PROLOGUE

1967… Somewhere at an airbase in Southern Baltland… 0018 hours…

Erica was being stirred awake for some reason in her messy side of hers, Gertrude's and Chris's room. She never had to be disturbed after some time, only when things got really kinky with her and Gertrude that night with Chris as the helper. This time, it was different as the way she's being shook up was somehow a little harder than soft. "Hnn… Five minutes, Trudy… Five minutes."

"Idiot." Erica's eyes bolted up and faced the blonde witch now standing near her bed, with her usual glasses to suit. Her arms were crossed. "You wouldn't recognize your own sister, Bubi."

"Ursula…?"

"Then again, maybe it's a coincidence you don't wake up in Trudy's case at all just because you really feel lazy around her. Stupid."

"Eh… Ursula?"

"What is it? Want to confess, Erica?"

"Okay, okay! I get it! Just keep it down!" Erica hushed to a whisper and looked seriously at Ursula. "The real question is… what are you doing here?"

Ursula frowned when she was asked that question. She glanced away for a while. 'Great. Now Erica hates me, or something.'

And the younger sister noticed the silence. "What's up with being silent all of a sudden?" And without receiving a single answer, Ursula just lifted the cover. "Hey!" Ursula then got on the bed and lied down beside Erica suddenly before pulling the cover over them. This made Erica feel embarrassed. "Um… Sis? Is it really okay if we do this?"

The researcher took off her glasses and places them aside. "What? Can't handle your older sister?"

"Eh… You're just a few months older than I am."

"I know. Weird as a twin, right? Ufufu…" Ursula's chuckle just made Erica nervous.

"Hey, sis… Are you okay?"

"I am."

"You're not. You're just… sad."

And Ursula sighed. 'It's her deal now?' "I don't feel like I want to answer that."

"Come on. Can't answer me still?"

"Don't push your luck." Ursula got her eyes to look away just to avoid the conversation. "Honestly, you have a small bed. Plus… You're just in your undergarments."

"Want me to be in PJ's? Not happening. I'm flying and I gotta be alert, and just wearing a uniform would do."

"Oh yeah. My little sister wears panties and a tight bra just to fly."

"Hey… not necessarily."

"Please. You like this. You even lost underwear and stole someone else's just before that awarding ceremony took place in dover. You're a natural."

This made Erica more embarrassed. "T-T-That's NOT what happened!"

"Don't lie to me. Lucchini and Perrine told me."

"When did they ever talk?!"

"THEY ALWAYS talk about you. Sheesh." She sighed and decided to look at her sister. "Look… I'm sorry. But it's related to work."

"It's always related to work, and it's just about stress."

"Erica, all you ever think about is stress. Can you think that people think a little more than that? I do."

"Ya gotta take a break, you know."

"I know." Usrula chuckled. "It's funny. For a lazy sister, I didn't know she cared."

"Hey… I do too!"

"Look… Maybe I can talk about it, but this isn't a good time. I just wanted to… lie down with you, like the old days before we got separated. We always get caught up in duties and other stuff. When do we have the real life settling in us, huh?"

"Good point, sis."

"Hey… Erica?"

"Yeah?"

"Is… someone watching us?" Ursula asked because of the shadows over both of them.

And as Erica looked at the figures… "Um… sis… I think you should leave."

Normally, Ursula would just look around, but she knew Erica's blush was feeling a little weird to her. Plus, when she looked down, she noticed Erica was getting bigger. "Sis… How did you get big?"

"Ehem…" Gertrude's throat clearing gets Ursula's attention.

"Oh! Um… Captain. And… Chris?"

"Surprise, surprise," Chris said with a grin.

And Trude's eyebrow was raised the whole time. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. And you? You're only wearing your underwear with Chris."

"I got no excuse. What's yours?"

"Sheesh… I'm just lying down with Erica. What's the problem with that? If you think this is incest, you're terribly wrong. But with the way you dress, I think it might."

"W-What?!" Trude pouted. "That's not!"

"Don't be embarrassed either. Some girls tend to be that way."

"As a soldier of Karlsland, uugh!" Trude was nudged by Chris at her hip. She glanced at Chris for a while, then back to Ursula. "Whatever. You have your quarters to be in."

