Kyōko draws her spear out of a vipers dead body, while several others lay unmoving across the area.

"Christ, I killed a freakin dozen of ya and not one of you landed a shot on me."

It slightly disappointed her that the vipers were so easy to kill.

She then heard a strange sound.

It sounded like, heavy machinery, gears and servos working as one to do, something.

She then saw what was making the noise, a mechanical beast three times her size.

A machine working as a suit to the alien inside. Inside the suit the alien floated in a slimy green substance. The only window to see outside world was the suits thick yellow tinted glass that hid most of the aliens features.

The suit toted a large tri tipped weapon with a large green core that was slowing turning at the centers.

"Eh." Kyōko mumbles before pointing her spear at the thing in front of her.

Let's see if this thing holdsup against me.

She dashed forward trying to land a strike directly into the glass aiming to price it and land the spear tip in the aliens head.

What she didn't expect was for the thing to fire three shots of plasma, with one landing a direct hit.

Kyōko was sent flying back by the hit, with the suit charging after her.

o - o - o - o - o

Sayaka, Conner, and Jade finishes placing the explosive, after dispatching the crew off roughly half a dozen vipers severing as guards.

"And," A small beep is heard and a red blinking light comes on form the explosive charge Connor was placing on the base of the cannon, "Done!"

"Central," Jade says into her com link, "Charges have been placed, all three Squaddies are dead, returning now."

"Squaddies?" Sayaka asks.

"We had three other guys with us, Assassin killed all of them." Connor says with a somber tone.

"What!" Sayaka asks, shocked.

"The Assassin doesn't hold punches kid, if she doesn't need you, or doesn't want you alive, your already dead." Connor says still waiting for Jade to hear back from central.

"I, oh, I, should have, got here, sooner," Sayaka says, now feeling uncomfortable, and feeling like she was responsible for the three deaths.

"Hey, don't worry about that kid, you saved us. That's all that matters. There nothing you could have done kid," Jade says noticing the girls change in tone.

Central voice finally came through the com, "Read you load and clear get back here ASAP, Advent is starting to deploy heavy weapons."

"You heard him," Connor says moving away form the rigged cannon, "Fallow behind me Recruit."

"Recruit?" Sayaka asks trailing behind Connor and Jade who already were sprinting back to the Avenger.

"I said 'Welcome to the Resistance,' didn't I? Don't worry you won't be a Recruit for long after what you did." Connor replies.

At this moment Sayaka over takes both Connor and Jade, "I, don't think I can join."

"Why not?" Jade asks, not surprised she was able to run past them both.

This kid went against the Assassin, of course she could out run us.

Sayaka looked away from the two before running out of sight.

"What was that for?" Connor asks, confused by the her reaction.

"I mean, you did lay it a little flat," Jade replies.

o - o - o - o - o

After losing Connor and Jade, Sayaka then finds out Mami had been watching the three.

"I, think we have a problem," Sayaka says nervously rubbing the back of her head.

"Yes, I, I'm still in shock by there reaction," Mami being the veteran of the two was astounded by there positive reaction.

"Maybe we can, asks them not to say anything?"

"I don't think that will work. They seemed pretty impressed, I don't think they will be willing to keep it secret, but we will have to figure it out later, right now we need to make sure we are in there ship before it takes off." Mami answers.

Both agreed, they would rather be on the ship then left alone on the ground.

o - o - o - o - o

Kyōko hit the ground hard and fast, but that was a pin prick compared to the plasma she was hit with.

The plasma, even with her magical outfit protecting her, left extremely painful burns.

"Ugh," Kyōko mumbles, struggling to get up.

C, Christ,

She takes deep sharp breaths.

That, hurt like hell.

She then notices behind her stood the resistance with weapons draw, and a few pointed at her.

So, much, for, keeping, it, secret.

Kyōko then saw the thing that Attacked here emerge from forest.

"We have a Andromedon!" Someone yelled out of sight.

She takes a deep breath before painful raising to her feet and drawing her spear at the thing.

"Y, you," Kyōko takes a deep breath, "really, pissed me, off."

She stubbles to here feet, she raise her spear only to fall back down flat.

