Previously, Roy has been having nightmares of the Shivans making it to earth space, he has decided to do what he can to change the future and benefit the outcomes f the Terran Vasuden war, Mikaze broke the height record and landed at a base in Guam with Karin. With Roy's decision to try and change the future, his first attempt will be soon. But what can he do to influence a future that is 300 years away?
Flight 4: Failed attempt!
It was a few days after Mikaze and Karin returned from Anderson base. Mikaze, Ayamo, Shizuha, and Karin were all in trainer craft up above while Roy was working on an engine with Mr. Sako early in the morning. He was able to do some heavy lifting this time. His knee recovered a lot since the day he landed and his limping was almost nonexistent.
His ribs were still giving him trouble though. He brought over a few parts that Mr. Sako wanted him to get for the craft he had been working on.
"Here's the parts you asked for. You want me to set them down here?" Roy asked.
"Yeah, that's fine. You seem to be functioning a lot better." Mr. Sako commented.
"You think so?" Roy asked.
"Yeah, I mean, haven't you noticed that your limping is a lot less than before?" Mr. Sako asked. Roy looked at his leg and thought for a moment.
"Hmm…I guess. But even so, as a soldier I've been trained to be able to work and function even with injuries. You do what you have to no matter the cost." Roy said.
"Putting on the tough guy act? That will definitely get the girls attention." Sako laughed.
"It's not an act. I'm in constant pain. I'm aware of that. I've been trained to put that aside until I get done with whatever task I'm currently taking on." Roy explained.
"Uhh…it was a joke." Mr. Sako said.
"Hmm?" Roy was confused.
"You know, a joke? 'Haha'? something funny?" Mr. Sako asked. Roy looked off to the side in thought.
"You seriously don't know what a joke is?" Mr. Sako asked.
"I'm not familiar with one. is that another form of training?" Roy asked. Mr. Sako sighed and walked over to him.
"Ok, listen. A joke…I can't believe I'm actually having this conversation, is when someone says something funny. You could say something like 'that guy is so weak, he couldn't punch his way out of a wet paper bag.' Or something like that." Mr. Sako explained.
"But if the paper bag is wet, it wouldn't be able to hold a person in the first place, let alone taking punches from the inside." Roy said.
"You're missing the point! The point is not to think literally! Think figuratively! Its not meant to be literal!" Sako explained.
"But if it's not literal, it's not realistic." Roy said.
"That's why jokes are funny, BECAUSE they're not realistic." Mr. Sako said.
"…So what did you want me to get next?" Roy asked.
"Actually I was hoping you would help me with something." Sako said. He walked over to an engine part for the craft in the hangar. Roy followed close behind.
"Now if I'm not mistaken, you have some mechanical knowledge right?" Sako asked.
"Of course I do. I maintain my bomber on my own and it's in top condition." Roy explained.
"Good, I want you to help me rebuild this engine. Here's the specs." Sako said as he handed the specs to Roy. He looked at them curiously.
"They're a lot different than what I'm used to but it shouldn't be a problem." Roy said.
"Good, lets get started." Sako said as he and Roy got working on the engine.
Up above Shimoji Island, Trainer craft 01 and 02 flew as if they were simulating a small dogfight.
"Trainer 01, 02, you're off course. Please get back on course immediately." The traffic controller ordered.
"What's the matter?" Kisaragi asked as she walked into the control room. She was wearing a tank top and a skirt rather than her usual uniform.
"Oh! Miss Kisaragi, isn't it your day off?" The traffic controller asked.
"Sure it is, but where can I go on such a small island?" Kisaragi asked as she walked up to the traffic controller.
"So what's up?" She asked.
"It's those four girls, sub commander. See?" The traffic controller said as she pointed to the radar. The radar showed the two trainer craft heading to the southwest of Shimoji Island.
"Hmm, they're sure up to no good." Kisaragi said with somewhat of a smile.
On the runway, Admiral sat at the edge as the two trainer craft flew above the fat cat. Admiral wasn't fazed at all and just watched as the two craft flew above. Ayamo in trainer 02 cracked a smirk on her face. Shizuha in trainer 01 looked back and saw Ayamo behind her. She banked and tried to evade but Ayamo managed to stay right on her tail.
"HEEEEEERRRRNNN! DADADADADADADAAAA!" Ayamo made an impression of machinegun noises as her planes targeting systems locked onto trainer 01.
"All right! Shot down!" Ayamo said.
"What! No way!" Shizuha complained over the radio.
"Karin, you're in luck! Looks like we'll win this one! So, what do you think we should be treated to?" Ayamo asked.
"Wait a minute! This match isn't over yet!" Shizuha said. Both planes banked to re-center above Shimoji Island.
Ms. Ron watched from Kouchin with a smile on her face.
"Looks like they're having fun. They'll get a scolding for sure, right?" Ms. Ron asked as she looked at Admiral. She responded with her commonly annoyed meow.
Back in the air, both planes lined up in formation.
"That's it! No more miss nice girl!" Shizuha said.
"Mikaze! You have control!" Shizuha said.
"WHAT!" Mikaze yelled as she quickly grabbed the control stick.
