This one starts off slow & sweet, and then BOOM! Seriousness!

The minor wait was partly due to a little writer's block, partly because I have recently acquired Pokémon White Version 2, and partly due to the dramarama caused by my ATM card being stolen, which I only discovered after someone had gone on a $250 shopping spree with it.

SEE FIRST CHAPTER FOR DISCLAIMERS

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGE

-CHAPTER START-

Four Weeks After Nanoha & Teana's Reconciliation

7:30 AM

Teana slowly opened her eyes, waking up in a soft, warm, and very comfortable position. She took a slow, deep breath and relaxed, eyes closing as she recalled the highlights of the past month.

Teana's training method – well, actually the Spartans', also used by some shinobi – had been introduced to Hayate, the Instructors, and the Forwards, and the past few weeks had already seen the beginnings of noticeable change. They had all already learned what their elemental affinities were (well, it had already been obvious what Fate's, Signum's, and Erio's were), and had started the basics of chakra manipulation and the Vetus system of magic. Nanoha had taken to chakra manipulation like a duck to water, helped along by her prior knowledge; she already had a decent list of jutsu, and word had it that she'd recently forged a Summoning Contract (though with what type of summon, Teana did not yet know). Also, it turned out the Nanoha's chakra reserves were almost as big as Teana's (and her basic training with its manipulation courtesy of her family's style had prevented it from interfering with her ability to channel mana, unlike Teana). Hayate was making a point of learning small-scale spells and jutsu so she had something other than "tactical nuke" in terms of attacks.

Gamma Team and the Starshot's passengers did some training as well. Nanoha, Fate, Signum, and Vita were able to help the girls of Gamma iron out a few kinks and learn a couple new moves, while the people Gamma had picked up in the last three worlds kicked their training up (in particular, Asa, Keiichi, Satoshi, and Erika & Timmy were putting the most time & effort into getting stronger and more skilled).

Mai and Shamal got along really well with each other, as did Sarah & Vita, Sarah & Fate, Marie & Subaru, Kaede & Fate, and Signum & Erohn. Vivio had become very close with Erika, who in turn loved doting on and playing with her new surrogate little-sister figure, becoming rather attached to the little 5-year-old. Chen S'Yar was already in talks with the Bureau about setting up a trade system between the TSAB and the Sangheili- and neutral-allied Kig-Yar clans, though it would require the word of the clan patriarchs & matriarchs to make it official. The Sangheili and the Protoss, tall and imposing as they were, made quite the sight wherever they showed up, but the locals were slowly getting used to them. And the Huragok, with their unique capabilities, quickly became a welcome sight wherever they showed up.

Teana & Nanoha had continued mending their relationship, and had gotten to the point where, if pressed, Teana would (slightly begrudgingly) refer to Nanoha as a friend again. Subaru, however, was still rather cross with Takamachi, and likely would be for quite some time.

An interesting thing to note about Midchildan society is that, while it's not exactly advertised, and is looked down upon by some stuck-up old folks or immigrants from different-morals colonies, polyamory – having more than one open and long-term lover, with said lovers in some cases also 'being with' each other – was technically legal and generally tolerated (though polygamy – actually marrying more than one person – was still a little more of a gray area in most cases). Nanoha, Fate, and Yūno had been "sharing each other" for a few years now, with Fate & Signum occasionally getting together and "working off stress" with Nanoha & Yūno's full knowledge and acceptance (though Signum had yet to accept any of Nanoha's offers to take part in a three- or foursome).

