"After the Nadesico entered the Chulip on Mars, it literally vanished from the universe. Needless to say, the United Earth Forces were not too thrilled with the whole thing. They had wanted the Nadesico for their own use against the invading aliens known as the Jovian lizards. That brings us to where we are now. Nergal Heavy Industries is doing penance for sending the Nadesico out of this universe by building the UEAF a phase transition core battleship, the Samayahita. And that's where I come in. It's the duty of the science officer to inform the audience what has happened recently. Or maybe it's just that the author of this story has an fanboyish obsession with Ruri Hoshino."
Lieutenant Hitoshi Tsumiyagi, Science Officer of the Samayahita
A Destiny Star
Episode 2: Fake Fire, Fake Ice
Two weeks after Victor Nakasone, the Nergal liaison for the UEAF, had interviewed the crew of the battleship, the crew met in a Nergal simulation laboratory to practice strategic maneuvers and teamwork. Victor and Admiral Minamako were standing in the lobby of the Nergal Heavy Industries main office. It was 8:00 a.m. and so far none of the crew had shown up. The tests were scheduled to begin promptly at 8:00, but as the minute hand inched past the 12 on the clock, none had shown up. Victor was angrily tapping his foot against the ground, and the admiral was just leaning against the wall with a neutral expression on his face.
"Where the hell are they?" Victor shouted at last.
"Calm down Mr. Nakasone, it's only 8:03," the admiral soothed. "This is only a test, right? It's not like they are going into actual combat. A few minutes won't make a large difference."
"The hell it won't," Victor muttered under his breath. The admiral pretended not to hear. "Anyway, these people are supposed to be soldiers. It's not like they're civilians like the crew of the Nadesico. I would have expected better of them."
No sooner had he finished his sentence than Kadin Ara, the scientist contracted to the Samayahita, had kicked open the glass door at the entrance to the lobby. The door swung back, hit the wall, and shattered into a million sharp pieces.
"Oh my God," Victor sighed. "If this isn't the worst mistake I have ever made, I don't know what is." Kadin walked over and patted him on the back.
"Don't worry about it amigo," he said to Victor. "Nergal has more money than all of Asia. They should be able to pay for that little door." He grabbed Victor's shoulder and spun him around to look into his eyes. "Do you see what I mean?" he asked loudly. Victor nodded his head unhappily. The admiral smiled at the unusual show. "Anyway, I'm ready to begin the crazy tests," Kadin continued. Victor groaned and worked his way out of Kadin's grip.
"The only thing around here that's crazy is you," he replied angrily. "Anyway, you're the only one who has shown up. We're still waiting for everyone else."
"Here I am," someone said from behind them. The three of them turned to see Captain Dan Shroads standing in the doorway. "By the way, you're door is broken."
The admiral smiled and Victor sighed. "This is too much to bear right now." He looked at the captain. "Why the hell are you so late?" he shouted.
"Well I arrived at the building and was just about to park when I realized I'd forgotten my uniform at home. It was only a half-hour drive, but it was long enough that I ended up being late. I'm terribly sorry."
Victor sighed again. "It doesn't matter. You and Kadin are the only two who have shown up."
"Hello!" Kadin yelled loudly. "I'm the scientist that they got to work on your ship!" Dan smiled slightly at the outburst. Kadin ran up to Dan and shook his hand violently. Dan couldn't help but find him amusing. "I'm a scientist!" Kadin yelled as he let go of Dan's hand and stood proudly in front of him. Victor muttered something about not being able to deal with this and slid into a chair.
Seconds later, Sosuke Vakia, the communications officer, popped his head in the door. "Sorry I'm late. I was on the phone with my girlfriend. It seems she has a top secret assignment today and she just wanted to let me know it may be a while before she can see me again." Victor just waved his hand in the air acknowledging that he heard Sosuke. Sosuke joined Kadin and Dan in a conversation about how effective distortion fields were in certain conditions.
The next crewmember to arrive was Hitoshi Tsumiyagi, the science officer. "Sorry, I'm not a morning person," he said as he slowly walked in and sat in a chair. Dan walked up and introduced himself. Hitoshi shook his hand and the four crew members that had arrived began a conversation about the war.
"Hello, I'm here," another voice said. It was Hana Sazeda, the helmswoman. Sosuke turned around immediately, filled with surprise.
