A/N: Here it is! Once again, I apologize for the delay.
Chapter 24
Ichika stood in front of his sister's office door, his mind racing as he carefully considered what he would have to say. Regardless of what would happen in the next few minutes, his relationship with his sister would be forever changed.
Finally, he knocked on the door. When no response came, he sighed and opened it.
"I am not taking visitors..." Chifuyu trailed off as he walked in, closing the door behind him.
"Ori, secure the room." He ordered and the AI complied.
"Done. Nothing will leave this room electronically." She replied a moment later.
"What do you want?" Chifuyu asked as he sat down across from her.
"To set things straight, and to tell the truth." He replied, causing his sister to raise an eyebrow.
"Oh? Is there something you couldn't tell me when we were alone in the infirmary?" She asked.
"The infirmary was not secure, and I was not prepared back then. Here, we can talk." He replied.
"Very well then. Go on." Chifuyu said, gesturing for him to do just that.
"No. Before I say anything else, I need you to swear to me that you will not speak about this to anyone else. A secret is no longer secret once it's shared, and I am taking an enormous risk in sharing it with you. That means I cannot have you going out and spilling this, even if it is to someone you trust." He held his sister's gaze for a minute as she considered his words.
"Very well, my lips are sealed."
"I mean it, Chifuyu-nee. That means you will not speak a word of this to Yamada-sensei, or Tabane-san, or the principal... You won't even mention it to me unless we are in a similarly secure environment like this one and I have given you the go-ahead, no matter what you think of me by the end of this conversation. If you don't, thousands of lives may be lost. Do I make myself clear?" Once again, Chifuyu's gaze was unreadable before she finally nodded.
"Understood. I am curious though, what sort of secret are you privy to that requires such security?" She asked. Ichika was quiet for a long moment as he chose his next words carefully.
"I am sure you are aware of Phantom Task, correct?" He asked.
"Yes." Chifuyu replied curtly.
"Then you are, to a degree, aware of the secret war they are attempting to wage against the world. Of how they were the ones responsible for the decapitation of Russian leadership six years ago and the subsequent fragmentation of the Russian Federation..." Chifuyu raised an eyebrow at that, but allowed him to continue.
"If you know that, then you are obviously aware that their aim is not just set on Russia, and that their ultimate objective seems to be the destabilization of the entire globe, with Russia merely being a test case."
"I am very much aware of what Phantom Task has been doing. What I am curious about is not them, but rather how you are involved in all of this." Chifuyu replied.
"I am getting to that. If you are aware of Phantom Task, Chifuyu-nee, then you must also be aware of the various opposition groups that are trying to combat their actions."
"And you are a member of one such organization... Probably one operating under the cover of a certain awfully generous corporation." Chifuyu finished his sentence for him.
"I am." He replied, and his sister breathed a sigh of relief.
"So that is all. You have no idea how worried I was..." That was not the response Ichika expected. Evidently, his confusion showed, as Chifuyu continued to speaking.
"That is not to say that I am not furious at you for joining such an organization without telling me. I am also quite angry at the people who recruited you... Six years ago, correct? That was when you first started your visits to the WSI tower... Had you not sworn me to silence, Ichika, my first action after you left would be to give Stukanov an earful. He was the one who recruited you, right?" Ichika did not respond to that directly, instead frowning at how quickly his sister was putting the dots together.
"Once again, I have to make sure that you do not speak of this to anyone outside of this room. My organization takes secrecy extremely seriously, as that is the only way they have been able to build up enough paramilitary strength to pose a legitimate threat to Phantom Task. The circumstances behind the recent attack imply a Phantom Task infiltrator within IS Academy, and you could become a target if they knew you had any involvement with the organization that has been interdicting their pacific supply lines. As you have seen, I have a hard enough time defending myself, and I am not sure what I would do if something were to happen to you." That brought a faint smile to Chifuyu's lips.
"You forget, Ichika, that I am more than capable of defending myself." Chifuyu responded.
"Not always. Remember the Phantom Task attack during our end of semester field trip? I saw your injuries, Chifuyu-nee, and I know that the only reason you came back was because one of my organization's pilots arrived in time to save you." That caused his sister to blink.
"Those planes were from your organization?" She asked, and he nodded.
"I see. That explains a fair bit..." She trailed off, before typing something on her keyboard. She stared at her screen for a few moments, before nodding to herself.
"Is there anything else you wish to know?" Ichika asked.
"Yes. How many times have you been ordered into combat?" Chifuyu asked.
"Never. While I have fought on several occasions, they were all cases where I voluntarily committed to combat in spite of the option to avoid it."
"I see. Very well then, I have just one more question for you." She said, beckoning Ichika over to the other side of her desk. He found her looking at a zoomed in map of several islands.
"I am technically not supposed to talk to you about this as you are a student, but I believe it is pertinent to share this with you given the circumstances. The first tournament of the second semester is coming up, and it will take place over the Habomai and Shikotan islands." Chifuyu explained, gesturing at the islands on the map before zooming out until the entirety of northern Japan was visible.
"From what you told me, the aircraft that engaged the Phantom Task force attacking us on the beach was from your organization. Assuming that the interceptors launched immediately once the Phantom Task forces were detected and flew at roughly Mach 2, they would have had to launch from some location within this zone." At that, Chifuyu circled an area of her screen.
"Their approach from the north, coupled with a lack of hidden airstrips in the area, means that they could not have launched from the Japanese mainland. That leaves Sakhalin, Russia, and the Kuril Islands as possible launch points for them. Sakhalin and Russia are both unlikely, as given the state of things that region is full of military bases that would not take kindly to unidentified aircraft. This means that they must have launched from somewhere within the Kuril islands." Ichika did not know how to respond to that. Five minutes, one piece of information, and Google Earth had effectively allowed Chifuyu to deduce the approximate location of the Organization base.
