Chapter 38: It is more important to know how to land.

First of all, sorry to everyone. Lately I have been working on a work project. This project has consumed my life at this time, in fact I have more gray hair than when I was doing the TFG.

The TFG for those who do not know it is Final Degree Work, the Degree is what university studies are called in my country.

But finally we go to production ... So I'm back to the charge.

PD: Icy clean: there is only one more chapter for the taking of the first territory of Gallia.

I got up lazily, like every morning; with the help of Sybilla-alarm.

Just 10:00 AM, neither too late nor too soon. The perfect time to start the activities.

Since the neurois were little more than semi-autonomous machines with a certainly limited AI, doing night robberies or taking advantage of the breakfast, lunch or rest slots resulted in very large nonsense. The enemy did not care about the time, place or environmental conditions like humans.

Applying the same laws and norms of human war on this kind of enemies was a total nonsense. Just like trying to communicate or sign peace with them.

Have you ever tried to talk to a hostile mob or npc in a game? No. Because it would be useless to see your game character die in the try.

So here it is the same, the only difference between a game and this reality is that there is permadeath here and it is not possible to start a new game after losing a complete "save".

Therefore, trying to get away with strange ideas, such as chemical or bacteriological warfare, would be a waste of time and materials.

To defeat this enemy you have to be more aggressive, the X-11 is just a distraction maneuver; something created with the sole purpose of exploiting our weaknesses.

[A.N .: For those who do not know the X-11 is that neuroi with mimic capacity that Yoshika found. The neuroi-witch. Neurois that stand out in strangeness are classified with "X" and a number.]

After this self-contemplation so slight but so necessary to settle down and finish waking up, jump out of my bunk directly to my units.

The only thing, they weren't. My feet hit the ground with the full force of the fall and my weight together.

The blow made me scream in pain. The twins were alerted by the screams and ran into the room.

-What happened? - Iona asked as she scanned the interior of my room for clues about what happened.
-Where are my units? I jumped from the litter as I did in Kauhava and I found the hard ground.-

Faced with this response, the twins could only laugh, the situation itself was the funniest, except if you were the one affected.

-No, seriously, where are my units? -
-I think Galland ordered them to be taken while you were still sleeping.- Tommy replied with a carefree face.
-Cat Woman... You will pay me, nobody touches my equipment without my permission.- The cat woman could have a lot of authority but she definitely couldn't take my equipment. I don't care if she were Generallmayor or Oberst, nobody can take my equipment without my explicit consent.

-I hear you growl a lot ... I don't remember that you were like that when you were in Kauhava.- Said a girl in a dark blue sailor uniform as she walked through the door.
-Ugh ... What are you doing here?- Haruka's presence still caused me to shiver.
-Well, is that how do you receive your future wife? - Sakomizu replied visibly upset.
-What the fuck do you say, damn tanuki pervert? Since when have I promised you? -
-I remember perfectly that I asked you to stop.- Now she looked completely embarrassed with the complexion that was usually pale in color, now gently dyed red. -I remember that you kept touching me ... My familiar confirmed you as a suitable candidate.- Sakomizu replied dryly.
-But that was an accident. I didn't know that could happen. Simply, I always wanted to touch the soft tails of the witches ... - My tone was descending until I realized what I was saying. Everything that came out of Sakomizu's mouth ended up becoming something lewd. It was a typical "quality" of this unique witch.
-Th .. That is not an excuse. Why did you do it to me then? - Sakomizu demands even more blushing than before.
-You were the closest witch that time, it could have been Anabuki Kommandant.-I excused myself- Although I would have died moments later ... - I added quietly.
-It's not like I want to interrupt this tender marriage scene, but wasn't I going to look for your units, sir?- Georgie interrupted, peeking out from between the sheets on the bunk below.
-Ehem ... - I cleared my voice a little.-Let's go for our units, you have to learn to jump.-

Without saying a word, I went out the door of the room trying to avoid Sakomizu.

Upon leaving I found that Anabuki was waiting outside. She looked straight into my eyes with a severe expression and I remembered what ended to say about her tail. I lowered my head and continued walking.