"Hana, this is your secret assignment?" he asked. She was just as surprised to see him.
"Yes, I'm the helmswoman of the Samayahita," she said, walking over and embracing him.
"I'm the communications officer and backup pilot," Sosuke replied, returning her hug.
"I'm so glad we won't be apart for the war," Hana said. Dan cleared his throat nervously. Hana blushed and let go of Sosuke. She turned and bowed to the admiral and said, "I'm sorry I'm so late. I was saying goodbye to Sosuke because I believed I wouldn't see him until the war was over. Fortunately, he's a member of the crew so I won't be far from him." She returned to his embrace and they sat in a chair together.
"Well, at least it seems my crew will get along well together," Dan said, relieved.
Victor began to get aggravated. "We're still missing our executive officer!" he shouted angrily.
Kato ran through the door at breakneck speed. "Sorry I'm late everyone!" he said, out of breath. "Last night my girlfriend Lara came over. I didn't sleep much, and my alarm's batteries went dead. I guess it doesn't matter now, though, since I'm here, right?" Everyone else agreed with him except Victor, who was sulking in his chair. He jumped up quickly after they had all quieted down.
"Alright everyone! Now that you're all finally here, it's time to begin the test," he said excitedly. "This is a test on how well you will work together. As the crew of the most powerful battleship under the control of the UEAF, you will need to work well together in order to utilize your power to the fullest extent. I was listening to your conversations while we were waiting for the rest of the crew to show up, and it's good to hear you have so much in common. It seems you have similar interests, which should help nurture your friendships. This is good, since you will be spending an undetermined amount of time in each other's companies."
"What he failed to mention is that we're also stuck with him, and none of us like him that much," Hitoshi whispered to Kadin. Kadin laughed extremely conspicuously, drawing Victor's attention. He glanced, but chose to ignore him.
"Now, you will all be placed in a mock up of the Samayahita's bridge section. From there, you will be put through the simulation. You will also meet your Aestivalis and Delphinium pilots soon. That will be arranged before the simulation begins. They have already arrived and will be participating in the simulation along with you. This simulation is very real, and you will be judged on how well you do as a crew. It is expected that you order your Aestivalis and Delphinium pilots to the best of your extent. It is also expected that no matter what may happen, you do not allow one of your crewmembers to become injured or die. In real life, we hope none of you would intentionally allow one of your allies to die, so don't do it here either. I believe that's everything I needed to brief you on. Please follow me and the admiral this way." Victor waved his hand in front of him and the small group began to walk down the hallway.
It wasn't long before they reached the end of the hallway. There was a door behind Victor marked "Sim Room." "Behind there is the mock up of the Samayahita's bridge," Victor said. "The seven pilots have already arrived inside. They will introduce themselves and then head off to the pilot simulator room where they will join your battle from there."
Victor opened the door and the small group walked in. They saw seven other people already inside. "Please introduce yourselves," Victor said. The first pilot went to speak, but before he could, Kadin shouted out.
"Hi Theo!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. He ran over and grabbed Theo by the shoulders and shook him around a little. Everyone but Victor found this amusing.
Victor moved in and broke the two of them up. "Do you know each other?" he asked.
Kadin waved his hands in front of him. "Oh sure, we go way back. We had the same parents and we were brothers. As a matter of fact, we still are, I think," he replied, putting his hand to his chin and staring off into space. Everyone laughed except Victor, who was seething.
"Let's just hope for everyone's sake that he isn't as strange as you are," he replied through barred teeth.
Theo walked forward and gave his brother a high-five. "Anyway," he said, "I'm Theo Ara. I'm a Delphinium pilot and Kadin's brother. We were both born on Mars and moved to Earth about a year before the war began. I'm 19 years old and my favorite dish is the Mars Bowl."
Victor nodded for Theo to return to the line. The next pilot walked forward. "My name is Shin Hiradeki," he said. "I was born in Japan 20 years ago, and I'm a huge fan of every Anime. My favorite is Gekigangar." Victor's ears pricked up. He whispered something to the admiral and then turned back to the pilots. He nodded to Shin to go back into the line.
The third pilot walked forward. "My name is Saito Hajime," he said. "I grew up on the moon, but me and my fiancée moved to Earth as soon as the war began. It's a good thing we did, because a Chulip fell on our old dome city. Everyone who remained was killed." Saito returned to the line and the next pilot came forth.
