Hey everyone, welcome back. There's been... a slight change in plan in regards to this chapter. For one the picnic prep won't be happening here; instead you'll get... well just read on and you'll see.
Well... hope you guys enjoy this. See you at the bottom.
Chapter 3: The commodores approval and a sticky situation
"Commander Mayers and Angel wings are to report to the bridge. I repeat, Commander Mayers and angel wings to the bridge."
Our downtime was cut short a few minutes after it began by the voice of Almo from the ships ship-wide intercom.
"Well...guess you guys need to get going huh?" Mint gave a graceful nod- somehow- and got out of her chair and onto her feet while Vanilla just looked at me like a begging puppy.
It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was asking for.
"...I'm fairy sure I've already pushed the things I can get away with here." I explained to the youngest angel in an understanding voice- I didn't want to apart from her either for fear of that emptiness that I'd felt earlier-. "Besides, I'm fairy sure I'll make trouble for Tact if I head up there as well as for the rest of you."
Vanilla didn't budge in the slightest, she tightened the grip on my arm by a factor of five and sent the most determined of looks I'd ever seen.
She REALLY didn't want to be away from me for any length of time did she?
"Mint, little help?" Realising that my attempts were useless I turned to the only other angel in the room for assistance.
Except...
"Now how would I be able to persuade her to let you go Will? You've already explained to me that she won't let you go so how would I be able to go about changing that?"
"...This is payback for earlier isn't it?"
"At least I'm not fulfilling that earlier promise instead hmm?" The Blancmanche heir gave one of her 'oh so innocent' smiles to me before making her way to the door that led to the hallway. "Now come on, we'd best not leave the others waiting long."
Damn you Blancmanche!
It was to the sounds of Mint's giggles that we made our way to the Elsior's bridge.
It didn't take us long to reach our destination. A quick hop onto the elevator after a straight right from the lounge and a minute of moving forward and there we were. Hopefully, if its possible, I'll be able to get a full tour of the ship in the following chrono jump but depending on how the exchange here goes I may end up locked up for the remainder of the voyage.
Well, isn't that pessimistic?
Anyway, when we walked through the door we were greeted by the other angels, Tact, a man with neck length white hair with an eyepatch over his left eye and an elderly man with long brown hair that separate into several tails that reach his chest.
The white haired man was Lester Coolduras, Tacts best friend and sub-commander of the Elsior. As to why he wears an eyepatch... hey, your guess is as good as mine.
The elderly man was Commodore Luft Weizen, Tact and Lester's former instructor and the current brigadier general of the forces that defended the white moon- essentially the leader of the satellite defence fleet.
These two were the people I was most worried about; mainly due to that I hadn't spoken to them yet but also because of how dedicated both of them were to their mission.
Essentially, they were the ones that would ultimately decide my fate.
"You're late you two... and why is he here with you?" Naturally Ranpha spoke up and pointed- well, not literally- towards me in accusation.
"Would you believe me when I say they wouldn't just drop me off somewhere to be supervised and dragged me here against my will?" I asked in return with an expression that said 'not my fault' written on my face.
Surprisingly she actually seemed to believe it as she just nodded and turned her attention towards Luft who was looking at me- or rather the arm that was being held onto by Vanilla- in curiosity.
Lester, as expected, levelled his visible eye in suspicion towards me but after having faced a gun to the head today it didn't faze me.
I faced Luft and gave a salute "Excuse me, William Johnson. I'm the guy you picked up after your last fight."
"Ah, thought so." The older man nodded to himself in self-satisfaction. "Commodore Luft Weizen, happy to see you survived your space surfing from earlier." He then proceeded to laugh at his own joke.
...Really, space surfing? I mean seriously, SPACE SURFING!?
A giggle from Mint indicated she'd heard my inner yelling and a quick half hearted glare was sent in response.
