Chapter 43 – strevnI ehT
Lebyazhye Air Base
Radar room
"Woohoo!" Ellie cheered as the preliminary report came in through the comms. "Nobody heavily injured! All enemies defeated!" she looked around between Alissa and Toshiro and hugged the latter.
"Whoa, Ellie, are you always so exuberant?" Toshiro asked surprised.
"Uh…" Ellie backed off. "Sorry, but you know… Tatiana is now my daughter so to speak and I was just happy she's okay…"
"That's a good answer," Alissa said. "Want a hug with me now?"
"Umm… No, I had my share of hugs today I think, heh. But I'm a bit uneasy about how the Neuroi are behaving now."
"You mean how they invert their colors and start fighting differently?" Toshiro asked. "Hey, Alissa, I thought that was public knowledge by now."
"It's not exactly a state secret, but it's not being actively passed on."
"What are you two talking about?" she asked.
"We will tell you all during dinner, right, Toshiro?" Alissa looked at him.
"Yup, it seems this knowledge is now deeply needed."
"Now I'm actually anxious…" Ellie said while staring profusely at the two. "But okay, I'll make it till dinner."
"Dinner… Hmm, Alissa? How about we do dinner?" Toshiro asked.
"The two of us? Well, that would truly be ten star dish, ha! I'm in. Go and drag Kola out of his room and let's do it."
"Why K… Ah, okay, good thinking," Toshiro winked and went out of the radar room, and walked a few meters to Kola's room's door. "Hey, big guy, you busy?"
"I'm perfectly idle right now," Kola replied. "What's to be done?"
"You've been drafted as a kitchen hand for dinner."
"Oooookaaaaay… I just hope the girls have iron stomachs."
"Don't worry your ass about that, we'll be watching you like a pile of gold bars in the middle of the Red Square."
"I'm coming…"
Hangar
"Aw snap…" Nami muttered. "Anyone help me unload?" she asked sorrowfully with Elizabeth in her hands and revolver cannon with ammo canister on her back.
"I have to unload myself, sorry!" Elsa waved to her.
"Come on, I'll help," Sieglinde said and took Elizabeth.
"Thanks, Sigi," Nami smiled.
"Ugh, it feels weird being called that by you…"
"Because we did some things?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah…" Sieglinde blushed. "Now come on, drop your gear already."
"But you have bigger muscles, and I don't want to use my magic unnecessarily…" Nami reasoned childishly.
"I have to drop my gear too, you god damn tease."
"Oh okay, okay…" Nami mumbled and went to drop her gear.
"I think you should sleep with Liz, Katie," Aya said to the Leh who was barely standing.
"You say that as my doctor?" Katie smirked.
Aya giggled briefly and mused, "Kindaaaa…"
"Well okay, nurse, I'll go to bed with Liz. Ugh, that sounded a bit off…"
"Isn't that normal in Liberion?" Giulietta grinned.
"Only in a few states. And stop shipping me with my cousin, or I'll make some Central Liberian cuisine, and you'll be the one to clean the toilets afterwards!"
Giulietta ran away with a brief "Eep!"
"Ugh, I feel like mashed shit…" Katie sighed.
"Don't worry, I'll help you to your or Liz's bed, whichever you prefer. I have to help my superior, right?" Aya smiled innocently.
"I don't know if you're sarcastic right now, but I don't care. I want to be served, because I made a damn difference!"
"Served?" Giulietta turned her head around.
The glare that Katie shot her was enough to make the Romagnan resume her escape with doubled effort.
"Hey, Aina…" Tatiana looked for her companion around the hangar, but something told her to look down. "Oh Aina…"
The Suomi was lying at her feet, all curled up and snoring quietly.
"Damn it… Now who could possibly help me with her?" she pondered not quite quietly.
"Oh whatever, I can do it," Sieglinde sighed and picked up Aina. "Hmm, at least she's a bit lighter than Elizabeth."
"Um, thanks, Sieglinde…" she muttered with red cheeks.
