A/N: As usual, please point out any mistakes/inconsistencies. Pretty much all of the beach scene, right down to the dialogue, is copy-pasted from the anime, as I really didn't feel like having Dr. Meusel's monsters crash the party and start a bloodbath (The idea did cross my mind, however, but ultimately was refused). However, since simply writing down 'They had fun at the beach, the end' would feel like a cop-out, I did my best to get the scene over with as unobtrusively as possible. I have taken a few creative liberties with the scene though, as in canon it is implied that only Class 1-1 went on the trip. However, the amount of students present in the scene seemed an awfully large amount for a single class, so I decided to make it so that all of the first year students at the Academy went.
An entire week had passed since Charlotte had been made a representative of Aero Infini Industries. The plane taking her back to France had come and gone, and her father had yet to make a move against her. Now, an entire week after he had saved Charlotte from her father, Ichika found himself sitting next to the girl in question on the monorail heading out of IS Academy.
"Say Ichika, why are you so tired today?" Charlotte asked, breaking the silence between them.
"Laura tried to consummate her marriage again. I managed to keep her out of the room this time around, but the door needs replacing again." Ichika sighed.
"That's the fifth door this week..." Charlotte said.
"She sure is persistent, I'll give her that. Thankfully the doorframe was not too badly damaged this time around, so it should be fixed by the time we get back. I don't know where she got the breaching charges though..." Ichika trailed off, wondering just how exactly the silver haired girl had managed to smuggle explosives into what was supposedly one of the most secure educational institutes in the world.
"So that's what the chemistry set was for!" Charlotte exclaimed, answering his question, before continuing on.
"You know, Ichika, you can always stay with me again if your room is unusable."
"I wouldn't want to impose though..." Ichika said, remembering the time he had slept in Charlotte's room while his room was undergoing repairs.
"I-I wouldn't mind..." Charlotte murmured, too softly for Ichika to hear.
"What was that?" Ichika asked.
"I-I was just wondering why you haven't brought it up with the instructors yet!" Charlotte exclaimed. Before Ichika could answer, however, the train ground to a halt, and the students began to disembark. Ichika followed Charlotte out, the blonde girl pausing when she saw him behind her.
"So why did you come here?" Charlotte asked.
"Well, you know how we have the beach trip coming up? I realized that I don't have a swimsuit that fits me, and since you told me that you don't have one either, I thought that I would join you on your shopping trip." Ichika explained.
"I see..." Charlotte said in response, before sticking out her hand.
"Here. Since we're going together and all, you should take my hand." Charlotte explained simply, and Ichika complied, taking the girl's hand in his own, before allowing her to lead him into a nearby shopping mall.
As the pair of them proceeded into the large building, however, a pair of figures emerged from their hiding place behind them.
"Hey..." Rin initiated the conversation.
"What is it?" Cecilia replied.
"They're holding hands, aren't they." Rin deadpanned in response.
"They do seem awfully close." Cecilia replied.
"I see... I'm neither hallucinating nor imagining it... It is indeed real." Rin replied, a manic grin slowly forming on her face as she raised her hand, preparing to deploy her IS.
"LET'S KILL THEM!" Rin exclaimed, the ShenLong's purple arm taking form around her own.
"Oh? You two look like you're enjoying yourselves." A third voice cut into the conversation, causing Rin and Cecilia to turn around. There stood Laura Bodewig, the silver haired girl's face impassive as usual.
"Laura-san!" Cecilia exclaimed.
"What are you doing here?" Rin chimed in.
"Don't be so wary around me. I have no intention of harming you at the moment." Laura replied.
"Do you honestly expect us to believe that?" Cecilia asked. Laura simply nodded in response before starting to walk in the direction of the shopping mall, only for Rin to stop her.
"And just where do you think you're going?" The Chinese girl asked.
"Isn't it obvious? I am going to join them." Laura replied simply, before continuing towards the mall. Rin's shocked exclamation went unnoticed.
"Ichika!" The familiar voice made both Charlotte and Ichika pause and turn toward its source.
"Laura? What are you doing here?" Ichika asked.
"I was alerted to the fact that you were going on a shopping trip for swimming apparel. As I am currently lacking in that department, I require both yours and Charlotte's assistance in choosing out a perfect model." Laura said.
"So... You want to go shopping with us?" Charlotte asked.
"I do."
"I see no problem with that. Do you?" Ichika asked, turning to Charlotte, who nodded her assent after a few moments. Their pair thus made into a trio, the group proceeded deeper into the mall.
A few minutes passed before Ichika noticed something amiss.
"We're being followed. You two go on ahead." Ichika said simply, causing Charlotte to gasp slightly, and Laura to nod. At that, Ichika broke away from the pair, ducking into a nearby jewelry store. Deciding to loiter for a few moments, he began to inspect the items on display. One particular item caught his eye, and after a few moments' consideration, he bought it. Taking the item from the cashier, he pocketed it before quickly spinning around. His pursuers couldn't respond fast enough, and sure enough, he caught a pair of familiar girls ducking behind a pillar. Smiling, he walked up to the pillar in question, his ears picking up a hushed argument going on behind it.
"So what are you two doing here on this fine morning?" Ichika asked as he looked down at the pair that now tried and failed at acting casual when confronted.
"N-Nothing! Nothing at all, Ichika-san! What are you doing out here?" Cecilia answered.
"Just helping a pair of friends with their shopping. I assume you're here for the same reason?" Ichika asked.
"Y-Yes! Yes, of course! That's all we're here for! It's not like we're spying on you or anything!" Rin stammered out, smiling.
"Glad to hear it. After all, if you two did in fact spend the past few minutes spying on me, I would think that both of you are more than a little creepy. Glad to see that's not the case!" Ichika said, laughing inwardly at the two girls' expressions as he turned away. Just then, another familiar pair walked by.
"Careful with those Nii! You're gonna get it from me if you drop them!" Gotanda Ran threatened her overloaded older brother, who at the moment was loaded down with three separate bags.
"Isn't this a little too much?" Her older brother groaned.
"Of course not! This is only the beginning! Don't you know that the summer of your third year of junior high is a special one? I need a swimsuit for the pool, a swimsuit for the beach, a sexy swimsuit, a super sexy swimsuit, and a super ultra sexy swimsuit! I have to get every kind! And that's just the swimsuits! I need clothes for all occasions!" Ran exclaimed.
