Hey guys, I don't know if any of you noticed this or not, but I've been calling the other carrier for the Elysion incorrectly this whole time. Instead of Herrara, it should be Hemera, so it will change accordingly in later chapters. Also, it seems I have confused a Destroid with a Konig Monster; I meant to have been using the latter, but I forget names sometimes, so that will also change accordingly in the later chapters. I apologize for not noticing earlier.
In the outside world
"Well, it's done. All that's left now is to see if it works." Reina says as she finishes typing on the tablet.
"I think it'll work, Reina. You've never failed us before." Kaname smiles confidently at the green-haired singer.
"I think I'm more concerned over whether or not Messer will come. If he's part of another faction, and he hasn't stepped in sooner to help us, he's probably under orders not to interact with us. Or something along those lines." Arad says, his tone flat.
"Captain's got a point. What if Messer ignores us? There's no guarantee that he'll come." Chuck adds.
"Well, we won't know until we try." Kaname says as she puts the earpiece in her ear. She taps the earpiece as she looks into the sky. "Hello? Messer-kun?"
As if on cue, one of the distant Valkyries in the sky jerks lightly, the movement basically unnoticeable to anyone on the ground. Except for the one person who had her eyes locked on said Valkyrie.
Kaname continues on. "I know you can hear me, Messer-kun. We need a hand down here, and Delta Platoon needs an assist. You don't have to come down, I just need you to do one thing for me."
All the other members of Delta Platoon put in their earpieces to hear for themselves if Messer was really back.
"Kaname, you know that as much as I want to, I can't help you directly." Messer's husky voice sounds in her ear. Everyone who had an earpiece in froze at the sound of Messer's voice.
"That's why you're not going to." Kaname smiles, her plan forming as fast as her words did. "In ten minutes, four Siegfrieds and a Kairos in diamond formation are going to launch off of the Aether. If I understand correctly, you're here with whoever you're slaving for to help us repel the attack, right?"
"I didn't think I was working that hard." Messer's voice had a lighter tone than before.
"Well, aside from the fact that I'm going to give your superiors hell when I find them, there's most likely going to be a cluster of hostiles when those Valkyries launch. Which means you should focus on them, right?" Kaname smile had a slightly devious aura to it, making everyone shiver.
There is a soft chuckle on the other side of the communication. "You really are something else, Kaname. Very well, then. I will carry out my original objective."
The line closes. Kaname's smile softened as she gazed into the sky, her deep blue eyes watching the lone Siegfried throttle towards the Elysion, which was lit up by flak explosions and blue anti-aircraft tracer rounds.
"Well then, should we make the call to the Elysion?" She turns to Arad, who chuckles softly.
"I guess so."
"I can't believe Messer-san's really alive." Freyja softly remarks as she leans against Hayate.
"Me neither; but given that we definitely just heard his voice, we're all crazy or he's got a lot of explaining to do when he gets back." Hayate states blankly as he hugs Freyja closer.
"I suppose that's true; we'll probably have to wait before we get our answers, though." Mirage says as she tightens her bandages. She winced as the alcohol pad soaked into her wound.
"At least we're on track to finding out what's going on." Arad says as he taps his earpiece. "Elysion, this is Captain Arad. Do you copy?"
"Copy that, Captain. What's going on?"
"We have secured a method to defend our Siegfrieds. We also need a Kairos." Arad looks at the rest of Delta Platoon. "Do you guys think he'll need the super packs?"
The other three pilots look at each other.
"Knowing him, he'll probably won't need them, but I think we should give it to him."
"Do you think we can mount more gunpods on the Kairos?" Hayate asks.
"Why?" Mirage asks.
"He really likes to dual wield stuff, so why not give him two gunpods instead of a beam cannon? I'm sure we can squeeze it in there."
"Is that even possible?" Chuck asks.
"I don't think it is." Makina coughs.
"Alright, whatever. Elysion, do you have a Kairos available?"
"We have a few left. They're not customized, though, so whoever's flying them is going to have a rough ride."
"It's gonna be Shiro."
"...Do you want extra weapons on it?"
"See if you can squeeze in two gunpods."
"I'll get back to you on that. I don't know what the Kairos can be equipped with."
There is a five minute pause before she comes back. "We can't replace the beam cannon with any of our current gun pods, but we can mount an extra rapid-fire railgun pod on each arm. Is that sufficient?"
Arad exhales softly. "Yeah, that'll do. Equip the Kairos with the standard super packs; our Siegfrieds only need the extra missile packs. Send all of the fighters in a diamond formation to our location."
"Understood. I hope whatever plan you have works."
"Me too." Arad says before he cuts the line. "Now all we have to do is wait for Shiro to come back intact."
"I think he'll be fine. This is Shiro we're talking about, after all." Kaname says as she looks into the sky again.
As they were talking, no one noticed the bubble containing Shiro and Mikumo shimmer and warp slightly.
Meanwhile, in Mikumo's mind
Shiro stared levelly at the Star Singer. "I understand that you don't trust me, but I feel as though I should point out that if you end up killing me, you would not be helping Mikumo."
The Star Singer tilts her head. "I never said I would kill you; I simply said that you would not awaken."
Mikumo, for one thing, felt like her mind was being dominated by everyone except herself. "Is there a remote possibility that I have a say in what happens in my mind? You keep saying that you are me, but it's like you're a completely different person."
The Star Singer turns toward Mikumo, and frowned slightly. "I am doing what is best for the both of us, Mikumo. I-"
"Then why didn't you help me when I was captured by him?" Mikumo glares at the Star Singer. "I don't understand many things, granted, but I can tell when someone has an ulterior motive, and you are no exception."
The Star Singer's eyes widen briefly before she smiles. "You are quite perceptive, Mikumo. Very well, then. I will explain everything; however, you should know that I cannot express some things in words, so I will be presenting my memories to you."