"No problem, Tatiana," she looked at the Orussian. "If you're wondering if I'm over the fact you weren't who you were at first glance, the answer is yes. You just did your job, but you had the guts to oppose the bad guys. That scores quite high in my book, as well as your combat performance, and the fact that you're the one who's patrolling the sky while we're sleeping. Although I should break your jaw for aiming at Aya, but I guess that bitch slap she gave you is enough."
"Err… Yeah… Sorry for that…"
"Ah, and I see you have that pistol with you?"
"Y-Yes, I do. I don't need to hide it anymore, now that the cat is out of the bag."
"Care to show me it?"
"Sure!" Tatiana cheered. "But not now I guess…"
"Yeah, not now," Sieglinde smiled. "Let's go, the rest are more or less ready to go.
"Sieglinde is a really nice girl, despite the tough looks and the air she put around her at the beginning. Nevertheless, I'm not without blame myself I guess, because I behaved even worse… And now? Even she seems to be friendly towards me, and… heehee… Ellie wants to adopt me… I really don't deserve any of this…"
Commander's office
Ellie was sitting in her chair and waiting eagerly for the return of her girls, especially one with short gray hair. She almost fell out of her chair when a knock sounded from the door, but she quickly regained her composure and said, "Come in."
Aya appeared in the door and asked, "Can I be the one to refer everything that happened?"
"Hmmm… Why yes. But where's Katie?"
"Tired. She's sleeping with Liz in one bunk, who's even more tired."
"Ah, okay. Come in, close the door, and tell me everything."
"Oh I will, the battle was… showy," Aya said and started her report.
After a few minutes of uninterrupted speech, Ellie finally heard silence. "Indeed, the battle was something unusual. The behavior of the Neuroi, Elizabeth recovering her memories, and a new power they have awakened… A shame I had to stay here, really."
"I think the commies don't know about Alissa and Grandpa."
"That's very likely, Aya. Moreover, very good for us, might I add. Okay, report received, you can go see your friends, family, or lover now. The two latter persons are in the kitchen right now."
"Oh? Kola and Grandpa are cooking?" Aya asked truly surprised. "I can't even think what that will result in…"
"Alissa is with them too, so I guess a womanly hand is in place," Ellie winked. "Can you call in Tanya for me?"
"Tanya? You mean Tatiana, right?"
"Err, yes, Tatiana," Ellie corrected herself quickly. "Oh whatever now, Alissa knows, Toshiro knows, and of course Tanya knows already…"
"Knows what?"
"Look out into the corridor and see if there's anyone," Ellie ordered.
Aya, a bit baffled, looked into the corridor, and saw Tatiana looking at her just from beside the door with a shrewd smile plastered to her doll-like face.
"Remember that the bugs are still present in this room and Kola's," she smiled.
"Still present… So… Oh crap! Tatiana, please tell me you aren't listening to us!" Aya started shaking the small Orussian.
"Nooo-ooo-ooo-ooo…"
Aya stopped shaking her and asked, now a bit more calmly, "Really?"
"Yes, Aya, of course. The things you are potentially doing there…" her face started almost glowing red. "I don't want to hear that…"
"Oh… Um, sorry for accusing you."
"I see no problem, Aya. Given my track record, I guess you can have some distrust towards me, heehee… But anyway, Ellie, you want to disclose our little secret to Aya? Should the whole unit know it or what?"
"Aya should be fine."
"Well okay then," Tatiana said and welcomed herself into the room. "Tell her."
"I'll tell you, Aya, but promise me that not even Kola will know of it until I clear you to do so," Ellie said adamantly.
"Yes, of course. I'm an Edelweiss after all; I know a thing or two about honor."
"I do hope so. You see, Aya, without beating around the bush, I'll tell you that I have decided to adopt Tanya."
Aya looked at Tatiana, who nodded ecstatically and cheered, "Ellie will be my Mommy now!"
