story. A tale just as old, a tale of failure and despair. But to lose is to gain, the life that was preserved at the cost of many other, will once again, venture the road of the saviour.
Shirogane Takeru
October 22, 2001
Shirogane resident, second floor
With eyes that never witnessed a tomorrow, ears that only discerned screams of the dead, mouth that spoke no word of pleasantry, and nose that only smelled the scent of reddish gore.
I lazily lifted my heavy eyelids. Once more, I was back here staring at the same, white ceiling. Once more, I returned to this starting line.
"~Oh… won't you please take me home~!" My vocal cord was still pitch perfect, for what it was worth.
First order of business, stretch my arms and comfort my body. Knowing this was a fresh new physique wasn't enough to persuade myself from omitting a bit of exercise. Pulling myself out of bed, I looked around my old room. If there was any certainty to my life, it would be this apartment of mine.
Remembering back to the last loop. The surprises, mistakes, and achievements were all meaningless now that I was back here again, at the start of yet another journey. The BETA decided to abandon a manual they never had in the first place, sending their own to crash the whole shop was definitely not following the rules of engagement. I felt frustrated that even after so long, a simple trick by the BETA still served to shock and disbelief their enemies to this extent.
Despite that, the past will forever remain only as the past. I could cry about it, and part of me was quite tempted to weep a few droplets of tears for my dead friends, for my futile attempt; but nothing could be done about my failure, if I couldn't move on from their death with a dumb smile hanging from my lips then it would forever be in vain.
Alright boy, you know you're stupid so don't forget to count all the stuff you gotta bring along.
Really though, I more or less only needed my Gameguy and a set of clothes. With that set course planned, I sloppily crammed all of my shit into a random bag, including the suit that was brutally murdered as I couldn't care to properly fold them.
I surveyed my house one last time before leaving through the front doors, not even bothering to close them. I exited the place that had housed me for so many years without turning back for another view. Nostalgia might have kept me for the first couple of times, but when that home only contained about two weeks' worth of food, I kinda had to get fed eventually.
—
The streets of this ruined city were just as I recalled. Passing by all the same scenery that I had seen many times over. At the beginning, I was so grateful for another chance, a chance to save the world and my friends from the cruel fate that befell all humans living here, on this planet.
I fought and fought, but no matter how much effort I put in, the unsightly death of my closest allies kept appearing as signs of my own weakness. Their smiling faces replaced with expressions of horror and anguish, my outreached hands could never pull them away from their destiny of suffering and death.
This, however, wasn't to say my campaign through time had been unfruitful, that would actually be furthest away from the truth. I grew so much, I learned so much. I could restfully, and resentfully hold a conversation with Yuuko-sensei about the Causality information and parallel worlds and all that good stuff.
My personal knowledge increased dramatically in contrast as well. I honed my skills as both an Eishi and a soldier time and time again; shooting dudes, shooting aliens, it was all instituted from the same principles, and I wouldn't say one is easier than the other, mostly because they both were somewhat a pain in the ass.
Just like professional gaming; when it's a profession, it ain't a game.
Realistically speaking though, I had full confidence that I could take on the entire forces of Yokohama Base with a Type-94. After all, we had dudes who kamikazed themselves and blown open gates for the BETA… fucking prodigies, every last one of them.
As for my hand-to-hand combat skills, I was pretty good at beating people up, feeding them some knuckle sandwiches and the like. I haven't lost a one-on-one in about… sometime, hopefully.
Even so, all these wonderful feats I was capable of were next to nothing on the grand stage. No single soldier no matter how strong or powerful could adjust the outcome of a war. For us humans, the result of this war was quite clearly not in our favour.
Yokohama Base, UN Pacific army headquarters
I climbed past the cherry blossom trees planted on both sides of the street leading up to the school. It was believed that the souls of those soldiers that fell in battle would be at rest here. A touching story, people always relied on fantasies and faith in times of powerlessness, I too would sometimes find myself praying for my old teammates to protect my life in the next world.
Finally, the front gate of my old school came in sight, guarded by two UN soldiers. Two individuals that I would like to not converse with, but real world was never an easy place.
"What are you doing here?" The first question was asked by the Japanese man with a friendly tone.
