Episode 10 - Akatsubaki
Time: 6:30 AM, July 7th
Location: Kanucha Resort
"Huff…huff…"
"Come on, Ichika, just one more lap!"
"Easy for you to say, Davion..!"
The mechanic laughed as he jogged beside the panting boy, having slowed down his pace just so he wouldn't leave him behind. Even though they were in a resort, the younger teen had to do his workout routine.
Luckily, Kanucha had a gym.
…Which they weren't using, and instead were doing some cardio around the massive resort.
Seeing that there were a bunch of benches up ahead, the gray-eyed teen gave him a bit of mercy as he slowed down to a leisurely walk. "Alright, I guess we can stop short. I'm really not feeling like finishing our routine today."
"Huff…really?" Ichika stopped, bending over and taking his time to recover his breath. "Oh thank God…I feel like puking."
"Just be glad that it wasn't Ryo that was your cardio trainer for today." Davion chuckled as he crossed his arms. "He'd call a 4km run a 'warm up'."
"Speaking of which…" The Byakushiki pilot took a deep breath and straightened, wiping some sweat off of his forehead. "Where is he? Out on a run or something?"
"No, I think he's off wandering somewhere." The mechanic provided, looking out towards the distant beach with a stilted smile. "He wasn't in the room when I woke up."
"Oh."
They walked in comfortable silence to the bench, with Ichika quickly sitting down and stretching his legs with a light groan. He broke the silence shortly after with a sigh.
"Oh man, I wonder when's the right time to give Houki her gift..?"
"Right, her birthday's today…" Davion hummed as he pulled his phone out, his expression easing from a jovial nature to a more subdued one. "Yeah, I wonder too…"
"What gift did you buy her?" Ichika asked, curious on what the mechanic could have bought for someone that didn't like him.
"I didn't buy anything. I made her something." The gray-eyed teen huffed, tapping away on his phone as he received and answered a few morning texts from Kanzashi. "A tsuba with camellia patterns for her shinai. It's…sort of an olive branch from me."
"Wow, I think she'd like that a lot." Ichika was a bit wide-eyed from his words. "I often forget that you can forge stuff. Hey, do you think you can make me a gun?"
That got the mechanic's attention as he looked away from his phone, a curious twinkle in his eyes. "What kind of gun? Because in order for me to start, I need to know what type you want it to be. Do you want it like a launcher-type weapon, like the Gae Bulg?"
Ichika shuddered at the mention of the terror weapon and shook his head. "No no! Just…something small, like one I can hold and shoot with one hand reliably. Like a pistol! But…eh…" He scratched the back of his head. "Maybe something that packs more of a punch."
"A pistol…" Davion tapped his chin, occasionally glancing at his phone, displaying news on the RIMPAC. "Ballistic or beam?"
"Oh, a beam pistol would be really great, but that would take from the Byakushiki's energy stores." Sighing, the pilot of said IS hung his head. "Ballistic is good and all, but I don't think there would be a pistol caliber big enough to affect the IS' shielding. At least, that's what Yamada-sensei said."
"Typical small arms can't penetrate the IS' Energy Shields, yes…" Gray eyes narrowed before they looked around for any eavesdroppers. "Then how about something like a hand cannon then?"
"Oh, that might work! But… I might actually break my wrist firing it, heh, I kinda need them to use my sword."
"Hm… it's either that or-"
Taking a discreet glance around them, it was still early in the morning, with most guests still asleep. What little that was up and about were doing their own exercise or simply going on an early morning stroll, and none of them were nearby.
"Alright, listen." Davion started with a whisper, leaning closer to the younger teen. "I may have a solution for your energy problem. Let's just say that I may have created something that can help create a beam weapon that won't feed on your limited energy reserves."
"Whoa, seriously?" Ichika whispered back in a conspiratorial tone. "That's great! But… why are we whispering?"
"It's tech that could change the world." The mechanic answered gravely, his expression serious. "One that has might possibly tear everything we know asunder."
The younger teen began to pale, a twisting sensation in the pit of his stomach making itself known. "'Tear asunder'..? O-Oi, don't tell me it's anything bad like…like nuclear, right?"
Davion merely narrowed his eyes, and Ichika's heart leapt to his throat.
"Right?!"
"Maybe, maybe not." The gray-eyed teen kept being vague. "With this tech, however, your 'theoretical' future beam pistol will have its own generator and won't have to be reloaded."
Sweating, the IS pilot grabbed him by his arm. "Hey, c'mon, don't scare me like this! I don't want to blow up!"
"It won't be like that." Davion removed the hand on his arm, his tone firm to reassure his friend. "But if you don't want to, then I won't make it. What I'm saying is just the first idea, a weapon you won't have to reload. The second is a traditional weapon system, a beam pistol that you can reload with energy packs. Marginally safer, but you'd waste time having to put the new battery in."
"W-Will it blow up too..?"
The mechanic stared deadpan at the nervous teen. "Ichika, we're dealing with directed energy weapons here. Even traditional weaponry has a chance to blow up. What I'll do is to make sure the chances of it happening is slim to none. But there is still a possibility that it'll malfunction or some outside force makes it go… well, 'boom'."
"On second thought… I think I'll stick with the Yukihira for now."
"For now, hmm?"
Leaving it at that, the two fell into a comfortable silence as Ichika caught his breath. Glancing at his friend, he noted that, unlike the last two days in their stay in the resort, this time, he had the fingerless gloves that were the Closed-Form of his Astray.
Seeing that…kind of caused him to be a bit worried.
"Hey, you're wearing the gloves now." He noted, keeping his tone casual. "Not gonna swim today?"
Davion glanced up at him before focusing back on the news on his phone. "Nah, I've had enough of wading around in the water for this week. I'm gonna stick inside and study, I've been slacking and Yamada-sensei is not happy with me. Kanzashi's gonna help me catch up."
There was…something in his tone that felt off to Ichika, but hearing about the usually nice and lenient green-haired teacher being mad at the mechanic was something he did not expect.
"Wait, really?" His eyes widened briefly, turning his head to look at the Astray pilot. "How did you manage that?"
"Hey, don't assume that I did it on purpose" Gray eyes looked at him in slight annoyance. "I just got too busy upgrading the Astrays and making new tech that doing and passing assignments slipped my mind. I've just been sleeping in classes lately."
"Really? I didn't realize, I mean, I'm at the front so…"
Facepalming, Davion groaned quietly.
"By the way… Sahaku-san also wasn't there when I woke up earlier."
"I noticed." His friend nodded, looking none too worried about the blonde having seemingly disappeared. "He's probably doing his own thing somewhere, or maybe the staff pulled him aside for a talk. I mean, his sisters' are also here, so maybe he's spending time with them."
The mention of sisters brought back a memory of the previous day when he had met the blonde's sisters after their study/snacking session in the cottage.
Kazahana Aja was adorable, to put it simply, as well as highly energetic and highly intelligent. She understood their studies, she understood Calculus, when she was just in Grade School. It was kind of terrifying.
And then there was Lath Winslet, who had come by to pick Kazahana up. He remembered something about the Winslet World Concern having had to hire mercenaries to protect their aid missions in the Middle-East a few years back which stirred some controversy. Though, he could only remember because of one of his friend's comments about the orangette being 'stunningly beautiful'.
So when he met her face to face…well, he couldn't really deny those words. 'Beautiful' was a word that someone could easily attach to the Scandinavian, with him personally adding the title of 'Princess' to that repertoire. She was graceful, polite, and quite doting on Kazahana. There was also this air of danger around her, the same kind that both Chifuyu and Ephraim had, if a bit muted.
Siblings indeed…
Bzzt! Bzzt!
The phone in the mechanic's hand vibrated and caught both of their attention. Davion quickly accessed the new message and, upon reading, furrowed his brows briefly.
"...Hm. I see, so he found it…"
"'Found it'?" Ichika asked, a brow raised in question. "And who's 'he'? Ryo?"
"Ephraim." Pocketing his phone, the taller teen stood up and popped his knuckles. "I guess it's time, huh…" He muttered to nobody in particular, somewhat worrying the IS pilot with his words. "Didn't even have breakfast yet…"
"Wait, what do you mean?" The cheerful nature of the mechanic seemed to have been sapped away, instead being replaced with an air of seriousness and…annoyance?
"Ichika, who's Houki's sister?"
The Byakushiki pilot looked up at him in slight confusion before thinking about the question.
'The Professor is her sister but what does…' His brows then furrowed as he cupped his chin. 'Wait, today's Houki's birthday, so-"
Ichika's eyes widened.
"Oh."
Time: 6:45 AM, July 7th
Location: Forest South-East of Kanucha Resort
Deciding that it was better to go immediately than wake the others up, the two of them set off where Ephraim had found 'it'. Apparently, he had sent coordinates to Davion, so they had to hike it for 10 or so minutes through the patch of forest South-East of the resort.
Luckily, there was a footpath that they followed, rarely used if the grass overtaking where there was once dirt was any indication.
Traveling through the greenery with the sunrise shining through was quite the atmosphere, one that Ichika would have appreciated were it not for the tense silence of the mechanic. It had been worrying him since they left the resort, and he wanted to ask just why he looked like he was going into a battle.
'...U-Unless…there is one?!'
Gulping, the IS pilot quickened his pace so that he was side to side with the mechanic. "Hey, uh, Davion…what exactly is 'it'? Does it relate to the Professor in some way?"
"Yes." The muscular teen nodded as he looked around with narrowed eyes, using his enhanced senses to spot for any trouble. "Ephraim was being vague about it, which is odd, but this thing definitely relates to her in some way."
Snap.
Immediately, Ichika found himself pulled behind the Astray pilot as he whirled around, white-gold motes gathering in his free hand. A blink later, and there was a pistol in his hand, an M1911 if he was guessed right.
"Come out." Davion demanded the figure that was behind some foliage, just as the younger teen quantized the Yukihira. "Or I'll shoot."
"As if that will work, and really? An M1911?" The figure deadpanned, stepping out to the side and revealing the white and red tsubas by their sides.
Lowering their weapons, both boys breathed a small sigh of relief. "Damn it, could you not sneak up on us like that?" The mechanic grumbled as his pistol dissipated. "And it's a Grizzly Mark 5, not your precious M1911."
The swordsman shrugged, looking past them with eyes that were slightly bloodshot. "Let's go. It's up ahead. So my eyes really weren't playing tricks on me when I saw it while looking around."
"Saw what?" Ichika inserted.
"You'll see."
Ichika noted that the courier looked like he hadn't slept. He had faint eyebags, there was a slight tiredness in his tone, and his eyes looked restless. There was also a slight sluggishness in his actions. Drowsiness would be more accurate, which was very unlike his usual demeanor.
Davion seemed to notice it too, as his gray eyes looked him up and down, and formed a similar conclusion as Ichika.
"You didn't get any sleep?" The mechanic asked, motioning for Ichika to hide away his blade.
"Maybe…" Ryo sighed as he walked past them, pulling out his headphones from his hoodie's pocket and placing them around his neck. "Thought that it might be a good day for an early morning stroll."
Like Davion, there was something odd in his voice when he said his reason, which only further heightened the suspicion of the IS pilot.
"Okay, seriously, what's with you guys today?" The younger swordsman asked as he walked between the two. "You're all tense and it's making me tense too."
The two Astray pilots shared a glance before Ryo sighed quietly. "Don't worry about it too much… well, maybe you should, but not right now."
"Is this something about the professor?"