"Why is that a problem?" Mikumo asks.
"Because he may not be able to withstand the intensity of the events that transpire within these memories." The Star Singer stares levelly at Shiro.
"This is pointless. If you intend to show us, then do so already. It looks as though you are withholding something from us." Shiro flatly states.
The Star Singer glares at him before sighing. "Yes and no. I said before, I don't know if I can trust you or not; it appears that I have no choice but to do so. That being the case, I do not know the full extent of your strength, so I worry that I will be responsible for mentally destroying the one person in this universe that can adequately protect Mikumo."
"There is more to this story, right?"
The Star Singer suddenly lurches, her body visually fading in and out for a few seconds. When she speaks again, her voice is much weaker. "I've lost too much time. I can't hold on to my existence much longer."
Mikumo's eyes widen. "What? I thought you said-"
"Listen, Mikumo. I can't teach you everything; all I can do is present you with my memories. What you do with those memories is up to you." She turns to Shiro. "I hope you can back up your strength with your trustworthiness, Shiro Okumura. Know this: Even if Mikumo is willing to offer herself to you, the moment you try to hurt her in any way, shape, or form, my instincts will take over, and you will die."
Before either of them can respond, the Star Singer floated neared Mikumo and put her hand on the spot where Mikumo's heart would be. Purple energy explodes from the two of them, warping the space around them. Shiro found himself being forced back by the sudden outburst of energy. Mikumo cried out and sputtered as her back arched, her body jerking wildly. The Star Singer's body glowed purple before splitting into countless small particles that soon entered Mikumo's body. A bright light fills the space around them, blinding Shiro for a minute or so. When his vision returned, Shiro immediately turned to search for Mikumo. He found her body in a suspended animation, energy sparking off of her. Ignoring the potential risk, he approaches her and puts a hand on her shoulder. Mikumo remains unresponsive for a few seconds before her body suddenly drops. Shiro quickly catches her and holds her close. Mikumo's eyes flutter open and she turns her head before focusing on Shiro.
"Mikumo? Are you okay?" Shiro asks, unable to hide his concern for the violet haired singer.
Mikumo winces before she gently tugs at Shiro's shirt, beckoning him closer. Shiro leans in as he brings her head to his shoulder. "I'm fine, I'm just processing all the information the Star Singer dumped in my head."
"How do you feel?"
"I feel kinda tired. As much as I'd like to sleep right now, I think I need to-"
"Mikumo, just process whatever information is relevant without straining yourself anymore. We are still fighting a battle in the outside world, so I need you to at least be conscious."
Mikumo's eyes widen briefly. "Oh, that's right. I...I forgot that we were fighting." Her eyes snap to attention. "I know what to do."
"Mikumo? What are you-"
Mikumo gently puts a hand over Shiro's mouth. "Give me a minute to focus. I think I know how to keep myself going."
Shiro was about to protest when a purple pulse knocks him out.
The outside world
"Captain, do you think that's normal?" Chuck asks as he points to the bubble Shiro and Mikumo were in. It was starting to get heavily distorted, the inside appearing to become warped.
"I don't think any of this is normal, but I think that might be cause for concern." Arad says as he inspects the bubble.
"I hope Kumo-Kumo doesn't get knocked out and taken away again. That wasn't fun." Makina says as she gently rubs her stomach injuries.
"I think we should just focus on the task at hand. Hopefully they'll be fine." Hayate says as he searches the sky for their incoming Siegfrieds.
"How can you be so calm about this? Mikumo and Shiro are both out cold, and we have no idea what's going on, much less if they're okay or not." Mirage frowns at Hayate.
"There's no use worrying about it, Mirage. You said it yourself; we can't do anything because we have no way of figuring anything out as it is right now. All we can do is what we do best: fly to fight. Shiro's proven himself to be capable in pretty much every situation that's been thrown at him. I think we should just trust in Shiro for now." Hayate calmly explains.
Everyone looks at Hayate. There was hardly a trace of the lazy, carefree teenager left in the serious, calm and collected pilot.
Freyja smiles and she giggles to herself. "When did you become so manly, Hayate?" She wraps her arms around him.
"Eh?" Hayate responds, not fully hearing what Freyja just said.
"Don't worry about it." Mirage smiles at Hayate.
"Your father would really be proud of you." Arad softly says.
"What's up with you guys?" Hayate asks.
"Nothing." Everyone said at once.
Hayate raised an eyebrow before turning back to the bubble. A crackling sound draws everyone's attention. The bubble distorts even further, making it hard to clearly identify the two people inside. For whatever reason, no one moved an inch; either they were too afraid to move, or they didn't see it as a threat. The bubble suddenly fades, becoming almost completely transparent. As if popped by an unseen needle, the bubble bursts, purple energy exploding outward. Naturally, one would expect that anyone and anything near it would be sent flying away, or at the very least, moved. However, the energy had no force to it, somehow. Their bodies absorbed the energy completely, leaving them with a strange feeling in their bodies. Everyone checked themselves for any sign of abnormality before looking at each other.
"What just happened?" Arad asks.
"I have no idea." Hayate responds.
"Everyone okay?" Kaname turns to the group.
"Guys?" Makina says, her voice soft.
"Something feels...different." Mirage says, her voice equally soft.
"Yeah, it...I can't explain it." Reina winces.
Everyone turns to the pilot and singers, their reactions equivalent to each other. Makina no longer had cuts and bruises littering her body, and as she gingerly undid her bandages, everyone's jaw dropped at the fact that there was no wound at all anymore. Mirage, seeing as how Makina was affected, sat down to undo her bandages, only to see that the supposed knife wound she had received no longer existed. Reina stood up, something she normally wouldn't have been able to do.
"What the-" Chuck breathes.