"You taking a stroll or something? Not much to see out there, you know." The other guard, an African, American or wherever guy told me the same line just like every other time.
Funnily, this part of my adventure was highly on-rails; as in I could do pretty anything short of killing their families and the dialogue they would say back at me wouldn't change, interesting mechanics our world had.
"Aye boys! Must be tiring standing guard outside in this weather." I started a conversation that was unrelated to their questions.
"Huh? What are you talking about now? Just show us your ID and permit, then go back to your squadron." Unfortunately, they decided not to go along with my icebreaker.
"Fine, you caught me, not cut out to be a spy man anyway. Call Professor Kouzuki, tell her it's about Alternative IV and the double 0 system." Seeing there was no need to continue wasting time, I gave them a direct request.
"Just who are you? You don't have an insignia on that uniform… what is your name?" The second soldier picked up the fact that I wasn't yet part of the military, both men tensed up noticeably at that discovery.
"Didn't the Professor order for anything related to her to be reported directly to her? Anyway, tell her I'm… errrm… ahhh… Minamoto Yoshitsune, you know, the guy that fought in Japan wars in history."
"Stay right here, don't do anything suspicious." After whispering something between themselves, the short mustached Asian man ran back to the booth while his dark-skinned friend cautiously watched my every move.
"You're looking at me, right?"
"Just don't move, you hear me?" Patience wasn't ever a virtue of mine, and these two not feeling a chat anymore only increased the boredom.
My feet hurt… I'm a bit thirsty… shit, why didn't I bring my wallet? I'm fucking retarded…
A few minutes later, the first fellow returned to us seemingly bearing good news to me as his expression was a mixture of annoyance and confusion.
"The Professor ordered for this man to be escorted to her office right away. Come with me." He gestured for me to tag along as we strolled away into the facility.
Yokohama Base, G−19 floor
Please no touch my butt… please no touch my butt. Pat-down after going through a metal-detector had always been the standard procedure for unregistered visitors to any UN base, didn't mean I enjoyed any second of it. Although it was still better than blood tests and digging into my ass, we saved that for actually suspicions visitors.
"This is the Professor's room." Eventually, our never-ending voyage had led me to the very doors that sheltered Yuuko-sensei's brilliance from being exposed to uncountable sets of prying eyes, that and her terrible sanitary habits of leaving shit piled up to the fucking ceiling.
"So should I like- knock… or—?" There was apparently no need for my worries, the automatic entrance opened itself and greeted my eyes to the absolute beauty which was Kouzuki Yuuko.
Standing relaxingly right at the dead centre of my sight, Yuuko-sensei met my gaze head-on as she studied my appearance impassively for however long she pleased. From my perspective, it had been a while since I last met sensei again; in a strange way, I missed this elegant lady and her fulfilling knockers.
"Thank you, Corporal. You are free to return to your duty now."
"Yes, ma'am." So my good buddy the escort man left with a clean salute to the Vice-Commander of Yokohama. Once the doors closed firmly behind us, I wasted no time finding the most comfortable spot on her sofa to sit while sensei walked back to her desk.
"Tell me, what is General Minamoto doing back with the living? Isn't there a stomach somewhere that he has to cut?"
"Jesus, he committed sudoku? I didn't even freaking know that! I really just picked a name at random, sorry." Nicely memed.
"Tell me your real name, young man. Or else you'll find that having an open stomach be the least of your problems." Yuuko-sensei ordered me in her serious tone, trying to gain an early upper hand in the mind games we were about to play. It was cute, points for effort.
"Is it so unbelievable that a person could come back from the dead? I mean- we're under attack by bug-like aliens after all, Yuuko-sensei."
"Sensei? I don't remember having any students."
"I do though, so just trust me, alright?"
"Sure, I'm not doubting you here, why don't you show me right now that trick of coming back to life? After I blow your brains out." Abruptly, that same-old USP 9 was drawn on me, in its own way, the pistol played a role in many of the turning points in my life.
As for Yuuko-sensei, she was really twisting her panties during this time-loop. Being stuck on a formula that could save humanity could be rather agonizing, but trying to shoot my face right off the bat was going a bit overboard.
