A/N: I originally wanted the first few sections of this chapter to be part of the previous one, but the recruitment scene ran way longer than I wanted it to, and I ended up releasing it as it was. Thus, this chapter is less a Chapter 11 and more of a Chapter 10.5.
Chapter 11
While Kanzashi and Tatenashi were reconciling with each other, Ichika himself had a different conversation to attend to.
"Charlotte? Are you in there?" Ichika asked, knocking on the appropriate door. A few seconds passed, before the door was opened and said girl ushered him inside.
"Ichika? What is it?" Charlotte asked as he sat down on the bed beside her.
"Do you want the quick version or the detailed version?" Ichika asked.
"The detailed version would be preferable." Charlotte replied.
"Very well. You remember what we've discussed in the bath, right? Well, I have since then made contact with several... associates of mine, and I am now in a position to strike directly at your father from three different angles. Politically and economically, my plans are already in motion, but before I attack him via the media, I wanted to ask your permission before I leak your story." Ichika explained.
"Wait, what do you mean, leak my story? And what kind of contacts do you have?"
"My plan to strike directly at your father involves leaking the story of a young girl blackmailed by her father into spying and stealing from one of her friends in the name of corporate greed. While I am sure your father has threatened to leak your story should you fail in your mission, I doubt it would have had a similar spin on it had he done it. As for my contacts, they would prefer to remain anonymous." Ichika explained once again.
"But wouldn't my father just release his own story to counter yours?" Charlotte asked.
"That is a very likely possibility, but with news like this, it all depends on which one is released first. If your father releases his own story after mine, it would look like he's desperately trying to save face as the CEO of a failing company, and that is exactly the image I want. Do you agree to this?" Ichika pressed.
"But... I don't know... How will you even-" Charlotte stammered, clearly overwhelmed.
"I may not be a journalist myself, but I have plenty of friends in high places. Being the world's only male IS pilot tends to make one famous, and many people in high places are willing to accommodate me because of my status. So, Charlotte, do I have your permission to do this?" Ichika asked. Charlotte did not reply immediately, her face thoughtful.
"What are the chances of this working?" She finally asked.
"I cannot give you an exact percentage, but I am very confident in the abilities of my associates to pull this off." Ichika replied.
"Very well then. Do it." Charlotte declared in response, her voice equal parts resigned and determined.
"Good. I'll make the call." Ichika smiled, before picking up his phone and, with Charlotte's curious gaze upon him, he called the number of one of his supposed contacts. In reality, this was one of several numbers that would put him in touch with Maya.
"Hello? Yes, this is Orimura Ichika." Charlotte listened to the one sided conversation that was taking place in front of her.
"Yes, I have spoken with her. Yes, I have gotten her permission." As the conversation continued, Charlotte couldn't help but feel that somehow, this entire conversation was scripted from the start.
"What do you want me to do? Really? I see... I will let her know. Is that all?" That piqued Charlotte's curiosity, but she decided to remain silent. After all, she would be informed shortly.
"I understand. Yes. It's been a pleasure talking to you again. Goodbye." With those words, the call ended, and Ichika turned back to face her.
"What is it?" Charlotte preempted him.
"Well, my contact is ready to release this story in about a week or so, and will send you a rough draft for your review three days from now. Once the draft is received, he wants us to decide exactly how you will react to this. After all, you cannot have known that your friend would do this for you." Ichika smiled as he spoke, although it was the smile of a conspirator rather than a simple friend.
"So you want me to lie on your behalf now?" Charlotte asked.
"No, I want you to lie for your own sake. Plus, it won't really be a lie, just an omission of truth." Ichika replied.
"But we're still lying to the presses! What if they-"
"They won't find out because you will be telling the truth as they know it. This conversation will not leave this room, after all, and you will still be telling them your true story. Just with a more... shocking twist to it." At that, Charlotte sighed.
"Very well. I'm already committed anyway, so what do I have to do?" She asked.
"Whatever you believe will have the most impact on the masses." Ichika replied.
"But I don't-"
"Don't worry Charlotte. You have a week to think about it, although I would prefer to hear it sooner rather than later." Ichika paused for a few moments, then spoke again.
"Say, Charlotte, how are you settling in? Are you getting along with your roommate and everything?" Ichika asked, changing the subject to a lighter topic.
"Oh, I'm doing fine! I've had some problems with my roommate initially, but Laura's a lot easier to get along with than she was before the tournament." Charlotte replied, sounding grateful for the change of subject.
"Wait, Laura is your roommate?" Ichika asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, she's actually quite cute once you get to know her." Charlotte giggled, doubtlessly remembering something that Ichika wasn't privy to.
"I see... Where is she?"
"Well, after class, Orimura-sensei took her aside and said something about 'educating' her about something or other, and she hasn't been back-" As if speaking of her was enough to summon her, Laura Bodewig burst through the door, her only visible eye widening when she saw Ichika.
"I-Ichika!" The silver haired girl exclaimed, before composing herself and continuing.
"Ahem. It is fortunate that you are here already, it saves me the time of looking for you. Now take off your clothes." Laura said, putting down the birdcage and stuffed bee in her hands and beginning to strip off her own clothing.
"L-Laura! What are you doing?" Charlotte exclaimed.
"I was informed earlier today that we did not properly consummate our marriage last night. Apparently, the proper process involves both parties being naked and apparently requires both a bird and some bees. Unfortunately, I was unable to requisition an apiary, so I was forced to settle for... sub-par materials." Laura gestured down at the plush bee that smiled back up at her.
"Wait, what?" Both Charlotte and Ichika exclaimed simultaneously.
"However, I was able to secure a proper bird, as evidenced by this fine example of a Norwegian Blue Parrot that I managed to purchase." Laura continued, unfazed by the shock of the other two occupants of the room.
"But parrots don't even live in Norway!" Charlotte exclaimed as Ichika examined the bird in the cage closely. It was unnaturally stiff.
"Laura, that parrot is dead." Ichika declared.
"No, the shopkeeper assured me that it was simply resting." Laura calmly explained as she finished removing her pants.