"Ichika, I cannot overestimate how important the coming tournament is to IS Academy. Thanks to the revamped curriculum, we are ridiculously over-budget. Even though we bought almost all the Blank Slates at cost, the cost of so many IS suits alone is enough to keep the entire academy operating for two years. Add to that the cost of so much rapid construction and renovation and IS Academy is placed squarely in the red for the next five years. We cannot change our tuition rates without approval from more than three quarters of the countries invested in this academy, so the only way IS Academy can remain financially viable is if we can justify the expenditures via equipment test results in the coming tournaments." Ichika nodded.
"The next two tournaments must succeed, or else this school will suffer once the quarterly budget review comes. We cannot have Phantom Task interrupt and force a cancellation, or else the invested nations and corporations will not get the data they want, and as such will not approve a temporary budget increase. I think you know where I am going with this, Ichika." Chifuyu finished.
"So you want my organization to have interceptors on standby in the event of Phantom Task making itself known... That would be difficult, Chifuyu-nee. I am not particularly high in the chain of command, and certainly do not have the authority to order around fighters.
"I don't care what you have to do, Ichika. I need those fighters on station, or at the very least ready to launch in the event of Phantom Task making its presence known. Get it done, and I will consider it adequate payment for keeping this secret from me for all these years." Chifuyu replied.
"I will do my best, but I can make no promises." Ichika said.
"Do whatever it takes, or you may not have a second year of IS Academy." Chifuyu replied, moments before a desktop notification popped up, stating that she had an unread E-mail. Unable to help himself, Ichika read the message over her shoulder, and had to bite back a laugh as Chifuyu growled at its contents. Apparently, there was one hotel in Nemuro willing to host the entirety of IS Academy's student body for free, but it was on the condition that Chifuyu would star in an advertisement for them.
"Should I be worried about my sister becoming a TV star?" Ichika asked, not bothering to hide his mirth.
"Shut up..." Chifuyu groaned, burying her face in her hands.
"Is there any other way?" Ichika asked.
"Not on our budget." Chifuyu sighed, before looking up.
"Why are you still here anyway? Shouldn't you be off negotiating with your secretive contacts?" She demanded, shooing him away from her computer.
"When will the tournament take place?" Ichika asked.
"Next month, in about a week and a half, and it expected to last at least one week. We need to start justifying our expenditures as soon as possible, after all. Tatenashi will be making the announcement within the next few days." Chifuyu replied.
"Very well... Have a nice day, Chifuyu-nee, and please, smile for the cameras!" Before his sister could respond, he walked out of the room.
As soon as the door slid shut, Ichika breathed a deep sigh of relief and collapsed against a nearby wall. That meeting had gone exceptionally well, to say the least. He had expected his sister to be furious, and require extreme effort to persuade to secrecy, but instead she was almost too accepting of what he was now a part of!
Then, he remembered Tatenashi mentioning that she was already a part of an anti-Phantom Task organization based out of IS Academy. Had she been planning to integrate him into that organization? That was one possible explanation, at least.
Still, there was no point looking a gift horse in the mouth, and Ichika began to make his way over to Maya's office.
The door was open, and Maya waved him inside as soon as she saw him. He closed and locked the door, before ordering Ori to secure the room.
"What is it?" Maya asked, her cheerful teacher persona fading away once the door was closed.
"I was just talking with Tatenashi, and I have heard that there is a tournament coming up next month." Maya nodded at that.
"She just finished chewing out our principal about that, and under any other circumstances I would have agreed with her. Nonetheless, IS Academy needs to have at least two official tournaments this quarter, and as such we must go ahead with the plan. I take it that you are concerned about Phantom Task targeting you again?" She asked.
"Yes. The woman who attacked me, Autumn, was under orders to take me alive. Tatenashi mentioned it taking place outside of IS Academy, which means that there would be ample opportunity for Phantom Task to set up an attack. After all, they will probably know the exact location of the tournament long before I do thanks to their infiltrator." Ichika replied.
"It's good to see that you took the initiative with regard to this issue. It saves me the trouble of going to tell you, at any rate. The tournament will be taking place over Shikotan and the Habomai islands, with the students being housed in a hotel near Nemuro. That means our fighters are, at most, ten minutes away counting pre-launch procedures. If they are airborne and on station, that response time gets cut down to just over five minutes. Our IS suits will be on the scene shortly afterwards. Rest assured, we will not allow for any Phantom Task attack to succeed." Maya replied. Ichika did not even try to hide his shock at that.
"Just like that? I don't have to call in any favors?" Ichika asked.
"It's not just you who we are trying to protect. IS Academy is a critical strategic resource for our organization, and in less than half a year we will be getting first pick of trained IS pilots to recruit. If the school gets shut down due to repeated Phantom Task attacks, we lose this resource, and as such we must ensure that such an event does not happen." Maya replied. She left out any details about the IS Academy budget, and Ichika did not bother to mention it.
"I see... What about secrecy?" Ichika asked.
"There is no arena to spectate from, so observers will be left in Nemuro. From there, they will be watching through an array of camera drones. We have multiple AIs within the IS Academy network, and thus in the event of either an Organization asset or a Phantom Task IS entering the observation zone, we will be able to immediately shut down the entire network and fake technical difficulties while we resolve the issue. Any IS pilots can then be discreetly drugged and have a few simple memories of generic combat implanted into their minds... And before you ask, we have perfected that treatment in the time since the Gospel incident." Maya explained.
"That's good to hear... Thank you." Ichika replied, realizing that he hadn't even sat down in the time it took for the conversation to finish.
"Have a nice day, Orimura-kun... And please, be careful. We don't know who the infiltrator is, and they may try something drastic now that their first plan has failed." Maya warned as he turned to leave.
"You too, Yamada-san, and I will be careful. I will report any suspicious activity to you." He replied, before opening the door and walking out.
Madoka sighed as she landed at the rendezvous point, stowing away the Silent Zephyrs and giving Autumn's limp body a disgusted glare as it fell into her arms. A look around told her that she was not alone.
"A pity, but such is the price of failure." Squall muttered as Madoka walked up to where she stood beside their escape car.
