Author's Note: Remember that mood whiplash I warned you about? It kind of hits here. Nothing that would go beyond a PG-13 rating, but Section Black is meant to be extremely amoral, and as such the actual truth behind the Black Cat unit is significantly darker than your average Nanoha villain. Well... actually, maybe not, what with the child abusing witches, the world-eating doom book, and the cyborgs running around impaling everybody. But it's still darker than the rest of this particular story has been so far (So far. Bwahahahaha!). Just to let you know.

Chapter 9: Bright New Dawn

Amaterasu smiled cheerfully, a warm, childish grin that seemed to make the room brighter. "Wasn't that a bit rough, Susa? Even if did extend my nap a teensy bit, there was no need to smash my regeneration crystal all to pieces."

"Hey, I'm not the one who was sleeping in after she was finished healing. If you'd woken up a few hours ago, like you should have, we could have gone out in full strength and might not have lost the…"

"Oh, I just woke up and Susa is blaming his failures on me? That's not very nice." Amaterasu said. Her smile didn't change, but it still seemed less friendly somehow. "Because Yggdrasil has been kind enough to download the mission reports to me while I slept, and from what I'm understanding, the two of you chose to split up. You know that you fight better as a team, so what exactly were you thinking? And then Susa played around with some silly girl while Tsuku released the Drive unit without even checking the skies for hostiles first. How amateurish... really, having stupid siblings makes my life a lot harder, you know."

"W-well, um… it wasn't quite that…"

Amaterasu continued, "And then, rather than regrouping, you actually decided to forge an alliance with the enemy rather than going to support your own sibling. Tsuku, at least, was limited by a need to stay close to the mage with the Drive unit until she saw a chance to reclaim it. But you, Susa… you don't have that excuse, do you? No, no you don't." It was truly odd to witness, actually. Neither her smile nor the tone of her voice had noticeably changed, and yet somehow they now seemed to be projecting an aura of malice.

"But I… Ammy, I couldn't just…"

"Hmmm? You couldn't just…? Couldn't just do your duty? Couldn't just defeat a small child in single combat? Couldn't fend off a simple attack without the aid of that same small child? Couldn't put off your need to make every single battle more complicated than it needs to be for even a few weeks?" Amaterasu said. Her smile brought a shark to mind. "Please enlighten me, Susanoo, because it really sounds like there's quite a lot you couldn't do."

"I… I… I…" Susanoo stammered. Finally, he hung his head. "You don't have to tell me that. I've already apologized to her majesty for my actions. This won't happen again, sir."

"Oh, you apologize." Amaterasu said.

The room fell silent for several seconds.

"Well, that's fine then!" Amaterasu chirped suddenly. The malice in the air disappeared instantly, as though someone had reached inside her head and just switched her brain to 'happy'. "Don't worry, I forgive you too!"

Susanoo looked more scared. "Oh no."

Nobody saw her move. One moment she was completely still… the next she had her brother enfolded in a bear hug.

Unfortunately, she was noticeably taller than him.

Even more unfortunately, she didn't have any clothes on.

"MMMMMMMMFFFFF!" Susanoo said in barely restrained panic. He would have said more, but he was having some problems with oxygen flow.

"Oh, Susa." Amaterasu sighed, a single tear running down her face. She would have looked quite poignant and noble in very nearly any other situation. "You know I can't stay angry at you, especially not when you're wounded like this, poor thing. Come, bask in the healing power of your older sister's pure and wonderful love."

"HHHMMMF! HMFM!" Susanoo said, attempting to fight his way free. He did not succeed, and indeed Amaterasu did not appear to notice. After a few moments of this, his efforts became noticeably weaker and his body began to slump. The back of his neck and his hands, his only visible skin, began to turn the same shade of blue as his hair.

"Pure and wonderful," Amaterasu said again, sighing contentedly.

"Big sister… I don't think he can breathe…" Tsukuyomi said mildly.

"… … … oops." Amaterasu said. She then unceremoniously dropped Susanoo to the floor.