"My name is Nicole Viray, and I am 19 years old. I used to live in Southeast Asia, but now I live in Japan. I had been working for Nergal when the war started, and they trained me as a pilot. I am currently on loan to the UEAF." She returned to the line and the next pilot moved forward.
"My name is Eri Osato. I've always lived in western North America. I am 20 years old. I joined the war when my parents were killed by a falling Chulip." She looked kind of sad, and then stepped back into the line. The next one stepped forward.
"My name is Neji Kaminayo. I am 23 years old." He took off his glasses and wiped them with his shirt. "I really don't know what compelled me to join the war, but here I am. I'll do my best." He stepped back into the line, and the last pilot moved forward.
"My name is Jonathan Yergan. I am the second of the two Delphinium pilots. I am 19 years old, and I love giant robots with a passion."
Victor sighed. "Okay you seven, it's time for you to report to the robot training room. We're about to begin the simulation."
The seven pilots filed out of the door on the far side of the room. Victor turned to the bridge crew. "I assume you all know where to go. You have 15 minutes to prepare yourself and your stations before the simulation begins." Victor left the room and slammed the door behind him.
"He doesn't seem to thrilled that we're all a bunch of nut jobs," Hana said quietly. Everyone in the room laughed lightly.
The "bridge" of the Samayahita was pretty typical of the bridges of battleships built by Nergal. The bridge was divided into tiers. On the first tier, any non-bridge personnel could stand or sit and observe. There were consoles scattered around the edge of the first tier for officers to assist during combat situations. About two vertical feet and a wall separated the second tier from the first. The wall had three consoles on the back. The communications officer sat on the right, the science officer sat in the middle, and the helmsman/woman sat on the left, assuming you were facing the rear wall. The top tier had a single control panel in the center and chairs off to the left and right. The control panel was for the captain, and the left chair was for the executive officer. The right chair was not assigned to any particular person, but it was assumed that the admiral would sit there. It was not very dissimilar from the Nadesico's bridge, except the room was slightly larger and the view window stretched farther around the perimeter of the room.
Dan took his position on the top tier in front of his console. Kato joined him, sitting nearby in the executive officer chair. The admiral stood to the left of the captain to observe. Hitoshi seated himself in the science officer chair. Sosuke sat on Hitoshi's left in the communications officer seat, and Hana sat on his right as the helmswoman. Sosuke and Hana sent a few blown kisses across to each other, making Hitoshi, who was right in the middle, feel very uncomfortable. Kadin Ara stood to the right of the captain as an observer. Kadin's job was to explain anything and everything that he was asked to by any of the bridge crew.
Dan spoke up. "I know this is the first time we've actually met each other, but I'm confident that we will do well as a crew. Just talking to you those few minutes made me believe that we will make an excellent team, not to mention good friends. I just want to wish everyone the best of luck." Dan paused impressively. "Now, who's ready to go and kick some simulated butt?" The bridge crew called their affirmatives to the captain. "Then let's get everything set up. Please introduce yourselves to the controls. Hitoshi, get acquainted with the computer system. Sosuke, please check the simulated frequencies to familiarize yourself with the real life ones. Hana, familiarize yourself with the maneuvering controls and secondary weapons systems. Kato, Kadin, please be prepared to give me your advice, opinions, and explanations."
Everyone set about to the tasks given to them. Sosuke was able to familiarize himself with the communication frequencies quickly and easily. Hana checked the positions of the controls, which were slightly different from a standard battleship. Most noticeably was the fact that the ship was faster and more powerful. Hitoshi was rather surprised that the computers he had been trained all his life to operate were actually quite sentient. This computer wasn't as smart or powerful as the one that would be on the real Samayahita, but it was still very powerful.
Victor came on over the loudspeaker. "The test will now begin. This test will take place on a simulated arctic environment. That's all the information you need for now. Aestivalis pilots, just keep in mind that there won't be much traction for your land frames, so be careful."
The view screens that surrounded the bridge came to life. The scene was a snowy landscape not unlike Antarctica.
"Captain," Hitoshi said almost immediately, "there is a Jovian Chulip approaching from one-o'clock high. The computer is unable to determine whether or not there is a danger of collision. I suggest we move before impact."