"It's not resting, it's clearly dead!" Ichika exclaimed.
"Hmm..." Laura's eye narrowed before she opened the cage and drew out the parrot. It swung stiffly from her hand. A short session of German wake-up calls later, and Laura was convinced.
"I see. It is good to know that my wife has such an eye for detail." Laura said, before unceremoniously tossing the parrot behind her, before calmly proceeding to remove her bra.
"Laura! What do you think you are doing?" Charlotte exclaimed, rushing over to cover up the now topless supersoldier.
"The Instructor has explained to me clearly and concisely that both parties must be naked in order to consummate their marriage. She also told me about a process that also has to happen before we sleep together. She called it 'The Birds and the Bees', which I can only assume is some sort of code name that only you would know about. Would you kindly elaborate on the process? I fail to see how birds and bees fit into it at all, as the Instructor simply told me that it would involve you thrusting your-" Whatever Laura was about to say was cut off by Charlotte clamping her hand over the silver haired girl's mouth.
"Laura, I believe that you are still lacking some crucial information. Ichika, could you please leave? I believe I have some... explaining to do." Charlotte smiled sweetly at him. Gulping at the hidden poison in that saccharine glance, and promptly left the room, mentally promising to pay Charlotte back for what she had saved him from. He did not need that much awkwardness in his life.
The weekends came all too quickly, and Saturday found Ichika, Kanzashi and Tatenashi all aboard a transport heading to Urup Island. Where the transport that carried Ichika to and from the WSI Tower had once been an ordinary CH-47 Chinook helicopter, it had been heavily modified, to the point that its dual rotors had retracted once they were clear of land, with the transport now being propelled by a pair of impulse drives. Thanks to this, the craft's passengers arrived at their destination in less than half the time it would have taken them via helicopter.
"Is this it? It doesn't look like much." Kanzashi commented as they approached the southernmost tip of the large island.
"It's not supposed to. However, you'll soon find out that there's more to this place than meets the eye. Take that ridge, for example. What do you see, Kanzashi?" Ichika asked.
"There's nothing there." Kanzashi deadpanned.
"So it appears, but in reality, both Surface Elevator 043 and Artillery Battery 071 are located there. Within twenty minutes of an invasion force being detected, we can theoretically deploy an entire semi-mechanized battalion to the surface for defensive purposes via that elevator alone. This lift also has an adjacent IS Launch Shaft, allowing us to scramble IS suits into the air within five minutes. You see, this entire island has been converted into a 550 square mile pillbox, designed to be all but impregnable to enemy assault. The waters around the island are mined, as are the beaches. The seabed itself has Gauss cannons and torpedo racks embedded into it, designed specifically to attack enemy submarines. Nearly two hundred heavy artillery emplacements dot the island, with more being built every month. Laser emplacements meanwhile provide a nearly impermeable defensive umbrella capable of taking out any missiles launched at the island, while hundreds of railgun and plasma cannon batteries provide a suitable defense against assault by IS. Sixty elevators like 043 surround the island, and in the unlikely event of an enemy breaking through, these elevators can be individually flooded with a quick hardening, body heat activated material, rendering them completely inaccessible to the enemy, and that is only part of our surface defense network." Ichika lectured to a wide eyed Kanzashi.
The transport swept over the island, circling and descending towards the outwardly antiquated airfield. As the craft descended, Ichika spotted the pencil-thin wake of a boat heading away from the island, and partially deployed his hyper-sensor to take a closer look at the vessel. From the air, it looked like an ordinary fishing vessel, but a mere fishing vessel would never have been allowed within such close distance of the island. Ori promptly answered his unspoken question as to the ship's nature.
"That looks like one of our new oceanic patrol boats. It's designed to resemble an ordinary fishing vessel, right up to the point where it sprouts weapons and displacer drives and starts hunting submarines. That one looks like Number 016." Ori explained, gesturing with a holographic limb at the ship down below.
"So it's a Q-Ship?" Tatenashi asked.
"Somewhat, but it's designed as a hunter, not a decoy. For anti-submarine duties it is armed with a single subsurface Gauss cannon designed for close to medium range engagements, as well as a pair of anti-submarine missile racks. It also carries a dual plasma cannon for last resort use against IS suits. For defensive purposes, it relies entirely on the speed provided by its twin displacement drive, as it has next to nothing in the way of armor. These patrol ships are designed as a stopgap measure until we can get our own subsurface navy up and operational." Ori answered, just as the VTOL came in for a landing, coming down on the familiar slab of concrete that doubled as an elevator down into the base proper.
"How did you get the resources for all this?" Kanzashi asked as the elevator activated, slowly sending the transport and its passengers into the bowels of the earth.
"Our base is powered by a reactor that streams in deuterium and anti-deuterium from alternate dimensions and generates immense amounts of power from the resulting reaction, and if we can bring in antimatter, we can bring in pretty much anything. If we need materials, all we have to do is siphon them in from other dimensions. It's one of the many possible applications for IS Storage Technology, and is far from the only one. I even heard they were experimenting with teleportation using the same technology." Ichika replied.
Just then, the elevator stopped, and the craft's doors opened, allowing the trio to exit the helicopter. They were met by a group of security officers led by Giorgi Stukanov, who smiled faintly when Ichika met his gaze.
"Wing Commander Orimura, you are to proceed to briefing room three. The rest of you are to follow me." Giorgi ordered simply, before turning away and walking out of the room. The two girls followed him, with the security officers bringing up the rear. Left to his own devices, Ichika made his way to his assigned briefing room, navigating the corridors with a practiced ease. Upon entering, he saw that Yukari waiting for him.
"Good, it looks like you're finally here." His former IS instructor smiled at him, a gesture that he eagerly returned.
"It's good to be back." Ichika replied, taking a seat. As soon as he did so, Yukari slammed a thick folder down in front of him.
"Enclosed within is the full list of privileges, responsibilities, and other such information regarding your now official rank. However, I am also here to brief you on the bare essentials. First off, congratulations, Orimura-kun. I know you've technically been a wing commander for a while now, but now it's official. That means an increase in pay, an increase in paperwork, and an increase in regular work."
