STRIKE WITCHES: HEROS' RETURN: IT BEGINS
Chapter Three
The Neuroi didn't stand a chance against the unified 501st. Emily was a welcome addition to the group, being able to take orders without complaint or hesitation. She constantly kept Yoshika's back safe, and was just as friendly and outgoing as Yoshika was. Minna became Commanding Officer in battle, releasing her superior command to Drake, being lower ranked.
Later that day, she joined Drake in his office. "A word, if I may?" she asked him, knocking on the open door. Drake looked up. "Captain Minna," he said warmly, "please, take a seat. What can I do for you?"
"Explain how Miyafuji has magic again. I saw her sacrifice it with my own eyes," Minna said.
"Like I said to Miyafuji, magic is nothing more than life force. If we lose it, we die. She's not dead, therefore she has magic. All it took was a boost from an outside source. That source being me," Drake explained.
"You seem to know a lot about magic."
"More than anyone else, I dare say."
"But why return her to battle? Hasn't she done enough?" Drake sighed.
"No. I don't know why exactly, but something in my gut tells me she will play a vital part in the upcoming stage of this war. The cards also foretell a hero, someone who will be the key we need to win this war," he said. Minna looked at the tarot cards on Drake's desk. "Tarot cards are not the most reliable. I know this from Eila," she said with a hint of caution.
"I know. But there is something about young Miyafuji that leads me to think I'm right. In any event, it wouldn't hurt her to give her such training and skills. She may need them one day. Don't get me wrong, I have no wish to put her in harms way. But she'll be safest if she is part of the 501st," Drake replied, shuffling the cards. He then gathered them together, cut the deck, and spread them out. Taking seven cards from the pile, he put them in a hexagram spread. Picking up the bottom card, he flipped it over. "I keep getting that card," he said simply. It was Death.
"How many witches are there here?" Yoshika and Lynne asked in wonder.
"About two thousand. Most though are new recruits, like me. There are few experienced witches among us," Emily said.
"Still, that number is impressive, given that Liberion was never known for having many witches before," Perrine noted.
"It's probably because the Neuroi decided to move in on my homeland," a voice said behind them.
"Shirley!" Yoshika, Lynne, and Perrine said. Emily saluted. "Squadron Leader Yeager!" Shirley waved her off. "Please, call me Shirley," she said. Emily nodded. Lucchini joined them, jumping out of nowhere and grabbing Emily's breasts. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" Emily shrieked, trying to pry Lucchini off.
"Hm, not bad," Lucchini said.
"Release her!" Drake's voice thundered. Lucchini jumped and hid behind Shirley as Drake came over to them, a serious look in his eyes. Emily hid behind him. "Horseplay is not allowed on base. Nor is molestation," he said, glowering at Lucchini.
"I'm sorry," she said in a small voice. Shirley stepped forward. "I wouldn't be to hard on her sir, it's just in her personality to be a little... wild," she said.
"I'm aware of that. However you all are among the most experienced witches here, and you need to set a good example for the recruits. Do I make myself clear?" Everyone nodded. "Good. Make sure it doesn't happen again," Drake growled, storming off.
"Is it just me, or did he overreact a bit?" Perrine asked.
"He's just very protective of me, that's all. I'm his little sister. Our parents died during the first attacks, and April is gone, so I'm all he has left," Emily explained, still eyeing Lucchini cautiously. Just then, Sakamoto came up behind them. "There you all are! I've been looking for you," she said.
"What for?" Shirley asked.
"Training! The new recruits need an example to follow, and since I can't fly, you're going to do it for me. You all could also use some brushing up after being out of the field for so long," Sakamoto replied. Everyone groaned. "What was that?" Sakamoto asked.
"Yes ma'am!"
"Much better."
They trained for the rest of the day, under Sakamoto's careful eye. Emily kept up with the rest of them easily and offered moral support, even when she wasn't allowed to talk. She's like a mirror image of Yoshika, Perrine thought. So long as she doesn't start fawning over Wing Commander Sakamoto...
Drake had assigned a set of rooms together for all of them. "Will you share a room with us?" Yoshika and Lynne asked Emily. She shook her head. "Thanks, but my brother already gave me a room near his, so he can keep an eye on me."
"Oh, that's too bad," Yoshika said, slightly dejected. Emily laughed lightly. "I can still sleep with you guys for the night." and so the three of them shared a room for that night.