"Yeah."
"I knew it, I can only guess, but it's about her possibly visiting today?"
"Yep." The mechanic grumbled, running a gloved hand through his hair. "Let me tell you a secret, Ichika. Us Astray pilots? We don't particularly like her."
The shorter teen looked at the two of them in incredulity. They didn't like her? Their sponsor?
"Why?" He asked, confused with their stance to someone they should normally be thankful for. "Isn't she, y'know, your superior or whatever? Your sponsor? The one who gave you the training to pilot the suits?"
"Yeah, sure." Ryo muttered, rolling his eyes. "You can say that."
"She may have done those…things, yes." Davion glanced away for a moment before pulling his phone out again. "But the only thing you need to know is that we don't really feel obligated to like her for it. That's all we can tell you for now. She might be listening."
"Wha-?"
Rustle…
Ichika tensed and raised his hand, intent on summoning his blade once again, but stopped when the other swordsman put a hand on his shoulder.
"Enjoying the show?" Ryo called out to the source of the sound.
"Partly."
'That voice..!'
Looking up into the canopy, his eyes scanned for the source, intent on finding the unnatural color amongst the sea of green.
"Sahaku-san?" Ichika called out, turning his head this way and that. "Are you here?"
"Hah," Ephraim's amused chuckle was heard amidst the noise of the wind blowing against the leaves. "You look up first. Smart. It's good to see that you're not foolish when looking for hidden opponents."
His voice seemed to come from a patch of trees before them, but he just couldn't see a speck of blonde in the leaves.
'Just how..?'
Thud!
The sound of boots meeting the ground entered his ears and not a second later, the Gold Frame's pilot walked out from behind one of the bigger trees a few feet in front of them.
He was wearing a plain white shirt that lightly clung to his frame, black pants that oddly had leaves sticking to it, and what seemed to be combat boots. There was a lollipop stick in his mouth that swished about, earbuds in his ears, and his phone in his hand.
Despite the small smile on his lips, there was a sense of wrongness around his calm expression. There was no humor present or even a sign of positive emotion in the sparking purples. Just a tense atmosphere that was like standing on a live wire.
"Follow me." The blonde simply instructed, turning around and walking further into the forest, away from the faint foot path they've been following.
Ryo followed behind the spearman, trying to cover up a small yawn as he did so. Sharing a short look with the mechanic, the two of them followed after them.
…
"So uh, Sahaku-san… I'm curious, what were you doing before we arrived?" Ichika asked, looking to break the silence and tenseness between all of them.
"Vibing." The blonde hummed, his hands in his pockets as he led the way. "Listening to music."
"Oh…cool…What were you listening to?"
"Jake Hill."
"State of Mind again?"
"Hiding in the Dark."
Ichika blinked, unfamiliar with the title. "Oh uh…is it good?"
"Yeah," There was an obvious smile in the scarred teen's voice, alongside something that the Byakushiki pilot just couldn't put a finger on. "It's really good."
"...Okay."
And then there was silence between all of them once again. Which is, again, unnatural, considering that Ryo usually tends to whistle or hum while nobody is talking. Now, he was staring straight ahead, headphones lying unused resting around his neck.
It only served to worry Ichika even more with how tense they all felt.
…
The leaves and branches crunching and snapping underneath their feet almost became rhythmic, like they were in a march, and Ichika quickly found his mind wandering.
'Why exactly don't these three like the Professor?' He glanced at the three of them briefly. 'I mean, I get that her personality is a bit annoying to deal with, but for them to react so negatively…'
Perhaps they had some differences, a falling out maybe?
Something might have happened during their 'training' with the Professor that caused this rift between them…
"Alright, we're here." Ephraim announced as they came across a small clearing.
Walking past the rest, he looked around for anything out of the ordinary.
"...I don't see anything."
"Look down." Ryo muttered behind him, sounding exasperated.
Following his instructions, the Byakushiki pilot looked down…
"...Huh?"
…and found himself staring at a pair of odd metal rabbit ears sticking out of the ground. There was a wooden sign behind it with scribbles of carrots and hearts alongside the words 'Please pull me!'.
…
"Are you serious?"
"There's a reason why I didn't pull that when I found it." Ephraim deadpanned, already stepping back and leaning against a nearby tree with his arms crossed. "I wanted to convene to see what we should do about that."
"I really wish that I was seeing things now. It feels all surreal." The courier muttered, a hand on his face.
"Then what should we do with it?"
"Bury it." Davion grumbled, already kicking up a pile of dirt next to it. "Bury it and forget about it."
"No, we're not doing that." Ryo sighed, shaking his head slightly. "She already knows that we found it and is going to show up either way. So let's get this over with and— not it."
"Not it." The blonde quickly shot off after, a toothy smirk on his lips.
"Not it!" The mechanic took a leap back away from the ears, pocketing his hands as he did so.
"... Oh you bastards." Ichika growled, dragging a hand down his face. So much for wanting to talk about what to do! "I can't believe you've done this."
"Sorry, Orimura," Ephraim grinned, looking totally unapologetic in the shadows of the tree. "You gotta be faster than that."
"I wouldn't worry too much." The courier pinched the bridge of his nose and blinked several times. "We'll save you if something happens."
"Uh… don't you mean 'we got your back'?"
"We'll save you." Davion nodded, his lips curling into a determined frown.
Sighing, Ichika swore under his breath and bent down to grasp the ears. "This better not be something stupid..!" He began to pull, gritting his teeth as he found an unexpected resistance.
"Hrnnng!"
"Lift with your legs!" The mechanic advised.
"I…am! It's tough! Come on...Hraaaagh!"
"Alright, move aside, I'll help you out!"
Crunch…crunch…
Looking over to his left, the courier saw his friend's jaw moving as he finally munched down on the hard candy in his mouth. He was already in the process of pulling another out from his pocket, which was thankfully not strawberry.
"Hey." Ryo called out amidst the grunting of the two boys before them. "Pass me one. I need something to keep myself occupied with."
The blonde paused and glanced over to him, the hollow purples staring right through his empty and tired verdants before he shrugged. Reaching into his pocket, he then pulled something out and flicked it over at him.
Catching it without any problem, he turned over his hand and looked down at whatever it was.
"Huh." The courier blinked down at the candy bar in his hand. "Didn't expect you to have coffee chocolate."
"I don't bring only strawberry flavor, you know? Or lollipops for that matter." Ephraim shrugged, popping the blueberry lollipop into his mouth. "Sometimes someone needs a sweet that isn't my favorite. I'm just being considerate, that's all."
Opening his own, Ryo took an experimental taste and processed the rather strong taste before taking another bite of the bar. He hummed to himself before looking back at the blonde. "So, where have you been? Ichika said you weren't in the room there when he woke up."
"I was—" The taller teen paused, narrowing his eyes briefly before they looked away. "I had to do something first before finding this."
If he were a little more lucid, perhaps he would have trusted his senses when Ryo caught on to his friend's ever so brief clipped tone on his reply. But alas, he was not, so he simply concluded that his hearing was now getting affected.
"Please tell me it wasn't you drinking again."
"Hey, just because I do that sometimes doesn't mean I do it frequently, especially today…"
Rolling his eyes, Ryo tried to focus more on the flavor of his treat, which was slowly getting bland the longer he tasted it. "Reminds of the time that-" Muddled flashes of a rustic tavern flashed by his mind, alongside brief images of a leotard-clad astrologist. "You got kicked out of Angel's Share for being drunk on bartender duty."
The blonde looked at him in confusion, a brow raised. "What are you talking about?"
Turning his head to snark, he paused when he saw the genuine confusion on his friend's face. "… So it's happening to you too. It isn't just me." There was a twisting feeling in the pit of his stomach when his tired mind slowly realized the implications of said confusion. "Tell me, what's the first thing you remember when I say Diluc?"
"I…" There was a flash of recognition in those royal purples before the blonde's expression twisted in a mix of fear and realization. "Angel's Share… Fiery hair and crimson eyes…" Then came flashes of hazy memories that didn't feel real, yet he believed they were his own.
Ephraim was silent, his hollow purples staring into the ground in what looked like a trance. A hand hesitantly rose up, hovering over the side of his head as if unsure on its own course of action.
"…" Walking closer to the taller teen and ignoring how his expression seemed to fluctuate between distress and anger, the courier took a brief look around to see if they had any eavesdroppers. Placing a hand on his shoulder in an effort to comfort the blonde, he whispered gravely "Something is happening to us. Something that…probably has to do with this world. I think we're going native-"
POP!
"Gah!"
"Fucking finally!"
Fortunately, or unfortunately, the sound of Ichika and Davion's fall snatched their attention. Turning their heads to the two, they found them on their rear, each holding one of the ears in their hands and wiping sweat off of their foreheads with the sleeves of their tracksuits.
The blonde immediately raised his head to the sky, his previously empty eyes sharpening as his lips twisted into a frown. Those same eyes darted around, for any sign of-!
"There!" He immediately pointed up, pushing himself off the tree with a kick. "Incoming!"
The rest of them tilted their heads up and quickly spotted the growing speck in the sky. It shone for a moment before becoming more and more visible. It looked like-
"Is that a dain— DAINSLEIF?!" Davion yelped as he leapt to his feet, a brief flash of crimson going through his shrunken pupils.
"It's a damn carrot, moron." Ephraim quickly marched up to them and grabbed a surprised Ichika by the waist. "Now MOVE!"
Then came the audible whistling of an incoming projectile, the blonde hefting the shorter boy under his arm and taking a big leap away from the most likely impact site, a leap strong and far enough to send them on top of a branch of a sturdy tree a few meters away.
Davion hopped back, summoning his Tactical Arms and using its massive haft as a makeshift shield when he dug the top of the blade into the ground.
Ryo, meanwhile, calmly walked behind a tree, his eyes tracking the fast-moving projectile seemingly without a care in the world.
"W-Wait, isn't being on a branch counterproductive to our survival?!" Ichika cried as he shielded his face in fear.
FWOOSH!
Several meters above, the odd carrot-shaped pod suddenly extended four 'legs', each tipped with a vernier thruster. In no time, they let out huge jets of white-blue flames in order to slow down the descent.
Behind the Tactical Arms, the mechanic looked over his shoulder at the rest of his friends. Around him, grass, branches, and leaves were blown back, and he wanted to make sure they weren't hurt.
He could see the courier behind a tree with a wide trunk, with only the tsubas of the Gerbera Straight and Tiger Pierce poking out, indicating that he was there in the first place.
The blonde and the IS pilot were on a branch of another tree further away, with the former angling his body so that the younger teen in his grasp wouldn't be hit by any flying debris. He held an arm up to cover his face, but he skillfully kept his balance on the shaky platform they were on.
Thump.
As the winds died down and the debris stopped flying, Davion peered out from his improvised cover. There was a ringing in his ear, no doubt from the whine of the vernier thrusters, but even through his hampered hearing he could hear…
"Heeheeheee~!"
…Giggling.
Pulling his blade from the dirt, the mechanic hesitantly stepped closer to the carrot pod.
"Hey, Sahaku-san, can you put me down—"
"Granted."
Thump!
"Ow! Okay…I should have been more specific…ouch, my tailbone…"
'If the two of them can do that class act, then they're fine.' Davion thought as he used the Tactical Arms like a stick, using the tip to poke the metal exterior. Gray eyes looked the construct up and down, brows furrowing as he pursed his lips.