"GAH! Ah, ah, ah…" Susanoo panted, gasping for air. "You! You haven't changed! You haven't changed at all!" He said with horror in his eyes. "You're scary when you're angry, and then when you're happy you're even worse!"

Amaterasu blinked a few times. "… you want another hug, then?"

"No!"

"Oh, Susa… it's cute that you missed me, but I haven't greeted Tsuku yet. I can't play favorites, you know, a good big sister has to be equally loving to all her siblings. It's a rule."

He raised an accusing pointer finger. "I don't care about… you're still a… you still do things like… I'm your brother, you might recall!"

She smiled brilliantly. "That's why it's important to show my love and affection! Physical contact is very important to a healthy family, you know."

"Then put some clothes on first!"

"Eh?" She said, looking down at herself as if only noticing just now that her only article of clothing was a necklace. "Oh, I guess I never got dressed." She said simply. After thinking about it for a few seconds, she smiled again and said, "Well, that's okay. It's no problem to spoil Susa every once in awhile."

His mouth opened and closed several times before any words came out. It wasn't his fault, really. He just had a fairly straight-forward brain, and he reacted best to normal, straight-forward things. Amaterasu was very straight-forward, of course, but she was rarely 'normal'. "… … … … spoil?!" He finally managed to choke out.

"Aw, Susa missed his big sister so much that the emotions are overpowering him? It's okay… like I said, his emotional, impulsive nature is one of his cute points." She said cheerfully.

He hurriedly took several steps away from her. "Pervert!" he hissed. "Dirty old man!"

"I'm not a man!" She pouted. "Really, a good brother wouldn't say such mean things."

"And a good sister would be more like Tsuku and less like you."

"Ooooh, that's right, Tsuku! I still haven't said hello to my precious baby sister!" Then, without the tiniest warning, she lunged.

Without the slightest change in expression, Tsukuyomi stepped aside and allowed her older sister to slam face-first into the wall behind her. "Disgraceful. If we're going by childish antics… aren't you even worse than Susa is, older sister?" She inquired calmly.

"Ooooow…" Amaterasu moaned, rubbing her forehead. "No, no, see, my antics are off the battlefield. An appropriate setting makes them okay!"

Tsukuyomi's expression remained blank, although her voice was slightly chilly. "And looking back… you never did answer the point that our mission would have been a success if you had not overslept…"

"Ha, ha… so you noticed that?" Amaterasu asked in a slightly embarrassed tone. "I see Tsuku is as observant as ever... and she's just as merciless as I remember, too. But it's okay, because that cold and aloof attitude is definitely one of her cute points. Ah, she's as adorable as she ever was, how nice…" she sighed.

"Oh look. They're all awake. All three of them." Enlil said to nobody in particular, in a long-suffering tone.

"Shall I have a medical drone prepare you a mild painkiller, your highness?"

"Yes, that sounds wonderful, thank you." Enlil said, reasoning she'd almost certainly have a headache within the next hour or two.

"Oooooh, so you're the Twilight Queen? Which Enlil are you, again? There were seventeen I can think of."

"House Te Larsea, third to bear the name from that family."

"Oooh, you were one of the good ones!" Amaterasu said joyfully. "It's wonderful to serve you again, and might I add I love your new form? It's just so… oh. OH!" Amaterasu said, eyes widening with joy. "I know! I know! I know the robes are ceremonial, but we simply have to get you a cute frilly dress, like Tsukuyomi's! Oh, the two of you together in such cute dresses would just be too lovely for words…" she trailed off, apparently caught up in the happy images.

Enlil shuddered. "You really haven't changed, have you?" She said.

"Not even slightly." Amaterasu readily agreed.

"Pervert!" Susanoo accused again, walking over to hide behind Tsukuyomi. "You are nothing but a pervert!"

Amaterasu pouted. "You're being mean again. I'm not nothing but a pervert!"

"So you admit you are one!"

"Well, yes, but I also have other interests is my point." Amaterasu said frankly.

Enlil rubbed her temples. A headache within the next couple hours? Who had she been kidding? "Children. As enthralling as this has been, we do have some rather pressing business to deal with."

