Squad Reunion

Ndargha (TSAB-administrated world #101)

Ndargha was one of the richest planet in the TSAB space. It was rich in terms of its soil fertility. One can plant a seed and, provided getting enough water, it will grow very healthy. With the high-quality plants, the Ndarghan are more than capable of making a prosperous farm. Their water region was full of edible live forms. Due to this, the planet can grow food not only for its inhabitant, but also for several planets'. Most of the settlements on Ndargha were villages and port towns. The rare places that aren't fertile are where the big cities are.

Unfortunately, Ndargha was located on Nexus System, which was predicted by the TSAB to be the next place to get hit by the Tau Empire. With that, the TSAB send all available ships and as many high-rank mages as they can. However, they also need to make sure that other places aren't defenseless.

Right now, the TSAB forces on Nexus System can only hope that their efforts are enough to repel any Tau attack.

Mbarci, Ndargha

The city of Mbarci was currently being changed into a fortress. Gun emplacements were being build, trenches were being dug, and the volunteers were being trained in usage of either devices or mass weapons.

"Wow, talk about militarization." Commented Subaru as she walked through the street.

"I am surprised that they can setup the defense this fast." Stated Caro.

"According to their history, Ndargha had supplied food for the Belkan military during the Ancient Belkan and Saint King Reunification War. This makes them quite important and thus have been trained to be able to make as many defense structures as they can. After they joined the TSAB, it has become some sort of cultural ritual. Now, looks like they're glad they do not throw it away." Explained Teana.

"Speaking of which, what's the plan when the Tau invaded?" Asked Erio.

"Well, Fate said that Admiral John Johnson will lead the ships that we have to act as the first line-of-defense. However, considering the numbers of Tau ships that involved in the Invasion of Runesta and the numbers of ships that we have, Admiral Johnson might be forced to fall back less his fleet suffers total losses." Said Teana.

"Well, that makes sense. The Bureau ships, while most of them are based on the Belkan designs, are both less armed and armored. They're created for patrols and fight something like piracy after all, not alien invasion. But, isn't that the Bureau possessed several old Belkan warships from its early time?" Said Erio.

"Indeed. But most of them have been scrapped and rearming the remaining takes time; time that we currently don't have."

Hearing the conversation between Teana and Erio, Subaru tried to find something that can diverted their attention from the impending danger. At least it could calm them down.

"Hey, guys, look. An ice cream shop!" Exclaimed Subaru as she pointed at said shop.

"You really like ice cream, do you, Subaru?" Said Teana with a small smile. "I swear, it will be your last meal before your death."

"Eck, that's pretty black, Tea."

"You won't believe what you will learn when dealing with criminals."

Nevertheless, the four of them approached the ice cream shop.

Strike Force 6 HQ

Nanoha, Fate, Hayate, the Wolkenritter, and the Nakajima Numbers were watching the aerial footage of a battle between the Tau warriors and the TSAB mages. The color of the beams being exchanged was what help them distinguished between the Tau and the Bureau; the side that solely fired blue beams were Tau warriors while the side that fired many colors, including blue, were the Bureau mages.

"Lucino, can you zoom-in on this area?" Asked Hayate as she pointed at said area.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Lucino zoomed-in on said area. At closer look, it could be seen that the Bureau mages were surrounded by drones armed with plasma weapons. The drones pinned the mages down as the Tau warriors slowly advanced towards the TSAB's defense line.

"This is going to be a problem. While attack drones are part of the mage's training, it's clear that the Tau drones are more sophisticated than the training drones." Said Hayate.

"But aren't the drones not stronger than the ones used during the training?" Asked Nanoha.

"Yes, the drones aren't too strong considering that." Hayate pointed at the scene when a mage destroyed one of Tau drone. "However, the drones in the training are mostly stationary when they fired their weapons. Remember Subaru and Teana's Rank B test?"

"I see."

The scene then showed several Tau fighter planes strafed the mages, clearing most of the field for the Tau warriors.

"Dieci, can you shoot down those planes?" Asked Hayate.

"Eh? Well, I guess I can, provided that the plane flies towards or from my direction instead of left or right. But, that won't be effective for clearing the sky." Replied Dieci.