"...Well, ignoring the bad joke- "Oi"- I apologize if I'm intruding. These two didn't take me not going as an option but if you'd prefer I'd leave then just say the word." The grip on my arm tightened again but I paid it no heed. I shouldn't be here so it was only natural I'd be asked to leave right?
"No, it's fine." My expectations were shattered by the Commodores hearty words. "If Miss H is holding onto you that tightly I think it'd be best you stay." Seriously!? Is there no urgency or caution of a potential security risk from anyone on this ship!?
...Oh wait, there was Forte and Lester. Never mind.
"...Alright then, can I ask what the situation is then? I'm aware we're in the middle of a coup pulled by prince Eonia but why is the Elsior in Criom instead of defending the white moon?"
The atmosphere in the room suddenly dropped and Luft looked way nervously. "Well, you see-"
"We lost Transbaal didn't we?" a reluctant nod was given in response. "Then the royal family..."
"All dead." Luft confirmed. "All except for Prince Shiva who was on the white moon at the time." Oh yeah, Shiva; I'd actually forgotten about her. Wonder if I'll be able to meet her later? "The prince is currently onboard the Elsior to be escorted to Rhome where we'll reunite with the rest of the Imperial forces and start our counter-attack with the Elsior and the Angel Wings at the front. That is our mission Johnson... do you understand?"
...Wow, just... wow. You really are putting all your faith on the Angels judgement aren't you Luft? They're vouching for me- or at least not saying anything against me- so you're putting your confidence in me as well huh?
...Thanks.
A smile wormed its way onto my face. "Yeah, I got it; thanks Commodore." Luft gave a nod alongside a smile of his own before turning to address everyone in the room.
"Well then, now that the boy's introduction is out of the way lets get onto the point of this meeting. Lester, if you would."
Lester gave a quick nod to his old teacher before speaking. "We've discovered what Eonia's fleet are up to. It seems they're tightening their hold on the net they've made throughout space in order to catch us."
Tact gave a disheartened face upon hearing that. "But the Elsior isn't fully repaired yet; if the enemy discover us now..."
Lester gave a grin look in response. "Game over."
"Will we be able to finish before the enemy finds us?"
A girl with braided auburn hair that extends past her neck and glasses responded. "No, at the rate of repairs we'll be discovered at the last minute." Coco Nutmilk said this with a look of despair on her face and a hint of worry in her voice.
It was by that point I stopped focusing on the conversation and allowed my eyes to drift over to the various screens and monitors that loitered the bridges forward side. On one particular screen was a simulation showing a potential future based on current events.
Just as Coco had said when a timer below the highlighted blue arrow that was labelled the Elsior reached near to the end multiple red arrows that represented the enemy fleet came in and destroyed the Elsior arrow. Multiple simulations of the same event was shown on other monitors but with different calculations on what repairs to prioritise.
Each still ended in the Elsior's destruction.
It was then that I noted the green arrows that indicated the ally fleet that Tact and Lester had originally been apart of. In all scenarios the fleet moved to protect the Elsior but ended up being destroyed after taking down a ship or two.
...Why wasn't the idea of using them as decoys already thought up was my honest thoughts... before I remembered that most people on the ship weren't actually military so weren't of the most strategic as they could be.
Still though... acting like a game master in an overview game of chess I walked up to the nearest screen and began typing commands into the keyboard below it. The sounds of voices echoed through my ears- probably from Almo and Coco in requesting me to stop what I was doing- but I ignored them in favour of typing in the scenario that would lead to victory.
After a few moments of typing a different look came through. A few minutes before the enemy fleet arrived the green ally ships began to move away from the Elsior and towards an open area where they could jump into chrono drive. In response the enemy fleet changed their course from the Elsior which allowed it to get away after the repair timer ran out.
It was a simple decoy plan that allowed the king to move forward in favour of sacrificing a few pawn pieces.
That was the basics of chess and to a lesser extent war. Be prepared to sacrifice less important pieces to allow your main forces to achieve victory. It was a cruel tactic, one that would be looked down upon if the pawns were to be killed but in terms of pure strategy it was the best that could be done.