"That sure is a lot of clothing! Are you sure you'll need that much?" Ichika asked, walking up to the pair.
"What?" Ran asked, turning around and preparing for another rant before noticing just who had approached her.
"I-Ichika!" The redhead exclaimed, her eyes widening to inhuman proportions.
"Hey Ichika! You out shopping as well?" Dan asked, walking up behind his sister.
"I guess you could say that... Say, is that all swim wear?" Ichika asked, his eyes coming to rest on the mountain of bags that his friend was carrying.
"Yeah. This little girl here wanted said she wanted to show you, so she got all fired up and-" Whatever Dan was about to say was cut off as his sister sent him flying back with a well placed kick, swim apparel flying everywhere as he fell.
"So, what did-" Ichika began, but was cut off.
"Nothing you need to know about! So, Ichika, are you buying a swimsuit as well?" Ran asked, smiling.
"Yeah. Everyone in my grade is spending a few days at the beach. Supposedly we'll be conducting IS exercises outside the IS Academy, but honestly I think it's because the instructors just want to relax." Ichika said.
"Really? Damn, if I had known I would've asked you to help me choose." Ran muttered, more to herself than to Ichika.
"Ichika, who is this?" Cecilia's voice cut into the conversation, causing both Ichika and Ran to turn towards her.
"Ah, Cecilia, this is my friend, Ran. Ran, this is my friend and classmate, Cecilia Alcott." Ichika introduced the girls before quickly looking around for Rin. He quickly spotted her a few feet away, standing over Dan.
"Really? I guess that means I will be her junior as well." Ran said, still smiling.
"Oh yeah! I almost forgot! You're starting IS Academy next year!" Ichika exclaimed, remembering what Ran had told him a few weeks before when he had eaten at the Gotandas' restaurant.
"Really now?" Cecilia asked, curious.
"That I am! I'm studying really hard for the entrance exam too!" Ran beamed.
"Don't worry Ran, the written portion of the exam is actually fairly easy. Most of it is pretty logical, at least. It's the practical portion you have to really prepare for. Have you been training in an IS?" Ichika asked, and Ran's face fell.
"Not really. I don't have many chances to use a training IS." Ran said.
"Don't worry. Very few pilots get much practical training before the exam. I'm sure Cecilia can give you plenty of advice though! After all, she is an elite pilot." Ichika said, and Cecilia took that as her cue to lead the red haired girl aside, leaving Ichika alone for now. Rin and Dan were still chatting a few feet away, the latter still on the ground, meaning that he was free to find Charlotte and Laura again.
Quickly making his way to where the two girls were likely located, Ichika failed to notice his final pursuer. Being much more stealthy than Cecilia and Rin, Orimura Madoka followed her quarry, her face emotionless as she listened to his interactions with his friends.
Ichika found Laura and Charlotte in a nearby swimsuit store, the two girls locked into a debate over one particular two piece.
"So have you picked one out yet?" He asked as he walked up behind them, causing both girls to jump in surprise.
"N-No, not really. I've found a few designs that I like, but so far none of them seem to meet Laura's requirements." Charlotte explained.
"What about this one?" Ichika asked, picking up one at random. It turned out to be a small, frilly black piece that wouldn't look out of place in a lingerie store, its intended recipient blushing furiously when she caught sight of it.
"Ichika, I don't think-" Charlotte began, but Laura grabbed it out of his hands before the blonde could continue.
"I-I'll take it!" Laura declared, and immediately ran off to the changing booth, Charlotte following her with her own choice clasped in her hand. Once the two girls had both vanished behind the curtain, Ichika took the opportunity to look around for a swimsuit of his own.
A quick scan of the store later, and Ichika had realized that the store catered almost exclusively to the fairer sex, with the only selection of male swim apparel being located in a corner deep in the store. Quickly looking through the meager selection, he quickly picked out a simple blue-black pair of swim trunks and, tucking them under his arm, he walked over to the changing booth and leaned against the adjacent wall. A few seconds later, he saw his older sister enter the store, Maya following right behind her.
"Orimura? What are you up to?" Chifuyu asked as she caught sight of him.
"Just waiting for the changing room to open up so I can try this on." Ichika replied, smiling back at his sister, a gesture that she faintly returned.
"I see. That better be all." As Chifuyu said that, both Laura and Charlotte emerged from the changing booth, quickly catching sight of where Ichika was standing.
"I-Ichika, does this look weird?" Charlotte mumbled, while Laura quickly hid behind her. The former was clad in an orange and black two piece, while Laura was clearly wearing the black bikini that Ichika had picked out for her. Blushing, Ichika quickly stammered out a response.
"N-No! It looks nice! Really nice!" Behind the trio, both Maya and Chifuyu raised an eyebrow. As Ichika tried to coax out Laura from where she stood behind Charlotte, his older sister methodically scanned the shelves for something she liked, picking a particular piece out before heading into the changing room. She emerged less than a minute later, clad in a rather risque black two-piece, complete with a black garter on her left leg.
"Orimura! Since you seem to be an expert at judging these sorts of things, I would like your opinion on this." Chifuyu ordered, drawing the attention of all three students in the store.
"I-Instructor!" Laura spoke, no, gasped, first, while Charlotte simply gaped at the image before her.
"It... It certainly suits you..." Ichika stammered out, blushing as his sister walked up to him.
"Is that all you can say?" Chifuyu teased, stopping when her breasts were right at Ichika's eye level.
"I... I..." Ichika stuttered.
"Could it be that the one Ichika truly loves is his sister?" Maya's seemingly innocent voice caused Ichika's already scarlet face to grow even redder.
"It certainly looks like it! One glance and he turns into a stuttering mess!" Chifuyu replied. That was the straw that broke the camel's back, and Ichika promptly fainted, a faint trickle of blood leaking from his nose. Shaking her head, Chifuyu turned back to the two girls that remained standing.
"You two need to step up your game." She said simply, before heading back into the changing booth, emerging fully clothed a few moments later. Directing a final wink at the two dumbstruck girls, she walked up to the cashier and made her purchase.
Nearly half an hour later, Ichika found himself alone and walking back out of the jewelry store he had visited earlier, having made two new purchases. Once he had regained consciousness, he had been confronted by a pair of angry girls, who quickly ushered him out of the store, all but explicitly telling him that if he returned, he would regret it.
Putting away his most recent purchases, he took a moment to stop and think about where to go next, only to be shaken out of his thoughts by a hand tapping him on his shoulder. Turning around, his eyes landed on what at first seemed like a younger version of his older sister.