The next morning a - on key - horn sounded. Yoshika was jolted awake by the noise, as was Lynne. Emily seemed used to it, however. Just as they were getting out of bed, Drake popped his head in. Lynne and Yoshika jumped in surprise and hid behind the covers, despite being clothed.
"Good morning ladies. I hope you slept well, today will be really busy. Miyafuji, we need to get you used to flying with propeller-driven witches, your formation with the Shinden-kai was sloppy at best. Bishop, I hear you're an excellent sniper: I would like to see that for myself at the shooting range. Emily, follow your usual schedule," he said.
"Do you mind? We're about to get dressed," Emily said, throwing a pillow at him. He caught it easily, tossing it back. "As tempting as watching three girls undress may sound, I have better things to do. Besides, I'm not that kind of guy," he replied, shutting the door.
"'Not that kind of guy?'" Yoshika asked.
"He sees sexuality - among many other things - as a distraction," Emily said.
"From what?"
"Winning the war."
"For the last time Miyafuji, SLOW DOWN!" Drake shouted into his earpiece. Yoshika had once again overshot her flight leader, Shirley, using the Shinden-kai. "Sorry sir!" she said, slowing down.
"Still getting used to going so fast?" Shirley asked.
"Yeah. I didn't think I could go that fast," Yoshika replied. Drake's now annoyed voice came to life.
"Well, you can go that fast. You just don't have to. Try to use as little power as possible, and only increase it bit by bit." Yoshika slowed way down, and upped her power per Drake's instructions. Very quickly she caught up with Shirley, and matched speeds with her. "Well done. Don't lose your head," Drake said. Shirley and Yoshika continued formation flying. Once he was confident Yoshika had mastered the speed problem, Drake had her try different kinds of formations. The work was hard, and by the end of that training Yoshika was exhausted.
"Good job Miyafuji," Drake said, as Yoshika collapsed to rest. She didn't have the energy to acknowledge him. Shirley helped her up and brought her to the hangar, where they removed their strikers and rested. "This guy really knows how to crack the whip, doesn't he?" Shirley complained. Even she was tired from Drake's course. Yoshika nodded. "It's even worse when he teams up with Sakamoto-san."
"Is that so?" Sakamoto said from behind them. Both Shirley and Yoshika jumped. "N-no, not at all!" Yoshika stammered, laughing nervously. Sakamoto narrowed her eyes, but smiled and did not give her any punishment. Shirley and Yoshika ate lunch in the hangar, where they were joined by Emily and Lucchini. Emily still gave Lucchini a wide berth and a wary eye, but the latter seemed to have forgotten yesterdays conflict and was stuck to Shirley like glue. Once that was over Drake returned to quiz Yoshika on her knowledge of the Shinden-kai. Shirley, being interested, stuck around and discreetly took notes. Lucchini was quickly bored and found a corner to nap in.
"Excuse me, Drake-san?" Yoshika asked.
"Yes?"
"Why don't you fly a striker?" Drake sighed. "I've had a... troubled past with strikers. First time I tried to fly one, it barely cooperated. I crashed and almost died. I've been fearful to equip one ever since," he said.
"Why not try it again?" Yoshika said.
"Why should I? I'm more useful on the ground, where I can focus my efforts on command and tactics."
"Why shouldn't you?"
"Because I do not want to throw away my life and leave my baby sister alone in this world!" Drake snapped. He then looked away. "Forgive my outburst." Yoshika, subdued, said no more.
Yoshika and Drake joined Lynne at the shooting range, where Sakamoto was putting her through drills. "Bishop, let us begin," Drake said. Lynne nervously set herself up at the range, facing a target well over a mile away. She shot several rounds, only a few hitting their mark. "Clear your mind Bishop. Do not cling to your emotions or thoughts, let them go with the current of the river. Know they are there, but do not let them drag you with them," Drake advised. Lynne's next several shots found their mark dead-center.
"Great shot Lynne," Sakamoto said as Lynne fired her last round. Drake nodded approvingly. "Your sniping skills are the best I've ever seen. Your place in the 501st is well earned," he said. Lynne and Yoshika smiled.
Drake tested the others as well. He tested Shirley's speed, even though he had prior knowledge of her. With Lucchini he tested her overall skills and her discipline - or lack thereof. Minna was excused of any testing, being a commanding officer, however Barkhorn and Hartmann were put to the test with their magical abilities. Drake gave Perrine an appraising nod, and was greatly impressed with Sanya's radio abilities. When Eila showed him her foresight ability and tarot readings, Drake was intrigued. In the end he kept the 501st in the order it was, seeing each pairing of witches fitting in his eyes.