"That's a good idea," Dan replied. "Miss Hana, please move us to a safe distance."
Hana cracked her knuckles and began pressing buttons. "Here's a map of the safest areas to move us to," Hitoshi said. A window popped up in midair and Hitoshi slid it over to her. She glanced at it and finished pressing buttons. The "ship" took off like a shot.
"Damn," Kato said. "I didn't know a ship could move that fast. If this simulation is accurate, we're going to be in control of an immensely powerful vehicle."
Hana pressed a few more buttons and the ship spun around 180-degrees and came to a grinding halt. On the simulated screen, the Chulip slammed into the ground at terminal velocity. "I'm detecting numerous arthropod fighters streaming from the Chulip," Hitoshi said. "Should I tell the Aestivalis to launch now?"
"Yes, please do that. While you're at it, can you get a count on how many Jovians are out there?"
Hitoshi opened a few more windows around him. He then closed them and opened seven windows that showed the seven pilots. "I guess that since this is a ground battle, Theo and Jonathan won't be able to launch, but the rest of you are supposed to go now." Shin Hiradeki gave a thumbs up and closed the communications window. Saito Hajime nodded his head and signed off. Nicole Viray said, "I'm now launching," before closing the window. Neji just closed the window without saying anything. Eri smiled and waved her hand in front of her before closing the window.
"All five Aestivalis have now launched," Sosuke said as the simulated Aestivalis flew past the bridge.
"I have an approximate number of Jovian robot fighters," Hitoshi said. "I think there are about 100 total. They don't have shielding, but they have more maneuverability than the real thing."
Kato stood up. "Tell two pilots to approach from the left, and two pilots to approach from the right. One pilot needs to run right down the middle and fire into the cloud of arthropods in order to draw their attention. By doing this, we should be able to surround and destroy them easily."
A window appeared in front of the bridge crew with Shin's face on it. "I'll head down the middle, but the other guys need to cover me," he said.
A second window with Neji appeared. "I'll do my best. Since the Jovians don't have shields in this sim, they won't be able to block our machine gun fire, but they are faster than usual. Make sure you compensate as you aim your shots." The two windows disappeared.
Victor smiled to himself. He was monitoring the whole thing from the other room. "Let's see how well the Gekigangar fan handles his Aestivalis."
Shin flew right down the center and fired up into the cluster of Jovian arthropods. "Let's see how you like this!" he said loudly to himself. He destroyed about five of them, but drew the attention of all of them. They all began flying straight towards him. "Ah damn it! I could really use some cover now!"
"We're not into position yet," Nicole said over the communicator. "Give us about 30 more seconds."
"Don't bother to wait until you're in position," Dan called out. "Divert their attention from Hiradeki. That's what teamwork is all about!" Four windows opened up with the four other pilots' faces. They each affirmed the message and closed their windows again. As soon as the windows closed, the four pilots that were to the side of the swarm began to fire. This drew the attention of the enemy off of Shin and on to the other four pilots. Many of the arthropods began to fire missiles at the Aestivalis. Fortunately the Aestivalis pilots were easily able to dodge the missiles, or shoot the missiles out of the sky. Now that all five Aestivalis were in the fight, the swarm of arthropods was dropping rapidly.
Dan spoke up. "I want the gravity blast cannon fired at the Chulip. We can't allow any more Jovians through."
Hitoshi opened a few windows and then closed them again. "Yes sir. Gravity blast cannon online. Sosuke, could you tell the Aestivalis to clear the way for the cannon? I'd rather not kill anyone on purpose, but if it's an accident then I have no problem with it." Hitoshi smiled and Sosuke laughed.
"All Aestivalis pilots, clear the way for the gravity blast cannon," Sosuke commanded.
"Hold on a sec! I've got a Jovian right up my ass over here!" Shin shouted over the communications link. Everyone watched intently out the window. A "grasshopper" unit was chasing Shin across the tundra. He quickly jumped into the air, did a flip, fired his arm into the grasshopper unit, and threw it into the dwindling swarm of enemies. Afterwards, he landed on his feet and moved to a safe location under the ship.
"He certainly shows off a lot, but at least he's got enough skills to back himself up," Hana said as she steered the bow of the ship towards the Chulip. "Chulip at 12 o'clock. How's the gravity blast cannon doing?"