"Who are you?" Ichika asked, causing the girl to smile slightly.
"That is currently irrelevant. You, on the other hand, are Orimura Ichika, and you are interesting." The black haired girl answered, causing Ichika's eyes to narrow slightly.
"Should I be flattered or concerned?" He asked cautiously, his hand coming down to rest on the pouch that concealed his firearm, cursing his stupidity in leaving his IS back at the academy.
"That is for you to decide." The black haired girl replied, smirking all the while.
"If you are trying to get a point across, you're doing rather poorly." Ichika commented.
"There is no point. This interaction is simply me indulging in idle curiosity." The girl responded.
"Is that so? What are you curious about then? Is it my anomalous status as an IS pilot?" Ichika asked.
"Not at all..." The girl trailed off.
"Then what is it?" Ichika asked. The girl was quiet for a few moments before she spoke again.
"Hypothetically, if you spent your whole life being conditioned to kill someone, only for that conditioning to fail, what would you do?" The girl asked.
"I wouldn't know. I lack experience in those matters." Ichika replied.
"I see. Do you know what I would do, then?" The girl asked.
"What would you do?"
"I would seek out those responsible, and end them."
"I see... That certainly is the first response I would think of." Ichika said, waiting for the girl to make a move, his fingers hovering over the hidden clamps that would allow him to draw his weapon.
"Should I be concerned?" He asked.
"Maybe." The girl replied simply, before turning around and starting to walk away.
"Wait." Ichika said firmly, causing the girl to pause.
"What is it?" The girl asked.
"You never told me who you were." Ichika said.
"That shouldn't be too hard for you to figure out... Brother." The girl replied simply, before walking away once more, quickly disappearing into the crowd, leaving a confused and wary Ichika behind. Taking a deep breath, he decided that he should return to the academy, preferably before another crazy yet familiar girl appeared out of nowhere.
While Ichika was evaluating swimsuits and meeting with strangers, a very different scene was playing out in the northern Pacific ocean. This was the area that Organization Patrol Vessel 011 was ordered to patrol. It had been a calm maiden voyage for the hundred meter long vessel, filled with relentless drills for its crew as it cruised through the cold ocean waters. While it looked to be nothing more than a large fishing boat, that description couldn't have been further off the mark. Instead of hooks and lines, the large outrigger poles trailed sensor equipment, forming a powerful electrolocation system, which, similarly to how sharks sought out their prey, could theoretically allow the patrol vessel to detect its target. In addition, microphones, sonar arrays, and a powerful hyper-sensor suite formed the vessel's eyes and ears, all aiding in its simple goal: Find them, Chase 'em, Sink 'em.
Once the creed of American submariners during the Second World War, it now accurately described the patrol vessel's mission. To locate the enemy, engage the enemy, and finally, destroy the enemy. To that effect, OPV-011 carried no less than twenty ASM-35 tubes, and a total of one hundred Anti-submarine missiles. Each torpedo was a compact weapon, each propelled by a single displacer drive and bearing a powerful plasma warhead with a yield equivalent to four thousand pounds of TNT. Those torpedoes were the main armament of the patrol ship, capable of homing in on a target nearly thirty kilometers away. Should the torpedo's guidance systems determine that the weapon would miss, the warhead would detonate at the closest point to the target, acting as a powerful depth charge. A single direct hit from one of these weapons would doom or cripple any seafaring vessel.
These torpedoes were fired from twenty tubes, which were arranged in two identical racks. However, instead of being simply dropped into the ocean, the torpedoes were fired in a manner similar to a missile, propelled by rockets into the air before coming down on its target. Once the missiles hit the water, the rockets would be jettisoned, and the torpedo's displacer drive would activate, sending it streaking towards its target.
In addition to these powerful ship killers, the OPV-011 carried a powerful underwater Gauss cannon, which fired powerful 90 millimeter shells at underwater targets. Where the torpedoes were the ship's long range armaments, this gun, with an effective range of two kilometers, was its close range weapon. While magnetic acceleration weaponry was long since known to function underwater, it had never been used in combat, and thus had remained entirely experimental.
For defensive purposes, the OPV-011 carried a single fast firing dual plasma cannon for anti-air usage, as well as another twenty torpedo tubes, these ones much smaller, designed to be rapidly reloaded with their small payload. While the two ASM-35 racks fired powerful anti-ship weapons into the air, these small ATT-110 arrays fired small, quick anti-torpedo torpedoes, each carrying a small plasma warhead along with a sophisticated guidance system and engine.
These were the armaments of every Organization Oceanic Patrol Vessel, a class of warship that OPV-011, nicknamed the Sea Kitten by its crew, belonged to. It was this ship that cruised northeast at forty knots, patrolling a trade route upon which IS components produced in Korea and Japan were transported to the United States, while medical and industrial equipment steamed in the opposite direction. It was the perfect route for Phantom Task raiders to prey on, and thus it was the perfect route for hunting them down.
However, Phantom Task was nothing if not elusive, with its submarines capable of rendering themselves completely invisible to both acoustic and sonar based detection. Only hyper-sensors were known to be able to detect them, although the Electrolocator was, theoretically at least, capable of the same deed. Elusive and with unknown armaments, Phantom Task submarines were far from helpless foes.
"Sir, the electrolocator is picking something up." First Officer Alisa Serenova spoke up from where she stood, manning the sensor console.
"Size?" Captain Issei Hyuga asked.
"Between three and four hundred meters long, at least two hundred meters wide. It's too big to be a whale, and it isn't the right shape to be an American or Chinese submarine." Alisa replied.
"Is it in hyper-sensor range?" Issei asked, causing Alisa to frown.
"No, sir. We can still get a general lock via the electrolocator though." At that, Issei smiled.
"Looks like we have our target then. Out of curiosity, have any of our sister ships reported a kill yet?"
"Not as far as I know, sir."
"That means we'll be the first then. Send off a quick message to command. Tell them that we have found the enemy and are now engaging." The captain ordered, his finger hovering over a small red button on a control panel beside him.
"Aye aye, sir." Alisa replied simply, and Issei pressed the button. Immediately alarms began blaring all across the ship, ordering its crew of nearly one hundred men and women to action stations. Torpedo and anti-Torpedo racks emerged from their hidden alcoves, while the large, dual barreled plasma gun was quickly deployed and pointed skyward. Beneath the surface, two quiet displacer drives replaced the twin screws as the vessel's method of propulsion, and the hidden barrel of the Gauss cannon pointed itself downwards. Within sixty seconds, the supposed fishing vessel now looked the part of a heavily armed submarine hunter.
