Alright, now to finish the Episode.
Note: The commanding Neuroi would be the Rheintochter X-3 in its first form and the Kramer X-4 in its second form like in Episode 3 of Strike Witches.
The second squadron of girls launched from the Dover base. Yoshika and Lynette launched together from the runway, shortly right after Minna and Eila did. Alice and Izetta took off elsewhere and joined the group after that. They did not follow a formation like the other Witches did but were right beside the two younger Witches.
Eila flew in a Striker Unit that resembled the G-2 model of Germania's Me 109 and carried an MG 42, both of which were owned by Karsland. She had the ears and tail of a black fox and helped Minna forecast future attacks conducted by the Neuroi. Minna's Striker Unit was a G-2/R6 model of the same plane. She carried an MG42 like her Karlsand comrades and a Walther PPK by the side. Her ears and tail were that of a gray wolf, which contributed to her powers. She could map the area and designate any number of targets by their direction, position, and classification. Bascially, she was a walking radar system.
"The radar shows two waves of Neuroi moving towards this base," Minna briefed the girls. Major Sakamoto informed her that she realized the diversion but will only assist in intercepting one of the two new attack forces. "A large fleet is approaching from the south while a fast one is moving from the west."
"So, you'd like us to deal with that large force, while you deal with the smaller unit?" Alice assumed those where their orders. Next to her was a line of lances kept in flight by Izetta's magic as shown by the trails of sparkles. These were specially tuned by the Eylstadt's smiths, who converted them into timed bombs; they would start the timer after impact, set for a few seconds before detonation. They were made to destroy Germania's tanks and other larger armored targets, so they were effective at killing Neuroi as well. "Good thing we brought those extra lances along. Your Princess and her friends sure come prepared, don't they?"
"I will never be able to repay the Princess and her friends for this gift."
Minna nodded as she continued her orders.
"You will provide support while we intercept the fast unit. Do not let any units pass through you."
"You got it!" Alice assured.
Minna and Eila accelerated ahead of them to catch up to the fast unit. The greener soldiers were now alone together.
The Britannian Witch among the group flew on a Striker Unit based on her country's Spitfire Mk. IX. Her primary weapon was a Boys anti-armor rifle she used as a sniper rifle against the Neuroi. Finally, her ears and tail were that of a straight-eared Scottish fold cat. The Witch remained uneasy, even when she gained the strength to launch with the other girls.
"Miyafuji, Alice, M-Miss Izetta," Lynette stuttered to gain their attention. "To tell you the truth, I was scared."
"I was scared, too, Lynn-san," Yoshika shared her feelings. "But I was even more scared about doing nothing at all."
Lynette nodded to the Witch. To not do anything at all…perhaps, there was truth to her words. But there was another matter she wanted to ask.
"Um, Miss Izetta," she contacted the White Witch to her surprise. "Sorry, but Alice said that there are some things you could not do. Your Princess also said something about using your magic? What did she mean by that?"
"I…"
Before Izetta could answer, Minna's voice broke within the intercom.
"Heads up! The Neuroi are approaching!"
On their three, they sighted a fleet of enemy ships approaching their position. They were composed of flying wings and gunship units, which came in overwhelming numbers but made Alice's blood boil even more.
"Alright! Time to take them out!"
"Bishop, Miyafuji," Minna called to the other Witches. "I need you two to help take down the fast one. You let Alice and Izetta handle the rest."
"R-Right!"
The two Witches broke off, leaving the two non-military girls on their own.
"Fine by us! More bad guys for us to take down! Right, Izetta?"
Alice turned to the uneasy White Witch, who faced the army of Neuroi ships that stood before them. The numbers were overwhelming, but as long as they threatened the Archduchess, that did not matter to her. The only concern was the one that she did not share with Lynette. She checked her mana pool, and the response showed that the area was stable for her to fight.
"Everyone!" Izetta lined up her lances as she turned to the alien craft.
Alice went on ahead, hoping the Neuroi ships would attack her first. She got the first strike as she threw the first two sparks, destroying one of the flying wings. Although they retaliated by firing their beams that Alice, who dodged with a barrel roll, they didn't stop their course and merely passed by the Psionic girl.
The Neuroi converged onto Izetta, who sent her lances to attack them. The enemy ships fired their beams, which varied in success. Some beams deflected thanks to the magic imbued into the lances while others shot them down. The lances were intelligent enough that some avoided the beams before hitting their targets.