"I know. I have my quarters to share with Peter."

"Excuse me?!"

"You heard me." Ursula sighed before she lifted the cover and got off Erica's bed. "Alright, alright. I'm going already. Incest benefiting…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Ursula then walked away and left the room.

Trude saw and heard the door slam shut while putting her hands on her waists. "Sheesh, that girl." And she glanced at Erica, who seems to be glaring at her. "What? You have a problem?!"

"Trudy…"

"WHAT?!"

"I'm just gonna sleep in the morning too. And I'll be hard as a rock this time. Hmph." Erica rolled her eyes in irritation before lying back down and easily falling back to sleep.

Chris just looked with Trude before she nudged Trude again. "Consolation enough, big sis." And with a laugh, Chris went first to leave through the Siegfried line, with Gertrude following suit.

"Tch…"

The next morning… 0618 hours…

Ursula felt the cold morning just as the sun was rising a little earlier than usual. She knew the walk towards the experimental aircraft hangar was easy and it was only common that she herself would be around and not other people. That morning was different, as she was seeing Tyler in his pants and undershirt doing push-ups. He even has a face towel to really tell he was sweating. As she examined him, she thought and saw that he really was sweating. She didn't mind it and kept walking when… "Doc?"

She stopped and turned around to see Tyler get up from his pushup position. "Seriously, you still call me that?"

"So?" Tyler wiped himself from his sweat.

"Maybe it won't matter. Crap."

"What's up?"

"Nothing."

"Oh? If it's about Kelvin's call, I know too."

And she looked at him with her eyes a little widened. "Oh. So…"

"Yeah. It's bugging me too. I mean… Anthony Reagan?"

"Hmm…"

"What's up?"

"At least… At least it adds up."

"What about? Come on. Tell me something."

"I'm talking about Dr. Dietrich.""

"Wait… That former Nazi scientist? What is he…?"

"Yes. Dr. Karl Dietrich. Actually…"

"He's the cousin of Minna's father. Exactly."

"I'm sure you're wondering why his name came up suddenly. Want to know?"

"Eh… All I know is that he died together with Doc Miyafuji."

"Apparently, Kelvin didn't tell you. I'm telling you here in his request." Ursula found a seat for him. "Don't mind?" And he shook his head in response. "Suit yourself." And she sat on that seat while Tyler remained standing. She continued. "Dr. Dietrich was actually known to be a successful scientist, then was also a primary rocket-man and astrophysicist. Basically, he was the reason why advanced V-4's were around but were actually scrapped thanks to the extra preparations that had to be made for it. It was something that was simply a little too advanced during Karlsland's Nazi regime. Even at about 10 years later, he believes the results of progress belongs not to the wrong hands but those who truly knows the specs top to bottom. During his time with Dr. Miyafuji, the two of them were making an experimental but also a weaponized striker unit that is supposed to be the most agile of all striker units. It's codenamed… X-Five-Two. I'm telling you this as you know intelligence goes a long way. Kelvin told me some things about it too, and it's definitely something legitimate. Apparently, his death was faked."

"Excuse…?! What?!"

"It's true. You see… that attack made against Dr. Miyafuji by the Neuroi, isn't exactly by the Neuroi. The whole time… The top brass and League Intelligence knew… They were chasing a terrorist."

"No…"

"Dietrich assigned men once under the Reich and it's rather not supposed to happen, except he was able to make contact with the deeper and hidden organizations in the burrows of the old Karlsland just before it happened. The whole thing was staged. He took men into Brittannia and killed Dr. Miyafuji."

"Oh shit…"

"I'm not finished. X-Five-Two was never destroyed. It was taken. Karl Dietrich took it together with his men to secure it for themselves."

"When did you know?"

"I knew… before I left Neue Karlsland, the old Bruruil, for League Intelligence."

"And he never even…"

"Don't blame him, Tyler!"

"I get it, I get it. Not the point. But Yoshika…"

"She must never know."

"What the hell?!"