I, it hurts to move. Kyōko thinks to herself.

The heavy plasma bolt she took would have easily killed any other human, but being a magical girl it only left her on deaths door she could recover, if given time.

But as the Andromedon appears from the tree line and started approaching her, she knew she didn't have the time to heal.

o - o - o - o - o

The resistance was already packing into Avenger, when something hit the ground hard kicking up dirt.

Anna looked though her scope, she saw a red-haired little girl in a battle dress, suffering from plasma burns.

Anna jumped into action with out a second thought.

She rushed forward before seeing the Andromedon approaching the girl.

The girl struggles to get on her feet before a spear appears out of nowhere falling in her hands, before falling back collapsing into the dirt.

Anna was five feet away from the girl, and the Andromedon was roughly 30 feet from the girl.

Anna took a knee beside the girl lining her sights up on the mechanical beast and asks the girl, "Are you okay?"

"I'm alive, but everything hurts like hell."

"Can you walk?" Anna asks lining her sights on the beast that seem to be ignoring her, focusing on the kid.

"Y,yea, I, think,"

"Run to those guys behind us, I'll be right behind you."

The kid nods and slowly moves to her feet, slightly limping back to the Avenger.

Anna then begins to engage the best landing a clean shot in the suits glass creating a small fractures in the glass.

The Andromedon looked at Anna then raised its rifle and fires.

Anna doges right drawing a claymore form her trench coat and tosses it at the feet of the beast.

The beast moves to fire again, but as it turns the claymore is set off sending shrapnel flying at the creature. The glass was now covered in tiny fractures but still held together.

The Andromedon closed the distance before swinging at Anna with its fist.

She ducks under the hit and does her best to get beside the monster knowing well if she back up she be a target for a heavy plasma bolt.

She pulled her rifle's bolt back ejecting the spent casing and loading in a new one form the magazine before firing again landing another shot in the glass.

The Andromedon swings back around quicker then she expected missing her by inches, but knocking the rifle clean out of her hand.

Finding herself defenseless she doges the next hit, only for the machine to push her back a few feet with her landing on her back. Anna watches as the mechanical beast aim it's weapon dead on her, there was no way she could doge it.

The Andromedon fires three bright green bolts of plasma.

Anna was then suddenly pushed out of the way, by a blue haired child wearing a white cape. The plasma bolts missed her by inches and charred the dirt and grass were she was.

With the blue haired girls appearance also came a yellowed haired child welding a ivory musket.

With one shot the musketeer destroyed the Andromedon's glass, the alien inside the suit quickly died after the substance inside spilled out onto the ground.

Anna coms light up after the last of the suit fluids leaked out.

"Colonel Anna, who are those kids that just show up?"

"There the kids we saved in our last operation central." Anna replies before thanking the kid for the save.

"No problem," the blue haired kid replies.

The yellow haired one slowly moves towards Anna dropping the spent musket with it vanishing before hitting the ground, then summoning another musket and keeping it pointed at the ground.

Suddenly, the suit kicked back to life charging forward at the yellow haired girl.

The girl blocks the hit with her musket, knocking the rifle out of her hand and pushing her back a few feet, but other wise unharmed.

"That thing is still alive?" The blue haired girl asks.

"Not alive, the suits pilot is dead, the AI takes over, its extremely aggressive, " Anna says dropping the rifle, "Takes at lot of gun fire to bring it down for good."

The yellow haired kid then unleash what seems to be a bright yellow ribbon that quickly restrains the things tripping it over.

The yellow-haired musketeer summons a rifle and firing a shot that breaks through the suit leaving both a entrance and exit hole but doesn't stop it from crawling towards her.

The yellowed haired girl seemed to grow annoyed by the thing summoning a set of five muskets and firing them in rapid succession, all shots priced the suit, but still the suit kept dragging itself forward only slowed down slightly do to the internal wiring being split.

The musketeer draws another half dozen rifles and fires. Unknowingly one shot went through suit creating a small sharped point cutting the ribbon holding the beast.

The now released monster charges forward.

The creature was like a charging bull ready to trample everything in its path, then roughly half a second before the beast would run over the musketeer, a explosions rings out sending the beast back.