"How did that happen?" Reina's eyes widen.
"I think, if I'm understanding this correctly, that our injuries are healed, somehow." Mirage says as she inspects the rest of her body.
"I think she's right. I don't feel any pain from my body, not right now, anyway." Makina says as she stretches.
"My leg feels fine now. In fact, it feels like I haven't been running at all." Reina adds as she slowly walks around.
"My head doesn't hurt anymore." Freyja adds.
"Wait, Captain," Hayate asks, "how does your chest feel?"
Arad pats his own chest, feeling for any signs of pain. "I certainly don't feel any pain."
"Hold on a minute," Kaname says, "if our injuries were healed, then doesn't that mean that his would be too?" She looks toward the spot where the mercenary leader was lying motionless. He still wasn't moving, either because he had fallen unconscious, or he didn't want to move while he was the center of attention.
"If he's been healed, then doesn't that mean he can come back to hurt us again?" Hayate asks, his eyes narrowing at the mercenary leader.
"Don't worry about him. He won't be coming back to haunt us." Mikumo says, drawing everyone's attention.
"Mikumo-san?!" Freyja yelps before running over to hug the violet haired singer.
"Mikumo!"
"Kumo-Kumo!" The singer duo grapple Mikumo, causing her to almost lose her balance. She falls backward onto a warm, solid surface behind her. She turns around and smiles at her guardian.
"It seems they're quite happy to see you." Shiro's voice is completely neutral, but there was a small smile on his face as he steadies her.
"What happened to you two?" Arad asks.
Mikumo and Shiro look at each other.
"I think I will let Mikumo divulge those events at her own discretion." Shiro says to both the group and Mikumo.
"Things happened." Mikumo emotionlessly says.
"Was that purple energy wave you?" Freyja asks.
"I think it's pretty obvious who it was." Mirage says.
"Then how about how you did it?" Makina adds.
"Or why you were in that bubble for so long?" Reina adds.
"At least tell us what you were doing inside that bubble." Freyja adds.
"Were you inside your mind?" Makina asks.
"How did you change your clothes?"
Mikumo sputters as she tries to keep up with the flood of questions. "I, uh...Wait what?"
She looks down to see that indeed, her clothes had changed. Instead of her exercise clothes, she was wearing the same pristine white strapless dress as when she and Shiro were in her mind. She was also wearing low white heels, and she noticed that she didn't have her signature bun.
Shiro gently squeezes her shoulder and she looks up at him. "Mikumo has had to deal with some rather strange circumstances, so she can't fully answer most of those questions, but we were presumably inside of her mind for the time we were unconscious."
The singers give him a strange look as they disengage from Mikumo.
"Oh, you were inside of Kumo-Kumo's mind?" Makina asks, an eyebrow raised.
"What were you guys doing inside of Mikumo's mind?" Reina asks, her expression similar to Makina's.
"What's Mikumo-san's mind like?" Freyja asks, her eyes wide."
Shiro exhales softly. "I find it a bit difficult to explain what transpired inside of Mikumo's mind, but at the very least, Mikumo's mind seemed pretty empty."
Everyone stares at Shiro, then Mikumo, who didn't seem fazed by this.
"Shiro, that's not very nice." Reina scolds.
"You shouldn't say things like that to a lady, Shiro." Makina adds.
"Umm, Shiro-san?" Freyja asks.
Shiro looks at her. "Yes, Freyja?"
"You DO know what it means to say someone's mind is empty, right?"
"Is there another meaning that I am not aware of?"
"Yes, there is." Kaname softly says as she smirks at him.
"He isn't really wrong, though." Mikumo states.
Everyone looks at her with mixed expressions of humor and surprise.
"What? It was basically like floating in space. There really wasn't much there." Mikumo states.
Everyone looks at her.
"So, you admit that your head is empty?" Kaname asks, her eyebrows raised.
"Why would I lie to you?" Mikumo responds, obviously not getting it.
Kaname looks at the rest of the singers as they nod to her. "Well, Mikumo, when someone says that their head is empty, it generally means that they're unintelligent or foolish. That, or they're incredibly forgetful, having no thoughts. That's why they're called empty-headed."
Mikumo's face remains neutral for a second before it clicks in her head. Her eyes widen as she turns to Shiro, who also had seemed to realize what he'd said.
"I did not realize that had other meanings," Shiro explains, "I meant that the space within Mikumo's mind is physically empty, not that Mikumo was unintelligent or foolish. She is somewhat impulsive, as you all probably know, but I do not find much fault in that."
"Was that supposed to make me feel better?" Mikumo asks, her face flat.
"It was not originally intended to." Shiro responds, his tone completely neutral.
They stare at each other for a minute before Mikumo realizes that he was still holding her.
Mikumo blushes visibly as she stutters. "I-I'm fine now, Shiro. You don't need to support me anymore..."
Shiro's eyes widen briefly before he releases her and clears his throat. "Ehm, yes, apologies."
The singers laugh to themselves over Mikumo's behavior while the pilots give Shiro questioning looks that made him inwardly uncomfortable. They remained like that for a minute or so before a voice rings in the pilots' ears.
"Delta Platoon, your fighters have arrived. Delta Five, your fighter is the Kairos. I don't know how you got an escort, but whoever it is did a good job of keeping them off of your fighters." The green-haired bridge girl's voice alerts them as the sound of engines approaching makes them all turn toward the sound.
They see their respective Valkyries appear over the tree line as a Siegfried zooms past all of them. Shiro's gaze snaps toward the Siegfried before he turns to the group.
"This is Delta One. Thanks Elysion."
Kaname smiles. "Thanks, Messer-kun."
The Siegfried switches to Battroid mode and salutes quickly before switching back to Fighter mode and blasting back toward the battle in the sky.
"Is there something I missed?" Mikumo stares at Kaname."