"That I know already." Ichika laughed.
"Good. Now, as of today, you have been placed in charge of Special Training Squadron One, and are now in command of Pilots Sarashiki Tatenashi and Sarashiki Kanzashi. Your squadron is currently stationed at IS Academy, and is tasked with monitoring the IS Development situation from there, as well as protecting against possible attacks by Phantom Task and making contact with potential recruits. Any recruits that you bring in at IS Academy will be folded into your squadron until further notice. Understood?"
"That means that anyone I recruit is automatically placed under my command, correct?" Yukari nodded at that before continuing.
"Correct. Now, I understand that you currently have quite the circle of friends back at the academy. This is not an excuse to bring them all in for a bunch of wacky, anime-esque hijinks. Any student you believe to be a potential recruit is to be recommended to your handler, who will in turn evaluate them and eventually decide whether or not to bring them in. Only in events where an unavoidable large scale breach of secrecy has occurred do you have the authority to immediately decide whether or not to recruit someone. By unavoidable breach of security, I mean an event that, in order to assure your survival, you must reveal your status as a member of the Organization. An example would be a large scale Phantom Task assault on IS Academy where our support is required. A nonexample would be a simple security breach, such as one of your friends being in the wrong place at the wrong time and overhearing something she shouldn't have. Do you understand?" Yukari asked.
"I do."
"Good. Remember that you are now a true officer of our IS Corps, and thus are held to a higher standard of conduct. Abuse of authority will be punished, the full list of infractions and punishment being contained within the folder I have given you. Other punishable offences include unnecessary breaches of secrecy, unauthorized deployment of your squadron in a method that cannot be retroactively justified, and of course, desertion. In addition, there are a plethora of more minor offences that are detailed within the folder. It would be wise for you to memorize its contents as soon as possible."
"I will."
"Trust me, it will come in very handy. Next are the new privileges of your rank. As of now, you are allowed access to the Organization Officers' Club located on Level 3, Room number 3-151. In addition, your current salary has increased by ten percent, and your local computer access has been updated to Military Gamma level clearance, giving you all the necessary information for planning out combat operations. You have also been granted flexible funding control capabilities, which allow you to divert parts of your salary to funding personal R&D projects, like I did when I commissioned Tora from you, provided that the boys down in R&D are available."
"I see... What does that mean for me though? I am already pretty highly ranked in R&D, so I can already do this sort of thing." Ichika asked.
"Then that means you get to keep your salary where it is, or maybe use it to encourage the people who work with you to assist. Now, the final benefit of your new position is the ability to promote the people under your command to any rank below your own, provided that you can justify your promotion beyond mere favoritism. Promotion without merit is considered abuse of delegated authority, and will be punished accordingly."
"I would expect nothing less." At that, Yukari smiled.
"We'll make an officer out of you yet, Ichika! Remember, everything you need to know is contained within the folder I have just given you. Do you have any questions regarding what we have discussed so far?" Yukari asked.
"None so far." Ichika replied simply.
"Good. Then I can consider this short briefing concluded." Yukari's smile widened.
"I assume that my subordinates will get a similar briefing on their place in the squadron?" Ichika asked.
"They will, but that is irrelevant right now. What matters is that you're now an officer, and that means you now have access to the officers' club! Come on, let's go!" Yukari all but dragged him out of the briefing room, only to be met with an amused looking Dr. White.
"I'm sorry, but Ichika's presence is required down in the R&D bay. I'm afraid that you will have to take him to the club another time." The aged doctor said, much to Yukari's disappointment.
"What? Why?" Yukari asked.
"There are several reasons, chief of which is the presence of new equipment that I believe you will find to your liking." Raymond replied, immediately causing Ichika's eyes to light up.
"Sorry, Yukari-san, but getting new toys beats clubbing any day." Ichika apologized to his fellow pilot.
"Don't worry, I'll just have to take you there another time." Yukari sighed, before turning and walking away.
"Come on. I think you're going to like this." Raymond smiled, before leading Ichika towards the R&D bay.
"What is it?" Ichika asked as he followed his former mentor.
"Just a solution to one of the biggest problems faced by our male IS pilots." Raymond replied.
"What do you mean?" Ichika asked.
"I've finally solved the issue of the pilot suit." Raymond replied.
"Wait, what?" Ichika asked, confused.
"Do you know how many complaints I have received from our male IS pilots regarding our pilot suits? More than I can count. The Mk. I Male Pilot Suit has also garnered several rather unfortunate nicknames, a few of my favorite being 'Pinchers', 'Spandexes', and most of all, 'F(etish) Suits'. That last one seems to apply to both male and female versions as well." Raymond said as he entered the hive of activity that was the R&D bay.
"You're kidding me. I've personally had no problems with my own suit." Ichika replied.
"That's because yours was custom tailored to fit you, what with you being somewhat smaller than the average pilot. All the others... For efficiency's sake they are one-size-fits-all." Raymond explained, leading Ichika to a rack where several suits, all of them white with blue highlights, were displayed.
"These are the prototypes and the various designs that didn't make the cut for various reasons. Take this one for example." At that, Raymond gestured towards one particular suit, which was covered in a multitude of tiny, interlocking plates that made it look somewhat like a futuristic suit of scale-mail armor.
"This particular design was designed to provide the pilot with an additional layer of protection in the form of a multitude of carbon fiber plates. It was ultimately rejected for two reasons, the first being the difficulty of mass producing it, and the second being the fact that any attack capable of penetrating standard pilot armor is not likely to be stopped by a thin layer of carbon." Raymond then gestured at a second suit, this one having a spiderweb of cables coming out from its attached helmet, while the suit was covered in strange black blocks.
"This one, on the other hand, is and earlier prototype that was designed with experimental cyberspace technology in mind, in order to improve the synchronization between the suit's AI and pilot. While it was effective, it was also extremely fragile, to the point where a particularly hard maneuver could tear some cables loose and turn an interface suit into little more than an obstruction to standard empathic interfaces." Raymond explained, before walking up to a second rack beside the first. This one was obviously missing several suits. Most of the suits were the standard black and grey of the IS Corps, with one slightly smaller suit having ORIMURA written across its left shoulder, along with the WSI logo just above it. On the other suits, the WSI logo was replaced by an Organization IS Corps insignia, along with their intended user's name written underneath.