"Hmm... very clever Johnson; it seems we've got a good strategist in our midst." At hearing Lufts voice the focus on the screen was cut off and I looked towards everyone in shame.
"Ah, my apologies. It wasn't my place to do that." I gave an honest apology and bowed my head slightly.
"No no, its fine boy; if anything you've saved me from having to explain our next move." Luft gave an unconcerned look towards my clear violation of military conduct and nodded towards everyone else in the room. "You saw it, that's the best thing we can do in this situation. I'll lead the allied ships as a decoy while you finish your repairs and set course for Rhome."
I expected to hear refusal like there was in the game but instead Tact just gave a single nod of acceptance to his instructors request. Oddly enough though I felt no surprise.
It truly was the best they could do if they wanted to prioritise getting Shiva to Rhome.
What happened next was basically clear cut out from the game; Tact gave his farewell, Forte wished Luft luck on behalf of the entire Angel wings and he set off without another wor-
"Oh right, Johnson." With a foot out the door the older man stopped and turned his gaze towards me. "I think you'll fit right in here. Tact, girls; be sure to make the boy feels right at home." With those words the commodore left the bridge.
"...Commodore Luft and the ally fleets ships are departing." Coco stated after five minutes of waiting around the bridge. Not many words had been stated thus far regarding those parting words but things were probably going to be mentioned when we gave the commodore a salute as he left.
"Enemy fleet changing course, guess they fell for the bait." I heard Lester mutter under his breath. His face hid any emotions he may have been feeling at that point but I was sure he was worried for his old teacher under that mask.
"Yeah, I guess..." Tact, as usual, was wearing his heart on his sleeve and so gave a front row seat to the worry and anxiety on his face. "...Almo, open communication to all blocks and crew quarters; I want the whole ship to hear me."
"Yes sir." Almo typed on the keyboard in-front of her for a moment before giving a nod to the spiky haired man.
"Attention all crewman, cease your current activities and turn to the nearest monitor." He stood for a minute to give the crew a change to follow his request before continuing. "To Commodore Luft and his men; salute!"
"Sir!" the Elsior echoed with the combined forces of everyone's- including my own- voices and the sharp salutes that were taking place.
I was sure everyone was worried deep down; all concerned about the future and what it may hold for them all. It wasn't that I couldn't relate to them; I too was in an unknown situation where failure would lead to certain death.
Oddly though, I felt no worries or any concerns on what that future may hold. It may have been because I knew everything would work out in the end.
It may have been I was just that confident in the girls I'd really only just met.
It may have been I had faith in Tact's abilities as a commander to lead us through.
Or...
It may have been that the girl holding my arm even as she saluted her former commander filled me with so much confidence and certainty that I knew even if we faced the gods themselves we would eventually come out on top.
Vanilla... I don't know what I've done to you. I don't know what it is that has caused you to act this way but...
Thank you, for just being here. Knowing that someone as reliable as you is here to catch us if we fall all but confirms your- no, our victory is both this Coup and the war with the Val-fasc.
And then...
"...Thank you, for being here." I swore I heard Vanilla mutter a similar thing to me as she watched on.
In that instant I felt our hearts truly touch for the first time.
Vanilla felt better than she ever had in her life. Just by holding him, just by being in his presence, she felt like a missing piece in the puzzle that was her had been returned.
She didn't know why she felt this.
She didn't know how such a thing could happen...
But, if she were to be completely honest, she didn't care.
It felt nice to be with Will. It felt natural to be with Will. It felt like being with Will was simply meant to be.
That was the only way to describe it; it was meant to be like this. With her arm around his and he giving her a soft smile as they embraced... that wasn't what they were actually doing at this point in time of course but you get the idea I'm sure.
At any rate, it was just right.
" ...Thank you, for being here." It was with this feeling of completion that she said those words to the older boy.