Hitoshi opened a few windows and sent one to the captain, one to Kato, and one to Hana. "It's all ready. Should I fire now?"
Dan cracked a smile. "Go for it," he said. Hitoshi placed his hands on the computer console. The nano-implants on his hands glowed as Hitoshi took control of the ship's functions.
"Now firing the gravity blast cannon. With any luck, we should all probably brace for impact from the exploding Chulip." Everyone on the bridge heard the simulated sound of the gravity blast cannon charging up. It was just about to fire when Hitoshi interrupted. "Uh-oh..."
Kato raised an eyebrow. "'Uh-oh?' Why 'Uh-oh?'"
Hitoshi looked up at him. "There's a huge distortion field coming through the Chulip. I can't guarantee that the gravity blast will hit before the distortion field comes through."
Kadin looked ahead. "Whoa! It's a Jovian battle cruiser!" he said excitedly. "The size of the distortion field and the signature of bose particles it releases is unmistakable." He finished and laughed crazily.
"Let's just keep our fingers crossed that we hit it before it comes through," Hitoshi replied. "We aren't going to get many chances to fire." He paused as he concentrated on his task. Finally, he announced, "Gravity blast cannon fire in three...two...one...now!" The area under the bridge glowed, and the black, static filled beam fired from the barrel on the underside of the ship. Everyone held their breath. Half of the remaining grasshoppers were destroyed before the gravity blast made contact. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the beam struck the Chulip. Everyone watched as the beam impacted, and the dissipated.
"It didn't work?" Sosuke asked loudly. Everyone watched the Chulip intently. Seconds after the blast hit the Chulip, the location of impact began to collapse. Less than a second later, the entire Chulip exploded. The five Aestivalis pilots finished the final grasshoppers and everyone became calm again.
"Please give a status report," Dan said to Hitoshi.
"It seems there has been no damage to either ourselves or the Aestivalis," he replied. "I'd say we did fairly well, wouldn't you Captain?"
Dan smiled. "Yeah! Not to brag, but we owned those aliens."
Kadin replied with a loud, "Whoa and stuff!" Everyone laughed.
"It's certainly going to be fun hanging out with you guys, despite the fact that we'll be in battles most of the time," Sosuke said to the rest of them.
"Uh-oh," Hitoshi said again. Everyone looked at him.
A communication window with Saito Hajime's face popped up. "Now what is it?" he asked.
"It's another Chulip. It's going to impact about 10 kilometers away off our port side. Captain, we need orders."
Dan glanced down at Hana, who was already looking up at him. She turned back to the controls and began aiming the battleship towards the burning object entering the atmosphere. The ship slowly began to move, but was rapidly picking up speed.
A new window popped up in front of Hitoshi. "Fifteen seconds until impact."
Dan looked down at Sosuke. "Recall the Aestivalis. They won't be able to keep up with us when we start moving." Sosuke complied and told the five pilots to return to the hangar as soon as possible.
"Impact in three...two...one..." Hitoshi began. When the Chulip finally did land, the sound of impact filled the bridge.
"How long until we can fire another gravity blast shot?" Dan asked.
"It will be another minute or so, but I doubt we'll have time to worry about that," Hitoshi replied. He finished his sentence as the Chulip began to split open. "It's the same bose particle signature as before," he said. "Like Mr. Ara said earlier, the distortion field is the same size as one of a large Jovian cruiser. Not only that, but the Chulip is probably not going to finish there. As long as it's open, the Chulip will probably spawn several battleships."
Dan looked at Kato and then looked back at the Chulip. "Raise the distortion field, Hitoshi. We're certainly not going to tackle that thing defenseless." The control panel underneath Hitoshi's hands lit up and a new window popped up.
"Distortion fields stable at 93 Captain," Hitoshi said. "Gravity blast cannon fully charged, but the Jovians have a distortion field comparable to our own. I don't think the gravity blast cannon would do any good against it. Fortunately, theirs won't be able to pierce our distortion field."
The purple Jovian battleship fully emerged from the Chulip and turned towards the simulated battleship. The front of it began to glow yellow. Seconds later, a large yellow gravity blast was fired from it. The gravity blast ricocheted off of the distortion field of the simulated Samayahita. "Distortion field down by 7," Hitoshi said.