"Look… Listen to me first. Kelvin called last night about something else though. Anthony Reagan hidden a transcript through the use of magic papyrus paper. It's only a good thing it wasn't disposed by fire. Actually, that's how Kelvin was able to learn of the truth. The papyrus paper itself was able to show a hidden message through heat. You see, Kelvin was able to uncover that message by placing it over a candle. Anyway… If I'm right, it read something about making use of the dark magic. It was what I was researching back at Neue Karlsland. And guess who it's from: Karl Dietrich himself. That's right. That bastard used me the whole time and I was so pissed off when a terrorist almost got to my research. If I would have told Reagan I was already done, Dietrich would have sent men to kill me, but it wasn't finished at all."

"Lucky."

"I am… But things would be more interesting. Eyewitnesses got a glimpse of a flown advanced striker unit in a farmland in Orussia Major by an unknown witch for some reason… and it appears to have the same appearance as that of the X-Five-Two. A day later, the farmland was searched by the Soviet Socialist Intelligence Bureau and they found a liquid residue of dark magic in a barn, which doesn't make sense at all. Dark magic shouldn't be made liquid… unless someone was able to synthesize and…"

"Whoa, whoa… That's enough. Shit… When was the report made?"

"That was a week ago, Tyler. He figured he needed to tell me. Whatever powered that striker could have been… well… that liquid residue of dark magic got me thinking it was used as oil, or maybe fuel for the X-Five-Two."

"So you believe the intel is solid?"

"It has to be! Dr. Miyafuji only told me a little about the X-Five-Two, you know! I'm not informed about the whole thing since it's classified. If Kelvin has something else…"

"Hey… He's an agent like me. He doesn't have unrestricted access to information."

"Okay. You're right."

"Why tell me, though?"

"I told you because I need to trust you. Nobody else must know, well… at least the fact the X-Five-Two is actually working and is still unknown at where it is."

"Minna."

"Right. Wing commanders are more informed about this. And I'm sure she has her own ways of knowing, and it's obviously from the top brass."

"You really trust me on this?"

"I do, Tyler. I thought I'd tell you in case things might get cranky."

"So… let me get this straight… Reagan worked for Dietrich. Dietrich was the one responsible for stealing the X-Five-Two striker unit. Then it's only seen about a week ago at a farm. Sounds like Dietrich is quite the man to be infamous after all. And for him to get Doc Ichiro killed…"

"Don't tell this to anyone… especially Yoshika. She'll really start seeking revenge on Dietrich and she'll go out of control."

"Sure thing, Ursula."

Ursula smiled and stood up. "Thanks. You can go, Tyler. I'll be here the whole morning." And Tyler only nodded before he left for the hangar exit.

But as he went outside, he immediately saw Vera just outside the hangar. He walked to her, seeming suspicious. "Vera, what are you doing here?"

"It's okay, Master."

"What's okay?"

"I heard the whole thing."

"Heard what?"

Vera giggled. "I'm not going to say anything. Like I told you… Anything you want, right?"

This made him blush a little. "I hate it when you put it at that idea, but okay."

"So… a terrorist is loose, and holds a weapon so dangerous."

"Yeah, but you shouldn't tell it to Yoshika, since her father's a researcher, and was killed by that same man."

"Still… I hope it doesn't get to enemy hands."

"The Red Neuroi?"

"You see… once they're able to Neurify equipment or other machines, it becomes theirs as long as they want to hold them. If Zelian would hold something so dangerous…"

"Let's hope she doesn't." Tyler put a hand on Vera's shoulder.

"Thanks, Master. My lips are sealed."

"And it's strictly that way. Come on. Want another one?" Tyler started walking and Vera followed from behind.

"Oooh… You're aggressive. Okay then!" She happily followed him, excited on their next… fun.

Yoshika saw them pass by while being against a side wall belonging to the experimental aircraft hangar. Her eyes started to tear up and she closed up, letting her her left hand spread on the metallic wall. She sobbed for a while, but was somehow quiet while doing so. It was until she was slowly feeling her rage climb that she started to easily scratch the metal along with its paint being scraped off by her nails. "Karl… Dietrich…" She clearly opened her eyes, showing her red eyes from her Magic Overload Status. Her rage somehow maintained at that and didn't move, but she knew her anger at him would never disappear. "You killed my father… One day… You'll get your death… on my hands. I swear it."