- A while ago.
The two figures flew across the sky, unleashing powers that was destructive beyond their wildest imaginations. Linda and Warechu were flabbergasted, their mouths agape at the sight, while the rowdy teen, Duchess, just seemed excited to watch this fierce battle.
"Yeah!" Duchess cheered. "Go knock her down like a fiddle!"
"Woah..." Linda murmured in awe. "Just who are they...?"
"Eh?" Duchess raised an eyebrow. "You don't know?"
"Are they even that big of a deal, chu?" Warechu frowned.
"Well duh. Everyone in Gamindustri know these two. Hmm...first, you don't know where you are. Now, you don't know who they are? You two must be really out of touch."
"Hey! Shut up!" Linda retorted. "Just tell us who they are!"
"No. Unless you join our heist."
"Tch..." Linda narrowed her eyes in irritation. "You still haven't given up, huh?"
"Do I look like I'm denying it?" Duchess shrugged. "Just shut your hole, and enjoy the show."
"Grr..." Linda growled, before she stormed off to find a better spot. "Fine!"
The fight continued on, growing more and more intense as the two figures exchanged blows with their weapons. The moment they pulled away from each other, one of them imbued her orb-like weapon with a burst of energy, before ejecting it through the air at a supersonic speed.
"Ohh!" Duchess clapped gleefully. "Here comes my favorite part!"
The other figure simply aimed her hovering cube-like weapon towards the approaching orb. Right at that moment, the rat-like monster finally noticed something.
"Hey Linda." Warechu called out to his companion. "Doesn't that cube look familiar, chu?"
"What?" Linda scoffed.
She glanced up, and saw the cube with a brown-ish glowing aura, and a distorted form that gave her headaches just by looking at it. Almost immediately, she realized what it was, and started screaming her lungs out.
"That's the stupid cube!"
The cube was then flung through the sky, already breaking the speed of sound a few seconds after its launch. It flew directly towards the orb, igniting the air and leaving a trial of sparks behind it.
A tremendous explosion erupted from the point of their collision, and the sky was immediately engulfed in flames, obscuring the sun as the explosion continued to expand through the air. A fierce wind blast soon followed, knocking down everything in its path.
"W-Wah!" Warechu squealed, as the wind swept him up from the ground.
"Hold on!" Linda reached out her hand, and grabbed Warechu's arm. "D-Damn it! What the hell just happened?!"
Linda gripped tightly onto a branch for dear life, as the pair struggled to stop themselves from being blown away by the violent wind. The poor branch, however, was too weak to support their weight, and snapped in half with a clean crack.
Screaming for their lives, their tumble through the air was abruptly stopped when someone caught Linda in a tight grip, and pulled her into her arms. It was none other than the rowdy teen.
"Need a hand?" Duchess teased, with a huge grin on her face.
"How the hell aren't you blown away?!"
"Gotten used to that. Just try to hang on to somethin' next time, ay?'"
After a few more rounds, the violent wind started to die down, and the cloud of smoke above the sky was beginning to dissipate. The pair immediately collapsed onto the ground with a huff.
"Aw!" Linda gasped in pain as she face-planted into the dirt, followed by her companion.
"Why does this always happen to us, chu...?" Warechu groaned.
"Well, on the bright side, you are still alive and kickin'." Duchess winked. "All thanks to who? C'mon, make a guess."
"Shut. Up." Linda mumbled.
Another sharp sound came from the sky. They could not see anything through the smoke, but it sounded like something bumping against a hard barrier. The rowdy teen huffed in irritation as she jumped from branch to branch, trying to find a spot where the smoke did not block the view of the fight.
When all the smoke had dissipated into clear air, they found that both flying figures were gone, and sunlight shone through the forest once again. Duchess frowned, clearly displeased about their sudden disappearance.
"Aww..." She whined. "I missed their final moves! Darn these stupid clouds!"
"Ugh, more like that stupid cube!" Linda scoffed. "We wouldn't be here, if it wasn't for that stupid cube!"
"Huh?" Duchess asked. "Do you mean the Hypercube?"
"Hypercube, stupid cube, whatever! It's...Hyper-stupid cube, then!"
"Aren't you the one that brought us here in the first place, chu?" Warechu pointed out.
"S-Shut up!" Linda stammered. "It's not like I know how it works!"
"Yeah, trying to smash that cube would totally make it work, chu..." Warechu sighed.
"Oh come on!" Linda yelled. "Don't give me that stupid face!"
"Woah, girl! Mind your language!" Duchess put a hand to her back. "Seeing how hot-headed you are, you'll be turning into a volcano with all those pent-up rage!"
"Whatever!" Linda smacked her hand away. "Anyway, what the hell is this 'Hypercube' thing?"
"Hmm?" She teased. "I've already helped you out for free, just now. What am I getting in return, this time?"
"Rghh!" Linda growled. "Are you really that determined to make me part of your stupid team?"
"Not just any stupid teams." Duchess corrected her. "A team of top-notch, deadly, gun-wielding fools like me, with the greatest reputation in the criminal underworld! Just admit it, you need our help. You don't even know where you two are, right now."
Linda gritted her teeth. She wanted to beat this girl to a pulp so badly, but she knew she had no chance of winning. She clenched her fists even tighter at the smug, teasing grin on Duchess's face, before Warechu interrupted the silence with a question.
"Well, Linda, do you know where we are, chu?"