"My… I haven't seen Tatiana so happy in… ever! The situation is a bit weird, but personally, I think this is a great idea. My Grandpa had his share of orphandom, about which he told me in detail, and I wouldn't wish this to anybody, even my worst enemy. Everyone has the right to have parents, even if adopted."
"I knew that making you the third in the unit would be a good decision," Ellie said warmly. "Okay, you can go now, Aya. But remember, not a word."
"I have the feeling that this will surface anyway," Aya giggled and went out.
"So, dear daughter, want to sit on my lap again?"
"Of course, Mommy!"
Kitchen
"This all is actually quite fun," Kola said. "Maybe not as fun as tinkering with stuff around the base, but it has its merits."
"Learn how to cook, and you'll win over every woman," Toshiro said. "Well, if you try to win over a different woman than Aya, then first she, then I, and maybe even Alissa will demolish you."
"Suggestion noted…" Kola mumbled. "But do really women like when a man cooks for them?"
"Of course," Alissa said. "A woman cooks for his man out of love and care, and it's something obvious. But when a man cooks, his woman receives it as the best payback for her efforts. And you know what can happen then, right?" she smiled slyly.
"Hmmm… Aside indigestion, I guess some gratitude could be shown, right?"
Toshiro shook his head with a deep sigh accompanying it. "Oh Kola, Kola… I see that you still have to learn the nuances of a male-female relationship… But don't worry, I'll pass on that knowledge to you!"
"Oh, what knowledge will you pass on?" Aya peeked through the kitchen counter.
"Oh look, my dear Granddaughter returns! Report please!"
"Of course, Herr Opa!" Aya saluted and giggled afterwards. "So…"
Aya was briefer than with Ellie, and after everything she added, "Wish you all were there."
"Like fuck," Toshiro said. "But the battle would be over much sooner! Hahaha! And Aya, seriously, why didn't you go full force, hmm? You could have discombobulate all those suckers on your own."
"Oh I can't be selfish, Grandpa. The rest had to have their share of kills too, and you see what it resulted in."
"Yeah, a combo attack. I saw the original, and from what you've described, Katie and Elizabeth pulled off theirs perfectly. Moreover, it must have been at Final Art level, judging by the effectiveness. Fuck, I want to see that…"
"That won't happen today, the two are too tired. Oh, put off some food for them on the side, I guess they won't be eating."
"Smart as usual," Toshiro smiled.
"How does training after dinner sound?" Alissa chimed. "And you can skip it, Toshiro."
"Reaaaaaallyyyy?" Aya moaned. "I guess if it's necessary…"
"All my training is necessary, you squirt. So don't get too comfortable after you had your post-dinner break."
"Okaaaay… I think I'll do some weapon maintenance with Sigi and whoever I scrap together."
"You have about forty minutes or so, so that's plenty of time to reload your guns," Toshiro said. "Hop to it."
"I guess back in your day it was called entertainment?" Aya smiled wryly.
"Of course it was, you whippersnapper!"
"Hahaha!" Aya laughed as she ran out of the dining hall.
After quietly entering the bedroom, Aya approached her Karlslander friends and asked, "Who's with me for weapon maintenance?"
Elsa, Angela, and Sieglinde raised their hands, and the latter two looked amazed at Elsa.
"What? I like reloading my canisters with the loading thingie…"
"Heh, you sure do," Aya said and saw Shinobu and Nami approaching. "Oh? Here to help?"
"What's afoot?" Shinobu asked.
"Weapon maintenance," Sieglinde said neutrally.
"Hey, what's the hubbub?" Elwyn joined in.
"Weapon maintenance," Sieglinde repeated.
"Oh, what is happening?" Marie asked.
"Free s… Oh I can't lie to you," Sieglinde changed her attitude. "We're assembling for weapon maintenance. We expended a lot of ammo, and we should reload any empty clips we have," she explained calmly and softly.
"Ah, I see. Then count me in," Marie smiled.
"How are we with time?" Giulietta asked.
"You're joining too?" Aya threw a counter question.
"Yeah, sure, why not. Beats staring a hole in the ceiling."