It was this fact that had led to Teana's current position: laying on her side in bed, held close in Subaru's arms, while Marie was pressed close against Teana's back, holding onto her, and Kaede in turn was spooning against Marie, one hand resting on Marie's belly and the other on Teana's side. Teana surmised that right now, Shion, Satoshi, Mai, and Kizuna were probably in the same bed as well, Erika & Timmy were curled up with each other in their shared bed (they hadn't done that yet; it was innocent snuggling… though Erika had recently gotten comfortable enough around Timmy to go topless in his presence, so long as nobody else was around), poor Ahsoka was probably clinging to a pillow and missing Negi & Nodoka, and… Huh. Now that she thought about it, she didn't even know what Sarah's sexual orientation was (though Teana suspected her to be bi), much less whether or not she had ever 'gotten with' anyone in her life (supposedly, she once had a boyfriend named Mark whom she offered 'second base' to, only for the horny idiot to try to 'steal home', resulting in the break-up of the relationship); she'd been hanging out with both Ginga and Vice lately, though, which could be support for Teana's theory (or maybe Teana was just seeing things that weren't really there; she just couldn't be sure at the moment).

Suddenly, Teana felt a feather-light kiss on the back of her neck, followed by a shifting of the grip of the now-awake Marie. Teana closed her eyes and leaned back, allowing the other girl to nuzzle the back of her head. When she opened her eyes, it was just in time to catch a now-awake Subaru start to kiss her. The redhead let out a content little moan as Subaru claimed her mouth, feeling Marie's hands on her belly being joined by one of Kaede's hands, slowly moving around, and Teana could feel Kaede's other hand sandwiched between her back and Marie's stomach, doing the same to the latter. After about half a minute, Subaru broke the lip contact, though still held her close. The four girls snuggled closer together.

"Can we stay like this for a bit before we get up?" Kaede asked.

"I don't see why not" Teana replied with a content smile. "Though, as much as I'd love it, we can't stay in bed all day. We've got that function at Bureau Army HQ tonight that we have to attend as security."

"Right" Marie said. "Standing outside in the cold for hours, looking out for trouble in the one-in-thousand chance it'll show up, while the big-wigs and officers have their fancy soiree inside… So I want to enjoy you girls' body warmth as much as I can to offset that."

"And we'll all be in uniform," Subaru said in a pouting tone, "so I won't get to see Tia & Marie in their tuxes… So unfair…"

"Hopefully, we won't have a repeat of the last time we went to a fancy get-together" Teana said, remembering the Governor's Ball in New Ostia, and the three-way clusterfuck it had become.

"I dunno," Marie said, "I actually kinda hope something'll happen. Otherwise it'll be one unbearably boring night. Right, Boss?"

"I guess so" Teana replied. "And Marie… You can… call me Tia, if you want. You too, Kaede."

"Congratulations, you two" Subaru said with a hint of mirth. "You're now part of an exclusive club; Teana has only ever let me, Gin-nee, and her big brother call her Tia."

"And Jorge," Teana added, "because he was like a father to me. And Sarah, because she's my semi-unofficial, not-by-blood cool big sister. And I think I'd be okay with Erika or Erio using it."

"My point remains" the blue-haired girl replied. "It's a rare privilege."

Kaede giggled. "I'll be sure to live up to the honor, Tia."

"As will I" Marie said.

-SCENE BREAK-

One Hour Later

Erio fidgeted lightly as he felt the warm water rushing down his back courtesy of Fate. The motherly blonde and her slightly-younger counterpart Sarah (though Sarah was noticeably more tomboyish, her & Fate were otherwise so alike it was almost unnerving) had dragged him, Caro, Timmy, & Erika all into the same good-sized bathing room to all wash up (and be washed up by the doting older girls) at pretty much the same time – "bathtub bonding", Fate called it. To Fate, it was spending time with the two kids she'd taken in and saved from their lonely pasts, along with two of their new friends.

To Erio, it was being naked in the same room as four naked girls and an equally-nude other boy (why that last bit affected Erio, he had no idea). His face was as red as his hair as every time he tried to avert his eyes from one of the girls' beautiful bodies, he ended up looking at another one. Needless to say, he very carefully kept his hands held in his lap to keep his modesty hidden. Timmy looked to be in much the same state, while Erika & Caro looked noticeably shy at the situation as well (though Erio swore he saw Caro give him a bashful smile after catching him looking at her at one point).

At the same time, Fate & Sarah were having a private telepathic conversation of sorts.

'They seem to have enjoyed this, when it comes down to it' Fate sent as she helped Caro out of the bathtub.