"I know. But the Bureau doesn't have its own fighter planes. They have mostly been replaced by flying mages due to the latter smaller size and yet packing more firepower. That means we need to use as many anti-air attacks as we can."

"Can you shoot them down like during the JS Incident?" Asked Fate.

"I can, but it will require several kilometers of the sky surrounding me uncompromised. There's also the fact that they're piloted by…Tau people and will immediately scattered at the sight of beam approaching them."

"What about the flying mages like Nanoha and Fate?" Asked Cinque.

"That's the thing. There's little, if any, record about flying mage fighting against fighter plane. We're pretty much entering that field blindly." Said Hayate.

"Don't worry, Hayate. Taking care of the fighters is not something that Fate and I can't do." Said Nanoha confidently with Fate nodding in agreement.

"Damn it, Nanoha. This is different than the JS Incident. The Gadget Drones barely care about their survival and can be quite suicidal while it's obvious that the Tau aren't. Besides, you do know that the pilots are likely to get killed if you destroy their planes, right?" Asked Hayate.

Nanoha became stiff when she heard that. Truth to be told, the amount of people that she killed, whether it was intentional or not, was basically zero. Even in the best-case scenario, this will be the first time Nanoha shed the blood of sentient being.

The Numbers had no problem killing if necessary. Cinque even did that when she was with Jail. While Hayate never killed someone directly, the Wolkenritter sometimes killed their opponents, with the clone of Zest Grangeitz being one of the latest. It was unknown whether or not Fate ever killed someone during her job as Enforcer, but considering the dangers of the jobs, it won't be surprising if she had.

What worried Hayate the most was that the type of the jobs that Nanoha, Subaru, Erio, and Caro took made them quite unsuitable in a job where the usage of lethal forces might be almost mandatory. Putting the Tau warriors' unconscious during the battle would put a big risk on the Bureau side since it would be hard to predict when they would regain consciousness. Then there was the fact that arresting all of them would diverted the necessary manpower, room, and supplies.

This was one of the reasons why the TSAB tried their best to not have war; the calculations and methods needed to win a war sometimes makes it necessary to throw away morality.

As Hayate diverted her attention back to Nanoha, she could see the cold sweat being made on her forehead and that her friend was gulping. It was clear that the decision she was about to made was not something light.

"I…don't like having people die. When I managed to gain these powers, when I know what it capable of, I thought I can save everyone. If not, at least most of them. But my family once told me, 'One sword keeps another in the sheath. Sometimes the threat of violence alone is a deterrent. Sometimes by taking a life, others can be preserved. It's the code the Samurai lived by'. You and I are not Samurai, Hayate. But we are descendant of ones, either figuratively or literally. Perhaps both. The point is, what is necessary, is not always something good or comfortable." Stated Nanoha.

Hearing that, Hayate felt more comfortable in her heart. She knew that Nanoha won't like what she's about to do, but she knew that Nanoha could be counted to be able to do it.

"Hey, Nanoha. If you still have problem with it, just stick close to us. It's something we dealt with during most of our lives." Said Vita.

"Thanks, Vita. But I will be fine. I guess."

"I don't think you will. Most people who takes live for the first time tend to froze on spot, making them vulnerable. I won't be surprised if That Thing will have the same reaction." Said Signum.

"Will you ever stop calling Nanoha that?" Asked Fate with a small laugh.

Ice Cream Shop

Inside the shop, the former Forwards of Riot Force 6 were enjoying their ice cream. Especially Subaru who had eaten more than two bowls.

"You know, sometimes I envy you, Subaru. You can eat as many foods as you can and don't get fat." Commented Teana who took a scoop of her ice cream.

"It's not that good actually. It also makes the sufficient amount of food needed to make sure that I am not hungry higher than normal person. Combined with Gin-nee, Cin-nee, Dieci, Wendi, and Nove, without additional support from the Bureau, we would bankrupt our dad several times in just a quarter of year." Replied Subaru with a little bit of blush.

"That sounds rather hard." Said Caro with a little laugh.

"Speaking of which, you seem to only grow slightly taller since the last time we saw you, Caro." Said Subaru.

"Mou. It's because I am from Alzus. The distance between it and the sun makes the world cold even during the spring. Due to that, most people from there tend to be shorter than the people from warmer planets like Mid-Childa." Explained Caro while pouting.