"Heehee… So we have about forty minutes, so I guess even Elsa can reload her canisters."
"Yup!" the Karlslander confirmed.
"Then let's go," Aya commanded.
"Oooh, Aya is using her powers!" Elsa said. "Scary!"
The girls went on in great humors.
Hangar
Immediately after opening the hangar door, Elsa ran towards the supply pile.
"My, she's sure energetic about it," Shinobu said and saw Nami running after her. "Well then…"
"Hey, Elsa!" Nami said loudly.
"Huh, what's up?"
"Is your loader for a set caliber?"
"Uh, no, actually not. 20, 27, and 30 millimeters, if you're interested."
"Oh please let me use it! I'll be here till supper!"
"After I do mine, because it's much more ammo to load, kay?"
"Okay! I'll do my M2 in the meantime!" Nami cheered.
"How can one be so happy about loading an ammo belt?" Elwyn asked bitterly. "That's damn hard work…"
"But if you do it yourself, you won't have anybody to blame it on if there's some failure," Sieglinde said in a lecturing tone. "And it's relaxing."
"Relaxing? How in tarnation is that gol durn possible?! My fingers are bleeding when I finish one darn belt!"
"Then you're doing it wrong. I'll show you how to do it properly. And after that, I'll lend you my loader, if you weren't supplied with one," Siegline shrugged.
"You? Showing me?"
"Yes. Anything weird?"
"Uhhh… No, actually I'm happy to see you in a helpful mood."
"It was a good battle, and now I have a good mood – it's self-explanatory," she said with a smile. "And besides, we're not strangers…"
Elwyn snickered and said, "Oh we're not… Most definitely not…"
In the meantime, Elsa undid the lid of one of her canisters and looked inside.
"Booo, totally empty."
She ran opened a crate with a thousand rounds, and then a crate with a linkless belt. She affixed the loader to the rim of the canister, and then she attached the belt to the underside of the loader. She made sure the device was set to the proper caliber, and that there's enough fuel. She took a handful of rounds, and dumped it on the tray coming out from the side of the loader randomly. Elsa primed the fuel pump of the contraption, and pulled the starter cord.
The machine started instantaneously, and the tape started moving, along with the rounds being gobbled up. She quickly took a new load of rounds, and after dumping them onto the tray, she grabbed the belt, which started being filled with rounds. She simply saw to it that it landed in a proper way inside the canister, and for the next few minutes, she just made minor corrections, and loaded new rounds.
As she was doing that, Sieglinde was showing her Liberian friend the arcane knowledge of loading belts properly.
"See? Less force, more precision."
"You make it look like you're doing it for a living."
"Heh, you're partially right, Elwyn. But really, just use my loader if you don't have one, okay?"
"No, I don't…" Elwyn mumbled. "Thanks for the help…"
"I want payment…" she whispered.
"In nature?" Elwyn whispered back.
"Of course."
"Ugh… You made me bisexual. Okay then, when?"
"That I'll have to confirm against Giulietta's eventual plans."
"Damn, you sure have some urges, sister."
"I always waited for Aya, and now, when I'm free, I have to catch up," she shrugged.
"Fine… But don't maneuver me into some threesome, okay?"
"A threesome would be difficult to pull off in the current environment. Now, let's go back to loading."
"Yeah, yeah…"
Dining hall
"Okay, I have a little lecture for you all. Be sure to pass this intel on to Katie and Elizabeth," Alissa said after dinner was mostly eaten. "It's about the weird behavior of the Neuroi."
"You mean why they change color and try to suicide bomb us?" Elwyn asked.
"Yes, indeed. In the Bundeswehr we call in Umdrehung, Inversion, and a Neuroi affected with the process is an Umdrehten, an Invert."
"Makes sense," Ellie said. "The color pattern on the Neuroi is literally inverted."