'You could say that' Sarah replied with a little smirk as she began towel-drying Erika off. 'I've caught Caro staring at Erio's butt a couple times. And Timmy's. And Erika's. And I think Erio appreciated the accidental eyeful of your breasts more than he tells himself he did.'

'Oh dear. Well, these four are starting to reach that age, aren't they?'

'It seems so. Anyway, I'm gonna dry Timmy off and then I'll take him & Erika to the dressing room. We'll wait for you three there.'

As the younger blonde got up and walked over to the black-haired boy (her hips swaying slightly as she walked, causing his & Erio's faces to flush as they then averted their eyes), Erika's own mind was wandering.

'This is all s-so embarrassing' the black-haired girl thought, green eyes wide and face a tad red as she looked around the room. 'T-Though it isn't all bad, I guess. …Wow, Erio's body looks so lean and toned and… muscular… Ah! W-What am I thinking?-! Timmy's my number one! With his… soft hands and his smooth tummy with just a hint of muscle under it and his… his… Wow~… Gah! W-Why am I staring at that part of him?-! Sure, I was gonna see it eventually, but WHAT DID I JUST THINK?-! Okay, okay, look away, look at… Gosh, Caro's cute. And she's got soft-looking lips and such a cute, tight little bu-WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?-!'

And then a hand fell upon her shoulder.

"Eeeeeep!-!"

Sarah's sudden interrupting of her little sister's thoughts caused the girl to practically leap up, hand to her chest.

"S-S-Sarah!" she said, a tad indignantly.

"Sorry, kiddo. Didn't think you were that deep in your thoughts. …Must've been a rather interesting train of thought you were riding."

At this, the girl's face went beet-red and she let out a little squeak, unable to form words at the moment. Timmy stood at Sarah's side, wrapped in a towel. Erika stood up… and her towel came undone, falling to the floor. For several seconds, neither kid moved, though their faces went even redder. Then, slowly, Timmy bent over, picked up Erika's towel, and wrapped it around her. Erika squeaked out a barely-audible "Thank you", and the two followed Sarah to the nearby dressing room.

'Interesting train of thought you were riding… You were riding… Riding…'

Unbidden and without warning, a very risqué handful of mental images popped into Erika's mind, involving her, Timmy, Erio, and Caro doing things together. Her blush became positively luminescent, she let out a shuddering gasp, and she then shook her head frantically, trying to shove those thoughts away.

"Something wrong, dear?" Timmy asked, having noticed his girlfriend's sudden distress.

"N-N-No, honey" Erika replied, her voice a nervous squeak. "N-Nothing's wrong, Tim. J-Just a little… u-unsteady after s-standing up after sitting d-down for so long. T-That's it."

"W-Would you like to lean on me? Just in case you, like, lose your balance or something?"

"Sure" she squeaked out, and then, keeping one hand holding her towel in place, she leaned her head on his shoulder as they walked; he put his free arm around her shoulders.

At the same time, back in the bath room, Caro slipped and stumbled backward, only to be caught by Erio… and to feel something as she leaned against him. As she realized what the 'something' was, her face flushed, and she turned her head to look at him, a little smile on her face.

"I'm glad that you're so happy to see me, Erio" she said in a coy tone.

When the boy finally got it a few seconds later, he went beet-red and started stammering apologies; she just giggled in response.

-SCENE BREAK-

TSAB Ground Forces Headquarters

September 12th (Local Date), 1755 hours

"Everyone, sitrep" Teana said into the comm.

"All quiet on the Western front, Boss" Marie replied.

"Nothin' from the North" Shion replied.

"East is clear" Kaede reported.

"And the South is clear at the moment, too" Teana said. "Don't worry, girls; just about an hour more of this, and then we can all go back to base."