"No please, don't hurt me… don't… hurt me…? ~What is love~!? Baby don't hurt me~! don't hurt me… no more~!" That was without a doubt the perfect opportunity for me to unleash my musical talents, yes, absolutely nailed it.
A not-even-remotely-entertained Yuuko-sensei kept staring daggers at me through her poker face. Eventually, I coughed up a part of the lyrics and the singing mood died with it. Although I was wondering as to why she haven't called the guards to take me away already.
"Alright Professor, let's get on the real topic here. I know that you are at present, stuck with your research on Alternative IV and the 00 unit." Her menacing glare was instantly shot my way stronger than ever. Reasonable, I too would be seriously angry if some random stranger learned one of the UN's biggest secrets.
"The problem you're currently having is that Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Causality theory you got won't do any good due to the physical limitation of the 00 unit. In other words, you are unable to get fifteen billion semiconductors to be the size of one's hand if I were to quote you."
"Nevertheless, no matter how small you try to squeeze the semiconductors they still won't function as intended if they must process the data at a fast enough pace."
I took a break in my explanation to discern Yuuko-sensei's fluctuating behaviour under the surface. By mere observation, it appeared as if none of what I said grabbed her attention in the slightest, but seeing through that fake mask of composure was one of my many boastful skills.
"…How do you know all this? What is your objective?"
"C'mon now. Let us finish the geek talk first."
I went ahead and grabbed a piece of paper off the floor along with a pen that was on the table. Remembering the labour of many hours I spent studying science equal to a Master's degree, I scribbled down some pretty smart looking formulas I forced myself to memorize.
Looks about right, please be right, brain.
"This… this is perfect…" Her expression of awe as she carefully read the content of my writing was worth every second I wasted on trying to be the next Albert Einstein. But that frightening scary scowl sensei shot my way after she finished was less so appreciated.
"I won't say this again, tell me how you learned this, right now." Her pistol was gripped intensely with two hands this time, the killing intent in this room was strong, and it almost became visible for a brief second.
"Hmm… no fun, huh? I see no point in continuing off on the wrong foot. Take me seriously and I'll explain everything to you. Know that I will never mean you any harm and I'm not with the alternative V guys in any way. But first, put down your silly gun and calmly listen to the best story you will ever hear."
After conflicting expressions representing her inner deliberation, sensei lowered her handgun and tossed it back to the many drawers of her desk.
"Alright, speak."
"I am the proof that your Quantum Causality theory holds true. My name is Shirogane Takeru. Feel free to check me up in the database, should have me marked as missing or ded." I paused for dramatic effect, as well as to give Yuuko-sensei the time to inspect my profile on her computer.
"The UN database here does say you died three years ago… you weren't joking about coming back to life then."
"No. The Shirogane in this world is still long dead. I'm different, I am Shirogane Takeru from a parallel universe where BETA doesn't even exist." It seemed that my firm attitude and serious mien was able to convince Yuuko-sensei that I was not batshit crazy.
"You know during the operation to retake the Yokohama hive, when they decided to drop Two G-bombs here and blown everything to kingdom come? The Shirogane in this world was affected by the G-element and after some high-level bioreaction or whatever I was made into a Causality Conductor across all universes." Yuuko-sensei kept her attention focused solely on me as I continued my story of the past.
"So on October 22, 2001. I was suddenly pulled into this world with no idea what happened. I wandered around the ruined city until I reached the place that was my school, then it turned out to be a military base."
"Fortunately, you, Yuuko-sensei from my first loop hooked me up with some high-level clearance and I helped you with whatever you wanted done. During my first time, I learned nothing about the Alternative plans until it was too late."
"December 25 was the due date and unfortunately that time, we couldn't hand in jackshit. So Alternative IV was scrapped and Alternative V began, which fucked up the world pretty good. I wasn't lucky enough to be the one percent, so I ended up fighting on this wasted planet and died."
The first half of my story came to an end. I paused for a QnA, but Yuuko-sensei had my heart-wrenching story all figured out.
"But you know, being the Causality Conductor and all the world just couldn't let me go. Therefore, I ended up waking up on the same date, today. Then I proceeded to continue my journey. After that, there is really not much to report. Seeing that I'm still here can only tell us one thing. Humanity is kinda pretty fucked."