"It would appear so." Shiro says as he looks at the Kairos designated for him. "That Siegfried is the same as the one I encountered recently tonight."
"That's Messer; apparently he's back from the dead." Hayate says as he approaches his Siegfried.
"Or maybe he never died." Kaname's face grows serious. "We have a job to do. Let's get to it."
"What are our orders?" Mirage asks as she stretches her now healed leg.
"We're going to take Walkure back to the Elysion, or whatever remains of it. From what I understand, the bridge is still operational, and so is some of our communications. Walkure, you guys should get ready to perform a tactical concert, get our guys 'motivated.' Anyone think they need to take a breather or sit this one out?" Arad says as he looks at the group.
Kaname looks to Makina. "How do you feel, Makina?"
Makina smiles as she stretches. "I feel like causing a few nosebleeds."
Hayate turns to Mirage. "You good, Mirage?"
Mirage smiles at her former pupil. "I wouldn't want to miss this."
Hayate grins as he turns to Freyja. "Are you up for this, Freyja?"
Freyja smiles as she points to Hayate and Mirage. "You both better be ready!"
Makina looks at Reina who smiles. "Don't even ask."
"Chuck?" Arad looks at the Ragnan pilot.
Chuck puts a fist in his hand. "Aye, Sir!"
Kaname looks at Mikumo. "Think you're well enough to sing?"
Mikumo puts a hand on her hip as she smiles. She makes the W with her fingers. "Who do you think you're talking to?"
Arad looks at Shiro. "Look, Shiro, I know you probably didn't sign up for this, but-"
"Captain." Shiro smiles lightly. "You need not try to convince me. I will honor our agreement."
The senior pilot smiles back at Shiro before turning to the group. "Alright then. Everyone know who they're pairing up with. We'll probably have to fight our way to the Elysion, but it's like they say: 'The only easy day, was yesterday.'"
Everyone nods as they split up and go to their respective Siegfrieds with the like pilots. As Arad helps Kaname into his Siegfried, he calls out to Shiro. "Oh yeah, Shiro. This is your first time flying a Kairos, but it's pretty much the same as flying a Nightmare. We also gave you a couple extra rail gun pods and a couple boosters. Try not to make Mikumo sick before we get to the Elysion. You think you got it?"
Shiro turns around as he and Mikumo jump into the Kairos' hand. "I don't think I can afford not to, sir."
Arad chuckles. "Don't 'sir' me, Shiro. Remember, we're the same rank!"
Shiro smiles lightly. "Understood."
With that being said, the respective pairs took off. Naturally, Shiro had Mikumo, Hayate had Freyja, and Arad had Kaname. Mirage had Makina and Chuck had Reina. Arad took point with Mirage and Shiro on his left and right, respectively. Hayate and Chuck followed the other two respectively. As they gained altitude, they were greeted by a barrage of orange bullets from the Nightmares the were attacking. As it turned out, there were a variety of Nightmares attacking, as there were a considerable amount of Super Nightmares, many more were just regular Nightmares. It was fairly easy to tell who the leaders among the attacking force were, as the Super Nightmares were much more aggressive and took Chaos' forces much longer to take down than the regular Nightmares. Once Delta Platoon showed up, however, the regular Nightmares started to swarm Delta Platoon, with more descending into the atmosphere from space. It seemed that they were aware their plan to capture Mikumo and Walkure had failed, so now they were trying to destroy any trace of them.
"I don't think they're going to go easy on us, Captain!" Chuck yells as they all split up to avoid enough bullets to make them disintegrate.
"They're not! Delta Platoon, shoot to kill! That's an order!" Arad yells as he dives through the first group of attacking Nightmares and shreds half of them.
"Roger!" Mirage raises her voice as she swoops under a Nightmare and slices it in half with her beam cannon.
"Mirage, bank left!" Hayate yells as he blasts a Nightmare gunning for Mirage.
Arad rolls to dodge a Nightmare charging him head-on before switching to Gerwalk mode and shooting it out of the sky. As he switches back to fighter mode, three Nightmares chase him from behind, two of them Super Nightmares. He aims the beam cannon behind him and takes out one of them as the other two launch a flurry of missiles at him. Hayate and Mirage pull back behind him to dodge the streams of bullets from various Nightmares. They blast the missiles out of the sky before splitting up, both of them having two Nightmares on their tails each. A Nightmare appears in front of them both, ready to take them down. Hayate and Mirage quickly dispatch their Nightmares with a beam cannon and a quick burst of bullets, respectively. Shiro flips backwards over the two, switching to Gerwalk mode and blasting the four Nightmares out of the sky in rapid succession with the dual rail gun pods on each arm.
"Thanks, Shiro!" Hayate and Mirage chirp through the comm.
"It looks like Shiro's really getting the hang of piloting, eh?" Makina remarks in Mirage's backseat.
"We can't afford to let our guards down. I can't track all of the Nightmares in the airspace, but I count at least sixty, not including the third party's Valkyries." Shiro notes as he backs around a trio of Nightmares. He shreds the first one before chasing another one and ending it the same way as the first one. He looks behind him to check on Mikumo. "How are you holding up, Mikumo?"
Mikumo seemed somewhat nervous. "I'm fine, but I'm worried about us getting back to the Aether in one piece. Not just me, but everyone else."
Shiro frowned as he switched to Gerwalk mode and annihilated a Super Nightmare that launched its missiles at him. "I'll get you back in one piece, Mikumo. As for the others, I'll help them as much as possible, but you know your safety comes first."
"I know, I know. It's just-" Mikumo sighed softly as she leaned back in her seat.
"Mikumo." Shiro's voice was firm yet gentle. "Trust me."
Mikumo looks through the canopy, viewing the intense dogfights with dogfights in it. "I'm not really used to trusting other people like this. I just...don't want to hurt others the in a way only I'm capable of."