The girl then let out a sigh, looking up at the dark-red sky, the Sun having just set. She, her team, and the Forwards had been saddled with guard duty, along with a few volunteers from the Starshot's military personnel. The Starshot itself, along with Holland, Arum, and most of the vessel's contingent of troops, was off-planet at the moment, over at the TSAB's naval headquarters – a space station about half the size of the Unyielding Hierophant, stationed in a dimensional pocket around 700 light-years away. The two officers were talking things out with the "Three Great Admirals" and a handful of other senior-level Bureau personnel.

Teana absent-mindedly stuck her hand into her pocket, feeling the slightly-pointy form of Schwertkreuz in inactive form. Security regulations required that Device-bearing mages relinquish their Devices while attending the conference; Teana had Hayate's, Marie had Nanoha's, Erio had Fate's, and Ahsoka had Signum's. Quite frankly, Teana found it stupid; in the UNSC, people carried their sidearms during even the fanciest formal get-togethers, just in case (and such preparation had saved lives more than once).

The girl's ruminations were cut short as she saw movement along the treeline. She brought up her binoculars, and saw several figures walking out toward the facility, the lead one waving a big white flag (well, a white sheet tied to a tree branch). It wasn't long before Teana recognized a few of them from RF6 mission reports.

A few minutes later, the presentation inside was continuing along, when Nanoha, Fate, Signum, & Hayate received a sudden telepathic transmission.

'Nanoha-san?' Teana sent. 'We have a bit of a situation out here.'

'What sort of situation, Teana?' Fate replied.

'…Apparently, Jail Scaglietti made 12 Combat Cyborgs in total. I know this, because… You're not gonna believe this… Seven of them are here now, and they've defected from Scaglietti.'

The channel was silent for several seconds.

'Is this a trap?' Signum sent. 'A ruse?'

'No' Ahsoka pitched in. 'I've learned how to use the Force to literally tell if someone's lying, and how to sense a person's intent if I'm close enough. The girls are telling the truth.'

'The one named Cinque says that Scaglietti's crossed some sort of line' Subaru sent. 'That he's "lost sight of his original goals" and made an alliance with a force who poses a significant threat to every person on this entire planet.'

'…Anything else?' Nanoha asked.

'Unfortunately, yes' replied Shion. 'Cinque just mentioned that the Doctor and his newfound allies are planning an attack.'

'An attack?' Hayate asked, sounding a little worried. 'When? Where?'

"Warning" a computerized female voice said suddenly over the auditorium speakers. "Hostile forces detected at outer perimeter of Headquarters grounds. Enemy forces outnumber and outgun present defensive forces. Initiating emergency protocols. Sealing exits. All combat personnel prepare to repel attackers. All non-combat personnel, please report to the subterranean safehouses."

'Here & now, apparently' Teana replied.

"This is Rex" the Clone Captain reported over the comm. channel. "I've got eyes on a shitload of Gadget Drones, along with… Holy Sith… They've got CIS battle droids! Painted different colors from what the Seps used, but those are definitely the same type of clankers I fought against back in the Clone Wars! And… God, a few of them aren't droids at all. They look like monsters or… demons…"

"…It seems that Scaglietti's made a pact with whatever "mysterious foe" Ruin and Kadak represent…" Teana said over the comm., her tone even, stoic, and all business. "I'd suggest you four head down below to the RV point; we'll hand off your Devices to you and then we'll all try to push these bastards back before they inflict too many casualties."

The faint sounds of guns firing could be heard inside the auditorium, the Army HQ's autoguns opening fire as the first targets came in range. Outside, snipers started picking off droids & demons, and Starshot personnel scrambled to get to the vehicles they had stationed around. A swarm of droid aircraft – CIS Vultures and Type-2 Gadget Drones – could be seen approaching through the night sky. From the airbase halfway across the city, flight-mages began to lift off and fly out to intercept, followed soon after by UNSC Hornets & gunship-variant Pelicans, Sangheili Banshees & Vampires, and the squadron of Protoss Corsairs that'd joined the Starshot in the wake of New Haven.

Fortunately, the summoned demons seemed to nearly all be at "foot soldier / 'mook'" level of power.

"Shion, Kaede, Mai, Sarah, help reinforce the defenses!" Teana ordered. "Marie, Ahsoka, Forwards, with me! Let's get to the RV point and give our heavy hitters their guns!"