"She's dead. Bled out on the trip back." Madoka replied, all but throwing the corpse into the trunk of the car once Squall opened it.
"And Arachne? Was it secured?" Squall asked.
"No. Her IS suit's core section was cut off along with her leg, and the core promptly self-destructed. Arachne is gone." Squall was quiet for a few moments after hearing that, before she sighed.
"Very well then, get in the car." Squall ordered, and Madoka complied, clambering into the back seat and leaving a few bloodstains on the leather. Squall sat down beside her a minute later, before ordering the driver to take them back to their cell's headquarters.
"Consider this your lucky day, M. In light of Autumn's death and my sister's deep-cover assignment, you are being promoted. You are now the second in command of Sakura cell." Madoka nodded at that but did not speak, instead allowing Squall to continue.
"With Autumn dead, I have submitted a request for additional personnel. Hopefully, we will get some more competent operatives with the next batch. Depending on how well you stack up against them, you might even keep your new rank." Squall finished.
"Thank you. I will not disappoint." Madoka replied, more because it was the correct thing to say than out of any real desire to please her superior.
"I should hope not, or you might be riding in Autumn's seat next time. Now, explain to me exactly what the hell went wrong out there." Squall ordered, and Madoka nodded.
"Autumn entered the academy with no issues, and while I was personally unable to observe her, she spent several hours trying unsuccessfully to make contact with the target and abduct him according to the communications I had with her." Madoka explained, before pausing and getting her next few memories in order.
"Go on."
"Around three o'clock, Autumn reported that she was about to make her move, and ordered me to launch Golems and prepare to provide cover for her extraction. I promptly launched and was over the target five minutes later. At that point in time, Autumn was not in sight, and my force was promptly engaged by multiple IS representative candidates. After a short period of combat, I spotted Autumn down in one of the academy arenas, where she had taken several students hostage. Apparently, our target had managed to escape whatever plan she had for him."
"What happened next?"
"About eight minutes after I first penetrated IS Academy airspace, I detected a supersonic IS launch. I believe it was that new Japanese fourth-generation machine, the Byakushiki, with my target controlling it. Apparently, it has the ability to ignore IS shields and boost its speed significantly, which allowed our target to deliver a lethal strike to Autumn by catching her unawares. After delivering the strike, the target immediately stowed away his IS. Immediately afterwards, I disengaged from combat and entered the arena with the intent to assess the situation, retrieve Autumn, recover Arachne, and if possible capture the target. Unfortunately, I was unable to recover the Arachne due to the damage it had sustained, Autumn was already bleeding out, and the older Sarashiki had followed me, making it impossible to capture the target. As such, I grabbed Autumn and retreated, leaving the remaining Golems behind to cover my escape." Madoka finished.
"How could Autumn have possibly managed to allow that boy to escape her?" Squall finally asked.
"I don't know. Arachne's pilot armor was retrieved intact, so maybe the helmet camera survived. If it did, that would certainly help with identifying just what went wrong." Madoka replied.
"Once we arrive at headquarters, you are to check for the helmet camera footage. If it exists, remove it and go through to see just how the hell she was able to botch such a simple operation so badly. If it does not, remove all remaining pieces of Arachne and toss the body into the incinerator." Squall ordered.
"Understood." Madoka replied, before turning to look out of the window. Although her face betrayed no emotion, her mind was deep in thought with regards to recent events. She would have had to be blind to not notice how infatuated Autumn was with Squall, and she had seen Squall visit her underling's room in the middle of the night. She had also heard what usually happened immediately afterward, and knew that the result was Autumn following Squall's every command with a certain blind devotion that only the lovesick could possibly possess.
Squall had in turn just repaid that devotion by not shedding a tear upon seeing Autumn's corpse, followed by a casual order to toss the woman's body out with the rest of the trash for incineration. Madoka had already known that Squall didn't care much about her subordinates, but she had thought that Autumn was special in some regard.
Of course, that brought up the issue of how Squall would keep her in line now. Before, Squall had Autumn's blind loyalty, and the two of them together kept Madoka in check. Now, without Autumn to back her up, Squall would have to secure her loyalty in a different way. Perhaps that promotion was a part of it, Madoka mused. Maybe Squall was planning on giving her power over others, and in exchange she would be the loyal subordinate.
For a while, Madoka considered the pros and cons of such an arrangement. On one hand, she would finally have some degree of control over others, and she had to suppress a smile at the thought. On the other hand, she would still be subservient to Squall, and would be subject to whatever treatment the older woman deemed fit. For a few minutes, she debated the merits of killing Squall and usurping her position as a cell commander. All such thoughts vanished once she remembered that Squall's father was now the second highest individual in the Phantom Task hierarchy. No, Madoka mused, she would have to deal with being Squall's underling for a while longer.
Soon, they had arrived at Sakura headquarters, and Madoka quickly unloaded Autumn's corpse from the car's trunk. Hoisting it into the air with a pair of her suit's drones, she made her way over to the disposal room.
As it turned out, the helmet camera footage had survived, and Madoka quickly removed it, along with the other pieces of her former superior's inert IS suit. With them out of the way, Madoka finally had a chance to look at the woman's body. One leg had been cut clean off and the other had fallen off during the flight to the rendezvous point, leaving Autumn's body without its bottom half. The stumps were partially cauterized, although Autumn's thrashing had reopened the injury and allowed the blood to come pouring out almost immediately after it was inflicted. Her face was still twisted into an image of shock and pain, and Madoka smiled at the image.
"You died as you lived... Like a fucking bitch." She muttered, before hucking the body into the incinerator. Then, she took the Arachne's helmet and began preparing to go through the footage of the suit's last battle.
Sure enough, two days later Ichika found himself sitting in the crowded IS Academy auditorium, waiting for Tatenashi to appear on stage. Although the two of them were still sharing a room, he had hardly seen her over the past few days, and while her bed appeared to have been used every morning he had yet to see her enter or leave the room.