I activated my passive sonar and then issued a search pulse to try to find my units.

One floor above and about eight hundred meters south southwest.

I began to walk in that direction in the hope of finding a staircase that would take me as close as possible to my destination.

After walking for a while, with the strange group of twins, Georgie, Sakomizu and Anabuki following me closely, I reach some stairs.

I climb the stairs one floor, on the wall it says zero "0" painted in green on the white wall.

I open the door of this floor and return to my destination.

I can finally see a sign with the word "Hangar" written on it hanging just above a door. Arriving at the door, I realize that it is open, no, it is not a door, it is a threshold. Or it is open is that there is no door that blocks the path at this point.

I cross the threshold and enter what looks like a huge hangar full of combat vehicles of various types and sizes, in addition to some striker units in their already so characteristic stands.

I manage to find my units, more specifically I had already done it but now I was right in front of them. A boy looks alternately confused between my units and me.

Without saying a word to me the equipment and I activate the engines.

He has done something to them, they don't sound like before. They don't feel like before.

-You, what have you done to my units? - I ask unexpectedly turning my head towards the boy who was to my right.
-Wahh ... How can you equip them? - The boy seems confused, no wonder; He probably haven't seen one like me ever. And if the plans of those who tried to destroy the first battalion went well, he may not have even heard of someone like me in his entire life.
-Answer the question. They feel weird and they don't sound the same. What have you done to them? -
-Nothing. Just one set-up and several repairs.- I sighed at the answer, I already knew why they didn't sound or feel the same; part of the power had been diverted to other things.
-You have restored energy values to their factory point, right? - The boy nodded. I sighed again.- I have no familiar, I extracted all the projectors to the unit and redirected all the mobility defense power. Nor do I have the main weapon for what I did the same with the attack energy.- The boy seemed to understand, I was going to answer something when a feeling of deja vu invaded me.- It doesn't matter, I already do it, it's not the first time that someone poses the claws in my units.- I explain to the boy.

I turn around and inform my team that it will take a while to recalibrate my units and I recommend that they go for their equipment.

After a while making the pertinent changes in my equipment I check with satisfaction that my units return to have the desired acceleration values by performing a small test.

I do a couple more tests doing evasive maneuvers and sudden and closed turns. All right. I return to the position where my units were "repairing" to verify that my equipment was already prepared for the lessons. I also notice that the mechanics are amazed, it is normal, they have probably never seen one like me. Anabuki and Sakomizu are open-mouthed.

-What happens? Nor that you would have never seen me fight fully equipped.-
-It's not that.-Anabuki responds-It's that you have improved a lot in recent months.-
-I haven't gone back into combat since ... Well ... That day.-

We both remained silent, looking at the ground. We both knew that "that" day passed.

-Yes Yes. We all know what happened "that" day. Now could you hurry to give us the lessons? - Iona interrupts, as always at the right time.- Being strict and realistic we have little more than ten days left for the landing and we still don't know how to sustain ourselves on the water.- Iona continued arguing.
-Ahh ... About that, we will not cross by sea. We will jump on "parachute" .- I answered making the quotes with my fingers.
-What do you mean by parachute with quotes? And why don't we cross over by sea? I wanted to cross with you at travel speed.- Georgie answered pouting.
-First, to get speed of "travel" you have to recalibrate the units; you have to redirect all the power of shields and main weapon to mobility. That makes sense when you're in my place, I don't have a main weapon or can deploy shields. But in the case of the twins, although they cannot deploy shields they have a main weapon. And in your case you can or have both, so withdrawing the power of those things is not practical. Also, before achieving the travel optimization, the friction spell must be mastered since it is mainly based on it. - Anabuki raised his hand causing everyone to notice it. -Yes?-
-Could you tell us what that "spell" is? If it is not inconvenient. - She asks with, probably all the curiosity of the world.
-Let's see, it is a spell, technique or procedure that allows you to manage the coefficients of friction of the air on a physical body. That is, you can increase or decrease the drag. Making something burn spontaneously if you increase the friction of the air on itself. Or that does not have air resistance reducing friction.- I take air. -In other words, you can create the incendiary effect for bullets or ignore the sound barrier to travel faster with less effort. As additional information, and do not get out of here. - I look at the mechanics who kept looking and paying full attention. They seemed to notice the situation and nodded as they remained silent. -Everyone thinks that that Liberion's busty rabbit is the fastest human being on the planet, it is convenient for me to do so because I don't like to attract attention. That's why I like Suomus, it's far from everyone. The truth is that during the trip to Kauhava I exceeded mach 4. But as a curious fact nobody seemed to notice it because when reducing friction to zero there is no sonic explosion when crossing the barrier because in fact there is no barrier to break or cross.-