"Are weapons locked?" Issei asked, and Alisa nodded.
"Good. Pressley, fire when ready. Two torpedoes should be enough to gauge our foe's capabilities."
"Aye aye, sir." Gordon Pressley, the vessel's gunnery officer, replied, and moments later two missiles screamed into the air, arcing away towards their distant target.
The bridge of the Raider class submarine was divided into two distinct sections, with the floor being occupied by a wide variety of officers, each one in charge of their own aspect of running the ship. Overlooking them all was the balcony, upon which Captain Hans Euler stood, gazing out across the assortment of men below him. Some of them he had known from his previous command, a Hunter-Killer class submarine, but the vast majority were unknown to him. Beside him stood his First Officer, Sergei Pavlov, who had served beside him ever since they had both finished training together. The two men were of a similar height and age, but that was where the similarities ended. Sergei was blonde haired, with blue eyes and a pale complexion, while his somewhat effeminate features had earned him the nickname 'Bishie' during training, a name that he loathed. Hans, on the other hand, was brown haired and broad shouldered, with grizzled features and a scar that ended just barely below his eye, the injury being a memento from training.
"Anything new?" Hans asked his friend, knowing full well that there was nothing to report.
"Nothing of the sort. That fishing ship is maintaining its course, nothing unusual there, and no other ships have been detected." Sergei replied.
"I see..." Hans replied.
"Is something the matter, sir?" Sergei asked.
"Nothing that you don't already know."
"Ah. Are you still having... Less than acceptable thoughts?"
"Please, like you haven't had them too. You can say what you want about the old Mako, at least that ship wasn't flying the modern equivalent of a Jolly Roger."
"We don't have a flag, sir. It's a submarine." The two laughed softly at that.
"Are you ever going to let that go?" Hans asked.
"Nope!" Sergei replied. The two men were quiet for a few moments, remembering their escapades in training, before Hans broke the silence again.
"It still doesn't seem right to me though. We're just sitting here, underwater, raiding and torpedoing helpless freighters. I thought we were better than common pirates, but here we are, raiding and pillaging. All we're missing now is the rum."
"You didn't hesitate to torpedo that unarmed whaler a few weeks back." Sergei commented.
"That wasn't piracy, that was doing the world a service. I always liked whales, you know? Those magnificent creatures deserved better than to be slaughtered by petty criminals and sold in pieces."
"If I recall correctly, our superiors didn't exactly approve of your action."
"I was warned to 'Not waste munitions on common scum not worth our time and attention', with extreme prejudice, I must add. You should know though, you were there, after all."
"Just trying to cheer you up, sir."
"And for that, I thank you." The two men were silent for a while.
"Say, Sergei, have you ever wondered what kind of life you would have led had you not been born into Phantom Task?" Hans suddenly asked.
"Honestly, I never have. Never saw the point in thinking about things that would never come to pass." Sergei replied.
"Really? Not even once?"
"Not at all. What about you? What would you have been?"
"Hmm... Honestly, I would have wanted to be a marine biologist."
"Is that why you ordered us to perform detailed analysis of a pod of whales the other day?"
"No, that was because I thought it was an-" Whatever Hans was about to say was cut off by one of the techs down below.
"Acoustic sensors are picking something up. Sounds like a missile launch!" The man shouted out.
"What? Where?" Hans demanded, activating the holoprojector at the front of the balcony. Immediately, a large blue sphere shimmered into being, with a large white representation of the submarine at its center. Near the top of the sphere, a single red oval indicated the presence of a hostile vessel.
"It came from that fishing vessel, sir." The tech replied.
"Are you sure?" Hans asked.
"Yes si- Shit, we've got torpedoes in the water right above us! Estimated time to impact: 47 seconds." The tech exclaimed.
"Damn. Sound general quarters and prepare the Gauss CIWS. Open fire as soon as the torpedoes are in range, then bring us around. Do we have a lock on the enemy vessel?" Hans rapidly shouted out orders as crimson lights flashed across the submarine, calling the crew to battle stations.
"Yes sir!" The gunnery officer replied to his last request.
"Good. Fire rear torpedo tubes. Two sonar guided and two acoustic." The officer simply nodded in response, and the submarine shuddered almost imperceptibly as the weapons left their tubes. Moments later, the submarine shook again as the Gauss CIWS opened fire, sending a volley of metal slugs at the incoming torpedoes. At least one must have hit, because the submarine shook again, this time much more noticeably, as the weapon's unstable plasma warhead detonated.
As he prepared to give his next orders, Hans couldn't help but feel proud as the officers below him went about their business. If the submarine shaking unnerved them, they didn't show it. Even as the submarine began to turn, their only response to the sudden tilt was to briefly check if their seat restraints were secure before immersing themselves in their work once again.
"They've definitely noticed us now." Alisa commented as the signature on her screen began to come around.
"That they have. One of the torpedoes has detonated prematurely, while the second one has been knocked off course. I'm guessing some sort of point defense weapon." Pressley added.
"Torpedo launch detected. Two of them are emitting active sonar signatures, while the other two are silent." Alisa spoke up again.
"Fire off another volley of ASM-35s, four should do the trick, then launch anti-torpedoes once enemy warheads are in range." Issei ordered, and the two officers on the bridge nodded their assent, four more missiles streaking into the air from their launchers while spare torpedoes were brought up from the magazines below. A few moments later, the anti-torpedo tubes hissed, releasing a volley of miniature torpedoes into the water. Beneath the waves, torpedo and anti-torpedo dueled in a slow motion facsimile of missile and anti-missile, the ocean surging as the explosions reached the surface.
"All enemy torpedoes eliminated." Alisa reported.
"Second volley of torpedoes has come down." Pressley reported a second later. Several long moments of inactivity passed as both embattled ships considered their next action, before Pressley once again broke the silence.
"All four torpedoes confirmed destroyed. None of them got close enough to do any real damage."
"I see. What's the status of the Gauss cannon?" Issei asked.
"Ready to fire on your orders, sir." Pressley replied.