Finally, the girl in question made her appearance, walking up to the podium without her usual cheer.
"Good morning students. As student council president, it is my duty to inform you all about the upcoming squadron tournament that will be taking place in ten days' time." Excited and nervous whispers broke out among the assembled students as they digested that piece of information. Tatenashi paused for a moment, before hitting a button and bringing up a topographical view of the Habomai and Shikotan islands. A large rectangle of the map was highlighted in red.
"The combat zone is approximately three and a half thousand square kilometers, enclosed within a rectangle with dimensions approximately equal to eighty by forty-five kilometers. Due to the presence of several local settlements, the northern half of Shikotan island is considered a no-fly zone, and is not included within the combat arena. Leaving the combat zone is grounds for immediate disqualification." Tatenashi paused in her explanation and advanced the presentation, highlighting a green zone roughly in the center of the rectangle. A single relatively large island, Taraku-to, lay within that zone, along with three small clusters of tiny islets.
"The objective of this tournament will be as follows: an objective item, called the flag, will be hidden on an island within this green zone." As Tatenashi spoke, a red and blue circle appeared on Habomai and Shikotan respectively, each circle being centered between five appropriately colored chevrons. Colored arrows then extended from both circles, meeting in the center zone.
"This will be a battle between two squadrons, one starting at Shikotan and the other on Habomai. The first team to locate the flag and bring it back to their starting point will be considered the victor. Alternatively, a team can win by completely eliminating the entire opposing squadron." After Tatenashi finished, another set of arrows went back from the objective zone to each team's starting point.
"However, it will also be possible to recharge disabled IS suits and bring them back into the fight at each squadron's respective starting point, provided that you can carry the downed IS back to the point." Ichika couldn't help but grin as Tatenashi continued to explain the rules. This tournament would not just be a test of a squadron's technology and combat prowess, it would also require careful tactical planning to win. Any visiting VIPs would certainly be pleased.
"In addition, the IS Engineering students of the Tokyo Institute of Technology have graciously elected to provide us with a wide variety of items intended to enhance the tactical options available to each squadron. A full list of these items, along with the rules for bringing them with you into the tournament, is included as part of a larger tournament rules document that will soon be mailed to you all. You will have a chance to see these items in action during the demonstration tomorrow, the time of which will be included in the tournament documentation." At that, several images were shown in rapid succession, including a gun turret of some sort, a small UAV and what appeared to be an electronic warfare package of some kind.
"I encourage you all to read over the document and study the map of the engagement zone before you begin making plans for the tournament. This event will be the first to count towards the IS Academy squadron leaderboard, so if you care at all about your standing at this academy you will take this event seriously." The whispering in the room grew more excited as Tatenashi mentioned the leaderboard.
"This tournament is expected to last for at least a week. This means that all participating students will be staying in the city of Nemuro when not actively participating in the tournament. We have made appropriate reservations at the Kotohira Hotel. The day to day plans for the event are as follows: all students scheduled to fight on a given day will take the bus to Cape Nosappu. Upon arrival, students will wait until called, at which point they will compete. For spectating purposes, all students will be issued a single holo-projector linked to the tournament observation drone network. This projector is to be returned in the same condition that it was issued. Upon completion of the day's scheduled matches, students will return to Nemuro. From that point, you have the rest of the time until curfew to yourselves. Curfew is at ten o'clock PM, and any student caught out after that time may face disciplinary action. Any questions?" Tatenashi finished. For a few moments, nobody spoke. Then, Lily Mallory spoke up, asking a question that Ichika was certain had to be at the back of many minds.
"In light of the recent attack on IS Academy, will there be any security measures in place to prevent such an event from recurring?" Ichika could have heard a pin drop in the resulting silence, the memory of the attack still fresh in everyone's mind.
"I am glad you asked. Security has been stepped up from the original plans for the event. The edges of the tournament zone will be patrolled by academy instructors at all times, and no fewer than four IS suits will always be on station over Nemuro. At least four more will escort the bus to and from Cape Nosappu, where they will patrol for as long as necessary. Chitose Air Base is also nearby, and the JSDF will have fighters on station there for the duration of the tournament. These fighters include the latest generation of Japanese combat aircraft, which will be capable of responding to any threat in under ten minutes. Finally, the JMSDF will have ships patrolling the seas around the area, and will be ready to both engage hostile targets and conduct search and rescue operations as needed. As you can see, security at this event is being taken extremely seriously." Tatenashi replied. Her response stirred up a mixture of nervous and relieved chatter.
"Thank you." Lily replied.
"Any other questions?" Tatenashi asked. When none came, she smiled.
"Very well then, you are all dismissed. The tournament bracket should be on display in the cafeteria by now. Plan wisely." With those words, the students began to file out of the auditorium, although Ichika stayed behind. Finally, when the last student left, he walked up to the podium.
"Have you been getting enough sleep?" He asked Tatenashi as he clambered onto the stage.
"What does it look like?" Tatenashi replied, and indeed at such a close distance he could easily see the signs of exhaustion.
"Damn... They're really overworking you, aren't they." Ichika replied, to which Tatenashi sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It's part of the job. I signed up for it, and I knew what I was getting into. It's always like this before tournaments. I just wish that..." She trailed off.
"Don't worry. We will not let it happen again." Ichika replied.
"I know. I will make sure of it..." Tatenashi replied, before suppressing a yawn.
"I'm sorry Ichika, but this week has been pretty exhausting for me. If you don't mind, I'm going to go get some... sleep." This time, she did not bother hiding her yawn.
"If you need anything, call me." Ichika replied, and Tatenashi gave him a smile before turning and walking out of the auditorium.
With nothing else to do, Ichika decided to head down to the cafeteria and figure out just who he was going up against first. The giant room was crowded by the time he came in, with what appeared to be every single student in the school clamoring for a peek at the giant hologram that had been projected against the wall opposite the entrance.