Shiro accelerates to avoid a burst of laser beams from four different Super Nightmares. He rolls off to the side, all four Super Nightmares chasing him. "It's okay, Mikumo. I'm the same way."
Hayate and Mirage come up behind him, both of them shooting down a Super Nightmare before being forced to bank off as more Nightmares descend upon them.
"Hayate! Three behind you, coming in fast!" Mirage yells to him.
Hayate chuckles softly as they gain on him. Mirage briefly thought they were going to get him until she realized they were directly behind him. She smirks as she recognizes what Hayate was planning. As if on cue, Hayate executes a half-Cobra maneuver before gaining significant altitude. The Nightmares didn't even have time to react as Hayate came back down at breakneck speeds and switched to Gerwalk mode, annihilating all three Nightmares in a matter of seconds.
"You're such a show off, Hayate." Freyja laughs as Hayate flips over to Mirage and shoots down another two Nightmares that were on her tail.
"Are you trying to show off to Messer, Haya-Haya?" Makina giggles to Hayate.
"This isn't the time to be showboating, Hayate." Mirage can't resist a grin as she shoots down a Nightmare diving towards Hayate.
Arad barrel rolls as bullets and laser beams narrowly miss him. "This isn't getting us anywhere! Chuck, can you see if we can get any assistance?!"
Chuck barely dodges the hailstorm of bullets from a couple of Nightmares that try to pincer him. "Aye Sir!" He switches comm channels. "Delta Platoon to any available platoons, come in! We need back up!"
The comm channel was a mixture of different voice yelling at each other, telling the other to dodge, the location of any leader Nightmares, etc. A voice comes on the channel. "Delta Platoon, this is Alpha Leader! We can't really spare anyone right now! There are enough Nightmares for everyone to have a platoon of their own! What are you doing?!"
"We need to drop Walkure at the Aether, but we're getting swarmed!"
"We're occupied right now! If we take our attention of these guys, we're gonna get sandwiched!"
"This is Beta Leader! We're in the same boat as Alpha! Gamma's already taken casualties! Gamma 2 and 3 are down!"
"Where the hell are our reinforcements?!" One of the squad members yell through the comms.
"The Elysion said they'd be here in five minutes!"
"Bullshit! It's been twenty minutes!"
"If it wasn't for these unknowns, we'd be long dead!"
"They're getting squeezed tight too! We can't hold out much longer!"
"Can it! We've got more hostile Nightmares incoming! I-Hold on, we got friendlies incoming! Watch your fire, friendlies are khaki tan! Repeat, do NOT fire on khaki tan Nightmares!"
Chuck takes a small breath of relief at the mentioning of more friendly reinforcements. "Captain, we've got friendlies from the local airbase!"
Arad had already noticed, as the four Nightmares chasing him suddenly exploded. It wasn't from the friendly Nightmares, though. He manages to glance at a Siegfried with a winged skull emblem just before it zooms past him and blasts another Nightmare out of the sky. At first glance, it looked like Messer was just flying around and blasting any nearby Nightmares out of the sky, but as Kaname noticed, he always found a way to loop back around to Arad, or more specifically, Kaname. "That's a relief. We still can't let our guards down, though. Once the local reinforcements engage, have Alpha Platoon and Beta Platoon cover our backs, Delta Three!"
Chuck grins as three squadrons of khaki tan Nightmares, one of which a full squadron of Super Nightmares, throttle past him and annihilate five navy blue Nightmares. Five more squadrons fly past him and spread out, the resulting dogfight exponentially more intense than the previous ones. Nightmares of two different colors swirled around each other, exchanging gunfire and missiles. There were some Kairos' and Chronos' mixed in, and most notably, five Siegfrieds.
Arad grins as the friendly Nightmares zoom past him, forcing the navy blue Nightmares to focus on the khaki tan ones. "Delta Platoon, now's our chance! Form up on me ASAP! Forget landing on the Aether, head straight for the bridge! We'll drop Walkure through the breach in the bridge's canopy!"
Hayate grins. "About time. I've been waiting to hear Freyja sing."
Makina and Reina ring through the comm.
"What, you didn't want to hear me sing, Haya-Haya?"
"I see Hayate's playing favorites."
Hayate chuckles as he throttles to Arad. "I'm still gonna protect you guys, but for singing, your goddamn right I'm playing favorites."
Mirage laughs softly. "Don't act like you had a chance competing with Freyja for Hayate."
Freyja smiles as her rune twinkles. "Hayate, be nice. It's not like they have amazing boyfriends to praise them."
Arad chuckles. "You kids play nice now."
"Kumo-Kumo's the child here!" Makina pouts.
Mikumo, who had been silent this time, frowned. "I'll remember that when we have practice after this."
Kaname laughed softly. "You really want to have practice after all this?"
Mikumo gives a sadistic looking smile, something that both shocked the singers and terrified them. "You bet I do. I dare one of you to skip out on me."
Makina and Reina both gulp nervously while Freyja and Kaname shiver.
"I see the other side of her is coming out now." Makina chuckles nervously.
"I think it's the side we don't really get to see." Reina adds just as nervously.
"I hope everyone else is in for a rough time." Kaname adds.
"At least she'll work us somewhat fairly, right Mikumo-san?" Freyja can't help but squirm slightly.
"About that, I expect great things from you, Freyja." Mikumo emphasizes the last word audibly, making the Windermerean singer shiver with fear.
"Oi, Mikumo. Don't traumatize them now, they need to be in good enough condition to sing." Hayate scolds as he and Mirage fly together in close proximity.
Mikumo smirks. "Don't worry, I'll make sure they'll be perfectly fit to sing."