"Attention all witches! Attention all witches! Enemy craft have been sighted coming inbound from the east, speed three hundred knots, altitude five thousand meters. Report in when the enemy is in sight."
"Lets move out!" Minna said, everyone rushing to the hangar. They took off and headed west, and soon were upon the enemy. They were five large-type Neuroi. They were rocket shaped, with a wheel-like structure around the middle. Squealing in anger, they fired their beams. The witches scattered, avoiding the deadly rays. "On me!" Yoshika yelled, diving. Emily followed closely behind. Dodging and blocking beams, they peppered the underbelly of one beast. It turned over to avoid further injury, only to expose itself to Perrine and Lynne. The core exposed, Lynne fired an anti-armor round. Hitting dead center, the Neuroi exploded.
The Karlsland trio took on another one. Hartmann spun around until a magical tornado formed around her. She dived at the Neuroi, carving a huge hole through the middle of it. Minna followed closely, firing inside the beast before it could begin to heal. Barkhorn finished it off with volley after volley of bullets sent into the creatures wound.
Another Neuroi was busy trying to blast Shirley from the sky, with little luck. By the time it fired a beam, she was long gone, and the beam passed behind her harmlessly. Meanwhile, firing unnoticed, Lucchini sent a quick volley of shots at it, easily exposing the core, which she quickly dispatched.
Eila supported a sleepy Sanya, moving her out of harms way as the night witch fired rockets at the Neuroi's hide. Suddenly, Sanya slipped through Eila's grip, drifting headlong into an incoming beam. Just before it hit her, a rarely seen shield blocked it. "Hey, I'm getting better at this," Eila said, dropping the shield when the threat had passed. She fired her own gun, blasting apart the skin of the alien, exposing the core that was destroyed by an incoming rocket.
Soon all the Neuroi were eliminated. However, their victory was short lived, for Sanya raised a hand for silence. "I still detect a Neuroi presence. It's large, larger than usual," she said quietly. Just then, hundreds of beams shot in their direction. They scattered, only to see drone upon drone of Neuroi, heralding the arrival of a capital-type Neuroi. It was enormous, and the shape of a heavy bomber. "Engage with caution," Drake advised over the radio.
The fight was hard. Not only did they have the hundreds of drones to deal with, but the thousands of beams emitting from the capital Neuroi as well. However, they were the 501st, the Strike Witches. Within several minutes all the drones were destroyed. Suddenly, Yoshika heard a witch cry out in agony. "Emily-chan!" she cried, as the redhead fell from the sky. She caught the injured witch, but knew she could not heal her here. "What's going on!?" Drake snapped through the radio.
"Emily-chan's been hurt, I'm bringing her back to base!" Yoshika replied. She heard a sharp intake of breath, and she knew Drake was scared. "Bring. Her. Home. NOW." he said, drawing out each word in painful gasps. Yoshika focused all her power to speed, and with a sonic boom, shot back towards base. I have GOT to get me one of those, Shirley thought.
Drake and several medical witches were waiting for Yoshika when she arrived. "I don't care what you have to do, just make sure she is fully healed. At any cost," he said, as they witches got to work. Yoshika looked at Drake. He was very pale, fear and dread were dancing in his eyes. "Emily," he gasped, rushing over to her. "I tried my best Drake-san, but I couldn't be in two places at once," Yoshika said. Drake scrunched his eyes.
"You should fly," Yoshika said. Drake shook his head.
"If I do, and I die, who's gonna look after Emily?"
"We will! I know you're afraid of losing her, and you want to protect her. This is the way to protect her! This Neuroi is too strong, we need your help. We need your magic. You believe in us. Now you need to believe in yourself too," Yoshika said. Drake looked at her in shock. He began to speak but stopped, because just then Emily chose to wake up and give him a weak kick in the shin.
"Just shut up and help them, dammit," she said.