If before the silence could cut the ice, now I could cut the space itself with which it had just formed after my revelation.

-Well, maybe I shouldn't have said that.-
-But then, why can't we use them witches from "The League"? - Asked a cat woman who had approached the group very stealthily.
-Frau Generallmayor I was waiting for you ... - I replied dryly as I watched her with a severe look. I was not going to easily forgive the "expropriation" of my units. -Then you will have to explain to me why you stole my units-
-I don't have to give explanations. And now answer my question.- She answered curtly.
-Only a couple of witches in the League have the knowledge to replicate the effects of the masters or even try to learn them. And of those witches only one seems to really intend to learn it.-
-Hartmann ... - Anabuki whisper. I nodded in response.
-To put aside these questions and answers ... Today we will learn how to jump from high places without killing you during the landing. If anyone is thinking about it, no, we do not need the parachute backpack.- The twins raised their eyebrows, each contrary to the other and simultaneously.
-I'm not an expert but isn't that a suicide? - Georgie asked clearly scared.

In response I turned to the catwoman.

-Frau Generallmayor. How much weight can you lift?-
-Umm ...? What do you mean? - She asks distractedly.
-If you have the prototypes of 262 here, I should have enough load capacity to lift a couple of thousand meters above the ground.-
-How do you know about those ...? Of course, as you will not know ... - Galland tried to hide but realized that all eyes were on her.
-I didn't know Galland still flying.- Tommy said excitedly. -I'd like to see it.- If Tommy had a familiar, he would be waving his tail like an excited animal right now.
-Of course I still fly. Only it is no longer necessary to enter into combat as often as before. - Galland responds annoyed by the comment.-But I think that with a B-25 or Ju-88 I could do it equally.-
-Wait, is there a striker version of the B-25 Mitchell? Is there also the B-17? - I asked excitedly at the same time excited.

What a pair of kids that Tommy and I looked like right now ...

-Of course, well, from the B-17 not yet but I understand why they have not wanted to do it. It would be a total nonsense.- Galland sighed and asked for a unit with high load capacity.

After a few minutes of seeing how huge strikers brought her and as if to the astonishment of the twins and I Galland got the units together without taking off the strange pants she always wore. Then she adjusted what looked like a harness and signaled me to come closer. The mechanics put on a harness similar to hers and then grabbed hers, fixing me to her abdomen. The technicians took some straps that joined me to her and threw opposite sides on each side of the stand where Galland was and its huge strikers deployed, I felt like I was detached from the ground; I looked down and checked how my feet, or rather, my units no longer touched the ground. Now it was suspended about twenty centimeters from the ground.

I tried to move, in vain, I was firmly attached to the cat woman.

-I have no mobility, I feel helpless.- Sakomizu and Anabuki turned pale while the rest looked confused and amazed at the strange scene.

Galland activated the powerful unit and its engines roared like a mythical dragon. I could feel for the first time the flow of magic, or mana, of another person also flowing towards me.

Notice how the flow weakened a little; the engines slowed down, so I helped blow my own mana out a witch that lifted me off the ground. Suddenly the engines roared with renewed strength. I felt helpless, threw a pulse and activated passive sounding.