'It's…a giant carrot, like Ephraim said. A…an escape pod in the shape of one, at least. It even has the weird wrinkle-like designs grooved into the metal. It seems large enough to fit…at least one person, two at max.'
"Hmhm~! Heeheehee~!"
Hiss…
When smoke began to billow out from the pod as it began to open, the all too familiar sound of depressurization entered the mechanic's ears. Taking a leap back away from said mist, he warily held his sword up in case of any surprise attacks.
"Oh, what a wonderful day~!"
A blue blur hopped up from the mist and landed gracefully on top of the split pod. Twirling once and posing with her hands up in a mimicry of rabbit ears, which was redundant due to her own robotic rabbit ears, Tabane winked at the visible boys with an excited grin.
"I get to see my favorite boys all gathered together~!"
"Oh for fuck's sake." Davion could faintly hear Ephraim curse under his breath. Frankly, he felt the same.
The rabbit-eared Professor's plum eyes locked on to exasperated brown before darting down to see his hand holding a certain courier's. Gasping as her cheeks reddened, the purple-haired woman pointed at both Ryo and Ichika.
"Oh my~! I didn't know Ikkun also swung that way!" Tabane almost fell off the pod as she leant back dramatically. "Oh, what will I ever tell my darling Houki-chan~?"
The courier stared at her deadpan as he finished pulling Ichika up from the ground. The candy bar was in his mouth, but he didn't bother to vocally react, hoping that his empty stare was enough to convey his 'surprise.'
The Byakushiki pilot, however, had a more…vocal reaction.
"What the hell?!" Ichika recoiled, taking his hand from Ryo's grasp and taking a few steps away from the verdant eyed teen. "Look, Ryo's cute and all but I do not swing that way!"
…
Ephraim slowly blinked as he looked down at the suddenly blushing IS pilot, swinging a leg idly as he sat down on the branch. "Way to make it awkward, Orimura."
Tabane giggled as she hopped off the pod, skipping towards Davion with her arms outstretched.
"Davion-kuuun~!"
With a leap, she launched herself at the grimacing mechanic. Shifting his grip on the Tactical Arms-
Thunk!
-he immediately used it as a makeshift shield once again, just in time for the Professor's face to kiss the Gerbera Steel that comprised the blade.
"Owie~!" The older woman cried, slumping to the ground as she cupped her face. "Why would you do that, Davion-kun~? Don't you want a hug from mommy~?"
"Never say those words again!" The gray-eyed teen growled, cheeks flushing in both anger and embarrassment. "I'll bonk you real good with the Tactical Arms! You'll never be my mother!"
"Why won't you love me, baby?!" Tabane whined, prostrating herself before the bulwark. "I'll be anything you want me to be!"
"I WANT YOU TO BE DEAD!"
"Aw c'mon~! I know you don't mean that!"
Ichika looked at Ryo and asked with a slightly disturbed expression. "Is this…um…normal?"
"More or less, after all, we only knew each other for-" The courier paused, his mind finally catching up to his mouth and realizing that he nearly exposed the truth that they've only known the professor for a day at most. "I mean, when we got to know each other, she latched on to Davion when she knew he was techy." Verdant green glanced to the side, the Red Frame's pilot clearing his throat. "Now it's all…. this."
"And the uh…mother thing?"
"She often jokingly refers to herself as Davion's mother." Ephraim provided the answer, causing Ichika to jump in surprise, having soundlessly dropped down beside them. "Mainly because she considers him 'cut from the same cloth'...and that his reactions are funny, probably."
"Oookay, got it…" The IS pilot muttered, calming his heart down from the sneaky blonde's interjection. "Kinda weird, but since it's Professor Tabane..."
"GET OFF MY SWORD!"
"In another context that would be hilariously inappropriate, but as I am your mother, I shall ignore that~!"
"...Yep. That's the Professor alright…" Ichika sighed, sending a disturbed look at the woman standing on said sword's pommel like it was nothing. "Still as… weird as the last time I remember her."
"Crazy, morelike." Ephraim huffed as he crunched down on the lollipop in his mouth. "The source of plenty of problems…"
The Byakushiki pilot glanced at the blonde questioningly but only got silence in return. Frowning to himself at the lack of an answer, he turned back to watch only to see plum eyes inches away from his own.
"Bwahaaah!" He fell on his rear, covering his face instinctually as Tabane let out a cartoonishly evil laugh.
"Mwahahahaha! I've done it again!" The dress-wearing woman placed her hands on her hips, her triumphant expression quickly easing into her usual happy one. "By the way, Ikkun, is Houki-chan at the resort~?"
"Y-Yes? I think so?"
"She is." Ephraim grumbled, momentarily pulling his phone out to check for messages. "Security would have notified me if any of the students went wandering out of the resort."
Tabane grinned as she reached over to pat his head, only to be denied this when the blonde ducked away with a grunt. "Thank you~! I'll find her soon with my Imouto Radar!" She pulled out another pair of metal rabbit ears from…somewhere.
With a deceptively gentle leap, she landed on top of the branch Ephraim was on earlier. Sticking her tongue out at them playfully, she waved down at the four boys. "Well, see you four later~! Oh, and go tell your friends to meet me at the beach past Takabakasaki Lighthouse~! I've got a biiiiiiig surprise for everyone!"
Giggling to herself, the rabbit-eared inventor hopped away into the canopy, quickly disappearing from their sight.
Davion growled to nobody in particular, lips drawn in a snarl as he quantized the Tactical Arms back into his Inventory. "I can never stand her." He spat, a visible vein throbbing on his temple as he glared at the last place she was at.
"Come on, she's not that bad." Ichika felt like he had to at least defend his friend's older sister. "I mean, she's kinda…weird, yeah, but she made the IS!"
"And that's a good point?" Ephraim grumbled, turning around and watching the pod dissipate into light blue motes of light. "It's because of the IS that there's a lot more female on male issues nowadays. Another damn injustice…"
"Okay, you've got a point, but damn man!" The younger teen sighed as he shook his head. "Let me at least try to defend the hill I'm on."
"No."
Rolling his eyes at the antagonistic blonde, the IS pilot glanced at the courier, who had been silent ever since Tabane had come out of the pod. "Hey, Ryo, you've been quiet this whole time. What's up?"
"The sky Ichika." The green-eyed teen mumbled as he made an empty smile at his joke.
"Oh come on!"
Davion frowned and clenched his fists, a glint of crimson once again flashing in his pupils before he let out a low sigh. "Right. This is gonna be a long day…"
Time: 7:30 AM, July 7th
Location: Beach, East of Takabakasaki Lighthouse
"Not to sound like I'm complaining," Cecilia sighed as she brushed away a few leaves that landed on her head. "But why exactly are we all here away from the resort? In our pilot suits, no less?"
It took a fair bit of time for the others to wake up, especially since a few of them were still hungover from the karaoke party the night prior. Rin was the most afflicted, as she winced at every sound louder than a door slamming shut. Charlotte thankfully fared a bit better, though she had to constantly squint due to the glare of the sun. Laura was the least affected alongside Cecilia, the former having only a single glass of Long Island while the latter had more experience with social drinking than the rest.
"I'll explain when we get there." Chifuyu answered her with a grunt, hopping up a few rocks that had a few trail marks on them.
"Where are the others, by the way?" Rin was not in a pilot suit, as Doctor Mikhail Coast had not yet cleared her for whatever possible IS-related activity. Instead, she was wearing a faded pink crop top shirt, track pants, and sneakers.
She had protested the doctor's decision to suspend her from being in an IS, but a not-so-gentle warning of her still recovering lungs collapsing due to a change in air pressure should she fly had shut her up quickly.
"The three idiots went ahead to check the area out." The teacher provided as she finally crested the small ridge that overlooked the beach. "And speaking of, there they are."
Laura was the first to climb up between the girls, having had previous mountain training during her years in the Bundeswehr. Standing beside her mentor, she spied her brothers on a few rocks as they stared out into the sea.
Ryo was standing tall with his arms listlessly hanging at his sides as the wind caressed his form. Both Gerbera Straight and Tiger Pierce were on his hips, their white and red tsubas matching the red pilot suit he had on. He was helmetless, evident by his hair being gently blown back by the ocean winds, though said helmet was attached to a special hook at the back of his gorget armor.
Laura noticed there was a new addition to his suit, the emblem on his shoulders. Some form of stylized bird of prey colored in sky blue with its wings stretched up proudly.
Davion was lying down on a relatively flat rock, arms behind his head and his helmet on top of his chest. The Tactical Arms was underneath him, the mechanic having used it as some sort of barrier between his back and the rock's surface. The white and blue of his pilot suit made his personal emblem, a red flower on his shoulders, all the more obvious.
And lastly, Ephraim was sitting on the smallest rock of the three, Gungnir sticking out of the sand as he interacted with his phone. The black and gold pilot suit was the most obvious between all of them, and its matching helmet was attached on the nape hook. On the shoulders were his signature sunburst logo, the yellow and orange shades matching the regal colors of the pilot suit rather well.
He was in the middle of removing his earbuds when he turned to them, the sharp purples sweeping over the IS pilots' before he quantized both his phone and its accessory.
"They're here." Laura could hear him announce to the other two, his voice nonchalant yet there was a hint of tenseness in it. "It's time."
Davion raised his head and turned to them, blinking for a few moments before waving at Kanzashi who happily waved back. Ryo, meanwhile, continued to stare out into the waves, with the albino unable to tell if he heard the blonde or not.
Ignoring the chatter of the rest of the IS pilots, mostly quiet complaints about the locale, Laura kept her eyes on the three as the group descended to the beach.
There was an air of seriousness between all of them, something that she'd seen and felt almost all the time back in Germany. It made her also tense up, the ever paranoid part of her mind readying for inevitable conflict.
"Hope you three didn't wait too long." Chifuyu huffed as she unzipped her tracksuit to cool herself slightly.
Ephraim pulled Gungnir from the sand, spinning it around his right hand in a display of frightening skill with its sheer speed before he grasped it tightly, stopping the motion with a small shockwave.
"Not really." He replied simply, glancing back at the still unmoving Ryo. The spear in his hand dissipated into white-gold motes as he crossed his arms. "Area's clear of any devices or eavesdroppers."
"Good."
Turning around, the teacher looked at the assembled pilots and placed her hands on her hips.
"Alright, so everyone with a personal IS has been assembled here today because-"
Against their better judgement, the other girls glanced over at Houki who was at the end of their line. Said girl frowned and looked away, crossing her arms as she did so.
"Everyone here," The older Orimura clarified with a frown on her own. "Has a personal IS."
Kanzashi perked up as she narrowed her eyes at the ponytailed girl. "Wait, so she does have a personal IS? No offense but…how?"
"If you'll allow me to explain-"
"Sensei." Ephraim interrupted her in a flat tone, a finger raised as he pointed at something on the nearby ridge. "Incoming."
Chifuyu looked at where he was pointed and grimaced before facepalming. This caused the rest to turn around and gape, save for Houki who was trying her best to be unnoticed upon seeing what it was.
"Chi-chaaan~!" Tabane cried out as she stretched her arms forward, having reached the apex of her jump, and was now falling towards the tracksuit-wearing teacher.
It was then and there that a chaotic sequence of events unfolded.
Charlotte quickly saw the flight path of the purple-haired woman and pushed Kanzashi and Laura out of the way, before ducking herself. Both red-eyed pilots were caught by Ichika and Rin before they could impact the sand, respectively.
