Unmanned computer consoles hummed. The only noise in the otherwise silent bridge of the Selene. Bronya stood at the main terminal, tapping one orthotic braced foot on the ground and waiting for an answer.
"Huh? Why would I tell you girls my birthday? Himeko, this is just a stupid prank."
Enervation clung to Mei's limbs. Her earlier exertion combined with calling upon the powers of the Herrscher core within had been taxing. Ever the attentive and observant, Bronya had hijacked a mecha to transport the trio rather than have Mei further exhausted herself.
'And even now after a rest I'm still so tired. It's frustrating that so little power takes so much out of me.'
Mei smiled at Kiana's mock irritation. She could tell her friend was trying to lighten the mood. Himeko was on the comm and could give out the information at any time. They all knew that. But Kiana was showing concern in her own way, being the class goof and making everyone smile. Well, it would have been everyone, but Bronya and her tapping foot clearly wanted to gain full authority control over the Selene.
"Bronya, Kiana's birthday is December 7th."
"Hey! Mei-senpai!"
Bronya typed in the otherwise useless bit of trivia. Nobody expected the system to respond positively. Least of all the hacker currently at the console.
"SYSTEM: Navigation privileges granted. Re-routing vessel. New destination set: St. Freya High School"
Kiana was clearly the most surprised. Her clear blue eyes went wide.
"What? They really used my birthday as the password!"
Mei made her way gingerly over to Kiana and put a hand on her shoulder.
"We'll fly the battleship back to St. Frey High School and get to the bottom of this. It seems that the people sending this battleship harbor no ill intents…"
The newest formed Valkyrja squad of St. Freya had just barely completed their mission. It wasn't without its hiccups. But they were still successful.
"What's happening?! Bronya?"
Himeko's concerned voice interrupted Mei's speech. She looked up to see Bronya hunched over, strange warning holographics flashing around her. The Selene had recognised danger and kicked her from the system. Kiana and Mei exchanged confused glances. Bronya's head slowly lifted. Turned to look at them. The two girls took a step back. Honkai energy burns streaked down from her crimson eyes. Project Bunny manifested behind the girl, though its design had morphed from the bright white and blue to a more ominous black and red. Mei had seen Bronya use her 'Rebuild' ability on multiple occasions. Though she had never explained how, Bronya was able to create tangible objects, specifically Project Bunny, along with the appropriate munitions, via conversion of Honkai energy into matter. It sounded incredibly complex yet Bronya did it with ease. The same Rebuild skill was demonstrated here, though in a far more sinister fashion. Bronya's 3rd generation Valkyrja battlesuit was morphed and warped into a black tunic with a grey collar, black stockings and ankle high boots, elbow length gauntlets with red highlights protecting her arms. The unfamiliar battlesuit design matched the Project Bunny 19C creepy refit.
"VALKYRJA SYSTEM. Bio-chip anomaly detected… force activate emergency system. Rebooting. Switching to troubleshooting mode. Purge all surrounding hostilities."
Project Bunny 19C raised its arm canon, multiple holographic targeting markers splashed over Kiana and Mei.
"Kiana!" Mei shouted in warning.
Both Valkyrja directed Honkai energy though their battlesuits, spacetime distortions activating in tandem. The world slowed down, a scattershot of shaped depleted uranium shells slowly escaping the canon at supersonic velocity. The spacetime distortion gave Kiana and Mei barely enough time to avoid the lethal barrage. Time dilated to normal speed, the boom of the canon echoing around the cavernous bridge.
"Bronya!" Mei cried in surprise. "What's wrong? Why. Why are you doing this?"
"Target reacquired. Adjusting for temporal counter-manoeuvres."
A wide hemisphere of pure Honkai energy enveloped Mei, pining her in place. Malevolent red hexagons manifested in across the hemisphere. Honkai energy canons projected from the hexagons, tips rapidly going from dim shadows to brilliant white. Bronya lifted a hand and then clenched.
"Target evasive capabilities neutralised. Begin suppression barrage."
The spacetime distortion system was still on recharge. Mei hadn't the time react or dodge. Not when surrounded. Multiple energy blasts launched from the cannons. The halo of death pressed inward.
"Neko-CHARM!"