"Aye, ma'am!" "Yes, ma'am!" "Right, Boss!"

"Wendi, Nove, Deed, you three and I will go with Lanstar's group!" Cinque said. "Otto, help the green-haired girl! Dieci, stick with the tall blonde! Sein, get inside and make sure the noncombatants get to safety!" She then turned to Teana. "There are still five of my sisters who chose to remain in Jail's service after he made the choice to ally with these… beings… who threaten all creation. Tre & Sette will almost certainly participate in this attack, and Quattro will likely add her electronic warfare abilities to the cause."

"And the other two?" Sarah asked.

"Due's an infiltration expert currently on deep-cover assignment, and Uno's mission control. They won't be an issue in this fight."

"Fair enough" Teana said. "Move it, folks! Go, go, go! The brass ain't payin' us by the hour!"

As everyone moved out, several purple Belkan magic symbols popped up all over the Ground HQ, disgorging Gadget Drones and demon-summons in the midst of the defenders (who, to their credit, rallied quickly). Meanwhile, Vita took to the sky to intercept an incoming S+-level energy signature. She soon encountered a tall, muscular man in a trenchcoat and wielding a halberd.

"Why are you helping Scaglietti if joined forces with literal demons?" Vita growled.

"See those summoning sigils?" the man pointed out at the purple symbols that served as exit points for various droids and summons. "Her name is Lutecia. She's nine years old. She allied with Scaglietti in hopes of finding a way to heal her mother, who is comatose and badly injured in a stasis tank in Jail's base. She does not agree with Jail's recent actions, but she has no choice in the matter, so long as her mother's life hangs in the balance. …It is partially my fault that her mother is in such a state. To atone for that, I will do whatever it takes to protect Lutecia… even if that includes being forced to fight you warriors of the Bureau so she will not have to do so alone."

"So it's a 'fight the good guys or your mom gets it' situation, huh?" Vita replied. "Great. Now I'm gonna have a guilty conscience from having to fight you. Don't think for a second that means I'll hold back, though."

"Good" said a little Unison Device who now sat on the tall man's shoulder. "Enemy or ally, I'm itching for a good scrap! I wanna cut loose and blow shit up! And I won't let this man, who saved me from a fate worse than death, lose!"

"This is Agito" the man introduced his little partner.

"I'm Vita. And this is Reinforce Zwei. We call her Rein."

"I am Zest. And be warned: I cannot afford to hold back against you."

With that, the two rushed at each other, hammer and halberd clashing.

Down below, the defenses were in full swing, and droids & demons were being destroyed by the dozens. The defenders were beginning to take casualties, too, though for the moment they were giving much more than they were taking. Commander Cody was helping coordinate the defense, receiving constant updates on his HUD as he stood in front of the facility's main doors, helping a team of Sangheili gun down anything that got close. Rex and his squad of ODSTs were backing up Kaede (well, technically Rex was in command – an O-3 to Kaede's WO-3), gunning down squads of battle droids. Sarah, Shion, Mai, and Dieci were grouped together and blasting anything within their weapons' ranges, Shion using her arm-device's plasma repeater mode, Sarah a DC-15 blaster rifle, Mai a BR55, and Dieci her massive gun. Otto assisted a group of marines manning light AA guns, adding her Ray Storm attack to the fire being directed at enemy flyers.

Teana's group was soon underground, heading for the rendezvous point. Teana led, Cross Mirage in dual plasma-bolt pistol mode; Wendi brought up the rear, and everyone else moved in-between. Suddenly, they were all forced to take cover in an alcove as a squad of battle droids and gadget drones rounded the corner up ahead. On Teana's signal, a quartet of plasma grenades was drawn and thrown out, destroying all but three droids. Ahsoka rushed in, activating her lightsaber-gauntlet Artifact, and cut the survivors down quickly. Less than a minute later, they finally met up with the Four Aces. They looked a tad uneasy upon sighting the four Combat Cyborgs, but decided to trust them for now.