"It's time to re-launch the Aestivalis. Sosuke, please tell them to head out," Dan said quickly. Sosuke complied with the orders and the five Aestivalis reappeared on the view screen from beneath the ship. "If you can draw their grasshoppers away from the Samayahita, you'll buy us some time to figure something out."
The Aestivalis took off again. The Jovian battleship began to launch grasshoppers, just as Dan suspected. The Aestivalis hit the ground and began firing at the newly spawned arthropod units. The grasshoppers were dropping fairly quickly, but the Aestivalis were having a hard time dodging the fire that the Jovians were dealing.
"Massive increase in bose particle emission, Captain," Hitoshi said quickly. "Another battleship is coming through the Chulip." As the battleship emerged from the Chulip, both ships fired gravity blast cannons at the Samayahita. "Distortion field at 78."
Dan turned to look at hana. "Quickly retreat a short distance. When we've gone far enough, I will instruct everyone on what to do next."
Sosuke turned around to look up at Dan. "And what of the Aestivalis?"
"We're not going far. They can continue their battle there."
The window showed them the ship turning away from the Jovian ships. The simulated landscape slowly slid under the window.
"Where are you guys going?" A window popped up in front of the bridge crew showing Eri's confused face.
"We'll be back. Try not to die." Hitoshi smiled as he closed the communication line. "As you expected, Captain, the Jovian ships are following us."
Kato stood up and looked down to Hana. "In 30 seconds, please turn the ship in a long arc. If the Jovians keep following us, we should have a clear shot at the Chulip with the gravity blast cannon without the enemy ships' distortion fields blocking it." Hana began to enter the data for the turn. A window popped up in front of the bridge showing the angle at which the ship was turning.
"So far the Jovians are oblivious," Sosuke said. "I just hope it stays that way."
Nearly a minute into the curve, the Jovians must have figured out what they were doing, because the Samayahita was pelted with gravity blast rounds. Hitoshi looked up at Dan. "The distortion fields are still holding at 60 Captain, but they're beginning to become unstable. There are too many shots hitting too rapidly in the exact same place. If there is a breach, the Jovians are going to hit our phase transition engines and we're going to fail. If that happens, that obnoxious Nergal lackey is going to laugh at us and I'm going to want to kick his ass across this mock up of the Samayahita's bridge. So for his sake, please order the strike soon."
Dan smiled. "Just a few more seconds and the Jovians won't be able to get in front of us. Victor won't have any just cause to laugh at us as long as we stay focused." The communication window in the middle of the room showed that the ship had almost turned fully around. Everyone watched anxiously as the angle between the gravity blast cannon and the Chulip lowered. "On my mark, fire the gravity blast cannon. Three...two...one...mark!"
Three windows popped up in front of Hitoshi and then disappeared. "Now firing." The nano-implants on the back of his hands shone the colors of the rainbow. The sounds of the gravity blast cannon powering up filled the bridge. A second later, the black, static filled beam shot out from under the bridge and glided through the air. It struck the Chulip dead center, and the Chulip exploded.
"Chulip destroyed, and distortion fields holding at 58," Hitoshi reported. "The Jovians still continue to pursue us, but appear to be out of grasshoppers. Their distortion fields are at over 75 power, and our gravity blast cannon won't be charged up for a few minutes. What should we do?"
Kato spoke up. "We'll use the Aestivalis to slip under their distortion fields and damage their phase transition engines. They'll crash and we'll be able to finish them off with the gravity blast cannon."
"How do we get the Aestivalis through the distortion field?" Sosuke asked.
Kadin jumped over the top of the tier and landed right next to Sosuke. He grabbed him in a headlock and a window popped up in front of them displaying a Jovian battleship with a distortion field. "At a certain angle, and Aestivalis can cut through a distortion field using its blade weapon!" he shouted. "It's just like re-entry, 'cept without fire!" He let go of Sosuke and climbed back up to the upper tier of the bridge rapidly.
"Well, that sounds like a good plan," Dan said. "Hitoshi, please have the computer figure the angle required to cut through the distortion field. We need to get this information to the Aestivalis."
Hitoshi's nano-implants glowed and several windows popped up around him. "Here you go, Sosuke," he said, sliding one of them over to him.
Sosuke opened five windows with the faces of the Aestivalis pilots. "I'm sending you the data now. You're going to have to try to cut through their distortion fields and attack their PT engines. If you hit the distortion fields with your blades at this angle, you should be able to break through them."