Linda finally let out a deep sigh, after some futile pondering, and turned to the rowdy girl with a look of sheer contempt on her face.
"Urgh! Fine..." Linda groaned. "I'll join your stupid team. But it's only temporary, got it?!"
"Hehe, you bet." Duchess chuckled, and reached a hand out towards Linda, "Welcome to the A-Squad, pal."
"At least it's better than being called Underling..." Linda mumbled, as she reached her hand out, too, for a half-hearted handshake.
- Planeptune (?)
Soaring through the skies, Neptune, in her HDD form, kept on flying, and Noire could see the whole city in bird's eye view from her back. The city was immensely huge, stretching out for kilometers on the horizon. All the buildings were more blocky and bulky, compared to the Planeptune they knew. Most were made of concrete, and the towering skyscrapers either had entire panes of glass as their walls, or numerous windows scattered across their shiny surfaces.
Streets were already flooded with traffic as pedestrians scurried between the blocks. It was really the rush hour in this Planeptune, and the pair were awed by the majestic view of the busy city.
"Wow..." Noire exclaimed. "Planeptune is this busy, even in another world. I wouldn't want to live around here, with all the dense traffic."
"Hmph." Purple Heart rolled her eyes. "You're more worried about the dense traffic, than the air pollution in Lastation?"
"Hey!" Noire protested. "At least I'm trying to work on it!"
"Sure you do..."
They continued their flight above the modernized city, the wind soaring through their ears as Purple Heart held onto the Hypercube with both of her hands. Suddenly, Noire spotted a figure in the distance.
"Hey, Nep." The black-haired teen poked her on the shoulder. "I think there's someone following us."
"Wait, what?"
Purple Heart turned back, and saw a blurry silhouette, hovering in the air. They were too far away to catch a clear sight, but a light was coming out from the figure, getting closer and closer, and panic seized the pair as they realized they were being shot at.
"Look out!" Noire screamed.
The laser beam hit Purple Heart squarely in the torso, striking her down and causing the pair to crash into the populated city block beneath. They landed in the middle of the road, and the crowd immediately dispersed in a panic. Fog of dust covered Noire's sight as she stood up, waving frantically to clear the dust.
"N-Nep?!" She coughed.
She finally stumbled upon Purple Heart, well, now Neptune, after blindly fumbling her way out of the fog. Neptune was lying unconscious on the ground, still holding the Hypercube in her hands. Gasping, Noire immediately ran up to her, and held her up.
"Nep, are you okay?!" Noire yelled into her ears, shaking her limp body. "Wake up!"
The lilac-haired girl coughed weakly, as she slowly opened her eyes, wincing in pain at the impact of the blast. It was a miracle that the pair was still alive at this point, though their fortune would not last for long.
"Uwaa...?" Neptune groaned. "W-What just happened...?"
At that moment, the unknown attacker landed right in front of them, and a bright light soon engulfed their body. Noire quickly lifted Neptune up from the ground, and moved away from the figure.
A teenage girl was standing in front of them, wearing a white shirt under her black vest, along with a lilac plaid skirt, complemented by black stockings and high-heels. Her elegant purple hair flowed down her back, tied in a lavish ponytail. Her left hand was on her hip, and she held a black laser pistol in her other hand, with a very sharp, clean and flat design. It had been fired recently, and smoke was still coming out of its barrel.
"Well, well, well..." She chuckled at the pair, playfully spinning her pistol. "What's this new CPU doing in my nation?"
"Who are you?!" Noire hissed. "And why did you shoot us down?!"
"Never heard of Planeptune's CPU, huh?" The girl shot them a curious look. "Well, my name is Nakayama, and I'm the CPU of Planeptune, Lilac Heart. Now, would you please step aside, so I can kill her, right here, right now?"
"H-Huh...?" Neptune stared straight into the barrel of her pistol, now aimed at her.
"No way!" Noire retorted, as she shielded Neptune with her own body. "I'm not letting you kill my friend!"
"I see..." Nakayama sighed. "Guess I'd have to kill both of you."
She didn't hesitate to press the trigger. Before the laser projectile could hit her, however, it was deflected by a katana. Neptune, now back in her HDD Form, was standing in front of Noire, her stance still a little shaky from her injuries.
"Don't you dare do that to my friend!" Purple Heart glared at her.
"Hmph." The girl merely scoffed. "Try me."
Purple Heart charged towards Nakayama, dishing out multiple swings and slashes, but her foe simply dodged all her blows with ease, before firing multiple shots with her pistol. Deflecting the onslaught of projectiles, Purple Heart was still knocked back by the impact, and it was at this moment that Nakayama decided to strike up a conversation.
"What's your title? And which nation do you belong to? You look new around here." Nakayama raised her eyebrow.
"I am Purple Heart, and I am the CPU of Planeptune!" Purple Heart yelled, as her blade smashed into the ground, but it missed its target as her foe dodged away at the last second.
"Did some of my people decide to revolt against me, then?" Nakayama frowned, before she shook her head. "Doesn't matter. I will not let an imposter take over my reign!"
Purple Heart charged straight at her, her katana aimed at her foe's chest as she dashed forward for an impaling stab. Her blade did not strike flesh, but merely bounced off an invisible force field that surrounded Nakayama.
"W-What?!" Purple Heart yelled.