A white cat's limb swiped through the forcefield, shattering it instantly. The limb's strike was perfectly timed, broad sweep catching the mortar bombardment and taking the attacks, protecting Mei where she stood. Not wasting the opportunity, Mei ran for the ragged gaps in the Honkai energy field and dove through. On the other side, Mei could see Kiana limbed in gold light, a look of resolve on her face.
"I dunno what's wrong with Bronya and she won't listen to us. So, we just have to beat the sense into her."
"I don't know if that is the right course of—"
Kiana was already dashing toward Bronya. She launched a forward kick, white cat's limb forged from Honkai energy projecting from her boot. Just before it struck, Bonya and Bunny 19C winked out of existence.
"Huh? No way I got her."
Multiple bomblets cascaded out from where Bronya had hovered. Kiana yelped in surprise and cartwheeled backwards. Where she had once stood the bomblets exploded, filling the air with shrapnel and smoke.
"Hey no fair! That's cheating."
"Subject Kiana possess equal evasive skill. Neutralising capabilities."
"Hey, stop just saying what you're going to do. This isn't some silly anime."
Bronya appeared directly behind Kiana, canon already primed. A large sphere shaded like a starlit sky shot forward, catching Kiana and dragging her away. The Valkyrja struggled against the weapon. Whatever the energy projectile was, it possessed some form of interlaced dark energy, generating a complex gravity well. The sphere finally stopped at a safe distance from Bronya. Kiana growled and aimed her Water Spirit: Type I pistols at her friend. Pulling the trigger, she launched multiple Honkai accelerated rounds, a white cat's paw lashing out in tandem. Bunny 19C lifted a red shield, protecting its mistress. In response the arm canon pointed at Kiana and fired off scattershot.
"Whoa!"
Kiana committed to a vertical kick, the manifest white cat paw bursting from the ground and taking the depleted uranium shells. Mei glanced sideways. The aura about Kiana was fading. She was clearly drained from the burst of Honkai energy required to maintain the attack kata. Mei drew in a slow breath, steadied her mind and exhaled slowly. Her eyes fixed on Bronya's. Drawing her thermal cutter, she sprinted the gap between the two. Bunny 19C's canon switched targets. A scattershot was fired. Mei dodged expertly to one side. Bronya's impassive expression remained. The slight shift in breathing told a different story. She was surprised. Another scattershot. Another dodge. Mei's eyes never left Bronya's. Where Bronya looked, Mei took into account and predicted the arc of fire. If you knew where you enemy was going to attack, you need merely dodge out the way of that attack zone. The third attack was from close range, Mei sliding just under the barrage before kipping to her feet and maintaining the sprint.
"Amaterasu," Mei whispered, activating her battlesuits full power release.
Coruscating Honkai energy enveloped the thermal cutter. Mei readied to swing the blade forward. It was then she realised her mistake. Bronya hadn't blinked once. She was still in control of the battlefield. One hand. Palm up. A ball of brilliant light glittering. White light pulsed. Mei, who had never broken her gaze, now found herself blinded. She swung her blade desperately. The wave of Honkai energy flashed forward. It never found its target.
A mechanical fist struck her stomach. Spittle flew outward. Mei wheezed, her diaphragm refusing to work, breath failing. A second punch, now to chest, sent waves of agony rippling, ribs creaking. Metal fingers gripped Mei's throat. Lifted her into the air. Mei's blade clattered to the ground, her hands scrabbling at the unyielding grip. White dots of oxygen deprivation induced light danced in her vision.
"Mei-senpai!" Kiana called out.
Kiana struggled against the galaxy black gravity well that enveloped her.
"Target Mei has been neutralised. Target Kiana shall be deleted."
Ruby hexagons formed a horizontal firing range either side of Bronya. Honkai energy canons manifested, tips glowing brighter by the second. Defiance flared in Kiana's eyes. She burnt away more of her stored Honkai energy in a desperate gamble. Kicking downward, Kiana manifested a cat's paw right beneath her and used the ground to push hard off, launching her out of the gravity well. The Valkyrja sailed slowly through the air. Bunny 19C lifted its arm canon and targeted the easy kill. Mei pulled at the mech's fingers. She had to do something. Anything. Kiana was about to die and herself soon afterward. The look of determination on Kiana's face never wavered. She spun in mid-air, reorientating her feet to point toward the ceiling.
"Neko-kick!"