"I HAVE CONTROL! HEY! AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE THE CAPTAIN TODAY!" Mikaze yelled.
"Then it's captain's orders! You're better at this than I am! Let's pound and pummel Ayamo's face in!" Shizuha said.
"Hey! I don't want to run laps on the runway again!" Mikaze said.
"Don't worry! The pesky old lady has the day off." Ayamo said.
"Karin! Speak up and stop her!" Mikaze said over the radio.
"Want to stop?" Karin asked.
"Nope!" Ayamo replied.
"Oh well." Karin said.
"Well don't try so hard Mikaze, you know you're no match for me anyway!" Ayamo teased.
"HMPH! Say your prayers!" Mikaze responded as they banked their planes in opposite directions.
Down on the runway, Sub-commander Kisaragi looked up at the two planes with an annoyed look.
"You're the ones who need to say your prayers!" Kisaragi said.
After they landed, Kisaragi gave each of the girls a pink penalty card and had them do a lap on the runway.
"Ms. Kisaragi was supposed to have the day off today!" Shizuha said.
"Who said that anyway?" Ayamo asked.
"I told you so!" Mikaze replied.
Over by the hangar, Tsubasa and Sora watched the girls run their lap.
"Those girls, they sure don't learn." Tsubasa commented.
"Yeah, even an octopus learns things." Sora replied.
"Octopus?" Tsubasa asked.
"Didn't you learn in science? With heavy electric shocks, an octopus can learn simple things." Sora explained. Roy heard the conversation and walked a bit closer to hear.
"Oh, maybe they'll be declared unqualified for service." Tsubasa said.
"At this rate, maybe we won't have to work so hard to get our tickets to outer space first." Sora commented. Roy seemed troubled by their conversation and moved in closer to say something. Before he could he heard one of the instructors behind him.
"Idiot! Like that's going to happen!" Mr. Fujitani said as he walked over to them. Roy looked at Kei Fujitani, listening for the next part of the conversation.
"Mr. Fujitani!" Sora and Tsubasa said in unison.
"This isn't a tournament, man. Even if your rivals decrease, if the grades are poor, that class can be disqualified." Fujitani explained.
"HUH!" Sora and Tsubasa reacted.
"If you don't watch out these octopi can get ahead of you." Mr. Fujitani said with a smile.
"No way that'll never happen!" Tsubasa laughed.
"Oh yeah they will." Roy commented. Tsubasa, Sora, and Mr. Fujitani turned around to look at Roy.
"What do you mean!" Tsubasa demanded.
"With a cocky attitude like yours, anyone can make it past you, guaranteed." Roy commented.
"OH YEAH! I'LL SHOW YOU THEY WON'T SURPASS ME!" Tsubasa challenged.
In the classroom, Kisaragi had posted the rankings of who'll be on next standby With Mikaze Honjyo at the top.
"AH! AH! AAAAHHHHH!" Tsubasa screamed.
"They got ahead of you, all of them." Sora dryly commented.
"WHA- WHAT'S UP WITH THIS! HOW CAN THEIR NAMES BE ABOVE MINE!" Tsubasa demanded.
"You've been positioned based on the results of the last mission. The four who performed their duties successfully: Honjyo, Kikuhara, Nakamura, and Doi, will take the lead next time we're on standby." Kisaragi explained. Mikaze was awestruck by the news.
"I'm the first…on standby!" Mikaze asked excitedly.
"Way to go Mikaze!" Ayamo said. Roy stood against the wall nearby and smiled.
"Yeah!" Mikaze said as she grew a smile.
"ARGH! I'M NOT CONVINCED!" Tsubasa continued to argue.
"One's real ability has to come out sometime!" Ayamo teased.
"That's right! We've been hiding it, but we're real can-do women you know!" Mikaze said playfully.
"OH YEAH! YOU KNOW YOU ONLY JUST GOT LUCKY! WITHOUT THAT ACCIDENT WITH THE BIRDS, I WOULD HAVE BEEN THE ONE TO SHOOT IT DOWN!" Tsubasa explained.
"Too bad, lady luck let you down." Shizuha said.
"I told you." Roy said from behind the group. Everyone looked back to him.
"I told you that with a cocky attitude, anyone could surpass you. But you didn't want to listen. Now look at your standings." Roy said with a smirk.
"WHO DO YOU THINK-" Tsubasa began but was cut off by Ayamo.
"He's right! We'll be in MS 1 and MS 2. You'll be in MS 3. In other words you're our backup. Understand the difference!" Ayamo taunted. Tsubasa continued to flare up in anger.
Back by Roy, Mr. Fujitani and Mr. Iwasaki sat in the chairs against the wall listening to the conversation.
"You think we'll be alright? With them?" Fujitani asked.
"Don't know…" Iwasaki said with a cold voice.
"They did it last time, I'm sure they can pull it off again." Roy said. Fujitani and Iwasaki looked up to Roy who had a contempt smile on his face.
"Hey don't take it so hard. We'll all be on standby anyway." Sora said as he placed a hand on Tsubasa's shoulder.