Several Neuroi craft were destroyed, but the remaining continued towards the Witches, Izetta in particular. Alice swung around to down another couple of gunship-like Neuroi as a few fired more beams against her in retaliation. Many of the flying wings converged onto the White Witch, prompting her to move around in a panic, evading the beams that came after her. She sent more of her lances to attack the wings that passed by her, sending them into the channel.
Alice continued to fight off the enemy craft. Using her wind attacks, she cut through several more flying wing types and gunship units as she narrowly avoided their shots. Another beam grazed her by the gauntlet, but that did not stop her from countering with another spark against the gunship that fired it. One more flying wing flew on a collision course against her, firing a few beams at her. She responded in kind by propelling herself forward and ramming through with her fist and flames, apparently cleaving the aircraft in two.
Alice thought highly of herself as she was now getting used to fighting the Neuroi. She headed over to Izetta's location; the White Witch was still having trouble with the number of beams and ships surrounding her. She barely avoided a beam that tore through her clothing as she fired an empowered shell from her rifle into another gunship.
It looks like Witches aren't the only things attracted to her, Alice thought. As she observed, the Neuroi were almost ignoring Alice other than shooting back whenever she attacked. They seemed more focused on attacking the White Witch rather than the base. Why that was, she could never guess.
Izetta continued to avoid the beams as she navigated around the Neuroi craft. She called on more lances to destroy several more machines to get them out of the way. However, just when she was about to call another set of units, she noticed something terrible happen. Her rifle started losing its magic.
"E-EEHH!?" At random moments, Izetta found herself descending closer to the ocean, barely receiving any magic in the area. That also applied to her lances, which started plummeting to the ground.
"Izetta!" Alice caught the sight of the falling White Witch. After avoiding another volley of beams, she descended to rescue her. The enemy craft continued to fire as they nearly missed their depowered target. Two managed to get her clothes while another damaged her by the rifle, sending her spinning.
The Psionic girl used her power to throw a wave of fire and strong winds to distract the enemy force. Once the Neuroi stopped firing their beams, she rocketed towards the White Witch, catching her just before she hit the water.
"T-Thank you," Izetta could not help but appreciate her rescuer coming at a critical moment. With only her feet to propel herself, Alice carried Izetta over across the water.
"That was a close one back there," Alice commented. "You better not use your magic all at once."
Izetta shook her head, indicating that it was not the problem.
"It looks like there are some gaps in this part of the channel. My magic is not as strong as it used to be."
"I'll help get you stable for now. But after that, we have to stop them from reaching those two."
Nodding to Alice's statement, she reached out for another response. Once she got a decent amount of mana ready, she imbued her rifle and sought to recollect her lances. It wasn't long before she resumed fighting back against the Neuroi.
Yoshika and Lynette observed the battle from afar. They were ordered to stand guard, directly in front of the fast Neuroi's path, while Minna and Eila engaged. But without new orders, they took the time to observe the battle with their comrades.
"Izetta…."
"Izetta-san…"
Both just observed Izetta nearly crashing down into the channel. It was like she lost control of her magic or, considering how her rifle and lances stopped sparkling, she ran out of it. Alice had to rescue the girl before dragging her until she radiated with green energy again. Perhaps this was what the Psionic girl and Archduchess mentioned about the White Witch?
Before they could ponder more, their Commander's voice came into the intercom.
"Miyafuji, Yoshika! The Neuroi has accelerated! You're the only ones we can rely on. Take it down now!"
During their pursuit, Minna and Eila tailed behind the enemy Neuroi. Because the craft was unusually fast and close to the water, hit-and-run tactics were not an option. Therefore, they had to get behind and match the unit's speed. But after doing what looked like significant damage to the Neuroi, it suddenly disengaged its lower section. Besides getting distracted by the ejected rear half, the frontal half accelerated way beyond the Witches' top speed.
It was now up to Lynette and Yoshika to take it down. Lynette panicked over their orders but proceeded fire at the enemy craft. However, not only did the Neuroi avoid her shots, but she fired sloppily.
"It's no good! I can't hit it!"
"Your powers are like that of Izetta's," Yoshika reminded the girl. "You can move your shots as she can!"
"It's taking all I have just to fly! I can't!"
"Don't worry! If you're good during training, then you'll do fine here!"
"But…"
Lynette did not except Yoshika's next move, who swooped under her. She rested underneath the Britannian Witch, grabbing both legs and resting her back under her crotch. Lynette no longer felt herself moving, although the position was disturbing for her.