Neji's Aestivalis took the lead. The other four followed as he streaked across the simulated landscape. "Shin and Eri will attack the battleship closest to our position, and me, Nicole, and Saito will attack the one closest to our ship." The other pilots acknowledged and the two groups split up.
Shin and Eri both boosted into the air as high as they could go. After reaching the apex of their jump, they approached from both sides of the battleship and boosted forward. They slowly pushed their way through the distortion field until they broke through. They cut across the phase transition engines and began dropping to the ground. The PT engines of the Jovian battleship exploded and the ship dropped to the ground, exploding violently.
"All right!" Shin said, boosting to slow his descent to the ground. "I bet you can't top that Neji!"
The other Aestivalis team also leapt high into the air. Nicole approached on the left side of the battleship, Saito Hajime on the right, and Neji dropped from the top. Nicole and Saito pushed forward and carved their way into the distortion field. Neji dropped straight down and used gravity to push his blade through the top of the field. Saito and Nicole cut through the PT engines and the distortion field collapsed as a result. Neji drove his blade into the top of the ship and then jumped to the side. The Samayahita turned around and faced the final Jovian battleship. "Here comes gravity blast cannon, take three!" Hitoshi called out as he began the firing sequence. The sound of the gravity blast cannon charging up filled the room. Once again, the black beam fired from beneath the ship. It hit the Jovian ship dead center, causing it to explode in a huge ball of fire.
"I hope that's the end of the Chulips," Sosuke sighed. Everyone murmured agreements.
"Well, at least we passed the simulation. I enjoyed working with you guys...and girl," Dan said. "I suppose we can recall the Aestivalis, but if the simulation is over, then I guess that's really a moot point."
Sosuke recalled the Aestivalis for form's sake and the pilots all complied. The display that surrounded the front of the bridge shut down, leaving only a gray screen. Victor opened the door and walked in. The seven pilots were right behind him.
"You've all done wonderful!" Victor said emphatically. Captain Shroads, you're a natural leader. Mr. Fatomiyo, you're a brilliant tactician. Miss Hana, you're a wonderful helmswoman. Mr. Vakia, you're a fast and able communications officer. Mr. Tsumayagi, you're a powerful science officer. Mr. Ara, you're a wise scientist. You're the best, and you have passed with flying colors."
"What about us?" Shin asked.
Victor turned to the row of pilots behind him. "You're all such able pilots! Who would have guessed that such powerful pilots are only now discovered at this point in the war? I'm very impressed at your performance." Victor shook Shin and Neji's hands and then turned back to the bridge crew. "This will be all of the training required for today. I expect to see you at the same time tomorrow to resume combat training."
Victor bowed to everyone and walked off of the mock up, leaving the crew to show themselves out of the building. The admiral left without a word almost immediately, but the rest stayed behind and talked. It wasn't long before the subject strayed to everyone's favorite Nergal lackey.
"It's fairly obvious that that Nakasone guy is up to something," Shin said. "Not to mention the fact that he's got something against Gekigangar. Go figure, huh?"
"I have to admit that I'd be hard pressed to find a time when Nergal wasn't up to something," Dan sighed. "But because of the fact that this is their building and it's probably wired for sound, I'm not going to elaborate." As soon as Shin heard that, he slammed his hand over his mouth, regretting saying what he had said.
"It's not like they can fire us though. We're working for the UEAF, not Nergal," Sosuke said confidently.
"Nevertheless," Kato said quietly, "they have a great influence over the UEAF, and I'm beginning to think that you-know-who has a great influence over Admiral Minamako."
"If we're going to complain, we should probably do it outside where there is a smaller chance we're being spied on," Hitoshi suggested. The rest of the crew agreed and began to walk out of the building. Victor walked up to the group on their way out.
"Just one moment," he said. Everyone held their breath. "I needed to give the captain this dossier. It gives the names and some information about the other people on the crew. I think he should look it over during the next few weeks." The group eased up after he finished his sentence. Dan accepted the folder and gave his thanks. Victor watched as they exited the building through the door that Kadin had broken earlier.
"Those fools have no idea what's going on here," Victor thought to himself. "We're even playing that high ranking admiral for a fool. They may suspect I'm up to something, but they have no clue how big it's going to be."
TO BE CONTINUED...