Burning the last of her Honkai energy reserve, Kiana manifested one final paw and struck the ceiling. Pushing hard against it, she launched herself suddenly downward. The canon fired, depleted uranium shells missing Kiana by centimetres. With Mei in a choke hold the construct had no adequate time to shield its mistress. The silver haired Valkyrja hurtled into Bronya with brutal force. The paired slammed into the ground, tumbling one over the other several metres. Kiana came to halt resting on top. She wasted no time, dropping her pistols and launching a series of swift punches. Bronya possessed none of the physical strength to adequately defend herself. Each blow to the head rattled the woman. Project Bunny 19C dropped Mei and flew toward its mistress. Mei lay on the ground, one hand at her throat, the other stretched toward her friends weakly.
"Wake up!" Kiana bellowed
The sound of fist striking flesh was the loudest noise in the room thus far.
"Idiotka."
The voice was weak. Pained. Still, it was the one thing that could bring tears to eyes. Mei watched the pair, Kiana sitting atop Mei and grinning proudly, Bronya wincing at the blows. The unfamiliar black battlesuit faded, her original blue outfit returning. Bunny 19C disappeared. It had been a close battle. But they had won. Mei gingerly got to her feet, body aching where she had been struck. She used her plasma cutter blade as a crutch, stumbling over to where the pair sat. Mei smiled. Picked up the pistol Kiana had dropped. Put two rounds through the back of Kiana's skull. It was a cowards move. Even with all her resolve Mei lacked the fortitude to watch the light fade from those crystal blue eyes. Three rounds in Bronya's chest before she could cry out ended the tableau. Mei tossed the pistol to one side, sighed and rolled her shoulders. The pain was very real.
"You know," she said quietly, "the number of times someone or something has manipulated or meddled with my mind, I should get a loyalty card for repeat customer."
A flinty gaze shifted to an unremarkable corner of the room.
"I have trained very hard to stop such events from repeating. Which of course indicates just how powerful a psychic entity you are."
Her mindscape shivered. Lurking fragments of Id coalesced together. A woman wreathed in ashes and embers. Burning red cinders for eyes. Her skin was charcoal and chaff. This was a creature conjured from the guttered fire of possibility and memory. Long hair the shade of cremation ash, a side-lock caught with a jewel, the rest hanging down her back in a loose ponytail. Her clothes too were the raiment of a fire long dead. In shades of ashen grey, charcoal and black. A stylised asymmetric qipao that split above the right thigh, sleeves from biceps to tip of finger, right thigh bare, left in a stocking. The back of the qipao split in four like the tail of a majestic bird. Dusky ankle boots. Her attire was old. Ancient. Antiquated from an era several centuries earlier.
"Fu… Hua?"
Whatever it was, the psychic entity wore the face of the class monitor. The woman that, according to Kiana, had sacrificed herself to protect Kiana from Kevin Kaslana. Mei breathed in, centred her mind and exhaled. She had no patience for the thing that had invaded her consciousness.
"Thoughts, memories, dreams. In the end they are electrochemical reactions within the brain. The mind is a sea of lightning."
The kata she slipped into was perfect. The harmony of offense and defence woven as one. Mei gestured to her opponent.
"Bow before your Queen."
Through the kata confusion was sublimated and resolve coalesced. The Herrscher flared her power. Perception watered as reality asserted itself. Mei stood before the terminal once more, jaw slack, drool pooling on her chin. An icon flashed in Mei's AR vision. She typed the passcode into the terminal.
The psychic entity remained manifest in the corner.
'Not merely a memetic intruder. It wears the guise of Fu Hua. Though dark. A different interpretation or aspect of the woman I know. Nasu would call it an Alter.'
Alter Hua giggled to herself. Mei's blood chilled. She knew that merriment. It had been her own when first Nagazora fell. The delight in destruction. A thunderclap. Ozone. Mei stood as a complete Herrscher.
Alter Hua was beside her. Too fast. Sen-ki darting kick. Four Key of Castigation summoned to block the sweeping kick. Four shattered. Mei caught the blow in the ribs and flew across the wide expanse of the bridge. Hit the wall with enough force to bow the undefined plasma steel alloy. Spittle and blood flew from Mei's mouth. Even with electrochemical reinforcement the ribs cracked. Alter Hua was before her, Sen-ki dashing turn punch closing in. Mei feinted her head to one side at the last second.