"How bad is it out there?" Signum asked as Ahsoka handed Levantine to her.

"Fairly bad and getting worse by the second, judging by what's coming over the comms" Teana replied as she passed Schwertkreuz to Hayate.

"A distress call was sent to Navy Headquarters" Nanoha said after activating her Barrier Jacket, Raising Heart gripped in her left hand. "Hopefully we'll have heavy support soon."

"Do we have any idea what they're after?" Mai asked as she watched Fate ready herself for battle.

"Hayate! Signum! Teana! Nanoha! Can anyone hear me?-!"

"What's wrong, Shamal?" Hayate replied over the telepathy-based comm. channel.

"Our headquarters is under attack! There's too many of them for me & Zafira to handle! We need help!"

"Alert" a mechanical female voice said over the channel. "This is TSAB Intelligent Device Serial Number BC0479-5, designate Blitz Caliber. My mistress is presently engaged with two high-level hostiles with advanced cybernetics, estimated threat level S. Requesting immediate assistance."

"Hey, can you guys hear me?" Vita said over the comm. "I'm up against an enemy mage a couple hundred meters north and up from Army HQ! This guy's a powerhouse – at least S-class! I sure as hell could use some help up here!"

"Well, this is going to hell quicker than I thought" Teana said. "Out of the frying pan, into the shit."

Hayate's expression turned deadly serious. "Signum, Marie, get out there and help Vita! Nanoha, Teana, Subaru, Mai, get to Ginga! Fate, Erio, Caro, Ahsoka, get to RF6 headquarters and kick those bastards out of our home! I'll go airborne and stay over the Army HQ to provide overwatch and start taking artillery shots at enemy formations! Go!"

A chorus of affirmatives answered her.

"Nove, Wendi, go with Testarossa's group" Cinque ordered. "Deed, stick with Yagami as close-in defense. I'll accompany Takamachi and Lanstar."

"We might need some extra muscle" Nanoha said, and she then sliced her thumb along a canine tooth, and then proceeded to form a sequence of hand seals:

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

In a puff of smoke, a small toad appeared.

"Oh hey, you're the new girl" the toad said. "What's up?"

"We're under heavy attack" Nanoha replied. "Inform the rest of Myōbokuzan's warriors that they may be needed."

"Right away, ma'am!"

With that, he vanished in another puff of smoke. Teana looked to Nanoha.

"Toads, huh?"

"I did what Jiraiya-san did" Nanoha replied. "Performed the Summoning Technique without a contract, with the intent of appearing at the 'home' of whatever summon group I had an affinity for. Shima-sama and Fukasaku-sama were very understanding, thankfully."

"I guess that may explain where you've been going so often the past week or so?" Fate asked.

"They've been… helping me work on something" Nanoha replied.

"We can flesh out the details later" Teana said. "We've gotta move now."

Everyone promptly moved out, heading for their assigned locations at best speed. Group Star (Nanoha, Teana, Subaru, Mai, and Cinque) raced down the winding tunnels, Subaru in the lead. However, when a thick swarm of droids got in their way, Subaru raced right past them, wholly focused on getting to her older sister in time, and leaving the others behind to fight the droids in the process.

"Subaru!" Teana shouted. "Get back here! That's an order!"

"She can't hear us" Nanoha replied as she started blasting Gadget Drones. "She's too far ahead, and these things are jamming our comms. We'll have to hope she doesn't get in over her head before we can catch up."

A few minutes later, Subaru could see a light up ahead – the end of the tunnel… and where Ginga was. She sped up, rolling to a stop inside the cavernous chamber… and saw a tall, purple-haired Number, a slightly-shorter pink-haired one, and Ginga, a bloody mess, limp, being held up by the hair by the taller one, her left hand and forearm lying on the ground several feet away. The two cyborgs looked at Subaru with mild shock and recognition. Subaru stumbled back, in complete shock, her breathing shallow and fast. Tre and Sette saw as the blue-haired girl's eyes shifted from bluish-green to gold… and then to a vibrant blue, the pupils becoming slits. Fangs were bared a split-second before she let out a scream… that was accompanied by a monstrous roar from seemingly everywhere & nowhere, a massive wave of violent chakra and terrifying, inhuman Killing Intent surging out, forcing Tre & Sette to shield their eyes.