"It couldn't wait?" Amaterasu pouted. "There aren't going to be any missions for awhile, right? I don't mind if it's important, but if it's not a field assignment I don't really feel like working today. I only just woke up, and work doesn't sound very fun, so I was thinking of taking the day off to play with Susa and Tsuku."

"We have pressing business to deal with." Enlil said, her tone suggesting that someone would be losing their head in short order if she wasn't listened to.

Amaterasu sighed. "Of course, highness. I stand ready to serve."

"That's good. Now, as my first official order… would you please get dressed?"

"Eh? Oh, that's right, I haven't done that yet." Amaterasu said, as if genuinely surprised by this fact. "Oh well, it's all right."

"No. No, it really isn't."

Yuuno blinked. "Repeat that. Slowly."

"They were with the Bureau." Chrono said again, simply. He was sitting up in his cot in the Medical bay, although the need for that was questionable. The biggest problem had just been magic deprivation, so he mostly only needed to rest anyway… the ship's medic had given him permission to leave so long as he made no further attempts to use magic for at least twenty-four hours, and to be sure to get as much sleep as possible. "It's only a theory, I suppose, but at the moment it's the most compelling one that I have."

"That…." Nanoha said. "But they were actually trying to… that can't be…" She stopped, and sighed sadly. "I was about to say it wasn't possible for the Bureau to do something like this. But we know better than that."

"I don't like it either. But like you said, we've all seen that individual Bureau officers can have their own personal agenda, and… well, the TSAB is a fairly nebulous organization. There isn't too much oversight, especially over the higher ranks. It's not that hard for influential officers to discreetly procure funding and resources... a lot of worlds are uninhabited, and clever people can exploit resources found on such worlds without being noticed. Admiral Graham had enough private resources to construct the Durandal and create that entire elaborate scenario with the Book of Darkness… it's not impossible to believe that another officer might have the ability to gain a task force of those creatures, or the funds to purchase them from someone."

"Speaking of… what exactly where those nasty things? They were machines, but alive, but they didn't really act alive... I've never seen anything like them." Arf asked.

Chrono fell silent. He stayed that way for several long seconds. "Well... we didn't recover any debris, and a lot of the sensor data you brought back was corrupted, probably by the same jamming field that kept us out of the fight. But from your eyewitness accounts, and the little bits of analysis we managed to recover, we have a pretty solid theory. And before I start, let me say that you're not going to like it." Chrono said. "Speaking frankly, it's rather nightmarish. Amy?"

"Do I have to?" Amy said, shifting nervously in her chair.

"You're the information officer. Inform."

"Fine, but just you remember that it creeps me out." Amy said, "Okay, to start off... you girls know what I mean when I say 'combat cyborg', right?"

"Sure. A person with mechanical enhancements, designed to allow them to fight on a mage's level without using magic." Fate said instantly.

"… yes, that's right!" Nanoha said, not quite as instantly.

"I knew that!" Arf said, even less instantly.

Yuuno smiled.

"Riiiiight. Anyway, what you girls were fighting down there was… well…" Amy said delicately. "Imagine if you took the basic concept of 'combat cyborg' and handed it to someone who had the morals of a poisonous reptile. You'd basically get those things."

"I realize I'm probably going to regret asking this, but…" Nanoha said cautiously, "Could you go into a little more detail?"

Amy turned to Chrono. "Chrono, this is the creepy part."

Chrono sighed. "Fine, fine. Okay, you know a cyborg is created when a person is modified with mechanical implants. This is what happens when you replace too much, and the 'cyborg' in question isn't anything even remotely human anymore. The majority of organic tissue is replaced... or they could even do it in reverse, starting with a mechanical combat frame and adding the organic components. The resulting creature is basically just a robotic drone, but has just enough organic tissue to maintain a linker core. The general idea is to have the machine use the donor's linker core as a power source, since even a core that couldn't produce a viable mage can still power an effective cyborg if there isn't too much organic tissue to risk burning out."

The room fell very silent.