After the area clears from the black smoke form the blast, two things were reviled, the first that was notice was the now unmoving suit had roughly a extra two dozen bullet holes that weren't there before, and, there was now a raven haired child wielding a standard issue x com rifle and bearing a strange shield on her forearm, standing were the suit once stood, starring with emotionless eyes at the two other kids.

o - o - o - o - o

Within a few seconds Connor and Jade appeared and with them being the last of the missing resistance members the last of the soldiers packed up and ready for the Avenger to take off, and the girls fallowed.

The resistance members didn't trust the girls, they did just save one of the highest ranking soldiers in the resistance, and after all they looked, moved, and talked like a human, so one even tried to stop them.

The anti air weapon fell in the distance as the hangars door slowly closed before the Avenger took off, then all eyes fell on the four girls, all but Hourma seemed slightly uncomfortable with all of the eyes on them.

The room remains tense, some of the resistance soldiers were tightly clutching their rifles, seemingly ready to open fire.

The tension only grows, as a well dressed man entered the hangar, he seemed to give off a aura of both respect, and fear among the resistance soldiers.

"Commander." Anna says saluting as he approaches fallowed by everyone else in the room that could still move there arms doing the same.

The Commander eyes the four girls, "I'm I right to believe you are Mami, Sayaka, Kyōko, and Houmra, the kids we saved last operation?"

All but Houmra answer yes.

"You," he said looking over Kyōko's injuries, "You're suffering from heavy plasma bolt burn, I've only seen a injury like that on a corpse, yet your still standing."

Kyōko tried to respond, only for The Commander to continue his thought before she could, "So, seeing how your all adorned in, non conventional armor, I'm I right to believe, you all are cabled off the same? So, you all must have, super human endurance then, correct?"

The three nod, expect for Houmra.

The Commander eyes are then fixated on Houmra, "Hello?"

Houmra doesn't respond seemingly ignoring the Commander.

"We will have to converse at another time then," The Commander responses.

"Connor," The Commander calls.

"Sir!"

"Your life signs dropped to nearly zero, yet you still stand, explain yourself."

"I went against the Assassin sir. Then Miki, the one with blue hair, saved me, I don't know how I survived sir. All I know is I was healed by some sort of yellow magic, sir."

"Hm," the Commander asked, "Miki, you stood against the Assassin?"

"Yea," Sayaka replies, slightly unnerved by the man's polite, yet almost threating behavior.

"Not a single scratch, or even a bruise? Connor, did she kill the Assassin with out trouble?"

"No sir, the Assassin somehow got s advantage and begin strangling her, I took a sword off the ground and finished off the Assassin while she was distracted trying to strangle her, sir. But other wise she was able to hold her ground. Sir."

"Strangulation? Strangulation would leave marks, yet you lack any. You must have the ability to heal, extraordinarily fast. How, fascinating." The Commander says, starting to speak slower sounding like he was trying to put everything together.

The Commander stops and asks, "Who is the veteran or leader, among you?"

"Mami," Kyōko, and Sayaka answer with Mami also declaring herself as a leader.

Houmra reminds silent.

"So, Houmra, you are a veteran?"

The three looked slightly confused, while Houmra matches his stare.

"I've seen veterans in many careers most notably in this case would be a military career. If your abilities are any indication, healing, increased endurance, and strong yet unconventional weapons, combat must be involved and quite possibly, death, either takes a toll on all that bear witness to it. Most people grow distant after due to the trauma, the brains way to dull the metal assault its experiencing. The most easily to spot symptom is a thousand yard stare. A individual that has a thousand yard stare tends to not look at you, they look through you, as if you aren't really there, like your a vague human shape, it helps to stop seeing a person as a person, that way they become easier to watch them die, or to kill them yourself. Your the only one looking at the wall behind me, Miss Akemi."

Houmra remains quite starting to look away form him, until the Commander catches her attention with just one sentence, that he didn't expect to captive her so much.

"Well, maybe I'm wrong, You're friend Madoka seems,"

Before The Commander could finish the sentence the girl eyes snapped back looking directly at him, but still saying nothing.