Fighting through another pack of droids, Teana & Mai felt the sudden pulse of powerful, dark, and terrifyingly familiar chakra. They remembered, with horror, what Kakashi had told them he'd discovered shortly after Shion's 'awakening':

The Five-Tailed Tiger was not the only "extra" Tailed Beast.

Tre & Sette looked at the girl who was now hunched over before them, a surging blue aura enveloping her. They felt shock as an image appeared, towering over them: a massive, blue- and black-furred wolf, with glowing blue eyes and seven long, thin tails fanned out behind it, hand-like claws bared and reaching out at them.

"…back…"

Subaru's muttering drew their attention. Then, she slowly raised her head to look at them. Her eyes glowed with a faint blue glow, her canine teeth had elongated and sharpened, and her hair was spiked out. The ever-present Killing Intent intensified, as she spoke in a coarse, low, hatred-filled tone:

"GiveherBACK!-!-!"

She then launched herself at them, the pavement shattering from where she'd kicked off. Tre barely reacted in time to catch the punch, and she felt some of her arm's internal components fracture from the force. The look of pure, all-consuming rage on the blue-haired girl's face was enough to make the consummate professional cyborg-soldier feel a twinge of fear. Tre lashed out with a kick, but Subaru paid little mind as it only shoved her back a few feet. Sette threw her Slaughter Arms, only for a chakra-charged roar to deflect them and knock both cyborgs off their feet.

"Sette!" Tre shouted. "Get the package out of here! I'll hold her off as long as I can!"

"But sister!" Sette replied. "You can't h-"

"Now, Sette!-!"

"Y-Yes, ma'am."

As the pink-haired cyborg stuffed Ginga's battered body into a carrying case of sorts, Subaru rushed them again, only for Tre to activate her Ride Impulse and blitz in with a counterattack from the side that sent the newly-awakened Jinchūriki into the wall. As soon as Sette took off, beginning her hasty flight out of the area, a shockwave accompanied Subaru emerging from the debris, now shrouded in a semi-solid cloak of hot blue chakra, a single transparent tail swishing up & down. She let out a feral growl as she slowly stalked toward Tre… and then blurred into motion. Tre barely reacted in time to block her attack, and then kicked her Inherent Skill into overdrive, blitzing about the room and striking at Subaru… who was barely fazed by the repeated attacks. Eventually, Tre came out of a flash-step right in front of Subaru… and could not get out of the way as a rising punch hit.

As the rest of Group Star neared the chamber, they heard and felt the sudden explosion. They raced in, to see a fresh new hole in the roof, the night sky visible through it; whatever it was had blasted through 10 feet of concrete to reach the surface above. Teana & Nanoha flew upward through the hole, Mai making a chakra-powered leap up soon after with Cinque being carried on her back. They looked as a tall figure with energy wings/blades positioned near her forearms and lower legs tried desperately to push back a figure enshrouded in a blue, bestial-shaped cloak of chakra.

"I think we found the 7-Tailed Wolf's host…" Mai remarked. "Hey… Where's Ginga?"

"I believe the answer to that question, along with the fact that I see Tre but no Sette, may be why Nakajima-san has… become that" Cinque replied.

"Subaru…" Teana murmured, eyes wide.

"Should… Should we help her?" Mai asked.

"I think Tre's the one who's in need of serious help right now" Cinque said, a sad look in her one eye. "And… I won't be giving it. I'm sad to say it, but… she made her bed when she chose to side with Jail in this; now she has to lie in it."