A soft sound makes everyone stop for a second. It sounded like a laugh, but because of who it was coming from, no one could believe it, least of all Mikumo. Shiro was laughing. Almost inaudibly, but just enough for everyone to hear. He was almost laughing to himself, as it was fairly soft. Walkure and Delta Platoon alike gaped at the expression of apparent amusement from the otherwise stoic bodyguard. After a few seconds he stopped laughing, he realized that everyone else had stopped talking. He pulled up the holo screens to see if everyone was okay only to realize everyone was staring at him with expressions of utter surprise. He turns his head to look at Mikumo who also was gaping widely at him.
Shiro looked at Mikumo. "Is there something I need to be made aware of?"
Mikumo closed her mouth, her expression unreadable. "Did you just...laugh?"
Shiro raised an eyebrow. "Is that unusual?"
"From you, it is." Makina says.
"That's the first time I've ever heard you laugh." Freyja adds.
"I didn't think it was possible." Reina softly remarks.
"You're not alone on that one." Chuck adds.
"Give him a break, guys," Kaname says, "it's not like he's had any reason to laugh recently, especially given the fact that he's had to rescue us a second time now."
"He's only had to save us once." Arad interjects.
"Twice, if you include that time on the bridge." Mikumo mentions. "And don't forget that time when I was tied to a table."
"It's his job." Mirage argues.
"You know, he's only been with us for about a month or so now. He could've left after the first attack, yet he's still with us now. That's more than you can say for most other people." Hayate notes.
"Shiro's not most other people." Reina says.
"Isn't that why you hired him?" Mikumo points out.
No one could argue with Mikumo's and Hayate's logic, although they were still completely taken aback by the fact that Shiro actually laughed. They all took deep breaths, partially relieving their stresses.
"We're coming up on the Elysion now." Arad's voice sounds through the comms.
Everyone except Shiro felt their hearts drop at the sight of the crippled Elysion. Most of the large beam turrets were gone or destroyed, pieces of them scattering in the water. There were large burn marks, bullet holes, and small fires burning all over the Elysion. The bridge itself had a visible hole in its left side, which wasn't filled by the foam that normally patched it up when there was a breach. The legs weren't even visible; the only hint that there were even leg units was the dark shadow just below the water, bits of metal sticking out occasionally. The Aether and the Hemera were intact, for the most part. The Hermera was already detached, but the Aether was floating on its own next to its sister carrier. Everyone realized what was going to happen with the Elysion, now that repairs were basically impossible. They flew straight to the bridge, Arad dropping Kaname off first. Hayate went next, followed by Mirage, then Chuck, and finally, Shiro. As they took off, Mirage turned to look at the Elysion.
"I know we're supposed to stay optimistic, but I can't keep a positive outlook on this."
"I can't either, but we can't stay down. We have to come back from this, somehow." Arad says with a sad smile.
"On the bright side, we survived, Walkure survived, and the Aether and Hemera survived." Shiro says.
"So did Walkure's sound system." Hayate jests lightly. "And, because we survived, we can still fly."
"Well, we have our chance to get a little payback, and I know I'm itching for a Ragnan return." Chuck grins.
Everyone smiles.
"Delta Platoon, your orders are to drive the intruders away from Ragna's blue skies!"
"Yeah!"
"Roger!"
"Aye, sir!"
"Understood."
As they flew towards the battle, Walkure was readying themselves. Luckily for them, their stage materials, clothing, etc, was already waiting for them, courtesy of the Elysion's crew. They smiled warmly at the safe return of their goddesses, which Walkure returned in kind. As they were preparing to switch out their clothes, Mikumo snapped her fingers to get Walkure's attention.
Mikumo put a hand on her hips as she spoke. "Girls, do you mind if I solo this first one?"
Kaname looks at her, a slightly questioning look on her face. "What's the occasion?"
Mikumo pauses for a moment before responding. "Well, this is the first time we're singing with Shiro present. I'd like to know how Shiro responds to my singing, what with him being new and all."
Makina crosses her arms, a suggestive smile on her face. "Oh, and what made you think that, Kumo-Kumo?"
Mikumo tilted her head up as she collected her thoughts. "I was thinking about how Freyja is capable of resonating with Hayate; I want to know if I'm capable of resonating with Shiro. He spends a lot of time around me, so it seems natural that he and I are capable of resonating with each other. He might just become even more powerful than before if that's the case."
On paper, it was good enough to divert their attention from the more suggestive aspects of her question; Freyja, however, could tell there was something else to Mikumo's question. Feigning innocence, she decided to go along with it, but she made a note to ask Mikumo about it when everything was said and done.
The rest of Walkure look among themselves before turning to Mikumo.
Kaname is the first to speak. "Alright, Mikumo, but we're going to let everyone else know, just so that they know we're okay."
Mikumo nods. "Fair enough. You'll all join me when I signal, okay?"
The other girls nod, smiles on their faces.
Kaname taps the earpiece she still had on her. "Hey guys."
Arad responds. "What's going on, Kaname?"
"You don't need to worry about this, but Mikumo asked to solo the first song or so. We'll join her when she gives us her signal."
Hayate groans. "Man, I was really looking forward to dancing to Freyja's song."
Mirage snorts. "You still want to dance even with this going on?"
Hayate makes a hmph sound. "Name one time I wouldn't want to."
Mirage sighs. "I definitely can't answer that; I just can't keep up with you."
"Don't worry, Mirage. I can keep pace for you." Hayate smirks.
While they were talking, Mikumo had stepped toward the center of the stage. Her body glows purple before fading to reveal the black and red variant of her blue outfit. She looked through the orange cracked glass of the bridge, searching for Shiro's Kairos. Given that it was basically identical to every other Kairos in the sky, she couldn't tell it apart. She took in a deep breath before beginning her song. The sound of a violin draws Shiro's attention.