"And the… 'donors'?" Yuuno asked, although his expression said that he knew the answer and was only asking so that nobody else would have to.

Chrono looked at the floor. "The human mind doesn't respond well to cybernetic implants under most circumstances. Small adjustments are no problem, but when you get to the extremes, things like the skeletal and muscular alterations needed for a combat model, they tend to result in mental disorders, even outright insanity, making the cyborg unstable and useless. To avoid this, the operations need to be performed over a period of years, on artificial humans specifically bred for the purpose... or the brain needs to be one of the organs 'replaced'." He looked up, and his eyes seemed very cold. "They didn't feel pain, correct? Real cyborgs can. If these things couldn't, that's a sign that there's no human mind remaining in them to feel anything. They might move around, but they're already dead in every way that matters."

You could have heard a pin drop in the room.

"Th… that…" Nanoha said. Far from her usual demeanor, she looked lost and confused. "How could… why would anyone…"

"Because it's faster than the other way." Amy broke in, sounding slightly nauseous. "Like Chrono said, a real combat cyborg takes years to develop. Because only specially prepared bodies can handle the implants, you have to grow your own humans from scratch, and that takes a long time. This process can be used on anyone."

Chrono patted her on the shoulder to bid her to stop, and continued on his own, "With this method you can gather up people that nobody will miss and turn any… random drifter or wanted criminal into a viable anti-mage weapon in a matter of weeks. They're not as impressive as true cyborgs, especially mentally... they're no smarter than any other combat drone. But that can be partially countered by networking them to the same tactical computer and making them work in teams. It's a relatively efficient process." He said with a bitter smile. "It is also ghoulish. Grotesque. Among the most vile of forbidden sciences, knowledge that should never have been discovered."

"I've heard the theory..." Yuuno said. "But I've never heard of someone actually making one, and not just for the ethical issues. There are certainly plenty of criminals who'd be perfectly willing to kill for soldiers like that, but that sort of technology is still incredibly complex and expensive. And you really believe a Bureau officer would have…"

"The jamming field gave them away. They were attacking our systems directly, and there's no way they could have done so without leaving a trace unless they already knew all the security codes. The fact that one of them was able to infiltrate Raising Heart's systems only makes my theory more valid… that device was in Bureau care for several days after the Wolkenritter smashed it. Getting its control codes without being detected would not have been simple, but someone clever could have pulled it off. I don't want to say that internal treachery is the only possibility... but it definitely strikes me as the most likely one."

Fate's expression was coldly analytical. "Admiral Graham's methods left much to be desired, but he was at least attempting to defeat a known threat. This faction seems to be even less discerning in their methods, and I doubt their motivation is as... selfless."

Chrono nodded once. "That seems prudent. Those two mages are artificial beings, and their weapons are more advanced than Bureau standard... and that's not even considering those Logia-gems. Who knows what knowledge could be gained from examining their possessions and bodies? It could be a tremendous benefit to anybody who could pull it off."

"But that's such a broad goal. Wouldn't pretty much anybody be interested in something like that?" Nanoha asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. We know for sure it's a high-ranking officer to have the resources to pull something like this off, but beyond that, the only person I can be 100% sure it isn't would be my mother." Chrono said. With a trace of sadness in his voice, he continued, "There are a great many friends I would like to hope are not involved, but… well… ever since the Book of Darkness incident, I've learned that what I hope is true doesn't always turn out to be true."

"So… how do we handle this?" Fate said, asking the question on all their minds.

Chrono shrugged. "Unfortunately, we didn't manage to recover a single shred of evidence. None of the debris from the destroyed cyborgs, no trace of a data trail in either Raising Heart or the Asura. It was a surprisingly clean operation, considering how blunt it was in execution. I can ask Internal Affairs to begin an investigation, but beyond that… until we get some solid evidence, what we've discussed here will be just one possible theory."

Nanoha sighed and closed her eyes. "To think that someone would use such twisted methods over such a tiny goal... how could anyone be so heartless?" Her eyes opened, and that familiar determined spark lit them up. "I'd like to hope we're wrong, I really would. But whoever was truly responsible, the only thing that I can be completely certain of is that nobody this cruel can be trusted with the Logia they've already taken, much less anything else they might be after. We absolutely have to stop them!"