"This time around I don't think we'll just be standing by. Tomorrow the comet "Mary" will approach with a mass of 2,300,000 tons. It's well beyond the mass of the others and won't be completely destroyed by the Comet Blasters." Kisaragi explained.
"So our Meteor sweepers will take care of the left over comet fragments, in various trajectories. Our Shimoji Island base is in the comet fragment drop area as well." Kisaragi said.
"Which means the possibility of being dispatched is high." Ayamo commented.
"Not just high." Roy said. The girls looked back to him.
"You're definitely going up. I know it for sure. Just don't do anything reckless." Roy said with a cautious tone in his voice. Kisaragi shot a glare at Roy and then turned to Mikaze.
"Ms. Honjyo." She said. Mikaze looked back to Kisaragi.
"As you know, you'll be taking the lead this time. Do your best." Kisaragi said.
"Yes Ma'am!" Mikaze responded. Afterwards they left the base and headed for their delivery bikes from the Kouchin restaurant. Roy started walking in the direction of the street where he had been walking to get from Kouchin and the base since before he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, you've been walking that distance for a while, why don't you ride with one of us?" Shizuha asked. Roy turned around and saw Mikaze, Karin, and Ayamo by their bikes waiting for an answer as well as Shizuha, standing by him with a smile. Roy thought for a moment and finally let on a smile.
"I'll ride." He said. Shizuha and Mikaze smiled, Karin just started her bike and got on, and Ayamo got on her bike as well but kept her eye on Roy.
"He doesn't seem all that bad, and he did have a good point about Tsubasa…but I'm still going to be careful around him. Something just doesn't seem normal about him." Ayamo thought. Roy went with Shizuha and propped himself on the back of her bike.
On the way back to Kouchin, Mikaze speed past the others with a smile on her face.
"YEEEEEEEEEAAAHOOOOOOO!" She yelled as she accelerated even further.
"MIKAZE! WAIT UP!" Ayamo yelled.
They got back and put the bikes in park just outside the Restaurant. Mikaze quickly ran into the Restaurant.
"WE"RE HOME!" Mikaze yelled happily as she giggled past Ms. Ron and the Restaurant owner. She ran straight up to her, Shizuha's and Roy's room. Roy walked in with the other girls and sat down in one of the nearby seats.
"It's good to see her in high spirits." Roy commented.
"I knew that talk you had with her would help. Thanks Roy." Shizuha said with a smile as she sat down next to him.
"Wait! What's this about a talk with Mikaze!" Ayamo demanded.
"Roy had a talk with her the night before our first interception. He was able to cheer her up for the night. He also helped her with her studies a bit the following night." Shizuha explained. Ayamo was surprised.
"You helped her study?" Ayamo asked.
"Yeah, and now she seems to be doing better. As long as she can function properly, that's all that matters. Besides, she seemed so sad that day. I couldn't just leave her there." Roy said.
Ayamo looked at Roy with confusion and intrigue in her eyes.
"He…helped her? Even though he barely knows her?" Ayamo wondered.
Mikaze was up in the room getting her red Chinese dress on. She was happy as can be. She looked over and saw Admiral yawning on the desk. Mikaze ran over and picked her up.
"Hey! Admiral! Number 1 standby! Number ! standby!" Mikaze cheered as she spun around with Admiral. Admiral had her usual annoyed look. Mikaze stopped and stepped over to the window, still holding Admiral.
"I feel like…I'm getting closer to space step by step. I want to get there soon! Higher…and higher!" Mikaze said looking out the window.
Back at Shimoji Island base, Commander Reynolds and Mr. Sako were discussing matters about ammunition and supplies for the base.
"…Yes commander, it's more than enough. In my opinion it's definitely enough to run another base." Mr. Sako said.
"How long will this take?" Reynolds asked.
"Well I think everything should be delivered until Audrey arrives. Until then we have more than enough to last us." Mr. Sako informed.
"Replenishing equipment and ammunition isn't a big deal. What's more difficult than anything else, is to train the personnel to deliver them. It takes time and resources, on top of that; unfortunately not everyone can graduate and serve." Reynolds said.
"We sure can't hand over the responsibility of maintaining world peace to sub-par students." Mr. Sako replied.
"Development of interceptors is a primary concern to the global community." Reynolds said.
"Are we…in that much of a pickle?" Sako asked.
"It's definitely not an optimistic situation." Reynolds said.
"Maybe so, but if we hurry too much, won't some who would grow, end up not growing?" Sako asked.
"It's important for us to find those who won't grow, and eliminate them as well. We don't have the luxury of spending unnecessary effort…for human kind to survive." Reynolds said.
The next day, Roy, Mikaze, Shizuha, Ayamo, and Karin were working at the Kouchin. It was a busy day and Roy finally had a job to do there. He was helping with taking orders and serving customers.
"Hi! Welcome, right this way!" Mikaze said to a few more customers as they walked in the door. Roy and Ms. Ron noticed and smiled at how happy Mikaze looked.
"Mikaze seems to be full of energy, huh grandma?" Ms. Ron asked the Restaurant owner.
"Wind direction is probably god to her." She said.
"Wind direction?" Ms. Ron asked. Roy stopped what he was doing and listened to Ms. Ron's grandmother, curious to what she had to say.