"These suits are all identical, save for their sizes. Using what we've learned from the Cyber-suit, these Interface suits, or I-suits for short, are designed with the empathic interface in mind, using empathic relays to clear up and enhance the signals that standard empathic interfaces look for. This all but eliminates the threat of critical in-flight desynchronization that sometimes occurs for pilots with lower IS Compatibility scores, as well as increasing the precision and speed of IS movement by a small but nonetheless noticeable margin. That was the original design. Now these are the Mark II I-suits, which were created after your battle with the Schwarzer Regen. While additional armor would likely have been ineffective at protecting you, some on-site medical attention would have allowed you to continue fighting even after being injured. I am sure you are aware of Stem-gel and how it has revolutionized medicine? The Mark II carries a pack of stem-gel in a cooled pocket on its back, and a network of capillaries carries it to various critical areas, using it to patch up wounds. Finally, the suit's design takes pilot comfort into account, having internal temperature regulation and can be easily adjusted to fit its intended user." Raymond said, taking Ichika's suit off the rack and presenting it to him.
"How long did it take to design these? I thought R&D was already working overtime." Ichika asked, curious.
"You forget that I am only in charge of one particular branch of R&D, and that is the IS branch. The I-suit project was simply one of many side projects involved in the MPTIS program. Our conventional R&D branch, on the other hand, is so swamped that we've had to loan some of our specialists to them in order to help them meet deadlines. After all, they've been working on projects ranging from a supersonic IS Transporter, which is almost complete, to several classes of submarines catering to a radical new combat doctrine. Hell, they're even working on an SSTO plane, though what for I don't know. All of engineering has been working overtime trying to keep up production though, and construction's proceeding at a feverish pace. At the rate we're going, we'll be able to match Phantom Task beneath the waves by the end of the year."
"You didn't answer my question though, how long did it take to design the suit?" Ichika asked again.
"The project was started about six months ago, and was folded into the MPTIS program once it began. Now, are you going to put it on or not?" Raymond asked, thrusting the pilot suit at him. In response, Ichika quickly changed into the suit. The suit ended up hanging loosely off his limbs, looking several sizes too big.
"Why does it hang so much? I thought these things were supposed to be skin tight?" Ichika asked, stepping out from behind his cover as he did so.
"That supposedly makes it easier to put on, plus it allows for the suits to be manufactured faster, without having to custom tailor them for every user. Now you have to adjust and tighten it. It should take a while as this is the first time the suit is being put on."
"How do I do that?" In response to his question, Raymond pressed a button on the suit's wrist.
"One press of the button tightens it, the second loosens it. Be sure to stand completely still until the fitting process is concluded." Raymond said, as the suit began to stretch and contract in various areas, with excess fabric being rolled away into specialized holders. Twenty seconds later, the suit was completely tightened. Then, with a faintly audible whir of machinery, the internals of the suit began to shift, aligning themselves to fit his body. Finally, after nearly a minute of standing still, a simple tone indicated that the suit had finished its work.
"How does it feel?" Raymond asked.
"Tight, but not uncomfortably so." Ichika replied.
"Good. Now for the more advanced functions. I assume the temperature regulators are functioning acceptably?"
"I think so..." Ichika said. It was true, the suit did seem slightly warmer than the cool air of the R&D lab.
"Alright. I will now be testing the empathic relays. It should feel like your entire body is tingling slightly. Any pain means that too much attention is being concentrated on one area, while numbness indicates the opposite. There shouldn't be any problems, but every suit is to be tested in such a manner." At that, a faint tingling shot through Ichika's body, causing him to twist and fidget in response.
"Will it feel like this every time I use an IS?" Ichika asked.
"Technically, you already feel something like that whenever you use an IS, but out here you don't have the benefit of neural buffering like you would in the IS. If it weren't for those buffers, every bit of damage inflicted on your IS would feel as though it was inflicted on your own body. When you pilot, the buffers will eliminate this feeling. Now, I assume everything is fine? No pain or numbness?" Raymond asked.
"No, nothing like that. Now can you please turn it off?" Ichika asked, and shortly afterward the feeling of millions of ants crawling all over his body vanished.
"Now testing the stem-gel treatment system. For testing purposes, the stem-gel pack has been replaced with simple hand sanitizer, which has a similar consistency." Raymond promptly announced, and Ichika yelped as ice-cold liquid was suddenly pumped through the conduits of the suit and released.
"Glad to see the cooling system is functioning." Raymond said as Ichika shivered in front of him.
It was about then that the two Sarashiki sisters entered the bay, led by a low ranking tech. As they approached, Dr. White turned his attention to them, temporarily forgetting about the shivering boy that stood behind him, covered in a thin film of chilled liquid.
"Oh? Are those new?" Tatenashi asked, pointing at the pilot suits.
"As a matter of fact, they are. Find yours and try them on. I'll run them through the same series of tests that Ichika here has just completed, and then they're yours." Raymond replied, gesturing at the rack of pilot suits. The two girls promptly found their own suits, Tatenashi's having a white and red color scheme, while Kanzashi's replaced the red with light blue.
"Why are these colored differently?" Kanzashi asked, gesturing at the rest of the suits, all of which were grey and black.
"Representative candidates tend to wear piloting suits colored to match their IS, and as you all are out in public it would be prudent of us to continue the trend. The differences between those suits and Ichika's are cosmetic only." Raymond said as the two went into the nearby changing booth and donned their own suits.
As the two girls had their own suits tested, Ichika was now free to look around the R&D bay. While most of the new technology was mass produced in the Engineering workshops, the prototypes were all built in R&D. One such prototype had taken up the majority of the room, and appeared to be in the final stages of assembly. It was a giant aircraft, bearing a passing resemblance to a B2 Spirit stealth bomber.
"What's that?" Ichika asked a passing engineer.
"Oh, that's the OXT-1 Prototype. It's supposed to carry IS pilots into combat." The engineer replied.