Tre very quickly figured out that she was on the losing end of this fight. The younger Type-0 lacked her speed (if only by a little), but made up for it in strength, durability, and bloodlust. Tre narrowly dodged a large claw of chakra that shot toward her, and then flew in to deliver the strongest blow she could muster, which sent Subaru tumbling into a pile of debris. Gasping for breath, aching all over, exhausted, and covered in wounds, Tre prepared to make her escape. …And then Subaru launched out from the dust cloud, only now she had two chakra tails instead of one. Before Tre could react she was hammered several times by devastatingly powerful blows that wrecked her internal augmentations along with several organs. Time seemed to flow in slow-motion as the final blow – a fully-charged Vibration Shatter boosted by the Shichibi's power – came in at her.

'I can only hope that Sette made it out' were Tre's final thoughts.

There was a massive explosion of power that the spectators had to brace themselves against. After about 20 seconds, a lone figure staggered out of the dust cloud: Subaru, her aura wavering, her feet unsteady, and a few of her internal components exposed. She took a few steps forward, and then collapsed to the ground, unconscious and totally spent. Mai immediately rushed over to her.

"She's done for tonight" Mai said after examining her. "We need to get her to a medical facility. …A few of her augmentations are irreparably damaged, too; they'll need to be replaced."

Cinque walked a few paces away, and her heart sank a little as she laid eyes on the wrecked, mangled body of her older 'sister'.

"I'm sorry, Tre…" she whispered.

As Teana gingerly picked Subaru up, carrying her bridal style, a barrage of enemy explosive mortar rounds was suddenly visible incoming, with no time to evade or shoot down.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"

A massive burst of 'smoke' sprang up, and the barrage detonated harmlessly against a huge shield.

"I'm thankful you were able to come so quickly, Gamaken-san" Nanoha said.

"I AIM TO PLEASE" replied the deep, booming voice of the massive dark-red toad warrior, round shield in one hand and sasumata in the other. Everyone was presently perched atop his head.

"We need to drop Subaru off at the medical shelter," Nanoha said, "and then you & I are going to try and put a dent in the enemy's numbers."

"UNGRACEFUL AS I AM, I WILL TRY MY HARDEST."

The massive summon then made a gigantic leap, beginning to bound across the city, following Nanoha's direction to the medical tents set up in the evac zone.

Caro stood, feeling utterly helpless, as she watched Lutecia, Garyu, and Quattro zooming off into the night sky with their sleeping cargo. She looked around – Erio, unconscious and battered; Erika, struggling to pull herself up to her feet without putting any weight on her left arm; Friedrich, splayed out on the ground near the cracked & chipped form of Erio's Device. She looked up, spotting the veritable armada of ground-attack aircraft approaching.

"Why…" she murmured, tears running down her face. "How did it… come to this? This can't…"

A Midchildan summoning sigil, glowing bright pink, sprang to life beneath Caro's feet.

"I won't… let this happen anymore…"

A second, far larger sigil appeared behind her.

"Dragon Lord Summoning…"

The bombers began to draw near.

"Come forth… VOLTAIRE!-!-!"

A truly gigantic being rose up from the larger sigil, standing taller than even the largest of the shinobi-world's summons. Eyes glowed gold with power, a spiked tail stretched out, and four massive wings unfurled.

"You will not…"

Power began to gather at the titan's command.

"…destroy…"

And the titan roared.

"…OUR HOME!-!"

The devastating waves of raw magical power and fire surged outward, vaporizing dozens upon dozens of the approaching flyers. Seconds later, space-time warped in the sky above the city, as the Starshot emerged from slipspace. Immediately, nearly every point-defense gun on the warship came to life, opening fire on air and ground assets, as scores of dropships and fighters emerged from the vessel's hangars.

The attacking droid forces' numbers began to plummet as the tide was thoroughly turned against them. Within 10 minutes, the enemy was in full retreat. But the damage had been done. The enemy had devastated Cranagan, and had gotten what they came for. When the last droid fell, the people began the long, painful process of tending to the wounded, counting the dead, and trying to pick up the pieces.

Outside the burning form of RF6's headquarters, Nanoha fell to her knees as a badly-wounded Shario informed her of the enemy's success: Vivio was gone.

-CHAPTER END-

NEXT TIME: Even more complications arise.