So there, my story reached its subsequent conclusion. A breath-taking story if I did say so myself. Of course about over seventy percent of details were left out to avoid giving Yuuko-sensei any chance to find some plot holes, the best method of not being caught with a lie is to technically not lie.
"This is a very interesting story, Shirogane. But a more interesting story would be how you came up with all this disillusion." Well, that was just plain spiteful.
"I don't give a single shit if you trust my thing or not. While I do prefer if you believe me, the fact is I'll have my goal achieved no matter what happens."
"So then what is your objective, Mr. Causality Conductor? Trying to save this fucked up world?" Sensei spoke that sentence as if it was a joke, perhaps she was right, and in many ways, I knew she was right.
"Of course. For all these countless years I spent repeating the same hell, my only purpose is to bring this hell with me back above ground." I declared my intentions with such solid belief that I didn't think Yuuko-sensei would have any doubt.
"That is a nice goal, Shirogane. But let's talk seriously here. As a scientist I need to see proof, or else you can be just some crazy kid off the street that somehow got his hands on international secrets." Yuuko asked me for evidence of my fable.
"I could tell you your three sizes, Professor. But I like for you to think of that as my abilities instead."
"To know the three sizes of a female just by looking?"
"A very special ability, right?"
"Sure, lay it on me, give me my numbers."
"Alright, I was lying." She got me good, 10/10 did not expect.
"…Literally zero dedication, what're you, the French?"
"Ah- ahahaha! Fucking nice! Damn those jokes are what you're known for Yuuko-sensei, I missed you… you know? In all seriousness, I will show you some fruit of my effort in the form of TSF piloting skills as proof. Know that there is no better pilot than me."
"Such heavy words for you to casually throw out. Come on then, I will have a simulation set up right away." It was strange enough for sensei to trust me by this much already, but I was not one to complain about progress.
Kouzuki Yuuko
Simulation Chamber
Yuuko never thought of herself as anything less than a genius in the field of physics, especially in her original theory of Quantum Causality. So when someday a man that claimed to be the walking proof of her very theory appeared right in front of her. She should be deeply excited and moved; should.
Yuuko couldn't say that she was highly fond of the person who constantly had a smug smile pasted directly onto his face. He served to remind her of another specific individual who also enjoyed harassing her at all times across multiple occasions.
Nevertheless, this Shirogane Takeru seemed to view himself as some sort of all capable being trying to become the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Even though Yuuko wouldn't deny that in the current situation of this world, they were really in need of a saviour.
Speaking of her new guest, Shirogane sauntered coolly out of the changing room, now wearing the standard officer's fortified suit. Checking once more with the workers on site, he boarded the simulator that Yuuko went out of her way to set up specifically for him. After strapping himself in, the young adult tested his connection to the control room.
"—CP, you reading me here? This thing ain't broken, right? Don't embarrass yourself and the maintenance crew, Professor!" His obnoxious voice echoed in Yuuko's ear, causing another mild headache for the self-proclaimed genius scientist.
"—Yeah… I read you, Shirogane. Which course do you want me to throw at you? Know that anything below Combat A-3 will earn you a ticket straight to the detention cells."
"I haven't done this in so long I can't remember how we rank the difficulties, just like- do the hardest one, I guess." His simplified statement of confidence sat quite well with Yuuko.
"Alright, this is Advanced Combat Training Program Y-4. Your mission is to infiltrate a hostile camp located on the top of a mountain. The Bandits on site consist of twenty Type-77 Gekishins, twenty Type-82 Zuikakus, ten Type-94 Shiranuis and five Type-00 Takemikazuchis. Your mission will be completed when all hostile units have been eliminated. The best time so far is twenty-nine minutes and thirty-three seconds. Good luck."
Closing her sentence with a regular report of highest score and unusual cheer for the combatant, Yuuko boosted up the simulation by the humble click of a button. If Shirogane was every bit as good as he swanked to be, the results she would see should provide a good source of amusement.
—
"—Oh, yo, boss! Can I have a callsign or something?" As the simulation loaded in the background, Shirogane demanded to be named for his troubles.
"—How about Dumbass-1, you can be the only member."
"~Ahahaha! Sure, sure, I had worse. Doesn't say much about your creativity though, Professor! Anyway, Dumbass-1 to CP. ETA thirty seconds, all systems green, ready for launch. Requesting permission to engage."