"Good. Your job now is to continue firing off torpedoes one at a time. When one is destroyed, launch another. Do this until we close to cannon range, at which point we will open fire with that instead. Intercept any enemy torpedoes as soon as they are in range. Alisa, keep me updated on the status of the enemy submarine." Issei ordered. A few seconds later, the OPV-011 began to accelerate towards its target, its displacer drives working at maximum capacity.
"They've intercepted our torpedo salvo." Sergei stated from where he managed the submarine's helm.
"So they have countermeasures as well... What is the status of our spinal cannon?" Hans asked.
"Loaded and charged." Sergei replied simply as a second chain of premature detonations reverberated through the submarine's hull.
"Excellent. Once we've finished turning, bring us up thirty degrees and center on target. Once you have a lock, fire at will." Hans ordered, feeling the submarine starting to right itself beneath his feet, indicating that it was finishing its turn.
"Yes sir." Sergei replied, just as one of the officers below reported another torpedo hitting the water.
"In the meantime, fire another torpedo spread, this one from our forward tubes. Four acoustic, four sonar." Hans ordered, and it was done.
"Enemy ship is accelerating." Another officer reported from below.
"Make it fifty degrees, Sergei." Hans ordered in response after a quick glance at the sensor sphere.
"Additional torpedoes launched. Six of them this time around." Alisa replied.
"You know what to do." Issei ordered, and in response another volley of anti-torpedoes splashed into the water, while yet another missile roared out of its launch tube, likely to meet the same fate as its predecessor, serving to possibly distract its target.
"Enemy has finished its turn... It's tilting towards the surface!" Alisa reported, never once taking her eyes off the sensor console.
"Do we have a hyper-sensor lock yet?" Issei asked.
"Torpedo is in the water." Pressley reported.
"They have just entered sensor range... Wait, what the hell?" Alisa exclaimed.
"What's going on?" Issei asked.
"The electrolocator is going crazy, something's interfering with it! We've lost the lock!" Alisa reported.
"Can we still get a lock with the hyper-sensor?"
"Yes."
"Do you know what could have caused this?" Issei demanded.
"Well, if another strong electric field is present in the immediate area it will interfere with the locator." Alisa replied.
"So an electric field... What could have... Oh, shit!" Issei exclaimed, his hands suddenly dancing over the helm as he threw the ship into the start of a series of evasive maneuvers.
"Torpedo has detonated. That was a close one. Minor damage is a possibility." Pressley cut in. Less than a second later, the ocean right beside the ship exploded, and a large shell, still traveling at supersonic speeds despite having been fired from underwater, screamed past the ship, the hundred meter long vessel barely managing to stay upright from the resulting shockwave. The holoscreen in front of Issei lit up as engineers and automated systems sent in their damage reports. Issei breathed a sigh of relief as the reports stopped coming in. The ship had sprung several small, easily sealed leaks, and the entire outrigger sensor system was destroyed, but no major damage had been inflicted on anything keeping the ship afloat.
"Electrolocator is offline, but we're close enough that we can spot them with the hyper-sensor." Alisa reported.
"Good. Pressley, triple torpedo fire rate. I want as many shockwaves in the water as possible. Alisa, can the electrolocator still detect electric fields?" Issei asked.
"No sir, the receivers were just as badly damaged as the emitters." Alisa answered.
"Damn. We'll have to take that thing out before it fires again. A direct hit from that would rip the ship in half." Issei said grimly, the sound of another missile rocketing out of its tube punctuating his words, before he turned to Pressley and continued.
"Pressley, how much longer until we can bring our own Gauss cannon to bear?"
"We can pull off an extreme range shot from where we are right now, but chances of hitting are low." The officer in question replied.
"How much longer until we can hit reliably then?"
"If we make a beeline towards the enemy at flank speed I can land a shell on them in twenty seconds, but given how we're moving right now I cannot give a good estimate."
"I see." At that, Issei turned the ship towards the submarine and held the course, the ship rapidly building up speed as it sped towards the enemy that had dared wound it.
For twenty nerve wracking seconds OPV-011 held its course. Nobody aboard the bridge spoke, with the only sound audible in the small room was that of missiles being periodically launched from their tubes at increasingly steep angles. All three of the bridge officers knew that any one of those twenty seconds could be their last, that a single shell from the submarine below would likely snap their ship in half and detonate the vessel's magazines upon a direct hit. It was a shell that never came, and twenty seconds later, Pressley picked up a microphone and, with a triumphant grin on his face, spoke one fateful word.
"Fire." At that word, the ship rocked sightly as a shell was fired into the depths at hypersonic speeds. A moment later, Pressley spoke another word, the grin never leaving his face.
"Hit."
The entire submarine shook when the shell hit, the heavy projectile punching through the outer shell of the vessel, boring through two decks before detonating halfway through the third, sending a lethal shockwave through the entire ship as fragments and superheated water followed the blast through into the fourth and final deck of the submarine. Nobody drowned as water gushed into the gaping wound, because everyone in the affected area was already dead, either from the impact, the shrapnel, or the searing heat of the plasma detonation. Watertight doors, or at least, the doors that still functioned, quickly sealed shut, containing the flood of water, but the damage was done.
"Damage report!" Hans demanded as the submarine began to tilt.
"Starboard CIWS array has been destroyed, all electrical cables leading to beta generator have been cut. Starboard displacer drive is operating at 36% capacity..." The officer rattled off a grim list of damages, from leaks to broken structural pieces, only to be interrupted by another officer, who had a note of panic in his voice.
"Torpedo closing! Our CIWS has missed its first volley!" A few seconds passed, before the officer spoke again.
"Second volley missed!" A few more seconds passed, and then the submarine shook, hard, as the incoming warhead detonated nearby, the weakened CIWS array finally meeting its mark.
"Third volley successfu-" The officer's relieved sigh was interrupted by the sound of creaking metal as the straining starboard wing was pushed to the breaking point. Nobody on the bridge spoke as an entire third of the starboard wing slowly but surely broke away. Metal warped and broke, plastic cracked and split, and electrical cables strained before snapping apart
"Sergei! Can you get us out of here?" Hans asked.
"Assuming we take no more damage, I believe I can do it." Sergei replied. Approximately five seconds later, a second shell struck the port-side wing near its root, shearing off the port-side forward torpedo tubes and narrowly missing the magazine. Water flooded into the damaged wing, and the submarine slowly but surely began to grind to a halt.
"Can we still make it?" Hans asked, fearing the answer.
"I'm afraid not, sir." Sergei replied as the submarine began to list hard to port.