-Well, so that's how you see the world.- I look up and I saw a smiling Galland whose silhouette was covered with a film of my own mana.
-Do you see? What do you mean? - I ask confused by the sudden exclamation.
-My vision has mixed with a kind of whitish wave that has revealed even the things behind the walls.- Whisper Galland, I guess so that no one else could hear it.
-Well that's nothing, that's just passive sonar. An active search is much more intense, precise and with more scope.-
-I would like to see it, when we are in the air, would you mind showing it to me? - I nodded - Perfect. Adolfine Galland; taking off.-

Outside there was fog which should make the flight very difficult, we took the runway and gradually Galland increased the speed, just before the runway ended we took the flight, it must be difficult to take the flight carrying a dead weight like me.

Galland began to ascend by tracing semicircles and ceasing to ascend when we felt that the speed of the units was decreasing. After regaining speed she resumed the ascent. At some point we cross the fog layer and find out the location of the complex we were in. We were close to the sea, fire head looking for some reference that would help me find the location on the map. Galland seemed to notice what he was trying.

-We have taken off from a fortified base in Margate, right at the mouth of the Thames.-

Then, then we must be close to Gallia. I accumulated mana and prepared a pulse, making sure to filter everything that was not useful. If for me it could be difficult or burdensome for a person who had never seen or felt something like that could result in a shock.

I waited to see Dover's lights and threw the pulse. Maximum amplitude, medium sensitivity and complete filtering. Detect a patrol witch in the area of the former 501th base. I did not recognize the signal so it was marked in gray and with a track number UN-001.

-What does the "UN-001" mean? - Galland asked before the unknown track number.
-Unknown Neutral zero zero one.-
-But why neutral? It is a witch, it is an ally. - Insists Galland.
-That you consider all the witches allied does not mean that I must also do the same. I only mark the "mine" blue and the witches I know green.- I replied.
-It's sad that you don't consider allied witches ... -
-If you had been through the same thing that I would think the same. And now come back, if you don't see me, this lesson is worthless-
-Understood.-

We retraced our steps to end up flying over the track from which we had taken off. I began to prepare by adjusting the air pressure that was just below me. Then I created a "armor" of solidified air that would help me so that when the coefficient of friction on it increased I would not burn out.

I was making many preparations, I was going to report that I needed a few more seconds to form the structures when I felt the cat woman's hands on my back.

-Bombs away.- She said, and released the hooks that kept me attached to her.

I had the imperative need to curse the witch but that would make her confidence in me go down a little and make them laugh at me so I accelerate the preparations.

I wrapped myself in the armor, it would not be very accurate to say that I equated it since it was not even a propper armor, just an air wrap to protect the user from the weather and the force of the wind itself that would summon for kill yourself in the fall.

Said and done, I increased the friction force in the "armor" twice and began to brake. I could already see the ground clearly, before I panicked, I activated the "jets" of air like the ones I used to jump on the roof of Homebase the first time I accessed it.

After a slow descent, create an air mattress. It was nothing more than a semi-compact mass of air with a shape reminiscent of a cone with a rounded tip to accommodate the wearer and his armor. The trick was that the "mattress" was formed by compressed air at various atmospheres but the "wrapper" to maintain the pressure was somewhat weak, so when the user hits the cone it would explode and together with the air jets to the descent this would cause an almost instantaneous braking just before touching the ground.

The principle was the same as the retro-rocket used by space capsules to slow its descent just before touching the surface of the earth.

The result was a free fall during the first three hundred meters and then suddenly stop until fifty on the ground and end up touching the ground gracefully and gently with my units wrapped in a stream of compressed air.

I notice how everyone in the hangar had gone outside. One of the mechanics nudged two others and they handed him some bills. It seems that those two bets that I would kill me and the one who just received the extra pay must have bet that I would survive.