Chrono nodded once. "And preferably, we need to do it quickly. Because I can guarantee they'll be trying something like this again..."

"If you're ready, I have the mission report prepared, sir." said the young woman, stepping into the office. Like the man on the screen had been, she was unremarkable… average height, average build, average appearance. The sort of person who would be forgotten within seconds by any person she met on the street. Which was, of course, the point, given that being forgotten was a major part of Section Black's duties.

"Go right ahead. Start with the status of the Black Cats." The Director said.

"Of the twelve units sent, all but three suffered some minor damage. Two were completely destroyed on-site, but we managed to recover the remains successfully. The one that recovered the Lost Logia from agent Takamachi was damaged beyond our ability to recover and had to be scrapped for parts. Another was heavily damaged, but should be usable with sufficient time for repairs."

"And they didn't successfully eliminate even a single target… so much for 'perfect assassins' eh? Or maybe it's just that the official files don't do Takamachi and Testarossa justice."

"Actually, the real problem seems to be that the two unknowns worked with them until Harlaown found a way around the cloak, sir."

"Ah, yes… that assisted mass teleport? That was clever of him. A bit risky, but that's not bad if it pays off. The Bureau needs officers like him. See if we can't get a commendation slipped into his file. And those two enforcers, too… they deserve it. Their deaths would have been even more of a waste than I initially thought." The Director said. "And as for the targets, I'm beginning to think we took the wrong option, here. Again, blame the old men for calling us into the game so late and with so little notice."

"Sir?"

"If they can work with Bureau personnel, we might be able to negotiate for what we want. Let's face facts… this operation has been a disaster so far. With no time to prepare, we reacted with all the subtlety of a hammer and our performance has suffered for it. That Logia was not worth the exposure we've suffered, no matter how valuable it turns out to be. If we can, I'd prefer to get the rest rather more quietly."

"Yes, sir. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go oversee the efforts to reprogram the device we captured. This is the sort of thing we'd normally call in the Doctor for, but he is unavailable and…"

"We rely on him too much as it is, particularly considering he's not really an operative of this organization in the first place. I honestly prefer running this op without him. It reminds him that he isn't indispensable."

"Yes, sir." The girl said. She bowed once and stepped out of the office.

The Director leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment. Then, once he had carefully considered his words, he opened a message dictation program and began to speak.

"Okay, so here are my thoughts on the last two missions and the next step we should take." Amaterasu began, images taken from the previous two battles floating in the air in front of her. She had activated her barrier jacket after several more impassioned pleas to put on some clothing; a bodysuit, boots, gloves, and a jacket, mostly in red but with a gold pattern running along the seams and merging into an angular glyph on the center of her chest. Currently she, Enlil, Precia, and both of her fellow guardians were convened around a conference table to discuss their next moves.

"Okay, let's start with a review of enemy personnel." Amaterasu said. Instantly, the images over the table refocused to close-ups of Nanoha, Fate, Yuuno, and Arf. "For starters, these girls are definitely very cute, and so is that little boy. But the problem is that they're too young. Cute is all well and good, but they just aren't really relationship material until they mature a bit more. If I'm interested in younger people, Susa and Tsuku are much better because they're older than they look."

"Stop. Doing. That!" Susanoo begged.

"But it's all right. Even if they're too young to do anything with, they're still nice to look at, so that's good…"

"You are sick, you know that? Sick."

"And then I found my diamond in the rough. Just take a look at her!" Amaterasu finished with a gesture at an image of Arf. She let out a contented sigh. "Simply gorgeous. That fantastic body. Those piercing eyes. Those adorable ears! And look at those clothes… she's a fiery one, no doubt about it, a real wild woman. Oh, I think I'm in love..." Amaterasu gushed. "Well, that was a good meeting. If anyone needs me, I'm going to be taking a quick nap, so…"

"… Amaterasu. Two things." Enlil interrupted.