"Indeed," Alissa continued. "What exactly causes this to happen? This is unknown. But we know the effects of such a transformation, and that only the top class Neuroi can do it. Universally, the enemy will become much more aggressive, faster, and have more firepower. Drones will bundle together, forming a cluster shooting in all directions. Interceptors will get something akin to a beam chaingun. Mediums will acquire unguided missiles. Supersonics, as you have seen and up until that battle it wasn't known, will become suicide bombs. Heavy Bombers will grow, acquire turrets, and their bombs will be much more deadly. We don't know what effect the Inversion will have on Heavy Dreadnoughts however, but with their previous track record, I bet it's something very dangerous."
"So it's some kind of berserker mode, right?" Elwyn asked.
"You could call it that way. Or sometimes it's more of a last stand, like that Hive you battled near Pripyat."
"How could such info fly under the radar?" Ellie asked.
"Your dear KGB knows, but they won't tell anything," Alissa said. "Why bother the simple witches?"
"Incredible…" Aina shook her head.
"Okay then, now we know more about our common enemy," Ellie said. "Now girls, do your training or whatever you want, you might as well lie the rest of the day on your backs."
"Aya, you know what we're doing, right?" Alissa asked.
"Yeah, I know…" she sighed. "But I can do whatever I want up until then?"
"Just don't do it too intensively," Alissa grinned.
"I'm not that randy…" Aya pouted, making the girls giggle. "Come on, Kola."
"Yes ma'am," he smiled and grabbed her hand. "Ah, but first, want to hear a joke, everyone?"
"Mercy…" Katie moaned.
"Hey, I want to hear one!" Nami pouted.
"Go ahead," Ellie nodded.
"Heh… So, a circus comes to a big soviet town. The main attraction on the posters is the fact that they promise they will give back your money in tenfold if the main act won't satisfy you. When the show finally starts, all the tickets are sold out. After the usual shenanigans with lions, elephants, monkeys, acrobats, bears, jugglers, clowns, et cetera, an announcer comes into the arena and says, "And now, the act that all of you were waiting for! The KGB orchestra will perform the Internationale!""
The reaction of the girls was something Kola hasn't anticipated, as all of them started laughing without exception, with Aya clutching herself to him, so she wouldn't fall to the ground.
"Best one yet!" Nami shouted between laughs.
"Even I understood!" Elwyn said and cackled on.
"Oh, that was really funny…" Tatiana continued snickering.
"If I didn't hear it before, I would probably shit myself," Toshiro snorted.
"Ugh, come on, Aya," Kola said with a smile and laid her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
"You think they're gonna…" Elwyn tried to ask.
"No, I guess not," Angela said and laughed on.
Kola's room
"So, Aya, why did you drag me to my own room?" Kola asked.
"I just wanted to be with you alone for a bit, and not have sex at the same time."
"Well, that sure is something new for me, hahaha! Okay, let's sit down."
They both took a seat on the edge of the bed, but Aya quickly rearranged both of them, so that she was lying on him, when he had his legs spread and with the bed frame behind his back.
"I hope I won't feel a sudden bulge on my back, hmm?" Aya with a coy voice.
"If you'll tease me like this, you're certain to feel one…" Kola mumbled.
"Pat me on the head…"
"Sure…"
As Kola was patting his fiancé on head, she said, "You know, that dinner was good. I like that you made it for me."
"And I like that you liked it. But damn those two are like an old couple…"
"You have to let them be, they have their differences. And it's funny at times."
"Pff… Funny…" he muttered. "Good that I was occupied doing things, or I would go bazonkers with the two," after Aya giggled, he continued. "But they are like some Gallian chefs in the kitchen. I understand Toshiro, but Alissa? Ain't she too young to be so proficient with cooking?"
"She comes from a good home," Aya told the "official" cover story.
"I guess that explain a few things. And Christ, she's hot."
"Oh no you don't'!" Aya turned around. "The only woman whose curves you can complement is me, got it?"
"Not even in a theoretical manner complementing the overall beauty of the womanly body?"
"Woah, did Grandpa give you a lesson?!"
"I won't say he didn't… But I came up with that one by my own."