"What? Why would we need that?" Ichika was confused. An IS could transport itself, after all, and the lack of fuel requirements meant that its range was only limited by pilot endurance.
"Because it's faster! You're a pilot, right? Then you'd know that IS suits, even the new MPTIS models, have top speeds in the mid transonic range. This beauty, however, can transport a maximum of sixteen IS pilots at just past Mach 2. Once it reaches the deployment point, the pilots then jump out and deploy their IS suits in midair, using partial deployment to protect their bodies from the worst of supersonic motion until their IS suits are fully deployed."
"That sounds awfully risky..."
"Yeah, if you don't partially deploy your IS suit's shields before jumping out you're dead, atmospheric friction and all, but as long as you don't make that mistake you can easily be deployed seventy to eighty thousand feet at near mach 2, giving you a tremendous advantage over any other IS suits in the area, both in terms of altitude and speed."
"That high up?" Ichika gasped.
"Yup! I am the one who made sure the deployment process was feasible by jumping out of a supersonic transport eleven miles up wearing nothing but my IS and a pilot suit. The old model suit, not the fancy new one you're wearing." The newly declared pilot bragged.
"Wait, you're a pilot as well?" Ichika asked.
"Yup! The name's Samuel Price, IS Pilot, 1st Class, 2nd Wing, currently on loan to the R&D department as a test pilot." Samuel replied.
"The second wing... That's Fujimura-san's unit, right?"
"Yeah, and boy am I lucky for it! The commander is competent and experienced both on and out of the field, not to mention being rather easy on the eyes! All in all, it could be much worse. I could be in STS-1! I heard they've got a kid not even out of IS Academy commanding it!" Samuel laughed.
"Ahem."
"I mean seriously, who puts a teenager in charge of an IS wing? I mean, I understand if the commander is young, but a kid?"
"Ahem!"
"Yes? What is... Oh... Shit." Samuel blinked as he finally recognized the person he was talking to.
"STS-1 is not a front line combat squadron yet, but is instead a special unit designed to test our IS technology against the IS suits that the rest of the world considers cutting edge. In time, we will be relegated to the front lines, but as command is not yet desperate enough to use child soldiers, we are not serving in that regard at the moment. Do you have anything to add, Mr. Price?" Ichika asked, channeling his older sister as he did so.
"N-No..." The pilot replied.
"Very well then. As you were." Ichika said, before turning away.
"Y-Yes sir!" Samuel replied, although Ichika heard more than a little resentment in that statement. That in turn caused him to pause.
"Oh, and for the record, I don't know why they made me an officer either." Ichika said, before walking back to where Raymond was finishing his tests.
"So, you like what you see?" Tatenashi asked a few hours later aboard the transport taking them home. She was, of course, referring to the tight pilot suit that she still flaunted with an impish grin.
"It certainly suits you." Ichika replied, his own suit currently folded in his hands, while beneath his seat rested a cooling unit full of stem-gel packs.
"Was that a pun, Ichika-kun?" Tatenashi smirked.
"Unintentional, but I suppose it was." Ichika replied.
"Hmm... You really should stop talking like that. It's just the three of us in here, so you don't have to be so formal all the time!" Tatenashi commented.
"But I am an officer. I have to speak like this, or I will lose my rank." Ichika joked, causing Kanzashi to laugh.
"True, true, but on a more serious note, the new suits are bound to raise some questions." Kanzashi spoke up.
"You are correct, Kanzashi, but those questions will mostly be regarding their capabilities. Just say they're a new experimental WSI product designed to increase pilot compatibility, and that during the last tournament you managed to impress the people in WSI enough for them to approach you with an offer. That should put any questions about their origins, and just saying that they're better pilot suits won't pose a security risk." Ichika replied.
"Were you briefed on this, or did you just make that up?" Tatenashi asked.
"Quick thinking is one of the most important requirements for rank." Ichika replied in a rather pompous tone that set the two girls laughing.
Tatenashi was the first out of the helicopter when it landed, running down the ramp only to stop at the WSI tower's roof entrance. Ichika followed at a more sedate pace, with Kanzashi right behind him.
"Say, Ichika..." Kanzashi began, causing him to pause.
"What is it?" Ichika asked.
"It's... I never really apologized for how I acted after my recruitment, and-" Ichika cut her off mid-sentence.
"Don't worry about it. I've already spoken with Yamada-san about how she was... Over-zealous in regards to security. Had our positions been reversed, I would have acted similarly."
"But still-"
"Don't worry about it. It all worked out in the end, didn't it?" Ichika smiled, only to feel a tap on the back.
"Ichika, you really are an idiot sometimes. Just accept the apology." Tatenashi chided him, causing him to sigh.
"Alright, apology accepted, Kanzashi." That caused the younger Sarashiki to brighten up.
"Now that that's over with, let's get going. I'm sure they're expecting us back at the academy!" Tatenashi smiled brightly, and lead the way back down the WSI tower, the group stopping briefly to pick up Kanzashi's newly refitted IS.
As Ichika and the Sarashiki sisters made their way back to IS Academy, the SS Aurora was making its own journey across the Pacific ocean, its cargo holds brimming with over two hundred thousand tons of material. Ranging from IS components made in Japan bound for American companies to several containers full of teddy bears from China, the bulk carrier was barely making twenty knots.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Joey Alvarez said from where he leaned against the ship's railing.
"You've been saying that for the entire trip. What gives?" Daniel Larssen asked as he leaned down beside him.
"It's nothing really, it just feels like something is off about this whole thing. I mean, look at us! Who hires a PMC to guard some random container vessel?" Joey asked, speaking more to himself than to his friend.
"It's probably just a particularly corporate boy with too much money to spend, not that I'm complaining! I mean, easy money, right? All we have to do is sit around for a few more weeks and then it's payday!"
"Do you really think so? Something just feels off about this whole situation."
"It's probably nothing. I mean, it's just a random cargo ship! What could possibly go wrong?" As if in answer to Daniel's rhetorical question, the ship suddenly shuddered, and both men felt the ship start to slow down.