Tatoeba togireta sora ga mieta nara
All of Chaos' deployed platoons, Delta included, felt their exhaustion vanish as Mikumo began her song.
Furueru boku no koe ga kikoeru no nara
As her song began to ring out across the skies, Shiro felt himself tense up as his vision blurred briefly back and forth. Everyone in Delta Platoon, except Shiro, began to notice the increase in power coming from Mikumo's song. Shiro struggled to maintain his focus as Mikumo continued singing.
Barabara ni kudakeru hodo maiagare
Hikisakareta kioku no hate naki tsubasa
Ano hi katariatta koto
Hayate rolled to dodge a barrage of bullets from a Nightmare, taking it out with his beam cannon when he saw Shiro's Kairos fly differently. Instead of being completely steady, it was rocking back and forth visibly. There was no reaction from Shiro as the Nightmares moved to attack him.
"Delta Five, Delta Five!" Hayate calls out to Shiro, who didn't realize he had spaced out. Time slowed down as four Nightmares from different angles fired down simultaneously at Shiro.
Itsumo waraiaeta koto
Yomigaeru hi made tachiagaru dake
Kowashite motto motto boku o kanjite
Shiro's next move shocked everyone, most of all his attackers. He switched into Battroid mode, the orange tracers from the Nightmares barely grazing every inch of his Kairos in every way possible. Before any of them can react, Shiro flips over and upside down as he switches to Gerwalk mode and takes out three of them with his arm-mounted railguns and the beam gun on his dorsal side. As the fourth Nightmare tries to peel off, Shiro shreds it with all four railgun pods in an instant.
Soko ni soko ni imasu ka
Senjou ni saku inochi yo moero moero
Koroshite isso isso kuchihateru nara
Two squadrons of Nightmares descend upon Delta Platoon simultaneously, but before anyone can re-position themselves, Shiro pulls back sharply, diving into the midst of both squadrons. Half a second later, he unleashes all of the missiles in the extra packs mounted. Only one Nightmare managed to avoid getting blown to bits instantaneously, but their escape was short lived; Shiro annihilated the pilot of the remaining Nightmare by completely dissolving the nose area with all four railguns.
Tagire tagire hametsu no hate ni
Kiseki o yobisamase tozasareta sora e
All Chaos Platoons assumed a formation as the Nightmares' numbers began to dwindle. Shiro was slowly gaining on them, his speed a fraction of what it was a minute ago. Meanwhile, the two Chronos' and Siegfried were flying a distance away, observing the Kairos carefully.
"Hey, Delta Five. Are you okay?" Hayate asked as Shiro's Kairos was still wobbling visibly.
"Delta Five! Come in, Delta Five! Cpt. Okumura!" Arad tried to get Shiro to respond.
Tobiaku musuu no kankaku no naka de
Hontou no jibun saemo nakushiteshimau
Mienai fuan no shuuchuu houka ni
"Sorry, Arad. I just need a minute." When Shiro finally responded, everyone could tell something was off. His voice was quiet, and sounded strained.
"What's wrong, Shiro?" Chuck asks.
"It's nothing." Shiro says as he aligns himself within their formation. His Kairos had stopped shaking, but he didn't sound any better.
Kachinokoru nowa yowasa mitomeru tsuyosa
Moshimo boku janakattara
Moshimo kimi janakattara
Konna kimochi sae shirazu ni ita ne
There was no time to rest however, as more Nightmares, mainly Super Nightmares, descended from space. They launched an unreal amount of missiles in close proximity to the heated dogfight, blanketing the sky with explosions. There were multiple screams on the open channel as friendly Nightmares and Kairos were decimated by the explosions. It was also evident that the Chronos also took casualties, as at least five of them were shredded by the shrapnel, their air-frames falling apart midair.
A unrecognizable female voice sounds through the comm. "They're making a final push right now. If we beat back this squadron, all they'll have left is their battleships and carriers." Her voice could have been related to Kaname's, as both sounded mature yet young.
Kirisake motto motto seigi no yami e
Deciding to delay their questions for a time when they weren't in danger of being blown to bits, Arad responded for Delta Platoon and Chaos' forces.
"All other questions aside, I'd like to know if we can really trust you." Arad calmly says.
Hashire hashire hai ni naru made
The next voice was familiar enough for him. "Captain, you can trust them. You have my word."
"Messer, you have a lot of explaining to do when we get back." Arad smiles gently. "You also didn't get to go on a little date with Kaname."
Rikutsu o sutete kokoro de hoero hoero
The sound of a throat being cleared makes him chuckle.
"If there's anything else, please wait until after we deal with the incoming hostiles." The same female pilot says.
"We'll take the lead, please have two of your best squadrons follow us. Leave the rest to defend the Elysion and the nearby civilians." Another female voice sounds through the comm.
"Everyone got that?" Arad asks through the comm. After hearing everyone's confirmation, he pulled up the list of intact Kairos from each respective platoon.
Tachikare yagate yagate umareru hoshi ni
"Alright, Alpha Platoon, Delta Platoon, follow their lead. All other forces remain near the Elysion in case some break through."
Kimi ga kimi ga ikekureru nara
"Heads up, Captain! Hostiles incoming! They number at least fifty!" Chuck yells through the comm for everyone to hear.
Bokura no kagayaki wa muteki nimo nareru
Everyone paled at the sight of a cloud of Valkyries accelerating head-on towards them. What was offsetting was not the sheer amount of Super Nightmares, but the Valkyries behind them. There were ten VF-29s, all equipped with super packs. They were colored navy blue, with silver stripes along the wings. They also gave off a different kind of presence than the Super Nightmares they were the Super Nightmares dived towards the Elysion, the Durandals all split up, each gunning for a member of Delta Platoon, Messer, and his two superiors. The remaining two Durandals split up, one going for Hayate, the other for Shiro. At first, it seemed that the newest cluster of Valkyries would break through the remainder of Chaos' squadrons, but it soon became obvious that the Super Nightmare pilots were either inexperienced or exhausted, as they were actually easier to take down than the previous Super Nightmares. As for the apparent aces among both sides, they were engaged in a furious dogfight that soon devolved into an endless stalemate. Shiro found himself being pressed incredibly tightly, as every moment he had was spent dodging or firing back at a Durandal trying to annihilate him.