There was no sound of fist striking metal. This was an opponent to be rightly feared. Anyone can punch a wall. Only the greatest can attack with such power and yet pull the punch a millimetre from impact. Mei gripped the ground electromagnetically, pulled herself down to the floor and then launched herself into the middle of the bridge. Spun in mid-air. Barely deflected another punch with her Hokushin Itto-ryu unarmed techniques. Fist after lashing fist. Mei could only just keep up. Her mental perspective she dialled up as high as possible. Her reflexes she honed even as she attempted to observe her opponents' movements. There was only one possible conclusion.
Alter Fu Hua outclassed Herrscher Mei in every conceivable way.
Mei summoned her Domain of Sanction. The katana fell smoothly into held. Mei stepped into a forward thrust iado, aiming for Alter Hua's chest. The woman was like the morning wind, dancing back with such grace Mei had to admire its perfection. Alter Hua held a hand high. A blade winked into existence, a double-edged Jian the colour of bronze warmed to scorching temperatures. Rested the blade on her shoulder and took Mei in. Assessed her with a manic grin. Those burning eyes flickered brighter.
Strike. Stab. Slash. Overhead chop. Nothing to do but defend for the Herrscher. Alter Hua flowed through strike after strike. A kata of five rapid thrusts sending the Herrscher stumbling backwards. Desperate and crude parries knocked away the next three slashes. Keys of Castigation were conjured only to shatter under a single blow. Sacrifices to buy time to bring katana to bear and knock aside the attack. As each Key fell another appeared. That drain on Honkai energy was taxing. Mei was panting and sweating. Try as she might the Herrscher could not once counter attack. Not once lead the assault. All she did was pay in blood. A slice here. A gash there.
The Herrscher of Thunder couldn't wipe the grin from her face. In this moment between life and death there was joy. Abandonment of all thought but the blade. She was not a still moment in the pond. The Herrscher was the storm roaring in the air. It could not stop the Phoenix. But it could learn from her. Grow from the tireless firestorm. Mei had not faced a real opponent up until this point. Honkai Beast. Herrscher of Rimestar. Durandal. All had been fought. But none were a genuine challenge. None represented life and death as one.
Mei held her blade high overhead, brought it down in a series of frenzied slashes, lightning licking its edge and illuminating the pair. Alter Hua was a nightingale upon the wind. Jian barely touching the tip of the katana, guiding away every slash. Mei could not compete with the perfection of technique. Even as skilled as she was the Herrscher was a novice in comparison to her foe. Alter Hua's counterattack was ruthless. Jian slipped between hands, flowing and shifting as necessary, stabs and slashes pushing Mei back.
Time dilated as Mei accelerated her senses, the world as sluggish and slow, drops of sweat that fell from her body taking an eternity to reach the floor. Alter Hua moved only faster. Lightning limned Mei's body, augmenting strength and speed further, katana a purple blur flashing through the air. Four Key of Castigation were summoned behind and made for a backstab. Alter Hua didn't even turn to block, weaving her blocking motions into her offensive. Taking a calculated risk, Mei deflected a blow and let go of her Katana, dropping to one hand, body horizontal as she launched a double kick. Alter Hua flicked her free hand up and down, slapping aside each blow before lashing out with a counter-kick. Mei flew through the air before hitting the ground, bouncing along the floor before screeching to a halt. The Herrscher's reaction speed saved her, rolling to one, Alter Hua's descending from high up and dropping a knee into the floor where her head had been.
Mei kipped up and landed on sore legs. She clapped her hands together, catching the Jian in a forward thrust. Lightning hummed between pressed palms, gripping the blade into as tight an electromagnetic grip as Mei thought possible. The Herrscher shifted her hands to one side and kicked forward. Alter Hua lifted a leg and deftly deflected the blow with a knee. The woman then spun, put her back to Mei and used the Jian as a pivot point to throw Mei over her shoulder and into the floor. It all happened so fast Mei was lying on the ground before she realised what had happened. Groaning in protest, Mei lashed out, electromagnetically gripped the wall and pulled herself away just before her chest was caved in with a ruthless stomp.