"Very well then." Sergei picked up a microphone and spoke.
"Attention all hands: Abandon ship. Repeat. All hands, abandon ship." With a heavy heart, Sergei watched as the men below released their restraints and stood. Many men headed to the door, but some stayed. These were the officers from Hans' old command, the ones who had been with him since he had first captained a submarine. Where the rest of the bridge officers filed out of the bridge in an orderly fashion, these men simply saluted before resuming their posts on a bridge now only lit by computer monitors, the lights having gone out to save power.
"What is the status of the escape vessels?" Hans asked, referring to the three small craft that served as escape pods in the event of the submarine's destruction. Each carried sixty days' worth of food for thirty people, and was designed to simply ascend to the surface and stay there, while the men within waited for someone, preferably someone friendly, to find them. After sixty days, however, Sergei knew that the onboard explosive charges would detonate, killing everyone onboard. He also knew that the charges could be set off earlier via a signal transmitted from headquarters.
"Starboard vessel is gone, sir, but the other two are ready for launch." One of the officers reported.
"Good. Send out a signal to the enemy vessel. Tell them that we surrender." That caused a few gasps, but nobody objected.
"Sir, all communications gear is gone." The officer in charge of communications reported simply.
"Then try sending morse code via the sonar." That worked, as the sonar began pinging away. When the message was sent, Hans then turned to Sergei.
"What's the status of the escape vessels?" He asked.
"Center vessel has separated successfully, but there is a torpedo in the water and-" Whatever Sergei was about to say was cut off as a shockwave shook the crippled submarine.
"Status of center vessel?" Hans asked. Sergei hesitated before he finally sighed.
"It's gone."
"How many were onboard?"
"Escape vessel was over capacity."
"And the port-side vessel?" Hans asked.
"Port-side vessel was not launched. It is still intact." Sergei replied.
"Very well then. Gentlemen, you may all proceed to the port-side escape vessel." Hans ordered, and the remaining officers all stood. As one, they saluted their captain once more, a gesture that Hans returned. Then, they calmly filed out of the bridge, leaving only Hans and Sergei behind.
"That means you too, Sergei." Hans said.
"I only leave if you do." Sergei replied.
"But I have to wipe the vessel's computers to ensure that-" Sergei cut his captain off.
"Then do so." At that, Hans inserted a bright red flash drive into his console, typed in an authorization code, and hit a button to confirm the action.
"There, it's done. Now let's get going." Sergei urged, causing Hans to sigh.
"A captain goes down with his ship, Sergei. We both know that." The captain replied. A few moments passed before Sergei replied.
"Please understand, Hans, that I hold you in the highest respect."
"And I you, Sergei." Hans replied, right before his old friend walked up to him and delivered a powerful right cross to his captain's face, knocking his superior officer out cold. Then, the blonde man picked up his unconscious captain and, slinging him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, made his way out the door.
The corridors were dark, lit only by phosphorescent light, but Sergei navigated them easily. Soon he reached his destination. The port-side escape vessel was still there, the remainder of the PTS Carcharodon's crew already onboard. As soon as he boarded, the doors slid shut, sealing the craft against the water it would travel through. The escape pod shook slightly as the bay door was blown open, causing the pod bay to flood. Then the pod began to float, slowly at first but quickly gathering speed as it headed up towards the surface. A few tense minutes passed before the pod breached the surface, knocking everyone onboard to the floor.
A panel on the ceiling of the pod hissed before sliding open, allowing fresh air into the pod, a short ladder allowing access to the roof of the escape vessel, but that was not important for the moment. Looking around, Sergei found another hatch in the floor of the pod, which led to a small cargo bay filled with supplies. Right where it was most easily accessible, right beside the first-aid kit, lay a bright orange flaregun.
Picking it up, Sergei grimaced. Now came the hard part.
The flaregun was only meant to be fired to allow allied vessels to more easily find the escape vessel, and thus would set the onboard charges to detonate within ten minutes of firing. Any allied vessel would then be able to transmit the codes required to defuse the onboard bomb and thus save the crew. However, Sergei did not intend to attract the attention of an ally, so alternative methods were required.
A simple 9-volt battery and a bit of wiring here, a large plastic tube there, and he had an improvised firing mechanism ready to go. Climbing up on top of the vessel, Sergei looked around until he spotted the enemy ship in the distance, before placing the tube down. Next he used the wire and battery to create a short circuit, causing the wire to start heating up. Finally, he placed down the flare and waited. Eventually, enough heat had been transferred to ignite the propellant within the flare, sending it flying into the air.
Evidently, the ship noticed the signal, as it gradually began to turn towards him. Slowly but surely, the vessel that had sunk his submarine came closer and closer.
"Attention everyone! Right now, it's 11AM! You have free time until the afternoon! Be sure to return to the hotel in time for dinner! Understood?" Maya called out, repeating what all the students at the beach already knew.
"Yes sensei!" Ichika replied cheerfully, checking once to make sure that his IS was firmly attached to his wrist. As the other students ran for the beach, Ichika followed at a more sedate pace. After all, this part of the vacation was entirely for relaxation, and he intended to reap the benefits.
"Hey Orimu~! Let's play!" A familiar voice called out. Turning, Ichika saw Honne and several of her friends standing around, one of them clutching a volleyball.
"Yeah! Let's play beach volleyball!" The volleyball holding girl added.
"Sounds good? Where are we-" Ichika was cut off by another familiar girl leaping onto him from behind, climbing up onto his back.
"It's so high up! I can see so far from here!" Rin exclaimed from her new perch atop his shoulders.
"Rin, what are you doing?" Ichika demanded as the girls around him began clamoring for the next ride.
"What are you doing?" Another voice cut through Ichika's protests.
"Can't you see? We're playing watchtower!" Rin replied to Cecilia's query.
"Ahem! Ichika-san, did you forget the promise you made to me on the bus?" Cecilia asked, planting an umbrella into the ground as she did so, before laying down in the shade on a newly unfolded mat. Undoing the top of her bikini, Cecilia looked back at Ichika.
"Now Ichika-san, if you would please-" Cecilia's request was cut off by Rin leaping down from her perch.
"Just what are you making Ichika do?" The Chinese girl demanded.
"Nothing much, I'm just having him apply sun oil on me. It's not very gentlemanly to break a promise with a lady." Cecilia said.