-As you saw , it's hard. But not impossible. - I offered my team a hand as a gesture. -Now your turn.-
-What? Not even a joke.- Tommy answers.
-Impossible. Impossible at all.- His sister Iona answers next.
-I don't think I can get it, sir. Any advice? - Georgie excuses herself.
-Let's see children. I am not going to force you to jump from so high. We will go gradually. We will start throwing ourselves from a height equivalent to one floor, when you have the basics we will expand to two or maybe three floors. And when I see that you are capable of doing so I will throw you from a plane with a parachute in case in the end they could not do it.-
-I think it's okay. But I never thought you could throw yourself from that height without a parachute and without dying.- Anabuki replied somewhat surprised.
-Well, don't you know a witch that says "there is nothing impossible for a witch"? Well, that is expandable to all magic users. - I answer in crooked air. Waiting for the twins to understand the reference and Anabuki to remember.
-Hahahaha. That's true. But I never thought someone would take it to such an extreme. - Fuso's Witch responds with laughter.

Among all this we can begin to hear the familiar roar of some engines. The cat woman makes her appearance. Amid a great current of air raised by the tremendous thrust of her huge strikers, similar to the one that prevented me from stamping against the ground, Galland took land.

-What have I missed? - Asks the newcomer, then turns to me.-Wow, you're still alive and in one piece. What a surprise.-
-Yes, I'm also glad I didn't die, especially considering that you released the harnesses without warning.-
-I fully trust your skills.-

We spent the rest of the week teaching my kids how not to kill themselves after jumping from different heights. It was difficult since we always had the odd observer who asked too much despite not being able to reproduce even the most basic of wind mastery.

Before the end of the week Sakomizu and Anabuki returned Kauhava.

After an emotional farewell only stained by the "ecchi" Haruka's offer to let me caress her fluffy tanuki tail for the last time; exact words; they both got on a plane and left.

Now I was completely free to give my lessons to my team. I did so, despite the watchful eye of the mechanics and ground staff and the close vigilance of the cat woman.

One day before the landing my team seemed ready for action. I made preparations with Galland about the enemy positions and especially about the times for the reduction of nests and strategic positions before the bulk of the invasion army arrived.

Another thing I talked to Frau Generallmayor was about supplies. She assured me that when we took an area we just had to wait for the main body to arrive, they would have orders to supply us with supplies so that we could continue with our task.

In the end, what I made clear was that we were always going to go two or three days ahead of the army's head, when we destroy the artillery positions and enemy nests, we just have to wait until the rest of the army arrives to take and maintain the land. Then we would sleep at least one night in the camps assembled by the League coalition army. And just at the dawn of the next day, that was the part I liked least, we would replenish supplies and leave for the next objective; knowing that that section would not move from there in the next two days.

That way it was planned that in a little more than three months we would take Gallia.

I don't notify my team.

-Then after those three months of work, what will we do? - Tommy asked with some uncertainty and curiosity.
-The cat woman will grant us a one-month holiday permit so that we go where we please.- I explain in response.
-Then if we hurry to clean Gallia and then we go north we could go to meet Hikari.- Tommy suggested
-Do you just think about that, brother? - Iona asked irritated.
-Well of course. I will not miss the opportunity to meet my waifu.- Both Iona and I run a facepalm in perfect synchrony.
-I don't know what "waifu" means, but I don't think they let you visit an active base to just to play out there. - Georgie intervened.
-I am not going to play. I'm going to meet the love of my life. - Tommy explains in a tone that tried to resemble a man's decision.
-Although you find the little squirrel, what assures you that she will want to go with you? Moreover, even if we pass by there, why do you think the command there will allow us to roam around our to our air without doing anything? As Georgie well says.-
-No, I'll go alone. You can go wherever you want, I will go to St. Petersburg.
- Saint what? - Georgie asks.
-Ahh ... Yes.- I intervene as soon as I remember something important.- Religions do not exist as we know them, so the city of Leningrad or St. Petersburg here is just "Petersburg", remember it because it can lead to confusion.- I teach Tommy while raising my index finger like a teacher would.

We performed the last test just the day before the attack, test that consisted of; as I said before; Jump from a plane with a parachute as a guarantee.

However it was not necessary for any.

Then we went to celebrate it, for my part I went to sleep. Used to getting up late it would be impossible for me to get up early without getting enough sleep and without the support of caffeine.

Tomorrow we will realize the version of this reality of the airborne landing of the 101 airborne "AA".

That is all, in the next chapter; jump, assault and the first kills of the twins and Georgie.