"Heh… Oh well, I guess I overreacted a bit… You were sheltered from other women, and now I came offering my body, so I guess some urges have awoken inside of you…" Aya pondered. "Okay, Kola. New rules - look, but not touch. Compliment, but not outright flirt. If it's sex, you can have plenty from me. I'm still learning to implement my body in the fullest in this kind of manner, but I promise I will do the kinkiest stuff with you, except for some gross fetishes."
"That's an awfully brave statement coming from you, Aya."
"I just don't want to lose another person in my life…" she lied back down on him.
"Your cousin, right?"
"Yes… I'm still sad about her fate. She had her whole life before her, and suddenly boom, just because some capacitor went haywire… But I guess people died because of more trivial things… But why Simone?" Aya sighed.
Kola resumed his patting and said, "When my mother died, I was pissed off at the whole world. But the batiushka that came told me that each death has its own meaning, even if we think it's meaningless at the time it happens. Death should not be an end, but a beginning, both for the deceased and for the living left behind."
"Where did you come up with such a wise priest?" Aya looked at him.
"He had his years, Aya. In the backwater, one has time to think. It's the favorite past time of people that are away from civilization."
"And are you such a thinker too?" she asked smiling.
"Of course, Aya. Even now, of course when Bianca isn't stirring a storm in my head, I'm thinking about various things."
"What things?"
"Existential problems. Philosophical problems. And of course mundane, daily problems."
"I bet you're lumping me together with the last group, hmmm?"
"No, Aya," he said softly. "You're not a problem. You're a big blessing that has happened in my life, through which it can be changed for the better."
"Oh Koooola…" she crawled up and hugged him. "I feel like I'm some kind of knight-princess in shining armor, heehee…"
"Because you are, Sweetie. You, well, with some help of your grandfather, pulled me out of the gutter. And imagine you weren't here. Tatiana would smear my brain across some wall, or strangle me in the woods, and nobody would even suspect her."
"Hmmm… Yeeaaaah… That's very possible. But I'm here, and I'll protect my Koly-Woly, heehee…"
"You're so sweet I would eat you whole, Aya."
"Mmm… Well, I felt as you nibbled be before, heehee…"
"Oh stop, Aya. Just thinking about that makes me horny."
"Okay, okay, no more lewd things. I think the night is the best time to do some drilling."
"Hey, at least there's a smaller chance somebody will eavesdrop on us, right?"
"Yes," Aya smiled. "Let's just be like this until Alissa calls me, okay?"
"Okay, Sugar Puff."
Bedroom
A bit later
Katie gained her consciousness and opened her heavy eyelids. She looked around and saw Elizabeth to her left. Her cousin picked and ideal time to wake up, because she too opened her eyes.
"Oh… Katie…"
"How are you, Lily?"
"I feel sleepy…" she mumbled weekly.
"Then sleep, I'm here with you," Katie said quietly.
"But you must have duties… And stuff…"
"My duty right now is to be with you, Lily. Nothing else really matters," she looked out the window, where the redness of the sunset mixed itself with the impending darkness of the incoming night. "Judging by the lighting, it's about four PM, so the girls are training. Sieglinde and Shinobu can pull it off without me."
"Okaaaay…" Elizabeth yawned. "But wake up for supper, okay? I want some food from my Kaśka…" she said and closed her eyes.
"Of course I will," Katie said and followed her cousin into dreamland.
Forest
Late evening
"Okay, Aya, that's all for today," Alissa said. "You're making good progress."
"One thing I know I won't hear from your mouth – "I didn't expect you to progress so fast,"" Aya smiled.
"Heheh, well, if I was reborn properly, and a few years younger, that could be the case, but I can't."
"You have your universes to guard, huh?"
"Yeah, that's true. You know what could happen in twenty years of me being absent? Pah! It would escape your mortal recognition! But anyway, Toshiro was also bitching about why I'm not a rebirth."
"And I'm just asking, not bitching, right?"