Squish…
However, the male IS pilot's hands had accidentally brushed a bit too close to the bluenette's breasts, causing her face to quickly burn in affront before she launched an elbow to his nose.
Bash!
"Mmmf!" The younger Orimura cried, immediately letting go so that he could shield his face. "My nose!"
As this was happening, Chifuyu had raised a hand just as the rabbit-eared professor got into range. In the span of less than a second, she caught her by the face and swung her around. Houki had ducked moments prior, just barely missing being hit by the feet of her older sister.
"Hello hello hello~!" Tabane cooed, trying her best to overcome her friend's strength in order to hug her. "I missed you, Chi-chan~! It's been months since we last met! Oooh give me a hug so we can confirm our love for each other~!"
Her babbling, combined with Ichika's pained groans, twisted the older Orimura's face into one of extreme annoyance. "Will you shut up, Tabane?!" She growled, tightening her grip on the inventor's face. "You're being way too annoying!"
"Your iron claw is as merciless as always~!"
Ephraim watched all of this with a blank expression, his left hand squeezing the shoulder of the mechanic whose gray eyes were speckled with crimson as he stared at Ichika. Said boy was crouching on the ground, gingerly checking if he had a nosebleed while being tended to by Rin who sent him a somewhat dirty glare.
Throughout all of this, Ryo didn't react, seemingly focused on the horizon.
Freeing herself from the grip of the teacher, the rabbit-eared professor skipped towards Houki, who had been discreetly shying away to a nearby boulder. "And hello, Houki-chan~!" She cheered, almost squealing as the ponytailed girl succumbed to her fate. "It's been a while!"
"Yes…" Houki sighed, turning around so she could look at her older sister in the eyes. "It has been."
"Years even!" Tabane hummed, tilting side to side as she tapped her chin with a finger. "My, how you've grown~!" Her expression then turned lecherous as she leaned down, her hands making grabbing motions towards the younger Shinonono's breasts. "Especially your boobies~!"
Smash!
Blood was sent flying at the same time the inventor was, her head having snapped back from the sheer force of impact made by the suburito against the lower half of her face. Ephraim and Davion stepped back as the older woman landed before them, her nose a mess and a gash on her cheek.
Glancing briefly at the stunned gathering of IS pilots, the scarred blonde bit the bullet and knelt down beside her, quantizing a first-aid kit and quickly opening it.
"Ow, you say that after you hit me! So mean~!" Tabane whined, sitting up and pouting at her sister. As a wet cotton ball was gently swabbed on her wound, she crossed her arms. "She's a real meanie, right, Ikkun?"
"Uh…well…"
"Stop talking and let me treat that cut." Ephraim growled quietly, pulling the cotton ball away and placing a small band-aid over the wound. "Now for the nose."
"Aw, you're such a sweetie, Sahaku-kun~! See Houki? Why can't you be more like him? He's all growly and stuff, but he's a big softie underneath!"
Houki gnashed her teeth, her grip on the suburito tightening audibly as she glared into the uncaring purples of the blonde.
"Hey, Tabane." Chifuyu frowned down at her, a vein visibly throbbing on her left temple. "Why don't you introduce yourself?"
"But that's such a draaag!" Despite her words, and Ephraim's protests, she quickly stood up and patted her dress down. The bemused blonde quickly packed up the first aid kit and backed away as she half-heartedly curtseyed.
"Hey hey~! I'm the Super Brilliant Amazing Ultra Genius Tabane~!" The older Shinonono gave them double peace signs before losing steam and placing her hands on her hips. "Welp, that's all."
"W-Wait, 'Tabane'?" As Rin helped Ichika up, she was staring wide-eyed at the blue-dressed woman.
"As in Tabane Shinonono, the inventor of the IS?!" Charlotte gaped as she stood back up, taking a step back in mild shock.
"And of the Astrays?!" Laura pitched in, now realizing as to why her brothers seemed unbothered and even casual in the presence of such a prestigious figure. They've met her before and most likely got to know her!
'I must ask them if she told them any secrets! Any advantage for Germany is a victory in my book!'
Tabane guffawed to herself, dramatically leaning back before raising a finger to the sky triumphantly.
"Now, look up to the heavens!"
Ichika felt a sense of deja vu go through him as he looked up. There was a familiar whistling that was growing louder and…
'...Wait, is that a…glint..?'
Having known that something like this would happen, Ephraim and Davion leapt back and away from the group. A quick glance at the sand around made them put on their helmets, the visors quickly sliding down.
Crash!
Just in time too, as a steel diamond construct landed between the two groups of pilots. Sand was kicked up, much to the audible annoyance of those that were in the splash zone.
"I got sand in my eyes!" Rin cried, aimlessly stumbling around once the cloud cleared. "And in my top too!"
"It's in my hair!" Cecilia, predictably, cried out as she tried to pat down the grains from her drills. "I spent a good deal of the morning styling them this way!"
Laura gave a small chuckle as she watched the rest of the IS pilots shake off the sand that bathed them. She had been quick enough to both see her brothers dodge and evade the sand wave herself.
Shaking off whatever sand got on her, Chifuyu glowered at Tabane, who was suspiciously spared from the sand bath. "Was that really necessary?!"
The rabbit-eared professor only stuck her tongue out playfully.
"It's lucky our pilot suits are practically skin tight." Charlotte grumbled as she brushed away the sand that was on her shoulders. "I dread to think how it would feel if it got into our clothes."
"WELL GOOD FOR YOU, DUNOIS!" Roared the Chinese Representative Candidate. "AT LEAST IT DIDN'T GO INTO YOUR SPORTS BRA!"
Sighing, Ephraim once again quantized his first-aid kit and made his way to the suffering girl.
"I've got a saline solution in a squeeze bottle in my kit. Stop trying to rub the sand out, I'll be with you in a sec." His voice came out in a burst of static rather than being muffled, and the albino quickly took note of it.
'Smart…their polarizing visors allow them to hide their faces, and with the apparent comms unit in their helmets allows the three of them discreet communications. That's my brüder for you and…hm?'
Laura noticed something new about the Gold Frame pilot's helmet. Normally it would be blank, without any decorations, but this time there was a painted kanji of 天津 above where his right eyebrow would be. Drawing on the kanji knowledge she had read about, in case she would do calligraphy, she recognized the characters.
'Amatsu… Imperial Haven?'
"I don't like sand." Kanzashi spat out, literally, and shook her head to toss away the aforementioned particle from her hairclips. "It's coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere!"
Ryo turned his head ever so slightly.
"Tadadada da daaaa~!" Ignoring the grumblings and glares of those assembled, Tabane gestured over to the diamond construct gleefully. There was a remote in her hand, and the sight of which caused Davion to tense up.
"This is Houki-chan's personal IS!" The rabbit-eared woman hopped in place before she pressed a button, the odd steel-like container opening briefly before dissipating in a shower of hearts, stars, and various other confetti-like motes of light.
"The Akatsubaki~!"
Davion narrowed his eyes at the IS, noting its odd gray coloration and the large folded wing-like binders. As ever, it was still an illogical looking suit to him, lacking in armor in critical places and the obviously missing helmet that could go a long way into making him hate the invention less.
"All of its specs are obviously way better than the current models as it is, of course, hand-crafted by me! The Super Genius Tabane~!" The purple-haired woman winked at all those assembled, greatly relishing their wide-eyed expressions. "After all, it's the first ever Fourth-Generation IS! And it's all for my darling little sister~!"
"Now that's just not fair!" Rin growled with shut eyes, the sand having been carefully washed out by the Gold Frame pilot beside her. "A freaking fourth-gen! Really?!"
"A fourth-generation…" Laura muttered, narrowing her eye at the gray IS. "But the other countries…"
"The other countries have only just finished the prototypes of the third-generation!" Cecilia cried out in dismay, physically taking a step back in shock. "You mean to tell me that-!"
"That she already moved on to the next gen?!" Charlotte almost fell to her knees, with them visibly buckling. Her voice wavered and her face paled, the prospect of her company catching up to the tech-race becoming further and further away.
Kanzashi merely kept quiet, tensing her jaw and lightly caressing the iridescent pearl that was her Strike Uchigane's Closed Form. If she were to classify her IS-MS hybrid, it would be an in-between the Third Generations and this new Fourth Gen, so she wasn't as affected as the rest, but just the very idea of said Fourth Generation lit a competitive flame inside of her.
Tabane laughed as she waved away their worries. "Ah, it's because I'm the Super Amazing Wondrous Inventive Inventor Tabane, of course~!" Pulling out another remote, she pressed another button and turned to the IS.
Hiss…
A familiar muted hiss caused the heads of the two Astray pilots to snap over towards the Fourth-Generation. Right before their very eyes, the gray color scheme slowly gave way to a bright crimson red, with choice parts turning black, orange, or white.
"No way…" Davion muttered, thankful for his polarized visor hiding his wide gray eyes and his equally disbelieving expression. His arms limply fell to his sides, suddenly feeling numb. "You mean to tell me..?"
"It's got Phase Shift Armor..." Ephraim whispered, barely keeping his voice calm as his hands slowly closed into shaking fists. "So it's got both-?!"
"Yup yup~!" Tabane chirped, hopping in place and clapping gleefully. "I wanted to make it special, so it's got some new bits and gubbinz from both the Infinite Stratos and Project: Astray~!"
Ryo's arms tensed from their languid position, the hands resting on the handles of his katanas. His head was turned just enough for his verdant greens to be visible, for just a moment, before it was hidden behind a long dark fringe.
Chifuyu was quick to note the awed expression of the younger Shinonono, and she was sharp enough to see the growing ember of hubris deep within. She recalled the girl's words the night prior…
"Come tomorrow, they won't be a threat to me or to my friends any longer. Not when I'm around."
With a tense jaw, she then cooled her expression and glanced at Houki. "Well, go on, Shinonono."
The ponytailed girl stepped forward wordlessly, slowly walking towards the Akatsubaki as if in a trance.
As she busied herself with gawking at the new IS, the teacher turned towards the two helmeted pilots with a raised brow.
"And why are you two wearing your helmets?" She asked, eyes narrowing at the polarized visors.
"Protocol." Ephraim provided, not being able to hide the subtle shaking of his hands as he crossed them. He made a small movement of his head towards the gathered IS pilots. "So that we won't be too easily identified by outside observers when in the direct presence of the Professor."
Chifuyu frowned, obviously not buying the excuse. There was another reason why the boys were wearing their helmets with polarized visors. Discreetly glancing over to where Tabane was setting up her holographic workstation, she pursed her lips.
"But you guys are already known throughout the world." Rin opened her eyes, still slightly red from irritation, and sent a confused look at the three Astray pilots. "Your pictures are out there and everything."
"...Old habits die hard." Davion shrugged before walking back to the rock that had his Tactical Arms. Looking over the still silent swordsman, he whistled. "Oi, Ryo. Stop staring into the ocean and join us already."
There was silence from the Red Frame's pilot for a good several seconds before he let out a long sigh.
"A storm's brewing up," Ryo announced as he put his helmet on. "You can feel it in the wind."
"Stop being dramatic, Murakumo." The teacher rolled her eyes, though inwardly hearing him just further affirmed her suspicions on the boys' mood. Just what were they preparing for? "Come over here and join us."
The red-clad pilot turned around just as the visor polarized, hiding all traces of a face behind the glass, and hopped off his rock. There was a slight sluggishness in his movements that hinted of his exhaustion, but only those sharp enough were able to pick it up. "Don't say I didn't warn you."