"Yes, highness?"

"First of all, this was a tactical discussion, not an opportunity for you to ogle the opposition for potential love connections."

"… well, that doesn't sound very fun. Battle planning is a lot of work, and I really did just wake up, so…"

Enlil began to glow, an ominous scarlet aura centered around a small black bracelet on her right hand.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Amaterasu said, holding up her hands in supplication.

"Glad to hear it. Second… is it absolutely necessary for Tsukuyomi to be sitting in your lap during formal war meetings?!"

"It's important to bond with my baby sister." Amaterasu said primly, nuzzling the top of Tsukuyomi's head with her chin.

Tsuku, for her part, looked distinctly underwhelmed. "There's such a thing… as too much affection…" She said.

"Not that I'm aware of." Amaterasu said cheerfully. "But okay, moving on to some actual tactics. Frankly? I don't think we'll have much of a problem with these people. They're more like police than real soldiers, and they're really expecting a specific pattern from us by this point, so I think that with some additional resources and a little pattern-breaking, I can pull off something nice."

"What sort of additional resources do you want? We're rather limited in our capabilities right this moment."

"Oh, not really… the three of us can't go full-force for now, but I think we might have some other options if we kind of cheat a little. If everything works like I plan, the problem will be time, not firepower. I'll let you know for sure once Yggdrasil finishes that search I asked it to run."

"As fascinating as all this is, why am I here?" Precia asked harshly.

"Well, two things. First off, those cybernetic organisms weren't in any of the files we stole from that Bureau ship. I was wondering if you had any information about that?"

"Well, it's not any technology I've ever used extensively, but there was a scientist who I worked a few projects with… rumors said he was experimenting with combat cyborg technology on the side, and that he may have even finished a few working models. This isn't him, though."

"You're sure?"

Precia smirked slightly. "Trust me… if this were the man I'm thinking of, those cyborgs would have had a giant golden 'JS' emblazoned on them, and he would have personally opened a communications channel with you in order to gloat or spout some faux-philosophic drivel that he doesn't even actually believe. He's got something of a taste for the dramatic." She said dryly. "Still, I suppose there's no reason he couldn't have sold off some very early prototypes, or even just the blueprints, to fund his research…"

Amaterasu looked crestfallen. "So this could be anyone with enough money, then? Oh, that is so annoying!" She whined, like a child who hadn't gotten the birthday present they wanted. The expression shifted back to a bright smile almost instantly, though. "Oh, well! I suppose that surprises make life more interesting, in the long run!"

Precia fought the urge to roll her eyes. "And the second reason you needed me?"

"Well, you're a mage, right? It's about time you started pulling your own weight, and I'm a tad short on personnel, so you're in."

"Pull my own-?! This entire plan is dependent on my research! I've already pulled my own weight a thousand times over!"

Amaterasu thought for a second. "Yeah, but what have you done for us lately?"

"How dare…"

"You want your kid back, right? That's your big motivation? I like that, I can appreciate that, that's really sweet. Family is a wonderful thing." Amaterasu said happily. "But… we really have no real reason to do it, do we? I mean, I suppose her majesty probably gave her word to you or something like that, but… well, who's to say she couldn't break it? I don't see any real benefit for us in keeping it, do you? So it would really be in your best interest to stay on our good side, wouldn't it? Otherwise, your little mother-daughter reunion scheme may be cancelled, and that would just be so sad."

Precia fell silent rather quickly.

"Well? Are you going to help or what? My word, you aren't very cooperative… I guess it's her majesty's fault. She's a diplomat, so she's too, well, diplomatic with you. I think it's good for everyone to remind you that if you refuse any little thing we ask, you'll be killed and your child will just stay right where she is." Amaterasu said, that chipper smile never wavering.

Enlil smiled slightly. "Actually, I've been rather blunt in expressing that fact. She just seems to keep forgetting…"

"Huh. Well, maybe you should just dispose of her? I'm sure we could handle it for you..."