With a kick Mei bounced into the air and landed on her feet. Alter Hua watched Mei with amused eyes. The Jian sat on her shoulder, burning all the brighter. Mei summoned her katana and the four Key of Castigation. Something tickled the edges of her vision. A quick glance revealed a rain of darkness. Black feathers edged in crimson fell around her. No. They weren't black. More like an absence of light. Mei breathed in, centred herself and slowly breathed out. Whatever was happening, it was not a friendly gesture. As the feathers formed at halo they warped and shifted. Each became an image of the Jian over Alter Hua's shoulder, a black blade, an absence of light, highlighted in crimson. A mist of lethal steel.
'I am a storm within the battlefield. I am a sea of lightning.'
Mei shifted into a defensive stance and readied herself. The assault began. Black Jian rushed from all sides and angles. In perfect kata, Mei flowed from one stance to another, Hokushin Itto-ryu the pinnacle of offence and defence. Each motion, each flick of her katana, intercepted a Jian. Where she could not see or move, the four keys of castigation acted, shattering under very blow and reforming anew. Around Mei was a lethal tempest. Her mind moved all four keys of castigation even as she deflected whatever made it through. Nicks. Cuts. Gashes. There was more blood and sweat than bare flesh. Even through it all Mei was smiling, eyes dancing about, body moving through kata one by one.
The last Jian Mei did not deflect, opting to step to one side, catching it by the hilt and then hurl it back at Alter Hua. The woman tipped her head just enough to avoid the attack, grabbing the hilt and setting the blade on her shoulder.
"You," Mei acknowledged, "are the deadliest adversary I have every faced. And you're not even trying, are you?"
Alter Hua shrugged. That was confirmation enough. Mei sheathed the Domain of Sanction and readied for another iado.
The Jian in Alter Hua's hand turned to ash. The woman looked at her shoulder. Shook her head. Turned back to Mei. From the feet up the woman crumbled to ash. Mei didn't take her eyes off her foe. Only when Alter Hua's crackling ember eyes faded did she relax a fraction. The ash pooled on the ground. A single feathery plume whisked back and forth, gently sinking down before coming to rest atop the cooling remain. Mei sighed. Looked about the bridge. Aside from where she had hit the wall it was all still intact. The Herrscher clenched one hand and coalesced lighting within it. Touched the floor and sent a ripple of destructive power outward. All biological matter such as blood and sweat were disintegrated. Cleaning up all evidence of their passage was important. Mei walked over to the feather and picked it up. It was tangible. Not what she had expected. Cool in her hand.
"You ran out of Honkai energy, didn't you?" Mei wondered aloud. "Sheer luck I survived."
Mei looked around the bridge. Twice now in this place she had been humbled. Twice now she had survived by luck. The first time due to the crutch of her friends. The second was her foe running out of power. It was a valuable experience. If this was the new heights she had to scale, Mei would climb until fingers bled and palms were flayed. The state of a Herrscher was only the beginning.
What this feather was, that was something Mei wanted to explore further. She had a vague idea due to the information her father had left her. But it wasn't enough to be definitive. Mei put the thoughts of the feather to the back of her mind and began going through the very long list of goals she had to complete. After a few minutes spent musing Mei reviewed the objectives in chronological order.
'One task at a time. First, I claim ME Corp South East Asia for my own, then decide on the location of our operations base, procurement of staff, relocation of resources, production of equipment and training of staff.'
The quill of the curious feather twisted back and forth between thumb and finger.
'You, my curious little feather, may just have to wait.'
Footsteps slowly approached. Amarant appeared from the service corridor she had slunk down. Her clothes were scratched and torn. Short blue hair the messiest Mei had ever seen.
"What happened to you?" Amarant asked.
Mei was still in her Herrscher form, body a litany of injuries.
"An unexpected boon," Mei said, switching back to her civilian clothes and pocketing the feather. "I will explain later. And ask why you look just as much worse for wear."
"Jefferies tubes are not what Star Trek make them out to be. You took your sweet time responding to my AR message. Security activated and I got a taste of what think ship is capable of when made angry."
Mei raised an eyebrow in disbelief, but pushed the subject no further. She would get answers later.
"Change of plan. We don't wait for a transport to sneak onto. We leap over the side of the gangway. I'll slow our descent close to the ground. Then we hike to my VTOL. It will be faster and honestly safer right now.
"I might point out, dear Customer, that a Herrscher can fly. What about me?"
"Princess carry."
Amarant groaned and left the bridge, Mei trailing behind, smirk not leaving her face. A faint trail of ash wafted from the service corridor Amarant had appeared from.