The helmet turned towards the Akatsubaki, and Ryo crossed his arms. "So…that thing's the new 4th Gen."
"When speaking of aesthetics, it's certainly something." The mechanic huffed, digging his blade into the ground and leaning up against it. "Phase Shift armor too…so one can easily change the color to what they want."
"Energy shields and Phase Shift." Ephraim rumbled, crossing his arms behind him to hide their tightening grip. "One hell of a combination. Isn't it power-hungry?"
"It is." Davion affirmed with a nod. "Though, obviously, this thing must have a better power generator than the others."
"Oh, it has that and more, Davion-kun~!" Tabane cooed from where she was at, having just finished attaching data cables into the ports of the Akatsubaki. Said cables were attached to a small unassuming briefcase, one that they didn't see her pull out. "But don't spoil any of momma's secrets with your guessing!"
"'Momma'?" Kanzashi parroted, turning to look at the blue-clad pilot with a raised brow.
Houki just sent him a withering glare.
"I told you earlier!" The mechanic snarled in a burst of static, raising a fist in warning. "You're not my mother!"
Ichika facepalmed. "Oh, here we go again…"
"Wait what?!" Laura exclaimed, her head swiveling between the two as the rest gaped. "What's this about a mother?!"
"Oh, it's just him being cranky~" The purple-haired woman waved playfully. "I know that he secretly likes the fact that he's technically my son."
"NO!"
Chifuyu mimicked her brother as she facepalmed. "Tabane, stop spouting nonsense."
"Oh boo, you spoilsport." Tabane stuck her tongue out at her friend as holographic screens appeared before her. "Okay fine, he's technically not my son. I just like to treat him like one, if I ever had one!'
"That would be a nightmare and a half." Ephraim grumbled, shaking his helmeted head. "One rabbit professor is crazy enough, but her spawning more…"
"Sahaku, stow it." The teacher warned her assistant, somewhat annoyed that she couldn't see his expression. "You're not helping."
"The Professor's damn eccentricity is not helping my blood pressure, I'll tell you that…"
"Zip it!"
"Hmph."
Tick tack tick! Tack tick tack!
The rapid tapping of holographic keys cut off any potential arguments between the two as Tabane hummed to herself. Focusing back on the rabbit-eared inventor, they watched as she nonchalantly typed so fast that her hands were more blurs than anything else.
"Now, I already have some of your personal combat data already uploaded and running, so all I need to do is to update it with the latest set." She hummed as her eyes darted around the three screens before her.
"What speed…" Laura narrowed her eye, being one of the few that were able to perceive the exact typing speed.
"Aaand done!" Not a few seconds later, the holographic screens disappeared. Tabane placed her hands on her hips and puffed her chest out. "That was uber fast, yeah? I'm so great~!"
"Tch."
"Sahaku!"
"Wha-? That wasn't me that time!"
Ignoring the two, the inventor continued and turned to her little sister. "Try flying it. It'll be a good test run. It should move like how you imagined it will~!"
Staring at her sister for a moment, Houki took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, I'll give it a shot." Closing her eyes, she began to focus…
'It's just like with the Uchigane…find the pulling sensation and…'
The spooling of a jet engine echoed on the quiet beach they were at. Sand began to kick up as the thrusters of the 4th Generation IS came to life, and everyone quickly backed away so that they wouldn't be splashed with sand.
Again.
With a kick, the Akatsubaki launched with a roar and rapidly gained altitude. The jetwash blew everyone's hair back, save for the helmeted Astray pilots who merely followed her ascent with hidden expressions.
"And we have take off…" Davion muttered, once again leaning against the Tactical Arms as the red IS began to move around in the air.
"Okay, even I could see that was fast." Rin quipped, eyes still squinted but slowly recovering from the initial sand blast.
"So that's the speed of a fourth-generation model?" Charlotte gaped, the awe of watching the first flight of the machine overcoming her looming dread. "C'est incroyable!"
"Yup~!" Tabane clapped as she watched her little sister begin to do basic aerial maneuvers like turns and spins. "She's a veritable Red Comet, isn't she~?"
The Gold Frame's pilot did a violent full-body twitch.
"So Houki, what do you think?" The inventor continued with a smug grin. "It moves even better than you thought, doesn't it?"
〈 Y-Yeah! 〉Houki's voice came from the communicator the purple-haired woman pulled out. 〈 I guess? 〉
"Try using the swords!" The older sister advised. "The Amatsuki is on the right while the Karaware is the one on the left. I'll go ahead and send you data on the weapons!"
"Dual swords?" Ryo muttered, his hands lightly caressing the handles of Gerbera Straight and Tiger Pierce. "I see…"
Far above, they could see Houki come to a stop with some difficulty due to her unfamiliarity with the high speed of the Akatsubaki.
Ichika stepped forward unconsciously, somewhat worried about his childhood friend. It was clear that she wasn't all too used nor trained for such high-G maneuvers such as that sudden stop. The specs of an Uchigane and the Akatsubaki must have a mile-wide divide…
〈 Alright Amatsuki…Go! 〉
Pointing the aforementioned blade forward, 4 red beams were fired from…somewhere and soared high into the sky. A passing cloud immediately broke apart when they neared, creating a near-perfect circular hole as evidence of their presence.
〈 Holy… 〉
"Huh." Davion hummed in his static-y tone. "Haven't seen a weapon do that in a while."
"Good, good!" Tabane nodded, having stepped away while everyone was looking up at Houki. "Now try shooting these down!" In a flash of light, a 16-tube Patriot Missile Defense System appeared beside her, aimed up towards the red blot in the sky.
"Is that a fucking Patriot-" Davion couldn't even finish his stunned observation before said system launched its payload. The missiles' backblast glassed the sand beneath it, the entire construct somehow keeping stable despite the unreliable terrain.
In a matter of seconds, the Patriot was emptied of its missiles, all of which were soaring towards the Akatsubaki.
"Oh, Camp Schwab definitely noticed that." Ephraim deadpanned, placing a palm on the visor of his helmet and shaking his head. "Great…"
"Are we really forgetting that there's a village literally behind us?" Ryo asked, his tone dry and exasperated. "Wouldn't they be in a panic?"
"...Fuck!"
Far above, the Akatsubaki made sharp turns to dodge the missiles, but they were doggedly on her tail. They themselves made sharp turns, clueing the mechanic that they weren't normal missiles. Increasing her speed, she pulled ahead of the missiles and turned around to face them.
The blade of the Karaware glowed pink before Houki made a wide slash towards her pursuers. A large beam crescent shot forth before her, cutting into the missiles and causing a chain reaction of explosions.
"A sword beam…" Ephraim mused, a hint of mirth in his voice, as if he just remembered an inside joke. "Think you can make something like that, Davion?"
"Probably." The mechanic shrugged, playing along with the blonde's feint. "It'll take me a while though."
"Wunderbar…" Laura muttered, reminding herself to report this to Major Loewenherz at the first opportunity. "Nicht schlecht."
Kanzashi hummed, keeping her awe to herself. In her opinion, having a beam crescent as some sort of crowd control attack was a bit inefficient. A smart group of enemies could simply dodge the blade, so it was better if it had more coverage.
"Amazing." Ichika whispered, somewhat awed and relieved that Houki finally had an IS that she seemed skilled in using. Maybe she would have a cooler head back in the Academy now that the stigma of not having a personal IS no longer affected her.
"Yup yup~! It's totally great~!" Tabane guffawed, her shoulders shaking in great mirth. "It's my pride and joy!"
Off to the side, Chifuyu ever so slightly narrowed her eyes. Something was definitely up now with how the inventor was acting. All this showmanship, all the flaunting, the compliments…
And then there was the behavior of her three charges.
Glancing over to them, she noted that they were separate from the Professor, slightly huddled away from the IS pilots. It was like seeing another faction, IS pilots on one side, Tabane on the other, and then them.
"A storm's brewing up."
Murakumo's earlier words echoed in her mind, causing her to tighten her grip on her biceps briefly. She now believed that there was indeed a storm coming, but the bigger question was…
'Just how messy was it going to be..?'
〈 It's perfect..! 〉Houki announced over the communicator, a near-manic glee in her voice. 〈 This IS can do anything! 〉
She then quickly descended, doing a few barrel rolls in delight before stopping over the water several meters away with a flip. Pointing the Amatsuki at the trio, her lips curled into a bloodthirsty grin.
《 You..! 》
Ephraim turned his head, looking at her from over his shoulder at a casual pace. "Hm?" There was a hint of mirth in his voice. "What seems to be the problem?"
Ryo turned his head to seemingly glare at his friend. Beside him, Davion was about to reach for the Tactical Arms before a familiar voice managed to defuse the situation.
Though, not in the ideal way.
"W-We have an emergency!" Came the panicked voice of Maya, causing everyone to turn around and look up at the ridge.
There, panting and red-faced, was the greenette. Taking a few but hurried hops down to the beach, she quickly ran up to Chifuyu and handed her a phone. "Please, take a look!"
Unheard by everyone else, the Astray trio turned off their external speakers and began to talk to themselves.
〈 It's time. 〉Ephraim announced, watching as three small holographic screens popped out from his superior's handheld device. 〈 Game faces on, boys. Remember, the first phase will be an intercept fight. We'll try to nip this whole debacle in the bud with Plan Zulu. Do you all remember what it is? 〉
"It's a Level A priority mission." Chifuyu frowned as she read the data packet. "And apparently, it seems the countermeasures have already been activated."
〈 Distraction while you go for the backstab. 〉Ryo supplied, keeping an eye on Tabane through his polarized visor.〈 And if that doesn't work? On account of Miss Headstrong over there with her new toy? 〉
"We'll have to put this whole shebang on hold." The teacher announced, looking around and fixing a stern stare at each of those present. "I'm afraid there's something I'll be needing all of you for. We'll be taking a trip to a little place called Camp Schwab."
〈 Then we go for Contingency Plan Thermopylae, right? 〉Davion asked, nodding at the look Chifuyu had sent him. 〈 Hold it off until either we triumph or Ichika gains that powerup? 〉
"W-Wait, who's that woman in the dress?" Maya asked.
"That's Tabane Shinonono."
〈 That's right. Though, expect the unexpected, still. 〉The blonde grumbled amidst the shocked scream of the greenette. Turning his head to look out into the ocean, he furrowed his brows.
〈 I have a gut feeling that we're in for a hard time. 〉
.
.
.
Time: 8:00 AM, July 7th
Location: Camp Schwab Command Center
(BGM Start: IUN Briefing - Ace Combat 7)
As they entered the substantially sized room, those unfamiliar with the military immediately found themselves somewhat overwhelmed by the very atmosphere.
It was strict, choking, almost suffocating in how orderly everything was and had to be.
Laura felt like she was back home, as mixed of a feeling as it was.
The three Astray pilots remained silent as they nonchalantly looked around, having removed their helmets to show their friends their expressions. The more of them that seemed calm, the lesser the chance of panic breaking out amongst them.
Upon their entrance, a tall man near the middle of the room turned around. Beside him was a woman with shoulder-length brown hair, a head shorter than him, who also turned when he did.
Her brown eyes immediately locked on to surprised purple.
The man was seemingly getting into his 40's, but this sense of strength was still within him. He wore a US Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform in a woodland MARPAT pattern. Unlike some of the others who manned the computers and holo-screens, he wore no hat, allowing his neatly combed blonde hair to breathe easy.