"I will… assist you." Precia growled. "I'm not a combat mage by profession, but…"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll do just fine! And might I add I love that dress? You must tell me where you got it." Amaterasu said happily. "Okay then, battle plans. Well, I'd prefer to wait until we find another Gate before we move again, but once we're ready, I have a really fun idea. Before I get started, though, I really ought to ask… how many of those portals can you open in rapid succession, your highness?"

"Well… I haven't exactly been testing my limits, to avoid ripping too many holes in reality. But based on what I've done so far, six or seven, as long as I only have to hold each open for a minute or so. I can manage up to about ten minutes each if it's only one or two portals."

"Oooooh, that's nice, that's wonderful, that's more than I need. Four… no, five should be plenty; three for entry and two for escape." Amaterasu said, clapping her hands together to emphasize how nice and wonderful this was. "Okay, I have just one tiny question more. These portals, milady… how big can they be?"

The meeting wound down fairly quickly; besides the new obstacles, there wasn't a great deal to discuss. The central mission had not changed, and more evidence was needed before hunting down the strange black cyborgs would even become an option. After discussing some brief matters of tactics and potential future deployment strategies, Chrono chose to dismiss his command crew.

"All right. I think we can back off high alert for the moment, so why don't all of you get some rest? You're going to be needing it," he suggested.

"As long as you make sure to follow your own advice… I'd say you need rest more than we do." Fate said firmly.

Chrono sighed sadly. "I know, but I'm not going to be able to for a few hours yet. I've sent in a preliminary report to headquarters, but they're going to want to talk to me at length regarding our suspicions. I never should have taken this promotion; it's nothing but trouble…" He sighed and lowered himself from his bed to the floor. "Hmmm… my legs are still a little unsteady. Amy, do they have any sort of…" Before he could even finish the sentence, Amy handed him a cane the medical ward kept for patients with injured legs. "… oh. Thank you."

"The doctor said to take it easy, remember. You shouldn't strain yourself even a little bit." Amy said. "That was a pretty risky move you took…"

Chrono did not smile, but his tone of voice suggested he should have been. "Hmmm… then maybe you should have had medical standing by, instead of waiting for me to call for them…"

Amy smacked him upside the head. "I panicked, you little twerp! Besides, what was I supposed to tell them?! 'Hurry up, because Captain Chrono might be about to explode his own head'? Even the best doctor can't fix an exploded head, Chrono!"

"Ow! Amy, quit being insubordinate."

"Then quit picking on me!"

"Awwww. Aren't they so cute together?" Arf said, an utterly wicked smile on her face. "What an adorable couple…"

Chrono turned to her, his eyes as cold as the darkest depths of space. "How's obedience school coming along?" He asked.

"… I'll shut up now."

Fate blinked in confusion. "Obedience… school?" She asked.

"Ah. Heh, heh… funny story…" Arf said, blushing furiously. "You see, this pirate sort of asked me to…" she began.

Before she could finish the highly awkward sentence, the comm system beeped to indicate an incoming transmission.

"Oh! Look at that! Something's happening, better answer it, Chrono!" Arf said hurriedly.

"No, I want to hear about…" Fate began.

"Answer the freakin' message, Chrono!" Arf said desperately.

"… you aren't getting out of this, you know." Fate said bluntly.

"Chrono!" Arf practically snarled.

"Fine, fine…" Chrono said. He raised a hand, and a screen flickered into existence at the end of his palm. A rather plain looking man wearing large glasses appeared on it.

"Captain Harlaown? My name is Lieutenant Junior Grade Toya Lexus, with Fleet Operations Command, sir."

"Hmmmm…" Chrono said thoughtfully.

"Is… is something wrong, sir?"

"It's just that I've heard that name somewhere, and I'm not sure where. Are you by any chance famous for something, Lieutenant?"

"Not that I'm aware of, sir." The young man said.

"Well, it will come to me. Please deliver your report, Lieutenant."

"Very well, sir." The plain young man on the screen raised a sheet of paper to his face and read off, "As of 1800 hours today, Midchildan standard time, Captain Chrono Harlaown of the Asura is relieved of command of case file #12462."