The Commander does the same matching her glare.

His eyes then slowly drift to the yellow haired musketeer, "So, you're the one leading these two? Well, you will be stepping down. Anna," the Commander says, looking over at the reaper, "These four will be joining your squad, everyone, give them a warm welcome. Houmra, Sayaka, Mami, and Kyōko, I will personally see your paper work is in order, welcome to Alpha two, team call sign, Silent echo. And, welcome to the resistance."

The Commander turns around then attempts to leave, before Houmra asks, "Why do you think we would help you people?"

The Commander doesn't look back, "Because, I know you will. If not for the obligation to help mankind, or for the possibly it will help you pursue a personal goal. I don't care which. I only care how much of a useful asset you could be, but, if you really aren't going to help, I'll happily open the hanger door for you and all of your friends to jump out, one of you survived a hit from heavy plasma bolt, a little fall shouldn't be a problem, for most of you."

Hourma at first doesn't even acknowledge the threat with much respect until the wording hit her,

"All of your friends."

"Your friend Madoka."

"All of your friends."

Madoka included.

Houmra doesn't say another word.

"So, we have come to a understanding then? Good." The Commander says before exiting.

They room was still tense, until Connor approached and announced as loud as he could, "You heard The Commander, welcome to the team!"

o - o - o - o - o

After many formal introduction everyone found themselves at the Averages bar, due to it being the only recreational area on the whole ship.

The person taking center stage was Sayaka, going against the Assassin and living made her easily a hit with the crew, soldier asking every question they could think of, and many wishing they could have seen the Assassin getting outclassed by a little kid.

While Mami, Kyōko, and Madoka were having a small talk with Jade and Connor.

But, Houmra seemed to avoid all actions made to talk to here, and she eventually landed on table that only had one quiet resident, Tessa.

As Houmra sets down, Tessa looks up from her poison of choice to eye the girl, but says nothing.

The too set quietly for several minutes, until Tessa breaks the silence, "Houmra, right?"

Houmra nods.

"So, you're going to be joining my squad, the names Tessa, I'm the sniper."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, I hope we will work will together," Sounding monotone as always.

"You know your not going to fool me with that right?"

"What do you mean?" Houmra ask.

"I'm ex black ops, I was taught to read people, I'm not amazing at it. But I know that 'I don't give a shit' tone, your trying to hide your emotions."

Houmra doesn't react.

"Don't worry, I don't care why your hiding." Tessa says, taking a quick sip from a glass held loosely in her hand.

"But, I think we both don't feel, comfortable here, we aren't the party type. So, how about we head down to the range? You seemed pretty well with a gun, what to see if your better then me?"

Houmra was surprised, the offer was better then this crowded room, and feeling Madoka was more then adequately protected, for now, agreed to join her.

o - o - o - o - o

Connor, Jade, Mami and Madoka were talking amongst themselves, with Kyōko enjoyed a small meal form the bar, before noticing Tessa and Houmra exiting the room.

"Whose that?" Mami asks, almost wondering if she should give chase.

"Tessa," Connor mumbles out, "She is, part of the team,"

"She's a," Jade pauses, "A, good, sniper." She said sounded like she was grasping at straws for something to say.

"Anyways," Connor says trying to change the conversation, "So, Mami, your the one that healed me?"

"Oh, yea, you were in such bad shape I couldn't just set by and let you die! Oh I just remember." Mami says lifting her hand up, inspecting the ring on here finger.

"What? Did your ring get dirty or something?" Jade asks.

"No. Well in a way yes, sense we will be working together, you should know we are 'Magica girls', that's how Kyōko could survive that that 'plasma bolt' as you called it."

Suddenly the ring morphed into a small egg like gem glowing a faint yellow color.

"We have this, it's called a soul gem, as we use our abilities it grows darker, we need to use grief seeds form witches to purify them. But this is odd though, I haven't detected a single witch sense we woke up in that forest."

Mami was then shocked looking at her soul gem.

"It's the same? It looks like it's just been purified!"