Leaping back, she landed next to Noire, and noticed a deck of cards hovering besides Nakayama, who was now holding a single card in her hand. A few cards were circling around her—these must have created the force field.
"Rune cards." The girl waved her cards at them, smiling. "My primary weapon. My pistol here is just my sidearm, and you give me no choice but to use these."
"Why did you attack us?!" Purple Heart shouted. "We haven't even done anything to you!"
"Why?" Nakayama glared at them, as a few of her hovering cards started glowing red. "Because I want to prove myself as the strongest CPU in the whole Gamindustri. You're also a CPU, so why are you so naive about the current Console War?"
"C-Console War?!"
"CPUs like you and me, we're always at each other's throats since our birth." She continued. "And if you are the CPU of my nation, then I'll have even more reasons to kill you!"
She flung her cards towards them in a quick swipe, creating a chain of explosions as the cards detonated on impact. Purple Heart dodged her attack with haste, while Noire stood there, stunned.
"Ack-!" Noire finally recovered from her shock, as incoming debrises hit her in the face, and she barely blocked them with her arms.
"What makes you think you're more than an enemy?" Nakayama continued speaking, as she prepared another attack with her rune cards.
"You think that CPUs are supposed to act like friends towards one another, huh? The Goddesses have always been like this, ever since the First Console War. Do you honestly believe you can change anything?"
No matter how many times Purple Heart retaliated against her, her katana could not penetrate that impervious force field. She continued to slash with her weapon, despite the ineffective damage.
"Gah! Yes I do!" Purple Heart barked, attempting to pierce the force field with her blade, to no avail. "Because in our world, no matter how the CPUs annoy each other, they will still see each other as friends in the end!"
The force field finally gave away after a flurry of strikes, but right at that moment, a rune card was flung straight into her chest, which exploded on impact and sent her tumbling back. That last attack was enough to revert Purple Heart back to her human form, and she fell limp on the ground, unconscious.
"N-Nep!" Noire cried, as she quickly ran up to her.
Before she could reach her, the CPU threw another rune card towards her, creating a force field that caged her inside like a rat. She tried to punch her way out, but her strength wasn't enough to break it.
"Hey!" Noire screamed. "Let me out!"
"You've been enough of a distraction to my job..." Nakayama sighed, before murmuring to herself. "Seriously, 'our world'? Is she suffering from delusion, or is she really this stupid?"
Standing before the unconscious Neptune, she placed another rune cards onto her palm, and aimed it toward her limp body. There was nothing in her eyes but a cold lust for death.
"Your existence as a goddess would be quite short, indeed." She whispered, with the full intent to kill.
Before she could strike, she was suddenly caught in surprise by the light that erupted from her foe's hands. The cube-like, glowing object hovered over Neptune's body, emitting frantic chimes, and the moment Nakayama saw the Hypercube, she stopped dead in her tracks, with a petrified look in her eyes.
"N-No..." She let out a horrified whimper. "I-It can't be!"
Within seconds, a force field spell was up around her as she hurriedly summoned her cards. But it was of no use, as the Hypercube charged towards her, tearing through the barrier like paper and striking her down. The immense force from the impact sent her flying through the air, and crashing into a nearby building.
She was knocked out in one hit. The force field around Noire broke into pixels, freeing her from her narrow cage.
"Nep!" She yelled again, as she quickly knelt besides her unconscious friend. "A-Are you okay?!"
Neptune did not respond to her, still drowsy and groaning from the pain. It was fortunate that she was alive after that blast to her chest, but it would be dangerous to leave her in this state. Meanwhile, the Hypercube flew back to the pair, still softly chiming.
"Thank you..."
- ?
Neptune slowly regained consciousness, feeling the wind brushing past her pale skin and her lilac hair. Slowly opening her eyes, she realized that she was in the sky, and she could see many clouds from this height.
"Huh?" She mumbled. "Where am I? D-Did I just die and get sent into the spiritual world?!"
"No, you idiot!" A familiar voice yelled back at her.
It was Noire, well, in her Black Heart Form, wearing a black leotard suit with wings on her back. Her hair also changed to a white color, and her blue eyes had power symbols in them.
Neptune was actually resting above her back, as Black Heart flew through the sky with the Hypercube in her palms. She let out an embarrassed chuckle, scratching her head.
"Hehehe..." Neptune giggled. "You got me there for a sec'."
"It's not the time to joke around, Nep!" Noire complained. "You nearly died back there!"
"Fine! I'm kidding! Still, where's the CPU of this Planeptune?"
"She? Let's just say that the Hypercube fought back, while you're unconscious."
"Woah, really?!" Neptune gazed at the cube in surprise. "I didn't know that little cubey can fight!"
The Hypercube let out a delightful chime in response.
"Why, thank you!" Neptune smiled. "Little cubey here never fails to surprise me!"
"Whatever you're talking about, we need to focus on finding our sisters!" Black Heart replied. "It should take us some time to get there..."
"Oh c'mon, Noire. Can't ya' give the good ol' protagonist a rest? My body is still sore..."
"Hey, if you're the protagonist, I think you'd do more than just lying on my back?" Black Heart teased. "I guess I should be the protagonist in this state."
"Nepu-?!" She squealed. "Hey! You can't steal that! Only I have that title!"
"Then just shut up! I don't want a whole flight with you talking non-stop."
"Aw, just cheer up a lil' bit!" Neptune sweatdropped. "We're working as a team! We should get them back in no time!"