Casting his thoughts back to the bus ride, Ichika remembered making no such promise. However, he also knew that the alternative would not be very pleasant, so he simply nodded and, steeling himself, walked over and applied the oil to his hands.
"Kya!" Cecilia cried out as soon as his hands touched her bare back.
"Ichika-san, warm it with your hands first before rubbing it on." The blonde said. Sighing, Ichika did as was requested and started again, listening to Cecilia's occasional sighs and slight moans of pleasure.
"She looks like she's having a good time!" One of the watching girls exclaimed.
"Can I go next?" Another said in turn.
"Just to be clear, I only have to do your back, right?" Ichika asked as he finished, Cecilia already panting heavily.
"No, since this is a good opportunity, I'd like you to do all the parts I can't reach myself." Cecilia sighed.
"Which ones?" Ichika asked.
"Well, my legs, and also my... my derriere." Cecilia sighed, blushing slightly. Before Ichika could reply, however, Rin jumped in, sun oil already covering her hands.
"Don't worry! I'll do all those parts for you!" The Chinese girl exclaimed and, before Cecilia could formulate a response, went straight to work, causing the blonde to squirm as Rin's cold hands worked their way all over her body.
"Rin-san! That's enough!" Cecilia exclaimed after several long moments, spinning around and sitting up, causing her top to fall off as she did so. Everyone gasped as Cecilia looked down and blinked twice. Recognizing the signs, Ichika did the smart thing and leaped back, enhancing his strength with a partial deployment of his IS. A bright blue mechanized fist punched through empty air, its target already sailing away.
A brief deployment of his shield cushioned his fall, before he stowed his IS away again, while Cecilia was comically covering herself up with her deployed arm. Sighing, Ichika turned away, only for Rin to race past him, heading for the water.
"Ichika! Let's see who can swim to that buoy over there first! If you lose, you'll have to treat me to some shaved ice!" Rin exclaimed as she splashed into the water ahead of him.
"No fair! You have a head start!" Ichika shouted out in return, running out into the waves in hot pursuit. Of course, Rin may have had a head start, but Ichika was a strong swimmer himself, and he slowly but surely began gaining on her. A wide grin was on his face as he swam, not really caring who won or lost, only caring that he was swimming.
The tranquility was abruptly cut short when he saw Rin's head break the water ahead, a look of panic on her face. Redoubling his efforts to reach her, he quickly caught up and pulled her to the surface, before quickly making his way back to the shore, where several girls, Cecilia included, waited for him.
"Rin! Are you alright?" Ichika asked as he set her down on the sand, the other girls crowding around him.
"I-I'm fine!" Rin replied, coughing out some seawater as she did so.
"How unfortunate for you, Rin-san!" Cecilia exclaimed, causing the brown haired girl to turn a questioning look in her direction.
"Huh?"
"Don't worry, I'll take you back to the hotel." Cecilia explained, a concerned expression masking the crafty spark in her eyes.
"What? But I'm going to be with Ichika-" Rin began, but Cecilia paid her no heed.
"Takatsuki-san, would you kindly help me?" Cecilia asked, turning to one of the girls behind her.
"Of course I'll help!" Shizune Takatsuki replied, and together the two girls dragged a screaming Rin behind them to the hotel.
"Oh, Ichika! There you are!" Charlotte's voice promptly drew his attention. The French girl was standing in front of him, while Laura nervously clung to her, the German girl clearly unused to the situation.
"Laura? Is something wrong?" Ichika asked, walking over to the pair.
"She just isn't used to the beach." Charlotte explained, to which Laura nodded her head emphatically.
"I see..." Ichika murmured. It was a sad sight for sure, a girl his age clinging to another as a security blanket, but, Ichika mused, it was obvious that something like that would have happened. After all, Laura never truly had a chance to develop socially like other children her age.
"Hey, Laura!" Ichika said softly, tugging on the girl's shoulder. The girl did not respond.
"Laura, it's me, Ichika!" Still getting no response, Ichika decided to try a different approach.
"Laura Bodewig!" He shouted, trying, and apparently succeeding, at sounding like an officer. Laura's response was immediate, the silver haired girl snapping to attention.
"There. See? It's only Ichika! There's nothing wrong!" Charlotte said as the girl took stock of her situation.
"Sorry about that, Laura." Ichika said as Laura looked down at herself. Perceptive as ever, Charlotte was quick to reassure the German girl.
"Don't worry Laura, I'm sure you look just fine." Laura simply looked at her, a skeptical look on her face.
"There's nothing wrong at all, Laura. In fact, you actually look pretty cute right now!" Ichika added, causing the girl's face to suddenly turn a furious red.
"R-Really?" Laura spoke for the first time.
"Of course!"
"I'm... I'm c-cu-cute... Nobody ever said that to me before..." Laura murmured.
"Orimura-kun~! You promised to play with us, remember?" The voice cut through the moment. Quickly explaining things to Charlotte, Ichika divided up the teams and helped set up the net. Soon enough, a furious game of volleyball was being played, the first round ending when the ball hit Laura on the forehead, causing the silver haired girl to tumble to the ground.
"Laura! Are you alright?" Ichika asked, running over to the fallen girl.
"Is something wrong?" Charlotte asked, doing the same.
"I'm cute... He thinks I'm cute!" Laura continued to mutter.
"You're still blushing over it?" Charlotte exclaimed.
"Larua?" Ichika asked, waving a hand in front of her face. At that, the silver haired sole visilbe eye widened, and its owner blushed furiously. Screaming, Laura ran off the volleyball court, hiding herself in the water.
"Should we go after her?" Ichika asked, concerned.
"No, I think we should just give her some time." Charlotte replied, just as Maya walked up to the group.
"Ooh, Beach Volleyball? It sure looks fun!" Maya exclaimed, playing the part of the innocent teacher once again.
"Will you join us, Sensei?" Ichika asked.
"Of course! How about you, Orimura-sensei?" Maya turned to the other older woman present, who immediately drew gasps from everyone who hadn't already seen her in her swimsuit.
"Orimura-sensei! You look like a model!" One of the girls on the other side of the court exclaimed.
"So cool!" Another added.
"Sensei! Please! I'll switch with you!" The third chipped in, causing Ichika's older sister to smile.
"Well then, shall we?" Chifuyu asked.
"Let's do it!" Maya exclaimed, and cheerfully made her way over to Ichika's side of the court.
"Ichika-san, could it be that Orimura-sensei is closer to your type of woman?" Charlotte asked suspiciously.