Kyōko looks up form her meal and out of curiosity places her ring that quickly morphs into the soul gem on the table noticing her soul gem was growing darker, due to her trying to slowly and passively heal the burns the plasma bolt had left, but the gem seemed to be purifying by itself. It seemed to be purifying just a little bit faster then she was using it, keeping it at a constant faint red color.

"What the?" Kyōko stumbles out.

"Is that, bad?" Connor asks.

"Well, no, but it's not normal." Mami replies

"Hey, you won't have to worry about grief seeds. That's good." Madoka says, trying to look on the bright side.

"I guess so," Mami.

A man slowly approaches the table.

"Here's the tea you order Jade," The man says dropping several cups and a small tea kettle still steaming on the table.

"Thanks," Jade says to the man before pouring herself a cup as he walks way, "Look, it sounds like nothing to worry about, just have some tea and relax, you just finished your first mission, enjoy it. And it is your welcomeing party."

Mami confusion subsided, "Your right Madoka, it's just one less thing to worry about. Anna, could you pass me some of tea please?"

o - o - o - o - o

Anna decided to head up to the Barracks alone instead of the bar.

She made her way into the Barracks with a clam demeanor, after checking that the room was empty Anna seemed to break down.

"Recruiting, kids?" Anna asks herself questioning the Commander choice.

"He, can't be, serious, there kids! He can't,"

Anna then takes a deep breath before removing a small locket hidden around her neck under her tenchcost and holds it tightly.

She held the small sliver locket in her hands looking down on it, and begins to grow teary-eyed.

She slowly and carefully opens the locket and quietly stares into the two pictures on both side of the locket.

On one side was a small child looking no older then 10 that shared many of her features, most notably the blue eyes and the white hair.

On the other side of the locket was a young adult looked roughly around 17 years old in a resistance soldier outfit, again looking similar to herself with blue eyes and white hair. Standing beside him was a slightly younger Anna in her Standard Reaper trench coat.

She slowly closed the locket and slowly shifted it in her fingers, panning over it until reaching a small engraving. With two names, Emanuel and Brayden

She takes another deep breath, "I, have to trust the Commander. But, these girls, are under my protection. I, I, won't let them, die."

She slowly places the locket around her neck.

"Brayden."

She says wiping off a single tear.

"I miss you, son. You didn't deserve, to, die, that day. I promise I won't let them die.

o - o - o - o - o

The Commander takes a set in his office, as his computer flicked to life.

"Hello Commander." The computer screen displays.

The Commander opens a new file on it and creates a new portfolio for each of the girls.

He wrote down everything he understood or read off them form there first encounter.

"Madoka Kaname, unremarkable, probably the only one with out the others abilities due to remaining inside the ship, classify as nonessential crew."

"Sayaka Miki, sword user, classify as ranger of Alpha two-7. Possible hero complex due to protecting and rescuing of Connor. Personal call sign, Blue Jay."

"Kyōko Sakura, spear user, Classify as ranger of Alpha two-8. Head strong due to trying to duel a Andromedon. Personal call sign, Cardinal."

"Mami Tomoe, musket user, Classify as sharpshooter Alpha two-9. Leader of Cardinal and Blue Jay, seems to be dependent on others due to sticking close to Blue Jay. Personal call sign, Goldfinch."

Then the last one, the one he was least able to read, Akemi.

"Houmra Akemi, Main weapon unknown, secondary weapon conventional fire arms. Classify as, unknown. Seems to care for Madoka, unknown why. Threatening Madoka's safety can keep her in check if needed. Personal call sign, Raven."

"They have greater endurance, agility, healing, and a aptitude for 'Magic', further research is needed, advanced training will undergo upon landing so we can see what they are really capable of."

The Commander then stops typing, he thinks about how just one alone was almost able to handle the Assassin alone, he added one more note.

"Next mission, all will be deployed except Madoka, no exceptions. Commander orders."

The Commander was a clever man, he knew that under the right amount of pressure he could see what they could really do, but, training grounds could only do so much.

A true battlefield would apply enough pressure to show their full potential, and hopefully break Akemi's silence. He was not a man that enjoyed secrets being kept from him. Especially when these secrets could help him win a encounter with the elders.

"They did some good work so far, but we will have to see if they hold up. End of report."