The woman, however, looked like she was in her mid-20's. She exuded a sense of calm despite the organized chaos that was communications chatter in the room. She wore the Service Dress White of the US Navy, the two golden stripes and singular star on her sleeves identifying her rank as a Lieutenant. She had a tablet in one hand, which she had previously been tapping on.
"Chifuyu Orimura. It's been a while." He acknowledged her with a nod, respect clear in his tone before his blue-gray eyes swept over the rest. "Are these..?"
"Yes, they are." The teacher nodded before turning and introducing each of them. "This is the Byaku-"
Beep! Beep! Beep!
"Sir!" One of the operators raised his head from his screen. "Drone 7 just went dark! Satellite imagery shows that the Gospel is moving again!"
"Damn it, looks like introductions will have to be shortened." The man grunted as he looked at each of them with a serious gaze. "I am Major General Duane Halberton of the United States Marine Corps, former Rear Admiral in the US Navy, and the stand-in Base Commander of Camp Schwab."
He gestured to the woman beside him, who was staring somewhat distractedly at an increasingly nervous Ephraim. "This is Lieutenant Murrue Ramius of the US Navy, the official military liaison for the IS Academy in this Operation and one of the technical officers that was in charge of the development of the Silverio Gospel."
"Silverio..?" Ryo muttered, sending a confused glance at a distracted Ephraim. "Was it really called that?"
"A…pleasure-" She cleared her throat, having seemingly snapped out of a trance as she recomposed herself. "A pleasure to meet all of you." Murrue sent a warm smile towards all of the teens.
"Now," Duane turned around and snapped his fingers, the holographic screen at the end of the room seemingly zooming into the area of operations. "Let's get to business."
It displayed the waters East of Ogasawara Islands, reaching all the way to Hawaii. There, numerous blue dots were concentrated near the former island chain, while a massive red dot erratically moved around near the latter.
Said red dot was gradually coming closer and closer to the cluster of blue dots.
"The RIMPAC." Davion realized with wide eyes, uncrossing his arms in surprise. "It's moving towards the RIMPAC!"
"The Silverio Gospel was supposed to debut at the RIMPAC today in a few hours, as part of a program meant to showcase the newest Third-Generation jointly developed by the US and Israel." Murrue nodded as she tapped on her tablet, the side of the large screen being filled with pictures of the RIMPAC schedule. "We had to keep its existence a secret, due to recent hacking attempts on US servers over the last few months."
The mechanic felt a cold sweat form down his spine.
"It was undergoing pre-flight checks in Wheeler Army Airfield when suddenly all contact with the pilot, one Natasha Fairs," A picture of a blonde woman in her 20's was pulled up, and gray eyes widened briefly in recognition. "Got cut off. One moment she was reciting systems checks and the next, nothing but static."
Then, a short surveillance video displaying a winged IS with white and silver armor was played. It was standing on a launch platform, with cables attached, when the helmet suddenly jerked. Looking up, the engines in the wings activated before the machine began to float.
"Natasha Fairs is one of the US' Representative Candidates." Chifuyu provided, eyes narrowing as the data link of the pilot went dark in the video. "The other being Huang's roommate, Tina Hamilton."
The video paused on a frame of the IS being nothing more than a speck in the sky, and Murrue turned to them with furrowed brows. "This happened an hour ago, and the IS has ducked in and out of our radar in the time between then and now. It is unknown whether or not the pilot decided to go rogue or if other forces may be at play here."
"For the sake of curiosity and decency, why did you call us?" Ryo raised a hand, his expression calm, yet there was an undercurrent of annoyance. "All of us are literally just students, sure we're undergoing military-like training in the Academy, but the fact is that we are still students, not soldiers. Aren't there other, more capable, IS pilots on hand for these situations? Like our instructors?"
"Orders from the Board of Directors." The teacher answered him, her expression steely. "In times of emergency such as these, the teachers and instructors will launch with the training units to secure Tokyo's sea and air lanes. Since they'll be busy safeguarding our capital, the responsibility falls to us to intercept and disable the Silverio Gospel."
"Say what?!" Ichika reacted, eyes wide in disbelief. "Us?!"
"This Gospel is a Third-Generation IS." Laura began, looking at the taller teen with a narrowed eye. "The instructors are using basic Second-Generation suits. Guess who in the Academy has units that can contend with it?"
"It's an unspoken duty that we must undertake as IS Representative Candidates." Kanzashi spoke up, her arms crossed as she frowned. "When we have the capability to pilot an IS, we have in our hands; power. And with great power, comes great responsibility."
Davion couldn't help the dorky grin from stretching his lips.
"What are its weapons?" Ephraim raised, ignoring the knowing glance of the Navy Officer before them. His expression was just as steely as Chifuyu, if not more. "I'd like to know what we'll be facing."
"The Astray Test Pilots aren't required to join, as the Board didn't necessarily mention you three." Their teacher frowned at him, though there was a glint in her eyes as she stared. "But since you came with us here, you're obviously going to sortie out either way, aren't you?"
"We're valuable assets." The blonde replied, in a tone harsher than his usual snark. "Only a dumbass would waste the chance to use us."
"Then you'll be under my command for this Operation." Murrue cut in, surprising all of those present. "I've read up on Project: Astray but nothing too in-depth. I'll need you three to quickly brief me on the capabilities of your suits once you all prep for launch."
"Lieutenant, are you sure about this?" Duane asked her, having turned his head to look back at them. "Miss Orimura here is more than enough to-"
"No no," Chifuyu shook her head. "She has a point. The IS and the Astrays are different, mechanically and performance-wise. I can't command Third-Generation IS' and the suits at the same time, what I'll expect for one won't work for the other."
Ephraim glanced at her, already finding holes in her argument. Narrowing his eyes imperceptibly, he wondered just what she was planning. "Back to my question," He looked back at the brunette he was oh so familiar with. "What are its weapons and specs?"
"Well," Murrue looked a bit hesitant but Duane's hand on her shoulder allowed her to calm down. "Okay. Technically, this is still top-secret since it hasn't officially debuted yet, but…here." Tapping on her tablet, the schedule of the RIMPAC was replaced with data and specs of the Silverio Gospel.
Cecilia frowned as she read the numerous pages with practiced speed. "A special gunner-type designed for wide-area attacks..."
"Wide-area attacks, huh?" Davion lost his smile as he frowned. "So the RIMPAC…"
"Is a big juicy target for it." Laura nodded, her lips drawn in a grim snarl. "If it decides to attack, then all of the countries' navies that are present will be sunk, costing them millions, if not billions."
"'Solomon, I have returned!'" The scarred blonde quoted in a low and amused voice, much to the confusion of the others.
"And it appears it can also perform all-range attacks like the Blue Tears." The noblewoman furrowed her brows, ignoring the other blonde's words as she pursed her lips.
"All-range attacks plus its high mobility…Damn it, if only I was cleared to fight!" Rin groused, stomping the floor in annoyance. "This is gonna be a tough battle and here I am just sitting pretty!"
"It has a stronger shield, it seems." Charlotte noted the four-digit number of its shield energy. "And with it comes a stronger power plant, obviously required due to its weapons…"
"Not only that…look!" Kanzashi pointed to a specific page. "A 'Super Hyper Sensor Array'. It's going to see us coming way before we can see it!"
The scarred blonde's brows furrowed. 'That's new…'
"Verdammt… Anything about its close-quarters capabilities?" Laura asked the technical officer. "It's dangerous at range, but if we close in…" Frowning, she shook her head. "No, it's not good to speculate. Can we do some preliminary recon? Drones perhaps?"
Murrue looked down at her tablet and shook her head. "Any drones entering within two kilometers of its range gets hacked, and no we did not design it to be able to do that." She fixed a stern stare towards the two teachers with the Cadets. "So right now, it's flying with several dozen hacked drones, most of which are high-speed UCAVs. On top of that, it can-"
Beep! Beep! Beep!
"Sir, ma'am, the Gospel is picking up speed! It's going transonic!"
Sighing, the brunette tensed her jaw. "Do that."
"If it's going transonic, then that would mean that intercepting it will…" Maya muttered, speaking up for the first time since arriving. She had been busy reading up on the reports of the other operators and had only just returned to the group.
"We're going to need a fast unit that is able to break its shields." Chifuyu looked between two specific swordsmen. "You two."
Ichika nodded along, the words not really catching up until a few seconds later. "...Wait, me?!"
"Your Reiraku Byakuya may be powerful enough to blow through the barrier." Ephraim nodded, feigning ignorance of its true capabilities, that of negating energy from the IS. "And after that, with the depletion of the barrier, capturing the thing may just be possible."
"H-Hold on, what about Ryo over here?" The Byakushiki pilot motioned to the silent swordsman. "Can't his-?"
"Swords could follow through the moment the shields are depleted and possibly injure the pilot." The courier interrupted, not wanting Ichika to reveal his shield-negating capabilities to a foreign military. "I might be able to stop my swing before it happens, maybe, but I'm not taking any chances."
Especially with the state he was in...
"And it's better to have two units capable of blowing through shields in one go, in case the other is unsuccessful. As well as having an escort to keep those UCAVs distracted." The scarred blonde uncrossed his arms, placing a hand on the younger teen's shoulder in an uncharacteristic display of reassurance.
"Orim…Ichika," Brown eyes looked up into purple in mild shock. "Being afraid or being nervous is perfectly normal. No one can fault you for feeling like that. This situation came out of left-field for you. You never thought of encountering something like this." Ephraim's small smile curled down into a frown. "But are you really willing to sit back while something capable of mass destruction is flying around? With you having the power to stop it?"
"I…"
"We're warriors, Ichika. You and I." The blonde continued, his expression growing determined at the younger teen's hesitation. "Though different breeds we may be, we both fight to defend those we hold dear. Are you really going to deny that calling within you?"
Brown eyes widened, fists clenching as the words struck home.
'He's right. If I ran away now, thousands of people, maybe even more, could get hurt and all my training would have been useless..!' He stopped clenching his fists as realization washed over him. 'Training…Houki and Ryo taught me sword techniques and Sahaku-san on how to dodge fast projectiles.'
Glancing at the screen, he spotted a diagram of one of the firing solutions of the Silverio Gospel, a scatter-type attack. He wagered that there was a large chance of it being slower than a railgun shell going supersonic.
'...I can do it.' He raised a hand to remove the blonde's from his shoulder. 'No…not can. I will do it.'
"I'll go." He announced, to the slight shock of his friends. "I've come this far, grown this much, with all of your help. It would be a waste to simply bench myself now."
Ephraim's lips stretched into a battle-hungry grin. "That's the spirit."
"Then it's settled." Chifuyu nodded, inwardly pleased with her brother's decision. "The fastest among you will–"
Pop!
And then they were gone in the blink of an eye.
Murrue, Duane, and the Astray Trio looked at where the IS pilots and teachers were before in shock.
"What the fuck just happened?!" The blonde roared.
(BGM End: IUN Briefing - Ace Combat 7)
Time: 8:05 AM, July 7th
Location: ?
Pop!
"-accompany…" Chifuyu paused as the dim lighting of the command center was replaced with the bright morning sunlight. Looking around warily, she squared her shoulders. "What the hell just happened?"
"W-Where are we?" Maya stuttered, sticking close to her fellow teacher as she raised her fists. Her shoes squeaked against metal, causing her to look down and nearly jolt in surprise at the odd hexagonal pad they were on. "What the..?"