Yes, everything would be fine as long as she could feel the warmth coming from the person known as William Johnson.
"...Repairs have been fully completed, standing by until orders are received." Almo reported this after a quick chat with engineering. Tact immediately gave the all clear to head to the nearest open point to enter chrono drive while ordering the Angels to get into a standby position just in case. Everyone including Vanilla left the room immediately to head to the hanger while I remained on the bridge with a confused look on my face.
The reason for my confusion was simple, I had no clue where I should go at this point. It wasn't proper for me to be here but I hadn't so far been told to actually leave by anyone so I was still stood here.
Within a few minutes we reached an open area of space and entered chrono drive.
With that we were safe for the moment.
To my left Tact released a sigh of relief. "Haa, we're safe for the time being."
Lester gave his friend a nod before turning his gaze to me. "Now that everything's in the all clear its time we deal with the elephant in the room."
"Agreed." I voiced instantly. "Now that we're able it'd be best to decide what's going to happen to me. I've practically been given free reign thus far but I am a civilian in the end and not part of the crew."
"Exactly. Well, Tact?"
We both looked towards the one with all the power.
"...We can't just let him help out with general maintenance and other crewman duties?" The future hero asked with a sheepish look. "While its true he isn't part of the navy that doesn't mean we can't put him to work at simple things right?"
"...I know nothing about how the the Elsior ticks so maintenance is just asking for a disaster... I guess I could help in the infirmary as an unofficial nurse or general assistant since I have the basic knowledge down from my old studies or perhaps in the cafeteria since I'm at least decent in the kitchen." As I listed the possibilities of what I could do while we headed to Rhome Lester was giving a nod in approval.
I guess he was happy I wasn't trying to gain any important roles and keeping in line with official doctrine?
Anyway, Tact was writing down my suggestions on a datapad- that he seemingly pulled out of nowhere- and gave a satisfied nod when I finished.
"Okay, I think we'll be able to work with this. For the time being, welcome to the crew Will."
"Hehe, thanks Tact." I gave the older man a small smile in thanks before turning to exit the bridge. "I think I'll wait in the lounge until everything's sorted if that's fine." Without waiting for a response I left to listen in on the conversation the girls were sure to be having.
A few minutes of getting lost later I finally got down to the lounge and crouched down as I entered to hide behind a nearby table before any of the girls noticed me.
As expected they were talking about how they were concerned with Tact's greenness when it came to leading them. As far as I could tell though there was no changes from the talk in the actual game minus some things from Mint as she hadn't actually interacted with Tact due to meeting me instead.
It was just around when I was ready to reveal myself when the conversation took... an interesting turn.
"Now that that's out of the way, let's have a talk about that kid Will." Almost as if she were using the whole conversation thus far as a way to bring it up Forte weaved the topic change in flawlessly.
"I agree... if nothing else his apparent physic powers are a cause for concern." Mint added this in as if she too had been waiting to talk about it.
"So you noticed too huh?" Mint nodded to her leaders words.
"While I agree with you guys... I already promised the guy I'd gave him a chance so I'm gonna do that."
"Oiya, has the guy beating you in a fight interested you Ranpha~?"
"D-don't be silly! I just promised the guy I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for now is all!"
"So did I... doesn't mean I'm not going to keep an extra close eye on him though. I already made it clear to him that I'll put him down should he make one slip-up."
...I should have expected this. It was only natural they'd talk about this when they got the chance... and of course there really wasn't a way for me to enter the conversation naturally without revealing I'd be listening in.
...Damn it.
"C- c'mon everyone, I'm sure he means well." Just like before Milfie came to my defence instantly.
"I'm certain he does Milfie... if anything I've never had someone react that way to my abilities before."
"That so? Mind telling us what he said Mint?"
"...He said it was an amazing thing to have and that we all really are amazing people." The Blancmanche heir said this with a small blush on her face that looked really cute.
"That so... well I wasn't there so I can't say anything about that."