"I'll keep you stable," Yoshika assured her Witch comrade, who blushed out of her mind. "You can focus on shooting now, right?"
The Britannian girl was too embarrassed to answer, but continuous Neuroi beams diverted her attention. Alice and Izetta continued to intercept the enemy force; the former threw two sparks at another flying wing, and Izetta destroyed three more craft with her lances.
"Don't worry about us!" Alice called out to them in the intercom. "We still got it from here!"
But then, a continuous rain of gunfire came from the side. The rest of the 501st joined the two girls as they intercepted the large fleet.
"We'll continue to divert the enemy force," Mio said after listening in on Lynette and Yoshika's conversation. "You just focus on the target, understand?"
"R-Roger!"
Both of the recruits returned to the task at hand. With all worries cleared, Lynette focused all of her attention on confronting the Neuroi.
If I can predict the Neuroi's future position after evading and aim there, the Witch could do more than control her shots. Although it was out of instinct rather than an ability like Eila's, she could accurately predict a target's trajectory with the next few moments. Of course, she needed to get the craft to move around first.
"Miyafuji, shoot with me!" Lynette called to Miyafuji below, who aimed her weapon at the machine. If she could get someone to create diversionary fire, it will allow her to get a better read on the enemy's flight pattern. Now she needed to focus…
"Now!"
At her signal, Yoshika fired her machinegun, prompting the Neuroi to evade. By obtaining the enemy craft's flight pattern, Lynette responded with several shots from her anti-armor rifle. With every shot, she manipulated their trajectory as if they homed in on their target. The first few grazed the Neuroi by the side, causing it to swerve. The next shot after was a more direct hit, sending it barreling into the water. The last shot pierced through its core, shattering it into white shards.
The strong winds brought by the Neuroi blew its remains into the faces of both Witches, sending them flying backward. When the mist settled in, both Witches jerked around to see what happened. There were no signs of the enemy Neuroi, and the 501st assisted Alice and Izetta in taking care of the rest.
"Target destroyed," Minna confirmed. "You did it!"
"We did it?" When Lynette realized that she got her first kill, she jumped for joy by hugging her friend below. "We did it, Miyafuji! We did it!"
Lynette's celebration caused Miyafuji to lose her balance. Both girls spun out of control as they plunged into the water.
"Miyafuji!"
"L-Lady Bishop!"
Mio flew alongside Izetta and Alice as the others finished off the remaining Neuroi craft. The two recruits burst from the water and laughed together over the incident. The other three girls flew over to lend them a hand.
"I think you should wait until you're on the shore before you start celebrating, right, Major?"
That was the first time Alice got her rank right. At least that was the one she knew, and one of the more important ones at that. Major Sakamoto laughed alongside the other two Witches still in the ocean.
"I'm glad that everyone made it okay."
The two girls nodded as they grabbed Mio and Izetta's hand. Lynette felt a little blush as the White Witch pulled her above the water. It wasn't long before the sergeants could restart their Striker Units and continued flying.
"Mission accomplished, everyone," Minna congratulated those present. "All personnel return to base."
"Yes, ma'am!"
With the crisis averted and the base secure, all the girls headed back for a debriefing.
Of the girls on the base, Lynette was the most pleased. Not only did she accomplish more than ever, but she gained new friends along the way. She couldn't help but congratulate the ones who supported her on the runway.
"Alice, Miyafuji, thank you for everything. It's because of you that I was useful to someone."
The Psionic girl patted the Britannian Witch by her head.
"What are you talking about? You did this all yourself!"
Lynette shook her head, both in objection and to get her hand off. Each of the three girls had their fair share of supporting her, but she had to thank the youngest of the three.
"If it weren't for Miyafuji, I wouldn't have done anything useful!"
"It's Yoshika," the newer recruit told her, leaving her confused for the moment. "We're friends, aren't we? You can call me Yoshika-chan!"
"In that case, you can keep calling me Lynn-chan!"
Both girls chuckled together as the Britannian Witch hugged her new friend, her breasts pressing on her face and suffocating her.
Meanwhile, Alice caught a glimpse of a little rodent creature she hadn't seen for a long time.
"Alice-sama, is that you? Thank Paradox, I found you."
Tipler hopped over with his two feet, accompanying the Archduchess by her side.
"What are you talking about, Tipler? I was looking for you the other day!"