"You just had to say it, didn't you?" Joey complained, grabbing his rifle and, keeping it pointed down, he began to look around.
"It's probably just an engine malfunction. They'll get it fixed in no time and we'll get going again." Daniel replied, still smiling.
"That wasn't an engine malfunction. We wouldn't have slowed down that fast if it was." Joey replied, a hint of fear in his voice.
"You're worrying too much." Daniel smiled, but he unslung his rifle all the same. Then, the sea exploded right in front of them as a bright silver object, glinting in the sunlight, flew out of the water and landed with a loud 'THUNK!' on the deck.
"What the hell is that?" Daniel cried out as the process repeated itself several times, with a final total of six pods landing all around the deck. Slowly, cautiously, PMC members approached the pods, while the rest of the ship's crew backed away. A loud hiss suddenly rang out across the deck as the doors of the pod slowly slid open...
"What the hell-" That was all Joey got to say before the door suddenly exploded outward and with an inhuman shriek, something came rocketing out of the pod. Joey didn't even have time to scream before the... Thing was upon him, its long, bladed claws emerging out the unfortunate man's back. Panicked screams indicated similar occurrences all across the ship, the sound of pure, unadulterated panic being interspersed with the staccato of gunfire.
"Shit, shit, shit!" Daniel cursed as he depressed the trigger, blazing away from the hip in his panic, causing several bloody holes to open up in his dead friend's body as Daniel fired through him. At least one bullet met its mark, crimson blood pouring from the creature's wound and causing it to turn its attention to him. Its eyes met Daniel's, and even in his panicked state he saw the calculating intelligence hidden behind them. Then, the monster hurled his friend's corpse at him, the impact knocking him to the ground. The last thing Daniel saw was the monster's bladed hand coming down at his face.
Raising its head in triumph, the monster let out a loud shriek that echoed across the deck, cutting through the sounds of panic and pain. It was answered eighteen times over as more monsters emerged from the pods. The hunt had begun.
"What in god's name are those things..." Captain Gabriel Preston breathed as he watched the inhuman abominations systematically dismember his crew. Near the prow of the vessel, one of the abominations was already feasting, bent low over the bodies of two of the hired guards. All armed resistance had long since ceased, the creatures targeting the PMCs first before rounding up and slaughtering the remaining crew on deck like cattle.
"The door is locked, for all the good that will do." David Goldman, the head of the PMC said, keeping his gun focused at the door.
"Let's hope it holds. I've sent out a distress signal and the SOS beacon is already transmitting... I just hope whoever comes is well armed." Gabriel replied.
"Do you really think we'll make it through this?" His First Officer asked.
"If the door can hold, then I believe so. Besides, we've still got some weaponry in here." Gabriel replied, casting another look out across the deck. The monsters had apparently eaten their fill by now, leaving behind a bloody deck covered in mangled, half-eaten corpses. The captain's eyes came to rest on one particular monster that was sniffing the air.
"Fat lot of good those did us." The PMC captain replied as the monster let out another one of those terrifying shrieks that chilled the bridge's occupants to the bone. Then, as one, the monsters rushed towards the stern of the ship. Some of them stayed low, heading towards doorways, while others began to climb. One of the creature's heads soon rose into view, separated from the bridge proper only by a thin layer of plexiglass. For a moment, Gabriel stared straight into its eyes, seeing an inhuman intelligence behind the abominable exterior, before the creature bared its teeth in a sickening imitation of a smile as it raised one of its claws and slammed it into the glass. Immediately, small cracks began to spiderweb across the window as the creature struck again and again.
"It's going to break through." The First Officer said, with no small amount of fear in his voice.
"We won't give it a chance. Goldman, your pistol, if you please? I would rather die standing, with a weapon in my hand, than cowering against a bulkhead." Gabriel said, and David Goldman handed over the weapon, Gabriel taking it with a thankful smile. Beside him, the First Officer was praying.
"We'll fire through the window. It's going to break through anyway, so the glass doesn't matter." Gabriel ordered as he took aim, David doing the same beside him. Pressing their weapons against the glass, aiming straight for the creature's eyes, they pulled the triggers. Their weapons barked, and the creature screamed, shards of glass digging into its thick, bullet resistant skin, while the bullets themselves entered its eyes and pierced its brain, sending its dead body tumbling to the deck below.
"One down, seventeen more to go." Gabriel said with false bravado. Those would be the last words he would ever say as another creature swung in from above the windowsill, landing with a sickening crunch on David's chest, its toe claws ending the man's life while its left arm stabbed through Gabriel's chest. The last thing the Captain saw was the creature decapitating his First Officer with an almost contemptuous flick of its wrist.
Another creature entered the room, sniffing around before walking up to the door. Swiftly unlocking the door, the creature led its brethren deeper into the cargo vessel, pausing only briefly to walk over to the bridge computer and deactivate the SOS beacon. Soon, the screams began anew, and once again they slowly petered out, replaced by inhuman shrieks as the monsters of Dr. Aaron Meusel worked themselves into a feeding frenzy. Only when the final screams stopped did the true mastermind behind the attack reveal itself. Detaching itself from its position underneath the freighter, the Phantom Task submarine surfaced beside it, a large loading bay opening on its back, while several IS suits carrying small cranes took up positions over the deck.
"You know the drill! Take what's useful and leave the rest!" One of the boarders ordered, and the men got to work, trying their best to ignore the blood-soaked abominations coming out from below deck. One creature in particular suddenly began to shriek, causing the workers to pause in their labor. The creature in question bounded towards one man in particular, who, rather than scream, simply patted it on the head, causing it to make an odd purring noise.
"Do you really have to lavish such affection on your... pets?" Orimura Reikou asked, failing to keep the disgust out of her voice as she watched Dr. Meusel play with the creature.
"Number 109 is not just some mere pet!" Aaron replied, pouting as he picked up a severed limb from the deck and tossed it, only for Number 109 to leap into the air and catch it in its mouth. Even Reikou shuddered slightly as the monster tore into the morsel. After watching for a few moments, she turned to her subordinates and addressed them.