The conversation between the former Forwards went smoothly as they talk about what each other have been doing ever since the JS Incident and the Mariage Incident.

"Say Teana, did you handle any interesting case ever since the Mariage?" Asked Erio.

"Not really. Though strange cases started to occurred more and more often. Many of them unsolved." Replied Teana.

"What do you mean by strange, Tea?" Asked Subaru.

"Well, there were sighting of unknown ships who then disappear before the Navy can board even one of them. Judging from the fact that they received no reply when tried to communicate, it's highly likely that those ships are abandoned."

"Couldn't it be that the ships' crews simply do not communicate using the same language?" Suggested Caro.

"No. From what I read, there wasn't any voice from the ships. Not even the sound of people operating it. Then there are cases of magic side-effects."

"What do you mean?" Asked Erio.

"Several mages that are stationed on frontier worlds tend to complain about headache each time they used their powers. Some of them also complain that the air didn't feel right each time they used their powers as well. However, it's most likely due to the fact that they're newbies since when we asked the veterans and Aces stationed on those worlds, they admitted to feel nothing wrong."

"Well, I heard that using magic for the first time can be quite…wonky, even for those who are used to live among the mages."

"Yeah. But the percentage of it happening on frontier worlds seem to be higher if compared to the inner worlds."

Their conversation was stalled when Subaru started to order another bowl of ice cream. They didn't have that much money.

Strike Force 6 HQ

Inside a training room, Cinque was checking on her Stinger throwing knives. She briefly diverted her attention to Dieci, who was checking on her Enormous Cannon. It has been quite a long time since she used her equipment for sniping with the exception of the Mariages during the incident of the same name. The facts that she required permission each time she wanted to use the Cannon and most of those times were used to extinguished flames might degenerate her accuracy.

Not an exactly good thing with the coming problems.

"Need help with that, Dieci?" Asked Cinque.

"No, thank you. I think I can handle it." Replied Dieci as she looked at a part of her Cannon.

On the other side of the room, Nove was making some modification on Jet Edge. She tried one of them and feeling dissatisfied with it, modified it again. After several attempts, she finally got the right modification and settings.

"You know, I am surprised with how we feel."

Cinque, Dieci, and Nove looked at Wendi who spoke those words.

"When people go to battle, usually they will feel kind of anxious and afraid." Added Wendi.

"I agree with that. But this is not the first battle the Bureau have ever faced." Said Nove.

"Yes, but the battle usually revolved around several powerful individuals like the Doctor and us. Fighting against an entire invading fleet, correct me if I am wrong, but I am pretty sure the TSAB never faced that kind of thing, right?"

"Maybe if you look back during the early years. And by early, I mean even earlier than the official founding." Replied Cinque. "Anyway, what's the point that you're trying to say?"

"It's the fact that while I do feel anxious about the coming battle, I also feel a sense of…homely. As if it's where I belong, where I should be." Explained Wendi.

"Well, it makes sense. No matter what kind of lives that we had ever since the Incident, we're still born as Combat Cyborg. Being a weapon is natural to us. We will never forget our origins." Said Nove.

"You do realize that Subaru will slap the back of your head if she heard you're saying that, remember?" Said Dieci.

"Eh, I don't exactly care about that. After all, there is a reason why we're called Combat Cyborg in the first place."

The Numbers continued their conversation, something that they realized might be their last. Quite bleak, but unfortunately held some truth.

At night…

Hayate was working on the paperwork with the help from Reinforce when someone entered her office. When Rein and her looked at the person who entered, they saw Nanoha was approaching the chair in front of Hayate's desk. What stood out was the fact that Nanoha held an ice pack on her cheek.

"I take it the break-up didn't end well?" Asked Hayate as if it was usual.

"It was. But then I guess I said something that made Fate mad." Replied Nanoha as she took a seat.

Hayate silently took out a note and a pencil. When she opened it, she flipped the pages until she found the desired one. On it, Hayate made a table with words like "Yuuno Scrya", "Fate Testarossa", and "Break Up". On Yuuno's part, there were three pencil scratches with Fate's having only two. Hayate then scratch a mark on Fate's part, making it three.

"That makes Yuuno and Fate equal." Commented Reinforce. "Seriously Nanoha, is it that hard for you to remain faithful to either one of them?"