"Everything has a wind direction. When you ride with the wind everything will go well." She explained.
"Wind direction huh? Sounds like something a pilot would say." Roy thought.
"But if you make a mistake riding it, you'll flip over." She said as she finished preparing the next takeout order for transport.
"Takeout order is ready!" She called.
"OK!" Mikaze responded. Roy noticed Mikaze and looked in her direction as she went to get the takeout order. Roy looked at her with intrigue.
"I don't know why…but for some reason, I find her…very pleasant to look at. Was she always like this?" Roy wondered.
Back on base, Tsubasa, Sora, Mr. Iwasaki, and Mr. Fujitani were having target practice. Mr. Iwasaki was lying in prone position and taking shots. After about ten shots he stopped for a moment.
"WOW!" Sora commented.
"Hey, you are a meteor sweeper right? Then you shouldn't be so surprised by this." Tsubasa said.
"Yean, you're really good with marksmanship, but they were all ten point shots!" Sora replied.
"Of course!" Mr. Iwasaki said as he got up.
"As you know, once we go up there, we can't afford to miss even a single shot." Mr. Iwasaki said
"That's right, a meteor sweeper is the last line of defense. If we miss, the ground will go BOOM eh? You two had better work on your aim and concentration." Mr. Fujitani said as he handed Tsubasa a rifle. Mikaze drove up on her delivery bike and stopped by them.
"Hey guys! Delivery from Kouchin!" Mikaze said.
"Oh yeah! Meal time." Mr. Fujitani said as he walked up to collect his food.
"Sorry, I left my wallet in my locker, put it on my tab." He said.
"What! Again!" Mikaze complained.
"Come on, I'm a good customer." Mr. Fujitani said playfully.
"Hey, Mikaze. Hang out with me, after you're done with work." Tsubasa said with a bit of a hostile tone.
Later in the day, Mikaze and Tsubasa were at the same target range in prone position with their rifles at the ready. Roy stood to the side to watch, Shizuha stood next to him, Ayamo next to Shizuha, Karin, texting as usual, next to Ayamo, and Sora next to Karin. Mr. Sako sat in a chair with binoculars.
"Oh man, why do I have to be the witness?" Sako asked. Mikaze made a few last second adjustments to her rifle and noticed Tsubasa shooting her a glare. Mikaze responded in kind.
"Now don't you two get the wrong idea, keep in mind this is training!" Mr. Sako reminded them. Tsubasa growled and Mikaze shifter her attention to the targets down range about 200 yards down range.
"This is a duel." Ayamo said.
"Gunslingers at sunset." Shizuha agreed. Roy looked back and fourth between Mikaze and Tsubasa with a troubled look.
"Oh boy, something tells me this is not going to end good." Roy thought.
"Well I handed the number 1 position to you, but you really should have been eliminated already, by the way you've been acting Mikaze." Tsubasa said as he fired a round.
"What do you mean? Why should I have to listen to you anyway, huh?" Mikaze asked as she fired a shot.
"You have no motivation, no guts, you're always daydreaming in class." Tsubasa said as he fired another shot. Roy shot a glare at Tsubasa and kept listening for what else was going to be said next.
"I don't want to hear that from someone who only thinks about girls!" Mikaze said. Roy nodded his head, agreeing with Mikaze.
"I do my best at what I need to do!" Tsubasa barked.
"Yeah right!" Roy whispered to himself. Ayamo and Shizuha looked at Roy with question but he didn't take his eyes off of Tsubasa.
"I take what I do seriously too!" Mikaze said.
"Then what's with your stack of pink cards!" Tsubasa asked. Mikaze looked surprised for a moment.
"That's in the past!" Mikaze said.
"Then I'll talk about the present, I'll show you my abilities are better than yours." Tsubasa said. Roy shook his head.
"Not with that cocky attitude of yours kid." Roy said quietly. Ayamo looked to Roy with surprise and Shizuha looked back and fourth between Tsubasa and Roy. Tsubasa heard and growled as he fired 3 shots in rapid succession in the 10-point area.
"I've dreamed of becoming a Comet Blaster and going into space ever since I was a kid, in order to do that, I've worked hard, studied, and gave up on a lot of other things, and I came this far! I don't want to be interfered with, by someone like you who just came here on a whim." Tsubasa said as he fired another shot. This shot landed dead center of the target.
"But his ultimate goal is to have women ALL OVER him." Sora said with an annoyed tone. Roy looked at Tsubasa with an annoyed skeptical look.
"Is that really his most important goal in life?" Roy asked.
"Sadly yes." Sore replied with a sigh. Ayamo continued to look even more curiously at Roy.
"So what? I want to go to outer space too! If I try, if I try I can do it!" Mikaze said as she fired her last shot.
"Well that's it for tonight, you guys head on to bed." Mr. Sako said as he left the area. Mikaze went over by Ayamo, Shizuha, and Karin while Roy walked up to Tsubasa. Tsubasa shot a glare at Roy just before they were about two feet apart, standing face to face. Roy stood quiet for a moment returning the glare to Tsubasa.
"What do you what!" Tsubasa finally asked.