"At any rate," Ranpha suddenly interrupted while gazing at Milfie and Vanilla. "Considering that he's probably done something to you too Milfie your opinion can't be taken into consideration here... same goes for you Vanill- don't glare at me with that!" Ranpha's words were cut from by the aforementioned glare from the youngest angel.
Vanilla was radiating cold fury with her eyes and a flicker of a familiar blue wolf momentarily popped into existence behind her.
!
This was bad, despite the fact I was feeling fine a moment ago I could feel rage suddenly echoing through my head. What... just...
Am I... sharing Vanilla's feelings at this moment!?
The hell kind of magical bullshit was this!?
...Never mind that now, Vanilla looked about ready to kill with the look in her eye and the wolf was slowly gaining both body size and increased muscle.
It was being modelled to attack and to kill at this moment.
By this point everyone else had noticed the change in atmosphere around the girl and the wolf. Mint immediately moved away to the next few tables away to get out of range along with Milfie while Ranpha and Forte gave each other a glance before entering a type of combat stance with Ranpha in a martial arts type pose and Forte with her hands reaching towards her revolver.
...This was really bad, the situation had escalated far too quickly too control.
Have... to do something... before...
Damn it! The feelings of rage were created inner conflict in my brain.
It was almost impossible to move from my hiding spot... no, if my emotions were connected to Vanilla then...
I'll have to offset it with happy feelings. I quickly threw together positive images in my mind and prayed with all my might that it would do something.
Images of the two of us eating together under a tree with everyone.
Images of the two of us sharing a dance.
Images of the two of us surrounded by animals.
I forcibly created these scenes and more in my head in an instant and projected them as vividly as I could in my mind.
...And then the rage flickered and I could move by frozen body.
"Hey! While I'm certainly happy you'd get mad for me going this far is just insane!" I yelled these words towards the red-eyed girl in a single breath. "The girl I've known so far wouldn't get this mad over a little thing like this... wake up!"
As if a switch was flipped in Vanilla's the feeling of rage was completely gone in an instant and the wolf shrank back into that of a rabbit.
The scary situation was solved before it could fully develop into a disaster.
"W-Will... I-"
"Like I said, while I'm happy you'd get mad for my sake lashing out like that isn't gonna do any good k?"
"...Yes." I spotted a tear roll down her cheek as the shock came in.
It was to be expected. She wasn't the type to get mad.
She wasn't the type to lash out.
The reason for this change... was most definitely me.
"Hey..." I wrapped my arms around her waist after making my way over. "Its fine, no one got hurt so all is well right?"
"B-but..." A look of utter self-loathing sat on her normally expressionless face; self-loathing... and true pain from her actions.
And it was prob- no, it was most certainly my fault.
"...I'm sorry." I couldn't prevent the words from leaving my mouth but from the lack of reaction it was likely she didn't hear me.
Everything else though...
"This goes far beyond sorry! Vanilla's never acted like this before; even her nano machines reacted in response to that! Fix this now or I'll kick your ass until-"
"That's enough Ranpha." Surprisingly it was Forte that came to my rescue this time. "He's already explained that he can't control this power so its likely he only just awakened them... because of that we can't expect this to be fixed any time soon."
"...Whatever, I'm going." With that the blonds haired angel left the lounge after sending a final glare my way.
"...I'll say it for everyone here, thanks. Things would have probably gotten really messy if you hadn't stepped in."
"Don't thank me, it's my fault this happened in the end. You... you don't thank someone for cleaning up their own messes."
"..." Forte didn't reply to that, instead she nodded after a few moments and left the room.
...Things really seem to have developed into a mess.
Well... that happened. Sorry that things are taking a slow turn here but honestly this ending scene just popped into my head and I couldn't help but write it.
And when I did... it just didn't feel right to continue afterwards.
Well... next chap is going to be the preparations for the picnic- and maybe the picnic itself if you guys want- but until then I'll be seeing you guys.
Bye!