"Ugh! Fine!" Black Heart groaned. "Just sit tight and don't do anything stupid!"
"Jeez, even in your HDD Form, you still have your tsun-tsun persona." Neptune sighed.
- ?
"Uh..." The lilac-haired girl slowly opened her eyes. "Where am I...?"
Nepgear found herself waking up inside an empty, dull room. The walls, ceiling, and pavement were all made of concrete, and everything was left undecorated; no colors, paintings, or plants, just a gray room.
She sat up from her simple bed, and started glancing around. Fortunately, she saw all of her friends in the room, still sleeping in their separate beds. Nepgear sighed in relief, but she still had no idea where they were. If they were finally caught by that CPU…the thought of such a possibility sent a shiver up her spine.
"Guess you wake up early, huh?" An unfamiliar voice called out to her, which took her by surprise.
A teen girl was leaning on the doorframe. She had short, gray hair, and was wearing a set of armor. Although her armor made her look like a typical space ranger in kids' show, her costume still stood out, since she wore a medallion on her chest, and had a futuristic-looking pistol strapped onto her belt.
She was currently staring blankly at Nepgear, unable to comprehend her fearful expression.
"Is there something wrong?" she asked.
"D-Did you capture us?!" Nepgear immediately jumped up from the bed, overwhelmed by anxiety and panic. "Please! What we did is wrong and-!"
"Woah, calm down!" The girl waved at her. "I'm not working for the CPU. We are a simple rebel group."
"H-Huh?" Nepgear frowned. "We?"
"I and my team saved you and your friends back there, when Lady C-Grass went on a rampage through the city. Must've been rough for your girls to escape unharmed, especially from the CPU."
"I-I guess so..." She sighed, finally calming down a little. "But what about the warehouse?"
"That one 'crime' you girls committed?" The girl stared at her. "I would have believed that, if one of my teammates didn't see what actually happened, a few nights ago."
"Really? How did it happen?"
"You should probably let your friends hear the whole story, too. Just saying." She simply shrugged. "Still, feeling alright after that long chase? You woke up early."
"Hehe, yeah..." Nepgear nervously chuckled, tugging at her skirt. "I never thought we would be saved by someone..."
"We did that, not just because of our beef with the CPU." She clarified, as Nepgear listened carefully, "It's our duty to save the innocents."
"Huh?" Nepgear became even more confused.
"CPUs used to save and protect the people from evil back then. But now, they've become more occupied with their Console Wars, which dragged on for years..." She sighed. "I used to be part of Tari's military, before-"
"T-Tari?!" Nepgear blurted out.
"Uh, yeah?" The girl nodded, looking a little concerned. "Is there something wrong about it...?"
"U-Uh, nothing!" Nepgear frantically shook her head. "N-Nothing at all!"
"Okay then..." The girl gave her a weird look, before she decided to let go of the topic.
"…Used to be part of their military until the war began, and the CPUs became more involved with the war than us. Tari's military slowly withered away, until it became obsolete. I'm pretty sure this goes the same for all armies, since my team came from various nations."
"Oh, that's sad." Nepgear lowered her head. "I'm truly sorry for what happened."
"It's all in the past, now..." She shook her head in disbelief. "Still, I can't believe they'd abandon us, just to prove who would become the sole ruler of Gamindustri."
"How about the people?" Nepgear asked the ranger, her curiosity piqued. "Are they safe without the CPUs?"
"Each nation still has a government and some authorities, though it isn't as effective as the CPUs' protection." She shook her head, again. "That's why we decided to establish this team, to save not just the citizens of a single nation, but people from all over Gamindustri!"
"A team?"
"We're the Space Galactic Rangers." She proudly proclaimed. "We're a vigilante group, consisting of former veteran pilots from various nations. As the Console War goes on, we work in the shadows to save lives, even if the authorities doesn't approve of our actions."
"Space Galactic Rangers?" Nepgear perked up in awe. "And you're a veteran pilot?"
"That's right." She smiled, giving Nepgear a thumbs-up as she introduced herself. "Former major of the now-obsolete Tari Air Force, Maj. Estella."
"Major Estella..." Nepgear repeated the title to herself. "I'm Nepgear!"
"Miss Nepgear." Estella reached her hand out. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
Their hands came together in a firm handshake, both of them glad to be in each other's company. Meanwhile, someone else stirred in her bed, and jolted awake.
"Wha...?" It was Uni, who was frantically glancing around. "Where am I...?"
"Uni!" Nepgear exclaimed in relief, as she ran up to her friend, pulling her into a tight hug. "You're okay!"
"W-Well duh!" Uni blushed in embarrassment, as she hesitantly pushed Nepgear away. "I thought she got us, for sure, until someone saved us..."
"And that 'someone' is us, by the way." Estella chimed in, which prompted Uni to immediately got out of her bed, but she was stopped by her friend before she could do anything.
"Don't worry, Uni!" Nepgear consoled her. "She saved us from that CPU!"
"Wait, what?" Uni became more confused. "What's this all about?"
"Let me explain the whole situation you girls went through..." Estella sighed.
.
.
.
"So that's how it happened." Uni nodded in understanding, after hearing the whole story.
The trio was sitting on a small bench, with a table in front of them. Nepgear still had a hand on Uni's back, trying to comfort her after all the troubles they went through. Since the twins had not woken up yet, they had some time to glance around the room, feeling a sense of unease at the dull, oppressive interior.