"Of course, Sweetie," Alissa smirked. "But I really would like to be reborn once again, but I'll leave it till the Allgod returns."
"Why then?"
"Because then, he, and a few other Elder Gods that I have a… hmm… unwritten covenant with will take simply fill my place. But right now – no."
"Okay, I understand perfectly. But couldn't you just send a mortal copy of yourself? You're almost omnipotent after all."
"Aya, your hunger for answers is insatiable. Stop asking or I'll turn you into Aye," Alissa smirked devilishly.
"Aye? Wait, oh no! Oh no no!"
"Heheh… But okay, here…" Alissa approached Aya and flicked her forehead lightly. "Now you get it?"
Aya looked through the stream of knowledge Alissa had bestowed upon her and said, "Yeah, I do now. We're going back now?"
"Yes. Supper will be served in a few minutes," Alissa said and took the light orb that was illuminating the training field and made it move above them as they walked across the runway.
Dining hall
When Alissa and Aya entered the room, they saw Elizabeth being pampered upon by almost everyone. Aya quickly ran up to her and asked, "Hey, Liz, how are you?"
"Ugh, that question has been ran into the ground, pierced through a cave, and starting its journey to the Earth's core…" she sighed. "I'm fine Aya," Elizabeth smiled nevertheless. "Katie's traditionally doing supper in the kitchen."
"Ah, okay. It's nice to see you in good standing."
"Maybe not good, but I can walk around freely now. But I'm still sleepy as if I had two shifts in a coal mine…" Elizabeth yawned to underline her statement.
"Don't worry, you can sleep all you want for you to recover," Ellie said. "Katie would wring my neck if I said otherwise, heh…"
"So Aya how was it?" Toshiro asked. "I had a nice time playing poker with the girls."
"Oh, let's say I progressed," Aya winked. "And how was poker?"
"If we were playing strip poker, the whole unit wouldn't have enough clothes to cover up the girls."
"He played even better than me…" Ellie mumbled. "If we weren't playing for dimes and nickels, I would be both stark naked and flat broke."
"And possibly defiled…" Toshiro mused.
"Jiiiiiiiiiii…" Aya started staring a hole in Toshiro.
"No need to try to mangle your grandfather with your stare, Aya," Ellie giggled. "We all know that was, a rather ribald, but it was a joke. Toshiro told us some stories from his life, both before, during, and after the 501st."
"I apologize in hindsight for my Grandpa…" Aya bowed slightly.
"No, no, it was fun!" Elwyn cheered. "Your gramps told stuff that I haven't heard of!"
"But I hope nothing indecent?"
"Well, there were some lewd moments, but he spared us the details of his conquests of our grandmothers…" Shinobu said slightly nervously.
"Or your grandmother specifically," Nami said with a bright smile.
"Ugh, Grandpa…" Aya sighed. "I leave you for a few hours with the girls, and there you go."
"Alissa told me I could skip your training, so I had to find a replacement activity. And you have to deal with the fact that I have a lot of stuff that I can talk about. You're only seventeen, so your repertoire of anecdotes, quips, and stories is rather limited, don't you think?"
"Ughhhh… You didn't get the point, but whatever, I have respect for my elders, I give up…"
"Supper's ready!" Katie yelled from the kitchen.
"Eat something; you're just grumpy because of the lack of energy after the training."
"Maybe…"
After eating, Aya just mumbled, "Sorry, Grandpa…"
"Nothing like food and some thinking to calm yourself down," he smiled and patted her on the head.
"Heheh…" Aya smiled in glee and looked at Sieglinde. "Oh, Grandpa, can you excuse me for a sec?"
"Yeah, sure."
Aya went to Sieglinde and whispered into her ear. "We need to talk in private."
"Hmmm…" Sieglinde looked at her cautiously. "Follow me then."
The blonde Karlslander led her black haired compatriot to the toilet. She cranked open the faucet, leaned back against the sink, and asked, "What is it, Aya?"
"Ummm… You see… I received some advice, and I think I should cash in as soon as possible…"
"Huh? What advice? And cash in what?"