"What do you mean?" Ichika asked, tearing his eyes away from the figure of his sister.
"Well, you have a different reaction to her compared to us when you see us in our swimsuits." Charlotte commented.
"That's not true!" Ichika exclaimed, blushng slightly.
"Hmph. There really are a lot of rivals, and to make matters worse, one of them is Orimura-sensei!" Charlotte muttered, causing Ichika to raise an eyebrow, but otherwise remain silent.
"Serve incoming!" With those words, the match began anew, Chifuyu going easy on her opponents at first, but gradually upping the ante. The outcome of the match was set in stone long before the match was over, and by the time the game finally ended thanks to Rin and Cecilia running headfirst into Chifuyu, Ichika's side had lost horribly.
Eventually, Ichika found himself floating on an inner tube some distance from the ocean, finally relaxing like he had intended to at the start of the day.
It was as he was relaxing that he noticed something odd. Partially deploying his IS suit's hyper-sensor, Ichika scanned over the beach, thus confirming his suspicion. Of all his friends at the Academy, one was missing from the beach. While Charlotte, Laura, Rin and Cecilia were all on the beach. Even Kanzashi had eventually come out to nervously join the fun, but someone else was missing.
Looking over the beach again, Ichika was unable to spot Houki. His eyes narrowing, Ichika widened his search, eventually spotting the girl in question sitting on a cliff overlooking the beach, the dark haired girl watching the sun slowly start to set.
Returning to shore, Ichika began to make his way up the cliff, navigating a somewhat lengthy path until he finally emerged behind his childhood friend, who was clad in a fairly simple white two-piece.
"Is something the matter, Houki?" Ichika asked, causing the girl's head to spin around, startled.
"I-Ichika? W-What are you doing here?" Houki stammered out.
"You looked lonely, so I decided to keep you company." Ichika replied simply, taking a seat beside her.
"So, is something wrong?" Ichika asked again once he sat down.
"Why do you ask?" Houki asked in turn.
"You aren't down on the beach with everyone else."
"Do I need a reason?"
"No, but you most likely do have one." Houki did not reply for a while, so Ichika decided to change the subject.
"You know, it's your birthday tomorrow." Ichika said, causing Houki to look at him.
"You remembered?" She asked.
"Of course I did." Ichika replied, causing Houki to smile for a few moments, but it soon faded away.
"You're not the only one who remembers." Houki said, and Ichika immediately knew exactly what she was worried about.
"Is this about her?" He asked, knowing better than to mention Houki's sister around her. In response, Houki simply nodded.
"I see. She will likely come here tomorrow."
"I already know that."
"She will come with a present of some sort." To that, Houki replied with a single word.
"Akatsubaki."
"Akatsubaki?" Ichika asked.
"Akatsubaki." Houki confirmed.
"Sounds like an IS."
"It is an IS. According to her, it is beyond the latest specs and is supposedly on par with your Infinite Arsenal." Houki replied sadly.
"Why so sad? Didn't you want your own IS?" Ichika asked.
"I wanted to earn my personal IS, Ichika, not have my sister build me a top-of-the-line machine on a whim."
"I see."
"All I wanted to do in IS Academy was become so skilled that I would be chosen as a representative candidate, and now I just get every girl's dream dropped down in front of me! Everyone in the Academy with a personal IS suit earned it through merit. Everyone, it seems, but me."
"You're forgetting me. I only got my IS because I accidentally activated an IS on the engineering room floor." Ichika said, trying to cheer his friend up.
"An IS that you built yourself, to your own specifications, and later mastered! I-" Ichika cut Houki off mid-sentence.
"Houki, if you are concerned about your skills, don't be. You are easily among the best pilots in the Academy. Akatsubaki will merely let you fight on equal footing with representative candidates."
"But that would mean that I am reliant on my machine for victory! I want to win through skills, not by virtue of a superior IS!"
"Houki, a machine will only take you so far. No matter how powerful the IS, it is little more than a flying lump of metal without a skilled pilot, and you are definitely skilled."
"But-"
"Don't worry, Houki. Whatever happens tomorrow, I'll be there with you. No matter what your sister may have planned." Ichika comforted his friend, who slid closer to him. His response was to wrap his arm around her, an embrace that he hesitantly returned.
For a long moment, the two of them simply sat there, staring out at nothing across the ocean, before finally, Ichika broke the embrace and stood. Looking at Houki, who had also stood, he spoke.
"We should go down to the beach soon, or else people will start wondering where we are." Houki simply nodded in response, and together they made their way back to the beach, where the rest of the students were still enjoying themselves. A short distance away, Ichika noticed his older sister scrutinizing them. As he met her gaze, he saw her nod slightly, before turning back to her conversation with Maya.
As the sun slowly set, painting the ocean orange with its fading light, the students began to head back to the hotel, the activities of the day finally starting to show. Where they had all ran out to the beach bursting with energy, they were now exhausted, but it was a good form of exhaustion, born of fun instead of toil. All in all, Ichika thought as he headed into the hotel building, surrounded by his friends, it had been a very good day.
A/N: Finally, this chapter is done, and with it, the obligatory beach episode is concluded! It took three chapters and a ton of timeskips and filler, but it is now over! Hooray! I hope you all enjoyed the battle that I wrote up to give this chapter something other than swimsuit shopping and beach scenes. It was heavily influenced by the excellent World War 2 documentary 'Victory at Sea', specifically Episode 21 'Full Fathom Five' which I believe is a fitting tribute to the many American submariners of the war.
Next item of business is the timeline. Apparently, Houki's birthday is not ambiguous, and is in fact a clearly defined date (July 7). Given my stretching of the timeline, that is no longer possible, as several months have passed in the Agent Orimura-verse, while the entire first season of Infinite Stratos took place over two months at the most. This means that Houki was born on a different date in this fic. This is ultimately inconsequential to the plot, but it is still worth mentioning.
Next chapter will introduce the 'Fourth Generation' (3.5 Gen IMO) Akatsubaki, with a few personal modifications to make it more Fourth-genny, as IMO it was rather disappointing in terms of performance, although that could be because it was running at factory default settings during the Gospel fight. However, since the third generation of IS suits was just coming out when it was released, I personally place it as a late third gen, with fourth gen being a simple buzzword. In addition, the next chapter will likely begin the Gospel arc, which I am really looking forward to. Until it is released, however, I can simply hope that you enjoy the story so far!