Not too sure if she could afford to join his tempo, Yuuko restricted herself from offering Shirogane a response. As for his loadout, the apparently veteran Eishi asked for Strike Vanguard, not an uncommon set of equipment to run in the field. Two rifles, two swords, and two knives would do right at the hands of any skillful pilots.
"Come on now, Yuuko-sensei. Work with me here. You are making me embarrassed if you don't cooperate." Tiredly, Yuuko sighed, but thinking it as an occasion to insult her arrogant newcomer, she collaborated with Shirogane's nonsense.
"CP to Dumbass-1, use of lethal force is authorized, weapons free, you're clear to engage all Bandits."
"Copy that. Dumbass-1 launching." Shirogane's loud giggle resonated within the control room as Yuuko exhaled again, wondering the reason for his childlike behaviour.
—
"—Just as they teach in marketing, the basic strat to TSF combat is see, think, do; as in I see two 77s who just rocket boosted to my three, think that their AI don't have the computing power to acquire me in time after making the calculations for that jump, and do- that's shooting them down with two bursts of 36mm!"
Regardless of her personal opinion on this bizarre Eishi, Yuuko couldn't possibly avoid the undeniable truth threatening to slam into her face. Shirogane unquestionably was in a league of his own as an ace pilot, never before in life had Yuuko witness such prowess at mastering the mechanical craft while also donating some insight to his thought process as he miraculously demolished the AI fighters.
"Alright people, just to remind you guys. This has just been declared as a top-secret simulation recording. Leaking any information will result in appropriate punishment." The scientist had to make sure no one would catch wind of this ultimate trump card that just happened to fall graciously into her laps.
"People are dead, okay!? Mission success, CP! Dumbass-1 is gonna pop outta here now, cool!?" Shirogane joyfully hopped onto the hallway underneath once Yuuko released him from the simulation pod. His cheerful attitude was well earned, and as much as she hated admitting it; his egotistic personality was well deserved.
"Let's see his scores." After signalling Shirogane to change and meet Yuuko in her office, she pensively watched his footage again.
"Overall results are as follows. Time taken: seventeen minutes and five seconds. Accuracy: seventy-seven percent. Damage taken: four percent. Overall performance rating: one hundred and six percent."
"That's a new record for us?"
"That's a new world record… ma'am."
"Yeah… I got a feeling we're going into a new world."
Shirogane Takeru
Kouzuki Yuuko's office
"Was the old record by someone in A-01?" I asked out of mere curiosity. Yuuko-sensei shot me a glance but winded up answering anyway.
"Yeah, I think damage percent was twenty-five and overall was seventy-three, time was what I said earlier."
"Valkyries' Storm Vanguard One did that?" Her gaze was filled with skepticism, but whether sensei answered or not really wasn't a concern.
"Yup, I suppose Hayase is a bit famous."
"Doesn't matter, kids! Me'sa top pilot, Hayase a shit!" Maybe my fondness of parody wasn't similar to sensei's viewpoint on comedy.
"Well Shirogane, that record is probably gonna stay there for a good couple of years until the next generation of TSFs come along… or I get another you to break it. So congratulations I guess. Although I don't think there is a reason for you to be overjoyed. This just creates more work for me, having to classify your information."
Yuuko-sensei loosened herself unto her office chair, shifting her weight backwards as she leisurely typed away on her computer. Although I often found her glance switching back to me, a triumphant smirk never departing from her lips.
"So are you willing to believe my story now, Yuuko-sensei?" I asked a straight question instead of throwing any more curve balls.
"Look here, Shirogane. What you just proved to me was that you may be the single best Eishi in this world right now. But is that because your decades spent traveling through time or some other crazy reason I still don't know. I can't fully believe your time traveling story as of yet, also you have done nothing to proof that you aren't an anti-Alternative IV agent." Sensei made some good points against me, logical thinking had always been her forte.
Besides, it wasn't like I didn't want to tell Yuuko about the details and backstories to what happened, I just wanted to try to convince her with only my words. For the pure blissful sensation of me winning an argument with this mad scientist, which wouldn't be a thing of reality anytime soon.