"The boat made me seasick, and you already left before I could reach you," Tipler placed his hands on his stomach to show it still happening. It was the first time he ever rode on a boat, and he was a small creature, so his stomach churned more than a human's. Fine and Bianca took her to nearby veterinarian upon reaching the shore, despite the personnel there being oblivious as to what they were treating. "Goodness, you bring a lot of trouble."
"Well, I…"
While Alice was left to contend with the Murlock, the Archduchess sighed with relief upon encountering the battered and tattered White Witch.
"Thank goodness, Izetta."
"Sorry, Archduchess," he apologized, still holding onto her torn dress. She only received a pat on the cheek, causing her to blush.
"I'm glad you're safe. That's all that matters."
After noticing the White Witch, and giving Yoshika some time to breathe, Lynette ran off to greet her next new friend. Or perhaps, virtually, she was her late relative.
"Oh, Sister Izetta! I wanted to talk to you!"
"S-Sister!?" That word made Izetta jump, which stopped Lynette from grabbing her hand.
"Don't you like being called a sister?"
"N-No, it's not, but-"
"Then you can call me Sister Lynette!"
"I…I…"
Izetta was left speechless. Her face went red as she looked away to Fine, who only gave a soft laugh.
"It can't be helped."
"You girls did well out there," Minna stepped in. "For that, I am grateful for you."
"I-I am unworthy of your gratitude!"
As Izetta bowed before the commander of the 501st, she missed the other Witches approaching her.
"Ah, so this is the rumored Weisse Hexe girl that Lucchini talked about," Shirley came in, still holding her Browning machinegun. "Never thought the Queen of Witches would be so submissive."
"Why are you talking about her like that!?" The Galian Witch among exclaimed among the group. "She isn't that type of girl!"
"M-Miss P-Perrine?"
Izetta stuttered for the moment. Mio turned to the pale girl, curious as to what she meant.
"Is there something you want to say, Perrine-san?"
It was already too late when the Galian Witch realized her mistake. Now all the other girls, especially Francesca, inquired more about her interest in the White Witch.
"Don't tell me, you have an eye for someone else other than the Major, don't you?"
"N-Nothing! It's nothing!"
"Miss Clostermann," Izetta wanted to talk to her but was chased away instead.
"There's nothing out there between us two! Just leave me alone!"
The pigheaded girl stomped away, leaving Izetta and Fine pandering and the other Witches even more curious. What exactly was their relationship? No one else knew.
"Alright, that's enough for today," Minna cut in before facing the two younger Witches. "Miyafuji, Bishop, you did a good job. However, I need to see you two this afternoon."
That turned the girls' attention away from Perrine and back to the greenhorns of the unit. Even Yoshika was confused over the matter.
"Is something wrong, Minna-san?"
"No, but there is something we must discuss now that it has come this. Fine…"
The Archduchess nodded in compliance. Although Izetta did not have to come along, they both knew that this was inevitable. Even though they were not observed by human enemies, discounting the Neuroi, they did not expect it to be so soon.
"A meeting with the Commander?" Erica gave a smug grin.
"Maybe they're getting some time off?" Shirley joked.
"Or maybe they're getting scolded for falling into the water," Francesca teased.
"That is nothing of your concern," the commander said with a sharp tongue before facing her second-in-command for the unit. "Major Sakamoto, please escort Izetta and the others back to the base. Lieutenant Barkhorn and I will handle everything from here."
"As you say, Minna-san," the Major complied before ordering the team. "Everyone, head back to the hangar this instant!"
"Roger!"
The majority of the 501st went on ahead and followed Mio's lead. It wasn't long before Yoshika and Lynette were alone with Minna, Gertrud, and the other guests not belonging to the unit. Yoshika swore she could see the Lieutenant's cold eyes gazing on Yoshika.
"Minna-san, what's going on?" Miyafuji broke the silence as if the commander wanted her to speak first. "Did we do something wrong?"
"Commander Wilcke," Lynette spoke next, believing she was the one at fault. "If it's about not getting up until late, I can explain."
"This has nothing to do with you," Minna assured them before turning away. "This is about Miss Izetta."
"Izetta-san?" the young Fuso Witch also turned to the redhead, who displayed a face of guilt.
"Coming to think of it," Lynette recalled, "She had trouble with flying during the battle and needed Alice to pick her up."
The two Karsland Witches nodded in agreement. It was something that they already knew, which now became much more comfortable to explain.
"Please follow me, and we shall discuss this matter personally."
The two young Witches followed their superiors as did their guests of Eylstadt. Only Alice and her Murlock friend stayed behind, but they already knew where this was heading.