"Get those IS components loaded as fast as possible! This ship has managed to get off a distress signal before we took it, which means enemies can appear at any given moment!" Reikou ordered.
"Who's a good little monster? You are, oh yes you are!" Aaron chortled behind her, while the monster in question purred its assent.
About twenty minutes passed before an overseer approached Reikou.
"Pardon me Ma'am, but the Leviathan's cargo hold is already full. All IS components have been loaded, and we've filled in the remaining space with other useful materials." The man reported.
"Very well then. We're leaving. Get everyone off this ship. We must be leaving as soon as possible." Reikou ordered before turning to leave, Dr. Meusel shepherding his abominations behind him as he did the same, while the overseer relayed the news to his subordinates. Within ten minutes, the ship's deck was deserted, and the Leviathan began to dive beneath the waves, the huge, Manta ray shaped submarine submerging completely in under a minute. Several minutes passed, before a pair of torpedoes struck the SS Aurora, two consecutive detonations causing the cargo ship to start sinking, slowly at first, then rapidly as flooding took over. The ship's bow was raised high into the air by the time a pair of Organization fighters flew over the scene, arriving just in time to see the massive vessel slowly buckle and break in half as its stern sank beneath the waves, taking the mangled bodies of David Goldberg, Gabriel Preston, Joey Alvarez, Daniel Larssen, and nearly forty others to a watery grave.
"So what is it you want to talk to me about?" Maya asked, her usual smile on her face as she leaned back into her chair.
"During the briefing yesterday I was told that one of my duties was to recommend possible new recruits to you, so that you may make the final decision as to whether or not to recruit them. I have one such recommendation to make right now." Ichika replied from where he stood.
"And that is?" Maya asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Charlotte Dunois." Ichika answered simply.
"Elaborate. Why should I consider her? What makes her worth including into our Organization?" Ichika considered for a moment, before replying.
"Of all the representative candidates I have become acquainted with, she is in the best position to be recruited. While she does have some ties with the Dunois corporation, we are working on severing them. Aside from her father's company, she does not have ties to any other organization that I am aware of, making her best suited for immediate recruitment. Aside from the short period of media attention that will come from our media campaign against her father, she will not have the eye of the public on her either." Ichika said.
"I see. Is there a reason you have not recommended any of your other friends then? Why not Cecilia Alcott, or Shinonono Houki?"
"Simple. Cecilia Alcott is considered a minor celebrity in England, which makes her rather unsuited for covert movement due to all the potential attention she would draw. Houki, on the other hand, is Dr. Tabane's younger sister, and is one of the few people that the doctor truly cares about. I am enough of a security risk in that regard, and as of this moment I do not believe that she will be able to keep the secret if pressured by her older sibling. Laura Bodewig is currently not an option, as she is a member of the German military, and her loyalty lies firmly with it. Due to her status as a representative candidate, Rin is also a member of the Chinese military, making her unsuitable for recruitment as well. Of all the names I have just listed, I believe that Cecilia is the closest to being suitable recruiting material, but at the moment only Charlotte is ready to join us. Speaking of which, how has the article gone over? I heard that Charlotte had given the final go-ahead for it to be released." Ichika asked.
"The article was published earlier today, and initial response seems favorable. Apparently, her father has already seen it, and has already responded. A formal revocation of Miss Dunois' representative status is being composed and sent as we speak. It has likely already reached its intended recipient. Fortunately, I have anticipated this, and a response is already complete. After all, while the Dunois corporation no longer desires Charlotte as their representative, Aero Infini Industries has observed her during her duel with Laura Bodewig and was suitably impressed. The fact that AII's CEO is a member of our Organization is of course, entirely coincidental." Maya explained in response.
"So when should I deliver the news?" Ichika asked. In response, Maya pulled out a thick envelope.
"As soon as possible would be nice. I will take you recommendation into consideration and begin evaluating Charlotte as a potential recruit. Is there anything else?" Maya asked as Ichika took the envelope.
"No, there is not."
"Then you are dismissed." Maya replied, allowing Ichika to leave the room. As soon as the door slid shut, he was already hurrying to his next destination, nearly running into Cecilia as he entered the dormitory complex.
"Ichika-san? What's going on? What's the hurry?" The blonde asked, causing him to pause.
"It's Charlotte. I have an urgent message to deliver to her. Do you know where I can find her?" Ichika replied.
"Hmm. I think she's in her dormitory right now, but I'm not sure..." Cecilia replied.
"Thanks. Now, I have to go. It's critical that she sees this sooner rather than later." Ichika replied, waving the thick envelope in front of the blonde before bolting off, racing up two floors to where Charlotte's room was located, finally skidding to a stop in front of the French girl's room.
"Charlotte, it's me, Ichika. Can I come in?" Ichika asked, knocking on the door. When no response came, he tried the doorknob. It didn't budge.
"Ori, can you get this door open?" In response, the door clicked, and the handle now turned easily in his grip. Entering, he looked around the room and saw Charlotte lying on her bed, Laura sitting beside her. The silver haired girl was obviously trying to comfort her roommate, displaying a tender side that Ichika would have never guessed she possessed. In spite of her efforts, however, Charlotte continued to sob, a discarded tablet beside her displaying her father's latest message.
"Ichika?" Laura asked, looking up from her distraught friend.
"I assume her father's behind this?" Ichika asked in response, already knowing the answer. Laura nodded in response.
"He's revoked her representative candidacy. Her flight leaves tomorrow morning." Laura murmured sadly.
"Damn. I was hoping to deliver this before that happened." Ichika replied, passing the envelope over to Laura, who looked at it curiously.
"What is this?" Laura asked.
"An offer of representative candidacy from Aero Infiniti Industries." Ichika replied simply, causing Laura's eyes to widen.
"Charlotte? Charlotte, did you hear that?" Laura asked excitedly, shaking the blonde haired girl.
"L-Laura?" Charlotte asked.
"Did you hear that? You're a representative candidate again! That means you don't have to leave!" The sadness on Charlotte's face was replaced by confusion.