Migi ni narae to daremo ga kyou o ikteru
It seemed their plan had completely failed, as despite the advantage in numbers they initially had, the Super Nightmares' pilots were no match for the battle hardened skills of Chaos' forces, combined with the assistance of the third party. The space in the sky where the aces of each respective faction were dueling was lit up by bursts of blue and orange tracers, along with laser beams and the occasional flurry and destruction of missiles. Meanwhile, the rest of Walkure had joined Mikumo, as she had given the signal when the last wave of hostiles had showed up. Their song echoed even more prominently the moment the other four singers joined in, as Delta Platoon and to an extent, Messer, began to fly differently in the sense that they reacted and flew faster. Shiro coughed painfully as he nearly blacked out; his Kairos' nose dipped sharply.
Modokashisa ni riyuu mo nai mama
"Shiro, are you okay?!" Hayate yelled as he blew off a wing mounted engine off of the Durandal chasing him. It switched to Gerwalk mode to stabilize itself, and Mirage made a fly by, blowing off one of it's legs. As Mirage flew by, the Durandal chasing him was hit by a beam blast from Hayate. As it began to lose altitude, it fired off all of its missiles, forcing the two to back off and destroy all of the missiles.
The three Durandals seemed to have sensed Shiro's vulnerability, as all three fire a salvo of missiles at him. Shiro didn't react as the missiles neared him, to the dismay of the other pilots. Right as they were about to make impact, Shiro purged all of the extra equipment on his Kairos, save for the extra boosters, which still had enough fuel to last him an extra few minutes. The resulting explosion made it so that no one could tell where Shiro had went, or if he had even survived. The three Durandals split up and maneuvered around the dust cloud in Gerwalk mode to see where Shiro had went. When the dust settled, there wasn't a trace of Shiro, and as the three turned around, none of them bothered to look down.
Shinda mitai ni iketeyuku nai mama
One Durandal was hit directly by a beam and promptly exploded. Another barely managed to avoid getting shredded, while the third had its wing clipped off by the barrage from Shiro's dual railguns. As it listed sideways, Shiro hammered it with all four railguns until it essentially disintegrated. The remaining Durandal launched the remainder of its missiles at Shiro while simultaneously firing its twin beam cannons.
Akai chi o nagashi kiba o muke
Both beams landed on the extra boosters as Shiro had switched to Gerwalk mode to avoid and destroy the missiles launched at him. He barely had time to purge them before they exploded, knocking his Kairos off balance. The Durandal charged at him head on in Fighter mode before switching to Battroid mode. It fired both of its beam cannons, which Shiro barely managed to dodge/block. The Durandal then pulled out its knife, the blade glowing green. Shiro switched to Battroid mode right as the Durandal neared him with its knife arm extended. Unknown to the pilots, Walkure, or more specifically, Mikumo was watching Shiro's intense engagement.
Sore ga boku ga kimi ga ikiteru shoumei akashi
Time either flashed by or slowed to a crawl for the pilots that were watching Shiro fight. For Chuck and Mirage, who had their backs turned, they didn't see the how, they only saw the result. For Arad, Hayate, and Messer, they watched the entire scene unfold in a mix of shock and awe. Right as the knife was about to plunge towards the center of Shiro's Kairos, the bodyguard moved his left arm, deflecting the knife and slicing the extra railgun partially. Shiro then fired the remaining functional railgun at the Durandal's arm, blowing it off. Shiro, by then, had already deployed his beam cannon in its turret mode, and fired directly at the Durandal, just below its head. The good news was that Shiro had effectively won his lopsided fight; the bad news was the resulting explosion damaged his Kairos considerably, as the head unit was damaged beyond use.
Kowashite motto motto boku o kanjite
As if to add insult to injury, the remaining Durandals turned their attention to Shiro, firing whatever they had left at him. Most of them missed their beam shots, and their missiles were quickly shot down by the other pilots flying nearby.
Soko ni soko ni kimi wa imasu ka
Unfortunately, one of the last beam shots fired hit the Kairos on the left shoulder, blowing off the arm and sending the fighter careening. Shiro switched to Fighter mode as another struck his wing, blowing a chunk of it off.
Senjou ni saku inochi yo moero moero
The pilots took advantage of the enemy's distraction with Shiro and promptly began to finish them off.
Koroshite isso isso kuchihateru nara
Arad sliced both wings off of a Durandal as its back was turned to him and fired directly at its center with his beam cannon.
Tagire tagire hametsu no hate ni
Messer destroyed his and Chuck's Durandal by firing missiles at the two Valkyries, blowing both of them to bits instantly. The two Chronos double teamed one Durandal before unleashing their missiles at the last. It desperately tried to escape, but the sheer number of missiles ensured it met a similar fate to its companions.
Kiseki o yobisamase tozasareta sora e
Shiro's Kairos was now in a sharp nosedive by the time Delta Platoon and Chronos finished knocking out their respective Durandals. Hayate and the two Chronos began to throttle downwards, towards Shiro. They grit their teeth as they realize they weren't likely to reach Shiro in time before he crashed. The sound of a cry rings through the comm as the Kairos hits the water at terminal velocity.
"SHIRO!"
Hey guys, sorry about the slow posting, I've just been busy and I also have been proofing my chapters and what not for more errors. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this extra long chapter, and please let me know your thoughts.