"What is this place, by the way?" Uni frowned. "It looks like we're in a prison..."
"It's not a prison, though." Estella awkwardly looked away. "We're in our hideout. Just don't have enough time to give our place any…decorations. You can check out other rooms, if you like."
Estella guide the two out of the room as they tour around. Multiple crates and boxes were lying around in a complete mess, cluttering the hallway. They had some real trouble squeezing through the narrow space, until they stumbled into a much more open space inside the hideout.
A massive room lay before them, big enough to fit multiple planes in it. Some kind of a hangar, with metals and wires sticking out of it, was left rusting, while a dozen planes that looked like spacecrafts from a typical kids' show were resting beneath it. Nepgear and Uni's eyes lit up as they walked around the place, awed by their beauty.
Three teenage girls were sitting around a table, next to the planes, engaged in a casual chat, until they noticed the newcomers behind Estella, and stood up to greet the group. Nepgear and Uni noticed that they were all wearing ranger suits similar to Estella's, just with different colors and designs.
"Girls." Estella gestured at her guests. "I want you to meet the other members of our team."
"Ah! The girls we saved, right?" One of them stepped forth. "Name's Galaxa. Former captain of Planeptune's Air Force, before their demise."
Galaxa was a redhead teen, wearing an armored suit that resembled her superior's suit, only that it was decorated with white, blue, and red streaks. Her long hair swung behind her as she introduced herself, with a proud smile on her face.
"And I'm Astro!" Another girl also smiled, reaching a hand out towards them. "Used to be an airman basic in Magnabox's Air Force, until they were eventually decimated in the Console War..."
Astro had cyan hair, with a cheerful, innocent look on her face. Her suit was tinted pink and grey.
"I'm Zappa." The last one greeted them with a simple nod. "Former lieutenant of Tari's Air Force. It's nice meeting you two."
Out of the three girls, the blonde girl in her yellow-ish suit seemed to be the most taciturn one, as she shook the pair's hands.
"It's nice meeting y'all!" The lilac-haired teen smiled. "I'm Nepgear, and here's my friend, Uni!"
"Hi." Uni greeted. "It may sound kinda rude, but...why are you three wearing those funny-looking suits?"
"Heh, it's the iconic uniform of the Space Galactic Rangers, of course!" Galaxa grinned, "Well, these used to be our pilot suits, back in the days. We just coated them with some paintings."
"Yeah, those days..." Estella sighed, "Back then, we were complete strangers, and only view each other as foes. Things really changed after the Console War."
"Sure is, madam." Zappa nodded to her senior. "Both of us had nowhere to go, after the military degraded into nothing. Guess it is fortunate that we stumbled into each other, and come together to form this group."
"So that's how this 'Space Galactic Rangers' came into place?" Nepgear asked curiously.
"That's right!" Astro smiled. "Formed by the greatest veteran pilots of Gamindustri. I-I'm still on the lowest rank, though, and I'll keep working on that..."
"A group of pilots, aiming to save the lives of people from all kinds of threats." Galaxa continued. "Since the CPUs' concern for their people has become non-existent, it's our job to take over their chores, as people's lives became more and more endangered by their wars."
"Wait, how're the twins doing?" Astro asked. "We did save four people back there, right?"
"They're still sleeping." Estella replied. "Must've gotten a good scare, from the constraints on her mecha..."
"Honestly, we don't even know her..." Uni stared at them. "She did tell us her name, but we don't know much, apart from that."
"She's Lady C-Grass, and she's the CPU of Balarch, which you girls had already visited." Estella continued. "And the robot you girls were running from? That's her mecha, ABA-1000."
"Which stands for Armored Ballistic Automaton-1000." Galaxa added. "She may be small, but she ain't kidding around with her big toy."
"Which is why you shouldn't be messing with her..." Zappa sighed. "She's pretty hot-headed, most of the time."
"W-We just didn't know better!" Nepgear protested. "We didn't expect a CPU to be that young!"
"Huh?" Estella frowned. "Is this the first time you hear about her? She's quite well-known in Balarch."
"W-Well, it's our first time visiting this nation, so..." Uni sweatdropped.
"Hmm..." Astro pondered. "Well, there's nothing we can do about that. Since most people around here don't really visit or hear much about this nation, in recent years."
"That's right." The lieutenant agreed. "I'm more concerned with how you girls ended up falling from the sky, and into an old, racky warehouse..."
"It's, uh…hard to explain." Nepgear sighed.
"We've fallen into some sort of hole that led us here."
"A hole?" One of them asked. "A hole in the sky?"
"Y-Yeah, kinda." Nepgear averted her gaze. "Like I said, it sounds really absurd..."
"I can see that."
"So anyway, what are those planes?" Uni asked, as she pointed to the other side of the room.
Ships were neatly parked in a row, on the other side of the hangar, though their design resembled a spacecraft more than anything. Most were coated in the same colors as the teams' pilot suits, built in various styles, and the closest one was shaped like a boomerang.
"Those ships?" Zappa noted. "The vessels we use during mission. I owned that yellow, boomerang-shaped ship."
"And that's my ship." Estella pointed to a pure-white spacecraft.
"Those ships are owned separately by each member..." Nepgear noticed. "Do the rest of you use them for your mission, too?"