"I never cheated if that is what you mean!" Exclaimed Nanoha.

"Your body is. Your heart though…" Said Hayate.

Nanoha pressed the ice pack a little bit stronger as her mood went even downward.

"I just can't help it. Yuuno and Fate are two of my best friends that makes me want to be more than that with them. They're similar but at the same time different. It's just, I have a feeling that if I fully dedicated myself with one of them, I need to throw away one of them." Explained Nanoha.

"So, you tried to make sure you're close to both of them. Thing is, your boyfriend or girlfriend felt that you cheat on them." Said Hayate as she let out a sigh.

Considering that Nanoha only found out about both of their feelings to her when they confessed to her, Hayate guessed that she couldn't gave Nanoha full blame on that. She was surprisingly…naïve and insensitive if the relationship became more serious than friendship. Thinking about it further, she realized that Nanoha never dealt with something like jealousy.

Hayate wanted to suggest Nanoha to just have a relationship with both Yuuno and Fate at the same time. Unfortunately, Yuuno and Fate only looked at each other as a close friend and nothing more than that. Well, maybe siblings, but that's not the point.

While she didn't know whether Yuuno and Fate will be open to the idea, Nanoha will definitely not. She won't be comfortable with the fact that both of her loves are devoting their entire hearts for her while she only devoted half for each of them.

Then there were still more problems needed to be solved. Really, Nanoha's love live won't be a successful soap opera not because it's not good materials, but because the story will be too complicated like a roller coaster and might edge into impossibility. Truth can be stranger than fiction after all.

"I am not giving you a permission to drink if that is what you're trying to ask. We need to stay vigilance." Said Hayate.

"Maybe…just a glass? Not even full?" Pleaded Nanoha.

"No."

Several days later…

Nexus System

Captain Nadeer was quietly looking at the stars on the horizon. Though that was inaccurate since space doesn't have a horizon. The point was, she basically has nothing to do except waiting for the incoming Tau invasion fleet, which the TSAB had no idea when it will come.

"What the status of the other ships?" Asked Nadeer with a bored tone.

"Same like two hours ago, Captain. Though we should have received another report from Ganymede, Langobard, and Samhain in…"

Suddenly, the staff that Nadeer asked immediately put a serious look and started to fiddled with his keyboard. Seeing that, Nadeer lost her boringness and put more attention to said staff.

"The patrolling ships are about to return, Ma'am. But we can only detect two of them and they're faster than usual."

Few moments after he said that, two TSAB ships appeared hundreds of miles in front of Nadeer's and other TSAB ships. One of them looked badly damaged.

On the bridge, crew zoomed-in on both ships to have a closer look.

"Those are Langobard and Samhain. But where's…Dear Kaiser!" Exclaimed Nadeer.

As if on cue, several Tau ships appeared behind Langobard and Samhain. They fired upon the damaged Samhain and destroyed it. Langobard fired back as the Tau ships diverted their attentions to it.

"[COMMS] This is Langobard. The Tau have arrived! I repeat, the Tau…"

Before the Captain can finished the words, one of the Tau battleship fired its ion cannon and, while not destroying Langobard, heavily damaged the area around the bridge section.

"What are you waiting for?! Warned Admiral Johnson and the rest of the fleet! The Tau have arrived!" Shouted Nadeer.

Before she could even finish her shouting, her staffs already went to their posts and did their respective roles.

Few minutes later, most of the Bureau ships were ready to face the invading Tau fleet. It was clear that Tau ships were more armed and armored than the Bureau ships. However, that didn't mean the TSAB were going to just runaway and let the Tau have their merry way.

If they want to take people's home, then they better be ready to pay the price.

Answer to a review:

Chapter Master Kronus Thessius: Well, the TSAB will received a visit from three Inquisitors, each from Ordo Malleus, Ordo Hereticus, and Ordo Xeno. Malleus in case Warp-based problem appearing, Hereticus to investigate the mages, and Xeno since they're dealing with the Tau.

And I finally managed to handle the writer's block.

It's quite obvious, so I am going to say it: The Bureau will meet the Imperium.

What kind of culture clash do you think will happen between the Time-Space Administrative Bureau and the Imperium of Man? Really, I am open for suggestion. The more the better ;)

If you have question or suggestion, feel free to tell me.

Review please.