"Why did you say those things to Mikaze?" Roy calmly asked. Shizuha, Ayamo, Karin, and most of all Mikaze looked to Roy with Surprise.
"It was all true! She's here because her family is a bunch of elites! She got in easy!" Tsubasa said. Roy concentrated his glare into a warning before speaking.
"She has it easy?" Roy asked.
"Yeah! She got in easily and she's going to have it easy because of her family!" Tsubasa said.
"You're wrong." Roy said coldly. Mikaze, Shizuha, and Ayamo looked shocked at what Roy had said.
"Oh yeah! How would YOU know! you're a combat pilot with a much easier job!" Tsubasa challenged.
"I would watch that tone of yours, kid, it's that kind of tone and attitude that gets people killed! And you think I have it easier! Think again! Watch what you say from now on!" Roy said coldly as he turned around and walked past Mikaze and the others. Tsubasa's glare hardened to almost a death glare.
The next morning, Mikaze left early to train with more target practice. Roy, Ayamo, Karin, and Shizuha were still back at Kouchin. Everyone was getting ready to leave except for Roy who was still asleep, suffering another nightmare.
"…INCOMING! INCOMING! SATHANAS JUGGERNAUTS! THEY'RE ABOUT TO ENTER THE ATMOSPHERE! RAKSHASA CRUISERS FOLLOWING CLOSE BEHIND! GTVA COMMAND PLEAASE SEND ASSISTANCE!" Roy yelled on the com link. Another jump signature appeared on his radar, allies.
"Alpha 1 we're here to assist, this is lieutenant commander Snipes! Moving in to attack the Juggernauts!" Snipes said. He moved in with a wing of Herc 2s to engage the Juggernauts. Another jump signature appeared right behind Roy. It was massive. Roy looked back to see another massive Juggernaut closing in on him fast.
"DIVE! DIVE! DIVE! HIT YOUR BURNERS PILOT!" Snipes yelled. Roy punched the afterburners and the Zeus rocketed ahead but the Sathanas was still moving faster. The Sathanas finally collided with Roy's Zeus and his hull integrity was dropping fast.
Just ahead of him, Roy saw the strange ship from in his other dreams.
"Please….help….me…." a voice said over the com channels. Roy caught a good look at the ship this time. It was a Pegasus class recon fighter. Roy looked at the hull integrity and it showed at 20% and dropping. He tried to eject but the system was fried.
"You….must change…." Before the voice had time to finish, the cockpit of Roy's Zeus filled up with fire and the Zeus exploded.
"GAAAAAAAHH!" Roy screamed as he shot forward in the bed. Shizuha, Ayamo, Karin, and Ms. Ron all went up to see Roy sitting there, panting heavily and with an expression of horror on his face.
"ROY WHAT'S WRONG!" Shizuha yelled as she and Ms. Ron quickly got down next to him. they both placed a hand on his shoulders to try and comfort him. Roy still sat panting heavily as the vivid images from his last nightmare replayed over and over again in his head. Roy finally closed his eyes in attempt to shut out the images.
"It's just a dream." Roy said quietly. Shizuha, Ms. Ron and even Ayamo looked concerned for him.
"It's just a dream…gotta get a hold of myself." Roy said. He held his head and started getting to a normal breathing pace.
"When am I going to stop having these nightmares?" Roy asked.
"What happened?" Shizuha asked. Roy looked to her and sat quiet for a moment. He wanted to tell her but he couldn't without explanation.
"It's a long story…you wouldn't believe the reasons for them anyway." Roy said.
"Come on, you can tell us." Ms. Ron said.
"You wouldn't believe it…because I'm still having a hard time believing it." Roy said. Ayamo, Shizuha, and Ms. Ron were confused. Roy stood up and went for the bathroom. Once inside, he splashed some water on his face and stared at himself in the mirror.
"How can I tell them? I already blurted it out in front of the commanders. That probably wasn't the best choice. But how do I go about telling the people here that I'm not from this time? How do I tell them that I'm from 300 years into the future?" Roy wondered.
"That's not something you bring up in a conversation." Roy said quietly.
"What isn't-" "AAAAAHH!" Roy screamed as he backed into the wall behind him. Shizuha jumped a bit but Roy back dashed into the wall holding his hand on his heart.
"DON'T DO THAT! YOU NEARLY GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK!" Roy yelled.
"Sorry, the door was open and I heard you talking." Shizuha said. Roy caught his breath again and went out of the bathroom and headed downstairs with Shizuha.
Later at the base, Mikaze had fired many shots. Mr. Sako yawned in his chair as he watched Mikaze train.
"So why is it always me?" He asked. Shizuha ran up to them.
"Mikaze, you'd better get changed, we're about to enter into alert mode." Shizuha said.
"Oh! That's right! Hold on a sec!" Mikaze said as she went to fill out the paperwork for the training. Shizuha looked to see the number of round casings there were next to the rifle.
"Could that be?" Shizuha asked.
"Certainly is! Do you have any idea what its like to be forced out here since sunrise?" Sako complained.
"Mr. Sako, a student voluntarily requested training! As an instructor you should be happy about it!" Mikaze said.