"Hey! Ichika!" Lily's voice caught his attention, and he turned to see her walking up to him. In the time since she had first arrived at IS Academy, she had made several modifications to her standard school uniform. For starters, she had taken to leaving her uniform's top button undone, revealing both her generous cleavage and just a hint of black lace. She had also elected to wear the shortest skirt available, leaving her black stockings and garters out for him to see.
"Looks like my squadron is facing yours in the coming tournament, and pretty early on too!" She announced as she drew closer. Her attire, coupled with how she stood, meant that it didn't take a genius to see that she held at least some interest in him. As usual, however, Ichika ignored any thoughts to that effect. He hardly knew her, after all.
"Really? I am looking forward to it, then." He replied, making a mental note to examine her squadron in more detail.
"Same! Just don't expect me to go easy on you." Lily replied, a confident smile on her face.
"I would be insulted if you did." Ichika replied.
"Say, Ichika... Why don't we make a bet? If I win, you have to buy me dinner somewhere nice... Like a date!" Lily's proposal caused Ichika's eye to twitch as he remembered the last time he was caught in such a bet.
"Nope. I'm sorry, but I'm not keen on opening that particular can of worms again." He replied, before looking around to see who else had heard.
"Oh... Oh well, I'll expect a good fight anyway. See you later!" With those parting words, Lily turned and walked away, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
"Ichika-san! We saved you a spot!" Cecilia's voice drew his attention a moment later, and he quickly spotted her sitting down at one of the tables, her squadron clustered around her. The rest of the girls and their squadrons were also there, and they waved as he approached.
"Hello, how is everyone?" He asked as he took a seat.
"So, who are you facing?" Rin asked in response, her voice eager.
"Lily Mallory. She's pretty new to IS Academy, and hasn't fought in any tournaments. That means I don't know anything about her IS suit's capabilities, nor do I know anything about her squadron's equipment. For all intents and purposes, she's a wildcard. What about you?" Ichika replied.
"Well, I'm facing some third year from Finland, Mari Tuomainen. Shouldn't be too much of a problem." Rin answered.
"Don't get cocky, Rin. Looking at her history, Mari seems to be a pretty good pilot. Plus, she does have more experience than you." Laura cautioned.
"It's not just her piloting skills that matter. If she's a good pilot but a bad commander, she will lose." Cecilia replied.
"We will see. Regardless, I suggest not being over-confident going into the battle." Laura replied.
"What about you, Laura? Who are you facing?" Ichika asked.
"Tina Hamilton. She's the American representative." Laura replied.
"Wait, Tina? She's my roommate!" Rin exclaimed.
"Oh really? You should introduce us sometime." Laura replied.
"As for me, I'm going up against someone named Lise Svennigsen... Don't know much about her yet, but I'll have a few tricks up my sleeve that she won't be expecting." Cecilia replied, a smile on her face.
"What kind of tricks?" Charlotte and Rin asked in unison.
"Well, with the recent loss of the Silent Zephyrs, some of the tech originally destined for that suit was redesigned to fit onto the Blue Tears. The Azure Rain package is scheduled to arrive tomorrow, and I look forward to testing it out. If it can do half of what the engineers claim it can, the Blue Tears can be reclassified as a 3.5th generation IS." Cecilia replied.
"Congratulations, Cecilia! Of course, you're not the only one getting an upgrade for the tournament." Charlotte commented.
"Oh really? What are you getting?" Cecilia asked.
"Aero Infini finally finished their upgrade package for my Revive. The Raphael Rebirth package should improve everything across the board." Charlotte replied.
"That's good to hear, Charlotte. So, who are you facing?" Ichika asked.
"Leang Halim, she's the representative candidate from Indonesia. Not sure about her capabilities yet, but she will definitely be surprised by mine." Charlotte replied.
"What about you, Houki-san? You haven't told us who you were facing yet!" Cecilia asked.
"Another first-year, her name is Ioana Dalca. I've seen her fight once, during the first tournament of the year, but I don't know anything about her squadron." Houki replied. With that, there was only one girl at the table who hadn't yet stated who she was fighting.
"What about you, Kanzashi? Who are you up against?" Ichika asked.
"Shirone Isumi." The quiet girl replied, and Ichika frowned.
"You didn't." He accused.
"I can neither confirm nor deny that I ordered my AI to change the tournament lineup." Kanzashi answered, a faint smirk on her face.
"You must really want to fight her, don't you?" Charlotte asked.
"Understatement of the century." Cecilia muttered.
"I have a score to settle, and I look forward to getting it out of the way." Kanzashi replied.
"Kanzashi-san!" As if mentioning her was enough to summon her, Isumi promptly approached their table.
"What is it?" Kanzashi asked, her voice and face equally impassive.
"It seems like we are going up against each other in the first round of the tournament. I know you don't like me, and you probably want to get back at me for taking the Byakushiki from you, but-" Before she could continue, Kanzashi held up a hand.
"No. You did not take Byakushiki from me. The directors at KMD made a short-sighted and irrational decision in an attempt to generate PR for their company that promptly backfired, and instead of apologizing and returning the Byakushiki to me they went out of the way to insult and humiliate me." That caused Isumi to blink in shock.
"But-"
"I have nothing personal against you, Shirone-san. However, beating you will show the people at KMD the magnitude of their mistake. As such, I will crush you in the coming match. May the best pilot win." Kanzashi finished, and Isumi frowned.
"Yes, may the best pilot win, Sarashiki-san." She replied, before turning away and walking out of the cafeteria. For a while, the table was silent, before Charlotte spoke up.
"Anyway, I should be leaving now. I have to start discussing the match with my squadron." She said, before standing up and walking away.
"I should do the same." Laura said a moment later, before she too rose and left. One by one, the girls drifted off, leaving Ichika alone. With nothing better to do, he stood and followed their example, quickly messaging the rest of his squadron to come and meet with him in one of the library study rooms.
By the time the rest of his squadron arrived, Ichika had already set up the holoprojector in the center of the room to display a map of the tournament area, with the rules document being projected on a board at the front of the room.