"That's right." Estella nodded, "Ships around here were vessels used by our military, in the old days. After the army was gone, we decided to take some of the ships into our hangar."
"Uhh, isn't that…robbery?"
"Not if it's from a disbanded army." Astro shrugged. "I did the same thing."
"Guess it doesn't matter then..." Uni sweatdropped.
"So, we can check them out, right?"
"Of course. In fact, we'd love to give you a tour!" Galaxa nodded joyfully.
Wandering past the hangar and glancing up at the dusty frames of this age-old hideout, they made their way to the ships, guided by Estella and her teammates. They stood in the vessels' shadows, awed by their sheer size. Nepgear's eyes were sparkling as she examined every external part on the ships, captivated by the beauty of these machines.
Though Uni was not as obsessed with the machinery parts as her friend, she did pay close attention to the weapons mounted on each ship. They were almost like a vintage of dated artillery, and she was quite fascinated by their forms, as she had never seen them in action, only on the pages of books.
Four jets were parked around the hangar. One of them was a pure white jet with a robust design. Despite not being as decorated as the rest, its minimalistic appearance almost had an aura of elegance, and Uni noticed a turret mounted below the cockpit.
"Woah..." Nepgear whispered in amazement. "What is that plane?"
"That's my plane. A fighter jet, to be exact." Estella proudly replied. "Has been driving that, since I'm a novice pilot. Even though it's just an ordinary jet, I still see it as my partner."
"Is this one of the most prestigious planes in your military, Estella? I know that turret. It's a prototype model of laser weaponry." Uni asked.
"Huh? Funny that you'd know that." She applauded. "Usually, our newest inventions were kept hidden by our military. It's kinda odd that the information had been leaked so quickly..."
"Hu-uh." Uni slowly nodded, before she decided to go back on topic. "So, anyways...How about that one over there? It has a nice aesthetic to its design."
"You mean my ship?" Astro gleefully chimed in.
It was a fancy ship that resembled a modern fighter jet more than any other ships, coated with gray and pink paint. The vibrant color almost made her ship looked like one of those sleek, high-tech vessels in superhero shows.
"Yeah, got my hands on that when our military fell apart. Back then, I really love this ship during our training, even though I was not permitted to pilot it, as a lower-rank pilot. The moment I heard that our headquarters were closing down..."
"...You stole it away." Nepgear cut her off, with a deadpan expression on her face.
"Well, I mean, you're not wrong! But I just can't leave this beauty behind, in the hangar, and let it rust to pieces..."
"You sure are in love with the ship. But how experienced are you at driving it?" Zappa raised an eyebrow. "Last time I heard, you nearly bumped into someone with your plane..."
"C-Come on!" Astro retorted. "L-Like I said, I'm still working on it!"
"How about those two?" Uni pointed towards the other two vessels. "They look kinda odd, though."
They were sitting next to the corner. One of them had two engines exposed on each side, while the other was the odd, yellow-colored ship with a C-shaped body, which made it look more like a spacecraft than a fighter jet.
"That one is mine, while the yellow one is Zappa's." Galaxa pointed out.
"Zappa's ship looks like a boomerang though..." Nepgear muttered.
"Please don't give me that look..." Zappa sighed. "It is the fastest one around here, you know."
"Fastest?!" Nepgear perked up.
"She's not wrong. Zappa here is an apex predator against anything airborne. No matter how many times her enemies fired at her, she'll always dodge away at the very last second." Estella praised.
"So she's probably the best pilot in your crew, right?"
"Mhm, yeah. But for a lieutenant, it's phenomenal, really."
"I see." Uni nodded. "So you only fight with your planes, then?"
"Not really." Galaxa shook her head. "We can still engage in melee combat, outside of our ships. We are also trained for that, in case of emergency."
"Besides, we have guns." Zappa said as she picked up her pistol, spinning it playfully. "Not like pilots would bring swords and spears to a gunfight."
"Yeah, especially against that group..." Estella groaned.
"Huh?" The pair stared at them. "What group?"
"A-Squad? Never heard of them?" Galaxa asked.
"Uhh, no. We don't really know that name." Nepgear frowned.
"We do fight against criminals, but the A-Squad were the toughest one we've ever faced." Astro sighed. "They are among the baddest, most cryptic criminal masterminds in the underworld society."
"Usually, the most prestigious criminal groups often hire a lot of members, but they are the exception. In fact, I truly admire them, even though they are villains..." Estella continued.
"A-Squad only consists of 5 members, yet they have managed to successfully pull off some of the most daring heists that are very risky and dangerous, even for larger groups."
"And have you managed to stop them?" Uni asked, intrigued by their story.
"Obviously not." Zappa shook her head. "We have been chasing after them for years. They are almost like our archnemesis. Most of the time, they simply sneak away under the radar, as they are too fast for us to chase down."
"That must really suck..." Uni frowned.
"We'd love to help you out, but right now, we have something more urgent that we need to take care of." Nepgear followed.
"Understandable." Estella nodded. "If there's something you girls want, just let us know."
"N-No, no! It's fine!" Nepgear sweatdropped, frantically shaking her hands. "Saving us from her is more than enough!"
"Nepgear? Uni?" A familiar voice meekly called from the doorway. "Is anyone here...?"
Looking behind, the girls found the twins, who had wandered into the massive room, and both of them seemed to have no idea where they were. Estella and her teammates were not familiar with the two figures, but the pair quickly ran up to them.