"Were you this much of a sore loser?" Shizuha asked.
"There are times I don't want to lose!" Mikaze said. Tsubasa happened to walk by and heard Mikaze. He stopped and glared in her general direction before running into Roy who had a cautious look about him. Roy and Tsubasa walked past each other without saying a word.
In the control tower, Ms. Kisaragi stood at attention as the air raid sirens started sounding. "12:30 Hours! As of now, our Shimoji Island base will enter alert mode!" Ms. Kisaragi said.
In the ready room, Mikaze donned her gear and had a determined look on her face.
In one of the hangars nearby, Roy managed to sneak in and get into his Zeus and retrieve some of his belongings, such as the text books from his old classes and his video logs. He returned to the runway and started looking through his books.
"I know I read something about this in here." Roy thought. As he flipped through the pages of his books, he didn't notice Tsubasa off to the side glaring at him.
"What's he up to!" Sora wondered.
Mikaze, Karin, Shizuha, and Ayamo all stood outside the MS craft hangar with Mr. Sako.
"I heard there's a high probability of a fall today. Think you gals can handle it?" Mr. Sako asked.
"Of course we can!" Ayamo said confidently.
"Just leave it to us! We'll take care of it!" Mikaze agreed. She started for the MS craft when she noticed Tsubasa glaring at Roy and then her. Mikaze looked to him and stuck her tongue at him.
Roy was reading a particular section of the textbook intensely.
"…After the comet changed course, Pilot Candidate: Mikaze Honjyo disobeyed orders and fired her trident missile which missed the core and caused a meteor to fall to earth…" He read. He closed the book and ran over to the girls.
"Mikaze!" Roy said. Mikaze turned around to see him.
"What is it? We're getting ready to launch." Mikaze asked.
"Mikaze this might sound weird but I don't have the necessary information to explain. I just need you to listen, when you go up, don't fire." Roy said. Mikaze, Shizuha, and Ayamo looked to Roy with confusion and surprise in their eyes.
"Don't fire? Why not? That comet will plummet to earth if I don't." Mikaze asked.
"Just trust me on this." Roy said. Mikaze, Ayamo, and Shizuha looked at him carefully.
"Trust me!" Roy said with a firm tone. Mikaze nodded and got into the cockpit of the MS craft and got ready to takeoff at any time.
"Orbital calculations?" Kisaragi asked.
"Received. One of the fragments after passing our intercept area, will drop on Ogasawara Archipelago. It will enter our intercept area in 21 minutes!" The traffic controller reported.
"SCRAMBLE! MS 1, MS 2, ENGAGE!" Kisaragi ordered. Roy had just entered the command room where he saw Sub-commander Kisaragi and Commander Reynolds as well as the traffic controller.
"Don't let her fire!" Roy said. Kisaragi, Reynolds and the traffic controller looked to Roy with question.
"Don't let Mikaze fire that missile!" Roy said as he walked up to the traffic controller.
"Why not?" Kisaragi asked.
"Because if she does, her missile won't hit the core of that comet!" Roy said.
"And you know this because…you know about it from the future?" Kisaragi asked carefully.
"As hard as it is to believe, yes!" Roy replied.
"Commander!" Kisaragi said. Reynolds looked to Roy and then to Kisaragi and nodded. Kisaragi nodded back and got back to conducting the operation.
"Aren't you going to stop her? The comet will change course!" Roy said.
"We're going to see how things go for now!" Kisaragi said.
"Its us!" Mikaze said.
"Here we go!" Ayamo replied. Mikaze and the other girls continued to think about what Roy said: "…don't fire this time Mikaze, just trust me on this…"
"Sashiba 11 ready to launch!" Mikaze said.
"Sashiba 22 ready to launch!" Ayamo followed.
"Launch pad clear!" Mr. Sako said.
"Sashiba 11, Sashiba 22, clear for launch!" The traffic controller said.
"Roger, clear for launch! Sashiba 11!" Mikaze confirmed.
"Roger, Sashiba 22!" Ayamo said.
"BLASTOFF!" Mikaze yelled as she fired the engines of her MS craft. Both craft took off from the ZELL trucks and soared into the sky at high speed.
Roy stood in the command room focused completely on the radar.
Both craft quickly climbed to 40,000 feet.
"40,000 feet reached, booster burnout." Karin said.
"BOOSTER SEPARATION!" Mikaze yelled. She couldn't shake the thought of Roy's words. They replayed over and over again in her head.
"Turn over!" Mikaze said as she banked the plane 180 degrees.
"Sashiba 11, Sashiba 22, both on course! Ascending on heading of 090." The traffic controller reported. Kisaragi looked back to the sky but then to Roy who was focused 100% on the radar.
"Don't fire that missile Mikaze, don't fire the missile." Roy said quietly. The traffic controller looked to Roy.
"He said to change something…I hope this is it." Roy thought.
"Number 3 engine, ignition in five seconds." Karin reported.
"4, 3, 2, 1." She said.
"IGNITION!" Mikaze yelled. Just like last time, the number 3 engine roared to life and spat out its jet of flame out the back. They drew even closer to the burning comet. Karin could see it and fear started to show in her eyes.