The fight was getting grim. Several witches were already shot down, and the 501st was strained without Yoshika and Emily. "This is not good!" Minna said, barely dodging a beam. They focused their fire on one spot of the beast, but it was hardly enough to make even a dent. The Neuroi continued its slow flight, seemingly impervious to the attacks of the witches. Suddenly, they heard a jet. It was Yoshika! She shot past her squad, firing on the Neuroi. Bullets raked across the hide of the beast, causing it to screech. Then, another witch shot by. She held a fancy-looking crossbow and fired it point blank at the Neuroi. The skin segment was blasted apart by the deadly bolt. Although there was no core beneath the Neuroi reacted violently, dodging away from the new witch. Only...
"Drake?!" Drake turned around, smiling grimly.
"Thought you guys could use some help," he said, reloading his bow. He wore a striker unit similar to Emily's. It was stocky and heavy, but surprisingly agile. The F6F Hellcat. Drake darted from place to place, blasting a hole at each segment of the Neuroi, searching for the core. The rest of the 501st helped, firing at different spots on the creature. Suddenly, the core was exposed! Drake shot dead center, and the core exploded. "Wow..." Yoshika said. Drake flew up to her, smiling. "Thank you Yoshika," he said.
"What for?" Yoshika asked.
"For giving me strength to face my fears. Although Emily was the reason I fought, you were the reason I flew," Drake said to her.
"I'm just glad I could help," she said, blushing under Drake's compliment.
"Either way, thank you. Your actions saved my sister and helped us destroy the Neuroi. You are an example to follow," Drake said. They returned to base, celebrating all the while. Emily was waiting for them in the hangar. She was wheelchair-bound and none too happy about it, but congratulated them on their victory. "So brother, you finally decided to fly?" she asked.
"Yes. But only when the situation calls for it. I have found I have no love of flying," Drake said. He did indeed look a little green. Everyone laughed, and they soon left the hangar.
They all had a small celebration on their latest victory, before Drake called it a night. As he was sitting in his office, someone knocked on the door. "Come in," he said. It was Yoshika.
"Hello Yoshika. You don't usually visit me this late, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Drake said.
"I'd like to thank you. You know, for everything. Restoring my magic, bringing the Strike Witches back together, all that. I can't thank you enough for what you have done," she said.
"Well, I'm certainly glad I could do what I did. But don't short-change yourself, none of it would have been possible if you hadn't agreed to come with me and have me restore your magic," Drake replied. He then pulled out from his desk the notes from Yoshika's father. "While I have you here, I'd like to discuss this with you. I know you and your family said you don't know what it means, but I would like to know what thoughts you have on it. You are his daughter, after all," he continued. Yoshika looked over the diagrams and notes. A lot of them were a mix of ancient Fuso texts, and ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. "I don't know how to translate hieroglyphs, and although some of this is in Fuso, it's too old for me to know," she said.
"I see. Any idea why they would be in your father's possession?" Drake asked. Yoshika shook her head. "My dad didn't really explain his research to me, I was too young at the time."
"Very well. I will have to find someone who can translate these. Thanks for trying," Drake said. Yoshika looked up at him. "How did you come across these? Did you know my dad?" At this, Drake laughed.
"They were sent to me. I didn't really know your father personally, but we did meet briefly to pool our research together. My magic and his technology combined gave what was needed to invent the striker units. I was nine then, a child genius I guess you could say. Anyway I don't take any of the credit though, for I only made the invention come sooner. Dr. Miyafuji apparently thought otherwise, since I was appointed the position I have under his request. One of the few favors he asked of the world in return for his invention. A few months before I met you, I received this package of notes. Since then I've been trying to figure out what they mean. Something tells me we need to find out what they mean, and sooner rather than later," he explained.
"Where do I come into the picture?"
"Your father mentioned you a lot in the short time I knew him. To him you were the future of the Strike Witches, and one day will lead them to victory. I strongly believe he's right, and that you are our future. Your powers far exceed any witch I have ever known or heard of, ever. You are dedicated to protecting everyone, something you picked up from your father. Thought it's impossible to protect every single being on this planet, you're the one that will come the closest. Always remember Yoshika: you have powers far beyond what you see right now. Some day, when they are needed the most, they will reveal themselves to you. Until then, try your hardest, and never give up." Yoshika smiled. "I won't, sir."
"Good. Now, it's almost curfew, time for you to sleep. Sleep well, I'll see you tomorrow," Drake said, dismissing her. Yoshika bowed, and left the room. She shuffled her way to her bedroom, and flopped onto her bed. Feeling extremely tired, she also felt hopeful. "One day," she whispered, before falling asleep. "One day, we'll meet again Dad."
TO BE CONTINUED...