"Ram and Rom!" Both of them exclaimed in joy. "Thank goodness, you're okay!"
"Nepgear and Uni!" The twins also rushed towards them, pulling their friends into a big hug.
"Guess we are really lucky. It could've gone a lot worse..." Uni sighed.
"H-Huh?" Rom perked up. "Who are these people?"
"Yeah, and what's with their weird costumes?" Ram added.
"Aw, come on!" Astro whined, puffing her cheeks. "It can't be that weird! These are cool costumes! Very cool!"
"Calm down, Astro. You are scaring the kids." Galaxa sighed as she patted the ranger on the shoulder.
"Anyway, we're the ones who saved you from the CPU. Consider us your friends." Estella smiled.
"O-Okay..." Rom stuttered, before bowing in gratitude, "And thank you for saving us..."
"Hmph!" Ram pouted. "Wish I could've just fought that bully instead."
"I-I see." Estella chuckled nervously.
"Ram!"
"Oh yeah." Nepgear suddenly realized something. "Now that I think about it, how did we end up in that warehouse?"
"You mean what happened on that night?" Galaxa stepped forward. "I'm the one who saw you girls, before this whole mess."
"What do you mean?" Uni frowned. "Nepgear, is there something I'm missing?"
"Yeah, that night." Nepgear nodded. She didn't even answer Uni's question. "How did it happen?"
"Well, it's a long story, but I'll keep it short." Galaxa shrugged, and started recounting the incident.
It was the middle of the night, and I was flying my jet above the cities. Which were pretty well-lit, but some parts were pitch black, though, so I kept my altitude a little higher, just in case I bumped into something by accident. Blame Balarch's polluted clouds...
At least I have my GPS on, so even with the low visibility, I could find my directions without much problems. I was soaring through the sky, gazing at all those beautiful, twinkling stars. Just as I was enjoying this fascinating view, something went wrong.
Not an engine malfunction or an attack. Well, it was still bad, but on the bright side, I was okay, and wasn't in danger of crashing. There was suddenly this beeping noise from my jet. So I looked back at my HUD, to check out what it was, and found that my radar system was down. It kept spasming and flickering, and I couldn't read my GPS because of it. Something must have jammed the circuit.
I didn't consider it a big deal, since I was pretty familiar with the turf, and didn't need the radars to find my way. It was more annoying, really, and I had to shut it down. While I was adjusting it, a bright light just appeared out of nowhere, shining right into my face. I panicked, and my jet almost grinded to a halt in mid-air.
I couldn't see a thing because of that blinding light. But as the light faded away, I could see something falling from the air, which honestly surprised me. It was you girls.
I didn't have enough time to catch you, since you were falling too fast, and I only heard you girls crashing into the warehouse. I tried getting closer, but my jet couldn't land in such a narrow block, even if I tried to find an open face. But really, this was Balarch. What was I even expecting?
Guard patrols were pretty heavy at night, and I couldn't hover there for long. I can't risk being discovered, so I just flew away. I'm sorry that I couldn't save you back then. If I did, you wouldn't have been mistaken as a bunch of criminals.
"You just left us there?!" Uni yelled.
"U-Uni, calm down!" Nepgear struggled to hold her back.
"Like I said! The city was under heavy watch at that time, and I can't risk getting caught!" Galaxa frantically shook her hands, "I-I'm really sorry about that!"
"At least we're okay..." Rom muttered.
"Yeah, but the CPU has probably put the authorities on full alert, by now." Zappa sighed.
- Citadel, Balarch
Amongst all the buildings in the steampunk-styled city, this particular one was surely the biggest of them all. It was a large spherical building, made entirely of bronze, with gears and wires chaining its shining metallic platings together. Though its interior was not as complex, compared to the plates on its exterior, the residence of the CPU of Balarch was still quite an oddly fascinating and robust structure.
A large mecha landed right in front of its gate. Servants of the Citadel streamed out of the building to approach the bipedal robot, before the hatch of its cockpit opened, revealing a small girl climbing down from her mecha.
"Welcome back, Lady C-Grass." One of the servants bowed in respect.
"Ugh! What a rough day! Can't believe we've lost those idiots..." C-Grass groaned.
"Then may I prepare a cup of tea for you, milady?"
"Sure..." She sighed. "Just leave it in my workshop. I'm gonna work on Abby."
"I understand, milady." her servant bowed again before leaving.
C-Grass made her way through the massive, heavily decorated hallway, accompanied by her automated robot, ABA-1000, or "Abby". Seemingly noticing her frustration about their failed pursuit, her mecha let out a soft, vibrating noise from its motor, in an attempt to cheer her up.
"Heh..." She chuckled. "Well, at least you're not as bad as your eight-barrel guns. Could use a good replacement."
Despite her bossy attitude, there was compassion in her voice, as she led the mecha to the workshop. Arriving inside the room, she started picking up materials and tools from the shelves, while her mecha stood still, patiently waiting for her.
A screwdriver in hand, C-Grass climbed up her mecha, and began to unscrew the nuts and hinges that attached the eight-barrelled gun to its platings.
"Jeez, these guns are rusting." She commented. "Phew, how long has it been since the last time you used it, during the First Console War?"
Her mecha responded with the same sound, which earned a nod from her.
"I see." She put a hand to her chin. "So, anything you want to do, after we caught them?"