In the control tower, the traffic controller's eyes shot open and she looked to Kisaragi.
"What! What's wrong!" Kisaragi asked.
"The comets' course has changed!" The traffic controller reported. Kisaragi was shocked at the news but Roy still had the same intense expression as before. Kisaragi noticed this and looked curiously at Roy.
"Maybe he really is from the future!" Kisaragi thought. She went over to the radar to see how things looked from there and to see what Roy was so focused on.
"Wh-WHAT THE!" Mikaze blurted.
"The target's orbital path has changed!" Shizuha reported.
"Impossible! Targets a COMET!" Ayamo said. It took her a moment but Ayamo finally realized that Roy knew what was going to happen.
"SHIZUHA! HE KNEW!" Ayamo said.
"What!" Shizuha asked.
"Roy knew that the comet would change course! That's why he told Mikaze not to fire!" Ayamo said. Shizuha sat quiet, unable to react to what she just heard. In craft 1, Karin started breathing hard. The fear in her eyes started to deepen.
"With the new co-ordinates, it looks like Sashiba 22 in the rear has a better attack position than Sashiba 11 in the front! Better get on it!" Kisaragi ordered. She looked to Roy. Roy noticed Kisaragi looking at him out of the corner of his eye and turned to her.
"You…really were telling the truth, weren't you?" Kisaragi asked. Roy stayed quiet for a moment before speaking.
"Every word." He said as he looked back at the radar screen.
"Sashiba 11, stand down! Sashiba 22, go into attack position instead!" The traffic controller ordered. Mikaze was bewildered at what was going on, as were Ayamo and Shizuha. Mikaze thought about what was going on and remembered what Tsubasa had said to her the other night and refocused her determination on her mission.
"NO! I can still shoot from my position!" Mikaze said.
"Give it up, Mikaze! We can handle it from here!" Ayamo said.
"I'm going to shoot! I'm going to shoot! I can do it!" Mikaze said.
"She can't!" Kisaragi said. Roy pulled the headset off of the traffic controller and put in on.
"MIKAZE DON'T FIRE!" Roy yelled. Mikaze was surprised to hear him.
"Mikaze trust me! If you fire the missile won't hit the core!" Roy said.
"Mikaze don't try to do too much! Leave it to me! Mikaze?" Ayamo responded.
"Mikaze?" Karin asked.
"Don't worry it'll be all right!" Mikaze reassured.
"MIKAZE STAND DOWN! THAT'S AN ORDER!" Roy yelled.
"Launch in five seconds." Karin said.
"I can do it!" Mikaze insisted.
"3, 2, 1." Karin said. the comet entered the center of the targeting HUD but just left out the other side of it. Mikaze's eyes shot open and she pressed the missile launch button.
"No!" Karin said, but it was too late. The trident missile launched and flew straight for the oncoming meteor. Ayamo's eyes shot open and she refocused on her side of the mission.
"3, 2, 1." Shizuha said.
"FOX 1!" Ayamo yelled. Her missile trailed close behind the missile from MS 1.
Missiles have been fired from both planes!" The traffic controller said.
"The course!" Kisaragi asked.
"Well that's…" the traffic controller responded nervously. Roy slammed his fists on the desk.
"DAMMIT! MIKAZE YOU IDIOT!" Roy said in anger. He then remembered the things Tsubasa said to her the night before and then Roy clenched his teeth.
"Tsubasa!" Roy growled. Kisaragi, Reynolds, and the traffic controller looked at Roy with question.
"Turn and fall back!" Shizuha said. Both planes changed course for the return trip. The head of the warhead split and revealed the three explosives inside the main shell. Karin watched fearfully as the missile heads closed in on the comet. Both warheads exploded and engulfed the comet in a massive fireball.
"We hit it! Right!" Mikaze asked. Mikaze gasped at what she saw next. Everything seemed to slow down for her at this moment. She could see a large fragment of the comet fly out of the explosion and fall straight for earth.
"WHA- WHAT'S THAT!" She screamed. Mikaze watched in fear as the meteor fragment speed towards earth.
"What was that!" Mikaze asked. She saw a somewhat close glimpse of the fragment and saw that it was an oddly shaped meteor.
"That was…a meteorite?" Mikaze asked. The meteor hit the ground below and resulted in a large explosion.
"It fell!" Shizuha said.
"OH NO!" Mikaze screamed.
Later, after they had landed, Roy was in the classroom with the other students ready to talk to Tsubasa. He heard everything that happened on the news and was in total shock.
"Oh! She really blew it man!" Tsubasa said. Roy's eyes shot wide open and he ran over to Tsubasa, grabbed him by the shirt, and pulled him outside onto the runway.
"HEY WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM MAN!" Tsubasa yelled, Sora and the other students went out after them to see what was going on.
"YOU ARE MY PROBLEM! IF YOU HADN'T SAID THOSE NASTY THINGS TO MIKAZE YESTERDAY, THIS WOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED!" Roy yelled.
"HEY! SHE DID THIS HERSELF! I DIDN'T FIRE THAT MISSILE!" Tsubasa said trying to defend himself. The other classmen watched intently, wondering what was going to happen.