"Here sensei, I know you have difficulties with trusting my tale of time travel and the ridiculous stuff that's coming out of my mouth. But at the very least I need you to understand my only purpose all this time is to save this world and the people who I care about." I tried my hardest to convince Yuuko-sensei of my honest feelings, something I hadn't done in a long time.
"Your words sound very nice indeed… but still, showing me proof would help your case immensely." The stalemate presented no signs of ever stopping. At this point, I was getting bored of trying to persuade her with only my talk.
"In all honestly. Yuuko-sensei, you need me way more than I need you. But it's not like I really have that much secrets to hide. How about this, Why don't you just call Kasumi over and get her to testify for me."
Yuuko-sensei didn't even attempt to fake uneasiness by my mention of Kasumi. She simply took another hard glare at me as always before reaching for the phone.
"So… you know about her too? Why didn't you mention her beforehand?"
"I believe the proper question is why you didn't?"
"Shit… you're right, she was next door this whole time, could've called whenever."
"It's fine, we all forget stuff."
Fucking idiot, dumb booty bimbo.
"-Takeru-san, that's not a nice thing to think about the Professor." By the swooshing sound of her office's door sliding open, my favourite bunny girl of them all made her appearance.
Yashiro Kasumi, the emotionless Russian loli whose face is almost a still frame of a never changing expression, and whose age is a matter of national security- quite literally, actually, as my arrest would most likely result in Japan being overrun by them aliens.
Still, she was the cutie that always remained by Sumika's side, and mine too; after somehow being able to retain her memories following the reset of my world. She was precious to me, in so many ways I couldn't describe.
"Knew you'll pick that up, girl. Tell her what I thought."
"No." Instant rejection, never felt good.
"Yashiro, you know this man?" Unaffected by our internal talk, Yuuko-sensei pushed for the topic to be in her favour.
"Yes."
"Where do you know him from?"
"Takeru-san arrives every time to help with the development of Alternative IV and the 00 unit." Kasumi gave a positive answer, which was also fortunately the truth.
"How many times have you met him?" A little pause before she spoke again.
Don't give sensei too many details, Kasumi. I will explain when the time is right. Focusing on one single sentence, I was confident Kasumi could notice my message.
"Okay." It was always wonderful how my girl was so cooperative, but more helpful was how she learned to respond to my comments with an understandable reply.
"I can't remember exactly how many times we've met. It looked to be every time the loop resets I receive all the information from the past loops on October 22, 2001." I happily deemed her answer satisfactorily.
"So is it true that this man is a time traveller?"
"Yes."
"Has he ever betrayed the UN as far as you know?"
"No."
"Alright then, Yashiro. Thank you for your time, you can go now." Yuuko-sensei sent her off with a rare genuine smile.
"Good one, Kasumi. I will drop by later to talk again, okay? Also sorry for wasting your time when you were so busy doing nothing." Might as well let her go with a joke.
"It's alright Takeru-san, I will see you then." Kasumi proceeded to walk out the room as she finished her statement, I had a hard time believing my gag just went over her head.
Whoosh!
"Nice wave noise, Takeru-san." This kid was unbelievable, literally zero sense of humour.
"Shirogane, you know how time is money?"
"Sure."
"Then you know how you're seriously indebted to me right now for wasting so much of my money?"
"Nah, don't be such a gold digger, sensei. Now that you no longer doubt me, let's get down to business." I offered, completely ignoring the fact that I blew almost two hours with meaningless talks and activities, albeit intelligent talks and compelling activities.
"Haa… go ahead and tell me what you want, Shirogane. I hope working with you will get us both what we want."
"I've a few requests that're all within your capabilities, sensei. First, I want to be placed as a member of the 207 training squad and be given the free room down that hallway next to the rest of the cadets."
"Ohh, wanting to go back into the cadets, Shirogane? Won't you be more useful if you joined the Special Task Force instead?" A very much valid point, however no employment position could demand twenty-four hours of work, I hoped.
"That wouldn't be a bad idea, but I prefer to be with my girls, they are the ones who are most important to me in any case. You can call me if you have a mission that only someone of my skills can take care of, don't be shy." Yuuko-sensei uncaringly nodded.