"Wow, you're really going all out with all this." Theresa commented as she led the rest of the squadron into the room.
"You do want to win, right? It's my job to ensure that happens." Ichika replied.
"I wasn't complaining." Theresa replied as she took a seat, the rest of the girls following suit.
"Now, before we begin, I would like to know what you all think of this tournament." Ichika asked once they had all made themselves comfortable.
"I love it! I know it will be awesome!" Sakura exclaimed.
"It's definitely not what I was expecting when I first came here, although it definitely fits the new curriculum." Ayane added.
"I'm just glad I'm actually competing this time, instead of just sitting on the sidelines watching rep candidates fight." Theresa said, an eager smile on her face.
That just left Rei, who had elected to remain quiet. She blushed slightly and looked down once she realized the entire room's attention was focused on her.
"I... I feel like this entire tournament is one big distraction... I mean, it hasn't even been a week since the attack, and suddenly a tournament comes up? I think it's whole purpose is to take our minds off of what just happened." She finally said.
"But why is that a bad thing? I mean, I don't want to think about what happened." Sakura commented.
"How could you say that? People nearly died!" Rei replied.
"And we shouldn't let that stop us, otherwise the terrorists win! They want us to freeze up and shut down, and the only way to stop that from happening is to move on to the next big thing." Theresa said.
"What about you, Ichika? You were the target, weren't you? How do you feel about this?" Ayane asked. For a few moments, Ichika debated what to say before settling on a relatively neutral response.
"I am afraid I cannot say everything I know. However, this tournament is happening regardless of our feelings on the matter, so we might as well enjoy it and try to win it. Now, let's get on to the planning." He finally said.
"Agreed." Theresa replied.
"Agreed." Sakura echoed.
"Very well." Ayane said. Rei remained silent, but nodded nonetheless.
"Good. Now, as we all know, the new combat arena is significantly larger than what we are used to, which means a lot more flexibility when it comes to strategies we may employ. However, the way that the match is set up, both participating squadrons will be drawn towards the central zone where the flag is located. Given how it is by far the largest piece of land in the area, odds are that the flag will end up on Taraku-to, although I wouldn't put it past the instructors to hide it on one of the smaller islands in the area. Taraku-to is a relatively flat island without much in the way of tree cover, so the flag will be fairly easy to spot. What this means is that the first team to reach the island will almost certainly get the flag first, unless we can engage them and prevent them from finding and retrieving it." Ichika explained.
"So, we have to get there first is what you're saying." Theresa commented.
"Exactly. Under ideal conditions, we will be able to arrive first and start patrolling over the island while one of us goes down to look for and retrieve the flag. However, it is more likely that both squadrons will arrive over the island within seconds of each other, meaning that such a plan is not an option. As such, the most obvious solution is to have one person retrieve the flag while the other four provide cover. However, it is likely that the enemy will attempt such a tactic as well." Ichika replied.
"We don't have to retrieve the flag to win though. All we have to do is eliminate the enemy squadron." Theresa pointed out.
"Unless the enemy does something stupid like splitting their forces or committing them piecemeal to the fight, an all-out battle would be unpredictable. Moreover our opponent, Lily Mallory, is a complete wild card. I have no idea about her IS suit's capabilities. Plus, while I have seen her fly out occasionally for training flights, I have no idea what goes on during those flights. This means that all we know about her squadron is the fact that it is trained and has unknown equipment. Given how new Mallory's IS is, it is almost certainly a third-gen machine, maybe even 3.5-gen. As far as I know, the rest of her squadron is testing experimental gear, which means cutting-edge MPIS tech. This means her squadron is most likely evenly matched with ours, at least in terms of equipment. This means a direct engagement will come down to commander and pilot skill, and I don't like betting those against a complete unknown like her." Ichika replied.
"So what do we do?" Ayane asked.
"One advantage we do have are my suit's drones, which can act as a force multiplier for our squadron. Thanks to them, the Infinite Arsenal can easily match an entire squadron in terms of firepower, and if it becomes necessary, I can engage multiple enemies with them. This means the rest of you have more room to maneuver. With that in mind, I have a plan." Ichika replied, before turning to the board. While most of it was taken up by the projected rulebook, a large enough portion was open for him to start drawing.
"My proposal is that we approach the island in a variation of the formation we've been using in training matches. As usual, Theresa will fly at high altitude and provide long range fire support." As he said that, Ichika drew a single circle and designating it Theresa at the top-left corner of the board.
As for the rest of us, normally we all fly at the same altitude below Theresa, broken into two pairs that support each other. In this case, I propose that our pairs not fly at the same altitude. Instead, we have a combat pair fly at our usual altitude, while an objective pair flies low." Ichika continued, drawing two pairs of circles, one in the middle of the board and one at the bottom-right corner.
"I will fly with Sakura as part of the combat pair, and our job will be to cover the objective pair. The objective pair will be composed of Rei and Ayane, and your job will be to retrieve the flag once it is spotted. In addition, you two will be flying slightly ahead of the rest of us, and will thus serve as a sort of bait." That got him four confused stares.
"How can we get the flag if we're also bait?" Ayane asked.
"You want us to draw the entire enemy squadron down low, don't you?" Rei asked.
"Yes. By drawing the enemy down to extremely low altitude, it prevents them from being able to disengage by diving away from the fight. It also prevents anyone who is low over the island from searching for the flag, as they are in the middle of an active battle. Fortunately for you, the combat pair will be in a perfect position to engage the enemy from above. In addition, the Infinite Arsenal is capable of launching camera drones that can search for the flag even while I am in combat. Once the flag is located, retrieving it will be your job, Ayane. If you go down, it will be Rei's job, and after Rei it will be mine. The retriever will immediately attempt to disengage and go for the flag, with the rest of the squadron providing cover. We will continue to provide cover as you retreat to the base." Ichika finished. For a minute the room was silent as the rest of the girls looked over the plan, before Ayane raised her hand.
"Why do we have to retrieve the flag? Can't you just make a drone that can do it for you?" She asked.