"Guess the secret's out."
"Alice-sama?"
"Izetta had problems during the battle this morning. Those two must have both seen her struggling and requiring me to get her back afoot."
"So that means," Tipler came to the same conclusion as Alice nodded.
"They know the secret, too, about Izetta's power."
"Then it won't be long before the rest also know."
Alice remained silent over the matter. There was nothing they could do for now. After all, they were still civilians in the eyes of the 501st. They had no say in the manner. Besides, the Psionic girl had something else to discuss.
"Tell me, Tipler. Is there someplace you'd like to go?"
"What are you saying, Alice-sama?" Tipler jumped over such an unusual statement.
"I mean, once we finish off the Vilag and save the world. Is there something you want to do after this is all over?"
"Why are you asking such questions?"
"Because the commander told me," Alice explained, recalling her words before her battle. "That I need something to protect. Otherwise, fighting the Vilag and saving the world isn't worth anything. Can you believe something like that?"
"Well, I," Tipler had nothing to say. Just like Alice, the Murlock never give it any thought. He was only tasked to help one of two girls and ensure that they saved the world. The question of what to do next was never part of his master's instructions.
"I don't know what she's talking about, but it's not like I'm not going to find out. Wherever I go is for me to decide, and that goes for you, once this is all over."
"It is as you say, Alice-sama."
Perhaps what Alice should have said was the reverse, asking where she wanted to go rather than Tipler, who was supposed to be her subordinate. It's not like she had any time to think about it either. After all, they're on a mission and have to fight their way to the very end.
Night had filled the Britannian sky. Perhaps it was because the islands were so high up the latitude, they experienced a longer daytime or nighttime than usual. During the summer or spring, it became more balanced, though increasingly longer or shorter every day.
However long the daytime was meant more or less sleep time for Sanya, who patrolled in her black Striker Unit based on Orussia's MiG 60. Her black cat ears scanned the area for any enemies that decided to attack. The Neuroi were known to come out at night, and no one wanted to be caught sleeping.
Of course, the Neuroi was not the only enemy that would dare to attack at night. Ever since the rise of Germania, there were fears of them coming in with an invasion force that could threaten the island. Currently, Orussia and Germania signed a non-aggression pact years before the latter's invasion of other countries. However, Orussia remained wary of their neighbor just like their Suomus ally. Suomus was more open against Germanian attack, but Orussia was a different matter. Should she engage the enemy force, the Orussian military will deny any involvement unless somehow, the non-aggression pact was broken.
Sanya remained as a scout, attacking only the Neuroi and warning over a Germanian invasion should that occur. She checked her Fliegerhammer, a four-barreled rocket launcher that belonged to the Karsland resistance movement, which was her only means of defense besides her magic shield. She did one last scan over the area, both with her eyes and Magic Antennas, to sense any hostile activities. So far, her nocturnal eyes saw nothing unusual, and her radar abilities came clean.
"Nothing else to observe."
It was probably the last lap of her patrol. She already found herself tired, and nothing came up this entire night. Only music stations from Britannia's radio towers and traffic from the airbases came into her ears. And then…
"Ekk," Sanya cringed over what sounded like static in her ears. Because her ears were sensitive to electronic signals, it made sense that her ears were in pain.
"W-What?"
She hesitated for the moments jerking around for any unusual activity. She honestly had never experienced this kind of activity through her ears, as if they were going to rupture. Was this the Neuroi's doing? Or was it Germania's?
When she found nothing in the sky, Sanya descended to the ground. With the clouds in their way, it was possible that enemies would sneak under her from the bottom. It was a quick search for any moving shadows, but again, nothing came up. Still, it was something she couldn't just let slide.
"Sleepy," the Orussian Witch yawned as she eased her guard and returned to Dover. She decided to write a report for now and leave the rest to Minna. At the very least, it was better than not reporting this at all and being reprimanded for it later.
What she didn't realize was the source of the electronic disturbance. Within the distance, but under the clouds where the Witch couldn't see, an electrical storm sparked by the water. It was brief and lasted only for a few seconds, but it was enough to leave something behind. Drifting in the channel was a humanoid figure far too big to be an actual human. It resembled more like a machine, which had runes and lines that should glow. The machine was out of power for now, but it would not take long for someone to discover it. It was just a matter of when, and a question of how.
And that concludes the episode.
Next episode, I will introduce the following work from the roster. While there's a clue here, it'll be a while since it doesn't officially appear until the second part of the next episode.
Either way, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