"A forest?" Laura wondered, her guard already up as the IS pilots formed a rough circle, all back to back. "The sun is in the same position from earlier. We must still be nearby."
"How did we get here?!" Ichika summoned Yukihira, his head swiveling as he looked for any threats. "We were just in the command center earlier!"
"Hi hi~!"
Pointing his sword towards the voice, the Byakushiki pilot prepared for an attack before realizing just who he was pointing the sword at.
"Professor?"
"Sorry if I took you from that stuffy meeting~!" Tabane gave them double peace signs as she hopped down from the tree she was sitting on. "But I had a biiig idea that I wanted to share that those nosy Americans shouldn't hear!"
Bzz bzz! Bzz bzz!
"Tabane, this isn't the time for any of your games!" Chifuyu snarled, pulling her phone out. "Lives are at stake here!" Pressing the button for the speaker function, a holographic screen displaying a picture of Ephraim popped up. "Sahaku, report!"
〈 Sensei, where are you?! 〉Her assistant's voice was panicked, understandably so given that they just disappeared right in front of their eyes.
"We're fine, Sahaku." The teacher reassured him, sending another dirty look at the smiling professor. "Our friend from earlier just decided to have a chat with us."
〈 Oh verdammt noch mal! 〉His curse caused Laura's brows to raise. 〈 Listen, sensei, the Gospel suddenly stopped for some reason. Lieutenant Murrue— 〉He coughed and cleared his throat. 〈 I mean, Lieutenant Ramius and Major General Halberton decided that now's an opportune time for us to sortie. 〉
"Hey hey, don't start the party without us!" Tabane blew a raspberry at the phone. "You'll be missing the guest of honor!"
〈 Professor, this isn't the time for your games! People's lives are at stake here! 〉
"Deja vu much?" Rin whispered to Charlotte, both sharing a quiet laugh afterwards.
"Hey, you're gonna need a high-speed and hard-hitting unit, right?" The professor wasn't affected by the blonde's refute. "Well, guess what, the Akatsubaki is perfect for this job!"
"It is?" Houki turned to her sister, staring in slight suspicion.
"Well, summon it and I'll explain~!"
〈 Aus Liebe zu allem Unheiligen—〉
Laura's brows went to her hairline in sheer surprise. Her brother continued his colorful cursing in their mother tongue for a few more seconds before he growled.
〈 We're not wasting anymore time. We're sortieing in 5 minutes. Sahaku, out. 〉
"Wait, Sahaku-san-!" Ichika tried to get him to reconsider when his picture disappeared. Chifuyu frowned and pocketed her phone, signaling the end of any communication between them.
"Who the hell does he think he is?" Houki fumed, raising the arm that had the Closed-Form of her new IS. The pair of gold and silver bells on the black and red ribbon rang, a gentle sound amidst the forest, and she found herself in the Akatsubaki in no time. "They're up against the Silverio in their Astrays!"
Hiss…
The gray armor quickly shifted to red, and she was once more in the resplendent crimson of the IS.
"Oh, don't mind him!" Tabane waved her hand, laughing slightly as she looked over the IS. "He's just jealous of the Akatsubaki, that's all!"
"I don't think he is." Cecilia muttered to herself, crossing her arms as she frowned. Something was wrong with this situation, especially with how the Professor seemed too nonchalant about a potential weapon of mass destruction being loose.
Oh yes, she was quite miffed about being taken away from a functioning airbase that had the proper equipment and systems to support them in their fight. She was even more miffed about how she wouldn't be able to see her crush off when he sortied, instead being stuck wherever she was right now.
"Orimura-sensei," Maya tugged on her fellow teacher's sleeve, keeping her voice quiet. "Do our superiors know that the Professor is here?"
"I'll inform them later." Chifuyu whispered, placing her tightly clenched fist in her sweatpant's pocket. "For now, our priority is disabling Silverio."
"But what of the test pilots?"
She paused, thinking back to her three charges. They seemed to have something planned, as they weren't all too stressed or nervous, unlike the others. Could they have foreseen something like this?
"Alright, Houki-chan~! Time to activate the Fold-Out Armor!"
Glancing over to the rabbit-eared professor, Chifuyu slowly began to piece things together.
'Everything's all too convenient. The Akatsubaki's arrival, the sudden rogue actions of the Silverio, the different behavior and air of the three…'
Various parts of the Akatsubaki opened up, releasing pink energy and forming wing-like constructs. Some gaped in wonder and awe, while others had more subdued reactions.
"Fold-Out Armor is a feature of Fourth-Generation units," Tabane wagged her finger, as if she was giving a lecture. "But to put it in simple terms, the Akatsubaki is an evolved version of the Yukihira Niigata!"
"The next step?" Kanzashi frowned, caressing her pearl once again, narrowing her eyes at the wings of light of the red IS. If she was going to retain her position as IS Representative Candidate of Japan, she needed to step up, especially since a fellow Japanese just got her hands on the very first Fourth-Generation unit.
"Eeyep~! On top of having excellent protection due to the Phase Shift armor, she'll also be able to instantly configure whatever role she'll want! Be it offense, defense, or simply mobility!" The professor turned and gave them double victory signs. "Isn't that cool~?"
The IS pilots merely glanced at each other as if to ask, 'Is this really the Professor?' amongst themselves.
"Oh right, speaking of something going rogue over the ocean." Tabane sent a cheeky grin towards Chifuyu. "This takes me back to the Shirokishi incident ten years ago!"
The teacher's eyes widened briefly.
'..! No…She couldn't have..!'
"The incident where 2,341 missiles, almost all of them Intercontinental Supersonic Cruise Missiles," Laura piped up, using her extensive knowledge of military history to her advantage. "Were simultaneously launched towards Japan?"
"And where that woman in the silver IS appeared, cutting them all down in a single afternoon before disappearing into the sunset…" Cecilia continued after the German, remembering the books she read about the 'White Knight'.
"Yup yup~!" The rabbit-eared woman skipped around the older Orimura. "I wonder who the White Knight was~ Do you know, Chi-chan~?"
Chifuyu merely sent her a heated glare.
"...Miss Orimura!" The British Representative Candidate stepped forward, a hand over her heart. "Ma'am, I'm sure that the Akatsubaki is great and all, but shouldn't we come back to Camp Schwab to see what else we can do?"
"And what can you do?" Houki's scathing remark was met with shocked looks from her friends. "You heard them earlier. Only the Byakushiki and the Akatsubaki will be able to catch up to the Silverio at this rate! You'll just be dead weights!"
"Houki, what the hell!?" Rin protested, stepping in front of a gaping Cecilia defensively. "I know that we're all stressed here, but what you just said was way out of line!"
"That's very hurtful, Mademoiselle Shinonono!" Charlotte frowned at her, though inwardly she was absolutely fuming. Being called a deadweight hit close, as the Rafale-Revive 2 was still a generation behind everyone else's.
The ponytailed girl flinched, realizing her words. "I-" She tried to apologize but was interrupted by the albino, who looked awfully vindictive.
"It is nearing 5 minutes." Laura cheekily noted, looking down at a watch that quantized on her wrist. "Ryo-nii and the other two must be launching at any moment now."
Houki's face lost all guilt as it twisted into anger. "Nee-san!" She barked towards her sister, whose grin seemed to merely grow as she turned to her. "How fast can you tune the Akatsubaki?"
"Seven minutes, at least~!"
Gritting her teeth, she deactivated both the Fold-Out Armor and the Phase Shift. The cable ports opened up as she turned around. "Hurry up! I don't want those—" She cut herself off with a fake cough. "I don't want to give the Gospel a chance to even hurt anyone!"
"Aye aye~!"
Ichika merely stared at Houki, a frown on his face. While he wanted to help fight the Silverio, he knew that the three Neo-Types were more than capable on their own. Sure, he was a bit jealous that they would get the glory, but it wasn't as if they purposefully put them out of the way.
"Just hang on guys…" He muttered as he looked up into the sky. "I have a bad feeling about today…"
.
.
.
Time: 8:10 AM, July 7th
Location: Camp Schwab Airfield
(BGM Start: Tachiagare! Ikariyo - Gundam SEED)
"All systems green on my end. Ephraim?"
"Colloid reserves are at max, quantizing Gungnir, readying the Type 71. Davion, on your end?"
"All green. Colloid reserve is at max, ammo is full, thrusters are warmed up and ready."
Various Marines had stopped what they were doing to witness the launch of the three famed test machines. Their hunched over forms straightened up proudly, the optics lighting up with a dull thrum that they could feel even all the way where they were.
They were definitely eye-catching in the early morning light. Three machines, Red, Blue, and Gold, all with their thrusters spooling up.
The Gold Frame's Maga no Ikutachi claws began to separate, spreading out in a mimicry of wings as its pilot finished his third review of his suit's status. In its right hand was the Gungnir, its sharp tip reflecting the sunlight almost as if there was a sun inside of it. The containers for the Magashiro no Hoko Shot Lancers moved in and out of their holdings just as the monoeye of the golden suit lit up with a higher pitched thrum.
The Blue Frame's Tactical Arms was in Flight Mode, blue-white flames jetting out every now and again as the mechanic held a new weapon in its right hand. The Caletvwlch was finally ready for live combat, having been stuck in the Astray's Inventory due to a lack of opportunity to use it. Now, however, was the perfect time for it to show those watching just what it could do. In it's exposed state, the gatling occasionally spun, imperceptible clicking noises coming from it as physical shells were loaded in half the barrels.
The Red Frame's Tactical Arms 2 was in its own Flight Mode like the Blue Frame's, though there weren't any blue-white flames jetting out just yet. The weapon's blade-wings moved this way and that, testing the range of movement of the form. On the sides of the Astray were its two signature swords, the Gerbera Straight and the Tiger Pierce. In another time, those two swords would have been their trump card against the Silverio Gospel. But now, especially with the unique capabilities of the Mirage Colloid, they had plenty more options…
〈 Are you three ready for launch? 〉Came Murrue's voice from their helmet radios. She had been briefed on the capability of the Astrays by the mechanic, especially with their speed.〈 With the speed you'll be able to go, you'll catch up to the Silverio in no time. 〉
"What's its current location?" Ephraim asked, his helmet's HUD notifying him of the Energy Absorption Claws' status. "Is it near the exercises?"
〈 It's 328 miles East of it. I'll send the coordinates. 〉The Lieutenant provided as the three Astrays turned their heads to look at each other.〈 It's been moving erratically, however, so by the time you arrive, it'll be in the AO. Be wary though, meteorological reports say that a storm has been brewing nearby. 〉
"Have you notified the forces in the RIMPAC about the situation?" Davion asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice. "I do not want to get tagged by SAMs or pelted with bullets by the CIWS."
〈 Due to the nature of this operation, I'm afraid we cannot divulge such information to non-US forces. 〉Murrue's voice was professional, though there was an undercurrent of worry that came along with it.〈 However, the IS Academy have sent them a notification that you three are on a test flight in the immediate area at the behest of the Professor. You won't have to worry about being locked on. 〉
"Better that than nothing," Ryo grunted as he began to crouch, the Tactical Arms 2 spouting blue-white flames. "Let's get on with this. Launching!" With a high leap and the roar of his thrusters, he shot up high into the air, breaking past a passing cloud in the meanwhile.
〈 …W-Well! You three are cleared for launch! 〉The older woman ordered.〈 Good hunting! 〉
"Lords below, Ryo..!" The blonde snarled as he too began to crouch. "Ephraim Sahaku, Gundam Astray Perfect Gold Frame; Launching!" With a similarly high leap, the thrusters activated and the Astray quickly became a twinkling golden speck way up in the sky.