Up in the control tower, Kisaragi, Reynolds, the traffic controller, and the other instructors watched the news as well. Mr. Iwasaki turned off the TV.
"It was hit but missed the core." He said.
"So it wasn't destroyed completely." Kisaragi said.
"This is going to get troublesome." Mr. Iwasaki said.
"Yes…" Kisaragi agreed.
Out on the runway, Mikaze was getting out of her craft when Ayamo ran up to it.
"Why did you fire!" Ayamo demanded. Mikaze looked to her.
"You had direct orders to stand down!" Ayamo said.
"But…but I knew I had the shot…ordinarily it would have hit for sure!" Mikaze replied. Ayamo was quiet for a moment and then slapped Mikaze. Mikaze returned a glare at Ayamo.
"Stop it! Both of you!" Shizuha said. she was about to ask Karin something but noticed Roy and Tsubasa out of the corner of her eye.
"IT MAY HAVE BEEN A CHOICE SHE MADE ON HER OWN! BUT SHE WOULDN'T HAVE FELT LIKE SHE HAD TO DO SO MUCH IF YOU HADN'T EGGED HER ON LIKE YOU DID!" Roy yelled.
"I SAID THAT FOR A REASON!" Tsubasa yelled back. Mikaze, Shizuha and Ayamo all looked to see Roy and Tsubasa.
"OH! WHAT REASON WOULD THAT BE! THE ONLY RESULT I SEE THAT CAME OUT OF THIS WAS PEOPLES HOMES DESTROYED! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANTED!" Roy yelled.
"OF COURSE NOT! I WANTED MIKAZE TO EITHER GET MOTIVATED AND APPRECIATE HOW EASY SHE HAS IT OR LEAVE!" Tsubasa said.
"Don't you dare talk to me about who has it easy or not you cocky little RAT!" Roy began.
"I GOT TO BEING A PILOT EASY! BUT GUESS WHAT! IN MY LIFE AS A COMBAT PILOT! ITS STAYING ALIVE THAT'S HARD! AND IT'S JUST LIKE THAT FOR MIKAZE! SO DON'T YOU DARE START JUDGING ANYONE!" Roy yelled as he grabbed Tsubasa by the shirt and raised his right arm to throw a punch.
"I really should deck you one in the face right now!" Roy said.
"THEN DO IT! IT WILL ONLY PROVE ONE THING!" Tsubasa challenged. Roy thought for a moment and then lowered his fist.
"No…I won't stoop to your level. I know my enemy! You should know what yours is!" Roy said as he turned around and started walking away.
"Know who my enemy is! You think I don't know that! And how could being a combat pilot be harder than meteor interception! You don't have it anywhere near as hard as us interceptors!" Tsubasa said. Roy stopped in his tracks and his face tensed. You could see the fire in Roy's eyes as he remembered his fierce battles and how many people he had seen die.
"So is that it! You don't have anything else to say and you're just running away!" Tsubasa asked in a harsh tone. Roy turned around really fast and brought his fist up.
"THE HELL I AM!" Roy yelled as he punched Tsubasa square in the cheek. The punch was so hard that Tsubasa fell to the ground holding his hand to his cheek. He shot a glare to Roy and Roy continued his glare at Tsubasa.
"Think about this moment! Remember it well! Think long and hard before you EVER say anything like that again!" Roy said as he stepped closer and brought Tsubasa to his feet.
"You have no idea the kinds of horrors I've experienced as a combat pilot! Before you say something like that again, try going through what I did!" Roy said as he turned around and headed for the road to Kouchin. He passed Mikaze's MS craft and the three girls noticed a tear roll down Roy's cheek.
"He did all of that…for Mikaze? And what happened to him? He looks so sad now." Ayamo thought. Shizuha looked back to the cockpit.
"Karin, why didn't you- Karin? KARIN!" Shizuha yelled. Mikaze and Ayamo looked back to see Karin passed out in the cockpit.
Back at Kouchin, Roy walked in through the front door and headed for the stairs without saying a word. Ms. Ron and the restaurant owner looked at him wondering what had been bothering him. Mikaze, Ayamo, and Shizuha walked in behind him and looked concerned for him.
"Did something happen?" Ms. Ron asked after Roy went upstairs.
"Well…there was a fight." Shizuha said. Ms. Ron clasped her hand over her mouth in surprise and looked in Roy's direction.
"Not that kind of fight but…I think one of the other pilots said something that upset him." Shizuha said. Everyone looked in Roy's direction before the girls headed upstairs. When they made it up, they found him sitting outside on the balcony, sitting with his head in his arms.
"…Nobody knows…what I've been through…" Roy said in almost a whisper. Ayamo went back to her room but Mikaze and Shizuha stayed and worried for Roy.
"No one knows…how I lost them…" Roy thought.
End of chapter 4
The attempt at changing the future was a fail. The meteor fragment that was supposed to be destroyed in Roy's attempt to change the event still plummeted to earth and resulting in destroying a town on an island. Roy seems to be troubled by a memory from his time during the Shivan war. Find out what happens next in Flight 5: Hidden secrets!