"That... Is actually a very good idea. It shouldn't be too hard, at least." Ichika replied.
"Alright, so your drones will handle the search for and retrieval of the flag, so none of us have to bother with looking for it or trying to disengage. Still, I think that drawing the enemy squadron down low is a good idea, since it will still prevent them from being able to search for the flag themselves." Theresa said.
"What about the items we can bring in?" Sakura asked.
"That is our next order of business." Ichika replied, before scrolling through the document until he reached the list of available items.
"Alright, so every item on this list has a set point cost to bring it into the battle. Every team has exactly ten thousand points to spend each match. Now do you see anything you like?" He asked.
"Those turrets look nice." Sakura immediately pointed out.
"Shame the good one is so expensive. It's either a six-cell automated SAM system for eight thousand points, or a short-ranged automated plasma turret for five thousand." Theresa mused.
"Yeah, plus we will have to carry them into the battle and then land to deploy them, unless we're willing to pay another two thousand points for a parachute drop system." Ayane added.
"What about the enemy radio interception gear? I mean, it will cost us all our points, but it would also allow us to listen in on the other team's communications." Rei pointed out.
"It would be perfect, were it not for one key flaw in the design. The interception gear, in order to function properly, has to be attached to our opponent's IS. Any team that we use it against would thus be tipped off immediately and would either try to improvise and come up with an alternative method of communication or would try to actively feed us misinformation through such a link. With that in mind, I don't think it's worth the cost." Ichika replied.
"What about this radar drone? Four thousand points seems pretty cheap for something like this." Theresa asked.
"It says here that it has heating issues, and thus can only function for a minute at a time before needing to shut down and cool off." Ayane replied.
"But that is not that big of a problem, right? One minute is all we'll need to determine their speed, heading and altitude." Theresa replied.
"It definitely seems like a logical choice. We probably will only need one scan given how it will only take us around two minutes to go from our starting base to the center island at top speed, and I would assume that the other team would be able to manage something similar. By the time that one minute scan is over, we would already have visual contact." Rei added.
"Alright, I'll put down the radar drone as a possibility. That leaves us with six thousand points." Ichika replied, writing the choice down on the board.
"What about the plasma turret? Since we're going to go low anyway, we might as well drop it on the island to give us a bit of an edge in low altitude combat. Plus, if you're already building drones capable of carrying the flag it shouldn't be that much of a stretch to have them carry the turret." Ayane suggested.
"That thing? It only has about two kilometers of range! It can't even cover the entire island, and its damage output is pretty pathetic." Sakura replied.
"Yes, I am more interested in this laser turret. It says here that it will attempt to track and shoot down any missiles in the air within its range. While it cannot tell the difference between friendly and hostile missiles, our squadron doesn't use them so it won't backfire against us." Rei suggested.
"The biggest problem I can see with that turret is that it might try to shoot my drones down." Ichika replied.
"No, that shouldn't be a problem. It's programmed not to shoot down targets that are above a certain size in order to prevent it from targeting the camera drones that are observing the match." Rei replied.
"I will still have to test it, but unless there are any objections I will write it down." Ichika replied. When none of the girls spoke up, he did just that.
"Alright, that turret has the same price as the plasma one, which means we are down to one thousand points." Ichika replied.
"That... Isn't going to get us much. We could get a crate of ammo for Rei back at our starting point, or this electronic warfare pod that probably won't work, but I don't see much else we can get for just a thousand points." Theresa commented.
"Why won't the electronic warfare pod work?" Sakura asked.
"Because it was designed, built and programmed by college students on a shoestring budget, and we are all flying cutting-edge IS suits built by well-funded professionals who have a more in-depth understanding of the field. That pod is probably a few decades out of date in terms of capabilities." Rei replied.
"What about this charging station? I mean, my plasma cannons chew through my suit's power supply pretty fast and we might not get a break where you can recharge me." Sakura pointed out.
"It's too big to carry, so we would have to leave it back at base. That means that, in order to recharge, you would have to fly back to base, spend who knows how long recharging, and then fly back into combat. By then, the battle would likely have been decided." Rei replied.
"Wait, it says here that we get a score bonus if we manage to win without using all our points, so why don't we just leave it as it is?" Ayane suggested.
"I mean, if there's nothing worth getting for a thousand, we might as well go for the score bonus." Theresa added.
"Why not? Let's do it." Sakura said.
"Alright, I don't see any issues with that." Rei finished.
"Very well, that means our current additional item lineup is the radar drone and laser turret for nine thousand, and one thousand extra to pad our score out. Any objections?" When none came, Ichika smiled.
"Good. Any other questions?" He asked.
"Yes... What do we do if... I-If there is another attack?" Rei asked hesitantly. Ichika frowned, but did not reply for several moments. Finally, he came to a decision.
"Rei, if there is another attack, they are almost certainly there for me. This means that, in the event of another attack, you four are to disengage immediately and fly as quickly as possible back to safety. Do not try to engage them, as they will not hesitate to kill anyone they don't want alive. Understood?" Rei nodded at that, an action that was mirrored by the rest of the girls. For a moment, Theresa looked like she was about to ask something, but that moment passed and she evidently decided against it.
"Alright then, this meeting is adjourned. Does anyone else feel like going down to restaurant row? My treat." Ichika asked, trying and failing to lift the mood.
Autumn's chair was comfy, Madoka mused as she sat down across from Squall. A hologram of several islands just north of Hokkaido was displayed between them.
"It's nice to see you being punctual, M. You seem to be taking your role as my second seriously, at least. Now, on to business. My sister just reported in, claiming a potential capture opportunity. Apparently, a large-scale IS tournament is going to take place just off of Cape Nosappu." Squall began.
"So soon?" Madoka asked.
"Yes, apparently they are trying to continue with business as usual. Unfortunately, we do not currently have the resources to capture our target." Squall replied, and multiple red zones appeared on the holo-map.