"Davion Guele, Gundam Astray Blue Frame Second G; Launching!" And there went the Blue Frame, tailing its brothers as they disappeared through a cloud.
Not a moment later, the three of them, now mere blurs from the ground, headed East.
Murrue watched them go from the safety of the Command Center with a frown. She looked down at the tablet in her hand and then at the other operators busy coordinating with the US Indo-Pacific Command. They needed to run damage control before it's revealed that the Silverio Gospel went rogue, or else they'll be the subject of international scrutiny for years to come!
"And with the Astray's launch..!" Major General Duane Halberton rumbled, his tone serious and bringing back memories of her time serving under him in the 4th Fleet in the Caribbean.
"Operation Angel Down is a go!"
(BGM End: Tachiagare! Ikariyo - Gundam SEED)
AN:
Beta'd by: ProjectRyo
And so, the hunt for the Gospel begins.
Obviously with the locations having changed, the battlefield and the participants would have also changed. With the addition of three more high-speed units in the IS Academy's roster, will the Silverio Battle turn out the same in canon?
Or perhaps...far worse?
Also, yeah, I've no idea how IS pilots fly at high-speeds without experiencing the consequences of unprotected flight. I mean, their hair moves when they fly around, so there must be air-resistance, right? But then the Akatsubaki casually goes Mach 2 and doesn't experience the usual face-pulling or super dry eyes.
Damn it, I want to make sense of the mechanics of the damn wunderwaffe but I just cant! It doesn't even say in my resources if the IS has some sort of passive shielding to counter wind-resistance! But if it does, then why does their hair move or flap about?
Why?
Okay. Seething over.
No sense in trying to ground something fuck magical.
Just stick with the Astrays, Cipher, at least those make a modicum of sense.
But this is an AU anyway, so I can at least have some creative bloody liberties...
And I'm just gonna say this now, I'm no expert in military lingo or procedure and such. As much as I want to avoid them, I'm most likely going to make mistakes. Hopefully, they won't ruin the experience in reading or the fragile sense of immersion I believe I've created in how I try to be as detailed and grounded.
To the reviews!
KnightOfZaku: Oh, she said something worse than 'get under Ephraim's skin'. She said something that insulted his entire existence! And Davion's probably going to have a lot on his plate in the coming fight, so that thought might slip his mind. However, he's not the only one that has suspicions about this whole debacle...
P.B.S.: Yeah, I'm gonna be honest, when I first wrote the draft of the first half of Gone Astray (Before Episode 6) I barely had a clue as to how to properly show Ephraim and Chifuyu's interactions without them looking self-indulgent. The most 'non-pushy' way of writing their time together was more co-workers than anything else, and the most pushy was a simp simping over the one he simped on, and (as someone who has both witnessed and experienced such a thing) I felt uncomfortable with it. So I just...forgot about it, I guess, and kept on writing. Bad, I know.
But there's always this part of me that wants to explore more of her character, that maybe, just maybe, she would actually be open to romance. But that part wasn't overly vocal until last chapter, where I had little time to write-in such a moment. So, instead, I rescheduled said character exploration/development to after Season 1.
Fingers crossed I execute it decently.
Even someone like Chifuyu deserves to know what romantic love is.
Hm, I dislike making someone as the main character in a group of protagonists, but by value of being knowledgeable of the happenings, the settings, and generally what to expect, it's Ephraim. He's the one that strategizes, that plans out future Episodes, briefs the other two of what they could face, and generally being the squad leader of the three. I wouldn't necessarily call him as the Main Protagonist, though, as it kind of devalues the presence of the other two in my eyes.
I do try to shift focus to the others so they too can get more screen-time. I don't want a repeat of an old mistake of mine were I devolved supporting protagonists into mere tag-a-longs for the MC. That got me an earful from ProjectRyo and the palpable contempt from Davion's controller.
With that, this is an increasingly inspired (and possibly growingly sadistic) Cipher, signing off!
Time to make the actors suffer!
Time: 8:05 AM, July 7th
Location: Camp Schwab Airfield
"We're not wasting anymore time. We're sortieing in 5 minutes. Sahaku, out."
Hanging up, the blonde let off another growl as he quantized his phone.
'Damn that woman! Damn her! Damn her! Damn her!'
He really should have just struck her down all those months ago!
But no, that damned part of him that wanted to see just how far things would change had stayed his hand!
'Alright, calm down.'
Ephraim took deep breaths as he pushed off the wall of the hallway, zipping open the front of his pilot suit to cool himself down, revealing the plain white undershirt that lightly clung to his frame. He and his fellow Astray pilots had left the Command Center to prepare to sortie and he had to make sure his superior was safe.
What he wasn't expecting was another damn headache courtesy of Tabane.
'Things are different now. We have the power to disable the Silver-' He shook his head as he clenched and relaxed his hands. 'The Silvario Gospel, thus skipping the last episode of Season 1. No unnecessary drama, no bullshit, no risk of further death.'
His eyes looked around, looking up and down the hall as the occasional aide ran past him carrying documents and reports, nary sparing an eye to the younger man save for the rare double-take. With a quiet huff, he began to make his way out to the exit of the building so that he could rejoin his fellow pilots.
'Except the butterfly effect caused the location of the resort from some unknown place to Kanucha, and instead of Silvario going straight for Tokyo, it's going for the RIMPAC, which shouldn't even have happened in the original timeline.'
Grabbing the helmet that was attached to the nape hook, he held it under his arm. Fumbling with the zipper, he began to zip up his suit in order for the seals to reactivate.
'And the fact that Tabane has Phase Shift armor, as well as SEED characters popping up…Lords below, I should really stop expecting OTL canon to stay the same…'
"Graham!"
The sound of rapid footsteps coming up behind him made him pause. The familiar voice twisted his gut and he licked his lips to ease his nervousness. Taking a short breath, he turned around.
Royal purples locked on to soft browns.
His heart leapt to his throat.
"Oh uh, Murr-" He bit the inside of his cheek and coughed to hide his slip of the tongue. "I mean, Lieutenant Ramius, ma'am."
Murrue stopped beside him, panting lightly and then brushing the skirt of her Service Dress White. "You're not enlisted, you can still call me by my first name, Graha-" She paused, shaking her head and laughing slightly. "I mean, Ephraim. Er…I can call you Ephraim, right?"
"Um…y-yeah," The blonde scratched the back of his head, totally unprepared to have encountered her in this situation. "You still can."
The older woman smiled up at him, her eyes looking down at the scarring around his neck. Her smile took on a more sassy curl to it. "When I skimmed over the Professor's documents about her test pilots back when she first released them, I didn't realize that Graham Aker, a 22-year-old Aviation Student, was actually an 18-year-old test pilot enrolled in the IS Academy."
He flinched. "Um…w-well, I'm just…used to…"
A hand reached up and patted his cheek, a soft laugh escaping her lips. "Calm down, I'm not that angry. I'm just more relieved that you were 18 when we…you know…what was it you Japanese called it?"
"'Gyaku enjo kōsai'. Or reversed compensated dating, but I prefer it to be called Escort Services."
"Yeah, that." Murrue sighed and shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Goodness, looking back at it now, I'm still confused as to how you were 18. Most 18-year-olds don't have that maturity or…" Her eyes briefly glanced down below his belt, a cheeky smirk on her lips. "The expertise."
"Lords below…" Ephraim rolled his eyes, ignoring the light warmth on his cheeks. "Anyway, it's good to see you, Murrue." His expression shifted from soft to serious. "Has Davion brought you up to speed with our suits… Ma'am?"
Recognizing the change in attitude, Murrue stepped back and straightened, her expression turning back to one of professionalism. "He has. I wouldn't have believed the Professor's claims that it could go at speeds up to Mach 2, but your friend's data on the thruster tests solidified this claim. That will allow you to catch up and keep pace with the Silvario, since it can only go at maximum speeds of Mach 2 before the air resistance at such speeds begins to tear it apart."
"...Doesn't the IS have energy shields?"
The older woman looked up at him with a raised brow. "The Energy Shields don't work that way. They protect against weapons, not natural forces like air resistance. And no, the Passive Inertia Control doesn't work that way either."
"Oh."
They walked in silence as they exited the building, walking in quick-step to the runway where the Red and Blue Frame were having their pre-flight checks done.
"Well, I'm glad that Davion made us these pilot suits that can withstand high amounts of G-Force." Ephraim started, fully zipping up said suit and holding his helmet before him. "This'll keep us at a 100% even when we're breaking Mach 2."
"Just be sure to not be too crazy about high-g maneuvers or get into g-LOC." She deadpanned as she stopped in the shadow of a hangar. "I'd hate it if you blacked out in the middle of the ocean."
"Heh," The blonde turned to her with a smug grin. "I'm not that stupid. I've trained for this."
Which…technically wasn't a lie.
Murrue rolled her eyes and shook her head. They stared at each other for a few more seconds before her cheeks reddened. "Ah…right, um…after all of this, would you perhaps..?"
'...Aaaand there goes my feels again.'
With a sad smile, he shook his head. "Sorry, Murrue. I'm…kinda in a complicated situation right now. So uh…sorry. Again."
The older woman sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Figured. I should have gotten you when I had the chance."
"Ahaha…yeah." With an awkward chuckle, he began to walk away. "Anyway uh…your number's still the same right? Maybe we could go out for coffee after this."
"Oh, I'm coming back to the Caribbean with the 4th Fleet after this." She winced. "But yeah, my number's still the same! Call me!"
"Roger that, ma'am!" With a cheeky grin replacing the somber smile, he turned around and quickly made his way to the other two Astrays. "Stay safe!"
"You too!"
'...Well, that was less awkward than I expected.' The blonde thought as he quantized the Gold Frame before him, the imposing suit looking as resplendent in the morning light despite the grayed-out armor. 'I expected a bit of drama but…' His eyes lost their shine as he put on his helmet. The visor polarized just as he stepped in, the Astray closing around him in a welcoming embrace.
'It's better than last night's.'
Hiss…
.
.
.
Clouds of white zipped by as he soared through the blue horizon, the sunlight reflecting off of the inner frame. It was neither hot nor cold way up high where they were, thankfully due to the insulating properties of the pilot suit and of the sealed nature of the mobile suit.
Oh goodie, we're so excited that we went ahead of everyone else!
…
What? Too focused on flying to reply? Guess I'll be doing the talking then!
… What do you want?
Sheesh, can barely feel the underlying hostility. Anyways, can't I get worried? After all, you've been acting off lately.
And whose fault do you think that is?
Who, me? C'mon… we were just having a civil and logical discussion!
CIVIL?!
Struck a nerve there, didn't I? Well, let's forget about that tidbit for now and focus on what's ahead of us. You already know, don't you?
…
Something out there is going to be an anomaly just like you, someone who doesn't belong, someone who never should have existed in this pitiful world.
…
And what are you gonna do? Let them exist as if it was their right and allow them to cause even more unforeseen changes? I wonder what will happen? One of your 'friends' might have an 'accident' all because you couldn't be bothered to see through things clearly.
That won't happen.
If not these acquaintances of yours, then what about your brothers? Who knows, maybe the trio suddenly becomes at a loss with one member, and there was nothing-
IT WON'T HAPPEN!
There we go! and what will you do?
… I will take care of everything.
As you always do… Delta~