"She isn't a representative candidate yet. Charlotte, you are to read through the contents of that envelope and follow any instructions provided. However, this means that she won't have to leave the academy, as simply receiving an offer like this gives one the status of pending representative candidate. So long as the paperwork within is filled out and submitted in a timely manner, Raphael Dunois has absolutely no authority over her." Ichika explained triumphantly as Laura all but tore open the envelope, withdrawing a thin packet of paperwork, along with a corporate brochure and a thick handbook that presumably contained the details of AII's offer.
"Is... Is this real?" Charlotte asked, hesitantly taking the handbook.
"Of course! My only regret is that I didn't deliver early enough for this debacle to be avoided." Ichika smiled, before he continued, covering Charlotte's hand with his own as he spoke.
"I told you that I would take care of everything, didn't I?"
Hesitantly, as if turning a page too hard would cause the entire book to fall apart, Charlotte read through the first few pages, her eyes widening as she took in the book's contents. Then, without any preamble, she sat up and kissed him, both Ichika's and Laura's eyes widening, albeit for different reasons, although Laura was smart enough not to interfere.
When they had last kissed in the bathroom, it had been tender, a way to seal a promise between them. Now, however, Charlotte's kiss was rough and passionate, the French girl all but forcing her tongue into Ichika's mouth as all the emotions of the past few minutes made themselves known. If it wasn't for Laura clearing her throat a few minutes later, the kiss might have degenerated into something else, but as it was, the noise reminded the pair that they were not alone in the room. Springing apart, the pair blushed as Laura stared them down, an expression of mild disapproval on her face.
"Hmph. I will allow this to go unpunished just this once. However..." With those words, Laura leaned in and kissed a still dazed Ichika. Then, blushing faintly, the silver haired girl continued.
"While I have allowed you, Charlotte, to kiss my wife, please remember that Ichika here is MY bride, and thus any further interaction of that sort will require my permission." With those words, the atmosphere of the room broke, and Ichika could have sworn he heard a record scratching to a halt somewhere in the distance.
Nobody spoke for a few moments as the awkwardness of the moment filtered out of the room. Then, Ichika broke the silence.
"You know Charlotte, you really should get to filling that out. Until it's done and submitted, your status as a pending representative candidate can technically be revoked at any time. We should save the celebrations until your status as a representative is assured." He spoke, gesturing towards the paperwork packet.
"Ichika's right. You really should get on with it. I wouldn't want you to have to leave because you didn't fill out paperwork in time." Laura chipped in, handing her roommate a pen. Murmuring her thanks, Charlotte took the instrument and began to fill out the forms.
"Say, Ichika, how did you manage this?" Charlotte asked, briefly looking up from where she was signing her name.
"What, the representative candidacy?" Ichika asked.
"Yes. I can understand having contacts in the media, but having someone high enough in AII to guarantee my selection as a representative candidate? How did you manage that?" Charlotte asked as she filled out another field.
"Honestly, all it took on my part was mentioning the possibility that you may become available as a representative candidate in the near future to a high ranking member of AII's R&D team. Apparently, when the person in question is an A-grade pilot capable of fighting on par with a cutting-edge third-generation TIS in a second-generation MPIS conversion using only conventional weaponry, the word travels fast. It didn't even take an hour before I was contacted by one of AII's recruiters who was interested in taking the opportunity. After swearing him to secrecy, I explained your situation, and he quickly agreed to the plan."
"I never took you for a negotiator." Laura commented.
"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" Charlotte smiled, before continuing. The forms were filled out minutes later, and Charlotte handed them back to Ichika.
"Alright, that's the last of them. I assume you know of a way to rapidly get these to whomever needs to see them?" Charlotte asked.
"I suppose you can say that... I'll get right on it." Ichika replied, thinking of Maya, before standing up and heading for the door.
"Ichika..." Charlotte's voice stopped him before he left.
"Hmm? What is it?" Ichika asked.
"I... Thank you, Ichika. Thank you for everything." Charlotte said, and Ichika returned the thanks with a smile.
"Anything to help a friend, Charlotte!" He replied, before leaving the room. Inside, Charlotte sighed and fell back onto the bed, her head landing beside Laura's thigh.
"Hey Laura..." Charlotte began.
"What is it?" Laura asked.
"I think I'm in love." Charlotte confessed, causing Laura to blink.
"Y-You don't mean-" The silver haired girl stammered out.
"I think I do." Charlotte replied simply.
"I... I'm going to have to consult with some professionals!" Laura said, panicking, before making a tactical retreat to the restroom. Soon, one side of a phone conversation was heard from the tiny room as Laura consulted her supposed professionals. Charlotte had to suppress a laugh. Whomever this Clarissa was, she evidently had quite a sense of humor.
A/N: Whew, that last scene was rather difficult to write! This lack of action is really starting to slow the writing process down. As canonically, there won't be any real action until the Gospel incident, which is still a month away, I've decided to start adding in more scenes that don't involve Ichika, at least until we get past the obligatory beach episode, with the SS Aurora scene being only the first of several. I mean seriously, when you're desperate enough for filler that you write a 5k word scene about a new pilot suit (Shortened in the released version), you know that you really need to start adding in some action. This was further underscored by the fact that the entire scene with the Aurora only took about two hours to write, review, and edit, while the scene with Charlotte immediately afterward took nearly three days!
Anyway, now that I've finished ranting about things that likely won't even remain in your minds for more than ten seconds if you even bothered to read them, on to more Author's Notes!
I've recently watched the World Purge Infinite Stratos movie, and while a good bit of it was just fanservice (Admittedly, watching Ichika constantly cockblock himself was extremely funny), the end essentially contained a holy grail when it came to the issue of Tabane. I won't spoil it in case you haven't watched it, but the whole thing fit in beautifully with my tentative plot, albeit with a few key differences, which I will not elaborate on for fear of spoiling the story. (Of course, this may still be subject to change, as for a few days I was considering creating an Everyone Dies ending (Coincidentally, I had just finished watching End of Evangelion... Good movie that!).
Now, before I accidentally end up spoiling something other than my tentative thought processes, I do hope you all enjoy the story so far. Any grievances are to be stated directly to me, and I will try my best to address them. Until next time!