"… … … … … … … what." Chrono said.

"Fleet Operations have reviewed your report on the case, and they have determined that given your overall lack of command experience and your suspicions that the operation may have been compromised by corrupt officials from within the Bureau itself, that it would be prudent to transfer authority over the case to a more experienced commanding officer. You are to transfer command of the vessel over to their command and act as their second-in-command for the remainder of the case."

"… … … … … … … what." Chrono said.

Fate, foreseeing a problem, said, "It… it's not so bad, Chrono."

"Right!" Nanoha agreed, not entirely sure whether she should be smiling or not… should she be showing sympathy, or would that just make him angry? "I mean, it sounds like we're still on the case, they're just transferring in a new commander…"

"How dare they?!" Chrono snapped suddenly. "What, exactly, prompted this decision?! Because as far as I can tell, between being sent on the case late and the fact that we were just openly betrayed…"

"Allegedly betrayed, sir."

"…I'd say I'm doing better than an officer with ten times my experience! So please tell me, Lieutenant, exactly what prompted Fleet Command to stab me in the back like this?!"

"Sir, please understand that I had no say in this decision."

Chrono sighed, taking several deep breaths to calm himself down. "Of course, of course. I apologize, Lieutenant, it's been a very trying day. Would you kindly inform me of whom I should file my formal complaint to?"

Lieutenant Lexus actually showed some genuine emotion for the first time… unfortunately, it appeared to be embarrassment. "Actually, sir, the officer in question arrived on board the Asura approximately five minutes ago, so you should perhaps address your complaints to them…"

"What?! Regulations state I'm supposed to receive at least twelve hours notice before a change in command! Furthermore, why would they come aboard my ship without telling me, and why would the teleport crews not inform me of an incoming VIP?!" Chrono snapped.

Lieutenant Lexus sighed. "I'm afraid all of the above was a direct order from the Admiral. She ordered us to bend regulations to surprise you, sir."

Chrono's eyes widened as he considered the implications. 'The Admiral'. 'She' had wanted to surprise him. No… it couldn't be… he thought desperately. Just then, as if to shatter all his hopes, he remembered where he'd heard Lieutenant Lexus's name before.

"Lieutenant, you wouldn't happen to be…" He began.

Lexus sighed again. "She ordered me not to tell you, sir, but yes… I've been her attaché for two months now. Again, I'm sorry, sir."

"No. No, no, no…" Chrono said.

Amy started to laugh. No… everyone in the room seemed to be very carefully looking at anywhere but Chrono's face, and seemed to be making an intense effort to hide their mouths. So they were all doing it, it was just that Amy wasn't bothering to hide it.

The door to the medical ward slid open. "Hiiiiiii, Chrono!" Admiral Lindy said cheerfully, a brilliant smile shining on her face.

The vast majority of the population of the room stopped even trying to contain their laughter. Fate, at least, patted him on the shoulder… but she did it with sort of a goofy smile on her face.

"Captain Chrono Harlaown. Child genius. Completed the TSAB Fleet academy's three-year curriculum in one year. Completed the one-year officer training course in three months. Became on official Enforcer at the age of twelve, the youngest ranked officer of his generation. Made Captain of the flagship Asura at the age of fifteen, also the youngest of his generation." Chrono said in a mechanical tone. "All of that is from my personnel file, you know. It looked very impressive. And now it's going to be joined by 'And on his first official mission as a captain, his mommy had to come save him'."

Lindy patted him on the head affectionately. "Oh, Chrono. I'm sure it won't use the word 'mommy'."

Author's Note 2: You know, I had no idea that Chrono was supposed to be fourteen years old in the first season, and therefore would be fifteen now. I really didn't. I thought he was the same age as Nanoha, Fate, and Yuuno, until I looked it up just to be safe and found out he's actually five years older than they are and just looks the same age. That's gotta be annoying for the poor guy, doesn't it? Oh well, he'll make up for it when he's fifty years old and looks thirty.

There wasn't really any purpose to this note. Just a weird thought I had.