"Second, I want full clearance to access all components of this base. Also, a pass that allows me to avoid all security checkpoints under control by the UN." This was also part of the usual. Being forced through a checkpoint was such a pain in the ass, so was having an actual pain up my ass.
"How unreasonable, Shirogane. But I understand, I'll hand you a pass that lets you go anywhere no questions asked."
"One last thing. I want to be promoted to First Lieutenant. Being a cadet can be a cover or something. Promise I won't boss dudes around for fun, I just need it in case some shit goes down that can't be talked out of. Backstory and whatever is on you, sensei. I know that's the highest rank you are authorized to give out, so… gimme- gimme!" This time I was just shamelessly demanding a promotion.
"I guess that is to be accepted from someone of your caliber. Honestly though, it'll be nice to have the General to promote you straight to Captain and working personally for me. But I know that you have other plans, I'll handle all the paperwork and procedure necessary for your promotion. It won't be very useful to you as long as you don't blow your own cover. Have fun with it, I suppose."
Again, Yuuko-sensei easily acknowledged another unreasonable demand. She didn't give off the impression of being bothered by what I insisted on in the slightest. So I guess we were golden on that front. Being the vice commander probably left her with much unused authority.
"That'll be all for now. Although I'll be borrowing Kasumi from time to time, but it's not like I'm going to force her hand so don't worry. Let's hear yours then, sensei."
"You should know the only thing that I need. The finished Quantum Causality theory, we're all just circle jerking here without it. I'd also like information on the future, however since I don't know what could happen I will trust that you, Shirogane shall inform me of the critical information."
"I shall do just that, sensei! For example, if you finish the 00 unit with the current theory she'll need to be connected to that reactor every forty-two hours, was it?" Sumika's information leaking problem was easily the biggest issue with her. Preventing our knowledge from becoming their knowledge was a good direction to go if we wanted victory.
"Depends on the coolant and the state of her processor. But yeah, it will be around that time period."
"Well, connecting the 00 unit to the reactor is a big no-no. The knowledge that she possesses will be transferred to the BETA Hivemind, the Kashgar Hive's reactor. The BETA reactors share all the information they learn with the Kashgar reactor, then that information is distributed to all other Hives on this planet."
"No shit… we had a couple of theories on BETA's intelligence gathering, that structure was one of the proposals."
"Lucky for you; I, being the great all-knowing time traveller already have the solution to this problem. I'll come by later and give you the improved theory." Running my mouth like some kind of genius, there was no way I'd tell her that it was Yuuko-sensei who came up with the solution after two dozen loops.
"So the reactor acts just like any BETA, we thought it was only a computing device. Thanks for the help. I look forward to working with you from now on, Shirogane Takeru. Here, full clearance for this base. Go to meet your squad after you've settled your things in your room. I will be waiting for the new theory 'the other me' wrote."
Yuuko-sensei's condescending grin she hid under her normal grin devilishly exposed itself as I lost the proper words to retort.
"Damn, woman… looking forward to working with you."
Kouzuki Yuuko
Yuuko scanned around her peaceful office after the proud Shirogane made his departure. Recalling that way that young man spoke and acted, being so easygoing and laid-back when he had the skills to destroy an entire division of BETA without breaking a sweat.
He was an intriguing asset, there was no doubt about that.
"Well, I guess it's called Deja-vu because people don't know when they first experienced it." Yuuko reminded herself as she worked to fulfill the young man's request.
—
Updated on 28/05/2017
Author's note
This is my first story posted here, I chose Muv-Luv because this is the game that was the most impactful out of anything else I ever played, visual novel wise. If you happen to be reading this, I would assume you have already played or know the visual novel's storyline. And you also know the terms used in the game and will be used in this fic. My grammar and writing style may not be the best, but I hope to overcome that weakness with good storytelling and intriguing plot. Thank you and please enjoy.
As you should know, Muv-Luv and all of its characters are owned by age. Who developed the amazing rUGP engine which is too strong for my computer...
Anyway, this is a generic fan-fic which Takeru goes back in time, like all the other fan-fic out there. So I do apologize for the repetitiveness. English isn't even my second language so I will again apologize for the some of the mistakes in this story I couldn't catch. If you have any criticism please write a constructed review and let me know. I hereby thank all of you for reading and until next time.
BETA done by chad001