The mecha responded with a somewhat joyful hum.
"Oh come on!" She laughed. "You always want to go for a fly outside!"
The mecha kept humming, though its volume was a lot lower this time.
"Eh, fine." C-Grass simply shrugged, as she went back to fixing her mecha's turrets. "After we're done with this whole mess, I'll take you for a fly. Jeez, these guns really need a replacement..."
After she had finally unscrewed the gun and detached it from the mecha, a maid appeared at the door, carrying a tray with a cup of tea on it. The petite CPU was clearly having trouble lifting the huge gun as she carried it towards the stashes of machinery parts, and the maid put the tray down onto the table with a concerned look on her face.
"Grggh...!" C-Grass struggled, as the gun shook in her hands. "Jeez, this thing is heavy!"
"Oh dear, Lady C-Grass!" Her maid quickly ran to her. "M-Maybe I could help you out?"
"No, no, no!" She frantically shook her head. "As a CPU, I'm no fragile weakling who needs help from—Wah?!"
She was suddenly yanked into the air, still holding onto the gun, and her feet could not touch the floor. Glancing up, she realized that her mecha had lifted up the giant gun with its small crane.
"A-Abby?!" She exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Her mecha responded with a soft grunt, before slowly lowering its crane until C-Grass was back on the floor, and could safely let go of the gun. She puffed in irritation, but she still looked a little moved by the compassion of her loyal mecha companion.
"Ugh...Thanks for the help." She groaned. "B-But you could at least warn me next time!"
The mecha's motor vibrated joyfully, as it snuggled up to her like a pet, its cold steel head rubbing against her face.
"H-Hey!" She giggled at the tickling sensation. "C-Cut it out!"
"Well, no person is an island after all, Lady C-Grass." Her maid smiled, "You and ABA-1000 have been pretty close since you've created it. You two are like siblings."
"Hey!" She retorted, embarrassed. "Who gives you permission to talk about my personal relationships?!"
"My apology, then." The maid uttered a hushed apology, before she walked out of the door.
C-Grass shot her an annoyed look, before going back to work on her mecha. She finally settled on a new gun in the machinery piles, and started attaching it back onto the mecha's platings. Sweat was running down her face, as she tightened the last screw with her tool.
"Phew!" She sat down on the ground, exhausted. "Finally! Got those rusty barrels replaced with a better one. I hope its parts were on par with our current technology. Give it a spin, will ya', Abby?"
The mecha turned around, and decided to test out its newly-installed gatling gun on a nearby wall. Its firing rate and reaction time were a lot better, as tons of bullets spewed out from the barrels within a second, which far surpassed the old model.
"Good!" C-Grass smiled. "Now those idiots wouldn't be as lucky, the next time we go after them!"
Pleased with the result of her labor, she picked up the cup of tea from the table, and started drinking, savoring its heavenly aroma. Her tea time was soon interrupted by a knock on the door, from the same maid who had left a while ago.
"Uh, I apologize for disturbing you, milady...but it seems like the investigator back at the warehouse has come for a visit."
"Eh, let him in." She casually said, still sipping her tea.
The maid nodded and left the room, before a man in suit entered from the door, curiously eyeing the fancy tools and machinery parts that lay around the workshop. Distracted by the messy scene, it took some time before he started talking to her.
"I'm sorry if I…disturbed your work." He bowed. "But, about what happened in the marketplace..."
"Oh, that?" C-Grass shot him a glance. "While you and your boys were trying to nail down the suspects, I found them, before they made a run for it."
"U-Uh, is that so, Lady C-Grass..?" The investigator looked a little skeptical. "Then who are these suspects?"
"There are four people. Two are young teens, while the other two are kids. First girl has long lilac hair, the second has black twintails, and the other two are pretty much identical twins."
"Can you provide some more elaborate details about the suspects? There's too broad for us to identify..."
"What am I?! A camera?" She complained. "Ugh! At least Abby has its camera on. Go look at the pictures if my words aren't enough for you..."
"I-I see..." He sweatdropped. "Well, mind mailing us the footage, then?"
"Sure, but I still have some tinkering to do on Abby. So wait for it, will ya?" She glared back at him, before she returned to her work.
Her mecha seemed to agree with her, and made a small nod with its huge head.
"Okay then, take your time, Lady C-Grass."
The man walked out of the door, leaving the two alone inside the room. Looking even more annoyed than before, she sighed as she leaned back onto her mecha. The duties of her job was really taking a toll on her.
"Jeez, being a CPU sure is stressing..." She huffed, continuing to sip her tea. "Hey. If you were a CPU, what would you do, Abby?"
Her mecha seemed confused, unable to comprehend her question, as it responded with a weird, wobbly sound from its motor.
"Of course, who am I kidding..." C-Grass chuckled. "You're just an automated robot I built. Phew, I really miss these days, before the whole Console War fiasco..."
The mecha hummed cheerfully as it started to snuggle her again, as if it understood what she meant.
"H-Hey!" She laughed. "You're really that happy about the good ol' days, aren't you?"
Author's Notes:
Estella represents the arcade video game Space Invaders (1978)
Galaxa represents the game franchise Galaxian (1979-2016)
Astro represents the arcade video game Defenders (1981)
Zappa represents the arcade video game Tempest (1981)
u/Ryin_Silverfish - Proofreading and adjustment of wordings.