"That advice was about uh… experimenting with my sexuality… And um… The one I would like to experiment is you…" Aya blushed vividly.
"Y-You… Y-You… M-Me…" Sieglinde's face paled, but soon her cheeks were dripping wet from tears. "Oh I'm so happy!" she bawled.
"Now, Sigi, don't cry like that! People will suspect things!"
"Yeah, yeah, sure…" she said and simply dipped her face under the cold water from the faucet. "Ooof, much better. Aya, who gave you such advice?"
"Alissa," She answered with a straight face.
"Figures… But damn, this is unexpected… Hey, have you asked Kola? He might be mad…"
"Oh shit… Yeah, I have to do that immediately. Thanks for reminding me!"
"No prob. Oh and I promise to be gentle!"
"Heehee, okay, I'll accept your soft touch in my nether regions," Aya smirked.
"I think I'm wet…" Sieglinde murmured with a deadpan face.
"Heeheeheee… Save yourself for later," Aya said and exited the room.
She immediately spotted Kola, and ran up to him.
"Kola, we need to talk."
"What is it with you talking to people suddenly?"
"Some things have to be discussed behind the scenes. Come on, to your room."
"Yeah…"
After entering the room, Aya said, "Kola, I have something to ask you…"
"Fire away."
"You see… I want to… Err… Experiment with Sieglinde today… And… P-Possibly Giulietta tomorrow…"
"Experiment? Is that some kind of euphemism for carpet munching?"
"Now that was a double euphemism," Aya snickered. "So, what do you say?"
"You are asking me, to allow you, to have some lewd lesbian sex with a hot bodybuilder, and an even hotter Romagnan with enormous jugs? You know that will cost you…"
"S-So you agree?"
"Just tell me why."
"Um… Alissa kinda gave me that advice and… I think I should do such a thing to satisfy my hunger of knowledge and my natural curiosity before it's too late…" Aya toyed around with her index fingers.
"Well, fine then…" Kola sighed. "But remember, after you recover from Sieglinde, you're going straight to me."
"O-Okay!"
"And you're taking it in the upper hole," Kola smiled devilishly.
"W-What? But I never…"
"You want to experiment with pussies; I want to experiment with some fellatio.
Aya frowned, but she answered, "Okay then… But take a damn bath!"
"And you brush your teeth after Sieglinde."
"What are… Oh I see… It seems your imagination is running wild already," Aya sighed. "The sacrifices a woman has to make…"
Bedroom
2200 MSK
Toshiro observed as the nightlife of the unit started. Aya snuck over to Sieglinde, who started kissing her immediately. Surprisingly, Giulietta wandered over to Nami.
"What the flying fuck…?"
"The girls these days, huh?"
"But remember that my presence alone was enough to turn four girls bisexual at once. You think I have some kind of hidden power or what?"
"Heheheh, you have a hidden power, but I'll discuss that… Not today at least. But soon."
"Indiana Toshiro and the Cryptic Ass – now as paperback novel…"
"Heehee… Now, don't be such a sour puss."
"Hi, handsome…" Toshiro's right ear was drilled by Toshiko's sensual voice, while agile hands wrapped around his torso.
"Well hello, milady. Carest thou to partake in our usual coital experiences?"
"Verily, my liege," Toshiko giggled.
?
The red phone standing on a desk in a shadow rang, and a man picked up the receiver.
"Da?"
"Hello, Comrade."
"Ah, Cowboy, nice to hear from you again. How is Project Elysium?"
"We managed to test it on a microscopic scale, a full success. How is your end of the project going?"
"Proyekt Avrora will be tested tomorrow, high noon my time."
"I hope you know what you're doing, Comrade."
"Trust me, Cowboy, I know."
"Some birds chirped the granddaughter of the last Emperor of Karlsland averted a small nuclear crisis, so I wouldn't be so sure you know what you're doing."
"Keep your end of the bargain, Cowboy. I will, because the fate of humanity rests on our shoulders."
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