"These represent the probable patrol zones of hostile military forces, which include destroyers armed for anti-submarine warfare, IS suits, and fighters. Simply put, while I can think of a way that we can penetrate the airspace to go after our target, we would not be able to subdue and extract with him before reinforcements arrive in overwhelming numbers. As such, capture of your brother is out of the question." Squall finished.
"So what is the plan?" Madoka asked, genuinely curious.
"Patience, M, I was just about to tell you." Squall replied, before zooming out the map. A large red circle appeared a moment later, covering much of the islands north of Japan.
"We know that Code Black is operating out of a base located within this zone, probably from within the Kuril islands themselves. I intend to use this opportunity to try and find their base's exact location. To that end, I have requisitioned a stealth reconnaissance UAV capable of extremely high altitude flight. It will act as the spotter for this operation." A solitary dot appeared high above the hologram, with a green cone indicating the UAV's field of vision.
"Your role, M, will be critical to the success of this mission. You will attack the tournament at a time of your choosing and act as a diversion in order to provoke the Code Black base into launching their interceptors. Our drone will track them as they launch, and transmit the location to us." That caused Madoka to blink. Before she could say anything, Squall continued.
"This will be your first solo mission, M. Consider it a test of your ability. Now, you will not be able to penetrate the patrol zone conventionally for obvious reasons. Instead, your infiltration plan will be as follows: You will take off alongside the drone from mainland Russia and climb to an altitude of around one hundred kilometers. Once you have reached the specified altitude, you will proceed to escort the drone to the target area, where you will then proceed to loiter. In order to reduce chances of detection, the Silent Zephyrs will be painted with radar absorbent material. Understood?" Madoka nodded, allowing Squall to continue.
"While airborne, you will be receiving weather data on the target area, and whenever it is clear you are free to engage at your discretion. However, your brother's matches are off limits, as something tells me they will be expecting us to target him. Upon deciding on a match to intervene in, you are to stow away your IS keeping only your weather shield deployed. You will proceed to free-fall your way into the target zone and deploy your IS at an altitude of approximately twenty thousand meters. This will give them plenty of time to detect you on radar and scramble fighters." So far, this was shaping up to be a suicide mission.
"As soon as I am able to confirm Code Black fighter launches, you are to immediately disengage and extract. You will do so by faking your defeat and ADS activation, before falling into the ocean. This means you have to take a few hits during the actual diversionary battle. Your Silent Zephyrs is incapable of underwater combat, but it can still move underwater at a respectable pace. You are to dive as deep as you can before heading south towards Kushiro, where a nice beach resort has just opened up. Its owner happens to be on our payroll, so you will be able to leave the ocean and enter the city without issue. Assuming you do a good job and the mission is successful, I will even give you a few days to enjoy yourself there."
Oh, so that was Squall's way of ensuring her loyalty. Madoka took a second to think it over, before deciding that the mission was happening either way, but she might as well get a vacation out of the deal.
"Understood." She replied.
"Oh, and one more thing..." Squall said, standing up and walking over to her.
"Unfortunately, the Silent Zephyrs does not have pilot armor, so your pilot suit would be easily recognizable. You would look too suspicious in that thing, even if you use the crowds at the resort to camouflage your appearance. I hope you know your sizes, M, because tomorrow we're going swimsuit shopping."
"U-Understood..." Madoka replied, unsure of what else to say.
"Good. I expect you to be ready by 10:00 sharp tomorrow." Squall replied, before walking out of the room.
A/N: Finally, it is done. Now for my usual commentary.
Firstly, this chapter contains the inevitable Chifuyu confession scene, which went through a lot of different iterations before I decided on its current one. These iterations ranged from unrealistic, such as Chifuyu busting out her old IS and flying straight to the Organization base, to a generic angry reaction. Ultimately I decided on a more unusual approach of acceptance, where Chifuyu has her worst fears allayed and realizes that her brother is both on the same side as her and is fighting to make a difference. Given how even in canon she is likely grooming him to join her secret organization, I would not consider such a reaction to be out of character.
Next up is the scene with Maya. One thing I wanted to avoid in this scenario was the oblivious adult cliche, where absolutely noone in the Organization's strategic planning department would have thought of providing protection for the tournament until it is suggested by the protagonist. Instead, the people whose job it is to plan the Organization's actions had the idea and were already preparing to implement it before Ichika came to Maya with the suggestion. Hell, they were probably planning it even before Autumn attacked IS Academy.
Now we come to the tournament, which was originally supposed to be a more standard capture the flag match with both squadrons having flags of their own stored at their respective starting points. Unfortunately, after inspecting the battlefield in Google Earth, I realized that such a plan would run the risk of generating collateral damage on Shikotan Island, which has several settlements in its northern half for a combined population in the low thousands. As such, I revised the tournament to have a single flag located on Taraku-to, which is completely uninhabited. I also understand that those islands are currently under Russian control, but a lot can change in several decades and this fic has Japan acquire the islands shortly before the civil war.
This will be the first squadron tournament I will write, and it will also serve to introduce the first of the 3.5-gen upgrade packages I have planned for the girls in the form of Cecilia's Azure Rain package and Charlotte's Raphael Rebirth upgrade. I look forward to showcasing them. The Kanzashi-Isumi grudge match will be happening as well, along with the long-awaited reveal of Lily's IS and Byakushiki's altered combat capabilities.
In addition, the large scale of the tournament means that I have had to dig into my stash of OC Squadron submissions much earlier than originally planned. With that in mind, I would like to congratulate AzureTemplar3535 and Warmach1ne32, whose OC squadrons will be making their first appearances. This will almost certainly not be the last time they appear either, given the amount of detail that was put into them. Ioana Dalca, along with her squadron, was created by AzureTemplar3535, while Leang Halim and her squadron was made by Warmach1ne32.
Madoka has also gotten a fair bit of time in the spotlight this chapter, having received a promotion now that Autumn has been declared dead. I am still not quite sure about writing her character, so feedback would be appreciated. I do look forward to writing more of her though.
As always, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.